#who knows maybe this time (the fourth time I try) I will succeed. i love that first book sm

[eerna]

the MLJ kick drove me to dig even deeper into teenage nostalgia and I decided to go rewatch Still Star-Crossed, and the FIRST THING I SEE when I google it is that it's a SHONDALAND PRODUCTION. WHO KNEW

[randomciabatta724]

Some Polites headcanons because they're good for the soul.

Note: these are a mix of details from the musical I wanted to expand on, stuff I've read from other posts, and things I randomly came up with.

He was in the frontlines (or at least near them) during the Trojan war. Not because he wanted to fight, he just thought "if I have to join the battle, I'll at least shield those behind me". I took this from Survive, because he had to be pretty close to Polyphemus to be the first one hit by the club.

Self sacrificial. Very self sacrificial. Would die for the crew, especially for Odysseus and Eurylochus.

Loves dates. Either on their own or with honey. I don't know why, he just gives me the vibe.

Had night terrors both during and after the war. Either nightmares about the people he killed (let's face it, you don't come out of a 10 year war without getting blood on your hands) or his friends dying in battle. Never explicitly told anyone, but he would stay with his friends a little longer the morning after. Also picked a lot more night watch turns as a result, just to get his mind off of things.

Bruises/gets injured extremely easily, and doesn't notice/care. Especially if someone else is hurt too. "Are you alright?" asks Polites to another soldier while coughing up blood.

Also very durable, somehow. That's why Polyphemus had to hit him twice/j.

Myopic king. The glasses are a gift from Athena, because she was like "I think you're a soft-hearted fool, but I'll be damned if you embarrass my Warrior of the Mind because you can't see beyond the bridge of your nose".

The type of person to keep eating horrible/possibly poisoned food just to not offend the person who prepared it. Odysseus had to smack the lotus out of his hand because he would have still taken a bite to not make the lotus eaters upset (he brought some with him anyway, that's where Odysseus got the lotuses to put in the wine).

Many have already said this, he's the therapist friend before therapy was invented.

Gives the best hugs.

Taller than Odysseus but shorter than Eurylochus (Odysseus reaches Polites' chest, Polites reaches Eurylochus' nose).

Apologises when he bumps into furniture. It's a reflex, he doesn't notice he does it. It's a remnant of his pre-glasses days, when he couldn't distinguish a person from a vase.

The ancient Greek equivalent of a Godfather to Telemachus.

Extremely trusting, sometimes a little too much (fun fact: in the Odyssey he's like the first one to enter Circe's palace).

Very forgiving. He gives second, third, even fourth chances like it's nothing, no matter how badly someone hurts him. You have to be pretty forgiving to still think about greeting the world with open arms after being clubbed to death. (Note: this does not apply to his friends getting hurt).

When he takes off his bandana, his curls reach his shoulders and cover his left eye, and it gives him a whole different vibe. He still radiates warmth, but it's not the same. Kinda like the sun at noon and the sun at dusk. The second is still warm and welcoming, but dimmer, softer, maybe a little darker. People have mistaken him for someone else because of this.

Super heavy sleeper. One time when they were younger, Odysseus and Eurylochus decided to try and wake him up by making the most noise possible. They did not succeed.

His first kiss was Eurylochus while Odysseus was away in Sparta to court Penelope.

One time, someone tried to rob him. The guy was like "Give me your money!" and Polites was like "Oh dear, look at you, of course I'll give you my money, you look like you really need it. Also, why don't you come to my house so I can give you some food and clean clothes?". The thief was so ashamed of himself he ran away.

He befriended Charon in the Underworld.

You know the plague that Apollo sent during the Iliad? He may or may not have gotten it, I haven't decided yet.

Considering that in epic the sirens have the ability to shapeshift into loved ones, there was definitely a siren Polites somewhere during Suffering/Different Beast.

He's generally a very calm person, the only thing that really gets him angry is when his friends get hurt. And when he's angry, he's not someone to mess with. He can and will kick ass. And the thing that rubs salt in the wound is that if you get beat up by Polites, it's almost certainly your fault, because Polites isn't the kind of person that goes around randomly beating people up. And very few people wish to carry the title "The person who got beat up by Polites".

SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

The last headcanon is something I've also based a scenario on. Basically, after Odysseus kills the suitors, they go to the Underworld. Most of them are still shaken up by the whole thing, which is understandable, getting shot by an enemy you can't see while unarmed in the dark is not fun, but not Antinous. Antinous is pissed. And so he rallies up the other suitors, he gives a whole speech where he basically says they can get revenge on Odysseus once he joins them there and also reveals all the shit they did while he was gone. And Polites is like, talking to Eurylochus or something, when he overhears. And so he goes to give Antinous the beating of his life because you do **not** disrespect his best friend and his family like that. And the suitors+Eurylochus are watching from a corner, with the suitors getting even more scared.

That's it. Nothing more :)

I know Eurylochus is married to Ctimene but I SHIP HIM AND POLITES SO BAD AAAAAAAAHHHHHH

[canonizzyhours]

imagine it's 1982 and you really love star wars.

you go looking for other fans to talk about star wars with. you meet someone. "my favorite character is boba fett," they say. "cool! i love boba fett, he's such a great bad guy," you reply. the person you're talking to suddenly becomes deadly serious. "what? he's not a bad guy," they respond. "how could you even think that? what's wrong with you?"

you laugh nervously, thinking this is some kind of jokey deliberate-reading-against-the-text gag, but it becomes clear your new friend is absolutely deadly serious about this. unsure what to do, you try to redirect the conversation to subjects other than boba fett. you try talking about the first movie. but it turns out this person has an entire bonkers reinterpretation of the first movie where it's all about showing how luke and han and leia will be ultimately unable to succeed on their own, thus foreshadowing the eventual arrival of boba fett as fourth co-protagonist. you try pointing out that if there's a fourth protagonist surely it would be lando, and ignoring him seems kind of maybe a tiny bit racist? this goes over even worse.

you start to avoid this person. you seek out other fan spaces. but people who are like this about boba fett keep showing up. you feel increasingly insane every time you talk to them, hearing yourself saying obvious things like "well, uh, that's certainly one interpretation, but i feel like if darth vader has to caution you not to disintegrate people that might be a sign you're a villain?" and having them laugh in your face like this is absurd and offensive. you gradually realize that while most star wars fans aren't like this, everyone normal has learned to politely avoid talking about boba fett and other subjects that trigger the boba fett guys, because nobody wants to deal with them. you learn to only talk about star wars in closed communities that don't have any boba fett stans.

the saddest part of this is that over time it makes it very, very hard for you to enjoy boba fett, a character you used to really genuinely like.

the first trailer for return of the jedi drops. the boba fett guys go nuts, insisting that this proves their ultimate vindication is at hand, despite the fact that actually he's barely in the trailer. "uh, guys, i don't know about that," you say cautiously, kind of alarmed at how they're setting themselves up for disappointment. "i think boba fett might be a really cool character but not actually a super important one, and maybe he's just going to die in a sarlaac pit halfway through the movie and the rest will be about luke defeating darth vader." the boba fett guys respond by screenshotting your posts (social media exists in this version of 1982 for purposes of this analogy. work with me here) to publicly make fun of you. how could anyone possibly be dumb enough to think this, they say.

return of the jedi comes out. boba fett dies in the sarlaac pit. the boba fett stan community goes even more nuts than usual and schisms into a faction who are insisting that this is all part of a plan to resurrect boba fett like jesus in episode 7 and a faction who insist that george lucas has personally betrayed them. some of the latter faction manage to take control of the fan campaign to get more movies made despite the fact that they've explicitly said they don't actually want any more movies.

this is what my experience of ofmd fandom has been like.

#271.

[blysse-and-blunder]

in lieu of a reading week

11pm, tuesday, feb 20, 2024

hello beloveds. just wrote two increasingly passionate paragraphs about what social media and my use of it over the years has done to benefit my life, and got so genuinely moved that i had to come talk to you about it.

reading really wild mix of reading material of late. surprisingly high amount of YA, because people keep recommending me things and i keep going 'sure, let's try it!' so i'll use that as an organizing principle and save discussing some of the others for a future post. in order of completion:

firekeeper's daughter, angeline boulley, read by isabella lablanc. finished in a rush, very engaged in the last three-four hours. i was never prepared for the next thing this plot threw at me, though in retrospect saw how it all made sense. i didn't know a thing about it going in, which i think actually enriched the experience a lot, but for a novel set in michigan's UP and sugar island, it resonated with a lot of things i associate with ontario after living here for five+ years. the hockey, the ojibwe /anishinaabe names and cultural connections, the murdered and missing indigenous women. but it also mixes in elements reminiscent of, like, braiding sweetgrass (and tangentially mexican gothic) and various fan fiction tropes i recognized in their shape if not their execution. highly recommend the audiobook-- they cast the audiobook's narrator very carefully, and she does a superb job juggling the mix of scientific jargon, teen narrator unreliable/dramatic narrator (loving), and Anishinaabemowin.

castle in the clouds, kerstin gier, translated by romy fursland. maybe 33% through. it's giving grand budapest hotel and somehow also the princess diaries? it's also reminding me somehow of, like, the kind of novel i wanted to write as a second or third grader, which means eva ibbotson, and a particular flavor of plucky, intelligent heroine. i was hooked by the first page+ but have yet to see a ton more of the same high action and suspense, and have let this one slip a little further onto the back burner. it's cute escapism at the moment, though that may change.

fourth wing, by rebecca yarros, read by rebecca soler (and apparently also teddy hamilton, although i haven't gotten to him yet?) about 25% through. trying desperately to give us a gritty, hardcore, new and dangerous and fun take on dragons and their human riders, while also trying to be idk divergent? the hunger games? there's a love triangle, the protagonist has naturally ombre hair, the premise of the novel is brutal training where young adults are all dying in improbable droves due to how cutthroat and brutal it is. a testament to the narrator that i am, despite myself, having a great time. there are a few too many supporting characters who want our main girl straight up dead for me to really find the threats believable, but i'm intrigued by the prospect of alternate versions of this world's history than what she has learned and a potential for discovering how their kingdom has? manipulated them? could be asking too much.

fairest, gail carson levine. finished in a long saturday morning spent reading in bed. i was such an intense and dedicated fan of the original ella enchanted novel that i couldn't read most of levine's other books (exceptions for her short stories made grudgingly) because they weren't sequels and weren't the same and wouldn't be as good. in fairness, reading this now as a much-older-than-the-intended audience, perhaps i was too harsh-- but i think little-me was right to be a little suspicious. it's a snow white retelling, and again i think largely successful in building a more detailed plot in which the elements of the retold fairy tale are embedded, but where the focus in ella was on language and obedience and free will, here we're trying to articulate things about beauty and body image, and it's harder to say that it really succeeds? i like that we gave the Wicked Queen more nuance, positive and negative qualities, moments of sympathy, a name and a precarious political position. i was not nearly as charmed by the romance (fine, fine, it's not ella and char but it couldn't be, it's fine). i still love the use of unfamiliar / fairy-tale languages and how levine puts them on the page in such fun spellings. probably aimed at the youngest audience, of the four titles here, but treats its reader as almost more intelligent than fourth wing, possibly? YA from ~twenty years ago was a different world.

listening graded like twenty quizzes today with just a mess of random panic at the disco bumping in my headphones. it's a hell of a feeling, etc. i'm halfway through this particular round of grading, and they're doing so well, so it's mainly a quick check to make sure they got the basics right and i can jam while doing so.

watching spent a very pleasant ~2 hours yesterday watching as much as we could of the film amadeus with @hematiterings, @pep-squad-lizzie, and @dimir-charmer. love a film that isn't afraid to lean into all its sensory indulgences, and to be a little heavy-handed with its symbolism (the chocolate is about repression!) and to, just generally, spend money on costumes, locations, hiring lots of extras, and so many wigs. there's a live event performance of this film with orchestra + choir being advertised all over our subway right now, so it does very much feel like we're being followed by this guy:

...but what's sticking in my head right now is the costumes.

playing 41+ hours into hollow knight. i have opened half of my stag stations! i have the dream nail, surprisingly early i think! i have saved bretta! i have somehow missed the mantis lords, i think, but have made it to the city, the resting grounds, and have now been throwing myself fruitlessly against the crystal guardian and a soul warrior in alternation. i am...not good at combat. current plan is to grind to get quick focus, and i'm close! also, @spoonierbard stepped in and gave me a much needed morale boost by winning me the final mask shard necessary to get increased lives, which has helped tremendously, and the grubs rewarded me with the grub song charm which has helped tremendously.

making many potential projects, none executed (or even really attempted). soon, hopefully. fallow section for now. does music count? music counts, right? i joined a second choir! enticed by the chance to perform mozart's requiem in full with an orchestra, and finally fulfill the broken promise of 2020. that's my hobby right now. oh i also just cleaned out a ton of storage in my phone + icloud, which felt generative in its own way. besides backing things up better than i have in a while.

working on submitted the travel money application i've been thinking and dithering about since...this time last year? no real expectation of getting it, but it did actually help me consider some next steps in the diss, so that's nice. now prepping to take my class on two fun on-campus field trips next week, one to the manuscript library and one to the medieval collection in our little hidden art museum! i need to write some notes up for the TAs and docents to use, and finish organizing my list of desired manuscripts, like, yesterday. midterm grades posted today, a little late but hopefully not too bad, still well before the drop date. the aforementioned quizzes (i have like 28 more to grade, but they're reasonably painless). plus i was going to work on my fucking dissertation this week, and prep to teach the next few lectures in advance so i'm not scrambling monday nights, plus send a bunch of emails, design a CFP poster, put in some RAship hours so i can speak intelligently in my meeting tomorrow, and....prep for the guest lecture i'm giving on the 28th! it's a reskin of the conference paper i gave this summer, freshly edited, but i need to expand the intro bits to include a useful overview, since these students aren't a conference of celticists.

weirdly at peace with how my work-life balance is balancing right now, though. it's the extra sleep and the increased sunshine, and the little cat who is being so so whiny right now. i must conclude these lines and feed Herself.

