#so instead of strong familiar love they went for romantic love and such

[aezuria]

Hear me out.. happy Golden Retriever bf x broody black Cat gf, but it's Jason Grace x daughter of hades reader 👀👀

*ੈ✎ light of my life, where are you?

content: jason grace x daughter of hades! reader

╰┈▸ warnings: none (until the ending oopsie)

librarian's annotations: IM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG ANON AND JUST SKIP THE ENDING IF U DONT WANT ANGST

maybe it was your gloomy disposition, or the fact that you were a daughter of hades, either way, most people avoided you like the plague. you didn't mind it all too much—you were usually one for solitude.

that was until you met jason grace. you disliked him from the start. dislike, not hate, because you couldn't bear to hate the person who always stuck up for your brother. but he was too bright, too overbearing for you. very much not your style.

(that's what they all say at the start)

he was just too good to be true! how could he be all these things everyone claimed him to be? they just had to be exaggerating.

but when he flashed his dazzling smile and tender gaze, you knew that all the rumors were true. even so, you pried your eyes away from him. you would not be wooed by a roman so easily!

jason did not make it easy for you. he followed you around camp like a lost puppy. he tried to be subtle, but his tall form wasn't exactly hard to spot. you went to your cabin? he followed you to the door, claiming he wanted to see nico. you went to the training grounds? he picked up a lance and started examining it a little too hard. when you finally confronted him about it, he just laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, saying, "i was trying to work up the courage to ask you to be friends."

how were you supposed to not like him after that?

despite your lack of romantic endeavors, you were sure that friends didn't do what jason did. he opened the door for you, made sure you ate proper meals—and sure, those acts were pretty "just friends" level. but he also tied your shoes, put flowers in your hair, and hugged you so warmly whenever you were feeling especially down. you felt the unmistakable flutter in your heart whenever he did those things, instead of your initial distaste for him.

your confusion was answered the next evening. you swore nico had muttered something about jason being the only guy (besides him) he'd trust with you, right before telling you to go into the woods. "there's a surprise there," he had explained. "just trust me, okay?"

the sun was starting to set, its rays darting between the leaves and casting a soft glow on the grass. "go to the woods... can he be any more specific?" you muttered, before you caught a familiar head of blond hair in the corner of your eye. you turned and walked towards him, brushing away the branches as you did so.

"y/n!" jason beamed as he caught sight of you entering the clearing. he straightened up and messed with something behind his back. he shifted his feet and pulled out a bouquet, offering it to you shyly. "i asked the dryads what your favorites were. do you like them? did i organize them properly? are these actually not your favorites and they were just lying to me-"

"jason." you cut him off and smiled, taking the bouquet and smelling the freshly picked flowers. "i love them, thank you."

he swore his heart stopped. your smile was the most gorgeous sight he's ever seen. you were like an angel; why was it that no one thought to make you smile more often? he met your content expression with a wide beam of his own.

"really? i'm glad!" jason sighed in relief, before clearing his throat. "um," his voice cracked, face flushing red at that. "i wanted to ask if i could be your boyfriend? i just, you're so sweet and strong, and pretty... anyone would be lucky to be yours. but, i want to be that lucky guy, if you'll let me?" he looked into your eyes so earnestly, there was no other answer but yes.

"you know i love you, right?" jason whispered into your hair. your warmth brought him comfort in his otherwise cold cabin, empty and unfeeling, just like his father's attitude to him.

"uh huh. and i love you too." you mumbled sleepily into his chest. "but do you have to go?"

he laughed softly. "yes, i do." jason combed through your hair, silk between his fingertips. "i'll be back before you know it."

"do you ever think that we don't deserve this?" you whispered, eyes already shut as sleep slowly overtook you. "that we shouldn't have to fight someone else's battles?"

"yeah." jason rested his chin on the top of your head and squeezed you tighter. "sometimes i think that too."

shadows pried your eyes open, then slipped around your heart and squeezed. he was gone. you could feel it. you knew and yet you hoped and prayed that you were wrong. he was supposed to come home later, right? he would.

but the darkness settled in your stomach and weighed you down until morning.

and so you waited and waited, for nico's familiar shadow, or a chariot riding from the sky. what came was the former. you felt the comforting coldness of your brother's appearance, but jason's warmness was nowhere to be held. nico's dark eyes were rimmed with barely kept tears, his shoulders trembling with silent sobs.

"he's gone." your brother's voice was as dead as jason, as final as his last breath.

never had you begged and pleaded to your father so much; never had you needed to. never had you imagined a life without the sun, your sun. never had the ghost of your soul escaped in a pitiful shriek of agony, or became one with the dirt as salty tears.

and you knew, just as you knew death, that a part of you had died with him.

[thegirlwhorideslikeasamurai]

On Yuuri's "top-secret" love life

I took the time to look deeper into the information YOI gives us about Yuuri's history with love and what it means for the story of YOI.

Let's start from the scene in which Viktor introduces the two Yuris to their new short programmes:

It struck me as curious that a 23-year-old has never thought about love. The average person has their first crushes in puberty, enforcing a first examination of the subject of love to some extent.

YOI portrays Yuuri as being evasive when feeling pushed or embarrassed, but when Viktor asks him whether he ever thought about love, all we get from him is this utterly clueless expression. In this context, his interpretation of Agape is very interesting:

Yuuri is projecting his own experiences with love into his interpretation of On Love: Agape and Eros. This becomes even clearer when he comments Eros with nothing but "It's a totally different song". I've discussed this in more detail here, for this discussion let it be suffice it to say that his answers reflect where he is currently at in his journey of exploring love.

Japanese language uses different words for different kinds of love. The general all-encompassing concept of love is 愛 ("ai"), the romantic/passionate love is 恋 ("koi"). These terms very roughly approximate the Greek concepts of agape and eros as they are utilised in YOI. However, YOI doesn't draw the distinction between 愛 and 恋 , but discusses love as 愛 ("ai") that entails other forms of love, including even eros せいてきな愛 ("sexual love").

Until the moment Viktor introduces both Yuris to their new short programmes, Yuuri has never wasted a thought on love. Which means:

Until the end of episode 2, Yuuri has never had romantic feelings for another person.

Why can we be so sure of that?

Even a first crush enforces an examination of love; the result of that is often very naive and immature but becomes more complex and nuanced with experience. The romantic feelings that come with a romantic crush are impossible to miss since they take over one's heart and soul like wildfire. Even if one's feelings aren't reciprocated or one decides to not act upon them, an examination of the subject "love" inevitably happens driven by heartbreak or the sentiment that it's better not to pursue this person and wanting them to be happy.

Therefore, if Yuuri had experienced such feelings before episode 2/3, he would know. And we would know, too, because it would impact his views on love, how he tackles his season's theme, and how he goes about his relationship with Viktor. Since love is a central theme in YOI, a past love, whether it had been happy, tragic, or unreciprocated, must be addressed in a way that does it justice because it would affect the entire course of Yuuri's character journey. It would require an exploration of past Yuuri either being happy with a past lover, or heartbroken because the relationship ended or because the feelings were one-sided. And this would alter his approach to his season's theme and help him figure out his feelings for Viktor because he would already be familiar with it. However, YOI does nothing like that. Instead, it introduces us to the extent of Yuuri's obsession with Viktor in a lengthy flashback, which is the start of a long-term parasocial relationship that is very gay-coded but too abstract to qualify as a romantic crush (see also here). The only flashback into one's love life in the entire anime is, of all things, about Georgi as a contrasting juxtaposition to viktuuri.

For the story of YOI to work in the way it does, Yuuri never having had romantic feelings is crucial.

Yuuri shows all the sings of a monotropic mind. Since he discovered Viktor at the onset of puberty, his entire existence revolved around Viktor as the anime shows us in abundance. For his endeavour to meet Viktor as an equal on the ice with the GPF being the disastrous culmination of his efforts, he even went to a training facility abroad. Such a strong focus doesn't particularlry motivate people to forming deeper connections and let's not forget that Yuuri is an introvert. He is more interested in skating (to pursue Viktor) than spending time with his friends, not that he's great at forming relationships in the first place because Yuuri is also super awkward.

Sometimes, friendship, admiration and aesthetic attraction (aka finding someone pretty, cute etc.) are being misconstrued as romantic feelings due to allonormative/amatonormative paradigms. While it's true that starting from a young age, Yuuri idolises people who inspire him (憧れの人 = "someone to look up to/admire", in the subs translated as "idol"), Yuuri's in both cases very gay-coded admiration holds no romantic or sexual connotation, except for the parasocial romanticism in his lifelong quest to emulate Viktor and become his equal (not that the parasocial is the aspect here).

The press conference at the end of episode 5 comprises Yuuri's journey of exploring love and provides a deeper insight in his views on love.

Since the subs are low-key confusing, I'm not quoting them, but you can check this translation done by a Japanese fan that explains all the nuances the official translation misses. The part I want to point out in particular is this one:

My love. It’s not [general] love or romantic love that is easy to understand, but my bond with Victor, and the lukewarm way I feel about my family and my local community.

Note that this is the only time the anime uses 恋 ("koi"), probably because he's speaking to a Japanese audience.

This is the part where his friends feel offended. It showcases how Yuuri feels about the other people in his life, confirming what we could already guess: that none of these people ever reached a level at which he would develop intimate feelings for them and let them into his heart in one or the other way. All the people who supported him, first in Hasetsu and later in Detroit. Let that sink in. That's why before Vikor became he coach, he always felt that he was always fighting alone. (I don't blame Yuuri for his poor wording because it would only downplay his mental struggles and their ramifications.)

