#who literally does a full spin and point move to return her compliment

[timlucys]

#normal platonic things to say after getting caught kissing your work partner for $400 alex

#the rookie #therookieedit #chenford #chenfordedit #she's internally chastising herself for being a dork like she didn't just make out with the biggest dork alive #who literally does a full spin and point move to return her compliment #meanwhile tamara is observing them like they're a social experiment lmao #i love them they're so bonkers #tim x lucy #the rookie spoilers #*gifs

[cinnamonruts]

06 | i am good enough… right?

SUMMARY → ( l/n ) ( y/n ) is a bright student, now standing in-front of her dream school. ready to start her journey to become a pro-hero; being put in life-threatening situations and making companions along the way. the last person she thought she would have run in her head on loop, is the explosive blond with a raging inferiority complex that somehow can’t keep his voice down… odd.

PAIRING → bakugou katsuki x fem!reader

WORD COUNT → 2.7 k

SERIE MASTERLIST → PREVIOUS | NEXT

THE NEXT DUO TO run the fifty meters are now taking their stance at the start of the track. As soon as the count down is over the buzzer goes off and Asui and Iida dash off.

Asui-san jumps over with speed easily as Iida blasts over the lane in no time, the engines in his calves propelling him forward. How could you have missed that?

Oijiro and the girl with the brown hair, you are not sure you caught her name. Get mentally ready for their own dash, “Hi, I’m Sero Hanta.” a voice behind you say introducing themselves. Looking up from the pair preparing their sprint, a black-haired boy smiles, “I”m Kirishima Eijiro.” the redhead introduces.

Smiling at the two, you nod, “I’m ( l/n ) ( y/n ).” you introduce yourself. Glancing at Kaminari, who has an amused smile on his face, “We already know each other.”

“Oh, it’s my turn.” Ashido calls jumping up. Letting your eyes fall onto her you hold your thumbs up, “You got this!” Kirishima says, smashing his fists smashed together.

“Go, Ashido. Go!” we call cheering the girl om. Smiling back at us, she holds her thumb up. As soon as the buzzer goes of Aoyama pushes himself forward with his laser in what’s not even a second he leaves Ashido in the dust.

Well… that is until he crashes to the floor and the pink girl glides passed him with ease. It was a little surprising but then again most quirks have their drawbacks, you suppose his is the time he can use his navel laser.

“Shooting my beautiful beam for more than a second hurts my tummy.” Aoyama says to no one in particular as he stares off to somewhere in the distance.

“What a tool.”

Humming at their words you move your eyes back to the track. The last duo will be running their dash; Bakugou and Midoriya. As soon as they start Bakugou-san uses his quirk to blast forward as Midoriya runs semi-fast… It is kind of unclear if this as fast as he can go or he is sparing his energy for the rest of the activities.

“My power has more uses than anyone else in the school.” he announces proudly. Igniting mini explosions in his. Raising your brows at the statement, even if he meant our class alone it’s a big statement to make, you don’t know everyone's quirk yet. Plus, there are still second and third-year students.

Regardless of that, he seems to be more interested in having an intense stare-off with Midoriya. They look at each other a lot. Glancing at Ashido you see her move her head to you at the same time, before looking back at the scene in front of you, “Exes?” she asks.

Humming at her option, you tilt your head shrugging. Seems a bit toxic but what do you know. It’s not like you are an expert.

GRIP STRENGHT

The next activity of the eight activities; grip strength, this is definitely not your best points. Obviously, you have to have some strength for most things you did at Oda Mikio nor what I would have needed to do to prepare for Hashimoto Daiki High, but you never needed to test or train it specifically.

Holding out the dynamometer for you, you take it from Ashido-san as Iida holds up his own up, “You have to grip as hard as you can, hold on for five seconds. Then rest for fifteen. You get three-“

“Yeah, yeah, she got it.” Ashido waves him off. The chopping return in full force as he pushes his glasses back, “I just want to make sure our fellow classmate knows what she is supposed to do, and all her options.”

Making a small smile tuck up your lips, “I got it Iida-san, thank you.” you reassure. Taking a deep breath you squeeze the dynamometer as much as you can, counting to five you let go. Glancing at the screen your shoulders fall at the sad twenty-three standing on your screen.

Wanting to go again, “No, you still have to wait five more seconds.” Iida denies. Holding off of pressing down, you wait for his sign to go again as he nods you press down.

Earning an even lower number than before, “Nineteen?” you ask in disbelief, frowning at the number, “Maybe use your quirk?” she offers. Nodding at the suggestion you take a deep breath, pushing your pinky gently onto the trigger letting the power of speed do the rest.

Getting you the highest score you have in your life with a, “Forty-eight.” you smile, it might not be the highest but it is a personal record and that can always be beaten, later on, that is if you aren’t the one going home.

“Oeh, my turn. My turn.” Mina calls, pressing down on her own meter.

STANDING LONG JUMP

The girl in front of you Asui Tsuyu jumped right over the sand without using any force to keep her up. She held her hands in front of her, had a head start and jumped right over.

Mimicking her you run at full speed towards the sand, holding your hands out as you jump trying to get as far as you can. Smacking face first on the ground, you eat sand. Well… that was not what you expected.

“Are you alive, ( l/n ).” your homeroom teacher asks. Lifting your head up you spit the sand out, holding a thumbs up you nod, “Of course.”

Getting up from the sand you jog over to the other side, dusting yourself off as you take a spot next to the girl, “You are really good at jumping.” you compliment the girl.

Looking at you, her tung sticks out, “Thank you. You had a not so pretty fall.”

Chuckling at the blunt observation, “Yeah, I’m not the greatest long jumper. I tried to mimic your jump but that didn’t really work.” you tell her, nodding at your words she sometimes makes a ‘ribbit’ sound which is surprisingly calming.

A comfortable silence takes over as you look at the next jumpers. That’s when you realise that you hadn’t introduced yourself yet, “Oh, I’m ( l/n ) ( y/n ).” you say, making her look up as well, “Asui Tsuyu.”

“I know.” you blurt out, widening your eyes at how creepy that sounded, “I mean, your name was just said and before at the fifty dash.”

Her hand rubs my arm, “It’s okay, ( l/n )-san, ribbit.” she reassures. What is up with her, how does she make you so relaxed?

REPEATED SIDE STEPS

Watching Minetta bounce off some purple balls, you blink trying to get rid of the image of him ripping the balls from head off.

“That was something.”

“Yeah.”

Being one of the last ones left you raise your hand, “Can I go?” you ask, not wanting the pressure of being the lasts. Shrugging, he raises his hand for you to take a stance, “You got this.”

Taking your place on the line you take the steps side-to-side until the buzzer goes off letting you know that your minute has passed. Stopping your quirk the sudden rush of nausea makes your head spin.

Running off you don’t wait for your score. Making it to the trash can in time your main and only priority. Hurling over the trash can, a hand rubs over your back. Coughing, you take deep breaths. Wiping the sweat off the sides of your face, “Are you okay, girl?” Ashido asks.

Nodding at her question you let the second flow of nausea spill your guts out. Coughing at the burn, you take a sip from your bottle, “Yeah.” you nod, turning to her the brunette from earlier stands behind her.

“Are you okay?”

Holding your thumb up, you swirl the water in your mouth trying to get rid of the sour taste, spitting the water out, “Glad to hear that. I’m Uraraka Ochaco.”

“Ashido Mina.”

“( l/n ) ( y/n ).”

BALL THROW

“You got this, ( l/n ).”

Taking a deep breath, you focus on your body, letting your quirk run it’s course. Swinging your arm, you throw the ball, letting time surpass at a normal pace. Letting the ball zoom off, the wind blowing in your face at the speed. Holding your hand in front of your eyes to block the sand from your vision.

“Five-hundred meters.”

Smiling at the accomplishment, you take your previous spot. Trying to remain calm as your stomach does literal backflips at the mere fact that you did not just double but ten-folded your throw by simply using your quirk.

Uraraka taking the spot in the circle, “Go Uraraka-san, go!” we cheer. Lighting up the ball she throws it with such an ease as we watch it disappear into the sky until it’s gone.

Glancing at Aizawa-sensei he holds his phone up revealing Uraraka-san her score off… “Infinity? How is that possible!” Kaminari calls out.

Taking a new ball from his pocket, he offers it to the next student; Midoriya. The boy looks like a nervous wreck as he takes it from our teacher, “If Midoriya does not shape up soon he is the one going home.” Iida notes.

“Of course he is going home he is a quirkless loser.”

Making my brows furrow the way Iida was talking about him earlier did not make it seem like he was quirkiness, at all, “He has a quirk, did you not hear about what he did at the entrance exam?” he asks Bakugou.

Watching the boy, he stands still before suddenly flinging his arm. Throwing the ball not even forty meters, “What gives, I was trying to use it just now.” Midoriya asks confused.

“I erased your quirk.”

Glancing at our teacher my eyes widen now finally clicking who he is ; ‘It’s Eraser head!’ you scream in your head. Should I ask him about how he uses his binding cloths? ( b/n ) would kill me if I told him I met him and I didn’t ask, maybe I should ask about his experiences as an underground hero, or how he came up with his name, or— no, I should stay cool and professional. He is my sensei and future college, just be cool…. Be cool, ( l/n ).

“The judges for this exam were not rational enough. Someone like you should never be allowed to enrol in this school.”

“Wait, you did what to my—? You are the Eraser Hero: Eraserhead.” Midoriya realises. Making most students look among themselves, “Who is Eraserhead?” Kirishima asks confused, not familiar with the hero name.

“Oh, I have heard of him. I think he is one that works on the down-low.” Asui says. Where you nod too, “Yeah,” you shrug casually.

“You have no control over your power. Were you planning on breaking your bones again?”

“Again?” you ask Iida, where he nods to, fully emerged into the conversation the two are having, “Counting on someone else to save your useless body?” the older man harshly asks.

“That’s not what I was trying to do.”

Pulling the boy closer with his scarf, they talk too softly for us to hear. Looking at the tense expression on Midoriya his face, Aizawa-sensei lets him go, “I have returned your quirk. Take your final throw. Hurry, and get it over with.”

“I wonder if our teacher gave him some advice.” Iida wonders to no one in particular, “Probably told him to start packing.” Bakugou pessimistically says.

“Wouldn’t that be overkill?” you ask, keeping your on the boy in front of you. As you gain the attention of your potential new classmates, “Heh?”

Glancing at him, the blond has an aloof expression on his face, “If he ends up on the last place he leaves. No one needs a reminder.” you shrug. Giving Midoriya your full attention, “Monsieur,” Aoyama tells Uraraka seemingly out of character.

“Wait, who are you again?” she asks. Letting a laugh escape, you cover your mouth at the blunt answer. Having Ashido hold your shoulder as she tries to stifle her laughs.

“Something funny?”

Your teachers drops some fluid in his eyes, eyedrops. Shaking your heads you contain the giggles, “No, sensei.” we say at the same time.

Slowing down his throw, he lets it fly through the sky with a speed so great that the wind flies all over the place. You are stunned by the throw but more so his broken finger and his lack of surprise by the event… and pain, what the actual fuck? What type of quirk does that?

705.3 meters.

“Aizawa-sensei, you see, I am still standing.”

“This kid.” Aizawa-sensei says seemingly eacually stunned, “He threw it over 700 meters!” someone screams

“Yay, he is finally showing us his true power.” Uraraka-san, “But his finger seems to be broken, just like in the exam. His quirk is very odd.” Iida notes.

“It wasn’t a very pretty throw.” Aoyama says in a weird accent, before he could anything else small explosions pop off before Bakugou runs at him with full force, “Deku, you bastard, tell me how you did that!”

Blinking at the face of anger and the horror on the others face, you just want to know all the details, “Nasty break-up.” Ashido sings.

As the binding cloth of our teacher stops him before he can reach the injured boy, “How the Hell is your scarf so strong?” he ask, trying to fight against the cloth, “Because it is a capture weapon made out of carbon fibre and a special alloy. Stand down, it will be wise to avoid making me work so much… It gives me serious dry eye.”

Which explains the eyes drops, but you are 100% the collective thought is too bad, it is super cool because… It is.

“You are wasting my time. Whoever is next can step up.” he says letting go of the blonde as Midoriya moves very weirdly around him before he runs off.

SIT UPS

Holding down her legs, you couldn’t her sit-ups. As you two have a casual conversation about nothing in particular, “I think we will be great friends.” she tells you suddenly.

“I think so too.” getting giddy at the new friend you just made. This is the first friend you have made that you haven’t known since elementary school or because you were forced into it by family relations. It’s kind of… refreshing.

Giving her, her beautiful score of hundred twenty-three sit-ups in just 6- seconds.

SEATED TOE TOUCH

Taking your seat, you stretch your arms over the bare, fully folding over. Letting the tips of your fingers push the stand further away, “I guess we should have expected from someone who was going to Oda Mikio.”

Standing up, you dot down your result, “Where you were planning to go to Hashimoto Daiki?”

“It was on the table.” you shrug handing Sero the pencil to write his own results, “Why not?” Jirou asks, tilting his head.

“Want to be a hero.”

DISTANCE RUN

Jogging together you both hold off of using your quirk to keep up together, “A race to the end?” Iida asks, starting to run faster then you. Grinning at the competitiveness you nod, starting to run faster you keep up with him.

“See you at the end.” you wave, activating your quirk you see Iida slowly move. Chuckling at the comedic faces they all make while they run you shake your head.

Running you make your way to the end. Breathing heavily, you swallow the nausea away. Waiting for Iida to catch up, “I guess you won.”

“Don’t worry, I bet you get me next time.” you offer, as you make your way over to the endpoint.

“Alright, time to give you your results. I have ranked you all from best to worst. You should probably have a good idea of your standing already. I will just pull up the whole list, it is not worth going over each individual.” Aizawa-sensei tells us, letting the list pop up.

Going from the first list you move your eyes up, staring anxiously at the screen gawking at your lip as you try to find your own name.

Where is my name?

A/N: U KNOW… I HAVE NOTHING TO ADD <3

- in the next chapter we will find out what rank she is

- and some cute friendship moments <3

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#bnha x reader #mha x reader #bnha x you #bakugou x reader #bnha x y/n #mha x y/n #mha x you #mha fluff #bnha fluff #bakugou x you #bakugou x y/n #katsuki x y/n #katsuki x reader #bakugou katsuki fluff #katsuki x you #bakugou x reader slowburn #bakugou comfort #bakugou x reader serie #bakugou katsuki serie #canary #bakugou slowburn

[serendipitous-posts]

I see your Au’s where Klaus is the one with his powers suppressed and I raise you an Au where Ben’s power is the one suppressed

(May call this Cthulhu au? Sounds about right. I also somehow made Reginald worse??)

So, Reginald Hargeeves is a dick, but he’s also pragmatic, right? He doesn’t care for these kids, as long as they can live up to his expectations

He is absolutely determined for them all to reach their full potential, mental and physical safety be damned

So in this verse, he doesn’t give up on Vanya. He remains certain that he can control her and that she can control it

It takes a lot of time, but he’s persistent in his belief she can achieve greatness, which would be amazing virtue if he wasn’t such an abusive ass

The violin, he learns, helps a lot, helps hone her abilities and fine tune them to her advantage

The press love the little musician, with her big shiny eyes and careful nature and gentleness

You know who the press doesn’t like? Ben. Hates him actually. 

Or rather, they hate what is inside of him. They hate the Horror

(once, when ben was very young, he had tried to explain to three that he was the horror and the horror was him. like conjoined twins, but she had looked so disgusted that he had shut up)

Because it’s hard to spin a weird eldritch abomination that kills people into a positive light, and in the aftermath of every mission there’s always a group, growing louder and louder with each one, arguing that just because they were criminals doesn’t mean they should be murdered. That the Umbrella Academy were playing judge, jury and executioner when they shouldn’t, that they had no legal power and what were they doing?

An even smaller group, but potent in it’s ferocity, points out just how terrible it is, forcing a child to kill people

And normally Reginald would write it off, ignore it except-

Except he can’t ignore the way the Horror has been acting lately-hungry and aggressive and mad. But not towards the other kids, no. Towards him. He steps into the room and Ben’s skin starts crawling and twisting.

(if he didn’t know better, he would say it was trying to protect him)

And Hargreeves, as we see in season 2, is an experienced fighter, but he’s not going to kid himself. He knows he doesn’t stand a chance against the Horror. The only ones who might are his siblings

But, as he realises with horror, he doesn’t know if they would side with him against number 6.

Because Ben is the shy, quiet kind one. If he ordered them to kill them- Number One might do it, but the others? No, no way, he sees how they look at him sometimes, all quiet fuming hatred and anger and-

They’d probably try and kill him themselves

But they’re young, and easily manipulated so he starts - leaving suggestions really- makes them watch any videos of the Horror attacking, showing it’s rampage as Ben wilts before them all. Suggests 6 shouldn’t be near the cameras anymore because he’s too frightening. TV shows now have movies like Alien and documentaries about parasites that burrow under the skin

They see a hulk figurine in the store one day and he makes sure to tell One, loud enough for everyone to hear, that he’s not a hero, he’s a monster, because he can’t control his impulses

At the end of every mission, he finds a reason to critique the Horror and Ben and their brutalness, all the while sending them out to do so anyways

The Horror, perhaps sensing the amount of bullshit that is happening, grows worse, grows even more agitated over time

4 and 5 and 7 rally behind him, because 5 and 7 are his isolation buddies and 4 and him have been friends forever. But 1 and 2 and 3- they start to pull away, little by little

Because they believe that he’s going too far that their father may actually be right, at least on this, it is a little freaky, and it’s not just their father saying it, it’s everyone and they can’t all be lying

He makes them all sit in on Ben’s special training- killing a rabbit, and now Vanya starts to flinch whenever he comes into the room, stops inviting him to her recitals

(it’s not a coincidence that rabbits were her favourite animal)

Five stays loyal though, making a point of going with him to the libraries or talking to him about books he’s read. Ben’s- he’s paler now, even quieter, but he enjoys the company and the Horror always seems to settle down in his presence

Then Five disappears one day and never returns. 

Reginald is torn because on one hand- he’s one asset down and Five was always a very useful asset and very very clever but he always thought he was so clever, working around all of his rules

Vanya and Five were the closest and now she’s alone. And even though Vanya is one of the nicest people out there, she just lost her brother, and she needs someone to blame to lash out at and she remembers how Ben and Five would talk for hours about Five’s powers

She yells at him, screams at him that this is his fault, and Klaus tries to intervene but it doesn’t really work, because in this universe Vanya isn’t forgotten or ignored, she’s the most powerful and that comes with a certain amount of respect.

She’s more confident and sure of herself and she is sure that this is Ben’s fault

The Horror, sensing Ben’s stress, lashes out. It slams a tentacle down on the ground in front of her, causing her to scramble back, suddenly aware of the fact that she is in a room with someone who has a literal monster in his stomach

Diego walks in on Ben attacking their sister and immediately grabs his knife, stabbing into it and Ben howls, the tentacles sliding back under his skin

Diego is praised for his quick thinking, one of the few times his father ever compliments him and he holds it close to his chest

(she’ll realise her mistake much later of it not being Ben’s fault, but she doesn’t apologise, too scared of the Horror and what it could do to her)

(she full on avoids him now)

All that leaves in Klaus, but to be honest? He has his own issues to deal with. At first, he clings to Ben because he gets it, the absolute hatred you have to your powers

And Ben is so so so happy to have someone be there for him, someone who hates their abilities as much as he does. They comfort each other after their own personal lessons, talk about which powers they would like to have, how they would love to get rid of their powers entirely

And then Klaus does. Get rid of them. 

Well, kind of. Drugs as it turns out, cancels out his abilities. They learn this during a mission and he’s so happy. And Ben is so happy for him

Except . .  after a while, Klaus starts to pull away too, so caught up in the world of drugs and addiction and leaving him behind to deal with his own issues

He tries to confront him on it, but Ben was always the meekest of his siblings, and it doesn’t go well

“You’re just jealous” Klaus spits “you can’t turn off” he gestures towards Ben’s torso “that thing.”

All the while, the Horror is growing more and more agitated, squirming under his skin like an itch, stretching it and bruising it, awful and visible. His siblings, sickened by this display, start to avoid him, which just makes him agitated, which just makes the Horror agitated, which makes it more active, which makes his siblings avoid him more, rinse and repeat

(he can’t move, somedays, from the pain of it all, muscles stretched beyond their limit by the thing that should never be beneath a persons skin)

And then- and then, after a very bad mission, where his siblings had all looked away as he emerged bloody from another room, his father tells him he doesn’t have to do missions if he doesn’t want to

Holy hell. Holy fucking shit

This is- it’s- everything he has ever wanted since his first ever training exercise 

He says yes, of course

(The Horror hasn’t been this calm in years)

And he doesn’t have to go on missions anymore! He gets to stay home and read and be alone but in a good way and it is everything he has ever dreamed of and more

(in another room, their father announces that Ben is too dangerous to be allowed on missions anymore, and that he won’t be training with them anymore)

His siblings are torn between relief-that they won’t have to see another killing spree, and jealousy-because he doesn’t have to go on missions or have personal training

(none of them are relieved for ben, who always hated going on missions)

Klaus especially is jealous, and is snippy towards Ben for the remainder of the week, but he’s on cloud freakin’ nine, and he doesn’t really notice any of his sibling’s odd behaviour

But as time passes, Ben starts to feel more and more left out and excluded. The main reason why the siblings are so close is that they go on missions and train together, and Ben is no longer doing that.

He also notices that the others are . . . blaming him a lot. Even for things he didn’t do

“Why is there a hole in the wall?”

“Ben must have let the Horror out”

“You’re bringing an animal inside the house? Don’t let Ben see it”

It’s lonely, but the alternative is going back to training, and he would actually rather die. It’s just- he’s being selfish. The Horror is a monster (he is a monster) so it makes sense that others would think he was the one doing Bad Things

And Ben spent his entire life trying not to be a Bad Person, but everyone keeps saying that he is a Bad Person, and he isn’t sure what to do. Sometimes people recognise him on the streets, pull back, hide their kids, some the same age as him

(once Allison and Luther were with him when this happened, and they looked at the woman shielding her baby with something like-understanding? empathy? whatever it was, it made Ben’s stomach open, but not in a Horror way in a Bad Way)

He breaks down in tears, finds his mom in the middle of the night, feeling like a baby because he is fourteen years old and he shouldn’t be crying except this morning Diego had turned to Luther and asked “where’s the freak?” and Luther had grinned and said “Ben’s still in his room” and neither had realised he was standing behind them

(family scapegoat syndrome is a very serious thing.)

He goes to her, crying and wishing that it would just go away, that awful, awful monster in his body, why won’t it just die already?

Grace tries to comfort him, but Reginald knew this would one day happen, and put certain  . . things into her coding, things she can and can’t say.

She sits there and tells her son awful things about him and the thing that lives inside of him, a parasite, she is forced to call it, to call him

(and you may think Diego hates Reginald the most, but that title has, will and always shall belong to Grace)

“You’re disgusting” she tells her son and thinks of the man who made her

Ben wails, loud and strong, and the Horror responds to his horror, jumping to life and slamming into Grace and then Ben is screaming and he can hear his siblings footsteps, rapidly approaching, but he’s trying to get to his mom and-

He blacks out

He wakes back up in the infirmary, where Pogo is waiting for him. He explains how their mother is damaged, and will take a while to fix

He has to go about his day with Diego’s glare scorching his back. Breakfast is burnt porridge and milk.  The first chance he gets, Diego accosts him, knife missing by inches

“A-a-asshole!” He shouts, brandishing a knife “h-how could you?!”

“I didn’t mean to!” Ben squeaks, because he was always the shortest brother and his brother loves their mom and he hurt their mom and his brother is armed

“Diego stop” Vanya says, tugging on his arm “you’ll anger it”

Ben looks down to see his skin ripple and flushes, pressing himself even further against the wall

“You saw what happened with mom” Allison chimes in, glaring at Ben because their breakfast that morning was awful

“He’s not worth it” Luther says, and for once it seems they’re in agreement, because Diego turns and walks away, the others trailing behind him

Klaus stops, and gives him a sad look before scurrying after them, leaving Ben alone

Afterwards Ben is pulled into dad’s office and he’s handed pills. “To suppress your more . .  animalistic side” he said by way of explanation. 

Six blinks up at him. Suppress? As in . . get rid of? No more Horror

“It has come to my attention that you are far too dangerous to have running around unchecked” dad says when he asks, and Ben wilts

He takes the medication, and tries not to get his hopes up about it, but the Horror is gone

Instead of the usual aching chasm in his stomach there’s nothing. Just a sense of stability, of calm. He doesn’t feel like bursting into tears or crawling away in shame

(he doesn’t . .  he can’t feel much of anything really)

But he does feel excitement. His siblings are going to be so amazed- no more Horror!- and- and his dad can give Klaus some medication too, so he doesn’t have to use drugs anymore- or other drugs anymore!

His father pulls him aside and tells him that he must never tell anybody about this medication. His siblings have to keep thinking he can summon the Horror

Ben loves their father so much, wants to impress him, wants to make him proud. Except-Klaus. Klaus deserved to have this medication too, right? His- his powers were way worse than Ben’s

Reginald tells him, point-blank, that if he tells anyone about suppressing the Horror, he will take him off the medication

And that is-Ben feels kind of muffled right now, as if he’s under a weighted blanket but-

Terror is the only way to describe it, because he just found peace and now it is being threatened to have it ripped away

He lies about the Horror. The others continue to avoid him, but he also avoids them now, guilt over his lie causing him to cut himself off from Klaus, who cared for him, who deserves to have this as well, but Ben is just so selfish-

The second he hits eighteen, Ben leaves the house. He’s been on medication for 4-5 years now, and it shows. His emotions are basically gone.

He stays away from everyone until the funeral, when Five returns, telling him about the apocalypse, and he believes him, wholeheartedly believes him

He’s so frazzled by the announcement that he goes off his medication, forgotten in the moment of the literal apocalypse

(Reginald Hargreeves was a man trying to play god. He tried to lock away a beast too strong to be tamed)

(Someone should have taught him;when you cage a beast, the beast will get angry)

#umbrella academy #the umbrella academy #umbrella academy au #ben hargreeves #number 6 #reginald hargreeves #luther hargreeves #diego hargreeves #allison hargreeves #umbrella academy allison #klaus hargreeves #number 5 #number five #umbrella academy vanya #vanya hargreeves #Cthulhu au

[365days365movies]

March 13, 2021: Kwaidan: The Black Hair (1963)

Three hours of Japanese ghost stories. OK. How do I do?

