#the fact they showed up during society event was a surprise enough for me (positive). cassius calling juri a kettle or whatever cuz

[toestalucia]

filed under things i think r funny they canonly say

more event lines but these...

Lauphit: I could see everyone's enthusiasm for comedy… Really made an impression on me. Farrah: Ahaha… I guess at the end of the day, we're just a fun-loving crew—captain included.

Seruel: Well, since you'll be representing our crew, it wouldn't do us any good if you looked slovenly on stage.

Lauphit: Captain's pretty funny too! I don't get how someone with such an innocent-lookin' face can have such a sharp tongue!

in general 1) taking that one seasonal login (white days??) and going 'what if we made an entire comedy event' is so funny 2) juri rly was an excellent choice seeing how competitive & justice-oriented & passionate he is (when he yells at renvauro) #notbiased 3) zehek being there solely to be the dude who laughs at Everything lord (loved it) 4) if the new juri doesnt have new seasonal lines ill cry 5) yknow with the latest 4kishi event where lanceys mom recognizes captain...and the new years lanvane line where they bring captain to their home-village...and now with them mentioning the galston unit halloween tradition that juri talks about in a halloween line too...... i love that 6) when galston spoke about juris dad and mom buuuHHUUUUUUUUUU juri has 3 dads club 7) farrahT____T my favorite besties of all time

[appleflavoredkitkats]

gonna talk about quackity and las nevadas real quick— fair warning, this is not cohesive as i am rambling this from the top of my head, but i wanted to relay my thoughts on them because i just. love them so much.

also this basically turned into “what is quackity's character arc and why is the las nevadas crew important to quackity's arc”

all people mentioned are of their dsmp counterparts unless said otherwise /dsmp /rp

tw: mentions of torture, violence

quackity is not a character who is only rooted in maliciousness. i can acknowledge that he is, scarily, one of the best manipulators of the smp, but his intentions and the reason las nevadas was made are not rooted in maliciousness. before the election results, we know that wilbur and quackity had a discussion about peace and change in the smp. quackity's reason for running was because he wanted to be the one to bring a positive shift in the smp. he wanted to garner a sense of belongingness in the smp because he felt excluded by l'manberg. upon hearing this, wilbur slaps him with the real truth about the dsmp— it is not controlled by pacifism. it can never be controlled by pacifism. if quackity wanted to make an impact, he needed power, and to acquire power, he needed to be violent.

which is why he does the things he does right now. his torturing of dream, his manipulation of his friends, him creating a gambling ground in general— he does that all to contribute to his plans of being revered. the main question we can garner from all this is: what's his end goal? i've been pondering about this for months on end now, and i still can't pinpoint what he wants to do with his power once he acquires it. all we can conclude is that he still wants to impact the smp one way or another, and that he is immensely determined to execute his plan perfectly. a guess of mine is that he still genuinely wants to bring peace in this server, to create a conflict so loud that it ends all conflicts. but to be honest, i could also see his end goal being less of “make the smp better” and more of a “let me guarantee the safety of myself and my loved ones” because at the beginning, we knew las nevadas was supposed to be made for him and the rest of el rapids, but we all know what happened. so now, he has different people in his crew that might substitute el rapids as other potential family he can care about? who knows! i do think it has to be related to the concept of belongingness somehow, because that theme is prevalent in both possibilities. also, something something, the plan's perfect execution may also become his legacy, something something. you get the idea.

which is actually funny because i remember that cc!quackity himself has expressed his own purpose in life in his alt streams, and it's quite the opposite of his own character's. he's stated numerous times that he intends to just… enjoy life. he was gifted one life to spent, and he'll just have fun with it. do what makes him happy. no legacies, no everlasting impacts on society— just his own happiness and wellbeing. and to me, i think cc!quackity is trying to make this ideology something his character eventually acquires in the future. the state of the dream smp shouldn't fall into the hands of quackity. it was never his responsibility to fix in the first place. he could have just left, he could have just enjoyed his life, but quackity seems so fixated in the idea of a possible shift in the smp. he wants to make as much noise as possible.

which is also funny because like, he doesn't have to! and interestingly enough, charlie mentions it. charlie has been continuously mentioning that everyone turns into dust anyway. charlie has seen lots of violent events throughout history, but he always seems to suggest that it's pointless because again, we all turn to dust. that belief is such a foil to quackity's belief of leaving a stamp on the smp because charlie suggests that it does not matter. quackity can make as much noise as possible yet still turn into the same kind of dust that silent people will turn into as well. it does not. matter. he should not be this fixated on his legacy and impact when it's not only going to be potentially meaningless, but it has also been hurting many other people as well.

but how will he eventually learn to believe in this ideology?

well, knowing that charlie was the first one to bring it up, i fully believe the las nevadas crew will be responsible for quackity's potential healing arc. las nevadas' crew is interesting because it feels like an anti-found-family family that fits in perfectly with actual found families. they were definitely manipulated into thinking joining las nevadas was a life or death situation, but what's interesting is that the same dreadful aura from las nevadas' third episode does not… continue on for the rest of the las nevadas streams? quite frankly, their streams have been pretty pleasant. of course, quackity still prioritizes his country over his people, but that doesn't mean he does not care about them at all. the fact that he's willing to recruit them and possibly share the legacy once his plans go smoothly shows that he does care about them to an extent.

but even if quackity manipulated them into joining, the crew has not been controlled by quackity in any other way afterwards. in fact, it seems like these people have been actually finding something purposeful and fulfilling from their stay there. like, fundy, foolish, charlie, and purpled genuinely seem like they're enjoying their time with one another. they don't degrade each other, they don't infantilize or hurt or insult each other; they actually seem like they enjoy each other's presence. sure, quackity promised them a legacy, but they themselves have kind of found a bigger purpose outside of legacy in las nevadas: belongingness, togetherness.

and i want quackity to realize that. because we already know that cc!quackity's probably gonna apply his own life philosophy into his character, but there needs to be a reason as to why he gets to that point. at the moment, those who craved for legacies in las nevadas seems to be slowly just… enjoying their time there because of the people they meet. the people they begin caring for. i 100% bet that later on, these people will stop caring about their legacy and begin caring for las nevadas for the people there that gave them purpose outside of making as much noise as possible.

and i want quackity to be one of those people to lets go of the concept of legacies and impacts. i bet that las nevadas will experience hell back to back, but he will have his crew members to fight alongside him everyday. he thinks that they're there because he manipulated them enough, but he slowly realizes that that's not the case— maybe at a point where las nevadas is at its lowest, quackity tells them that they can leave, that this was not the las nevadas he promised them. quackity tells them that there's no way they can ever gain proper legacies from it, but to his surprise, the crew stays. not because they still think las nevadas can provide them a proper legacy, but because they found a better purpose from las nevadas outside of legacies and impacts— and to them, quackity brought them together, and they're thankful for it. quackity delivered this opportunity for them, and now, the rest of the crew is giving quackity his own opportunity to find his own purpose. not in las nevadas in particular, but in them. he does not need to change the entire state of the smp to gain a sense of belongingness like he wanted during the elections— he can just find it through them, and that should be enough for him.

[ur-local-anti-hero]

Anonymous said: Shiggy with a reader that was Forced to be a pro hero and don’t really care about hero and villains and is just super chill

Note: Hey Anon!! Thanks for requesting :) You didn’t specify what you wanted and I got a little carried away and ended up writing a one shot.

I hope you enjoy!

Shigaraki with a Hero S/O

Characters: Shigaraki x GN! Reader

Warnings: None

997 words

I General Mastelist I

You were out doing groceries in a store near your house as you noticed the lack of products in your apartment. 

When you were about to grab something from one of the selves your hand accidentally brushed against someone else's arm. You retreated your hand immediately and looked up to the stranger's face to apologize.

Except that he wasn't a stranger, when your eyes met his both of you gasped in recognition. One of the most persecuted villains was staring at you with surprise filling his eyes. 

You quickly broke eye contact and picked up the product you were looking for. 

"If I were you, I wouldn't make any suspicious movement, I'm not on duty right now and I don't feel like dealing with this, I won't be forced to imprison you unless you make a scene." You murmured before turning away from the villain. 

You left him there, completely dumbfounded at your words and actions. He recognized you, of course he did, you were one of the top pro heroes of Japan, usually working side to side with Mirko or Hawks. Why did you let him get away? Especially when capturing a villain of his rank would assure you fame and popularity. What were you thinking? 

 

During the next weeks after his encounter with you he couldn't get you out of his mind. He felt the need to understand you and your behavior, he researched about you and even more doubts aroused. It seemed like you didn’t care about your popularity, almost no interviews could be found and you never attended hero events. That only caught his attention even more and soon he found himself following you around. 

He would usually do it at night, slyly following your steps while you were on patrol or walking back home, trying to make sure you wouldn't notice him. 

"If you are going to keep following me around, why don't you at least walk by my side?" Shigaraki jumped in surprised when you talked to him. Nonetheless he actually started walking by your side. 

For days it was like this, not a single word was uttered from any of you. Still the silence was not uncomfortable, it was even soothing. 

"Why didn't you arrest me?" One day he finally asked, saying what he had been wondering for a while out loud. 

You shrugged your shoulders, resting its importance. "You weren't doing anything illegal; I don't know why should've arrested you" 

He gaped at you, were you being serious? 

"I'm a wanted villain and you are a hero, isn't that enough reason?" 

You looked him in the eyes "I really couldn't care less, in fact most of the times I agree with the league's ideology. Your way never seems the correct one though. However, is none of my business" 

The conversation ended there, he couldn't think of anything to say while you disappeared from his sight, stepping in your apartment. 

You would've expected him to stop following you around after that conversation. However, he didn't. He only grew more interested in you after having talked with you. 

This time instead of walking in complete silence there were several conversations from time to time. Mostly short and vague as it was Shigaraki who would ask about the day you met. 

There was an odd feeling of bonding that grew stronger with the time. These meetings almost feeling like an old friends’ conversation after years without seeing each other. Getting to the point where both of you would actually look forward to the specific moment when he would walk you home.

"You know? Hero society is really messed up, I mean, I know you are aware of that fact. But as a hero I'm always seeing the corruption." You confessed once. 

"Then why did you decide to become a hero?" He asked with sincere interest.

“It was never really my choice; I was scouted by the hero commission as a kid and basically forced into this life.” You replied shrugging your shoulders as you were speaking.

Shigaraki’s eyes grew bigger in surprise. “Have you ever considered quitting?” He questioned.

“Not really, I’m honestly unsure on how the commission would take it. Plus, I don’t hate the job. It's just something I wouldn’t have chosen if given the opportunity to decide” You finished, looking back at Shigaraki and giving him a smile.

“Well, that’s enough talk about me. Aren’t you gonna tell me your villain origin?” You joked, not really expecting the man at your side to open up with you.

Surprisingly he did. Not because you had just told him about your life and he felt the need to pay you back somehow. He actually was willing to open up to you, even if that meant showing himself vulnerable. For some reason, not even himself could understand, he felt safe around you. 

You stared at him, glassy eyes with tears threatening to fall at his words. He was looking down once he stopped talking. You had arrived at your door long ago and were sitting on the stairs while he was still talking. You moved without thinking twice and wrapped your arms around him, he stiffened at first but relaxed in your touch and hugged you back. Your embrace gave him a sense of safety he hadn’t felt for a long time and he allowed himself to silently cry while mourning all what he couldn’t before.

 

From that moment on the relationship only grew stronger and soon it was beyond a simple friendship. Your natural laidback and non judgmental personality made it really easy to forget your really different social positions when the two of you were together.

He did eventually introduce you to the league and after some time of suspicion they ended up loving you as well.

In general, the highlight of the relationship is how for those moments alone you two can be yourselves instead of having to live to everyone’s perception and expectations on how you should behave.

Thanks for reading!! Likes and reblogs are appreciated

Requests are open!!  

Taglist: @luci58 @lonleyweeb77

Send me an ask if you'd like to be added to my bnha taglist!

[wasabito-reblogs]

here’s my entry for the konoha simps server collab :) check out the rest of the entries here or at @bakubabes-hatake’s page!

prompt: occasions

word count: 2.5k

tags&warnings: established relationship, domestic fluff, hints of spiciness at the end (nothing major)

summary: In which you and Aizawa rediscover your synergy

❤︎

There was a sudden click at the front door, following telltale sounds of a key being jimmied into the lock. Both were enough to break the still quietude and have Aizawa cracking open a bloodshot eye, his sleepy, hooded gaze darting around the room until he finally spotted the sudden intrusion.

You stood at the foyer, slipping off your work shoes, with a look of mild concern on your face. Your lips held a slight frown that looked misplaced, especially when directed at him. He knew immediately that he’d fucked up.

A damning, half-empty cup of coffee sitting innocently on top of your old Heroics in Society textbook drew your attention first, before any of the other things. In your shared living room, the state of disarray all pointed to the simple fact that your boyfriend had come home and gone straight to grading.

Aizawa coughed and sat up straighter on the sofa. Though his body moved in slow motion, his mind raced to find some logical reasoning to explain why he was, once again, neglecting his health in favor of work.

Stuck to his chest was the exam sheet he had been eye-balling before succumbing to fatigue. Even after a somewhat restful nap, Aizawa could scarcely make out what hieroglyphics Kaminari had written on his paper.

You came and leaned into the back of the chair to read over Aizawa’s shoulder. Pointing to the true and false section of the exam, you wondered aloud, “Why do the T’s and F’s look so similar? I can barely tell which is which.”

He snorted lightly with a roll of his eyes, “That’s probably the point.” He said, but considering he had just woken up, it sounded more like grumbled nonsense.

Your noncommittal hum in response was all he got before you plucked the sheet from his hands. He watched as you came around and stacked up his papers, making sure to separate graded works from the ones he had yet to look at. How many times had you caught him like this? Passed out on the living room couch with class 1A’s assignments scattered every which way.

“You really gotta take better care of yourself, Shou.”

“I know,” he tugged on your hand, bringing the back of it to his lips. “I’m sorry.”

Your gaze softened at his words and the sleepy expression on his face. It was almost too endearing. “Yeah, okay, you say that now, but I’m sure you’ll be back to it again tomorrow.”

Aizawa couldn’t even deny your claim. He was a workaholic through and through. Most of his time was spent doing some form of work, whether it be in managing his class as a U.A teacher or patrolling the city as a pro-hero.

No one understood the toll it took on him better than you. You were a quirk counselor at Ketsubutsu Academy, after all, so it was your job to make sure that both students and staff were taking care of their physical and mental health. A lot of your work tended to trickle into the home, usually in the form of fussing over your boyfriend and making sure he was taking breaks and getting proper rest.

“You’re home early,” he commented. He kept your hand in his lap to fiddle idly with your fingers. “Something happen? … You look nervous.”

Even half-asleep, Shouta was astute as ever.

“Ah, not really. There’s this thing at work tonight, but I think I might skip it.”

His brows furrowed as he considered your words, “A work thing? Tonight?”

“Yeah, just a little ceremony for the staff, no biggie.”

“Sounds important. Are you sure you don’t want to go?”

“I—” you fumbled; how could you forget this man could read you like a book? Whenever you were dodgy or evasive, he knew just where to press until you were honest with him. “It’s actually an award ceremony. I’m being honored for my work at the school.”

Aizawa smiled, showing off a row of teeth in a way that made your heart skip a beat. You nearly missed his next words.

“I’m proud of you, kitten. Seriously, you deserve the recognition.” His long fingers threaded into yours, and you felt centered in the feeling of his firm grip like you were finally on solid footing. It definitely helped ease the tension off your shoulders.

“Thanks, Shou.”

“Of course,” he nodded. “So, what time is this thing, because I’m not letting you sit at home and miss it. And before you argue, consider the logic in remaining home when you know you’re being honored for something like this.” He stood from the sofa, stretching, and then cracking his neck. “It just isn’t rational.”

“So...you’re coming with me?”

You couldn’t hold back the surprise in your voice. It seemed almost too good to be true, you and Shouta going out together and to an event, no less. Usually, it took being dragged out of the house by his coworkers for him to enjoy a Friday night off.

Not to mention, no one knew of your relationship. His friends probably had their own assumptions but no one on your end knew a thing. This would be your first public outing as a couple.

“Of course I’m coming with you.” He said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. You smiled, realizing it was.

❤︎

An hour later, you stood behind a seated Aizawa in the middle of your bathroom with a towel looped around your body, still dripping from your recent shower.

“You have to hold still, baby, or else it’s gonna hurt,” you mumble while adjusting your grip on the hairbrush.

He had asked you to help him out with his hair, but the task proved quite tricky. Its length and thickness gave you no other choice but to work in smaller sections, which you had no issues with. If only your fingers in Shouta’s hair didn’t put him straight to sleep again. This was the third time he’d nodded off and caused the brush to snag at his roots.

With a sigh, you attempted to run the brush gingerly through his hair once more. In the past, you’d seen pictures of your boyfriend as a child, always with his hair looking unkempt and so obviously unattended to; at least before he grew old enough to do it himself. Funnily enough, it was like you finally understood the reason why.

After a few more minutes of careful ministrations, you patted his shoulder and smiled. “All done!”

Aizawa looked up bleary-eyed, then shook his hair out and ran his fingers through it. “Nice, thank you.” He leaned over and pecked your forehead before standing to his feet. “Want me to do you?”

You snorted at the subtle implications of his words. “Go get dressed already. I can ‘do’ myself.”

“Oh, can you?”

You were tempted to play along with his little joke, but it was getting late and neither of you were dressed yet. Regrettably, you shooed him away so that you could continue to prepare on your own without him being a distraction

Following another thirty or so minutes, you dressed up and met Aizawa at the door. He had put on a crisp button up shirt and a pair of dark, tailored pants that fit him so well, you had to resist the urge to pinch his ass.

When you approached, he was standing at the mirror in the hall, tying his hair into a bun. You could tell he had given up on fussing with his tie just by the way it hung loose around his neck.

“Here, let me,” with deft fingers you undid the knot, sliding the tie off and then promptly tossed it onto the couch. You also unbuttoned the first two buttons of his shirt, smiling to yourself at the lidded stare Aizawa was pinning you with.

“You want me to go out like this?”

“I thought I’d let you off the hook,” you laughed. “No tie tonight.”

Closing the gap between you two, Aizawa planted a kiss at the corner of your mouth, as a silent thank you.

❤︎

From what you understood, the ceremony wasn’t supposed to be a large one, still a good bit of Ketsubutsu staff and student body were present.

Already you could tell that Aizawa was a little put off by the amount of people, especially those who kept staring at you two. Though, it just couldn’t be helped. Not many knew that either of you were in a relationship. Dressed as he was, you wouldn't be surprised if most simply didn't recognize him as the pro-hero, Eraserhead.

Even you had to admit that your boyfriend cleaned up nicely, a stark contrast from his usual ‘rolled out of bed’ appearance.

“Hey! You made it!” Emi Fukukado, otherwise known as Ms. Joke, called to you over the crowd. You were just about to go over to greet her and the others when Aizawa cleared his throat.

“I’m gonna get you a drink.” he gave your hand a light squeeze and excused himself before you could respond.

“Hey, hey!! I’m so glad you’re here.” Your coworker had waltzed over and scooped you into a tight hug.

“S-Same,” you wheezed. “Mind letting go?”

“Oh whoops!” Emi laughed sheepishly. When she finally released you, you couldn't help but notice her looking around. “Weren’t you just with someone? I didn’t get a good look but I’m positive—”

“Oh yeah,” you looked around for Aizawa but couldn’t see him anywhere “I um...didn’t come alone. I came with my boyfriend.”

