#but you shouldn't be surprised. i've shown you that from the start

[cloud-somersault]

idk man, the epilogue is like this really deep...exploration of interpersonal connections and wants and desires interlaced with the complexity of circumstance and consequence and regret and guilt. and I started it as a like "haha, this is what I want! I want two monkeys being gay, haha!"

but it's so. fucking tragic, actually.

just in chapter 1, we see how defeated Macaque is, how lost he is. how he hesitates and flip flops constantly. how he says or thinks something with certainty, but then goes back on that. he tries so hard to commit to one path, but he truly is fluctuating and has no clue what to do

and wukong is just...certain of himself. he's certain of his wants and desires now after Constellations. He wants to maintain connections and put in the effort no matter what. and that..juxtaposition of them...is just so raw and hurtful in chapter 1 because we see that wukong notices that in Macaque because he knows him better than anyone.

And Macaque admits he's a little lost. he doesn't know what he wants. but he keeps walking. he wants to make his own choices. he wants to think for himself. he wants to see the truth for himself.

and as the days go by, as the weeks and months pass...as they grow and change, it's just sad. because it's not

the epilogue is not this "will they? won't they?" shadowpeach thing.

look at them as individuals. that's why i finally decided to change the perspective. because we needed to see macaque's thoughts. I've shown you wukong's; please give macaque that same level of attention.

when people write romance or relationships, they often misstep when it comes to the characters that are in the relationship. in order for that relationship to be believable and relatable and enjoyed by the audience, you have to develop the characters independently and together.

we cannot have shadowpeach until we know, with certainty, who macaque and wukong are.

[archivalofsins]

Let's talk about Mikoto's first two interrogation questions and why I'm super not interested or surprised by any of his answers. For the record so I don't have to go over all this again here is a post that links to a good chunk of what I've written discussing Mikoto already that I worked on with @apatchworkstar.

At least the big stuff. So, people can look back and see how my logic has developed over time when it comes to him specifically. Because I'm about to throw out some hard to swallow truths.

One being

Just because someone keeps claiming they were "Trying so hard." doesn't mean it's fucking true. Secondly, even if it is true that doesn't excuse or give them the right to murder anyone.

So, let's get libelous real quick and drag this drama kings name through the fucking mud.

Sorry, my liege you're getting a bit carried away~

Okay whoa, whoa- Wait, wait! I thought you liked Mikoto. Shouldn't you be happy people are taking his problems seriously and treating these issues with respect. I mean work abuse like any sort of abuse is bad.

Okay, point created to simply allow me to further elaborate on my own train of thought and where I'm at. Yes, I do care about and like Mikoto as a character. That does not mean I just accept when someone is feeding me bullshit.

Literally we've seen everyone else going to the places or doing the jobs that triggered the incident they were involved in. Mu has been at her school since Milgram started. Yuno has been shown working with her clients since Milgram started.

Kazui has been shown at the bar since Milgram started. Hell we've even seen Futa at his college.

Mikoto Kayano has not been shown at work or doing his job since Milgram started. There have only been allusions made to his work. The one image we have in Undercover isn't even confirmed to be his actual fucking office and could be a desk in his home that the chair in his mental space and home goes to. So, what evidence do we have that his job was difficult outside of texts he actively ignored that states he left without notice to go home and attempted to call him back in something he actively decided not to do or even respond to as is his right as a working adult?

We would actually have to make multiple assumptions in order to frame the instance we see there as abusive outside of damn that's an ungodly hour. Yet this man isn't fucking special some people work nights and he's stated he's meant to work nights since the beginning of fucking Milgram. That's a part of the company he decided he wanted to be in, chose to enter, and refused to leave.

Trial one written interrogation question six.

Q.06  What do you hate? Mikoto: working overnight / reptiles / violence

He's worked overnight enough to fucking know he hates it but-

Trial two written interrogation question two.

Q.02 Haven't you considered changing your job? Mikoto: No way; I went through a lot to get into such a big company. Even if it's draining, if I work hard my efforts will pay off.

Something he's had no issue stating from the beginning. From the start of Milgram Mikoto's concern has been I better not get fired because of you and if I do you better take responsibility for it. One of his voice lines from the beginning of this literally being-

Mikoto first voice drama 3:46

"I have my own life, you know? And I just got accepted into the company that I was aiming for… If I get fired, you’ll have to take responsibility for that."

From the beginning, through everything he's done and said Mikoto has shown where his priorities lie. It's not with getting home or seeing his family like the rest of the prisoners. No, his priority has always been getting the hell out of here and back to his job because his life plans have been derailed enough. Because his life wasn't meant to be this way and he has things he needs to do to get the life he believes he's entitled to.

Going to his job regardless of how draining or terrible it looks from an outsider's perspective is and always has been a part of and the biggest part of his life plan. He never trash talks his company for how it treats him despite bringing it up in both his written interrogations.

In fact, it's the exact opposite.

Written interrogation one question eight.

Q.08  What’s the most rewarding part of your current job? Mikoto: I mean, it’s the top advertising agency in the industry?Anyone would be proud to be a part of it. I put a lot of work in just to get here, too.

Even framing it like a question like are you stupid- Do you live under a fucking rock??? Is that it? it's the top advertising agency in the fucking industry.

Are you daft warden-

What's more important than the status and recognition one implicitly gets from being able to work in a company like that? If this place is in my work history and I manage to go freelance later on, in good standing with this company, do you know how liberating that would be. Do you know how quickly people would have faith in me to do what they were hiring me for with this place as a reference-

I mean.

Q.04  Are you picky when it comes to fashion? Mikoto: Of course I am. Nobody would want to ask for anything from an unfashionable designer, right?

I'm fucking tailor-made for business. I live breath and eat this shit because I fucking need to. Because it's a stepping stone for my dream. You wouldn't want to get in the way of that, right~ Oh, that's unlikable I don't fucking care if there's a corporate ladder I'm going to fucking climb it. Survival of the fittest and all that. Though it's improper to admit that as a working adult, you know? If you can't communicate properly that's bad for business.

You can't, for example, go around being angry all the time even if you want to. You've gotta be able to play ball and take a few punches to get anywhere in this world. How do you expect people to want to work with you otherwise?

20/06/15 Mikoto: Hey, it’s kinda a bother having you be so angry and tense all the time. You should stop trying get everyone to pay attention to you. You’re a uni student, right? You can’t act like that once you start working properly. Futa: Huh!? Shut up. Not like I care what you say. Even though we’re in this shitty situation, you’re just chatting away, it’s stupid. Aren’t you the one who’s acting out of place here? ……also the fact you give everyone nicknames is just gross. Mikoto: *sigh* It’s more stupid to be taking this all so seriously. I mean, it’s definitely just a reality TV program. There’s no way a real prison exists that’s this lax. Also, I don’t give nicknames to everyone. I don’t give them to young kids like Amane, or to the hard-to-approach types like Shidou-san. I mean, I’m not giving you one, right? Futa: ……oi, which group are you trying to say I am?

It doesn't matter if your kindness is genuine or not. As long as you're able to close that gap and make people like you then you can sell them anything. It'll pay off eventually you know. Though it's better to do anything you can to make that eventually sooner rather than later~

20/05/25 Mikoto: ……I’ve really got caught up in some trouble, huh. What even is this place? It’s probably a TV reality show or something. ……but to think someone in this day and age would try to do a project that could land them in so much trouble. Uh…… Mahiru: Ah…… I’m Shina Mahiru! You can just call me Mahiru. And you are……? Mikoto: Kayano Mikoto. I’m fine with just Mikoto too. Ahh, I’m glad there’s someone here who’s easy to talk to…… It’s nice to meet you, Mappy. Mahiru: ………… ……Mappy???

Mikoto trial one written interrogation question nine.

Q.09 Why do you give everyone nicknames? Mikoto: I guess it became a habit when I was at university. Having a nickname for someone that only you call them comes with a lot of advantages, do recommend.

As long as you can sell it with a smile they'll warm up eventually. Yet, being disliked by certain people can be social and career suicide you know~

20/07/08 Yuno: Hey, Mikoto-san. Don’t you get tired being so conscious of others all the time? I mean, you’re free to do what you want though. Mikoto: Eh…… Aha, what are you talking about? I’m not being conscious or anything. It’s normal to make sure to get along with everyone, right? I mean, when you put it like that, aren’t you the same, Yun-chan? You’re always smiling and getting on with everyone too. Yuno: I don’t smile unless I actually want to. But with you, when you’re talking with other people it’s more like you only smile deliberately. So I kept thinking, don’t your cheeks get tired? Ah, is this just what happens when you become a working adult? ……you see people like that sometimes. Mikoto: Haha, you don’t mince your words do you. …….that was never my intention, but now that you mention it, yeah, I guess I do. This might’ve been since I started my job too…… But like- If I was rude to everyone I met, all my efforts would come to nothing, right?

Yuno trial one voice drama 7:59

"Hm, what this? A lecture. Are you a believer in seishinron? I hate them more than anything else, you know?"

Basically, someone who believes that any problem can be worked through by just putting in a bit more effort.

"If I work hard my efforts will pay off."

Ha, ha- Not everyone has the privilege to smile whenever they feel like it. Some people's entire futures are riding on if the people around them decide to play nice or not and it all rides on them to play nice first- You know? Maybe that is what they call being a working adult. Maybe people like this just don't understand. Is it difficult to comprehend~ Huh, is this hard for you warden?

Well, you were given a pretty cushiony job out of the blue. It must be oddly comfortable for you. Judging others from your position and then sleeping for several months. They even provide you three meals a day while I can barely get a lunch break- Ah, jealous~

Guards, just-

"Come to know me as an honest man."

See me as someone hardworking and family oriented. See me as someone trying to show those he cares about that they can do these things too-

Q.01 Do you have a good relationship with your little sister? Mikoto: Absolutely. I want to show her how her big brother is working hard in the city.

See me as a man that believes in the myth of meritocracy. Someone who believes if they just work hard enough, if I push myself a little more regardless of how I'm treated it'll work out eventually. All of my efforts will be rewarded because they deserve to be. That's how these things should go. So, society should recognize and reward those who do good work consistently.

Not just people they find likable or easy to talk to. My work should be able to speak for itself. So, if I just keep working it'll all come together but I can't do that while being held here. How can I achieve my dreams if I can't even get to work huh? What happens if i get fired while here I have a life to you know-

I've been working so much- I had such a hard time. I've even played along with this silly joke- I've been such a good sport, right? Right? So- why tell me why can't you just be a good sport back? Aren't I entitled to a little bit of leniency? I'm a victim here too, ya know! So, why?

Tell me WHY-

It’s the same anywhere I go! It’s like what’s WRONG isn’t WRONG!/ "Why, why-"

"If only I were never born, if only..."/ "If I was gone, If I had just disappeared..."

20/05/31 Mu: Hey, Mikoto-kun, aren’t you scared of this place……? You can’t think of any reason you ended up here, right……? Mikoto: Ahh, yeah. Of course, it’s not like I’m not scared at all. But just between you and me…… I still haven’t dropped the thought that this could all just be a TV show. I mean, I really haven’t ever murdered anyone. ……and if that is the case, we’re definitely being monitored. For like a prank setup or something. Wouldn’t it be super uncool and embarrassing to get angry or lash and have it shown on prime time? Mu: Is that what you think……? A prank, huh…… I hope that’s all it is…… Mikoto: Ah! If that is the case, then you’ll probably be super popular since you’re so cute, Mucchan! There’s a lot of girls out there who make their big break coming off reality shows like that!

Mikoto trial one written interrogation question 3.

Q.03 Have you ever had a romantic partner? Mikoto: Of course I have. Do I really look like I’d be that unpopular?

"Hey now, I saved you, right? So why in the hell are you crying?"/ "Why won’t you stop hurting me? My heart is all dried up. My sorry spells must be wearing off."

"I can't take it anymore..."/ "Why?"

"Why, why, I’m so sorry."/ " “I’m sorry” won’t reach anyone."

Just-

"If I am a bad girl don’t hate me."/"Come to know me as an honest man, eat your words, gulp them down."

It must be a tad embarrassing to fall for the same trick twice in the same series.

Hold on. It’s not my fault- You knew it, right?

Guards, you must be working really hard. It's difficult to figure out under so much pressure with so little time. I mean you only had all of trial one and the three months after Double.

"Hurting it, holding it down, it doesn’t change anything, does it- Ahhh!"

"I was miserable, someone please help me."/ "I was having such a hard time."

"I want to feel “alive”, is it ok if I breathe?"/ "All I did was dream, and that’s what you found GUILTY?"

“I” will save “me”.

It's no one fault really~

So, why don't we just all get along for now? Like working adults. No one has to judge anyone here. Let's all just get along!

Mikoto first voice drama 3:10

Milgram tells me that you killed someone. That's enough for me. "Why are you just blindly believing that? There's no getting through to you...!"

Muu's second voice drama 14:56

"Anyway… I think you would do good to forgive me. Then Haruka-kun will be safe too. Ah, actually, couldn’t you just forgive everyone? Then Kotoko-san won’t run amok, and you won’t have to think about all the difficult stuff."

But I guess some of it is my fault. Maybe it’s ok as it is./I'm probably not to blame. It's probably nothing. I'm probably just having a bad dream, I need to wake up soon.

The interesting thing about both Mikoto and Es' behavior is that they both blindly believe in systems that leave them very little to no protection or are actively exploiting them. They both believe their jobs to be their salvation. That if they just keep working it'll all turn out right.

That if they just do their jobs without question everything will work itself out. That the only way out is through. Es all of trial two has rationalized the results of trial one by saying they were just doing their job. Following what they were told. How is that any different from Mikoto. How is that any different from Amane?

Everyone needs something to believe in from day to day. Something that allows them to feel secure in their own position and feel as if they have some control over their lives even if in reality they have very little.

People need beliefs to tell them how to function in systems. Yet those beliefs can end up protecting systems from deserved scrutiny. In a way making people complacent in them or leading to them perpetuating these systems without question. Because when people are trying to keep themselves from going under they don't have time to question the powers that put them in the position to go under to beging with.

When you're drowning everything looks like a lifepreserver even the things that will make a person sink faster. People use the beliefs that they cultivate over the course of their lives to rationalize if the treatment they're receiving is correct or not-

It must be a mistake right?

To tell them if their own response to something was justified or not.

