#the thing is. I’m not sure if they implied I was definitely being hired at the end of that interview

[seilon]

the waiting re: confirmation that I’ve been hired is actually making me insane good god I need to Know

[raven-at-the-writing-desk]

Hello hello! Long time follower!

I really like reading all your translations, theories and fanfics! It's really great to be able to read your thoughts about characters and cards because am a f2p so I have a very limited stash of gems to pull lol

So I was thinking about the rrcent jp update and I went back to read some of your work on Scarabia. I'll admit they weren't amongst my favorites before so I haven't paid too much attention to them. I was wondering then about the couple times you've said Jamil is well off? Maybe it's from one of his SSR cards of his home event, but I can't remember where he or maybe Kalim implies that?

That's it, just a silly question thanks so much for all that you do, I love so much all your theories and thoughts about the lore and the cast! Have a good day!

Hdsbskwhsk I’m glad that my blog brings you joy and makes your free to play experience more fun 🤩 Thanks for sticking with me all this time!

As for your question, I’m not actually sure if there's dialogue which explicitly states the Viper family's level of wealth. I couldn't find any when I combed through, so I had to go off of implications and my own interpretations of those. From what I’ve gathered, I see the Vipers as upper middle class, or at least middle class with a LOT of benefits (the benefits being present boost them to upper middle class due to the lifestyle the benefits afford them).

So firstly, I think there's a lot of debate surrounding Jamil's family income. Some fans seem to think that the Vipers must be destitute due to their position as servants and Jamil's disdain for how the Asims throw around their money and influence. However, perceived social status or class does NOT always equate to being low income. There are people irl who are technically "servants" and "hired help" that make a significant salary while working for much wealthier individuals. There is data for bodyguards, private chefs, executive assistants, and skilled nannies who earn six-figure incomes and/or excellent benefits working for celebrities, politicians, businessmen, etc. (Notably, guarding, cooking, scheduling/planning, and generally looking after Kalim are all a part of Jamil's duties.) Real world examples of this include employees of the White House and the British royal family.

Now, that all depends a lot on the type of people the employers are. There are many wealthy families who mistreat their staff and/or don't pay them well. From what I've seen of the Asims though, I definitely feel that this is not the case. To begin with, the Vipers don't just do one task for the Asims, they do a LOT. You're already aware of the constant work Jamil has to do around the clock to keep Kalim safe and satisfied, but his parents must do the same. They're described as experts in hospitality and are frequently hosting and entertaining guests from all over Twisted Wonderland. This is skilled labor, and that demands commiserate pay. Not only that, but Kalim describes his father as someone who is very generous (and the guy has plenty of money to spare). I don’t see why Mr. Asim would purposefully skimp on specifically paying the Vipers.

I would also imagine that the Vipers are afforded other benefits. Jamil has said many times that he has to look or act a certain way, as his behavior/appearance reflects on the family he serves. Therefore, the Asims may provide other things Jamil and the Vipers need to “look good” and to best represent and serve the Asims. This could mean food, clothes, transportation/travel expenses, education (like additional training, manners lessons, certification exams, etc.) all paid for on the Asim family’s coin. Jamil has mentioned that his parents gave him lessons in everything he’d need to know in order to serve Kalim, so this tells his parents are also well-educated and/or were at least able to pay for lessons for Jamil. And these lessons aren’t “normal” lessons either, it includes things like formal bodyguard training (you’d have to pay for this irl) and formal table manners (which most of us aren’t taught unless we seek it out).

We also recently learned in book 7 that the Vipers live on Asim property, which is very luxurious. Jamil states that his family would be on the streets should they lose their place serving the Asims—and this could be interpreted in a very literal sense if we think of as losing the roof over their heads. Yes, it's technically not land or housing that the Vipers own, but it is still free high-class lodging, nonetheless. It is a benefit that is afford to them (among others) because of their job(s), similar to those real life examples I mentioned before. One could make the argument that none of this wealth truly belongs to the Vipers. However, you could also argue that because these benefits come with the job, it technically is theirs as long as they keep their job (which is, in fact, how jobs irl work; if you stop working for an employer then naturally you’ll stop getting the benefits that come with that job eventually). It’s complicated. I suspect that, at the very least, part of the reason why the Vipers don’t want to depart from serving the Asims is because they don’t want to lose the pay and the perks that come with their work.

I want to add that the Vipers’ position also gives them the unique advantage of exposing them to tons of important individuals. They are able to meet and connect with these VIPs when most people could never even dream of meeting them, even if just from the viewpoint of a servant. It’s a similar to Lilia and Silver, who technically are not rich (money-wise) but still have ties with majorly influential people (members of the Draconia royal family).

Obviously, the Vipers still aren’t as rich as the Asims and probably will never be, but I believe they still enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. We never see Jamil worry about money or being short of it. He gives his VDC/SDC earnings away without batting an eye, unlike Deuce (from a single-parent income family) who keeps the money since it would really help out his mom. He doesn’t have to work a ton of odd jobs to make ends meet (unlike Ruggie). But Jamil does haggle and act frugal. I think that behavior comes from not a genuine need but Jamil being mindful and planning ahead to avoid being scammed. He’s shown to be a cautious individual who often is the one putting the breaks on Kalim’s extravagance, so I feel the skill also comes partly from having to be the one to curb his ridiculous spending and bring Kalim down to earth. Jamil is still the type of person who would tell Kalim when he’s buying too much or overdoing things, even when it’s not Jamil’s own money being spent and he knows Kalim can afford it. That’s what leads me to believe his frugalness isn’t necessarily the result of him being low income and “needing” to save. If that were the case, he shouldn’t care if Kalim throws his own money at buying diamond jewelry for all the dorm members as souvenirs.

I think the closest metric we have as a frame of reference for how wealthy Jamil is comes from the Tapis Rouge event. In it, Jamil forks out 500 thaumarks (or 50000 madol) to buy a jacket. He remarks that the price is fairly expensive but good quality so it’s worth it. Whether you consider this an indicator of his low or high wealth is really all relative to what your own perception is. Jamil had also previously remarked that what the Mostro Lounge charges is absurd. In Ruggie’s Ceremonial Robes vignettes, Azul quotes the price of one soft drink as 4 thaumarks/400 madol. Jamil responds with “Four? Talk about a markup.” It should be noted that the latter example doesn’t mean Jamil cannot afford a drink of that price; he’s complaining about how expensive Azul has made it to capitalize on the high demand. Do with this knowledge what you will.

Anyway, those are my thoughts! I hope I was able to explain myself well. If you have any thoughts, please feel free to express them ^^

[zepskies]

Break Me Down - Part 5

Pairing: Soldier Boy/Ben x Female Reader

Summary: You’re a private investigator by trade, but now you happily sit at a desk — leading a surveillance team at Supe Affairs. After managing to end Homelander in New York, Soldier Boy escapes custody. You are recruited for the manhunt, joining Butcher’s team.

Truly, you joined the S.A. for the right reasons. But after you become his accidental hostage, Soldier Boy will break down every single one of them…

💚 Break Me Down Masterlist

AN: Get ready, there be some surprises in store for this one…

Word Count: 5,100

Warnings: 18+ only. Smut (m. receiving oral and implied smut), SB’s attempts at flirting lol.

Part 5: Morning, Night & Day

Now that you were allowed to roam the mansion freely, you were able to confirm that it was huge. And it was beautiful…if a bit dusty. 

The house boasted Spanish style arches and textured walls, cherry wood furniture and rod iron lamps and wall sconces, not to mention various art pieces on the walls that looked well-curated. No doubt Soldier Boy had hired an excellent interior designer.

You were more interested in the garden outside. It was tucked away behind the pool, in the shade of large palm fronds and bigger trees. Peeking through them was a lovely view of the mountains. 

Though it reminded you of the damn cliff where you fell, Soldier Boy saving you, and of course, being an arrogant asshole about it. 

Your lips pursed in annoyance. What a dick.

Expelling a heavy sigh, you shook the thought of him out of your head as best you could, and tilted your head up to the sunshine. You’d found a nice stone bench to just sit and be, and try not to think about why you were here.

“Lunch time,” Frank said, encroaching on your solitude. He wasn’t a chatty man, always one to hand off your meal and leave. Escort you back to your room and leave. 

You were bored enough (and perhaps lonely enough) to attempt a conversation.

“You seem to be the brains of the operation,” you remarked. “Yet he’s got you babysitting me. My condolences.”

Frank gave you a bland look. He wasn’t a hothead like Tony, but he was starting to look annoyed as he was still holding out the plate to you. It looked like a roast beef sandwich on rye with some mixed fruit on the side. At least they were trying to keep you healthy.

“I’m not a fan of rye bread,” you admitted. “Tastes like sour cardboard.” 

But you took the plate anyway. 

“Want to sit?” you offered a place next to you on the bench, before Frank could scurry off. “I doubt doing Soldier Boy’s bidding is more fun than ignoring me for a few minutes.”

You could tell he was about to leave anyway. So you tried one more thing.

“He’d probably want you to watch me,” you pointed out. “Make sure I don’t choke on a grape or something.”

Frank’s mouth twitched, though it wasn’t quite a smile. After a moment of indecision, he surprised you by sitting down with you. You’d been trying to get Frank to talk to you for days, but he was definitely the strong and silent type. The good soldier, following his orders. 

You were a curious person by nature, but more than that, you wanted to know what kind of men your captors were. You weren’t just learning Soldier Boy. You had to learn his team too.

So you offered Frank a grape. He met you with a raised brow, but he didn’t take it. You shrugged and popped it into your mouth.

“So,” you started, tucking into your sandwich next. “Ex-military, turned private sector?” 

Frank shot you another look. He was older than you, though not quite old enough to be your father. He could have been around M.M.’s age.

“You carry yourself like an military man. Marine maybe,” you guessed. 

Frank sighed and gave a short nod. “Good guess.”

“My father was a Marine,” you said. And that was the truth. Military men ran in your family—from your father to your grandfather, though you’d never met the latter. He’d died of liver and kidney failure, thanks to good old-fashioned alcoholism.

Frank snorted. “My condolences.” 

You eyed him with a small smile. “You got a family? Wife and kids?”

He hesitated, casting his gaze ahead. You sensed it was a question with a potentially loaded answer, so you let it be. 

“Yeah,” you said. “I know the feeling, being married to your job. Harder to quit than heroin.” 

When you offered him another grape, this time, he actually took one.  

Being able to tell between night and day somehow told your body that the night was no longer for sleeping. So your wandering continued that night. 

Moonlight poured through the tall windows outlooking the garden, but most of the mansion was dark and eerie and all but silent, except for some quiet rain pattering outside. 

It’s like an episode of Scooby Doo in here, you thought with a shiver. The long halls were empty and mostly dark, with just a few dim wall lights along the way. Still, you’d rather be alone than run into one of Soldier Boy’s goons, or even the man himself. 

But you wanted to rejoice when you found the kitchen. Finally, you could put together a meal for yourself that wasn’t a damn sandwich. 

Both the pantry and fridge were fully stocked with expensive-looking ingredients. At the moment though, you weren’t so hungry for a heavy meal as you were for a snack. Maybe something for your incurable sweet tooth. 

You rifled through and found something you recognized: a family-sized tray of Chips Ahoy. 

Ooh, success! With a grin, you ripped open the top and rifled through the cupboards for a glass.

“The hell’re you doing?”

You jumped with a yelp at the voice that startled you. You looked over your shoulder and frowned in annoyance when you noted Soldier Boy in the kitchen doorway, leaning against the frame. A snappish retort was on your tongue, but at the last moment, you held onto the threads of your temper.  

Don’t be difficult, you reminded yourself, however much the thought grated.

“Midnight snack,” you replied, nodding to the open parcel of cookies. “Want some?”

You took out two glasses without looking at him, but you could hear him approach. When you went to the fridge to look for some milk, you noticed him take a seat at the kitchen island in front of you, where there were three stools. 

“What’re you, a fucking eight-year-old?” he remarked. You raised a brow at him and took no less than five cookies from the tray. 

“You’re never too old for milk and cookies,” you said sagely. You were a proud dunker, and you did so until your cookie was half-soggy with milk. You shoved an entire one into your mouth and looked him in the eyes when you did it. 

His lips tugged upwards, dryly amused, while his gaze not-so-subtly raked over your form. You almost rolled your eyes, but you resisted. He could take in your oversized shirt and sweats all he wanted.

“‘S that a man’s shirt?” he asked. 

“Yeah. Not a lot to pick from here at the Holiday Inn,” you quipped. You were running out of clean items that would actually fit you, and you weren’t about to run around here in some of the slutty shit you’d found.

“Can’t sleep?” You distracted him with the question, then slid a glass of milk in front of him. Regardless of what he said, he’d glanced at those cookies twice. 

This was an opportunity, you thought. A chance to get into his head, see what the fuck made him tick.   

Soldier Boy eyed the milk, then you. After a moment, he grabbed a cookie and took a bite. He didn’t answer your question, and instead asked one of his own.

“How’d you get caught up with Butcher?” he asked. 

You smiled behind your glass. It seemed he was curious about you too. 

“I work at Supe Affairs.” That was easy enough for you to admit. And if he was smart, he would’ve had Frank run a background check on you. 

Soldier Boy snorted. “Yeah, I figured that fucking much. Doesn’t answer my fucking question.”

So damn rude. You wanted to sigh. 

“I help run surveillance,” you said. But before he could ask his next predictable question, you continued, “Grace Mallory recruited me because I was a private investigator…and like you, I worked at Vought for a while.”

His attention piqued at that. 

“Though your tenure was a bit before my time,” you couldn’t help a light jab. 

His lips curved again. “Why’d you take a job you couldn’t hope to win? You got some vendetta against me, like Butcher?”

You arched a brow, watching him shove another cookie into his mouth. If anyone had a vendetta against him it was M.M., but trust Soldier Boy to conveniently forget murdering the man’s grandfather.

“You’re asking if I’m obsessed with you? I think not,” you said with a genuine chuckle, then sipped at your milk with some decency. Unlike your companion, who already had a pile of soggy crumbs on the counter beneath him.

Soldier Boy shot you a frown, and his eyes said he didn’t believe you. He sat back in his chair, his jean-clad legs falling open casually. His gaze on you, however, was anything but. You wouldn’t admit it, but it made heat creep up the back of your neck.

“Really?” he said. “‘Cause I gotta tell ya, sweetheart. During your slutty little seduction act, you were pretty fucking responsive.”

He rubbed his palms slow down his thighs, like he could still feel yours wrapped around his hips and grinding your hot core against his slacks. 

You stared back at him as your lips pressed together. 

Soldier Boy tilted his head at you, his smile turning smug. “The filthy sounds I was getting outta you…”

You set down your glass on the counter. Reaching for another cookie, you rested your elbows on the counter and leveled him with a teasing smile of your own. 

“Unlike you, Ben, I’m a good actor,” you replied. 

His brow twitched at that, however subtle. You couldn’t tell if using his real name annoyed him, or if it just added to the game you two were playing. But it felt right, stripping him of at least that façade. 

He wasn’t a soldier. He wasn’t even a superhero, really. He was just a man. 

Albeit, a super fucking strong one with an ego the size of Empire State. But a man. The same kind you’d dealt with all your life. 

And he crossed his arms, like he was starting to lose his patience with you. 

“Then why’d you come out here?” 

Munching on a dry chocolate chip, you answered, “To get paid. Why else?” 

Again, it didn’t look like he believed you. 

“You don’t look the type,” he said.

“Don’t I?” you said. He seemed to know you were holding something back, but not willing to admit he wanted to know it. 

And you weren’t willing to give it to him. He didn’t need to know that you’d taken this job to support your family. Because what the hell would he know about family? 

…But at the same time, his curiosity just made it all the clearer: in whatever small way, you’d piqued his interest. He wanted to figure you out. 

And maybe that was the real reason you were still alive. 

It started to happen like that more often.

Midnight snacks, as you’d continued to call it in your head. When you couldn’t take being alone with your thoughts (or being alone at all), if you made your way to the kitchen you often found Ben.

Whatever was keeping him awake, he seemed to crave the company as you rifled through the pantry. From alfajores, macarons, and chips, to the entire leftover ham from dinner, he often smoked a large blunt and ate whatever you found. 

You’d taken a hit once when he offered, but the shit was so strong than you abstained afterwards. You wanted to be in your fully right mind around him.

And you talked—about the old-ass TV shows he never got to see the end of, and the new music he hated. You’d enjoyed (gently) teasing him about being an old man who didn’t understand Cardi B when you played it on his phone. You suspected he didn’t quite understand how all the bells and whistles worked on an iPhone yet. (But he’d taken it back from you before you could text anyone.)

“In my day, there was a little more fucking class,” he’d said. “Sinatra. Nat King Cole. Christ, the fucking Beatles.” 

You’d rolled your eyes at that. You liked all those guys too, actually. But that didn’t mean you couldn’t bang out all the words to “Bodak Yellow” and “Please Me.” 

You also talked about the movies he missed out on. The ones you thought he’d probably enjoy, like the Terminator sequels and Liam Neeson’s Taken (if only for the sheer irony). And all the while, he asked you probing questions he likely thought were subtle. 

“What did you do at Vought?” he asked over chips and salsa. 

You thought the salsa was a bit too spicy, but he was lapping it up. It both amused and disgusted you. 

Until he licked some of it off his fingers. Catching your gaze, his became mischievous. He slid his fingers out of his mouth with an obscene noise. All the while, his deep green eyes held yours. 

You would never admit to being turned on, but you felt your cheeks warming up as you fought not to react, watching the juices drip down his fingers.

“I ran down criminals for the supes to ‘catch’ them,” you managed to reply. “They just got to do the sweeping in part.”

“Lazy shits,” he remarked, licking off the remaining salsa from his hand. You tried not to focus on the sight of his tongue. Afterwards, he gave you reprieve by wiping his hands on a paper towel.

What the fuck is wrong with me? You inwardly shook your head at yourself. 

“Back in my day, we actually ran down our own leads,” he said. “Sure, we got tips every now and then, but we did our own busts.”

You didn’t know how much of that you could believe, considering he’d never even fought in World War II, despite his numerous claims of pounding Nazis up the ass.  

“How’d you end up there, anyway?” he asked. 

“Vought paid more than private practice,” you wryly replied. 

He eyed you then. “And before?”

Before? Was he just bored, or did he genuinely want to know about your life? 

Still, this was starting to veer into things you’d rather not talk about.  

“Worked for my dad’s P.I. firm,” you said, making an effort to untighten your spine. “I learned what I know from him.”

That much was the truth, though you hadn’t spoken to him in over a year. 

Ben chortled, making you frown. “‘A’ for fucking effort there, sweetheart.”

You huffed. Yes, you did realize the irony of being kidnapped by the man you’d hunted down (sort of). Didn’t mean he had to be such an asshole about it.

“He must be fucking proud,” he added. Your gaze sharpened with irritation. 

“Like your dad was proud of you?” out came your pointed reply, before you could stop yourself.  

His amusement faded, likely as he stared back at you and saw that you knew for a fact what he’d told Butcher.

A fucking disappointment.

He didn’t bother lying, but his lip curled into a sneer. 

“Be careful, sweetheart,” he warned. You heard the underlying threat in his voice. You forced yourself to keep your mouth shut, lowering your eyes. The act was grating on you, boiling your blood.

But it seemed to mollify him enough. He let out a low chuckle. 

“I’ll let that one go,” he said. “Next time, I might not be so fucking nice.”

You believed him. 

It was a week of this, before you finally found out the hard way where Ben’s room was. 

You were wandering down a long hallway on the second floor, over in the west wing of the house. Your room was in the east, so you really hadn’t seen this side of the mansion before. The problem was, all these halls were looking the same to you. 

And now you had no idea how to get back to the main hall, where by now you could navigate downstairs to the kitchen, the back garden, the pool hall, a study room (with several shelves of books), a gym, and even an indoor movie theater. 

Suddenly, you thought you heard a woman’s voice, high and giggly. What the hell?

Your natural curiosity led you farther down the hall, where you could see light and movement beneath the closed door. Whatever (and whoever) was in there, you really should just let it be. 

You’d been able to successfully avoid Ben for the past few days, and you didn’t feel like dealing with the headache of another encounter with him—for as long as you could manage it.

So you were just about to turn back and keep on your merry way.  

But when you heard a slap, followed by a feminine cry of pain, you halted in your step. With your brows crunching in concern, you couldn’t help but approach the door again. You leaned in to listen.

Another slap, another pained mewling from the girl. Your mouth turned down in an angry frown of alarm. 

What the fuck is going on? You didn’t know what kind of sick shit he was into, but if he was hurting some poor girl for his own entertainment, you knew you couldn’t just walk away. 

After one more second of hesitation, you gripped the door handle and shoved it open. 

What you found seared your eyes. 

In unblinking shock, you took in the shambled state of Ben’s room. Clothes strewn haphazardly about, remnants of lines of coke on the coffee table, plates of half-eaten delicacies left on a wheeled in buffet, bottles of liquor, half-empty glasses and shots rolling around. 

And a California king bed occupied the center, where the sheets and pillows had fallen off while Soldier Boy fucked no less than five prostitutes. All looked to be of various ethnicities and a wide age range. The oldest of them looked saggy enough to be in her seventies, but she was working as hard and skillfully as the rest of them.  

One of the younger ones, maybe around your age, was getting spanked by one of his large hands while another girl’s head bobbed over his lap with gusto. The other three were finding things to do, whether on the man himself, or to each other in front of him on the bed. 

In reality, you probably took all this in for just a few seconds. 

But a gasp fell unbidden from your lips, along with a “Jesus fucking Christ!”

Ben looked like he had been working up a mild sweat. Broken from his concentration though, he glanced up at you. And then the broadest, Cheshire cat fucking grin spread across his face. 

“Hey, baby doll,” he greeted mischievously. “You here to join in? Here, tag in for, uh…what’s your name again, sweetheart?”

He looked down and grabbed the shoulder of the girl in his lap. She released his cock out of her mouth for a second to answer, “Jasmine.”

“Sure,” he said with a nod. Then he frowned and gestured to his still rock-hard dick. Your eyes widened in shock—both at the audacity, and at the size of it. You blushed hotly.

“But don’t fucking stop now, Jesus,” he said to the girl. And he looked over at you with a raised brow. “Unless you wanna jump in…but seriously, don’t make me wait all fuckin’ day here.”

Your face contorted in disgust. 

“There’s not enough fucking therapy for this,” you muttered. 

Then you fled the room, slamming the door behind you so hard that it rattled. It still didn’t muffle his laughter behind the door. 

Your face, neck, and the tips of your ears were on fire as you hastened down the hall. 

By the time you got to the kitchen, you could even hear your rapid heartbeat in your ears. You set a hand over your chest and felt the thump, thump, thumping under your palm. 

Images continued to flash through your mind—naked flesh, bouncing tits, shockingly adept wrinkled hands. And then the man’s chiseled bare form, planes of tanned skin over muscle, and strong-looking hands.  

Fucking hell. You shook your head to try and rid yourself of your brain’s ongoing loop, but it was a losing battle. With a long and frustrated sigh, you reached into the fridge and grabbed all the ingredients you needed to make a damn sandwich. 

You knew Ben had hired a personal chef (Simone, you thought her name was), but you were pretty sure she was currently part of the service the supe entourage today. 

You slapped together a turkey and provolone sandwich with some lettuce, mayo, and a pickle for added “razzle dazzle.” 

Though on second thought, you put the pickle back. 

With an aggravated huff, you stood at the counter and tore into your dinner (you were too angry to sit at this point). You devoured half of it and nearly a whole bag of Doritos by the time that cocky bastard strolled in like the cat that got the cream, and clearly, more than once.

He looked freshly showered, and finally clothed in casual pants and a buttoned down shirt, rolled up on the sleeves.

Ben eyed you with a smirk. You raised a brow at him. 

“That was fast,” you remarked. “I expected you to be in that fuck dungeon all night.” 

“I wouldn’t call it a dungeon,” he said, leaning on the other side of the counter opposite you. “More like a cellar of fine delectables.”

You snorted. “All right, Hugh Hefner. I want to scrub my eyes with bleach.”

“Didn’t look that way from where I was sitting, doll face,” he quipped. His brow rose at you with a salacious, curling smile. You leveled him with a look. 

“At the very least, you would’ve ended that little dry spell of yours,” he added playfully. 

Your gaze sharpened at that. You dropped your sandwich on the plate to glare at him. “Excuse me?”

“What’s it been?” he asked, leaning closer into your personal space with a more knowing grin. “Don’t really fucking tell me it’s been three years since somebody’s laid you out right.”

Despite your outrage at his audacity, your mouth fell open the slightest bit. 

“What…”

Again, he eyed your form, and not subtly at that. Today you’d found a pair of jeans that you’d managed to squeeze into. The polo shirt clinging to your waist and ribs and tight across your breasts wasn’t helping you either.

But you were honestly surprised he could still be looking at you like that when he’d just been doing some Olympic-level fucking. 

