#valentines day event) but also give more hang out events to Marie with the IT team

[sillyfudgemonkeys]

That Yukari video...... It’s either P5X related or maybe we’re getting a P3 remake (or some other high end spinoff)... or god hates me and it’s a fake. I really hope it’s real to some capacity esp a remake (but I’m lowering my expectations right now TT0TT I don’t want to get hurt), they could add so much stuff to P3 (it has a lot of blank space if you play it a certain way, and esp on NG+). 

Maybe make Climax Theater a staple in all the games? TT0TT

I hope they remake all the games and add cool new things in each game. (Phone material games in P1/2/3, more climax theater in P2 at least, more Vision quest in P3, an Izanami SL/Ending and challenge mode stuff in P4, and so on). Best thing is if they could make certain stuff optional, so if people want to just experience P1/2/3/4 with upgraded graphics and new combat they can. 

[endlesstwanted]

You Don’t Like Me But I’m Your Friend

It took me a bit, but this was inspired by @flashfictionfridayofficial prompt #252 — Spill the tea, as well as a fill for @queer-it-up-bingo may prompt — Aro/Ace. You can read it under the cut and on Ao3 here.

Fandom: New Amsterdam (TV 2018)

Rating: General Audiences

Pairing: Casey Acosta & Lauren Bloom

Tags: Aromantic Asexual Character, Dating, Banter

Summary: Lauren wants to find Casey a date. Casey is at his limit.

Wordcount: 940

Also created for: @multifandom-flash, April Events: compliment day | You Got Guts / @eclipsingbingo, The Rising Moon event | Blind Date / @fandombingo, The Little Prince edition | “You will always be my friend.” / @fandom-free-bingo, Mary time May | “I don’t like you.”

Casey has managed to stay away from Bloom for most of the day. One ambiguous comment on Saint Valentine’s Day after the first failed attempt at romance that ended up in the ER, and the Chief of the department had found her personal goal of the day: trying to get him a date. Casey has rolled his eyes at the idea, and that’s what took for Lauren to push even more. He then thanked two broken bones, a viral infection and a problematic cardiac arrest, which had been keeping them busy and Lauren away from her shenanigans.

He has no interest in dating. He doesn’t do dates, or romance, or anything related to relationships that people expect you to be a part of. He doesn’t hang out with people having the pressure to make them like him, and he’s content with what he has.

A date would just be frustrating. A blind date, moreover, would be confusing for the other person with whom Casey would not seek more than, if it works out, a friendship.

And he doesn’t have time to tell Lauren all of this because now is his tea time: the perfect time-frame of fifteen minutes between the visits of the afternoon have left and the evening emergencies start to flood the room. He’s gotten to the residents’ lounge on the third floor, because the ER may have the best coffee, but he knows where to get his jam from. Well, his tea.

The room is empty and Casey goes through the cupboards in search of his vanilla rooibos, a box he hides behind the snacks he believes are of the oncology resident. He takes one little bag, gets the water, and—

“You got guts.” He doesn’t have to turn around to know it’s Bloom on the door-frame, and he does his best to not roll his eyes again. “Hiding from me in the place where you think I don’t know you go to every day at this time?”

“I’m not hiding. And this can wait ten minutes,” he excuses himself.

“Emergencies won’t wait ten minutes for you to—” she sniffs, leaning to a side to try and get a look at what he is doing. “Wait, what’s that? Vanilla?”

“It is. Which I don’t share with people who try to get me dates.” With the water boiling, Casey folds his arms and leans on the counter, turning to hear Bloom’s intervention.

“What’s wrong with dating? Going out, having fun, doing things with someone you don’t know that you wouldn’t do with someone you do know …?”

“You’re not making it better.”

“Alright, I know blind dates can be scary. But they can be something you can enjoy too, if you don’t expect more than a fun evening.” Lauren smiles. She believes she’s getting somewhere with this. “Based on your dating score, which since I know you remain at zero, you don’t look like you would want anything out of a date. Or … do you?”

“I …” Casey sighs, “don’t even know where to start. I don’t want anything out of a date.”

“Alright, this gives us more room. I can pick someone you know or someone you don’t, whatever you want.” She’s smiling with confidence, and Casey fears what is coming next. “I’ve heard Calum from Accounting is single again, and there’s this cute girl who’s just moved in next door from my apartment!”

“Lauren.” The only way to stop her is using her first name. If Casey knew her middle one, he may use it too. “You’re not reading the room we’re in. I don’t even want a date.”

“So dating sounds like a nightmare to you as it does to me, doesn’t it?” She has come closer as Casey put together his tea and now plays with an open packet of peanuts someone has left forgotten there.

“I’ve never been on a date,” he says. “Well, I think I have been in a couple, but without knowing they were dates. I don’t understand how dates work.”

“So, this whole situation would put you at … unease,” Lauren reasons.

“Yes. I mean, no,” he shakes his head, “I wouldn’t go on a date, to begin with.” He takes a sip from the tea, and hopes the conversation doesn’t escalate.

“Not a romantic date, I get it. But what about … a friends’ date?” She arches an eyebrow. “You have friends. And I know I drive you crazy sometimes, —”

“More times than that,” Casey mumbles under his breath.

“But, I will always consider you my friend. If you consider me yours, that’s it. So, tonight …” she plays with the peanut on her hand instead of finishing the sentence.

“Let me guess, you don’t have plans for tonight, do you?” Casey figures out. 

“Not one,” Lauren replies after throwing a peanut to her mouth. “Ask me on a friends’ date.”

Casey laughs, holding his mug with two hands. “That’s not happening.”

“C’mon. If I ask you, you will say ‘no’.”

“And you’re not wrong,” he points out.

“I’m starting to think this conversation isn’t going to end,” and now she sighs.

“Alright, Doctor Bloom. Forgetting how unprofessional this sounds, you got plans for tonight?”

“We don’t work in the same department, Casey, hanging out outside of the hospital is completely fine.”

He shows a closed smile, full of irony. “I’m not the one pushing the other to have a date here. Think of somewhere you can take me to grab a drink.”

“So, now that this is settled … can I try that?” Lauren looks at his mug. “It smells fantastic.”

“I don’t like you enough. You should get your own vanilla rooibos.”

[blissful-independence]

Code Lyoko: REvision

I just finished binge watching Code Lyoko on Netflix recently to relive my childhood & forgot how cool of a show it was! While it is an awesome story, some things couldn't stop bugging me that didn't line up. So I revised in a short format the entire series in a way that follows a proper timeline plus what I would've added for the show. I hope y'all like it!

Word Count: 3.3k

Characters

Lyoko Warriors

Jeremie Belpois

Date of birth: 22 February

Age:

Season 1-2: 13-14

Season 3-4: 14-15

Height: 163 cm/ 5’4

Birthplace: Ville de Clichy, France

Family:

Daphne Belpois- Mom

Michel Belpois- Dad

School: Kadic Academy

Grade:

Season 1-2: 4th year (FR)/8th grade (US)/Year 9 (UK)

Season 3-4: 3rd year (FR)/9th grade (US)/Year 10 (UK)

Yumi Ishiyama

Date of birth: 27 October

Age:

Season 1-2: 14-15

Season 3-4: 15-16

Height: 165/ 5’5

Birthplace: Kyoto, Kansai, Japan

Family:

Hiroki Ishiyama-Brother

Akiko Ishiyama-Mother

Takeho Ishiyama-Father

School: Kadic Academy

Grade:

Season 1-2: 3rd year (FR)/9th grade (US)/Year 10 (UK)

Season 3-4: 2nd year (FR)/10th grade (US)/Year 11(UK)

Ulrich Stern

Date of birth: 13 January

Age:

Season 1-2: 13-14

Season 3-4: 14-15

Height: 173 cm/ 5’8

Birthplace: Berlin, Germany

Family

Christoph Stern- Estranged father

Emilia Stern-Estranged mother

School: Kadic Academy

Grade:

Season 1-2: 4th year (FR)/8th grade (US)/Year 9 (UK)

Season 3-4: 3rd year (FR)/9th grade (US)/Year 10 (UK)

Odd Della Robbia:

Date of birth: 1st April

Age:

Season 1-2: 13-14

Season 3-4: 14-15

Height: 160 cm/ 5’4

Birthplace: Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Family:

Adele Della Robbia-1st oldest sister

Pauline Della Robbia-2nd oldest sister

Elizabeth Della Robbia-3rd oldest sister

Marie Della Robbia-4th oldest sister

Louise Della Robbia- 5th oldest sister

Mary Elizabeth Della Robbia- Mother

David Della Robbia- Father

School: Kadic Academy

Grade:

Season 1-2: 4th year (FR)/8th grade (US)/Year 9 (UK)

Season 3-4: 3rd year (FR)/9th grade (US)/Year 10 (UK)

Aelita Schaeffer/Hopper/Stones

Date of birth: 25 September

Age:

Season 1-2: 12-13

Season 3-4: 13-14

Height: 160 cm/ 5’2

Birthplace: Zurich, Switzerland

Family:

Franz Hopper-Father

Anthea Schaeffer-mother

School: Kadic Academy

Grade:

Season 2: 4th year (FR)/8th grade(US)/Year 9(UK)

Season 3-4: 3rd year (FR)/9th grade (US)/Year 10 (UK)

William Dunbar

Date of birth: 11 December

Age:

Season 2: 14-15

Season 3-4: 15-16

Height: 175 cm/5’9

Birthplace: Edinburgh, Scotland

Family:

Thomas Dunbar-Father

Fiona Dunbar-mother

School: Kadic Academy

Grade:

Season 2: 3rd year (FR)/9th grade(US)/Year 10(UK)

Season 3-4: 2nd year (FR)/10th grade (US)/Year 11(UK)

Kadic Academy Students

Elisabeth (Sissi) Delmas

Date of birth:17 May

Age:

Season 1-2: 13-14

Season 3-4: 14-15

Height: 163 cm/ 5’4

Birthplace: Paris, France

School: Kadic Academy

Grade:

Season 1-2: 4th year (FR)/8th grade (US)/Year 9 (UK)

Season 3-4: 3rd year (FR)/9th grade (US)/Year 10 (UK)

Patrick Belpois

Date of birth: 22 August

Age:

Season 4: 14-15

Height: 168 cm/ 5’6

Birthplace: Bordeaux, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France

School: Kadic Academy

Grade:

Season 4: 3rd year (FR)/9th grade (US)/Year 10 (UK)

Viktoria Klein

Date of birth: 14 February

Age:

Season 1-2: 13-14

Height: 163 cm/ 5’4

Birthplace: Munich, Bavaria, Germany

School: Kadic Academy

Grade:

Season 1-2: 4th year (FR)/8th grade (US)/Year 9 (UK)

Nicholas Poliakoff

Date of birth: 8 July

Age:

Season 1-2: 13-14

Season 3-4: 14-15

Height: 173 cm/ 5’8

Birthplace: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Grade:

Season 1-2: 4th year (FR)/8th grade (US)/Year 9 (UK)

Season 3-4: 3rd year (FR)/9th grade (US)/Year 10 (UK)

Herb Pichon

Date of birth: 20 November

Age:

Season 1-2: 12-13

Season 3-4: 13-14

Height: 163 cm/ 5’4

Birthplace: Paris, France

Grade:

Season 1-2: 4th year (FR)/8th grade (US)/Year 9 (UK)

Season 3-4: 3rd year (FR)/9th grade (US)/Year 10 (UK)

Season 1

1x01: X.A.N.A Awakens Part 1 & 2

Similar to the original episode in the 3rd season

Jeremie meets Ulrich because of a biology project in Ms. Hertz’s class.

Odd gets introduced as the new overseas student by Jim.

Odd is partnered with Jeremie and Ulrich due to there already being an even number of students.

Yumi’s first year as a student at Kadic is explained when she meets Ulrich at the Pencak Silat class taught by Jim.

This is the explanation for why she doesn’t have friends & why people confuse her for Chinese.

Parallel to the episode, Ulrich and Odd discover the supercomputer and ‘Maya’ when helping Jeremie with his robots suddenly attacking him.

Odd eagerly volunteers to be virtualized first to Lyoko to meet ‘Maya’ following Ulrich when Odd is in trouble.

The boys agree to help ‘Maya’ and try to turn off the supercomputer the following day.

Odd notices Ulrich staring at Yumi while on campus, pushing him to talk to her even if he doesn’t know what happened in martial arts class.

Ulrich apologizes to Yumi for being standoff-ish & wants to continue practicing together.

Sissi gets jealous and follows them around, causing her to get caught in a XANA trap.

This is how she sees the supercomputer leading to the first return to the past.

The group promises to keep everything between them and help Aelita.

Keynotes for S1 storyline

The main goal is to bring back Aelita from Loyko.

Jeremie learns how Odd, Ulrich, and Yumi can feel phantom pains after being devirtualized on Lyoko.

Ulrich learns Yumi moved from Japan just the year prior.

Yumi introduces the boys to her parents and little brother since she has a good relationship with Mr. & Mrs. Ishiyama.

The boys learn how Hiroki is an intelligent kid while mischievous, something Odd takes note of when they hang out.

Due to both their somewhat poor communication skills, Ulrich and Yumi dance around the fact they both like each other.

Ulrich does end up having a girlfriend in S1, a blonde German girl named Viktoria.

Yumi represses her feeling once seeing Ulrich happy with someone.

Sissi and Yumi get into a fight when Sissi threatens Ulrich with exposing his journal to everyone.

A page having details of Ulrich’s feelings about both Viktoria and Yumi.

Jeremie struggles with the balance of Lyoko and the real world, forgetting about his parents to the point they drive to Kadic for a wellness check.  

Odd develops a secret crush on Aelita as time gets closer to materializing her.

The warriors learn about Ulrich’s estranged relationship with his family when Kadic hosts a Family Day. Ulrich is the only one from the group to not have a family member visit.

Mr. & Mrs. Ishiyama has sympathy towards Ulrich and wants to know what goes on with him in his schooling like a parent, even advising on how to help his grades.

Two of Odd’s sisters, Adele and Pauline, come for Family Day.

Sissi doesn’t leave Ulrich alone until it makes Victoria dump Ulrich towards the end of the season.

Yumi is a shoulder for Ulrich to lean on.

When Aelita is finally materialized and done safely with her ability to attend school in S2, Yumi can see Odd’s crush but promises to keep it between them.

Season 2

2x01

On Aelita’s first day enrolled in Kadic Academy for the spring semester, she is linked to Ulrich’s cousin instead of Odd’s.

As everyone comes back from winter vacation, Ulrich notices a new student in Yumi’s class named William.

Hearing from Odd through the grapevine of William, Ulrich isn’t a fan right away especially seeing how close William appears when speaking to Yumi.

Ulrich tries to not be jealous but can’t help it as Yumi seems to be enjoying herself when speaking to William.

Viktoria talks to Ulrich again to catch up, making Yumi internally jump to conclusions.

While in class, Odd asks Aelita to join him to take Kiwi out during lunch.

This confuses Ulrich & (especially) Jeremie, but Aelita agrees to have a breath of fresh air.

During lunch, Yumi introduces William to Ulrich and Jeremie but asks where Odd and Aelita are.

William jokes about Odd and Aelita being a secret couple.

Jeremie doesn’t find this funny and storms to the library.

Ulrich takes this as William being a rude person, a green light to being vocal on his dislike towards him, then follows Jeremie to the library.

Yumi doesn’t appreciate Ulrich’s attitude, following William for lunch.

Aelita and Odd come across an abandoned house called “The Hermitage” and enter the forest.

Aelita feels intense deja vu, suddenly having unknown flashbacks in the building.

Odd finds the place creepy, especially when discovering what looks like a little girl’s room.

Xana. Return to the past. Yumi and Ulrich reunite on a bench during the lunch period.

Yumi tells Ulrich about Odd’s crush on Aelita

Ulrich is surprised but also should’ve seen it coming after thinking

She understands Ulrich’s coldness towards William after the comment.

Ulrich says he’ll be better at biting his tongue and won’t tell Jeremie about Odd’s crush.

Aelita is back in the forest alone, standing in front of The Hermitage.

Keynotes for S2 storyline

Aelita is determined to discover her connection to The Hermitage with or without Jeremie’s help.

Aelita has been rewarded a scholarship to attend Kadic Academy.

William’s backstory of hot-headed comes more to light, specifically with Ulrich in physical activities.

Ulrich tries his best to not let William get the best of him, knowing it will blow up in his face if he does.

Yumi struggles with feeling homesick & out of place from being far away from Japan.

Sissi tries to mess with Yumi’s head about Ulrich and Aelita’s about Jeremie.

Viktoria tries to be friends with Yumi but can’t due to Sissi’s words.

Odd learns to become more mature to better himself after events blow in his face with Aelita.

Aelita is trying her best to be oblivious to Odd’s feelings as she has never been in this situation.

Odd actually does give something to Aelita for Valentine’s Day

Ulrich gives Yumi a necklace

Yumi helps give Aelita as much advice as possible, knowing she is also in the same boat since William came to Kadic.

