#ITS EIFFELS FAULT

[scooterscoob]

if you're still taking w359 requests!! maybe a minkowski and lovelace interaction? they're so funny sometimes i just cant

does this count?

[chitinleg]

[v3nusxsky]

Hello! I love your writing, and I have a request;

Larissa x teacher,fem!reader and they’ve been together for a few years and then Wednesday arrives to Nevermore and things start going downhill, the murders start and all that, so just about Larissa being overly overprotective over reader when those things happen, not letting reader out of her sight and constantly having to know where reader is because she doesn’t want reader in danger/to lose her. Reader is a bit stubborn and too independent and sometimes (for example) goes for a walk in the woods where the hyde is even though larissa told her not to bc its dangerous.

Basically fluff, larissa being overprotective, and possibly angst too!

You don’t have to write this if you don’t like the idea, also take your time!

Thank you <3

Temptations and Confessions

*Authors note~ the first instalment of my you are my world (YAMW) series and I must say I adore my Larissa Weems. Some themes may be a bit tricky so always read the warnings and check the rating love yall. Sorry to the anon for changing a few details to fit in with the series I hope that’s okay*

Trigger warnings~ Nevermore supernatural usual drama overprotective Larissa due to past trauma

Prompt~ see ask^^^

Tag list

Empathy. Often as children, we get told to have more empathy for others. But for you that’s not the case. No. You were labelled the overly sensitive child. The one who seemed to be nicknamed the cry baby. It wasn’t your fault really. Being born into two Normie parents who didn’t understand you wasn’t going to help your situation. I’m fact your ability became a curse rather quickly. It became a weakness. Others could now use this against you and it resulted in you curling in on yourself, speaking less and less, isolating yourself completely and building walls so high that they would rival the Eiffel Tower. All until you stumbled into Nevermore. Literally.

Feeling your own emotions deeply was manageable but feeling others on top of your own made everything ten times harder than it should’ve been. Your own nerves bubbled in your lower stomach uncontrollably as you made your way to the gates of Nevermore. That’s why you didn’t see it. Overwhelmed with not only your emotions but those of the whole school as well made your head spin, eyes blurring round the corners causing you to trip over a obnoxiously large stone and fall face first down to the ground. What a great impression that is.

That day led you to the current moment in time, you’ve been teaching at Nevermore for a year now, dating Larissa for a few months. Larissa’s aura immediately drew you in, a stunning mixture of gold, pink, green and light blue and slight speckles of red all swirling together in a pattern that is so uniquely hers. You adore how each colour simply is woven into each other yet still remaining visible to your eye. It is nothing short of gorgeous and even now you know you’ll never stop being stunned by the woman.

Over the past two weeks your girlfriend has had exhaustion and irritation rolling off her aura in brutal waves due to the newest student of Nevermore. In fact, you felt like you’d hardly seen her since Wednesday had arrived at Nevermore. And whenever you did, she was drained. Wherever an Addams goes, trouble and darkness will always follow, a rumour you’d heard but not had evidence of till now. The young Addams radiates black and indigo in her aura, it’s practically dripping like blood as her emotions of disinterest and annoyance seeped through. Despite not seeing the principal, you’d received many texts apologising for her lack of presence these days, reminding you she cares for you and to stay safe. Things would settle down soon. You both hoped for that. But a niggly feeling deep in your soul told you that that was simply wishful thinking.

Emotions constantly consumed you, the fear of the students impact your ability to remain neutral, to the point you were having near consistent headaches. New rules being implemented for staff and students due to what some believe is bears. Bears in the woods were believable but perhaps it was paranoia of the students effecting you or Wednesdays constant insistence over there being a monster In the woods killing people. Whatever the reason was you couldn’t do the constant headaches, anxiety hitting you like tidal waves every time you left your room, even altering your dreams now. This couldn’t go on much longer, it’s draining everyone, especially the poor Principal. Truthfully you weren’t sure what emotions were your own these day.

Shooting a quick text off to Larissa you found your shoes and jacket and got ready to leave the grounds in search of a break. Only to be stopped by a frantic round of knocks on the door of your private chambers spooked you. Instantly tapping into your ability, you knew your girlfriend was stood on the other side of the door riddled with panic causing you to make quick work of letting the woman in.

“Isa?” You puzzled, stepping back away from her slightly as the full force of her emotions hit you. “Darling! You shouldn’t leave the grounds. I can’t protect you there my love! Please don’t risk your health. I can’t imagine what would happen if-“ her own sobs choked the final words of her pleas. Tears forming in her cyan blue eyes, “I don’t like this darling girl” you couldn’t help but mumbled sadly “I need a break Isa. It’s too painful. Maybe if I can prove there’s nothing abnormal the students won’t be so paranoid. I have to try Larissa! Please for my sake let me go” you stated with the stubbornness she knew you held. Especially when it involved someone you care for. “I- I don’t like it” she whispered as her emotions clouded every word. As much as she didn’t like this, she doesn’t want you in pain either.

Warm slender fingers came to cradle your cheek as she attempted to persuade you otherwise. The blondes heart clenching with fear as you squared your jaw and pushed calming emotions into her. “I’ll be fine Isa. I promise. Just need fifteen minutes to myself away from all the madness. Larissa you must know I respect you but I need this. I’ll be back soon love” you stated before slipping under the shifters form that was blocking the doorway. You didn’t dare look back, knowing your heart would shatter into millions of tiny pieces at the hurt and anguish she was being drowned in.

One thing about Larissa Weems is she protects those within Nevermore and those who she holds dear with every fibre of her being. To see you go into the unknown alone most definitely shouldn’t be happening on her watch. But, she’d the let fear of losing you paralyse her, moments trapped in her own mind as it drew up the worst case scenarios.

The ticking sound escaping the grandfather clock seemed to be only adding to the blondes fears. You’d said fifteen minutes, by minute three she had moved back to her office and began rapidly passing the floor. A desperate attempt to calm herself was failing as she glanced again at the clock for at least the hundredth time. By minute eight, every emotion was clawing its way through the shifter inhibiting her from forming a plan. To save you from the unknown.

By minute fifteen, tears caressed pale cheeks as her chest heaved in attempt of getting enough air to fill them. You’d left. And she’d let you. Failing you in the first few months of your blossoming relationship wouldn’t booded well with her desire to love and protect you till her last breath. A lapse in her judgment that wouldn’t happen again.

As you made your way back to the grounds, shaken and sore you were immediately hit with your lovers emotions. Self hatred, solitude, love, panic, confusion and an overwhelming sadness were swirling inside of her like a mini tornado. So much so it practically made you feel more nauseous than you previously did. As you crawled into Nevermore the only thought you had was that she was right. If only you’d listened to her.

Not even bothering to knock you let yourself into the office panting slightly through the pain which caught her attention. “Are you hurt? Darling? Let me see. Are you okay? Gods don’t ever do that again! I could’ve lost you. Do you know how incredibly dangerous that is. Is that blood?” She rambled as her eyes frantically ran over your from. She immediately noted that you seemed to hold your right heel off the floor and a deep crimson stained your cheeks and left arm. Almost as if you’d been scratched by something.

“Isa” you groaned, “yes. I’m sorry. You were right” you mumbled as you tried to focus on anything but the swirling emotions that were brewing inside of you. “Stay” was all she offered as she let her long beautiful legs carry her to fetch what could only be a medical kit. Sure enough that’s exactly what she was clinging to as she moved to kneel by your saw body. “I’m sorry darling. I need to clean this up love” she murmured softly to you as she set to work on her task. A peace offering of painkillers and some bottled water to help with the physical pain. Praise flowing as she carfully cleaned and patch up the deep cuts before wrapping your ankle to help with the pain.

“Feel sick” you whimpered as she cleaned off the blood staining your cheeks. “I’ll just” she trailed off as you cut her off with a desperate plea to stay. “Please! Isa I need you here! Don’t leave me! I’m sorry, don’t go” only to be hushed and gently scooped into her arms and carried to her private quarters. From there she joined you on the bed, extra cautious of your sore body. “Okay.”

Okay. You were okay. But hurt. Alive. She reminded her self as you clung to her. She had no clue what had happened and it wasn’t her right to pry, you’d speak when you felt ready. In an effort to help with your nausea she tried to pour all her love and calming energy into you as silent tears rolled down her cheeks. You could’ve died. Left. Gone. She wouldn’t have been able to tell you she loved you. Although you knew that, she wanted the first time admitting it out loud to be perfect.