[krikeymate]

Okay so this is kinda gonna be long and a bit of a ramble, so apologies in advance.

One thing I never understood was the idea that Amber truly cared about Tara, in scream 5 we know that the plan is for her to attack Tara which would then lead to Sam going back to Woodsboro so that Ritchie can have his ending.

However my confusion stems from how much Amber hurts Tara, she stabs her several times and breaks her leg (brutally might I add, like yikes!) Plus when Tara gets stabbed through the hand that knife is aiming straight for her chest in what could've been a killing blow ( I say 'could've' because we've seen Chad get absolutely carved up but still survive somehow so y'know movie logic).

If she really cared about Tara the attack didn't necessarily have to go that far, just enough for Tara to report the fact that there's a new Ghostface killer on the loose, leading to Wes calling Sam and so on so forth. Plus Amber had no problem trying to kill her her other childhood friends of which she did succeed (RIP Liv, Chad may have forgotten you but I didn't lol) so who knows.

The idea that maybe Amber was spiting Sam could make sense in a way, her being the one to 'care' about Tara because Sam left but to me that seems more controlling/possessive than caring. Especially if you take into account how quickly Sam & Tara reconnect after everything that must've added to her anger at Sam.

I wonder what your take on this is?

Hopefully this makes some semblance of sense and I apologise if it doesn't. ♤

Agreed! I find it very hard to believe Amber cared about Tara... or anyone else, at all. I think her motives for everything she does are incredibly self-serving. It's why when I write her I try to stick to the characterisation that her interest in Tara is only so far as having an adoring fan, so to speak. I think she likes being the center of Tara's world, that she's hers like a pet is yours.

Sam is a threat because Tara loves her more than Amber, which is obviously something she can't abide by. So it's fair to say that Amber has animosity for Sam, and we do see some of that in the movie, however it outright tells us Amber's motive - to make a good movie. Tara was just collateral damage for that. Amber will get the Jill treatment for surviving a Ghostface attack anyway.

A lot of people think that it was intended for Tara to survive her initial attack, I disagree. It was incredibly brutal, she was stabbed seven times and had her leg broken. You can bring up that she survived four rounds with Amber, I would bring up that Amber and Richie's plans went off the rails the moment Tara didn't die, and they were then struggling to get it back on track. The plans for Tara changed once they got her and Sam to the house, and that's why Amber ties her up instead of outright killing her. The fourth round, she throws this invalid over the couch and storms off because she's angry and trying to regain control of the situation. She believes she's knocked Tara out, and... I'm pretty sure she did. Tara's hardly a threat at that point, Amber even overpowered her pretty quickly once she got over the shock of being clotheslined by a crutch.

But of course, on fandom side, I've a lot of love for Amber, she was a beautiful unhinged woman. And shipping is just part of the fun and can make it angsty and who doesn't want their resident terrible person character to see some sort of redemption? Part of it I think is that Amber was a sadly underdeveloped character (weren't they all lol), but she was a really interesting one, so people want to see more of her, and that involves fleshing her out and giving her more interesting motives.

[earlgreytea68]

Maybe you've already answered this, but do you have a list of songs from FOB you consider the most related to Pete and Patrick? Songs potentially referring to either one of them and their relationship (like miss missing you)

Hmmm, I don't think I've already answered this, and this requires a little bit of thought, and it's been a long day at work, so if I miss some, I'll come back and add, and also I might come back and give more detail, but these are the ones that come to mind:

--Saturday: The infamous "me and Pete" song. And also the video is, like, Pete and Patrick turn out to be the same person??? Hahaha it's a lot lol they started it off with a bang, these two

--"It's Not a Side Effect of the Cocaine, I Think It Must Be Love": I've been meaning to write about this song for a while because I have a hard time understand who this song is about if it's not about Patrick lololol "Why can you read me like no one else? I hide behind these words but I'm coming out" "We'll make them so jealous, we'll make them hate us" Also, there is a whole world of interpretation to be done around the use of the word "out" in this song

--7 Minutes in Heaven: I've always thought that it's possible this song is also written to Patrick. "The only thing worse than not knowing is you thinking that I don't know," is the line that really resonates for me, given the subject matter of this song and the pressure Pete had put himself under around the band. But also like, "trying to forget everything that isn't you," like, again, given what Pete was going through, I think it's an argument that he could have been trying to forget everything but that he needed to succeed for Patrick, just focus on Patrick, be stuck fixated on one star while the world is crashing down.

--The (After) Life of the Party: To me this song is the most perfect social butterfly/favorite trope song of all time, and to me also social butterfly/favorite is the most on-target trope for the Pete and Patrick relationship.

--Miss Missing You: As you already noted. The hot whiskey eyes line will never die.

I....AB/AP has A LOT going on in it:

--The Kids Aren't Alright: is just...a lot. "And in the end, I'd do it all again, I think you're my best friend" is...a lot.

--Favorite Record: This song borrows heavily from Pete's "to you" poem which seems to be a poem to Patrick and I've written a lot about it here.

--Twin Skeleton's: I...have too many thoughts about this song and the twin skeletons on the BND covers.

--Fourth of July: Honestly my favorite song to read shippy, because "I'm sorry every song's about you" is just my favorite line ever hahaha

--Bishop's Knife Trick: the fact that this song has a lyric that reads "spiritual revolt from the waist down" just...

[septembersghost]

thinking about the quote from the end of Elvis, "

I’ll tell you what killed him. It was love. His love for all of you.

That voice rang out, and he sang with all his life."

and the reblogged ask about Taylor, and I know people don't want to hear this because we loved interacting with her and miss her, but I'm glad she has distance, im glad she's not killing herself for that love anymore.

i've touched on this a bit in comments with my friend @joons, who wrote really lovely meta about this here, and i'm going to quote her: "elvis, as a man, had such a generous spirit that no one—not his wife or manager or friends or fans—could stop him from digging deep and giving, even when it cost him everything. when his body was failing, his friends would ask him to postpone tours, to rest, to heal. and all he would do is gently smile and say, “it’ll be all right. don’t worry about it.” we may think the colonel is treating love lightly by bringing it up as a factor in elvis’ death, but this pivot in focus actually brings us the closest we ever get to knowing who elvis really was (something elvis himself promised he would reveal to his audience early in the film). his generosity is why he was so loved, and the colonel suggests it was his fatal flaw, that he cared so much about sharing his wealth, his talents, and himself with others that he did not care how much it hurt him. or rather, he did care, but he did not know how to stop sharing whatever he could to make other people happy, instead of attending to his own happiness. he gave people his trust and continued giving it long after they had stopped deserving it. and maybe wishing it had been different would be to wish elvis weren’t elvis."

the movie by default made me think about taylor quite a bit, despite the many clear differences, there are unavoidable similarities when it comes to the types of artists they are, who bare so much of themselves and are constantly giving and shimmering and trying and working to connect to their audiences. it's something taylor has addressed several times now, the rippling whisper of that anxiety and the clear slashed wound of it has been appearing in her work for years, and has crystallized further in her most recent music. i mentioned to chelsea how elvis made me think of dear reader (if it feels like a trap, you're already in one is so "suspicious minds" in the way it was utilized in the film, and never take advice from someone who's falling apart/so i wander through these nights, i prefer hiding in plain sight/my fourth drink in my hand/these desperate prayers of a cursed man/spilling out to you for free/but darling, darling, please/you wouldn't take my word for it if you knew who was talking viscerally made me think of him the first time i heard it after seeing the film). her fears about others seeing right through her, drunk as we watch her shattered edges glisten, that she doesn't do enough, that it's exhausting to root for her, that she desperately has tried her best and wanted to be loved (and make it seem effortless), that she shines so bright but that in itself is a kind of curse, that her desire to succeed is also an irredeemable quality, "your kindness is fake. your pain is manipulative,"...will you still want me when i'm nothing new?...it's splashed like a bloodstain all over her music and is such a sad, distressing facet of what she's gone through, but i also think there's an inherent quality in this that certain artists have - this wellspring of humanity, this boundless love that has nowhere else to go and springs forth from the music, the act of creating art, the euphoric feeling of performing, the intensity of love they feel from fans that, we have to acknowledge, can never be fully balanced or reciprocal because of the necessary and natural boundaries between us. i think taylor gave so much of herself when she was younger that it was corrosive to her person. she was struggling in such a way personally and still striving without end to be respected and embraced, and she gave a lot of that unfailingly to fans, maybe because she felt she had to as an extension of gratitude, maybe because she didn't feel loved and safe elsewhere, and also because she does feel a real sense of love in that way. but i think it was very hard on her too, and untenable. you can never reach everyone. you can never make everyone happy. you can never help everyone who needs help. you can never give all the love you wish you could give. it's a beautiful and admirable and even spiritual thing to share, but when does the line need to be drawn when you have to attend to your own needs and humanity first before collapsing under the weight of it?

all this said, i too am glad she's got a much healthier balance now, is very steadily loved in her daily life by a partner who gives her a sense of stability and quiet, and that she doesn't feel the need to give so much of herself away, outside of all the vulnerability within her art. it doesn't mean she doesn't care for us, i believe she means it whenever she thanks us, whenever she says she owes her career to us or she creates things for fun with us in mind (the easter eggs in the bejeweled video, as a recent example. she took a song about her feeling hurt and unappreciated, sadness became my whole sky, and wanting to sparkle again, and reinterpreted it visually to include her fans as a positive aspect), but i also think she's learned what she doesn't have to sacrifice.

there's an unerring empathy in the tragedy of elvis not knowing when to stop, how sincere that love he had was, how that itself was a type of defiance. "he loved and he gave, and he couldn’t do otherwise no matter how much people tried to stop him. and that simple truth is one last great gift." i do believe this endures and is a connective gift.

still, there's a strength in learning how to stopper that outpouring of oneself, one's heart and soul and love, too, and i do find that i'm thankful she's learned that, even when we miss her engaging as much, knowing she has a better sense of peace takes precedence. that love doesn't have to be fatal anymore. she's learned how to let it have its respite instead.

[aurorasilverthorne]

Bailey School Kids Headcanons and Theories:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

1: Madame Hauntly was the wife of the farmer Edwardo in the story that she tells Ben, Jane and Annie in "Vampire Trouble". This also means she is the mother of his six children and that Vlad, who tried to steal the farmer's land and wife, was probably Vlad the Impaler.

2. Mrs. Jeepers fell in love with a human, but he died, and she keeps all his favorite books in that box in the basement of the old Clancy Estate to have something that reminds her of him. I believe her husband knew that she was a vampiress and that's why he gave her the bat bracelet as a way to reassure her that her secret was safe with him. I think that is what Mrs. Jeepers meant in "Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots" when she told Eddie and the others that she feels like her husband is still with her at times despite his death.

3. Madame Hauntly and her children are capable of walking around in daylight because a) she's a very old vampiress which means she's super powerful and b) her children are half human, so the sun doesn't have as much of an effect on them, though Mrs. Jeepers still uses her brooch to increase her own power and it also serves as added protection from the sun.

4. Mr. Drake is Mrs. Jeepers' and Boris' brother and the dad of Kilmer's cousin in "Vampire Baby".

5. Grandpa Vamps is Mrs. Jeepers' uncle or grandfather in the story "Mrs. Jeepers' Creepy Christmas". She called him in to get Eddie interested in reading as the boy was being stubborn and kept refusing to cooperate with her.

6. Most of the adults the children think are monsters are normal humans trying to live their lives. However, Mrs. Jeepers and her Hauntly relatives are in fact vampires and monsters, but don't pose a threat to the people of Bailey City as they are kind and caring towards their neighbors and have not harmed anyone since their arrival as far as we know. The other legit monsters include leprechauns as it was implied in "Leprechauns Don't Play Basketball" that Mrs. Jeepers' was in fact the vampiress teacher who stole the brooch from the leprechaun king.

7. Mrs. Jeepers can't have children of her own maybe because of a health issue, but she loves children, so she became a school teacher to be around them, and to nurture and satisfy her own maternal instinct. She wants all of her students to succeed and to be safe which is why she's so strict with them and won't give Eddie attention when he acts up in class or during field trips. She refuses to reward his negative behavior which is why she reprimands him with extra work or chores when he misbehaves.