Ulrich gives Odd advice to back off Aelita because he knows how much Jeremie likes her.

Jeremie finds all of Aelita’s personal information on Franz Hopper’s CDs.

When Odd tries to move on from Aelita, he ends up making regressing back to immaturity with girls as a ‘casanova.’

Xana takes control of the ‘return to the past’ program, causing the gang not to use it in S2.

Jeremie teaches Ulrich how to use the supercomputer first in simple terms for basic things.

Ulrich’s father surprises Ulrich and meets his friends, showing a strong dislike for Yumi, which causes a stronger refit between the two.

Odd tells Jeremie his feelings for Aelita after her almost dying on Lyoko.

There is ambiguity on what Jeremie does with this information.

When it is the end of the year & time for everyone to go home, Aelita stays with Yumi for the over month-long summer break.

Viktoria tells Ulrich she isn’t coming back to Kadic after this year. She also tells Ulrich to go for it with Yumi.

Ulrich decides to spend most of the break with Jeremie in France instead of going back to Germany.

Season 3

3x01

The Warriors come back to Kadic from their summer break, where luckily, Xana hasn’t done anything to harm Earth. A note Aelita takes as Xana, knowing they were apart without a trace.

The Warrior’s all meet in the courtyard as they wait for their new class schedules.

During the break, Jeremie reprogrammed the Return To The Past and added new programs to the supercomputer.  

A new additive is Odd, gaining unlimited laser arrows and flexibility similar to a cat.

Jeremie asks Odd if they could speak in private, going to a bench away from the others.

The two talk about their mutual crush on Aelita and promise to not let it get between them as friends.

Jeremie asks if Odd really likes Aelita and is surprised to hear an honest, genuine response from him for once.

While everyone is waiting under the arches, William comes up at Yumi, eager to catch up after the break.

Ulrich remains distant to William after the constant back and forth, which William has no problem with.

Yumi can see the discomfort from Ulrich and excuses the two of them to another part of the campus.

Sissi catches Ulrich & Yumi holding hands ‘demands’ an explanation but doesn’t actually get one.

After returning back from the core of Lyoko, the talk about adding a fifth member is first brought up.

Keynotes for S3 storyline

Outfit changes for everyone to start the new school year.

Yumi changes her from black all around to a pink skirt, black tights, and a thin long sleeve skull top.

Aelita’s outfit is an updated version of what she was wearing when virtualized on Lyoko. A purple heart baby T-shirt with black shorts and pink tights plus lace-up boots.

Odd is lowkey with his acts of kindness to Aelita.

Ulrich’s mother, Emilia, comes to visit, where she catches Ulrich and Yumi together under a tree. Emilia doesn’t like Yumi right away.

Emilia and Ulrich argue about their distance as if it was only Ulrich who caused it.

Ulrich states how he’s the kid and shouldn’t be reaching out all the time to his parents.

Jeremie and Aelita show Yumi and Odd how to use the supercomputer after a mission where Jeremie cannot use it.

William is initiated as a Lyoko Warrior in the middle of the season.

Yumi is highly vocal against it the whole time because she doesn’t trust him.

Odd and Ulrich help train William to be a better fighter but notice his cocky attitude never changing even after a few Lyoko trips.

Aelita gains the power of foreshadowing instead of Odd getting it back.

Yumi is honest about her feelings to Ulrich after he doesn’t return at all from a mission.

He gets frozen in Xana’s dome.

They finally get together.

Ulrich teaches Hiroki and Johnny how to approach girls respectfully.

Aelita and Jeremie have growing tension from Jeremie’s repetitive stubborn overprotectiveness.

Odd and Aelita grow closer as they expand their creative passion for music.

Jeremie becomes jealous of Odd and Aelita spending time together only to make it worse with Aelita.

William takes Yumi and Ulrich’s new relationship way too hard. He becomes irresponsible when on Lyoko resulting in him getting caught by the Scyphozoa.

Aelita blames herself for William as she hazily saw the mission leading in that direction.

Season 4

4x01

Following Lyoko getting destroyed by Xana, the warriors are on high alert of anything on Earth.

Aelita is the one to find what Franz Hopper sent to the supercomputer to help reprogram Lyoko.

Jeremie and Aelita set up Sector Five and the forest sector first before other parts of Lyoko.

Jeremie improves Yumi’s telepathic ability and gives everyone super sprint instead of only Ulrich. (Aelita with flying)

When on Lyoko to find William, they see he can mimic what Jeremie programmed, such as

His version of flying like Aelita

Getting an over bike like Ulrich

Throw his sword like Yumi’s fans

William devirtualizes all of the warriors

The Warriors think of a plan to handle William the next day.

Yumi and Hiroki get into an argument about Yumi’s diary getting lost.

Hiroki stole it to give gossip for Milly but had it fallen out of his backpack.  

Ulrich tries to help find it, knowing his situation with Sissi last year.

Hiroki gets caught in a Xana trap that smacks him unconscious, causing Yumi to panic for her brother.

Yumi stays on Earth with her parents while the others go to Lyoko to deactivate the tower.

After the return to the past, Jeremie begins looking for a temporary solution for William’s absence.

Yumi, Ulrich, and Hiroki go out for ice cream as all is forgiven.

Yumi tells Ulrich she’ll one day show him what she wrote before they got together.

Ulrich promises to do the same.

Keynotes for S4 storyline

The William Clone is programmed to have adaptive sensors, making him somewhat normal to the unknown person.

Odd’s parents and older sister Marie come visit Odd to watch his short film.

Marie gives Odd advice for his love triangle dilemma.

When it is time for the week of Christmas break, the Warriors find a way to spend the holiday with Yumi to be all together.

Ulrich and Yumi almost break up from a misunderstanding by Xana disguising themselves as each other.

Xana-Ulrich creates an argument with Yumi while Xana-Yumi kisses another classmate.

Odd mischievously submits Aelita’s mix CD for the Subdigitals audition when she cannot make it.

Aelita is grateful to Odd when she is picked as a finalist.

Odd gets kicked out of the group for showing the new exchange student Brynja the factory.

Once back into the group (called on by Jeremie), Aelita and Odd get into an argument that lasts longer than any Yumi and Ulrich fight.

Jeremie is the mediator for Aelita and Odd, telling the two to be honest with each other.

Odd tells Aelita he likes her finally, and Aelita says she doesn’t know her feelings. Jeremie tells her it’s okay if she likes Odd back.

Aelita needs time to think, and the boys give her as much space as she needs.

Jeremie’s cousin Patrick enrolls at Kadic permanently, allowing the two to grow closer as family.

Patrick helps Jeremie come out of his shell a little bit, and in return, Jeremie tells Patrick about Lyoko.

Patrick promises to keep it a secret and thinks Lyoko is insane when sent to be part of ‘Return To The Past’.

William comes back a little bit before the last episode.

Yumi and William have a conversation where he apologizes for his actions on Lyoko and reacting horribly to her and Ulrich’s relationship.

William does a whole apology tour with the Warriors about his carelessness that led to getting trapped by Xana.

Odd and Ulrich are verbal about their distrust for William, especially to his face.

As Aelita finishes destroying Xana and comes back to Earth, Odd is the one to catch her as she cries for the loss of her father.

Series Finale

With Xana now destroyed thanks to the power of Franz Hopper’s sacrifice, the warriors must now turn off the supercomputer as there is no real purpose anymore. To Yumi’s surprise, the rest of the warriors are hesitant to turn it off. Yumi gets upset when everyone but her vote to not turn off the supercomputer and is quite confused by it.

Yumi distances herself from the rest of the group, not wanting to hear what their excuses are.

In an irritated voice due to Yumi being stubborn, Ulrich says he likes being a hero who feels unstoppable. He doesn’t get that feeling on Earth where he struggles in school with parents who are hardly present in his life.

Yumi says encouraging words about how Ulrich is a great person on Earth who cares for his friends and others.

Jeremi tells Patrick and Aelita how he is scared of turning back into a loner after shutting Lyoko off.

Patrick tells Jeremie he shouldn’t worry about that because the Warriors are all really close.

Aelita says they have a bond that can’t be broken even if they all live in different countries.

While in gym class, Aelita asks Odd why he didn’t want the supercomputer to be shut off.

Odd doesn’t want to turn it off then begin to miss it, but he knows it is for the best.

William tells Jeremie they need to shut the computer down after everything that’s happened bad to him.

Yumi apologizes for her stubbornness and hears out everyone's reasoning for not wanting to say goodbye to Lyoko yet.

Aelita talks to Odd about what they could be like in the future.

They never fully say out loud what happens, and there are no hard feelings from Jeremie.

One last hiccup from Sissi resulted in the last return to the past by Jeremie and Patrick. Aelita and Odd are sitting together on one bench while Yumi and Ulrich are under a tree.

[charredbrie]

Kurobas Valentine’s Day Event 2020 Day 1: MuraHimu

Decided to participate just because I feel inspired. Thank you so much @vanilla-daydreams and @theuglycrybaby for making this possible. So yeah for Day 1, I have decided to do my ultimate ship, MuraHimu. Also, thank you @tastytatsu for your support *cyber hug* <3

DAY 1 Prompt: Chocolates/I don’t remember having these many hickeys, but I don’t mind.

Summary: Atsushi is at lost on how to make Muro-chin happy this coming Valentines’ Day until a certain baked good catches his attention.

Word count: 3, 855 words

Rating: T

Atsushi is lost. Why, you ask? It’s because v-day is approaching fast and being in a relationship with the one and only pretty boy, Himuro Tatsuya is enough to make his knees go jello but he is totally lost on how to please him. He may appear to be a monster on the court but he must admit that he is at lost on how to make his Muro-chin happy. After all, he is in his first-ever relationship with a guy, and a pretty one at that (did I say it twice?). He has this gut feeling that once v-day comes, Muro-chin is gonna be swarmed with lots of delectable chocolates that he won’t even notice his. He sighs in defeat as he put his hands on his pockets. He is currently loitering around Yosen’s hallway after class, trying to think of something to do. He knows that Muro-chin doesn’t really like sweets so giving him a chocolate bar or any sweet confectionaries is out of the picture. And now, he is more than reduced to aid in his dilemma. 

He has seen his sister make a big fuss about v-day and chocolates for his boyfriend but is it normal for him to make a fuss though? He cringes at the thought. He isn’t a girl to give out chocolates. He is standing at 208 cm for goodness’ sake. But at the same time, he wants to do something for Muro-chin since he knows that the boy loves spoiling and indulging him a lot. He isn’t stupid per se, he just doesn’t want to think about unnecessary things and he is just lazy to exert any effort or energy to every single stuff that doesn’t concern him. And he knows that Muro-chin’s effort means a lot to him so for the first time in his life, he actually wants to do something for the boy. He tries to think of more options. He has seen Sachin’s hand made a scarf for Kuro-chin’s birthday way back when the Kisekis has their meet up. He tries to weigh his option of doing that but actually gives up on the thought knowing that v-day is gonna be in a week and there’s no way in hell he can finish that.

And thus, out of options, he clutches his hair in frustration and just decides to go to the convenience store and grab more snacks. His brain cells are burning him alive and he’d rather eat more snacks than pass out because of damaged brain cells.

Upon arriving at the convenience store, Atsushi wastes no time to grab all his favorites and place them on the basket hanging on his right arm. He passes by the magazine stand and browses from magazine to magazine thinking that it might give him some good ideas until his purple irises catch one particular article.

‘Hm, interesting. It’s a pain to do this but whatever.’

He carefully reads the article and an idea had struck him like thunder. He grabs the magazine and goes straight to the counter to pay for everything. He then proceeds to the nearest grocery store to purchase the stuff that he will need to practice on but not before fishing out his phone to send a text to his older brother. He needs a hand to obtain something that underage kids can’t.

                                                           -x-

February 14th, Friday. The day has finally arrived and Atsushi couldn’t be more excited because he has perfected this particular recipe that catches his attention after several attempts of learning it. He gets a little bit guilty because these past few days, whenever Muro-chin wants to do something together, he has usually declined it for the sole purpose of practicing his baking skills. He doesn’t want to look at the rejected face of his pretty boy because he knows he’s weak and he will just give in to him and in the end, he can’t make any preparations. And thus, he steels his resolve just to this day. After all, he is doing this for the sole purpose of surprising and making Muro-chin happy.

He wakes up really early to prepare for it since it will also be good for breakfast and Atsushi has put into mind that if he’s gonna join the battle called V-day, it might as well attack early. At least he knows that whatever comes after it, it will be pretty bland for Muro-chin compared to what he has to offer. He hates losing after all.

Silently, he tries to tiptoe and moves carefully as possible so he won’t wake Muro-chin who is sleeping peacefully on the other bed. He bends underneath his bed and reaches out for the package that he has received yesterday from his brother. Slowly, he slips off the room and proceeds to the dorm kitchen and starts his work, starting with pre-heating the oven to 165 F.

He is going to do Kaiserschmarrn - an Austrian dessert that is meant to be destroyed into bite-sized pieces but he decides that it should be good for breakfast in bed because it is just actually a pancake with some complicated baking. He gathers his purple locks into a small ponytail first and takes Muro-chin’s light blue apron with a seahorse print, he then proceeds to work. He needs ten eggs, the whites should be separated from the yolks. One by one, he starts breaking and separating it. He puts the egg whites in the fridge since he learns by now after practicing that egg whites are better whipped when cold. He measures the flour and baking powder and dumps all of them in a bowl. He takes the yolks and whisks it and then mixes in the sugar and heavy cream. He goes to his package that his brother has sent him and pulls out a bottle of Contreu (orange liquor) and rum. Thank goodness for his brother who is always been supportive of him that he has his hands on this adult stuff. The recipe only calls for a shot of both liquors but Atsushi decided to put thrice the amount because he just assumes that Muro-chin likes alcohol since he is from America.

After all the wet ingredients are mixed and done, he takes an orange and zests the skin directly to the wet ingredients bowl. The moment he catches a strong whiff of the orange aroma, he stops zesting and just eats the rest of the orange. He folds the dry ingredients to the wet ones and sets it aside afraid that he might overfold it again, he takes out the egg whites adding half teaspoon of sugar one at the time and starts whipping it until it reaches the stiff peak stage. He folds the finished mixture again with the egg whites in three parts while throwing in the rum-soaked raisins in the last part that is once again, from his brother’s package,  as not to over mix it because it will just result to a stiff cake.

When he is finally done with the batter he carefully mixes, he takes out a big nonstick pan, opens the stove and melts the half stick of butter that he has. He pours all the batter in there and waits for the bottom to cook a little bit before putting it in the oven. He sets the timer for 30 minutes. And thus, while waiting for it to bake, he checks his plum jam in the fridge that he has concocted yesterday and tastes it again. Feeling satisfied with the taste, he then pulls out his own milk chocolate bar and meticulously melts the chocolate in a bain-marie and adds a little bit of heavy cream to make a ganache because it will be used for dipping purposes together with the plum jam.

Deciding to kill time while waiting for the Kaiserschmarrn to finish, he cleans the kitchen and washes all the baking utensils that he has used. As he is putting everything away, he hears the timer and sets the oven temperature again to 200 F to get the browning that he desires and sets the timer for another 8 minutes. As the final preparation is coming to an end, he starts to whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks as well as caramelizing the sugar with melted butter for the final touch. And since Muro-chin loves his morning coffee so much, he brews some too.

Finally, after his painful minutes of waiting, Atsushi finally hears the timer and happily pulls out the baked goods all the while filling the kitchen with a delectable smell and starts to rip it into bite-sized pieces and pours the mixture of the caramelized sugar and butter on top of it. He tastes it and he feels proud that he actually pulls this off really well and he actually can taste the rum and the Contreu a little too much but all in all, he can say that it is a success.

Delicately, he arranges it prettily on a circular white plate together with the chocolate ganache and the plum jam in little saucers as he puts the freshly whipped cream on the side diagonally the dips and finishes it with assorted berries for more color appeal. Feeling satisfied with work, Atsushi pours the coffee into Muro-chin’s own mug and sets it on the tray together with the Kaiserschmarrn. He takes a photo of his plating and he makes sure that he gets all his alcohol to put back in his room or else he will get in trouble with his dorm head.

I hope Muro-chin appreciates this because I woke up too early just for this! He silently thinks. But whatever, he feels satisfied by everything.

                                                          -x-

Atsushi carefully opens their room while struggling just because he is also carrying the package underneath the tray. Slowly, he walks going to their center table and puts the tray on top of it then pushes back the box underneath his bed. He looks at his phone and sees that it is already 6:30 in the morning. He opens the blinds to let the morning light seep through their room with the intention of waking Muro-chin up. A few seconds after, the said boy shuffles on his bed and tries to wake up probably not because of the morning light but the sweet scent of the baked goodie, as well as the coffee, is wafting all over their room. He sees Muro-chin trying to stretch underneath his blanket and looks upon him with his exposed eye. He yawns when he greets him with a sweet smile.

‘’Morning, Atsushi. Happy Valentines Day. You’re awake pretty early.”