“I’ll never let anyone hurt you again” she mumbled dropping a sweet kiss to your head. You’d been silent for a while, chest rising and falling slowly with your eyes screwed shut as you hid yourself into her. Only natural she thought you’d been asleep. “I’m sorry I’ve let you down my darling. I can’t lose you. From here and now I’m going to make sure that you are safe. Better protection for you from emotions. Anything to keep you safe and happy. I- i- oh heavens how will I tell you when you are awake if i can’t say it now?’ I love you sweet girl. Always will.” She managed to stumble out before dropping another round of sweet kisses to the crown of your head. No verbal answer was given, but the onslaught of love forcing its way into her body was all that she needed to know.

You’d get through this together. She hadn’t lost you. And wouldn’t ever again. Stubbornly, you mumbled telling her she was protective of you. Only to be reminded that to Larissa Weems you are her whole world. Nothing is more important than your safety and happiness. Nothing. She’d deal with your stubbornness if you accepted her need to protect someone as precious as yourself from such a cruel world. Her love. Her life. Hopefully her wife. One day.

Word count ~ 2005

[rassicas]

Hey, I have a question stemming from the most recent splatoon band lore. My understanding is that a) Shiver is an Octoling b) Octolings did not live on the surface until recently and yet c) Deep cut knew (of) each other as kids. Am I missing something, because I can't figure out how all of these things can be true at the same time.

I've seen some confusion floating about and I've gotten a few asks about this exact thing, so I think its about time I made a little write up about it. the fault here is in point b. The truth is: In Inkadia, Octolings did not openly live on the surface until recently.

Meaning that -outside of Inkadia, there were Octolings living freely. -within Inkadia, there were Octolings living in Inkopolis in secret, before the events of Octo Expansion, and even before Marina left the army. For the first point...the band Diss-Pair!

its mentioned in the Haikara Walker artbook that Ikkan met Warabi overseas, as in outside of Inkadia. it's mentioned in Warabi's bio that his parents (presumably octolings!) are famous actors, and that Warabi has toured around many different countries. (source)

And more importantly...

Massive floods were the catalyst for the Great Turf War, with habitable land being an already scarce resource. Deep Cut's ancestors used their clan's powers to create a whirlpool that drained the floods and saved their homeland. (ENG just says the '3 lights consumed the disaster' but JP states they made a whirlpool. with the Eiffel tower's presence and all the debris in the crater...could it be the floodwater drained into Alterna?)

So what happens if there's no flood? No war, no octarian exile. I doubt Shiver's clan is the only long standing family of Octolings living freely in that area. after all, Octolings and Inklings living in harmony was the norm before the war.

I'm thinking that the Great Turf War was limited to inkadia... Or its something like the great floods affected various parts of the world, and the GTW was actually a world war, and battles broke out globally. Regardless, not everywhere had such battles between inklings and octolings, such as the Splatlands. (I'm leaning towards it being an inkadia-only thing, but we know next to nothing about the rest of splatoon's earth right now) Note how far the GTW craters are from the Splatsville. (hi res)

as for Octarians other than Marina living in Inkadia before OE...there's tidbit that implies this.

In Haikara Walker, there's an article about the Inkopolis Backstreets (the s2 tutorial area). It was the center of Inkopolis street fashion culture before Inkopolis plaza took the stage. So at least prior to ME 2014. The article is written in-universe by an author who personally experienced this change in culture over the years. (you can read it here) At the end, it is revealed the author is an adult octoling wearing a hat and mask to cover some Octarian traits.

(It's just a reused player model. but interesting to think about...woody kawahagi, what is your origin story?)

[specialagentartemis]

For the made up fic titles: Functioning Within Normal Parameters 😁

This immediately makes me imagine a Wolf 359 fic where Hera (the station AI) glitches in a dangerous and near-catastrophic manner and has to scramble to fix it before any of the crew notice. It's Fine. She's Fine.

Half comedy of errors where Hera has to convince Eiffel that everything is normal and expected, convince Hilbert that anything off is somebody else's problem to deal with, and convince Minkowski that anything weird happening is Eiffel or Hilbert's fault. If Lovelace is here than also convince Lovelace that this is Hilbert's fault and something he broke last time around (that she evidently didn't notice he broke. Pile on the guilt on someone else, that'll defin itely make her feel better). The other half is Hera having an absolutely gut-wrenching crisis of confidence and fear and anxiety and bitterness at how broken she is, how this is supposed to be effortless for her and it isn't.

[mozzygan]

i put this heavy heart in you (it's not your fault)

Chapter Four: the prince and the pawn

Summary:

Since the day Marinette first received her miraculous, she’d seen that tower fall more times than she could count. Every time, her miraculous ladybugs were able to restore it back to its elegant glory. But soon, it wouldn’t just be any akuma. It would be something deep and devastating. If the Eiffel Tower fell when Hawkmoth struck again, for that final time … would she still be able to fix it?

[hephaestuscrew]

I'm in the mood to ramble about this scene from Ep14 The Kumbaya Approach:

TL;DR: This scene - in which Minkowski reveals her self-doubts and Eiffel tries to reassure her and manages to make her laugh after Hilbert's mutiny - is a really important one for the development of Minkowski and Eiffel's relationship. It's where they start to really rely on each other and to understand each other in more complex ways.

Eiffel makes himself emotionally vulnerable by asking for reassurance, first indirectly through his rambling attempts at reassuring himself (just before the beginning of the above clip, sorry I couldn't be bothered to reclip it), and then by directly telling her that's what he needs.

It's a good example of how the situation they've been put in forces them to depend on each other emotionally - I'm not convinced that Eiffel would have reached out to Minkowski for reassurance like this prior to Hilbert's mutiny. But Hera's offline and Eiffel needs someone to assuage his worries, so he asks Minkowski.

She doesn't give him that reassurance. She hears his anxieties and, instead of telling him things will be okay or even just that Cutter won't know about the alien transmissions (perhaps she's not convinced enough of these things to say them), she tells him she's sorry. She takes the responsibility for the whole awful situation.

Instead of responding to Eiffel's emotional vulnerability with strength and stoicism (which seems to be what he expects), Minkowski responds with emotional vulnerability of her own.

Eiffel's a little taken aback - he wasn't expecting or looking for an apology. I think hearing the despair in Minkowski's voice is the opposite of reassuring to him, but nonetheless the tables are turned - Eiffel, who was looking for reassurance, becomes the one trying to reassure Minkowski.

I think Minkowski has spent most of the mission wishing she had a Communications Officer who fully respected and supported her. But when Eiffel expresses unequivocal support for her in this scene (perhaps partly through platitudes, but genuine support nonetheless), she rejects and questions it. He tells her it's not her fault; she directly contradicts him. He says she'll figure something out; she asks for evidence to justify his certainty. She wants her crew members to think that she is capable of doing her job well, but the real issue is that she doesn't always fully believe this herself.

I think "it's my job to keep my crew safe" kinda sums up Minkowski's whole deal in terms of motivation. She cares deeply about other people and she cares deeply about the responsibilities of her role as Commander, and those two sides of her both feed into her determination to keep her crew safe.

(As an aside, I severely doubt that Goddard tells its Commanders that their main job is to keep their crew safe. Even under the surface-level Goddard approach to HR, I think the priority of a Commander is to ensure the completion of mission objectives. Keeping the crew safe is not Goddard's main focus, but at the end of the day, it is Minkowski's.)

It's interesting that she seems to include "Hilbert? Crazy" in her list of ways she considers herself to have failed in keeping her crew safe, as if she worries whether there was something she could have done to stop him going "crazy".

"Broken" is definitely not an adjective Hera would appreciate being used about her. It's an insensitive choice of word to use about someone who has constantly had to assert her personhood and her capabilities. But on the other hand, I think the most obvious alternative that might have occurred to Minkowski to describe Hera's condition in that moment would have been 'dead' (see Ep15, when Minkowski tells Hilbert he "murdered" Hera). Which would have sounded less dehumanising but also far more final (and therefore perhaps more painful to both Minkowski and Eiffel).

It is notable that Minkowski includes Hera as part of her crew that she wanted to protect - something which isn't a given for an AI on a Goddard mission. Minkowski expresses the conviction that Hera is a member of her crew who she wants to protect a lot throughout the show but I think this might be the first instance where she implies it.

