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createserenity · 6 months

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What are the rainbows all about?

There’s more than one. We all know about the rainbow that fades in over Crowley after the failed awning kiss scene, but what about the other times they appear? This is just after he talks to Nina about how she feels about sudden rain so it might just be linked to that.

Why a rainbow here though? I don’t think it’s just the connotations of the rain being similar to the rain in The Flood. Crowley covers the sky with black clouds and then doesn’t miracle them away so for these to instantly disperse and a rainbow to appear (we see the sun is instantly back and everyone has put down their umbrellas through the bookshop window) seems like it would need some outside influence. Should we interpret as being a sign sent by somebody? And if so, who? The Almighty?

If you ask someone what the meaning and purpose of the rainbow is in the story of Noah’s Ark they will generally say it’s a sign to humans that God won’t flood the earth/destroy all life again, with the implication that the rainbow is for humans to remind us of this. That is partly the intention, and it’s established truth in the GO universe because Aziraphale tells Crowley that the Almighty is going to put up a rainbow “as a promise not to drown everyone again”.

There is another purpose to the rainbow though in the “real world” Bible, one which is repeated several times during God’s speech to Noah in Genesis.

“Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will remember my covenant between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. (…) Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

This is God speaking here, so the I is God. They’re saying that future rainbows will not be sent by them, but will appear naturally and will serve as a reminder to themself that they promised not to drown everyone again. What God is saying in this part of the Bible seems to be along the lines of, you humans are imperfect and this angers me, but also I know I am vengeful and that this is not good. Because I’m fallible and liable to forget my promise I’m making this thing that will appear of its own accord in certain conditions to remind me to check my vengeful nature.

It's interesting really because God is supposed to be infallible, that’s one of the main points, except this speech by God is suggesting quite literally that they know they are fallible. If they weren’t they wouldn’t need a reminder.

I guess how the rainbow over Crowley is interpreted depends on how much whoever decided to put it there from the GO production team really knows about the story of the rainbow. If they only know that it as a sign to humans then it could have an entirely different meaning than if the decision to put it there was made by someone who knows it was a reminder to God as well.

Why does the rainbow appear here?

Since the rainbow is to remind God not to end all life on earth again could this be something to do with season 3? A reminder of that promise and a suggestion that the Almighty herself doesn’t actually want life ended? I’m not so sure about this one because we are repeatedly shown that in GO the Almighty is fully capable of doing cruel things (like sentencing Job’s children to death – unless we see this as weird complicated test of Crowley because God is playing a game of her own devising), so to have it suddenly turned around and have her not be in control of the divine plan seems odd (but then she is odd, absolutely bonkers if her speech to Job is anything to go by – the Almighty of the GO universe doesn’t seem very sane or logical).

It’s also strange that the rainbow, a promise to humanity and reminder to the Almighty not to drown everyone again is followed by Gabriel saying, “There will come a tempest, and darkness, and great storms”. So what is that saying about the original promise? Or what is the rainbow telling us about the statement that follows?

Maybe it’s more literally related to the vavoom moment Crowley is trying to create here. We’ve just watched a deluge of water ruin his attempts to get Maggie and Nina to fall in love. Could the awning ripping be interpreted as an act of God? If so the rainbow could be some sort of comment on that act and the fact that it meant his attempt at creating that moment for Nina and Maggie didn’t go quite right. A sort of, I did say I wouldn’t drown everyone again, but I couldn’t let this vavoom moment work so I had to drown (soak) them. If so that begs the questions – why? Why did the Almighty not want this particular moment to work out? Simply thwarting a demon’s plans, or something more?

I don’t really have any answers here. These are all just random musings, maybe someone who is better at research and interpretation of scenes can take up these questions. It’s really not my forte!

Another idea, which is probably a bit out there, inspired by this meta by @vidavalor.

It’s a very long meta, but a really fun read. To summarise though it is all about her theory that Crowley and Aziraphale kissed for the first time way back after The Flood happened (there’s so much more to it, seriously do read it!) So what’s this got to do with the rainbow? Well, whilst I love the idea that they’ve been doing something all along I don’t think that’s what Neil is writing here and I don’t actually expect it to be the case. (I might be totally wrong of course and I do love playing with this theory for fun, as in this post and this one). I do kind of buy into the idea though that he might be writing a story where they have had an almost-kiss before – specifically that Crowley might have tried or wanted to kiss Aziraphale before and Aziraphale has either rejected it, not noticed or it’s been stopped by outside influences. There’s so much great meta out there about how 1941 might have been the time when Crowley tried for a kiss and Aziraphale rejected him either before or afterwards, which does seem the most likely time in their history for that to happen. What if the almost-kiss happened not in the bookshop but later whilst they were tracking down the zombies (I believe Neil has hinted they might return in season 3) and then it was prevented by a deluge of water in some way? (And afterwards Aziraphale decided it would have been a bad idea – hence, “you go to fast for me, Crowley” in 1967.)

Or what if there were previous times when Crowley wanted to kiss but Aziraphale was just oblivious? Could it have been at the flood? They did something together (maybe saved some people?), went and sheltered from the rain under a canopy of trees, looked into each other’s eyes and then Crowley had a moment of realisation, I want to kiss this angel, but before he could act on it they were stopped by a deluge of water. Not the rain (that was already falling and wouldn’t have stopped them by itself) but by the other form of flooding that happened during this story. Specifically, this from Genesis 7:11:

“on the seventeenth day of the second month—on that day all the springs of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.”

So a deluge stopped a kiss during the flood or in 1941. Now another deluge has stopped Maggie and Nina’s potential kiss. Could the rainbow be a sign to Crowley? Next time I promise I won’t do that to you.

If it’s that and then the bookshop kiss is the one that isn’t stopped by water then the Almighty really is playing a pretty strange game with these two.

Are there anymore rainbows?

Yes, two other appearances of rainbows. The very first time we see a rainbow is when the angels come to check on Aziraphale after they spot the plume from the Jim miracle. It appears in front of him and then sweeps over the angels as the camera pans around. The only significance I can see here is that this is the start of the whole “love” thing with Maggie and Nina that later leads to the awning scene. It's also the only time I can find where they appear with Aziraphale on screen rather than Crowley.

The last time we see rainbows is in the final 15 minutes. Firstly one appears on the window of the Bentley when Crowley watches Aziraphale leave. This is not a great screenshot, it's across the window in line with his watch and a second after this the rainbow becomes clearer and actually doubles up so there’s two of them.

Finally when Crowley is driving away right at the end once again the rainbow plays over the Bentley. Another promise? Or just a sign of hope, which is the other meaning ascribed to a rainbow?

What do these rainbows mean?

I have no clue. Honestly, it could just be that the whole theme of this season seems to revolve a lot around colour and using light and rainbows might just be an extension of that with no other meaning. The world is super colourful a lot of the time, I mean it’s literally painted rainbow colours, with the shop fronts all being different colours and the extras all wearing super bright clothing – notably an awful lot of orange and orange-yellow tones.

Interestingly in this rainbow world that GO shows us the colour purple is missing a lot of the time. It appears in the tartan various characters wear (Aziraphale, Saraqael etc) but doesn’t seem to appear much elsewhere except in the rainbows (it’s difficult to see in the rainbows but it is there, indigo and violet are difficult to see in real life rainbows to due to the length of the light waves). Purple is the colour associated with royalty, authority and notably Jesus at Easter so it’s intriguing that it is missing from the rainbow of the world here.

Anyway the point is I find all this strange. Could be something, could be nothing. I’m just a bit obsessed with noticing details at this stage!

#good omens 2 #good omens meta #rainbows #colour in the good omens universe #good omens analysis #ineffable fandom #good omens

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agentrouka-blog · 1 month

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I often see this sentiment that Ned should have told Cat the truth about Jon and it would have solved all their problems. I disagree with this? I don't think Ned was being an idiot for not telling Cat. I think there were a multitude of reasons of why he didn't tell her, and all of them held weight in his decision.

1) he didn't know or trust her when they got married

2) a secret stops being one if you tell even one person about it. He promised Lyanna he wouldn't tell anyone and that included everyone, except obviously the people already present at the tower (Howland and the wet nurse I presume)

3) there is a possibility that Cat's behavior towards Jon would have changed knowing he was not a result of Ned's affair, but her resentment towards him also provided a cover. If she treated him, say cordially, then it would have been very suspicious considering Ned was already fostering him at his own home.

4) after he came to know Cat, he would have realized that she was fiercely protective of her family, she wouldn't have thought twice before giving up Jon for her children if it came to that. A choice no sane person, including Ned, can fault her for. By not telling her, he removed that option for her, saved Jon and also saved her from the guilt that would have haunted her.

5) he was committing treason that would have endangered Cat and his children. In case it ever got out there was plausible deniability for his family that they didn't know and it might have saved them.

His actions hurt both Catelyn and Jon but it was a very complicated situation overall so I understand him too. I don't know what would have been the alternative because I don't think telling Catelyn would have solved anything. What is your opinion on this?

I don't think people generally claim it would have magically fixed "everything", but many also misunderstand how Ned is mishandling the situation. He isn't actually handling it well by himself, he isn't handling it the way he would have if Jon was actually his bastard. His inability to be "normal" about it and come up with a convincing lie created most of the avoidable problems we see, which is Catelyn's eternal insecurity about Ned's feelings for Jon (and his mother) which feeds her anxiety about her own children being usurped, plus Jon's complete trauma over knowing absolutely nothing about his mother. Both are left hanging for no logical reason from their POV, and that's an absolutely insane path for Ned to go down.

True, and then he chose to go the worst way about it and never fixed it later.

Howland knows. The Daynes know. Wylla probably knows. Benjen probably knows. Come on. And we don't know what she made him promise and it's more likely to be along the lines of protecting her son than specifically never telling anyone who could have helped him handle this better.

Catelyn being "nice" to Jon isn't even half of it. She could have advised Ned on how to handle the situation in a realistic way with the least harm done. Which is likely to foster Jon somewhere, make plans for his future instead of leaving him aimless, create a believable lie about his mother that doesn't shame him, have a harmoniously accepted situation instead of making his kids grow up with this unresolved conflict warping their emotional well-being.

What situation could realistically arise where Cat could "sell out" Jon to "save" her children that specifically depends on her knowing this and also wouldn't mean they are all already in deep trouble? It's nonsense. Also, Catelyn "Family Duty Honor" Tully would not fault Ned for wanting to save his sister's child. It's a perfectly decent choice on his part and a dilemma she could easily understand. Come on!

How is this (thin glaze) of plausible deniability not equally achieved by simply lying (and lying better than Ned can, especially)?

It's just that Ned left both Cat and Jon deeply anxious and traumatized, respectively, because his decision was to lie very badly and then refuse to answer all reasonable questions. It has repercussions for all of them. From Cat to Sansa to Jon to Robb.

Plus: Ned may have actually had an opportunity to heal from his horrific trauma if he had talked to literally anyone about it. He may have been less likely to cling to Robert as a vestige of his lost youth, blinding himself to the man's monstrous faults and sticking around to his own doom.

It would not have "fixed everything" but you can't convince me it wouldn't have fixed some things.

