#when in doubt go with a clumsy starter

[tartrazeen]

You know what sucks?

DR2's case 3 gets so much guff from people for sucking (and it does lmao) when we were actually on the verge of an INCREDIBLE rebuttal from the killer:

Saying Hajime did it.

Let's go right up to the part where Mikan is about to slip up with that camera angle thing. But instead of saying that, she just breaks down into tears.

"You're a bully, Hajime," she sobs. "Worse than anyone I've ever met! Maybe Hiyoko was mean, maybe everyone I grew up with beat me up, but you! You're the one who turned the only friends I've ever had against me!

"And you were a bully from the very start. You never let me use any of my conversation starters. You used that embarrassing photo of me against Teruteru even when I begged you to forget about it. Now you have everyone convinced that I'm some sort of killer?!

"They all believe you, too. You're so nice, Hajime. Everyone likes having you around. They'll believe anything you say. I used to think you were nice too - that's why I felt safe enough to wake up with you in the morning. That's why I trusted you when you said I was your alibi!

"But I was wrong. We were all wrong. We should never have believed you. Not when you used that trust against me. That alibi was actually your plan to frame me, wasn't it? And you used that trust against everyone else, too.

"Tell me this, Ultimate Liar. Why were you the only one who saw this supposed video? Why should any of us believe it was even real?!"

Cut to Hajime trying to say that video was real, and Mikan demanding proof of it. The most he can say is that it's how he knew to go to the music venue.

The others try to ask why the conference room and music venue were made to look like each other.

"HA! Is that all you have to say? If you were the killer all along, of course you'd know to go to the music venue! The video simply gives you a convenient excuse."

"Isn't it obvious? That was his back-up plan. Just like Peko and her fake serial killer persona, Hajime had his fake suicide video! He set that up in advance knowing he could always blame the only other person who'd be in the hospital - me!

The others would start asking how Hajime would ever have the time or opportunity to set up such an elaborate alibi.

"In the end, I was once again the target of a big, mean, hateful bully!"

"You all think I had enough time, don't you? Weak, clumsy, dumb, pathetic Mikan, suddenly able to kill two people under all of your noses!

"Now it's too complicated?! Now it can't be Hajime?!

"I might be the Ultimate Nurse, but I had three patients to care for! Nobody else stayed to help me, and the hospital was empty! With Fuyuhiko back at his cottage and the others quarantined in the motel, why wouldn't Hajime have all the time he needs to dress up both rooms?

Assuming the class gets tangled up in this enough to realize Hajime has just as much opportunity as Mikan, right down to having the same alibi, it'd be up to Chiaki or Nagito (probably Chiaki) to mention Hiyoko's death. Even if Hajime knew Mikan was busy caring for three patients, and even if he volunteered just to watch how busy she was, and even if he used that information to plan a back-up alibi, there's no way Hajime would have been able to pull off the imitation murder. They've already discussed it: Hajime hadn't seen Monokuma's film until the investigation started, and it isn't like anyone told him what happened -

"And with Nagito in such critical condition, of course I couldn't leave his room! No one knew that better than Hajime, who volunteered to get in my way throughout the day!! Then spent the rest of the night framing me for a video that doesn't exist!!"

"Oh?! Oh oh oh oh oh? What's this I hear? More trust in Hajime, more doubt in Mikan?

Cue the surprise about that, and Hajime's immediate attempt to counter it by saying Ibuki couldn't have -

"'Nobody told him what happened' - is that all you have left? Empty guesses? Because I know someone who could have told Hajime everything about that film: Ibuki."

"Couldn't have told you? Oopsie, looks like someone forgot Monokuma's motive! Ibuki had the Gullible Disease, didn't she? That means you could have made her watch the film, then made her tell you what happened.

"When do you think that could have happened, Hajime? Right after you slashed Hiyoko's throat, but before you strangled Ibuki? Did you need one final alibi to clean up after your mess?"

The timing, as improbable as it is, still checks out. Hajime had all night to do this, according to Mikan. Who's to say he didn't stop in the middle of his murders to watch a horrible film for inspiration? After all, the real killer left Ibuki hanging there for who knew how long.

"The worst part is that you undid everything I tried to do to help. Ibuki was starting to recover, but you strangled her - and tried to blame me, with my weak little arms! You made the concert hall so hot that I couldn't perform a good enough autopsy! You told me to take a rest at the same time you conveniently saw this supposed video, and used that as proof that I had time to make it!"

Nobody else has their ticket (that's why Nagito told Hajime to keep his) and Monokuma isn't telling anyone who's seen anything. All Monokuma will say is that Hajime put on a biiiiig show of buying a sticker to not see a movie that he ended up watching anyway!

The doubt should really be falling onto Hajime as everyone starts to wonder if this is true. Mikan is just such a perfect victim, and with how busy she was caring for the others, could she have really had the time to set up anything so elaborate? It looks more and more like Hajime or Mikan could have equally been the killer, and it's all coming down to who they simply trust more.

This is when Nagito would actually step up. There'd be a long silence before he asks why Monokuma told them Hajime bought that sticker. Back at the movie theatre, Monokuma wouldn't tell Hajime or Nagito who bought that tote bag. That was because the killer bought it. Doesn't that mean Hajime isn't the killer?

Monokuma laments his big mouth, but says Nagito isn't going to deduce his way into another hint like he did with the body discovery announcement. The reason Monokuma told them who bought the sticker but not who bought the tote bag was obviously because the tote bag was more important to the killer's plan!

But from what Mikan is saying, the killer purposely attempting to prove they hadn't seen the film yet would have been a big part of the plan. Crucial, even, because up until then, everyone assumed Hajime had seen the movie! Who on earth would pay $1.5 million for such a cheap sticker to avoid it? And even if it hadn't been the killer's plan from the beginning, it would've certainly been at the core by the time of the trial. So why does telling them who bought the tote bag reveal the killer's identity, but not the sticker?

What I like about that is how it gives Monokuma more of a reason to stop the Monokuma Announcements in the next chapter. Right now, it's kind of arbitrary. But if he got 'tricked' into revealing even more hints because he kept blabbing during the trials and investigations - with even Monomi chiming in to say all his insults did this to himself - then I could easily see him being like, "You know what? Fine. For this Fun House, you're completely on your own. No hints, no announcements, nothing."

But I also like that it corners Monokuma into admitting that the sticker isn't important to the killer's plan in the same breath as affirming the tote bag is. So reasonably, you could write your way back to the same Panic Talk Action and keep "Theatre Bonus Prize" as the same answer. :)

Anyway, the real goal is to have a trial where you know you didn't do it, but it's genuinely your word over somebody else's. With a theme of this being that they don't 'really' know anything about each other, so they can't 'really' trust each other, it'd throw a lot of those character dynamics into the air. The very next chapter has Kazuichi believing Hajime's the traitor, and then Hajime finding out he doesn't actually have a talent while also holding back everything else Nagito learns about them. I wanted more stuff building towards that theme...

... and I wanted Mikan to use the rebuttal that was RIGHT!! THERE!!

She's taking care of three people and is super tired and the autopsy is ruined and she's so frazzled and no one else saw this video and Hajime had the same opportunities WHY DIDN'T SHE JUST ACCUSE HIM OF FRAMING HER?! He had nothing to defend himself with until she talked about the stupid camera angle! THAT'S SO LAME!!

[disorganizedkitten]

A Miraculous Mix Up Chapter 1

Miraculous Ladybug | 2018 | 2,876 | Ao3 | @LovelyLilliana | Masterpost | Next

When Master Fu dropped the miraculouses off, he didn't realize his mistake. Now we have a Cat who doesn't need magic to destroy things, a Bug who's hopeless in the creation department, and a mix up that needs to be reversed. Will Master Fu meet with them, one-on-one and fix things himself, or will they figure this out on their own? And more importantly, will they have to reveal their identities for this to all work out in the end?

“What’s this doing here?” Marinette poked the box on her desk with a finger, looking between it and her computer screen. She decided the box couldn’t be anything worse than what had already happened today. Which included, Chloe, a stone monster that was destroying the city, and her usual bad luck acting up. Really, this couldn’t be worse.

She was proven wrong the moment she actually opened it. A green light shot out and settled in front of her face, before dissolving in a burst of sparkles to reveal- a rat. A giant, flying, black rat. Marinette promptly screamed.

“Help! Giant mouse! Giant rat! It’s floating! Help!”

The rat didn’t move for a moment, before huffing loudly. “I'm not a rat girl! I am a-”

“It talks! The giant floating rat talks!” Marinette slammed into her vanity, and scrambled for something to shield herself. It hadn’t moved yet, but if it did she was going to hit it.

It moved one of it’s tiny arms to it’s head. “I got sent to the girl.” It moved it’s hand back down to it’s side. “Okay look, pigtails, cookies, um- what’s your name?”

“Why are you talking to me?” Marinette squeaked.

“Because right now I have to. Look, I’m not here to hurt you or anything, okay?”

“Not really?”

The rat groaned. “Fine. What would make it so you’ll stop panicking and listen to me?”

“What?”

“Can I sit down somewhere? I’ve been told I’m less intimidating when not at eye level.”

Marinette pointed at her chaise lounge mutely. The rat was trying to be nice? What? She had to be hallucinating. There was absolutely no way this was real.

The rat flew over to the chaise and settled on top of one of her pillows. “Thanks. How do humans start this? Names! Hello. I’m Plagg. I'm a kwami, and I mean you no harm.” ‘Plagg’ was right about not being quite as scary when sized against her pillows. He'd be cute, Marinette realized, if it weren’t for that fact that he shouldn't exist.

“Mari-Cheng. Nette. Marinette.” She took a deep breath and inched closer to her chaise. She didn’t get too close, but she found herself contained enough to ask a question of her own. “What’s a kwami?”

The ‘kwami’ wiggled, almost like he was puffing himself up. “A great starter question Marinette. We kwami are the beings that are tied to and power the Miraculous! Each one of us has our own jewel and power set, and mine, which will soon be yours it seems, is the Miraculous of Destruction!”

Marinette winced. “So my clumsiness is a superpower now?”

Plagg took one look at her downtrodden face and shook his head. This wouldn’t do. There was a reason Fu had read her as a good match for Tikki, not him. “No. I don’t know how much I can say, cause magic, but no. This isn’t the universe saying ‘Hey Marinette, you’re so bad at stuff we want you to be worse.’ think of it more like-” Plagg shook his head. “I’m not good at this. But you will be.”

“I doubt it,” Marinette muttered. She on the other hand was completely convinced this was her being called out for being a walking disaster.

“Look. You have bad luck, right? With your special power from my miraculous you can take that bad luck and use it against Stoneheart.”

“I can?”

“Yes. It’s a concentration thing. You take excess power from the air and focus it, so we can draw from your bad luck exclusively. Plus I can help you be more graceful and catch yourself when you fall. Deal?”

Marinette bit her lip. “It sounds nice, but this feels like some sort of magical contract, and those never end well in stories.”

Plagg slammed his paw into his head. This was never going to work. “I’m not a genie! I’m not a demon! I’m a kwami! And there’s someone else with a Miraculous, and he’s going to be out fighting soon, and he’s going to need backup. Are you in or not?”

“Remember that I trip on air? I’m going to knock him out of the sky or trip into the villain myself. My friend Alya might know though..” Marinette tilted her head. Alya knew about superheroes. She’d know if this was a dult contract. Maybe-

“No one can know about me. Not your friends, not you parents, not your great uncle, no one,” Plagg said quickly. “Please, just try it out. The ring isn’t cursed, I promise.”

