#but things changed & perspectives opened up to him & stuff happened & now he's Eager to train his aura

[meistoshi]

due to personal reasons (being on undercover brainrot) am once again thinking abt my frontier n badend verses coz in both satoshi takes a more active interest in working to protect various regions & more purposefully offers assistance when he hears about troubles, the only main difference in that regard between the verses being that frontier still sees him travel for the thrill of it & not quite seeking out trouble while badend sees him travel almost primarily To look for troubles to solve

[hey-hamlet]

30 minute prompt: izuku is turned into a cat via quirk and aizawa takes him home not knowing he’s actually human

You have just justified the second half of “Chatty Cat.” And also accidentally made it a minimum three-parter. Merry christmas! 

Fur still warm and fluffed from his impromptu spa day, Izuku was already being abandoned.

 “I’m sorry kitty, but I need to go train with my teacher. I’ll be back soon, ok?” Shinsou fretted while he pulled together his workout kit. Not to be abandoned that quickly, Izuku waited for Shinsou to turn his back for a moment, then dived headfirst into his backpack. He wriggled to the bottom, his whiskers bending uncomfortably on the sides. Barely dodging being squished by a water bottle, his fluffed up with pride as Shinsou swung him, and the backpack, over his shoulder and ran from the room. It wasn’t exactly the most dignified stealth mission he’d even been on, but it also wasn’t the least.

 One bumpy ride later he was dumped on something, the zipper opened roughly. He blinked in the sudden light of the changing room, taking in Shinsou’s faintly horrified expression with a kind of glee he normally didn’t allow himself. He nimbly jumped from the opening, neatening up his whiskers with clumsy paws.

 “What – how?” A rough knock on the gym side door startled Shinsou from his crisis. “Yes, Sorry Sensei – coming!” He glared at Izuku. Apparently smug was an expression that transferred over to a cat’s face. “Fine then you sneaky little shit, I guess you’re coming with me,” Izuku averted his gaze at the other boy started to change out of his uniform, feeling faintly flustered under all of his fur. “at least Sensei likes cats.”

 One impressively quick change later, he was scooped up in an infuriatingly large hand and ferried from his little perch on the changing room bench. The gym was ridiculous as a human, but from the perspective of a cat, it looked positively cavernous. He pressed a little tighter into Shinsou’s palm.

 “You’re late.” Aizawa’s drawl was a comforting familiarity, Izuku’s ears flicking towards it unconsciously. Shinsou spluttered for a bit before holding out Izuku by way of an explanation.

 “Hi Sensei!” He chirped, it coming out as a trilling meow. Aizawa paused for a moment, before holding out a hand of his own, lips quirked in the way that meant he was suppressing a grin.

 “If you beat last week’s rope time, I’ll give you the cat back.”

 “He’s not even my cat!” Shinsou blustered, still not handing Izuku over.

 “And yet you don’t deny you want him. You can’t train with him anyway.”

 “Practice for moving victims?” He tried, even as he was pressing Izuku into Aizawa’s hands. Izuku let out a little mrrp of happiness to be back with his homeroom teacher.

 “Nice try. If you’re so eager for the practice you can go get the weighted dummies.” Shinsou’s face twisted like he’d just licked a lemon, but he turned on his heel anyway, jogging towards the storeroom. Aizawa chuckled lowly, his laugh reverberating through Izuku like a roll of thunder. Aizawa was even warmer than Shinsou. Actually, why was be so obsessed with warmth anyway? Was it a cat thing or a surface area to volume ratio thing? It hadn’t even been that cold out before –

 Aizawa snorted softly, a wide hand scratching gently under his chin jolting Izuku out of the little muttering spiral he’d lost himself in. He meowed out a quick apology, not that his teacher could understand him.

 Eventually, he lost himself watching Shinsou train under Aizawa’s guidance. He had a distinctly different fighting style than the rest of 1A, much closer to Aizawa’s own - if a little clumsier - with more element taking from things like boxing. It was brutally effective in a way that made Izuku ache to train with the other boy. There was just so much he could learn – hopefully Shinsou would get something out of it too. At the very least he could go over the stuff they learn in Heroics, provided Aizawa hadn’t already filled him in. The buzzing of a default ringtone shook all three of them from their concentration, Shinsou tripping over his scarf. Aizawa transferred Izuku to a single hand, pulling his phone from one of the many pockets on his hero costume.

 “Hello? This is Aizawa Shouta. Who am I speaking with?”

 “Aizawa? You wouldn’t happen to know where all of your students are at the moment?” Nezu’s voice crackled over the line, Izuku’s new cat ears letting him pick up the uneasy voice of the principal.

 “I know where they should be. Why?” Aizawa sounded calm enough but Izuku could hear his heart rate pick up.

 “According to my information, Midoriya should have been returning home from his internship approximately an hour ago with Bakugo and Todoroki.” His teacher stiffened. Izuku did as well, guilt crashing over him in a sudden wave.

 “I should have been better, shouldn’t have been hit.”

 “I didn’t say anything because Endeavour has a history of overworking interns, but Bakugo and Todoroki have now returned and were surprised to find Midoriya had not, as he’d been given early leave after finishing his paperwork,”  Aizawa swore loudly, dropping Izuku to the floor as he demanded to know where his student had last been seen. Izuku hooked his claws into the man's hero costume, trying to get his attention but was quickly unlatched and dumped into Shinsou’s waiting palms. He jogged from the room after hurried promises to Shinsou to finish later. Izuku let out a soft wail, struggling to free himself and run after.

 “Hey kitten, it's ok.” Shinsou’s voice shook slightly, quieting Izuku and causing him to turn toward the other boy. He looked worried. Izuku couldn’t guess why. “He’ll be back soon – his class worries him a lot. I’m sure it’s nothing, Midoriya is crazy strong.” His fingers shook slightly as the ghosted over Izuku’s soft fur. Pushing his own guilt from his mind, he headbutted the other boy’s hand, purring stubbornly. Shinsou laughed softly.

 “Yeah. He’ll be fine.”

[bisexualsforprompto]

Miraculous Reborn (Maribat Injury AU) Pt. 2

AO3

One      Next

Damian was surprised to say the least when his father informed him that he was brought back to life with the help of Darkseid on Apokolips. It hadn’t bothered him too much though, he kept his same cocky attitude and straight faced demeanor. 

What did bother him, more than he cared to admit was his soul bond. He knew he had one, he wasn’t as careless as his soulmate who got scrapes and bruises all the time, of course they transferred to him, but luckily she had never broken bones so the League never suspected a thing. Damian hadn’t dared to tell his mother or anyone else in the League of Assassins about his soulmate, soulmates were a mere distraction. When he started living with Bruce he didn’t say anything either, he wasn’t quite sure how to bring it up. Before he died though, he knew his soulmate would experience the same pain as him. He felt guilty, not that he would ever tell anyone, but he still assumed that when he was brought back to life his soulmate was too. 

It had been years and he quickly dispelled that theory, he never got injuries that he hadn’t earned himself. He was a little sad that the soul he was connected to was still dead, he felt somewhat responsible. Damian didn’t know why he felt these things for someone he hadn’t even met and would never meet but he couldn’t help it.

Damian wasn’t the kind to let things bother him but his dreams were infested with screams. He relieved being murdered over and over again, but from the perspective of his soulmate. It was different each time, sometimes his soulmate would be at home, at a restaurant, even in a grocery store but the outcome was always the same, his soulmate would lie there choking on blood and the last words they spoke were always, ‘All your fault.’

He continued not to tell his family about his soulmate, it was his burden and after all his soulmate could only be dead. There was no point, six years had passed and Damian had to accept the truth, his soulmate was gone and wasn’t coming back.

Damian had attended West-Reeves private school for three years, part of an agreement with his father. Jon also attended, but was three grades below him. The poor kid wasn’t even in the 9th grade yet, but that didn’t stop them from being their hero duo.

As Damian pulled up to the school (on his motorcycle, he was no longer the spoiled rich kid who felt so entitled to take a helicopter to school) he let out an internal chuckle. Jon was waiting for him, like he had been for the past three years, ‘some things never change…’

Jon ran over, pushing his dorky glasses up on his face, “Did you hear Damian?!” Damian rolled his eyes, “TT. What Kent?”

Jon was beaming while he informed his friend, “We’re getting a new student!” Damian sighed, “How exactly do you know that? And why do I care?” Jon pulled out his phone and wore a hyper focused look on his face as he tapped the screen. He promptly shoved it in Damian’s face.

“So Erica’s best friend Monica told her cousin Clarissa that her aunt, Principal Dunin, said that we’re getting a new girl from France! And you should care because she’s in your grade!” Jon grinned, unable to contain his excitement. Damian pushed the phone back into his half-kryptonian partner’s face, “I still don’t see why I should care. Seems unimportant to me, TT. Unless…” Damian tapped his chin, “Does she happen to be the daughter of some supervillain?” Jon rolled his eyes and shook his head, “Not everything’s about superheroing!”

“TT.”

“This girl could be super cute! Wouldn’t you want to know her?! I bet she’ll be your girlfriendddd!” Jon teased, wiggling his eyebrows. Damian gutted and flicked the boy in between his eyebrows.

“Hey!”

“I’m not so juvenile as you to think having a girlfriend is an insult, either way I don’t have time for a girlfriend, you know as well as I do that we have a job to do.” Damian huffed as he stepped off his motorcycle. Taking off his helmet and placing it in his school bag, Damian saw Jon starting to get ready to fire back a response. The young Wayne sighed and folded his arms.

“Damian! Come on, being a hero is fun but there’s other cool stuff out there too! And who knows maybe that girl will be your first ever crush! Ahhh I can see it now!” Jon squealed, anime stars practically glowing in his eyes. Damian rolled his eyes, “TT. Unlikely.”

Jon heard the first bell ring and pulled Damian by the arm, super hearing did. have it’s perks. “Come on! We better get to class. I can’t wait to hear about your new girlfriend!”

“I haven’t even met this girl. TT. You’re immaturity floors me Kent, it really does.” Damian retorted as Jon dragged him across the courtyard. Jon rolled his eyes as he pushed open the double doors to West-Reeves. They were greeted with the normal soft chatter that filled the halls. Most people were buzzing about the new girl. Damian resisted the urge to gag, he had to admit their private school was small but not so small that this girl should be the only thing people were talking about. 

“I heard she was homeschooled.” Damian heard as he passed by a young blonde girl, maybe younger than Jon.

“Monica said she’s from Paris can you believe-“ Exclaimed a brunette Freshman. 

“I heard French girls are hotter than Americans!” Said a muscular senior on the football team as he and two of his other toxically masculine friends fist pumped. Damian brushed the rumors off, he couldn’t care less, he dealt with rumors all the time, being a Wayne and all. He assumed the new girl would be overwhelmed by the attention, but honestly he didn’t care. 

Jon and Damian went their separate ways as Damian walked up the steps to his homeroom. The midnight haired boy scowled at those who passed him in the hall and smiled, his demeanor hadn’t improved much since he was a child.

He was still the Ice Prince. The class addressed him as such as well as the media. Damian truly didn’t care, he wasn’t eager to please like some people. Let the people think what they want, Damian didn’t care.

Besides if they had been trained by assassins, died after becoming a vigilante at the hands of their clone, and caused their soulmate’s death he was sure everything would roll off their backs too. Ever since the League he was taught not to be sensitive. He had grown a lot from the murderous heir of the League of Assassins and some of his walls had been broken down, but most would forever remain up and guarded because of the soulmate whom he would never meet that he never told anybody of.

Don’t get Damian wrong, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to. Well, he didn’t, but it went deeper than that. The great Damian Wayne wasn’t afraid of anything, but if he was he might’ve been the tiniest bit afraid of talking about his soulmate. The prospect of them gave him nightmares, there was no way he would let them infest his day thoughts too. There was a point in which he contemplated telling Jon. 

He ultimately decided against it. The boy would ask far too many questions for Damian’s liking and he was almost positive he’d tell Superman. Clark Kent would surely inform his father and then he’d have to deal with that. 

