#the obsession... the single mindedness... the TRUST

[cloudprincesslady]

might fuck around and reread cinderwings

[imbecominggayer]

How To Write Character Flaws

One of the most important aspects when writing a character are flaws since flaws increase reader immersion, reader investment, and the overall compelling energy of a story.

Flaws are necessary in creating character arcs where either these initial problems are improved or exacerbated.

Despite the fact that flaws are important, writers can struggle with how to seemlessly incorperate flaws within their characters in an interesting and natural way without just feeling like they're throwing bad traits in randomly.

Here we go!

A) All Character Traits Are Both Flaws And Strengths

Flaws are often dark reflections of the positive qualities identified in an individual.

If your lover is a strong and determined person then you are also likely dating someone who is stubborn.

If your friend is emotional and caring then they're also overly sensitive.

This is due to the fact that flaws are really just character strengths taken to their logical extreme. As the saying goes "the dose makes the poison". An excessive amount of carelessness, curiousity, love, emotion, confidence, and every single virtue inevitably results in personality defects.

You most likely have your character's strengths somewhat laid out whether these strengths be open-mindedness, kindness, determined, and anything else.

Taking these strengths to their logical extreme, you will often find flaws such as naivety, savior complex, stubborness, and other such flaws.

B) Whether Something Is A Strength Or A Flaw Depends On Context

Character A is trusting and Character B is distrusting.

Let's put them in the situation of meeting someone in order to illustrate how both character's defining traits could be their downfall depending on who this character is.

If this "someone" is a helpful individual, then Character B's flaw of distrust create unnecessary discorse within the group and could drive away this positive influence.

If this "someone" is a manipulative someone, then Character A's trusting nature harms the group as it allows someone harmful to enter.

Whether or not a character's actions are perceived as beneficial or harmful depends on if the result is good or bad for the character's goal.

This means that when you are presented with a character who seemingly has no flaws, what you can do is create situations where these good actions result in bad results.

An open-minded character might accidentally walk face first into a cult because they were too accepting of the weird activities

A kind character might cause their allies to become overly dependent on the individual's generosity

A determined character might be so obsessed with succeeding at this specific task that they fail to see the bigger picture and the more effective solution

[mywingsareonwheels]

Yet more thoughts about Thursday in “Endeavour” 9.3

Here be spoilers

I don’t - I really don’t want - to excuse Thursday’s worst behaviour in the final episode. Not, ultimately, do I think he would want any of us to.

But I do just want to talk a bit about the mitigating circumstances, because there are lots. He’s always been a glorious mixture of selflessness, stubbornness, compassion, anger, single-mindedness, generosity, open-mindedness, unreasonableness, vulnerability. And the times that have brought the most extreme side of him out are when a) he thinks that he’s going to die soon so has nothing let to lose, b) when child abuse has happened, c) above all, when one of the four people he loves most (his immediate family + Morse) are in danger.

In 9.3, we see Fred:-

- having a severe dizzy spell which clearly indicates potential serious heart problems; he shrugs it off to Morse but there’s no way he doesn’t recognise that he’s ill. He doesn’t look well, either, throughout the episode.

- having his life threatened.

- recognising that his sergeant for two years had been abused as a child and he’d had no idea.

- being forced to stop the investigation into Blenheim Vale and let down Jakes and the others because...

- his life, Joan’s life, and Morse’s life have all been directly threatened by Lott (who has outright attempted to kill his brother) and this time he can’t find any way to save them without giving in and getting Morse to give in, and in any case he’s so tired.

- discovering that his brother has profoundly betrayed him, and that the act of foolish generosity and trust that nearly cost him his marriage and certainly did cost him retirement when he mentally and physically needed it was a trap all along (NB: I suspect this might have temporarily damaged his ability to trust anyone, at all, including Morse).

- realising that Sam has become an addict and a dealer and is far gone enough to have been stealing from him and Win (and to punch him, though that comes later); realising too that the young man is in serious danger as a result.

All within a very, very short space of time. And when he’s already exhausted, ill, burned out, absolutely past ready to retire and rest.

And then he sees a stranger, a gang member, trying to kill his son. And he is not to know - not in the least - that the stranger was a past victim of child abuse whose friendship once gave comfort to the young Peter Jakes.

I just... Thursday’s not perfect, and he’s never been perfect, and we see some of the worst of him here. Morse’s heartbreak over the murder is profound and desperately sad and completely relatable.

But it’s not an unforced error. I think Morse is more than halfway to forgiving him before they part, and I find that relatable too. Not least because Thursday’s reaction to being given the money back is that shocked sob. He’d utterly lost his faith in people, and here is Morse doing everything to restore it. I can keep going on about the symbolism of him giving up his service revolver to the truest friend (the true brother now, perhaps, rather than the true eldest son?) he’s ever had. He knows what he’s losing in Morse. He knows the sheer epic quantity of grace Morse is extending him. And I think he sees, in that moment, that he can use that grace to become closer to the man Morse wants him to be, even with them parted for good.

I think we’ve all had the moment (several, most likely) of being under extreme stress and obsessing about helping one person we love, at the cost of our own integrity, and the cost of pain to other loved ones. And then that moment when you realise what you’ve done.

I hate that Thursday commits a murder. I hate that he tries to justify himself. But holy crap, is it hard to entirely blame him for that murder, or that self-justification, at that time.

He’s not perfect, but he’s also not remotely a villain. He’s a mostly decent, mostly warm and compassionate, flawed, big-hearted, highly traumatised man who needs a fricking break and instead gets... all that. His love for Morse is real, and the times (oh Gods, the so many times) he’s saved Morse aren’t taken away by the events of one episode, even if those events end their active relationship. Endeavour has always been a show I think that encourages us to crack our hearts open that bit wider. To have compassion for a murderous gang member because we know something of what he went through as a kid, and what his friendship meant to another character we love. To have a compassion for the gang member’s murderer because we know exactly what kind of man he is, and what kind of horrors he was going through.

Gah, this show. Never runs out of layers.

Also I say again: someone give Roger Allam an award for his performance as Fred, it’s truly, truly extraordinary.

[madraleen]

The Promised Neverland - Kaiu Shirai/Posuka Demizu Vol. 16-20: A “YOU STUCK THE LANDING!” Commentary + Overall Thoughts

-the seven walls are time and space? very interesting.

-smol emma jumping out of the cupboard and screaming RAAAYYY is the epitome of emma.

-jeez, hayato is adorable

-wth, ayshe's and demon's story is heartbreaking

-one thing i have to commend the manga for is structure. it stops the action and moves away to keep the tension- but just so. just for long enough. not too long so that it becomes frustrating or that you've forgotten what's happening.

-julius' comrades as first food offers?! JEEZ!

-hayato is a snitch.

-Iss should ask for emma's family, right? the most important thing to her? i call the being "Iss," yes. i don't know what to do with the lettering

-okay, clearly the reward is an emma sacrifice, but i don't believe for a second that emma will get an unhappy ending so how are we solving this

-oi! OI! NORMAN IS COUGHING UP BLOOD, OI, STOP THAT! i figured he might have been experimented on too, but oi~

-omg ray's so happy to see sonju and mujika

-low-key cathartic that emma calls norman a liar that she can't trust. yes, girl, say it. it's the same thing, always the same story, it goes beyond this manga. the positive traits when someone is your ally become negative traits when they become the opposition, even though the person themselves hasn't changed at all.

-norman's "i'm scared" inner thoughts are heartbreaking

-the part where norman asks ray and emma to help him, heartbreaking

-norman: gives the most honest and vulnerable "i want" speech of his life. ray: got it. the brevity, the simplicity, i love it.

-with all those lil lines on his face, i'm just imagining norman permanently beet red at this point. and i love the idea that extreme determination and single-mindedness can actually be a cry for help. i haven't seen it put so bluntly before, and it's very true.

-now that norman's opened up, he looks like emma and ray's age. it's cool

-OI BITCH LEAVE ZAZIE ALONE!

-SONJU IS THE QUEEN'S BROTHER?!?! PRINCE SONJU?!

-why did they give norman a bow, that boy can't shoot to save his life

-REDEEM YOURSELF, ISABELLA! NOW IS YOUR TIME TO SHINE

-yes, oliver, slay! we love to see it

-damn there's such good moments in these final volumes, i'm starting to worry about s2 of the anime. is any of that there?

-YES ISABELLA YES! YES! she looks so chipper when she explains she'll betray the farm, lol.

-i know i'm obsessed with aot, but at times i legit think the promised neverland is the deliberate antithesis of aot. and i have no problem with that.

-leuvis is also a sibling? did we know that? if so, i forgot.

-ray's scarf is blue?! i imagined it maroon

-ugh, they shot minerva in the back. somehow that feels worse

-SMEE?! SMEE?! SMEE KILLED MINERVA?! NORMAN'S SMEE?! (*in retrospect, norman’s smee is never explored, oof. an oversight)

-ray and norman are having a sweet moment in the panel where everyone's celebrating the end of the farms, it's adorable

-aah okay, not gonna lie, i teared up at emma and phil's reunion

-ray's expression when he says sorry and thanks to phil, they nail it.

-oooh you're killing off isabella? i didn't expect it, but it makes sense.

-yeah, of course they love isabella and isabella loves them. it's not as black and white as ally and enemy.

-don be like, "RAY GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE, MOM IS CALLING"

-ray continues to be my favorite and most nuanced character, followed by norman. but ray is number one by far. by far far far

-I CALLED IT, THE REWARD MUST BE EMMA'S FAMILY! i don't know what that means yet, BUT I CALLED IT because the story abides by its logic, love that for it

-lmao imagine how terrified all these children/adults who knew nothing must be, just whooshing out of existence into another world

-AHAHA EMMA'S NOT HERE! NICE! what did she do and how do we save her

-yes, that's a good reward. true to the story. i mean, bad for everyone, but narratively good. amnesiac emma

-emma feeling the void in the space inside of her where her family was, very well-expressed

-ah. final chapter. please stick the landing.

-TWO YEARS! IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS!

-GHOSTIES SAVING THE DAY AAAHHHH

-ASDJHKSFJK THEY FOUND HER, WHAT A GREAT PANEL, RAY AND NORMAN AND EVERYONE. she must be terrified. they're all strangers.

-my boy ray shines, i love it

-aww norman "thank goodness," what a soft boy. also he's crying, have we ever seen him cry before? he didn't cry for isabella

-the lambda group thriving :'))) they have effective medicine for their side effects :')))

-dang it, norman's speech is giving me the feels

-"why does it feel warm but also painful in my heart?" is literally a summary of the final chapter.

-ah, bb ray is crying now too

-THEY'RE GONNA LIVE TOGETHERRRR, SCREW DESTINY

-mujika looks happy, and sonju looks sonjuish :)

-not sure if the old man knows it, but he's just been adopted by fifty thousand children

-okay, i am so happy. this is a perfect ending. this is just. it's so good. it tooketh and it gaveth and now the mini torettos can all live together. i'm so happy with the ending.

~ ~~ ~~~

-i'm so happy in general that i read the manga. we started off neutrally, then things got rough and i genuinely thought if it might be better to quit, but from around the midpoint and onward it just got better and better. the story is exactly what it promises to be, very true to itself, and it pays off in every aspect.

-ray is my GOAT in this manga. norman is as nuanced as ray, i just vibe with ray the most. but i consider them both good characters. emma, on the other hand, is a very straightforward character, very static, but she works. she is the pillar of the story and she's exactly what she's meant to be. i like that she pushes everyone towards kindness, and when *they* can't be kind, she takes care of the issue herself from a place of kindness so that they won't have to fight from a place of unkindness. it's an interesting approach. and then, i have a soft spot for oliver and hayato for some reason.

-one thing that made me roll my eyes was that in such a huge cast, everything is so unanimous. the norman and vincent incident aside, there's no fights, no real resistance, no dissent. but it's not the kind of story where there would be, where there would be a point to be, so i don't feel like holding that against it. and it tried to give it that aspect too, with emma going against her fam to find Iss and all that.

-everything abides by the logic and tone of the story. and the ending just elevates the whole thing even higher, because it stuck the landing so well imo.

-now on to the anime, to finally hear their voices. i fear for the dreaded s2, and dare i say, i am also a little intrigued.

[rueitae]

Season 2, Episode 8: the Stockholm Syndrome Caper

Liveblog for @csweekly

I’m so normal about this episode.

WE MADE IT TO THE ANGST. My serotonin is on full blast right now. I apologize right off the bat I might be so taken with this episode that I may not pull together all of my thoughts. This is the episode that made me go from “oh this is a fun iteration of CS!” To me sitting up wide eyed and going “the French Connection Caper was not a one off you have my full undivided attention CS 2019”

Since we are on my favorite episode, I want to stop at the title sequence for a moment and point out one of my favorite things I forgot to mention in week 1. It’s so neat that on the title card with the silhouette of Carmen with her voice actor credit, that she literally tips her hat to Player when they show his credits. Bestie moment, and homage to all of the players that came before this one.

Maelstrom is Done 24/7. He just wants to be evil and they have to make such mundane decisions such as MOVING and blowing up their current home 😕 I love how fierce Brunt and Cleo are about staying they are the definition of stubborn in the looks on their faces. Bellum doesn’t care she’s got a state of the art facility in the Himalayas.

Okay but Bellum is right about relocation being invigorating. After a change of scenery I’m always reinvigorated to write fic.

“Only a matter of time before invading forces come rowing to our shore” knowing what Devineaux is about to do makes this so funny.

Look at Julia being assertive at the beginning here! The Fashionista caper really gave her the confidence she needed after what happened at the end of s1. It…stings knowing how quickly it’s about to go down the drain.

Love that Chief’s obsession with catching VILE is her early downfall. Her single mindedness prevents her from patience and seeing the whole picture as Julia suggests. It’s her undoing in the s2 finale.

The way Carmen shows up at the perfect time. And she is NOT pleased.

“Those suits” the way Ivy is so smug about leading ACME on when she literally joins them at the very end. May you and Zack never change.

Okay, so Zack says that this is Carmen’s actual coat? This means that Zack and Ivy have their own haha. And I really love how Ivy responds “little tight in the shoulders, but powerful” please the way Ivy looks up to Carmen literally slays me.

Zack: does a bad imitation of Player info dumping

Player: laughs dryly, rolls his eyes, and then proceeds to do said info dump

Me: this will never get old

Honestly, it’s stated so many times that Player chats with the sibs during capers almost as much as Carmen. If this conversation is any indication, I’d have loved more. Just to hear how they fill the time. Talking about software and hardware updates for red drone maybe? Where are the forbidden video game nights?

“That’s a ton of bridges for trolls to hide under!” The best troll comes in s3.

Also good time to point out that the geography brief in every episode foreshadows future events and dialogue in the episode.

Lol Carmen has the pen. Also! She learns Chief’s name!

