#he is a chameleon. ever changing and growing.

[sevinite]

sevenite sketchbook veteran theo makes his humble return to the public eye

[4mrplumi]

( crow choir. entry two) ── ravens hiding in a shoe ( m.s | prev/next )

IMPORTANT author’s note at the end.

note: this entry is entirely re-written. you can read the first, now “non-canon” version here. events there do not apply to the current story.

crashed out on the couch with some abysmally boring show on the tv and the filthy humidity of your apartment is exactly how you expected to spend the week. your phone’s acting all funky while you scroll through a net-tabloid about oliver green with a plastic pen in your mouth, the cracked blue paint on it crumbling onto your lips.

you’ve long since tuned out the annoying buzz from the faulty lights in the corridor, the sound of them breaking through your door like the thieves that take cover at your place often, and you have to set your overheating phone down for a moment before you get up and wipe a hand against your face.

shortly after turning nineteen, you’d moved out with less than a word to anyone, figuring they’d piece together your whereabouts if they really needed to. and you doubt they do, since you’ve been living in genuine, peaceful, boring simplicity for a few months now. as peaceful and boring as it gets in gotham anyway.

you don’t have many friends, have a side job at a corner-store that gets robbed habitually on tuesdays and fridays, and have to shoo away loud kids playing at the front like an old man. it’s absurdly mundane, and you can’t help but calm down from your raucous everyday doings.

you’re finding peace in the silent shadows that you used to fear as a little kid, basking in them to make up for the lack of sun in the city. the more you grow older, the more you change. it’s expected of course, but it must be odd to not have anything really stopping you from ever-continuous change. some kids had parents doting over them turning into teenagers, teasing mood swings and scolding more often. some parents teared up when their kid turned old enough to be called an adult, feeling eighteen years slip through their fingers like sand. you don’t have a mother to wipe your tears or a father who wants to pat you on the back for a job well done.

growing up in the wayne manor is an experience envisioned as boundless privilege, written about in absurd fictions by wealth-worshipping teenagers from other cities, and scorned by the angrier lot of the unfortunate here in gotham. and you suppose it is. it is a privilege, and much different from the life you’d been living before. you guess you’ve payed your due for living so selfishly in that luxury by being ignored all your time there. you know your siblings also pay for that privilege, in more difficult, harsher ways, with fists and feet and rods and ropes.

changing, changing, changing. you think that for now, you’ve stopped changing, thinking back to the numerous times your mentality morphed to your surroundings like an asocial chameleon. when you were very young, freshly twelve and thrown into a house with your real father and a permanent family, you hated them. detested them even. you’d scowl and hiss at any glance from a brother, any dignitary waving at you at a gala and even the greenhouse plants that withered upon your arrival in dismay. you hated your fathers ploys at power and sauntering smiles, the skin with which he shook official hands and the pearly teeth with which he grinned. you hated richard’s comforting nod, and the way tim talked to guests, the way alfred always knew and the way bruce never did.

but you softened. you matured, is that the word? you saw them in a warmer light after hearing a girl squabble and wail at her patient father at the park and thought with a surging need, you wanted that too. so you smoothened out your frayed ends, stitched together competency. it would be hard to raise yourself to your brothers’ level, but you could try. among the chaos of being bruce wayne, being batman, being father and being vigilante, you’d resolved to be a beacon of peace for them.

but what beacon could you have hoped to be, if your light was so dull?

they didn’t ignore you, no. your father’s eyes glazed over you, like the block of your body was an insignificant dot among many others. like you were a clear champagne glass, like the ones served at his galas, to be nursed all throughout the event, but never indulged. you’re lucky others loosen themselves at drinks though, because you’d manage to craft quite a respectable social image among his associates and guests. grayson junior, an old lady draped in large, large pearls, had laughed, a charming little thing with only half his enthusiasm. a washed out, non-temperamental, unfeelingly warm version of your eldest brother. a stain of what he was, and a poor attempt at following his example.

but you twitched smiles through backhanded compliments about your inheritance in the family, the ushering prods at you to speak to your father about a deal (you’d never even dream to) and various vain offences made a speciality by gotham’s elite class. you’d endured all of that with half the mind to sock those prudish grins right off, so that your father would recognise your discipline and nod at you. he never even looked.

and after attempts after attempts after attempts at harbouring their favour, to grasp onto this life and make the best of it, never let go, you destroyed the little smudge of any real anger you ever had. you were reduced to a plain slate, an unused blackboard, a project in the making. you had no end goal, however, no final version. ever-changing.

you began to resent them, once more. miserably sulking over “how could they?”s and then, “how dare they!”s. you took to meaner methods of nagging for their attention. always being at the scene of some altercation at school, having prodded or initiated a fight between people was just a perfect look. you could justify any slight guilt at seeing bleeding lips curved into bruised scowls directed to you by thinking, your friends were much worse! so there’s really nothing wrong. those guys are odd anyway, they had it coming. but even that changes, and you once again erode to nonchalance.

your friends, however, do not change, redirecting their focus from messing around at school to sneaking into bars and clubs with comically fake ids, slipping into petty crime and street-fighting, racking up tickets on their profiles like medals. but you didn’t leave them, no, you were attached. forget rose-tinted glasses, yours were bright, hot, pink, finding a way to justify just about every brawl they stuck up, every man they mugged and every shot they downed while being well under the right age to. but gotham’s an odd place, it’s not too absurd to see a bunch of scrappy fifteen year olds running about with forks and foxes in their hair.

and you stayed this way, morbidly going through long, lonely days of watching your siblings live a life entirely parallel to yours. an ache that carved down from your chest and across the first bones of your ribs became a permanent one, and your throat would sting far too often to be considered normal. you’d kick and scream and fight with anyone you could, breaking into gushing tears the second they looked away. always conflicted and always changing, it messed with you, especially with no one to tell.

your family would be out at night, fighting the very same thugs that your friends are turning to become, all while you languished through the day counting bills and reading licenses off the wallets they pocket. after particularly violent exchanges, you couldn’t even look at the warmth that radiated off of bruce’s hand on damian’s shoulder, dick’s grin at tim or cassandra’s strange card game with duke. you couldn’t want to be a part of them, because you knew that maybe, you never would be.

yes, they have bigger problems. and yes, you blend perfectly into the blur of all the hooded and masked faces of gotham, and yes, you never do any real harm. but you can’t imagine being caught, returning to such unpleasant ways of life despite being given a hand at the one offered to you on a gold-plated platter. guilt and pride fought with their fists in your head, the second beaming at the idea of their surprise and notice if you ever made a mark, and the first ashamed at the thought of it at all. but you couldn’t live this life.

so when it got too heavy, you made the quick decision to leave. you’ve been changing so much, doing so much. moving out of the manor with all the necessary legal requirements was the tamest of them. you made all the proper requirements, choosing to call alfred after you moved out with just the slightest hesitance, worrying that he’d snitch you out in a way that doesn’t seem right. doesn’t justify your decisions.

and it’s after your budding malevolence for the lame-vigilantism stream of gotham’s legality is relocated from the estate’s concrete, and into the plywood of your apartment, can you really feel satisfied with yourself. when you hide a scrambling girl with a gun in her sleeve from the officer that knock on your door a minute later, can you feel satisfied.

admittedly, it is petty to be harbouring the same small-time criminals your family tries to turn over, but who cares? your friends are among the lot, those who couldn’t escape gotham’s gravity and leave, coming through your door with botched noses and empty barrels, and you wouldn’t turn them over. especially not to people who turned you away. there’s an ebb of sadness, a doubt that asks if you could have turned out different, and you squash it with the joy you get at seeing the vexed silhouettes of the caped crusaders perched on terraces from your window.

and with a tremendous stretch and a yawn, you pull yourself and your stiff joints out of thought, going to open the main door after a squealing notification from a regular visitor asking you to open the door. the people behind the door change, but at least they always come back.

-

it was troubling to say the least, when alfred informed bruce of (name)’s relocation. of course, he’d expected at least a little knowledge of it from the kid themselves, but didn’t dwell much on that. according to his accounts and alfred’s motionings, (name) was well and enough the age to own an apartment, own it legally and without trouble, and sludge through the days just fine, since they’d speak regularly with alfred.

he does bristle at your unsaved contact number, noting it from alfred and resolving to call you later. he does however send it to the kids as well, asking them to check in on you incase they haven’t recently. he doesn’t know if they met up with you after you left.

right now, he’s more focused on a little branched out gang that the commissioner, gordon, was troubled with. the week had been relatively quiet, spending patrol through stopping little crimes and such. offering a little assistance wouldn't take up any time, and was a productive way to spend little time too, according to him.

he went through witness files, the crimes all regular, as regular as they get. robberies, violent fights, keying cars (bruce purses his lips at the immaturity) and more. one case however, sticks out. the members of the gang, group even, considering their lower than low presence in the crime world all seemed to disappear right after making turns outside an apartment owned by an elderly estate manager. bruce deduced that it must be their hideout, but couldn’t really risk chasing them in, since the building was well occupied by civilians too and it’d be difficult to figure out their exact residence without prior investigation. not to mention, a little background check assured him that the man running the place was not affiliated with the people gordon was motioning at, other than the fact he presumably (and unknowingly) was housing them.

but what caught his eye was the disappearance of a girl near the same place. a profile by another victim of the gang’s mugging described her as somewhere around twenty years old, or just an exceptionally old looking teenager. according to the poorly kept case files one of GCPD interns, she was not identified among the regulars, and did not leave the building like the rest of them.

the whole thing was very mundane, low-profile, and her disappearance could also be swept away as just a reconsideration of career choices on her behalf. a new member, who decided quickly she didn’t want to be a part of it all. of course, that’s rarely ever the case in gotham, and could very well set a stage for a suspected murder, kidnapping.

first things first, simply a checkout of the place should be enough to confirm any further decisions that he’d tell gordon to carry through. in the meantime, he ought to check in with the league, the asylum, crime alley and nightwing. bruce can be described as paranoid, even if very few people can say it to his face.

he prefers being prepared. if not the strongest or the fastest, he can be the most prepared. maybe, he was prepared for this too.