Your spine tightened nervously when he straightened to his full height, walking around the kitchen counter towards you. His hand slid across the surface, his head tilting at you in amusement. 

“It’s amazing what you can hear on shitty hotel roofs,” he said. 

Your eyes widened when you understood what he was getting at. When you were on the phone with your sister… 

“Maybe then you’ll—and let me not shock you here—meet someone,” Louisa had said. “And finally put an end to that three-year goddamn dry spell.”

And that prickly feeling you’d felt then, licking up your spine and raising the hairs on the back of your neck…

“You were watching me,” you realized.  

Ben just looked down on you with a deepening smirk. His green eyes were alight with mischief, and yeah, probably lust too.   

“You fucking creep,” you said, with both a sigh and a roll of your eyes (despite your growing blush). 

He chuckled and raised a hand to lightly grip your chin. “That’s not very nice.”

You glared up at him, too angry and stubborn to remember to mind your temper. He seemed to like it though, working you up. He teased and prodded you enough, almost like a little boy trying to get a girl’s attention. Except this one was the most powerful supe alive.

So why does he like it so much, this stupid cat and mouse thing?

Not for the first time, you wondered why he decided to keep you around. And you had a feeling it wasn’t just to bait your friends. Maybe he just liked toying with you, seeing how far he could push until you snapped.

And then what? you wondered. 

Though if you were honest with yourself…you were just as into this little game as he was, albeit for different reasons. You wanted to understand him. 

At first, it was the job. Know the man you’re after.

But now, it was more. Knowing Soldier Boy, getting to know Ben would be the key to making it out of this situation alive. You just knew it…if only he didn’t make it so damn frustrating. 

“Seriously, tell me,” he said, still with a deceptively light grip on your chin. The pad of his thumb brushed your full lower lip, making your breath hitch. He glanced down at your mouth, then back into your eyes. 

“How fucking long’s it been since that pretty pussy’s been touched?” he asked. “‘Cause in my opinion, that’s a crying shame.”

For a moment, your breath got stuck in your throat. You felt a hot blush rising in your cheeks, down your neck…and maybe warmth between your legs at the mere suggestion.

You inwardly steeled yourself, clamping down on your anger and your embarrassment. Instead, you leveled him with a cool smile. 

“Not forty years, I’ll tell you that,” you said. 

While he raised a brow, he let you slowly push his hand away. You left him in the kitchen soon after, but he watched you go. Whether you meant to or not, the sway in your hips and your delectable ass in those tight fucking jeans made his dick twitch. 

Figures, he thought, that you’d get all fucking huffy. He shrugged and picked up half the sandwich you left behind. 

You found nothing else for your frustration but to head outside.

With a sigh, you sat down at the edge of the massive pool and just dipped your legs in. You didn’t have a swimsuit, and you didn’t want to take any chances by getting your clothes wet around here. Or even worse, stripping down to your bra and underwear. 

You blushed at the memory of Ben’s proximity, his touch, his rich, teasing voice that dripped with lustful promise. And that just reminded you of the scenes from his room, which flashed in your mind every so often like a bad porno. 

Shit. You absently bit at one of your nails. Ben had also heard that entire conversation with your sister. That meant he knew about her, and that gave you no small amount of anxiety. 

But he already had you. He hadn’t tried to extort you for anything (yet). You knew though, that if he threatened Luisa, or tried to use her to manipulate you in any way, there wasn’t much you could do but play along, like everything else. 

Right now, anyway… 

You noticed a dark shape out of the corner of your eye, and for a moment you were annoyed, ready to tell Ben to give you a moment’s peace. 

But it wasn’t him. It was Tony standing near the end of the pool. He must’ve been freed from desk duty, or whatever Ben had him doing while he presumably recovered from his injuries.

“What up, Tony?” you greeted, unable to resist a teasing smile when you noticed the large boot for his broken foot. Now plus a few extra bruises from your last tussle. They were dark, but yellowing around the edges. 

His lips twitched at a cold smile. “They’re letting the little mouse out of her room now?”

You shrugged, smirking.

“You look good,” you replied. “How’re the balls though? Still broken?”

Tony expression tightened into a glare. “You better watch it, bitch.”

“Or what?” you challenged.  

There was enough distance between you and him across the pool for you to feel comfortable, but really, you weren’t too afraid of Tony.

Yeah, he was a dick. But you’d taken him down before. You could literally break his balls again if he needed more encouragement to fuck off. 

Tony just smirked back at you, deciding to leave you alone for now. You watched him head back into the house with sharp eyes. He wouldn’t take you by surprise again.

Frank was waiting for you when you got back to your room. You were more relieved to see him than you’d like to admit, and you greeted him with a genuine smile, before you noticed the shopping bags in his hands. 

“What’s this?” you asked. Frank dutifully handed you the bags, and inside you found new clothes. They actually seemed to be your size. 

You looked up at Frank, both shocked and grateful. “You got me clothes?”

“Boss’s orders,” he revealed. Your brows rose high at that. 

“He told you to do this?”

Frank expelled a breath through his nose, hesitating, like he was debating how to frame his reply.

“He provided them,” he said. It felt like a confession, one that made your eyes widen at the implication.

Soldier Boy bought you new clothes? 

You didn’t know how to compute on this one, honestly. But you still answered with a tentative, “Oh. Well…thanks.”

He nodded, and soon left you with your thoughts and your spoils. You went into your room and dumped the bags onto the bed so you could examine their contents. 

There were casual shirts and yoga pants, a couple pairs of jeans, some sneakers, thank God. All the bras and panties, however, were lacey and expensive.

You shook your head with a smile, eyeing the labels. This man really went to Victoria’s Secret to buy you new underwear. 

It was both kind and somewhat sleazy, knowing he was going to be imagining you in the sexy, but admittedly tasteful lingerie. 

The “kind” part took you by surprise though. The clothes overall weren’t revealing or obnoxious. Even the underwear and bras were in styles you’d probably wear, under normal circumstances. 

So you put together an outfit out of one of the shirts and a pair of jeans, breathing a sigh of relief when you could peel the old ones off. 

This was a far cry from bullying and annoying you, and generally being an arrogant son of a bitch. 

The truth was, Ben was confusing you.

Perhaps now more than ever. 

AN: 🤭 Well, one would argue that she saw more sides of Ben than she thought she would (or wanted to). 😜

Let me know what you thought of this chapter! Things are definitely going to ramp up in the next one...

Keep Reading: PART 6

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[azulsluver]

FINALLY ANOTHER YANDERE TF2 BLOG

I’ve checked your blog out and I’m finding out you just recently added tf2 🤭 since requests are open can I get something about the post you did of Scout falling for the teams enemy. Can you write a reaction about realizing they have the hots for them? Spy and Scout pretty please with a cherry on top and thank you 🙏����

This one got a lil kick to it

Note that I personally have red and blue tf2 characters have different personalities (bc I made my lil tweaks for blue team as my ocs :3)

tw. yandere, gore (?), description of violence, stalking, implied psychological torture, mind break.

Scout is just that guy. So when you’re face planted into soil or concrete you have already given up on fighting back. It’s harder and less gruesome this time, there isn’t a chance to exchange snarky insults when a bat is smashed into your gut.

You don’t wanna point fingers but you’re so sure the Scout is targeting you. Not even going after your Medic, it’s always straight towards you. There were plenty of times you wanted to confront him about it but that just makes you look silly to pout about.

So when you did have the balls to corner and yell at him to piss off, his winning smile would be the last thing you’d see before being blasted with his scattergun.

You’re beyond furious for not being taken seriously, this feels way more personal than fighting over land, it’s as if you offended him in some way.

Scout definitely takes is personally. Like who even are you? All high and mighty on the enemies team with your cute little weapons. It pisses him off so bad he doesn’t even know why. There’s a deep hated settlement for the Blue team, your other teammates don’t catch his eyes like you did, you want his attention so bad dontcha?

When it’s another day of going out to work you almost wanna stay back. But your team needs you as much as you needed them. So you suck it up and pray that Scout would get tired of you one day. You think of what could go wrong, or how it could get even worse. To the point where you’re forced against the wall with his metal bat strangling your neck, the cold steel crushing your windpipe as Scout eyes you up.

“I felt as this could’ve been way more easier on your part, ya know, take ya out some’r real nice. But you wanna be difficult, huh?”

“I mean, I know you got the hots for me, all the babes do.”

His grip lacks in pressure as he geeks to himself, prideful. Taking large amounts of breaths, your hand finds its weapon and clumsily hit him over the head.

It knocks him off you, you’re wheezing and lightheaded as you stumble on top of him. Your fist repeatedly bashing into his face, all the pent up anger slowly releasing as you come to a stop. Holding onto his dog tag with one hand and the other in his hair.

You can say you fantasized the day Scout would fumble into your hands, where you can put the little shit in his place and show him just exactly why you were hired to be here.

The blood dripping down his nose and mouth was not flattering, but god did it feel good. Scout can only suck in his breaths through busted teeth and nose, hazy eyes staring up at you so adoringly.

Putting an end to it, leaving him back in respawn, Scout shudders as he falls backwards on his ass. His heart racing of feeling alive, dead before, but it felt amazing by your hands. The way you looked at him like he was some scum, angering you might be his new favorite hobby.

However, he had to show you what happens when stunts like those get out of hand, don’t you know only he can do that to you?

Spy didn’t think to find himself in love. Not exactly love, loving someone doesn’t make you repeatedly stab their back more than usual. Lingering, waiting, for you to be alone so he can pounce. It’s ungentlemanly of him, but he doesn’t wanna stop so soon.

Just the smell of cigarettes has you on edge, you know it’s your Spy, damned look-a-like. It leaves you paranoid, like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Anyone can be him. Is your Scout a little too nonchalant? Or did you feel unease at your Engineer not answering you in the dead of night, but it’s Engineer, the poor guy needs sleep. But so do you. You can’t feel comfortable in your own base. Always looking over your shoulder, that Demo has been too touchy with you.

It leaves things complicated, one, Spy isn’t so sure on how to reciprocate his feelings with you. It’s unprofessional to date coworkers, one on the other team to be exact. He won’t deny the terror on your face amuses him, it felt nice to know he left a permanent presence that has you petrified. It’s selfish of him to want and indulge, so he carefully, makes himself known in your life. Understand he’s here to stay.

Some psychological damage is being done, you’ve seen plenty of fucked up shit, but being human can only get you so far. It’s gotten to the point you begged your Medic to give you some sorts of medication to sleep better. A place where Spy wouldn’t be able to get you even if he had your physical body back in reality.

You need sleep. He’s making you lose it. You’re losing it and the bags under your eyes are proof.

War leaves something for everyone, a part of you is within those battle grounds. By his hands, laying dead in his arms as your body disintegrates into nothing. You’ll be back at spawn. Dreading to step foot out back to chaos. Because you can see him waiting for you.

Spy needs you without a doubt, you have shown that you aren’t capable of caring for yourself. A mercenary is strong and stable, you were once, yet he’s stripped away a valuable part of you.

[writerblue275]

Heartsteel!Sett Becoming a Dad

Inspiration: Listen I’ve had a hellish week and I need this. The other person who did what I do at work left so I’m flying solo at the moment, on top of training a new hire. Things are just bonkers and I’m fucking stressed and I need fluff god damnit.

Extra Inspo: Also @milksuu has me stuck on the thought of Dad!Heartsteel. (GO READ THIS AMAZING DAD!PHEL HEADCANON POST (HERE) AND CRY WITH ME.)

Genre: Headcanon

Type: Fluffy as fuckkkk

Gender: Reader implied afab/able to carry a pregnancy. Use of “mother.”

TW: Discussion of pregnancy, discussion of a deadbeat dad (not Sett ofc). Swearing.

(I don’t even want kids irl but damn I would have his children without question kthxbye.)

When you tell him you’re pregnant, Sett is so so SO fucking excited. Like over the moon thrilled.

The two of you often talked about your future together and starting a family would eventually be a part of it. So while this baby wasn’t exactly planned, it’s not unwelcome news. The timeline just got bumped up a little bit.

Watching him kneel down (because he’s fucking TALL) and rest his forehead against your not-yet-showing belly is heart-melting.

And it is something he does quite often, especially once your bump starts to show. It doesn’t matter whether you’re standing, sitting, or laying in bed.

Sett loves to softly sing or talk to the baby. He sings his favorite songs and tells the baby all sorts of things. Like stories from when he was little, stories about the two of you, the shenanigans him and the other Heartsteel members get up to, or even just what the weather is currently like. Talking to you and your tummy while you gently play with his hair and ears is his definition of domestic bliss.

He’s so extremely helpful. Like just an absolute angel of a partner. His love language is acts of service, so showing his love by doing things for you is already very natural for him. Crank that up to 11 when it comes to you being pregnant. Also your mood swings don’t phase him like at all. He knows it’s the hormones.

He’s meal prepping healthy and pregnancy-safe meals for you, but he’s also happy to run to the store/to get carry out at night when a craving hits. Sometimes you just gotta have fried chicken and ice cream at 11:30pm. He understands!

Whatever you need, Sett’s going to do everything in his power to do it for you. How could he not? You’re going through so much to bring this child into the world. He wants to make it as easy as possible for you.

He tries to make sure he can make every one of your pre-natal appointments if at all possible. He’ll take the day off to make sure he can go with you. And if there’s ever an appointment he can’t make because he’s out of town or something, he’ll face time in so he can still be with you in some way. He never wants you to feel like you’re facing any part of this pregnancy alone. Lean on him. He’s your rock, your partner, and he’s got your back through it all.

Now of course, not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Sett fully believes you’ll be an excellent parent. But surprisingly, that’s not necessarily a belief he holds for himself…

One night when you two are just relaxing together, enjoying the nightly routine of him resting his head on your thigh and talking to your bump, you notice his expression get a little more serious.

“Can I tell you a secret, nugget? One that I haven’t even told your mother yet?” Sett glances up at you shyly before looking back down at your growing bump. “I’m…I’m a bit scared to be a father,” he murmurs. “I’m so excited to meet you and help you grow, but I’m also terrified I’ll mess up too much. I’m afraid I won’t be a good father to you. My dad wasn’t around very long so it’s not like I have someone in my family to look to as a good example of fatherhood…”

Your eyes widen as you listen to him continue to vent his lack of confidence in himself when it comes to being a good father. It breaks your heart. All of this self-doubt coming from the man who makes sure to never miss an appointment, even when he’s in a different country, who took all sorts of brochures from your OBGYN’s office, ordered parenting books galore and has been reading them non-stop, the man excitedly painting the walls of the nursery and helping you build a crib or rocking chair once he’s home from work.

“Settrigh, look at me,” you say softly as you gently run your fingers through his hair.

He looks up at you, his eyes clearly showing his nerves at what your response might be, though he tries to pass off a small shaky smile. “Uh oh…the full name comes out. That’s never good.”

You let out a soft giggle as you look down at him adoringly and gently move your hand down to cup his cheek. “Do you really think I’d still be here with you right now, 7-months pregnant with your child, our child, if I thought you’d be a bad father? Absolutely not, my love. You know I don’t tolerate fools or bullshit. There’s no one I’d rather start a family with and I think you’ll be an incredible father.”

He leans into your touch. “But I don’t know how to be a good father….not with the way mine was…”

“There’s no fool-proof guidebook for parenting, Sett. Even with your Ma as an amazing example, I don’t really know how to be a mother yet. Parenting is something we’ll learn together along the way, yeah?

He nods. “You’re right baby, as per usual.”

Your smile widens before you continue. “While yes, your father is a shitty deadbeat, that doesn’t concern me. Do you know why?”

He gently shakes his head.

You smile softly again. “He wasn’t the one who raised you, babe, your Ma did. Your Ma is one of the kindest, strongest, most loving beings in this world. Despite everything the world threw at her, she survived and she never let it break her spirit. She raised the best life partner I could ever ask for, and I know you’ll pass on all her lessons to our little nugget. Your heart and your upbringing come from your Ma, Sett, not your dad.”

He nods gently and sighs. “She really sacrificed a lot to make sure we’d be ok. I’m so lucky to have her as my Ma.”

“All it takes is one look to see that sacrifice wasn’t in vain. She’s so proud of you, Sett. She feels so lucky to have you as her son. She’s told me so herself.” You run your thumb along his cheekbone. “You’re not your father. I know you’d never just leave, forcing me to fend for this baby all by myself. Hell, you hate leaving me just to go on short work trips with Heartsteel! You’re a far better man than your dad ever was and you’ll be a far better father than he was too.”

His eyes grow soft as you speak and you feel him relax a bit. “You really think so?”

“I know so!…Also, babe, even in the extremely unlikely case you did leave…you know damn well your Ma would hunt you down and drag you back here herself.”

When he’s out of town with Heartsteel, he’s making sure to check in on you and call/facetime at least twice a day.

During each call Sett has you lower your phone down to your bump so he can say hello to the baby. (And if you’re ok with it, he’ll let the other guys/Alune come over and say hi to you and talk to your belly as well. “They should know their uncles and aunt!”)

Even while he’s out of town you know you’re in good hands. His Ma assures you she’s only a call away and is happy to come keep you company if you want her to. She’s truly a saint, offering advice anytime you or Sett ask her for it while also never going against a decision you and him make. She understands better than anyone how chaotic and unpredictable parenthood can be, and she knows the two of you will always do what you think is best for your baby. She’s just the most supportive woman and she’s utterly thrilled to become a grandma.

The two of you decide to wait to find out the sex of the baby. It’s not really important to Sett to know early. Whatever sex, as long as you and the baby are healthy, that’s all he cares about.

When the moment eventually comes and your water breaks, it’s a little hilarious how panicked he gets, dashing around the house to make sure everything important is in the car.

You grab Sett’s arm to get him to pause his scrambling. “Babe out of the two of us, I feel like I should be the one panicking,” you let out on a laugh, leaning up to kiss him softly. “Breathe. We have time. This is why we prepared early and pre-packed the hospital bags in the car, remember? We’re as ready as we can be, my love, so let’s go become parents.”

As you talk he takes a couple deep breaths and relaxes slightly. As you finish, he kisses you gently. “Let’s go become parents,” he murmurs. Before he steps away completely he kneels down and kisses your tummy. “See you soon, nugget…”

Once he gets over the initial wave of anxiety, Sett gets into the zone. Just an incredible birthing partner to have with you. He’s guiding you through your breathing exercises. He has no issue letting you squeeze the fuck out of his hand or arm. He’s even calm when you cuss him out during particularly intense contractions. He knows you don’t really mean what you’re saying, you’re just in a lot of pain. He calmly keeps wiping off your face and neck with a cool towel and murmuring words of encouragement into your ear, smiling gently and holding you as you eventually melt against him for support.

Hates that you’re not allowed to eat anything. He’s not eating anything either in solidarity. What kind of asshole would bring food and eat it while their partner giving birth can’t have any?? Like Sett doesn’t understand people who do that so don’t worry, you definitely won’t experience that with him.

And once the time comes for you to push, he’s wherever you want him to be, whether that’s right next to you holding your hand, helping the nurses by holding a leg, or even sitting behind you, holding you against his chest. He wants/needs to be useful for you. Wherever he is, he’s encouraging and praising you to high heavens, in absolute awe of you and your strength.

And once the baby comes…🥹🥹🥹

Sett’s eyes are watering as soon as he sees the the teeny tiny ears on top of the baby’s head.

But first he’s hugging you, making sure you’re alright, telling you how amazing you did and how proud of you he is. And as soon as the docs/nurses give the all clear, he’s giving you your fav snacks that he packed so you can finally eat something.

Once he sees you holding the baby, that’s when the tears really start falling. His heart can’t handle it. You, the love of his life, holding your baby, a direct result of your love for each other. It’s one of the most beautiful sights he’s ever witnessed.

He’s sitting next to you on the edge of the bed, his arm around you, looking down at this squalling bundle in your arms with the biggest, most adoring smile on his face.

And when Sett gets a chance to hold the baby? He’s finally able to talk to the baby outside your tummy? Oh he’s so excited! His heart is filled with so much love it’s about to burst.

As is yours, seeing your massive partner holding this small bundle so carefully and protectively in his arms. He’s so gentle and sweet as he welcomes your child into the world and promises he’ll always be there to love, protect, and guide them as best he can. You know Sett means every single word with his whole heart, and it brings happy tears to your eyes as you start this new journey together as a family.

Ah! Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! I just really needed Heartsteel fluffiness at the moment and the thought of Sett as a dad is just so cute. (Especially the thought of him as a girl dad oh my fucking god.)

[lemonthepotato]

Amai’s Week

I didn’t even know until today that Amai had a week, that’s how hard this game fell off. Anyway, boy do I have some criticisms.

1) We need that many ways to enter a building in a mission? Why? It ends the same no matter what. The mission is still linear.

2) The dialogue in this game is so stiff and not how people talk. Never played a Hitman mission where the target said “I’m going to be here at X time, doing Y thing, blah blah blah” but Amai is kind enough to specify the times she’ll be serving food. Yeah, it’s kind of intuitive to not exit the classroom and start serving octodogs, the cooking club should know it’ll only be at morning, lunch and after school.

3) Amai’s sabotage events are so silly. I remember jokingly thinking “what? are we going to be giving him a pink apron or something?” as a JOKE. And then it HAPPENED, essentially. These characters are meant to be adults LARPing as teenagers but even a teenager has more maturity than “oh, you made an apron I didn’t like!” What? Did Ayano draw a swastika on it or another hate symbol? The game refers to it as a ‘lame’ apron, which implies it’s more likely that Ayano used a bland colour scheme. I’m sorry, but “I wanted a black apron but you made me a pink one, that offends me” is not on the same level. And by the way- if Amai’s food is giving people food poisoning due to Ayano’s sabotage, why is she still allowed to run the bake sale???

I was genuinely thinking “surely, it’s more going in this direction” during the picnic talk. It was. So, what? Amai is supposed to control the insects?

If you sabotage all of Amai’s events, Senpai should get the sense that she’s a BAD COOK. Literally all. Her sabotage events are NOT enough to warrant being cut off or rejected.

4) I like how no one in this game questions a giant ass water fountain placed randomly in a room.

5) THE LOVE CONFESSION DOESN’T MAKE AMAI LOOK GOOD, EITHER. Who the FUCK says “yeah, I know I’ve known you for a week, but I was actually pissed at you for mourning your dead friend because… what about me???”

OKAY, TO BE FAIR, THAT “MAKE SURE YOU KEEP THAT IN MIND” LINE FROM AYANO GOES HARD ASF 🔥

6) Okay lol I just. I love how funny Kizana is.

I like to imagine Ayano and Senpai are in some Truman Show situation where Info-chan is just hiring all these colourful personalities to rizz Senpai to create the craziest situations ever. Like Ayano is just some institutionalised person who was dragged out by a studio to be exploited in her dire mental state. Can’t wait to get Kizana in 2025 and Oka in 2026.

Look I’m an Amai defender but spitting in someone’s food is VILE. The reason I don’t go to… let’s call it OldRonalds is because three employees spat in my food. I had three occasions. Yeah, wasn’t risking a fourth. AND IT’S IMPLIED SHE DID THIS SEVERAL TIMES. That is NASTY.

7) Yeah I definitely talk to myself when cooking. That’s totally normal.

8) SHE TELEPORTS IMMEDIATELY TO THE FLOOR. ALSO HOW WOULD NO ONE HEAR THAT???

9) A small pet peeve of mine over the years is the line “oh my god! is that a dead body?” when talking about their classmates. Akademi is a small school, where everyone should know each other. Maybe- like “Oh my god! [character’s surname, because it’s Japan, or whatever their nickname is considering Akademi has nicknames]? A-are you okay? I need to get help!”

10) Ben Shoku-ro asks us to essentially stalk Amai. Very normal. See, this is why I headcanon that Akademi is just a mental institution disguised as some… high school LARP. A very ineffective one, too.

11) I like how everyone has the exact same criticism with the exact same wording towards Amai’s cooking.

12) “You shoot 100% of the takes you don’t miss” is such a funny quote. No shit Sherlock.

13) “juvenile delinquent” aren’t they 18? C’mon, if you’re gonna use the “they’re actually 18” excuse, be consistent about it.

14) Welcome to Writing 101. In Inkyu and Sakyu’s conversation on Friday, the pink one (Inkyu, I believe) says “however?” While Inkyu is gathering her thoughts. It doesn’t add tension to the scene, they’re talking about fucking studying. It happens twice, actually. It’s awkward and drags on too long. I’m a writer, not a programmer, but surely there has to be a way to make the dialogue end faster?

Also Horuda canonically drawing kill art is real asf. She is not okay in the head and is expressing her emotions to avoid doing something dangerous. This is what we call showing, not telling. This is something this game struggles at.

15) Wait, Kyuji stalking Osana is a bounty? What if the player match made them? Is the game seriously gonna punish you for doing the pacifist route?

16) Why can Toga walk on bushes???

Okay if Senpai’s new personality is himbo than I kinda fw him.