I love Julia this entire scene. She’s trying to be SO coy, playing to what she remembers of Carmen, that is a confident and witty thief, with her own wit and lighthearted banter. It’s the first time she’s had an opportunity to speak with Carmen sorta on her own terms with enough information. But Carmen for once isn’t having it because of the nature of this particular caper. It’s like, one of the few times Carmen is not excited about a caper. For good reason considering they’re NUCLEAR LAUNCH CODES. This screams Dr Bellum, though I see Maelstrom enjoying the psychological power play that he could work with, once again coming in clutch for heists that endanger literally everyone on the planet. Go big or go home.

And then Chief spoils everything. Again. And it’s literally right after Julia says trust me. I think she and Devineaux both have bad luck, but in different ways. Neither can catch a break when it comes to Carmen. The difference is that Julia can’t control hers where Chase’s is one of his own making.

The move Carmen pulls off the wall and over the agent and the agent knocks themselves out with their own gas. One of my favorites.

Zari right at the top, coolly giving Carmen a dose. *chefs kiss* revenge for Milan. Zari as an agent character is so cool.

It begins it begins it begins IT BEGINS. Carmen is drowsy and Cornered at the top of the bell tower. The PERSPECTIVE from Carmen, showing how heavy her eyes are, jumping from scene to scene as she takes each desperate step. That’s the kind of imagery writers dream of.

PLAYER’S MUDDLED and INCREASINGLY concerned voice from Carmen’s perspective. She can’t concentrate on anything.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 2 (gassed/falling unconscious and chased/“betrayed”)

Player: 1

The way Ivy invites trouble by staying in character is delightful. Do it again.

Moose Boy and Otter Man are such underrated VILE operatives. TASER

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 2

Player: 1

Ivy: 2 (tased and kidnapped)

MORE ANGRY JULIA. You tell her.

Carmen unconscious in the snow.

THE SCENE

Quite possibly my favorite scene in the whole show.

“But if Carm’s MIA, too, who do I support?”

***Anguished silence***

“Go get your sister, Red knows how to fend for herself in a pickle”

This scene kills me so much. Player speaks with confidence and sureness but that brief silence and anguish on his face tells us all we need to know about his feelings. He lost his best friend for a whole semester while she was Black Sheep having to retake her classes. And now he’s faced with potentially losing her for good. He knows how serious the situation is. He knows she’s probably unconscious in the cold and he’s sitting at home in his room in front of the computer instead of being there physically. He could have told Zack to go after Carmen, but he knows he can’t. Ivy is the most important person in the world to Zack. And of the two, Carmen has the better chance of rescuing herself. He knows what decision he needs to make, but he can be sad about it. He takes the guilt and gives Zack his marching orders quickly and confidently, so that he can’t question Player’s pause or true feelings. Player, who has been ultra protective of Carmen since she left VILE island, is faced with the prospect that he might have failed her.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 3

Player: 2

Ivy: 2

Zack: 1

The shot of Carmen banged up and lying in the snow unconscious. Super dangerous. Super amazing shot. The pen is intact but the communicator that was in her ear isn’t. So. Possible head injury/concussion then if she landed head first.

First thing she does is reach out to Player for help. 😭 “it isn’t getting any warmer” disconnected from her friends, cold, injured.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 6

Player: 2

Ivy: 2

Zack: 1

This entire scene with Ivy is great. She really comes in clutch despite her situation. She’s cold and tied up and found out exactly what VILE is about to sell. And she is rightfully terrified.

She’s so clever though to figure out exactly how to manipulate Moose Boy and Otter Man both! And tease them! Either these two are fresh from VILE academy or they never hung out in the commons. This scene is simultaneously a comedy and so serious. Otter Man thinks he’s so smart but Ivy has him completely fooled. Where Moose Boy simply takes orders he’s willing to take Ivy at face value. It’s amazing to watch.

Also Ottoman LOL nicely done Ivy. "Sweden's coolest resort” idk Ivy, you kinda SOUND like Carmen. And very quick thinking to ask for the coat! Ivy knows the tools are there she made (assumingly) all of them.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 6

Player: 2

Ivy: 4

Zack: 1

Carmen. Almost makes it to the top. : D and falls! :D immaculate. Counting that as two because not only is there the angst of almost making it, she adds to her injuries with the fall.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 8

Player: 2

Ivy: 4

Zack: 1

And the geography brief comes in handy. Ivy uses the knowledge that Player gave her to earn rapport with Moose Boy. The great part about Otter Man is that he’s so focused on stopping Moose Boy from spilling the means, that he doesn’t realize that he can use that as his advantage. He’s basically confirming everything right now. But what if he were to give Ivy a lie? Then she’d be wondering which is true. It’s a great VILE character flaw. Otter Man does not see Moose Boy as a partner, just a lackey. They’d be terrifying otherwise.

Carmen realizing her choices are get arrrested or die. “Either way, VILE wins”. Absolutely screaming I love this stuff.

The horror on Ivy’s face when she finds out what the data crystal holds. Excellent dramatic effect.

LOL the chair does NOTHING

Literally ivy through the show:

Ivy: Carmen would do this.

Also Ivy: I am terrified

Also also Ivy: it’s the right thing to do *does the thing*

I love her for it so much.

The cool thing about Ivy’s part here is that she does it all her way. She took notes from Carmen but she ultimately succeeded because she’s herself!

Cool donning the red montage. Immediately slips and falls. Ivy ily

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 8

Player: 2

Ivy: 5

Zack: 1

Dgfggg the resigned and heartbroken look on Carmen’s face as she activates the pen. And she’s back in character as soon as Chief pops up.

Interesting to note that Chief must have reflected on Julia’s anger, because she is far softer on Carmen here than i expected the first time I watched this episode. Yes she’s professional, but she attempts a half hearted apology, which eventually devolves into genuine worry. Maybe it’s the cynic in me, but I wonder how much of that is caring about Carmen as a young person in trouble, or Chief’s ticket to finally catching VILE.

On Carmen’s side. It is interesting that she doesn’t trust ACME can take on VILE. I wonder how much of that is knowing Roundabout exists and just plain not trusting them to do it right after all the attempts to capture her. And then of course how much of it is Carmen putting it on her shoulders as her personal responsibility. Because it is telling that Carmen gives Chief the NASTIEST look when she points out that it need not be Carmen’s burden alone. She’s not even as angry at being chased that Chief is actually apologizing for.

In any case, Carmen waits until the last possible moment to contact Chief. Not only does it show her stubbornness and how much she values her freedom, but just how aware of her own body she is. She has just enough time to get information from Chief about how close they are to finding her…and then she can’t anymore. As soon as she knows they are coming, she gives out. Carmen plays her intel close, knowing now that’s her bargaining chip to stay alive, even if it’s in prison.

VULNERABILITY. : D in front of a not-ally (yet) Carmen can’t hold on she drops to the snow. And again it’s a bit hard to tell if Chief is legitimately concerned about Carmen or just the intel she has, but staying with her, talking to her, until help arrives most likely saved her life.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 10

Ivy: 4

Player: 2

Zack: 1

That bartender is totally watching Ivy fall and not reacting at all like it’s a daily occurrence for guests to do that.

IVY DUBBING THE SALE PLEASE YOU ARE ALREADY PERFECT IVY you DID NOT have to go so hard so EASILY

LOL the lady just scoots away as Ivy crashes into the back of the chair 😂😂😂😂

SHE MISSED. And Carmen would be proud she covers it up.

Ivy has such a keen eye! She finds that data crystal so quickly. I think it’s because she’s used to working on small parts, like Carmen’s gadgets, and also the literal car she built from scratch.

Ivy: I need to summon courage

Ivy: SCREAMS as she does the thing

Moose is so great. The second Otter needs him he stops struggling and is like “okay I’ll just take the infrastructure with me”

“This is not what Carmen would do!” You’re right. It’s not. And for all you know, that’s why the caper succeeded. Because Ivy did it Ivy’s way.

And because Player told Zack to get his sister, he’s right there to pick her up and get away so she isn’t recaptured.

THE SIBLING HUG. One of the greatest scenes ever. Zack’s hopefulness and Ivy’s joy.

Ahhh and Zack is so focused he’s ready to go after Carmen. Look at Ivy’s increasingly horrified face. She had nO idea that Carmen was missing. The GUILT as she’s about to find out is so delicious

Angst/Whump Tally:

Carmen: 10

Player: 2

Ivy: 6

Zack: 1

Fhghcb Carmen’s resigned and peaceful face as the helicopter finds her.😭

And you think the siblings get there just in time but no.

It takes 44 minutes to drive from the airport in the northern end of Stockholm to the forested area to the south with water on both sides. Carmen is probably fortunate she didn’t glide long enough to get to the ocean. So, from picking up Ivy, estimate 45 minutes to get to Carmen. Add in half that time for Zack to get from the city center to north Stockholm. That’s the fastest, not counting traffic. Carmen was unconscious and alone in the cold for perhaps a little over an hour, as the sun is going down. That is PLENTY of time to get severe frostbite not wearing appropriate clothing for the weather, as she does.

Zari please she’s down 😭

Carmen can barely speak let alone put on any defensive airs. She tries to sound angry but she’s clearly not well it doesn’t work. She’s steeling herself to never be happy again. And at this point, it’s very possible Roundabout can pull the strings and get her to VILE. Gets my hurt/comfort loving blood boiling.

And things turn for the better. That’s a lovely last look that Carmen has as she looks Julia’s way. It’s not hateful or angry, it’s very reflective. As if Carmen is realizing ‘okay, Julia was actually trying to help. There is some merit here. I understood why she did what she did. This was not her fault’ after Chief offers to let her go. It’s a far more peaceful look than Carmen had just a bit before.

Ivy wraps Carmen up in her coat and holds her to keep her warm and talk to her I’m emotional here’s the comfort part! She and Zack are so worried for her I’m eating it up.

“What, by who?”

Ivy’s tears and smile as she says “Carmen Sandiego who else”

Carmen does nothing this caper. She successfully leads ACME off of VILE I guess so that Ivy can work but that was NoT the plan. This episode is all character development for Carmen. Slowly opening her eyes that she CAN trust more people. Ivy and Zack (building off of their two parter), Julia, and maybe Chief. And this trend continues in s3 and s4. There are even more civilians of the day, and Carmen leans on their help more than in s1 and s2.

And Ivy is so sweet. She’s letting Carmen know that even if she wasn’t there, her team completed the caper. “What would Carmen do” was Ivy’s single motivation. And it saw her through. Carmen wasn’t on screen at the caper but her presence was felt. That’s my takeaway anyway. It’s building on the ‘anyone can be Carmen Sandiego’ message that the finale comes to.

Whump/Angst Tally:

Carmen: 12

Player: 2

Ivy: 6

Zack: 2

These are completely arbitrary numbers I’d love to see how you all scored it.

And the end with VILE announcing their decision. It’s a good thing they decided to burn the Academy, I don’t think Le Chevre would be comfortable in burning the goat lol. I love the lightning effects though! A good thunderstorm always makes the mood.

Such a good episode. Excited to follow up on the comfort part next episode.

[funkymbtifiction]

efj anon here! i read through your blog and i think esfj is the best fit. even though i relate a lot to se, i relate to ne as well. i guess i do use ne over ni, since i go back and forth on whether to move toward certain people or permanently stay away, and ni would probably stay away from its first negative impression. esfj sounds about right.

If you care to look through the character tags, you will notice a common trait of ENFJs being extremely single-minded in their opinions of other characters in the film -- because they tend to leap to a conclusion (either substantiated or not) and park there. The benefit of high Ni is single-mindedness; the downfall is narrow-mindedness in terms of challenging their own assumptions (this is less of a problem in more mature ENFJs than immature ENFJs for obvious reasons -- mature ones know their first assumption is not always correct).

for my enneagram, i think i’m probably a 2 or a 9.

I would put 6 in the running. Ping-ponging back and forth between making a decision (I don't want any more to do with this person) and then second-guessing it and changing your mind (I will give them one more chance) is very common in 6w7s, especially of the 692 tritype (which IMO is the one you are sporting in some order). 6w7s with 9 fixes make decisions and then second guess them, arguing themselves into giving people more chances and the benefit of the doubt, never trusting their negative assumptions about people (I should give them another chance/not think about them negatively; I am always aware of their flaws, but also quite convinced they don't mean to be a jerk to me!). 2 of course adds another dose of super-ego thinking (it's not right for me to have needs or to judge the people I care about in a negative light; that's not being a good and supportive and selfless friend!!).

for 9, i really want inner stability and fear separation from others. i don’t suppress my anger though and can readily show it to others, though i can feel guilty about it afterwards. i prefer to keep my emotions to myself and struggle with passivity, both in my career and with people. it’s only when i’m close to someone that i feel i can voice my opinions and be more combative. i seek outer stimulation that brings comfort, like obsessing over one specific show or listening to softer, mellower songs to soothe my anxiety. i also tend to disappear from others and isolate when i’m in a crisis. i don’t want others to see me that way, so i assure them i’m okay while dealing with it myself alone.

Hmm. I know an ESFJ 9 and while she is direct in immediately addressing things when she gets upset, she is also very passive and doesn't argue with her husband/those closest to her, because she doesn't want any argument on her side to cause separation/loss of attachment. I would dig into WHY you fear separation from others. Being withdrawn and separating from others in a crisis is 9ish, tho. Why are you doing that? What is your motive for doing it? Is it the FJ assumption that you ought not to trouble others with your troubles, that you need to remain upbeat for them all the time? Or is it that you feel overwhelmed by what's happening and can't make room for them right now until things calm down?

for 2, i relate to the fear of being unlovable or unwanted. i’ll stay in contact with people i’m not even that close to anymore and do things for them just to feel like i’m needed. it sucks when i don’t get that reciprocity or get the feeling that i’m dispensable. this part in your blog, “A 2 may supplement their emotional life through romance novels, romantic comedies, or Hallmark movies, anything where two people find each other and fall in love” really hit home because i seek these in media when i lack romance in my life. i can also be very conscious of my image and how i can appeal to others better. i don’t want others to think i need them though since that makes me seem vulnerable.

Could be either one, to be frank. You may need to dig deeper into what rejection means for the 2 (rejecting my need, or the belief that I need others, while assuming I am super important and vital to their well-being -- that I am needed) and compare it to the 9, but the bottom line is this -- you are on a plane. Someone does not speak the same language as the stewardess and is having trouble making the stewardess understand their confusion about their seats. You happen to speak their language. Do you help or not?

The 2 immediately helps. The 9 assumes the stewardess will take care of it, since that's her job and she deals with this stuff a lot.

[nemesis-is-my-middle-name]

Thank god is not just me who mourns the loss of flavor to Emmet's dialogue. I too love how short and choppy his sentences are, to the point, no words wasted, a fantastic contrast to how comparatively wordy Ingo is. Which makes sense, as they're mirrors of each other in many ways! iirc in Japanese Ingo is also very formal while Emmet is much more casual in the way he talks, which I think translated to English pretty well, although obviously some nuance is lost because we don't have different formal levels built in like Japanese does.

