#it's just him being too blunt for his own good and having Zero filter.

[high-supernatural]

Kai Parker’s Hypothetical Astrology Chart

Since Liv & Luke were going to have to merge within a few days of their birthdays, I’ll just theorize that Jo and Kai were going to, too. The prison world was set for May 10, 1994, so I’ll just say that Kai’s birthday is May 9, 1972, Portland, OR, at 12:00pm.

This would be Kai’s hypothetical big 6 in his chart:

Leo Rising

Taurus Sun

Aries Moon

Aries Mercury

Gemini Venus

Gemini Mars

Leo Rising w/ Ruling Planet in 10th House

He looks for adoration and admiration.

He can be quite pushy, eccentric, and a bit forceful at times.

Biggest fault is his sense of pride.

He’s persistent and takes over his whole environment in a direct way.

Loves the be the center of attention, literally everyone in the function knows when he arrives, he knows how to make an entrance.

Taurus Sun pushes him to do these things for personal gain of resources. Strong possibility to be rich and in a position of power.

His sense of stability and power is by his own definition, not anyone else’s. He plans things out entirely before he decides to do them.

Aries Moon in the 9th House

His childhood was full of rage, anger, loud environments, strong potential to have had an abusive childhood.

He acts out his emotions impulsively, he can’t and won’t repress what he’s feeling, he always says whats on his mind bluntly, no filter.

Although when it’s a deep emotion he gets imaginative and thinks deeply on how he’ll get revenge.

Primary emotions and actions are based on the idea of having to be moving always. He walks, talks, thinks, and acts quickly. He can’t slow down.

Likely always needs change and new environments to feel good.

Aries Mercury in the 9th house

He talks quickly and often blurts things out right as he thinks them. He has no vocal filter and can be blunt, sometimes he comes off as rude or inconsiderate because of how straightforward he is.

His interests are always changing. Whatever grabs his attention is what he’s interested in. He needs constant mental stimulation and gets bored easily.

He acts and thinks fast, he needs people to keep up with him. Others might see him as obnoxious. He speaks to assert himself a lot.

A heightened interest in higher knowledge. Law, philosophy, religion... he’d be an amazing teacher or writer, although still he needs his students to keep up with his pace, he really goes at his own speed and doesn’t care about how fast or slow others need to go.

Gemini Venus in the 11th House

His “type” is youthful people. People who can keep up with his fast pace. A diverse partner who always has something new to offer, he hates stagnation and having the same thing day after day.

He needs a relationship with lots of flexibility, freedom, and room to be himself and grow. He’s likely to have multiple partners or be in a polyamerous relationship.

Most important to him in a relationship is communication. He needs an open form of communication with his partner to be able to talk to them about literally anything. Zero boundaries on communication, very, veeerrry open.

He values change. A strong need for change and flexible environments/people are very important to him. He hates when things stay the same for too long, he needs mental stimulation in relationships and all other things he does. Diversity is a strong value of his.

He prefers social people and needs tons of friends and connections in his life. He’s possibly quite artistic. Progression and finding new ways to go about things are his specialty. He likes to treat and be treated as being one with his whole group — there are no differences between him and people he knows, they are all one, or one part that makes up a whole.

Gemini Mars in the 11th House

His temperament appears through his voice. His anger is projected verbally in an abrupt and fast way. When he’s upset, he intelectualizes the choices he has to deal with it and chooses to act out what he thinks is the wisest decision of revenge. Forms of revenge come in the ways of social sabotage, turning people against his target, and mental manipulation.

His fighter energy is scattered. Sometimes something will upset him, and other times the same thing won’t upset him. There’s no clear definition of what angers him, it changes often and can be hard to know what will make him tick.

He wants others to know his ideals and is likely to join in social activism or organize social unrest and societal strikes. He’s rebellious and very independent. Themes that upset him often have to do with society, siblings, and his adolescent years.

Sexually, his kinks involve a ton of communication. Dirty talk, sexting, phone sex... all of that. He loves partners who can turn him on with just their mind or voice. Hands are his thing. He loves to ‘work’ with his hands and he loves pretty hands. Overall he’s good with his hands and knows how to dirty talk.

[agusvedder]

I DON’T CARE if this doesn’t get any notes. I need to vent.

My name is Agustina, I’m 27 years old. I’m a nonbinary, queer, latinx person, parent of a 4 year old, non-verbal authistic child. I suffer from depression and anxiety.

I’m 9 thousand kilometers away from the woman I love.

I’m not a victim. I am a minority. And there’s nothing wrong with that.

I started watching Supernatural in 2015, you know, being a stay-at-home parent, who dropped her career and her job to live the first years of their child, there wasn’t much I could do in my free time but to watch a show. I caught a few episodes of season 11 on tv and then I decided to start from zero. I always acknowledged how problematic it was in terms of representation, but always saw small threads of light filtering in the message it sent, recognizing how its writers were trying to shed a little light, creating a jenga tower of storylines and new characters, only to be thrown away by poor, useless deaths and the erasure of said characters.

Since my first run on season 1 I related to Dean. I saw myself on him. (I will never be as brave and cool as him tho, never ever, but his personality traits, some of his family issues, his self worth issues, his loneliness, his unaddressed childhood trauma, his growth in a circle of violence, his reticence to address his feelings until he explodes?... Yeah. There are days where my girlfriend makes fun of me saying “Ok Dean”). I kept looking up to Dean in his geekiness, in his way he always put his life on the line to protect the people he loves and put them always first… even in the supernatural side of the storyline, he still was profoundly human and abnegated to the people in his life. Also because I’m deeply in love with Castiel but that’s another subject. Thanks to this show, I’ve found people in my own country who now I recognize as my family beyond SPN, who helped me accept myself the way I am, who are always there for me. My found family, my chosen family. Because family don’t end in blood, because family cares about you, not only for what you can do for them, because that’s what all of us have in common, and why this show resonated as strongly as it did for us. That’s why we found each other and ourselves in the process, in a circle of love, support, non-judgement and willingness to find a family in ourselves when our own blood relatives ignored us, abused us, refused to recognize us. We’ve found love and family. I’ve found the woman with whom I wanna spend the rest of my life with because of this show.

That’s the power of this story. I know my small circle is not the only one who lived this, who continues to live it.

I can talk about this forever, but there’s something I wanna talk about specifically here. When the ending aired.. what I felt was… like a bucket of cold water was thrown over my head. You know when your parents come home, or call you and give you the devastating news that someone you love died? that exact feeling. The adrenaline, the heartbreak, the feeling of loss. 

The whole season 15 and 15 years of storyline were completely overturned. The misogyny the writers tried so hard to erase, it was there again, in a faceless woman who was supposed to represent the person a lead chose to spend the rest of his life with, reduced to a lilac dress, a blurry face and a uterus. We never seen acknowledged the existence of Eileen Leahy, Sam Winchester’s romantic interest since season 11, his perfect partner whose disability wasn’t an obstacle for her to be a badass hunter. (BUT COVID!! <- No. Eileen Leahy appeared in two episodes this season without Shoshannah being on set: Last Holiday and Despair. If they wanted to include her, they would have. They didn’t because they don’t give a FUCK). Sam Winchester is an academic, a witch, a leader, a powerful hunter, a kind human being, and the ending that was given to him was living an unfulfilled life, dying at a ridiculous young age, having a son only to replace his dead brother? It was sad. Sammy deserved better. He always did.

My beloved Dean Winchester, who I love so deeply, who taught me a lot about myself, about life, love, family, about *ejem* VICIOUS CIRCLES and the power of breaking free from them, of learning to embrace one’s self, our real tastes, our real identity, to come out of a shadow of being reduced to someone’s caretaker instead of having an identity of our own, to spend life loving family the healthy amount.. well, he was killed in a ridiculous way, on a milk run of a hunt.  After being eager and ready to kill himself so many times. After all he’s been through, after saying he’s good with who he is, after considering retirement, after standing up to his dad, saying he already has a family, ready to cut the “I’m Okay” bullshit, address his feelings, his trauma, don’t letting those define him. He deserved better. He always wanted a family, he always wanted to break free from the version of himself he was created to be, “daddy’s blunt little instrument” (For fuck’s sake, he even said it in the same show 10’ before dying, man. If we don’t keep living, the sacrifice the people who died for us did, was for nothing). Are you telling me this man really would refuse his brother to call an ambulance? Refused his brother to get the first aid kit even knowing it was more serious than his brother thought? He was ready to live. He CHOSE life, and at the end his choice was stripped away from him. He clearly was a bisexual man and they never explored it.

Cas. The misfit. The fish outside of the water. Ambiguous gender and sexuality. Finally makes a homosexual declaration of love after all he’s been through. After being brainwashed, used, suicidal, isolated. After telling Sam and Dean he loved them more than once, that they meant everything for him. After confessing he’s been in love with Dean since he pulled him out of hell…. Was erased from the story. Erased, literally. Two emotionless mentions aren’t enough for a 12 year old family member who pulled both brothers out of hell, who died for them more than once, who until 2 seasons ago he didn’t even feel like he belonged there ‘cause he was never told he was loved. No one ever told him “I love you” back. Not Jack, not Sam, not Dean, not Mary. No one. Ever. And still, he died for love. And with his death, he was erased from the finale, being that the first finale Castiel wasn’t in since his appearance on the show. He deserved better. 

All roads lead to Rome and you know what we got at the end of that road? a bottomless pit of NOTHING. The building up towards a different end isn’t just in s15. It’s been there for years and years. And if you watch the show, you see it at plain sight.

 

Sam Winchester hurried to die to reunite with his brother in heaven EVEN WHEN HE SPENT 30 MORE YEARS WITH A WIFE AND A KID he only wanted to die to go back to his brother? it’s insane, it’s ridiculous. That’s not what the show has been about for seasons now. SEASONS. The road was paved towards a healthy brotherly bond, each brother living their future the way they wanted, finally breaking free from the curse John dropped on Dean that Sam’s destiny was in his hands. No no. What was that? Did it ever happen? Was it a fever dream? They really destroyed everything in 38 minutes of the finale? 

Stupid. 

Representation is important, stories are important. They change lives. You know how it changed mine? After I saw Jonathan Van Ness coming out as non-binary, I started to realize how I never called myself "a woman, a girl" or anything like that, how my "female presenting" aesthetic changes drastically depending on how I feel when I wake up  how I always called myself a "person", no gender involved. I realized I was a non-binary person even after becoming a parent. Thanks to Jonathan Van Ness. Thanks to seeing a person like her being unapologetically herself. 

Representation matters. 

It matters. 

It helped my mom understand me when I was 13 and had a girlfriend. It helped my dad educate himself about trans identities. It helped my sister understand about her demisexuality. It helps break circles of ignorance and stereotypes. It helps people process what these characters wanna tell, and realize they're human beings above it all. We suffer, we laugh, we grieve. We love. We exist. 

