#its the fact that i did spell it with a K at first but then I foolishly followed autocorrect

[seafoamdew]

(you misspelled Stoick as Stoic in your last post)

Cheers 😭

[simpinberry]

for my mental health i need hcs of bella ramsey x fem or gn reader with words of affirmation love language ‼️‼️

hi guys i’m back to feed you some more bella content ˖⁺‧₊˚♡˚₊‧⁺˖ hope i did this right and that u guys like it :) also tysm for the requests

listen listen!!! after taking a shower she would 100% leave sweet compliments on the foggy mirror for u to read. will add ‘kiss your s/o’ to your to do lists.

will text/send photos of random things that reminds you of her throughout the day. she does this especially when she’s on set and you guys can’t talk much. they have your favorite snack there? sends u a photo and tells u theyre thinking of u. lots of i miss yous, love yous and that she can’t wait to be home to see u again. “text me abt what you get up to today babe” “pedro is making fun of me because i’m apparently such a simp for you, he is absolutely, in every way, correct ;).” “i saw a butterfly today n it reminded me of the pretty tattoo you have”

will watch u like the weirdo she is when you’re getting ready in the morning. sneaks up behind u and repeatedly attacks ur face with kisses. “i have the most beautiful gf in the world” “omg i love this purple eyeliner on you, it rlly suits you” “your curls look really defined today, the new conditioner you got is so good!! my beautiful bby”

is the type to whisper compliments in between kisses. yk like corny spelling out of i love you in between pecks? yep, does that. “i really really like you” “my darling” “mine” “you’re so cute” in between kisses hehehe.

spam texts you when you send/post a photo. in your dms/comment section screechingggg!! my mans is DOWN BADDD. needs and loves to comment “first” on ur posts. they actually make up most of ur comment section. “BABE IM DYING YOURE TOO BEAUTIFUL” “so glad we’ve advanced technology so i can stare at this photo 4life if i want to” “you+this dress= my death”

randomly tweets a photo of you, captioning it “this is my darling, be jealous, gn”

very validating when you’re upset and talks you through it. thanks you for speaking up and communicating abt anything that’s been bothering you. SPILLS THE TEA WITH YOUUU. you have a co worker you hate? she hates them too. listen to me when i say she is on ur side, she is shocked and they’ll even remember stuff you’ve previously told them to add to the fire. best bf frr “thank you for telling me babe, i’ll really keep it in mind next time, i’m so sorry for hurting your feelings like that” “it sounds like it’s been difficult for you to complete (insert task) you’ve been working through it so well :)” “he said what??? yeah like he’s one to talk, go go! continue tell me more i’m invested” “babe you’re honestly so right, this is why i always listen to u”

definitely acknowledges you so so much when you accomplish something. will go on about how proud they are of you, how well you’ve done and how wonderful it is. big or small, bellas on her way to pour her heart out to you. would be unbelievably encouraging throughout the process too, telling you to keep going and trust the progress. “you’ve got this babe, go on :))” “that drawing is absolutely amazing, you’re so talented omg look at the details” “you submitted your assignment?? ahead of time?? that’s my girl frr” “these cookies are amazing, thank u sm for baking them ughh give me a hug you’re the best baker ever, they’re so soft!!”

you guys will be facetiming one night when shes away in a different country for filming. she’s been gone two months and you really miss them. you get a bit emotional talking abt it and they really listen, telling you to let it out. just before you guys hang up they tell you to look at the last drawer of your jewellery box. turns out she wrote you a letter before she left, many letters in fact, for when you really miss them. you can’t help but sob reading it. she attached a polaroid photo of you guys kissing at bottom of the page. she’s so incredibly kind in the letter, telling you how wonderful its been getting to know you these past few months. "hehe youre probably crying from how nice im being" istg this mf even teases you in writing. when you're finished you call her back, they immediately burst out laughing at your blood shot eyes, “hahahhs i knew you’d cry”. sneaks in a ‘you look so pretty even when you cry’. tells you they have more hidden around your room and that when you need it she’ll tell you where you can find more ʚ(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )ɞ

goodnight!! if i made any mistakes, no i didn’t. byebye!!

[bcdrawsandwrites]

So uh, no cover for this yet, but I wrote this an age ago and figured now was a good time to post it.

Bindle

Fandom: Inanimate Insanity Rating: K Genre: Angst Characters: Toilet (plus references to other characters like MePhone and MePad) Fic Description: Mister Phone had told him to leave, so it was time to go. Beta Readers: @jaywings and @mephoj Notes: I know the subtitles spell it "Mistah Phone," but since he's being referred to just in prose here and not in dialogue (with Toilet's accent), it's just "Mister Phone."

---~~~---

He didn't much remember what he'd packed.

Everything had happened so fast, and he could hardly think past the burning and dizziness in his tank as he hopped away to gather what little he had. The only thing to bring him out of his haze was the sudden spike of frustration at how hard it was to tie a knot without hands, especially when he wasn't focused.

Toilet found himself biting down on one corner of the red handkerchief, trying to tug at the knot with his invisible grip. It wasn't a very good knot and Mister Phone wouldn't have been terribly happy with that kind of shoddy work but he managed to secure it to the stick he'd apparently found. The bindle was not a big one, but he slung it behind his tank nonetheless.

Mister Phone had told him to leave, so it was time to go.

While his earlier actions had been performed in a furious, tear-blurred haze, he hopped through the contestant grounds with a great deal more slowness, thumping against the soft grass and feeling heavier with each step. After a moment he paused, turning around to take in the view.

By now, the area was cast in soft moonlight, and it was hard to see everything from where Toilet stood at the edge of the grounds. If any contestants were still out and about—probably celebrating their immunity and the fact that they got to spend more time with Mister Phone—he couldn't see them from here. Maybe a speck of light in the distance indicating Hotel OJ, but that was it. He didn't even get to have one last look at the people he'd been working with for the past several months.

It struck him that he didn't even get to say goodbye.

Something gave a terrible yank in his plumbing, and he jumped up into a frantic hover.

"GOODBYE EVERYBODYYYY!" he called out into the night. His voice echoed briefly, and he landed on the ground, waiting a moment. When nothing happened, he jumped into a slightly lower hover, shakily adding: "I-I love you...!"

Again he landed, waiting a moment longer for a response. Maybe someone rushing out to ask him what was going on, or where he was going. Or someone calling "goodbye" back. He'd even take Mister Phone telling him to shut up.

Nothing.

He was leaving this place for good, and no one cared.

Something tugged in his plumbing again, and he spun back around, hurrying away as his vision blurred with tears.

But no, no, maybe they didn't know yet, he argued to himself as he charged past the edges of the contestant grounds. Maybe they hadn't noticed—the last challenge hadn't ended that long ago. It had to be that, right? Maybe later they'd be looking around for him and saying "Hey, where did Toilet run off to?" They would miss him, Mister Phone would miss him, they had to, they had to, they—

His porcelain struck a rock he'd failed to notice, and he tumbled forward, splashing water on the ground and inadvertently slinging his bindle ahead of him. It clattered down softly in the grass, the handkerchief coming untied, spilling some of its contents.

"Ah!" he cried, hurrying up to the pile of items. While some were still covered by the handkerchief, several colorful cards had been scattered across the grass.

Toilet rushed to gather them up, but took a moment to stare at each one as he picked it up. The first was a cat drawn in marker and glitter on a blue card, while the next was... Microphone? He'd drawn her shouting with a bunch of sound waves coming out around her. Next was Baseball and Nickel—he'd drawn them on the same card since they seemed to like to hang out—and then there was Balloon, and Fan and that funny egg, and some more cats, and Marshmallow, and Mister Phone, and...

...Oh, right. These had been for him.

He'd nearly forgotten, after everything that had happened. He'd drawn these the other day when he'd found Mister Phone unconscious by the painting of the corn man. He'd had that weird message on his screen—something about memory—so Toilet had decided to try drawing a bunch of "memory cards" to help him jog that memory. He'd drawn all the contestants, even the eliminated ones, so Mister Phone would remember the game show and be able to get back to it. But then MePad had come along and—

Toilet paused.

On the last card, he’d drawn MePad next to Toilet himself.

I do not intend on being superior to you at all. I consider us equals. We both serve a different purpose, is all.

He stared down at the drawing, at MePad's screen colored in purple ink and shimmering glitter.

The last time he'd seen that screen, he'd been staring into it imploringly, waiting for MePad to back him up, to support him as he always had. Mister Phone was upset and not acting very rationally, but MePad could talk Mister Phone down and convince him that he didn't need to fire Toilet.

But when MePad had met Toilet's gaze, he'd only looked away.

"Equals…?" Toilet muttered, glaring down at the drawing. "Good to know that was a bunch of hogwash!" He punctuated the last word with a splash of water, soaking the card and causing the ink to run, the glitter to wash away. For a moment he felt a twinge of regret, but only for a moment, and he turned back to the fallen bindle with a huff.

As he moved part of the handkerchief aside to put the stack of cards back in, he wound up uncovering the rest of its contents: a bundle of wires in a rainbow of colors.

Oh.

That’s right… Mister Phone had asked for them so often, he'd finally gone out one day to gather a variety of them to have ready. He hadn't really asked for them since, but Toilet had hung onto them, just in case.

Maybe Mister Phone would need them again—need him again—and call him back.

Shaking himself, Toilet quickly gathered his possessions again and tied the bindle back together, making sure the knot was extra-tight this time. Slinging it behind his tank, he continued his journey, noticing the grass beneath him slowly transition into sand. Up ahead, water lapped against the otherwise-silent beach.

It struck him that he had no idea where to go from here. He'd been working here for so long, ever since Master Adam had hired him to—

...Wait, that was it!

Mister Phone had only gotten so angry after he'd mentioned Master Adam. It had to be something to do with him, right? If Mister Phone was angry at Master Adam, then Master Adam must've done something awful!

Where was Master Adam, though? Toilet had never met him in person—they'd only ever spoken over the phone. But Mister Phone had also mentioned the corn man, so maybe Master Adam was working for him? Funny he'd never seen him when they visited the Cloud, though. If he'd known, he would've stopped at his office to say hello.

Well... maybe he could give his office a visit, then, but not for a friendly chat.

Toilet strode across the sandy beach, a goal finally set in mind.

He was going to get to the bottom of this, and figure out what was bothering Mister Phone once and for all.

And… and then maybe Mister Phone would want him back.

…Maybe?

…please?

[jujitto]

. . . . . 一歩踏み  ★ t a k e a s t e p

♩ ⁺ ┄ p a i r i n g s :: nishimura riki x reader

♩ ⁺ ┄ g e n r e :: fluff and angst......like always!

♩ ⁺ ┄ w a r n i n g:: mentions of illnesses

♩ ⁺ ┄ w / c :: 6.6k

Out of all your years, you had never gone outside. They told you it was basically like poison. Once you stepped foot outside, it would be your last time ever seeing the world. They told you if you went outside, you were giving yourself a death wish. You didn’t want to believe it. What outside was keeping you from exploring its great vastness? You longed for the taste of freedom, the wind in your hair, and the feel of grass against your feet. You just wanted to see the world.

Was that so bad? Your parents kept you locked away. For most of your life, you were homeschooled. No friends, no social interaction, nothing good came from staying in the house. But what were you supposed to do? Step outside the door and accept your fate of death. At times like this, it would be better to, but you didn’t want to risk it.

Even when you did step foot outside, you were put in a suit to protect you from the harmfulness. But after the first time, you didn't bother to go out there anymore, especially when you saw how ridiculous you looked in the suit. So most of the time, it was you looking from the inside out. You always thought nature was beautiful.

Beautiful because of the way the trees' leaves swayed in the breeze, the way the water was so calm and relaxing, and the way nature bonded with its animal inhabitants. It was all so beautiful to you. It was a shame that you would never get to experience it in person.

Never say never. Because when he came along, everything changed. He was the best. He was a neighbor, though one you hadn’t seen before. You had never seen him walking down the street or sitting in his yard. He wasn't like any of the other boys in your neighborhood, probably because he was most likely new.

You watched him from the window of the living room as he skated up and down the length of the street. It was weird, sure, but what else could you do? Plus, he didn't find it weird, probably because he didn't know. Well, that all changed. One day, as you were watching him, you noticed his skateboard had made its way into your driveway with him chasing after it.

It was the first time you got to see him up close. He was tall and had long wavy blond hair. But when his eyes met yours, you got a good look at him. He was handsome. He looked like one of those guys from those TV shows your cousin was telling you about. Maybe you were staring too long he gave you a confused look.

You smiled and waved as he did the same but a bit shyly. He gave you one more glance before walking away. From that day forward, he would always stop by the window and wave. Eventually, you told him your name, and he spelled it out in big letters, smiling before spelling his name out in the dust that had collected on the window.

You smiled at the fact that you had finally gotten to know his name. Riki. It kind of rolled off your tongue. This was how you two communicated until you worked up the courage to give him your number. From the first call, you felt butterflies in your stomach. His voice was deep yet soft as he spoke. You could hear the accent coming through.

The two of you became close even without hanging out. The number of hours spent on the phone was something you enjoyed, though it caused your parents to be a bit confused. And it soon became the conversation of the topic at dinner. Since dinner had started your parents had glanced at one another, unsure of how to address the situation. With a final nudge to your father, he cleared his throat and spoke, "So, we've noticed you've been spending a lot of time on the phone lately, and we're just curious about who you've been talking to."

You hesitated for a moment, unsure of how your parents would react if you told them the truth. But you had come to trust Riki, and you wanted to be honest with your parents. Taking a deep breath, you replied, "His name is Riki. He's our new neighbor, and we've been talking a lot. He's nice."

Your mother's eyes widened in surprise, and your father's expression was a mix of concern and curiosity. "A new neighbor, huh? We didn't know we had someone move in recently," your father said, trying to process the information.

"Well, he said he moved in just a few weeks ago," you explained. "He's friendly, and we just clicked, I guess."

Your mother's concern softened into a smile, and she said, "Well, it's nice that you've made a friend. But, dear, we want you to be careful. We don't know much about this Riki and with your condition..." She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence, but you understood what she meant.

"I know, Mom," you replied earnestly. "I've been really careful about not revealing anything about where we live or my condition. And besides, Riki doesn't know about the whole 'never going outside' thing. I haven't told him."

Your father nodded thoughtfully, his concern still evident. "Just be cautious, alright? We want you to have friends and experiences, but your safety is our priority."

You nodded, appreciating their concern, but a part of you also felt frustrated. You wanted to be treated like any other teenager, with the freedom to make friends and explore the world around you. You understood that your parents were trying to protect you, but it was hard not to feel suffocated by the restrictions they imposed. You didn't know how you would ever be able to live a normal life when you couldn't even do anything with a friend.

Not wanting to worry your parents any more than you already had, you excused yourself from the dinner table. Shutting your room door you sank to the floor with your head in your hands. Your body was shaking as tears threatened to spill. It wasn't fair. You couldn't help but feel trapped. You knew your parents were only trying to protect you, but you didn't want them to think of you as fragile.

You wiped away your tears walking to the window to stare at the night sky. You had a feeling Riki would call soon, and you couldn't wait to hear his voice again. He always seemed to be able to cheer you up and lift your spirits. Even with the storm raging behind the house, it didn't seem so bad when you had your best friend's voice to keep you company.

After a few minutes, you heard your phone ringing on your nightstand. A sad smile played on your lips as you quickly picked it up, not even bothering to look at the caller ID.

As you answered the call, you heard Riki's familiar voice on the other end. "Hey," he said warmly, "I just wanted to check in on you. How's everything going?" Hearing his words you broke down.

Through your tears, you managed to speak, "I... I don't know, Riki. C-can you come over? Please?” Riki's voice softened as he heard the desperation in your voice. "Of course," he replied without hesitation. "I'll be right there."

Within minutes, you saw Riki's figure approaching your house through the window. You motioned for Riki to come to your window, and he quickly obliged, climbing up to the first-floor level where your room was. He tapped lightly on the glass only to be met with you with tears in your eyes and holding your suit. It didn't take long for him to realize what you were trying to do.

Placing his hand against the window Riki couldn't help but shake his head. “Y/N no. I'm not going to risk your life like that. I can't let you do something so dangerous," he said firmly, concern evident in his voice. You looked at him pleadingly, tears still streaming down your cheeks. "I just can't take being trapped anymore, Riki," you whispered, your voice breaking. "I want to see the world, feel the grass beneath my feet, and experience the freedom that everyone else gets to enjoy."

Riki's expression softened as he saw the pain in your eyes. He knew how much you longed for a taste of the outside world, but he couldn't bear the thought of putting you in danger. "I understand how you feel," he said gently, "but I can't bear the thought of something happening to you. I care too much about you to let you take such a risk."

You shook your head, not wanting to accept defeat. "Riki, you don't understand. I feel like I'm suffocating in here. I want to be brave, just like you. I want to take that chance, even if it's just for a few moments. Please, Riki, I need this."

Riki looked torn, his emotions warring within him. He cared deeply for you, but he also understood your longing for freedom. After a moment of contemplation, he sighed and said, "Okay, but if you feel any sort of pain or discomfort, we stop immediately. Promise me that, alright?" You nodded eagerly, your heart pounding with a mix of fear and excitement. "I promise, Riki.”

Riki's decision both thrilled and terrified you. He didn't fully understand the consequences of your actions, but he was willing to take the risk with you. You knew that you couldn't waste this opportunity.

Carefully, you put on the suit that was meant to protect you from the outside world. It felt bulky and awkward, but you knew it was necessary to shield you from the dangers that awaited beyond your home's walls. Riki waited for you at the front door. With your heart pounding, you approached the front door, feeling a surge of adrenaline rush through your body. You took a deep breath, trying to steady yourself, and then turned the doorknob, slowly pulling the door open. The sight before you took your breath away.

The outside world was nothing like you imagined from looking through the windows. The sky stretched out above you, vast and infinite, dotted with stars that shimmered in the darkness. As you stepped outside, Riki kept a watchful eye on you, making sure you felt okay. The air felt different on your skin, and you shivered slightly under the protective suit. With each step, you marveled at the sensation of the ground beneath your feet—the texture of the grass and the coolness of the earth. It was an overwhelming mix of emotions—fear, excitement, and a sense of freedom you had never known.

"Are you okay?" Riki asked, his voice tinged with concern.

You nodded, unable to find words to describe the experience. Tears welled up in your eyes as you realized how much you had been missing out on all these years.

Riki gently put his hand on your shoulder. "Take your time," he said softly, understanding the flood of emotions you were experiencing.

As you looked around, you saw the trees swaying in the gentle breeze, their leaves rustling like a soft lullaby. You heard the distant chirping of crickets and the hooting of an owl somewhere nearby. It was magical.

The two of you ventured a little farther, making your way to a nearby park. Riki guided you cautiously, avoiding areas that might be riskier for your condition. With him by your side, you felt safer, and his presence eased your fears. As you reached the park, you both found a comfortable spot on a bench, taking in the beauty of the night around you. The moon's gentle glow illuminated the surroundings, and you couldn't help but feel a sense of serenity wash over you.

You and Riki sat on the bench, talking and laughing softly under the moonlight. For the first time in your life, you felt truly alive and connected with the world around you. Riki shared stories of his past adventures and experiences, and you soaked up every word, eager to live vicariously through him.

As the hours passed, the initial fear you felt began to dissipate, replaced by a growing sense of wonder and joy. The world outside wasn't the poison your parents had warned you about; it was a beautiful and mesmerizing place. You couldn't help but feel grateful for Riki, who had given you this opportunity and stayed by your side throughout it all.

Eventually, you both made your way back to your house. Your heart was heavy, knowing that this newfound sense of freedom would soon be taken away from you, but you were determined to cherish every moment you had experienced.

When you reached your doorstep, you turned to Riki with a mixture of emotions in your eyes. Gratitude, joy and a hint of sadness blended as you looked at the person who had given you the most extraordinary experience of your life.

"Thank you," you whispered, your voice trembling with emotion. "Thank you for showing me the world, for letting me feel what it's like to be outside. I'll never forget this."

Riki smiled warmly, his eyes reflecting the moon's soft glow. "You don't have to thank me," he replied gently. "I wanted you to experience the beauty of the world, even if it was just for a little while. You deserve to have those moments of freedom and joy."

You reached out and took Riki's hand, feeling a sense of connection that went beyond words. "You've given me more than I could have ever imagined," you said, your voice filled with sincerity. "You've shown me that there's so much more to life than the confines of my home. I'll always be grateful for that."

Riki squeezed your hand, his eyes filled with a mix of affection and determination. "I promise you, this won't be the last time you experience the world outside," he said firmly. "We'll find a way to make it happens, to give you the freedom you deserve." Smiling you embraced Riki thanking him for the best night of your life before bidding him goodnight.

Since that night you and Riki had gone on many more adventures together, finding creative and safe ways for you to experience the world outside. Something that excited you every time and also made you nervous. Because you hadn't thought to tell your parents about it. But you couldn't bear the thought of them forbidding you from having these experiences. So, you and Riki kept your adventures a secret, meeting in the cover of the night, exploring hidden spots, and discovering the wonders of the world together.

Every time you stepped outside, your heart raced with excitement and trepidation. The world was vast, and there was so much to see and experience. You relished every moment, knowing that it was a rare privilege for you. However, the more you went out the more your parents were starting to realize what was going on. You seemed to realize when your mom unexpectedly entered your room one evening. She had a mix of concern and disappointment on her face as she looked at you.

Your heart sank as you saw your mother's expression. It was clear that she had discovered your secret adventures with Riki. The room fell into an uncomfortable silence as you searched for the right words to explain yourself.

"Mom, I... I can explain," you stammered, feeling a knot forming in your stomach. Your mom shook her head reaching forward and taking away your suit. Your mother's eyes welled up with tears as she held the suit in her hands, her voice trembling with a mix of emotions. "I can't believe you've been doing this behind our backs, risking your life like this," she said, her voice filled with a mixture of fear and disappointment. "We thought we were keeping you safe, protecting you from the dangers outside."

You took a deep breath, your heart heavy with guilt. "I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't mean to deceive you. It's just... I felt so trapped, and Riki showed me that there's so much more to life. I wanted to experience it, even if it was just for a little while."