I think you captured that well in oop too, as Emmet lacks the level of politeness that Ingo has, and he's a lot more blunt. It's well matched to how you've written Emmet in the first arc too, with his near single-mindedness in finding Ingo, and how it puts characters like Rei and Cyllene at ease. I've always kind of thought that the blunt way he talked, his blatant honesty and confidence without any frills, was what got Cyllene to trust him. She's very similar in that regard, which I think is probably part of what made Rei trust him so fast in turn (well, that and he's a kid who is floundering and desperate to have an Adult take charge and give them direction, especially an adult who showed him kindness and care in the way he righted Rei's rails when he started to panic)

YEAAH YEAH okay i am also glad this is not just like... a me observation. like i don't play ex so i hadn't really looked at the quotes before now and... why did they do that to my man... it feels so wroooong

and re: what you were saying about translations, yeah, maybe the ex voice is the more accurate translation, i. would not really know, but like. rip to japanese players for missing out on emmet's incredible eng bw cadence if it's true. it's simply the far superior version... i'm sorry...

+ the thing abt him having an opposing voice to his brother!! like yeah, imho you REALLY lose that contrast in ex because english just does not have the same kind of obvious registers for formality. the bw dialogue is sooo much better in terms of making a really clear contrast btwn them... and also i know i said it before but the eng bw voice is just like. better? more interesting? it has more Character in it? im tryna sound objective and all here really what i mean is i love it and am obsessed with it.

ANYWAAAY waaah yeah!! like i said idc what they do with emmet in newer games they can pry his bw cadence out of my cold dead hands. and i'm REALLY REALLY GLAD it comes across in oop... i think i've said before that he's one of my fav characters to write bc he is just so unique in the way he talks and just sort of. his character generally. in such a perfect way. he's blunt and direct and incredibly purposeful and. with all of the careful hop-stepping and social maneuvering and mind games going around in pla it is SO fun to write a character who actively refuses to fuck around like that even a little bit. and yeah!! i think it can be both very disarming and very reassuring to people.

like cyllene you are exactly right!! they only spent a very brief time together but i REALLY love the idea of them interacting anyway. cyllene i think is someone who has a very specific way of reading and interpreting others, and to her it just came across so strongly how much emmet meant what he was saying, and how driven and simultaneously caring he was, and. like i said. both disarming and reassuring. i think she likes and trusts him an inadvisable amount already.

[theyanderespecialist]

Base Yandere Aaron Hotchner Headcanons: What Is Best (Criminal Minds)

[Hello My Sexy Readers I am here with base yandere Aaron Hotchner headcanons I hope that you all enjoy this chapter, my friends!]

-Base Headcanons With Aaron Hotchner (Criminal Minds)-

.Hotch Is a Serious and determined man

.He falls for you right away

.He is a man that can become single-minded and obsessive over something.

.With you that is very likely.

.A Good amount of the time he is solely focused on you.

.He is a very protective type of yandere.

.But a little strict when it comes to your safety.

.He just wants you safe and sound

.When he gets close to you, you will see open a relaxed and more soft Hotch.

.He will be very relaxed around you but still on guard for rivals.

.He deals with Rivals by getting rid of them discreetly.

.No one even knows that he is getting rid of them.

.Or how he is getting rid of them.

.If someone is to hurt you?

.If it is on the job they are dead.

.If it is off the job?

.He will make them never be heard from again no one knows what happen to them.

.He is the protective caring yandere type.

.It is your job to love you and take care of you and keep you safe.

.No matter the cost.

.If you are to accept his love?

.Well you will be his spouse and parent to his child and future children with you

.If you are to say no?

.Well he would become a bit more stalkery and strict with you.

.His obsessive and Single mindedness increases at this point.

.How could you say no to him?

.Don't you know he needs to be with you to keep you safe?

."She will know, that I am just looking out for what is best for her, she will see. Then she Will Be MINE"

---BONUS PLATONIC FATHER FIGURE HEADCANONS---

.He is a guiding hand.

.He is very protective of you willing to sacrifice his life to keep you close.

.Some would say he is overprotective and tries to keep you safe from EVERYTHING

.He does not trust anyone you date or want to date.

.One they could be up to something terrible.

.Two they could end up hurting you.

.He will eventually give in and let your date without trying to sabotage your dates.

.But he is doing a background check and sending a uniform cop to watch from afar.

.He is the type to sit in the office cleaning his gun.

.He may not be your father but sometimes he sure acts like it.

."You ever hurt her, just know, I know where you live. I have access to know wherever you go in the country. And I think like a serial killer." Cocks gun. "So I know how to kill you without anyone ever pinning it on me or finding your remains. So Do not Hurt (Name). Understand?"

[YASSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS another chapter done, I hope you all enjoyed this as well and stay sexy everyone!]

[probablydeletethis]

Reva knows Obi-Wan won’t kill Anakin. Even with all the supposed impartiality of the Jedi she knows. She is not surprised and she is not impressed.

She has been alone for a long time.

Obi-Wan wasn’t there. Obi-Wan didn’t care. She knew he wasn’t the one saving force sensitive children. After all he didn’t try to protect the remainder of his order, the ones who survived Order 66. Not the masters and not the children. They were hunted like dogs and he did nothing. He hid.

In her mind, the lives of her friends mean nothing to anyone but her. Certainly not Obi-Wan, who taught Anakin, the murderer of her friends, how to be a Jedi, who let him live and inflicted him on the universe and disappeared like he had nothing to do with it. And unlike Obi-Wan she is angry as hell for losing her entire world and everyone in it. All she wants is to kill the man who did it with a frightening single-mindedness. She’s killed her own people and many more innocents for her goal. She will stop at nothing to kill Vader but she knows she has to be smart. He’s stronger so she has to be smarter. In the end she trusts Vader’s obsession, not Obi-Wan’s word, to make her move, but she was arrogant.

Even still, after being stabbed and discarded for the second time by the same man, she lives, full of piss and vinegar.

Her rage is delicious, and I can see why she fell to the dark side.

[charlie-pippin-faraday]

house of anubis and astrology, part 2

So my friend doesn't know anything about house of anubis, and she does not know the characters at all, but she knows a LOT about astrology. So I gave her the astrology breakdowns of all the characters that I did in this post, and I asked her what each astrology combo said about that particular person, because I wanted to see what the astrological makeup said that kind of person would be like and how well those descriptions fit the actual HOA character they were for. Let's see how well she/astrology can pinpoint the characters while knowing exactly nothing about them.

Here's what she had to say:

Nina (Cancer ♋ sun/Scorpio moon/Cancer rising)

“I feel like I need to buy her a box of tissues. Is she okay?”

Me: “No.”

“Poor girl.”

Me: “She’s suffering. No one should have to suffer through having 3 water signs.”

Fabian (Capricorn ♑ sun/Capricorn moon/Sagittarius rising)

“I would marry him in a heartbeat. Serious and grounded inside but a bit of spice and fun on the outside? Sign me up. Double Capricorn would mean less emotional but the Sagittarius rising would counterbalance that perfectly imo. Organized nerd with a big heart.”

Patricia (Sagittarius ♐ sun/Cancer moon/Aries rising)

“Intriguing. Cancer moon screams emotions emotions emotions, and the Sagittarius sun is all enthusiasm and positivity and honesty. Together they make a very charismatic and intuitive person who maybe is driven a bit too much by emotions. The Aries rising I love with this combo, because you get the competitive edge and direct attitude and the ‘do now think later’ vibe, which imo keeps some of the emotions at bay.”

Me: “Main emotion is anger tbh”

“Yeah that would fit.”

Amber (Virgo ♍ sun/Pisces moon/Gemini rising)

“That gives me Luna Lovegood vibes tbh. Like, very charismatic and dreamy and sensitive, peaceful and maybe a little naïve sometimes, but super observant and intuitive and intelligent and clever.”

Me: "Yes!!! All true. Though I’d say she’s more particular about how she likes things and how she wants to do things. And a little less open-minded than Luna Lovegood, can be very judgey at times.”

“Yeah that all makes sense.”

Mick (Aries ♈ sun/Leo moon/Sagittarius rising)

Me: “We’ve got triple fire signs.”

“Oh wow that is very fiery. But out of the three for rising I think Sagittarius is my fave. The positivity! The optimism! The energy! So fun to be around! Sense of humor! Very opinionated but not mean about it!”

Me: “Yeah that tracks. He’s an athlete, too.”

“That def vibes.”

Me: “I’ve often described him as a big ol happy dog. Warm, friendly, excitable, not so bright. But also stubborn and a little competitive.”

“That's a perfect description for that big three imo”

Mara (Libra ♎ sun/Pisces moon/Taurus rising)

“Oh my god the loyalty. I’m obsessed with that combo, the sun and moon alone are so empathetic and sweet and kind and then you throw in the single-mindedness of the rising? She sounds amazing.”

Me: “She’s definitely the all-A’s very smart trying to be class president type of person.”

“That fits with the Taurus rising. She’s gotta be stubborn, right?”

Me: “YES. Gets VERY pissy when things don't go her way.”

“There it is.”

[important to note that my friend is a Libra so of course she vibes with Mara lol]

Jerome (Gemini ♊ sun/Aries moon/Aquarius rising)

“So I tend to not trust Gemini men simply on principle, but I like this one. The Aries moon balances out the Gemini sun really nicely. Very energetic, fun, intelligent, competitive. Kind of chaotic, restless, and can be very impulsive, which all fits with the Aquarius rising.”

Me: “Accurate description tbh. But also you should absolutely not trust him.”

“Oh definitely not.”

Alfie (Aries ♈ sun/Virgo moon/Sagittarius rising)

“Funky combo, I like it. Very analytic but also creative, big originality energy. Needs someone to keep them grounded probably.”

Me: “Does telling you he’s extremely goofy affect your analysis at all?”

“That kind of fits. Very ~living in the moment~. The combo is very contradictory so the whole ‘innate practical nature/goofy energy’ thing fits.”

Joy (Cancer ♋ sun/Scorpio moon/Sagittarius rising)

“Holy emotions, Batman! But also I love the Sagittarius rising in there. It helps her cry less. Definitely helps stifle the tears.”

Me: “She’s very ‘I am very emotional and want to cry on the inside, but I’d rather die than let people know, so I’m going to cover it up by taking on projects and trying to boss people around.’”

“That’s exactly the energy.”

Eddie (Scorpio ♏ sun/Libra moon/Leo rising)

“I gasped. Incredible combo. The emotional intensity of a Scorpio and the openness of Libra? Love that. A little weird but in a good way, and very positive.”

Me: [describes how he’s a dumb fucking simp]

“Simp for gf and stupid is incredibly on brand, that combo highly values relationships and is kind of a people pleaser. Not a pushover except for people they love.”

KT (Aquarius ♒ sun/Gemini moon/Virgo rising)

“Ooh I love the combo of the double air and then the Virgo rising, so balanced.”

Me: “Balanced is accurate. She also attempts to do a lot of problem-solving.”

“Oh that makes sense, yeah.”

Me: “She is preoccupied with problem-solving and trying to deal with imposter syndrome.”

“She sounds delightful.”

Willow (Pisces ♓ sun/Taurus moon/Pisces rising)

“Is she artsy?”

Me: “She’s very flower child.”

“Yeah that fits. The imaginative and creative Pisces vibe and the practical Taurus vibe is a fun combo. She helps ground her own self.”

[quicksilversquared]

The Felix Fiasco:Chapter 2/2

AU of the episode Felix

Instead of cutting off what his father was going to say, Adrien inadvertently let Mr. Agreste out himself as Hawkmoth. With some help from a friend- and some surprise visiting family members- and a bit of luck, Paris might just find itself one supervillain down by the end of the day.

links in the reblog

Felix had had his story all ready when he stepped in the house. He had been taken off guard by the news, of course, and had run on impulse. Ever since the first akuma had showed up all he had heard was about how much of a villain Hawkmoth was, so of course his first reaction wasn't to be all-in. But he had had time to sit alone and think about it, and- well, he wanted his mom back, of course, just like his father did. And magic could do that, so- well, he wanted to know more, and to see his mom, if possible. After all, it had been ages, and he missed her.

And Adrien's father and Nathalie ate it up. There was no suspicion at all.

Seriously, how were these people supervillains? Sure, Felix was confident in his acting abilities- that was why he had agreed to this whole thing in the first place, because he was positive that he would be able to weasel his way through the situation- but he had figured that there would be more persuasion involved, them drilling him to make sure that he wasn't about to run off again and immediately report them to someone once he knew more. There had been some questions, sure- they had wanted to know if he had told anyone, to which they got a very quick "no!"- but nothing like what he had expected. Apparently the desire to see his mom again made "Adrien" turning to the dark side completely believable.

And then his mom and Adrien- or, sorry, "Felix"- arrived, and they had to interact normally, but as each other.

(At least Adrien had thought to have them practice that part in Marinette's room after they switched clothes. If they hadn't...well, Felix had far less confidence in Adrien's acting abilities, even if Adrien was the one between the two of them to do voice acting and shoot commercials.)

"This is nice and all, but Adrien and I were in the middle of something before you arrived," Mr. Agreste said after a few minutes of- well, admittedly awkward conversation. Felix's mom had apparently decided to continue on with the main reason for their visit- getting back the rings- and that was making Mr. Agreste less than thrilled. It probably was keeping him from getting suspicious, though, considering that Amèlie could have a one-track mind when she wanted to and her not bringing the topic up would be strange. It was a trait that ran in the family, really, so Felix refused to consider it a bad thing. "If you could, ah, wait-"

"They could hang out in my room!" Felix blurted, mimicking what he could remember of his cousin's eagerness as best he could. He gestured widely up the stairs. "There's a foosball table, and, uh..." He wracked his brain. What else had Adrien told him was in his room? Hopefully things hadn't changed too much since his last visit. "A climbing wall, and- well, you'll see."

"Thank you, Adrien!" Amèlie told Felix, beaming. She placed a hand on Adrien's shoulder, clearly ready to guide him up to the room, and then cast a disparaging look at Mr. Agreste. "Hopefully we'll get to hang out with you soon enough. Don't keep my nephew from me for too long, Gabriel."

Mr. Agreste only gave a short jerk of his head that might be interpreted as a nod, landing a heavy hand on Felix's shoulder and steering him forcefully towards what- if Felix was remembering correctly- was his office. Nathalie shut the door behind them, flipping the lock.

For the first time, Felix was nervous. This wasn't going to end in, like, human sacrifice or something, was it? It was all fine before, when they were around other people, but now Felix was on his own. If something went sideways...

No. His uncle wouldn't hurt the boy who he believed was his own son, right? Right-

-no. In a flash, Felix remembered what Adrien had said that had gotten his mom so enraged. Adrien had been attacked by akumas before- targeted by akumas, even, and Mr. Agreste had akumatized himself and attacked Adrien. Maybe it was just because stuff would likely be put back at the end of the attacks and so a little danger was considered acceptable, but that didn't exactly make Felix any less nervous.

"Your mother is down below the house," Mr. Agreste told Felix, guiding him to a specific section of floor in front of a painting of his aunt. It was weird. "We'll have to take the elevator. It's really only designed for one person, but we can make it work for two."

"An elevator? Where?" Felix asked at once, glancing around. He wasn't seeing any doors around in the too-open, too-clinical room. "In here?"