"Eat this! Don’t act like you have no idea! We won’t forgive you! You’re the crazy one! Ban-Ba-Bang!"/"If you’re going to break your vow- Here and now, it’s my turn to tear you apart. So there is no second time, I’ll give back the judgment that you gave to me."

Something that makes them feel like their decisions were the right ones,

"What am I supposed to do now? If you won’t tell me, I can’t be me."/ "Maybe, perhaps... or... could it come true... like- It’s for the sake of true love, who wouldn’t lie for that?"

Something that tells them-

It's not my fault.

[youlackconviction]

The second season of the Loki show was just as terrible as the first season. (Spoilers ahead)

Loki says he attacked New York because he was angry and having a bad day. Which is so wrong and insulting to his character. Maybe he was joking, but instead of that, couldn't they just address the fact that he was under the influence of the mind-stone? Or the fact that he was tortured by Thanos? They don't even talk about his Jotun heritage. I hated it so much.

Also, it is never explained how Loki gets the time-slipping powers. Apparently, Sylvie kicking him through the door at the end of time in previous season gives him that power here. But that's just a fan-theory. It's never explained in show how he got those new powers. And Sylvie or Ravonna don't get those powers despite going from end of time to other places too. It's a plot-hole ridden mess. (Also instead of giving Loki completely ooc powers, couldn't they just focus more on his powers which were already shown in the movies? Or powers which he has in the comics?)

And okay, I am glad that Loki is saving everyone. He has always been heroic, so it's not a surprise that he sacrificed his freedom to spend an eternity in loneliness just to protect the timelines. But what I do have a problem with is, that his primary motivation for saving the timelines comes from wanting to protect TVA. He only cares about his 'friends' over there. He comes across as a fascist in the show and that's disgusting and ooc. I would have preferred if his motivation was to save everyone in the prime timeline, especially Thor. But that's not the case here.

Also, why does he need preachings from Sylvie and Mobius about what he should be doing? He should have come to his own conclusion about wanting to protect the timelines and freewill. Why did he need to talk with Mobius and Sylvie to realise that? It's as if he literally did not care about freewill and only changed his mind when Sylvie talked him out of it.

And he needed centuries of time to understand how time worked and how the machine made by O.B. worked. Loki is a genius in the comics. He shouldn't need so much time to understand something. The show keeps trying to make him dumb.

His friendship with B-15 was non-existent since they almost never talked. They needed more interactions. Ravonna and Miss Minutes were written so terribly, and their plotline was just ignored in the end. And don't even get me started on that Brad guy. What was even the point of his character?? And Loki torturing him (despite having gone through torture himself) was horrible and ooc to watch.

Also, TVA people kill thousands of timelines and an uncountable number of people. Yet they get redemption. But poor Loki gets villainized.

Sorry for the rant. I hate that show so much. The only good thing they did was toning down the Sylki romance, then again there wasn't any romance there to begin with lol, since she always just hated him. And Loki's friendship with Mobius was downright disgusting. I hated all of it.

i've not managed to bring myself to watch that shitshow yet. i still plan to but not with any hope of enjoyment.

thought others might appreciate your summary - thank you for providing it! you are doing valuable work, probably saving others from the torture.

[yakuzacanons]

hello once again prefacing with saying i love ur blog and ur headcanons :3 tbh amongst all the relationship hcs this one feels almost odd to ask but idk this is what i care about: what kind of cake flavours do u think the fellas like? if u were gonna treat em to something or get them a birthday cake, u gotta know what theyd like, right?

Last one for tonight, also anon how did you know I've literally been musing on this idea ever since I first started this blog? Same braincell fr fr. Your mind is huge and wrinkly and powerful. Long one since this now includes characters all through Yakuza 7. Enjoy!

Also, INBOX IS OPEN AGAIN. I finally have less than 10 asks so I feel comfortable taking more on. Hit me with em.

Kazuma Kiryu

Most people think he doesn't like sweets, but in reality he's just kind of neutral on them. Grew more accustomed to them when Haruka was younger as she really liked them. More than anything he's just baffled and really touched that you'd want to treat him to cake of any kind.

He likes simple cakes, preferably without frosting or a lot of decorations. Things like bundt cake or castella cake are great choices for Kiryu.

Majima Goro

Also kind of shocked that you'd want to treat him to cake but also at the same time is very excited at the prospect at being treated to cake. If you surprise him with some, he'll give you a big hug and a very enthusiastic thank you.

Tends to lean towards richer, darker flavors. Chocolate cake with a simple dark chocolate frosting is great for him. Also enjoys Black Forest cake, if you can find it.

Saejima Taiga

The poor gentle giant cannot remember the last time he had cake. It's not really something they serve in prison. Genuinely treasures the gesture and really savors it.

Honestly hasn't got a favorite. Likes cakes with some texture to them, like carrot cake. Does get easily wowed by fancy decorations or toppings.

Akiyama Shun

Out of all the boys, the most likely to return the favor of treating you to cake immediately the next time he sees you. The others would save it for an occassion but Akiyama would immediately pay you back by treating you to your favorite cake.

He's a sucker for Devil's Food cake or Red Velvet cake. Likes cream cheese frosting as it provides a nice tart contrast to the sweet intensity of the cake itself.

Tanimura Masayoshi

People rarely treat him to much of anything so he's giddy as all hell to be treated by you. Would totally love to treat you to your favorite meal on your next date as a thank you. He'd treat you to cake himself but he doesn't really know where to get good dessert. He's better with savory foods.

Likes fruity flavors, especially if they're leaning towards citrus. Pineapple upside down cake or a lemon cake would be good.

Ryuji Goda

His position means he's been treated to a fair share of desserts but it means a lot coming from someone that he personally and emotionally cares about deeply. If you make him a homemade cake, he would be speechless.

Likes cakes with some creaminess of some kind, like Boston Cream Pie (which is in fact a cake despite the name) or any kind of cheesecake.

Nishikiyama Akira

Says something like "Ah, for me? You shouldn't have!" but inside he's like "Oh wow, they got me cake? I don't know if anyone's ever done that!" and he's really happy.

Impressed by cakes with fancy layers inside, like opera cake or battenburg cake. Crepe cakes are also a good idea. Cakes with fillings are also nice. He's more about what's inside the cake than outside.

Daigo Dojima

Similar to Ryuji, his position has shown him a fair share of desserts or birthday celebrations. However, someone treating him personally is a little new. If you make him something homemade, he might actually cry a little.

Partial to coffee flavored things. Although it's not a cake in the most traditional sense, he does like tiramisu. However, a regular coffee cake is also greatly appreciated.

Mine Yoshitaka

Probably the only boy that is kind of opposed to cake. He appreciates the gesture but he just doesn't have a sweet tooth. However, as long it's milder in flavor and not intense in sweetness, he will eat it.

If he had to pick a favorite cake, he'd go with Baumkuchen as it's pretty popular in Japan and easy to get. The sweetness is pretty mild and he likes the vanilla taste as it's not super saturated.

Shinada Tatsuo

Has the strongest sweettooth out of all the boys, even more than Ichiban. Just happy to be having cake with you, honestly. You don't have to be fancy with him either. In fact, fancier cakes are kind of lost on him so don't go getting him something complex like you might do for Nishikiyama.

He's a little embarassed to say it as he thinks it sounds girlie for some reason but he likes strawberry shortcake. Victoria sponge cake is also good, as it's basically the same flavor profile but built slightly differently.

Kasuga Ichiban

Second most fond of sweets of all the boys. Type of guy to share cake with all of his friends. He's more about enjoying it all together than eating the whole cake by himself, if that makes sense.

Genuinely has no preference over what kind of cake you get. Ichiban's got a pretty open mind when it comes to food. He likes the texture of chiffon cake the most as it's super light and fluffy. When it comes to flavor, he likes the caramel taste of flan cakes a lot.

Joon-Gi Han

A sucker for a pretty and aesthetic dessert. Likes his cake almost too pretty to eat. Similar to Nishikiyama in that he will hide how excited he is to be having cake with you.

Likes chocolate cake the most in any form. As long as it's chocolate flavored in some aspect, whether it's the cake itself or just the frosting, he likes it. Dobos cake or Sachetorte are great if you really want to impress him.

Tianyou Zhao

Prefers Eastern style cakes to Western style cakes but will eat both. Actually likes more bite size desserts like cupcakes or moon cakes.

For flavors, he likes coconut or mango cake. A box of really nice moon cakes will also do but it must be at the appropriate time during the year or else he's going to wonder why on Earth you're giving those to him. Also fond of those pineapple cakes from Taiwan.

[delyth88]

Things we haven't seen yet

Okay, so we're halfway through season 2 now (Episode 3) and I think it's interesting that most of the things we've seen in the trailers have show up on screen already. I have to assume there are some big surprises in the following episodes.

So I've had a look through the main trailer for scenes we haven't seen yet and here's what I've got.

Loki walking into the TVA Automat and what I assume is Sylvie waiting for him. (I'm still jealous that she seems to get the more 'lokiesque' outfits here - look at that swishing coat hem! I wish Loki could get back some of the best bits of his TDW outfit!)

"Whatever we do, we're playing god."

"We are gods."

"But how do you choose... who lives and who dies?" Although possibly that is two separate lines mashed together.

Why are we seeing Loki in a time collar again? Is TVA Loki or someone else going back in time within the TVA to talk with him and tell him to do something in his future? Or is this just a conversation about him choosing to be more than a villain. He seems pretty upset about it whatever it is.

And we still haven't seen these shots yet. B15 is walking out of a time door in medical uniform - is she undercover or getting to return to something like her old life?

Gotta say things are not looking good for Casey. Is this on the timeline, or in the bowels of the TVA? Is he helping OB fix something?

But then again things aren't looking good for anyone at the TVA by the looks of this.

Somehow Ravonna leaves the citadel at the end of time and goes for a walk in the void. She does not look happy about it. What's appearing in front of her?

And this looks like Loki falling - have we seen this yet? Was it in the first episode? Or is this something that hasn't happened yet?

Then there's these from some of the teasers.

We haven't seen Loki with the microphone yet. Who is he speaking to? What is he looking at?

Then the spaghettification shots.

And Loki still seems to be time slipping here in the TVA...

And to McDonald's...

He's looking pretty desperate at this point. "What could we have done differently?"

And then we've got this shot of Loki looking determined and walking out into the time stream?

So I dunno what to make of all that. My best guess is something happens that destabilises things enough that Loki starts time-slipping again and has to use that to change the course of events. Although that doesn't explain Sylvie in the lift, but maybe she can use He Who Remains tempad to get around the usual rules of the TVA, or time is just so unstable now that this becomes possible in the same way time-slipping shouldn't be possible.

Whatever it is, it seems to be leaning back into the vibe of the first episode, and I am here for that.

I'm also reminded that we didn't get all the scenes from the trailers shown in season 1. So perhaps that may also be the fate of some of these shots.

[dweetwise]

[Vittorio X Ace] Language barrier

I've had this fic sitting in my drafts for one and a half years and finally got around to finishing it. I hope you like it 💕 Rated T | 6k words | ao3 link

Ace was whistling as he walked back from another successful trial.

The fully-stocked ranger medkit felt heavy in his hand and he couldn't wait to show off his latest haul. And people said looting chests was a waste of time!

When he approached the familiar glow of the survivors' campfire, however, there was no welcome committee to greet Ace after his spectacular escape from the Spirit's clutches. Instead, everyone was gathered around one of the logs, their postures tense and voices raised.

Ace frowned. Another fight? Damn, he really couldn't leave these people alone for five minutes.

Ace took a breath and steeled himself for facing the ire of whoever was responsible for the commotion this time.

"Children, children!" Ace exclaimed. "There's no need to fight: I love you all equally!"

Predictably, that got most people to shut up and two dozen heads whipped around to look at Ace.

But instead of the eye rolls or disgusted scoffs Ace expected, the survivors looked…relieved?

"Oh, thank god," Élodie sighed. "You're finally here."

Ace arched an eyebrow. The crowd started dispersing, like they had actually been waiting for Ace's arrival instead of being perpetually annoyed by his existence like usual, and Ace felt another tacky joke bubbling up—

And then he saw him.

The man was tall. He was muscular and tattooed, with silver hair and a calcularing stare, standing in the middle of the survivor campsite with his arms crossed over his broad chest. His leather jacket creaked from the movement, bulging biceps straining the material.

"Ace," Élodie said, grabbing his arm firmly. "We need your help."

Ace felt a smirk forming. "He's for me? Oh, Élodie, you shouldn't have."

Strangely enough, the new guy neither laughed nor sneered at Ace's remark. In fact, he didn't react in any way whatsoever, which was a little unnerving.

"Not the time," Élodie hissed. "He just got here, and he only speaks Italian. Please tell me you weren't lying when you bragged about being fluent in seven languages?"

Oh; that would explain the mild panic of his friends and utter indifference to Ace's charms from the stranger.

"Italian?" Ace grinned and shook off the woman's hold. "Say no more!"

He sauntered up to the new guy—shoving the medkit in a clueless Dwight's arms as he passed—and put on his friendliest smile.

"Ciao, stranger," Ace said, effortlessly switching to one of the four—not seven—languages he spoke. "I heard you could use some assistance?"

The scowl finally disappeared from that handsome face as the man perked up in recognition.

"I would be much obliged," Mr. sex-on-legs said.

And that was how Ace was roped in to play translator between the rest of the group and their newest arrival.

The man introduced himself as Vittorio Toscano: because of course, even his name was attractive.

Vittorio had apparently been wandering the fog a long time before finding his way here. This was only validated by the fact that he didn't seem at all phased when Ace—at the others' insistence—went over the basic “sorry you were kidnapped by some Lovecraftian god and are now gonna be hunted for sport for its amusement.”

"That doesn't exactly surprise me," Vittorio said. "After the things the fog has shown me…well, I concluded as much."

Ace should probably have been more curious about the…fog visions, or connections to the Entity, or whatever else Zarina and the others were screaming in his ear about once he translated that piece of information for them.

But he had a hunch. And after a lifetime of relying on it to survive, Ace's intuition was usually pretty good.

"So where exactly are you from? Before you got taken?" Ace asked.

"Gordega, Italy," Vittorio said. Then he sighed. "I'm sorry. I used to be a well-read man and be better at languages, but after so long, most of the knowledge has faded."

"Hey, I'm not complaining. Any of these people would tell you there's little I enjoy as much as running my mouth—and now there's actually someone who listens!"

"Nevertheless, I appreciate the help." Vittorio glanced around at the group still gathered around them, patiently waiting for new information. "So ask away. I know you all have questions."