He forces out a smile as once again, he finds himself drowning on that smile of his. Probably also for a fact that he’s quite nervous about Muro-chin’s reaction whether or not he will like what he has to offer. He is rooted in his position by the window as he is still lost for words. When Muro-chin sits up, that’s when his exposed eye widens, meaning he finally sees what is on the center table. The pretty boy looks at the table then to him and vice versa again. Suddenly, he gets startled when he feels Muro-chin’s weight on him as he attacks him with an embrace. He looks down on him awkwardly as he hears the boy mutters his thanks. Muro-chin lets go of his body as he looks up to him, happiness is obviously oozing out of his face and that makes Atsushi calm.

“You did this for me, Atsushi?”

He blushes as he scratches the back of his head all the while avoiding the pretty boy’s gaze. “Yeah...”

The pretty boy chuckles as he takes his hand and leads him towards their center table and motions him to sit. However, instead of Muro-chin sitting opposite him, he sits on his lap and he’s not at all complaining. He looks at him with hopeful eyes and asks “Can I start digging in? Because the sweet smell is making it hard to resist.”

He nods and says, “It’s for you, Muro-chin. Happy Valentines Day.”

He receives a kiss on his cheek as Muro-chin starts eating. On his first piece, he puts the plum jam and some whipped cream on top. He closes his eyes whilst savoring the taste. When he opens his eyes, he looks at him with a newfound respect for his baking skills.

“This is so good! What is this?”

“Kaiserschmarrn or Emperor’s Mess. It’s an Austrian dessert. Though the chocolate is actually not included in the original recipe, I just added it since it’s Valentines'.”

Atsushi watches, feeling proud and satisfied, as Muro-chin takes bite after bite, alternating between the plum jam and the chocolate ganache as his accompany for his Kaiserschmarrn. He sips his coffee happily too and watching him, it makes Atsushi feel all warm inside knowing that someone actually appreciates his effort because believe it or not, though the pretty boy is not really into sweet stuff, he almost finishes the pancake. He suddenly gets pulled out of his thoughts when he sees Muro-chin lifting up his fork going to his mouth loaded with the pancake and the chocolate ganache almost covering the entirety of it. He happily opens his mouth and waits for the food to reach his cavern since he especially likes it when Muro-chin feeds him. But the next action after the food reaches his mouth startles him.

Muro-chin suddenly attacks his mouth with a kiss. A few seconds of freezing on his spot does nothing because of the fact his pretty boy is enthusiastically kissing him as if there’s no tomorrow with his arms wrapped around his shoulders. Languidly, they let go of each other to gasp some much-needed air and he gazes on Muro-chin’s face, his exposed eye is glassy and he feels like his pupil is dilated and his face is all red. Not the red when he blushes but something else. Atsushi tilts his head in question on his state but he can’t deny that he looks so alluring right now and his little Atsushi can’t help but react.

“M-Muro-chin, are you alright?”

The guy in question just purrs as he bites his lower lip in a very sensual way that Atsushi has never seen before.

“A-Atsushi, I feel funny.”

“W-Why do yo-“, his eyes suddenly widen in recognition as it hits him. Ah, the alcohol. He panics a little as he fusses over the pretty boy and carefully stands up with him on his arms as he gently lays him on his bed. He bends down to plant a kiss on his forehead before he decides that he can get some rest but unfortunately, he is pulled down on top of Muro-chin with his hand supporting his weight as not to crush the fragile boy underneath him.

“Ne, Atsushi...” Muro-chin calls him seductively. “Since it’s Valentines', we can start early...I know a good way to use whipped cream and chocolate.” He mischievously grins at him and Atsushi gulps thickly but not in fear. Hell no. Muro-chin might be smaller than him but he is actually worried about his virtue. When the smaller boy pulls him closer to lean in for a kiss, Atsushi has resigned to his fate.

                                                           -x-

So in the end, they both miss their classes because after they do the dirty deed, Muro-chin actually passes out and Atsushi comes to a conclusion. He has gotten Muro-chin drunk. Should I be worried? It’s not at all surprising because he has added like three shots each of those alcohol plus throws in the fact that the raisins are rum-soaked. He looks at the smaller boy who is sleeping peacefully with a happy expression while clinging into him. He actually wants to get out of his arms and take a shower because he feels really sticky right now. They mess with the chocolate ganache and the whipped cream a little bit too much. He takes his phone on their shared bedside table and types his message for Masako-chin that they will not be attending the morning practice and classes because Muro-chin is not feeling well and that he will look after him. As he hits the send button, he puts his phone back where it belongs. Sighing in defeat, Atsushi just leans into Muro-chin’s hair and smells it for comfort as his lids get heavy.

                                                         -x-

Himuro suddenly jerks awake no thanks to his phone vibrating. His head is pounding as well as his lower back is so sore. While trying to make himself fully awake, he feels a warm body embracing him tightly. He smiles as he runs his free hand on Atsushi’s purple locks. He must admit that this is the best Valentines' Day ever. To think that his big, lazy baby actually bakes something for him is enough to make his heart do somersaults. Atsushi can be overly adorable when he wants to. Cautiously, he tries to remove himself from Atsushi’s clutch and tries to sit up from the bed. He can still feel the constant pounding of his head but tries to ignore it because the continuous vibrating of his phone is annoying him more. Reaching for his phone, he sees that caller id and panics a little because it is Araki-kantoku who is calling him. Composing himself, he tries to answer the call as normal as possible.

“Hello, Araki-kantoku?”

“Himuro!!!!” He automatically moves his phone away from his ear to save himself from getting deaf. He cringes as he can see that the coach is really mad.

“Where the hell are you and Murasakibara?! We’ve been trying to reach you for a while now. He sent me a message earlier that you both are skipping practice and classes. Are you feeling better?”

He whips his head at Atsushi to see that he is already waking up because of all the noise that Araki-kantoku is making. The big baby looks at him with his adorable purple irises as he reaches his hand to his purple locks and pats him.

“Sorry, coach. We are in our dorm room. We fell asleep. I feel a bit better now. We’ll come to practice and school tomorrow.”

“Why is Murasakibara skipping practice and school when he’s not sick?”

Himuro tries to rack his brain with an excuse to save Atsushi from the coach’s wrath. “A-Ah, he has colds...I spread my virus on him. So I told him not to come to school and practice too as not to spread it more.” Fuck Tatsuya, what a lame excuse. He chides himself.

He sighs in relief when he feels that the coach accepts his excuse. “Okay, I’ll double your training when you guys get better. Take care both of you.”

“Thank you.”

He ends the call as he puts back his phone on its initial place and faces Atsushi.

“So,” he starts, “...what did you put in the dessert Atsushi?”

The big baby sinks himself deeper into the blanket and mumbles incoherently.

“I can’t hear you.”

“Rum and orange liquor.”

“Atsushi....” The purple head pokes his head from the blanket so he can finally meet his gaze but Atsushi being himself, he averts his gaze like a child getting caught for something.

“I thought Muro-chin is a strong drinker since you told me before that you drink some of your Dad’s beer back in America. But the recipe actually calls for a shot of each, I just added a bit more.”

Oh. That’s why. He might be from America but he can only handle a beer or two and not strong liquor like rum. He thinks for a bit.

“Wait a minute, how did you even get that alcohol?”

“My big brother helped me. He sent me a package containing that.”

Okay. There’s no way in hell that Atsushi can get his hands on those by himself. He might be too tall for his age but he is still a high schooler. He sighs in defeat. True, it’s not good to miss classes and basketball practice because of something stupid as getting drunk but he can’t find himself getting pissed off at Atsushi, he can never will. He loves his big baby too much. Plus, his effort of making him something out of his comfort zone, it really touches him deeply. Deciding that he’ll let the big baby slide today, he tries to stand up but to his horror, he jerks back to the bed because his lower back is hurting too much. Just how much did Atsushi pound on me for me to feel like this? Sensing his uncomfortable state, Atsushi sits up on the bed and helps him.

“Are you okay, Muro-chin?”

“Ah, yeah. My lower back hurts. Just how much did we do? I don’t really remember much.”

Atsushi smiles lazily at him and says, “Three.”

Himuro gapes at him, “Three times?”

“Uh, yeah. You were insisting to do more.”

He blushes out of embarrassment as he facepalms all the while avoiding looking at Atsushi. He nervously let out a chuckle, “..I..did that..?”

Atsushi looks at him mischievously as he stands up and walks towards their bathroom in all his naked glory. He halts his steps as he looks back at him and utters with his mischievous grin still present on his face, “Yeah. It’s okay Muro-chin, I enjoyed it as well. Do you want to take a shower now? I feel sticky all over. Muro-chin really enjoyed playing with the whipped cream and the chocolate ganache. Don’t you feel sticky too?”

And with that, Himuro is left alone contemplating what his sweet and innocent Atsushi has said. It gives him the shock of his life and reduces his life span for 16 years that he is actually the one who has tainted his big baby unintentionally.

Omake

When it is Himuro’s turn to take a shower, he gets the shock of his life when he looks at the mirror. Hurriedly, he opens the bathroom door only to see the big baby sitting on his bed while eating his maiubo.

“At-Atsushi!!!!”

The big baby looks at him with wonder as he struts in front of him with heavy steps.

“I don’t remember having these many hickeys!”

“Eh? But Muro-chin you said that I should bite you the way I bite on my snac-“, he doesn’t let him finish as he smacks him with next available thing his hand can reach - a pillow.

“Really, Atsushi. You are really unbelievable.”

“Eh? Why me? It should be you.”

He clicks his tongue in annoyance but leans on Atsushi and gives him a sweet kiss. “But I don’t mind. It’s the best Valentines' Day ever. You made me happy. I love you, Atsushi.”

The big baby gives him a genuine smile and said, “Love you too, Muro-chin. I win though.”

“Win?”

“I get to keep you all by myself for today unlike last year, girls were flocking all over you.”

He just chuckles at his boyfriend’s childishness. Really, there is never a dull moment when your other half is one Murasakibara Atsushi.  

NOTES: Kaiserschmarrn is a traditional Austrian dessert. The one in this story is the traditional recipe based on what my co-chef from Austria has taught me. It usually comes with a plum jam minus the chocolate ganache. I just included it here since the prompt is chocolate. And yeah, knowing that this recipe is full of alcohol, I just decided to use this with a poor attempt on humor. *don’t kill me please*

Thanks for reading! <3

Also, you can read it now on Ao3

[anagentinwriting]

Subscribe - Part 5

Summary: (Modern AU) Peter was your college sweetheart until a certain event led to your break up. Seven years later another event brings you two back together, but this time a little girl is in the picture. Will listening to your podcasts be the reason you two get back together or be another reason to keep you apart?

Pairing: Peter Quill x Reader

Word Count: 3833

Warnings: Language, heights, fluff, angst

Subscribe Masterlist / Main Masterlist

AN: Don’t want this to get confusing, but the podcast is in italics and the flashback is indented and in italics. I am hoping the indention works on all platforms. Fingers crossed!

_______

Peter sat in the pickup zone waiting for Meredith to get out of school. Its been seven days since your accident, and you still haven’t woken up. It was making him anxious, and he started thinking about the worst what if situations. What if you didn’t wake up? What if Meredith lost her mother? What if you did wake up, but you didn’t want him around Meredith anymore? It was hard not to think about every worst-case scenario with each passing day. Peter’s thoughts were interrupted when Mer opened the back door and crawled inside. 

“Hey, Twig. How was your spelling test?”

“Daddy, you won’t believe it!” She handed him the test in her hand. “I got 100%.”

“That’s my girl,” he grinned, giving her a high five. “This calls for a celebratory toy, what do you say?”

“Yeaaahhh,” she yelled, pumping her fist in the air.

Peter and Mer went to the toy shop near Walkman Records. It had all kinds of vintage toys as well as the new hottest toys. After much deliberation, Mer picked out an action figure made of rocks. Peter told her to call him Korg, and she was sold on the name and decided to get him. She hugged Korg to her chest as they check out and went back to the studio. 

After dropping Mer off at Gamora’s, he didn’t feel like going home just yet. He didn’t want to go back to his empty, quiet apartment. He used to love the peace and quiet, but now it didn’t feel like home without Meredith. He drove around aimlessly before pulling into a local grocery store parking lot. He turned on his Bluetooth and clicked on Everyday's a Monday episode #29. He turned up the volume as he reclined his seat, staring at the roof of his jeep.

“Happy Valentine’s Day or to some Happy Singles Awareness Day! Yay! Today we have Steve Rogers in the studio. He’s a stay at home dad here to talk about his family life and how he manages it all. We will also hear about his Valentine’s Day plans and may hear a thing or two about the mysterious Star-lord if we’re lucky. Q the tunes.”

Peter clicked pause. “Wait, Steve Rogers? Steve Rogers as in Bucky’s best buddy? Did Bucky know about YN? Did he know YN had a child?” He shook his head, pressing play.

“Thank you for joining us today, Steve. How have you been doing?”

“I’ve been good. How are your twins?”

“Trouble makers if I’m being honest.” They both laughed.

“You have a son and daughter correct?”

“Yes. Grant is eight years old, and he wants his way all the time. But, Jamie, our 4 years old, is a complete sweetheart. Peggy says Jamie is like me while Grant is like her.”

“Isn’t that the truth.”

“It is. I feel like children always take after one of their parent's personalities.”

“I couldn’t agree more. Let's talk fatherhood, many fathers would rather work than stay at home all day, but how do you like it?” Wanda inquired.

“I love it. I never found a job that suited me as well as being a stay at home dad has. I ain't ashamed to admit that Peggy is the real breadwinner in our household. She’s a brilliant successful CEO of a mega-corporation, and I couldn’t be more proud of her.” 

“Way to speak the truth, Steve. Not many men would ever say that so kudos to you,” Wanda praised. “What is your typical day like?”

“I wake up to work out at around 5 am, which helps me get ready for the day. By the time I get back home and freshen up, Peggy is up and helping the kids get ready. Jamie goes to morning preschool but likes to watch her big brother go to the big kid school as she calls it. She's excited to start kindergarten and go to the big kid school next year because she says all the kids at preschool are babies.” 

"OMG, that’s adorable,” Wanda cooed. 

“Peggy goes to work around 730 am, and I run the kids to school. I tend to run errands at this point or run home to clean up the house a bit if it’s needed. Around eleven, I pick up Jamie from preschool, and we go do a fun community event if there is one going on. If not, we hang out at home together. It must be where she leans towards my personality,” he chuckled. “Once 3 pm comes around, we pick up Grant from the big kid school. I help him with his homework and then get dinner ready for when Peggy gets home. She makes sure she gets time with the kids before bedtime, and once they're in bed, we spend time together.”

“What do you and Peggy do to get away from the kids?”

“We have a sitter who watches them a few times a week so we can go out and have ‘adult time’ as the parents like to call it. We go out to dinner, see a movie, or meet up with some friends.”

“Sounds like a great system because finding time to spend together is the toughest part,” Wanda added. “We decided to test out something new this week, which involved asking our listeners to give us questions to ask our upcoming guest, and you all didn’t disappoint. YN and I were able to narrow down the questions, and we're excited to hear the answers.”

“Hi everyone, it feels weird joining this early,” you commented. “Our first question comes from Mary Parker, who asks, how do you deal with your children’s bullies?”

“I don’t like bullies, and I’m the worst person to take bully advice from. When I was younger, I was the small sickly kid in class who got made fun of a lot. I always stood up for myself, which led to me getting the crap kicked out of me, but my best friend was always there to save my butt.  Now, I get made fun of for being a stay at home dad. People accuse me of not being a real man, and I hate it. I love watching my kids grow up a little more each day and spending all day with them. It’s a rewarding experience.” 

“You’re a real man, Steve Rogers. Not many men would admit they enjoy staying home and spending time with your kids,” Wanda applauded, and YN cheered along. "I, too, got bullied as a kid. When I first started school in America, I had his thick Sokovian accent, and I got made fun of for it. Both my brother and I did, but my brother was better at ignoring it than me. I wanted to blend in and be like everyone else, so I started talking without it, and eventually, my accent went away. Now it only comes out when I’m angry or frustrated.”

“I can relate to that, too. Not to get personal in my life, but I mean Mer has come home from school crying some days, especially when there's a father-daughter dance happening at school. Kids tell her things like her dad never loved her, doesn't like her, or that he left to get away from her. Shes come home crying more than once, and all I can tell her is to ignore them, but it takes a toll on her. Kids can be the worst.”

Peter paused the episode and reclines his seat back up.  He rubbed his hands down his face, scratching at his growing scruff.  This was hard to hear because Meredith seemed like such a happy little girl it was hard to imagine her this upset. It wasn’t his fault because he didn’t even know about her, but it still felt like he was to blame. If only he wasn’t the jackass that ruined everything, maybe things could have turned out different. Peter clicked play to resume the episode.

“It does take a toll, but as she gets older she’ll get to the point where their words won’t affect how she views herself or her family,” Steve reassured. 