Yuuri talks about the concept of love as a whole, showcasing that he has come a long way from episode 2 and now has reached a stage where he has a mature and nuanced idea of it. He reveals that he grasps romantic love (恋) and general love (愛) easily, which is another huge progress compared to his absolute cluelessness in episode 2 and another hint that he hasn't yet experienced a situation that prompted an examination of the subject prior to it.

At the same time, Yuuri draws a clear distinction between his feelings for his family and friends and his feelings for Viktor, which aren't lukewarm at all.

A more accurate translation of this line is: "The first person I want to tie myself to and never let go is Viktor". Here, the fan translation explicitly points out that the phrasing is a reference to the scene in episode 2 when Viktor learns from the Nishigoris about Yuuri's struggles to form friendships and to be more interested in skating than in spending time with his friends. (Having written all this, I wonder how much he considered his friends as friends in the first place because philia is also a form of love that is implicitly included in "ai".)

After months of getting to know Viktor intimately, Yuuri has fallen in love with Viktor at last. This feeling is bigger than any emotion he has experienced before because it's greater than 恋 and 愛 and because of that:

This feeling doesn't have a name, but I decided to dare to call it "love".

Although Yuuri is awkward and anxious, there is one quality that stands out above all: his ambition to pursue a goal he is committed to. For half his life this has been Viktor, first as an abstract concept and as an ideal to strive for, later as a romantic interest. If he wants something, he makes sure to get it and he's unstoppable in his pursuit even when he hits rock bottom his desire to skate on the same ice as Viktor again right before Viktor showed up proves. If Yuuri had had romantic feelings for someone else, he would have pursued this person or ruled out the idea because Viktor was more important, which would have impacted his views on love either way.

Or in other words:

Viktor is Yuuri's first love.

Yuuri's love life is not as secret as YOI claims it is. His refusal to discuss it when Viktor pried for information, suggests embarrassment about the fact that at the age of 23, he is totally inexperienced in this regard while other people already have children or had a couple of partners. He's definitely not embarrassed to show the world how much he loves Viktor.

I will discuss the gay-coding of how Yuuri idolises people that inspire him in another post because this seems to be one of the lesser known facts.

Disclaimer: This analysis is based on what is supported by canon. Of course you are free to headcanon Yuuri as having had crushes before Viktor, but keep in mind that this would alter the plot of YOI to some extent.

[moonlit-midnight]

With you, I’d dance in a storm

Characters: Floyd Leech.

Genre: Romantic Fluff.

Summary: Wherein the most memorable moment on your wedding day was dancing with your husband.

Warnings: Reader is a female, and has a talent in singing and composing songs.

—

You were in a daze, sitting next to your husband in the dance hall, quietly watching the guests dancing back and forth.

It was quite a fascinating scene.

Old couples waltzing with teenagers, friends dancing with your colleagues, and little girls twirling around with your in-laws.

“Remember when I used to pull you into a random dance at the Mostro Lounge during closing time?” Floyd rested his hand atop yours.

“It was an excuse to hold my hand.” you grinned, flipping his palm over and slipping your fingers into his own.

“I really loved having you close to me.” He confessed, a spark of adoration gleaming in his gentle gaze.

“It was all fun until Azul and Jade show up, scolding us for fooling around instead of doing the dishes.” you giggled at the distant memory.

“They always kill our fun.” Floyd snickered, earning him a light chuckle from you.

The two of you continued reminiscing fondly about the past, then a familiar song started to play in the background.

A song that you knew by heart, and treasured it dearly as if it was the most precious thing in the world.

You had a talent in writing songs, and it was the first song you composed together with Floyd during your final year at school.

It was titled “When Chaos fell in love with Serenity”.

Your melodious voice blended beautifully with Floyd, Jade and Azul’s strong vocals.

Even though the four of you were equally gifted in singing, it took some time until you succeeded in recording it perfectly, and it was worth it.

“Dance with me, darling.” you smoothed your gown and stood up.

“You’re still bad at dancing though.” Floyd teased, taking your waiting hand in his.

Rolling your eyes, you pulled him towards the dance floor.

“I might be terrible, but with you, I’d dance in a storm.”

As the guests saw you approaching, they came to a halt and parted to make way for you and your husband.

They went back to the reception hall, so you two could enjoy the moment by yourselves.

You danced, and talked, then danced some more until your feet started to ache a little bit.

“Hey, sweetheart, there’s something I've been wanting to ask you for a long time.” Floyd stared at you half-lidded, long eyelashes brushing his pale skin.

You tucked the stray hair that fell over his face behind his ear, silently anticipating his question.

“Why did you decide to stay in Twisted Wonderland?”

Taken aback, your eyes widened at the slightest.

You pondered about it for a while.

Once you collected your thoughts together, you voiced out your answer without missing a beat.

“Because I like this strange place, and the people I love and cherish dearly are here.” you responded, a fond smile drawn on your face.

Honestly, there was no place you’d rather be.

“I know it was a tough decision, so thank you for choosing to stay. You mean the world to me, sweetheart.” Floyd returned the same smile, eyes glistening with joy.

[mageofseven]

Repressed Love: A DiaLuci Love Story

Chapter 1

Okay so I got a story idea from daydreaming to this picture:

(Source)

Summary: Lucifer is so good at repressing his emotions...until they press back. The first time it all happened, he was repressing his anger at his Father, but this time it's his love for Lord Diavolo that wants to burst from him--or rather, the shame and self loathing caused by loving him. Growing up as an angel, Lucifer was taught that romantic love was sinful and even after hundreds of years away from home, the former angel cannot let some things go.

How will Lord Diavolo react to his 'friend's' current state, to Lucifer's body being in the process of forming a child from his repressed emotions for the prince?

•▪︎▪︎◇°●♡●°◇▪︎▪︎•

He was sweating. Sweating and puking the last two days with random waves of vertigo. He went throughout his days, pretending nothing was a miss, but kept away from his brothers as much as possible.

Such a state was familiar to this man, but he did not want it to be caused by what he suspected. He couldn't let that happen again. Enough damage has already been done from the last time this happened, damage the demon can't take back no matter how desperately he wished to.

Lucifer was in his study, rifling though a book till he found the page he needed. He drew a rune on his wrist, matching the one on the paper, till it glowed his signature blue color. He laid two fingers over the symbol as if he was checking his pulse, but instead was engaging with the rune, absorbing the info as it collected it from his body.

The pride demon wanted this illness to be anything other than what he thought it was, other than what it was last time. He couldn't handle it a second time; the first time nearly killed him and he spent years feeling guilty over the burden he put on his brothers, over the pain he passed down to Satan.

Yet the rune gave him the very answer he did not want...the emotions were mixing with dark magic and solidifying. A child was forming from the emotions he's been repressing for hundreds of year. A child who, if things go the same way they did last time, will rip themself from his abdomen within three days tops and inherent all of his shame and self-loathing

For loving Lord Diavolo.

Yes, love. Never did Lucifer believe he could ever fall in love with another person, feel any sort of love that wasn't the platonic love he felt for his siblings over the years.

In the Celestial realm, romantic love was forbidden. Not just with the races of human and demon, but even with your fellow angels. To love someone romantically was to be selfish, to tell others that they'll never matter to you as much as your chosen person. It was a love that excluded all others, leaving your brothers and sisters to feel unimportant and in the shadow of a specific person.

More than anything, romantic love was a threat to your relationship with Father. After all, what could be more sinful than to love someone more than Him?

The very thought of it made his blood boil. That man only loved Himself and needed everyone else to do the same. Romantic love was no more sinful than any other type of love.

…Lucifer knew this, logically speaking, but the deepest parts of his subconscious could not accept these feelings. From the earliest days of his childhood, he was told that not only are such feelings wrong, but that he had to always put others before himself since he was one of Father's oldests and had to raise the siblings that came after him.

So the very love he held for Diavolo provoked the strong feelings that have now formed a new child inside him.

Lucifer collapsed into his chair and dropped his head into hands. How...? How was he supposed to handle this a second time? He was already a terrible father to Satan; the blonde made it very clear that he hated him and the pride demon couldn't blame him. From the time his son was just a small babe, he was born into this world with pain so strongly that Lucifer himself couldn't handle it.

He did that. Satan was this innocent little baby and Lucifer inflicted the worse pain on him possible, one he had to grow up with and try to work out on his own. It wasn't fair. Satan didn't deserve that, but Lucifer wasn't given the option not to. He wasn't given the option not to pass his pain down to the blonde or even if he wanted to give birth to a child at all.

With Satan, he didn't know what was happening till it happened, till that tortured babe ripped free from his abdomen and heavily sobbed on the floor next to him.

With this child...he knows much earlier than before. Surely, Lucifer has a chance to save this child from a life of pain, the way couldn't with Satan? Honestly, the man didn't know how he could accomplish such a thing, just that he had to try.

Because surely this could not happen again, not when--

"Lucifer?"

The door opened to reveal Lord Diavolo, looking rather surprised at the state he found his 'friend' in.

Oh devil, why now?

[byeoltoyuki]

Somewhere only we know

↳ Pairing: Felix x Reader

❧ Genre : Fluff / very slight angst / strangers to lovers / older reader

❧ Words : 2k

❧ Summary : Sometimes, all we need is an escape.

A/N: Honestly I don't know where it comes from. Guess i just needed to write something and this happened.

Some people would say that there was something wrong with you because, still in their opinion, you decided out of nowhere that dating was not your thing. It was so easy to judge without having the full picture; you didn’t blame them, even if sometimes their comments annoyed the crap out of you.

