#leads to shoving everyone you dislike in the Bad People Box

[renegadewangs]

Van Zieks - the Examination, part 11

Warnings: SPOILERS for The Great Ace Attorney: Chronicles. Additional warning for racist sentiments uttered by fictional characters (and screencaps to show these sentiments).

Disclaimer: (see Part 1 for the more detailed disclaimer.) - These posts are not meant to be taken as fact. Everything I’m outlining stems from my own views and experiences. If you believe that I’ve missed or misinterpreted something, please let me know so I can edit the post accordingly. -The purpose of these posts is an analysis, nothing more. Please do not come into these posts expecting me to either defend Barok van Zieks from haters, nor expecting me to encourage the hatred. - I’m using the Western release of The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles for these posts, but may refer to the original Japanese dialogue of Dai Gyakuten Saiban if needed to compare what’s said. This also means I’m using the localized names and localized romanization of the names to stay consistent. -It doesn’t matter one bit to me whether you like Barok van Zieks or dislike him. However, I will ask that everyone who comments refrains from attacking real, actual people.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10

Bring on the game's credits! BRING IT! The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo part 2 is here!

Episode 2-5: The Resolve of Ryunosuke Naruhodo, part 2

This is the first time in a while that I actually want to try other options to see what happens. The 'accusation' leads to some witty banter with a frustrated Stronghart, but 'report' is one that gets a reaction from Van Zieks himself. Ryu theorizes that 'since Klint was a well-bred and fastidious man, and knowing the end was near, he might have wanted to tie up some loose ends in all of his outstanding business'. Van Zieks immediately replies that his brother had no outstanding business.

DID I JUST GET PENALIZED BY THE DEFENDANT??? Just for implying his brother might've had some loose ends to tie up? Van Zieks really hates it when people show his brother even the slightest bit of disrespect, huh? Well, it's about to get a whole lot worse. Let's go for the confession option! Van Zieks definitely doesn't take kindly to this one.

“What are you saying? Do you even realise?! A confession...about the true identity of the Professor... That, that would mean...”

He fumbled his speech, there. We've never heard him do that before. And he's gone back to that bobbing, unsteady animation halfway into the above dialogue. Ryu insists it's the only explanation that fits. The man who murdered those members of the aristocracy wasn't Genshin Asogi at all, it was the one believed to be the fifth victim, Klint van Zieks himself.

Welp. We broke him. Stronghart remarks that Pandora's box has opened at last, making it clear he already knew what we just revealed. The gallery is outraged.

We've gone from well-bred to thoroughbred, have we? Susato feels very bad for Van Zieks, but Ryu asks himself whether such a brilliant prosecutor never suspected “what his older brother really was”. To clear up doubt further, he asks whether Klint Van Zieks owned a dog. Barok doesn't intend to dodge the facts of the situation, it seems.

Not what the concept art says, but it's possible Klint owned a different, smaller dog before Balmung. Van Zieks talks about how loyal the dog was and how it wore a jewel-studded collar which was stolen from the house “some years ago now”. This implies it was less than ten years ago, and must've been kept in the house as a keepsake even after Balmung passed away. Ryu and Susato bring up that they've seen such a collar; it was Selden's loot in case 2-2. They note the fancy B emblem on it, and this is the first time we find out that Klint van Zieks was a married man. His widow's maiden name was Baskerville. It's a little odd to me that for someone who thought so highly of his brother, Van Zieks never mentioned his sister in law before now. Conveniently, it never came up for the sake of a twist, I suppose. Either way, the emblem confirms the collar they saw was Balmung's. Ryu notes there was a considerable amount of blood on the collar (nobody washed this thing?) and while it could've come from typical hunting trips, it could just as well have been human blood. With that, the gallery begins to lean towards the truth that Klint van Zieks really was the Professor himself. Stronghart seems to have realized there's no way out of this now and announces that 'they may have the truth'.

Here comes that 'true nature' thing again, just worded a bit differently. Van Zieks doesn't intend to shirk away from it, though. He's open to the insinuation that his brother was, in truth, something truly horrible. Stronghart explains that Klint attempted to fight the growing darkness in London, only to end up being consumed by it. He also admits that after the fourth victim fell, Genshin showed up at his office, putting forth the accusation that Klint was the Professor. He didn't have any evidence and needed a warrant to get some, but Stronghart refused to anger the aristocracy based on the accusation of a visiting student, so he sent Genshin away. As a result, the man headed over to the Van Zieks mansion and Klint perished. Stronghart continues to admit that he was responsible for pinning the Professor's crimes on Genshin, right down to ordering Gregson to fabricate evidence. Sure enough, the late inspector's earlier claims ring true: it seems he did genuinely believe Genshin to be the killer, but was reluctant to falsify anything until Stronghart strong-armed him into it. The jailbreak agreement was also part of Stronghart's plan; he manipulated Genshin into agreeing by proverbially dangling his 14 year old son in front of him. Van Zieks brings up one more point: that Stronghart was the mastermind behind the Reaper organization. Not only does he admit to it, he calls it a “brilliant idea” and even takes credit for how his “minions” worked tirelessly to ensure Van Zieks was never accused of being the Reaper himself. What a smarmy bumhole. He insists it was all for the preservation of law and order across the empire, and the gallery is actually suckered into falling for this ploy. It seems as if he's going to get away with his masterminding without decent consequences. Kazuma now has one more question for Van Zieks, and it's the exact one Ryu asked himself earlier; did he never have any doubts about his brother?

“My brother's sense of justice was extremely strong. Perhaps...too strong, I observed. [��] During the time of the Professor killings, my brother did not appear to be himself. But it was only once. Not more. Klint wasn't the culprit. That was my conclusion at the time. And I still believe that now. […] The third victim...was the Lord Chief Justice at the time. It was he who had recognized my brother's potential and trained him as a prosecutor. No matter what the circumstances, it's unthinkable that my brother could have killed his friend and mentor!”

So here, we learn that Klint wasn't an infallible paragon of virtue in his brother's eyes. Simply by saying that his sense of justice was “perhaps too strong”, a flaw is being brought to light. Younger Barok saw that Klint's need to ensure justice was overpowering him, and he also saw that during the time of the killings, something was off about his behavior. Enough to have the younger Van Zieks consider, for a brief time, that perhaps the Professor was him. However, the death of the third victim was like a lifeline to him, a flotation device keep him from going under- or perhaps more like a straw to grasp. It offered a sort of justification to him; a firm belief that Klint would never kill his own mentor and therefore he couldn't possibly be the Professor, and Barok was wrong to ever doubt him. However, it was just a very meager excuse to put his suspicions at ease and blind him to the truth. There are, after all, plenty of reasons why Klint would kill that Lord Chief Justice if indeed he were the Professor.

So Stronghart now tries to wrap everything up with a neat little bow, saying that's all the truth they'll be able to get from this trial and he'll present himself at the Ministry of Justice for whatever sanctions are deemed necessary. Since he's the Lord Chief Justice, I can't imagine the Ministry of Justice will give him more than a slap on the wrist. However, he says just a bit too much in his closing statement and Ryu jumps on that immediately. A third page of Genshin's will was hidden from everyone! Turns out, it was a personal message to Kazuma that they never bothered to send to Japan. Governor Caidin conveniently brought it with him and the contents are read aloud after some pressuring. With this last secret message left behind by Genshin, Ryu manages to find Klint's last will and testament hidden inside the Asogi clan's sword. GASP.

Oblivious to the shenanigans playing out in the Court Record section of the game, Stronghart once again tries to end the trial and even goes so far as to say Klint was basically insane when he took his mentor's life (to which Van Zieks objects fiercely). Ryu interjects, saying he has one more piece of evidence to present. When Stronghart calls the very notion absurd, Van Zieks once again raises an objection, pointing out that “this gentleman has an uncanny habit of producing evidence at the final hour that had escaped everyone else's attention.” Which, y'know, is true. That's how Ace Attorney works. I do want to draw attention to the fact that he said “this gentleman” as opposed to “this Nipponese” or even something like “this barrister”. He considers Ryu a gentleman now! So with that, Ryu has the opportunity to shove Klint's will in everyone's face and things escalate very quickly.

Ooh, his speech faltered again. He is shook! And it gets even better when he gets a closer look at the document.

Stronghart panics and demands Ryu hands the document over to him at once. When that fails, he even tries to forcibly adjourn the trial and get everyone to clear the courtroom. If that isn't suspicious, we don't know what is. It sure is satisfying to watch him squirm. Naturally, he can't actually put an end to the trial now- not with so many people watching, so the document is read aloud. It's revealed that Genshin challenged Klint to a duel, so that he might “depart this world with honor”. Klint goes on to write that he finds himself undeserving of this honor and that “the Japanese are a truly merciful people”. So here, already, we get the final nail in the coffin for Van Zieks's entire motivation for racial prejudice and for hating Genshin in particular. Klint never thought ill of Genshin, not even in his final moments. If anything, he was grateful for being put out of his misery and being allowed to 'depart the world with honor'. Genshin's actions were not betrayal; not ever. They were merciful. (COOL MOTIVE, STILL MURDER.) What we also learn is that while Klint did indeed take the life of the first victim on his own accord, he was then immediately identified as the culprit and blackmailed into the next three killings by someone else. You guessed it, it was Stronghart! Despite his earlier panic, he now has a myriad of justification ready, talking about how sacrifices have to be made for the sake of justice and whatnot. He also explains that he was the one who pressured Jigoku into shooting Genshin in the graveyard when Drebber showed up there. He acts like Jigoku is the only one to blame, but considering Stronghart was basically screaming in Jigoku's ear, I wouldn't be surprised if this poor man pulled the trigger by accident simply because he was startled by the shouting. Stronghart was the one who decided that Genshin needed to die and forced Jigoku to act, so Stronghart is the one ultimately responsible. Naturally, Ryu and Kazuma both attempt to argue Stronghart's justifications into the ground. At one point, Stronghart plays the victim card and asks them to acknowledge his 'struggle', but Kazuma insists that this jerk has done nothing and:

WELL. Okay. Looks like we've finally convinced Kazuma that Van Zieks is a victim in this whole ordeal, as well as someone who 'acts justly'. That's a wonderful way forward. With all this out in the open, though, Stronghart offers a literal round of applause. It's true; he's “done nothing” and “merely been surrounded by fools who've acted very rashly indeed”, which means he can't be charged with any crimes. We can't even prove he threatened anyone into doing his bidding, as he says it might as well have been “bargaining”. Thing is, bargaining with someone to end a third party's life is known as “contract killing” and is, in fact, illegal. I can't find any sources to verify whether it was already illegal in 1900 England, but I can only assume so, or people would've gotten away with murders very easily. I guess the bottom line here is that we can't prove Stronghart really did extort or pay anyone to take a life, since there's no material evidence for that sort of thing, nor anyone who can testify on it. Stronghart claims that the minutes of the trial will be heavily redacted to remove matters not related to Gregson's death, in the interest of preserving law and order, as well as to protect the queen. The gallery has now turned against us as well, chanting Stronghart's name.

Here we have a singular opportunity to deviate into the closest thing to a bad ending this game series has. Anyone who remembers the iconic 'the miracle never happen' ending in AA2, or even the bad endings in AA5 where either Trucy or Athena is implied to be killed by Aura, will be sorely disappointed by this one. First, to compare... In the standard ending, no matter how far along you've gotten in the trial- including proving that Stronghart was the Reaper- Van Zieks will still be found guilty. Stronghart will utter the words that he “would like to think however misguided, [Van Zieks] acted out of a sense of justice nonetheless”, and then pronounces the poor man guilty of crimes we've already proven were never committed by him. Now, in this slightly different ending, if you run out of all your penalty points because you fail to present Harely, the dialogue is tweaked. Stronghart declares that for the sake of justice, “the only correct course of action has been unanimously acknowledged by the clear majority here present. All mention of that which has been discussed in this courtroom today will be struck from the records. Barok van Zieks – Or should I say, Reaper of the Bailey... The heinous crimes committed by your brother, Klint van Zieks, will be lost in obscurity, this time forever. May you also find peace now as you join your sibling in the eternal darkness.”

And then, just as in the standard ending, Van Zieks is pronounced guilty and the doors slam shut. So effectively, the only real difference here is that Stronghart really rubs it in our faces that Van Zieks is taking the fall as the Reaper in the eyes of the public. He knows Van Zieks isn't the Reaper- everyone present in the courtroom knows it. However, since the entirely gallery is siding with the real mastermind, the minutes of the trial will be confiscated and destroyed so that the truth will be lost forever. Neither Kazuma nor Ryu reacts to this turn of events on-screen, which is a shame. Van Zieks doesn't fight the adjudication either, he simply accepts the verdict in silence- Hang on, where have we heard that before? Genshin? And didn't Van Zieks say that so long as his death served a purpose, he wouldn't mind dying over being called the Reaper? Stronghart certainly seems to feel that Van Zieks ought to be thrown under the omnibus and sent to the gallows for the sake of minimizing crime in London.

But we're not going to let the true antagonist of this game get away with his bullshit! Time to pull Harely's ears! Cue another (S)Holmeus Ex-Machina where it turns out the entire secret trial has been livestreamed to the Queen of England through holograms. By royal decree, Stronghart is stripped of his title and will be prosecuted for his crimes at a later time. FINAL BOSS, DEFEATED.

With Stronghart out of the way, Van Zieks has some closing sentiments to offer.

“Is that my brother left this world without a word to me.”

I can see why that might bug him. Van Zieks always looked up to his brother and shielded him from disrespect even a decade after his death, but Klint in turn didn't seem to want to leave any parting sentiments for him, not even a simple farewell. That's not the case, though! Susato points out there's actually more to Klint's will than was read aloud, so let's hear it now.

“Barok, you have always looked up to me, and now, you follow in my footsteps to become a prosecutor. It is my fervent wish that my unspeakable deeds should not hinder your advancement. I ask not for understanding, for none could understand my depravity. I ask only for forgiveness. Asogi is a fine detective, and a hunter worthy of respect. He has agreed to honour my final two wishes. The first is that this document survives. The second... I cannot commit to paper. I have confessed my sins to my wife. May she find resolution in my death. With my eternal gratitude to my Japanese friend, I rest my quill.”

Imagine how different things would've ended if the will had found its way to Van Zieks shortly after Klint's death. It would've prevented so much grief and so much prejudice, because if Van Zieks had learned that Klint still regarded Genshin with so much respect and gratitude even in this situation, he would never have blamed him for Klint's death nor considered it too great a betrayal. Everything that happened was in line with Klint's wishes. As it stands now, the words in Klint's will basically serve to scold Van Zieks for his attitude and hatred these past ten years.

Yep, there we go. The final straw. He's been truly, utterly embarrassed and made to confront his mistakes. When Stronghart explains how his ambition to become Attorney General is what prompted him to silence people like Watson and Gregson. Van Zieks asks him whether he ever bothered to count the number of brilliant people he had killed. Kind of a questionable remark, since Stronghart mostly had criminals killed. We don't even know for sure whether Watson was a good person or not; he comes across as a cowardly skeeve. I guess Van Zieks is mostly talking about Genshin, but even that is... Uh...

I received an Ask a while back, bringing up the matter that Genshin appears to be exonerated of any wrongdoing when the truth of Klint's death is revealed. That despite duels being outlawed and it being literal murder, Kazuma seems to take this truth as his father's name being cleared. Indeed, going over everything we've learned so far, it feels as if the narrative has set up both Klint and Genshin, and even characters like Jigoku and Gregson, as victims of Stronghart's manipulation. The thing is, though... Both Genshin and Klint took at least one life of their own free will, Jigoku pulled a trigger twice for the sake of his own career (and recruited someone into an assassin plot), Gregson conspired with a notorious assassin to commit over a dozen murders just because his boss told him it was the right thing to do... Feeling bad about murder or resorting to it because 'the other person is even worse and needs to be stopped' doesn't change that it's murder. It doesn't seem as if Kazuma or anyone else outright says their loved ones are absolved of any responsibility/their names are cleared, but it does really come across as if the narrative wants you to forgive them. So uh... Yes. This is something the game should have properly addressed, instead of just going 'oh, these poor people, all used as puppets by the final boss'.

Anyway, (S)Holmes takes the time to remind Van Zieks that he's the defendant in this case, not the prosecutor. Our old friend Santa Judge returns for the adjudication! Turns out, he was in the gallery all along. (Was he chanting Stronghart's name too?) He talks about how the darkness of the past ten years has lifted, in part thanks to a bright young star from the East. Awww, we've completely won over the judge! Van Zieks now also has something to add.

“I had the faintest of intimations. That if British justice, so warped and twisted over its long history, was finally to know change... This might just be the man to do it. But at the time, I wouldn't allow myself to acknowledge the possibility. I couldn't overcome my hatred of the Japanese, after the circumstances of my brother's death. Mr. Naruhodo...”

He takes a flourishing bow here, an acknowledgment that Ryu is worthy of his respect and perhaps even that Ryu is superior to him, then stands up straight again for the final whammy.

Ryu is shocked and Susato is brought to tears. We did it, y'all. We've secured the full, heartfelt apology. I'm not sure there's really anything to add to this, nor anything we could want from it at this point in time. Ryu doesn't say he forgives Van Zieks for his discourtesies, but considering how hard he worked to get this guy cleared of murder, that would feel kind of out of place. The forgiveness happened long before Van Zieks apologized, or so is the implication. (Is that the correct narrative path? Not at all, but I'll get back to that in the conclusion.) So after some more closing words from Ryu, Van Zieks gets his not-guilty verdict and court is adjourned.

In the defendant's lobby, Ryu feels a bit conflicted about how this whole thing went down. Susato tries to cheer him up by saying that everything will seem much better once he sees Van Zieks's smiling face. Indeed, in most other Ace Attorney games, this would be the point where at last, an emotionally distant defendant/witness drops their walls and allows themselves to smile (or cry). Just think of Gina, Lana Skye or even Athena Cykes when she cries tears of joy during AA5's ending. Hilariously enough, Van Zieks is not one of those characters.

This is a really fun subversion of expectations and Ace Attorney tropes. And I still believe his face got frozen like that. Even so, he's got something heartfelt to say.

“For you to have risen to the level of excellence you demonstrated today... Well, it's quite remarkable.”

Sounds like a hatchet job of a compliment at first glance, but the sentiment is there. It is extremely remarkable for a foreign exchange student who's only been in the country for about 9 months- and who only spent like 2 of those as an active lawyer- to rise to such a level that he not only uncovers the truth of the current case, but of a cold case from 10 years prior, which was part of a huge cover-up. Ryu points out that he exposed a most 'unpalatable truth' in court and that he feels as if he robbed Van Zieks of something precious. Van Zieks doesn't seem to agree. He reminisces on Stronghart's words.

“But that... That was just the feeble excuse of a coward. Only those with a steadfast eye for the truth have what it takes to fight the dark forces of crime. You made fine work of establishing that fact in court today.”

So once again, he's complimenting Ryu's courtroom performance. Not only that, but he's acknowledging (in different words) the earlier sentiment that the truth needs to come out, no matter how painful. Perhaps, indirectly, he's calling himself a feeble coward as well. Ryu and Susato are proud of Van Zieks's growth, with Susato saying that surely Kazuma would be smiling if he were here. Naturally, when he shows up at that very second, he isn't smiling at all. Like mentor, like disciple! Kazuma takes a polite bow before Van Zieks and congratulates him on his acquittal. Naturally, after watching Kazuma prosecute so ferociously for two whole episodes, that doesn't feel sincere. Van Zieks asks him whether he doesn't instead want to curse him. Kazuma apologizes for his earlier behavior, which does feel 100% sincere.

“Your father, Genshin... If I had been stronger, then perhaps... I made an unforgivable error of judgment. … I can offer no excuse.”

One more apology to add to the pile! And here we once again reach that question of whether the narrative is acting like Genshin should be absolved of all blame. In a technical sense, Van Zieks wasn't wrong to prosecute Genshin, since he did seriously murder Klint. That alone is already warranting of the death penalty, so the added crimes of the Professor on top of that don't change too much. However, I don't think Van Zieks's lines truly relate to the Professor trial itself. The error of judgment, in my eyes, can also be seen as the blind acceptance that Genshin betrayed him (as well as Klint) when there was actually far more at play. This notion that Genshin was a horrid traitor who abused their trust and hospitality was then allowed to grow into an irrational hatred which festered for a decade. Regardless of whether Genshin killed Klint, the insistence that the man's true nature was that of a monster was wrong, and I think that's what he's apologizing for. To be clear, he's not apologizing for racist sentiments uttered towards Kazuma or anyone else from Japan with these lines. This purely relates to his treatment of Genshin. However, he already apologized for his many discourtesies back in the courtroom and I think the racist outbursts were part of those discourtesies.

Kazuma says he can offer no forgiveness, which is totally fair. Kazuma isn't obligated to forgive this man. He does, however, admit that he has respect for Van Zieks, since he “fought for justice and the truth”.

Awww! Remember how in my very first 'strong thought about Barok' post, I pointed out that Barok almost appears to have been designed to be Kazuma's rival prosecutor instead of Ryu's? Yeah. Here we see it very clearly. The reconciliation conversation between these two feels like a much better resolution than the conversation between Van Zieks and Ryu.

So now Kazuma brings up that Genshin promised to do two things for Klint, but the second wasn't mentioned in the will. Mikotoba shows up to share a very heartbreaking tale about Klint's unnamed widow, the lady Zieks-Baskerville, who was hiding out in Dartmoor and passed away from childbirth very shortly after Genshin was executed. The newborn baby girl survived, though! Van Zieks blurts out that that makes no sense. “Why on Earth wouldn't Klint have entrusted the child to my care in that case?!” And that alone is already kind of tragic, but what really packs a wallop is this:

This means Klint and his wife deliberately kept the pregnancy from him. It's never explained why. Genshin showed up at the manor in the spur of the moment and Klint died that very same night, when his wife must've already been around 8 or 9 months pregnant. (she gives birth about a week or two later, after all.) Klint says that he 'confessed his sins to his wife', but that also must've been very recent, if not that very same night, since Stronghart was threatening to tell Klint's wife and brother of his misdeeds. Stronghart's hold on Klint would've weakened if he'd told her the truth months ago, which in turn implies the both of them decided not to tell Barok while she herself was still oblivious to the Professor truth. Honestly, it all feels like a vague plotconvenience.

What is explained is why the newborn baby wasn't entrusted to Van Zieks. It isn't because Klint had the amazing foresight to know his younger brother would become a salty, loner alcoholic; it's because he and his wife feared the truth of the Professor might come out. Heck, if Genshin had never been arrested for Klint's death, perhaps it would've come out for certain. “The girl would be forever branded as the daughter of the infamous mass murderer.” So the baby girl was distanced from the Van Zieks family as much as possible, with all of London unaware of her existence. This girl is, of course, Iris.

Right on cue, the Harely plushie activates to receive a call from (S)Holmes and Iris. She invites everyone over to 221B for a feast and makes sure to invite “Mr. Reaper” too. He very awkwardly declines the offer.

Humanization? Humanization! He does, however, give Iris his word that he'll present himself at 221B in the near future to express his gratitude. I think a big part of why he declined the offer was because he wouldn't feel at home during the big celebration when a whole group of people is there. He'd much rather visit Iris during a more quiet, private moment and that's sweet too. Plus, I don't think he's in the mood for a celebration, considering all the horrible truths he's learned in a single day.

So now Kazuma prepares to leave and asks Van Zieks to accompany him. The wording of “would you care to-” makes it very clear this isn't a demand, it's a very soft request that Van Zieks is free to decline. Not that he hesitates for even a second. Here's some more parting words.

“I believe... You saved my life.”