Time is always a complicated mistress for me, so I really have to plan this accordingly. OK, let’s see, what do I know about Kwaidan? Well, it’s a Japanese anthology film...ahhhhhhhh, there it is!

OK, solution discovered! This film is broken up into four disparate short stories, so we’ll be tackling each one one at a time. Four shorter posts, one full movie! Nice. Now, normally, I’d go through a bit of an introduction, but I don’t know much about this film, or the short movies contained within. So, instead, let’s talk Japanese mythology.

Hate to admit it, but basically all of my knowledge of Japanese gods and folklore comes from anime. Which isn’t the worst source, necessarily...but it’s definitely not the actual source. I’ve seen Noragami Season One, I’ve watched a button of other slice-of-life and folklore-based anime, so I know a little bit. The GF is far more adept (she’s the one who got me into Noragami, amongst other things), and she’ll be watching this movie as well, when she can.

So, I’m a relative novice when it comes to these things. What makes this more interesting is the fact that these stories are based on somewhat more contemporary sources, which means that they may not borrow from Japanese mythology much at all, outside of shared themes and morality. Sound familiar?

Yeah, that basically describes Ugetsu Monogatari, which I covered a few days ago (here, here, and here, in that order). While it’s based off of a book, it shares elements seen in a lot of old Japanese folklore and traditional beliefs. Don’t needlessly pursue material goods and fame over happiness, and don’t fuck ghosts. Yeah, that’s mostly what I learned from that one.

Kwaidan, which literally means “ghost stories” in Japanese, came out over a decade later, is in color, as was directed by Masaki Kobayashi, and this is the only movie of his that I’ve ever heard of, so that’s something. In any case, I’m excited for this one! As excited as I am...worried. Because I have absolutely no idea what I’m in for. LET THE THREE HOURS COMMENCE (broken up into four palatable pieces).

The movie segments are as follows:

The Black Hair (黒髪, Kurokami)

The Woman of the Snow (雪女, Yukionna)

Hoichi the Earless (耳無し芳一の話, Miminashi Hōichi no Hanashi)

In A Cup of Tea (茶碗の中, Chawan no Naka)

We’ll start with The Black Hair, which is giving major “The Ring” vibes, just as a name. We’ll see if I’m right about that, I guess! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

Recap (1/4)

We start it all off with the Criterion Collection logo, and then...ink.

Ink of black, red, and blue, dropped into water set against a white background, is seen cascading down the screen over the opening credits. The titles of the four short films are also introduced, as the ink colors are mixed over a mostly silent background. And once the end, we begin with our first story.

The Black Hair

There’s a dilapidated estate, and as we travel through it, all of the background noises are amplified, and a set of doors opens, seemingly with the breeze. We enter, and a narrator tells us that there was a samurai that lived in old Kyoto, brought to financial ruin by the workings of his former master. To regain financial and social status, he’s decided to leave his wife behind. We join them now.

The samurai (Rentarō Mikuni) leaves his sobbing wife (Michiyo Aratama), refusing to rot away in the estate, no longer dilapidated, as we’ve clearly gone back in time. Despite the desperate pleading of his wife, the samurai leaves Kyoto, and cruelly shoves his wife aside, hitting her with his sheathed sword at one point. So, yeah, he’s a dick. And his quest for fortune will almost certainly be his ruination. Like I said, certain shared themes.

That’s made even clearer by the next scene, in which the samurai is now married to a wealthy woman (Misako Watanabe) that looks very much like the woman from Ugetsu, smudgebrows and...impressively long hair, GODDAMN!

The wealthy family of said daughter welcomes the samurai into the family, and he provides for her while also enjoying a higher social status as a result of the marriage. One day, he brings her to his post, and we clearly see that she’s in love with material possessions, moreso than her husband. Which, yeah, sounds familiar.

Looks like the samurai’s also starting to realize this, and he reminisces about his first wife, presumably still Kyoto. Yeah, bud, ya fucked up, don’t be a dick. Also, I assume that it attracts ghosts, since...you know, this is a ghost story. But yeah, he realizes that he still loves his first wife, patient and loving, as opposed to his cold and selfish second wife.

And so, in his heart and mind, the samurai returns to see his first wife. Meanwhile, in his new life, the samurai is constantly haunted by memories of his first wife. It interferes with his archery on horseback during an exhibition with a competitor. Dude’s fucked up.

Meanwhile, the spoiled second wife is bored, coldly dismissing her handmaidens while waiting for her new husband to attend to her. She happens upon him, asleep next to a scroll. She tries to kiss him, but the great idiot turns her away. She slaps him, upset at both his own selfish ways, and his still-lasting devotion to his wife.

He gives up on pleasing her after this, and decides to officially return to his first wife to make amends for not appreciating her in the first place. However, despite this, his duty as a samurai in the region still lasts a few years, and he’s unable to return to his first wife until that point. And when he does, the place is mostly still OK, but somewhat wrecked on the outside.

Yet, despite this, there she is, working at her loom and spinning wheel. The two are happy to see each other, and the samurai notes that she hasn’t left his mind, and apologizes for being a dick. He also notes that she hasn’t aged a day. Yeah, she’s 100% a ghost, fuck.

Anyway, he begs his definitely ghost-wife for forgiveness, which she quickly and enthusiastically gives. She even says that she never felt worthy for being his wife, and that she doesn’t deserve love from someone of his station, as compared to her own. Goddamn, dude really is a dick for leaving this ACTUAL SAINT of a woman.

He pledges to make amends, and that nothing will ever separate them again. He notes that her hair smells the same as it did before. The same glossy black hair, he notes. He compliments her looks as they kiss. And yeah, real talk, she is a GORGEOUS woman. Again, dude’s a dick. But whatever, at least they’re together again.

And the samurai’s love QUICKLY gives way to horniness, as they make their bed in the room that they “first made love in”, according to him. They pledge to be together for the present and the future, and the swordsman falls asleep with his wide watching over him.

The sun rises the next day, and the samurai wakes up next to his wife, and sees her long black hair...

AAAAAAAAAND it’s a corpse. It’s her dead fuckin’ body, and the hair’s still attached. Saw that coming...although I didn’t think my whole “don’t fuck ghosts” joke would come true that quickly.

AND THEN THE HAIR FUCKING ATTACKS HIM AND DRAINS HIS LIFE FORCE, WHAT IN THE NINE FUCKS

Yeah, no, he’s rapidly aging, and he tries to escape the estate, now obviously completely dilapidated. The now elderly samurai does get out of the estate...but he doesn’t escape.

Damn. Story Number One concluded. 

Weird-ass story, in a way, but very well-shot. as it finishes, the GF begins to elucidate on the actual cultural relationship of this story. Here she is now, actually.

Iridescent. Anyway, she told me about onryō (怨霊), vengeful spirits that come to exact revenge on those who committed wrongs on them or in general, taking their spirits from their dying bodies. Apparently, husbands wronging their wives and getting fucked over by the spirits is a common occurrance. Neat.

It’s also possibly a reference to the yōkai called the futakuchi-onna (二口女). That one, I already knew about. She’s the two-faced woman with her second face hidden behind her long hair, draped and kept down. Said hair is also prehensile! And for the record, I only knew about her because of this:

Yup, Mawile is a Steel/Fairy type Pokémon based on the futakuchi-onna. Neat, huh?

Anyway, that’s the end of the first story...shall we move on to the second one? Next up, Kwaidan: The Snow Woman! See you there!

#kwaidan #masaki kobayashi #怪談 #Michiyo Aratama #Misako Watanabe #Rentarō Mikuni #fantasy march #user365 #365 movie challenge #365 movies 365 days #365 Days 365 Movies #365 movies a year #mygifs #my gifs

[warofshadowstheorder]

Chapter 31

Katrina Dequenne stood in the cool and inviting night air against a tree on top of a hill outside of the Monastery.  After the tournament, she replaced her Gifted One clothing for a pair of skintight pants, a sleeveless top, and some comfortable shoes durable enough to enable her to walk to the top of the hill.  After slipping off her shoes, she found the grass to be dry and inviting and couldn’t resist the urge to sit down.  The full moon lit up the night sky and provided an adequate alternative to overhead lights.  She held Connor’s mask in one hand and sat patiently, brimming with anticipation.

“That was quite a feat,” Connor said confidently as he approached where Katrina sat, “you had some pretty intense competition this time around.”

A huge smile graced Katrina’s beautiful features as she stood up and faced Connor.  The first thing she noticed was that he was wearing the title belt from the tournament around his waist.  Connor also wore a pair of engineer-style biker boots, long pants, a t-shirt, and a leather jacket.

“Well,” Katrina responded in a thick French accent giving Connor a look that made him melt inside as she took a couple of steps towards him, “you know that it is common knowledge among the Gifted Ones what reward comes with catching this,” Katrina put Connor’s mask on her hand and held it up before spinning it in a teasing manner, “and what lady can resist the great Connor Gladiusdei?”

“I’ve yet to meet her,” Connor said with a very cool demeanor, “but you know that I will have to ask for that back.”

“Oui,” Katrina responded flirtatiously as she gently dropped the mask to the ground and closed the distance between her and Connor, “and we have been in this situation enough times to know what I ask for in exchange for the return of your mask.”

“You’re five for seven now,” Connor answered simply before gently wrapping his arms around Katrina’s waist as she responded in kind by wrapping hers around his neck, “I would hope by now I know the answer to that.”

“So,” Connor asked after taking a moment to enjoy the view before him, “would you care to dispense with the pleasantries?”  His inquiry earned a smile and nod from Katrina.

They held each other’s gaze for a few moments before Katrina leaned forward and captured her ransom for the hard earned prize.  Connor responded in kind to Katrina’s advances as she quickly deepened the kiss.  After a few minutes, Katrina slowly parted from Connor before stumbling slightly.

“Watch your footing,” Connor said never wavering from his cool and confident tone, “the hills can be treacherous.”

“You are so good at this,” Katrina said with bated breath, “I would like to think that it is from practice avec moi.”  Katrina got a slightly disappointed look on her face, “but we both know that is not the case.”

“Guilty as charged,” Connor remarked before giving Katrina a last peck on the lips, “so, can I get my mask back?”

“Why the rush,” Katrina asked attempting to match Connor’s cool, “it is a beautiful night.  Why not stay for a few moments and admire the stars?”

Connor looked up at the sky.  The lack of clouds and absence of any overhead lights on the island caused the night sky to be filled with a dazzling array of celestial glory.  Conner relented and put his jacket over a slightly shivering Katrina before taking off the championship belt and gently setting it on the ground.  He then took a place on the ground with his back against the tree.  Katrina smoothly laid down on the ground, resting her head on Connor’s chest.

“I thought you wanted to look at the stars?” Connor asked attempting to hide his delight at Katrina’s seating preference.

“I prefer the view from here,” Katrina replied beaming up at him.

“I can’t say I blame you,” Connor replied, “truth be told, it is a nice night.  And I could use a little time away from the Monastery.”

“That does not surprise me,” Katrina said, “I imagine everyone there will want to be congratulating you on your big night.”

“I’d be surprised if there’s anyone in the Monastery who hasn’t already complimented me on that,” Connor said, “it took me at least a half-hour to get out of The Pit with all the people flooding in.”

Katrina let out a small giggle as the image of Connor being mobbed by the awestruck crowd after the tournament played through her mind.  She knew that Connor enjoyed the spotlight, but from the way he talked about being delayed leaving The Pit she felt that he had finally reached his limit.

“Bonne,” Katrina said softly bringing her hand to rest on Connor’s cheek, “as long as you are here you will only have an audience of one.  And trust me, there is no need to impress.”

“Thanks,” Connor said putting his hand over Katrina’s, “but I always want to be impressive.”

Katrina let out a sigh before responding.  “But there is no need for you to try out here, mon beau chevalier.”

“I don’t know what that means,” Connor replied, “but I’ll take it as a compliment.”

Content with his response, Katrina clasped Connor’s hand and moved her own down to rest under her chest.  To show his appreciation for her gesture, Connor gripped the championship belt with his free hand and gently placed it on top of Katrina’s abdomen.

“I have always wondered what it would be like to win this belt,” Katrina sighed running her hand over the surface of the title.

“Well,” Connor chimed in, “from personal experience I can tell you that it feels great.  But sometimes getting to that point can be a real pain, literally.”

“That is a surprise to me,” Katrina said flirtatiously, “every time I see you in the Pit you appear to triumph so effortlessly.”

“Except for today,” Connor said with a slight grimace.

“May I ask you something?” Katrina cooed.

“Shoot,” Connor responded.

“Does the outcome of the fight bother you?” Katrina asked.

“It bothers me that I didn’t win outright,” Connor replied, “but on the other hand I’m still undefeated.”

“Be that as it may,” Katrina said, “when I got to you, you definitely looked like you had been in a fight.”

“I’ll give credit where credit is due,” Connor replied, “Bayeux made me earn this for the months I get to keep it.”

“The two of you certainly earned it,” Katrina said with admiration, “it was your greatest challenge, and you answered it magnificently.”

“From what I saw,” Connor remarked, “you had your own little challenge outside of the cage.  I thought that the tossing of the mask was just a little friendly competition among Gifted Ones.  But I’ve seriously seen less violent fights in my comic books.”

“Bonne,” Katrina said after a hearty laugh, “once the word got out about the prize for catching the mask it became quite sought after.”

“Fair enough,” Connor answered, “but one thing I’ve noticed.  The two other Gifted Ones who’ve caught my mask asked me for something pretty mundane.  Mildred asked me to eat lunch with her and walk her to the Cauldron Chamber for her shift afterwards.  Xun asked me to join her for a morning workout and give her some training tips.  Since Mildred was the first to catch it, I can understand why she asked for what she did.”

“But you,” Connor paused a moment and brought his free hand to rest on Katrina’s cheek before continuing, “you caught it the next three times.  Do you remember what you demanded of me to get my mask back the very first time?”

“Hmmm,” Katrina cooed as he thought back fondly, “I said that it would cost a kiss for your mask.”

“And after I obliged?” Connor asked.

“First of all,” Katrina replied, “I would not call your first attempt a real kiss.  But after I reminded you that I am French, I give you credit for realizing what I meant by a kiss.”

“You know,” Connor continued, “you and I never really see each other outside of these ransom drops for my mask.  And yet, every time I toss my mask when you’re in The Pit you grab it quite viciously.  Then when we have our inevitable meeting you never want it to be a simple exchange.  I can’t help but wonder why that is.”

“Well,” Katrina responded calmly, “I know that you specialize in the Middle East, so let me tell you something about the French.  We are unequaled in two distinct things.  The art of seduction,” she turned her head and seductively kissed Connor’s palm, “and obtaining and keeping secrets.”

“Fine,” Connor responded, “you keep your secrets,” Connor gently brought his hand to Katrina’s cheek, “but know that when I set my mind to something I always succeed.  As of tonight, I’ve officially set my mind on discovering your secrets.”

“Bonne chance,” Katrina said with added confidence as she sat up, “but I look forward to your efforts.”  Katrina drove her point home with a kiss to Connor’s cheek.

“Bonne,” Katrina said rising to her feet, “merci for the company, las veste,

et another fine evening in your company.  But now I am tired and need to be getting back to the dormitory.”

Connor stood up and accepted the championship belt from Katrina as she handed it to him.  He wrapped it around his waist and secured it.  He and Katrina stared at each other for a while, each one of them silently inviting the other to say or do something.

“Bonne,” Katrina said defiantly, “are you going to walk me back or not?”

“Yes madam,” Connor replied slightly taken aback, “this is certainly a new part of these meetings.”

“Times change,” Katrina answered confidently.  Connor waited for Katrina to put her shoes back on before scooping her up in his strong arms and moving effortlessly down the hill.  Katrina almost didn’t notice her feet touch the ground as Connor gently set her down on them.  She was breathless as Connor offered her his arm, which she took before they began walking toward The Monastery.

“Am I the first person to experience that,” Katrina asked in her characteristically confident manner once her voice returned, “or do you do that avec every girl you’ve had on the hill?”

“You keep your secrets,” Connor answered, “and I’ll keep mine.”

“Only as long as I do not decide that I want to know yours,” Katrina answered slyly, “trust me, if I wanted to I would know everything about you.  When it comes to keeping secrets, you have not got the practice.”

“Don’t be so sure,” Connor replied, “who says I share everything with everyone.”

“If I wanted to,” Katrina purred, “I could have you telling me your deepest secret in no time at all.”

“I doubt that,” Connor said tightening his hold on the beauty beside him, “you seem to forget that I’m an Elite.  That means I can hold out indefinitely, and that I never fail at a mission.  Even when it’s self-appointed.”

“Peut-etre,” Katrina replied as the two of them came to a stop in front of her dormitory and turned to face each other, “you have too much confidence.”

“Try me,” Connor answered with a smooth confidence that made Katrina fluster inside as he smoothly stroked her arm with his hand, “I dare you.”

“When I decide that I want to,” Katrina responded matching Connor’s coolness, “rest assured that I will uncover all that you believe you hide.”

“No time like the present,” Connor responded without missing a beat.

“I am very tired,” Katrina answered, “and even the best in the world have their limits.”

“Likely story,” Connor answered, “I love…the way you avoid a fight you can’t win.”

“Et I love…the way you think you can win every fight,” Katrina answered.

The two of them held each other’s gaze for a moment.  The moment for them seemed to last a lifetime, as though time stopped to allow them to soak in the next few seconds.  They faced each other, both of them still and ready to react to the slightest move from the other.  Neither of their iron wills ready to break, Connor ended the moment.

“I will let you retire,” Connor said, “but I will have to ask for my mask back.”

“Of course,” Katrina said handing Connor what he asked for, “I know how this works.”

“If I’m here in six months,” Connor answered, “I only ask that you not kill anyone in an attempt to catch this for the eighth time.”

“No promises,” Katrina said seductively driving her point home with a quick peck to Connor’s cheek, “bonne nuit mon beau chevalier.”

Without waiting for a reply from Connor, Katrina effortlessly glided into the dormitory and to her room.  Connor was left to stand in the night air, unable not to wonder about Katrina’s behavior that night and how it differed from their other meetings.

With no other course available to him, Connor began walking back toward his own dormitory.  Feeling a slight shiver as he walked back, he noticed for the first time that he wasn’t wearing his jacket.  He never contemplated returning to ask Katrina for it back.  Rather, a smirk came to his face at the thought of having an excuse to see her in a personal capacity before 6 months.

#novel #action-adventure #fantasy #historical fiction

[myriadimagines]

One for Six

Stranger Things One Shot

Pairing: Reader x Steve Harrington

Other Characters: Robin Buckley, Erica Sinclair

Warnings: —

Requester: anonymous

Request: “Okay so here's my Steve Harrington one shot request!: reader is very into Steve, and Steve likes her too but he's so used to being way off base lately, that he doesn't try anything. Reader goes to the movie store nearly everyday just to see him, but the boy is stupid and doesn't get it. Until Robin loses it and meddles in and tries to get them together”

Word Count: 2,040

A/N: I hope you like it!!! I can proudly add this one shot to the list of one shots I didn’t procrastinate for 13878172 weeks and got done in one day and actually like!!

please reblog/leave comments, they’re very much appreciated!

Your name: submit What is this?

Between scooping crazy ice cream flavors, the multiple failed attempts to talk to pretty girls, Robin’s constant teasing, and having to occasionally sneak Finn and the gang into the movie theatre, there’s not much Steve looks forward to at his Scoops Ahoy job. He supposes he should be grateful, having landed the job at all, but he can’t stop the boredom from creeping in every time he has to listen to another greedy child list multiple different flavors for him to attempt to squeeze into one cone. 

But there is one upside to the job, one that has come about rather recently — you.

As a regular customer, Steve gets to see you rather often, and it never fails to brighten up his day. You had started coming to the store a few weeks ago, and never fail to appear almost every day upon realizing there’s an incredibly cute server working there that’s worth returning to the store for. As Steve watches the hours tick by on the clock, he spends most of his time waiting for you to appear, which is usually around late afternoon. If Robin happens to be working the shift, the second he sees you walk into the store, he immediately bumps her out, insisting that he’ll take over just to serve you, before he goes to hide in the back again. 

Steve impatiently taps his fingers on the counter, craning his neck to get a better view of the  Starcourt escalators from the tiny shop entrance to see if you’re there. Behind him, Robin snorts, shaking her head as she leans out of the little shop window, singsonging, “Don’t worry, dingus, your girlfriend will show up. Like she does, everyday.”

Steve forces out a sarcastic laugh, turning around as he straightens his uniform for what feels like the hundredth time. “Girlfriend? What are you talking about? I mean, did you hear her say anything, or...?”

“No, but she literally comes in just for you.” Robin rolls her eyes, and Steve scoffs at there mere suggestion that you could possibly like him back. “But you’d have to be an idiot not to see that, but I mean, you are an idiot, so…” 

Steve glares at her, but quickly turns around as Robin returns his glare with a pointed look, jerking her chin forward as she briefly glances behind him. Spinning on his heel, Steve quickly smiles as he leans forward, heart hammering in his chest as he comes face to face with you. You smile warmly at him, your own heart about to burst out of your chest, and Steve wonders if he’s imagining the fact that you look ever so flustered upon seeing him. Gesturing to the collection of ice cream flavors below him, he asks, “The usual?”

“You know me so well, Steve.” you tease, rocking back and forth on your heels as Steve almost glows from the compliment. His name sounds so good when you say it, he thinks, and he spins the scoop in his hand, attempting to impress you, before he snatches a cone from under the counter and opens up the freezer. You try your best not to stare, but you can’t help it as you smile to yourself at Steve’s adorable antics. 

As Steve scoops your ice cream, he looks up at you through the glass, asking, “Hey, wait a minute, I don’t think I ever got your name.” 

He hands you the cone, and if cliché sparks could fly, your fingers would be alive with electricity as your hands brush ever so slightly upon taking the cone from Steve. By now, Steve knows exactly how to hold the cone to maximise the potential of you touching his fingers, and he struggles to bite back his growing smile as you reply, “y/n.”  

“Well, pleasure to serve you, y/n.” Steve bows dramatically, and you laugh as you shakily curtsy back, struggling to balance your ice cream in your hand. You immediately feel a wave of embarrassment as you straighten, unaware that Steve thinks you can’t possibly get any cuter. You dig around in the pocket of your shorts for cash, before handing it to Steve, fingers brushing again as you make a point of dumping some extra change in the tip jar for him. “Why, thank you.”

“No problem.” you wink at him, before shyly waving goodbye as you walk out of the store. Steve watches you leave, ignoring the customers that have lined up and are telling him their orders. Behind him, Robin lets out an exaggerated sigh as she emerges from the back, giving Steve a harsh shove as she snatches her own scoop and begins taking orders.

“Hey, dingus, don’t forget you other customers beside y/n.” Robin shoves a cone into his chest, bringing Steve back into reality as he snatches the cone from her. As she piles a scoop of the popular double chocolate fudge into a cone, she continues, “Can you please just ask her out already?”

Steve shakes his head, reaching into the freezer for the peppermint stick. Being rejected so many times by previous girls hasn’t helped Steve’s already damaged ego, and he’s not ready to possibly be rejected again by another girl who he actually really likes. “No way. I’d probably screw it up somehow.”

“True,” Robin replies, eliciting an irritated look from Steve which she promptly ignores. “But I’m also tired of seeing the two of you give each other lovey-dovey looks.”

Steve opens his mouth to protest again, but the two of them are interrupted by the frenzied, sharp dinging of the front bell. Annoyed, the two of them look over to see Erica standing expectantly in front of them, flashing them a sickly sweet smile before she announces, “I’d like to try the strawberry, please. And the chocolate peanut butter swirl, since there’s two of you.”

—

Steve takes his feet off the table as Robin slides open the shop window, pointing at a box in the corner of the room as she orders, “I need more sprinkles, dingus.”

Rolling his eyes, Steve begrudgingly gets to his feet, picking up the box before handing it to Robin. She sifts through it, lifting out two containers of rainbow and chocolate sprinkles as she taunts, “Don’t look so sad, y/n’ll be here soon.”

Steve immediately perks up upon hearing your name. “Is she here?”

Before Robin can answer, he looks behind her, shoulders sagging upon seeing the empty counter. Rolling her eyes, Robin asks, “Are you going to ask her out?”

“No.” Steve replies firmly, and Robin lets out a loud groan as she slams the containers down, a few sprinkles spilling out the sides. 

“Then what’s the freaking point?” Robin demands, throwing her hands into the air. Leaning closer to him, Robin continues, “Dude, just man up and do it. Watching you pine after her but refusing to make a move got old after the first day, and it’s been weeks.”

Before Steve can respond, he catches sight of you walking into the store. You immediately catch his eye, waving at him as your smile lights up your face, and Steve quickly returns the wave before leaning over to whisper to Robin, “Swap with me.”

Robin looks over her shoulder, nodding at you before she turns back to Steve. Slamming her hands down, she replies, “Nuh-uh. Not today.”

Steve’s eyebrows furrow as he grabs Robin’s arm before she can turn around, and he hisses, “What are you doing?”

“Saving your love life.” Robin declares loudly in a matter-of-fact tone, and had the store not been full of witnesses, Steve would’ve jumped right out of the shop window to strangle her. He scrambles to exit the back room through the door as Robin turns to you, talking as fast as she can before Steve can intercept. Trying her best not to gag, she asks, “So, Steve. He’s cute, right?”

Your face immediately turns into an inferno. “I, um… I- yeah, I guess-”

“Yeah, anyway, he thinks you’re cute too, did you know that?” Robin interrupts your flustered ramblings, and your eyes widen upon this revelation. You look over at Steve, who resists the urge not to run right into the back room again, and Robin waves away an impatient customer behind you as she continues, “He waits every single day for you to come in, and you’re literally the highlight of his job.”

You’re at a loss for words, and you stammer out incoherent words as your frazzled minds tries to comprehend all the information Robin is revealing to you. Handing your ice cream to you, Robin smiles at you as she adds, “It’s on the house. Well, Steve, specifically.” 