Supernatural missed a chance to be a historical show in terms of representation. And it breaks my heart.  I cant believe they decided to erase Dean's sexuality, to erase Castiel after saying loud and proud he's in love with a man, to erase Eileen whose disability only was a disadvantage when they KILLED HER in the most ableistic way in s11, to never show Charlie and her girlfriend again, that they decided to make God bisexual AND a villain, thay they decided to turn the only regular non-binary character of color into the villain too (Billie).

I'm still grieving.

This is why "a stupid show" is so important for me, and for lot of people like me. Cause representation can change lives. Stories can change lives. It certainly changed mine, and I'm not the only one. 

Don't let anyone tell you you're just a butthurt fan because you're suffering this ending. Every one of us have a story and this is mine. All of us are valid, our feelings are valid. And we'll get through this eventually

[pro-bee]

“McGee isn’t your father, and he isn’t Ari. He doesn’t know how to lie.”

I don’t know why I’ve never caught this moment before, but it says so much?

Here Ziva is, in her typical blunt fashion, trying to figure out why no one is doubting McGee’s story about being shot at, if they can’t find evidence for it and everything else leads to a dead end. So Gibbs takes her aside and drops this line on her, and she instantly clams up.

I know we’ve talked a lot about the Gibbs-Ziva dynamic in the early years, particularly in season 3, and how they had an instant bond from the moment she arrived, and certainly from the moment she shot Ari to protect him. And I have written many, many times about how important that is to them as characters and to the show as a whole. And how it all kind fo comes to a head in the “Hiatus” arc and she has her breakdown in his hospital room.

But this is a moment that really strikes me now, too. It kind of comes out of nowhere, and everyone else in the room (including Tony) probably think Ziva’s just being her typical no-filter self about the case, but Gibbs is the one who zeroes in on what she’s feeling underneath, how she’s just been through the ringer first with Ari’s betrayal, and then the revelation of her father’s true nature (if she didn’t already know that before Ari’s confession), and basically she doesn’t trust people, and especially does not trust men. That she assumes that deep down, they will all lie to save their own ass. Or at the very least, refuse to see what is in front of them.

Then Gibbs calls her out on it. Not in a mean way, but in a way that says, “I know you’re still hurting, but this is not the way all people are, and this is not the way all men are. Your father and your brother may be bad guys, but there are McGees out there who are genuinely good and genuinely kind and do not live through life with ulterior motives. Sometimes it’s OK to trust in them, and sometimes we need to trust that trust.”

But it also says, “it doesn’t matter what others say, I know what kind of people those men are, and I know what kind of person you are. And I know why you asked to come here.”

And it shakes Ziva, because she thinks she’s doing such a good job of guarding herself and projecting what she wishes she believed, but it snaps her back to reality. That she came to DC and NCIS to make a change, and rebuild that trust in herself and in others.

It’s such a throwaway line, but it speaks volumes.

I know things kind of went sour later on for many reasons, but I think their relationship this early on is so touching, and so grounding for both of the characters. (Especially, again, because of the parallels with Kelly, which we’ll learn about later.)

I guess you can learn new things everyday!

[saladbarselectionmenu]

Horses are Tyrian cryptids

Halloween 2020 prompt 1: cryptids @tyrias-library

Listen this is technically late but I just wanted to write about horses as cryptids because it remains the funniest thing in the world to me that tyria is just, completely horseless and lets be real horses are absolutely terrifying when you actually think about them.

(X) this is the noise I was envisioning the horse to be making, for those of you who like me have never really heard a horse being mad, enjoy this new weird knowledge you have of exactly how freaky and reptilian they sound. I also understand better the idea of sounding “hoarse.”

if im hyperlinking this right you can read on Ao3 Here (X) Otherwise click to continue!

Evening on the ranch is quiet - with the skyscales fed and cared for the only sounds filtering through the kitchen were the soft clicks of a knife on a chopping board as Amadaria prepared dinner and the faint, nearly imperceptible hum of Emerics data pad. The gentle scene washed in the swaying golden light of sunset where it filtered through the trees.

“THERE’S A HORSE AT THE WATERFALL.” Cheza shrieks as she crashes through the door, her momentum nearly sending her head over heels and saving her from the knife that goes sailing out the open door around where her head was a moment before.

The kitchen pauses any previous activity save for Cheza panting furiously for breath, Amadaria quickly retracting her arm back down before clearing her throat, “A horse, Cheza?” The young sylvari bobbles her head, desperation and excitement beaming from her face and posture as she waves her arms erratically out the door, “It has to be! It looks like a centaur but it has no arms! Just a big, long face and these weird teeth!” she says, putting her hands up in front of her face, parallel to each other with wrists close to her mouth and fingers pointing outwards before wiggling them back and forth in what apparently approximate teeth to her? Amadaria wasn’t sure but knew better than to ask why exactly that meant teeth or it’d be several more hours before they got back to the possible horse sighting.

“Ah, I thought horses were extinct? Or so close to that they may as well have been, Are you sure you didn't see some kind of monstrous deer?” Emeric suggests gently, “we are after all in melandru’s domain, there are a few massive versions of animals here and horses haven't been sighted in hundreds of years at the least.” “No way! This thing didn’t look anything like a deer, not even like Hellal! It’s legs were way too thick, and it’s tail was this big, long thing! Like human hair instead of like a deer's cute little tail, and it’s hooves were wrong and so was it’s face! There’s no way it was anything but a horse,” Cheza paused then as a new idea visibly crossed her mind, hands fisting by her chest in excitement, her eyes and face literally lighting up like a lightbulb with her bright, white glow, “or maybe, a new species?!” “A horse would be more likely, it even sounds like you got a good look at it” Amadaria interrupts, deciding to put that idea to rest before it could take hold and leave the younger disappointed. Switching her attention to Emeric before continuing. “As you say this is the living section of Dragonfall and if there's anywhere a horse is going to be found it’s in the ruins of the human nature God domain.” she switches her attention back to Cheza then, raising the ridge of one ‘eyebrow’ “The real question is whether it was alive or not.” The youngest pauses, face scrunching as she recalls. Her glow dimming slightly as she thought, “I think so,” she says finally, “It wasn’t glowing or giving off that mist like the guardians here do, but sometimes I think things here get confused on whether they’re dead or not too.” Amadaria nods, clapping her hands together and drying them off on a towel, “Well then, sounds like we have a new sighting to find!” Chezas glow and expression flicks right back up to megawatt standards. ---

Crouched in the trees atop their skyscales, Cheza visibly vibrating with excitement atop her shimmerwing while Emeric clung to Amadarias back as if the slightest shift would send him plummeting to his death at the end of the maybe fifteen foot fall, Amadaria has to admit that Cheza does, in fact, seem to have found a horse. Something no one had managed in either the campaign against Kralkatorrik nor in the intervening near year of the island being studied and inhabited.

There at the edge of the waterfall pool, drinking from the water and paying absolutely zero attention to the three people crouched on dragons fifty feet away from it stood a truly bizarre looking creature.

Long, thick legs with chunky cowlike hooves stretched almost six feet leading into a body covered in short gleaming chestnut fur stretched over an almost ridiculous amount of muscle. Sure enough it’s tail was a swath of overlong but graceful hair, flicking back and forth lazily at nothing.

The horse’s strangest feature however had to be on the front. Amadaria was old enough for most of her visions of The Dream to have come and gone, leaving it a smear of memory in her mind slowly losing its clarity, with Ventari more of a memory imprint than properly remembered. She had, however, seen more than enough centaur in her waking life to find the lack of torso jutting from the creatures front to be particularly jarring.

Instead its wide neck arched down into an oblong head with pointed ears and the truly impressive but blunt teeth Cheza had tried to imitate in the kitchen. It’s eyes were wide, dark and shining. Much like a deer or a goat they popped bulbously out to either side of it’s head.

“Should we try and catch it?” Cheza hissed, the horses ear flicking in their direction before it went back to ignoring them.

“Maybe we should wait and see if it has a herd?” Emeric suggested, daring to lean forward to get an inches closer look.

“We might lose it. Go for catch and release and we’ll get a tracking tag on it. That way we can follow it’s movements too.” she tapped Emerics hands and shifted so he could let her go, a practised shuffle leaving him with the reigns in hands and Amadaria on the branches of the tree. A shimmer of light later her crystalline wings were half furled and ready for take off. 

“Herd it towards the roots and I'll see if I can get on it’s back for implanting the chip.”

The other two nod and launch, the horse suddenly paying attention as the two dragons sweep around the outer edges of the pond and cut off it’s escape. Emeric hovering low to the ground and stopping it retreating as Cheza sped in to herd it forward. The horse took off like a shot with a sound not unlike a raptor - sprinting head long at the tree but not without trying to force Cheza from the sky, rearing and swerving like it wanted to catch the skyscales wings in it’s teeth or under its hooves and wasn’t picky which.

Quicker than she would have thought the three are near enough to Amadaria for her to leap off onto it as it sprints past the roots of her tree, the creature coming to a sudden stop with a spray of water and leaping into the air as soon as her arms get around its neck. Bucking, writhing and rearing the creature does its absolute best to get her off and - if the way its eyes were rolling in fury were any indication - trample her to death under its hooves.

Thankfully the tracking gun is an easy application, Amadaria shimmies up it’s back and snags the ear in the pincers of the gun, a quick button later and the horse is tagged with the small blinking light that indicates an active tracking signal. The horse lets out another growl like snort at deafening volume and slams itself onto all fours, getting ready to buck. Using it to her advantage Amadaria uses the extra force to boost herself into the air just a bit higher than a normal take off would allow and soars up out of the furious creatures reach. The animal stomped and reared at her where she hovered a good forty feet above it, giving off one last truly atrocious noise before galloping off as Cheza and Emeric circled back around to meet her on the ground.

Her feet thumping down on landing nearly cover up the sound of her heart in her ears, exhilaration racing through her veins as Amadaria meets the others excited grins with a buoyant beam of her own, “I think we can call that a success!” she laughed.

Cheza cheered as Emeric beamed his own proud smile down at Amadaria. “How does it feel to be the first person to ride a horse in the last few hundred years?” he asked. Another giddy laugh bubbled out of her, unstoppable in her mirth, “Probably about as good as it feels to be the first to see one! I can’t wait to see the looks the other Priory members will have when they hear about this!” She grins up at Cheza, “You have first sight so you get final say on the name of the paper, any thoughts?” Two weeks later the first chapter of “The Shrieking Menace - an account of the rediscovery of horses by Cheza, Amadaria and Emeric” rolls out to datapads across the continent, resulting in renewed clamour for research opportunities on the island and a spike of funding from quite a few human nobles.

[queen-of-bel]

i think someone already asked for paz and kaz?? if not then them, in case someone asked for them, kandori and maki for the hc meme!