"In the floor, obviously." Mr. Agreste leaned forward, pressing several spots on the painting- buttons! Before Felix had a chance to memorize the pattern, they were going down, down, down. They passed another track that headed to the side and then- if Felix's eyes weren't deceiving him in the dark- upwards, and just kept going down.

Felix had decided: he Did Not Like This.

"It was quite difficult to get all of this installed without anyone noticing," Mr. Agreste commented idly as the elevator went down. "I had to call in a foreign company, make some payments to keep them quiet- not that they ever saw your mother or her condition. I had to keep her in one of the back rooms for a bit- it was quite dicey, making sure that neither you nor the household staff went back there. But the cavern already existed, and some of the scaffolding, so it wasn't quite as expensive as I had worried."

Felix had to struggle not to comment at that. How much of the money he had spent had actually belonged to Mr. Agreste, and how much had come from the Graham de Vanily family fortune? Surely he wasn't making that much money off of the fashion business, considering that everything Gabriel sold was either regular clothes with a brand stamped on them and sold at a huge markup, or absolutely hideous "fashion" that Mr. Agreste dreamed up, at least as far as Felix knew. The quality of the designs had definitely taken a turn for the worse after his aunt vanished, which suggested that either she had been doing a fair bit of designing herself or had simply been in charge of the editing.

"It was quite hard to keep you from noticing, of course, but I had hoped to pull off this whole thing without you knowing at all." Mr. Agreste paused as the elevator slowed and they descended into a huge cavern. Felix was not particularly comfortable knowing that this existed under his cousin's family's mansion- like, who had decided to build a house over this? It should have just been a park, and that way when the ground inevitably decided to collapse, there at least wouldn't be a building over it. "But it has dragged on for long enough now that I- well, Nathalie, at least- thought it might be a good idea to let you in on the secret, and you can be our eyes and ears on the outside."

"What do you mean, Father?" Felix asked, cringing on the inside. Having to call someone else- and someone as awful as Gabriel Agreste- father, so soon after his own dad had died...well, he would rather pass. But if he wanted to act convincing, he needed to address Mr. Agreste just like Adrien would. At least Adrien normally called Mr. Agreste father instead of dad, because Felix really wouldn't have been able to stomach that. Perhaps the two words were technically very similar, but it was just different. "How could I possibly be any more helpful than any news coverage? The Ladyblog has quite a bit of content."

"It has dropped in both quality and quantity recently. Both because your friend Alya has decided to trust Ms. Rossi and her stories, and because she's become so distracted by that DJ boyfriend of hers that she's not following the attacks as often." Mr. Agreste sniffed, leading the way off of the elevator even before it fully came to a stop "Typical teenaged romance single-mindedness. Foolish, and something that they will no doubt regret later on. They have become blind to everything except for each other."

Felix glanced away as though he was uncomfortable with how his- well, Adrien's- friends were being discussed, but inside he was trying not to roll his eyes. Adrien's friends were obsessed with each other? That was rich coming from the guy who had turned into a supervillain in an attempt to save his wife and had rather deliberately put his son in danger multiple times for the same reason.

(Also, this cavern was insane. There were rusting metal walkways over moving water below, and an opening somewhere up above that was shining light down at the cluster of plants at the far end, and- well, it was weird.)

"But you, Nathalie, and I can discuss specifics later," Mr. Agreste told him. "I know Nathalie had some ideas. It will require working in tandem with Ms. Rossi- she's one of my allies, though I don't know how much she suspects."

Felix blinked. "How- how much she suspects? What have you told her?"

"Very little. She is acting on my requests as Mr. Agreste- requests to deliberately get people upset enough to akumatize. Oh, don't look like that, you know that it causes no lasting harm," Mr. Agreste snapped when surprise and disgust slipped onto Felix's face. "And she is slippery enough to smooth things over again afterwards. But she's also been very cooperative with Hawkmoth, agreeing to become akumatized even without emotions clouding her judgment." He sent Felix a considering look. "You could do the same, actually. I'm sure it's something that Nathalie has thought of. With cooperative akumas, I can plan a design and powers in advance, instead of having to come up with them on the fly."

...Felix did not like this Ms. Rossi character already. He also wasn't sure who she was- she wasn't one of the people that Adrien had mentioned- and he didn't want to say anything that would give that away.

"But enough about that. You wanted to see your mother." Mr. Agreste headed up the walkway, shoes clicking with every step. "This way, stop dithering about. We don't have any time to waste- your aunt will start nosing around if we take too long, no doubt, and I shudder to think of what her reaction might be if she gets wind of this." Even from behind, his scowl was evident. "She's too nosy for her own good. The sooner she and your cousin leave, the better."

Felix had to force back the absolute rage at that. How dare his uncle call his mom nosy. Granted, maybe she sometimes was- he got irritated with her prying at times, he was a teenager and wanted his secrets, darn it- but for Mr. Agreste to say that, as though what he was doing wasn't a hundred times worse?

It was absolutely hypocritical.

"And here we are," Mr. Agreste announced, stopping in front of a tube... thing. He pressed a button, and the sides retracted to leave a glass case, with Emilie Agreste laying inside on a padded surface, deathly still.

It brought back memories in a rush, memories that Felix would have rather stayed deep inside. Memories of his father laying in a coffin- narrower than this one, to be sure, and wood instead of metal and glass- but with that same cream-colored silk padding and arranged in that same position, down to the flower bouquet held in his hands. Those waxy, too-pale cheeks, everything a little too neat and perfectly done up to truly look alive.

He wanted to be sick. Why couldn't Mr. Agreste have his wife on a bed, or at least in something far less coffin-like?

"She is alive," Mr. Agreste was saying, stepping closer to the foot of the- he was going to call it a chamber, Felix decided- and resting a hand there. "And the machines- they're to keep her stable. She was using the Peacock Miraculous even though it was broken. She was trying to be helpful, and this is where she ended up." He gazed up at his wife, clear longing on his face before he shook it off, his expression shuttering as he turned back to Felix. "Once I get the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculous- well, I want to use the ultimate power to change history, so that she wouldn't end up here."

"Won't there be a price, though?" Felix asked. He and Adrien had talked about it while they were swapping outfits and hairstyles and buffing out the few differences in their facial features with makeup, and Adrien had assumed that any wish made with the two main Miraculous had to result in kickback somewhere. Frankly, Felix had to agree with his cousin's assumption. That made a lot of sense. "A consequence for changing things?"

Mr. Agreste shrugged. "Perhaps. But I'm not going to concern myself about that right now. My kwami, Nooroo, had been most unhelpful about giving me information about that!" His voice rose with every word and Felix cringed back automatically.

He wasn't ever going to be jealous of his cousin ever again. Maybe they had both lost a parent- and maybe there was a possibility that Adrien's mom wasn't completely lost- but at least Felix's remaining parent cared about him. She wouldn't raise her voice, and she wouldn't look at him like Mr. Agreste had looked at "Adrien", all closed off and uncaring.

If Felix hadn't already felt bad for his initial plan to screw up his cousin's reputation as payback for Adrien not coming to Felix's father's funeral before, he definitely would now. It couldn't have been more obvious that his cousin already had enough to deal with.

"Master, I'm not allowed to say more!" a high-pitched voice protested, and Felix startled as a small purple creature appeared over Mr. Agreste's shoulder. "And it's unpredictable, and-"

"That's enough." Mr. Agreste swatted away the small fairy, focusing back on Felix. "I will interrogate Ladybug and Chat Noir's kwamis once I get my hands on them, and I will find out the best way to go forward. You don't need to worry about that."

Felix would beg to disagree, but he thought that it was probably not the best time to knock heads with Mr. Agreste. So he decided to turn to a different topic.

"What was Mom trying to do with the Peacock?" Felix asked, glancing back up at his aunt. "Who was she trying to help?"

Mr. Agreste frowned deeply, letting out a loud sigh. "She was trying to come up with a magic solution to cure your uncle's illness, to help him and possibly you and your cousin as well." He glanced up at Emilie again. "She fell into a coma before the test results came back telling us that neither of the two of you had inherited the genes for his disease."

Felix blinked. He knew that he had gotten tested to see if he had the genetic disposition to get the same illness that had killed his dad, but why- why would Adrien? They were related on his mom's side, not his dad's. "Inherited his disease? How- how would h- I inherit Uncle's..."

Mr. Agreste spared him a short look. "There were fertility issues, I thought we told you this before, Adrien. I mean, perhaps we didn't mention that your uncle helped out, but I thought that would be obvious enough."

Wait. He and Adrien were genetically brothers?

Well, that would explain how they looked similar enough to pass for each other with a clothes change, a hairstyle switch, and a little bit of hasty contouring with some makeup to cover up the few differences. Felix had known that technically, if one just considered genetics, that the two of them would be half-brothers since their moms were identical twins, but this...

Well. Felix had wondered how he and Adrien had ended up looking so alike when their fathers looked absolutely nothing like each other.

"Ah," Felix managed instead, deciding not to make any comments about how really, it was probably for the better that Mr. Agreste hadn't been able to have kids. Unlike Felix's own father, Mr. Agreste was- well. Not exactly model material, to say the least. "That- yes, okay."

He would have to ask Adrien how much he knew about the whole fertility issues thing, because he had never been told. That- that seemed like the kind of thing that would be really important to mention, like, years ago.

Also, did Mr. Agreste ever share information with his son in a way that didn't involve dumping it in one abrupt, overwhelming go? That seemed like it might be somewhat damaging.

"I'll admit, we should have done an exam for potential health problems first and made sure that everything came back healthy, but your aunt and uncle offered and Emilie seemed quite fond of the idea, so we were a bit lax on our screening." Mr. Agreste's face pinched, clearly irritated. "Not that it would have been easily available at the time, anyway. Add in the fact that we were rather fond of the idea of knowing the donor, instead of having it be some faceless, homely nobody who might have a dozen kids already across the country, and- well, never mind that. Your screening came back clear, after all, and with Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous, we will fix the damage from the broken Peacock and get your mother back."

"I- right."

"But I think that's enough information for now. We don't want your aunt to come snooping because we're taking too long." With another press of a button, metal shutters closed over the glass chamber and Gabriel Agreste turned, leading the way back up the walkway. Felix glanced back once before hurrying after him, trying his best not to fall behind. "With your help, now, we'll be able to get the Miraculous in no time and have your mom back with us. Like I said, it will very likely involve you working with Ms. Rossi, and I expect you to be on your best behavior with her. If we can get Ms. Dupain-Cheng akumatized...she has avoided my butterflies on more than one occasion now. I suspect that she would make quite the powerful akuma. Her creativity could make her more than a match for Ladybug."

Felix only just hid his disgust at that, instead turning a distressed look on Mr. Agreste. "But- but Marinette is my friend!"

"Akumatization causes no long-term harm, Adrien, we have already been over this. And I thought it would be obvious enough already considering how many times some of your other friends have been akumatized. It's not as though her akumatization would be any different." Mr. Agreste sent him an exasperated look. "If it would distress you that much to upset Ms. Dupain-Cheng, then Ms. Rossi can take care of that bit. You would just need to stay out of the way and not rush after her to try to offer comfort."

Felix knew full well that Adrien would never agree to that, not after Marinette had pulled him in and offered comfort during his breakdown. Still, he had to agree- or at least pretend to. "I- I'll try."

Mr. Agreste's lips flattened. "No, Adrien, you will. There is no try. I am not asking for an impossibility here."

Felix swallowed a sigh. He wasn't surprised, really. "Yes... father."

"Good. And I plan to change the timeline, to keep your mother from ever falling into a coma in the first place, so Ms. Dupain-Cheng won't even remember her akumatization." They stepped onto the platform, and Mr. Agreste tapped the button that would take them back up. Felix tried his best not to scowl as they ascended into the dark tunnel again, trapped with no space to step back and away from the madman that was his uncle. "So you see, I am not the villain after all. Paris will not remember this, if all goes to plan, and we will have your mom again."

For a moment, Felix was almost tempted to forget the whole stop Hawkmoth thing. If Mr. Agreste changed the timeline- would he change it so that the Peacock wouldn't be broken, and Mrs. Agreste might actually be able to find a cure before his dad died? After all, it sounded like she had been trying to find a cure for all of them, not just in case Adrien had the same condition. But...

Well, all signs pointed to it not being a particularly good idea for him to trust Mr. Agreste's stories. He was clearly a madman, and it was incredibly likely that there would be consequences for such serious magical tampering. Maybe their immediate family wouldn't see those impacts- or maybe they would, and Felix would lose his mom instead- but either way, Felix knew deep inside that his dad wouldn't approve.

They went up and up, and Felix turned his attention to his secondary plan- stealing the Miraculous. Adrien had guessed that it was hidden under that hideous ascot- not that he had actually seen the pin, he was just assuming based on where he had seen Hawkmoth wear his Miraculous- and getting it unnoticed would be difficult unless he could figure out a plan. Maybe he could pretend to lose his balance and fall against Mr. Agreste, but how to make that look realistic...

Despite his earlier show of confidence, stealing the Miraculous was always going to be a long shot. Rings were easy, and bracelets. But pins, and particularly hidden ones?

Felix shifted, shuffling his feet as though uncomfortable- and that wasn't hard to act at all- and was about to 'trip' over his own feet when the elevator gave a sudden jolt. Felix's carefully-planned 'fall' turned into a real one, right against Mr. Agreste's chest.

And as luck had it, right against the bottom edge of Mr. Agreste's ascot. As the elevator gave another jolt- good god, please don't let it actually break now- Felix let his hand slide under the ascot (a clip-on, how utterly tasteless and embarrassing for a fashion designer) and felt the bottom of a pin at once- hopefully the Miraculous, and not just a normal pin. As Mr. Agreste's attention was on cursing out the elevator system and trying to keep them upright and not getting their clothes caught in the few bits of exposed machinery, the pin practically shifted itself into his hand and Felix unpinned the Miraculous, letting it slip out of his hand and up his sleeve, trying not to flinch as the pin suddenly changed shape.

Somehow, miraculously, it was mission complete. And his uncle seemed none the wiser.

With one more jolt, the elevator started moving normally again, just as though the near-breakdown hadn't happened. Felix frowned against the darkness, then narrowed his eyes when he caught a glimpse of something small and dark up above, something that vanished into the shadows before he had a chance to get a better look. There was another flicker of movement on the other side of the tunnel, but it too vanished before Felix could figure out what it was.

"Do- do we have rats?" Felix asked, still frowning into the darkness as they continued upwards. "I thought I just saw something."

"Perhaps. The cavern is not exactly completely insulated from the world, so while I shudder to consider it, it's not impossible. Did you see something?"

Felix shrugged, taking a step back- well, as much of a step as he could, without risking stepping too far back and into the walls they were moving past- and letting his hands fall by his sides again. The Miraculous slid back down his sleeve and into his hand, and Felix pocketed it at once. "I thought I saw something small moving along the side of the tunnel, but it's too dark to see."

Mr. Agreste just let out a noncommittal hmm.

After another few seconds, the floor above split and they ascended into the office. Nathalie glanced up as the elevator platform clicked into place on the floor, giving them a brief smile and nod before returning to her work. Felix stepped away from Mr. Agreste at once, giving himself a bit of breathing room.