“Boyfriend?! Since when?!!”

“Ah! Well…”

Thankfully before you could delve into explaining anything, you were saved by the proverbial bell.

Over the intercom, the principal announced for all attendees to proceed towards the auditorium where the ceremony would be held. Although you followed Emi without question, you still silently searched for Aizawa in the crowd but to no avail.

You were escorted to a seat in the front row with all the others who were also being recognized. Still you couldn’t help wondering where the hell Shouta had gone. You could barely focus during the entire opening speech, your attention having been snatched by worry. If not for Emi subtly tapping your arm, you might’ve even missed your name being called.

You stood up and walked across the stage, willing your legs to move forward. The principal shook your hand and presented to you a plaque with your name engraved in gold lettering. Several others on stage, some heroes and staff, also commended you with handshakes and warm hugs. You murmured thank yous all the way to your seat, but still you wondered about your boyfriend.

“Hey, Emi.” You said as you handed her your award. “I’ll be right back, could you watch this for me? I’m going to the washroom.”

Emi seemed a little concerned by your tone but agreed. “Got it!”

Quietly you exited the auditorium and headed in the direction of the reception hall where you’d last seen Shouta, but it was empty save for a few students milling about the snack table. You were tempted to ask if they had seen Eraserhead, but decided against it, you could find him on your own.

After about ten minutes of searching you went to one of the balconies overlooking the sports field. To your immediate surprise, there stood Aizawa, though he seemed preoccupied. There was a cell phone wedged between his ear and shoulder. He noticed you not a second later, and concluded his call quickly.

“Shou, what are you doing out here?”

He frowned. “I got caught up in a work call, I’m sorry. Has it started?”

“It’s more than started, it's almost over.”

Your boyfriend looked stunned for just a moment before he let out a sigh, “I’m really sorry I missed it kitten,” he came to loop his arms around you.

“Like I said, it was no biggie,” you mumbled.

“You okay?… You’re shaking.” he whispered, lips pressed against your hair.

“I’m fine,” you responded. “Just cold.”

At that, Aizawa pulled you closer into his chest, his arms acting as a shield against the evening chill.

Something had been on your mind since the beginning of the night. It was an intrusive thought and although you knew better than to entertain it, it was also proving to be hard to ignore. Shouta had been acting strange since arriving here. You thought it was because of the crowd but he wouldn't have missed the ceremony for something as minute as that. You breathed in his scent, slowly gathering the courage to ask what had been rattling in your brain for a while now.

“Be honest with me, Shou, are you afraid of us going public?”

You felt him stiffen and pull back slowly to see your face fully. He didn’t ask you to repeat yourself, so you knew he had heard you loud and clear.

“What makes you say that?”

You looked away from him, teeth sinking into your bottom lip, “I don’t know… it’s just a thought.”

Aizawa didn’t speak for a long while. He still held you close, almost protectively, but he remained silent like he was trying to find the right words to say.

“Yeah...I guess you could say that.” He sighed, “but it’s not what you’re thinking. I’m not afraid of what people will think when they see us, far from it. But the thought of you getting hurt because of your association to me...makes me...hesitant.”

You blinked up at him. The way his jaw was set as he spoke became proof enough that he wasn’t as unaffected by things as he appeared. Always so cool and collected, and yet he was possibly the most capable of emotion. You pressed your forehead against his chest as you considered your next words.

“I get that. But that doesn't give you an excuse to run off!” You pinched his arm lightly as if it emphasized your point.

“You’re right kitten, although it was an important call.” his lips spread into a wide smile. “How can I make it up to you?”

“Hm, I don’t know, but I’m sure you’ll figure something out.”

Aizawa huffed and rolled his eyes at you, then bent to capture your lips in kiss. It was heavy and comforting in a way mere words simply failed to be. And for a moment, you allowed yourself to get lost in that feeling. His hand drifted lower down your back until he was nearly cupping your ass.

“Mmmm, Shou.” You pulled back, feeling the heat in your cheeks. Aizawa said nothing, instead he smirked like he had something planned. He cupped your cheek, thumb brushing away a stray lash.

“Shall we take this home?”

❤︎

(Part 2 in the works, stay tuned!!)

[string-bean-requiem]

New addition - Vampire!Tattoo Artist!Risotto x Human!Reader

Summary - Ris finds a kitten and brings it home to you

Note - Reader uses She/Her pronouns & is a woman. Modern AU

Genre - Fluff

Animals never really took too much of a liking towards Risotto Nero, who may or may not be disheartened by this very fact, but nevertheless, understands exactly why.

He was mother nature’s very own monstrous concoction of a top class predator. Hunting any and all species with warm, crimson blood flowing within their bodies — the very substance that keeps him alive and functioning — with speed faster than a cheetah in its prime, strength greater than any nation’s army combined, along with nails and teeth that could slice through almost anything thrice more precise than any polished blade ever could.

So while he understood well and why animals were deadly afraid of him, disappointment couldn’t resist its way towards his un-beating heart when yet another dog has scampered away from him, all because he simply glanced its way.

Although, disappointment may to be too light of an adjective to describe the depth of emotions he feels towards the rejection of his favourite companions, as the same species had used to be the ones Risotto would seek comfort in when he was exhausted from his own (or what used to be his own) kind’s reactions towards his... ‘vibe’, as the current time’s society would say. Not that he was surprised with that one though. Even during his time as a human, he was well feared by many other humans. If not for his stature and demeanour, then surely for his occupation as a seasoned assassin.

Even though not much has changed when he does come in contact with most humans these days, especially more-so now that he has sleeves of tattoos complimenting the obsidian of his sclera and the glaring crimson in his iris, there was at least a sanctuary, a safe haven in specific types of people all throughout time: those who do not care, and those who are accepting.

Both of which have never cowered away from him, both of which some makes up Risotto’s close knit circle of people he actively cares about, and both of which can be found in his lover... his partner... his better half — you.

You, who despite your species’ natural evolution in (rightfully) fearing vampires, looked at him and felt nothing of the sort and instead, saw him as Risotto Nero. You saw him as the man he was and is, saw past his predator nature, and proceeded to peel back his guarded layers one by one, each with a softer touch than the last, and always left him craving and breathless, but never regretful.

Sometimes, Risotto even thinks being a blood-sucker isn’t so bad. That all those years spent confused, afraid, and lonely was quite alright. With every memory fracture blurring together into a kaleidoscope of nebulous haze, seeming like a distant past, unfamiliar even, and slowly, he feels it slipping past his fingers with each day he spends with your lovely being. Perhaps, he even feels lucky for having this... predicament of a nature being forced upon him lifetimes ago, seeing as how this exact curse was the reason why he had been able to live long enough to have met you. Ever so often though, he has to pinch himself in an attempt to try to soothe himself from wondering if this was all just a very nice dream (or a very sick and convoluted prank on him) because he feels as if it’s too good to be true... but he knows better than that. The swell of his dead heart just by thinking about the welcome back kiss you always pepper onto his lips when he reaches home reminds him just of that.

However, before Risotto could lose himself further into his reminiscing, a weak, shaky mewl echoes softly from the alleyway to his right. It even surprises him to a point of stillness because it sounded so much like a cry for help — for him, the predator of all beings.

But it couldn’t be, it didn’t make sense for it to be, and he almost starts his journey back home again, until the same frail vocals call out for him once more.

Risotto’s head turns towards the direction of the sound and he’s met with the sight of a sketchy pathway. Not that he had anything to worry about though, he drank blood for a living after all.

As another cry sounds off, Risotto approaches forward with tentative steps, not wanting to scare off the very obviously weak animal whilst trying to show that he meant no harm or malice. It seemed to work, oddly enough, when a tuft of obsidian fur pokes out of the confines of its shabby cardboard box, revealing its bright golden eyes to stare at Risotto’s own crimson pair.

An odd tension enveloped the two beings, and a beat passes before Risotto takes the leap to pet the kitten’s head — and he’s so glad that he did.

How long has it been since an animal has nuzzled its little head into his expectant palm? How many years has it been since the last animal had deemed him safe enough to lick at his hand? How much time has passed since soft little paws have been padded at his hand as if to say “Pet me more!”?

Long enough.

So much so that it has him perplexed that a weak little kitten is not wetting itself in fear of his presence so far. Questions and guesses as to why whirls in his head, yet he couldn’t help but find himself almost giddy at the turn of events... at this brave little Bombay.

Risotto’s excitement is cutoff short when he notices its shivering body, which is quite unsurprising, as the little fellow was showing signs of being on the edge of malnourishment, and his heart squeezes a little at that.

With careful and steady movements, showing that once again he meant no harm, he shrugs off his coat, hoping it’ll be of use to keep the animal warm, and with the utmost care and gentleness he could muster, wraps it up and tucks its back into its makeshift shelter. Risotto makes sure the kitten’s safe and comfortable before ultimately deciding to bring it home with him, to you, while wondering along the journey if you would want to keep it as much as he does.

God, he hopes you do, but he knows cats can be picky with who they want to show affections to, who they want to accept as their caretaker, and he thinks he would be disheartened greatly if the animal in his hold did not take a liking to you. It would be such a cruel fucking joke if the one animal who didn’t shun or cower at him liked him, but not you, especially since he knows you’ve been wanting a cat for a long time, having unintentionally overheard this desire of yours with your friend a while back when they came to visit you. And it would be so cruel when he finally finds one that won’t claw at his eyes 24/7 that it may end up trying to claw your eyes instead.

You better like her. I won’t know what to do if you don’t...

With each step bringing Risotto closer to your shared home, he grows a little more tense at the prospect of introducing the stray to you, how it’ll react, how it’ll go down... and before he knows it, he’s already through the front door and calling out your name to signal his arrival home.

“Welcome home, Ris. How was work today?”, your voice echoes a little in the cozy space. The domesticity of your tone etches into his memories and he files away into a secure space in his heart, feeling his worries calming by the second.

He could never get tired of this — of you, in the home you’ve both built together, where happiness and content are seeped into every crevice with a warm smile and soft eyes and even softer hearts.

A moment passes as he commits this scene into his heart, like he had done so with every other point in time that he has shared with you, and he realises he’s gone off track a little when your curious eyes continues to peer at him, his sudden stillness, and the cardboard box in his arm.

“It was a slow day at the parlour...”, Risotto quickly mumbles. His lips soft and warm against your smiling ones, lingering for a beat longer than usual, wanting to bask in your familiarity to ease the nerves beginning to flutter again. “...but a couple of interesting things happened.”.

Risotto pulls away and immediately misses your warmth. Twinges of strained excitement begin to dig deeper into the depths of his abdomen, and he can’t help but hope once again that the little fur ball would take a liking to you because fuck does he wants to raise it with you so damn much.

“Oh?”, your eyebrow raises inquisitively, “Does it have anything to do with that box in your hand?”.

Risotto all but nods in accordance and settles the cardboard box onto the coffee table. Your curiosity peaking as you glance between the shabby box and his gaze.

“I overheard you wanting a cat once. And I know it’s hard to have a pet around with my... disposition, but...”, he trails off when he reaches towards the box to dig out the star of today’s show, still bundled in his heavy coat.

“No way...”.

Your eyes widen, eyebrows shot upwards and your grin spreads itself wide across your lips when a tiny head of fur ruffles itself out of its makeshift bed.

Slits of honied gold peered at you from its position, wary and cautious of its own safety with every step you take forward. Risotto own breath subconsciously bates as your hand inches towards the Bombay’s head apprehensively. You’ve already surmised that this little kitten is more than fine with your vampiric lover, seeing as how it seems to make itself completely at home in his coat and in his hold, so the only hurdle left to complete your new family was for the same kitten to take a liking to you as well, and the pressure was gnawing its way at your nerves. The both of you were well aware that cats were picky with who they liked, and if this one cat didn’t like you... you wouldn’t know how to handle that and it’s consequences.

You honestly didn’t want to even think about the consequences... and it seemed like you didn’t have to.

It immediately took a liking to you, nuzzling it’s head into your hand before licking at your digits the same way it did with Risotto earlier today.

It likes you, and most of the tension unravels it’s hold on his muscles. The hardest hurdle was over, leaped in perfect form and done with, and Risotto sighs in relief before he asks, “Do you want to keep it?”.

The chances of you rejecting this proposal was practically nonexistent, seeing as how your eyes are practically glimmering at the kitten pawing at your fingers, but he was a gentleman and he wanted your verbal confirmation to expanding your family together. You, of course, agreed without a beat of hesitation, all while cooing and petting the mewling Bombay in his arms.

God, he could live in this moment forever.

A vivid smile takes over Risotto’s features as he steals your attention for a bit, his fingers tipping your chin upwards quick enough for you to catch his dimples making their coveted appearance, and you have to take a moment to re-collect your swooning self. He always did look the most lovely when he was unabashedly happy, something you pride yourself on being able to bring out of him. But before he could swoop in for another kiss, your brain kickstarted and suddenly you remembered.

“Wait you said ‘a couple of interesting things happened’... what’s the other thing?”.

“Oh. A pair of drunkards walked in during the afternoon and demanded to get matching tattoos of each other’s irises on their nipples. I refused, of course.”

“...what?”, your eyes widened in disbelief.

You wanted to laugh at the absurdity of the incident, and the fact that Risotto had delivered it as deadpan as ever, which is totally up your alley in terms of humour, but you couldn’t even find it in yourself to give him a chuckle. Instead, all you felt was concern and disbelief bubbling at the blatant entitlement and stupidity the drunkards had displayed to your beloved.

“Are you feeling okay? Did they hurt you?”, you voiced. Your tone soft, but not without your signature protective edge reserved for your loved ones, and you find one of your hands leaving the kitten to reach out to cup Risotto’s warming cheek.

He understands how you must be feeling, knowing that beneath your nonchalant personality reveals a more protective side, and he loves that about you. He loves that no matter how extreme or how insignificant the matter is, you’d always show him that you’ll care for and about his wellbeing, going as far as even fighting for him and his honour, even if he’s the one who’s a powerful supernatural being.

He loves it, he loves you, and he loves how you’re so consistent in your love for him, and in this moment, he feels it once again and melts into your palm.

“Yes, and yes.”, Risotto’s voice is just a touch tender as he drowns in the love pouring from your eyes. “No need to worry about me, biddùzza. I’m a vampire. I could drain them dry before they can even blink.”, he reassures.

Your posture relaxes and you can’t help but huff out a chuckle at his words, being able to finally find his apathy and the situation a little funny in its own way. But that doesn’t mean he still should just keep up that attitude forever. Always easier to be safe than sorry. Powerful supernatural hunter or not.

“You know I can’t help it. You’re too soft, Ris.”, you want to take on a scolding tone, but how could you when he looks at you like that? Like you’ve hand-crafted every single good and beautiful thing in this world with graceful weaves and gentle touches... like you’re the sole reason the moon glows every night its own nebulous light, surrounded by clouds of stars and quiet skies... How could you when he looks at you like you’ve bloomed spring to his world drowning storms?

A sigh holds itself back in your throat, opting instead to lean in and peck his lips, pillowy with just a touch of coldness that you’ve grown to be fond of, before returning your attention back to the eager little kitten in his arms again, and Risotto commits the sweetness of your smile and the fondness in your eyes for the purring animal to his already expansive memory.

“That’s reserved only for you...”, he murmurs.

A millennia ago, if someone were to tell Risotto that he’d be happily committed to his human partner, voice fond and gaze overflowing with adoration as he listens to them worry over his well-being and comfort whilst they pet a purring little kitten in his hands, he’d have ripped their head off for spouting something so absurd... for taunting him with something seemingly so unobtainable.

But here he is, lips meeting yours again in a loving kiss, with warm blissful domesticity encapsulating your shared home as the new addition to your little family nuzzles itself into his palm.

...and now you too.

[bullshittierlists]

Spoilers for DR1, obviously. I decided to remake this list because my opinions on all of the characters have changed significantly since the last time. I’m honestly not even super happy about this one.

I see no god up here other than me:

Kiyotaka Ishimaru - Oh my lord, he’s perfect in every way (except for the thing, which I’ll get to). He’s funny, he doesn’t feel entirely insignificant, and he’s got a cool, sad backstory to dive into if you like him enough, but it isn’t required to do so throughout the main game. Everything about his genius/hard-working motif is brilliant. I think it’s incredible how he’s actually the opposing force to Komaeda rather than Junko, even though no one talks about it and the game doesn’t really use it that much. His whole backstory with his grandfather and father is so sad and I’m so proud of him for getting to be where he is today, even if it didn’t quite happen how he wanted it to. The one exception to this practically perfect prefect is, of course, the elephant in the room, Kiyondo Ishida. Here’s the thing: I think Kiyondo could’ve worked really well. However, as far as I know, Taka was swapped out last minute with Hiro and had to die in chapter 3. I honestly think this was the worst decision the franchise made after making Mikan... the way that she was. The only reason people hate Hiro is that he survived the first game. I’ll get to this more later, but I honestly really enjoyed his character for the first three chapters. After that, though, he got a little stale and even a bit annoying, especially the Kyoko being a ghost bit. I feel like Hiro really overstayed his welcome and his presence could’ve been more than made up for by the comedic duo of Hina and Taka. I understand that choosing the survivors of each game is difficult and a very meticulous process, but let’s just consider the interactions with other characters for now. To start with, Hiro hardly had any positive interactions with any of the other characters in the back half of the game outside of Hina calling him out for being an idiot. If we put Taka in his place, he could’ve had serious moments with Kyoko and Makoto, helping them to solve some of the mysteries. He also could’ve played off of Byakuya and Toko’s relationship in telling them that PDA is “not welcome in a school environment.” And the crowning jewel of missed opportunities, his interactions with Hina. They’ve both lost their best friends in the whole world and have no one to rely on. In canon, Hina had to do a character 180 just to keep up with Hiro’s idiocy and not break down about losing Sakura. However, if we had Taka, he could’ve helped her to get through it because he would’ve already gotten over Mondo with the help of Ishida. See? I brought it back around. If Taka had been able to resolve his issues with Ishida in chapter 3, he would’ve been able to help Hina to develop her character through the loss of Sakura in chapter 4. I think this would’ve been so much better for both of their characters and I weep for what could’ve been. But for some reason, Hiro just had to stick around.

Mondo Owada - I’m honestly surprised I talked about Taka for that long without mentioning Mondo. I don’t actually have a lot to say about Mondo that I won’t get to with Chihiro, but this is basically your warning to be ready for another rant and it also serves as a break from the last one. Mondo and Taka are perfect for each other, Mondo is the most sympathetic killer, bar none, and even though I’m not a huge fan of dogs, Chuck is so precious.

You’re the best:

Celestia Ludenberg - Pretty goth lady. That’s about it. She could’ve been better in chapter 3, but I honestly still really liked her plan and her breakdown was phenomenal. My favorite thing about her though is her execution. Her execution fits into the thin category of executions that include the element of specific despair, basically meaning that Monokuma made it specifically to make her sad apart from the fact that she was dying. She was ready and honestly excited to be burned at the stake because it would guarantee her an interesting death and therefore an interesting life. But then, she ends up just dying in another boring old car accident, many of which happen every day. It’s fun to watch her expression and demeanor change throughout her execution, it’s one of my favorites.