"Yeah, speaking of…" Ace said. "When are you from?"

Vittorio smiled ruefully. "1391."

Though Ace had suspected it was coming, the admission still took him by surprise. Here this man was, looking like he’d jumped right out of some modern alternative fashion spread, casually telling Ace that he was actually over six hundred years old.

And the weirdest part was that Ace believed him.

"What? What did he say?" Meg bounced restlessly in her seat. 

Because Ace being stunned speechless was actually a little worrying, all things considered. He didn't even know how to begin to convince the others of Vittorio's past.

"Thirteen…" Jonah spoke up. "The 14th century!?"

But fortunately, Ace didn't need to. Because while Italian and Spanish were different languages, there were enough similarities for certain math nerds to understand numbers.

"What!?" Élodie exclaimed, then looked at Ace for confirmation.

"Yeah, uh," Ace said. "Our new friend seems to be of the vintage variety."

That was when the arguing started again.

And after the shouting matches were done, when Yui was glaring at Vittorio and ordering Ace to “tell him we don't trust him”…

Ace only smiled at the new survivor and said, "She says she's jealous of your stylish outfit."

Vittorio huffed a dry chuckle. "Is that so?"

Ace was happy to learn that sarcasm apparently existed in the 1300's.

═════════════ ♧ ═════════════

Unsurprisingly, Ace ended up talking to Vittorio a lot over the next few days.

Yes, there was the shared language. Yes, Vittorio was ridiculously attractive. Yes, everyone was still harassing Ace about using their new time capsule friend to find out more about the Entity and the fog.

But more than that, this was the most interesting thing to happen in the entire six years Ace had been stuck here.

The others weren't thrilled that Ace used most of his time simply getting to know the guy, whether that was blabbering on about his family's Italian roots or bugging Vittorio for fashion advice.

"So you picked up all the accessories in the fog too?" Ace asked. "Pierced your own ears, cut your hair, the whole thing? Damn, and here I've had the same haircut for six years."

"I suppose I could try a different style," Vittorio said, fiddling with one of his necklaces. "Maybe the jewelry and neckline is too much for someone of your time?"

"Don't you dare change anything," Ace said. "Have you seen some of the atrocities the others wear? You'll be dressing like an elf or rocking fedoras if you try to copy us."

Vittorio huffed out an almost-laugh at that. Tactfully, he didn't comment on Ace's flamingo sweater.

"What about you?" Vittorio asked.

"What about me?" Ace grinned. "I mean, my uncontested status as a fashion icon notwithstanding…"

"You seem content to talk about the past," Vittorio said. "But I'm curious about the future. What was your life like before the Entity?"

Ace's smile only widened. "Tell me, my friend, did you have poker in 1300?"

═════════════ ♧ ═════════════

It was easy to befriend Vittorio. 

Ace never would have guessed someone from that era to be so open-minded when even people in the 21st century had plenty of prejudices.

But Vittorio was happy to prove him wrong. It was amazing how easily he kept up with Ace's banter and picked up on concepts previously foreign him. Ace chalked some of it up to the man's calm disposition and interesting life both before and after falling into the Entity's clutches, but more than anything, Vittorio was just that goddamn smart.

Still, six centuries in the fog didn't come without baggage.

"I've seen them," Vittorio said one day, his voice quiet and eyes distant. 

He was staring at a group of girls sorting bandages: Claudette was giggling and Yui was rolling her eyes while Nea talked animatedly with her hands and messed up the bandages.

"Yeah?" Ace asked. "In trials? You've met them before?"

"In the visions," Vittorio clarified.

Because apparently, that was a thing. This group of survivors wasn't the first one Vittorio had come across, though the timeline and his memories were hazy.

But in between centuries of sporadic trials, Vittorio had spent most of his time wandering the fog, not confined to a campfire like the rest of them. He'd told Ace that he used to be obsessed with people called the watchers—or observers, or something—so Ace supposed it made sense that he'd been on his way to becoming one.

"I saw one of the girls get chased by sirens and flashing lights," Vittorio said, still looking at the trio. "And one crying on her birthday, before her father made her smile again. And the Japanese one I saw in the future, far away, and she was killing…she killed them all."

Vittorio's eyes were starting to look vacant. But it was only when the tattoo on his neck started glowing that Ace decided to intervene.

"Hey," Ace said, putting a hand on Vittorio's shoulder. "It's okay. Parallel universe, right? No biggie."

"You're right,'' Vittorio said. When he looked back at Yui, he seemed a little more relaxed. "I've seen how she is. She values loyalty above all else; she's not a murderer."

Suddenly, Ace almost wanted to ask if Vittorio had seen him in any visions.

"I never wanted this," Vittorio continued, so quietly Ace didn't know if it was meant for him to hear. "All I ever wanted was peace. To help the world."

"I don't think world peace is a one man job," Ace joked. "But it's a nice sentiment."

Vittorio's smile was melancholy. "At least I can try to make things better here and help as much as I can."

Coming from anyone else, Ace would have rolled his eyes and asked Dwight to calm down with the team-building speeches. But this was a man who had been doing this for hundreds of years and, somehow, still kept on hoping and earnestly helping others.

"Well," Ace said. "You're at least helping by keeping me entertained. And trust me, that's more important than you'd think. There've been flashlight duels and misuse of murky reagents—and a few explosions—when I got bored."

It probably wasn't the kind of world-saving heroics Vittorio was aiming for, but this time, his smile was genuine enough to reach his eyes.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised."

═════════════ ♧ ═════════════

Trials came and went and Vittorio settled more firmly into their group dynamic.

It was strange, having a new teammate who wasn't exactly new. Vittorio had more experience in trials than most of them combined, and after the initial hiccups—mostly consisting of Chinese cursing and “Stop wasting gen efficiency, you fucking fossil!”—Vittorio proved to be a valuable asset against any killer.

"Watch out!" Vittorio hissed, suddenly pulling Ace away from the generator they were working on.

Ace stumbled after him, shooting a confused glance over his shoulder to where the green orb of the Knight's phantom passed their generator by probably forty feet.

"It's okay," Ace said. "He missed the gen. We can keep working."

"No," Vittorio insisted. "That's the jailer. He's an expert at tracking."

Ace dubiously watched as the phantom phased into existence far from the generator. He immediately started down the path his master had determined for him, not even looking at the generator…

Until he came across Ace's muddy footprints from before.

Ace watched the guard change course and follow the trail to the generator. He peered behind the machine and looked around, and Ace was suddenly very glad for Vittorio's foresight to quietly sneak them away. Because the guard found nothing and returned to his path, and Ace avoided what would otherwise have been a nasty burn from that branding iron.

"Huh," Ace said. "That was pretty impressive foresight, not gonna lie."

Vittorio huffed. "One of the few good things to come from being acquainted with Tarhos and his followers, I suppose." 

"Oh, right," Ace said. "I forgot you used to know these guys."

It was bizarre to think that Vittorio was from the same time as the killer with platemail armor. While Vittorio had been seeking knowledge all these centuries, the Knight had apparently been content with slicing people up with his little posse.

"Come, now," Vittorio said. "It should be safe."

Vittorio nudged him back towards the generator and only then did Ace realize that he'd been holding onto Ace's arm this entire time.

═════════════ ♧ ═════════════

"Must've been lonely, all those centuries on your own," Ace said over a game of cards. "And here I thought a few years of celibacy was bad."

"It never felt like hundreds of years for me," Vittorio said. "But time does pass differently here."

"Still, there's gotta be more interesting stuff for you to do than hang around an old geezer like me."

Vittorio snorted. "If you're old, that would make me ancient."

"Doesn't stop Kate and Jane from checking you out," Ace said. "And unless your monk training required a chastity vow or something, I'm pretty sure body language is universal."

Ace waggled his eyebrows and threw in a wink for good measure. If Vittorio was offended by his matchmaking attempt, he at least didn't show it.

"I'm a philosopher, not a monk," Vittorio explained patiently. "Regardless, I always valued intellectual compatibility above all else. Which is difficult to achieve if there's no way to even communicate."

Ace shoved down the disappointment. If he'd been entertaining any sort of romantic-slash-sexual angle with Vittorio, those thoughts were definitely dwindling with the requirement of intellectual compatibility.

"Damn, it's a shame Claud doesn't speak Italian," Ace said. "She's wicked smart. You'd probably get on great."

Vittorio hummed and adjusted the cards in his hands. "I mostly gave up on romance after my first and last bed partner turned on me and now kills me on a daily basis."

Ace's brain did the equivalent of a record screech. "What!?"

"Tarhos," Vittorio said, his face neutral like he was discussing the weather. "I told you, he used to be my bodyguard—among other things."

Ace could only stare at his friend and try not to gape like a fish as he pieced together this new information.

Logically, Ace knew that same-sex attraction had existed since the dawn of time—hello, ancient Greece—but he never actually expected Vittorio would be interested in men; or at the very least, not admit it so casually.

"You're shitting me, right?" Ace said.

Vittorio gave a one-shoulder shrug. "There's nothing for me to gain by lying."

As he said it, Vittorio met Ace's eyes with something akin to a smirk.

"Speaking of, were you planning on putting back those two extra cards you took last round?" Vittorio asked. "Because I may not know much about this game, but I'm almost certain that's against the rules."

And Ace could only laugh somewhat hysterically before attempting to explain his little card maneuver as a legitimate strategy, all the while recovering from the absolute whiplash of the last few minutes.

Because, yes, Ace still found Vittorio hot: that little fact hadn't changed just because they were friends now. Vittorio still looked like someone had taken David's muscles, Felix's face and Jeff's rugged charm and mashed them into Ace's ultimate wet dream.

But he never thought anything would come of it. The guy was from a completely different time, was only talking to Ace because that was his only option for company, and had probably seen enough shit for a hundred lifetimes.

And now, he was learning that there might be a chance after all?

No matter how small that chance was, Ace had to take it.

═════════════ ♧ ═════════════

"So, I've been meaning to ask," Ace said a few days later.

Vittorio paused in stocking a toolbox, immediately giving Ace his full attention. "Yes?"

And looking at that handsome face and those deep green eyes staring so earnestly into Ace's own…

Ace chickened out. 

"What's that tattoo on your neck?" Ace asked. "The one that lights up like a glowstick when you go all…observer-y."

"Oh." Was Ace imagining it, or did Vittorio sound disappointed? "It's… well, it's probably easiest if I show you."

With that, Vittorio shrugged out of his jacket and reached for the hem of his shirt, and Ace only had enough mental capacity to swallow an embarrassing noise. He glanced around in alarm: they were right by the campfire, with a dozen or so people milling about and Christ, anyone could see the impromptu strip show!

Someone gasped across the campsite and when Ace finally turned to look, he almost wanted to do the same.

Vittorio was covered in tattoos. From his neckline all the way down to his waist, tattoos in various shapes and colors took up the majority of his muscular torso. Most of them were symbols or writing Ace couldn't understand—but then again, he didn't know what he expected from a medieval philosopher.

"How…?" Ace managed to get out.

"I did most of these by myself," Vittorio said. He brushed over a row of what looked like runes on his forearm. "When I was locked in the dungeon, I marked myself with every ancient symbol and passage I could remember. It's how I got the Entity's attention, and what lets me channel energy in trials."

For the second time in just a few days, Ace was rendered speechless. He had seen Vittorio use some sort of portals on generators, but other than Feng's complaints, none of the survivors had been keen to learn more about it.

The longer they were silent, the more Ace could feel people staring. Some of the others were already whispering, but in the end, only one person dared to approach.

"Hi," Mikaela said, finally snapping Ace out of it.

"Hello, beautiful!" Ace's poor, frazzled brain automatically resorted to flirting.

"Those symbols…" Mikaela reached her hand out, hovering above Vittorio's chest. "Can I…?"

Ace had half a mind to tell her to get her own half-naked, medieval hunk. But before he could, the woman's hand started glowing.

"Whoa," Ace said. "Easy there, Red."

"Ask him to channel the power," Mikaela said. "There's—I can feel the potential of the magic, but I can't reach it."

"Reach what?" Ace said. He trusted Mikaela, he really did, but if there was a chance of her witchiness hurting Vittorio… "What are you doing?"

It was an unnerving sight, seeing Vittorio's tattoos and Mikaela's hand both glow the same unnatural blue. The lights were pulsing in tandem, almost like a heartbeat, but Vittorio only watched the sight curiously.

"There's so much knowledge in his magic," Mikaela said. "We just need to unlock it."

"Ace?" Vittorio asked. He still looked as calm as ever. "What is she saying?"

Ace swallowed and stamped down on his own worry-slash-jealousy.

"She said to channel your magic—uh, like when you're doing the observer thing, I guess." Ace frowned. "But you don't have to."

Vittorio looked back at Mikaela, and then he nodded.

"Good," Mikaela said. "I'll try to amplify the magic. Ready?"

"Now, hold on just a minute—" Ace tried.

"It's alright," Vittorio said. "I want to try this."

Ace sighed and stepped back, giving the duo some space.

"I swear, if you break him…" he told Mikaela.

The woman rolled her eyes. "Please just stay out of the way."

And that was apparently all the warning Ace got, because as Vittorio closed his eyes, the glow that resulted from his and Mikaela's shared magicking was bright enough to nearly blind him.

Ace shielded his eyes from the flash of light and heard many curses and yelps as others did the same.

"What the fuck!?" Nea exclaimed.

"Ugh, my eyes!" Steve complained.

"Is everyone okay?" Jane asked. "Mikaela? Vittorio?"

"We're fine," said a familiar deep voice.

A very familiar voice that was no longer speaking in Italian.

Ace blinked the light from his eyes, only to see his friends seemingly unharmed—save for the fact that Vittorio's eyes were glowing blue.

"I assume it worked?" Mikaela asked.

Vittorio smiled. "I'd say so, yes."

Ace could only gape stupidly. From everything he had expected Mikaela's little spiritual session to include, making Vittorio a fluent English-speaker wasn't part of it.

The others cheered and swarmed the man, now free to talk to him without Ace's interference, and Ace's heart sank to his stomach.

He should have been happy for his friend. This would make things much easier in trials and do wonders for the survivors as a team, not to mention vastly improve Vittorio's quality of life since he was no longer restricted to one person as his entire social circle.

So why was Ace so disappointed?

