#also thematic because it was Valentine's Day | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

undead-cypress · 2 months

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More p3r livebloggin/shitpost thoughts. Sorry for the crunchy pictures, literally I'm just too fried to import pics from my PS4.

Because I'm the way that I am, I noticed the paintings hung in the Hierophant/Lovers boss shadow building are real paintings. One on the left is a crop of Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix, and on the right is Le Cyclops by Odilon Redon. IDK why they picked these paintings because. Why would a painting of the French Revolution be in this kind of hotel but I have some theories?

The hotel they're in is pointed out to have a French title and modeled after French design, for some reason. Les Champs de Fleurs is pointed out in the game meaning a field of flowers. Now -

Liberty Leading the People is a painting about the July revolution that overthrew the French monarchy. The boss event is in July but there's more -

Le Cyclops is about the play(s) about Polyphemus (the cyclops from the Odyssey that Odysseus blinds and tricks) and his love of the sea nymph Galatea, and the drama that ensues. There's many versions of the play but in classic fashion most of them don't end well, with Galatea rejecting him in favor of someone else, and Polyphemus killing them both. This painting in particular is basically Polyphemus creeping on Galatea as she sleeps on a hill of flowers.

I THINK these paintings are meant to represent the reverse hierophant and lovers. Overthrowing of the corrupt hierarchy, and rejection of choice. Also French.

There's one more painting but I have NO IDEA what painting it is

So many paintings have winged babies in them I can't go through them all 😭

Oh yeah linguistics bonus - the boss event takes place on 7/7, aka Tanabata. Some might know it as Japanese Valentine's day. Story goes Orihime and Hikoboshi, lovers separated by duty and the milky way, can meet during this festival as a flock of magpies make them a bridge over the milky way. Milky way, in Japanese is Amanogawa 天の川, literally "river of heaven". An older version is also sometimes used, ginka 銀河, derived from Chinese meaning "silver river". And here is where we get the name of Shirakawa Blvd. 白川...... White River Blvd.

I THINK that's why they named the hotel Champs de Fleurs. The classic Greek mythology of heaven is Elysium, basically a field of flowers in the sky. Kinda as the companion to the river in the sky. Not to mention it's a reference to the famous French street Champs Élysées, literally "Elysian Fields"

Imagine me standing in front of a conspiracy wall covered with red string. That's me all the time with p3

Ok back to shitposting

This is the most emotion I've seen the Mc make all game so far 😂 7 meals back to back will do that to ya. Name I picked was Dank Hour, so I guess it kinda fits. Munchies will do that

Those are her hooves!!

OH MY GOD. HOLY SHIT HANG ON

These puppets are massive

Gameplay thoughts -

- I miss the fatigue mechanic ok. Now there's NOTHING stopping me from spending five hours in Tartarus getting massively over leveled. Also miss it thematically and an excuse to go drink Edogawa's potions for courage boosts

- RIP shuffle time. The new one is good with the variety of cards but man make them fly around again that was fun

- Tartarus looks good. I was skeptical of how they're gonna make a randomly generated dungeon look good on current consoles but. It looks really good and plays well. And I love the added bonus bosses.

- I do miss being able to actually stealth around with different weapons and hunting rare shadows with a bow though. The unstable formations in p3p around half and new moons were also something I wish they incorporated, but maybe it'll come up later? Because the new Tartarus environment would be perfect for some stealth mechanics.

- I don't know if this is because I'm p3 Georg and an outlier that should not be counted but I'm playing on merciless and it's SO EASY???? I'm almost to August and I've ONLY died three times. I'm playing with a 3 people party as a debuff because it's too easy otherwise.

- ailments kinda work different than they used to and I still haven't figured out... What they really do yet. Distress used to guarantee criticals, now I'm not sure what it does???

- the theurgies are broken as hell wtf. This is too much power. I was really hoping they'd bring P2/dds style fusion spells back

General thoughts:

- they still haven't invented weather yet lmao rain was invented in 2011 I see

- Pleasantly surprised by the added cutscenes and hangout events in the dorm. They're actually pretty thoughtful and reflects on the character growth throughout the game instead of just ill humored filler (cough p4 cough). They really nailed it this time.

- Aigis trying to talk to plants and bugs and the meaning of lifeeeee 😭

- the club is simultaneous hilarious and terrifying in the way that they didn't animate the dancers. I get why, but it's so funny. It's just a room of statues with blank faces. At least there's more than five people there

- there's two poster of the Foo Fighters in the station outskirts. Why them specifically? Also if the movies at the theatre have hidden meanings I WILL find them.

- Mitsuru just stands like she's posing for the camera all the time and her idle AND angry animation being a hair flip is so funny. Hello. Flips hair. Come to the command room after dinner we have new mission. Flips hair. I'm going to execute Mr Ekoda for his despicable inaction. Flips hair

- Idk where else to put this but that scene on the roof with the watermelon hits different when you know a watermelon that size in Japan is, depending on the season and economy, at least $50. Junpei really splurged there to cheer up Ken 🥺. That entire scene was great. Why DON'T we watch Akihiko punch the melon open, what an inspired suggestion

- speaking of fruit, if you look at the care package Akihiko got from his parents there are mangoes in there. Mangoes that size and color are like $30 each.

- the dorm. Could be modeled better. Idk if it's the lighting or the textures but... It looks unfinished.

- they kept the little overworld icon that travels between locations to not go over the bridge even though it'd be a shorter route. Nice. There is an instance where it does use the bridge, when you first go to the police station and Junpei is following you around. Also very nice touch. Whichever dev is responsible for this detail I see and appreciate your work 🫡

- was not expecting even the NPCs to be fully voice acted. They're all so charming!

- at the beginning of the game it tells you to put your things away in the closet. Highlighted. But we can't open or interact with the closet in any way??? Why was closet highlighted??? Did the game do that just to call us gay??

- and also where's my silly outfit???? Everyone has gotten butler and maid outfits except the mc. Where's my goofy outfit I want one too.... Where's the clown outfit from the dancing game.... Where's the maid outfit.... Once my pc arrives I'll absolutely be installing the emo mod. Let my besties reveal their true 2009 forms

#p3re liveblogging #p3re spoilers #depression simulator reload 2024

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humanitys-strongest-bamf · 11 months

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"get me a damned matcha" | Chapter 21: February II

{{ Chapter 20: January II | Chapter 22: March II }} Chapter Directory

they're so stupid, even after they've gotten together 🙄

if you wanna get tagged for updates, fill out this form here!

✧ pairing ➼ levi ackerman x fem!reader, college x coffee shop x roommates!au ✧ summary ➼ After you find yourself plagued with misfortune due to struggles in your personal and family life, you find yourself needing to move last minute. As a junior in undergrad with little money and little social support, you considered yourself lucky when you found a sublease that was close to campus and was relatively cheap. Unfortunately, it seemed that your roommate did not seem to be so excited regarding your presence. ✧ content/warnings ➼ fluff, fem!reader, both reader and levi being anxious over silly things ✧ word count ➼ ~5.1k

“Happy Valentine’s Day?”

You blinked at and raised your eyebrow at your vice president and his drastic change of behavior compared to the year before.

“What happened to you barging in here and shouting at the top of your lungs?”

“I have matured!” Oluo announced, with an authentic look of pride on his face.

“Sure you have,” you responded dismissively, maintaining your skeptical expression. You remembered Oluo essentially kicking down the door to the classroom last year, having decided that the entire building needed to know that it was Valentine’s Day. A part of you knew that your memory of it was only sour because your general mood around the holiday was horrible last year. Anything would have pissed you off.

You turned away from Oluo, who was desperately trying to save face after your comment, and looked up towards the new officers that you had picked out a few weeks ago. You didn’t have particularly high expectations for the first session that they would be running on their own. It wasn’t because you didn’t believe in Armin or Jean’s capabilities, but it would have been unfair for you to expect them to prepare something extravagant given the fact that they had literally just been promoted. You likely would have been fine with whatever activity they decided to settle on for today, but they made it blatantly obvious that it was a mistake on your end to underestimate them.

They had picked up your trick of getting pastries from Nicolo, who had extended the discount to the newer officers. Given the fact that he was now fully in a relationship with Sasha, you were fairly certain that the discount would last for a while, which would be a solid source of support. The room was littered with red, pink, and white décor, primarily through the tablecloth on the pastry tables and little gift bags that Sasha and Connie had prepared together.

The most impressive part for you was that they were able to make the room and club activities seem thematic without putting that much of an emphasis on the romance insinuation that Valentine’s Day usually involved. You were fairly certain that if it was like this last year, your mood might have been saved no matter how bad your relationship situation was at the time. You knew that your relationship drama is likely why you wanted to stay as far away as possible from anything Valentine’s Day-related last year.

However, things were different this year. Not only did you have all avenues of contact with your borderline abusive ex-boyfriend cut off, you also couldn’t live up to the standard of “being miserably single” like you could last year, even if that was just a humorous effort for you to defuse the tension that resulted from Levi insulting you after refusing to admit to himself that he had gotten jealous.

Plus, being single last year meant that you really couldn’t care any less about planning anything official for Valentine’s Day. You didn’t have an obligation to anyone, other than the social pressure you had constantly felt about needing to participate in every social event you were invited to. Although that social pressure had somewhat subsided, the fact that you were now in a relationship meant that you now had an obligation to someone on this day—whether that was actually true or not was lost on you in the moment. The thoughts of whether you should have planned to do something with Levi or not were already creeping in.

“Any plans?” Petra asked as she leaned against the wall next to you.

“Hmm?” you mumbled, although it was more than audible with how surprised you were by Petra’s sudden question, as if she was reading the exact thoughts that were rushing through your mind.

“For Valentine’s Day!” she clarified, even when it clearly wasn’t needed.

You frowned and looked towards the ground, trying to think of what you had to do in the past. Unfortunately for you, the only experience you had was with Zack and he didn’t exactly set realistic or fair expectations. It had to be special or it wasn’t enough. It couldn’t be too over the top or else you’d seem desperate. It was a delicate balance that you were forced to navigate every year and even thinking about it now was giving you some residual anxiety regarding it.

“I’m going on a nice dinner and a late night drive,” Petra suggested.

“Wasn’t aware you were dating,” you grumbled.

“It’s a hit or miss,” Petra said with a shrug, “but I figured I should put in effort for Valentine’s Day.”

You frowned at her commentary. You knew that she wasn’t trying to imply anything or be passive aggressive, but it still made you feel like you were being negligent about the whole thing.

She glanced over at you with a genuinely curious look.

“So? Any plans?”

You did not, in fact, have any plans. However, now that the topic has been brought up, you couldn’t help but ruminate over whether you should have planned something for Levi. Despite having known him for around a year and a half at this point, you were currently drawing a blank when trying to come up with ideas as to what he would like. Even if you did figure out what he would have liked as a Valentine’s Day date—given the fact that you were thinking about it on the day of—everything would likely be booked out. It was too late to get dinner at a nice place and any daytime attractions would be closed by the time you got home.

It was irrational, but you couldn’t help but imagine Levi’s disappointed look if he was expecting something and you didn’t provide. Part of you knew that he wouldn’t expect that of you and he likely wouldn’t even care for the supposed holiday, but you couldn’t shut your anxiety up. You didn't want to disappoint him, and this was for no other reason than the fact that you deeply cared about him.