“Why does this matter to you?” Marinette asked. Really it seemed weird. Who would want to go fight something like Stoneheart?

Plagg slumped. “If I tell you will you do it?”

“Depends on the reason,” Marinette agreed slowly. Plagg nodded.

“Fine then. The guy who turned the boy into a supervillain, he has a Miraculous too. And like I mentioned earlier, every miraculous has a kwami. I want to save my friend, and I can’t do it on my own unless we want Paris to turn to dust.”

Marinette was quiet for a moment, contemplating. She looked at Plagg, who was looking up at her with his huge green eyes, and Marinette couldn’t say no. It would be bad is Paris was destroyed, and she probably couldn’t be worse than what he just said, plus, if another one of these adorable beings was under some bad guy’s control- “Okay. How can I help?”

Plagg shot into the air, ignoring Marinette’s shriek of surprise, and moved over to where the Miraculous box had landed.

“First put the ring on.”

Marinette followed him and pulled the silver piece of metal out of the cushioned box. “Does it matter which hand?” When Plagg shook his head Marinette slipped it onto her right hand. “Does it do anything?”

“Not on its own, Kit. So how you transform is by saying ‘Claws out!’ and once you’ve done that you’ll have a staff for a weapon, which will work however you need it too. Got that?”

Marinette nodded. “Anything else I need to know? How do I concentrate my bad luck?”

“For that you have to say cataclysm and focus. The next thing you touch with that hand will crumble. At first it’ll probably be messy and take out the whole object, but you can control how much disintegrates with practice. After you’ve activated it though, you only have five minutes before you are forcibly detransformed.”

“Right. How do I ‘detransform’ myself when I’m done?”

“Claws in.”

“Okay. Anything else? How do we defeat Stoneheart? I really don’t want to hurt Ivan.”

Plagg nodded. She was inquisitive, this one. “He will have something on him, or something that he’s holding, that’s where the source of his powers are, an akuma. You have to break the object holding it, and purify it. The guy who was infected should turn back after that.”

“How do I purify it?” Marinette asked. This was a lot to do, especially on her first day. She was going to trip and destroy the city, wasn’t she?

“You don’t,” Plagg snapped, flying at her face. Marinette jerked backwards again.

“But how-”

“Your partner will be able too. You are not to touch the akuma once it’s free. Your partner is in charge of purifying the akuma, and reversing all the damage from the battle.”

Marinette nodded. Okay. That was good news. She wouldn’t be alone. “Okay. So I just have to destroy something, which I don’t even need superpowers for, and the other superhero will fix everything?”

“Just about,” Plagg conceded.

Man this was more explaining than was in the job description. There were reasons he was supposed to have the other chosen.

“Okay.” Marinette nodded again, her movements jerky but not as frantic as they could be. “Okay. Anything else? Anything at all?”

—«·»—

“What’s this doing here?” Adrien picked up the small box, noting the chinese markings on the top. ‘瓢蟲’ (Piáo chóng/ladybug). Why did he have a box marked with that? Had he missed a piece of Chinese homework?

Well, the only way to know was to open it, right?

A flash of pink shot out, which settled between him and his TV screen. The ball of sparkles dissolved slowly, leaving a pink something where it was. It was maybe the size of Adrien’s hand, with bright blue eyes and three black spots on it’s head. Well, there’s where the Ladybug inscription came from.

“You’re not Mar-” the creature stopped to spit out a couple bubbles. It shook it’s head. “Hello there Adrien!”

“Whoa! What are you? A fairy? Some kind of genie?” Adrien tentatively lifted a finger to the creature’s head, stopping just before tapping it.

“I'm Tikki, and I'm a kwami! Now, if you will let me explain, your help is needed.”

“My help? With what?” Adrien didn’t move from his position, too enraptured by the possibilities.

“Defeating Stoneheart of course!” The kwami said, throwing her arms out excitedly.

“You want me to fight a monster?”

“If you will. You won’t be on your own of course! There’s another Miraculous being handed out, and she will be able to fight by your side. I will grant you the powers required to defeat Stoneheart, but I need someone to wield them. You have been chosen as that someone.” Tikki only partially lied to the poor boy. He was a chosen. Just not hers. Thankfully this duo would be able to switch and still work relatively well for a short amount of time, and Tikki could puzzle out the best course of action after Stoneheart was defeated.

“Of course!” Adrien smiled. His face dropped after a moment. “But I can’t leave the house.”

“We can fix that,” Tikki assured him.

“Really? That would be amazing!”

“Okay. Sit down and let me explain your powers.”

Adrien complied, sinking into his white couch. He was going to be a superhero. He was going to be a superhero. He was going to be a superhero!!

“Your power is of Creation,” Tikki started. Adrien listened quietly, too excited to think beyond memorizing what she was saying. “Your special ability is ‘Lucky Charm’, which will give you an object, seemingly random, that you or your partner will be able to use to win. But only call upon it when you believe you know what you must destroy, as once you have you will only have five minutes until you are forced to detransform. To defeat Stoneheart you must find his akumatized object, which holds the cause of his corruption, and destroy it. An akuma is a black butterfly, which you must catch as soon as you break the object. After you have caught and purified the akuma, you must grab your Lucky Charm and throw it into the air to restore the City and undo any harm or destruction caused by a miraculous. Any questions?”

“How do I transform?” Adrien blurted.

Tikki nodded. “To activate the magic, just say, Spots on.”

“Spots on!” Adrien shouted. Nothing happened. “Why didn’t it work?”

“You aren’t wearing your miraculous. The earrings. You have to put them on, then-”

Adrien had already pulled the now-black earrings out of the box and attached them to his ears. Despite having sticks and backs, those both vanished when the neared his ears and attached like magnets. “Spots on!”

“Eep!” Tikki squeaked as she was pulled into the Miraculous, hoping she hadn’t forgotten to tell him anything.

—«·»—

“I can’t do this.” Marinette decided, looking at herself in the Mirror. Her costume was pure black, save for a small red line that implied a V neckline and ended in a small golden bell at her collarbone. She had a domino mask of the same black covering her eyes, and ears growing out of her jet black hair. “What was I thinking? I can’t be a hero.” She turned away from her mirror, shaking her head. “The Miraculous needs to go to someone else. Claws-” She trailed off when something on her computer caught her eye.

“Stoneheart is heading toward the Montparnasse tower. The monster seems to be unstoppable!”

But it wasn’t Nadja’s commentary that distracted her. No, it was the figure on a bike racing across the street that caught her eye. Maybe she shouldn’t trust a news camera, but that looked a lot like- “Alya?”

She hadn’t realised she had spoken aloud until she heard her Mother calling for her. She needed to leave. She needed to try. Her new maybe-friend was out there and could get hurt. Marinette scrambled up her ladder and onto her balcony. Now, Plagg had said her Baton would extend as she needed it to? Could she use it to vault around or something?

“Okay Marinette. You got this. Maybe. Probably not. But Alya needs you.” She unlatched the baton from her back and looked at it. It was silver with a green pawprint, but nothing stuck out as a way to use it. Maybe if she- “How do you slow this down?!” She shrieked as it shot her into the air.

—«·»—

Adrien, or Piáo Chóng, as he had decided for his Hero name due to the decorative box, swung through the streets of Paris via his new magic yo-yo, (I repeat, Yo-yo! He had a magic Yo-yo! This was awesome!) hardly believing this was real. But he could feel the wind in his hair, and he could feel the string in his hand, and it was.

He was pretty sure he was close to where Stoneheart was when the scream caught his attention. But it wasn’t coming from the streets, and there wasn’t a monster in sight, so where was it coming from?

“Look out!” A black figure crashed into him, the force of their momentum dragging them both off the roof Piáo Chóng had landed on.

By the time Piáo’s vision came back into focus, he was hanging off of something by yo-yo, and there was a squirming figure tied to him.

“Well hey there, nice of you to drop in,” Piáo said, trying to get his yo-yo to release.

“I'm so sorry,” she replied, stilling. “I didn’t do it on purpose.”

There was a click as Piáo finally got it to do so. They were both dropped onto the sidewalk, and Piáo took the opportunity to assess her. Definitely Cat based, similar to how he was Ladybug based, but much less intricate than his costume. She wasn’t looking at him, instead fiddling with a silver stick.

“I bet you’re the partner my kwami told me about. I’m Piáo Chóng, and you?”

“Mari-Ack!” the stick extended on both sides, barely missing his head. “I’m sorry!” She snapped the stick back to the original small size. “I’m a walking disaster.”

“No sweat, I’m learning the ropes too,” Piáo replied, trying to reaffirm her.

The street started shaking as a building collapsed down the road. Piáo Chóng flicked his yo-yo out, pulling as it latched it onto a nearby building.

“Hey, where are you going?”

Piáo stopped to shoot the cat-girl an encouraging smile. “To save Paris, right?” He didn’t wait for an answer, but the clacking and occasional hisses from behind him as he raced across rooftops assured him she was following him.

They reached the stadium as Stoneheart yelled something about wusses at a kid in a red sweatshirt.

“Hey, it’s not nice to pick on people smaller than you!”

“I guess you're talking about yourself,” Stoneheart replied, bending down closer to eye level.

—«·»—

“Uncanny, amazing, spectacular! Are you gonna be protecting paris from now on? How did you get your powers? Were you bitten by a radioactive Cat? Were you stung by a radioactive Ladybug? Oh, I've got a ton of questions to ask you, uh, M. and Mlle.... uhh…” The voice of the girl taking the video died as she realized she didn't have a name for the either of the heroes she was trying to interview.

They both froze, turning to look at the soon-to-be-blogger. The Blond boy’s suit was red with black shoulder pads and boots with cuffs, and black spots on the red material. “Piáo Chóng, at your service.” He bowed with a flourish. “And this is my partner...” He trailed off, leaving a silence for her to fill.

The girl had black hair in pigtails and was wearing a pure black bodysuit with a bell, and cat ears that had been flicking back and forth while Piáo Chóng talked to the recording girl. Piáo Chóng moved to wave a hand in front of her face. “Hey, Cat-Girl? You there?”

“Chat Noire!” She blurted. Her face flushed under her mask. “Sorry, um, I gotta scat.” Chat Noire waved, then turned on her heel. “See you later actually I hope I won’t because supervillains are bad anyways I’ll call you Piáo bye!” She called in a rush, before yanking her baton out and propelling herself out of the stadium.

Master Fu sighed heavily, refusing to look at Wayzz. How had he mixed them up? The boxes had been labeled!

“What are we going to do, Master?”

“I don't know Wayzz. But they can't keep the wrong Miraculous for long, especially if I was correct when I felt such specific auras.”

[oblitathea-blog]

      A moment to compose herself, that was all Dorothea had wanted. From the moment she had arrived in Paris from the Vatican she had been watched carefully by the guards sent to retrieve her, even once inside the safety of the castle walls she had not been able to be rid of them, but there was a moment where one of them faltered. Thea had found another door which led out of her chambers and used it to be free of her guards for a little while. The Princess was walking at a quick pace in the hopes of getting some distance before they noticed she was gone, glancing behind her to make sure she wasn’t being followed just before she felt herself bump into another. ❝ Oh! I am so sorry, pray you forgive me, that was very careless on my part. ❞

[aquagirl1978]

do you know what makes chevalier so popular? ever since the game was released (in EN) i've seen so many fans of him + the game recommends you his route

Hi anon - I cannot tell you why he's popular in this fandom, but I can tell you why I like him so much...