MY TWO FAVE DUOS EVER. i’ll do them all bc i could fill out a hundred prompts about them

Persona 1, Persona 2EP, general Metal Gear spoilers incoming

Putting under a read more because it is loooong (sorry in advance)

Kandori

realistic: Oh, Kandori was absolutely the one who alerted Nanjo to his existence in p2ep. I’ve written multiple posts on Kandori’s motivations, but bottom line, Kandori wanted to work against Nyarlathotep’s plans as much as he believed his fate would allow him to. Kandori had infinite strength and should have been the impenetrable stronghold that kept Tatsuzou safe. He is the only boss in the entire game to not have a low health stance, and he resists everything. He’s able to catch Tatsuya’s sword with one hand, as Tatsuya says:

“Kandori tilts his face out of the way, and when my blade grazes his ear, he grabs it with his left hand. All I have to do is pull back, and it’ll cost him his fingers. He gives me a broad, natural smile. However, even when I yank it with all my strength, my sword doesn’t move a centimeter. It’s like it’s caught in a vise.”

Kandori’s revival should not have been found out by anyone (especially since everyone watched him die the first time). But somehow, the word leaked back to Nanjo. It’s not impossible to think that it was Togashi who leaked the information, but there’s a line of Kandori’s that really makes me think Kandori himself was the source.

Once Maya et. al + Tatsuya arrive on the Nichinmaru, Kandori says that “all the players are in place”, implying that he’s the one who brought them all together like this. This was a very meticulously crafted plan, and it only could’ve worked if Nanjo heard of Kandori’s revival, which leads me to believe that it was Kandori, not Togashi, who spread the rumors of his own revival.

while it may not be realistic, it is hilarious: Due to the high levels of contempt he feels for Tatsuzou, I’d love to think that Kandori just fucks with Tatsuzou constantly. He’ll move all the furniture in Tatsuzou’s office just a few inches to the left, or he’ll swap the position of some of the books on his shelf. It’s infuriating to Tatsuzou bc Kandori’s antics are just enough that he knows something is off, but he can never pinpoint exactly what it is. Kandori, meanwhile, insists that nothing is wrong, and convinces Tatsuzou that it’s just his old age getting to him.

heart-crushing and awful: I bet Kandori kept tabs on the P1 crew during his time under Tatsuzou. While he’s said to have an obsession with Tatsuya, there’s no reason to believe that the care he showed for Maki in P1 went away, and he’s grateful to the P1 cast for saving her. I like to think that Kandori found out that Reiji’s going to have a child, and stashed away a large amount of money (bonus points if he embezzled from Tatsuzou) to send to him, especially since Reiji’s girlfriend’s house collapsed. Kandori doesn’t sign his name on it or anything, so the money arrives to Reiji in an unmarked envelope, with only Reiji’s name written on it.

Reiji first thinks that it might have been Nanjo who sent the money (because that envelope is packed, and Nanjo is the only person he knows rich enough to send that much). Nanjo denies this, and after a while, the two of them come to the conclusion that the only other possible person could have been Kandori. Reiji thankfully accepts the money, and this whole incident reinforces in his mind that “Takashi” was the right name to choose for his son.

unrealistic: In order to cope with the boredom and emptiness he felt as SEBEC’s Mikage-Cho branch president, Kandori set up a secret room in SEBEC filled with video game consoles. During the height of his depression, Kandori would just be so engrossed in his games that he would forget he has actual meetings to go to. Cue Takeda apologizing profusely to clients, saying that Kandori’s running a bit late, and Takeda has to practically drag Kandori by the collar out of the little gamer den that he’s created for himself.

Maki

realistic: After her training under Eriko, she realizes that she misses painting and wants to pick it up again. She eventually incorporates that into her profession, becoming an art therapist.

while it may not be realistic, it is hilarious: Maki really wants to be good at baking, but she’s terrible at it. You know, like this:

She knows that she’s created a monstrosity but at least it’s still edible, right? So she brings these to P1 cast reunions. Nanjo is just appalled, and has to excuse himself because he knows he’s just going to be too blunt (prompting Mark to call him a “dickweed” again). Yuka, having no filter, just straight up says how horrible they look, but then she offers to teach Maki how to bake, since she’s pretty damn good at it herself.

heart-crushing and awful: Maki definitely regrets not accompanying Maya to the Nichinmaru. She doesn’t blame Nanjo/Eriko for not being able to save Kandori, but ever since she heard that Kandori was alive again, she’s wanted nothing more than to talk to him again.

She thinks that if she were there at the undersea ruins, maybe she could have convinced him to come along with her. This regret is just going to add to the massive amounts of guilt she feels over the Mikage-Cho incident.

unrealistic: It took ideal Maki a while to perfect her “cringe” negotiation. When she first tried it, she would burst out laughing too much, absolutely ruining it, and angering a lot of demons along the way.

Paz

realistic: Kaz has constantly asked her to come feed treats to Nuke with him. She’s always agreed, because that’s the role she’s supposed to play, but she really hates it at first. Eventually, as she comes to like Kaz more, it becomes the highlight of her day, and she begins to really look forward to it. She finds herself prolonging Nuke’s feeding sessions, just so she can spend more time with Nuke and Kaz.

while it may not be realistic, it is hilarious: So you know how Paz couldn’t stand Kaz at first? She wasn’t exactly subtle about it, so everyone at MSF knew that Paz thought Kaz was an enormous idiot. Cecile was so happy to find someone else who felt that way about Kaz (and she’s always wanted a reason to get closer to Paz), so she goes to Paz to air her grievances about what a pest Monsieur Miller is being. Paz, meanwhile, does not give a single shit. She still thinks Cecile is just a ditz, and now she’s irritated that she has to deal with both Kaz and Cecile’s annoying antics.

heart-crushing and awful: I’ve thought about this for a long time. I really have. But there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can be any more awful than what we got in canon. I have a lot of characters that fall under the “deserved better” category, but Paz takes the top of that list.

Paz is a unique character in Metal Gear in that she was not supposed to have anything to do with war. Other characters’ lives in the series were intertwined with war, whether by choice or by fate. Even characters like Chico or Sunny were born into it, given their parents and upbringing. 

It’s never clear how Zero was able to come in contact with Paz, but I think it was intentional to never specify it. It’s not important to know how Zero found Paz, because fundamentally, Paz is not an important person. She’s nobody special. She was literally just some random orphan living in the US, and Zero went out of his way to drag her into his plans.

To me, Paz’s character parallels the child soldiers in Zanzibar Land. They’re both representative of how ruthless Zero and Big Boss were in their quests to fulfill their interpretations of the Boss’ will. Zero and Big Boss were both willing to employ any tactic possible to reach this end goal, and they didn’t care about the pain and destruction they left in their path.

But I digress...

That being said, I think Paz felt sick when she saw MSF soldiers playing with the mini remote-controlled ZEKE that Huey had built. For her, it was just a reminder of the duty that she had to carry out. She wasn’t allowed to be happy at MSF, and she eventually would have to fight to the death with Snake.

unrealistic: Writing Love Deterrence with Kaz and Zadornov made her want to learn how to play the guitar. In my totally self-indulgent “Zero and Skull Face both get brain aneurysms and drop dead 4 days before Peace Day” AU, Paz approaches Kaz and asks him to give her guitar lessons.

Kaz

realistic: The morning after the monthly birthday party at MSF (you know, where Kaz invited everyone to see the real Kazuhira Miller?), he’s embarrassed as hell. He been so protective of Paz the entire night, and it turned out he was the crudest person at the party. He goes to apologize to Paz, and can barely look her in the eyes as he’s doing so. Paz, meanwhile, can’t stop laughing. Her opinion of Kaz had been softening ever since he visited her when she was sick, but interacting with him during the party had really made her like him. Kaz still feels a bit of shame, but upon seeing Paz genuinely laugh for the first time, he can’t help but feel so publicly embarrassing himself was all worth it.

while it may not be realistic, it is hilarious: MORE 90S FOXHOUND PETTINESS

The first year that both Big Boss and Kaz are at FOXHOUND, Kaz bakes a cake for BB’s birthday. As BB accepts the cake, he wonders if Kaz has forgiven him, but then he looks down at it and sees

And these are the cheapest, shittiest cigarettes that Kaz could make, because you know his petty ass rolled them himself. BB picks up a cigarette and it’s so sloppily rolled that it immediately falls apart and the tobacco spills all over the cake and the floor and BB looks up to Kaz and Kaz is just smiling back like

heart-crushing and awful: Ohoho, I have many thoughts as to Master Miller’s life post-Zanzibar Land and his final moments. Now that Big Boss is finally dead, Kaz’s life loses all meaning. Skull Face, Huey, Big Boss, they’re all dead, and suddenly, the decades of anger he carried with him has nowhere to channel itself to. I think he becomes an empty shell of a man, just sort of running on autopilot.

So when Ocelot breaks into Kaz’s house to kill him, you absolutely know that Ocelot wasn’t discrete about it. There’s no way that Ocelot’s overdramatic cowboy ass didn’t gloat about it, to show that he was able to get the upper hand in the end.

Kaz just doesn’t care.

Kaz’s life is plagued with regrets. While none of it was intentional, his impulsivity and short-sightedness has really screwed over a lot of people and absolutely destroyed so many people’s lives. I think when Ocelot came to kill Kaz (and I’m going to toss in a bit of torture, just because Ocelot’s petty ass remembers Kaz complaining about Ocelot’s getting “too many kicks from his ‘art of interrogation’”), Kaz just resigned and doesn’t even attempt to fight back. He knows that this is a sad and undignified way to die, but he believes that this is karma and he deserves it.

unrealistic: Okay I’ve talked about this a little, but I want to add to it.

Kaz absolutely kept a Burn Book like in Mean Girls.

After MGSV, Big Boss and Ocelot make their way in the book as well. Underneath Ocelot’s picture, Kaz writes “Too gay to function. Also, cowboys are stupid.” BB has got 5 whole pages dedicated to him, but the line that Kaz is most proud of is “Didn't shower for a month... during SUMMER, and to this day still hasn't washed his hair.”

Thank you for asking!

send me a character and i’ll give you some headcanons

[magioftheseas]

Take Me Back, Back, Back

For @bidoofgodofdestruction

Summary: One minute he's failed to convince Hinata Hajime against the Kamukura Izuru Project. The next, he's in a hospital bed with Hinata Hajime leaning over him. In a scene that he could've sworn already happened months ago.

Rating: T+

Warnings: Violence both implied and explicit albeit minor and not super graphic. Also this entire thing circles around a time loop so there are implicit character deaths in it, too. And angst. Lots of angst.

Notes: I got commissioned to write time loop KomaHina where Komaeda tries to prevent Hinata from signing up for the project! It’s set, however, in bidoof’s Ultimate Despair fic so you need to read it for context. It mentions band stuff. The band stuff is important. It’s also super angsty. This and that fic because...obviously. Wheeeeeeee.