He takes a deep, flourishing bow and honestly I've lost track of how many times he's praised/thanked Ryu by now. More than Edgeworth thanked Phoenix, most likely. The prosecutor duo prepares to walk away, but Ryu calls after Van Zieks, asking him to wait. Which he does. Ryu asks him what he intends to do now.

... “Prosecutor van Zieks chooses death”??? In a way, he's thinking of pulling a similar move. He intends to publicize the full truth of the Professor, and I can only imagine that includes Stronghart's involvement in what went down 10 years ago. Maybe he'll even share the truth of the Reaper who's haunted the courtroom all these years. He believes that “once that's done, the Van Zieks family will be ostracised completely from London society.” (I don't think he means living family members, but rather, the legacy of the Van Zieks name and the rights associated with it.) So because of that, he intends to leave the capital as soon as he's free of his employment. Considering how easily this man took a five year sabbatical and adding in the fact that the Lord Chief Justice just got arrested, I expect his resignation could be as easy as packing his desk and leaving his office without saying a word. Kazuma, however, calls him a fool and a coward. He basically dares Van Zieks to keep going now that he's finally freed from the pseudonym of the Reaper. Van Zieks neither agrees with the sentiment nor shoots it down, instead saying it's unexpected to hear those words from Kazuma of all people. With that out in the open, they leave for realsies.

Just as Van Zieks doesn't attend the Baker Street party, he isn't there when Ryu's at the docks to return to Japan. I like to think Kazuma did bother to tell Van Zieks that Ryu is leaving the country, because withholding that information seems like a bit of a jerk move, but... Well. Not showing up at the docks to say some final farewells is even more of a jerk move on Van Zieks's part. Though it's possible he felt he wasn't wanted there, and may eventually ask for Ryu's address so he can write a letter (which is far less imposing than invading a heartfelt farewell with a scowling face). It's a shame, though. I would've liked to hear his thoughts on Ryu's departure.

We learn that Kazuma will “stay in Lord van Zieks's tutelage for the time being” to become a full-fledged prosecutor. Which is fine, I guess. It doesn't matter whether he's a defense attorney or a prosecutor; all that matters is the pursuit of the truth. What catches my interest is that even with all that bad blood and refusal to forgive Van Zieks, Kazuma still agrees to keep studying as his disciple. This implies to me that he sincerely doesn't believe Van Zieks to be a bad person anymore, and acknowledges he can learn a lot from this man. Which is not the same thing as being on friendly terms with him, but at the very least he's giving Van Zieks the benefit of the doubt when it comes to improving their... Well, their dynamic, I suppose I should call it.

On to the credits scenes we go! This time, Van Zieks legit does get a scene of his own, but before we address this one, I want to skip ahead real quick to Albert Harebrayne's scene.

“He sent me a very nice letter saying he'd like to show me around now that everything was settled. B-But what have I done? I was so excited, I picked this splendid hotel and now I can't afford the bill! Oh Barok! Come to my rescue again, please! I, I wish I could just vanish into thin air sometimes!”

Several things of note can be taken out of this little scene. First of all, with the Reaper nonsense behind them, Van Zieks seems to have wasted very little time with asking his best buddy to return to London for that sightseeing that was promised. Presumably, he even paid for the trip (again), since Albert still seems to be very low on money. This, coupled with the fact that Van Zieks was reading that letter with quite a bit of dedication in his jail cell, indicates to me that he's longing for the good old days, when he could smile and have friends. He's trying to return to a sense of normalcy and since Albert is still considered his closest friend, it makes sense he'd reach out to him instead of a relative stranger like Kazuma. Baby steps. Now, the fact that Albert says “come to my rescue again” sets the very clear tone that this guy believes Van Zieks has helped him before- during the trial, of course. It's another reinforcement of the notion that Albert is thankful Van Zieks chose the role of prosecutor in order to defend the teleportation theory, even if it meant that he himself would be branded a murderer. Despite his gruff exterior and blunt words, Albert thinks of Van Zieks as a sort of knight in shining armor who will come save him. … With cold hard cash, in this case, but it's the gesture that counts. Van Zieks might allow Albert to stay in his mansion instead, but it depends how high the risk of assassination is at this point in time. People are probably hating on the Van Zieks family now that the truth of the Professor is out.

On to credits scene of Van Zieks himself! We have confirmation by now that he hasn't retired as a prosecutor, since Kazuma already expressed his intent to keep studying under him. So we see Van Zieks in his office, addressing Klint's painting.

“In those days, when I was known as the Reaper, I felt your presence at my side. Once, unable to bear the burden of that grim pseudonym, I even retired from the courtroom. Despite everything, I still wear your prosecutor's badge with pride. But the darkness that beset me is no more. As you, too... Are no more.”

The first two sentences of this bit feel very disjointed and barely related to me, so I had a quick look at some fan translations. First is the sub translation on Youtube: “I could feel you standing by my side through the days in which I was called the Reaper. Yet there were times I could not bear the burden of that name, and left the courtroom far behind me.” The “yet” is very crucial, since it makes the insinuation that feeling his brother's presence was very important to Van Zieks, but the burden became so overwhelming that he retired anyway. Taisa the Gamer's script doesn't have a “yet” in it, nor any equivalent, but the sentence structure still flows well enough not to cast doubt on how he felt about Klint's supposed presence. Contrasting that, the localization's wording with “even” almost makes it seem like feeling Klint's presence was a negative thing- that he was overwhelmed by it and that this was the burden associated with the Reaper name, as opposed to the killings. Which can't possibly be right; he already admitted to us that the idea of his brother's ghost helping him was one of the main reasons he kept on being the Reaper. So long story short, the localization's take on these first two lines is a little off.

The prosecutor's badge thing, however, is spot on. Despite everything- despite the 'true nature' of Klint now exposed, Van Zieks still wears the badge with pride. We know the badge is symbolical, of course. He still believes in Klint's sense of justice and he's still going to openly admit to being Klint's brother- to being a Van Zieks. That's sweet. He goes on to say that the darkness within him is no more. To really grasp what that means, let's go back to the end of case 2-3 for a second. There, Van Zieks says that after his brother's death, he found himself in “a very dark place indeed”. In case 2-4, he mentions that he refuses to trust others to protect himself against betrayal, but has now sunk into a proverbial mire which makes it impossible to breathe. All of that is the same darkness he's referring to now, I'm sure. I don't believe depression can lift this easily; there's no way that darkness is no more. However, I think what he means to say is that it no longer has such a strong hold on him that it manifests in paranoia and irrational hatred. He has a chance now to start fresh and that's what he intends to do. He's striding away from that darkness, towards a brighter future. In order for a person to change for the better, they themselves have to want to change, and it looks like Van Zieks is all for that. Which at last brings us to the conclusion of this essay series! The conclusion, which looks back on the original query posed in Part 1, will once again include a load of screencaps. To keep the post size lighter, I'm going to put it in a separate post. I hope you'll look forward to it!

#dgs #dgs spoilers #tgaa #tgaa spoilers #barok van zieks #ALMOST THERE #HHHHHHHHH

[prorevenge]

Sexual Perv - Revenge is Sweeter When They Don't Know It's You

​

So this is a story about a guy I considered a friend. To this day, he has absolutely no idea that I am the main person who exposed him and I hope to keep it that way.

The main characters in this story are Myself, Badass Pilot, Girlfriend1, Girlfriend2 and Girlfriend3, Young Female Pilot, and a bunch of other randos needed to fill out the story. I witnessed most of this myself, but I also included details from other people who witnessed things when I was not there. I fully trust the sources of the reports.

So Badass Pilot is a pilot, as the name suggests, but he doesn't work for an airline. He started teaching at a flight school in his 20s but decided to strike out on his own because, as he told everyone else, he could do it better. He spends the next few years trying to destroy the reputation of his first employer. Badass Pilot is a very likeable guy and lots of people think he's awesome and believe him. I am one of them.

Now when he starts out, he drives a super shitty car, doesn't have an office, gets evicted from his apartment for not paying rent, and so on. But people like him and they help him set up a school and help fix it up, and generally give him a hand. Every once in a while people get pissed off at him because he does shitty things to other people, but his circle of friends defend him and just think he's great. He tells these pretty whopping tales, he's funny, and people naturally like to be with him. A lot of his stories have made-up details designed to put other people down, but he tells them in a highly entertaining way. His behavior is a bit crazy, and some of the reason people hang out with him is that he will do crazy stuff that is not normal, plus now he throws good parties.

He also has this cute girlfriend, Girlfriend1, and they end up living together. To be clear, she is pretty cool, definitely not a raging B, is fun, throws him a huge party for his 30th birthday, and so on. Now, while he's with Girlfriend1, he is still coming on to other women when she's not looking. A couple of times I have seen him totally love bomb a hot girl, usually someone in a vulnerable position like if he knows she's going through a bad breakup. He showers them with attention, gets them totally interested in him, says Girlfriend1 cheated on him, they're on a break, or some other such story that isn't true. He sleeps with them, and then he ghosts them and says they're crazy, and does anything else he can to get rid of them so Girlfriend1 doesn't get suspicious. As an example, after he cheated on Girlfriend1 with one girl, she tried to get in touch with him after he ghosted her, which is a actually a reasonable thing to do. Instead of talking to her himself, Badass Pilot lied and told everyone she was crazy and was stalking him, reported her to his friends at the police department, and had the police call her and tell her to shove off. On top of that, he also starts telling these crazy stories about Girlfriend1, totally criticizing her behind her back, telling everyone what a loser she is, and generally not appreciating having a relationship that most people would love to have. So you get the idea on how he treats women.

When Badass Pilot and Girlfriend1 finally break up, he told everyone that SHE was cheating on HIM when it was the other way around. His excuse for tanking an interview for his dream job was that he discovered Girlfriend1 was cheating the night before, he was an emotional wreck and that's why he flubbed the interview. There were a bunch of inconsistencies with his timeline and I knew it wasn't true but he told the story to anyone within earshot and people just accepted his version of events. And so he made everyone hate the ex and feel sorry for him, which is a common theme.

So anyhow, he and Girlfriend1 break up, he is drinking heavily, partying all the time, and a bunch of us get a front row seat as he comes close to destroying his life, parties hard, acts like a sleaze, hits on women constantly, and works his way through any woman who will sleep with him setting some new low records.

A few months later he hooks up with one of his students, let's call her Girlfriend2, and pretty much immediately moves into her house. This seems to stabilize him and help him get his life on track. Over the next few years he gets a cush offer flying corporate charters. He's a likeable guy, which helps him get a sweet contract as a private pilot for a billionaire, which he brags about nonstop to everyone. They also pay for him to get trained to fly jets. He gets a new car that doesn't look like a piece of shit, and he lives in a nice house. His flight school is no longer a frat house and it's more of a family friendly environment. Girlfriend2 helps him out at the flight school and life is pretty good for Badass Pilot.

To put the icing on the cake, the FAA is looking for new blood to fill a highly prestigious job of pilot examiner. These are people who are pilots with a lot of experience, well respected members of the local community with good judgment and a lot of power over student pilots and other flight schools. They also tend to make tons of money because they can charge any price people will pay to get their license and there isn't a lot of competition. Badass Pilot has friends at the FAA who like him, and he gets the job. He brags to people that it's like printing money tax free since students have to pay in cash (sounds weird, I know, but it's true) and he says the IRS doesn't need to know about it. So Badass Pilot is now in his 30's at the pinnacle of his career, earning tons of money, and has lots of power over people in the industry. And the success really goes to Badass Pilot's head.

Now, as you might have guessed, Badass Pilot is still the same person he was before, just with a lot more money, power, and success.

Badass Pilot still likes to brag loudly that he is the best instructor around and he has the best flight school. He still tells people how bad other flight schools in the area are, even though he shouldn't be saying anything due to his job as an examiner. He talks about his friends and his students and tells embarrassing stories about them, but I don't think much of it because they're funny and they're not about me. It doesn't really register with me at the time, but he is really good at getting other people to pile on and hate the people he hates and really good at destroying peoples reputations behind their back with things that turn out to be total lies. I start to hear him put down Girlfriend2 and say things about her that I know aren't true. I still don't pay attention to it because there are lots of loud guys in aviation who like to brag and make up stories. I continue to think of him as a friend and have even confided in him about something that I am sensitive about and looked to him for advice.

So one day when I'm in town I was hanging out with him and a bunch of people at the Badass Pilot flight school shooting the breeze. After I left I realized I forgot something, so came in the back way through the mechanic shop next door. I heard him talking in his very loud voice so everyone could hear, and that's when I realized he was talking about me. Not only was he talking about me, but he was totally lying about my embarrassing situation, made it totally different and a thousand times worse than what it was, and turned it into something that could potentially end my career. I thought he respected me and was my friend, but he was destroying my reputation and tearing me down behind my back.

Luckily nobody saw me and I slinked out the way I came in. I spent weeks feeling humiliated and betrayed. I reflected on the way I had seen him treat people and started to see things in a different light.

Now, I knew that he had tanked some careers. He has a lot of contacts in the industry, and he has bragged about calling companies that are hiring and telling them not to hire certain people. One of his favorite sayings is that aviation is a small world and you shouldn't burn any bridges because it will come back to bite you in the ass. He bragged several times about bringing people down a peg and making someone he disliked lose a job they had applied for by calling the company owner. Usually he did it because he wanted to take revenge for something he thought they did to him, but he was also jealous of people who graduated college (he didn't) and people who came from stable families (he didn't). He would always talk about how bad his home life was as a child and really try to get people to feel sorry for him. Keep in mind he's an adult in his late 30s.

I also knew that despite becoming more stable with GF2, he had not changed his ways with women. He acted like he respected women in front of GF2. But every time he was off on a trip, and even at his own airport, he could get pretty aggressive with women would push them hard to see how far he could take things.

As an example, he flirted aggressively with the receptionist at the building next door from his flight school. The receptionist was young and relatively new and had no idea Girlfriend2 existed. She (F18 or 19) called the Badass Pilot flight school and left a flirty message for Badass Pilot (M35), totally in line with how Badass Pilot was interacting with her. I was not there, but a witness said GF2 played the message on the machine and made Badass Pilot listen to it. He sheepishly said he had no idea why she would leave such a message, and Girlfriend2 told him in no uncertain terms that he was obviously leading her on, exploiting a young woman, and he needed to stop. Then, instead of taking responsibility for his own actions, Badass Pilot took revenge on the young girl. He immediately complained to the airport manager and got her fired. She ended up packing her stuff in a box and leaving that same day. So, while Badass Pilot is fun to be around as long as you're on his good side, he will F** you up if he thinks you are against him. I knew I had to be careful.

I wasn't sure yet what I was going to do, but I decided I needed to be close in order to get more information. So I sucked it up, pretended I wasn't humiliated and had never heard him talking about me, and spent more days at the flight school when I had time off. Everyone at the flight school was in and out all the time, so sometimes I'd be the only person there and I could easily sit down behind Badass Pilot's desk and start scrolling through his files.

That's when I hit the jackpot.

Badass Pilot was logged into all the same accounts on his desktop that he was on his phone, email, messaging, everything. And boy did he like to text. Now one of the things some of his students complained about was that Badass Pilot would not stop texting, even when he was supposed to be instructing people in the plane. He even lost a few students who were so annoyed by him texting during a lesson that they went somewhere else for lessons. And now I knew why.

Badass Pilot was a sex addict.

That's the only way I can describe it. Some people might describe him as a serial sexual harasser. His entire messaging history was full of cybersex, photos, videos, you name it, it was right there on his computer. I copied everything. I played the videos and recorded them on my phone, I took the snapshots, I took pictures of the texts. I must have spent an hour trying to copy this stuff and I ran out of time because someone came back, so I minimized the tabs and casually left the office.

I enlisted the help of another aviator that Badass Pilot had screwed over and we went through the treasure trove with a fine tooth comb. We had to research the phone numbers to find out who these people were and we classified them into "known aviation" and other. We even found that he was doing the nasty with a couple of people there at the flight school...not quite the family friendly environment everyone thought it was.

It became clear that his cybersex activity made him totally ineligible to be an FAA examiner. Plenty of the texts were just plain sexual harassment from a guy with a lot of power in the aviation industry, flirting with and pressuring young women who were hoping to become pilots for everything from sexy photos to sexual acts, sometimes pretending it was all just a big joke. He had no problems sending dick pics to women. That in and of itself made him unqualified to be an examiner. However, he went even further and had sexual contact with at least one person he tested. This is extremely dangerous because it compromises his ability to evaluate if someone is able to pilot a plane safely. If he is threatened with a lawsuit or criminal charge and has to test one of these women, or even someone they know, he might be coerced to pass an unsafe pilot, which could result in death.

August 2017

My pilot friend and I decide the best thing to do is send the information to the FAA, but we know we have to do it anonymously because our careers could be on the line. So we carefully packaged up a bunch of evidence, sent it in to the FAA office that he reported to, and waited for the fallout.

AND. NOTHING. HAPPENED.

The FAA literally ignored evidence that they had a sexual predator as a pilot examiner. This is a pretty old boys club environment, so maybe not too surprising.

For our next attempt we approached a Young Female Pilot we identified from the evidence who seemed like she tried to stop Badass Pilot when he got out of hand with her. We approached her to see if she would be willing to come forward and tell the FAA about her experience. She basically said all it would do was get her slut-shamed and blacklisted, especially after she heard that the FAA did nothing with our anonymous package we sent in. She said Badass Pilot would most likely ruin her career and nobody would hire her and he would make sure her reputation was destroyed. I had to agree.

Fast forward to 2018: I Make Him Homeless

I thought maybe I should just tell Girlfriend2 about what I had found, but I kept chickening out. I also didn't want to be exposed myself, as I have to protect my career and I was certain Badass Pilot would try to destroy me if he found out. One morning I was sitting in the school playing with the ipad while Girlfriend2 was behind the desk. Wouldn't you know it, she is texting Badass Pilot, who is flying, and Badass Pilot is logged into the flight school ipad I'm using! I can see her messages to him, and I can also see that he had cybersex with someone the night before and that he sent a video of himself masturbating to a student before that! I take photos for evidence, as usual.

Girlfriend2 is reading and not looking up at me so I just mumble something and hand her the ipad with the sexting open full screen as I walk out the door. I wait in the parking lot in my car, and about 10 minutes later, Girlfriend2 leaves the school with the ipad in hand and drives home.

I made sure to be scarce the rest of that day as I didn't want to raise any suspicions about my own involvement. Apparently Girlfriend2 owns the property where they live, so she immediately moved his stuff out and permanently banned Badass Pilot, who started sleeping at the flight school. From what I pieced together that week, Girlfriend2 was so alarmed by the evidence that she demanded that Badass Pilot see a therapist or she would report him to the authorities and he could potentially be arrested. One thing I should mention is that Girlfriend2 has a child, which is important. Badass Pilot was using her child to set up booty calls for himself (set up playdate with another child, have sex with child's mother while kids are paying video games).

Badass Pilot slept on a cot in the flight school, stayed drunk, and looked like a homeless person for a couple of months before he ended up getting his own place.

We also let Badass Pilot's billionaire employer know that he was a sexual predator, as well as a few other people anonymously. I wanted to make sure Girlfriend2 knew all the gory details of Badass Pilot's sexual activities in case she was even considering getting back together with him after he did therapy, so I kept sending her more information anonymously too.

Young Female Pilot kept in contact and apparently had some conversation with other female pilots. Nobody was willing to go on record but they all started sending anonymous letters to the FAA hoping they would at least investigate him.

The next thing I hear is that Badass Pilot is telling everyone that he broke up with Girlfriend2, that she is crazy and trying to destroy his reputation, and that she's sending false anonymous letters to the FAA because she's jealous. From what we could tell, the FAA interviewed Badass Pilot, but nothing happened because he blamed Girlfriend2 for sending the letters. True to form, Badass Pilot also made sure everyone at the flight school hated her and felt sorry that that he was being victimized by her. He also called the police and told them she was harassing him and told them he was banning her from his flight school.

Nothing else happens. This all starts to die down and Badass Pilot is still an examiner. He still works for his billionaire boss as well as a very wealthy owner of a car dealership who also races cars, and he still runs a flight school with plenty of students. Again, he starts sleeping with another student at the school, who will now be named Girlfriend3. Badass Pilot continues to complain to everyone that he has been victimized by Girlfriend2. Badass Pilot gets Girlfriend3 (who has never met Girlfriend2) so wound up about her that she is spitting tacks every time she is mentioned. This is important later.

Fast forward to 2019: WTF?!

Not only has Badass Pilot not been punished by the FAA, but the FAA has INCREASED his responsibilities so that now he can also conduct instrument flight exams for students!

Young Female Pilot stays in touch and we talk periodically, sworn to secrecy, of course. We have a couple of male pilots who are also sworn to secrecy to protect our own jobs. When the FAA promoted Badass Pilot to instrument examiner despite all of the complaints they had received, Young Female Pilot and her friends get really pissed off. They are still unwilling to risk their own jobs, however. (Reader, please don't judge me or Young Female Pilot for this...it is very expensive to become a pilot, easy to get blacklisted by someone at the FAA or someone like Badass Pilot, and then you have no way to make a living or to pay back a huge amount of student loans if you're in debt.)

So we hatch a plan to have her call Girlfriend2 and tell her about the frustrations of the other female pilots in hopes that she will think of something to do. A detail I should mention, Girlfriend2 does not fly for a career, and she has her own business not related to aviation. So Young Femail Pilot calls Girlfriend2 on someone else's phone. Girlfriend2 doesn't know Young Female Pilot and we don't think she would betray her, but the situation is still very risky for Young Female Pilot She discusses how frustrating it is that a serial sexual harasser gets promoted by the FAA with no consequences when the FAA knows about his harassment, and Girlfriend2 agrees that she will try to make information public to protect other women. She agrees to post a review on Yelp and maybe some other platforms.

I do my best to be at the Badass Pilot flight school when this goes down. True to her word, Girlfriend2 posts a very straightforward and factual Yelp review and heads EXPLODE at the flight school! People are forwarding the review on and it spreads like wildfire all over the aviation industry. Think "owner sends messages of himself masturbating to female students." Yikes! And totally true!

Other people have posted unfavorable reviews before, but Badass Pilot has been able to have them taken down, falsely claiming that the review is a fake account or from a competing flight school. But there has been nothing like this that I know of. Badass Pilot and Girlfriend3 (who now appears to be a co-owner of the flight school and who has posted a positive review of the school on Yelp) go into damage control mode. Badass Pilot tries to get Girlfriend2 arrested or at least harassed by his friends at the local police department. He's frantically trying to get the review shut down with Yelp. His brain is literally exploding and I, along with everyone else at the school, am agreeing with him that Girlfriend2 is a total lying, crazy, conniving, vindictive B, and that she needs to be punished.

All while laughing on the inside.

Badass Pilot next engages one of his instructors, who was friends with Girlfriend2, to meet with her and ask her to take down the review, but she does not. Badass Pilot is finally successful in getting Yelp to remove the review a day or two later. The same process also happens with another platform that shall remain nameless.

Badass Pilot gets everyone to bombard Girlfriend2 with hate mail, which makes me glad I am still anonymous. Badass Pilot also tells the instructors at his school that they are not allowed to be friends with Girlfriend2 and they will be fired if they are.

Fast forward to August 2019: Mission Accomplished!

What happened to Badass Pilot:

We later found out that the FAA ended up doing an investigation on Badass Pilot. Finally. Badass Pilot totally lost all of his examiner privileges. On top of that, his flight school had an FAA written testing center, which was also permanently closed. And even beyond that, Badass Pilot can't have any affiliation with the FAA in any way, shape, or form. He can't even host an educational seminar or continuing credits class for the FAA.