HELP DID YANDEREDEV FORGET TOGA WASN’T A CREEP SO HAD TO RETCON IT?? Same with Horo, though I think Horo being weird was inferred by the demon Easter egg.

17) Also, another general criticism, but the dialogue in this game is so wonky. Instead of “Hey, blah blah, did you know blah blah dislikes gossip?” It could be “Hey, blah blah, X said to me gossipers were all evil people. Ridiculous, right? Who doesn’t gossip from time to time? Guess that’s what I’m doing” or something shorter than that. And things like money and violence shouldn’t even be discussable topics. I’m sorry but “Hey, Horuda Umetsu, did you know Amai Odayaka dislikes violence” would receive an “okay? don’t we all?” IRL. Like even though Horuda is prone to violence no one’s going around shaming people for disliking it WTF.

(Edit: Btw, before Amai came out, I made my own version of Amai’s week a year ago, along with the other rivals, but honestly? They suck. I’ll add them anyway, if you wanna check them out, but I got lazy halfway through and began half assing stuff: Amai, Kizana, Oka, Asu, Muja, Mida, Osoro, Hanako, Megami. I’m not saying these are better than the game. The way I characterised Kizana, for example? Canon Kizana is much better. The writing on these posts were somehow cringier than the actual writing. Why share it then? Dunno. I like humiliating myself? Oddly, I got a lot of nice DM’s from people about them at the time. I also made a shitty AU.) (I have more posts over there, like a mission mode concept ending) (also, it was only a year ago, but I feel like my writing has improved a ton since then)

Addendum: Not sure if I gave the impression I support YandereDev. I don’t.

[cellarspider]

14/30 Gnosis, and lack thereof

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⛬

We return to the movie that could’ve been a contender, Prometheus. In this episode, a two-year-old poisons a man.

I’m not alone in thinking David is the most well-realized character in this movie. Michael Fassbender was given the most space to act through expression and reaction to others and his environment, which helps create an android character that has much more inner life than his human castmates. He also gets what I’d call the Data bonus: android characters can more easily get away with screamingly clunky exposition or explicitly stating the meaning of a scene. You can give them absolute gibberish if you want to, and it sounds perfectly logical when they say it.

[Video description: A small selection of technobabble from Star Trek: The Next Generation, mostly featuring Data.]

David is also the easiest to be sympathetic to, because people keep being assholes to him.

Yes, David has received mysterious orders from a mysterious man who’s still in stasis. It’s Peter Weyland. It’s obviously Peter Weyland, this is why David has the dream-reading helmet thing that felt so out of place at the start of the movie. This is also why Guy Pierce, a 45-year-old, was hired to play an infinity-year-old man. Weyland was going to appear as his ideal self in one of these dream sequences, but it was cut from the movie. So instead, we just have Vickers demanding to know what “he” wants, and the answer is “Try harder”.

Peter Weyland, beginning a trend for the company bearing his name, has an obsession with this alien stuff. …This trend was actually begun by Charles Bishop Weyland in a completely different continuity that also featured ancient alien contact with Earth, but hey, details. This Weyland wants results, damn it, and David gets an excuse to kill one of the crew.

Although it’s not quite that simple. The movie indicates that David can’t go against orders from the company, especially from Weyland. He has to “try harder”, and he’s brought back one of those alien urns that apparently nobody cares to examine but him. 

It’s got a goth lava lamp in it.

While we don’t get much indication David knows why this stuff is dangerous to organic life, I’ll give the movie a very tiny pass: it’s implied that David has figured out how to read the Engineer’s cuneiform script. He decants a droplet of Menacing Black Goo onto his (Weyland-branded) fingertip, and sets off to find a test subject.

Thank god, he chooses Holloway.

I don’t like not liking characters. I don’t generally anticipate seeing someone’s comeuppance, but this movie gets me damn close to that feeling. In the movie’s partial defense, some of this was probably intended. Mainstream American fiction sets a high bar for what a bigot looks like, and Holloway’s been clearing that. I’m less certain the movie knows everyone’s behaving like a bigot, but we’ll get to that eventually. But Holloway? Definitely. 

This creates a fairly interesting scene. One that even reaches towards good. David has the means to kill Holloway. The audience knows this. And we get to watch when he makes the decision to commit to it, and why. And, blessedly, it actually ties into an intentional theme of this movie.

Holloway’s still drunk and miserable–he’d previously muttered that the alien structure on the planet was “just another tomb.”

I, speaking hyperbolically, would consider that grounds enough to off him. He’s an archaeologist who can be sent into a drinking binge by finding a thing made by dead people. An archaeologist. That in itself is such a ridiculous indicator of how unfit this character is for his role.

But no, he wanted to meet his maker, “To get answers.” Sure, lots of people have existential questions they feel are important to them. That is understandable. Even clueless assholes can wonder about that. But it takes an especially hubristic asshole to decide they’re the one worthy of asking someone who might have the answer. 

Did anybody notice they didn’t bring any diplomats or orators on this trip? They didn’t bring any cultural exchange gifts with them when they approached the alien structure? They weren’t treating the Engineers as people, just something to discover.

David, someone else they’re not treating like people, asks Holloway “Why do you think your people made me?”, and the answer he gets is “Because we could.” David is quietly but openly disappointed in that.

This is the whiplash of this movie. We have the biggest bunch of shambolic assholes klutzing around, waiting to get killed off by the plot, and then we have David expressing the horror of Valentinian gnosticism.

In brief, because even the wikipedia page says “The theology [...] is extremely complicated and difficult to follow”, the strain of Christian gnosticism expressed by the 2nd century theologian Valentinus believes that the world was created by an ignorant being. They believed there was a benevolent god out there which was/produced Jesus, but the “demiurge” (lit. “craftsman”) who created the world was not this deity. The demiurge was an imperfect, lesser being, that believed itself to be the supreme god of the universe. In Valentinianism, as with other gnostic schools, to be born into the world was to be trapped within a creation of a creature that was prone to fits of abusive behavior.

Gnostic christianity was, at the time, an attempt to square a number of contradictory ideas: the incredibly influential ideas of Plato on the formation of the universe, the growing theology of the new Christian movement, and the examples of divine wrath and jealousy in Jewish scripture, that were hard to square with what early Christians saw as a less violent deity they wanted to worship. There were probably also some anti-Jewish Egyptian myths thrown in as well, depicting their god as a donkey-headed incarnation of the malevolent deity Set. Some may recognize that particular slander from its deployment against early Christians, including our first-ever depiction of Jesus’ crucifixion: a rude bit of graffiti.

In our time, there’s only one remaining gnostic (non-christian) religion with direct continuity to the period, the Mandaeans. Christian gnosticism was deemed heretical, when one of the many different gospels circulating at the time was selected as orthodox in the 4th century, along with an attendant theology. But it remains a fertile ground for philosophers, fiction-writers, and every once in a while someone reinvents bits of it when they hit upon contradictions in christian thought.

The latter seems to be the case with Ridley Scott. He’s sometimes described as an atheist, but his actual statements on the matter show he’s either casually gnostic or a deist, very much influenced by christian doctrine: 

“If we looked at the whole thing practically speaking, the Big Bang occurred and then we go through this evolution of millions, billions of years where, by coincidence, all the right biological accidents came out the right way. To an extent, that doesn't make sense unless there was a controlling decider or mediator in all of that. So who was that? Or what was that? Are we one big grand experiment in the basic overall blink of the universe, or the galaxy? In which case, who is behind it?”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/callingtheshots/ridley_scott.shtml

Tangent: that question came right after he’s quoted as saying “I think there's no originality [in modern films]. I think everyone is stealing from everyone else and going back to the originals. I usually go in for 20 minutes and then get up and leave.” This interview was back in 2006. The next year he’d direct American Gangster (loosely based on a biography), then Body of Lies (Roger Ebert called it "a James Bond plot"), then Robin Hood (it’s Robin Hood), then Prometheus, the movie I only watched because it seemed to be in dialog with a film he directed in 1979. Buddy, if that was your problem, you were part of the problem.

But anyway. We have a director who had stated interest in a christian-influenced cosmogony: he seems to state a belief that we exist because we are supposed to exist, rather than being a random event. This is a movie where he does seem to be trying to do something with that. He is beginning with that premise, and using Alien as the shared language to express it. He doesn’t know why we exist, but he can imagine why we would make someone exist.

Placing that in amongst these characters is bleak to the point of puerility, frankly. Why would we create a being like us? Well, this one asshole doesn’t know.

David, at this point in Prometheus, has already determined that humans are fallible creators. Hell, he’s decided the Engineers were also failable. He, y’know, witnessed how gooey one of their corpses was. But he’s yet to decide on whether humans are just ignorant, trying and failing to be good–as per Valentinus–or if they’re actively malevolent.

The fact that David doesn’t poison Holloway’s drink until just before handing it over does neatly show that he was quietly given a chance to answer that question. Holloway continues to be a jackass and, when asked what he’d do to answer the existential question he wanted to pose to the Engineers, he says he’d do “anything and everything”.

The movie eventually treats Peter Weyland as especially deluded in his self-serving quest to get the Engineers to answer his more selfish questions, but I don’t think his ego was unique in this movie.

On our journey into the movie this time, Prometheus has attempted to grapple with subjects its script hasn’t earned. Next time, it incorporates imagery it hasn’t earned. It’s worse than this scene, but in a far more subtle way.

If you want a neat look on european and middle eastern mysticism from an academic standpoint, Esoterica is a pretty damn good channel, put together by a self-described “dialectical materialist in the tradition of Structural Marxism”. I’ll happily take recommendations on other academic sources aimed at the general audience.

https://youtu.be/7EwRD6SzXws

https://st-takla.org/Feastes-&-Special-Events/Coptic-Nativity-of-Jesus-Christ-Milad-El-Masih/Coptic-Jesus-Incarnation-Christmas-03-Incarnation-of-the-Word-Book.html 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masbuta 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drabsha 

https://www.deviantart.com/pretty--kittie/art/Prometheus-Engineer-407322241 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archon_(Gnosticism) 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sethianism

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[sugar-coated-prat-dragon]

Title: Gwen was at Morgana's beck and call from dawn until long after dusk

Bonus: Gwen’s daily errands for the court and her chores at the smithy for her father kept her extremely busy.

Episode: "Lancelot" questions #3

Questions by @tansyuduri

Tagging: @miyriu

Books used for reference: A Fighting Chance, Valiant, Sword and Sorcery, Magic Begins, The Sorcerers Curse, The Mark of Nimueh and Lancelot and Guinevere

Question:

Gwen was mentioned as being a talented seamstress and even sewed an outfit for Lancelot.

So does that mean she’s the one who makes clothes for the nobles?

That likely implies Gwen sews clothing for nobles (if not the Pendragon’s themselves) as a side gig. This would likely earn her money?

My answer: Given how Merlin automatically knows to go to Gwen when he’s looking for a seamstress. It’s certainly possible that she does a little sewing on the side for money.

However, I doubt she does much work for nobles (other then the orange tabard bearing the Northumbrian crest that she made for Lancelot), because they would likely have their own seamstress’s and the royal family would definitely have their own as well.

Gwen seemed surprised by a soon-to-be-knight coming to her for sewing work and that’s partially why she had the flustered comment about, “Not just Arthur and his kind, but ordinary people like you and me.”

She believed Lancelot to be a noble, but she’d likely already heard of him saving Merlin in the forest from her friend and realized he was a down to earth noble… which was rather rare.

In the season five episode, “A Lesson in Vengeance”, Gaius tells Merlin that ripped fabric they found (from Gwen’s cloak) was raw imported silk and traders would have asked a small fortune for it. He mentions whoever owned the fabric must be extremely wealthy.

Gaius also mentions the queens cloak had embroidery that was woven with threads of silver and gold. All of which I’m sure was the same for nearly all Uther, Arthur, and Morgana’s clothes.

I very much doubt that Gwen would be allowed to repair a tear in Morgana’s golden and silver embroidered dresses with the expensive imported raw silk.

Never-mind, fully tailor them.

Plus, in the “Lancelot and Guinevere” book, Gwen mentions being a servant from a poor family, and thus used to relative lack of luxury.

I think if Gwen regularly sewed outfits for the nobles, her and her father would not be from a ‘poor family’.

Interesting enough, Merlin might have at least a little sewing knowledge himself, because twice it’s mentioned that he needs to repair Arthur’s armour, and while that could possibly involve things like a popped link in the maille or re-attaching straps & cords that got cut.

It could also imply that Merlin repairs tears in it, which would require at least some knowledge of sewing. 🧵 🪡

Book description:

Merlin outlined his plan to obtain suitable clothes for a nobleman - something about a seamstress friend who would be happy to sew them.

Merlin knocked on the door of the house that this seamstress shared with her blacksmith father.

Merlin knew that Gwen was an excellent seamstress, and what was more, he knew he could count on her.

- Merlin staggered under the weight of Arthur's tournament armour. It would be his job to repair and polish it - on top of all his other chores.

- "And now I'm re-hiring you. My chambers are a complete mess. My clothes need washing, my armour needs repairing, my boots need cleaning, my dogs need exercising, my fireplace needs sweeping, my bed needs changing, and someone needs to muck out my stables ..."

- Gwen was as good as her word. Only hours later, Lancelot stood at the edge of the training ground wearing a fine orange tabard bearing the Northumbrian crest.

Question: Gwen being a seamstress implies that her family is more well off than most non-nobles?

I find it interesting that she keeps being a servant when she has this as a possibility?

My answer:

Gwen mentions being a servant from a poor family, and thus used to relative lack of luxury in the book, ‘Lancelot and Guinevere’.

In ‘The Mark of Nimueh’ book, Merlin also describes the house Gwen shares with her father as a, “rickety house which leaned rather heavily to one side” and yet describes the others in the sane area as merely tiny cottages.

That description implies Gwen and Tom’s cottage was actually the worst one in that area. Which I doubt is an exaggeration, given how Merlin himself comes from a poor village.

I also doubt Gwen has much time to pick up extra money as a seamstress, considering how she is not only Lady Morgana’s maid servant, but also has chores that she has to do at the smithy for her father (mentioned in “Valiant”)

Gwen mentions that life in Camelot rarely gave a servant much time to call her own, since from dawn until long after dusk, she was at Morgana's beck and call.

Even more, Gwen’s daily errands for the court were often so numerous, she sometimes wondered if she'd get them done without working through the night.

Book description:

Gwen sat on the bed, shivering, desperately pulling the sheets about her shoulders - and she found it hard to remember a time when she felt more hopeless or desolate.

It wasn't just her surroundings - she was a servant from a poor family, and thus used to relative lack of luxury - but her awful predicament that played constantly on her mind.

- Next to her sat Guinevere, finished with her chores at the smithy and now fulfilling her duties as Morgana's maidservant.

They, too, were inspecting the assembled knights, though with somewhat different motives.

- Merlin turned on his heel and ran off down the street, kicking up a billowing dust trail behind him. He sped past row upon row of tiny cottages until he came to a rickety house which leaned rather heavily to one side.

A smile spread across Merlin's face. The cottage belonged to Tom the blacksmith, and there was a small handcart standing outside it. He trotted up to it and peered through the open window to see if anyone was at home.

- Morgana had lapsed into silence. If she were honest, Gwen was almost grateful; though she normally welcomed the sound of her mistress's voice, Gwen had plenty to think about.

And life in Camelot rarely gave a servant much time to call her own - from dawn until long after dusk, she was at Morgana's beck and call.

Though Morgana did not abuse her position, Gwen's daily errands for the wider court were often so numerous, she sometimes wondered if she'd get them done without working through the night.

Given that one could hardly clean Morgana's dresses or tidy her bedchamber while away from Camelot and on horseback, today Gwen had the luxury of free time on her hands, and she planned on making the most of this rare opportunity.

Question: The Court Genealogist seems like a strange position since a nobles status was known to everyone at the time of their birth?

My answer: All knights come from a certain stratum of society and none of them were ever commoners (at least up until Lancelot)

It’s likely most noble families would know of each other, but there’s five kingdoms and lots of different noble families (which are constant and ever changing).

Therefore Geoffrey uses his heraldry book to check out the family lines of the nobility and make sure no one is masquerading as a noble when they aren’t.

(Source: Lancelot and Guinevere book)

Book description:

Gaius pointed to the book of heraldry open on the desk. 'Have you confirmed it?'

'It is the crest of Tristan du Bois.”

- Arthur stepped across the courtyard, approaching Sir Robert, who sat at the head of the expedition. Like all the knights, he came from a certain stratum of society.

Only once in the long history of Camelot had an apparent knight been revered and then exposed as a commoner, a fraud.

Sir Robert's lineage - his heritage was known to all. But Arthur looked beyond such things - what mattered to him was character and heart.

He knew he could trust Sir Robert to protect the tiny entourage that was heading far from the safety of the castle.

Question: Amour, chainmail and stuff is not cheap. So did Gwen really give Lancelot the best she had?

My answer: I think Gwen probably did give him the best she had, because that’s what he asked of her and the idea of letting him leave to go on such a dangerous mission seemed more painful than she could bear.

Gwen recognized that Lancelot would face death a thousand times over if his duty demanded it and it terrified her.

Him dying scared her.

She would have wanted him to have the best chance of coming back to her alive and that meant armour that would withstand damage.

Book description:

To her astonishment, she looked up to see Lancelot entering the room.

‘I'm sorry to disturb you, my lady, he said. 'But I need weapons, armour - the best you've got.

And as Gwen met his eyes, she saw such belief in them, such certainty, such goodness.

Feelings welled up inside her - feelings she had never experienced before. She caught her breath, astonished by their intensity.

'Guinevere, if I should not return-

Lancelot began.

She cut across him. 'Don't go, Lancelot, please? Suddenly the idea of letting him leave seemed more painful than she could bear.

And yet she knew that he would go; would face death a thousand times over if his duty demanded it. The man she saw in front of her could do nothing else.

[apprenticestanheight]

heyy, i’m here requesting being loyal to my word lol, i have this little idea where adam is stalking/taking pics reader for a job and actually gets like obsessed ?? with them and tries to awkwardly make a move lmao, and obviously this happens before the bathroom events, idk if this idea sucks i just miss my pookie💔

Aldis- A.S x gn! reader

I love this idea so much and writing it was so fun!! Thank you so much for sending it in, writing for Adam is definitely a blast lol

Fic type- this is fluffy!!

Warnings- shitty bosses are implied, and the prices that are mentioned are inaccurate (I looked up aldi grocery prices and then adjusted for inflation by like, a dollar or two lol), stalk-ish behavior is mentioned (adam talks about trailing you going to and from work), cigarettes and smoking are mentioned a few times and Adam might be a little ooc

It started off as a job. Adam found himself hired by your employer to see what it was, exactly, that you did on the way to work and from it. Adam didn't want to know why your boss had wanted to know that of you and the money was good enough to not question it, so he went along with the words of your boss because the money, in the end, helped him pay rent on the shitty apartment he called home.

It started, apparently, because you'd come late to work a couple of mornings in a row with a variety of different excuses--the rain on a day of downpour, your car had broken down, your car was in the shop, your alarms weren't working--but Adam didn't bother to question that, either. He got his camera, he trailed you, he developed the photos and took them to your boss in exchange for cash that could be either devoted to making the rent or buying cigarettes.

Eventually, what was originally just a job became something a bit more for him. He caught himself genuinely caring about you, trailing you not because your boss asked but to make sure you got home without issue.

Care became infatuation, and infatuation got Adam Stanheight where he was--standing inside an Aldi Supermarket at six in the evening on a crisp day in late summer-early fall, having pretended to bump into you in the candle section, of all places, while he shopped Aldi for the deals that he could get on groceries as he needed them anyway.

"Shit!" Adam cursed, catching the candle you held before it could hit the ground on the basis of nothing but luck. "I am so sorry--I barely know my way around this area. I don't typically come down here, but the shop near my apartment is closed for renovations and I needed to grab groceries." Not entirely a lie--you lived in a different spot in New Jersey than he had, but only twenty minutes in a car, and the shop near his apartment where he could've grabbed groceries was closed, so it was Aldis and their bargain deals on any and everything both out of necessity and his minds desire to make a move.

"Oh, no worries!" You laughed. "Seriously--I don't know my way around here either, I typically shop somewhere else, but stuff has happened at work so I gotta do what I gotta do."

Adam had stopped taking photos of you only two days before, having been let go from the job after 'complications' according to your boss.

Adam was trying to flirt, but the flirting part of getting someone to give you their number was not quite his strong suit.

"So," you said. "There must've been another shop in your area. What brings you here?"

"You know that it's impossible to pass on ground beef at 99 cents a pound," Adam said, laughing. "Or a dozen eggs for $1.35, or milk for the low low price of $1.86--it's a rough economy and I am doing my best."

You laughed, and Adams heart gave a funny little flip. "$200 gets you a fuck ton more here than it does anywhere else. I've got candle money, which is nice to have again."

"Are things at work all right?" Adam asked, a feeble attempt at flirting that probably came off a bit too invasive. "Shit--there I go. Asking the way too personal questions. You don't have to answer that, we barely know each other and I don't mean to be invasive."

"My boss has cut my hours in half, is all," you said, shrugging. "I'll be looking for a new job next week, do you know anybody?"

"Nobody reputable," Adam said. "Not that I work with people who aren't, but--"

"What do you do, and what's your name? I'd like to put a name to a handsome face."

"My name is Adam Stanheight," he said. "I take photos."

"Subject matter?"

"PI stuff," Adam said. "I am a glorified snitch, basically, but the money is good."

"Well, glorified snitch," you said. "My name is Y/N and I work in marketing. You ever wanna make a career switch, give me a call."

You passed him your number, and Adam found himself in awe just a bit. He'd fumbled his way through flirting with you like it was the act of trying to share a cigarette and he was a first-time smoker, and you'd flirted like it was nothing.

"What if I don't want to make a career switch?"

"Call me anyway," you said. "We can shop at Aldis together and I can tell you all about the woes of my life in the frozen fruit aisle."

You walked away thereafter, and Adam was left to stand, his cart to his left, in awe.

[nyaagolor]

I am definitely thinking about this too hard but the more I look at the Team Star plot the more logistical questions I have. All of these can easily be answered with “because it needs to be this way for the plot to work” but I’m still gonna overthink it anyway

- If Penny’s parents are as clingy and overprotective as she implies and she really was bullied bad enough to become a recluse for multiple years, why would they send her back to the Academy? Did they even know she was bullied? It’s super possible the previous director / staff didn’t give a reason behind her suspension so her parents wouldn’t freak out on them / sue them (can you sue in the pokemon world???) but did her parents not ask her about it? I feel like if my kid got sent home for a mandatory year and a half I would have a LOT of questions

- I can understand why Arven and Nemona wouldn’t know about the bullying seeing as Arven is chronically absent from school and Nemona has the social awareness of a rock, but it’s absolutely wild to me that there was a scandal so big it caused a turnover of the entire staff and yet no one on the new staff knows why. The academy teachers would DEFINITELY tell Clavell / help Team Star if they knew the truth, so somehow they all managed to go a year and a half without questioning why they were hired at the same time or why there’s a random middle schooler street gang. Did the previous director do some sorta NDA where they made sure the teachers couldn’t ask about the circumstances behind their hiring? Do the teachers just not care about the strange circumstances??? Did none of the students care enough to mention this to anyone?

- Where was Geeta during all this? She implies she’s been in her position for longer than a year and a half (that library clearly took longer than a year of construction) so she had to have been around during the staff turnover, but says absolutely nothing about it. I know she’s involved in a different plot line and the nonlinearity of it means she can’t say much about other plot lines like Starfall Street, but it’s wild to me that the head of the academy board watched her entire staff resign and was like hm. that’s normal. This isn’t something I need to investigate. It’s especially weird if she’s involved in the hiring process? Letting things like that go unquestioned seems so out of character for Little Miss Micromanagement, but being part of the coverup is also out of character for someone who believes so strongly in ~Paldea’s shining light~ and future and whatnot

- Why would the previous director not tell people about Team Star? He says they “resigned because they felt they had failed the students” and whatnot, but then make zero effort to fix their mistakes and don’t tell the new staff about the truth of it all? Were they just trying to save face? Was the whole staff fired? Did they resign before they could GET fired?? If they really felt bad why did they allow the truth to be buried and ignore the damage they caused?? Mister Harrington sir I believe ur lying about ur intentions / actual level of regret here

Overall the Starfall Street plotline relies so heavily on people not paying attention to or questioning things they Really Should Care About that it’s almost comical and it really makes me wonder what the hell anyone was doing during this whole thing. if there’s canon answers to these question or I’m screwing up the timeline here lmk also bc I am thoroughly stumped

[louisisalarrie]

Can you give a bit more background on the Louis/Oli friendship? I know they’re friends from school and Ol has been in L’s life since then (PAing for him etc) but is it true he lived with Louis at his London house, even when he was supposedly with Eleanor?