═════════════ ♧ ═════════════

A few hours later, footsteps approached Ace at the edge of camp—where he was absolutely not sulking away from the group, thankyouverymuch—and it was a small surprise to see Vittorio flop down next to him. 

Ace glanced over. Vittorio was usually more graceful, but this time he just sort of…crumpled to the ground, heaving a sigh as he dragged a hand down his face.

Clearly, he wasn’t looking forward to this conversation, but they both knew it had to be done.

Instead of friend-dumping Ace, however, Vittorio merely propped one of his arms up on a nearby log and looked at Ace with a smile: a small, tired smile, but a smile nonetheless. 

“Ciao,” Vittorio said.

Ace just stared at him. The way Vittorio was leaning against the log, arm casually draped over it with the rest of his body on display and an easy smile on his face made him look like something out of the magazines Ace used to steal and hide under his pillow when he was a teenager, until his father found them and…

Yeah, okay, not going there.

“How's it going?” Ace asked.

Vittorio frowned. “Why are you speaking English?”

Ace shrugged. “No use trying to talk in code when everyone’s gonna understand every word you say regardless.” He averted his eyes and kicked at a pebble on the ground. “Speaking of, shouldn’t you get back to them? I’m sure they’re all dying to talk to you.”

It wasn’t a lie: he could feel several pairs of eyes lingering on them and probably anxiously awaiting their turn to talk to Vittorio.

Vittorio huffed. “Have you considered the possibility that maybe I don’t want to speak to thirty people at once?”

When Ace’s response was only a skeptical look, he continued, “The magic requires conscious effort to keep active and getting to know this many new people at once is exhausting. I’d much rather keep it to short intervals and spend the rest of my time with you.”

Ace couldn’t stop the smile from creeping up on his face. Switching back to their shared language, he said, "Well, in that case, I guess I'm all yours.”

It was seemingly just another cheesy line and, hopefully, Vittorio wouldn’t realize how much Ace truly meant it.

Vittorio just frowned, then said softly, “I saw you, you know.”

“I wasn’t moping,” Ace reflexively lied.

Vittorio huffed a quiet laugh and shook his head in what seemed like fond exasperation—his default mood when it came to being around Ace, really.

“In a vision,” Vittorio clarified.

“What, just now?” Ace asked.

“No,” Vittorio said. “A very long time ago. It was from one of your stories: the one where you challenged the female fighter for a bet. It’s one of the first visions I remember having in the fog.”

“Oh,” Ace said, then promptly cleared his throat as realization set in. “Damn, that's the memory you saw? I've had more glamorous moments in my life, you know.”

At least it wasn't Ace’s secret gay porn stash or any of the numerous loan sharks threatening him.

“I wasn’t sure it was you at first,” Vittorio kept going. “It was such a long time ago and I didn’t remember all the details; I didn’t know much about the future back then. And even when I thought I recognized you, you didn’t seem at all like a violent person. I assumed it could have been…” he trailed off.

“A dark universe?” Ace suggested.

“Yes. But after getting to know you and learning how reckless you are, not to mention your stupidly proud smile whenever you tell the story—”

“Hey! It's a good story!”

Vittorio smiled. “I can see that it was definitely you.”

“Well, yeah.” Ace cleared his throat and averted his eyes from the sincere smile. “I’m glad you remembered. I think?”

“It’s strange,” Vittorio continued, “how much calmer I felt as soon as I recognized you when I first came to this campfire. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything sooner—that was dishonest of me.”

“Uh, no, it’s all good,” Ace said. “It was probably a confusing situation. It’s not like you could have known you’d stay with our gang for this long.”

“That’s not true,” Vittorio protested gently. “Arriving here was different from all the other places I’ve come across in the fog. It feels like I know these people.” 

He cast a glance over the survivor campsite where everyone had mostly returned to their usual tasks of sorting items and talking shit about killers. 

Vittorio looked back up to meet Ace’s eyes and said, “Like after centuries of wandering, I’ve finally found the place where I belong.”

Ace kept telling himself it didn’t mean anything.

═════════════ ♧ ═════════════

Ace sighed and clutched the apology medkit in his hand.

He and Vittorio had had their first fight. The Deathslinger had been a little too happy to focus his attention on the new survivor and Ace had the brilliant idea to take a couple harpoons to the chest to buy Vittorio at least a few seconds to make distance from the killer.

Unfortunately, it had ended in all of them dead. And after Jane lectured Ace's ear off about ignoring generators, Vittorio had actually raised his voice for the first time and yelled at Ace for intervening in his trial.

And maybe Ace had snapped something vaguely sarcastic back, and that hadn't gone over well, and eventually Vittorio's kind eyes had hardened into a glare and he'd stormed off.

Thus, the apology medkit.

Ace eventually found Vittorio in the woods surrounding the campfire, standing by a small lake and looking out over the still water.

"Hey," Ace said, then hurried to add, "Don't worry, I come bearing gifts."

He held out the medkit. Vittorio simply stared down at it.

Then, Vittorio sighed and dragged a hand down his own face. "I'm sorry."

Ace blinked stupidly. "Uh, I'm pretty sure that's my line."

"I haven't lost my temper like that since…I don't even remember."

Since Vittorio didn’t seem interested in his bribe—ahem, peace offering—Ace made the executive decision to toss the medkit on the ground.

"Well," Ace said. "I am pretty good at getting on people's nerves."

Vittorio smiled at him. "You're also very good at calming people down."

Ace shrugged. "Eh, jury’s still out on that one. Still, I’m sorry too."

"Don't be. You…your actions made me realize something."

Ace swallowed the automatic quip of “That I'm a dumbass?” and forced himself to be serious for once in his life.

"Yeah?" he asked.

Vittorio hesitated, then took a pointed step closer, making Ace realize just how much distance there had been between them. Assuming Vittorio was pissed at him, Ace had unconsciously kept him at arm’s length—but that didn’t seem to sit well with either of them.

Because now that Ace thought about it, Vittorio always seemed to hover in Ace’s space. He’d brush a hand over Ace’s back when passing him, sit close enough that their knees bumped when they relaxed by the campfire, and lean on Ace’s shoulder for support while he wheezed at Ace’s jokes that he swore he didn’t find funny. 

Ace had simply assumed it was a cultural thing: Mediterranean people and Latin Americans were both a little touchy-feely. But now he was starting to question the seemingly platonic gestures.

Vittorio’s brow furrowed while he studied Ace—probably concerned about the fact that Ace had gone a good two minutes without so much as a joke or sarcastic eyebrow raise—before he finally spoke.

“I’m not very good at this sort of thing,” Vittorio admitted. “I’m not sure how to be any clearer, and you are impossible to read…” he trailed off and fidgeted, actually appearing uncertain.

That was on opening if Ace ever saw one.

“Like I said the other day.” Ace grinned and took a step closer. “Body language.”

He tilted his head up and gently grabbed a handful of Vittorio’s shirt to pull him closer, giving the man his best seductive smile.

…Except instead of sweeping Ace off his feet and kissing him silly, Vittorio’s eyes went wide and he froze completely under Ace’s touch.

Ace immediately pushed himself off. “Shit. My bad!” He ran a hand through his hair in a gesture he desperately hoped looked casual. “I read that completely wrong. Sorry about that.”

Ace could almost physically feel the hit his confidence was taking from the rejection. He really had to stop thinking with his dick before he ruined what had become one of the best friendships he’d ever had.

A warm hand grabbed Ace’s wrist and stopped him from fretting with his hair.

Vittorio was smiling, his eyes now fond. “You just took me by surprise.” He huffed. “Apparently, things have changed somewhat in the last six centuries.”

Ace’s smile returned. “Oh yeah? Was kissing about a date twenty type of thing?” he bantered along. “You never thought to peep on those kinds of things in the future?”

“I can't exactly choose what visions I see,” Vittorio protested, though his face pinked as he blushed.

It was a pretty blush and Ace wanted about fifty more of it, please and thank you.

“Then maybe you should show me how you did it in the olden days,” Ace challenged with a wicked smirk.

In response, Vittorio raised their joined hands to his mouth—all the while keeping eye contact—and gently kissed the inside of Ace’s wrist.

“Oh.” Ace’s voice cracked on the word but dammit, that was really nice.

“Would you believe me,” Vittorio said, lowering their hands to properly intertwine their fingers, “if I said that things were much more crude back then than they are now?”

Ace perked up. “Really now?”

Vittorio chuckled at his obvious eagerness. “But this isn't the 1300st century,” he continued, cupping Ace’s jaw with his other hand. “And I can adapt.”

“In my humble opinion, it sounds like a compromise would be in order—”

Vittorio decided to shut him up with a kiss and Ace’s witty response—along with most of his coherent thoughts—promptly fizzled out into nothing.

Vittorio’s beard rasped pleasantly against Ace’s own and, wow, Ace was really kissing someone who hadn’t been kissed in several hundred years. No matter how much Vittorio had tried to play off his need for intimacy, he was clearly desperate for this and very much into it, his lips a little sloppy and his hand tightly clutching Ace’s.

It was flattering, really.

Ace was completely on board and gave as good as he got, clinging to Vittorio’s jacket and standing up on the balls of his feet to press even closer, kiss even harder. He experimentally flicked his tongue over Vittorio’s bottom lip and his effort earned him a quiet moan that shot straight to his groin.

When Vittorio finally pulled away, his breathing was heavier and he was blushing in earnest, pink coloring his cheeks all the way to his ears.

It made him look somehow even more handsome than usual.

Vittorio smiled down at Ace. “That was nice,” he murmured softly.

“Worth waiting six centuries for?” Ace quipped.

Vittorio laughed and warm pride spread through Ace’s body. Vittorio looked so utterly happy here, in this moment of quiet closeness and shared jokes, and Ace wanted to keep making him smile and laugh and blush for many years to come.

Vittorio leaned back down, then murmured against Ace’s lips. “Worth every single year.”

═════════════ ♧ ═════════════

It was easy after that.

Ace strolled back into camp after a trial and found Vittorio propped up against one of the logs, his legs sprawled out on the ground in that effortlessly attractive way he always carried himself. He held a book with some weird symbols carved on the cover—one of Mikaela's spell tomes, if Ace had to guess—and his eyes were glowing blue as he translated the text in his mind's eye or whatever.

Ace immediately flopped down next to him with a dramatic sigh, leaning into Vittorio’s side and letting his head rest on a muscular shoulder.

“Damn, your friend really had it out for me,” Ace complained. “That assassin phantom, the one who can outrun us? Somehow always managed to find me when I was injured. I want to file a harassment complaint.”

Vittorio hummed in acknowledgement and the corner of his mouth quirked up. He kept reading but snaked his hand around Ace’s shoulders and gently massaged the spot where Ace had been repeatedly pierced through with a meat hook.

Ace sighed happily and leaned into the touch, his eyes sliding shut as he relaxed from the soft affection.

He could hear murmurs around the campfire: some people had been quite surprised about this turn of events when they shared the news, others had said "told you so", and a few thousand bloodpoints had even exchanged hands.

Ace tuned them all out but he knew people were staring. Here Ace was, casually leaning against his gorgeous, 600-something-old boyfriend, one who was currently glowing blue and magically translating a foreign language, and who would periodically get visions of the future or alternate dimensions.

Yeah, it was a little weird.

There was a laugh from behind them and Ace perked up in anticipation of the newest gossip, but slumped back down in defeat once he heard Élodie go on in French.

“Did you know that Élodie and the architect are dating?” Vittorio asked.

Ace gawked at him. “What?!”

“For quite some time now, apparently,” Vittorio said, still seemingly engrossed in his book but apparently eavesdropping at the same time. “Hm. It's a wonder nobody has noticed.”

“You can…you've learned to…” Ace stammered.

“Translate any language, yes.” Vittorio turned to him and smirked. “Do you think I should tell the others?”

So, maybe his boyfriend had a few voyeuristic tendencies Ace probably should be concerned about.

But then again, Ace was a huge gossip, so maybe it was meant to be.

“Oh hell no.” Ace grinned and leaned closer, draping himself against Vittorio’s side. “This is our little secret and we'll reveal it when they least expect it. Like one of those times when Feng is cursing me out in Mandarin, you can interrupt her with ‘Actually, Ace's mother is a lovely woman, and secondly I'm not about to let him shove a whole flashlight up his—’”

“Alright, alright.” Vittorio chuckled, nudging Ace to shut him up. He lowered his head, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he smiled. “Our secret.”

Ace’s heart soared and he didn’t even hesitate before pulling Vittorio into a kiss in full view of the others.

He hadn’t been this happy in years and nobody—not even their so-called friends making gagging noises in the background or Vittorio’s murderous ex stabbing him repeatedly—could take this away from him.

[drconstellation]

Trials and Denials

Part 2 of The Passion of Jimbriel

Part 1: The Entry to Soho is here

The story of events leading up to the crucifixion of Jesus, and the days following, until his ascension to Heaven, are collectively known as the Passion narratives. It comes from the Latin "to suffer," or "to endure."

More than one op has mentioned there are parallels to this in S2, so I thought I would try and find how well the whole narrative was followed. Oh yes, is the short answer, it certainly does! And how! And in places you might be surprised about. I hope this series of metas might answer some of the odd mysteries of "why is that there...? that are still floating around at the moment for you.

In Part 1 we looked at the three temptations in the wilderness during the 40 days of fasting, before the entry to Jerusalem on donkey. Then there was the Cleansing of the Temple and the Anointing of Jesus.

Now we start to do some hard work. As a warning, we are going to be covering part of the Final Fifteen Minutes during this post, so if you don't want to read this at work, or somewhere else you don't have privacy to be upset, you might want to save or skip this for later.

I also mentioned at the end of Part 1 that it's not just Jim/Gabriel that takes on the role of Jesus, it's also Crowley - and they change around as we follow the narratives along. Crowley and Gabriel actually have a lot in common so it shouldn't be that much of a surprise.

The Last Supper is the next way point we need to cover in the narratives as we move along. It was at the Eldritch Ball, of course, with Jimbriel offering everyone "tiny little dinners" and just about everyone had a drink in their hand.

And he does share something he discovered about his body with the assembled crowd.

The Denial of Peter. After the meal, on the way to the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus predicts that Peter, the first Apostle, would deny him three times before the cock crowed (or morning arrives.) In the narratives this happens in quick succession, but in S2 the three incidents are spread out.

But who plays who? Here's the prediction:

And here's Peter Michael, who's going to do the denying.