“(name),” tim sighed, “won’t answer my message.”

bruce had put him to reaching out to his older sibling, over a number he’d spent a few minutes memorising before texting. dick, present at the time, insisted he called, but quit after getting a look.

he leaned over the back of the couch to see, staring into the chat. “let me see,” he prodded, “maybe you’re being too blunt,” tim raised an eyebrow at him, “not everyone can be as persuasive as me, you know”.

tim drake - 21:32

hi

where are you

(name) - 21:43

?

tim

you moved out right

where’s your address?

(name)

why are you asking?

tim

can’t i?

dick cringed at the screen, exasperated as he asked “really? right in the face like that?”. tim just rolled his eyes, frustrated, a little embarrassed. “just scroll.”

tim - 21:45

sorry

where are you

(name) - 21:56

dude

why do you want 2 know.

tim

bruce wants to know

read

(name)??

read

“very suspicious,” dick proclaimed, poking his shoulder, “i can’t imagine why they wouldn’t tell you. so surprising.” tim frowned, taking his phone back and frowning “look, i tried didn’t i? but if they’re not responding, i’ll have to tell bruce,” he ran a hand through his hair, “i don’t think he’d be much less conspicuous about (name) not telling us their address.”

dick nodded. when he first moved to bludhaven, he’d wanted a start as his own man, without the help of the batman or bruce. maybe (name) wanted the same? tim shouldn’t have said bruce wanted to know, he thinks, could’ve played it off as a “i want to visit". he suggests the thought, only be faced with an awkward smile on tim’s face.

“i don’t know if that’d work,” a short reply, “me and (name) never really talked much. it’d be strange to just butt in like that.”

dick hummed, resting his chin on the couch’s head in thought while he spoke “me and (name) have… talked a bit. send me their number, i could ask,” he elbowed tim’s head gently, joking, “one-up you.”

“you don’t have (name)’s number?”

…

“never had the chance to get it.”

your thumb grows numb from pausing at an awkward position on your phone. stuck on the same chat for about six minutes. two new numbers messaging you on the same day, both from your brothers. you’d assumed it was a new phone from one of the girls, but the first was from tim’s saved contact, his personal one. of course, since you’d read the message, you had to respond, sending in an aloof question mark to dismiss him.

when the second one, an unsaved contact, messaged you with a whole lot of exclamation points after a waving emoji, you’d assumed it was a rebooted number of one of your guys. but no, of all people, it was richard grayson, your older brother. you weren’t daft when he sent in a message asking the exact same thing, your address, saying he “wanted to visit”.

did he take you for an idiot? you know it’s bruce who wanted to know, as stated so bluntly by your little brother. even if he did want to visit, you’d go five floors down hell before letting him come over. a thumbs-down reaction and shutting your phone off did what you wanted it to, slamming a figurative door in his face.

but what makes your whole body go numb and buzzing is when your bell rings. it’s out of habit of course, not a lot of people ring the door unless it’s the landlord or a visitor’s family member, with prior notification first. it could be just one of them, if it wasn’t nine in the evening. the only people who clocked in at this time were your friends, and they never rang the bell.

you peek through the keyhole, and your breath stills. it’s then when you back up from the door, cursing as an unnamed objecy clatters to the floor and miraculously, doesn’t break. you can hear the wooden plank of the floor outside tense, and you just know the person outside heard it. you can’t play off a “no one’s home” game this time, and considering who’s behind the door, you don’t assume she’ll leave peacefully.

you have to gather yourself, level your breathing, skim through quick backups depending on whether she’s looking for (name), her sibling, or (name) a crime affiliate. it’s been a minute, and you quell your nervousness, wiping your lips after biting them so hard, to open the door.

cassandra cain looks surprised, and her narrowing eyes make you nervous, even as you lean against the doorway. you pray she doesn’t read through that, giving her the blankest look you can, the same one you give to the neighbours when they come to complain about the noise.

silence. you speak up first.

“cass… andra,” you add, a slight hesitancy when you remember yourself, “hi?”

she tilts her head at you staring up with a look that could be described as innocent, if her lip didn’t unconsciously twitch when you glanced away for a second. gosh, even after having knowledge of her intellect, you’re still messing up. get a hold of yourself.

she drops her arms from where they were crossed, giving you a knowing look. yes, cassandra, i’m here, you want to say after deciphering that glare with a little trouble, holding it back. what’s she here for? you didn’t give anyone even an inkling of your whereabouts. did alfred snitch? but you never told him either. did bruce figure it out? no, you think morosely, you don’t think he’d do all that.

you try to play it off, a hand to your head, staring down with just the slightest feigned frustration, hoping she takes the hint. “look kid,” you say, voice carefully dry, “i’ve got shit to do, you need something?”, with a seconds’ hesitation, a little demeaning comment slipping out of your mouth before you can stop it, habit, “or are you girl scouting for bruce?”

nice. great way to go. not only does she know that you’re purposefully avoiding him but also that you don’t want him to know. your sister is incredibly adamant to being loyal to him, worryingly so, and you know she won’t let it go. you’re no trained mind-reader like her, if you can call it that, but even your heart rate spikes at the subtle tensing in her jaw.

she points at your apartment, careful, slow. and you frown, obviously. no, she can't come in. she drops it, looking away.

silence stretches on before she exhales sharply through her nose, taking a step back. she’s leaving, you understand anxiously. you know she won’t listen to you if you ask, know she won’t answer any of your questions either, but you try anyway.

“going off to tell bruce are you?” she pauses, turning around to face you again. you’re put off, straining the rest of the sentence so it doesn’t sound odd. you want to say, beg, don’t tell him, you want to say, snarl, get out. instead you just draw your shoulders in and return inside, shutting the door. man, you messed up.

bruce is only momentarily distracted by tim and dick’s hushed talking, weary of what they’re up to, before quickly focusing back to the apartment layout he’s handed by the owner of the building, a mister ford, after requesting for it through a burner account. cassandra’s there too, dressed in gear to leave for patrol in a bit, getting a head start before bruce does the same. he’d sent her out to check the place out, maybe set sights on figures she could suspect to be a part of the trouble he was reviewing earlier, time-pass assignments to sludge through the dullness of the evening.

and she comes back with results, circling an east facing room on the third floor on the flat plans. he can’t help but notice a slight moment of hesitance before she does though, turning to bruce with her grimacing full-face cowl, a silent statement. he thinks about asking her, but decides against it. if she’s worried for their safety, thinks them to be innocent, or doesn’t want them caught, she must want it for some reason. he’ll make sure the GCPD knows after sending gordon's intern the file later, in hardcopy via an open window or softcopy through yet another burner account.

but it’s then when he catches a stray hiss from tim, a “just tell him later,” and pulls away from the screen for just a second. “tell me what?” a brief sombre octave to his voice, he knows it’s not wise to leave tim, of all people, hiding something. especially not moments before patrol.

the boy just shrugs, shaking his head, “nothing important,” he lies, “err… bludhaven stuff.” dick blanches, gesturing in a “what the hell?” manner and cassandra inclines her head. bruce sends in the file, before turning around with the slightest frown to his face. if you have something unimportant to say, the unsaid message floats through the room, say it now, before patrol.

before tim can though, dick gets to it first, a hand to his head in perplexed motion; “you know how you told us to check in on (name)?”.

bruce responds plainly, “i asked tim.” dick’s lip turns downwards just a hint as he lets his arm down, “i’m getting to that.”

“(name) didn’t respond to his,” dick jabbed a thumb in tim’s direction, “message, so i tried. won’t answer mine either.”

“so, you don’t know where they are?” bruce finishes for him, a hand yo his chin in thought, “it’s fine, tim, dick, i’ll see to it later. carry on with patrol, and if you have the chance to, look for robin and tell him to return to the cave.”

it’s funny to dick how easily he slips between proper names and aliases, even if the surroundings are occupied only by associates. paranoid, he thinks, uselessly so. cassandra clears her throat, causing everyone to turn to her, glance in her general direction since she's so well hidden.

she points at the screen, the file sent to a contact with the police department’s logo as its profile picture. her voice is soft, but holds a small, uneasy reluctance to it.

“(name) was here.”

oh.

oh?

INTERACTIONS, REBLOGS AND ASKS VV APPRECIATED!!

- woah. re-written entry?? whatever for?? i overestimated myself.. got carried away and derived way off my ideas.

i have plenty things to add and a hollow head full of things to talk about which ill eventually get onto depending on everything. don’t take my characteristics VERY seriously and dont shy away from feedback.

thank you for reading!

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[lostintransist]

The Boys' Home | Part 7

Part 1 | AO3

“Fucking ninjas make more noise, Simon!” It was a screechy sort of volume that escaped you.

Sweeping your gaze over the windows you find him, eyes and up peering in the window above the sink.

“Must not be good ninja’s then.” He lifted a nonchalant brow.

Your eyes drift shut as your lips purse and hands settle on your hips. One deep, slow breath, and you are ready to try again. Simon does not deserve your anger fueled by your children. Opening your eyes you find his already on you.

“What can I do for you?”

The tips of his ears draw your attention with their chameleon-like change. His fair skin shows off embarrassment exceptionally well.

His words were swallowed by the siding. Blinking a few times at him you made a choice.

“I didn’t understand a damn word of that, come in through the back door. I’m putting groceries away.” Turning back to doing that you let him decide how important whatever drew him to you is.

The backdoor creaks as it opens. Glancing over you see Simon shifting it back and forth, assessing. Opening the cabinet you pull everything off the bottom shelf to put your new cans of beans at the back. Now empty you grab the new cans. Simon speaks as your back is to him.

“Why do you have five jars of peanut butter?”

God setting your bed on fire would not have got you moving so fast. Spinning away from the table you cross the space in two steps.

“Don’t touch those!” You grab his hand in both of yours before it touches the jar labeled SETH in your neatest handwriting.

Simon’s eyes narrow and while you feel the barest prickles of unease you squeeze his hand the tiniest bit harder.

“Can I ask you to trust me on this?” You straighten up, pulling your lips between your teeth.

“No.”

With a sigh, you lean back against the counter. Noticing you still have his hand in yours you release him. Folding your arms, to keep them from touching him again, to give them something to do you explain.

“I don’t know which one of them started it and which ones of them have done it but it is possible that the boys all stuck their dicks in their jars of peanut butter.”