8. Eddie knows Mrs. Jeepers is a vampire because she showed her fangs when she dragged him into the hall to talk about his bad behavior in the first book "Vampires Don't Wear Polka Dots". That's why he won't tell his friends what happened. She likely warned him to be quiet and to quit misbehaving, but he realized in time that she wouldn't actually hurt him, so he kept acting up despite the fact that she was an actual vampire and he still feared her to some extent. Eddie knew she wouldn't harm anyone so he pushed his luck and she had to keep him in line until he moved up into fourth grade.

9. Mrs. Jeepers and her family continued to protect and watch over all her students well into their adult years. She and the Hauntlys stayed in Bailey City a) until residents began to notice they weren't aging and they had to move to another place to start again or b) her ex-students realized what they were, but chose to keep their secret so they could remain in Bailey City teaching and befriending the future generations of their families.

[tarotwithdanise]

Your future children with them.

꒰⠀from left to right ; intuitively choose the pile your mind, heart and soul desire for. if you are having trouble choosing the right pile for you, here’s some tips you can do ; (1) take a deep breath (2) close your eyes (3) ask guidance from your guides (4) finally open your eyes and you can choose the right pile for you by the guidance you ask from your guides. if you are still having trouble by choosing the right pile for you let me know because i am willing to help and guide you.

Pile one

I see you making a big family with them. 3-6 kids, but mostly for most of you is SIX. The kids will be seen grow with so much love and from a family with a great amount of stable money. I see you and FS are working hard to provide this kind of life for all of your children. Let's dig deeper into their energies. The first child is the one who succeeds in life the most; this child can be strict, protective and serious among their siblings. They will mostly help their siblings with finances and schools. The second one is a type of person who loves their family so much, especially their parents. I mean, they all love you, but this child's love is greater than their siblings love. The third one is the one that get often jealous with others but they'll be cheerful and polite but sometimes they can be more rebellious among your children and someone whose frequently goes out with their friends all the time. They feel very detached. People gonna find them physically attractive. It just makes me sad that their feelings are so down when they are at home because they don't feel loved by their own family, they feel they're the black sheep. They will mostly find their luck communicating and socializing with people. The fourth one, is the type of a kid who is very talkative. This is soOo random but there are many rumors happening here for this child. First, they are type of person who has these questions in their mind and asks them often is looking for answers. This child may pursue or planning to be psychiatrist or a psychologist or in general in the field of medical, if they really wanted to, if they pursues they will succeed. Oh, I think the younger ones among your children could be twins; those two were gonna be the luckiest. But I don't see them being so spoiled enough; they grow up to be modest people who can be influenced by their older siblings. Maybe with a little bit of pressure? They think that their family expects a lot from them to succeed in life especially their older siblings.

An advice for you, love all your children equally and equity. Always try to understand them like how you quarrent wanted your own parents to understand you in every situation you wanted to explain to them.

extra messages 🌱

medical field, financial success, happiness, white, green, levi, arkangel (might be one of their names), anxiety, imperfect, supportive parents, love, success to their career, stethoscope, wealth, luck, gadgets, books, pretty smiles, orange, medium length hair, earth signs ( capricorn, virgo, taurus ) air signs ( gemini, libra, aquarius ) fire signs ( sagittarius, leo, aries ), little girl, butterfly, black cat, family, sink, anger issues, dots, birds, calendar, guest, S, P, 3 , 8, 9, 5 & 8.

Pile two

So in the second pile, i'm only getting one, a masculine energy child. You guys might have a child in your younger years, like not more than twenty-five i guess? which is what I'm getting outta here. You can possibly end up with someone in your circle, or you can meet through your social interactions and communities. This child will be like a good friend to you. When you have this child, you may find hard to find a job. But don't worry, even though it's hard for you, this child will cheer you up with their dosage of serotonin. Ahh, I'm hearing here that if you won't get accepted on any job you applied for, you would like to have a business. And telling you now that whatever business is this, it's going to be popular to people. You may have a problem with your partner in your early years of having relationship with them due to lack of trust but will solve it afterwards maybe because of cheating issues or doubtful feelings. Since you are young and naive, you may get fooled by this person who has light hair so be careful guys when it comes meeting someone's new, it can cause a scam i think. You can be a single parent and might meet someone else new or this child may grew up with a presence of one of their parents. This child, even though they don't have parental guidance all the time, they still somewhat happy and proud to have you in their life. You might be an achiever in school or this child may. Otherwise, they're proud of you because no matter how busy you are with what you're doing, you are making sure to atleast have a great amount of time to take care of them. Many struggles and obstacles may come, but you will overcoming all of them. Overall, your relationship with this child is parental-friendship.

An advice for you, be careful when it comes choosing a partner, don't be too naive and don't get your feelings take over your head. Make it balance, remember you have choices when it comes making a partner but your children cannot have that ability to choice.

extra messages 🌱

achiever, earth signs (capricorn, virgo, taurus) , care, single parent, financially unstable, heartache, cheating, small unit, success in business, happy child, light hair, party, twins, school, big chandelier, near at the sea, bright, gossiping neighbor hood, I, S, X, lazy, black, green, love, hello, clean, neat, piercings, jackets, olive skin, bald, long hair, woman, blue eyes, water signs (cancer, scorpio , pisces) 10, 111, 101, 555, 7, winter, moles, dimple, october and february.

Pile 3

I'm guessing you'll have between two and five children. Mostly, I'm getting two energies here. They can be all female, or you guys will have more feminine children than masculine ones. I see the older one here is lucky when it comes to social interactions, this person will find their luck to people yet will be outgoing and flirtatious. The second and younger one here will be kind and loving. The older one will have this trait of being people-pleasers and somewhat rebellious among your children, this one is more likely to have a large circle of friends because they thrive on friendship; this will be known as the toughest to pin down ". While the younger one will be fun-loving, this one is likely to have these eyeglasses because they enjoy studying and reading books too much, so maybe in an early age they may wear one. This child like competition, LOL. They are also likely to develop their own ways of winning attention. They are both likely to experience anxiety and depression, but they can overcome that. Of you notice changes on their actions and habits don't hesitate to reach out and check them out if they were okay. You will teach these children to understand that you need to work hard to achieve something and also appreciate small wins for their own improvement. These two will treat each other not only as siblings as well being as best buddies and support each other. Hmmm, what else? Let me see here, the feminine energy here is totally stronger than the masculine. They're also helpful people; maybe one of these children of yours will be working as a singer, model, or actress or actor. In school, both of them will be popular.

An advice for you, be cautious when it comes having a super care or clingy relationship for your children because sometimes they may hurt your feelings. It's okay to be gentle but let your kids know that you are their parents ALWAYS. Sometimes too much care makes a child think you are holding them on their neck.

extra messages 🌱

J, T G, U ,W ,P , hospital, small, hazel eyes color, light color of hair, cooking, kisses, love, city , helping supportive, phoebe, concert, funny, old, living room, fight, feminine, pink, red, girls giggling, 6, 9, 3, 5 , september, ballet, shoes, tiktok, depress, vase, perfectionist, popular, beautiful, long wavy hair, moles, glasses, angel by leona lewis, long nails, beautiful hands, amelia, wayne, elijah, jordan, idiot, lock, bestfriend, blessings & sadness.

Pile 4

Right off the bat, last pile. You will have at least three children. Someone here wanted or was planning to have this number of kids. So maybe you and your spouse might do family planning first. First, I'm getting someone here who's having asthma or a case of hard breathing because of chest gripping. I don't know; it's either one of them or you. The first child will be a boy or have this masculine energy within them; this is the type of older sibling who guides their other younger siblings. I'm getting a scenario here where two children are arguing, and this will be the one who restrains them and stands between them. Lol, so cute. They might also like the color red. The middle one will be the funniest one among all of them and may get into trouble when imma talk about relationships and marriage. This kid will be taller and more likely to become a petite in appearance, and I'm getting the impression that they don't care about on their school and grades. This child is a fond of the center of attention and attraction and do not care what other people think about them, such a very silly kid. Also, they like to tease people, haha. Most of people felt irritated to see this kid and percieve this child as not ashamed of what they are doing. The younger one will be a curious and confused type of sibling, but respectful too. They might have anger issues too. I see them as someone has a mole on their hands, but I don't know where.

An advice for you, when there is fight between ur children be in between and not be a bias. Knowing their both pov will be a big help to solve the conflict.

extra messages 🌱

blooming, japan, weak, inesecure, accecories, makeup, shiny hair, light to dark hair, taller, player, famous in school, red, naive, king, nurturing, heart, field trip, bus, sleep, black, under a tree, farm, picnic, someone who live near of sea, garden, flowers, laughing, tarot, happy family, cinema, inhaler, D, Z , Y, P, V, I , mischievous kisses, Ava, Liam, Naoki, 13, 6, 1007, Libra & Scorpio.

© tarotwithdanise ── all rights reserved. do not copy, translate, alter, or repost my work with or without my explicit permission.

[nasa]

NASA Spotlight: Astronaut Mike Hopkins

Michael S. Hopkins was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2009. The Missouri native is currently the Crew-1 mission commander for NASA’s next SpaceX launch to the International Space Station on Nov. 14, 2020. Hopkin’s Crew-1 mission will mark the first-ever crew rotation flight of a U.S. commercial spacecraft with astronauts on board, and it secures the U.S.’s ability to launch humans into space from American soil once again.  Previously, Hopkins was member of the Expedition 37/38 crew and has logged 166 days in space. During his stay aboard the station, he conducted two spacewalks totaling 12 hours and 58 minutes to change out a degraded pump module. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering. 

He took some time from being a NASA astronaut to answer questions about his life and career! Enjoy:

What do you hope people think about when you launch?

I hope people are thinking about the fact that we’re starting a new era in human spaceflight. We’re re-opening human launch capability to U.S. soil again, but it’s not just that. We’re opening low-Earth orbit and the International Space Station with commercial companies. It’s a lot different than what we’ve done in the past. I hope people realize this isn’t just another launch – this is something a lot bigger. Hopefully it’s setting the stage, one of those first steps to getting us to the Moon and on to Mars.

You served in the U.S. Air Force as a flight test engineer. What does that entail?

First off, just like being an astronaut, it involves a lot of training when you first get started. I went to the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School and spent a year in training and just learning how to be a flight test engineer. It was one of the most challenging years I’ve ever had, but also one of the more rewarding years. What it means afterwards is, you are basically testing new vehicles or new systems that are going on aircraft. You are testing them before they get handed over to the operational fleet and squadrons. You want to make sure that these capabilities are safe, and that they meet requirements. As a flight test engineer, I would help design the test. I would then get the opportunity to go and fly and execute the test and collect the data, then do the analysis, then write the final reports and give those conclusions on whether this particular vehicle or system was ready to go.

What is one piece of life advice you wish somebody had told you when you were younger? 

A common theme for me is to just have patience. Enjoy the ride along the way. I think I tend to be pretty high intensity on things and looking back, I think things happen when they’re supposed to happen, and sometimes that doesn’t necessarily agree with when you think it should happen. So for me, someone saying, “Just be patient Mike, it’s all going to happen when it’s supposed to,” would be really good advice.

Is there a particular science experiment you enjoyed working on the most while aboard the space station?

There’s a lot of experiments I had the opportunity to participate in, but the ones in particular I liked were ones where I got to interact directly with the folks that designed the experiment. One thing I enjoyed was a fluid experiment called Capillary Flow Experiment, or CFE. I got to work directly with the principal investigators on the ground as I executed that experiment. What made it nice was getting to hear their excitement as you were letting them know what was happening in real time and getting to hear their voices as they got excited about the results. It’s just a lot of fun.

Space is a risky business. Why do it?

I think most of us when we think about whatever it is we do, we don’t think of it in those terms. Space is risky, yes, but there’s a lot of other risky jobs out there. Whether it’s in the military, farming, jobs that involve heavy machinery or dangerous equipment… there’s all kinds of jobs that entail risk. Why do it? You do it because it appeals to you. You do it because it’s what gets you excited. It just feels right. We all have to go through a point in our lives where we figure out what we want to do and what we want to be. Sometimes we have to make decisions based on factors that maybe wouldn’t lead you down that choice if you had everything that you wanted, but in this particular case for me, it’s exactly where I want to be. From a risk standpoint, I don’t think of it in those terms.

Can you describe your crew mate Soichi Noguchi in one sentence?

There are many facets to Soichi Noguchi. I’m thinking about the movie Shrek. He has many layers! He’s very talented. He’s very well-thought. He’s very funny. He’s very caring. He’s very sensitive to other people’s needs and desires. He’s a dedicated family man. I could go on and on and on… so maybe like an onion – full of layers!

Star Trek or Star Wars?

I love them both. But can I say Firefly? There’s a TV series out there called Firefly. It lasted one season – kind of a space cowboy-type show. They did have a movie, Serenity, that was made as well. But anyway, I love both Star Wars and Star Trek. We’ve really enjoyed The Mandalorian. I mean who doesn’t love Baby Yoda right? It’s all fun.

How many times did you apply to be an astronaut? Did you learn anything on your last attempt? 