"I don't think that I have to remind you not to tell anyone," Mr. Agreste instructed him sternly. "Don't make me regret trusting you. I know that you want your mother back as badly as I do, and this is what we need to do. The opinions of the city do not matter."

"Of course, Father," Felix lied at once, very aware of the weight of the Butterfly Miraculous against his leg. "Should I go check on Felix and Aunt Amèlie now?"

Mr. Agreste nodded, leading the way over to the door and unlocking it. "That would probably be for the best. If my memory serves me correctly, your cousin has rather sticky fingers. You wouldn't want too many things to go missing."

Felix very nearly felt offended, but then promptly remembered that his original plan for their visit to the Agrestes had included snitching his cousin's phone and just now, he had stolen his uncle's magic jewelry and was planning on trying to steal his ring for his mom if possible.

Maybe he did have somewhat sticky fingers, but only when he had a goal. It wasn't as though he was a common pickpocket.

"Of course, Father," Felix said again, stepping out of the room. "Will we see you at dinner?"

"No, I've wasted quite enough of the day already, so I'll be taking my meals in the office as usual," Mr. Agreste told him. He scowled. "No matter what opinions your aunt has on the matter."

Felix tried not to smirk. His mom would absolutely be vocal about that, and it would be hilarious to see the face-off. Mr. Agreste well deserved her ire, after all. "Right. I'll see you later, then."

He didn't get a response, and he hadn't expected one. After lingering another half-second, Felix trotted up to Adrien's room, hoping that his memory would serve him right and his cousin hadn't changed rooms or anything since he had last visited. Thankfully, the door handle he remembered gave, and Felix stepped into the room that he remembered, excessive even by rich people standards. His mom and Adrien were there, hovering anxiously by the door. They both let out a sigh of relief when they saw Felix, letting him into the room at once and locking the door behind him.

"How did it go?" Amèlie wanted to know at once, ushering him further into the room and handing over a makeup wipe and a comb so that Felix could start putting his appearance back to right. "Did you see Emilie? Did your uncle suspect anything?"

"Well as it could have, I suppose." Felix shrugged. He hadn't been ill despite the- well, despite the reminders of death and coffins that he really hadn't needed- and Mr. Agreste hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary. "I saw Aunt Emilie, yes, and I don't think he suspected anything, and, well..." Felix let a small smile slide onto his face, reaching into his pocket and pulling his hand back out, opening it where both his mom and Adrien could see. "I managed to grab this when the elevator malfunctioned on the way back up."

The twin gasps this time made Felix grin. Amèlie reached out as though to take it, then drew her hand back. "That- you're sure that's the Miraculous?"

"It sprouted wings after I grabbed it, so I assume so, yes." It had been so hard not to react when he felt the brush of wings sprouting out of the Miraculous, but Felix had managed it. He tapped it, a little curious, but- no. He couldn't want it. He wasn't going to be like his uncle. Felix refused. Besides, the Butterfly itself really couldn't do much beyond make tacky villains in an attempt to take Ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous, and considering that his uncle had been trying and failing to do that for ages, the likelihood of Felix actually succeeding in a much shorter timeframe- after all, a non-zero number of people knew about his plan to get the Miraculous- was pretty much nil. "And, well. I managed to get this set up before coming into the house, and it's a good thing, too."

Felix pulled his phone out of his pocket, finally hitting the end button. The screen blinked up at him, announcing that he had been recording for just over forty minutes and his phone's storage was nearly full. It had been a last-minute idea, really, but he was glad that he had thought of it now. His uncle had said quite a few interesting things, and it would be important evidence soon enough.

Adrien grinned as soon as he recognized what Felix was holding. "That's great! More proof for Ladybug and Chat Noir."

"I'll make some copies of the file this evening," Felix told them. He turned his attention to Adrien. "Do you know of a Lila Rossi? Apparently she was freely working with Hawkmoth."

Adrien's jaw dropped, and then a slow grin spread onto his face. "No way! That's great- I mean, it's- well, she's a terrible person," he hastened to explain. "She likes lying to get her way, and it's frustrating to listen to, but if we fight her, then she might get akumatized and cause a lot of problems. I know Marinette has been butting heads with her a lot, and Ladybug loathes Lila, so for Lila to be ousted as willingly working with Hawkmoth..."

Felix smiled at that. "Yes, I gathered that she might not be the kindest character. Mr. Agreste was talking about having her deliberately upset people to get them akumatized, and apparently your friend Marinette was next on his hit list."

"He- what? No, he had better stay away from her, how dare they go after Marinette-"

"Oh, is she your girlfriend?" Amèlie asked in delight. "I did wonder, since you two seemed quite close, but I didn't want to pry, it didn't seem the time."

Adrien promptly turned pink, which seemed like a pretty clear answer to Felix, but he was also shaking his head. "No, I- we're friends! And she does so much for all of us, to help everyone out and keep people happy so that people don't get akumatized, and so for them to target her..."

...yeah, Felix's cousin was pretty obviously sweet on this girl. Before Felix could call Adrien out on that, though, there was a knock on the window and Ladybug waved at them from the other side. Felix stepped that way, ready to hand over the Butterfly Miraculous at once, but Adrien stepped in front of him.

"I want to make sure that it's actually Ladybug," Adrien murmured, just loud enough for Felix and his mom to hear but not Ladybug, who was still standing outside of the window. "The Peacock is still out, and we've seen some odd sentimonsters recently. You put yourself in danger to get this, and I don't want to lose the Miraculous right back to Nathalie again."

Felix nodded, letting Adrien take the lead. He wasn't sure how Adrien was planning on ensuring that this Ladybug was the real one, because Felix was pretty sure that his cousin wouldn't know anything more about Ladybug than any other person in Paris did. He could admit, though, that the timing seemed pretty strange, since how would Ladybug know to come now?

"Hi, Ladybug," Adrien said, pushing open the window and stepping aside to let Ladybug in before Mr. Agreste or Nathalie could spot her on the security cameras. "Um, how are you?"

"I'm- well, I've had an interesting day," Ladybug said, rubbing the back of her head. "Marinette waved me down when I was out for a run- I had heard horns and yelling, so I thought that there was maybe an akuma out and so I was searching- and told me about your father and that, well..."

Adrien nodded. "That he's Hawkmoth."

"And that you were maybe going to try to get the Miraculous, if possible." Ladybug glanced between them. "So I was mostly curious about what more you had learned, and if you maybe...?"

Adrien nodded, then paused. "Ah, one quick question, just to be safe- when Jackady was attacking the house, what did I do when I got to my room?"

Ladybug blinked, clearly puzzled by the question, but only for a moment before her expression cleared in understanding and her cheeks turned pink. "You, uh, went to go take a shower."

"And what did we talk about after I came out?" Adrien asked, just as pink as Ladybug was. She smiled at him, bright and happy.

"I saw the picture of your mom on your computer screens...and I said that you had your mom's smile."

"Okay," Adrien said, nodding and flashing her a wide grin. "Thanks, I just- I just had to make sure."

Ladybug nodded, smiling back. "That's fine. I understand wanting to be careful, and I appreciate that. It's really smart."

There was a pause.

"I got the Miraculous," Felix announced when it seemed as though neither Ladybug nor his cousin were about to speak. He produced it from his pocket. "I understand the Peacock is still at large, but I didn't want to push my luck with trying to find it."

"It's not worth it, not when we know who has it," Ladybug agreed. She took the Butterfly Miraculous, popping open her yo-yo as she did. After another good look at the pin, she tucked it into the yo-yo and snapped it shut. "That's incredible that you were able to get it. I would have thought that Mr. Agreste would have been too protective of the Miraculous to let anyone get close to his neck."

"I got a lucky opening and I have practice swiping things unnoticed," Felix told her, ignoring the fact that anyone would be able to figure out that there wouldn't be many positive applications of that particular skill. That was entirely beside the point. "I also got an audio recording of my entire experience with Mr. Agreste and our visit downstairs. I'll be making a copy of it tonight- mom, what hotel are we staying in?"

His mom frowned, thinking. "I don't recall- it's not the Grand Paris, I know that much, because the last time we visited and stayed there, it was a bit too expensive even for my tastes and I wasn't particularly impressed by the place. It reads as more of a bragging rights project than an actual high-end hotel, so I decided to go elsewhere." She frowned in thought for a moment more and then smoothed out her expression automatically- after all, she couldn't get frown lines, that wouldn't be nice- before digging out her phone and navigating to her email, showing Ladybug the confirmation email before tucking the phone back in her pocket.

"Here, I can give you a USB drive now," Ladybug said, popping one out of her yo-yo. Felix tried not to stare, because seriously, how many functions did that thing have? But maybe he shouldn't be surprised, because it was magic, of course it could do whatever Ladybug wanted. "And then I can pop by later?"

"Well after dinner," Amèlie told her. "We're staying here for our evening meal, and then leaving an hour or two later, as though we were taking the last train of the evening out of the city."

Ladybug nodded in understanding. "Okay, I think I know when that is. I'll give you some time to get settled in before I stop by. And I thank you for turning the Miraculous over. I know not everyone would. The idea of powers like that- well, it's too much for some people to resist."

...well, okay, now he was going to feel guilty if he didn't say anything. Also, everything that he had heard before about the Miraculous and the wish that the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculous granted was just guess and conjecture, and he- he wanted to know. Surely as the holder of one of those Miraculous, Ladybug would know more.

"I..." Felix trailed off, glancing to the side. "I will admit, I considered it for maybe a couple minutes. The opportunity to have my father back...and with the price, well, what if we traded my dad for Adrien's father? It's not like having the world be down one supervillain would have been awful, especially because my dad was actually nice. He cared about others, not just himself, and he wouldn't have even considered doing what Mr. Agreste did." He glanced back at Ladybug. "But that's not how the wish would work, would it? That seems too neat and tidy, to be able to pick and choose the person to trade."

"It's definitely more unpredictable," Ladybug agreed. "Even Chat Noir and I's mentor- he's been studying the Miraculous for years, and he made a really dumb mistake that caused a lot of destruction. You would think that he would use the Cure and fix that, but even he doesn't want to mess around with the Wish. There's just no way to control what the price would be."

Felix nodded. "Okay. Thank you." There had been no opportunities missed, after all. That would keep him from staying awake at night, wondering and wishing and cursing himself for not at least trying.

With one last bright smile, Ladybug thanked them again and took off out the window, vanishing quickly. They all watched her go before falling into a somewhat uneasy silence as Adrien and Felix finished swapping back their appearances. Once they were finished, Felix's mom spoke up again.

"We'll have to be careful going forward," she told them. "Adrien, your father is bound to notice that his Miraculous is missing at some point today. I doubt that he would try to make a fuss with Felix and I here, but once we leave- well, I don't think that you should stay here tonight."

"I can lock my door and sneak out," Adrien offered. "I've done it before, and even if Nathalie and Father have the key to the door, I know how to block the doors so that they can't be opened. And, uh." He ducked his head, a small smile on his lips. "Marinette just texted me and said that I can stay over at her house, since they have a guest room."

"Oh, good. Perfect." Amèlie beamed at them. "So I think that unpleasant business has been as sorted out as much as possible, then, and we can move on to more pleasant topics and actually enjoy the rest of our visit here. So. Uh. Ideas?"

"Uh, maybe just one," Felix starting, figuring that- well, he was curious, and this was probably as good of a time for it as any. After all, the visit was already a bit awkward with his uncle's impending arrest for domestic terrorism via magic supervillains, so surely it couldn't get much worse. "Earlier, in the cellar, Uncle said something about him and Aunt Emilie having fertility problems and Dad helping out. Uh, can I just ask- what?"

  Gabriel Agreste let out a long breath once the Graham de Vanilys had finally, finally left, barely sparing Adrien a glance before heading back into his office and calling up a generous glass of scotch to sooth his nerves. His in-laws were as absolutely infuriating and interfering as he had remembered, barely deterred by the loss of Amèlie's husband, it seemed. Add in the fact that Amèlie still couldn't get her thick head around the concept that, family heirlooms or no, the twin rings belonged to him now, and the fact that Adrien's dash after learning about Gabriel's secret identity had caused no small amount of stress, and the fact that Amèlie hadn't accepted no for an answer and had forced Gabriel out of his office for dinner, just to make her stop pestering him and shut up- well, it really was no wonder that Gabriel had been nursing a small but persistent headache for most of the day.

But now they were gone- at least for now, he didn't doubt that they would be back in another couple of months to pester him some more, that family was nothing if not annoyingly persistent- and he could take some Advil with his scotch before settling in to plan out how he and Adrien could work together to take down the superheroes. With any luck, they could steal another Miraculous from one of the lesser, temporary superheroes and Adrien could use that to tip the scales. Gabriel wouldn't allow it for many battles- Adrien would only go out if conditions were solidly in their favor, because if he got his identity exposed that would be a disaster- but it could be the extra thing they needed, a strong akuma plus a sentimonster plus him and Mayura and Adrien.

"I could design the perfect akuma to make Ladybug and Chat Noir pull out one of the temporary heroes," Gabriel mused to himself once his drink was gone and his headache had receded, already rising to head for his elevator. He could plot better up in his lair, and he would also be ready if any negative emotions showed up in the city. There had been a surprising lack of them so far today, and he didn't understand why. "Which could very well mean re-akumatizing one of the people who got that reaction again. That could be difficult, unless I can direct Lila, perhaps." That wouldn't be hard, he was sure, considering that the girl seemed to jump on every opportunity to attack Ladybug. "But I might need to plan this one out some more. Nooroo, remind me what akumas brought out the B-team."

There was silence. Gabriel frowned, his fingers mid-reach towards the elevator buttons that would whisk him up to his lair. "Nooroo?"

Nothing. Dread started to pool in Gabriel's gut, and he scrambled to pull off his ascot, tossing it to the side to get a clear view of his neck.

His neck, which was- for the first time since he had put the brooch on- bare.

"No, no no no!" Gabriel snarled, sure that there had been a mistake. He dropped to his knees, snatching up his ascot and rifling through it in case the brooch had simply gotten snarled in the knot of fabric. His search yielded nothing. "Come on, come on, I couldn't have lost it!" The only new person who knew about him being Hawkmoth- who would have any idea about the hidden brooch- was Adrien, but he wouldn't dare steal his father's Miraculous. He wasn't anywhere near slick enough, after all- it was Felix that was the silver-tongued thief- and besides, he had clearly been very interested in his mother's return.

So where had it gone?

"Okay, breathe," Gabriel muttered to himself, determined not to let himself panic, even as he undid the pin-on ascot so that he could flatten it out. Panic led to dumb decisions, which could mean an end for him. "Adrien couldn't have taken it without tipping me off, he has no control over his emotions. He would have been nervous, and I would have been put on high alert. Maybe I just didn't fasten it right this morning and then it got knocked off."

Yes, that had to be it. Gabriel remembered that he had had to scold Nooroo in front of Adrien when they were in the underground cavern, so he had had the Miraculous then, at least. Which meant that it might have gotten knocked off down there. Where the walkway was not solid and there was rushing water down below.