***Alternate Ao3 Link***

Commission? Donate?

He first remembers a dead phone line. The ground rippling and sinking below. It’s cold. It’s dark. He still can’t move. His heart pounds on the inside of his chest.

Let me out, let me out!

It’s screaming. Inside, it’s all just screaming.

Let me out! Let me see him! Please! Please! It can’t end like this!

“It’s not use,” Matsuda Yasuke had told him. “He’s too far gone.”

Hinata-kun.

He laughs. His trapped heart sobs between its screams.

Hinata-kun!

And he wakes up, jumping as Hinata yelps.

“H-Hey, easy, easy there!” Hinata grips his shoulders as he thrashes, squeezing and frantic. “Calm down, it’s just me!”

He stills. He’s panting. He’s in the bed of the nurse’s office. There’s sunlight filtering through the window, catching onto Hinata Hajime’s worried face. His furrowed brow. Komaeda stares.

The next onslaught of memories leave him limp and breathless. Hinata exclaims something. Is quick to embrace him so that he doesn’t slip. Quickly spills out bland reassurances. Komaeda’s heart is still pounding, but it’s not asking him to be let out.

“Hinata-kun.”

Hinata rubs his back awkwardly, nearly choking out his response as if he were shaken up, too. “Y-Yeah?”

“What just happened?”

“I-I don’t know,” Hinata stammers. “I mean, we were having band practice. You were swaying. Mioda thought it was to the music but you looked a little paler than usual and then—uh. You fell. Tumbled off the stage, too. How hard did you...?”

Not being an Ultimate, Hinata’s hand groping his skull for the implied bruise was uncomfortable and awkward. Komaeda still leaned into the touch. It hurt like hell, but he’s been through worse. So much worse.

“Aw, jeez.” Hinata quickly retracts his hand. “Yeah, that’s a bump. Don’t think we can continue practicing like this.”

“Ahaha.” Komaeda remembers, now, and just like before, he shakes his head. “No, no, I’m fine enough to sing. I can just sit down while I do if you’re worried about my balance.”

“Are you sure? There’s no shame in taking a break while you’re injured.”

“There is shame in disappointing others, especially when they’re Ultimates.”

They’ve had this conversation before. It’s all familiar.

When his feet touch the ground, he feels the rippling.

Was that—all really just a dream?

Hinata’s expression is strained and conflicted. It’s clear he wants to argue. Komaeda remembers being irritated with him. Bristling and telling him off.

He feels different now.

“I’ll be fine. It’s fine.”

“If you...say so.”

He says all that and when Hinata pulls away to let him stand, his heart thumps in protest.

No, no, no.

“A-At least help me up,” Komaeda mutters lamely, raising his hand. Hinata shorts, but he doesn’t hesitate. He takes Komaeda’s hand. He smiles just a bit.

He squeezes, and Komaeda’s heart soars.

--

There were more moments of familiarity. Conversations and banter that he had been through once before. Flashes of the future pushing at his skull before they’d happen in front of him. Building and building until a fateful, undoubtedly significant moment.

It was Hinata’s birthday. He showed up to give him a present. He hadn’t seen anyone else in weeks. It hadn’t been any easier the supposed second time. He felt a little sick, honestly.

And then, Hinata Hajime asked him—

“If you had the opportunity to be gifted talent...would you take it?”

“What on earth are you saying?”

His initial response was the same, but his heart was pounding in his ears.

“You’re fine as you are.” The words spill out before he can stop them. “You don’t need talent, you’re already worthwhile.”

“H-Huh?! That’s a complete 180 from your usual behavior.” Hinata straightens up, but he seems attentive. Komaeda wonders. “What’s gotten into you all of a sudden?”

It occurs to him, then, that he’s gripping Hinata’s hands tight. Tight enough that his own might break.

“You’re fine as you are,” he presses. “You don’t need any sort of talent! So, just—forget it! Forget all about it!”

“H-How the hell am I supposed to forget?! Oi, Komaeda, let go!”

“Hajime, don’t go—!”

Hinata shoves him away. The words keep spilling and spilling.

“Hope and talent still can’t be manufactured—no matter what they do, no matter what you do, it won’t matter. All you’re doing is killing yourself. What’s the good in that? You’re reducing yourself to a husk for—for what? For just the idea that you could be talented?!”

“W-What are you—you don’t know what you’re—argh!” Hinata clutches his head, and he screams. “Shut up! Just shut up!”

“Hajime, I-I’m just saying...”

“Get out! Get out, get out, get out!”

“H-Hajime, please—!”

Hinata removes him forcibly. He threatens to call the police when Komaeda bangs on his door. It’s an empty threat. The police won’t care, especially not the campus cops. But Komaeda freezes, seizes, and then—

Through blurring tears, he wakes up again. Hinata is by his side again, fretting over him.

“W-What’s wrong, Komaeda?! Komaeda?”

“I-I... I... A-Aha... Haha... How...!” Throwing his arm over his eyes, he wheezes in grief and euphoria. “How lucky—! To get not just a second chance, but a third!”

“Komaeda!”

--

That’s the delight about his luck, you see. Luck is when something happens in spite of the odds. As long as there’s that non-zero-percent chance, there’s a way. And his Ultimate Luck worked that very way.

Wasn’t that wonderful? Wasn’t that amazing?

No matter how many times he tried over and over and over and over and over and over again, as long as there was a chance of success—none of it mattered! None of it at all!

Even when—

“Look, Komaeda, I know you mean well, but—I’m not in the mood, I’m sorry. I don’t think—I can talk to you anymore.”

And when—

“Y-You’re getting kinda creepy, so like...can you just leave it alone...? I don’t need you patronizing me.”

Especially when—

“I don’t know who told you about the project, but if it gets out, it’ll be bad for Hope’s Peak. Sorry, Komaeda-kun, but we just can’t take the risk, even if it’s with you. But you’ll understand, won’t you?”

When—

“I-I’m sorry! I’m sorry! Please, open your eyes! Komaeda! Komaeda! NAGITO!!”

--

“Hey, can you hear me?”

He wakes up, dazed and dizzy. He still remembers the cold stream of blood running down his temple. Hinata shakes his shoulder a bit.

“You with me? That fall was—pretty bad.”

So bad it killed me, he thought drearily. But it’s okay. I’m still here. I still have—a chance. But what should I do this time? What’s even less? How should I—?

“Maybe I should get you ice?” Hinata wonders, almost idly. “Komaeda, how are you feeling?”

I’m so frustrated.

“Like shit.”

“Oh. Wow. That’s blunt. Guess you did hit your head pretty hard.” Hinata shrugs it off. He goes to the freezer to fetch an ice pack. “Yeah, I’ll tell Mioda that we’ll have to stop band practice early today. And I don’t want to hear any arguments.”

What can even be done about you?

He does come up with an idea. One that’s sure to make Hinata Hajime hate him. He knows going to Hope’s Peak staff is a dead end, figuratively and literally—he supposes, then, all he has left is burning the bridge entirely.

“Actually, Hinata-kun.” He manages his usual smile as Hinata hands him the pack. He doesn’t feel the chill seeping into his skull as he presses it to the bump there. “I’ll just tell Mioda-san that the band isn’t an option anymore.”

Hinata Hajime blinks at him rather dumbly.

“You...don’t think you can recover at all?”

Aha. You’re so cute.

“I can’t accept it. You in a space for Ultimates. Associating with Ultimates. Reserves like you—that level of cockiness should be considered a crime.”

Hinata Hajime blinks again.

“...seriously? This again? You’re going to throw another tantrum now? Y’know—you’re just going to upset the others. Mioda, Saionji, Tsumiki, like—they don’t deserve this shit. Just rest. Recover. But if you want to drop out, I’m not going to stop you. It’s your own damn problem to deal with.”

“Ahaha. You make me sound so selfish.” Maybe I am. You’re just one person. The loss of someone like you shouldn’t be significant. And, yet. I want to prevent it. “It’s not just me, I swear. It’s you. All you. Hinata-kun, I—think you should go back to your last high school.”

“Well, I refuse. Sorry.”

Right now, Hinata Hajime looks at him as if he were the scum of the earth. He should be used to that.

It still hurts. But, compared to everything else—this meager self-centered pain is—

“Haha. Hinata-kun, you’re such a piece of work. You’re so pathetic, trotting after every Ultimate’s heels. You’re even latched onto someone like me.” He laughs. It hurts. It’s cold. “Do you think that if you cling hard enough that you’ll be taken in? Like a stray dog?”

“That wasn’t why!” Hinata exclaimed. “You—I just got dragged into this from the start!”

“I doubt it’s that.” The ice is set aside. Komaeda swings his legs over the side of the bed. “I really do believe you think it’s that easy to be accepted. Just to wiggle your way in. Like a naughty cuckoo. But, don’t you know? Birds aren’t all fools. They can spot the fakes. They reject them. It’s going to be the same with you. So.” He pokes Hinata’s sternum. There’s a flutter. “It’s best you just leave before you’re dropped, Hinata-kun. It’ll hurt less that way.”

Hinata slaps his hand away.

“Fuck you.”

Komaeda slaps him across the face. The response is immediate. Hinata seizes the collars of his shirt, pulls him close, and—

Komaeda screams.

The response is immediate.

Hinata drops him in surprise. A passing teacher rushes in. Komaeda points. Hinata pales.

Hinata tries to stammer out his name. Komaeda doesn’t look at him.

“Teacher, this reserve attacked me.”

Hinata shouts at him before he’s yanked away. It could’ve been out of rage. Confusion. It could’ve been a plea. Komaeda doesn’t really remember that part—but he does remember Hinata Hajime’s expulsion soon after.

--

The days pass.

The world still ends.

Komaeda Nagito can only laugh until he bursts into tears.  He passes out soon after and hopes he doesn’t wake up again.

[outworldgay]

You remember how Kratos was in MK 9? Well, how do you think the Mortal Kombat Kast would interact with his son, Atreus? (Don’t worry about it if you haven’t played the game, or just not a GOW fan)

I know little about GOW but I think I know enough to work with. I’m going to steer clear of character who frankly imo, have no business being around children (Mileena, Reptile, Ermac, Kano etc.) bc I don’t feel like writing people being means to kids. Also I’m sticking to those who actually were in the MK9 roster.

————

Jade

Jade adores children and Atreus is no exception. She gladly spars with him, sharing ancient Edenian techniques with him. She doesn’t hold back however, and playfully banters Atreus during training.

“Surely the son of a god would be more challenging?” At first Kratos is wary of how rough she plays with Atreus, but he sees his son’s positive response to it and turns around. He enjoys seeing his son be challenged and thinks it good for him. Atreus loves spending time with Jade, as she makes him feel like an adult with how she doesn’t talk down to or go easy on him like most other adults.