I tried four times over the course of 13 years. My first three attempts, I didn’t even have references checked or interviews or anything. Remember what we talked about earlier, about patience? For my fourth attempt, the fact is, it happened when it was supposed to happen. I didn’t realize it at the time. I would have loved to have been picked on my first attempt like anybody would think, but at the same time, because I didn’t get picked right away, my family had some amazing experiences throughout my Air Force career. That includes living in Canada, living overseas in Italy, and having an opportunity to work at the Pentagon. All of those helped shape me and grow my experience in ways that I think helped me be a better astronaut.

Can you share your favorite photo or video that you took in space?

One of my favorite pictures was a picture inside the station at night when all of the lights were out. You can see the glow of all of the little LEDs and computers and things that stay on even when you turn off the overhead lights. You see this glow on station. It’s really one of my favorite times because the picture doesn’t capture it all. I wish you could hear it as well. I like to think of the station in some sense as being alive. It’s at that time of night when everybody else is in their crew quarters in bed and the lights are out that you feel it. You feel the rhythm, you feel the heartbeat of the station, you see it in the glow of those lights – that heartbeat is what’s keeping you alive while you’re up there. That picture goes a small way of trying to capture that, but I think it’s a special time from up there.

What personal items did you decide to pack for launch and why? 

My wedding bands. I’m also taking up pilot wings for my son. He wants to be a pilot so if he succeeds with that, I’ll be able to give him his pilot wings. Last time, I took one of the Purple Hearts of a very close friend. He was a Marine in World War II who earned it after his service in the Pacific.

Thank you for your time, Mike, and good luck on your historic mission! Get to know a bit more about Mike and his Crew-1 crew mates Victor Glover, Soichi Noguchi, and Shannon Walker in the video above.

Watch LIVE launch coverage beginning at 3:30 p.m. EST on Nov. 14 HERE. 

Make sure to follow us on Tumblr for your regular dose of space: http://nasa.tumblr.com 

[uwusenpaiuwu]

Sleepovers At The Baji Household feat. A Fed-Up Chifuyu

Summary: Chifuyu just wants to sleep, man, but Baji wants to be a jealous crackhead at 2 AM.

Pairing: Sano Manjiro | Mikey x Male Reader

Note(s): I had a little free time and wrote this. So, please enjoy! ALSO, to the anon that sent me a request a few days ago, I saw it and have it filed on my to-do list!!! I will definitely get to it as soon as I get a break in my schedule :)

"Chifuyu, ya wanna see some real discrimination?"

No. No, Chifuyu does not want to see what Baji means by 'real discrimination.'

Does he tell him that, though?

Yes, actually, because it's 2 in the fucking morning and, as much as he respects the other boy, he wouldn't put it past himself to smother him with a pillow after having his dream of cuddling with a sea of puppies suddenly destroyed.

Unfortunately for his sanity, Baji either doesn't hear him or, more likely than not, doesn't give a fuck, because he's already flopping onto his belly and whipping out his phone to do God knows what.

The dial tone that sounds from the speaker a few seconds later makes Chifuyu cringe, especially since it's only ever been a calm silence fit for a good night's sleep prior to Baji bulldozing through it with his absurd question. (At the very least, he's thankful that the latter has half a mind to keep the brightness on the lowest setting, otherwise, Chifuyu would have had to fight.)

On the far end of the row of carefully-laid futons, you shift in your sleep, eyebrows furrowing together at the noise. Rotating onto your side, you unconsciously reach for Baji, and just when he thinks you're being cute and trying to cuddle him, you smack him in the head.

Baji doesn't flinch, instead, takes his pillow and shoves it in your grasp to keep your unconscious self occupied, so that he can focus on getting through to the person who reuses to pick up (understandably so).

Releasing a frustrated groan after being redirected to voice mail for the fifth time, he dials the number again, muttering an impatient, "Pick up already."

Chifuyu feels sorry for the poor soul on the other end. He would've blocked someone following the first call, because again, it's-

The blond has to squint his eyes up at the digital clock on Baji's nightstand, which confirms that it's already 2:22 A.M, further solidifying the fact that he shouldn't be awake right now. And this also applies to the ever persistent first division captain, who insists on bothering who Chifuyu soon discovers is Mikey from the contact ID that flashes across the screen.

Why Baji is so keen on bothering him is a question he doesn't have the mental capacity to ponder over. The most energy he'll expend is to listen in when the call miraculously connects.

"What...?" comes a muffled voice from the receiver, tone laced in an irked grogginess birthed from a slumber rudely interrupted.

There's an absurdly loud, almost angry, roar of Mikey's name, one that has Chifuyu curling in on himself in a futile attempt to escape a sound that should be illegal at this hour.

But you know what else should be illegal?

The fucking whiplash Chifuyu gets when Baji's deep voice takes an abrupt 180°, switching from its normal gruffness to a squeaky, ear-piercing shrill as he screams, "I love you, love you, love you! Do you love me, too, Mikey-kyun~♡?!"

The room is dead silent.

Not a word. Not a murmur. Not a breath.

Just pure, unadulterated silence as both Chifuyu and Mikey process the words that hang in the air, permeating it with a goosebumps-inducing eeriness from having heard such a...a girly, overtly cutesy screech from Baji.

Then-

"What the fuck? He hung on me!"

Chifuyu opens his mouth, thinks better of reacting to the cursed scene he had the misfortune of bearing witness to, and promptly closes it.

Other people may have sleep paralysis demons.

But Chifuyu?

Chifuyu has Baji.

With both hands partially raised in prayer, he begs for the shenanigans to be over and done with.

They are not.

While his eyes remain closed in a last ditch effort to convince himself that it's all a bad dream, he hears a lot of grumbling happening on your side of the room, courtesy of Baji, who's scrambling around in search of...something. One quick peek reveals him fiddling with a phone - yours, to be exact, as evidenced by the distinctive phone charm of your favorite anime character hanging from it.

"(Y/n), wake up for a second," he hears him whisper. It takes a bit of prompting, until he's able to successfully rouse you enough from sleep to elicit any kind of response, which is, essentially, nothing short of an incoherent, slurred mess. Although, Chifuyu is pretty damn certain he heard you call Baji a 'dickhead' for the trouble.

Unperturbed, he continues shaking your limp form, coaxing you into wakefulness with, "Repeat what I tell you, and I'll let you go back to asleep. Deal?"

You squint your eyes at him, only able to make out a vague outline of his visage in the lightless room. "Promise?"

"Cross my heart, hope to die," he automatically responds with the same phrase he's become accustomed to saying whenever you two made a promise, something done purely out of habit, formed when the two of you were just kids and he wanted to get you to do something absolutely ridiculous either for him or with him. And just 'cause he knows you're more susceptible to complying if he does it, he also interlocks his pinky with yours.

"...Fine."

The approval is his cue to proceed, and it's as he's putting the phone on speaker that he turns back to a regretfully wide awake Chifuyu, mouthing a wordless, 'Watch.'

The phone rings, loud and clear, precisely once and only once.

"(Y/n), what's wrong?" It's important to note that even though Mikey still sounds tired as hell, his tone is much lighter, much happier really, than when it was Baji, which is an offense in itself to the said teen that's off to the side, attentively listening to the conversation unfold.

Then, it strikes Chifuyu, what Baji is trying to do, and fuck does it give him an instant headache.

Meanwhile, your mouth morphs into the dopiest of smiles with the pleasant surprise of hearing your boyfriend's voice, chest instantly overtaken by a warm fuzziness that never fails to make an appearance whenever he's involved. Sappy, you know, but it's true!

A light but firm nudge to your shoulder reminds you of your mission. It's too bad that, teetering along the edge of sleep as you are, the words Baji whispers are barely repeated correctly.

The initial phrase from before, the one Baji greeted Mikey with, is shortened to a simple, "You wuv I...?"

But, without missing a beat, you receive Mikey's confident reply of, "Mhm... I wuv you a lot."

There's a sleepy giggle then - a fucking giggle - before your voices drop to sweet whispers that the third and fourth wheels can't fully comprehend from where they are.

"Where the fuck was my 'I wuv you,' huh?!" Baji whisper-shouts, considerate of your conversation even when ranting and raving. "Shit, I would've taken a simple 'I love you,' too! I've known that bastard way longer than (Y/n), and this is what I get?!"

Okay. Toman's president answers his boyfriend's late night calls faster than he does anyone else's and openly expresses his love for him. So what? Chifuyu wouldn't exactly call it 'discrimination,' per se. 'Favoritism,' maybe if you wanna stretch it, but using as strong a word as discrimination, especially taking into account you two are dating; it's normal? Nah.

"You wanna say 'bye' to them? Mm. Baji and Chifuyu." A pause. "Fuyu, Mikey says 'bye.'"

"Bye, Mikey-kun."

The other person in the room waits, and waits, and waits, and when it's clear that there is no intention to address his presence whatsoever, Baji turns to Chifuyu with an almost scandalized expression, making wild gesticulations with his hands, clearly distressed. "See?!"

Blank blue eyes stare back at him, unblinking. Honestly, it's a common occurrence - Baji spiraling in a nonsensical rage - so it's easy for Chifuyu to block out the muted, jealousy-driven temper tantrum as he takes his pillow in both hands, raises it as high as he can, and-

Sigh.

-lets it flop right back onto his face.

He can't suffocate Baji. Shouldn't. Wouldn't. Couldn't. After all, they're best buds, meaning he has an obligation to put up with shit like this once in a while. (Plus, he'd probably get his ass kicked before he succeeds anyway. Totally not worth the beating.)

"Did you hear? Mikey said he wuvs me," he hears you drawl dreamily as soon as you hang up, sounding very close to clocking back out for the night.

"Yeah, yeah. Cute shit. Happy for ya, dude," Baji huffs. Thankfully, he sounds like he's in a similar state to yours, if the yawn that follows his sarcastic comment is anything to go by.

"...He soooo ignored you."

That warrants a punishing punch to the arm, dulled only slightly by the combination of the thick quilt you're swaddled in and the raven-haired boy's fatigue.

"I'll fucking throw you out right now, (Y/n). Don't test me."

"You won't."

"I will."

"Won't."

"Will."

The conversation gradually dies down shortly after, the exhaustion that took its sweet time getting to both of you having reached its peak with the help of the childish bickering. It takes 10 minutes, maybe 15, before two sets of light snores fill the room.

Finally.

Let it be known that there is a lesson to be learned from tonight's events. Really, there is. Y'know, something along the lines of 'Don't agree to a sleepover with Baji, if you plan on actually sleeping,' or whatever.

