#but i immediately started picking on my childhood turtles

[snackugaki]

... i see the vision now

se nd  h elp

repeating from the tags ‘cuz you give people their flowers when you can so check out their work.

people responsible for my new rise!future leo brain rot:

@rheawritesforfun

@landsel

@somerandomdudelmao

@knightish-knight

and what I’ve seen referred to as the Peepaw Multiverse 

Odd Man Out by the @threestripeslider​

We’ll Meet Again, Soon @chiangyorange 

Mutant Ninja Midlife Crisis by @mutantninjamidlifecrisis 

Trial and Error by @apatheticrobots 

EDIT: i forgot to draw his dumb little nipple dents oops

[frienderbee]

I wish April was more Kraang-ish in 2012- like if you're going to make her half Kraang mutant whatever, don't just give her cool powers. Just imagine okay:

Her hair is constantly floating slightly, initially in a sort of static way, which confuses her growing up but isn't a major sign of alarm

As she starts to develop and connect with her powers it starts floating a little more noticeably

it reacts to her powers which tend to react a lot to her emotions when she's not consciously pushing for them

because of this the turtles have found great entertainment in annoying April to watch her hair twitch and float around.

They can always tell when she's really mad cause her hair looks like she's been shocked and starts to spark

Because of her emotions effecting her powers and hair before she got a good control of her powers she spent a lot of her time desperately trying to stay calm when in school or in public

Despite how annoying Casey knows he can be he tries to help her stay calm whenever he sees her start to fuss over her hair. (The hair tie she keeps in usually keeping it at bay but not stopping it completely)

The whites of her eye have always been more of an off yellow, green at the edges if you really look. Her dad decided not to mention the way they seemed to glow unnaturally in the dark.

As her powers grew, a pinker hue started to spread in her Iris till eventually her eyes were purple with pink streaks instead of blue

Sometimes she looks in her fathers own blue eyes and wonders if she still looks human enough to pass as his daughter

Her teeth are pointy. Like really pointy. She's never tested how sharp they are (despite Donnies inquiries) but they are definitely sharp enough for her to avoid smiling naturally her whole childhood.

The turtles end up being the first people she finds herself comfortable enough around to let her real smile show (They thought they were cool and didn't question them further)

The turtles actually didn't notice how abnormal April looked and seemed until they met Casey and it clicked that humans usually don't glow slightly when they're happy- yep that one's definitely the Kraang DNA then

Donnie and Casey both briefly had moments where they wondered if they just adored April so much that she looked like she was glowing at times till they realised that sure they love April but she's definitely glowing for real

She's got a weird sort of energy around her, Donnie believes it may actually be the sheer power she holds but April feels more like everyone around her can just sense she's different.

The strange energy around her stopped her from ever really making any friends growing up, even before any of her Kraang features were too noticeable. Everyone immediately picking up that she was "alien", even if they didn't realise how literal that was.

April has no idea how Casey is seemingly immune to this "off-putting vibe"

He's not immune, he felt it but was more intrigued than scared.

The turtles felt it too but just assumed it was cause they weren't used to having a human around that it felt so "off".

Eventually everyone got so used to it that they only really notice this energy when April is using a lot of her power or is using it directly on them.

A very basic drawing I made to try and get an idea of how much about her I'd change. (I am much more a writer than an artist and really this is just for fun and as a way for me to organise my thoughts. I basically traced as much as this as I could from a screenshot)

More sketches of her

[silverflqmes]

໒⦂ 𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐎 𝐌𝐎𝐕𝐈𝐄 𝐃𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐇𝐂𝐒.

notes. because i’m that bitch who went to see this movie in theaters four times, you guys are getting my unhinged hcs for going to this movie with some hq boys

genre. crack. just crack.

ft. tooru oikawa, kenma kozume, hajime iwaizumi, rintaro suna, tetsuro kuroo, satori tendo

tw. headcanons may include some spoilers to the mario movie</3

gender neutral! reader.

➫    𝓞𝗜𝗞𝗔𝗪𝗔   𝓣𝗢𝗢𝗥𝗨   ୨୧   ˎˊ˗

⌗ ah, yes. as a long time fan and because he heard peaches, tooru had to see the movie just to mess with you a bit ( and to relive his childhood )

⌗ “y/n-chan, at the end of the line, I’LL. MAKE YOU MIIIIINEEE, OHHHHH—”

⌗ “tooru.. i’m already yours..”

⌗ showed up in attire befitting of the movie theme ( overalls!! ) and begged to get the film special when you guys were ordering food and drinks.

⌗ doesn’t look it, but has for sure played mario games before! definitely owned a wii and ds at some point in his life; totally did download play with hajime, i don’t make the rules ( tooru does. ). so it’s needless to say he knew his shit

⌗ movie aside — tooru will very much be cuddling you in the theater because it gets cold and he likes being close!!

     ➫    𝓚𝗢𝗭𝗨𝗠𝗘   𝓚𝗘𝗡𝗠𝗔   ୨୧   ˎˊ˗

⌗ you are GOING to the movie, you have no veto rights to say no.

⌗ knows the entire soundtrack with every single extract from every song in every mf game, and found ALL the easter eggs down to the “chasse au canard” — the french title for duck hunt.

⌗ while kenma may have this unyielding expeession of indifference that hardly ever leaves his face, you never failed to miss that look of childlike wonder that flashed in those golden eyes of his throughout the movie.

⌗ isn’t one for pda but since it’s dark, he held your hand throughout the movie and squeezed it whenever he spotted another reference<3

⌗ the mario high does not die down after the movie so y’all play for a bit on the wii just for nostalgia

⌗ yk when people come off a carnival ride and are all like “let’s do that again” — yeah, that’s him. but with this movie.

➫ 𝓘𝗪𝗔𝗜𝗭𝗨𝗠𝗜 𝓗𝗔𝗝𝗜𝗠𝗘 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ wasn’t crazy about going to the movie but when you kept begging to go, he just had to give into your pleas if it made you happy

⌗ it was needless to say, he was that meme of spongebob ascending when he heard the songs that were being played — especially when thunderstruck came on during the designing of the karts scene

⌗ “i know they did not just- what is this soundtrack. AND WHY IS IT IN A MARIO MOVIE.”

⌗ cannot choose between the kart scene and the arena fight between mario and donkey kong ( if he had to pick favs )

⌗ the training scene of mario doing the obstacle course had him howling — could not stop laughing and honestly, same.

⌗ comes out of the theater blabbering about everything he saw, acting like the gemini he is capable of being at times and it was just the cutest, rarest sight for you<3

➫ 𝓢𝗨𝗡𝗔 𝓡𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗥𝗢 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ made the FUNNIEST COMMENTS during the movie — istg people started looking at you cuz you could not stop laughing

⌗ “damn, bowser really just got jumped in broad daylight in brooklyn.” or “the fact that nobody said or questioned anything when a bunch of turtles just pulled up rampaging through the city — like just another day in brooklyn.”

⌗ he was LIVING for the shy guy scenes, like when they jumped spike in the streets of brooklyn or made those noises and did the head tilt when luigi was having this very non lgbtq moment with bowser

⌗ saw and heard cranky kong and now kins him just for the sarcasm and dry comments

⌗ he knows the mario brothers rap VERBATIM and sang it when it came on ( also sang the dk one )

⌗ immediately changed his ringtone to the gamecube start up noise when luigi��s phone went off in the movie and downloaded the entire soundtrack on spotify for studying purposes ( totally played it for many more reasons )

    ➫    𝓚𝗨𝗥𝗢𝗢   𝓣𝗘𝗧𝗦𝗨𝗥𝗢   ୨୧   ˎˊ˗

⌗ if you thought you were safe, no you are not. because when i tell you.. he picked up the bowser rizz like a disease ( kuroona fr ).

⌗ the whole “i guess love really makes a guy come out of his shell🥴” — yeah. expect to see him turn to you SPECIFICALLY during that scene ( because he has seen videos ) JUST TO SAY THAT TO YOU.

⌗ you either laughed, smacked his head or deadpanned — the choice is yours.

⌗ he gave you a side eye when mario ended up in the cat suit and me-owed into your ear mockingly before doing that chaotic ass laugh of his

⌗ when you go to shower and get ready for bed, don’t be surprised when you exit and hear piano noises of tetsuro just casually showing off his take on the underground theme

⌗ like tooru, he also sings peaches to you. literally came out of that movie and made bowser his new personality

➫ 𝓣𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗢 𝓢𝗔𝗧𝗢𝗥𝗜 ୨୧ ˎˊ˗

⌗ come on now, this weeb is totally a nintendo geek / enthusiast — HE QUITE LITERALLY PUT THE TENDO IN NINTENDO so OF COURSE you guys are going to this movie

⌗ he was very eager and excited to attend, has literally been waiting all his life for this movie to come out- to like finally be MADE

⌗ it was just the cutest sight but he was a MENACE in the theater — literally snickering throughout the movie during every joke or was just pointing every reference

⌗ he did several impressions of toad to get a laugh out of you and honestly you couldn’t help yourself; it was silly and stupid but adorable

⌗ when take on me started playing during the drive with funky kong through the jungle kingdom, he did the high pitched bit from the memes and honestly you had to laugh

⌗ another peaches enthusiast.. “OHHHH PEACHES, PEACHAAAAAAS-” gets the flashlight pointed at him to hush and he covers his mouth before snickering

notes. yes i know this was unhinged and just on a whim but enjoy, thank you and goodnight

↳ return to main masterlist . request rules . send an ask

[hozaloza]

I'm forcing everyone to look at my Cranes pet/animal hcs Jasmine has a dog, cat and snake.

Thomas has a cat

Jasmine forced Thomas to make their cats have a play date. it was a success in Jasmine's words.

Thomas's cat is an orange and white tabby named Daisy.

Jasmine's pet names are: Dog- Mushu Cat- Meowvrick (He's a black cat with long fur, she had to name him after her boss <:sobbingBoss:1183934764386898000> ) Snake- Mr. Snoodle (She let her friend Jenifer pick this name. She regrets it afterwards 💀)

Jasmine used to have a big fluffy dog when she was a little kid. She was old but still energetic. She absolutely loved her. Sadly one day while on a walk, an unleashed dog tried attacking little Jasmine. Luckily her dog was there and defended her. Unfortunately, while her dog won, she was left heavily injured. She carried her back home (with struggle) and tried to help her, but it was too late. It took a lot of years after to get a new dog since she was heart broken

Jasmine kept a lot of centipedes in a little bucket and gave them names. They would always die and she cried every time (she was like 9) ((also she held funerals for them and completely forgot about them afterwords))

In 7th grade she went over to Thomas's house and saw that he had a pet bird. She loved spending her time with Cracker (Thomas named him 💀)

Oh yeah, Thomas had a pet bird named Cracker. He named him when he was 10.

Thomas would always bring home the most scrungkliest feral cats, and his parents would force him to let them back outside (he always cried bc he loved them a lot, even if they scratched his face up)

Jasmine and Ryan would always help him capture these cats. Mainly Ryan bc he knew what he was doing.

Ryan had a pet horse who he still visits to this day (horse was a baby when he got him)

Ryan is scared of every dog except his tiny little dachshund who he named Snake (he grew out of this fear eventually)

Ryan loved turtles as a kid. He had a pet turtle named Hank (they were kids ok--)

Ryan didn't like Thomas's bird as a kid (he bit his finger) Every time Ryan went to his cousin's house, he would immediately hide from their heeler dog (they lived on a ranch) Once while on the trampoline, his cousin's dog got on and Ryan started freaking out, struggling to get away since he was laying down.

He hates the rooster on his cousin's family ranch

Ryan took horse riding lessons

Maverick has a black axolotl who he named Latte (haha reference)

When Maverick was little, he was constantly surrounded by birds and other rain forestly type animals. He took care of 2 Scarlet Macaws that frequently visited his childhood home, a pet Capybara named Stinkle, and an Iguana named Chico

Maverick loves animals, give him a cat to play with and he melts immediately "Awhhh, aren't you a stinky little thing?? Yeah you don't like me, but I don't care. No one likes me either way!!" "Boss, we have to give the cat back" "No, she's mine now." "Boss--" "Ryan, can't you see we're bonding??" He says as the furious little kitten is biting him

Maverick is scared of horses (a horse licked him when he was little)

He LOVES cranes. He absolutely loves them. It's been his dream to have one as a pet, but sadly the only cranes that lives in the states is the sandhill crane and whooping crane, and they're illegal to own as pets. (He'll get one eventually)

When he got to see a crane up close once, his fixiation started HARD. Bring up a crane in discussion and he'll list off all the facts about them from the top of his head.

The crane trio gave him the axolotl for his birthday. Maverick didn't like aquatic type animals, so he was sorta pissed at first. But when he saw the axolotl was black, he fell in love. "You got me a fish…?" "Well, not really, it's an axolotl!" "…Whatever it is, I don't want that disgusting--" Sees it's black "….You're my baby now. I'm naming you Latte. I'll build an entire ecosystem for you, and we'll talk about cranes together." "…Told you he'll love it."