You immediately turned to Oluo, trying your best to conceal your panic.

“You can clean up, right? Or get one of the new officers to do it?”

Your vice president looked over at you, not expecting the sudden question.

“Yeah? Great! Thanks!” you exclaimed before giving him a chance to respond or even orient himself as to what you were asking, before immediately grabbing your bag and walking out of the classroom at a hurried pace.

~~~~~

Even after you were well on your way home, your pace never slowed down. You weren’t able to even really process the walk home and found yourself on autopilot mode the entire time. You were entirely trapped in your head, internally freaking out because you did not know what to do.

When you were with Zack, planning something for Valentine’s Day was a must. You were always diligent about planning something out over a month ahead of time so that you could reserve the most ideal locations without having to worry about a rush. In return, Zack would pay or plan some small activity afterwards. It was the only part of your relationship that was anywhere even close to reciprocal. Although he contributed, it was still you that did most of the work.

You threw that lifestyle out the window after you broke up. You remembered stressing and putting your entire life on hold to make sure that you were planning out the perfect day. You weren’t interested in doing that again anytime soon.

Given how volatile your relationship was with Zack, you really didn’t plan on dating again anytime soon, but Levi snuck up on you in a way that you never would have predicted. Although you’d never trade your relationship with him for anything else, dating again this soon meant you were completely unprepared for the concept of Valentine’s Day.

What do I do?!

Your thoughts were chaotically running rampant through your mind for your entire walk home. You couldn’t think about anything else, but you couldn’t form a plan to move forward either. No ideas were coming to mind. You didn’t even know how to propose an idea to Levi at the last minute. The only thing you could imagine of him was that unamused and disappointed look on his face that you convinced yourself would show as soon as he realized that you didn’t have anything planned.

Panicked, you pulled out your phone to check the time. It was a few hours before Levi would get off his shift at the cafe and come home. It wasn’t really enough time to get anything solid planned, but it might be just enough time for you to put something small together to at least show that you put in the effort.

By the time that you got home, you still hadn’t really thought of anything that you could put together for him. There wasn’t a single suitable idea that came to your mind. You ran a play-by-play of your life with him through your head, but everything that came up was either too simple or too complicated, too effortful or not effortful enough—it was clear that nothing you could generate in your mind would be satisfactory.

Not even bothering to turn on the lights, you immediately went into your room and shut the door behind you, pulling out your computer and pulling up the search engine. Your eyes were intensely gazing at your computer screen as your hands hovered over your keyboard without moving. You had begun typing some term related to ‘Valentine’s Day events for college students’ but immediately froze up because you already knew that most search results would involve something that would have required more time than you currently had to put something together. You were paralyzed without a single idea over what to do.

You knew it was silly to be this fixated on planning something for Valentine’s Day for your boyfriend that probably didn’t even care, but the only thing running through your mind was how Zack had reacted in the past whenever you failed to put something together. He’d get angry, act disappointed, and generally made you feel like shit over it. You knew that Levi wouldn’t do that, but you couldn’t shake off that paranoid part of you that kept on asking you what you would do if he did.

“Get your shit together,” you whispered to yourself, shaking your head in an attempt to get yourself out of your head.

You took a deep breath and forced yourself to type into the search engine. You had little hope that anything productive would show up, but you figured that even the smallest thing would be better than Levi coming home to nothing.

~~~~~

Valentine’s Day was as annoying as ever for Levi. The café had the obnoxious decorations, the undergrads cared for nothing other than the hot chocolates that carried an obnoxiously cheesy name for the sake of the holiday, and Levi was forced to witness more than a disturbing amount of people entering and exiting relationships left and right. Since it was technically a busier holiday, he got paid extra, but other than that, he really couldn’t care any less for the holiday, if it could even be considered one.

His only saving grace was that he was slightly less annoyed about the couples this year compared to previous years. This was only because of his newfound relationship with you, although neither of you really had that “honeymoon phase” since you had already known each other well before entering a relationship. Thus, he could sort of understand the sentiment about couples prioritizing this day for each other, but he still found it obnoxious that most couples decided to do so for public eyes to see.

“Hey Levi, got any plans?”

“Ah?”

Levi looked over and saw Nicolo approaching him, having finished restocking the pastries at his station.

“For Valentine’s Day! We’re closing at 7 today,” Nicolo reminded him.

It was still around 4, so the café was still open for a few more hours and it was clear that he was itching to leave.

“I’m probably going to cook Sasha a nice dinner or something.”

“Didn’t you do that last year?” Levi asked with a bored expression, not particularly interested in the details of his coworker’s love life.

“Yep!” Nicolo said with a nod, clearly not sharing the same concern with Levi over the repeated activity, although cooking a nice dinner could hardly count as a boring, repetitive way to spend the holiday. “You planning anything with _____?”

Levi’s facial expression didn’t change, but he was suddenly at a loss for words. It wasn’t that he was particularly uncomfortable with talking about his personal life, but it just wasn’t something that he usually did.

“Not that,” he said after remaining silent for a few seconds. “_____’s an absolute pain in the ass to cook with.”

“Well, there’s gotta be something, right?”

Levi knew that Nicolo was coming from a good place, but he just didn’t function in the same way. The concept of planning some extravagant event wasn’t something that he usually did, but that was when he was on his own. If a fancy and special plan was something that you were expecting, then he was woefully unprepared, and knew how much of a pain in the ass it would be if he went home and found you disappointed and upset. His bored expression quickly turned into that of a frown.

“What does she like?”

Levi at least knew the answer to that.

“She loves her damn Matchas,” he said with a scoff.

“That doesn’t count. You already make her a Matcha every day,” Nicolo responded dismissively. “C’mon, what’s out of the ordinary that she’d love?”

It was easier for Levi to come up with things that you’d hate than it was to point out even one thing that you’d love other than showing up with your favorite comfort drink. You weren’t that into gift-giving and had stated that the tradition of it on birthdays and around Christmas caused you active distress. You mentioned that public displays of affection generally embarrassed you. Levi knew that the two of you had a habit of going on scenic and romantic walks outside, but you already did that quite frequently, so it would be too ordinary to be considered ‘special’.

He found himself getting increasingly annoyed, not thinking that something as silly as this would’ve popped up on his radar. He had emotionally prepared himself for an annoying day at work due to the heightened presence of undergrads, but didn’t consider the fact that he was in a relationship, and that today was the day meant to celebrate relationships. It just wasn’t something that came together in his head until now. It added stress that he hadn’t anticipated.

Still, a part of him felt like he should do something, or at least put in the effort to do something. He cared enough about you that he wanted you to be happy, or at least not upset—his opinion of you being a pain in the ass when upset had not changed. He didn’t want to come home and see you be disappointed.