He's beautiful

Did I want an excuse to post this again? Maaaybe... But I don't think I'm the only one around here who finds him attractive. I don't mean to sound shallow, but the pretty ones are always popular (yes, Gilbert, I'm looking at you).

His story events are amazing

Being one of the starter routes, Chevalier's route sometimes feels a bit lackluster when compared to some of the later, darker/more dramatic routes. But, his growth seen in his story events is phenomenal. I'm not going to start talking about them now, I'll be here all day, but a few that come to mind are the Valentine's Day story where we meet his grandfather, the most recent Christmas story event where you see Chevalier and Sariel interact, and the recent Because of You event where Chevalier spent an afternoon babysitting.

He's awkward and perfectly not perfect

Chevalier is this seemingly perfect figure - he's a genius, a skilled fighter, has a photographic memory, can play the violin and other instruments masterfully, he cooks as if he's a gourmet chef, and can even do you hair perfectly. Is there anything he can't do? Yes, he doesn't know how to show affection. As we watch him grow as a lover, we are gifted with his awkward hugs. Rough caresses. And clumsy kisses. Its these small acts that make him so endearing as a suitor.

My guess for why his route is "recommended" on the character selection page is due to the fact that he has ranked first in every election (both Eng and JP). He is, without a doubt, the most popular character in Ikemen Prince.

[sanseru]

Kazuichi Souda Deserved Better

SPOILERS FOR DANGANRONPA 2 AHEAD  (Despair arc is also mentioned but I don’t think it’s very spoilery)

Okay, this rant sorta ramble thing has been sitting in my docs for a while now but I really want to get this out finally. This is my entire essay on why Kazuichi Souda was completely screwed over in Danganronpa 2 as a character and why I think he does not deserve the amount of hate he gets.

So, Kazuichi Souda. One of the more dislikable characters in Danganronpa and my personal favorite. Now, I want to start off by saying I absolutely understand why people hate Kazuichi or at the very least, heavily dislike him. He’s an obnoxious, perverted asshole who unintentionally goes out of his way to make Sonia Nevermind incredibly uncomfortable with his constant badgering and flirting. Not to mention, he’s declared Gundham Tanaka his love rival for clearly getting along with Kazuichi’s crush better than him. He rarely helps in the actual trials and can be incredibly obnoxious at times. So with all that being said, how the hell can I try to redeem Kazuichi and claim him as my favorite character? Well, for starters I absolutely adore his aesthetic. I can’t help it, bright, funky messes make me happy. So does his design get him a couple points in my book? Absolutely. However, the main thing that ended up winning me over completely was something most people don’t even end up checking out: his free time event. And that same thing is what frustrates me the most about how he was used throughout the main game. 

So now I want to review Kazuichi’s free time events for those who haven’t seen them. Throughout most of the interactions, Kazuichi is shown that his carefree and “cool kid” attitude isn’t entirely real. He grew up in a household with little money and seemingly no good friends. When asked about his dreams for the future, he gets embarrassed, his confident facade falling before he finally reveals that he wants to work on a rocket ship someday. However, it’s after this interaction that Hajime compares Kazuichi to a delinquent, accidentally and visibly upsetting the mechanic. The second to last event, Kazuichi reveals one more thing about himself: his belief that all humans are no more than animals that’ll eventually betray one another. It isn’t until the 5th and final free time event that Kazuichi explains everything mentioned before in more detail. He used to be a quiet, weak child who trusted people unconditionally. However, one day Kazuichi was betrayed and abandoned by a close friend. After that, he found himself so sick of being pushed around that he changed his appearance and attitude, even if he really didn’t want to. Soon enough, Kazuichi got grouped in with the punks and delinquents and was even frightened by the amount of girls that suddenly seemed interested in him. Throughout the conversations, we quickly come to learn that he’s an anxious, socially awkward and nervous type of person more than anything. Though he really does want a good friend he can put his faith in, he finds it difficult because everything he’s seen has proven to him that that wouldn’t happen. 

Now, after finishing Kazuichi’s free time events, I couldn’t help but feel something was off. Like his free time events didn’t really line up with his character throughout the game. His distrusting of Hajime in the fun house made more sense but one detail kept gnawing at me. How could someone so scared of being betrayed, so clearly fed up with popularity, want to date a woman who he only knows to be a princess that has an unnerving obsession with murderers and true crime? I know human beings can be irrational but that never sat right with me. And maybe you can make the argument that Kazuichi only distrusts men but even that can be proven away with how buddy buddy he gets with Hajime in SDR2 and Fuyuhiko in Despair Arc (though I suppose that relationship is equally as confusing considering Fuyuhiko’s ultimate). Perhaps I’m missing something, but it just doesn’t add up to me. 

So what’s my point at the end of all of this? Put simply, I think that Kazuichi Souda’s character is a mess. I personally see his free time self and in game self as two completely different people and would’ve strongly preferred to see more of his backstory shine in the primary game. I feel as though Kazuichi was given the creepy, stalkerish traits just to have another male character for people to blatantly dislike since Teruteru was killed off so early. As though they needed someone who would annoy the player throughout every trial. That, above everything, is what frustrates me to no end. I feel like Kazuichi is a greatly relatable character to some people, myself included. I like his backstory and honestly, I find him somewhat endearingly dumb at times. Now I’m not saying we should completely throw out his girl crush or anything like that but at the very least, they could’ve possibly toned it back. Maybe instead of outright making Sonia viscerally uncomfortable, he’d try and fail to talk to her, like a proper, clumsy teen who’s never flirted a day in his life. Maybe he tries talking to Hajime about girls and stereotypically manly stuff because he’s not quite sure what other guys like to talk about and that’s the first thing that comes to mind. Maybe he doesn’t make Gundham his enemy, annoying the crap out of him at every turn, but is instead simply jealous of the guy, trying to figure out what he has that Kazuichi doesn’t. Perhaps he’s not even really jealous of how Gundham talks to Sonia but more that Gundham has so much more confidence in himself than Kazuichi has. My point is, I feel he didn’t have to be this obnoxious, useless character for people to poke fun at and could’ve genuinely struck a cord with some people.

But all in all, that’s just my opinion on Kazuichi Souda as a character. I doubt I’m going to be able to win over anybody who genuinely dislikes Kazuichi with this post but I do want to try and maybe explain why I love his character so much. 

[jayeray-hq]

Heyo! For your affection series could you add kunimi and goshiki? Thank you 🙏

Sure thing anon! Thank you so much for asking! If you haven't already seen it Kunimi is here!

Post Time Skip/Manga Ending Spoilers!

Warnings: None all Fluff!

How He Shows You Affection Master List - Character Masterlist

He Tells You About It (As Best He Can)

You watched your boyfriend pace back and forth in front of the TV as you leaned on the counter in your kitchen. Something was obviously bothering him, and had been since he’d gotten home from practice. He’d still greeted you with his normal exuberance, practically colliding with you the minute he spotted you, hugging you close, but something about his eyes had been off. He’d definitely seemed worried, which had started your suspicions.

Now that was pacing your suspicions were confirmed. Goshiki always paced back and forth when something was bothering him. According to him it helped him focus on his thoughts if he let his body move, so you’d left him to it. However, it had been something like forty-five minutes now, and you were starting to get concerned. Thus you decided it was time to attempt to intervene.

“Tsutomu, is something wrong?” you asked gently, your voice instantly snapping him out of his pacing as he turned to look at you, dark eyes wide in his face.

It seemed that your gentle prompt was all he needed though because he practically bounded across the room, carefully taking hold of your elbows in his large hands as he peered worriedly into your face and asked, “Do I tell you I love you enough?”

You stared at him blankly, trying to absorb the question, wondering what on earth could’ve prompted him to ask. However, your poor boyfriend had apparently taken your silence as either reluctance to answer, or no, because he immediately started to babble.

“Because I do you know, love you? I love you so much, more than anything, more than boiled flounder, more than the perfect serve, even more than my mom and Dai!” he floundered, staring at you a bit helplessly.

It took all your willpower not to giggle, when you knew he was being completely and utterly serious. Though you couldn’t help but find the fact that he’d told you he loved you more than his mother and his dog in the same sentence a bit hilarious, if utterly sweet. It was honestly a bit of a silly thing to be worried about, that he thought you didn’t know how much he loved you.

From the very beginning Goshiki had made it obvious he practically worshipped the ground you walked on. If you said jump, he’d be up in the air before you could even think to ask how high. He was always full of clumsy but well-meant compliments, and never failed to tell you I love you both before he left for the day and when he got home every night despite the fact that there were some in the more conservative Japan who looked down on expressing love for your spouse so openly.

He hadn’t ever given you cause to doubt his love for you, in fact there were only ever times when you wondered if you could live up to how much he loved you and return it equally. If anything you should be the one wondering if he knew just how much he loved you, not him.

“Tsutomu,” you interrupted gently, before he could get anymore worked up, “It’s okay. I know you love me.”

“You do?” he asked, with a worried frown.

You leaned forward to press a quick peck to the pucker between his eyebrows, earning a slight blush from your boyfriend, who despite how long you’d been dating still got flustered over the little things as you assured him, “I do. What brought this on?”

“Kiryu was telling the guys in practice that his girlfriend almost broke up with him because she didn’t know he loved her,” he explained readily enough, relaxing into your hold as you wrapped your arms around his trim waist, “I just wanted to make sure that wouldn’t ever happen to us.”

“It won’t,” you assured him with an affectionate smile, feeling soft at how cute he could be, even if he would argue until he was blue in the face that he wasn’t anything close to ‘cute’, “I’ve never once doubted how much you love me, Tsutomu. You know I love you too right?”

“Yeah,” he agreed, though the slight emotional waver in his voice told you it wasn’t quite as sure as he probably meant for it to be as he squeezed you close. You hugged back with a content sigh and made a mental note to tell him you loved him more often, because you knew how very much he loved you, you wanted him to know just how much you adored him too.

He Lets You Hang on Him

“Tsutomu!” you cheered, bright and joyful, waving at him from your place by the dividers that separated the court from the crowd.

You weren’t sure if he’d be able to hear you, what with how loud everything was, but low and behold the minute his name was out of your mouth his head was on a swivel searching for you. The minute he spotted you his whole face lit up, as he immediately jogged over to where you were standing.

Holding out your arms you were immediately indulged as he leaned over the dividers to give you your hug, completely unbothered by the crowd and the potential eyes on the two of you. The first time you’d done this you were the one who’d had to lean over the dividers, and your poor boyfriend had blushed up a storm the whole time, even if he’d returned your embrace.

Worried you might’ve made him uncomfortable you’d talked to him after the game and offered to not do it anymore and wait until the two of you were in private. To your shock your boyfriend had immediately protested, insisting you could reach for him whenever and wherever you wanted. He didn’t mind and he never would.

You’d taken him at his word, and slowly but surely, he’d stopped getting quite so flustered, and instead of you having to reach for him, he almost always reached for you first. It never failed to make you smile and feel appreciated and loved by your boyfriend.

It was special, especially since you knew that he didn’t reach for anyone else, and if they tried to reach for him he grumbled about it. Even his teammates weren’t exempt from this, as he always got huffy whenever anyone tried to ruffle his hair, or do anything that might mess with his image as the ‘cool Ace of the team’.

If it was you though he didn’t care a bit. Goshiki was more than content to let you hang all over him, giving hugs, lacing your hands together, linking arms or even the occasional chaste peck to the cheek. It had taken a little bit for him to get comfortable with it all, especially since he’d been so flustered at first, blushing and stuttering up a storm. These days though he barely batted an eye.