While some up and coming pilots and people outside the industry might never hear about Badass Pilot being totally humiliated and losing his examiner status, believe me when I tell you that everyone in the profession knows what happened. And it has got to BURN!

What happened to me:

I am pretty much back to enjoying my time at the airport like I used to. There are still parties and flyouts, and ultimately some people don't care that Badass Pilot sexually harasses women or destroys peoples careers. But he has definitely been taken down a peg, as he likes to say. I just don't trust anything Badass Pilot says and I don't heap on other people he's trying to destroy. I still feel a little twinge of delight whenever I hear Badass Pilot tell new students that he used to be an examiner, but the liability insurance was too high so he quit.

Another thing that I get a chuckle out of is that Badass Pilot has started talking behind Girlfriend3's back. I tried to warn her and even sent her (anonymously, of course) information about Badass Pilot. But so far Girlfriend3 is standing by her man, and I'm just sitting here eating popcorn watching the story unfold again!

TL/DR Friend who is a badass pilot screws me over, I find out he's a sexual perv and get him fired from his job.

(source) story by (/u/flyingmonkey737)

#prorevenge #by /u/flyingmonkey737 #pro revenge #revenge stories #pro revenge stories #pro #revenge #last10

[skylarmoon71]

Leonardo x Reader- Oneshot

“Guys I’m back!” Between school and your track practice, you tried your best to squeeze in time to see your favorite people err...turtles. Mikey jumped up with a wide grin and Donnie offered a small wave.

“Oh Donnie thanks for the advice yesterday, my knees feel much better!” you pulled out a twelve pack of juice boxes handing it to him. He smiled giving a small thanks. “Thank you.” He spoke happily. He was already pulling the first one out.

“I take it ya won your race.” you nod at Raph’s question, and he patted you on the back, maybe a bit too roughly because you stumbled. “Came first place. My third one this week but who’s counting.” you boast.

“I wish we could watch your races, I’d like to see you beat all those other people.” Mikey said.

“I got my brother to tape it here.” taking out your phone you pulled up the video and they all started gathering around to see. With the four of you huddled in a circle, Leo raised a brow when he walked outside. “Are you guys planning another prank.” he asked unimpressed.

“Nah, (Y/N) is showing us her last race.” Mikey says enthusiastically. Leo looked a bit curious now, and when he walked over to take a look you flushed, clicking the button as soon as your race ended.

“O-Oh, look at that I think my battery just died. Maybe next time.” you mutter. Raph sent you a little smirk, and slowly they all started to disperse. Leo looked a bit disappointed, but he didn’t voice it.

“I-I should get going, practice starts in half an hour. I’ll check back in tomorrow. It's my off day.” Just like that you were heading out the lair, and Leo watched you leave.

“Does she hate me or something?” At first he thought he was imagining it, but every time he was around you made it your mission to disappear. He didn’t understand it because you weren’t that way with the others. And he was pretty sure he hadn’t done anything to make you think ill of him. So why were you being so distant?

“You just intimidate her.” Raph states doing push ups.

“Intimidate? Why do I intimidate her? If anything she should be intimidated by you.” Leo defended. He didn’t see himself as an intimidating person.

“Ya so blind it ain't even funny.” That just annoyed him more. Raph was speaking in riddles and it was irritating him. Of course he was way too prideful to come out and ask, so he just walked away.

“You think she’ll ever tell him?” Donnie mutters from the side. They all knew the reason behind your quick escapes, and truthfully it was entertaining to watch, especially since you and Leo were just so bad and being forward about your feelings. Donnie had once insisted they just set you both up, but Raph was adamant on letting you figure it out on your own. He didn’t like getting in the middle of these kinds of situations, or maybe he just wanted to see Leo squirm a bit. Either way, it would play out.

~~~

“Guys check this out!!’ Donnie’s eyes made all of their heads turn. Raph and Leo stopped their little play fight, heading over to the screens.

“It’s (Y/N), she just finished third in her national meet. This is playing live.” Now they were all watching attentively, Mikey cheered when he saw the shot of you running up on the screen.

“And our third place finisher, do you have anything to say to your friends and family.” The reporter turned the microphone to you.

“I’m just really grateful to my family for always pushing me hard, especially my miserable brother.To all my friends old and new, thanks for the endless support.” You were smiling and breathing a bit heavily, clearly still winded from the race.

“Any message for the special someone in your life.” The question made your cheeks slightly flush.

“Oh uh I..” your gaze drifted, but then you looked right at the camera.

“Leonardo, thank you for being my inspiration. '' Leo's eyes were wide, and Raph shoved him playfully. “Oooooo! Our fearless leader’s got an admirer.”

“Well you heard it folks. Thank you again for tuning in and congratulations (Y/N) on the amazing race. “ The reporter moved to other runners, but Leo’s eyes were still glued on the screen. He tried not to read too much into it. But his heart was still pounding in his chest. It’s not like you’d confess to him, yet those words felt far greater than any confession he could imagine.

“I think she broke him brah.” Mikey was poking Leo insistently, but he didn’t budge.

Donnie smiled from his seat. “I recorded it Leo, if you want to watch it again.” Leo’s eye hardened, and he straightened his shoulders, letting out a small sound as he left. It seemed to be his only response lately whenever he got flustered. He still hoped though, that maybe you meant something more. That you wanted something more.

~~~~

“If it ain't Bolt.” you giggle at the nickname, flexing your muscles. “What can I say, can’t keep all this raw talent contained. “

“Shell yeah you can’t!!” After celebrating with your family. Of course you came to hang out with the boys. They were family too after all. You saw Splinter and he walked over with a smile.

“Congratulations (Y/N).”

“Thank you Master Splinter.” With a small bow, he was off, and Mikey was grilling you on the whole experience. Raph was sitting on the couch listening. As you were giving major details, you couldn’t stop yourself from searching out Leo. You knew for a fact they saw the interview, and your blood had been practically pumping since then, and it had absolutely nothing to do with the race. When you were done giving Mikey a rundown, you excused yourself, heading for the one place you could always find the blue eyed leader. You gripped at the metal of your medal in your hands. You were excited to show him it. Stepping through the hall of the training area, you caught sight of him on a mat. He was standing but his eyes were closed. He looked completely concentrated.

“Leo..” usually you never disturbed him when he was meditating, mostly because he could always tell when you were there. His eyes opened slowly and you gave a little wave.

“H-Hey.”

“Hey, I saw your competition. Congratulations (Y/N).” Hearing that from him had a completely different effect than all the others. You blush, fully stepping in. “Thanks Leo.” you never seem to be able to keep your cool when you're in the same room as him, it’s crazy. His eyes watch you. The pretty tint of red on your cheeks. Your wandering eyes. It’s so cute to him, and now he can’t stop himself from asking the question that’s been burning in his mind.

“(Y/N), what you said..I just, I feel like I can’t take much credit for you performing that well. If I’m being honest I was under the impression that you disliked me.”

“W-What! “

Leo chuckles at the look you’re now wearing. “ You run out the moment you see me, I could only assume that’s what it was. Raph also said that you’re intimidated by me, which was even more confusing. “

You really sucked at emotions, you realized that now. With a small sigh, you tucked the medal into your pocket. You’d have plenty of time to show him that later. “Leo I..I am intimidated by you. But not for the reasons you may think.” The look in his eyes urged you to continue.

“When I first met you guys, I’m not gonna lie it freaked me the hell out. I never believed things like this existed and I started questioning a lot. After a while though, I got to know you and your brothers and it showed me that we weren’t very different. You were just like everyone else, maybe even more. Leo to me you’re just so incredible, every night you go out and risk your life expecting nothing in return. You put your family first, you lead your brothers with so much confidence and ease that it just...it amazes me.”

Leo hadn’t looked away since you started talking, and his sapphire orbs were conveying so much. “You amaze me in so many ways and that’s why it's so hard for me to be around me because you do intimidate the hell out of me because I’m terrified that you’ll see right through me and realize just how crazy I am about you.”

“(Y/N)...”

“I really like you Leo.”

There, you finally said it. No more stolen glances or silent wishes. Everything was out there.

He started walking closer, and you kept eye contact, heart pumping briskly.

“I have no idea what I did to deserve someone like you (Y/N), but I’m happy that we actually have mutual feelings.”

“Are you saying that…”

“I thought it was obvious.” He whispered.

“Guess we’re both pretty bad at this.”

He smiles, and the hand that rests on your cheek heats up more than just the skin it’s laying on. The final step makes you inhale, and when he leans down, your eyelids lower. You push unto your toes to balance out the height differences, and Leo’s hand runs down your cheek, to your shoulder as he plants a much awaited kiss to your lips. The little sound you let out is involuntary, and Leo smiles into the kiss, wrapping his other hand around your waist as he pulls you closer.

Your hands even out on his strong firm chest, and your delving deeper and deeper. You’ve been dying to experience this, and you can’t get enough. It doesn’t feel like enough. Leo must be thinking the same. Your lips part and as you’re about to rejoin, Leo opens his mouth slightly slipping his tongue in. You quiver, whining at how great it feels. He invades your mouth with incredible precision, and you try your best to match him. You moan, you can’t help it. This is too good. Leo arm tightens around your form at the sound, still driving you mad with his wet tongue.

Oxygen, that’s the sole reason you part. Leo is reluctant, you can tell, but he needs to get a breath just as much as you. When he separates, your grinning and huffing, quite the same as when you finished your race.

“I guess..I should be glad that I intimidate you, I’ll try to do it more often.” His cheeky response just makes your grin widen.

“I have absolutely no complaints. “

It really wasn’t such a bad thing.

#leonardo #tmnt donatello #love #raphael #donatello #shy #cute #confessions #track #athleticreader #leoxreader #tmnt2014 #tmnt fluff #michelangelo #teens #races #new york #friendship #friends to lovers

[zebrabaker]

Choosing Destiny; Part 2

Here ya go!!

“Um, hi” Raven said, “My name is Raven um- Queen, it’s nice to meet you.” holding out her hand.  

“My name is Epel, oh- Felmier, it’s nice to meet you too,” He shook her hand “Sorry if I’m awkward, this would normally be Vil’s job. He’s our dorm leader.”  

“Ah, I understand. I’m pretty awkward myself. So, any tips on how to survive here at Night’s Raven? I’m pretty new around here”  

“Well um- always avoid Azul. He’s the dorm head of Octavinelle, he loves to make these “deals” with people,” The boy spoke, leading Raven down the halls, “Oh, Also! steer clear of Riddle, he’s the dorm leader of Heartslaybul. There, the students have to follow a bunch of made up rules and if you don’t, Riddle gets mad!” and through twisting corridors, passing a cafe of sorts. They reached the dormitory, tall brick walls surrounded by thin pathways and evergreen trees. 

“This is the Pomefiore dorms. You and I are going to be on the top floor, since we’re first years. We share the two bathrooms with every other first year” Raising his hand, he swiped a key card against the keypad, opening the door “The bathroom cleaning is handled by students, but magic is used, so we don’t have to scrub anything, lazy pricks.”

Raven didn’t seem to hear Epel’s afterthought; her attention was on the lavish lounge they walked into, polished chandeliers hung from the ceiling, white rugs with floral embroidery. 

The chairs and tables filled to the brim with boys scattered about, studying, playing, talking, strangling each other wait what- 

“There you are Epel! Today is your day to help repair the- who is this?” A boy with long icy blonde hair had come storming over, beginning to berate Epel before he noticed her. 

He had flawless eyeliner. 

“Hello! I’m- Raven Queen. It’s nice to meet you!” The boy stopped and stared at her for a moment. “I was placed here in Pomefiore, the mirror thingy said that it was because I was the Evil Queen’s daughter” 

“Deep apologies, did you just say, ‘Evil Queen’s daughter’?” He asked. 

“Er, yup.” Raven awkwardly rubbed her neck, heat crawling. “Apparently you guys call her the ‘beautiful queen’ here? Sorry, I’m new to Twisted Wonderland, I’m from Ever After” looking over her shoulder, she could see the students staring at her. The boy stood, gaping at her before being interrupted by Rook Hunt, who had bounded to them. 

“Mademoiselle! It’s wonderful to see you again! How is your ankle?” 

“I’m fine now, thanks for asking. I’m actually gonna be a new student, I start classes tomorrow... I think so anyway. The headmaster didn’t make it clear, he’s strange. Not as bad as Giles, but still pretty hard to understand.” Raven giggled, and the three boys couldn’t help but blush, she sounded like bells. 

“Come on now, there should be an empty dorm on our floor.” Epel said, gently grabbing Raven’s hand, tugging her towards the staircase. 

“Tch! Fool.” Vil scoffed. “This girl is the descendant of the Beautiful Queen; she can not just stay in a common dorm!” 

“That is true, but where else should she stay, Vil? Pomefiore is quite packed.” Rook pointed out. 

“There are two rooms for dorm leaders, I use the second as a staging room for my photos, Princess Raven-” 

“Just Raven is fine” 

“can stay there, I would never put the daughter of the Beautiful Queen in some commoners dorm!” Epel swallowed a scowl.

“If you could follow me, Princess, I can show you where you shall be staying” He turned on his heel at the other boys, he clapped getting everyone’s attention “Louis, Benard, Trachov-” they snapped off their seats and quickly came to Vil’s side. 

“-Rook and Epel, you all will help move my equipment.” Raven was frozen for a moment, as the three boys from the lounge stood before her and bowed. Her greetings evaporated in her mouth.  

“It is a delight to be in your presence” The first boy said.

“It’s nice to meet you too.” 

“Sorry to be blunt, but you’re beautiful.” The second smiled in a charming way. 

“Oh! Uh- thank you.”  

“It’s an honor to have you in our dorm.” The third boy pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. 

“It’s great to be here.” Raven quickly nodded back before following the group of boys up the stairs. She shied away from the curious stares of the other boys in the common room, how they had all perked when Vil had snapped at Epel, hungry for drama.  

The room was much larger than expected, with a giant four-poster bed in the center left, while the far wall held a desk, a massive vanity, and a small dresser. On the right was a walk-in closet, and what looked like a private bathroom. Next to the door was a large marble fireplace, with a loveseat in front of it. It was a room that screamed ‘Vil was here!’. 

Scattered around the room was photography equipment and make-up brushes, and many, many make-up palettes. Raven gasped a bit, in awe of the view through the windows. She could see over the woods for miles, all the way to the horizon.

“I apologize if it isn’t up to your standards, Princess Queen.” Vil spoke, bowing low at the waist 

“Please, just, call me Raven. Where I’m from I’m not exactly considered noble.” 

Raven laughed a little at the self-deprecating joke, leaving the boys stunned. 

“Still, you are a direct descendant of the Beautiful Queen! You ought to be admired, revered even!” Vil was walking around, tidying up the room as he went, piling make-up palettes and brushes and styling tools into Rook’s arms who quickly shoved it to one of the other boys. 

“Tell that to the kids at Ever After.” Raven scoffed, sitting on the edge of the bed, it was comfy, too much lace though. “So, what do you guys do for fun around here? Is there, like, a village square or a mall or something?”  

“Could you sit up Miss Raven?” The first boy from earlier said.

“We’re trying to remove the sheets.” The second explained. Raven turned to the two students. 

“Oh really, no it’s fine!” 

“I asked them to,” Vil responded, noticing her dislike for lace. “continue as you were, please” he muttered something to the boy next to him. 

“So anyways... if I was at home, I would be getting ready for Thronecoming, decorating my float for the parade, getting my dress tailored for the party Briar would be throwing…I really hope Maddie is okay.” she said, sitting back down on the newly changed covers. 

“Pri- Raven, what’s a ‘Thronecoming’?” Epel asked, placing a light outside for someone else. 

“Thronecoming is a huge parade held every year a week after Legacy Day. Each student gets to decorate a float for a parade, and that night we have a huge party. It’s the kick-off of the school year.” 

“And ‘Legacy Day’?” Rook asked, still holding a teetering pile of beauty supplies, as the third boy struggled with the same task. 

“That’s…complicated.” Raven sighed, flopping back onto the bed. “See, Ever After High is a school hex-clusively for the children of fairy tale beings, from prince charmings to wicked witches.” Everyone in the room was now listening, a few passer-by's stopping to investigate. “Every student, in their second year, signs what we call ‘The Storybook of Legends’. Once you sign, you’re magically fated to follow the path of your ancestors in life, be it eating a poison apple or sleeping a hundred years” 

‘how dreadful’ 

‘eating a poisoned apple doesn’t sound bad, I’ve had quite a few’ 

“Louis, mind sharing your thoughts? You look distracted” 

“Oh no, not at all. Deepest apologies for my offence, Princess” 

“Really- it’s fine,” Raven sighed, I'm never gonna get used to this “Princess” spiel. 

“My mother’s line is that of the Evil Queen from Snow White’s tale. A lot of people think that since it’s my supposed to be my destiny to poison my best friend and marry this- guy! He's so- old. But…I didn’t sign. The complicated part is, the Headmaster of Ever After High, Headmaster Grimm, told me that if I didn’t sign the book, everyone involved in the Snow White story would disappear from existence.” 

She stood up, furious. 

“And, well, I obviously didn’t!” Raven puffed out her cheeks, before hissing out air like a leaking tire. 

“That’s…a lot to put on a sixteen-year-old.” Epel muttered. 

“Fourteen.” 

“What was that, Raven?” Rook asked. 

“I’m fourteen. My birthday was a few days before school started. I was castle-schooled for most of my life, so I got to skip two grades. All the make-up and heels makes me look older.” Rook shot Epel a bewildered look. This girl was fourteen, and had almost been married to a man in his- what? fifties? That was…repulsive! 

“Well, you’re safe here with us, Raven!” Rook chirped, everyone followed. 

“You can expect nothing less from us!” 

“Trachov, the boxes.” Vil snapped. 

“Apologies, Vil.” So, he was Trachov, the last one is Benard then.

“Indeed. One so lovely as you are, deserves only gold! After all, beauty holds power.” Vil sniffed, checking his eye makeup in the vanity (it was flawless, as always). 

“Thanks, but I’m really nothing special” Raven blustered, cheeks painted red. 

“Nonsense!” Vil snapped. “You have a fair complexion, a flawless facial structure, full lips that look to be naturally red, unique coloured, large eyes, and you’re petite enough to be considered cute.” Raven looked at the other students, they seemed to agree “Add all that together and you truly look like a doll, Raven dear. Now, we need to introduce you to the rest of Pomefiore, and let them ask their questions so that they keep their hands off you tomorrow, you would not want them intruding in your studies”. 

Benard- she thinks that’s right-  arrived back in the room with a plate of cookies, he handed them over to Vil before leaning against the wall with Louis and Trachov. 

“Remember to restrain yourself, usually I only allow confection sparingly but, I can make an exception for you” 

Raven nodded and munched into them, it was simple but very tasty. 

“Thank you, Benard- Oh they left” 

“Vil asked them to get the Pomefiore students,” Raven jumped at the presence of Epel next to her, then she noticed him eyeing her plate of cookies. 

“You can have them.” 

“Really?!” 

“Epel, the noise” Epel turned to Rook with a look, accepting Raven’s plate. 

“And just so you know, Benard’s his last name, same with the other two” 

Just when it seemed to get quiet, Raven saw the three who left sprint past the door screaming all sorts of profanity and laughing their lungs out. 

“Quiet down out there!” Vil snatched up his jacket and chased after the boys. 

Then, it dawned on Raven. they treated her differently, was going to be Ever After High all over again? small tears pricked at the corners of her eyes. 

“Oh mademoiselle,” Rook saddled to her side, cupping her cheeks, “There is no need for tears.” Epel sat down by her side. 

“Pomefiore can sometimes be hectic, so don’t worry.” The shorter boy reassured her.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just-” She sniffled a little, trying to stay calm. “I just want to be normal, treated normally.” 

“If that is what you want,” They gasped, Vil was already back. “then tell them. You are a part of us too” He joined Raven, Epel moving out of the way, “You have what it takes, and you will do what it takes” They stood up, Raven’s eyes glinted. 

“Why else are you here?” a small hug, among the four of them. 

“Rook, Epel, go down with everyone else. I need to touch up Raven’s makeup. Your mascara is smeared, dear.” Rook and Epel left, and Vil guided Raven to sit in front of the vanity. From his pockets he withdrew a small pack of makeup wipes and gently stripped off her old mascara, before having her close her eyes and applying a new coat. 

“There we are. Now, if you’ll follow me, Raven. Our audience awaits!” Vil clapped with a dramatic flourish, and Raven couldn’t help but giggle. Maybe being stuck here wouldn’t be so bad after all… in fact, it was going to be great. 

@sayuricorner @keiwahikari

#ever after high #ever after high salt #twisted wonderland crossover #salt #writing prompt

[rafe-cameron]

THE ANALYSIS OF JOHN B ROUTLEDGE

In the fandom, what I've seen is a lot of what I feel is misinterpretation of John B's character, which is leading to a lot of unnecessary slander, and overall a negative vibe surrounding John B, and giving a negative wave of backlash to those who do like his character. I am all for positive emotions, and supporting and liking and disliking whatever characters you'd like! Though, I would like to put this out here just as a way of explaining what I've seen in his character. This is not a professional opinion by any means, but I do have a habit and (ringing my own bell) talent in analyzing different characters from an unbiased point of view.

DISCLAIMER: All of this is not fact, but a closely analyzed opinion. You are free to disagree and I genuinely do not care if you don't like John B! I wrote this because I wanted to and feel it could help. And this is written FOR JOHN B. Don't hit me with comments of “but JJ also” or “but Kie didn't MEAN to” or anything, because I am not writing about them. I’m writing this one for John B, about John B, and how someone would view life through his eyes and with everything that happened.

Now, onto the analysis.

Episode 1:

John B has a wave of issues being presented in not-so friendly forms. A 16 year old is living alone, considering his father has been missing for 9 months. Looking at it that way, he's had to finish his school year while juggling constant jobs to take care to himself, for food, gas, and paying bills, on top of school. Even if it's revealed he missed a lot of school that year, it's hard to blame him. His mom left him when he was still a baby, His uncle by definition also abandoned him, and his father is gone. He's threatened with foster care daily, which means he would lose everything that he has, his home, and his friends, which are the only thing keeping his head above water.

That alone is enough to give him intense abandonment issues. Both parental figures left, his guardian is as he described it “MIA”, so his ability to process how people see him and how he sees relationships is going to be, at best, rocky. He's going to have it in his head that everyone around him can leave at any time and he won't have any sort of say in it. Not to mention the depression and the anxiety that would bubble up from all of this. Depression makes you lash out, anxiety makes you pull away, two things he's shown to have trouble controlling.

He gets an idea for a way to try and make his life better, and get money to support himself, JJ being the one to hype that up despite Kie and Pope being against it.

Come the party later that night at the boneyard. A widespread party with lots of people there, lots of drinking, and comes the fight between Topper and JJ, which led to John B stepping in to protect JJ.

This is the first of many times where John B is almost murdered or killed. Hearing Topper yells “dont make me drown you like your old man”, then being drowned by him, while everyone stood and watched until JJ went off his shits and saved him.

This? Is all just the first episode. A peek into the curtain of how his family abandoned him, then he gets his shit beaten in, and he gets drowned by Topper. This would only worsen his already fragile mental state. At this point, he's ready to call it off, and leave it alone, but JJ gets desperate to help his friend and himself, and he goes along with it. This leads to, again, him getting shot at by the two guys hunting down the compass he stole off the boat. The second time John B is almost killed.

“With no parents, no money, and no one looking out for me, I've got no chance, unless I make it on my own.”

He sees no way out of the hole he's in anymore unless he fights tooth and nail to get out of it, no matter what it takes.

