#and my french teacher and i were very close <3 and i remember when i wore that. the look on his fucking face was like 😏😌 because he

[katanadepapel]

TMNT MUTANT MAYHEM

💙 BLUE HEART 💙

Chapter 3- I'm lost in my mind

‼️ Attention! This text contains strong language‼️

Leo’s POV 💙

Entering the classroom, April and I sat together at desks, since the history room has one of those long desks with two chairs, unlike the art room, where the chairs are individual.

I placed my materials on my desk, preparing myself in case the history teacher arrived now. When my notebook and pencil case were on the table, I supported my face with my right hand, giving a small smile as I laughed with April, who was also watching TikTok videos waiting.

Like I said, it's not her, it's just... when I look at her I remember a little bit of graduation, but as we are friends, I try my best not to take my frustration out on her or anyone else.

Coming from the back of the room, a boy had crumpled up a paper ball and thrown it, and I felt the ball hit the back of my head. I didn't like it, but I ignored it, especially because I thought it wasn't worth arguing with someone childish over a little piece of paper.

“There Yoda! Think fast!" The same kid says the same thing, repeats the act and hits the back of my head again.

Yoda, are you serious?!

And the worst thing is that his friends laugh at his nonsense. I again ignore his childishness, I did nothing but close my eyes, take a deep breath and tap the tips of my 6 fingers on my desk

which is something that calms me down a lot.

“Oh Yoda, you don’t know how to defend yourself? Do you need a girl for this?” Says one of Noah's little friends.

“DAMN NOAH, will you stop picking on my friend and being ridiculous?” April says angrily, obviously fed up with that attitude.

Friend

“Sorry April O’Hero! Very sorry!" Noah says, raising his hands in surrender, even in mockery, and it wasn't really worth it because the assholes kept laughing and making fun.

Tell me what they are doing wasting time at school? You don't want to study, stay at home! Or loitering on the street! Because there are still young people in the 21st century like me and April who want to be someone better in life!

I was upset with the nicknames and the paper money, and this isn't the first time these things have happened to me, but I was even more upset with myself, why didn't I defend myself? Why didn't I say anything? In addition to being boring, I'm scared!

My mind returns to reality again when the teacher arrives, serious as always, it didn't take long until he picked up the whiteboard pen and started writing on the board, and with my notebook already on the table, I started writing.

#I'MPREPARED!

*A while later*

April and I separated, she went to her class, and I was free at the moment, so I walked down the halls, thinking, and on the way I saw four boys who were between a board with lists of student clubs and the door of the club. of theater, it's obvious that they are theater students, because they were laughing and acting out their... characters?

Okay, that was crazy, I watched strangely from afar until they left acting in the most abnormal way anyone has ever seen, are actors like that?

I stopped in front of the board, there were several lists of different types of clubs, chess club, French club, mime club, anime club...? OK? This one goes to Donnie.

Will I join a club? I asked doubtfully, tapping my fingers on my thighs.

Staring at the board for a few seconds, I jumped in fright when a hand slammed a sheet of paper onto the board.

*POW*

“OH SHIT!” I screamed.

I turned around very scared and saw that it was...

“Naomi?!” I asked in amazement with my hand on my heart and with wide eyes, in which I could feel it giving about 120 beats per second.

“Hey Leon! Scared, right?” She says finishing placing the tacks attaching the list to the club board.

“Nami, Don’t ever scare me like that again, that wasn’t funny!” I said irritably, pointing at her and breathing tirelessly.

"Why? Scaring you is so fun!” Naomi turns to me with a sideways smile, with one eyebrow raised, she supports herself against the wall with her hand, and the other rests on her waist.

That smile again, which made me even angrier, I crossed my arms and glared at that poker face.

“And annoy you too!” She finishes by lightly touching my nose with her index finger before returning to admire the painting from afar, with both hands on her hips, the paper now pinned down.

I smiled and shook my head, looking at that crazy woman, but my smile didn't last long when I saw a beautiful young couple in the background, they were hugging each other and laughing nonstop.

I watched them kiss and walk away, they looked so...happy.

*Plays Adele- Hello*

🎵Hello, it's me

I was wondering if after all these years you'd like to meet🎶

I hear the music and look to my right side and see Naomi with her cell phone held close to my ear.

"sour grapes" I hear Naomi whisper next to me seeing the same thing as me.

Annoyed, I roll my eyes, take the cell phone from his hands, turn off the music and leave dissatisfied.

“Leon, give me my cell phone back!!!” She says running to catch up to me.

*Three hours later*

Classes were over, the guys and I had said goodbye to the girls and gone home, the guys were talking about how amazing their people are, and I was unhappy again.

You know that phase when you're always thoughtful, yeah, it's torture, even more so if the reflection is on words and unwanted events in life, in my case it was bullying, friend zone and loneliness.

It was 16:30 p.m., what I wanted most was to forget it, but I couldn't, I couldn't go out, so I lay down on my bed wanting to be alone.

I closed my eyes for ten seconds and felt a vibration, I knew it was my cell phone that was under the pillow so I picked it up and saw that Naomi had sent me messages.

MIMI: HEY, WHAT'S UP LEON ARDO, how are you?☺️😁

MIMI: SRY for making fun of you earlier today, I thought you were over it😔😔😔

MIMI: SOOOORRRYYY!!!😭😭😭😭😭

😭

I’m  J/K!!!!!

🥺

👉👈

Even though I was upset, I couldn't help but laugh at the amount of emojis this girl sent, it wasn't actually her fault.

Leo: It's okay mimi, it wasn't your fault.😊

Leo: I knew you were just trying to cheer me up, but in reality, I wasn't in the mood☁️ ☀️

NAMI: I noticed, these last few weeks you've been more silent,🤐😔🫥 sad and isolated, Leon, do you want to talk about it?

NAMI: I'm worried.😟

WORRIED?

She was always so attentive to me.

I thought about not saying anything, and saying that everything is fine, but that would only make the problems worse, and she was listening to me, especially since she is not a pushover, I can trust her, but with the cell phone?

Leo: Well, yes😔

I wrote, sent, and rested my cell phone on my cravat, waiting for her message, when I felt a vibration again, I lifted my cell phone and read what she wrote.

NAMI: Meet me on the terrace of my apartment, face-to-face it's better.😊

My face heated up a little after the message she sent. Face-to-face? Does she want to talk to me? OK, let's go.

Leo: Okay! I'll be there. 😄😊

I smiled at the message I sent her, and i got out of bed, put on some teal sweatpants, a white blouse with a Snoopy print on it, and a navy blue sweatshirt.

“Where are you going Leo?” asks Mikey, curious, lying on his bed playing Free fire on his cell phone, while Donnie with headphones was looking at me also working on his notebook and Raph sitting on his bed mopping, cleaning his Sai.

“I'm going – I stopped to think of the ideal excuse – to go out, to patrol” What a great excuse I gave, I'm a jerk!

“Wearing sweatshirt?” Donnie says.

“Yeah, so I don’t… feel cold!” He said giving a fake smile hoping they would believe it.

Everyone looked at each other and looked at me even more suspiciously.

“So, I’m going, bye little brothers!” I said, turning me to leave, when I felt my cell phone vibrating again. Raph quickly takes my cell phone from my back pocket, I try to get my phone back but unfortunately Raph is stronger than me and stops me, while reading Naomi's message.

NAMI: Meet me on the terrace of my apartment, face-to-face it's better.😊

Leo: Okay. I'll be there. 😄😊

NAMI: See you there then ✌️ 😊💙

He laughs, showing the screen to Mikey and Donnie who burst out laughing along with Raph, I was angry at that.