—

Jax Briggs:

Jax would be proud to see Kratos come back from the trauma of what he’s been through, something he’s still struggling to do. Atreus would be fascinated by his arms, and while Jax isn’t exactly a fan of people oogling his prosthetic, he’d give him a pass since he’s a kid. Atreus, being a kid with no filter, would ask what happened to Jax much to his father’s disapproval.

“Boy, we do not ask those kinds of questions” Jax would be a bit put off, but he understands how kids are. He would calmly but vaguely explained what happened.

“I got into a fight with a really bad guy, and he really hurt me.” Of course that wouldn’t satisfy Atreus, so it would be up to Kratos to end that conversation, in fear of Jax growing too uncomfortable.

—

Johnny Cage:

While a young Johnny would once upon a time be rather blunt or insensitive about Kratos’s new life.

“You managed to bone again? With all that baggage?” Our present day Johnny would be happy to meet Atreus, going into his “celebrity meeting a kid” mode, ie crouching low to meet his eye line, hand on the shoulder while engaging in whatever Atreus is enthusiastically talking about, occasionally interjecting with a funny quip to make the boy laugh. Hell, he’d probably manage charm the boy into asking his father to buy a few Johnny Cage movies to watch.

—

Kabal

Kabal would be rather shy around Atreus and for good reason. Atreus has a million questions about Kabal’s burns. He tries to change the subject or simply tell him he doesn’t want to talk about it, but that doesn’t deter this kid. It makes Kabal extremely uncomfortable, until Atreus says something in particular.

“You must be so strong to have survived! I wish to be as strong as you one day.” Kratos catches a small smile form on the corner of Kabal’s mouth, much to his relief.

—

Kitana

Kitana is a bit of a hard-ass. She makes sure Atreus is extra careful in her domain, not wanting this child destroying any precious artifacts. Atreus makes a game out of getting the ever so serious Kahn of Outworld to crack a smile; a game Kitana will never admit she actually enjoys. Every now and then however, her true softness comes through, whether it be a smile forming at Atreus’s growing interest of Edenian culture, or immediately running to the child’s side after he get’s hurt. Kitana does indeed show compassion towards both Kratos and Atreus.

—

Kung Lao

Both Liu Kang and Kung Lao are great with children, having to interact with many young Shaolin monks in training. Kung Lao takes a much more energetic approach to children, doing everything in his power to match the energy that’s being thrown at him. He answers every question Atreus has, never once showing any signs or boredom or frustration. He’ll also show Atreus around the temple, but he’ll try to sneak him into restricted areas in an attempt to show Atreus a good time and one-up Liu Kang. Liu Kang will try to stop it, but will turn a blind eye once he sees how much fun Atreus is having. Kung Lao would of course try to out do Liu Kang and try extra hard to entertain Atreus, showing him various hat tricks. Atreus would come home to his father with many exciting stories that day.

—

Liu Kang

 Liu Kang very much fits naturally in the “big brother" role when talking to kids, being sure to lend lots of positive affirmations Atreus’s way. Liu Kang will give him a tour of the temple, explaining in great detail what exactly goes on behinds these walls, to a wide eyed and curious Atreus. He’d invite Atreus and Kratos to meditate with him at the end of their visit as a sort of book end to their day together. He’ll laugh off how fidgety Atreus is, assuring an embarrassed Kratos that he really is no bother, nor is he being disrespectful.

—

Raiden

Raiden can be a bit intimidating of a figure, especially considering Kratos’s track record with other gods. Raiden does everything in his power to comfort and assure them he means no harm. Albeit his stiff demeanor, Raiden does manage to entertain Atreus, making the lighting dance across his fingers with the lightest of touches so that it slightly tingles Atreus, much to his enjoyment. Raiden is a patient man so he would entertain any question Atreus has, unfortunately for him however, Raiden’s choices of subject matter seem rather boring to him.

—

Scorpion:

I think Hanzo, knowing what Kratos has been through and what he’s done, would be very honored to me Atreus and see how much having a child has changed Kratos for the better. However, a man like Kratos being given a second chance at a family, would deeply hurt him inside. He’d long for his own family again but would put his feelings aside to offer training to the boy, should Kratos allow it. Every now and then during training though, Hanzo would see Atreus, his young enthusiasm for learning new skills, and would be reminded of his own late son. Over all he would be very protective of Atreus, almost as a way to live vicariously through the man that was given a second chance at a family, something Hanzo has never gotten.

—

Sonya Blade:

Sonya was never exactly great with kids, and that unfortunately never changed when she had Cassie. She’d be a little too formal, shaking Atreus’s hand or even saluting him. She’d compliment how tough he is “Just like his ol’ man“ followed buy an awkward punch to his shoulder in an attempt to be casual and friendly.

—

Stryker

Of course he knows how to talk to kids, but he tends to come off a bit condescending, treating Atreus like any child in a classroom he’s visiting, talking really slow and with wide expression. Kratos doesn’t exactly love this, but he know he means well. Atreus sees right through “friendly classroom cop” shtick and starts purposely asking awkward questions.

“Have you ever shot anyone? How many people have you killed? Can I hold your gun?” Stryker is left a bit speechless, not quite knowing how to handle the situation.

—

Sub-Zero

Kuai Liang would have many questions for Kratos and Atreus, wanting to know of his journey that led him here. He’d be very welcoming to Atreus, playfully showing off his cryomancy for him. Atreus would be fasinated, and would beg his father to allow him to train under the Lin Kuei. Despite his calm demeanor, he’d be very careful with how he talks to Atreus, not trusting himself as any kind of mentor figure after what became of Frost.

[dyinglightroleplay]

𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐒.

NAME : Alastor Jakub Moody RELATIONSHIP TO THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX : Second - in - Command AGE / BIRTHDATE : 40 Years Old / born 22 April 1939 at 4:05 AM CET ZODIAC SIGN : Taurus ( sun ), Gemini ( moon ), Aries ( rising ) EDUCATION : Hogwarts Graduate ( Hufflepuff House ) BLOOD STATUS : Pureblood

𝐂𝐎𝐍𝐍𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒.

✧     Dorcas Meadowes ( platonic ) ✧     Rita Skeeter ( antagonistic ) ✧     Davey Gudgeon ( player's choice )

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 𝐒𝐄𝐄𝐍.

Sealing Hogwarts’ perimeter in the aftermath of the Battle.  He has yet to take a headcount of Order losses.

𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐓𝐔𝐒 : 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐍.

PLAYER : Mod Bee FACECLAIM : Jake Gyllenhaal URL : @generauror

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐋𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍.

TRIGGER WARNINGS: ALLUSION TO THE SHOAH ; ALLUSIONS TO ŁODZ GHETTO ; EYE GORE ; ABLEISM

ZERO / RISING. * How is your character perceived by others?  What mask do they wear, and is there more than one?

The mythos surrounding “ Mad Eye ” Moody starts rather quickly ( legend, he has found, is quick to form once people are good and scared ).

The Hat was right when it told him he would find it difficult in Hogwarts, difficult in life. ( Odd still, to think that tattered brim over his eyes was the last he had allowed into his mind ). Dissonance in a sea of homogenized accents, and rumor over his eyes ensured a lonely childhood.

And it grew, and grew, and grew.

He grew, too.

They have always called him Mad. Venomous lies laced with fear and jealousy even as he extracts a confession and arrests those who thought they would be protected by title and privilege. ( Though, it should be noted they stopped having the courage to throw their taunts to his face at fifteen. )

They say he’s otherworldly, they say his time spent with the Dark Arts has brought him an understanding of power most modern practices of magic has forgotten. They say a great deal of things, but Alastor Moody has nothing if not an exceptional bullshit detector.

Eye or not, he sees boggarts for what they are -- pathetic creatures hoping to find some dark corner to possess.

Alastor has no interest in becoming what his enemies fear the most. They will regard him as such, or they will live just long enough to regret it. This is enough.

ONE / THE SUN. * Choose one to explore : what about their personality, general preferences, sense of self / ego, or fundamental traits attracted you to them?

Alastor primarily deals with things rationally and logically. For all his bolster and blunt-force in terms of opinions ( of situations, of people ) he does operate on a more internal level as well. Secondary, he filters things through a much more introverted scope, through his intuition. He seeks out challenges to be surmounted and holds a drive for leadership that is well-served by his quickness to grasp complexities. Alastor thrives in settings which demand quick thinking, delving deep into these two conflicting facets of his personality in the blink of an eye.

Though a rage he has carried within him pulses through him every step of the way, he is still aware of a larger purpose. That he is a component in propelling the metric of the war on something far greater than personal success. It is because of this he has been able to carve his space out in his career. Not often challenged ( even by superiors ), all insults and disparaging remarks are typically saved for whispers behind his back. Alastor doesn’t often pay mind to them, does not go out of his way to correct the exaggerations which have already bolstered his impressive career. Not when there is tireless work to be done in effort to do what he believes is right, what ought to have been done a long time ago.

He has little patience for inefficiency, and will not mince words when he witnesses it as even a possibility. Alastor cares much more than he could ever possibly let on ( more than the world would allow him to be viewed as ), but he still does not take time to consider the nuance of other’s feelings in a moment of critique. He needs to consciously work on recognizing the value of other people's opinions, as well as the value of being sensitive towards people's feelings. And with so much prioritized above it, this will hardly ever get the due-diligence it deserves.  In its absence, he is forceful, intimidating, direct. He uses his presence in the room willingly and often ignores it as a double agent of alienation bestowed on himself.

For all his abrasive qualities, Alastor still seeks out working with others. Prone to taking young recruits under his wing, he is able to fish out the strengths in individuals and coach them ( in his own unique… and terrifying way ). There is a sentimental streak which cuts deeper than he would allow anyone to see, a willingness to share ideology with only one. With Dumbledore gone, so goes that outlet, though Alastor is hardly inclined to let up.

TWO / THE MOON. * Which color would you associate most strongly with them and the emotions that dominate them?  Describe however you’d like.

Uninterrupted sapphire offers protection against the evil eye, a symbol of tranquility and harmony between the sea and the sky while accepting the power both forces hold. ( Should Alastor choose to allow the waters to raging, the result is unstoppable. ) Contrary to popular belief, harmony can be found within him, though no one ever thinks to take the time to measure the beam between the balances.

He allows this power to rule, the blue dye of the tekhelet thread which could so easily form the noose he hangs the enemies of sanity with.

They could just as easily appeal to the sea, to the sky, for mercy. He suspects they will get the same response as when they waste their breath with him.

THREE / MERCURY. * What is this character’s area of expertise? Where do they excel?

Defense Against the Dark Arts. The wand which chose him displays as such : 15” mahogany, a dragon claw core. Sturdy and reliable and perfect for combat, his wand yields to no one ( and neither does he ).

The world around him holds little surprise for him. ( The items some use as evidence toward paranoia are mere tchotchkes for amusement’s sake ). Men are endlessly predictable, setting won’t change much about a fact learned in a hard swung baton and the final kisses of his mother laid upon his fractured skull.