Damian walked silently in the hall as he tugged on his backpack, realizing a part wasn’t fully zipped. He kept his eyes straight ahead and surveyed his surroundings in his line of sight and peripheral vision, a habit from patrol and his days in the League. Placing his hand on the doorknob Damian opened the door to his homeroom realizing he was the first one there. This was not surprising in the least, most of his peers socialized with their friends and waited until the very last second to walk in. Damian took his seat in the back of the class and pulled out his assigned reading material. Well, technically it wasn’t due until three months later, but Damian was always ahead so he could be prepared for anything. He cracked open his book and started to read. He noticed the students trickling in, one by one, taking their seats. He sat alone in the back of the class, so he didn’t have to worry about his literature being interrupted. He continued to read as chatter filled the junior’s homeroom. Just as he flipped the page of the new paperback he heard the door creak open and a cheery voice call, 

“This is your homeroom! And don’t forget, you can always talk to me if you need anything!” He listened as a meek voice responded, “Thank you, I appreciate it.” The 16 year olds in the class had their eyes glued on the door as they knew it was the new girl who was speculated to be arriving. 

He heard the class light up with a buzzing excitement as the new girl turned the handle. The students craned their necks like they were in some over dramatic play to see her. 

Damian rolled his eyes and kept his eyes on the book, he knew if the homeroom was any suggestion that this would be how the new girl was treated at every class. He buried his head into the book,

‘This day is going to be horrific.’

Taglist:

@persephonebutkore @northernbluetongue @vixen-uchiha @caffeinetheory @18-fandoms-unite-08

[atamascolily]

Tyrant’s Test. Okay, we’re almost done here.

We open with Chewie on Kashyyyk having family time! I may re-read that section because I want to do a Kashyyyk thing later and there’s not that much detail in the TTT. Right now, I’m interested in Luke stuff.

. It’s impossible to work when the Current is in chaos. And it’s intensely uncomfortable to remain connected when the Current is carrying so much pain. 

This is interesting - so the Fallanassi live the way they do by necessity as much as choice - they cannot function without peace and quiet.

We start to see more of Akanah’s perspective and realize she’s manipulating Luke to keep him with her. At least Luke is aware of it?

But that threat was also nakedly manipulative, and his reflexive resentment allowed him both to see the emotional blackmail and to resist it.

It was not that he gave no credence to the threat. Akanah’s conduct on Atzerri had made clear that she was perfectly capable of striking out on her own when her interests so dictated. But he had no compromise or concession to offer her. The old, familiar demon of Duty had reentered his consciousness during the conversation with the shipwright, and he could do nothing else until he either answered to his conscience or silenced it.

There was no point in seeking a rapprochement with Akanah until Luke knew his own mind—until he knew if he could allow himself to continue the journey.

Again, DUALITY. fuck. “my way or the highway” - LITERALLY.

For the question gnawing at Luke was not whether Leia wanted his help, but whether she needed it. If his presence might mean the difference between triumph and defeat, then he would go to her—as she had come to him in his darkest moment, aboard the clone Emperor’s flagship.

Leia had pulled him back from the precipice of the dark power, and joined her power to his to defeat Palpatine. If she had not been willing to sacrifice herself and the child inside her in confronting the reborn Emperor, Luke would never have broken the grip of the dark side—and the history of the intervening years would have been written with the pen of tyranny. He could not have done it alone.

But having seen not only the great strength in her heart but also the Jedi power she could summon, Luke was all the more loath to volunteer himself as a rescuer. He knew that Leia had within her extraordinary resources of will and power—resources she had of late become reluctant to draw upon. Luke thought that he was much of the reason, with both his example and his presence creating disincentives. It was important that she find that strength again.

It seemed to Luke that Leia had neglected, even abandoned, her own training, and that her training of the children had become unbalanced, with the disciplines of warrior and weapon excised as if they were dispensable. Luke had not spoken of it with her, but from what he had seen, it was almost as though Leia hoped to delay, training the children as Jedi clerics rather than as Jedi Knights—as if the path before her, the path he had followed, promised to take her somewhere she did not want to go.

It was her choice to make. Her destiny was no more clear to him than it was to her. But whatever that destiny was, it seemed that she was fighting it rather than following it.

And it was certain she would learn nothing from an errant Knight’s well-intentioned but unnecessary rescue—if she would even allow it to happen. Knowing her streak of aristocratic, self-reliant pride, Luke was not at all confident he could count on her to ask for help, even if she needed it—not after the fight they had had the night he left Coruscant.

No, those around her, the others who loved her, would urge Luke to return to her side, no matter what the circumstances. And Leia herself would insist that he stay away, no matter what the circumstances. It was essential that Luke make his own assessment of the situation, that the decision be his alone. And it was better that Luke stay out of sight and out of reach until the decision was made.

Hey, a Dark Empire acknowledgment! And also, again, duality: either/or. Either Leia saves herself or Luke saves her. There’s no middle ground, no compromise, not alternatives. Sigh.

As always, there were hundreds of blind messages—love letters and propositions, requests for personal favors, questions from amateur and would-be Jedi, the occasional diatribe from an Imperialist stubbornly resisting the idea that his world had changed.

Luke almost never looked at any of it. The novelty value of blatant proposals had long ago faded, and the one-two punch of praise and begging had worn thin even faster—it was as uncomfortable as being surrounded by a crowd in which everyone wanted to touch him.

So let me get this straight: Luke is constantly being bombarded with e-mail requests, yet he’s unaware that women want Jedi babies? UNREAL.

The young woman looked up at him with eyes widened by surprise. Her tattooed forehead and cheeks marked her as a follower of the Duality, a popular and benign Tarrack cult founded on the twin principles of joy and service. 

Oh, wow, DUALITY AGAIN.

“My goodness,” Manes said, his steps slowing as he reached the main level and saw Luke clearly. “My goodness. This is an honor.” As an afterthought, he gathered himself for a salute. “Forgive me, sir—I don’t know your proper rank—”

“I no longer hold one,” said Luke, leaning over one of the data stations.

“Oh—I see. Then I’ll confess that I’ve never met a Jedi. Nothing unusual there, I guess—I don’t know anyone who has. Is there a proper form of address—”

“You can call me Luke.”

LOL.

The event had given both such inexplicable pleasure that he hated to take those memories away from them, but he had no choice. He had already blocked the machine records of his visit from being written to the logs. Compressing a nerve here, a blood vessel there, Luke brought on a moment of unconscious paralysis, and in that moment swept the memories from their minds.

Luke is very cavalier about mucking with peoples’ minds, I’m just going to say. Why not just mind-trick them directly?? Seems like that would be less invasive that cutting off blood vessels. 

By the way, this is how we learn Luke and Akanah Did It:

He leaned toward her conspiratorially. “Have you ever had sex in hyperspace?”

This time she could not contain her bubbling laugh of bemusement. “Yes,” she said, and melted away into the night.

*shakes head*

“Where the Current touches self-awareness, there is a tiny ripple—as when you sense a presence with the Force. The metaphor is more different than the means.”

“But I can’t feel anything here—nothing more than the energy of the ecosystems on the fourth and fifth planets,” Luke said. “Nothing of consciousness—nothing of will.”

“It is not consciousness or will that matters—it is the profound essence of being, nothing more,” she said. “I can perceive the crew just as you would perceive a handful of sand I scattered on the far side of a pool. From a distance, sometimes you can see only the effect, not the cause.” She smiled. “But you must be very still to see even that, for you are also of the Current, surrounded by the ripples of your being.”

Yeah, okay, so the water metaphor is spot-on. 

“Best for everyone if they never see us at all,” he said as he charted the course.

“Done,” Akanah said, looking on from behind Luke’s flight couch.

Luke looked up at her quizzically. “It can’t be that easy.”

“Why not?”

“Eh—don’t you have to know who it is you’re trying to hide from?”

“Why?” she asked.

“So you have a focus. So you know whose thoughts you’re trying to deflect. It’s done with precision, not brute force.”

“That’s coercive,” she said. “And invasive. You reach into another mind and bind its thoughts, or place your own there.”

“Well—yes,” Luke said. “But the use of that power is constrained. The purpose must be important enough to justify the deed and the consequences.”

“It seems the Jedi are always finding reasons to justify their violence,” she said. “I wish you would try as hard to find ways to avoid it.”

“Violence? What violence?” Luke protested. “More often than not, all that’s required is to induce a moment’s inattention, or reinforce a suspicion. No harm is involved. A sworn Jedi would never—oh, make someone walk off a cliff thinking there was a bridge there.”

Akanah shook her head in earnest disagreement. “You, who’re immune to your own tricks—who are you to judge the harm done? You do this in secret, to lead a suggestible mind, or compel an opposed one. Do you think that those you’ve coerced see the morality of it the same as you do? Besides,” she sniffed, “it’s inefficient.”

“What?”

“Inefficient,” she repeated. “It requires your constant attention and involvement.”

“If you know an alternative, I’m your eager student.”

“What about the way you concealed your hermitage?”

Luke frowned. “That’s different. I created it from elemental substances to have that quality—to blend in with the coastline as though it were part of it.”

“It was a powerful bit of work,” she said. “When I saw it, I knew you had the gift of the Fallanassi. But you didn’t go far enough and apply the principle to its ultimate conclusion.”

“Which is—”

“To make it not merely resemble its surroundings, but merge with them,” Akanah said. Closing her eyes, she drew a deep breath. She let the breath out slowly as she lowered her chin to her chest—and then she was not there.

“I’ll be a—” Luke reached for her where she had been standing, but his hand grabbed only air. “Cute trick,” he said, taking a step toward the refresher, away from the forward deck. “Handy for breaking into libraries, escaping arranged marriages—where are you?”

“Here,” she said from behind him. He turned to find her silting sideways in the right-hand seat, wearing a small proud smile. “Did I touch your mind?”

“No,” he admitted. “Not that I could notice.”

Akanah nodded. “A long time ago, one of the Circle discovered that when she achieved a particularly profound Meditation of Immersion, she would disappear from the view of others. Much later, we learned how to take an object in with us and leave it there.”

“Where do you go when you disappear?”

“Where do you go when you dream? It’s impossible to say. What does an answer from that context mean in this one?”

“Well—is it difficult?”

She shrugged. “Once mastered, it’s no more difficult or mysterious than concealing a cup of water by pouring it in the sea.” Then she smiled. “But achieving mastery is much like trying to remove that cup of water afterward.”

“And you’ve merged this ship?”

“Yes. Some time ago, while I was in meditation.”

“Will the engines still work?”

“Did the floors of your hermitage hold you, and the roof keep out the rain?”

Luke wrinkled up his face. “So we’re completely undetectable now?”

“No,” she said. “Nothing is absolute. But we’re safe from eyes, and from the machines that are like eyes.

gotta say, Luke totally deserves being dragged so hard here, given his behavior in these books.

“If I have to pick between your being an illusion and your being real, Akanah, I think I have reason enough to know that you’re real.”

OH COME ON WHY THIS COYNESS ABOUT THE SEX, LUKE??? Are you never even going to talk about it directly???

Oh, and Luke deduces that the Fallnassi are around him, and he can’t see them, which is clever. Not all of them are human - interesting. Luke convinces them to abandon their vows and help the NR against the Yevetha.

Leia goes to see Mon Mothma, which is kinda nice. They watch birds and it’s nice for Mon to be a mentor figure to Leia.

Leia turned and looked back at her mentor. “But I still don’t know how to choose between the other two.”

“I think you do,” said Mon Mothma. “What you don’t know is how to live with the choice. And there I can be of no help to you. That secret escaped you when the clarity left you.”

“When did that happen?” Leia asked, returning to sit on the edge of the stool at Mon Mothma’s feet. “I didn’t see it go—did you? Never before in my life have I struggled with decisions, or with accepting their consequences. It’s been so strange, watching myself from the inside, wondering why this woman was speaking for me.”

“Your clarity came from your certainty that our cause was just and our purpose worthy,” Mon Mothma said. “But there is little certainty of that kind to be had in a place like the Senate, in a city like Imperial City. Certainty is eaten away by the thousand and one compromises that are the currency of democracy. Causes fall victim to the building of consensus. Accountability becomes so diffused that it vanishes, and agreement becomes so rare that it startles.”

OH NO, there’s the duality again. Luke and Leia are mirrors of each other - see Luke’s ideas about isolation vs. civilization earlier. Sigh.

[perspective-series]

Kingdom Perspective (11)

By: @arc852 and @hiddendreamer67

Warnings: Fear, panic, kidnapping, keeping/treating people like pets, threats, and unwanted touching/grabbing

First Chapter || Previous Chapter || Next Chapter

—————————————————————————————————-

 Patton watched as Roman left with complete shock on his face. He...didn’t lock them in the cage? 