Your mother shook her head her voice was filled with a mix of frustration and concern. "Riki... He should have known better than to encourage you to go against our wishes. We trusted him as our neighbor, and now he has put you in danger."

Tears welled up in your eyes as you defended Riki. "No, Mom, it's not his fault. He just wanted to show me the world, to give me a taste of freedom. I wanted it too, I needed it. Please understand."

Your mother sighed heavily, her expression softening slightly. "I understand that you feel trapped, but there are reasons we've kept you inside. We were trying to protect you, to keep you safe. We've seen what can happen when people with your condition are exposed to the outside world."

"But I'm not like everyone else with this condition!" you cried out, desperation lacing your words. "I can handle it. I've been careful, I promise. Riki has been there with me, watching out for me. He cares about me, Mom, just like you do."

“If he cared about you he wouldn't have put your life on the line. So what I'm about to do is for your safety," your mother said firmly, her tone leaving no room for negotiation. Taking your suit she stood at the door. “It's for your own good. You can hate me all you want but this is not negotiable," your mother spoke firmly, leaving your room.

As your mother left the room with your suit, you felt a mix of anger, sadness, and a deep sense of loss. You knew she was only trying to protect you, but it felt like she was taking away a part of your newfound freedom.

Overwhelmed by emotions, you slumped onto your bed and buried your face into your pillow. You lay on your bed, tears streaming down your face as you tried to make sense of everything that had just transpired. The weight of your mother's disappointment and the loss of your newfound freedom crushed you. It felt as though the walls were closing in on you, suffocating you once again.

Minutes turned into hours as you remained in your room, lost in a sea of conflicting emotions. Anger at your parents for their overprotectiveness warred with the guilt of deceiving them. You couldn't help but question whether you had made the right choices, whether the moments of freedom you had experienced were worth the pain and disappointment you had caused your family.

As you lay there, contemplating the situation, a soft knock on your door interrupted your thoughts. It was your father. His voice was gentle as he spoke, "Can I come in, Y/N?"

You nodded, wiping away your tears and trying to compose yourself before he entered the room. Your father sat down next to you on the bed, his expression a mix of concern and understanding.

“Your mother told me what happened," your father said softly. "I know you don't think we understand but we do. We want to be happy but we also want you to be safe. I just don't want you to be angry at us before we leave tomorrow. I hope you know it pains me to leave you without your suit in case of emergency but we can't risk you going out again. I-We just want to protect you." He spoke grabbing your shoulders gently, his eyes filled with love and worry.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you looked at your father, realizing the depth of their concern for you. "I know you both want what's best for me," you said, your voice choked with emotion. "But I just... I felt so alive out there, Dad. I wanted to experience the world, even if it was just for a little while."

Your father's expression softened as he listened to you, and he pulled you into a comforting hug. "I understand, Y/N. And I know it must have been an incredible experience for you. But you just have to trust us. Please."

You buried your face in your father's shoulder, finding solace in his embrace. Despite the disappointment and frustration you felt, you knew deep down that your parents were only trying to protect you. You couldn't deny the love and care they had shown you throughout your life.

"I'll try, Dad," you whispered, your voice muffled by his shirt. "I'll try to understand and trust you. It's just hard sometimes, you know?"

Your father held you tighter, his voice filled with reassurance. "I know, sweetheart. Once we get back we'll figure out something together. I promise." All you could do was nod. Soon you were back by yourself. You couldn't help but wonder if your dad was being truthful. Did he mean it? You could only hope he meant it.

The next morning you were met with your parents packing up the car for their trip. They hadn't bothered to tell you where they were going and that they were just going to be gone for a few days. It meant that you were going to be in the house all by yourself for the next few days. It was supposed to be something you envisioned you and Riki exploring but seeing as your mother had packed your suit with her, you knew it wouldn't be what you envisioned. Your parents had taken away the means for you to experience the outside world, at least for now. It felt like they were keeping you locked away once again, and the frustration and sadness overwhelmed you.

As they prepared to leave, your mother came up to you and gave you a tight hug. "We'll be back in a few days," she said softly, her voice tinged with sadness. "Just take care of yourself, okay? We love you."

"I love you too," you replied, trying to keep your emotions in check.

Your father also hugged you, offering a reassuring smile. "Be good, Y/N. We'll figure things out when we get back."

With that, they left, and you were once again alone in the house. The emptiness and silence felt suffocating, and you found yourself longing for Riki's company and the excitement of the outside world. But you knew you had to respect your parents' wishes, at least while they were away.

Over the next few days, you tried to keep yourself occupied within the confines of your home. You read books, watched movies, and even tried picking up some new hobbies to pass the time. But the longing to experience the outside world and the adventures with Riki remained strong.

You couldn't help but feel a sense of isolation and loneliness without the contact of your best friend. The countless hours spent on the phone with him had become an essential part of your life, and now that connection was severed.

At times, you felt angry at your parents for taking away your suit and limiting your freedom. But now looking back on it you realized that your suit wasn't the only one you had. Remembering the old suit you used to wear, you had an idea. It was old and probably wouldn't provide as much protection, but it was better than nothing. Pushing the door open to your parent's office. You rummaged through a few boxes they kept in there.

Rummaging through a few that were stacked up in the corner, you accidentally bumped a few boxes stacked nearby. Your eyes widened as you rushed to put all the spilled papers back into the boxes. As quickly as you entered the room you quickly exited with the suit in hand.

As you held the old suit in your hands, memories flooded back. This was the suit you used to wear when you first started venturing outside, under the watchful eyes of your parents. It was the suit that had protected you and allowed you to experience the world, albeit in a limited way. The thought of putting it on again brought a mix of excitement and trepidation. You knew it wouldn't provide the same level of protection as the newer suit, but it was better than nothing.

Taking a deep breath, you went back to your room and put on the old suit. It felt a bit tight and worn, but it still served its purpose. Standing in front of the mirror, you looked at your reflection. As you stood there, dressed in the old suit, you felt a mix of emotions swirling within you. You remembered the first time you wore it, how it gave you a taste of freedom and a glimpse of the outside world. Now, you hoped it would offer you some protection as you ventured outside once more.

Part of you felt guilty for going against your parents' wishes, but another part of you felt determined to take charge of your own life. You knew the risks, but you also knew the reward—the thrill of experiencing the world and the joy of spending time with Riki.

Taking a deep breath, you opened the front door and stepped outside, feeling the familiar texture of the ground beneath your feet. The world outside was as beautiful as you remembered—trees swaying in the breeze, stars dotting the night sky, and the comforting sounds of nature all around.

With each step, you felt a sense of empowerment, knowing that you were taking control of your own life and making your own choices. You knew that you had to be cautious and responsible, but you couldn't let fear dictate your every move.

As you walked along the path, you couldn't help but smile at the memories of your adventures with Riki. You cherished those moments and looked forward to creating more in the future.

However, as you continued your walk, a nagging feeling of guilt lingered in the back of your mind. You knew you were going against your parents' wishes and putting yourself at risk. But at the same time, you felt a sense of liberation and joy that you hadn't experienced in a long time.

As you reached the park where you and Riki had spent many evenings together, you couldn't help but feel a pang of longing for his company. You missed him deeply, and you knew that the adventures you had without him would never be the same.

Suddenly, your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps approaching. You turned to see Riki standing there, a mix of surprise and concern on his face. "Y/N, what are you doing here? I thought your parents...," he began, but his words trailed off as he took in your appearance.

You smiled at him, your heart filled with both joy and guilt. "I needed to see you," you admitted. "I missed you, Riki. And I couldn't resist the temptation to experience the world again, even if it's just for a little while."

Riki's expression softened as he looked at you. "You know I want you to be happy, but I can't help but worry about you," he said, his voice tinged with concern. "Your parents have their reasons for being cautious, and I don't want to put you in danger."

You nodded, understanding Riki's concerns. "I know, Riki. And I appreciate your concern. But I also can't deny how alive I feel when I'm out here, even with the risks. I want to make my own choices, even if it means facing the consequences."

Riki sighed, his eyes filled with a mix of emotions. "I understand your need for freedom, Y/N. But I can't help but worry about what might happen. If something were to go wrong..."

You reached out and gently took Riki's hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I understand your worry, Riki. And I promise to be careful. But I can't let fear hold me back anymore. I want to experience life, and I want to do it with you."

Riki looked into your eyes, searching for any sign of hesitation or doubt. After a moment, he sighed and nodded. "Alright, Y/N. If this is what you truly want, I'll support you. But promise me that you'll always prioritize your safety and be cautious."

"I promise, Riki," you said sincerely. "I won't take unnecessary risks, and I'll be mindful of the dangers. But I want to feel alive, even if it's just for these moments."

Riki gave you a small smile, his grip on your hand tightening. "Then let's make the most of these moments, Y/N. Let's create memories that will last a lifetime."

You made sure to have as much fun with Riki before your parents got home because you knew that freedom would be taken away. The day had arrived sooner than expected. Your parents greeted you just a few minutes after you had gotten home. You wore a smile on your face as you greeted them before excusing yourself for bed. As you closed your bedroom door behind you, you finally let go of the breath you were holding. But then a knock came along with the voice of your father. “Y/N sweetheart, can we talk? We barely had time to discuss how you have been when we were gone.”

With widened eyes, you couldn't help but want to agree especially with how your room looked with all the items you and Riki had collected laying about your room.

Rushing to put the items away, you quickly tidied up your room, trying to hide any evidence of your adventures with Riki. With a deep breath, you opened the door and greeted your parents with a smile. "Of course, Dad. Let's talk," you said, trying to keep your nerves in check.

Your parents took a seat on your bed, and you joined them, trying to appear calm and composed. Your father's eyes roamed around your room, and you couldn't help but feel anxious about what he might discover.

"I hope you didn't get too bored while we were away," your father said, breaking the silence. "We were just worried about you, being home alone."

You nodded, trying to act nonchalant. "It was alright. I kept myself busy with reading and some other things."

Your mother looked at you with a mix of concern and suspicion before looking around your room. You however only kept your eyes locked on your dad. You know if you looked at your mom she would uncover your secret, with just one look at you. Plus you didn't have anything to hide, right?. But the moment you heard her clear her throat you knew she found something.

Pulling something from under your bed, your mother held up the old suit you had put on for your secret outdoor adventures. Your heart sank as you realized that your attempt to hide the evidence had failed.

"Y/N, what is this?" your mother asked, her voice tinged with disappointment.

You took a deep breath, knowing that there was no use in hiding it now. "It's... it's the suit I wore outside," you admitted. "I found it in the office and thought... well, I just wanted to experience the world again, even if it was just for a little while. But it's only because you guys took mine away.”

"But you know how important it is for you to stay safe," your mother said, her voice a mix of concern and frustration. "We took the suit away because we didn't want you to put yourself in danger. We were only trying to protect you, Y/N." Hearing her words you couldn't help but let a shaky laugh as tears fell. Looking at your parents you couldn't help but feel angry.

“Protect me from what? A disease that I don't have?!” You couldn't hold back the emotion in your voice. "Because guess what I found? A document that says I was born healthy. So what disease do I have other than two people who burdened me with this so-called disease that I don't even have? I could've lived my life completely normal but no I had to be sheltered just so you two wouldn't mess up again?!” You hissed throwing the document you found towards them. Everything you had ever known was a lie.

It always was. The room fell into a heavy silence as your parents stared at the document you had thrown at them. Their faces went from confusion to shock and then to a mix of guilt and remorse.

Your mother was the first to find her voice, tears welling up in her eyes. "Y/N, I... I don't know what to say," she whispered. "We thought we were doing what was best for you, protecting you from the dangers of the outside world."

Your father's expression mirrored your mother's, regret and sadness evident in his eyes. "We never meant to lie to you or keep you locked away," he said, his voice filled with remorse. "We were only trying to keep you safe. We thought you had a condition that required such protection."

Tears streamed down your face as you listened to your parents' words. A mix of anger hurt, and betrayal surged within you. You had spent your entire life believing that you were fragile and that the outside world was a dangerous place, only to find out that it was all based on a lie.

"You took away my chance to live a normal life, to experience the world like everyone else," you said, your voice trembling with emotion. "You made me feel like I was broken like I needed to be protected from something that didn't even exist."

Your mother reached out to you, tears streaming down her face. "I'm so sorry, Y/N. We never wanted to hurt you," she said, her voice breaking. "We thought we were doing what was best for you. So we wouldn't lose you. Please forgive us." Pulling away from her you shook your head. “You don't deserve forgiveness. Neither of you.” You spoke. Without another word, you rushed out of your room and out of the house, needing to clear your head and escape the suffocating atmosphere.

As you ran through the streets, your mind was a whirlwind of emotions. Anger, betrayal, and a deep sense of loss coursed through your veins. You felt like a prisoner who had finally broken free from their captors, only to realize that the prison had been built by the very people who were supposed to love and protect you.

Your feet carried you to a familiar place—a nearby park where you and Riki had spent many evenings together. It was your sanctuary, a place where you felt free and alive. Collapsing onto a bench, you buried your face in your hands and let the tears flow freely.

Minutes turned into hours as you sat there, allowing yourself to feel the pain and confusion that had been bottled up for so long. The weight of your parents' deception felt suffocating, and you couldn't help but question everything you had known.

As the sun began to set, casting a warm golden glow over the park, you felt a presence beside you. Looking up, you saw Riki standing there, his eye widened in surprise as he looked at you before speaking. “Y-your suit. Where is your suit? What happened?”

You wiped away your tears, trying to regain some composure before answering. "It was all a lie, Riki," you said, your voice trembling. "My parents made me believe I had some condition that required protection. They kept me locked away from the world, afraid of letting me experience life. But it was all based on a lie."

Riki's expression softened with empathy as he took a seat beside you. "I can't imagine what you must be going through right now," he said gently, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. "But I'm here for you, Y/N. You don't have to face this alone."

"I feel so lost, Riki," you admitted, your voice cracking. "Everything I believed about myself and the world was a fabrication. I don't even know who I am anymore." Silence settled between you two. Riki didn’t know what to say. Riki sat there in silence for a moment, contemplating his response. He understood that words alone couldn't erase the pain and confusion you were feeling, but he wanted to offer you some comfort and support.

Nudging your shoulder Riki looked into your eyes with a reassuring smile. "You may feel lost but look around you. You did. You finally got to feel the wind in your hair, and the grass beneath your feet, and you finally got to hold my hand without the restrictions of the suit.”

Riki's words resonated with you, and you slowly began to take in your surroundings. The gentle breeze brushed against your skin, and the sound of children laughing filled the air. It was as if a veil had been lifted, and you could see the world with new eyes.

A small smile tugged at the corners of your lips as you realized that despite the pain and deception, you were finally free. Finally turning to look at him your eyes glistened with tears. A small smile escaped your lips as you rested your head against his shoulder. No more words were said as you two sat there, finding comfort in each other's presence. Eventually, you had to head home which you knew would be difficult, but you knew you couldn't run from the situation forever. Riki offered to accompany you, knowing that facing your parents again would be a challenging task.

As you opened the front door, you took a deep breath, steeling yourself for the confrontation ahead. Your parents were waiting in the living room, their expressions a mix of worry and remorse. The air in the house felt heavy, and the tension was palpable.

Without saying a word, you walked into the living room, Riki following closely behind. Your parents looked up, their eyes filled with tears as they saw you. Your mother tried to speak, but you raised your hand to stop her.

"I need to say something," you began, your voice steady despite the storm of emotions inside you. "What you did was wrong. You took away my freedom, my chance to experience life, all based on a lie. I can't pretend that everything is okay now, and I can't promise forgiveness right away."

Your father nodded, his expression filled with regret. "You have every right to be angry and hurt," he said, his voice choked with emotion. "We should have been honest with you from the beginning, and for that, we are deeply sorry."

"I need time to process everything," you continued, looking at both of them with a mix of sadness and resolve. And I need to decide if forgiveness is something I can eventually offer." With that said, you turned and walked away, leaving your parents to contemplate the consequences of their actions. Riki who still stood by your side let out a sigh of relief when you two reached the front door. He gave you a gentle smile, offering his hand for support. "You did well," he said softly. "It takes courage to confront the people you love, especially when they've hurt you."

You nodded, grateful for Riki's presence and understanding. "Thank you for being here with me," you replied, holding his hand tightly. "I don't know what I would have done without you."

"You don't have to thank me," Riki said, squeezing your hand affectionately. "I'll always be here for you, no matter what." A small smile curled on your lips as you leaned forward pressing a kiss on his cheek before whispering, “...and I'm grateful for that, Riki."

[k7l4d4]

K Reviews and Rants: Miraculous Ladybug Season 5! Finale!!

Hello all! Sorry for not posting Yesterday, I... forgot. That's really all there is to it, I forgot and lost track of time before I had to go to work, and was too tired to post when I got back. So, to make up for it, I'm posting the ENTIRE Finale review, Parts 1 and 2, today! I hope you all enjoy.

Okay, cards on the table: This finale was crap. I'm pretty sure I tackle most of the issues inherent to it in the main review that I'll be posting below, but at it's core? This 2-Parter is just a crappy attempt to try and recreate the success of Heroes' Day, and it does it BADLY. The Miraculized is an honestly interesting concept, I think, in that it shows that Gabe and Tomoe have essentially jailbroken the power of the Kwami into something capable of mass production... which is presented as a bad thing. But on its own, it is genuinely impressive; if it weren't for the lazy and honestly nonsensical brainwashing plot with the "Perfect Alliance" app, it could've been interesting to see them gather and recruit genuinely willing agents to fight for them, acting on their behalf without dealing with the idiosyncrasies of Akumas in favor of totally loyal professionals.

But, what really kills the first part of this 2-Parter is that they keep hyping up these nightmares as being this super-traumatic thing... but aside from Adrien's, which doesn't make much sense, and Alya's, which her reaction is just stupidly exaggerated in regards to, they all just come off as ridiculous and stupid rather then traumatizing. I just can't take them seriously. The fact that they go out of their way to detail the specifics of their nightmares hurts it more because it exposes just HOW ridiculous they are, rather then keeping it vague but still giving the audience an idea of WHY they are so traumatized by it.

Not to mention that, despite Felix having SPELLED OUT that "Gabriel is Hawkmoth/Shadow Moth/Monarch" it seemed to have never actually clicked to Marinette until now that "oh crap, Gabriel is Hawkmoth!!" Which makes the prior play Felix put on all the more stupid since it ultimately did nothing to give Marinette more information if that's true, and instead focused entirely on making Marinette believe Felix's excuses for his bad deeds. So... what? I just don't get this continuity at all.

But what I think the biggest case of wasted potential in this finale, for all that it's a lazy Heroes' Day clone, is how it squanders the idea of their being more heroes, non-Miraculous connected ones, out in the world to help her... and instantly ignores how the Miraculized are able to TRACK the Ladybug and Black Cat's powers. When Marinette unified them, they should've INSTANTLY started swarming her all over again, like they did the first time she transformed. THAT would've made for an actual good reason for all the heroes around the world to appear; because they are tracking the movements of the army and are stopping them from mobbing Marinette while she's duking it out with Hawkmoth.

And just... Hawkmoth. Gabriel. How can a show just drop the ball so completely on such an awful character? I mean, I get how, they have been priming this for several seasons by having everyone around Gabe insist "he used to be better," but every thing they dredge up as evidence of this ultimately amounts to either scenes without context or detail, or someone claiming he used to be different but has now changed, without any word or detail on HOW he has changed. It expects the audience to just... take their word for it. To see Marinette showing him compassion, despite the fact that she should know damn well by now that Gabe has always put what HE wants for Adrien over what actually makes Adrien happy, every single time. And the way it insists upon itself by calling Gabe's actions "Madness." No, being deluded is not the same thing as being insane; Gabe knew full and well what he was doing, what the consequences would be, and ultimately decided "I don't CARE."

His delusions stopped and ended at his egotistical insistence that he's the one in the right; he didn't become a supervillain because of "Madness." He didn't decide to keep his son isolated from everyone around him for YEARS, long before his wife died, because of "Madness." He didn't cultivate plans specifically meant to isolate and hurt others so as to make them vulnerable to his powers because of "Madness." Everything Gabe has done, he has done because at his core, he is a selfish, egotistical failure of a father who refuses to accept that he's the bad guy. It's like if The Owl House had Belos, after literally driving himself to the brink of death in his obsession with wiping out all Witches, be given sympathy by the heroes because "it's not his fault he's so awful, he was raised to be that way" and had his demise be because he "let" himself be killed after somehow destroying all magic but leaving the inhabitants of the Islands unharmed. It's excusing the actions of a man whose deeds are inexcusable.

And you want to know what makes all this worse? Adrien never once gains closure. For the entire finale, he's stuck hiding in his room, against his will. Despite his father tormenting him and isolating him from all his friends, despite his last fight against Hawkmoth as Nighttormentor involving him verbally ripping his dad a new one for how much of an utterly awful parent and human being he is... after the world is erased and rebuilt, his clone is basically told "oh no, your abusive father was actually a good man, you should want to be like him." It's a slap in the face of anyone and EVERYONE who has had an abusive parental figure, who has dealt with someone they are supposed to be able to look up to but who instead abused their authority to hurt and control them. Never in my life have I been so contemptful of people who try and deflect criticism of this show because "I don't work in the industry;" anyone who thinks THIS is acceptable, who excuses the writers who felt PROUD of putting together this abomination, screw you. It would be one thing, however low of a bar it would be, if the writers really COULDN'T present Gabe as being the bad guy in the end... but that's not the case. They were proud of it. This was "always the plan." I have no further words for how messed up that is.

Onto the main review. As always, warning for any profanity on my part... and there's a bit of a doozy of that today.

Episode 25: Finale Part 1 - Conformation

Alright, opening things up, and we immediately jump to the first day of Summer Break, and apparently the hot topic is the election, and the tourist scene... and for some reason, Nadja feels the need to call attention to Adrien's arrival in London, alongside Kagami.