You speechlessly take the cone from Robin, who turns around to grab Steve’s arm and drag him in front of you. Resting a hand on his shoulder, she smiles, satisfied with herself as she looks between the two of you before turning to Steve, remarking, “You’re welcome.”

Dusting off her hands, Robin retreats into the back room as Steve nervously reaches up to run his hands through his hair, before remembering not to touch his precariously placed hat. Suddenly not caring about the strict company policy about uniform, he snatches it from his head, tossing it aside as he mutters, “Stupid hat.” 

You chuckle, breaking the nerve wracking silence as you shrug, quietly remarking, “I think it’s cute. But I- I mean, like your hair, too. It’s cute. You’re cute.”

Steve blinks at you as you cringe at your own words, face screwed up in humiliation. Rubbing the back of his neck, he asks, “You… you think I’m cute?”

“Yep.” you blurt, figuring there’s no turning back for you, and an uncharacteristically shy smile appears on Steve’s face. Shifting your weight between your feet, you avoid eye contact as you ask, “Was, um, your coworker telling the truth when she said you wait for me to come into the store?”

Steve nods. “Probably makes me sound like a weirdo, huh?”

“Then I guess I’m a weirdo too for coming in just to see you.” you reply, and Steve’s smile widens. Shaking your head, you laugh at yourself as you add, “I have never eaten so much ice cream in my life.”

Steve laughs, the uneasy tension finally dispersing. Squaring his shoulders, Steve feels a surge of his old confidence as he finally, finally asks, “Hey, are you free Friday night? To go out on a date with me?”

You resist the urge to pinch yourself, and you pray that you’re not dreaming as you eagerly nod. “Yep, I’m free. A date sounds perfect.” 

“Okay,” a huge smile lights up Steve’s face, and you beam at him excitedly. Clapping his hands together, he announces, “It’s a date. It’s a date!”

“It’s a date!” you repeat excitedly, before suddenly becoming aware of the increasingly crowded shop filled with restless customers waiting to get their ice cream. Backing up, you wave, “I’ll see you Friday!” 

“Can’t wait!” Steve calls out after you, and the second you turn around, you let out a delighted squeal, clapping a hand over your mouth as to not be too loud. Behind you, Steve pumps his fist in the air, letting out a rowdy cheer as he turns around to see Robin slide out her whiteboard. Uncapping her marker, she draws a bolded line in the previously empty ‘YOU RULE’ section, and Steve enthusiastically punches the air, adrenaline pumping through his veins as he rides out the incredible high he’s feeling. He no longer cares about the tally in the other section, outnumbering his single score and reminding him of his every rejection, because now that he’s going out on a date with the one girl he cares about, no one else matters.

“And that’s one for six, Popeye, I’m impressed.” Robin can’t help but smile at Steve’s excitement, although she tries to maintain indifference. “Though, I do have to take credit.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Steve waves his hand, too ecstatic to care about Robin’s dig at him. Overcome with a new wave of euphoria, Steve reaches over to grab Robin’s shoulders, shaking her as he yells, “I have a date with y/n!”

tag list: @inspiredbynewt / @musicallisto / @gofandomsandotherstuff / @locke-writes / @fangirlsarah16 / @cnco-babes / @random-stuffo / @batfam16

#stranger things imagine #steve harrington imagine #reader x steve harrington #steve harrington x reader #stranger things #stranger things one shot #steve harrington #steve harrington one shot #imagine #imagines #reader insert #one shot #oneshot #💜 #but then watch this get no notes since its so fuckin hard for my one shots to get notes ha ha fuck!!!!!!!!

[kpopfanfictrash]

No Strings (XI)

Author: kpopfanfictrash

Pairing: You / Jimin

Rating:  18+ (explicit sex)

Word Count: 7,086

Summary: It started off as such a simple question. How to know if you’re bad in bed? Of course when you asked, you didn’t imagine Jimin would actually answer. (This is an additional part to my series, No Strings, as requested in the poll for my follower milestone)

“I’m just saying,” Minsun says, spinning around on her stool. Taking a sip of her drink, she squints at the room. “If Namjoon were any klutzier, he would literally die.”

Fighting a smile, you tap your hand to the counter. “Oh?” you say, accepting the drink pushed your way. “You know what I think? I think you’re exaggerating.”

“I’m not, though.” Shaking her head, Minsun points a finger at the dance floor. “Look at him right now. He looks like a twelve-legged octopus taking a beginner’s tap class.”

“If he has twelve legs, he’s not an octopus.”

“Shut up, you get my point.”

Hiding a smile, you nod because she is right – Namjoon truly does have dismal coordination. Right now, he is semi-drunk, waving both hands like one of those blow-up dolls at a car dealer. He slinks towards the center, fruity drink in one hand and hair pushed back from his forehead. Namjoon is a good-looking dude, intelligent and a catch for anyone to date – he also tends to be the most ridiculous human on the planet, without quite meaning to be.

Trying not to laugh, you return to Minsun. This week has been long, to say the least. You have been working on this giant presentation at work for a month now, one which went over well this morning – and prompted Namjoon and you to force your friends out in celebration. You have been at the bar drinking since 5:00 pm, although more of your friends have trickled in along the way, joining the revelry.

Seokjin arrived a half-hour ago; he is now seated beside you, two shots deep at the bar. He is partly to blame for Namjoon’s current state of inebriation, having convinced him that being drunk makes him a better dancer, not worse. Hoseok is also here, but Hoseok – you roll your eyes at the sight – is a stupendous dancer and seems completely at ease out on the dance floor. His girlfriend, Vikki, must be around here somewhere. Normally, you would say she is with Katie but Namjoon and Katie broke up two months ago, a messy split which involved your co-worker’s ex-boyfriend.

Wincing, you return the drink to your lips. Namjoon was devastated after, although it seems as though he is finally back in the swing of things. At least, he is trying – judging from the wavy sprinkler move he is attempting out on the dance floor.

Minsun snorts, draining the rest of her glass. “Okay,” she says, hopping down from the counter. Adjusting her skirt, she winces at the motion – the fabric is bright magenta, shorter than yours. “I’m gonna go to the bathroom. Wait here, hold my purse.”

Minsun disappears, flouncing away and you swivel your hips at the bar, returning to nursing your drink. Music thumps through the air, raucous and loud enough to drown out the voices around you – or, almost loud enough.

“Hey there,” a guy says, sliding onto Minsun’s vacated stool.

You glance up from your drink. A new wave of people has entered and it is a struggle to remain on your chair with everyone crowding so close. The stranger is cute, speaking mathematically. He has full lips, a broad forehead and the type of hair which seems perpetually stuck-up in the back. Beyond that though, your generosity ends.

The way he stares at you is calculated, as though he has a dating playbook and is eighty percent sure – if he says and does the right thing – you will be fucking him by morning. There is something to his gaze, his smile; this man thinks he damn well owns this room and you would be lucky to have him.

It is hard for you not to roll your eyes, taking a sip of your drink.

The guy leans forward. “I’m sorry,” he says, placing a hand on your arm. His touch is light, not overly forceful – he has done this before, and often.

“Are you?” you say.

A flash of confusion crosses his face. “I – what?”

“You said sorry,” you say, arching a brow. “I asked you if you are.”

The guy stares, taken aback before he smiles. “Oh, I get it,” he laughs, leg brushing yours. “No, that was just an expression of speech. I think you’re beautiful and wanted to say hi.”

Your smile turns brittle, grip on your drink tightening. Your remark was facetious – it takes a special kind of oblivious to ignore the fact that you are unwanted. Leaning away, you glance again at the bar. Seokjin, Namjoon and Hoseok are out on the dance floor, Minsun has not reemerged from the bathroom – fuck women’s restrooms and their lines – but once she does, you know she will kick this guy to the curb.

“Anyways,” he announces – louder, as the next song begins. “I was wondering if there’s a mirror in your pants?”

You nearly choke on your drink. “I’m not wearing pants.” 

This is true, you are wearing a dress – albeit, not one as tight and short as Minsun, but a dress nonetheless.

Ignoring the warning in your eyes, the guy leans in to continue. “Well.” The guy has the audacity to wink. “I think you must have a mirror in your pants, since I can definitely see myself in them.”

A long moment passes while you attempt to regather your jaw from the ground. The pickup line is horrible, borderline offensive in its awfulness and you are about to go off when an arm settles over your shoulder.

“Thank the fucking lord that I found you.” Jimin exhales, pushing a hand through his hair. His hair returned to black sometime last summer, which was a welcome surprise. “I’ve been searching for you everywhere – and Y/N, listen. We really need to talk.”

The guy looks at Jimin, then you. “I’m sorry,” he says – although this time, the apology really does not sound genuine. “Who are you?”

“I’m sorry.” The corner of Jimin’s mouth lifts. “I’m Jimin. And you are?”

The man frowns. “Clint.”

“Well, Clint.” When Jimin smiles, his gaze remains cold. “To answer your question – I’m the dude who slept with Y/N two weeks ago. I’m also the dude who needs to tell her something important.” 

Closing his eyes, Jimin steels himself.  “Y/N.” Seriously, he reaches out for your knee.

“Yes?” you say, trying hard not to laugh.

“Okay.” Jimin opens his eyes. “So, it’s like this. About a month ago, I noticed my spunk had this weird smell. I kinda brushed it off, thought was nothing. I don’t know,” Jimin sighs, looking up at the ceiling. “I decided I needed to eat more pineapple, or something.”

You somehow manage to turn your laugh into a cough. “What are you trying to tell me?” you demand, mock-horrified. “Did you come all the way to this bar, just to say that –”

“Yes.” Dramatically, Jimin looks you in the eyes. “I have the clap,” he announces, loud enough for Clint to overhear. “Possibly several of them. And I probably gave them all to you – through my penis.”

“Alright. I’m out.” Clint nearly falls off the stool in his haste to escape.

Trying not to laugh, you take a sip your drink. Jimin grins, wriggling to fill the space in between you. “Hi, baby,” he greets you, kissing your gently. “How was work?”

Smiling back at him, you wrap both arms around his neck. “It was awful,” you say in between kisses. Moving closer, your hips brush his on the stool. “Better, now that you’re here.”

Jimin cannot help but smile. “Your flattery does wonders to my ego, babe. Have I ever said that, before?”

“No.” Sighing, you wrap your legs around his. “I’m sure it got lost in between all the compliments you say to yourself.”

“Hey!”

Laughing, you pull away long enough to boop Jimin on the nose. “You’re so cute,” you coo, stretching his cheeks. “When did you get so cute?”

Jimin growls. “Cute is for children,” he says. “Mostly, those between the ages of zero and five.”

“What happens after five?”

“They get precocious. There’s nothing worse than a precocious child, Y/N.”

Biting down on your lip, you try not to laugh. “Okay, grandpa,” you say, patting his cheek as you hop down from the stool. “Go grab a double shot to catch up to me. I hear Namjoon is already tearing it up the dance floor and I’ve been remiss, keeping away for so long.”

Jimin turns around to order and you rise on tip-toe, peering into the crowd. Minsun has not returned yet, which is strange. She left her purse behind and if she does not come back soon, you will need to drag it out on the dance floor with you. Namjoon’s flailing is awkward enough without multiple straps on your body for him to get stuck in.

“OH MY GOD!”

The voice is Minsun’s, shrieking over the sounds of the bar. Your head jerks sideways, nearly slipping in your haste to retrieve her. “Jimin!” you yelp, delving in between patrons. “Grab Minsun’s purse for me, okay?”

“GOT IT, HONEY!”

Minsun remains audible, yelling somewhere in the background. She must be yelling, to be heard over the music and as you shove through the crowd, you imagine the worst. Seokjin should be here too, chasing after his girlfriend because she is clearly either A) under attack, or B) drunk and yelling at a stranger and honestly, with Minsun, the latter is more probable. Then you skid around a tall, gangly someone and come face-to-face with your roommate.

Minsun seems livid. She is standing with Seokjin, arguing fiercely while he holds both hands before him; a metaphorical shield in their battle.

“Why!” she blurts, poking him hard in the chest. “Why won’t you let me buy fro-yo!”

Seokjin sputters, grabbing both her wrists with his hands. “Minsun,” he hisses, glancing around. “Babe, just a little bit quieter, okay? I want to talk about this!”

“No,” she yelps, wrenching free from his grasp. “I will not be quiet when my very freedom is being oppressed!” Minsun huffs, waving a hand and nearly knocking over Hoseok’s drink.

“Hey!” he yelps, jumping out of her reach.

“Sorry, Hobi!” Minsun returns to scowling at Seokjin. “My boyfriend is compromising my freedom, so I’m a LITTLE preoccupied!”

“Babe.” Seokjin exhales, rubbing his face with both hands.

Minsun inhales deeply, seeming ready to explode as you dart your way forward. “O-kay,” you say, sliding both arms around her waist. Minsun frowns at this, although she lets you pull her back. “What’s going on?” you say. “What’s, uh – what did Seokjin do?”

Seokjin rolls his eyes. "Why,” he demands. “Do you all assume I did something wrong?”

“Because it’s you,” you say, glancing at Minsun. “You said something to get Minsun pissed off, clearly. Something about… fro-yo?” you offer, remembering what Minsun was yelling.

Seokjin grits his teeth. Whatever he was about to say is interrupted by Jimin sidling up beside you. “Here, Minsun.” He bows, handing over her purse. “Your affects.”

Accepting this, Minsun tries not to scowl. “Thanks,” she tells Jimin, still seeming miffed in the process.

Her gaze moves to Seokjin, hurt and confused – this is enough that you frown, glancing between them. This seems like more than Minsun being drunk and hot-tempered. 

“Seriously,” you ask, glancing between them. “What the hell is going on?”

“Seokjin is an ass.” Minsun pouts. “That’s the short story.”

Jimin turns his laugh hastily into a cough. “Sorry, man,” he shrugs. “That was funny.”

Seokjin stares blankly at him. “Thanks.”

“Anytime.”

Minsun’s lips tug down at the corners. “I was coming out of the bathroom earlier and decided I wanted to get fro-yo. So, I reach into Seokjin’s pocket for his wallet –”

“Which I objected to,” Seokjin says.

“– I reach into Seokjin’s pocket for his wallet and he slaps my hand away!“ Minsun nearly knocks Hoseok’s drink over for a second time with her gesticulation. "And then,” she says, lower lip trembling, “he said to me… that if I wanted frozen food, I needed to buy it myself!“

You and Jimin both gasp in tandem.

"You…” Jimin stares. “You really said that to her, man?”

Seokjin glances around the circle, finding no comfort. “I...” He hesitates, shaking his head. “No, no – it wasn’t like that. I just… I don’t want Minsun going into my pants. That’s all.”

Now, you are the one staring. “Uh…” You wrinkle your brow. “Then, what were you two doing on the couch the other day? Did she drop a peanut in your crotch or something?”

“I just wanna eat drunk fro-yo,” Minsun huffs. “But my boyfriend is out here, calling me fat.”

Seokjin’s eyes bug out. “I – what?!” he yelps. “No! I never said that!”

Minsun swallows. “Just...” She exhales, burying her face in her hands. “Leave it. I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

“No, no, no.” Seokjin groans, moving quickly to wrap both arms around her. “You’ve got it all wrong, baby,” he sighs.

It is like watching a train wreck. You know you should look away, but find you cannot. When Jimin holds out your drink, you take a long sip.

"Ten bucks,” he whispers. Jimin’s arms slides around your waist, his lips brushing your ear. “Ten bucks Seokjin has a present for her in his back pocket, or something.”

Stifling a grin, you nod. Seokjin would never be rude to Minsun without good reason. You know this about him, even if you give Seokjin shit for it occasionally. He is whipped as hell for your roommate.

As though to prove this point, Seokjin squeezes Minsun tighter. “That’s not – I mean, well,” he exhales, closing his eyes. “Fuck.”

Minsun pulls back to look at him. “Well, what?” she demands. “What is it?”

“I think you’re perfect!” Seokjin winces at Minsun’s clear look of outrage. “ You can be big, small, whatever you want – you know, so long as you’re comfortable with your body and not unhealthy, or whatever, you can do whatever you want and I –”

“Dude.” Jimin coughs, drawing a finger across his throat.

"What are you even talking about?” Minsun gapes.

“You can’t go into my pocket!” Seokjin blurts.

Minsun blinks in surprise. “I don’t… I don’t even know how to respond to that.”

Seokjin’s cheeks flush, biting down on his lip. “Shit.” Groaning, he presses both hands to his face. “Fine! You want to know why you can’t go into my pocket?“

"Yes.” Minsun folds both arms over her chest. “Let me just prep myself before my boyfriend says that he doesn’t want me touching his dick anymore.”

“Because!” Seokjin huffs, reaching into his pocket. “Because of this, okay?” Yanking out a box, he forces Minsun’s eyes to widen. “I want to fucking marry you! Which you’re ruining, by the way, by making me propose to you in a bar!“

Somewhere in the background, In My Feelings by Drake plays while oblivious, drunk patrons grind out on the dance floor. They seem unconcerned with the fact that history is being made right in front of you – history, witnessed by only yourself, Jimin, Seokjin and Minsun. Hoseok disappeared sometime around the second time Minsun tried to knock over his drink.

Minsun blinks, taking an uncertain step backwards. "You… what?”

“I want to marry you!” Seokjin yells, stepping closer. “I want to marry you,” he says, softer this time. His hands find her elbows, tracing circles over her skin.

Minsun stares back at him, lips parted in shock. “I...” She falters, suddenly at a loss.

Seokjin smiles. “What,” he murmurs, pushing a hand through her hair. He is still holding onto the small, blue box with the other. “No smart answer, for me?”

Minsun inhales, as though she might yell at him – before she lifts on her toes and kisses him smack on the lips. Seokjin laughs, words muffled when he pulls her closer and sinks into the gesture.

“You jerk,” Minsun exclaims, pulling back. She scowls, starting to laugh but refusing to move. “How dare you propose to me like this – in a bar, no less!”

He huffs, yanking her closer. “I wasn’t going to,” Seokjin says. “I was going to propose to you tomorrow morning in bed and then you ruined it by stealing my wallet!”

Minsun grins. “When we’re married,“ she says, looping both arms around his neck. "I’ll have half of your wallet by law.”

“You’re such a gold-digger,” he teases, kissing her again.

“Your gold-digger.”

“So, is that a yes?”

“That’s a fuck yes,” Minsun says, grabbing his face and pulling him in for another kiss.

Seokjin responds eagerly, body moving against hers and you blink, suitably awkward when you realize where this is headed. 

Jimin reaches down, tugging on your shirt. “Uh… let’s go,” he says, grabbing your hand.

Tugging you behind him, he pulls you onto the dance floor and leaves your overly-fond-of-PDA best friends behind. The song has changed, rap belting over the speakers but in the corner by the bathroom, Minsun and Seokjin do not seem to care. They are still kissing when you leave, one hand tangled in Jimin’s. You keep glancing at him, since it has not escaped your notice that Jimin has not said anything since the proposal.

He smiled, sure. He laughed – but there is something to his gaze which is giving you pause. Jimin whirls suddenly around, pulling your body to his. “Let’s celebrate,” he half-yells, to be heard over the music.

“Celebrate what?” Your hands slide around his neck. “Minsun and Seokjin?”

“Yeah, sure.” Jimin bends, nuzzling the exposed lines of your throat. “But also, life. Being together. Freedom. Whatever you want.”

You nod, letting your hips sway with the music. The word freedom sticks in your mind; a double-edged sword in comparison to the others. As you dance, you chance another look to where Seokjin and Minsun were standing. They no longer are, having disappeared along with the change of music. You presume they are on their way to properly celebrate. It is not difficult to be happy for them. You have been there since the beginning, after all. You have seen their relationship blossom since college and you know this is the next logical step.

Still, something nags in the back of your mind. Jimin said freedom.

Pressing closer, you try to ignore this. Jimin is not always good with his words – hell, it took him long enough to admit he liked you. It has been on more than one occasion he has said the wrong thing, but his intentions are always good and he learns from his mistakes. Deep down, you know Jimin is happy. It is only – your arms tighten, fingers running through the fringe of his hair – sometimes, you wonder if he regrets this.

Perhaps regret is too strong a word. You are Jimin’s first relationship in nearly five years, after all. Not only that, you two are a relationship, in all italic sense of the word. You began dating by saying I love you and that is a lot of pressure for anyone, let alone a reformed playboy. Thinking this, you wince and turn your face into his shoulder.

This might be unfair, since Jimin says he loves you. You know this, and you know it is not okay to hold his lack of girlfriends against him. It is only that word – freedom ­– which worries you, because it makes you afraid Jimin thinks this is lacking. The belief is unfounded, to be sure. Jimin has never once mentioned as much to you. It is only occasionally, at times like tonight, or at family gatherings – when the subject of marriage or kids is brought up, Jimin goes unnaturally silent.

It is hard for you not to notice. Jimin tries his best to hide his discomfort but to you, it is obvious – of course it is. There is no one who knows Jimin better than you, no one who can read his small ticks and tells like you can. You know that talk makes him uncomfortable and honestly, you do not blame him. It must be difficult to go from absolute freedom to someone always knowing what he is doing. To go from not having to answer to anyone to always thinking about someone else. Being in a relationship is work and occasionally, it crosses your mind if Jimin thinks it is worth it.

Refusing to entertain such thoughts any longer, you burrow deeper into his embrace. Jimin loves you, you remind yourself. This is just your insecurities rearing their ugly head and you should not let them win when there is nothing to back them up. Jimin pulls you closer, bending his body as you soften.

“Jimin,” you say. 

Lowering your hands, you graze the soft threads of his t-shirt. It is hot outside, equally so on the dance floor because the AC can only compete with sweaty bodies for so long.

“Yes?” Jimin moves your hips with his own. 

In the corner of one eye, you see the rest of your friends convene on the edge of the dance floor. They have that look in their eyes – the tipsy, where-should-we-go-next kind of look which you have no desire to follow.

“Take me home?” you ask, propping your chin on Jimin’s chest.

He smiles, grabbing your hand as he nods in response. Some Reggaeton beat follows you outside the bar – the same, distant beat which seems to accompany every Reggaeton song – and Jimin interlaces his fingers with yours, pulling his phone from his pants. The night air is chillier, breeze whipping your hair while you take a step closer and drape Jimin’s arm around you.

Jimin squeezes you softly, ordering an Uber. When it arrives and you pile into the backseat, Jimin is silent as he stares out at the window. You end up offering your apartment address, remembering Seokjin said he wanted to propose to Minsun in bed. On the off-chance he still has something he planned about that, you certainly do not want to be around for the moment. Resting your head on the window, you stare at the night until Jimin shifts on the backseat beside you.

“You know that I love you, right?” he asks suddenly, breaking the quiet.

There are a million things which run through your mind. The scratchy cough of the car driver, the feel of your butt on the fabric and the steady itch of your seatbelt. Jimin’s hand closes over yours, warm on the leather. 

“Yeah,” you say, looking at him. “I know. You know I love you too, right?”

Jimin smiles, not quite reaching his eyes. “I know.”

When he does not add anything more, you nod. The backseat falls quiet again, you lower your head to the seat and Jimin moves nearer. “Okay,” he sighs. 

You smile, resting your eyes the entire way back to your place.

When the car door opens, cold air blows on your face and you protest, burying your face in his shoulder. Jimin chuckles, pushing the door open to drag you outside. 

“Come on,” Jimin says, wrapping his arm over your shoulders.

Grumbling under your breath, you let yourself be led up the walk. Before you know it, you are blinking outside the door to your apartment. Mutely, you hand over the key and Jimin lets you both in, stepping past the threshold to turn on your lights. You were right, it seems. Seokjin and Minsun went back to his place.

Yawning, you strip off your purse and fling this over a counter. Jimin has disappeared into the bathroom, leaving you alone in the front hall. After locking the door, you trudge to the couch and lower yourself to its cushions. You were so sleepy in the cab, as though you will fall right asleep – but now, you find yourself staring at the wildly printed fabric (chosen by Minsun), and feeling wide awake.

As soon you think this, Jimin jogs into the hall. “Righ’,” he demands, toothbrush half-hanging from his mouth. He pushes hair back from his forehead, continuing to brush. “Ai thou chu sh’d kno’ at –”

“Park,” you say, arching a brow. One by one, you kick off your heels to the floor. “I can’t understand a word you’re saying, which somewhat lessens the impact.”

Jimin pauses, nodding and disappearing again down the hall. “’ANG ON,” he yells, followed by the sounds of spitting and running water.

You kick your feet up behind you, lying like a lump on the sofa – your skirt is probably hiked up in the back, but you cannot bring yourself to care. It is too late and you are too tired. Jimin jogs again into the room.

“Okay,” he declares, sticking out his tongue to display newly minted freshness. “What I was trying to say –”

“Through a toothbrush.”

“– albeit, not in the most romantic of fashions, but what I was trying to say is that I love you, okay?”

Slowly, you sit up on the sofa. “Jimin,” you say gently. “I know this. Why do you keep repeating that?”

“Because.” He exhales, pushing both hands through his hair. It makes his t-shirt ride up, exposing a flat strip of stomach. You try not to overly ogle; no one likes being ogled when they are attempting to be serious.

“I’m really excited for Seokjin and Minsun – really, I am!” Jimin says. “They deserve happiness, but...” Walking closer, Jimin kneels at the end of the couch. He drapes both arms over the armrest, peering at you. “I don’t want you to feel as though I love you any less because I’m not proposing right now.”

Your eyes widen. “I – Jimin, I never thought that.”

“I know,” he says. You wrinkle your nose, making him smile. “You’re too good and too perfect to ever pressure me, I know.”

“Jimin, that’s not –”

“I know.” This last part is quieter, eyes shut so that the dark of his lashes brush cheekbones. “It’s just... something I think about every day, you know?”

His fingers trace over the couch, absent-minded. Swirl, angle, circle and line. “Jimin,” you whisper, gaze moving from his hand to his face. “What do you think about every day?”

His expression stills. “You. Me. The future. I think...” He inhales, a quick sound. “I think about it all the time. What it will be like to marry you. To wake up next you. To have kids with you. I want all that, Y/N. I don’t want you to think that I don’t.”

Instead of answering, you swallow. It does not seem as though he is finished yet, and you do not yet know what to say. This is the first time Jimin has confessed something like this to you.