Episode 2:

In this episode, he's got it in his head now that since he found a compass on a wrecked boat, that his dad is trying to reach out to him. When you have abandonment issues as deep-running as John B, any possible chance that someone who left already is trying to come back? You run with it. You cling to it like it is all you have, and for him, it is. This compass is all that he has to go on, and he's desperate to try and figure it out because this is his fathers last way of communicating with him.

He goes to Ms. Lana's house, and has to both watch and listen to two men terrorize her, and he is told vaguely by Ms. Lana that it is horrible that he has the compass. He returns home to talk to his friends, and goes to his dads office for the first time in a long time, and has to relive the fact his fathers gone at that point.

Only for the two guys to come to John B's house. They break in and completely ransack the place, they steal a good chunk of John B's fathers stuff. They have to sneak out of the window and go to hide until the two men leave, but, he has to sit and watch these people break apart his home and steal from him.

After all of that, they go to the lighthouse, where he's thrown into another panic over this compass that no one is telling him about. He's frustrated, and he's scared. They leave the lighthouse and in a complete blind instinct of adrenaline, he kisses Kie, and gets rejected by her. Then, he gets arrested, questioned, and has to get bailed out by Kie's dad, who insults him. Now Kie won't talk to him, and he has to go home to his damaged house.

He also has to get fired from hi only stable job, so now he has no money and no job, a damaged home, and lost a friend for now.

Not only that, but he does get hunted down by those two men again, and is almost killed for thr 3rd time, and runs through an electric fence, where he's almost killed the 4th time. He gives up his fathers compass, and while ull of hurt and despair for everything, returns home to try and move past everything, but he catches another glimpse of possibility, and he clings to it all over again.

And, his urge and crave to hunt down his dad only grows as they find the Redfield tomb thingy and find the package left behind by Big John.

Episode 3:

It starts off with John B having to sit through the emotion that comes with hearing his fathers voice for the first time in 9 months. The pain and the confusion and how much he missed him rushing back, it's a feeling that is hard to describe, but it is draining, and it doesn't feel good.

He talks to everyone about how he just wants to have a normal life, and stop stressing so much about damn near everything.

He's decently up in this episode, but his actions only worsen. He encourages stealing, and puts himself into risky situations. This is the bud of the suicidal/reckless tendencies he starts to develop as he starts to lose regard for his own safety, because subconsciously, he sees no point in caring about what happens to himself and those around him. This is where he gets desperate for a reason to keep existing, because he lost every other one that he had.

Episode 4:

In this episode, they find the merchant. They track it down and find it's empty, but John B isn't ready to give up.

He gets met, unfortunately, with DCS, who force him to pack, and start to take him away. In an attempt to not leave behind anything? He jumps from a moving vehicle, and is now being hunted down for the first time.

He's taken in by Sarah.

DISCLAIMER: OPINION.

This is where we see Sarah see that things with John B aren't cookie cutter. She knows hes plotting something, and she wants to get away from her Kook life and do something different and exciting. So, she tags along for the ride. Her and John B go out and Sarah puts John B into a situation where he is being led on by her, despite her being in a relationship. But, her desperation to break from her box gets the best of her, and John B clings to that romance, because a romantic relationship has a more solid foundation than a friendship to him. They're less likely to leave him. So, he wants to run with it.

This is a huge part of why he kissed Kie. In his eyes, if he's dating them, maybe they wont leave, but he can't have that same situation with just a friend. He knows that, and this is where he starts to push away his friends. Bite before you can get bitten, it's depression + abandonment issues 101.

Episode 5:

This one is.. a mess. Its a mess.

We start right off the bat with John B realizing that he can't go home anymore. JJ and John B get into a pretty nasty argument. JJ is concerned for his friend, and he wants him to be safe and stop all of this, naturally, but to John B? He hears JJ trying to give him on him, to abandon him, and to leave all of this. He reacts to this by lashing out at him, yelling at him, and talking about how he just wants to stop because he got beat up. Which, John B is still under the assumption it was just the Kooks, when it was both the Kooks and his father – something John B didn't catch onto. After they yell at eachother, John B has JJ following him again. It's a safe zone once more in John B's mind.

Then, after the party is crashed and they all meet up, John B tries to explain that Sarah got wrapped up into all of this. He has Kie, Pope, and even if JJ knew already, he's not too happy about it either. So he's got everyone mad at him for this, and even if spirits are high in terms of his recklessly driven hunt, he sees everyone around him getting angrier, and angrier. And that? Is making him angry too.

He goes to meet Sarah at the hawks nest. And once again, he is almost killed. He's shoved off of it by none other than Topper (who has tried to murder him twice now), and plummets, and ends up in the hospital.

But things can start to turn around, because Ward took him in and he has a legal guardian now, right?

No.

Ward is plotting to keep John B under his nose to make sure he doesn't find anything else out.

Episode 6:

Again, not much happens here. Things seem to be going good and despite Wards want for John B laying low, he doesn't. He finds the gold.

Episode 7:

Here, we  have another instance in which JJ's bad ideas get John B (and everyone) put into danger. After trying to pawn off the gold, they get stopped by Barry, who threatens to kill him and robs them. John B is quick to jump into the line of fire and get the gold back, desperate to keep it. He succeeds, but JJ barrels into Barrys house and robs him. JJ manhandles John B a good few times for trying to stop him.

And nearing the end of this, he's told by Ward that Ward knows about the gold, and wants John B to give it all up.

John B says no. He's gotten this far and can't lose it all to Ward. Not only that? But he finds out Ward had something to do with his father disappearing. That sort of news is heartbreaking. John B snaps just a little more, but so does Ward.

Episode 8:

John B and ward get into it. Ward is messy and doesn't hesitate to try and kill John B while they're on the boat. Again, for the 7th time, John B is almost killed, but escapes it just in time to keep going.

He goes to Lana, who explains that Ward was the one who killed his father. He finds out now that the man he trusted and the man that took him in both wanted to steal from him, and murdered his only parent? That's too much to carry for any one person.

Ward tells authorities John B tried to kill him, and he's being hunted down even more than he was before.

He sees now that again, all of his friends are both worried and angry with him. He's panicking at this point. He's stuck on the run and can't seem to catch a break, more so now that Ward figured out where the gold is, and sees him trying to leave with it.

Episode 9:

John B now is framed for the murder of Peterkin. He's almost killed by Rafe at the runway, and is now on the run again. He's facing major charges and none of them are of things he actually ever did.

John B has no choice but to run away from the OBX, from the US< and try and figure out what to do with himself from there.

He's almost killed by Rafe, again, because he set the bell tower ablaze.

But he manages to escape long enough so everyone can put together the pieces of his escape plan.

Episode 10:

He leaves. He leaves with Sarah on the boat, but of course, power has to go back on, and they lose their cover. They're both hunted down, chased out to sea, and is considered dead because of the storm. He survives again, but just by the skin of his teeth.

Looking back on everything that happened to  him just in these episodes, on top of knowing he had to deal with his father being gone for months without a clue of how to take care of himself, plus the fact he's now headed for his gold without anything but one bar and the clothes on his back?

John B quite literally lost everything. He lost his family, his home, his friends, his job, everything that kept his head above water, yet, he's expected to be the strong one, and the leader of the group.

He has expectations that he cant meet, and he's getting the wrong kind of help for his issues. Depression, anxiety, trust issues, abandonment issues, and I wouldn't be surprised if various forms of PTSD stemmed from everything that's happened to him. In no way is John B a perfect person. He is a flawed and complex character, who made poor choices, and acted out in bad ways, but, the entire gang is guilty of doing some bad things too.

JJ's aggression and lack of impulse control.

Pope's passive aggression and constant cold shoulder to not getting what he wants.

Kie's hostility and lack of self restraint.

Topper's sexism and abusiveness.

Rafe's drug abuse and abusiveness.

Again, you are so more than welcome to dislike and like whatever characters you want! Though, I hope this point of view can help clear up some of the thing's ive seen on John B being irredeemable and a bad friend to everyone.

John B is a wonderfully written, intense, lovable character, and I wanted to share my thoughts on him, his trauma, and his life! If anyone wants to see more deep character analysis', don't be afraid to request them! I enjoy doing them!

- jv

#outer banks #obx #john b obx #john b #john b routledge #john booker routledge #jj maybank #pope heyward #kiara carrera #rafe cameron #topper thorton #sarah cameron

[onewfantaesy]

so they actually disliked each other to begin with? why? how did they make friends? how did they end up dating? was kibum like, i hate his perfect fucking face?

Enemies to Lovers AU 

They debuted in the same month, both in dancer roles, both highly praised for their skills. By all accounts, they should have been friends. And when Taemin first met Kibum, he thought they would be friends.

It was at a variety show recording just a few weeks after their groups both debuted. They had been encouraged to dance against each other; it was silly and fun, or at least Taemin thought it was, and he was so excited to meet someone other than Jongin who was as into dancing as he was. He thought Kibum was amazing, thought he could learn so much from him, because Kibum was a couple years older and he thought he was cooler and he wanted so badly to just make friends. It had proven to be quite the difficult task after he had debuted - making friends.

But Taemin won that little dance competition, so when Taemin tried to talk to Kibum between recordings, he was instantly snubbed and given a dirty look because Kibum was upset and eager to prove himself and just overall not in a very good mood that day to begin with. He’d hurt his back the day before during practice, the painkillers were wearing off, and now he’d been out-danced by a kid. He was just not having a good day, and he took it out on Taemin by being a bit of an ass in the hallway.

And it started a ripple of effect of Taemin being snarky the next time they ran into each other, then Kibum retaliated the time after that, and soon enough, they both were being bitchy and calling each other names backstage whenever they saw each other.

And for four-and-a-half years, they continued outwardly hating each other. It was almost a joke, it had become entertaining to so many people so quickly, because they originally had been just so bad at hiding their emotions towards each other. Fans caught the dirty faces, the snarky words, and the ranting to other members about how annoying they thought the other dancer was. Show hosts picked up on it and started asking questions, and with very little time to prep a professional answer, these two teenagers just would answer, “He’s annoying!” “He’s a brat!” “I can’t stand him!” “I don’t wanna be anywhere near him!”

In a way, it gained both groups a lot of attention early on, having this dancer rivalry. Their little feud was well-known and quickly blew out of proportion, to the point that managers were insisting they play it up and exaggerate everything to get more attention. So they both did, but neither of them had any idea the other was also just being extra mean and extra annoying because of the managers. They both thought the other just genuinely hated them.

Then one day, by complete coincidence, Kibum just happens to be walking by after a variety show recording, after a full day of Kibum and Taemin going back and forth with each other, after a full day of Kibum being completely ruthless with Taemin because he’d had a bad week and sometimes taking it out on Taemin was therapeutic, in a way. And could hear Taemin’s voice, and he almost turned around entirely because he was annoyed with him and didn’t want to bother with him anymore today. But then he heard the catch in Taemin’s voice and the muffled way he said, ��Mommy, I don’t get why he hates me so much.”

And Kibum stares at this door. This door that’s separating him from Taemin’s voice, that’s hiding Taemin from everyone else, and he realizes it’s a janitor’s closet. At first, he thought it had been the dressing room for Taemin’s group, but he can hear their obnoxious laughter from around the corner, and now he’s curious. Because it’s him Taemin is talking about, it’s obviously about Kibum. Who else would he be talking about?

So Kibum just wiggles the handle and walks inside. 

A quick, muffled, “I gotta go, bye, love you,” is said, and Kibum watches Taemin shove a cellphone in his pocket and swipe a sleeve under his eyes before he turns around. Taemin immediately glares at him, and he tries to step around Kibum, but Kibum just closes the door and stands in front of the doorknob.

“What do you want?” Taemin snaps.

“Who were you talking about?” Kibum asks, tilting his head.

“Fuck off.”

Kibum just runs his eyes all over Taemin’s face: the way his eyes are rimmed red and his lashes are still wet, the little freckle on his nose, the way his eyebrows barely exist without makeup, the way his lips are pulled into a stubborn little pout. 

“How are you so fucking pretty all the time?” Kibum scoffs, his voice soft.

Taemin just sucks in a gasp.

“What?” he scoffs back. “Get the fuck away from me!”

Taemin tries to push past him, tries to leave the tiny room, tries to get away from Kibum. But Kibum is confused and curious and he hates when he doesn’t get an answer to a question.

“Who were you talking about?” Kibum repeats. “Tell me.”

“Who the fuck do you think?” Taemin challenges. “The cameras aren’t here, just let me go.”

“What’s your secret?” Kibum asks. “To always being so pretty?”

“You’re insane,” Taemin scoffs.

Taemin finally pushes past him and leaves the room, and Kibum can hear him stomping down the hall. Kibum huffs, and he’s right back to being annoyed. But now he’s overly curious, so he spends months trying to corner Taemin away from the cameras, trying to question him. 

Then finally, right after Taemin’s nineteenth birthday, Kibum corners him after another variety show recording and just smiles at him. Watches the way Taemin pouts and frowns and glares at him.

“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” Taemin whines, turning to look around the room they’re in this time. A spare dressing room. Empty aside from the few makeup brushes that got left from the last group’s stylists. 

“Happy birthday.”

Taemin’s head snaps back, a confused look on his face, and he looks at the little box Kibum is holding out. He takes it cautiously, runs his fingers over it, then opens it slowly.

“Earrings?”

“You just got your ears pierced, didn’t you?” Kibum says. “For when they heal up. They’ll look good on you. But I also got you something else.”

“What is it?”

“Close your eyes.”

“Fuck you.”

“Just close them.”

“No!”

So Kibum leans forward and kisses him. Not on the mouth. Just on the cheek, just a quick peck, and Taemin jerks back and flinches and his eyes go wide.

“Happy birthday,” Kibum laughs, and he leaves a still-confused Taemin in the empty dressing room, blinking several times in a row, quickly, trying to compose himself.

Because his heart is racing in his chest, and his lungs feel like they can barely hold in any air, and he swears he’s going to pass out. Because Kibum kissed him. Kibum kissed him. Kibum kissed him.

He couldn’t wrap his mind around what was going on. Suho finds him eight minutes later, questions him on why he just disappeared, and drags him out to the van so they can go back to the dorm.

“Kibum kissed me,” Taemin mumbles in an airy voice, letting Suho drag him around the studio to leave. 

“He what?” Suho gasps, stopping and making Taemin run into him and then holding Taemin’s arms.

“He kissed me,” Taemin mumbles, still blinking too fast. “And gave me earrings. For my birthday.”

“Did he hurt you? Did he do anything to you? Are you alright?”

“I’m just confused.”

“We can talk when we get home,” Suho says quickly in a hushed voice, and he keeps a firm arm around Taemin’s back to guide him out to the van where the other members are already waiting with the managers.

Suho brings Taemin into his bedroom as soon as they get back to the dorm, shuts the door, tells the others to leave them alone for a little bit and kicks them away when he knows they’re trying to listen at the door. 

“Did he touch you?” Suho asks in a quiet voice, sitting Taemin down on the bed and holding his hands. “Did he do anything to you that hurt you? Made you feel uncomfortable? Did he harass you?”

“He just kissed my cheek,” Taemin says. “It didn’t really make me uncomfortable or anything. I just - I just-”

“It’s alright,” Suho says softly. “You can tell me anything, I just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“I just don’t understand why he’d kiss me,” Taemin says. “Or give me a birthday present.”

They spend a while just talking about things, and Suho lets Taemin stay in his room and talk about anything he wants. And Suho, who’s actually friends with Minho, sends him a series of texts essentially asking him, “What the fuck does Kibum think he’s doing to one of my kids?”

It leads to Kibum somehow getting Taemin’s number, which leads to them texting each other for a couple days, then calling each other, then Kibum eventually tells Taemin to meet him at a coffee shop one morning.

Taemin wears the earrings Kibum got him. Kibum notices. Taemin buys Kibum a latte. They go back to Kibum’s car and kiss each other for thirty minutes in a dark parking structure. Kibum gives Taemin a hoodie to wear home.

“You’re infuriatingly pretty,” Kibum tells him between kisses. 

It makes Taemin giggle, a little nervous still, and wholly unexperienced when it comes to navigating any sort of romance.

“Is that a good thing?” Taemin whispers, pulling back and licking at his lips. They’re starting to feel chapped.

“A great thing,” Kibum assures him, moving a hand to brush Taemin’s hair out of his face. 

“Do you still hate me?” Taemin asks, goosebumps rising on the back of his neck and all up his arms as he feels Kibum’s fingers run along his forehead.

“I don’t think I ever really did.”

Taemin smiles at him, giggling a little, and retreats into the hoodie Kibum gave him to wear. He can’t get enough of the way it smells, buries his nose in the collar, twirls the drawstrings in his fingers.

“I think I like you a lot,” Taemin whispers, the words muffled in the fabric.

“I think I like you a lot, too.”

It makes Taemin feel warm and fuzzy and giggly, especially when Kibum leans over and kisses his cheek again. 

#taemin #key #shinee #taekey #enemies to lovers au #hello anon

[thefantasygirl3]

Negaverse stories: Quakerjack's backstory

Genre/warnings: Comedy, Slice of life, Action, Drama.

Word count: 3 080

Summary: After the events of Darkwing Duck coming to the Negaverse and helping the now called “Darkwing Ducks” save st. Canard, the four heroes decided to adopt the adorable little Gosalyn, buy a house and start a life together. But the little duckling is curious over how all her dads became heroes to start with, so she asks them to tell her that story.

Notes: The second story out of four, featuring the friendly four. This one came out a little later than expected, but it’s finally here now. Link to other parts of the story: 1 - Megavolt. 3 - Bushroot. 4 - Liquidator.  

Gosalyn let out a heavy sigh as she stepped off the school bus, standing by the bus stop as it drove off. "Haaaaaa… camping… never again" she muttered grumpily as she began trudging along down the road towards her house. The duck had just made it home from her field trip, where they had been camping out in the forest for one night. It was AWFUL! It was cold and wet and the boys kept throwing mud everywhere. Plus there were bugs crawling everywhere, even inside the tent as she tried to sleep. She could have sworn she saw Honkers try to eat one. Made both her and Tank want to throw up.

She soon reached the door to her house, turning the door handle and dragging herself inside with a big pout on her face. As soon as she made it inside, she was suddenly swept up off the ground and quickly placed onto the shoulders of her kooky dad, Quackerjack. "My little doll! Welcome back home!" he cheered as he then started running into the living room with her, not bothering to let her remove her shoes before starting to run around the couch with her. 

Gosalyn just giggled at her daddy's excitement, feeling much better already. 

Quackerjack pulled his daughter off of his shoulders and plopped her down onto the couch, falling down right beside her with a small chuckle. "So! How was the school trip? Did you have fun TOUGHING it out in the forest and surviving on only berries and beaver meat?!" he questioned her as he made gestures with his hands, as if struggling to choke out a snake or something.

"Daddyyyy! It was just one night! We had lunches with us! YOU were the one who snuck those cookies into my lunch box!" she answered him back with a whine and laugh, giving him a weak shove. The colorful duck started giggling softly as he muttered a small "Oh, that's right". "You did what...?" A quiet growl was heard from behind the two. They looked up and saw Liquidator towering over them, holding a stack of papers while wearing a suit, hat and a sour face. 

"Um… nothing, bud" the duck said nervously while sinking down into his seat. As the dog made out of water glared him down, Megavolt put a hand on his shoulder and pulled him back. "Come on, Bud. One cookie isn't going to kill her. Now weren't you and your fedora going on an online meeting for your ad thing?" he commented with an obviously self-aware tone, knowing exactly what the so-called thing was. "It's a homburg! Not a fedora!" the dog corrected before storming off upstairs to his online meeting.

As Gosalyn watched her rat dad walk off, she remembered what he had said two nights ago, after telling his backstory. It made her shoot up in her seat hop onto the jester beside her, yelling excitedly. "Hey, daddy! Can you tell me your backstory?! Tell me why you and the other Darkwing Ducks decided to be heroes!" she kept demanding answers, overwhelming the poor, confused dad underneath her. 

He was flabbergasted by her request and just stammered nervously. "U-umm… I-I-I'm not sure it would be a very interesting story to tell! It would be very boring for a kid…" he explained anxiously as his eyes drifted away to the side, soon thereafter adding on a quiet "and I… rather not dig up all that stuff again…".

"Huh? Why?" the little duckling asked confused as she moved off of him, tilting her head curiously. "Well… it's the lowest point of my life, so I'm kinda touchy about it. Plus it involves a lot of complicated business talk" he explained to her as he sat back up, rubbing his neck awkwardly. She just tilted her head more with a confused look, not understanding how business problems could lead to someone fighting crime. Quackerjack noticed the look on her face and gave away a sigh. "I guess I could try to tell it in a way that you can understand, if you really wanna hear it" he murmured softly and smiled an awkward smile. She nodded excitedly, and he pulled his legs up, taking a moment to recollect his memories again.

I used to be the owner of one of the largest toy companies. It was called QuackWerks! We were big in the classic, retro toy market, making a lot of simple little playthings. Dolls, action figures, rocking horses, building blocks, board games! Anything and everything! We were a pretty close-knit company. All of my workers enjoyed working for me and cared about our business. I even considered them my friends, always being so nice to me and complimenting me! They used to say things like "Nice work, Boss! Today's toy ideas were great" and "This is the best company I've ever worked for!". 

We were giants for some time. But then things started to change as the times did. Toys started to advance and become more complicated than we had been prepared for. But our company wasn't willing to get with the times. We stuck with our old-timey toys, as of the rest of the employees' wishes. 

They were all very adamant about not changing our products and to keep them the same as we always had. I, being a nostalgia lover, was more than happy to obey their wishes. They all seemed to appreciate that decision, a lot of them saying things such as "it's so great that you're keeping it simple and not selling your soul to the mainstream". I'd always respond with something like "Well we don't want to… conform to the norm, now do we?", just joking around and such. 

But… things started to get really rough for us during the years, as our sales started to drop. Not a lot of people wanted regular toys anymore, not when there were moving and talking action figures and video games. Video games… the beginning of our downfall.

"What's wrong with video games? I like video games! I play Pet Town and Fertile Farm, and they are a lot of fun!" Gosalyn interrupted his story, seemingly offended by his tone of voice when talking about games. Quackerjack snapped himself out of his little daze and realized how emotional he had probably gotten already without realizing it earlier. "Oh! Well… I didn't mean to say anything bad about them. The games you play are very cute! But at the time, I really hated them because of what it did to my company" he explained with an embarrassed look on his face, attempting to save the slip up. He just gets a suspicious pout from his daughter as she crosses her arms in front of her. "... A-anyways!" the duck said abruptly, so he could return to the story. 

As video games started to get more and more popular, we just kept losing money. No one was interested in boring toys that didn't do anything special when they could be going on an adventure in the virtual world. It was starting to take a toll on me. Our products weren't selling, and we would soon have no more money to buy new products or keep QuackWerks up and running. I had to do something in order to not lose everything!

Then it happened. One day when I was looking through our mail, I found a fascinating one. It was from the Wiffle Boy company, the one that made those Wiffle Boy games the kids were so into. It came as a shock to me, that they would be sending me a letter. So of course I had to see what they wanted. Their message read something like "Hello sir! We heard that you made some nice quality toys. We here are a big fan of your G.I. Melvin toys and were hoping you could make us some Wiffle boy merchandise. Please respond as soon as possible". I couldn't believe it. A game company wanted to join a partnership with us, a well-known old-school toy company that hasn't upgraded their products for years. But despite my dislike for video games, the offer was very tempting. It would boost our sales quite a bit, so I was completely onboard and decided to call everyone to a meeting to announce the news.

I gathered everyone into the meeting room, having this big grin plastered on my face. I thought they were all going to be happy to hear that we were finally going to up our numbers again, so I was feeling very excited.