Chihiro Fujisaki - Oh boy, it’s the one I expect to get hate for. Buckle up, lovely people, it’s time to get personal. I personally headcanon Chihiro to be a cisgender male; however, I also believe that you can headcanon anyone to be anything you want. There is an exception and it’s when that headcanon specifically derails something the character was trying to present. In this case, it’s toxic masculinity and the importance of appearances in society. I’ll preface this whole section with a statement: I’m not trying to be transphobic. I could see Chihiro being a trans male, but cis or trans female just feels counterproductive to me. Let me explain. Chihiro’s entire existence is used to parallel Mondo’s. Chihiro has a strong will with a weak body, while Mondo has a strong body with a weak will. Mondo is seen, in canon, as a super manly character who is strong in both heart and body, but he doesn’t believe himself to be this way. The only strength he’s ever seen is through aggressive violence, and that’s how he shows his strength. This is proven in the fact that when he felt weak against Chihiro’s strong will, he killed him out of fear, which he had grown to believe was strength. However, since Chihiro had a weak body, people treated him as unmanly, even though he was strong-willed, so he believed that everything about him was weak and learned to be submissive to everyone else’s desires. This is proven in the fact that he dressed and acted the way he did specifically to please others, not himself. It’s shown in multiple free time events that he hates the way that he looks and that he hates dressing to appease other people. It’s not even necessary to turn to the FTEs to gain this information, it’s obvious from the fact that he goes to Mondo specifically to get stronger in what he thinks is both mind and body, as he’s been known to think that the two are connected. It can also be understood from his dialogue that he wasn’t trying to get physically stronger for himself, he was perfectly comfortable with his body, he wanted to get physically stronger so that other people would leave him alone. These are the effects that bullying had on him. Maybe I’m misunderstanding, but whenever I see Chihiro as female, trans or otherwise, it feels as though those people want Chihiro to subject to the bullying because it more closely fits their ideal. It just feels like evidence of toxic masculinity because since Chihiro is feminine, he must be female, even if he says otherwise. The difference to me between this and say, trans Gundham headcanons is that with Gundham, there’s nothing in his character that goes either way, so it’s fine to headcanon him however you want. But when Chihiro explicitly states that he wants to be seen as male, he’s ignored and pushed aside as “another missed opportunity for trans representation.” But he’s not a missed opportunity for representation, he’s just representing something else, toxic masculinity. It’s obvious that it goes over people’s heads because they don’t seem to understand this at all. I’m not trying to be rude, I just want people to understand that just because the representation isn’t specifically for the group you want, doesn’t mean that it isn’t good representation. I can talk about this more if anyone wants me to, but it’s almost 1 AM and I’m not sure how much longer and I can form cohesive sentences and I’m not sure this is the best argument to test that on.

Genocide Jack - Idk, she’s funny. I’ve already gotten past most of the characters I have strong opinions on. Whereas in the second game, I have strong feelings about my favorites *and* my least favorites, I really only have favorites in this game and everyone else is pretty neutral.

Byakuya Togami - He was actually originally my second favorite character, but I realized a good way into the series that I didn’t actually like him that much. He’s not as smart as he claims to be and he isn’t as well written as Komaeda or Kokichi. However, he does have one truly fantastic moment in the first game and that is during chapter 4. When it’s revealed that Sakura killed herself, he shuts down. It’s impossible for something to have happened that he didn’t predict and he truly believes that. It’s incredible to see his complete shift in character (at least for this trial) and I absolutely adore that moment. Everything else with him is still kinda meh.

Hey, I think you’re really cool, I like you a lot:

Sakura Ogami - There’s literally nothing about her that I can say that hasn’t been said already. She’s perfect and I love her for it.

Aoi Asahina - Like I said during my Taka rant, I think she would’ve been much better if she didn’t have to accommodate Hiro. The first game had a much darker tone than the second and Toko/Genocide Jack already had the comedic relief role covered. She and Taka could’ve still had their fair share of funny moments together, but I feel like she could’ve gone through Akane’s arc during the second game, but better because she would’ve been able to build off of Taka, who already went through the same thing. Either way, she’s cute and I adore her and Sakura’s friendship.

Sayaka Maizono - So I actually made this list back in January (it’s currently the middle of April) and just never got around to making it and since then, I’ve fallen in love with Sayaka. It may or may not have to do with me being cast as her in a secret project that I’ll announce later, but she has my heart regardless. Now, I’d probably put her behind Chihiro and ahead of Genocide Jack. She’s just such an interesting character and while it’s a shame that she died so early, I still think she wouldn’t have been as good if she didn’t die so soon. For the record, I think both Sayaka and Leon were morally in the wrong. However, Sayaka was doing it for her friends, while Leon could’ve stopped at any time and really only went back for himself. Sayaka is not a snake. Thank you, goodnight.

Mukuro Ikusaba - She’s definitely my neutral point. I have one of these in every DR game, even if I don’t realize it. I just don’t really have any opinions on her and it’s not even because she wasn’t in the game for very long. I just don’t know how to feel about her. I just finished Danganronpa: Zero and that boosted Junko way up in my book, but it didn’t really change my opinion on Mukuro at all.

Kyoko Kirigiri - I get the hype, I really do, but I just can’t get into her. For starters, I don’t like Naegi all that much, so of course I’m not going to like the people that hang around him all the time. The most I’ve ever liked her is while watching videos of her along with “Not So Bad A Dad” from Phineas and Ferb. Other than that, she’s extremely neutral for me.

Toko Fukawa - I’m including her appearance in Ultra Despair Girls, but it didn’t really help her much. I liked her in the first game, but it was only because I was going through a weird phase of obsessing over people and now I just think it’s weird because it is. I went into Ultra Despair Girls knowing that she got character development and then completely forgot to pay attention to it because I was so enraptured by the Warriors of Hope. So, I don’t know, she’s just kinda creepy and I didn’t really notice her (or Komaru, for that matter) in UDG.

I remember you:

Junko Enoshima - Like I mentioned during Mukuro’s segment, I just finished Danganronpa: Zero and it was a wild ride. I made this list before I had even started the book and I was mostly just confused by Junko. I didn’t understand her motivations or any of her plans, much less how she was able to achieve anything she was. But once I finished DR0, it all made sense. I won’t spoil it here, but she was incredible in that book and I wish I had caught on to everything earlier.

Makoto Naegi - I feel bad, but I have to compare him to the other protagonists. He’s just so boring, and I know that that’s the point of a protagonist, but Hajime proves that it doesn’t have to be that way. Makoto’s just kinda there all of the time. For example, in DR0, he shows up for one scene, but he literally doesn’t even do anything. He stands there, talks to Ryoko, is scared during a fight scene, and is never seen again. It’s really frustrating to know that he’s only there because he was the protagonist of the first game and it’s like “Wow, you know this character!”

Yasuhiro Hagakure - My only opinion on him is that he should’ve died in chapter 3. My only explanation for why he was so high on the original list is because I watched this one hysterical panel for DR1 and Hiro was by far the best character there. In the game itself, I liked him until he overstayed his welcome and cost Taka his shot to be memorable.

Leon Kuwata - I honestly can’t explain why I dislike him so much, I just really, genuinely do. He’s just kind of annoying, but that’s about it. Like I said before, I don’t really hate many of the characters from this game, they’re mostly all loved or neutral and he’s just the most negative neutral.

You are literally the worst. Actual scum. Leave this planet and never return:

Monokuma - You know the drill by now if you’ve seen my other DR tier lists, it’s kind of an obligation at this point.

Hifumi Yamada - Why. Why is he like this? Why is he this way? Honestly, he’s not nearly as bad as Teruteru or Kazuichi in the perv department, but I just hate him so much. I don’t understand why he is the way that he is, but I do understand that I’m happy he died in chapter 3. Honestly, I could’ve done with him dying earlier, but it is what it is.

It’s 1:15 AM and I am done writing. I’ve been putting this off for months and I figured it was finally time to get it over with and it definitely didn’t have anything to do with the fact that I can’t sleep. I hope you enjoy all of this and if you would like me to elaborate on anything, just drop me an ask and let me know. I’m always happy to explain any of my opinions and want to make sure I’m as clear as possible. Please do not spread hate about me until you’ve made sure you understand my point. Then go to town.

[merakiaes]

Epiphany - Jack Thompson

Pairing: Jack Thompson x reader

Requested: Yes. 

Prompts: None.

Warnings/notes: In this, Chief Dooley is still alive even though it takes place after the events of Agent Carter. I haven’t seen the show in a while so sorry if it’s a bit out of character. I’m also extremely writer’s blocked, so yeah...😅 I’m feeling so unmotivated right now so please show some love, let me know what you think😭 NOT PROOFREAD!

Wordcount: 6405

Summary: Agent Thompson has never been anything but an ass towards you, but that’s all about to change. 

Being the younger sister of Howard Stark came with a lot of baggage, baggage that, at times, was far too heavy for you to carry.

The disadvantages were many and they were big, one of the biggest ones being that no matter how great and how many things that you accomplished in life, you never got recognized as anything other than Howard Stark’s sister.

That’s all you were, his sister. You weren’t (Y/N) Stark, you were just Howard Stark’s sister.

When you accomplished something, he was the one who got all of the attention, all of the compliments and applaud.

He was praised because obviously, he was the one who had taught you everything you knew, right? In no way could a woman, on her own, accomplish what you had. In no way could a woman be so smart.

And being the arrogant man that he was, he absorbed the praise like a sponge, leaving none of the spotlight to you; even when you were, in fact, the star of the hour.

His name, his fame and your kinship haunted you. When he did something good, you got told by everyone that you must be so proud to be related to him, and when he did something bad, well…

The time he got accused of selling off his inventions to the enemies of the state spoke loudly enough on that topic.

You worked at the SSR alongside Peggy and had been since the end of the war, in which you had both served side by side with Captain America up until his passing.

In the end, it became known that during all of the time your brother had been in hiding from the law, Peggy had been helping him in the shadows, in secret alongside his butler, Edwin Jarvis.

But despite it, you had been the one to be closely monitored up until that revelation.

Because of your kinship to him, the Chief and your fellow co-workers were suspicious of you and your every move the entire time they were chasing him, thinking you were just lying through your teeth when you said you had no idea about your brother’s whereabouts.

But you did, in fact, not have a clue as to where he was or what he was doing. Neither Peggy nor Edwin told you anything about their secret operation to clear your brother’s name, despite the fact they were both your closest friends.

When it was revealed that they had been the ones helping your brother and not you, you were happy to get Jack and the Chief off your ass, but that didn’t change the fact that your brother had trusted Peggy and Edwin over you, his own sister.

Having the same parents and being related to him did have its perks too, however; all of his personality traits weren’t bad. Most of them were, but not all.

You had both been blessed by the quick wit, intelligence, perseverance, confidence and loyalty. You were a very independent woman, sure of yourself, wise beyond your years, and you knew it, never settling for anything less than you were worth.

Luckily, you hadn’t gotten your brother’s arrogance and impulsiveness. You were the more analyzing, cautious, responsible and compassionate sibling, much to your own relief.

You were, however, just as sarcastic as him, if not even more. It was your biggest flaw and it often caused you to get in trouble, especially with your male co-workers as you almost always managed to out-wit them, making them feel threatened and like you were challenging their positions and superiority.

Which, in all truth, you were.

They were all sexist assholes, treating you and Peggy like brainless broads, as if you weren’t agents just like them.

Jack Thompson was one of the worst, finding pleasure and amusement in pissing the two of you, you especially, off.

You had disliked him all the way from the start but after the way he had treated you when suspecting you of helping Howard during his life as a criminal on the run, you could barely stand being in the same room as him.

You could barely breathe without it leading to some kind of sexist, oppressive comment leaving his lips and being thrown in your face.

Unlike other, well-mannered women who had known no other struggles than the ones of a housewife, you didn’t possess the power of self-restraint to keep quiet when being insulted or made fun off, and in the society you lived in, that wasn’t very ideal.

Especially not when your boss obviously valued the work of a man over that of a woman’s, too, no matter how much he tried to hide it. Needless to say, your big mouth and lack of impulse-control had put you in more than a few strained situations with your superiors at work.

Chief Dooley had even put you on suspension once when you had secretly gotten involved in a case that he had specifically forbidden you from partaking in. You really were your brother’s sister in those moments, and this time was no different.

Over the last three weeks, bodies of young women had been found all around New York City. The first week, five girls. The second week, four more and this week, two. But that was only so far, and the weekend still remained.

The girls all had their throats slit and their bowels brutally cut out. Being the serial killer-fanatic that you were, you instantly recognized the characteristics and realized in an instant that you were dealing with a Jack The Ripper copycat.

It wasn’t what the SSR usually dealt with but seeing as the killer had left a message specifically addressing you, the case was assigned to you.  

You knew you would have been able to help with the knowledge you had of Jack The Ripper, his strategies and his tendencies, but as usual, you were shut out of the investigation like you were with every case you showed the slightest of interest in.

One of the countless disadvantages of being a woman; you could impossibly have any information that the men didn’t already have.

So you were stuck at your desk, sulking and muttering to yourself while going through paperwork like every other day, slightly comforted by the fact that Daniel was willingly doing the same a few desks away from you, most likely having turned down any participation in the Copycat case out of pure pity for you.

It would have been a lot more tolerable if Peggy would have been there with you to keep you company, but for once in her life, she had taken the day off for the reasons she claimed and not because she was sneaking around poking her nose where it didn’t belong.

“Hey, (Y/N)! Bring us some coffee, will you?” A voice suddenly called out, breaking you free from your trance and pulling you back to reality with a jerk of surprise.

Your eyes instantly flickered over to the doorway on the other side of the room, completely oblivious to Daniel lightly snickering at your priceless reaction as your eyes found Johnson’s.

He was leaning back in his seat to be able to peek out of the office that him and the others who were on the Copycat case were currently residing, eyebrows raised and face pulled into an amused smile.

“Daydreaming again, are we?” He asked in a mocking tone and your face instantly pulled into a glare.

What the hell did he mean with again? You took your job more seriously than anyone, more so than him, more than Jack and possibly even more than Peggy. So what the hell was that supposed to mean?

You wanted to throw him a snarky reply but you stopped yourself, remembering that you were already on thin ice from the last time you had gone against the Chief’s orders.

So you sucked it up, breathing in a long breath through your nose and clenching your fists under your desks in an attempt to calm yourself, before forcing a smile onto your lips.

“Yes, I’m a bit distracted today.” You agreed with him through clenched teeth.

“I can see that.” He wasted no time in chuckling, raising his eyebrow. “So, coffee.”

The forced smile fell from your lips the second he uttered those two words, your eyes rolling. “Maybe if you ask nicely instead of bossing me around, then I could be so kind as to bring you coffee.” You replied.

As a response, it was his time to roll his eyes, before dramatically throwing his arms out and exclaiming loudly. “Oh, wonderful and talented (Y/N), please bring us some steamy, hot coffee so that we might behold your beauty if so only for a few seconds in these difficult times!”

You rolled your eyes once again, but nonetheless dropped the ballpoint pen that you were holding to the surface of your mahogany desk and stood up, brushing down your blouse. “I’ll be right there.”

A wide smirk spread across his face again. “Thanks, sugar.” He winked, and wasted not another second before leaning back into the room.

“Asshole.” You mumbled under your breath, shaking your head.

A chuckle came from down the room. “Duty calls, huh?” Daniel asked from his seat, where he had now turned away from his work to look at you with an amused expression on his face.

You narrowed your eyes at him, pointing a finger. “Don’t even start, Sousa.” You warned him, and turned around without waiting for a response to go bid to your co-worker’s command.

You put the cups neatly on a metal tray while you brewed some fresh coffee, pouring some milk into a small can and adding another small container with sugar cubes. All of that took no longer than a minute or two, so you stood there awaiting the coffee to be done impatiently the rest of the time.

When it finally finished bubbling, you took the pot and put it on the space you had saved on the tray and wasted no time in turning on your heel and heading for the open office.

The voices of Johnson and the two other agents in there became louder the closer you got and you quickly started suspecting that they weren’t working at all, something you got confirmed when you entered the room to find the case files pushed away on the table, the three of them instead flipping through a magazine.

The sight caused annoyance to bubble up in the pit of your stomach almost instantly and you had to quickly mask  your anger with a straight face when the three of them looked up at you at your entrance.

Putting the tray down in front of them, you nodded your head to the blue manila folders sprawled out on the table, raising an eyebrow at them. “Aren’t you supposed to be looking over the case files?”

They barely even acknowledged you, returning to the magazine with a wave of their hands. “We’re taking a small break.” They said. “We have a question for you actually.”

“That so?” You asked in a bored tone, paying them no mind despite feeling their gazes return to you, instead busying yourself with pouring them a cup of coffee each.

Johnson cleared his throat and as your eyes flickered up to look at them for the briefest of moments, you caught them exchanging glances while obviously trying to hold back smirks.

“Yeah, we were talking about our deepest, darkest sexual fantasies and how it would be interesting to know yours.” Johnson spoke and you raised an unimpressed eyebrow when the others attempted to hide their laughs by coughing into their hands.

He shrugged, the two of you now staring straight into each other’s eyes. “You rarely let on what’s going on in that pretty little head of yours, makes a man wonder.” He smirked.

Your eyes narrowed into slits in an instant and you automatically put the pot back down on the tray, glaring. “I beg your pardon?” You scoffed and at that, Kesey leaned forward too, wearing a smirk to match his co-worker’s.

“Oh, come on, Stark. Don’t be a prude.” He said, causing the other two to chuckle.

You turned your attention to him. “He dies during foreplay and leaves me 1.3 billion dollars, that’s my fantasy.” You replied shortly, holding his gaze for a moment before returning your attention to the coffee.

They groaned, not at all satisfied by your answer. “No, but seriously.” They kept pressing and you sighed, once again lowering the coffee pot to look up at them.

“I don’t have time to ponder fantasies. If I want something, I go get it. I’m a go-getter.”

Johnson whistled, leaning back in his seat. “You know, you’re a pain in the ass, but… that’s kind of hot.”

“Wish I could say the same about you.” You fired back before you could stop yourself, watching as the smirk instantly fell off of all of their face.

“Why you always gotta be like that?” Kesey questioned, giving you an annoyed stare to which you only raised your eyebrows innocently.

“Be like what?” You asked, and he rolled his eyes.

“Sarcastic.” He replied. “You would be a lot more approachable and desirable if you just smiled more and talked back less.”  

“Yeah, because pleasing men is my main mission in life.” You rolled your eyes.

He glared right back at you but with a discouraging slap to his shoulder from Johnson, he just scoffed, turning his attention back to the magazine and allowing you to return to pouring them their cups of coffee.  

They started talking quietly among themselves, flipping through the paper that seemed to contain pictures of cars and women, but you managed to block their voices out for a good minute by putting all of your attention to the coffee, preparing it just the way you knew they liked it.

You were pretty sure you knew their preferences better than they did themselves at this point, and the same went for Peggy, with the ridiculous amount of times you’d both been forced to serve them like maids.

“God, what I would do to see her naked.” Was the first thing you heard when you finished pouring the coffee and zoned back into their conversation, looking up to see them looking down on a centerfold girl and wasting no time in scoffing, inviting yourself into the conversation.

“Do you know what I want to see?” You asked, holding Johnson’s eyes with a fierce glare when he looked up at the sound of the voice.

“What?” He asked and you scoffed again, putting the can of coffee down and shaking your head.

“A society in which the objectification of women makes way for gender-neutral interaction free from assumptions and expectations.” You threw a hand out to the folders of evidence lying to the side. “I can’t even begin to describe the density of illness I feel in my bone marrow right now, that is how appalled I am by all this. Women are dying and you’re supposed to solve the case, and yet here you are, wasting time and lookin-”

“Gentlemen.” Your rant was interrupted by Jack as he walked into the room, slapping another manila folder down on the table and raising his eyebrows at you in an easy smile. “(Y/L/N), you boring them with your feminist monologues again?”