He has never been one for the rousing speech or word of encouragement, something he was always grateful to Albus for shouldering. There are men who are built to hold the fragile hopes of others in the face of insurmountable hate, but dead men can’t hold much of anything so he prefers to keep firsts balled and his wand at the ready.

[atqh16]

The World Turns With or Without You

PART 1

PART 2

Matt tries to find out what he's been missing. Karen tries to fill in the blanks. Foggy doesn't seem to have much time

AO3

They make it to Luke’s place in 30 minutes by cab because it took them 10 minutes just to find one. Throughout the whole ride it took everything in Matt to not just jump out the car door and instead run the rest of the way. He knows it doesn’t make sense to do that. He knows no matter how fast he is he can’t actually beat a moving car. But somehow sitting quietly in the back of a car that smelled like patchouli, sweat and left over take out containers stashed under the seat for so long they’d gotten rotten made the anticipation so much worse.

He feels overstimulated. Agitated. As if any little thing could set him off. The world is a flurry or sound and smells and so much more and his filter has become non-existent but in spite of that, all of it is feels suffocating, like white noise.

Like someone had left the radio on static and while it was just one sound the continuous hum and crackle grated on his nerves like nail on a chalkboard. He wants to scream but his throat felt raw and hoarse. He’d be surprised if he woke up the next day being able to speak at all.

They’re 3 blocks away when he’s finally able to zero in on Claire’s voice snapping out a flurry of instructions so quickly Matt can’t catch most of it. He can catch a thready unsteady pulse struggling to push blood through veins – the sound pulls his own down to his stomach as if violently tugged by a cable- and two other familiar heartbeats in the same room or at least nearby, one he suspects is Jessica’s and the other is Karen’s.

Karen……

Karen knew about this. She had known about all of it, about the case, about Foggy’s plan, the files, the deal. She knew.

Why hadn’t she told him?

Why hadn’t Foggy told him?

Why hadn’t he known anything about it?

The ride ultimately should have only been 12 minutes max but Luke insisted on being careful. Making unexpected twists and turns by feigning forgetfulness with the directions in an attempt to shake off anyone that might have been following. Matt had wanted to tear his hair out by the fourth sharp turn and when they finally arrived, he had practically leaped out if the cab and ran up the stairs. He can hear their voices more clearly now but they’ve gotten quitter. There’s another familiar sound, a soft hush and suction of air and the smell of disinfectant and sterile cotton swabs and gauze. The almost bitter metallic stench of fresh blood and he can also hear the sound of a careful prick and pull of needle and thread through skin. He holds back the urge to bang his fist against the door till it opens and instead stiffly presses the doorbell. They can’t afford to attract unwanted attention right now.

Jessica opens the door but before Matt can rush in Jess tugs him back by his arm.

“Horns I’m gonna need you to calm down a bit ok”

“Jess let me go”

She doesn’t but her grip loosens.

“Matt-“

“Jess please just- I need to see him”

The desperate plea in his voice finally does the trick. “Just… Don’t freak out ok”

Her words do nothing to calm his nerves but he understands why she warned him when he finds Claire and Karen crouched on a bed over Foggy.

The room reeks of blood.

He can taste it everywhere. In the thick wad of cotton swabs piled in the wastebasket, on the plastic sheets where they’d laid his best friend, coating the gloves both Karen and Claire were wearing and most of all on Foggy who seemed to have so much of it coating his skin and clothes it feels like a second skin.

Matt places a palm on Foggy’s chest where he’s kneeling beside the bed and he pulls it back wet.

“Why is he bleeding so much?”

“Some of the blunt trauma he took broke through skin. He has a few lacerations on his back and abdomen. They’re not deep but a lot of small vessels had burst from the force of the hits he took and that’s what caused the excessive bleeding”, Claire explains before calling Matt’s name in a gentler tone, “He hasn’t lost as much blood as it looks”.

The nod he gives her is shaky and he takes a deep breath before asking, “What else? Tell me what else”

Claire lets out a tired sigh but her next words are delivered to him in the most clinical way possible, “Fractured if not broken ribs. The blunt trauma to his kidneys, there might be some internal damage or bleeding but I can’t tell without proper medical equipment and even if I could, if its severe there isn’t much I can do here. His right cheekbone is most definitely broken and the left is possibly fractured. Ruptured eye vessels, his throat- “Claire gestured upward and Matt notices for the first time Karen sitting by Foggy’s head, holding a resuscitation bag she continuously inflates and deflates without pause but Matt also doesn’t miss the slight tremble in her hands, “His throat swelled up from the pressure to his larynx. Intubation was the last thing I wanted to do in a less than sterile area but he couldn’t breathe. I don’t- “

Claire’s voice finally breaks and it takes her a second to take a deep calming breath before she can continue. “I don’t know how long he can make it without proper treatment. He’s covered in bruises and for all I know he could be bleeding internally. He’s got a swelling on his temple from what looks like a vicious kick to the head and he could be building up intracranial pressure and a severe concussion. There’s very little I can do about that. Basically, I’m going do all I can to keep him alive till it's safe to get him to the hospital but there’s a lot of damage Matt.”

“It’s just for another 3 hours”.

Both Matt and Claire turn to look at Karen who only had eyes for Foggy’s purple and swollen face but was still shaking with every press and release of the resuscitation bag. Matt could taste a slight tinge of salt in the air that he’s sure isn’t his own.

It’s a surprise to him that Karen’s voice doesn’t tremble as much as she is when she continues, “Brett said that he needs at least till dawn to get the warrants and the people he needs behind him. The expose I wrote on the guy who did this, Daniel Lex, he’s a CEO for Lex Corps, International. The article comes out, his reputation gets ruined, his underground contacts on the run, I’d be surprised he’d make it till noon without the FBI knocking on his door with an arrest warrant too. 3 hours that’s it. That’s it Foggy, just hold on for another 3 hours”

The last part she whispers to herself and the still form beneath her. Head leaned down so her hair falls like a curtain between them and everyone else.

Matt doesn’t have a reply other then simply tightening his fingers around Foggy’s.

Claire’s eyes dart to all three of them before she gets up, ripping off her gloves and tossing them in the plastic bag beside her filled to the brim with bloody gauze and hastily torn sterile packaging.

“3 hours it is.”

“Why didn’t you tell me”

Karen looks up from where she’d been laying her head on the mattress, pillowed by her arms. Matt take’s a leaf out of her book and doesn’t look away from Foggy, hands firm where he worked the resuscitation bag he’d taken over from Karen an hour ago.

Karen hesitates and Matt suspects she’s staring at the mess of their friend with a guilty look.

“You were hurt badly when all of this started from the human trafficking case you took on a few weeks ago. Foggy didn’t want to risk you jumping in before you managed to heal up completely. And he…. he wanted to do this right. To do it clean, by the books. He wanted to make sure there were no loopholes, no possible escape they could wrangle up. He wanted to ruin them for what they’d done to those kids they’d dragged on to the streets. I think he wanted to prove to himself that his faith in the system was worth something”

“Worth his life?” Matt snaps.

He doesn’t have to have eyes to feel the accusatory look she sends his way.

“How is it different from what we both do every day? I risk myself all the time with every big article I write and we wake up every morning praying we’ll find a message on our phones telling us you’d gotten home safe.”

She holds Foggy’s hands to her forehead that looked like a fervent attempt at prayer. The taste of salt in the air was obvious now. “I tried to convince him not to do it but he wouldn’t listen. He said he needed to do something bigger to help people than just small fry cases that only helped a few. But he did everything right. He asked help from Luke and Jessica. He didn’t keep it a secret from me or Brett. He was careful and cautious and he kept it close to his chest though he didn’t tell us anything until he got all the files he needed. But one of the boys told them. The kid was probably just scared but they wouldn’t have found out if he hadn’t told them”

Again, Matt has nothing to say to that. Being struck speechless seems to be a common theme for him tonight. But what would there have been to say? He had failed his best friend. He’d been caught up in his own pursuit for justice to realize that Foggy had his own. Foggy had always seemed so untouchable. Protected by how he kept himself to helping the underdog in endeavors and cases small enough that no one would have noticed. How could he have forgotten that Foggy had just as much resolve as he did to help anyone that needed it even if he felt like he didn’t have much to give outside of a courtroom.

His best friend who followed him wherever he went even when it meant living on nothing but good opinion, peach pies and the knowledge that he’d share an office with two of his closest friends. Foggy who left behind a life of luxury and more money they would ever earn in their humble office. To leave behind a woman he loved but who realized she needed more than a man with little ambition other than a small office with no air conditioning, uncomfortable chairs that squeaked and a plaque outside their office with his name.

Even when he had to tolerate Matt continuing his mission in fixing Hell’s Kitchen where he felt the law couldn’t.

Is this what it had felt like for him every night, hoping Matt wasn’t going to bleed to death because of a lucky gun shot?

He voices the question out loud and gets a gentle, thoughtful hum from Karen.

“More or less. But I’d like to think he understood, even if he didn’t like it. I think he knew what he was getting into the minute he wrote down our names on that napkin but he wanted to stick around anyway” she places a gentle kiss on Foggy’s knuckles, “I don’t think we understood how much he was willing to give up for us”

Matt realizes that she’s right. He had always assumed that Foggy understood that the city always came first. That whatever sacrifice Matt had to make, that no matter how much of his own blood he had to spill to do what he felt needed to be done would be worth it.

But now when he’s staring at the blood his best friend had spilled for the same reason, he can’t help but feel the foundation of his resolution begin to shake. For him to understand what it felt like to watch someone you love put so much of themselves on the line.

He takes a deep breath but it’s not enough to hold back his own tears that start streaming down his cheeks.

“Please wake up Foggy. Please. I promise I’ll be there this time. I’ll promise I won’t take you for granted anymore. Just please, please just wake up Fog. I can’t lose anyone else. I can’t lose you”

His thoughts go unheard and Foggy doesn’t stir. Matt can’t help but feel like his best friend is paying the consequences of Matt's sins and he doesn’t try to hold back his grief anymore. If nothing else, Foggy deserved to know that he mattered.

Another hour and a half pass before something happens. Matt’s arms are aching from holding up the respiration device and is considering letting Jessica take over – she had offered to do so 20 minutes ago but Matt had staunchly refused and she hadn’t pressed the offer – when suddenly Foggy jerks upward.

“Claire!”

Foggy’s body has already begun to shake when Claire enters the bedroom.

“Shit, he’s seizing”

Matt hears a dial tone from the living room and Jessica’s voice.

“I’m calling the ambulance. This shit can’t wait.”

It’s a nod to how severe the situation has become that none of them protest.

The seizures last for 3 minutes during which Claire pulls out the tube and tells everyone to step back and not touch him. When its over Claire checks his airway but Matt can already tell Foggy is finally breathing on his own at the low but audible sound of air running in and out of his airway with a rasp that Matt is terrified will give out.