"Me? I'd be dead if you hadn't found a way to let me back into the station" - this line suggests to me that Minkowski almost feels a sense of discomfort about the kind of dependence or weakness that having her life saved by another person (and perhaps by Eiffel in particular) might imply. This isn't really a thank you, and in fact I don't think we ever hear her properly thank him for saving her life during Hilbert's mutiny. Perhaps doing so would feel too much like an acceptance of her own weakness.She doesn't even really acknowledge it when Eiffel points out that she's saved his life plenty of times. Saving his life is kind of a given for her (see Ep4: "I am going to pretend that this line of thinking was never even insinuated" in response to Hilbert's suggestion that she shouldn't go out into a solar storm to save Eiffel).

I'd argue that the show as a whole argues that the desire for self-reliance Minkowski displays in the above line is not a good approach. (see Ep22 - HILBERT: You did not beat me. You needed help from AI, from Minkowski. / EIFFEL: Uh, yeah. It's called being a part of a crew. You ever meet anyone that could get things done all on their lonesome?")

I love that Eiffel's response to Minkowski doubting herself is "Come on, have you seen you?" Like it's so obvious to him that she ought to think she's entirely capable of coping with the situation. Like the idea that she wouldn't have faith in herself hasn't really occurred to him.

The call back to Ep4 Cataracts and Hurricanoes is nice because it shows that the times when Minkowski has saved his ass have stuck with Eiffel. But there's also something in the phrasing ("I jump out of space stations into solar storms just to save my idiot communication officer's life") that suggests Eiffel thinks that the risk Minkowski took in going out into that storm was too big for the reward of saving him. Which perhaps is partly because he's trying to emphasise that she goes above and beyond. But it is also the classic Doug Eiffel brand of self-loathing which makes me sad.

It isn't important, but I like to think Eiffel's inclusion of "I don't even mess up my hair while I'm at it" in his Minkowski impression is canonical evidence that Minkowski has Good HairTM that just naturally always looks amazing.

The fact that he makes her laugh in this scene is so important to me and (although they are perfectly expressed in Emma Sherr-Ziarko's performance) I think everyone should read the script directions for that moment: "There's a moment of stunned silence following that. And then we hear another first for the show - Minkowski LAUGHS. It's a genuine, joyful sound, as all the frustrations and the rage and the fear that have dominated their life for the past two days just all come out as a big, long laugh." I love that the script directions explicitly highlight the genuine joy of the sound, the fact that it's the first time we've heard her laugh, and the idea that it's an outlet for the negative feelings she's been dealing with.

Genuine laughter is a kind of vulnerability too, especially for someone like Minkowski who has tried so hard to project an image of herself as a serious authoritative figure.

When she calls him an idiot, there's a suggestion of affection in it that I'm sure wasn't there in the many previous times she will have called him an idiot. I think she's largely calling him an idiot because in spite of the dark situation they're in, he did a silly jokey impression of her, which displays his ability to not take things completely seriously, an ability that she really lacks. But I do think there's at least a little bit of her calling him an idiot because he sees her as a "badass space pilot" - at least a part of her thinks he's an idiot to think highly of her in that way.

Eiffel doesn't object to being called an idiot (to be fair, he's just called himself one). Instead, he chuckles like he's pleased to have made her laugh.

He says "At least I have you around to keep me out of trouble" - an expression of gratitude not just for a particular thing Minkowski has done, but for her overall presence, for the way she contrasts with him. I doubt he's ever shown her gratitude for that before, and I think it's a really valuable thing for Minkowski to hear in that moment when she's worrying that she's failed as a leader.

The reason why I think this scene is so important for the development of Minkowski & Eiffel's relationship is that it's kind of a paradigm shift for both of them. They've fallen into a pattern in which they've each tended to see the other as a two-dimensional collection of traits that they clash with, rather than as a fully rounded human being. But in this scene, those limited perceptions fall away.

There have been precursors to this scene in terms of their developing understanding of each other - e.g. Minkowski making Eiffel laugh after saving him from drowning in space, Minkowski admitting she's not okay at the end of Ep13 Gas Me Twice - and it's not as if they fully understand each other after this interaction (or ever!), but I do think it makes sense to view this scene as the beginning of them developing more nuanced perceptions of each other.

It's a moment when Eiffel sees Minkowski as not just an authoritarian leader who's always telling him off, or even just as a competent Commander who'll never take him seriously - here he gets a moment of insight into the fact that she is someone who has fears and doubts and insecurities just like he does.

I don't think Eiffel ever really made attempts to reassure Minkowski before Hilbert's mutiny. Not because he's an uncaring person, but because he's never seen her as someone in need of reassurance - and certainly not reassurance from him (see Ep7: "I’m so far beneath both of you that I shouldn’t even register on your radars").

For Minkowski's part, this is a moment in which she begins to see Eiffel as someone she can lean on. She begins to appreciate him as a valuable person to have by her side, perhaps even because of the very characteristics that have previously tended to annoy her about him.

To a lesser extent, this scene is a paradigm shift for the listener too. Minkowski is humanised to us by her self-doubt and by her laughter. Eiffel is shown to be genuinely caring and good at providing reassurance.

In this scene, rather than his more traditional attempts at reassurance, it's Eiffel’s sense of humour and ability to take things less seriously that actually get through to Minkowski and give her a moment of release in a dark time. The way in which he approaches the situation very differently to her is exactly what helps her in that moment. That's a key part of how I see their relationship; they each become a positive force in the other's life partly because they are so different in many ways, meaning that they are each able to give the other a contrasting perspective that's really valuable to them and helps them grow as people.

[uptoolateart]

A Monumental Disaster - Ch 3

Yeah, somehow I'm still writing this. The Eiffel Tower gets akumatised. The saga continues.

PREVIEW:

‘What’s happening?’ Ladybug asked.

Dread rose in Cat’s gut when he saw where they were. Stonehenge, as promised.

Tourists shrieked and screamed.

‘Run!’ Cat yelled.

They didn’t need to be told. They took off, slamming into one another, almost crushing each other in the stampede, before finding the way, hurtling down the long, long, long walkway back to the main tourism centre.

Rid of the pesky human problem, Eiffey drew in a long, deep breath, which made his steel creak. Then, his laser beamed out from the top, scanning the landscape and capturing the stones in his light. There was a crumbling sound as soil was knocked loose, the T stones heaving at the ground to free themselves.

‘Come on,’ Eiffey murmured. Then louder, ‘You can do it. You may be old, but you still have some years in you yet! Don’t simply sink into oblivion!’

A crochety voice emanated from the stone circle. ‘I’m tired, Eiffel.’

‘I don’t buy that for a second. You’re not dead yet – don’t let them bury you!’

‘Actually, that was natural geology.’

‘Hey, don’t blame geology,’ Cat said. ‘Everything has its faults.’

Eiffey ignored him. ‘Geology can only get to you if you let it. Look how the humans try to bind you, surrounding you with ropes, marking the boundaries they impose upon you. Break free! Show them that no ropes can hold the legend that is Stonehenge!’

Argos leaned over the railing and shouted at the megalith. ‘Yeah, don’t let them take you for granite!’

Cat suppressed a chuckle. They were definitely related.

The stones grunted and grumbled – but Eiffey must’ve been getting through to the megalith, because the ground stirred, then trembled, as the stones fought to lift themselves from their slow graves.

Ladybug yawned despite the mild earthquake. ‘Once you get past the horror of these buildings killing everyone in sight, this is actually pretty boring.’

Argos whirled on her, his crazy eyes crazy with craziness. ‘You are so irreverent!’

She looked at him as if to say, And…?

‘That is Stonehenge! Maybe you somehow imagine it’s not your history, because you’re not English? But you’re wrong! Brittany and Britain used to be one and the same culture. People would go back and forth between the two, when the water levels were lower and you could walk straight across what is today the English Channel. The whole culture of megaliths – standing stones and stone circles – stretches right across the British Isles and even into the north of France. Haven’t you ever been to Carnac?’

They both blinked at his spontaneous history lesson.

‘Carnac!’ Eiffey exploded. ‘A wonderful idea – thank you!’

Ladybug facepalmed. ‘Now look what you’ve done! I thought maybe we’d be done after Stonehenge, but noooo, now we’re going back to France to pick up….’ She scrunched up her brow, trying to work something out. ‘Cat, help me out here. How many stones are there at Carnac?’

‘Uh. I think about three thousand.’

Her eyes rounded. ‘Three thousand? How long is this going to take?’