“When is she not?” Johnson wasted no time in snorting back.

You glared at him, annoyed that he had spoken in your place, which only seemed to make Jack’s amusement grow. “What is with you and your constant preaching about the future being female?” He asked. “I mean, I know they say no dream is too big but come on, look around.”

He laughed and the others joined in immediately.

But you weren’t discouraged, crossing your arms over your chest and looking down at Jack who had now sat down in a chair, man-sprawling like his life depended on it. “You know, men who say that feminists want to overpower men probably know that there is already a gender imbalance and are threatened by the idea that gender roles will no longer be in their favor, so I’m only taking your insults as a compliment.”

Jack smirked up at you, nodding his head. “You do that.” He answered shortly and without even giving you a chance to reply, he turned his attention away from you like you were nothing, which only vexed you further.

“Any new leads on the suspect?” Johnson and the others turned their attention to their superior, all of them now ignoring you where you were standing with your arms still crossed over your chest.

Jack shook his head with a sigh, opening the manila folder he had brought with him and in turn urging the others to scramble for their folders.

“No, the lead turned out to be a dead end. This guy is good. We’ve had two new victims since yesterday and still no trace of him. He doesn’t leave anything behind, not a single fingerprint. It’s like he doesn’t even exist.”

“Whoa, whoa, woah, hold on.” You interrupted, holding a hand out and stepping closer to them. “Two new victims? Still all females? Why have I not been informed?”

Jack gave you an annoyed stare, obviously not happy about being interrupted. “You weren’t informed because it’s not your case, but yes. All female between the ages of sixteen and twenty-seven, all wearing uh…” He cleared his throat, averting his gaze from you. “Provocative clothing.”

“What does their clothing matter?” You scoffed. “They could’ve been strolling naked down the street and it still wouldn’t justify what happened to them. Women shouldn’t have to be modest to be respected.”

“If this is a Jack The Ripper copycat we’re dealing with then it does matter.” Jack looked back up at you. “Every victim so far have been women, dressed in suggestive, light clothing at the time of their deaths.”

“But none of them were prostitutes.” You pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

At this point, you were just talking back for the sake of arguing with him, knowing fully well that all of the evidence pointed towards a Copycat.

And Jack knew it. Not only because you had been the one to bring up Jack The Ripper in the first place, but because he also, no matter how much it pained you to say so, knew you and the way you functioned like the back of his own hand with how long you had been working together.

“No, but it’s obvious that their choice of clothing are provoking him. It’s the only thing tying them together and the only thing we have to go on.” He replied calmly despite his annoyance obviously increasing with every passing second.

You shrugged your shoulders, crossing your arms over your chest again. “Maybe he just doesn’t like blondes.”

“See, that’s what we thought at first, too. But the last two girls were brunettes, so there goes that theory.” He replied and you suddenly turned smug, realizing that he was giving you information on the case that wasn’t yours to possess.

But before you could dig any deeper, the Chief walked in with his own cup of coffee raised to his lips, and his eyes instantly found yours.

“Agent (Y/L/N), I thought I told you that you weren’t going to be on this case.” He told you, lowering the cup from his face and taking a seat at the head of the table.

“I’m- I was just bringing the hardworking men some coffee, sir.” You replied, clearing your throat, wiping your face free of emotion and uncrossing your arms.

He either didn’t notice the sarcasm in your tone or he just chose to ignore it, nodding his head in approval. “I left some paperwork on your desk and I need you to fill it out before the day is up because it needs to be posted to Los Angeles before the weekend. Each minute passing is a minute wasted so I suggest that you get to work.”

He waved a hand at you but before you could reply, Jack spoke up without looking at you. “And take your feminazi monologues with you.”

He was staring down into the case file, flipping through photographs of the crime scene, but it was clear that he could feel your glare burning into the side of his face with the way the corners of his lips tugged upward slightly.

You kept your gaze unwavering at him.

“The Nazis rounded up Jews, locked them in concentration camps, lined them up in gas chambers and performed genocide. When I’m asking, arguing and fighting for equal pay, equal opportunities, no judgement, and right over my own body, how is anything, apart from your fragile male ego, getting killed?” You asked, and he simply looked up at you with a wide grin, eyes squinted with mockery.

“Point taken, now go do your job.” He said causally and you could’ve sworn you felt your eye twitch right then and there.

But as earlier mentioned, you did posses slightly more control of your impulses than your brother, so you turned on your heel and walked out of the office with long, determined strides before you said or did something you would come to regret, closing the door behind you so that you wouldn’t have to hear their ridiculing chuckles.

“Well, I can see you’re not very happy but it was amusing as always to witness you in your natural habitat, so I hope it can provide you with some comfort to know that you’ve officially made my day.” A voice spoke not even a second later, and you felt relief flood your entire body at the sight of Peggy’s warm smile.

Your heels clicked against the wooden floors as you walked closer to her where she was leaning against your desk. “And what habitat would that be?” You questioned, watching as she raised an eyebrow.

“Putting disrespectful, sexist men in their place, rightfully so might I add, and being kicked out for doing so.”

“Yes, I fear it’s starting to become a habit of mine.” You chuckled, sinking down into your chair once you reached your desk.

Peggy pushed herself off the edge of said desk, uncrossing her arms and turning around to face her. “Starting to?” She asked, eyes sparkling with amusement.

You chuckled once more. “What are you doing here? I thought you took a day off.”

“I did.” She confirmed. “But my doctor’s appointment went quicker than expected so here I am.”

“Thank God for that.” You let out a loud breath, motioning with your hand to the large stack of papers now resting on your desk, looking at her guiltily. “Feeling helpful?”

All she did in response was smile, nod her head and pull a chair up to sit beside you, wordlessly grabbing the first paper.

With the help, it only took an hour to fill out all of the paperwork, but even though it would’ve taken much longer without the extra set of hands, you wished the time would’ve gone by quicker.

It was a Friday afternoon and there was nothing you wanted more than to go home, take off your heels, get out of your uncomfortable clothes and go to bed, and the last two hours of the day were always the longest, and hardest.

Once the paperwork was done, Peggy moved over to the breakroom to grab you a cup of coffee. She was the least exhausted out of the two of you seeing as she hadn’t been there the entire day and offered to do so, so that you could take a breather after the intense paperwork.

When she busied herself with that, you moved over to Daniel where he was still sitting at his desk, working hard.

You sparked up a conversation and became so engrossed in it you didn’t even realize another half hour went by and passed the end of your workday, also completely oblivious to the pair of eyes that instantly found you as the five men came out of the closed office.

Jack watched you laugh at something Sousa had said with an uncomfortable knot rapidly growing in the pit of his stomach, a sour taste growing in his mouth.

In a desperate attempt to get rid of the feeling of the anger bubbling up inside him, he raised his coffee cup to his lips and took a sip of the black beverage despite it having gone cold at that point.

He was so focused on watching you from afar, taking note of every move of your body and every flicker of emotion in your face, that he didn’t even notice Peggy coming up to his side until she cleared her throat and made her presence known.

Jack instantly tore his eyes away from you to look at the woman now standing beside him, only to find that she was looking straight at you, too.

“Why don’t you get off your high horse, swallow your pride and ask her out already?” She asked without looking at him, admittedly catching him by surprise.

“What?” He asked, chuckling nervously.

At that, Peggy turned to look at him, scoffing and giving him an unimpressed stare. “Oh, please.” She said. “Don’t pretend that you don’t know what I’m talking about.”

His eyes hardened and his Adam’s apple bobbled as he swallowed. “I don’t.” He replied casually, taking another sip of his coffee.

But she didn’t believe him for a second, and wasted no time.

“One day, you’re going to see her holding hands with someone who took your chance. She won’t even notice you because she’s too busy laughing with the stupid jokes he makes. And it will burn your heart seeing that beautiful smile on her face and realizing that you’re not the reason. And then it will finally hit you that she’s always been the one.”

She smiled softly at him, eyes glazing over as she fell into deep thought at the last part, obviously thinking back to her time with Steve.

“Sousa and the others might be blind, but I’m not. I’ve seen the looks you give her when she’s not looking. I’m not stupid, Jack. But you are.”

Her words made his façade falter for the briefest of moments, but he quickly covered it up with his usual careless smile, raising an eyebrow. “And why would that be?” He asked.

He was appearing so sure of himself but Peggy Carter knew better; she always did.

“Because only an idiot would let a woman like her slip out of his fingers. And if you want to have a chance, you might want to hurry up, because you’re not the only one who’s got your eye on her.” She answered, nodding her head in your direction.

Jack turned his eyes back to you at the sound of her words, finding that Sousa was now nowhere in sight, the new intern now standing in front of you instead, the two of you conversing about something and both of you smiling.

He had been transferred to your unit only a few weeks prior, having fought in the war like the rest of you and lost one of his hands in the process, dooming him to a life-worth of desk work.

He’d had his eye on you ever since he arrived, something that didn’t go unnoticed by the rest of them; especially not Jack.

“It doesn’t make you any less of a man to let a woman shine, and you better come to terms with that before you even think about getting close to her.” Peggy continued. “Because she’s not a woman to be kept in the dark. She deserves better than that.”

Jack swallowed again, his eyes never leaving your form as Peggy spoke, and not when she turned on her heel and walked away, either.

He took a moment to regain his composure after the conversation he’d just had, his mind at war with his heart after everything Peggy had just told him. He stood by, sipping his cold coffee and watching you, until the intern walked away from you.

The discouraged look on his face made him feel smug in some way, and he quickly threw back the rest of his coffee, putting the cup down on the closest surface and wasting no time in heading over in your direction.

It took no more than a few long strides to reach you at your desk. He came up behind you, watching over your shoulder as you packed your things into your bag that was standing on your chair.

He leaned against the short side of the mahogany table, tucking his hands into the pockets of his grey slacks and glancing at you.

“An admirer, I take it?” He asked casually, watching your every move.  

You made no move to turn around to look at him, simply continuing to pack down the papers you needed to take home over the weekend. “Well, he tried. Didn’t have much luck but you have to admire him for his attempt.”

Jack snickered. “You might not want to be too picky, you know, or you’ll end up alone eventually.”

“I’d take that over ending up divorced after settling for less than I deserve any day.”

“Touché. But no matter how hard you try to deny it the fact still remains at the end of the day that every woman needs a man, sooner or later.”

“I don’t need a man.” You replied, closing the flap of your bag and grabbing your coat from the back of your chair. “I need a family sized tub of chocolate chip ice cream and a bottle of tequila to drown my misery of having to work from a desk every day.”

You hurriedly started to put your arms into your sleeves, wanting nothing more than to get away from the conversation at hand and go home.

When you grabbed your bag off of the chair and turned around to leave, Jack pushed himself off the desk, finally catching your eye. “Well, that’s a shame because I was thinking, when you’re done flirting with cripples who have barely gone through puberty yet, that maybe we could go out sometime.”

You instantly rolled your eyes, completely missing the fact that he, in his own way, had just asked you out.

“Do you ever take a day off from being an asshole?” You asked. “Does it make you feel good about yourself to talk down on everyone?”

“I think those may be questions best pondered over dinner.” He offered again, raising his eyebrows.

You could only snort and roll your eyes once more. “Funny. I know your tactics work on pretty much everyone else, but they won’t do any good with me. Good night, Agent Thompson.”

Without wasting another second, you hung the strap of the bag of your arm, walking past him and not looking back.

But he just turned on his heel and walked after you, walking by your side with his hands still tucked into his pockets.

“We’re not on the clock anymore, you can call me Jack.” He said. “And the dinner proposal wasn’t a joke.”

“What? You’re like, asking me out on a date?” You snorted, without looking up at him and without ever slowing down.

In the corner of your eye, you could see his head shaking. “No, just… causal dinner. But…” He trailed off, shrugging. “If we happen to have sex afterwards, so be it.”

His words instantly drew a scoff from your lips and you stopped in your tracks, turning to look at him with a glare. Before you could say anything, however, he continued.

“Having sex once or twice a week has been proven to boost your immune system to help fight colds and the flu and I don’t know about you, but I don’t really enjoy being sick.”

You weren’t impressed, not in the slightest, your glare remaining unfaltering. “It’s a good thing I have a perfect immune system, then.” You fired back and moved to keep walking.

But this time, he rushed up in front of you, blocking you from continuing. “Come on, I’ve run out of reasons that we shouldn’t, haven’t you?”

“No.” You answered without a single doubt in your mind. “In fact, I couldn’t even count all of the reasons on both my hands. I don’t have enough fingers.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but you quickly cut him off, raising your hands and beginning to count off your fingers.

“But let’s start with, uh, you’re an asshole. You’re constantly degrading me and treating me like I’m below you even though we have the exact same title and the exact same job. I’m an agent like you and yet, you treat me like I’m a secretary with no brains, like I’m not capable of literally everything you are. You’re a sexist pig and every day for the past two years, Peggy and I have been the targets of yours, the Chief’s, and everyone else’s oppression. So excuse me if I’m not jumping up and down with excitement at the thought of going out with you and becoming just another name on your endlessly long list.”

A long moment of awkward silence fell over the two as you finished your hateful rant. His mouth was opening and closing like a fish out of water. For the first time since you had met him, you had left him speechless and taken the last word.

You thought, at least.

“Ouch. That hurt.” He spoke after a long moment, chuckling awkwardly.

His face was pulled into an expression of genuine hurt and for a moment, just for a moment, you felt guilty for going off on him the way you had. But then you remember that it was justified, and that he had it coming.

So you just hummed in response, averting your gaze to the floor. While you did so, Jack took a step closer to you and caught both you and himself by surprise by reaching out for your hand.

Your head instantly whipped back up at the sudden touch of his skin against yours, a sharp spark going through your skin and causing you to flinch.

Luckily, he didn’t seem to have noticed it. Either that, or he just didn’t care, instead looking down at you with warm, genuine eyes.

“Look, it’s a man’s world. It’s been a man’s world for as long as history goes, for as long as you and I have been alive, and we’re still living in it. But…” He paused, properly taking your hand into his. “I’m willing to learn how to look at it from another perspective.”

Your could feel yourself melting into his touch, your eyes softening but your face remaining stoic. You weren’t about to let your guard down that easily.

“I recall you calling  that my monologues about feminism boring no more than an hour and a half ago.” You pointed out, and watched as a lopsided smile slowly made its way onto his lips.

“Eh.” He tilted his head, shrugging again. “Not everything can be interesting. But that doesn’t mean it’s not necessary to learn.”

“Wow, this is… not like you at all.” You pointed out, eyes slowly narrowing. You tore your hand out of his grasp, taking a step back. “What’s going on? Did you make a bet with the guys or something? Is that it?”

“Do you really think that little of me?” He asked, looking genuinely offended.

But you only raised an eyebrow, crossing your arms over your chest. “Is this where I’m supposed to lie to protect your delicate, fragile male ego?”

He closed his eyes, raising his hand to his face and pinching the bridge of his nose. “No, forget I asked.” He mumbled, breathing in deeply and lowering his hand again. “I had an eyeopener, that’s all. Realized that there’s always room for improvement in one’s character and view of the world.”

He was obviously dramatically articulating his words for extra effect, the sarcastic smile pulling at his lips only proving that further.

You gave him a doubtful once-over, but soon felt yourself relaxing, your arms uncrossing from over your chest and your head nodding slowly. “Well, whoever made you realize that you were being a grade A asshole, give them my thanks. I like this version of you much better than the one I’ve had to deal with every day for the last two years.”

He instantly raised an eyebrow at your halfhearted confession, lips once again beginning to pull into a smirk. “So is that a yes to the date?” He asked and you raised an eyebrow in return.

“I thought you said it wasn’t a date?” You teased.

He looked to the side briefly, smirking. “Well…” He shrugged.

You chuckled, nodding your head and biting down on the inside of your cheek lightly in an attempt to hide the smile threatening to break out on your face. “I’ll be ready at eight tomorrow night. I would tell you where I live but I believe you already know seeing as you and Johnson stalked me every night for an entire month when you thought I was hiding my brother from you.”

His eyebrows rose in surprise. “You knew about that the whole time?”

“I did, and you had no idea.” You chuckled. “The way you men think of us women as intellectually challenged works in our favor sometimes. We see so much more than you think.”

He grinned, unbeknownst to you feeling extremely proud of you in that moment.

Before he got the chance to say anything else, you gave him a nod of your head and offered him a wholehearted, sincere smile.

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jack.” You told him, and then pushed past him without waiting for a reply, walking away from him with butterflies in your stomach; the very same ones you had felt the first time you met him.

Before he opened his big mouth, that is.

But everyone was capable of change, and you silently thanked whatever person that had helped him on the right path to his sudden epiphany. 

Although, you believed you already knew.

Who else but Peggy?

Tagged: @corishirogane3​ @trenchcoatedwings​ @microwaved-timmies​

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[meloncubedradpops]

Repo! The Corona Opera: Final Countdown

This is the third and final installment of Repo: The Corona Opera. In the first piece, I made the argument that the surreal events we are experiencing in 2020 remind me of the world in the movie Repo! the Genetic Opera. My second essay compared the characteristics of fascism with the same movie. Here we will tie together ideas in both works to highlight a dark path that America is on, based on what we know about Repo!, in the hopes that we can reject the evils of those who are sacrificing our health and safety for their own selfish reasons. 

When I began thinking about this movie through the lenses of COVID-19, I saw uncanny patterns that just years ago seemed like an exaggerated storytelling. Millions of people dying from organ failure. Yeah, but how? 

Then 2020 happened. Oh, that's how. Sure the disease doesn't affect everyone in the same way, but its wrath and potential to harm are tremendous. The death toll in the United States alone is, as of today, is 231,000. At least, that is the death toll we are know so far. It will take time when the dust settles and we can analyze the excess death data to truly know how many of our fellow Americans have died. 

And while our world does not currently emulate those opening comic scenes in Repo, the impact from the sudden loss of life will be felt for a long time. There are a lot of really great themes in Repo: the concept of the family, drug addiction, the impact of corporate monopolies, and let's not forget it's a gothic coming-of-age story too. I am going to highlight three concepts that weave together our current reality with the world of Repo: the parallels of the Trump and Largo family, the Graverobber as the symbolic "other", and organ repossessions is genocide.

As mentioned in my previous entry, I highlighted the ways that Rotti Largo is a fascist. I went into detail supporting the argument that his company GeneCo holds tremendous and unyielding power in the city we see in the movie. And despite his efforts to save humanity from extinction, his assumed heirs and blood-related children are nothing short of entitled mediocrity. I will draw many parallels between President Donald Trump and Rotti Largo throughout the duration of this essay, but let's take a few minutes to talk about their children. Believe it or not, this meme was made by myself and my friend FOUR years ago, almost to the day! 

But unlike 2016, I had no idea that I'd find multiple comparisons to draw upon. And frankly, if we all knew how bad this presidency would be, for both America and the rest of the world, we might have made less jokes from our complacency. I ask the the real question though, which Trump and Rotti offspring are most alike?

Now, I've wanted to do this thought exercise since the inception of my essays. The surface level combinations would look something like, Amber and Ivanka (since they're both women, obvs), Donald Trump JR as Luigi (oldest child), and Eric Trump as Pavi ("you're just his useless brother!"). 

However my boyfriend raised a great point that had me rethink this: Donald Trump Jr is ACTUALLY Amber Sweet. When I took out the gender aspect out of the equation, it made so much more sense. In my next point, I will go into drug addiction in a much more dignified manner. But let's just take a moment here to consider the following. 