He opens his eyes. “I have every intention of marrying you, Y/N. It’s just, for the first time in my life, I want to do things right. I want to plan, be ready for marriage because once I do – there’s no going back.” He scoots closer, tiny movements until his nose brushes yours. “I want to propose in a way you can’t say no to. Not in some dingy bar, where an overplayed Drake song is playing.”

“I don’t know,” you say, needlessly tormenting. “I kind of like that song.”

Jimin growls. “Fine, I’ll have that playing in the background.” He pauses, adjusting closer. “I just wanted to tell you, because – well, why shouldn’t I tell you what I’m thinking?”

Unable to stop yourself, you smile. “No,” you say, pressing a kiss to his lips. “I’m glad you did. I think about that stuff too, you know.”

“You do?” Jimin’s eyes crinkle. “What do you think about?”

Now you are realizing the balls it took Jimin to tell you all this because, while you daydream about the future quite frequently, it is another thing entirely to lay it all on the line. 

“Um,” you mumble, burying your head in the crook of the couch. “I think about what kind of place we’d get together.”

“Oh?” Jimin stands up from the floor. “What kind of place?”

You inhale when he kneels behind you on the couch, hands sliding smoothly up the backs of your legs. “I – I,” you whisper, trying not to move. “A cute apartment, at first. One where we didn’t have to worry about Minsun taking too long in the morning to shower – or Seokjin, for that matter. Where,” your breath hitches when Jimin’s hands slide a bit too far, “we could get ready in the morning together.”

“Mm?” Jimin’s crotch grazes your hips, letting you feel his hardening length through his jeans. He pushes your dress upwards until cold air hits your ass. “What else?”

“I...” You inhale when his thumbs hook the sides of your panties. Jimin’s weight rests on your legs, holding you firmly as you squirm underneath him. “I think it might be nice to live together for a bit, before we get… married.”

Jimin inhales at the word. Bending, he supports himself with both arms to brush a kiss to your neck. “You want to marry me?” he asks quietly, hips molding to yours. “Are you sure?”

Gently, you nod. “Pretty sure. I mean, Daniel Henney is kind of out of the question, so –” You laugh when Jimin huffs, and then make a much different noise when he smacks your ass with one hand.

“Oh, you like that, do you?” he says, massaging the same cheek with his palm. You nod again, curling your arms underneath you to face into the couch. “You like being a little brat,” Jimin growls, shifting his weight. “You like being spanked, hm?”

You try to move, try to turn over but Jimin just chuckles, grabbing hold of your waist. “No,” he exhales, keeping you there. With one finger, he gently trails the damp center of your panties. “Not yet. I want to see how wet I can make you like this.”

You are not sure what he means until Jimin grips the couch on either side of your head. Your dress remains bunched at your waist, his jeans still firmly buckled, but his cock is now obvious, pushing into your ass. It makes you squirm, hot and bothered beneath him.

“Jimin,” you moan, rutting your hips against cushions.

Chuckling, Jimin lowers his lips to your skin. “What, baby?” he asks, dragging the strap of your dress down your arm. “Do you want more?”

“Yes,” you whimper. Jimin presses gentle kisses to your ear, massaging the delicate skin with his tongue. Your thighs clench underneath him, hating how wet he can get you. All without touching, all without even eating you out. He can do this just by straddling you, by dry humping and kissing – you do not hate this fact about him. You only wish you could slam him into the couch and return the favor.

Jimin’s mouth curves into a smile. “Is my baby getting anxious?” he whispers, one hand sneaking beneath your dress. You gasp when he flicks over a nipple, playing with the bud until it hardens into his palm. Then, Jimin moves to the next, still kissing your neck and keeping you grinding into the couch.

You groan, arching your back and pressing your breasts into his hands. Jimin has wonderful, skilled fingers – something you have never failed before to appreciate. You cannot help but squirm underneath him, hips grappling for friction, your barely clothed crotch humping the fabric below. It is barely anything, but still, it is better than lying here drenched in your own arousal.

Jimin gently tugs your nipples before he retreats, rocking backwards as he sits on his heels. “Y/N,” he coos. When you glance over your shoulder, you see him remove his shirt. Jimin flexes before tossing this on the ground – always a show-off, even now. He grins at your expression. “What about a game?” Jimin suggests, seeing the drenched core of your panties.

Fuck, anything for him to touch you again. You narrow your eyes, attempting to appear in control. “What type of game?” you counter – as loftily as you can with your dress bunched around your waist. Jimin slides his hands to your ass, pushing your cheeks apart and massaging them gently. You nearly combust on the spot.

“I’ll ask you questions,” he says, arching a brow. 

His cheeks are flushed, chest rising and falling and you realize he is more turned on than he lets on. Gaze darting down, you see Jimin’s cock strain against the tight fabric of his jeans. Judging by that, he will not keep you waiting for long.

Seeing where you look, Jimin frowns. “I’ll ask the questions,” he repeats, lightly smacking your ass. “When you answer, I’ll reward you.”

“Sounds… fun,” you say with zero conviction.

Jimin grins. “Alright, first question.” Adjusting himself, he unbuckles his belt and pulls the leather through loops. “Should we have two sinks in our bathroom, or one?”

Rolling your eyes, you attempt to shift underneath him. “Two, duh.”

The corners of his mouth drop. “You don’t want to share?” Jimin whines.

“I think there will be enough sharing without us fighting over toothpaste stains, thanks.”

“Hm.” Jimin considers for a moment, then shrugs. “Good enough, here’s your reward.”

Dropping his belt on the ground, Jimin pulls your dress overhead. You let him, wriggling until the fabric joins his t-shirt and belt on the floor. You are left naked except for your panties, breasts pressed into the fabric of the couch in twin, hardened peaks.

“Is that it?” You rub your butt against his crotch. Jimin’s gaze darkens. “You’re not even going to touch me?”

“Not so fast,” he says, spreading your legs and dragging two fingers up the folds of your slit. Groaning, you press yourself into the palm of his hand. He keeps your panties on, although the material is flimsy, drenching his digits as they slip to either side.

“Next question,” he pants, tugging your panties sideways. “Do you want a cat or a dog?”

“Um...” You inhale, wriggling your hips – only to be rewarded with a sharp slap on your ass.

“Not until you answer!” Jimin sounds like he is grinning.

“Fine,” you huff, flopping still. “I want a cat. They’re fluffy and independent and just think how cute you’ll look when it deigns to sit on your lap.”

“Hm.” Jimin slips his thumb between your folds, rubbing a slow circle over your clit. You are so wet, you swear, grinding your hips against him in the hope of more friction. “Good.”

Abruptly, he removes his thumb from your clit – you do not protest for long, since he hooks both index fingers under your panties and tugs them down to your ankles. Jimin lifts himself up, removing them gently to toss to one side.

“Fuck,” he groans, when you are naked beneath him. “Turn over, baby, I want to see you.”

You oblige, shifting to press your butt to the couch. Keeping your gaze fixed on Jimin, you drop your legs to either side.

He swallows, hard. “Shit.”

You smile. “What are you waiting for?”

“Next question.” Jimin lowers himself to his stomach. His hands slide up your legs, pressing your knees to the couch. “Do you,” he pauses, blinking uncertainly. “Would you want… kids?”

You stop, staring at him with a lump in your throat. Jimin turns his head, pressing a gentle kiss to your knee. Feeling the sudden urge to see him when you say this, you grab his face and lift his lips to yours. 

“Yes,” you whisper, kissing him.

Jimin opens his mouth, one hand fisting into your hair. He groans, your chests pressing together, hips grinding against him. When Jimin reaches downto frantically unzip his jeans, you are already there. Slapping his fingers aside, you yank his pants past his ass.

“Y/N!” Jimin laughs when you push these down with your feet.

“Shut up,” you say, kissing him again. “I want your pants off.”

“Which you can do,” he informs, helping you out, “through less creative maneuvers.”

“That’s not why you love me, though.”

“I love you because you can take my pants off with your feet?”

“Yep, that’s it.” You laugh when Jimin sloppily kisses your collarbone. Your fingers scramble for his boxers, removing the last article of clothing. “Ah,” you sigh when his cock springs free. His hard length slaps the skin of his stomach. “There it is.”

Jimin smirks, lowering himself to your body. “Where do you want me?” he murmurs, dragging his cock up your slit. “Like this? Fucked into the couch?”

You whimper when he removes himself from your folds, sinking his index finger into the warmth of your cunt. “Ah,” you groan, pushing up while he slides slowly in and out. Jimin’s thumb rubs your clit, smirking above you.

“Or, you can flip over,” he murmurs, opening your lips in a kiss. “And be fucked from behind. Or...” His breath hitches when you start to mouth down his jaw. “Against the wall? Or, spooning – just slip between your legs and fuck you like that?”

“Ah,” you groan. Your hands fumble with his waist, stroking his cock in your hands. “Maybe tomorrow morning, baby. I want to see you.”

Jimin nods into the crook of your neck, letting you guide him to your opening. Wrapping both legs around his waist, you nudge up against him. Jimin’s cock brushes your folds, teasing while you dig your hands into his hair.

“Jimin,” you groan. “Just put it in me, already, I wanna come on your dick.”

Jimin’s gaze darkens and he reaches between your legs. “Fuck,” he hisses, positioning himself to thrust quickly inside. You gasp, jolted into the couch by the force . Jimin pauses, brushing a kiss to your forehead and letting you adjust. “Is that – are you…?”

“Yes,” you groan, tipping your head back to the arm rest. “Fuck, yes, right there, Jimin.”

He smirks, pulling himself higher to re-position himself on his knees. Jimin’s hands find your ankles, lifting your legs to drape over his shoulders. “Is that good,” he murmurs, bending to push himself deeper inside.

“Mmph,” you say, the new angle allowing him further. “Yeah, Jimin, just like that.”

Jimin’s hips roll, letting you feel him in his entirety. He withdraws, hovering a moment before pushing into you slowly. You bite on his shoulder, letting him fill you – sometimes, there are no words which capture the feel of Jimin like this. It takes everything you have not to combust simultaneously, breaking apart to let him in at the seams.

You concentrate on the feeling him fill you and try your best to remain sane. Jimin grabs your ankle, turning his head to kiss skin before gently pushing inside you again and loosening a groan from your lips.

“Oh,” you moan, both arms clasped around his neck.

Jimin thrusts harder, kissing you roughly. His tongue finds yours, hips rutting against you while your hands pull his hair. Each thrust brings him deeper, closer as you bite down on your lip.

“Jimin,” you whimper. “Oh, ah, Jimin!”

He chuckles, pressing you harder into the couch. “Fuck,” he breathes, gathering you closer and fucking you faster, hitting that spot deep inside you. “Y/N, fuck.”

Hair falls into his gaze, dark and sweaty while his muscles bunch, keeping himself up. Jimin falls onto one elbow, other hand slipping between your legs to ease over your clit.

“Shit, Jimin,” you gasp, clutching him harder. His fingers are quick, bringing you close to the edge while he continues to fill you. It is difficult to keep still; you arch against him, urging him closer, deeper while grinding yourself on his cock.

Jimin reaches down, adjusting your hips and suddenly – fuck – he is everywhere. Deep inside you, on top of you, his lips mouthing up the edge of your jaw to whisper words in your ear. How he loves you, how he needs you, how he wants you. How you complete him, how you are him and you are saying it back, tugging strands of his hair with your fingers. When you come, shattering apart, it is Jimin’s name on your lips.

“Jimin,” you groan, collapsing back on the couch. He continues a few, frantic thrusts before coming inside – you feel him shudder, gasping your name when he half-collapses above you. Smiling, you press a kiss to his shoulder, rubbing his back before he manages to pull out. Grabbing a tissue from the end table, Jimin cleans you up before collapsing back down.

He sighs, turning his head to lazily connect your lips to his. “You want all that?” he asks softly, returning your earlier conversation. Looping your ankles over his ass, you let him pancake on top of you.

“Yeah,” you whisper, nearly bursting with happiness. “Yeah, I do.”

“Good.” Jimin smiles, interlocking your fingers with his. “Because it’s all coming. Just not in a bar.”

[ No Strings Master List ]

© kpopfanfictrash, 2018. Do not copy or repost without permission.

#jimin smut #bts smut #noonanet #kwriterskollection #bangtanarmynet #jimin fanfic #bts fanfic #jimin writing #bts writing

[writinginstardust]

Whatever It Takes

Pairing: Isaak Andreyev x reader

Warnings: injury, death mentions, little bit of mild language

A/N: I did a bad thing. Okay so the end is very angsty and I cried while writing it. I got carried away writing this and whacked it out in literally 2 days which is impressive as shit for me especially considering I worked all day everyday 😂 you can partially blame Michelle for giving me the idea for some slightly...shall we say...warped Grisha powers buuut it may have hurt more if I’d kept it to my original plan. look I don’t wanna spoil anything much so just read it if my angel Isaak is someone you’re interested in. Also if you want to potentially cry a bit like I did then when you get to the KoS party listen to “Say Something” by A Great Big World, “I’ll Never Love Again” by Molly Hocking, and/or “Human” by Christina Perri. Enjoy!

Word Count: 4936

*

When Nikolai first assigned Isaak as one of my personal guards a few years ago I never imagined we'd end up here. He should have just been one more face in the sea of people I saw daily but he caught my attention from the moment I met him standing guard outside my bedroom. He was cute. Quiet and unassuming for the most part. Younger than I'd expected. I didn't usually take note of the details but something about the way his hair fought the neat style he'd been going for to curl at his neck and behind his ears had me momentarily entranced.

"Ah, (Y/N), allow me to introduce your newest guard, Captain Andreyev. Your brother chose him specially, he thinks you'll get along well," Garik, another of my guards, said as he saw me standing in the doorway.

"Does he now? Tell me Captain, do you like to have fun? Real fun." A hesitant nod. "You like reading?" A more confident nod. "Nikolai assign you rather than vasily?" Another nod. "Excellent. I'd have to have you re-assigned otherwise." He looked startled and I grinned.

"Something you should learn quickly, Andreyev, don't take much of what she says seriously."

"Excuse me, Garik, that's your princess you're talking about," I sassed.

"I apologise, please forgive me Princess." He smirked as I physically cringed.

"Okay I brought that one on myself, don't do that again." I turned back to Isaak. "Second thing you should learn, I'm not a fan of titles. Too stuffy and I like to think we're all the same at the core. So, Captain, do you have a first name I can call you instead?"

He still seemed thoroughly confused by how the morning had turned out for him but he looked happier about it than most that got assigned to me. "Isaak, ...your highness, ...my name's Isaak."

"What did I say about titles, Isaak?" I teased. "From now on it's just (Y/N), Okay?"

"Yes, your highne-(Y/N). Sorry, I'll get better at that." I studied him for a moment with a smile.

"I like you, I think Nikolai was right. ...Don't ever tell him I said that, I'll never hear the end of it." I looked over to Garik. "I mean it. I'll have your head before I give him a reason to be smug." I felt Isaak tense beside me and couldn't hold back a chuckle as I addressed him again. "I'm kidding...mostly. You'll get used to it eventually, right Garik?"

"She's lying, run while you still can."

"Stop it, you'll scare him off. Honestly Isaak, you have nothing to worry about. Nikolai gave you the best job in the palace. I'm, as my parents put it, 'Too laid back for my own good' but that's their fault for having me last. I mean what's the point in learning how to run the country when I never will? Anyway, we have fun, you'll see."

They escorted me to breakfast and then I spent the rest of the day in the library, very definitely not avoiding the tutor who's work I hadn't bothered to do. By the end of the day Isaak finally seemed to feel at ease and even started to appreciate my particular sense of humour.

He was kind and sweet and very funny when he was comfortable and relaxed and I found myself really enjoying his company. I hoped he'd stick around, if only so I could see his crooked smile again.

"Saints it's late!" I exclaimed after glancing at the clock. "I'm so sorry, you can go and sleep. From now on you have my permission to tell me to shut up whenever you need. You don't have to listen to me prattle on for hours, it's not in your job description." He chuckled and the sound was possibly the most beautiful thing I'd ever heard. I wanted to make it happen again. A lot.

"No need, I enjoy listening to you talk. You're a very interesting person." He smiled shyly and I felt my cheeks heat slightly at the compliment.

"Thank you. I recommend you do stop me on occasion though, for your own good."

"I'll keep it in mind. Until tomorrow." He bowed.

"No bowing!" I scolded but a laugh interrupted it as Isaak lifted his head and I saw the cheeky grin plastered on his face. "Saints, Garik's already rubbed off on you. There really is no hope." He chuckled again and I mentally cheered.

"Goodnight (Y/N), sleep well."

"Good night Isaak."

*

It was two years full of repressed feelings, late night talks, and silent but companionable afternoons reading before anything happened between us. True to form, it was more than a little unorthodox.

Isaak had been injured protecting me during the Darkling's attack on the palace and when he'd finally awoken at the Spinning Wheel I hadn't even hesitated to kiss him.

"If I knew all I had to do to get you to kiss me was almost die, I'd have done it a long time ago." He smiled and I couldn't help but smile back as I sat back and entangled our fingers.

"You know you could have just done it yourself whenever you wanted."

"Considering boys like me aren't supposed to be with girls like you, I don't think I could have."

"You should know better than most that I'm just another girl. A normal girl who fell in love with a normal boy. A title can't change that."

"I know you don't care about that stuff but your title makes you second in line to rule. You may not like it and neither do I but there's things people expect from you."

"What if I don't want this life though?" I practically whispered. "What if I want to make my own choices? What if I want to choose you?"

"(Y/N)..."

"This life ruins everything. It's full of war and hard decisions, it takes away your freedom to be who you're meant to be, and eventually it kills you. Like it killed Vasily." It was silent for a moment. I'd never told anyone about the way I felt and I was worried it might change things. Who was I to complain? I'd had everything but here I was unsatisfied with life. It probably seemed beyond selfish to someone like Isaak who had lived with so very little. "I'm sorry, I-"

"It's okay, you're allowed to be unhappy. ...Do you want to talk about him? ...about what happened?"

"I...I don't know... I was never as close to Vasily as I am to Nikolai but...he was still my brother  and I loved him." I felt my eyes start to water and tried to wipe away the tears before they could fall. "He was foolish and kind of an asshole sometimes but he didn't deserve to die like that. I miss him…" The last part was barely louder than a breath and I couldn't keep back the tears any longer.

Isaak had held me while I cried and done so again and again whenever I'd needed him.

By some miracle we survived the war and, without the looming threat to our lives and our country, decided to give a relationship a proper chance. It was everything I'd wanted and more. All my firsts were his and it wasn't long before I knew I wanted all my lasts to be as well. Everything was great until Nikolai disappeared.

We'd had to put his contingency plan in action and Isaak had been far too willing to step up.

"Face it, I'm the best option. I know Nikolai well enough now and I've got you to help." He said when we all met to discuss options.

"I still don't think it's going to work. Can we not explain his absence another way?" I countered

"Not without both Nikolai and Ravka seeming vulnerable." Tamar pointed out. "You could probably handle a lot of the important state matters but it won't be enough. I think Isaak is our best bet."

"It's not ideal to be doing this on so little preparation but he's right. He knows Nikolai enough and you can keep an eye on him easily. With you his sister, no one will question it." Genya made a good point. If he wasn't completely alone we might be able to pull it off.

"Alright, let's do it then."

"I won't let you down," Isaak promised. "When do we start?"

"Now." "Tomorrow." Tamar and I said at the same time.

"Isn't it better to start sooner?" She asked.

"Well...yes. But he's going to start looking like my brother soon and there's no way I can kiss him or anything when he's like that. Give me one more day with him, it won't hurt."

"Okay, we'll get started in the morning then. You two enjoy your last bit of time together." Genya grinned, waggling her eyebrows suggestively, and I felt my cheeks heat in response.

"What she said." Tamar agreed. "Just keep it quiet, I don't need to hear it."

"...And on that note, we'll be going now. See you all tomorrow." I took Isaak's hand and pulled him out of the room. "Well that was embarrassing."

"Thought you'd be used to it by now."

"So did I. You're sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure. If it helps you and Nikolai, I'll do anything."

"You're amazing you know."

"So you keep telling me." He grinned.

"Only because it's true. Now come here." I reached up to slide my arms around his neck and pull him into a kiss. He returned it eagerly as his hands came to rest on my waist. I ran my tongue over his bottom lip and he instinctively opened his mouth to me, deepening the kiss and moving to pull me closer.

A throat being cleared close by had us jumping away from each other to find Tamar standing there.

"I know I said I don't need to hear it but I didn't think I had to specify that I also don't need to see it." She raised a brow at us. "Get a room. Preferably before you cause a scene." And she walked away without another word.

"She makes a good point. The room I had here is unoccupied and much closer than the palace," I suggested.

"Lead the way then."

*

The next few weeks were a whirlwind and I was barely able to catch a break between teaching Isaak and helping run the country, and then parties and meetings and girls who wouldn't stop asking me about my brother. But finally it was coming to an end. All our guests would be leaving soon and I could finally get at least a little peace and quiet. There was just one more thing to handle first. Princess Ehri.

She'd been the focus of a lot of our attention since she'd arrived. Tamar had wanted to figure out if one of her guards would defect so we'd found excuses for Isaak to spend time with her and get close. He thought she might know something and be persuaded to tell...if they were alone. Which was why at Isaak's covert signal I'd slipped away from the party and followed them here.

I watched closely from a spot in the bushes and prayed Isaak wasn't wrong about her. It was a risk but when he'd told me what he intended to do I hadn't been able to deny how much like Nikolai it would be. So we'd gone ahead with it. Without any protection.

It was hard to watch the two of them so close together, made my stomach churn unpleasantly. Even though he looked like my brother I still knew it was him and I wasn't afraid to admit that seeing him with another girl made me jealous.

I heard rustling beside me and turned to find Nikolai, the real Nikolai, crouching there.

"Hi trouble."

"Nikolai...saints...you're back, you're alive." I threw my arms around him and buried my face in his shoulder, tears starting to fall from my eyes.

"Oh sweetheart don't cry." He squeezed me back tightly and I felt like I could finally breathe again. "You're going to ruin my shirt."

"You ass," I mumbled, the edge of anger in my voice getting lost in the fabric of his shirt. "You stupid, reckless, irresponsible, mad, pirating, ass!"

"I'm happy to see you too. But what exactly are you doing hiding in the bushes?" We finally let go of each other and I was pleased to notice I hadn't been the only one crying.

"Keeping an eye on Isaak." I pointed at the window and watched Nikolai's eyes widen comically is he caught sight of his doppelganger.

"You actually tried that insane plan?"

"We did and it worked like a charm thanks to me." I grinned.

"You know me too well dearest sister, I'm going to have to start keeping secrets." He poked my side and I rolled my eyes as I batted his hand away. "I thought we decided not to use Isaak since you two got together though? It's a dangerous job and I didn't want to risk him."

"I know. He volunteered though and he had the best chance at pulling it off." I'd loathed the thought of having the man I loved put in this position. It had been bad enough knowing my brother's life was in constant danger all our lives, but losing him and putting Isaak at risk as well was painful. Yet another sacrifice I had to make for being born royal.

"Self-sacrificing idiots, the pair of you." Nikolai shook his head fondly.

"That's rich coming from you."

"I am a King, darling, it's my job."

"Is not. Speaking of, did you manage to do it." He knew what I meant without me clarifying, and nodded.

"It's fine, we can talk about it all later-saints, is that a knife!?" I whipped my head round to find Ehri standing way too close to Isaak, a dagger held behind her back. I stood and raced round to the doors but before I could get them open she plunged the dagger into his heart and then turned it on herself. I screamed out as I finally resorted to smashing the glass door when it wouldn't budge.

I scrambled through, cutting myself on the shards that lay around me without feeling the sting. I had to get to Isaak, I had to heal him before it was too late. That was all that mattered.

I dropped to my knees beside him, a hand instinctively going to his chest to start the healing process. It was sticky with blood already and I could feel more and more pouring out every second.

"Isaak, hey, can you hear me? You still with me?" I asked as softly as I could through the tears and sobs that were starting to take over my body. He opened his eyes and looked up at me with a sad smile, somehow finding my free hand and entwining our fingers.

"(Y/N)?"

"I'm here. It's going to be okay, I'm going to make it okay." Even as I said it I wasn't sure it was true. The wound was healing but not fast enough, he was losing too much blood and I couldn't replace it and fix the hole in his chest at the same time.

"I guess I was wrong about her." He said.

"Shhh, don't talk." I dimly registered the sound of doors being thrown open and several sets of footsteps skidding to a halt not far away but then Isaak coughed and I tuned it out. Specks of blood flew from his lips and I felt my heart sink. The vial of Parem I always kept on me sat heavy in my pocket and my fingers twitched with the need to grab it. It was my last hope. The drug could do incredible things and maybe it still wouldn't be enough and maybe it would kill me in the process but Isaak was getting worse and it was my only option. Without it I wasn't going to be able to save him.

He coughed again and there was more blood, staining his lips and trickling from the corners of his mouth. I made up my mind.

"I can't...It's not working," I sobbed.

"'S okay. I love you (Y/N), so much."

"I'm sorry Isaak."

"Don't be sorry, ...you did what you could...I'm not afraid to die." He smiled weakly and reached up a trembling hand to brush away my tears with his thumb.

"No, you're not going to die, that's not why I'm sorry… Im sorry about what I'm going to do to save you."

"(Y/N)...?"

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the small vial of powder, unscrewing it with shaking hands. I was terrified, this might well kill me but I had to try. I couldn't lose Isaak.

"No…" the protest came out as weak as he was but the panic in his eyes was strong and the others noticed.

"I have to."

"(Y/N), what are you doing?" Nikolai took a step towards me and his eyes caught on the vial in my hand. He darted forward and grabbed my wrist before I could take the Parem. "Don't you dare," he yelled. "I won't let you take that."

"It's the only way to save him," I shot back, trying to wrestle my hand from his grasp. I didn't have long before it would be too late.

"(Y/N) you can't, it could kill you," he tried to reason.

"I don't care! I can't heal him like this, I'm not strong enough, but I can do it with Parem."

"I can't let you risk your life." His voice was softer now and I could see the pain in his eyes. I knew I was hurting him and it wasn't fair but I had to do it.