Levi tutted to himself in irritation. He knew the remaining few hours of his shift were going to be nothing but annoying because he was now fixated on what to bring you home or if there was something extra he should have done to celebrate. The fact that he was even stressed about this bothered him. It hadn’t even crossed his mind when he woke up in the morning, but now, it was the only thing that he could think about.

~~~~~

This is stupid.

Levi repeated that thought to himself in his head as he glanced at the flowers sitting in the passenger’s seat of his car. He didn’t even know if you would like these, but he felt obligated to get you something. He had swiped one of the Matcha cupcakes from the café, but Nicolo’s earlier comment about Matcha's not counting—even if he was talking about the drink and not this flavored pastry—was stuck in his head. He had just started the drive home, barely making it a block down the road, before his intrusive thoughts got the better of him and he turned around to the nearest convenience store to pick up the bundle of flowers.

He had spent more time than he was willing to admit trying to decide what flowers to get you. What did you like? What didn’t you like? Was there some symbolic meaning that depended on which flower he chose for you? Would you even care?

The convenience store was about to close and he noticed that he was grabbing the attention of some of the other customers due to how long he had been standing there, so he eventually grabbed a bouquet of a random assortment of flowers that were so colorful that it hurt his brain to process it. The thought of the differently colored petals being littered throughout the house for the next few weeks irked him, although he wasn’t sure if it was truly due to the prospect of a messy apartment, or if it was simply because he was feeling anxious and overstimulated as a result.

He felt out of place. Not only did the act of him getting flowers for you throw him off, he was weirded out by the fact that he was anxious over whether you would like this or if you would make fun of him for it. On top of that, Levi knew about your history with relationships and how over the top you were forced to be for them, and it ended up giving him subtle feelings of insecurity of whether he’d be able to live up to those standards, which weirded him out further. He was grossly overthinking the whole situation, which was already unheard of for Levi Ackerman.

Once he finally got home, he ended up sitting in the parking lot with his car in park, staring at the entrance to the apartment complex. He knew he was wasting gas by just sitting in the parking lot, not wanting to turn his car off yet given how cold it was outside. He had been sitting there in an attempt to calm his nerves for the past 10 minutes or so.

He really was questioning why he was so anxious about it. It was you. While he couldn’t say that he didn’t give a shit anymore, he had never gotten worried about your perception of him. Throughout the many fights that the two of you had throughout your first year living together and especially throughout that summer, he had never once cared about if you were judging him or thinking less of him. It just didn’t cross his mind, and even if it did, it certainly wouldn’t bother him to the extent that it was bothering him now.

He couldn’t stop ruminating over how you would react to his last minute gift. You could either mock him for getting you an overly simple and basic gift, or you could get weirded out that he even got you a gift in the first place. He could see both occurring and they were equally uncomfortable to think about.

“Get your shit together, dammit,” he whispered to himself, finally gritting his teeth to force himself to switch off the engine and beginning to make his way into the building.

The walk seemed much more effortful than usual. It was similar to the phenomenon where the more you walked towards a certain destination, the further away it seemed to get. Part of him even wished that you weren’t home just so he can procrastinate on actually dealing with your response on the off-chance that it was a negative one. However, given the fact that it was already past 7pm, you were likely home already.

Once he finally got to the front door, he found himself standing there, hesitant to go inside. How would he even give it to you? He wasn’t the type to give gifts and he couldn’t imagine anything other than awkwardly handing you the flowers and hoping that you didn’t notice how anxious he actually was.

After a few minutes, Levi sighed to himself and unlocked the door, stepping inside.

He froze once he immediately saw you pacing around the living room.

You didn’t react that much more elegantly, letting out a startled yelp once you heard the front door open and saw Levi step inside. You looked like a mess. It was clear that you didn’t bother to change once you got home. Your jacket was still on and Levi could see that you haphazardly kicked your shoes off at the front door without bothering to put them up onto the shoe rack, which was unlike you, although that was a habit you had picked up once you realized how much it bothered Levi to have shoes lying around the floor. The lights weren’t on and you looked overly tense.

“...did you just yelp?” Levi asked, raising an eyebrow.

“N-No!” you immediately denied. “You just caught me off-guard!”

“I see,” Levi mumbled, clearly not believing you, as he stepped inside and began to take off his shoes, placing them upside down onto the shoe rack, switching on the lights afterwards.

As you watched him, you began to awkwardly shuffle, trying to shake off some of the anxiety that you had been feeling for the entire day.

“Uhm,” you finally spoke up, getting his attention. “So, I was dumb and forgot it was Valentine’s Day until roughly a few hours ago.”

You spoke slowly, gauging his reaction to see if he was getting upset or disappointed.

“So I couldn’t get us anything thing special,” you continued, “and I’ve been panicking trying to set something up, but everything’s closed or booked and I wasn’t sure-”

You cut off your rambling as you noticed something off about Levi.

“Wait, what do you have in your hand?” you asked as you noticed him holding something. He was slightly holding them out of view, but you vaguely saw the obnoxiously colorful petals of the flowers he had picked up for you.

Levi awkwardly looked away, glad that the lights near the door were dim as the tips of his ears began turning pink as soon as you noticed what he was holding in his hand.

Your gaze on him quickly turned unbearable and he grit his teeth, shoving both the bouquet and the cake in your direction.

You blinked at him with a surprised expression that was quickly replaced with a blush as you realized that he had gone out of the way to get you a gift for Valentine’s Day. It was simple, but actually really sweet, and you found a bashful smile quickly growing on your face.

“...Levi…” you said quietly, trying to hide your smile.

“Listen,” Levi started speaking with a subtle, defensive tone, immediately assuming that you were going to mock him for it, “Nicolo was giving me shit for not planning anything.”

He was avoiding eye contact and was awkwardly scratching at the back of his head. You rarely saw him this flustered, if ever. It was refreshing and oddly endearing.

“Sorry if it’s basic,” he grumbled.

He barely got to finish his sentence before you went in and wrapped your arms around his neck, making him quietly grunt from the force of your hug. You immediately planted your lips on his, pulling him in a tight hug, setting the gift down on the table behind you.

It took Levi a few seconds to react, having been caught off-guard by your sudden act of affection, with his hands eventually falling on your hips as he returned your kiss, now flustered for an entirely different reason.

“I love it,” you whispered after finally pulling away, “even if it’s basic. Why are you apologizing?”

You were too close to notice the backs of his ears gradually growing more red, especially now that he realized that any anxiety he was having throughout the day was silly and uncalled for.

“...Just don’t usually do this sort of thing.”

You tapped your finger against the back of his neck, his comment reminding you of your own dilemma that was occurring just a few minutes ago.

“I was panicking a bit because I couldn’t think of what to do for you for Valentine’s Day…I’m sorry to say I don’t really have anything,” you said meekly, giving him a genuinely worried look. “Are you mad?”

Levi blinked at you in confusion, scrunching his eyebrows together.

“Why the fuck would I be mad?”

You felt your cheeks heat up as he questioned you.

“Oh,” you began, finding yourself stumbling over your own words, “I…I-I don’t know…I just wasn’t sure if you’d be expecting something, and I wasn’t really able to prepare anything, so I thought you’d be upset or disappointed or-”

“You’re so stupid,” Levi muttered before pulling you back in and gently pressing his lips against yours again.

You smiled into the kiss, feeling a sense of relief. You were embarrassed now that you knew you were overthinking it, but still incredibly relieved that it wasn’t anything to actually be worried about.

“I can make it up to you?”

Levi sighed, giving you an exasperated look.

“If you must,” he mumbled before quickly giving you another kiss. “With what?”

“Hmm,” you thought as you slightly pursed your lips in an attempt to come up with something that the two of you would actually enjoy. “Maybe we can split that cake and finish that show we started the other week?”

The corner of Levi’s lips tugged up into a slight smile.

“Thank fuck, I thought you were going to recommend going out or something.”

You looked away, his response further reminding you of the fact that you had wasted the first half of the afternoon freaking out over nothing. The bashful look on your face was more than noticeable at this point.

Levi grabbed your chin and made you look at him again.

“Sounds good,” he whispered, planting another quick kiss on your lips. “Let me change into home clothes?”

You nodded, slightly backing away so that he could get to his room to change. You watched him as he disappeared into his room. Once he shut his door, you glanced over to the flowers that he had gotten you, reaching for the pastry bag behind it. You were able to see that it was a small cupcake, but didn’t know what it was other than that. Upon peeking inside, you saw that it was a Matcha cupcake and a small smile appeared on your face, with you finding it incredibly endearing that he went out of his way to get you something Matcha-related that wasn’t the drink, purely because he knew about your small obsession with Matcha's and likely wanted to get you something different.

Grabbing the bag, you flipped the light on in the kitchen and grabbed a small plate out of the cabinet, carefully maneuvering the small cake onto the tempered glass. You grabbed two small forks and a napkin and took the cake over to the coffee table in your living room. You set down the plate and laid out the napkin in front of it to catch any crumbs so that it didn’t land on the table itself.

You turned on the TV and scrolled down through your list of saved shows until you landed on the drama you had recently started watching with Levi. The two of you had started it a few weeks ago, and Levi claimed that he was only watching it for your sake, but got oddly into it, constantly providing commentary on the plotline that clearly disproved his supposed lack of interest in it.

After a few minutes, Levi walked back out of his bedroom, having changed into a t-shirt and sweatpants. You scooted over to the side and he sat down next to you, his arm propped up on the top of the couch as he leaned back.

“What episode were we on?”

You placed a finger on your bottom lip as you tried to remember what had happened in the most recent episode that you had watched.

“The one where he was trying to propose, but couldn’t get ahold of her, I think.”

“Tch,” Levi immediately tutted, discontent with the flow of the story. “Everything that comes up is bullshit. They’re just trying to drag the plot along.”

“Thought you weren’t interested.”

“I’m not,” Levi quickly responded with a frown.

The defensive tone in his response was not missed by you, and you immediately raised an eyebrow at him, clearly indicating that you didn’t believe him.

“I’m not,” Levi repeated with a scowl. “You wanna watch this fucking show or not?”

You shot him a skeptical look that non-verbally communicated ‘if you say so’ before turning to press play to start the episode. You heard him grumble something under his breath about how you have to make even cozy nights in difficult and you slightly shoved at him in retaliation.

You reached over to the other side of the couch to grab the throwover blanket, wrapping it around yourself as you scooted right up against him, resting your head on his shoulder, as his arm wrapped around you.

Although you were quite embarrassed about overreacting, you were very grateful that he didn’t give a shit about Valentine’s Day, and found it quite endearing that he was just as stressed about meeting expectations for the holiday.

Every time that you felt that urge to prove yourself in your relationship with him, like you had to do for so many others before him—both platonic and romantic—you were reminded quickly after that he didn’t care about those small, superficial details. Your relationship with Levi was different, and it was different for the better. It was the only reason why he was able to make you feel how you felt around him. You were satisfied and happy, and didn’t feel like you had to keep up a ruse to satisfy a status quo.

You, as you currently are, with all the little nuances that made your life what it was, and all your little quirks that he had grown to love about you, were enough.