#eddard stark critical #jon snow #rlj #catelyn stark #trauma #rouka ask

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bidisaster-peanut-romano · 9 months

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about the parallels between derby and bif / achilles and patroclus.

first of all, i need to warn you- if you have read the song of achilles, delete it from your brain. forget about it forever you can rest now it was all a bad dream. know that both their personalities and their dynamics were simplified and stripped of all their cultural significance, reducing them to a hormonal-thirteen-years-olds-wattpad-fanfiction-from-2012 kind of story that fucking irks me as a classic lits student. with all due respect to thirteen year olds writing fanfic on wattpad in 2012.

so, the thing about them. achilles is the strongest warrior of the greeks, just him deciding not to partake in the war is a decisive hit for the army; just one nod of his is enough to decide the entire fate of his companions. but also, he's driven by blind pride, personal gain, an archaic and profound sense of honor. except that, you know- this is much more natural of a mindset than it might seem, because it's a very part of the societal and cultural structure these warriors live in. it is a value that's passed on within generation and that any sane citizen would've had, it was the mentality of the ruling class and the contrary would've been an anomaly. (if ur interested in this aspect: see archilocus' shield)

i think it's already easy to notice how this parallels some of the very core aspects of the preps' context and derby in particular. every action, their very existence is a matter of honor and reputation; for derby in particular, the leader, the one who always calls the shots, and when he wants something there's no one stopping him, not even his own clique. he will have what he wants, and if just one small offense is done to him, it's everyone's fault, and nothing will get better unless the cut is mended.

and then there's patroclus. older, wiser. he's not as powerful as achilles, but he's a level-minded, resistant and skilled warrior, favored by the gods. that's mostly what i hate about what madeline miller did to him, trying to make him into a relatable, pacifist softboy- he's one of the greatest warriors of the army, respected and recognized by all. he's perfectly capable of standing up on his own and fighting without achilles, basically massacring an entire army; if apollo didn't intervene, he would have won against hector change my mind

the thing about them, though, is that... they're still stronger together. a warrior's arms were a sacred thing, so when patroclus wears achille's armor is much more than a simple impersonation. they re exchanging power, almost blending into each other, and patroclus fights with his own and achilles' power. do you see the parallel there?

derby is of course a great leader, and bif is a powerful fighter on his own; but when you put them together they become unbeatable, a force of nature that is born from the union of them.

and also!! one of my favorite scenes from the iliad is one where we see achilles, in his tent, playing the lyre, while patroclus sits in front of him. for one: sitting in front of each other was a gesture of great intimacy, almost symbolic. two: this is almost a contradiction with what we said about achilles before. he is a demigod, but here and now, playing sad music, sitting in front of patroclus, he becomes human.

and that's the thing about derby and bif, that in their life they're expected to uphold aristocratic values, to never show any trace of imperfections or flaws. that their pride and reputation, as they have been told their whole lives, is essential, and they have nothing without it. and yet, when they are together, they just let that superhuman mask fall, and they can just be fragile, emotional, they can have a heart beating and flesh and blood and they can love. when they're together they are human again

tad and peanut / romeo and juliet | bryce and chad / cupid and psyche

#i know i dont talk abotu them often but im very passionate abt this oay #like i truly really love the iliad lmao. so realizing the comaprisons made me all the most emotional #canis canem edit #bully #bully scholarship edition #preps #derby harrington #bif taylor #derbif #odyposts

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dailyawakening · 2 years

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*arrives at court three weeks late with Starbucks*

This started as a joke instigated by @fayesdiary about how Grima is going to sue this new ‘Fell Dragon’ for stealing their title and my brain instantly latched on and wouldn’t let go. I love Ace Attorney too much not to do this, okay?

The Judge: Ashera. The only human divine among the present cast of divines across games, she should therefore be the most impartial on matters of dragon titles. Also, she’s literally a goddess of order. She is the logical choice for overseeing the proceedings. Also she’s scary, so maybe she can keep things in line. One can hope.

The Prosecution: Robin, representing Grima, the original one and only Fell Dragon. Robin knew nothing about law going in, but they’re a quick study, so they’re picking it up fast. They have a soft spot for Grima and stepped up for this voluntarily (and learning that Validar would be representing Grima otherwise just made them more determined). Grima thinks Robin’s a little too into this, but does appreciate it (since those fond feelings are in fact mutual).

The Defense: Alear, representing Sombron. Alear has no idea how they got roped into this. They don’t know what they’re doing. They don’t like this. Someone please send help.

The Jury: The only reasonable way to decide the case is to have it evaluated by a jury of their peers -- so the court called in the best of the best and the worst of the worst to sit the bench.

Medeus: The OG villain, former Prince of the Earth Dragons, the Shadow Dragon himself. Chosen not only for his antagonistic role in his story, but for how he was once a positive force who ultimately sought to destroy humanity due to their cruelty toward dragonkind. A stern but fair juror who is paying close attention to the proceedings and intends to make a reasoned decision once all the evidence is heard and also he’s living for the fact that Naga is down the bench and can’t do a thing about him being here.

Loptous: The biggest threat to humanity ever seen, the Earth Dragon who’s been possessing humans for generations, and who has of course showed up to court in his last vessel sorry Julius. Chosen for antagonistic role over all else, and honestly came for the chaos. He’ll side with whoever will be more likely to generate the most rage.

Idunn: The former Divine-turned-War Dragon, secret final boss who faced Roy and met defeat at his blade -- but who lived, and is now undergoing the slow process of recovering her soul. Chosen for her antagonistic role, as well as her tragic history of experimentation and corruption at the hands of outside forces. Fae has joined her on the bench to help her big sister out, and has promised to be unbiased. Fae does not know what ‘bias’ means, but she does know that Papa Grima’s over there, and she likes Papa Grima.

Naga: King of Archanea’s Divine Dragons herself, the purported goddess who blessed humanity with Falchion, the Book of Naga, and the Fire Emblem. Chosen because she is Grima’s ultimate foe and the one who oversaw the Fell Dragon’s imprisonment in Archanea, making her uniquely qualified to be counted as Grima’s peer. Does not like all these dragons she has had historic fights with being on the bench with her; likes it even less that she can do nothing about it.

Anankos: The Silent Dragon, the forgotten divine, the last of the first dragons and the last king of ruined Valla. Chosen for both his antagonistic role and for how he once loved humanity but had it twisted into loathing by his ongoing degeneration; the last sane part of him showed up to sit the bench, which is good for everyone involved in this. Is a little confused and unsure of what’s going on, but he’s got the spirit.

Sothis: The Progenitor Goddess of Fodlan, ancient and wise. Chosen because she should arguably be a fair and reasonable judge for this trial; showed up because she’s a chaos gremlin and wants to see how fast this whole thing crashes and burns. She’s passing out popcorn for the show.

#fanart #crossover #fire emblem #ace attorney #ace emblem #this has been rolling around in my head for weeks #but i've only just managed to get it out on paper #hopefully i'm not too late to the party #i'd have led with an 'objection!' graphic but #look my ace attorney fan status is already on display #i don't need to make it any worse

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vacantgodling · 2 months

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4 - Does your character care about their reputation and/or how others perceive them? 10 - If your character is an antagonist or something of the like, do they self-justify their actions? If so, how? 36 - What are the things that make your character enter a full rage/cold mode?

for anyone from btaf?

~@void-botanist

super annoyed that tumblr ate my first answer attempt but we move :/ thank you for asking! i��m gonna do the main 4 in my mind which are biscella, eduard, azelie, and sjaak.

4. Does your character care about their reputation and/or how others perceive them?

biscella: 4/10. because she’s romani and it’s the late 1700s-early 1800s she’s grown accustomed to people assuming the worst of her for just. existing. it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt, she just has thick skin and is aware that she can’t control everyone.

eduard: 1/10 for humans, he only cares enough to get by in their society but not much beyond that. 8/10 for biscella specifically and that’s why he asks that his family not tell her that they’re vampires when he first brings her to the coven.

sjaak: 7/10 similar to biscella bc he’s biracial he’s used to gaining people’s ire. unlike biscella, he was cast into the world on his own at quite a young age and that definitely makes him more… sensitive to others perceptions of him. it’s something he struggles with a lot esp once he becomes a werewolf.

azelie: 0/10. she doesn’t care what other people think of her in the slightest.

10. If your character is an antagonist or something of the like, do they self-justify their actions? If so, how?

well, generally speaking sjaak, azelie, and eduard are Kind of antagonistic (it’s complicated) to the narrative so i’ll do this for these three.

eduard: like literally 10000% he self justifies his actions when he knows Damn Well what he’s doing makes not a lick of sense and it’s also anti ethical to what he’s saying. he says he loves and cares about biscella and marries her, but then gets her pregnant knowing Damn Well that all vampire spawn have a 100% mortality rate to their human host. he brings her home to his vampire ass family who only see her as a tool to further their goals (except azelie) and then Fakes His Own Fucking Death so that he doesn’t really have to face the music of biscella’s demise or having to tell her he’s a vampire. and then THE AUDACITY to haunt her ass literally. like my guy makes 0 sane decisions but continues to insist it’s love like nah there’s something wrong in ur head bro.

sjaak: the difference between him and eduard is he knows he’s wrong, he knows he’s being selfish and he doesn’t justify it. he knows he has no right but he does it anyway. it’s apart of him “accepting the beast” vibes tm.

azelie: it’s a bit complicated but despite being somewhat villain like when she needs to be she is the Most morally grey leaning into good territory of these three and when she does bad things she chalks it up as a means to an end. so not really self justifying.

36. What are things that make your character enter full rage/cold mode?

biscella: doesn’t really rage firstly, she’s more of a becomes cold character. usually when people insult her or those she cares about or as a defense mechanism to keep herself from internalizing anyone’s vitriol. but she tries to be compassionate most of the time.

eduard and azelie: hunger, really. when they need to feed or if someone’s threatening their life.

sjaak: becoming a werewolf is like a fast track to experiencing every emotion like 8x more intensely, however he only FULL ON rages when people attack humans or threaten biscella’s life.

#s: btaf

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redrobin-detective · 2 years

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so i found this post of urs on pinterest https://at.tumblr.com/redrobin-detective/so-ive-been-rereading-some-parts-of-red-robin-and/pftgo9w6odsd

and someone commented that ‘op is being dramatic actually everyone was worried about tim and wanted to help and tim pushed them away’ and it made me a little angry bc like yea to some extent thats true but also they legit made him think he was losing it lmao like did we read the same comic

(why am I on pinterest lol) OP is very dramatic but aside from that the commentator also has a point too. Yes! Previous set up from Robin and other comics showed that Tim was having problems with the Batfam. But!!! Like that comment said, they were worried about Tim and very much did not want him to run away. In the 3 issue Batman special of Blackest Night, Dick expressed worry about Tim being away, about how good it was to see him again. If I remember correctly he directly asked Tim to stay in Gotham, I think coded as 'to help with Damian' which Tim dismissed.

That's what makes Red Robin so interesting and what sparked my jumping ship from a Dick to Tim stannie. Tim is an unreliable narrator in his story. Especially in the first arc of RR, you can feel Tim's exhaustion, paranoia and desperation to be right affecting his perspective and actions. I knew the batfam hadn't overtly abandoned him (no matter what I say when I'm being Dramatic), I knew the decision he was making were bad despite his justification. It was watching a trainwreck in slow motion to watch a character be so lost in their own neurosis that they misinterpret a lot of what's happening around them. And it also makes the continuation of Red Robin very satisfying, watching Tim pull himself back together, lean again on the people in his life and be a little more sane. That was what drew me to the series and Tim's character in general. Also what 17 year old emo hasn't accused all their friends and family of hating them?