We know that Amber Sweet is addicted to two things in life: surgery and pain killing drugs to make surgery bearable. Amber Sweet's character provides an incredible insight to the daily life of the people in Repo. If you subtract the Zydrate Anatomy scene, you would hardly even know that zydrate is devastating lives of the people addicted to it. We hear about zydrate in the graveyard as a commercial and the media spends its first opportunity asking Rotti about zydrate's "use and abuses". After Sweet becomes a no-show in the presser, we quickly learn that she runs a support group for fellow addicts, or at least she is supposed to. 

How does this relate to Trump Jr? Quite simply, many are speculating that Trump Jr abuses cocaine. The most compelling evidence is his speech during the Republican National Convention. Now, obviously we don't have solid evidence that he is indeed consuming and abusing cocaine, and quite frankly if he is, that would not be incredibly surprising or even a huge deal. 

But the conversation doesn't end here. President Donald Trump did not hesitate to bring up former vice president Joe Biden's son Hunter Biden and his battle with addiction during the first Presidential Debate. It was a low jab, especially considering that the United States is going through a crippling opioid crisis, which he even admits is exacerbated by covid-19 and related lockdowns. Both Donald Trump and Rotti Largo exploit their own children in this manner. I mean, Donald Trump helped fucked up the Trump Foundation where his children were held prominent positions, which was caught stealing from a charity intended to help children with cancer! Every time we see Donald Trump Jr on our doom-screens, we get another glimpse into Jr's downward spiral. And with every additional crime that all of president Trump's children become implicated in, the more and more we can see that this family is rotten to the core. 

If Trump Jr is Amber Sweet, then Ivanka is Luigi. In Repo, Luigi can be described as nothing short of a homicidal maniac. I am not saying that Ivanka commits murder, at least not directly, but she does hold a lot of power in the White House. Spend any time learning about the machinations of the White House, particularly in the early days, and you will learn Ivanka competed with Melania for a voice in the administration, and still works for the White House today. Even if you exclude all of the shady business ties, such as the dozens of Chinese patents (including for voting machines!!!) Ivanka has filed, clearly the boundaries of nepotism do not exist for this family. Luigi somehow kills multiple people in the movie and faces no consequences for it. How can this be? Obviously corruption, but that is too simple. If there were multiple checks and balances at one point that would have forced Luigi to face justice for his crimes, they have obviously failed to come to roost in the movie. The obvious common denominator between today and the world of Repo is that those who want power will do anything to obtain and maintain it. Does the public know about every murder committed by Luigi? Does the public know about every crime committed by Ivanka (and also by proxy her husband Jared Kushner, who by the way, failed to pass mandatory security clearances but still has access to the intelligence of our government)? Jared intentionally made it difficult for many of the states hit hardest by covid-19 in the early weeks to acquire the necessary medical supplies because the electorate did not vote for Trump in 2016. That. IS. MURDER. Just as Luigi calls the common citizens in Repo "filthy mice", “Jrvanka” (and the Right at greater) frames the nation as two groups: us and THEM. Luigi is much less calculated, but the comparisons are there. If given the chance, the Trump and Largo family will kill because of their sociopathy, greed, and egos. 

Admittedly I don't have as compelling of a comparison for Eric Trump and Pavi. However I will say that both Pavi and Eric do the bidding for their father's empire, and I would also argue that both feel like they have to compete to get a modicum of attention and love from a paternal figure devoid of basic empathy. And at the end of the day, they do not reject their father's tyranny. And honestly that is enough of a comparison for me. 

Last but not least, I can't ignore the fact that the official Republican Party platform for the 2020 election is loyalty to Trump in the absence of any other political or philosophical idea. A majority of the speakers at the Republican National Convention were members of his family. Their pitch to Americans is “Just Trust Us”. However, a quarter million Americans aren't here to agree or disagree with that statement. With each passing day, more and more Americans are getting sick, to the tune of tens of thousands of cases a day on average currently. The Largo family and GeneCo are not much different. Remember that scene in 21st Century Cure where Shilo and Graverobber are in a mass grave where we can see truck loads of humans being added to the pile of corpses? 

The only real thing separating the corpses from the rest of the city is a poorly constructed brick wall and the years of propaganda that normalizes what I imagine would be a terrible pungent smell of death. 

The entire Trump family came into the first presidential debate without masks. The president was literally sick with a virus that statistically speaking, could kill his opponent; and he was on stage shedding this incredibly contagious virus screaming and shouting, spreading his droplets everywhere. The Trump family failed to show up early enough to be tested for covid before the debate. 

This was not an accident. Jared Kushner bragged to journalist Bob Woodward back in April that Trump was going to take the country "back from scientists". As of this past weekend, we learned that Trump is floating around the idea of firing our nation's leading disease expert Anthony Fauci in a time where our cases, deaths, and hospitalizations from covid-19 are surging. It is almost grotesquely poetic how similar this is to GeneCo. GeneCo is a company in the healthcare industry, but they exploit the worst parts of society, which I will go into very soon. And in its effort to achieve maximum quarterly profits, the ends always justify the means, even if that results in fascism and excess death/suffering. Rotti's body guards kill the doctor who gives him his grim diagnosis. Trump didn't kill the doctors treating him during his recovery with covid, but information we got from the White House doctors were straight up WEIRD. We witnessed a Gentern being killed by Luigi in the Mark It Up Scene for no other reason besides existing in the proximity of him. Trump has spread misinformation about how there's more money to be made when a doctor declares a death as a covid death. I am finding it hard to see the difference. I think I've made my point regarding the parallels of the Trump and Largo family quite clearly, but you may see additional points I bring up as the rest of my essay unfolds. 

Society is complex with more nuance than we give it credit to. The different ways that various groups of people interact with are endlessly interesting, and one of the reasons I love Repo so much is because there's an incredible amount of unpacking that you can do, even in the absence of written dialogue about it. 

If you don't know, Repo started out as a story originally penned as "The Necromerchant's Debt", which gave the Graverobber character a more active role in the world crafted by Darren Smith and Terrace Zdunich. When watching the movie Repo! The Genetic Opera, the Graverobber is certainly a character seen in multiple scenes, but in a lot of ways, his importance is left out. An entire scene was cut from the film, see Needle Through a Bug below if you're interested. 

Regardless the parts that we do see are still greatly impactful. Graverobber is essentially the symbolized "other" living in a world that is greatly stratified by social class, and he's doing what he can to survive. 

Now if you have been living on this planet we call Earth and have ever paid attention ever, you probably have noticed that there are a lot of power structures that influence the resources and opportunities that aid in our development and maintenance of our needs. The access to being able to elevate ourselves above basic survival are typically contingent upon a few things, one namely our ability to draw a paycheck. As I mentioned in my last essay, so many things went wrong to have what would equivalently be either a drug trafficking felony in today's terms or maybe theft, result in permissible extra-judicial murder. And I am not saying that Trump's bragging of the extra-judicial murder of an ANTIFA activist is at all related, but look at the way Trump compares his dissidents with the way GeneCo treats Graverobbers.

 We are experiencing the early stages of economic collapse, millions of people are hungry, soon-to-be evicted, jobless. And yet, the Republicans in power just HAD to rush through a Supreme Court justice. When arguing against lockdowns that would have saved lives, the Right spent countless hours arguing about increase suicide, drug use, poverty, domestic abuse, blah blah blah, you know all the things that were there and as equally as important pre-pandemic? And they did NOTHING to help mitigate this disaster beyond the bill that was passed this spring. The house passed the HEROES Act back in May, and senate majority leader Mitch McConnel declined to take a vote on it. 

Never mind the fact that landlords are still expected to pay the banks their mortgages on their investment properties. Never mind the fact that rent wasn't cancelled. Never mind that the Trump administration sought to prevent any oversight into the first bill passed previously to prosecute fraud. So you know, we can make sure the money went to small business owners, and not instead to the many, many crony ties to the administration who were approved for huge amounts of money. Honestly to think about this is kind of sickening, particularly when you relate it back to Repo and my essay I wrote on fascism.

I could probably talk all day about our failure with the "War on Drugs", but I feel like you can probably see based on the efficacy of its policies that drugs still exist and people are still abusing them. I bring this up because the Graverobber's occupation is essentially a drug dealer. However he sells a counterfeit of zydrate derived from the body of a bug who naturally borrow in a corpse's body, which is and also isn't stealing from the corpse / their estate, but is somehow still "bad" enough that you can legally be killed "on site" if a Gene Cop thinks you're harvesting the blue brain goo. I mean this entire concept makes my brain hurt. 

The Graverobber, as a concept, is a perfect example of the enemy who is simultaneously the biggest and the least threat, and the only way to stop them is to kill them before they can appeal before the jury of their peers or go to prison to pay for their crimes. And I am sure the propaganda that justifies this is beautifully orchestrated. It literally mimics Russian propaganda, AKA the biggest foreign intelligence threat since, I don’t know, the Cold War? I can picture authoritarian stump speeches now: 

"Here the Graverobber who comes in the night, tempting your children. They sell the promise of a good time, but did you know they are raping your daughters for this drug?? They can get your husband hooked on zydrate, and you won't know it's coming until he comes home unrecognizable. These thugs are stealing your grandmother's ring off her corpse, and you will find her half-rotted corpse thrown askew across her tombstone when you go to pay your respects."

And yet Graverobber defends himself:

"Industrialization has crippled the globe (Enjoy GeneCo's day and nighttime formula of Zydrate) Nature failed as technology spread (Ask a gentern if Zydrate is right for you) And from this wake a market erected (Buying Zydrate from an unlicensed source is illegal) An entire city built on top of the dead! And you can finance your bones And your kidneys For every market a submarket grows But best you be punctual With making your payments Lest it be you on the concrete below It's quick! It's clean! It's pure! It could change your life! Rest assured! It's the 21st century cure! And it's my job To steal and rob GRAVES!" 

He then goes into detail about how this is just the cost of doing business with his modern world. How many of our current and future stories by those who will not make a single sentence in our history books will be casted as enemies of the state who were ultimately just trying to make end's meet? You can deport the illegal immigrant but neglect to prosecute the American company who hired them to work here? How is that much different? If the people in Repo need this drug to cope with the deaths of their loved ones and their livelihoods, then what does that say about the soul of their nation? 

If you are still with me at this point, I want to thank you so much. I am going to conclude on a fairly heavy topic, but it is one worth having. Organ repossessions in Repo are genocide and in America, we are currently also committing genocide. 

The whole premise of the film is the justification that those who fail to make payments on their surgeries deserve to have their organs repossessed, because what other reality is there with unrelenting end-stage capitalism? People are losing their whole lives as I type this, through no fault of their own. Most Americans cannot afford a $400 emergency expense pre-covid-19. Millions are unable to pay for basic life expenses, such as rent, healthcare or food. Our president specifically shoved a Supreme Court justice because he wants the American Healthcare Act to be deemed too unconstitutional for public policy. Never mind the 100+ million Americans with pre-existing conditions. Never mind the millions who acquire their healthcare through the ACA marketplace. Never mind the fact that we are in a once-in-a-century PANDEMIC. Never mind that we spend more per capital on healthcare than anywhere else in the world. Never mind that the Right does not have ANY sort of plan to replace something in its place. How could MILLIONS die in an organ failure crises in Repo anyways? We already know that the Trump administration already stopped caring about covid deaths when we learned it was hurting people of color disproportionality than the general population. 1 out of 1000 black Americans have died from covid. Reread that sentence. If you don't believe me, go out and seek those facts for yourself. When we think of genocide we think of Hitler killing thousands of people via gas chambers. But there are SO many other steps that lead to the normalization of that. 

Undesirables, aka the "others", are easy to discard. Is it a surprise to anyone that ICE gynecologists are removing the uteruses of detainees? I almost made my whole essay about that one controversy alone. Genocide is insidious like that. 

"Oh but if she didn't want that hysterectomy, she shouldn't have tried to come to America for a better life, even if that's what my ancestors did." 

Of course not, she's the "other", and you're the law-abiding citizen. You were able to afford the extra $30 a month for the upgraded booby package that gave an otherwise unremarkable kidney transplant a fun twist by including breast implants. The orphan who works the streets because his parents died during the plague who needed a new pancreas because insulin became too expensive is threatening your suburbs. Bonus points if the orphan has a hint of melanin in his skin or if your daughter shows favor towards his antics, completely ignoring the fact that his mommy and daddy were killed by preventable disease. I have no idea if this was intentional or not, but look at the makeup of people who get their organs repossessed in Repo and try not to tell me there's a trend. Yes it could have been the coincidence of casting, but nevertheless it is worth mentioning. We don't see many people of color in this movie, but of the few we see, they get murdered by GeneCo/Wallace. And I don't care how stupid coincidences are because that is exactly what is happening with covid-19. The so-called essential, working class citizens (who are disproportionally POC) are putting their whole life on the line to serve everyone else who works at home. 

The ends justifies the means, kill enough elderly and the federal government won't have to pay out on social security. Force everyone to get back to work and fuck you if you think you deserve money for the hours you weren't allowed to work (oh and by the way we want to make it so you can't sue for covid-19 related liabilities). Oh you lost your job, "try something new", as told by Ivanka Trump earlier this summer. 

My main point is if you let fascism get control, they will normalize genocide and put you in jail for even making the connections of corruption. "Millions of people dead from organ failure, what's adding a few more to the pile in the name of law and order?" "The only good Democrat is a dead Democrat". Once again, I am failing to see the difference. 

Okay I threw a lot at you just now, and the fact you made it to the end is a miracle. If you skip around because you have a squirrel brain like me, I thank you as well. The fact we get out of bed everyday and do anything right now is a miracle and I know attention can be finite. 

I am writing this on the eve of the United States General election after having wanting to write this since June of this year. I am tired. We are ALL Shiloh right now. Our lives have been on pause. "I must be brave", "I'll capture it", "Run back inside". Yeah girl, same! I haven't talked about her much throughout any of my essays, but I have to give credit where credit is due. 

Humans are a resilient creature. We have millions of years of experience on this Earth, and much of our survival has been based on pure dumb luck. But we have blown so many other species out of the water in one way alone, and that is our ability to communicate. 

We don't have to let people who exploit our weaknesses control us. The sociopaths who try and run our society did not historically aid in our survival. They didn't care if we ate the mushroom that killed us or would have protected us when threatened by wildlife, it was our tribe. The Right has successfully hijacked that bond between the self and the tribe so that it can fit the needs of sociopathy and greed. It is not normal for a president to tell a nation that "it is what it is" when over 100k citizens die from a preventable disease. Do not let the sociopaths throw us in that tiny pine box in a mighty small drop in a mighty dark plot, hastening the trip to our epilogue. Because every inch you give, they will take a mile and charge you by the hour. Never forget that.

[tourmvlines]

alright gang, finally got my shit together long enough to write this bad boy up. yes, her blog is still ugly so look away ❤️ anyway, first things first, i’m jo, i’m twenty-one, i’m in pst, and i’m very excited to be here 😌 check below the cut for more info on miss sloane because my app is too much of a mess to be linked :p thank u for ur time

[ COURTNEY EATON, CIS FEMALE, SHE / HER ] shh ! sloane jennings, the twenty year old second year public health major from chicago, illinois, is known as a tourmaline around here. she was invited to join because of her versatility and her academic record, and now, they’re here to stay. she reminds me of a cigarette tucked behind your ear, sitting on the rooftop to watch the sunset, & wishing on dandelions.

pinterest .  statistics .  connections .

basics.

full name: sloane alice jennings    birthday: june 13th, 2000 astrology: gemini sun, scorpio moon, libra rising mbti: enfp-a, the campaigner positive: adaptable, intuitive, loyal negative: flighty, naive, hedonistic

about.

click here for sloane’s full bio.

sloane was born to pepper liu and dinah jennings, lesbian activist icons of their day who mostly lived by allowing the wind to move them. they made friends everywhere and for the first years of sloane’s life, they bring her with them everywhere

eventually, pepper and dinah settle down and decide to live somewhere permanent for sloane’s sake and so she could go to school somewhere. they decide on san francisco, california, a city that’s near and dear to them. unfortunately, they die in a fire before sloane can ever start school

after that, sloane is sort of passed around old friends of pepper and dinah, a series of unfortunate events style. the key difference however is that there is never any doubt that sloane is so deeply loved. everywhere she goes, she’s always well taken care of

they always tell her stories of her mothers and it’s never a case of sloane feeling abandoned or like she’s been struck with bad luck just because she’s raised so well

in high school, she does a million extracurriculars. she tries water polo for a little bit, she was in a band for the last two years of high school, she literally does SO much community service, she tries everything because she’s genuinely interested in everything

most of her motivation for college was because of her mothers’ desire for her to do something good with herself because otherwise she never would have gone but she applied and she got into strathmore! 

on the society: she honestly never even knew about the society until she got the invitation because it’s just not something that would be on her radar, but now that she’s in it, she sees how much good it can do for her. that doesn’t mean she takes it as seriously as other people do but she’ll go along with all their bells and whistles.

personality. adaptable, intuitive, loyal, flighty, naive, hedonistic

a lot of my inspiration for sloane comes from the concept of angels doing unholy things and this post in particular, not every single bullet point, but you get the gist.

i think sloane’s most defining character trait is her ability to adapt. her mothers were never able to stay in one place for very long making friends everywhere they went, and so all of sloane’s guardians came from everywhere. she was raised with a tremendous amount of care and love just because dinah and pepper were so loved, so moving around was never that much of an issue. she’s always been able to make the best of her situation and has always found ways to make homes no matter what city or town she’s in.

one of the things about sloane is that she’s never been alone. she was orphaned before the age of ten, but the friends of her mothers have taken a lot of care in making sure that she’s never felt lonely. relying on people and having a sense of community is so essential for sloane wherever she goes. it’s one of the few things she appreciates in the society.

going off on that, people have looked out for sloane her entire life and i think that’s a large part of the reason why she chose her major. it was important for her to do something that would allow her to serve her community and improve it. she’s never really cared that much about fame or wealth or whatever, but she’s always cared about people and doing good by them. a lot of her upbringing was about making do, making your voice heard, standing by your people and these are lessons she carries with her everywhere

just another thing to say that i do think the way she was raised has made her more trusting of people in general and can make her a little naive because she operates under the assumption that, more often than not, people look out for others when that isn’t always the case

that isn’t to say that she doesn’t know how to be alone, however, because she does and she’s honestly really good at being alone. people in her life made sure she knew she wasn’t alone and sloane has always been very aware of that, but the fact still stands that she’s an orphan. sloane has always been content with being on her own. even if she stayed with people who had kids her own age, she of course made fast friends with them but would also spend a lot of time on her own just because she is a little strange. 

i do think there’s a sort of scrappy charm to sloane. she isn’t rough around the edges but she isn’t all prim and proper either. there’s something very weathered about the way she carries herself, like she’s already seen the whole world and experienced so much. and in a lot of ways, she has tbh

i guess one of the other things is she’s sort of… strange? in the most approachable way possible. sloane truly walks to the beat of her own drum and does whatever she likes but the fact that she’s so unapologetic about it and so open about it makes it easier to befriend her. strange in the sense that she’s superstitious, doesn’t really have a filter, and generally doesn’t follow trends of any sort. like i hate typing that because i don’t mean for her to be a ‘i was born in the wrong generation’ type of girl but i just think she can be a little intense sometimes LMAO

i know i’m circling back, but i think a large part of why she’s so adaptable is because she doesn’t do much changing between places. like her core is unwavering and she makes space for herself, but she knows how to read people and that is what changes. the way she treats and interacts with people changes based on how she sizes them up and she’s pretty good at sizing people up so they tend to feel more comfortable with her

despite sloane being unapologetic about her life, i do think she tends to be more on the private side. like yeah, she doesn’t hide anything about the way she acts and doesn’t water herself down for people but it’s rare for her to talk about herself for too long. she’s more likely to ask people questions during a conversation and ask about them without really giving anything away herself

headcanons.

has been smoking cigarettes since she was super young after she stole a pack from her guardian at the time at the age of 12, is most definitely going to die of lung cancer

she used to play bass in her band in high school because she’s cool and sexy

superstitious. avoids cracks on the sidewalk, throws salt over her left shoulder, carries a rabbit’s foot, the whole deal

kids love sloane. they always have. even babies always take a liking to her even if she’s a stranger. the one who can always get the fussy baby to calm down and sleep

loves abba!!!! mamma mia is her dream broadway show like it feels like something she would come up with

always fidgeting or shaking her leg or playing with her hair, like literally cannot sit still for the life of her and has always been super restless

so extremely punctual that it surprises most people. sloane seems like the type to always be late to things but quality time is her love language, so she always always shows up to things on time because she never wants to miss out. this is more about her seeing people, but it does carry over to other commitments because time is so precious to her

spends a lot of her time doing community service. she believes in helping people okay! every winter, she cleans out her closet as best she can and hands out coats or blankets to people on the streets. even if she’s never had much, this is pretty important for her. she almost always tries to spare some change when she sees homeless people. 

she volunteers at the hospital because she’s a health major but she also just loves hanging out with the babies

her favorite picture is of she and her mothers at a protest when she was five years old. she’s sitting on pepper’s shoulders and she’s missing a tooth. dinah’s kissing pepper on the cheek, and they all just look so happy. 

she’s got three piercings on each ear and a cartilage piercing in her left ear; she loves jewelry and earrings and changes them frequently

she wears whatever she wants or whatever’s comfortable; like it honestly just depends on her mood but she DOES wear her docs often and with anything she can think of because they’re her favorite pair of shoes

some favorites !

movie: kiki’s delivery service

tv show: community, freaks & geeks

book: normal people

season: spring

color: green

[missymurder]

PLEASE tell me more about your mincle university au 🥺

aslkdasl ok so this is just gonna be me rambling with a bunch of bullet points for a rlly long time so ill stick most of it under a read more so that i hopefully don’t clog anyone’s dash

- Mink is an astronomy/biochemistry double major, Clear is an art major

- Mink never really knew what happened to her parents; all she knew was that when she was three, she was left at an orphanage and bounced from foster home to foster home as she grew up.  She was openly defiant and never seemed to care about her foster parents’ reprimands.