“What a nothing patrol! He’s going on a date with Naomi!” Raph says while laughing.

“Mind your own business Raphael, beat it!” I screamed trying to get my phone back.

“Naomi, my precious little angel!” Donnie says imitating my voice.

"Oh Naomi, my beautiful princess, my love, kiss me!" Mikey says, imitating my voice too, but this time he's pouting, gesturing kisses, and then turning his back, running his hands up and down the sides of his hips as if he's making out with someone.

"Uuuuhh, there's someone in love with Naomi!" Raph says with his arms crossed, waggles his eyebrows.

Everyone was laughing at the jokes, I stood still and my face became super red with embarrassment, while I saw their gestures.

"Wow man, first it was April, now you have a crush on Naomi?!" Donnie asks between laughs.

"He can't meet a woman and he already falls in love!" Mikey says.

“And then he says she’s his ‘best friend’.” Raph speaks.

"Shut up, I'm not in love with Naomi, and yes, we're just friends and nothing more, I'm just going to talk to her in person, and it's not a date, what the fuck!" I responded with arms crossed, took my cell phone from Raphael's hand and left, furious with that.

My day started off horrible, and my brothers don't help at all, they never respect me!

I prefer to vent to Naomi a thousand times, because she is not only a great listener, but she is intelligent and even though she makes fun of me, she respects me, very different from my brothers, and we also have a lot of things in common.

I left through the manhole and went to Naomi's apartment where she was waiting for me.

#mutant mayhem leo #mutant mayhem april #tmnt mutant mayhem #mutant mayhem #mutant mayhem raph #mutant mayhem mikey #mutant mayhem donnie #tmnt mm #naomimendes #namimendes #fanfiction #fanfic #my writing #writing #tmnt fanfiction #tmnt oc

[weirdthoughtsandideas]

Are any of the DCLA names common where you live?

No, but many of them aren't uncommon either for people to be named. Many of the names are names that I maybe haven't met anyone that has, but I still recognize the name. I can make a list:

Violetta:

Violetta - Well, this name is not really common in any country lol. However, I think it's more common to name your child this rather than, let's say, Violet. For example, in our translation of Charlie and the chocolate factory, Violet (the chewing gum girl) is named Violetta in the swedish translation. Violetta is much easier to say for a swede to pronounce, as when they say Violet they have to change their pronounciation to an english one.

Francesca - No, not common in Sweden, but it seemed like every friend I had who also lived a lot in another country had a friend named Francesca. I very much remember my friend who was half-french had a friend in France named Francesca.

Camila - Yes! But often spelled Camilla. Every preschool and elementary school has a teacher named Camilla. And SOMEHOW they actually always are red haired, now when I think about it?! Now, I have met like 2-3 teachers named Camilla and all of them were red haired...

Maxi - OH YES. Often short for Maximilian or a nickname for Max. I've met so many dudes named Maxi... many of them were kinda annoying tho HAHAH

Ludmila - Well, again, often spelled Ludmilla instead. Not a common name, but I know I heard the name once in like, a swedish radio christmas calendar. We both have a tv and a radio calendar every year in december (and they're really fun!), but in like 2013 the radio calendar for that year was "All the children celebrate christmas", and was about a family with 23 kids (we celebrate christmas on the 24th here), and every day one of the kids did something and it would be a rhyme with their name in the end. In the 13th episode, the children were performing a Lucia recital at a retirement home, but then their parents realized they were about to miss the bus back, so they had to hurry up singing. But one of the kids, Ludmilla, wanted to sing slowly, feeling the Lucia spirit. Anyway, the rhyme of the episode was "Alla barnen sjöng snabbt, utom Ludmilla, hon sjöng stilla" which means "All the children sang fast, except Ludmilla, she sang slowly".

Natalia - No, but I have met people named Natalie/Nathalie, so close enough. I have heard the name Natalia around, though.

Leon - I feel like that name has increased in popularity, cause I've met at least 5 kids named Leon at the daycares i've worked at

Diego - Not common, but not uncommon. I've heard it. Met a few people with the name and what's funny is that none of them were my age. They were either in their 30s or they were like 1 years old. It just skipped my generation I guess.

Angie - No, and fun fact, if you say Angie people my age will immediately think of the Violetta character. But I know that's not her full name. Angeles is not common, but the name Angelica is a bit more common.

Tomas - Yes, very common. Very common. There are Tomases everywhere. Send help.

Olga - Surprisingly I've met several people named Olga in real life. Both my age, as well as people younger and older than me.

Andres - Yeah, and no. I've heard it, but only met like one or two people with the name.

There's also Vilu's two other tutors she had briefly in the show, Elsa and Ingrid. Both names are very common. Especially Elsa.

All other names I've basically never heard of before, or I simply forgot them.

Soy Luna:

Luna - this is interesting cause it really is both? People who name their kid Luna often do it because they think it's a "unique" and "not common" name, but when every parent has a mindset like that, it's like the names becomes more common. The name is really common for kids who's parents grew up in the late 80s and 90s. So, I feel like either get got inspiration from the moon in Bear in the big blue house or Luna Lovegood (the latter seems very much more likely). Or they are like "uwu it means moon in latin, how cool"

Simón - Yes, but just spelled Simon.

Ámbar - Very uncommon, but I also feel like i've heard the name before? There was a pizza dude in a show named Ambar, or if it was spelled Amvar. I don't remember. That character wasn't swedish, he was from another country. Also I've heard the name Amber, of course, though no one is named that here. We have all just heard the name.

Matteo - Yeah, I mean, it's not the most common name, but I've heard it around. It's either Matteo or Teo/Theo.

Nico - Yeah. I mean, his full name is Nicolas, and there's a fair amount of people with that name. Also, we have a prince named Nicolas, born in 2015. He's the duke of Ångermanland.

Pedro - Not a common name for anyone from here, but it's a name we've heard before.

Nina - Absolutely very common, met so many people. I have a relative named Nina, a childhood bully named Nina, so many teachers and just. Yeah.

Monica - Yes, very common, actually. Every needlework teacher I've had is named Monica (idk how to translate needlework, but basically we have one class where we work with sewing and needlework, as well as one class where we work with wood workshops. Those classes). I've also had a music teacher with that name, and at least three Monica's that are lunch ladies.

Miguel - Not common, but again, we have heard the name, but very few are named it here

Sharon - Another name that's not common here, but we have heard the name before

Jim - Well, the name Jim, as a male name, can be common in some circumstances. I feel like many boys in my parents generations were named that, or Jimmy. But her full name, Jimena? No, I have never heard that name in my entire life. I actually thought the name was a bit silly when I first heard it (but then I felt like, they would probably think it was silly if they heard some of the swedish names, or nordic names in general).

Yam - Well, very uncommon, but I feel like I've heard similar kinds of names? I feel like children who has a background from another country would be named Yamila or a name similar to that, but I wouldn't say it would be impossible if fully-swedish parents named their kid that either.

Ana - Yes, but Anna is very much the standard spelling :)

Mora - No, but we do have a town called Mora. So maybe someone is actually named that too lmao

Gastón - Not common, but we all very well know the name thanks to Beauty and the Beast

Emilia - This is kinda common! Met several people named that!

Juliana - More common with "Julia" and the male name "Julian".

All other names I've either forgotten to mention or weren't common at all and/or i've never heard them before.

Bia:

Bia - No, but I've met people named Bea! So, close.

Chiara - I've always met other people who knows someone named Chiara, or Kiara, but I've never met anyone myself.