"And I can't let him die. I'm sorry Nikolai." I finally yanked my hand back and swallowed the powder before anyone could stop me.

I could feel myself getting stronger every moment as the Parem flooded my system, everything was more intense, more focused, stronger. I could feel everything. The blood pumping through my friends' veins, the cells multiplying in my body, ...the near lifelessness of Isaak. Every new sensation and detail was a wonder, it felt incredible. Then came a feeling of impending death and I knew where it originated.

I pulled my focus from everything around me and instead set it on Isaak. With barely a thought and in the blink of an eye his wound had closed and he began to take deep, even breaths again. His eyes flickered open as I manipulated his body into replenishing his blood supply, the colour rapidly returning to his face. I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt how very alive and okay he was.

Isaak's hands flew up to his chest as he sat up and his wide eyes flicked over to me when he felt no wound. I smiled and took his hand, my other reaching up to cup his face. It had worked, it had really worked.

"(Y/N)...No...You shouldn't have." He had tears in his eyes, fully-conscious mind registering  what I'd done.

"There was no other way." More tears, happy ones this time, slid down my face. "I couldn't watch you die."

"You had better survive this stuff then because I can't watch you die." He pressed a kiss to my palm. "Can you heal her?" He nodded towards Ehri. "We might need her."

I didn't want to, not after she'd almost taken Isaak from me but I did. It was so easy. Nikolai ordered Tolya to bring her to the infirmary and keep an eye on her before coming to kneel beside me. He did not look happy.

"You are in so much trouble when you recover from this. So. Much. Trouble." He looked over to Isaak. "I'm glad you're okay. That was a stupid risk you two took tonight though...clearly you're far too good at being me."

"He is, it's rather disconcerting at times." I grinned but it slipped from my face very quickly as i felt the effects of the drug begin to wane.

"Uh-oh…"

"(Y/N)?" Nikolai placed a hand on my cheek and turned my head to make me meet his concerned eyes. "What's wrong? Talk to me."

"It's fading." I whispered, feeling weaker by the second. Isaak's hand clenched around my own and both he and Nikolai sucked in a breath. We all knew what came next wasn't going to be pretty.

"Listen to me." Isaak's voice was remarkably steady but I could feel his heartbeat and knew it was all show. "You're strong, you can fight it. Nina beat it and so can you. Don't give up." His thumb started rubbing soothing circles on the back of my hand. "I know it's going to be hard and it's going to hurt but we believe in you, you can get through it." I took a deep breath and nodded.

"Okay… you're right...I can do this." Then a thought hit me. "I've got an idea."

Rather than explain I got right to it, I hadn't taken much in the hope it would be easier to recover and I didn't have much time left. I could feel the Parem inside me just as I could feel each cell in my body. I focused on the lingering Parem particles and made my body attack. I knew I'd never get it all but I could try. That was only half the problem though. I could feel the damage the drug had done, how it had altered the chemistry of my mind and body. Injuries like any other. I healed them. ...Well as best I could when having to use the very thing that caused them in the first place.

Finally there was no more I could do. Hopefully I'd given myself a fighting chance but I couldn't be sure. As I felt myself crashing down from the high I ceased my efforts and opened my eyes to gaze into Isaak's for what could be the last time.

"I love you," I said, squeezing his hand in promise. I'd fight. Fight it for him and come back. This wasn't a goodbye.

He opened his mouth to say it back but I collapsed before he could. Darkness and pain engulfed me and the despair they wrought made me want to give up immediately, anything to make it and. But I held tight to the thought of Isaak waiting for me and the silent promise I made. I would face anything to get back to him and be in his arms once more. Fight it he'd said, so I fought.

*

A long while later - what I soon found out had been a week - the fight was finally over. I woke to blinding light and silence but I didn't wake alone. When my body at last felt like my own again and my eyes had adjusted to the soft morning? evening? light I registered two sleeping forms weighing down my bed and trapping my hands.

At some point while the healers and heartrenders had me knocked out, Isaak had been made to look himself again. His curly brown hair was a mess and I longed to run my hand through it again. My fingers twitched against his cheek with the need and I felt Isaak begin to stir at the movement. He lifted his head and our eyes locked. His eyes this time, not my brother's. Saints I'd missed those eyes.

"Well you look terrible," I teased. It was a blatant lie. After weeks of seeing him with Nikolai's face and watching him almost die in front of me, nothing was sweeter than the sight of him alive and himself again.

"I did almost die you know," he grumbled sleepily but couldn't keep a smile off his face.

"That's old news and I almost died right after."

"Yes, and you are in a whole world of trouble for that." I hadn't noticed Nikolai wake up on my other side but at his words I cringed and turned to look at him. He looked awful as well.

"In my defence I didn't actually die...so maybe don't be mad at me?"

"Actually you did. ...(Y/N) do you realise the absolute hell you put us both through this past week? Your heart stopped twice and both times I thought they weren't going to be able to get you back, that I was going to have to watch my baby sister die right in front of me and not be able to do anything to save you. Do you understand how hard that is?" Nikolai had tears in his eyes and the pain of seeing him so undone, having been the one that caused it, gnawed away at my heart.

"I do understand," I said quietly. "It's exactly how I felt when Isaak was dying." I took a steadying breath and squeezed both their hands. This much emotion so soon after waking up was difficult to cope with.

"I know what I did was a stupid risk and you can both lecture me as much as you like about it but let me ask you something first. It might help you understand. Now, I have no idea just how bad I was but you both look like wrecks so it must have been a bit of a horror show. If you'd had the chance to make it better, to stop the pain and help me, would you have done whatever it took?" As I suspected they both nodded without even a moment's hesitation. "Then you can't blame me for doing what I did. I'd do anything, sacrifice everything, to save either one of you. There was nothing you could do for me but there was something I could do for Isaak and I won't ever regret taking that risk. It was worth it." Both of them had started crying and I tugged on their hands to bring them into a hug. "I'm sorry I scared you," I whispered through my own tears.

"We forgive you," Isaak breathed into my shoulder. "Just never, ever do anything like that again."

"I promise." I let them go and they both took seats on the edge of my bed. "So what have I missed? And what happened to you?"

"A lot," Nikolai said simply. "I'll get you caught up later but you should probably know that I'll be marrying Princess Ehri."

"What!? She tried to kill Isaak! ...Or you I guess."

"Not her actually, that was one of the Tavgharad, Mayu."

"That makes a lot of sense actually. I can't believe you're really getting married though."

"Neither can I but we all have to do what's necessary." He paused and the smirk I knew to fear spread across his face. "Speaking of marriage...I expect you two to finally stop putting it off. If almost dying for each other isn't enough to commit then I don't know what is."

"Is that really possible though? I mean, (Y/N)'s a beloved Princess and I'm just a guard." There was so much hope in Isaak's eyes and I could only hope that wouldn't be shattered.

"Also technically he didn't almost die for me, he did that for you. Maybe you should marry him."

"Maybe, we'd make a very attractive a couple." He eyed Isaak jokingly and I poked his chest hard.

"Hands of, I got there first."

"Fine. But I don't think anyone can object to a man who laid down his life for his King. Isaak is a hero and I do believe the Princesses in the stories marry the heroes."

"You're serious?" Nikolai nodded with a grin. "Thank you!"

"There's nothing to thank me for. All I want is for you to be happy and Isaak makes you happy. I'll be damned if something as ridiculous as the circumstances of your births takes that away from you."

"You are the best brother ever."

"I know." He turned to Isaak. "You know you're already like a brother to me now but I'm still warning you. Don't ever do something stupid and dangerous like that again. If you get hurt, that hurts (Y/N) and I refuse to let anything else hurt her again. Understand?"

"Of course."

"Speaking of hurting, everything's okay with your wound right?" I asked Isaak.

"It's fine, I've never felt better actually. You did good, didn't even leave a scar."

"Really?" I couldn't quite believe it somehow and pulled down the collar of his shirt to check. Nothing. Not a mark marred his skin. My fingers idly traced where the dagger had pierced but I could feel as little as I could see. There really was no sign anything had even happened.

"I feel like I shouldn't be seeing this," Nikolai said, averting his eyes.

"Leave then," I said not even bothering to look over at him. And when I pulled Isaak down into a kiss, he did.

I'd missed this. The soft press of Isaak's mouth against mine, the safety I felt wrapped in his arms, the utter surety of every touch. Everything silently saying I love you, I'll never stop loving you. And I'd never stop loving him either. If I had to die a thousand times to keep him beside me it would never be too much.

*

Tag Lists: (send an ask if you want to be added!)

Everything: @wonderfilledness

Grishaverse: @thats-so-bucky

#Isaak Andreyev #Isaak Andreyev x reader #grishaverse #grishaverse fanfic #King of Scars #King of Scars fanfic #KoS #KoS fanfic #Isaak Andreyev x you #Isaak Andreyev imagine #Isaak Andreyev fanfic #grishaverse imagine #king of scars imagine #KoS imagine #reader insert #angst

[maskydoo]

Nightmare Neighbors 4

(I’m writing out scripts for upcoming storytime style youtube videos, and posting what I have here. Note that this is a true story. Feedback is welcome.)

Up to a point, I tried to give my neighbors, Loony and Toony Feckwad, the benefit of the doubt.

Sure, they were definitely acting like weirdos, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re up to no good.

Maybe they were just really, unfathomably socially inept and genuinely did not realize how inappropriate they were being.

Maybe they’re just having a few bad days, and I was only seeing them at their worst.  

Maybe they’re just plain weird people, but… ehhhh…. probably harmless.

Maybe my increasing suspicion of them had more to do with my own stress than anything else?

I was gas-lighting the shit out of myself. I was looking for ways to rationalize their antics, doubting my own perceptions and creeping unease.

I just didn’t want to believe that these people could really be out to get me and for no reason at all as I’ve done anything at all to them. I want the world to make sense. I wanted to believe people are rational, reasonable. And this just didn’t fit.

I was just too patient, too willing to be understanding, and too forgiving to see the situation for what it was. You might think that’s giving myself a compliment. It isn’t. It makes an easy target.

Doubting your intuition, ignoring warning signs, and denying your own situation helps the aggressors. Bullies rely on the politeness and meekness of their targets in order to get away with abuse.  

But in the end, even I could only gaslight myself for so long. Eventually, their insanity and increasing hostility got to be undeniable.

Right out of the harassing neighbors handbook, the people I’m referring to as Loony and Toony Farkwad started wasting police time with made-up noise complaints.

Now, I won’t pretend my dogs never bark, but when they do, I bring them inside. Duh.  

And in the middle of the day, among all the cars, construction, lawnmowers, and playing kids, what’s a few barks anyway? It’s not like she’s out there at some unreasonable hour, like, oh, say, 3 am.

And it’s not like mine are the only dogs in the neighborhood. There actually were a few nuisance barkers around, dogs who were left outside prettymuch 24/7, and would not be brought in no matter how much or how lard they barked and barked and barked.

Those poor doggy lungs.

Don’t. Don’t do this. It’s not OK to treat your dogs like this. If you’re not going to take proper care of your dog, if you’re just going to leave it alone outside all of its short life, don’t get a dog.

Get a houseplant. A fake one.

I assumed the neighbors just mistook one of the other barking dogs for mine. I know my own dog’s voice but there’s no reason to expect other people would. Honest mistake.

Then I got to talking with one of the other neighbors across the street. Turned out, his family had their own run-ins with the Feckwads before I moved in.

His wife even caught Loony looking over this neighbor’s fence, yelling his dog and kicking the fence boards to provoke the dog to bark as much as possible, then recording the dog’s freak-out with her phone.

Yes. Loony went to these peoples’ house, across the street, all so she could report the barking that she intentionally caused.

It wasn’t a matter of making any mistake. The Feckwads were just making bogus reports on purpose.

Why? What do they stand to gain from this? How do these people not have anything better to do?!

So there I was with animal control showing up at my door to give me warnings.

Weird that this only happens during periods when I live alone, and not when my boyfriend is home from his job overseas, even though the dogs were exactly the same.

One morning, and by morning I mean nearly 7AM, you know, when, noise ordinances end, road works begin, kids head to school, adults go to work, and prettymuch everyone is generally awake, I put my dogs outside for a few minutes, just long enough to change into my uniform.

I was just about to bring them in anyway when one of my dogs barked. Once.

Bark.

There was one, single bark.

“Molly, Shadow.”

“Shut those F-ing dogs up!!”

This guy. This freaking guy.

Tick seriously stuck his head right out his bedroom window, which overlooked my yard and the back door, and was just screaming his head off.

What. What does it look like I’m doing? I was clearly bringing my dogs inside already.

Literally the only reason he’s even able to yell at me at all was because I just opened up the door to do the exact thing he was demanding.

Even after my dogs were in the house. He was still screaming. Why? To accomplish what, exactly?

“BLAH BLAH BLAH ALL THE BARKING AT THIS UNGODLY HOUR!!!”

Oh. Oh OK. I guess 7 is an ungodly hour for a dog to bark, but 3AM, that’s just a perfect time to be creeping around ambushing women alone in the dark.

And here he is, hollering. If he hadn’t come to the window to yell, he could have quiet by now, we all could. He was being louder now than my dogs ever were.

Tch! Whatever. I had enough.

Me: “Is this how adults behave?”

(slam door)

This is when I started going outside with my dogs whenever they were in the yard, recording the whole while, making sure they didn’t make a peep, and being ready to prove it. I’d also be able to record Toony if he acted up like that again.

You’d think that now that it was certain that that my dogs weren’t a problem, the Feckwads would have nothing to be mad about. Their complaint is solved.

But that would be assuming these were reasonable people, and that their grievance was ever honest in the first place. Instead, the aggression only increased.

Loony and Toony saw that their bogus complaints, while annoying, weren’t actually getting me in any kind of trouble since they couldn’t prove anything. I didn’t give them the opportunity to create evidence like Loony did with the neighbor across the street.

So they moved on to new plans.

I felt like I was being watched whenever I was outside. I’d hear muffled voices, and shifting blinds from their windows.

Then, Loony started trying to catch me whenever I was outside. Day, night, whenever, didn’t matter.

I’d step outside, maybe to take out my trash or something, then – ope - here comes Loony. She’d stomp my way, right to my property, with body language like she’s looking for a fight.

Nope. Not dealing with this. Whatever she has planned, it’s clearly not an apology. So… I’m out.

(abandon trash, slam door.)

I started going outside less.

Again, it was only me, a 4’11 woman they ever have any words for. They never have anything to say with my 6’3, muscle-bound boyfriend around.

Another day, Luna spied me through her window, then came right out and did thing where she’d stomp my way like a mad cow charging, yet again.

But this time, I didn’t move.

She was nearly to me when (Surprise motha-f!* ) OOPS! Miss something sweetheart? My boyfriend only just got back from oversees, and they hadn’t noticed yet. Now there he was, sitting in the car parked next to me, watching.  

Luna stopped dead in her tracks! I could see the wheels spinning while she considered her options. She pulled a hard turn and pretended she was out there to check her mailbox.

Oh, just taking the scenic route were ya, hun? Yeah. I’m sure.

Now why would she do that? If she had any good intentions, if she was just there to talk to me, or to make some reasonable neighborly complaint, then why would she suddenly abandon her course? She wouldn’t. She backed off immediately because she was up to no good, but suddenly realized I was not as vulnerable as she thought.

I wonder if they thought my boyfriend and I broke up, that he was gone for good and I would remain alone. They sure minded themselves when he returned.

As long as they knew my boyfriend was around, the neighbors kept their heads down. No screaming at me. No stomping at me. No ambushing me in the dark. No bogus noise complaints. No making a peep at all. Nothing.

But that couldn’t last long. Soon, boyfriend had to leave the country again. And as unreasonable as these people were, they still possessed basic pattern recognition.

They waited for a few weeks to make sure he was gone, then they’d get back up with their antics. And on every event, they’d escalate, getting crazier and crazier.

One night, when I got home from work, they were waiting for me. Yes, again. It wasn’t the first time I’d seen them lurking in the darkut this night the crazy jumped to a new level.

“My neighbor Maskydoo McSurname at 8802 Illusion Drive is a ------ -------- --------- --------!”

Toony was outside, in the dark somewhere I couldn’t see, shouting my full name and address (why my address?,) followed by calling me a long string of vulgar and misogynist insults.

By now, the neighbors screaming all the insults they could whenever they saw me wasn’t even new. They’ve done that plenty enough it hardly got my attention.

What was new was the how.

Toony was shouting about me in third person, as if he was talking to someone else about me.

It was like what little bratty kids do when someone they don’t like is around. They suddenly turn to their friend and start loudly trash talking that person as if they weren’t aware that person was there but it’s totally fake?

It was like that. It would be pathetically sad if it weren’t so disturbing. What adult does this?

As dark as it was, I wasn’t even sure if there was even anyone actually there with him, or if he was out there alone pretending. I’m not sure which would be creepier.

I wonder if he figured it would be some kind of legal loophole, harassing me like this, claiming he wasn’t actually yelling at me… just about me.

He wasn’t even pretending to have some kind of grievance anymore. Couldn’t be bothered to make anything up.

It was just a series of loudly yelled insults.

I didn’t say anything. I was honestly too shocked to. I just spent a minute questioning everything.

What? What?! I mean - What?! Is this guy serious? He can NOT be serious. Who does this? How is this a thing that anyone does? Is this how adults behave? I. What? Is this real life?

I’ve moved in next to a Youtube comments section.

Among other things, I’m a C word, a B word, and F-ing C word and B word. Typical generic insults.

But he did get a little more original. I’m rancid, disgusting, Heinous -

Woah, heinous?

Really breaking out the thesaurus on that one. That’s worth like a 10-points in Scrabble right there.

He must have been pretty impressed with himself on that one, he repeated it a lot.

Ugly-

What, am I in violation of a city ugly ordinance now?

Fake Toony: Hello, police? I’d like to report my neighbor… for being the ugliest uggo to ever ugg!

Fake cop: Ugly you say?! Outside designated ugly hours! Now that is a crime!

Fake Toony: A heinous crime!

Oh, and – get this, he kept calling me “psycho.”

Yeah. Between the two of us, with me minding my business, just wanting to go to bed after a long, irritating day at work, and him standing around in the dark to screaming abuse at women alone in the dark

Yeah. Clearly I was the psycho one. Ok.

Toony repeated the same handful of insults. Didn’t take long to reach the limit of his vocabulary.

He just kept standing out there, screaming in the dark at nearly midnight.

I could hear him even inside my house.

What, I thought he cared about noise disturbances. But oh, I guess he’s special. A dog barking in the middle of the day makes me terrible, but this grown ass man screaming as loud as he can is just fine.

I bet every house on the block heard him. Though no one poked their head outside to check what was up. It turned out they’d all had their own run-ins with these people too and just weren’t about to get involved.

Yeah, thanks everyone.  

But I did have some help. It came from Reddit.

Yeah. That reddit. Of all places. If you want to fine a way to deal with shrieking jerks, go to their breeding ground.

I’m kidding. I like reddit.

The subreddit /r/letsnotmeet was on my side. I’d been writing about my neighbors there ever since I found them lurking around my house and detailing their creepy behavior. The sub advised me to record incidents with the neighbors, that way if their antics escalate, and I ever have to do anything about it, I’d have ongoing documentation on my side.

So I grabbed my phone in one hand and pepper spray in the other, and went back outside. I’d just record from a safe distance, just get what I need and get back inside.

But… he was gone.

So… he figured I was in for the night, so he no longer needed to be out there either.

Was he waiting for me to get home? Just so he could do this?

Ok. Alarm bells. Alarm bells ringing real loud now.

And I turned out to be right, because a pattern emerged and this started happening pretty regularly. So I had confirmation.

These people were watching me. They figured out my work schedule, irregular as it was, and knew that most days I worked a shift that would have me home at about 11PM, where they could catch me alone in the dark.

I started to enjoy days I’d work overtime, just knowing those idiots were outside waiting for me, for who knows how long, only to be stood up. HA! Sucker!

I’ll take the small victories.

#maskydoo #nightmare neighbors #storytime #script #feedback welcome

[jq37]

I'll be the one that bites the bullet. Fantasy High episode 11--thoughts?

**spoilers for cool kids, cold case**

Hoo boy. 

That could be my entire write up honestly because, geez ya'll. 

Let's break it down. 

Sidenote, I just got mildly into Overwatch so every time I say that and I say it a fair amount, I hear Lucio in my head. 

Anyway, like I said in an earlier post, I'm now pretty sure that the bloodrush fight didn't go the way Brennan expected. Like either he didn't expect them to win or that they would win but not kill Daybreak because there was so much exposition and change and repositioning in this episode. It was a lot like the first session with all the setup. It's like he needed to get them on a new trajectory so he took an episode to time jump and change the status quo before--BAM. But we're getting to that.

In another show or even another episode of this show, the opening convo with Ragh might have been the wildest part of the ep. There’s just so much to unpack there.

Fig making him kowtow to Gorgug and everyone being like dude, stop making it weird. 

Before she did that, Emily paused and you could just see every other person looking like “What insane thing is gonna come out of her mouth now?”

Kristen getting the scoop on his super gay dreams. 

Adaine trying to get him to got to therapy (and also to realize that he's gay). 

The group whole ass making him cry for possibly the first time?

Fabian trying to shut everything down.

“You’re cumming from your eyes.”

 Kristen, please stop. I’m begging you. 

As I suspected, the group reached the point of yeah, we NEED to call Riz's mom this ep. Like, they *had* to call her. You can only realistically take shenanigans so far before it becomes straight unrealistic to not just call a responsible adult. 

And, speaking of, yay! We got to see a little of everyone’s parents just like I wanted/predicted. 

We actually got a lot of stuff from my wishlist. There’s so much time jumping and stuff in this episode I don’t even know where to start. 

This is probably the wrong place to start but I remember wondering what their Christmas equivalent was because they can’t have Christmas because of the Christ thing so when they were like Solstice I was like, oh duh. It’s literally right there. How could I miss it.

OK I guess 

Christmas Solstice party at Gorgug’s house! I knew his house would end up being the hang house.  

Sklonda handled the situation pretty close to how I thought she would. I really think Brennan was forced into a, “This adult is too responsible to not wipe out my next ten plot points over the course of a week,” corner and that’s why he had to pivot. More on that later.

Fabian just refusing to eat any of the fast food she got them.

I totally forgot Adaine has diplomatic immunity. Which actually means she’s the ideal Bad Kid to do anything shady they need done, even though that’s not really her style.

Unlike, other people

We’re getting there

I’m glad Brennan drew the line at Kristen’s parents actively being in a cult. He was like, OK no. They’re willfully ignorant but they’re not PART OF THE CULT.

I also think it’s interesting that they didn’t actually kick her out? Like they sorta kinda did but not really because it seems like she’s couch surfing of her own volition a little and staying home sometimes too? I wonder how her brothers are doing.

Both of Fig’s dads just work at her school now. I wonder is they commiserate about her w/ Goldenhoard.

I can’t believe Brennan is letting her just ruin the life of this random, full-adult dwarf doctor. Like, imagine if any adult in her life found out about that.

Brennan says bud a lot. Almost as much as he says rad.

Gorgug choosing playing the drums as his proficiency, but not well. Just, like, a simple drum beat. Bro. Why.

Adaine’s makeover!

I knew we were gonna get to see that. Or at least I really hoped we would.

And it was in boutique setting similar to what I imagined. A little surprised that she went straight for the jeans and t-shirt thing but dope. I want fan-art. 

Also, if I hadn’t already been convinced, that scene would have convinced me that Fabian got everyone the gifts (before it was confirmed later).

“You’d look nice as a sailor.” Is that like a pirate thing, bro?

Real talk, does Fabian for-real, for-real have a crush on Adaine low key?He’s complimented her looks more than once, which he hasn’t done with the other girls. They’re at a similar social class which might be a factor. And he clearly has a thing for blond elves.

WE’LL GET TO IT. 

I am Concerned about Adaine’s jean jacket, regardless of how dope it is.

Someone needs to talk to Fig about the rat thing. Possibly also Emily. 

42069 LANE (or whatever it was). I hate that I love Brennan for that.

“The worst thing about you is that you’re rich.”

But aww, Fabian. I’m glad it ended up being him (and shoutout to the anon who pointed that out to me). This is exactly the character growth I wanted from him.

When Gorthalax said that tryouts had already happened, I was legit upset for Fabian for a sec. Also, how did I know Gorgug was gonna somehow end up on the bloodrush team?

Guys I feel like there’s still a million more things to talk about.

Adaine finding out about Riz’s dad. God I hope there’s a heart to heart soon but she won’t just drop that info unless she has a really good reason.

GILEAR. I can’t believe that was him on a NAT 20. God, he has zero game. Also, imagine Fig and Riz as siblings. Lord.

The return of Tracker. I was concerned that she was in college but she’s like a Sophomore so Kristen is good to go as soon as she stops being a total disaster so actually that’s probably a moot point. 

Sidenote, kinda surprised that she’s a cleric. I thought she was off religion totally but I guess she just switched. But I feel like it’s hard to be totally non-religious in a world where gods 100% for sure exist?

Adaine going, “Mrs. Gukgak. Actually Captain Gukgak,” to her racist-ass dad gave me life. 

OK so re: the whole conversation about perditional contradoxy and treaties and war and such. How much of that was in the plan and how much of that was last minute retooling by Brennan? Because, I’m going to be honest. If it wasn’t for that comment by Siobhan, I would never have guessed that we were off the rails. But, with that in mind, this feels like the work of a GM who needs to keep the game going because things ended up moving too quickly.

It does answer the question of where the story is going now that the Harvestmen seem to be taken care of. I was a little surprised when Brennan was like, “Yeah Riz’s mom gets them all arrested,” because I’d assumed that the bad guy was going to be just the higher guy on the totem pole. 

OK, I’m sure I’m missing some things because this was a JAM PACKED ep so, if I missed something you wanted my thoughts on, please tell me and I’ll be super happy to write more words but let’s get into that scene. 

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

OK OK OK

Before we start, I’m so pumped about all of this development but I hate how often I’m going to have to type the word Eolwyn because my fingers refuse to accept that that’s how that’s spelled.

ANYWAY

Dude, the pacing, switching between Adaine and home and the rest of the gang at the party. Like, I knew what the reveal had to be as soon as she walked in but I was still like, “Oh my God. Oh my GOD.”