“I’ve got him pretty well trained.” Virgil joked, seeing the look on Patton’s face.

 Patton shifted a little but didn’t exit out of the cage.

“...well?” Virgil tapped his foot playfully, giving Patton a patient look. “Are you coming?”

 Patton bit his lip but did step out of the cage after much hesitation. He fidgeted with his hands. “Roman seems...different.” He said after another moment.

“Yeah.” Virgil admitted, having noticed the true change himself just earlier today. Virgil could only hope it stuck. “What was he like before I got here?”

 Patton shrugged. “I don’t really know. I never saw him much...or anyone, for that matter. I only ever really saw and talked to Logan. I think I saw Roman more in these past few days than in the whole year.”

“Weird.” Virgil found a comfortable spot to sit on a stack of papers, patting next to it for Patton to join him. “So tell me about Logan, then. Has he changed?”

 Patton took the seat and thought for a moment. “Yeah, I’d say so. Back a year ago he was so...serious. I mean, he still is but less so now. He was more intimidating back then but I could also tell there was a softness in there at the very beginning. Which just continued to grow throughout the year.”

“...uh huh.” Virgil gave him a judgemental look from the side. He had a feeling Patton was the kind of person who tried to see the best in everyone, which in this case wasn’t a good thing.

 Patton nodded, not taking notice of the judgemental look. “It’s just, he’s great now, you know? He didn’t even punish me for trying to escape earlier.”

“Okay, first, he should never punish you.” Virgil turned to Patton in shock. “But you really tried to escape earlier? I’m proud of you, Pat. What happened?”

 Patton looked away. “Well...it was less trying to escape than just trying to get to you. But, he caught me after I realized I couldn’t open the door by myself.” Patton looked towards said door with a sigh. But then he perked up. “But Logan wasn’t even mad! We had a long talk and after that, I realized I was happy here and didn’t want to leave Logan.”

“Does Logan have some sort of sorcerer powers?” Virgil asked genuinely, remembering that was a thing in this world. “Because that definitely sounds like some sort of brainwashing spell.”

 “Um...no, I actually asked him about that and he doesn’t have any sort of magic ability. Which is why he said only Dee would be able to get us back to our world.” He then turned to look at Virgil. “And I’m not brainwashed.”

“Well you certainly seem like it.” Virgil stood firm on his stance. “I mean, you’re seriously telling me you’re happy with the idea of being trapped in a cage the rest of your life, being viewed as an unintelligent pet? Because that’s Stockholm syndrome.”

 Patton glanced over at the cage. “It’s...it’s for my own safety.” Patton said, matter of factly. “And Logan doesn’t see me like that…” Logan was his friend, right?

“What’s the cage keeping you safe from?” Virgil looked over at it as well.

 “Um...other people?” Patton didn’t really know, that’s just what Logan had told him several months ago.

“Isn’t this Logan’s bedroom?” Virgil pointed out. “Does anyone else even come in here?”

 “Well...not anymore. But servants used to enter the room all the time and…” Patton shivered. A lot of servants were good at not even looking at him but others...other got a little too curious. “Now, I’ve only ever seen Roman, the king, and Logan’s advisor come in here.”

“Okay, but even then, how’s a cage going to stop them?” Virgil pointed out. “Any of them can open it. All it does is keep you from running away.”

 Patton looked down. “I...I guess you do have a point...but still! I trust Logan and he cares about me. And that doesn’t make me brainwashed.” Patton crossed his arms.

“It’s been a year, Patton.” Virgil reminded him gently. “It’d be really easy for you to mistake ‘not being as big a jerk as he could be’ for ‘caring about you’. And sure, Logan probably cares about you, but only like an owner cares for a dog. He doesn’t see you as a person.”

 Patton bit his lip. “Well, I think you’re wrong.” He said simply.

“Then why does he still treat you like a pet?” Virgil raised an eyebrow.

 Well...Patton didn’t really have an answer for that. So he just stubbornly kept his mouth shut.

“Patton, maybe Logan does really care about you.” Virgil knew he didn’t have all the details, even if the signs were pretty clear. “But if he really cared about you he’d want what’s best for you.”

 Patton bit his lip, thinking back to the conversation he had with Logan. How...How Logan had said he just wanted Patton to be happy. Even if that meant letting him go. But if Patton told that to Virgil, he would make him go back to their world. And...And Patton didn’t want that. “He does.” Was all he could say.

“Then he’ll want you to go too.” Virgil insisted. “And hopefully, between the three of us, we can convince him to take us back.”

 “But I don't want to.” Patton said once more, looking at Virgil.

“Why?” Virgil said exasperatedly, looking lost.

 “Because Logan is the only one who has cared about me in years!” Patton suddenly exclaimed. His eyes widened at his own outburst and he lowered his eyes, turning away from Virgil. “I need Logan and Logan needs me. We’re...friends.” They were friends, weren’t they?

“...Patton, that can’t be true.” Virgil gave his fellow human a sympathetic look. “You’re far too nice to be ignored. I’m sure somebody cared about you before Logan.”

 Patton was quiet, still not looking at Virgil.

“And even if you are friends, that doesn’t mean you should stay here.” Virgil shook his head. “I mean, only socializing with one person can’t be healthy.”

 “...I don’t think either of us are going to see eye to eye anytime soon.” Patton said after a moment. He finally looked back up at Virgil. “Can we just...drop it?” Patton’s head was starting to hurt and he didn’t like arguing with the other human.

Virgil stared at Patton for a moment, considering. He didn’t want Patton to stay here, but he also didn’t want to drive the human further away by continuing to argue.

“Fine.” Virgil shifted his sitting position to face forwards again. “Yeah, we can drop it.” He was quiet a moment. “Sorry.”

 Patton nodded. “Thank you.” And then, after a moment. “I’m sorry too, I hate fighting.”

“It wasn’t fighting, I was just...nope, sorry, right. Dropping it.” Virgil put his hands up in surrender, staring straight ahead.

 Patton sent Virgil a smile, letting him know that he appreciated Virgil dropping it. Patton looked around. They still had a bit of time before Logan came back and well, Patton didn’t really want to spend it in silence. “So...did anything big or interesting happen in the year that I was gone?” Patton asked.

“Well, we’ve got a clown in the white house.” Virgil joked. “Although I guess that’s nothing new. Uh….climate change is still going to kill us all. The bees are disappearing at an alarming rate.”

 Patton nodded, though he had already known all that from when he was taken. He didn’t have to worry about any of that stuff in this world though. “So still the same old earth, huh?”

“Not anymore.” Virgil gave him a grin. “They must be going insane, now that I’m gone. I practically run the place. Last year we decided to make it a dictatorship, and naturally I was chosen. I’ve always given off good evil overlord vibes.”

 Patton chuckled, knowing Virgil was just joking. “Aww, I don’t think you’re evil.” Patton thought for a moment. “And you know if that’s true, you just called yourself a clown, right?” Patton grinned.

“...I see you’ve caught onto my foolproof lie.” Virgil chuckled, realizing his mistake. 

 Patton laughed. It was quiet for another moment. “So...it looks like you and Roman are getting along now?”

“Yeah, I guess.” Virgil shrugged. “I mean, I didn’t change. Roman just became a half-decent person.”

 Patton hummed. “I was worried about you, when Roman first came in for Logan’s advice but it seemed he only got better with each visit.” Patton said.

“...shouldn’t he be back by now?” Virgil frowned, looking towards the door. 

 Patton frowned and followed Virgil’s line of sight. “It depends. He’s been getting later and later recently, what with the coronation coming up.” Patton explained.

“I meant Roman.” Virgil shifted slightly. “I kinda thought he’d be here for when Logan comes.”

 “Oh, uh, well if Logan’s the king than he’s becoming the next in line, right? Which means he needs to do all the stuff Logan used to have to do. So...he might be a while too.” Patton explained once again.

“Right.” Virgil began to bounce his leg anxiously. “But who do you think will be back first? Because I’m not exactly eager to do this without Roman.”

 Patton frowned. “Why? Logan’s great.” The human smiled at that. “And uh, well, I wouldn’t be surprised if Logan got back first, since he’s been out the longest.” Patton said with a shrug.

“Yeah, I’m not exactly eager to try and talk him into giving away his prized pet alone.” Virgil gave Patton a sideways glare. “I’m not exactly a friendly person, and giants have a tendency to not listen to me.” Virgil paused, his mind beginning to spiral through all the ways this could go horribly wrong. “Patton. When you’re...disobedient, what does Logan do?”

 Patton shifted uncomfortably. “Well...that hasn’t happened in a while.” Patton was usually good and the few times he did do something over these last few days, Logan had told him it wasn’t really his fault.

 “But...well, my punishments usually ranged from isolation to having my things taken away. He would also scold me sometimes, if he was really frustrated. There was also a few times I went to bed without dinner but those didn’t happen too often.” Patton thought back, shivering slightly at the memories.

“Okay, first, what the hell.” Virgil raised an eyebrow. “Friends don’t do that crap. That’s messed up. But uh…” Virgil licked at his chapped lips. “What do you think he’ll do with me? I mean, I’m not exactly obedient, and no way in hell I’m going to act it either, but…” But, at the same time, Virgil preferred his limbs stay attached to his body.

 Patton furrowed his eyebrows. “Well, you don’t have to worry about him hurting you. He’d never do that.” Patton thought for a moment. “But, I’m not sure. He might just tell Roman for him to deal with you? I can’t be certain.”

“How can you be sure?” Virgil turned to Patton, looking a bit frantic. “Patton, he’s a Giant. If Logan wanted to he could reach out and snap my arm with his fingers!”

 Patton gasped. “He wouldn’t do that!” He had feared that same thing, way back when, but it had been clear over time that his fears were unfounded. “Just breathe Virgil, everything is going to be okay.” He placed a hand on his back and rubbed it soothingly.

It was at that moment the door creaked open, a giant stepping into the room.

Virgil tensed, sitting up straight and looking at the eldest prince with trepidation clear on his features. 

Logan paused just inside the doorway, taking in the scene before him. The cage was open, and Patton was out with Virgil, but a glance around the room made it clear that Roman was nowhere in sight.

 Patton perked up. “Logan!” It was then that he realized he wasn’t inside the cage. “Oh, uh, sorry I’m out but uh, Roman came by and dropped Virgil off.” He motioned toward Virgil with a smile.

“I can see that.” Logan came closer, looking almost puzzled.

The second Logan took a step forwards Virgil shot up, standing on his feet and trying to look confident. “I’ve come to talk to you.” Virgil spoke. 

“Oh, you have?” Logan raised an eyebrow in bemusement. “Where’s Roman?”

“I said I’ve come to talk to you.” Virgil felt his hands curl into fists, hating the way giants always acted as though he wasn’t worthy of being addressed. “Not Roman, me.”

 Patton looked between the two, biting his lip. He wasn’t sure if he should say anything or what he even could say.

“You’re quite feisty for a human.” Logan noted. “But go on, you may speak.”

Virgil wanted to sass the giant further, but at the last second he remembered he was supposed to be winning Logan over. “I want you to send us home.”

“...I see. That isn’t exactly under my jurisdiction.” Logan pulled out the desk chair, sitting down so he could look at the humans from more equal footing.

“Yeah, but it’s going to be.” Virgil pointed out. “You’re gonna be king, and then you say the word and we could leave.” 

Logan paused, his eyes shifting to Patton.

 Patton met Logan’s eyes for a second, before looking down. “Virgil wants to go home.”

Logan didn’t know whether to feel guilty for the feeling of relief that washed over him.

“We both need to go home.” Virgil insisted, giving Patton a look.

“Well either way, I am not your caretaker.” Logan adjusted his spectacles. “Such a decision would certainly require a consultation with Roman.”

“It shouldn’t.” Virgil crossed his arms. “But Roman already agreed because he’s not a stuck up prick... anymore.”

“Be that as it may, I would still like to hear such a statement from his lips.” Logan glanced between the door and the desk. “Where is he, anyways? Why are the two of you alone?”

 “Roman got pulled away for his new duties.” Patton explained. “And, well, I heard Roman say he agreed too.”

“Regardless, this is quite the turn around.” Logan narrowed his gaze. “Roman was quite adamant about getting a human for a long time. How did you get him to change his tune so quickly?”