The reality was a little different. Yes, you chose to stay single. But no, it wasn’t decided on a whim. Far from it. The reality was much sadder. You simply stopped believing in love after another failure that had left you bitter, sad and in a dark place. Fortunately for you, You weren’t the kind of person to swallow in pity, therefore after one month of blaming yourself for another failure and mopping around, you decided that there were far more interesting thing to do with your life. Better yet, your happiness didn’t depend on a man.

Far from it.

It was here, at your reach. All you had to do was to reach out and touch.

And you did.

From the moment you decided to take care of yourself, you changed. Improvised trips? A must. Taking cooking classes to improve your life-style? Best thing you had ever done for yourself. Starting learning another language for the sake of self-improvement? Done. Sometimes, just going out for a walk was enough to clear your mind and make you smile.

But apparently, your friends didn’t fully agree with your choice. Especially Changbin. You adored the muscled man, but he was a hopeless romantic, someone who believed in love at first sight, therefore he simply refused your choice. Whenever he could, he would bring the subject on the table and try to argue with you.

Like tonight. You agreed to meet at your favorite bar, having a nice, fresh beer. You had a busy week, deadlines to meet which left you with no choice but to fully concentrate on your work and sacrifice for a little your social life. To some it could seem extreme, but you loved your work and knew that the load of work never lasted.

"I know you don’t want to date, but I promise I have a perfect guy for you." Changbin started, too excited for your liking.

"Not again." You begged. You came here to enjoy your night with him and not to talk about your love life. Or lack of it. "Can we not?"

"But Y/N!" He protested. Changbin grabbed your hand, squeezing it too tightly - sometimes, he forgot that he was really strong. "I swear he’s an amazing guy and definitely someone I can picture you with."

"Bin. I applaud your faith in love, but I’m not interested."

"Just one date. If it doesn’t work out, I promise I drop the subject and never mention it again."

His words made you pause. Just for the sake of your tranquility, you were tempted to say yes. You knew Changbin was persistent and stubborn as hell; he would never give up unless he had a good reason to. But the idea of going to a date with a guy, and a guy you had never met at that, was giving you anxiety.

"Tempting," You admitted. Changbin’s face broke into a smile. Too hopeful. "But still no."

———

Living in a big town was great, for many obvious reasons. Until it wasn’t.

Sometimes, you needed an escape, a place without familiar faces, a place where nobody would judge you, where nobody would question you. With time, you came to realize that your favorite place to go was anywhere by the sea. The scent of sea, the calm sound of waves, the sound of seagulls - it was the perfect escape.

You booked a small room in a hotel by the beach with a perfect view on the sea. Always with the view on the sea; you could watch the sun go down; you could watch the sun rise while drinking a cup of coffee by your window. Perfect scenario.

Tonight, however, you weren’t tired enough to go back to your room. Instead of staying inside, you went for a walk. Despite it being spring and the night being fresh, you walked slowly with your shoes in your hands, wanting to feel the sand under your feet.

You strolled through the beach, walking as close to the water as you could without getting splashed.

The beach was almost empty. There were some people walking and playing with their dogs. Some were couples, walking with their hands intertwined. Some were taking pictures and enjoying the view as you did. But then, your ears picked up the sound of a guitar - without really meaning to, you followed the sound, the sweet melody having you completely bewitched.

A young man was at the origin of the beautiful melody. He was sitting by himself, facing the sea, playing his guitar. You didn’t recognize the song, maybe it was composed by him, maybe not - it didn’t matter, it was lovely.

Without interrupting him, and because you couldn’t resist the pull, you got closer and sat down. You pulled your legs to you to rest your head on top of your knees as you watched the man. You closed your eyes to fully enjoy the moment, every note helping you to relax, to appease your mind.

It took you a moment to come back from your tiny world - you hadn’t realized he had stopped playing until you heard his incredibly deep, smoky voice.

"Hello."

Your eyes snapped open at his voice only to meet the prettiest and brightest eyes you had ever seen. Now that he was facing you, you could see that he was a very handsome and beautiful man, probably few years younger than you. To say that you were stunned would be an understatement.

You cleared your throat, embarrassed. "Sorry. I promise I’m not a creep."

The young man actually laughed heartily and shook his head. "It’s ok, I don’t mind." He looked at you, tilting his head to the side, curious about you. "Moreover, you’re too pretty to be a creep."

Just like that you relaxed and cracked a smile. "Smooth. Very smooth."

"I try to be." He was still smiling at you.

"The song was really pretty, I couldn’t resist." You admitted. Would it be too much if you asked him to play some more? You weren’t the shy type but something about him and about the way he was smiling at you, unsettled you. How long had it been since you felt so confused about a man? How long had it been since the last time you felt such a strong and inexplicable pull? A very long time.

"I’m glad." His gaze slid to his guitar, "Would you like to hear something else?"

Was he a mind-reader, you wondered. You didn’t hesitate as you nodded your head quickly, eagerly. And he obliged.

You watched him carefully, his every move, how concentrated yet relaxed he was while playing, a small smile on his face. You still didn’t know the song, but liked how he played it.

"Did you compose the song?" You didn’t want to interrupt the sweet melody at first. But your curiosity got the best of you. You wanted to know about this talented stranger.

"Yes. I like composing whenever life gets too intense." He admitted, "It helps to unwind."

To that, you could absolutely relate. He had his guitar and music, you, you had your little trips to help you to unwind.

He stopped, stared at his guitar with a frown before sighing, resigned. "I haven’t finished this one yet. Kind of stuck."

"It’s okay. It was still lovely."

He put his guitar to his side and fully turned to you. "Are you from around here?"

"Not really, no." You averted your eyes from his face, feeling incredibly naked under his gaze. His eyes held so much intensity, you felt like he could read right through you; it was disturbing but not in an unpleasant way. You looked at the sea, watching the waves crash beside you. "I tend to come here whenever I need to escape my life."

"A safe place then." He commented

You nodded and averted your eyes from the sea to him. He was watching you, always smiling. His smile was contagious and so genuine, it was heartwarming and also a tad worrisome - because you wanted to see more of it. Maybe you were finally tired enough and weren’t thinking straight.

"Where are you from? If you don’t mind me asking."

Did you want to tell him? There was something about this place, your safe place. You felt at ease and peaceful but if you shared more of yourself, wasn’t it a risk? What if you came to realize that you could meet again, only to realize that this connection disappeared?

Apparently, he could really read through you. "Don’t tell me. I get it."

But did he?

"Whatever happens here, stays here, right?" He got back on his feet, his guitar with him. He got closer to you, hovering over you. He stared at you, his face unreadable which was such a contrast after all the softness and smiles. But you held his stare. Tilting your head to the side, you wondered what he was up to.

"I have a feeling we’ll meet again." He confessed

You doubted, but didn’t contradict him.

"You’ll see."      

———

Changbin welcomed you to his little, improvised in the middle of the week, party with a big, warm hug (squeezing the life out of you). You chuckled at his eagerness and hugged him back.

"I missed you!" He complained. He pulled away to look at you and squished your cheeks as if you were a child. Someone forgot you were actually older than him.

"What do you mean you missed me? You saw me last week." You shook your head in feign annoyance, when really, you did miss him a little too. He was a noisy person, but so adorable and lovely, you could only miss him.

"Say you missed me too!" He demanded, furrowing his brows.

Oh boy. "I missed you, happy?"

He flipped the tip of your nose in response. "Very. How was your little trip?"

You opened your mouth, ready to tell him about how interesting it turned out but no words left your mouth as a very familiar melody started somewhere in the room. You forgot all about your friend’s presence, your eyes searching the room in hope to see a familiar face.

"You’re ok?" Changbin asked, noticing your odd behavior.

"Ye-yeah." But were you? It couldn’t possibly be him, could it? "Do you know who’s playing the guitar?"

Changbin glanced at someone hidden in the crowd, a tiny smile spreading on his lips. "Yes. It’s Felix. Remember the guy I wanted to introduce you to? That’s him."

Your breath quickened. No way. There was no way it could be the same person, you told yourself over and over again.

Changbin giggled beside you, put his hands on your shoulders and turned your body so you could see Felix. You couldn’t not see him. Him and his guitar. Him and his sweet smile. Him and his blond hair. The same guy, you thought you would never see again. The same guy that was supposed to stay just in your memory.

But he did warn you you would meet again, didn’t he?

"Want me to introduce you to him?" Changbin asked, curious with how quiet the simple sight of Felix got you.

You looked at your friend and then back at Felix. Did you want to? Changbin, apparently knew what you wanted better than you. He grabbed your hand and made you follow him, to meet Felix.

You expected Changbin to introduce you, but no. He winked playfully at you and left you by yourself near the couch where Felix was sitting. The traitor. You forgot all about your plans and threats, the moment Felix stopped playing and raised his head to look at you. A blinding smile spread on his face at the sight of you. Without even realizing it, you mirrored his smile, followed by an incredibly lame "Hi."

Felix rose from his place and joined you, his guitar long forgotten.  "Told you we’ll meet again."

And you found yourself not minding it at all.