Simon sent you the most concerned/confused look you had ever seen on a grown man’s face.

“I don’t understand it, but something about growing up in a healthy and not abusive environment means kids, boys, do weird things.”

The look you share speaks to a level of understanding that you hate that you have. As nice as it is to connect with other children that made it made it to adulthood, it hurts to know that pain built them like it did you.

Unfolding your arms you brush them down your overalls and stand upright. Looking up at him you catch the movement of the hand you had grabbed being shoved in his pocket.

“You didn’t come by to discuss my boys’ odd habits. Did you need something or did you come by for a chat?”

“Uh..no.”

Eyebrows lifting you slid your hands into your back pockets. Simon seemed like one to wait out if you wanted answers. The slamming of a door upstairs and feet tromping down the steps set a rigid shape across his shoulders.

“It’s Seth.” When Simon glanced at you, face emotionless you continued, “My oldest. He’s eleven and loud.”

“Mom! I’m going to the Fishers!”

“Dinner is at six!” You cup your hands and shout back knowing he is likely to slam the door before you finish.

“You let them out alone?” Simon doesn’t sound like he is judging but you give a bit more of an explanation than he was owed.

“My boys know the rules of safety, and everyone around here knows they are mine. As much as I would love to sock some of the old biddies square in the nose I know they would go toe to toe with a bear for my kids. Sam and Darren are wandering the woods currently probably bringing me back a collection of rocks. Reggie is playing video games with a friend of his who moved a few months back, they have a regularly scheduled video call.” You spin around and angrily start stacking everything back in the cabinet. “I know my boys. Every one of them has experienced awful things and knows the rules we set out together are to keep them safe. They don’t stray from those, just the common sense ones like sticking their dicks in peanut butter.”

Simon shifts behind you, his hand appearing with a can. Looking from his peace offering of peas to his face you can’t glean much. He keeps his silence until the only thing left from your grocery trip is a pile of plastic bags on the table. Scooping them up in your arms you head to the door for the basement that sat opposite the back door. A five-gallon bucket with a large hole cut in the center of the lid sat on the top step. You shove the bags in with their brethren and leave them for the demons that haunt the darkness beyond. Basements were scary.

Shutting the door firmly, because if you didn’t it would spring open at the worst times, you turn back to Simon.

He is standing in the middle of your kitchen, boots spread wide nearly touching the fridge, and the toe kick at the same time. Shoulders and curled forward, fists shoved in his pockets.

“I didn’t mean to offend with my question. I know that the world isn’t as safe as when I was a kid.” He glances up at you and then back to the peeling linoleum.

Pushing a breath out through your nose you rub the back of your neck. Seems you might have overreacted. That tends to happen about your boys.

“Apology accepted. You’re new here and I shouldn’t have assumed anything by the question.”

He let out a near-silent breath as his shoulders descended from his ears. Where others would have fidgeted Simon stilled.

“I came by to ask for more of that sweet tea you gave us last time we were over.”

The smile that blooms over your cheeks sends color straight back to the tips of his ears.

“Happy to help. I’m out currently, so why don’t I teach you how to make it and we can sit on the porch while it cools?”

Simon’s single nod carries a lot of weight. Pulling out a saucepan you start explaining every step of making a simple syrup and how long the tea bags would need to steep.

“Now understand if you tell any of the ladies in town how long I steep my bags I will feed you to the basement demons. Steeping time is highly contentious around these parts and I will not be defending my timing choices.” You point at him sternly as you stir the sugar water.

Since he could reach you set him in charge of opening the tea bags and pulling your pitcher down from the highest shelf. Simon’s lips twitched as if he fought a smile. Then nodded all the same.

When all the sugar has completely dissolved you transfer it to the pitcher and add water from the tap until you are pleased with the height. Simon then adds what he deems to be a ‘ridiculous amount of bags’.

“You wanted to know,” you shrugged one shoulder as you settled the tea in the fridge. “Can’t be upset at the knowledge you asked for.”

Once the door sealed shut you paused, handle still in your hand, “Well I guess you can be but that would make you ungrateful.”

Turning with a smile you invite Simon to follow you to the porch. Despite the seating options, you find yourself tucked in close to him on the porch swing. This time you don’t need to ask him before the gentle movement starts.

“You got any family, Simon?” The bunch of his muscles under his jeans is what you watch as you wait for an answer.

It’s a long time coming. The swing never changes tempo.

“Not…anymore.”

A glance at his face, the tears simmering at the corners of his eyes tells you everything you need to know about the answer as a stranger.

“Losing people is hard. The time doesn’t make the hurt less, only that we think of it less.” Patting his leg twice you search for a happier topic and find one that Reggie had stumped you with. “If you could go to any planet and explore which would you choose?”

The time it takes him to answer has you glancing at him.

“It’s Uranus, isn’t it? You an ass man, Simon?”

Creaky laughter bubbles out of him like he hadn’t laughed that hard in too many years to count.

“While I might be an ass man,” he wiped his face, chuckles of laughter still burbling out of him, “I would have to say Saturn. Those rings must be a sight.”

“Interesting. I want to visit Jupiter.”

He glances down at you.

“Well I would have said Pluto but my kids like to remind me that it isn’t a planet anymore.”

There went the unused laughter again, music to your ears. He stayed chatting with you until the tea was ready. Simon didn’t object when you used his knee to stand. The almost smile you got when you presented him with the largest glass you could tell you so much about this man.

Settling back into the swing, that Simon paused for you to sit, you enjoy the silence with him.

“Feel free to come use the porch swing any time you need. Alright?”

He grunts once in reply. The quiet lasts until it’s time to start dinner and you leave him to enjoy the serenity you fought so hard to build.

Boys Masterlist | Masterlist

@leahnicole1219 @harperstyles @sigynxlokiwifelover @fluffysmiko @lily-bug3 @demothers-empty-blog @literallegendicon @littlelovebug98

[multifandumbmeg]

Anthony Lockwood is an emotional chameleon. He changes how he interacts with people to be what they want and need.

Think about how he acts with George. They bicker, they insult each other, they're not touchy-feely, but they get each other. They care about each other. Lockwood treats him like this because that's what George likes: blunt, to the point, back-and-forth banter and sarcasm. He doesn't treat George's neurodivergence or eccentricities as a fault like others, he casually accepts or even lauds them. He's the hands-off but there when you need him friend George needed.

Think about how he treats Lucy. She doesn't realize this is why, which is the cause of much of her internal fury, but he tries to be what she seems to want. Lockwood gives Lucy a huge amount of freedom, doesn't push her to open up, celebrates and accepts her gifts at face value (especially in the books) but in the show when she makes clear what she doesn't want, he apologizes and changes course. He becomes comfortable with her quickly and doesn't treat her differently because she's a girl- he knows she can handle herself and she's just another member of the household, no judgement for being messy or lazy or looking wrecked like the rest of them. He knows that she is closed off and resentful when people pity her or acknowledge her pain, so he shows his affection in subtler ways, like making her toast and tea. Giving her precious things that are part of his past as a show of trust and attempt at vulnerability. Frequently praising her, but only when she truly deserves it, because she wouldn't accept it otherwise. Constantly showing her how much her life is worth to him, no matter how much it drives her crazy. His relationship with Lucy changes as his romantic feelings for her grow, and it gets harder for him to mask how he actually feels and wants to act.

Now here's the controversial one: Lockwood does not show Holly favoritism, nor is a malicious, manipulative monster pitting two women against each other. Every single thing about how Lockwood treats Holly differently can be attributed to him knowing her past and trying to be what she needs. He is helping her. Lucy's internal monologue of intense jealousy is a matter of insecurity. She sees Lockwood's gentleness with Holly as him seeing her as a "real girl" and Lucy herself as "just one of the guys" - read, not a romantic prospect. But Lockwood makes it clear who he favors soon enough: when Lucy decides to leave, he offers to fire Holly immediately because he knows of their feud. It is Lucy he can't live without. Lockwood is, in a word, polite to Holly. He is kind and friendly towards her because her previous boss abused her, and she is traumatized in a fundamentally different way than Lucy. Whereas Lucy hardened but sees the agent life as all she can do, all she is worth, Holly is paralyzingly traumatized by agent work. Which is exactly why he takes her out on cases slowly, watches out for her, and does everything he can to rebuild her confidence. He gets onto to Lucy rather than Holly because 1) Lucy became hostile immediately and fully started their conflict, 2) as mentioned before, Holly is traumatized by an abusive, toxic prior work environment. He's trying to make her feel safe here, and 3) He's completely unaware of how Lucy sees this behavior as a personal slight because he fully respects Lucy as an equal, which he thinks is a compliment.

Also, I think George sees Lockwood's ever-changing personality as completely par for the course. As a fellow neurodivergent, he thinks this parade of masks is how everyone interacts, Lockwood's just good at it.

In conclusion, Lockwood is simply a kind kid with pretty damn high emotional intelligence, which is frankly remarkable considering how alone he's been. Anthony Lockwood tries to be whatever anyone else needs, because there was no one to be it for him.

[weirdmorefics]

Hello, hope your doing well. Could you do a Anthony Bridgerton x wife!reader and she gets overwhelmed at a ball which makes her she zones in/out and Anthony plus the family are really worried because they’ve never seen her like this before? Have a good day/night 💙

A/N- I am doing okay just turned 21 woot. (even tho I hate birthdays because they equal change.)

Pronouns- She/Her

Warnings- Anxiety, Shutdowns, Dissociation,

Word Count- 825

Summary- Basically what the ask says

Life Preserver

This ball was particularly loud and crowded, I don't think I had ever seen so many people in my life before let alone all in the same room. Every noise felt weighted I could hear the clink of every dish, the misstep of every dance, the clink of every heeled shoe. I wonder if this is a normal event for Anthony. I grew up in a small village and only came to London for my introduction to society. I can't say I am used to events like this but it certainly did not seem so crowded at my coming out.

Anthony had been coming and going conversing with others. I felt much like the odd one out. Yes, I wore the clothes and I am married to a wonderful man but I still feel like that country girl who shouldn't be here, especially with this huge crowd. I fiddled with the seams of my gown and searched the crowd for any of the Bridgertons but they all seemed involved in one activity or another. I lingered by the table of pastries and cakes as if I could blend into the wall behind them like a chameleon.