I’m not implying anything between him and L by the way - hell no. I can see they are besties but I just wondered if there had been any further context re their friendship. I wondered if Louis really doesn’t like to be alone and feels safer when he’s got Oli or someone with him? I know he’s often pursued by fans so I can understand that when he’s out and about without his security it’s nicer to have your mate there! Oli literally is everywhere though…even accompanying him to LA to see Freddie and pictured at a child’s play park (sorry, I know you don’t believe in all of that) and often on holiday together. I mean, I have a bestie who I love being with but we do have our own separate lives too.

Does oli have a partner ? Again, I’m definitely not implying anything more than massive friendship between them but just wondered about the background to them being joined at the hip! Maybe they’re often apart but we just get the impression they’re always together from the pics that are shared.

Hey anon!

They are friends from school, correct. Oli is louis’ PA so is kinda required to be with him at all shows/tours/appearances, but I think he also just enjoys it. Hell, if one of my best mates hired me as their personal assistant where I could tour the world and get paid for it, I’d drop everything and go hahahaha.

I think the main thing about this is though, that Louis has talked about before how lonely touring is. He’s a bit of a live wire and does value being surrounded by people, and touring is exhausting and can be very lonely, so I think it’s kinda that simple. He toured for so long with his best mates around him, supporting each other through closeting and shit situations as well as having the time of his life with them, so going into being a solo artist without someone super familiar to you (I know he has his band but this is a different connection, it’s a piece of home), I can imagine his nerves were through the roof and he just really needed something stable in his life, like Oli. Particularly when he’s so far from Harry all the time.

The info I have is that they both have their addresses as that public house, but of course they can’t give out their personal addresses, and I think it’s more Oli’s house if anything. I do think they do spend time apart but it’s literally Oli’s job to be there all the time, ya know? But they don’t stay in the same hotel rooms and they don’t spend their time together as much outside of tour, im sure, but the photos we do get of louis have been always public appearances/stunt appearances so it makes sense to have his support with him. It’s just something grounding.

+ he’s a really nice guy and is super chill

[transformedyt]

I LOVE Star Trek, and i always have. So a while back, i watched a Jessie Gender video on this very topic (can’t remember the title, but DM me if you want it and I’ll find it for you) and I’m gonna drop just a few things i remember from that here.

Gene WANTED queer people in next Gen, but Rick Berman (hereby referred to as Dick) would not allow it. Iirc, he was hired to basically keep Gene from doing anything too controversial. There was even supposed to be an AIDS allegory episode with one (1) gay couple in it, but it got cut. Wonder why…

After Gene’s passing, Dick basically took over the franchise. Which means when DS9 came around and Garak’s actor tried his best to make Garak canonically omnisexual and crushing on Bashir, a girlfriend was written in and the Bashir crush had to be dropped.

Though we did manage to get SOME queer representation in DS9. Including the single best template for when an old friend you haven’t seen in a while comes out as trans. When Jadzia Dax reunites with some Klingons that Kurzon Dax (her symbiont’s prior host who was a guy) were friends with, they greet her with “Kurzon, my old friend!” To which she corrects them by saying she is Jadzia now. Instead of being upset, he pivots on the spot and says “Jadzia, my old friend!” And i LOVE IT!

There is also a kiss between two women, mentioned in the post above. Unfortunately, it is under risk of them both being exiled from their society, which would also cause their symbionts to die with them. This is because the symbionts were in a het marriage in previous hosts, which also feels like it only happened because of leftover heterosexual feelings. Not great, but certainly better than nothing.

There is also a villain who is implied to be pansexual(?) who will flirt and make out with just about anyone as long as they’re useful to her. Not great, but at least she’s a kinda fun villain?

There are also a group of characters that i read as autism coded, though not really in a good way. This also seems to be debated, so this is far from settled. This next part has spoilers if you’re planning to watch, so proceed with caution.

So, there are genetically modified humans, though the process has been banned for a very long time because of eugenics. It does still happen underground, but there are dire consequences for having it done. In one episode, a group of genetically modified humans whose procedures were done poorly/went wrong are brought to the station, and Dr Bashir visits them. They begin complaining of a noise that no one else seems to be able to hear (mood) but Bashir manages to pick it out and put in a maintenance request about it. The group also have low empathy, have difficulty communicating with others, and stim a lot. Sound familiar? It sounds a lot like a stereotype of autism that i believe was very popular around that time. One is also portrayed as a socially unaware genius and one as childlike, which don’t help. Not great. The unintentional representation from Data in next Gen was better. Sure he isn’t human, but the show uses A LOT of non human allegories for A LOT of groups. It’s just part of Star Trek. Anyway, we learn that Bashir was genetically modified as a kid and is good at hiding (masking) it. Am i the only one seeing an admittedly not great Autism allegory? It’s not the fact that there are characters with these traits that make it yikes since there are definitely autistic people that match these descriptions. It’s more about how it’s done and how little variation there is. Although the genetically modified humans being forced to live in a car home is sadly rather accurate to how some people/places want autistic adults to live. Namely, out of sight. Anyway, i got distracted.

Spoilers over! I am glad at least some of Gene’s political leanings managed to survive even after Dick took over. For example, Rom (a Ferengi, which for anyone who may not know is a SUPER capitalistic species that’s reportedly meant to represent the United States and written during the Cold War) quotes Marx. And in that same episode, O’Brien saying that he’s not just a good man, he’s a union man! There are certainly high points in the post Gene series. I’m just very frustrated with fucking Dick Berman and his fucking homophobia and sexism and ADFSFFDFGFAAAA!

But through all this, we STILL got queer representation. We got the actors of Garak and Bashir reading out a fanfic during quarantine that ended with the reveal that they’re married! We got representation that we barely even had to squint for! We got shown that fascists states WILL crumble, that change is possible! We got resilience and hope. I fucking LOVE Star Trek. It hasn’t always been perfect, but there have always been people working their hardest to make it the best it can be. And i think that’s fucking beautiful.

Disclaimer: i haven’t seen next Gen in years, only saw a couple seasons of voyager, a few episodes of discovery and below decks, and I’ve never seen Enterprise or Picard. This is because i am poor. I also haven’t seen the original series except for some movies when i was a a kid, and i have mixed feelings due to William Shitner. Most of my Star Trek knowledge (with the exception of DS9) come from video essays and research and posts. I hope that someday i can watch it all, but for now i am a broke bitch lol.

Today on popping the corn and feeding the children, what do you folks think of this discussion? :)

I'm always curious to hear what other Trek fans, especially queer Trek fans, think about our place in Trek history and how we fare as the queer participants within our fandom. What have your experiences been like?

Overwhelmingly I've found a great reception and a welcoming attitude, but I admit that has increased considerably since the 90s. However, there are still some Trek fans who seem to be vehemently in denial about queer history in Star Trek, or the fact that anyone who has worked on Trek has pro-LGBT attitudes. This always surprises me considering some of the blatant queer content we have already seen in Star Trek such as the Jadzia Dax and Lenara Kahn kiss.

Anyway, I enjoyed the discussion that followed and seeing the overwhelming outpouring of support coming from Star Trek fans in response to this thread.

Here was my two cents contribution:

"No, what they said was factual.

Have you forgotten Nichelle Nichols was indeed an African American woman in the core seven bridge crew back in 1966?

Or the fact that Gene Roddenberry went out of his way to write The Motion Picture Novel, creating the term "T'hy'la: friend, brother, lover" so that fans could choose which interpretations of Kirk and Spock they saw fit? He also embraced K/S fans and hired a number of them to write the earliest Star Trek novels, including the very first official one (The New Voyages Vol. 1 & 2) which included slash fiction as well as Gene's approval/forward in the books.

In case anyone has forgotten, here's a little bit of background on Gene Roddenberry and his perspectives on queerness in Star Trek.

He admitted that in his early life he was very affected by how society and culture treated the LGBT community, and that he too found himself subjugating and judging others for that lifestyle because it was what people did at that time. As he got older and had more life experience, he began working with a number of queer artists in Hollywood -- and through TOS, a number of queer individuals began asking questions about Kirk and Spock.

Instead of vehemently shutting down this perspective, Roddenberry was intrigued, and saw potential to tap into a large audience (LGBT) that most others didn't want to go near or acknowledge publicity-wise. He saw it as an opportunity to expand the fanbase while also pushing yet another envelope.

But with the heat already on the show for what they'd already pushed, he found he was often stuck between what he'd like to do and what production would let him get away with. There are a number of Kirk and Spock scenes in scripts that got cut out for leaning a little too obviously romantic. Tiny trickles of that content still made it in were infamous moments like the backrub scene in Shore Leave. Even the 2009 movie had a K/S moment while Spock Prime and Kelvin Spock talked that was written and filmed that was cut out of the final product.

Queer subtext and coding has always been relentlessly weeded away at with an excuse ready to go for why they always try to cut us out, but we all know it's because they are scared of the homophobic backlash and ratings hits. Look how violently homophobes went after the gay romance episode of The Last of Us **just this year**. This has always been our reality, so for someone like Roddenberry to make efforts in the 70s? That was massive.

But Gene as well as the queer/slash Trek community managed to accomplish some things in the 70s which I'm surprised more folks don't talk about or give much credit.

In the same TMP novel which features "T'hy'la" and the famous footnote, Gene cleverly wrote Kirk with a bisexual/pansexual lens: Kirk describes himself as *preferring* women but being open to "physical love in **any** of its many Earthly, alien, and mixed forms." (Direct quote from Genes book). Basically, Captain Kirk was DTF with whoever if there was a connection, which was a very progressive take for a character in a novel written in 1979, but made sense for the future which would have a lot less hang ups about sex and love compared to our current rather puritan/conservative society.

I also prefer women, but I married a man. Shout out to Gene Roddenberry for giving us a seat at the table back in the 70's when folks *still* try to insist there is no place for K/S or queer concepts in Trek, because he made efforts -- however small -- to employ queer people and show queer perspectives. According to David Gerrold, LGBT+ representation was a big thing that Gene personally pushed for in TNG and wanted various depictions of love/couples in the Risa scenes, to name one example.

In the 70s, fanzines led to meetings and swapped fanmade magazines, which got so big that they needed hotel centers, then convention centers, then one day the TOS cast came to one and what we know as modern fan conventions were born -- inspiring even George Lucas who attended Trek conventions in the 70s and saw how popular Trek was in syndication; it was a great climate to launch his Space Opera. Star Wars then became so huge that we got TMP.

But none of that would have happened without the level of organization, passion, and creativity that those fans poured into Star Trek and their characters after it got cancelled and went into syndication.

Without queer folks we wouldn't have George Takei, Theodore Sturgeon who gave us Tribbles, Bill Theiss and his amazing TOS costumes, Mike Minor's art direction, Merritt Butrick, David Gerrold (writer for TOS, TAS, TNG) to name a few of many queer contributors to Trek that Roddenberry respected and tried to go to bat for wherever he could in a climate that was absolutely impossible to gain an inch in.

At a time during the 70s and 80s when so many people resented and feared the queer community and wanted us to disappear, especially in the 80s during the AIDS epidemic which many homophobes claimed was "God's punishment to the gay community" or "Gods's answer" to our "hedonism", thinking we'd gotten our just desserts and should just disappear . . .

During that time, Gene Roddenberry gave us queer folks a place to say: "You know what? Sure. Write your stories. TV says you guys shouldn't exist, they pull books with queer people off the shelves and burn them. Laws exist specifically to forbid you guys from loving each other, and call you mentally ill. You can't even hold hands in public. But I'm going to validate you guys and invite you to write novels or work for me, try to see what we can get by production, and allow you to see yourselves in my characters if you want to. There's a place for you in our fandom."

He gave us bi/pan Kirk, he gave us K/S is open to interpretation. In Phase 2 Kirk's surviving nephew Peter, son of his brother Sam from Operation: Annihilate!, was going to be written as gay and living on the Enterprise with his partner -- that also got chopped and reworked into a script that wouldn't get used until decades later. That was huge at a time that being queer was officially listed as a mental illness, and villainized due to the AIDS crisis.

So before you try to dismiss or tell K/S + queer Trek fans whether or not they deserve a seat at the table, remember that Gene Roddenberry was among the **first** to pull that seat out for us in a climate that was ruthlessly against LGBT+ folks." -- 1Shirt2ShirtRedShirtDeadShirt

P.S: Have some cute bisexual/pansexual K/S pride gifs. :) Pride month is a hop, skip and a jump away.

LLAP!🖖💚

[shina913]

Gradation, Part 7 | JJK

Gradation, Part 7

gra·​da·​tion | \ grā-ˈdā-shən , grə- \

Definition: 1a: a series forming successive stages 1b: a step or place in an ordered scale 2: an advance by regular degrees 3: a gradual passing from one tint or shade to another –Source: Merriam-Webster

✮ ✮ ✮ Gradation Masterlist ✮ ✮ ✮

Pairing: JJK x Fem!reader; KSJ x Fem!reader

Rating: M (🔞); NSFW

Genre: BF2L; slow burn; fluff; angst; smut

Word count: 8.5K+ words

Warnings: Strong sexual language; explicit sexual conversations; excessive cussing; oral (F-receiving); protected sex; riding (implied aftermath); fluff; some domestic couple shit; angst; psychotherapy session; some alcohol consumption; lots of crying; a surprise return

Summary: On your wedding day, your fiancé leaves you at the altar. While reeling from the embarrassment and heartbreak, your best friend, Jungkook, wants to do everything that he can to help you heal.

A/N: This might be my last update for the year--unless I somehow can't control myself and keep writing Part 8 😅 Somehow, my every waking moment has been filled with YN and JK. 🥰

Please let me know what you think or feel free to send questions 📩

In any case, I hope that everyone has a fun and safe holiday!

Thank you for all the love you’ve shown Gradation!

A week after your birthday, you scheduled a final meet-up with Lisa. She was leaving in a few days and you wanted to get together before she flew back to the other side of the world.

During her stay, you managed to meet up a few times. It was like picking up where you left off. You both promised to stay in touch this time–and that meant more than just a ‘like’ or random comment online.

“Tell Jin to fly you there for a few days! I’ll take you to Nice or anywhere in the South of France and we can just chill by the water.“

You chuckled. “I wish I could, but it doesn’t work that way, Lisa.”

“What do you mean? He’s got a private jet, tons of disposable income and lots of time in his hands.”

“Actually–not a lot of time in his hands. He has a growing business–”

She immediately cuts you off. “Babe, I’m sure that he can hire people to take care of all that so that he can fly you to wherever he wants, whenever—and all you have to do is wait there, splayed and ready for him,” she giggled.

You chuckled at her remark and shook your head. “Girl! Paris has created a monster!”

She feigns shock. “YN, how dare you!” Then she quickly laughed. “It’s like a dick ATM there, honestly. You could orgasm just from the dirty talk.”

You both guffawed.

“No, but seriously! I’m enjoying my time being unattached. Sometimes a woman just has to experience other things, you know?”

You tilted your head and softened your expression.

“Don’t get me wrong. I loved my time with Jungkookie. But things just weren’t meant to be for us.”

“I’m not judging. You’re not stepping on any toes, not hurting anybody. Do you, babe,” you said, raising your glass to her.

She smiled back at you and sighed. “He seems to be doing well in his career though.”

“Yeah. He’s definitely moving up, that’s for sure. His company is making sure that he’s locked in for the next decade. He was always ambitious and very capable,” you said, complimenting your friend.

“And you couldn’t find a better person to help you get through that ordeal with that asswipe,” Lisa said, sipping on her cocktail.

You groaned. “Yeah…he was—extremely patient with me. He helped me out a lot.”

You took another sip of your drink.

“I’m sure he did in more ways than one,” she said with a hint of teasing.

You nearly choke on your drink.

As you clear your throat, her jaw drops, eyes widen and she slams her palm on the table.

“Well, fuck me!” She shrieks and throws her head back in shock.

“Lis…” You said as your ears betrayed you.

“Honey—don’t worry, you’re in a safe space! And I am not one to judge! I’ll be gone in a few days and probably won’t come back til the holidays, if I ever do. And c’mon—it’s been enough time between one vag and the next, okay? It’s not anything weird to me,” she sniggered.

“Oh my god…” you say embarrassingly enough. “How can you tell?”

She gives you a deadpan look. “Trust me, I know. Plus, with him? He’s like a fine wine. That dick can only get better with time.”

You took another gulp of your drink.

“Oh my god, it did! Fuck!” Damn, she thought–omitting the events that occurred in her hotel the other night.

“To be fair, I have no point of comparison so…”

“Well, to be honest, it was just a wild guess but you pretty much confirmed it,” she giggled.

“Geez, Lisa…” you said, even more embarrassed.

“Anyway–Damn, girl! Whatever happened to, ‘Gag, there’s no way we’re ever going to see each other naked’?”

You shrugged. “I don’t know. I just…I kissed him and it went further from there.”

“What? You made the first move,” she asked incredulously.

“Well—I was feeling really emotional that day and something just came over me.”

“Huh! Wow,” she said, leaning back on her chair and folding her arms across her chest.

“I can’t get over how weird this. I’m talking about how I used to have sex with your ex.”

She shrugged nonchalantly. “‘Ex,’ being the operative word. Meaning–we’ve been done.”

“Right, but you and I are also friends.”

She shrugged again. “And? Nothing’s changed between us in the last few minutes. Right now, we’re just two girlfriends, sizing up dicks.”

You snorted, triggering another round of laughs from both of you.

“So how long,” she asked, leaning her elbows on the table.

You gave her a look.

She rolled her eyes playfully. “Bitch, I know how long it is! I meant, how long did you two sleep together? And don’t give me that bull saying it was just a one-time thing.”

“Uhm…like a month?”

“Wow!” She said, still trying to process everything. “So, what’s changed? Why are you with Jin?”

You scrunch your face. “Lis, we’re best friends. We grew up together. I love our relationship and don't want to ruin our friendship. When we got into it, we had established some rules because of that.”

“Rules?”

“Yeah, just boundaries. One of them was that if we started seeing other people, that would be the time to stop.”

“And Jungkook was okay with that?”

“He hasn’t told me otherwise. Why? Has he said anything to you,” you asked worriedly.

She shook her head. “No.”

It was true that he hadn’t actually said anything to Lisa but he didn’t have to.

“Anyway, things with Jin are going well. We have some travel coming up. He’s getting called into all of these meetings so it’s an exciting time for him. The new project is very close to his heart and he wants it to go global. Jungkookie did a monster job promoting it.”

“Mm-hmm. That’s Jungkookie—always excels at everything.”

“Yeah.”

You sat in silence for a beat.

“God, I wish I could stay a little longer. I’m going to miss you so much, YN.”

“Same, Lis. Kinda sad I can’t talk to anyone else about how awesome period underwear is anymore,” you chuckled lightly.

“Well, you know you can call or message me anytime you figure out how to work the Diva cup.”

You laughed. “I still do not get it but I'm not completely writing it off.”

You loved your boys, you truly did. But talking to Lisa again made you yearn for a girlfriend dynamic. You’d never trade the guys for anything in the world. You stuck together through thick and thin. However, you couldn’t deny that the guys would rather down battery acid than discuss period panties or dick assessments.

Just then, Lisa’s phone rings.

“Sorry, I have to take this real quick.”

Lisa’s tone of voice suddenly softens as she answers her phone. “Hey. Uh huh. Yeah, I’m just out to dinner with a good friend.” She glanced at you and smiled.

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow night. I’ll text you later. Okay, bye,” she finished, smiling into the phone sweetly then hung up.

Your eyebrow quirked. “Squeezing in a hot date?”

“Somewhat,” she says coyly while setting her phone down on the table.

You lean in, resting your elbows on the table and cradling your chin with your fingers. “Spill!”

She chuckles lightly. “Uhm, I’ve been trying to pull some moves on this guy since we met in Paris. He’s definitely a tough one to crack,” she said, fidgeting with her necklace.

You teased her. “Really? You?”

She scoffs and drops her jaw. “A girl struggles every now and then, okay?”

You both giggled.

“And he’s from here?”

She nodded, reaching for her drink and taking a sip.

“And how in the world did he manage to resist you this whole time?”

She threw her hands up. “Something about conflicts of interest or whatever. I said that we don’t even work together! At least, not directly. Not really. Anyway, he finally agreed to see me tomorrow night. We’ve been doing this dance for way too long, in my opinion!”

“Whatever happened to a woman needing to experience things?”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m still on that train. But—” she sighed dreamily, “Something about Joon just makes me crave a relationship again,” she said as she twirled the ends of her hair with her fingertips.

“Joon?” You paused to think then gasped. “You mean ‘curator dimples’? Namjoon?”

“Shhh…keep your voice down,” she giggled.

“Now you tell me to keep my voice down after you just talked about dicks getting better with time,” you said poking fun at her earlier comment.

You both giggled. “I know, I know,” she said, sounding resigned.

“But you’re leaving soon. How would this work?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. I’m just focused on the present and we’ll go from there. Also, I just really want to find out what’s under those khakis.”

You chuckled.

“Honestly though, he’s not just handsome but he’s insanely smart—which I thought was really attractive. He can rail me with that brain of his as much as he wants and I’d still get off.”

You leaned back into your chair. “Wow! Sounds like you got it bad for this one.”

“I know, right,” she groaned. “Listen to me, simping over a guy,” she twisted her pursed lips while she rested her chin on her palm.

“A guy? Lis, that is a whole man.”

“Right?!”

“Well, I’m sure you’ll blow his mind,” you said picking up your glass, preparing to take another sip of your drink.

“Oh, trust me—the first chance I get, I’m not just blowing that!” She said as she touched her tongue to her cheek.

You both fell in absolute stitches. You wished so badly that she would stay. For now, this will have to do.

******

Later that night, you begged Jin to come over.

He was due to get pulled away for a two-day meeting beginning tomorrow, mostly entertaining international investors locally and preparing for the program launch. You felt a little bad luring your own boyfriend for a booty call knowing he had an early day the next day but the whole afternoon with Lisa just made you feel all hot and bothered. You craved for your man and he was all too happy to oblige.

It was only natural to compare, you thought as you laid in bed an hour after a dual post-orgasm high. There was a softness and tenderness to Jin. And while that was great and it still brought you to your climax, there was something deeper when you were with Jungkook…primal and instinctive. It was just different with him. Was it because he knew you longer and better than Jin?

But you loved Jin.

You also loved Jungkook…and there was a distinction.

Jin stirs next to you and rolls over to put his arm around you. You turn to face him and he absentmindedly kisses your forehead. Your recent thoughts slowly faded with the sound of him sighing into your hair.

“Mel, can you please finalize my itinerary? I want to make sure that I have enough time in between trips to recover. At least half a day to adjust or something because I have some meetings that go on for eight hours straight.”

“Yes, sunbaenim. Do you need anything else? Did you change your mind about the rental car?”

He thought about it for a second then decided that it could be a good idea. “Actually—get me the rental car for two of the longest trips. The others are short enough where I can just call a cab or rideshare. No big deal.”

“Okay, got it! Uhm—by the way, can you tell Jimin-ssi that I said hi?” She asked coyly.

He smiled a little awkwardly. “Sure.”

She grinned. “Thanks. I’ll send all the confirmation to you via email.”

“That would be great. Thanks, Melanie.”

She gives him a quick bow then walks back to her desk.

He shoots a quick text to Jimin telling him not to leave his best assistant hanging or he will make him pay for it.

After he hits ‘send,’ a text from Lisa comes in.

[Lisa] 10:50AM: Boarding soon. See you next time, Kookie!

He chuckled softly. He offered to drive Lisa to the airport today to be nice and to try and make up for what happened a few days ago but she turned it down saying that a friend was taking her instead.

He texted her back wishing her a safe flight and to not be a stranger in case she was back in the area.

She signed off by reminding him not to get cockblocked again.

He laughed and shook his head.

A few minutes pass and his cellphone rings.

“What’s up, jetsetter,” he picked up.

“Shut up,” you said.

He leans back into his chair, reclining it a little. “Where are you reporting from this time?”

You giggled. “I’m in Seattle, currently.”

“Ahh, nice.”

“Yeah. Jin is in a meeting with a certain philanthropist whose name is synonymous with a barrier of some sort.”

He laughed. “Wow! Top dog, huh?”

You hummed.

“Well, tell me where all the good places to eat are because I’m going there soon, too.”

“Really? When,” you asked as you browsed through the hotel room closet in your bra, looking for a top to go with your jeans. You were getting ready to go out to lunch with Jin. It wasn’t that warm nor was it too cold out either.

“Like in a month. Then a few more places after that. Need to go where the clients are sometimes, you know?”

“I hear ya.”

“Have you been able to work out there?”

“Yeah. I spent some time at the office and did a couple of video meetings. Fun stuff,” you said, exiting the bedroom and deciding to look through your suitcase.

“Nice. Your convention is coming up, huh?”

“Yep. Things are ramping up. We’re nearing the end of our timeline so, I’m trying to make sure that there’s no hiccups so that everything’s nice, finalized, and publicly released by the time the convention rolls around. Give people time to digest it.”

“That’s exciting. I’m really proud of you, bub! You put a lot of work into that.”

“I did. And I’m tired as fuck already but I know that this is just the beginning,” you laughed.