The question surprised Virgil enough to make the human actually think about it. “I yelled at him a lot and didn’t play all of your guy’s mind games.”

“Mind games?” The prince repeated.

“Yeah, like what you did to Patton.” Virgil jabbed his thumb in Patton’s direction.

 Patton sighed, turning to Virgil. “Virgil, there aren’t any mind games going on. I told you already.” He wanted to stay because Logan was his friend. Not because of some sort of brainwashing.

“I certainly haven’t done anything of the sort to Patton.” Logan assured Virgil.

“Am I the only one who’s not crazy?” Virgil scoffed. He walked across the desk, gesturing with both arms towards Patton’s enclosure. “You keep him in a cage! You make him do little tricks for your amusement. You act like he’s an inferior being and deserves to be treated like this. And even worse, then you go and lie to him about actually caring just so that he’ll stay here.”

 “He does care about me!” Patton exclaimed. He turned to Logan. “Right?”

“I...yes.” Logan answered Patton’s question truthfully.

“You hesitated!” Virgil pointed an accusing finger at Logan. 

“I was thinking about your previous statements.” Indeed, Logan’s mind was still processing it. He chose his words carefully, not wanting to be misunderstood. “I do believe you’re simplifying the issue.”

“There’s not exactly a grey area here.” Virgil argued. “Kidnapping people is wrong.”

“Fair enough.” Logan relented. “Although you must understand, in my defense, I was not the one who...took Patton from his former life. Indeed, unlike the case with Roman, I am not even the primary reason Patton is now within this realm. Patton was first discovered by the court sorcerer, who shared this discovery with my father.”

 Patton shivered as those memories came back to him. That had been the scariest moment of his life. A giant hand reaching from the heavens to grab him and take him into a place where everything was so much bigger than he was. Not to mention, he hadn’t been given to Logan right away. He pushed those memories down deep.

“Their methods were not always...kind.” Logan kept his wording mild, not wanting to trigger any unhappy feelings for Patton. Though Logan had seen and heard very few details, the fear that had always been present on Patton’s features back then was heartbreaking. Indeed, it was the first instance where Logan felt truly sympathetic towards an individual other than himself.

“Eventually though they grew bored of Patton.” Logan continued. “When father suggested getting rid of him, by rather horrific means unfortunately, I quickly offered to take Patton under my care instead.”

 Patton smiled. He remembered that well. “Y-Yeah! Logan saved me.” He’d be dead by now if it wasn’t for Logan.

“Fine, you did one nice thing.” Virgil relented. This king guy sounded like a premium jerk. Maybe it really was a good thing Logan was replacing him. “But that still doesn’t explain all the pet stuff. Patton is a person, yet you’ve been treating him like a talking hamster.”

“What is a hamster?” Logan tilted his head, confused.

 “Oh! A hamster is a kind of rodent about this big.” Patton showed how big they were with his hands. “Well, at least in our world. Humans usually keep them as pets.” Patton explained.

“That’s miniscule.” Logan tried to picture a creature so small, let alone of the rodent variety. Most rodents were the size of Patton. 

“You’re missing the point.” Virgil groaned. “You’re treating Patton like a pet and it’s freaking wrong and creepy.”

 Patton wanted to argue some more, he did. But he knew he was treated like a pet. Logan still definitely cared about him. He had just yet to change how he took care of him. But, they were friends now. Surely Logan still didn’t see him as a pet, like in the beginning.

“Patton is well cared for, and I thought it would be most beneficial to his health if I kept large changes to a minimum.” Logan spoke in a soft tone, as if explaining things to a child. “Certainly Patton has never voiced any concerns over these arrangements, so I was under the assumption that this was acceptable.”

“You just said he nearly died!” Virgil exclaimed. “Of course he didn’t say anything, he didn’t want to be punished and literally lose his life for saying ‘hey could I maybe not live in captivity like an animal’?”

 Patton looked down for a moment. “Logan...I...well…” How did he say this. “We’re friends, right? And I do want to stay but maybe if we lost the...uh...cage and stuff, that would be...nice.” Patton bit his lip and looked up nervously at the giant.

“...friends.” The thought had never occurred to Logan. Logan had never had many friends. As a child he was only allowed to interact with other children of noble birth, many of whom were too incompetent and tedious for Logan to stand being within the same room. Even Roman could only be around so long before Logan needed blissful privacy.

But Patton…Patton was certainly different. Logan had never grown tired of Patton’s presence. He trusted Patton more than some of his advisors, and the human was the only one guaranteed to be able to improve Logan’s mood. 

Indeed, though he had never applied that term to their relationship in his mind, it was clear that their bond was something akin to friendship. Patton was, at his core, Logan’s truest and only friend. 

But what did that mean? Keeping a pet was one thing, but keeping a friend…?

“Of course.” Logan nodded, his eyes glazing over slightly as he tumbled down a rabbit hole of thoughts.

 Patton frowned and was now looking at Logan with concern. “Logan? Are you okay?”

“...I think I have to go.” Logan abruptly stood up, almost bumping the table in his haste. 

“Wait a second, what about me?” Virgil stepped forwards, realizing this might be his last chance.

“I, yes, you can go.” Logan waved offhandedly at the table, heading for the door. 

 “Logan! Wait!” Patton called out. Though he wasn’t sure what, he knew something had happened. But what? Why was Logan suddenly acting like this?

Logan did wait a moment, his hand on the door handle. “I need to think.” Logan didn’t look in their direction, leaving to clear his head. The door shut with a resounding thud.

Virgil looked at the door, trying to figure out if this was a success. Logan did say he could go. Maybe he was finally breaking down, just like Roman.

 “What’s gotten into him?” Patton asked out loud but mostly to himself. Was it something Patton had said? 

“I’m not sure, but I think he might be coming to his senses.” Virgil answered, a slow smile forming on his face.

 “...Oh.” Could that be it? Was it his comment about the cage that tipped Logan like that? Patton couldn’t be for sure.

 It was a few moments later when the door opened again. Patton perked up, expecting Logan to have come back but instead came in Roman.

 “Alright, I finally managed to get away from them.” Roman sighed with relief. “Has Logan come by yet?”

Virgil nodded. “He was just here, but he left after we started him down a path of existential crisis.”

 “Oh, well...I’m not sure Logan has ever had one of those before.” Roman pondered. “This should be good for him then. What did he say about the whole, letting you guys go, thing?”

 “He’s gonna let Virgil go home.” Patton said, looking down at the ground. Roman blinked.

 “Just Virgil?” He raised an eyebrow.

“...we’re working on it.” Virgil said in explanation.

 Roman hummed. “Well, maybe we should come back tomorrow and see what Logan says then. Virgil? Are you coming back with me?”

“Oh, I mean, I guess.” Virgil was surprised Roman asked, but Virgil wasn’t eager to spend more time here. Even if Logan wasn’t as bad as Virgil had suspected, he was still an unknown. And hanging around with Patton got depressing after a while. 

 “Great!” Roman grinned and held out his hand for Virgil to climb onto. Patton looked up again when they said they were leaving. 

 “Bye Virgil. See ya later.”

“Bye.” Virgil gave him a wave, climbing into Roman’s hand with only slight hesitation. It wasn’t like he could get back on his own. No...wait a second… yes he could. Virgil was capable.

“Wait!” Virgil quickly hurried off, back onto the desk. 

 Roman blinked. “Wh-What?” Roman asked, caught off guard by what Virgil had done.

 Patton, too, was confused.

“I mean...I don’t need a ride.” Virgil explained. “I can get back on my own.”

 “...I repeat, what?” Roman asked. “You...can’t be serious.”

“Why not?” Virgil argued. “I mean, if I’m gonna be spending a few days here I should probably know how to get around.”

 “He has a point.” Patton said, backing his fellow human up.

 Roman sighed. He didn’t like the idea and it was much faster to just carry Virgil but...he didn’t want to lose what little trust he had gained. “Alright, fine. Do you at least want help down to the floor?”

“...yes.” Virgil admitted, remembering how his body was still bruised from the last time he yeeted himself off a desk. He climbed back onto Roman’s palm.

 “You know, it would be a lot faster if I just carried you.” Roman said as he kneeled down and placed his palm on the ground.

“You in a hurry or something?” Virgil asked, stepping down onto the floor.

 “Well, not exactly.” Roman admitted. “But still.”

Roman was correct, it would be faster. But Virgil didn’t want to become dependent on Roman, even if Roman wasn’t as awful as before. Virgil had to stay independent, or at least feel safe in the knowledge that he could be independent if he chose.

“I know.”  Virgil shrugged, beginning the trek to the door.

 Roman sighed but stood up and watched Virgil walk. He turned to Patton with a smile. “See ya later Pat.” 

 “Bye Roman.” Patton said with a small smile of his own. Roman then turned back and headed towards the door to hold it open for Virgil.

“...thanks.” Virgil muttered, trying not to flinch at the way the floor shook when Roman walked or get discouraged by how easily Roman covered the same distance. Not to mention, Virgil couldn’t have opened the door on his own. Maybe it wasn’t completely possible to be independent. He walked through the doorway, keeping his head down.

 Roman waited a little bit before following Virgil. He moved so he was walking next to the human. Although, he was only taking a step every, about, 20 seconds. It was kind of annoying but he wasn’t about to complain.

“...where am I going?” Virgil paused at his first fork in the road, realizing he didn’t actually know where Roman’s room was; everything looked the same in the hallways, too.

 Roman chuckled. “Just keep going straight down this hallway, turn right and you’re there.”

“Right, okay.” Virgil continued down the hall, speed walking to try and hurry along. He felt embarrassed about the way Roman had to lollygag behind him, feeling Roman watching him.

 Roman was trying his best to watch out for Virgil but even he didn’t have a chance to react as a dog came bounding down the hallway and right towards them.

[willel]

Random Season 4 Wishes

Here is a random list of things I want to see in season 4 in no particular order. Some of these are more like predictions than wishes, but at this point, any prediction made is just a wish. 

A break from all out romance. The romance wasn’t really handled all that great last season. Other than the looming monster danger, it was the forefront of season 3. I would like a return to a season 1/season 2 formula where while there is still romance, it is never the focus. Stranger Things excels with subtle tender moments and meaningful physical contact. 

Character growth over character drama. Another issue season 3 had is too much conflict between character. Hardly any of it really contributed to character growth. The only character growth to be seen is Mike being a little less clingy and El being a little more independent. Nothing else noticeably changed, not on screen. Conflict is important... but it should be pushing our character forward, not locking them in place. 

Recapture the importance of family. Our cast has been divided in two. The Byers + El are somewhere new while the others stayed behind in Hawkins. This leaves an excellent opportunity to revisit old threads long forgotten. I would love to see Nancy and Mike actually interacting. Not just one conversation or exchanging a glance. Full out brother and sister duo. I feel similarly about Jonathan with his own family. I would like to see a plot where all the Byers + El are in it together. 

Return of Kali. Kali, I feel, is a very important piece of El. While season 3 would have us forget her influence of El, I hope next season doesn’t completely ignore her presence. It would be interesting if Kali’s prediction comes true, that no matter where she hides or who she’s with, “they” will never let her live in peace or have a normal life. Not because I want harm to come to El, but because I don’t for a second believe the government is done with her or the other experimented children.

Proper strategist Michael Wheeler and proper action man Lucas Sinclair. I would like to see the return of the strategist Mike who always seems to have a plan and can get everyone on the same page. In season 3, he was fumbling around distracted. I feel normally, Mike would have set a trap for the Mind Flayer or would’ve formulated a proper plan to escape the mall or the cabin. In Lucas’s case, they did ok with him in season 3 actually, but it was really out of character for him to freeze up while El was being choked out. I want to see a more forward athletic Lucas. 

Will to make new friends. In season 3, we saw at least 2 of the 4 boys interests changing drastically and the other was all too eager to go off and hang around new people. Given Will’s situation (new town, new house, new school, distant old friends), I’d like to see Will gain some new friendships. That’s not to say he’d drop the old ones. They’re the OG after all. But, before all the drama of next season picks up, it would be nice to see Will being happy and acknowledged by new friends.