Alas, Chifuyu's consciousness fades before he realizes what it is.

~~~

"Mikey, be honest. Who do you love more? Me or-?"

"(Y/n)."

"But-"

(Y/n)."

"I-"

"(Y/n)."

Baji is only momentarily discouraged, sharp eyes glaring at the blond that lays his head on your lap after hi-fiving you. He didn't want to do this, but he's left with no choice.

"(Y/n) or Babu?"

From the way Mikey stiffens up, refusing to look at either him or you in the eyes, Baji knows he has him right where he wants him, has him torn between a cute face or a sweet ride.

"Oi! Don't pretend to be asleep! Answer the damn question! OI!"

(After hours of serious contemplation - even though you told him it doesn't particularly matter - it's revealed that, of course, Mikey loves you more. Babu just happens to trail behind as a very close second.)

[kindestegg]

Deltarune Theory: Ralsei is a guide for the script

It feels crazy that Deltarune Chapter 2 has only been out for like, what, two weeks? As of the time I’m writing this, and yet, there has already been so much secret hunting and speculation over this. Not even the full game, and people already go crazy over it. Naturally, I am part of this craze. In fact I was one of the people that played it as soon as it dropped.

And, I thought it was only me, but, at least for a little while, Ralsei’s behavior struck me as… odd. Not outwardly malicious, but just… odd. Particularly the first bit of the game, it was just so… happy and convenient? And Ralsei was at the center of it all, orchestrating it, making sure everything happened accordingly.

Eventually, that initial feeling of distrust went away, but… not quite. And it seems a lot of people began to feel the same way, pointing out bits about Ralsei that are just… out of place. Things that didn’t seem to stand out in the first chapter, are now popping out about him.

Questions include:

How does he know about what’s outside the Dark World, about the school?

How does he know about the game mechanics and call them out by names?

Why is he so interested in keeping the balance between only Kris acting and him and Susie doing magic?

Why does he seem so eager to dismiss what happened with Spamton NEO?

Why doesn’t he turn into stone or even get weak at any point during the time he spends in Cyber World?

Are the parts of his name and design connecting to the Dreemurr’s intentional, and if so, what does that mean for his relation to Kris?

How and why does he take player control away to look at what Susie is doing? Why must he wait until Kris is willing to do it? What does he tell them when he succeeds in this?

Now, I don’t intend to pose here “a supreme theory to rule them all”, I’m just a guy having fun and I’ve seen people voice particularly similar ideas to this one I’ve had, so I want to at least try to answer these questions through a relatively simple idea that would, almost entirely, immediately answer ALMOST all the doubts.

First, let’s start with some steps to build up this idea. For one, we know for a fact that Ralsei holds knowledge over game mechanics and may even break the fourth wall at times.

But we also know that Ralsei’s design resembles a lot of characters from Undertale we know and were fond of. For one, he can be likened to Toriel in the sense that he is the one to give you the first tutorial of the game and his clothes resemble her original outfit as well. Another connection, much more common, that people have made is that he is like Asriel, no doubt due to his name being an anagram, but also due to the fact he is also a cute young goat.

I would like to do a complete turn around here though, and say I do not think any of this points to Ralsei being related to Kris in the familial sense, for more than one reason, but my main one being that I don’t think Toby would be as frankly disgusting as to imply such a thing when there is so so much teasing in the direction of Ralsei possibly having a crush on Kris. I mean… really, Toby?

You know, I’m not too sure this would be the smartest idea, Mr. Fox, but alright.

However, I do think all these hints in his design and name have a purpose. And it has to do with how us, the fandom, see these two characters. For one, they are very beloved characters, and Toriel is one that we associate with her tutorials and guidance, whereas Asriel is one that people have yearned to see more in action. They are back, in a sense, but not present in our adventures so far.

What I’m getting at is that Ralsei is specifically designed to be the darling of the fandom. He is made to be loved, to be trusted, to cause feelings in us that make us want to protect him and accept his advice. This, in a way, also affects the in-universe characters who see him, as Susie put it: “as a big portable teddy bear”, whose job is “giving hugs”.

And I don’t just mean this in a character design way, like “oh wow Toby was so smart to make a perfectly marketable boy!” No. I think Ralsei exists as a meta element, his form being a direct manifestation of what we want to see.

He looks like that because he wants us to see him and lower our guard and expect his guidance. Remember how his form was shadowy and vague throughout all of chapter 1 until the very end of it and how he poofs into nothing but a pile of clothes in both chapters so far, no matter what form he’s in? What if he’s a shapeshifter? What if Ralsei isn’t even his real name? That certainly would explain why he says he doesn’t know what being Ralsei-like is like.

Ralsei? Ralsei? Oh God he’s gone.

Now, do I think he’s lowering our guard in the sense of leaving us vulnerable for an attack? Not exactly. I think it's so we learn to accept him…

Accept that he is a GUIDE for the game’s script. His entire existence hinges on guiding the main characters, specially Kris, throughout the story, and making sure the whole story, all seven chapters, play out exactly as planned.

You see, Ralsei isn’t evil. His goal is pretty simple, actually: guide us, the player, throughout the game, making us feel as safe and happy and secure. In that sense, of course he pushes so hard towards the pacifist route. After all, that’s the one that’s closer to a completionist route, as the sparing + recruiting mechanic adds more characters to your town, and therefore more content. He wants you to see all this content and get the most enjoyment out of it. His code urges him to bring you the best experience possible.

This would also answer why he does that thing with taking our control away from Kris and to watch Susie’s shenanigans. Because it’s satisfying to us. Notice how stressed out and pushy he gets in the alternate route when Susie comes out of Noelle’s room without being able to let us see what happened. He knows he messed up, something went wrong. He was supposed to let us see, so that we wouldn’t be bored, because God forbid the players be bored.

Just imagine this going through his head.

He also seems to genuinely care about Kris and Susie, and with good reason, as he knows these are the protagonists, and he is supposed to care for their well being too and ensure they reach their goal. I do think, however, there is a good amount of being genuine in his care, as he has no reason to react so boldly sometimes to either of them, showing outrage or affection in pretty telling ways. He isn’t heartless despite carrying out this job.

However it is also worth noting, for all his care, he cannot do the one thing that Kris would desire the most: free them from our grasp. And that is his ultimate failure towards them, and may end up creating conflict later on in the game.

From, here, there are two possible pathways:

Ralsei does not know about the dilemma Kris is going through, and believes Kris is entirely oblivious and passive towards being in a video game. He may even end up being the final boss to fight, as he desperately tries to keep everything on rails while Kris very much does not care for any of that.

Ralsei is entirely aware of what’s going on with Kris, after all, everything in a game’s design is planned, even the cutscenes, therefore even Kris’ struggles. Ralsei knows of the fate that lies ahead, that Kris will eventually be free, how it all ends. But to get there… is still a road ahead.

I think Ralsei’s affection towards Kris will definitely be explored in the later chapters. Not just because of the teasing we’ve been getting, but, if Ralsei really is a guide of the game’s code and script, what would that mean for him to get so attached towards the character the player is controlling?

Ralsei will have to make a choice. He will either recognize Kris is suffering and cannot wait any longer, or be faced with possibly having to fight them himself. This is why those two pathways matter as well. If he doesn’t know, his choice will come later and it will be an unpleasant surprise for him to find out the game universe is breaking apart around him with the self awareness of certain characters. If he does know, however, his choice is NOW, and waiting for the inevitable will be torture.

Just how long until he breaks? Or will he keep the facade until the very last chapter?

Like I said, I don’t intend this theory to be the biggest, most revealing and coherent theory. But… It could add a very interesting layer to Ralsei’s character, as well as answer many questions posed beforehand. He knows the school layout and game controls because he is part of the code. He can get to the other Dark World’s easily and remain unharmed because the game demands him to be. He looks like this so that we love him. He wants to give us the most fulfilling Castle Town so that we will love the game. He doesn’t protest even when Kris does things like try to give him the thorn ring, because to him, everything will be okay anyway. Everything he is, is for us. He isn’t evil or malicious per se, he just opposes Kris’ biggest need.

But he may have gotten himself attached. And that may be a clue to sparing him if he does become a final boss.

But! Tell me what you thought of this theory! Do you think it’s way too weird and farfetched, or do you think it’s possible that it could happen? Or maybe you agree with some stuff but not with other stuff? Go ahead and tell me!

[zuffer-weird-girl]

Red hair as roses, and turquoise eyes as orchids

"Dada look!" The bored and depressed blue eyes stood up from his lap to his 6 years old daughter, extending her tiny hands up high in the air.

"Be careful with what you're gonna do pretty doll." He manage to smirk a bit as she pouted, strands of red brushing against her forehead until a huge wave of flames of the colour blue danced around her hands until she jumped and a small prinkle of flames were throw in the air.

She laughed at the sign and clapped her hands in glee at her own little show as Dabi let out a chuckle at seeing the happines of his daughter... instead of him, Emika had the blessing of having a body that could tolerate the heat enough of his quirk that she inherited it from him. Your quirk itself being a huge help for the little girl to not have scars as her father's.

"Did you see Dada?! It was soooo huge and beautiful!!!" She ran towards him only to trip and thankfully landed on the brunette male's lap, giggling with a smile so bright that could've hury his eyes.

"Hmm. Almost like mine princess, im impressed." His hands carresed her chubby cheeks until he heard murmuring behind them.

Of course. Even with his disguise, that were people whose were going to mutter, say bad things... he lost count on how many times Emika had been bullied because her quirk was similiar with the most cruel and wanted villain....

And much to his dismay, Emika didn't take that... very well.

"WHAT ARE YOU WHISPERING ABOUT?! LEAVE US ALONE!" the little girl shouted and the adults only scoffed, picking up their kids and getting out of the park.

"You're going to scare off anyone with that attitude of yours princess." He muttered while carresing her red hair and picking her up as she scoffed.

"They cant say bad things about MY dada!" He smiled at the little girl and sighed.

"Yeah yeah, just lets get out of here before you burn things down."

"Thats something you would do!" She poked his scarred cheek. "Ne ne dada? We gonna visit mama right? I want to bring flowers to her this time!"

His eyes dropped at the ground as his feet carried them to the cemetery...

"We can arrange that."

.

.

.

"Mama was so pretty!!!" Emika squealed as Spinner and Toga showed her some photos as Dabi stared holes into their skulls.

Is not that he didn't wanted his daughter to forget or to not know about her mother... but it was painfull enough to have a father as a villain, now being a mother orphan was just more harder.

Emika couldn't go to school without being recognized as Dabi's daughter. So he brought himself the task to teach her things , being thankfull to his past self that he had studied enough.

"Yeah and she was strong as fuck too according to your dad there." Spinner grinned, showing a picture of you pinning down a hero on the middle of the street.

"Emika-chan, despite not meeting (Y/n) you look so much like her!" Toga beamed with a smile, fangs showing and the little girl giggling when Dabi just yanked her away from the two.

"Naaaaaa dada no bed time!" She squirmed as he carried her to now the comfortable room the league gotten ever since the incident with Shigaraki and Redestro.

"Dont complain or else Im going to take away your toy." He grumbled as the girl gasped and pouted at him much like you would do.

"You wouldn't!" She defies him with a cheeky smile although while settling down on the bed she shared with him.

"Try me." He smirked with a atched eyebrow making her laugh.

Some time passed and Dabi watched as the eyelids of Emika slowly dropped until she called him softly.

"This place we are now... we gonna stay or are the bad man breaking it and we have to move again?" His heart clenched.. she still had the memories when the league had captured that blonde kid and the heroes busted the bar...

With her own view, she saw the villains as the good and normal people despite Toga being a crazy assasin that loved drinking blood, Shigaraki a men that only wanted to destriy the world, Twice a bipolar man and the list goes on...

Emika saw the villains as good people, and the heroes as bad ones... after all, after she found out on her own that her mother died not because of childbirth, but because of a hero that accidentally killed her with a much too strong attack... and only because she wanted to protect the baby on her arms at that time.

So much blood dropped from his eyes... some even dropping on your lifeless body and on the crying baby he soon noticed that thankfully was alive.

He would never forget whem he craddled the baby on his arms and sobbed deyly as his child wailed at not having the warmth of her mother anymore.

Things were tough until they found the league of villains and had at peast a place to crash.

Emika was now soudly asleep as he sighed and brushed his hair.

"When the heroes come to us... I will make sure yoi stay outta of the mess Emika. But you will not like to know the truth about our origins..." he muttered as a scarred hand brushed her bangs and smirked when she nuzzled on his hand... reminding him of how you would nuzzle on him on cold nights...

"Time to sleep off huh? The more we sleep, the pess we have to face the reality." He muttered before laying down and bringing her close to his chest.

.

.

.

"Dada..." she whimpered as fat tears fell feom her turquoise eyes as she tremblingly holded the box of paper towels, helping him clean off the blood from his stapples as he took a final look on the mirror, his white hair finally at show for the first time in so many years.

"Hey," he crouched down and made his best to not wince "I'm fine. Daddy is used to this by now and-"

"bUT I'M NOT!" she yelled and punched his chest with her tiny fist as he frowned and holded her as she sobbed on his chest.

"...Is it true..?" He looked down at the tuff of red hair on his chest "That uncle Twice is not coming back..? That.. T-That grandpa did this to you..m that we are from the family of E-Endeavour?"

He frowned and wiped her tears away as she holded his wrist while sobbing at the loss of Twice, whose always played and made silly faces with her on spare times.

"Yeah... Im sorry for not telling you... but I thought that... Me and your mother actually decided that Emika (L/n) was better than puttingnon a fake and... well, not right name on yours."