- She quickly made friends with the local delinquents and unintentionally became their “leader”.  She didn’t even notice until they started calling her “boss”.  She was chill with it

- College wasn’t even a thought in her mind until she was told by a counselor that she was eligible for an academic scholarship to Platinum University, aka Midorijima’s most prestigious university.  She didn’t have any housing tho so she and her friends repurposed a small abandoned warehouse into a home! There were already walls and rooms big enough for bedrooms, they just needed to furnish it, get some wifi installed, and fix the lighting

- Mink was the only one that lived there full-time.   word about it spread pretty quickly, and it soon became a safe haven for teenage runaways that needed shelter (which was cool and all, but she got pretty tired of seeing some random kid sitting on her fucking couch every other morning)

- Clear, on the other hand, grew up in a mansion with a crazy rich dad that rarely remembered that he existed and two brothers that hated his guts

- You’d think that’d make him an evil little brat but luckily he had positive influences from his grandfather, who pretty much raised him and attended every important event

- Clear got to know Noiz and Koujaku early on through Rich Boy connections, and met Aoba through Koujaku during high school.

- Clear’s dad (aka toue, aka bastard) was Platinum University’s primary donor, so Clear got accepted easily and was even given a discounted tuition! But him being out of the house AND majoring in art pretty much severed all ties with his family

- Mink and Clear met at a freshman-only party, saw each other’s aesthetics, and immediately went “that’s my best friend now”

- Mink showed up in her nicest black leather and her newest fishnets while Clear showed up looking like an emotionally stunted art kid (as seen here) and for some reason that had them both ENTRANCED

- Mink liked that Clear was outgoing and kind to everyone he met.  Clear liked that Mink was quiet but firm and knew exactly what she wanted.  they balanced each other out

- Since Clear was raised COMPLETELY outside of normal Human Society, Mink got to introduce him to a lot of fantastic things, like the dollar store, drive-thrus, homemade meals, social media, regular human interaction, and so on and so forth.

- Clear also got to introduce Mink to the world of rich people, but the flagrant displays of excess wealth disgusted her, and over time, they would disgust him, too

- Mink’s friends are absolutely AMAZED that Clear makes her smile because they’ve never seen a boy make Mink do anything other than be disappointed

- They were both unaware that the other was trans until Clear asked Mink to help do his shots.  It was like a rite of passage.  A baby step in their relationship

- They started dating pretty easily but now they were in REAL unknown territory.  Neither of them knew how to love another person, so they just went with what felt right.  Mink resisted the urge to shut herself down and push him away and Clear resisted the urge to say “i love you” on the second date

- They text like they’re best friends (”where the fuck are my keys” “i ate them” “you fucking whore”) which throws people off pretty often! In person, they’re touching each other, leaning on each other, showing each other funny things, etc. but when texting it’s like they’re trying to kill each other

- Mink meets Koujaku, Noiz, and Aoba through Clear, Clear meets Mizuki through Mink, they all have a grand old time :)

- sike again Mink is very uncomfortable with the fact that Clear’s friends are so far removed from “common people” that they were surprised when she showed up.  They were expecting someone they knew from their inner circles and it was NOT a fuckin vibe

in summary: they are immensely traumatized and stranded in a world they don’t know, but they love each other very much :’)

[recentanimenews]

Random Reads 2/18/21

Are You in the House Alone? by Richard Peck Are You in the House Alone? came out in 1976 and though I totally could’ve read it when I was a teen—and thus still a member of its target audience—I never did.

Gail Osburne is a sixteen-year-old high school junior and native New Yorker who’s not at home in the quaint Connecticut village her family relocated to several years back. I knew that the plot involved Gail receiving menacing anonymous notes and phone calls, and I was expecting these events to get started quickly and the suspense to remain high throughout. But that doesn’t happen.

Instead, the story is told retroactively, so we know Gail survives. Also, obvious culprit is obvious. (I hope the reveal wasn’t intended to be a surprise, but perhaps readers were less savvy about such things in 1976.) Initially, much more of the focus is on Gail’s relationships with her parents, boyfriend, and best friend, and in particular how the latter two are in the slow process of dissolution. Eventually she receives some threatening notes and creepy phone calls, gets scared, is let down by people in positions of authority, and comes face-to-face with said obvious culprit. That happens halfway through this slim novel. The rest of the book is about Gail’s recovery from her ordeal.

I thought Are You in the House Alone? was going to be fun, suspenseful fluff, but it turned out to be fairly serious and occasionally (intentionally) infuriating. I really appreciated how Peck was able to weave in a couple of threads that seemed very random at first and make them integral to the denouement, too. Ultimately, I didn’t love the book, but I kind of… respect it, if that makes sense. It didn’t go the cheap route.

The Automatic Detective by A. Lee Martinez Mack Megaton is a hulking robot who was created to destroy. He developed self-determination, however, and went against his programming. Now, he’s a probationary citizen of Empire City, where mutagens and pollution have created a very diverse population. While some “biologicals” are still “norms,” others have been physically transformed (like rat-like Detective Alfredo Sanchez) and others have been changed in not-so-visible ways (like Mack’s friend, Jung, a talking gorilla with refined literary taste). Mack works as a cab driver and is trying to keep a low profile, but when his neighbors are abducted, he can’t help but try to rescue them. This gets him into all sorts of trouble, of course.

Despite its name, The Automatic Detective isn’t really much of a mystery. I suppose it’s more… sci-fi noir. Mack meets various thugs, beats some of them up, gets beat up himself, etc. Slowly, he makes progress on uncovering a huge conspiracy. At times, I felt like Martinez was a little too enamored of the gimmick he created, and places in the middle dragged a bit as a result, but the ending is pretty satisfying and overall the book was enjoyable enough, even though it’s quite far from the sort of thing I usually read.

As a final note: I really liked that Martinez limited himself when it came time to invent universe-specific profanity. Instead of the text being liberally sprinkled with words like “frell” or “frak,” the phrase “Oh, flurb” appears but once (during a moment where the meaning is 100% apparent) and made me laugh out loud.

I don’t know if I’m necessarily eager to read more by Martinez, but I’m glad I read this one.

The Inimitable Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse When I read My Man Jeeves back in 2010, I was somewhat disappointed because so much of it was repetitive. While there are some common elements that recur within the eleven stories that comprise The Inimitable Jeeves, it is still so very much superior that I’d now say… forget about that first book. Start here. Go back and read My Man Jeeves for completist purposes, if that’s your inclination, but start here for the best introduction to these characters and Wodehouse’s uniquely charming and amusing writing.

First published in 1923, The Inimitable Jeeves contains a linked set of stories that typically involve affable Bertie Wooster being imposed upon by either his eternally lovesick friend Bingo Little (who is “always waylaying one and decanting his anguished soul”) or his mischief-making younger cousins, Claude and Eustace. One plot thread involves convincing Bingo’s uncle (who provides him with an allowance) to agree to Bingo marrying a waitress. Jeeves comes up with the idea to ply the uncle with romance novels featuring class differences to soften his heart, and it ends up that Bertie is compelled to go visit the old fellow and claim to be the author. In addition to containing the most elegant description of sweat I’ve ever seen—“The good old persp was bedewing my forehead by this time in a pretty lavish manner.”—this situation is referenced a few times in subsequent stories until Bingo succeeds in getting married to a different waitress who really is the author of those romance novels.

So, even though you’ve got episodic happenings, it’s rather a satisfactory conclusion. Bertie is endearing, Jeeves is competent, the writing is excellent, and it made me laugh. (I especially liked when a character was described as resembling “a sheep with a secret sorrow.”) I’m so glad that I didn’t give up on the series after the first book; now I feel as though I finally see what the fuss is all about. I’d also like to give credit to the fabulous narration by Jonathan Cecil. I’m not sure if it’s deliberate, but I hear echoes of Fry and Laurie in his performance, and I heartily approve. I will certainly seek out more unabridged versions read by him.

The Murders of Richard III by Elizabeth Peters This is the second in the Jacqueline Kirby series of mysteries. I haven’t read the first, and wouldn’t normally begin with the second, but the book promised an English country mansion plus “fanatic devotees of King Richard III” so my usual routine flew right out the window.

Even before university lecturer Thomas Carter likened himself unto Watson, I’d noticed the similarities between how this tale is told and the Sherlock Holmes stories. We are never permitted inside Jacqueline’s head. Instead, we see her how Thomas, hopeful of one day securing her romantic affections, views her. It’s fairly interesting, actually, because Thomas’ opinion of her fluctuates, sometimes peevishly. “You drive me crazy with your arrogance and your sarcasm and your know-it-all airs,” he says at one point. And though he soon after claims “I’m no male chauvinist; I don’t mind you showing off,” the fact is that earlier he was grumbling inwardly about her feigning “girlish ignorance” to reel in mansplainers and then walloping the “unwitting victim” with a cartload of knowledge. It’s true that Jacqueline isn’t especially likeable sometimes, but for remorselessly trouncing the sexist louts she encounters throughout the book, I must commend her!

The mystery itself is somewhat bland, unfortunately. The leader of a Ricardian society has received a letter purportedly written by Elizabeth of York, which would exonerate Richard of the deaths of her brothers, the “princes in the tower.” He calls a meeting of the society, with each attendee costumed as one of the historical personages involved, and summons the press, planning to unveil his find with much fanfare. But someone begins playing practical jokes on the Ricardians reminiscent of the fates of the people they are pretending to be. The book isn’t a long one, and soon the pranks start coming right on the heels of one another. Because of the swift pace—and some shallow characterization—the solution is rather anti-climactic.

Still, while I’m not sure I’ll seek out any more Jacqueline Kirby mysteries, this was overall a decent read.

A Perfect Match by Jill McGown The series of books featuring Detective Inspector Lloyd (whose first name is a secret for now) and Detective Sergeant Judy Hill begins with a short yet enjoyable mystery in which a wealthy young widow is found dead in a small English town on property she’d just inherited from her recently deceased husband. Unlike some mysteries of which I am fond, there’s no preamble where readers get to know the victim or the circumstances of their life. Instead, immediately there’s a policeman discovering the body and then Lloyd turns up to question the victim’s next of kin. This same lack of character development hampers the romantic tension between Lloyd and Hill, leaving me with no idea what motivated Hill to finally decide to act on her feelings for him, betraying her marriage vows in the process.

The mystery itself is interesting enough, however, involving long-married Helen and Donald Mitchell who have ties to both the victim, Julia—her late husband was Donald’s older brother and Helen thinks they were having an affair—and chief suspect, Chris, originally a friend of Donald’s who has fallen in love with Helen. I can’t claim to have mustered anything more than a mild curiosity as to what the outcome would be, but neither did I guess the specifics, so that was good. I liked the interrogation scenes, too.

McGown’s writing had some fun moments. I loved the super-evocative imagery of Lloyd telling Hill that her new perm makes her look like Kevin Keegan. I also really appreciated a recurring bit where each chapter ends with the point of view of wildlife. When Chris is eventually brought in by the police, his arrest is depicted from a bird’s perspective, for example. There are also ducks, a moth, a fly, a cat… I don’t know if this device recurs in later books in the series, but I look forward to finding out.

Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight This is the second mystery/thriller I’ve read in which a single mom who is a lawyer with a cold and unfeeling mother of her own attempts to work out the mystery of what happened to a family member (the other being Girl in the Dark by Marion Pauw). Is that some kind of trend these days?

Kate Baron has a demanding job at a swanky firm, but she’s trying her best to be a good mom to her fifteen-year-old bookworm daughter, Amelia. She’s shocked to get a call from Grace Hall, the prestigious private school Amelia attends, saying that her daughter has been accused of cheating, and by the time she makes her way to the school, Amelia has evidently jumped to her death from the school roof. The police are only too happy to classify her death as a suicide, but when Kate gets a text that says “Amelia didn’t jump,” she starts trying to put together the pieces of what happened.

Reconstructing Amelia has quite a few problems. Despite her better judgment (and a promise to her best friend), Amelia joins a clique of bitchy girls at school who end up publicly humiliating her and trying to get her expelled when she falls in love with someone deemed off-limits. It’s hard to muster sympathy for what she ends up going through when one remembers the cruel prank she was willing to pull on someone else as part of the initiation process (largely kept off-camera to keep us from disliking her too much, I guess). We’re repeatedly told about the great relationship Amelia and her mom share, but never shown it. The subplot about Amelia’s dad is the literary equivalent of wilted lettuce. And the fact that the new detective who gets assigned to the case allows Kate to question suspects is absolutely ludicrous.

And yet, I couldn’t hate the book, largely because of Amelia’s friend, Sylvia. For much of the book she comes across as shallow and self-absorbed, but when Amelia really needs her, she’s there. She gives Amelia this tour of “great moments at Grace Hall” to cheer up her impressive pal, right before breaking down about her own legitimate pain. I never would’ve thought at the outset that I would have such immense sympathy for Sylvia, but I do. I find myself hoping that she’ll be okay.

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane It sure is nice going into a book unspoiled, particularly one as twisty as Shutter Island. I was quite happy with the book as it began, with U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule taking the ferry to Shutter Island to track down a patient missing from Ashcliffe Hospital for the Criminally Insane. It’s late summer 1954, and these guys are manly but accessible, and surprisingly funny. Consider this relatiely early exchange that cracked me up:

Pretentious Doctor: *makes remarks on the lives of violence the marshals must lead* Chuck: Wasn’t raised to run, Doc. Pretentious Doctor: Ah, yes. Raised. And who did raise you? Teddy: Bears.

For a while, all seems straightforward. Then Teddy confides to Chuck that he’s actually come there looking for a patient named Andrew Laediss, who was responsible for setting the fire that killed Teddy’s wife two years before. Gradually, one starts to doubt everything (and there was a point where all of the uncertainty got to be a little much for me) but the ultimate conclusion is a very satisfactory one.

Why Did You Lie? by Yrsa Sigurdardottir Set in Iceland, Why Did You Lie? starts out with three different storylines taking place a few days apart. The first involves a photographer on a helicopter journey to take pictures of a lighthouse on a rock in the middle of the ocean, the second is about a policewoman whose journalist husband has recently attempted suicide, and the third is about a family who returns from a house swap with an American couple to find some of their stuff missing and weird footage on the security camera. Of course, as the book progresses, these storylines converge, and it’s pretty neat when the police activity the helicopter flew over in chapter one turns out to be almost the culmination of the policewoman’s plot thread.

For some reason, I can’t help wondering how Ruth Rendell might’ve written this book. I think Rendell would’ve done a lot more with characterization, for one thing. There’s certainly some here, especially for the anxious husband who struggles to make his wife admit something really has gone wrong with their houseguests, but the primary concern seems to be getting on with the suspenseful action. Quickly, each plot features some kind of creepy lurker and then ominous notes (variations on the “why did you lie?” theme) figure in to all three, as well. Nina, the policewoman, digs around and talks to people and works out that everything connects to a supposed suicide from thirty years ago.

The result is certainly an entertaining book, but not one I could really love. One major issue I had is being able to predict something very significant. The number of characters who could’ve been angry enough about the 30-year-old lies in question to terrorize people in the present is very small. And once the existence of a certain person is oh-so-casually mentioned two-thirds through the book, I thought, “Oh, well, it’s them, then.” And then a little later, I figured out which of the characters it must be and I was right. This made for an anticlimactic ending that was clearly meant to be a shocking one. Also, I would’ve liked to have cared more that one character ends the novel poised to move on with life but, in reality, still in jeopardy.

I still would read more by this author, though.

By: Michelle Smith

[dovebuffy92]

https://fandomopolis.com/2021/04/23/the-falcon-and-the-winter-soldier-episode-6-one-world-one-people-review/

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode 6 ” One World, One People” Review

Sam Wilson’s Captain America and Bucky Barnes battle against The Flag-Smashers in one last epic fight for humanity’s future.

Spoiler’s Below

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier Episode Six, ” One World, One People,” directed by Kari Skogland, ends the miniseries with Sam as Captain America educating the World Security Council about considering the needs of the ninety-nine percent instead of just making the easiest choice. A lot of important information is revealed for future MCU films. For example, Mysterious Valentina Allegra de Fontaine crowns John Walker, the new superhero U.S. Agent. “One World, One People” doesn’t disappoint with an action-packed finale that’s worthy of any superhero movie.

Sam pushes the world in the right direction by declaring himself Captain America. What makes Sam Captain America is the fact that he believes that the world can be better, and everybody is worthy of protection. The same kind of spirit that made Steve worthy of the title, not the fact that he was a super-soldier. My favorite part of the whole series is the speech Sam gives in front of the press after defeating The Flag Smashers. The press event is the first time that he represents the symbol of Captain America to me. Captain America is a man who speaks the truth to power but is a defender of the core moral values of the United States. Sam tells the World Security Council members to stop using labels like terrorists or refugees as a distraction from the complicated nature of their decisions. He doesn’t think peacekeeping troops should start relocating people back to their old countries and closing down borders. The U.S. senator tries to argue that the situation is complicated. Sam agrees that the problem is complex, but that is good because everybody is in the same helpless position. Even these council members have been in genuine danger from a far superior force. These governmental officials need to remember the everyday citizens when they vote on massive policies that will affect billions. The U.S. senator brushes Sam aside. Sam pushes back, pointing out that he understands morally complicated issues as a Black man holding the Captain America shield. Even after saving these governmental officials, Captain America knows people are judging him for taking on this moniker because of the color of his skin.