Others tried to introduce themselves to me because I was now a Bridgerton. I had never had a status like this before I was a nobody in my town. Yes, I love Anthony but I do not love the popularity that comes with being his wife. I would respond with a smile that did not meet my eyes and a handshake. It felt like Anthony had left me for hours but I think reality it was only a few minutes.

Anthony arrived back with his mother and sister Daphne. I felt relieved to see their familiar faces but I still felt like was not in my own body.

Anthony looked concerned at my vacant eyes and put a hand to my shoulder, "Are you okay darling?"

I smile and tilt my head to try to act oblivious like I am strong like I should be, "I am fine."

My husband clearly sees through my ruse because concern seems to grow even more and his sister furrowed her eyebrows.

"You don't seem like yourself Y/n," Daphne says her tone full of worry.

I blink my eyes tight trying to come up with a convincing lie but nothing seems to come to mind. I feel so far away like my mind is off swimming in the Atlantic but my physical body is stuck here at a ball. A normal ball! Why can't I just be normal or at least act normal? If not for me at least for my darling Anthony.

Anthony taps my shoulder breaking me from my intense thought spiral. I finally make eye contact with Anthony, and his eyes look full of worry, making me feel even worse for interrupting the festivities.

He wraps his arm around my waist, "I think she needs some air. If you will excuse us." He does not wait for any response and guides me to the garden.

Once the cold night air hits my face, I feel like I can finally breathe even though I wasn't holding my breath to begin with.

"Darling, what is the matter? Are you ill?" Anthony grabs my face and presses his lips to my forehead, "no fever."

I suck my bottom lip trying to prevent the tears that I know are coming soon.

" I am fine Anthony. I am so sorry for worrying you so much," I try to wave him off.

"There is no way you could convince me you are well Y/n. I have never seen your eyes so vacant before," before I can look sad about that comment he quickly grabs my hands and holds them tightly. "You are always so full of life your eyes are like looking into the sun, they are my favorite thing about you! We will not be leaving this garden until you tell me what is wrong."

I sigh, I can't avoid not telling him my feelings because he truly will stay here all night his stubbornness is admirable but also utterly a nuisance. "I am just not used to events like this… I don't think I have ever seen so many people in one room. I-I really did not want to disappoint you. I truly tried my best but I felt like I was drowning."

Anthony brushes my cheek with his hand, "Darling I wish you would have told me. You could never disappoint me you are always my life preserver from my disobeying siblings to calming me from my anger. Let me be your life preserver to your drowning seas."

The tears that I have been holding in finally come out as I take a deep breath, " I will let you be my life preserver if I will always still be yours."

"Always," he smiles and places a chaste kiss on my lips.

[rwrbmovie]

BTS of #RWRBMovie: 'z' in your last name

TZP via HOLA:

Clifton Collins Jr., who plays my father in the film, was amazing. I knew of him. I’d seen his projects, but we’d never crossed paths before. And then we met and we just got along, thick as thieves. And he’s like an OG Mexican from Los Angeles which was so colorful. He made it feel like there was family on set. Same with Matthew being Puerto Rican. Their influences help you get into that vibe, and then you do the scene and it’s wonderful. You really bring that accuracy to it.

There’s a line in the film when Alex and Henry are in Paris, and Henry asks him a question about his mom’s campaign, and Alex starts telling him about his father and his abuela coming to the States. The line is something like “If you’re an immigrant in America and you have a ‘Z’ in your last name, there’s a lot of people in positions of power that don’t look and sound like you. I’ve been given the opportunity to be someone in the world that my father didn’t see when he was growing up.” As someone with two ‘Zs’ in his last name (laughs), that was a tough scene for me because I had to be there as Alex and not as Taylor. It was very emotional to think of my family and what they went through to come to the United States. Even though they came here a long time ago, you still think about all of the people that are coming to America today and about all of their stories. Alex realizes that his father didn’t have any role models growing up and now he’s a congressman. That fuels his fire to be the change. That was so exciting for me.

From NYT:

For both Zakhar Perez and the director, the character Alex’s biracial identity was particularly meaningful. López grew up in Panama City, Fla., with his Puerto Rican father and Polish Russian mother, while Zakhar Perez is of Mexican, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean descent and was raised in northwest Indiana, where he said there was only one other Mexican family. “Matthew and I talked a lot about the mestizo journey,” Zakhar Perez said in a video call before SAG-AFTRA, the actor’s union, went on strike. “Being part Mexican, part lots of other things, I don’t want to say you’re forgotten, but in today’s world, it’s like, you’re either this or you’re that. There’s nothing in between. I’m kind of a cultural chameleon.” “As a young Latiné queer man, I never read something that centered someone like Alex,” López said, echoing his star. “If I had been presented with this character when I was in my late teens, early 20s, it may have changed how I thought about myself.”

From Windy City Times:

Was the part about having a Z in your last name personal or the book? ML: It was personal. That was about me and Taylor. It came from a conversation that Taylor and I had when making the film.

From Metro Weekly:

Alex has a line about grow ing up in Texas as a kid with a last name that ends with Z, which is I guess something else you can relate to, Florida style. ML: And Taylor Zakhar Perez also. Taylor and I talked about that scene a lot as being something that we both understood. My aunt Priscilla Lopez is a beloved, beloved stage actor. She was in the original cast of A Chorus Line. And there's a story that she tells about Mandy Gonzalez, who was in In the Heights with her, and Mandy once told Priscilla that Priscilla made it okay for her to be someone with a Z in her last name. And that was a thing that Taylor and I spent a lot of time discussing as well. It was important to me that that scene be in the movie. There was never a chance in hell that that scene was ever getting cut.

From Teen Vogue:

TV: One of my favorite parts is when they’re in Paris, and Alex talks about being a young person of color coming up from Texas and not seeing anybody who looked like himself or his dad in politics, and Henry’s response to that simply being: “I’m learning.” I don’t know if you were in the theater for that one, but half the crowd was like, awwwww. ML: Yeah, I was for that. TV: I’m married to a white man, and I was like, that is the perfect thing a white man can say in that situation. ML: I’m married to a white man, too. Speaking as someone who is a person of color married to a white man: that’s like the ultimate thing you ever want your white boyfriend or husband or partner to say. That’s it. “I’m learning.”

ML via THR:

There’s a scene in the movie that is very much me, which I gave Taylor after they’ve had sex for the first time. They’re there in pillow talk mode, and he tells Henry about what it’s like to be the son of an immigrant with a Z in your last name. It was really important to me to talk about growing up with a Z in your last name and even just how our names are pronounced, the spellings of our names sometimes if you have Latin ancestry. To have to answer for your name has always been something for me that I struggled with until I stopped struggling with it. So, I needed to put that into Alex’s story and when it came time to shoot that scene again, it was something I didn’t have to explain to Taylor Zakhar Perez. He got it instantly. The only thing that I did screw him up with is like, “We’re going to do this [scene] as a oner, and we’re going to do it as a top shot that starts in a wide shot and comes all the way down to your face, and we’re not going to leave this scene until you get it right in one.”

[joellalovestoread]

hi! my name is joella and I am what some may call, ✨the girl of many books✨

let’s get straight gay to the point! My ever growing list of fandoms:

~Riordanverse

~Artemis fowl

~Keeper of the Lost Cities

~The Owl House

~Sonic the Hedgehog

~The Secret Series

~Cookie Run Kingdom

~Ena ~Hamilton

~Heathers

~Ride the Cyclone

~Falsettos

~Various Webtoons (school bus graveyard, Jackson’s diary, heartstopper, etc)

i have quite a few hobbies. I love dancing, practicing French playing my clarinet, and of course, reading!

Check out my strawpage!: artem1s-obsesses's strawpage

All are welcome here except for basic dni and the opps! (you know who you are.)

extras:

chocolate ship cookies 🍪

pjo, hoo, toa~percabeth, frazel, caleo or valgrace (idrk), solangelo

mcga~fierrochase (otp 💗)

tkc~ zarter (what do I call that ship????) idk wtf Sadie is doing but it’s kinda strange to me.

af~ alexmis

kotlc~ Sokeefe my beloved, tiana or Dexiana is fine by me. Fitz can go do what he wants. I ship Alvar with...any man

toh~ LUMITY, whatever we’re calling hunter X willow

sth~ SONADOW, ESPILVER, KNUXOUGE (ALL OTP’S I LOVE THEM SM) metamy or blazamy idc either way!!

saiki k~ idk about the others but he’s aroace change my mind

crk~ lemme hit you with that SAPPHIREBELL and that VANILLA MILKSHAKE! and y’all know i multi ship. Pure lily 💗

fav characters:

pjo, hoo, toa~ NICO, LEO, WILL

mcga~ ALEX NO QUESTION

tkc~ Carter my babyyyy

af~ ARTY!!!! (Hope you don’t mind if I throw some fowl twins at you) LAZULI. LAZULI HEITZ I AM ON ONE KNEE, PLEASE MARRY ME

kotlc~ TAM SONG MY BELOVED and KEEFE.

toh~ HUNTER MY TRAUMA FILLED SON

sth~ these are my top five ranked: 1. SILVER THE HEDGEHOG 2. SHADOW THE HEDGEHOG 3.ESPIO THE CHAMELEON 4. ROUGE THE BAT 5. CHARMY BEE

Crk~ SHADOW MILK and BLACK SAPPHIRE and CANDY APPLE just the DECEIT TRIO IN GENERAL!!! CARAMEL ARROW COOKIE AFFOGATO COOKIE ETERNAL SUGAR COOKIE THERE ARE SO MANY HOW TO LIST ALL

Ena~ coral glasses

[sugudoe]

may i have a matchmake perhaps :3

so i’m 5’2 not that that’s important but i think it’s silly. i’m pretty high energy and get excited pretty easily. i love love love naps, like im taking at LEAST one a day. i make jewelry and draw in my free time, kinda hard headed icl, but i try to see ppls povs no matter the situation. ummm i went to cosmetology school for hair :3 IDK WHAT ELSE TO SAY HSSHFKGLP

hi, angel! you seem adorable, i hope you like this, but if there is anything (even the pair) you want to change, please send an ask again, I won’t mind!