US Government becoming a threat again. Personally, I did not enjoy the Russian plot. Everything seemed like a joke. When the US government were the bad guys, everything felt more dangerous and dire. You never knew who was listening. Who was watching. What would happen if they found El or if they would hurt the boys and their families. Next season, I feel they could make the Russians feel like as much of a threat as the US government if both governments are clashing and in a race to the bottom. By that, I mean the government should become a major foe again racing against the Russian government to do bad things. Open a gate? Control a demogorgon? Allow the Mind Flayer in again? Both these governments should screw up equally. 

A slow return of El’s powers. I want El to get her powers back, but I want it to be a slow daunting process. It’s like she starts back at square one. She can move and pick up small things, but even that has taken her months. She’s stuck between being seemingly normal with no powers, but also missing the power she once had. 

Casual power training. As we know, Will is really into comics. El might be too since Max introduced her to them. A classic of comics is the super hero training to regain their strength or to become stronger. It would be really interesting if Will contributed to El slowly regaining her powers by setting up obstacles and challenges just for her. Maybe on the weekends, he designs a building and she must use wooden blocks/legos to make it with her powers. Or, build a house of cards. A game of darts using powers only. A game of catch. (I was going to say Jenga, but it looks like that didn’t get released in the US until 1987) Anything Will can creatively come up with that he thinks will help her regain her strength. (whether it does or not is up for debate) It’s mostly casual fun. Some bonding opportunities. Who doesn’t enjoy training the hero/super hero? (basically, it’s roleplay) 

Will’s power expanded. I am writing a proper theory page on Will’s/the Byers’s powers, but let me explain exactly what I mean here. It’s clear Will has powers, but they severely limited them in season 3. Examples:

Instead of only sensing the Mind Flayer when it’s nearby, he should be able to close his eyes, concentrate, and locate the center of activity

Will should have great insight into the Mind Flayer’s intentions even if it’s just honest guesses on what the Mind Flayer wants and what he’s trying to do (like in season 2)

Will’s danger senses should happen immediately, not delayed like we saw in the hospital or in the mall. He should be able to tell the Mind Flayer is coming for them from miles away or even across dimensions.

Will should retain true sight, the ability to see into the Upside Down. A dangerous ability to be sure, but can be useful if we’re going to have gates popping in and out around the world like what’s been implied.

Karen possibly discovering the truth. Honestly, Season 1 Karen is such a good mom. And in season 3, that discussion with Nancy was superb and beautiful. I would love for Karen to learn a little more what her two eldest kids have been up to. If not that, I’d like for her to at least give more guidance to her kids. I’d like for Nancy and Mike to vaguely come to her for advice and she’d grant it, no questions asked. (ok, Karen used to be very nosy so maybe she does ask questions, but takes a step back and respects their privacy)

Joyce to be believed right away. I honestly do not understand why people doubt Joyce, you know? She’s been right 3 years in a row now (Nancy too). I swear if anyone questions her intuition next season, she should give them her classic Joyce sneer until they realize how silly they’re being. In order of “alarm bells”, I think it will go like Will >> El >> Joyce >> Jonathan in quick succession. All 4 family members should be very sensitive to weird things as this point. 

Jonathan gets a plot. I want to see things from Jonathan’s perspective again. After season 1, we’ve barely gotten anything. I want to see Jonathan putting forth plans or leading the charge, at least for a little while. There is a great opportunity for this next season since he’s the man of the house about to graduate from high school if he hasn’t already. (*sobs remembering Will is taller than him now, officially). Heck, if we want to switch around the order of “alarm bells”, maybe Jonathan becomes alert of something wrong before Joyce does this time. 

Less product placement. In season 1/season 2, there was product placement, but that was because they were really setting the scene. It was 1983. This is what products used to be like. This is what was popular at the time. But season 3? They cranked that dial up 2000% when they didn’t need to. It really made it feel less serious and set in reality. Don’t dare use Lucas to spit out a damned Coke ad ever again. 

Genuine friendship moments. I’ve mentioned this earlier, but with less romantic drama and stuff, I’d like to see genuine friendships return. The El and Max friendship was great and all, but it’s really a shame it was so heavily focused on Mike. I hope in the future, these two girls are able to share screentime without the boys being mentioned or thought about. Same with the guys, it would be nice if they could hang out like before without splitting off into pairs or focusing entirely on their romantic lives. They don’t really feel like a friend group anymore, just a group of double dates (hence why I’d like for Will to make friends outside the original group.)

Proper use of the supernatural. Season 3 was weak when it came to the Mind Flesher imo. They had this whole idea of the Flayed who seemed to be totally normal (and sweaty) just walking around town living their lives until a flip was switched. Whyyyyy in the world weren’t they used to try to get at our cast? The only time they did it was in the hospital, but we saw dozens and dozens of people who could’ve served the same purpose except it could happen anywhere. Maybe there were other ‘patients’ in the waiting room that also turned on the kids that they had to fight off? Maybe strange people came to all their houses trying to find them or break in? They could’ve gone full creepy like season 1/2 but they didn’t. I’d like to see them fully use the horror aspects next season. 

That’s what I got off the top of my head. 

[whichwaytowonderlandep]

Whatever It Takes | Ch. I

Pairings: (Yoongi/Reader) | (Hoseok/Reader)

Genre: Romance, Angst, Smut

Words: 4,847

Tags: Mafia AU, Agent AU, smut, rough sex, fingering, multiple orgasms, penetration, boyfriend au, alternative universe, a lot of moaning....rewrite(?)

Walking into the Director’s office that morning, you knew exactly what was going to happen next. And as always you were already preparing to handle the situation. When you enter the office, Min Yoongi sat at his desk looking at what you guess were reports from the other open cases. “You left pretty early this morning” You hear him say, as he barely glances up at you.

“Yeah, I had to get home and get a change of clean clothes” You replied and you were being somewhat truthful, but it was mostly the part of having to wake up with him next to you. You never really liked the aftermath of sex and you never really wanted to feel anything for someone. You were afraid they would leave you again.

It was either cuddling with the guy or leaving in the middle of the night, to avoid any sort of confrontation. You did have to admit, the sex with Yoongi was great. But he wanted more than just that, he wanted a relationship and you were nowhere near ready for that.

When you first met Yoongi, you clearly thought he would only be a one-night stand. In your mind, that was all he was going to be. But that all went to shit when two weeks later you show up for your first day of work and who else is standing in front of you than no one other than the man you made you cum three times in one night.

The two of you remained calm, both giving each other a firm handshake as you dove straight into your work. You had been given three open cases, ones that had gone cold a few months back — just for perspective on the situation. It also meant a lot of one on one with the last detective on the case, who just so happened to be none other than Yoongi.

The first two hours you spent with just him alone went by filled with subtle stares and a throat being cleared here and there. It wasn’t long before he had you bent over his desk and was pounding into you like a madman. You couldn’t say that you didn’t enjoy the feeling of getting caught, after all he was a very important man and it was only your first day as an agent. That didn’t seem to stop either of you.

As two years have passed, you both have continued with your official/unofficial relationship. If you could even call it that. It was a lot of nights spent at one of each other’s apartments – fucking, mostly.

“So, when exactly where you going to tell me you were planning on taking an undercover position?” Yoongi says as soon as you placed your coat on the chair in front of you.

You let out a loud sigh, as you walk around the chair, placing both hands on his desk before leaning forward. Showing nothing but cleavage in your white button up shirt, smirking as you catch him sneaking a glance before clearing his throat and looking back down at the open folders sitting on his desk.

You knew Yoongi took shit seriously whenever he was in uniform. He was named the youngest director in the history of the agency, an accomplishment not a lot of people would be able to achieve.

You admired that about him.

“Well, director,” using officials with him has always been something he didn’t mind, in fact it was something that he liked to be called when he has you on all fours, pounding into you mercilessly. You guess, it made him feel more like a man. Although, you were puzzled to really understand why – not that you really minded.

“The order came from the higher ups. It wasn’t something I could’ve easily refuse.” You say, taking a step back until the back of your knees touch the front of the chair, falling on it with a thud. You cross your legs, hands resting entangled on your stomach as a smirk slowly appears on your face.

“Still, could’ve given me a heads up, Said anything – this was issued two days ago” he said, this time closing the folder he was examining and looking at you straight in the eye. “You had plenty of moments this morning or the day before that.” Yoongi felt angry that you would do something as dangerous as this without you telling him. He had already read the details of the operation that morning, he knew exactly what you were getting yourself into – apparently you were okay with that.

“Must’ve slipped my mind” you say in a sort of casual tone, but you were nervous to tell him about the new job. You knew the dangers that came with it, which seem to be more so than the other jobs you had done until now. But your field instructor had recommended you, saying you were ready and the board of directors thought that with your background you would fit right in. You fit the profile for the person they needed and you were more than eager to accept the job. It was a big opportunity so without even giving it another thought, you took it. Now if only you could explain this to Yoongi in a way he would understand and not freak out, that would be great.

“I thought you were done with those” You heard him say, “What if you get hurt again, I know you’re trained in these kinds of situations, but it doesn’t make me worry less.” He watches as you looked anywhere in the room, but at him. Yoongi furrows his eyebrows as he tried to get your attention until you spoke up. “(Y/N).”

“Yoongi… We haven’t been seeing each other for that long” you keep your gaze to the window, taking a deep breath, you continued. “Sex doesn’t really count as a relationship in my book.

“I want to do this job. I can’t promise you anything, but I can tell you that I will be at my best guard” Standing up from your chair you walk around the desk, pushing his chair back, now leaning forward until you were close enough to easily straddle him. “Plus, if it helps, I won’t be alone. One of the other agents will be coming with me.”

Yoongi’s face remained stoic, but you could feel his body trembling beneath you as if a gust of cold wind had come from nowhere. At that point, you knew you had him right where you wanted him.

“Uh huh, T-that’s good” he said, biting his bottom lip as you felt his hands on your waist, before sliding down lower and lower until they rested on your ass. Your tight black skirt slide up slowly, bunching up around your hips as you lean into his neck you give him a small kiss before pulling away completely. Your hips grind into his, his member brushing up against your center – you hear a small moan pass his lips.

You move away from him as Someone knocks on the door, fixing your clothing to look normal once again as you wipe your bottom lip – fixing your lipstick. You hear him groan as you walk away, laughing you grab your coat. “Sorry director. I’ve got a briefing to attend and you’ve got meetings to attend to.”

Yoongi send you a small glare,”This isn’t over” his hands reaching down to fix the front of his pants. They had grown uncomfortable and it was pretty noticeable that he was turned on.

You watch as he goes back to being a professional as he goes back to fiddling with papers on his desk, he nodded gesturing that you could leave. You smile widely as the other person knocks again as you walk towards it, eager to get to the conference room for your briefing. You pass his assistant on your way out, smiling politely as she looked you up and down.

There was always something about fooling people and pretending to be somebody else, that always gave you a giant rush of adrenaline. You love it. Yes, it does sound twisted, but you only did it for your job, which meant in a way, that this was a good thing – sort of.

“Where were you?” Taehyung asked you as soon you entered the meeting room. The light brown hair boy sending you a suspicious look as you take the seat next to his.

“Just something I needed to do” you replied, not really giving him any more information. Yoongi and you… well you never actually did tell anyone about the relationship the two of you had beyond boss and employee. It wasn’t any of their goddamn business either way.

Taehyung didn’t question it any further, although you definitely had your suspicions that he knew more than he let on. “We’re just waiting for Jungkook, he went to go get the complete file.” he said while taking a drink of his coffee as he swings his chair sideways, throwing his head back. It wasn’t long before Jungkook was bursting in through the door, hair a sweaty mess as he drops the folders on the table. Four coffees in his right hand as he tried to make his breathing get back under control. “Want some coffee?” he asked, before putting a cup right in front of you. “Thanks” You smile up at him, making him blush slightly. You’ve known Jungkook for a few days now, he was this shy and nervous boy when it came to socializing with the opposite sex, but put him in front of a computer and he was a god — which is why you guessed he was picked for this important mission.

“Morning (Y/N)” Jungkook mumbles, finally setting his stuff down before moving to turn on the projector. “Morning” you reply, smirking at Taehyung who seemed offended he didn’t get a ‘good morning’ from the younger male.

Jungkook was another one of the agents in the company, since most of the agents in our division had been undercover for the past few years, he was the one who started doing the briefings and figuring out most of the information that was needed for warrants, infiltration ad take downs. The man was a genius.