"Everyone! I am so glad you all came here today. I have very exciting news for all of you!" I told my staff happily. My employees seemed to all be delighted to hear me say that, one of them saying "Well spill it then, boss! What's the news?". "Glad you asked! Because I just found a way for us to increase our sales! We can finally make money again!" I explained to the room while trying my best to not start bouncing in my seat. They were all interested by then, listening very closely to what I had to say. "See, I just received a letter from the Wiffle Boy company, saying they want US to make their new merchandise! The most popular game company in st. Canard wants OUR business to make them toys of their little game character! This is amazing! We will definitely be making loads of money from this!". 

The room got completely silent after that, you could hear a pin drop in that packed meeting room. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. One of the employees finally broke the silence by saying "You're kidding, right? Tell me this is a joke". I was so confused. I didn't understand why they were acting so on edge when I thought this was wonderful news. "You're serious?! You're going to be business partners with people who make mindless dribble for a living?! I thought we had standards in QuackWerks!" Another of the guys yelled at me, scaring me pale. All I could do was stutter and stare in shock. But another one of the employees spoke up, shouting "I thought we weren't like the modern garbage business owners! We didn't conform to the mainstream trash!". "B-but… I thought… it would help us earn more money…" I tried to explain while shrinking together in my chair.

"OH! So you're also a sellout?! I thought you were different…" this other girl said while turning her head away from me angrily. I just sat there stunned, trying to figure out what I should do. "I… come on! If we don't do something about this, I will lose my company. All I worked for, my hopes and dreams, completely gone! I gotta do something if I wanna stay afloat!" I pleaded with my now furious workers, but they didn't seem to care at all. "That's a lot of me and I. What happened to us? Tsk. You know what? I'm out! I'd rather work somewhere that got higher standards than this!" the first guy barked as he slammed down his nameplate and stormed out. Not long thereafter, the rest of my employees did the same, leaving me to sit all alone in the meeting room. No workers, no partnership, no company.

"Wow… that's so sad. They just left you because you needed money" the little duckling sighed sadly as she was laying against her daddy's side, giving him a comforting hug. "Yeah…" was all the jester had to say, his head hanging low and his bells jingling somberly. Gosalyn then tilted back, asking "Theeeen… you decided to turn to crime fighting to stop their injustice?". "Um… no. Not exactly… I actually got very sad and had to give up the company" he muttered softly, avoiding using the word "depressed". The girl's smile turned back to a frown as she gave him another hug. 

After I had done the paperwork to sell the company, I decided to head down to our product storage. I couldn't stand the thought of all my wonderful, lovely toys going to waste. I couldn't leave that building without bringing some of my treasures with me. There was one in particular I just couldn't leave behind. It was a prototype doll I would consider my favorite creation. I would have long conversations with him while I worked in my office. Mr. Banana brain. There was only one of him and I would not leave him behind. I packed up all my favorite toys into a bag, including Mr. Banana brain, and headed out the front doors. I said goodbye to the building and headed out.

But I couldn't bring myself to go home, I just wandered around the streets aimlessly, suitcase and paper bag in hand. I just couldn't believe I just lost everything. My brain was swarming with all the things I could have done to stop it. But after a while, my legs were feeling tired. So I just sat down on the curb of the sidewalk, letting out the saddest sigh ever. I just sat there for a while, beak in my hands and a sad frown on my face. After a while of doing nothing but sitting, I looked over at the bag and saw Banana brain peeking out. So I started talking with him. 

"What now? I just lost everything. I'm ruined!" I cried out and covered my eyes with my hands. "Hey, come on! Don't cry, pal. I'm sure you'll be able to fix this!" he tried to comfort me while I was bawling my eyes out. "How?! How am I supposed to fix this?! Mr. Banana brain! I have no employees, almost no money and no one would want to work for a business that's as outdated as mine! It's… it's over" I muttered quietly and hung my head with a soft sob. "You're a creative guy! I'm sure you can figure out something! You started that company all on your own, so fixing it should be no issue for someone like you!" he kept encouraging me, making me feel a bit better. "Yeah… I'm sure I can… think of something. Maybe I can do something with this offer" I tried to reason as I pulled out the letter from the game company.

As I did so, this random cat guy suddenly ran right past me, grabbing my suitcase and bag before continuing to run. "H-hey! Give that back!" I yelled after him, but he just shouted back "Take it back yourself, if you can!". I was panicking, sprinting after to catch up with him. "Mr. Banana brain!!! MR. BANANA BR-Oof!!!" I shouted as I ran, until I tripped on the sidewalk and landed on my face. I looked up and saw him disappear around the corner. All I could do was watch as I had lost pretty much everything. I felt completely defeated. I felt like nothing. So of course I started crying on the ground.

But only a few seconds later, I heard a scuffle from where he had run. Then I heard a loud ZAP, followed by a thud. Though I was confused, I started feeling scared when I heard footsteps coming closer to the turn. I could only yelp and hide myself under my arms, probably shaking in fear. I soon heard the steps stop right beside me. I couldn't bring myself to look and see what or who was there, until I heard a voice. "Hey, Don't be scared. I'm back!". I lifted my arm and peeked out to see Mr. Banana brain right there in front of me. Immediately, I shot up and shouted "MR. BANANA BRAIN!!!" in relief. I then saw ha was being held by this weirdly dressed rat man. He was wearing yellow overalls and what looked like a plug on his head. He was smiling at me while holding all my stuff that that other guy had stolen. "Don't worry, This guy just saved me!" Banana brain told me before the rat guy handed over all my things. I held Banana brain close while staring at my savior. "Who are you? I mean- thank you! Thank you so much! Um… what's your name?" I asked him before wiping away my tears. "I'm Megavolt! St. Canard's hero!" he announced in this heroic way. I was stunned. A hero? In st. Canard? Seemed impossible to me. 

"Hey… how about I'll help you home? It's not safe to wander around alone this late" he suggested to me and then offered me his hand. I didn't even hesitate, I grabbed it immediately and squeezed as close as I could, saying "yes please!". So Megavolt helped me home and on the way I explained everything. I explained my current situation and how bad everything was for me. So he offered me some help, saying that he could need some help to cleansh the streets of crime. It was a wonderful offer. I could use my creativity and craftsmanship for good! I could help people! So I started working together with Megavolt, forming a great crime fighting duo.

"So that's what dad meant? You started fighting criminals because of him?" Gosalyn asked while looking up at Quackerjack with expectant eyes, having listened intently while he told his story. "Yes, he did. If he hadn't shown up, I would have probably ended up either in a boring desk job or as another thug on the streets. So I have to thank him for what he did for me" he sighed while looking over at the stairs, seeing Megavolt walk down them and heading over to the kitchen where Bushroot was. He had been listening in on the story, forgetting the food that was set on fire. Megavolt helped him put it out. "So… what happened after that? How did papa and father join?" the little girl asked while watching the disaster go down in the kitchen. "I think you will have to ask them about that. I'm sure they know the details and can tell it better than me. But how about we forget about that now and play with Mr. Banana brain instead?" Quackerjack said excitedly while pulling out the banana toy. "Yeah!" she cheered happily as they both ran off towards the backyard, ignoring the two men who had finally put out the fire.

#darkwing duck #quackerjack #Gosalyn Mallard #dwd negaverse #negaverse #nega gosalyn #nega quackerjack #dwd #dwd fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #friendly four

[emily-rose-white]

Practice Challenge 1: 

“Princess Fluffy Angel! Fluffy Princess Angel! Angel Fluffy Princess!” I called out to my three poodles from the foyer of her Paris flat. 

“Girls! Your mommy’s home and she brought presents!” I aded before skipping over to her tea room where a set of cookies and cakes had been awaiting her. 

“Lady White, you forgot to say this morning, would you like rose tea or mint tea with your snacks today?” 

“I will take rose tea! Thank you!” I replied as one of her dogs ran up to her. I threw the wrapping paper from her gift bag down on the ground as my maid picked it up, removing a light pink fluffy tutu and flower crown. 

The Whites came from a long line of an affluent family. They had been there when Illea was founded, serving as Gregory’s right hand man, then invested that money into stocks and properties. The Whites, therefore, had never run out of money. I had acted in films and shows on occasion, but only because I loved the attention. Also, so I could have a chance to possibly meet Ava Jones. 

When I was around thirteen, I worked in my first movie. I took on the role exclusively because my favorite pop singer, the newly discovered, Ava Jones was writing a song for it. There was no guarantee that meant I would meet her, but I would take any chance to do so. One day on set, my dream came true. Ava Jones, the coolest fifteen year old the world had ever seen (in my eyes) appeared. However, I had been acting horribly that day and couldn’t believe her luck. Ava Jones, my icon, my Goddess, would see me completely flop. 

I ran behind her trailer and sobbed, curling into a ball and sitting with my head in my lap. When suddenly things when from bad to worse, 

“Hey," Ava mumbled as she stood in front of me. My face shot up red in embarrassment, tears and snot being sent downwards as my head went up. "I look so ugly!" I screamed and started crying even more. 

"I don't see why that really matters, but yeah you're a pretty ugly crier." Ava squatted down to be on level with me. She took the tissue from my hand and wiped me off as I panted to catch her breath. 

"I don't want you to see me looking ugly! You're Ava Jones!" I yelled, supposedly trying to explain myself. 

"Then maybe don't cry." Ava sighed and sat down on the ground next to me. 

"What do you even have to cry about?" She asked. 

"This script." I grumbled and threw a paper down on the ground. Ava picked it up and tried to examine it. She didn't really know anything about acting but gave it her best shot. 

"What's wrong with it?" 

"I'm not good enough for it. They want me to be shocked! How am I supposed to be shocked?" I huffed. 

"Well, I'm not an actor so I can't really tell you. But do you wanna practice with me a few times?" She offered. I nodded a little bit as Ava examined the script

"Look out princess magenta! That building is falling!" Ava yelled with WAY too much enthusiasm. 

"Oh no." I said, still emotionally drained from the crying. 

"Well that was sad." Ava couldn't help but grin as my head dropped in further despair. She paced for a moment before getting an idea, "You seemed pretty shocked when I found you crying," I nodded. 

"Maybe just, I don't know, channel that or something?" 

I nodded with enthusiasm this time, "okay! Let's try again"

"Look out princess magenta! That building is falling." 

"oH NO!" I yelled. It was probably a bit much but I was happy and this was just a kids movie after all. From that day on I decided that one day Ava Jones was going to be her best friend. I had gone to every concert, set up photoshoots. I even turned a Playboy magazine event into a charity event so Ava could be pressured into coming. But, it was always the same. Ava would smile, they’d talk about work, then she’d be whisked away. I needed at least once to crack her shell. 

And that’s why today was the best day of my life. Her phone rang as she sat, munching on her cookies and she answered it to her screaming friend Tammy, “OHMYGOSHEMILYEMILYEMILY I HAVE THE BEST NEWS FOR YOU!!” 

“WHAT WHAT OH MY GOSH WHAT!!!?” I yelled back causing the maids and her poodles to wince. 

“AVA JONES IS JOINING THE SELECTION!!” She screamed causing me to shriek in delight. 

“Really? It’s not at all her type of thing, where did you hear this?” I asked quickly, still holding onto hope.

“Okay so my brother’s girlfriend’s, best friend’s cousin’s boyfriend's older sister works for Rainbow Companion Recordings, and she heard from an intern who heard from her boss who heard from her boyfriend who heard from his boss that heard from Ava’s agent that she’s joining!” 

I gasped and my phone fell to the ground in shock for a moment before I picked it up and quickly ended the call before called my sister.

“Savannah! Can we push back golf? I have to pack for a flight to Angeles!” I exclaimed as my older sister sighed. 

“Really? You know it’s hard for me to clear my schedule. I’d really prefer we stick to our originally planned time.” She sighed. My heart dropped a bit but I sucked it up and agreed to our normal time. 

***

The ball flew higher than I intended for it to. I could never hit them perfectly. Not the way Savannah could. Savannah was always perfect, be it in golf, studies, anything. She was mother and father’s favorite. She had excellent grades all her life, became fluent in Spanish, new Asian, french, Italian, and German, then she followed in our father’s footsteps taking off to become a large company’s illean representative. She was flown around and paid nicely (not like she needed it). Our parents always had hoped for me to grow up and follow in her footsteps, but despite Savannah's framed report cards being hung in the hallway, I could never keep up.  

“Do you think you’ll apply for the selection?” I asked her as I quickly went to the ball. 

“You really think I’d apply for that? Mom and dad would never approve of either of us getting a fiance that way.” She scoffed and crossed her arms. “Why are you asking, one of your bimbo friends planning on it?” 

I bit the inside of my cheek holding back on defending my friends, people like Savannah didn’t get along with people like me. “Well, it’s not like he’s some four. He’s a prince I hardly see how that’d lead to disapproval.” 

“You really think mom and dad would like one of us putting our lives up on a TV for the speculation of the world and tabloids, being the prince’s personal prostitutes for however long he needs to recover from a broken engagement. Not to mention the fact that he had an engagement called off, what does that say about him? Doesn’t think through decisions, commitment problems, then there could be a whole other plethora of reasons for the engagement being called off.” She responded. A “duh” needing to follow each statement. 

I looked down to the ring on my own finger, I had the diamond replaced after father would no longer give his blessing to Jacob. It was now a glistening pink ring, it’d have been too sad to return a ring so beautiful, but I no longer wore it on my ring finger. I didn’t have a good response for Savannah, she made excellent points as always.  

“You better not be thinking of joining yourself. They barely handle your “actress” lifestyle.” She sighed before hitting her own ball. I was the failure of the family. The easily manipulated, easy-to-bed, childish, Emily-rose.  

***

I applied anyways, it would be one of my only chances to see Ava Jones again. I needed her to like me as much as I liked her. To understand how much I would value our friendship. I brought boxes of macrons with me from France and decided to use them as an excuse to speak with Ava. I would have to give them to everyone though, as to not seem creepy. I stopped at the door of one Ms. Jen Li and waited at the doorway as she was in bed, 

“Hi! I'm Emily-Rose White! You might know me from a few movies I've been in. I recently got back from Paris and brought some macaroons back for the selection as a friendship gift, would you like one?” I offered, giving a quick introduction. 

“Macarons?” She asked then scoffed something under her breath. I was very familiar with the action. Mother or father had done it since I was a child. Prancing around at parties they’d mumble their embarrassment to each other. I brushed it off and widened my smile, 

“ Do you dislike them? I have coffee, mocha, chocolate, and vanilla flavor. I can also order some more if you'd like?” I offered. I would hate for Ava to hear of me being unkind to a selected. Mother had always said giving gifts was a much more dignified way of forming alliances than giving hugs. 

Jen took one of the cookies, holding it carefully. I wonder if she’s never had one? They’re pretty tasty if she’d like to try it. I hope she knows I’m not one of those women who you can never eat in front of. “Emily White. You're a Two, aren't you?” She asked. 

“Yup! Though my family were originally politicians when Gergory Illea took over and aided him, he bought our way to the two cast a few years after and mostly acted as society socialites. But again, I like to act if I see a role that looks fun. How about you?” I answered by giving a little bit of fun fact information for fun. 

Jen tossed the cookie back in the bin and scoffed again, I hope I didn’t catch her in a bad mood, “Figures. I'll pass.” she replied. I tried to not let myself crack even though I was becoming increasingly terrified that I had done or said something wrong. 

“Oh well, again if you'd like anything else I can get it for you. I'd love to be friends with you all here.” I offered and gave her another smile. I handed the box over to a maid who stood near me. 

Jen shot up at that and stalked over to me, “I know you're a Two, and you've never had to lift a single one of your manicured fingers in your life, but when you're in my room-” she took the box back from the maid and shoved it back at me, “ you treat them with respect. At least they actually contribute something to society.” She said. I frowned and realized it must be because I hadn’t spoken to her. Their job was to aid us so I hadn’t thought of interacting with them as opposed to just giving them their tasks. I thought that was how they preferred their work to be done, or at least that’s what mother and father always had told me. 

I turned to the maid and gave her a friendly but apologetic smile. “Excuse me Miss Maid. As it is your job to do would you take this box and throw it out. It has no use now.” I explained feeling a bit like I was performing and unsure if I had done it correctly. “Is that what you meant?” I asked Jen hoping she would feel better now. 

Jen pulled the box back from the maid and shoved it once again in my arms, “No, you bitch, I mean do it yourself. Or is that too hard for you?” She sneered. 

I couldn’t help it anymore and my lip quivered as I felt myself crying. Of course she wanted me to deal with the box. I’m such an idiot. “I'm sorry, I can do that.” I spoke quickly and turned with the box hoping I hadn’t caused too much of a scene. 

***

I laid in my bed for a few hours. I debated calling Savannah or mother- but of course they would know not to act that way with a maid. Of course I was the dumb one here. I had offended lady Jen Li and caused a scene. I was already in this event that they hated and now I was ruining the White name.

Crying into my pillow I decided to go down to Ava’s room. We weren’t friends yet, and this was NOT part of the plan. But it would be better for her to hear it from me so I could apologize for what a complete fool I had been before she decided that was who I had grown into. I cried on her bed for a few hours, explaining that I hadn’t meant for things to turn out that way and I truly hadn’t known that Jen would be so upset. She was incredibly kind, offering to speak with Lady Jen herself, but that would be even worse, to escalate the situation more. I dozed off in the room and slept my first night in Ava’s room. 

[worldofblade]

The Treasure Box

Note:  “Read More” does not always work.  I use it with all my fics, sorry if it doesn’t show up.

BTS Fanfic:  A Jimin Hybrid AU One Shot. (Fluff, Angst, humor)

Prompt:  From @hybridfanfiction about a crow-hybrid.  I changed it a bit.

Pairing:  Hybrid!Jimin x You

Rating:  PG-13

Beta:  None

Warnings:  Mention of sexual abuse, mention of anxiety, mention of bullying.

Summary:  Jimin is the new guy in the office, and you plan on being his friend even if everyone dislikes Raven-Hybrids.

Author’s Note:  I hope you all like it.  It is my first time writing a bts x reader fic.  As always, feedback is greatly appreciated.  Enjoy!

~~~

Never one to follow social norms, you walked right up to Park Jimin, the new guy at the office, and said hi.  Not waiting for an answer, you said you would show him around the office.  Taking off, you ignored the looks from fellow co-workers as you pointed out the different areas of the shared work space.  Jimin had not said much, the sound of his footsteps the only clue he was behind you.  In the end, you had turned back to Jimin, a smile on your face, and told him to contact you any time if he had questions.  He had given you a somewhat timid smile back, before hurrying to his own cubical.  That had been a week ago.

“He really is kind of creepy.  He hardly talks, and seems to skulk around.”

“Maybe he would talk more, if you didn’t always try and avoid him and then whisper loudly that he was creepy.” You say, raising your voice even higher than their fake whispers.  The two women turned red in the face, more so at being called out for their rudeness than what they actually said.  Not meeting your eyes, they hurried away from the water cooler and back to their desks.  You knew that everyone, including Jimin, could hear what had just been said; but you also knew everyone would act as if nothing was heard.  That was office politics for you.

Park Jimin, was a hybrid. That in itself was a mark against him, even with the new laws that had been passed to integrate them into society, but what was really getting to the racist pricks in your office was the fact that he was a Raven-hybrid.  Using the long held, entirely wrong, belief that the birds were death omens and were bad luck, people were either mean to or ignored Jimin in the office.  It pissed you off!

Hybrids had been made for the sole enjoyment of humans who had too much time and money on their hands. For decades they had been treated worse than the animals that they were spliced from.  Finally, they had been deemed more human than animal and were freed from the shackles that had been placed on them.  On paper anyway.  Sure, rules were followed, but that didn’t mean people weren’t still bigoted fools. So Jimin, who was made because some idiot wanted to sell a different class of hybrid, had to deal with something that was no fault of his own.

Feeling your head start to ache, as your blood pressure skyrocketed the more you thought of the injustice of it all, you suddenly stood and grabbed your purse.

“I think I am going to take a coffee break.”  Walking right up to Jimin’s desk, you made sure the whole room was watching and listening to you.  “Jimin, there is a great little coffee place about five minutes walk from here, want me to show it to you?”

Keeping your smile plastered on your face, you hoped that Jimin would say yes, and not let you become embarrassed for your rash action.  I mean, maybe the man didn’t want to be your friend.

“That would be great!” Jimin said, giving you such a big smile that your breath caught in your throat at how beautiful it was.  At how beautiful he was.  Shaking yourself out of those thoughts, you hiked your bag higher onto your shoulder, and with a nod made your way out of the building; Jimin in tow.

The coffee run was quick, and you and Jimin didn’t really talk about anything important; in fact, you were sure that both of you were purposely not talking about important topics; such as being a hybrid and the rudeness of the rest of the staff.  Instead, you both filled the silence with comments about the weather, and how the department deadline was fast approaching.

“Thank you so much, Jimin, it was fun to have company on a break.” You said, once you were both back in the office.

“Thanks for showing me that great coffee house.” Jimin answered back, and then you both sat back down at your desks; ignoring the sudden buzz of muttered comments coming from the other cubicles.

That night, you couldn’t sleep.  No matter how hard you tired, you couldn’t get Park Jimin out of your head.  He seemed such a nice man, and you could still feel the anger rise up inside when you thought about how the others were treating him.  You also, couldn’t seem to get his beautiful smile and beautiful face out of your head. No matter how many times you chastised yourself for your wayward thoughts.  You knew that hybrids had been specifically engineered to be beautiful to the human eye.  At one point in time they had been advertised as what amounted to sex-slaves.  With thousands cashing in to have a trained non-human who could be used in any way.

Feeling the outrage rise back up, you pushed away all thoughts about Jimin and his handsomeness. Instead your mind went to what could be done to help the raven-hybrid.  You weren’t even sure what was so different about Jimin and a normal human.  Maybe he was a bit more delicate looking, but he was still taller than most of the women and some of the men in the office; and even though you felt embarrassed to admit, you knew that he had muscles under his white button up shirt, from the glimpse you had caught when he stretched.  So, it wasn’t really how he looked that was different. You guessed it was all down to animal instincts then.

Far into the night, you googled and made notes.  If no one else was going to be Jimin’s friend, then by all that was holy, you would be not only his friend, but the best friend you could possibly be!

~~~

“Good morning, Jimin.” You called out from your desk, when he walked into the room.  “Was your weekend good?”

Shrugging out of his over-coat, he hung it up on the rack and then somewhat bashfully made his way towards your desk.

“It was nice.  How about yours?” Jimin asked, his bright smile in place.

Forcing yourself not to dwell on his beautifully styled black hair, and dark eyes that seemed to see inside your soul, you instead passed him a cup of coffee that you made sure was in a bright cup, and a little bag of snacks.

“I got the same coffee that you ordered when we went out.  I also wanted to add to your food cache.  I hope these types of nuts are something you like.”

“Food cache…” Jimin blinked a few times, but accepted the gifts.  He had a somewhat puzzled expression, but with the others coming into the office, he just smiled his thanks and then took his seat.

Feeling somewhat dumb, you wondered if you put too much stock in what you googled about ravens.  Maybe a hybrid didn’t follow very closely to the actual bird.  After you had the misfortune to google “raven-hybrids” and wound up slack jawed staring at sites showing half-dressed men and women in lewd positions; you felt safer sticking with finding out about the bird itself.  Worried that you might have made a terrible faux pas , you glanced towards Jimin’s desk.  He was looking at the bright coffee cup and bag of nuts, with a small smile on his face. Looking up just then, he caught you staring.  Feeling heat crawl up your face, you hurriedly turned back to your computer.  At least he had smiled at your gifts.   That meant he didn’t think you were a total moron.