✶ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠: yuuji and geto.

ps: this are different relationships, not a throuple.

For starters, Itadori Yuuji would be a good match to your whole self, I fully believe (let’s discard his taste for tall women, tho.) he would be mesmerized and able to match your freak energy spikes.

Like let’s say you decide to wake up at three am to bake some pancakes, wether your know or not how to, you feel the strong need and capability to do so. Yuuji wakes up the moment he feel your warm missing from the bed, he groggily goes behind, not noticing the scent of cinnamon and fried or burned pancakes, and he just sits down on the dining table and keeps you company with random talk, slowly his sleep goes away and he follows your lead — you soon learn he can be a terrible baker. But, oh well, now you have dozens of pancakes and a huge hungry boyfriend to help eating them, burned or not.

You love your naps, Yuuji loves movies. Any other person would be annoyed that you use every spare moment to sleep, but the boy loves that he can see anything with his little angel company using him as a pillow — is his badge of honor. In daily situations, any spare moment you have you go to sleep, even if Yuuji is over, your boyfriend keeps doing his own things, at first…Because, once, he admired how cute and comfortable you were sleeping with dozens of pillows and a fluffy blanket, the sky was pouring and suddenly, Yuuji yawned. He scooped you over in his arms and started to cuddle you only to fall asleep later. So now, if he feels like it or he catches you drooling during a movie, chances are he is going to rest his head on yours and sleep as well.

Itadori would never impose his hobbies and mannerisms on you, but he is a chameleon boyfriend, your hobbies are also his hobbies. So when he noticed your very unique jewelry, and you mentioning that you are the one that does them, he was wonderstruck by your talent and begged for you to make him some or teach him! Whatever you gift for Itadori, which consists mostly of bracelets and a special necklace, he wears happily. Waving them in front of anyone, just for them to ask about it and he proudly says his partner made.

Some date nights consist of you two just hanging out in your bedroom, making matching jewelry.

When you first told Yuuji that you went to cosmetology school, his first reaction was to say “That’s awesome! Like Frenchie, from Grease, right?”, his second reaction was to ask to become your lab rat. This man trusts you with anything, that’s a fact, and it does not hurt him that his partner can take care of him so well.

So yeah, I’m sorry sweetie, but this boy is begging for skin care treatment every saturday, colorful masks on your faces while you both watch movies and sip beverages from cute straws with matching pajamas.

Although, I think his favorite thing is the hair care part — Yuuji is very know for his pink hair, you love it lots and lots, and so does he, but my god isn’t change the most amazing thing ever? At first, you refused to do anything to his hair, until he begged you for a buzz cut and weeks later to dye the black parts pink and more two weeks, draw some strawberries on the top. Since then, sometimes, when you two are bored and his hair has been growing for some time, Yuuji and you come up with a new art for him, always at the palete of pink — but Yuuji secretly hopes one day you’ll let him dye it white or blue.

In summary, your relationship can be categorized as: your loving boyfriend who adorably thinks you are the most talented person in this world. For Yuuji, there is no one like you, and he is tremendously proud to call you his.

────〃✿ FUN FACTS.

◛ ₊· Sukuna is not mentioned because Yuuji does not let him come out when you are near, he gets more willpower if you are in proximity, but if he has to swallow any finger, he does not do with you on the school grounds.

◛ ₊· When Yuuji first met you, he revalued his whole tall girl taste, is not that he started to like short people, he just liked you.

◛ ₊· Yuuji is a nickname person, yours are princess/prince, angel and when he wants to do his hair, frenchie. But he doesn’t mind any nickname for him, call him baby or Yuujiiii, he melts right away.

◛ ₊· Yuuji special necklace made by you is a locket that contains a photo of the two of you on your first date as an official couple. He plans on showing and giving to your kids one day.

──── ✿ ──── ✿ ──── ✿ ────

Your second match is Geto Suguru, also know as energetic people trainer — you and Gojo his most prominent works.

With you, though, he obviously has a soft spot. Basically, is a little secret of his, but if Geto gets a chance to make you become bouncy and happy and talk his ear off about anything, he will do. Suguru wants to be your go to person to be yourself with those spikes of energy, cute right?

So let’s say you have been into a new book, you’re only reading the first one of the incomplete series and you are hooked already. Every chance you have, there you are, talking about it with Geto even if he has no idea what’s going on, he listens because it’s you — Suguru loves your voice. You explain the plot and the theories you have read on tumblr, you even give him spoilers (he doesn’t mind).

“So,” Geto asks when you stop rambling. “when are you reading the next one?”

You answer right away that the second book is taking a long time to be released, you reached the author via email at two in the morning once, asking about it, and he was rude.

Your boyfriend did not liked that, so he did his boyfriends duties — a week later, the trembling author appears on their social media giving the date of the book release, but you don’t have to worry about that, your boyfriend already got you one, with a beautiful designed cover for you and his dedication of love on the first page.

As a way to forever thank him, you spoil your boyfriend with a large amount of earrings and one ring. If Geto could, he would wear all of them at once but since he has only two piercings, he asks you to pierce some more. Whenever he has his hair up, his ears are shinning with intricate jewelry. In his hand, though, is the most detailed ring matching one of your own. He loves it, is a secret plan he has with himself to one day change it for a engagement one, but he would still wear this made by you everyday.

When you first met Geto, his hair was down and dried, like he washed it with dish soap. When the two of you started going out, not yet a couple, you grabbed his hand and brought him to your bathroom, using your expensive’s hair care product, bringing shine and silk texture to his long locks.

It was a pretty good looking mistake, honey. The man learned that day how much he loves his hair, and since he is not bothered enough to go buy his own shampoo and conditioner, yours is going to end a lot quicker. You get upset, and mad, and he laughs sweetly before presenting you with a large basket with many other products, some even better than the ones you have.

It’s not for only you, unfortunately, Geto loves the feeling of your hands on his scalp.

Geto also loves your hands on his when you randomly get energy to paint his nails. You don’t notice how automatic it is for you to caress his knuckles and hold him so dearly, it makes him feel so loved, this little care you have for him. He is adamant that his nails is always black, but if you pout long enough, and it’s the weekend, you can choose any color you want. By sunday he will be removing and asking for his black back.

Suguru and yours relationship is the one where he does anything for you, he enable your tastes, folds backwards if you ask. This man has no one else he loves more dearly. Sure, he can be a lot from time to time, but you wouldn’t have any other way, and neither does he.

────〃✿ FUN FACTS.

◛ ₊· When Geto asked you out, you told him you thought he was already in a relationship. He assumed you meant with Shoko, and while he was explaining it to you, you told him you thought it was with Gojo — he was disgusted.

◛ ₊· Gojo and you are good friends, he also shares your energetic nature, and that’s a nightmare for your boyfriend. He can handle you, he loves you! But Gojo and you together deciding to do a run for every store in tokyo to shopping from 8am till 8pm? Nah, he can’t handle it.

◛ ₊· It is a pretty common sight to have Geto grabbing your jacket or shirt to move you away from Gojo when it becomes too much.

◛ ₊· Once, he forgot to remove his pink nail polish with intricate girly drawings you made — principal Yaga was the one to notice.

◛ ₊· You are the only person allowed to touch his hair. Once you were obsessed with Hunger Games, and both of you watched all the movies with matching braids.

◛ ₊· As any other guy that loves to annoy their partners, Suguru uses your head as an arm rest, he loves it. If Gojo does the same, he beats his friend.

[fairytypingg]

fuck it we're doing this

RAGEON HCS!!!!!

Velvet;

19

leo(i think thats what i am, idk a lot abt astrology)

7 minutes older and takes it way too seriously

overplans for everything

screams cries crumbles if she doesn't have 100% control over any situation

plays a lot into appearances but is actually a chronic workaholic(gets it from her uncle)

she and veneer were raaised by their uncle actually!!

velvet has a love hate relationship with the music industry, before and after the events of the movie

TRUST. ISSUES.

cannot ever talk about her feelings she'll explode

bottles everything up like im so serious

"i'll keep all my emotions right here. and then one day, i'll die."

she vents frustration by talking mad shit in cs:go lobbies

she's really good at the game

scary good aim because of it, and that DOES transfer to real life

has 97 mental illnesses and is banned from most public spaces/ref

"i inhereted severe generational trauma and all i got was borderline personality disorder"

someone help her

she needs therapy

also autistic <3

Veneer;

19

also a leo

7 minutes younger but only remembers bcs velvet will not let him forget

he seems chill in comparison because velvet is so high strung but he is the most dramatic bitch ever

says really out of pocket shit without thinking

"yeah that's why your parents dont call you then haha- what why are you looking at me like that what did i say"

he's the epitome of unmedicated adhd

probably needs glasses

the only one of the twins with a drivers license

was very outgoing growing up because velvet hated talking to people, so someone had to do it

doesn't rly understand velvet being depressed and thinks shes a drama queen like him

"im tragically doomed by the narrative" "drink water dumbass"

hes morosexual

"if a man can locate mount rageous on a map that man is not my type"

dumb fucking ass

love him, hes just kinda stupid.