Alex is scared of cats (he got chased by an orange kitten when he was little)

He really likes Cheetahs, their swiftness intrigue him

He really wants a pet dog, but never found the time to make room for one (his job 💔 )

When Ryan and Alex move in together after this hell, Ryan got him a Golden Shepard breed, and Alex loved her (he cried when he held her in his arms)

Alex and Ryan are dog parents

They got a Doberman after

Crows are fairly fond of Alex, they constantly bring him little shiny jewels since he feeds them

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

That's all I have for now </3

[tetsunabouquet]

Heir To The Lands Chapter 10

The Exchange of News Masterpost

Dru was woken up by an excited yet worried Thais, just as she predicted. Her friend was shaking her by her shoulders, and she stared into Thais' eyes. "What on earth are you doing here Dru?" She asked, and Dru shook her head stubbornly. "Nope, I need to wake up for a bit, and you going over your date with Tomas would be a good idea for my brain to start up." Dru sat up straight, and looked her friend in her eyes. She took a good look at Thais, who's face was still radiating a happy glow, her outfit for the date still flawless which only meant Tomas had been a good boy all throughout the evening. Not that this surprised Dru, but it was good to see Thais had been treated properly on her first date. Thais gave a dramatic sigh, before her eyes lit up like two bright spotlights. "Well, Tomas first decided to pick me up and he gave me this adorable keychain!" She jumped off the bed, and proceeded to run to her purse. She pulled out a small object; it was a little turtle figurine, with big sparkling eyes. Dru grinned, knowing how much Thais loved turtles. "That's a very thoughtful cute gift he gave you. " "I know! He wanted to give me something and considering I'm allergic to flowers he thought of making the keychain." Thais was shining, clearly touched he'd gone and put in effort for their first date. "He made it?" "Yeah, he asked Tavi to teach him." Tomas had two childhood friends, Tavi and Zeynep, and the three had been dubbed as The Three Musketeers. They refused to pair up as parabatai because they didn't wanted to leave a person behind as the awkward third wheel. "I thought the material looked familiar. He really is smitten with you girl!" Thais grinned moony. "I think I'm too, Dru! It was magical. He had planned an evening picnic in a secure, private place in Central Park. He mentioned bribing a few Faeries to guard the set-up he created for us. Like, the cloth we were sitting on? He had framed it with fake roses all around the edges! I could go on about the countless of little details. He's really so romantic." Thais allowed herself to dramatically fall on Dru's bed, as she stared dreamily at the ceiling. "And did Laura throw a tantrum?" "Nope, she sulked a bit during lunch but furtermore she was good." Thais said relieved. "Now, are you going to tell me why you're here? Did your brother and Kit Herondale have an angsty BL moment?" "Thais!" Dru hit her with the pillow. She should have kept the gossip about Kit and Ty to herself, but she was tired of keeping secrets all the time. "What? Can't a girl ask?" "Not when one of the boys is my brother, that's just gross. No, we got attacked by Faeries." Thais bolted upright, and immediately scanned Dru for any injuries. "I'm fine. Emma got hurt, but Catarina and Tessa are working their magic and nursing skills on her. She'll be back on her feet in no time." Dru explained. "Why did they attack you?" Thais said, her voice immediately stern. When she was concerned, she bit down on the subject with the tenacity of a pittbull. Something Dru both appreciated and loathed. "Remember when I said the Herondales kept in hiding because they feared more then the Clave?" Thais nodded. "Have you ever heard of the First Heir?" "Wasn't that something Faerie related?" "Yeah, she was the daughter of the Seelie Queen and Kieran's dad. Everyone believes she disappeared, but in actuality, the King was a misogynist who wanted her dead because he didn't wanted a female heir" "No way! He staged her dissapearance?" "Not exactly, but she got away from her assasination. She then hooked up with the son of Tobias Herondale." Thais' mouth dropped wide open. "No freaking way, Kit Herondale is a descendant of the Faerie royalty?!" "Yes, and he actually has claim to the entire lands of Faerie! Now, it seems whoever wants Kit not to get the throne this time around, has finally found him. We're betting it's the Seelie Queen but we have no evidence to confront her with." Dru grumbled, and Thais just looked at her with her mouth gaping open for a minute. "This doesn't means another war, does it?" "Let's hope not."

[chasing-the-persea]

7, 20, 23!

Thanks for the ask! 🩵

7.) I really want to see sea turtles in real life, either them or an octopus! I've only been to two aquariums that I barely remember, and I wanted to stay at the jellyfish for hours so maybe jellyfish too lol

20.) ooooh I can't pick between Cinderella 1-3 and Tangled! The Cinderella movies were my childhood, I watched each one so many times that my parents had to tell me I could watch any movie but Cinderella. I had two Cinderella Halloween costumes, a Barbie, even had a Cinderella photoshoot by my mom. Then my girl scout troop saw Tangled in theaters and Repunzel immediately became my favorite princess. We didn't buy the movie so I couldn't watch it as much I wanted but I compared every movie I saw after it to the Tangled Scale of Greatness™ for a while, and started growing my hair out so I could be like her

23.) Not really, unless a cheap lil watch and extra ponytail holders count lol when I was younger I had so many bracelets and necklaces and earrings but now they bug me too much to wear for very long (that doesn't stop me buying souvenir bracelets and necklaces and making myself wear them for a week after to get my moneys worth lol)

[itbeabbyc]

Childhood Experiences in Entertainment

At some point in everyone’s lives, they realize the career path they want to be on.  This could happen in one single moment, or in a series of moments. For me, it was definitely a series of moments.  Entertainment is at the forefront of everything I do. From going to school, to working, to extracurriculars and hobbies, I am always doing something in the entertainment realm.  As an entertainment management major, I am discovering new career paths I can take from so many industries within the huge entertainment industry.  I currently work for the Walt Disney Company, which “little Abby” never thought she would get to say.  I was at the Disney Parks twice a year my entire childhood, so it is surreal to know that I work there now.  As far as hobbies and extracurriculars go,  I love going to live events like concerts and Broadway productions.  This is something else I grew up with and it is a huge part of my life.  Growing up, I was exposed to so much of the entertainment industry.  This includes classical music, musical theater, live concerts, theme parks, and so much more.  I am so glad my parents exposed me to so much of the entertainment industry because it brought me to where I am today.  As I graduate this semester, I have so much to think about as far as a career path goes.  There are so many realms of the industry I would love to explore as a career idea, but at some point I will have to take the plunge and pick a path!

When choosing where to go to college, I had two big choices to ponder.  I am from Long Island, New York and had the opportunity to study in New York City.  This is an entertainment capital and I would have been extremely successful in finding my place there.  But, I had another opportunity to move to a completely new place and explore my options a bit more. I ultimately decided to make the move to Orlando, Florida where my life changed forever.  Going to Rosen was a great opportunity for me to really focus in on the entertainment industry, since all of the professors had a lot of personal experiences and stories.  You are both learning by the book and by experience, which is so important for an industry so crazy like this one.  This was a huge inspiration for me to get school done and jump into a career.  In the past two years of school, I have learned so much about the “in’s” and “out’s” of the industry and how to be successful, no matter which path I choose to take.  The variety of courses and experiences you can have while in college can really help guide you in your future choices.

As I started school in Orlando, working for Disney was always on my mind.  I had grown up going to the parks, and my sister had worked for Disney for a few years with the Disney College Program.  I had applied a few times, but my progress got cut short by COVID.  This was a minor setback, as I always knew I would end up with the company one way or another. Two months after I moved down to Florida, I got my first job at Disney. It was not with the company itself, but with a third party company that worked within EPCOT.  Still, this was equally exciting for me as I would get to work in my favorite Disney park!  I worked with that company for a few months, made lifelong friends, and had the most amazing experience with management that I still keep in touch with.  It was bittersweet leaving them, as I would miss them a lot.  But, Disney contacted me to interview for an attraction’s role at the parks.  I interviewed and immediately found out I would be working at Spaceship Earth at EPCOT.  Anyone who knows me knows how much I love and appreciate EPCOT, so working at their iconic attraction was really special for me.  At the end of 2021, I was transferred to The Seas With Nemo and Friends, as well as Turtle Talk With Crush.  I have been there since, and it has been the most amazing experience.  I have a second family when I go into work and have an amazing relationship with everyone there.

As far as hobbies go, I am always planning my next concert or broadway show.  I absolutely love live music and it is definitely the frontrunner of my career paths currently.  I would love to work in management for live events while traveling the country.  This is something I have also done my entire life with my family, and it is something I hold very close to my heart.  As someone who travels around the country every year to see my favorite artists perform in different places, it would be such an amazing experience to have that as a career.  As I get older and more big decisions have to be made, I look back on the experiences that made me who I am today.  I was engulfed by so many memories of my childhood that brought me to this place.  I think it is really amazing that I will have so many opportunities and options as I graduate, as my experiences have prepared me to be successful in any direction I decide to go in.  In the end, I have my parents to thank for everything because they exposed me to all of this entertainment from a very young age.  I know they are so proud seeing me do what I love every single day.

[diamaker-moon]

Moving Forward - Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Realizations... (pt. 1)

—————

"I am proud of your chosen, Tikki."

Wayzz said in a calm voice. "She took in the responsibility of being a heroine exchange for her time in her civilian life, and now, she chose to carry the heavy responsibility of a Guardian even though she can refuse it and pass it to someone else, leaving everything behind."

The other kwamis nodded at the wise turtle kwami's words. Tikki looked at them and smiled.

"I'm proud of my bug. She's a worthy ladybug and had shown how worthy she is despite her flaws. She made mistakes, but she chose to fix them. And now she's healing from the toxicity she had received in that place. Sleep well, Marinette..."

— previous chapter... —

The Akuma Class was experiencing an unknown change. And they don't know the exact reason.

It's been two weeks since Marinette hasn't been coming to class.

The first day, Alya thought she was just late or have an errand to run during the morning and will come to class after lunch, but it didn't happen. After classes were done, she tried calling her, only to be redirected to her voicemail immediately. Not knowing her 'best friend' had bought a new phone and uses a new number. She was slightly sour thinking that Marinette is being stubborn in hanging out with Lila, and chose to reprimand her for letting her jealousy get in between a possible friendship with the girl.

The others didn't notice how Adrien was down during the rest of that day. They didn't notice Chloé having a slightly pained look in her eyes.

She was slightly angry that Dupain-Cheng easily gave up in exposing the liar, but it's not like she helped the girl. She had no right to be angry about how Dupain-Cheng chose to move on with life. When she saw her being surrounded by people she didn't know and was walking towards a table, she stared for a moment. Chloé hasn't heard her laugh for a while, the bubbly aura around the girl was fading when she was in Dupont.

Chloé hated to admit it, but she envied the ravenette. Dupain-Cheng having a happy family, while her own mother left them to go to New York for work when she was a child, creating a drift between their relationship. Her own father didn't hang out with her anymore due to his duties being the City's Mayor. Dupain-Cheng gained friends while she was being hated for being a bully who always annoys others and uses her triumph card when she gets in trouble.

She was staring at the raventte's table with a melancholic look. The girl was happy, and Chloé couldn't deny it. Part of her wants to convince Dupain-Cheng to go back to Dupont and defeat the vixen but she didn't want to be selfish for once.

After lunch period she came back to class and grabbed Sabrina's attention, and told her to come with her after class.

The two are in Chloé's bedroom in Le Grand Paris.

"I'm sorry..."

Sabrina was startled to hear such sincere words coming from the person she knew could be very bratty for a long time.

"I'm sorry that I treated you like a servant. And that I made you take some of the consequences from my actions. I want to justify it by letting people know that I lost a mother figure from my childhood and didn't teach me proper manners and that she is very bossy, and that I tried to fit in with her. But I know I can't... There are people around me that could've inspired me to be a better person, like Dup-Marinette..."

When Sabrina heard the name she was about to retaliate but Chloé didn't give her a chance.

"No, Sabrina. She's right. I grew up with people who lie about their backgrounds just to fit in with society. Everything can be searched on the internet Sabrina. I know your smart, use it and prove to me right now that you, defending that Liar is a good thing."

Sabrina stared at Chloé, she was growing nervous, Chloé rarely helps around class problems, and for her to defend the person she has been ridiculing for a long time is strange. So Sabrina did it, she searched.

She sat there, appalled and disappointed, after that there are no articles about a Lila Rossi aside from the girl's interviews in the Ladyblog. Chloé left her to go to her balcony and leaned on the railing. Sabrina ran up to her.

"Chloé we need to let everyone know about this! Maybe we can help Marinette expose her? Collect evidence? Contact her mother? We can help Marinette gain back her reputation and her friends! We can—" Sabrina rambled.

"It's too late, Sabrina..." Chloé said that made Sabrina stop rambling and just stared at her in confusion.

"I saw her. She moved on. Marinette was wearing a uniform from a different school. Marinette gave up, Sabrina, she gave up on trying to protect her so-called friends after being dismissed. You should've seen her, she was so happy, something we— I haven't seen for a while..."

That statement made Sabrina tearful. Staring at nothing, she started remembering glimpses of the ravenette.

She remembered the time that when she looks in Marinette's direction, she was so dull. Like a doll— a Marionette, not reacting to how her sketchbook was torn apart, how her dull bluebell eyes stare at Mlle Bustier when she is talking to her, how she doesn't react when their classmates are attacking her for bullying Lila. Sabrina finally realizes how she treated someone like that without proof. Her own father imbedded to her that 'innocent until proven guilty', yet she didn't even try to see both perspectives and just went along with the class.

Her actions are much worse than how Chloé acted.

"I'll give Marinette credit. That liar tried to break her, but she broke free and spread her wings without looking back, and saved herself."

Sabrina nodded at Chloé's statement while copying the girl's position of leaning on the balcony rails, looking out to Paris.

—————

Juleka Couffaine, the Akuma Class' resident shy goth girl.

When she first met Lila Rossi, she was skeptical, her brother is a fan of Jagged Stone, and when she heard Lila say that she saved Jagged's kitten on an airplane runway was very sketchy for Juleka.

Before she knew it, Marinette became a pariah. She often denies becoming an accomplice due to her neutrality to the problem. When Marinette didn't arrive Monday morning, she was worried. The girl who pleaded to the photographer to take another class photo with her in it, to break her 'photo curse', is absent.

She tried calling her phone, but it went straight to voicemail. She was currently sitting on her bed and her brother strumming his guitar. He notices how she was just staring at her phone in a daze.

"Hey, Luka... does Jagged had a pet cat in his life?" Juleka asks looking up to her brother.

Luka was surprised by the question, "As far as I know, he didn't have one. Due to him being allergic and the cat not being rock-and-roll enough. Why?"

Luka was shocked when Juleka started tearing up, he immediately puts his guitar down to comfort her baby sister.

"I messed up, Luka... I badly messed up..."

After calming down a little, Juleka finally explained to him why she was crying. She explained that the new girl in her class made Juleka skeptical about her, and then about Marinette's supposed 'cheating', 'stealing', and 'assault', she then talked about how Marinette kept accusing the new girl of lying but no one believing her, and that soon Marinette became a pariah in their class. Juleka told them about all the lies that Rossi has said.

Overall, Luka was disappointed in her.

"You said that Marinette tried to expose her right? Why didn't you back her up, as a friend would do? Isn't she also your friend? Why didn't you voice out your concern about this to Marinette? or to me?"

Luka sighed, before backing away from his sister. 

"You said your class hates Chloé for being a bully, but aren't they acting like a bully? Your class, isolated Marinette. I don't know how she managed it. But right now, it might be too late to act, Jules. At the very least, try and fix your mistake..." Luka said before leaving her alone for a moment, and let her think.