The ambulance arrives in five minutes and Claire convinces Matt to let her go with Foggy instead of him because she needs to give the Emergency personnel a detailed rundown of Foggy’s visible and possible injuries and Matt wants to scream at the sound of Foggy’s heart beat fading in the distance.

Matt knows if Foggy dies it will all be his fault.

[moiraineswife]

Can you expand on the Geralt, Regis, and Philippa being autistic? I'm intrigued...

Yes friend. Yes I can. As it happens I’ve already talked about Phil at length here, but I got distracted by…Life before I could get to the boys. So I’ll do that now. Much like Phil’s this isn’t going to be very ordered….Or detailed, unfortunately, bc I can’t remember everything I wanted to say on the subjects, and I don’t have the spoons to go trawling through the books atm. 

This is all, also, entirely book based, because I’ve never played the games (I just occasionally reblog gifsets here bc a)- pretty, b)- CONTENT and c)- oh look nice visual representations of my children) but idk what’s going on there. 

Regis: 

Regis presents some potential vague problems with the autistic thing bc he’s not human…but as I’m not suggesting all higher vampires are automatically autistic, and because I love my dear awkward bean, I don’t really care and we’re pressing on with haste. 

-Okay, okay, the biggest/my favourite thing for this hc with Regis is his habit of infodumping/overexplaining EVERYTHING. He either just gets really into it/excited about Sharing His Knowledge, or else he can’t filter what of all the many things bouncing around in his brain are actually important (bc they are all important) so he just says everything meanwhile the hansa are all just ‘Regis pls we got the point ten minutes ago STOP TALKING’ And he knows he does this, and he’s tried so many times to get a hold on it and stop but it just…It’s not happening. 

-Regis having special interests in herbs/plants, particularly if they can be used for medicinal purposes…Or making moonshine. He’s had several lifetimes to Indulge this interest and he pretty much knows everything about everything. 

-He has a pretty distinctive pattern of speech. And I like the idea that his Extreme Authentic Regis-Flavoured Politeness that’s a fairly staple part of his character is something that’s developed over the years, first from a coping type mechanism bc the politer he was, the harder it was to accidentally say something wrong and offend someone, and eventually transitioned into an internal rule so this is now just the way he is/has to be. 

-Kind of a combination of the above point and the first: Regis explaining things in ways he thinks are very clear and explicit (while also maintaining the necessary politeness rules) but everyone around him is just ???? regis wut???? 

-Regis calling himself a coward when it comes to combat situations because he doesn’t know how else to explain the fact that he freezes up and panics in these situations (the dude basically cannot die, okay, this isn’t a mortality fear, but there’s something going on). The truth is, though, that battles are sensory hell, too much noise, too much feeling, too much visual stimulation too much and he can’t deal with it (sweet bean) 

-I like Regis being on the other end of the empathy spectrum to, say, Philippa, and being hyperempathetic (which I think fits him fairly well - I mean….The guy is an immensely powerful, centuries old higher vampire….and he spends his time chilling, making moonshine for passing strangers, and being a bloody barber surgeon and helping people with his vast wealth of Knowledge. And also the way he responds to, say, the girl in the village when he performs the whole fire miracle thing to save her, despite the fact it’ll expose him, because he just nope, not having this. And he feels things so deeply, he CARES so much, he’s such a good soul, this suits him well) 

-Okay but in contrast to that Regis is pretty fucking unflappable. He doesn’t really do big displays of emotion very well, and tends to approach most things with Logic. (See: that moment in LotL when Geralt is like ‘okay ppl we have a job we are LEAVING’ and the hansa just explodes into action and rushes off to hop to it. Meanwhile Regis sits there, chill as you please, just like…yes, okay Geralt, an explanation if you please, I require Reasons before I leap into action thank you very much) And he’s got that expected ‘comes across as pretty withdrawn/composed’ thing going on too.

Geralt: 

Geralt, like Regis, presents a few slightly thorny problems bc a lot of the things that read as traits for him are muddled up with the whole witcher mutations…but again…i Relate too much to care, and I’m too tired to get into a debate with myself concerning this, so onwards and upwards… 

-I feel like he’s somewhere in the middle of the empathy spectrum. Like you’ve got Phil who’s just…None and doesn’t give af, Regis that’s just like *feels everything so much and vibrates with it* and then Geralt’s in the middle where he….Can’t really read people’s emotions very well, but there’s also a fairly large heaping of compassionate empathy in there, in that he WANTS to help people he just…Doesn’t quite understand them very well? So he’s like…Trying His Best on the empathy front. (bless) 

-Geralt kind of going the opposite direction that Regis went with the talking/socialising thing. Where Regis is really polite/long-winded to kind of compensate and attempt to cover all bases, Geralt is just...To the point. Blunt. Says what he’s thinking/what he means. Doesn’t have time for anyone who does anything other than that. He gave up trying to riddle out manipulation/lies long ago. Either talk simply, or don’t talk at all. 

-Geralt repeatedly being like ‘what is this feeling I am experiencing?’ *prods it uncertainly* which has a name: alexithmiya, and is Great Fun btw. 

-Let’s be honest here, he’s really not the world’s biggest emoter. That isn’t to say that he doesn’t have emotions/doesn’t feel (ofc he does) he’s just really not very good at showing it. 

-Absolutely less than zero, well into negative figures here, interested in politics. There’s too much lying, too much manipulation, too many games, too many exhausting little factions and social rules and nuances to try and figure out and he is decidedly Too Old For This Shit. 

-Same vein: hates spies/spying. Can’t be doing this with all this under the table, betraying, two-faced bullshit. Wasn’t made for it, can’t be fucked with it, stop doing it, please and thank you. 

-Geralt transcending the typical autistic realms of same!clothes/same!food and heading into the territory of same!name: every horse I have ever, or will ever, own is called Roach. Nice and simple. 

-His witcher medallion ending up being a comfort object because of how constant/present it is. It’s a nice weight, and it probably doubles as a stim toy tbh because the spiky bits can get rubbed between fingers. 

-Geralt having very set Internal Rules/demonstrating black and white thinking. He’s very firm about these sorts of things in the games, things along the lines of not killing dragons/intelligent beasts etc, etc. But also his views on neutrality/not taking part/wanting to be removed from what’s happening (these do change slightly, but it takes a damn long time) 

-I can make an argument for Geralt being change resistant/struggling to adapt without too much trouble. He does the same thing day in day out and has done for years, and doesn’t seem in any great hurry to stop doing that. 

-Literally every speech Geralt makes to the hansa is just...Geralt. Child. Ur trying. But lead by action, okay? 

I could go on but...that’ll do for now. (also this took 16 years to answer and I apologise for that I hope your intrigue didn’t die in the intervening time D:) 

[imthepunchlord]

Moonless Night

Alright!  Updated version with some tweaks that I hope are more canon compliant with your AU lol.

Marinette Agreste loved her Papa.   He had a chilly personality and had been known to make an intern or two cry with his blunt criticisms.  Even she’d gotten a little teary when the famed fashion designer, Gabriel Agreste, had picked apart her own design with a practiced eye.  However, for all his coldness, he always dried her tears with examples of things she’d done well.  He would point out how well the colors went together.  How the ruffles she’d placed on a dress would accentuate the fullness of the skirt.  Where the fabric she’d chosen would best serve the outfit.  Always with a gentle tone and kiss to the top of her head.

Marinette loved her Papa but he’d changed over the last two years.  Drastically.

“Are you going to be home for my dance recital this time?” she asked.  Her father disappeared from the video call’s frame for a moment as he bent to make some sort of note on his paper.

“Sorry butterfly.  Milan is very busy this time of year and the coordinators are all idiots.  They need constant supervision.”

Marinette didn’t bother to cover her frown.  “That’s what you said last time… and the time before that!  Then you were in Tokyo for my last tennis tournament.  And New York when I competed at my last horse show.”

In fact, she’d fallen off at that horse show and broken her arm.  Her dad hadn’t even come home to see her after that.  He hadn’t even reacted when he’d come home.  Looked at her neon pink cast and then back at his business report.

“I’m very busy Marinette,” he replied calmly.  

She grit her teeth and yanked on one of her pigtails.  “What’s the point of making me do all these stupid activities if you’re not even going to come see me when I compete!”

The words exploded out of her mouth as soon as they crossed her mind.  No filter whatsoever.  Gabriel raised an eyebrow at her.  “I thought you enjoyed your hobbies.”

“No!  You enjoy them!  You suck up all my free time with them and you don’t even have the courtesy to show up to appreciate it.”

“I’m very busy,” he repeated.  Frustration burned through her like a fire.

“If Mama was here I know she’d be there.”

Gabriel looked up at her in utter shock, eyes blown wide underneath his glasses.  It was a low blow.  Marinette knew that.  However, she couldn’t bring herself to care.  She was just too angry to care at the moment.  Deep in her heart she knew that she’d regret it sooner rather than later.  Probably in about twenty minutes.  Right now though, her anger was as cold as her father’s usual icy personality.  He’d lost a lot of his warmth when her mother had disappeared.  If he couldn’t spare any of the warmth he had left in him then he could shoulder a few cold words from her at the moment.

“Marinette!” he growled sharply.  His shoulders rose like he was tensing up.

“I’ll let you go since you’re so terribly busy father.  Call me when you have a second or two to spare!” she snapped.  Marinette ended the video call before he had a chance to admonish her for her less than civil behavior.  

Her tablet hit the table with a hard smack before she followed it up bringing her head down a little too hard on the table beside it.   “Headpressing is a sign of serious neurological dysfunction in cats.”

“I’m not headpressing Plagg,” she mumbled.  Exhaustion rolled through her shoulders.  She heard Plagg give a heavy sigh.  Then he sunk on to the top of her head.  Something rough and prickly brushed against her scalp through her hairline.  “I don’t need a bath Plagg.”

“Not a bath.  Grooming and care.  You know this.  Now hush and let me do it.” His voice had a bit of a bite to it but in a strange way it reminded her of her dad when he dished out constructive criticism.  Marinette let her shoulders sag and let herself take comfort in Plagg’s action.

She pulled her head off the table and gingerly plucked Plagg from her head.  Marinette cradled him in her arms against her face.  His purrs rumbled deep from his tiny body as if he were a lot bigger than the length of her hand.   “Thanks Plagg.”

“No problem kitten.”

“I just don’t understand why Papa acts as though his entire family has disappeared.  I’m still here.”

Plagg shook his head.  “Don’t go down this road Marinette.  Not again.”

“Maybe he really didn’t want me.  Ouch!”  Marinette yelped as she pulled away from Plagg.  Two neat little red dots rose on side of her hand from where he’d bitten her.  She shook it out and glared at Plagg.  He glared right back at her with zero remorse.

“We both know that isn’t true.  Your stick in the mud old man might not be able to see what he has right in front of him through his grief but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t love or want you anymore.  He needs time.”