"... which hero... killed... mama..?" His heart stopped... should he reaally tell her? She was only a baby of five years.. five fucking years... he was already damaged by society, but her was just a little flower growing...

"Princess.. I-"

"Who?!" She sobbed as his eyes dropped, a heavy sigh as he dinally sit down on the edge of the sofa as he put his hand on his face as the other helped her sit on his lap.

"... your grandpa."

.

.

.

Emika cried heraelf to sleep that night. Wailing that she hated the heroes, that she hated Endeavour, that she hated him for not telling her the truth for so long, that she hated having fo be a Todoroki.

Each word was a spike to his chest as he tried and eventually succeed on calming her down enough, from harsh sobs and eails to soft sniffles and the rest of the tears she had to sheed.

He hugged her just a bit tighter that night as one drop of blood fell from his eyes.

"I thought I could do it (Y/n)... I fucking promised you... but... fuck." He bited his bottom scarred lips to contain a whimper "Everything is just the worst now... why did you have to be so goddamn stubborn and risk your life dammit..."

.

.

.

"Is your fourth bowl of ice cream ya know?" Dabi muttered from his place on the miserable yet comfy apartment you two shared as you stared back at him with a spoonfull of your favorite ice cream on hand close to your mouth.

"I have the right. I'm pregnant. Leave me be." You made a show of putting the spoon on your mouth and moaning out loud as Dabi shooked his head in dismay before taking a place on your side ofbthe couxh before you two cringed at the sounds of the old mobile almost creaking.

"We need to got money to find a new couch." You muttered horrified, just apmost ending all of your money on baby supplies and clothes.

"Or I can just steal one." He smirked at the slight slap you gave to him.

"And have shitty heroes coming our way later? Nu uh mister... maybe just rob a bank though." You muttered before both of you chuckled as you laid your head on his shoulder as he subconsciously placed his hand on the sweel of your stomach and felt a kick already.

"She is going to be a daddy's girl. Im so sure of it." You giggled as he arched an eyebrow.

"How cam you say this already? We dont even know if it is a girl of a boy doll."

"I know is a girl. I just know it. And she has already a favorite parent." You carresed your belly just besides where Dabi's hand was layed on.

"You're exaggerating." He chuckled as he felt another kick "They are going to be a nasty oen though, they kick alot."

"She kicks a lot when your nearby or talking to her. Just like I said, a daddy's girl." You smiled sweetly at him and he never felt so happy...

He looked at your lips for a second as you narrowed your eyes playfully at him before your lips almost touched-

.

.

.

He woke up with a hand tapping on his cheek and soon saw his daughter looking down at him with a pout.

"Can we go walk?" She almost whimpered as he could only stare and slowly nod as he caught his disguise and a very own for her.

.

.

.

She clunged to the black bunny plushie as she walked with pinks connected to him as he stated down at her in worry until she gasped at a convenience store.

"Dada! Snickers!" She pointed as he smiled at seeing a bit of bright on her eyes once again.

"How about we get some, eh?" She nodded with a small smile and soon followed her dad inside.

While she waited for Dabi to get the snacks and pay for them, for once, she gasped when a purple haired boy at the same age as her bumped accidentaly to her making her plushie drop.

"Hey!" She called out with tears on her eyes, being emotionally damaged enough for those past days.

"I'm sorry." The boy said immediatly, kneeling and grabbing the plushie to hand it to her "Its yours?" He tilted his head as Emika grabbed immediatly.

"Of course it was! It was with me until you bunped on me!" Emika slowly dropped her tone of voice at seeing how the purple haired boy seemed genuily sorry as he aproached and bowed once again.

"Sorry, I just am here to grab some medice and a chocolate for my mom and dad. They're both sick and they dont know i went out so I needed to hurry." He smiled as Emika soon dropped slowly her guard down as she muttered.

"Is okay... is just that bunny is speacial to me."

"I can see why. Your mama gave it to you right." Her turquoise eyes widened as she frowned her eyebrows at the boy.

"Kinda of..?" She clinged to the toy "Why do you that?"

He closed his eyes with a tiny giggle.

"Well, she told me as soon as you started to tear up. She is always by your side aparently." Emika eyes darkned and she let go of one hand of the plushie to heat up her hand.

"Say that one more time. I dare you. My mama is not here." She almost cried until the purple boy touched her forehead with two fingers and soon she was not more in the grocery store, but in a blank space.

"HEY YOU!" she shouted "THIS IS NOT FUNNY LET OUT YOU FUCK-"

"Geez, daddy did not spare you of curse words then?" She froze and looked behind her and saw the sane woman Dabi showed photos of and was compared whenever she was laughing or making a trick on others.

She froze for a bit before silently tears started to fall and she hiccupped for a bit before dropping her bunny and running to you as you hugged her tightly.

"Mama! I cant believe-! Is you-! I-I-" she hicupped as you wiped her tears with your thumb and let some of your own fall.

"You're take so much of your dada im so happy... My little girl is just so beautiful..." you whispered as she sobbed while wiping her tears with her sleeve.

"D-Dada!" She gasped before smiling widely and grabbing your sleeve "Dada needs to see this! Mama he misses you a lot he need to see yo-"

"Im sorry princess..." you grabbed her cheek softly "I wanted to see your daddy just as much, but I cant...." her face fell a bit but soon nodded while playing with your fingers and hair.

"Mama? Why did you do it?" You hummed as she looked up hesitantly "Why did youbleave dad? Why... you took.. Endeavour attack..?" She asked sadly as you furrowed your eyebrows but soon closed your eyes and smiled.

"Emika... the day you were born was the day I was gone as well... but when I saw your grandpa recognizing me as a villain and blasted an attack close to where you were... I just had to. I had to protect the feuit of love that me and your father made..." you smiled sadly as she sniffed.

"But you arent with us..." she almost sobbed until you made her look up.

"Emika... Im so sorry for the loneliness you had to endure... the pain... that was the only dowside of the decision I made. My swest little girl..." you cuppex her cheek and wiped a tear "Thank you for letting me be your mother, and Touya for being your father..."

You touched your forehead with her as she noticed your body was slowly turning to tiny hints of lights and fireflies.

"Mama..?" She looked at you crying softly as you kissed her forehead.

"Emika, evertime you see a star in the dark sky it will be me watching over you and your dada... and please understand one thing," you got away from her as your hair floated majestically "Dying for you, was a noble sacrifice I did for love..."

She widened her eyes as she grabbed your hands as you giggled at her expression.

"Say to dada Im watching him too, and that loving him were the happier moments I spend... I love him and always will...after all, he is my canolli, dead or not, okay?"

The littpe girl gasped and looked at the place she was, the grocery store and the boy from earlier retracting his hand with a unsure littpe smile.

"It was your quirk... you... you made me talk with my mama." She says outstruck as the boy giggled but soon gasped at looking the time.

"I have to go! But I hope we meet again." He ran to the door with the bags before looking one more time behind to her "Call me Akira! See you soon Emika-chan!"

She stood there in complete shook before brushing her fingers on the tingling spot you had kissed on her forehead before smiling widely and giggling before knocking her daddy's leg as he grunted.

"Emika what the-"

"Mama is watching us!" She bounced up and down as he atood with a 'what the fuck' expression.

"What the hell Emika?" He grabbed the packs and carried her as he walked on the street.

"Mama said your name is Touya dada! Which I found strange at first but anyway! She kissed my forehead! Hugged me and said how much she loves me and you and is watching us! She is a star dada! A star!!"

His eyes widened. Emika didn't hear his speech to Endeavour. Emika didn't know his real name was Touya instead of Dabi as the league called him... so she was not imagining neither making things up.

"..so you saw mama?" She giggled and nodded while boucing on his arms. "... did she say something else?" He asked hopefully and she smiled widely as much as you would do.

"She said loving you was the most happier she got! And that your are her canolli forever!"

His steps faltered and almost that he dropped his daughter as his eyes widened... only you knew that god for saken nickname you gaved to him...

"Dada?" His daughter words and hands on his cheeks made him ho back to reality as he saw the blood on his little girl's fingers and worried expression "Are you crying..? Dada?"

"Heh..." he wiped with one thumb the blood before smilling at her and continuing walking "Nah. Must be one of my staples..." he stared up as his daughter rested her face on his neck. "Mama is a star then?"

"Ya.." she yawned "Watching us... I bet she is that one." The little girl pointed at the shiniest star on the sku as Dabi smiled...

"Yeah... I also bet on that one."

[antiloreolympus]

10 Anti LO Asks

1. im not against the idea of red eyes for everyone (esp bc hades and ares already had therm before P anyway) but i do agree any emphasis and symbolism they had is just gone bc RS slaps them in whenever and seems to only use them as an aesthetic choice now over a marker of power/rage, so they dont have any impact anymore, especially in regards to persephone and her "dread queen" persona. its really disappointing  so many interesting ideas are set up in LO only for RS to ruin them down the line.

2. tbh most of these "dramatic" panels would have worked so much better in her old style, bc her current one is way too cartoony for me to take seriously.

3. oh ... oh why does "titan" hades just look like kronos with big persephone just lighter rhea ... why of all parallels to go for rachel goes with making the leads be copies of the couple full of abuse?? whats going on in that lily white head of hers to think thats a great idea for the main couple 💀

4. rachel, we all know you stole most of your ideas from tumblr and saw what made hxp popular on here, making them carbon copies of each other is literally the exact reverse of why people like hxp. theyre supposed to be opposites, no clones of each other down to backgrounds, powers, and personalities. at this point persephone will just turn blue to really hammer home theyre the same person with hades getting the emphasis as the "important" one.

5. lmao anyone wanna bet hades being able to be big now will somehow be used along with giant horny persephone to defeat kronos in some underwhelming version of a godly kaiju battle.

6. i mean rachel trying to "make parallels" with persephone only made her seem like hades is still in love with hera and persephone is just a replacement to her and that hades is repeating the same cycle of toxicity he had with minthe with persephone as well, all because rachel does not know how to use actual parallels. things like this makes it very clear rachel is a not a writer but no one on her team seems to be able to get through to her to actually help her with this reoccurring issue.

7. I feel like a big issue too with LO is RS thinks making HxP “perfect” makes them more interesting, which it really doesn’t? If they have every advantage, what is there to hope they overcome? They’re the richest, most powerful, most desirable characters (according to RS) in the whole series, so what exactly are they overcoming? There is no stakes, no god can go against them, most people support them with no exception, they have the most unique and powerful abilities, etc etc etc, so what exactly is there to root for when we know they succeed anyway? No new plot she tries to set up can trick us into thinking maybe they might fail because we know she just can’t write that, so any interest that could have been there is dead on arrival. This could have worked maybe in the first year, but not going into its fourth. 

8. “The trial will be back in two days” aka 6 months 

9. Any receipts of LO fans hating on other we toon creators? I’ve heard time and time again that LO fans keep attacking other comic artists (esp. the LGBT BIPOC ones) but I’ve never dig deep enough to find proof.

From OP: From what I hear, it happens in the webtoons comment section but I don’t think I’d be able to sit through an entire comment section. Plus, by now they should be removed. I heard it happens to other H/P creators like Sigeel and Gaumeo. It could be happening to creators who do the monochrome thing for characters as well. If someone has any screenshots, please do share.

-----FP Spoilers/Mention-----

10. FP SPOILERS!!

So uh.....Persephone's seriously thinking more about making a child for a 2000-old rich slave owner creep than about her own mother??? Who is under arrest now??? And she should be too?? I don't know I.....how Rachel expects us to empathize with Persephone if she's not only a spoiled brat, but also a very shitty person who thinks only about how she wants to f*ck with daddy smurf?? Heck, does she even know what a sympathetic character is bc at this point I'm starting to doubt how human compassion works outside the #relatable in the comment section 

[subbe93]

The Roulette of Destiny part 3

A/N: Thank you all for the likes and comments ❤ I kinda want to tell you how much those means to me, but I really don't have words... So instead: I hope you enjoy chapter 3!

Chapter 1 ~ Chapter 2

Chapter 3:

On the fourth day, they traveled to Shizuoka. Ran send her mother a message that she would stay a few more days at her friend’s place and said that they would figure out some wedding preparations. The answer she got wasn’t a pleased one, but she still kind of got permission to do what she wanted, so it was enough.

She knew she should tell them the truth. Ran didn’t like to lie, yet she couldn’t find enough courage to tell them that she was traveling with a stranger. She knew that her father wouldn’t be too bad to handle, but her mother was another thing. Her mother would scold her, and it wouldn’t be just a five-minute sermon. Her mother was smart and if Ran wanted to win her over, made her see a reason, Ran should use her words wisely. She just wasn’t sure if she could do that. She was good to appeal to the feelings, but to her mother, the reason was a more valid rationale. And Ran couldn’t figure out how she would make any good reasonable excuse for trusting a stranger that her mother would accept it.

But Ran promised herself to tell them a truth soon. Maybe she should ask for help from Shinichi who seemed to be a very reasonable guy.

So, on the fourth day, they traveled to Shizuoka and registered in the hotel. This time their room was a little bigger and better than in Yokohama, but at this point, Ran didn't mind. Even though on the first day she was a little tensed about the thought that she would share the room with Shinichi, now she didn’t mind it at all. Actually, she was a little surprised when she realised that she would rather share a room with him than being alone.

That day they spend in the city streets and shops to complete some of their needs. Mostly they visited jewelry stores and checked their selections. Jewelry stores weren’t anything new to Ran since she had visited them with Sonoko, but she hadn’t ever tried anything which she didn't know that she can afford. So when Shinichi suggested that she would try those rings, she was in a little shock. She? Why in the world? In the end, it wasn’t for her.

But after losing the staring contest to Shinichi, she accepted.