That would not be good. Visions of the Miraculous getting whisked away by the rushing water danced through his head, and Gabriel's blood pressure spiked again before he remembered that Nathalie still had the Peacock Miraculous. They had to be careful with their usage of it, sure, but surely they could manage a transformation and a sentimonster that could sniff out the Butterfly Miraculous and return it. They might have to wait a week to make sure that Nathalie had fully recovered from her last transformation- or maybe it would be smarter for him to use the Peacock. The thought made Gabriel clench his hands, because the mere idea of subjecting himself to the peacock's weakness was-

Something was wrong. It hadn't been immediately obvious, but when he clenched his fists….

Gabriel's gut twisted as he looked down and then once again, he froze. This time, it had nothing to do with his missing Miraculous. Instead, Gabriel was staring at his bare hand. Specifically, his bare ring finger.

His ring. It was gone. Gone. Just like his Miraculous, vanished into thin air.

No!It-it couldn't be! He had been so careful to not let it out of his sight, and he certainly had never taken it off for more than a minute at a time to clean it. It wasn't as though he would take it off for any other reason- the smooth surface of the ring was hardly going to snag on any fabric, and he was hardly going to deign to do any sort of baking- which meant that it had been removed. Somehow. Without him noticing.

Two incredibly important pieces of jewelry gone without a trace in the span of a day. Gabriel scrambled for his phone, suddenly paranoid that maybe the Peacock had vanished from Nathalie's possession, too. If it had- well, then all was lost, wasn't it?

No. No, it had to be a coincidence. There hadn't been a single opportunity for Adrien to steal his Miraculous, but there certainly had been an opportunity for Felix to palm the ring when they shook hands. He should have been on the lookout for that, should have been on high alert the entire time that his sister-in-law and nephew were within his sight, should have put the ring in a safe until they were gone.

And by now, they were on a train back to London. Gabriel couldn't go after them, and even if he could, Amèlie wouldn't admit to her son taking the ring. They would hide it and play dumb and never let him see that they had it. No, it was well and truly lost to him now, and maddeningly so.

But that didn't mean that the Butterfly was. If he summoned Nathalie back to the house at once- she would be annoyed, certainly, since she had only just left, but as soon as she found out what was going on she would understand the urgency- then they could start the work of figuring out where the Butterfly had gone.

He wasn't going to let Emilie down.

(a/n: If ML is going to make Adrien and Felix inexplicably identical, I'm going to give them a completely bonkers justification for it. In this case, the chances of them looking so similar are a LOT higher if they share a father on top of having identical mothers.

This was meant to be the second and final part of the story, and it very well might be- I do like my open endings, after all- but it is possible that I might return to this story at some point and write a part 3 that ties up a few of the lose ends. It depends entirely on my inspiration and amount of other projects I have on the go, though, so no promises.)

[runenc03]

HH - epilogue (part 8)

Writing date: February 2020 

Genre: fluff

Warnings: I can’t think of anything to warn you about. This being the last chapter? Lol, congratulations for reading through it haha

Word count: 6k

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2 months later...

Kaycee had rarely felt this nervous. A glistening layer of sweat covered her whole body, and while part of that was undoubtedly caused by the Australian heat, she knew that the current situation she was in had to do with it as well.

Hermione glanced towards her, and Kaycee nodded, signaling that she could lift up the spell, and bring their family back to the truth, back to them.

Hermione turned around once more, facing their parents, Kylie and Devon, there in the small house they owned. Kaycee had to admit that Hermione had done a good job with their fake living arrangements, about a year ago. She was grateful now, for all the work her sister had put into this. Kaycee hadn't wanted to do anything related to this, claiming that her sister was better in these intricate kind of spells, and now that she could see with her own eyes what it had been like for her family, she knew for sure that letting Hermione handle this had been a good idea.

"Reminisce"

The effect was immediate. Streams of light blue sparks flew out of her sister's wand and started circling around her other family members, who stood still, pupils dilated, a crazy look in their eyes. This lasted for about 20 seconds, until Hermione's wand seemed to stop producing the blue stuff, and Hermione put her wand down, a movement which made their family member's eyes immediately return back to their normal state.

Kaycee started to fidget, desperately wishing she'd stop sweating so excessively. While she wiped her hands on her shorts, she briefly wondered who would notice the small, but elegant ring on her left ring finger first. More importantly, she worried about what her parents would think of it on top of all the things that had happened. In the Wizarding World, getting engaged at a young age wasn't rare at all, but in the Muggle world, not even being 18 and already getting ready to marry someone was unheard of, and she doubted her and Sean's decision to stay engaged at least 2 years before actually getting married would help in them accepting this. She just hoped they would be happy for her.

"My-my girls..."

It was her mum, and she was immediately shook out of her worries upon hearing her voice again. It was a sound she hadn't prepared for enough. Actually, coming here, she'd prepared herself for yelling, fights, feeling guilty for agreeing with Hermione, apologising. She hadn't prepared at all for her mum's wobbly voice, the sight of her, her tears already running over her cheeks, her skin several shades darker than it used to be. Then, she was swept into a hug, and she could only close her eyes, soaking in the love she currently felt, a love only felt between a daughter and her mother, an unconditional kind of love.

"Mum...how much do you know?"

Kaycee cringed as soon as Hermione spoke the words she'd been dreading to say herself. She didn't want to leave her mother's arms, didn't want to have to face the truth. It was, however, inevitable, and Kaycee knew that they didn't have the right to keep the truth from them any longer.

"Uhm....well, I-I'm not...I'm...Laura Granger..."

Kaycee could see her sister's eyes light up, excited since it seemed like her spell had been correct.

"What more do you remember? Do you know why you're here, mum? Or why Hermione and I weren't?"

Her mum's excitement upon seeing her 2 newfound daughters seemed to come to halt as soon as Kaycee started asking questions, and Kaycee already folded her hands behind her back. That would come later.

"I...I don't know. Why don't I know? Devon, you're good at remembering things, why....why are we here? God it feels weird to ask that question. It feels weird to call you Devon."

It was definitely time for them to sit down. As soon as she thought those words, Hermione said them out loud, and Kaycee had to smile, reminded that she wasn't alone in this mess. They all took a seat at the big, mahogany wooden table that stood in the middle of the living room. As soon as she was seated opposite her brother and next to Hermione, she felt someone take her left hand underneath the table, lightly rubbing her ring finger. Sean. To be honest, she'd forgotten he and Ron were here as well, so wrapped up in her own fears regarding the reveal of everything that had happened to her family.

She smiled again when she felt him slip his fingers in between her ones, a silent reminder that he would always be by her side.

Then, Hermione started.

"Mum, dad, Kylie, Devon....we're here today to let you catch up on a lot of things that have happened in the wizarding world this past year. You were here, in Australia, and not in the UK because....because I enchanted you all."

She stopped there, and Kaycee only realised now that this wasn't only hard for her, but for Hermione as well. She was the one who cast both spells, who arranged their new life, who was most responsible. To her surprise, their parents and siblings didn't immediately start yelling. They were actually very calm, her dad quirking an eyebrow, her mum and Kylie slightly tilting their head to one side, interested, and Devon looking like he had already expected this and was merely irritated because it happened.

"So.....why?"

It was their dad, and Kaycee couldn't help but sigh in relief when she heard his voice again for the first time. It was steady, and low, a sign of him feeling like he was responsible for them all, like he needed to protect them. She decided to give Hermione some rest, and answered her dad.

"You see, we told you about Voldemort, the bad wizard, returning, didn't we?"

Her family nodded, and Kaycee thanked Merlin for their open mindedness. They had never acted weirdly towards her and Hermione, had always been open to the idea of magic. Her parents even read the daily prophet to know more about what was going on in their part of the world, and Kaycee knew it was going to come in handy now.

"Well, without going into detail, he had basically made himself immortal by putting mental pieces of himself in certain objects. To put it simply: he couldn't die as long as those objects weren't destroyed. Our mission this last year has been to get rid of all those objects, and make Voldemort mortal again, so he could be killed. And we did it, dad, I know it's probably hard to understand, but we put a spell on you to make sure Voldemort wouldn't use you to get to us. We were able to lift it a few minutes ago because we defeated Voldemort. The wizarding world is free again, there's no more danger or hiding. We're free."

It was Kylie who had the strongest reaction now, abruptly standing up and hugging both Kaycee and Hermione, immediately followed by demanding them to tell her every single detail of the past year.

So they did. They all took turns in telling a part of the story, not leaving anything out, not the cruel parts -'Mione....won't the word ever disappear?'-, not the dangerous moments -'so you actually walked around with a part of Voldemort around your neck?'- and definitely not the good memories -So you just kissed him there in the woods? I thought you'd like a bit more class, Mione' In a way, Kaycee mused, this year had brought them a lot of good things as well. Ron and Hermione had found each other, the government now put a lot of effort in making sure every member of the Wizarding World got treated equally, and of course her engagement was the best part of the year.

It was hours later when someone finally noticed. She'd gone to the kitchen with Devon to make tea for all of them since it had become late and her mum's craving for orange tea had only been intensified by the fact that she hadn't had a cup in a year. While she was waving her wand to fill the cups with hot water, she saw Devon's eyes widen upon seeing her move her hand. He didn't say anything though, and while Kaycee wanted nothing more than to talk with him about it, she was also scared he'd throw a fit and alert the rest of the family before she had a chance to explain for herself.

When Devon wordlessly took 2 cups and brought them to the living room, Kaycee hurriedly enchanted the tea cups to follow her out of the kitchen. And then, she stopped in the doorway, rooted to her place by the sight of Devon placing a tea cup in front of Sean and murmuring something that sounded a lot like 'I trust you to take good care of her. Congratulations'.

And she was suddenly reminded of why they fought for a world like this.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 2 years later

"Does your wife get like that too?"

Neville and Sean were sitting in the small kitchen of Nevilla and Luna's house, drinking butterbeer and watching Luna waltz through the room, her belly getting bigger every time Sean saw her.

"She's not my wife yet, remember? Also, I have no clue what you're talking about."

Sean said it with a chuckle, he knew perfectly well what Neville was going on about, he just liked innocently irritating him. Somehow it always brought out the confident side of his friend, and Sean liked seeing the emotional progress he'd made since they were both in their early Hogwarts years.

"Just, getting obsessed with the most random things! Muggle Pride parades, why does she want to walk in one so suddenly?"

"You know you won't be able to stop her, mate. In fact, I'm pretty sure you don't want to stop her. Luna wouldn't truly be Luna if she didn't have these random obsessions, and you and I both know you wouldn't love her as much if she wasn't such a pure, unapologetic version of herself."

Neville could only shrug in response, silently agreeing with Sean. He took another sip of his butterbeer, and Sean decided to follow his example.

"Honey, are you ready to side-apparate me? You promised you'd do that for m- Oh hi Sean! How nice to see you here, although you have terrible timing. I'm so sorry, but we've really got to go now, Neville and I are walking in a Muggle Pride parade today! It took some time for me to convince him, but in the end he realised that it is really important to show our support to the muggle LGBTQ+ community. It's a true shame we don't have something like that in the Wizarding World yet, but I'm planning on writing something about it in the Quibbler, so-"

"Darling, Sean is a Muggle-born, remember?"

Sean couldn't help but grin, he had indeed known about the LGBTQ+ community for a long time now, but it was still funny to see how passionate Luna was about it. The fact that she hadn't noticed him entering the house at least half an hour ago, made it all the more hilarious.

"Oh, yes, how could I forget! Well, we really must be going now. Tell Kaycee I look forward to going wedding dress shopping tomorrow, Sean. Neville?"

She looked at him expectantly, but didn't seem to notice the dread on Neville's face. For a split second, Sean wondered if he was against everything that had to do with LGBTQ+, but he soon discarded that thought. Neville would never be against something that represented acceptance.

"Luna, are you sure you want to go today? It could get tiring, and your feet are going to ache so much more, and then we're not even speaking about the noise! Are you sure the baby will be fine as well?"

Luna smiled, lighthearted, and Sean realised that she had been glowing even more since she got pregnant.

"I read somewhere that sound is good for the baby, and the atmosphere is just going to be so inspiring there, I can't imagine something like that being bad for our little one. Now come on, we're late already! I want to get the full experience, from beginning to end!"

Neville sighed, but they all knew he was going to apparate Luna to the pride parade. He would do everything for her. Sean decided the whole situation would be less awkward if he went home now.

"I better go bring your message to my fiancée then, Luna. Neville, it was nice catching up again, we should do that more often. I love coming here. There's just something about being so close to hogwarts that reminds me of the magic flowing through my veins. Anyway, I'll see you around. Good luck at the Pride parade!"

And with that, he apparated back home.

Neville would tell everyone about the pride parade for months. He had loved it there, had felt so accepted even though he wasn't a part of the LGBTQ+ community. It was an incredibly wholesome experience, and Neville had vowed to himself that he would never, ever forget the importance of acceptance. And so when, exactly 17 years after that first Pride parade, their oldest son came to his parents and told them with shaking hands and a trembling voice that he was gay, Neville seated himself opposite his son, and started talking.

He told him everything about his own Hogwarts years, all his insecurities, his fears, his loneliness, his fiery desire to really belong somewhere. He would never want his son to go through the same thing.

By the end of their conversation, they both had tears leaking out of their eyes and streaming down their face, but at least Neville had made sure that his son knew that within this family, he wouldn't only be accepted for everything he was. He would be loved for it as well.

---------------------------------------------------------------------- 5 years later

"Hmm...I feel like there's missing something...I don't know what though..."

Sean sighed, looking at the girl who was, after all these years, still his best friend, even if she could irritate him  immensely.

"I just don't get it Hermione, we've been working on this piece for weeks, I feel like we won't be able to do it any better than we do now. Also, Kayc is coming home in 15 minutes, so I suggest we just drink tea or something, before she realises what our birthday present is."

Hermione was already shaking her head, stubborn, and Sean asked himself why he had even agreed to this in the first place. When his wife got home, he just wanted to make her dinner and cuddle on the couch together. He loved Hermione, truly he did, but she could definitely be exhausting sometimes, and right now, he could already feel his eyes close for extended periods of time.

"No, I asked Kaycee to pick up James from kindergarten. I actually promised Harry I'd do that, but then I told Kaycee I wasn't feeling too well and she offered to go get him. Exactly as I had planned."

Harry wanted to ask Hermione why she wanted Kaycee to be home later than usual, but Hermione was faster, continuing her story.

"I think I know what's missing. We need a beat."

Sean frowned. Hermione was acting very strange today. Out of the two of them, she had always been the one who was careful not to change classical pieces too much, to stick to the original. A beat was often something she disliked, she always told him it took the attention away from the actual masterpiece. No, Hermione definitely wasn't one to experiment with music that had already been written.

She swiftly took her wand out of her pocket and started waving with it, and Sean once again questioned why she decided to do the spell nonverbally.

"Okay, done...do you hear it?"

Sean listened carefully, at first not hearing anything because he wasn't trying to, he had assumed the beat would fill up the entire room, but that wasn't the case. Then, very faintly, he heard something, one soft beat immediately followed by another, after which there was a slight pause before it began again.