Also, "arrived yesterday"?!? Just, what the HELL!? Again, how the fuck is all this time zone BS going on!? For fuck's sake, it's showing their arrival like it happened when it was bright and early, but there's no way the flight should've been that long! Paris is not that far from fucking LONDON of all places!! I'm also confused on why Adrien's personal life is important enough to warrant this kind of news; he's a teen model, not some kind of billionaire playboy or whatever. I'm thinking that Gabe might be astroturfing things by paying news groups to give attention to the little "arrangement" he and Tomoe are trying to set-up, to control the narrative. It would fit with his speech to Marinette about controlling what people want and aspire to obtain.

Yup, Gabe's manipulating things. It's not directly stated, but given that the news report mentioned a direct report from the Gabriel brand on this, I'd say it's likely. Also, regarding Kagami, WHAT "SUCCESSFUL MODELING CAREER!?" SHE HAS NEVER BEEN A FUCKING MODEL IN HER ENTIRE LIFE!! HECK, HER BEING ON THE ALLIANCE RING AT ALL WAS BECAUSE HER MOM USED HER IMAGE AND VOICE WITHOUT HER CONSENT!! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!!!

Also, yeah, creepy insistence on "Perfection" again. Seriously, the obsession this show has with the concept of "perfection" is disturbing, and I don't mean it in the sense of villains using it, like Gabe and Tomoe do, but even the HEROES use it way too much. It gets thrown around so much, I can't even begin.

Oh, and I got my answer on where the "successful modeling career" for Kagami came from; from my point of view, Tomoe is allowing Gabe to appropriate Kagami's image to make ads, all designed to sell the idea that she and Adrien are a couple. And Kagami chucks something at the screen playing the ad for "Perfection, the Drink that hydrates to Perfection." Again, they are using "perfection" too much without seeming to get what it means.

And apparently Gabe's spying on Kagami and Adrien trapped in their creepy white rooms. Just, just, WHY!? Why the fucking ROOMS!? These things are just utterly disturbing, why the absolute FUCK do Tomoe and Gabe think they need to use "WHITE TORTURE ROOMS" for their kids!? Are they insane or just fucking stupid!?

And Gabe references this "Perfect Alliance" thing, which I just know I'm gonna fucking hate. Just, just why the HELL does he think they need to be in LONDON to be safe from whatever it is!? Is it a death laser? A bomb? WHAT!? For fuck's sake, GABE HAS LITERALLY ALLOWED CITY DESTROYING AKUMAS LOOSE BEFORE WITHOUT GIVING A FUCK ABOUT THE DANGER THEY POSE TO ADRIEN, AND IF TOMOE HAS ALWAYS BEEN HER PARTNER THEN SHE HASN'T SHOWN ANY MORE REGARD WHEN IT COMES TO KAGAMI, THEY COULD LITERALLY JUST USE BUNKERS IN PARIS AND ACHIEVE THE SAME RESULTS!!!!

Honestly, that's what makes this so stupid to me; they are framing this scene as if Tomoe and Gabe are isolating their kids to "keep them safe," yet Gabe hasn't even TRIED to stop Akumas capable of wiping out Paris while knowing full well Adrien is there, so why is this time different? That same line of reasoning goes for Tomoe regarding Kagami; if she's always been Gabe's secret partner, and Kagami means this much to her, where were her complaints regarding incidents like Syren, when the literal city was FLOODED by the Akuma? What THEN!?

For fuck's sake, they are like overgrown children!!

"One day they'll understand that we did this all for their own good" NO THE FUCK YOU DIDN'T TOMOE!! YOU DID THIS TO SATISFY WHATEVER WEIRD AGENDA BETWEEN YOU AND GABE THAT YOU HAVEN'T ELABORATED ON!! YOU ARE ARBITRARILY TRYING TO DICTATE THEIR LIVES EVEN THOUGH YOU SHOULD FUCKING KNOW THAT YOU ARE MAKING THE MISERABLE!!!

...These two are abusive. Like, no duh, that's obvious, but this is LITERALLY the kind of reasoning you see in abusive parents; it's the coldblooded rationalization that they are in the right for how they treat their children, and that it's everyone else who says differently that is wrong. Now Tomoe mentions something about a "poison" and a "remedy" which I can't begin to make heads or tails of but is probably super fucking stupid.

Yup, it's fucking stupid; I still don't know what the overall "plan" is, but Gabe just reakumatized himself into Nighttormentor (for some fucking reason), is loading up on the powers of the Mouse, Horse, and Rooster Miraculous... okay, it's apparently some fucking stupid plot to give the whole world nightmares, probably in some dumb as hell rehash of the Scarlet Akuma plot.

"The nightmare has finally begun." "And our wish to bring our child together can finally come true." I just... what? What the fuck does ANY OF THIS relate to getting Kagami and Adrien together?? Like, literally NOTHING about this scene or this plot have anything to do with them beyond Gabe spying on them while they sleep! (Which is creepy as fuck, by the way) It's just the writers shoving in relationship BS when it doesn't even relate to what these idiots are doing.

Alright, now we get an utterly stupid as hell scene of Marinette dressed up in a Ladybug-themed suit of armor like a knight while riding a red motorcycle... this is her nightmare, and it's literally doing the entire "flipped fairy tale" BS of swapping the gender stereotypes but otherwise leaving them totally unchanged, isn't it? And it's gonna end in disaster since, well, it's a NIGHTMARE.

...Yup, this is stupid. In addition to this honestly giving the vibes of a pretty sexist "role reversal" of the stereotypical "knight saves the princess," it involves Marinette "slaying the dragon holding the prince(ess) hostage" with said dragon being revealed to be Gabe, and accidentally "killing" Gabe by... lightly brushing him with her sword on the arm? And Adrien asking "why did you do that, Marinette?" I just... I cannot even FOLLOW whatever shit this is trying to BE!! It's like they are trying to say "Marinette/Ladybug would KILL Hawkmoth and break Adrien's heart!!" which already doesn't make any sense since yes, he's dying, because OF HIS OWN FUCKING STUPIDITY!!! Marinette's Lucky Charm isn't even directly harmful; the only way she could kill someone would be if she was actively TRYING to do so, and she's not the type. Why the FUCK are they trying to frame this as an actual concern she could EVER EVEN HAVE ABOUT THIS SITUATION!?

...Given I already know how this finale is gonna play out, my best guess is that this idiocy is them trying to foreshadow Marinette's "big moment" at the end, but it falls apart because it is utterly fucking contrived by implanting a fear that, like the bullshit dream sequence of a nightmare that Chat Noir was subjected to despite lacking any reason to even CONSIDER IT A CONCERN, has no real basis for. It just EXISTS to generate conflict and drama. And I'm not gonna get into how "dreams are irrational" and all that, because yes, they are; but for things like nightmares, they have to be based on things a person would already be afraid of or be having concerns over. Neither Chat nor Marinette have ANY reason to have had those particular nightmares at all!!

"I have to free him from the dragon- I mean, from his father!" Marinette... no. Shut up. Shut the absolute FUCK UP. This? This entire fucking mess is not something you need to "save" Adrien from; yes, he needs to be gotten out from Gabe's thumb, but the primary fucking REASON he still IS under Gabe's thumb is because he's been sitting on his ass and avoiding actually confronting his problems, AND YOU HAVE BEEN ENABLING HIM ALL THIS TIME!!! For fuck's sake, it's the stupidity with you trying to defend to Adrien that Gabe has "Changed" despite him threatening your career and making it clear he's never going to let you be with his son if he has any kind of a say in it, ACTIVELY CONTRIBUTED TO THIS BS. You don't get to freak out about "saving him" when you can't even woman up enough to be genuinely honest with him and let him face tough times on his own instead of constantly trying to spare his fucking feelings!!

And apparently the stupid nightmare power thing causes people physical pain as well as emotional distress, because why the fuck not!? And Marinette ends up seeing one of Gabe's new ads (still doing that stupid as fuck "Perfection" thing) with the images of Adrien and Kagami. Who thinks she'll take this the wrong way? (Raises hand)

"His father won't tell you a thing, will he?" Oh, I dunno Tikki, I think the man who has kept Adrien socially isolated from everyone for nearly his entire life, actively has fought to keep him out of public school and people his own age, is secretly a terrorist (SOMETHING YOU TWO SHOULD KNOW AFTER THAT LITTLE FIASCO WITH FELIX AND KAGAMI YESTERDAY!!!), and has micromanaged every aspect of his life down to the minute would absolutely share information on where his son is with the girlfriend he doesn't approve of! /s

"Maybe he won't, but maybe his assistant Nathalie will!" Why? Why would you have ANY FUCKING REASON TO THINK THAT? This isn't even a matter of Nathalie being trustworthy or not, point to a SINGLE MOMENT where Marinette and Nathalie have interacted positively or Nathalie has indicated any willingness to go against Gabe's BS in front of Marinette that would support her having any fucking reason TO THINK THIS!!!

"Adrien told me that she was always kind to him." Why the fuck would you believe that? Seriously, this is the same guy who spoke up for Chloe (which this season went out of its way to tear apart) and let Lila run wild by "taking the high road," why the FUCK would you think he has any fucking clue what he's talking about? He speaks well of his own father half the time despite the man transparently being a complete and utter piece of shit, Adrien isn't exactly a sparkling judge of character!!

Marinette immediately runs off to find Nathalie (why the hell would she even think Nathalie's in Paris, and where the fuck would she even find her?), but is blocked by her dad. Also, something confusing occurred to me; that stupid as hell play that Felix and Kagami put on happened the same night that Adrien left (SOMEHOW), and Marinette woke up in an abandoned classroom the next morning. How wasn't she locked in? Why weren't her parents worried about where she went and why she didn't come home last night without telling them where she was? It's the BS of the show trying to pretend ANY OF THIS MAKES ANY KIND OF SENSE WHEN IT DOESN'T.

Apparently Tom is worried about his daughter running off without eating breakfast first; to be honest, that's a healthy concern to have as skipping a meal can seriously affect your energy, and it's not like taking a few more minutes is gonna make Nathalie suddenly disappear. Ooh, and then Marinette gets hit with the conveniently awful headache that stupid as fuck Nightmare power causes! Why do I call it stupid as fuck? Because currently, we aren't seeing anyone else exhibit that symptom, despite Gabe having apparently spread his nightmare power across the globe... for SOME FUCKING REASON. Seriously, why the FUCK would he bother spreading his power like that when all his efforts have been focused on PARIS!? All he's doing is making it more likely that the international community is going to come for his fucking head.

"This has nothing to do with Adrien!" No, Marinette, it has everything to do with him (unfortunately) and you saying it doesn't is, if anything, MORE of a red flag for them. Plus, your mom was ON YOUR SIDE, so you trying to shut down her reasoning to get your dad to calm down just makes things worse. Okay, NOW we see someone else get hit with the stupid as hell headache; and again, Marinette, just be HONEST WITH YOUR PARENTS, idiot!!

Apparently Tom's nightmare was about how Marinette ended up starving herself over being upset over Adrien leaving. For fuck's sake, HAVE NONE OF THESE PEOPLE HEARD OF A LONG DISTANCE RELATIONSHIP!?!? Like, him just being worried about Marinette starving is a perfectly valid fear all its own, you don't have to tack on Love Square BS into the mix!! Also, his nightmare was stupid in that he thought Marinette not eating would make her physically shrink until a mouse could eat her, instead of, you know, her just plain DYING from hunger.

Sabine's nightmare was about how TOM ended up Akumatized over his worries for Marinette. Apparently something something "trapped her in a giant brioche with an army of croissants to protect her." Like, this entire stupid scene would be less idiotic if they just left their nightmares at the most surface level explanation; getting the details just makes them sound corny and stupid, not something to actually be worried about, and makes the fact that they are still fretting over them obnoxious and hard to take seriously rather then concerning. It's hard to give a shit about people having had bad dreams when they are unironically being concerned about their kids shrinking from not eating to the point of getting eaten by a mouse, etc.

And Marinette immediately bumps into Alya, who is freaking out and convinced that Monarch is gonna find her and she'll blab the secret. See, THIS is a genuine fear to be worried about, as it actually has something resembling a basis in reality. It's still fucking stupid as Monarch DOES NOT KNOW THAT SHE KNOWS, but it's more reasonable a fear then what Marinette's parents were going through.

"We can't be seen together!" Alya, ONCE AGAIN, no one knows that YOU know Ladybug's secret (you would've had to leave like Luka and Alix did, idiot), so no, no one is going to connect you to Ladybug's secret identity, grow the FUCK up already!!

Seriously, WHY THE HELL ARE PEOPLE STILL DEALING WITH THESE STUPID AS FUCK HEADACHES!? We have NEVER had it indicated that the powers of an Akuma persist after they are de-Akumatized!! And no, Stoneheart's minions don't count because they were the result of the original Akuma multiplying. They are trying to artificially generate drama by making everyone on edge and freaked out, but it just does not work when everything is so utterly stupid about it!!

And after Marinette drives off, we now get a look at Adrien still dealing with that stupid as hell nightmare. What makes this nightmare stupid as fucking hell is the fact that, once again, THERE IS NO BASIS FOR IT!! Heck, the ONE THING that could be used as a basis for it, his hitting Monarch with a Cataclysm and setting up the idea that using his powers on other people utterly terrifies him, is shot to pieces by the fact that he has DELIBERATELY tried to Cataclysm TWO other people, ones who are a lot less fucking irredeemable compared to Monarch, for no good reason. This drama BS is annoying as hell. Seriously, why the hell is Adrien so torn up over a non-existent Akumatization based off of another Akumatization that neither he nor Monarch have any knowledge of!?

Adrien snaps awake with a gasp, and here we are. Adrien panting and gasping just doesn't work because the tone doesn't FEEL like something to be worried about; it's literally just a kid having a nonsensical bad dream. He then tries to demand the door be opened; wow, what a great time to gain a spine to stand up for yourself with!

Okay, and it's revealed that this entire fucking BS with the nightmares is to try and make people dependent on a self-help app designed to give people advice on relaxing activities to "help with their negative emotions." ...Why? WHY!? WHY THE ABSOLUTE FUCK DID THEY JUST NOT INCLUDE THAT STUPID APP AS A NON-OPTIONAL UPDATE TO THEIR STUPID AS HELL RINGS!? FOR FUCK'S SAKE, IT ISN'T THAT BIG OF A FUCKING CONCERN!!! YOU DID NOT NEED TO GO THROUGH THIS ENTIRE SHITHOLE OF A PLAN JUST TO DISTRIBUTE THIS THING!! HECK, IF YOU WANTED ADRIEN TO USE AN ALLIANCE RING SO BAD, YOU COULD'VE JUST FORCED HIM TO DO SO!!

"This is insane! My father is out of control!" NOW you realize that!? What, did the pure white room he's locked you into didn't give it away? Also, I'm more shocked that he's only saying that in relation to the ring being presented to him after having a bad dream. Honestly; it's so contrived that THIS is his breaking point.

And then we get a scene of Plagg FINALLY trying to talk Adrien into running away (by transforming into Chat Noir), and so far, Adrien's limiting his objections to the fact that there are cameras that would see him transform... when Plagg can just phase into the systems and break them. Honestly, Adrien blinding and drowning out the SECOND Camera by using the Alliance Ring's inability to stop asking people to ask for the "Perfect Alliance" is pretty clever... and then they have Adrien intending to give up the Ring and going full damsel.

"I'm too angry. at myself for falling short of Marinette's love, at my father for sending me here in London, at this stupid app and rings that use my image, it makes me sick. This nightmare gives me the horrible feeling that, if I transform, I'll get Akumatized and destroy everything with my Cataclysm! Marinette, Ladybug." And he took off the ring, which somehow didn't cause Plagg to get sucked into it. It's almost funny; if it weren't for the fact that his dream is entirely BS and he's angsting over LITERALLY NOTHING, as well as the fact that HE KNOWS REJECTING AN AKUMA IS POSSIBLE AND YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE TO NOT BE ANGRY TO DO SO, this would be an honestly heartfelt scene. As it is, the fact that this season has been wall-to-wall "random people reject the Akuma's influence" just makes this scene stupid as fuck; it's BS like THIS that should make it so you don't throw around "rejecting the mind-controlling villain's influence" so willy-nilly. It took what little believable tension this scene had, and shot it in the fucking foot. Good job! (Deliberately ignoring the Love Square shilling and too-little-too-late efforts of showing Adrien having a spine)

What's so obnoxious is that ALL OF THIS is too little, too late. It's trying to act as if this is some kind of tipping point for Adrien, like this is something that he had no reason to see coming, yet all of this? He's known it's been coming FOR WEEKS, more even, or it's just a rehash of abuses Gabe has already put him through. It's genuinely hard to care about what he's going through when he's been doing nothing, his character has been at a fucking STAND STILL, for the entire show.

"If I ask her for help, I'd have to give her information that would jeopardize my secret identity." NO!! YOU WOULDN'T!!! YOU COULD LITERALLY JUST HAVE PLAGG SHARE THAT SOMETHING MESSED UP IS GOING ON AND YOU HAD TO HAVE HIM INFORM LADYBUG THAT SHE NEEDS TO RESCUE YOU IN "CHAT NOIR'S" PLACE!!! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!! They are digging for any and every possible excuse to delay having Adrien do something smarter. Is his secret ID really that big of a fucking deal if it means finally being free!? Heck, NOW, of ALL TIMES, is the best possible moment to have her find out the truth!!

And thus Adrien's journey from "independent spirit chafing at his father's control" to "gender-flipped damsel in distress" is now complete! God this is fucking pathetic. Oh, and rather than maintain his efforts to not give in to his father's control, he puts on the ring, conveniently forgetting that he's not the only person in the world capable of having a bad day.

"Adrien, focus on the thing you like the most; the soothing sound of the foils brushing against one another." ...That's it? The big 'reveal' surrounding the "Perfect Alliance" is "basic advice on how to not think about something upsetting you by thinking about something else"? THAT'S ALL THE FUCK IT IS!? Also, the fact that this response is both A) wrong, Fencing is not the thing he likes the most, and B) rather blatantly tailored to Adrien by his parents, makes it pretty fucking obvious that this is an engineered scenario to push more forced shipping BS on the part of Gabe and Tomoe.

"The stimuli that Adrien is receiving on his ring are relaxing his nervous system; the images he's watching are now associated with the feeling of well-being. He's forgetting all about the nightmares he'd previously been obsessing about. Soon he'll calm down and later, fall sound asleep." ...I cannot for the life of me make heads or tails of whatever this fiasco of a plot is even supposed to be about. For starters, Adrien wasn't watching the images at all, he was just listening to the Ring's advice. And forming those kinds of mental associations take a lot stronger emotions then what amounts to a kid being a little stressed over a nonsensical bad dream, and given that these dreams are apparently targeting (really dumb) TRAUMA, then NO, they are not going to "forget all about the nightmares," it's distracting them from them only. And how in the FUCK would they have any impact over superpowers-derived NIGHTMARES!?

Seriously, you cannot make a set-up be all about how the nightmares are a supernatural phenomenon and then introduce a technological "solution" to them. It doesn't work because just getting BASIC FUCKING ADVICE on how to handle stress is not gonna change the fact that all those people are still under the influence of Monarch's power.

"Perfect Alliance is a success, Tsurugi-san." HOW!? You haven't even made whatever point it's supposed to be about!!

Oh, now Marinette FINALLY arrives at the Agreste Manor in Paris, and is intending to break into it to find Nathalie. Tikki tries to warn her off using her powers to break in, on the basis that using them for personal gain has never turned out well for her, which is a good point! Too bad she's not gonna listen.

She counters that it isn't personal this time, it's for Adrien. ...Marinette, how the absolute FUCK have you forgotten that even if it's for Adrien, you aren't doing it for him, YOU ARE DOING IT FOR YOURSELF!! You literally once broke into his room to sniff his stuff AS LADYBUG. You don't get to claim a moral high ground on this.

Oh, and now we are in Nathalie's nightmare, which is a disjointed weirdness of her being bothered by giant ads for the "Perfect Alliance" and "Monarch making his Wish." What the fuck is even happening, I couldn't say. Oh, she's making a video diary for Adrien "for when she's no longer here" and bringing up Emilie... and she couldn't even finish it, due to another ad for the "Perfect Alliance," and tries to grab her old hunting gear despite being extremely infirm. Hmm, it's almost as if she's been wasting MONTHS AND WEEKS of time that she could've used to get the proper authorities or just flatout TELL THE HEROES WHO MONARCH IS, and is now on death's door when Monarch's "brilliant plan" is right around the corner.

Oh, and apparently, instead of trying to find Nathalie, Ladybug was just snooping in Adrien's room! Of course. She only even NOTICES Nathalie trying to leave because her tech-brace is loud.

Brief look of Plagg flying to Paris with the Ring, I wonder how long that'll take him?

And now we get a look of Tom using the Alliance Ring to relax. Him and Sabine are literally too relaxed in this scene; is the Perfect Alliance some kind of brainwashing device? BECAUSE THIS IS NOT HOW RELAXATION WORKS AND THE NIGHTMARES ARE STILL A SUPERNATURAL PHENOMENON!!!

""Adrien and Kagami really form a Perfect Alliance."" Okay, yeah, I'm pretty sure this is meant to be a brainwashing thing. EXCEPT THIS IS NOT HOW BRAINWASHING WORKS YOU FUCKING IDIOT WRITERS!!!

"If I'd known it'd take so long, I'd have made myself a cheese sandwich!" I feel like the writers having Plagg state this is them trying to justify the time zone fuckery, which really doesn't work since Plagg can both A) avoid having to go by Land Routes, and B) Planes fly much higher and much faster than Plagg does skimming just above the water.

Okay, and it looks like, rather than TALK TO NATHALIE like she said she would, Marinette/Ladybug has instead decided to break into her room and snoop through her stuff! Nope, nothing morally or ethically questionable about that! Oh, and she spots a pic of Nathalie, Emilie, and Gabe in safari gear and "makes the connection" that the third woman in the picture is Nathalie wearing the outfit she's right next to. Marinette, why the fuck are you shocked by this? What is there even to be SHOCKED OVER!?

And Plagg FINALLY makes it to Paris!! And is somehow surprised to find that Marinette doesn't spend all of her time at her house. After snooping in her room a bit, he spots a picture that has Marinette and her female friends on it; I wonder where he's going with this...