Keep reading at Ao3

[aftermathfanfic]

Part 2, Chapter 10

The rest of the flight was made in silence. Even when they arrived in Paris, descending gently as the City of Lights stretched out before them with the Eiffel Tower as its centrepiece, the beauty of the view only seemed to make the tension all the more glaring.

May fled almost as soon as they landed, running from Mrs Beakley and disappearing into the crowd before anyone could stop her. Lena took after her immediately, with June and Webby following behind her, though not before promising to Mrs Beakley that they’d be back as soon as they found her.

Their search led them to the opposite side of the airport, bustling with activity even now. It was a little disorienting for Webby, surrounded on all sides by unfamiliar people speaking languages she didn’t understand, but it was a discomfort that she brushed aside. May’s wellbeing was more important.

It was June who found her, after ten minutes of searching. A text message from her revealed that the two of them were in a nearby restroom, to which Webby immediately made her way to. Gently, she walked into the pristinely kept white tiled room, empty save for two girls, sitting on the floor in front of one of the stalls. June had her arm around May’s shoulders, holding her as her sibling quietly cried, holding her legs to her chest. Webby slowly walked forward, gently sitting beside her, offering her silent support.

“…I’m so sick of being alone.” May choked out, burying her face in her knees.

“…I know.” Webby whispered.

---------------------------------------------  

Webby, let May and June know that they don’t have to come back immediately if they don’t want to. It’s clear that they need a moment to themselves, and forcing them to come back when they’re still angry isn’t going to solve anything. Stay out as long as they need, but make sure to come back before we leave for the auction at 8:00 PM. We’ll need you there.

- Grandmother

Webby read over the text slowly and unhappily. She looked up from her phone at her sisters, sitting on the opposite side of the table. They were at one of the airport cafés, but none of them were feeling particularly hungry. Webby had ordered a milkshake that she had yet to touch, while June had ordered a small glass bottle of fruit juice, slowly sipping from it with a morose expression. May hadn’t ordered anything, her eyes still red and her arms folded across her chest. Lena was still ordering something for herself, and hadn’t joined the table yet.

“…I’m sorry.” Webby mumbled. “I really thought this would work.”

“It’s okay. It’s not your fault.” June replied quietly.

“Yeah, no, it isn’t.” May muttered in agreement, rubbing her eyes. “Sorry I snapped at you earlier, I’m just so… frustrated.”

“I know…” Webby said. “It’s not fair.”

They went quiet again, reflecting on the situation they had found themselves in. The twins would be confined to the simple airport hotel that Scrooge had rented for the trip, forced to stay behind once again while the rest of the family went adventuring. Webby found herself feeling resentful of Scrooge’s decision – a feeling that she did not have often, and one that she did not enjoy.

After a few moments, Lena walked over, chugging down the cup of coffee she had in her hand and slamming the empty mug on the middle of the table, causing the three of them to jump.

“Right.” She said resolutely, a fierce expression on her face. “You two are going to that auction. You’re going to help those assholes get that talisman. You’re gonna help them beat up the bad guys or whatever bad’s gonna happen, and you’re gonna have a good time doing it. Cool?”

May and June looked up at her in bewilderment. “But Mister Scrooge said that we had to stay at the hotel…” June pointed out.

“Yeah, well, fuck him.”

“Lena!” Webby exclaimed, aghast.

Lena gave her an exasperated look. “He’s the self-professed family man, spouting a line and doing something he doesn’t believe in. I know you don’t agree with that.”

“I don’t. But it’s not like he’s trying to be malicious, he’s just…” Webby bit her lip as she tried to collect her words. She turned to look at her sisters. “…He just doesn’t understand what you two are going through. And neither does Daisy.”

“So… what? We sneak in?” May asked confusedly.

“Not even.” Lena shook her head. “We just go. We just go there, and if he tells us to go back, we tell him to fuck off.”

“Lena.” Webby said firmly.

“…Sorry. Anger and caffeine don’t mix.” Lena muttered, rubbing her forehead.

“…You think that’s a good idea?” June asked.

“It’s about the only thing we can do.” Webby told her. “We’ve tried being stealthy, and it didn’t work. If we’re overt about it, maybe that’ll get them to listen to you.”

“That isn’t- that’s not why we did this!” May said frustratedly. “We went along with Louie’s plan because we don’t want to break the rules! We want to be Daisy and Donald’s kids, we don’t… want to be failures.” May squeezed her arms and sighed. “Doing this secretly would have meant that Daisy and Donald would have thought that we were still doing what we were being told. We don’t want to fight our family.”

“And I understand that.” Lena told her sympathetically. “But sometimes, the only way you can get the rules to change is by fighting them.”

May didn’t say anything for a moment. She looked over to her sister, who was staring into her juice bottle contemplatively.

“…I love this family.” June murmured. “Even though things aren’t perfect right now, you… you still rescued us from… a really bad situation. I’d do anything to pay you guys back.”

She looked up with a strangely resolute expression. “And… if this is the only way to show them that… then so be it.”

---------------------------------------------  

“No, I cannae- she just ran off! Right after we’d passed customs, she- Well, what was I supposed to do?”

Scrooge marched into the airport hotel, his family following right behind him. Bentina watched as Scrooge argued with Daisy on the phone, feeling a profound sense of irritation at the entire situation. She understood that the twins were displeased with the arrangement that Daisy had made with them, but why did they have to try and challenge that now? Now, when there was so much at stake?

“What?” Scrooge snapped at the phone. “Why would I be callin’ you if I’d snuck them on board?”

Bentina rubbed her eyes. It was fine, she told herself. This wasn’t a disaster. She just had to re-evaluate some aspects of the plan, to accommodate for the inevitability of the twins going to the auction against orders. This was salvageable.

“Rest assured, Daisy, that I did not undermine you and bring the twins here against your wishes.” Scrooge continued as he made his way to the front desk, waving his cane about. “But I will say that this is exactly what I told you would happen! I said- Daisy, I told you that they would resent bein-!”

“Excuse me, sir.” The receptionist interrupted him politely, a young French duck with headfeathers combed to the side, wearing a neat white suit. “Do you have a booking?”

“Whu- Ah, sorry, erm-” Scrooge turned to Bentina and asked, “Would you mind, eh…?”

Bentina nodded curtly, stepping in front of him. “(Good evening.)” She addressed the receptionist, speaking in impeccable French. “(My name is Bentina Beakley, assistant to Mr Scrooge McDuck of McDuck Enterprises. I believe he has several rooms booked under his name?)”

“I know you’re tryin’ to protect them!” Scrooge declared furiously. “That’s the problem! You’re not givin’ them the freedom to figure out what they want on their own!”

The receptionist started typing on a computer by his side, maintaining a courteous, neutral expression despite the argument going on behind Bentina. “(Yes, we have… four rooms booked under that name…)” He replied, speaking back in French. “(Room 504 is the executive suite, rooms 417 and 418 are the junior suites, and… we also have rooms 319 and 320 booked for you.)”

“(…All on different floors?)”

“(…Is that an issue, madam?)”

“(Not at all.)” Bentina shot a glare towards Scrooge, still arguing behind her. “(I just wasn’t informed of that detail.)”

“I will have you know that my ‘reckless field trips’ are no more dangerous than any other daredevil escapade that teenagers these days get up to!” Scrooge growled into his phone.

Bentina waited patiently for the receptionist to go through the process of confirming their identities, welcoming them to the hotel, and explaining all the amenities that the hotel provided, all the while Scrooge’s heated phone conversation continued in the background. Finally, he handed Bentina a set of keycards, each displaying a room number and the logo of the establishment.

“…I can tell them to stay at the hotel, but I cannae do much if they sneak away! They didn’t listen to you, what reason do they have to listen to me?”

“(Thank you.)” Bentina said to the receptionist. She turned back to her family and handed two of the keycards to Della. “Here you go. Your suite is room 417, the boys are in 319.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Della said, taking the cards. Handing one of them over to the boys, she told them, “Come on, boys. Let’s, uh… let’s go upstairs, so we don’t have to listen to uncomfortable family drama.”

Bentina watched as she led the boys upstairs, trailing behind their mother somewhat awkwardly. She gave a stern glare to Louie as he passed, which he sulkily ignored, before turning back to Scrooge and folding her arms crossly.

“And the way you get them to be safe is to teach them how to do what they want to do safely!” Scrooge said emphatically into his phone. “You cannae just tell them ‘no’ whenever they want to do somethin’! It’s a matter of relinquishin’ control, not tryin’ to hold on tighter to it!”