RR, like Robin before it, is filtered all through Tim's POV including all his biases and feelings and mental illnesses. Reading Red Robin, one only needs passing knowledge of the Batfam to know there is something deeply wrong with this kid and he should Not be on his own. Thats what makes the story so interesting :)

#also fyi like as long as you're nice I'm happy to debate anything #like feel free to disagree with me #I love debating alternative views and opinions #just like be cool about it #anyway Tim is a Mess in RR and I became so obsessed with that messy bitch

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danganronpa-21 · 1 year

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General Warnings: Brief description of wounds

Fandoms: Danganronpa

Relationships: Kirigiri Kyoko/Naegi Makoto

Additional Tags: Reunion, Will They Won’t They, Fluff, Post Trigger Happy Havoc, References made to another Naegiri Week piece

Chapter Word Count: 2,159 words

Summary: After weeks apart following their rescue from the outside world, Makoto and Kyoko, along with the other survivors, reunite for a first breakfast and realize just how much they have missed each other.

Kyoko’s fingers drum on the table absent-mindedly.

It’s strange to think that back in their school days, the six of them might not have gotten along. And here she is now, sitting and waiting for the last of them, heart pounding in her chest.

Byakuya, Toko, and Yasuhiro all surround her at the table as they too wait patiently. The former two are probably waiting for breakfast instead of Aoi and Makoto, but somewhere deep inside, she knows they must be elated to reunite. The group may not be perfect, and “unlikely friends” may have been an understatement, but they had come to care and depend on each other when braving the outside world. Even if they bicker and get on each other’s nerves, they know they need each other to stay sane and stay alive. Even now, they are in each other’s thoughts. Whether or not trust could be put in the Future Foundation was difficult to determine, and though the jury is still out on degrees of trust, they needed to think of each other for that, too. After all, Future Foundation has still been unable to determine how they will return their memories. Koichi Kizakura – a man she would much rather have not reunited with here – says that they are working on a way to do it “ethically”.

Unlike Junko’s manipulations, the Future Foundation technology for it is apparently much more experimental. They want to make sure that they’re doing right by the students with the methodology before forcing them through potential further trauma. She supposes she can stand by it, although she did hope that they might be able to meet again with everything in tact.

Ah, it’s just as well. She’s just happy to see everyone again at all.

She can’t wait to hear Yasuhiro’s silly nicknames for everyone, or Toko’s affectionate mumblings, or Byakyua’s quiet comments, or Aoi’s adorable giggles, or Makoto’s optimistic attitude.

Makoto…

All of them went through hell and back in the world outside of Hope’s Peak Academy, but he was undoubtedly the worst off. Even Aoi, who suffered through feverish nights and searing pain with an infected wound, did not dare compare herself to Makoto’s severe malnutrition. The poor thing had been so devoid of proper vitamins that the nurses reported fearing his teeth might fall from his gums. She had seen the petechiae speckled across his skin, sat with him through the screaming joint pain, rationed the water supply to combat his diarrhea… A bit of luck kept him from losing him completely to his condition, but the Foundation had been insistent that he needed a high degree of care upon his arrival. That is, apparently, how they decided to split them off – in twos, based off who needed the most help.

Their decision to bring them all together again is also, apparently, a good sign. At least, this is what Koichi told her when he came to fetch her and Byakuya for this breakfast. It meant that Aoi and Makoto were finally on the mend and healthy enough to move about, which meant the group was ready to reunite, if only for a few hours.

Meager time or not, gratefulness swells within the pit of Kyoko’s stomach as she waits. For their first encounter after what seems like ages apart, she knows it will feel like the first mouthful of cold water on a scorching hot day.

It's hard not to be distracted, thinking about Makoto. Conversation rumbles between the other three, but she finds her mind slipping in and out of comprehension with relative ease. Even the sweet aromas of breakfast being cooked not too far from their table, delighting her senses after two weeks of only “safe” foods, could barely hold her attention for more than a few seconds. Then, it was back to thinking about Makoto and how he was faring. In Aoi, she had always had a great deal of faith in recovery – she is a strong, healthy girl with a lot of fight in her. Makoto is much more fragile in comparison. Admittedly, she’s worried about him for about as long as they’ve been separated. She can’t quite place it, but the thought of him in pain makes her heart twist in the ugliest of ways… and the reminder that their reunion is because of his recovery makes it warm with happiness. It won’t show on her face, yet she can feel a smile threatening to shine on her lips. Every time she hears footsteps pass by, her head snaps up in excitement.

If only she had considered that the sound she should have been listening for was crutches.

She is unsure of how much time passed before that clicking registered in her ears, and before it dawned on her that this could only be a good sound. If it hadn’t been for Yasuhiro’s cheerful cry of his pet names, she might not even have looked up from the table she’d been drumming her fingers against. The moment she lifts her head to look at them, she feels almost as if she could cry… Not that she would ever do such a thing so publicly.

There, in the space just in front of their boring grey cafeteria table, stand Aoi and Makoto, looking much better than they have in an incredibly long time.

Aoi’s sun-kissed skin is now back to its full, warm splendor. Though it is bandaged, she can see that the skin that was once peeling and yellowed has now begun to repair itself, and join the rest in a celebration of health. Her long brown hair hangs loose, spilling down her back in a now tangle-free waterfall. The clothes she wears look so cozy and inviting that Kyoko almost wishes that she could don them herself – a cream coloured sweater and a pair of grey shorts, for ease of access to her recovering wound. The thing that really tips Kyoko off to her friend’s recovery, though, is her eyes. They are sparkling like there’s no tomorrow, even though the situation still is far from their ideal. All she seems to care about now is that her friends are here.

As for Makoto, well, he beams like a ray of sunshine. Like Aoi, he’s wearing the comfiest of clothes – potentially even comfier, given that he has a full sweat set. His cheeks are a cheerful, rosy pink and his face has never looked more alert. The fact that he’s as comfortable as he is standing on his own two feet is something to celebrate, and the way he’s actually double-checking that Aoi won’t fall even more so. He matches her smile as they make their way up to the table, the two of them barely able to contain the giggles that sneak past their lips.

“Hey, Asahinans, Naegicchi!” Yasuhiro calls out, “Long time no see, how ya doin’?”

Aoi lets out a loud laugh, swinging her good leg at him as she wobbles over on her crutches. “I’m still kickin’! How about you?”

“Better now that I’m seein’ everyone’s faces again!”

Fighting off a smile is damn near impossible, so she doesn’t bother. She just lets it stretch across her face; gaze glued on Makoto as he helps Aoi to the table. She doesn’t have the memories to back up such a claim, but she feels as if she has never wanted to run to him as much as she does now. If it weren’t for her typical decorum, she’d probably be bouncing around like a puppy who just received a visitor. Even with her self-control in check, she can’t help springing to her feet as the two get closer. Try as she might to keep calm, she really does just want to fling herself into Makoto’s arms. Her speed appears to say as much, for both Toko and Byakuya’s brows twist and furrow at the sight. It sends rouge burning through her cheeks. With an awkward shuffle, however, she is able to pass it off as hopping up to help Aoi.

“Oh, you’re such a sweetheart, Kirigiri-san, but you don’t have to hop up to help me,” she laughs, shaking her head, “Honestly, even having Naegi-kun doing it is a little overkill.”

Makoto’s lower lip sticks out in a bit of a pout at the words. “I don’t want to cause you any trouble, Asahina-san, I just don’t want you to fall… you’re still getting used to being on your feet again.”

“And you’re a sweetheart for that, too, but honestly, I’m totally fine! I made it all the way here, didn’t I?”

Kyoko chuckles softly, her eyes still fixed on Makoto. Even in a worried state, he looks so... Words fail to describe it. Is it warm? Comforting? Soothing? Part of her wonders if it even matters what it is. Maybe she should just be happy to have it in her life once more. “You know he can’t stop helping you, Asahina-san. It’s as natural to him as breathing.”

Makoto blushes a deep crimson, his pout deepening. For a moment, she worries that she’s actually upset him, but there’s a glimmer of cheekiness hiding behind those eyes. Seeing him with this expression sends her heart skipping a beat. She does not know why… but she thinks she likes it. “So this is the first time we see each other in two weeks, and the first thing you do is tease me?”

Aoi snickers. “Would she be your Kirigiri-san if she didn’t?”

Finally, the happiness he has been trying to hide finally wins its spot on his face. In a more hushed voice, he whispers, “It’s good to see you again, Kirigiri-san.”

“It’s wonderful to see you as well, Naegi-kun.”

Somehow… she likes the idea of being called his Kirigiri-san.

It’s difficult to say how many hours they all spend together once they settle in for breakfast. As the conversation picks up, the six of them get back into the swing of things, and it’s almost as if no time has passed between them at all. Everything melts back into being how it was – except, of course, with better health. As Aoi and Yasuhiro bicker over something stupid and Toko fawns over Byakuya, Kyoko finds herself lost in conversation once more with the boy she has so deeply missed.

It's surprising how charming he can look while shoveling food into his face so eagerly. She knows they’ve all been eating like pigs since they arrived at Future Foundation Headquarters, but Makoto in particular seems to be relishing his newfound regular breakfasts. This morning the volunteer chefs have been cooked up a Western-style meal, complete with sunny side-up eggs, smoked ham, roasted and spiced potatoes, and toast with crabapple jelly. The whole thing has the most amazing aroma, but she can’t help but notice how Makoto has two helpings of toast – he’s doing well, based on the rosiness of his cheeks, but he may still have some recovery to do yet if they are trying to get as much jelly into him as possible. It will help spike his Vitamin C back up to normal levels.

“You wouldn’t believe how great I feel right now, Kirigiri-san,” Makoto babbles enthusiastically (and partially through a mouthful of roast potatoes), “The doctors say I’ve been getting better and better by the day, and now, getting to see everyone…! I’m on top of the world.”

Even she can’t help but smile at his joy, leaning against her hand. “I so missed your enthusiasm, Naegi-kun. It’s a relief to reunite with you. You’ve been in my thoughts a lot lately.”

Swallowing a big bite of food, he nods. “You’ve been in mine, too! Aoi and I talked about you all the time… nicely, of course,” he says, his sunny disposition fading ever so slightly, “I know you’re strong, but I was still a little worried about you.”

She nods thoughtfully. “It’s only natural to worry, although I would argue that I had my hands full worrying about you as well.”

Makoto scratches at the back of his neck, chuckling awkwardly. “S-Sorry about that. I don’t mean to cause you any trouble.”

“Worrying about you is no trouble. It’s a blessing, really, to worry about someone, isn’t it?”

He blinks. “What do you mean?”

“Worrying about someone means you have something to care about. That’s special, is it not?”

Makoto nods with a grateful smile. It’s hard to place what it is, but there’s something unspoken between them as they stare into each other’s eyes. There are no words between them for but a moment, but the pause is comfortable and warm. There is no pressure to say much of anything. Instead, they simply allow each other to relish the moment of being together.

“Kirigiri-san?”

“Hm?”

Makoto places his hand on hers, eyes twinkling with sincerity. “I really missed you.”

Blushing, Kyoko confesses, “I missed you as well.”

#Danganronpa #danganronpa trigger happy havoc #Danganronpa 3 #danganronpa 3 future arc #naegi makoto #kirigiri kyoko #Kirigiri kyouko #Makoto naegi #kyouko kirigiri #Kyoko Kirigiri #naegiri #naegiri2022 #Naegiri week #this is the last prompt I will be able to post on time… and the others shall be later!