“I need his time!” Marinette hissed.  She crossed her arms over his chest.  “If he won’t notice me the normal way then I guess I need to resort to extreme means… again.”

She raised her silver ring into the air.  A smile spread across her lips.  A matching smile grew on Plagg’s.  “That’s my girl.  It’s hard to ignore someone that’s holding a shiny stone the size of the mayor’s head.  You do know that your partner’s kwami doesn’t approve of you right?”

“Sourire?” she asked.  “Yeah, but that clumsy bug himself doesn’t think too little of me not with his silly jokes and horrible puns.”

Plagg flew in close to her again.  He clung on to her fingers as he looked up at her.  “Any ideas for tonight’s heist?”  

“Remember how Chloe mentioned that rumor about Dior’s new jewelry line being premiered on the runway at Paris Fashion Week?” smirked Marinette.

“Oohh!  Go on…”

“According to Papa it isn’t just a rumor.  The newest line is being stored at their headquarters here in Paris.  Kept safe and sound until fashion week under lock and key.”

“And several armed guards?” asked Plagg, sounding hopeful.

Marinette nodded.  “Oh yes… in the ballpark of ten by the vault itself.”

“You sneaky girl.  You’ve already cased the joint haven’t you?”

She gave a shrug.  “I do a lot when you’re napping in the bottom of my bag.”

“Oh yes, Tikki would have a heart attack if she knew about this.  This is going to be fun!”

“That’s the idea.”

Well, that and getting back at her dad for practically ignoring her.  That felt pretty sweet.

“You are literally the ‘dating Catwoman’ cliche from that website your classmate likes to frequent,” Plagg told her with a gleeful expression.

Marinette blushed at the mention of Adrien Dupain-Cheng.  She scratched the back of her neck before shaking her head.  “Any plans on what you’re going to do with such a treasure?”

“I assume that once the police have exhausted all their leads and can’t find anything they’ll offer a reward.  I’m sure there’s at least one needy family that can stumble across a necklace with a diamond the size of the mayor’s head.  They’ll put that reward money to good use I’m sure.”

“You’re a such good girl at heart kitten.”

“I love you too Plagg,” Marinette giggled.  She held her hand up.  “Claws out!”

When the electricity cleared, Sans Lune stood in Marinette Agreste’s place.  She looked towards Paris’s darkening sky line.  It was supposed to be a moonless night tonight.  Perfect for a wayward cat to run off some frustration and play.

[studio-elan]

15 Online Dating Tips for Women to Super-Boost Your Dating Game

As an experienced online dater myself, I know what to do and more importantly, what not to do. So here are my must-have online dating tips for women. Online dating is this entire world of confusion, fear, excitement, and unfortunately, dick pics. But, with some help, you can smoothly navigate that bumpy terrain without much turbulence. There will always be surprises, but if you follow my online dating tips for women you can keep them to a minimum and hopefully leave the online dating world behind. What is online dating like for women? Online dating is a minefield. Nowadays it is all swiping, saying “hey,” and never speaking again. In order to actually want to take online dating out of the internet and in person, a connection needs to form in the first few minutes of chatting. If it isn’t there you move on. People need dating and a connection to be as instantaneous as ordering something from Amazon Prime or getting a pizza delivered. If you don’t hook someone quick, there is no catch. And for women, it is even more difficult than that. Not only do we have to deal with average dating nerves, but we also have to fish through creepy mirror pics, cheesy movie lines, and guys who think asking for sex in their first message is totally warranted. [Read: Why online dating isn’t for everyone] On top of that, we also have more pressing fears to worry about. Are we potentially meeting a murderer? Is this person really Jake, 28, from NYC with a dog named Pogo? Or is it Kevin aged 56 who lives in his mom’s basement with a puppet named Alf? You are constantly battling your need to question everything with your desire to be chill and open-minded. You want to be safe but also spontaneous. You want to be vulnerable but also protected. How do you make online dating work for you? Must-know online dating tips for women Without the help of an accurate psychic, you will never know exactly what to expect from online dating. You cannot exactly swallow down the nerves and just go for it. Your fears are more than not getting along, but could you also be at risk of being kidnapped and murdered? [Read: 13 reasons why online dating isn’t for everyone] When you want to meet someone and work and friend setups are out of the questions, online dating is the logical choice. Sure, the likelihood of being stalked by a catfish is small, but it is a thought always haunting us. Ladies, to make online dating work for you, use these online dating tips for women so you can learn how to keep your guard up and remain openminded. It is not easy, but you can do it. #1 Be honest in your profile. Of course, you don’t want your profile to be a novel, but share enough to catch someone’s attention. Include something unique about yourself. I always mention that I’m a grandma at heart. I love staying home and baking and that seems to intrigue people who find it endearing. Your photos should also represent you clearly. If you have group photos, it should be very clear which person you are in the first one. Crop if necessary. Your photos should be recent, decent quality, and actually show your face. Avoid anything too far away, with sunglasses, or intense filters. [Read: How to write an online dating profile and set yourself apart] #2 Minimize your expectations. It is impossible to have zero expectations when online dating. You are hoping for something. You want a fun date, a relationship, or even a hookup. I get it. But to get the most out of online dating, you need to expect the very least. Go in expecting to meet a decent human being. With that as your bar, it should not be hard to miss. [Read: Is lowering your expectations the best path to love?] #3 Have a safety net. Have an out prepared just in case you feel uncomfortable or unsafe. Have a friend call you 20 minutes into your date. And be sure to tell someone your location and the name and phone number of the person you’re meeting. It might sound excessive, but it is better to be safe than sorry. #4 Never invite him over. If you want to be close to home, meet at the bar around the corner or the coffee shop down the road. You don’t have to give your address or even where you live. Even if the date went well, I wouldn’t invite him over until you feel like you can actually trust him. #5 Video chat before meeting. I know some people don’t like to do this, but I have met guys online both before video chatting and after, and after is always better. You get a vibe of how you will interact and a feel for the flow of the conversation. I also find that it makes your in-person meeting a lot more smooth and less awkward. This is also a great way to ensure that you are not being catfished. If they refuse a video chat, you should not meet them. [Read: 13 easy ways to recognize a catfish instantly] #6 Listen. We have a tendency to talk about ourselves. We want to share our interesting stories and what we want and are looking for. But, looking for a date requires listening too. And that doesn’t mean sitting quietly, but actually paying attention. If you just respond too quickly, you aren’t processing what they said. Actually taking your time and focusing on your date will help you realize how interested you are. #7 Own your confidence. When you are considering going from messaging to meeting, the nerves can take over and destroy your killer confidence in one blow. Try to keep your cool. We are all nervous when dating, it is human nature. But just because your body is nervous doesn’t mean you can’t own who you are. Show-off your best assets, feel good in your outfit, and project who you are, not who you wish you were or who you think he wants you to be. [Read: How to calm the stage of first date anxiety] #8 Have a go-to line. Online dating for women is weird. Do you reach out first or wait for him? I usually pick a dating app that requires the girl to message first. I find it is a lot less creepy than the alternative. But going in with “hey” is not catchy or intriguing. If you want to have a decent conversation it needs to start with more than – hey how are you. It is a great idea to have a fun starter. You can use it repeatedly instead of the boring “hi.” Most guys I match with tend to have a blank bio, so, I say, “That blank bio isn’t giving me much to work with.” This shows that I call them out and am teasing them a little, but also lets them introduce themselves. After doing this for a while, you will also notice when someone’s profile catches your eye and sparks a new intro to mind. [Read: How to spot the liars in an online dating site] #9 Do not play hard to get. From the impression I’ve gotten, guys do not want a girl who is playing games. So don’t try to act disinterested. You downloaded the app and made a profile, so you already put it out into the world that you are looking. Do not say I rarely check this app or always wait for the guy to message first. You are a strong and independent woman, you can make the first move. If you are interested, make it known. [Read: Texting before the first date – A complete guide to playing it right] #10 There is no such thing as the perfect man. With all the options right at your fingertips, you may keep swiping and scrolling until you find someone that ticks all your boxes. But, remember no one is perfect. You will not find a guy that is your prince charming. I am not telling you to settle for less than you deserve, but be realistic. Think about what you really need in a relationship versus what you think you need. Most of the time what we want is the exact opposite of what makes us the happiest. #11 Mention your deal breakers. A lot of people say to keep things light in the beginning. Do not talk about heavy topics like politics or religion. I say get that out of the way now. You do not want to chat with someone for a week before you find out they have entirely different morals to you. Mention things you know you cannot put up with right away. In my profile, I include the fact that I am not interested in smokers or Trump supporters. So, if you have deal breakers, share them right out of the gate. [Read: 25 most common and biggest deal breakers for women] #12 Bring what you’ve learned, not what you’ve felt. This is one of the hardest things to do, especially with online dating. You are meeting this person for the first time with little to no information about them. You need to go in trusting your gut. But, we tend to take our prior experiences and their baggage and our bitterness into this new adventure. Instead of pulling all of that into the booth with you and your date, only take what you have learned, not the feelings you felt. It can be difficult to compartmentalize that, but try to focus on what you do have control over, not what you don’t. #13 Ask your friends for advice. Online dating for women is overwhelming. You have a lot to consider. If you are talking to a few people and aren’t sure who to meet or don’t even know where to start with your photos or bio, ask your friends for advice. Have them help you set up your account. They know you best and how to boost your confidence. It is hard to sell yourself to potential matches, it can feel car salesman-ish. But, your friends are killer at sharing your best qualities, so let them take a whack at it. #14 Be bold. Men are not the best at reading signs. You can try to be subtle and flirty, but guys sometimes need you to be blunt. Instead of hinting at the prospect of meeting, just ask him out. No need to beat around the bush. Take the bull by the horns and go for it. What’s the worst that could happen? He says no, and you keep swiping. [Read: What to do on your first date of an online match] #15 Don’t meet too fast or after too much time. When someone asks me to meet them after two correspondences I am so turned off. You know nothing about me. I could be a crazy person or collect human teeth. They don’t know. Some would say, well, you get to know each other in person. But, without even a little bit of a vibe of how you interact, even via messages, it is hard to create a flow in person. Whenever I have gone from online dating to meeting without enough back story, things are awkward. You don’t have anything at all to go off of. Even chatting about about your favorite show or where you went to college can plant a seed for future conversations. With that being said, waiting too long to meet can create a lot of expectations. Once you wait too long, it can be hard to make that transition from screen to scene. Try to meet anywhere from a couple days to a week of messaging for a good balance. [Read: 13 warning signs to look out for in the first few dates] These online dating tips for women should get you through the sea of dating profiles and out into the real world with less stress, fewer nerves, and more confidence. The post 15 Online Dating Tips for Women to Super-Boost Your Dating Game is the original content of LovePanky - Your Guide to Better Love and Relationships.