Celeste - Same with this, I know people who knows someone named Celeste, but not met anyone myself. Also, Celeste reminds a lot of us of the character from Babar.

Helena - Yes, this name is pretty common.

Alex - Yep.

Manuel - Yeah, I've met some people named Manuel. They can also be named Emanuel.

Daisy - Well, not common for people to be named, but we know a lot of fictional characters named that

Victor - Yeah! But often spelled Viktor, but the c spelling is pretty common too.

Lucas - This name was literally the most common name for baby boys a while in Sweden. In elementary school, there was literally 3 boys named Lucas/Lukas in my class.

Mara - Yeah, it's a name you've heard around.

The name Alice is very common here, but it's pronounced like the english Alice.

All other names I either forgot about or are too uncommon

#thanks for the ask! #dcla #violetta #soy luna #bia #disney bia

[rigelmejo]

Out of curiosity I wanted to guess at how many hours I’ve studied.

FSI puts Chinese at requiring 2200 class hours to get to ~B2 level. (Japanese is also in the 2200 class hours estimate). 

Some people in forums suggest that if self studying, you may want to double that amount. Their reasoning being that FSI students usually do 2200 class hours with a teacher, and do significantly additional study on their own. While I see how that could factor, I think FSI estimates are at least a good “minimum” study hours to aim for. For me, I need a goal to reach, any specific goal will do. At least until I surpass it and need a new one. So at the minimum I try to assume I’ll need at Least the FSI recommended hours, or more. I found FSI’s estimate of hours needed for French to be very close to how much I needed to study.

This wonderful calculator on Autolingo.com can tell you about how long it will take for you to get to the language level you’d like to! That calculator gave me fairly realistic results, and I think it does a great job at showing realistically how many hours you’ll want to study per day to make the progress you want in a given amount of months/years. That way no one makes a mistake like me thinking Japanese can be learned to B1 in one year with only 30 minutes of study a day.

I tried to test the calculator, to give me about when I hit B1 in Chinese after I started studying. I consider this, for these purposes, when I could: start reading extensively without a dictionary MOST things although with detailed to only overall main idea comprehension depending on the material, start watching any show without a dictionary and getting only overall main idea to significant details depending on material, and could start listening to audio only material and start grasping main idea of some things (so listening was probably A2), could have general conversations about most things as long as i could ask questions (so again probably A2 rather than B1). The stats that matched the actual timeline I had best on the calculcator were: Language (Chinese Mandarin), start level Complete Beginner A0, Experience Knowledge of more than one language, Motivation Very high motivation (I had to set this high or else it didn’t match the hours I know I studied to get to that ~B1 level), 1 study session a day at 1.5 hours a day (in reality I did some days of 1 consistent hour, some of 2-4 consistent hours, some of 8-10 study hours, and some days/weeks of absolutely no studying, so 1-2 hours average daily study time is my best guess). 

The calculator gave me a time frame of 2 years, 3 months to get to B1 level after starting to study chinese. I think that’s fairly close to what I experienced. At the beginning of year 2 I noticed being able to extensively read pretty much anything I picked up for at Least the overall main idea (and many to all details depending on if I was really familiar with the topic), I remember I tested reading Goodbye My Princess, SCI, LiuLi, Peach Blossom Debt, some news, weibo posts, etc. around that time. At the end of year 1 I started doing much more listening practice, and by the start of year 2 I was starting to be able to follow audio dramas main overall idea and pick up some level of detail if re-listening (however I’m STILL awful at understanding podcasts), I think my listening skills and production skills lagged however and were more A2 level at the start of year 2. Speaking/writing was like I said, also lacking, I had gotten to the point I could have live conversations over the phone and ask questions in chinese (like when i didn’t know the word for flag), but my speaking/writing comfort level was definitely only daily life/hobbies/interests questions (and my active vocab was limited to that unless i looked up words or asked the person i was talking to what the word was). I could watch shows from when Word of Honor came out onward with no english subs (so Spring 2021 after about 1 year of learning) so by year 2 I could grasp most details although sometimes not all from shows with chinese subs, follow non-subbed shows overall main idea, and follow unfamiliar genre chinese shows for overall main idea with subs and some details. This was a nice spot to get to because I was able to start listening to shows in between doing other stuff/looking at multiple things like with english. I’m in year 3 and currently working on comprehending shows with audio only (no chinese subs) and increasing vocabulary in genres I’m less familiar with. 

For B2, with Very High motivation the calculator says it will take about 3 years, 8 months (from when I started learning). and with High Motivation it will take about 4 years, 4 months. I think this range is probably correct for me. So I likely have about 8-16 months to get to B2. Again, I think my speaking/writing will lag and probably be more like ~B1 by then. But I can already tell all the reading is improving my listening comprehension a lot (I have been practicing with condensed audio and I follow dialogue quite easily now, follow audiobooks better than in the spring without relistens like in the spring, am getting better at following audio dramas, and I should probably start trying to listen to news and podcasts my weakest listening points). Reading has also improved my speaking a bit (or its all feeding into each other), my active vocabulary that’s easy to immediately think to say is much bigger than in the spring, if and when I start journaling I expect my writing to get at least broader in topic even if grammar will remain YIKES until i sit down and make myself do some written exercises with examples some month. Listening and Reading in around a year (like the calculator’s estimate), I would like to have good enough to read my print chinese novels in a speed and comfort close to when I read in english. I’m getting there already with some novels, but I’d like to broaden how many novels feel readable until (like english) I can just pick up whatever one I’ve got. I think this goal is feasible, considering I 1. have a high tolerance for ambiguity so I can reach this ‘comfort’ without being as perfect as maybe someone with less tolerance for vagueness, 2. I made a goal to read a TON recently and its going well, and it seems the number of characters read Does add up (I’m aiming for 4 million characters read but in the short term getting to 1 million this year would be nice ToT). 3. I already notice stuff getting significantly easier to read even after just these ~300k characters read in September-October. I think continuing to read digitally is what I’ll continue for a while though because it lets me increase new words known and listening skills at a faster rate then reading my print books would. (But saying this who knows if I’ll push through a print book randomly without warning in a week, I don’t know the future!). I’d also like my listening skills to get up to FOLLOW THE MAIN IDEA OF MOST AUDIOBOOKS even if details escape me. Because the sooner I can listen to chinese audiobooks for main plot on the first listen through, the sooner I can do more stuff I want to. ToT

So yeah. Back to the original reason I made this post. How many hours have I studied??? 365 days in a year x 3 years = 1095 days. 1095 days x 1 hour of study a day = 1095 study hours. So I have at minimum probably studied that long. If I studied 1.5 hours on average a day? 1642.5 hours. If I studied 2 hours on average a day? 2190 hours.

Now, I don’t think I’m B2 yet, even though FSI says 2200 hours for B2 in mandarin. So either yes, maybe a self studier like me needs to double the hours estimate lol. OR, I probably studied closer to 1 hour on average daily. Not bad progress at all, for 1 hour a day. 

I saw someone give a suggestion, that to find out how long each goal level (A1-C2) takes, take the hour estimate (so B2 taking 2200 hours) and divide that by 2 for each level under. So if B2 takes 2200 hours, B1 takes 1100 hours to reach. A2 takes 550 hours, A1 takes 275 hours. I personally think these estimates seem to match my experience with chinese fairly well, and I aimed for that A2 level ASAP so I could push into reading as quickly as possible (I enjoy learning by reading most). According to my estimate of how many study hours I’ve done, I’ve probably done 1.5 average study hours daily, probably studied 1642.5 hours. As that would put me a bit into B1, but not at B2 level yet. 