His eyes shot open, immediately looking at Hermione, finally realising her slightly strange behaviour.

"This is....a heartbeat."

Hermione nodded, but Sean still didn't put the pieces together. His mind was spinning, and he still felt tired of course, but that didn't mean he didn't want to know what this all meant.

Clearly, Hermione had come to the same conclusion after a few seconds, because she turned her body more towards him, taking his hands.

"The heartbeat is my baby's...I'm pregnant, Sean."

Now that was something Sean understood.

His eyes widened, his mouth curling into an open-mouthed smile, and he wrapped his arms around her on instinct, laughing from joy, feeling so, so happy for his best friend.

"You're going to be such a good mum, Mione."

His words were muffled by her curls, but she heard him, and slightly shifted backwards, keeping her arms around him but creating pace between their heads so she could look him in the eye.

"Sean, there's a reason I decided to tell you before all the rest of the family. Well, Ron knows, obviously, and Kaycee was with me when I took the test so she knows as well, but apart from them, you're the only one. I need to ask you something."

Sean nodded without hesitating. She was pregnant, and he'd always thought he would do anything for her, but that thought meant so much more now that she was carrying a baby.

"Of course. Anything."

Hermione smiled, and Sean noted that she truly hadn't looked as happy as she did now in a long time. Her work had been bugging her down, he knew she stressed too much about banal things like deadlines and mistakes in files, and he was so happy that she could finally experience something so wonderful.

"Sean Charles Lew, do you want to the baby's godfather?"

And he hugged her again, allowing the tears to escape his eyes, feeling his heart get filled with love for his godchild.

"I'd be incredibly honoured to."

And he was.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6 years later

"Is she asleep?"

His wife was whispering, afraid of waking up his goddaughter if she was indeed asleep.

Rose.

His eyes stayed glued on her, her rosy cheeks, plump lips, tiny fingers slightly balled into two little fists.

In terms of mesmerising him, his wife had encountered serious competition since Rose came into their lives.

From the moment he had first held her, his entire being overflowing with a love unlike any love he'd felt before, he had felt their connection, knew it was going to be something special.

He turned around, looking at Kaycee, a watery smile undoubtedly on his face. He shook his head, and Kaycee came closer, carefully leaning over the crib and noticing that Rose indeed hadn't gone to sleep yet, slightly moving her little body from left to right, as if to say that she wasn't tired yet. Then, she scooped lower, taking Rose into her arms, gently swaying her into different directions. Rose let out a sleepy giggle.

Sean thought his heart would explode at the sight of them.

Kaycee looked from Rose to him, and a million images of Kaycee holding a dark haired baby in her arms flooded his brain. He tried to shook them out again, never having thought so directly of that, but the images lingered pleasantly in his mind.

"Look, she's asleep now honey."

And Rose was, indeed.

He watched as his wife put his goddaughter into her crib in their guest room, that had actually been turned into a baby room since Rose had been born. Sean had insisted they needed all the baby things for when Rose would sleep over, and Kaycee had agreed without much arguing, turning their guest room into a real baby nursery.

Sean wished the room wasn't empty so many nights.

"Hey, Kayc?"

She looked up from the crib, and her eyes almost held something hopeful, like there was something specific on her mind he wanted her to say.

"Should we....should we maybe start trying for a baby of ourselves? Our own little Rose, but then different? A little niece or nephew she could play with..."

The hope in his wife's eyes transformed into a tear rolling over her cheek, and her smile told Sean all he had to know.

Around a year later, he and Kaycee became parents for the first time. Everyone around them reasoned that that was the start of their life as a family. For Sean, however, the start of their life as a family would always be that one night where he stayed in their guest room, his arms around his wife, looking at Rose and knowing that soon, she wouldn't be the only one sleeping peacefully there.

------------------------------------------------------------------------ 20 years later

"Aunt Kaycee?"

The voice sounded small, and unsure of whether or not it was supposed to be heard. Kaycee turned around, surprised when she saw Lily just outside their fireplace, pyjamas on, her arms crossed over her chest in a protective manner.

"What's wrong darling? I thought Samantha was sleeping over at your place?"

She heard her own voice going up in worry, always afraid of one of her children getting hurt. Samantha was a very shy girl though, which was the reason she got along so well with Lily, Lilly was able to let Sam experience adventure and Sam could calm lily down, but her daughter's timid nature had always worried Kaycee a little.

"Sam? No, she's asleep, an apocalypse probably wouldn't be able to wake her up now."

Kaycee grinned, her daughter once again reminding her of her husband. Samantha truly was the female version of her dad.

"Then what are you doing here? Don't get me wrong, I love you a lot, but it's the middle of the night, the only reason I'm awake is because I was choreographing something...what's going on?"

And she knew by the way Lily's facial expression changed that there was indeed a reason the girl had come here.

Lily took a few steps, sitting down on the couch and turning her body towards Kaycee, who was looking expectantly now. The small girl took a deep breath, and started her story.

"Okay. I've been dealing with this for a few months now, and I don't want to go to mum with it because she'll say I'm too young for it and so I thought my godmother would be my best option...are you okay with keeping whatever I'm going to say a secret from all the adults, auntie?"

Kaycee was quick to nod, her heart warming at Lily's words. Just like Sean had always had a unique connection with Rose, she'd had a special bond since the beginning with her own goddaughter as well. And after all these years, Lily still came around to dance with her, still gave her these heartwarming hugs, still called her auntie, even though she wasn't actually family by blood.

"Okay so...you know I used to go to Auntie Luna and Uncle Neville a lot, don't you? Well, I used to go because I liked playing with Fleur and listening to Auntie Luna's stories about animals, but now..."

Kaycee's eyebrows furrowed, she'd be surprised if this turned out to be a problem between Lily and Fleur, Luna and Neville's oldest daughter. The 2 girls had been inseparable ever since they were old enough to crawl. Luna had always claimed it was the second reason she had named her daughter Fleur, because it was, just like Lily, a flower, and the girls were destined to be friends if they were both named after flowers. The first reason was of course to honour the woman who had saved her life. Kaycee still remembered the tears that had poured over her face the night she heard Fleur's name for the first time.

"And now...you don't like to do things with Fleur anymore? I thought you two were still very close.."

Lily's eyes widened, and she was quick to reassure Kaycee the friendship was still going strong.

"No it's not that all! I love Fleur! It's just that now, she's not the only one I love anymore...or at least I don't think so. It's confusing. Aunt Kaycee...is it normal to love someone romantically when you're 13?"

She looked so innocent sitting there, opposite Kaycee, red hair in a loose ponytail, eyes big, full of questions.

But she was growing up.

"You know Lily, a long time ago, when I was in Hogwarts, there was this girl about your age. I didn't really like her back then, but now I do. The girl's older sister had a friend, and she fell hopelessly in love with him during the first summer that friend of her sister stayed in their home over the summer. Of course she didn't realise it at that time, but she was definitely in love. Want to know how old the girl was?"

Lily nodded eagerly, probably not having expected this kind of story.

"11."

"Are you....really? She was younger than I was? How do you know she was actually in love with her sister's friend? Wasn't it this childish kind of love? Did the boy love her back?"

Kaycee smiled once again, memories of her feelings as a thirteen year old coming back to her. The feelings hadn't changed much, it was the way she dealt with them that had.

"Oh, he did. He only told her years later though, they were friends for a long time before he confessed to her. I heard he first told her he loved her while they were stargazing in the astronomy tower... romantic, don't you think?"

Lily listened with open mouth, her eyes filled with hope, and inspiration. She nodded, letting Kaycee know she loved the story, and Kaycee silently smiled, wishing with all she had in her that Lily was indeed blessed with that same kind of heartwarming love she had been, and still was, able to experience from her love.

"Aunt Kaycee, what happened to them? Are they still together?"

"They are. The two of them married almost as soon as the girl graduated Hogwarts. I was there, you know, and I've never seen someone look with so much adoration in his eyes as the groom on that day. They traveled a bit, and then they settled down and decided to start a family. First, they had a daughter, and then two sons. I see the guy regularly and I know for a fact that he his wife are still very happy together .... So now that this story is over, care to tell me who I need to give my blessing?"

Lily's face went from amazed to shy, her head going down, her eyes focussing on her knees. The smile that stayed etched on her face didn't go unnoticed by Kaycee, however.

"Avi Longbottom."

In all honestly, Kaycee kind of expected that name to roll off of Lily's tongue. Luna and Neville had a lot of kids, 3 sons and 4 daughters to be exact, and together with her own kids and the ones from Hermione and Ron and Ginny and Harry, they all formed one close-knit family, but Kaycee had always noticed how Avi seemed to take care of Lily in such a subtle and unconditional way, and how Lily would always defend Avi and his quiet demeanor to her extroverted friends in a passionate and fiery manner. If Lily was fire - and everyone knew she was - , Avi was earth, and Kaycee had known for years that it would probably work out very well if they ever realised how perfectly they matched themselves.

"Is it bad that I've been kind of shipping you two for years?"

Lily's shy face transformed into one of playful indignation. She didn't hesitate to bury her head in Kaycee's shoulder though, and Kaycee closed her eyes, trying to soak in the feeling of this moment, her and her goddaughter, both so alike, and yet so different because of the era they were born in. Considering her extra mind capacity and the knowledge about it that came along with that, Kaycee liked to think of Lily as someone who could have been her mind twin if she had had one. She was grateful for this role as Lily's godmother though, and after all these years, her promise to Ginny still stood. She would help Lily with all her might, whatever it took. A soul as pure as Lily's deserved nothing short of everything that was needed to shine, to warm everyone around her with her fire.

"I'll let Uncle Sean talk to Avi next time we visit Aunt Luna and Uncle Neville, okay?"

But she didn't receive an answer. When she looked down, she saw that the girl had fallen asleep, lips parted, snoring slightly.

Kaycee smiled and summoned a few blankets from Samantha's bedroom letting them land all around the small redhead cuddled up to her.

The hue told her that somewhere far away in a dream world, Lilly was already shining her light, her small hand warming Avi's.

------------------------------------------------------------------------- 31 years later

His daughter's hand felt clammy in his, but Sean couldn't be deceived. It was definitely his hand that was showing signs of nerves, not hers.

She was one bulb of light, shining, lighting and lifting up the whole room. People always compared her to him, but in this moment, she was definitely and completely her mum, and it was okay. It was good even. Every time he looked at her, he knew that she definitely wanted this, and even if it was still difficult for him to let his daughter go, it also made him elated that she was chasing her own happiness.

Samantha squeezed his hand, letting him know she was ready to start walking. He set his first step, and was reminded of why they took a small break right before walking into the large tent in front of them. His legs felt like jelly, and he silently cursed himself for having mixed feelings on a day like this. He was supposed to jump up and down from joy, to laugh from ear to ear in happiness, and while his heart filled with warmth upon looking at his daughter radiating unlike ever before, he was also very scared of what would happen after today.

They were in front of the altar before he knew it. He blinked his eyes, looking to the left, where his wife was, nodding reassuringly at him, and some of his nerves subsided, but not all of them.

"Dad."

It was Samantha, looking up at him, even if she didn't have to crane her neck as much as she had had to do when she had been a child.

She wasn't a child anymore.

Apparently, he'd said that out loud, because the next thing he saw was Samantha's smile broadening, her hands resting lightly on his tuxedo-clad chest.

"I may not be a child anymore, but I'll always be your child."

Her words worked like cold water on burning skin. They helped him to focus again, to see beyond the chaos in his head. He now saw the way her hair was braided, and knew it was Fleur's work, noticed the thin, silver necklace dangling around her neck, and remembered that he had given it to her on her eighteenth birthday. Now, she was about to receive a ring from another man, and he would have to learn to live with that.

He looked at his daughter's fiance then. The boy was only a few feet away from them, looking at his daughter with the utmost adoration in his eyes. It was the moment Sean realised that they would create something beautiful together. He turned back to his daughter, ignoring the impatient cough of one of his far relatives, and started whispering to Samantha.

"Always remember that I love you. I have loved you since you were born, and I will love you until I die. Unless there's an afterlife, then I'll still love you from there. I can't hide that this is a bit difficult, someone else is going to take care of you from now on, but I do want you to know that I am so immensely proud of you, the woman you have become. I love you."

Sean withdrew his head from hers after kissing her cheek, creating just a bit more distance between them. Again, his gaze landed on his soon-to-be son-in-law, who was looking at him as well now, and nodded. Sean smiled in return, knowing his daughter had made the right choice of marrying this man. He truly was a kind hearted, genuine person, and he respected Samantha, which was the most important thing for him.

After he had laid his daughter's hand in her fiance's, he sat down next to Kaycee. She immediately took his hand, giving his cheek a kiss just like he had given his daughter. Kaycee knew it wasn't easy for him. Truth be told, Sean felt kind of an idiot when he looked at his wife, being so genuinely thrilled at the prospect of their daughter getting married. He couldn't help but feel like he would lose her, however, like their bond would disappear as soon as she had a ring on her left ring finger.

This feeling kept residing in his heart until the moment Samantha's eyes locked with his while she was doing her first dance. She was swirling in her husband's arms, graceful as always, but the moment her gaze met his, time stopped. Rose's fiery hair didn't capture his attention anymore, nor did Neville's awkward dancing with Luna, or Hermione's words of praise towards Dobby because he made excellent food.

Samantha winked at him, just like the stars did on every special occasion in his life. He recognised them now, in his daughter's eyes, the stars.

It dawned on him then that all his worries had been for nothing. You see, love isn't a story of choice. It's a story of addition, of multiplication, even. His daughter would indeed always be his daughter, the only difference was that now, he had gained a son. And he knew, without anyone telling him, that their love would soon multiply, would soon give him one, or even multiple grandchildren to love.

Life is all about love. It's about being loved and giving love in return, about spreading love to cure the hate, about teaching children how to love and reminding people who are lost of how powerful it can be to experience love.

And he felt grateful for the loving life he received, for his siblings, his wife, his children and godchildren, all giving him love for the love he gave them.

And standing there, in that massive party tent, music playing, a warmth filled him, unlike anything else before.

It was a good life.

[wickedcxre]

► — now announcing their royal highness, [ ADELAIDE KANE ]  ! oh , wait . that’s just [ GWEN GASTON LEGUME ] , the [ BAD ] child of [ GASTON ] they are currently a [ 24 ] year old [ PAWNSHOP WORKER ] of [ AURADON ] , but were originally from [ THE ISLE ] . people say they remind them of [ LONG, SILENT STARES, QUICK FINGERS, WORN LEATHER BOOTS. ] & that they are [ + RESOURCEFUL , + LOYAL ] but also [ - OPINIONATED , - LEERY ]. welcome , to the beginning of the new united world.