#: @levisbrat25 @gothgril69 @sckerman @berrijam @notgoodforlife @meowjaa @averysmolbear @roseofdarknessblog @bejewelledd @hhighkey @ayame236 @sad-darksoul @velouria17 @kamyru @l1zk4 @layenacreates @lamees004 @whoami-72 @highgoon69 @chaotic-on-main @levishotgf @nube55 @chosos-mascara @heichoucleanfreak @svftackerman @v4mp-wife @moonchild-angel @astri-ackerman @auriuswolve @noctemys @you-always-made-me-blush @raginginferno267 @sillygooseklaudia @jennamelinda12

#levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #levi heichou x reader #captain levi x reader #levi #levi ackerman #levi heichou #captain levi #fics: matcha #modern!au levi #coffeeshop!au levi #college!au levi #attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin #snk

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triviareads · 2 years

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Why the Queen Charlotte Show's Take on Race is Dubious at Best and Harmful at Worst (Also, Was Queen Charlotte Actually Black? An Exploration)

As the promo for the Queen Charlotte show picks up, I'm starting to see a lot of genuinely harmful articles in the news, and they're compounded by Shondaland themselves and the material they've chosen to show the world.

Let's first talk about Shondaland, who decided it was a great idea to double down on the notion that love cured racism, and then proceeded to create a show about Queen Charlotte and King George III, a man who was historically pro-slavery politically, and did nothing about the issue even as abolition sentiment picked up during his reign. Their Valentine's Day event didn't inspire much confidence either; they showed multiple clips that describe this segregated society (their kind don't mix with our kind, or some variation of this, was said a thousand times in each promo clip) where the white people in power (the monarchy) apparently don't engage with the Black nobility until.... suddenly now, when Princess Charlotte is arriving to marry George. Oh also, Corey Mylchreest, the actor who plays George III recommended a book called, The Last King of America: The Misunderstood Reign of George III, written by Baron Roberts of Belgravia, a man who has apparently defended the Jallianwala Bagh massacre and mass internment in Northern Ireland. Lovely. Going back on topic, the clips themselves showed an embarrassingly white-washed portrayal of racism and segregation, and that too, we know it was all magically solved within a generation.

Look, I'm not asking for a tragic POC narrative. But if I'm watching a show where race is a focal point thematically, I want it treated with the respect and consideration it deserves. Not some post-racial-but-not-really fantasy bullshit they're spinning. As my friend @jeanvanjer said, racism isn't simply being "mean" or someone being given the cut-direct. Because here's the thing: Shondaland absolutely had the option of not creating this ridiculous narrative. They could have casted all the same, lovely actors and not explained why this regency fantasy world is diverse! Instead, they decided to bring in race, but then treat it as a fucking joke.

Which brings me to this article:

First of all, for an article that's titled race is "more central" to the Queen Charlotte show, it barely gives us any information as to how. Instead, it gives this quote from Adjoa Andoh:

First of all, "TRUE TO HISTORY"? I'm sorry, is Shondaland and its actors spinning the narrative that Queen Charlotte truly was a mixed-race woman in an effort to legitimize this show's need to create this simplistic racial narrative?

Fine. Lets examine that, shall we? How did Queen Charlotte come to allegedly have a Black ancestor? Let me tell you this: it was not due to love conquering racism. The answer lies in the 1200s. Literally 500 years before Charlotte's birth. Her name was likely Madragana Ben Aloandro, and she was a woman of possibly-Moorish ancestry and a Muslim. She was born in the Algarve when it was still ruled by the Moors, but it was conquered by King Afonso III, who made Madragana his mistress shortly after, had her converted to Christianity, and had her name changed. There are gaps in her story, but if I try to fill them in, I can very well imagine that based on the fact that this man conquered her home by use of military force, and she was around twenty years younger than him, there was... likely a significant lack of consent here along with erasure of identity. This is the woman Charlotte is likely descended from, a woman who was born some 500 years before her, and likely had a negligible contribution to Charlotte's gene pool. But somehow, the show and this article expects us to believe that historical assertions that Charlotte looked like a Black woman, or even counted as biracial, are not racist, but statements of fact.

Indeed, this article relied on disgusting, racist, and obviously biased descriptions from Charlotte's contemporaries including her personal physician Baron Stockmar and Sir Walter Scott as "proof" Charlotte was a mixed-race woman, and then proceeded to tie her to Meghan Markle in terms of the racism they experienced:

These false equivalencies and cherry-picking historical facts have become a hallmark of the Bridgerton show, and now the Queen Charlotte show as well, apparently.

What this show, and Shondaland as a whole, fails to understand is that its take on racial politics is embarrassing and ridiculous for an educated, modern audience. For those of us who are students of history, we cannot accept a narrative like "love cures racism" and simply fly with it, because we know that cheapens not only the romance of this alleged historical romance show, but also the hard-won battles people in history fought in order to freely love who they choose to love.

We cannot accept an even more dangerous potential narrative the show may try to sell us, that segregated societies can be equal by pointing to proof of Black aristocrats in the Queen Charlotte show as an example. Because if there's anything decades of precedent has taught us, a segregated society is inherently unequal.

We cannot accept this Queen Charlotte show than anything more than a thoughtlessly-done portrayal of a segregated society, waiting to magically be fixed by someone— the white man who was historically a racist pro-slaver? A Black woman who wasn't actually Black historically?

Who knows.

#lets talk about charlotte's ancestor Madragana Ben Aloandro #bridgerton #queen charlotte: a bridgerton story #queen charlotte #racism #george iii #shondaland

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larrythefloridaman · 7 months

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Mayhaps some thoughts on Valentine?

Oh, dear valentine... so mysterious... and the weight of being the perfect, gentle showman is such a heavy burden to bear...

Val is fascinating to me, because even though theres so much we don't know about what he really wants, really feels, really thinks, because most of his screentime is on the sidelines in an obviously staged persona, theres a lot of interesting inferences we can make from what he says when he breaks character, doesnt break character, or expresses his (oft-ignored) agency, but, with so many details missing, I am forced to turn to thematic analysis and context clues to fill in the blanks. I say forced as though I dont love doing this shit lmao

Val's occasional awkward fumbling breaks with his presenter persona lead me to assume hes that flavor of theater kid thats sort of... reserved, passive, awkward, almost shy in their personal life until they're onstage, where they Come Alive before the crowd, but also, hes presented in his introductory episode as a man who 'walks directly into explosions just to see if he can survive them.' contradiction between the private and public self, risk and spectacle and, of course, performance are important things to consider when evaluating Val. He wants to put on a good show for the people, after all! Talented and radiant and powerful and good, Val is an instant hit with the audience- and Val puts his body on the line trying to 'save the day' in a very risky move, a shady deal with a shady being with shady terms. Keep in mind Crimson really hadnt done anything REAL bad at this point- a little theft, a little homewrecking, his greatest crime we saw was being kinda spooky, really.

We don't hear the terms of Val and Crimson's bet, their discussion of the terms entirely held through crimson's ability for psychic communication, but we do see the result. Valentine looked at the quiet, eldritch thing Crimson began as, and wagered his body as Crimson's prize. Crimson wins, a gentleman keeps his word, and the Captain Crimson era begins. It isn't long before theres reason to regret his choice, although the Grunk's death wasn't something Crimson exactly wanted to happen either. Captain Crimson, given the privilege of choosing who in the tie at the bottom of top 8 gets to move on to the next part of what was supposed to be a two part tournament, the Grunk is shortly after found dead. Val remains in Crimson's thrall for another several months, Team Crimson formed amid the hiatus's offscreen chaos.

I think a feeling of guilt in the situation hes avoiding does haunt him. He claims little memory of his time as Captain Crimson, but the Grunk certainly seems to blame him some, even saying that 'at least hes not dead this time,' when Val successfully defends his championship from the Grunk. And hes in good company! Culpable in the Grunk's Death Club: Crimson (oops!) Hamhel (catalyst for both his and his killer's presence at the tournament,) Val (unintentional accomplice to manslaughter) Larry, Iggy and Chartreuse (knowingly complicit for timeloop reasons!)

Which adds some layers to Val breaking from his professionalism and stage persona a bit in 23's intros to express Intense Concern with J0hn's puppeteering of a murderer and VERY POINTEDLY bringing up the Grunk's own murder charges, audibly upset by the Grunk explicitly taking pride in them, he's clearly pretty disturbed by it- although he never pushes too hard against the tournament's regular function, even when it would be pretty fair to. One must remember the P. Rool Arc- the tournament is not an unquestionable arbiter of good or fairness, the tournament's rules are not unbreakable impartial tenets of the universe but the personal, often petty, choices of a jesterly godking, a TURTLE in a CLOWNCAR, and so going along with them is, within their world, a choice that all the characters are making! Everyone in the cast is, for better or worse, somewhat complicit in the tournament's failings, at least as much as any one actor who willingly works under a questionable director or in a questionable industry, if that makes sense. Technically, Valentine's championship was won at Plum's expense. Valentine participated- alongside an assortment of other fighters, including Rights Sentience, a so-called sentinel of that which is good and right- in the group free-for-all to take P. Rool's win away from him, and happened to come out on top. Relevant information to recall on P. Rool Day.

And, also relevantly to 23, he's pretty disturbed by Quad too, as we see in his introduction in 17. I think Quad is critical to understanding what Val's got going on under the surface- of the clones, theyre pretty explicitly the most directly similar from base to clone, and ive said it before and ill say it again, the thing Ryan's said about Quad and Val thats stuck with me characterization-wise is that 'Val is like a rollercoaster, Quad is like skydiving.' Rollercoasters are a thrill, with ups and downs and twists and turns but a careful calculation for safe results along a planned path, placing an implicit trust in the engineers who designed it for you to enjoy, although the controls are left out of your hands, and so when something goes wrong all you can do is wait for it to be over and hope noone gets hurt. Skydiving is throwing yourself directly to the whims of the world and letting go for a very INTENSE and STRAIGHTFORWARD thrill, running on the often CAREFULLY CONFIRMED trust that your parachute will work and with direct, conscious, personal control over when it deploys. I think of how Val often rolls with the tournaments decisions despite his misgivings, often seemingly not even informed until DAY OF what he'll be dealing with, and I think of how Quad was part of the first forfeit in tournament history and on another occasion caught just a whiff of horseshit and marched right up to god and beat her ass. Quad is like Val without the tact, the nuance, the subterfuge, like Val if you intentionally distilled and intensified him to the point of parody, and in the process, boiled out all the subtleties and passivity.

The natural instinct to compare Crimson and Val's relationship during Val's possession and Quad and Order's is... I think not EXACTLY wrong, but I don't think it's one-to-one at all. If Quad is, thematically, like Val with all the subtleties and nuance (not to say quad is UNnuanced because of course he is, but like. yknow what i mean in this context) wrung out, then maybe the intensity and circumstances of the awfulness of Quad and Order's relationship is a much more black-and-white case, but the baseline dynamic was similar? Just. Greyer. More complicated. Less extreme. Another all-take and little-to-no-give relationship between a controlling person and someone only wanted and valued by them in the first place as a useful, disposable tool in the pursuit of their own desires, who was never really all that interested in them personally as anything more than that, because at the end of the day they always wanted something or someone else, until someone else gets rid of the taker, and the giver is left alone to reevaluate things in their absence. But i suppose we already knew that. Another difference of course being they were two people who happened to collide for a while by chance and made regrettable choices, while Quad was born and designed with the purpose of being used. (And, of course, got to overcome that.)