Every day you greeted Jimin with a smile, and another gift of food.  You found time to talk to him around the water cooler, and enjoyed his sly sense of humor on your lunch breaks.  If you sometimes found yourself caught up in his laugh, admiring his chiseled face…well…you were only human.  You tried to downplay your giddiness the first time it was Jimin, instead of you, that asked to go on a coffee break together.  It was hard to remind yourself that you were just friends, but you managed…most of the time.

~~~

“A little birdy told me that you have a new friend.”

“Ha. Ha.” Jimin rolled his eyes at his friend’s lame joke.  Pushing off the wall that he had been leaning on.  Jimin stretched, and then gave the other man his full attention.  “Why did you want to meet?”

“I’m going to escalate the time frame a bit.” Jung Hoseok, currently CEO of the company, and formerly Jimin’s owner; said.  “With your qualifications, I am going to make you Team Lead.  We can then see how that plays out.”

Hoseok was the top business owner who gladly welcomed hybrids into his staff.  So far, though, they had all been lower on the totem pole. Housekeeping, and such.  Usually the type of jobs recently freed hybrids could get with the limited schooling they had been allowed.  Hoseok had wanted to see what would happen if a highly educated hybrid was allowed to climb the corporate ladder.  Jimin was placed in Hoseok’s company to see how well all of it could be handled.  The CEO took the welfare of not only his current workers, but also the soon to be employed hybrids seriously.

“Sounds good.” Jimin answered, and then started toward the door that would take him back into the building.

“Hold on.” Hoseok laughed. “What about that friend I mentioned?”

Jimin grimaced as he turned back to Hoseok.  “I should have known you wouldn’t let that go.”

“It’s not every day that a guy is given brightly wrapped presents by the most sought-after woman in the company.” Hoseok said, throwing an arm around Jimin.

“It’s actually really cute. She even uses words like “food cache” which is obviously from something she must have looked up on the internet about ravens.” Jimin settled more into Hoseok’s warmth, a feeling of safety rolling over him; something still held over from when Hoseok was his owner and protector.

“Aww.  Is Jiminie starting to like the pretty lady, who feeds the pretty birdy?” Hoseok asked in a high baby voice, and then laughed when Jimin shoved his arm off.

“Get bent!” Jimin glared, which just caused Hoseok to laugh even harder.

Jimin had been Jung Hoseok’s present on his eighteenth birthday.  At the time, bird hybrids had been all the rage, and Jimin was part of the bird elite.  A Raven-Hybrid.  Few were made, so all were highly sought after.  Especially because Jimin and his kind were so indistinguishable from humans. They were strong, fast, and had an element of sexiness that humans found alluring; but all in all, the only thing that gave them away as hybrids was the small tattoo next to their right eye that all hybrids had.  Hoseok had been appalled at his parent’s thoughtless present.  The whole hybrid craze had made him sick.  He couldn’t stand people hurting others, and especially couldn’t stand how the hybrids were treated.  He had almost told them to take Jimin back, when he finally looked at the scared raven’s face.  His heart broke.  He knew that if he rejected the gift.  Jimin would be sent back to whatever hell-hole he came from until another owner could be found.  Who knew what that new owner would do?  So, he accepted.  Making sure that Jimin knew that he was not a pet.  Hoseok treated Jimin like a human with the same standing as his own from that day forward.  Jimin had gone to school with Hoseok, and when the laws finally changed Hoseok helped him petition for his rightful business degree.  When Jimin had told Hoseok that he wanted to be a fashion designer. He had loaned Jimin the money, as well as the connections, to get into the best design school in the country.  “Quoth the Raven” was the break out sensation in steam-punk/gothic street wear.  Most never knowing that Jimin was the founder and CEO.  Not because Jimin was embarrassed at being what he was, more that Jimin was annoyed at all the hype the press was now giving to hybrids that “were just like humans”.  So Jimin was able to go about his life, with few problems.  Especially now that the law was finally on his side.  So, when Hoseok had told Jimin about his crazy plan to see how his company would handle hybrids working with them, Jimin had shrugged and said ‘Why not’?

“So, how has it been going?” Hoseok asked, all humor gone.  It really was important to him to find out how hybrids would be treated in his company.

“They whisper that I am bad luck and creepy; but truthfully it hasn’t been that bad.” Jimin sighs, “Are we going to be best friends?  Probably not. But there will always be someone who is willing to be friendly.”

“Oh-ho!  You are talking about your lovely coffee friend again, I see.” Hoseok joked, giving him a wink.

“I guess we will see how it goes, when I am put into a position of power.” Jimin said, ignoring Hoseok’s comment.  “I’m sure, at first, they will be angry since I don’t have the seniority that others do.”

“Yes.  What I want to see, though, is if it is just anger over someone new being promoted or if it is because you’re a hybrid.” Hoseok said.

“Hobi, there will always be people who are against hybrids.” Jimin said, giving his friend a small smile. “You can’t kick everyone out of your company that doesn’t like my kind.”

“Sure I can.  I’m the boss.” Hoseok said, throwing his arm around Jimin’s shoulder again and steering them toward the door.  “New rule.  If you don’t like Jiminie, I don’t like you.”  Both of them laughed, as they walked back into the building.

~~~

“Someone who has only been with the company a few weeks, and he gets to be Team Lead?”

“It’s political.  They are trying to show that the company is pro-hybrid.”

“Is he even qualified? I’m going to have a contact in HR look into his schooling.”

You had spent the day pretended not to hear all the mutterings around you.  Truthfully, even you were a bit shocked that Park Jimin was being made Team Lead in a new task force being put together to go after a major clothing brand to be showcased in the Hong Kong market.  Others, and yes you were spiteful enough to add yourself to that group, had been with the company longer.  Maybe it was all political because Jimin is a hybrid?  Feeling ashamed of yourself at that fleeting thought.  You were trying to remind yourself that Jimin was your friend and surely was qualified; when the man himself walked into the room.

“Hi Jimin!” You almost yelled, wincing when you realized how you sounded.  You knew that it was your embarrassment at what you had just been thinking which caused your over-enthusiastic greeting.

“Hi.” Jimin’s smile lit up the room, and you found yourself smiling dreamily back.  “Where is everyone?”

“Oh…” You forced yourself to stop staring at the handsome man.  “A lot of people had family things to do.” You lamely said, not meeting his eyes.

Jimin had offered to take everyone out to dinner after his promotion was made known.  A common practice among your co-workers who went up the ladder of success.  You were the only one who had stayed after work.

“So, everyone is pretty riled up that a hybrid who has only been with the company a few weeks has been promoted, huh?”

Deciding that it was pointless to lie.  You just shrugged your shoulders, and finally was able to make eye contact.  “I even find it a bit hard to understand why someone who has been with the company longer wasn’t promoted.”  You feel your face heat, but force yourself to continue. “That being said, I have to assume that you have the skills and brains to get the job done.”  Swinging your bag over your shoulder, you make your way to the door.  “You better take me somewhere nice.  I haven’t eaten all day, so I plan to eat a lot at your celebration party.”

~~~

Loud honking, broke through your conversation of where to get dinner.  Looking toward the road, you see a fancy car, with an equally fancy guy hanging out of the passenger side window.

“Jiminie!  Let’s go to a club!  Who’s she?”

Before anyone can say anything.  The guy is bounding out of the car, a huge grin on his face.  You can see the driver of the car, shaking his head as he parks.

“This is Kim Taehyung,” Jimin says, and you are able to catch a quick glimpse of a tattoo by his right eye.  You realize that he is a hybrid too.  “Tae, this is my co-worker-“

“Oh, the one who brings you presents!” Taehyung interrupts, causing both Jimin and you to blush. Hooking his arms around Jimin, he gives you a wink.

Taehyung is amazingly beautiful and sexy.  His hair is blonde and his eyes are a deep brown.  His features are perfect.  There is no other word for it really.  If a plastic surgeon was able to make a perfect face, it would be his.  He is tall, lean, and exudes a very masculine sexuality.  The only other person who has made you feel the kick of lust in your gut just by seeing him, was Jimin.  Realizing what you had just been thinking, you look away and down, sure that your face is ablaze.

“How cute!  Did I embarrassed you?” Taehyung calls out, not caring that Jimin hits his arm in warning.

“You embarrass all of us, Tae.  You should know that by now.” The driver had now reached your little group.  You glance up at him.  He too has a hybrid tattoo by his eye.  Feeling weirdly panicked, you note that the new guy is also extremely attractive.

“This is Kim Seokjin.” Jimin tells you, still glaring at Taehyung.

“I’ll let you be with your friends.” You manage to blurt out, starting to back away from the group.

“No.  I want to take you to dinner.” Jimin, extracts himself from Taehyung and moves your way.

“Me too!  Me too!” Taehyung calls out, throwing you another smile.

“Sure.  Ok.” You hear yourself saying, before you even have time to think.

Suddenly, Taehyung has pushed passed Jimin, and he leads you to the back seat of the car.  With a comical flourish of his hand, he opens the door and ushers you in.  Jimin following soon, giving his friend another glare.

“Where to?” Jin asks.

“We really haven’t decided yet.” You answer.

“Great, I know just the place.  The chef is amazing.” Jin says, putting the car in gear.

“Jin, she doesn’t want to go to our house and eat your cooking.” Jimin mumbles, already guessing where Jin is headed.

“Of course she does!” Jin answers, and all you can do is laugh.

You had a feeling that you had just met some of Jimin’s Conspiracy.  Although, you kind of hated that term for a group of ravens.  Maybe they did too?  You would have to ask Jimin.  In your research, you had found that ravens were friendly in their own group, even raising young together.  You had also found that ravens were monogamous, and that the males put on quite a show to prove their worth for the female that they wanted.  That info had led to fantasies that were best forgotten at the moment.

~~~

“You live here?” You ask, hoping that your eyes were not bugging out.  They had pulled up to Hannam The Hill.  One of the most exclusive luxury apartment buildings. Glancing at Jimin, you could see a smile on his face.  You could tell he was proud of where he lived.  Well, why not? You thought.  He and his group had probably worked long and hard to be able to achieve something like this, especially as hybrids.  He should be proud. Although, you did wonder how he was able to come up with his part of the rent.  I mean, you knew roughly what he made at the company.

“Nice, huh!” Taehyung said, looking back and giving you another megawatt smile.  “It only recently allowed hybrids to buy.  Jimin snatched one up the second it came on the market.”

“Jimin, did…?”

“Here we are!” Jin said, bringing the car to a stop.  You really did want to know more about how Jimin could afford a place like this, but then decided it was none of your business.  Besides, maybe Taehyung had misspoken.  He probably meant that Jimin found out about it, and then the group bought it together.

Jimin grabbed your hand and pulled you a bit back from the group as they made their way to the elevators.

“I think I need to tell you something before we go into the house.” Jimin began, but was interrupted when Taehyung came and wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

“Let’s go.  I’m hungry.” Taehyung said, dragging Jimin, and consequently you toward the elevator that Jin was holding for them.

Jimin looked a bit worried, but you didn’t have time to ask what was going on with Taehyung laughing and talking during the whole elevator ride.

“Home sweet home.” Jin said, and then gave you a smile.  “You are going to love the dinner I make for you.”

You didn’t answer, too busy gawking at the beauty around you.  The entryway was more beautiful than your whole apartment.  Making your way into the living room, you were bowled over by the many windows and the extraordinary view before you.  Now this was living!  Forcing yourself to look away from the windows, you found your eye drawn to pictures down a hallway.  Moving closer, you realized that the first one was of Taehyung modeling the brand “Quoth the Raven”.  Chuckling a bit at the irony of Tae being the model for that brand you went on to the next photo.  This time it was Jin, in all his glory.  Continuing down the line, you saw five men all gorgeous and all modeling for the same brand.  When you got to the sixth picture, it took a moment for you to understand what you were seeing.  It was obviously an amateur shot, and it showed Jimin working on a sketch.  A sketch of the very outfit you had just seen Jin wearing in his photo.

“I guess now would be the time for that talk I wanted to have with you.”

Turning, you blinked a few times at Jimin.  “Yeah, now would be good.”

~~~

“So, it was all a lie to see how we humans would react to hybrids?”

Jimin seemed to grimace at your words, but slowly nodded his head.  “In another few weeks, I would have been shipped to the Hong Kong office, never to be seen again.”

“I see.” You answer, keeping your voice low.  You felt stupid and betrayed.  You knew it was dumb, but you had truly worked hard to make Jimin your friend, and now it seemed like he had stabbed you in the back.  You wondered if you were part of the CEO’s notes.  Something like, ‘We can count on her to be friendly’. Feeling like a complete fool, you stood and made your way to the door.

“Please don’t leave.” Jimin began, while you scrambled to put your shoes on.

“She’s leaving?” Taehyung came around the corner, giving both you and Jimin a questioning look.

Mumbling random excuses, you finally get your shoes on and walk out the door.  Hurrying in the direction you think the elevators are, you hear Jimin calling you but you don’t turn around.  You press the down button when Jimin catches up.

“I’m sorry.  Don’t leave.  Let’s talk!”

“Which floor do I push to get out?” You ask, finally looking at Jimin.  “I don’t know which one is the lobby.”

He stares hard at you for a moment, before sighing and running his hands through his hair.  “I really was so happy for your friendship, that wasn’t a lie.”

“Which floor?” You ground out, teeth clenched to try and fight back the tears that are threatening to fall.

“It’s the big L.” Jimin says quietly.

Knowing that you look like an even bigger idiot now, you jam your finger on the L and do your best to look anywhere but at Jimin.

“Please,” Jimin tries one last time, holding the elevator doors open.

You keep pushing the L, not making eye contact with Jimin.  With another sigh, Jimin lets go of the doors.  You think you hear him swear as the doors close.

You make it into the cab that you’ve called, before finally starting to cry.  You are not completely sure why you’re crying.  You’ve only even known Jimin for a few weeks.  It’s not like you’ve made any real lasting friendship. You tell yourself this, which only makes you cry harder.

~~~

“Mr. Jung will see you now.”

You smile at the secretary and then take a deep breath.  You got a call from the CEO’s assistant last night asking for you to meet with him today. You’re pretty sure you know what it’s about.

“Welcome!” Jung Hoseok smiles at you, as he comes to his feet when you enter.  You return his smile, even though you know it looks forced.  He motions for you to take one of the chairs in front of his desk.  “Would you like a drink?”

“No, thank you.” You manage to stutter out, as you sit down.

“So, about Jimin-“

“I won’t tell anyone, if that is what you are worried about.” You interrupt, feeling your nervousness well up.  You have only ever seen the CEO from afar, and at press conferences.  Being in his office was causing you anxiety.

“Oh, I am already planning on telling everyone.  That is not why I called you in.” Hoseok said, giving you another smile when you just looked at him, confusion all over your face.  “I wanted to talk to you about Jimin and his feelings.”

You don’t know what to say. You feel your face heat up, and almost lash out and ask what business is it of his, but the need for your job keeps you in check.

“I want to show you something.” Hoseok continues, placing a box on his desk between the two of you.  “This is a treasure box.  Jimin’s treasure box.  I know what it is, because he had one while we were in school together.  I found it inside his desk, when I went to clean it out for him.”

You didn’t really understand what he meant by a treasure box.  You remembered reading during your research that ravens sometimes brought little presents to people that they liked, but didn’t fully understand what Mr. Jung was talking about.

“I see the wheels of your mind turning.” Hoseok laughed, bringing you out of your daze.  “I know that you did research on ravens to help you get closer to Jimin.  Something I applaud you for.  It’s true that Jimin and his kind sometimes like to give little gifts to ones they like. But, unlike the bird, Jimin also knows that not everyone he likes, likes him back.  So even though the raven in him, likes to collect pretty little things to give to someone special, he usually won’t do it unless he knows they would be happy to receive them.  During college, Jimin had a crush on a girl that was in most of our classes.  He knew that she did not return his crush, but he couldn’t stop himself from collecting.  I found the box of all the little treasures he thought she would like a few months after our first year of college.  By then he was long over her, but confessed the whole thing to me.”

You feel somewhat embarrassed that Mr. Jung is telling you something so private about Jimin.  You also feel a tiny bit of jealousy towards some unknown bratty girl that didn’t know a good thing when she saw it. Pushing that thought aside, you tried to come up with something to say.

“So, this is the treasure box that Jimin made for you.” Hoseok continues.

You just stare at Mr. Jung, your mouth gaping open.  “No….I mean, what….How do you know?”

Hoseok laughs at your rambling speech.  Pushing the box closer to you, he likes that you are fast to grab it and cling to it. He figures that says something about your own feelings for his friend.  He had taken a big gamble, laying bare Jimin’s feelings, but it seems he had made the right choice.

“How do you know it is for me?” You finally get out, no longer caring if you sound pathetic.

“You should know that you’ve been the talk of Jimin’s group for quite some time.” Hoseok continues. “All of Jimin’s other raven brothers were mad that they didn’t get a chance to see you, like Tae and Jin did.  They were also really sad that you left their home upset.  I had to tell the guards to ban them from coming to the office today, as they wanted to beg you to speak with Jimin again.  So that is how I know this treasure box is yours.”  Leaning back in his chair, Hoseok looks at you.

Looking down at the box, you brush your hand down the smooth wooden lid.  “I think I am going to take the rest of the day off.” You finally say, looking up at the CEO.  “I have some things I need to think about.”

~~~

You had almost opened the box multiple times, but always stopped yourself.  You weren’t sure why exactly, but for some crazy reason you had a fear that you would open the box and somehow know immediately that Mr. Jung was wrong; that the box wasn’t for you.  Finally, you took a deep breath and flipped open the lid.

You almost felt blinded by all the sparkle that was inside.  Pawing through it, you suddenly felt panicked.  Hoseok had led you to believe that it was silly little trinkets that would be inside this box.  He was wrong. Inside were gems.  Gems in all different colors and sizes.  Gems, that probably added up to thousands and thousands of dollars.

“What the hell?” You yelled, closing the lid fast.  You forced yourself not to hyperventilate, while you tried to think of what to do. You were sure that there had to be some kind of mistake.  You were also sure that you couldn’t keep these in your apartment.  What if someone stole them?  A small part of you knew that you were being crazy at this moment, but the bigger part- the part that was fast sliding into a panic attack knew that this box could not possibly be meant for someone as insignificant as you. Throwing on a coat, you held the box in a death grip as you ordered a cab.

~~~

Jimin laid in his dark room, surrounded by his brothers.  No one was talking, but they all stayed with Jimin in his grief.  If you had been a witness to what was going on, you would have known it was almost like the funerals that ravens held for their bird friends; something you learned from your research.

In the distance, the ring of their security line sounded.

“I’ll get it.” Jin said, giving Jimin a sad look before going to find out why security was calling them.

Suddenly, Jin rushed back into the room, and threw on the light.

“Come on, bro, have some respect!” Yoongi said, shielding his eyes from the bright light.

“Jimin!  You’ve got to get up now!  She is here!” Jin said, starting to go through his drawers.  “You need to change into something pretty!”

“No!  He needs to go wash his face and do his hair!” Taehyung yelled, beginning to pull a bewildered Jimin off his bed.

“Just show her your bank account.  That will prove to her that you can care for her and any babies that come along!” Jungkook said, which everyone seemed to agree with.

“Enough!” Namjoon finally said.  Prying Jimin out of Taehyung’s hands.  “Jimin, go meet your chosen mate.  Don’t keep her waiting.”

Jimin finally stumbled off the bed, practically flying to the front door.

~~~

The more you paced around the lobby, the more you thought this was a bad idea.  You looked a wreak, and still didn’t really know what you were going to say to Jimin.  You were almost ready to tell the guard to call them back and say never mind, so you could leave with some dignity intact, When Jimin slammed through the doorway of the stairs.  Breathing hard, and frantically searching for something…no, for you, you realized when his eyes landed on you and his face broke into the biggest smile you had ever seen.

“Did you take the stares?” was your dumb question, when he ran toward you.  He looked just as much a mess as you did.

“Please stay with me!” Jimin cried, as he pulled you into a crushing hug.  “I know I lost your trust, but I will make it up to you!  I will spend my life showing you that you can trust me!” He uttered a few more things, that didn’t really make sense to you.  Something about pretty cloths and bank balances.

“Jimin…” You started to try and pull away, which caused him to hold you tighter.  “Jimin.” You push against him slightly, and he moves a few steps back.  Still keeping you within his arms.  “I came to ask about this.” You finally get out, holding up the treasure box.

Jimin blushes, but doesn’t look away from your eyes.  “They are for you.  One for every time I thought   about you, dreamed about you, and cried in my soul for you.”

“but they are precious stones…” You start to pull away again.

“None are as precious as you are to me.” Jimin pulls you back and his lips cover your own.  The kiss is simple and sweet, but it holds more meaning than any other kiss you’ve ever received.  Wrapping your arms around him, you faintly hear the box crash to the ground and gems spilling all over the lobby floor.  Neither of you care.

~~~

Four years later

“Come to whom you love most.” Jin says, making grabby hands at your daughter, who giggles.

“None of that Jin.” You say, rolling your eyes.  “The last thing I need is for the others to hear you say that.  Our safe is already stuffed full of all the gifts given the last time you all wanted to prove your love to my daughter.”

“As is right.” Jin says, not bothered at all by your frown.  Instead he starts swinging your daughter around the room, causing laugher and squealing to come from both of them.

Jimin enters the room, and gives Jin and your daughter a fond smile.  Turning to you, he opens his arms wide.  “Come to whom you love most.” He says, making you laugh as you snuggle into his warmth.  

“Don’t get cocky, Jimin. Maybe one of the others with their pretty cloths has caught my eye.” You joke, loving how Jimin just holds you tighter and laughs.

“Are you going to the office today?” Jimin askes.

“Nope.  I’m a free woman.” You reply.

You still technically worked for Hoseok’s company, which now was the leading employer of hybrids.  The CEO making it clear that anyone who didn’t treat everyone with respect, could look for a job elsewhere.  Your role in the company was to prepare reports on the different hybrids that worked for Hoseok.  That way, everyone could understand each other better.  Which meant you could pretty much come and go as you pleased.

“Stop screaming!” Yoongi stumbled out of his room, and glared at Jin; before grabbing your daughter and snuggling his face into her own.  “Come and take a nap with whom you love best.”

Laughing at Jin’s uproar at Yoongi’s statement, you figure your daughter is going to get yet another completely impractical and expensive gift from the eldest raven.

“You do know that our daughter is going to be a complete monster when she gets older?” You ask Jimin, causing him to look at you in confusion.  “She will know that she only has to ask to get anything and everything she wants.”

“As is right.” Jimin answers, cuddling closer to you.