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azure-sekai · 2 years

Text

OnS 120

Finished my annual (ish) OnS catch up and will just follow the story down whatever rabbit hole it's going right now. I always used to be so confused after every catch up, but I kind of like the direction Kagami is going right now in terms of Yu villain arc and having to weigh Shinoa Squad vs Mika.

I was always hoping it was going to come to Yu having to choose between Mika and Shinoa Squad because I hated how forced throwing Mika into the Shinoa Squad family was. I think this is something we've seen a lot more of in recent chapters too but Yu is really obsessed with the concept of family without building deeper bonds behind the meaning. I'm actually tired of how easily the Shinoa Squad in general uses the term because they throw it around when convenient and as a way to shackle each other to their decisions. Mika's concept of family isn't entirely rational either since he only cares about Yu, but I feel like its still better than calling practically anyone and everyone you've shared a friendly smile with a family member like Yu does.

That's why I was waiting for this Mika vs Shinoa Squad conflict to break out. It's been a while since i've sat down and reread the entirety of lets say Nagoya arc and beyond but from what I remember, Mika has always been alert and critical to the concept of being drawn into the Shinoa Squad family. I think it's always been hinted at that Yu was eventually going to have to choose a side, and maybe they'll come together in the end again, but it felt pretty natural to the story for him to have been forced to make this choice and it felt natural that he chose Mika since all the chapters building up to that point were of how Mika is his entire will to live (although this deserves a post of it's own cause this might be the First's will and it might not be entirely Mika that we know who is Yu's will to live but Mikaela as the First's son).

As for Yu's villain arc, I think his current mindset of "I can bring everyone back" is really naïve, but it fits his character of having no brain cells. What I want to delve into deeper is why he has no brain cells. Although OnS's story is messy, I don't think Yu being this dumb isn't a conscious decision. I feel like it has something to do with being artificially produced by the First and maybe being programmed to have such a one-track mind which works in Sika Madu's favor when Yu is focused on Mika. However, it could just be bad writing and I am making excuses to stay sane every time I see Yu having absolutely no thoughts in his head.

Finally, am I the only person who got the idea that Mika is communicating with someone in this panel in chapter 120?

Like I wouldn't be shocked if he was plotting with someone to keep an alternative option available to Yu in case this plan fails. Mika himself doesn't want to sacrifice the world just to revive him, plus he doesn't want to see Yu become public enemy number one so I feel like he might be trying to work along with Yu's plan right now while also keeping another option open for Yu to return easily to Guren and Shinoa Squad later. I am pretty sure Yu was focused on the illusion wards in Ikebukuro so it was only Mika who killed the soldiers for food too, so this could be a conscious effort on Mika's part to keep the bloodshed on his own hands to ease Yu's return to the squad later as well.

#ons #owari no seraph #ons 120

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vroooom2 · 7 months

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Current Intelligence failure hypothesis by Thad🥇concerning Mossad/Aman/Shin Bet vs Hamas:

"Given how everyone missed it. I wonder if they just planned everything without using computers and phones at all."

🏆Very insightful reply by Thad to this user, an adjunct professor in international affairs:

🗨️A lot of people are going to be going on about intelligence failures in Israel / Gaza, but there’s a really simple lesson on operational security from 9/11 that appears to have replayed. Teach people to do things & move them to places without telling anyone the objectives. If nobody in country or in communications chains know objectives it won’t leak. Establish regular patterns of movement that you can later use to bring the mission orders and timing to the agents in place, and then do it. Don’t communicate at all over remote systems.

👏 Thad: "this was used by a terrorist group during a hijacking. The team leader was the only one who knew the plan. He was killed as the attack began and no one knew what to do. They surrendered. Another way is that you assemble the team 12-24hr before and keep them isolated."

🔎Simon Ostrovsky, Pulitzer prize & duPont-Columbia Award winner's input: "wasn’t Netanyahu supposed to be the strongman that would keep Israel safe? He’s been so busy dismantling democracy he completely missed the invasion plan. Turns out doing a coalition with extremists & making a fanatic your security minister isn’t great security policy."

💬TikTok influencers in Lululemon outfits giving 'analysis' on middle east current events is peak misanthropic dystopia.

💬say what you will about twitter but when there are major news events taking place there is no better place to receive unimaginable amounts of psychic damage from reading the opinions of the worst and dumbest people in the world.

💬watching people furiously google to fit current events into their Facebook and Instagram posting gimmicks is genuinely hilarious tho.

The need for Liberal Arts is critical nowadays. Media studies should be a mandatory course to help the younger generations counter attack the plague of disinformation and misinformation, therefore to avoid indoctrination, and remain free to think for themselves.

Who will govern us and make laws when we're retired? Imagine if the future decision makers are all brainwashed by fake news.

We do have the individual responsibility to be careful, full of care, to make all the hard and complex things more fun, in order to prevent the collapse of sane and healthy thinking, behaviors, and actions.

youtube

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cipheress-to-k-pop · 3 years

Note

Hello there! Can you write hcs for Tim with a demigodess!reader please? Congrats on your 600 followers btw^^

Tim Drake x Demigoddess!Reader

A/N: Thank you so much! So I’m totally dense about greek myths and stuff and I was gonna make her Thor’s daughter at first but then I forgot about that I did Hades but when I remembered it was already written so oh well

You were the daughter of Hades and Persephone

You had kind of a weird childhood

Don’t get me wrong, it was a great childhood

Being princess of the underworld and the daughter of the only sane people in all of Olympus had its perks

But compared to everyone else, it was weird

Hades was extremely protective of you because you were a mortal

Meaning that you could die

The thought of having to greet your soul when you died filled him with so much grief

So, he kept you sheltered, kept you safe

Never letting you lift a finger

As princess you had everything you ever needed and everything your heart desired

Since birth you had been trained by Athena and Aries under your father’s watchful eyes

When you were 16 and you finally wanted to see the rest of the world, you begged your parents to let you go to the mortal world

It took months of begging and when they said no, you’d get so upset that all the flowers in the underworld would wither

Persephone seeing how much you wanted to see the world

So, she convinces Hades to let you go

And he agrees but just as long as you promise to visit

You go to the human world and you’re so oblivious about human life that it’s concerning

Walking around in a floor length dress wondering why everyone else wasn’t dressed the same way

This is how you meet Diana Prince

She recognizes you immediately when you arrive at the Smithsonian, looking mildly confused

Your eyes light up when you see a familiar face

You stay with her for a couple of days before she decides that you’d be better off at the cave

That’s exactly what happens

Even though you whine a little and say you want to stay with her

She just knows it’s because you’re nervous about being in a new place

You know that if you were in any real danger your parents would inflict rage on the mortal world

Feeling mildly comforted at the idea

Diana doesn’t tell them to add you to the group

She just tells them that you need a place to stay and someone to help you find your way around

The first people you meet are Batman, Nightwing and Robin

Immediately being comforted just by looking at them

Batman reminded you of your dad and Nightwing of your mom

And Diana trusted them so you did too

You end up following Tim and Dick around for the next couple of days like a lost puppy

Dick finds it amusing

Tim is kinda unsettled but thinks you’re stupid for some reason

It isn’t until he actually talks to you, he realizes you’re much more profound than he gave you credit for

You don’t officially join the team

You just live there

Everyone thinks that you have no training whatsoever

And that you’re just a princess

Which you technically are but

Until you’re watching them train one day and then remember the days you would spar with Athena

It looked like so much fun

Immediately you wanted to join in

Some of them rolled their eyes and thought you were wasting their time

The others were happy to let you join in

They wanted to make Bart spar you but you looked around contemplatively before pointing at Tim

“If it is alright with you, I wish for you to be my partner.”

Tim blushing because what you said sounded like you were choosing him as a life partner, rather than sparring partner

Of course, Bart teases him for it as well as the others

When Tim walks up to the middle, Dick subtlety tells him to take it easy on you and he nods

The match is over before he can even make a move

You had the speed and strength of a god, it wasn’t a surprise

Not to you at least

To everyone else, kind of a huge surprise

Standing over him and giggling

“I want a rematch.”

“But of course.”

Spending the rest of the day sparring with him

He doesn’t beat you even once

And the others just watch you throw him around for an afternoon

After a while it stops being funny and Nightwing is almost concerned

It kind of hurts his pride but you still acknowledge him

“You know, for a human, you’re very skilled.”

“Uh, thank you?”

After that you go through the other members quite quickly

Some of them gave you a little trouble, like Conner

But you managed to be undefeated

They all think you should join the team after that and you agree

Spending more time with Tim that way

Always talking to him about your family’s history and stuff

Telling him all about your parents love story when he asked to hear about it

You talk so fondly of it and he’s honestly just kind of shocked that Greek Mythology isn’t mythology

I mean, he knew it was real because of Diana

But he never really understood how real these gods were

He falls for you

He loves the way your eyes light up and you smile at him

He loves the way you’re always eager to learn

He loves that you’re so kind and gentle but can also beat people up without even trying

He asks you out but it didn’t go as well as he was hoping

“Do you want to go out with me?”

“Yes, a walk sounds lovely.”

“(Y/N), I like you.”

“Aw that’s so sweet Tim, I like you too, friend.”

Everyone else starts enjoying the way he crashes and burns all the time

And Tim would stop asking usually

But he knows it in his bones that you like him too

But he has no other way to tell you aside from marching up to you and kissing you

Makes that Plan B tho

Plan A is getting you a bouquet of your favourite flowers and telling you that he likes you

Romantically

Not platonically

You grin widely and tell him you like him too

Kissing you just as the sun set that day

It’s one of your favourite memories

His too

Everyone being extremely happy and supporting of your relationship

You can tell Batman is trying to threaten you

But your father is god of the underworld and you have a three headed dog

So, when you and Tim are caught kissing in some hidden crevice in the cave by him and he tries telling you off, you can’t help you smile adorably

“Don’t worry Batman, I have no intention of dishonouring your son.”

Batman is like ???

And Tim is either like “Please don’t speak like we’re in the 1800s.”

or “Please dishonour me.”

He buys you pomegranates as a joke but then you prank him saying that if he eats them, he has to return to the underworld with you

Dick (Nightwing) approves

You like falling asleep in his arms so more often than not you plead with him to stay at the cave and sleep with you

He knows relationships in Olympus generally move a lot quicker so he ends up having to sit you down and explain everything to you so you know his boundaries

Totally accepting them and never going farther than he wants

You appreciate the small things

Like sitting in his lap and eating breakfast

Or being the small spoon

You become the team’s resident couple

Being part of a team, a family is honestly so much fun

Everyone thinking your invincible and practically indestructible

Until one day you’re hurt on the battlefield

Everyone freaking out and getting you back to the cave so you could be treated

The next morning, Tim goes to check up on you and finds something shocking

He’s not sure what to be more surprised by

Cerberus napping at the foot of your bed

Or you crying

Even though the giant, three-headed dog freaks him out, he still sits beside you and asks what’s wrong

“My father demands that I return home. He cannot stand the thought of me being hurt.”

His heart stops

He likes you so much, even bordering on love

And he doesn’t want you to leave

But who was he to stop the God of the Underworld?

Comforting you when you cried, hugging you tightly

“Shh it’s gonna be okay.”