HER HISTORY

Gwen was born a twin, on a stormy summer night in May. her brother came first, then she followed. though there are exactly six minutes between them. 

with a twin brother and older brother, Gwen grew up wanting to be just like them. one of the boys. initially her father was against her learning to use the knife and sword, along with the rifle and bow, but he changed his mind when he one day took the time to notice her natural affinity. 

the fact that she went from being told off and smacked around when she was found with a practice sword in the yard or making her own bow in her room to being trained alongside her brothers has given her a deep need to prove herself and gain her fathers approval. 

while she was treated harshly, Gwen was often shielded from her fathers most violent behavior by her brothers, even when she asked them not to. 

all her life Gwen has been very proud of bearing her fathers name, and she always believed in his cause. because of this she harbors a hidden yet fierce resentment for the entire Florian family and anyone supporting them. 

though she finds it unfair that her father never seemed to approve of her older brother and it cast a shadow over her relationship with him as she grew older and realized just how unfair he was being. 

as someone who idolized her brothers, she found it nothing but natural to follow Gil and become apart of Uma’s crew. 

there she found family, a place to belong, people who did not judge her, though in the beginning some of the boys did tease her and underestimate her. she quickly set them straight. 

both as a teen and later in life, Gwen has been a pickpocket, robber and a spy. she loves to refer to herself as ‘a great thief’ and finds nothing but pride in stealing and deceiving others both to her own ends and the ends of her friends, family and superiors. 

as a child she was often accused whenever something went missing on on the isle, though more often than not her accusers were without any tangible proof. 

that did not however prevent this individual or that to pick a fight with her or challenge her, which Gwen relished in. most of the times she won, though her family grew used to her showing up with varying degrees of injuries over the years. 

Gwen’s pride and single mindedness are her biggest weaknesses, as she doesn’t take to being beaten well, and can become quite fixated with this or that. 

while Gwen has a lot of opinions, she only shares with those she trusts, and its a short list. 

most of her life she’s gotten used to discussing her doubts, opinions, fears and thoughts with her twin brother. when without him she often ends up feeling lost, adrift and unusually insecure. 

she’s always been seen and described as a lively girl. easy to laugh, quick to take a joke, pleasant to be around. when you strip away all the layers of spy training and her chamelion like instinct to blend in, you’ll find Gwen is a heart girl. she wants the very best for those she loves and will die for them without hesitation. 

Gwen is bisexual, but she’s slightly ashamed of it, thus most of her entanglements with women have been secretive an closeted. She doesn’t quite know how to handle her sexuality.

She’s done a lot of brief relationships and dating, but because Gwen is so cautious and struggles to trust easily, she’s never been with someone for more than six months. 

though Gwen is a big fan of having flirts or friends with benefits to sleep around with. 

HER PRESENT 

Gwen couldn’t stand the idea of being too far away from Gil, so she found herself a job at the local pawn shop in Auradon. 

she actually enjoys the work quite a lot and secretly spends a lot of time at the public library whenever something historical comes up that she feels she should know more about. 

obtaining knowledge trough books has become a slight obsession given that her whole life she has been unable to go to school and learn about the world. though she’s very grateful that she was able to convince some of the islanders to teach her how to read. 

not unlike the rest of her crew, Gwen is in Auradon to spy and keep an eye on things, as well as wanting to be close to them and her brother.

while she’ll come of as assured and confident with a mouth on her with family and friends, she inhabits a much quieter persona at work and with hero kids. then she’s more of an observer, somewhat reclusive though often sarcastic. 

its not lost on Gwen that she is in enemy territory and while she knows perfectly well how she feels about Auradon’s hero population and its rulers, she’s not the kind to express this openly. no spy would ever blow their cover like that..  

MISC DETAILS

while during the daytime she wears a couple of thin, gold tinted glasses, looking quite bookish, these disappear the second she’s out on the streets and dark falls. its one of many subtle disguises she loves to wear to confuse people and trick them if she must. 

she inherited her fathers leather boots at sixteen and while they are at least three sizes too big for her, maybe even more, she wears them as often as she can. 

she cut her hair short when she moved to Auradon to obtain a bit of a ‘fresh start’ look. 

she smokes and drinks but rarely to excess, unless she’s very upset or frustrated about something. 

she has an infinity symbol on her inner left arm/inside of her elbow with her own name and her twins name in either circle. to her its a way to show that their souls will always be connected and able to find one another. 

her motto is: make your own path & women can do anything a man can do

WANTED CONNECTIONS

crew members 

frequent customers at the shop

frenemies and enemies 

old isle friends who’s known her since childhood

new auradon friends both bad and good 

her twin brother (pretty please someoneee!!) 

ex boyfriends 

crushes 

FWB’s 

ok that is all i could think of and god damn it became so long :’) anyway feel free to poke me for plotting and chats!! :)

[ask-jaghatai-khan]

Warcry Musings

// Thinking specifically about which of the Big Four each of the current Warcry warbands might be likely to fall in with were they to pick. They’re all stated to have limited knowledge of Chaos, and largely worship personalized variations on Undivided such as the “Great Devourer”, “Sky Hunter” etc, but this is assuming they eventually learn some more lore and specifically choose greater powers rather than fall in with like - Hashut or Belakor. And of course, they’re all heading straight for the Varanspire to pledge directly to the Big Man himself, and so forsake prior allegiances. But still, Archaon is shown in the rules to lead “marked” armies all the time, so I just thought it would be fun.

Untamed Beasts

These guys bring back many Norsca and Warriors of Chaos vibes from the old world. As such, I imagine Khorne would be a prominent patron. That said, I wouldn’t put it past them to revere the Eagle, Serpent, or Crow when their situation demands it. The wild demands adaptability after all. Whether or not they’re likely to gain favor as readily is another matter.

Iron Golem

Again, Khorne seems like the first pick. He is, after all, heavily associated with smithing and military rigor as much as sheer brutality, though most people don’t remember that anymore. At the same time, given the right incentives it’s easy to see them allying with other gods. A quick plague of rust and the Iron Golem might start begging Nurgle to show them the secrets of endurance and spare them from the decaying of their creations. Tzeentch could promise them secrets of ensorcelling weapons. Slaanesh, for how inelegant the Golems are, could still impart secrets of great and breathtaking craftsmanship.

Cypher Lords

Of course it’s Tzeentch. What else would they be? At the same time, Slaanesh also has a preference for hypnotism and showmanship. It’s really just a matter of if a particular Cypher Lord wants power or pleasure more as an end goal.

Splintered Fang

The Ghyran Guys are in a strange middle ground of being gladiators (favored by Khorne) who use poison excessively (hated by Khorne). This being the case, their deviousness and panache would easily see them gain the eye of Slaanesh, or maybe even Tzeentch if the Schemer could outbid the Dark Prince with some gift or another. For all their elfin elegance, it’s also easy to see Nurgle getting his claws in them as well. Poison and plague are not too different in the worlds of Warhammer after all.

Corvus Cabal

Tzeentch, likely. They already look like backwater Kairic Acolytes. Of course, in the old Norscan faith it was Nurgle who was the Crow, while Tzeentch was the Eagle. Nurgle is more known for his brutal, unbreakable hordes, but he’s also known to use subterfuge and slow, subtle tactics to get plagues behind enemy lines. Slaanesh is also a fan of the long death, and so the tormenting attack patterns used by the Cabal could be entertaining to her. The only unlikely one is Khorne, a he has no patience for such tactics.

The Unmade

These guys are actually in a really weird place due to their background. In many ways they’re more like Death acolytes than conventional Chaos worshipers. Khorne could be impressed by their self-mutilation and single mindedness, but their obsession with pain and torture don’t fit into the Blood God’s straightforward mindset. Same goes for Slaanesh, with the Unmade’s deathly desensitization not really fitting the “hedonist” aesthetic. Tzeentch might enjoy their tactics were it not for their death obsession. Nurgle would likely be the best pick - but how much would he really trust followers who seem so similar to the sterile servants of Nagash?

[not-john-watsons-blog]

Hello secret santa anon! Let's try this again, since I was an idiot and deleted the post the first time. Also, expect part two of this later on tonight :)

1.) My name is Hannah :)

2.) I'm mainly Polish and German

3.) Not gonna give my exact age, but I'm somewhere between 16 and 23 ;)

4.) I was born in early August

5.) I am a Leo

6.) I'm female

7.) Great queation. I believe I'm straight? I think? Still figuring that out, I guess

8.) My looks. Hmm. I'm a short bean, 5'0". Short brown hair, blue eyes, a large-ish nose. I also have really good eyebrows apparently? Idk everyone says they're to die for 🤔 I'm not "skinny," per se, I guess I have a fairly average body? Also I wear big glasses which are the love of my life (also I cannot see anything without them haha)

9.) Piano Performance, babyyyy

10.) I'm currently an unemployed student, hooray. But I do a bit of accompanying, and I'd like to have my own piano studio/possibly teach at the university level once I have my Master's.

11.) I'm the youngest!

12.) I have two lovely siblings

13.) I have a pretty good relationship with my family. We aren't extraordinarily close, but we get along well and I love 'em a lot.

14.) I don't know my specific number of friends??? I have a couple of super close ones that I would trust with my life, and then other ones that I haven't gotten to know as well but I still care about them

15.) I am so painfully single it's not even funny

16.) I'd look for kindness, patience, faithfulness, and a sense of humor in a n S/O. Also respect for humanity.

17.) I actually don't think I have a crush currently? I kinda got hurt a bit earlier this year (I wasn't in a relationship but I was sO CLOSE) so I guess I'm not anxious to get into that at this point? If it happens it happens I suppose.

18.) First kiss? I haven't ever dated anyone lol (which by the way, it is 100% okay to be a young adult who hasn't dated yet and do not let anyone tell you otherwise)

19.) Definitely would prefer a serious/committed relationship. I have enough trust issues already lol

20.) Deal breakers would be close-mindedness, anger issues, and prejudice.

21.) My day has been pretty good, actually!

22.) I love pasta and tea (not combined though)

23.) I sleep either on my back or in the fetal position

24.) I don't remember my last dream, but a really vivid and trippy one I had recently involved breaking into Joe Mazzello's apartment when he wasn't home and touring it, then falling asleep in a spare bed. Don't ask, I have no clue where it came from.

25.) I am afraid of failing at life, betrayal, and being ridiculed. Also tornadoes, fires, and getting locked in bathroom stalls.

26.) My dream is to get my PhD and be a college piano professor, and do some performing on the side. I also definitely want to have a family.

27.) My concrete goals are to get my Master's, open a piano studio, and survive the rest of this semester.

28.) I have a turtle named Bert. He is a grumpy boi.

29.) Other than piano, I like to read, write, draw, go on walks, and watch movies.

30.) There's a cool art museum and some battlefields near where I live.

31.) Last awkward situation? My entire life is an awkward situation. Probably yesterday, though.

32.) Last regret was not going to bed earlier last night.

33.) I speak English, Spanish, and a smidgen of Latin.

34.) Nah, I don't really believe in astrology.

35.) Quirks? I have many. Lots of weird little musician things, but also I hate stepping on sidewalk cracks and I never sleep with socks on.

36.) Pet peeves... Close-minded people and loud chewing tbh

37.) I'd love to visit New Zealand and see all the LOTR stuff. Claim my identity as a Hobbit once and for all

38.) Yep, I have some scars.

39.) "I felt this on a spiritual level at 6:30 this morning"

40.) Last five things from my search history. Oh boy.

-weather

-freddie meter

-39 lyrics

-poetry

-esthetics program

41.) My phone background is a galaxy space thing. In honor of Brian May and my own obsession with space 😂

42.) The real question here is... What *don't* I daydream about?

43.) My dream home would be cozy, lots of comfy chairs, blankets and pillows. Two stories. A library and Steinway baby grand piano. A fireplace would also be nice. And HOUSEPLANTS

44.) I am Roman Catholic! I love my religion and it is important to me, but I hate the stereotype that we hate people who aren't Catholic. News Flash: Even if you have different beliefs/live differently/do some things I don't agree with, I still wanna be your friend. I'm not here to be judgy and condemning :D

*pulls out megaphone* ANYONE CAN COME TALK TO ME, I RESPECT AND LOVE YOU ALL

Thank you for coming to my TED talk.

45.) I am an INFP

46.) I once stabbed myself in the hand with a steak knife (by accident). I think that was pretty dangerous.

47.) I'm pretty happy with my life, yeah.

48.) Things I've tried?

-calamari

-speaking Elvish

-playing violin in a music store (I managed to squeak out the LOTR theme? Kinda?)

-learning the bulk of a piece in two weeks and then performing it. 0/10 would not recommend.

49.) My wardrobe consists of jeans, t shirts, hoodies, sweaters, and some nicer stuff for performances.

50.) I like wearing black, purple, and forest green.

[aimeerosebailey15-blog]

Palm reading

Palmistry, also known as palm reading is the practice of fortune telling through the study of the palm.

Over centuries peoples fascinations have evolved into a belief that the size, shape and lines on a palm mirror a persons individuality and path in life.

How to read a palm:

STEP ONE: identify their hand shape (there are four basic ones)

1. Earth hands- Square palms and short fingers.

Square palms and short fingers signifies that the person is honest, traditional and down to earth. These people have a very practical outlook on life and prefer material realities over daydreams.

2. Fire hands- short fingers and long palms.

Fire hands are energetic, restless, charismatic and enthusiastic. Like the astrological fire signs, these people are natural born leaders and risk takers. Fire hands often love to be the centre of attention.

3. Water hands- long palms and long, slender fingers.

These people are imaginative, emotional and sensitive. People with water hands are dreamers. They are gentle and often others confide in them. Although they can be moody or sensitive their creativity and charisma win people over.

4. Air hands- square palms and long fingers.

Air hands are clever, articulate and rational. These people are skilled at creating new ideas and pursuing their ambitions. They have a tendency to overthink though which can make them frazzled at times.

STEP TWO : note the hand span.

If their fingers are held stiffly together, this can indicate a closed-off personality and a natural suspicion toward other people.

If they have wide, open gaps between their fingers, it means the opposite, that they have an open, trusting, and maybe even naive attitude toward others.

If the space is widest between the first and second finger, this signals independent thinking.

If the space is widest between the second and third finger, this represents that they are carefree. They don’t really have fears about the future. People with fingers like this are easy company and always down to have fun.

If the gap is widest between the third and fourth fingers, this person will be an original thinker. They do their own thing.

If the gap between the fourth finger and pinky is the most pronounced, this person may be very shy and prefer their own company to big groups or parties.

STEP THREE: analyse the thumb.

Thumbs are thought to be connected directly to the brain, so it’s shape reflects what a person’s default mind set is.

Long thumbs: the longer the thumb, the more direct and self assured a person is. These people tend to have leadership skills and good judgement. But when a thumb is extremely long be aware of the person being self absorbed.

Short thumbs: a short thumb can mean the person is impressionable and overly emotional. They might have a tendency to be indecisive.

STEP FOUR: find the head and heart lines.

The heart line runs horizontal on the upper part of your palm, starting from the outer edge. It influences emotions and sexuality (a long one means you’ll fall hard and fast).

You also have a head line that runs below and starts from the inner thumb at the edge of the palm. This one speaks to intelligence and a long head line means you’re smart.

If these two lines are fused together, this is called a simian line or a crease. It’s rare, which palm readers are grateful for, because it means that person exhibits ruthless single-mindedness, extreme focus, and sometimes obsession.

https://www.cosmopolitan.com/lifestyle/a29623751/how-to-read-palms-beginners/