“So, you two are the only people going undercover” he said as he turned to face us. “Meaning whatever is said in this room doesn’t leave. The director knows most of the case already, I had already sent him the details this morning.“

“But as the ones who requested both of you for the job, they know the full case. Our director knows about this just as much as you do now.”

Serious Jungkook is now in session. — you think to yourself as you start swinging in your chair, head thrown back and head resting.

Turning back to the projector, he turned it on. Instantly a picture of whom you believe to be your target was shown on the screen. “What I’m about to show you, well only the higher ups and the three of us will know.

And you think you’re going to like this assignment as the handsome man is looking at the distance. The photo clearly taken without his knowledge.“Meet Jung Hoseok.” Jungkook says as he points towards the screen with some sort of ‘authority’. “One of the most dangerous criminals in the country and believed to be involve in gang activity, drug trafficking, prostitution, murder, there’s nothing this guy hasn’t done”

You look towards Taehyung as he looks towards you. “The thing that makes him the most dangerous is that none of these charges have ever been proven to be connected with him. He always seems to get out of it, somehow.”

You both knew little about the case, although the name Jung Hoseok was a familiar one for you. You’ve met the man before, in banquets or charity events – your family hosting most of them. You had connections and a reputation in the crime community. The only difference between you and your father was that you actually decided you wanted out – not that you actually told him that. Or spoke with him at all.

You wanted to be the opposite of what your father wanted you to be.

Let’s call it what it is, you were starting a rebellion all on your own. He wanted you to take over the family business and you could give a shit less about said family business.

Hoseok on the other hand had been the talk of the top circle in the last few months. No one knows where the hell he came from, he just appeared one day and a few hours later everyone knew his name.

You were especially interested in the man, he had a way of just capturing everyone’s attention with just one smile.

When he came into the picture, the rate of crime in the city went up to an all time high. A blip on your father’s apprentice radar as the months went on and on.

Jungkook takes a deep breath before continuing, “Now, we’re placing two highly trained agents on the board” he gestures to the both of us. “I’ll be your contact inside the agency, you only speak to me when you need to. A request from the Director is that we keep him in the loop at all times.”

“Outside of that you tell no one of your identities, you may use your current names as you both have a lot of contacts inside different gangs.”

“Yes, Sir”

“Understood”

Taehyung and you respond as Jungkook moves on to the next slide. “Following protocol, both of you will move to the safe house.”

“(Y/N), you’re the one who holds titles and a reputation in the crime world that will benefit us.”

One of the biggest reasons you even got the job in the first place, was your father. Kim Kyung Sun – the most want crime lord worldwide. There was no place that has gone untouched by him and the man has never been caught. To him, you were his most priced possession.

It had been a long eight months since you had last been home. Disappearing without a trace you went deep undercover, not for the agency but for yourself. The life that your father had planned for you was not the one you wanted for yourself. You wanted to be good, to do something for yourself that didn’t depend on his connections – that you can make it on your own.

That’s when you decided to join the agency. They were skeptical at first, you were only an confidential informant to them. Yet you had managed to gain enough of their trust for you to become a vetted agent, training with Taehyung for those three months before you were given missions to go on. But this was the first time you were going as an undercover agent – one that wasn’t really undercover at all as you were going as yourself.

Jungkook turns back to the slideshow, one that you’re sure he spent all night making just for a few seconds of presenting it.

“Hoseok is the leader and our main target, but every leader has a second in command in case something happens or to split the work load, Hoseok’s man would be Park Jimin.” Jungkook pointed to the screen. “He’s as ruthless as Hoseok, as dangerous too.”

“Fortunately for Taehyung, we already have a man inside, he’ll get you in as close as he can. Your job is trying to work your way up the chain, built some trust.”

As he turned to me, he sighed, “(Y/N), Your job is a little more difficult.”

“What do I have to do?” You were intrigued, excited to get started. You weren’t afraid of it, or the target. To be completely honest you were ready to meet the infamous Jung Hoseok.

“You need to get close to Hoseok.” Jungkook said, looking you in the eye. The most eye contact the two of you have had since you had started working here.

“You fit the type of girl he usually goes for, appearance wise. But they never really stick for a long time.” You look at the projector screen, pictures of six woman all with the same features as you coincidentally happened to have. Now you know why you were first choice for this mission.

“What we noticed from these very short relationships is that they were mostly in it for the money. And he got bored pretty quickly when they weren’t as exciting they appeared to be.” Jungkook scratches at the back of his neck, pulling a confused face as he clicks onto the next slide.

“So, he just threw them away because he got bored?” You ask, you were amused to say the least. “In a way… yes, which is why you need to just be you.”

Jungkook eyes widen as he realizes what he had said, “I-I m-mean, you’re just really pretty and y-you have connections.. I didn’t mean that in a bad way, you’re just the kind of girl he must be looking for.. NOT that there’s anything wrong w-“

“Jungkook, stop talking” Taehyung interrupts him, leaning back in his chair and smirking at the flustered and blushing boy in front of him.

“I’ll just shut up now” Jungkook mumbles, closing his eyes as he tries to avoid any possible eye contact with you. His cheeks turning a slight red as he hears you giggle at his embarrassment.

After the morning meeting, you and Taehyung were giving time to prepare. To clear up any loose ends before the two of you disappeared for a little while into your new personas.

You had decided against going back to your lonely apartment. You thought it was a much better idea to surprise Yoongi at his, knowing the older man probably won’t be home until around midnight and he would also have his fridge stocked up with food — most of them your favorites.

You and Yoongi were stuck in this weird relationship. A relationship where you slept with each other but weren’t really together. You weren’t friends with benefits either, but the word boyfriend had never been thrown around. You weren’t really sure what to call this little thing you had between you, but you liked it.

It took you exactly twenty minutes to get from the agency to his one bedroom apartment.

You let yourself in with the spare key he had given you, moving to take of your heels before throwing him to the side. You were greeted by complete and utter darkness the moment you enter the living room.

You were right, Yoongi wasn’t here yet and he probably won’t be until eight at night. Not that his late hours bothered you, he was a very important man after all.

You spent a better part of your afternoon taking a long bath and cooking Yoongi’s favorite food for dinner before you heard the sound of front door being opened. You stood in the kitchen with a glass of wine in you hand whilst the other held a tongs as you waited for the noodles to finish cooking when Yoongi came in.

“I didn’t think you were coming today” Yoongi’s tired voice rings out from behind you, turning to see the tired man behind you before turning back to the pot in front of you.

“You look like crap” You reply, feeling his hands wrapping around your waist. His head resting on your shoulder as he takes a small peek at what you were making. The smell of food started invading his senses as he holds you closer, eyes closing before you feel his his nose brushing against the side of your neck.

Yoongi’s lips leaving small kisses wherever they seem to land, his hands moving to grip at your hips. You begin to feel him suck and bite at the side of your neck as you continue stirring, ignoring his subtle attempts to make you wet – they were definitely working.

Yoongi moves one of his hands to the middle of your stomach, laying it flat on your stomach as he slowly slides it down to your middle. You feel yourself flood when his pale hand cupping your center as he grinds himself into your backside – his hard member pressing roughly between the cheeks of your ass as your sheer leggings left nothing to the imagination.

“You don’t know what you do to me” Yoongi groans out against your ear as you let out a low moan when you feel him grind into you again – this time thrusting himself against you.

“Or maybe you do” Yoongi breaths out into your ear as his index finger rubs against your clit – the rough material from your leggings making it feel a hundred times better. The sound of the two of you breathing heavily the only thing filling the room. “Of course you do”

Yoongi moves the hand that was gripping your hip towards the boiling pot of soup, moving it to the side carefully before turning off the stove. It wasn’t long before he had you pinned against the opposite counter and a hand was on your ass – grabbing a hand full of it before his hand came down hard, making you jump at the sudden spanking and making you wet at the animalistic look in his eyes.

His hand makes its way back towards your center rubbing at it before slipping into your leggings, past your sorry excuse for underwear. You whimper when he brushes against your clit and moan out in ecstasy when you feel him push in one of his long slender fingers.

A smirk spreads against Yoongi’s face as he watches you close your eyes, one of your small hands gripping at his wrist as he pulled the finger in and out of you.

Yoongi chuckles to himself as he feels your nails gripping him harder when he started curling his finger inside of you – nothing but pleasure shooting up your entire spine.

His hair falls over his eyes, the sleeves of his button up shirt pushed to his forearms as he buried his head into the side of your neck again. “I can’t wait to taste you” Yoongi growls, his hot breath against your neck making you shiver in anticipation as you feel him pull away from you. His hands gripping at your leggings before he pulls them down forcefully, the sound of your underwear ripping all you could hear before he was pushing your legs open and shoving three fingers inside of you – his hand moving too fast for you to comprehend what had just happen.

You feel your stomach tightening, the squelching sound of just how wet he had made you in just a few minutes was almost as loud as your very very loud moans that fill the room.

“You want me to keep going?” Yoongi smirks, his lips pressing against your jaw as he continues his attack. “Want me to make you come?”

Your eyes close tightly as you move to grip onto the counter behind you, your legs shaking at the feeling of your orgasm coming over you. “Yes, please…” You manage to whimper out, high pitch moans escaping your lips as Yoongi’s hand continues to move at a quick pace. He pulls his hand away almost instantly, leaving you a shaking mess as you continue to lean against the counter. Your tired eyes meet his own as he sticks his fingers wet with your juices in his mouth and starts sucking them clean – pulling them out with a pop.

Yoongi’s darken with lust as he runs a hand over the front of his pants. He doesn’t give you a chance to come down from your high before he is trapping you, pulling you closer to his body before he’s turning you around against the cold counter. You hear the sound of his zipper being pulled down and your hair being yanked back, making you expose your neck to him once again.

You feel the head of his member brushing against your entrance, feeling him push in ever so slightly as you try to adjust to his girth. It always took time getting used to. You could feel Yoongi’s hot breath hitting the side of your neck, his member now fully inside you as you stood on your toes – trying to adjust to the feeling of being full. “Please move” you whimper, “Do something!”

Oh, how you hated to beg. But the man behind you was driving you crazy and he knew just how crazy he was making you. The smile you felt against your neck being enough evidence of the thoughts swimming around in his brain.

“Why should I? You’ve been acting like a brat the entire day.” He quips, his hand sliding down the front of your naked thighs as he feels you shivering underneath his touch. “I think… you should work for it. Make me cum.” Yoongi softly bites your earlobe as he moves the two of you around, being careful enough to keep his member inside of you – to torture you.

He leans against the counter, his hands no longer touching you as he crosses them across his chest. “Go ahead, fuck yourself” Yoongi commands in a deep voice. You wasted no time as you began moving, his large member filling you up with every thrust you made – each one harder than the last.

Yoongi wasted to time in unbottoning what was left of his shirt and leaving it handing on his shoulders as he move to grab at your waist. Moans leaving his lips as his brows furrow at just how tight you felt around him.

His grip on your hips tighten, his hips now moving to meet your thrusts before he’s pushing harder and faster into you. You lean your hands against the opposite counter, trying to hold yourself up as Yoongi leans against your tank top covered back. One of his hands moving up to the front of the top before pulling it down and yanking it down – revealing your naked chest to the cold air before grabbing a handful of your breast, kneading it roughly in his hand before he pull his hand away to give your breast a two quick slaps before grabbing it in his hand again.

“Fuck!” You yell out as your second orgasm comes out of nowhere, your mouth open as you try to gasp out something – anything, but as Yoongi continues to move his hips at a bruising pace you lost any kind of thought you had in your brain.

Your body felt overly sensitive and as Yoongi showed no signs of stopping, your third orgasm came without much of a try. You were tired, your body was tired. Yoongi’s hands wrapped around your waist in an attempt to keep you standing, pulling back until he was leaning against the counter and you were leaning against his chest.

His thrusts became slow and hard, his heart beating aile a minute as he fucked up into you. His hands reaching up to touch both of your breasts as his mouth painted the side of your neck in love bites. “You’re so beautiful” He whispers, his hand moving down to your clit. The feeling has you jerking back into him, not thinking you can come one more time in the span of just a few minutes. The flick of his finger was slow and gentle, but enough for you to feel your stomach tightening for a fourth time.

“Just one more” Yoongi maintains, his thrusts picking up in their pace before his hips begin to stutter. You feel him empty himself inside of you, thrusting his come inside of you as your fourth orgasm washes over your entire body.