You return home after that and it breaks Tim’s heart

You don’t officially break up but it’s kind of implied because you can never return back to the mortal world

Him being depressed for the next few months but he hides it well

Even though everyone knows how he’s feeling

Things aren’t any better on your end

Your heart aches with every second your away from him

Until one day it happens

Your soul wants to be with Tim

So, it tries to leave your body

You have a heart attack that night and nearly die and it horrifies Hades

He goes all the way to the mortal world to find Tim

Tim doesn’t quite understand how you could have a heart attack from missing him

But is still worried and agrees to go to the Underworld to see you

When he gets there, you’re in so much pain

But once he brings you into his arms you feel sated

When he kisses you, everything fades into a dull ache

Hades wants Tim to stay in the Underworld after that but you argue and tell him to go back to the land of the living

This wasn’t the place for him

“I’ll give up on you, I promise, but you can’t stay here any longer my love.”

“I don’t want to leave your side.”

“I’m sorry, but you know we can’t be.”

Tim goes the next morning and it breaks your heart but you know that it’s for the best

You spend the next few weeks in such sorrow that all of Persephone’s plants die

Hades and Persephone both see how much you love Tim and they are reminded of themselves when they were younger

Making a joint decision to let you go back to the mortal world

But you have to live a long life

That’s the one condition

You running into the cave and crashing into Tim’s arms

Kissing him there and feeling everything go right in the world

You fulfil your parents wish

And live a long, happy life by Tim’s side

Forever Taglist:

@simonsbluee

DC Taglist:

@emmacata

@p--e--a--c--h--e--s

@sometimeseverythingsucks

@sokkas-honour

@unstable1902

@lostgirlheart

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differentkettleoffishalltogether · 4 years

Text

I’m On Fire [Chapter 1]

Summary: With her sister’s wedding fast approaching and her Mom hounding her about finding a date, Y/N makes a terrible decision that lands her and her least favorite genius in a confusing situation.

A/N: This is the first part in a series, I’ve written the first few chapters already so I’m hoping to update pretty regularly! I hope you guys enjoy, and any feedback is always appreciated! ❤️

Pairing: Spencer Reid x Fem Reader

Category: Fake Dating, Enemies to Lovers, (Eventual) Smut, Fluff, Angst, it’s a Slow Burn Baby

Warnings: None really for this chapter, cursing? Mean-ish Spencer

Word Count: 6.5k

Next Chapter

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

I wasn’t at the BAU long before it started to feel like home. The team became my family, pure and simple.

Having been recruited by Hotch at only 22 I'd sort of fallen into the roll of the little sister to the team without really meaning to. It's not that I was naive, or particularly sheltered even. I know I'm good at my job, and I'd want to be, given how my life's revolved around it almost entirely. But the team seemed to adopt a protective mindset over me right off the bat.

When I first joined the FBI everything was terrifying. I worked so hard for my PhD, trying to get into the unit, but there's almost nothing that can actually prepare you for the real thing. Being out in action in the field, working the cases out in real time. Sometimes they had a smooth, easy conclusion followed by loud obnoxious drinks together. Then there were the others, the ones that kept me up for days after and felt as though they owned little pieces of my heart still.

It was JJ that helped the most on those horrible flights back on the jet. Noticing my anxious ticks and uneasy disposition after that first case that had ended badly. JJ had been through it all before, taking too many cases home with her. Seeing her son's little faces in the kids that we couldn't help. If I was the baby of the team JJ was the big sister, looking out for everyone.

Morgan on the other hand was the outrageously cool older brother, the one you just wanted to be. Early on he'd helped my weak self with the ruthless fitness regimen the FBI required, he offered to pull some strings and get the test written off. But I couldn't accept that, there was something in me that just wanted to impress Morgan, and honestly still does. Like somehow if he thought you were cool, then it became true. So I passed the exam, but getting up a flight of stairs was near impossible for a week after.

Emily was probably the fun aunt. The one that would sneak you booze at the family gathering, or take you to your first concert. Emily was actually the one who'd found me, digging around colleges for potential recruits she'd had me picked out for a while I later found out. Insisting that Hotch give me a shot. It was reassuring to know I had someone who would stick up for me from day one.

I was an tech analyst, among other things, sort of a counterpart for Garcia in the field. So it was no surprise to anyone when the two of us hit it off as though we'd known each other forever. We weren't the same by any means though. Penelope was bold, and bright, and confident beyond measure, where I've typically felt like more of a blend into the background type. I've always thought of myself that way, despite my achievements. I'd also always believed I was fairly inoffensive, no one I'd met had ever had a huge problem with me, 'till I got to the BAU that is.

Every rose has its thorn I suppose.

That thorn in my side was Dr. Spencer Reid.

It wasn't that Dr. Reid was a bad agent, or even a bad person. I hadn't actually met him before that first day in the conference room, but I'd known who he was for a long time. Before I came along he'd held the mantle of 'youngest ever recruit' in the unit, while I was studying I'd read any of his work I could get my hands on because of that fact.

I figured it must've been some sort of hazing when he looked me up and down that first day I was introduced, and then proceeded to blank me entirely for a full week. Up until I'd wrapped my first case.

The whole team went straight from the jet to the bar. Proceeding to get far too drunk. Spencer joined, which the rest of the team found unusual, and I probably should've taken as a sign of things to come.

That case went well, and everyone was in high spirits but Reid had a sour disposition, at least it seemed that way every time he looked at me. After a few too many drinks I went outside in an attempt to sober up in the cold air, unfortunately Reid must've snuck outside not long before.

"Ugh" was all he said when he first caught my silhouette approaching him. The night was unusually cold so it had been deserted outside the bar that evening. I wasn't really sure why it made me nervous to be alone with him like this, the two of us leaning back against the same small area of brick wall, looking out at the cold night.

"Nice to see you too doctor" was all I could muster, I was drunk enough that I let my sarcastic tone leap out, "you can relax, I'm just trying to get some fresh air, it's too stuffy in there, and loud. I'm not here to talk to you or anything."

"Well aren't you a sensitive thing" he responds in kind, at that point I wasn't really sure if it was a coincidence or if he'd been genuinely avoiding me, but things were starting to clear up.

"I'm sensitive, that's a fun take on things" I joke, taking a long sip of cold water from my glass.

"And what's that supposed to mean, newbie?" his emphasis on the last word all but confirms my suspicions.

"Fuck man, what's your problem with me? Is it because I'm new, or because I beat your stupid record?" I quip. hoping that at the very least it might coax him out of his shell. Dr. Spencer Reid getting angry at me could honestly be better than the nothing I'd been experiencing from him until now.

"What stupid record?" he sounds genuinely confused

"I'm the youngest BAU recruit now?" I didn't know why else he could be so sour. He'd never met me before last week, and since he'd ignored me that first day I'd done all I could not to step on his toes. So if he had a reason to hate me this much, it wasn't something I'd done on purpose.

He takes a few moments to respond, raising his eyebrows and considering the information. He chuckles. He fucking chuckles.

"That's funny." he says, his voice leveling out, "I didn't peg you as funny newbie" that word sets something off in me again. Something about it is dismissive, or belittling. Before I could fight back he starts to move, maneuvering around me and heading back inside. A little too tipsy to think of anything constructive to say, I just mutter "Fuck you Spencer."

He swings open the door, as he walks inside he just says "See you Monday, Newbie" without even looking at me.

And that was only the beginning.

----

"You know I'm just trying to make sure you get enough rest sweetheart. There's no need to get so defensive!" it was far too early in the morning to be dealing with this call. Since joining the BAU a few years ago this was a standard call from my Mom. Equal parts well meaning and over-bearing, and generally asking far too many questions.

"I'm not getting defensive Mom, I get plenty of rest, my job is just very important to me and you know that." I knew she was right to be at least a little worried, this job was consuming, and in all honesty I wasn't sure how people like JJ were married and still here. It seemed like an impossible feat.

"Fine sweetie, how are your co-workers doing then? How's Penelope? Give her my love" she loved Penelope, I think she thought that Penelope tethered me to the normal world, and in a way she was right. She kept me sane, and fun, and made me eat pizza and do face masks once a week at least. Even when I didn't think I wanted to.

"Pen's great Mom, everyone's good. Well, the usual ones get on my nerves, but I'm fine." As I say it I glance across at Dr. Reid, the only person who's also in as early as I am most days. I'm not sure if he can hear me but he's tapping his pen so loud on his desk that it takes all of my energy not to walk across the bullpen and stab him with it.

"Y'know what Mom, I'm actually just after getting to work and it's a busy day so can I call you back later?" I chance, getting her off the phone is always an ordeal.

"Fine, fine, I'll let you go. But wait one last thing!"

I knew what was coming. It was always coming.

"Are you seeing anyone, Margot's been wondering too, just thought I'd check in?"

Pinching the bridge of my nose and trying not to scream down the line, I just sigh out the frustration instead.

"No Mom, believe it or not, I've made no progress on that front since you asked me all of 3 days ago."

"See you are being defensive!" she snaps

"I gotta go, bye Mom. Love you!" I say, hanging up quickly before dropping my head down into my arms on my desk, resting like that for a few moments in silence.

Hearing Garica chuckle behind my ear I perk up and spin around. She's holding a small paper cup of coffee and hands it to me. I look at it confused, "Sorry about the paper, I couldn't find your mug in the cabinet" she apologizes, looking over at Dr. Reid and rolling her eyes. Now I know he can hear me from his seat, he takes that moment to sip from my mug and place it gently back on his desk.

It hadn't taken long for him to start toying with me. It was always stupid childish things. Things I couldn't get genuinely annoyed at, that would give him far too much satisfaction, knowing he was getting to me in any real way. This was one trick he liked to play if he got into the office before me, he'd take my mug and make his coffee in it, just to spite me I guess.

"Why does he even do that, it's so stale" she said, just a little louder than normal to make sure he could hear. Garcia and Reid were still good friends and team-mates but she liked to stand up for me when she could. He liked to avoid me as much as possible so he'd usually go to Garcia before me if he needed help with something. Even when the two of us were out in the field together. Which was obnoxious but it was just another thing I'd gotten used to over time. And as long as it didn’t interfere with the case I just forced myself to let it go.

"I know it's such low grade bullying isn't it?" I shot back with a chuckle.

"So I'll take it that was Mommy dearest" Penelope gestures to my phone. She knew my Mom, and she knew about her general overbearing energy. I let out a groan thinking about the call again, and the calls that were to come.

"Isn't it always Mommy dearest?" I joke

"So she's still on your ass about the wedding then?" I'm sure Penelope was almost as sick of hearing about it as I was,

"Margot's getting married in like 4 months now, and every time Mom calls there’s just some new hometown loser she wants to set me up with Pen. It's fucking exhausting" I take a sip of the coffee she made me, savoring the bitter taste. She sits down on my desk for a moment, leaning in.

"Honey, did you ever think that if you got out there and found someone, she wouldn't be on your ass at all?" I don't want to think about that, about how she's completely right. All I can do is let out another small groan and lean back down onto my desk.

"Too early Pen" I say, it's muffled by the desk but she gets the message. Hopping up and heading to her own office as some more people start to arrive for the morning.

Leaving me alone to make a start on my paperwork that had built up throughout the week. Fridays were usually slow like this, giving me a little too much time to think. I couldn't shake the thought that my Mom and Penelope were actually right. Maybe I was a bit too invested in the job, and maybe that was a pretty big factor in why my last relationship imploded but I wasn't about to admit that to anyone.