“Ah, you deserve all of the success. Don’t let anybody tell you differently,” he says, glancing at a photo of you and him taken from your preschool moving up ceremony, sitting at his desk. Both of you smiling broadly at the camera, with your arms around each other’s shoulders. The year before, he didn’t think he’d be able to smile like that again.

“Thanks, Jungkookie.”

“When do you get in,” he asks, slightly turning his chair to the window.

You stretched your arms and the kink in your neck. “Wednesday night, then I’m going into the office for my check-in with Yoongi. Since the convention is getting close, he wants to keep tabs on all of the final activities.”

“Totally get it. You think you’ll be up for a movie on Saturday?”

“Yeah, that would be nice.”

“Will Jin-hyung mind,” he asked cautiously.

“Nah. And he won’t be back til Sunday anyway,” you said, pausing your search for a top and sitting back down on the couch instead.

“Alright. Just making sure.”

You leaned back on the couch. “I know at some point he was hoping that we could all hang out. He’s got a cabin up in Lake Tahoe and another in Aspen. It’s just a bit challenging to nail down a date but hopefully once the Tokyo deal comes through, it would be much easier to plan vacations.”

“That sounds nice,” he said, turning his attention to his computer monitor.

“Would you be okay with that?”

He clicked once to snooze a pop-up meeting reminder. “Any chance to hit the slopes, I’m in.”

Just then, Jin walks through the door.

“Gotta go, Kook. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Alright. Love you.”

“Ditto, bye.”

“Hey.” Jin says as he settles on the couch next to you.

“How was your meeting?”

“Ah, getting closer,” he rubbed his eyes.

“That’s good, right?”

“Yeah. I just wish they’d make up their minds about all the fine print. It’s getting exhausting,” he sighed deeply.

“All in good time, right?”

“Yep,” he nodded. “Can I ask you something?”

You turned your body to him. “Sure, what’s up?”

“How come you and Jungkook always say ‘ditto’ when you sign off on the phone?”

Your brows quirk. “Oh, uhm—nobody’s ever really asked me that.”

“You don’t have to answer, I was just curious.”

You shook your head. “No, it’s fine. Uhm, it was just a system that we came up with from when we were in middle school. We had grown up together and got used to telling the other that we loved them. As we got slightly older, we got teased for it.

And it wasn’t even like that between us but to people on the outside, it wasn’t really acceptable– especially between a boy and a girl who weren’t related–to say it to each other. It was freaking middle school! Anyway, we had heard two of our teachers say it to each other—they were actually together but didn’t want anybody at school to know. So whenever they’d see each other in the hallway, they’d both just say ‘ditto.’ We didn’t know what it meant at first so we looked it up.

When we found out, we decided to make it into our little code–a sort of shorthand, if you will. We still actually said that we loved each other over the phone because it was just us and but somehow it kind of evolved into a combination of both. So, whoever said ‘love you’ first, the second always answered with ‘ditto.’”

He nodded. “Interesting.”

“Is that a problem?”

He shook his head. “How come you never ‘ditto’ me?”

“Because I love you—fully. I don’t need a shorthand for it.”

He grins widely at you.

“C’mere. I’ve missed you all day.”

He pulls you in for a deep kiss, his hands traveled down to your hips until he reached your ass to squeeze it. The direct skin on skin contact, taking you by surprise. It just dawned on you that you had been sitting there the whole time in your bra and jeans.

“Wait, I thought we were heading out for an early lunch” you asked, as you pulled away.

“Not when you look like this. I’ll just get room service.”

You yawned while you poured some wine for yourself. It’s been quite a month with lots of back to back travel and late nights trying to catch up on work

“Can you top me off, too?” Hobi asked, sliding his glass next to yours.

“Sure,” as you proceeded to pour a bit more wine into his glass.

He gave you a once-over. “You look like hell,” he said frankly.

“Thanks, oppa. That’s what happens when you just get off a cross-country red-eye,” you snarked.

“Geez. Why didn’t you just sleep all day? You could have skipped dinner this week.”

You sighed. “I know, but dad wouldn’t let me hear the end of it.”

Hobi laughed. “No, he wouldn’t.”

“Geonbae,” you held up your glass.

“Geonbae,” he said in return, mimicking you.

He swirls his wine around his glass. “So…how long are you going to keep doing this?”

“Doing what?”

He gestures at you. “This—living in hotels and racking up air miles. Uprooting your life.”

“No, I’m not. I’m basically visiting other satellite offices and working out of there. Then I fly back for my team check-ins and meeting with Yoongi.”

You rubbed your eyes, trying to stifle another yawn.

Pausing before he took a sip, he looks up at you from his glass. “Right, but at what price?”

You sighed. “Oppa, I want to be with him. And right now, I can make it work until his project takes off and he can let his people take the reins. It’s only temporary.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, YN. I love you and I’m only trying to be a big brother here. If there’s anything I’ve taken to heart after being in this business for years? It’s to know when to walk away when it feels like you’re on the losing end of the deal. Don’t ever feel like you have to stay in it just because you’ve put in so much. You have to leave some for yourself, too, okay?”

You nodded and he leaned in to kiss your temple.

“Okay, now tell me where you got this wine because I’m about to order an entire case and maybe share some with Stella,” he asked picking up the bottle and reading the label.

You give him a look.

He looks back at you and furrows his brows. “What? You’re not the only one getting any action in this family.”

“Action? What action,” your mom asks, mid-conversation.

“Shang-Chi, eomma! Have you seen it? We should watch it after dinner,” Hobi played off.

“Aish, Hoseok. You know your appa would fall asleep within five minutes of the opening credits.”

“We can still put it on. Your favorite, Tony Leung is in it!”

“Ah! In The Mood for Love? Okay, I’ll watch it,” she says excitedly.

Speaking of being in the mood for love, your phone starts to ring. It was Jin.

“Hey. Are you on your way over?”

“Sorry, YN. I’m just stuck on this call.”

Your face falters. “Really? But it’s Sunday!” You tried to mask the whining tone of your voice but failed miserably.

“I know but it’s Monday morning in Tokyo. It was the only timeslot that they could fit me in this week. I’m sorry. I’ll make it up to you and your parents next time, okay,” he says apologetically.

“You better!”

“I promise. I’ll see you later. I love you,” he signs off.

“Love you too.” You frowned, staring at your phone screen.

“What’s wrong?” Hobi asked.

“Jin’s stuck in a meeting. It’s an international call so—he’s trying to work around their schedule,” you said sullenly.

“That’s too bad, sweetie. At least we’ll have some extra roast that you can bring home,” your mom pipes up.

“Did I hear ‘extra roast’?” Jungkook’s voice booms as he walks through the kitchen.

“Look who’s here,” you dad said, walking right behind him.

You smile brightly as Jungkook comes into view, your sulking–all but forgotten.

“Sweetheart, you made it,” your mom said as she greets him with a hug.

“Hi, Auntie. My mom sends her regrets. Her arthritis was acting up but I brought some wine and some beer for uncle,” he said, raising the six-pack case.

“Only one, darling! You know what the doctor said.” Your mom cautioned your dad.

Your dad gently waves her off while he gives Jungkook a wink as he cracks open a bottle. He knew that Jungkook wasn’t just bringing any beer. It was a small-batch brew not too far up from your area that people lined up at midnight whenever they had limited release dates.

“Hey, stranger,” Hobi greets Jungkook.

“Hyung,” Jungkook acknowledges Hobi with a small nod.

“Glad you could join us. Been a while!”

“Yeah–it has,” he says, glancing at you.

“Hey. I didn’t know you were coming.” You approached him and gave him a hug.

He squinted his eyes and pursed his lips at that. “I thought I had an open invitation. Besides, I called your mom yesterday to let her know.”

You quickly corrected your previous tone. “No, I didn’t mean—of course. I’m glad you’re here.”

Your mood was instantly lifted.

“Sorry for flaking last time. I got a call at the last second.” He apologized for not making it to your scheduled hangout last time.

“Don’t worry about it, Kook. It’s not like we won’t get a chance to hang out ever again. You’re here now, so…”

He smiled at you then began to search the room. “Where’s Jin-hyung?“

“Oh, uhm–he called to say that he couldn’t make it. He got wrapped up in a meeting with partners abroad,” you said ruefully.

He nods, regretfully. “Sorry to hear that, bub. That sucks.”

“Jungkookie, can you help me bring some of the food out to the dining room,” your mom asked.

“Of course, auntie. Just tell me what else you need help with,” he says picking up the dish that your mom just set on the counter.

******

After dinner, Hobi starts to stream the movie that he mentioned to your mom earlier that evening and proceeds to question one of the action-packed scenes. “That’s not even in the same spot–like, they started on the other side of the city then ended up in a completely opposite direction.”

“Oppa, I’m sure mom knows that. Just let her enjoy the show without your commentary,” you said as you and Jungkook chuckled next to each other on the couch.

As expected, your dad is asleep, snoring on the recliner while he holds his second empty bottle of beer–and passed it off to your mom as his first.

“Eomma, Tony Leung comes back soon–just be patient,” you assured her.

Your phone vibrates with a text from Jin.

[Jinnie] 8:45PM: Sorry. Just finished. I’m a little tired though from the flight. Raincheck tomorrow?

You sigh after you read his message and text him back as Jungkook gives you a quick side-glance.

[YN] 8:47PM: It’s okay. Go get some rest. Love you!

You lock your phone back up, turn your attention back to the TV and sip on your coffee. You and Hobi ended up finishing two bottles of wine at dinner but you called it quits before the movie started since you hadn’t planned on sleeping over at your parents’ house.

“Everything okay?” Jungkook asked you softly.

You exhaled deeply. “Yeah. I don’t want to talk about it though,” you said in an equally low, dismissive tone.

He nodded as you turned your attention back to the screen.

By the end of the movie, your mom was distraught at the fate of her favorite actor, blaming Hobi as to why he didn’t warn her beforehand. Your dad, finally waking up after the end credits scene, remarked that it seemed like a great movie.

You decided at the last second to sleep at your parents since you were still a bit buzzed. With Jin no longer coming over to your place, there was no rush.

Jungkook, on the other hand, had an early morning meeting the next day. He had one beer the whole night and sobered up in a few hours’ time.

“You can sleep over, too if you wanted,” you teased as you walked him to his parking spot across the street from your parents’ house.

He chuckled. “And where would I sleep?” He asked as you both leaned on the hood of his car, side by side.

“On an air mattress, on my bedroom floor. Like old times,” you giggled. You’re not exactly sure what prompted this invitation. You thought that two cups of coffee would have tapered the alcohol off a bit.

He laughed. “Man…I remember Hobi and your dad kept coming by to check on us.”

“Fun times,” you said, nostalgically.

He sighed then lowered his voice. “Yeah. I don’t think Jin-hyung would appreciate me sleeping on your childhood bedroom floor, though,” then turned to face you.

You turned to face him in return. “No. He wouldn’t.”

You stared at each other in silence for a few seconds. The electricity was palpable.

He licked his lower lip. “I have to go,” he whispers.

“Yes, you do,” you said in return, biting the inside of your cheek.

“YN! Eomma wants to watch ‘In The Mood for Love’ to cheer herself up. What’s your HBO streaming login,” Hobi yells out from the front door walkway.

You chuckled lightly, shook your head and turned back to Hobi. “I’ll be right there, oppa. Just saying goodbye.”

“Okay, she said to hurry up,” walking back to the house. “As if there wasn’t enough pining and angst out here already,” he muttered under his breath.

You straightened up and Jungkook did the same, retrieving his car keys.

“I’ll text you when I get home,” he says with a smirk, opening the driver’s side door.

You nodded. “Drive safe. Love you.”

“Ditto,” he says with a wink.

You shook your head as he turned the engine on. You give him a small wave as he pulls out of the spot and waited to walk back to the house until you saw his tail lights turn the corner at the end of the block.

The following week, Jin had just flown in from being away for two weeks. The last two months have been a whirlwind–fitting in flights, work, endless meetings, and video calls on your end and his.

His project had finally launched with a huge event that culminated months of hard work and you were there to witness it. Scores of people watching the stock markets—their investments and hard work starting to pay off.

He felt bad making you feel neglected in the last few weeks but you understood. His hard work, finally out there publicly and more people are taking interest, wanting a piece of the pie.

When he finally got home after a two-week absence, you went to go see him at his house. He wanted a small celebration with just the two of you.

You didn’t get to fly out during this trip because the final data analysis from your initiative was scheduled to come in and you had to be present in real time to run quality control and sign off on everything.

He completely understood since your convention was just around the corner and he knew that this was a big deal for you and your company.

With the domestic launch of his project proving successful, he said that he finally didn’t have to closely monitor it. He could hang back and let his people steer the ship and spend more time with you.

“Are you sure you don’t want to rest? You just flew in an hour ago!”

“I couldn’t wait a minute longer without you. Those two weeks were torture,” he groaned as he pulled you in for a hug.

“I missed you so much,” he said, murmuring into your hair.

“Yes, but it’s all worth it, right? All the heavy lifting is done?”

“Exactly! I’ll call Young Soo in the morning so that he can talk to the financers. This way, I don’t need to be as hands-on for the Tokyo effort.”

Park Young Soo was Jin’s right hand. He managed all of his finances and was his mentor in addition to his father. Young Sou pushed for the global market launch. He saw the potential in Jin’s program and how it would benefit from a wider audience.

“It means…we’ll have more time together. We can go on that vacation that we wanted and do absolutely nothing!”

“I would love that,” you said as you gave him a quick peck.

“Well, not absolutely nothing. I’d be buried between your legs the whole time, of course.”

“Is that so,” you asked with an eyebrow raised.

“Yeah. If you want, I can give you a preview of what you can expect right now,” he suggested as he points his thumbs towards the stairs leading up to his bedroom.

“Well, if this lingerie that I’m wearing underneath this dress is any indication of what I expect from you, then you’ve got a deal.”

Your teasing elicits a groan from him so he lifts you off the floor to carry you to his bedroom.

******

You wake up the next morning and find that Jin’s side of the bed is empty.

Getting up, you pick up his dress shirt from last night off the floor, put it on and pad over to the stairs leading down to the living room. He wasn’t usually an early riser but with all of the travel he’s been doing, you figured his body clock was out of sorts.

You hear some distant murmuring as you make your way down the hallway. Sometimes, Jin has a housekeeper or gardener come by to handle some basic house maintenance. As you approach the landing to look down on the main living room, you are taken by surprise to see a bunch of his office staff on their phones, laptops, and tablets, milling around downstairs, already in deep work-mode. You tried to find Jin but he was nowhere in sight.

You couldn’t very well walk down the stairs either to look around the kitchen or his office below dressed like this. Just then, a staff member looks up from their tablet and spots you by the stairs. Embarrassed, you quickly run back into the room.

Once you were in the room, you sent him a quick text asking him to come up when he could while you got yourself dressed. You decided to head home instead since it was awkward to hang around while he had a roster of staff in his house.

A few minutes later and quick brushing of your hair to pull it up in a bun, he walks in bringing you some caffeine.

“Hey, where are you going,” he asked as you slipped on your dress from last night.

“Home,” you answered while you pulled up the side zipper.

He knitted his brows in confusion. “What? No. Stay, please?”

“Jinnie—you have staff working here. I’m just going to be a distraction,” you said as you retrieved your shoes.

“A really hot distraction though.”

You chuckled. “You’re cute but that won’t make me stay.”

“I’m sorry, YN. Young Soo called early this morning and said that we have enough leverage needed for the Tokyo push.”

You take the cup from him and sip on the espresso.

You hum in appreciation as you feel the caffeine slowly making its way into your bloodstream. “Thank you. No need to apologize. You know, I wish you could have told me or else I wouldn’t have walked out there in my underwear,” you said, setting down the cup over the dresser.

He laughed. “I’m sorry…it won’t happen again. Besides, those legs are killer.”

You gave him a small smile. “Right, but they’re for your eyes only.”

“I know, I know,” he chuckled lightly.

“Listen, I’m going to head out,” you said as you approached him.

He instantly wraps his hands around your waist. “Is there anything I can do to convince you to stay? Please?”

You cup his cheeks. “Jinnie, I can’t. You have people over. I can’t just hang around in your bedroom, waiting spread-eagled while you conquer the tech world.”

“Now that’s an intriguing idea,” he said as his eyebrows quirked slyly.

You give him a deadpan look.

He grinned. “I’m only joking. When I’m done, I promise I’ll come over to your place tonight, okay?”

“Okay,” you said, resting your palms on his chest.

“Are you good driving back?”

“I drove here last night, didn’t I?”

“Just checking.” He pulls you in for a kiss and you deepen it, pulling his neck in, urging him closer.

He pulls back, breathlessly and groans. “As much as I want a repeat of last night–”

You pouted playfully. “I know. I’ll see myself out,” you smiled, pinching his cheek.

“Are you sure?”

You nodded. “I love you. And see you later?”

“Yes. I love you, too, beautiful.”

******

Jin came by much later than expected that evening.

“You know, you can only pacify me so much with orgasms,” you teased while you still straddled him.

“A man can try,” he said panting with his forehead pressed against yours.

“I’m only teasing,” you said, giving him a quick peck on the lips and gingerly lifting yourself off him, and retrieving your clothing off the floor.

Earlier, as he walked through your door, he grabbed you by the waist, kissing you aggressively while he backed you up against the couch, pulling off whatever bottoms you had. He spread your legs, tongued your slit until your first orgasm took you by surprise.

He was still fully clothed when you straddled him next. He slid your top just right above your breasts to suck on them while you rode him vigorously to another spine-tingling orgasm while he emptied himself inside of you.

After you readjust your top and pull your bottoms back on, he carefully slips the condom off himself and walks to your bathroom to dispose of it. While he gets cleaned up, you walk to the kitchen and look in the fridge for anything to cook.

As he steps out, you ask him if he was hungry for anything.

“I can just order something over the delivery app?”

“Okay, sounds good.”

“Anything specific you’re craving for,” he asked, already scrolling through the restaurant options.

“Not really. Surprise me.”

“Alright,” he said as he proceeds to place an order.

You spend the rest of the evening just sitting and watching TV, talking about nothing in particular. It was a rare quiet night–you were home, not in a hotel, or a different city.

You looked forward to more nights like this and Jin promised that this will all be over soon and it will be worth the wait.

You and Jungkook finally found the time to hang out at his place after you’ve both successfully blocked your weekend from any overtime or other work calls.

“I can’t wait til this project is done. My stress level is through the roof. Thank goodness I’m on some medication to manage that,” you said as you flipped the pork belly on the tabletop grill.

“That makes two of us. But I rely on my video games to ease some of that tension…and other methods,” he says, wiggling his brows.

“Did not need to get that specific, but I get it,” you said sarcastically.

He chuckled. It felt good being able to joke around with each other again.

“How can you keep up? The budget, the task delegation, keeping the client happy, and eating meals in-between,” you asked while he pushed a plate of pa kimchi towards you.

He laughs. “You just do. Once you get the hang of delegation, it’s going to go much smoother. You have a project manager, right?”

“Yeah,” you said as you took a bite.

“Then use them as your deputy! You don’t have to make calls on everything—just handle the top-level shit. If you start worrying about all of the inner-workings, you’ll burn out and you’ll never get anything done.”

“I know. Yoongi said that many times.”

“It’s good advice,” he said as he picks up a couple of pieces of grilled pork and puts it on his plate.

“I just don’t want to fail,” you said, slumping your shoulders.

“You won’t. Sounds to me like you have a good team anyway. Let them step up and shine. Yoongi did the same to you.”

You sighed. “You’re right. I really have to let go of some of my control issues. I still have to finalize the final presentation for the convention,” you said, while taking a few pieces of pork off the grill.

“You’ll do great, bub. I’m sure of it! I wish I could be there,” he says while taking a bite.

“Yeah, it would be nice.”

“Yeah. Too bad I have to be in Houston then. Why do we have to grow up?”

“It fucking sucks. I wished we had just stayed in that playground.”

He giggled. “With your bowl cut bangs?”

“Whatever, dude. You had hat-hair all the time since you never took that helmet off. Oh, wait no—that was your actual hair!”

He narrowed his eyes at you. “No, you fucking didn’t…”

You scowled back. “You come for my bangs, I’ll fight back.”

You burst in a fit of laughs.

As he caught his breath, he smiled warmly.

“I miss this.”

You nodded softly. “Yeah, me too.”

You stare at each other for a beat, the sound of sizzling meat filling the room. You decide to switch gears to avoid bringing up that tension from your parents’ house not so long ago.

You cleared your throat. “So, did you and Lisa ever hook up?”

Jungkook’s eyes quirk up nearly choking on his beer. “Uh, ‘hook up’?”

Distracted with the grill, you asked him again. “Did you two ever hang out while she was here?”

“Uh, yeah. We had drinks and lunch but I had a lot of work so couldn’t find a lot of time to fit in, you know,” he babbled.

“Understandable. We hung out a few times. Man, she’s a wild one! How did you ever keep up?”

Jungkook grimaced. “Who knows? It’s all in the past!”

“She seems like she’s moving along nicely, though.”

“Good for her,” he says as he took another mouthful of pork and rice.

After dinner, you offered to help him clean up but he waved you off so you wouldn’t have to get home too late.

He insisted on helping you load the grill back to your car even though you were perfectly fine carrying it by yourself when you arrived.

“Thanks for tonight, Kook. Sorry I couldn’t stay too long,” you said as he shut your trunk.

“Stop apologizing. We planned to hang out and we finally did, that’s the point!”

“We should do this again–whenever work calms down. Maybe a few hours of karaoke with Chim and Tae,” you suggested.

He laughed. “That would be fun–I’m sure they’d love that.”

Just then, it starts to drizzle. “You should head out before it starts pouring.”

“Alright. See you soon?”

He opens his arms and motions you for a hug and you oblige. “Yep. You know you can’t get rid of me that easily. Drive safe, huh? And please call me when you get home.”

“I will,” you said, pulling away.

“Love—“

He is interrupted by your phone ringing.

You sighed. “It’s Jin. I’ll just call him back on my bluetooth.”

“It’s fine.”

You went in for another quick hug. “Okay. Bye, Kook.”

You drove away and watched him from your rearview mirror at the red light. Seconds later, the light turns green and the rain pours while Jungkook disappears back into his building.

******

Jin comes by the following weekend after a series of meetings at his office.

He had been in meetings all day and the clock was creeping up to 10PM. You texted him saying that he didn’t have to come see you and that you could drive over to his place tomorrow instead.

But he was insistent and he felt bad that you made him dinner so you dropped the argument.

He walked through your door looking exhausted. After greeting him with a kiss, you asked what was bothering him.

“What is it?”

He slumps on your couch, stretching his neck from side to side before leaning his head back.

Eyes closed, he holds his arms out to you beckoning you to sit on his lap and snuggle.

You obliged, curling yourself into him, burying your face in the crook of his neck while he wrapped his arms around you.

“Are you tired? We can go straight to bed instead?” You suggested.

He hummed in disagreement, still clinging onto you.

“Talk to me,” you coaxed softly.

He exhaled deeply. “We finally ironed out the details to launch the project in Tokyo,” he said with his eyes still closed.

You lifted yourself off him and exclaimed, “Wow! That’s huge! Congratulations!” You grabbed his face and kissed him once more. As you pulled away, you noticed that something was still bothering him.

“Yeah, I guess,” he says soberly while staring at you.

“Why aren’t you excited? Isn’t this what you’ve wanted?”

He dropped his eyes downward. “Yes. Yeah. It’s…exciting.”

“Okay, so why do you still look like a kicked puppy? Isn’t this the part where you finally sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor?”

“They need me to stay there for three months to oversee the whole thing. Protect the investment and whatnot.”

Your breath hitched. “Three months?”

He nodded. “Leaving next week.”

Three months. Last time, he was gone for three weeks. He was able to fly you in for a weekend and you busied yourself through his absence so they seemed to go by pretty quickly. But three months? Abroad?

You carefully slipped off him and sat on your heels over the cushion. He said that once the Tokyo deal went through, he could kick back his heels and just hang back…change of plans, clearly.

“Come with me, please?”

“Jin, I-I can’t. I have that big convention in two weeks–the one that I’ve been telling you about?”

“Agh—“ he pinches his nose, squeezes his eyes shut as he remembers. “Shit, that’s right.”

“I can’t miss it. I have to give the final presentation.”

He sits up straight, wheels already turning. “Okay…how ‘bout this? I can hop on a plane every weekend to see you. I can work around the Tokyo meetings and then fly you out again for a few days after the convention right before heading to Singapore,” he rambled.

“Singapore?” You interrupted softly.

He sighed. “Yeah, that uh…is part of the itinerary.”

You had a sinking feeling. Your worst fears, previously pushed onto the back burner to quietly simmer, now coming up steaming. The whistling ringing in your ears.

“…A few days there, maybe?”

Heat rose to your cheeks and into your ears, heart racing. You closed your eyes and took a deep breath.

“Jin…”

“I can talk to Yoongi—“

“Jin!”