Sweaty bodies against one another, heavy breathing and tired eyes closing halfway, the two of you stayed connected as Yoongi’s penis became soft before he pulled away. You could already feel both of your orgasms slipping down your inner thigh.

Not even training for a full day would make you as tired as the man behind you did in just a couple of hours.

“Come on.” Yoongi tiredly says as he grabs on your arm, his clothes forgotten on one side of the kitchen floor as he walks you over to his bathroom. He turns on the hot shower before helping you out of the last clothing you had on, pulling you underneath the water – following you in.

Yoongi softly grabs your chin in between his fingers, his lips meeting yours in a soft kiss. A contradiction from the man you had sex with not too long ago, a kiss that meant what had just happen was more than that. It was a kiss to say I love you.

Chapter Two>>

[gods-rising]

May Post - Mothers’ Day

How would the cast of Gods’ Rising celebrate their mothers - or just their family in general - on Mothers’ Day? Mothers’ Day has happened already in England however that month was dedicated to Birthdays. Sorry for how late this is, life got busy at the wrong time.

Main protagonists first, then minor protagonists, then main antagonists, then minor antagonists. Background characters not included.

Jakob Sullivan - Jakob doesn’t remember his mother or if he even actually had one. But if he did have a mother, he’d buy pretty flowers, a nice card (and write a personal message, maybe thanking her for specific details, maybe nodding toward an inside joke) and cook her a nice breakfast in bed. Even if it turns out he didn’t, or doesn’t, have a good relationship with his mother, he’d try his best to make her feel loved that day.

Zlatko Jones - Zlatko celebrates Mothers’ Day by bringing his mother breakfast in bed and treating her and his little brother to a three person feast with a homemade dessert and ice cream. He’d get his brother a present and card to give to their mother, and get a smaller present and card for himself as well as a big card from the both of them. It’s her day, he reminds himself, and it’s up to him to make her feel special, everyday.

Charlie Parker - Charlie is sans a mother figure, so she takes it as another day to celebrate her father, whom she loves dearly. She’ll throw him a present, probably a corny mug, and give him a Mothers’ Day card and write a joke in it. She likes hearing his laughter; even if the joke is terrible, he’ll chuckle over a hot mug of coffee, which she’ll make (and maybe deliberately fuck up), and she’ll know that she made his day a bit better.

Alex Wilson - Alex, before everything fell apart, would rarely help his siblings get gifts for their mother, having to be urged by either his father, uncles or grandparents to just wish her a good day. Sometimes he’d give her the presents that had been bought by someone else and wouldn’t resist too much to be in the pictures they took each year with her. Looking back in time, he realises, he wishes he’d been persuaded more often.

Kenna Collier -  Kenna wants to stay as far from her mother as she can after the divorce - her mum’s... bizarre nature often ruins her daughter’s plans and mood, and there’s certainly a disconnect between the pair. The moment the opportunity arises to avoid spending Mother’s Day with, well, her mother, she’ll take it without hesitation. She’s disinterested in spending time with her mother. Her mother knows nothing about her.

Klara Lullay - Klara never really celebrated Mother’s Day. Without a mother and a father and grandfather she didn’t see worth celebrating, there was never any need. She’d celebrate herself, because she was the only one who was worth it, in her perspective. When not being hassled or tutored by her grandfather, she’d make herself a cup of tea (despite not being fond of it, she saw it as a celebratory drink) and make some food.

Eban Jones - Eban really wants to make his mother feel special but his anxiety gets in the way of him buying things (it’s hard to buy things when you can barely talk to the cashier). So he finds himself still having to get Zlatko to buy stuff for him. He does help his brother in the kitchen though when making the Mother’s Day meal - but whether that’s for better or for worse, no one is really sure. It’s a hit or miss most years.

Grace Smith - Grace was the closest with her mother and would often draw things for her, get her father to make a breakfast for her to bring to her mother in bed and would go outside and pick flowers from the neighbour’s garden for her. But now, her mother is gone, so she takes the time to appreciate her father and, since she can’t ask him to cook for her, she either gets Kai to help or just goes down to the nearest shop to buy a meal deal.

Kai Smith - Kai was never really too close with his mother, and she seemed to feel the same way, but would still try to participate in Grace’s celebrations of her. This usually met carrying anything Grace couldn’t or wouldn’t. Even before his mother was gone, Kai would prefer to spend time with his father, helping him wash up from Grace’s endeavours, watching television with him and playing video games. Now they have a Player Three.

Maddie Eyighes - Maddie barely celebrates her foster mother, only joining in just enough to get by without hassle, whether that means carrying the breakfast or just being in the background while her foster siblings surprise their mother or opening doors for her foster mum. The moment her necessary deed is done, she’s off, outside and running. Not like she can do anything inside, it’ll be taken up by her foster mother, and outside she’s free.

Nastasia Lavisco - Nastasia, for Mother’s Day, decides to get into more paid fights, win more supplies, trade some of the rest for more profitable supplies to sell, put some of the original supplies up as winnings for two people to fight over, hide some of the profitable but criminal supplies in too, sell the rest, use the money to buy better weapons and repeat the cycle. It’s what she does everyday, and why should a holiday about a mother change that?

Aidan Lavisco - Aidan is very lucky to have help from the people of the palace, as Mother’s Day is almost a necessity rather than a celebration. It’s the one time Aidan is allowed to run a dance, because the mother in question can’t be involved. He decides the scheme, the theme, the dress code, the predominant dance and the menu of it all, but it’s barely a choice. He’s been trained exactly what to say, by a mother who pulls the strings.

Valeriya Jones - Valeriya, as a mother herself, loves Mother’s Day. She always has, as she was especially close to her mother. They would cook together, Valeriya always learning a new recipe, a new trick, a new skill each time, and she treasured that time with her mother. Being a mother of two boys has been a challenge, but she can’t help but be cheerful when her sons show her their appreciation, especially through recipes she taught them.

Kyle Smith - Kyle had been eager to bring his mother gifts and flowers when he was younger, but stopped as the teen years got closer and his fights with his parents became more prominent. Then, when he had kids with his wife, he helped the two celebrate her, or spent time with his son if he wasn’t helping his sister at all. But those days, with his mother and wife, are behind him, and now he’s the one celebrated on Mother’s Day.

Tyler Brae - Tyler, being the immortal Demon King, is obviously without a mother but he finds the day endearing. For him, Mother’s Day is another opportunity to show how much his ragtag family means to him. He’ll choose some corny but interesting film, buy some snack food while his family is preoccupied during the day and get them all in the living room to watch it. They’ll pretend to hate it and complain but he knows that there’s nowhere they’d rather be.

Shadow - Shadow never celebrated Mother’s Day before and would happily continue to not... too bad he lives with Tyler. Finding himself wrapped up in the demon’s shenanigans continues on this day as he helps Tyler set everything up for the rest of the family. If Tyler wants to cook something, Shadow is there to help him and stop the inevitable house fire. Tyler might ask him one day if he’d prefer to stay out of it, but Shadow won’t let him do it alone.

Mehmun Salton - Mehmun doesn’t remember many Mother’s Days - not with his mother, not with his aunt, not with the mother of his daughter. He prefers not to, because who knows what other memories will arise? All he knows is that he had too few Mother’s Day with his actual mother and not enough with his wife. So he has no idea what he used to do - but he finds he enjoys watching shitty films with a group of other traumatised misfits.

Preston Sin - Preston’s mother is long gone, thanks to his immortality. When she was alive, Mother’s Day was special for her and gifts were expected. If she received one less gift, there was hell to pay, even though all of them knew the gifts would maybe last a day or two at best before finding themselves in the bin. But now, she’s gone, and he’s still around and kicking, with a new family who would never throw away presents.

Maggie Snare - Maggie didn’t celebrate her stepmother for Mother’s Day after her actual mother divorced and left her father, which may have started the rivalry and contempt but who knows? Most Mother’s Days, she’d go out with her friends or spend the day studying and being as far away from her stepmum as she could humanely be. If there were plans, she’d reluctantly abide by them. Now she has more freedom and people worth celebrating.

Luke Fortunato - Luke was too young to be able to get things for his mother before he and his brother were sent into care, plus there wasn’t much she cared for. The people running at the carehome weren’t motherly (or fatherly for that matter) so they never expected gifts, almost never received them and they seldom deserved them. He’s glad he didn’t bother because if he had, maybe Ezekiel would have been more bothered. 

Ezekiel Fortunato - Ezekiel’s only gift was to fuck shit up for them - pour the carers’ secret stash of booze or weed into the gutters, piss in their food, blocking the drains up, anything really to make the carers’ lives just as miserable as their clients’. It was a daily gift, because he didn’t know Mothers’ Day was a holiday for a long time, barely escaping his teen years without knowing it existed. He regrets not knowing - coulda done more.

Kiyoshi Kornai - Kiyoshi didn’t have a mother figure, even though she was a Born Hell Demon, and demons don’t celebrate human-made holidays regardless. It took a while for her to be introduced to the concept of the holiday and she’s still uncertain on how she feels about it - cute and something she celebrates with her family now but, at the same tine, how many times was she suffering on Mother’s Day?

Amber Miller - Amber used to love her mother and was often buying her flowers and chocolates. She’d buy her all sorts of flowers, like roses, and try to pick out all the best chocolates for her, wrap them up and bring them to her in her bed. Now she regrets bothering. She could have saved up that money for something, maybe for when she ran away after her parents refused to accept her as trans. But she didn’t. She wasted it on her mother.

Johnny Miller - Johnny would chip in with their sister’s presents to their mother, giving maybe a pound or two extra to really buy something nice. However, they weren’t as close with their mother, or their father really, Amber being the parent-adoring child. Johnny preferred his own company. But that didn’t make it any harder for Johnny to run away with Amber. Not that they’d ever choose them over their twin. They’ll never be far from her side.

Damien Roth - Damien was an Original Demon, created by the hands of the gods personally, meaning he has no family. He would celebrate the gods, before the war, and give the divine gifts - loyalty, worship, love. That changed when his eyes opened to the injustices demons faced in a world catered toward mortals. Now, with the gods dead and a King who needs to die, the only thing he’ll celebrate will be the promise of them never returning.

Ayla - Ayla is usually in charge of all the Light World balls - not the Mother’s Day one, however. She’s not involved, and leaves it to her son. However, she makes sure he knows what she wants, and that there’s hell to pay if demands aren’t met. Though the Mother’s Day ball is often praised as her son’s, it’s a product of her incessant control and manipulation. That’s the best Mother’s Day gift she can get - relentless power.

Loki Lullay - Loki grew up within the Lullay family and the supposed Lullay curse took his mother from him at a young age. Mother’s Days were the days he’d visit her grave with his brother and father, to lay the most gorgeous flowers for her. He hasn’t seen her grave for eighteen years while his traitor brother keeps up the tradition, or at least he assumes he does. Maybe that’s what drives him to madness. Twenty years away from her.

Malcolm Gull - Malcolm bought flowers for his own mother and his best friend’s mother, before she died at least. After that, he’d buy his best friend flowers on that day, even chocolates, and they’d have a picnic as well. Those were some of the best days for the pair of them, playing Frisbee and football. Then his best friend died. Because of the sorcerers. Because of a sorcerer. He’ll avenge them. He’ll avenge them both. He’ll avenge him.

Nico Angel - Nico never got into Mother’s Day. He’d buy stuff, or at least his father would, for her, maybe bring her a half-hearted breakfast in bed, but no real effort or time put into it. That changed when he became a father, as he’d help his child treat his wife on that day, making food, buying flowers, showering gifts. Too bad it didn’t stay that way - he didn’t stick around for long with them. He just hopes his sons treat their mother well.

Davey Sullivan - Davey grew up with no mother, a dead brother and hatred for his cousin. His father made sure he knew it was his cousin’s fault his mother and brother were dead and made sure that he knew it was his fault that his cousin got away unpunished for his guilt. But for Mother’s Day itself, he’d go to his mother and brother’s graves, lay flowers down and promise them he’d get his cousin punished. Once and for all.

Aerron Yelad - Aerron’s mother loved him much more before he got diagnosed with autism. Despite being ‘vaccine injured’ and ‘proof vaccines do more harm than good’ and ‘the reason I’m not vaccinating the rest of my kids’, he still loves her a lot. He understands that she does love him, he’s just harder to deal with, and she’s giving all the attention she can. But he still feels alone. Alone enough to make bad choices. He’s so desperate.