Okay, now we get a scene of Tsurugi in front of a monitor screen! ...She's supposed to be blind, right? So why the hell is she always presented as not being visually impaired at all, staring at monitors and screens and other forms of visual input without any way to bridge the sensory gap?

Okay, apparently the "big plan" is them having set up this entire convoluted BS is all to facilitate making people dependent on their stupid as fuck brainwashing app, and then take it away from everyone... okay, I just, WHY THE FUCK DID YOU NEED AN AKUMA FOR THIS!? You literally could've played the long game, revealed the "Perfect Alliance" MONTHS AGO, and just gradually waited for the numbers to build up before yanking it away!! For fuck's sake, this is dumb.

I also don't get what Tomoe means by them going to the "next phase of the plan" not having a great enough shock with only 80% of all Alliance Users having downloaded the app. Like, again, you could've gotten a much bigger shock if you had played the long game, lady.

Now Plagg's at Anarka's ship and all of Marinette's friends are doing nothing but lounge around with the Alliance Ring. STILL NOT HOW BRAINWASHING AND DEPENDENCY WORKS, ASTRUC.

Oh look, here's Mylene, the "no-tech" member of their friend group whose hyper-aversion to all non-recyclable technology was shoved in out of nowhere probably just to set-up this stupid as fuck scene that's coming!

...Wow, her nightmare is honestly the dumbest one yet. Like, no joke, "all the trees uprooted by extraterrestrials." I just... what even is that supposed to mean!? Why the fuck does she think that was a "prophetic dream"? Did they seriously turn her into a full-on "New-Age Hippy" oh who the hell am I kidding, OF COURSE THEY DID.

"Put this on, Mylene. You'll feel better." ...I really, REALLY fucking hope that having Nino, the guy who looks like he's of African descent, say something like you'd expect from a drug dealer is just a mistake, because THAT LOOKS AND SOUNDS FUCKED UP.

"I refuse to touch an object that was made without respect for the Earth's resources!" Then how the fuck do you even make it outside, Mylene? HOW!? Also, yup, new-age hippy.

Yeah, this whole thing feels like it's combining internet addiction with drug addiction, and it falls flat on its face because NONE OF THIS IS HOW DEPENDENCE WORKS, and making MYLENE of all people the one pushing back against this stupidity is kinda the worst way to use her. It's reducing her to just "environmentalism" in the worst possible way. Yeah... they are just gonna keep trucking along with this, aren't they? I'm probably gonna just vibe on through this point, since nothing else of substance is happening.

Oh look, something happened with Emilie's weird as hell coffin thing that we still don't know what it does. And back to the good old "Gabriel monologuing to his wife's corpse" scene! Been awhile. Yadda yadda yadda, "I've given up my ambitions (lies), my morality (true, VERY true), but I've never given up on you," and all it cost you was your son's love and respect, not that you had it before given you haven't changed how much of a toxic control freak you are in the slightest.

"I only have a few hours left now," HMM I WONDER WHY!? SURELY ALL THE TIMES YOU HAVE WASTED ON LOOPING THROUGH TIME HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH IT!!!

And after nearly, FINALLY admitting Emilie is dead while monologuing about bringing her back, Nathalie finally bursts onto the scene with her crossbow... she's not even remotely a threat, she is a fucking moron, and this "act of defiance” is utterly fucking stupid. She had her chance, and she fucking blew it. She's gonna die here, and it's all her own fault.

"If you make the wish to bring her back, someone will have to go in her place." Yeah... you are the last person to say that, given what you've been doing.

"Emilie would never have agreed to this!" Again, last person to be saying this. You could've stopped him at any time, this is entirely your own damn fault.

"Do you think I'd be monstrous enough to sacrifice a human being!?" Oh, I dunno, you haven't given any kind of fucks about enabling others to do just that (Pharaoh), when you aren't also enabling villains capable of rendering the entire city devoid of life (Syren). So... yes, she has every reason to believe you would do just that.

"Do you really think that I'm a monster?" YES!! DUDE, YES YOU ARE A FUCKING MONSTER!!!

And he knocks her out cold. Big surprise there.

Now we're back to Marinette snooping in Nathalie's room! Hmm, it's almost as if she's totally forgotten the reason she broke into this place entirely! Hey, she found Fu's stolen tablet. It's almost as if she hadn't learned that Gabriel Agreste is Monarch a day or two ago!

"It can't be!" Marinette... YOU LEARNED ALL THIS LESS THEN TWO DAYS AGO FROM FELIX AND KAGAMI!! Then again, given that Felix hyper-fixated on his "play" being all about making Marinette feel sorry for him in spite of his crimes, it's possible it just slipped to the back of her mind. But no, you should ALREADY KNOW THIS BY NOW.

Oh, and Monarch entered while carrying Nathalie into the room.

And Gabe begins monologuing about how he knew she would betray him and had been prepared... the FUCK YOU DID!! Seriously, she hasn't done anything to act against you all this time, even when she actively said she was betraying you she did nothing to try and stop you, and even after she DID interfere with your attempts to control Adrien, you STILL let her keep the means of doing so!!! Oh, and Marinette's trying to inform Chat Noir in the background.

"You will be loyal to me until the end, after all." So, either he intends to sacrifice HER to bring back his wife, or something like that, because otherwise, this is all just BS posturing on his part. I'm honestly surprised he isn't planning on, I dunno, sacrificing Marinette or something so that she'll cease to be a diversion to his goals of keeping Adrien and Kagami together.

I would hardly call being locked up in a stark white room, the kind used for White Torture, is "safe."

"Monarch is going to send all of human kind after you and Chat Noir." ...HOW DOES THAT RELATE IN ANY WAY TO THIS BULLSHIT PLAN!? For fuck's sake this is dumb.

Them having this weird filter thing going on with Marinette at the moment is dumb. It just looks out of place, and using it over and over again is just distracting from the tension of the scene.

Oh, now I get it, they are intending to have all their brainwashed minions be conditioned to hate Chat Noir and Ladybug by having them interfere with their images on the ring. Once again, this is not how brainwashing or dependence work, so this is just BS. Seriously, how can people who are using the Ring in the same room fall for this? Why the fuck would ANYONE fall for this!?

...And this is where it all falls apart. They are literally having people think that "Adrien" and "Kagami" were kidnapped by "Chat Noir" and "Ladybug." Instead of, you know, some asshole hacking the Perfect Alliance APP!? How fucking stupid ARE THESE IDIOTS!?

Seriously, how the hell have these idiots forgotten that what's shown on the Alliance IS JUST AN AI IMAGE!! IT IS NOT THE REAL PEOPLE!!! For fuck's sake, some of them were literally having totally different "relaxation programs" running while in the same room, they should KNOW that it's not possible for two people to be doing multiple different activities simultaneously! Oh what am I talking about, this is just stupid.

Oh, apparently Monarch found a way to weaponize his Cataclysm wound. That'd almost be clever if it weren't something he absolutely hadn't planned ahead of time and amounts to a BS asspull to artificially increase the stakes.

Seriously "Miraculize me?" ...Honestly, it isn't the worst phrase ever. I might even like it. If it weren't part of the most bullshit asspullery this season has had to date; how the absolute FUCK does this make any sense!? How were they able to, I dunno, recreate the power of transformation that all Miraculouses possess in those Rings? Probably via however the hell the Transfer system works, admittedly, but COME THE FUCK ON THIS IS LITERALLY JUST A CHEAP RIP OFF OF HEROES DAY!!!

What makes this stupidity even worse is that it's deliberately presenting this as those who have "Miraculized" being fully aware of their actions. Ugghhh...

Seriously, Alya, JUST TAKE THE FUCKING RING!! You getting Akumatized really isn't a risk since, you know, you can just RESIST IT LIKE YOU HAVE ALL THE OTHER TIMES.

Also, how everyone who is "Miraculized" doesn't realize that they are using the stolen Miraculous powers makes no sense to me. This is stupid. Then again, I'm getting the feeling that this is some new spin on Akumatization.

And with that, we get the debut of... sigh... "Bug Noir." Lame name aside, not the worst costume ever. This is just stupid... And with THAT, this episode is DONE!

Episode 26: Finale Part 2 - Re-Creation

Opening with a creepy room with, oh look, Tomoe's missing laptop, so this is obviously Lila's current base. For some stupid reason, we have Alec's new "empowering" show playing in the background, instead of something like, you know, the news so she could stay up to date on what her nemeses are doing!?

And she's apparently smirking over seeing Alec having a meltdown because of that stupid as hell Nightmare power. Seriously, there is NO TENSION here. I'm not even sure what this scene is supposed to convey; is she just being sadistic and getting a kick out of his nightmare? I don't know what this is supposed to mean. Nothing of progress is happening here.

Oh look, a breaking news story in the middle of Alec's breakdown. Apparently Nadja, who was the one to spread the very obvious lie that Adrien and Kagami had been kidnapped by Chat Noir and Adrien, is now reporting on the Miraculized villains. Kinda funny how everyone apparently recognizes that they are villains when, by all accounts, the transformation is AN INTENDED EFFECT OF THE RINGS THAT GABE JUST MADE PUBLIC!!! I wonder if that'll be relevant at all going forward? I doubt it.

And with a quick costume change, Lila hops on her bike and takes off to do... something.

Now back to our regularly scheduled fight between Monarch and Marinette, with Monarch realizing that he should've known Marinette was Ladybug; how? Dude, you fucking KNOW that the Transformations obscure the wielder's identity, you wouldn't have gone to the utterly idiotic amount of trouble of making a step counter in the Alliance Rings that would alert you if someone wearing one performed superhuman feats! There's no reason you should've "known" she was Ladybug, unless you are counting that one time you attempted to Akumatize her in Derision that failed to take hold and didn't result in you somehow realizing who she is like you realized Luka KNEW WHO SHE AND CHAT NOIR ARE!! (Bullshit, bullshit, bullshit~!)

He comments on how many times he's nearly Akumatized her, with Marinette emphasizes the "nearly" aspect of it, which is a fun way to tweak the edgy drama king's nose. He remarks that that's only because of her outrageous luck... which is spot on. Marinette averting Akumatization so often boils down to either dumb luck or deus ex machina on the part of the writers.

"Luck is something you make." Got to admit, a line like that right after her dropping a piano on him is actually a good line. If only it weren't ruined by the fact that this scene involves Marinette completely and utterly stealing any and all of the spotlight from Adrien because "reasons."

Okay, it looks like the show is abandoning the pretense that the Miraculized need to consent to it, given that two random people on the bridge just transformed without any sign they asked for it to happen. Oh, and Rose shows off a surprising degree of athleticism by shoulder-checking Ivan so that their friends can take his ring off; and after smashing it, he turns back to normal. I don't know why they'd need to smash it, but at least it shows that the Miraculized are exactly what I said they are... a lazy ripoff of the Scarlet Akumas during Heroes Day. Heck, they are WORSE than the Scarlet Akumas, since they are apparently weak enough that random civilians can pin them in place, and they have nothing but the same pool of powers to tap. You know, this nonsense could've been slightly interesting if they had made it so that the Miraculized being able to channel all the powers of Monarch's Rings was harming them, since people aren't MEANT to be able to have so many of those things active at once... but we all know the show isn't gonna mention that.

And apparently the Miraculized are still stuck under the bullshit Nightmare Akuma powers, going by Ivan getting a group hug.

Now we get a scene of the Miraculized attacking Marinette's uncle for some dumb as fuck reason. I say "dumb as fuck" because whatever coolness would be had at seeing Wang be badass is completely undermined by the fact that THE MIRACULIZED HAVE NO REASON TO GO AFTER HIM!! Seriously, they can TRACK CHAT NOIR AND LADYBUG!! Why the hell would they have any reason to think the two of them are currently in a Chinese Restaurant?!

Oh look, it's Fei, the living example that Gabe has already caused permanent casualties in his obsession with bringing Emilie back and thus the permanent rebuke of him being "redeemable" since her adoptive father is dead as an explicit result of Gabe's actions! Apparently she's also suffering the bullshit nightmare power for some reason. Apparently she's been staying with... Wang for some reason? Which, I guess it'd make for an interesting plot, Fei being like an adopted cousin for Marinette, if only something like THAT was being given focus instead of the utterly pointlessness of them being harassed by the Miraculized.

...Okay, I call bullshit. When the absolute FUCK was it ever hinted at that Penny and Jagged were getting training by Su-Han? WHEN!? Hint, IT WASN'T EVER HINTED!! And once again, the Miraculized really have no reason to be attacking them in the first fucking place!!! Oh, and Luka too; him, admittedly, I could actually see getting training, if it weren't, I cannot reiterate this enough, NEVER ONCE HAVING BEEN HINTED AT OR ALLUDED TOO!!!

Oh wow, we are getting all the bullshit today. Bunnyx pops in just to let them know that they'd be more useful in Paris. This is in spite of the fact that, despite retransforming and even UNIFYING the Black Cat and Ladybug Miraculouses while fighting Monarch, Marinette hasn't seen a hint of the Miraculized since throwing them off her fucking trail!!

Oh, now we're in New York, and guess who's the first hero we see getting harassed by the Miraculized? Not Aeon, not Liberty, not anyone like that... no, it's a guy themed around Hot Dogs of all things, and who gets his powers from... I am not even kidding... Magic. Hot Dogs. They, they really aren't even TRYING, are they? Okay, now Majestia is on the scene, and... I'll be blunt, she looks kinda weird. I just... do not like her design. And for fuck's sake, why are the Miraculized showing up like this to attack NON-Ladybug heroes? Seriously, THEY CAN TRACK HER!!! Also, wow, Majestia's nightmare is basically "I'm not perfect enough" wangsting.

Now Knight Owl's on the scene and is apparently no longer disguising her gender. I'm genuinely baffled on WHY, since I can't recall her ever alluding to needing to make a change.

Oh look, it's Eagle, the very on-the-nose Superheroine who looks like an incredibly racist Native American stereotype, wondering what the heck is causing all the Miraculized to have shown up. Aeon shows up, I refuse to call her "Uncanny Valley," and remarks that she can detect the Quantum Imprint of Miraculous Powers, which I'm sincerely confused by since her only prior experience with Miraculous Powers are the Butterfly, Eagle, Black Cat, and Ladybug; I guess this is either confirmation that the Miraculization transformation is based on the Butterfly's Akumatization, or the others having the characters say things as a hand-wave to move the plot along.

"Something must have occurred in Paris!" ...Yeah, no fucking DUH. Leaving to the side why Gabe would even HAVE Alliance Rings outside of Paris, given that it's not as if Hawkmoth has a habit of showing up anywhere but there, all the Miraculized ranting about needing to find and demanding to know where Ladybug and Chat Noir are SHOULD HAVE BEEN A VARIOUS OBVIOUS CLUE that something had happened in Paris. Also, the fact that they don't know already REALLY makes the Media in London's focus on Bustier's running for Mayor bizarre.

Now, back to the fight against Monarch! Ladybug cuffed them together, and declares she'll take back all of the Miraculouses. That would be more impactful if she hadn't squandered TWO key opportunities to get them all, or at least a solid majority, back prior to this. Apparently she's gonna just try and yank them off mid-fight... yes, that is something utterly stupid to do, why do you ask? Doubly so because they are HANDCUFFED TOGETHER meaning she's got one less hand to grab with and defend herself with.

Seriously, she'd have much better luck just defeating him THEN grabbing the Rings. It is not that alien of a thought, is it!?

Hawkmoth makes a good point that, between the two of them, she's honestly the more foolish of them in how she came right into his lair wearing the Miraculouses he needs. Ladybug counters that he always loses. Which would be a weak comeback if it weren't true; Hawkmoth has routinely squandered every advantage he has possessed, failed to leverage his powers for maximum effectiveness, and has largely gotten as far as he has off of dumb luck and other people grabbing the idiot ball. Neither of them come off as particularly competent here, so I'm not really engaged with the fight. The fact that Marinette thought it was a good idea to Handcuff herself to the villain currently wielding a paralysis power kinda highlights that.

The fact that she keeps insisting on trying to Cataclysm the Shell-ter he puts up around his fist instead of, you know, hitting him unconscious with her staff, really highlights how her priorities in this fight are both dumb and actively harmful.

"The Kwami are my prisoners, pathetic little beasts in cages! There are people content with following the rules, and people who bend the world to their wishes!" This really evil rant would honestly be pretty badass if he weren't collapsed on the ground, coughing up ashes. Seriously, WHY IS LADYBUG NOT YANKING OFF THE REST OF HIS RINGS WHILE HE CAN'T MOVE!?!? It's the same exact shit the last two time, she's got him right where she wants him, and is doing NOTHING to actually try and fucking stop him!!

"You played Guardian of the Miraculous, I reinvented their magic!" Again, this would be a lot more threatening if he wasn't monologuing while struggling to pick himself off the ground while Ladybug just stands there and listens to him. Also, he's kinda right; horrific abuse of the Kwamis aside, he actually figured out a way to fuse their magic with advanced technology and made their powers into something anyone can access.

And after one last threat at Ladybug, he manages to escape using Voyage, once again showing off why Ladybug not doing all she can to disarm him when she KNOWS he's in no shape to stop her is SUPER FUCKING STUPID!!!

I'd say that his making the portal open up above her to perform a superman landing directly on her head (or attempted to at least) WOULD be cool if he hadn't been struggling just to MOVE right before he did so. She used her Lucky Charm to create some kind of... giant flyswatter I guess? Instead of, you know, attacking using the staff she still has access to. Big brain move right there.

Also, never mind, it's a giant hammer.

After blasting Hawkmoth through a wall, we return to the Miraculized wandering through Paris, with one being followed by boxes shuffling around. Hmm, I wonder who this could be- It's obviously Nino and the rest of Marinette's friends. For fuck's sake, why the HELL haven't the Miraculized realized she's still in the Agreste Manor!? They are tracking her by the signature of her FUCKING SUPERPOWERS, and she has both the Ladybug AND Black Cat active, they should be right on top of her all over again!! This would be the perfect time for a badass moment of all the Miraculized attempting to swarm her again, only for all of Marinette's friends and allies from around the world to be holding them off so she can focus on Monarch, but because they SOMEHOW haven't realized where she is, we get THIS SHIT instead!!

And apparently they went to all the trouble of de-Miraculizing... Principal Damocles. WHY!? Then the superheroes of New York show up and De-Miraculize Nora; which is... kinda dumb that they wasted time not immediately rushing her, taking her down, and then moving on to the POTENTIALLY MILLIONS OF OTHER MIRACULIZED IN THE FUCKING CITY!! Seriously, They have someone with superspeed on their side, AND someone who can undo the Nightmare Power (again, WHY is it still in fucking effect!?), so... I'm not sure why they emphasized taking Nora down so much.

Back to the fight against Hawkmoth, and Ladybug revealing she knows who he is... and all this fucking does is highlight how absolute BULLSHIT IT IS THAT CHAT NOIR ISN'T THERE!! For fuck's sake, we literally got TEASED with how much he's itching on the inside to tear his dad a new one for all the shit he's caused and put his son through just two episodes ago, so this reveal is just such an absolute fucking WASTE!! What makes it even worse is that both A) Monarch himself now knows who Ladybug is yet still is unaware of his son's alter ego and B) that he didn't seem to realize that monologuing about how Ladybug had "walked into the Monarch's Den" would BE A MASSIVE FUCKING SIGN TO WHO THE FUCK HE REALLY IS!!!

And, once again, we get someone capable of using Cataclysm using it on a person. For fuck's sake, we literally had Marinette have a fucking NIGHTMARE over this exact set-up, harming Gabe and Adrien hating her for killing her dad, why the FUCK would she think that using Cataclysm on him is a FUCKING GOOD IDEA!? Not even mentioning that she FUCKING KNOWS HE HAS THE OX, WHY IS THE FACT HE'S ONLY NOW USING IT TO BLOCK CATACLYSM IS SUCH A BRILLIANT IDEA!?!?

Also, why did she call it the Power of the Buffalo...? For once, I'm just gonna go with "that was a genuine mistake" and not the Writers being fucking morons.

Oh, and NOW the fact that she's under that Nightmare Power makes itself known, after the ENTIRE FUCKING FIGHT UP UNTIL NOW hasn't had it negatively effect her at all.

Seriously, we once AGAIN FUCK THIS SHIT TO HELL have a case where Ladybug essentially wasting her time and not taking the initiative in the fight to disarm Hawkmoth biting her in the ass. Since, you know, she literally had the perfect chance to strip him down of his stolen Miraculouses, and did NOTHING with the opportunity!!

And after a brief moment of Ladybug having "Resistance, Voyage, and Venom" highlighted with her "Buggy Vision," she ends up Cataclysming the floor.

After which, we immediately swap over to the "Resistance" getting chased around by the Miraculized... FOR SOME REASON. Like, WHY!? That is my root issue with this, WHY are the Miraculized going after anyone who isn't Ladybug or Chat Noir!? They are explicitly hunting them, and are equipped with tech that lets them TRACK them, so why in the world would they give a crap about random civilians that aren't their targets!?

Seriously, whatever tension could be found here is completely undercut by the fact that THERE IS NO FUCKING REASON FOR THEM TO BE GOING AFTER MARINETTE'S FRIENDS!!!

Now we get Su-Han and his "students" arriving to help fight, with Su-Han shouting "Storm of Justice!" Like... why? Just WHY!? It sounds like something out of a cringy, badly dubbed Chinese film. Even ignoring the vaguely racist-sounding quotes from Su-Han, the fight is... bad. Like, no joke; the moves are stilted, low-energy, and look more like something you'd see at a Martial Arts demonstration, and those typically aren't happening at the speed of an actual fight.

Then we get Juleka and Luka reuniting. Oh look, her "stutter" is completely gone, what a surprise. She's also curious on where Luka learned his moves, something I'm curious about as well. And of FUCKING COURSE it gets brushed aside with "That's a long story." Yeah, almost like it's a more interesting plot then this shoddy knock-off of Heroes' Day. Because more and more, that's what this is; there is no reasonable explanation behind the Miraculized going after random folks who aren't also Miraculized, especially not when they have tech designed to facilitate their ACTUAL GOAL, they are just copying Heroes' Day's "all hands on deck" set-up.