[sixty-silver-wishes]

why do so many caligari adaptations want to make francis The Worst Ever he’s just a guy

like. yeah. he’s impulsive and angsty and doesn’t always think things through. but he’s not an asshole he’s just some nerd who’s suddenly forced into solving a murder.

and he CARES ABOUT HIS FRIENDS. idk why so many adaptations decide to make him a dick to alan for no reason when like. alan being killed is the whole reason why the plot is kicked off in the first place??? francis is so hyperfocused on solving his murder through the entire film he literally can’t prioritize anything else. we see how close they are in the beginning, even if only for a few seconds. and he trusts jane enough to put her feelings above his own, respecting her decision as to whether or not she’ll choose him, and valuing her and alan’s happiness over his own. and even though she doesn’t show any romantic interest towards him, he still sees her as a refuge and trusts her enough to be vulnerable around her. she’s the first person he talks to after he finds out alan died, and we see them walking back from the funeral together. yes, his drive to solve the murder does come before his consideration for her feelings after she was kidnapped, but like. from his end, the guy was up all night looking for answers and, from his perspective, had a valid reason to doubt what she told him. which, yeah, his timing was horrible, but it’s also significant that as soon as he could tell she was upset, he went off to investigate again, even if he didn’t believe her. he’s a flawed guy, but at the end of the day, the film shows he’s fiercely loyal and devotes everything to his friends.

and like. you can draw parallels between francis and caligari. sure. both are ambitious, goal-oriented, active participants in the narrative. they both can get aggressive. and there’s a more complicated reading you can make of both of them using the concept of changing another character’s name and role to enforce their own identity (caligari forces cesare’s name and identity upon him so that he can be “caligari,” while francis wants to marry jane, which would change her surname and her role as the object of desire. there’s a whole tangent I could go off on about this but I won’t do that right now lol). both of them exhibit strong emotions, particularly desire and hatred. but the difference between caligari and francis is that while both of them may exhibit these traits, francis cares enough about the people he loves to put their own happiness and comfort over his own. he’s willing to let go of jane if she chooses alan, and is secure enough in himself to remain friends with them if this were to happen. caligari uh. very much does not do that. while francis will sacrifice his own pleasure for his friends’ comfort, caligari goes out of his way to make people uncomfortable for his own pleasure (and it’s interesting that they both display these opposing traits with regards to how they view jane in particular).

come to think of it. why don’t more adaptations like. make caligari Worse. a lot of them seem to really want to play it safe with him. yes, they make him evil and mildly creepy, but there’s a sort of restraint that a lot of adaptations take that isn’t there in the film. the only one I’m familiar with that attempts to explore the abusive aspect of him is the fucking “they are accompanied by francis who beats cesare to death with a club” musical, and even that one seems to detach itself somewhat from caligari’s exhibition of medical abuse, as it has him controlling cesare through a potion instead of the film’s implied psychological experimentation. the 2005 film, for instance, cuts out the part where he “becomes caligari” altogether, and many others lessen his role in the story.

I feel like part of the reason why so many adaptations steer away from exploring the full extent of caligari’s character is because they’re not interested in the symbolism of it, focusing on telling a conventional horror/mystery story instead of a allegorical examination of abuse and trauma, or perhaps for some, the allegorical implications are intimidating. caligari is abuse at every level, and I think understanding that is key to adapting his character. we see his manipulation and aggression on multiple scales, from how he interacts with individual characters (especially cesare) to how he runs an asylum and his carnival exhibition. the idea of an authority figure represented in such a way was so subversive when the original film was written that janowitz and mayer had to change the script to make francis delusional; is it possible that perhaps even today, the symbolism behind caligari and what he could represent- a man in a position of power who uses it to harm others for his own pleasure and to potentially mask his own insecurities- may be too uncomfortable for some people to really get into? I don’t know. but I have to wonder why so many adaptations tend to ascribe traits more in line with his character in the original film to francis.

tbh, maybe it’s ableism. that sounds like a leap, but the adaptations that frequently emphasize that francis is “insane” are the ones that tend to portray his character the most negatively, even within the frame story. instead of exploring how, outside the frame story, being institutionalized by an ineffectual (and possibly malevolent) authority figure may contribute to francis casting himself as a hero so he can get closure in a traumatic situation, a lot of them will go, “francis is insane, so therefore he Must be an aggressive selfish jerk!” which can also serve to sanitize caligari’s character, especially the ones that decide that francis is completely delusional and wrong about everything, and caligari is simply a rational doctor trying to help him. which, considering the themes of the original film, does Not have good implications. and maybe they’re not trying to be ableist, but are still playing into tropes that stigmatize disabled people, especially those who experience delusions. but idk

[hellcatinnc]

"The Moon Is Beautiful, Isn't It?"

So recently I saw a term in one of my games that had me frazzled on what it mean to I went and looked it up. So since not alot of people know about it I felt like I would share. So if you have someone your in love with but you don't know if they feel the same, or maybe its unrequited the point being is this is a way to say the simple but such meaningful words of I love you with a poetic Japanese twist.

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This is how its written to be exact when you search it

"The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" is a Japanese phrase, tsuki ga kirei desu ne, that is a more poetic way of saying "I love you". The phrase is thought to have originated from Japanese novelist Natsume Sōseki (1867-1916) after he overheard a student awkwardly translating "I love you" into its literal Japanese translation, Ware Kimi wo Aisu. Sōseki believed that a direct translation of "I love you" rejected Japanese sensibility, so he created a more subtle and nuanced translation. The phrase is commonly used by literary enthusiasts and in anime. 

can mean “I love you” in Japanese. It's meant to express love indirectly, since in Japanese culture it's sometimes considered rude to directly state your feelings or needs.

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Things You Should Know

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“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” could mean “I love you” in Japanese. It can be used to express romantic feelings indirectly, which is the norm in Japanese culture.

The most popular response is “Shin demo ii wa” (I can die happy), which is a way of saying “I love you too.”

You can also reply with “Sou desu ne” (It’s true, isn’t it?), which hints that you feel the same way, or “Anata mo utsukushii” (So are you) to be more flirtatious.

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“The moon is beautiful,isn’t it?” Meaning

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“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?” can mean “I love you” in Japanese.It’s meant to express love indirectly, since in Japanese culture it’s sometimes considered rude to directly state your feelings or needs. Instead of saying “Sorry, I can’t make it to your party,” for instance, a more appropriate reply would be, “That would be a little inconvenient for me.”[1] Likewise, saying “I love you” might be too direct, so you might say “tsuki ga kirei desu ne” (The moon is beautiful, isn’t it) instead.[2]

The phrase is a kind of “code” or secret sign of affection. Not all Japanese people know it, but those who do will know what you’re trying to say.

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How to Respond

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“Shin demo ii wa” (I can die happy).This could mean “I love you, too,” and it’s the most popular response. You could say this to convey very strong mutual love. While it’s indirect and a bit dramatic, they’ll know what you’re really saying.[3]

“Sou desu ne” (It’s true, isn’t it?).This could mean “You’re right” or “I agree,” which could be a subtle hint that you feel the same way. The phrase “Sou desu ne” is a common Japanese expression, so any speaker would be familiar with it.

“Anata mo utsukushii” (So are you).Say this if you want to be more direct. While a Japanese person may not normally say this, it might be less surprising to hear from a non-Japanese person.

“Hai, demo sore ni fureru koto wa dekimasen” (Yes, but you can’t touch it).Say this to turn someone down indirectly, but clearly. This implication is that they may want you, but they can’t have you.

Although this statement sounds blunt in English, the grammar in Japanese is respectful and polite.

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Where did this phrase come from?

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According to legend, the phrase was coined by a famous author.One day many years ago, the story goes, Japanese writer Natsume Soseki was teaching English when a student translated the phrase “I love you” directly into Japanese. He replied, “Japanese people never say things like that shamelessly. You’d better translate it as tsuki ga kirei desu ne (‘The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?’).”

Nowadays, you’ll hear it in Japanese pop culture. In anime and manga, a character might look at the full moon with the person they love and say “tsuki ga kirei desu ne.” This can convey romantic tension, especially if the speaker isn’t sure if the other person feels the same way. A good example is the romance anime Tsuki ga Kirei (translated as “The Moon is Beautiful), where the title is a direct reference to this saying.

It’s also heard in the anime Demon Slayer, based on the manga of the same name.

[kuroshika]

hello! i have just stumbled upon your page and i have to say i love ur work! i was wondering if u are familiar with the theory of Will's romantic pursuits representing the 5 stages of grief for him? and if so would you care to share your opinion on it? :3

giggling because all i thought about was

but besides that! i have heard the theory, and i wrote my own little spin on that myself, so here you go!

so, will has had four romantically-coded relationships during the course of the show. molly, alana, margot (barely), and hannibal. the five stages of grief (because i can't remember them for the fucking life of me) are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. i absolutely believe his romantic development can be a mirror of that.

denial would be molly. will married molly after hannibal went to jail, after the famous overdramatic breakup between him and hannibal. so your mortal-enemy-slash-gay-lover-slash-psychiatrist is in jail. what do you do from here? you won't let yourself confront your emotions about him, and you sure as hell aren't going to say there was anything between you— in marrying molly, it felt like an unconscious act of denial on will's part. he's denying hannibal has changed him, he's denying that hannibal still has power over him, even locked up (which refers to me previous post about will wanting hannibal to need him and hannibal needing will to want him). in marrying molly, he's trying to prove to himself that he doesn't want hannibal anymore, that he can love and have a normal life.

anger is obviously hannibal, pre season 2b. their relationship is so convoluted with anger and dependency, of both sides trying to find themselves in the other. hannibal's ache to consume, to blur with will until they couldn't survive without each other, and will's urge to keep himself repressed and unchanged. the tension sparked a lot of deep-rooted anger in will, which hannibal enjoyed stoking all too much. in closing himself off from hannibal and condemning/sabotaging their relationship since the very beginning, establishing that anger before he finds his reckoning, he opens the entryway to hannibal seeing the perceived worst of himself before the mask comes off.