Meanwhile, Rose's phone suddenly pinged due to a notification. When she checked it out it was a message from Juleka.

Juleka:  Hey, uhm...

Juleka: Can you do me a favour? Please?

Rose:  Sure! What is it?

Juleka: Please trust me on this... can you ask Prince Ali about his environmental charities and if he knows a certain 'Lila Rossi'?

Rose:  Juleka? Why?

Juleka: Please... please ask him...

Rose was confused by Juleka's request, if she thought about it she was asking just like Marinette did months ago. But Rose decided to shake that thought out of her head, she knew Juleka was not a bully, like Marinette and how she bullies Lila.

Rose decided to trust Juleka and messaged him.

Rose: Hello, Ali! Can I ask a question? A friend of mine, wants to know about your environmental charities with Lila Rossi, I think it's for a project. Thank you! <3

She didn't know why but she felt nervous sending that message. She shrugged it off and put the phone down to continue her scrapbooking. She waited for a few minutes before she heard another notification sound from her phone. And when she read the message, she froze.

Prince Ali: Hello, Rose! I'm sorry, but I only do children charities since the Royal Family doesn't control the environemental ones, it is mostly done by Achu's government, and sorry to disappoint but I do not know a Lila Rossi. Is she a new friend of yours?

Rose was too frozen to not even notice that she had dropped her phone. She kept looking in her hand as if it was all just a dream. That Prince Ali did know Lila Rossi, but when she picked her phone back up and read the text once again, it said the same thing.

'This can't be happening! If this is true... then I bullied Marinette for no reason!'

Rose: Oh! I'm... sorry for my misinformation... Lila's a... classmate of mine. Sorry for the trouble...

Rose didn't notice the tears dripping from her eyes.

She was numb. She couldn't deny this information, it is a direct reply from the Prince of Achu. That he— Prince Ali, doesn't know someone named Lila Rossi. She was lied to. Lila Rossi lied to me. She thought.

And Marinette asked you to ask him months ago, didn't she? She tried to warn you... You didn't listen to her!

There was a sudden voice in the back of her mind, how she ridiculed Marinette for bullying Lila. But it was all a lie. She treated Marinette horribly for a lie...

She hurriedly opened her internet browser and searched for any of Lila's accomplishments only to see a bunch of interviews from the Ladyblog, nowhere else.

Rose: Prince Ali... doesn't do environmental charities, he only does children charities and... he doesn't know a Lila Rossi.

Juleka: ... I'm sorry, Rose.

Juleka: I only realized my mistake after talking to Luka, I'm sorry if I didn't voice out when I was skeptical about her in the beginning...

Rose: She lied... She lied!

Rose: I can't believe her! We treated her as a friend!

Juleka: Rose, please calm down! I don't want you to become an akuma! Please!

Seeing that message she tried so hard to calm down. Juleka was right, she doesn't want Shadowmoth to turn her into an Akuma! She needed to calm down.

After calming down, she messaged Marinette, but there was no reply, then she finally noticed that Marinette wasn't present during class that day. So she tried calling but was sent to voicemail immediately. She tried calling a few times before she stopped.

She'll just talk to her tomorrow, but that didn't happen... and it has been two weeks...

—————

Adrien Agreste was in denial.

He didn't want to believe that Marinette really did transfer schools. He wanted to visit her as Chat, but since he hasn't seen his kwami, he can't transform. And he's growing worried every second. No Plagg, no Akuma, and no Marinette...

His worrisome state affected his fencing classes. He was always immediately defeated by Kagami Tsurugi. She was displeased that he became a wimp in fencing.

"What made you so distracted lately? That's not like you Agreste." Kagami said.

"Nothing... I'm just worried about Marinette, she hasn't been in class lately, and it's been two weeks!" Adrien replied.

What Adrien said, made Kagami's brow shot up, in confusion. She had talked to Marinette one time, and she had shared that she transferred schools, and has been doing well. She also found out about the 'Lila situation' in Dupont and was very angry that Adrien Agreste knew but didn't say anything. It took a whole lot of Marinette's energy to stop Kagami from attacking Agreste with her sword or using her mother's sword!

"Haven't you heard?" Kagami asked.

"Heard what? You've talked to Marinette?!" Adrien asked enthusiastically.

"Yes. She had transferred schools due to unfortunate situations here in Dupont." Kagami answered before walking towards the locker rooms.

Adrien ran up towards her, held her shoulders and made her face him. "You're kidding right?! Marinette is still a student here! She'll come back here!"

Kagami stared at him in bewilderment.

"I-I gotta go... Bye Kagami..." Adrien said.

Kagami can only stare at the boy's retreating back. From Kagami's perspective, she thinks that Agreste was in denial of Marinette transferring schools. He was also oblivious to the aspiring designer's feelings. But this was different... The way he tries to convince himself that Marinette still goes to Dupont is unsettling.

It's as if, he was supposed to have control over her life. It made Kagami's instinct more unsettled.

Adrien was pacing around his room after he got home from fencing classes. He was becoming more nervous by the second.

He tried looking for her social media accounts only to find none of it exists, he swore that he followed her socials.

Even Nathalie noticed how jittery the young Agreste was, she tried finding out the reason why, but couldn't pinpoint it due to being sidetracked.

The peacock miraculous was missing from the safe, and Gabriel Agreste was furious! He already lost the Grimoire book, the previous Guardians' tablet and now the fixed peacock miraculous. They reviewed the footage from his security cameras, and found nothing!

This made him sidetracked about his supervillain duties, he ignored the past powerful emotions the brooch felt, in exchange to search the whole mansion about the missing items of his. Adrien was no help.

Gabriel calmed down for a second and felt a negative emotion to vent and try to find out if Ladybug got the peacock miraculous.

When he found one, he informed Nathalie about privacy and went to his lair. he transformed to Hawkmoth once again due to the lack of the peacock miraculous.

"Ah, the agonizing pain of experiencing a heartbreak..."

A butterfly flew and rested in his palm, while he fills it with negative power. Once he is done he opened his palm and lets the Akuma flap its wings.

"Fly away, my little Akuma, and evilize this brokenhearted woman!"

The Akuma made its way towards a crying woman near the Seine, wearing a wedding dress. It landed on her headpiece.

"Enchanttréx, I am Hawkmoth. You've been betrayed by the person your loved one, I'm giving you the power to expose any secrets that were chosen to be hidden away from the world. In return, you will bring me ladybug and Chat Noir's Miraculous. Do we have a deal?"

"Yes, Hawkmoth."

The purple substance covered the woman in a wedding dress, and when it was gone it left a woman, who has an intricate gold flower-themed headpiece, long black hair that reaches up to her mid-back, a flowy white to black gradient dress, gold strapped heels, white laced gloves that reach up to her forearm and a veil in front of her face.

"It's time to let yourself free from your secrets!" Enchanttréx exclaimed making the nearby Parisians run away in fear and alerting the heroes.

Chapter 5 — Moving Forward: Masterlist — Chapter 7 

[starlightblueninja]

Ciao! can I please request headcanons for the bayverse turtles with a gender neutral S/O where they’re hanging out one day and they have music playing on shuffle, but then the reader suddenly starts crying because they used to listen to that song all the time when they were little and it just hit them right in the childhood? Comfort ensues 👉🏽👈🏽 please. and thank you.

Hey!

Thanks for the request! This took a little while because it’s my first one and I wanted it to be nice UwU and I enjoyed playing around with the bois being comforting since I’ve never really done that before. Hope you enjoy 💙♥️🧡💜💚 @sleeplessdreamer14

Leonardo

You’re laying on the couch reading while Leo’s doing katas about ten feet away. Every now and again you’ll look up at him, smiling as his practiced movements resemble a dance. Mikey left some playlist running in the background on his boombox before disappearing to make food, and normally music with lyrics makes it difficult for you to read but you were only really half paying attention to the book. You almost enjoy watching Leo practice more anyway.

The music barely distracts you, at least until you hear that… familiar intro. The rest of the world kind of fades away as the song takes you back years.

Nostalgia clogs your senses, eyes watering before you know it and a lump forming in the back of your throat as you try to hold back from crying. You close the book in your lap and let the music fill your senses. It’s been a while since you’ve heard this one. Memories resurface and you try to simply blink away the tears, but it’s inevitable, they fill your eyes until your vision is watery.

“Hey,” you look up to see Leo sitting down next to you, his eyes filled with concern but voice gentle and comforting as he asks, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s dumb, but… this song just… takes me back,” you respond quietly. “I used to listen to it a lot when I was younger.”

You wipe your eyes with your free hand just as Leo takes your other hand in his. His warm, strong, big hand in yours makes the tears easier to swallow. You squeeze his palm reassuringly and he moves a little closer to you before you continue talking.

“It reminds me of the places I used to go and the friends I used to have, feels like a lifetime ago, when things were less… complicated.”

Leo perfectly understands the wish for things to be easy, and he understands how it feels to not want to carry responsibilities. He knows what it’s like to have a weight on your shoulders. And so, instead of telling you it’s dumb or offering simple platitudes, he presses a kiss to your knuckles and nods in understanding.

“I miss it,” you say simply.

“If it’s any consolation,” he starts. “I’m glad that you’re here now.”

You look up at him with watery eyes but you’re wearing a crooked smile at his remark. The song still plays on in the background but right now you’re more focused on the way the terrapin kisses your forehead and buries his face in your hair. You feel his inhale taking in your scent and you smile against his collarbone, relaxing against him.

Yeah, you still miss your old friends and family, when things were easy and you bore less of the world on your shoulders. But for now you have him, and really, what else do you need?

Raphael

Raph’s got his workout playlist on while you sit next to him, bantering back and forth with him as he does his routine. The music is a surprisingly varied mix, you didn’t expect to hear the couple of 80s pop and early 2000’s girl band songs that you did. You teased him a little about it at first but it was all well meaning.

You don’t really notice what song is playing until about halfway through the first verse. You know this song too well. It’s been a long time since you last heard it, though, and maybe that’s why it affects you the way it does now. Raph had been saying something, but his voice kind of fades away as your focus shifts to the music and the memories it brings back.

Flashes of your childhood flit past your mind’s eye. The good, the bad, the in between, and all the other things you thought you had forgotten about. You don’t even realize there’s tears in your eyes until they’re falling, running hot trails down your cheeks and it’s too late to try and hold them back.

“Hey, hey baby, what’s wrong?” Raph must have noticed you go quiet since now he’s kneeling in front of you with so much concern on his face. “You okay? ‘S it somethin’ I said?”

“No! No no no,” you’re quick to reassure him and he relaxes, but only minutely since it’s clear you’re still upset. “I-It’s stupid, don’t worry about it.”

“‘Ey, don’t say that, whatever it is, it ain’t stupid,” his hand sets itself gently on your knee.

“I just used to listen to this song as a kid a lot, takes me back.”

He’s sat down in front of you now, cross-legged just as you are so your knees are touching his, “That ain’t stupid.”

His hand brushes away the tears from one side of your face, your own hand coming up to dry the other side before you lean into his warm touch. The way his hand cups your cheek comforts you immensely.

“Feels stupid to cry over it.”

But he knows what it’s like to miss the innocence lost with age, so he pinches your cheek lightly and playfully in disagreement, bringing a smile to your face even as you push his hand away.

“I can turn it off if ya want,” he offers gently, and you hesitate before shaking your head no.

“It’s fine, I’ll be fine,” you respond.

“Whatever ya say, shorty.”

And with that you two are right back to your usual lighthearted teasing. He leaves a chaste kiss on your forehead before he goes back to working out, the memories fading away to make room for the new ones you make with him. He makes sure to remember exactly what song it is, though, and you don’t consciously pick up on this fact but you never actually hear it from any of his playlists again after that moment.

Donatello

You two often sit in peaceful quiet. Donnie will work on his projects, you sitting there on your phone or working on your own stuff, occasionally handing him various tools when he needs them. He’s often got something going on in the background, usually podcasts or heavy music when he’s alone, but always soft music when you’re around so he doesn’t miss if you say something to him. Like now, with him under the truck fixing something and you sitting cross-legged a few feet away playing a puzzle game on your phone. You’re waiting patiently for him to be done. Bed time for you two was about an hour ago now but you know how important this fix is for him and that it should really be done tonight. So you don’t press the issue but you are ready to sleep.

You don’t often notice the music he’s got playing unless it’s a song you really like or dislike, it’s just some shuffled Spotify playlist that he thinks fits the vibe of today. But you notice immediately when that song starts playing. It’s so familiar to you, after listening to it so much in the past, that it would be shameful not to recognize it now.

Your vision goes blurry as your focus shifts away from your current self. You’re reminded of the past, the radio in your old house, your parents, the way they always had the same station playing in the house and in the car and at cookouts. You’ve heard this song so much now that it immediately throws you back into the past. It happens so fast you might as well have whiplash, but you just get misty eyed instead.

Your bottom lip trembles, warm lines running down your cheeks soon after and Donnie notices quickly that something is up when you don’t respond to his request for the torx screwdriver. He slides out from under the truck but you don’t even notice at first. The music has all but consumed you now.

“Y/N? Darling, what’s wrong?” He’s immediately at your side, a large hand gently on your bicep pulling you back to reality.

You look up at him but realize that it’s a little hard to see him with the way the tears have pooled. He can’t help but think that, even though he hates hates hates seeing you upset, that those tears make your eyes glisten so beautifully under the lights.

His other hand not on your arm comes up to brush the tears away as he repeats the question now that he’s got your focus.

“I used to listen to this song a lot as a kid,” you supply an answer softly, gaze falling from his. “Just makes me sad… I dunno why, I guess it just kinda hit me. Sorry.”

“No, no, dove, don’t apologize,” he says. “I understand and you’re alright, I’ve got you here, now.”

His sugar sweet words and oh so gentle hands comfort you. You offer a watery smile before moving into his arms, letting him wrap his arms around you. You return the hug the best you can with his shell in the way, face tucked into the crook of his shoulder, and he can feel the way more tears fall from your eyes and onto his skin. He doesn’t mind though, he simply holds you. He enjoys just holding you even if he’s never admitted it out loud before. He likes knowing he can be there for you.

And he may not fully understand how your memories attached to this song make you upset, but he understands the pain and will do anything to make you feel better.