Considering other Crimson'd folks were very much able to dispel Crimson from their bodies when they didnt want him there anymore, Hamhel 'defecting' offscreen, Chessmaster casting it off with all the casualness of flexing muscle, when they had come to some kind of epiphany and wanted to better themselves, while Val needed to have it dragged out of him by force, and even, in a moment of weakness and spite in response to the humiliation of Dani's Rat Stunt may have even considered taking crimson BACK if jay's speculation about val's feelings after the exorcism in 11 holds weight... its... interesting. And while they're plenty professionally friendly, I do think theres potentially some... lasting resentment, between him and Dantoinette in the mix, too. She did not need to rub his face in losing to the rat, and that could just be a dani-typical weak-filter shit-talk moment. But he did not need to bring up the bear. and Val's usually more careful than that.

Val lost a bet. They were together for months. They had to have developed some kind of dynamic and rapport in that time. While he absolutely was a controlling asshole, even just by nature of How Possession Literally Works, there isnt much reason to assume crimson was uniquely cruel to Val in their relationship compared to his other partnerships, and most folks who were possessed for more than a day came out of that relationship rightfully hating his ass and not wanting to be around him but not like. Life-Wreckingly Transformed by Him or anything. He's not an abuser, hes not that kind of evil. hes your dickhead ex that brought out the worst in you, he's the sketchy mp3 downloader thats BEGGING for you to let him install viruses, he's the best employee at a scam company. Crimson is just as disgusted by people like Prism or the Doc as anybody else reasonable. He's just a selfish, negative, dirtbag asshole thats rebellious for the sake of it and pressures you into and gives you excuses to pursue bad ideas- both his and your own, and living vicariously through those he controls to escape his circumstances and get to be anybody but who and what he actually is for a while, and Val was perfect for that. He 'got what he needed' by 'being' him. Vibrant, beloved by the crowd and community, comfortable in front of the camera, seemingly so confident warm and happy despite everything, so in control of his own destiny, at least in theory. The heartless coveting that which he cannot have. Val reduced more than once to an idealized object on a pedestal. The perfect man, and a being that from certain perspectives might barely qualify as a person at all- he certainly didnt present himself as one to start with. Hell, hes still imitating Val just a bit trying to play presenter in his stead in Orange.

BUT. All that being said. Order isn't what Val chooses to compare his time with Crimson to, in a rare instance we see of him actually trying to talk about it. No. His choice of comparison is a different object of Val's disdain- Cupid. Heartbreak and Cupid.

Heartbreak and Cupid are friends. and Heartbreak does say he WANTS to find someone that meets his romantic standards- but Cupid begins to push through his boundaries, FORCING it, making this OVERWHELMING UNASKED FOR SPECTACLE out of his issues on live broadcast, and when he decides he DOESNT want to pursue it actively anymore, Cupid refuses to back down from trying, because he DID want it and Cupid doesnt want him to Give Up on what he wants, but the reality is Heartbreak just found some peace with being by himself and doesn't want it so bad anymore, but Cupid seemingly wont take him at his word that he's genuinely just changed his mind. Tempered expectations, mistaken for lost hope. And it pisses heartbreak off so much that at least when the wound's fresh he doesn't even want to look at the color pink.

Val made a bet. We didnt see the terms. Val, in contrast with his perfect gentlemanly persona, flirts with villainy from time to time- quite literally in the case of his exchange with Dr. Order at the start of 16 before Quad was made, sometimes less literally and more subtly complicit with the tournament's less than perfect ethics record, nobody's perfect, no exceptions, not even the perfect man is unflawed- but never truly falls from grace again after his time with Crimson, while using the same cunning and subterfuge the god of treachery employs in facing challenges and claiming advantages all the same. Tempered subversion, mistaken for submission to conformity. And Crimson's presence is enough to make Val just want to stay home.

Am i cooking or is this nothing? YOU decide!

#im sure as soon as i post this #ill see a billion problems with my wording or remember something im missing but ive spent too long on this hsjfsjgdjgdjdg #cpu kerfuffle #its Interesting. its Interesting and theres A Lot Going On There and All Of Its So Vague.

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so-called-yokai · 7 months

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don't take drinks from strange men in bars. or do. i'm not your dad.

Okay, so this got a bit longer than I intended it to, but that's fine. It's also pretty open-ended at the, uh... end because this is -- and I cannot stress this enough -- not tcest, and I couldn't decide how to close it properly because it's 9am and I haven't slept yet. :D If the adhd allows, I'd like to write a couple follow-ups, one for each disaster twin.

(Inspired by this post by @khayalli [and written with her blessing!] because it's been living in my head rent-free for days now.)

NOT TCEST NOT TCEST NOT TCEST

The bass thumps heavily enough for Eshra to feel it in his bones, and he closes his eyes to let the music wash over him… and maybe to give his sensitive vision a break from the pulsing pink and purple and blue lights bathing the club, thematic though it is. He huffs a silent laugh to himself. Valentine's Day, and here he is, whiling away the night at a yokai nightclub. His date? The half-drunk, rainbow-hued, fruity concoction in front of him, handed over by the bartender when Eshra asked for 'the strongest, gayest thing you've got'.

Never let it be said that service around here was lacking. Even with his eyes closed, Eshra's pretty sure he can feel the room spinning a little, and he's only halfway done.

Something tingles at the edge of his senses then, and if he were just a little more sober, he might have recognized it as his trouble-sense pinging a bright red warning. He is not, however, so he just opens his eyes to find he's no longer alone at his little corner table with its semi-sheltering veil of decorative greenery.

Seated in front of him are a pair of men. No, turtles. Turtle-men? Eshra blinks once. Not even close to the weirdest thing he's seen in the Hidden City, so he brushes it off and takes them in more completely. They're about his own age, which surprises him a little, and share similar builds to each other: tall and broad across the shoulders, but not bulky like the meathead gargoyles that so often make a pass at him on nights like this. No, they're built in a way that makes Eshra's mouth water, although he'd never admit it. Not this early in the game. The one on the left -- the one with the crescent-shaped red markings over his eyes -- wears a fur-edged bomber jacket, a thick leather collar with a heart-shaped ring, and a blue bandana across his eyes. The one on the right also has a bandana, although his is purple and covers his entire head, on top of which is perched a pair of techy-looking goggles. The t-shirt he's got on looks like it's at least a size too small for him, and if that wasn't done on purpose, Eshra will eat his non-existent shoe.

Both turtles are sporting identical, slightly unnerving smirks, their eyes gleaming with a dangerous sort of mischief, and the blue one pushes a glass in Eshra's direction. It's glowing in a way that drinks should probably not be glowing, even down here, and Eshra flicks his eyes between it and its bestowers, lifting one brow ridge. His trouble-sense is blaring a klaxon now, but all that does is tell him that tonight might not be such a lost cause after all.

"Couldn't help but notice you lookin' a little lonely over here," Blue says, his voice smooth and his tone charming in a way that should probably be more alarming than it is. Purple says nothing, simply watching Eshra like a hungry predator, and the so-called-yokai feels a pleasant shiver go down his spine. He would happily let either one of them devour him, he decides, and so he leans forward, resting his elbows on the tabletop and lacing his fingers together so he can prop his chin on them. His lids drop low over his eyes, and under the table he flicks his tail forward to brush its feathery tuft against someone's leg. Purple jumps a little, and Eshra's muzzle curves into a smirk of its own.

"And you're offering to help with that," he coos, sweet as can be, his eyes darting between them. It's not a question.

"Thought we might," Blue replies. He's obviously the face-man of the pair… of brothers, Eshra realizes, subtly scenting the air. Their scents are similar in a way that suggests a biological relation, and he resists the urge to cluck his tongue in disappointment. No menage for him tonight. That's all right; either one of these decidedly untrustworthy turtles would be a treat all on his own.

Eshra shifts to rest his chin in his right palm, so he can reach for the glowing drink with his left hand, deliberately and not-at-all subtly letting his clawed fingers brush against Blue's, which are still resting on the rim of the glass. The turtles have three digits on their hands just like he does, he notes absently, unsure why that random little tidbit pleases him so much. It's not something to worry about, though, not when Blue's smirk spreads even wider at the contact, and not when Purple is suddenly watching him so intently that Eshra is sure his feathers will combust under the heat of that gaze. There's a challenge in their eyes.

Fuck it.

Eshra takes the drink and tosses it back inelegantly, uncaring that a few drops escape to slide down his chin and trace his throat. He can practically feel the turtles' gazes following the path of those glowing droplets, and he's pretty sure he hears one of them swallow thickly. Lowering his chin again, he brings one hand to it to wipe away a stray drop with his thumb, touching the pad with the tip of his tongue and never letting his eyes leave theirs.

It works fast, whatever was in that drink, sending heat racing along Eshra's veins until it pools low in his belly. He lifts his crest a few degrees in silent question -- not that it's a language either turtle can translate -- and can't help but give an all-over quiver. He knows they see it; Purple isn't even trying to hide his smug expression.

Suddenly it's like every sense is in overdrive. The music is a hungry, primal thing in his ears, and he's sure he can feel his heart pounding in rhythm with it. He can pick out every small detail he missed before on his first examination of the brothers: the creases in Blue's brow that belies that hasn't-a-care smirk, the large starburst-shaped scar peeking out from the top of Purple's bicep-length glove, the way both their teeth look sharper than he first guessed. He can smell sweat, cologne, motor oil, and something underneath all of it that he just knows will imprint itself on his brain, something intrinsically them. The heat in his gut is a living thing now, gripping him in iron talons, refusing to be denied.

Smoothly, because the game is still afoot and it wouldn't do to forfeit his position by tripping over his own feet, Eshra slides out of his chair and moves to stand near Purple's elbow, looking down at the both of them, letting them read the invitation in his eyes before he voices the question aloud.

"Your place or mine?"

#eshra's stories #my writing #rottmnt oc #future leo #future donnie #disaster twins #utterly baseless au #not tcest #canon/oc #i haven't written anything this long in years #do i even still remember how #rise of the tmnt #rottmnt

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terrence-silver · 2 years

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Hi Bea! Could you write about Valentine's Day with Terry McCain?

― ❤️

― Terry McCain is validly a very busy man. Always on the run. Always on the move. The in's and out's of his job demanding it and his own hotheaded temper driving him to such energized activity. Just how it is. Especially if the Holidays and in this case, Valentines Day falls and coincides with a busy work week without the possibility of taking time off. Terry's the kind of guy to be rushing down the busy streets of Chicago mid-rush hour, practically running, down several blocks if need be, in between breaks at the station, driving to the other end of town and busting into the nearest floral stores, chocolateries or gift shops just get his beloved a special something for the day of love before getting back to work. He's a romantic at heart and he isn't ashamed of it being known in spite of his busy schedule and the otherwise grim predispositions of his career. It is almost amusing to witness, actually. Burly, fiery-tempered Detective McCain with a bouquet of roses on the backseat of his police car.

― And yes, whatever gift he acquired for beloved will be with him all throughout the day, close and safely tucked away at all hours, awaiting the appropriate moment he'll give it to them in the evening. His colleagues might even remark on it; A porcelain kitten with a ribbon on his desk? Really, McCain? A candy package? Candles, cards and petals? Actually, scratch that, how about an actual living pet? Is that a boxed up present in Detective McCain's coat pocket on the job, which he brought along to a crime scene? Seriously? There's no such thing as corny and cheesy for him, and he's phenomenal at multitasking contradictive tasks. Questioning suspects while beloved's jewelry case he bought earlier rests safely in his jacket on the chair along with his firearm's and badge --- something not at all out of the ordinary for Terry, because his thoughts are on beloved all day every day and he views doing his job right during the day as a way to keep them safe in the long run.