The Agony in the Garden of Gesthsemane is the next main part of the narratives. Here Jesus has retreated with three of the Apostles after the meal to pray and to ask to be released of his burden. But after pleading three times, he accepted he must take on the sins of men and die for them.

We have actually mentioned this one before - It is Crowley drinking the laudanum in the 1827 minisode. By drinking the laudanum in Elspeth's place he absolves her of her intended sin of taking her own life and took it upon himself - he saved her from going to Hell, so she could join wee Morag in Heaven, eventually (and paid the price in her place for it.) I covered it in my Altar of Eccles Cakes as it also covers being a Sin offering. It was first suggested here.

"If this cup cannot pass by, but I must drink it, Your will be done!" Matthew 26:42

An angel was said to have come from Heaven to comfort and strengthen him. Uh huh.

Jesus then comes back to find the three Apostles asleep. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

I'm going to suggest these could be the three bodies we see in the 1827 minisode: the first is the body dressed in the mason's apron that Elspeth has dug up when Aziraphale and Crowley first come upon her, the second is the priest they dig up with wee Morag along, and the third is wee Morag's body. Why? Because I've been thinking about being shown the mason there in contrast to the priest (and the mention of masons in other parts of S2) and the brief discussion that is had about where one goes after one dies in that minisode. And the thing is, as Aziraphale tries to point out (and Crowley tries to argue with Aziraphale, as well) a lot of what you believe in while living doesn't matter once you die. Masons just have to believe in a supreme being (i.e. the Almighty) but they don't have the same belief structure as the Christian church. Both the mason and a catholic are going to end up in the same place (and wee Morag, too) despite that.

Now we've reach The Kiss of Judas, then The Arrest. But lets take a couple of steps back and set up the betrayal of Judas first - which starts around here:

Hello there, Judas!Aziraphale. Aren't you going to accept my 30 pieces of silver bribe in the form of I'm-watching-what-you-do-almond-syrup-laden-coffee? Come and have a further chinwag with me while I bribe you with more silver in the form of the the Supreme Archangel's clothing and status! Meanwhile I'll just glare at this troublemaker of a Jesus!Crowley-echo-from-the-Great-War-in-the-past to remind him I haven't forgotten about him.

That's the Metatron, standing in for the High Priest of Israel, Caiaphas. We'll be seeing him again.

Oh. Yeah. The Kiss of Judas, to identify Jesus to the soldiers who came to arrest him.

You might notice it was kind of swapped around, though - Jesus was the active kisser in this instance.

So now we get to ask why. Why this. Why this ending. Because the relationship between Judas and Jesus is crucial to understanding what went on and what decisions were made. If the majority of us don't even understand that story we may have been told over and over again, how are we going to understand this one? No wonder we've been struggling with it.

I realize I've got this far into this series of metas without really justifying why Crowley is standing in for Jesus. It started out being about Gabriel/Jim (we are still going to see more of Gabriel!) but understanding why...well, this is an echo from the past - part of the Great War of Heaven and the Fall being replayed in the present. Its a meandering mobius strip of a story line folding back over on itself and repeating. Perhaps I'll just point you back to this post for the time being while I'm still working on things (Its a long read, you might have to come back to it. But I'll cover a bit of it in the next part of the series.)

But back to Judas and Jesus, for context: Judas loved Jesus, but he was afraid for his people, the people of Israel (Heaven,) as well, and didn't want the might of Rome (Hell) to descend upon them. It would be far better to sacrifice just one person, Jesus, than many, so he agreed to the bribe and lead the soldiers to the arrest in the garden.

Jesus loved Judas just as much back, yet accepted the betrayal, and still called Judas his friend and loved him unconditionally. He had predicted he would be betrayed, and knew at the end of the hour in the Garden of Gethsemane that the hour had come. He had essentially asked Judas to kill him, then asked Judas to live with his guilt. (I think its expressed better in this short post. Very worth the read.)

Jesus was arrested, and taken away for trial.

The Trial Before the Sanhedrin

The Sanhedrin was a council of elders who who were appointed to act as a tribunal. Jesus was questioned before them but answered little, and they struggled to find witnesses to testify against him. Eventually they accused him of blasphemy and sent him to Pontius Pilate in the morning.

Here we have Gabriel being trialed before the Metatron/Caiaphas and the senior Archangels. Gabriel saying "Nah!" was blasphemy towards the Great Plan, and enough to get him removed.

The Three Denials of Peter Michael

No. 1...

URIEL: So the miracle was nothing to do with Gabriel's disappearance then? [in the back, Gabriel waves] AZIRAPHALE: Gabriel? Oh, you mentioned you're looking for Gabriel. MICHAEL: Did we? AZIRAPHALE: Yes. [Gabriel slams books together] AZIRAPHALE: Mm! GABRIEL: And see, the big ones can be used as fly swats. I know what you're thinking, but it's okay, because the beauty part is, it never works. ( fly buzzing ) MICHAEL: Don't I... Don't I know you? GABRIEL: Yes. You do. I'm the assistant bookseller. I opened the door for you.

...No. 2...

URIEL: The traitor? MURIEL: Yes. He seemed very... Traitorous. URIEL: Hmm... MURIEL: And his grumpy friend, Mr. Crowley. URIEL: The demon. MURIEL: Oh, I suppose that explains the grumpiness. Oh, and, of course, his... assistant? But I don't think I saw him. MICHAEL: His assistant? He doesn't have an assistant. MURIEL: No. Sorry, I don't know why I said that. MICHAEL: Does he? Does he? Didn't we meet a someone, something... about... [clears throat] books? URIEL: No, no. That's Aziraphale himself, he likes books.

...and No. 3.

I was going to conclude the trial with Pontius Pilate in this part, but on reflection it may be better to include it in Part 3 - Resurrection

[jillianfahey]

Bad Batch Crosshair - Modern AU

Yesterday I read about the Bad Bach being professional soldiers in a Modern AU and how Crosshair was the typical sleep around guy not really getting into relationships because the job would always take him away. In the AU he and Tech are twenty four and Phee (Techs girlfriend in the fic) is the same age. So I've been thinking, what kind of person would change Crosshairs mind to try being in a relationship instead of just adding notches to the bedpost.

*********************************************************************

Crosshair shook his head as he walked down the street, he had drunk too much last night and had stayed longer than he thought he would. Normally he didn't stay past one or two rounds unless they were really good. Stretching his t-shirt pulled and he could smell the smoke and perfume on it. The smoke from the party last night was on his jeans and sneakers too. He needed a shower and some real sleep. But first, coffee.

Almost at the thought he noticed a coffee shop up ahead, across the street from a grocery store. Good, he could get some coffee then buy something for his headache. With that plan in mind he stepped into the store.

A young Dathmarian woman was standing behind the counter mixing a smoothie, but looked up at him. A practiced smile graced her face but did not reach her blue eyes framed by dark lashes, a white diamond marking directly in her forehead with two white lines going on either side of her face and disappearing into the t-shirt with the coffee stores logo on it. A grey skinned hand motioned to the wall to her right, "Our drinks and menu are right there. Let me know if you need help."

Looking at the menu decided, "I would like a large black coffee with two shots of Expresso please."

Wiping her hands on her apron, "Coming right up." Turning to the machine, "Do you want a pastry as well? They're in the display case." He watched as she punched buttons on the machine, "See anything you'd like?"

Yes he did, but not in the display case, "What time do you get off your shift?"

Turning to him, "Shouldn't you ask my name before starting on plans?" She had her head slightly tilted with the question.

This didn't usually happen so Crosshair blinked at her for a minute. She broke eye contact and got his coffee ready before capping bringing it over to him and setting it on the counter, "If that is all that will be one fifty." Numbly Crosshair paid up and left.

*******

A few days later Crosshair was out walking again, just getting out of the house now that Wrecker was looking for something to do. Pulling out a cigarette he leaned against a tree and lit it. A deep puff that he exhaled slowly. "You shouldn't be smoking here," the voice to his left made him jump. It was the barista from the other day, wearing stained jeans, beat up sneakers and the coffee shop t-shirt. Pointing across the street, "That's an elementary school, and we can't go having bad examples around."

This made him chuckle, "All I am is a bad example sweetheart."

Her eyebrow raised, "Would it kill you to ask for my name Crosshair Fett?" His surprise must have shown on his face, "Yeah, I know who you are." Stretching slightly before leaning on the tree next to his, "You aren't the first person to come to the coffee shop after a night out, and a lot of them like to talk."

Deciding to bite the metaphorical bullet he asked, "What is your name sweetheart?"

A clap, "He can learn." Normally this would have annoyed him, but from her it was almost endearing, "My name is Lyni. Lyni Opress."

Putting out his cigarette and placing the rest he was going to smoke behind an ear, "I haven't heard your accent before Lyni."

The comfortable atmosphere disappeared in a second, "I was raised in a small colony on Dathomir." She stood up straight, "See you around." Crosshair watched her leave wondering what all of that was about.

****

It was a few weeks later and and it was raining. It had been slow and the deployment had been canceled due to the downpour. Ducking into a grocery store he heard the unusual accent, "Do you have any red weed?" There was a negative response and a sigh. Turning he saw Lyni standing a few rows away with a cart and speaking to a clerk. Thanking the man she turned and went down the aisle.

Crosshair followed her and saw she was struggling to reach a herb on the top shelf. Quickly going to her he stood behind her and lowered it to her reach. "Thank you," she said as she turned around and saw him barely a foot away, "Crosshair." She put a hand on his chest and pushed him a few steps back, giving her space, "What brings you here?"

Running a hand through his wet hair, "The rain. What about you?"

She looked at him, eyebrows raised and extended a hand to the cart, "What do you think?"

Raising a hand, "Good point." Then something he never asked outside of his family even with the people he was trying to sleep with, "Would you like some help?" The smile reached her eyes when she saw he was serious and he was glad he had asked.

Ten to fifteen minutes later found him walking next her in the rain, both of them holding bags of groceries. Crosshair insisted on carrying the heavier stuff as a gentleman. As they walked they talked about different rainstorms they had been in before.

Too soon they were at her little house and she let them both in. Both stood in the living room dripping wet when she started laughing and he laughed too, "Come on, lets get these to the kitchen." He followed her though the little room that held a computer to the kitchen that was just off a carpeted living room and saw different toys on the wooden floor as well as pictures of at least five men with different colored skins put all with the same eyes as Lyni. There was also a picture of her with two kids, a orange skinned boy and a grey skinned girl. Lyni motioned to the counter and he set down the bags he was carrying. When he turned she had disappeared but she came back holding towels, "Here you are," she said as she handed him one.

Both dried off as well as they could before he started drying groceries that she put away. Finally he broke the silence, "You have kids?"

She stopped for a moment before continuing, "Technically they are my niece and nephew but yes, I have kids."

The groceries had been put away and they started working on their water trail, "What happened?"

Lyni took a deep breath before turning to look at him, "My family are either dead, drug addicts, in jail, or part of a cult. Some are a mixture of the last three." With a shrug, "I wasn't in any of those situations so when my brother died the authorities looked at all of us and picked me as the most stable one to have a chance to take care of his children."

Crosshair looked at her with new eyes, of course she didn't have time for mindless pickup lines. Then it occurred to him, "Lyni, how old are you?"

With a slight smile, "I'm twenty three Cross, just a year younger than you." Then tilting her head, "Does this mean I can ask some questions now?" He nodded. Then over some tea they asked and answered questions until the rain stopped and Crosshair left to go home. But he did have a secret joy for in his pocket there was now an e-mail address to keep in contact with Lyni.

****

A few months later Crosshair was back from deployment and following his brothers around the fair where he could beat any of the shooting games. Why was he even here? Then a orange skinned boy ran full tilt into him and the little horns knocked the wind out of him, "Brutal, look where your going!" Looking up he saw Lyni wearing clean jeans and sneakers, a blue shirt and with her hair left loosely flowing down her back. He forgot how to speak for a moment as she reached out to touch his arm, "Are you alright Cross." He nodded and she turned to the boy, "What do you say 'Tal?"

Stepping up, "I am sorry sir." The child had the same accent as Lyni. Crosshair remembered that there was another one and noticed the girl hiding behind Lyni's legs looking up at him with the same blue eyes.

Taking a deep breath, "Its alright kid, but you probably should look where your going." The child nodded seriously. Crosshair extended a hand, "My names Crosshair."

The kid took it, "My names Brutal," then motioning to the girl behind Lyni, "that's my twin sister. Her name is Shadow."

Tilting his head Crosshair asked, "How old are you two?"

"We're seven sir." Brutal blinked when Crosshair grimaced slightly with 'sir'.

Quickly having his face settle back into regular lines, "Would you like to meet my twin?" The boy nodded, "Follow me."

Lyni and the two kids followed him though the crowd that thronged the park, and finally Crosshair saw Tech winning a stuffed animal for Phee. Walking towards them he waved for their attention which Tech gave, "Where did you disappear to?" Then seeing the woman and two kids behind his brother, "What's going on."

Crosshair stood between the two groups, "Tech, Phee this is my friend Lyni, her nephew Brutal, and her niece Shadow. The two kids are twins." Looking at the Dathmarian trio, "This is my twin brother Tech and his girlfriend Phee."

Lyni stepped forward and extended a hand, "It's nice to finally meet you." Then with a slight smile, "Cross told me all about the team's exploits in the emails he sent me." Then turning to the children, "Come on you two, say hello." Which Brutal did and Shadow just waved.

Phee had shaken Lynis hand as it seemed that Tech was too shocked to realize that this was the girl that his brother had talked about. It was the first time there was respect and awe in his brothers voice about a girl Tech didn't know. Phee gave a knowing smile to Crosshair then stage whispered to Lyni, "You should have him win you and the kids some prizes."

Both Brutal and Shadow perked up at that and turned tooka eyes on Crosshair, "Could you win us something? Please!"

He looked a little lost before Lyni spoke, "You can each choose one thing for a prize. No more." As the twins started talking about the best thing in the carnival Lyni spoke to the other three adults, "I'm sorry about this."

To the others surprise it was Crosshair who spoke, "There's nothing to be sorry for." With a shrug, "Their kids."

Lyni gave him a smile before looking at the kids again who had turned to them, "What's the verdict?"

Brutal spoke, "I want one of the Shriek Hawks and Shadow wants a Tooka." Looking up at his aunt, "There are Binturong stuffies too."

Crosshair looked at the kid confused, "What's a Bintruong?"