So I personally think I probably studied 1-1.5 hours daily on average (as in some days not at all and some days anywhere from 1 hour - 10 hours). I think I’ve probably studied 1095 to 1642.5 hours so far. Which means I’ve got 557.5 to 1105 hours I still need to study to get to B2. 

Thankfully, reading books takes a lot of time, so I think I’ll manage to hit that goal as long as I stay on this reading kick (just look at any audiobook play time for hours spent reading ToT Tian Ya Ke is like 27 hours, Guardian is like 55 hours, cnovels are LONG). Also of personal note, as my listening improves I noticed some pronunciation errors I’ve been making. Problem is I used to use an app that tested pronunciation and graded it to fix mine, and that app was only for Apple so I can’t use it on my current Samsung phone. Does anyone know of any chinese pronunciation app that gives you a grade on your pronunciation and then lets you re-record until you’ve said it properly? I used to use the Apple app 普通话学习 but as I mentioned, I can’t find a substitute app on the Google Play App store.

I think this estimate of my study time is also a little lesson (for my future self) on how you don’t need to go ham to get results. 1 hour average daily is not that much, especially compared to the people on some language forums that aim for 4-8 hours a day. I also know I do ‘study’ as pretty much anything I am doing where I learn or practice improving my chinese. So once I got into year 2 of study, that included stuff like listening to audiobooks/audio dramas/condensed audio in the background as I worked or cleaned or walked or drove (which was an easy way to get at least a half hour of ‘study’ time on most days even when I did nothing I actually focused on and put effort into). That also started including (partly) time spent watching cdramas with english subs I was going to watch anyway, and just spending some time on listening to the actual audio and trying to figure out the new words I heard (i finally learned 交代 fully yesterday just watching Cang Lan Jue with the english subs really hammering wtf it means in context). I don’t count time with english subs as study, but now that I know more chinese I can sometimes learn a bit of new stuff even just listening to the chinese words or comparing the chinese hardsubs to the english subs, and that adds up. The times I look up pingxie and dmbj fansongs and read along to the lyrics, or a cdrama I like’s ost and read along to the lyrics to try and sing along, that adds up even though its only 5 minutes here and there. When I find a video I like on bilibili (usually manhua with voice acting bits lately lol) I’m sucked in for a good half hour, that adds up. I’ve been picking at the dmbj novels these past few weeks, reading for 5-10 minute bursts as breaks from work, or from whatever I’m doing (I don’t focus long I need multiple things to do), or to bounce between reading chinese and english stuff (cause i’m also on an english reading kick - but again i need to switch activities often or i get bored and stop doing much of anything ToT). It all adds up! Did I study not at all yesterday, or did all that dmbj reading add up to an hour, the listening to ost music trying to catch the lyrics add up to half an hour, the 2 hours watching Cang Lan Jue add up to at least some time of me listening to the audio primarily, the time i spent on the new Time Raiders phone game with chinese on trying to speed read the text before it closes - did that add up to an hour? Did I study not at all, or 2+ hours yesterday. I don’t know. I just did what I’d be doing anyway. My point with this is just... don’t think the random things you do don’t count, because they do. They seem small, they seem for indulgence, they can count as the study time adding up too though. 

And that’s also maybe one of the most useful bits to take from Immersion study plan styles, the idea to integrate what you’re learning into your usual hobbies and activities anyway. Its hard for me to make time to sit down and focus for 2 hours on only chinese. But its fairly easy to read a couple paragraphs to take breaks from other stuff when i’d be reading something on the web anyway, hear a couple lines when i watch what i’d already be watching, listen to an audio drama or ost songs i like while driving, hear some chinese on my dance/singing playlist. You get the idea. (Immersion study methods also work great if you learn by doing, though I’m a bit of a grab-what-works-for-me type so I don’t do all they recommend, and some people do a lot more ‘study’ per day then I ever could). 

Anyway! Well, lets see if next August 2023 if I get to those reading listening goals! \(ToT)/ 

(that calculator I linked is really cool if you do like looking at timelines given study time you can do, feel free to check it out and adjust language/hours/goals etc!)

(also, if you’re more organized than me and you actually do track your study time properly, I’d love to hear people’s study hours time in relation to when they hit certain language levels!)

#rant #progress #2022 #reading progress #study hours #calculcator #how long it will take to learn a language #how long to learn a language #future me figure out how to find this rip #anyway WOW the time flies! over 1000 hours i studied chinese! wow

[the-lark-ascending69]

russian robin au?

I find russian Robin so interesting because I feel like Robin has this complicated relationship with Russia, or the idea of Russia, that isn't actually relevant to the show but it's very interesting to me specifically. In the podcast, her english teacher gifts her a copy of Anna Karenina in russian because he knew she wanted to learn, and she's very grateful for it. She'd told him she was interested in russian, I think, in the first episode. It's clearly like... the podcast's way of drawing a connection to Season 3, but I also love it because... most people in that sociopolitical and historical context wouldn't have been so excited about anything that came from Russia. It was the middle of the cold war, after all. But Robin doesn't even think about that. It's like she forgot about all of that, and choses to instead focus on classic literature. You can tell she romanticizes Europe a lot as this place of culture and adventure and freedom and if she's looking at Russia exclusively through the lenses of its classical literature, it wouldn't surprise me if she often failed to remember they were technically like the enemy. I'm not saying Robin is the most deconstructed anti-nationalistic anarchist out there, I usually prefer to not go too deep into politics when it comes to fandom stuff, but her interest in russian literature and language is certainly striking. It's like she sees past all of that and chooses to focus on the most beautiful artistic contributions of a country rather than the war. She doesn't join Steve and Dustin in their mission because she wants to be an American Hero, she's just bored and has such a great passion for languages that she saw a chance to approach russian in a real world situation and she took it, entirely and fully because of her love of knowledge, which trascends the war. I find that fascinating about her.

So, knowing that about her, I wonder how she would fit in an alternative universe in which she worked as a spy for Russia. I have several ideas about this.

Idea 1: My first idea is to put her in juxtaposition to El as a victim of the cold war caught in the crossfire, something something innocents paid for their crimes and they took medals home. In the same way they the US made experiments with children trying to create weapons, Russia would have made similar experiments, Robin being one of the kids involved. She doesn't get powers like El, she has no connection to the Upside Down. The results of the experiment are different. She has a much higher IQ than normal, and she can master other languages incredibly fast. They didn't think she'd be of much use until they learned she'd taught herself french with only a book and a dictionary, reaching a C2 level in less than six months. She's also incredibly good at cracking codes. Codes complex enough that would take a professional weeks of work came apart at her hands after a couple of hours. During her childhood, they use her for these purposes. They have her translate communication between their enemies and break secret codes for a few years, while preparing her for her actual mission: go to the States and gather information about the Hawkins Lab. She's 14 when they send her, and her english is so flawless you'd think she grew up in Indiana. Anyone older than her might have drawn more attention, and anyone else her age would still struggle with pronunciation, blowing their cover. She's perfect.

She's taken in by Richard and Melissa, a clueless american couple that thinks they're just adopting an orphaned girl from a nearby town. She enters Hawkins High, learns their ways, keeps an eye on the strange events around her and, at 17, gets assigned to work in the shopping mall with a boy she's identified to be involved with the conspiracy: Steve Harrington. She'll get close to him, earn his trust and, once he tells her everything, report back to her superiors. But then she ends up getting overly attached, and with this boy, she experiences something she's never known before: friendship, trust, love. He seems to care about her deeply and genuinely, and she feels compelled to tell him at least a small and tiny truth about herself, one of the few things they couldn't take from her. She likes women, and that has always seemed unimportant to her because she never thought she'd find love, or that she could ever afford to desire something for herself, but today she feels free with this ragtag group of misfits, and she wonders if maybe, once this is all over and she gets to go home, she'll be allowed to live in a house, not in their lab, go to university and love a girl one day.