― Of course, in spite of him being somewhat teased with just how lovestruck he is at work and him bashfully shrugging it off without any intention of denying it, Terry calls beloved the minute he can; from the nearest reception desk, office or payphone --- you name it. Inquiring whether they're alright. If they're good and safe and secure. Telling them tonight will be special. To wait for him. To take care. Not to forget to lock the door and be careful while he's away and contact him immediately if there's an emergency, over-worrying as he does and feeling a sense of guilt he can't be at home. While validly a workaholic and something of a borderline vigilante married to the job, as they say, Terry McCain finds ways to be incredibly attentive and devoted, whether the important date is Valentines day, a birthday or Christmas. Or even an ordinary day. Shift ending, he is just as capable of practically speeding home to be with beloved and not waste a minute longer, skipping stairs on the way there, three at a time, with wide strides.

― That evening is classically romantic and a genuinely sweet affair; gifts exchanged, flowers, chocolates, Terry offering to make a meal, dim lights and gentle lovemaking. And hilariously enough, if alongside whatever amorous present Terry intended for beloved he can also convince them to take a gun he acquired just for them and keep that as a Valentines gift too, as he says, 'just in case', he legitimately will, whatever they're receptive to the idea or not --- he merely feels better if they're armed, especially if they're armed with a weapon he specifically chose for them and their needs; something easy to handle --- something even a novice can fire. By the end of the evening, beloved somehow ends up having a collection of candies, roses and thematic decor that would make Cupid himself jealous and a discreet Colt that fits in the most tightly hidden places to follow as well, totally legal, with valid papers. Firearms and ribbon kittens; that's Valentines Day with Terry McCain. Guess that's one of the perks of dating a Chicago Detective.

#terry mccain #excessive force #excessive force 1993 #valentines day #terry mccain x reader #terry mccain x beloved #fluff #humor #tw; fire arms #tw; slight abuse of power

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allisian · 10 months

Text

Back when Sweetheart Xayah and Rakan was released the community responded with criticism and fan edits/redesigns because of its poor quality....and here I am contributing to that.

That's right 5 years later after this skin was released and with it being nowhere near Valentine's Day I took it upon myself to make my own HeartAche Xayah!

For holiday skins, heartseekers had a shallow thematic with "pink, gold, and hearts" being the core elements. (There is potential for improvement by giving a more directed and dramatic direction).

Xayah and Rakan made perfect champions to a valentines skin line with their romance being their main gimmick. Literal love birds.

As a concept, Rakan is actually great (not the skin itself). He's a love-struck prince charming suitor in pastel and personally, I think there are already plenty of wonderful fan redesigns that perfect that concept.

For Xayah I felt she looked plain next to Rakan, as his contrast Xayah had many avenues to explore rather than being his basic goth princess background npc.

She needed a makeover. One that made her represent the Dark and painful side of love...

I replaced her wing with a tattered red cape associated with a red hiding hood adding to the "fantasy" but gave it a high pointy collar similar to that of the evil queen and vampires. (I was torn between giving her default hood back and this)

The black swan (swan lake) also heavily inspired Xayah's look with a ballet leotard and ribbons paired with a feather top and asymmetrical half tutu.

And of course, I gave her running mascara.

Overall Xayah turned out a lot darker than the status quota of sweetheart but I think all of the valentines skins should explore the different shades of love.

#league of legends #xayah #xayah league of legends #xayah lol #xayah the rebel #league xayah #sweetheart xayah #xayah redesign #xayah fanart #xayah league #league of legends xayah #lol xayah #valentines skin #rakan and xayah #rakan the charmer #rakan league of legends #sweetheart rakan

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milarqui · 1 year

Text

Scarlet Lady: Dark Cupid

Directory | Syren

Adrien had always wanted to come to school.

He had never thought it would involve anything like what Mme. Bustier was 'teaching' them now.

“In most fairy tales, the prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess. Can anyone tell me why?” the teacher said, as he finished writing his first love letter.

Alright, he understood that she thought it was thematically appropiate, but... really?

“Oh, ooh!” Rose said, jumping from her seat. “Because only love can conquer hate!”

“Exactly,” Mme. Bustier said, proudly smiling at Rose.

“Yet only approximately 32% of those kisses were consensual.”

Max's stony declaration – along with his stony expression – fell on the cheerful ambiance like... a stone.

At least, that's what Adrien thought, particularly considering that the teacher's smile had turned very awkward from one moment to another.

“OKAY!” Mme. Bustier said, clearly trying to change the subject. “Happy Valentine's Day!”

Yeah, awkward.

----

With the day finished, Kagami was putting her things back into her backpack, when Ondine came up to her.

“Kagami, is Valentine's Day different in Japan?”

“A bit, though I've never participated before,” she replied. She remembered how the girls would hand chocolate to the boys they liked (or not – that was what 'obligation chocolate' was for, apparently) and the boys would then give back white chocolate a month later. But, with her mother's... presence metaphorically behind her, she had never tried. “Do you have plans, Ondine?”

Ondine smiled, blushing.

“Well, I'm really hoping Kim asks me to be his girlfriend! I'm the one who confessed, so it's his turn to make a move!”

Kagami nodded, smiling.

I'm proud of Ondine for striking first.

“Oh! Can I call you later and tell you how it goes?” Ondine asked, pulling out her phone.

“Sure,” she replied, doing the same.

She would do the best to help her one friend in the school happy.

And she also made plans for the future.

If he hurts her, I'll maim him, she decided.

----

The bell rang, and everyone began to pack their things. Some of them had plans for the day, after all, and others just wanted to finally be free for the day.

“You ready, dude?” Nino asked.

“Y-Yeah, hold on,” he replied, still writing. He would have finished earlier, but it was hard to hide it all with all the classes they had had!

“Adridarling~”

Suddenly, a claw hand snatched the letter he had been writing.

“Whatcha working on? A love letter for moi?”

“HEY! Give that back!” he yelled, trying to reach out before she could read it.

If she read that out loud, it would mess up his plans completely!

Fortunately, she did not read it out loud, but she still read it. Then she looked at him, confused.

“Adrien, you got my description wrong. I have cornflower eyes and golden hair.”

What the hell? Why did she think this would be for her?

“The description is correct. You're the one that's wrong.”

She began to wave the letter in the air.

“Tell me right now who this is for if not me!”

“Ah! Um!”

He couldn't answer that! Marinette was right there!

He had to come up with something, quick!

Who did he know that looked like Marinette?

Think, think, think –

“IT'S FOR MARIGOLD!”

“WHAT?!” Alya and Chloé yelled simultaneously.

“Really?” Nino asked, surprised.

“Huh?!”

Alya looked at her friend, who was blushing so much.

“Why are you embarrassed?”

Alya approached Nino, who began to blush.

“How did you not know who your own best friend is crushing on?” she asked, curious.

“I-I don't know! We don't talk about that stuff!”

“How?!”

“Look, dude, it isn't like it's my business who my bro likes!”

----

“Stupid Foolsgold–Bumbling Bee–Marimold! I'll make myself Adrien's Valentine!”

Tikki sighed.

“Chloé, please, this is pathetic.”

“SHUT UP.”

What had she done to deserve... this?

----

Marinette had managed to extricate herself from Alya's grip to get some time alone in the bathroom... so she could come to terms with what Adrien had just said.

“I never thought Adrien would get a crush on Marigold!” she thought, her cheeks still burning.

“You left quite the impression, My Queen!” Pollen cheered, as she bashfully looked away, her fingertips touching each other.

“It is pretty flattering, someone as nice as Adrien liking me. Or a version of me.”

“Flattering!”

“And brave! If he put his feelings out there, I have to answer properly!”

“So brave!”

She had to see if she could visit him as Marigold!

----

Outside the bathroom, all Alya could hear was Marinette apparently talking to herself.

“You sure have strange ways of dealing with bad news, girl,” she commented, even though she knew Marinette couldn't hear her.

----

“'In love with Marigold?' First I've heard, lover boy!” Plagg mockingly exclaimed, and Adrien gave him an exasperated look.

“You know the plan was to give Marinette the poem as Chat Noir. I panicked!”

“Ooo, romantic.”

He stood from his chair and went to the window, almost slamming his face on it.

“Now everyone thinks I love Marigold. Even Marinette! But I suppose it could be worse.”

He sighed.

“I could've said Scarlet Lady.”

“HA!”

----

“Operation: Valentine's Day commencing. After much online research, I've concluded this jewel to be the most popular,” Max declared, handing a heart-shaped box to Kim.

“Awesome, Max!” Kim replied, thankful for his best friend's aid.

Almost as if smelling prey, Alya and Marinette showed up, flanking Kim as he admired the jewel Max had found.

“Oo, shiny! Is it for moi?” Alya joked, causing Kim to flush as he realized the girls had just caught him in the middle of planning.

“Negative, Alya, the recipient is–”

Kim quickly jumped to cover Max's mouth.

“Shh, Max! It's supposed to be a secret!” he said, embarrassed.

“It's Ondine, right?” Alya said, smiling, while Marinette gave him a glare.

“It better be Ondine.”

Kim began to sweat.

“How'd you know...?”

“You know how she feels! Go for it!” Marinette encouraged him giving him a thumbs up, along with Alya and Max.

“She'll love it!” Alya said. So encouraged, Kim began to run for the place where he had agreed to meet Ondine, while waving goodbye at his friends.

“Thanks, guys!” he shouted, quickly turning around a corner, and Alya turned to Max with a smirk.

“I'm surprised to see you playing Cupid, Max,” she noted: given his usual approach to romance, it was a tad curious.

“Oh, not at all,” Max replied. “Ondine is a commendable character and Kim is happy.”

He adjusted his glasses.

“As long as they keep the PDA to a minimum, I am content.”

Alya tried to reply, but then she thought it over and realized she was pretty much on the same horse.

“Fair.”

----

She may have been the unofficial Adrien Fanclub president, but she thought that the other girls were taking this love for Adrien a bit too far.

Mireille was hugging the advert column where his latest ad was now hanging, and Jeanne was actually praying to it!

“Mireille, this is excessive,” she noted.

“Shh, Aurore,” Mireille replied, somehow basking on the feeling of the Adrien in the poster even though it was attached to a cold metal column.

“Ha! Dream on, girls!”

Sighing at what was likely to be another annoyance, Aurore and her fellow fans turned to see Chloé Bourgeois holding the same poster as in the advert column, but smaller, and with something handwritten on the corner.

“Adrien is already mine,” she crowed, but Aurore could easily see how false it was. Even a five-year-old child would have been able to make a better fake of Adrien Agreste's signature.

“Hey, that's not Adrien's signature!” Suhayla exclaimed, handily making it unnecessary for her to point out the same.

Not that she'd save Bourgeois a few stabs.

“We're his fanclub, who're you trying to fool?” she asked her, and she was rewarded by the other girl's embarrassed face as she realized her bluff had been called.

“Lying about that, that's so pathetic!” Vivienne shouted at Bourgeois, who hugged her fake autographed poster as if it were worth anything (outside of Adrien's face, that is).

“HOW DARE YOU!”

Heh, truth clearly hurt her.

By the time they were done, Bourgeois would be unable to claim the same thing again.

----

Marinette heard the running up the stairs to her room, and turned to see Alya holding a giant heart-shaped card as if it were some kind of treasure.

“Marinette~ look!”

“What's that for?” she asked, legitimately curious.

“Don't give up so easily! You gotta tell him how you feel!” Alya said.

“Thanks, Alya, but I couldn't begin to figure out how to give it to him,” she replied. Granted, if there was an akuma around, he would show up and fight, but she had promised not to appear in Akuma fights (that was what Marigold was for).

Maybe he would appear at her rooftop tonight...

“Why would that be hard?” Alya asked, shaking her off her daydream. “We know where he lives.”

She blinked.

It looked like they weren't on the same level.

“Who are you talking about?” she asked.

“Who are you talking about?” Alya asked.

Alya decided to pull her out as Marinette explained her love for Paris' best hero, and it was like something switched in her best friend.

“Chat Noir?! That's who you're into?!”

“Is that weird?” she asked.

“Oly if you were literally anyone else!” Alya replied, pulling from her arm and starting to run. “C'mon, let's track him down!”

“WHOA!”

----