Kid Ritz:

20

idk any other zodiac signs use ur imagination

every personality disorder you can think of

emotional manipulation is a sport and he is bringing home the gold

whats wrong with him

the answer is mommy issues. and rampant childhood neglect. also when you're raised as rich as he was you're gonna come out weird

struggled to understand the concept of lying as a child so when be finally got it he retaliated by lying for sport and then never stopped doing that

prefers machines to people

hes one of those "there is a minimum iq requirement to talk to me" guys

not just a talk show host!!

he's well trained to take over his father's political position when the old man retires

current director of public security

he's known as a purveyor of gossip for a reason

the saying goes that nothing happens in the city without his knowledge

hyperintelligent

like genius iq, reading at a college level by age 5, etc

actual child prodigy in every conceivable way

notorious for being "perfect"

he's the face of Ritzworth Media Corp for a reason

evil genius

also lonely

his father is grossly neglectful and his mother is a deadbeat

did i mention he has mommy issues

never met his mom and has devoted a lot of his energy to forming an intelligence network dedicated to finding her

hates people

like very antisocial

struggles HEAVILY with empathy

his interviews are notoriously difficult since he entertains himself by making his interviewees squirm

casual sadist in every conceivable way

What's Wrong With Him/aff

Orchid;

18

use ur imagination again im not gonna look it up

rebelling against common characterization here stay with me

secretive about her past but obviously hiding something

a chameleon type of person, can change her behavior, mannerisms, and even accent at the drop of a hat

carries a deep grief with her

distrusting and calculating

she'll "befriend" you but it takes a lot of effort to actually gain her trust

she WILL discard you if she's even slightly suspicious

nobody is sure what her goal is, but she has an agenda

orchid might not be her real name either

very mysterious

generally presents as kind and friendly but it's noticibly fake

cannot stress how much she is hiding something

capable of murder and not afraid to resort to such to protect her secret

dont look in her closet

she has participated in her fair share of underage drinking and can hold her liquor pretty well, but if you manage to get her drunk enough you may be able to pry some answers out of her

has a distaste for celebrities she doesn't see as beneficial to know

gives like. really good advice

identity issues <3

the song Phony is perfect for her

she moves as if she's used to her hair being longer than it is

what is she hiding?

[hollowed-theory-hall]

Have you ever seen the SuperCarlinBrothers series on what if Harry had been in Slytherin?

Got any thoughts on if differing house would have changed anything in an interesting way?

I did listen to it a while ago (I put their videos as podcasts sometimes while I'm drawing or doing something else), and I agree with some of them and disagree with other parts.

The first year is probably the one I agree with them most on and the further in the story we go the more our visions diverge. Obviously, this is a what-if scenario and therefore almost entirely made up of speculation and headcanon, and even in my own mind I don't have a single true version of how it'll go since there are tons of potential variations and many fics about this.

If there's interest I could write, like, an outline of what if Harry got sorted into Slytherin fic I'd probably never write, but there are a lot of variations in this what-if and it's going to need to be split into multiple posts that detail what I think is likely, what could happen and what I'd like to happen if Harry was sorted into Slytherin.

Because, like, there are so many ways this could go and still be possible. Like, this what-if is essentially 30,000 different what-ifs in a trench coat. Because like, how would Snape react? It's possible he'd be nicer to a Slytherin Harry, and then that changes book 1 quite drastically. But it's equally possible the similarity to James Potter would override that. Both are equally plausible for this what-if. And what would Dumbledore do? Would he do something at all or more likely, just watch with growing concern and hope this isn't another Tom Riddle but keep the test of book 1 going, to see what kind of person Harry is (I think the second is more likely because Dumbledore tends to hope, so he'll hope Harry is a Gryffindor deep down and Harry telling him he sees his parents in the mirror of Erised would confirm it to Dumbledore). And I wonder how kind Hagrid would be to this sorting, I mean, the fandom doesn't talk about it much, but Hagrid definitely has a favorite house considering he's the one who told Harry: "There was not a single witch or wizard who went bad who wasn't in Slytherin", so, I don't think Hagrid would be as friendly to Harry if Harry was in Slytherin, which means no Hagrid spilling info about Fluffy and the trials in book 1 (Harry would still learn all that information, but it'd be from a different source). But it's possible Hagrid would look past it since Harry is the son of James and Lily and he can't be bad.

And I think Harry will make friends within Slytherin, like, I disagree with SCB about that, I don't think all of them would be assholes. I also think Harry is more of a social chameleon than SCB gave him credit for. He acts the way we see him act because he mirrors Ron's behavior a lot of the time (especially in first year), in Slytherin, he'd try to mimic the Slytherin's behavior, so he wouldn't necessarily be that much of an outsider (he'd still have his sass, Harry should have his sass in every AU). I don't see him ever becoming a blood purist, but I can see a Slytherin Harry being a bit more aloof and carrying himself a little differently. I mentioned here, here, and here, how Harry can be colder and ruthless when push comes to shove, there's a reason the hat offered Slytherin. I do agree with SCB, that it's likely Harry would still be friends with Ron and possibly also Hermione, but even here there are different possibilities depending on what we change so Harry would get sorted into Slytherin in the first place. The story of the books could change a lot, but also barely change at all, depending on how you choose to interrupt certain characters and decisions.

The point is, there are a ton of moving parts and I don't really have a singular answer to how I think the books would go if Harry was in a different house. I have, like, this tree of possibilities.

[twentyfivemiceinatrenchcoat]

Ari I’m crawling through the desert in need of water…humbly I beg & plead for your Ken-geto twin AU headcanons 🙏🙏🙏 I think they’re the only thing that can quench my soul rn

ODI . MY BELOVED . I LOVE YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS WAHHHH pls take a seat and get ready for a long long rant……… i’ll do my best to quench your thirst 🙏🙏🙏

OKAY SO . god. where do i even begin………

basically!!!!! i’m writing a fic where kenny is. your best friend’s older brother <33333 the best friend in question being sugu!!! i still haven’t decided if they’re twins or if kenny is a couple years older…… buuuut either way i have lots n lots of thoughts abt their dynamic :33 and how the two of them treat you!!!! sugu is just…. your reliable, soft best friend, and kenny is . the way he is 😭 but anyway…..

i picture kenny as being a bitttt of a bad boy in this au?? not exactly. but like. he has a tongue piercing and moved out really early and he’s maybe a little bit twisted . cares abt suguru but can’t really show it. he’s silly and talkative but also a bit condescending…. a bit of a know it all…… i feel like he almost acts more like a father than an older brother sometimes which suguru absolutely hates 😭 there’s a lot of tension between them!!

personality wise i feel like suguru sort of . adapts to kenjaku? he’s a bit of a social chameleon. and he really doesn’t like the idea of people seeing them as similar…. so if kenny is acting more serious and pretentious, suguru acts more childish — and if kenny acts more silly then suguru takes a more responsible role . it’s like that!!! it’s weird bc i see suguru as being very sincere at heart, and kenny as being fairly insincere, but with the way they act you could get the impression that it’s the other way around. kenny doesn’t care abt how others view him, suguru very much does. but sugu has a sincerity to him that kenny kind of lacks?? ig it’s less that kenny is insincere and more that he’s just. detached. in a way.

also sidenote kinda but !!! i picture both sugu and kenny as sweater boys 😭😭 they LOVE their sweaters. i feel like kenny wears turtlenecks religiously. and sugu goes out of his way to wear more leather jackets and hoodies bc he doesn’t like when they’re wearing the same stuff LMAO…. kenny sometimes makes their outfits match just to piss him off <333

anddddd going back to the whole . brotherly rivalry stuff…… i think kenny was always a bit of a black sheep growing up . and bc of that suguru automatically became the golden child!!! sugu can be mischievous and bratty but he gets away w it bc he’s the youngest/good at hiding it…. and in front of their parents he’s always very straightlaced. it’s almost like suguru holds back just so that he won’t appear similar to his brother, which i think kenny kind of finds pathetic. there’s just soooo much to their dynamic 😭😭 they’re similar and different and just. gah. they give me a headache!!!! bc kenny is such a wildcard in the way that he acts, and suguru is so prone to changing himself depending on the situation he’s in.

but overall i just feel like kenny is pretentious and teasing…. and kinda mean . while sugu is well-behaved and calm, but a little more teasing and silly around people he’s close to….. and he’s also super kind . he’s warm!!!! and kenny is sort of cold. that’s the way i picture their dynamic. but it’s very fluid i think …. sometimes kenny acts like the oldest, sometimes the youngest LMAO

ANYWAYYYY gosh i’m already yapping so much 😭😭😭 I HOPE YOU’RE STILL HERE ODI ….. here’s another drink for you 🧋 .

now !!!! when it comes to their dynamic with you…… 👀👀 suguru is just a protective softie. he loves you so much!!! you’re his bestie!!!! and you’re the only one he ever acts bratty and pouty with…. he just feels comfortable around you :’3 so he can let his guard down and be a little silly… a little teasing….. but he’s always always always taking care of you . a warm sunflower boy <333333

then there’s kenny who . bullies you a bit 😭 JUST A BIT . bc he likes seeing your reactions <3 he’s kind of like your typical intimidating best friend’s brother…. a little scary ……. a bit of a dick….. he looks after you in his own way but . he doesn’t coddle you the way suguru does. when you’re kids he’s someone you look up to, but also someone you’re a tinyyyyy bit afraid of . but you get a crush on him anyway . and he has a soft spot for you. and then he leaves and doesn’t return until a couple years later ………. and he hasn’t really changed. but he’s less of a bully and more of a teaser. maybe a little condescending. but he’s charming, yk? alluring.

anyway as you can see i’m getting carried away LMAOO this fic is just . fluff?? kind of??? w a lot of tension 😭 you like kenny and he . well. you just don’t know what he’s thinking . he kind of sees you as a baby bird i think,,,,,,,,, and he’s . the big bad wolf. you get the vibes …….. here r some snippets of the fic just for fun!! it’s very near and dear to my heart hehe

—

—

…….. he has me in a chokehold i fear 💔

[ethereance]

Screw it. *Genderfluids your Lance* Post s8. Fix it.

Lance thought his Altean markings were cosmetic. Nothing more. Nothing less. A gift from Allura, leaving a piece of her with him, to look back and remember with fondness her company. As if he could ever forget a girl as incredible as her.

It’s not until much later he realises it’s something more. That maybe Allura gave a portion more than he expected. He stares, face to face with his mirror. Something off. Something strange. Something that grabs his attention before he really knows what he’s looking at.

His ears slowly shift back to human. But they were there long enough. He saw the Altean ears.

“Incredible,” Coran says when Lance broaches this to him, and after multiple attempts at trying at failing at repeating what happened in the mirror. At last he succeeds. “You’re shifting just like an Altean.”

“I’m not turning Altean, am I?” he panics. He’s pretty attached to being a human and all.

“Haha! Don’t be ridiculous number three, you can’t just ‘turn Altean.’ Good one! Turn Altean, he says. That’s one to remember for an open mike.” Then Coran takes one look at his genuine distress and sobers. “Rest assured, my boy, you’re one hundred percent earthling, ears and all. Allura wouldn’t change you so completely when she loved you the way you are. It just seems she passed our chameleon-like abilities over to you. I can’t say I’ve ever heard anything like this ever documented before, but Allura…”

“Has a way of accomplishing the possible,” Lance offers when Coran’s eyes grow distant, bittersweet.