----

After that the day crawls by, thankfully no cases pop up so the weekend might actually be free. Trying to make sure I clear up all of my paperwork takes a little longer than I'd hoped and leaves me alone in the bullpen. It seems like everyone's gone home by the time I've packed up and I'm ready to leave. Which wasn't as out of the ordinary as I'd like it to be really. Everyone else seemed to have somewhere to be on a Friday night.

Waiting for the elevator to arrive my phone started to ring, I could see my Mom's caller ID on the screen. If I just let it go I know she'll call back later, may as well get it out of the way. I take a deep breath in anticipation before I answer.

"Hey what's up?" I answer, stepping inside the elevator as the doors ping open.

"Hi sweetie, I've got good news! Do you remember David? That lovely boy, he helped out your Father that summer in high school?" I know what's coming and rub my temple, trying to stifle the headache I know is coming. As I answer a hand slides between the elevator doors, popping them open again.

Dr. Fucking Reid walks in, and he looks about as happy to see me as I am to see him. I make eye contact and look away just as fast, willing him away with my mind. "Yes Mom, I remember him, why are you telling me this?" I already know the answer but I'm fed up, she still sounds excited when she responds.

"Well you won't believe it! I ran into him at the market this morning and I thought you'd like it if I passed on your phone number to him, maybe for the weddi-" it took all I had not to shout into the receiver, and maybe I would've had the elevator been empty.

"Mom! Jesus!" I have to reign myself in, but I have a bad idea, "You know what, I'm actually sorted. I've got a date lined up now" I'm not sure why I said it with no real plan in place. She sounds even more excited than I've ever heard her.

"Oh my, that's amazing sweetie! That was fast, I can't believe you found one since this morning, it's someone from work so?" she assumes, and I'm just not thinking fast enough to correct her.

"Mmhmm, yeah" I'll figure out the logistics later I rationalize.

"Oh! Is it that boy you're always on about, the one who teases you?" she asks, and her voice is full of joy, and it makes me feel horrible that I'm lying already, and that I'm going to let her down.

"Yup, that's the one, look Mom I gotta go, I'll talk to you later! Night" I blurt out so fast it has to be obvious I'm nervous.

I can hear a stifled chuckle behind me. Fuck. How loud is my phone speaker. Could he hear that. Surely not. But this elevator was completely silent. The doors open and I have to stop myself from running to my car at top speed. Instead I walk out just a little faster than normal, turning around to shoot him a small wave goodbye. And he's got this devious smirk on his face that makes my stomach turn.

Sitting into my car I pull out my phone to text Garcia immediately.

I'm on my way to yours right now. It's urgent.

——

Traffic's light so it takes maybe 10 minutes before I arrive at Garcia's place. My mind's racing and my body takes me there on autopilot. Why did I say any of that, why did I even answer the damn phone. Why did I wave goodbye to Spencer, I never usually did that. Maybe that's why he had that look on his face. Maybe he was just thinking of something funny that happened earlier and it had nothing to do with me at all. That was something he'd do to mess with me for sure.

How was I going to walk this back with my Mom, she was just gonna have more questions that I couldn't answer. Fuck.

Garcia buzzed me up and her door was open for me by the time I got up the stairs. This little purple apartment had become my second home. It was where I spent most of my evenings off, laughing on the same sofa I was collapsing face first into right now. Garcia nestles in beside me and runs her hand over my hair, "Hey sweet pea, what's happening? I don't want to sound too concerned but you're not giving me much to go off? Are you dying, is there drama? You're going to have to tell me what's so urgent before I burst a blood vessel?"

I let out a muffled, "is drahmuh" into the pillow, Garcia shakes my shoulders.

"Sit up babe, damn!" I have to heave myself out of the pillows, sitting upright on the sofa beside her, clutching one of the pillows in my arms.

"It's drama" I repeat,

"Well, out with it then, you know I'll take all the drama I can get! Spill, spill" she rushes me along. I'm already apprehensive, Reid's her coworker too, but if anyone would understand why this was such an issue it was gonna be her.

"Okay, I'm after doing something stupid and I think I really need your advice" I cringe already, thinking back to the elevator, throwing out my words faster, I continue the story, mostly trying to get it over with, "my Mom called again when I was on the way out tonight and she was trying to set me up with this guy, and Reid was there, and I got all flustered, and I told her I had a date already" I throw my head down into the pillow again.

"Wait why was Reid there?" she looks like she's trying to fit puzzle pieces together and she's getting nowhere, "And what's the drama?"

"Shit Garcia, it was in the elevator and it was all quiet, and maybe he heard the call, maybe he didn't but he had this fuckin' look on his stupid face" I can't shake the smug little smirk, it's burned inside my eyelids. Garcia's face falls in what looks like disappointment.

"Ugh Y/N! That's nothing chill out, why does it matter if he heard your call? I know you guys are all weird but none of that is any of his business anyway!" she shoo's her hand in the air, dismissing the whole situation.

"No Garcia, it is his business now" I have to close my eyes when I say it, I can't look at her "I told my Mom that he was my date, well, I didn't say his name or anything, she assumed it was someone from work and so I just agreed, and then she suggested that it was him and then I fucking panicked Pen, I fucked up so bad. What do I do?"

I finally opened my eyes to look up at Garcia. She was sitting in pure silence, pursing her lips in what seemed like contemplation. The puzzle pieces finally slotting together. It's as though a light bulb goes off behind her eyes and she bursts out in fits of laughter. Doubling over on herself before finally taking a few breaths to calm herself down. I'm honestly not sure why she finds the whole thing so funny, she know's how needlessly annoying he's made my life, she's seen it first hand and heard me talk about it over and over again in this very apartment over pizza.

"Garcia, this is not fucking funny! This is serious!" I try to calm her down, I need advice not whatever this is.

"I'm so sorry Y/N, I love you dearly. But this isn't funny, this is hilarious. It's like you're Sandra Bullock in some mid-90's rom com. I love it" I don't love it, in fact I hate it. I nearly snap at her but pull myself back.

"Pen, come on, help me out. What do I do with this, how do I fix it?" I plead.

She stops laughing and pulls out her phone, "Okay, I'm sorry. I'm going to order us a pizza, and we're gonna sort this thing out together, sound good?" I just nod and collapse back into the sofa. I think I feel better now that I've gotten it out in the open.

----

Penelope makes us tea while we wait for the pizza, she keeps lemon & ginger in her cabinet for me, just like I keep mint for her. The warm mug and the steam calm me down. After a few minutes alone to think about it I start to figure it out a little better. I figure I can just lie to my Mom for a while, it might suck but I can pretend for a bit and then make up some excuse as to why he can't come closer to the time. Then I can just bring Garcia instead and everyone's happy. I'm about to float my plan to her there's a knock on her door. I was so caught up that I hadn't really noticed quite how starving I'd gotten. Leaping up of the sofa to grab the door.

I swing it open but it's not the pizza guy. Somehow it's the opposite of the pizza guy, my worst nightmare is on the other side of the door. He must notice my eyes blow completely wide. "Y/N!" he says, more of a statement than a question really, like he's telling himself that he's actually seeing me in the doorway. I'm not as gentle.

"What the fuck are you doing here Reid?!" I can't even disguise my anger. He seems a little flustered, like he's got absolutely no idea how to proceed.

"Um, uh, is Garcia here? I can, um, I can just come back later?" he swallows hard and shakes his head, before I can agree and tell him to get lost Penelope races to the door, pulling it wide open.

"Nope, that won't be necessary Doctor! Come on in, you're right on time sweetheart" she waves him in and he walks past me, his demeanor changing almost instantly. He's smug, like he's won whatever battle this was. And I hate it. Though he's still as confused as me despite the newfound attitude. Reid sits down on the sofa, right where I had been sitting. I bite my tongue and sit on the opposite end.

"Are you okay Garcia?" he asks with a genuine concern, "What's going on, what was the emergency?". He's not stupid, he knows she's not in danger now that he's here. But he wants answers. I don't know that I've ever seen him this confrontational with anyone, well anyone but me. The entire time I’m staring her down as she sits in the armchair opposite the two of us. My keys are in my pocket and my car's right outside. I could just jump up and make a break for it. Escape.

"You know what Doc, you won't believe it but I'm not actually the one with the emergency" she takes a beat, and I'm starting to think that I might understand why people murder other people after all these years, "Y/N has something urgent she needs to talk to you about" she's silent for another moment, and she almost looks giddy, "Actually Spencer, you might already know a little something about the matter already, now that I think about it" she smirks, and it's pure joy.

My keys are in my hand ready to bolt when the doorbell chimes again. "Oh, that'll actually be the pizza this time, if you two will excuse me" she hops up out of the armchair and races to the door, leaving the two of us alone in a horrible silence. The tension is almost too much, I want to speak but I really have no idea what to say, or how to even start saying it. But he starts.

"Y/N what's going on, I feel like I'm out of the loop here? What am I missing?" he asks, and there's something uncharacteristically genuine about the way he says it, but he can't turn to look at me as he speaks. I almost want to let my guard down and just have a conversation but I can’t force myself to do it. "Shut up Reid." is all I mutter, folding my arms across my chest.

He turns sharply on the sofa to face me. "Hey Y/N. Believe it or not I'm about as happy as you with whatever kind of Parent Trap situation Garcia's got going on here. But from what I'm picking up on you've got a problem and I'm supposed to be able to help with it. So do you want to tell me what's going on or not? I can just go?" I can see that there's an anger bubbling right below the surface, threatening to burst. I know I shouldn't but I let him stew in silence for a little too long and he jumps up off the sofa.

"Y'know what, typical" he mutters, rolling his eyes as he says it, "this is all about you." he throws his bag over his shoulders and begins to walk towards the door. Something in me just snaps.

"All about me?! Are you fucking kidding? I've been tip-toeing around you for years, ever since I joined this damn unit!" I shout as Garcia comes back into the room, pizza box and plates in her hands.

"So, who's hungry?" Garcia asks, trying to break the tension, or pretending there's no tension at all. Reid shakes his head in disbelief and rubs his temple before he speaks again, "Actually I was just gonna head out" he gestures to the door, "I'm clearly not wanted here so I'm gonna leave you guys to it." Spencer makes a move to leave but Garcia grabs the strap of his shoulder bag, yanking him back ever so slightly before he really has the chance to escape.

"You are going absolutely nowhere kid" She points back to the sofa, "get back there" she glances to me, staring with far too much intensity. "You too, sit." Her voice is more stern than I've ever heard it, even while we were on a case. I can't help but obey her command and I sit back down on the sofa in silence. Followed by Reid, clearly processing the same uneasy feeling of a serious Penelope.

She sits opposite the two of us again. "Y/N, Spencer, I love the two of you with all of my heart, albeit separately, and I would die for either one of you. But you've got to chill the hell out!" she says it like she's had it bottled up forever. The tension that releases from her as she says it looks euphoric.

She opens up the pizza box and lays it on the coffee table and takes out a slice for herself. Taking a bite she leaves the two of us in stunned silence. Once she finishes the mouthful she turns to me specifically, "Y/N you tell him, or I will." dead serious. And the feeling in my belly is like I've just fallen down an elevator shaft.

My stomach is in knots as I turn to Spencer on the sofa next to me. His face is puzzled and I think I might be able to make out pure terror in his expression. I don't know that I've ever been looked at like this before and my stomach screws up tighter. I have to take a deep breath and I can't believe I'm about to say it. "Fuck it" I have to take another breath almost immediately so I just have to force the rest out, "I don't know if you heard the call I was on while we were in the elevator earlier?" I look up to gauge his reaction and I can see his face relax, and worse than that, one corner of his mouth lifts into a sort of smile. It's a look of pure smug satisfaction and I think I might scream. I have to close my eyes because I really don't think I can look at that face as I say the next part.