Sidenote: It was very convenient for Brennan that Adaine never actually read those books because it was an easy and non-cheating way to dole out exposition now, later in the game.

What were the mechanics of Adaine not being invited to that party? Did Eolwyn specifically get her not invited? Did she actually get invited but couldn’t go because of the dinner at home? Did all her friends still decide to go, knowing she wasn’t invited? Was she OK with that? How exactly did that go down?

EOLWYN

BUSTING into that party

Magicking up a bunch of LOVE SLAVE PUPPETS

SNORTING magic coke

Playing Spin the Bottle DEATH ROULETTE 

MAKING OUT WITH FABIAN

CUT TO: I’M GOING TO KILL MY SISTER

DAMN BRENNAN, I did NOT Expect you to go THAT hard.

AND THEN IT KEPT GOING

Assuming they all live, I can’t WAIT for the, “YOU KISSED MY SISTER????” conversation. 

Which means they’ve either never met Eolwyn or only in passing and not enough to remember her. 

Shoutout to Riz for being the only person to give Adaine a heads up. 

Her eyes glow blue when she does certain types of magic so I’m just picturing her walking into that room, eyes blazing blue, ready to F up her sister (even BEFORE she finds out what’s going on).

I don’t remember if she called Eolwyn a c**t in this ep or the promo for next but I was like, “Oh damn.” Like you got her to escalate her cursing that much that quickly? Damn.

Also, I love that when she’s really upset, Adaine skips the magic and just starts hitting people. 

OK, so remember in the first ep when Eolwyn tried to have Adaine steal that book? The book that I’m pretty sure is the one they mentioned as having wards on it to keep monster stuff from happening at school? So, here’s what I want to know. Has Eolwyn always been a part of this? Because, clearly, it looks like she is right now. But it’s possible the original intent was that she wanted to get Adaine to do it as a prank, not knowing it was important and then, Brennan checked his notes while salvaging the plot and decided to work it in.  

Also, unlikely, but imagine if Eolwyn somehow induced Adaine’s panic attack during her entrance exam to Hudol specifically so she would fail, have to go to Augefort, and steal the book for her. Wouldn’t that be wild?

Idek what else to say about that last ten minutes or so that isn’t just incoherent, Ally-esque screeching.

I have to say, battle eps are never my faves but I’m looking forward to this one more than any other one so far. 

Man, I can’t believe I thought Eolwyn asking for that textbook might turn into a sister bonding moment. Lol @ past me.

Anyway, kick her ass Adaine!

#fantasy high #asks #anon #idk which anon #y'all can always ask me more questions if you have them #on or off anon #anonymous

[why-am-i-up-at-4am]

Full Review of Voltron Season 7

Hey! So people are very, VERY angry at this season of Voltron saying that it was definitely the worst season yet. I’m not so sure. I certainly had mixed feelings about this season, so I’ve decided to scientifically (kinda) figure out if I liked this season!

WARNING: The post ahead is LONG (seriously, 6355 words) and PACKED with Spoilers. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED

Each episode will get a point (or points depending on how strongly I felt about it) for a pro and lose a point for a con. The points will go towards the total of the season. I’ll also give each episode a personal rating out of 10 (Just based on how much I enjoyed it :))

ANIMATION (+13)

Voice-Acting (+13)

Points: 26

Episode 1: A Little Adventure

Pros: Younger Shiro accomplishing his dreams (+1) Keith kicking ass instinctively on the simulator (+1) “That emo kid’s doing it!” (+1) Shiro stands up for Keith immediately to his teacher (+1) Keith steals Shiro’s car (+1) Shiro gives Keith a second chance because he sees his potential (+1) Everyone is super concerned and willing to help Shiro (+1) Romelle is adorable, an outsider’s realism and her cute poses (+2) Keith is a tiny space nerd (+1) Shiro sees Keith’s potential and gives him CHOICES (+1) Pidge teasing Lance softly (+1) Lance being friendly to the thing that shrunk them (+1) Romelle mispronouncing “quiznak” (+1) TINY PEANUT LANCE AND HUNK (+2) Shiro is never willing to give up on Keith (+1) Romelle and Hunk are besties in agreement (+1) Lance is a quick thinker and a good shot and it saves the team (+1) Keith and Shiro on hover bikes (+1) Shiro teaches Keith the leap of faith from the first episode! (+1) Keith calling Shiro old timer (+1) Keith LISTENS to Shiro’s advice, but is allowed to make his own decisions (+1) Keith’s dad’s backstory (+1) their similarity (+1) and Keith’s admiration of him (+1) Early introduction of a secondary villain this season (+1) Sam Holt standing up for Shiro (+1) Adam is introduced (+1) Gay representation (+1) Teamwork (+1) Call back to Season 1 “linked at the ears like a pack of Yelmors” (+1) Paladin pile (+1) Keith saves Shiro because their BROTHERS and they LOVE EACH OTHER (+3) “We saved each other” (+1) Lance’s explanation of events (+1)

Cons: The lions, all powerful ships that run on LIFE FORCE, need to be charged? (-1) Lance interrupting Coran’s explanation (-1) Why is it ALWAYS Lance’s fault (-1) Keith is kind of a dick to the other cadets (-1) Voltron makes us automatically strongly dislike Griffin, but they expect us to cheer for him later in the season with no apology or acknowledgement (-1) We still don’t know Keith’s dad’s name (-1) Shiro’s disease is introduced, but never explained or brought up again after this episode (-1) No explicit gay representation (-1) Using Hunk as bait “because he’s the biggest” (-1)

Points: 29

Rating: 10/10 Honestly one of my favorite episodes this season

Episode 2: The Road Home

Pros: Pidge reacting realistically as a child her age to not being about to contact her family (+1) The young paladins are so excited to go home (+1) “I hope I’m not grounded” (+1) Lance’s little ghost (+1) Enthusiasm (+1) Lance’s description of elephants (+1) Allura and Coran’s reaction to elephants (+1) Allura is terrible at drawing (+1) Arguing like a real family over who gets to sit with whom (+1) Learning the Altean alphabet (+1) Romelle wanting to save the day (+1) Literally the worst arrangement possible (+1) Pidge ignoring everyone to play video games (+1) “He’s super drool-y” (+1) Early indicators of the time skip (+1) The wolf teleports between lions and everyone is amazed (+1) Lance using quiznak wrong again (+1) New weapons and formations show something is wrong, namely the pirates and time skip(+1) “It’s super dangerous…it’s perfect” (+1) Keith trusting Lance to help them (+1) “Rodger that, Team Leader!” (+1) Krolia taking care of Shiro (+1) Coran gets trapped which helps in the next episode, thinking ahead (+1) Krolia is a badass (+2) Hunk flipping out of his lion (+1) getting a bayard upgrade (+1) TURRETS (+1) Allura is a badass (+1) Romelle is fearless and also a badass (+1) Pidge talking to the wolf (+1) Wolfie saves Pidge and Lance (+1) Paladins are captured! I love angst (+1)

Cons: The power cores of the lions become a writing crutch (-1) 18 MONTHS (-1) Why is everything ALWAYS Lance’s fault? (-1) Coran being more annoying (immature?) than previous seasons (-1) Power core’s mean the lions can’t fight. It completely negates all their experience (-1) the Lions can’t form Voltron (of course) (-1) Everyone except Pidge and Lance get to have their awesome moment (-2) The wolf is injured saving Pidge and Lance (-1)

Points: 24

Rating: 8/10 I adored the first half of this episode. I struggled to maintain my focus on the second half. There are too many characters moving around the battlefield, and it makes it slightly more difficult to care because I only REALLY care about our originals.

Episode 3: A Way Forward

Pros: Zethrid and Ezor are back (+2) Lance is a dork (+1) Coran’s memoir (+1) The mice to the rescue (+1) The wolf can’t teleport Coran because he’s hurt, thinking ahead (+1) Coran knocked a guy out with his crotch (+1) Getting in disguise (+1) “I will always take care of you Ezor” (+1) They’re gay? Gay?? Are they Gay? (+1) Torture! I LOVE ANGST (+1) Coran tries so hard come up with a story (+1) Acxa is back (+1) Hunk making friends (+1) The power of teamwork (+1) Team Voltron does, in fact, have a soft spot for the small one (+1) LANCE immediately defending Pidge and rushing to her aid despite being handcuffed (+3) Shape shifting Coran (+1) Mice to the rescue AGAIN (+1) Lance taking care of Coran (+1) Coran calling Lance Allura (+1) Keith has flippity hair (+1) Keith summoning his bayard from across the room (+2) “Lance lead the team” (+1) Lance being concerned for Keith (+1) “Can’t we just fight?!” (+1) Paladin campfire (+1)

Cons: Why is Lance always written so stupid! (-1) “Will someone shut him up?!” (-1) No faith in Coran (-1) Zethrid doesn’t listen (-1) Why couldn’t Coran do this alone? (-1) Why couldn’t they show Coran as capable? (-1) Why couldn’t Coran put up a better fight? Let him have a MOMENT (-2) Forced romance between Acxa and Keith (-5) Identifying explosives based on two seconds of observation (-1) Time skip (-10) 

*ten points might seem like a lot, but time skips are incredibly lazy writing. An author writes a world and a time period, but suddenly they decide they want something else, so they skip ahead. It undermines all the relationships and events from the first six seasons. The explanation isn’t bad; inter-dimensional travel would certainly cause time dilation, but it leaves the rules of the universe in a float-y and ambiguous. Anything can happen, and at this stage of the show they should really be wrapping up plot lines, not telling us the universe has been thrown BACK into turmoil after SIX SEASONS with only 13 episodes left. This episode also loses the points for it because this is where it is confirmed*

Points: 6

Rating: 6/10 I didn’t dislike this episode. I was glad to see the return of the generals, but I was fairly upset by the demonstration of Coran as this completely bumbling, failing fool. We know Coran is wise, kind, strong, and capable. He deserves better.

Episode 4: The Feud!

Pros: This whole concept (+3) Keith’s soft confused voice (+1) Lance’s pose as his name is called (+1)  Bob is genuinely charismatic (+1) the cute boots (+1) the paladin’s cute nods (+1) Keith’s spin (+1) Pineapple Keith (+2) Artist Keith (+1) Keith breaking the pen (+1) Hunk’s cheer (+1) The Galra team (+1) “My lovely wife Haggar” (+1) Grumpy Lotor (+1) Quippy Zarkon (+2) Galra team cheer (+1) Artist Lotor (+1) Lotor smacking Movak (+1) Lance angst (+1) Terra advertisement (+1) Beautiful Lance (+1) More Galra dances (+1) The paladins spelling ROLO (+1) Bii-Boh-Bii (+1) Lance’s babbling is the only one who could have gotten Bii-Boh-Biis game (+2) Sal is still using Hunk’s recipe (+1) Pidge being brainy (+1) Mini golf (+1) Pidge tackling Bob like a badass (+1) The paladins all chose each other, selfless (+1) Each is given compliments and assurances of their importance (+5) Luxia’s kingdom and Plaxum’s bakery (+2)

Cons: WHY THE HELL IS LANCE SO BAD AT EVERYTHING (-1) He isn’t stupid! He knows what these things are! Stop writing him as a MORON (-3) “Lance would you stop talking!” (-1) ….the dumb one? (-10) He’s a social person, why wouldn’t he remember names? (-2) “You’re team is starting to lose faith in you, Lance” (-1) Lance ends up in the Garflator (-1) Lance did say “Bii” (-1) Lance, after giving Keith a GENUINE COMPLIMENT, is told he is too annoying to spend eternity with (-10) Lance is NEVER reassured that he is not stupid by ANYONE on the team (-5)

Points: 7

Rating: 7/10 I enjoyed this episode, I REALLY DID. It was a fun, softer episode after the action-packed start of the season. I LOVED the idea of a game show episode, but everyone was SO MEAN to LANCE? Don’t get me wrong, I actually enjoy the angst, but no one comforted him or complemented him. It was sad.

Episode 5: The Ruins

Pros: Adorable sleeping paladins (+1) Pidge’s nightmare (+1) 15 more minutes (+1) “Like mother, like son” (+1) Hunk giving up to have breakfast (+1) Keith gets out and is salty (+1) Lance making a plan that works (+1) Hunk is an excellent chef (+1) Using the wolf to deliver food (+1) KOSMO (+1) Keith waiting the dog to tell him his name (+1) Lance acknowledging Hunk is fantastic (+1) MeMaw’s cooking (+1). Knowing the Blade code (+1) Recognizing magic damage (+1) Kosmo knows what’s up (+1) Romelle trying to patch up relationships (+1) The Blade’s sacrifice (+1) Keith refers to himself as a Blade (+1) Surprise druid! (+1) Keith’s wolf saved him from the time grenade (+1) Tension of the under the bridge scene (+1) Using the wolf’s teleportation to your advantage in battle (+1) Kolivan is alive (+1) Allura saves everyone with her magic (+1) Using your Galra ears? (+1) EPIC SWORD THROW (+1) “Good job Keith” (+1) Haggar probably has the Alteans (+1) “I love you too mom” (+3)

Cons: Keith being a bit of a hard ass (-1) unbeatable simulators (-1) hundreds of Blades died (-1) how were two blades and the princess able to kill four druids, but it takes hundreds of blades to take down one druid (-1) Exposition dump (-1) Killing the Blades for almost no reason? (-1) The same druid Keith fought in season 2? (-1) Keith continuing to be a lone wolf, even in battle (-1) Allura’s magic is a plot crutch (-1) The team is free and help Keith, but apparently can’t stop stumbling over each other long enough to be more than a distraction to the druid (-3) I honestly don’t know how Keith saw him, heard him, felt him? (-1) Krolia leaves Keith (-1)

*Krolia’s death is telegraphed SO HARD and I’m glad it didn’t happen*

Points: 17

Rating: 5/10 This episode kind of bored me. We had a good solo Keith fight and some truly wonderful moments between Keith and his mother, but it just didn’t keep my attention as steady as I would have hoped. 

Episode 6: The Journey Within

Pros: Shiro and Keith trying to keep the team focused (+1) Lance’s totally right, something tries to kill them (+1) Hunk’s pun (+1) “This is why no one rides with me” (+1) No one letting Allura take the blame (+1) Shiro’s right, the paladin’s have been struggling to find balance for about four seasons now (+1) “We always come back” (+1) The paladins lift each other up (+3) When Keith thought Pidge was asking what flight formations were (+1) Lance using quiznak right (+1) Keith trying to keep them together (+1) Ziplines instead of magic (+1) Hunk keeps his stomach (+1) Paladins holding hands in space (+1) “We have each other” (+1) Lance reassuring Hunk (+1) Sound offs (+3) Keith referring to his time in the quantum abyss (+1) Pidge calculates pi for fun (+1) “Hadoop” (+1) Paladins look freaking awful (+1) The paladins really do be going through it (+1) Not letting go of Keith (+1) Lance initiating sound off (+1) Hunk trying to keep everyone together (+1) Lots of angst (+1) Hunk acknowledging that the paladins are afraid to be afraid (+1) Hunk in general in this episode (+1) Not letting Keith leave (+1) “Are we really even friends?” (+1) Hunk being the voice of reason (+1) Hunk being a good shot (+1) with a MASSIVE energy blast (+1) Hunk being incredibly heroic (+1) Paladins not abandoning him (+1) KEITH APOLOGIZES (+1) The power of friendship (+1) Paladins fighting a huge monster with just their bayards (+1) Lions to the rescue (+1) Forming Voltron (+1) LANCE AND KEITH TEAM BAYARD UPGRADE (+3) “did something try to kill us?” “yup” (+1)

Cons: Four weeks of empty space (-1) Shiro being snappy at Lance (-1) No one goes after Pidge when she flies off (-1) Were the paladins actually hallucinating? Group hallucinations? (-3) Keith snapping at Hunk (-1) Hunk doesn’t want to be a paladin anymore (-1) Keith STARTED the argument (-1) Hitting where it hurts (-1) “Guess I don’t know how to be a coward” (-1) Lance and Allura do not apologize to Keith (-2) No explanation of what exactly the bayard upgrade is (-1) Timeline confusion? Due to Lance and Keith did they get there faster? Not 18 months? How long did the paladins spend in empty space? (-3)

Points: 32

*When I think about this episode after the fact it leaves a bit of a bad feeling in my stomach and a bad taste in my mouth, but that might just be because I abhor the idea of being lost in space*

Rating: 8/10 I think the reason this episode got more points was for interpersonal relationships. People don’t watch this show for the plot, they watch it for the characters. So when you put just the characters in space alone you can really reflect who they are as people. That being said, there was a ton of wasted potential this episode. Liked it, but I could have loved it

Episode 7: The Last Stand Part 1

Pros: Pidge tearing up (+1) The Galra are at EARTH (+1) Appropriate reaction (+1) Colleen Holt (+1) Realistically messy hair, her entire family was missing (+1) Collen knowing where her kids are (+1) “You’ll get me clearance” (+1) Sam Holt throwing shade (+1) Colleen with her short hair (+1) AW Garrison pictures (+1) Sam starting formal and ending with “Pidge, this is dad” (+1) More new characters (+1) Cool new Garrison ships! (+1) Colleen knowing what is best (+1) Informing the world of what’s up (+1) Messages back home (+5) Paladin families! (+3) Iverson isn’t a dick? (+1) Particle barrier that works better than the Castle of Lions’ (+2)

Cons: Evilish military (-1) Sam Holt is a prisoner (-1) More timeline confusion, two years ago? (-1) Exposition dump (-1) We really didn’t need Sam Holt to explain everything, we know, we could have skipped this part (-2) Keeping secrets from Earth (-1) Even more characters (-1) Losing the Voltron Coalition Rebels (-1) I can forgive Iverson for being a dick to Lance…I’ll forgive but I won’t forget (-1)

*Telegraphing the new squadron as the new paladins of Voltron. Don’t know if this is intentional or not, but it makes me nervous. I don’t really want a new generation of pilots, but I also want the paladins to be happy. If the paladins want to stay on Earth I don’t think I would hate the new pilots. *

Points: 16

Rating: 3/10 It was…boring. Not overtly BAD, just really boring. There was a TON of information we didn’t need to hear again. I admire that the show wanted to show that they DID tell the Garrison, but we didn’t need to hear it again. I also don’t really care about any of these new characters, I care about the paladins. This could have been done in one episode, but they stretched it out to two.

Episode 8: The Last Stand Part 2

Pros: Sendak is back (+1) Elephants (+1) Strong particle barrier (+1) Sendak’s strong battle strategy (+1) Veronica! (+1) The paladins do return (+1) Sam Holt making inspirational speeches (+1) Sam Holt using quiznak (+1) Veronica throwing shade (+1) I like her too Rizavi (+1) Veronica is a badass (+1) Self-sacrifice (+1) Leifsdotter remembering the way home (+1) Sam Holt’s unwavering faith in Voltron (+1) “Silence promotes haste” (+1) Recognizing moral (+1) Sam Holt’s ringtone is the Voltron theme (+1) Lance’s family (+1) Smart strategy to contact Voltron (+1) More Sam Holt speeches (+1)

Cons: Tons of human death??? (-5) Killing a ton of Garrison pilots (-1) Killing Adam after barely any screen time (-3) The whole supply run is COMPLETELY unnecessary. This feels so disconnected from the rest of what the show is (-2) Making us think Veronica is dead when we know it’s utter B.S. (-3) Herding up humans.  It’s a bit too serious? (-1) Veronica is dead for all of two minutes (-1) The resistance doesn’t really do shit? (-1) Even more time line confusion. Has the Garrison been on its last legs for two years? (-1) Playing the same clip of Voltron 3 times (-1)

Points: 0

Rating: 2/10 The show can’t decide what it wants to be. Is it a children’s show that won’t show blood? Or is a show aimed at older audiences where thousands of people are killed and rounded up to become slaves? This episode was also mostly unnecessary. The time line is also SO HARD to work out. Did Sam send the last communication JUST as Voltron arrived at the Milky Way? Another fairly boring episode to boot.

*This episode also made people angry because of the ‘bury your gays’ trope where people who are canonically gay are usually killed off. However, there is conflicting information about whether Adam and Shiro were really in a relationship. It was just bad marketing on Voltron’s behalf to announce Shiro was gay and then disappoint fans, especially considering what Voltron’s fanbase is like*

Episode 9: Know Your Enemy

Pros: Sam correctly figuring out how Sendak works (+1) Helping the paladins cut off communication (+1) LANCE’S BAYARD UPGRADE (+1) Pidge’s plan is very smart (+1) The mice and Kaltenecker (+1) Throwback to the first episode, being cramped in the Blue Lion (+1) The paladins are home (+1) Lance leading the formation (+1) Hunk bringing up the rear (+1) Keith and Lance working together (+1) “Don’t miss” (+1) Lance nailing the shots (+4) Pidge leaping into her mom’s arms (+1) “Uncle Lance!” (+1) Lance tearing up (+1) Sliding into a family hug and being drowned in people (+3) Hunk family flashback (+1) Hunk’s spaceship noises (+1) Iverson apologizes to Shiro (+1) Coran sticking up for Shiro (+1) Iverson apologizes to Keith (+1) Keith has matured as well (+1) Coran’s explanation of Kosmo’s power (+1) Shiro mourning Adam (+1) Hunk trying to protect people (+1) Sam standing up for Hunk (+1) The Atlas is amazing (+1) Shiro standing strong against the Admiral (+1) Allura knowing her shit (+1) Sam making prosthetics for injured soldiers (+1) Hunk’s flashback to fixing cars (+1) Keith offering help (+1) Hunk opening up (+2) Keith being so impressed with how brave Hunk is (+3) Hunk and Keith hug (+3) Awkward Keith (+1) Keith going with Hunk to get his family (+1) Sendak’s memories coming back is great long term writing (+1) Altea being destroyed because it refused to give up (+1) Flashback to Hunk’s baking (+1) Hunk’s mom (+1) Allura making Shiro a new arm! (+1) Hunk’s determination! (+1)

Cons: What exactly is the bayard upgrade? It’s still unexplained (-1) Why does the Earth team know more about the Galra than the paladins (-3) Griffin is still a dick (-1) Hunk’s family is missing (-1) Weird looks between Griffin and Keith, but no resolution? (-1) Shiro getting literally 30 seconds to mourn Adam (-1) All resistances were wiped out (-1) Griffin yelling at Hunk??? What the Fuck? Are we still supposed to be rooting for this guy? (-3) The Admiral isn’t stupid, why would she think the Galra would stick to this deal (-3) Lance goes missing after the first 3 minutes of the episode, unlike every other paladin (-1) Not saving Hunk’s parents (-1)

Points: 36

Rating: 7/10 I adored the family reunions and the Hunk flashbacks. I felt so sorry that Hunk couldn’t rescue his family, but it really motivates him. Overall not a bad episode. It was another prep and build up episode with a lot of exposition, but it’s setting up for the fight with Sendak. 

Episode 10: Heart of the Lion

Pros: Sam being concerned for Shiro (+1) The paladins being concerned for Shiro (+1) Allura gives up the last symbol of her being a princess, her crown, for Shiro (+5) Allura’s epic arm tackle (+1) “I feel great” (+1) Keeping in mind civilian casualties (+1) Lance being concerned for his sister (+1) Hunk making friends (+1) Throwback to the maze guiding scene with COMPLETE trust (+3) Keith trusting Lance to cover them (+1) “It’s a…cosmic wolf” (+1) Lance giving GOOD instruction (+1) Really cool paladin tech, sonar imaging? Awesome (+2) Lance and Kinkade making awesome shots and team work (+3) Sibling teasing (+1) Throwback to the distraction scene on the Balmera, but this time Keith gets it (+3) Pidge thrusting (+1) Pidge’s victory laugh (+1) Bringing back the Zaiforge canons (+1) Chaff makes the people invisible (+1) More sibling teasing (+1) Paladins connecting with their lions! (+3) Lions flying next to their paladins (+1) Lance angst (+1) Concern for Lance (+1) Lance protecting his sister (+3) Red to the rescue (+1) Deferring for Keith for leadership (+1) A traitor! (+1) Some really great music this episode (+1) FORMING VOLTRON (+1) off camera! (+1) Voltron got FUCKED (+1) Paladins are captured. I LOVE angst (+1)

Cons: Shiro’s arm isn’t attached? That’s really weird (-1) As much as I love Cosmo, he’s ANOTHER plot crutch (-1) Why did Allura and Griffin come along? They didn’t really assist (-1) What is with Shiro suddenly being the expert on paladin bonds? (-1) Romelle has been missing for several episodes (-1) Lance and Allura sudden and out of nowhere romance? (-5) Why didn’t Lance and Red connect? (-1) Was Lance connecting with Red or getting ready to die? auditory clue would have been appreciated (-1)

*I just want to make it known that I don’t hate Allurance. I’m really okay with that ship if it does become canon. I just don’t like how out of left field it is. 10 episodes ago Allura was basically in love with Lotor. She has shown no interest in Lance in other seasons at all. If you wanted to give Allura feelings for Lance you could have given her blushies when she knocked him on his ass while sword training, or when he said they were a good team in the Monsters and Mana episode, or when she revived him, or when the mice told her what he said to them. ANYTHING. But there was nothing. They didn’t even bond particularly strongly in the journey home from what we saw. *

Points: 38

Rating: 9/10 I loved the action and teamwork in this episode. The whole sequence of infiltrating the base really shows how much the paladins have grown. Lance and Veronica getting attacked and Lance protecting her really made this episode awesome for me, but we also got the paladins deepening their bonds with the lions and Shiro’s new arm!