Okay, and now the "United Heroez" (really cringe name, Astruc) have shown up to bail the Guardians out. Which kinda reminds me of Marinette's angry rant to Socqueline during her debut; the show has a strong vibe of "you need superpowers, or tech advanced enough that it makes no difference, to be a hero" vibe to it. Also, I'm genuinely confused on how Su-Han is effected by the Nightmare; for fuck's sake, this is the guy who no-selled being Akumatized BY SLAPPING IT, he should absolutely have some mystic technique thing that lets him resist mental influences that aren't possession-based.

Knight Owl going "I am the nightmare" does not feel impressive, Astruc, it feels dumb. It's just a lame knock-off of Batman's routine, and it doesn't work when said during broad daylight in a costume that uses soft shades of violet to color it; it makes her look dumber more than anything. Oh, and it adds nothing to the scene since it explains NOTHING on how she can actually resist what is a literal magical curse on people.

Oh, now we got Ladydragon on the scene in Dragon Form. I'm sincerely confused on how in the WORLD she could target a literal blast of lightning so that it only damages the Alliance Rings. They... really aren't even pretending to give this fight real stakes, are they? It also highlights the issue with Fei's Dragon Form, in that she's so overwhelmingly powerful while using it that she can no-sell all but the most OP of enemies in the Miraculous-verse.

Hey, one of the Miraculized actually gave a reason why they are being targeted "They are Ladybug and Chat Noir's accomplices!" Which makes sense NOW that they are actually making progress in stopping the Miraculized... but doesn't explain WHY THE HELL THEY WERE TARGETING THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE UP UNTIL NOW!!!

Seriously, this entire fucking FIGHT is utterly stupid since, as I will keep repeating, THESE IDIOT VILLAINS CAN TRACK THE MIRACULOUSES!!! Or rather, they can track the power they generate while in-use. Hmm, didn't Orikko say Hawkmoth couldn't ask for a power that would do exactly that since it would "be a wish"? Not looking like much of a wish right now.

"Ladybug, what are you doing?" Alya, think for a second and consider what in the world could make Ladybug not intervene with a situation like this. Like, I dunno, maybe the fact that whenever a "big scheme" like this is set off, the culprit is always Hawkmoth and he always directly confronts the heroes, so she's probably off fighting Hawkmoth directly. That, or she's getting FUCKING SWARMED BY THE LITERAL ARMY OF SUPER POWERED BRAINWASHED MINIONS!!!

She isn't, but the fact that Alya hasn't thought of this is eye-roll inducing.

And now we are back to the fight between Hawkmoth and Ladybug!! Hawkmoth demands Ladybug hand over the Miraculouses so he can make his wish... instead of, you know, attacking her while she's scrambling for a weapon in the dirt and yanking them off her. Why is he so fixated on the idea of someone GIVING him the Miraculouses rather than sincerely getting his hands dirty in nabbing them?

Oh hey, he finally actually attacks her when she leaves herself open! That happens so rarely these days that it is genuinely noteworthy.

"Are you so sure that no Wish is worth that price, Marinette?!" Dude... YES!! You have crossed so many fucking lines in your obsessive pursuit over obtaining it that it really makes you and you alone the bad guy in this instance. Even if you WON, you have utterly failed as a father, disrespected your wife's wishes, are implied to be planning to KILL your old friend in the pursuit of disrespecting said wishes, and have been tormenting the city for nearly a fucking YEAR with massive risks of lost lives!! You are not the only person in the world who is hurting! You are not the only one whose feelings and opinions FUCKING MATTER!!! You are a monster, and all this BS is just you trying to ensure that you control everything!! YOU FUCKING ASSHOLE!!!

"No, this is impossible!" She says as she sees Emilie's corpse in a glass coffin. HOW is it impossible!? You KNEW Emilie was "gone," and as much as the show dances the hell around the topic of death to the point of stupidity, why the FUCK is the reveal that Hawkmoth is such an obsessed maniac that he's preserved his wife's corpse so fucking impossible you idiot!?

Hawkmoth now going on a ridiculously obnoxious rant on how Emilie being back will allow Kagami and Adrien to become the eternal "perfect icons of this world, and we will be here to witness their absolute triumph!" Note how all of this involves this lunatic utterly ignoring how he is ignoring what LITERALLY EVERYONE ELSE INVOLVED WANTS except for himself; this is not about bringing back his wife for his son or their family, this is all for HIMSELF. He is doing all this FOR HIMSELF. Always has, always will; he STILL refuses to accept that Adrien is unhappy with his controlling and toxic BS, and probably hates him by this point for him being an abusive piece of shit, because doing so means admitting that he doesn't actually CARE about Adrien's happiness, just his own, just how HE gets to make everything fit into neat little boxes.

"How many lives are you going to ruin in the name of your crazy dreams!?" YES!! For the first time in this fucking season, MARINETTE IS TALKING SENSE!? Also, still annoyed that she's not trying to keep fighting him since he is LITERALLY JUST STANDING THERE WITH HIS ARMS SPREAD AND NO LONGER HAS THE TURTLE RING TO SHIELD HIS RINGS FROM BEING STOLEN BY HER!!!

And here we get the part where Hawkmoth spells out that he knows full and well the consequences of the Wish, that it'll mean forcing his suffering of the Cataclysm onto someone else as well as killing someone to bring back Emilie, and basically asks why Marinette isn't willing to suffer for "Adrien's happiness" all while conveniently ignoring that HE has been sabotaging Adrien's happiness for YEARS because it wasn't the "happiness" Gabe decided he should have.

Now we get Marinette calling Gabe out on him putting his own butthurt feelings over Adrien's wellbeing and thus being a total failure as a father, and Gabe, being the projecting asshole that he is, claims that Adrien would CLEARLY do the same thing, despite the fact that Adrien's prior episodes that involve the lost of Emilie have all basically spelled out that he's made peace with it and MOVED THE FUCK ON!!! Something Gabe refuses to do because doing so would mean admitting he can't control this situation.

It's kinda hilarious in a bad way how Marinette says to Gabe "Adrien means nothing to you anymore," implying that he ever meant anything as a son to him at all, despite the fact that Adrien has basically been a prisoner in his own house SINCE LITERAL CHILDHOOD. Gabe stopped giving a damn about what Adrien wanted a long time ago, well before Emilie got hurt or sick. The fact that the show glosses over the fact that Adrien's isolation predates Emilie's death is one of the most sickening aspects of this show, as it shows how committed they are to ignoring the truth they've crafted in favor of their own BS narrative.

Oh, and we get a short clip of Lila using the stolen laptop to open Gabe's security system and entering the manor.

"All I want is for him to be happy" He says after having forced Adrien to leave his entire life behind, forced him into a fake relationship with a girl he isn't in love with, actively tried to sabotage any chance of Adrien getting together with Marinette despite her, on paper, making a far better partner in terms of optics compared to Kagami, who is utterly out of place in the Gabriel brand and the fashion/modeling industry altogether. Dude, pull the other one, YOU DO NOT GIVE A SHIT ABOUT HIS HAPPINESS.

And after a needlessly complicated rube goldberg device to disarm Hawkmoth (ignoring how she literally has had MULTIPLE CHANCES TO DISARM HIM BY JUST YANKING THE STUPID THINGS OFF OF HIM!!!) that also brings down a support column/elevator down onto the general direction of Emilie's coffin, Marinette has finally bested Hawkmoth, yanking off the Butterfly Miraculous and rendering him powerless! Now all that's left is for her to bring him to the police, expose him to the world, and who the fuck am I kidding there's no chance the writers will let that happen.

Okay, and now the Butterfly Miraculous has fallen into the water!! With Hawkmoth now ordering Nooroo to bring his brooch back; funny how we get scenes like this when the end of S3 had the Kwamis deliberately ignore Chloe even while she actually WAS wearing the Miraculouses.

Now Ladybug is hauling him away from the edge... slowly. And says... this:

"I'm still the Guardian, and the Guardian just took the Miraculous of the Butterfly back from you!" ...No. NO YOU FUCKING DIDN'T. YOU KNOCKED IT OFF HIM AND ALLOWED IT TO FALL INTO THE RANCID WATERS BENEATH THIS WEIRD-ASS SECRET BASE GABE HAS BENEATH HIS FUCKING HOUSE. They are seriously fucking trying to use "the rules" to defang Gabe, instead of, you know, having had her YANK THE FUCKING THING OFF WHEN HE WAS HELPLESS, and citing some unexplained magical BS as the reason this works instead of, again, JUST YANKING THE THING OFF OF HIM.

Seriously, they are just acting as if Marinette knocking the thing into the water is this magic "cure all" that just... prevents Nooroo from being compelled to obey Gabe. What the hell is this even supposed to be based on!? It's not as if any Guardian picked Gabe in the first place!!

"Someone that I'll be choosing!" ...Marinette, literally the ENTIRE FUCKING REASON you were even chosen in the first place was to take the Butterfly Miraculous out and off the playing field, because the Miraculouses are meant to be used SPARINGLY. How the fuck do you even know if you'll even be ALIVE by the time a new wielder would even be NEEDED!?

Then Gabe tries to use Venom, despite the fact he isn't transformed anymore and has already been disarmed of his rings by this point. Really clutching the idiot ball hard.

"I can just say the word, and the rings will be destroyed." ...WHEN THE FUCK WAS THAT EVER ESTABLISHED YOU FUCKING IDIOT!? WHEN!? WHEN WAS THIS STATED!? "You'll be powerless." HE IS ALREADY POWERLESS!! YOU HAVE WON!!! JUST KNOCK HIM OUT AND HAND HIM OVER TO THE FUCKING COPS ALREADY!!! Also, the WAY she is saying this sounds like something a villain would say; just saying.

Seriously, even when she is phrasing her actions as good, you know freeing the Kwamis, undoing the harm Gabe has caused with the Ladybug Miraculous, and getting Plagg back to Chat Noir, the way she is talking right now, that is villain talk. The style of speech is just EERIE. Call me petty, but it just sounds disturbing the way she's monologuing; seriously, why the fuck are you wasting your words on this guy who has already established he is willing to burn down the world for his fucking selfishness.

"Everything will be back to normal." ...Somehow I doubt it.

And again, I must reiterate, WHY IS SHE WASTING HER WORDS ON HIM!?

"Except you will only have a few hours left to live." Yes, yes he will, BECAUSE OF HIS OWN FUCKING STUPIDITY. He WILLINGLY forced Chat Noir to hit him with a fatal attack, despite him having the perfect means of defending himself at the time; there is NO ONE BUT HIMSELF TO BLAME FOR HIS OWN DEATH.

"So does Nathalie, a victim of your madness." NO!! NO SHE IS NOT!!! SHE WAS HIS WILLING ACCOMPLICE FOR HER OWN SELFISHNESS, JUST LIKE HE WAS!!! NO ONE FORCED HER TO USE THE FUCKING BROKEN PEACOCK!! SHE CHOSE TO USE IT DESPITE KNOWING WHAT IT WOULD DO TO HER!!! GABE EVEN WARNED HER AGAINST USING IT!!!

And all while she is trying to "reach out to him" he's just staring at the fact that she's holding his hand with the one that has the Black Cat Miraculous on it. Nothing she is saying is effecting him at all, he is just waiting for her to give him a fucking opening. You can TELL he doesn't give a damn about what she's saying.

"And Adrien will be miserable." I mean, he'll have learned that his father, who has been abusing him emotionally for literal years, is a terrorist. Like, YOU are the fucking one who went out of her way to call out Gabe on clinging to the past while Adrien has moved on with his life; YES he is going to be upset that his dad is gone, NOTHING YOU DO CAN CHANGE THAT YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!! Bad things happen, and Gabe is a terrible father who Adrien probably despises by now. THIS is why Chat having been taken out by those stupid fucking "nightmares" is so obnoxious; Marinette is arbitrarily speaking on his behalf to his father, without any regard for what HE would want!! It's just like when she tried to talk up how much Gabe has "changed" when all that has "changed" was that he swapped one form of exploitation for another and he has even LESS free time now then he did back when he was a model, all by Gabe's design. Gabe is a terrible person; yes, Adrien would be sad at the loss of his father, because he's not a psycho, but NOTHING Gabe could say or do would make Adrien change his feelings about how Gabe has hurt him without any regret or restraint.

And what makes this all such a fucking joke is that they are describing Gabe's actions as "Madness," as if he wasn't fully aware of the consequences of his actions and choices. Because no; Gabe is fully, fucking sane. He is just a spiteful, petty, selfish asshole who doesn't give a shit who he hurts if he can get what he wants, even his own son. You don't need to be crazy to do shit like that, so trying to rationalize his selfishness as him being "insane" is an insult to the mentally ill. Grow the fuck up.

"If you meant what you said earlier, then we both want the same thing." Marinette, shut the fuck up; this is the guy who explicitly threatened your future, your CAREER, because HE can't stand the idea of anyone but HIMSELF choosing who Adrien will spend his life with. Heck, it was apparently something PRE-PLANNED. He NEVER gave a shit if Adrien would actually even LIKE Kagami that way, or if she would reciprocate; all it was was two awful older folks being awful.

Trying to appeal to his wife's memory isn't liable to work given that this entire fiasco was based on him IGNORING her wishes for his own selfish obsession, and he has kept Adrien alone and isolated long before she passed away. Why the hell are you giving this asshole the benefit of the doubt? Why the hell should you when he spelled out that he was fully intending to kill someone just to bring back his wife, and curse another person with THEIR eventual death in exchange for his own life, all while having trampled upon his son's autonomy? WHY DO YOU THINK YOUR WORDS ARE GONNA REACH THE GUY WHO HAS MADE FINDING A NEW LOW TO SINK TO HIS MISSION IN LIFE!?

(Inhales angrily) Put. The fucking. VIDEO. OF EMILIE. AWAY!!! IT WAS LITERALLY ALREADY ESTABLISHED THAT GABE HAS ALREADY SEEN THEM AND CHOSE TO IGNORE THEM!!

Also, her describing creating her own son as a "mistake" is super classy. /s

And once again the video diaries pretending Nathalie wasn't fully complicit in keeping Adrien under his father's thumb and that she was never portrayed as close to Adrien EVER. And them acting like him "having his father" is such a big benefit despite the fact that Gabe has kept Adrien miserable LONG BEFORE EMILIE DIED. STOP TRYING TO PRETEND GABE WASN'T A SHIT FATHER LONG BEFORE HIS WIFE PASSED AWAY!!! FOR FUCK'S SAKE SHE DIED LITERALLY LAST YEAR!!!

STOP CALLING WHAT GABE IS DOING MADNESS!!! MADNESS IS NOT SOMETHING YOU "GIVE UP!!" HE FULLY KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING, HE JUST DOESN'T CARE SO LONG AS HE GETS WHAT HE WANTS!!! It's telling that they are insisting that what Gabe is doing is an anomaly despite so much of the entire series going "no, this is how he's always been" and trying to act like him doing monstrous things is because he "isn't in his right mind," whereas when it's Chloe doing awful things "it's because she's a brat, nothing more." Funny, isn't it? /s

NO HE WOULD NOT!!! HOW COULD HE BE HAPPY BEING LOCKED UP INSIDE A HOUSE WITH NO FRIENDS TO TALK TO OR ANY CHANCE TO EXPERIENCE LIFE ON HIS OWN FUCKING TERMS!? YOU ARE BASICALLY SAYING THAT HE SHOULD BE KEPT IN A GILDED CAGE!!!

"Adrien has learned to live, and build his own happiness." Yeah, because he kept trying to escape the cage Emilie and Gabe BOTH PUT HIM IN. Losing someone is not this absolute, insurmountable obstacle in life; plenty of people lose loved ones every single fucking day, Gabe has long crossed the point where grief could explain his actions, and it does NOTHING to absolve him of literal YEARS of forcibly isolating Adrien from everyone around him. Seriously, him going to your class was HIS FIRST EVER DAY OF PUBLIC SCHOOL, OR ANY KIND OF SCHOOL OUTSIDE HIS OWN HOME. He "learned to live" by getting out from Gabe's thumb and escaping a prison he's been in for years by this point; Gabe's abuse is nothing new. His toxicity is nothing new. Emilie is not an explanation for his behavior; he has always been this monster before you.

"While cherishing the memory of his mother." He never even mentions her.

"I just can't live without her." Cool motive, still an abusive piece of garbage; if you actually cared about your son or your wife's legacy, you'd turn yourself over to the police for however long you have left.

"I loved her so much." Yet you apparently never gave much of a shit about your son, given that he's been kept trapped in your house for basically his entire life without any friends besides a girl he used to know when he was a small child, and forced to be a model, and exploited his image anyway even when he said he didn't want to be one.

The sketch-drawings of Adrien's childhood is kinda contrasted by the fact that you LOCKED HIM IN YOUR HOUSE HIS ENTIRE CHILDHOOD. Seriously, STOP GLOSSING OVER THE FACT THAT YOU BOTH KEPT HIM ALONE AND WITHOUT FRIENDS HIS ENTIRE LIFE.

"Adrien was not alone, he had Nathalie and me." No, he was still extremely alone since the two of you are adults who have jobs to do, yet you never once let him go out and have friends or live his own life.

I CANNOT REITERATE HOW FUCKING OBNOXIOUS THEM GLOSSING OVER ADRIEN'S FORCED ISOLATION IS.

There is a vast difference between not being very outgoing and thus not having a large circle of friends, and being deliberately KEPT from having ANY FRIENDS AT ALL. I am speaking from personal experience on this; seeing how the show is trying to romanticize Gabe's toxic as fuck behavior and ignoring how he has been abusing and neglecting Adrien long before Emilie died is fucking annoying. It is telling in all the worst ways that the only images we get of Adrien this scene are of his very early childhood, yet Emilie only passed away around a year ago.

"I've ruined everything." Yeah, who knew that grabbing the idiot ball in ways that are now costing you your life, alongside your accomplice doing similar, would have consequences?

"Adrien will have no one left!" He has. A fucking. GIRLFRIEND. One that YOU have gone out of your way to try and keep him from to forcibly pair him with someone he isn't into. That's hardly 'no one left.' Not even getting into all his other friends, all of which he made AFTER breaking out of the cage you shoved him in.

"I'm sure we can figure out a solution." THERE IS NO SOLUTION!!! YOU SAID AS MUCH YOURSELF, HE IS DYING!!! For FUCK'S SAKE, if "closure" means so much to you, just use Voyage to go to where Adrien is and have him apologize to his son for being such a bad father so that he can at least do SOMETHING in his final moments that means something!!!

Also, it's "funny" how utterly superfluous to the plot Tomoe is at this point; it's almost as if she was only brought in to give a reason for Gabe to try and shove Adrien in the direction of someone who isn't Marinette!

Marinette, he has barely a few hours left, and you just watched as part of his finger crumbled to dust. There is nothing that can be done in this situation; STOP BABYING THE TERRORIST.

SEE!? THIS IS MY EXACT POINT!! Even after she TRIED trying to talk him down, his first solution is have HER make the Wish!! He refuses to accept that there isn't something that can be done and that Emilie will probably NEVER FORGIVE HIM for what he's done up until now, or that no matter what 'impossible solution' she comes up with, someone ELSE will still have to suffer for it. The idea that HE HAS LOST refuses to click to him. He's beyond help.

I'm just gonna tune out what's being said until the inevitable betrayal occurs, otherwise I'm gonna blow a gasket. This is such bullshit.

Yup, she turned back to normal and, right after Plagg and Tikki warn her not to trust him (LISTEN TO THEM!!) he immediately Venoms her... somehow. Despite not actually being transformed and thus the Rings shouldn't work (how the fuck DO they work anyway!?).

After taking the Miraculouses, he orders Tikki and Plagg to "reveal themselves." Also, them being forced to obey him once again contradicting Marinette's claims THIS EPISODE about how as the Guardian SHE decides if someone can use a given Miraculous (apparently!!) or can just order the Miraculouses to break (APPARENTLY!!), and once again insisting that Kwami HAVE to obey their wielder ("Miracle Queen" says "Am I a joke to you?"). Fucking BULLSHIT!!!

And now... ugghh... the reveal of "Gimmi." Absolutely stupid as fuck name and color scheme aside, I've got nothing to say past my unshackled anger and loathing at this petty as fuck jackass getting away with his evil plans.

Once again the show proves unable to not try and make a bad joke out of what is supposed to be a serious situation. Seriously, we didn't need Gimmi to demonstrate the idea of a Wish requiring Balance by having them describe "garden peas to turn red, Strawberries would turn green."

"Marinette, make sure Adrien never learns about the villain that I was, and that instead, that he remembers the times I tried to be a good father." NO NO NO FUCKING FUCK NO!! FUCK THAT BULLSHIT!!! YOU HAVE NEVER TRIED TO BE A GOOD FATHER!!! YOU HAVE BEEN THE ABSOLUTE WORST FATHER IN THIS FUCKING SHOW TO DATE!! YOU HAVE ISOLATED HIM!! ABUSED HIM!! LIED TO HIM!!! TRIED TO DICTATE EVERY ACTION HE TOOK IN LIFE SO THAT IT WOULD FIT YOUR DISGUSTING NEED TO CONTROL EVERYTHING AROUND YOU!!! GET THE FUCK OVER YOURSELF AND DON'T YOU DARE TRY AND MAKE THE GIRL YOU HAVE THREATENED THE LIFE AND SAFETY AND HAPPINESS OF ACT AS YOUR PERSONAL STOOGE SO THAT YOU CAN ONCE AGAIN ESCAPE THE CONSEQUENCES OF YOUR ACTIONS YOU FUCKING COWARD!!!

"What do you wish for?" "Read my heart." "What do you sacrifice?" "Read my soul." ...[CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED CENSORED] WITH A FUCKING [CENSORED] WHILE [CENSORED]!!! GET THIS SHIT OUT OF MY SIGHT!!! YOU DO NOT GET TO FUCKING PUSSYFOOT AROUND HIS WISH, NOT AFTER FUCKING YANKING OUR CHAINS ALL THIS FUCKING TIME YOU ROTTEN BASTARDS!!! YOU DO NOT GET TO DO THAT!! YOU ESPECIALLY DO NOT GET TO ACT AS IF THE SACRIFICE IS SOMETHING PEOPLE CAN PICK AND CHOOSE, SINCE NOTHING THE SERIES HAS DONE HAS INDICATED THAT THAT IS POSSIBLE!! Oh yeah, AND WE ALREADY HAVE IT ESTABLISHED THAT MAKING THE WISH ERASES THE UNIVERSE AND MAKES UP A NEW ONE!!!!