"My sister is getting married in a few months and my Mom's been on my ass to find a date for the wedding and she keeps trying to set me up with these losers, so I fucking panicked, and I told her you were my date." by the time the sentence is out my eyes have screwed up so tight it feels like I have to pry them open.

He sits in silence for too long. Thinking, maybe?

"So I'm the boy who teases you then?" he grins. So he did hear. And he did laugh. He looks far too self satisfied. Now he knows he's right. He knows I've talked to my Mom about him, that he's gotten in my head. I can tell from his smile that he's savoring the moment. Mostly because I can't slap the smug smile off his face I drop my head into my hands. In an effort to disappear I guess.

"So," he says, taking a moment, "is that all you wanted to say then?" he asks, lighthearted and obnoxious, back to his usual self. I snap back to reality, shooting my head back up.

"What do you mean is that all?" I throw back genuinely shocked,

"Is that all you had to say Y/N? Can I go now? It's a long bus ride home y'know" he smirks but makes no effort to move. He can't possibly be making me do this.

"Well no, obviously!" I stutter, "I mean, are you, will you, uh?" I can't bring myself to say it out loud. He leans in on the sofa looking directly at me, refusing to break eye contact.

"Did you have something you wanted to ask me Y/N?" I just want to smack that fucking look off his face,

"Fuck you Spencer Reid" I almost whisper under my breath, but Garcia snaps me back to reality.

"Hey!" she looks at me, stern again, "Ask him." it's not a question, or a suggestion, it's a command.

"Fine okay" I scrunch my eyes up again, "Will you come to my sisters wedding with me as my fake boyfriend?" I curl up into myself as I say it, I can almost feel the bile rising up from my stomach. Like I'm having a biological reaction to the whole thing.

Reid crosses his arms and sinks back on the sofa, like he's performing the act of thinking. He's considering my offer to make me squirm.

When he finally speaks he says "Well I would Y/N, but I really fail to see what's in it for me" he's after getting cocky now.

Garcia pipes up, excited, "Oh, Oh! I know! I have an idea!" she interjects, "Spencer remember how a while ago, back after your apartment flooded you were all all worried about your antique books and prints and stuff?" he nods, "Well Y/N could digitize the collection for you as a back up? I know you're a technophobe? C'mon Y/N, you know you could do that no sweat, and it would take you a lifetime alone Spencer?" I really don't want to admit it but she's right. Even I knew Reid was adverse to any technology that wasn't vital, but it was your specialty. And maybe that was a good trade off, a job like that would be near impossible for him to pull off without help. I take a glance over at Reid and he seems to have had the same train of thought as me. He lets out an exaggerated sigh and relaxes his posture.

"Fine, I guess that's a fair trade. I'm in." he resigns and I almost can't believe it. I'm barely processing the whole conversation as he sticks his hand out to me, I'm confused for a second before I grab it and shake it firmly. Condemning myself to whatever's about to happen. And it's not the time to be thinking about it but maybe this is the first time Spencer and I have ever touched? But I shove that thought away.

Garcia's positively beaming and she's not even trying to hide it. "Now it's like you're both in a Sandra Bullock movie, oh, but you're Hugh Grant maybe?" she points to Reid.

"Don't push it" I shoot in her direction, taking a slice of pizza, now that my anxiety stomach has sort of passed.

Once the pizza's been eaten in near completely awkward silence Spencer stands up off the sofa. His unsure demeanor has returned and he looks nervous. "I actually should get going this time" he says but Garcia pipes up to protest,

"No, it's not even late!"

"It takes me a while to get back home, thank you though Pen. For... this?" he gestures to the whole living room, "Night" he waves. He's almost made it to the door before I stand up out of my seat. I'm not really sure what comes over me, maybe it's gratitude, maybe it's guilt, or maybe I'm just exhausted.

"Wait Spencer. Let me give you a ride home?" I ask and it's like it's not even me saying it .

"Thanks, but I think I can make it home just fine" he dismisses, and there’s an antagonizing tone in his voice that snaps me right back to our usual rapport.

"I'm trying to do a nice thing here, fuck! Just let me do something nice!" I snap, and he throws his arms up in surrender.

"Fine alright, if it'll make you feel better"

"Fuck you Reid" I mutter under my breath and I sort of hope that he does hear me really. If he's gonna be hostile about this I can be too. I give Garcia a hug goodbye but I'm going to scold her for this whole thing later.

----

I lead the way outside and climb into my car, Spencer hops into the passenger seat and it feels as strange as always to be alone with him. Especially because it's not an accident, and it's not in work. Maybe this was a horrible idea. He seems like he's unwilling to break the silence, so I just get it over with.

"Where the hell do you live man? I'm gonna need directions." I say, as deadpan as I can muster, which probably isn't all that intimidating.

"Sorry, yeah, so you're gonna want to turn on the ignition" he teases. I definitely wasn't intimidating enough.

"Don't push it" I say, turning to give him a cruel stare, he just reacts with a smirk, that same one from the elevator earlier.

"Oh, I'm pushing it?" he asks, feigning disbelief

"I'll kick you out of this damn car" is all I can think to say. He barely responds, he just lets out a soft chuckle. I want to ask 'what's so funny' but he speaks before I can get the words out.

"I can't believe you talk to your Mom about me" he continues to laugh. That's enough.

"You know what Reid, of course I have! I work with actual murderers on a daily basis and somehow you've been the only real source of friction in my life since I joined the BAU!" He stops giggling a little, but not entirely, he looks like he's making an effort to contain himself.

"I'm sorry. I guess I just never knew I got to you like that" he still finds the whole thing amusing, but I sure as hell don't.

"Directions, now" I demand, looking straight out the front windshield.

"Fine, keep going straight on this road for a while and I'll tell you when to turn" he says, finally playing nice.

The two of us drive silently for most of the journey, the radio playing softly in the background. Eventually we arrive outside his building, and it's nicer than I thought it would be. But I have no idea what I was really basing that on. For some reason it hadn't occurred to me that Dr. Reid lived in an actual home, I had pictured him sleeping upside down in a cave maybe, or in a cryogenic chamber with all the other life-like genius robots.

"So," he says, breaking the silence, "When is this wedding?"

"4 months from now, in and around" I respond, matter of factly. Spencer nods, taking it in.

"Alright, so I've got 4 months, in and around, to learn enough to convincingly pass as your loving boyfriend. Doesn't sound so difficult." he jokes, his tone harsh and sarcastic.

"Look Spencer, I know this is insane and honestly kind of stupid. But in all seriousness, you can back out right now if you're not on board with whatever this is. I'm telling you this is the last exit ramp." I try to say it with sincerity, giving him a genuine out if he's not comfortable with the weird set-up that Penelope pulled on us both. He thinks on it for a moment and shakes his head.

"So how are we gonna do this?" he asks, and I really thought he was going to back out. So I don't have an actual answer.

"Well, I uh, I haven't really given a plan much thought. How about I come over and start working on some of the stuff you want digitized like Garcia mentioned and I can use the time to give you the footnotes on my life?" I suggest, at least that would make it easier to knock things out all at once. Rather than having to spend even more of my free time with Reid than necessary. He looks content with the improvised plan.

"Alright, sounds good." he undoes his seatbelt and opens the door to hop out of the car before turning back to me, "Are you coming inside or what?"

— —

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ialwaysknewyouwerepunk · 3 years

Text

fearless - a close reading

this is louis speaking from the heart, getting so honest it hurts. good thing these lyrics are not directed at me bc wow i would be brittle. it’s louis the strong leader shining through, the wise older brother who gently offers advice when someone he cares about is going in the wrong direction. yea ig i did that sorry

i care about this one a lot, and genuinely it’s just another fucking banger, so here we go.

walls, track 8

*playground noises*

Cash in your weekend treasures For a suit and tie, a second wife

(another inconsistency with louis’s album booklet: there it says “cashing” - imp “cash in” makes the most sense, since otherwise there wouldn’t be a sentence)

“weekend treasures” - earns money over the weekend? has fun? good experiences? or is it sarcastic and is “you” just escaping for the sake of it

“cash in”: exchange your fun life for the one in a suit with a wife - living a double life

“suit and tie”: trope of the businessman with the family living a lie (- she)

superficial - looks, image of someone who has their shit together

Now I’m not saying that you could’ve done better Just remember that I, I’ve seen that fire alight

i’m saying you can be better though. i’m an old friend, i know you, and i can see now that your fire has been extinguished

Tell me, do you, tell me, do you still remember feeling young? Tell me the truth, tell me, do you still remember feeling young

conversation; louis is pressing the matter gently, repeating his question with added “tell me the truth” bc “you” is lying, to louis and to themselves

“you” can live a lie all they want but louis sees through it and won’t take them lying to him too. louis wants to get the truth out of them in order to help them

always “young” - old friends, lifelong experiences

And strong enough to get it wrong in front of all these people?

“you” is not being strong atm, though they used to be

“enough” - implies that the challenges and expectations are high and it takes a lot of strength to handle them

“you” is afraid to fail, and though they used to be resilient enough to get back up when it did happen, they lost that will to fight

“all these people” - who are they? an audience, watching? people judging them? “these” also implies they’re still there, and also that they’re close to/ (perhaps) watching louis - otherwise he would’ve used “those”

general “they” on walls, always with the eerie connotation of people judging, exercising influence

“wonder what they’d say if they could see us now” - wmi

“don’t know why they put all of this on us when we’re so young” - wmi

“when they said a love like this would never last” - too young

“and they’ll say, ‘i told you so’” - only the brave

Just for tonight, look inside and spark that memory of you Strong enough to get it wrong in front of all these people

stop ignoring yourself, for once

this person has thoroughly lost themselves: they need to spark the memory first, since that “you” is buried so deep down

“spark” - “fire alight”: keeping up the metaphor of this person’s personality and life force as fire, burning bright

Fearless, fearless Fearless, fearless

remember when you were fearless?

come on, babe, let’s be strong, proud, happy

Now if happiness is always measured By the life you design, that car on the drive

a life by design: fake

material possessions won’t bring you happiness, although “you” seems to be chasing happiness in that direction - got priorities wrong

louis’s own mentality about happiness shining through: it’s all about staying true to yourself, that’s when you’re truly happy

Then you should feel better than ever But you know as well as I, it’s all lies

“we’re in the same boat” - louis knows about this side of life: trying to chase happiness through wealth + living a lie

the life you have as a celebrity is not real: the riches, the attention, the stories; but “you” has lost sight of that, lost themselves in it - started living the lie without staying grounded in their real self, like they used to

implication that a celebrity always leads a double life, no matter what, and the way to stay sane is to keep that split in check, keep those lives separate

Tell me, do you, tell me, do you still remember feeling young?

SYNTHESIS

In Louis’s own track by track, he stays very close to the lyrics (for once) when explaining what the song is about. Additionally, our Peter Pan says that it’s about “encouraging youth and a little bit of recklessness.” *act my age starts playing*

This definitely reminds me of Louis’s relationship with a certain someone, but I’ll leave that in the middle. (There’s so many interpretations that I won’t interfere with your own findings, or my own future findings for that matter. I’d honestly love to hear whatever you think about this song!!)