alana is bargaining. even though their relationship is in the beginning, he still carries that sort of flame for her all the way until the end of season 2— and, honestly, i don't really think it ever dies out entirely. will is trying to push off all of this new information he's being given, both about himself and the people around him, by pushing that projection of himself further. he goes after alana, a woman whom he has hardly been in a room alone with up until this point, who knows the bare minimum about him and sees him as a professional enigma, because he has gone through a very traumatic ordeal and she was one of the few people there for him (besides hannibal). what i likely believe happened was that will trauma-bonded with her and decided that she was who he should want; in any other story, doesn't the guy go for the strong girl who helps him emotionally? that's what he should be going after, right? he can't begin to broach whatever relationship he has with hannibal, whatever pseudo/psychosexual tension they've got going on, and instead opts for the option he believes he should want.

margot is depression. when will sleeps with her in s2, there's a lot of shit going down. margot is using him to get pregnant, will barely registers that she's even seducing him and is just using it as an emotional outlet, yet he still finds himself picturing alana bloom, and by extension, hannibal lecter. two people he's had romantic entanglements with thus far— alana by his projection and hannibal by what lays underneath his mask. hannibal, it seems, no longer needs him and alana doesn't want him. he's been left (in his eyes) by the two people he cares about most. i don't even think there's really an emotional connection between the two of them (there isn't, but she's still a love interest, so), which only furthers her place as his depression stage.

and, of course, hannibal "i wanted to be seen by you" lecter is acceptance. their earlier anger has simmered down but not disappeared— their romance will always be bloody and angry, feral in all aspects. will is coming to terms with that, he's making his choice in choosing hannibal. in turning him in, in telling him that the fbi knows, in pushing the two of them over the cliff. one cannot exist without the other, nor can they coexist. hannibal wants to permeate every fiber of his being with will's and will wants hannibal to see every part of him and ache for it. when will asks bedelia if hannibal loves him, this is when he starts to accept it. throughout this whole series, not one person that has loved him has been constant. but hannibal has stuck by his side through all of this mess, and still loved him, beyond what normal projection he showed. will does indeed ache for hannibal, he aches for his attention, to be wanted and needed and seen by him. he wants hannibal to need to have him, he wants to be desired and sought over. and he accepts that with hannibal in TWOTL, when he makes the choice to follow hannibal to their deaths.

@lesbian-hannibal @7x16pm @shatteredlesbian

[alovelyfox]

Chapter 10: Oh Hamburgers

Please note there are mentions of implied drug use and implied domestic threats in this chapter, so reader discretion is advised.

Is Y/N a Whole Foods disguised as a beautiful girl? That’s the only explanation Kyle can think of as to why so many of his South Park friends are suddenly appearing back in his life after he met her. He knows it’s probably all a big coincidence, but even if it is true, he can’t blame them. She has a magnetism around her that draws people in, one he himself fell prey to earlier that day. He knew it was impossible to control himself when he’s around her, yet did it anyway. But… she didn’t pull away when he asked her not to stop what she was doing, and that single thought fills him with an inexplicable feeling of hope that he hasn’t felt since he started killing.

However, he has no room in his head to think about these feelings right now , instead his mind is darting between asking what the hell Butters is doing here, or how the hell Y/N seems to know him. Deciding that the first question was less awkward to put forward, he does, and Butters sighs.

“Well, I was just telling Y/N over here that my boyfriend and I broke up, so I came here for a fresh start.”

This didn’t really come as a shock to Kyle. He had sort of always assumed that Butters wasn’t the straightest guy, especially when he got sent to that conversion camp and gave an impassioned speech about bi-curiosity that would rival one of Kyle’s own.

“Ex-boyfriend in South Park? Anyone I would know?”

“You sure would know him, it was Eric!”

“E-Eric Cartman?”

This did come as a shock. It came like a slap in the face actually. Kyle didn’t even know they were dating, much less that they’d broken up. Sure, he’d lost contact with most of South Park years ago when he moved, but this was big news, and he feels like it still should’ve reached him somehow. Even if someone like Ike had to pigeon carry it over.

The revelation of his mortal enemy’s recent love life stuns Kyle into disturbed silence, so Y/N clears her throat and smiles at Butters.

“Well Butters, it's a pleasure to meet you. We should have lunch together sometime.”

“Going out with some friends sounds a helluva lot better than eating a ham & cheese sandwich at my desk, how about today? ” he asks, and Y/N nods, before dragging a still shocked Kyle away to his office, setting him down in his desk chair and leaving him to rethink his life choices at how Eric Fucking Cartman has had more romantic experiences than him.

…

Sienna’s was Y/N’s choice, the familiar ambience relaxing a tense Kyle. The three of them are huddled together in a booth overcrowded with food, while Butters catches his friend up on all the things that went on in South Park in his 7 year absence.

“Tweek and Craig are still going strong. I actually think they’ll be engaged soon, if Tweek can stay still long enough for Craig to ask. Oh, and Clyde…”

Kyle absent-mindedly nods along to what Butters is saying, wondering when he’s gonna get to Cartman. Sure, it’s nice to hear what his old friends were up to, but he can’t deny that the only thing he wants to know is whether or not his former adversary’s life has gone down the shitter like he expected. He knows he shouldn’t compare or whatever, but the verification that years of tormenting had come back to bite Cartman in the ass is something Kyle didn’t realize he needed until his name was mentioned. Realizing that Butters could talk about Tolkien and Nicole’s kids for hours, he tries to delicately plant the idea of talking about his ex into his mind, but accidentally drops it like a bomb.

“So Butters, why the hell did you date Cartman?”

Butters nervously drops the fry he's eating and turns his gaze down towards the food, while Y/N kicks Kyle under the table for being so rude.

“Ow. Sorry dude, I just meant-”

“No, it’s alright. I don’t even know myself. But all of you fellers left, so it was just him & I stuck together. He was pretty sour about it, ya know? Everyone leaving? That’s probably why he clung to me so much. And well, I know it sounds cliché, but he started growing nicer the more he felt he needed me, and one thing led to another… We ended up living together in my parents house, but money was tight, since Eric never had a steady job and I didn’t make enough as a waiter at Denny’s to support both of us. Plus, I had always wanted to move to this city, but Eric was firmly against it. ‘Too many minorities’ he would say when I brought it up. So when I saw this job opportunity as a secretary, I figured, ‘Screw Eric, I wanna do what I wanna do!’. So I broke up with him, hopped on a plane, and here I am!”

“And Cartman was just… fine with that?”

“I think so. We both know it's for the best. In fact, he kept making funny jokes when I broke up with him about how he was gonna come find me, bring me back to South Park, and keep me trapped in his secret bomb shelter until I learnt to love him again. Silly old Eric.”

“Oh my god Butters,” Kyle says, dumbfounded at how lightly he took Cartman’s threats. “Please tell me you haven’t seen him since he said that.”

“Nope! The only people I know in the city right now are you and Y/N unfortunately.”

“Actually, Wendy and Stan are also living here now too,” Y/N informs him joyfully, and a big grin emerges on his face.

“Oh gee, that’s great! Now if Kenny could come back from god knows where and Eric could get over his fear of other races, we could reunite the whole gang!”

Kyle’s mouth falls agape as the realization hits him that Cartman could move here to be closer to Butters. Eric Cartman, the guy who made his entire childhood miserable, who inspired so many of Kyle’s insecurities that he thought he would never like himself ever again. Until Y/N.

Fuck. What happens if Y/N meets him?

Kyle knows that Y/N is pure-hearted, and would never fall for Cartman’s lies and deceptions. But… if he managed to turn her against him, Kyle doesn’t know if he’d be able to control himself. He swore he would only kill for the necessity of it, but with someone like Cartman in the picture, who can rile Kyle’s anger up in a way no one else can… Or even worse, if he managed to find out about what Kyle’s been doing in his free time… Let's just say he wouldn’t let it slide.

He can’t manage another word for the rest of lunch, sulking in silence over the possibility of Cartman returning to his life, while Butters and Y/N continue with their introduction to each other. She keeps sneaking glances at Kyle every time there’s a lull in the conversation, but she eventually sighs when she realizes he's going to be no help, and leaves him to wallow in his own self-pity.

…

After they all return back to the firm, Y/N pulls Kyle into his office and shuts the door behind her, forcing him into his chair before sitting down opposite him.

“Alright, what’s up?”

“Nothing.”

“Don’t ‘nothing’ me. You were acting really weird that whole lunch, super sad for no reason. So something’s gotta be up, tell me.”

“You noticed? Sorry.”

“Of course I noticed. I didn’t mind talking with Butters since he’s really friendly, but I would’ve liked a distraction from you when he started talking about how he got grounded by his parents for making all the aspiring athletes of South Park and Tom Brady drink his ‘creamy goo’. Which, by the way, what the fuck is up with your town?”

Kyle lets out a small laugh, but remembers who told Butters to do that in the first place, and a somber expression crosses his face. Y/N notices, and gets up from where she’s sitting and kneels down in front of Kyle’s chair, taking his hands in hers.

“Kyle, you know you can tell me anything, right?” she exclaims softly, and the look of pleading for him to be honest with her breaks the last wall in his heart.

He pours out his entire history with Cartman, all the bickering and fighting, along with the constant taunting of his deepest insecurities. Y/N listens carefully to every word, never interrupting, just taking it all in. He finally sighs, and turns his head to the side to avoid her gentle eyes.

“I just… I don’t like who I am when I’m with him. I turn angry and volatile, pretty much the worst version of myself. And I would hate for you to ever see me like that.”