DON'T YOU JUST FUCKING LOVE HOW THE FACT THAT THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE BEING REBOOTED IS JUST GLOSSED OVER AND TREATED LIKE IT IS THIS HUNKY DORY GOOD TIME FEELING!? I DON'T!! I HATE IT!!! I HATE ALL OF THIS ENTITLED, SELF-SERVING BULLSHIT WHERE A FUCKING TERRORIST GOT AWAY SCOTT FREE FOR ALL HIS BS!!! I HATE EVERY SECOND OF IT!!!!

Oh, now here we are in the new reality with Marinette's clone kissing Adrien's clone awake! WRITERS THE STUPID AS HELL FAIRY TALE SYMBOLISM IS NOT FUCKING CUTE YOU ASSHOLES!!!

Then we get an infuriating scene of everyone acting like it's all a happy fun time, as if reality wasn't undone and remade at its seams. Then we get the start of a broadcast featuring Alec who looks... really different; and I don't just mean the hair. He's interviewing Miss Bustier, who SOMEHOW won the position to be Mayor. HOW!? She's apparently "completely changed Paris." Oh boy…

She describes her getting her position as a "revolution by the people of Paris that forced the Bourgeois' out of power." THAT IS NOT HOW RUNNING FOR MAYOR FUCKING WORKS!!! NOTHING WAS STOPPING PEOPLE FOR VOTING FOR A DIFFERENT MAYOR!!!

"The Eco Rule; It consists of very simple principles. Don't take more from the Earth then what it can give us, distribute its riches equitably, and don't pollute more than it can recycle." ...HOW THE ABSOLUTE FUCK IS THAT EVEN SUPPOSED TO FUCKING WORK!?!? ON WHAT STANDARDS IS "MORE THAN IT CAN GIVE US" DETERMINED!? HOW ARE THEY BEING DISTRIBUTED AND WHAT DETERMINES THAT DISTRIBUTION!? AND MAYBE JUST DON'T POLLUTE AT ALL AND PROVIDE SERVICES MEANT TO FIGHT POLLUTION INSTEAD!!! FOR FUCK'S SAKE IT IS JUST AUTO-ASSUMING THAT THIS "UTOPIA" IS JUST GOING TO FUCKING WORK WITH NO BUSINESSES FIGHTING IT OR OPPOSING IT ON ANY LEVEL!!!

"We've reorganized everything to remove the need for cars, wrappers, and it's been working great!" HOW!? HOW THE ABSOLUTE FUCK DOES ANY OF THAT WORK!?!? HERE IS A NEWS FLASH, MOST PEOPLE LIKE OWNING CARS AND TREAT IT AS A STATUS SYMBOL, SO EVEN IF YOU INCREASED PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION PLENTY OF PEOPLE WOULD DRIVE THEIR OWN CARS ANYWAY BECAUSE RELYING ON A FIXED TRANSIT IS NOT PRACTICAL!! I SHOULD KNOW AS I AM RELIANT ON PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION TO GET TO AND FROM WORK, AND I HAVE TO CUSTOM SCHEDULE RIDES BECAUSE IT ISN'T POSSIBLE TO USE THE NORMAL RUNS!!! AND GETTING RID OF WRAPPERS ISN'T PRACTICAL AS DOING SO WOULD MEAN GETTING RID OF NINETY PERCENT OF GOODS THAT WOULD OTHERWISE GO BAD IN THE OPEN AIR, OR GET PEOPLE SICK!!! IT WOULD BE MORE FEASIBLE TO SWITCH OUT WRAPPERS FOR MORE BIODEGRADABLE MATERIALS INSTEAD!!! FOR FUCK'S SAKE!!!

"All the Alliance Rings that were Hijacked by Monarch have been recycled to design the statue in honor of the great Gabriel Agreste." GET THIS FUCKING SHIT OUT OF MY HEAD!!! HE WAS MONARCH ALL ALONG!! WHY DID YOU FUCKING COVER FOR HIM, MARINETTE!? WHY DID YOU LIE TO THE CITY, LETTING THEM BELIEVE THE MAN WHO HAS BEEN TORMENTING THEM FOR OVER A FUCKING YEAR FOR HIS OWN SELFISH STUPIDITY WAS SOME KIND OF FUCKING HERO!?? WHY!?!?

"Beyond a visionary entrepreneur, and a genius creator, it's the hero who we celebrate today." OH LOOK IT'S TOMOE, BITCH MOTHER OF THE YEAR RUNNER-UP AND MONARCH'S ACCOMPLICE!!! I know that Marinette SOMEHOW never found out Tomoe was Gabe's accomplice, but for FUCK'S SAKE WE NEVER EVEN LEARNED WHAT SHE EVEN WANTED FROM THE WISH IN THE FIRST PLACE!!! AND SHE IS ENABLING GABE BEING GLORIFIED AS A HERO!!! FUCK YOU BITCH!!!

"And tomorrow it's his legacy that I will continue on." WELL NOW ISN'T THAT AN OMINOUS AS FUCK STATEMENT FROM SOMEONE WHO FUCKING EMOTIONALLY ABUSES HER DAUGHTER!! Seriously, now would be the PERFECT moment to show Kagami cringing back and being comforted by her friends at the facade of compassion her mother is putting up to the world. TOO FUCKING BAD WE GET THIS SHIT INSTEAD!!!

"Why don't you tell us about this new school you've imagined?" "Oh, it isn't my school, but the result of a collaborative effort; in this new school, there will be no classes, or struggling to get good grades. Children of all ages will be able to intermix and freely access all kinds of activities. They'll be able to try their hands at everything, learn at their own pace, and help each other until they've figured out what they want to do later in life. This school will be their second home. Children are our future. If we want it to be bright, we must help each child to shine."

(Breathes in deep) To keep from screaming and possibly breaking a wall, I'm gonna break down this BS as fast as I can:

"No Classes" is a terrible fucking idea. The entire POINT of classes is that unless LITERALLY THE ENTIRE SCHOOL is self-motivated to learn, NO ONE IS GOING TO LEARN because you NEED to ensure that kids show up and are actually trying to learn.

"No grades" THAT is slightly more reasonable, as that is something that is done in some schools IRL, but I don't know the details, and all it does is compound the idiotic design of this place.

"All Age Groups intermix" THIS IS A TERRIBLE IDEA!!! Kids of different age groups typically have radically different interests and emotional experiences, having no set boundaries is a time bomb waiting to go off.

"All can freely access all kinds of activities." This is a mildly good idea, as many electives correlate to skills that can be genuinely valuable in life, or just plain a relaxing break... but it's the kind of thing you would still need an overall standard plan on what you are going to teach kids, not just "kids do whatever when they feel like it."

"They'll be able to try their hands at everything" This statement means nothing. It's literally just a platitude.

"They'll learn at their own pace." That is literally how learning works; the issue IRL is that schools follow curriculums that are designed to keep moving forward because stopping and making personal deviations for people who either can't keep up or are going too fast is impractical and doomed to make everything crawl to a stop; it's better just to have free and round the clock tutoring services designed to help kids approach lessons from a variety of different avenues until they find a way to learn that works best for themselves.

"They'll help each other until they figure out what they want to do later in life." I've said it once, I'll say it again THIS IS NOT SOME REVOLUTIONARY CONCEPT. This is LITERALLY how education basically already works and anyone who thinks that what they want to do in life NOW is what they are always going to want to do is an idiot, and that what they want to do may not even be possible due to the constraints surrounding it, it's just throwing meaningless shade at a nonexistent problem of schools 'forcing kids to choose early on in life.'

And the rest is just empty air. Fuck that.

"Ladybug gave it to me, she told me how my father helped her to defeat Monarch, at the cost of his life. I don't know if I'll ever manage to be like him." YOU SHOULD NOT WANT TO BE LIKE HIM!! HE WAS AN ABUSIVE PIECE OF FILTH WHO TREATED YOU LIKE SHIT AND KEPT YOU LOCKED UP IN YOUR OWN HOUSE FOR YEARS, INTERFERED WITH YOUR LOVE LIFE, AND LATER SUBJECTED YOU TO WHITE TORTURE!! MARINETTE, YOU HAVE GASLIT YOUR BOYFRIEND INTO IDOLIZING THE MONSTER WHO MADE HIS LIFE A LIVING HELL!!! FUCK YOU AND FUCK YOUR BULLSHIT PROMISE!!!!

"You don't need to be like him, just be yourself." That would be more touching if you weren't ACTIVELY LYING TO HIM ABOUT HIS FATHER'S IDENTITY AND RETROACTIVELY ENABLING THE ABUSE HE WENT THROUGH!!!

"You're the only one who can decide what to make of your life." Yeah, something his father DID NOT BELIEVE AS HE ACTIVELY TRIED TO CONTROL EVERY ASPECT OF HIS LIFE!!! SERIOUSLY WHY IS ADRIEN NOT MORE CONFLICTED OVER THIS!? HE KNOWS HIS FATHER WAS A FAILURE AS A PARENT AND A PIECE OF HUMAN TRASH, HIM "LEARNING" THAT HIS DAD APPARENTLY HAD A MORAL LINE HE WOULDN'T CROSS DOESN'T INVALIDATE ALL THE ABUSE HE PUT HIM THROUGH!!!

"You always find the right words, Marinette." NO SHE DOESN'T!! OFTEN HER WORDS JUST MAKE SHIT WORSE!!!

"When I'm with you, I feel so... free!" SINCE FUCKING WHEN!? IT IS REALLY IRONIC TO SAY THAT GIVEN THAT SHE IS TRAPPING YOU IN A CAGE OF LIES!!!

The whole "kiss scene" going on is ruined by the fact that Marinette is lying to Adrien and that Adrien never once was allowed proper closure for how much of a failure of a parent and an abusive piece of crap his dad is. This is a toxic shitstorm of gaslighting and mutually enabling toxic behaviors between the two of them.

Oh look, a news report where that scientist lady who created the Pigeon Dinos is on the screen, I wonder why she's the special guest being called up to talk about how crazy things have been, given that she's apparently someone who works with DNA.

Apparently Marinette SOMEHOW remodeled the Rings back into their original forms. I'm genuinely BAFFLED as to HOW, and I honestly think it could've been more interesting if they'd been kept as Rings with the heroes having to work out how to use them in their new configurations while Marinette has to research a way to get them back to normal in the next season... all except 2 1.

"Still no sign of the Miraculous of the Butterfly?" Hmm, given that the last ANYONE saw of it involved it falling into what I can only imagine is water that leads to the sewers after getting knocked off of Gabe's chest, I wonder WHY it's gone missing again!!!

Her saying that now all the heroes are responsible for their own Kwami is something that should've probably happened AROUND SEASON THREE, NOT SEASON FIVE!!! Also, really annoyed seeing all the Temp Heroes with the awed and overjoyed expressions at being reunited with their Kwami, considering they barely even KNOW the Kwami and didn't really have any emotional attachments to them, last I checked. The fact that fucking ARGOS is counted among the heroes is something I will NEVER forgive.

Damocles is sorting Paperwork and just got a voice message from a "mysterious new student" who is clearly Lila as she didn't even BOTHER DISGUISING HER VOICE. For fuck's sake, here we go again. SOMEHOW Lila got the Butterfly; Don't even FUCKING START WITH ANY "but she showed up at the Agreste Manor" BS!! She showed up to find a GIANT GAPING HOLE SEVERAL STORIES DEEP and there was a massive battle raging in Hawkmoth's lair and Marinette took out the Elevator, there IS NO POSSIBLE WAY SHE COULD'VE GOTTEN DOWN THERE AND GOTTEN THE MIRACULOUS AFTER IT FUCKING FELL INTO THE WATER!! IF SHE HAD MADE A DIVE FOR IT, THEY WOULD'VE HEARD HER!!! And it ends with some kind of energy portal opening up behind her. Why do I hate where that stupid cliffhanger is leaving off...?

And with that, I am FINALLY FUCKING DONE WITH THIS SEASON!!!

[anisethefiaadmin]

There was no point in knocking on the door of Malfoy Manor. Ginny knew that perfectly well. She also knew that she was going to do it anyway, because nothing relieved her feelings like a good hammering on a door. Not that this was going to help, particularly, when it came to an issue like this.

She flung open the gate and stomped down the winding front drive, glaring fiercely at the beautiful spreading cedar trees lining either side. The manor itself was a massive block of honey-colored stone, Jacobeathean style, its towers, gables, parapets, balustrades, and chimneystacks glowing softly in the afternoon sunlight. A flag with the Malfoy dragon crest flew from a turret. The beauty of the home only made her angrier. She strode up to the huge front door, casting the bronze dragons on either side a suspicious glance, and banged the knocker up and down as hard as she could.

Truth be told, she wouldn’t have been surprised to get no answer at all. She was already a bit shocked that the entire grounds weren’t spelled to specifically keep Weasleys out. Alternately, she might have expected a supercilious butler elf sniffily informing her that no blood traitors were allowed. But the door opened on her first knock. And on the other side stood no other than Draco Malfoy, hands casually thrust into his pockets, favoring her with a slight, amused smile.

“Why did you answer the door?” she blurted.

He raised one elegantly sculpted eyebrow. “It is my house, a fact of which you surely must be aware, Weasley.” “

Well—er—never mind that.” Ginny was already feeling flustered. He’d caught her off guard, which was something that Malfoy seemed capable of doing all too often.

“Care for a biscuit?” he asked. “It’s almost teatime.”

“No, I don’t want a biscuit! You KNOW what I want.”

He looked her up and down in leisurely fashion, which gave her just enough time to curse her choice of words. “And that would be…?”

“I want to talk to you about this stupid witch’s curse! The one that’s forcing me to date my worst enemy’s sibling.”

[movedto-mastcrmarksman]

[TOUCH] The sender caresses the receiver's back, attempting to entice them back into bed.

Prompts from Post-Cotial, In Bed, or Honey Come Back memes -> Accepting

As the autumn leaves turn to crunches under their feet, their apartment's thermostat has been turned up to keep the home toasty as they wait out for the first of the season's storms. Snowfall already began, and every year like clockwork; clint turns his home into an oven. Blankets gathered over years and years get pulled out from storage; some being a thick woolen knit identify for outdoor use and others softer fleeces acquired more recently.

Each blanket has a distinct smell to them, or at least the ones he's had since he was in his twenties. Even as the mornings begin frost with them, making the hardwood floors unappealing for frozen toes to touch; his training could not go on for hibernation.

Clint knows his worth, his value to New York City, and it's that of being one of its heroes. Finest heroes might he add, along with being the best master marksman in the world. He's been in this business for years, with no retirement plan in sight, and the way he keeps on top of that is getting up in the mornings.

Early mornings, despite the rebellious and somewhat depressive part of his brain wanting to remain curled up in a dark warm hole shut odd from the world, were when he spent the time honing his skills. His two to four hour workout regime that keeps him fit and absolutely to keep up with heroes like Captain Marvel and Thor.

In the last few years, there has been on hindrance to this work out regime which hasn't affected his skill set, but did distrupt his sense of discipline with himself. That hindrance had one name and that was Peter Benjamin Parker, of whom was currently curled tightly into the flannel sheets swapped in for the wintry months.

Clint had been in the process of sitting up, stretching out his arms above his head and spine before he got out of bed (letting his legs savor the warmth) before he was up and going to slip himself out of bed and descend the loft staircase. He had reached a hand to pull the sheets and covers higher over Peter, tucking him in tight.

However, Peter doesn't keep himself tucked in that way. NO, Clint finds that out when two fingers start to walk up the back of his spine, fingers warm against his skin as Peter had slipped his hand underneath the sleep shirt that Clint's been sporting since the cold spell had hit the city.

The archer finds himself stalling, in fact more than stalling, Clint was actively leaning back as Peter's fingers continue to trace up and down his spine. A few moments he just breathes with the lines drawn on his back until he feels Peter start to spell out words on his back.

What's one missed morning? echoes in the back of his mind, it's a phrase he's thought often since Peter B. Parker has wormed his way into his house and bed.

First, S-T-A-Y is spelt along his spine but Peter doesn't stop there and he had already been convinced. It's thr next thing that Peter starts to write out along his spine as well.

I-W-O-R-K-U-O- and Peter doesn't have to finish that as Clint twists around to go kiss Peter's lips, whose peaked his head out of the blankets and he's looking at Clint with a gaze. He supposes that he could tuck himself back under the blankets.

I'll work you out is what he imagines Peter was implying, and the look in the dork, his dork's eyes was warm, inviting, and Clint likes the idea he was suggesting. He speaks only for Peter, with a whisper as he gets under the covers and lays his body over Peter's. His lips finding his lips again, ❝ And I'll keep you warm. ❞ He promises as his lips go for Peter's throat and Peter's hands are tucked back under his shirt.

This may be his preferred way to get sweaty, he'll thinks later after they have removed their clothes and kissed his way down Peter's body, currently working the both of them out.

[thewingedmuse]

Hello there, how are you? I hope you’ve been well. I’m very thankful for this game of yours in celebration and honor of Chinese New Years <3! Happy Chinese New Years 🧧! May you receive luck and happiness as we enter the Rabbit Year.

🏮🧧 My wish - I wish to embrace both my feminine and masculine sides to achieve true harmony with my identity.

🏮🧧 My (Chinese) name - Yan Yan (欣欣)

🧧🏮 My offerings to M : As I lay on my tummy on my bedroom carpet, where the sun beams through my window blinds to where I am laid, I stretch my limbs, inhaling, exhaling. Being by myself feels…peaceful, for I seek tranquility and silence after a productive and dutiful start of the day. Knowing that giving myself rest nourishes my heart and mind, is a sense of comfort and appreciation I display for myself. Enjoying my own company, feels all sorts of warmth and happiness altogether. It’s the first sip of lemonade on a hot summer’s day. The calming flickers of a candle on a winter’s night. It’s the beautifully bloomed, cherry blossoms in spring, where its petals forever imprints my memory. And the surprising, yet pleasant, scent of pumpkin spice in coffee shops as fall arrives. That’s what it is like to be in my own company. It’s a realm and a haven I delve in, with gratitude and contentment.

🧧🏮 My offerings to K :

For the photos of the dragon statues, I chose three photos, mostly because I felt called to-do so…a feeling, that’s what it was. I mainly chose these dragon statues, because I slightly feared their physical features that tied together a stunningly, intimidating appearance, which was perhaps meant to fear away any bad luck for the sake of protection. Although I feared their image, I fell into a state of empathy for the dragon statues. Although fearful from appearance, I could tell the purpose of these dragon statues that have been created, were with good intentions, as the dragon statues themselves bear a powerful essence that amplifies the energy of any location. For the photo of two hand-held purple gems, I chose this image due to the fact that I felt drawn to the blue sky, and came to the thought that dragons were known to freely roam around the azure sky whenever they could, which led to me picking this picture. It’s as though we’re given a chance to admire the astonishing purple gems as the sun flaunts its beauty at its core (giving me the thought that “beauty is on the inside). Lastly, for the image of the one, single I-Ching coin, after scrolling through many images of the glimmering and fairly appreciable-looking coins, I found this single I-Ching coin to be the most attractive and appealing to me. The way it’s surface gleams, as it sits upright individually, reminds me of how, if the coin itself were human, it would be gleaming with pride and confidence within oneself…something I admire about anyone with such amazing traits.

Thank you so much, once again, for this opportunity, and your time energy. Take care, and have a nice day 🫶🏼☺️.

Hello Yan Yan! Thank you for your participation! Happy Chinese New Year!🧧恭喜发财! 心想事成! 万事如意! 一年比一年好!!!!!!!!🧧

I am very well as I always am every CNY with all these delectable snacks lying around xD 🎋 How are you?? 💐

K has volunteered to work on your wish! He truly felt a connection with your request, your words and the awesome collage you've made him. It did surprise him that you've chosen black dragons because that is his dragon form.

Here is the process of his spell:

He lays a single raw amethyst upon a rounded wood. The stone bears a cheerful energy like that of a salted duck egg or a treasure bag ready to be filled.

The sun shines generously over the amethyst amidst a clear blue sky. Its light divides into seven colours of the rainbow, each beautiful and unique in its own way. The colours enter the amethyst and what comes out on the other side is a glistening white.

K wants to tell you that you are like these colours. There are various sides to you, each one raw and unique. You don't necessarily fit into any boxes, that's how unique you are, so embrace the different sides of you no matter how contrasting they are.

You wish to embrace both the masculine and feminine sides in you. It is already done even before this spell, your core is already balanced, that's the realest side of you that you need to connect to. This energy manifests as white, for it is the colour of all combined. Because you are already balanced within your core, K's spell focuses on guiding you to reconnect with your truest self.

He sends the amethyst's energy to you. I see it manifested as an amethyst orb the size of a marble. He reminds that as this was made of energy, and energy is mutable according to your needs (and perception), it would not always appear as a marble-sized orb. In other words it might look different to you at different times, depending on what you need. Its energy is fixed and solid though, and carries the protective energy of black dragons and the calm reflectiveness of amethysts. It shall be with you. You can focus on these words to feel its energy, or visualise it. Remember the feelings it evokes in you. Meditate with it if you feel called to. May this blessing be your companion whenever you need it.

Extra messages from K and M: "Your words are fine artistry. Thank you for the images of the black dragons among others. It surprised me." — K

“别忘初心。” — M, as they present to you a rose quartz. They say that your true self is the most beautiful no matter what anybody said, or whatever anybody doubted including yourself. Never stop searching for you among the many doubts and demands of you to appear "a certain way".

That's it! If you have any questions feel free to ask 💐 Have a Happy Bunny Year! 🧧🧧🧧

[evelynndecipio-blog]

June 13th, 2020.

Dear Nightingale, 

It’s fine. I can relate to not getting out of the castle much, though not for the same reasons as you. It took me a while to gain the courage to come searching for your letter. I’m not so sure what I was afraid of, but I’m thinking of pushing myself to be less fearful of what the world has to offer.