“Are you like an inspirational speaker or something?” You questioned, earning nothing but a breathy laugh from Steve. “I agree with you. Mer’s a tough girl, but it helps she has two great best friends in Wanda’s sons, Tommy and William.”

“I had a great friend growing up, too.  He’s still my best friend to this day. You always know you have a real friend when they’ll be there with you till the end of the line.”

“Couldn’t have said it better myself. How about we move on to the next question?” Wanda said. “Since YN has stepped out for a moment, this is from Maria Rambeau: As a guy, do you listen to this podcast?”

“Yes, I do,” he chuckled. “It's very educational. I’ve learned a lot, and I encourage more men to listen because they will get a better understanding of what happens to the female body during pregnancy. They also share helpful tips and tricks that could make raising your children a whole lot easier.”

“Perfect answer, Steve. Shout out to the guys listening to this podcast. It’s an educational experience, and your wife, husband, girlfriend, or partner will love you for it. Moving on, this question is from Laura Barton: With it being Valentine's Day, when was the first time you told your wife you loved her? Or who said it first?”

“I said it first, and we were dating for about two months at the time. I know it sounds soon but when you know...you know. I planned the perfect day, but nothing I planned was turning out right.  I took her out horseback riding, planning on telling her but then it started raining, so we had to rush back in. Then when we went out to eat at this fancy restaurant, the fire alarm went off. I wanted the day to be over, but then Peggy pointed to the diner across the street. We got there and ordered our food; burger and fries. She was telling me a story, and an idea popped into my head. As she was talking, I used my fries to spell out an I, a heart, and the letter U. She was still talking, but when I turned the plate around she stopped and stared at the plate with a confused look on her face. Then I said, ‘I love you, Pegs.’ She smiled at me and said it right back. The waitress came over and offered us free dessert because they found it adorable. Now we go there every chance we get.”

"Steve is blushing hardcore right now. I think he may be getting even redder after I said that,” Wanda awed. “What an adorable story though my heart is sweating for you and Peggy. Wish I could say the same for YN, but she's rolling her eyes and talking on the phone. It’s like that work call is more important than her job. I mean, doesn’t our employer understand what the red ‘on air’ light means outside this room. Okay, that made no sense once I said it.” Steve let out a soft chuckled.  “Oh, YN, listen to this one, it says I should interview you about your man one week. That's a great idea, Karen, but I don’t think she’d let that fly. She would rather hang out behind the glass, but one day, I may convince her. One day. Oh look, she is hanging up the phone and coming back into the room. I have my own question for you, Steve. What do you think of the Star-Lord series?”

"I do enjoy listening to it. From what you have mentioned about him, he did care about you. But, I don’t know the whole story, none of us do. I look forward to finding out more about him, but it's your call on what you share with us. Although, if I may, I do have a question for YN.”

“What is your question?” you asked with sarcasm dripping in your voice.

“I am taking this question for Laura Barton. With it being Valentine's Day, when was the first time you two said you loved each other? Or better yet, who said it first?”

“Thanks, Laura, I appreciate you helping the guests with questions. For all I know, Wanda prompted Steve to ask this.”

“You will never know,” Wanda said in a spooky voice, making Steve chuckle.

“Okay, um...funny story,” you laughed. “We went to the local winter carnival, which seems super cliche, but that’s how it happened. I mean, did you hear Steve’s story, super cheesy. No offense,” you paused, taking a deep breath. “We were dating for about six months…

“Come on, let's go on the ferris wheel,” you begged. “Then we’ll be able to see everything.”

“Do we have too?”

“What are you scared of heights?” You teased him, turning to him with a pouty lip. 

“Sweetheart, I ain't scared of anything,” he smirked, pulling you into his arms.

“We both know that’s a lie.” You patted his chest. “Come on.” You grabbed his gloved hand, pulling him towards the ferris wheel to stand in line.  Once it was their turn, they hopped onto the seat and put the safety bar across them. He grabbed your hand and squeezed it, flashing you his cocky smile. You watched the world below you get smaller as the ferris wheel took you higher and higher until it stopped at the top.

“Wow, this is amazing. I told you we could see everything from up here.” Your eyes scanned the horizon seeing the city and the carnival lights below you. 

“Yeah, you’re amazing.” You nudged him in the side as you mouth spread into a warm smile. He seemed a little on edge. More than usual. His mouth opened and closed a couple of times like he wanted to add something, but couldn’t find the right words. He kept glancing at you and then would look away. His brow was sweating, and his leg was bouncing everywhere.

“Why do you look so nervous? Are you feeling okay?” You squeezed his hand, staring at him with furrowed brows. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I'm--I'm fine,” he stuttered, clearing his throat. “All good. Never better." He nodded as rubbed his lips together. "Actually--actually now that you mentioned it,” He gulped, wiping the sweat from his brow.

“What is it? You know you can tell me anything.”

“I know, it's just um I'm--I’m falling in love with you. You don't have to...” You leaned over, planting a kiss on his lips to shut him up. 

You pulled away and rested your forehead against his. “I love you, too,” you whispered, bringing a childlike grin to his lips. 

He pulled out his flip phone from his pocket. “Smile, sweetheart.” You lean closer into his side, smiling at each other as he snapped the picture. When he turned his phone around to get a better look at it. It slipped out of his gloved hand and fell to the ground.

“Dammit, I had a year contract left on that phone,” he whined, staring down at the ground.

“We'll look for it when we're done,” you chuckled, patting his leg. “Let's hope your case helped it survive the fall.”

“I don’t need it. You’re all I need right now.”

“We did end up finding the phone after looking for a half hour. It didn’t work, but luckily his SD card survived the fall. It saved all his pictures, including the one we took before it slipped from his hand. It’s actually one of my favorites.”  

“I’m not surprised he said it first or that he was a nervous wreck to get the words out,” Steve confessed. “We tend to make fools of ourselves for those we really care about.” 

“Aww…I have never met him, but he sure knows how to romance a lady. Wish my husband would do something like that,” Wanda sighed. “I’m kidding, Vis is a huge romantic.”

“According to this sheet in front of me,” Steve read. “Frigga says: She loves hearing your stories about Star-lord. It’s one of her favorite things about this podcast.”

“Thanks a lot, Frigga,” Wanda complained, feigning hurt in her voice. “Just kidding, it’s one of my favorite parts, too. YN never says anything about Star-Lord when we hang out together. Every time she shares something, it's my first time hearing it, too.”

“Do you think he ever wonders what you’re doing now?” Steve asked with a curious voice. “Or if he has ever looked you up and saw you have a daughter and wondered if she was his?”

“I don’t know, I guess it never crossed my mind. The last I looked him up, his company got this big break, and he was becoming successful in his career.  Besides, he has more important things on his mind than the woman he used to date in college.” 

“You might have a point there.”

“Whoa! Things just took a serious turn, but how about we lighten up our Valentine’s Day edition with one more question, even though YN is giving me the stink eye. This one comes from Ramonda: What are some ways your partner shows he/she loves you instead of saying it?"

“Hmmm…that’s a tough one. I don’t think I do anything, but maybe I do it and don’t notice it. Peggy always kisses me goodnight even if we're upset with one another. She never wants us to go to bed angry.”

“I can agree with that. Vis always wants to hold hands like we’re walking down the hall in high school,” Wanda giggled. “He also tries to make meals from Sokovia, but he always adds too much of one spice or adds the wrong spice. It’s like whenever he tries to make an effort to show he cares it makes me love him even more. How about you, YN? What did you and Star-Lord do?”

“We always did do this one thing. We started off saying I love you like every other couple, but then we started doing a motion, and the point got across without saying the words.”

“Of course, you two would have a secret love language. Why wouldn’t you!”

“Shut up, Wanda,” you scoffed. “I never noticed what we were doing until he pointed it out. I would always put my hand over his heart, and he would kiss my forehead. It became our way of saying I love you.” 

“Awww...that is too stinkin' cute." Wanda paused. "Anyways, thank you to Pear Organic Pouches for sponsoring this week’s episode. And don’t forget to surprise your lover as one Star-Lord would do.”

“Good god,” you blurted out. “Shit, did I say that out loud.”

“You did,” Wanda giggled. “Thanks to the real man, Steve Rogers, and I hope you all can join us for our next episode on Everyday's a Monday. Don’t forget to subscribe and tell your friends about us. Have a good week!”

“Are….you...fucking….kidding…..me?” Peter hit his steering wheel between words. Why didn’t Steve tell him he went on your podcast two years ago? Why didn’t anyone tell him you had a kid? Did Bucky know about this? Did he know about Meredith before this all happened? Did Nat? Was he the only one that didn’t know the truth? Fed up with the unanswered questions, he drove to Bucky and Nat's house and banged on the door.

“Hey man, it’s late. What are you doing here? ” Bucky questioned, opening the front door and took in his appearance. “Whoa, you alright man?”

“Did you know?” Peter growled, clenching his jaw.  

“Know what, man? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Did you know YN had a kid before I found out?” Peter poked him in the chest, glaring at him. 

“Dude, why the hell would you think that?” Bucky snapped, narrowing his eyes at Peter.

“I listened to an episode on her podcast. Guess who was on it? Steve. As in Steve Rogers,” Peter shouted, shaking his head when Bucky didn’t answer. “Come on, man. Why didn’t you tell me?”

Bucky bit his lip as he tried to find the right words. “Okay…yes….fine, I knew she had a kid, but I didn’t know she was yours. Steve told me he was going on a podcast and mentioned YN’s name and about her having a kid. Dude, I thought she met a guy right after you, and I didn’t want to be the one to break your heart again because you’re still in love with her.” 

“What! Don’t be ridiculous? It’s been--it’s been seven years, those feelings are long gone.”

“BULLSHIT, QUILL,” Bucky piped up, poking him in the shoulder.  “You keep telling yourself that because we both know your lying. I bet when you walked into that hospital room and saw her everything you felt for her came rushing back.”

“Shut up, man. You don’t know what you're talking about.”  

“Yes, I do. I saw how much that relationship took a toll on you after it ended.” Peter shook his head, staring hard at the ground. “It did, man. It hurt you. You can deny it all you want, but it’s the truth.”

“Shut up, Buck.”

“No, because you need to hear this,” Bucky shouted, forcing Peter's head to snap up at his words. “You have missed YN ever since the break-up. Sure, you tried to find what you had with her in other girls but you couldn’t.  YN was the one for you, man,” Bucky added. “What I don’t understand is why you didn’t tell her the truth about what happened? I mean," Bucky sighed, shaking his head. "You didn’t--you didn't even chase after her or fight for her, man. You watched her walk away, and you regretted it.  Of course, you’re too stubborn to admit it to me or yourself, but when she stepped out of your life you lost the best thing that has ever happened to you”

“You’re wrong.”

“Am I though?” Bucky countered, waiting for a smart ass reply from Peter but got nothing.  “Ever since Mer has come into your life, I haven’t seen you this happy since you were dating YN. Ignore me, listen to me, I don’t care anymore, but I’ll see you tomorrow, Quill,” Bucky waved, closing the door between them.

Peter nodded, walking back to his jeep with his hands in his jacket pockets. He reached the driver's side door and stared at his reflection in the window.  Peter hated how Bucky was right about everything. He let you slip through his fingers without even trying to explain what happened. He watched you walk away and disappear into a crowd of people heartbroken because of him. He fucked up, and he did it all to himself. It's like every breakup song he has ever heard, person A doesn't know what they have until person B is gone. He missed how happy you made him feel every day he was with you. He just hoped there was still enough time for him to fix all the mistakes he made.

______

AN: This was a fun podcast to write because I thought of taking it so many different ways with Steve before I settled on this one. I knew right away that Steve was going to be a stay at home dad because let's be honest Peggy wouldn't stay home. Haha! We got another glimpse into the reader and Peter’s life together. Any ideas about what might have caused their breakup? What did you all think about Bucky’s bluntness and honesty when Peter showed up at his house? I think you always need that one honest friend in your life that will tell straight up; you fucked up. That's is the kind of relationship I wanted to show Bucky and Peter having, or at least that is what I was going for. Talk about a long ramble!! Comments always welcome and thanks for reading. Have a good day! 

[mattzerella-sticks]

I Like Who I Am, Do You? (a Dean/Cas Valentines Day fic, 5/5 chapters, 13k words)

Nearly a month after the events of "Lebanon", Dean has slowly but steadily been tearing down his walls. It's one thing to say he liked who he was, and another to live it. He's getting there, one day at a time. But with Valentine's Day around the corner, Dean wants to take his largest step yet by asking Cas out on a date.

With help from his family, can he do it? And will Cas say yes? Dean has a good feeling, but it's always a toss-up for a Winchester whenever the forecast calls for happiness.

Because Dean might like who he is, that doesn't mean Cas will. That's what makes it all the more nerve-wracking for him.

           Dean poured more sauce into the pan, pointedly ignoring the calendar hanging across the room. It had greeted Dean upon entry with blaring red circles over one of its many boxes. They weren’t there last he checked, so before doing anything else he stepped closer to investigate. What he found made his face burn the same bright color of the marker used. After that he forced his eyes away, always stopping himself before the calendar reached his line of sight again. It hadn’t helped that throughout the entirety of his time in the kitchen it sang a distracting melody, calling to him.

           Luckily, a distraction named Sam Winchester walked in. His heavy gait announced his arrival far before he turned the corner. When he did, Dean was already grinning his way. “Look who decided to wake up?”

           Sam yawned. “What’re you making?”

           “Meatball subs,” Dean told him. Sam shuffled by, humming thoughtfully. “Don’t worry though,” he continued, “I also have a salad chilling in the fridge for you. Consider it a thank you for ganking the vamp that almost got my flank.”

           He snorted. “You can thank me by helping yourself to some of it.”

           “…I’m not filled with that much gratitude, Sammy.”

           “Hey Dean? Did you do this?”

           Dean glanced backwards, immediately regretting it as he zeroed in on where Sam pointed. His finger poked at the dead center of the circles, eyebrow raised and ready to mock.

           He flushed, returning to his cooking. “Thought you did it.”

           “You’re the one who cares about this day more than I do,” Sam said, “Although where’d you get the red marker –“

           “I said I didn’t do it!” He slapped the wooden spoon into the pan, sauce spraying everywhere. Cursing under breath, Dean grabbed for a nearby towel, dabbing at his already ruined shirt before cleaning up the rest of his mess. He knew Sam watched him work, questions hanging overhead buzzing loudly like the fluorescents in their kitchen. Dean wished Sam would think nothing of his small outburst. But there weren’t any pearls to save him.

           Sam struck when he plated the meatballs. “So,” he started, “that was… something.”

           Dean sighed, resigning himself to the conversation. “Before you start your interrogation can you let me finish dinner at least?”

           “Sure, but if it looks like you’re stalling I’m asking my first question.”

           He huffed, annoyed with how well his brother knew him. Dean sped his actions up back to normal speed. Taking the garlic-and-butter painted baguette halves, he set to assembling the subs. He made two foot-long subs for the both of them, wrapping up the leftover meatballs to store for later. Replacing it with the bowl for the salad, Dean brought it to the table, shoving it at Sam. “Graze,” he muttered. After bringing over the sandwiches, Dean grabbed two bottles of El Sol before finally taking his seat across from Sam. He dug into his first sandwich; disregarding any eye contact Sam threw his way. “I didn’t do it, honest.”

           “But you –“

           “I didn’t.”

           Sam smacked his lips, a sharp puff of air shooting through his nose. “Fine,” he said, “so you didn’t do it, who cares at this point? I want to know why you freaked out like that.”

           “I didn’t freak out –“

           “Dean, it was like watching Mom discover your magazines all over again.”

           He winced, remembering how Mary cornered him in the library with a copy of Busty Asian Beauties in her hands and a disappointed look stretched across her face. What made it worse was how public his shaming was, with Sam and Jack having front row seats.

           Sam powered on. “If this is about how you celebrate it, I’ve long accepted that’s how the day’s gonna go for you. Even if you are forty and should be doing better things, I’m not going to crack jokes about it anymore.”

           Dean paused, unsure of what to do next. Sam, in his ramblings, provided him a perfect out. A path he could follow that would involve some awkward laughing, light ribbing, and only marginal choking as Dean stuffed his face fast enough to escape. Except, with one foot out and ready to go down, Dean found he couldn’t do it.

           “Actually,” Dean said, voice low and stilted, “I was… I’m not doing that this year.”

           Sam blinked at him. “What?”

           “Yeah,” he confessed, “I – uh, I never really cared that much about it either. The first time it happened, it wasn’t really what I was planning.” Dean was only twenty, having snuck into the bar alongside John after a successful hunt. A woman with dark hair, blotchy makeup, and a pronounced slur stalked her way over and heavily communicated her wants to Dean. John looked at him with pride, winking and giving them space. He had the same expression on his face when Dean met up with him later, when the bar had closed and Suzie-Sandra-Sarah-whatever was still smoking her cigarette in the bathroom.

           “Like a chip off the old block,” John clapped him on the back, “My son the lady killer.”