Idea 2: she's actually not russian. She's an american girl intercepted by the russians at 15 because she cracked their code and was going to tell the authorities. They planned to kill her, but when she soon proved to be a literal prodigy, they decided to take advantage of her talent. All her parents know is that she went missing for two years and that when she returned, she came back... different. She doesn't remember what is it that they did to her, but she knows she's to rely information to them.

Idea 3: she's not an actual spy, but she's so good at russian that, when they capture her, she convinces them she's a super secret russian spy, so secret not even they know about her because she doesn't trust that they don't have spies among them. And she's actually in the middle of a very important mission with that dingus, so she needs them to release him immediately so she can see where he's going and do her job, thank you.

#russian robin au #everyone has different takes on this concept and i love that #my posts

[messers-moony]

Accusations 3 | R.B

Paring: Young!Remus Lupin X Fem!Reader, James Potter X Fem!Twin!Reader, Eventual Regulus Black X Fem!Reader

Summary: Sirius and Remus come to the wrong conclusion that changes someone’s life forever.

Word Count: 4.1K

Inspiration: Click

Harry cringed at Professor Potter’s stern voice. She was a very laid-back teacher, and her tone of voice always stayed the same level. He had never heard this from her before. Harry could remember when he was a boy under the stairs. Petunia used to raise her voice sometimes at the man on the phone. He used to cower into the deepest depths of the cupboard, hoping that she would stop.

Harry then heard Lupin’s calm voice, “Dumbledore had specifically said that you were working with You-Know-Who. How were we supposed to take that?”

“I don’t know!” Professor Potter exclaimed, “Maybe ask me about it before pointing your wand at my throat?”

“It was a genuine mistake-“ Harry grimaced at Professor Lupin’s poor choice of words.

“A mistake that ruined my life, Lupin!” Harry could feel the malice in her tongue, “Seven years! Seven fucking years of misery. Seven years I will not get back.”

Harry turned the corner to see Lupin’s expression with obvious guilt, but Professor Potter didn’t seem deterred, “Not only was it seven years. I’m not even allowed to have my nephew in my custody because of my record.” Her voice got so low that Harry had to strain to hear it, “You don’t understand what he’s been through, Lupin. He’s getting abused by Lily’s sister, and there’s nothing I can do about it! They see I’ve been to Azkaban, and that’s all they care about.”

Harry almost gasped. Hermione would scold him for being an idiot, but it could’ve been possible that they were related just because they shared the same last name. Now that was confirmed. Professor Potter was his aunt. Harry was in for a good slapping my Hermione, and he owed Ron two sickles.

“But you know what, fuck it all right?” Harry pleaded to Godric he’d never make Professor Potter mad; her voice was shrill and scary, “Because everything that comes out of Dumbledore’s mouth is the truth, right?”

Lupin sighed, “I really am sorry. I know you won’t forgive me, and that’s reasonable, but with Regulus being alive now, you’re going to have to be around Padfoot.”

“I’ve known all about Regulus being alive.” Professor Potter said matter-of-factly, “After all, he’s the reason I’m out of Azkaban.”

Harry turned the corner again, Lupin looked flabbergasted, and from the view of Potter’s back, she seemed smug, “He- He defended you?”

“He did.” Her chin tipped up.

Professor Lupin ran a hand through his hair, looking shocked. He seemed to stand there frozen in time yet so moving simultaneously. His hands moved at a constant pace as if he didn’t know what to do with them. His glasses laid low on his nose, dangerously close to slipping off his face. Harry could see his knee-trembling slightly, possibly in pain. Professor Lupin did carry a cane occasionally.

“He’s also my fiancé.”

That was the bomb that made Lupin’s glasses fall. Professor Potter walked straight and past Lupin, further from Harry. Her shoes made a soft clicking noise against the old floors of Hogwarts. Professor Lupin bent down to grab his glasses and placed them in her cloak before sliding down the wall. His knees were to his chin, and he looked like a pretzel, Harry thought.

Lupin was all long limbs and skinny body. It made him look funny. Nonetheless, Harry was stuck in a sticky situation. His previous question to Professor Lupin now forgotten and more intrigued with the history of his two professors. Hastily, Harry looked at the Marauders Map to find no one insight, and he walked back to the Gryffindor Tower.

Breakfast in the Great Hall was always a magnificent experience. Especially for Ronald Weasley, who never really stopped eating until the food disappeared. It was indeed an appalling talent considering his many other siblings. But Ron didn’t go straight for the French toast. Instead, he stared at Harry.

“What?“

“You were missing last night?”

Hermione turned, “Missing?”

Ron turned to Hermione, “I woke up after a nightmare to find Harry’s bed empty.” Both teens turned to Harry eating a sausage, “So where were you?”

“I had a question for Professor Lupin that turned into a very intriguing history lesson,” Harry replied nonchalantly.

The trio was quiet for a moment before Ron scoffed, “Go on then,” He beckoned, “Share with the class.”

“Apparently,” Harry drawled, “Professor Lupin messed up Professor Potter’s life.”

Hermione was looking for more, “And she’s also my aunt.”

“I knew it!” Ron exclaimed and held out his hand, “Go on.”

Harry dug through his pockets and slapped two sickles in Ron’s hand; Hermione looked less impressed, “I mean, of course, it seems obvious, innit?”

Both boys turned to her, “Do you guys not feel the tension whenever Professor Lupin and Potter get within five feet of each other?” Based on the boy’s expression, it was a no, “You two are absolutely hopeless.” She grumbled while stuffing her face with porridge.

“So what happened?”

“She told him off, and he kinda just sat there, I suppose.” Harry shrugged, drowning his pancakes in syrup, “I left before anyone could see me.”

“So, what’s the plan?” Ron asked, mouth full of egg.

“Plan?”

“Yeah,” Ron replied, “We need a plan to figure out what went wrong.”

Hermione scoffed, “I think it has something to do with her going to Azkaban.”

She shuffled through her bag before pulling out an old Daily Prophet. She pointed at a paragraph, “If you read here, it says that Y/n Potter and Remus Lupin had been romantically involved before the incident causing her to go to Azkaban.”

“Why the hell do you have this?” Harry’s spoon clattered against his dish.

“Research! That’s not the point.” Hermione swatted at him, “The point is that obviously, something happened between the two. Not to mention them being absolutely connected. Did she mention anyone else?”

“Professor Lupin did mention something about a Padfoot?”

Hermione hummed, “Okay, let’s say Padfoot is a nickname for a friend, okay?“

“Bloody weird nickname,” Ron murmured.

“No one asked you, Ronald.” Hermione snapped.

Harry grinned, “She said the full name.”

“Harold Potter.”

“My name isn’t even Harold!”

“Irrelevant!” She exclaimed, “Padfoot is their friend, or was their friend. Maybe we should talk to them or find them.”

Ron swallowed his bacon faster than you could say wackspurt, “And how exactly are we going to find this Padfoot?”

“I don’t think we should find him.” Hermione said exasperated, “I think we should ask Professor Potter about him.”

“Why would we do that?”

“Yeah,” Harry agreed, “Isn’t that an invasion of privacy?”

Hermione narrowed her eyes, “That’s never been a problem with you before.”

Harry flipped his hands up defensively, “It was one bloody time.”

Ron snickered, “We ended up saving your life, didn’t we?”

“Not the point!”