Noticing Bentina approach with a keycard, he lowered his phone and took the executive suite card from her, saying, “Ah, thank you, Bentina.”

“Why exactly did you see fit to book our room on separate floors?” She demanded quietly. “What if one of us is attacked during the night?”

“Oh, come on. The security that goes into an airport these days? Tighter than a London calaboose, this place.” He began to raise his phone back up, then stopped and asked her, “Do we have a room for May and June?”

Bentina raised an eyebrow. “…I assumed they’d share a room with Webby and Lena.”

Scrooge shook his head. “Their room only has the three beds. They’ll need a room of their own.” He raised the phone back up and said to it, “Aye, I’m still here.”

“Then they’ll have to improvise.” Bentina said bluntly. “They broke the rules, they pay the price.”

“What? I-” Scrooge groaned at the phone and muttered, “Daisy, give me five minutes, I’ll be right back.” He lowered the phone and gave Bentina an imploring look. “Don’t be so heartless, Bentina. It’s one thing to tell them not to come, but to not give them a place to sleep?”

Bentina looked at him, then shrugged. “You can try, but this is an airport hotel. Most of the rooms are probably already booked.”

“You never know what they can move around.” Scrooge turned to the receptionist. “Ah, excuse me?”

“Yes, monsieur?” The young duck replied.

“I understand that this might be a tad presumptuous, but do you have any free rooms with at least two beds?” Scrooge asked apologetically. “See, I, uh, brought along three nieces instead of one, and I was hoping if they could have a room to themselves.”

The receptionist frowned as he started typing on his computer. “I do not know if we do, monsieur…”

“Come now, there has to be somethin’ available!”

“We have many people coming through this hotel, monsieur. Many of our rooms are already spoken for.”

“…Hrm… alright, then.” Scrooge sighed, bringing his phone back up. “Would I be able to speak to the manager, then?”

The receptionist looked back at him uncomfortably. “I… can ask if he is free to meet you, monsieur.”

“Good lad! Just tell him that Scrooge McDuck in suite 504 wants to have a word with ‘im.” Scrooge said with a chuckle, before turning back to Bentina. “In the meantime, just let the girls know that they don’t have to come here immediately if they don’t want to. Give them a moment to calm down.”

Bentina didn’t respond instantly. She was frowning, her mind processing what Scrooge had just said to the receptionist. As he started to turn away and go towards the nearby elevator, she looked at him and said apprehensively, “…Three nieces?”

“Hm? What…? Ah.” Scrooge looked back and smiled awkwardly. “It’s… easier to explain that way.”

He turned back towards the elevator, bringing his phone back up to his ear. “Daisy, you still there? …Ah, Donald. Yes, you probably heard my, ah, conversation with your missus…”

Bentina watched as a pair of steel doors closed behind him, lifting the elderly duck to the upper floors. She stood stock still in the atrium, guests moving around her, as she replayed those words in her head, alongside memories of words that Webby had spoken to him.

Please let them come with us, Dad.

Hey, Dad! Where are we going next?

Get away from my Dad!

Almost unconsciously, she felt her fist clench.

---------------------------------------------  

Dewey opened the door into their hotel suite, entering a short hallway that opened up into a small, cosy room with three beds, each neatly made with what looked to be a single wrapped chocolate on top of each pillow. A single armchair and desk sat at the end of the room, and a flatscreen television hung on the wall between two windows that opened up to the Paris skyline.

“…Okay, so I’m going to be in room 417, in case you boys need anything.” Della said as the triplets filed in, dragging their carry-bags behind them. “Uh, Mrs Beakley should be in the room next to me, she’ll get you guys at eight to go to the auction.”

Dewey turned back to his mom, frowning. “You’re coming with us, right?”

“Uh… no. I gotta stay back here, so I can quickly get to the plane in case things go… really wrong.” A look of nervous fear crossed her face before she shook it off and told them confidently, “Not that this will go bad, because it won’t. Not with you guys on the case!”

“Thanks, mom.” Dewey thanked her, smiling.

“Thanks, mom.” Huey parroted, his smile a little more forced.

Louie immediately sat down in the armchair and said nothing.

“…Okay, so, call me if you need me.” Della said, quickly rattling off a list of things. “This place has food service, Jetflix, uh… I think it has news and stuff, but it’s all in French… and Louie?”

Louie turned to look at her as she got close to him, kneeling down a bit.

“I just want to say, as far as I’m concerned, you’re not in trouble.” She told him gently. “I think what you did was actually pretty sweet.”

“…Thanks.” He mumbled.

Della smiled at him, then gave him a quick kiss on the forehead. Standing up, she looked at the other two and said brightly, “I’m just gonna go dump my things in my room. Talk to you in a bit!”

She left the room, closing the door behind her and leaving the three young ducks alone. Huey and Dewey each sat on a bed, while Louie remained slumped in the chair in front of them.

“…Should…” Huey said hesitantly. “…Should we have said something? Back on the plane?”

“…Probably.” Dewey murmured. He looked over to Louie and added, “I’m kinda still waiting on an explanation.”

Louie’s eyes flicked over to Dewey. Shrugging noncommittedly, he muttered, “I snuck them on board using a hollowed-out crate that I won’t be able to use again. What’s there to explain?”

“Well… I dunno.” Dewey replied, reaching over to the foil-wrapped candy on his pillow. “Like, is this part of the scheme you’re doing? Are they gonna help you steal something from Scrooge, or…?”

“No, they’re not-”

“Oh, my God!” Huey exclaimed, throwing his hands on his head. “Tell me that you’re not still doing that!”

“No, this isn’t a scheme! I’m just trying to be a good person for once!” Louie snapped aggressively. He relented with a frustrated sigh, and then grumbled, “So, yeah, of course it immediately blew up in my face…”

He looked back over to them, noticing that they were still waiting on him to elaborate. Reluctantly, he told them, “I dunno… I had an argument with May, thought this would be a good way to apologise… probably should’ve figured that if there was any day Scrooge would decide to be the responsible uncle, it would be today…”

“So you’re definitely not doing that scheme you talked about on the bus?” Huey asked.

“Dude, the only thing I knew in advance was that we were going to Paris.” Louie replied. “I was figuring, like, we’d go into a medieval tomb and rob it blind, or something, not the pending apocalypse. No. That scheme’s on the backburner.”

“…Okay…” Huey said, exhaling in relief.

Louie turned to look at his brothers, frowning now. “…Why didn’t you guys say anything?”

Both Huey and Dewey looked at each other guiltily. “Well…” Huey said anxiously. “Like we said back on the plane, we can’t afford any disruptions to the plan. What you guys did was pretty reckless, considering what’s at stake. What if…?”

“But they want to help us, right?” Louie pressed him, leaning forward in his chair. “Like, don’t we need all the help we can get, for when we inevitably get caught in a trap?”

“Well… it’s just…” Huey struggled for a moment, before throwing up his hands and admitting, “I don’t know. I don’t know what the right thing to do is.”

“I mean, for me… I just don’t think I know them that well.” Dewey explained, unwrapping his candy. “I feel like I used to, but… I mean, they don’t adventure with us, we don’t even go to the same school…” He shrugged apologetically, throwing the sweet into his beak without looking. “I don’t feel like I’ve gotten the opportunity to-”

Dewey gagged, then spat out a small white cube into his hand.

“That was not chocolate.” He muttered. “That was, in fact, a gross mint.”

Louie looked between his two brothers in disbelief. “…Holy shit… I thought I was the only asshole cousin here. You two have been asshole cousins as well?”

Neither of them said anything. Dewey threw the mint he’d almost eaten into a nearby waste basket, not looking at him.

“…Wow.” Louie laughed humourlessly. “Well done, guys. I guess all three of us need to work on how we treat the twins, huh?”

“…Language.” Huey muttered, lying down on his bed.

[sorry-i-ship-drarry]

Come back home

He didn't intend on listening, that wasn't even on his list, nor was he eavesdropping but he was simply passing by like a usual passerby and he couldn't stop himself from listening to what the man inside the room was speaking. He recognized his voice at once, he had been so familiar with it from all those years ago and he swore that he would never be able to forget that voice, even in his dreams. You don’t forget people like him. 

What struck to him was how he found him after all those months from his reappearance. The last he had heard about him was when he was in Peru, backpacking in the foothills and that too he heard because he had managed to save someone from accidental magic and the words had spread like fire. He didn't know what he did after that, nor he thinks he knew what he was doing before the Peru incident and strangely he wishes he knew. Apparently, he was a mere shadow in almost everyone's life, mostly Draco’s own.