Kim was waiting at the Pont des Arts, present in hand, ready for the most important moment of his life. It had taken him long – perhaps too much – in realizing that Ondine liked him, and also that he liked her back.

Then again, he had to admit he was kinda dense.

But, well, Max had come through and (as with many other things) had helped him find the way to finally ask Ondine if she wanted to be his girlfriend!

(He'd have to find a way to pay him back for all the stuff he had helped him with)

He could already imagine her face, smiling and shining as she said yes. Perhaps she might even want to give him a kiss!

“That's right, framed with 24-carat gold. Deliver it to Le Grand Paris.”

When he heard that voice, he felt his blood freezing up in his veins.

“Oh, no. Chloé.”

If she realized he was here, he just knew she was going to ruin everything.

He tried to will himself to become transparent. Invisible. Non-existant. Anything, as long as Chloé Bourgeois didn't notice he was there!

It shouldn't be that hard – it wasn't as if she cared about him on a good day!

“Bill it to Daddykins – uh, Mayor Bourgeois.” Then Chloé looked at him. “Huh? What are you doing here? Hm?”

“Uh, this is a public bridge,” he pointed out, as he tried to think of something to get rid of her before Ondine appeared.

“Oh, wow, you're really trying this with me, Kim?”

“Huh?!”

He definitely didn't understand what Chloé was about now, and definitely didn't like Chloé's face.

He was not religious at all, but suddenly something he knew was from the Bible sprung up in his mind.

My Lord, why hast thou forsaken me?

Chloé then walked up to him, and he tried to stay away, but she just wouldn't stop!

“Sorry, Kim, but my heart belongs to someone way more interesting than you!”

Kim briefly wondered what was going through Chloé's mind to make her think his present was for her.

Then again, that was the usual for Chloé.

“What are you –?!”

“Kim?”

He felt his blood freeze again.

Oh. No. No. No. No. NONONONONONONONONONONONO!

Not now!

“Ondine!” he shouted, turning to the girl. “It's not what it sounds like!”

“Who? Oh, right.” And because Chloé was what she was, she proceeded to make a mess of everything. AGAIN. “Do you mind, Hulk girl? I'm trying to turn down this loser, go away!”

The sight of Ondine's tears pooling around her eyes was like an arrow through his heart, and not the funny cute ones. No, it was the pain of knowing he had (accidentally) caused the girl pain that was coursing through him.

“SORRY TO HAVE BOTHERED YOU!” Ondine yelled, turning around and running away, and Kim felt his heart breaking in pieces.

“ONDINE, WAIT!” he shouted, but he was too late, and all he could do was watch as the girl he liked ran away in tears.

“Ha ha! Don't you hate how harsh love can be?” Chloé said, but he ignored her, kneeling on the ground, not even paying attention as the waste of air that had just ruined his life left.

Not even paying attention to the black butterfly landing on the brooch he had wanted to give to Ondine as a sign of his feelings.

Not even paying attention as a bow appeared on his hand, and wings on his back.

Not even paying attention as he was called Dark Cupid.

But then... he paid attention.

“No love affair or friendship will escape my fury! No one will ever love again!” he shouted, lifting off and flying away.

If he couldn't be with the girl he loved... then no one would be with the ones they loved.

And his arrows met their targets.

“Get off me!”

“Ah!”

“I hate you!”

----

Juleka and Rose had decided to take a walk for their Valentine's date. It was the usual for them: low key, nice, no need for anything grand. Maybe they could duck into a cafe later and enjoy a bit of privacy?

But then, Rose shouted.

“AH!”

“ROSE!” Juleka shouted, briefly seeing a large arrow sticking out of her girlfriend's back before it disappeared.

“Get off of me!” Rose screamed shoving her off, much to her shock.

“What?!” She couldn't understand what was going on. What would make her sweet Rose act like that?

“I hate how tall and gorgeous you are! Makes me sick!” Rose angrily shouted.

Juleka wasn't certain of how to feel.

“Am I supposed to be insulted?” she asked.

This looked like another Akuma in the making. Hopefully, the heroes would fix this.

She wanted her sweet, gentle Rose back!

----

Both girls were tired, and had decided to buy large candy hearts so they could eat them while sitting at the first bench they could find.

“So, tracking down Chat Noir is harder than I thought,” Alya noted, licking her candy heart.

“No kidding,” she replied, doing the same with her own candy. Alya then saw something on the sky.

“Hey, what's that?”

Suddenly, a winged figure with a bow in hand flew in front of them.

“Every heart must be broken!” the obvious Akuma shouted, firing an arrow at Alya.

“AH!”

“ALYA!”

Before she could further react, Alya – whose lips were now black, somehow – turned around and slapped the sticky candy heart on her chest.

“Ha! Like Chat Noir would even want a Valentine from a nobody like you!” Alya said, running away while giving out an evil laugh. Marinette looked down at the candy before turning to her fleeing friend.

“I'll ignore that because you look good in black lipstick!” she shouted at the retreating form, before ducking away.

What the hell had happened with Kim, anyway?

----

“I said 24-carat, not 18-carat! That won't match my 24-carat bathtub!” Chloé yelled into her cellphone. “You bunch of nimrods!”

Unseen by her, Dark Cupid readied one of his arrows, prepared to finally ruin the one that had ruined his attempt to confess.

But, as he was aiming, something hit him in the face, making his shot go wide.

“Ah!”

“Stop it, Kim!”

“Marigold!” He could recognize that spinning top anywhere – and then both heroes stepped in between him and his target. “And Chat Noir! Don't get in my way!”

“Then maybe don't be so loud and obvious,” Chat Noir replied, before both heroes turned to see something else.

“Ew, what is that?” Chat Noir wondered.

That happened to be a copy of the latest Gabriel Agreste perfume ad, showing Adrien in front of the Eiffel Tower. For some reason, the lower part had been ripped out.

And, worst of all, it was framed in gold.

“Scary,” Marigold said, pondering how bad Chloé's stalkering was that she would do this.

“Mind your own business!” the aforementioned stalker yelled.

“I am Dark Cupid!” the Akumatized Kim said, aiming with another of his rose-shaped arrows at the group. “If I can't have love, no one can!”

Chat Noir quickly began to twirl his baton, preventing Dark Cupid from having a clean shot on Chloé, while Marigold began to push the girl to safety.

“Chloé, get inside!” she urged, but Chloé didn't seem to be worried.

“Why? There's no reason for Kim to have something against me,” she replied.

Marigold was dumbfounded... that Chloé actually thought that.

“What.”

“Oh, wait! It's my signed Adrien poster he's jealous of! Go protect it!” Chloé said.

And she shoved her.

Away from Chat Noir's protective shield.

“What–”

And the arrow struck.

“AH--!”

“Marigold!” Chat Noir yelled. He wasn't certain of the effect the arrow would have... but he was certain it wouldn't be good. “Goldie–?”

“SHUT UP!” Marigold suddenly shouted, glaring at him. “I hate that disgusting nickname almost as much as I hate you! You and that blonde pest, I hate with all my heart!”

“HEY!” Chloé complained.

Nobody cared.

Without warning, Marigold threw her spinning top at Chat Noir.

“How do you like that!”

Barely able to dodge it, Chat Noir saw as his partner's weapon instead shattered the glass and tore apart the poster bearing his civilian self's resemblance.

“No! My poster!”

Chat Noir smiled. Alright, this Akuma had done something good, after all.

“I like that very much, thanks!” he replied.

“$@#€!” Marigold didn't seem to agree with his opinion, though.

“My posterrrrr...” Chloé cried out, but, to be honest, Chat Noir didn't give a damn about the thing.

“Run, Chloé!” he ordered, and finally the girl understood the stakes and ran away.

“EEEK!”

While shouting, that is.

With the civilian out of the way, Chat Noir turned to his partner, who was twirling her spinning top around and glaring at him.

“Square up, Chat Noir,” she declared.

“I don't want to fight you, Marigold!” he replied. He couldn't hurt his partner! Her grimace of anger was not very favoring.

“Ugh, your kindness and friendliness is insufferable,” the corrupted heroine declared.

Chat Noir wasn't certain what to make of it.

“Wow, you're really bad at being mean. Thank you?” he answered, sheepishly hoping it would–

“SHUT UP!”

Alright, it wouldn't.

----

In her blind rush to get away from Kim – who seemed to be really jealous of her, for some reason – Chloé didn't see the stand with several flower pots and tripped on it, sending the plants arse over teakettle and covering her with dirt.

“OW! Ughhh...” she complained, trying to stand up again while shaking off the pain and disorientation.

“Whoa. Now that's a look!”

“Wait until Alix sees this!”

“Hey!” she shouted, getting back to her knees and seeing Liar Rossi and Sabrina taking photos of her.

“Have you been hit by the Akuma?! How dare you take my picture!”

“What Akuma?” both girls asked, while Kim just laughed at her misery.

“HA!”

----

Marigold may have been doing this for a much shorter time than him... but she was still a very good fighter, as evidenced by the fact that he had his hands full trying to deflect her spinning top with his baton.

“How can I overcome all this hate inside you?” he asked. Maybe she would slip and say something that would let him get his partner back!

“You can't! Hate conquers all!” she replied.

The prince breaks the spell by kissing the princess.

Because only love can conquer hate!

That was from class that morning.

Oh, goodness, maybe that was worth the attempt.

“I never imagined my first kiss would be like this.”

He wanted to give that to Marinette, after all.

“What are you on about, you creep?!”

Whoops. He had said that out loud. And now Marigold knew what he intended to do.

Welp. If it had to be this way...

He quickly jumped at Marigold, who began to run away.

“Come take your medicine!” he shouted, even though he knew it wasn't going to work.

“Get back you freak!” Marigold shouted at him. Still, he gave pursuit, knowing it was his only hope of stopping this Akuma.

Instinct made him stop right on his track, which proved wise as one of Dark Cupid's arrows landed at his feet.

“AH!”

By the time he was able to recover position, Marigold was half-hiding behind Dark Cupid's form, sticking her tongue at him.

“How're you gonna fight both of us now?” the Akuma taunted him, but he wasn't deterred.

“Ha! I can take you!”

“I've arrived, sidekick!”

He sighed. Just when he thought things could go nice for once...

“Well, there goes my odds,” he complained.

Scar summoned Lucky Charm (a candy heart this time) while he kept his baton in front, deflecting the arrows Dark Cupid was firing.

“Got a plan, Scar?” he asked, even though he knew asking was futile.

“I'll deal with the birdbrain, you focus on Stinkbug!” she shouted, jumping into the air.

“And what do you think you can do with a candy heart?” Dark Cupid mockingly called out as he prepared another arrow.

“THIS, @#$% FACE!” Scar shouted, throwing the candy... which, on impact, exploded, covering Dark Cupid in a sticky mess.

“Ew, what the hell?!”

“THAT'S WHAT YOU GET!” Scar yelled, and he cast a brief glance at her.

“You're sure fired up,” he commented, deflecting one of Marigold's attacks while surprised that Scar could actually be competent. Then he couldn't do much more, as Marigold redoubled her attacks, forcing him to stay concentrated in the fight.

“You would not believe my day! I got snubbed for Mari-mold of all people, my Valentine was laughed at and then ruined, and I was chased into a flower stand and destroyed my hair!” he heard Scar complain, but he paid no mind – particularly when Marigold had just summoned Venom and was threatening to use it on him.

“Scar, I'm glad you're actually pulling your weight for once, but now is not the time!” he shouted, but that momentary distraction was more than enough to allow Marigold to trip him, leaving him at her mercy.

“Marigold! His Miraculous!” Dark Cupid ordered, even tangled up as he was in candy.

“Ready to lose your fur, Minou?” Marigold asked, smirking, as she prepared to sting him.

“Geez, can't you handle anything on your own?!” Scar shouted, and before his eyes the yo-yo got tied up around Marigold's arm.

“Ugh!” Marigold complained... but this was the moment.

Carefully putting his hands around her face, he brought her down...

And their lips connected.

It felt... it actually felt quite nice. Tingly. Her lips were so soft, and he could even get a hint of something sweet on her.

It may not have been Marinette – but it sure was a close second to what he thought it would be if he ever got to kiss her.

He was so into kissing Marigold, that he forgot where he was.

“Do we need to come back at another time?”

“AH! WHAT–?” Marigold asked, clearly confused and shocked at where she was.

Time to finish this!

----

Marigold was utterly confused. She had been in Chloé's room, and Chloé had pushed her away from her, and then something had hit her – and now she was outside the hotel, with Scarlet's yo-yo around her arm, and herself pinning Chat Noir against the ground for some reason.

Before she could react, Chat Noir stood up and grabbed her by the waist.

“Sorry, Ma Belle, it's time to fly!” he announced.

“Wuh?”

Before she could ask anything else, Chat Noir threw her at Dark Cupid, and she instinctively put her hands ahead, accidentally hitting the Akuma with Venom – and how had that come out at all? – and paralyzing him.

“Wha-oh!”

“The brooch, wanna-bee!” Scarlet yelled. She briefly recognized it from the box Kim had shown her and Alya earlier, so she grabbed it, and Kim soon recovered his form.

“Good job, Goldie!” Chat Noir cheered.

“Yaaaay?” she tried to cheer, but failed.