           It only felt natural to keep with tradition after that. So every Valentine’s Day, Dean found himself a friendly dive where he could hook up with a stranger for the night, spend the night with another broken heart, with John’s smile in the back of his mind.

           As the years went by, the specter of John’s face disappeared further and further into the ether. And now, with only a few days before Valentine’s Day, it’s completely gone. Along with any desire Dean has to sleep with another stranger. There’s only one person his body called for these past few years. Very recently it wouldn’t shut up with ideas revolving around the upcoming holiday. That was Dean’s problem with the calendar.

(Finish Reading on Ao3)

[rosegardentwilight]

6 Smiles

{A03}

Pairing: Adrienette and briefly Lukanette

Summary: The reveal left the heroes in a tight spot, Adrien is pining and Marinette is together with Luka. But will a rain confession change anything?

A.N.- Wipes the sweat off forehead. I'm so glad I was able to finish this on time. It was a last minute decision to finish this for Valentine's Day, but the words just poured out of me.

So this one-shot is inspired out a some of the scenes from a movie called To WIn a Date with Tad Hamilton. It's an older movie, but this scene melts my heart every time.

It was all his fault. He had pushed the topic of revealing their identities, and it led to a series of events where he got what he wanted, and everything fell apart. Adrien could remember his stomach drop when he found that the love of his life was none other than Marinette Dupain-Cheng. He would have to drop to his knees and beg for a chance, but the point was mute, she was taken. Marinette had started to date Luka not even a month ago after he figured out that he might have feelings for her. He had tried to be happy for her when he found out initially, but knowing what he did now, the information gutted him all over again. The love of his life was sitting right behind him, how could the teacher expect him to pay attention to the review for the quiz next week?

"Earth to Adrien? Are you okay?" Nino nudged Adrien's shoulder pulling him out of his another pity party to realize class had ended, and even worse Marinette was nowhere in sight.

"Yeah, fine." He was anything but fine, but even if he did tell Nino the basics, it wasn't like his best friend could do much about it.

"Alya is waiting for me, but if you need to talk, I can tell her that I need a rain check."

"Nah, you go on, it's Valentine's Day; I don't want Alya to skin me alive. I have some questions that I wanted to talk to M. Foret about."

Nino placed his hand on Adrien's shoulder, "I'm here for you if you need me."

A pang of jealousy grew within his chest as he watched Nino meet his girlfriend at the door with a kiss and the two strolled off hand in hand. He wanted that more than anything, but he only had his eyes set on one person, and she... had Luka. He sighed as he gathered his things and slung his backpack over his shoulder. It wasn't necessarily the truth when he told Nino he needed to talk to the teacher; he knew that in doing so it prevented him from seeing Luka steal a kiss from her on the steps. For his sake, that was worth all the wasted time with one of his least favorite professors.

Adrien stopped dead in his tracks. Of course, it had to be raining; it was the universe’s way to torture him especially on Valentine’s Day; he could hear her laughter echoing between the raindrops. He gripped his black umbrella tighter the edges of his knuckles brimming on a white color from lack of blood circulation.

The one upside is Marinette and Luka should have already left, he stayed much later than he usually did when asking questions about the homework (even if he didn’t really need it).

Adrien froze when he saw Luka leaning against the wall. No doubt he was waiting to walk Marinette home. His skin crawled. This was the guy wooing over his lady — the one who had earned Marinette’s laughter, joy, and her love.

All this time he was focused on Ladybug when she sat behind him in class. He felt like an idiot. The worst part was Luka didn’t know exactly who Marinette was.

All he could do was be there for her as support. As a friend. And as a friend, he had to make sure Luka was taking care of her. He shoved his hands in the pocket and took the plunge and approached him.

“Luka,” the words such in his throat. “You—uh, waiting on Marinette?”

“Yeah, She had to talk to her teacher about something.”

He should stop there. Marinette was okay, talking to a teacher, an activity not out of the normal for her. Then she would walk home with Luka, but despite knowing that Adrien only walked a couple of steps before twisting around again. The motion had caught Luka’s attention, but it left him in a place where words weren’t coming to him.

“You win.” It was a summary of everything that he was feeling at the moment. Mari was happy with Luka, so who was he to ruin it?

Luka blinked a couple of times, “I’m sorry?”

“I want her to be happy.” There was no need to use Marinette’s name, Adrien was positive that Luka knew about his crush on her, but this was the first time he had been bold enough to bring it up to his face. Luka could distract her, so she didn’t get as much time as Adrien, but Ladybug and Chat Noir had an unbreakable bond that Luka couldn’t touch even if he knew her alter ego.

“Contrary to your popular opinion, I want that too.”

Their friendship had been strained at best since Luka started to date his best friend. As easy as it would be to leave the conversation there, he was already riled up and in no headspace to back down.

“Do you know how long she keeps on hair in pigtails versus anything else?” Marinette had been more bold about new hairstyles over the year, she always looked gorgeous, but he lived for the days that she wore pigtails. It was familiar, warm; she felt like home on those days especially when she smiled at him.

“Why would that matter?” Luka scoffed, “she looks pretty no matter how she wears her hair.”

He didn’t get it, nor did Adrien expect him to. He had been mooning over Ladybug for as long as he could remember but also had started to take note of the girl behind him over the previous year. He half chuckled to himself to calm the voice that wanted nothing more to shout that he didn’t deserve her. “Did you know she has six different smiles?”

“Six smiles?”

“Yeah, one when something flat out makes her laugh then there’s one where she’s laughing out of politeness.” It spoke to her character, Marinette always wanted to do anything in her power to make people at ease. “She has this smile when she’s making plans for her sketches.” And planning out Lucky Charms, he mentally added. “One for when she is making fun of herself.” That was one of his favorites; he loved seeing so carefree and relaxed. Marinette had enough stress with preparing for university and saving Paris, not to mention her duties as guardian in training. “She has a smile for when she’s uncomfortable.” He knew that one well, she wore it whenever she met with his father. “And one —“ he stopped himself as his mind pounded him with images of Marinette laughing and smiling with Alya, Nino, or the girls before it switched to memories that they shared when he was Adrien and Chat. “One where’s she’s talking about her friends.”

Friends. He had used that word so much around her, and now he wished they were much more. He clung to the thought that if they were meant to be, that she would find her way back to him.

“ I don’t know those things yet.”

And that’s why Luka shouldn’t be with her; he treated everyday like it was an ordinary everyday thing, unlike the privilege it was. “No you don’t,” Her bitter tone stung through. Even though Adrien believed that Luka didn’t deserve her, he knew deep down he didn’t either. He had made so many mistakes over the years; it was only fair he missed his chance with her. It was the price of his bad luck. “She’s a—a treasure more than you could possibly know. Marinette isn’t just some wholesome city girl; some good breath of fresh air. She’s a wonderful person with a huge heart! And the kind of beauty that a guy once sees once.”

Adrien knew he needed to stay calm, picking fights with Luka wouldn’t gain him any favor with his Lady. He winced to himself; he couldn’t put that label on her; she was never his.

“If there’s even a chance that you could break her heart-“ he stopped himself as the air in his lungs got sucked out at the thought. Adrien would never wish that on her, but if they wouldn’t last the pain would be minimized if it was earlier on in their relationship. “For her sake, please, walk away.” Adrien knew not many people entered relationships thinking that it wouldn’t last, least of all Marinette. It meant that she had to see the potential of being with Luka, whether she saw the potential in him was a fact that caused his stomach to churn.

“I could never—ok?” Luka replied.

“Good. Because if you do, I swear I’ll rip you apart with my bare hands.” What scared him was he didn’t didn’t know how serious he was about the threat. He had always been protective of Marinette in general, but now that he learned she was his partner as well. If Luka ever hurt Marinette in purpose—well for the sake of everyone involved he hoped that he would never find out what he would do.

This was the part that he waited for Luka to blow up, start yelling, anything. He had crossed lines in his speech because he allowed his passion to take over.

Instead, Luka placed his hand in his shoulder, “you’re a good guy.”

The comment stung as if the words crafted a blade and sliced open his skin. Adrien Agreste had always been good enough, with his hobbies, school, and work, but now—

“Just not good enough.”

Luka’s mouth open to reply, but he never got the chance.

“There you are.” Marinette’s voice cut between them.

Adrien couldn’t pinpoint the look that she had on her face; it was a mix of nervousness of caution. He allowed himself to linger as her bluebell eyes captivated her heart for the umpteenth time and drove his drowning soul to patter with hope. Marinette owned his whole world, but he gave it to her gladly every time.

Luka leaned in to give her a kiss, only to meet her cheek instead of her lips. He frowned but was grateful that she still allowed his hand to grasp hers. He had known that Marinette used to like Adrien for years, it was hard to ignore. She swore she was over him, and he wanted to believe her more than anything, but moments like this spread seeds of doubt. There was something between them that ran deeper, even if it happened to platonic. It was a month after they had started dating that Adrien started to hang around more and talking to her constantly. When he approached Marinette on the matter, he had nothing to worry about; that they were just friends. He believed her, but as he watched the two interact, it wasn’t hard to pick up on Adrien’s growing feelings. Luka didn’t know if Marinette had picked up on it too, but she remained loyal to him and that kept some of his anxiety at bay.

The rain had stopped, and he fully was ready to use it to his advantage.

Luka squeezed her hand, “ready to go?” He only managed to take a few steps before he felt resistance at his wrist. His girlfriend was biting her lip, mulling over something, before her head turned back in Adrien’s direction.

“Give me one minute,” she promised, releasing his hand in the process. Before he could protest, she was running to catch up with Adrien.

"Just like she always has,"  he muttered to himself.

“Adrien! Adrien!” He froze in place when he heard her. He had to quiet the voice in her head; she wasn’t chasing him to confess her love or anything, she probably wanted to say goodbye. The second locked, he knew he was a goner; the hope that their interactions between them would dull the pain of his broken heart.

“Yes, Mar?” He couldn’t ignore the fact that Luka was waiting for her.

She shoved her hands in the pockets, “are you ok? Is there an Akuma or does Master Fu need us?”

Of course, duty was hardwired into her DNA because of Ladybug. As much as he wished, there was a reason to keep her with him, but the luck wasn’t in his cards.

“No, nothing like that.”

“What were you talking to Luka about?”

You . But Adrien couldn’t admit that instead, he would have to do what he hated, to lie. “Small talk to pass the time.” If small talk meant a vivid love confession for Marinette to her boyfriend, then he was telling the truth.

“Did-did I do something wrong?”

Adrien’s eyes blew wide open. “No,” the word couldn’t tumble out fast enough, “of course not.”

“Then why are you avoiding me?”

She could always read him like an open book, “I’m not.” Another lie and he hated himself for it. It was easier on his heart if he put the necessary distance between them unless she needed him. He would always be there for her then.

“Since when do we lie to each other?”

The silence between them was deafening; it made Adrien almost miss the patter of the rain to fill the gap. “You better go,” He sighed as he adjusted the strap of his bag eyes falling to the floor.  “Luka is waiting for you.” As much as this conversation hurt to have, walking away from the love of his life twisted the knife in his heart even more.

“Mar, you’ve been quiet. Are you okay?” Marinette jolted from her thoughts to see her boyfriend peering down at her. It was then that she realized that most of their walk was filled with silence instead of their usual conversations. She must have given at bare minimum one word answers, or he would have stopped her long before they reached bakery. “Sorry,” she replied, although she couldn’t bring herself to be. It was not a crime to not want to talk, especially with her head space in the condition it was in. “I just have a lot on my mind.” Luka’s shoulder brushed hers playfully. “Penny for your thoughts?” It was the nice boyfriend gesture, but it didn’t help that she couldn’t talk about it. She couldn’t tell him that she heard his entire conversation with Adrien. And certainly not tell him that her heart fluttered in her chest as her mind soared. Her partner, one of her best friends, loved her. The reveal came as such an inconvenient time that she wished that they could go back and do it right a month earlier before she had agreed to go out with Luka. But life wasn’t fair and sometimes cruel, and the look plastered on Adrien’s face when he found out burned into her memory and haunted dreams at night. The reveal changed them. It took a week or two to get back into a rhythm as Chat and Ladybug, but it became more comfortable as neither addressed what happened. As if the knowledge that Adrien Agreste was her partner was anything she would forget anytime soon. She expected the love that Chat claimed he had for Ladybug over the years would spill over into their personal lives, but that never came, in fact, Adrien only grew more distant after he found out her secret. All she could really conclude was that his love for Ladybug didn’t extend to Marinette Dupain-Cheng. With the dust settled, she turned back to focus on Luka who she knew liked her. Until today. Today gave her the knowledge that she could be with Adrien, that door wasn’t closed like she thought it was. Granted, she wasn’t supposed to know it, but she couldn’t help be listen in when she heard her name.

And now she was at a crossroad. She could continue with Luka and pretend that she didn’t hear them. A voice inside her whispered that it would be impossible, and Marinette knew that it was the truth.

“It’s nothing.” For once she was thankful that they were at the bakery. Maybe she could talk to Tikki of what to do. She leaned in a kissed her cheek, but only made it a couple of steps before Luka’s voice stopped her.

“It’s about Adrien, isn’t it.”

She cringed, and her mind circled for something to say, unfortunately, the silence was enough of an answer for him.

“Look, Mar. I’m not going to pretend that I understand what kind of connection you have with him, but I couldn’t ignore the way you two looked at each other today.” He sighed, “I’ve never doubted your loyalty once, but I have to ask, do you still love him?”

Adrien didn’t think twice about packing, his yearly trip to London with his father was right around the corner. For the first time, he was looking forward to it; space would be good to help mend his broken heart. Maybe when he got back after the two weeks, he could pretend that he wasn’t bothered at all. The rain had started for the second time that day, only this time much harder than before. Not ideal for any Valentine’s date outdoors, but his mind ran through the possibility that Marinette and Luka were snuggled up on her couch watching a movie or otherwise preoccupied. The single thought made him pack faster—that is until a flash of red caught his eye. It took a double take for him to realize that Ladybug hung outside his window absolutely drenched because of the storm. Instinct kicked in, and he raced over to let her in. To think a couple of months ago he would do anything for Ladybug to come to visit him in the night; now he lived with the knowledge that he saw her daily. “What are you doing here? Is everything ok?” Given the date, she should be her boyfriend, not prancing around Paris rooftops in a downpour. “Spots off.” Adrien decided that he never would get sick of watching her detransform. The raindrops still rolled off Marinette’s body, the suit providing no protection against the rain. He ran off to the bathroom to grab her a towel. She ruffled her hair without a word, making his stomach butterflies flare up. It couldn’t be a Paris emergency; she wouldn’t make him wait for the news. “Oh, you’re packing.” Adrien sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck. “Yeah, it’s for my annual trip with my father.” “To London, right?” “Yeah,” he replied wondering how she could remember such a tiny detail. The trips weren’t that long. “Not that I mind, but what are you doing here?” The question has been eating him since he saw her. Why did she come to visit him today of all days? “Luka and I broke up.” He tried not to react to the news; he didn’t think Luka would take his advice. To drop her suddenly like that- what he said must have made an impact. “It wasn’t an easy decision to break things off, but no matter how good of a guy that he is, I couldn’t love him.” She broke up with him? What did that mean concerning them? Adrien tried not to get his hopes set too high, even though his pounding heart screamed that she braved a storm to do so. “Oh?” He closed the suitcase realizing that the conversation had fully caught his interest. “And why’s that?” “Because I’m still in love with you.” All the air raced out of his lungs only to crash in on itself sending his head spinning. She was in love—what made her realize that? “I don’t understand.” He craved more context; especially since he didn’t know she was in love with him in the first place. He would have remembered something that important. “Adrien, you have five different smiles.” His world ground to a halt; she had heard him with Luka. This was too much of a coincidence otherwise. The heat of embarrassment spread throughout his chest. He wanted to lock himself in his closet so she wouldn’t see him malfunctioning, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to tear his eyes away. “How much did you hear?” he asked. If she woke up tomorrow with different feeling then maybe he could salvage their friendship, as long as she didn’t hear everything. Marinette didn’t give him an answer and continued her speech. “One when you think someone is an idiot.” She released a soft laugh as she let memories take over and Adrien found he couldn’t look away. “You have this smile whenever you’re given baked goods, and I adore your smile when you're jamming out to Jagged Stone with friends.” Her soft eyes beckoned him to stand and take the courage to step towards her. Adrien’s eyes half-lidded as her hand reached to run through his golden locks. “One you wear when you’re Chat Noir.” The contact left him causing a small whimper. He had a feeling that her touch would always him in a wreck in the best and worst way possible. “And one,” her lips lifted into a tender smile as her eyes twinkled with love and admiration. “One when you’re looking at me.” He melted into her touch when she cupped his cheek and happily greeted her lips as she stood on her tiptoes to fill the void between them. She had come back to him, just like he knew she eventually would. The cat and his bug, the way things were meant to be. They could figure out how this would change their dynamic another day, but for now, Adrien Agreste was perfectly content with affectionate whispers, loving touches and stolen kisses were hidden by the roar of the rain.