“Kyle,” she whispers, clutching his hand closer to her chest, looking up at him with her affectionate gaze. “Did I ever tell you about the time my best friend got arrested?"

He shakes his head, and she continues.

"Yeah. I had grown up with this girl for most of my life. I knew everything about her, how smart and funny and talented she was, all her passions and dreams. I thought she would be destined for big things, but during our teenage years, she got peer pressured into taking drugs, and eventually became addicted. It was so painful, seeing her turn into the shell of who she once was. Everyone had given up on her when she turned 18, yet I still had hope. I was on my year abroad when she told me she got pregnant, and wanted my help delivering the baby. She had realized that this drug-addled monster wasn't who she is. It had been forced out of her by her 'friends', and it wasn't who she wanted her child to define her as. So, I came back, she got clean, and stayed that way."

She suddenly stops, switching her eyes to the floor.

"But some people didn't like that. And she was found with traces of cocaine in her room despite the fact she hadn't touched the shit for months. But no one believed her, since finding the drugs already fit with the image they had of her in their mind. They refused to let what they thought they knew go, and she ended up in jail."

She takes a deep breath before looking up at Kyle.

"She and her unborn baby died in there, due to how the doctors thought she was still taking, and she didn't receive the proper treatment a pregnant woman needs. That's when I knew I wanted to become a human rights lawyer, to protect not only those who are innocent, but those who become innocent. But what I'm saying is, I believe that our past selves are better left there, in the past. The way you are right now is how I’ll always see you. You could never be ruined in my mind.”

He breathes deeply, trying to control the rapid beats of his heart as he fails to contain the blush spreading across his cheeks. Fuck, how does she know exactly what to say to make his insides glow?

She goes back to her seat, but rests both her arms on his desk and delicately places her head on top of them.

"So that girl is the reason why you were so upset over Gemma?" Kyle asks, and she nods.

"It's also why I said I would help Stan get Wendy back. I'd like to believe there's good in everyone, despite how their past might make it seem. But.. I don't wanna talk about them. Tell me more about South Park, and try to leave Eric Cartman out of it as much as possible. Unless he did something stupid.”

Kyle smirks, leaning back in his chair as he recounts the time Cartman thought he got his period because he was bleeding out of his ass, the anxiousness Kyle feels towards him slowly fading away with every one of Y/N’s soothing laughs.

[kousaka-ayumu]

My Sleeping Beauty

Es is now sleeping in someone's room but is chained.

The girl has been watching them on the same bed with a completely lovesick look on her face.

Her eyes are now pinkish red with her pupils we're now heart shaped, she giggled maniacally how did this happen? Well....

1. Words of affection

Flashback

The next day it was a usual day for Es at school, usual lectures, usual lunch and witness the usual bullying from the Bee Crew, god couldn't they have something better to do?

As they were putting on their loafers and went to the grocery store to start their work there, a girl is staring them from afar watching their every movement waiting for the right moment to strike.

After finishing their work and going back to their home, they were about to cook dinner until they a letter with a heart shaped sticker with glitter on it.

Strange, they didn't remember having anyone giving them chocolate or letters, but they decided to read the letter.

"My Sleeping Beauty

I have the biggest crush on you ever since you're transfer here at the school.

You're the most admirable person I know my entire life, you always do what the teachers told you to do, and you always help me with my studies.

Your voice reminds me of a songbird, beautiful and delicate like Princess Aurora, yet stern and strong like a warrior.

Do you know about the 5 love languages? They are words of affirmation, acts of service, receiving gifts, quality time, and physical touch. I would love to know which one is your love language, but instead of asking, I want to let you experience all of them.

I started with words of affection, see you tomorrow at school. My sleeping beauty!

Your secret admirer 🌹"

The letter had Es burning red from embarrassment from the letter, as sweet as it sounds. It creeps them out.

2. Act of service

The next few days nothing interesting happened other than Kirisaki Shidou, his wife Akari and the their sons went there, oh boy they didn't like Shidou in the slightest.

After that they went back home to their apartment, oh they forget they have to pay the rent, but they stopped the moment they entered.

The entire apartment was cleaned, the trash is gone, and it's replaced by a whole new trash can, the dishes we're wiped clean, and there's even steak on the living room table.

Did the landlord did this? No it couldn't been, the only times he went to their apartment is to remind them to take care of themselves.

Until they saw a familiar letter next to the steak and ended up reading it.

"My Sleeping Beauty

Surprise it's an act of service this time, you're often tire yourself out and you're apartment is a mess, I'm worried that inspects might invested in you're apartment so I'm cleaning it up for you.

Remember to take a break okay?"

You're secret admirer🌹"

They swore they we're hallucinating

How did they get in?!

They always locked their door!

Later they entered their room only to see a nightgown on the bed.

3. Receiving gifts

The next few days are not very safe for Es, the only thing that kept them sane was talking to the costumers though mostly Shidou.

Now they're at the door at the apartment, afraid to open it, fearing the horror behind it.

Only for it to come true as there are presents on the floor and there's the letter, as they read the letter, they feel like throwing up.

"My Sleeping Beauty

I thought it would be romantic to give you two gifts. Since you had a bad day. Oh I can't wait to have you I my arms ❤"

You're secret admirer🌹"

Es is helpless.

Now they didn't want to go back to this place, sure they we're close with Shidou, but not to the point where they call him dad.

Now, they didn't know what to do....

Wait a minute there's Muu, their friend maybe she can help.

4 and 5 Quality time and physical touch

From the moment they met her again after school in the storage room, they collapse unto her arms letting out all the tears they have been hidden and Muu holding them close, giving them a much needed warmth.

But that they failed to notice that she had a cloth with lavender scent, slowly but surely she holds them tightly almost like suffocated them and they immediately noticed it.

They tried to free themselves from her, and eventually they did but before they try to flee, she pulled them and slap the cloth on their mouth.

They we're now scared of her, and try to escape from her again but slowly their body is getting weaker and weaker, then they fell asleep unto her arms.

She smiled devilishly as finally.... Finally!! She has them in her arms just as she wanted!

Flashback ends

Es slowly but surely woken up with Muu right besides them.

"Morning Muu." They said as they collided unto her arms..

"Good morning My Sleeping Beauty."

Inspired by: Dear Till (The 5 Love Languages)

[epickiya722]

REACTIONS TO EPISODE 20 - ASSASSIN

The usual! Jokes, me having feelings, there's some pictures, questions... all that!

LAST EPISODE'S REACTIONS

I really want to fight these people!! LEAVE HER ALONE!!

Again, how I adore Izuku "Deku" Midoriya!! Coming to her rescue!

"It's her fault to dress up like that and wander around. People can get the wrong idea." Hm. Why does that sound so familiar?! FUCK YOU, MAN!!!!

Maybe it's me, but she is too cute!!! Like!!! Shes crying and everything and I just want to hug her and protect her!!

Dad... I mean All Might handing him the lunch... WRAPPED IN BUNNIES!!! MY HEART CAN'T HANDLE THIS!!! 😭💚🐇

AAAAAAWWWW!!!

Hey, Banjo!

IZUKU, STOP BEING SO CUTE!!!! 💚

"Please, my hero." Okay, for real, what is up with the OFA users and my feelings?

They just... okay who put these two in time out?

Banjo never not made me laugh. 🤣

YOICHI'S SMILE!!! 💚💚

THE 3RD IS SPEAKING, SHUSH!!!

THE 2ND IS SPEAKING, SHUSH!!!

I still can't believe they went to kill him and instead rescue him.

OMG, THEY GIVING US THE RESCUE SCENE!!!

... you held hands... and thus OFA started... what kind of romantic...

Nah, for real, if that's when OFA transferred it makes sense when you think about it. When it began at Yoichi and 2nd, it was weak. By the time it reached Izuku, it was so strong that it needed not only a quirkless person to handle it, but DNA from the previous user to be consumed. Over time OFA, became stronger and adaptable to the point it's almost like a sentient being with the OFA Users inhabiting its core... I need to make this a separate post...

I love the OFA Users! Looking like a rainbow! But why Nana had to be pink?

I'm joking, I actually like the shade on her!!! BUT THAT PURPLE ON EN!!! I LOVE PURPLE!!! 💜💜💜

Endeavor standing behind that pillar like that!!! 🤣

The 2nd telling Izuku things will get faster *laughs in manga reader* and Izuku biting in his food all seriously determined. Not intentional, but that is both funny and cute.

"You were the cause of everything." And Endeavor just agrees. That's hilarious. But... it was a team effort! 😃 Clap it up for Endeavor for Dabi, AFO for just being AFO, the Doctor for being very disrespectful by MESSING WITH CORPSES, Kotaro for being a crap dad...

The civilians telling the heroes to leave and they're doing just that... like they're leaving!!!

Best Jeanist catching the stuff thrown at them though.

Okay, I don't get the civilians. They're mad at the heroes for not showing up and yet when they do show up to help they're mad!! MAKE UP YOUR MIND!!

Izuku Midoriya bet not become a target... *sighs in manga reader* I hate the civilians...

"I can't let Deku carry any more burdens." 😶 This is Izuku you're talking about here.

He is so pretty.

Why they even put that man on life support?!

Gotta feel sorry for Tomura. AFO really just have been using him the whole time.

"He is obsessed with his younger brother." I mean, look at that face!! Yoichi is just so kind and pretty! I would want to protect him, too! The difference is I'm not gonna lock him in a vault and be a creep about it. I'm glad the 2nd & 3rd broke him out!!

"A lack of humanity." Yep

Again, I'm telling you, Deku is being like All Might was. Without meaning to. YOU SEE WHAT NIGHTEYE MEANT?!