“Yes,” agrees Coran. Something proud, something sombre, “That she did.”

***

Lance practices often, following Coran’s guidance. Even Romelle drops by at Coran’s request, eager to show someone the ropes.

“In the colony, we had little need to shift as our ancestors had. Our only home had been there, tucked away in a corner of the universe. We understood little of the outside world except what Lotor brought us. Even so, it was an ability we never lost. When you have mastered it, it’s like walking. It becomes natural. To some more than others,” she says, a surprisingly patient teacher. He wonders where this side of her was when she was trying to get him to teach her to pilot. “You may be the ‘others’! But that okay. My… my brother Bandor was the same.”

For such a bright supernova of a person, it is easy to forget that, like Coran, Romelle has been touched by grief. And grief again.

“You strike me as an adaptable person, pointy chin. Like rivers and oceans, it has made you you. I have full confidence in your abilities. And if Allura were here.” She smiles, and it is pain, but beauty. A flower unfurling in the wake of a storm. “I know she would say the same.”

***

He finds himself slipping into other forms like a glove. It becomes easier, a swifter motion just as Romelle had said.

It’s freeing, in a way. To walk as something so slightly adjacent to him. A Lance of another life. Altean, balmeran, olkari, puigian, anything he can think of.

He loves being Plaxum’s species the most. A mer. Beneath the waves, it feels like coming home. He’s a missile underwater, swimming loops around coral.

Dreams really do come true.

***

There’s something about transforming that pulls him that much closer to Allura. Her quintessence sings to him, and his skin dances. He feels alive as he hasn’t in a long time.

Happier maybe. Or that much closer to it.

He wishes he could take a photo of Keith the second he catches sight of Lance, a good extra foot on him, and purple as a plum.

“So this is a… thing,” says Keith eventually. And what an observation that is. Lance explains.

“Don’t let Hunk catch you like this,” is Keith’s response, a hint of tired amusement, “He’ll call you Galra Lance and never stop.”

***

It starts with him shifting into an unilu. He needs the extra hands. Lance doesn’t realise the gender he’d chosen until Coran points it out offhandedly. Now, Lance knows that not every species is going to be quite so clear cut as biologically male or female. Some have more some have less. Some won’t even know what the word gender means. He has experienced a taste of the universe. He knows how vast and diverse it is. When shapeshifting into a species like that, it makes sense his gender isn’t something he’d retain.

Female. He’d made himself into a female unilu. It was a matter of size and facial shape. Nothing too strange, no stranger than his body shifting into a skin it wasn’t born into, but noticeable enough.

And isn’t that something.

***

It’s out of curiosity he tries the same as a human. Curiosity and nothing more. Just because he can. Really. Honest.

Lance half expects his girl!sona would just be a carbon copy of Rachel with the added blue scales residing beneath his eyes. But that isn’t who he sees in the mirror.

He sees. Well, he sees himself.

Herself.

She looks, feels, kind of pretty. Which makes sense. She’s Lance. Of course she looks great. Goes without saying.

Lance’s lip twitches.

***

So. So maybe he throws on the form again. And again. And again. Maybe a little more than he does with any alien species. But can you blame him? He’s just found out he has a free trial at being a girl so quiznack if he isn’t going to try it out.

Her hair is long. Her hair is short. She pulls off both looks well, she thinks. Being a girl is kind of awesome, actually.

It’s not always the case. Sometimes it just isn’t right. But others? Sometimes he finds himself slipping into her without realising it. It’s just what feels right to her in the moment.

There’s something nice about strangers using ‘she’ and ‘her’ and they don’t know. They don’t know. Something in her bubbles, giddy, they don’t know.

But Lance’s family do. Pidge does.

They look at Lance—now once again a boy—and hum, thoughtful, considering.

“Are you are girl?” they ask. Pidge does not beat around the bush. It throws Lance through enough loops to put him in a spiral.

“No”, says Lance. But for some reason that doesn’t sound quite right. “I mean. I’m not always. But—”

“You are sometimes?”

“I guess. But it’s just shapeshifting. I’m not actually—” Lance trails off, lost. “Am I?”

“Do you want to be?” Pidge asks, and huh. Does he want to be? Is it really that simple? He’s always seen himself as a guy, and had no problems with that. But.

Well.

“… Maybe. Maybe sometimes.”

Pidge grins, wild and victorious. “Welcome to the club.”

(Something in his chest feels lighter. There’s a cavern, because it has made its mark and stayed. That has not changed. But this is this.

How wonderful it is to find the answers to secrets within oneself. He could have lived his whole life without knowing, a part locked away without him ever knowing there was a lock. But now, how could he?

It’s like he’s no longer holding in a breath.)

***

Pidge later tells him it’s criminally unfair he can change his body on a whim. They are fine with she, they are, but they are them. Sometimes she is just too much she to match their they.

Lance wonders how much Allura managed to see him. He remembers how close they became, how she became someone he’d call a best friend, then a lover. How she perceived him better than most throughout it all. Looked to him and saw greatness where he, despite wanting to be so much more, only saw failure. He wishes he knew what she saw when she looked at him. The person he was. Is. Lance.

If she knew what these markings have done for him. Did she know?

She can’t have done. Lance didn’t even know.

(But if she had—

It’s not like Lance can ask.)

***

Allura comes back.

She descends like a shooting star, the blinding light of an angel’s fall. She falls home and it is at home she stays. Days are bliss. A dream Lance dare not wake from.

“You’re not dreaming,” she tells him, soft, and kind, but aching, “I’m here. I won’t leave again. My duty to revive the universe is fulfilled. I’m here to live. And I chose to live with you.”

He kisses the words from her lips, blissfully sweet. She more than happily complies.

“I never meant to hurt you this much.”

“You’re here now,” Lance says, and it sounds so beautiful spoken out loud like this. How long he’s dreamed for such a moment. “That’s all that matters. We can move forwards together.”

This is their start.

***

It takes a while. But she tells Allura.

Allura kisses her senselessly. Lance loves it.

“Though I can’t take credit for this being my intention, I’m glad you learned more of yourself.” Allura’s fondness is an ocean she could drown in. “I love the person you are.”

“Yeah?”

Allura’s hand trails Lance’s ear. “Yes. Very much so. It’s an added bonus that I managed fix your ears. You have tried an Altean form, right?”

Lance jolts. “Allura!” she protests, a little put out. “What’s wrong with my ears?”

“Nothing,“ she says, warm and amused. “Nothing at all. I find that they have grown on me greatly. They’re cute. Just like the rest of my girlfriend.”

Oh. Girlfriend.

Her heart is full.

[fancylala4]

Honestly I am more sad and disappointed about the Ariana Grande thing(s) than anything else. Because Ariana is a celebrity that I really wish I could like. There's this TikTok where a white guy says he doesn't revel in the fact that Nicki Minaj is a bad person because he used to love her and defend her in middle school. And that's exactly how I feel about Ariana. I never "stanned" her nor was I ever a big fan of her(Melanie Martinez, Marina and the Diamonds, and Halsey were more my speed growing up), but I used to really admire her a lot for the feminist stances in her music(such as God is a Woman/Bang Bang/Don't Call Me Angel) and in real life(like that one makeup vs cell phone interview she had) and how outspoken she was about them. And also her body positivity because she was proud of her sexuality while also being very slender and not having any curves, and as someone who is also flat and curveless it made me happy to see that. But when I found out that she was a race chameleon all of that flew out the window, and now she is also an adulteress and even wrote an entire song about how she doesn't accept criticism for her actions and is proud of what she did.

Also back when I admired her for the reasons listed above i thought she was a brown Latina, meaning in addition to all of the above I embraced her as a woman of color like me. But really she's just white and racefishing. It infuriates me that people continue to give her the benefit of the doubt to this day just because they like her songs or because she has an amazingly beautiful voice, or because she has an "innocent" girl vibe(which just reeks of "white women are inherently innocent while woc aren't", because no one ever says this shit about women of color). And I hate how rancid and hostile her cult of personality is. Like seriously, girlypops. Do better. There are so many better and more talented female singers that you could be stanning instead. Just go listen to them instead of Miss Yes, And? Aside from how terribly she was treated/sexualized under D*n Schn*ider, I have no sympathy for her. 🙅🏾‍♀️

I agree with everything you said. I was a big fan of her first album and I still listen to it. But after she started to do brown face and copying other black artists songs and looks, I started to dislike her. It just reminds of those white artists like Christina and Miley who take black culture and aesthetics just to rebel against their innocence image. When they are done with that, they go back to their old image. Which is exactly what Ariana did. She has blonde hair and no tan now. Which is funny because her stans were yelling that she was dark because she’s Italian (which never made sense because she was always pale). 

The homewreaking she did was enough to turn most of the public against her and that trash ass song she wrote just shows us how vile she is. Of course her stans will defend her no matter what. They defended her when she licked those donuts and defended her changing her race every year. They will also go after anyone who is critical of her. They are just like Nicki stans.

[dragonz-r-kewl]

Oh my god, you're THE AUTHOR of that one Mastermind x Chameleon fic on ao3! I'm a huge fan of your work, but I don't have an ao3 account, plus they disabled commenting, but I just wanna say that I'm a huge fan! Keep up the good work! Also, though I've personally never really put relations on the island for Stonemover in my headcanons (makes him more sad lonely British orphan coded to me), I personally am *loving* your idea of Stonemover and Mastermind being brothers. Just a worried older brother faced with so much after they found out about his animus magic and how people on the island whispered of his future madness and how he should be avoided, and the younger, nerdier brother who never fit in due to his nerdiness, and the older just wants to look out for the younger... Though I think I recall Mastermind mentioning in your fic that they grew apart? I'm not sure how you envisioned it, but after reading your fic, I really thought about maybe Stonemover returning to the island, only to see Mastermind gaining some success and he has Farsight and Mastermind claims that they're having a dragonet, while he remains convinced that his own romance can never work out, and then that's when Stonemover decides to leave the island, because he thinks that Mastermind no longer needs him? It'll sure be a doozy if they ever reunite. Maybe they'll figure out how to use the telephone? Maybe Sunny and Starflight will suddenly find out about each other's fathers being related? Anyway, sorry for the ramble, but I think that your ideas are really cool!