He accepted each and every physical gesture from you joyfully, a wide beaming grin on his face every single time. It was cute, especially since you knew if he was denied those gestures he’d get pouty and would shoot you the most devastating puppy dog eyes until you caved in and reached for him again.

“Are you ready for the game?” you asked him as you drew back from the hug, though your hands lingered at his waist.

“Of course!” he told you seriously, a proud, determined glint in his eye as he explained, “An Ace is always ready! We’re going to win this one for sure!”

“Of course you will,” you agreed, with a soft fond smile.

You reached up to press an affectionate kiss to his cheek, unable to help your amusement as he blushed and sputtered a bit as you told him, “Good luck Tsutomu! I’m cheering for you!”

Your poor boyfriend sputtered out his thanks and jogged back to his teammates, face still bright red, but with an enormous grin on his face. You giggled a bit to yourself as you watched his teammates gently tease him as he shook off his embarrassment and got his head in the game, feeling inordinately fond of your boyfriend, who loved you enough to do anything for you, even put up with a little friendly ribbing from his teammates.

You weren’t sure if you were looking forward to or dreading the day he became completely immune to the embarrassment of physical affection. All you really knew was that you were going to cherish each and every moment of it, and the adoration he had for you.

He Hypes You Up and Brags About You

“Alright, alright we get it already,” a familiar voice announced, sounding completely and utterly resigned. Something about the way it was said, making you pause in place.

You hadn’t been too sure about accompanying Goshiki to the reunion of his volleyball team from his high school days, mostly because you’d never met any of them before. However, you’d heard plenty from your boyfriend, who clearly admired them all a great deal, none more so than Ushijima Wakatoshi, the prize Ace of the Schweiden Adlers and one of his rivals.

You’d seen Ushijima from a distance before, as you’d attended the games when he played against your boyfriend, but had never had the chance to be introduced as he tended to leave quickly once the game was over. He was every bit as imposing and formidable as Goshiki had described him, though far quieter than you’d expected.

The others were all equally impressive and a little imposing. Tendou, Satori was MeTube famous, a sensation and an influencer known for his amazing chocolate creations. Semi, Eita was in a band who’s current song was in the top ten trending in the nation. Shirabu Kenjirou was a budding surgeon, and all the others were professional athletes of some kind or another. It was a very impressive crowd, and you suddenly understood a lot better why your boyfriend, strong and amazing as he was, could have such deep insecurities.

Still the group had been nothing but kind and welcoming to the two of you, and it was very obvious they doted on your boyfriend, who was something like the baby of the group as he’d been the only first year starter on the team. Even Shirabu, who constantly threw sarcasm at anyone and anything clearly only had Goshiki’s best interests in mind.

It had made you more than a bit nervous. Honestly, it was like meeting his family all over again. Luckily, it seemed to be going well so far, even so you’d had to excuse yourself to run to the restroom to freshen up a bit to give yourself a bit of a breather. They likely didn’t mean to, but the group was a little rowdy and overwhelming at times.

You’d been on your way back when you’d overheard what you were pretty sure was Semi, though it was hard to be sure given you’d only met them all that day.

“Your girlfriend is the greatest, we get it,” Semi continued, heaving a sigh, making you flush a bit. Goshiki was always hyping you up, and you’d caught him bragging about you to his teammates more than once. It was incredibly sweet, and flattering, if a little embarrassing at times.

“Aww, don’t be sad just because you’re a sad single Semi-Semi,” a voice that was definitely Tendou chimed in, “We should be happy for our cute junior.”

“You’re single too!” Semi hissed back, “And don’t call me Semi-Semi!”

“I think it’s nice that Goshiki is so happy with his partner,” a calm voice that you were fairly sure was Ohira put in thoughtfully.

“You don’t get to talk either mister married with a daughter,” Shirabu snarked.

“It’s nice to see everyone so happy with their partners,” Kawanishi mused, “you two look nice together.”

“She’s amazing,” Goshiki agreed immediately, with a dreamy sigh, that made your heart flutter and your cheeks flush, “I really don’t deserve her.”

You weren’t about to let that stand. Your boyfriend was really too sweet, and couldn’t be more deserving if he tried.

“I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you,” you told him, announcing your presence as you slid back into your seat beside him, clearly startling him though he didn’t protest as you reached for his hand, eagerly twining his fingers together with yours despite the pink flush to his cheeks.

“Gross,” Shirabu informed the two of you, though the small smirk on his lips gave away that he didn’t really mean it.

“I think they are nice together,” Ushijima announced, suddenly, cutting off the retort that had clearly been on the tip of Goshiki’s tongue.

There was a general murmur of agreement from around the table, Ushijima’s apparently the last word that was needed. You were glad to have seemingly gotten their approval, but at the end of the day the only opinion that really mattered was your boyfriend’s, and he’d made his perfectly clear to anyone and everyone that would listen.

He never failed to make you feel loved, which was probably why you were so head over heels for him, because there was no one else quite like Goshiki Tsutomu.

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[babydaddyleorio]

meet the parents: itadori yuuji x reader

pairings: yuuji itadori x fem! reader

word count: 1,060

summary: in which itadori meets your parents

“Does my breath smell bad?” Yuuji suddenly broke the silence and cuffed his hand to his mouth while huffing, his face contorting to shock soon after.  “Oh no, I can’t tell-- y/n smell my breath!” Yuuji leaned in towards your face with his mouth open but you put your hand up to stop him just before he could blow at you.

“Yuuji, move. I am not smelling your breath.” You said pointedly while laughing at him. Yuuji stepped back and rubbed his hand against the nape of his neck, his frantic expression from before now being replaced with a sheepish one. 

“Sorry y/n, I’m just really nervous about tonight.” He confessed while gripping the steering wheel in front of him rather tightly. The two of you were currently sitting inside of Yuuji’s car which was parked in the driveway of your parent’s home. Yuuji had been sweating bullets since the moment you walked out of your front door and his worrying seemed to only increase the whole drive here. 

You sucked your teeth and leaned your body over the armrest so that you could place your hands on top of Yuuji’s shaking ones.

“Everything is going to be fine, stop getting yourself worked up about this.” You said in a quick attempt to calm him down, but it seemed futile as Yuuji groaned loudly and threw his head back against the leather seat.

“I know I’m being dramatic right now, but I just really want to make a good first impression on your parents.” He glanced to where you sat, frowning at the thought of your parents not accepting him. Yuuji loved you with all of his heart and he wanted to do everything in his power to show your parent’s that he was worthy of being the best boyfriend to you. 

You leaned closer to Yuuji once again, only this time giving him a reassuring kiss on the cheek.

“You got this,” You said while grabbing Yuuji’s chin and turning his head to look at him in the eyes. “We got this, okay?”

Yuuji silently nodded at you, although the feeling of doubt still lingered in his mind. You then unbuckled your seatbelt and patiently waited with your purse in your lap as Yuuji got out and jogged around the car and to the passenger side. Your heart jumped once he swung your door open, grinning down at you with love in his eyes. He reached for your hand and you noticed how neatly his tie was done over the snug blue shirt you picked out for him, as well as the way his onyx dress pants hugged his legs just right. You smirked at how handsome your boyfriend was, but you quickly shook away those thoughts and grabbed his extended hand so the two of you could go in.

                               +

Dinner had been very… interesting to say the least. Yuuji had greeted your parents respectfully at the front door, but when your dad reached out for a handshake, Sukuna took that as an opportunity to come out of his slumber and decide it would be a great idea to lick your father’s hand. Your dad immediately jumped back and retracted his hand with a bewildered expression on his face. You and Yuuji had to quickly play It off by saying that Yuuji’s hand was just extremely sweaty, but you could sense that your dad was still a bit weirded out. Yuuji's irritation with Sukuna only doubled once he heard him laughing at the mess he created in the back of his mind. Strike one.

As you all were waiting for dinner to be done, Yuuji had to excuse himself to go to the bathroom. Your mom told him that It was upstairs and he made sure to thank her before leaving. Minutes had passed now and you were in the middle of laughing with your parents when suddenly you heard Yuuji scream, making you turn your head just in time to see him tumbling down the stairs at high speed. Your parents gasped in shock as Yuuji laid face first on the ground, and after some moments, he weakly lifted his head and brought his hand up to give you guys a thumbs up.

“I’m.. okay..” Strike two.

When you guys got to the dinner table, your mom tried to break the awkward silence by giving some conversation starters. 

“So Itadori.. what do you do?” Your mother asked, shifting her eyes towards the boy who was contently chewing mashed potatoes. Yuuji then gulped down the food that was in his mouth and smiled genuinely at your mom.

“Oh, I exercise curses.” 

Your parents opened their eyes in shock, silverware clanking against their plates, and you couldn’t help but slap your hand against your forehead. Good grief, that was strike three.

The night had ended soon after that, you sensing how badly this whole ordeal would hurt Yuuji. Your dad had taken Yuuji in the backyard to have a “talk” and you could only imagine how horribly that conversation was going. You looked at your mom with a tired expression and she looked back at you sympathetically. The backdoor door suddenly opened and you mentally braced yourself to see your boyfriend’s devastated face, but shock consumed you once you saw your dad and Yuuji walk into the room side by side and laughing together.

“Itadori, you are something else.” Your dad chuckled while slapping Yuuji on the back. You didn’t think your dad and Yuuji would be buddy buddy after all that happened tonight, but It seemed like they were actually hitting it off at this moment.

“Listen, you may be a bit clumsy and unpredictable, but I can tell that you really love my daughter.” Yuuji looked at your father with a smile as he continued his sentence. “You’re okay in my book.”

When you and Yuuji got back into his car, Yuuji did a silent scream and a little dance in his seat.

“I did It, y/n! They like me!” He shouted while turning to look at you with his eyes closed and the biggest smile on his face. You laughed at how excited your boyfriend was, and as he was still rejoicing, you grabbed the tie he had around his neck and pulled him closer to you.

His eyes immediately shot open from the sudden action and a blush creeped across his cheeks once he felt your lips touch his. You moved your head back and smiled at Yuuji’s flustered state.

“I knew you could do It.”

[explorationsoftheid]

I Will Never Own a Gun

I used to live in the US. As a result some people here in Canada assume I carry stereotypical American attitudes toward many things. But no I don’t, that’s why I left. Often they assume this includes firearms, but no, firearms and me just don’t mix. I have friends back in the old country that have guns for hunting and such, but I will never own a gun. This is not some kind of moral stand. I have very practical reasons for staying as far away from guns as I can.

First there’s Safety. I know the whole thing about gun safety and firearms training thing but for me it’s more then that. It’s not something that training would help. You see, I’m clumsy. I once dropped a knife in the kitchen and it stuck in the floor. I’ve accidentally knocked my phone off the table, tried to catch it with my foot, but instead kicked it into the wall, then when it bounced back toward me ended up stepping on it. I trip going up and down the stairs, even if its just stepping up on a curb. I once accidentally shot myself in the hand with a nail-gun. Just yesterday I went to drink some soup out of a mug and gave myself a fat lip when I misjudged where the rim was. I am beyond clumsy. You do not want to have anything even moderately dangerous near me.  A real firearm would just be a bad idea all the way around.