Sam accepts he is a polarizing figure, but he won’t stop protecting society. He turns to Lacont, a council member, telling her that governments need to meet the people halfway. Reminding me of pandemic governmental assistance, Sam points out she can feed millions with one call. Sam warns the U.S. senator that if he doesn’t step up, there will be more “Karlis.” Terrorists will pop up unless the one percent start making laws or policies that benefit the ninety-nine percent. Sam asks how the council will use its power. Captain America’s wake-up call leads to the halting of relocation of blip refugees.

Isaiah Bradley, the first Black Super Soldier, finally receives the recognition he always deserved. Sam visits the Korean War veteran in Baltimore. Isaiah warns him that the fight will not be easy. The battle for a fundamental shift in any society never is easy

. Captain America tells Isaiah that he knows it will be so hard he may not even survive it, but Black men and women built the United States. Sam will never let anybody tell him that he can’t fight for his country, especially after everything Black people have gone through for this moment, including Isaiah. He then takes the veteran and his grandson to the Captain America exhibit in the Smithsonian. Isaiah almost burst into tears when he sees the room that honors him and the rest of the Black soldiers who the government experimented on with super-soldier serum. The exhibit contains a statue of Isaiah in his uniform, a stone tablet that tells his whole story, and archival footage from the Korean War. This way, the entire country will know what Isaiah sacrificed for his nation and his exceptional military service. Isaiah will become a Black hero. He will be honored, and the memory of these events will hopefully stop any more marginalized communities from medical or military exploitation in the future. Sam promises Isaiah nobody will forget his heroism, and the two men embrace.

Sharon Carter as the Power Broker was a big surprise but will impact future MCU content. There have been scenes where Sharon has appeared to be a high-ranking agent of another organization, but I assumed it was for the C.I.A. or the re-vamped S.H.I.E.L.D. It turns out that she is the Power Broker who commissioned the scientist to re-create the super-soldier serum. Sharon delivered the serum to Karli and the rest of her group because they used to be her muscle. The former agent trained Karli. During their final fight in the basement, Karli talks about how she doesn’t want to rule the world anymore. Implying that Sharon plans to gain enough influence to lead the whole world, so she can never be thrown out of her own country again. Sam burst into the fight just when Karli shot Sharon, so he didn’t hear anything about his friend’s shocking real identity. Sharon comes from Peggy Carter’s heroic dynasty. A dynasty centered around protecting the world from aliens and high-tech threats. She was willing to risk her career to help Steve because it was the right thing to do. What happened to this honorable woman? In the credit sequence, Sharon is pardoned and reinstated as a C.I.A. operative. Now a crime boss has access to top-secret information and technology.

The television show is re-named Captain America and the Winter Soldier in the end credits, hopefully meaning there will be future seasons. I can’t wait to see what kind of Captain America Sam Wilson will turn out to be, even if it’s only in the films.  

[mystarmyangel]

[FULL TRANS] YoonA – The Big Issue Korea Issue #227 Interview

SNSD is a representative girl group that rewrote Korea’s music industry structure. As the center of the group that stood at the top for more than 10 years, it is not an easy thing to bear the burden of a celebrity. Carrying the weight of the name ‘SNSD YoonA’, YoonA is also consistently working hard be it acting, hosting or variety shows, even receiving positive comments like ‘I am watching because of trustable YoonA’. When you search YoonA, you will realize there are related terms such as ‘SNSD center’, ‘flower deer’, ‘smile’, lately there is also other related terms popping out such as ‘All-round worker of Hyori’s Homestay 2’, ‘Huge success of movie EXIT’ etc. Even though she looks like she can do anything, and everything looks easy for her, but in actual fact, YoonA will always train herself each time she tried new things so as to be able to do her very best. Looking back, what YoonA’s position is, is already meaningless as YoonA, is just the YoonA that we love.

Q: How do you spend your time after shooting for ‘EXIT’ ended? I took a really good rest. I tried things that I couldn’t try in the past due to work. Recently I have been making bread at home. Isn’t Dalgona Coffee very popular lately, but I did not feel like trying it because it seem like everyone are doing it, so I was thinking if there are anything else I can do, and I went to browse on YouTube and began to make bread. Actually, when I was in junior high, I took up 2 years of biscuit and bread making class for my special module. (Laughs) Because I made bread for 10 to 20 times every year, so the result turns out good just by following the recipe. The food that I made most are cookies, pizza bread, pecan pie and chiffon cakes etc., and I will share them with people around me. Ah, also I recently took a Chinese exam called HSKK and has passed the intermediate level, it is an exam that tests on the speaking ability. Initially I only want to know where my standard is, but fortunately I passed.

Q: You received awards at The Blue Dragon Film Awards, Buil Film Awards, Women in Film Korea Festival etc. with the movie ‘EXIT’ which attracts more than 9.4m moviegoers. Your first leading movie receives huge success. Looking back after a year has passed, what kind of meaning does ‘EXIT’ has for YoonA? Realistically looking, it is indeed a huge success for my first leading movie. I feel really blissful and thankful to receive so much love. It is definitely a project that I will never forget because of how much love I receive right from the start.

Q: Do you still keep in contact with the staffs after ‘EXIT’ ended? Yes, I did. We had a gathering during the end of last year, this year we intended to gather again but because of COVID-19, we have to maintain social distancing, so this gathering has yet to be able to fulfil. Also, everyone are busy with their individual filming so picking a time is not easy. Jo Jung Suk oppa recently also just wrapped up a drama filming, so when the time comes that the COVID-19 situation has become a lot better, we will be able to gather.

Q: In the movie, there are a lot of action scenes that requires body strength, but you did really well. YoonA is well known in SNSD to have excellent dancing skills, but do you workout or do body training often? I wanted to do it more often but has not been able to do. I really hope that I can consistently persist on working out. Currently I am doing Pilates, and also because I have been dancing regularly in the past, so they have become useful when it comes to using my body (for action scenes in the movie)

Q: It seem that occasionally you will do dance covers too right? Every year when I hold birthday party with fans, I will do dance covers as surprise stages for them.

Q: 30 May is coming soon; do you have any plans on how to spend your birthday? I have many work schedules. (Laughs) There is a schedule that I specially add for birthday. May suddenly got busier as my schedules started increasing with the thought of hoping that my fans would like it. (Laughs) Although I couldn’t hold a birthday party this year due to various circumstances, but I think there will be other ways for me and my fans to communicate. As it is the one day in a year that I can officially communicate my fans, I am really looking forward to it. Just like being the cover girl of ‘Big Issue’ is also a way of communicating with fans, so when I thought of what meaningful thing I can do, I came up with this suggestion to you all. It is gift for my fans.

Q: You have spent your 10s and 20s doing all sort of performances and participating in variety shows etc. as a member of SNSD. How do you picture your 13 years as a celebrity? I was really busy. It feels like time passed by really quickly. But when I looked back now, I will realistically realize that I have really received a lot of love. I have also notice that my mentality and values have also changed when I reached 30 years old. This is probably the process of becoming an adult. I began feeling light-hearted too. Recently my friends have been calling me ‘Benjamin’ just like the lead in the movie ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’. My time and that of my friends are completely opposite. (Laughs) My friends are currently all working, and busy living as the new students of the working society. On the contrary, I am busy when I was young, and right now I am beginning to have more free time. The feelings I felt in my youth, my friends are only feeling that now, and all the feelings I have in my daily life now are all a past experience for my friends.

Q: Are you satisfied with your life right now? Although my life right now is really good already, but I feel that my life next year will be even better. I am like this, always thinking that this year is better than last year, so compared to this year, the next year will be even better.

Q: For the edition of Big Issue that you will be gracing the cover, coincidentally there will be a birthday support by your fans that will be published in the same edition. Do you know this beforehand? Really? I didn’t know of it. There are a lot of people around me who knows ‘Big Issue’ so I thought it will be great to be on the cover, this is really great.

Q: Every year, your fans hold a lot of activities to celebrate your birthday, there are events like photo exhibition to feature YoonA over all this time and then donating the proceeds to charities, Chinese fans also built a school under YoonA’s name. I am really grateful to my fans, and I think doing all these are great. Even though I think it will be great too if I personally do it myself but seeing my fans who support me coming together to do good deeds under the ‘name of my fans’ and at the same time I can feel their love for me, I am really thankful. My fans have really beautiful hearts and they are really kind. They are sending out positive energy among them to live with a pretty heart.

Q: You are selected as a celebrity who does a lot of good deeds and who speaks well. Donating, supporting and volunteer works… recently you also donated to the fight against COVID-19. Is there any turning moment that results in your consistency in participating in social contribution works?Once you start doing good deeds, you will realize that many other things will come to your sight. Whenever concerning matters happen, I wanted to express my heart for all the things. As time passes, I will realize activities like this become a lot. I think that it is a little hard to continue in the beginning, but once you start, you will be able to look at things from multiple perspectives, so the next step will not be difficult. I often ponder on what I can do, ways that I can express my heart. Just like what everyone have been saying,  one should give as much as what you receive, it is a good thing, giving is more blissful than receiving. (Laughs)

Q: What new things are you trying these days? These days, the time I spent at home become a lot more, so I will often change the decorations in my house. Recently I am into DIY interior renovation, so I personally painted a side of wall in my house. It is really fun. I also change the layout of my furniture. Because I tried painting one side of the wall, I feel that it is not impossible to paint all of them, but on the other hand I feel that this is enough. I have successfully changed my mood.

Q: Everyone know that your next project is a JTBC drama called ‘Hush’ that is estimated to air in the latter half of the year. Can you tell us something about the role Jisoo that you will be playing in the drama? Jisoo will appear as a reporter in the drama, she has a righteous personality. In this aspect, she has something in common with Eui Joo in ‘EXIT’.

Q: Is YoonA also the righteous type? Well, rather than saying I am the righteous type, I think I am more of the loyal type. When SNSD members have individual activities, I will go down personally to cheer for them during the broadcast of music shows, and I also like to take care of the people around me. Although I did these things because I wanted to, but I often been called loyal because of these things.

Q: Because of ‘Hyori’s Homestay 2’, YoonA as an ordinary person has become well known for her carefree charms. Taking the initiative to get close to the guests, and how you treated people kindly have left a deep impression. I am originally shy by nature, but I changed a lot due to work. When I was young, I disliked it even when someone touched me after telling me ‘I will help to do your hair’, I am quiet and don’t really talk much, although I do get along very well with people I am already close with. So, I often hear things like I am hard to get close to or I look cold. But as I get to meet more people for the first time, and then getting along together, my personality changed a lot too. Although I am able to relax and chat with the guests on ‘Hyori’s Homestay 2’, but after watching the show, I did notice there are still some sense of awkwardness that happen because of moments where I was too shy and did not know what to do, but the others told me that they can’t tell, I feel amazed too.

Q: Your activities lately all receive positive comments. It seem like you are really an all-round celebrity that can do everything well. Even though it’s embarrassing to say it like this, but it really does seem like I have been doing all fields of work from the past to now. Hosting, singing, acting, variety shows I did all of them. I am not the type to always fix a goal and then make my moves, rather, I am the kind that will do my best in things that I can be satisfied with at any moment. I do not want to have regrets thinking that I should do better then when I look back in the future, so I will always want to do my very best. So, it seem like all these gradually come together to come out with many fruitful results. When I was young, I often have regrets towards many matters, and then I came to realize that it is impractical to feel regretful over things that I cannot change, so I will try my best now and my sense of satisfaction also increase.

Q: SNSD is a name that is still very influential. The other members are also active in different fields, what kind of meaning do the members have for you? They are people that I am always comfortable with no matter when. We met when we are in our 10s, we spent our 20s to 30s together, we walked together for the first half of our life. That are things that words can’t describe. There are people around us that are envious just by looking at us.  

Q: There are many hoobaes or fans that like you and pick you as their role model. Can you give some advice and encouragement to the females in their 10s and 20s? First of all, I am really thankful that people think of me like this. Whenever I heard people picking me as their role model, I want to meet him/her. It feels amazing to be thought of as a role model. Because I also had someone as my role model before, so I can understand how it feels. There are many things I wanted to say… because I am a celebrity you might feel that I am someone who is distant and probably think that I am living another kind of life, but I want to say is, actually I am very ordinary, I am also a normal person. I also wish that you guys will not think too deep and too much in all the matters, as you live, everyone will definitely have their own kind of problems, the worst scenario that you had in mind will not happen. But once you keep thinking, you will continue digging and getting stuck in it, so I hope that you all will reduce worrying thoughts like this.

Q: This is a really great advice. Please tell us your thoughts of working with Big Issue today, and on Big Issue’s upcoming 10th anniversary in July.  Congratulations on the 10th year anniversary. I feel that to be able to persist on one thing for 10 years is a great feat. This is also what SNSD heard when we celebrate our 10th year. I think that it is really very cool for one to maintain in one position for 10 years. I felt really happy to be able work together on the same year as Big Issue’s 10th anniversary, I hope that me gracing this edition’s cover can become the most unforgettable edition. (Laughs) I will continue supporting this magazine.  

Cr: Chinese Trans by 黄黄 & 初夏 (Limyoonabar) Eng Trans: mystarmyangel

[skittlewaffle]

Heartstrings

Chapter Two: A Sign

☆*:.｡.⭐️.｡.:*☆

A glint of orange light from the sun hit against my closed eyes. Morning had come, its rays flooding the atmosphere. With a sigh, I pushed myself off the concave wall of glass, looking down to spot the layered cliffs below. Thinking about my plan for today’s expedition, I wearily started to pick myself up. But suddenly, as I looked beyond my dull reflection in the glass, something not too far away caught my attention, sending a shock through me. It was a faint glimmer coming from a mountain slightly shorter than mine. I rubbed my eyes, not believing what they were showing me. I went through the facts in my mind. Firstly, I know that it’s not nighttime; there can’t be any stars out. Secondly, I might not be fully awake. Maybe my dreams were trying to make its way into my perception of reality? But thirdly, this has never happened to me before. Could it be…

“Good morning, Ametrine.”

Her voice startled me into a standing position. “Stratus, what’s going on out there?” I said, pointing to a large platform of pinkish rock. From the middle of that point stood one of those small pedestals. Right above it rested a floating octahedron. But what was normally a dormant white was now a mixture of colors joining into one blinking light.

“I am detecting signals from the Diamonds’ palace. The communicators still appear to be functional and are receiving these signals as well.”

Without another word, I nodded and dashed off to the elevator.

I knew in my head that whatever was going on with the communicators had nothing to do with me. The Lilac Plateaus had no place on any living being’s map; by extension, there was no reason to be contacting anyone who lived here. Whatever they have to say to me will probably mean nothing. But there was still that desire in me to see something more than rocks and flowers. One current event going on somewhere in the universe, many of which I’ve missed out on until this very moment. The chance to see something actively unfolding elsewhere the barren mountains in which I’ve been isolated.

I ran across bridges, climbed some rocks, and jumped between cliffs. Hundreds of years of living here provided me extensive knowledge of this place, like every feature was part of a map built into my brain. Not only that, but I was very skilled in traversing terrain as difficult as this.

It wasn’t too long before I finally made it to the communicator. The message had long since stopped playing, but the light was still blinking. Up this close, I could see the exact colors the device was made of: the colors of every Diamond. With every flash of light, the device made an electronic beep. For the first time in my life, I took the communicator into my own hands. I simply let the light flood me… I don’t know how to work these things.

But with just one light tap, the octahedron became two pyramids, drawing away from each other to pull out a screen. It expanded slowly, letting out short glitches before blurry images on the screen began to take a sharper form. My eyes widened.

“Once upon a time, the Gem Homeworld was ruled by Diamonds: White, Yellow, Blue, and the littlest Diamond, Pink.”

…Was?

“While the other Diamonds conquered many worlds across the galaxy, Pink had only one — the planet Earth. One day, Pink fled the comforts of Homeworld. On Earth, she made a new home, new friends, and finally, new life, giving up her form to bequeath her gem to her half-human son.”

Majorly confusing, but… intriguing.

“Without Pink, gemkind entered an era of despair. But when Steven Universe learned of his heritage, he reunited with his fellow Diamonds and championed a new era of peace and freedom across the furthest reaches of space.”

The view shifted to reveal the face of the very owner of my home colony, White Diamond. I eagerly leaned forward, taking in every single word.

“And now, dear gems everywhere, I’m pleased to announce that Steven is finally ready to take his rightful place on Pink Diamond’s throne!”

I tilted my head as the screen showing White Diamond’s face went down to a strange new gem called Steven.

“How’s it going, everybody? I know you all might be thinking of me as the new Pink Diamond, but you don't have to put me on a throne.”

...?

“I already have a rightful place, and it's on Earth. It's a beach house where I live with my friends, Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl. As much as I loved dismantling the empire and saving all your planets, I can't wait to get home and spend some quality time with my friends.”

She- I mean.. he... had a friendly sparkle in his eyes as the broadcast ended, shortly after a few murmurs were exchanged by a couple other gems in the background. I was honestly so full of questions. This is a feeling I haven’t had in a while.. curiosity. The kind that really makes you think. Somehow, this one short message was enough to power on my imagination again. How long ago was this? What all happened during this supposed previous era? Who exactly were Pink’s friends? ...Where was Pink?

The communicator immediately shut itself closed. I looked up at the morning sky and pondered these unanswered questions in my head. When stumped, I replayed the message from Steven and the Diamonds, trying to pick up missed clues.

All the buzzing thoughts were hard to keep track of. From out of my glowing gem I pulled out a device visually similar to the communicator. This is a projector, a tool invented exclusively for Ametrines to take notes on and write their thoughts. I compiled my questions and possible answers on organized slides. I kept the communicator and brought it back to my Cloud, knowing I’d have a lot of thinking to do.

☆*:.｡.⭐️.｡.:*☆

This new occurrence actually brought me and Stratus something worthy of discussion. I exchanged my own theories to her about the history of the eras I have missed. She replied with approval of my creativity, as well as with a bit of knowledge about the roles of higher ranked gem authorities. For the rest of the day, instead of exploring again, I remained on my own mountain, pondering the message from this Steven.

On my own, after writing down everything I thought about the message as it applied to history, I began to wonder how this applied to me.

The main point of the message I picked up was that, for some reason, Pink was no longer part of the Diamond Authority; and the empire was dismantled, rendering the conquered worlds independent. This was the doing of Steven, after he took her place.

I don’t know Steven. I don’t even know the Diamonds. I don’t know a society or friends. If I’m being real, I hardly know myself.

But if there’s something I do know, it’s that none of these people had any effect on me. I was never obligated to answer to anyone, or even to follow the Diamonds’ established laws. As a result of Steven’s newfound authority, the colonies were set free; but this one never mattered. I had always been free to do as I pleased in the plateaus.

So… The new event was fun while it lasted. It brought about exciting development, even if only for a moment.

But I think I’m happy where I am now.