I live in the south. Brighton to be exact. I love it dearly and I would never choose to give it up for life elsewhere. Even after my short trips in London, I can confidently say that Brighton is the best place in the world. I suppose its unfair, since I’ve only been to one other country, but I haven’t yet seen any evidence that would suggest otherwise. Still though, your beach sounds wonderful. From the way you described it, I can imagine the shore being a quiet place for contemplation. I love the bustling of Brighton, but a quiet beach is something I would love to visit or even live near. We don’t get many horses in Brighton either, so riding one near the water would be a new experience for me. Well, riding a horse, specifically, would be a new experience. Do you have a close bond with your horse? I’ve always wondered what it would be like to share a relationship with an animal. I think I should convince my parents to get me one to bring to Hogwarts. I think I should start saving my own money to buy one to bring here.

Your mother sounds so amazing. I wish I could be that close with my own mother. In fact, I got along with my father much more. We had similar interests, you see. My fondness for tabletop games, videogames and reading all came from him. We could talk about anything. He was like a best friend and a father all wrapped into one. I also owe my in-depth knowledge of Brighton to him as he loved taking me around the city to explore, much like you and your mother did. We would walk for what felt like hours in the comfort of each other. Now I don’t see much of him anymore. My mother introduced me to movies, my first love, but her job kept her more occupied than my father. These days, I don’t talk to her much either. I’m glad that you and your mother are so close. A month ago, I would have told you to not trust her. A parent that close with their kid must be hiding something and you’ve got to figure out what it is. Today, I see things differently. The happenings in my life are completely different from yours, so I beg you, hold on to your mother. Never let her go.

Am I wrong in assuming that you’re muddlemoogle muggle-born? Or you’ve at least spent most of your life in the muggle world, right? I relate to your expectations and experiences at Hogwarts. Honestly, it sounded too good to be true to me. Just like a fantasy adventure. I was also sure that I was facing an elaborate prank, one set up by my parents for me to get over everything that happened. If I had come here with a more open mind, I think it would have been the best thing to ever happen to me. A real-life game. I hate that I can’t be excited about it. Though, failing a spell can surely happen in one of those games. How badly it fails all rests on the shoulders of the dungeon master. My father was a benevolent one. If he was telling this story of our time at Hogwarts, it would have been a much happier experience for me. Of course, there’s no real-life danger to those games.

I’ve only heard stories of the ball through the grapevine. I was there, but I was able to escape quickly thanks to some kind soul with a broom. I had no idea that things got so bad. I’m so sorry that you had to experience it all. But I also heard that when the teachers came in, everything was taken care of. The students were saved and I don’t think anything about detention came up. Listen, I really understand what it feels like to think that being here is a mistake. I’m trying to see things in a better light, but I still feel like it was a gigantic mistake to enroll. Or just that I’m a mistake. But we’re in this school for seven years, right? One day, all those kids you saw running around, ignoring people in danger and acting impulsively? One day they’re going to be just like the teachers. Skilled, patient and mindful. It’s all a part of growing up. Magic adds greater stakes, but we’ll be okay in the end. I believe that. I have to.

Please, don’t be sorry for writing what you need to! I don’t know how you’re going to take this, but I like reading about it. Since coming to Hogwarts, it seemed like I was the only one with problems. I knew that couldn’t be true, but everyone laughed all the time. They made friends so easily. They go on adventures together. They protect each other. I felt so alone. My issues consumed me to the point where I pushed away everyone that tried to befriend me. Reading your letter has given me insight. It makes me more aware that others are facing their own problems and I shouldn’t be too quick to say someone has it easy.

Oh, I remember that errand. I wanted to join. The rewards sounded pleasing. But I didn’t have anyone to write to, so I skipped. I should have taken a page from your book and left letters around the school. I love the idea of leaving easter eggs in real life. I guess it’s good that I didn’t though. Back then, I’m sure I would have filled those letters with really mean things.

Now I’m realizing that adventure itself wasn’t what I was afraid of. I was scared of a lot of other things that prevented me from going on adventures. I’m scared of getting close to people. I’m scared of being judged by people. I left home in a bad way and if my mother heard I was ‘adventuring’ she would probably think I was happy to be here. But that’s the last thing I want her to think – or wanted her to think, maybe. I don’t know. I’ve just been a mess of emotions for this entire year and I want to be able to enjoy myself here, so I’m trying to stop getting worked up over every little thing. It’s too late to go adventuring this year because I think I’m still scared. But next year, I’ll try. I don’t know if you ever want to meet me, and I don’t know if I ever want to meet you, but in the case that we do happen to cross paths in real life, I hope you’ll show me those secret passages you found. That sounds like a fun time and they would probably make for a great hiding place if things get too overwhelming.

And apologies for how messy my first letter was. There were many dark clouds over my head around that time and while the thunderstorms have not gone away, I can finally see a little sunlight peeking through. I can’t give you all the credit, Nightingale, but your words definitely played a part in that. Feel free to write to me with any problems you might have. If you want to reach me in August, you can send your owl to the Brighton Palace Pier.

Thank you and I will try to go boldly, Captain Kirk.

[quickdeaths]

Spell out your url using characters you love from any media. then, tag as many people as there are letters in your url ( or however many you'd like ! ) inspired by the song titles dashboard game.

Q - Qiu Tong, Tamen de Gushi. Ngl, finding a character with a Q name was tough haha. Qiu Tong is a good choice tho, both for how big TdG was in my circles when it was at its peak, and the sad story of what happened to it. Free my girls!

U - Utena Tenjou, Revolutionary Girl Utena. Utena is too hard to watch to be my favorite anime, but I do think it's kind of the perfect anime, and I will truly never be free from taking inspiration from Utena herself when making characters.

I - Itto Arataki, Genshin Impact. My girlfriend played Genshin Impact and I was thinking about picking it up, but I wasn't totally sure, and then I saw this guy. History made.

C - Claire François, I'm In Love With The Villainess. I love the villainess genre, absolutely oversaturated with slop though it may be. This one is a fave, and what I like about Claire is that she has multiple arcs. So many examples of this genre use isekai or reincarnation explanations to sand off the rough edges, and while I think Claire is very sympathetic, the light novels show that she has to prove her good intentions and overcome her prejudices.

K - Kotori Minami, Love Live! She's not the strongest character, really, but I just like her a lot. Love Live! meant a lot to me when I was like, 21-22.

D - Dale Cooper, Twin Peaks. Gosh what a performance, huh? I was obsessed with this show in college, and the absolute weirdo energy brought to this character has never left my brain. I really gotta watch the new season.

E - Edelgard von Hresvelg, Fire Emblem: Three Houses. She's not my fave FE3H character, but I do like her a lot, and unfortunately the discourse around her is the clearest portrait I've ever seen of fandom misogyny. The double-standards, the flattening of motivations, the lack of credit or benefit of the doubt that male characters got easily, it's all there. Edelgard they could never make me hate you.

A - A2, NieR: Automata. This is a stand-in for her, 2B, and 9S, honestly. NieR: Automata is one of my all-time faves, with a story that I loved the whole way through. For me, they are "frequently bought together, do not separate them," but A2 is the only one whose name actually starts with a letter, so she gets the honor.

T - Tahani Al-Jamil, The Good Place. This is kind of another "ensemble" pick since it is hard to choose, although Tahani might be my favorite of the main four cast. I don't watch a ton of TV, but I honestly devoured this whole show in like... maybe three weeks? I love the characters, and I loved the story, and while The Office and Parks and Recreation never really hit for me, this definitely did. With Tahani specifically, it helps that I love Jameela Jamil.

H - Hanabi Yasuraoka, Scum's Wish. This is a hard manga to recommend, and Hanabi is a hard character to love, but it lined up for me at a time where I needed to read things about characters who weren't great people but still deserved the hope that the could be better. Fun fact, an article I wrote about my relationship to the anime for a website is, I believe, the first time I was ever paid for my writing.

S - Saeko Sawatari, How Do We Relationship? I could honestly talk about Sae forever. HDWR is maybe my favorite romance manga of all time, and Sae is relatable to me in ways I find affirming and representative, and also deeply uncomfortable. Sometimes I'll be reading normally, and then Sae will say something that feels like the kind of thing I'd write in a diary and then throw into the ocean strapped to fifty pound weights due to being too honest and vulnerable. I can't explain all the things that I see reflected back at myself from her, and honestly, I probably wouldn't want to. All I can say is that she's such a special character to me.

Tagged by: @more-than-a-princess

Tagging: Normally I would tag people, but I did just do a dash meme recently and also tags are like busted for some reason for me like what's up with that. If you want to do it, though, I think you should and you can say I tagged you and it'll be our secret.

[officialauthorofanotherworld]

random name origin fun time discussion:

Also pronunciations :D (I’ll edit this later and add those) (added as of 5:45 PM 6-12-24)

some new stuff added as of 6-26-24 cuz @jev-urisk tagged me :p

(my god, this post is such a poorly formatted mess. help me)

Taka (originally Aka, red, inspired by Karma Akabane)

edit 6/20/24: um wth was i talking about here? When I played Taka for the first time 5 years ago in my first dnd campaign ever (which was a very bad campaign btw, for reasons i might talk about in another note) I had "Aka" down for like 5 seconds (yes, it was based on Karma, tho) before i was like "if i add a T it sounds good" not knowing that Taka was an actual name. (or maybe subconsciously i did, but iirc it was just a "that sounds neat" decision that ended up being actually integral to him as a person, as all names should be :'D)

Pronounced: tah-kuh

low "a" like "aww"

so no, its not "TACKA" like some english speakers would probably mispronounce it. Tahkuh. Tawkuh. Taaaahhhhhkaaaaaaa

ok im sorry

idk, go watch a japanese person say "taka" thats how you say it, idk how to write pronounciations ok???

Fun fact: Taka is the Japanese word for Falcon/Hawk. Fits perfectly with his personality, his obsession with the sky, and his sheer wanderlust/desire to be “free”

Obligatory: no not Eren Jaeger “free”

Beriyl (Beryl)

pronounced: Barrel

He was my friends mage. He was very racist and a bastard person. (old, old beriyl). Beriyl and Arthur and Taka now are so very different from when I first learned about them, their original inceptions (being, well, dnd in a bad campaign) were just very different.

Ecirr (random dnd aarakocra name generator, I think I merged two names to get his full one, and changed the spelling a bit. Ecirr Roarark/Rorrark)

I played Ecirr when Qlul died in a campaign I played in like, 2020(?) I cant really remember when I added him and Qlul but they've been integral parts of my book for so long now I can't recall when I first started writing them in.

Qlul died fighting a nothic, and so I played Ecirr in an attempt to save him. I wanted to save Qlul because I felt bad for him, and my party members wanted to just leave his corpse to rot. I hated that, so I decided to play Ecirr, his childhood friend he'd been "roommates" with at the university. (I say roommates as a joke, they weren't, though they did attend a prestigious school together. The roommates joke is the "they were just roommates" gay sex joke. cuz they're dating)

Pronounced: e-sear (hard e, like eek)

Qlul Klilaark (same as Ecirr)

Pronounced: Qlol Klil ark

like, lull + q, qlull, so qlol?

"aark" is just "arc"

Klil, like "quill" with a k, and no u.

if you say it fast, kind of sounds like "qlul kalark" or "qlul klark" or "qlul quill-ark" idfk ok im bad with explaining these things

"qlul kluhark" i guess kinda another way to try and explain it XD

Ecirr was originally a DnD character who I liked alot and ended up putting into my book. He, like all of them-- both the members of Lucky Seven and Twin Feathers, have come really far.

Eirairr Eirainn

Pronounced: yer rair, yer rain

Same as Ecirr and Qlul.

I’d do my BBEGs but their names feel like spoilers to me despite them being the most interesting to me :c

(Ok fine, click if you don’t mind the villains names being revealed. One of them is probably obvious since he’s mentioned really early but the other two aren’t for a while)

Eirairr was a ranger I played in DnD. He, Qlul, and Ecirr's names were from random name generators. Specifically, the dnd random name generator. I mixed some of the names around to give it my own flair, changed a few letters, and bam.

Like Sargantas was the Sargatanas server in FFXIV, but I always misread it as Sargantas.

Pronounced: Sar-gawn-tiss

sar: like "sardines"

gawn - like gown but with an A, kind of like "dawn" with a G i guess

tiss - like "badum-tiss" for lack of a better example

Zersetsung is a German word for “power” (or was it “control”), and he’s a immortal vampire.

pronounced: (as far as i am aware...)

zur-zet-sung

with a "low" e,

uh..

ok, hold on.

Zur: like "Dur" but with a Z

Zet like "Jet" but with a Z

Sung - obvious, like how you say the word "sung" when talking about the past-tense of singing

Vitsmunir is Russian (I’m pretty sure) but I can’t remember for what

pronounced:

vits (veets)

mu (hard u, like the one at the end of the word "you")

near (like how nier is pronounced, or y'know... near from death note XD)

Fun fact: Sargantas’ soul is sheer black, Vitsmunir’s pure white, and Zersetsung golden!

[foxstens]

ok i gotta talk about afterimage

i didnt think i’d say this but at this point it feels like the game is a bit too big. i have nearly 40 hours in it, far from discovering all areas or getting all movement abilities, and i just found myself in an area that i’m very underleveled for but am also trapped in unless i manage to defeat a gauntlet of enemies. i could probably beat them if i tried a few times but why am i trapped now in this very late-game area when this has never happened before? and i feel like im missing something but even though i have 5 heals by now, they barely even heal me?? what’s the point then? ive been trying not to rely on potions the entire game since theyre consumable but now its kind of forcing me to since my healthbar is so big??

i had a spell that i could use to heal pretty much endlessly by converting mana into hp and since mana replenishes automatically over time, i could just wait it out and then do that. very helpful during platforming challenges for example. but now i accidentally did a thing with the spell that updated a quest so it was probably intended but now its fucking unusable!!!!!!!! i literally cant equip it wtf

speaking of spells, i don’t think they’re very well implemented. i really liked the first like 5 or so i got but now they do way too little damage and there isn’t a way to upgrade them and the ones ive gotten more recently are different and they keep me in place for way too long when casting so even if they do decent damage theyre just not as viable to use. i usually only have one equipped for the health recovery bonus thingy it gives you

also as someone who doesn’t play rpgs, the weapon system in this game is a mess in my opinion. you have like 5 or so types of weapons, and then as the game goes on you find like 20 of each, each new one doing more damage and having different like... affixes or whatever they’re called. like they might give a health bonus or a mana bonus or a drop bonus or whatever. but the moveset itself is the same and the animation is the same, it just does more damage and gives a different bonus. but the thing is, you can also upgrade them by spending some currency and a resource you find while exploring. but. how do you do choose which one to uprade and how often when you never know when you’re going to find the next one that does more damage? i just don’t understand it

then there’s the platforming, which to me felt clunky in the beginning and it still does even now that i have all sorts of movement abilities. while it works, i find the platforming sections exceedingly difficult and something is just not clicking for me even 40 hours in. which, of course, affects the combat and my overall enjoyment of the game

there’s also the fast travel which they’re way too stingy with. the game operates on the bonfire system but with trees instead, which is fine, except that they’re kind of scarce even for my liking, and initially you can only fast travel by using a consumable. as you level up you become able to fast travel between trees, but only between certain trees. i fucking hate that. i guess ender lilies spoiled me with its generous amount of respites and the ‘return to respite’ button and being able to fast travel between every respite but f u c k why does that game have does and this one doesn’t, despite being like at least 3 times bigger. apparently after the patch you can now purchase the consumable from somewhere but i haven’t been able to find it so rip me i guess.

idek why it bothers me so much when in hk and blasphemous it didn’t. i guess because the game isn’t hitting the sweet spot that those games did. i mean blasphemous only did to an extent, but it still did. and thinking about it, i think it might partially be because of the boss fights.

i don’t play games for boss fights, in fact i couldn’t care less if there even are boss fights, but if there’s a lot of them they better be good. and afterimage both has a huge map and a lot of bosses. like i currently have access to about 9 of them, but after giving each of them a few tries, i’d rather just explore somewhere else.

i don’t know how many bosses i’ve beaten so far but i’ve only liked one of them. i don’t know why but in this game i just don’t look forward to fighting and dying to and learning a boss’ moveset the way i did in ender lilies for example (which in retrospect has phenomenal boss design and i fucking love it)

it might be because of the weapon system half of which i don’t get, it might be because of the movement that isn’t clicking with me, it might be because of the excessive freeze-frames and way too loud sound effect when you get hit, it might be because of the music which is outstanding in some areas but mediocre in others and annoying in certain boss fights, i don’t know. 

i don’t know but i already feel like this game has overstayed its welcome, and i just found out there’s a new game+ and also 10 endings. like what the fuck. according to some people it has the largest map and the biggest number of bosses in the metroidvania genre period. i guess it just feels too big because im not enjoying it that much but. fuck. 

oh. except that apparently some people complete their first playthrough after 22 hours. uh. how? like i know i play slowly but what. did you miss half the game or....

anyway i wish ender lilies was this long ugh

[viviennevivisection]

Session 28 - “Breaking the News” - 3/5/23

-We’re doing something a little different to start this session -- a scene for the audience! 

-A home office, a TV, flipping through channels. Landing on the evening news (Channel 3). THERE’S A BIRD PERSON? K. Roberts -- the news anchor. Topics of interest: rising oceans levels, mobile phone location services saving a life, pollen (?), someone from KT coming to be interviewed

-Also Porcia Eaton (a bug bear) is reporting live from Corsica 

-Calling the ambulance is what gave us away -- since they couldn’t reach the town 

-There’s a whole load of arcane investigators (pigs) trying to figure out what happened 

-They tried to call me back after the ambulance couldn’t get in and we were plane shifted (lol) 

-A voice is heard from off camera: “Dinner, my love?” 

-The person watching recorded the news broadcast

-This is almost certainly Fleur and Holloway 

-Oran is not sure if it’s back (?) (The town, maybe?) → if this the case, we were, Naomi plane shifted the town back last sesh 

-The soul trees are still here 

-The pools are in fact all connected, built on ley line hot spots. Asking if Oran can teach Naomi how to use them so we can fast travel 

-They did in fact use the pools to do the “baptisms” → separate the target’s divinity, their impulsive side, the “in tune” side → feed it to the Cor and allow them to be controlled 

-The Bestowing was the reunion of the two sides, a brutal ritual… the other selves were usually hungry 

-Come on, ritual sacrifice! 

-Whitmer sourced these sacrifices 

-The malevolent force (feeling of being watched, quicksand, etc) is gone 

-Our teleportation back didn’t feel as intense (not shifting planes)

-Asking about the fangs

-The [goal of the Collection was to study and document the] evolution of religion over time in order to figure out ascension

-Re: Coranimas, the body became less of an expression and more literal. People started to view vampires as being “afflicted” with a sickness 

-And vampirism at its core was “stealing” the body of others

-In the past, there was a change toward powerful, “supernatural” creatures

-They were welcome and living among the general population until they were not 

-When attitudes changed toward them, they fled and claimed The Wild Lands 

-Oran somehow did/does not know about Naomi’s formative Wild Lands Trip (seems it was an off-book decision) 

-Naomi asked Oran to crack the cipher on his diary and he…didn’t want to (which is understandable lol) 

-Oran is #confirmed a druid 

-There is now knowledge that Oran cannot access following the death of the Cor 

-Oran is the direct bloodline descendant of a powerful druidic circle 

-Whitmer had a huge research focus on druids and druidic rituals 

-Why aasimar, then? → theorized to be needed for ascension, a concentration of the divine 

-All of the Coralogia had their own offices, Whitmer’s is magically protected 

-Naomi gave Oran his diary back 

-The sigil on Whitmer’s office recognized her touch but will murder anyone else 

-Naomi can recall the Cor souls ?? 

-She crushed a flower from the Grove in her hands, as the petals fall they disappear before hitting the ground 

-The energy coalesces into a dark figure, looks similar to Dark Cass? 

-This figure touches the door and it explodes 

-They’re still there…everybody that was in the Cor. I just know they’re there anew -- the people who should have been dead → I think Naomi said this 

-The spell was conjuration and divine in nature

-The Hive Mind still exists just not in the form of the Cor? Not tied to the elder brain, but tied to the Grove 

-A shared roots system 

-Cass picked the lock on Whitmer’s office (I think this is the first lock we’ve ever picked?? It’s not -- the first was Mira’s bedroom. This is the second) 

-The room is similar to Oran’s office -- however, the room is uncharacteristically messy. This is the office of a very desperate person 

-Lots of work stuff -- resumes from prospects, ungraded papers from undergrads (focus on history and religion) 

-Stuff about druids 

-She had a list of papers to check on a visit to Aurora 

-A study from a student, 25-30 years ago (this is almost certainly Ellie) 

-”Sources of the Divine” 

-Also researching the auroras 

-The supernova? 

-VE called the library -- every single one of these papers are in the “special collection” and can only be accessed in person 

-Cass is looking for secret shit 

-Whitmer has a record of high performing students that dropped out recently 

-A record of Corsican citizens along with key secrets that could be used for blackmail 

-The Golden Angels have a special mark and more information than most other people 

-Rebecca Horn (the GA before Naomi) → Miles Horn. She was very bright and had an extremely protective and intelligent father 

-Whitmer’s personal journal → she was trying to identify for the deal was made with

-Cass’ research is certainly here 

-During the Cor fight, Cass tried to reach Corcillum and got Sonos -- he didn’t go anywhere, he was just changed 

-Sonos on the TV? 

-Whitmer has no love for TC, saw them as a necessary evil

-Everything they found about arcane tech got handed to TC 

-An ascension arms race 

-Whitmer had a specific TC contact: Alestra Haldia → we have her email 

-Whitmer has a laptop 

-The TC emails are all encrypted, use a lot of coded language 

-Most recent email is from about a week ago, regarding Rylar’s position 

-Regularly met up in person to speak (at Silver Echoes Park) 

-DN has known who N has been praying to this whole time 

DN: “It’s us, it’s always been us. What do you mean?”

-DN is typing on Whitmer’s laptop?  

-When N asked for help she saw DN? But she wasn’t TRYING to…? 