Then of course there’s the Noise. Hey, I’m autistic. I don’t like noise. I don’t like explosions. I don’t like flashes of light. So really, the idea of having a device that I hold in my hand, or worse yet put up against my shoulder next to my ear that sets off a loud explosion and a flash of flame is really not something I want to be anywhere near. One time years ago someone took me to a shooting range, for some really bizarre reason. Anyway, I was there and wouldn’t even approach the line without hearing protectors. “But it’s only a .22” really didn’t hold much weight with me. It’s NOISY. And that’s not to mention when the guy a few places down opened up with a semi automatic. And then the other guy on the other side with a 50 cal. Really, I knew from that moment that me anywhere near a gun was a bad idea.

Doubt. The idea that keeps getting touted is to have a gun for self defence. Understand though that I have dealt with being neurodivergant all my life. Part of that for me has been questioning and double checking everything I do so I don’t make an embarrassing mistake. So pretend a guy comes up and demands my wallet. Did I misunderstand what he said? Maybe he’s just looking for a handout.  Maybe I didn’t hear him correctly and he’s really asking for directions to Walmart and not my wallet. And even if he is a bad person trying to rob me, is this really an appropriate time to pull out a gun? Am I overreacting? If I get it wrong then I might get in trouble for reacting inappropriately and that would be really embarrassing. I always want to avoid that. So by the time I decided I should pull out a gun, the guy has my wallet, and has used the cash to take a cab to the airport to fly to Bimini.

Empathy. I get upset when I see someone unhappy on TV. I feel queasy if someone in a book gets hurt. If I find a bug in the house I generally put it outside, not squash it, even spiders. The idea of me harming someone is just a non starter. It ain’t going to happen. I’d pull out the gun and then just not fire it. I might as well carry a water pistol. And the idea of having one for hunting is out of the question. Shoot Bambi? Oh hell no. I’d be so upset I’d probably end up building a shrine to it or something.

So no I will not own a gun. It’s just all the way around better for everyone that way.

[puckrph]

‘ COYOTE STORIES ’  STARTERS

from the album by the crane wives. feel free to change pronouns, etc.

KEEP YOU SAFE

' when i was a child, my nerves ran wild. ' ' with the risk of fall, i never climbed at all. ' ' my daddy always said "nothing worth doing comes easy." ' ' time is not your friend. time is not your remedy. ' ' no amount of waiting will make you brave. no amount of fear will keep you safe. ' ' the older i get, the more fears i collect. ' ' i carry them with me. ' ' what if the steps i take turn out to be mistakes? ' ' how can somebody like me learn to say "come what may?" ' ' your fears won't keep you safe. '

THE MOON WILL SING

' i could have been anyone else before you made the choice for me. ' ' my feet knew the path we walked in the dark; i never gave a single thought to where it might lead. ' ' i made a bed with apathy. ' ' my heart knew the weight: ten years worth of dust and neglect. ' ' make your peace with weariness and let it be. ' ' i loved you like the sun. ' ' i loved you like the sun: bore the shadows that you made with no light of my own. ' ' i shine only with the light you gave me. ' ' we could have had anything else. instead, you hoarded all that's left of me. ' ' i want to feel the fire that was kept from me. '

ALLIES OR ENEMIES

' the words i speak are wildfires and weeds; they spread like some awful damn disease. ' ' i swear i didn't mean what i said. ' ' forget it all. you caught me in a moment, weak. ' ' sometimes i just can't help myself. ' ' are we allies or enemies? ' ' this will be the death of me. ' ' remember when i could tell you not to smile when you were mad, and you would always crack? and we'd both be laughing in the end? ' ' now, you're not so quick to forget. ' ' all's fair in love and war, but i can't fight with you anymore. ' ' what happens now ? ' ' i'll admit i've had my doubts, but i want to be let in, not out. '

UNRAVELING

' i once loved a tailor who took eager care of me. ' ' sew together my loose ends with stitches neat and clean. ' ' my love is gone and i am left unraveling. ' ' trim my weeds and give me room to grow my flowers again. ' ' i am left here, withering. ' ' sand my rough edges, craft new and lovely things. ' ' i can't help the fracturing. ' ' i never knew that i needed you. ' ' i once loved a man who kissed me once before he left. tied me up in knots and said he'd soon return again. '

HARD SELL

' i'm trying to make something of myself. ' ' i feel like i'm working with barbed wire and moth wings, cause i can't really get ahold of anything. ' ' i'm one deep breath away from a breakdown. ' ' the world is hostile, and i'm fragile, and i need someone to kiss the cuts and tell me to keep trying. ' ' does everybody have it together or are we all pretending? ' ' is it really just me holding it together with one loose string that i can't stop pulling? ' ' i rip myself apart at the seams. ' ' i find one weak spot and start unraveling, hoping i can find a better me, a fresh new start buried under me. ' ' can we stop pretending now? '

ROCKSLIDE

' i know you want to plant your feet, but we best get a move on. ' ' i pray today my soul to keep. ' ' drop dead sprint now, my darling. ' ' don't look back now. ' ' just try to breathe. ' ' the monster's coming, and it don't care for you or me. ' ' we best get a move on. '

METAPHOR

' i've gotten good at leaning on metaphors. ' ' i've gotten good at living on someone else's page. ' ' i cut my teeth on secondhand sentiments. ' ' you can't trust a single thing i say. ' ' i keep my closet free of skeletons because i'm much better at digging graves. ' ' i always dig up bones in your sympathy. ' ' i can't trust a single thing you say. ' ' don't look too hard, because you won't like the scars he left in me. ' ' i've gotten good at stretching the truth out of shape. ' ' all these words are sweet. and meaningless. '

THE HAND THAT FEEDS

' i've seen good men spoiled. ' ' their cries are a warning to everyone following. ' ' no man should stand to work all his days, and have nothing at the end of them. ' ' i've got no money but the change that jingles in my pockets. ' ' time? i am powerless to stop it. ' ' my papa was a howling man. ' ' my dear papa gave me lessons in regret. he said all that he'd done would be for nothing if i followed in his steps. ' ' my papa taught me how to hold, how to bare my teeth and growl. ' ' the hand that feeds deserves to be bitten when it beats. ' ' i may never be a rich man, but i can make sure that i am free. ' ' the rich man will never have me. '

LITTLE SOLDIERS

' it was a march towards ruin and despair, but we held hands all the while. ' ' i swear that i loved you. ' ' beneath the table, you would offer up my bones, and all the dogs would lick your fingers. ' ' i dragged you through every room inside our home, but you still held me at night. ' ' you still held me at night. ' ' i swear that you loved me. ' ' we didn't give up. ' ' we wouldn't dare surrender. ' ' it was an honest loss. ' ' i fought with tooth and nail before the flag had flown, but you were already gone. '

SLEEPING GIANTS

' i feel the mountains shifting under me. ' ' the sleeping giants are finally waking. ' ' my pulse is clear, rushing in my ears. ' ' i hear something calling me. ' ' the moon is humming lovely melodies. '

OF EVERLONG

' out of the ocean, over the harbor lay no sons and lay no daughters. ' ' it was there i wrote a sad, sad song. ' ' if my lover will not heed it, take my voice and take my spirit. ' ' only my lover, not i, can keep my soul. '

NEVER LOVE AN ANCHOR

' on some level, i think i always understood that these hands of mine were clumsy, not clever. ' ' i tried to do the best that i could. ' ' i couldn't bring myself to hold you. ' ' it's a secret i keep tucked inside my chest. ' ' this heart of mine is guilty, not remorseful. ' ' there is love that doesn't have a place to rest, but it would've buried you if it had settled on your shoulders. ' ' a ship can never really love an anchor, so i did the only thing that i could, and severed the rope to set you sailing from my harbor. ' ' there are times where i still wonder about you. ' ' you are someone i have loved, but never known. ' ' you'll never see the reasons i had for keeping my claws away when they were close enough to hurt you. ' ' i am selfish, i am broken, i am cruel. ' ' i am all the things they might have said to you. ' ' do you ever think of me, and my two hands? '

NEW DISCOVERY

' i want to stand on the edge of the water and see horizons stretch on forever. ' ' i want to know that there are lands not yet touched by human hands. ' ' i want to be the one to find them. ' ' i feel like i'm lost in a desert. ' ' these steps i take won't go to waste if i'm moving towards something. ' ' i want to believe there's something left for me. ' ' i want to kindle a love that doesn't age, even when all the years carve lines into your face. ' ' tell me i'll be surprised. ' ' i want you to prove me wrong. '

[passivenovember]

Stolas.

--

Birds were a motif throughout his childhood, the cyclical narrators to never-ending summer nights. They provided shadow and structure and healing from the Tancred yellow sun above when his days were full of fantasy and lemon-pineapple ice pops, and Billy grew up knowing not to be afraid.

His grandmother said crows were guides and protectors, ancestors and benevolent spirits. Every kind person in his life turning into a winged beast as they slept, astral projecting so that they may always watch over each other in a loop of kindness that had no beginning and no end.

His grandmother said a lot of things that Billy never understood but, sitting by her side as she created potions and elixirs that made his tummy feel bright and warm, Billy knew she was right. He should feel safe far below the spread of their wings because they were the keepers of knowledge, the bridges between worlds. If Billy played his cards right, ate his vegetables and learned his starter spells, and bled kindness around all who knew him; the birds would help him in his greatest hour of need

That's how he met Stolas.

The first time, and then so many after. On windy afternoons when the breeze whipped red welts into the skin under his t-shirt. When Billy road his bike to get away, pumping his tiny little legs down back hills, feet lifting off the pedals as the road sloped dangerously beneath him. It's a wonder his shoelaces didn't get caught any other day but that one.

It might have been fate. Billy's grandmother believed so strongly in that.

Or it might have meant nothing. Wrapped in a flurry of coincidence, as Billy was too young to understand that there are no accidents, even where actual accidents were involved. When the wheel jerked out from underneath him and Billy fell headfirst onto the road. He slid ten feet across the asphalt without a sound, scraping and planting rocks into the plush, pink skin that stretched itself over his bones.

When Billy finally stopped moving, the sky was cloudless. Bright blue, the line of the trees tussling in the wind reminding Billy that he was alive.

Alive and bleeding, clutching his shin in two hands.

That's when a dark black shadow fell to the ground beside him and a million things ran through his mind at once, each fighting for their moment in the speaker's chair.

The first was that Billy had no protection.

No charms or warding candles, which he doubted would be of much use in his clumsy, inexperienced hands. The second was that his grandmother often knew when trouble had caught up with him and would teleport in to make sure that he was alright. That he wasn't too shaken up to hop on his bike and ride home, before it got too dark to see the road.

The third was what her face might look like, and what her lips might say, when she saw the demon. The little shapeshifter staring at Billy with two beady, sharp eyes. Windows travelling between Billy's tear streaked face and the pool of red dripping to the ground beneath him.

The moment felt cosmic, with energy sparking in the air.

Billy felt like he had been running for a hundred miles. "What do you want, demon?" He asked. With a loud and clear voice, as grandmother had always instructed him.

The bird let out a gentle, soft laugh. "I am not demon." It said.

Billy tugged his blood soaked knee closer to his chest. "You're the color of a demon." He prayed to the goddess for protection, flinching away as the bird hopped a few inches closer. "You're shadowy. And you're speaking inside my mind. And my tummy feels like stone cold soup, sloshing around--"

"Have you ever seen a demon, child?"

Billy shook his head. "My grandmother conjures and binds them. She helps the people in town without them knowing, only I'm not allowed to go into the attic when she does her rituals because--"

The bird hummed. "So you've never actually seen a demon?"

"No, but I help gather the materials. Salt and elixirs. My mommy makes potions to ward--"

"Ah." he bird muttered slyly. "So you are a witch."