His hands run over your back, soothing trails on your shoulder blades over your shirt. Then he’s reaching for a remote he set nearby to turn the radio off. He doesn’t even need to ask you anything to know when you want his hands back on you.

“You’re the best,” you say when your gaze has fully refocused and the tears have calmed.

“No, actually, I think that’s you,” he responds, before pressing a kiss to your hair and deciding to bring you to bed, putting off the truck repairs for grumpy morning-Donnie in favor of treating you like a queen now.

Michelangelo

You and Mikey will play a video game together quietly with music on in the background. Sometimes you’ll lay on his chest and watch him play, but in times like this, when the week has been rough and you both need some quiet down time, you lay on opposite ends of the couch with your legs tangled together playing a multi-player game that relaxes both of you. Tonight it’s Minecraft, and though you both like the music of the game, you’d both agreed on having a playlist on too.

You’re mining out a coal deposit in the game when you hear that song come on the background. Mikey notices faster than any of his other brothers would that something is off. He can practically smell how the air around you sours.

Childhood memories flood back to you as you recognize every line of the song as it plays, pulling you back and away from the now. Good memories give you life vests in the flood, bad memories tie weights to your ankles. You’ve paused in the game, your character just staring at the block wall. People, places, events, all of it suddenly overwhelms you as the music plays.

Mikey is on you in seconds though, throwing himself into your arms as soon as he notices that there’s an issue. You’ve got a lap-full of buff turtle man pulling you back into the present.

“Babycakes, you smell grump, what’s wrong?” He says while littering chaste kisses across your face.

He doesn’t even give you the time to get truly upset, let alone start crying, as he’s so in-tune to your emotions that he’s always right there to comfort you.

“I’m okay, baby,” you responds, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. “Just… thinking about childhood stuff. This song reminded me of it.”

“This song?” He says, suddenly jumping up.

You don’t know where he’s going but can see the humor practically dripping off of him. He storms up to the boombox, blatantly glaring at it. While watching him poke the speaker a few times like he’s threatening one of the many criminals he often fights, you can’t help but smile. He’s so lovely, and always knows how to make you laugh.

“You!” He snaps at the machine like it’s sentient, the same song still playing. “What’d you say to my girl, huh? Punk? Wanna act like a tough guy now? Too late, fella.”

You laugh as he jabs his finger at the skip song button and it changes to something different. You like this song, Hopeless by Khalid, Mikey likes it too. His attention is recaptured when you laugh at his antics. He smiles at you before making his way back over to the couch, crawling easily back into your arms as you continue giggling.

He kisses you before booping your nose, “Don’t be sad about the past, cherry tomato, we got the whole future ahead of us.”

“Cherry tomato?”

“Yeah,” he says, offering no further explanation as he relaxes on top of you with his controller, easily shifting back into the game.

He’s quick to go from one thing to another, but you can tell he’s truly there for you when he continues to lay his head on you, announcing that he’s coming to find you in-game. Every now and again he presses a little kiss to your stomach or chest, wherever his lips meet in that moment. Your confusing and bittersweet past is left buried under your love for your beautiful, caring, protective terrapin.

[whythehellnaut]

The secret brilliance behind Nickelodeon All Star Brawl‘s marketing

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about the Nickelodeon fighting game after it was announced, progressing from mild interest to ironic excitement to unironic excitement for it.  So many jokes and memes have been made about it that they’re almost impossible to avoid.  But when I thought about it, I realized that that’s exactly what the marketing team for this game wanted.  The idea of the game is so absurd that no one would expect it to exist, but they figured out a way to make absolutely sure that it would create just the right buzz to get people like me to take serious interest in it.

Watching the trailer again, I figured out that every character they picked to showcase in that minute and a half trailer were carefully and strategically chosen to cater to as many people as they could.  Even the order of their appearance had deliberation behind it.  Here are my thoughts:

Michelangelo comes first, establishing that the game is combat focused.  After all, who better to show off first for a fighting game than a character that has already appeared as a playable character in at least two of them?  Plus, the Ninja Turtles are the oldest characters in Nickelodeon’s library when you consider that they first aired in the 80′s, before Nickelodeon even started making cartoons.  This is a character that everyone recognizes, parents included.

Lincoln Loud comes next, a more modern character that adults might not know but kids will.  This is to quickly lure the kids, who have less patience than adults, into watching the rest of the trailer, assuring them that it won’t just be older characters like the turtles that show up.

Powdered Toast Man comes next to snatch up the other side of the equation, the adults/90′s kids who remember him from the original Ren and Stimpy show from 1991.  I’m not sure if it’s still airing as reruns on Nick today, but considering I hear very little about the show online, I’m guessing not.  This is a bit of a surprise to the adults who thought it’d be a kids’ game, so it lures those folks into staying for the rest of the trailer as well.

Sandy is important to show off early for a number of reasons.  Spongebob is popular among kids and Millenials, and is arguably the only property here as well known as Ninja Turtles, so they’re luring in more fans.  It also serves to imply that other Spongebob characters will join, as, even though Sandy’s passion for karate makes total sense for her to appear in a fighting game, you still can’t leave out Spongebob himself.  Showing her first implies more possibilities of characters to come, proving it won’t just be a festival of protagonists like Jump Force was.  It also shows off their female representation to keep women interested.

Patrick is just a fan favorite to get out of the way before the sponge shows up, so he’s only here to confirm that the game is going to be full of characters that people actually want to see.

Oblina was personally a shocker to me, as I barely remember Ahh Real Monsters from my own childhood, but I remember enough to know that she wasn’t the protagonist, necessarily.  I also know it’s relatively obscure in comparison to Spongebob or Ren and Stimpy, so they proved that they are willing to take characters from more obscure shows that the young kids won’t remember.  This solidified my interest as I could tell that they are doing more to cater to the 90s generation than just confirming Powdered Toast Man.

Nigel Thornberry is arguably their most important addition at the halfway point.  Outside of Spongebob characters and maybe Stu Pickles, I would say Nigel is the internet’s favorite Nickelodeon character to use for memes.  The marketing team had to have known this.  After getting some of the core audiences hooked, they now have the memer crowd invested, ready to spread the word about the insanity of this game’s premise across the internet.  This is exactly what happened, and why the trailer has 2 million views on Youtube right now.

Lucy Loud is shown off quickly to remind the younger crowd to keep watching, and to add a little bit more female representation.

Spongebob is shown off a little bit late, but since we were expecting him to show up, it’s just to make sure the casual fans who only know the big names stay watching.

Helga is an older character, but I recently saw a young kid wearing a Hey Arnold tee shirt at the supermarket, so I’m positive it’s being shown as reruns on Nick today, so most Nick fans of all ages will be excited about her.  Moreover, since she came immediately after Spongebob, who is a protagonist that was introduced after Sandy, a side character from his show, it gives an implication that Arnold will also appear.  Although he is not introduced in this trailer, it allows the fans to speculate that he will soon be showcased, perhaps in the next trailer.  Also, she’s the fourth female character shown, confirming that the game is being fair and inclusive to both sexes and not simply catering to male gamers, like say, Jump Force or Dragonball Fighter Z.

Reptar is another shocker, because although Rugrats is very popular and well known throughout the generations, he is a very, very minor character in the show.  He is literally a fictional character within a separate fictional universe.  The marketing team threw him in to show off that just about any character from any Nick property, no matter how minor or obscure, has a chance of making it into this game.  Again, this forces the fans to speculate about future announcements with even more creative thinking, as we now know that it won’t just be major characters joining the fray.

Zim is a well thought out choice because he caters to a specific crowd that I’d describe as the alternative niche.  That is to say, there are people who are fans of Invader Zim who don’t watch other Nick shows, so they are luring in the folks you’d expect to see at Hot Topic and the like.  It was an edgy show with a feel and fanbase unlike other shows of its era, so it’s important to use him to diversify the roster.  They also showed off Gir as his assist, and although that may deconfirm him as playable, it still pleases the fans, who often prefer Gir over Zim.

Danny Phantom is the only character that comes strictly from the 2000s era, so they are making sure to maintain the attention of the teenagers who watched that show as kids.

Leonardo seems like an odd choice to end on, maybe even anticlimactic, since they started with Michelangelo, but it makes sense when you think about it.  They couldn’t show just 1 turtle, or else it might imply that the game’s roster was small.  But if they showed all 4 turtles, they would have needed to leave two other characters out of the trailer to make room for them, and they didn’t want to make it look like a Turtles fighting game with guest characters.  So having exactly 2 turtles allows them to show off enough characters from other properties, while also confirming unofficially that the other turtles would appear later, since you can’t just have 2 of the 4 turtles in the game.  By leaving it open like that, they’re giving an implication that the roster is going to be huge.  So big that the turtles were just a small portion of it.  They end the trailer this way to leave the crowd speculating again: how many characters will appear in total?

The only characters that curiously don’t show up in the trailer are the cast of the Avatar franchise, who are quite popular.  However, one of the stages shown is clearly the Air Temple with Aang’s glider in plain sight, implying that Avatar characters will be announced later.  Another smart move to instill hope in the fans.

Finally, the Rollback Netcode announcement that came afterward solidified a very important group- the serious/competitive gamers.  For those who don’t know, rollback netcode is relatively new technology that speeds up online gameplay to cut down on input lag, which is super important for fighting games in particular, as they rely on strict timing more than other game genres.  It’s so new, however, that not all competitive fighting games use it.  Popular tournament fighters like Super Smash Bros, Tekken, and Dragonball Fighter Z have not implemented rollback netcode for their games yet, so of all games, Nickelodeon All Star Brawl beating them to the punch is causing a stir.  This is a sign that the devs are putting serious effort into making the game enjoyable online, which could potentially help its chances to be taken seriously in competitive settings.  Only time will tell if that truly happens, but it’s a sign of quality, nonetheless.

So ultimately, this short trailer and announcement manage to cater to dang near every crowd that may want to play it: Kids, teenagers, young adults in their 20s and 30s, parents in their 40s, men, women, memers, casual fans, alternative fans, and serious gamers, and opens up a ton of potential for speculation regarding new announcements.  That’s a fantastic way to start off and explains why this game, which for all intents and purposes should have been nothing more than a thought experiment that people joke about in the car with friends, has been trending so much for the past two weeks.  Congrats to the marketing team for what they put together.

[reinerispretty]

rotations. bonus! azula returns

HI THIS ONE HAS BEEN IN MY HEAD FOR A WHILE PLS ENJOY

(Y/N) was happy in her life. Being married to Zuko was better than she could have ever imagined. His stoic expression as Fire Lord faded away as soon as they were in private. She saw her friends as often as their schedules would allow, and enjoyed sitting at Zuko’s side in the throne room. But sometimes, she felt trapped within the palace walls. When she was young, she traveled the world. Now, the only time she traveled was for diplomatic affairs. She loved her life, but sometimes she longed for a new adventure. These were leftover feelings from her teenage life, it was obvious. She was an adult now, with adult responsibilities.

“Mommy?” A tiny voice called out. 

Responsibilities like the baby girl at the edge of her bed. It was early in the morning, around the time that she would normally wake up. (Y/N) slid out from underneath Zuko’s arms to look at her daughter. The three year old clutched a stuffed platybus bear that Iroh had given her for her last birthday. (Y/N) smiled at her little girl. “Hi, little blossom,” She whispered as she picked up Izumi and placed her in the bed between her and Zuko. She made herself comfortable in the plush sheets as she stared up at her mother. “How did you sleep?” 

“Good,” Izumi played with the bill of her platybus bear. “Daddy?” 

Zuko turned over and wrapped his arm around his child. She giggled as he peppered her face with kisses. “Good morning, Princess,” He said with a smile. His voice was husky from sleep, his eyes barely able to open in the morning light. (Y/N) leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek. 

“What’s your plan today?” Zuko asked as Izumi cuddled himself into his arms. (Y/N) shrugged. 

“I was thinking about maybe going on a picnic?” She looked at Zuko hopefully, but his sad expression made her pout. 

“I’ve got back to back meetings today. And tomorrow.” 

“And the day after that and for the rest of time,” (Y/N) said with a playful roll of her eyes. “I’d really like to get out of the palace for the day. Izumi, would you like to go on a picnic with Mommy?” 

“Icknick!” The little girl cheered, a bright smile on her features. 

“Where will you go?” Zuko asked. 

“I think I’ll take her to the hot springs behind the palace. It’s really beautiful this time of year.” 

Zuko exhaled. He grabbed (Y/N’s) hands and began playing with her fingers. “I wish I could go with you. Can I send some guards with you?” (Y/N) scoffed. 

“I’m pretty sure I can protect myself.” 

“Mommy firebend,” Izumi said to her father matter-of-factly. Zuko chuckled. 

“Mommy does it best,” Zuko agreed. (Y/N) smiled and took her daughter into her arms, sliding out of bed. 

“We’ll be back before dinner time,” She assured her husband as she kissed him. She left the room to get Izumi dressed. “Don’t go starting any wars,” She called to her husband from the hallway. 

“Very funny!” 

---

The hot springs were in a wooded area behind the palace, accessed only by a cobblestone path leading from the turtle duck pond. (Y/N) and Izumi walked together, both with a hand on the handle of the picnic basket. Izumi’s platybus bear toy dragged behind her on the ground. 

The hot spring steamed and bubbled in a stone pond. (Y/N) had grown up visiting it occasionally. She, Zuko, and Azula would take turns seeing who could last longest in the boiling water. Firebenders could withstand some of the highest heats, but Azula always won out in the end. 

(Y/N) shook her head to make the thought go away. It was hard, sometimes, to be in the palace. Memories popped back up without warning. And despite everything that had happened, sometimes she found herself missing her. She shoved it down as far as she could, but it still crawled up inside of her at the moments she least expected it. Like today. 

So she focused her attention on Izumi. She unfurled the picnic blanket and set the food the servants had prepared for them. Izumi ate sandwiches in the shapes of stars and moons. It was something the servants liked to do for her. She was the sweetest child the palace had seen in years. 

(Y/N) ate her sandwich and moved onto dessert: fruit tarts. She gave Izumi a tiny piece. “Did you know that these are how Daddy and I met?” 

Izumi took the piece between two fingers curiously. “Fuit dart,” She whispered to herself. (Y/N) smiled. 

“Yeah, fuit dart.” She gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. 