In any case, Fearless is interesting in how it tells a story about someone else, someone Louis is speaking to and knows well, while it reveals a lot about Louis too. This “you” that has lost their way, lost their spark, has gone down a path that Louis could have gone down too, and maybe he almost did, or even tried out for a bit. Louis is full of patience and understanding, because he knows how hard it can be. He also knows, and says, that it’s necessary to keep re-evaluating yourself and what you’re doing in order to not get lost. He knows how easy it is to lose yourself and lose sight of what really makes you happy. It’s what he’s been singing about throughout the entire album.

Here, his friend, who he’s talking to as if he’s an older brother, almost, seems to have given up the fight without meaning to. What that fight is, in specifics, is something we’ll never know, of course, but Louis is still very revealing. Money, a second wife? If there’s one thing celebrities have said is how easy it is to lose yourself once you’re in the limelight. The attention, the money, the whirlwind of press surrounding you, a manufactured image to keep fans and labels/... as happy as possible... it sounds like hell to try to stay sane. If you have a network of people around you who genuinely care about your wellbeing, you might succeed in keeping your feet on the ground, but not everyone is that lucky. “They” might not have your best interests at heart, which is something Louis seems to have a lot of experience with.

Being a celebrity and staying sane as a someone in the public eye involves this image that’s all lies, but Louis seems to be saying that there’s no way around it. He’s definitely been vocal about how the industry is full of shitty experiences, Copy of a Copy of a Copy as a loud example of that, but he might be saying that the public image, the front that the fans and outsiders believe in, is necessary to be able to maintain some sanity, privacy, happiness.

What “you” has been doing, though, is leaning into that life, that image, that focuses only on material wealth, looks, having the picture-perfect job and relationship, and has lost of who they are along the way. And Louis, their friend since a long time, is asking them to calm the fuck down and use their brain for just one second to see if they can even remember who they used to be. (Honestly, if someone would ask me that? If I could spark the memory of me? I would burst into tears and sob until I was dehydrated. Seriously wtf.)

So, I definitely think there is truth in what Louis said in his track by track, but it digs a little deeper than just asking his friend to take life less seriously. As usual.

I hope the person who this song was directed to got the message and perhaps also made the decision to spend some more time with his old friend Tommo, bc he’s on the right side of things here. (As I think he usually is.) And he’s got their back.

#fearless #lyric analysis #walls analysis #i enjoyed this one very much <3 #such a good song with such great lyrics #also keep in mind that i'm purposefully only hinting at who this might be about bc really i have no idea #it's just a feeling #and it fits for me and that's how i like to roll yk #my brain my reality #anyways let me know what you think!!!

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comradekatara · 3 years

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If you’re still doing spicy takes I think it’s a little biased and uncomfortable that the show presents Iroh as being right about everything, esp after we see how he treats June which was just straight up gross

I disagree that the show ever frames him as “right about everything.” I feel like you’re prioritizing his wisdom that he offers to zuko (among others), which is often profound and lovely, while ignoring the extremely morally grey lens through which he is framed. iroh is immediately established as an antagonist, who, while not exactly inflicting violence on aang himself, is certainly complicit in said violence. he does do his best to discourage zuko, both through more subtle means of distraction, and sometimes just straight up telling him that the avatar doesn’t matter right now. but he doesn’t actually betray the fire nation until his hand is truly and utterly forced—when zhao kills the moon spirit. even then, he says “I’m no traitor,” because he still values the fire nation, but he knows the massive harm destroying the moon would cost to the entire world, and he makes the very sane decision of prioritizing the moon spirit. at that point, he is forced to become a traitor to the fire nation. since he has no animosity towards the people of the earth kingdom (and I think this was always the case, fwiw. he didn’t want to “destroy” them, but instead felt a paternalistic superiority over them, justifying his imperialism. and then in the timeframe of the show, he does genuinely consider everyone his esteemed equal), he’s happy to live amongst them, especially if it helps zuko unlearn fire nation propaganda. he refuses to help azula with her coup, once again proving himself a traitor (but this time with more deliberation), and ultimately takes back ba sing se for the earth kingdom. that said, only six years ago, he was laying siege to it, joking with his family that he would burn it to the ground. lu ten’s death was the catalyst that forced iroh to reevaluate his stance on war. he went decades willingly playing the role of ruthless general, crown prince to the throne, and only when his own son died did it occur to him that the grief he felt upon losing his son to senseless violence was the same grief everyone else felt. that reevaluation of his limits and his values upon losing lu ten doesn’t mean that he became a “good” person—what he gained was new wisdom, insight, spiritual understanding, and empathy. he deeply regrets his past. he was indeed super creepy towards june. he’s a very flawed man, his hands drowning in rivers of blood. is he a good person? that’s complicated. but at the very least, I think he’s a good character.

#the show never presents iroh as perfect #his complexity is part of what makes him so great #like. a BIG part #dykejeans #asks #iroh #He Did War Crimes #but he ultimately saw the error of his ways & now he’s trying to show zuko a better path #which is important #he is an important character #and also hes definitely sexist #it’s called containing multitudes 🙄🙄🙄#analysis #hot takes

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henqtic · 3 years

Text

𝐑𝐮𝐧𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲? || 𝐃.𝐌

summary: You and your childhood friend Draco make the rash decision to runaway after the war and it changes your relationship and lives for the better.

word count: 1.3k

warnings: war, mentions of death, kissing, mentions of birth, pregnancy, parenthood, a five year old falling off of a broom (is that a warning?) Please contact me if there's more!

request: @fa-me- can you do a fix based on the song “The Story” by Conan Gray with draco? pretty fluffy if possible, i would like to not be in tears by the end of it🖐😃

a/n- I had so much fun writing this and I did leave out some lyrics because this was supposed to be happy and not sad. Also in the song I’m pretty sure Conan and the girl were just friends but here they’re not going to be :) [lyrics are in bold]

+ Masterlist | Draco Malfoy Masterlist

gif creds

Now it's on to the sequel

About me and my friend

It was inevitable; the second wizarding war. The world was in the most literal way crumbling down and burning in fire, and all he was worried about was her- nothing else, just her.

Throughout their years at Hogwarts Draco and y/n had an odd relationship- if you would even call it that. They weren’t romantically involved in any way, shape or form, they were just childhood best friends that got a little too close at moments.

Whenever the question did come up of when they would put everyone out of their misery and just get together, it was answered with awkward laughter from both parties.

Both our parents were evil

Now here they were, panicking because they couldn’t find one another, because they were sixteen fighting in a war that was never meant for them, a war set up by their parents' elitist views.

No sane mother or father would've wanted this life for their child. Constantly looking over their shoulders, hoping that one of deadly curses that were flying around wouldn’t make contact with them like it had with their peers.

That young love that had been a safety net for the two teenagers through those dark times was slipping away and they desperately needed to find each other. Just to say it one time, before it was too late.

A flash of platinum blonde hair was all she needed to push through the crowd and sling herself into his arms.

“Draco I was so scared that I lost you and-” Your words were cut off by a soft pair of lips finding their way onto yours. The kiss was warm, the shared feeling of desperation pouring into it. Your hands ran through his hair trying to savor the moment before he abruptly pulled away.

“I love you. I need you to know that before something may happen to us.” The confession came out rushed, almost un-comprehendible but then it clicked in your head, he finally said it.

His hands laid on your cheeks, eyes glued to your plump lips as you repeated the same three words back to him.

The black suit that he thought was appropriate to wear to war was still intact as he haphazardly led you both away from all the chaos into a secluded area.

If we worked and we saved

We could both run away

And we'd have a better life

“We fight on the right side and we run away.” The words of plea came as a surprise to both Draco and the disheveled girl in front of him. “We can’t just run-”

“Yes we can,” he said, cutting you off. “Aren’t you tired of living like this? We’re great students, we can find our own jobs and run away somewhere- away from this.”

It started to make a lot more sense than it did ten seconds ago but you were still unsure about it. It was a radical idea and it probably wouldn’t work out, Merlin, he didn’t even think it would work out.

But it was worth a try right?

The wild that both families held on you was heavy and wasn’t easy to just pull away from.

“Yeah alright, we’ll run away, make a better life,” you repeated still in disbelief that you were going to go against your parents.

That’s just what you did, switch sides in the middle of the war. And fought alongside the people and magical creatures that were against Voldemort. And when it was time for you both to be called out to the other side by your parents...

y/n, Draco, come.

You didn’t. A shaky hand found its way to yours, lacing your fingers together tightly. It kept you both grounded, kept to the right side.

And I was right

I wonder if she's alright

You ended up living in a small house in a muggle neighborhood for a while, it gave you time to breathe from the harsh stares of the wizarding world.

The judging eyes and remarks still followed when you would go to your job at the ministry, pursuing your dream in the study of magical creatures while Draco stayed home, finding a passion in Arithmancy.

The time you two had spent together as an actual couple and not as two teenagers scared of crossing an invisible line opened both of your eyes to what you were missing out on.

And even though it was pretty early, two years later Draco took the next step and got on one knee. The ceremony was inherently small, upon the agreement that only a few close friends should be of attendance. After that, you decided that it was best to try and reconnect with your families face to face and end the stalling monthly letters.

Both were glad to see you happy and healthy- for the most part- but were still upset as to why you would leave ‘without a single reason as to why.’

The birth of Scorpius Malfoy three years later had turned that house that you lived in, into a home filled with an untouchable joy.

And now you sat on a bench in the backyard, letting the June sun hit your skin, watching as your husband tried teaching a hyper five year old how to fly on his first training broom.

It was something you two argued on at first, scared that he would hurt himself- something that he was very prone to doing. But now that you saw how joyful it made them both, you hadn’t regretted the decision. The sight of wide grins glued onto their faces warmed your heart.

You realized that the experience of being away from the constant pressure of your parents had made you the absolute happiest.

Especially witnessing Draco’s cheers of joy when Scorpious finally flew a half a mile on his own. Even if he wasn’t too far from the ground, it was still a great accomplishment.

Your hand instinctively went down to rub your enlarged stomach, another life growing and soon to be delivered in three months time. Through your eyes, your life was perfect as is. The family and the friendships that you had rekindled filled it so much.

Memories of Blaise and Daphne at your wedding reception sparked in your head. They had made a toast centered around the recalling of how you and Draco's actual first kiss was after the Yule ball when a mistletoe ‘mysteriously’ showed up. Turns out it was the antics of two fourteen year olds trying to get their friends together.

“Alright Scorp how about we take a break and you get some water? I need to talk to your mum,” Draco called out, interrupting your thoughts. The boy hurried back into the house not wanting to waste any time before they could go back and practice.

He rushed to sit next to you on the bench, a look of concern already creeping onto his face.

“Are you comfortable? Is it too hot out for you love? Or is it not hot enough?” The questions would have gone on if you hadn’t pressed your lips to his. The effect that you had over him seemingly never faded, the blush evident on his face when you pulled away.

“I’m fine darling stop worrying. I’m just really happy with the way our lives turned out,” you assured, leaning your head on his shoulder.

Even if you couldn’t see, you knew there was a clear smile on his face as he leaned down to press a kiss into your hair. “I love you and the family that we made- and are making.” His hand went over yours, the feeling of pride coursing through his veins.

You hadn’t had a chance to reciprocate the affectionate words before a loud crash sounded making you turn to the blonde in a grimace, sharing a knowing look.

ouch!

You craned your neck in an attempt to see him before Draco just shook his head and got up on his own.

“Stay there Scorp I’m coming!”

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