He opened the door softly and without much of a notice, he shifted towards the back seats of the room as silently as possible. He whispered to make some seat available for him and when finally sat, a relief ran through him that he was able to see his face, he didn’t know he longed to see his face. 

A hand raised in the crowd and Harry pointed towards the person to speak up. 

“Hi, I’m Riana. Since we were talking about main themes like love, I had something to share. I’m young, you see, so everyone fails to notice that I too can love, but I have fallen in love with someone, unfortunately one I should not love but I feel as if nobody would understand me and even if I do talk about it, I feel like I’m faulty, like I am making a big deal out of something I should never make. But why must it be that it’s me who is wrong to love and not him that I fell for? Why must it be that I still feel happy despite this pain that I feel? I don’t want to be wrong to love but I feel like I am, like I’ve been wrong my whole life.” 

Harry smiled softly sitting on his chair and shook his head, “Why must love have anything to do with age? Doesn’t a child love his or her mother from the moment it’s been put in her arms? Why do we have to define love as young or old, why do we need to define it. Love is love, regardless of age, sex, number, people, identity, nation. Its love. Riana, you love him and that’s neither here nor there that is wrong, it’s not your hearts fault to pursue love, it’s not himself that made you fall for him, that’s the thing about love, isn’t it, it just happens. I’m sure nobody in life ever asks to fall in love voluntarily, nobody who actually falls in love seeks love as an object, but we fall in love regardless. Love is without boundaries, it always has been, it’s we who make boundaries, our own fears, our own insecurities that forbid loving. We don’t decide who we fall for, we simply do, maybe for some beautiful grey eyes or someone’s beautiful hair, or smile or dimples. We don’t decide, we can never decide who we are going to meet, we just do and then, there goes our traitorous heart, seeking who wish we had never seek but who we love, despite what they do to us, makes us happy. That’s the most beautiful thing about love.” 

He glanced around the room for a brief moment and Draco ducked his head, not knowing why but he did, maybe because he felt illegal to be there but couldn’t exactly reason why. He knew he wasn't ready to face him in the crowd.

“We love unconditionally, we always have I believe. Why it hurts? Its because we love, and if we love, there will always be pain. Falling in love isn’t a mundane thing, we want it to work, we want to be liked, we wish to be wanted, it’s bigger than all of us combined, the difference is some gets to feel the intensity, some doesn’t. Lucky are those who gets to, unlucky are those who doesn’t get to, those who at the end of the day walk alone on their way to Eiffel tower but then you must ask me why is it so important that we love? Why is love such a big thing?” He smiled momentarily then spoke again, “Its because, since we learn the meaning of the word love, we look for it in things, in magic, in books, in flowers, in trees, in people and out of everything, only humans and animals loves us back and it hurts us when we don’t feel the returned love. I suppose loving should always be a choice, but most days its not, but never fear love, never look for faults in someone you love because maybe in years later, you’ll look in the mirror and their face would look back to you in reflection and then when you’d see them, you’d wonder, why was I so afraid to love? It was just love wasn’t it. As I see, I’ve sidelined from what we were actually talking about,” The crowd emerged in a soft laughter, so did Harry and Draco could find himself smiling. 

“Riana, this is for you, If you’ve loved him, love him entirely, It’ll hurt, it’ll make you want to kill, but if it doesn’t hurt, it’s not love and loving is rare. Believe me, not everyone can love and we cannot love everyone. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be loved if you must think, but expecting it to come back from the same person always, that’s a tragedy even Aristotle couldn’t talk about. So, I guess what I'm saying is don’t worry, your love would come to you, in the most unexpected ways possible.” And at the end Harry smiled. 

The convention eventually ended after that soon enough and no matter how much Draco had to fight his instincts, he couldn’t help and went upto Harry anyways. 

Harry had been collecting some sort of pamphlets and organising them on a stack on the table when Draco finally said something. 

“You make quite a speaker.” 

As Harry looked up, he was half shocked to find Draco there and half shocked to believe they met again after years at his own convention, “You gotta earn somehow.” 

Draco smiled, nodding his head along, “Yeah, Wizarding world is in debt anyhow,” 

“Really?” 

“No- I was only kidding.” Draco shook his head, playing off his joke. 

“Uhm, so what are you doing at this convention?”

“Shouldn’t I be the one to ask you that question? You’ve been in hiding for years now.” If Draco was trying to dig out some old bridges, Harry caught on. 

“If you want to call living my life my way hiding, then sure, I've been in hiding." Harry shrugged.

Draco sighed, helping Harry with a pamphlet that didn't need any help, "You know what I mean, Harry. You've been on a run, you ran away with so many questions unanswered."

Harry looked at Draco for a long moment before he could bring himself to say it, "I didn't run away from you if you think that's what I did,"

"But that's exactly what you did, you ran away from me, from Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Teddy.."

It struck Harry then maybe or maybe it was the guilt that ran as a glimpse in his eyes of what he had done or perhaps it was just a truth thrown at his face one more time. He stepped away from the table and collected his bag from the chair as if he was to depart very soon.

"Aren't you tired?"

Draco could only look at Harry's back but he knew what Harry wanted to say, he always knew, even back then.

"They all miss you, you know that right."

"And I don't?" Harry turned around.

Draco shrugged, "We don't run away from people we love, Harry, that's all I'm saying. I know you miss them too but why keep running away If you miss all of them!"

Harry sighed, shaking his head, "I've been running for a long time, Draco. I don't even know if I belong here anymore, If I belong with you people now."

"What are you talking about? You know you'll always belong here."

"They're all pissed. Don't you think I know them, I'm afraid to face them." Harry confessed.

"Harry, you'll be afraid of facing them for a minute, maybe a couple even but nobody would abandon you,"

"But what if they do?"

"You grew up with them, Harry. How can you not know this? They've always loved you, always will. Their anger is nothing but love for you. You don't see the way Ron still reads newspaper because of you and when that Peru thing happened, he took the next train there just to find you. Harry, they would never abandon you." Draco explained stepping closer to him.

Harry still shook his head unable to find anymore argument, "I guess you're right."

Draco nodded then as if he pretended to notice the time in his wrist he spoke up, "I should actually get going, I have to take the next train home."

Harry nodded understandably and nodded good-bye but perhaps that was not when he wanted to say goodbye, maybe there was something still left, so he asked as Draco was turning away, "Did you ever miss me?"

Draco turned around again to face Harry and shrugged his shoulders, "Every now and then."

But the truth was he missed him every living day, every breathing night, every sunrise, every sunset. He missed him, an awful lot but time had run out for him to admit that he missed someone he hadn't met in 4 years.

"I hope you know I never wanted to leave things the way I left."

Draco smiled, then nodded, "I know."

But even if he didn't, Draco understood. He didn't sleep many nights but he always knew that Harry Potter could hardly ever break his heart all that much. He always Harry had a reason, even before anyone else understood it.

"I wanted it, I really did but thing's.."

"There was never a moment I didn't know you didn't want it but I suppose something's were always much larger than the need to date someone. In any case even if all that wasn't clear before, I know it now, especially after listening to everything you said at the convention." Draco smiled.

Harry smiled back and nervously rubbed the back of his neck, "Yeah- I don't forget things easily, you know that."

Draco nodded, implying he did know it.

"I should go." Draco said again and this time he was almost at the door when he had one last thing to say,

"Harry, come back home. You know right where it is."

Harry was stunned for what seemed like moments because he didn't expect Draco to remember it from all those years ago. It was him who used to say that home is people, it's never places and when you lose your way, you know right where your home is but along the lines Harry expected Draco to forget it, but he didn't and that hit him, that made him want to run miles for home.

"Do you think you'd want to go to that Bistro with me now? Down the alley?" Harry asked.

Draco was shook but his surprise quickly shifted to a smile and he shook his head, "That turned down last year but I do have a place in mind, if you want we can go there? This weekend works?"

"Sure."

Draco smiled, "It'll be nice to see you back."

And he left the room and for the last time he left the room without a worry if he'll say Harry again or not, he knew he would.