[hallhub6-blog]

CYCLE OF RAGE: NIMBY Lawyer Arthur Schwartz Sees Himself as Jane Jacobs Fighting Robert Moses

Arthur Schwartz will not like reading these words, but he is a NIMBY lawyer.

As the attorney for a coalition of block associations that is fighting the bike lanes on 12th and 13th streets, as well as the city’s plan to turn 14th Street into a dedicated “busway,” he has been called much worse by supporters of street safety and transit improvements. But by the neutral definition of a NIMBY — a neighborhood resident who hears about a city proposal and says, “Not in my back yard!” — Schwartz is definitely a lawyer for NIMBYs.

But he would prefer it if you’d call him the heir to Jane Jacobs.

I spent 45 minutes on the phone with Schwartz on Friday afternoon after vandals attacked the bike lanes that his group wants removed. He condemned the violence, but then spent the next 44 minutes arguing that the pro-transit community has him and his clients all wrong: They are merely fighting for the “community” to have a say over changes to the neighborhood.

And they believe, he says, that closing 14th Street to cars will send those cars onto local side-streets. He might be right — but then only mentioned congestion pricing as a tangential issue. He also made it clear that he opposes select bus service on 14th Street. So, no, he’s no Jane Jacobs in that respect.

He also was very eager to defend his credentials as a “progressive” after many opponents pointed out that it was, how you say, odd, that Schwartz, the political director for the New York Progressive Action Network, was fighting transit and other green transportation efforts on behalf of rich Greenwich Village residents and their supposed right to free on-street car storage. (Schwartz, of course, said parking is not his issue — he spends $600 a month to garage his car).

“Before you attack me as a lawyer for NIMBYs, … check out what I have done for the last 40 years,” he told me in a pre-emptive email after our chat. “I have been the elected Democratic District Leader for the Village since 1995, re-elected 11 times, got elected as an Obama-pledged DNC delegate in 2008, a Bernie delegate in 2016, represented Bernie in 2016, Cynthia Nixon in 2018, Jumaane Williams in 2019, and have built a public interest legal foundation in my spare time (I need paying clients, mostly unions, to pay my bills).”

I pointed out that it’s not an attack to call Schwartz the lawyer for a “not in my backyard” group. “Your group is literally opposing something because of the impact it would have … in your backyard,” I said. “An ‘attack’ would be to say you are corrupt or doing something immoral, which we have not said.”

“But even NIMBY is unfair,” Schwartz argued. “When people in Soho rallied (unsuccessfully) against Trump Tower Soho, was that NIMBY? When I represented many of the same groups to keep a Costco from opening on 14th Street (we got a YMCA instead) was that NIMBY? When people living near NYU sued to stop NYU from building three new 40-story buildings was that NIMBY? … NIMBY is a negative term, which I reserve for things like wealthy people opposing affordable housing in their neighborhood.” (To reiterate, NIMBY is not automatically a pejorative. But when people say they love bike lanes, but only in other people’s neighborhood, the shoe fits. And in this particular case, it’s a tasseled Gucci loafer.)

He claims instead that he and his group are merely fighting for “genuine community involvement in planning,” but in our chat, he said he knows nothing about other neighborhoods or their residents, and does not acknowledge that cyclists and transit riders should also get “genuine community involvement.” He ignored many of the basics that truly define progressive politics: concern for the common man, the ability to look beyond one’s own self-interest to the greater good, or even the desire to bike a mile in someone else’s delivery poncho.

The best part of our chat was his conclusion that the mayor would listen to the “very powerful Transportation Alternatives” and retain the L-train streetscape changes as a favor to the all-powerful bike lobby — a conclusion that is very unlikely, given the mayor’s fealty to the automobile.

It was a bombshell interview, presented here unedited, though with some explanatory notes:

Streetsblog: First of all, what did you think of the vandalism?

Arthur Schwartz: I condemn it. If somebody put glass in the street then it’s horrible. I don’t believe in vigilante action.

Streetsblog: But members of the 14th Street community put up signs suggesting that bike lanes don’t belong on “their” streets.

This graffiti appeared on 13th Street near Avenue A on Thursday. It is a reference to parking spaces that were removed to provide more safety for cyclists.

Arthur Schwartz: My perspective is this: I support bike lanes. When I was a community board member — which I was for 24 years — I would take pride in being the foremost proponent of the bike lane on route 9A [the West Side Greenway]. It was the first and it is still the best as far as I’m concerned. It has the most usage and it’s the safest, until some terrorist comes driving down with a car. And I supported the north-south bike lane on Hudson Street in the early 2000s. I was a big supporter of bike lanes. I am not against bike lanes. I want to be clear: I am not anti-bike lane. I have a Yuba chained in my house that is well-used, and I have two Citi Bike keys. … When my kids were younger, they used to ride on the back to school. [He described a specially made bike that he custom-designed for his kids.] People used to take pictures of my kids on the back reading books or eating sandwiches. So, I’m a big supporter of bikes.

Streetsblog: OK, you’re a lawyer so let’s stipulate two things: You’re a better father than I am and you’re a supporter of getting around by bike. Fine. But if you’re such a supporter, what bothers you about bike lanes on 12th and 13th streets and a busway on 14th Street?

Arthur Schwartz: I happen to believe that communities that are affected by any change should have a meaningful impact into decisions about that change. … Affected communities should have a real say, not just bullshit, but a real say on changes in their community. I served on CB2 for 24 years. … I was the major insister that park planning … genuinely involve input of and responsiveness to the community. I have four kids. That department and the Hudson River Park Trust responded to the community and changed a lot of stuff. They’d come to us with a plan … and we would organize community input and they’d modify and they would try to make people happy. Even if people would come from other communities to use a park, to me, people who live there should have the most say. Just because someone says it’s a great idea…Robert Moses said that. Robert Moses wanted to build an expressway right down Fifth Avenue and the community said, “This is our community.” Jane Jacobs said local people should be involved in planning. She beat them. So you say, “This is not your street. Fifth Avenue belongs to everybody.” Yes and no. People that live in the affected community … have to me should have a major recognized input to what goes on. … [But DOT] all they did was announce it. They said, “This is what we’re going to do.” They took questions. There was no input.

Streetsblog: There was plenty of input from other members of the community that you are not mentioning: the non-car owners, the bus commuters, the cyclists…

This sign suggested that West Village residents think the roads belong to them. Photo: Jonathan Warner

Arthur Schwartz: This doesn’t have to all do with cars. Most of the cars that drive down my block are not from my block. There are other people driving across town. It’s not the car issue. I put my car in a garage. It’s not the car issue. It’s the traffic issue. Traffic causes air pollution, noise, vibration, makes it unsafe for your kids to cross the street. That’s my concern, not where I park my car. It really isn’t. Is it annoying? Yeah. But I never expect parking is easy. My kids go to Chelsea Piers until 9 p.m. It’s either a cab or the car.

Streetsblog: So what is the traffic issue, as you see it?

Arthur Schwartz: You close 14th Street and all those cars are going to go down side streets. Trucks vans cars are going to go across my street, which already has enough traffic. … That’s the traffic. So most of the people involved in the 14th St. Coalition, and it’s every single block association in Chelsea and the Village, they’re not car owners. … It’s the traffic they’re concerned about. … People thought, planning wise, the people at DOT who I think have not done a very good job of moving traffic in the city … bus traffic in Manhattan in 2017 moved at 4.2 mph. The average person walks at 3.3 mph. That’s slow for buses.

Streetsblog: Sounds like you are making an argument in favor of turning 14th Street into a busway so buses could move faster.

Arthur Schwartz: I challenge that whole analysis, which was all based on guesstimates. Those of us who live over here don’t think the busway is going to make it move any faster and it will throw traffic onto our streets. And, this is the second part: the way that the DOT has set up the bike lane, the buffer area is totally being used for parking. I could send you photos.

Streetsblog: I could send you photos! But the traffic you’re worried about is even more likely to happen if there’s no bike lane because now trucks that illegally park only obstruct the bike lane instead of the car lane.

Arthur Schwartz: Right, and without the added traffic, it’s not a big deal [to the drivers]. But the minute you shut down 14th Street, it’s a big deal. To me, it’s not the bike lane.

Streetsblog: You say there was no community input, but the DOT wanted to put a two-way bike lane on 13th Street, but the community said no.

Arthur Schwartz: (Sigh) They did little tweaks. And people can do drop-offs of 14th Street. If they did a two-way on 13th St, they would have had to shut it to cars. There wouldn’t have been room for cars.

Streetsblog: Sounds like a good start! OK, so what do you actually oppose now?

Arthur Schwartz: For me, personally? I am not against the bike lanes. I am against the configuration. There are better ways to a) protect the bike riders b) avoid the trucks and c) allow for traffic flow. I think there are better designs that are better that would make it better. I don’t think it’s a safe bike lane. Just because you have a striped area? People zoom around and there are angry drivers who pull into the bike lane.

Streetsblog: Those angry drivers are the ones who frighten all of us, including cyclists and, I’d imagine, those elderly people you mentioned to Gothamist, though you said they were more afraid of the cyclists. So now I’m confused again: Who’s more dangerous to the elderly: speeding drivers or cyclists?

Arthur Schwartz: I don’t think that’s a safe bike lane. My position is in the letter I sent to the lawyers of DOT. Genuine negotiation with the community.

Streetsblog: Sure, but in this heightened climate, where people are dropping glass in bike lanes, or saying, “Give us back our parking,” this is playing out as a bunch of rich Village residents trying to hold onto their parking at the expense of safe cycling and faster transit.

Arthur Schwartz: No one is saying about parking. [Fact check: Schwartz’s letter to the DOT, embedded below, does bemoan the loss of parking.] Well, parking is an issue for people who have cars that live there. [Loss of parking] is supposed to be in all SEQR assessments, it has to be in there.

Streetsblog: You do know that the existence of parking encourages people to own cars and then drive, thereby causing the very congestion you detest.

Arthur Schwartz: I don’t agree with that.

Streetsblog: You don’t agree that free curbside parking encourages people to drive? It’s not a debatable point. There are countless studies on this. Sir, please…

Arthur Schwartz: (long pause) To me the major problem with traffic in New York City is Uber and Lyft, and not local residents. It’s also out-of-city residents driving in. That’s why I support congestion pricing. If I could get rid of Uber, I would get rid of Uber. If you had fewer vehicles entering Manhattan below 96th Street and fewer for-hire vehicles, we would not have the same problem. People who park on 12th Street never use their cars to go anywhere. … I have lived in the Village for 41 years, so I don’t know what it’s like anywhere else. Their statement doesn’t say a word about parking. It has four points. It doesn’t say a word about parking.

Streetsblog: The sign literally said, “West Village Parking Only.”

Arthur Schwartz: So people put up signs. But the most you could conclude is that one sign is the view of one person.

Streetsblog: You certainly know that the issue of parking comes up all the time at these meetings. Many people who own cars believe that their ability to park freely is more important than a clear right of way for transit users or cyclists.

Arthur Schwartz: Some people say that. I have not advocated that position and I don’t like being labeled that way on your blog. Frankly, my business partner bikes to work from Brooklyn every day and is a big fan of yours. I don’t hang out with car-parking advocates.

Streetsblog: You do represent some of them.

Arthur Schwartz: I represent a coalition of block associations. And they really want to be negotiated with. That’s the main thing they want. Traffic on the side streets is the key issue. [Point of fact: Block associations tend to be dominated by landowners, and do not always reflect the full diversity of a neighborhood.]

Streetsblog: All of this could be moot because the mayor might agree with you that all the L-train mitigations no longer are needed because the L train won’t be shut down.

Arthur Schwartz: I don’t think he’s going to do that. You guys wield a lot of political power.

Streetsblog: Streetsblog?

Arthur Schwartz: Maybe not Streetsblog, but TransAlt. The mayor is a big fan, even though he drives everywhere.

Streetsblog: You really think he’s going to bend to bicyclists? Care to make it interesting? Are you a betting man?

Arthur Schwartz: No, I’m not a betting man.

Letter from Arthur Z. Schwa… by on Scribd

Source: https://nyc.streetsblog.org/2019/01/14/cycle-of-rage-nimby-lawyer-arthur-schwartz-sees-himself-as-jane-jacobs-fighting-robert-moses/