Once they had finished eating, (Y/N) let Izumi run around while she basked in the sunlight. Like most firebenders, it revitalized her. It made her feel new again. She closed her eyes and tilted her face up to feel its warmth. 

“Swim!” Her eyes opened again to see Izumi standing at the edge of the hot spring. (Y/N) shook her head. 

“No, Izumi, we aren’t swimming today.” 

“Swim!” Izumi said again, stamping her foot on the ground. 

“I said no, Izumi.” The little girl began to cry. (Y/N) stood immediately and took her daughter into her arms, shushing her to calm her. She bounced around on her feet to soothe her. 

“Poor girl. She’s a princess, she should do what she wants.” 

(Y/N) felt her blood run cold. She clutched Izumi tightly and it was as if the little girl sensed her mother’s fear, because her cries fell into small shakes of her body as she recovered. (Y/N) turned around and found the last person she wanted to see at that moment. 

“Azula.” She set her jaw. She felt anger swell inside of her. Azula stared at her smugly. They hadn’t seen each other since she and Zuko had left ot find their mother. Azula had escaped from him and spent years on the run. (Y/N) had heard rumors of Azula gathering subjects for her cause, but what that cause was, she had no idea. 

“I see you’re not without any guards. Very irresponsible of Zuzu, don’t you think?” 

“I can handle myself. Or did you forget about our Agni Kai?” 

She watched Azula’s eye twitch, ever so slightly. “A stroke of luck on your part. I’d be happy to go again. Or perhaps little Izumi would like to try her hand at firebending?” 

(Y/N) held her daughter closer to her. “I’m only teasing. I know she can’t firebend.” 

“What are you doing here, Azula?” 

“It’s been too long since we’ve seen each other, wouldn’t you agree?” 

(Y/N) had to admit that she was scared. She was here, alone, with her daughter and Azula. Even if she fought Azula, Izumi was too small to know that she should stay out of the way of the flames. (Y/N) thought she had been angry when Azula hurt Zuko, but if she hurt Izumi...

Azula sighed and rolled her eyes. “I’m here because I wanted to see her. It hurts, not being invited to the wedding, but it hurt more not being told I had a niece.” 

(Y/N) furrowed her brows. “You wanted to see her?” 

“Yes, (Y/N), is that so hard to believe?”

“It is, Azula, considering our history.” Azula scoffed, flicking her hair over her shoulder. 

“I’ve never lied to you.” 

“You’re lying right now!” 

Azula sighed, reaching into her pocket. She pulled out the crown worn by the crown princess of the Fire Nation. She extended her arm out to (Y/N) in offering. “I brought this for her.” 

Cautiously, (Y/N) crept forward to take the crown from Azula’s hand. She put it in the pocket of her robes. She wasn’t sure if Azula was above lacing things with poison. 

“Motherhood has made you overly cautious.” 

“No, I think it was my childhood friends trying to kill me.” 

“You forgave Zuko. Why can’t you forgive me?” 

(Y/N) opened her mouth to speak, but she couldn’t. She found herself at a loss for words. How could she explain to Azula that the things she had done were unforgivable.

“You tried to kill me, Azula. You tried to kill the people I love.” 

“And why wasn’t I one of those people, hm?” Azula snapped. “Every single day you chose someone else over me. First it was Zuko. Then it was the Avatar and his friends.” 

“I never chose anyone over you, Azula. You chose the Fire Nation.” 

“And you betrayed me!” Azula’s eyes danced with anger. (Y/N) swallowed the lump in her throat. Izumi held on tightly to her mother’s robes. 

“I didn’t betray you, Azula. I never wanted to leave you. Your father forced my family to leave. And then I saw the horrible things our nation was doing to people. Everything we had ever believed was a lie.” 

Azula’s eyes brimmed with tears. She wasn’t sure how to feel. She had seen (Y/N) and Izumi alone and her first instinct was to talk to them. She hadn’t planned this far ahead. 

“I never wanted to leave you,” (Y/N) said again. “But you did some horrible things.” 

“You think I’m a monster, just like everyone else.” (Y/N) shook her head. 

“I don’t think you’re a monster. I think you were confused and had no one to be there for you. You are one of the people I love, Azula. You’re just lost.” 

“Don’t throw that word around like that?” (Y/N) stared at her in confusion. “Love. You don’t love me, (Y/N), I love you.” 

“Azula--” 

“I love you! I’ve loved you since we were children and you never saw it, you never realized. You were too focused on Zuko to even give me the time of day.” 

(Y/N) looked at the ground. “I never knew.” She said quietly. 

“I know. So believe me when I say that the only reason I am here is for Izumi. I just wanted to see her.” 

(Y/N) looked back up to see Azula’s face. She was an excellent liar, but (Y/N’s) heart told her that she was telling the truth. About everything. So she took a step forward until they were arm’s length away. 

“Izumi,” She said to her daughter. “This is Aunt Azula. Can you say Azula?” 

Izumi stared shyly at her aunt. “Zula,” She said quietly. (Y/N) watched as Azula broke into a genuine smile, her eyes watering. 

“Hello, little princess.” Hesitantly, she reached out to touch Izumi. Her small palm wrapped against Azula’s finger. 

“Zula,” Izumi said again, quite seriously. 

(Y/N) looked at the sky to see the sun was beginning to set. She turned back to Azula. “Zuko will be expecting us soon.” 

“Don’t tell him,” Azula stared into (Y/N’s) eyes. 

“I won’t. I promise.” 

---

(Y/N) and Izumi returned to the palace a little before dinner. They found Zuko in the throne room, his presence full of advisors. He dismissed them as soon as he saw his wife and daughter. 

Izumi giggled as she ran up to her father. She jumped into his arms and he lifted her high above her head. “How was your picnic?” 

“Very good,” (Y/N) said, the smile on her lips tight. Zuko stared at her for a moment, but decided to let it go. Perhaps Izumi had been difficult today. 

“Zula!” Izumi said happily. (Y/N’s) stomach dropped. “Zula! Zula!”

“What’s she saying?” 

[makaylajadewrites]

can you do a moreid hc of them adopting and introducing the kids to the team and jack and henry??

Ohhh okay!!

So Spencer and Derek talk about it for awhile, and after four years into their relationship (two of which they have been married), they decide to sign the adoption papers

Unfortunately since they are a gay couple, several agencies turn them down, but finally, one accepts them, and they go to the home to meet some of the children. 

When they go to meet the children, a little boy with bright hazel eyes, tanned skin, and a head full of messy brown curls clings to Spencer’s leg the entire time. He tells them that his name is Gale and that he is 3 years old. He’s a talkative little guy, that’s for sure, but when Spencer starts talking about dinosaurs to him, he shuts up immediately to soak in every word. 

Spencer is in love. Derek can see it in his eyes, how much he adores the little boy, so they sign the papers to adopt him, and within a few day’s time, they return to pick him up and bring him to his new home.

Gale says “This is all mine?” when he sees that he has his own room. Spencer nearly cries at those words, since Gale clearly didn’t have such a luxury before. He had lived in a foster home with seven other children before then, and clearly, he hadn’t been given the childhood he deserved - so far. Spencer was determined to spoil him, and Derek had no plans of trying to change his mind. 

It takes a few weeks for Gale to adjust to the new environment. He calls Spencer “Daddy” and he calls Derek “Poppy” (they didn't even have to prompt him - he started calling them that on his own). They go shopping together to pick out a bunch of toys and room decorations that Gale likes, on top of things that they had already bought for him before he came home with them. Soon enough, his room is a pleasant combination of dinosaurs, turtles, and books.

Spencer and Derek introduce Gale to their family - the team - at David’s mansion who hosts a celebration party for the new family. They’re all so excited to meet Gale, since so far, all they had seen were pictures of the trio. Jack and Henry are there too - Jack is a little bit older than Gale but Henry is a year younger. Regardless though, the three boys play in the large backyard while the adults eat and drink on the back porch, sitting at a round table and just enjoying each other’s presence.

“Spencer is in love,” Derek said with a fond smile. The other’s just chuckle and Spencer knows that he can’t deny it. 

“He’s so smart,” Spencer says, looking out towards the boys who are tossing a ball back and forth between them. “He loves dinosaurs... He made sure to tell me that dinosaurs aren’t at the zoo so he asked me if we could go to the museum to see them.”

The girls give a collective “aww” and Derek wraps an arm around Spencer’s shoulders, bringing their heads together in a gentle bump. The night continues on but when Gale is slumping in Reid’s lap with exhaustion, they decide to call it a night. They say goodnight to their family and head home.

Together, they put their son to bed, and as Gale is dozing off, he mumbles out sleepily “I love you, Daddy and Poppy...” Spencer is almost crying and they both kiss his forehead before retreating to their own room.

“I’ve never been so happy in all my life,” Spencer confesses to Derek while they spoon in bed. Derek hugs Spencer from behind and he presses a kiss to his neck and says softly, “Me either, pretty boy... This is all just... perfect.”

Spencer hums his agreement happily. He rolls over in Derek’s arms, and presses their lips together in a loving goodnight kiss. 

[all-that-tmnt-jazz]

Hi I have a request. How would the bay turtle react to there SO being almost invisible? Like someone with little to no presence, even them as a hard time knowing there there. How would they react to there SO telling them that they were used to be forgotten by others? Thanks you. I wish you a nice day.

Woah, this is deep. I hope I did it justice…

Warnings: Swearing.

Incarnation: Bayverse

Extra Info: Gender-neutral reader. I took this as socially, they were nearly invisible, not physically. Let me know if you meant physically, and I could write another.

(I quote Beeltejuice: The Musical. “Prologue: Invisible.” I’m saying it so I don’t get copyrighted)

Leo:

He had seen you walking through the city to Central Park every day for several weeks

And every time, you were alone

Every time, people bumped into you on the sidewalks

You almost seemed to like being alone

But that was almost two and a half years ago now

He had been there when you were getting attacked and became friends

You’ve been dating for eleven months now

You nearly forget how alone you were

Well, are

He texted you that he couldn’t come over because there was a lot of activity that he and his brothers had to take care of

You just texted back “Ok.”

The next night, he came over, apologizing profusely

Your reaction to that made him uneasy

“Don’t worry about it, Leo- I’m used to it.”

He froze

His expression filled with worry

“Y/n… What do you mean?”

You shrug

“I’ve gotten used to being on the second burner.”

“And what does that mean?”

“I’m reminded every day I come back up to the surface that no one sees me, Leo! My parents’ are gone a lot, leaving me alone in the apartment. And school is no better- people walk by like I’m not even there!”

You felt bad for snapping, but you were getting annoyed with his questions

“I’m used to being… Invisible.”

He had figured that you didn’t have many friends, but you made school seem different as he’s gotten to know you

But he was wrong, and he felt awful

And head no idea about your parents

He took your arms and looked at you

You looked up at him

“Do I ever make you feel that way? Invisible?”

You shake your head

“You’re the one who makes me feel seen, so when you’re gone…”

He pulls you to his plastron

“I’m so sorry…”

Raph:

You were so extroverted around him and his brothers

He never would have thought that was a façade

Until, one night, he was in your apartment

You had told him you were going out with some people from school, and said that he could stay at your apartment

So, he was rather surprised when you got back early

“Hey, what’s wrong? Did they-”

You raised a hand, a signal for him to be quiet

“They didn’t even notice I left… They didn’t even notice I was there, so why notice my absence?”

He could tell how frustrated you were by the way you walked around the apartment

By the way you held yourself- you were tense

By the way you spoke- your words were sharp

He got frustrated, too, by the things you said

They were basically ignoring you

After a while, you had calmed down

But he was still frustrated

“Have they done this before?” he asked, still pacing your apartment

You nod

“Yeah, it’s just… This was the last straw.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“Yeah. It’s happened before. I’ve been used to it, but I shouldn’t have been.”

He grew livid

“This… This was normal?”

“It always has been.”

“Y/n, why?”

“I’m invisible!”

“You’re not!”

“Not to… Not to you…”

He thought for a moment, trying to wrap his mind about what he just heard

“Not to… Me?”

“You make me feel seen, Raph…”

You gulp, struggling to hold back tears

“I have barely ever felt seen, but you… You make me feel seen, and I don’t know how to feel with that.”

You can’t look at him

He takes one of your bicep, then uses his other hand to take your chin and make you look at him

“I will always see you. Fuck everybody who doesn’t. You’re worth being seen, Y/n.”

Your lip trembled, so you bit it

Raph kissed your forehead

You had never seen him so gentle

But, you had also never felt more…

Safe

Donnie:

You two were at your apartment

Specifically, in your bed

You were talking about whatever shit came to mind, and now that it was past midnight, things were getting deep

He was talking about growing up as a mutant

How he and his brothers dealt with growing up in the sewers when they just really wanted to be with people

Especially when the people were right there

It was weird for them, since they were so close yet so far

Donnie hated it the most- even more than Raph

He was the one who wanted the purple ooze to work the most

He was the one who could make it work

But Raph threw it all away

And despite being that much closer to his brothers, he was that much farther than where he wanted to be

Despite being a part of the team that helps the city, he felt…

Invisible

And you knew what that felt like

You told him how you often felt like you were getting farther and farther away from being closer to people

You felt alone in a group of 7.8 billion

You were always the one taken advantage of, the one who was invited only when needed

The one no one thought of, the one last picked

You were used to it, since it had been happening since you were a child

Especially having 8 older siblings

You told him how you felt like Pluto

You were considered a part of the family, but before you could finish your development, you were forgotten

You were the first person that truly understood Donnie, but you understood him because of experience

You had and will always feel…

Invisible

Donnie retorted to that

“I have always seen you, Y/n. You’ll never be invisible to me.”

“I know, Don… But I’m scared.”

“Of?”

“I… That I will one day be invisible to you…”

He wrapped his arms around you, pulling you to his plastron

He started singing to you, softly

“You are my sunshine, my only sunshine. You make me happy when skies are gray. You'll never know dear, how much I love you. Please don't take my sunshine away…”

Mikey:

He had never seen someone so…

Quiet

Even when in the middle of a group setting consisting of him and his brothers, he saw conversation flow over you like river over stone

And then, he took a visit to your school during your lunch break

From the roof, he saw you with your social group

And again, he saw conversation flow over you like river over stone

When you came by the Lair that night, he immediately took you to his room

He sat you down on his bed and sat on the floor in front of you

“Why do you seem so lonely?”