Oh shit, did she just shoot his phone and a bomb at All Might! DISRESPECTFUL!!

Lady Nagant!!! Wait a fucking minute!!! HER HAIR ARE HER BULLETS?! WHAT THE HELL?!

"I'll let you keep all your limbs." Lady, he doesn't even take of his limbs like that. Your threats are so empty.

Oh, she's gorgeous!

Hey, Overhaul, how was prison?

OH SHIT THEY GOT SNIPE ON TV!!!

"I should have left him behind." Why didn't you?

I forget how damn big AFO is. Him and All Might just make everyone look like ants.

Except for that fox lady and some other folks.

I love how she just interrupts AFO. Not a lot of people have the balls, but she got brash ones.

"He was a victim..." ERI WAS THE VICTIM!! Of course, AFO wouldn't care about that because he doesn't give a damn about anyone!

He gave her Air Walk, oh nice.

And the next episode continues with the fight!!!

[icharchivist]

I know we joked about Gbf Lancelot getting the better deal compared to the one of legend, since our Lancelot has Vane, but I've been thinking about it and I do really like that Gbf is remixing the story like that

Pretty much everyone is at least passingly familiar with King Arthur and his knights, but instead of just randomly using the famous name, they are referencing a lot of the things from the legends, even including some lesser known details, like Percival being Welsh etc

It's really fun and it's clear that a lot of effort went into it

Arthur and Mordred are connected, Arthur was supposed to be mentored (parented) by Merlin, but Merlin failed to step up. Now he's close to Lancelot, but not as a king and his knight but a fledgling knight and his captain. It's been flipped and twisted in interesting ways and if they hadn't done that, I would not have yelled "Morgan le Fay????" at the top of my lungs when I first saw Morgan, so you know. Good writing. 😤

oh yeah definitely, i adore it

i had a major Arthurian legends phase when i was a kid, and while a lot of it is fuzzy now i have a strong affinity with those legends and i tend to pick up some of the stuff even more and it really makes me very giddy with the Dragon Knights.

Like the really big distinction from the general canon tend to not be just "yolo let's do whatever we want" but clear "drawing the lines" on storylines they don't want to happen. Like making sure Lancelot is a grown adult while Arthur is a kid under his care is not just a way to say "we do whatever we want" but a way to say "we will not explore the romantic rivals angle with them", it's deliberate.

but meanwhile everything is still very similar to some of the legends, or at least the legends are worked in to justify some of the connection

when i read Strength to Wield, i was stressed out the whole event because the kids were sent to Camlen, which, in the legend, is the place Arthur and Mordred killed each other. I spent the whole event expecting the worst, and the ending of the event was Arthur and Mordred having a near death experience because they wanted to save one another. The story still carried this heavy theme of death following those two in Camlen, but twisted the theme around that instead of killing each other out of hatred, they loved each other so much that they were ready to die for one another to save the other. It's a really great way to take the weight of one of the most pivotal moment of the legend while keeping the ultimate vibe of "this is a place of death that changes the course of their journey"

Other details that for me sells it for example: did you know Gawain and his brothers are the ones to kill Lamorak in the legend? Because i think about it everytime Gawain mentions he's going to save Lamorak and bring him back home everytime. They deliberately made Lamorak someone that annoys Gawain and that, in normal situation, has Gawain talk about how he's so annoyed he'd hit him for sure, but in reality, made him the one person who's determined to save Lamorak. It's a deliberate way to keep their connection, yet flipping it around.

In a sense a lot of the kishi saga is about how characters who are, in the legend, meant to bring each other death, now bring each other salvation, while characters who are supposed to save others (like Merlin) do the opposite.

Another one: Gawain going through a story of self growth to leave his arrogance behind is the crux of the Green Knight storyarc, where the Green Knight challenges Gawain and his humility, and as such the Green Knight is the proof of Gawain's growth. In the myth, the Green Knight pretends to be a man called Bertilak to test Gawain's humility, and this is this test that ultimately saves Gawain's life.

As Gawain of the legend is forced into self growth after an arrogant action made him the target of a supernatural spell that caused his life to be put in danger unless he passed this trial, our Gawain was forced to grow after Florence cursed him to teach him a lesson after his behavior made her fear for his life.

By our Gawain's Light 5*, we meet Bertilak, a kid that is exactly like how Gawain used to be, and Gawain decides to take him under his wing because he knows exactly what kind of guidance he needs. just like the legend, Bertilak works as being the one to showcase exactly just how far Gawain grew and changed. He ends up filling the same role on that regard.

Another one: Maleagant, in variations of the legend, is directly an enemy of Lancelot who's set on darkening his heart and bringing him to self destruction, while also closing his eyes to the truth. Our Maleagant meanwhile is directly opposing Lancelot, sure, but the whole point is for him to address Lancelot on something Lancelot USED to have a closed mind about, and instead is all about opening his eyes to the truth and opening his heart to the sins of the past. They switched Maleagant's role around completely.

There's also constant callback to the Tale of Two Dragons through the full story as well, except that instead of being solved by Merlin like in the tale, it's almost always caused by him.

As for Siegfried, who comes from Nordic Legends, he also constantly has elements of his lore dropped here and about. Both the men who killed Siegfried in the legends have attempted killing our Siegfried. Siegfried's wife in the legend became a woman who crushed on Siegfried before falling in love with the man who is trying to steal her in the legend, and then Siegfried became the godfather to their son, who himself was named after a track from a Siegfried centric opera, a track specifically about "the light of Siegfried". Fafnir, obviously, is still there. The call backs are still there, just different enough to be its own thing, but similar enough that everything is deliberate.

so yeah exactly like you say, it ends up being genuinely thrilling when a new element gets added to the chessboard because everything has been worked on with direct intent that it builds enough good will that we expect a pay off from stuff being introduced. Because after all of this, seeing Morgan becoming an active player became immediately harrowing knowing how the myth has painted Morgan as one of the major element causing the fall of Camelot.

It's fascinating and i love it. I love it sooo much. They take inspirations from legends and myths, but instead of just slapping a name on it and making up their own stories, they really try to see just how much they can still evoke them.

It makes it enjoyable whenever you have a passing knowledge of those stories or an intense one. I'm having so much fun. Everytime something new happens i'm always opening a wiki again just to refresh my memories.

i love that so much thank u Granblue.

[thelordofgifs]

26, 34, and 35 for the writer asks! :)

(questions for fanfiction writers)

Answered 26 here.

34. Copy and paste an excerpt you’re particularly fond of.

From my adored favourite child, Ilimbë, I'm very proud of the romantic resolution, especially considering how rarely I write romance:

Fëanor had never been kissed before. It took him a moment to respond, but then he found he was kissing Nerdanel back and it was the easiest, most familiar thing in the world; her messy curls were brushing his face and one of her strong sure hands had travelled down to rest against the small of his back and there was nothing that had ever been more real than the warmth of her pressed against him; she was certainty itself, as solid as marble, no crafted thing to be shaped and changed, but a maker and a preserver and a promise of forever; and her mouth against his was hot and sweet and golden as the taste of a Laurelin-ripened peach. They broke apart at last. Fëanor’s hair was a mess. Nerdanel’s lips were rosy and a little swollen. “Nerdanel,” said Fëanor, breathlessly. Nerdanel grinned at him. “Not only a boy, I will allow,” she said. Fëanor embraced her, and kissed her again. “I did not think you could love me,” he said against her neck, some time later. “I thought — I thought you would make a better version of me, fairer and less Marred, and love him instead.” “Oh, Fëanáro,” said Nerdanel, almost sadly. “But I love you.” And she spoke with such simple finality that he could muster up no further protestations. He was filled now with a miraculous lightness. All the despair of the preceding weeks seemed to have evaporated like early-morning dewdrops in the light of Laurelin, leaving only bright joy singing in his veins. “And I love you,” he said. “I was made for loving you. I love watching you work. I love how excited you get when you sketch out a design, and that you are strong enough to lift your stones by yourself. I love it when there is stone-dust in your hair and clay on your nose and you are so absorbed in your work that you must be reminded to eat. I love that you are so often travelling, and never content to stay still. I love your laugh. And I think you very beautiful.” Nerdanel’s eyes were shining. “Do you!” she said. “Come here,” and she held out her arms, drawing him close again. Fëanor went without protest, although he had always prided himself on his self-will: so perhaps love was a yielding of sorts, the softening of hard stone into bruisable flesh. He could not stop kissing her! Her mouth was so dizzyingly sweet.

35. Ramble about any fic-related thing you want!

So I MAY have left this ask half-finished in my drafts for like a week. Oops. Sorry about that. Every time I opened my drafts and saw it, I also saw the draft of tfs and decided to work on that instead. BUT I have finally published part 30 and have several essays’ worth of thoughts to share which I will do so in a separate post, so stay tuned! ❤️

[matrixinmareux]

So It's a Official?

You and Neteyam are childhood friends, As close as childhood friends atleast. He's about 15, A year older than you, maybe just a couple inches taller. 4 inches? Somewhere around there. He invited you to a "Hangout" as labeled in the heart felt letter he sent you. It was nicely decorated with your favorite flowers, and a stick from your favorite tree. He really knew you well, well enough to know all of your favorite things. You two had not made anything between you two official yet, although it was getting pretty obvious that you two had a rather strong interest in each other. So obvious people might think you were dating already. Speaking of dating... You are a pretty shy person and so shy you sit around all day waiting for him to make it official instead of you doing it. You wanted things to be official so badly, but, how would you had worded a sentence like that, "Hey... umm Neteyam, I was wondering if we could make our relationship official..?". Yea no... No way were you doing that. You thought that the safest option would be to wait for him.