“No, YN. Please don’t say it. Please…YN…”

******

“YN? YN? Did we get disconnected?”

You were suddenly pulled away from the haze. You wiped a stray tear that dripped down your cheek.

“Do you need a moment?”

You swallowed the lump in your throat. “No, we should keep going.”

The good doctor hesitates but you give her a reassuring nod to proceed.

“It’s alright to be emotional about it. I thought that we had established that I’m not here to invalidate your feelings,” she said, looking back at you from your laptop’s monitor.

“I just didn’t know if I should feel…this way…over something that was relatively brief.”

“Sometimes, time holds no bearing. There’s no clear definition of how to feel and when to feel it. Feeling is a personal, individual reaction. You may be in a room with several people looking happy but you’re not all at the same level of ‘happy,’ you know what I’m saying?”

You nodded.

“Nobody should feel, they just do.”

*******

After your session, your phone vibrates with a call coming through.

“Hey,” you answered.

“Hey…I meant to leave you a voicemail. I wasn’t sure if you were done with your session.”

Jungkook had been giving you some time, periodically checking in on you in the last week or so. His work has pulled him away for back to back travel for close three and a half weeks so Jimin and Taehyung have taken turns coming by to keep you company.

“Nah, you’re good. We ended a little early today.”

“Sorry I’m not there, bub.”

“Hey…don’t be. I feel you even though I don’t see you.”

His heart swells as he stands in a quiet corner by his flight’s gate, his group due to be called to board shortly.

“I know…I just…I know how special he was to you.”

“Yeah, that’s all over now,” you mumbled as you rounded the corner of another aisle at the store.

He felt terrible not being able to rush to your side when things with Jin ended. Your voicemail had come in right after he landed in a different city. He wanted to be close to you but his work obligations made him stick to his itinerary and you understood that.

You were in love with Jin. But the relationship, though it began with so much promise, had been slipping into a downward spiral.

You’re not exactly sure how you made it through the last two weeks. Though you tried to play it off, Yoongi sensed that something had gone wrong and managed to wheedle it out of you. He offered to take over your presentation but you rebuffed him and repeatedly assured him that you can compartmentalize.

The final presentation at the convention went without a hitch and Yoongi and your team were lauded by your peers resulting in more opportunities rolling in for you and the company. It was a logical sacrifice, you thought. You had worked too hard and too long to get to this point and you were not going to get derailed. At the convention’s conclusion, Yoongi forced you to take some personal time since you weren’t due to go over new proposal opportunities for another few weeks.

“Where are you,” he asks as he hears a slight echo in your voice and other background chatter.

“Oh, I’m at the store, just picking up a few things.”

“Hope it’s not for a liquid diet,” he said with a soft warning.

“No. I kicked that habit. Was thinking of making some soup for the guys and baking some chocolate chip cookies or chocolate butter mochi,” you said as you picked up a bag of flour while staring at a box of sweet rice flour next to it.

“Maybe I’ll do both,” you murmured under your breath while you considered your options.

“Wow. Cooking and chocolate baked goods? You’re really going through it.”

You exhaled sharply. “I just want to keep moving along, you know?”

You went ahead and picked up two boxes of sweet rice flour in addition to all-purpose flour.

“Hang on a sec, YN,” Jungkook said as he paused to pull up an app on his phone to scan his boarding pass. He murmurs his thanks to the gate staff and proceeds through the jet bridge.

“Sorry about that. Had to scan my pass real quick,” he says to you after he puts his phone back to his ear.

“All good, Jungkookie,” you sighed, rounding the refrigerated aisle.

“Anyway, I’ll uh—text you when I land or call you when I get to the hotel.”

“Okay. Just a text is fine, if you remember. I know you’ll be dead tired.”

He settled into his window seat in business class. “I promise we’ll get together when I get back next week, okay?”

You hummed in return.

“Everything will be fine, bub.” And he would see to it that it did.

“I know. Thank you. Have a safe flight, Kook.”

“Thanks. Love you.”

“Ditto,” you said, hanging up.

You stood in front of the dumpling and eggroll wrapper aisle deciding whether you wanted to make soup dumplings or steamer ones instead.

You were about to dial Jimin’s number when a voice called out to you.

“YN?”

You looked up, brows furrowed while you looked around to find out who or where it came from.

Your breath hitches and your jaw drops as the source of that voice comes to view.

“Derek?”

◤Previous | Part 8◥ | Main Fic Masterlist

Taglist: @deepseavibez @bts-fic-recs-mess @mwitsmejk @jamlessstars @xhazmania @xiaoren001 @dianaxnyc

[rachelbethhines]

Tangled Salt Marathon - Plus Est En Vous Part 3

We did it y’all! We’ve finally made it to the end! This isn’t the last review for the marathon but it is the finale episode of the series. And if I’ve planned things out right, it’s also the anniversary of the series' end and this particular episode. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate.

Summary: As Zhan Tiri attacks the rest of Corona with the combined power of the Sundrop and Moonstone; Rapunzel and Cassandra must finally set their differences aside and work together to defeat her.

This Is A Downgrade

This is not a terrible design, per say, but it’s so less appealing than the black void of nothingness that was hinted at all series long.

This a much bolder, sharper, and crisper design. It stands out and is menacing. Giving Zhan Tiri more definition and rounded features weakens that impact.

Also, why did they bother hiring a new voice actor just for her adult/daemon form? She barely sounds any different.

Just Because A Character Says Something Doesn’t Make It True

Maybe Movie Rapunzel was all about making dreams come true, but Show Rapunzel couldn’t give two shits about what other people want unless it benefits herself somehow.

She neve cared about Cassandra’s dreams, despite being in a position to help her. She doesn’t even give a crap about Varian receiving basic needs, let along what he may actually desire out of life. And any villain who doesn’t bend the knee to her, like Lady Caine or The Saporians, is fresh out of luck, because Rapunzel doesn’t care enough to even ask them what they want nor offer them help.

I bring this up because such hypocrisy undermines the tension of the scene. I’m less likely to care about Rapunzel getting flatten to a pulp if the show reminds me before hand that she’s actually a horrible protagonist who has failed to learn anything.

Since When?

If Rapunzel, or any other character for that matter, had been granted an ounce of competence this season Zhan Tiri wouldn’t even be a threat right now. Rapunzel herself has had numerous chances to take the goat-girl out of commission and didn’t. Heck, she wouldn’t have even had to use her powers to do it. She could have tied ZT up with rope and arrested her then and there in the Spire.

This Doesn’t Explain Anything!!!

Yes, Cassandra’s biggest flaw is her selfish ego, but that has nothing to do with her being Gothel’s daughter. She’s egotistical because Chris thought for some ungoddly reason that would make her relatable. Because Chris has an inability to understand that not everyone is him, ironically because of his own ego.

In universe, you could associate Cassandra’s need for constant validation with Gothel’s previous abandonment if you wanted to, but that still wouldn’t explain why she’s willing to throw away her relationships, career, morals, and common sense for it. Especially when she kept achieving that desired validation every other episode during the previous seasons anyways.    

Said flaw also has nothing to do with any comeuppance here. She didn’t lose because she got cocky. She lost because of lazy writing that made her weakness ‘little girls jumping on top of her’ for no stated reason.

Then there’s the matter of Gothel’s biggest flaw being her control issues, not her ego. Sure, she’s confident in how she looks in the movie and the show flanderizes this into outright vanity, but it’s her pathological need to manipulate and control Rapunzel, born from her own fear of death, that motivates her through out the film.    

Nor was it her ‘ego’ that ‘felled’ her. She underestimated that a thief would perform a selfless sacrifice to save his beloved, because Gothel never understood what real love was; only possession and control. Rapunzel was an object that she prized dearly, but she didn’t really love her; not the way a parent should.

And finally, Zhan Tiri had nothing to do with Gothel’s demise. That was all on Eugene and Pascal. Zhan Tiri didn’t do shit. If the show is trying to imply that Zhan Tiri was manipulating Gothel all movie long, and perhaps even before that as a disciple, then the series is doing a bad job of it.

This is suppose to be the ‘pay off’ of the disciples plot, and it’s such a piss poor reveal that I wonder why the show even bothered to include that particular subplot at all. I still don’t know why any of the disciples followed Zhan Tiri, nor what their relationship to Demanitus was. I don’t know how their story is suppose to connect back to the current conflict. I don’t know the mechanics of the magic system for the world, nor why the Sundrop and Moonstone is so special. And I don’t know how Zhan Tiri is suppose to retroactively fit into the original film.

As I said before, none of this dialogue makes sense in context, and the Gothel subplot should have been dropped from the get go if this was all they were going to do with it.

This Moment Isn’t Earned

There’s absolutely no reason for anyone here to be shouting Rapunzel’s name. Them risking their lives for what is now a worthless hunk of rock populated by nothing but ruins is already very stupid, but at least you could claim that they have an emotional attachment to what was once their home. But Rapunzel?

Rapunzel isn’t Corona itself, nor has she done anything to protect it. Quite the opposite in fact. Corona, and by extension it’s citizenry, are being placed in danger directly due to her own selfishness and incompetence.

And going beyond even that, there’s not a single person here who Rapunzel hasn’t screwed over in some manner individually. Let alone even apologize for doing so.

She went back in time and brainwashed her own boyfriend, rather than admit she was wrong in an argument. And then proceeded to brow beat him into submission for the rest of the season into doing what she wants.

She bullied her own parents and denied them agency over their own lives, because she didn’t want to deal with them getting a divorce. A decision that was never her business.

She completely fucked over Varian’s life; endangering both him and his father, all because she didn’t want to face responsibility for her choices and deal with the emotional fallout from them.

She betrayed both Adira’s and Edmund’s trust in her when she failed to stop Cassandra from stealing the moonstone... something they both warned her about. She also still refuses to confront her bestie over it even now.

She failed to do anything to protect the Brotherhood once Cassandra and Zhan Tiri stole the mindtrap. Therefore the Dark Kingdom characters all got doubly screwed over.  Including Lance who cares about both Adira and Eugene.

She had plenty of time to warn the populace about the daemon that was planning on attacking their home and did nothing; Worse than nothing, she actively encouraged them to ignore it just so she could have some fun.  

She abandoned Red and Angry, two orphans, multiple times and then shouldered their emotional trauma onto each other rather act like a goddamn adult. Only to gaslight them both into thinking she was ‘helping them to come closer to each other’ or some such bullshit.

She lied to Monty and to this day they still fight over it, yet I’m suppose to believe that he cares about her sorry ass?

The only people who she may have not screwed over is the Pub Thugs; but her relationship with the Pub Thugs was established during the movie before the series degraded her character. She still is placing them in danger in this episode though.

This Isn’t An Apology

Remember way, way back when I wrote The Secret of the Sun Drop review? Remember how I tore apart King Frederic’s non-apology? Remember when I ripped Rapunzel a new one for her lame ass ‘reconciliation’ with Varian during Rapunzel’s Return? Remember?

Because this scene is the worst of both of those.

Let’s start here.

Cassandra isn’t even trying to apologize here. She’s just throwing a pity party.

A sincere apology isn’t about you. It’s about your victims. It’s about who you’ve hurt and how you want to fix things with them. All Cassandra is doing here is spiraling into self deprecation mode because her self-esteem took a hit when she lost to Zhan Tiri.

Now her feeling depressed, isn’t the issue here. She’s valid to feel this way. The problem is that it’s just not enough to make up for what she did. But just like with King Frederic’s ‘confession’ in season one, both Rapunzel and the audience are now primed to coddle her because she ‘feels bad’, and that’s not an actual redemption.

Now This An Actual Breakdown; And It’s Still Not An Excuse

Cassandra stans love to pull out the ‘she’s a having an mental breakdown; you just don’t understand!’ as an excuse for her actions, but it’s one that doesn’t hold any water because of this scene.

Cassandra wasn’t having a breakdown before when doing all of that bad stuff; because this is her breaking point! This the point where she reaches rock bottom; because it’s the story’s climax.

People like to conveniently forget that Cassandra has been running around with the moonstone while listening to Zhan Tiri for over a year now; possibly going on two years given the timeline fiasco. She’s had more than enough chances to come to her senses, and people dealing with actual mental illness don’t have ‘breakdowns’ that last for years.

Real relapses are just that, relapses. They fluctuate. You have good days, bad days, middling days; and sometimes you crack and do stupid shit that you regret afterwards, but that's only sometimes. Your body can’t physically maintain that high emotional state 24/7 for a year’s worth of time. It’s just can’t. Sooner or later you will snap out of it and come back down to earth. And then you might relapse again later, especially if you don't deal with the issue, but that doesn’t mean you’ll have the same reaction exactly the same way over the exact same issue later.      

Cassandra was fully in control of herself when she decided to steal, threaten, kidnap, drug, abuse, imprison, bully, assault, murder, and brainwash people. She just didn’t give a shit, and her crying now doesn’t solve anything. Low self-esteem isn’t an excuse for being a jerk and neither is mental illness.

Compare the above to this scene.

Once again, Bojack Horseman gets right what most series nowadays get wrong, and I’m not even an actual fan of this show. (I’m not one for satire usually) But dang has it not earned my respect.

Being Vague About Cassandra’s Pervious Actions Here Doesn’t Erase Them From The Audience's Minds

Let’s review the list again shall we.

Stole a priceless and world endangering artifact

Victim blamed a woman for being kidnapped as a baby

Attacked her own father

Publicly threatened to destroy a kingdom if she didn’t get what she wanted

Assaulted a minor

Kidnapped a minor

Drugged a minor while unconscious

Used coercion tactics on a minor in order to gain intel

Violently abused said minor while in her custody

Imprisoned said minor, possibly retraumatizing him    

Assaulted her former friends

Threatened to murder someone in front of their spouse

Attempted to murder her best friend on no less than three occasions

Assaulted, kidnaped, and attempted to murder an innocent woman just to blackmail said best friend

Stole another priceless and deadly artifact

Brainwashed four innocent people and forced them to fight their friends and family  

A least two instances of identity theft

Attacked a crowd of innocent people simply for daring to defend themselves from her

Destroyed an entire kingdom, displacing hundreds of people from their homes, and mostly likely causing several injures and probably even killing a few people while at.

And we still don’t know what the fuck she did to Faith and the Keeper to get them out of her way.

And let me make something very clear, I’m not shaming the character for being a villain and doing bad things. I’m shaming the series for trying to gaslight its own audience by suddenly pretending like these things didn’t happen.  

Admitting Fault Isn’t Enough. You Have To Take Actual Responsibility For Your Actions

The biggest complaint people have with Cassandra’s arc is the lack of true consequences. And keep in mind, consequences doesn’t automatically mean ’punishment’. It just means you need to deal with shit.

I don’t need Rapunzel refusing to forgive her or having her vindictively thrown in jail (though I wouldn’t blame the series if they went that route) but I do need to see Cassandra putting in the actual work that’s needed to make amends. Stuff that’s directly related to fixing what she broke.

Have her do community service. Give her over to the Brotherhood to deal with according to their laws, whatever those maybe. Have her placed on trail and let the people decide her fate. Maybe pay for property damage. Or heck a simple shunning from those she’s hurt. She can make up with Rapunzel, sure, but that doesn’t mean she can win over everybody’s forgiveness.

The Show Has A Real Problem With Nepotism and Hypocrisy

And yeah, we can’t talk about Cassandra’s lack of consequences with out talking about Varian’s, Caine’s, and just about every other villain's arc in the show as well.  

Varian was given overly harsh and abusive punishment for daring to fight back against relentless abuse from his oppressors. And even after being released from that and being brought back into the royals good graces again, for no other reason that to stroke Rapunzel’s ego, he still took flak for his actions by the populace at large for over a year.

And you can’t claim that Rapunzel learned from Varian not to do that with Cass when you still have Lady Caine and The Saporian arcs unresolved. Caine, a woman who was orphaned herself by the royals oppression of the poor, is still banished on that slave labor island. The Saporians, a race of displaced people left homeless by the royals for generations, are currently locked up in the dungeon bellow them right now.... and I very much doubt that Cassandra and Zhan Tiri has been brothering to even feed them while in charge.

Once again, the series is trying to gaslight the audience into thinking that Rapunzel is this kind and forgiving induvial for not holding Cassandra to account but the reality is, she’s just doesn't care about anyone who isn’t Cass. And her obsession with her ‘best friend’ is due to her own validation issues and not out of any real concern for Cassandra’s well being either.

This Line Doesn’t Make Sense In Context

Who’s this ‘everyone’? What did they think of you? What time frame are we even talking about here?

Cassandra’s villain arc doesn’t work because it was never set up properly. We have no idea what the wider populace actually thought about Cassandra. We’re never shown any real instances where she’s mistreated by anyone, other than Gothel, whom she didn’t even remember. The only time people turn on her is after she goes villain and starts threating them, and that’s her own damn fault.

This Is Manipulative

I mean it is more of the same ‘using self deprecation to deflect from real criticism’ tactics as above; but it’s also manipulating the audience with a wish fulfillment fantasy.  

I’m sorry, but Tangled the Series is lying to you. No one is going to come along and pat you on the head for being an asshole and say ‘There, there, It’s alright. Don't feel bad. You’re perfect just the way you are, flaws and all, and you need never change.’

Bullshit.

Relationships are a two way street. You both have to put in the work for bettering yourself. Otherwise you’ll either wind up alone, or trapped in a toxic relationship where one person gives and gives while other does nothing but takes.

This is my biggest issue with enemies to lovers within fandom, because 90% of the time it’s used as an excuse by the fans to never examine their own failings. They just want someone to validate them; not an actual loving relationship where you both have to compromise and work together.

Unconditional love doesn’t mean putting up with your constant bullshit and forgiveness doesn’t mean ignoring the problem. It means being open and willing to listen and to change, and that requires both of you putting in effort.

Saying Sorry To Rapunzel Isn’t A Redemption

I’ll give Cassandra this. At least she verbally says ‘sorry’ to someone. That’s more than what either Frederic or Rapunzel does. But it’s still not enough.

Steps that we’re still missing here are; verbal acknowledgement of how she precisely hurt Rapunzel, informing Rapunzel of how her behavior will change and how she means to make amends, and follow through on that promise.

What we have here is half of an apology. This might have still worked had we had time to see the other steps later, but we never do.

And of course this is all assuming Cassandra is being sincere here. What assurances do we have as the audience that Cassandra is being truthful? She has a past record of lying and manipulation, of making promises only to brake them later when it benefits her, and apologizing for this same offense over and over again.  

Cassandra is a vindictive and petty person, and she’s like that to everyone. Who’s to say she won’t start shit again later? How has she learned her lesson here, when she didn’t learn it three seasons ago in Challenge of the Brave? What’s actually different this time, other than the higher stakes? Especially since the inciting incident for this apology is her losing; not her coming to the realization that what she was doing was harming others.

Rapunzel Can’t Forgive Cassandra On Everybody Else’s Behalf

If Rapunzel wants to accept this halfway apology because it makes her feel better, than fine. That’s on her. But she can not forgive Cassandra in place of anybody else.

Cass hurt more than just Rapunzel. She has a whole host of people to beg forgiveness from and we never even see her put in the effort. And for many of those people she has even graver offenses to make up for. Yet, watch as the show treats this as the conclusion to her arc, because the show only cares about Rapunzel’s feelings and no one else’s.

I said it before and I’ll say it again; the series has out grown both Rapunzel and Cassandra. They are not the two most important people in the story anymore because their conflict has the lowest stakes. I can’t give a shit that they’re friends again when there are people outside fighting for their very lives.... and they’re only in danger because of these two bitches!

What’s The Point Of The Yellow Rocks?

All they do is is the exact same thing that the black rocks have been doing since the series started. At least the red rocks did something new, as little sense as that plot point made, but these are just a recolor and nothing special.

Which leads to the bigger question of; What is the point of the Sun Drop then?

Why did Zhan Tiri have to go through such convoluted methods to steal Rapunzel’s powers if she never uses them? The yellow rocks are the same as the black rocks. The only incantation she uses is the Decay, which should be the moonstone’s power to begin with. You could argue that having both stones allows her to grow into a daemon, but why does she even need a monster form if she could have done all of this with just the moonstone anyways?

Ugh! It’s all so pointless!

That’s the main problem here. There’s no logical reason for the conflicts to play out as they do on screen. The ‘payoffs’ just wind up undermining everything that’s come before till you no longer give crap.

Sure, I could theorize all day long and fill in the blanks myself, but I shouldn’t have to. That’s the job of the writers and they failed!

This Is Gay Bait

Yeeeaaaah, that’s not how ‘best friends’ talk to each other. That’s not even how sisters talk to one another. You might tell you’re bestie that you love them or hype them up when they feeling down, but no one just tells their BFF about the moment they fell in love with them like its a long held confession. Heck, I don’t even remember the moment I and my best friend became friends because it happened so gradually and was so long ago.

The entirely of Cassandra’s and Rapunzel’s relationship is written, not as sisters rediscovering one another, like with Anna and Elsa or Gamora and Nebula, but as star-crossed friends to enemies to lovers/soulmates deal. As if it was a diet Catradora or Reylo.

Keep in mind, I’m not criticizing any of the ships here. Enemies/rivals to lovers may not be my deal, but I understand why it’s such a popular trope and if you ship Casspunzel then more power to you.

What I’m criticizing is the obviously contradictory and manipulative writing that’s designed to appeal to a certain demographic in order to exploit them without ever giving them any real representation. And it’s not the ‘big bad corporation’ or ‘capitalism’ to blame here, but the personal shittiness of the shows writers.

They knew better than to do this. They knew this was a mid-queal with a predetermined outcome for the romantic relationships. They are the ones that choose to make Rapunzel and Cassandra ‘sisters’. And they still put this in here, and quite frankly if you are queer, you should be fucking pissed at being screwed over like this; not trying to start pointless ship wars.

Empty Validation Doesn’t Solve Anything!

Okay, so we’re still in clear ‘gay bait’ territory and having Rapunzel simp after her abuser that just tried to murder her only minutes ago is also gross, because an ‘I’m sorry’ doesn’t magically erase that, but there’s an even larger problem with this scene....

This doesn’t resolve the conflict!

Nothing is being addressed here. Cassandra’s validation issues are deeper than just needing to hear a simple compliment. Epically such a vague meaningless one, like ‘I think you’re pretty’ and ‘You’re special just because’. It’s hollow and worthless.

This doesn’t tackle the actual issues with their relationship. It doesn’t acknowledge why they fell apart to begin with. It completely side steps what either girl has done wrong and therefore fails at being any sort of satisfying conclusion.

Also, Rapunzel conveniently avoids actual consequences by saying something ‘nice’ and ignoring the real problem, yet again, so she never, ever learns anything.

It’s also just pure cringe. Even ignoring the whole ‘they’re sisters’ subplot, this scene doesn’t even work as a romantic confession because nothing about it is real. It’s so fucking generic and could have been said by any two characters in any piece of media. Slap this on any toxic het couple in any bland romcom and you wouldn’t be able to tell it’s not from there. They don’t even bother explaining, let along showing, what it was that made Cassandra laugh. It’s so vague and uninteresting.  

To put it simply, the scene doesn’t work because nothing about it feels natural to the characters. It’s just as forced as the ‘break up’ that came before it.

Also, This Scene Just Looks Flat Out Ugly

I don’t know what the hell happened to the art direction in season three, but ugh!

Why do they look like fucking bobble heads? Why is Cass’s outfit that fugugly shade of brownish gray? Why is this scene awash with such atrocious lighting? Why is the background both too busy and crowded while simultaneously being too simple and flat?

This is suppose to be some heartfelt and tender moment but the colors are too harsh and the framing too uninspired to pull that sort emotion out of the scene. The lighting should have been either soft yellow, or cold black, with Rapunzel being the warm center... not this.

Who the fuck directed this scene?

You now what? Fuck it! Rapunzel should have had a yellow dress for season three if you were going this route. And Cassandra’s depowered suit should have been a darker gray/black or flat white/light gray to contrast with her. And get rid of that blasted red lighting! Make it blue, or green!

This Fight Is Boring Because It Refuses To Let The Characters Shine

It’s hard to convey with just screen shots alone, but the entire fight with Zhan Tiri is just the characters failing, one by one, to get a meaningful hit on the daemon as she just shrugs away their attacks.

Narratively speaking, the idea behind showcasing the battle this way is to build up Zhan Tiri as a credible threat while giving the side characters a final ‘hurrah’ before closing out the series. Unfortunately, the scene winds up being underwhelming and lacking in tension because it doesn’t effectively utilize the characters.

There’s no punch the air moments for the audience to cheer on. There’s nothing shocking here to fill us with dread and make us wonder fearfully what will happen to our favs. Then there’s the awful attempts at humor and bland dialogue that robs the story of any gravitas.  

Yet worse of all is that seeing characters that should be good fighters and formidable opponents not doing the things that we know they are capable of.

I, of course, signaled out Varian’s scene here, but you can pick anybody.