You looked at him, confused

“I went to visit your school while you were at lunch, and I saw you in a group, but you weren’t talking to anyone. Same thing happens when you’re here- you don’t enter into the conversation.”

You stutter out a bullshit response

You were honestly shocked that he noticed

You put your head into your hands, hiding your face

He got up onto his knees and took your wrists, bringing them away from your face

“Y/n, can you talk to me?”

You were crying, unable to stop your tears

He pulled you gently off of his bed and into his lap

He cradled you, and he gently started rocking you

You started mumbling under your breath

“What’re you saying, Y/n?” Mikey asked gently

You hiccupped.

“My mom… She was the one who made me feel seen for my entire childhood… She’s gone…”

You felt Mikey become sad for you

He held you that much tighter, and kissed the top of your head more

“Seems when you lose your mom… No one turns off the sun. Folks carry on, that’s that… You're invisible when you're sad…”

He inhaled deeply

“Every day you’re with me, Y/n, is a day you will be seen by me. Even if those days are sad, or they’re happy, or frustrating or calm… I’ll always see you.”

You couldn’t stop your crying, but now the reason had shifted slightly

You were seen.

[jokertrap-ran]

(光与夜之恋 Light and Night) Event! 沐野拾趣: Charlie’s BDAY 2021 Event! Pickings in the Wilderness Translation (Chapter 4)

“If you could use more force this time, dear fiancée.”

*Light and Night Master-list | Charlie’s Personal Master-list *Spoiler free: Translations will remain under cut *Image used with permission from 蓝咕咕 ☆ *Join my Light & Night Discord (＾▽＾)~ ♪ *Event story tag will be #For Light and Memories

Following the recommended route as written in the leaflet, we walked out of the market and could already see the faint silhouette of the village in the distance.

Walking closer, we could now see it. There were a pair of small swings hanging side-by-side on the branches of the old tree, swaying gently in the wind amidst the clearing.

MC: So this is the “Century-Old Tree”!

MC: We’ve been walking around for so long. Now, we’ve finally found a great spot to take a little afternoon break!

I happily pointed to the swing, running up in front of Charlie.

MC: Want to go for a round on the swing, Charlie?

Charlie gave an enthusiastic nod. However, the corner of his mouth suddenly twitched downwards in disappointment.

Following his line of sight, I saw two young boys, about the age of three or four, who’d gone right up, hopping onto the swings before us.

Charlie: ……

MC: How about we wait for them? They shouldn’t take too long…

The words had only just left my mouth when the kids from the Farmhouse Tour Group all rushed over.

The small heads swarmed before the swings, fighting over who gets to go on it first and comparing with each other on who could swing the highest. Our turn at the swings suddenly seems much further away than we’d thought…

MC: Wanna play? We have plenty of time to spare!

Charlie: I…

???: What do you mean you want to play on the swing? You're already so old!

I froze in embarrassment, only to realize that it was just a mother speaking to her daughter as they passed by.

A Mother: Look, only three-year-olds play on the swing. Don't you feel embarrassed fighting over the swing with them?

A Mother: Be good. Hurry and go to the tearoom with mommy.

The expression on Charlie's face soured at the mother's words.

By the time the mother pulled her daughter away, Charlie had already been rooted to his spot, seemingly stunned beyond measure. It was almost as if he'd been dealt a big blow to his ego that he'd never experienced before in his entire life.

Charlie: Let's go. It's a kiddie thing. I'm not interested.

Charlie: I’m such a perfect and strong adult. Swings and I don’t gel.

MC: No can’t do!

I crossed my arms together in front of my chest in an “X-Formation”, expressing my express refusal to let things stand.

MC: Don’t let age get the better of you!

MC: You’ll only know the fun of a swing, or the lack of, when you go up and give it a try! It has nothing to do with your age!

He helplessly shook his head again, as if on instinct.

Charlie: I'm not letting age get the better of me. It's the opposite, actually. This is the conclusion I came to after looking at it from a scientific point of view.

Charlie: Swings were made to make up for the shortcomings of people’s lack of power and speed, and also to satisfy the dreams that people have about reaching the skies.

Charlie: Alas, I am not lacking in anything. Hence, there is no need to make up for anything. Therefore, swings are truly something unsuited for one such as I…

MC: Never thought that you'd manage to answer that smoothly.

Charlie: Because perfection is a trait of mine.

Charlie remained bored for a good long time after that as I accompanied him, squatting beneath a tree, until the sound of frolicking children gradually faded away into nothingness.

MC: Do you want to have a go at it now?

Charlie: No.

MC: The kids down there have all left!

MC: Don't worry, I'm going to be there so there's nothing for you to be ashamed about.

Charlie: Really?

He turned back, curiously shooting a glance in the direction of the swings.

The two empty swings swung gently in the wind as if the exuberant laughter from before still hung in the air.

Charlie: If you insist.

❖☆———————————★❖

Charlie sat down next to me on the swing beside me. I didn't wait for him, immediately kicking off from the ground and propelling myself up high in the air.

Without the ground to ground me, I felt like I was a free bird. The gentle freeze whistled past my ears, making me feel exceptionally good.

I looked down to the other swing at the side when I reached the peak height… only to see an aggrieved figure scuffing at the ground in utter boredom.

MC: Why aren't you swinging?

He craned his neck up to look at me, his eyes, hidden under the shadows of the overhanging tree, filled with dejection.

Charlie: My limbs are too long, it's impossible to lift myself off the ground.

I lowered my head to get a closer look, only to find that with no other place to put them, his legs were awkwardly folded beneath the swing.

An idea popped into my head. I secretly crept up behind him… Without any warning, I hurriedly grabbed onto the ropes of the swing and dragged him, swing and all, backwards.

Charlie: Ahh— What are you doing!?

MC: Careful. Hold on tight!

Once the swing reached a certain height, I vehemently pushed forwards, sending him swinging up into the sky.

A low grunt of surprise followed him as he flew up into the air.

Charlie: *sharp inhale*...

The swing swung by me once more, and I could hear a sharp intake of breath.

MC: Man, don't tell me he hasn't even played on a swing before…

Looking at the figure currently suspended in the air, I couldn't help but start wondering just what sort of childhood this oddly mysterious man had.

I came before him as the swing gradually came to a stop.

MC: Did that give you a scare?

I thought that I'd see him in utter disarray, but he was all smiles, his brows raised in sheer delight. He even raided a hand to comb back his windswept hair.

Charlie: Again.

Unfazed, he calmly adjusted his position on the swing, giving me a look that told me to get behind him.

Charlie: If you could use more force this time, dear fiancée.

MC: Did he suddenly find the joy of swinging on a swing?

Partially fuelled with curiosity, I pulled the swing back once more before launching him into the air with a much harder push.

This time, a fairly cheery voice sounded from above.

Just as the swing was approaching its peak height, Charlie suddenly extended his arms out towards the sky, almost as if he wanted to embrace it as he relished in the moment.

Charlie: Ahh… Now, this is what true rural life is like!

MC: ……

It was a long while before the swing came to a standstill once more. Charlie turned towards me, an expectant look written all over his face.

MC: Okay, one more.

Charlie: My dear fiancée, there's no one else in this world who knows me this well, but you.

MC: I don't think anyone will mistake such a straightforward "hint", though…

As his silhouette was highlighted against the bright and clear skies, I couldn’t help but picture a couple of wondrous, yet seemingly unrelated sights...

Like a cub, showing its belly to a stranger, a Rosella fruit being mistaken for a flower bud, and the moist, misty, eyes of Sea Turtles as they come ashore on a moonlit night…

MC: I don't think he's that hard to understand…

Granted, only if he was willing to be understood.

❖☆————— ⊹ For Light & Memories⊹ —————★❖

Previous Part: (Chapter 3) | Next Part: (Chapter 5)

[gwenbrightly]

The Great Flower Chain Making Competition

Written for the @ninjago-calendar project. The Ninja take Lloyd on a picnic and Cole teaches everyone how to make flower chains.

“He needs normalcy,” Lloyd heard Nya tell his uncle in a hushed voice. He paused outside of his uncle’s room to hear what would come next.  

“But his training-” Wu started in, but Kai interrupted him. 

“But nothing, Master Wu. You can’t expect him to adjust to being the Green Ninja right away without problems. He’s just a kid, so let him be one.” 

There was silence for a moment and Lloyd could easily imagine Nya giving Wu her signature you’d better do as I say or else look to prove her brother’s point. He waited to hear the response, not quite sure what they were talking about, but knowing it involved him. 

“I… suppose you have a point,” Wu admitted eventually, “you can do what you asked on one condition: Everyone stays nearby and return to the Bounty immediately if I contact you.” 

“That’s technically two conditions,” said Nya, pointedly. Wu sighed.  

“Don’t make me regret this.” 

“We won’t,” Kai assured him and then the door opened before Lloyd could disappear around the corner. Nya raised an eyebrow when she saw him.  

“Lloyd, were you… eavesdropping?” 

“N-no,” he insisted at first, but both siblings immediately saw through his lie. 

“How much did you hear, Lloyd?” Kai asked quietly. Lloyd shrugged.  

“I dunno. Not much. But you guys really didn’t have to get on Wu’s case for me over training. I’m fine.” Another lie.  

“Considering we literally just got you back from a group of traitorous snakes, I’d say it’d be completely understandable if you weren’t fine. And besides, it’s our duty to protect you. Even from your uncle,” Kai stated fiercely, ruffling Lloyd’s hair. Nya nodded in agreement.  

“Which is why we convinced him to give everyone the day off so we can take you to do something fun!” she announced. Lloyd blinked.  

“Fun?” he repeated blankly. He had to admit that doing something to get his mind off of, well, everything, sounded appealing. But there was so much to be done now that he knew he was the Green Ninja. Could he even afford a day off? Lloyd wasn’t sure how all this destined savior business worked.  

“That’s right! We’re going on a picnic!”  

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Lloyd questioned, not sharing Nya’s enthusiasm, “I mean, the Serpentine probably want revenge for what happened at the fire temple.” 

“Sure it is. We’ll just have to be careful,” Nya assured him at the same time as Kai insisted, “We only have good ideas!” 

They rolled their eyes at each other, but neither backed down.  

“We’re not taking no for an answer, Lloyd. Fresh air is good for shrimps like you,” Kai continued, giving Lloyd a smile. Lloyd knew he was probably right, though he didn’t know much about fresh air. Darkley’s had always been kind of stuffy.  

Nya looked at him expectantly. He bit his lip.  

“Fine. But if anything goes wrong, I’m telling Pythor to eat you first,” Lloyd relented. A few hours away  couldn’t do any harm.  

_________________________

“I think we’re almost there,” Cole announced. Lloyd could just make out the clearing up ahead. After gathering the rest of the ninja and packing lunch, which had been a hectic affair, the group had set out to find the perfect picnic spot. Cole claimed to “know a place” and the others had eagerly followed his lead.  Lloyd had never been on a picnic before, so he wasn’t really sure what they were looking for, but hopefully it would all make sense sooner or later.  

“Awesome,” Nya said, running her hands together enthusiastically.  

“Yeah,” Kai agreed, sounding less excited, “what did you put in this thing, Zane? My arms are starting to get tired.” 

“Oh, just the picnic essentials.” Zane called over his shoulder. Kai held the picnic basket in front of him, giving it a distaste glare.  

“You sure you didn’t pack the kitchen sink?” 

The nindroid deigned not to reply and Kai continued to mutter complaints as they continued down the trail. Deciding to have mercy on Kai after a few minutes (he was a little tired of the complaining), Lloyd asked,  

“Want me to take it for a sec?” 

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Cole cut in, “we’re here.” 

“Thank goodness,” Kai declared, staggering forward to set the basket down on a tree stump. Lloyd rolled his eyes at his dramatics before wandering off to explore while Nya and Jay spread out the ginormous picnic blanket they had stolen from Wu. 

 He found a stream not far from where Kai had left the picnic basket. Sitting down amongst the reeds, Lloyd watched the water ripple and swirl. He could see tiny minnows swimming in and out of the shadows. What other creatures might be lurking nearby?  

Maybe after they ate, Kai would be interested in helping him find out. There could be water snakes, turtles, or maybe even frogs! Frogs liked marshy areas – didn’t they?  

Lloyd could just imagine the look on Jay’s face when he and Kai brought back the biggest, slimiest frog they could find. He giggled maniacally as he skipped a stone across the stream. It bounced a few times before sinking with a soft plunk. The minnows scattered. Lloyd sighed happily, watching them.  

There was something so peaceful about this place. About the way the gentle breeze tickled the flowers that covered the meadow. Maybe he should pick some for Nya. Girls liked flowers, didn’t they? There hadn’t been many girls at Darkleys.  

Of course, there was always the possibility that she was allergic to flowers. After all, Nya had once told him that she had a perfume allergy. He should probably ask Kai about that before he went and picked too many flowers for her…  

“Lloyd! It’s time for lunch.”  

Someone called, interrupting his thoughts. Plans for pestering his honorary siblings would have to wait. Lloyd sidled over to the picnic blanket and plopped down next to Kai, who handed him a plate.  

“So, Cole. How did you know about this place?” Jay inquired as he set out the sandwich supplies. Cole smiled wistfully and explained,  

“My parents brought me here a few times when I was a kid. We would play in the stream for hours and then Mom would teach me how to make flower chains and force Pop and I to wear them. It was really fun.” 

“Aww. That sounds nice,” Nya commented. She held out a jar of peanut butter to Lloyd, who happily accepted it. He slathered some onto his bread, listening to Cole share more stories about his childhood. Lloyd wished his own parents had been around to take him on picnics and have water fights with him. But that wasn’t the way the world worked.  

With a sigh, Lloyd took a bite of his sandwich. Just the right ratio of jelly to peanut butter. Perfect.  

“You mentioned flower chains, right?” Jay asked through a mouthful of food. It sounded more like he was saying, “Ooh entond oor Jane’s ight?” 

“Yeah?” Cole replied, raising an eyebrow. Jay swallowed before continuing.  

“This might sound kinda silly, but… I’ve always wondered how people make those.” 

“Oh, it’s easy!” Cole announced with a grin, “want me to teach you after we finish eating?” 

“I, for one, would love to learn,” Nya stated. She took a bite of jello salad and glanced around at the others, who nodded.  