[monokuroo]

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Or at least post-Valentine in my part of the world. I hoped you have a wonderful date with your significant other.

But if you’re like me who’d rather hang out with my 2D husbandos (yes I have a sad layf lol), then let the eligible dads of Dream Daddy be your date!

If you tell me 2 years ago that I’m going to play and love Dream Daddy, I would probably laugh my ass off.

Released in 2017 by Game Grumps, Dream Daddy is a dating sim where you can customize your ‘dadsona’ and as the name suggests, you can date different kinds of dads. There are 7 dads in total but let’s start by making the dadsona who will date these dads.

At the start of the game, you’d be prompted to customize a dad to your liking. Think of it as the simplified version of the Create-A-Sim menu in The Sims.

So here’s my dadsona, Bae Summers.

Isn’t he good-looking? I loved that egg nipz shirt! hehe

Once you meet all the dads, it’s time to date! You have to message them on the game’s version of Facebook, the Dadbook. Each dad has 3 dates that need to be passed. Aim for S or A rank to ensure a good ending.

Or, if you’re like me, you can turn to guides such as these https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1085165969 and https://allgamers.com/article/2932/dream-daddy—guide-to-unlocking-all-dad-endings.

You’ve done all the things above and now you’re ready to push that message button. So the next question would be…

Who is your Dream Daddy?

You’ll see mine at the end. 😉

Craig Cahn

The main reason I got this game! After watching Kelsey from this video I had the urge to get his end!

MC’s college buddy and partner-in-crime. But when they meet again, Craig is already a responsible father of three.

Wait, there’s more.

He’s also a businessman, running a sports business. Also, he’s a health junkie. He trains every day, jogging around the neighborhood with his baby strapped on his body. To top it all, he coaches his twins’ softball team. Such a busybody.

Bae: My ultimate sexual fantasy is you. 😏😏😏

Craig’s ending, his route, heck even his kids did not disappoint! I would play his route again and again just to see his daughter River. She’s, like, the cutest kid in this game!

Seriously, though, I’m shipping MC with Craig because their bond is something. I love the whole bromance to more-than-bros going on. The confession scene at the end is sweet and cute. Too bad the game’s pretty short. I would have liked to see more of these two.

That third date, though. 🤩

Another reason to love Craig’s route is that, unlike the other dads, he has none of those minigames. So you can just safely play through this route without worries of a failed date.

(There’s a mini-game where Craig invites you to do the treadmill. But in my game, it didn’t appear on his route. Rather, he invites you when you are in another dad’s route.)

Mat Sella

Mat is the owner of the coffee shop in the neighborhood. He loves music, coffee, and his daughter Carmensita.

After ogling at Craig, I’m not sure I’d like Mat. But there’s a certain charm to his awkward personality. Like how he looks flustered when meeting people, which, at first glance, is totally unlike him.

Bae is so thirsty I kennot. 😂

But Matt’s really sweet and thoughtful to everyone. Contrary to his belief that he doesn’t like crowds, he’s rather good at taking care of people. It’s nice to see him complimenting MC’s personality. Together, they look like cute awkward teens and that’s…adorable.

The last date and the scenes leading up to the ending are so sweet. I loved how they get so flirty with each other. Mat is just giggling and flirting with the MC. That’s the happiest I’ve seen him in the game.

Brian Harding

Brian is MC’s rival dad. From the first time Brian and MC meet, this dad keeps on one-upping our MC. So for the rest of the route, they work through their rivalry thing.

Hence, this route contains the most nerve-wracking minigames! Brian invites the MC in different activities such as playing golf and fishing. And since, MC is competitive as ever, you as the player have to win them all!

So if you’re planning to get all of Steam’s achievements, I can only wish you luck. I admire you for having the patience I can never have. Because you’ll need a lot of it to finish Brian’s minigames, especially the golf part.

As for Brian and MC as a couple, I find it hard to see any chemistry between them because of their constant rivalry. But once I realized what Brian is doing, I found it cute. It’s nice to see them sort out their differences in the end.

Also, his daughter, Daisy, is a bit of an uptight at first. She keeps on correcting Amanda’s jokes which had me rolling my eyes a lot of times. But Amanda’s really chill so she teaches Daisy to be a bit more laid-back. Then, the two of them makes an adorable pair of siblings.

Robert Small

Robert looks wild and gruff, someone giving off a dangerous vibe.

MC’s first encounter with him is when he and Amanda visit Mat’s coffee shop. There, Robert checks out MC, staring darkly from the corners of the shop. I admit, he gives off a creepy vibe on that scene.

If MC decides to go out at night, he’ll go to a pub where he’ll be properly introduced to Robert.

Anyway, the other characters call Robert as an enigma. He’s such a mystery to everyone due to the cryptic way he speaks. You can never EVER get a straight answer from him. I can’t help but roll my eyes every time he speaks like that…

One of those rare moments that get him to speak what he really thinks.

…I guess I really am no good with people like him because it feels like he’s belittling other people with the way he speaks.

Surprisingly, I loved the ending. Robert did have some baggage. But I think he has the most realistic ending. I appreciated his no kiss-and-tell personality because at least he’s really clear with what he wanted in his relationship with MC.

Another surprising part of this route is Mary. It is already weird to have her hitting on MC on his first night in the neighborhood. Being friends with Robert, she is not someone to be messed with.

But Mary’s actually a really good friend. She doesn’t look like it, but she cares for Robert. And I appreciate her for that.

Damien Bloodmarch

When I watch Let’s Plays of the game, whenever players meet Damien, they’ll all have the same reaction — “Vampire Dad? No way!” But whenever I scrolled through the comments, everyone says that Damien is just misunderstood.

Those mixed reactions are really intriguing.

Damien dresses and acts like a Goth and has a love for the Victorian Era. Because of this, he gives off a standoff-ish vibe.

Damien is a sweet and romantic guy. Underneath his classy look lies a cute cinnamon roll. He proves that you can’t judge a book by its cover.  His route is like watching a slow and old-school romance unfold. Like, how he prefers handwritten letters (with seals!) over Dadbook messaging.

And I loved how everyone could tell that they’re sooo in love with each other to the point of teasing them. I even love the part where Amanda saw them kissing in front of their door because that’s like a reversal of their position as dad and daughter.

Also, he’s a fudanshi. 😏

  He has a collection of SasuNaru fic? 😏

Hugo Vega

Hugo is Amanda’s teacher. Being a person of authority, he’s pretty uptight.

Hugo is, well, nerdy. Other than teaching middle and high schoolers, he writes scholarly stuff and he’s very knowledgable with high brow lit.

He’s knowledgable. Period.

But he has another hobby: wrestling. He’s got a room of wrestling things. And it goes without saying that he knows a lot about it, a huge fanboy. That and those teach-me-wrestling-moves had me 😏.

Thing is, I enjoyed Hugo and his son, Ernest moments more in Damien’s route. Unlike Damien’s son, Ernest didn’t really show his appreciation for Hugo in his dad’s route. Meanwhile, in Damien’s, due to certain events, the relationship between Hugo and Ernest have a big leap. They have a more familial atmosphere around them in the end.

Or maybe, Ernest is busy on other things…

Joseph Christiansen

I have mixed feelings about this dad.

Joseph freaking Christiansen is a youth minister at the church. He’s the husband of Mary and father to the freakishly looking kids, Chris, Christian, Christie, and Chrish.

My initial reaction when I meet him and his family: YOU’RE TELLING ME YOU CAN DATE HIM!?

Just look at their names. I feel like I’m committing a sin.

Also, he spends most of his route being extra sticky to MC, like being sweet and clingy. I could definitely picture him staring longingly to MC, giving off mixed signals.

It’s uncomfortable knowing Joseph is married to Mary. She’s not the nicest neighbor. But after playing Robert and Damien’s routes where she is a good friend, she’s grown on me.

AND NOW I’M SNATCHING HER HUSBAND.

You’re being such a good friend MC. 🙄

So other than the names and his wife’s existence, Joseph intrigues me in the previous routes. During Amanda’s graduation party where MC talks to each character, Joseph asks MC to hang out with him anytime he’s free. He’s not telling MC that in a casual way. It’s more of like this:

… which is like silently pleading MC to notice him.

When MC did, he so brilliantly dumped him.

Which brings me to another reason why this route brings me discomfort.

Joseph’s best end is in the opposite direction with the other dads. After flirting around, he’d tell you that he’ll go back to his wife. And that’s perfectly okay. That’s a good thing, mending a broken family.

But it feels like MC is subjected to a needless embarrassment and rejection for someone who’s only stringing him along. He’s just a rebound, a one-night stand.

I couldn’t help but compare Joseph with Robert, because of their internal issues and how they treat MC. Thanks to this, I ended up liking Robert more, mainly because he’s very clear with what he wants and puts a distance from MC as he fixes his life.

Now I kind of regretting leaving Joseph for last since it taints a charming game. It’s like Joseph lives in a different world, far from the sweet worlds of the other dads.

===

So to answer my question above:

Craig is the love of my life in this game. Though I loved everyone, in all fairness. I just especially loved him. Even MC agrees,

For my favorite in the game – Craig > Damien = Mat > Robert = Hugo > Brian > Joseph. Or it can actually be Craig = Damien = Mat = Robert = Hugo >Brian >>> Joseph.

Everyone is farrrr better than Joseph. lol

So who’s likely to be your date among the dads of Dream Daddy?

As of this writing, Steam is having its Daily Deals and Dream Daddy is included. Snag this game over there and have a fun post-Vday celebration!

Next post will be my one and only reason to play Dream Daddy.

The Eligible Dads of Dream Daddy #dreamdaddy Happy Valentine's Day! Or at least post-Valentine in my part of the world. I hoped you have a wonderful date with your significant other.

[eenefangirlanalysis]

Jimmy is accidentally found out as May complains how her sisters are such fashion hogs.

“PLEASE! DON”T HURT ME!” Jimmy pleads upon being found out.

“Looks like someone left something in their pocket!”

It’s strange to see May act this way.

I honestly thought she changed and was going to explore more of her independent side.

Some fans wouldn’t consider Hanky Panky Hullabaloo canon. With Sarah and Jimmy being fairies, and the events from the episode are never brought up again. The only reason we know that it was a canon episode is Edd’s Valentine to Eddy is seen in May I Have This Ed.

May has always stalked the Ed’s. I feel this is rather out of character for her. She’s the funny, dim-witted and kind one of her trio. Like Ed.

Since the Kanker’s have agreed to back off the Ed’s letting the boys come to them that doesn’t mean they give other characters a free card. The Ed’s have made an impact on their life. Their message doesn’t register fully in their heads. If they want to show the Ed’s they have changed and have become more mature and trust worthy then they should treat the world differently.

The world hasn’t treated the Kanker’s right. The kids are the world. That’s why they capture them.

Marie points out that its ‘what’s his face’.

The Kanker’s have never made an effort to learn the names of the neighborhood kids. They even refer to Jonny as this in one episode.

What point would it have made? The girls don’t like the kids. They lead a different life from them. Since the kids aren’t accepting towards different lifestyles the Kanker’s find it pointless to even make a friendship with them. 

How often were/are the girls bullied? It must have affected them to the point where they only want to hang out with each other. They’ve moved multiple times never having a chance to get to know anybody. And their mother never encouraged making friendships. I think she’s scared to let her daughters out into the world because the biological fathers may have abused them. The Kanker’s Mom never had a positive impact on the world.

The Kanker’s Mother is one of my favorite of the parents in the eene world. She is a hard working strong willed woman trying to keep a roof over her three daughters. She has made mistakes but learned to overcome them instead of living in the past. The may not have steered her daughters in the right direction but she always taught them to stand up for themselves.

The girls surround Jimmy as if they’re predators lurking over the kill.

This use of POV shots, or above shots as I call them, really sells that unsettling feeling. You’re trapped with three girls who have had quite a history in your neighborhood. And now you have no idea what they’re going to do to you.

May decides that they should call Jimmy, ‘Dutch’.

The name Dutch mainly abbreviates to a dutch man. According to TheNameMeaning.com Dutch has become a popular baby boy name as of recently. Around 2010. When Big Picture Show was released. 

“A little far from home aren’t you, dutch?”

May believes ‘Dutch’ could use a diaper change as she forced him to lie down on the ground. 

TW: Kanker’s Raping the Ed’s Theories [Can Skip if you Want]

Oh, this is so unsettling. I know there have been multiple fan theories which have stated that the Kanker’s may have raped the Ed’s. No matter how unsettling they are such as Lee trapping Eddy in the shower while both are fully clothed, trapping them in a shed, and locking them in the girls bathroom I have never been given the feeling that they have ever raped them. 

I can easily see these scenarios as something their mother would have done at their age. Their mother raised them better then that. She has learned from her own mistakes. And I also think the girls are not who they show themselves to the world as. They have only kissed the Ed’s several times on their face. 

The girls don’t care about their image. They must know what rumors fly around about them. I think they’d rather remain anonymous to the world with little social contact. It’s a tough argument to consider but the Kanker’s have never raped the Ed’s. 

Each Kanker has a different intention on their use with Jimmy.

May pretends that Jimmy is a baby. She puts him in a diaper gently rocks him. 

I get a more motherly vibe off May. She wants to one day get married and have children. This scene still inspects how May is trying to express her independent side. Although I theorized before they she may have been making new friends I think it’s been for her socially. She’s still been trying.

Lee’s intention is to date Jimmy. 

I’ve noticed that Lee’s views on man aren’t the healthiest.

Remember in Nagged to Ed where each Kanker drew a picture on their depiction of what their relationship would look like with each Ed? Lee’s automatically skips the first date, dating, and goes right to a wedding. 

Lee was the first born. I believe that the Kanker’s Mother was seventeen or close to it when she had Lee. And then in only two years Marie and May are born. Lee had to witness her mother trying to get her life together as she moved from house to house, boyfriend to boyfriend, and multiple fights. Out of the sisters Lee knows how to stand up for herself. She’s practically the mother. And she plays the leader. 

Lee and Eddy have more in common then they think. May and Marie look up to Lee. They hardly think for themselves. Similar to Eddy wants Ed and Edd to take the leadership roles May and Marie have a heroic moment where they hold their sister back. You’ll know this moment when we get to it.

I never noticed how Jimmy disgustingly sticks out his tongue upon being so close to Lee. 

Like Edd, Jimmy also has germaphobic tendencies. He likes everything organized and clean. Look at his room. It would be similar to Edd’s without all the labels glued everywhere.

She cutely sticks her foot up believe Jimmy wants a date.

Lee wants to date a nine years old?

I remember a theory in which stating they head canoned Lee to be sixteen. They deemed the head canon too unsettling because Lee has a crush on a boy who is subsequently four years younger then her. That theory is proved here. Maybe she’s teasing but this moment gives off the aspect that she would date someone much younger then her.

Which brings us to the topic of how Lee would never have a healthy relationship.

Yes, we get that Lee is disgusting.

I could have gone without seeing this very close shot of Lee with... leftovers in her teeth. The storyboard artists do a lot of close ups in this movie.

Close up -  An intimate view or examination of something.

This definition goes along very well with how we’re examining the characters action in Big Picture Show. They’re all wearing masks. As time goes along they’re starting to open up their true selves to the world.

As I was saying Lee will never be in a healthy relationship. She doesn’t want to be the one who is taking orders. She’d rather be in charge. Lee is a very intimidating person to begin with. She’s secretive. 

One of the reasons why fans have not been able to get to know Lee very well is because she hides her eyes. Eyes are the most important aspect about a person. They tell all. I think Lee may feel uncomfortable about herself or the way she has to live her life. So, she hides. We’ll also come to another theory later on.

As for Marie she doesn’t see Jimmy as a baby. And she states that her man doesn’t need to give her flowers. 

He just needs to do her chores.

Marie is the most under written out of the character sisters. Fans like her because of her punk chick look. Don’t let that look fool you because she is a much different person on the inside.

She wants to date Edd, a gentle, book nerd. 

I actually like the ship EddMarie. I could see a relationship working out between them some day. I think Marie is hiding many hidden talents and interests about herself. I think one of her favorite past times is reading as seen in the background of one of the school episodes.And one of my favorite head canons that has become popular over time as that Marie loves music. 

Marie wanting the guy to do her chores suggests that she wants to have a job while having a stay at home husband.

She wants to explore herself.

I have made a connection to the movie Inside Out in the past.

Remember ‘The Cool Girl’? Fear runs her console. She’s constantly on edge believe that people are going catch on to her act and see that she is only faking. Marie’s punk look is her way of being intimidating and make the world back off. The girls don’t want anybody to find out about how they live their life. The last thing they want is for people to feel bad for them.

The girls act as if there nothing wrong with their life. And there isn’t. We can live our lives however way we want. We have to be happy. The girls have one another, their mother, a roof over their heads, and they’re at least trying to explore the world. A they experience change.

I love this about the girls. They may not be people who we can look up to but viewers can learn.

The girls fight over Jimmy stretching him out.

Jimmy’s lucky this is a cartoon world.