Mostly because no one would even tell her what had just happened.

----

Kim shook himself awake, and realized he was no longer in the Pont des Arts. And also surrounded by ladybugs.

“How did I–” he began to ask, before he was interrupted.

“Get here? By being the worst at handling rejection from a pretty girl, that's how!” Scarlet Lady shouted, stoking his anger as he stood up and towered over her.

“Who, Chloé?” he asked in disgust. “I wasn't even trying to as her out in the first place!”

He covered his face in anguish.

“But thanks to her, I'll be lucky if Ondine even talks to me, let alone agrees to be my girlfriend!”

He ignored Scarlet Lady's disgusted answer – which sounded so much like Chloé's would be – as he tried not to weep –

“Uh, Kim?”

That voice.

He turned around, and he saw –

“Ondine! What are you doing here?!” he asked, both worried and relieved to see her again.

“I, uh, saw the flying birdman with a faux hawk,” she replied, blushing. “Thought that might be you.”

He walked up to her. Maybe he still had a chance to fix this!

“Ondine, please, let me explain!”

“It's okay, I heard everything,” she softly replied, and he felt his heart soar as he saw her smiling. “So, if it's not too late, can I be your Valentine?”

“Valentine, girlfriend,” he replied, hugging her closer, “whichever means I get to kiss you!”

“Ha ha!” Ondine laughed, and she kissed him.

And he swore it was even better than he had thought it could be.

----

Chat Noir coughed awkwardly at seeing Kim and Ondine kissing each other for the first time. He was glad for his classmate and his now-girlfriend for getting a chance to finally do this... but maybe they could give them some privacy?

Marigold, who was clearly happy at seeing the new couple sealing the deal, turned to him with a questioning look – and the first beeps sounding out from her haircomb.

“Chat Noir, what happened? I remember being at the hotel–”

No. No. No. He really didn't want to discuss this here and now.

“Oh no, you're about to change back, better get going!” he said, 'subtly' pushing her away so he could avoid what was bound to be a really awkward conversation.

“HA! What happened is that back alley stray put her lips all over--”

“GOTTA GET OUTTA HERE BEFORE YOU TURN INTO A PUMPKIN!” he quickly talked over Scar before she could ruin things. The fact that she was beeping just made the excuse more believable.

“RUDE!” Scar complained, even as she obeyed and found a safe place to transform back.

----

Adrien stumbled into his room after taking a long shower in a failed attempt to wash off his embarrassment of what he had had to do to save the day.

“I'm so glad this day is over,” he said, walking over to the bed.

“Ah, not gonna spend Valentine's with your sweetheart?” Plagg asked in what he knew was a mocking tone. “Wait, who was that again? Pigtails or Goldilocks?”

“Ha, ha,” he sarcastically laughed before dropping on his bed. “Hopefully that's all the Akumas for a while. I don't think I can look Marigold in the eyes.”

Someone tapped on the window.

“Adrien,” Marigold said.

“AHHH!”

Damn, did he have some summoning power or what?!

Either way, he went on to quickly open the door. Marigold was not Scar, she deserved far better!

“Marigold! W-What brings you here?!”

“Well, I-I heard a rumor,” she said, bashfully. “About writing me a Valentine? That I definitely didn't hear at your school!”

He ignored the last part of the suggestion. It wasn't important, anyway.

“Oh! Um! Well!” he said, trying to come up with anything that wouldn't betray the truth. “I just, uh, wanted to show my appreciation! But, um, just as a hero of Paris, not because I have a crush on you!”

“Oh, that's a relief!” Marigold said with a sigh.

A relief?!

Hey, he didn't want to break Marigold's heart, but why was it a relief? Was he that horrible?

The truth hurt.

Unaware of the mental damage she had just caused, Marigold explained.

“The whole reason I became a hero was to protect my city and make things easier for Chat Noir. So to have your support, even after you saw me at my newest and clumsiest, makes me very happy.”

“Oh,” he replied, feeling his cheeks blush.

“Oh, um, and there's actually someone I'm in love with, so I'm glad I don't have to let you down or anything.”

“Huh, me too,” he admitted.

“Hm.”

Wonder who it is, he asked himself. Whoever Marigold loved had to be a swell guy.

----

Wonder who it is, she asked herself. Whoever Adrien loved had to be a sweet girl.

----

Up above, a narratorial face just covered itself with a palm.

Idiots, it christened them.

----

“Thanks for being my first fan, Adrien,” she finally said, and gave him a sweet kiss to the cheek.

“Ah,” he said, surprised.

“Happy Valentine's Day!” Marigold cheered, and Adrien watched her jump off his window and into the February night, his heart beating as his palm covered the place where the heroine had just kissed him.

Then he realized what he was doing and hit himself on the chest.

“No 'doki doki'! You're in love with Marinette!” he admonished his own heart.

----

“Kim asked me to be his girlfriend!”

“Wonderful. How did that happen?”

“Not well at first, I thought he was actually asking Chloé, but it turned out to be a mistake, because he wanted to ask me and I just didn't realize it before I left. He even got Akumatized because of it, and when I found him he told me everything and he even kissed me!”

“Good. Now I won't have to maim him.”

“You what?”

----

“SHE SAID YES! SHE SAID YES!”

“I know, Kim, you have been shouting that for the past hour. But I am still happy for you.”

“Thank you, Max, you're the best friend I could have!”

“You can pay me back by not engaging into overt public displays of affection while I'm nearby.”

“Huh? Oh, fine, I won't. What does 'overt' mean, anyway?”

----

Intermission

@zoe-oneesama Think Hawkmoth will get his heart literally broken?

@msweebyness Hope you liked the second of your favorite duo's chapters!

Alright, that's the Kim/Ondine part done. I hope it fit your expectations!

About Kagami's mention of Valentine's Day in Japan, it's pretty much spot on - girls give chocolate to their male friends and the guys they like, with the former usually getting "obligation chocolate", and a month later, during White Day, guys will give the girls white chocolate in response.

Curiously, the real "couples' day" in Japan is Christmas instead of Valentine's Day.

Now, we cruise into a mostly calm episode in Intermission, before coming back to action with Animan!

#scarlet lady the novel #milarqui #fanfiction #long post #marinette dupain cheng #marigold #adrien agreste #chat noir #le chien kim #ondine #dark cupid #scarlet lady is better than canon

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deuterosapiens · 1 year

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Delicate Condition, by Danielle Valentine

This book was not for me. I wanted to like it, I bought it with the intention of liking it. I bought it with the intention of making a Rosemary's Baby joke, but this book, which I read over the course of two days, simply doesn't do it for me.

So, for those out of the know, American Horror Story's twelfth season is going to be unique, not just because it will be including Kim Kardashian, but because unlike other seasons which take inspiration from other works, but are, on the whole, original stories, this upcoming season is an adaptation. As it hasn't went live yet, I'm not certain whether to view AHS: Delicate as a straight adaptation, or a loose one (like the Bryan Fuller version of Carrie from 2002 that basically no-one saw), however the point is that I purchased this book in an attempt to get something of a feel for what to expect out of this season.

I'm not saying I regret that decision, I'm just saying that there are certain things which I loved and certain things which I disliked immensely in this book.

I will be spoiling a lot of it, and basically every other media I can thing of, including the classic Roman Polanski film, Rosemary's Baby, starring the treasure of an actress Mia Farrow (whose remake is... fine. I love Zoë Saldana, but her adaptations draaaaags).

So, Delicate Condition is about an actress who is desperate to have a child. I'm not saying desperate, the book is. Like, a lot (I might go through it again and highlight the sheer number of times the book uses that word.) In her desperation, she visits an IVF clinic to help. Boom, now she's pregnant. But now she's being stalked, so she moves away, has a miscarriage, then quite astoundingly, somehow still feels like she's pregnant. Is it a miracle or could it be...

...Sa~TaAaN???

No.

No it is not.

Which is one of these little things that kind of lead to this book fizzling out for me.

During her pregnancy, the post-miscarriage one, unusual events begin to occur around her. She develops an extreme craving for raw meat, she hallucinates frequently, and there's an intense discussion that she's being drugged. Her husband and her doctors refuse to believe her, and the word hysterical comes up frequently (etymologically interesting, as the word hysteria comes from an older Greek word for uterus, which creates an thematic connection that is undoubtedly intentional).

So, you know that scene in Rosemary's Baby where in a trance-state, Rosemary starts eating raw chicken? It's weird and uncomfortable and does a fair job of showing us, with no dialog, that there's definitely something going on her. It's an impulsive decision and it freaks her out tge moment she realizes she's doing it.

There's a comparable scene here involving a dead raccoon. Our actress is drawn to the smell of a rotting animal in her swimming pool. She's disgusted by it, but eventually finds herself craving it culminating in a scene of her waking up, convinced that she had gone back to its corpse and eaten it in her sleep.

Okay, so the Polanksi scene is snappy and works because it's impulsive. The Delicate scene does not, because it is clearly thought about, discussed, and takes place over the span of multiple days. It's also a fake out.

There is a raw-meat-eating scene later on. This is actually a recurring obsession of hers. One that results in her almost biting into one of her dogs, but due to incredible self-control, she resists the urge and raids the kitchen. This weird moment has a climax in which she lures a stray cat to its death. Except that cat is shown alive the following day. A hallucination! And another fake out.

This is a thing this book does a lot. It has these intense, interesting moments that you're waiting on the pay-off for, and the pay-off more-or-less amounts to "it's all in her head". Which would be incredibly cool. Subversive. A version of Rosemary's Baby where the pregnant woman thinks there's evil and conspiracy and the twist is, nope, you're legitimately just completely certifiably, a lunatic. Except, nope, it turns out there is a conspiracy!

That's right! As we near the climax, it's revealed that her IVF doctor was in league with Satanists to take her baby for ritual purposes!

This too, is a fake out. Because it's actually witches!

Oh, yeah, she was definitely being stalked, but it wasn't Satanists attempting to produce The Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is Called Dragon, Prince of This World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan, and Lord of Darkness. It was witchcraft. How silly of me. And so it's witches then, who are trying to produce The Adversary, Destroyer of Kings, Angel of the Bottomless Pit, Great Beast that is Called Dragon, Prince of This World, Father of Lies, Spawn of Satan, and Lord of Darkness?

Nope.

Because the subversion here, is that witches were stalking her to guarantee that her pregnancy is successful and painless because the real horror, the real evil, is that doctors don't take women seriously.

There's a sub-plot of our actress's husband being shady. Those of you thinking of that whole thing about Guy trading his wife for fame should disregard that notion. Turns out, he's just an unfaithful prick who intended to separate from her if their recent attempts at baby-making failed. Cool. Great. This added sooo much tension. Completely necessary. Yay.

Okay.

So going into this, the first thing you should realize is that, despite the set-up reminding you very much of a certain film (and the book on which it's based, which I have not read, but will remedy shortly), and despite the name of that film appearing prominently on the cover as part of the accolades, your enjoyment of Delicate Condition will vary quite heavily based on your relationship with that film (and/or its original novel). Think of it as its own thing, separate and see how it stands on its own.

I can see how this will work for American Horror Story. That show has always been about taking familiar horror stories, familiar situations, familiar tropes and telling its own story with them. Whether that story is good is relative. Delicate Condition does very much the same things and so is very much worth at least a casual glance to your average AHS fan.

I cannot however entirely recommend this to fans of those films and books which brought the Satanic Panic to its head. It wants to be Rosemary's Baby but isn't. It wants to be an original thing but shares too much with Rosemary's Baby to divorce itself too much from the concept.

I wanted to like it. I was ready to love it. But this wasn't for me. Maybe it's because, as a guy, I cannot relate to the physical experiences here. I will concede that this might be a perfectly chilling, unsettling, and disturbing reading experience for people who are more intimately familiar with its subject matter, but that's not me, and that's no fault of the book, or its writer.

I truly want others to like this book more than I did.

#reading #books #rambling #delicate condition #ahs delicate #american horror story #rosemary's baby #time for the exorcist #colo(u)r coded for your (in)convenience

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