“As would I,” Zane agreed serenely. Kai smirked and said,  

“Sure. Why not. But I say we make it a competition.” 

“A competition?” Lloyd asked curiously, his eyes widening. That sounded promising.

“Yeah! I’m thinking we each make a flower chain, and whoever has the best one wins. We can, like, have Master Wu judge them when we get back to the Bounty, or something,” Kai explained.

“That sounds kinda fun,” Nya decided, before turning to Lloyd, “whaddya think? You in?”

Lloyd shrugged noncommittally, but ultimately agreed to join in. He had nothing better to do and was awfully curious about these… flower chains, anyway. What was the point of making chains from flowers? It wasn’t like you could use such a chain to trap enemies or anything exciting. Oh, well. He knew this entire trip was just to distract him from Green Ninja stuff. So it was probably okay if there were no practical applications for flower chains that he could use to cause chaos later on.  

The small boy shoved what was left of his sandwich into his mouth and chewed messily as he gazed around the meadow. There sure were a lot of flowers to choose from. He wondered how they would know which were best to use. And how long it was going to take the others to finish their food. Lloyd was starting to get bored of sitting there with nothing to do. 

“All right, listen up, people. What you’re looking for is flowers with nice long stems, like this,” Cole finally announced. He held up a daffodil. “That makes it easier to weave them together. Once everyone has their supplies, meet back here, and I’ll explain the rest. Everybody ready?” 

“Aye, aye, captain!” Jay said. He gave a teasing salute and trotted off across the meadow. Cole rolled his eyes as he watched him go.  

“Apparently, we have started,” Zane observed with a wry smile. The others laughed. 

“Yeah, I think it’s safe to say the competition has begun.” Cole agreed. 

“Well? What are we waiting for?” Nya asked before nudging Lloyd, “We can’t let Jay beat us!”

She grabbed his arm and drug him off toward the opposite end of the meadow from where Jay had gone.

“Are teams even legal?” Lloyd heard Kai ask in the distance. 

“I never said they weren’t.” came the response. Nya giggled and came to a stop. 

“This looks like a good place to start picking flowers,” she said, bending over to examine a patch of irises. Lloyd nodded and plucked one, careful to make sure the stem was long enough to meet Cole’s standards. 

“Perfect.” Nya smiled approvingly. She began gathering an armful of flowers of her own. Red, then pink, then white, then purple. The two soon had sizable clumps of irises and various other flowers they had found growing nearby. Ready for the next phase of the competition, they returned to the picnic blanket just as the others began heading back. 

“Congratulations, competitors. You have completed the first challenge,” Cole stated in his best announcer voice. The rest of the group cheered with much more vigor than was truly necessary. They were all quite invested in the competition by this point. 

“Now you must learn how to make flower chains from the pro himself. Watch as I demonstrate,” Cole continued. He showed them how to weave the flowers together by taking clumps of 3 and braiding them in an intricate pattern. Next, he showed them how to connect new flowers to the braid by counting several stems as a single strand while braiding. 

The project had mixed results. Cole kept having to jump in to assist Kai before he could tear his flowers apart in frustration (they wouldn’t stay in place), while Jay’s weaving was so complex that even Zane couldn’t make sense of his strategy. 

Nya and Lloyd were hard at work designing a pattern of colors that was extra appealing to the eye when they realized that they had neglected to collect any blue flowers. Nya nodded her head meaningfully towards Jay’s pile of flowers, which contained a variety of blue wildflowers. Lloyd grinned and swapped spots with her, giving her easy access to Jay’s stash.

“Hey, Jay- I seem to be having trouble with this part… mind helping me out?” she asked ever so innocently. Jay flashed her a smile and scooted closer to her before launching into a tirade about the art of braiding. 

“Mhm. Oh, that makes sense,” Nya commented, pretending to be interested as she slipped a few of the flowers from Jay’s pile into Lloyd’s waiting hands. She continued to do this for several minutes before Jay finally caught on. 

“Hey. Hey wait! You can’t do that!” he protested in frustration. Nya simply smiled. 

“All is fair in love and war, Jay.”

“Yeah!” Lloyd agreed, nodding vigorously. Jay glared at him. 

“Do you even know what that means?” he asked. 

“Nope!” Lloyd said, happily adding a blue flower to his chain. All in all, the picnic had been way more exciting than he’d expected. 

[gravelyhumerus]

Criminal Minds College AU - Chapter 4

Title: “I may just take your breath away”

Relationship: Jemily

Summary:

Emily’s alarm wakes JJ up.

Slow-burn Jemily college AU where they live across the hall and despite all odds, the universe pushes them together. AKA they’re silly gay babies who pine after each other for months.

Read it on AO3

Tumblr: Tumblr:  One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, Nine, Ten, Eleven, Twelve, Thirteen, Fourteen, Fifteen, Sixteen, (bonus scene), Seventeen, Eighteen, Nineteen, Twenty, Epilogue

Jennifer Jareau awoke in her bed to the sound of her alarm. She groaned as her body refused to cooperate, with the fog of sleep clouding her brain and the desire to just roll over and sleep in sounding very appealing.

It was such a late night last night with Emily and JJ had already set her alarm to nine thirty, giving her less time in the morning to get to her eleven am class than she would normally like. JJ liked eating breakfast, and with being an athlete, her body needed as much fuel as she could get.

She rolled over, slamming her hand onto her phone, attempting to turn off the beeping. It wasn’t working, forcing JJ to open her eyes against the sunlight. She grabbed her phone, unplugged it, and stared at the blank screen before realizing that it was only eight and her alarm wasn’t set for another hour.

JJ frowned, realizing that what she was hearing wasn’t her alarm, nor was it Penelope Garcia’s—her roommate who had a cheery jingle as an alarm—either. It must be coming from another room.

She looked over to the other side of the room where Penelope was sleeping peacefully, on her side with her chest slowing rising and falling. Lucky, JJ thought. Penelope, unlike JJ, hadn’t been rudely awoken by someone else’s alarm.

JJ pulled her pillow over her head, rolled over, and tried to fall back asleep. She was desperate to catch that extra hour of sleep.

She sighed, tried to relax and fall back into her slumber, but the blaring sound continued, and continued, without fail. Whoever was responsible for that god-awful noise apparently was not waking up.

JJ sat up, tossing her pillow aside. Quietly, despite her frustration, she threw back her comforter and blanket, slipped into her fuzzy slippers and walked to their door, peering into the hall.

She was wearing her pink pj bottoms and a grey cotton t-shirt from a soccer camp she went to in high school, and the cool air after the warmth of her bed made her shiver. Their dorm was either too hot, or too cold most days, never really reaching a comfortable living temperature.

Looking left and right, JJ tried to narrow down the sound of the incessant alarm. She held her breath for a moment, listening hard.

The beeping was coming from straight ahead. She looked at the door, staring it down, begging the other girl to simply wake up, turn off her alarm, and continue with her day.

That did not happen.

JJ slipped back into her room and grabbed her lanyard, to avoid getting locked out of her room with the annoying automatically locking doors.

She closed her own door quietly, as much as she was mad at Garcia for managing to sleep through the noise, she didn’t really want to bother her. JJ started with knocking lightly on the other girls door, rapping on the wooden door right next to the construction paper sea turtle that their RA had written Emily’s name tag on.

“Emily,” JJ said quietly, “Your alarm is going off.”

JJ checked her watch. Eight ten. Emily’s midterm for Clinical Psychology was at eight-thirty. She knocked louder.

No response.

She must be a very heavy sleeper.

JJ knocked louder, scared she would wake up the whole floor, but more worried about Emily’s education than disturbing them. Their walls were thin, but the fact that Emily could sleep through an alarm that could wake JJ up, across the hall, and sleep through JJ’s knocks, was borderline concerning.

After a few minutes of near-panicked knocking, she finally heard movement in the other room, with a muffled “Whaa-” coming from Emily.

She opened the door, rubbing her eyes and holding her phone.

“Your alarm was going off,” JJ said, sheepishly as she took in the taller girl staring at her in complete confusion. “And you have a midterm.”

Emily looked down to the phone in her hand, looking at the time and said, simply: “Shit,” before spinning back around.

“You have twenty minutes,” JJ pointed out, unhelpfully.

“Yes I very much do,” Emily replied, “And it’s in the psych building which is on the exact opposite side of campus. Dammit, the alarm must have been going off for a half hour. I have no idea how I slept through it.”

JJ, unsure at the protocol of what was happening, stood in the open doorway. She found herself somewhat overwhelmed at the sight of Emily. Instead of the t-shirt and pj pants that JJ had seen on her before, Emily was instead wearing a delicate, semi-transparent cotton camisole and silky looking shorts that were quite short and showed off most of Emily’s long legs. Her skin was pale, and even, without any freckles or scars marring the porcelain-like limbs. JJ, on the other hand, knew her tanned skin revealed the scars from the endless cuts and scrapes she’d acquired being a sporty child.  

What caught her eye most was something poking through the fabric of the thin camisole. JJ blushed as she realized that Emily had her nipples pierced.

Emily’s ensemble showed off much more of Emily’s body than JJ had ever seen before, but it wasn’t the body that shocked her (Jennifer Jareau played sports her whole life, she wasn’t shy about nudity), what shocked her was the fact that she couldn’t seem to tear her eyes away.

JJ had planned to wake up whoever was disturbing her with their alarm, then immediately go back to bed, but now she felt as if her feet were glued to the floor.

With her hands grasping her keys, clutching them tightly, JJ stared at her friend as Emily dug through her chest of drawers and stormed around the room in a frenzy.

She was not simply staring, JJ realized to her own personal confusion, she was ogling her. Emily’s typically perfectly straight black hair was wavy and messy, mussed by sleep and her bare face had a classic beauty that made something tighten in JJ’s chest.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck,” Emily muttered, throwing a pair of sweat pants over her shorts, not really having any time to get dressed. “Thank you for waking me JJ.”

This roused JJ from her thoughts, forcing her to come to terms that she was checking her friend out. She felt her face warm in a blush, and stared at the floor so she would no longer be looking at Emily like that.

“We use the same alarm,” JJ said, dumbly. “I thought it was mine.”

She gulped, watching Emily yank a hoodie over her head, and smooth her hair down with her fingers. Emily yawned, letting out a cute noise that made JJ smile.

“Well,” Emily replies, smiling at her sweetly, “I would have fully slept through this midterm if it wasn’t for you. You saved my life. Merci.”

Emily grabbed her backpack which was hanging off the back of her chair, and slings it over her shoulder. From atop her dresser, Emily picked up a red apple, rubbing it off on her shirt in lieu of washing it.

“Thank you again,” Emily says, pulling her into a quick hug. JJ found herself engulfed in Emily’s warm arms, the smell of orchids and coffee, for a short, amazing moment, before Emily pulled back.

Emily shut her door, took a bite of her apple with a wink at JJ, then ran down the hall on her way to her class.

JJ stepped back, left behind standing in the centre of the hall, alone with her thoughts. She remained there for a moment, processing the mixed bag of emotions.

She turned back around, unlocked her door, then sat back onto her bed. It was still warm from her body, and beckoned for her to return to its warm embrace. JJ, on the other hand, was still reeling from another embrace, that of her friend and neighbour.

Her friend, she reminded herself. They were friends.

JJ stared into the distance, breathing deeply and trying to process her racing thoughts. Her break up was fresh in her mind. She was still reeling from her break up, was overtired, and had just spent the entire evening with Emily listening to her speak to her in the literal language of love, no wonder why her brain was all mixed up.

JJ shook her head and laid back down, staring at the ceiling. She put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes.

Instead of her normal anxious thoughts about her midterms, her upcoming game and the end of her almost two year long relationship, her brain flashed to Emily. How patient she was last night explaining all the possible conjugations of the verbs, how she told her funny stories about her childhood in France, how she tried to catch the M&Ms in her mouth, and missed every time.

Emily could speak French fluently, and it was probably one of the most attractive things that JJ had ever experienced. She rolled her r’s so perfectly, and spoke with a clarity that she struggled to find in her professor’s strange accent.

JJ rolled onto her side, tugging the blanket around her, lost in thought. Emily was so nice, JJ really liked her. She liked her as a friend, right? That’s what this was?

She thought about Emily, who bakes cookies in the middle of the night, who gets way too into beer pong and who smiles wide every time she saw JJ and held her hand tightly as they walked home last night.

Did JJ like Emily? Like-like her? She didn’t know. She doesn’t like girls. She hadn’t really liked that many people before. She dated Will for two years, two nice, normal, comfortable years where she didn’t have to think about these things, about crushes or feelings.

She was always a very focused child, focused on school and on soccer and on getting to college. It was Will who pursued her, who was the first to text, who invited her places and encouraged her to be present. JJ was always reacting to the boy's affection, every time.

Her mom had The Talk with her when she was thirteen, which was awkward and tense, but instead of the typical discussion about the birds and the bees, her mom talked about love and consent and JJ’s future partner . At the time, JJ thought her mom was being silly because JJ liked boys;, she had crushes on boys like all the other girls in her grade. She always would pick the nicest one, and select him as her crush when the other girls would ask. But now, looking back, maybe JJ’s mom saw something JJ hadn’t seen herself.

No. That couldn’t be.

Jennifer, she scolded herself, don’t go down the rabbit hole. You just went through a messy break up. You’re confused is all.

It was true, just yesterday JJ fought with Will and it ended in, well, an ending of their relationship. Over the phone. He told her that he needed more from her, from them, and JJ told him that she was giving all she had. That was not enough for him.

She hadn’t even had that much time to think about it, and him, let alone tell her friends and family that it had happened.

She had hung up the phone and immediately had to go to a class. Before she knew it she was in a study room with Emily Prentiss forgetting all about her break up.

Her mind flashed to the girl in her class who had come out in eighth grade, how after she had, the other girls had told JJ to make sure she had turned around so the girl wouldn’t look at her inappropriately. JJ had protested at the time, arguing that the girl probably didn’t even find them attractive anyway, but that hadn’t convinced the others. They had shunned the girl for the rest of the semester.

JJ remembered feeling a bit sick at the thought of being that other girl, who’s identity had been shamed by her peers. She went home that day and cried in sympathy. She didn’t know why she did.

After that she, on a private browser, looked up the acronym: LGBT. She discovered the term ally, and decided that that was what she was. She had cried because she supports people who are gay, or bi, or transgender, not because she likes girls. She was always told that she was a sensitive child, she cried because she was empathetic.  