The Pub Thugs know how to fight. They're wanted criminals who took on the royal guards to save their friend. Yet they’re ineffective comedic relief. Red and Ruddiger are freaken mutant monsters capable of rendering a person in two and they do nothing. Angry just... throws rocks, I guess. The Brotherhood does nothing despite being the best fighters here. I don’t even see Lance, and of course poor Cap has disappeared into the void for most of the season. The only guards here are Stan and Pete who are the worst at their jobs, ect and so on.

Ironically, Varian and Eugene are the ones to make it out of this mess of a scene the best, by shear force of personality, but both still have been clearly nerfed by the plot.

Meanwhile, Zhan Tiri is still as lame as ever because the series just will not let her shut up! She’s a big bad daemon now! Why does she need to taunt? Why not just let her be this unstoppable force of nature who doesn’t need to overcompensate by protesting too much bout how she’s really going to destroy them all, no really... Any moment now...

Why Isn’t This Sung?

It’s the bloody climax! We’ve been building up to this scene since The Great Tree! Since Queen For A Day even! Why isn’t the decay incantation sung here like it was the last two times we saw it?

Not singing the incantations in the finale, when they should have the most plot importance, saps them of any tension the same way the hurt incantation saps the characters of their lives. It weakens the impact of the incantations narrative conclusions and undermines their previous set ups.  

Why Was This Cut?

https://kritterart.tumblr.com/post/611697079303192576

The original scene had Varian and Quirin reaching out to each other as they ‘died’ and, for reasons that I can’t even begin to fathom, it was cut and we just got a shot of Varian alone.

Why?

Just, why?

You can’t claim it was for time because the shots are roughly the same length and because you wasted three fucking minutes on the damn monkey scene earlier! You also can’t claim it was for narrative efficiency or because it made the scene read stronger either. To do so would just be stupid.

So that leaves us with only three options.

Censors

Budget

Chris is a dick

Some of the writers have gone on record saying that everyone was suppose to die this episode and have Rapunzel bring them back to life, only for the censors to step in and refuse to let them do that. Except... everyone dies this episode and is brought back by Rapunzel anyways.

Nothing narratively was actually removed and, to be frank, Chris was on his way out the door by this point. I very much doubted he gave a fuck what the higher ups said. Moreover, the censors never stepped in to stop Varian, a minor, from going through much, much worse in this show, so as to why they would object to him being held by his father for comfort during a the climax of the story is beyond me.

Then there’s budget reasons. It costs more to animated two characters onscreen as opposed to one. Except... its the fucking finale and the showrunners already wasted three goddamn minutes on stupid monkeys!!! Don’t tell me they didn’t have the money to animate this!!!

That leaves us just with option three. Now it’s no secret at this point that Chris Sonnenberg is an asshole to the fans of this show, particularly Varian fans. The drama has been immortalized on the internet forever and I won’t rehash it here again. There’s also the rumors hanging around the animation grapevine that he wasn’t that great of a boss, and we know for a fact that there was a mass resignation of crew members, most of whom were women, during the middle of production. We also know that he hasn’t been hired back for anything, by any studio, which lends credence to the rumors.    

However, I don’t know Chris personally. I’ve never met the man nor talked to him and I have very little desire to ever do so. I can’t say what he would or wouldn't do just to be petty, but boy does cutting this scene just feel like a final ‘fuck you’ to the fanbase that carried this show.

This Is An Ass Pull

First off, Cassandra didn’t give a crap about Rapunzel’s well being when she took the stone. They had the setup for that to be her motivation, but then backtracked on it when it came to the actual reveal. Trying to double back now in order to retroactively pretend that what Cass did was actually a good thing is pure BS at this point. Especially when her supposed goal was to murder Rapunzel for the past half of a season anyways.

But of course this exchange is here because it’s really setup/justification for how they’ll wind up defeating Zhan Tiri later. It’s more poorly laid out exposition that requires you remembering a bunch of other poorly laid expositions from season two; the dullest of seasons, so you probably don’t remember it. And it’s all undermined later anyways because Rapunzel bypasses any all consequences due to plot armor.

Not to mention that we still don’t get any explanation for what the two plot McGuffins are or how they work, so there’s no reason to believe that this is what would happen anyways. We don’t even know why they have to be reunited. I mean, we’re having to take the characters at their word and they don’t have the experience or knowledge to back those words up, so it’s a set up that’s already been sabotaged by the narrative.

This Isn’t A Satisfying Payoff Because The Focus Is Wrong

What the fuck does Cassandra have to do with Rapunzel’s journal?

That was a gift to Rapunzel from her mother. Those words of advice were for her, not Cass. A woman who has next to zero connection to Adrianna and hasn’t been involved in the journal plot at all, because why the fuck would she be?

I thought this was suppose to be ‘Rapunzel’s show’ Chris? I thought Rapunzel was suppose to be the one who has an actual arc and learns shit. Why would she, in her darkest hour, give the personal advice that was meant to encourage her to someone else? Especially when that character has already come through their emotional low point and been comforted by her in the previous scene.

There is no narrative reason to focus on Cassandra here. We’ve already resolved her validation issues, as gay baity and full of bullshit as that was. The only reason to keep harping on this still is to proclaim that Cassandra is real the focus of the story.

It’s here to make her the protagonist instead of Rapunzel!

Geez... No wonder Chris got fired. You had one fucking job. Make a spin off about Rapunzel, and you blew it.

BULLSHIT

This doesn’t make any sense!!!!

At this point the series is not only asking me to ignore natural human behavior, but to ignore basic physics as well. How did that tiny shard manage to stay lodged onto her suit after being blown away, flung around, and hit by magical sunbeams for half a season? Especially, when she can so easily remove it with her fingers here. Is it made of Velcro?

How!?

Cass has it on her person right now and it’s not doing shit for her other than to sparkle. What do you plan on doing with it? Why do you think this is enough power to defeat a fucking daemon!?  

Also ‘destiny’ still doesn’t mean anything. Neither of these two bitches have a destiny to fulfill. All of what is happing right now is either circumstantial, like being born with powers, or a direct consequence of their own failings, like the daemon being let lose.

Furthermore, this adds nothing to Cassandra’s arc because her motivations and goals were so clearly fucked over and mangled up for the past season and a half leading to this point. This can’t been seen as her relinquishing control and rectifying her past mistakes because we never found what this ‘destiny’ she’s been chasing after was nor what it meant to her.

Also why does this work!? How does it work!?

Why would the moonstone's powers manifest as Rapunzel’s glowy hair powers again? She’s not the sundrop anymore. That power is gone. She should logically have new powers that manifest differently without the influence of that previous power. Of course, that’s even assuming that touching the thing would give her powers at all, considering how Cass was wearing it this entire time and it didn’t work for her.

Why Won’t The Series Just Let Cassandra Be Cassandra?

Yeah, all through out this final episode the writers constantly have Cassandra steal Eugene’s lines and even straight up scenes from the Tangled movie.

I’ll get into why this so insulting to fans of the original later, but for now lets focus on why this diminishes Cassandra’s character specifically.

The Cassandra from season one and season two of the show, had like an actual unique purpose within the narrative and was a character in her own right with her own personality. She may have been clunkily intergraded into the cast, and in S2 denied any meaningful interactions with anyone other than Rapunzel, but she still was allowed to just exist as herself.

Then season three happens and suddenly Cassandra isn’t good enough for Chris. She can’t just be her own person anymore. Instead Chris has to force her to occupy everyone else’s stories as well instead of just giving her her own arc.

It isn’t enough for Cassandra to be the Captain’s beloved adopted daughter, now she has to steal Rapunzel’s backstory and be Gothel’s secret child who was also abused for no reason.

It’s not enough for Cassandra to have her own motivations for stealing the moonstone. She’s just evil because she’s now related to Gothel and she must now mimic the mother that she’s barely known for most of her life, cause reasons....

It isn’t enough that Cassandra is Rapunzel’s best friend. She now has to be Rapunzel’s star-crossed lover as well and up spur Eugene’s place as the most important person in Rapunzel’s life, despite the series also wanting to make them sisters.

It’s not enough for Cassandra to have a mind and will of her own and must therefore blindly follow another even bigger bad for zero stated reasons and must now ape Varian’s plans when scheming evilly.

Cassandra can’t have a goal nor purpose of her own outside of Rapunzel now. She must be after the protagonist's ‘destiny’ because deep down the creator wishes that she was the star of the show a not the character from a movie that he didn’t create and can therefore claim no ownership of.

Chris desperately wants to be recognized for creating an original character like Cassandra, but Cassandra just simply isn’t ‘original’. She’s not allowed to be original. Because Chris Sonnenburg has no faith in his creation. He doesn’t see Cassandra as an individual character but an extension of himself and his own ‘cleverness’. And his need to wedge her into everything is a reflection of how he feels like he needs to control everything and be made the center of attention even when what’s going on has nothing to do with him.

Why Should Rapunzel Care About This Explanation?

She has even less context for Zhan Tiri’s feud with Demanitus than we do. These lines mean nothing to her. Therefore they mean nothing to the audience. There’s no emotional investment for this conflict. So it remains uninteresting to till the last.  

This Fight Is Also Boring

There’s nothing new here. Rapunzel is just hitting the monster the same way she hits everything in this show. She’s been reduced to a generic action heroine and anything that originally made her clever, funny, or relatable in the movie is gone.

There’s no tension either as Rapunzel’s reaction to finding everyone she knows dying is hardily a concern to her. Yes, she responds to it happening, but the pacing is so off and the mood whiplash from the fight so quick that it barely registers in the audiences’ minds.

Meanwhile Zhan Tiri is as unimpressive and obnoxious as ever. She doesn’t even get the benefit of being indestructible as she did before, because we gotta show Raps and Cass being mega awesome super heroes, because ‘girl power’ or something...

This Is So Lame

Oh let me count the ways in which this is stupid.

Way to go series, you made your main villain even more unthreatening then before. All that pervious build up during the last fight was wasted.

Speaking of the last fight, why couldn’t anybody else get a hit on her? A vial of toxic chemicals to the face launched at rocket speed has far more impact than a bonk on the back of the head. I don’t like the term ‘Mary Sue’ because it’s lost all meaning over the years, but Cassandra sure does fit a lot of the over powered tropes often associated with the term.

Rather than making Cassandra seem cool, this scene has the opposite effect because it has nothing to do with her as a person. This isn’t particularly clever, lots of other characters have used frying pans in the franchise and she’s never been one them really, and also it’s a stupid frying pan. It’s a joke, that’s the point! Both Zhan Tiri and Cassandra are made into a joke so the end result is just cringey to watch.

It’s yet another call back to the film and another instance of trying to make Cassandra into a Eugene rip-off. It doesn’t work because it lacks the context and build up of the pervious line from the movie and comes across as tacky.

This Isn’t Particularly Clever Nor Unique

A satisfying climax is the conclusion of the important elements that you’ve built up over the course of the story. This includes both character resolutions and tying up the various plot points of your narrative.  

Tangled the Series lacks a satisfying ending because nothing here was set up enough to be impactful. Zhan Tiri is too lame. The Sundrop and Moonstone are too undefined. No one knows how magic works in this world. Most damaging of all, however, is the lack of character.

Vader turning on Palpatine works because redeeming his father has been Luke’s goal all movie long and desiring a relationship with his dad was a motivating factor for him since his introduction in the first movie.

Dr. Strange tricking the interdimensional monster with time travel, is the conclusion to him finding the time stone and using his greatest strength, his intelligence, to make an eternal sacrifice. Which brings his story arc full circle as he learns to be less selfish while still being uniquely and stubbornly himself.  

Even The Black Cauldron, a terrible movie by all accounts, still manages to have a kick ass climax because the villain is destroyed by the very thing he instigated the conflict with by trying to find it. He wanted a world conquering weapon and boy did he get it... right in the face as he disintegrated. Plus Zombies! 

Meanwhile, this ending doesn't tell me anything about the characters. The dialogue doesn’t harken back to anything rememberable. Zhan Tiri’s downfall has nothing to do with her own foibles. And the girls’ plan here is rather uninspired and honestly could have been done by anyone with a long enough rope. Rapunzel’s powers were not needed for this, and Cassandra adds nothing special to the proceedings either.

This Moment Lacks Emotional Impact

Rapunzel finally cutting her own hair should be this big, grand, and freeing moment. It should be the capstone to her story arc regarding agency and choice. But it fails to be that moment because the series has forgotten who and what should be the focus of the story.

Rapunzel cuts her hair here because it’s a practical solution to the problem at hand; defeating Zhan Tiri. It’s not a reflection of how she sees herself nor a deliberate decision to regain control over her life. Hell, it’s not even her own idea to do it. Cassandra has to be the one to think of it and hand her (or ‘kick’ in this case) the broken rock.

It also doesn’t ‘read’ well. I only just now noticed while typing this up that Rapunzel can only cut her hair now because of the stupid flickering light effect of her powers going in and out. That’s after watching the episode three times and slowly combing through it to analyze. How many casual watchers missed this on first watch?

This is almost as badly sign posted as the whole ‘Cassandra can only grab the moonstone cause of her burnt hand’ subplot.

The Final Fight Is Shorter Than The Monkey Scene

It’s precisely 30 seconds shorter. I counted. Heck, if you don’t count the shots of the rocks disappearing afterwards, it’s even less than that!

The climatic final battle between the main hero and the main villain is only two and half minutes long.

An hour and half three part finale to a three season, sixty episode show, has a climax of only two and half minutes.

Oh but it’s okay!  We had time for monkeys!  

Wait. What?

How did Cassandra die here? Both her and Rapunzel were caught in the explosion and Raps doesn’t have her shield powers anymore. It doesn’t make sense for one of them to die but not the other.

Well after combing this episode for screen shots, I and some of the other fans finally figured it out.

It’s really hard to see in the scene itself because of the lighting effects that cover everything, but Cassandra hits her head on the stairs supposedly. Even though she’s no where near those stairs when Rapunzel finds her. But like, it’s the only explanation that’s been offered up so far that makes sense.

Presentation matters. The audience has to be able to see what’s going on in order to follow along if we’re talking about a visual medium like television. Rather than being tragic, the following scene just winds up being confusing because we don’t know for sure how we got to that point.

Cassandra Dying Isn’t A Redemption

As I pointed out during the last review a redemption takes actual effort, and if you want a character to be redeemed through a noble sacrifice then the character has to make an actual sacrifice.

Let’s compare this to another redemption/sacrifice just show how hard this series fails.  

Now a lot of people have issues with the new Star Wars trilogy and with Kylo Ren’s arc especially. Some of these criticisms are valid and some of them not so much. However, Ben’s ending here still follows the basic steps of a redemption.

He acknowledges what he did wrong on the bridge. He tries his best to rectify his mistakes, even when he didn’t have to. He could have run away. He could have rejoined the emperor. He could have started another war against Palpatine for his own selfish desires and personal gain. But no, he goes back to fight the monster he helped create knowing that he might die for it. Then when Rey dies, he willingly gives up his own life to save hers.

That’s a redemption. That’s a permeant sacrifice. You could argue that it’s not enough. That he hurt more people then just Rey. You could argue that his relationship with her was toxic. Sure, but you could say the same thing about Darth Vader and Luke, and his noble sacrifice at the end of Return of the Jedi.

As basic as Star Wars is with it’s storytelling; and I do mean the whole of Star Wars, it’s not a particularly complex nor deep franchise as far as the main movies are concerned; it still gets the fundamentals right. Every trilogy has it’s detractors, but they also all have their hardcore fans for a reason.

Tangled on the other hand, can’t even get the basics right. Cassandra can’t even verbally acknowledge what she did wrong. Her fighting Zhan Tiri isn’t some grand and noble gesture meant to make up for her past wrongs, because what other choice does she have? She could coward and hide, or run away, but she wouldn’t make it far when the daemon can kill everything and everyone in her path with just a few spoken words. And of course her dying here isn’t a sacrifice because it’s random. She doesn’t fight knowing or expecting to die; it just happens, and it’s Rapunzel who has to save her.  

The series steals Cassandra's agency away from her until the very last. Had she actually knowingly died trying to save everyone first and then had Rapunzel save her; or have Rapunzel die and have Cassandra bring her and everyone else back, only to die afterwards because of it, then you might have had something here. But that’s not what happened and here we are over 60 salt reviews later.

This Is A Rip-Off Of The Movie And It’s Insulting To Everyone

This isn’t a homage or a fun call back to something you love. It’s a shot for shot recreation of the most important scene from the original film only with the showrunner’s precious OC shoved in place of the actual secondary character of the franchise, even as said character continues to die just a mere few feet away!

How fucking egotistical and petty can you get?

And trust me when I say, this is insulting to damn near everyone involved.

It’s insulting to Cass fans because it’s yet another instance of the show robbing her of agency and individuality.

It’s insulting to Casspunzel shippers and queer people watching because it’s yet more gay bait and not actual representation.

It’s insulting to Rapunzel fans because it once again makes her look like a self-absorbed asshole as she still continues to ignore everyone else but her ‘bestie’. Even though everyone else is dying too because of her obsession with being dumped.

And it is majorly insulting to fans of the original movie, Eugene fans, and New Dream shippers. This scene just pisses all over everything you may have hold dear about the original. It stands there and says that your favorite characters and relationships don’t matter. It says that the original messages of love, hope, acceptance, and yes, even redemption, does not matter. Only Chris and his ego matters.

What was originally a moving story about two people willing to change and sacrifice for the other because they accepted one another, and believed in one another, when neither had anyone else to turn to; is reduced to nothing more one man’s vanity project.

Fuck Chris Sonnenberg.

Meanwhile us Varian fans apparently are missing the point of the show, but hey, maybe that because ‘your point’ is fucking stupid Chris.  

This The Very Definition Of ‘Plot Armor’

There’s no logical reason for Rapunzel to be able to use the power of the moonstone and sundrop together. We spent two seasons instilling the idea that touching both together would be bad. We even just defeated the main baddie by creating an explosion with the two powers slamming together. But here she is, just able to grab it like it was next to nothing... because, why? She’s ‘special’? ‘The power of love’? She didn’t skip leg day? What is it?

We had such a tightly written and well defined magic system in the movie, one that turned the original fairy tale into something that made sense, but now it’s nothing but contrived mush because of the series.

And of course the plot armor protects Rapunzel from more than just the exploding glowing stone. If I was seriously injured and dying and my fiancé was ignoring me just to save her already dead best friend, who had been trying to murder us all only a few moments ago, well, I would be seriously reconsidering marriage right now.

The only internal reasoning I have for this is that Eugene is in so much pain and so close to death right now himself that he can’t fully hear nor comprehend what Rapunzel is saying/doing here. But of the course the real reason because the writers are full of shit.

That’s all the room I have for the first half of the review on this post. The second half will be attached sometime this week. Happy Tangled Month!

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 316: We've Had One, Yes, But What About Second Explosion

Previously on BnHA: Deku was all “[powers up like whoa because it’s time to end the fight]”, and he saved Overhaul from getting not-shot, and then smashed up Nagant’s arm with the power of his new rechargeable super knees. Nagant was all “yoooo this kid is crazy strong whaaaat, it’s like he’s some kind of protagonist or something.” Deku was all “I AM A PROTAGONIST, ACTUALLY, DO YOU WANT TO JOIN FORCES AND FIGHT BAD GUYS WITH ME?” Nagant was all “ah shit why the hell no -- ” and then AFO was all “SURPRISE” and everyone was all “?!?!?!” and AFO was all “TIME TO EXPLODE NOW” and made Nagant explode because he’s an absolute fucking dick. And then Hawks showed up, because Horikoshi just wanted to stuff as many plot points as humanly possible into a single chapter I guess.

Today on BnHA: Hawks is all “good job giving motivational shounen redemption speeches Deku but I’ll take it from here” and screams very earnestly right in Nagant’s face until she finally wakes up. Nagant is all “oh hey it’s my successor, you seem surprisingly unfucked-up from your own HPSC tenure, how did you manage that?” Hawks is all “fandom is going to love hearing this one, but basically it’s because I’m very upbeat and also I had the world’s best role model Endeavor to look up to,” and I swear this man stirs the pot on purpose, but damn it I still love him so damn much. Overhaul is all “HELLO AGAIN, JUST A REMINDER THAT, THE BOSS!!” and Deku is all “MAYBE TAKE TWO SECONDS TO REFLECT ON HOW YOU TORTURED A LITTLE GIRL,” which, thank you, lol. Nagant is all “btw AFO’s hiding in a house in the woods”, and so Deku and the gang go to the house in the woods. Video recording!AFO is all “hi I’m AFO welcome to Jackass” and blows up the house. Sometimes I wonder if this manga is just a weird dream.

I am once again reading the Bean version because I think it was actually the best out of all three translations last week. and that is surprisingly including Viz’s. “faux” is not nearly as entertaining as “knockoff”, and also I have literally no idea why Caleb thought Deku was saying the Third’s lines lol

oh hey, Endeavor’s here too! not that you’d ever be able to tell from this first panel lmao

glad you received All Might’s call, mysterious unidentified glowing smudge

oh snap he says he’s weaker in the rain. is that why AFO told Nagant to attack then?? except that as we discussed the other day, I believe that AFO fully intended for Nagant to lose the fight, so him giving her info that would give her an advantage doesn’t really fit in with that. maybe he wanted Deku to be separated from Endeavor and the rest for maximum angst, though

btw Deku’s eyes are unsurprisingly back to the new normal here

alas, the angst continues. I say, pretending like I’m not totally eating it up each and every week and writing essay after essay about it lol

anyway so apparently Hawks can’t actually fly lmao. he was just yeeting himself with style

for some reason this is the funniest fucking thing I’ve ever seen omfg. wave to Hawks, kids! say “bye, Hawks!”

j/k of course Deku is catching them. -- except???

wow so he was just running on fumes there at the end. well, good to know there is actually a limit to his shenanigans, particularly regarding this new “knockoff” 100% OFA. it will definitely not alleviate any of the discourse, but it’s good for my own peace of mind because it’s solid confirmation that he still needs his pals in order to win this thing

anyway, but on to the rest of this conversation, which is basically Deku deducing what we all deduced last week -- AFO implanted some sort of trap into Nagant when he gave her Air Walk. though I’d still like to get the actual details from AFO and/or Horikoshi, because this was particularly wild even by quirk standards lol

omgggggg

she still has a face after all!! so it’s confirmed, Horikoshi has no idea what “blowing up” actually means. we might have guessed, based on what happened to Toga in the MVA arc, and also based on everything Katsuki does ever, but shhh

so now Hawks is all “NAGANT PLEASE WAKE UP, IF I SHOUT MY NAME AT YOU WILL THAT DO THE TRICK”

this is actually kind of touching though because even though we all know (or most of us acknowledge at any rate) that Hawks is a pretty caring person, it’s rare to see him actually panic over someone’s welfare like this

oh shit Horikoshi is really doubling down on it

I wonder how much Hawks knew about what really happened between Nagant and the HPSC. regardless, he probably sees her as a kindred spirit of sorts, and I’m more than happy for Deku to pass the redemption torch onto him now that he’s on the scene. like no offense Deku but they actually know each other and stuff lol

DAMMIT NAGANT CAN’T YOU SEE HOW LOUD HE IS YELLING

apparently being freed from his HPSC shackles has finally given Hawks the space to embrace his own inner shounen protagonist. is there anything more shounen than trying to motivationally scream someone awake when they’re lying in your arms inches from death?? 100% guaranteed to work

!!! IS THIS NAGANT’S POV OMG

SO SHE IS ALIVE. THANK GOD. Horikoshi doesn’t want to meet with my emotional distress lawyer today after all

love how she’s all “just gonna stir up the weekly Hawks Discourse pot here by implying that he probably committed a lot of Atrocities just like I did, so now people can get all hopped up about that, even though there’s no evidence he’s ever killed anyone aside from that one horrible ‘damned-if-you-do...’ situation with Twice.” no one asked for your provocative speculation young lady!! trust me Nagant, our rabbles don’t need the rousing lol

but nice save there with the “so how are your eyes so untainted” well you see it’s because even when he was following the HPSC’s orders he always went to great lengths never to go against his own moral compass. which just to be clear was incredibly difficult, and led to a ton of pain and suffering on his part, because the life of a spy is basically just one impossible situation after another. but in spite of that he never stopped trying to do his best to help people. I don’t really know where this tangent came from or is leading to, lol, but anyway p.s.a. I love Hawks a lot and he’s a good kid dammit

oh shit??!?

how is the League always able to swing all these fancy forest mansions. where do they find them. how many do they have

so Deku’s dropping them -- very roughly, not sure if he was reacting to finally getting AFO’s location, or if his energy really is giving out -- and now Nagant’s saying that AFO hired other villains as well. well of course he did. gotta keep chipping away at OFA’s ninth successor little by little

now Nagant is asking Hawks how he’s able to keep making “that” face. I assume she’s again talking about the fact that he somehow didn’t let the HPSC wear down his spirit

oh my god???

thanks for stuffing this chapter to the brim with good nutritional Hawks Feels, Horikoshi. what a good. he just keeps on trudging forward undeterred no matter what bullshit comes his way. what a steadfast little guy. I WILL PROTECT YOU FROM DISCOURSE MY SWEET SUNSHINE

lmaoooo

“SPOTTED THIS DUDE JUST CHILLING OUT THERE ON THE ROOF WITH NO ARMS, SEEMED PRETTY SUS” good job Endeavor

anyway so you don’t really need me to tell you that Overhaul is immediately starting in with the “BUT THE BOSS WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO TAKE ME TO THE BOSS YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD TAKE ME TO THE BOSS” stuff again. but I will go ahead and tell you anyway. so yeah. he’s doing that

OMG YOU GUYS LOOK AT DEKU’S “of all the fucking assholes to just randomly drop in on my life once again why did it have to be you” FACE THOUGH, OMG

fun fact, if you go back to chapters 124 through 160, there was an entire story arc where Overhaul imprisoned and tortured a little girl. yeah, I know!! suuuuuuuuper evil. anyways just an interesting little anecdote for you all that’s somewhat relevant to the current situation

OMG, YES. FUCK YES, DEKU

THEN WHAT ABOUT SPARING ONE FOR HER!!! YES!!! EXACTLY!!! JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, SOMEONE GETS IT

HERE’S THE PANEL OF DEKU SAYING THE EXACT SAME THING I’M SAYING LOL

(ETA: so apparently there’s some discourse about this because some people are interpreting this as Deku saying “you should apologize to Eri”, which would obviously be a terrible idea even if Overhaul actually wanted to do that, because Eri shouldn’t ever have to see him again. however I just want to point out that there is a HUGE difference between saying “it would be nice if you could direct that feeling of regret/being sorry towards Eri as well”, vs saying “you should also apologize to her.” all Deku is doing is rightfully pointing out that Overhaul has hurt way more people than just his boss, and if he really is remorseful, then he should extend those feelings of remorse to Eri and the rest as well. it’s not a directive to take any specific action, and I’m 1000% sure no one at U.A. would let Overhaul within 100 miles of Eri ever again.

tl;dr “try feeling remorse sometime” =/= “do you want me to fly you over to U.A. right now to surprise the little girl you traumatized”, lol.)