And it was more exciting than Ran could have ever guessed. She had never dreamed to see any of those beautiful and expensive rings on her finger. God, she never even dared to dream anything like that! She hadn't even known that she would want to do something like that! There were many beautiful rings and pretty soon Ran totally forgot why they even were there or to who they were buying rings. After three shops and many rings, she was still so excited. She was so happy when shopkeepers show what they got, and more excited when they gave her permission to try them. And every new ring she put on her finger, she took her time to admire them before she turned to Shinichi like a little child who had found a new toy, showed it to him, and asked his opinion. It was so perfect!

Until they got to the fourth shop. Ran admired one of the rings, and after showing it to Shinichi, the shopkeeper opened her mouth: “Well, when is going to be that lucky day?”

The reality hit harder than it should have. Suddenly all the happiness and excitement were gone. Something tightened on her chest when she realised how deep she had been in her dream world. How on the earth did she succeed on that, even when she knew from the beginning that this wasn't for her? Even though she knew that any of those rings wouldn't be on her finger after two months? How do you forget something like that?

She lowered her gaze to look at the beautiful ring on her finger. Yeah, it didn't matter how much she liked it or not, it wasn't for her. God, the whole point of visiting the jewelry stores hadn't had anything to do with her! Shinichi just happened to ask her with him, to give him her opinion which ring would be nice enough for his fiancée.

But before this day, Ran hadn't known that she would love to experience something like this. And even though, if her groom would take her with him to choose a ring, she wondered if it would be the same. Would she still have as much fun as now? Would she still feel happy and excited as she did with Shinichi? Or...

She felt an arm over her shoulders. She raised her gaze at the same time when Shinichi pulled her closer to him. What he…?

“In two months”, he answered with a straight face and then showed a smile to Ran. “We wanted to get this done as soon as possible… Right, Love?”

Ran felt a blush on her cheeks even though she was a little confused. Why did he lie? Why didn’t he just admit that they were just looking at them? Why…

”Love?” he repeated and raised his other eyebrow. The grip on her shoulder tightened a little like trying to make her relax. “Aren’t you feeling well? If you want, we can come back later…”

Ran shook her head and show a little smile. “It’s okay, I’m fine”, she answered and leaned on him. Well, if that was what he wanted… “I was just a little surprised. I thought this should have been secret?” She tried to hide another question in her question, but she wasn’t sure if he would get it. She couldn’t say that she would if she would be in his shoes right now.

Shinichi showed her a warm-hearted smile. “Oh, come on, it’s not like she would tell anyone, right?” he asked and looked at the seller. The woman laughed and mentioned something about professional confidentiality, and when she crouched to got something from the cabinet underneath from the showcase, Shinichi continued on Ran's ear a little quietly: “Wasn’t this one of your dreams? To watch and adore rings which another half would buy to you?”

His breath tickled on her ear, and she looked at him, but at that point, his gaze was back to the seller who had just straightened herself and now talked about something that Ran didn’t register at all.

She knew he was nice and kind, even though he was sometimes a little annoying, but still a good man in Ran’s books. Ran thought that they were some kind of friends since they got along and all, but since there still were many things that they hadn't shared with each other, she wasn't sure if she could say that they were close. And yet, even though she was sure that she couldn't like him more than that, she was wrong. That man... He was so ready to go this far just to make some of Ran's dreams true. She wasn't sure if she could have done the same. Though she wasn’t even sure if she could say that this was her dream since she had never before thought about it. But at the same time, she would lie to everyone if she would say that she hadn’t enjoyed this. God, she was so happy about this whole thing that she even managed to ignore the reality, had a chance to lie to herself that she would one day wear some of those rings which she had just tried... She did sink on that another reality deep enough that one simple question from an innocent shopkeeper’s mouth made her fallen back to the Earth. And yet…

Maybe that was what he wanted? Ran didn’t know if she really looked too much into it, but maybe Shinichi wanted her to still feel that happiness and excitement? Maybe he wanted to give her a chance to lie to herself a little longer, give her a little more time to live in that another reality where she could marry a man that she loved?

Ran felt touched. This man would do so much to make her forget the things that bothered her even for a moment. He was thoughtful. Because if the roles would have been other way, she would have been bold enough to admit that they weren’t together. That this ring wouldn’t be for them.

If she would have been in his place, she would have broken his dreams without a thought.

“Ran?”

Ran stared at those blue eyes which looked a little worried and confused. Oh, was she staring at him all this time?

“Is everything okay?”

“Oh, yeah, sorry…” she answered and laughed a little awkwardly while moved her hair behind her ear. She saw the seller looking at her with curiosity. Well, she didn’t want to admit to Shinichi what she was thinking anyway, but she still wanted to thank him. She wanted that he would know how much this all meant to her even though she didn’t know herself that she needed it. But she couldn’t say out loud, not without blowing up their cover. So, she decided to do something which she had seen happens in romantic movies, and maybe that way Shinichi would understand her hidden thanks. She put her hand behind him and leaned closer to him with a smile on her face. And she felt how hot her cheeks were, yet she tried to ignore it. “Just remembered how much I… I… love you.”

If it would have been possible, she was sure that her cheeks would burn holes on her cheeks. Yet she couldn’t take her eyes away from Shinichi and his blushed face. The surprised look changed for a moment in confusion before he started to smile sheepishly. He let out an awkward short laugh before squeezing her shoulder and hiding his face on her hair.

She found him cute.

“Love you too”, he answered loud enough that the seller would hear it too. Then he moved away and without meeting Ran’s eyes, he turned to look at rings. “But now, what do you think about those. In the end, you deserve only the best.”

Ran didn’t know exactly why, but somehow, she felt that something changed in that jewelry store. Shinichi walked beside her, yet he felt somehow distant. And Ran didn’t like it. Whatever she tried to talk to him, the answer was humming, or something like “Yeah” or “Right”. She even went so far that she asked some questions about Sherlock Holmes, just because she knew how much he loved that subject and she knew it would lighten his mood.

It didn't work.

Ran was pretty sure that it was something that happened in that jewelry store. Did she go too far? She really thought that it would have been a good way to say thank you without telling the seller that it was a lie, but now that she thought of it... Maybe it was too much?

But he started it without telling her. If she would have known…

As much as Ran loved that other reality where she visited and the thought that Shinichi wanted her to enjoy it a little more, she was sure that it wasn’t worthy of making Shinichi that distant. They should have stayed with the truth, as much as it would have hurt Ran.

So, when they got to their hotel room, she decided to face whatever was bugging him.

“What’s wrong?”

“Huh?” Shinichi asked and turned to her.

“What’s wrong?” she repeated and stepped closer to him. Ran examined his face which didn’t tell much to her. But in his eyes, something glimmered, and Ran wanted to know what it was. Hopefully, the reason which was bothering him.

“Oh”, he answered and looked away nervously. “Nothing’s wrong. Just a long day, I believe…”

“Shinichi…”

“Really”, he assured and smiled at her. “You don’t have to worry about me, okay?”

Ran tilted her head with a worried look.

“Shinichi, you have been like this since that jewelry store… thing”, she said. “Did I do something wrong? Did I insult you when I…”

“No”, he almost shouted and made her startled a little. Then he shook his head. “No”, he answered more calmly. “No, it was okay, you know.” He raised his hand back on his neck and looked sheepishly somewhere else. “I mean… Truth to be told, it surprised me, I wasn’t prepared anything like that, but… no, you didn’t do anything wrong.”

Ran frowned even though her cheeks started to be warm just remembering it. “Then why?” she asked. “Why are you so distant?”

“I’m not…”

“Yes, you are”, Ran interrupted. “You aren’t as talkative and tantalizing as normally… Or at least what you have been with me.”

“Okay, sorry”, he answered. “But… I…” He took a little break, like searching for the right words. He still didn’t meet her gaze. “I… Look, listen.” He looked at her and Ran could tell that his smile wasn’t as bright as normal. It made a little crack on her heart. “Don’t worry about me, okay? We came here to have fun and forget everything else, so… Let’s just forget this and let’s have some fun.” He looked out of the window. “We have still some time, we can…”

“I can’t have fun if you don’t”, she interrupted him. He closed his mouth but still stared at the window. Ran stepped closer to him and touched his arm to calm him. He tensed for a moment before relaxed. “Listen, Shinichi. I’m worried about you. I… I thought that… Well, maybe I’m too easy, but after last night in Yokohama, I thought that we are able to talk to each other. I mean I even cried against your shoulder, and it was embarrassing…”

“It wasn’t”, he interrupted.

Ran rolled her eyes. “Well, for me, but it really helped. And… I kind of want to return to favor.” She smiled at him encouraging and stroke his arm. “So, tell me, what’s wrong?”

He let his eyes wandering anywhere else but on her. He looked like a lost child who didn’t know what he should do. Like something was holding him.

“You can tell me the truth, you know”, she said eventually. “I can take it.”

Shinichi sighed. “Listen, it’s not about it”, he answered and finally looked at her. A little blush glowed on his cheeks while he tried so hard to look like there was nothing wrong. “I… I… I’m not just good with… things like this, okay?”

Ran tried her hardest to keep the smile on herself. She believed that it wouldn’t help this situation at all. “Things like… what?” When he looked so uncomfortable, she continued: “Like… things that bother you?”

He looked away. “You can put it like that”, he said.

“But if it’s because of me…”

“No, it’s not because of you, okay?” he interrupted and turned to her again. He opened his mouth and tried to find some words for a while. “It’s… It’s about this stupid arranged marriage thing. I just… I…”

“You?”

“I…” He sighed. “I just… started to wonder if I ever hear those three words with a meaning.”

Ran was surprised, though maybe she shouldn’t have. It was a surprise to hear that Shinichi, who was sort of cynical last night about the whole arranged marriage, was thinking something like that. Yet he was still human and all of them had feelings and dreams. It was only natural to want to find someone who would say those words and really mean it.

“I know, my parents think of my best. Or well, I still believe that my mom is the one who is behind this whole mess. I know that she is so worried that if she doesn’t pull some strings, I’m going to be alone my whole life and she wouldn’t get wedding, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. And I thought it’s going to be fine. If I and my future wife wouldn't meet eye to eye, I can always spend all my life working. But…”

Ran waited, but he didn’t continue. So, he wasn’t very good to talk about what he felt. But she probably could guess what he wanted to say.

“But now you realised that it’s not going to be okay, right?” she helped him. “That you still would like to have someone who would like to know you as you are, love the person who you are with your flaws and all.”

He snorted. “Pretty stupid, right?”

“I don’t think so”, she said gently. “Every one of us wants to hear those words with a true meaning.”

Shinichi looked at her and somehow in his blue eyes Ran could see vulnerability. She realised that behind that cynical, yet cheerful look there were hidden so much more than he let anyone see. She could only guess what else there could be, but she knew that probably nothing good would happen if she would try to discover them. But still, isn’t there anyone who had listened to him? Anyone who he would tell everything when something bothers him?

He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted. The flip phone on Ran’s bed started to ring. Both of them moved their attention on it, looking at how the screen flashed as a sign that there was something going on.

“You should answer to that.”

Ran looked at him. “It can wait, you…”

Shinichi smiled. “I’m better, thanks”, he said and nodded to the phone. “It can be your parents.”

Ran stared at him like fighting against it, but when his stares become too much to handle, she snorted and went to her phone. Well, at least the caller was someone stubborn because it was still ringing.

She opened it.

“Sonoko”, she mostly said to herself. “Wonder what she wants while having a good time with her boyfriend.” Shinichi laughed from behind her, probably he heard a shade of salty in her voice.

She answered: “Well, hello Son-“

“RAN! Where are you? Why it took so long to answer my call?”

Ran put the phone away from her ear though if her eardrum would be destroyed, it would have happened already.

“Calm down, Sonoko”, she said loud enough to get word to Sonoko and get her calm down. “I’m in Shizuoka right now.”

“Shizuoka?” Sonoko repeated. “Why in the world are you there?”

Ran laughed softly before she turned around and sat on her bed. “I’m on a journey. How is it going with Kyogoku-san?”

“With whom?”

Ran frowned. “With Kyogo-”

“No”, Sonoko interrupted. “Who is with you?”

Ran felt how her heart skipped some beats. She stared at Shinichi who sat on the couch and was looking at something on his hands. Book or phone, she couldn't see.

Why Sonoko wanted to know?

“Is it too strange to be alone?” she asked and laughed trying to lighten the atmosphere. Though she was pretty sure it didn’t work.

“Ran, what’s going on?”

“What do you mean?”

Shinichi turned his eyes on her. Ran tried to smile assuring.

“Ran, your mom called me like… five minutes ago”, Sonoko answered. “She asked if I know where you are. And when she got enough of roasting me, because she thought I’m hiding you, she asked me to send all our friends' phone numbers to her that she can call them and ask if they have heard of you.”

Ran winced. Oh God, did her mother really got suspicious?

Shinichi stood up, which made Ran came back to reality. She followed him with her gaze. “I’m going to lounge to read so you can talk to your friend”, he said quietly.

Ran frowned. “You don’t have to.”

“Ran? Who are you talking to?”

“It’s okay”, Shinichi answered and smiled. “See you later.”

“Later”, she said with a little smile and looked how he left while Sonoko shouted on the phone.

“RAN!”

“Yeah, yeah”, Ran answered and focused on Sonoko again. “So, what…”

“Who were you talking to?” Sonoko’s voice interrupted again. “Your kidnapper? Just tell me where you are, and I send some help…”

“Sonoko, calm down!” she ordered. “When you have been calmed down, I promise, I tell you everything.”

Ran listened to how her best friend took a deep breath a few times. Then she sighed. “So, are you okay? Who did you talk to earlier?”

“I am fine”, Ran answered. She glanced at the door even though she knew that Shinichi was long gone. “And who I talked to earlier… Well, he is a friend of mine…”

“He?” Sonoko repeated and instead of sounding worried, she sounded curious. “He? Who is exactly 'he'?”

Well, Ran recognized that tune in her voice. She rolled her eyes while imagining an evil and curious smile on her friend's face right now, and she was pretty sure that there is going to be a long interrogation. “You don’t do anything with that knowledge.”

“Oooooh, Raaaaan, are you hiding something from me?”