It took days of planning, but the trio eventually came up with a plan. However, their plan was quickly thrown to the dogs when Professor Lupin entered the History of Magic classroom during the third-year Gryffindors and Hufflepuff class time. Professor Potter paid him absolutely no mind, but Professor Lupin was undetermined and stood in the entryway of the door. Everyone enjoyed Professor Potter’s lessons. According to the upper-level students, she was much more intriguing than old Professor Binns.

A cough sounded from the doorway, “Professor Potter?”

“Yes?” Her voice sounded strained behind her gritted teeth.

“May I bother you for just a moment?”

“More than you already have?” Some Hufflepuffs sniggered, and Seamus ‘Ooooed’ from the front left corner of the room.

Professor Potter turned, “Pay him no mind, Mr.Finnigan. I’ll be back in just a second.”

Without another word, she left the classroom with the door cracked open. Professor Lupin placed his shoe in the crevice of the door so it wouldn’t close completely. Harry sat in the back of the classroom with Hermione beside him; despite the closed door and low voices, the duo could still hear their every word.

“What is your problem!” Y/n whisper shouted, “I can’t even teach my class in peace now?”

Remus sighed, clearly done with the bickering, “Sirius will be staying with me for the weekend.”

“And I care; why?”

“You don’t.” Remus stated plainly, “But he would like to speak with you.”

She scoffed, “‘He would like.’ You know, I’d like many things in this world, but we don’t always get what we want, do we?”

“I am well aware we do not always get what we want, thank you.” Remus retorted drily, “However, we are both making an effort to correct what we have done to you.”

“You’re wasting your time,” Y/n stated as she tried to enter her classroom.

Remus stopped her, “When was the last time you used Vixen?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

“It’s not.” Remus replied, “But if you can make it, I’d appreciate it greatly.”

Professor Potter didn’t answer. Instead, she walked around him and entered her classroom. Harry didn’t know what Professor Lupin meant by if she could ‘make it.’ Maybe it was a specific teacher meeting or something that the teachers did. Regardless, it was evident that the Professors still weren’t on good terms.

The following Monday, Professor Lupin was not teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, but Professor Potter instead. She leaned on the wooden desk with her dark purple robes on. Underneath her robes were muggle clothes. Professor Potter always seemed indifferent to blood status. Everyone sat in their respected seats when Harry raised his hand.

“Yes, Mr. Potter?”

“Where is Professor Lupin?”

Y/n sighed, “He’s fallen ill. So until he feels better, I’ll be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts in his place.”

Harry smiled, seemingly okay with that answer. It didn’t seem that Professor Potter was angry at Professor Lupin for teaching in his absence but that she seemed tired. Harry noticed some new bruises on her arms when she took her robes off and how she seemed to move sluggishly across the classroom. Professor Potter was laid-back, but she wasn’t lazy.

It was late, and Harry was just about to go to the Gryffindor corridor when he saw Professor Potter sitting at Professor Lupin’s desk with a stack of parchment. He approached the door quietly and knocked gently. Y/n perked up and smiled happily at the intrusion.

“It’s quite late, Harry.” Y/n observed, “Might it be time for you to go to the Gryffindor tower?”

Harry flushed, “I was wondering if I could talk to you? If I’m not intruding.”

“Not a problem, my love.” Y/n waved her hand, and the papers hit the floor beside the desk.

A chair from one of the desks floated in front of the Professor’s desk, and Y/n motioned for him to sit in it. Harry tried to move less eager than he was but still moved faster than he would’ve liked. His satchel hit the ground beside him, and Y/n twirled a quill.

“Sorry, I can’t offer you any tea.” Professor Potter said, slightly embarrassed, “As you can see, this isn’t my classroom, and I have no idea where anything is.”

Harry grinned, not unlike James; Y/n noticed, “I think I’ll explode if I drink any more tea,” Harry chuckled, “I just came from dinner at the Great Hall.”

“Wonderful,” Y/n commented with an amused smile, “Now, what was it you wanted to speak about?”

He faltered slightly, “We share the same surname.”

“We do,” Y/n stated, “But that happens all the time.”

“Well, is it possible that you’re related to my father, James Potter?”

She smirked, “It is.”

“Are you?”

“I am.”

Harry didn’t think he would get this far.

“I’m his twin sister.” Y/n said, “Which makes you my nephew, in case you weren’t aware.”

“I-I know.” Harry stuttered, “Can you- um- tell me what he was like?”

Y/n beamed, “Of course. Is there anything, in particular, you’d like to know?”

“Was he kind?” He queried hesitantly, “I’ve heard he was arrogant.”

She laughed at that, “He was definitely arrogant, but he was exceedingly kind to make up for it. It didn’t matter how many times you upset or disappointed James Potter, he’d always give you a second, or third, or fourth chance.”

“I’m sure you’ve heard that he was a star Chaser for the Gryffindor House team. Sirius Black - his best mate - was a Beater on the team, and believe it or not, Professor Lupin was the Commentator.”

“Commentator?”

“Indeed.” Y/n smirked, “Professor Lupin was extremely witty in his youth.”

Harry kicked a crumpled note under the desk before asking again, “Why are you and Professor Lupin so cross?”

“Professor Lupin and I are perfectly cordial.” Y/n saw Harry’s disbelieving look, “However, we aren’t the greatest of friends.”

“Why?”

She coughed subtly, “It’s a very long-winded story we don’t have time for, I’m afraid.”

“Does it have something to do about your imprisonment?”

“How do you know about that?”

“Hermione showed Ron and me the other morning at breakfast.”

Y/n smiled fondly, “She’s quite brilliant, but yes, it does.”

“So you and Professor Lupin were in a relationship?”

“We were.” Y/n answered, “We started going out in our fifth year and presumably broke up when I got sentenced.”

Harry didn’t know what to say. He felt like the words were falling from his mouth before he could stop them, “Can I live with you?”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s just that- I’m sorry- I didn’t-“ Harry’s face was the color of rose, and he was spluttering to try and form a sentence.

Y/n had an expression on her face that could only be called affectionate, “It’s okay, Harry. I’ve heard rumors of what the Dursleys do to you over the summer holidays.”

“You have?” Harry seemed relaxed by this.

“I have, and I’d love nothing more for you to stay with me.” Y/n sighed, “However, I’d need clearance from the Ministry, and I don’t know if they’ll permit me. Especially with one of your guardians having a clean record.”

Harry looked confused, “I have another guardian?”

“You do.”

“Who are they?”

“Sirius Black is your godfather.” Y/n replied, “To be quite honest, I’m not sure why he hasn’t tried to take you in yet. However, I believe it’s Dumbledore’s orders. I’ve never been one for following his orders, though.”

She had a mischievous grin on her face, “This may be a lot to ask, but-“

“I’ll try.” Harry looked shocked at her interjection, “Hopefully, by the summer, you’ll be able to come home to mine instead of the Dursleys. Sound fair?”

“Yes. Thank you!”

“You’re welcome, love.”

Harry was in much brighter spirits after his talk with Professor Potter. It was exciting to learn that he could get rid of the Dursleys and live with a loving Aunt. Not to mention he also had a godfather that he never knew of.

Three owls were sent that night by three different owls. One snow-white owl named Hedwig sent a letter to a mysterious Sirius Black. A second all-black owl named Achilles was sending a letter to the Ministry for parental permission of Harry James Potter. Finally, a third barn owl was sending a letter to Regulus Black about the potential of Harry living under their roof.