She had been confused about her feelings before, and had sorted them out. She could do that again easily. She didn’t like Emily that way. She was simply grateful for her company, for her friendship. She was a nice new friend, and JJ was just over excited as she got to know the girl across the hall.

JJ sighed. That made sense to her. She was a tangled mess of feelings and she needed some time to untangle them.

With that resolved, JJ tried to close her eyes and catch a few minutes of sleep but before she even closed her eyes, her alarm woke her up. Her real one.

She groaned.

To her right, Penelope woke up to the sound, yawning and rolling over at the sound.

“Good morning, sunshine,” Penelope murmured with a sleepy smile. “Late night last night?”

Penelope was probably her best friend at university, and her roommate. They were randomly placed together last year and had immediately become best friends. She was studying computer science, which was surprising because from what JJ could tell, Penelope could hack the FBI if she felt like it. She wasn't sure what else there was to study. Her side of the room was decorated in an explosion of colour, with endless trinkets on all of the available surfaces, and her walls covered in a rainbow of art, photos and miscellaneous ticket stubs and various moments of her life.

“Yeah,” JJ replied, sitting up in her bed and resigning herself to being awake. “I have that French midterm today.”

“Then the game!” she interjected, “I know! Spence and I will be there waving the flag.”

JJ smiled, grateful for her roommates' endless support.

“We should do trivia again this week,” Penelope says, “Reid is basically an encyclopedia and I think if we bring him we’ll win hands-down.”

JJ hummed in response, not really paying attention.

“I mean,” Penelope continued, “It’s probably unfair to drag a boy with an eidetic memory to a trivia game but I think it’ll be worth it.”

JJ was focusing on getting dressed, but tried to give her roommate enough reassuring nods to make sure she was active listening. She had to dress for her exam, then for her game so she chose track pants and her school windbreaker.

“Jayje, where’s your head at?” Penelope said and JJ frowned, she could read her like a book and could tell something was wrong. “You’re never this quiet. Is it about Will? We never really got to talk about what happened.”

JJ didn’t have the time to explain her tangled web of emotions.

“I’m fine Pen,” JJ assured her, “Just tired and worried about this midterm.”

“Okay,” she said, still looking worried, “You know I’m here.”

“I know.”

“Go get ‘em tiger!” Penelope grinned at her, “Just remember: voulez-vous coucher avec moi? That’s all you’ll need to know!”

JJ cracked a smile and wished Penelope a good morning, grabbed her bag before leaving. She waved goodbye and headed out into the morning, trying to shake her thoughts of Emily Prentiss away.

She had enough time to grab coffee and breakfast from the cafe before heading to her class a few minutes early so that she could look over her notes.

Forgetting Emily was hard when she was taking her French midterm, as the conjunction was coming to her, pronounced in Emily’s voice and explained in her clear, knowledgeable voice.

JJ sped through the midterm, a strange feeling tugging at her stomach as her focus was pulled two ways. One part of her, the one focused on the test, pictured Emily in front of her, her bangs getting in her face, her eyeliner drawn over her lid thickly coming to a sharp point on either side of her eyes, imagining her lips as she mouthed the words out to her. The other part of JJ, terrified of these thoughts and feelings, pushed her out of her mind, trying to compartmentalize the knowledge from the person.

Then her brain was filled with Will: of his kind smile, of how he hugged her tight and kissed her softly. Her brain desperately wanted to hang onto some sort of normal feeling of loss at the end of her relationship, but the majority of her feelings were unsatisfying and confusing.

The verb endings blurred together, and as she looked over her work before submitting, she found herself making stupid mistakes. JJ was in the middle of erasing an answer when her Professor called out to announce that time was up.

JJ walked out of the midterm frustrated. She was sure she did fine on it but was mad at herself for being distracted by her own personal issues.

She cursed Will for breaking up with her in midterm season, because she couldn’t focus on anything. She knew she was being distant, she knew it was her fault they were over, but the timing was overwhelming. Her status quo was crumbling and she was not quite sure how to keep the pieces together.

It’s over Jennifer, she said to herself, you finished your midterm. Time to focus on soccer and you’ll feel better.

That afternoon, JJ played an aggressive game, forcing her feelings out in her gameplay, running faster, tackling harder and hogging the ball more than she typically would.

She fought hard for the ball, barrelling towards the net, and setting up a perfect goal for her teammate. Who missed. It took JJ everything to not yell at her teammate, because she did not want to be red carded at a home game.

Next time she was on, instead of passing, she made sure she set herself up for a goal, charging past her opponents. She kicked. She scored. The roar of the crowd, the feeling of her team jumping upon her felt great.

In the stands, Penelope Garcia and Spencer Reid jumped high, cheering for their friend.

The adrenaline of the game wiped away the feelings of the day and JJ felt better. She felt normal. She could deal.

JJ could be happily single. She didn’t need Will and she certainly didn’t need to be distracted by anything right now anyways. She still had three midterms to go, then an away game next weekend.

After that, JJ could worry about her feelings. Until then, she had more important things to do.

In the locker room, JJ dried off, still buzzing with the win.

“Hey Jennifer,” a voice asked, coming up behind her. It was Kennedy. “Are you ok?”

Kennedy was a nice girl, in third year, who played defence. She was probably JJ’s closest friend on the team but outside of games, practise, and the occasional mandatory team social, JJ and she didn’t really talk.

“I’m fine,” JJ replied, stuffing her uniform into her locker. “Why do you ask?”

“You played a hard game,” Kennedy says, “I was impressed. You brought the heat.”

“So what’s the problem?” JJ says, hearing the terseness in her voice.

“Woah,” she says, stepping back and raising her hands in surrender, “Is something wrong? I’ve never seen you like this.”

“I’m fine,” JJ says, slamming her locker harder than she meant to.

She walked out of the locker room, feeling slightly embarrassed at her outburst. It had started to rain again, the cold, sharp droplets hitting her face and soaking her hoodie. Making a mental note to apologize to Kennedy later, JJ walked straight home to her dorm with tears stinging at her eyes.

As soon as her door closed, JJ jumped onto her bed, laying with her pillow on her head to block out the afternoon sun, as tears leaked out of the sides of her eyes. Letting go, JJ cried. She cried for the end of her relationship, for the fact that it was her fault for it ending, for the fact that she didn’t feel sad about the end of her relationship and because she didn’t know what to think about Emily.

---

That week, everywhere she turned, Emily Prentiss was there.

For a girl that she never seemed to run into at the beginning of the semester, Emily seemed to make up for that with this week.

First thing the next morning, JJ walked into the bathroom with bleary eyes. She hadn’t slept well and had trudged through her morning routine. As she put some toothpaste onto her toothbrush, the door swung open and Emily wandered in, with her own toiletries in hand, wearing only a robe. JJ found herself brushing her teeth harder, not making eye contact and focusing on her own reflection in the mirror. JJ stared herself down, not allowing her eyes to stray or herself to think about the naked Emily Prentiss behind the curtain. JJ didn’t want to see her. JJ was straight, and that would be silly. She did not want to think about that girls god damned nipple piercings, or the fact that they made her blush to think about.

On Tuesday night, JJ looked out of her window into the courtyard, only to see Emily Prentiss, smoking a cigarette near the streetlamp. JJ closed her curtains. She had to study for her midterms.

Coming home from class on Wednesday, Emily had her door propped open as she read a book, with some music playing off her record player. JJ pretended she was in a rush to get somewhere, grabbing a random book out of her room before leaving for the library. She realized after that she needed a different book for her essay, but it was too late after she had rushed down the hall to go back.

Leaving her Media Studies midterm on Thursday, she passed Emily in the hall on her way back from practise. Emily touched her arm as they crossed paths and asked her, in her sweet voice, if JJ needed any more help on her French homework. JJ hurriedly said that she didn’t, and that she would text her if she did. Pointing out that JJ didn’t have Emily’s number, she then insisted that JJ add her as a contact. She did not text Emily.

That weekend, JJ relished how an away game took her off campus, and away from her issues. All JJ had to focus on was soccer.

Except, news had finally gotten to her mother about Will. JJ spent most of the weekend fending off phone calls and from her concerned mother, who wanted to be there for her. JJ felt incredibly guilty avoiding her calls, because her mom had loved Will.

As soon as JJ was back in her room, she was forced to finally return her mom's call, as she had run out of excuses. It was a long coversation. After hanging up, JJ laid on her bed, exhausted by her mother's distress. It felt like her mom was going to miss Will more than she would. JJ had assured her that she was fine, that she would call again soon, and, yes, she would like a care package, because that would mean she’d get a box of snacks, including Cheetos, which she was desperately craving.

After a few minutes of laying on her bed, with her packed bags still on the floor next to her, and still wearing her school branded windbreaker, there was a knock on her door.

She ignored it. She was sick of people being worried about her. Sick of everyone asking her if she was ok.

The person knocked again, more insistently.

JJ rolled onto her side, looking at her wall. There was her ex-boyfriend, on the wall in her once treasured prom photo, looking at her. She tore the photo down.

Her eyes wandered up to her other photos taped to the wall: her and her sister at Christmas when she was eight. JJ was holding up her new shadow box containing a blue butterfly (morpho menelaus) and standing next to her was her sister Rosaline, grinning wide and hugging her tight.

She wanted to ask Ros what was going on with her. Why she felt so untethered. Why she felt relieved that her boyfriend broke up with her. Why she simultaneously wanted to run towards and away from Emily Prentiss.

But, she could not ask her any of these questions. She tugged at her sister’s necklace, which was around her neck, resting over her heart, as always. Hoping for some kind of direction.

There was another knock on her door.

JJ opened it, finding the meek face of Spencer Reid on the other side. He waved awkwardly, and did not seem to notice her disheveled state.

“Garcia said that we could eat without her,” he said, “She’s in a lab this evening and is ordering pizza.”

Dinner. The trio always ate together when JJ was in town.

“I’m starving,” JJ admitted, realizing that she hadn’t eaten since breakfast and her stomach flipped in protest.

JJ opened the door for him and turned back to the mirror. Reid sat down on the edge of Penelope’s bed. Of all the people on the other side of the door, he was probably the only one who wouldn't force her to talk about her feelings if she didn't want to.

“How was your game?” he asked politely.

JJ made a noncommittal noise.

“You know,” he continued without a pause, “Around two hundred countries or territories in the world play soccer, depending on what you consider a country, as the UN only recognizes two hundred and fifty one countries and territories while the US recognizes less than two hundred. You could play this game with more people than you could speak to in English.”

JJ ran a brush through her hair, hoping to make herself look presentable for the cafeteria. Spencer continued, barely coming up for air let alone wait for her response. Normally, JJ would fight to get a word in edgewise, but today, Spencer’s monologue was soothing her.

The rain had slowed to a slightly annoying drip, with dull clouds hanging low onto campus.

Together, they walked down the street to the cafeteria, which was in a dull concrete building near most of the residences. Spencer transitioned from discussing the impact of sports on global diplomacy, to talking about his day and chatting about how he has started hanging out with Derek Morgan more often.

JJ blinked at that, trying not to let her thoughts wander from Derek to Emily and her current turmoil.

Her minor reaction unheeded, Spencer discussed how Derek discovered that he could lift him, and had bench pressed him. Spencer, despite admitting that he was nervous around football players like Derek, given his rough time in high school, smiled as he told her this. She forced herself to be present, to engage with her friend, which was a welcome distraction.

Grabbing their trays, they both wandered around the buffet style cafeteria, peeking at the specials and deciding their preference. JJ steered past the vegetarian option, which was simply three pieces of tofu on some plain rice, and walked up to the burger bar. Comfort food was the plan. Reid, walking in her wake, joined her in her dinner choice. Soon, the two of them were eating burgers in companionable silence, both tackling mediocre, yet somewhat tasty meals. JJ sipped her water and felt Reid’s eyes on hers.

“You seem distracted,” he comments.

JJ looks down into her water.

“Penelope told me about Will,” he says, nervously, “I’m sorry?”

It comes out as a question.

“Look. I don’t really want to talk about it. I’m fine.”

I’m fine, she thought to herself, I’ve said that a lot today.

JJ softens, reminding herself that the boy only wants to help. She reaches her hand out and grabs his.

“Thank you for asking,” she smiles at him.

He perks up. She looked at him and while he was only three or so years younger, he looked so young. He was taller than her but still likely to keep growing, his gangly limbs awkward still in his adolescence. Still, he dressed like a professor, his outfits filled with cardigans and tweed.

They stood and made their way back to residence. JJ was starting to feel like herself again.

But, about thirty feet ahead of her was Emily Prentiss, fumbling with her keys as she tried to unlock the door to their building. It was really hard to push someone out of your mind when they lived across the hall.

Spencer noticed her hesitation.

“Do you maybe want to go for a walk?” he asked.

JJ nodded, relieved at the offer. They turned to the right, and walked down the steps that lead to the lower part of campus, towards the nice graduate residences and the park. JJ stuck her hands deep into her jacket pockets, the fresh air making her feel a bit better.

“Will broke up with me,” she says to Spencer, not looking at him as she spoke.

“I’m sorry,” he replied, following suit.

“I’m…. not,” she admitted.

She found that in the cool, fall air, the words flowed out and after she started, it didn’t seem to stop.

“I’m not and I should be. I should be crying about my breakup, eating chocolate and watching shitty romcoms with Penelope. I should be calling my mom and getting advice about my heartbreak. I should be getting drunk and trying to rebound. For some reason, I’m just… angry.”

She stood, raising her arms into the air.

“I feel embarrassed that he was the one who broke up with me when I didn’t even like him that much.”

She sighed. He looked at her with wide eyes, listening intently without any judgment, or reservations. He wasn’t pushing her to share, or judging her for her words.

“And I think I like someone else.”

JJ did not mean to say that. She looked back over at Spencer, who didn’t look particularly surprised.

“Emily?” he guessed.

JJ fell silent. She did. She liked Emily. She spent the week running from that, and it had been staring her in the face the whole time. She nodded.

“That’s great!” he replied with a smile. “I think you would be really good together.”

JJ was struck with this. She wasn’t expecting the homophobia she remembered from high school, but she was not expecting this.

“We would?” She found herself smiling as she said this.

“Yeah, I think she likes you too.”