[slings an arm around Deku’s shoulders] you’re a good kid. I like you. I don’t know if I tell you that enough, but it’s true

meanwhile here is Overhaul’s “spare... a thought... for Eri...???????” face sigh

the struggle is real y’all

(ETA: and that’s... the last we ever saw of Overhaul, I guess? well all right then. I assume Deku will make good on his promise, so we know he’ll get that little bit of closure before going back to jail or whatever, and I confess I’m more than fine with leaving the rest of it open-ended, especially given his character’s history. I think this was pretty generous all things considered.)

lmao holy shit

All Might what did you do to those tiki torch guys?? did you thrash them. did you give ‘em those hands. did you deliver their own asses to them complete with a sticker reminding them Amazon Prime Day is on June 21. we missed out goddammit

so Endeavor, who wasn’t the one he was asking, is telling him that they captured (well let’s be real, Deku captured, give the credit where it’s due) Nagant and Overhaul. and so I guess they’re going to take Nagant to the ER now

fire is no one’s weakness

-- oh my GOD I scrolled down and audibly gasped

[is politely but firmly approached and asked to remove my arm from Deku’s shoulder by the physical manifestation of all this Dekuangst] “we’re sorry, he’s not allowed to have visitors right now” oh shit, my bad. [goes to stand behind a police barricade]

lmao what. did you run out of room on the previous page

what an exaggerated fade to black lmao

-- AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I actually can’t see what he’s reacting to so maybe I’m just seriously jumping the gun here lol, but THE HELL WITH IT. the next panel appears to be a cut to Haibori Forest, so I’m just gonna go ahead and declare that Deku ran off on his own all wounded to go have more Dekuangst, just like I manifested. now go call Katsuki goddammit

[scrolls three more inches down] oh

yeah so like I said, Deku is walking very slowly a few feet in front of Endeavor, who’s telling him to wait up. yep. we’ve all gotta be so careful to not just jump to conclusions. I know we’re excited but still

anyway, so! welcome back to Mt. Lady and Kamui Woods (ARE YOU GUYS DATING) and Edgeshot! have fun walking into this obvious trap lol

dammit Deku why are you so determined to tempt fate

[monkey puppet meme faces]

OH MY GOD THIS IS PURE GRADE-A CHEESY COMIC BOOK VILLAIN 101 SHIT AND I’M HERE FOR IT

that’s such a weird way of clapping who claps like that

unlike certain other people who shan’t be named, AFO doesn’t feel the need to inexplicably take his shirt off when recording sinister villain monologues. I think we’re all pretty grateful for that

high fives to everyone who called it!! yep yep

anyway so this whole scene has major booby-trap vibes, which I’m enjoying immensely even though I don’t think anything is really going to come of it lol. probably just another long-winded AFO Speech. but wouldn’t it be funny if like the ceiling started lowering down to try and squish Deku afterwards lol

(ETA: well the explosion was still pretty funny too ngl.)

ffff

[“Dekuangst is the trap” intensifies]

anyway so yeah. he’s just hitting up all of his usual villain talking points. we get it, you’re so smart and you see right through the thin veneers of society and people who don’t conform are left to fend for themselves and labeled as villains and history is written by the victors, and blah blah blah dude are you just jumping randomly from one soundbyte to another lol. literally what are you talking about. what does this have to do with you blowing up Nagant

-- holy shit??

[”Dekuangst is the trap” intensifies MORE?????]

LOL WHAT

BRO. WHAT IS WITH YOU. DON’T YOU KNOW HOW TO LAY ANY OTHER KIND OF FUCKING TRAP GOOD LORD

“YOU’RE NEXT” THE CALLBACK?? THE PARALLELS?? THOUGH WHEN ALL MIGHT POINTED HE MADE IT LOOK WAY COOLER. AFO’S POINTING JUST LOOKS LIKE SMOKEY THE BEAR

HAS ANYONE CHECKED IN ON KAMUI WOODS I HEAR HE IS WEAK TO FIRE?? THE ONLY ONE WHO IS, APPARENTLY

r.i.p. to this particular forest mansion. don’t worry they have a ton of backups

remember last week when I said maybe AFO thinks explosions are gauche. well never mind. he fucking loves explosions

anyway so that’s the end of BnHA, everyone. hope you enjoyed. it was a good ride while it lasted. see you all, good luck in your travels

[snelbz]

Life As We Know It {Chapter 21}

Summary: After the sudden deaths of Nesta’s sister and Cassian’s best friend, they gain guardianship of their nephew, Nyx.

Based on Life As We Know It (2010) and a prompt sent in by anonymous for our Nessian fanfic contest. This is a modern au.

Instead of doing a tag list for this story, we have decided to have a set posting schedule. Chapters will be posted weekly on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Occasional surprise chapters could be posted at miscellaneous times. Chapters will be posted on both my and Tara’s blogs! >> @tacmc.​

Life As We Know It Masterlist

Shelby’s Masterlist

Tara’s Masterlist

Before Nesta even opened her eyes, she knew that she’d gotten some of the best sleep she’d had in months. She knew it was early, since Nyx hadn’t even woken them up for his morning bottle yet. Sighing comfortably, she settled deeper into her pillows, the weight of a heavy arm slung over her waist, pulling her in close.

With sudden clarity, she remembered the events of the night before. She remembered the damn kiss that had started it all. She remembered the orgasms Cassian had given her over and over. She remembered seeing something shining in his eyes that had nothing to do with lust or sex.

She was sure it was reflected in her own, but couldn’t work up the nerve to let herself think about what they’d done last night, what it may have implied. What lines they may have crossed.

And the fact that she really didn’t give a damn.

Nesta couldn’t remember the last time she was this happy, and as much as she tried to pretend it wasn’t thanks to the man sleeping soundly behind her, in her bed, she couldn’t lie to herself.

So she gently rolled over, careful not to wake him, and took in his sleeping face.

It was kind of funny.

Nesta had known Cassian for a while, for five years, and before that in passing, considering Feyre and Rhysand’s relationship. She had watched him age, had watched him grow from a young man into the man that had taken her the night before, but looking at him now…

There was an innocence about him when he slept.

He snored, quietly, completely unaware that she was awake, that she was watching him.

He was cute.

So, so cute.

If he awoke at that very moment and saw her watching him sleep, she would have surely been mortified, but she couldn’t bring herself to care, she couldn’t look away.

Memories from the night before flashed through her mind, and it only made her that much happier. She couldn’t remember the last time she had fallen asleep in a man’s arms, but with Cassian, she had fallen asleep peacefully, nearly instantly, and slept amazingly.

There was something about Cassian that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, but she knew that she liked it.

She dared to gently brush a kiss over his cheek, before carefully climbing out of bed, his heavy arm making that a much harder endeavor than she was expecting. But he slept on soundly, not even stirring as she slipped from beneath the sheets and hurried into her closet. She wasn’t embarrassed by her nakedness, not after everything that had happened last night, but she knew that if he caught her naked, they were likely to take far longer getting downstairs to start their morning.

Not that she would have minded, but she was pretty sure neglecting Nyx was not a good enough reason for sex.

No, she’d enjoy him again later, as thoroughly as he’d enjoyed her last night, if he was willing. And she had no doubt that he would be.

Tying her robe around her waist, Nesta slipped from the closet into her room, glancing to make sure Cassian was still fast asleep. His snore confirmed he was.

Her chuckle was quiet as she entered the hall, sneaking down a few doors and opening Nyx’s. He was still asleep, as well, and with a smile, Nesta cracked his door and quietly padded down the stairs.

The kitchen was still a mess, his half-smashed cake on the counter and their clothes strewn around the room. Blushing, she picked them up one by one and tossed them into the laundry room, before making Nyx a bottle and starting on some scrambled eggs for his breakfast.

She could hardly focus. She was constantly thinking about the man upstairs, still sleeping soundly in her bed. Mixing a little cheese into the eggs, she stirred the eggs up in the pan before dumping them directly onto Nyx’s high chair tray.

Last time they’d slept together, Cassian had made her breakfast and then they’d both agreed it would never happen again. Regardless of the fact that it very much had happened again, Nesta didn’t like the sinking feeling she felt in her heart when she thought about having to agree to that once more.

Staring at the ingredients she’d pulled out of the fridge, Nesta sighed and braced her hands on the counter in front of her.

She wasn’t sure when it had happened, but she couldn’t ignore the fact that she had feelings for Cassian anymore. At some point, he’d gone from being a pain in her ass to the favorite part of her day. And that terrified her.

Letting him continue to sleep, she crept upstairs and gently woke Nyx up before he could start screaming, and carried him down to the kitchen, his sleepy head resting on her shoulder. He rubbed his eyes as she put him in his high chair, handing him the bottle, and she started working on their breakfast.

The entire time he ate, Nyx watched Nesta curiously, as if he knew something was up.

Maybe it was just her paranoia. Then again, he was Feyre and Rhysand’s kid and they were always snooping into Cassian and Nesta’s business.

Feyre and Rhysand.

Nesta bet they were pretty damn proud of themselves at the moment.

She heard him moving around upstairs and her heart began to beat a little bit faster. This was it, the moment of truth.

She cursed, all the while Nyx kept watching her as he stuffed his mouth with scrambled eggs.

Making herself busy at the stove, she quickly dropped some bacon into the hot skillet, sizzling filling the kitchen. Within seconds, a few pieces of bread were in the toaster, and she was rummaging through the refrigerator for the blackberry jam she knew he preferred.

Nyx’s babbling announced his arrival, and she turned to find Cassian standing behind his high chair, wearing nothing but a pair of sweatpants slung low on his hips. He picked up a small clump of eggs and popped it into his mouth, and Nyx angrily began talking at him, though the made up words were unintelligible.

“He doesn’t like to share,” she said, closing the fridge door with a hip.

Cassian grinned. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. I worked up an appetite last night.”

Nesta’s cheeks turned a soft shade of pink. “Is that so?”

Cassian nodded and walked toward her, slowly. Nesta remained still until he was standing just in front of her. “I have to confess that I was hoping you’d be there when I woke up this morning.”

Nesta stepped closer to him. “Breakfast and the baby called.”

Cassian scoffed and muttered, “Priorities.”

Nesta laughed quietly, but the sound was muffled by Cassian’s lips against hers.

It was almost instinct to lean into him, to smile against his lips. When she pulled back just a hair, his hazel eyes were bright. She whispered, “Good morning.”

“Morning,” he breathed, his mouth still so close to hers.

She blushed, even though she couldn’t figure out why and turned to the stove. “I…wasn’t sure what to expect this morning.”

Cassian hesitated. “What did you think I’d do?”

Nesta sighed, scratching her head. “I don’t know. I thought you might act like it never happened. Or, you’d say it was only a one time thing like last time.”

Cassian cocked his head to the side. “Last time I didn’t sleep in your bed.”

“And that changes things?” Nesta asked, quietly.

“Last night changed things,” Cassian replied, brushing her hair back out of her face. “At least, for me it did.”

“Me too,” Nesta replied, without any hesitation.

Cassian’s eyes softened. “Nesta, I-.”

“NANANANANANANANA!”

They both spun around, where Nyx was watching them with the most precious of pissed off expressions. His tray was empty, practically licked clean, and Nyx was not having it.

Cassian chuckled as he took a banana out of the fruit basket and peeled it before cutting it up into slices. “He’s awfully full of it this morning, isn’t he?”

“I think he knows,” she said, rolling her eyes as she flipped the bacon. “Not specifically what happened, but he knows something is…different between us.”

He paused his cutting and turned back to her, pausing with a hip resting on the counter. “Good different or bad different?”

“Good different,” she said, smiling. She cracked a few eggs into a bowl and mixed them up with some milk. “Definitely good different.”

For a moment, Cassian didn’t say anything, but when she turned he was grinning. “Really good different?”

Nesta rolled her eyes. “Shut up.” She turned back around. “But yes.”

“Good,” he breathed, coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist. “What’ve you got going on today?”

“Work,” she said. “Seeing how the bar renovation is going. Looks like you’ll have to hire your replacement soon with how quickly everything is moving.”

Cassian groaned. “That’s the part I’m looking towards the least. I hate interviews. I hate being in them, I hate giving them, they’re awful.”

“But the sooner you give them, the sooner you leave that bar and come work at mine,” she crooned.

“Yours?” he repeated, offended.

Nesta snorted. “Ours.”

He and Kallias had both given their notice to the owner of the dive bar they worked in. He wasn’t thrilled, but he had always been a gruff bastard. He’d informed Cassian he wasn’t going anywhere until he’d hired not only his replacement, but Kal’s, as well.

“Speaking of,” he sighed, glancing at the clock. “I’ve got one scheduled for eleven-thirty. What time are you going to the restaurant?”

She poured the egg mixture into the skillet she’d cooked the crispy bacon in moments before and began laying the bacon on the toast she’d made. “Whenever,” she shrugged. “Helion is opening today. What time can Viviane be here?”

“Ten. I’m not working a shift today, so after the interview I can either come back here and give her the rest of the day off, or I can come to the restaurant.”

Nesta chewed slowly as she thought about it. “I wouldn’t mind if you came to the restaurant.”

“Then that’s what I’ll do,” Cassian said, placing the cut-up banana in front of a cranky Nyx. “And you, little man, better be good for Viv today. Because you’re grumpy.”

In response, Nyx spit out the piece of banana he had put in his mouth and smushed up the rest on his tray.

After scarfing down the breakfast that Nesta had made, and making a show of thanking her for it, Cassian was cleaning up the kitchen then hurrying upstairs to shower. Nesta was left cleaning up a fussy, banana-covered Nyx.

“I don’t even think you wanted to eat the banana, kiddo,” she muttered, cleaning off his tray, before wiping him down with an ungodly amount of baby wipes. “I think it was just to play in.”

He had plenty to say about that, just nothing Nesta could understand.

A few minutes later, freshly showered and dressed Cassian came downstairs, where Nyx was playing on the living room floor. She was up the stairs a minute later, hurrying to take her own shower. After an hour, she returned, purse and keys in hand. “I’m going to go ahead and head to the restaurant. I’ll see you in a little while?”

He nodded and as she made for the door, Cassian stood, catching her by the elbow and tugging her back to him. She stumbled a step, but he crushed her to his chest and pressed a kiss to her lips. When he pulled back, they were both grinning like fools. “I’ll see you in a little while,” he repeated.

“Okay.” She was backing towards the door, that smile looking like it was a permanent fixture on her face, before slipping out and leaving he and Nyx alone.

Who was watching him again, looking so much like Rhysand with that little eyebrow raised.

Cassian couldn’t help but snort and say, “This is your fault you know.”

A few hours later, right after Nyx had gone down for his mid- morning nap, Cassian heard a knock on the front door. Opening the door, Viviane rushed in. “I’m so sorry I’m late,” she said, shaking her head.

Cass glanced at the clock on the mantle. “It’s barely ten-fifteen,” he chuckled. “No big deal, you’re fine.”

She nodded. “Sorry, just— It’s been a crazy morning.”

“Everything okay?” Cassian asked. Viv was usually steady, so sure of everything she did or said.

“Yeah,” she replied, waving off his question. “I’m fine. Ran into my ex at the coffee shop and— Ugh, ignore me. Don’t worry about it. Is Nyx down for his nap?”

“Yeah, he’s been out for about fifteen minutes. He had a pretty big breakfast, so I doubt he’ll be too hungry when he wakes up.” Cassian gnawed on his lip for a second debating on whether he should ask what was on his mind. After considering how well throwing caution to this wind has worked for him last night, he decided why the hell not. “Does that mean you’re single? Since you bumped into your ex?”

Viviane froze and blinked. “Yes, but I don’t date my employers—”

“No, no,” he quickly said, holding his hands out in placation. “It’s not me. It’s a friend of mine and I think you two might hit it off.”

Viviane raised a brow. “A friend, huh?”

“Guy I’ve worked with for years,” Cassian went on. “Great guy, in fact. You’ll enjoy yourself, guaranteed.”

“Guaranteed?” Viviane chuckled. “Well, I can’t say no to that, can I?”

Cassian grinned. “No, you can’t, and neither can he. Tomorrow night, you free?”

“I suppose I am, if my boss is giving me the night off,” she laughed.

“He is, and it’ll be great, we’ll all go out,” Cassian said. “You and Kal, and me and Nesta.”

“Kal,” she said, the shortened name rolling off her tongue. “Yeah, alright. That sounds fun.”

“Perfect,” Cassian said, patting her on the shoulder as he swept past her. “I’ve got to get going, but we should be home around five or so. Call if you need anything.”

Viviane chuckled. “You say that every time, and have I ever called?”

“It’s a habit!” he called, as he hurried out the door.

When he got to the bar, Kallias had everything under control, which meant Cassian was taking a table in the far corner, waiting for his interviewee to arrive.

Sadly, this wasn’t the interview to replace his own job. That was proving to be far more tedious than he was expecting. But an hour later, after shaking the young man’s hand, Cassian let out a sigh of relief as he left.

“And how’d that go?” Kallias asked, wiping down a few glasses that were drying atop the bar.

“Well, your position is officially filled,” he replied, sitting across from him at the bar. “So congratulations.”

“Cheers,” he chuckled, raising the empty glass towards Cassian. “When are we celebrating?”

“Tomorrow night, actually,” Cassian said, crossing his arms over his chest.

Kal snorted. “Seriously? I was kidding.”

“I’m not,” Cassian replied, shrugging. “We’re going out tomorrow night. You, me, Nesta, and Viviane.”

Kallias blinked. “The hot nanny?”

Cassian grinned. “Yeah.”

Kallias looked at Cassian suspiciously. “I thought you were kidding when you said you were setting us up.”

“Oh, I never kid about love,” Cassian said, winking.

Kallias raised a brow. “Love? Who the hell are you?”

Cassian filled his glass and took a gulp of beer. “Just meet us at Rita’s at eight tomorrow.”

Kallilas continued to stare at him for a long while. “You slept with her again, didn’t you?”

Cassian’s grin widened. “Tomorrow. Rita’s. Eight.”

And with that, he chugged his beer and left.

*

The next night, Cassian and Nesta dropped Nyx off at Elain’s before making their way to Rita’s.

“Our first date,” Cassian crooned, reaching his hand across the car to Nesta’s.

She took it fondly. “Our first date? After all we’ve been through, do we even qualify for a first date?”

“Why?” Cassian scoffed. “Just because we’ve been sleeping together and living with each other and raising a kid together?” He snorted. “Of course, we deserve a first date.”

Nesta rolled her eyes but did not protest.

Cassian had slept in her bed last night after another night of lovemaking. Even though it didn’t seem possible, it got better with each time. The more they got to know each other’s bodies, the more familiar with one another they became, the more they became one in intimacy, the more amazing it was.

“You look amazing tonight,” Cassian said, quietly. “In case I haven’t told you that yet tonight.”

He had.

Multiple times.

But, Nesta couldn’t blame him. She did look amazing in her navy blue dress and her blush heels. She looked over at Cassian, in his jeans and button down shirt.

Coincidentally, it wasn’t much different than what he had worn on their actual first date five years before. She chuckled, and he looked over at her, brow raised.

“This is actually our second date,” she said.

Cassian shook his head, amused, before looking back out the window as he turned into the parking lot. “Well, hopefully this date goes better than that one did.”

Nesta agreed.

As soon as Cassian opened Nesta’s door, they spotted Viviane pulling into the parking lot. They knew she was a pretty girl, but she usually showed up to work with a ponytail, jeans, and a t-shirt. Now, she had really dressed to impress.

Cassian whistled as she got out of her car and Vivane blushed as Nesta’ jabbed him in the ribs.

“You look beautiful,” Nesta told Vivane.

“Thanks,” she said, and Nesta could tell the nanny was a little nervous, a little uncomfortable.

“I see Kal’s truck,” Cassian said, gesturing for the women to follow. “I guess he’s already inside.”

Indeed he was and he’d already gotten a table for the four of them and was working on a pitcher of a beer.

“Hey, man,” Cassian greeted him as Kallias stood and shook his hand. “This is Nesta,” he said, placing a hand on her back.

“It’s nice to finally meet you,” she said, reaching for his hand as well. They shook hands and Kallias smiled.

“You, too,” he replied. “I guess I should call you boss now, huh?”

“No, no, no,” she laughed, shaking her head. “Please don’t.”

“And this,” Cassian interrupted, rolling his eyes at the two of them, “is Viviane.”

As if he somehow hadn’t noticed the blond beauty behind Cassian until this moment, Kallias looked up at her and blinked. He was about to make some sort of hot nanny joke when Kallias breathed, “Viv?”

She was looking at him with the same dumbfounded look Kallias had on his face. “Kallias… Hey.”

Cassian and Nesta looked between the two, then at each other, and after a moment, Nesta asked, “You two know each other?”

Kallias still looked like he was trying to figure out what planet he was on, so Viviane answered, “We were…childhood friends. But my family moved to Velaris when I started middle school.” She shook her head, but she had been looking at Kallias the whole time. “I had no idea you were in Velaris.”

He finally remembered to speak, though Cassian was beginning to wonder if he’d need to answer for him. “I came out here for college. Loved the city and decided to stay.”

“College?” Viviane repeated. “You’re telling me that you’ve been here since your freshman year, and you’ve never called?”

Kallias chuckled. “I didn’t even know you still lived here!”

“Hmm,” Viviane said, taking a seat across from him. “Well, what a small world, hmm?”

“Yeah,” Kallias repeated, “small world.”

Cassian took a seat by Kallias and Nesta sat across from them as they went a little bit more in depth into their long lost friendship. Apparently they had grown up in the same neighborhood and had always gone to the same elementary school. Kallias was a year older than Viviane, but when he went into the seventh grade and Viviane was going into sixth, her family moved to Velaris for her father’s work.

They had never talked again after that. Their friendship was nothing more than a simple, joyful memory.

Seeing them now, Nesta thought, she just knew the two of them had gotten into trouble when they were little. Between their jokes and sly looks at one another, and the obvious chemistry, they had surely been up to no good and gave both sets of parents a run for their money.

“I’m going to the bar,” Cassian announced, looking at Nesta. “Care to join?”

Nesta had a feeling that it was less about going to the bar and more about giving the newfound couple beside them a few minutes alone. She nodded, and took his hand as they walked toward the bar on the other side of the room.

“They’re cute together,” Nesta said, sitting on a barstool.

Cassian sat on the one next to her. “Oh, I know. You know, I’ve gotta say, I feel pretty damn accomplished right now. I definitely made this happen.”

Nesta couldn’t help but roll her eyes at him, even as she leaned into his embrace. She wanted nothing more than to poke fun at him, to mess with him about his unexpected matchmaking skills, but as she looked at the two happy people laughing at the table across the bar, she couldn’t help but wonder if that’s the gift that Rhysand and Feyre had tried to give them all those years ago.

Even now, Nesta’s chest tightened as she smiled, so thankful for her meddling, baby sister.