Episode 11: Trial by Fire

Pros: The Earth team figures out who the traitor is (+1) Shiro’s concern for the paladins (+1) Keith wakes up to hear who the traitor is (+1) Nunville? (+1) Commander Iverson evacuation (+1) Commander Shirogane (+1) Good intentions, still betrayal (+1) Sendak is a smart and cautious villain (+1) Shiro’s white hair doesn’t look that bad (+1) Kinkade’s awesome maneuver (+1) Leifsdottir is adorable and analytical (+1) The castle crystal comes in handy (+1) Leif continues to be a super cute super computer (+1) Altean magic doesn’t give a damn about engineering (+1) CAPTAIN SHIRO (+1) The Atlas is AWESOME (+2) Hunk reminds the paladins to call the lions (+1) Showing the paladins and their lions from the same angles is EXCELLENT cinematography (+5) Piloting the lions remotely (+1) Admiral is a badass (+1) Shiro’s happy laugh that the Paladins are back (+1) “WAIT! We’re still on that ship!” (+1) Redemption and self-sacrifice (+1) Black Lion saves the day (+1) Hunk tackling his door (+1) Ending on a cool group shot (+1)

Cons: Why aren’t the bayards working? (-1) Again, the Admiral shouldn’t have been so stupid to negotiate with the only hope for the universe (-1) It’s unclear how strong the MFEs are in comparison with the lions (-1) The “connect with your lions thing” is also a bit of a plot crutch (-1) Cheap redemption. Having the Admiral continue to fight while injured and give her life makes her seem deserving of redemption, but it’s a manipulation of pathos. Her intentions were good, but she made the wrong choice at every turn (-2)

Points: 25 

Rating: 7/10 Another decent episode. Getting the Atlas in flight was amazing, and it utilized the Chekhov’s Gun that was the Castle of Lions Crystal. The Admiral’s sacrifice was a little cheap to me, but it was a lot of learning for her. The most amazing part BY FAR was when the paladins were trying to connect with their lions. They aren’t just the pilots, they ARE the lions, intertwined with their quintessence.

Episode 12: Lions’ Pride Part 1

Pros: Forming Voltron! (+1) Brutal and cynical replacement of Lieutenant Hepta (+1) Forming sword (+1) and shoulder cannon (+1) Amazing lighting on Sam Holt (+1) They do fire on their own ships! (+1) Leif’s battle strategy (+1) Hunk coming in a clutch AGAIN (+1) Clever solutions (+1) Throwback to pushing the shield plates together in season 6 (+1) WORKING PARTICLE BARRIER (+1) Reflecting the beams works (+1) Shiro is a BADASS (+1) Atlas particle barrier to the rescue (+1) Hunk’s parents (+1) “Wouldn’t be the first time” (+1) Poor Shiro, but he saves the day (+1) Sam’s avatar, just like Pidge (+1) “Victory or death” (+1) Lance saving his sister (+1) Lance starting the counterattack (+1) BADASS LANCE (+1) Paladins using their special weapons! (+1) Shiro versus Sendak again, after all this time (+1) Shiro’s awesome new arm (+1) The lions to the rescue! (+1) minimizing casualties (+1) Keith’s awesome finishing move on Sendak (+1) Lion pride! (+1)

Cons: Sudden base cannons? (-1) Didn’t they say there could be citizens inside those bases? (-1) Couldn’t they angle the plates to make the Ziforge cannons destroy themselves? (-1) Is the cannon blowing up a result of Shiro’s work? That’s a bit confusing (-1) I don’t think Shiro could survive falling through Earth’s atmosphere without a helmet (-1) Shiro doesn’t get to beat Sendak. Keith beats Sendak, but Shiro DOESN’T NEED TO BE SAVED. LET SHIRO STOP BEING A DAMSEL IN DISTRESS. Since the moment we MET Shiro he’s had to be saved, let him save HIMSELF. (-5) The season should have ended here, seriously. Or here-ish. The shoved one last battle into this season and it undermines the hard battle they just fought against Sendak (-3)

Points: 16

Rating: 8/10 Every second of this episode was wrapped in tension. Shiro commanding the Atlas is an EXCELLENT way to keep him as part of the action, and he saves the day by taking down Sendak’s ship. The paladins and lions all worked so hard to save the Earth, and the battles were well animated and engaging.

Episode 13: Lions’ Pride Part 2

Pros: Saving Shiro (+1) Yellow Lion to the rescue (+1) Epic new robot weapons (+1) Providing cover for Keith (+1) Atlas to the rescue (+1) Shiro getting back in the fight (+1) Forming Voltron (+1) off camera (+1) Pidge and Lance bayard upgrade! (+3) Sketchy animation! MY FAVORITE (+3) Dual wielding! (+1) Badass sword moves (+1) Pidge bayard upgrade! (+3) MFEs to the rescue (+1) Awesome lighting on the robot (+1) Voltron backflip! (+1) Hunk keeping the people on the ground safe (+1) Atlas mech is huge and badass (+2) Realistically show for a big machine (+1) …Atlas has thicc thighs… I DIDN’T WANT TO SAY IT (+1) Lance and Keith team bayard (+1) EPIC MUSIC (+1) Paladins working together to save the Earth (+1) Self sacrifice (+3) “It’s been an honor to fly with you all” (+3) Fading to white on the paladins, cutting the sound, and the music (+5) Lions crashing in their elements (+1) Shiro’s speech (+1) The paladins live (+1) Paladins healing (+1) with their families (+5) Shay is back! (+1) Rebuilding with help from the universe (+1) Visiting Dad Kogane’s grave (+1) Alteans are back (+1)

Cons: This episode exists! (-3) This new robot is out of nowhere. Thought it was Lotor, thought it was Haggar, was wrong both times (-2) New robot is insanely overpowered (-1) Why is the robot so much more powerful than Voltron? (-1) If Voltron is the most powerful weapon in the universe how does it continually get beaten like this? (-3) How is the Atlas not in pieces? (-1) WHAT??? (-1) How do you ACCIDENTALLY build a giant mech? (-1) I get that the castle of lions gave the ship new abilities, but WHAT??? (-1) Some of the machinery just APPEARS out of NOWHERE (-3) At least Voltron SHOWS us how it’s put together (-1) IT ALSO MAKES ME QUESTION, WHY LIONS? Lion can’t be aerodynamic, or the best armored and now that we see these super powerful humanoid ships it begs the question: why does Voltron have LIONS for HANDS (-5) Of course this robot can change size to fight the Atlas, of course it can (-1) Why didn’t it just get huge to fight Voltron (-1) Last second bomb, but it JUST exploded (-1) Making us believe the paladins are dead (-3) Matt has a girlfriend? (-1)

Points: 24

Rating: 7/10 This episode got a lot of points, but it lost a lot of points, too. I don’t think this episode should have ended the season, but only because it comes out of nowhere. It does set up the next season which I can appreciate. Lots of epic upgrades. I believed for a moment that the paladins had died, and they were setting up the earth team to take their places, but that scene was beautiful. I wish the others had said a little more to each other, just a few lines to say how much they meant to each other, not just Keith. I still think the Earth team might take over for the paladins and they stay on Earth. I REALLY hope that’s not the case. 

Final Total: +296 

Average: +22.77

Average Rating: 6.7/10

Overall, it seems I did enjoy this season. There are some things that I get simple joy from, like the bayard upgrades, and badass fights, but there are a lot of this that happened that could have been improved. My personal favorite episode is the Feud, despite its flaws. It was very funny and gave more character to the paladins. Plus, the scene at the end where they all chose each other, you could genuinely feel the love they had for each other (except Lance).

I think one of the best parts of this season was Hunk! He was a strong, brave, caring character and thought of his family and friends to give him the fire to fight. He really shone in the second half of the season but had some awesome moments in the first half as well! Seeing the flashbacks to his family warmed my heart, and I’m so, so glad he got to see them and Shay again! He was level-headed, and he was acknowledged for his bravery.

One of the main problems I have is with Keith. I really adore Keith, but he is starting to feel a bit like a Mary Sue to me. He’s good at EVERYTHING, and even when given help from the other paladins, still seems to be on a pedestal above them. I still love Keith as a character, but he’s gotten a bit bland as the show moves forward. One of the episodes where I felt like he had CHARACTER was the Journey Within. I’m not saying I want him to revert back to being angry and lashing out, but he felt more like Keith. I understand that as he develops he changes, but let the guy have a little fun! He felt so stiff and strict this season.

Pidge this season was pretty amazing as usual. Her smarts and tech expertise are always a major help to the paladins. I would have liked to see her succeed in combat a bit more this season. She couldn’t fight because her cannon wasn’t charged, she was pinned against the wall by Zethrid, and she was used as a distraction in the base infiltration. Reuniting her family was fantastic though, and it brings a heartwarming close to her story arc.

Shiro was a hero this season. Even with one arm he is fully willing to throw down, and you gotta admire that. I was a little bothered by Shiro suddenly becoming the encyclopedia on bonding with your lion, but it makes sense. He WAS trapped inside the mind of his lion. Even without a lion, Shiro still guides the team and captaining the Atlas was a good position for him. The biggest disappointment for Shiro is that he was announced as Gay and yet there is little to no explicit evidence. I wish he had more time to grieve Adam. As mentioned earlier, I also wished for Shiro to be his OWN savior, and maybe he will next season.

On to Allura! Allura’s best moment of the season for me was when she broke her crown to give Shiro the power source for his arm. To me, that felt like the culmination of Allura’s arc. She isn’t a PRINCESS to them anymore, she’s a paladin. She’s family. Allura doesn’t see herself as the authority over them anymore, but rather as a part of a whole. It’s also a realization of her dream to fight in the war, to be a part of it. She also showed some amazing strength when fighting for a planet that wasn’t even hers because it was important to her family.

Coran Coran the gorgeous man! They did him a bit dirty this season. Coran was always seen as a bit eccentric, but strong and capable when it came down to it. It felt like a major regression this season, even compared to just season 6! In season 6 when Coran set off the bomb in the engine, it was STILL A FUNNY MOMENT without making Coran seem like a total idiot. I wish he could have had ONE victory this season, but all his victories were given to the mice :/ That being said, he does provide the Atlas with a way to be powered, and he does an excellent job at the helm of the Atlas.

Lance…my best boy…. Speaking of doing characters dirty. Yikes! So from the very first episode, things are usually Lance’s fault. I don’t like that, but I don’t HATE it either. The team is also making fun of him from the first episode onward. And again! I don’t think I mind that, but if you’re going to have a character that is a fuck up (which Lance is, and that’s FINE) then when the character does something right you need to have it acknowledged. For example, it’s Lance’s fault they get shrunk, BUT he saves their asses by thinking fast and making an amazing shot. No one acknowledges that. Another example, when Keith kills the druid Lance says, “Good job, Keith!” When Lance shoots four moving drones within two seconds, Keith says nothing, but he DID give him a shifty look before and said, “Don’t miss”, like he didn’t believe in Lance. You can’t have a character that is exclusively mocked by those around them. In addition to that, Lance is called the dumb one over and over in the game show episode. No one on his team stands up for him. Lance couldn’t even get ONE victory that episode. When they were all complementing and validating each other, Lance was picked by his FRIEND to be the only one to leave because he could not STAND the thought of spending forever with ANNOYING, DUMB LANCE. Aside from all of that, Lance had some amazing action moments this season. He is motivated by his love for his sister and family to save her one the ground and begin the attack on the cannons. His reunion with his family was lovely and heartwarming. Again, I don’t really like the romance, but if it happens I’m okay with it. 

I wanted to make this post to get what I was feeling out of my head. Usually, I would talk to my sister or brother (who usually watch the show with me), but I can tell that they are getting bored and annoyed with me. It’s helped me evaluate how I feel about the things I didn’t like and appreciate and remember all the things I did. 

If you made it this far, thanks! This was really fun to write.

Additional Lol: This review was twelve pages long :)

#voltron #vld #voltron legendary defender #voltron season 7 #voltron spoilers #voltron season seven #lance #keith #hunk #pidge #allura #shiro #coran #adam #klance #langst #voltron review #voltron lance #voltron keith #voltron shiro #voltron pidge #voltron allura #voltron Coran #shadam #lance mcclain #keith kogane #pidge gunderson #katie holt #hunk garrett #Takeshi shirogane

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Project: Tarot 2017 - In the Hand of Fate

In The Hand of Fate

Project: Tarot 2017 Masterpost (tbp)

Author: @pateatsaburger​

Beta’d By: @the-bored-bookworm​, @misfireezreal​

Summary: The miraculous cure isn’t perfect and everyone suffers after effects of being akumatised, and on Halloween, the heroes suffer the effects of their own miraculous.

Tags: Halloween, cat and bug appearance changes, akuma abilities, classroom antics

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“Player One wins!” announced the pre-recorded digital voice. The pixelated robot form of NAD03 stood triumphant over the crumpled mass of MX-01.

“Come on, dude!” Nino threw his controller on the floor, “When did you get so good at this?”

Adrien gave a cool smirk and folded his hands behind his head. “Ha, if you think I’m good, Nino, you should go a round with Marinette. She’s unstoppable at this game. Right, Marinette?”

The girl in question was sitting at a nearby table filled with home-baked snacks her parents had brought up to her room. The mountain of tasty food served as a believable hiding spot to ogle Adrien from. It was all she could do. The simple fact that Adrien Agreste was in her room was sending her brain into overdrive. A sharp bump to her side snapped her out of staring at the dreamy boy. “Huh, what? I mean, yeah! I’m… super good at that… hehe...”

Awkward silence followed for what felt like hours.

“Round Two!” announced the video game and the boys returned to the fight.

“What was that, girl?” Alya whispered, “He was paying you a compliment!”

Marinette gripped her hair, “I know, I just freaked out! I wasn’t prepared for today! You’re the one who suggested having this video game tournament in my house!” She pressed her face to the table and groaned. This was going terribly. Alya was always the level headed one. She worked so hard to give Marinette dozens of chances to be alone with Adrien, all of which Marinette screwed up. “How do I talk to him without making it weird?”

Alya patted the girl’s head, “Hey, you’ll get there. You just need to take baby-steps.” She thought about it, “How about… you ask him for his number.”

“His number? But I already have that. I got it from you.”

“Adrien doesn’t know that,” Alya winked and got up. “Okay, Adrien, you’ve done enough damage. It’s my turn to kick Nino’s butt.”

“Dude, not cool!”

“Have at it,” Adrien handed her the controller.

Marinette’s heart stopped as she realized her crush was coming her way. Her body spasmed as it couldn’t decide whether it wanted to run or stay. In the end, her indecisiveness was her downfall.

“Thanks for inviting us, Marinette. I’m having a great time.” His face was radiant like the sun. She felt like she would melt under the warmth. “...Marinette?”

She blinked as she realized she was staring again, “Ah! That’s great! You’re having a great time so that’s great! You’re great! Everything’s great! Great! Yay!”

Her gaze drifted past him, towards Alya who mouthed, ‘Baby-steps.’

Marinette took a deep breath, steeled herself, and looked straight at the cookie tray for bravery. In the center of the sweets stood the serpent-like body of a jade dragon. Her mom had left it there, telling Marinette it was a good luck charm. The woman had then shot a knowing smile at Adrien which he thankfully didn’t see. Marinette was so embarrassed by what her mom was insinuating that she practically shoved the woman out of the room, making sure to quickly thank her and ask her to please not come back. Now, she hoped that little green dragon did have some magic. Marinette knew luck was real, but she was only lucky as Ladybug. How could a normal girl do this?

“Um, Adrien, I was wondering. M-m-maybe, next time, I don’t have to invite everyone through Alya.” Her eyes followed the dragon to the silver tray, she followed the silver tray to his arm, she followed his arm to his face. He was patiently listening with that same glowing smile full of understanding and happiness, “Maybe… I could invite you if I… had…” she gulped, “Nino’s number!”

His eyebrow arched up, “Nino’s number?”

Marinette forced a smile and gritted her teeth as her subconscious started kicking her repeatedly, “Yeah, you know, to make getting a hold of him a bit smoother.”

“Sure...” he returned the smile, one more believable than hers, and pulled out his phone.

“Dudes, check it out!” Nino slammed what looked like a brick onto the table. Alya stood behind him giving Marinette a wordless apology. “I found these under the cabinet. I think they’re like sparrow cards or something.”

“They’re called Tarot cards, Nino,” Alya corrected while grabbing his shoulders, “Now stop trying to avoid losing to a girl and get back to the game.”

Adrien shuffled through the cards, their designs were intricate and mysterious. Each held a single word along with the miniature paintings. Marinette could tell they were old. The edges were frayed and bent, but the imagery was still vibrant. She vaguely remembered her dad rifling through this deck many years ago, “I think these belong to my dad… What are they doing in my room?”

“You can use them to predict the future, right?” Nino asked, “Let’s totally do that!”

Adrien nodded, “Yeah, that sounds like fun.”

Relief washed over Marinette. Now she had more time to work up the courage to ask Adrien. She gave Alya a desperate look.

Alya sighed, “Fine.”

A quick online search was all Alya needed in order to figure out how to do a supposedly proper card reading. As proper as a Google search could find. Although, she admitted, the ceremony was much more complicated than she originally thought. Snacks were pushed to the table edges and everybody watched as she placed several cards face down to form an odd shape. “The Hand of Fate,” Alya called it, “Constantly moving, taking us along for the ride. Who we doing?”

“Ladies first,” Adrien motioned towards Marinette.

Marinette giggled. All the excitement in the air felt silly. At the same time, though, she was… nervous. She wondered what the cards had in store.

Alya flipped the one closest to Marinette. On it was a tall dark obelisk in a dry desert. Its silhouette framed sharply by the burning ball of fire behind it. “The Tower,” Alya read off the guide on her phone, “It could mean a sudden change… good or bad.”

“Ooooohhh...” Nino fanned his fingers trying to be scary.

Alya cleared her throat and the boy stopped. She then followed the direction the tower pointed until she hit a second card. Pictured there was a man and woman, both wore absolutely nothing. An angel smile down upon them. “Uh oh, The Lovers,” Alya playfully sang, “Looks like we got a sudden change to love.” This launched a round of snickers that left Marinette blushing.

Marinette could feel all three pairs of eyes on her. The only ones she cared about were the green ones next to her. This was too much. “Alya, quit it!” Still, a part of her wanted these cards to actually hold some kind of power.

“Hey, it’s not me,” Alya shrugged, “This is fate. And fate has one more card to play.” Her finger traced the direction of the angel’s gaze to a card standing alone in the corner. She flipped it and all the teasing ended.

“Whoa… dark,” she heard Nino mutter.

Marinette peaked. Her heart stopped.

On a white horse rode a knight. The medieval armor, heavy and thick. The only opening was the lifted visor resting on the man’s forehead. At least, she assumed it was a man. Hard to tell when they have a skull for a face. The unsettling ghoulish creature led the steed across its name: Death.

Alya fumbled with her phone, “R-r-relax, guys, it’s not literal,” she scanned the screen for an answer. “Oh! It can mean: from known to unknown. That’s… vague?”

The world was spinning in Marinette’s head. Does this mean her love for Adrien was doomed to fail? Was there nothing she could do? Was there even a point in trying?! She didn’t want to think about this. She needed air. She pushed the table away so she could run to the balcony. But then she heard something wobble. In the corner of her eye, she spied a flash of jade fall to the floor followed by a crash.

Blinding light spilled from the stone dragon’s remains, quickly engulfing the room.

“Whoa! What’s happening?!” cried Nino.

                                                    00000000

“Not much, what’s happening with you?” Marinette flirted back. She leaned her head on Adrien’s shoulder, enjoying the comfort of his arm draped around her. She wished she could stay like this forever, but the walk from school to her house was so short.

“If that’s the case, I was thinking maybe we do something today. Just the two of us,” he sweetly suggested.

Marinette stopped and clasped Adrien’s hands in hers, “Really? You’re open? No photoshoots, fencing, or networking dinners?”

“I set aside today a month ahead of time,” he puffed out his chest with pride, causing her to laugh at his ridiculous pose. Ideas raced through her imagination, they hadn’t been on a date in weeks. Now they had a whole day to themselves and she wanted to do everything!

A terrified scream pierced the air. Several identical white-skinned, red-skirted jesters fled down the streets in fear. Far in the distance sauntered another, only this one wasn’t scared. She was confident and angry.

“Oh no...” whispered Marinette before she was pulled into an alley. “Adrien—” Before she could beg him to stay, his lips pressed against hers. She closed her eyes and enjoyed his presence a little while longer.

He took her hands and wrapped her fingers around something small. “Plagg, claws out.” In a blast of green, Cat Noir stood before her.

“Let me come with you. I can help,” she blurted out.

Both of them hesitated, surprised at her words. Cat Noir recovered first and cupped her cheek, “I’ll be back. I promise, princess,” he said with bittersweet longing. He leaped up the walls and disappeared.

He would come back. He always did, but never for long. It was hard enough being in love with a fashion model. A fashion model who doubled as a superhero, though? It was a miracle they ever saw each other. She opened the velvet case he had left. There rested two diamond-studded earrings. Happy tears brimmed. She had mentioned so long ago how she always wanted real jewelry but her family couldn’t afford them. He must’ve been paying attention. She removed her cheap plastic pair and put on the gift. She stepped out of the alley and looked at her reflection in a shop window.

Beautiful.

She really did look like a princess.

She would trade them in a second for her prince.

                                                    00000000

“This is temporary,” Master Fu told Wayzz like he did with every new prisoner.

The little green kwami said nothing to the man, choosing instead to return to meditating in his record player. The man stroked his short, gray beard. The habit brought small comfort during these troubling times. In his long life, he never expected to be responsible for the suffering of so many. A wall of monitors stood before him. They showed similar sterile cells. Sealed off from the outside world, each was home to one poor soul. And he had put them there.

When Hawkmoth first surfaced, Fu had easily found the perfect wielder for the Cat Noir ring. However, he had no such luck with the Ladybug Miraculous. With no way of purifying the Akumas and undoing the damage they inflict, Cat Noir could only break what held the dark butterflies, destroy the insects and free the victims from Hawkmoth’s control. While this seemed to work at first, it became apparent that those infected were at greater risk of re-akumatization. They had to be protected, watched, and contained. Fu was forced to turn to the Mayor. The politician came off as naive but he truly cared about the people of Paris. Once he saw the destructive power the Akumas held, he granted Fu full use of La Sante high security prison.

“That cat boy’s bringing another one for you, Master Fu,” informed the chubby policeman at the door.

“Thank you, Roger.”

He watched another monitor as the hero walked the latest de-akumatized victim, a handcuffed girl with long black hair, down the cold corridor. This one was probably another of Adrien’s classmates. Hawkmoth had taken a liking to them. It seemed like they kept getting younger. After Cat Noir locked the cell door, Fu turned off the monitor. He could never watch the first day. The child’s pain and fear was too great.

“Temporary...” he muttered. In his palm rolled two red and black polkadotted jewels. The power to end that pain and fear locked within. Out of reach without a wielder.

                                                    00000000

When an Akuma attacks, the streets shut down until the police give the all clear. In other words, no customers. Instead of staring at the empty bakery, Marinette’s mother tried to pass the time by commenting on her new jewelry, “That boy is too good to you, Marinette.”

“Why don’t we invite him over for dinner as thanks,” her father offered.

Marinette put on a smile, “I’ll ask.” She absently rubbed the earrings while leaning over the counter. Her parents bustled about, making sure all the breads they probably wouldn’t sell today would stay good until tomorrow. That is, if anyone came tomorrow. This area of Paris had become the hub of the most Akuma appearances, which drove all the shoppers away. Each time, her parents would shrug and say it was an off day, but from their frantic pace and long looks at the deserted sidewalks Marinette could tell that that was a lie. She had even overheard them whispering about the possibility of moving. Clearly, they couldn’t afford to invite Adrien over for dinner and they were just being nice. “He might need to clear his schedule. It… fills up pretty fast.” She didn’t want to give her parents any false hope, what with Adrien having to save the world and stuff.

Running out the door to rescue the day.

Leaving her behind.

‘Let me come with you. I can help.’

What had she been thinking? She had always simply smiled and wished him luck. The very idea of fighting at his side was ridiculous. She had no powers; never threw a single punch in her life. She must be going crazy. Still, in that moment, there had been... something.

Her thumb brushed a bit too hard against one of the prickly edges of the gemstone on her ear and she pulled away with a hiss.

“Honey, you alright?” her dad asked.

“I’m okay, don’t worry,” Marinette assured while hiding her cut behind her back.

Her mother saw it, “Careful, real diamonds can leave a mark.”

She needed air.

“Call if you need me,” she said as she climbed the stairs to her room, ready for the refreshing breeze on her balcony. Her head had barely poked through the trapdoor when she stopped. A feast of desserts stood in her room on a table she recognized as the one they used for cake displays downstairs. Stale crumbs littered the floor. She heard the droning buzz of her television alongside the menu theme of Ultimate Mecha Strike III.

“Hello?” Marinette whipped around, wondering if she had accidentally walked in on a surprise party. Nobody answered. Then she saw something she never thought she would ever see again.

She bolted up the last few steps and ran to it. The bookbag was the same shade of blue as she remembered. She flipped the thing over and found the impossible words stitched into the side: ‘Property of Alya Cesaire.’ Maybe she really was going crazy. There was no way Alya’s bag could be here. Marinette had brought it to her friend when she first visited her cell and yet there it was, an exact replica. Or maybe not so exact… Hanging off one of the straps was an odd little decoration. It kinda resembled a ladybug.

Before she could investigate further, her ears picked up another sound over the TV. A single note, endlessly echoing. It was faint, ominous, ethereal, almost otherworldly. And it came from under a pile of cards on the floor. Marinette carefully pushed the mess aside and found a jade dragon broken into three pieces. Curiously, each piece stood atop a Tarot card. The music ebbed and flowed from the chunks of stone which seemed to be somehow glowing.

Magic. The source of Akumas!

Marinette scrambled back. This was it! She was next! She was going to wake up in a cell like Alya, locked away by her own boyfriend, never to see the outside world again!! She curled into a ball and waited for the end. The note continued. Slowly, she opened her eyes. Nothing had changed. The stones continued their song, ignoring her fear. Alya’s account of how she was akumatized came back to her. Anger. Anger was what triggered the magic. Good thing she was more scared and confused than that.

She ran to her trapdoor and rushed down the stairs. Just as she was about shut the door, she took one last look at the magical dragon. She knew she should run. She was taught to always run and let the police handle it. Let Cat Noir handle it. But that… feeling was back. That urge to do something.

‘I can help.’

Panic still icing her veins, the girl climbed back into her room and examined the dragon. The magic didn’t attack or try to akumatize her. It simply rang. This didn’t make sense. Master Fu had warned all of Paris to stay away from magic. It was dangerous. Wait… Master Fu! He would know what this was. Maybe it was good magic, like what Cat Noir used.

Using Alya’s bag, she carefully scooped up the statue, cards and all.

                                                    00000000

La Sante was a prison first constructed in 1867 to house 500. Over the years, that number increased to over 2,000. With its new variant of occupants, the fortress was again redesigned under Master Fu’s direction to both keep Akuma victims in and everything else out.