But Lyni's entire face lit up, "It's viverrid native to South and Southeast Asia and is also known as the bearcat." Then plunging into a five minute talk about the features of the animal, along with its habitat and ending with "And it lives for ten to fifteen years. Plus it smells like popcorn too, isn't that crazy?"

Crosshair had watched her the entire time with a soft smile on his face, Tech looked between the pair in confusion, Phee gave a knowing look again, and the kids absorbed all of the information that their aunt had given them. In reaction to the question at the end of the little speech Phee gave Crosshair a friendly nudge, "Sounds like you need to win her one."

Blushing Lyni ducked her head, "You really don't have to..."

Crosshair spoke up, "You're right, I don't have to." In the same tone, "But I am going to." Then he led the way to get the three Dathmarians their chosen prizes. And afterwards as they all ate ice cream the kids were amazed at how easy it was for him to do so, going through all three of his perfect shots again.

************************************************************************

There you have it. I think he would fall in love with someone who does not collapse under his pick up lines because they are literally to busy being strong as can be. Then when he learns about it he decides to help all he can and remain near them out of respect.

If you want more of this, please ask. I don't know if I'll find the motivation otherwise.

[silverstar70]

Fandom: NCIS Character: Alden Parker

Author's note: This is my first fanfiction ever, so please be kind. English isn't my first language so I apologize for any mistake. I was rewatching 20x14. I loved the episode but felt like something was missing. So here it is. Hope you like it!

Make things right

At the ding of the elevator, the team turned in that direction and saw Parker with three boxes of pizza. He walked in silence through the squadroom, no meeting the team’s eyes all pointed on him.

“I wanted to apologize” Parker said quietly, still not looking at them “I know these aren’t the picarones, but I hoped it would work anyway.”

The team, Jimmy and Kasie included, were still at the office to help McGee with the mission reports and thought that Parker went home so it took them by surprise seeing their boss standing there, quiet and vulnerable.

“Depends.” Torres was the first to break the silence “Did you get the pepperoni one?”

“And double cheese”

They ate all together without much of a talking and finished all the reports in record time. Parker was happy with this team, his new team. It was never like that at the FBI and after Jeremy he always preferred to work alone, only occasionally he worked with Fornell, he was a good friend. He knew what happened that night and helped him to move on.

He didn’t know what it would have happened if it wasn’t for Fornell. Right after the accident, he started drinking more than he should, it was the only thing that helped him not to think. He was angry at the world, but especially at himself for not covering his best friend's back.

Fornell arrived at the right time, helped him deal with it. He couldn't forget that night, but he couldn’t let Wills wins again and ruin his career. So, thanks to Tobias, he got back on his tracks and tried his best to learn to live with the guilt. Things went fine for a while, he started living again but as much as he tried, the guilt was still there. Not even Jaremy was able to redeem him from that feeling.

The NCIS assignment came as a fresh start. For the first time since the accident, he loved being in a team again. This team wasn't like the others, and he knew it right away from the loyalty they showed to Gibbs. Loyalties that they had also shown to him by helping him with the Raven's case. He hated himself for the way he had behaved towards them, for yelling at them and for running away from the crime scene without explanation.

Jeremy was right: the team had changed him. They had accepted him as one of the family and, with a little effort at first, he had earned their respect and trust. Now he was no longer just the boss, but also a friend to be counted on and he was proud. He was proud of this team and lucky to be a part of it.

Sat between Jess and McGee’s desks, they finished the pizza doing small talks and soon it was time to go home but Parker needed to make things right with them first.

“I wasn’t completely honest with you, guys. And I own you an explanation.”

“You don’t own us anything, Parker. We’re just happy that things ended well” McGee spoke for everyone, while the rest sat in silence looking at them.

“No, I do. I shouldn't have raised my voice at any of you," addressing Jimmy and Kasie in particular "I was mad, and I took all my anger out on you. You didn't deserve it. This story has haunted me for years and I've never been able to put an end to it and move on. When we found those pills, all the anger I thought I had buried came back and hit me like a train."

He paused for a moment, collecting his thought. They were family, they should know the truth, but it was harder than he thought. What if they’ll think less of him? What if he’ll lose their respect? No, he knew them better than that, but after all he wasn’t Gibbs. They didn’t own him anything.

“Parker, we get it. We would have reacted the same way, we just wished you told us” Jess reassured him. In that moment he blurred out the truth about that night.

“It was my bullet who hit Jaremy’s back.”

The team stood there in shock, looking at their boss in disbelieves, exchanging looks. Seconds passed and no one said anything, Parker was looking down at his hands in shame. He felt embarrassed and scared. After years he founded joy in working in a team once again, a new family, who respected him and trusted him with their life, and now he’ll lose everything because who would trust a boss who might shoot in you back during a raid? But he was wrong, so wrong.

“We have read the report. We know what happened that night, Parker.” McGee said to him, receiving a questioning look from Parker “I mean, we didn’t know this. We know what Jaremy told us. It was a hell, pure fog of war stuff. But, Alden, it wasn’t your fault. Certainly, Jaremy doesn’t think it is and neither do we.”

“We trust you Parker” added Torres.

“We’ll watch your back, and you’ll watch ours” confirmed Jess, while Kasie went to hug him in comfort. He embraced her tight, and a tear fell on his cheek. He wasn’t expecting all this support, but he was glad he was a part of this special team. When he loosed the hug, Kasie stood beside him to show him all her support.

“Thanks guys. You have no idea how much this means to me. I know I am not Gibbs, but I really appreciate your loyalty.”

“You’re right, you’re not Gibbs” Jimmy finally speaks and all turn towards him “But he’s not here now. You are. We’re loyal to you and I am sure it’s what he would want. No one gets left behind”

“Thank you, Jimmy.”

And with that all of them get ready to leave and go home to try to get some sleep. All together walked to the elevators and get inside.

“We still want the picarones tomorrow, though” Torres said before the doors closed and they all laughed.

[thethirdromana]

Yes femininity on men in The Woman In White is a whole thing.

Fosco “with all his look of unmistakable mental firmness and power, he is as nervously sensitive as the weakest of [women]. He starts at chance noises as inveterately as Laura herself”. Fosco’s got “effeminate tastes and amusements” and looks like “a fat St. Cecilia masquerading in male attire”.

Fairlie’s feminine traits are the most obvious. His hands are “delicate”, he is beardless and his feet “effeminately small” and clad in “little womanish bronze-leather slippers”. To Walter, Fairlie’s “frail, languidly-fretful, over-refined look” appears “unpleasantly delicate in its association with a man”. Pykett notes that most of these traits would be normally attractive in a woman and yet they are repulsive in a man. His overall appearance and delicacy is the trait he shares with Laura and Anne. He is prone like them to a mysterious illness about which everyone says that “it’s on the nerves”. His nervous state is directly linked to his lack of masculinity. Fairlie admits himself that he is “nothing but a bundle of nerves dressed up to look like a man”.

Yep - it's something I find really interesting about the Woman in White. It's a feminist novel, and often in unexpectedly sophisticated ways (showing how the problem doesn't come back to individual bad man, but the system as a whole) and unexpectedly insightful ones (in the 21st century you still get male writers who think you can snap the heels of stilettos and then run in them, but Wilkie Collins gets how restrictive Marian's clothing is).

But it's also a novel that hates femininity. It hates it above all in men (as you've shown, anon) but it's not exactly positive about femininity in women. Fairlie's traits might normally be attractive in a woman but I'd argue that Collins doesn't really present them that way. Laura is described as beautiful, and Marian mannish and ugly, but once that bit of description is out of the way, I'd argue that Marian's masculine-coded determination is shown as much more admirable than Laura's delicate feminine submission to the will of the men around her.

All of this is pretty consistent with contemporary feminist thought, at least as far as I'm familiar with it. When I first read 'A Vindication of the Rights of Women', from half a century earlier, it shocked me how much time Wollstonecraft spends criticising the failings of women. So maybe this shouldn't be surprising to me, but it is.

I wrote somewhere before how this all reminds me of reading about Old Norse literature, in which in the absence of brave men, a woman will rise up to take on a masculine role, which shames the men but does honour to the woman. There are two typical outcomes from this: either the woman dies amidst the violence she's unleashed (although typically not before she gets her vengeance), or she wins, and is rewarded with marriage to a man who is worthy of her.

I've never read the Woman in White so I don't know what happens at the end (NO SPOILERS PLEASE), and I'm fascinated to find out whether the plot will continue to follow either of those routes. With Marian currently out of the picture, I guess not? But I honestly have no idea where the plot is going, beyond the obvious creeping doom, or how it's all going to be resolved.

I'm looking forward to finding out, and seeing what further takes on Victorian gender roles Wilkie Collins has in store for us.

[yakool-foolio]

You know I got to ask you about the main bois. Yakou and Vivia

Since, I'm feelin' extra, I'll talk about both of them separately and then talk about the ship!

First up, the man, the myth, the legend(27): Yakou! For my first impression of him, why not go back to the source? This is the first message I wrote about him when his name and summary was revealed. Suffice to say, I was very excited.

Yakou instantly hooked me and I had plenty to enjoy about him even before the game released. I got so frustrated that Yakou was being censored out of the English character trailers since Nintendo said 'nuh uh,' but I'm glad Chunsoft said 'fym nuh uh' and shared voice clips of Yakou on Twitter. I fought so hard against the theories that Yakou would die, too (but look where that got me... in anime Resident Evil). He was my favorite since day one!

As for headcanons, I know I've shared a few, so I'll do a lightning round! Yakou owns a retro gaming console; he's still got the mixology skills down pat; he knew how to do parkour in his youth, and can sometimes pull off tricks nowadays (heavy emphasis on sometimes, he is renowned for failing horribly a grand majority of the time); he writes his own silly editor's notes in the books he buys; he makes up tall tales about his raincoat's decals and his scars; he's a stomach sleeper and snores loudly; he has a very good mental map, even for places he's rarely been to, he's the go-to 'ask me for directions' guy.

As for complaints n praises, y'all know how I've sang to the rooftops about how Yakou is what I believe to be one of Kodaka's best written characters he's ever made. The only complaint I genuinely have is that he doesn't get more screentime. I would've loved more bonding time with him n the detectives, not just Yuma. I wish he was the one who told Yuma that he's doing the right thing as a detective instead of Kurumi, even if it would be interlaced with plenty of scolding for Yuma getting himself in trouble with the peacekeepers yet again.

And my overall opinion shouldn't be a surprise. He's my number one favorite in Rain Code, y'all know the drill.

Next order of business is Vivia! My first impression of him started out before he even had a name. There were illustrations of him released before his name was revealed, so I ended up nicknaming him 'Radioactive' cause his design looked like the physical embodiment of Radioactive by Imagine Dragons at the time (but I know not to disrespect him like that anymore). When his name and the photo of him laying under the piano was finally shared, me and my boyfriend collectively adored him.

All it took was that one piano image to make me spiral into an unshakeable association with the instrument for Vivia.

A perfect transition into talking about headcanons for Vivia, lightning round two! He plays piano to improve his self-expression; he is the equivalent of a cat in a human body; he can fit into places he shouldn't be; he can purr cause I said so; he prefers to sleep with candlelight due to paranoia caused by his Forte; he's the eldest brother out of his family; he knows how to care for basic wounds cause he was the one who supported his brothers' when they were injured from roughhousing.

I don't necessarily have any complaints about Vivia either. Other than the obvious 'gimme more content,' he's a solid character! He's a great rival and assistant for chapter 4, and his DLC is my favorite of the bunch! His Forte is the most interesting of the Master Detectives shown so far, and there's lots of room for growth if he were to appear in a sequel.

Overall opinion: second favorite for plenty of reasons as shown here and in many of my other posts!

Now I shall discuss Viviakou! I'm very active in shipping them, writing up content for them and thinking about them on the daily. It helps that me n my boyfriend also ramble about them often, cause they just like us frfr. We're both grateful it's a pretty darn popular ship, cause the fanart and fics fuel us.

The third and final headcanon lightning round! Yakou picks up guitar to duet with Vivia's piano; Vivia got the umbrella tattoo in Kanai Ward after the events of his DLC as a symbol of them protecting one another; Vivia will go out of his way to come up with the most poetic pet names of all time, while Yakou keeps it short n simple, which can be just as effective since he likes to use them only for their more intimate moments; Yakou is the ocean to Vivia's moon; they write notes to each other in the books they borrow from one another; they have those long distance couple bracelets that when one of the wearers touches it, it sends a signal to the other person, which is something they like to do when Vivia's at the agency and Yakou's out investigating or vice versa.

Overall opinion: Perfect ship for all my fluff and angst needs. They feel like the natural evolution of Komahina to me. Am I the only one who thinks that?

[shippergirl-14]

Show me how to make flowers ~ ( Creek)

Since I still don’t know how this app works I decided to post another silly little one shot I wrote a while ago to get to use it more. I’m too incompetent to reply to comments it seems I don’t know ?

Anyway, here have a silly Creek one shot that’s probably a bit ooc and has some grammar mistakes ( English is not my native language and I have adhd)

—————————————————————————

Tweek had always been troubled by his anxiety. Especially as a child, a thousand things that could go wrong crossed his mind in solely a second, raising his fear level constantly until he broke out into panic. Then there was his boyfriend Craig, who would always try to keep him in check by making sure he was distracted by a nerve calming activity and preparing him his favorite tea.

Not only since the stoic boy thought coffee tasted like shit, but also because he believed the brown liquid would only fuel his lover's overthinking nature, he helped him fight his addiction to the point the blonde would only occasionally sip a cup. Due to him mistrusting Mister and Misses Tweak, he would only allow Tweek to drink what he prepared himself. No one could convince his wary self that the shop owners didn't put something in their beverages.

As a consequence of his boyfriend's great ability to calm him and his own mastered skills to keep his mind a peaceful place, Tweek wasn't on edge every day of the week. Still, there were a lot of things that stressed him out, starting from his fear of failing all his classes to believing he could get run over by a car anytime he crossed the road.

Today, it wasn't any different from his usual outburst. The teacher of his favorite subject had given him a bad grade, leading him to spiral back into his self loathing tendencies. What if the teacher thought he was stupid now ? Did the teacher hate him now ? Was he disappointed ? Would he fail him so Tweek had to drop out and eventually live on the streets ?

Lucky for him, his partner had been distracting him the whole ride home, preventing shaking hands from ripping out more of his hair or scratch his skin. The minute they had arrived in the blonde's room, he let out a sigh of relief, feeling safe in his own space and he immediately sat down on his chair with Craig beside him, sorting the colorful paper on his desk.