That sent a chill down Billy's freckled spine. "How could you tell?"

"Smell like one." The bird pecked at a passing leaf on the ground. "Sharp and smoky like a budding Forrest fire. Are you alone in the world, child?"

Billy thought of his mother and his mother's mother. Generations of women who had come before. "I have a family, but I'm the only boy."

"But you're a witch."

"A conjurer. Yeah." Billy shrugged. "My mom says we're warlocks. That's what boys are called. Warlocks, because we get out magicks from the maternal goddess, and--"

"How do you know you didn't conjure me?"

Just the thought made Billy feel like a bag of mixed beans, the kind that grow into magic bean stocks. "I couldn't do that."  Billy tried to stop his cheeks from getting warm. "I don't even know how to cast a ring of protection yet."

"Salt. Four candles to represent the four great winds. Boreas, Notus, Eurus, and Zephyrus." The bird concluded.

Billy didn't understand. "How do you--"

"Salt protects from malevolencies and so do familiars." The bird hopped closer.

Billy let him, fingers twitching against his split knee to stop from reaching out. The air felt heavier, in that moment. Not like a weight but like a blanket, warm and safe, as the little creature landed on Billy's shoe and pecked at his laces.

The bird's wings felt like fairy kisses. "Would you like a familiar, child?" The bird asked.

Billy had heard of such a thing before. His grandmother had several in her collection; spiders, because they were clever, and cats, because they were cunning.

Clever and Cunning, a potion meant to better serve their masters.

Billy wasn't sure he believed in all that, for he had always thought that to have a familiar was to have a best friend. Someone to share your life with.

Billy wasn't sure he'd ever get to share his life with anybody.

The little bird cocked its head to the side and Billy had to know, "What if I can't trust you?" He looked away, toward the trees. "My grandmother said that demons try and take things from you but they want to be let in first."

"I told you, child, I'm not a demon."

"Billy." He said. "My name's Billy. I'm eight years old." The bird would be smiling, Billy thought, if he could. "Do you have a name, little guy?"

The creature didn't answer.

It, instead, hopped to the ground, kicking rocks away with its charcoal talons. Stretching its toes in the late afternoon sunlight.

"You did summon me, you know." The creature said after a while. "Not with your power so much as your need."

Billy didn't understand. "How did you know I--"

"I'll tell you what." Billy listened, leaning forward as the bird flapped its wings. "I'll tell you my name. One of the easiest and most sure fire ways to banish a demon is to call it by its name, so. If I were a demon you'd have all the power, here."

The bird stopped to peer at him, its beady eyes filled with wonder. "Isn't that what you want, child? Power?"

Well. Yes.

And no.

Billy shrugged. "What I really want is a friend."

The bird considered him for a while before finally, finally, chuckling. "Well, in that case you can call me Stolas."

"Stolas." Billy repeated, trying not to feel discouraged by the way his mouth tripped over the word. He grinned anyway. "I think we're going to be great friends."

[tsarisfanfiction]

I think I drank too much - with ma boi John Tracy, Eye in the Sky?

(I hope you wrestle uni into submssion)

A Bad First Impression

Fandom: Thunderbirds Rating: Gen Genre: Family/Friendship Characters: Scott, John, Penelope

Brain is in default Scott mode (when is it not?), so more Scott than John, but it is John saying the line, so that counts, right?  Haven’t proof read this or anything, but alcohol+John gave me one idea straight away, so here we go!

4am so the other prompt currently sitting in my inbox will have to wait until post-sleep (and probably post-more uni work), but feel free to send more in!

(Uni is... not going down without a fight but I have got my lecturers on my side so it’s not quite as terrifying as it was the other day.  Still got a heck of a lot of work to do, but hopefully it’s survivable now.)

Lightheaded/Fainting Prompts (I know it says ‘starters’ but I figure as long as the line’s in there somewhere it counts).  Or honestly any other prompt games I’ve reblogged are fine, too, just make sure to tell me which one it’s from!)

Scott glowered down at his phone, where his message was stubbornly remaining as sent.  Ideally, he wanted a reply, but it had been five minutes and it still wasn’t even showing as read.

People were sending him disapproving looks, no doubt seeing a stranger with a backpack lurking outside a door and drawing their own conclusions the longer he remained slouched against the wall.  Apparently even in England, people didn’t take too kindly to loitering, and Scott would appreciate it if his brother would hurry up and let him in.

Maybe for some people, five minutes was too soon to be getting cranky, let alone worried, and any of his other brothers, in any other situation, Scott wouldn’t expect an instantaneous reply, but it was John, at midnight.  He should be wired into whatever technology he was playing and receiving messages instantly - especially as Scott should be expected.

The journey had been a long one, jet lag was hammering hard, and he just wanted to greet his brother, catch up for a bit, and then crash out on the couch.  It had been too long since he’d last seen him - why John had decided to go to college in England, Scott had no idea.

Seven minutes, and still no answer.  No little icon assuring him John had even seen it, even though John had known exactly what flight he was on and had been the one to tell Scott how long the taxi would take from the airport.  Scott had fully expected his younger brother to open the door just as the taxi pulled to a halt.

The fact that he was still standing outside, seven minutes later - and midnight in Oxford was not warm - had Scott one part annoyed to three parts worried.

The looks were getting dirtier.  He was surprised no-one had confronted him yet, and hoped that didn’t mean they’d decided against talking and skipped straight to calling the police.

“C’mon, John,” he muttered.  “What’s taking you so long?”

Looking up from his phone again - nine minutes - he caught sight of a pair staggering their way in his direction.  One was ginger, and he straightened, more than a little disbelieving when his younger brother staggered right past him without looking and pawed at the door ineffectually.

“Honestly, John,” the girl he was with - petite, blond, and in high heels that made Scott’s feet ache just to look at (his younger brothers didn’t know about his time in high heels and it was staying that way) - sighed, although the giggle that followed it ruined whatever gravitas she was trying to exude.

There were many things wrong with the sight, from John being not inside, to John looking like he’d been at a nightclub, to John apparently bringing a girl home, but the thoughts all temporarily abandoned his head as John swayed just a little bit more.

“I think I drank too much,” his brother commented, in that sort of detached fashion Scott recognised from his own nightclub experiences, and ignoring the girl, he lunged forward just in time to catch John as he crumpled.

This wasn’t the greeting he’d been expecting.

Nor was the stiletto kick to his chest, winding him and almost making him drop his brother.  It was fortunate his first instinct was always to hold on tighter, otherwise John would probably have just gained a concussion to go with the hell of a hangover he was going to be facing in a few hours.

“What do you think you’re doing?” the girl demanded, drawing herself up to her full height - and even in those dagger stilettos, still failing to reach Scott’s chin.  “Unhand him at once, or I’ll call the police.”

Scott was tired, grumpy, and had no patience for irritating girls trying to get in with his not interested younger brother.  He straightened, hefting John into his arms - he might be tall, but John had never been a challenge to lift on the rare occasion Scott had carried him - and made a show of looking down at the small female.

“And I suppose you were planning on carrying him inside?” he challenged, shifting John’s weight until he could slip two fingers into his pocket and extract his door key.

John always kept his key in the same pocket.  Scott was glad that hadn’t changed.

“And now you’re trespassing,” she huffed as he fumbled the door open.  “No-one invited you in.  Leave, before I call the police.”

“Actually, I was invited,” Scott snapped, stepping through the door.  “You, on the other hand, are not welcome.  Go home.”

He kicked the door shut with his heel, knowing Grandma - and probably John, in the morning - would be furious with him for leaving her outside by herself at midnight, but not finding it in himself to care right then.

The apartment wasn’t large, just a kitchen with a sofa and a door that Scott determined had to lead to the bedroom and en suite, which meant he heard the front door open again as he shouldered his way into the bedroom.

“Who are you?” the girl demanded.  Scott ignored her as he settled his brother on the bed - planets and stars embellishing the otherwise plain navy comforter.  “Look at me when I’m talking to you!”

Scott pulled his brother’s sneakers off and set them down on the floor, making a mental note to find where John kept his shoes and put them away properly before his occasionally-clumsy brother tripped over them later.

“Why are you in his apartment?” he asked, kicking off his own shoes and letting his backpack fall onto the floor before pulling himself up onto the bed.  John could sleep in his clothes just fine, but that coat and jumper had to come off before he overheated.

“Are you stripping him?” she shrieked.  “That’s it; I’m calling the police.”

...Okay, Scott could see why it might look bad if she didn’t know who he was.

“Look, miss,” he started.

“Your ladyship,” she interrupted.

“Uh, what?”

“It’s your ladyship,” she said.  “Not miss.  I am Lady Penelope Creighton-Ward, and I insist you tell me who you are and why you’re manhandling my friend.”

“John has friends?”  John did intellectual peers, but he’d never cared for friends, mostly because he found it tiring when people couldn’t keep up with him - or tried to force him into socialising, which Scott was starting to suspect this girl, Lady, whatever, had done tonight.  His friends were computers.

“Of course he does, you pervert,” she snapped back.  “Now answer my questions, and if I don’t like the answers, I’m calling the police.”

“Perv-”  Scott interrupted himself with a sigh.  “I take it John didn’t bother to tell you I was coming to visit for the week?”

“Your name,” she insisted, and he rolled his eyes.

“Scott Tracy.  I’m his brother, so if you could stop the ridiculous accusations that would be great, thank you very much.”

“You don’t look related.”

Oh, for-

“You should see the rest of them.”  John shifted against his chest in a quickly-aborted attempt to sit up.  Scott tightened his grip.  “Scott, Lady P.  You won’t get rid of her.  Trust me.  Lady P., my big brother, Scott.  You won’t get rid of him.  Trust me.”

“John-”

“So stop arguing and let me sleep.  My head kills.  Penny, why did you let me drink so much?”

“I was curious what you’d be like drunk,” she answered, completely unapologetic.  “You didn’t tell me your brother was coming.”  She paused.  “Why didn’t you tell me when I came to get you earlier?”

“You’d have accused me of lying to get out of going,” John muttered.  “Sorry, Scott.  Thought I’d be back before you turned up.  Wasn’t expecting to drink so much...”  He trailed off with a yawn, and Scott helped him lie back down.

“It doesn’t matter,” he said - not strictly true, but as far as reunions went it was already terrible.  He had no intentions of worsening it with an argument.  “Get some sleep.  I’ll find you something for the hangover in the morning.”

John was asleep again before he’d finished talking, and with a fond smile, Scott slipped off the bed and pulled the covers loosely over him.

Then, he eyed the blonde in front of him.  John didn’t like socialising, and yet she’d dragged him out regardless - and apparently never took no for an answer.

Scott did not like the implications of that.

“We need to talk,” he said, quietly enough not to wake John, but seriously nonetheless.  Blue eyes flicked from him to John and then back again.

“Yes,” she agreed.  “I suppose we do.”

[rp-meme-central]

Girl Genius - Agatha Heterodyne and the Monster Engine - sentence starters

1. “Oh. I’m dreaming again. How disappointing.” 

2. “You’ll excuse me if I don’t share your enthusiasm, you twisted fiend!” 

3. “I must say I had my doubts about you, but this is intriguing. What was holding you back?” 

4. “What, tyrant? Does your empire give you no pleasure?”

5. “_____ is not stupid. A web of lies can unravel with the lightest touch of the truth!”

6. “That’s right! It’s me! I heard that you wanted to see me, and knew you wouldn’t want to wait.” 

7. “Say, what are you up to here? ____, are you torturing this _____?” 