Tagging some of y'all for a boost, don't hesitate if you're uncomfortable with the tag <3

@phoebe-delia ​ @chinike @elenaxoxo22 ​ @thecornerofbelu @nv-md ​ @lilthislilthat ​ @cissa-bee @missdrarrydawn @harryandginnydeservesbetter @draco-lucious-potter ​ ​ @textrovert-01 @drarrywords

[chronicallyonlinecath]

Thursday, January 12th 2023 - Anticipation is mildly overwhelming, I forgot about that

Today was okay. Was I expecting huge drama because of what happened yesterday? Yes. However, I forget that my life is not a movie and therefore I must wait and get through the boring parts such as classes before I'm able to actually get to the interesting parts of life. Shame. At least sax choir was interesting-

"Where would you be most likely to take a huge phat poo in public. If you had to." - Andrew "A toilet???" - Me and Webby "In a huge public space. Toilets don't count-" - Andrew "I wouldn't be in a huge public space full stop-" - Webby "Stop being antisocial and tell me where you would take a huge violent shit in public." - Andrew "Well, what about you?" - Me "Top of the eiffell tower." - Andrew "Top of the eiffell- WHAT?!" - Me "Yes, because some person would be like 'ooooh look its the eiffell tower' and then SPLAT- hot, steamy, just-come-from-a-body shit splatters onto their face-" "Stop talking." - Me "Actually Andrew, because poo isn't entirely solid it would break apart and possibly even vapourise while falling from the top. Unless you froze it in liquid nitrogen and kept it freezing in which case-" - Mattson I stopped listening after that. You're probably thinking, ew, what the hell, why did you like those two guys-

uh. good question. I don't really know. I'm morosexual I guess. Attracted to morons-

The rest of the day was rather uninteresting after that spark that set off the day. Bella was interrogating me in Spanish about what had happened and I explained that nothing had really changed between Andrew and I and it was just gonna be a case of moving on and getting over it. To which Bella said, 'no you won't'

I can't fault the accuracy. Bella's seen me through most of my phases and all of them have been at least mildly rough, so she'd know. She can see how this is gonna go down. I'm just scared to ask-

Anyway, I'm tired from staying up late (....1am) reading An Offer From A Gentleman last night so I'm gonna have to call it a night. We'll see what tomorrow brings... who knows.

~CM

[xanthezhou]

my 5 favorite w359 episodes:

9. The Empty Man Cometh - the man does what 😳

10. Extreme Danger Bug - sorry for finding eiffel really really funny under extreme duress. as if its my fault

21. Minkowski Commanding - minkowski my beloved <3

30. Mayday - i take it back its not funny at all. eiffel 😭😭😭

42. Time to Kill - the among us episode my beloved <3

my 2 hated w359 episodes:

11. Am I Alone Now? - we find out minkowski has a husband (she needs to get with a real man like me)

51. Shut Up And Listen - we are painfully reminded that eiffel is a white american

[tangowatchesjj]

Jessica Jones S1E6

I DID THE BULLETPOINTS AGAIN! I impress even myself.

Bastard bastarding all over the place.

If he's been Kilgrave'd you can't fight him. Yeah like Jess said.

What happened to Luke? Is it in his series??

"Conversation" so that's what happened.

Jess come on, you're the one that broke up with him. You can't ask that.

Sissy Garcia. What a name.

I like Sissy Garcia, let it be known!

Oh FUck.

Kilgrave is the antithesis of subtle, how has he never been investigated or caught before this?

Oof he's salty. And it's deserved I suppose.

She's a great PI, love her.

Her terrible high-pitched phone voice is so funny.

Voice of Reason Luke Cage! It is gonna be so damn funny to see him, Jess and Matt in Defenders. He's gonna have an aneurysm.

Aw Malcolm trying to help Jess. I love him so much.

That was a little passive-aggressive, Jeri. I want to believe she genuinely likes Pam but also she's a bitch.

"First, the divorce." Words to live by.

Ooh Malcolm spilled. Probably shouldn't have done that but hey, Jessica definitely wasn't gonna start the conversation.

Luke is correct in saying it's not her fault, but I wonder if he'll stick by it when he finds out.

DON'T KISS HIM HE DOESN'T KNOW.

Love that running from intimacy - OH SHIT SHE GOT BACK IN BED? STEPS.

Oh god. Jess, you gotta tell him.

Oh nooooooo.

Okay so Kilgrave wanted whatever Reva hid and then killed her. Fuck. Jess you have to tell him!!

Malcolm is on the "Jessica needs therapy" train and he is right. Choo choo motherfuckers.

Are his powers still fucked? How long do the drugs last?

Oh buddy. Lying does not work in the long-term. Jess and Matt both have this problem and I Haaate it.

That's a lot of pot(s).

Convenient dogs to distract Luke are convenient.

"I pray my dick get big as the Eiffel Tower." POETRY.

That poor plant! The collateral damage is so heartbreaking :( Glad the dogs are good tho.

This fight feels. Chill?

JESS DO NOT LEAVE HIM??? WHAT THE FUCK.

Bad decisions, being made right in front of my eyes. Honestly, at this point Luke, the red flags are sirens. Why are you still here.

Also, for clarification: I like Jess! I don't think Reva's death was her fault. But this is no basis for a relationship, especially when he DOESN'T KNOW.

DA TRUTH. IT IS HERE. Oh no it's not. It SHOULD be but you keyed its car tires and now it's stuck on the side of the road, lonely and cold.

Honey do NOT kill that man. How many times must I say that to people on this show.

Hoe don't do it!

Unstoppable force vs immovable object.

THE TRUTH HITCHHIKED! IT HAS ARRIVED FASHIONABLY LATE.

YEAH. YEAH SHE DID SLEEP WITH YOU. IT WAS A BAD IDEA.

"It just happened." You just fell on his dick??

The fallout. It is devastating.

See this probably wouldn't have hurt half as much if you'd just. Told him.

This is excruciating, ow. My tearducts.

Ohhh the cut to Malcolm. Perfect.

DNA samples? But for the case or for the powers? Why do you trust Jeri, Jess, she is so sketch.

Why does Kilgrave want a house?? Is it for his sick domestic fantasies or something?

Oh fuck. Yeah ok it's her childhood home. Of course it is, fuck.

He is so damn CREEPY. I'm disgusted.

[mister-e-filman]

Miraculous: The Rise of Ladybug and Cat Noir

Chapter 11

Marinette looked around in horror, quickly figuring out that this was a future where both she and Cat Noir had failed at defeating Hawk Moth. She realized that aside from being chained to a wall, she must've been wearing a full-face mask, no doubt that it was ladybug-themed, Marinette continued to look around, taking in the dystopian future, she was in a somewhat large room (though it felt small and claustrophobic) with a chandelier above that had blue flames atop their candles, there were also several others chained to the walls of the dungeon-looking room, they all were wearing specific animal-themed full-face masks and going off of the specific animals, she deduced that they must've been Miraculous wielders. Marinette figured that these people were her team. There was only one area of the room that didn't have someone chained there and she saw that not only was a maskless Adrien dead her feet, several spiked beings approximately 1,063 feet high, almost taller than the Eiffel tower which looked like it had been sliced in half and redesigned into a throne, and somebody wearing a butterfly-themed full-face mask, chained to the opposite wall from where she was chained to. Marinette continued to look around and saw that all of Paris was destroyed and on fire, with its citizens either dead or enslaved.

"So, was your 'secret' wish worth it?" Marinette heard Alya's voice ask angrily. Nightmare Future Alya's full-face mask was fox-themed.

"No, it was not. I should have heeded Marinette’s warning, but I did not. This is all my fault," Marinette heard who she assumed was Hawk Moth say sadly, his voice being very hoarse.

"Damn right! We kept telling you that there would be a price to pay when you make a wish with those two Miraculouses, but you never listened!" Marinette heard Nino shout at Nightmare Future Hawk Moth angrily. Nightmare Future Nino's full-face mask was turtle-themed.

"I-I am so sorry, Ladybug," Nightmare Future Hawk Moth apologized in a defeated tone.

Marinette then found herself saying something that made her realize that she was a passenger in her own body, a witness as to what was to come.

"I am not Ladybug anymore, because you made sure of that, asshole!" Marinette's nightmare future self angrily stated.

Nightmare Future Marinette began crying as Nightmare Future Plagg entered the tiny room. Nightmare Future Hawk Moth noticed the little kwami and seemed to brighten up a bit.

"Hey, hey Plagg, over here! You can get us out of here!" Nightmare Future Hawk Moth excitedly whispered.

"Hmm, I do not know about you. But these here are still ripe for picking, so I think I will just –" Nightmare Future Plagg said sarcastically.