☆*:.｡.⭐️.｡.:*☆

(A/N: Surprise, fools >:D New chapter is out!! uwu I need advice tho.. at some point should I switch to third person omniscient? If possible, please reply / reblog and lemme know ur opinion! Feedback on the fic overall is also welcome~ I hope u enjoy 💖 Have another Ametrine you’ve already seen cuz I still don’t have a cover-)

[thepropertylovers]

Feature Friday with Christopher Wiacek

Happy Friday! How are you feeling this week? It doesn’t really feel like a Friday to us, since we’re home everyday and the kiddos are out of school, but we’re doing our best to celebrate it anyway with music and biscuits to start the weekend off right. Hope you’re doing the best you can, friend, and enjoy Christopher’s Feature Friday, where shares his perspective on life, loss, and realizing where he truly belongs. Check out what we mean below…

On his love for the Brits: I think my favorite place that I’ve ever traveled to would have to be London, England. I’ve been there twice, once in 2010 and the other in 2016. I’m a massive Harry Potter fan, so a lot of the second trip was based around seeing Cursed Child on the West End (which my friend and I bought tickets to before even buying flights/a place to stay). I’ve always found British things to be weirdly exotic to me, and the history behind much of the culture is what draws me to it. 

On growing up and a sense of longing: I grew up in the suburbs of Syracuse, NY.  Overall, Syracuse is actually relatively conservative, with the exception of the communities that I grew up with. I was a part of the theater community growing up, so most of the people I interacted with from a young age were pretty liberal overall, which translates to my views today. Most of my family and friends have all been super nurturing and supportive, with the exception of a few here and there. 

I went to a pretty large high school (there were over 3,000 kids overall and 900+ seniors in my graduating class!). It’s true what they say though- in this period of my life, high school seems like a million lifetimes in the past. I was a part of the chorus/theater crowd in high school. I had a few good friends, but ultimately never really felt like I was meant to stay in Syracuse for the rest of my life. I had that feeling from a young age, and I’ve always had my eyes on the big city. I fell in love with acting and the arts, and after graduating high school, I went to SUNY Fredonia, which I currently hold a Bachelor's in Fine Art in Acting. Once I graduated, I worked my way up the corporate latter at Wegmans (an amazing supermarket chain in the Northeast), and eventually got burned out by retail. Throughout all of this, I was auditioning, doing shows and trying to live out my best creative life while also paying those adult bills that seem to build up. 

On the importance of community: I think that growing up in Syracuse was very much a melting pot of many different environments for me. I was always extremely curious about everything during my childhood and had an intense imagination. That still is true today, although my imagination/curious nature has been a bit affected by reality. I also grew up doing competitive gymnastics, so I learned discipline at a young age from that. That was four nights a week during the year and on top of regular school. To round it out, I was raised Catholic, though I don’t really identify as a Catholic anymore. I think the importance of community was imbedded in me while growing up in multiple different ways. I always felt like I needed to be a part of something bigger than I was. Growing up with doing gymnastics, theater,  and other activities that kept me active really shaped me on who I am today. 

On one interesting fact: I am ambidextrous and use both my hands equally for daily tasks. My dad is the same way! Sometimes it can get a little annoying because I oftentimes have to stop and think for a split second which hand to use that will have a better result of what I am doing. It’s fun though because my mind works in weird ways where I’m not necessarily bound by one certain way of doing something. 

On what he loves about himself: My persistence. Over the past eight months, I’ve learned to love this part of myself even more than I ever have before. I think I inherit this from my parents, because of my ability to pick myself up off the ground and keep moving forward no matter what has been a driving force for me. I’ve had this drive for practically my whole life, in college getting papers/projects finished, in life, getting DIY projects completed, etc. Overall, the will to keep moving forward no matter what is one thing I really do love about myself. 

“I’ve learned though, that the people who truly love and care about you will stick by your side no matter who you love or who you’re attracted to. At the end of the day, all they care about is your happiness, and that’s how it should be.”

On what brings him joy: This answer has changed so much over the past few years. At first, it was acting/performing (which still brings me a lot of joy when I get to do it), then it was doing DIY projects (I love redoing furniture, building things and HGTV is my JAM).  But as I get older, the one thing that honestly brings me the most joy is my family. I absolutely love my parents and my siblings. We aren’t together as a whole too often, because we all live in different parts of the country currently, but when we are together, it's amazing. 

On coming out: This answer is a bit scary and muddled because I was out to my friends long before I told anyone else. I came out to my family though when I was 26, so not too long ago. I still lived at home at the time and was trying to save up to eventually get my own place. I told my sister first because from what I can even remember about this night, I was at my exes Formal event for his fraternity. I had messaged her and told her over a text,  and she was immediately non-judgmental. To bring it back, I had started seeing my now ex about 4 months earlier and started to feel the pressure to come out because I was getting tired of lying, sneaking and overall just not being truthful to people. I’m sure we all go through this at some point, but I was reaching a breaking point. My story is a bit of a cop-out, to be honest in my opinion. The story goes that I was driving the 45 min to Cornell’s campus to see the guy I had been dating. It was pretty late at night, probably around 11:30 pm, and I got pulled over for speeding. In short, I got a ticket in a small town that no one apart from the people I was going to see knew where I was. I started to get nervous because I was still on my parents' car insurance at the time. They would know eventually that I got a ticket because the bill would increase and they’d be notified etc etc. I decided to use the ticket as my way to do it, and beat them to the punch. I came home the next day and both my parents were in the kitchen. I basically told them that I had gotten a ticket, and they asked why I was in Dryden (the small town) at 11:30 pm on a weeknight. I told them I was seeing someone who went to Cornell, and when they asked who, I told them his name. The initial response was not what I expected…I think the stereotype is that your mom will take it better than your dad, but this is not the case with me. My mom didn’t take it so well, and my dad told me I could date whoever I wanted.  I was a bit surprised, but overall a huge weight was lifted off my shoulders. 

On feeling more comfortable over time: My friends had all practically known for a while and were all pretty supportive when I told them. I was also in a relationship at the time too, so I at least had my now ex to turn to and didn’t really care what people thought anymore. My older brother and my younger sister were both actually really cool about it. My parents overall were okay with it in time, but at first, they didn’t really understand. It has taken a while for them to be comfortable with the fact, but I think just talking to them is what helped.  I also came out to one of my good friends in a text message, and his reply was one of the nicest and funniest things. I screen-shotted the message and still have it in my favorited photos on my phone. I don’t think I necessarily faced any harsh backlash, other than just feeling a little uncomfortable talking about all of that stuff with my parents.  On a daily basis, we basically have to come out every time we meet someone new. Luckily for me now, I live in the most liberal/accepting city ever (NYC!), so practically everyone is gay haha. I’m a lot more comfortable with everything now, and it honestly just took some time. 

On learning not to care what others think: I think during that whole process (which is still sort of an ongoing process for me), I’ve learned that other people's opinions just don’t matter at the end of the day. I’ve stopped caring so much about my appearance and how I was acting to “appease the people”, or adhere to the “straight norms” of society. I also have never been single and out until the last 8 months, so it’s been a bit lonely, scary and unnerving at times. I’ve learned though, that the people who truly love and care about you will stick by your side no matter who you love or who you’re attracted to. At the end of the day, all they care about is your happiness, and that’s how it should be. 

On his advice to LGBTQ+ youth: I would tell today’s LGBTQ youth that everything you hear about “it gets better” can be true. Understanding your own identity or feelings can be hard enough without all the fear and anxiety that comes with thinking that you won’t be accepted by the people you care most about. I totally get that, because I lived in that world so so long. It’s one of the reasons why I didn’t come out for so long.  It’s also important to realize that you’re not alone. It may feel that way, but there are amazing resources, organizations, and materials that positively represent the LGBTQ community that you can use to educate the people who care the most about you. If someone truly cares about you and your happiness, they shouldn’t care who you love at the end of the day. Love is love. It’s more important now that ever in our society to be really aware of all of the homophobia, transphobia, and prejudices that are out there, and fight for what you believe in. It may be super scary to come out, but once you do, there’s a magical world that will embrace you. You’ll have a glow-up and the weight of everything will finally start to ease.  

On taking it “one day at a time”: I think that this past summer, the trifecta of obstacles hit me at the same time. I lost my boyfriend, my home and my job, all in a matter of five days. Mind you, this was also in the midst of NYC World Pride. To go onto more detail, I had to find a new place to live because my roommate was not re-signing the lease and nor was I on the last apartment that we shared. It wasn’t a great living situation, and it became official at this time when the lease renewal papers arrived. On top of this, I was dumped by my now ex of almost three years, seemingly out of the blue, or at least it seemed that way to me. It was a massive upheaval in my life, seeing as though I was dumped right before World Pride, and all of our plans sort of blew up. The relationship was very codependent on both sides, so figuring out what I was to do next really threw me for a loop. I had to start my life over from rock bottom and navigate the world with practically an emotional hole blown through me. I was much closer to his family than he was to mine, mainly because of the distance. After trying to cope with this breakup that following weekend and taking a trip home to Syracuse to spend time with family/friends, I came back to NYC on Monday only to work a full day and then get laid off at 4:00 pm. I think at this point, I sort of shut down internally and the old Chris was so beaten down by everything that he was “past a point of no return” and sort of died inside. 

I had lost all of the main pillars of my life, and everything completely had fallen apart in such a short time period. To basically lose the group of people that I considered something like a second family was devastating. Once this happened, I decided to go home to my actual family in Syracuse for a few weeks to take a break from the city and recuperate. In this time, I mainly focused on my body and working out/trying to take care of myself and not fall even deeper into the abyss of it all. While away in Syracuse, I was officially broken up with via text message from the relationship. I had found also out my ex was on Grindr basically a day after dumping me (and from what I’ve found out since he had been on it multiple times during the course of our monogamous relationship too…).  

During this period, I basically started to have a mental breakdown, because I had no idea what to do next. On top of dealing with the normal everyday stresses of living in NYC, I was now having to deal with a really painful breakup, needing to find a place to live AND finding a new job. There were a lot of stressors nagging at me, mainly my source of income. To even find a new place, I had to first find a job that would make me financially stable and form some sort of budget. There were so many pieces of the puzzle that needed to be filled in, that it was honestly mind-boggling.  

It’s been about 8 months now since all of this happened, and it’s been a long and hard road. I had my “Britney” moment and shaved my head because I was sick of dealing with my hair (this actually turned out kind of cool and created a whole new look for myself). I went platinum around Thanksgiving and have kept it this way since. I also had applied to over 75 jobs over the course of the summer and went on countless interviews and phone interviews. I was super aggressive in job hunting and had finally procured a great job at a tech firm in the Financial District towards the end of September. As for the apartment woes, I couch crashed on some close college friends' couches for a few weeks. After that, I found a temporary cheap room in a tiny Brooklyn apartment that had no door, no closet (A challenge, I know, but I made it work!), and roommates I did not know. Money was tight, but I had to do what I had to do to survive in order to stay in the city. I now am living with two great friends in upper Manhattan in a really cute apartment that has a door AND a closet). So, life is looking up! 

For the relationship side of things… It’s been a long road of healing. I must have read every single self-help book in Barnes and Noble, in addition to seeking out the advice of friends and family to talk about it. I even wrote a letter to my ex’s mom. Being that I was pretty close with his family throughout the relationship, I thought it was a respectful thing to do to send a “thank you” letter for all of the things that they did for me while I was dating her son. To be completely honest, I thought I would have heard back with some sort of response or well wishes for the future. Instead, it’s been a cold turkey moment, and I never heard back… nor have I heard from anyone in that whole community that I spent the better part of three years with. I guess it goes to show you that the people who really care about you will reach out, and the ones that don’t care…. won't. Ultimately, I’ve never been out and single at the same time, so it’s been quite the turbulent journey that I’ve had to overcome. I’m still healing, but I’ve pretty much adhered to the “one day at a time” method. 

On his biggest inspiration: My biggest inspiration would have to be my parents. Both of them have persevered over the years in multiple different ways, and have always provided for my siblings and I. They have both faced extreme challenges, but have really set a great example for us growing up. I hope I get to be the type of parents they are to me to my future children. 

On looking ahead: I think in five years, I hope to still have a stable job, a beautiful home and a relationship that fosters into a family of my own. I think I mainly hope to just be happy, regardless of the financial situation I am in. 

On what really matters: Life comes at you fast, and you have to be ready to meet it with perseverance and grace. Otherwise, if you don’t, you can get easily eaten up along the way and lose yourself to the madness of it all.  Stay true to who you are, and trust in the universe that everything always happens for a reason. 

[just-the-mage]

Guilty or Innocent-Evangeline Cross

Has your muse ever...

Asked someone to marry you?

“I’d love to.  But unfortunately, marriage in Eorzea is between two parties.  My partners plan to be wed fairly soon, which I admit makes me feel a bit left out, but I have learned to bear the brunt of my own emotional reaction to that situation.  I admit that I wish the three of us could be together in a more...legal sense, but I cede to the customs of this land.”

Kissed one of your friends?

"I have! Well...she kissed me.  And then I kissed her back.  It worked out rather well, all things considered.  I never expected us to be anything more than friends, at first.  But now I can’t really imagine life without her.  Solenna was a bit of a light in the darkness for me through our time in Ishgarde, when I believed all of the Scions lost.  I suppose Andy kissed me first as well...I seem to have a habit of being kissed by my friends.”  

Danced on a table in a bar / tavern?

“The fact that you even insinuated that I would consider this is testament to the fact that you don’t know me.  Something so uncouth would be much more suited to Andy.”

Ever told a lie?

“White lies, here and there.  Nothing...major.  One time when Andy was half asleep, Solenna and I managed to convince him everything in the house was upside down; does that count?”

Had feelings for someone you can’t have?

“There was one...a girl in Gridania.  She...didn’t want me.  Not in the way I wanted her.  I was young. And grossly misinterpreted signals that were made by someone that I considered to be a very close friend that I was very much interested in.     

Ever kissed someone of the same sex?

"Definitely.  A lot.  In fact, aside from Solenna, there’s a certain Mi’qote I have my eyes on right now...”

Kissed a picture?

“Who would even do something like that?  Crude.”

Slept until 5pm?

“Absolutely not.  I couldn’t bring myself to waste that much of a day.  I’m generally up by around 6AM.  7 on the weekends.  If you want a treatise on sleeping late, ask Andy.  Someday I’ll get his lazy ass out of bed before noon, so he can clean the damn house.”

Worked at a fast food chain / restaurant?

"I am ashamed to admit that I can’t cook particularly well.  And I have been instructed by people that are more familiar with the customs of this land than I am that I can’t call a food service position ‘low class’ any longer.  Needless to say, the work does not suit me.”

Stolen something?

"No.  I have never needed to.  It’s not particularly a question of a strong moral compass, I have just been lucky enough to have supportive parents who raised me in an environment where I did not go hungry.”

Been fired from a job?

“I’m rather competent, so....no.  Also, it’s hard to get ‘fired’ from being an adventurer.”

Done something you regret?

“There are many things I regret.  But something that I’ve done specifically?  I will probably always regret letting Fordola live.  I don’t care that she has the echo.  I don’t care that she saved a few people from Lakshmi.  She belongs six feet under and nobody can convince me otherwise.  The only reason she is still alive is because Solenna is more merciful than I am and Andy held me back from crushing her with my bare hands.  Mark my words-she will become a thorn in our side again.  She will not find redemption, she will find the tip of my sword.  Zenos will go with her.” 

Laughed until something you were drinking came out of your nose?

“Not so hard that drink came out of my nose, but only because I wasn’t drinking at the time.  I won’t go into the details, but Andy chugged a whole bottle of wine about a year ago.  He promptly threw it all up.  Me and Solenna were in tears.”

Caught a snowflake on your tongue?

“I think it’s cute when Solenna does it.  But I haven’t indulged myself in that particular experience myself.” 

Sat on a roof top?

“I prefer to stay inside.  I enjoy the warmth of a nice hearth over the ability to brood in high up places like a certain couple of dragoons I know.”

Kissed someone you shouldn’t have?

“I spent much of my life prior to becoming an adventurer as an apprentice to my mother, who works as a blacksmith.  During that time, I went to school in Gridania, and found a great many friends among the people of Gridania, one of whom was a close friend of mine-a hyur woman named Rina.  I found her beautiful, and felt a real connection between the two of us.  As it happens, that connection was friendship, something that I had not really experienced as of yet.  I lost a good friend when I tried to kiss her.“  

Sang in the shower?

“Every once in a while.  Solenna always yells at me when I do though.”

Been pushed into a body of water with all your clothes on?

“I would like to cite our battle with Leviathan for this one.  I never thought something could make me hate the ocean, but Leviathan managed it.  I’m still recovering from that fight.”  

Shaved your head?

“All of my hair will remain on my head indefinitely.”

Made a boyfriend / girlfriend cry?

“Andy is much too prideful to cry in front of me.  In fact he may be much too prideful to cry at all.  I think it would be healthy for him to cry every once in a while-he needs to stop bottling up his emotions.  I have made Solenna cry.  During the events that transpired on the first, I brought myself to the brink of death by consuming the lion’s share of the light exuded by the lightwardens we fought to purge the light from the first.  I accomplished two things doing that-the thing I wanted most, which was to keep Solenna and Andy safe.  And the thing I wanted least, scaring them.  Solenna did cry.  And she hit me.  It was the first time she ever had.  And it broke my heart.  I’ll never hide something from them again.” 

Shot a gun?

“If you knew how hopeless I was aiming a bow, you would be pleased to know that I have never laid hands on a gun.  I am loath to admit it, but I seem to lack the particular type of manual dexterity required to handle a firearm.” 

Still loved someone you shouldn’t?

“No...not anymore, I don’t think.”

Have / had a tattoo?

“I have considered it, but no.  I think eventually Andy will convince me to get one, however.”

Liked someone, but will never tell who?

“Yes.  But I won’t tell who.”

Been too honest?

“I rather like my little white lies.”

Ruined a surprise?

“I haven’t ever been surprised so...no? Yes?  I don’t know for sure.”

Been told that you’re beautiful by someone who totally meant what they said?

“I would hope they meant it.  Andy and Solenna have both told me as much but with very different meanings behind them.  It’s rather funny how different the two of them are.  Solenna is so sweet, kind...she told me the first time we were really ‘together’ and many times sense.  She says it out of love.  Andy says it out of lust.  He loves me too, I think, but in a different way, maybe.”  

Thought about murder?

“Yes, on occasion the darker side of myself makes it out.  ‘Murder’ has such a negative connotation to it...I would think of my actions as ‘editing the general populace.’  Sometimes people are bad.  Sometimes because of that, they need to be cleaned up, as it were.”

How about mass murder?

“Absolutely.  Garlemald comes to mind.  I have dealt with a great many of their soldiers on the battlefield, and I am likely to deal with many more.  I suppose you could consider that mass murder.  But for now I will consider it the systematic extermination of a blight on society.”

Cheated on someone?

“My relationship with Andy and Solenna is open, so no.  Generally if Solenna is with someone else, I would rather like to meet and get to know them, but Andy is a bit more of a free spirit.  For the time being I am satisfied with just the two of them, so I feel no need to explore outside of our relationship.”

Gotten so angry that you cried?

“The first time Zenos beat me brought me to tears.  I don’t think I’ve ever been that angry before in my life.  I can’t wait to fight him again, though.  I relish the thought of crushing his skull with my bare hands.”

Tried to stay away from someone for their own good?

“Yes, on several occasions.  I have tried to distance myself from my friends, my parents, and more for the sake of their safety at times.  But every time they have come to show me that I may need them more than they need me.  Staying away from the ones you love is not productive and will only serve to cause the both of you pain.”

Thoughts about suicide?

“I would rather not say.”

Had a girlfriend / boyfriend?

“I have one of each, thank you for asking.”

Gotten totally drunk during a holiday?

“I am not much one for drinking heavily, but yes.  I will not elaborate as there were things that were said and done that should not be mentioned in polite company.”