-VE cast magic circle, and Cass casted legend lore from the scroll (from like session 2) focusing on Saetus 

-Cass’ magic is present, the dusty violet motes 

-At first, nothing seems to happen. We notice that the ceiling fan has stopped. We feel an unnatural stillness. Oran, in the doorway, is frozen. A ball of light. The feeling of magical pressure. Twisting and turning. Standing in a vast, limitless space, like outer space. Surrounded by stars. As we look at them, they start to move, rearrange themselves into constellations that turn into actual images and scenes. 

1) Several figures. Different time periods. Dissolving and reforming into the next. We don’t recognize any of them, until the last one. Helen Smith. She extends a hand. (This is the evolution of the hosts of Saetus). 

2) Zoom into a town. Woodvale! A very long time ago. A young Helen is drinking a sodie with her besties. 

3) HS at the church is Woodvale -- Ms. Moody is not there. HS’ mom is there. She is participating in service. 

4) The old one room school -- HS is furiously taking notes. Seems very studious. She drew a perfect sigil and then was able to cast the flame cantrip 

5) She’s traveling through the forest, using her flame cantrip as a torch. She stumbles upon a green, glowing stone (DIR). She is proud. 

6) An unfamiliar lab area -- Helen is there, tinkering with a device (the tech seems old to us). A professor is passing out graded assignments. Helen has failed. 

7) A dorm room. HS is at a desk, ruminating on the failing grade. Looking desolate. She’s writing a letter home. She has the DIR with her. It’s late at night. A hand has reached out to her, it is writing something for her. The stars blink out until we’re back in the empty space. 

8) (This last one was a peripheral image, we had to specifically spot it) Cass casting a spell outside WV -- at the bluffs. She has casted detect magic and we see DN push N off a cliff. (This was the moment where Cass was able to burn two spell slots, a more significant moment than we thought before.) 

-We’re back in this empty void space for a long time. Whatever this is…is significant. Darkness. Two points of light opposite from one another moving toward us

-Helen in her current state, she feels…different. This LOOKS like Helen Smith. The lights moving, we can’t quite comprehend them. We rationalize it as hands reaching out, like in the Woodvale mines. That is how we can understand it. The hands reach out and touch, but they are cupping something between them, protecting it. We are the thing being protected. 

-A blinding light of an explosion as the lights connect 

-The hands touching again 

-Most of them are the same as the last time, but Cass is shaking hands with Norman 

-Helen standing there smiling after our eyes readjust -- feels outside of the spell. That was really her! No problems there, I assume 

-We’re back in the office 

-The hand at the desk that was writing for HS, it was writing the designs for the first computer 

-There are a lot of parallels between Helen Smith and Cass 

-The shifting images of people at the beginning were like hosts than warlocks 

-Heading back to the Pritchard home 

-The news is right outside 

-The cops are blaming protestors, because of course they are (they specifically named The Vanguard (lol) and other eco-conscious groups) → we spoke with him for a period. Stupid, taking credit for saving everyone, obviously being fed what to say. We kind of caught him out in this. 

-We tried to lay low in terms of being on camera, didn’t give an interview but EXTREMELY snooped 

-We got a business card for the news people 

-Cass has disguised herself as the cop, using the Mira necklace to mimic his voice. Telling Porcia (the bug bear) that there has been a development in the case -- trying to get it record (they’re not live any more) 

-Cass as the cop said the cause of the disturbance was caused by a glitch in the Sonos program -- asking people to turn it off

Porcia: “What are you doing? you know we can’t fucking air that.”

Cass, disguised: “Do you ever feel bad about what we do?” 

Porcia: “No. 🙂”

-She’s an icon, idc 

-Calling an emergency town hall to…update everyone 

-Ezra locked their parents in their bedroom once they came back to themselves 

-Ellie did a quick check up on Leah, Ezra, and Adrien (who was a little shell shocked) 

-Adrien’s internal ley system was fully in tact, Leah and Ezra were still the same (Naomi is still in possession of their dark selves) 

-Naomi confronting her parents

N: “I assume all the work you did to stay in their good graces was so you could still speak once I was dead.” (To Cyrus) 

N: “Tell me everything.” 

-Johanna didn’t know 

-Cyrus lied straight to our faces

Johanna: “I remember. Now.”

-Cyrus looked to Leah to back up his bullshit, and she shot him down. Standing up to him. 

-Cyrus helped Whitmer source individuals to be fed to the Cor, and then stole their shit for the collection 

-Miles #confirmed was all but smunched (spared only to serve as an example) for trying to save Rebecca 

-Cyrus…is just a coward

-VE have a vial of ash from The Cor 

-Ellie told Naomi that E+L’s ley systems were still off, she returned their shadows back. Everyone is healed! 

-Ellie went to the bathroom to clean up before the meeting (we all looked like Hell). Pricked her finger on her fang, and dripped blood into the chalice. Trying to reach out to Vitalia. Suddenly feeling very aware of their breath, their heart beat. The air around them. The familiar static-like feeling. 

-The blood transformed into a red rose. Ellie whispered into it that she would help if asked

[paperpeacock]

I’m the one who requested the Keith x vision holder reader and I loved it so much!

Hi! thank you so much! this made my day :)

Keith x Shy reader - meeting you

In the forest, each plant strives for a place in the sun. Stretching upwards towards the boundless sky, in hopes of catching but just a glimpse of light. It is their livelihood, for those who receive no light will wither. But is it not a shame? A shame that a beautiful rose must perish for it did not fight hard enough. For it did not push against its peers. In truth we all need sunlight, but some of us feel guilty for taking it. Instead, we should lessen. Become more negligible, and take less light in hopes that we will receive more.  

After returning to the garrison, the paladins each stepped into their fields, quickly adapting to their specialties. With many a fan following their lead. Of course, Keith had a plethora of girls fawning over him. Giggling and gushing as he trained, waiting on him hand and foot. Only he didn't really pay attention to them, their presence often annoyed him. This same reason was why you could not approach him. 

So many girls who you felt to be more beautiful, yet not even they could sway the stoic paladin. Talking to Keith would be but just a daydream. However, despite this fact, your heart never ceased to warm at the thought of him. The ravenette who bewitched so many had you too under his spell. But, without realizing, you too had cast a spell of your own, one that caught the inky gaze of the red paladin. 

As you went about your day, silently slipping through the crowds, your pretty figure always going unnoticed, Keith hoped you’d catch his gaze. However, like spotting a cat across the road, you were always just out of reach.  

He first spotted you when he was training. Clearing his head amongst the training dummies, not quite the same as the simulations on the castle. The paladin was sweat ridden, slightly panting whilst slashing his blade against the plastic. Being back on earth felt more alien than being in space, the only anchor the universal language of combat. This, lead to the early dawn training center being Keith's choice of haven. However, on this winter morning, someone breached it. Keith turned his gaze to you. Peering from outside the entrance, your charming eyes met his. He saw your face grow red, he heard the small noise you made whilst making your escape, he felt how excited his heart got upon seeing you. 

Ever since that winter's morn, he’s wanted to meet you. Trying to get a look at your winning face, winning as it won his heart. But with both of you being on the quiet side, it was hard. He wanted to congratulate you on your scientific wins, to his surprise they went unnoticed, and your beautiful self seemed to garner no attention. This same reason was what made you all so mystical. A mysterious beauty unseen by the world. Quite like a mayapple flower, a pretty little thing, shrouded by the foliage of oh so many.

So, after a long workout and an icy shower, Keith decided it was high time he approached you. It was still quite early in the morning, so most staff were asleep. This left Keith and Y/N all alone. He padded through the halls, knowing where he would find his timid target.

You often watered the greenery in the morning, avoiding interaction like a cat. So, Keith sought after you in the Green House Room, where botany was studied. As planned he spotted your figure amongst the shrubbery, he gazed at you from behind the bushes, your locks framing your pretty face. He stared as you gently tended to the flora, each movement so quiet, your world appeared so soft to him. Suddenly he realized you were packing up and now heading for the exit. He cursed at himself before stealthily approaching you, to his dismay you moved surprisingly swiftly. So as an act of impulse, he shoved after you. Pinning you against the wall.  

You let out a shriek. “k-Keith?” You whispered, surprised at his abrupt arrival.  You sat caged between his arms, the scent of rosewood and timber flooding your senses. Upon realizing this your face flushed in crimson heat. He bowed his head, taking a deep breath. 

“hey,” he said, his shadowy eyes boring into your own. You felt your heart quicken pace, he looked at you expectingly, his face adorably curious compared to his usual glare. He moved slightly, arms stretching up the wall, leaning closer towards you. His nose just a shift away. 

A moment passed before he tilted his head, giving you a slight smirk, despite his own pulse drumming away. It was hot, your bodies so close together. Your face was still adorned by blush. 

“hi” you replied, raising your head like a flower greeting the sun. 

[obeymefictionwriting]

Hey, I am really sorry to bother you but I have this request roaming in my mind for quite a while now(don't know if the requests are open or not).

How would the brothers and undateables react to finding out that Cerebres (sorry if the spelling is wrong), the three headed dog of hell has a soft spot for mc abd turns into a literal puppy around them.

Just so you know, it is just a request and please don't think that you are under any obligation to write this.

Hiiii and sorry for late answer! Thanks for the request, it's really fun ^^

Lucifer

Tbh, he is a bit annoyed. He used to think only he was the one to tame Cerberus but a weak human?

(don't worry, it's his pride talking, he doesn't really mean it)

After getting over his initial shock, he feels pride again but for another reason.

Now he is proud that his partner turned out to be as strong as himself.

"You know, MC, Cerberus rarely displays such affection to anyone but me. You indeed are special".

Is slightly worried whether Cerberus remains the same good guardian dog after seeing him literally play fetch with you for an hour.

Decides to hold an experiment and hints about a new treasure in the presence of Mammon.

Is glad to see Cerberus remaining the same remorseless creature in regards to anyone but him and you.

*poor Mammon tho*

Mammon

"How did ya do dat??"

Like, what the heck happened?!

For a second, he was really thinking you'd both die with Cerberus rushing towards you...

And then this damned dog fell on its back and demanded belly scratches!

"You got me SICK WORRIED MC"

Starts thinking about hitting a treasury with Cerberus being on your side.

"MC, I have an idea..."

No really, he is super proud of you (and also a bit afraid now)

Leviathan

S H O C K E D

He honestly thought Cerberus would listen to Lucifer only and he is both amazed and scared of seeing this huge-ass dog turning into an absolute puppy near you.

“MC, what did you do to him?”

He is also secretly proud to see you bossing Cerberus around like that.

Levi appreciates power as much as Lucifer does so he knows only strong-willed people could tame the hell dog like that.

“Can you ask him to stay calm so I can pet him?”

*best experience #2 in his life*

(first one involved Ruri-chan, duh)

Satan

That’s interesting. A human being can tame a hell hound just like that?

“MC, what kind of special powers do you have?”

Immediatly starts thinking about how to get Lucifer through his now-tamed Cerberus.

Enjoys watching you play with Cerberus and giving him high-quality belly rubs.

However, he will never change his mind that cats are superior.

“Can we leave this dog alone and go to cat cafe finally?”

“NO YOU ABSOLUTELY CAN’T TAKE THIS DOG WITH US”

Asmodeus

He is terrified by Cerberus but seeing this dog running towards you... Asmo will do anything to protect his love!

He is about to go into full demon mode when the dog stops and... starts rolling on its back?

“Aw, look at it, MC! Even Cerberus can’t resist your charm!”

Surprisingly, Asmo is really bold about bonding with Cerberus.

He’d carefully sit down and be like “MC, you think I can also pet him?”

Asmo will squeal with happiness when Cerberus allows petting him.

“Awwww he is so CUTE!”

Beelzebub

“MC, you really shouldn’t be walking in there, Cerberus might be...”

Nani? What?

He was literally about to protect you with his own body but... there is no need to?

“This is really cute”

Beel is a big goof ball so seeing something cute makes him happy instantly.

“Can I pet it too?”

“AW look, I can fit my whole head in his mouth!”

Ouch

“Okay, it’s better if you play with him and I just watch”.

Belphegor

He is basically Satan #2 when he sees how much Cerberus likes you

The Anti-Lucifer league is in full action now.

Though he tries to act like he doesn’t care, deep down he is impressed and proud.

Who would have thought that you are able to tame Cerberus?

“Nah, you play with it. I have better things to do”.

Though he is dying of curiosity to play with Cerberus too, he will never show it.

On the other hand... it could be another weapon against Lucifer!

Diavolo

He is really worried when you take him down to the basement to show “something cool”.

Like, he is 1000% ready to protect you but who knows what might happen?...

When he sees Cerberus rushing towards you, he is about to destroy it but then...

“SO THAT’S WHAT YOU MEANT HAHA”

He is overflowing with joy because not every day you can see Cerberus acting like a total puppy!

“I bet Lucifer will die laughing when he hears about that!”

(spoiler: Lucifer will be furious)

Barbatos

“MC, are you sure you don’t need my assistance?”

Is prepared to guard you with his life.

If you didn’t stop him, Cerberus would... never mind.

In fact, you’ve never seen Barbatos so... scary. On the other hand, you can be 100% sure your life is never at risk with him being around.

“Ah what a twist”

He prefers to observe you and Cerberus from the distance but is ready to jump in case abything goes wrong.

/sigh “MC, you never cease to surprise me”

[absolutebl]

What are some bls that used the sentence "I'm gay" or "I like boys" when coming out instead of I like a boy or I have a boyfriend or I don't like men I only like him?

BL LINGUISTICS & QUEER IDENTITY  

The last bit of your question is about gay for you AKA It’s Okay Because it’s You which is a pretty damaging trope and I’ve talked about it before. So I’m gonna put that one aside.  

“I Am Gay” versus “I Like Men” in the Thai Language 

“what are some bls that used the sentence "I'm gay" or "I like boys" when coming out instead of I like a boy” 

There's a linguistic supposition inherent in this question which is that the language of origin contains the phrase “I’m gay” at all. Because in order to use it, that phase has to exist. Right? Okay. So... 

For the sake of argument (and because it is the only one I’ve actually studied) let's talk Thai. Since Thailand dominates BL, there are also the most examples of BLs who might use this phrase. (Please ignore my spelling of Thai words? written Thai to English isn't really formalized.)

I/you like men exists in Thai.

We all know it, they use it a lot in many Thai BLs. But the most iconic version would be Tutor accusing Fighter outside the club in Why R U?, say it with me now...

chorp phuchay 

(Sounds like: chore phu chai)

However, to say I am gay or you are gay in Thai actually uses a version of the English word "gay." 

Gay is an adopted concept of identity that prior to the globalization of queerness and the English syntax around said queerness did not exist in many Asian languages (as such). 

So in Thai to say “verb to be + gay” would be:

bpen gay

(the "gay" is pronounced and sometimes spelled into English as key/kay because the "g" is squeezed sharply as it exits the mouth so it's almost a k sound) This is a strongly aggressive, slightly impolite (linguistically speaking) statement. 

This phrase is almost an accusation in Thai because gay is not only a foreign word it's kind of a slur. (See it being used this way in Oxygen in the bar fight scene in ep 7. Also note its rarely softened with a particle, polite or otherwise?) It's not quite the same, but the usage in Thai is a bit more like 1970-90s American usage of the word fag before ownership was reclaimed by the community. But because it is a bit of a “dirty” word, Thai age dynamics come into play, placing it in low register. (Meaning regardless of anything else you are less likely to use it with older generations.) 

I believe, in Bangkok at least, a community reclaiming is currently occurring around the word gay. But it's still a difficult identity to own. It's just a hell of a lot easier for a boy who wants to be perceived as masculine/male and date men of the same gender to simply say, "I like men." Tian does both in ep 5. To come out to Tul he says, “I like men” but when trying to articulate his identity he says “I’m not sure if it’s the heart transplant or if I am actually gay.” 

There is a subtle linguistic acknowledgment and implication that “I like men” is a statement of choice/preference, where as “I am gay” is a statement of identity/existence. The first is something into which you can grow or evolve, the second is something into which you are born but usually learn about as you mature sexually. Now we Westerns hate this idea: that gay or bi could be a choice, partly because it impacts the fight for equality and gay rights (the legality of gayness). We draw very little distinction between a man who likes men and a man who is gay. (Ask a bisexual about this perception sometime and be prepared for a RANT.) But that’s mostly our cultural/linguistic baggage, not Thailands. 

This is complicated by the fact that wrapped up in the claiming of gayness in Thai, is an acceptance of an outsiders definition of what gay means. In a way, both the word and the identity associated are foreign conceptually. (Which is not to doubt their existence, just their linguistics.)

In Thailand the word gay has other implications impacting masculinity and presentation and identity because there already exists (essentially) a third gender that absorbs queerness and femme into its makeup (often called ladyboys - common translation of the term in to English, not my choice, but also translated as "third gender" in the press these days). (You can watch a documentary on Amazon Prime about this. Also I talk about it as relates to Thai military conscription here.) 

Thus, to claim to be gay or to be accused of being gay seems to exist in contrast to ladyboy. So to identify as gay in Thailand implies you are a masculine man who wants to date other men and not women but you are decidedly not a ladyboy, which means you have rejected 2 societal identities (as opposed to most of the west, where we only reject one), the second of which kind of already was there and considered a (liminal) but more valid alternate option to “straightness.”  

Now, this is a conflation of gender with sexual orientation and is so much more complicated than I just stated, because I'm trying to articulate how Thailand's third gender effects a western concept of gayness. It's really hard to explain to those of us who come from a culture that historically, linguistically, and socially, has had only a binary until recently. Language and syntax, like culture, is ever changing. 

Back to BL.

So boys who identify as gay from the get go as part of the narrative might say to their age mates or peers that they are gay, but in the act of coming out to an older generation, parents etc... especially they will usually say or imply "I like men." This is for internal cultural clarity, to avoid use of a foreign term/slur, and for the sake of Thai’s formal language and high register. 

A perfect example of this is Pete in Love By Chance. He tells Ae outright that he is gay, and never pretends otherwise with his peers. But when he is coming out to his mother he asks her, 

"What if I don't like girls? What if I like boys? Would you still love me?"

It’s a gentler more polite way to talk to someone older, and we know Pete is all about politeness. 

Outside of Thailand

Outside of Thailand the BL producing countries (Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Vietnam, the Philippines) do not have as strong, or as socially sanctified 3rd gender. So things are a bit different. 

VIETNAM

Although Vietnam is close to Thailand and behaves somewhat similarly around visual queerness, linguistically I don't get their language AT ALL, so I genuinely have no idea how they handle coming out. At the moment it's somewhat of a moot point since they have produced very little BL and none of it (so far) has had any coming out to parents sequences (that I can recall). 

I can say they use the English word straight to men not gay. Since I can clearly distinguish it in both MLB and Mr C. You want to follow blogger @squeakygeeky for posts on Vietnamese + BL. 

* Please see comments from an explanation about how this works. 

THE PHILIPPINES  

Pinoy BL is not my fandom. That said, the Philippines produces its media in Filipino (but Tagalog and Cebuano are the most commonly spoken native languages, comprising about half of the population, while the government operates mostly using English.) English is so integrated and adopted there, not to mention the extensive periods of occupation (and proselytizing) by the Spanish (1565–1898) and Americans (1898–1946), that both the term gay and the western concept of it is far more common (and similar to our meaning) than in any other BL producing nation. 

I talk a lot about the fact that Pinoy BL comes off as more genuinely “queer” to a western audience and a huge part of that is the multicultural nature and social presentation of queerness in the Philippines but it’s also language and syntax around queerness - because the two are inexorably linked. 

How this is portrayed in coming out sequences? Honestly I’m not familiar enough with this sub-genre to know for certain. I’d have to rewatch the portion of Gameboys where Cairo talks about coming out to his mother, and where Gavreel talks about being bisexual. But I think they used both the English words and concepts/symbolism seamlessly. I imagine, to a western audience, Pinoy BL coming out would “feel” the most queer to us. 

JAPAN

Japan I would need to rewatch Love: Life on the Line's coming out sequence because I can't remember how they do it. But Japanese is a very formal and euphemistic language so I can't imagine they are direct about it. 

(See a kind soul chatting about this in detail in a repost, Japanese has also cooped “gei”. I would think they have been using the word for longer than Thailand, too.) 

KOREA 

South Korea has eng subbed the phrase "I am gay" on occasion. I'm thinking about the coming out sequence in Run On, but I suspect that is not a direct translation of what was actually said. I don’t speak Korean at all, so I can’t really comment. However if you want to watch all the different ways this has been said in k-dramas plus how it’s different for men and women here’s a FMV on the subject. 

TAIWAN 

Taiwan is maybe the most likely to have a coming out sequence where being gay is claimed, but I think I recall formal Mandarin also using the English word gay. I can't remember having heard it used all that often. But there may be another word in Mandarin that can be translated as gay (or even queer) but I'm not really familiar with the language. 

I can't remember what phrase Lu Zhi Gang uses in HIStory 3: Make Our Day's Count. Even though he is out and openly gay, I don't think he uses the word "gay." 

Even Ou Wen in Love is Science? who is clearly a very confident gay man says, "I prefer men." 

When Mark is being a brat at him, Mark uses the English word “gay.” Could be seen as slightly a slur under the context of this particular scene, although it’s doesn't read as really bad offensive thing for a non-queer (at the time) to say. 

I would say that this “gayness as an accusation” is probably a more mainstream perspective and representation of use, as this Taiwanese drama is not targeted at a BL audience specifically (Ou Wen and Mark are one of three sub plots). 

That said, I am sure I've heard the English word "gay" used to claim identity in some Taiwanese stuff, especially among peer groups, Papa & Daddy for example.

Here is an EXCELLENT Reddit post on this exact subject, using OuWen and Mark to talk about Mandarin syntax around “gay.” 

Not gonna talk about Mainland China. Apparently, right now, there is no such thing as gayness in China. Although the very few Chinese gay YouTubers I followed back when used the English word gay. That was pre 2016. 

Bet you didn’t think you’d get this diatribe when you asked that question... 

You don’t have to take my word for it: here’s a fun podcast from Hidden Brain on How language shapes our perspective on life.

(source) 

* Note - I talk a little about Thai use of the term “wifey” in the comments.