FIrstly, thank you thank you thank you!! This ask made me so happy to read, I'm so glad you like my stuff!! And now I'm going to ramble back at you because this stuff has been stuck inside my head for so long and I need to get it out!

And about some of what you said-- yes, Mastermind and Stonemover do grow apart, and some of it is some kind of rivalry, but it's also kind of two sided? Like Stonemover is jealous of his brother being able to do just do all this stuff he was never particularly good at, while Mastermind is a bit jealous of Stonemover not seeming to have to try to do things for the tribe since he just has it in his talons (and also he's a bit salty about his brother breaking the laws of physics and sometimes drives himself a little bonkers trying to come up with scientific explanations for feats of animus magic), and they both don't understand why the other seems to be suffering, even though it's the same reason: ludicrous expectations and severe overwork.

Now, about Farsight and Thorn and all that, although it's definitely an interesting angle, I do personally prefer to sideline it just a bit. Like Stonemover knows his brother has a girlfriend, but not much else, and Mastermind thinks it's a bit funny that Stonemover keeps hanging out in the desert, but hey you can see the sun there, and he's not one to judge. They can freak about them both having children around the same age later when they reunite and feel bad for not paying attention to each other and their struggles more.

Oh yeah their reunion! It is, as you put it, a doozy. Provided nothing changes, it should happen in chapter twenty-one of my current longfic. [(Re)Building Bridges, the one "I had a brother once..." was impatiently spun off from.] It takes that long because Stonemover can't really use a phone from where he's stuck to the floor, and Mastermind never told anybody except for Chameleon about his dead brother, and he doesn't tell anybody else about his dead brother (at least not by name), and so nobody realises they're related until M & C end up down at JMA for plot reasons.

So yeah! Mastermind is horrified by the fact that his brother felt the need to turn himself to stone and feels terrible about it, and then he has to tell him about the RainWing experiments and his intense moral failing and every other terrible thing that happened to him after Stonemover left. Then they have a mutual moment of understanding when Stonemover explains how he was forced to do *something* bad with his animus magic (I haven't decided on what yet) that pushed him over the edge and prompted him to leave, although it's really not the same they can still sympathize. There is lots of screaming, and crying, and Mastermind is kind of mad his brother was practically left to die in a cave after doing this to himself even after others fell out because somebody needs to be, and they find a way to keep in touch and promise they won't ever fall apart or resent each other ever again.

Meanwhile everybody else, who were preoccupied in the plot reasons, is confused as all hell as to why those two (Mastermind especially) are acting that way and Chameleon is like "oh yeah that's his dead brother" and then everybody else freaks out but differently because 1. even though there's no classes right now, they had a bit of a situation going on in their school 2. two of them just got surprise cousin'd 3. oh yeah also this weird green rainwing is here too 4. they still have plot reasons to deal with and finally 5. oh moons there are way too many things going on at once!! It's a whole situation, but the brothers reunite and they stop crying eventually and it's fine. :)

So yeah thanks for the ask, I'm glad you liked my work, and sorry for rambling a poorly formatted essay at you lol. <3

[biebuli]

I think Kung Fu Panda 4 can fully utilize the Chinese story "The Orphan of Zhao" as its prototype.

"The Orphan of Zhao" is a Chinese play from the Yuan Dynasty. It tells the story of a loyal minister, Cheng Ying, who saves the last surviving member of the Zhao family after a corrupt official, Tu'an Gu, massacres the entire clan. To protect the orphan, Cheng Ying sacrifices his own son and raises the orphan as his own. The orphan grows up unaware of his true identity. When he discovers his lineage and the truth behind his family's tragedy, he seeks to avenge them and restore the honor of the Zhao family.

Well, we can create the same story.

The Chameleon and Han were once friends, both living at the bottom of society, having experienced a lot of painful things. One day, The Chameleon decided she wanted to change her circumstances. She believed that learning Kung Fu could protect herself and change others, but she was turned away. So she turned to learning illusions with the aim of taking revenge on those people. Her the best friend Han was always by her side, supporting and helping her. After The Chameleon defeated those who had mocked her, her ambition grew, and she wanted to overthrow the rulers of Junpier City. She believed all her misfortunes were due to the rule of the Fox family, and she wanted to overthrow their regime.

The original rulers of Juniper City were the Fox family. With Han's help, The Chameleon seized power and took over the position of ruler. During the massacre of the Fox family, a baby was left behind—our Zhen. Han couldn't bear to kill the child, so he secretly kept her, but The Chameleon didn't know about this.

Once in power, The Chameleon's mentality changed. She and Han had differences; Han thought everything would get better, but in reality, The Chameleon only treated Cedarburg the same way she had been treated (Who cares about your friendship? I have bigger goals!). Han's public existence was erased, and he went underground, secretly raising Zhen without ever revealing her true identity. During the upbringing, Han would occasionally hint that someone he knew well loved cape gooseberries. Zhen was very curious about what they looked like, but Han only showed her pictures, as the familiar people and things from the past were too far from him now. One day, Zhen saw the cape gooseberries on the golden tree behind The Chameleon.

Thus, Zhen was adopted by The Chameleon. The Chameleon was surprised to find a fox , as she thought the previous batch of foxes had been exterminated. However, she no longer feared the foxes. She adopted Zhen as her foster daughter, partly because she felt Zhen was like her and partly to use her as a symbol of dominance. The events that follow are well known; maybe a change could be made regarding Po passing by the Cliff Tavern. Han discovered Zhen wanted to leave and subtly asked why, deducing the matter concerning Po. His intention was to stop Po, so he established the Cliff Tavern, but unfortunately, he failed.

In the finally, Han decided to tell Zhen her true identity and how she became an orphan. Zhen was shocked and angry but also began to contemplate her complex relationship with The Chameleon. Facing the person who raised her yet was also the enemy of her family, Zhen was filled with mixed emotions. She felt both gratitude and anger, as well as hatred. In the end, Po and Han helped Zhen defeat The Chameleon. Han gathered The Chameleon's cape gooseberries as a memento. This concludes a reasonable Kung Fu Panda 4 that echoes the themes of master-disciple relationships, ethnic massacre, and the breakdown of friendships from the previous three movies.

Why I write this story, because I CAN'T STAND THE LOGIC IN KFP4.

[rta-user-2025]

How does Marcellus act towards Kiera and Catalina?

Marcellus knew the whole of Corona was having problems about becoming a victim of a crime spree. The royal guards struggle to find and capture the criminal responsible, having ex-thieves Eugene and Lance step in and use their expertise to do so, themselves. After successfully apprehending the two criminals responsible, Eugene and Lance present them before King Frederic and the Captain of the Guard. Both are shocked to see that the criminals are two children and contemplate how to punish them as they cannot imprison them. The king comes up with the idea to have Eugene and Lance take the two under their wings, and help them reform to become upstanding citizens. The girls are named Angry and Red shortly thereafter, and though Red quickly grows fond of Lance, Angry is resistant in trusting either, especially Eugene. Desperate, Eugene takes the girls to meet Rapunzel, believing she'll be able to change the two for the better, as he believes she did for him. Red quickly warms up to Rapunzel, even speaking for the first time. Though Angry silently rebukes Red's decision to let her guard down, she, too, slowly starts to enjoy the time spent with Rapunzel and her chameleon, Pascal. That night, Eugene and Angry have a serious talk about why being a thief is wrong. Angry starts to explain the situation between herself and Red that they don’t want to steal, they are just trying to run away from someone, but falls asleep before she can mention the Baron. After Eugene leaves, Angry wakes and gazes through the bedroom window into the cityscape. As she does so peacefully, she spots a familiar shadow creeping through the streets and returns inside fearfully. The next morning, Princess Rapunzel's tiara appears to be missing while Angry and Red are nowhere to be found. Thanks to Cassandra, Eugene and Lance are able to track them down, only to find that they've been captured by the Baron's men, led by Weasel. Eugene and Lance offer themselves in exchange for the girls' freedom, which Weasel accepts. The two then return to their hideout, where Angry hastily prepares to leave Corona. Red, however, believes they should return, as Eugene and Lance are the only people to have ever looked out for them. Though hesitant, Angry agrees, and they two rush back to assault Weasel and his goons, freeing Eugene and Lance in the process. Eugene then offers the girls a chance to end their lives as thieves, though they genuinely don't appear to be interested in doing so just yet. Eugene nevertheless promises to be there for them when they're ready. Back in Corona, Eugene and Lance are reprimanded by the Captain for allowing Angry and Red to leave free. Eugene also takes responsibility for their crimes, though the guards find that all the stolen riches, including Rapunzel's tiara, have been returned, much to the delight of King Frederic, who declares that Eugene has nothing to atone for. Also left behind was Red's flower, and after ensuring that the treasure was found by the guards, Angry and Red board a hay-wain leaving the kingdom, to continue their travels. The three met Marcellus when Marcus joined the trip with Rapunzel and her friends, and soon. Interacted with each other as Marcellus was still going through the Varian's villain arc. The three soon became friends and during Varian's redemption arc, the three shared some things with Marcellus more often than not became close with him even with Varian around them. Marcellus still wants to trust Varian after years but the villain arc of Varian is the problem that is unable to deal with, Marcellus isn't going to hate him just dislikes how he acted in the past when Varian was with them. He just wants to share some details about winemaking with them and Varian who is now going to be with them the whole time enjoys hearing him.

Kiera just huffily sighs at the fact Varian is still with them.

Marcellus offers her a reason to trust Varian cuz he is no longer the villain Varian from before and is not the same but at the same time, still isn't sure if Marcus can trust him yet again. As Kiera and Marcellus are sharing their beliefs on Varian. Yet, Catalina still is concerned about the boy with albinism and Varian's downfall and difficult relationship after the events of Varian's villainy.

Varian is still trying to act like how he was before his villainy.

But Marcellus will give him a nervous smile and shrug it off, pretending to just not worry too much about someone's past cuz he once saw it in the past. Catalina reassures Varian that he would have to take time to trust him again, and Varian just accepts it as Marcellus needs some time to get used to him.