Ever since, the anxious male was engrossed in creating origami figures such as a dragon or a butterfly. Over the past seven years, he had perfected his techniques and found joy in challenging himself with higher difficulties. All the negative thoughts were replaced by his concentration only on the paper, making this his number one in fighting his anxiety together with talking to his boyfriend about everything that troubled him.

Now, that the stress had left his body, Tweek seemed much more relaxed while he was teaching Craig how to make a simple flower, as requested by his lover. Something easy to comprehend and copy like a little flower shouldn't take too long to learn, right ? Wrong. It came as a surprise that Tweek had to show the smart boy how it was done a third time already.

" Et violà. C'est fini", the younger one ended his explanation, presenting his love his finished work with a proud smile. Craig couldn't stop himself from mirroring his excited expression as he felt the warmth, wrapping his heart in a cozy cocoon whenever he witnessed Tweek brightening up like that, returning. " Do you understand it now ? It's not too hard."

" I'm sorry, honey. I'm still confused about a few steps. Can you show me again ?", the older asked nicely, leaning closer to appear as interested as he was in his little craft. " But I've shown you at least three times by now", Tweek muttered, unsure if the thing he had chosen was too difficult for his partner and if they should do something entirely different for the rest of the day.

" Please, my dear ?" His green eyes lit up when his dearest reached out for another piece of paper. " First, you have to fold it in the middle a few times like this and make sure you do it neatly." Exactly like the times before, the ravenette blocked his voice out, paying all his attention to his lover's face rather than his hands.

The way he stuck out his tongue when he was focused on perfectly folding the edges or how his brows furrowed whenever he made a mistake caused his heart to jump. He couldn't think of anything he liked more than watching his darling engage in something he loved. It would never get boring, seeing the excitement reflected by his beautiful blue eyes the moment he finished another piece. Adding to that, it was clear it made Tweek happy sharing his interests with him.

The blonde was right about the flower not being hard to make since Craig had picked up the correct way the first time it was explained to him. His love didn't need to know about that, though. Maybe, the next time he would ask for something bigger so Tweek would take longer to finish.

This was his only chance to admire his boyfriend without him noticing and he was sure as hell going to make the most out of it. The second he would admit he understood the process the shorter boy wouldn't continue because he probably believed Craig was bored.

Observing his partner with a stupid little smile tugging at his lips, the stoic teenager rested his head on his hand that's been supported by the large desk. He wasn't even trying to hide the fact that he was staring, but could you really blame him ? His boyfriend was too pretty and cute. No one could resist.

" J'ai fini." Hearing him speaking french was definitely a bonus too. Just as before, Tweek proudly presented the small paper flower and handed it to Craig together with the others he made. At this point, he might have caught on the little shenanigans Craig was pulling. " Do you get it now ?", Tweek questioned, giggling to himself.

" No, I still haven't understood that last part."

A bright smile overtook his features. " Do you want me to show you again ?"

" Yes, honey. Please show me how to make flowers."

—————————————————————————

I don’t know what to think of this to be honest… I wrote it like in an hour and please my French is so bad. Don’t mind that. I just really love the French Tweek hc.

If you want to suffer through more of my writing you can find me on Wattpad and ao3 ^^

This is like my newest work….

[simmeons]

while getting text for answering an ask i found a hidden vamp/priest short story/one shot that was actually.. pretty good! so, eat up my pookies

"What do ye do during the daytime anyways? I mean, other than sleep."

The vampire paused.

"I do not do much else."

"Okay, okay. What about during the night? What then?"

"Whatever comes to my mind first, I suppose."

I cross my arms and my legs, getting comfortable with the man sitting next to me. It's dark out, the both of us sitting alone in the church. I never understood why this vampire was so interested in this place, considering it's a holy place. But here he is, spending his precious night talking to me.

"That's not much of an answer." I frown.

"I answered you, did I not?"

"Aye, ye did. But can't ye be specific? I mean, do ye go out to parks or something? There's no way anyone would be out at a park during the night." The vampire is quiet for a moment before speaking up calmly.

"I have not considered that yet." His deep blue eyes look at me, his hands are placed politely on his lap. He's all pristine, sitting straight and hair all done neatly. He reminds me of a porcelain doll.

"Tell me how it goes when ye try it."

"I shall."

That answer makes me smile, the corners of my mouth curving slightly. I see how he doesn't smile, but his facial features seem to relax. He's never smiled, or shown a lot of emotion really. It was creepy before, but now I've come to appreciate it.

"Well? What do ye do then? If it's not going to parks, and whatnot." I'm not trying to force an answer out, but I can't deny the yearning to learn more about him.

The vampire looks away from me, and I can metaphorically hear the gears turning in his head. Everytime I ask him something he'll look away from me. I don't understand the meaning behind this odd little mannerism, but I don't mind. It's cute.

"Sometimes I will just "hang out" in the woods." The vampire turns to me as he speaks, doing air quotations while saying "hanging out". I know he doesn't completely understand human lingo, and it's sweet he's trying.

"Are there other vampires there to talk to?"

"I have not met another vampire in those woods, so no."

"Isn't that kinda lonely?"

He shakes his head. Well, if I was the only vampire in this town I'd be lonely. Who else can I talk to about my vampire problems?

I hear the slight chirping of birds, and I turn around. The sun is starting to rise, the animals of the village waking up.

"The sun is rising," I say aloud.

"I see that."

I turn back around and see the vampire standing up from his spot and I feel a sense of sadness.

"What do ye sleep during the day?" I blurt out, which makes the vampire rasie a eyebrow at me. "No- I mean, are ye safe? Do ye have a safe place to sleep from the sun?"

He hesitates. I can see it in his body stance, the way he seems a bit more defensive.

"I manage."

I've only known this vampire for 2 months, and I know I shouldn't be feeling this way over a creature of the night- but I feel worried. I'm worried if he is completely safe from the deadly sun, I'm worried if I won't get to talk to him tomorrow.

My eyes drift to the floor, looking at my boots. I want to help him, but is that too weird? Am I coming off too strong? Certainly not, I'm helping a friend! There's nothing wrong with that. Aside from how the church may feel about this..

"Ye can stay in my house today," I bring my eyes up from the floor to look at the vampire. I'm surprised to see his human arms are no longer there, but a huge pair of bat wings. You know what? Just don't question it, Monty. "If ye want to, that is."

The vampire places his "hands" on his hips, the bat wings bending slightly, little bat claws grip his clothed hips. I feel a sensation crawl up my neck like fear, but it's confusion. It stays there like a thought in the back of my head as the vampire looks at me, before it warms into something more of acceptance.

"I suppose I cannot deny your.. kind offer."

"Really?"

"Please do not make me repeat myself."

"Right, I apologize. I'm just surprised," My legs bend and move as I get up from the wooden bench, putting my hands together in front of myself like a polite priest. "I'm glad ye'r accepting nonetheless."

Now a new problem. Just how am I going to get him to my house?

We're both silent. I know he's waiting for me to speak, so I pull some words and thoughts together.

"Just how big are ye as a bat?" I've got a few ideas, but I really need his cooperation.

He blinks at me a few seconds before speaking. "About 3 inches."

3 inches?!

I would've thought such a tall and menacing vampire would be one of those big, large scary bats. Not something that could fit in your hand.

"Uhm.. well," I pull through my small bout of shock to pull back a flap of my priestly uniform. "Ye can hide here. I don't trust just holding ye in my hand. Light could still seep through."

"I appreciate your thorough concern." I nod, holding out my hand. The instructions are clear. I stare for a moment, but he's not doing anything.

"Are ye going to transform or..?"

He frowns. "I was hoping you'd look away."

Oh. I didn't consider transforming to be embarrassing to a vampire.

"Right, I apologize." I turn my head and close my eyes, but I keep my hand out. It's all quiet for a moment or two, and then I feel it.

There's a small amount of weight on my hand, and it's furry.

Opening my eyes I look down and see a small bat looking up at me. It's possibly the cutest thing I have laid eyes on, the small claws wrapped around my fingers for support. Its little eyes are staring up at me, ears swiveling around and listening.

I can't fight the urge to bring my other hand up, pointer finger out, brushing the soft back of the animal.

It's incredible. Rough fur, but it's pleasant all the same. The tiny bat makes a small noise though, and I see that as a snarky remark from the vampire. I should've asked his permission to pet him, but he's too adorable like this.

"Sorry, ye'r just too cute." I whisper sweetly, but the bat doesn't seem very impressed, if they can even look impressed. It makes the same noise and clings to my hand, moving down it slightly. "Ah-ah, I got it."

I bring my hand up to my chest, pulling the flap back again. The little bat crawls off my hand and onto my clothing, little claws digging into the fabric. The little nails dig somewhat into my skin, but it's too much of a small pain to be angry about. I let the flap go, and the bat is covered up.

"Hang on tight, laddie." I get a teeny muffled squeak back.

I make sure to not walk too fast out of the church, making sure to lock the doors behind me. Thankfully my house isn't too far from the church, Father John made sure his students' needs were met and what not. The sky is a deep purple, orange and pink, truly beautiful. I feel bad that the vampire doesn't get to see the Earth's beauty such as a sunrise. I'll be sure to find a way.

I tried to keep a small conversation with the tiny bat, even if it was one-sided. I told him about how pretty it was outside, thinking maybe it would help the walk be less boring.

"Lots of warm colors. Sunrises are always very pretty." I spoke softly, keeping a hand on the front of my chest to make sure the flaps of my uniform don't open and harm the bat. "I'm sure one day I'll get ye to see it."

I could've been imagining things, but I swear I felt the bat snuggle closer against my body. It makes me feel.. warm, happy, all inside my body. It feels good.

—--

I fumble with my keys slightly before opening the door. The door creaks slightly. I need to fix those hinges.

"Alright, we're home." Tossing my keys on a table next to the door I close it behind myself. I don't get a peep from the bat.

I open my flap to see if it's okay, the lack of response a little worrying. But, I'm relieved to see the small creature's eyes closed, face pressed into my shirt.

I waste no time getting to my bedroom, the only one in the house. Closing the blinds and shutting off any lights in the room I sit down on my bed. The bat needs to get off me, but I'll feel horrible to wake it up.

My hand goes to the small bat, touching it again. Still soft.

"Hey, I need ye to wake up." I pet it again, feeling the small furry cheeks. That does it, the little creature opens its eyes, turning to look at me. "C'mere."

It listens, moving to my hand. I move my hand to my pillow. The small bat crawls off my hand onto my pillow, getting situated again.

"That's better," I sigh and smile. I grab a blanket and lay it out on the bed, tugging it slightly up to gently cover the bat up. It seems scared or confused of the blanket, squeaking at me and moving away. "Hey, it's okay. It'll keep ye warm."

It stops trying to get away, beady eyes looking up at me. I pull the blanket over the small thing, covering its body.

I'm relieved to see as it seems to relax, little hands adjusting to hold onto the pillow more, closer to its body like it's getting comfortable. After a few seconds, it's eyes close, ears twitching a little more before they still.

I can't help but smile, and I have to bite my hand to repress a loud squeal fighting in the back of my throat. I didn't know how the vampire could be any cuter, but seeing him as a little bat tucked in on my pillow is definitely one way.

[kris-the-yan]

Neurodivergent characters in Super Monkey Ball

Only one of these has a canon name for their disorder, the rest are implied so much that they may potentially be canon too

1. Doctor

-> Out of everyone, Doctor is the only character who has a label for his disorder, which is amnesia. And although it isn't entirely accurate representation of amnesia, it also isn't terrible as they don't portray him in a way that creates a mockery of amnesiac people in general.

-> besides that, he's also incredibly smart, so his IQ has to be through the roof practically, so maybe giftedness? Either way, he is portrayed as someone who is well-respected among individuals (hence the name Doctor, which was given by the public) (also I imagine when he was in school he was super popular due to his high intelligence)

2. YanYan

Probably not canon, but then again she litterally shows these in the games so it may be so

To start I would say she possibly shows **a few** signs of autism and although they never said anything about her having it, I feel like she probably does

-> For one thing, she **absolutely cannot sit still, AT ALL.** as seen in the games, she's constantly moving around, even when sitting down, something some sensory-seeking autistic people experience

-> Another thing, she is canonically described as being "fearless," which gets me thinking, maybe she doesn't fear anything even when it potentially puts her life in danger (for example a moving car headed her direction) (they probably mean she doesn't fear any bad guy she faces, but still).

-> Oh yeah SUPER MONKEY BALL BOUNCE AND she's the only one out of everyone who cries when she was kidnapped. Not just teary, watery eyes, I mean FULL ON WAILING which is kind of surprising because for someone who's supposedly "fearless," she's just there letting her emotions out. But why does she cry this much? Maybe it was the feeling of that green gooey web that she's tied up with, perhaps she hates the feeling of it and it upset her to the point of crying?

-> Also she's apparently shy, which honestly contradicts her actually being "fearless," but anyway, some autistic people are shy (depends on where they are on the spectrum), and although not all shy people are autistic, she could be since she experiences some of the other things (the constantly moving around is a big thing)

-> Also I think she has a lack of social awareness because she canonically has a crush on AiAi and even flirts with him even though their biological son is **right there** so shouldn't she be aware of that already? My prediction is that they throw hints and cues that any allistic person would understand and go "ok so I guess I can't date him because he's married and they have a son from the future" but YanYan doesn't seem to understand any of that, instead thinks she can still have a chance with him

3. Jam

-> Ok so this one's rather short but absentmindedness and hyperactivity are both signs of ADHD and since Jam shows both of these... :)

4. Pospos

-> I've went in-depth with this but he canonically shows signs of anomic aphasia or dysmonia, which is when you have trouble retrieving the correct words from memory, which happens to him a lot. He has trouble remembering names, which actually interferes with his job and ability to communicate overall. This is shown in-game when he struggles to remember the names of people he has to deliver mail to. He also seems to not make very good eye contact and shows signs of being shy, which I believe his disorder leads to.

5. Sisi

-> So, normally people wouldn't have to have pictures of everyone they meet to tell whether or not they exist, but just that one like tells everything ("I take pictures of everybody I meet, it's the only way I know they really exist"). The only explanation I can think of is he deals with hallucinations, specifically people. It may be only one line but he could possibly be schizo-spec because again, that piece of dialogue implies he hallucinates people and therefore takes pictures of everyone as the only real way of knowing whether they're real or not

[marie-swriting]

Be My Boyfriend - Chrissy Cunningham

Stranger Things Masterlist

Summary : You're Chrissy's best friend so you help her through her relationship problems with Jason, even though you have a crush on her.