#kpopwonderlandtag #bts hybrid au #bts fic #bts jimin #bts jiminxyou #bts jimin fic #bts fluff #bts angst #bts x reader #bts x you #bts au fanfic #bts hybrid fic #bts one shot #bts #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #kpop #kpop fic #kpop fanfic #kpop fanfiction #the treasure box #fic by worldofblade #bts romance fanfic

[mothfishing]

using dgab as a shorthand for referring to a cluster of physical characteristics is iffy at best, for two reasons:

many people develop a mixture of these characteristics, most notably intersex people

trans people who choose to medically transition will end up with either a mixture as well, or with nearly an entirely different cluster than the one they were born with, depending on their transition goals

there’s also the fact that while the terms dmab and dfab are a little more distant from “biologically male”/”biologically female”, in practice they’re often used the exact same way...and personally i dislike referring to myself with them at all and i will never do so, and i don’t think anyone should be expected to do so. (as a note, asking if someone is TME/TMA is a totally different question that should be answered honestly)

but i also want to say that these categories would not be useful even in a situation where they were totally divorced from gender in every conceivable way; that as an end result would be the abolition of the gender binary, but the preservation of the sex binary.

it remains the fact that, as i mentioned, intersex people as well as non-intersex people who choose to medically transition in some way will both end up with bodies and experiences that don’t perfectly match up with the sex binary. one could say, well, intersex people are a tiny percentage of the population - if these groups work in 99% of cases, then are they bad groupings, or do they just have some exceptions?

well, there’s baggage that comes with exclusion from these groups no matter what; eliminating them entirely would a step towards normalizing having a body setup that isn’t quite in one category or the other. but like - i’ve seen people who totally believe that dismantling cisnormativity would lead to less people identifying as cis, and that the current setup where cis people are a whopping 99% the population is less due to cis man and cis woman being good categories that work in nearly all cases, but instead because most people never learn/realize they could be anything else, and would potentially be happier if they did. and this is something i agree with, mind. but then many of these same people will fail to apply this to the sex binary, that clustering traits like “can impregnate people/have a flat chest/are testosterone dominant” or “can become pregnant/has breast tissue/are estrogen dominant” into two distinct categories leads to the majority of people who maybe don’t fit a certain category perfectly to be stuffed in anyway, because they’re “close enough” and everyone must be one or the other.

in the most extreme cases, this process of stuffing someone into an ill-fitting but “close enough” box will accompany medical procedures that are in almost all cases performed without the person’s informed consent, and often before they’re too young to give such a thing.

but i don’t doubt that a lot more variance in human bodytypes would be recognized if we didn’t have these two supposedly distinct categories to shove people into in the first place...

and one can argue, oh, well even without gender we’d need them for medical purposes. but the thing is: if you’re talking about medical purposes, this argument isn’t better than saying a doctor needs to know if you’re “biologically male”/”biologically female” even if the misgendering aspect has been stripped out.

it’s better to just say what you mean. you could say “afab people are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer”, but there’s so much fuzziness there. “people with developed breast tissue are at a higher risk of developing breast cancer” is infinitely more useful, bc it includes all people who developed breast tissue at puberty - including some amab intersex people - as well as trans women who went on HRT. it also correctly excludes afab intersex people who didn’t develop breast tissue at puberty, as well as afab people who DID but then went on to have it surgically removed for whatever reason.

and so on...if you’re referring to the ability to become pregnant/the ability to impregnate, just say that. if you’re referring to hormone levels, just say estrogen dominant/testosterone dominant/ambiguous dominance.

there’s no reason to force traits into two categories, no matter what the categories are.

[jflashandclash]

Tales from Mount Othrys

Surprise Parenthood II

         Ajax, the tinier of the two, twitched as he examined the donut box in Jack’s hands. Like Jack often did, he said no one could eat until Flynn had come back over. The gesture made Flynn sigh and hope he wouldn’t starve if she never came home from battle.

         If she had to guess, Luke just finished selling their cause to the older boy. Axel leaned more into his seat, his eyes wide, as Luke enlisted the horrors the Greek gods had committed. A Cyclops and nymph from the next table leaned over their seats to listen. Judging by the kid’s expression, Luke would be much better at recruiting the older boy, and Jack would be much better for the little one.  

         By the time she was within hearing range, Luke was saying, “And you already started pretty well on combating the corruption of the West. That’s a pretty solid trophy you’ve got there.”

         Jack made a slicing motion across his neck to tell Luke to cut it out on the trophy.

         Without Flynn around, Jack grinned down at the two boys across from him and Luke, like they really were his babies. She wanted to point out that these weren’t hell hounds. They weren’t Alabaster’s failed “guinea pigs.” These were two teenage boys, one of which must have only been a couple of years younger than Jack.

         But Jack looked so happy.

         While examining the excitement in his light eyes, the opera’s overture came to her. Jack had painstakingly learned all of the Mandarin words and the intonations of the first act so he could give Nǎinai and Flynn a live performance. His angelic hum echoed in her memory from when Jack tried to replicate a Huangmei singer. He had failed at mimicking the trills, but he still sounded wonderful and made Nǎinai spill some happy tears.

         Something in Flynn broke.

         She groaned. They needed to set some ground rules on discussing major decisions and, likely, what counted as a major decision. Thank the titans that Jack didn’t have access to a credit card or Ebay.[1]

         Lucille watched from the counter as Flynn approached the table.

         Jack’s smile fell again. He struggled to make eye contact with her, his brow furrowing in shame.

         The smaller boy noticed. His hazel and brown eyes widened as he glanced from Axel, to Jack, to Flynn. His cheeks puffed up and popped in a way that made Flynn think he looked like a chipmunk.

         Flynn surprised herself with a laugh.

         Jack perked up.

“Everything okay with Lucille?” Luke asked, eyeing the donut box like the others.

She nodded.

Jack opened up the box and shoved them towards the center.

         Despite their polite patience before, Axel and Ajax descended upon the treats like there had been a famine. She wondered if anyone had thought to feed the boys after Axel’s fight.

         Axel devoured one of his chocolate glazed donuts in two bites.

         Ajax stacked all three of his donuts—two of his own and one from Jack—and attempted to bite all three at once, maybe to combo the flavors. Jelly seeped down his cheeks.

         The older boy snapped something to the younger boy in Spanish.

         The younger boy’s eyes went wider and he scooted further down the chair, holding his donuts close to him, as though he feared Axel might take them.

         Axel sighed, lifted his second donut, and munched on it much slower, staring out the window thoughtfully.  From what Flynn had seen on their way in, they were somewhere in the bogs of Virginia and the scenery looked as muggy as the air felt.

         Flynn motioned for Jack to scoot closer to Luke so she could sit down. Remembering Luke’s question, Flynn said, “Lucille just wanted to talk to me about adjusting to civilian life.”

         Luke looked a little disappointed. He kept thinking one of the daughters of Aphrodite would take interest in him.

         “You’re part of Kronos’ cause now,” Flynn said to the boys, ignoring the way Luke gave an additional wave to Lucille.[2]

         Ajax froze half-way through biting into his triple stack. He glanced at Axel.

         Axel shrugged, still staring out the window. “I guess so.” After a pause, he added, “I can get behind helping underprivileged monsters.”

         With his performance on the stage, Axel would probably be put into the Assault and Battery unit. There was no way his little brother could be in the same unit. He was too small.

         She wondered what they would think when they did the creepy Pledge Your Soul ceremony or if Jack had forgotten to mention that part.

         Jack watched Flynn carefully. One of his hands tugged mindlessly at the red locks.

         “If you’re going to be here anyway, we’re going to have to keep an eye on you,” Flynn said.

         Jack broke into an enormous smile. He reached for Flynn’s hand and hesitated.

         She enlaced their fingers. This was going on the ever-increasing list of Things She and Jack Needed To Talk About.

         Luke leaned back. “You’ve gotta be kidding,” he said, looking amused at Flynn’s compliance.

         “Next time,” she said to Jack, ignoring Luke as she often did, “Let’s start with a Hell pup.”

         Jack’s eyes widened with delight. “Next time?” he asked.

         “There will be no next time,” she clarified.

         Jack didn’t seem to mind. He beamed at the boys. His right leg started to bob up and down in his excitement. “Did you hear that boys?! Flynn is officially your Mom!”

         Luke coughed back a laugh.

         Flynn shot him a glare.

         He shrugged. “Sorry, Momma Flynn. Just not something I would expect.”

         Axel grumbled something in Spanish, keeping his eyes out the window.

         The tinier one elbowed him, then paused in munching. He gave them a fragile grin. “We haven’t had a Mom in awhile.” He tilted his head, examining her. “My little brother is half-Japanese. Are you half-Japanese?”

         Flynn thought about what the Japanese soldiers had done to her grandmother and deceased aunts that had left her grandmother’s health so fragile, about the things her uncle had witnessed that left him so broken in the head. The things her uncle had passed down to her, through words and action every night before bed, the way some other children got lullabies.

         Keeping her tone careful, Flynn said, “I’m half-Chinese.”

         Ajax bobbed up and down. “That’s really cool. I don’t know much about China. You guys have a lot of bamboo, right?”

         Without looking at his little brother, Axel reached over and swatted Ajax across the back of the head.

         Ajax whined, “Ayyyyyeeeee!” again.

         “Boys!” Jack said, trying to sound authoritarian. If the tiny one hadn’t set her on guard, she might have thought Jack’s tone adorable.

         “My heritage is not up for discussion,” she said. “I’m American. That’s all you need to know.”

         That’s all anyone ever needed to know. It was bad enough moving to Jack’s tiny Baptist town where she stuck out like an obsidian chip in a cup of clear glass. At least here, the demigod and monster population was diverse. There was more than one daughter of Aphrodite walking around to be whistled at, though all the boys here knew better. Flynn almost missed hearing people choke up when she turned and they saw her disfigured face.

         The tiny one blushed and stared at the center of the table. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. After a pause, he added, “I like your hair sticks.”

         Flynn forced herself not to adjust the blades she kept tucked into her hair. She didn’t realize she’d been digging her nails into Jack’s hand.

         This kid didn’t know better. She shouldn’t get mad if she wasn’t willing to teach him.

         “The boys were about to tell us what they like to do in their free time, that way we can get them settled in properly,” Jack said, winking at the tiny one.

         “We were?!” Ajax yipped. He took another massive bite of his donut stack.

         “They were?” Luke asked. His amusement wore out. He looked like he wanted an escape and didn’t have one on the inside of the bench. She wondered if there were any important meetings happening right now or if Luke’s dislike for tiny children (other than his beloved Annabeth) was showing.

         Flynn held up a hand, silencing Jack and making him look nervous. There was something both she and Luke needed to know before they broke up this bullshit.

         “You,” she pointed to Axel, narrowing her gaze to examine his jaw. It looked human. She needed to get something straightened out before Jack became too attached to these two, if he wasn’t already. “How did you have the strength to bite through the praetor’s skull? Not even demigods can do that.”

         Axel surprised her with his response. “There are two kids and a Cyclops hanging out along the tree line, watching us,” he said, pointing through the window.

         Luke and Flynn flinched.

         They both followed his gaze outside.

         Flynn couldn’t believe no one had noticed the bright orange Camp Half-Blood shirts that poked out of the underbrush and the baby Cyclops stuffing his face with a box of donuts.

         A scowl tugged her lips. “I wonder who that could be,” she said.

         Jack sat up, mouth dropping open. “Oh! Oh! Is that Annabeth? I—I never got to meet her when everyone else saw her onboard—I was getting the games ready for the Roman—”

         Flynn didn’t care about the daughter of Athena. She rose to her feet, touching the blades in her hair.

         Luke looked pleased. “Flynn, chill. I told you that I let them go on purpose.”

         Flynn took a step towards the door. “I heard about your talk with Annabeth and Percy. I heard it went poorly.” Something she refused to look at as a “calculated setback.”

         Luke glowered. “Watch your tongue, daughter of Aphrodite.”

         Axel glanced from Flynn, to the spies, to Luke. He seemed queasy. “Are we about to fight again?”

         Ajax stuffed the rest of his three donuts into his mouth.

         Jack shrank back into his seat, like he often did when Luke and Flynn disagreed.

         “No,” Luke said, “Those demigods are going to do a quest for us, so we don’t have to.”

         “A quest that new recruits could do to prove their loyalty instead of fighting a death match?” Axel asked. His tone was innocent.

         Maybe Flynn could get behind “mothering” this kid.

         “No,” Luke snapped. “Polyphemus is too dangerous and won’t barter. We tried. It ended poorly. I need every soul I can have here.”  

         “I could easily lead a task force to kill that Cyclops, just like someone who stole the Zeus’ Master Bolt and Hades’ Helm of Darkness should be able to easily take the Golden Fleece from under his nose,” Flynn said. Phil, their friendly satyr with a criminal record, warned her not to push Luke too far. Phil wasn’t here to stop her.

         This wasn’t the first time Luke had given her that look, one that said he wished Phil hadn’t tracked her down as a recruit. He knew she didn’t care about his promise of a new world. She just wanted to see this one burn. But, Luke needed her until they got his precious Atlas out from under the sky. Once again, she wondered if he would try to distance her and Jack once Atlas came into the picture.

         Flynn sighed and withdrew a blade from her hair. Her locks stayed tight. The blades’ hilts were for show and certainly would have cut her hair if she used them as actual hair sticks.

         “Where do you think you’re going?” Luke demanded. He stood up and slammed a fist on the table.

         “To tie up loose ends,” Flynn said.

         Everyone in the donut shop went quiet.

         Jack jumped and clutched at his hair. When he saw Axel and Ajax looking at him, Jack did something he hadn’t before. He slowly released his red locks, swallowed, stood, and put one hand on Luke’s trembling shoulder while beckoning Flynn with his other. “Hey… hey guys, not in front of the ki—new recruits.” The words switched when Jack saw the glint in Luke’s blue eyes.

         A loud crack sounded outside. Flynn glanced to see an elm tree collapse away from the building.

         Then, Monster Donuts shook like it had been hit with an earthquake. The lights flickered. Monsters and nature spirits freaked. The Cyclops that had been seated behind them stood and began to run in circles, clocking his head repeatedly into a sign celebrating the shop’s opening.

         Luke, Jack, and Flynn were thrown to the ground.

 ***

 Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed :D Were you guys thinking these stories wouldn’t take direct scenes from Camp Half-Blood’s version of events? Stay tuned next week for the final section of Flynn’s short to see what happens to the insides of a Monster Donut shop when the hydra fueling gets—oh, right, Clarisse BLOWS IT UP with a freaking canon. Huh. Not Percy, for once. Anyway, stay tuned! And Happy Saturnalia and Solstice to all you pagan lovers out there!

***

Footnotes:

[1] Melbetanote, “ ‘But, they’re for the children, Flynn!’ ‘THEY DON’T NEED TEN NERF GUNS!’” Author Jack’s response, “Flynn’s would be lucky that he didn’t hire professional actors to reenact all of the Disney movies for them throughout their day.”

[2] Mel betacomment, “I have to say, BOY A BIT PATHETIC!” Author Jack, “I like to think Selena is the only daughter of Aphrodite who fell for his shit XD”

#Tales from Mount Othrys #TFMO #PJO/HOO #Percy Jackson and the Olympians #Heroes of Olympus #fanfiction #I MIGHT already be ready to kill someone next chapter #Maybe #I'll think about it #I can't wait for you guys to get to the story after this one!!! #You meet some of my favorite characters to write ^.^ #Happy Holidays you beautiful bastards you!

[gal-liveblogs]

So let’s just start with the beginning.

So it’s not just Homestuck 2, it’s Homestuck². That’s fun. Also it has a subtitle of “Beyond Canon”. Makes sense, given what went down in the Homestuck Epilogues. Kinda wish I had liveblogged those now, but I had been too excited. Legitimately spent an entire day reading. I was too focused to even think to liveblog those.

The ^2 looks handwritten and is orange, also makes sense given what happened in the Epilogues. Dirk has his fingers all over this. How much influence will he have, I wonder?

Now that I’ve spent so long staring at the title perhaps I should get to reading the actual comic? Perish the thought! There appears to be a link to an FAQ! Let’s check that out first.

Oh man, this is bringing back some nostalgia. Putting the questions in the exile command boxes is a nice touch.

It is actual Homestuck. That is, an extension to the "canonical" Homestuck storyline,

Those are some big quotation marks around canonical, after the mess the Epilogues were. Not to say the Epilogues were bad, they just flipped and twisted everything around and made you really question what was “real” in a story.

It was designed to include the writing and art contributions from fans of the series. Many writers will be involved, and collectively they will be allowed significant latitude in shaping the direction of the story and the way it's told.

Interesting. Homestuck itself was no stranger to having art done by someone other than Andrew Hussie and the Epilogues were written with the help of someone other than Hussie. Even Homestuck was not solely written by Hussie, in the beginning fans wrote the commands that propelled the story forward. Plus we have Hiveswap, Friendsim, and Pesterquest all belonging to the Homestuck mythos but made by a team only overseen by Hussie. Homestuck 2 seems to be falling in line with the games. Different people make it and bring their own ideas to it, all while Hussie occasionally peeks in to give his nod of approval.

An "official fanonization" of the ongoing epic, if you will.

I can’t wait to see what happens. This is such a weird idea and I love it.

Oh my god. The Epilogues started off with a spoof as if they were written on Archive of Our Own, and now the recap of them is spoofing SparkNotes. Glorious.

Reading through said recap just so all the important bits are fresh in my mind (never skipped the Homestuck recaps, so I’m not skipping the Epilogue recap) and come across this:

In the heat of the moment, the two embrace passionately.

That’s an understatement. John and Terezi boned n the back of a car. Stiiiiill don’t know how to feel about that. Like, Terezi was flying around in Paradox Sapce for who knows how long from her perspective. Everyone else, including John, grew up and became adults. Was Terezi also an adult by this time, or did John just have sex with a minor?

They then fuck in the back of the car and there's really all there is to say on the matter.

Oh. So the previous sentence wasn’t an understatement. I just hadn’t read far enough yet.

But when they arrive, our hero finally succumbs to LE's venom, which has the effect of corroding a person's canonical existence beyond any hope of revival.

AKA, we really needed John to die but also didn’t want to deal with godtier revival rules.

Jade, who is now somehow aware of Dirk's influence, declares that he must be stopped. Dirk agrees with her, claiming his role as the villain of the story outright. He accepts the intrinsic antagonism of his narrative power, and has decided to carry that antagonism to its natural conclusion. He states that his eventual death will be Just.

Dirk is such a fascinating character. He has always been painfully aware of his faults. Yet he doesn’t try to stop himself. He has just accepted that he is not a good person and even encourages everyone else to give up on him. He is full of so much self-loathing and yet he does it all without any self-pity. It is truly something I have never seen in a character before.

Calliope distracts him with one final task: he must rescue Gamzee, who she insists deserves to begin his redemption arc immediately.

Gamzee used to be a fascinating character to me. I had so many questions about him. How much of his fall was out of his control? Was he to blame for everything? Outside forces? Mental instability? Then the Epilogues happened and I finally had to give up on him. I couldn’t hold out the hope that Gamzee could be a good character (if not a good person). Everyone who hated him were right all along. Gamzee is just a trash clown and should have stayed in the fridge.

As Jane joins in with Jake's day drinking, she attempts to seduce him but is ignored. Not to be denied, she resorts to using the terrible power of the trickster lollipop. The two sleep together. When they come to, Jake is alarmed by his lack of consent in the matter--Jane manages to talk him into a committed relationship.

Speaking of characters I gave up on: Jane. I never really had any strong feelings about Jane in Homestuck. She wasn’t interesting, but I didn’t dislike her. She was just... there. Had a few moments that really hit me in the feels, but overall kind of forgettable. Then in the Epilogue he not only turns into a xenophobic fascist, but she also pulls stuff like this. For all her pining over Jake she never actually did care about him it would seem. He wasn’t a person, he was a prize.

I didn’t care about Jake either, and he often annoyed me, but he deserved better than always ending up as Jane’s sex toy without any autonomy.

Gamzee has started performing public redemptions featuring sloppy makeouts and baby bottles full of Jane's breastmilk.

Seriously, Gamzee is just the worst. I hate him. Before the Epilogues the only character I hated was Kankri, but I hate Gamzee now too. This is also a reason why Jane has sunk so low in my standing with her.

They're interrupted by Gamzee, who tries to manipulate Vriska into a sexual relationship in the name of "redemption".

Now here is a sexual encounter that is without question involving a minor. Another reason to hate Gamzee.

She no longer cares if this reality is true, relevant or essential, and is enjoying the simple happiness of loving her wife and daughter.

This was a really sweet moment. Rose always did have a hard time just letting herself be happy.

Phew, O.K., done with the recap. Back to the FAQ!

Oh sweet, optimisticDuelist is part of the writing team for Homestuck 2! I’ve seen some of their stuff. It’s good stuff. Keep meaning to do a deep dive into all their analysis of Homestuck. Also Xamag is the art lead. Nice.

Homestuck has a Patreon now. Neat. Need to pay they people at What Pumpkin after all!

> Is this canon?

It's being pulled further away from direct control by the original author, and allowed to expand into spaces governed by fandom desire - a fanontinuum, you might say.

I’ve always liked the literary lens of Death of the Author. Homestuck 2 is diving head first into it. Yes, there is still an author (or authors, as the case may be), but The Author of Hussie is having less and less control (which makes sense from a narrative standpoint as Hussie, The Author, died in the story to really cement Death of the Author) and the fans are encouraged to take things into their own hands more and more. Homestuck is built by the fans and as such fan-created stories should have the same amount of importance as “canon” does.

> I just can't get enough Homestuck. I want to shove more and more of it into my slavering maw. Please help me.

Did they just plagiarize my diary?

Alright. Now I can start the dang comic!

In the next post. This one is getting a little long.

> Get on with it.

#homestuck 2 #homestuck 2 liveblog #liveblog #gal liveblogs

[koalas-koalas-everywhere]

I can’t believe people actually blame Peter for being bullied

Listen, I’m not gonna sit here and pretend Peter didn’t have a rotten temper and couldn’t have done something to improve his high school experience, at least after the bite, but I am sick and tired of people (read: witers) claiming that he was even as much as half to blame. Heck, depending on the period of time we’re talking about, the only way for him to fit in might have been to compromise most of himself. Partly, this is because almost everything we see of his life in high school (that wasn’t written decades later, with the baggage of modern ideologies) is from after the bite, whether it is from the original period when he was going to high school or . This is what we see in Amazing Fantasy #15, before Peter got his powers.

People who claim Peter was at fault for how he was treated say he was given many chances to join the group, but here we see how he’s only considered because they need him, and even then, when Flash says no, they discard him completely. (Yeah, the bubbles on the middle and right are Flash and Liz respectively.)

Also, Peter heard that. Just so you know. Even if later he is invited somewhere, you think he’s going to forget that this is what they really think of him?

“Well, but Peter could still have tried to change their minds!!! Even if they might not reach out to him, it doesn’t mean he should push them away!!! He should have given them a chance and they would have been friendly to him!!!!”

Yeah. So friendly.

But, hey, people who’ve read early comics and have seen Peter in action will say, what we say happened did, too!

And yes it did! Check this out!

They did invite him to stuff, didn’t they? Isn’t this what he wanted? He should be happy! What happened? Well...

(Why is that picture so big?)

Some day arrived! And with it, Enough sense of self worth and dignity that Peter stopped chasing after people who didn’t want him there (and went on a power-trip that lasted him most of not all of his adolescence and so shaped him forevermore, but that’s a discussion for another time).

The next time we see him enteract with his peers is in ASM #1, in the third picture. Yeah, he really couldn’t go, and the others got a bit too pissed about his rejection considering he was only technically invited because the friend group probable consisted of most of the class. However, look at that face, he probably said it in a bitchy way. He was rejecting them, but why shouldn’t they, since they proved time and time again that they didn’t want him there, not even then, really, and wouldn’t even aknowledge that they treated him poorly?

Except. Except, out of nowhere people started being nice to him (I’m not discounting spider-hormones). That brunnette girl from the fifth pic? Actually called him Petey before Liz did, and, after Peter’s been defeated by Doc Ock for the first time, they’re just so nice to him, not even minding that he ignored them at first because he’s upset and distracted by the memory of Doc Ock bitch-slapping him, I guess. It wasn’t like that all the time, though.

Like, there’s Peter, staying in his lane, when they come up to him to annoy him (his tendency to then key the other person’s car, metaphorically of course, notwithstanding). And like this, we can find plenty of other examples.

Sooo... What’s the truth?

Well, out-of-universe, it was kinda forshadowed by the fourth pic, here’s one more to make it clearer.