Sirius wasn’t expecting mail at the kitchen table when eating breakfast. Usually, the mail came in through the muggle mailbox since he and Remus shared a flat in muggle London, but occasionally they’d get mail by owl-post. Sirius took the envelope from the owl, but she didn’t fly away immediately. She watched Sirius open it and sat patiently.

“Dear, Sirius Black,

I don’t really know how to start this. I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Harry James Potter, and apparently, you were my dad’s best mate. That’s all I really know about you and that you were a Beater for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. I’m a Seeker for the team right now.

According to Professor Potter, you’re my godfather. I wish you would’ve contacted me or told me you exist. I’ve only just now learned of who you are. Apparently, you, mum, dad, Professor Lupin, and Professor Potter were all friends. Maybe you didn’t know I was born, and that’s why you didn’t contact me, or that’s what I’m hoping. Otherwise, it’s real shit of you not to.

I guess owl me back, so I know you exist still.

-Signed,

Harry Potter”

Sirius chuckled, running a hand through his hair, “Nothing like getting told off by your godchild.”

Harry did get a letter back from the mysterious Sirius Black only two days later. The handwriting was elegant and curvy; maybe his godfather was posh or a muggle. The Potter’s didn’t seem to care about blood status. When he asked Hermione and Ron about the Black’s, he got an insightful explanation about the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black. Nonetheless, the words inside were encouraging and informative. Despite Sirius not reaching out, he seemed kind.

Harry and Sirius continued to owl each other. As it continued, the letters got more personal and more helpful. Sirius was actually really good at offering advice for Harry when needed. Professor Potter had gotten an owl back about her parental permissions being granted after months of review. After the History of Magic examination, Harry was to stay after class.

After class, Harry received news that he would be coming to the Black/Potter residence for the summer holidays, and he was ecstatic. The train home couldn’t have been any slower, and he couldn’t wait to be safe in a house with his Aunt.

They apparated to the driveway, which was stone brick pavers, it seemed neverending, and the cherry blossom trees surrounding the house were in full bloom. It was a two-story house, painted grey with dark brown - almost black - accents. When the duo walked inside the house smelt like a man’s cologne, Harry thought the house couldn’t be more different than the Dursleys.

A soft fluffy thing walked in between Harry’s legs immediately after his shoes were off, and Y/n chuckled, “This is lynx. She’s our cat.”

He bent down, and she smelt his hand before rubbing against it, “She’s beautiful.”

“Thank you.” Y/n replied, “Though Regulus will take great pride in that.”

Harry followed Y/n into the kitchen, where she began preparing tea, “Regulus?”

“Oh!” She exclaimed as she placed the kettle on the stove, “Regulus is my fiancé. He knows you’re here, and he is super sweet.”

“Where is he?”

Y/n put the boiling water in two cups, “Working.”

She passed him a cup of the jasmine tea, “Do I- um- call him Uncle?”

“You don’t have to if you aren’t comfortable.” Y/n was always so soft and trying to make him comfortable, “He’ll appreciate anything that isn’t Mr. Black.”

“Okay.” Harry smiled.

Regulus didn’t come home until later that evening. Y/n had shown Harry to his bedroom, which was the same bedroom she occupied while staying in the house. Harry was getting settled in when the door opened loudly, and someone was taking their shoes off at the door along with their cloak.

The man had jaw-length curvy hair with blue-grey eyes. His skin was pale and flushed from the heat. He also had freckles under his eyes. His jawline was sharp, his cheeks sunken just a pinch. The man was skinny but had muscle and was extremely tall. He stood at around six feet. Harry was just about five feet and five inches.

He didn’t see Harry at the top of the steps and went straight into the kitchen, where he placed down the take-out containers. Y/n appeared at the other end of the kitchen, it seemed, because the man stopped and smiled at her. Harry stood at the central kitchen entrance watching them interact. He kissed her on the cheek as she unloaded the bag of takeout. Finally, Harry was noticed.

“Ah, you must be Harry.” Regulus said with a smile, and Harry flushed, embarrassed for ruining their peace, “I’m Regulus.”

Harry didn’t say anything and stared at them wearily, “It’s okay, Harry. You can come in. Regulus got us some take-out. Hopefully, it’s something you like.” Y/n smiled, putting two boxes in front of a barstool at the island.

He sat down hesitantly and began to eat, “Sorry,” Harry apologized, “I’m not used to this setting yet.”

“We’ve been in the same position before.” Regulus stated solemnly, “Except I didn’t have an amazing Aunt to escape to.”

Y/n laughed, “Shut it.”

“I’m just telling him the truth!” Regulus defended mouthful of food.

“Chew your food.” Y/n scoffed.

Harry smiled at their good-natured bickering. It was much different from Petunia and Vernon constant arguing. Harry could get used to this. He was never really allowed to sit in the kitchen and eat with the others. He also would’ve been punished for eavesdropping as he had previously. Y/n and Regulus didn’t seem to mind, however.

The summer holiday was truly fun compared to his usual one. Regulus was kind and sweet, like Y/n’s description. Lynx also seemed to take a liking to him. Lynx slept with him every night but traveled throughout the house in the mornings. Harry also learned that breakfast would always get made in the mornings. Sometimes it was french toast, pancakes, or waffles as a main course, but it always tasted heavenly.

He learned that Y/n went to Hogwarts a week early to prepare for classes, leaving him home alone with Regulus. Harry and Regulus got along nicely. They didn’t know much about each other, however. Harry was in the library when he found a black leather-bound book. It read ‘The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black History’ in gold foil on the spine. Harry pulled it from the shelf and began to read through it.

It seemed like a biography on the Black family with many facts inside. Whoever wrote the book was obviously well informed on the pureblood family. The book talked about everyone too, even the disowned members of the family like Alphard Black, Andromeda Black, Phinneas Black, and finally Sirius Black.

Harry drank up all the knowledge about Sirius like a bee with nectar. Sirius seemed to have a troubling childhood with extremely abusive parents. He’d go weeks without food, water, and sometimes shelter. Sirius was the only Black to get sorted into Gryffindor, but he wasn’t the first to be sorted into a different house.

He didn’t know how long he sat there reading until Regulus entered the room, “Whatcha got there?”

Harry snapped the book shut, looking like a deer in headlights, “I- um- I don’t- uh-“

“Y/n said you stuttered when you got caught, but I thought she was lying.” Regulus chuckled, “Apparently not.”

The young boy’s face was entirely red, “You aren’t in trouble, Harry.” Regulus sat down criss-cross in front of him.

Harry handed Regulus the book, and Regulus smiled, “It makes sense why you’d pick it up. It’s intriguing, isn’t it?”

“It is.” He admitted, “Sirius Black is my godfather, and I wanted to know more about him.”

“Well, you know, I actually wrote this book.” Regulus grinned, “You could always ask me.”

“You- You wrote it?”

Regulus let his fingers trail the front of the leather, “Yup. I just never published it.”

“Why not?” Harry questioned, “It’s brilliant!”

“Thank you.” Regulus blushed, “But nobody needs to know how horrid my family was.”

There was a short silence, “But since you seem so intrigued and I am Sirius Black’s younger brother. I’d love to tell you anything you’d like to know.”

Harry grinned cheerfully. The two boys sat in the library for the entire afternoon talking about the Black family. Harry found that he now understood what Regulus meant when he said they came from the same background. Regulus seemed to have it much worse than he did.

Toward the end of the holiday, Harry took to calling Regulus Uncle. It seemed fitting after Regulus had taken the role with such affection and care. Harry couldn’t imagine not coming to their house every summer and maybe even Christmas one year. He had never felt so safe in soft, warm bedsheets and a purring Lynx laying on the pillow he wasn’t using.