8. “It looks like a lamp.”

9. “Amusing. How do you shut it off?”

10. “I WILL NOT TOLERATE LAX PROCEDURES IN THIS LAB!”

11. “Another test?! I’ll bet you let ____ loose in here on purpose!”

12. “I escaped! Using naught but my wits!”

13. “”Not that anybody cares, but _____ did throw a bomb at me.” 

14. “You’re young, and _____’s quite comely. These things must run their course. Discreetly, I trust,”

15. “______ just struck him. Without warning. I was just starting to like him/her/them. But he’s/she’s/they’re horrible.” 

16. “It is part of the power of the _____. Those around them wish to aid them. To serve them. Even when we know them to be monsters.” 

17. “Sometimes I think I was supposed to be killed because I’m too embarrassing to live.” 

18. “If you’re going to rescue someone, rescue _____. I’ll be fine.” 

19. “You activated it?! Are you insane?!” 

20. “It works. I built something that works!” 

21. “Wait! We’re inside! You can’t fly in here!”

22. “I don’t have a death ray!” 

23. “Well? What are you waiting for? Let’s go squash some bugs.” 

24. “Look at that thing. How do we kill that?” 

25. “We’ve released the swarm!”

26. “That’s the worst proposal I’ve ever heard! You want to marry me to annoy your _____? How romantic.” 

27. “Just a minute! I’m not done yelling at you yet!” 

28. “I hope you’re not going to be one of those clumsy sidekicks who always need rescuing during the final showdown.” 

29. “Your innocence does you credit. But you’ll soon learn that evil deserves no mercy.” 

30. “If being like you is the alternative, I’ll gladly take evil.” 

31. “I went through all the effort to rescue _____, and you’ve killed him/her/them!” 

32. “I thought you were dead and I didn’t even know what happened! But now I will, because you will stay and tell me.” 

33. “Move! Or their death(s) will be wasted!”

34. “Wow. I never had any family before. I mean, that wasn’t dead or missing. Or a head in a jar or something.” 

35. “You cannot hurt me! I would tear you to shreds!” 

36. “I’m really very sorry about this. But you have to die.” 

37. “we’ve got to steer clear of civilization. Our best bet is the wastelands.” 

38. “But why? Why all this death over me?”  

[critical-thinking-is-mandatory]

miraculous ladybug and smart characters. 

there’s actually quite a few smart characters in miraculous ladybug, but the only one we’re really made to believe is smart is max.

this got very long so i’m putting it under a cut.

max kante. there’s no denying that he’s smart, but if you’re writing a smart character and you decide to make them like max well....you’ve misunderstood what makes a person smart.

what does max do to ‘prove’ that he’s smart?

well he:

lists percentages of probability

recalls obscure facts

made an AI robot friend

uses big words

i’ve probably missed something but this is how we’re shown that max is smart. and well it’s not wrong, you do need to be smart to make such a sophisticated AI as markov but...

spouting exact probabilities and facts doesn’t actually make you smart.

for starters, recalling facts is an aspect of memory not understanding, and understanding concepts is a better indicator of intelligence than memorising concepts.

my senior physics teacher really liked to make a point of this by letting us take our own formula sheets into exams. the kicker was that we only had to apply our understanding of the formulas, not whether or not we could remember them in the first place.

as for percentage probability, well, i’ve only touched on probability in my university career but modelling the probability of real life situations includes a lot more complexity and accounting for error than is really possible from just whacking a few numbers into a calculator.

and the big words, well. most often people who use big words during casual conversation are usually people pretending that they’re smarter than they actually are. 

basically, max is your stereotypical Smart Character TM, and like most stereotypes, there’s a lot of wrong information floating around about said character type. 

(just an FYI this is not to say that stereotypes about smart people are in anyway as harmful as stereotypes based on race, gender, sexuality, or neurodivergent people. this is just an examination of what people get wrong with smart characters.)

so, if that’s wrong, and smart people don’t all list facts and percentage probability, and use big words and make robot friends, how can we know a character is smart then?

well, ‘smart’ is a lot more complicated than media, especially kids media, likes to present it as. we’re always led to believe that a character (and thus real life people) are only smart if they excel in STEM subject areas. so smart characters speak in technobabble, are really good at programming and robotics and physics and chemistry, always get the best grades in school, and so on and so forth.

and that’s just not true.

there’s so much more to being smart than maths and ‘hard sciences’ and good grades.

for starters, the grading system used by schools and tertiary education systems is biased towards students who can recall facts aka people with good memories and people who have dozens of spare hours to spend studying.

now, there are tons of reasons for people to have difficulties recalling facts. the first is that memorising things is hard. this goes doubly so for people with memory problems associated with mental illness or neurodivergence or certain disabilities.

on the second point, you might notice that students at private schools (upper-middle to upper class students) tend to have better grades. going off of the ‘better grades = smarter people’ logic that means rich people are smarter than poor people. i shouldn’t have to explain how that’s bad.

(newsflash: it’s also not true. kids from wealthier families don’t have to spend their spare time at work and their parents can afford private tutors and teachers at private schools tend to be held to higher standards.)

as for being good at STEM subjects, i’m going to let you guys in on a little secret. it comes from practice. you don’t have to be naturally gifted in maths to excel at it. being as i call it, STEM brained versus humanities brained, may make some of the concepts easier to understand initially but it’s really not a make-or-break situation.

(the girl in my grade in high school who got the highest marks for advanced maths did so out of hard work alone. she’s very smart, but humanities oriented. my little sister got a state prize for her scores in physics, and let me tell you, maths does not come easy to her.)

so, if it’s not good grades, or being good at STEM, or having robot sidekicks, or speaking technobabble, what does make a character/person smart?

well it’s about the thought process.

questioning, weighing options, using logic to get the most reward with the least risk.

this site here (springhole.net) is an excellent resource for writing and roleplaying and also has a more in-depth walk-through of how smart people and characters work.

smart people and smart characters tend to, you guessed it, use their heads. they pay attention, and often notice details that other people miss. 

all of these things are actually pretty subtle (and we all know the miraculous creators can’t do subtlety) so we’re actually seeing a lot more smart characters in miraculous than we’re being led to believe.

like i said before, most obvious is max. max’s intelligence is frequently shown to us with all the grace of a frying pan to the ear. less obvious but still obvious enough that every corner of the fandom has noticed are marinette and adrien.

i’ll get to marinette in a minute, but for now we’ll talk about adrien.

adrien is, as far as i can recall seeing in canon, stated to get good grades. correct me if i’m wrong of course, but that’s the only thing i can think of to prove adrien as smart. getting good grades is one of the main stereotypes about smart people so check one for adrien.

adrien is also obscenely wealthy and has a controlling father with high expectations so, as far as his grades go, i doubt it’s down to any natural gifts of superior intellect.

like i said before, people with money have access to all the best resources, the best teachers, the best tutors, and of course time. adrien’s days are scheduled by nathalie, and with gabriel’s expectations of perfection i very much doubt she’d be skimping on adrien’s study time.

so, adrien’s good grades: probably not actually an indicator of intelligence, but of practice.

marinette is also stated to get good grades but that alone isn’t the only proof we get of her being smart. marinette is constantly coming up with plans, making things, is clever enough to leave herself a clue in oblivio to get help, as well as figure out that she and adrien were actually superheroes, and she’s proven to have a high level of emotional intelligence (not necessarily an indicator of overall intelligence and more linked to empathy but the point still stands).

marinette’s good grades we’ve seen clearly come from practice, but there are so many other ways she proves herself to be smart.

alya is one character that certainly gets written off as being dumb by the fandom, when actually, i doubt she is.

canon hasn’t done alya or the rest of the characters any favours by doing things like having lila be a pretty average liar, and making alya think chloe was ladybug in lady wifi, but when she and other characters aren’t being dumbed down because that’s the only way the creators know how to make the plot work, she’s actually pretty clever.

alya knows how clumsy marinette can be so she made a copy of the important video of ladybug before showing it to marinette, the ladyblog is really popular so alya’s clearly got an understanding of how to make her writing appealing to an audience, and we see in the ladybug episode that alya takes a methodical approach to try and clear marinette’s name.

so it’s not obvious, and whoever is writing the show needs some serious help to not make everyone look stupid because their villain isn’t competent enough, but alya is smart. we’re just not being led along by the nose and having the fact shoved in our faces.

there are other characters too, nino, nathalie, nathaniel, i’d say juleka and luka too probably but i’m not going to go into them right now.

what i’m trying to say is: smart characters aren’t always obvious and smart people don’t usually look like the smart people in cartoons. there are a lot more smart characters in ml than you probably realise, just like in real life. good at STEM doesn’t equal smart! and if you have to make your usual characters dumb to make your villain/plot point work you’re not as good a writer as you think you are.

[hopingforjustice]

@ludjaci said: ❝ Shh, stop, don’t be scared. I don’t want to hurt you, I promise. ❞ Ayano whispers, slowly stepping closer towards Reimi. (y i k e r s) being haunted by benevolent spirits/ghosts sentence starters.  /  accepting.

ㅤ ㅤ A click inside her head, she truly felt it, as if something had just unlocked in her brain. Memories of past misfortunes suddenly flooded her mind, spinning and swirling at a rate of speed that made it difficult to pick one for more detailed analysis. 'How clumsy you are, Ayano! Here, let me help you with this' and similar things in her own voice, solicitous as ever but with a hint of amusement injected into it. At that very moment, Reimi felt like the stupidest girl on Earth. Her newest friend, who had once approached her almost bashfully in a semi-crowded hallway at school, was anything but clumsy. The problem wasn't the Cooking Club with all those sharp utensils, nor her parents traveling across the ocean and leaving their only child to take care of herself. This time, the crimson stains on her school uniform had nothing to do with these things. They were far from where she was supposed to be after classes, when the clubs did their own activities. Not even the Science Club members went to the Science Lab, since they certainly wouldn't have the same freedom there. That said, as she passed in front of the room and saw the familiar silhouette inside, she couldn't help but stop to say hi, ask what Ayano was doing there. It wasn't until she got close enough that she realized something was wrong. Everything was neatly kept, but she saw definite signals that a struggle had taken place — the fresh air immediately after bathing, her clothes speckled with blood piled up in the corner, a few large black trash bags that weren't supposed to be there. She had just taken a shower and was about to deal with that mess, no doubt about it, and the realization was like a veil had been ripped away from her eyes with a violent yank, allowing her to see for the first time in months. ❝ What’s wrong? You are scaring me— ❞ The words rolled off her tongue without a second thought, an automatic response from her body while her mind had gone blank. Her eyes darted from one element to the next over and over, the most logical connections coming first but quickly pushed aside in a delusional attitude. Then she allowed herself to meet the other's gaze, a shiver ran down her spine at the undecipherable expression in her dark grey eyes. ❝ Ayano... ❞ Somehow her name sounded like a plea, for explanations or outright mercy, maybe both. This has never happened before, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment for looking so pathetic, helpless in the face of something that was probably no big deal.