Misunderstandings. Peter will do some thing or the other that, because he’s Spider-Man, will be a sacrifice to him, but, to those who don’t know that, will only make him look bad. Can’t go to the Spider-Man show? It’s because he’s Spider-Man, but his classmates will think he’s just anti-social and sees himself as better than them. Has to leave a potentially dangerous group activity? It’s because he’s Spider-Man and has to be ready tosave people, but people will think he’s scared (which, by the way, was like a death sentence back then. If any of you time travel to the 60′s and someone calls you a coward, or yellow, punch them in the face. It will be the appropiate reaction). Doesn’t get to his meeting with Aunt May to reconciliate with her on time? It’s because he’s Spider-Man, and he had reason to suspect a murderous villain was about to attack, so he went after him, only to find a less efficient but even more murderous villain he had to fight, but his Aunt and her boyfriend didn’t know that, so they think he just doesn’t care about her.  (This, by the way? Tends to happen with readers, too.)

It’s to show that being Spider-Man isn’t all fun and games, even outside of risking his life. That was the novelty of Spider-Man, the balance of super-heroism and day-to-day life, which would often get unbalanced. So, the purpose of having scenes where his classmates are nice to him was to show the sacrifices Peter had to make to be Spider-Man. 

In-universe? It has to do with the exact kind of bullying I think Peter went through. 

First off, I don’t think he was physically attacked. Modern (and by this I mean stuff from the 90′s forward) tend to go “oh, he was, bullied, ok, let’s roll”* and go with what their preferred version of bullying, especially that between a nerd and a jock, which is the jock beating the nerd up, but, except for one flashback from a school reunion annual from the 70′s, I think, we don’t have evidence of Peter being beat up, and the guys there weren’t Flash. Except for a few shoves, that one time he told Peter to meet him after school and that one time they arranged a boxing match (see what I mean when I say punching people in the face was an appropiate response? The teacher literally let them go into the ring and punch their mad off), Flash doesn’t seem to be physically agressive with Peter, although, to be fair, he does threaten him with violence often, and often the only reason they don’t fight is because Liz interrupts them. Like I said, though, this is from after Peter got his powers, and all those times he’s matching Flash step by step, so, maybe, he wouldn’t have dared to stand up to him before, so things wouldn’t have escalated as much (btw, this isn’t me blaming Peter, Flash is the one who keeps provoking him, Peter’s just... too damn easy to provoke after the bite). 

Here’s what I think it was like before the bite:

His main bully was Flash, the rest followed his lead. It is a take on the kind of power and responsabilities that come from being popular. Flash, who has his own problems at home, takes it out on Peter because 1) he’s different. The issue which triggered this whole rant, WoS #35, said that his medal, even six years after he won it, was the only science award his school had ever won. This means not only that it will make it easy to find something to mock about him which will get others to join in, it’s also 2) unlikely someone else will orbit to him, someone who might not be so different and might defend him, and convince other to do so as well. 3) Flash is jealous, (certainly) because of Peter’s good relationship with his “parents”, (later on) because Liz will prefer him over Flash, and (probably) of his aptitude for academics, which isn’t only good in and of itself, it also gets him in the good graces of their teachers (like, in ASM #26, after Peter claims to have been the one to start a fight, Flash confesses it was him and the principal is ACTUALLY GLAD. IMAGINE). This probably mixes up with 1), because both of them have to do with approval from adults, which is something he would especially crave because his dad is an abusive asshole and his mom won’t defend him, while he’s liked and/or feared enough to be the most popular guy in school. 

So, Flash picks Peter as his main target. Although he might get physically rough with him sometimes, when he thinks he’s stepping out of line (which for Flash would mean any and all attempts on Peter’s part to be included or liked, as shown in the pictures), I think that when he picked on Peter it was mostly verbally. However, it got out of hand because Flash was the most popular guy at school. He was the leader, so when he did something, people backed him up. Look at the first picture. The first guy innocently suggested that they ask Peter to join them in a dance, and Flash cuts him down immediately (granted, he’s probably right) and Liz, who’s the most popular girl, backs him up. No one’s going to go against them. Like, people have the right to dislike others, even if they’re not bad people, and Flash and Liz do, too. It’s just that, because they have social power, people will follow their lead, and Flash especially will usually go out of his way to pick on Peter.

Flash forward, however, and people start being nice to him. What happened? Well, they grew up (as much as a 15-17 yo is expected to grow). There is a group of guys who back Flash’s bullying to the end, but some others stop following him like sheep even before Liz decides Peter’s not that bad. So, some will be friendly to him, while some will still pick on him. Seems all in all allright, right?

Except it comes a little too late, because when Peter got his powers, in his mind he overcame what they’d convinced him were his short-comings, so he actually starts seeing himself as better than all of them. Up until that moment, what he’d seen was that the power that counted rested in strength and in popularity, (Flash was powerful, because he was popular, because he was strong - like, at that moment he wasn’t even the one who had to struggle with finances, his only problem was that he was ostracized at school and lonely) so when he became Spider-Man, a sensation because of his powers, he thought he’d become more powerful than them. In a way, it freed him from them, he didn’t have to ask anything of them anymore. I think it’s well explained in this panel, from after the FF wrongly accused him of being a criminal because the press said so (guilty of crimes other than breaking and entering into the Baxter Building) (and mild battery, although everyone participated in a bit of that. Actually, and without taking away from the fact that getting into the BB like he did was so dumb oh my god Peter you don’t do that, he wasn’t even the one who threw the first punch, he was mostly avoiding the FF’s attacks. Like, the exact count was one punch or shove to the Thing and one webbed hand to Reed).

(WHY is it so big?)

... forgive him for being a drama queen, he’s fifteen, he’ll grow out of it, mostly.

But yeah, the first bubble? I suspect that, while it was all the negative press that pushed it out, he’s been thinking that about people for a long while. The second part, that came to be after he got bitten. He stopped seeking approval because he was convinced he could pave his own path, with his own power. However, he also stopped being receptive to approval, especially from certain people. 

So, thinking of Peter’s bullying in high school as a cycle is faulty, since the first evidence we have of him even talking back when someone’s picking on him, let alone push someone away when they’re being nice, instead of actively seeking friendship, is after the bite, when his ostracization had already started. Actually, my memory might be faulty, but the only time he rejects an invitation to a group outing and it’s not because he has to be Spider-Man (which includes “I can’t go  bc I have to do Spider-Man things” AND, as the ninth picture shows, “I actually came, but I have to leave now to do Spider-Man things”) is when Liz started crushing on him and invites him to party, and even Liz admits they had it coming. Actually, Liz is the only person shown to admit that their previous treatment of him was wrong, so she’s the only one (of the ones who actively mocked him, the rest were just doing their thing) who, in my opinion, deserved to be forgiven... and she was. 

*Seriously, interpretations about how his life in high school nowadays are basically “well, Peter, you didn’t give them a chance when they tried to approach after years of isolation, how do you expect them not to mock you, belittle you, avoid you and tell their friends to do the same???” to “everyone in that school will grow up to be a psycopath, poor Peter, he gets beat up everyday by everyone” which is... also not something I agree with.

P.S.:Also, something for fic writers, understanding that everyone can do what they want, this is just a pet peeve of mine and I have no authority to stop anyone from writing anything. Just... I read a fanfic the other day, a high school AU, in which Peter had the same characterization as he did in the comics when he was that age, (or maybe even worse, because he was rude to Aunt May, which is... something Peter would never do??? Lie to her? Guiltily, yes. Accidentally hurt her because he’s Spider-Man so he keeps secrets and isn’t as reliable as he was once? Yeah, it’s been known to happen, but talk back to her???) even though he’d had friends all his life and just... no. Anger IS a big part of Peter’s character, especially when he’s younger, but a lot if not all of that comes from the fact that he’s been a victim for so long with no support system aside from his Aunt and Uncle. He is explosive, yes, so a bad temper would not be out of place, but he’s not naturally an asshole. Actually, and I’ve seen enough to know this is an unpopular opinion, while Peter might overreact a lot, he won’t actually bite someone’s head off just for looking at him funny. He’s actually not even the kind of person who’ll punch the wall between his apartment and yours when you've been singing loudly and off-key for several nights and keeping him from sleeping. Except in extreme circumstances, and though he might blow things out of proportion, he’ll go off on you only if you’ve poked him. If he’s going through bad times, the kind of thing that really weight on your mind even when you’re not actively thinking about it, yes, he’s the worst. Especially because one bad thing will affect him enough that either because he’s distracted or because he’s on edge, he’ll mess up with something else, and things will keep piling up on his plate, partly because he has a truly tragic life and bad luck, partly because he’s too overwhelmed about the things that are going wrong to fix or avoid what could go wrong next, and he’ll be snappy and rude and push people away accidentally or because he thinks he’s helping them, which will make things even worse. But, like I said, this isn’t normal. This is Peter Parker at his very worst.

We don’t see it much, because we’re reading only what will make a story, which is what has conflict, but a content Peter has been described as having a sunny disposition and being friendly as a puppy, and even when held and drugged against his will in a mental institution he’s (rightfully) suspicious of, his nurse describes him as gentle. Like, even if you want to say that it’s all tell and no show because it’s only what other characters have said of him, I’ll say 1) I said that we don’t see it often, not that we don’t see it at all and 2) a character is built by what they do, what they say and what others say of them.

There have been some huge misconceptions of the character, along the lines of MCU Peter Parker, but the course correction made it go too far to the other side.

#Spider-Man #Spider Man #Peter Parker #live blogging #comics #LONG POST #I'M NOT KIDDING I WENT OFF

[scared-aquarius]

Advice for the signs

Dear Aries, You’re full of energy and you’re ready to take on the world. You exude confidence and optimism and that attracts people. You work harder than most. But remember that it’s okay to burn out sometimes. You’re an active person with an active personality but that doesn’t mean you aren’t allowed to cool it once in a while. You may learn something by taking a step back and watching others. It will also give you a chance to explore another side of yourself.

Dear Taurus, You are someone that people generally trust and rely on. You’re a good friend and those around you appreciate your loyalty. But sometimes your loyalty limits your outlook on other people and other ideas. Your loyalty can turn possessive. That may push people you love away from you. Learn to become more open-minded about things you wouldn’t normally being willing to explore and you may grow and expand your views on life. It also won’t leave you feeling so restrained all the time.

Dear Gemini, Even if you don’t consider yourself a social butterfly, you generally have a natural talent for communicating well with others. People enjoy your company because, well, you make good company. However, watch what you say because you may end up contradicting yourself. You don’t always need to be a people pleaser to the wrong people. Stay consistent with your words. This will make it easier for the right people to find you.

Dear Cancer, You are a homebody. You love to relax, especially if it is by the water. People love your calming nature. You are also highly imaginative. But sometimes you let your own imagination get the best of you. You overthink and it makes you pessimistic and insecure. Try to remind yourself that everyone has these thoughts and you are not the only one. People are so worried about how they present themselves that they don’t even pay attention to your own faults nor do they remember that embarrassing thing you did that one time.

Dear Leo, You are one of the most passionate signs. You are always looking ahead with a smile and you have a warm heart. You also love being admired and people seem to admire you whether you know it or not due to your loud and cheerful nature. However, you get uncomfortable when the spotlight isn’t on you. You should learn how to give others a chance to speak up instead of you always leading the conversation. While your loud personality draws people in, it does sometimes push people away as well. Others besides yourself also have things to say.

Dear Virgo, You are the kind and quiet type. You’re definitely a hard worker. You always try your best even when you don’t even know if it’s worth it anymore. When it comes to relationships, you’re always willing to sacrifice for the other person. While this is admirable, it is also sometimes your downfall. You become disappointed easily because you give more than you get. You then blame yourself. You need to learn that sometimes you need to come first. Do what’s best for you. Don’t be so critical of yourself and you may find that life will get a little easier.

Dear Libra, You are a sign of peace. You are not one to argue and loudmouths make your skin crawl- it doesn’t even have to be someone spewing hate. You just aren’t very fond of those who say every single thing they’re thinking. Despite your dislike for them, you’re always gracious and keep an open mind. The only issue with this is sometimes when you’re met with a confrontation, you become indecisive and you don’t stick up for what you think is right. You want harmony but sometimes to get harmony you have to fight for it. Don’t be afraid to voice your opinion once in a while.

Dear Scorpio, You are the definition of a true friend. You are loyal and brave and passionate. However, you get jealous easily and because of this you find it hard to trust others and also to make new friends. You keep to yourself because getting close to others means there is a higher chance of getting hurt. You should learn how to open up more because it will bring new opportunity when it comes to relationships, both romantic and platonic. Putting trust in them means they’re more likely to put their trust in you. You need to communicate otherwise the relationship won’t thrive. Not everyone has malicious intent or is out to get you.

Dear Sagittarius, You are an idealist. You want the best for yourself and especially for others. You’re one of the most generous signs. However, because of this, you sometimes end up promising more than you can deliver. You say what others want to hear whether you fully agree with it or not. While you love your freedom, you sometimes hold yourself back by doing this. Learn to free your mind just like you learned to free your spirit. You will be much happier the day you start giving as much to yourself as you give to others.

Dear Capricorn, You have a good hold on life. When you want something, you go after it with all that you’ve got, all while maintaining regal poise. You have a lot of self-control and self-discipline. But when others don’t meet your expectations, you get frustrated and you act condescending. You need to learn how to be more patient and accepting of people’s faults because no one is perfect, not even you. You’d want others to be patient with you, so you should treat others the same.

Dear Aquarius, You are one of a kind. Most people envy your eccentricity and originality. Your independence allows you to be who you want to be. However sometimes your independent nature causes you to act aloof and it puts a strain on your relationships. You should learn to express your emotions just as much as you express your ideas and passions. It will bring about healthier relationships and you may learn something about yourself. It can also bring about some deep conversations that you seem to love.

Dear Pisces, You are the creative type. Whether it’s drawing, painting, video, woodwork, or just thinking outside the box in general, people see you as someone who can come up with the best ideas. Your gentle and compassionate nature is your strength, but also sometimes your weakness. You’re overly trusting, which a lot of times ends up hurting you.You become sad and victimized and you want to escape reality. You should learn how to turn that negative energy towards your passions. Use it to fuel your work, your music, your art. Don’t wallow in sadness. When negativity shoves, shove it back. Use it to grow, don’t let it consume you. Turn bad luck into something beautiful. If someone were to do it, it’d be a pisces.

#the signs #signs as #signs #the signs as #horoscope #astrology #zodiac #zodiac signs #horoscopes #the stars #aries #taurus #gemini #cancer #leo #virgo #libra #scorpio #sagittarius #capricorn #aquarius #pisces #advice #advice for the signs #mine #scared-aquarius

[eenefangirlanalysis]

Using the old ‘shave and a haircut’ themed knock audience members await for an answer.

Also, the ‘shave and a haircut’ tune was constantly used as a trademark knock throughout The Three Stooges. Perfect representation as each Ed fills the roles and personalities on the stooges. 

I wonder if this was the secret knock between Bro and Eddy. It’s suggested that Bro was very secretive from his parents. Every fan has their own interpretation on how Bro truly treated Eddy. Did he let his brother into his room on any circumstance? Eddy has always been looking for clues.

What if Bro made his room soundproof? We’ll soon find out that Bro played an infamous game with Eddy throughout his childhood. He didn’t want anyone to catch on to what he was doing or planning. And he wanted it that way. Nobody understand Bro the way he did. And maybe Eddy.

Since Eddy was so young when his brother was home he was intrigued by him. Eddy doesn’t get along too well with his parents. He’s never seen eye to eye with them on the reason why they disowned Bro. Throughout the year he has been starting to understand but doesn’t know where to begin when asking questions.

You know, I take away the soundproof theory. The kids could hear Ed eating buttered toast from the hallway.

From the beginning Eddy wanted to find out answers about his brother.

Maybe he’ll get them as the door creaks open...

“Park don’t open ‘til noon,” answers a new a different voice audience members have never heard before!

Quick Sidenote: How early in the morning does this scene take place. Maybe it’s exactly 24 hours since their scam went awry.

I don’t know if anyone else has noticed but most eene episodes take place before lunch time. The Eds get themselves into disastrous situations before noon.

I have to say that I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard Bro’s voice for the first time.

The only voices we have heard outside the main cast is Santa Claus and the sun in Jimmy’s dream from The Eds are Comin’.

Bro’s voice is so... crisp and smooth. Almost friendly. And authoritative. Trustful. His voice makes chills run down your spine. Already Bro has the audience members under his spell. Bro’s voice will change throughout the scene.

It’s like how Eddy’s voice changes throughout the series. He has a more welcoming sound to his voice in season 1, but then changes. He gets louder and even sounds higher. He’s trying to get people to pay attention to him. Eddy may have been trying to copy Bro because I love his voice. 

Let’s talk about this shot. It is in Bro’s perspective. We don’t see him yet. And there is a lot to say about him right when the door opens. It is very dark on the inside. It has a foreboding feel like the swamp. Both of these places have an unknown atmosphere to them, but here, they’re all meeting a person who people have heard many different rumors about.

He has THREE locks on the doors. Bro is a very paranoid person.

There has been mention that Bro has been in trouble with the law and he’s trying to keep a low profile. There was a deleted ending where the police came and arrested Bro.

There are so many scenarios on what Bro could have been doing before he opened the door, but I head canon that he was drinking and just put out a cigarette. There has been so much fan art based around this, implying he’s that kind of person.

Bro only opens the door a tad not knowing if it’s the police.

“I told yah he’s a whiz at tellin’ time!” Eddy exclaims to Edd.

Another mention of ‘Eddy’s brother is a whiz at’.Eddy has told continuous lies about his brother just so people would look at him differently. Some of these stories aren’t too far off. Bro is a man of many talents. He has a way of making people like him.

So, was Eddy too afraid to be himself? Bro practically dehumanized Eddy insulting each of his talents at any opportunity he had. Eddy had no idea how to be himself so he hyped up his older brother. It’s sad when you think about it.

Also, Eddy immediately recognises this voice as Bro’s.

Eddy and Bro have quite the age difference. Could Bro’s voice have always been deep?

“Pipsqueak?” The voice behind the door asks in surprise.

Wow, the first time Bro has seen Eddy in however many years it’s been and he doesn’t even call him by his name. He addresses him by the diminutive name. He’s surprised to see him here, but he’s not going to respect him. A sign that Bro hasn’t grown out of his sociopathic ways.

My head canon is that Eddy and Bro have not physically seen one another for eight years. The last time Bro saw Eddy was when he was five years old. Bro’s final scam went awry, and due to other reasons, Bro was forced to leave.

They have had little interaction throughout the years, only through mail. Even there, it’s little to no communication. It’s nice that they keep in touch, but the way Bro writes to Eddy feels more like he is gloating about where he is in life.

It’s possible that Bro forgot how old Eddy is. I learned that there was a deleted shot from the movie where we see Eddy’s home movie that he made for Bro, still in the mail box.

“BRO!” Hmm, no mention of Eddy’s brother’s real name yet.

Eddy shoves Ed and Edd aside trying to get a better view of his brother. They all fall into this cute position. They’re all trying to see him.

Bro asks, “Do Mom and Dad known you’re here?”

“As if!” Eddy responds. He couldn’t give a care about them right now. He’s trying to prove them wrong about Bro’s true person.

Bro taught Eddy to have a bad relationship with his parents. Bro left quite a negative impact on the families lives.

Bro wanting to know if Eddy was allowed to come here under permission from his parents makes his line sound authoritative. His little brother just showed up on his door step. Of course he has to sound concerned. But, on a second viewing he is wondering if his parents really sent his little brother here.

I sense that Bro has always had a cold relationship with his parents. I have always thought that Eddy’s parents must have had Bro when they were still in high school. They were too young to be parents so they were learning as they went. They were trying to get their lives together and maybe they weren’t able to pay enough attention to Bro.

Also, is Eddy supposed to be near Bro? What if there is a restraint that Eddy’s parents never told him about? Eddy’s parents never wanted Bro, and vice versa, to visit one another. They don’t want to have communication knowing what he has done to hurt Eddy’s mind.

Maybe that’s what they were going to tell him that Christmas Eve night when they drove off! Remember when I pointed out that the final postcard Bro sent to Eddy may have been their final communication? That’s why that postcard meant so much to Eddy! His brother hasn’t written back to him in 6-7 months!

“ANYONE know you’re here?”

Wow. The theories this one line produces.

Bro is paranoid. His little brother who he has not seen in eight years has waltzed up on his doorstep. Or his hiding place. 

As I have theorized, does Bro work in this amusement park or is he hiding? Bro lives and runs an amusement park where he must be terrorizing children day after day. 

The authority has been suspicious of him and are watching him. And Bro may have done many other illegal acts in the past.He tries to keep a low profile. This is the main reason why he hangs back from coming out to see Eddy. He thinks that his parents must have set Eddy up, attached a voice wire, and then the police would have arrested him.

“Only these chumps who chased here,” Eddy remarks peaking further through the crack in the door to try and get a better view of his brother.

Edd turns to the kids giving a creepy, ‘you’re going to get it’ look.

That proves he dislikes the cul-de-sac kids.

The kids are terrified. Well, mainly Kevin.

“Just a sec,” the voice says before unlatching the chains on his door and stepping out into the daylight. Bro is onscreen but he’s censored. similar to how Edd’s hat fell off earlier in the movie.

“Aren’t those ankle biters from the cul-de-sac?” Bro asks.

Has Bro seen the kids before? They were all very young when he was still around and that wasn’t long.

There’s Edd’s, ‘you’re going to get it face’ again. He really wants Bro to do something bad to them. They are the reason why the Eds friendship was on the rocks. The kids are always ruining their moments and putting one against the other.

The Kankers are already swooning. Well, they swoon over any man. Questions have gone about if Bro knew the Kankers because of how he hid a suitcase under their trailer. I think Bro has been sneaking about the cul-de-sac spying on everyone and figuring out new tricks. He is really good at planning things out.

And Sarah is not amused.Still, she and Jimmy walk closer to get a better look. She and Jimmy were not around or babies at the time when Bro was around. Sarah never gave much interest about Bro because she doesn’t care about brothers. Sarah will go through a heal face turn in this scene.

“Yeah, and they want to beat me up. All for nothing!” 

Eddy wraps himself around his brothers legs acting all innocent. He’s not afraid. Eddy has completely resorted back to his original personality. The ‘it’s never my fault’ attitude pre fight. Eddy has had a long time to thing about himself this whole journey.

Audience members have to be on the edge of their seats by this point. We’re actually seeing Bro! Well, not all of him. He is much taller then Eddy, has an interesting attire, and then shirt looks very familiar.

And he’s wearing a ring... let’s talk about that more later on.

Bro still isn’t intimidating. He doesn’t appear as immensely tall like in later shots of the scene. Eddy has always lead the audience on to believe that he is a good person.

Cartoon Network made the adults invisible or never showed their faces. I think it’s a miracle that we get to see Bro because it would have ruined it all. Think of how AKA has portrayed the other adults in the series. They’re immensely tall. The characters are intimidated by them. They aren’t helpful to the plot. The kids feel as if they’re ruled by them. Maybe this is why they don’t leave the cul-de-sac much.

Then this insanely awesome camera shot of Bro turning to look at the kids happens!

We see Kevin, Rolf and Nazz... through Bro’s sunglasses! We’re getting close!

“He’s lookin’ at you, Rolf! Later!” 

Kevin is too afraid to look Bro in the eyes.

This is the man who ruined his family. The stories are not helping either.

And then there is Nazz.

She has a crush on Eddy’s Brother.

Nazz has said how Bro is so rad. She wants to go mountain climbing with him. When she was a baby, Nazz must have seen Bro and instantly fell in love. Only, she’s in love with the outside part of him. Nazz has no idea what is on the inside until these next few minutes.

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