As Jimmy cries out that he getting stretch marks his pants rip revealing his underwear.

Another unsettling aspect of the girls nature.

“I JUST WANTED TO SEE ED, EDD, n EDDY GET CLOBBERED!”

Fun Fact: Only mention of Edd’s real name in the movie. Honestly, I really wish they could have used his real name more. Like whenever Eddy was along with Edd. In the first episode it looked as if they were setting it up that Eddy only called Edd by his real name when Ed wasn’t around. It would have been a perfect reminded that this is Edd’s name as fans forget about that.

The girls let go trapping Jimmy’s whole body in his retainer.

Positioning themselves in the same way the Ed’s do that in their opening theme song the Kanker’s question on what Jimmy refers to with their boyfriends.

[indiecation]

There was literally something for everyone at this year’s Music Tastes Good Festival at the Marina Green Park in Long Beach, CA. Dance/EDM? Check. Hip-Hop? Check. Indie Rock? Check. Dad Rock? Check.

Long Beach pride simply ran through this festival. From the local chefs and restaurants to the liberal use of “what up, Long Beach!” to hype up the crowd, it was clear that people were both surprised and delighted to be there. 

The Marina Green Park is nestled in the Shoreline Village area of Long Beach. With 360 views of everything Long Beach has to offer including the convention center, historic buildings and the Queen Mary, this location was the epitome of everything Long Beach has to offer. And as a CSULB grad and current Long Beach resident, I particularly love that Long Beach’s music scene is coming up — let’s not forget about Tropicalia coming up next month!

Both days I arrived around 2pm. Because I was writing full articles for mxdwn.com, I had my first “I’m with the press” experience at this show and, let me tell you, it was not too shabby! I took a moment to stop in at one of my favorites, Vinyl Williams, who’s post-punk and psych sounds were reverberating off the Convention Center parking lot as I checked into the festival. After catching Fledloyd, I took in the scenery. The taste area was available to a select few who spent the extra money, but there was just as much to see and eat. I stopped by The Attic’s booth and chatted with the attendant, who was giving out free samples of their famous, mouthwatering mac n’ cheetos — to which I am no stranger — and I told her The Attic was my neighborhood hang. She gave me a free t-shirt with said mac n’ cheetos on it and I happily made my way to the Long Beach Stage where BRONCHO was about to play.

BRONCHO had a definite cool factor as they played their reverberating garage rock. Singer Ryan Lindsey kept on making this comical motion — as he rocked his body back and forth, he’d play a chord then raise his hand with his finger pointed up. The first few times it seemed normal, but then he’d keep doing it after the songs ended so the audience started laughing, particularly during “What.”

Another highlight of the day were indie rock outfit Alvvays. As a recent fan, I was looking forward to hearing their new material off Antisocialites and boy did they deliver. The sound and vocals from Molly Rankin had the audience in a dreamy daze. While they played fan favorites like “Adult Diversion,” their new tracks were the stars of the show. “Not My Baby” and “Dreams Tonight” both have beautiful melodies and made the most impact to me during their set. Oh, and can we talk about rotating main stages for a second and why more shows aren’t using them?? As one band was playing, in the back another would be setting up unbeknownst to the audience. At the end of the set, the stage would rotate, giving us a glimpse of a very Long Beach scenery — palm trees and, in this case, a beautiful sunset.

Of Montreal and !!! (Chk Chk Chk) from day two will have to battle it out for most energetic performance and audience. When of Montreal singer Kevin Barnes took the stage, he was wearing a blonde wig and colorful women’s outfit, which I suppose is pretty normal for them. Their performance completely blew me away. Truthfully I only knew a handful of their songs and that memory was growing hazy. But, I it all came back to me when I heard “Suffer for Fashion” and those lyrics came to me and the rest of the audience as we sang, “it’s not supposed to happen like that… not like that.” People were jumping up and down to the highly danceable set and Barne’s voice was simply stunning. It was definitely THE performance of the night.

I stayed to catch British early shoegaze group Ride and had to back away from the stage because, My Bloody Valentine style, their music was a glorious wash of strong, loud sound. I also caught headliners Ween and while there were some funny moments mostly from the lyrics I heard in the set, they weren’t really my jam. Regardless, lots of people (probably your dad) were there to see Ween and they really did do it all… there was even a theremin on stage that I heard at one point! They ended their set on a soft note with the song, “Fluffy” (yes pun intended).

The next day I arrived still tired from having been up until 4 in the morning to write my Day One article for mxdwn. But I was super excited to see one of my new favorites Jay Som and get down to some stellar indie rock. The Bay-area foursome kept things cool and casual on the stage — it felt like we were just looking in on their rehearsal or jam session. The band members themselves were just looking at each other, smiling and being goofy, but man could they achieve that hazy, lo-fi sound that many indie bands can only dream of. They played my favorite from them, “Turn Into” and I head a new favorite as they played “Out Red Door,” which started softly and lead into a fuzzy jam session. The group posed hilariously as the stage rotated for the next band and the small but engaged audience laughed.

As I mentioned before, !!! definitely competed with of Montreal for most energetic set. Singer Nick Offer did an incredible job of engaging with and hyping up the crowd and joined the audience from the stage as many times as he could. Some of my favorites from the set included “Pardon My Freedom,” even if he was telling me to sick his dick. The song blended punk and electronic together in a way that was angsty and rad. But I also couldn’t help but feel the groove for “Freedom ’15,” a funky dance track.

Since I was on assignment to cover Digable Planets and Los Lobos, I wasn’t able to catch much of Peaches, but from what I saw she was wearing a pink feathered outfit and words like “this song is about my huge vagina,” or something to that effect, I’m sure made for an engaging performance.

Los Lobos had another dad rock audience, but their performance was filled with personality and George Lopez jokes too. What was cool about their set were the extra instruments they brought out on the more cultural songs like “Stained Behind the Glass” in which a harp player came out, and banda-based song “Rio de Tenampa” which called for rather enthusiastic clarinet, trombone and sousaphone players. They continued on as the stage turned, revealing tUnE-yArDs, who’s name spelling reminds me of how middle schoolers used to and maybe still do type on their iPhones and myspace.

To be honest, I was half annoyed that I would have to watch tUnE-yArDs, as my hazy memory of them included them singing “don’t you wanna be a rasta,” channeling my disdain for reggae. However, I’ll be the first to admit that I was just being judgmental, because their set was one of the most entrancing ones of the festival. The experimental-folk project of Merrill Garbus, tUnE-yArDs creates their sound with the use of vocal and drum loops that are set up on the spot. The band might almost be considered honorary shoegaze because of the time they spent looking down at their feet. It was incredible to watch this trio — Garbus would set up a loop featuring various harmonies and melodies, put it all together, and sing over it at times. The drummer would lock right into the rhythm too which I’m sure was not an easy feat. And while it’s probably not the kind of music I’d listen to in my spare time, it sure as hell was interesting to watch.

But the Long Beach stage was the most crowded it would be for final headlining act Sleater-Kinney. While this band has been around since the ’90s and Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker were integral in the riot grrrl movement, they’re probably even more popular now just because everyone knows and loves Carrie Brownstein in Portlandia. And while Tucker was the main singer, Brownstein certainly commanded a lot of attention with her high kicks and expressionist face. A lot of people seemed to know the lyrics and really got into the songs. Some of the more pop-y songs like “One Beat” had everyone jumping up and down. Brownstein’s skills on the guitar were spot on for their noise-rock in “Surface Envy,” as the two guitar players rocked hard and loud into the night.

The sets each night ended promptly at 10pm and everyone cleared out promptly each night. Overall, it was a smooth and successful event that seemed to draw in a lot of the L.A. crowd, and I ran into people I knew from CSU, Long Beach, L.A. shows and even some family! Events like these give me even more prideful of being a Long Beach resident, and I look forward to what lineup Music Tastes Good will reveal for next year!

Check out my full articles on mxdwn:

Music Tastes Good 2017 Day One with Ween, Of Montreal and Alvvays

Music Tastes Good 2017 Day Two with Sleater-Kinney, Los Lobos and tUnE-yArDs

Music Tastes Good – A Lineup Filled With Flavor There was literally something for everyone at this year's Music Tastes Good Festival at the Marina Green Park in Long Beach, CA.

[emmaswanchoosesyou]

My sibling is besties with your sibling and even though we hate each other I guess we’ve got to start hanging out a little for Scarlet Beauty (we can make it Captain Swan being not besties but dating) I just really want where is Belle and Will despising each other at first!

Hey, @lenfaz– here this is, months later! I hope you enjoy these two and the disasters that they are. 

Unbeta’d, so all mistakes are mine. Rated T, for drinking and smut glitter. Around 2200 words of Scarlet Beauty, Captain Swan, and Captain Book siblings.

Also on Ao3.

something like hope

Okay, here’s the thing–Belle French isn’t entirely sure how she came to be making out with Will Scarlet on Valentine’s Day, because it sure as shit isn’t something she planned.

&&&

Four years ago

“Belle, I think I’ve met the perfect woman,” Killian says.

She smirks at her brother. “Haven’t you said that about at least three women you’ve taken home from the bar over the last year since Milah…?”

“Fuck you, this is different. I’d have thought my own sister would be more supportive.”

“Come now, Killy.”

“Not the nickname, for the love. I will dunk you into the harbor if I must. Pass me the syrup, please.”

Handing him the syrup, she looks over and sees how serious he is, in spite of the joking words. “Oh. Well, tell me about her.”

“Her name is Emma Swan, and yes, we did meet last night at the bar. But…” Killian prattles on, his enthusiasm making her think maybe he’s right about this one.

-

Killian is right, it turns out. Emma is nothing like Belle would have imagined for her friend, but they just work somehow.

They’ve been together two months when Killian drags Belle along to a party at Emma’s. It’s a way for their friend groups to meet, for them to emerge from their couply bubble and begin to interact with all their loved ones again.

It’s not that Belle doesn’t want to go, it’s just that she’s in the middle of a really good book.

Killian tells her she has to go though. “When is the last time you interacted with people who weren’t me or Merida?”

She looks at him blankly and shrugs. “But I have you two, I don’t need loads more people. And we had brunch with Emma just a few days ago.”

“That doesn’t count and you know it.”

“And why not?!”

“Because you wouldn’t have seen her or had brunch with her were I not, and I quote, ‘unable to be parted from the general vicinity of her v–’”

“I remember what I said,” she replies quickly, cutting him off before he can remind her of what she’d said in a particularly crass, drunken moment the previous week.

“Then you know my point remains.”

She scoffs.

“It’s just…you haven’t gotten out much since things ended with Gold, love. I worry.”

“Are you trying to say you liked things better then?!”

“Don’t be obtuse, you know I’m not. I just don’t want you to isolate yourself, especially when I’m not around as much as I was.”

“That sounds like it’s your problem.”

“Which is why I’m taking you with me to this party.”

“Fine. Fine,” she finally says.

-

It’s a nice party, and Belle is actually enjoying herself. Emma’s friends are all pretty cool people, from the kindhearted and lovey-dovey couple to her loud and strikingly gorgeous friend Ruby. (She tells herself not embarrass herself around the woman, but she’s drinking and can’t make any promises.)

All of them except for Will fucking Scarlet.

The man is obnoxious, to say the least. He’s loud, he’s uncouth, and she’s fairly sure he’s found himself on the wrong side of the law at least a couple times. (And she has no idea how that works, given that Emma is in bail bonds and David seems to be in law enforcement.)

But apparently he’s like a brother to Emma, the two having met in college and having been inseparable since, so she just grits her teeth and tries to bear it when he stares and makes an ass of himself with his idiotic words.

&&&

Present

He just feels so good against her, his lips trailing down her neck to suck a mark into her collarbone. On one hand, this is probably a bad idea. On the other, she can’t believe it’s taken her this long to do this.

&&&

3 years ago

Killian is moving out. He’s actually leaving.

Belle knows she shouldn’t be so surprised. After all, he and Emma have been together a little over a year at this point. They’re stupidly in love. It makes sense. And a part of her is really, really happy for them.

But it’s annoying, it’s inconvenient, and it hurts a little bit.

She’s apprehensive–she hasn’t lived on her own in five years, and she’s not really sure how to go about it anymore.

But going to the housewarming party at Emma’s and Killian’s new house is probably a good start.

-

The downside to this plan is that it comes with Will Scarlet. Over the last year, she’s seen him enough to know she doesn’t much like him. He’s rude, chaotic, and he drinks too much.

The icing on the cake had been when he broke into the library a few months before. She’d been shocked the next morning when she’d arrived at work to find him curled up on the ground, his empty bottle and a copy of Alice in Wonderland tucked in his arms.

(He hadn’t been thrilled to wake up to Belle hitting him repeatedly with a broom, either. Or with her call to Emma.)

So she’s less than thrilled when he opens the door to her. He just rolls his eyes and moves aside for her to come in, and she stomps past as quickly as possible.

She feels a little more kindly toward him a few hours later when their friends and families are celebrating, the two of them left behind by Emma’s and Killian’s burgeoning relationship. He’s out a roommate now too, and she knows how that feels.

While everyone else toasts, they meet eyes and nod at each other in a moment of understanding and kinship. Then they begrudgingly raise their glasses as well.

&&&

Present

She pulls him into her bedroom by his jacket. The jacket should probably go, actually. Maybe they shouldn’t be doing this, maybe she hasn’t planned it, but it’s probably not the worst idea she’s ever had.

No, that honor belongs to the day she finally decided Will isn’t so bad.

The day she got drunk and threw up in front of everyone she knew at Emma’s and her brother’s engagement party.

&&&

1.5 years ago

Living by herself works much better than she had thought it would, most of the time.

This is not one of those times.

For starters, there’s no one to remind her that this is an engagement, and even with their more casual crowd, it’s not the sort of event one pregames for. Then there’s the whole thing where she’s ashamed that she’s actually jealous that Killian and Emma have found each other.

Normally, it’s fine. Belle adores Emma, and they’ve gotten really close over the last two and a half years. Honestly, if she needs something or has an emergency, she’s probably a little more likely to call her than Killian. (She’s generally just a little cooler under pressure…unless it comes to emotions, romance, proposals–that’s where Killian shines.)

But she’s lonely. She’s tried the online dating thing, and that one guy, Gaston or Keith or whatever he had called himself–is more than enough to sour her on the experience.  Seriously, did she have to end up unintentionally going out with one of Emma’s bail skips?!

She has her fingers crossed that maybe Ruby will finally give her the time of day, though–oh, wait, no, she’s here with another someone. Blast. So Belle downs another glass of champagne.

Fast forward to a couple hours later–dinner is over, numerous toasts have been made to the happy couple and their love. She gets up to make her speech, teetering on her heels as she makes her way to the stage.

She faces the crowd, their faces swimming before her. Standing in front of the microphone, she says, “Thank you all for being here tonight! It’s been a fantastic night, and I’m just so happy for my brother and his new fiancee. I know–”

She cuts off, because that’s when it happens. She hurries to face away from the crowd as the drinking she’s been doing overwhelms her…and she vomits on the stage.

Everyone is looking at her, and she tamps down on the rising panic and tears. Killian looks alarmed and a little horrified, while Emma looks more amused, if a little concerned. Ruby and her date have that same concern, and Mary Margaret is already running to get things to help clean up.

Then she sees Will. The only thing in his face is compassion and kinship, and then he’s right next to her at the stage, wrapping an arm around her waist.

“Well, folks, there’s definitely just been an, uh, overflowing of joy for Emma and Killian, so let’s give them a round of applause,” Will says quickly, hauling her off the stage.

Once they’re in a private corridor, he asks her how she is, and pushes her hair out of her face. “Can I see you home, luv? I’ve been where you are, and I hate being alone when I’m ill.”

Belle just nods, a sob escaping her throat.

&&&

Present

She’s so grateful, she thinks, pulling him onto the bed on top of her. He grinds into her, and she lets out a moan. Belle smiles against his lips, remembering fondly how he’d sat next to in the cab, awkwardly and gently patting her shoulder. They’re inseparable these days, have been even since that night.

And now…they’re definitely taking it a step farther, if his arousal digging into her hip is any indication. It’s new for them, and she kind of loves it.

It’s been awhile since she realized she has feelings for him, four months of pining and angsting. Now that she knows he feels the same? Heaven, she thinks, pulling at his shirt and tossing it onto the floor.

&&&

4 months ago

Belle is sitting at her kitchen counter, the cartons of takeout tempting her with the scent of ma po tofu and almond chicken. Will’s late, later than his normal ten minutes or so past when they’re supposed to meet. It’s almost an hour later than they planned, and she doesn’t want the food to get cold.

It’s become their weekly ritual, getting together on Friday for takeout and beer or wine. They generally see each other a couple times during the week, but this is theirs. There’ve been so few interruptions in this over the last year and bit–Emma’s and Killian’s wedding festivities, and the time Will got horribly sick.

So his tardiness is…worrying. She’s texted him and gotten no response, and she’s this close to sending out a search party.