ㅤ ㅤ She couldn't let that impression go, though. Her concerns always faded away when Ayano explained exactly what happened, since her stories made a lot of sense and were pertinent to what she saw and heard. A part of her wanted to find out the truth and nothing more, but a larger part desperately wanted to hear a reasonable explanation that would make her mind go quiet at once. She was willing to make an effort and accept even a half-baked excuse, anything that could bring a little peace of mind to her, and allow her to go home and never think about it again. Instead of the usual friendly tone and a small, self-conscious smile, all she got was some unencouraging words. At least they were whispers and not screams, it helped her to remain stock-still, her feet nailed to the ground although she felt her legs losing strength. ❝ Please, just tell me what’s going on. ❞ Antagonizing her wasn't an option at all, so she made a point of sounding as unpretentious as was possible under these conditions, even though she was fully aware that an expression of complete horror on her face betrayed that intention. Just another turn of the screw, an understanding that came too late since the distance between them became a little smaller. One, two steps had no effect at first, but the third seemed to awaken the need for personal space. She backed away slowly, looking into the other's eyes all the time as if dealing with a wild animal ready to pounce on its prey. ❝ Listen... It doesn’t matter. If we leave right now, no one will see us! And I won’t tell anyone— ❞ She tried very hard to smile at Ayano as she approached even more, sweet and understanding and everything in between, but her lips trembled in a sudden sob of overwhelming emotion. Her voice sounded urgent but surprisingly steady despite her heart beating furiously like it was going to rupture inside her ribcage. However, her apologetic words stopped when her back touched one of the laboratory tables spread around the room, the sudden sensation of being cornered terrified her as nothing else could have done. ❝ I’m your friend! You don’t want to hurt me, do you? You promised that you wouldn’t! ❞ She screeched in terror, trying frantically to gain some time. Reimi perched on the edge of the table and leaned back to impose distance, her weight resting on her hands, her knuckles turning white. Afraid of her calm, her nonchalance, her cold calculating acknowledgement of everything that was going on, she didn't know what to think anymore. Still, she took a moment to compose herself, and then looked around discreetly, hoping to find a means of escape or at least a weapon of some sort.

[judesommer]

[ JUDE SOMMER. 36. FEMALE. SHE/HER] is here! They’ve lived in Silver Lake for [ 3 YEARS ] and are originally from [ SAN FRANCISCO, CA ]. They are a [ PARK RANGER ] and in their downtime love [ TRAVELING ] and [ JOURNALING ]. They look a lot like [ JENNY SLATE ] and live [ IN REDCLIFF ]

LINKS

stats

wanted connections

musings

playlist

pinterest

ABOUT JUDE

birthday:

may 13, 1985

sexuality:

bisexual

astrology:

taurus ☀, leo ☾, aquarius ↑

traits:

stubborn, friendly, calculated, adventurous, passionate, affectionate, resentful, closed-off, insightful, independent, quick-witted, resilient, private, self-assured, motivated, clumsy

aesthetic:

redwood trees, sundresses, farmer’s markets, sage green, curly hair, scribbled notebooks, airplane windows, mountain tops, old poetry, field of poppies, hiking boots, afternoon wine, hidden details, firecracker, canine cuddles, haunted

BIOGRAPHY

[ tw: drugs, abuse, abortion - brief mentions ]

jude cecilia sommer grew up san francisco with two other siblings and found her peace in poetry and towering trees. her only good childhood memories always revolved around walking through the redwood forests and feeling so small in a world so large. it made her world, her worries, her pain seem so insignificantly small. it was her safe haven.

her parents divorced when she was fairly young and her father was quick to move on to a different life of his own. jude, nor her siblings, every really fit so well in that new life, and soon enough, her father became a mere stranger. just a simple phone call on a birthday and an empty card. he remarried and had more children, but they never felt like family to jude.

she was raised by her mother, but the word raised was a term best used loosely. her mother was dependent on just about one too many things - men, drugs, her children, the list goes on.

in the earlier years of her youth, she remembered the hostile environment she and her siblings grew up in due to their mother’s abusive boyfriend. he’d take his anger out on all of them, her eldest brother especially, and their mother continued to stand by him. her excuse was that he paid their bills and kept food on their tables. they had to be grateful.

it was then at a very young that jude experienced resentment. though she hated the man in their house, she hated their mother more for allowing them to live this way. jude grew up angry.

there was a moment of peace in the sommer household the day the awful boyfriend decided to leave their mother. despite their mother struggling with her drug addiction, there was a moment where the weight of the world didn’t feel as heavy on jude’s shoulders. but it was short-lived, fleeting just like every other happy memory.

her mother found a new boyfriend to take care of them. he felt different than the others - nice, for starters, but jude was no fool. she knew the man was shady and did illegal business to keep food on their table. he later even got her eldest brother involved in that life.

jude wanted nothing to do with her mother and the chaos she brought. she went on a different path and self-funded her way through college. she focused on the one thing that brought her peace - the trees, parks, and nature. she went to school to study environment and parks in hopes of being a park ranger.

finally, jude had a life of her own. she made new friends, people who knew nothing of her past- and she kept it that way. jude even spent a few summers studying abroad in japan, catching the travel bug pretty early on. some of her fondest memories comes from her time in japan and she still practices japanese till this day.

jude worked hard and endlessly, always saving her money so she could do the things she wanted in life. she’d travel, backpack and stay in hostiles, all the while creating travel journals and documenting her time and studies in the places explored. japan, machu picchu in peru, iceland were among her favorite places.

jude was in a serious relationship when she was in college and it felt like love. then again, what did the girl know about love? they often traveled together and study abroad in the same places.

once she graduated, she took some time off to hike the pacific northwest trails alone. it was the most grueling, exhilarating, and beautiful experience. it felt liberating and she felt stronger than ever. it made her feel like she truly broke away from the mold of her family.

still riding that high, she and her boyfriend decided to elope. it felt right in the time.

jude became a park ranger and worked for the state of california and all the state parks as she focused on paying off her student loans.

not long after, she discovered her eldest brother had gone to prison. though she loved him dearly, she kept this under wraps just like everything else about her past. not even her husband knew. she’d find time on the weekends whenever her husband was working to visit her brother. she felt sympathy for him, knowing he wasn’t lucky enough to break from that mold like she had.

a year or so into her marriage, jude discovered she was pregnant. the concept of being a mother terrified her to her very core. she and her husband had talked about having children only a few times, mostly because jude would change the subject. he wanted a family and jude didn’t want to become her mother. without telling him of her pregnancy, jude made the decision to have an abortion.

but nothing stays secret forever. her husband eventually discovered she had an abortion and he was heartbroken. of course he wanted a family, but he also wanted a wife that was willing to confide in him about those things. she never told him her fears, doubts, or her past. she was practically a friend living beside him. jude tried to defend herself, but there was no defending it. her husband couldn’t move on from her decision and the disconnect between the two caused a huge wedge between them. they decided to divorce.

jude realized then her own protective decision was already pushing her on a similar path to her mother, but she refused to become her. jude, independent as ever, didn’t need anyone but herself. even though it caused a lot of heartache, jude doesn’t regret the abortion or the decision to split.

realizing the bay area no longer felt like home to her, jude decided to move to southern california to be closer to the prison her brother was in. she rented a small house in the silver lake area and moved to working at state parks outside of los angeles. it didn’t have the same feeling of towering trees, but the amazing hikes made it worthwhile.

her brother was eventually released from prison and currently lives with her until he can get back on his feet. it’s nice to have him away from san francisco and even nicer to have him not behind bars.

their mother later got clean from drugs and now lives life as a single woman, on some sort of spiritual journey. she tries to have a place in her children’s life, but jude hardly allows it. jude’s brother often tries to convince jude into forgiving their mother, but it never happens fully. she will go visit with him for holidays, and though she goes in holding her tongue, it almost always ends up in a fight between jude and her mother. both can never be quiet for too long and her mother will never own up to her mistakes. it drives jude mad.

though jude had endured a lot throughout her years, she continues to find peace in nature, travel, and journals. she focuses on the little things in life and finds joy where she can. all the while presenting herself like the moon in the sky, only half there for people to see.

HEADCANONS

jude truly doesn’t share much about her past, but doesn’t come off as secretive either. but even her closest friends might learn something new every day about her that they would normally know long before with anyone else.

she rents a small two bedroom home in the redcliff neighborhood and has decorated it to her liking. it’s important for her to feel at home.

jude has an australian shepheard dog named wickett - then name coming from a star wars character.

she enjoys spending her weekends at the farmer’s market, eating fruit, and day drinking wine.

jude is always hiking, journaling/writing, and reading books she has already read a thousand times. she’s a creature of habit.

she hasn’t been in a real relationship since her husband, only hookups and casual flings.

jude is jewish, but her family never paid much attention to religion. they celebrate the holidays and would attend service one day out of the year or so.

she has several scars on her legs and two on her arms from hiking the PNW trails.

she’s into cheesy and weird things - science fiction, conspiracy theories, paranormal stuff. she says, “it makes life exciting.”

to be added ....

[morethanaprincess-a]

@onlyhorn​ said: ‘ hurt ’

mini starter call (accepting up to two more asks for this meme)

On the bright side, she’d only scraped up a knee. If it had been her shoulders or her face, Sonia was sure that Cecily, her personal secretary, would have a full-on panic attack and forbid her from exercising outside of the condo building again. Even if Sonia pointed out that it was just as easy to slip and fall from exercise equipment or into the swimming pool as it was on the asphalt path in the nearby park.

Sonia liked it there. In Tokyo’s ritzy Aoyama neighborhood, it was vast enough that she could vary her walks and jogs daily and, due to the types of people who lived in the area, there was far less of a chance for curious onlookers and paparazzi alike to shoot footage of the Princess of Novoselic trying to exercise, or go for a walk, or even have a picnic on the green when the weather was nice enough. But that afternoon, a rare day without uni classes, she’d persuaded Argus, her personal fitness instructor, to go for a run while the rest of the world was far too preoccupied with their jobs, charity work, or being seen in Tokyo’s hottest neighborhoods to care about two people who had far more notoriety than either of them likely wanted.

And it had been a good idea, in theory at least. In practice, it had become a problem when Sonia found herself distracted by the various schoolchildren with handmade toy sailboats at the park’s lake. Hastily cobbled together with household rubbish, crayons, and glue, it was some sort of project to see if the children could keep their creations afloat the longest. She’d chuckled as some boats sunk like rocks to the bottom of the lake while others bobbed and cut through the light waves caused by the breeze, their owners cheering in victory. One such cry had been enough for her to lose her footing, tripping over a crack in the asphalt and hurtling forward. She’d managed to brace herself with both hands and precisely one knee, which collided with a particularly jagged part of the ground, slicing it open.

“Really, I don’t think it even looks that terrible. I doubt I’ll need stitches, I think,” Sonia assured him as she sat, bleeding leg extended, in her jogging shorts and fitted tanktop. Hardly befitting a princess but it was warm and she wasn’t about to let herself overheat for the sake of covering her arms and legs to her wrists and ankles. Besides, she’d slathered herself in sun cream before they’d ventured out. She could never ignore proper skin protection. “Cecily will be irritated but I cannot think of how my schedule will alter much save for needing to wear trousers for a little while. The worst that could happen will be that the papers will be puzzled by the change of fashion! But you cannot be blamed for this, Argus. This is no one’s fault but my own clumsiness.”

She’d taken plenty of scrapes and spills as a little girl, but so often she simply sprang right back to fighting form, like a rubber band. While most children cried over skinned knees, to Sonia, it was often the most exciting part of her week to sustain an injury that she healed from quickly. But as a legal adult, she’d been reminded that not only was she not as resilient as she used to be but she was under constant scrutiny. On instinct, Sonia looked away from him to survey the park, looking for any sort of irregular flash or glint that would indicate the use of a camera.

A sigh of relief. Nothing that she could tell, at least. “I have a tissue with me but I didn’t think to bring bandages. We should be able to make it back to the condo without necessitating the use of a car.”