You were walking along that path almost reaching the spot he had specifically chosen for you two. A spot where you both met as young children. How romantic of him. You smelt a familiar scent in the air. You smelt the scent of your favorite fruits. further along that path you saw him sitting there waiting for you. Next to him sat a basket of your favorite fruits, and nice wooden cups of water sitting there waiting for you. He waved over to you and called out your name. "Y/N! You made it just in time." You tilted your head in complete awe. He layed down a magnificent mat, a mat you watched him craft himself from the very vines of your favorite trees. It paired well with the hand-crafted basket of fruits, and hand-carved cups. He had nicely cut open the fruits you liked for you and him to enjoy together. "So, why'd you want me here?" You questioned. He replied in a soft tone, the tone he always used for you, and you only. "I just wanted to talk, it's about something important" He smiled. He went on about a speech about how much he loved you. He worded it so beautifully, It was poem like. Out of all the words he spoke one sentence cought your attention the most "Do you want to make this official?". "Make what official...?" You questioned with a slight shiver to your voice. "I wanted to make us official, to officially say were dating. me and you Y/N!". Tears almost fell down your face, not sad tears, but happy tears. "Yes! I've been waiting for this moment for a while!!!" Neteyam smiled and layed a kiss on your cheek. His lips were soft and you felt your stomach fill with butterflies.

Authors disclaimer/Note!!! I have not watched the second avatar yet, and this is my first fan fiction. My friends are obsessed with Neteyam so I made this short story :).

[bigein]

You've mentioned being fond of the isles as a polycule a few times, and I was wondering about your thoughts on exactly how that dynamic works

hello! I feel like I should make a more thorough post on my main about how I see them working overall and how i see their dynamic straddling conventional platonic relationships and more intimate ones but since this is the spicy blog where I write filth that would be out of place here so please have some of the aforementioned filth instead:

(caveat: I actually headcanon Wales as various shades of ace which is relevant contextually.)

For Sean it is very much a case of physical attraction and camaraderie with Alasdair, at least. He has a thing for strong, rugged men and the kinship between them reaches so far back between them that the sex probably starts in the way of sharing a tent for the night and “maybe if I’m quiet enough he won’t notice that I’m tugging one out next to him”. They are familiar with each other and comfortable sharing partners or lending a hand but I do not necessarily see them as traditionally romantic. Intimate though, yes, and comfortable without question. Sharing cots and blankets on cold nights, sharing space under the cold water spout before they had hot running water. When it comes to sharing partners especially… hohohoho.

Before getting to that though, dear Wales. Daffyd (I know in naming conventions these days people are leaning towards Dylan or Rhys but I’m still fond of Dai). Out of all of them he is easily the most affectionate; demonstrative and comfortable with touch, he is the kind of man who’ll slip himself onto one of the other’s laps. If he is in the mood it will lead to sex but most often than not he’ll make himself comfortable and nuzzle into the crook between jaw and shoulder for the joy of it. Not a fan of wet kissing or oral but skilled with his hands and a steady fuck.He drags it out mercilessly, do not be fooled. He is cruel (in the best of ways), he can be capricious. He likes things a certain way and he will have anything and everything exactly on his terms. Arthur might think he is the best informed in kink; he is wrong. Daffyd just has one of those sweet dispositions that trick you into a false sense of security. He has at least one large chest of toys and equipment, and half library’s worth of smut. He’d like orchestrating scenes and sitting back to watch them develop before his eyes; would love winding the others up and enjoying himself. His fantasies would be the most elaborate by virtue of all of the above and his approach to sex is probably the lightest in character. He enjoys it and is very good at regulating his emotions around it. He has the clearest boundaries and communicates them the clearest, setting expectations out from the start. 

Individually both Sean and Alasdair know less about the background to kink; I went on more thoroughly on Alasdair’s preferences in that other post but for Sean i actually see him being the most vanilla out of all of them (lately i see vanilla equated with ‘boring’ is very much not the case but that's a subject for another post). Him and Dai do not often have sex outright but they’re very comfortable with Dai’s brand of seeking affection, same as Arthur and Dai. Dai would probably be the most platonic with Alasdair. By contrast, Sean and Arthur clash with each other so much that the sex is more a battle of wits and wills in a very different way than the power struggle between Alasdair and Arthur. I have an old wip I should wip (hehe) up where Arthur is lusting after Sean’s skillfull hands and I think that encapsulates the way I see their relationship best. They love each other but they are not affectionate during sex. Afterwards, well, aye. Sex can soften them, tired and sweaty and stinking of each other. 

I can go on about Arthur and Alasdair until the cows come home so I'll spare you on this occasion.

[starfall-spirit]

Agony

Summary: Victory comes with a heavy price.

CW: Character Death

This wasn't supposed to happen. If one of us fell...

Ladybug was the strong one. The leader, the clever planner, the survivor. Ladybug knew what to do in every situation. Ladybug had brought us our victory. Ladybug should be holding the six miraculous in my hand. Ladybug should be alert and breathing steadily. Ladybug should not be bleeding out in my arms.

Where was the damn ambulance?

"Kitty."

"M'lady?" Whatever she wanted to say, she seemed to doubt herself in it now. "You didn't have to take that blow for me," I said, trying to fill the silence.

"And let you pull all of the self-sacrificial bull? I think not." She sniffled. "I wanted more time. With Paris safe. I—I wanted time with you."

"We'll have our time, Ladybug. Just a few minutes. The medical team..." She fumbled for her yoyo, opening it so I could drop the miraculous in. "Ladybug—"

"Listen to me, Cat. You’re the guardian now."

”No.” I shook my head frantically, ignoring the gathering crowd. The cameras were now streaming this live for the country. "No, the medics are coming," I insisted. Prayed. "You’ll be just fine, Ladybug."

"Alya Césaire. Find her. She’ll t-tell you everything." I shook my head. "Kitty?"

She pressed a shaking hand over my heart and I held it there, somehow pulling her even closer. One little touch that said everything. I still loved her. She had come to love me. She took a raspy breath, mouthing one last plea. As our miraculous beeped in unison I leaned down over my partner—my soulmate—and kissed her as our identities were revealed to the world. And to each other.

There was a wailing in the crowd. Sabine. And then the chorus came. Not her. Not Marinette. I can’t lose her. This isn’t real. My partner just chuckled, deaf to their pain, adoration in her eyes. "Who else could my kitty be?" Tears had welled in her eyes. "I love—"

And she was gone. Dead. Lost to us as I heard the wailing of sirens, arriving too late for her. "Kid?" Plagg ventured as I removed her earrings, forcing my arms to release her. Forcing my feet to step backwards. Her parents and friends had as much right to her last moments as I did, yet they didn’t get to see her until she had died. "I’m sorry, kid."

I offered him the half slice of cheese that remained after the battle. "Eat, Plagg."

~~~~~

"Welcome back, Adrien," my teacher said cautiously as I entered the classroom, for a moment just staring at the empty chair beside mine.

A chair that wouldn’t fill until next September. All eyes were on me. Was that unusual? No. But I wasn’t under the model microscope now. This time I was Cat Noir, sitting down in the chair beside the one where Marinette, Paris’ dead hero, once sat. But then there was an empty table on the other side of the room. That would do just fine. And no one openly judged me for that.

"If everyone would open their books to act three. Adrien, follow along as best as you can."

I nodded, my throat too tight to speak. One of the popular girls began to read and I did my best to focus on the play. Instead I heard my partner laughing as I reenacted plays from earlier classes with an overdramatic tone or body movement, upping the flourishes of the romantic lines each time I quoted them, chasing her across Paris in the wee hours of the morning. There I went in a memory spiral. I barely survived that class. I was bolting for the door by the end of it.

Giving my free period the appreciation it deserves, I hid away, vaulting onto the school roof. Unfortunately, there was a ladder students weren’t technically supposed to be on. Did rules like that apply to her? Pretty much never.

"Adrien?" that familiar voice ventured, not seeming even a little surprised to find me openly transformed at school.

I flinched at the timid touch on my shoulder. "Chloé, I’m done with this."

"I know. I just wanted to see if you needed to vent. I’m sorry for how I’ve acted all these years. To the both of you. I can see why you fell for her."

"You know all of the kwamis have been rotating watching me since I took over the guardianship." She furrowed her brow. "She was like a fifth limb. A part of me, body and soul. We aren’t the first to bond like that. When half of the yin yang balance falls... Tikki and Plagg have lost a lot of holders to suicide. They’re all I have, Chloé. Not my mother or father. Just the kwamis."

She gave my hand a little squeeze of comfort. A simple thing I’d only felt from one person since my mothers death. "Adrien, look down there in the courtyard. What do you see?"

I glanced over the edge. “Students screwing around.”

"Adrien, really?"

"Am I supposed to give a better answer?"

"Hmm. Well, what do I see? Down there I see Alya and Nino flirting. You know, in their gross way. I see Kim and Alix arguing. Like always. Adrien, they’re trying to match the normal routine. They’re holding each other up to try and get through this." She gave a heavy sigh. "Look, we all know this is on a whole different level for you, and you can grieve for however long you need, but remember... you have all of us too. Your friends aren’t going anywhere.”

"I know. Good talk." She pursed her lips at my callous tone. Before she could lecture me the period change bell rang. I stood, stretching and silently offering her help down before detransforming for class. My gruff dismissal was wrong, yes, but I didn’t need little support talks right now. Right now I need solitude.