Then her door opens and Will bursts in, no knocking or by-your-leave. She opens her mouth to scold him when he throws his arms around her and mutters, “Jesus Christ, it’s been a day.”

“What, happened?” she asks, running a hand down his back. Her heart is beating far too fast and is somewhere around her stomach at the feel of his embrace

He pulls back and runs a hand over his face. God, he looks horrible. “Ana. Ana happened.”

Her heart plummets to her feet. “Ana? But I thought she–”

“She left me? Aye, a few years ago, just before I met you and Killian. It’s why I was such an ornery arsebadger when we met.”

“You were, but that’s not the point. What’s happened now?”

“I was at the pub having a pint before coming over, and she just slides onto the barstool next to me like it hasn’t been years since we’ve seen each other and like she didn’t break my heart. I don’t even know how she found me.”

“Oh my god.”

“She wants to get back together. Says she misses me.”

Belle feels something inside her break. Suddenly she realizes what she’s feeling and wants to curse herself for falling for him–from his moodiness to his kindness and compassion–at such an inconvenient time. “Oh. Well, what are you going to do?”

“Well, I just stared at her a good bit. Never been more flabbergasted. Then I started hysterically laughing.”

In spite of herself, she smiles a little. “You poor thing,” she says, brushing her hand over his arm.

He looks down at where she’s touching him and smiles back at her. “I just left, but I think I’m going to tell her to shove off.”

And then she feels something a lot like hope.

&&&

Present

They’re tangled together on her bed, sated and wrapped up in each other. He presses a kiss to her forehead, and she turns to beam up at him.

He lightly tugs on her hair. “This changes things, doesn’t it?”

She traces his cheekbone before pulling him in for a fierce kiss. “Yes. It-it’s been you, for months and months now.”

“Oh, thank god. I’ve been crazy about you for ages.”

“Really?! What about Ana?”

“I didn’t think you cared about me, and it was a shock to see her. But it wasn’t until that day I started to hope.”

“Oh.” A pause. “And then I kissed you today,” she says with a grin. She’s glad she did. Their usual Friday hangout had fallen on Valentine’s Day, and she…just hadn’t been able to resist today.

“Aye, and it was a glorious kiss.”

“I’m glad you think so, because I’m going to kiss you again.”

“Good.”

[nationalpark-rp]

Isn’t it such a beautiful time of year?  Just as we all have finally settled into the new year, we realize just how much we love the people around us, whether they’re our partners, our friends, or our family!  And what better way to show how much you love someone than with overpriced candies and silly cards with cute dogs and cats on them!  Well, maybe there’s something more than that...

An event sounds like a fun way to spread the love among our Park-goers, don’t you think?

And who better to run an event all about love than Johto’s hearthrob DJ-- that’s right, DJ Ben!  Even a seasoned event-runner like DJ Mary needs a break from time to time!  After nearly four years of dedicated service, we’re all showing DJ Mary the love by letting her sit back, relax, and let her boyfriend take the helm this time!

What could go wrong?  Absolutely nothing... probably!  He’s seen her do this plenty of times, so how hard could it be...?  To kick off this Valentine’s Event, DJ Ben’s got a whole heap of fun for everybody here!  So, without further ado, we present to you...

DJ BEN’S 1ST ANNUAL SPREAD THE LOVE EVENT

This event comes in three parts:

First, we have a roleplay thread event. Second, we have our annual valentine exchange. And third, a shiny raffle.

Sounds like a whole lot of fun, so let’s dive into it!

A ROLEPLAY THREAD EVENT:

Everyone knows that the best way to get people to love each other is to arbitrarily assign them to a stranger to be partners with for a day!  It’s perfect, I tell you!  Call it a date, call it a hang-out, call it absolute torture-- call it whatever you want once you sign up!

DJ Ben was so inspired by Mary’s blind date event last year that he’s decided to put his own spin on it!  As usual, these interactions don’t need to be romantic if you don’t want to.  DJ Ben loves and supports all kinds of interactions, so that means platonic, too.

Sign-ups for this portion of the event are open from today, February 1st, to Monday, February 11th.  If you have more than one character, please state which characters you’d like to enter.

Please submit your names to DJ Ben’s blog.

These threads do not have to be canon.  They can be just for the fun of it!

Once your character’s name has been submitted, we will randomize the participants and give each one a number ranging from 1-10 and they will be paired appropriately.  Each participant will get their number from Ben on February 12th.

However, DJ Ben’s a little frazzled over getting this event together.  He forgot to tell you who your partner was!  Looks like you’ll have to find out for yourself!

For this event, your muse will post on the dash in search of their partner.  If you have the same number, then you’ve found your match!  You can also interact with people who don’t match your number in search for that partner.

For example, if your muse’s number is three and you post your character pouring their heart out in hopes of finding their match, a five or a seven can come along and discuss with your muse about these missing partners!

These threads as usual must meet our minimum length requirement, but we encourage shorter interactions for this event!

Once you find your matching partner, just have fun!  How your muses decide to spend their confusing Valentine’s Day is up to you.

And once the event officially ends, you are always more than welcome to continue your threads for as long as you want!  The main point is to have a blast!

Every time Valentine’s Day comes around, the Goldenrod Radio Tower has sponsored a valentines exchange for trainers across all regions!  DJ Ben continues this tradition just as always.  In the past, these valentines have gotten mixed up time and time again.  All these unhappy participants and complaints... that’s not in the spirit of love!  This time, it’ll go right for sure under the watchful eye of DJ Ben.

Or... it would be watchful if not for all the other moving parts of this event.  It’ll all turn out all right, I’m sure of it.  DJ Ben has hired an elite group of Delibird delivery Pokemon to get the job done!  They can’t be any worse than the Pidgeys, Pidgeots, and Dragonite that came before them!

But despite the diligence of our delivery Delibirds, it seems the valentines have gotten mixed up yet again!  Every valentine received is being shipped off to the wrong person.

Example:

Lance sends a valentine to Clair saying, “I wish we got along like we used to.  We’re family, even if you don’t approve of my store-bought capes.”

Red sends their long-time rival/buddy Green a valentine mostly comprised of ellipses.

When Valentine’s Day finally rolls around and everyone receives their long-anticipated valentine, Green ends up with Clair’s valentine, and Clair gets Green’s!  There’s a whole heap of confusion on the horizon.  Don’t worry, it’ll be fun!

VALENTINE’S EXCHANGE RULES

Sign-ups for the Valentine’s Exchange will last from today, February 1st, to Wednesday, February 13th.

To take part in this event, simply submit a Valentine to DJ Ben via the pokemon-channel blog.  Since asks contain a character limit—and because confessions of the heart shouldn’t be limited by anything—please use the submission box to send in your Valentines.

In your Valentine submission(s), please fill in a “SENDER” field, a “RECIPIENT” field, and a “CONTENTS” field.  If you wish to send out a     Valentine, but you would also like to remain anonymous IC-ly, make sure to include that detail in the Valentine form.  While it will be known OOC-ly who send which message, we won’t force characters to reveal themselves in the RP world.

Valentines do not necessarily have to be romantic and mushy.  They can just as well be platonic, or joking, or downright insulting and completely against the spirit of Valentine’s.  There is absolutely no need to limit     yourself to pink hearts and declarations of love.

You do not need to send a Valentine in order to also receive one.

You do not need to tell us who you want to erroneously receive your Valentine.  We will be picking who receives which Valentine based on the pool of legitimate recipient names we end up with, as per the example above.

Regardless  of whether or not you decide to send in a Valentine or not, please make sure that you are following DJ Ben.

On Valentine’s Day (February 14th), we will post all the Valentines to DJ Ben’s blog.  We will state which character sent it, but not who the actual recipient was supposed to be.  We’ll let you guess for yourselves!

Even if you didn’t personally send one, you may still find yourself on the receiving end of a very special card…

Once all of the Valentines have been distributed, whatever you decide to do with the resulting mayhem is up to you.

AND WHAT’S AN EVENT WITHOUT A RAFFLE?

On behalf of DJ Mary, DJ Ben is working with the Pokemon Adoption Agency to adopt out some very special Pokemon!  So if you say “humbug!” at the fakeness of Valentine’s Day, love Pokemon more than people, or just don’t have any time for dates and valentines, then this raffle is for you!

We all want to give Pokemon in need a forever home, right?  Now’s your chance to enter for a special Shiny Pokemon!

Sign-ups for the raffle will be open from today, February 1st until Wednesday, February 13th.

To add your character’s name to the raffle, send DJ Ben an ask requesting to join in on the Valentine’s Day Raffle event.

If you have more than one character simply state which character(s) you’d like to sign up for the raffle.  There is no character limit.

On Valentine’s Day (February 14th), DJ Ben will draw out four (4) random names and announce the winners.  The first three (3) lucky winners will be granted their pick of one (1) shiny Pokemon of the following three types: Normal, Psychic, or Fairy.  The fourth winner will receive a non-shiny Pokemon as a consolation prize.

And that’s all we have for you for this Valentine’s Event!  We’ve got plenty of love to give to you all, and hopefully, we’ll all be feeling the love soon enough!

[willidleaway]

Actually, thanks to the Japan Anniversary Association and the easy-to-use search tool on their website, I believe I’ve come up with some suitable alternate celebration programming for the really, really die-hard Japanophiles.

For example, 14 Feb is Car Insurance Day. Loose partial translation:

Established by the Tokio Marine Nichidou Fire Insurance Corporation. On 14 Feb 1914 (Taishou 3), the company, then the Tokio Marine Insurance Corporation, received the first sales authorisation for car insurance in Japan, with the idea that ‘every day with humans and cars should feel safe’.

Fun titbit: The same company recently became the first Japanese vehicle insurer to cover accidents involving self-driving cars.

More alternate observances after the break.

14 Mar: Aside from March being Life Insurance Review Month, 14 Mar specifically happens to be ... Seppuku Monaka Day.

It’s not actually as horrifying as it sounds. Mostly.

To pass down numerous things about the Chuushingura to many people, the Japanese sweets shop Shinshoudou (新正堂) opens in Shimbashi, Tokyo, which has the Seppuku Monaka amongst its goods.

It’s also Home Inspection Day, but honestly I think I’ve done enough talking about safety for now.

1 Apr: This is important, folks. Mark your calendars. Forget April Fools’. Forget Training Day (the Japanese anniversary, not the film). Forget Online Trade Day. Definitely forget Mobile Phone Strap Day. I hear you ask (because I’m delusional and am hearing voices in my head and also I’m almost entirely confident that I’ve made this joke before): what, then, could it be? Real Estate Appraisal Day? ＷＨＯＰＰＥＲ® Day? Day of Steel? No. All of those pale in importance compared to the major milestone in Japanese society—nay, in human history—that I’m about to reveal to you.

The first of April is the anniversary of the founding of the Japan Anniversary Association, in 1991.

I know, I too thought that it had been with us since the dawn of time. Or at least the dawn of Japan. One of those.

1 May: Coin Day. Get it? Because quasi-homophones!

Said to be one of the most important inventions of humanity, money has a history of nearly three thousand years.

Great! When’s Wheel Day? (Editor’s note—no such thing exists, but there is a Tyre Day on 8 Apr and an Okonomiyaki Day on 10 Oct. Since the tyre is vital to many modern wheels, and the okonomiyaki is also one of the most important inventions of humanity, I find both of these to be adequate substitutes.)

25 May: Well, you could celebrate Terminator Day, marking the day that the first movie premiered in Japanese cinemas. But frankly, doesn’t Bessho Line Day sound far more interesting to you? The Bessho Line is a small rail line connecting downtown Ueda to a hot springs area, and the date is actually taken from the Type 5250 trains (image via here) that used to operate on that line. Look at those tiny round windows!

4 Jul: Nanashii Day! Again: homophones!

What, you don’t know what Nanashii is? Well, that’s fine! It’s perfectly fine with the Toyomaru Industry Corporation of Nagoya, because—well, you see, the day is meant to promote the company’s Nanashii series of pachinko machines.

Yes, pachinko. The Japan Anniversary Association is perfectly fine assigning a day for pachinko PR.

Erm, look, I don’t actually know what kind of pachinko this is, but ... just give me a mulligan on that one, okay?

4 Jul, again: Repair Your PC Day!

Established by Shouin Corporation, based in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, dealing in used PC sales and PC repair. The purpose is to disseminate the ideas of not throwing away and repairing broken objects. Notebook computer repair classes offered for all ages.

Well, until all OEMs follow Apple, who are obviously leading the way to just offering a block of circuitry coated in impenetrable solder. (Editor’s note—you can’t actually coat everything indiscriminately in solder and expect it to work properly. The figurative image stands.) Still, good work in the meantime.

7 Jul: Are you tired of people celebrating Tanabata on the wrong calendar? (I mean, some Tanabata festivals in Japan actually take place on the Gregorian 7/7 date rather than near the lunar 7/7 date, but what do they know about their own customs?) Well, you’re not short on alternatives, which include:

Calpis Day, in celebration of the Japanese soft drink first marketed on this day in 1919.

Moony’s Birthday, basically the fictional birthday of a fictional baby and therefore the doubly fictional birthday of a triply fictional ... teddy bear diaper mascot? Or nappy mascot. Whichever is less confusing to you. Seriously, though, look at that mascot’s profile—name, height, birth date and place, talents ... all that’s missing is blood type. But it does get more and more weirdly adorable as you look at it.

Bamboo Leaf Fish Cake Day, or, if you’re feeling less rote-translation-minded, Sasa-kamaboko Day. It’s grilled fish cake in the shape of bamboo leaves. Kind of cheating listing this separate from Tanabata, because the only reason this day is even on this date is because Tanabata and bamboo are heavily connected. In fact, you might say that a lot about Tanabata hangs on bamboo. Get it? Get ... I’ll get me coat.

Mary’s Summer Valentine Day. Erm. What? Eek, another holiday riding on the tailcoats of Tanabata. And this time, even more explicitly marketing-driven! Move along.

Two other marketing holidays tied to the romantic aspects of Tanabata—one that I literally cannot translate in any other way than Love Day or Day of Love, and, erm ... Love Soumen Day? Yes, there’s a love-themed brand of Japanese noodles. It looks disgusting. Probably actually decent noodles, though.

Ponytail Day, for which the Japan Anniversary Association isn’t even responsible. The Japan Ponytail Association (yes, that apparently existed) went rogue on them and just declared it all by themselves! Those maniacs! They blew it up! Even the twin-tail enthusiasts went through the JAA! This is most unorthodox!

oh god another pachinko-related day just skip it

And finally—Ultimate Day. Yes. You know what that means. ... no, not the End of Time Itself, actually—it means ultimate, the flying disc sport. You know, what some of you call ultimate frisbee. Most of you, probably. Kind of disappointing, really. Could really use an apocalypse this year.

31 Oct: well, Vegetable Day falls on the 31st of every month, but it’s obviously best when it’s facing off against Hallowe’en.

Established by the 5 A Day Association, which engages in food education activities and recommends that you eat five servings (350 g) of vegetables and 200 g of fruits each day.

No, vegetable-shaped sweets don’t count. Eat your greens.

Okay, but listing a monthly event is kind of cheating. Let’s try this again.

31 Oct, specifically: Tohsai Day. It’s literally just got a ceramics company’s name on it. Also, I can’t figure out how 陶彩 is supposed to be kind of sort of read as ten thirty-one.

Oh god, it’s supposed to be kind of sort of read as three-one. Oh and I can’t believe there is an alternate reading of 十 that sounds vaguely like 陶.

I can’t stand this. Go to a different one without homophone-play.

31 Oct, again: Izumo-zenzai Day. It’s red bean soup with mochi. It sounds delicious. It is delicious. I want a bowl now.

Oh, wait. Zen-za-i ... 1000 ... 3-1 ... oh god. I can’t avoid it. I just can’t.

Note to Japan: stop. You’re worse than the Anglosphere’s punniest.

5 Nov: Well, it’s apparently also Life Insurance Review Month in November. For the fifth of November specifically, we have Delicious Conger Eel Day.

Established by Matsuiizumi, a shop in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, specialising in conger eels.

Remember, buy conger / This fifth of November / Gunpowder, treason and fish / I know of no reason / Why in any good season / You'd ditch such a yummy dish!

25 Dec: Pudding Day!

Established by Ohayou Dairy Corporation, based in Okayama, Okayama Prefecture, maker of milk, processed milk, milk beverages, yoghurt, and other dairy products. Designated because of its many popular pudding products.

Actually, as with Vegetable Day, it falls on the 25th of every month (yet again due to a convoluted pun that doesn’t remotely translate into English)—so no, nobody intentionally went up against Christmas here.

It’s actually the same story with Boxing Day, where Sunsweet of Japan established a Prune Day for the 26th of every month. Nobody designated anything specifically for the 25th or 26th of December. Kind of surprised, really, considering all the crowding around Gregorian Tanabata.

In conclusion: does anyone know of any other examples of these anniversary associations? I desperately want to search through to find out who’s paying these kinds of people all that money to get something on some calendar, somewhere, possibly, but in countries that are not Japan.