Just then, a person with poison-green eyes and wearing a crown wearing a very dark robe with a hood entered the place, making Plagg hide behind Marinette. The person walked up to Marinette, looked down at the lifeless body of Adrien.

"Tsk, tsk, such a waste. You could have been mine, but no, you chose this bitch instead!" the hooded figure said in a menacing tone.

"Don’t touch him!" Nightmare Future Hawk Moth spat.

"Excuse me?!" the crowned figure said shocked.

"Uh-oh," Marinette muttered.

"I noticed that you have not said much, Marinette. Why is that, I wonder, hmm?" the figure asked.

"Where is my mother?" Marinette's Nightmare Future self asked.

"Mother? Oh, you mean like Xia Bing or should I say Sabine? She is right here, among the rest of these damned bodies. Ah, here she is, or at least what is left of her. By the way, which do you think screamed the loudest? Your superhero boyfriend, or your twin sister? Oh, if you only had your Miraculous Marinette, you just might have been able to stop me, and my father, Null. Ah, speaking of which…" the figure responded maliciously.

There was suddenly a loud thud which was then followed by very heavy footsteps, though not as heavy as the ones that came from the giant spiked beings. And in came a very large, ten-foot-tall beast with three pitch-black eyes with white pupils that looked around the room. It-no, he was shrouded in shadow, never really looking there except for his eyes. When he moved the shadows obscuring him moved so unnaturally it was haunting. Null also carried a double-bladed sword which was stained with dried blood. Marinette shivered as he spoke. When he spoke, it was more of a whisper, a whisper that made the room rumble with each syllable.

"Daughter," Null said.

"Hello Father. I just came in to check on the prisoners," 'Daughter' told him.

"Hey, tall bright and fugly, over here!" Nightmare Future Plagg shouted to Null just as he was summoning a "Black Storm!" Null looked in the direction of Nightmare Future Plagg just as the Black Storm was thrown his way, however Null effortlessly caught it and absorbed it and just as he aimed to catch Nightmare Future Plagg, who shouted, "Cataclysm!" Unfortunately, it did nothing against Null as he quickly snatched Nightmare Future Plagg without being harmed. Marinette was in shock, watching in horror at this beast who had just brushed off a kwami Cataclysm as if he had been dousing a lantern's flame.

"Brave of you, Plagg, however foolish. Do you know that my hands are still slick with the blood of your kwami brethren, especially 'Mother?'" Null taunted Nightmare Future Plagg.

"You do not have the right to say anything about Tikki whatsoever!" Nightmare Future Plagg bravely spat at him.

"Then perhaps you can tell her that I said hello for me," Null calmly told him with a sinister smile.

Marinette gasped as Nightmare Future Plagg was destroyed right in front of her eyes which caused a massive shockwave, his screams echoing throughout the room. Marinette watched in absolute horror as Null picked up his sword and chopped off everyone’s heads, where Nightmare Future Hawk Moth’s rolled to a stop at Nightmare Future Marinette’s feet. Null then consumed what Marinette correctly assumed were everyone's souls.

"They always were a nuisance, now what to do about you, 'Ladybug of the Present?'" Null wondered.

"Let me take care of her, and then we can feast!" Daughter offered.

"Very well, Daughter," Null said as he left the room.

Daughter unveiled her left hand which was clawed, and poised it over Nightmare Future Marinette’s chest as Marinette struggled to get free of not just her Nightmare Future self's chains but also the position she was in, filled with determination.

"Eat your heart out Marinette, literally!" 'Daughter' cackled.

Daughter then plunged her clawed hand into Nightmare Future Marinette’s chest, making Marinette scream, and come back to the present. Ladybug looked around quickly taking in her surroundings, and remembering what was currently going on, she got up and plowed straight through the Mime releasing the akuma and capturing, purifying, and setting it free. She then attempted to follow the white butterfly back to Hawk Moth, but it disintegrated before she could do so. So, she just stood in silence pondering what she had just seen.

"Wow, you went completely berserk there, Bugaboo. I think the term I’m looking for is 'beast mode,'" Cat Noir commented in amazement.

"Please don’t call me Bugaboo and, how long was I out, Kitty?" Ladybug asked.

"Not very long, I’d say, only about half a minute, why?" Cat Noir replied.

"Oh, I-I think that I... I had a dream. Like a-- I don't know, almost like a premonition. It was the end of the world. O-of what will happen if we lose to Hawk Moth. We must prevent him from winning or else we won't be able to stop Armageddon! I-I think even so, there’s still an attack coming, out in the dark and from among the stars, god help us when it arrives!" Ladybug explained clearly terrified.

Both heroes noticed Alya zooming her camera at them as the audience that had gathered was in shock and horror, Ladybug turned to Alya.

"Hey! Aren't you Alya, the girl who writes the blog about me and the rest of the 'French Miraculous Team?' The... Ladyblog!" Ladybug asked trying to lighten up the mood.

"Uh... yes!" Alya responded shyly.

"I like your work. It's awesome. Keep it up! I also heard that you were the one who convinced the mayor to start the AkumAlert app, right?" Ladybug continued.

"Uh-huh!" Alya said as she nodded.

Ladybug gave her a thumbs up and turned to Cat Noir who then left. Ladybug briefly blushed, then looked back at the crowd, flashed a smile and swung away, not noticing Alya following her all the way to Marinette’s home, just behind Bridgette.

"So, are you excited for when Clara Nightingale comes to Paris, Milady?" Cat Noir asked Ladybug when they landed on the "Love Balcony" as he called it.

"You bet I am, Kitty!" she said excitedly as she leapt away to her balcony.

Then Cat Noir jumped away into the night leaving only Marinette who was now detransformed and had the door to hers and her twin's bedroom open.

"Well, I know I am!" Marinette heard Alya say.

The superheroine turned around to see Alya standing beneath her holding her phone, obviously recording.

"I told you I was gonna see who was hiding underneath that mask, Mari," Alya told Marinette.

"Alya, you can’t tell anyone about my (after seeing her twin semi-glare at her) our secret identity, because the mask isn’t just for hiding our true selves, but also to protect our friends and families, do you understand?" Marinette explained to her friend.

Alya frowned and nodded as she pressed a button on her cellphone. She pressed another which made a recycle sound effect.

"Okay, first off, this room looks like someone threw up Imodium all over here! But back to this, you know Mari, I had my suspicions the day you saved me from being trapped by that car, and I intended to follow you to see if I was correct, but my older sister Nora stopped me from doing so. I always imagined how the conversation would go when this happened, heh," Alya told her.

"How about something like; 'So, what's your power, girl? Flight? Superstrengh? You shoot laserbeams with the eyes?'

'Err... Luck?'

And then you would laugh uncontrollably," Bridgette narrated the possibility. Alya just looked at Marinette with a confused face.

"She for real?" Alya said as she pointed at Bridgette with her thumb.

"You get used to it after a while, plus she’s gonna be helping me in secret," Marinette explained.

"Oh, I’m so proud of you girl!" Alya said happily as she hugged her friend.

"As am I!" Tikki said revealing herself to Alya.

"And I," said a voice. Everyone turned to where the voice came from.

"You’re, you’re…" Marinette stuttered.

"Hey, I know you. You’re Mr. Chan who runs the massage shop and who gave me various Chinese treatments," Alya pointed out.

"Smart girl, however that is just an alias. I am really Master Wang Fu of the Order of the Guardians of the Miraculous, and was the one who gave you your Miraculous. You must defeat Hawk Moth and prevent him from continuing to transform hate and anger into these horrible creatures! We have a lot to talk about," Master Fu told them.

Author's notes: #1. Sorry for this video being blocked in some territories, all because I decided to use the final scene of Frightingale for the video, oh joy! 😒

#2. FYI, I used Imodium instead of Pepto-Bismol because the latter isn't sold in France due to a health scare back in the 1970s.

<-previous next->

[moved-to-ive-been-playing-human1]

Yeah yeah "a piece of the netherlands in brazil! :D" whatever im from rio youre gonna have to try harder than that

[yaboyspodcastpalace]

I know i always talk abt the friendship between eiffel and minkowski, eiffel's and hilbert's whole deal, and then hilbert's and lovelace whole relationship that isnt a friendship but its something still (happy endings is SUCH a good episode) but one thing thats less discussed but still interesting is the... friendship (??) Between minkowski and hilbert

I know its less shown but still those small moments are just! Idk! They're interesting!