Especially butterflies.

Windows were cemented over. Air ducts were netted. Every point of entry and exit had two sets of reinforced doors. Mayor Bourgeois had even suggested Fu cast an ancient spell of shielding over the entire complex. Fu had to remind him that he was a wise old man, not a wise old wizard.

The precautions had worked. Nobody who had been housed in La Sante had been re-akumatized… yet.

It had been nearly a year. Black butterfly after black butterfly had fluttered through shadows and hidden in corners, searching, prodding for a weakness. Most of the magic insects were found within a day and immediately destroyed by either Cat Noir or the Paris Police Force. But this one… this one had been smart. It had avoided all the cameras, memorized the guard routes, and found the one place Fu forgot.

Underground.

La Sante was originally built on the former Coal Market of Paris. The initial architect had refurbished the drains once used to carry the rocky sludge away of the city. They still let out into the same sewage line from 150 years ago. It flapped its wings hard to stay just above the gurgling water, twisting with the rusted pipes. With no way of knowing which turns to take, the insect chose at random until it saw light at the end of the tunnel. Its tiny legs pulled its body out of the drain and scaled the metal. It sat on the sink edge and saw its target: a young girl with long black hair.

She was crying into her hands, “Rose, I’m sorry. I am so sorry.” She held something tightly against her chest.

The butterfly flew towards it.

                                                    00000000

Fu stared at the black screen, his dark reflection showed tired eyes surrounded by constantly growing bags. He had waited long enough. He needed to resume his watch of the newest prisoner, no matter how much sorrow it brought. He reached for the on switch.

“Master Fu,” a voice called on the intercom.

Fu swiveled from the cell monitors to the live feed of the front guard station. Roger was looking back at him with a girl standing behind him. This one normally came to see Alya if Fu’s memory was correct. Fu sighed and pressed the red answer button, “She can schedule a visit with Alya for tomorrow.”

“Actually, sir, she wants to—”

The girl jumped in front of Roger, “Master Fu, you need to see this! I think it’s magic!” She quickly held up what looked like a backpack. Fu groaned. Another well-meaning child who thought they had found the key to breaking the Akuma curse. It was best to thank them for their time and send them on their way. He pressed the red button again, ready to do as such, when he saw something else that was red. Hanging from the backpack strap. A little circle with… polkadots.

“...Roger, bring her here and call Cat Noir.”

                                                    00000000

“And I thought, ‘that can’t be Alya’s bag. I gave it to her months ago.’ But it totally is! See it even has her name that I stitched in for her,” Marinette explained, her excitement levels were going ballistic. The Master Fu, the Great Guardian, Cat Noir’s boss was listening to her. Sort of. He kept staring at the weird ladybug keychain.

“Princess?”

Marinette jumped at the sudden presence of her boyfriend. Officer Roger shut the door behind him and assumed his position at Fu’s side.

“What are you doing here?”

Marinette took a deep breath, “I told you, I can help.”

“Help? This isn’t a game, Marinette! You could seriously get hurt!” Marinette hated when he talked down to her like this. He was right. She wasn’t a superhero. But that didn’t mean him not believing in her didn’t sting. His gloved claws gently took her shoulders, “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

She slapped them away, “No!” That feeling came back. That urge. That need. “I’m not going to stand around anymore and do nothing while you fight! Doing the right thing will get me hurt? Fine, then let me get hurt!”

She covered her mouth. She hadn’t meant to say all that. The words that had spilled out felt like they came from someone else entirely but they were the truth. She didn’t want to be protected like a fragile doll. Cat Noir’s shock held for a short time and she worried he would still force her to leave. Finally, he calmed down and looked away. Marinette couldn’t tell what he was thinking, but, the fact remained, she was still here.

“Marinette,” she turned back to Master Fu, who was observing her with an odd smirk, “Did you find anything else?”

She unzipped the bag and reached in. Using the Tarot cards as a makeshift plate, she placed the glowing stone dragon on the table between them. Its heavenly tone filled the room. Roger instinctively reached for his weapon, but Fu waved for him to stop.

“I haven’t seen one of these charms in decades,” Fu whispered. “Old magic. The magic of wishes.” He pointed to the three Tarot cards beneath the pieces, “Combined with these and you get a rather peculiar result.”

Marinette gasped, “So it is magic? Can we use it to fight the Akumas?”

Cat Noir’s ears perked.

Roger waited with bated breath.

“Even better,” Fu picked up the dragon head, its Tarot card lifting up with the head as if the two were attached, “If we put this back together, we may find Ladybug.”

“Who?” asked Marinette.

The next few moments were a blur. Marinette saw Roger tear the dragon head out of Fu’s hands, throw the old man out of his chair and grab the rest of the statue. In a flourish of red, the heavyset grown man shrunk to the same jester from earlier that afternoon. Belting out a laugh, the Akuma dashed out of the room, Cat Noir hot on her tail.

Marinette was the only one standing. Her mind barely registered what had just happened. She didn’t even hear the sudden jailbreak alarms blaring. It was Fu’s coughing that roused her. She pulled the man back to his feet, “Master Fu, are you alright?”

“Do not worry about me. I’m far more spry than I look,” he said, gritting against the back pain.

She lowered him into the chair while searching for a way to ease him, “I’ll get you some ice.”

He gripped her arm tightly, “Wait,” he gazed at her knowingly, “Do you recall the first time we met?” “...Huh?” she stopped, derailed by his sudden question.

“About a year ago, I was having a hard time crossing the street. A car was about to run me over. And you pulled me to safety.”

Marinette blinked at his strange claim until… yes… it was the morning before she met Adrien for the first time. She was almost late for class and she had spilled all her… “You ate my macarons!” she shouted in realization.

He gave a throaty chuckle, “Only a selfless, pure heart can wield the Ladybug Miraculous and purify the Akumas. I thought for sure it would be you. And from the way you handle Cat Noir, I believe Ladybug may still be in there.”

Marinette tried to comprehend what he was saying, but she was failing, “What are you talking about? I’m who?”

He pulled out a pair of earrings. Marinette looked back at Alya’s bag. The keychain had the same design as the pair in his hand. “That charm and the Tarot cards attached to it are keeping you from being chosen.” He pushed the remaining deck of Tarot cards to her. “You must change them before the Akuma gives them to Hawkmoth.”

She tugged on her hair. Why did magic have to be complicated? “So, what you’re saying is, if I switch up the cards on that dragon, I’ll become a superhero?”

“Not exactly,” his attention drifted to the monitors of the prisoners panicking in their cells. “It’s wish magic. The wish will end and the world will change back to the way it was. Which could mean anything. They could be free. You could have Alya back.”

Marinette was overjoyed. It could be real. Paris wouldn’t have to live in terror. She could be a superhero like Adrien! Saving lives! Protecting the city!

Not being able to help her parents run the bakery...

Having to bail on her friends...

No time for Adrien...

“What if I was the one who made the wish?” her voice cracked, “The only good thing in my life is Adrien. What if that’s what I wished for? What if, in the world the way it was, we’re not together and the only chance we had was through these cards?” The horrific idea of losing that overprotective, loving dork made her body quake. “Maybe it would be better to stay here where fate let us be together,” she whimpered.

There was no answer, just the alarm down the hall. She truly felt alone.

“Let me tell you a secret about fate. It’s a choice.” She looked at Master Fu. There was care and understanding in his eyes. He handed her the Tarot deck. With a little strain, he dragged a small trash can over and placed it before her. “The cards do not decide where your life goes... you do, Marinette.”

She looked between the cards and the trash. The choices were clear. She held the deck over the can opening. All she needed to do was let go.

That feeling was back, sparked by his words. The same feeling that had driven her to think about joining Cat Noir on the rooftops, chasing Akumas. Her grip on the deck tightened. If she, a normal girl, had already changed the world once, then maybe it was okay if she lost Adrien.

After all… what could possibly stop her from getting him back?

Maybe it was adrenaline or maybe she really had gone crazy. But, right there, in that room, Marinette didn’t want to be Adrien’s princess.

She wanted to fight.

                                                     00000000

Buildings whizzed by as the police cruiser raced down the street. The actual Officer Roger was behind the wheel. Marinette had found him locked in the Akuma’s old cell. After freeing him, Fu ordered the policeman to provide Cat Noir with backup and to take Marinette with him. The man was apprehensive about bringing a citizen, a kid no less, into the combat zone, but Fu assured him Marinette would be necessary.

The girl herself was in the passenger seat going through the Tarot cards. She needed to find the right ones to break the spell. A combination that was the magical equivalent to a reset button. The constant potholes and sharp turns made it difficult. First one to stand out to her was ‘The World’ card. They needed to change the world. That fit, right?

“Got ‘em! All cars, converge on the bridge!” Roger shouted on his radio. He hit the sirens.

Through the windshield, Marinette caught glimpses of the Akuma and Cat Noir on the roofs above.

The engine revved and Marinette was thrust back into her seat as Roger sped past the superpowered beings. With a yank to the steering wheel, the cruiser spun around, tires squealing and the vehicle stopped at the entrance to the Pont des Arts bridge. Seconds later, a dozen more police cars parked around them, blocking entry.

“Stay close, little lady,” instructed Roger as they got out.

Without anymore buildings to use, the Akuma landed on the street before them. Policemen made a line, armed with riot shields and batons. Cat Noir landed behind her, staff at the ready. She was surrounded.

“Give it up, Akuma,” Cat Noir said, “You’re going back in the cage.”

The creature growled at them, “You’re not gonna stop me from getting there.” She swung her arm, “Get out of my way!” Out of her hand arced a bright pink ray. Marinette ducked behind the car while the officers hid behind their shields.

Cat Noir flipped over the ray and charged full sprint at her. His staff twirled so fast, Marinette could barely see it. However, he wasn’t swift enough to catch the Akuma. She sidestepped the attack at the last moment and pushed Cat Noir back with a powerful kick.

“Now!” Roger shouted over his megaphone.

The officers rushed the Akuma, shields first, like a stampede of wildebeests. The red jester simply hopped into the air and floated beyond their reach on some unseen magical wind. With a smirk, she flew towards the bridge.

“This is a No-Fly Zone!” Cat Noir snarked, planting a two-legged kick into the Akuma’s back.

Marinette’s face went pale as the creature tumbled out of the sky, heading right for her! She dove out of way. The Akuma hit the cobblestone road hard and rolled several times. During the fall, something slid from the creature to Marinette: a simple pink notebook. Marinette stepped back, the magic aura surrounding the book made it look like it was bubbling with darkness. Marinette didn’t know what to do. Should she find a new hiding spot? She was the closest. Should she attack?

“I need to see her...” she heard the Akuma sprawled on the ground snivel. She sounded dizzy and… sad. “I need to tell her...”

Something flittered down and landed on the pink notebook. It was a Tarot card, fallen from Marinette’s hand. Specifically, the card showing a clownishly dressed man oblivious to the fact that he was about to walk off a cliff; under him were the words ‘The Fool.’ Marinette certainly sensed she was being foolish as she picked up the notebook. Nothing came from the touch. The magic didn’t infect her. Emboldened, she walked towards the Akuma.

“Princess! Get away from that thing!”

Marinette shot a glare at the boy and he quickly shut his mouth.

She knelt next to the recovering Akuma. The jester started at the girl’s sudden closeness. “They won’t fight you if you take me with you,” Marinette said, trying to calm her own frightened heart. The Akuma examined Marinette with uncertainty. She took notice of the distance the police and Cat Noir were keeping. Then, a shining pink outline of a butterfly appeared on the Akuma’s face like a mask. Marinette didn’t know what that meant but managed to keep her disarming smile going. The creature shook away the mask with some effort as if she was resisting something. Marinette held out the notebook to her, “Let’s go see her, together.”

                                                    00000000

“We are gonna have a serious talk about you and putting yourself in danger!” Cat Noir shouted from across the river. He wasn’t allowed to come any closer or even try to follow as Marinette and the Akuma walked away.

The Akuma said nothing, making sure her hostage was always between her and any policemen that showed up on their route. Marinette was barely holding herself together. The jester’s pinkish-red hand was heavy on her shoulder. She had chosen to travel with an Akuma, the most dangerous creature in Paris. A monster driven by blind fury that brandished untold magical powers only dreamt about in fairytales. This is what being a hero is about, isn’t it? Putting yourself at risk for the sake of others without a second thought? Oh God! It was official, she had gone both completely crazy and certifiably insane!

“There.” The Akuma guided Marinette towards the giant building on the corner.

Doctors, nurses and patients parted for the duo as they made their way to the hospital receptionist. “Rose,” the Akuma demanded, “Rose Lavillant.” Marinette couldn’t tell if the Akuma was using her as a shield or a place to hide. From the creature’s tone, Marinette could’ve sworn she was… ashamed?

On the bed the doctor brought them to slept a girl with blonde hair cut in a pixie style. She was petite, probably a full head shorter than Marinette. She recognized her as one of her classmates who she had never really spoken to before. The number of machines connected to Rose was concerning. Whatever was wrong with her, it was serious.

The Akuma at last moved from behind Marinette, leaving her in the doorway. There was hesitation in her steps, like a guilty child approaching a parent for punishment. She placed the pink notebook on the bed, “I brought it back, Rose. I know you said I could keep it but...” Her voice hitched, “I’m sorry I… I’m sorry I put you here.” Never did Marinette imagine she would live to see an Akuma cry.

This wasn’t a monster. This was a poor girl who had lost a friend, just like her.

Marinette entered the room only for the butterfly mask to reappear. With it came a renewed wave of anger blasting from the Akuma. She gnashed her teeth and her tears were replaced by boiling rage. “I’ll fix you!” she growled, pulling out the jade dragon pieces, “Even if it means the entire world!”

Waves of magical energy erupted like gusts of wind from the dragon. Anything light enough was thrown around the tiny room, including the Tarot deck. “No!” Marinette fruitlessly grabbed at the cards, only nabbing one.

The rest collected in the Akuma’s waiting palm, “I’ll make a new world for you, Hawkmoth.” The pink butterfly mask shone brightly as she tore off The Tower card and replaced it with The World card. “One where you can wake her up.”

Marinette struggled to move forward against the magic, her only card bent in her grip. It was as if she was walking against a hurricane. “Wait!” her shout was barely audible over the storm, “I don’t know who Hawkmoth is, but he’s done nothing but ruin Paris! He doesn’t care about Rose like you do! You have to stop!!” Doubt seeped into the Akuma’s eyes and Marinette thought she might have reached her. The butterfly mask dazzled more intensely than ever before. Any sign of emotion was lost and the Akuma resembled a zombie. It seemed Hawkmoth wasn’t giving anymore chances and decided to take full control. There was no way Marinette could beat this. What could she possibly do? Then she saw the card she held...

The Akuma slipped The Fool under the next dragon piece, “A world where people would have to be fools to defy you!”

“A world where you control who lives and who dies?” Marinette called, showing off the Death card with a smug look.

The Akuma flicked her wrist and a small pink ray zapped the Death card out of Marinette’s fingers. The winds carried it to the Akuma. Victory in front of her, she grabbed the card and screamed in pain! Her arms flailed as she dropped the Tarot card. She took another look and found a sharp pair of diamond-studded earrings pinned into the card.

“Careful, real diamonds can leave a mark,” Marinette mocked, from the doorway. In her hands were the dragon pieces. In her gut reaction to the injury, the Akuma had accidentally knocked the pieces across the room to Marinette. Now Marinette stood in the center of the chaotic winds! She held a new card to the third dragon piece and it stuck like a magnet. The Akuma roared and pointed her arm at Marinette.

The normal girl of Paris smiled at the powering up pink ray as she pressed the dragon together. Blinding white light filled the room yet Marinette could still see what the last card said…

Strength.

                                                    00000000

The jade statue landed safely in Marinette’s hands, inches from the hard floor.

“Whoa, close one. Nice catch, dude,” commented Nino.

Alya started restacking the Tarot cards, “Okay, guys, how about we stop here before we almost accidentally break some other priceless Chinese artifact.”

“Aww, I wanted a turn,” Nino groaned.

Marinette felt as if she was a stranger watching her friends playfully jab at each other like nothing had happened. Here they all were, happy as can be. Did they all forget? The dragon in her grip could offer no answers. The cracks that had shattered its body from before were long gone without a trace of magical light. The room remained as cluttered with party snacks and games as before. She caught her reflection in the her vanity mirror. On her ears were not the diamond studs but her unmistakable Miraculous. She began to wonder if it was all just a dream. The memories certainly felt real. She could recall when Alya was taken away, how she never became friends with Nino, her first date with Adrien…

“Marinette?”

Her mind still in a haze, she slowly turned to Adrien who was waiting by the open trapdoor. Alya and Nino were already on their way down for the next big activity.

“You coming?” he asked.

Her body instinctively went into freak out mode as it realized she was alone with the boy. Yet that nervousness was overpowered by a desire to know, “Adrien… d-d-do you remember?”

“Remember?” She clung to a sliver of hope that he could affirm that it was all real. That in some other Paris far away, he was Cat Noir and they were together. Suddenly, his eyes lit up, “Oh! Nino’s number, right. Thanks for reminding me.” He pulled out his phone.

She released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding. Of course… why should she expect there to be an easy answer? Maybe it was real, maybe it was wishful thinking given life by too much sugar. She prayed Cat Noir never learned the two of them were going out in her fantasy world. He would undoubtedly use it as more flirting material.

“Oh wait,” Adrien gave her a sheepish smile, “I just realized I don’t have your number, Marinette.”

A shiver ran up her spine. Whether or not the other Paris was a daydream, she could make it her reality. The only thing in her way was herself. She just needed to take that first baby-step.

No wishes.

No cards.

No fate.

She placed the dragon on the table.

“No problem, I’ll give you mine and you can send me yours.”

END

#Miraculous Ladybug #Project: Tarot 2017 #marinette #chat noir #adrien #master fu #alya #nino #reflekta #sabine #tom #officer roger #themlgroup

[vngrdcreative]

Theodore in the Movie Her as an Anti-Flaneur

The way a character interacts with their environment says a lot about them, and the way a character interacts with public space speaks specifically to their inner machinations. The flaneur is a trope character used in movies: an individual who slowly strolls through city streets, casting

their eyes all around their surroundings and those inhabiting it. The flaneur’s actions indicate a burning sense of curiosity driving them to visually consume as much of their environment and its details as possible. In the movie Her the protagonist does none of these things and fails to interact with Los Angeles. He instead keeps to himself and focuses his attention on his device’s operating system, and romantic partner, Samantha. Spike Jonze uses camera techniques and masters the audio in a way that emphasizes Theodore’s isolation from the outside world. Spike Jonze’s unique portrayal of Los Angeles is also particularly conducive to Theodore’s passivity.

One of the first sequences in the movie shows Theodore commuting home from work, and it quickly sets the tone for his relationship with the outside world. The depiction of his journey begins with a close-up on Theodore’s face in an elevator. The shapes of other people in the elevator are visible, and the elevator appears crowded. Theodore issues voice commands to his headphones to play music and the movie’s audio plays what he is listening to. The inclusion of other people in the elevator combined with the close-up shot and exclusion of sound other than Theodore’s voice and his music conveys to the viewer that although Theodore is surrounded by other people, he is focused on himself and his device, just as the camera is. The next shot is a medium shot which is centered on Theodore walking towards the camera along an elevated concrete walkway with skyscrapers visible in the background. His arms are crossed and he is looking down. His headphones are still in, he is presumably still listening to music as it is being played in the movie’s audio, and he is checking his e-mail on his device using voice commands. Other people are walking on the pathway, but their footsteps and any ambient city sounds cannot be heard over the music and conversation between Theodore and his device. The camera pans to the right so that Theodore is always walking towards it, keeping the focus solely on him. The camerawork goes out of its way to show that Theodore is in a populous metropolitan area, but his actions and body language show zero interest in the world around him. The next shot is a slightly wide-angle shot on Theodore in a packed subway car. His eyes are once again on the ground as he continues to verbally sift through e-mail until he receives a tabloid piece about celebrity nude pictures. He casts a quick glance up to see if anyone is paying attention to him before pulling his device from his pocket and flipping through the pictures. Although the other passengers are slightly out of focus they are all shown to have headphones similar to Theodore’s in their ears. The people less than a foot away from him are even shown to be talking, presumably interacting with their own devices because none of them are making eye contact, but nothing they say is part of the movie’s audio. The shot and audio of this clip perfectly mimics Theodore’s perspective; his surrounding and the people inhabiting them are out of focus and quite literally tuned out, in favor of his device’s audio. Theodore’s gaze remains on the ground over the course of the next two brief clips. The first clip shows Theodore walking through a sparsely populated pavilion, and the camera pans to follow him as he enters his apartment complex. The second clip shows him entering his apartment and  walking through a short hallway into the dining area, the lights autonomously turning on in each section as he enters it.

The manner in which this initial sequence is filmed is very unusual for a film set in a city. There is little attention paid to the city itself or its details. When Anthony Vidler wrote his piece on the Analysis of the Street, he decried the “purely decorative and staged characteristics” that were being used in filmmaking. It’s these artificial techniques that were used to create the faux-city of Her. Although set in Los Angeles, Her was filmed in parts of Asia and never includes any of the signature details that make modern Los Angeles so recognizable. Vidler says “the street, properly recorded, offered a virtually inexhaustible subject for the comprehension of the modern”. I believe that the way Spike Jonze chose to record the street is representative of his interpretation of the post-modern. Jonze created a sterilized space for Theodore to move through without physically interacting with anyone or anything. Jonze’s method of filming is meant to convey that the future might be a lonely, isolated place to live.

The second scene I will be examining shows Theodore out in the city with his device’s new AI, Samantha, on what can be construed as their first date. The first shot is one panning over a crowd, following Theodore and zooming in on him as he walks past the crowd. His eyes are closed and his arm is outstretched holding his device out so that Samantha can “see” through the device’s camera. Samantha is guiding Theodore down the boardwalk via directions delivered through his headphones. Once again there is shown to be people around Theodore, but his eyes are literally closed to them, his headphones are in, and the camera focuses on him while gliding over the crowd. The following shot is a brief view of Theodore’s device (representative of Samantha), and the next is a close-up of Theodore’s face from the perspective of Samantha. In the next shot, Samantha guides Theodore over to a pair of women and instructs him to sneeze in order to elicit a response from them women; another clip of Samantha is spliced into this scene. Although Theodore is interacting with other people it is a superficial interaction performed at the request of Samantha. Samantha then instructs Theodore to spin around, and the camera alternates between a spinning angle facing him from a couple feet away, and the perspective of Samantha. Another brief close-up of Theodore’s face is shown at this point. The next, brief, clip is shot with a wide-angle lens focused on Theodore from his right side with an out-of-focus crowd behind him. The camera then shifts to a close-up of Samantha/the device and Theodore as he is told to order a slice of pizza. A disinterested and somewhat perplexed looking employee at the shop is then shown asking Theodore about his order. The camera shifts to a perspective over the shoulder of the employee, showing Samantha and Theodore as Theodore finally opens his eyes and thanks Samantha for feeding him. The location of the scene changes to that of a mall or similar public building. The camera begins directly pointed at Theodore from a few feet away as he enters the building. Next a family is shown eating a meal at a table from the perspective of Theodore and Samantha as they begin to analyze the social dynamics of the family. The camera briefly shifts back to the same angle of Theodore walking as he and Samantha’s conversation shifts to the details of the adult family member’s romantic relationship. The camera follows their conversation and shifts to a close-up of the couple talking and laughing; the camera pans to the right to follow the perspective of Theodore as he walks. The angle shifts again to show Theodore as he walks for a few seconds. The camera returns back to the close-up of the couple and zooms in on the man as Theodore and Samantha begin to discuss his qualities as a partner. Samantha compliments Theodore’s perception and the camera returns to him as he takes a seat in a large stone chair shaped like a hand. Theodore begins to discuss his ability to analyze others and the camera shows first a random man in the same area as them, then a random couple walking in the area. From there the camera angle switches to a close-up of the side of Theodore’s head with his headphone in, representative of Samantha, clearly in view as she compliments Theodore on his emotional writings. Then there is another frontal shot of Theodore’s torso and face as they continue to discuss Theodore’s writing. Theodore expresses how much more comfortable he is with Samantha than anyone else, and the camera changes to show a young couple walking. This is the beginning of the idea of romance between Samantha and Theodore. The camera returns to the close-up of Theodore and his headphone as Theodore begins to ask Samantha about her personal thoughts. Samantha admits that she fantasizes about being physically present with Theodore as the camera shows two different brief shots of random people walking. The scene ends with a clip showing Theodore’s full body seated at the chair as he expresses that there is “a lot more to” Samantha than he had initially thought.

Theodore has one instance in this scene where he briefly resembles a flaneur, which breaks dramatically from the commute scene. During Theodore’s commute he seemed to be going out of his way to take in as little sensory information as possible and view the absolute minimum of his city. Head down, arms crossed, Theodore heads straight home via the metro without any of the characteristic meandering or wandering of the flaneur. In the second scene we actually witness Theodore observing part of his surroundings, the eating family, and analyze them in detail. This close analysis of one’s surroundings is characteristic of the flaneur, however Theodore only does so to talk to Samantha about it. Where as a flaneur will stroll through an entire space, absorbing every minute detail, Theodore walks right up to a chair, takes a seat, and stares off into the distance as he talks with Samantha. Theodore

Spike Jonze’s Her presents an introverted protagonist who prefers not to acknowledge the outside world and primarily interacts with his tech devices. Theodore even says himself that his interests are mainly “pornography and video games”. The camerawork and audio perfectly represent this, with Theodore being the focus of the camera at all times, liberal use of facial close-ups, other people around him being out of focus, and the audio being limited to what Theodore is saying and what the device, and later Samantha, is telling him. The way Theodore’s surroundings are presented do not make them appear very inviting either, all of the traditional vibrance of Los Angeles has been replaced with a clean, smooth aesthetic that doesn’t invite much closer inspection. Whether or not Jonze sees the world going in this direction is unclear, but in Her he has created a future that where flaneur ship is obsolete and a person is able withdraw from physical reality into a digital world, while still being happy and even finding love.

#her movie #spike jonze #assignment #architecture in film #art history #architecture #film #space #flaneur