“I’m not!”

“Then”, Sonoko continued with her honeyed voice, “you can tell me who is your so-called friend?”

Ran felt a blush on her cheeks. “His name is Shinichi.”

“Shinichi? Shinichi who?”

Shinichi… who?

“I… I… I don’t know…”

“What?” Sonoko shouted and Ran had to put the phone away from her ear again. “Come on, how you don’t know his surname?”

“I haven’t asked”, Ran answered honestly. “I just met him four days ago at the hotel restaurant. He sat at the same table with me, and after some talking, he asked if I want to go on a trip with him, and I said yes.”

“What, you went on the trip with a stranger? Ran, have anyone ever told you that you shouldn’t trust anyone who you don't know?! He probably just wants to use you…”

“If he does, he would have done it already”, she defended him. “Shinichi hasn’t done anything to me, trust me! He is the same age as we and really a gentleman.” She smiled just thinking about him. “He is fun and nice… Sometimes little full of himself and annoyance, but kind and smart. We have so much fun together!”

And before she actually realised it, she started to tell her about their journey. Ran told her how extempore they left from Tokyo and went to Yokohama, she told her all the places where they visited, promised also show her pictures that she had taken on her phone and she complained about all the things that Shinichi had made fun of her, but also told all those times that she got a chance to annoy him. She told her some of their conversations and how well they understood each other.

“Ooooh, missus”, Sonoko said when Ran finished, “It sounds like you’re in love.”

Ran blushed. “I’m not!”

“Come on, Ran, don’t deny it! You don’t even use honorific!” She laughed. “If you could hear yourself right now, you would think the same!”

“I doubt that”, she answered and felt how all her happiness melted away and uneasiness came instead. “Besides, even if it would be the case, it wouldn’t happen.”

“What, why? You are a free woman, Ran! You should tell him if you like him. Or does he have a girlfriend? Which I kind of doubt, because why otherwise he would leave with someone else to journey around Japan?”

Ran sighed. Well, it seemed like they couldn’t avoid this topic at all. Or maybe it was just a thing which they needed to talk about that they could enjoy their journey?

So she told her. She told to Sonoko how one evening her parents told her that she needed to get married, which had made Ran mad. She told her best friend how they had had a fight before Ran marched into her room and slammed the door behind her making sure that her parents knew what she thought about it. She told her how she cried until fell asleep, and for the first thing in the morning she had left and decided to spend the day eating well and shopping alone, giving herself time to think about it, but in breakfast, she had met Shinichi, who happened to be in the same situation.

“Wow…” Sonoko said quietly. “I mean… I…” She left a dry laugh. “Wow…”

“I know”, Ran answered as quietly as her friend.

“I mean… I… I can’t believe your parents did something like that”, Sonoko continued, and her voice told Ran that she was serious. “I mean… Why? I… Well, I kinda get it, but then I don’t…” She took a little break before asked: “Who is your groom? His name?”

“I have no idea”, Ran answered honestly. “That night I was so furious with them that I just wanted to leave, and after that, I haven’t met my parents.” She laughed sadly. “Actually, I haven’t even talked to them directly after that. I just had sent a message to my mom just saying that I’m staying in a friend’s place until I’m calmed down.”

“Well, you have to get back home soon or think some other excuses”, Sonoko said, and her tune made something twist on Ran’s stomach. “Like I told you, she called me before I called you, and asked if I know anything. She also said that she is going call all our friends just to get to know where you are.”

“You have to be kidding me”, Ran sighed. She gazed again to the front door thinking about the situation. Yeah, she probably should go back home, but… but… She sighed again. “I don’t want to go home yet…”

“Well, I’m not sure what to do either”, Sonoko answered, “but maybe you should try to talk to your parents now and tell them how you feel about this marriage. Maybe now, when you two are calmed down and got to think about it, maybe she would be ready to give up to it?”

Ran smiled. “Yeah, you’re right.” Then she looked at the clock. It was late enough, and if her mom is going to call her every friend, she probably wouldn’t be in her best mood. “I call her tomorrow. After good night's sleep.”

Chapter 4

[semischarmed]

Chrysalis, Part 2

“Yeah... Steph broke up with me.” I say to him, trying to bring some of the old Kyle’s feelings out to show some semblance of distress but there is nothing to bring out. Instead, I cannot help but go from a fake pout to a giggle. It obviously reads a bit creepy, but Red takes the awkward situation well, nervously laughing to match my giggling before giving a sympathetic grimace. “Oh man, I’m real sorry about that bro, I know you two were super close. Fuck Steph. Maybe we can hang out or do whatever dude, just kind of get your mind off things” he states, as he reaches for a shoulder pat. I reciprocate by pulling him into a hug, much to his surprise, stating “Thanks man, for everything, I don’t think I can be alone right now”. And I never will be.

“Yeah man, anything you need, I’m here for you.” He warmly replies back, giving me a pat on the back. In our embrace, I take a whiff at his chest, remaking on his flavor. Woodsy, fresh cut grass, just a bit acrid and the smell of fresh rain. God he smelled good. I took another deep inhale, moaning imperceptibly before trying to slip inside him. Instead, I am met with disappoint at my inability to get inside my big bro. He pushes me back from my extended embrace with a slight crinkle in his nose, again treating the awkward situation in stride. “But uh, maybe take a shower first” he laughs. 

———

Richard Levi- or “Red” as he was better known- was my Big Bro at Sig Chi. Though, from Kyle’s old memories, it actually wasn’t until I met him a fourth time that I found out his name wasn’t really just “Red”. Apparently, the previous frat president was also a Richard and a less confusing name had to be chosen for the then-freshman. The frat had taken to calling him ‘Red’, on account of his fiery red hair and soon after, the entire school had caught on. Though it was mean-spirited at first, Red never seemed to have been bothered by it, and by the time I arrived, there had only been one “Red” in the frat. Beyond that, my body knew very little about his Big Bro. From these memories it was fairly obvious that he has been trying to connect with the old Kyle after they had been paired, though Kyle was relatively disconnected in their conversations. I’m not even sure why the old Kyle stuck around with all the frat stuff to be honest, since apparently this seemed to occur with all the other members of the frat. If anything, Kyle seemed to only open up around Steph. That is, until I became Kyle. The new Kyle was confident. He was attentive. He was social. In a sense, Me being him had allowed for ‘Kyle’ to be greater than the sum of his parts, we succeeded in areas where the other could not. Where Kyle was oblivious, I was not. Where I could not succeed socially in school, my newly confident self as his body could. In a sense, we completed each other through my possession of him. And I loved every moment of it.

I’ve been living through my forever host Kyle for a few weeks now and it has been nothing short of fantasy. From hanging out with my frat bros to getting hazed to winning a few more games. All of it was worth it. All of it made life feel like life. Even the mundane feels great in his shoes. Waking up, brushing my teeth, exercising. Just living. Knowing it was me inside, me in his skin, using his hands, walking his legs, breathing in his lungs. Ecstasy.

A few of his-well, my- friends noticed the new and improved Kyle. Friendlier, less reserved, smellier. That last bit might have been my fault. I love Kyle, all of him- and that included his musky, putrid odor which has only intensified since his possession. With me running the show, this meat-suit can’t help but respond in kind by rewarding my constant ecstasy in this body with a steady stream of its pheromones. It also probably didn’t help that I had a penchant for covering myself in my team’s scents and for avoiding any of his deodorant. In any case, I found it hot, I wanted people to know what this flesh of mine was. I was Alpha. I was living testosterone. Athlete. Me.

Still, I wanted to make sure I truly did have him forever. My old body had the ability to slip into others and ever since I had become Kyle, this new body has not been able to replicate the same feat. I speculated it was just a byproduct of my fairly recent acquisition but it’s been a few weeks now and I still haven’t had any indication that this body retains my old ability. Of course this came with the worrying thought that, despite all my preparation, all my effort, Kyle was still just a pile of flesh that my old body was just wearing temporarily. No. I can’t think in that way. This is me. I am Kyle.

So of course, I’ve been testing my old abilities in this body, trying with every hand shake, every shoulder hug, any physical connection with someone to get inside them. I’ve been fucking tons of cute guys on campus too, though no one in Sig Chi seems to have noticed. Either that or they had another reason to not bring it up- perhaps they were trying to avoid an awkward situation. In any case, despite all these attempts, I’ve had no such luck with my little possession crusade. At least, I hadn’t until last week. 

The last time I fucked Mark- some cute rando on the 8th floor of my dorm- I left a little of my cum inside him. In just that split second, I felt his mind and body open up to me, and I took advantage of that brief glimpse to jam just a bit of my arm inside. That was when I had my first epiphany. Of course. Me-in-Kyle was like a new body, not just me possessing him, so it only made sense that I had to rebuild my old abilities from scratch. Still, possession in this new Kyle body seemed to operate differently. Maybe it was the extra power from his vitality, but I definitely seemed to maintain the tiniest bit of residual control over Mark. Nothing too crazy, just very slightly influencing some of his decisions the following week like what he wore or making sure he didn’t tell a soul about the half possession. This had some application. My old body had been able to possess groups of people before, though it had some limited uses. For one, they had to be somewhat close to each other, and at some point, I could no longer maintain that state and my physical form had to reconvene, ending the session. This? This was different. Even now I can feel the traces of my control over Mark. Kyle’s sperm must be really fucking virile. Mixed with my latent ability for possession? We were potent.

Before I could ponder what I could do with this new power, I began to feel a bump in the back of this body. Cosmic correction perhaps? Whatever it was, I felt myself being separated from Kyle. From Me. At least, most of myself was overcome with an intense numbness akin to the separation after a possession. One of my arms remained tethered to him, preventing the force from removing me Kyle’s body fully. 

This, of course, chilled me to the bone. I didn’t just possess Kyle... I became him- if we were separated what would happen to each of us? For one, I embedded myself into him, became the crevices of his mind and self. Whatever would left over without me wouldn’t be Kyle or me, so much as it would just be a pile of living flesh. Likewise, what would become of me? The guy who no longer had a separate physical form from Kyle. I looked at my arms, quaking in fear at the events that had just transpired. What I did to me, to Kyle, truly was against the natural order of the universe. Was I on a ticking clock then? Doomed to one day disappear for my sin? I stared at my arms again. That was when I had my second epiphany. I smiled wickedly. So that’s how it was.

Chrysalis. That’s what I called my special little device, my glorified sleeping bag meant to catalyze the process of forever tethering me to Kyle. I have long since disposed of the thing, but it was clear I had need for another run of the Chrysalis. Or rather, a chrysalis. 

The second epiphany came in the arm that I had used to test possession through Mark, the arm that had kept me tethered to my true body, against the natural order. The second epiphany was that I was not complete. It was the need to balance the scales. A separate possession and container were need for me and Kyle to be one. Two became one. So, in much the same respect, what I needed was to balance the books. What I needed was to fully possess another as Kyle, thereby fulfilling the cosmic debt. “One” will stay as one through a process that fulfilled both my of requirements of container and possession. I need to possess someone. I need a human Chrysalis. And I knew just the guy. I immediately started masturbating. I’m gonna need a lot of cum.

So, that’s where I am right now. I’ve been hanging out with Red, nearly every day, making us closer, all the while slipping bits of my seed into him. I started out with just a bit in his water bottle during one of our gym sessions, when he wasn’t looking. God it was hot. I watched him choke a little too, when his mouth came across my wad of goo but nevertheless he downed it like a champ. He laughed the whole thing off but I could tell he was a bit disturbed by whatever was in his bottle. I was able to will him to hug me a half second longer than usual. 

Another time, I baked some nice cookies with a bit of me-juice in them. He found them delicious. I couldn’t help but moan a little when he first bit into it. He moaned too, before sheepishly stating “my bad bro, these are just some really fucking good cookies.” I played along, giving him a “Aww thanks man. Made these special, just for you”. He willfully ignored my wink after.

Half a week ago, I slipped a bit in his shampoo bottle. That was pretty kinky, until I realized he had just washed it all off. So yesterday, I put a big extra batch in his sandwich when he wasn’t looking. That one was apparently extra potent. He took his first bite- big, messy- getting a dribbling of  “Mayo” over his beard. Instinctively, he motioned to wipe it off with a napkin, but stopped him. He watched me quizzically, as I began to scoop the mayo sucking on the little extra I got on my index finger before stuffing the rest in his mouth. “The fuck? Dude...” he chuckled gently as I felt both heat and tension increase. He was huffing, entranced, taking moist, shallow breaths as I tug on his beard, pulling his head closer to mine. “You need a bit more” I whispered, as I began to unbuckle my jeans. Red snapped out of it, pushing me away, whispering “wait... what the fuck man, what was that?” For a few brief moments, we just sat there in awkward silence. He glared at me, before closing his eyes and taking a deep sigh. “Uh, look, I... won’t tell anyone at the frat. ok? Just... don’t ever do that again. Anyways, I don’t even swing... well... Besides-“ he chuckled, returning to his normal self and tousling my hair “You’re my little bro. That’s, kinda... like... incest, you know?”

This one’s a fighter. By now, there’s gotta be a pint’s worth of my cum swimming inside him. Whenever he hangs out with me, I throw a little here and there. A quick squirt here, some extra cream in his coffee there, maybe a little extra icing on that cake. I make sure the parts of me inside him wriggle inside, get him extra hard, slam his brain with some extra dopamine around my scent. By all accounts he should be squirming in ecstasy when I’m around. But Red... he’s a cut above the rest. No matter what I do, he seems to just shrug it off. The most I’ve ever seen was maybe a gaze linger half a second too long.

It’s been a few days of this and I already feel the slightest dull sensation in my body. The universe trying to correct itself. Still, I have faith in my plans. He’s almost ready, I think. And if he isn’t ready, I’ll make him ready. I want this day to be special. The day I become Red and the day I truly become Kyle. 

—End Part 2—

Next one should be up relatively soon...