Warnings : A little angst but fluffy ending, Jason is a dick, English is not my first language so there might some mistakes you can tell me, if you see them. Tell me if I missed any warnings !

Word count : 2.4k

French version

Song inspiration : Boyfriend by Dove Cameron

The sound of Jason’s party gets quieter as you go upstairs. You start looking for the room where you put your jacket when you arrived. While walking in the corridor, you hear sniffing coming from one of the bedrooms. Worried that someone might need help, you knock on the door.

"Hey, is everything alright ?" You have no answer so you opened the door slowly and find your best friend Chrissy sitting on the floor, wiping her tears. "Chrissy ? What is wrong ?"

"Nothing. Don't worry. Go have fun." She says trying to smile but you don't listen to her. After closing the door, you sit next to Chrissy.

"Come on, tell me what's the matter." In response, she stares at her feet and you understand what's upsetting her. "It's Jason, isn't it ?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Well, you know I don't particularly like him and lately you two have been having some disagreements, as you mentioned a few times."

"I tried to talk to him, like you advised me.” She starts explaining. “I told him I was tired of him only spending time with his friends and not me, his girlfriend. He just said I was overreacting, that I was trying to make him look bad when he's trying his best." She tells you, she pauses when she sees your facial expression. "you can say it."

"What ?"

"He's a dick. I know you want to say it."

"Can you blame me ? He is ! Like, he doesn't even try to listen to you."

"Actually, he promised me that we would spend this party and the weekend together."

"Yet, he's not with you."

At your sentence, Chrissy nods sadly before looking at her feet once more. You feel bad for your best friend. You hate that she's being treated that way by Jason Carver. He has the chance to date Chrissy, openly, and yet he takes her for granted.

You know you'll never be able to be with Chrissy, even though your crush on her gets bigger with each passing day since middle school. She has never shown any interest in girls, and she has a boyfriend. So, you just accept your role as her best friend. Especially if it means still being part of her life. No matter how heartbreaking it is. You want what's best for Chrissy so you help her through her relationships. The one with Jason is the one you hate the most. You know he doesn't deserve her, but she's decided to stay with him in hope he'll get better.

Chrissy sniffs a little before rambling "You know, I'm starting to think he's right. I mean, he has the right to enjoy his party with his friends, right ? I'm overreacting, I shouldn't make a big deal of this. I mean, we danced a little earlier. It's just, I wished we'd spend more time together, you know. But maybe I'm ruining everything."

"Chrissy Cunningham, you listen to me carefully.” You begin, forcing her to look at you. “You're not ruining anything. He's the one to blame here. He's the one acting like a jerk. You have the right to ask for some time with your boyfriend. With what you told me, I can really tell he's not doing anything to make this relationship work. You're always the one making an effort and not him." You take her hand in yours and she gives you a small smile. You smile at her as well, sympathetically. "Chrissy, I'm sorry your relationship with Jason is going that way, but you have to do something. You clearly can't stay in that situation. He's always letting you down. There are so many ways he can't suffice. I mean, I've always known he was a bad person, so I'm not even surprised he's not a good boyfriend. Everyone could be a better boyfriend than him. Even me."

"You ?" She laughs, hiding her mouth with her hands and you start panicking as you realise what you just said.

"I mean, it wouldn't be hard, you know.” You add before clearing your throat. “But clearly, there's a guy out there who would be better than him. I'm sure there's someone out there who will love you entirely, someone who will take time for you, someone who will do everything for you."

"Maybe.” Chrissy answers, lost in her thoughts “It's just... Jason and I have been dating for six months and I don't want this relationship to go to waste."

"Chrissy, do you love him ?" You ask her, and you're scared of the answer. You know, you may be about to get your heart broken even more.

"Maybe ?... I think ?... I don't know. He can be nice, sometimes. And I had a crush on him for a moment. And when we spend time together, I like it."

"That doesn't necessarily mean you love him."

"I know... what do you think I should do ?"

"You should take some time to think. Come on, let's go to my place." You tell her, standing up and holding out your hand to help her up. "He's probably too busy with the other jocks right now anyway."

"You're right." She says, taking your hand and standing up. For a second, you two stay here, looking each other in the eyes. You wipe away her last tear with your free hand before guiding her out of the bedroom.

When you and Chrissy have your belongings, you go downstairs. You're about to leave the house when you hear Jason's voice calling for Chrissy, completely wasted. "Where are you going, baby ? We're supposed to spend the weekend together, remember? That's what you wanted."

"I- Jason, I need some time to think. I'm going to Y/N's. I'll talk to you next week."

"You're not being serious, Chrissy? You're really leaving ? Oh my god, then you're gonna whine about how we never spend time together. Come on, stay." He says, grabbing her wrist.

"Leave me alone, Jason ! I just want some alone time to think about us." She says as she pulls her wrist out of his grip. She locks her arm in yours and you and your best friend leave the party, Jason being completely confused by what's just happened.

As you haven't been drinking, you take your car to go to your house. Chrissy is being silent on the way there. You say nothing to get her attention, knowing she's lost in her thoughts, thinking about your conversation and her interaction with Jason.

When you arrive, you directly go to your room, trying to not make any sound, not wanting to wake up your parents. Once settled in your bed, you look at Chrissy while she stays silent, staring at you, too. You wait for her to speak first.

"You're right. Jason is not a good boyfriend but I think I have feelings for him."

"How strong are your feelings ?" You ask her, trying not to show the hurt on your face.

 "I don't know. Maybe I just need more time to develop my feelings ? I mean, I'm supposed to love him, right ? That's what people expect of me."

"It's not about what people expect of you but what you truly want. So tell me, what do you want in a boyfriend ?"

"I want my boyfriend to be kind, someone who listens to me, who makes me laugh, even when I'm sad. I want someone who is easy to talk to. I don't want to be scared to tell him if he's hurt me. Someone I could totally feel at ease with." She admits slowly. She keeps her eyes on yours, admiring the beauty of them. "I think I just described you, maybe you should be my boyfriend" she adds, trying to contain her laugh. You try not to show any emotion, pretending you didn't just hear your crush say you'd be her perfect boyfriend.

"Well at least, I could do everything Jason is not capable of" You reply, trying to act cool.

"That wouldn't be too complicated." Chrissy says before yawning. "I'm tired. I better sleep. Thank you. For everything. You're the best" she whispers before kissing your cheek.

Even though this is something that she does every single day, you can't help but feel butterflies in your stomach. Chrissy has no idea of the power she has over you and sometimes, you wish you could tell her. You wish you could tell her that you'd be willing to show her how she should be loved.

Since Jason’s party, Chrissy has been distant with you. You don’t know the reason but you think it’s probably because of your conversation with her. You’re worried she understood your true feelings for her and that she freaked out. By giving her advice, you didn’t mean to act so ambiguous but that’s what you did and now, you’re losing your best friend.

You hate it. You don’t want to lose her. You want to make things right. Maybe, if you’d talk to her, you could make it seem like you were just being a good friend to her and not showing your romantic feeling for her.  

As you are leaving your Spanish class, a class that you have in common with Chrissy, you pack your things quickly to run after her. When she hears you calling her name, she turns around. She smiles, waiting for you to come next to her.

“Hi, Y/N. Is everything okay ?”

“I wanted to talk to you. Maybe you could come to my place this Friday. We haven’t really seen each other this week.”

“Sorry, I’ve been busy.”

“So is it okay for this Friday ?”

“I… I can’t, I’m sorry. I already have something planned with Jason.”

“Oh. So I guess, you realised you do have feelings for him.”

“We could say that.”

“I’m happy for you, Chrissy. I just hope he’ll act better this time, you deserve it.” You say, trying your best not to tear up. “I have to go.” You add before she could tell you anything else.

You start walking fast to leave the school. Once out, you find a place where you can finally let go of your tears. You knew she’d fall in love with him one day. It was predictable and yet, it still hurts. You feel like your heart has been ripped out of your chest.

You lost her forever. You’re sure now. She’ll stay with Jason while you’ll stay alone, because you’ve ruined everything by not being good at hiding your feelings. You can only blame yourself for your heartache.

When the week-end comes, you’re glad to be away from school, even if it’s just for two days. At least, you’d be able to stay locked up in your room, listening to sad songs, wishing things were different.

Ironically, you hid how you’re feeling very well to your parents - if only you had done that with Chrissy - they don’t even know you’ve been crying yourself to sleep for the past two days. They think you’re fine which means they’re not feeling bad leaving you alone in the house as they go on a date at a fancy restaurant.

While you’re reading a book on your bed, you hear someone knocking on your front door. You’re confused, you don’t know who it could be. Your parents have their keys and if it was one of your high school friends, they would have called you.

When you open the door, a shock expression takes place in your face as you see Chrissy in front of you. She seems a little nervous. You can see it by the way she’s fidgeting with her fingers.

“Hi, Y/N. I should’ve called you, but I really need to talk to you.”

You nod before letting her enter your home. You indicate to her the living room and she follows you. The two of you are sitting on the couch, you wait for her to explain what she wants to talk about but only the ticking of the clock on the wall can be heard.

“I thought you were on a date with Jason tonight” You say, gaining her attention.

“It wasn’t really a date.”

“He’s your boyfriend, you guys were hanging out. That’s a date.”

“I dumped him” She admits, looking at you.

“Wh-? You told me you realised you have feeling for him”

“I realised I have feelings, yes. But not for him.”

“I’m confused, Chrissy.”

“Y/N, like you said, Jason is not a good boyfriend. And no matter how much I try, he’ll never change. I’m tired of being in a relationship where he puts no effort in and where I’m not in love.”

“I’m still lost, who do you have feelings for ?”

“Remember our conversation last week ?”

“Yeah, about that I’m sorry if-”

“It made me understand something” she cuts you off. “When I described my perfect boyfriend, that's what made me understand something. I always knew you had a special place in my heart but until last week, I didn’t know how special it was. You’re the only person with whom I don’t feel like I’m acting. I can be the real me with you and you’ve always been caring with me. I like you, Y/N. More than a best friend should. I know how I sound right now and you probably hate me which I would understand-”

“Chrissy.”

“I mean, that’s totally random and you probably don’t even see me that way.”

“Chrissy”

“I just needed to say it, even though I know I just lost you.”

“Chrissy !” you shout, finally having her attention. “Will you, please, let me say something ?” you ask her and she nods. “I like you, too. I always have, even when I didn’t know what it was back in middle school. You didn’t lose me. I actually thought I had lost you. I do have feelings for you, Chrissy.”

“You do ?” she questions in disbelief. You come closer to her and grab her hand while locking your eyes in hers. “So, would you like to be my boyfriend ? Or in our case, my girlfriend ?”

“I would love nothing more.”

Chrissy smiles wildly, just like you. She leans in, nervous before you break the distance and kiss her. Her lips are soft against yours. The kiss is slow and full of love, the love you two had for years but never got to express until today. You’re filled with happiness as you realise you finally have the chance to be the one dating Chrissy Cunningham.

Stranger Things Masterlist

{This is my side blog so I'll be answering comments under the username @marie-sworld}

[ac-liveblogs]

I guess I shouldn't be surprised, because Genshin is such a mess thematically and our lack of opinion tracks with that, but I'm so bitter...especially bc I can actually think of at least one instance where we actually had a great setup for the Traveler taking a strong stance, only for it to go to complete waste! like...I may be the "you didn't connect shit" meme, but...

In Liyue, a main throughline is that the Traveler is incredibly distrustful of Childe, right? We're so blunt about it that Childe entirely gives up trying to be nice in hopes we'd talk, bc he saw we wouldn't, and resorts to eavesdropping.

But, the thing is, we aren't just distrustful bc of the fatui in general; it's SPECIFICALLY pointed out that we hold a grudge about what SIGNORA did, which irrevocably makes this whole thing about Venti. That's literally the only thing we've seen her do at that point, and whenever we are shown how the Traveler doesn't trust Childe, it's EXPLICITLY attributed to Signora. MULTIPLE TIMES. Childe immediately brings up Signora when we first meet him and the Traveler rears back, Paimon brings up Signora as the reason when we remind her not to trust Childe. When we meet Signora again, and she taunts us about taking the gnosis from Venti, we either have to coach ourselves to calm down or start forward with the intention to take back Venti's gnosis by force (this after 2 back-to-back boss fights, one of which had 3 phases, mind you. The Traveler must have been delirious from exhaustion or absolutely furious to dredge up the energy)

Okay, so... it's not just me seeing things, is it? Signora's only notable contribution was ripping Venti's gnosis from him, so her being brought up so often means we've established that what happened to Venti is very important to us. We hold a grudge. So, theoretically, if, say, someone were to mock Venti's efforts to protect his region by causing a crisis on the same scale for a mere test; if someone were to mock how hurt Venti was when he got his gnosis ripped out of him by willingly handing it over to the same people who hurt him.. the Traveler should be pissed, right? They should have a couple choice words about it, shouldn't they? What happened to Venti is something we feel strongly about!

But noooo, we get the BLANDEST "he's definitely given this some thought" voiceline, we calmly chat with Zhongli, he sends us in our merry way, and we express absolutely NO opinion about literally ANYTHING he did. So...we aren't pissed?

Only for the Traveler to do a 180 and suddenly become super pissy in Inazuma with people who have absolutely nothing to do with why we might be suddenly angry. Like...what?

Though honestly, at this point I'd take ANYONE criticising or hating a character and being RIGHT about it, even if it's an npc. This "everyone is beyond reproach, actually, and if anyone has anything bad to say they are Wrong and Irrational and Dumb" take is beyond boring. Give me some spice!

Or: Zhongli repeatedly dissing Mondstadt, a place we like? A lot? We're the Honorary Knight of Favonius?

Or us agreeing with Keqing... and then being a-OK with Ei returning to power? After everything she did or allowed to happen?

It feels like the only consistent trait we have is "find the Unknown Goddess", but it's the most illogical thread we have. I'll bet you so much money HYV only thought up the Traveller's lore and how that fits into whatever endgame they have planned and ZERO thought for their personality at all.

And like, don't get me wrong, I've certainly played games with self inserts that don't talk before, but... I've never gotten such a sense of confusion about their characterization as I do here. Usually you get the outline, but it's just a blank hole of personality. Here....