Y/n was already at Hogwarts, so Regulus had taken the role to bring him to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters. Harry wasn’t disappointed. Regulus had made a fantastic breakfast that morning and some sweets to take with him or eat on the train. He hugged Regulus before jumping onto the train. Harry found Hermione and Ron quickly, where they all exchanged stories from the summer.

Harry had never felt so loved in his life.

#remus x you #remus x reader #remus x y/n #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin #remus lupin x you #remus lupin x y/n #remus lupin fluff #harry potter #harry potter fanfiction #harry potter imagine #sirius black #sirius black x reader #marauders #marauders imagine #marauders fluff #marauders x reader #regulus black #regulus black x y/n #regulus black x you #regulus black x reader #regulus x you #regulus x y/n #regulus x reader #james potter #james potter x reader

[miraculous-trinity-leo]

Whacky Gotham, Goofy New York, and Chaotic Paris.

(part 1) (part 2) (Part 3) (Part 4) (Part 5) (Part 6) (Part 7)

Chapter 1: Genius Little Ladybug

★—–—–†–—–—★

It all started when Sabine Cheng and her parents moved from China to America, where she met a rich boy named Tony, they weren't the best of friends at first, but they would always get into crazy shenanigans because of Tony. Sabine always finding a way to get them out of it. After a while they were practically inseparable, they had each others backs, both in the good times, and the bad.

So when Tony lost both his mother and father in a tragic car accident, and had to take over his parents company, she was there to try and ease the pain. It helped a little, but the boy changed and blocked out many people, only keeping a select few close to him. His personality changed, and he started to act differently, it saddened Sabine, but she knew it was his way of coping with his lose.

She would oftentimes find him crying silently in his office. When Tony opened a branch in Paris France, he was paranoid something would go wrong when he wasn't there, so he had Sabine become a sort of co-CEO for the Paris branch. Over the many years of her being a sibling-in-everything-but-blood to Tony, her intelligence was much higher than everyone in the company, other than said boy.

She moved to Paris not long after, always keeping an eye on both the Paris branch and Tony ( because god knows what would happen if she didn't do so). She even met a baker named Tom Dupain. Eventually dating, and marrying him. Tony wasn't the most eager when he heard of Tom, but he accepted him as family (not because if he didn't Sabine would knock some sense into him). He practically exploded with excitement when he heard we would be an uncle a few years after Sabine's wedding.

Tony was there in the waiting room with Tom, when Sabine was having the child ( Tony denies not having a mini heart attack when the nurse came in). Both men looked at the beautiful child through the glass. Tony was put to tears when he read her name "Maria Dupain-Cheng" and was comforted by a teary Tom.

When Maria was 9 months old, her Uncle Tony came to spend time with her, and talk business with Sabine. None of them expected Maria to crawl her way into their conversation and say "Uncle Tony" in the sweetest most adorable laugh both adults had ever heard. Tony had a massive grin on his face, and gave Maria a big hug and lots of kisses saying " I knew i was your favorite hahaha, and you're only 9 months old. Sabine I think we got a little genius on our hands." Sabine was just as happy and told Tom to hurry and grab the camera.

"Come on say it one more time my dear Maria, show your papa who your favorite adult is" Tony said with a very wide grin.

Maria giggled at her uncle's happiness, clapping her hands. "Uncle Tony, Uncle Tony" Tom just smiled giving his baby girl a kiss and handing Tony 10 Euros.

Tony continued to visit his little genius niece over the years. Maria ended up getting the best education a kid could get, becuase his logic was " If she is a genius (which she is) then she is going to have the best education money can buy, for nothing is to much for my Little Genius Maria!" and with that she could officially be called the smartest kid in all of Paris... heck probably in all of Europe even! So when she gained a passion for fashion at 4, Tony didn't hesitate to get her, her very first (kid friendly) sewing set. By the time Maria was 5 she already knew how to speak and write in French, English, Spanish, Russian, and is learning Mandarin.

Maria had met Chloé when they were both 6, although they weren't really friends, they were polite to each other, which surprised a lot of the other kids their age. She had met Alix a few months later. She spent a lot of the time she wasn't studying with her friends, Alix would get in trouble with another kid on the playground, Chloé would criticise the other kid, and Maria would talk to Alix and then apologize to the other kid. Overall, they had a good dynamic going on, and they (as 7 year olds) promised to always have each others backs to the very end.

When Maria was 3½ months away from her 9th birthday, Tony was kidnapped. Maria just broke down, she wanted to help her Uncle, but she didn't know where he was or how she could help if she did. For three months Maria would only speak to Chloé and Alix (they were kinda shocked to find out she was related to THE Tony Stark). A few days before her birthday, Tony came to their home, with rolls of fabric, flowers, and 'I'm sorry cards'. Maria jumped into his arms crying asking what happened, and "If you're the smartest man on the Earth, why the Heck did it take you so long? How did you get out? Are any of your vital organs hurts? Do you need to go to the Hospital? An-"

"Hey slow down My Little Genius Maria, I'm ok. 1, They didn't really give me much to work with at first, and there is only so much a genius like myself can do with so little resources, and time before your Birthday. 2, I made an anime mecha suit and flew out guns a blazing. 3, Nothing I can't live without. and 4, No because I'm spending the week with you lot before a conference I have in about 10 days." He said while holding his small little genius  in his arms.

Wiping away the tears she looked her Uncle in the eyes "Wait, you 'made an anime mecha suit and flew out guns a blazing?' How does it work? what's its power source? And why do you have a weird glowing device in your chest?!" He had a lot of explaining to do.

That week, in her words was 'The best week of her life.' She was really happy for the first time since the Tony-napping happened, although she was sad he had to go, she knew  he was safe, and that she didn't have to worry (as much) now.

When Maria was 13, both Tony and Sabine decided to have her go to public school with her friends. After hearing this Maria called for a meeting, her two commanders (Alix and Chloé) came for the meeting, and had a talk on how she should go about her first day of public school, asking questions like 'How do non-homeschooled kids act? What are their personalities like? What interests do they have? Are some barbaric like Alix is sometimes? Will they like me? Am I allowed to talk to Chloé in or only out of class? What are the seating arrangements? Who do I sit next to?' the list goes on. They were all excited to finally all be in the same study environment, now all they had to do was wait for their first day.

•~—~—~—~—~—~—~•

The night before her first day Maria may or may not have slept well due to her excitement, she woke up a little later than she ever would have preferred, getting breakfast, her clothes, the 'greeting sweets' (as Alix called them) and heading out in a slight panic.

On her way out she noticed an elderly man with a cain crossing the street, and a car coming a little faster than what was allowed, she pulled the man out of the cars way without losing any of the sweets, after making sure the man was ok, she gave him a sweet before saying good day and heading over to school. She never noticed the man walking away without the use of his cain.

She still got to class on time, when her teacher walked in she greeted everyone in the class "Bonjour, je m'appelle Maria Dupain-Cheng, c'est un plaisir de vous rencontrer! (Hello, my name in Maria Dupain-Cheng, it is a pleasure to meet you!)" after the introductions she sat down in the empty seat next to Alix, both giving a fist bump, and a smile to Chloé, who looked away as if she didn't care (the girl had an image to keep after all). When class was over she handed out the sweets and went with her friends to lunch. During lunch, one of the other students from a different class was mocking one of their classmates that Maria remembered as Ivan, for having a crush on Mylène and not saying how he really feels to her. Ivan ran off into one of the locker rooms, and Maria decided to go and comfort him, she explained that she overheard what happened and that he should try and tell Mylène about his feelings, listing many different things he could do or say, and that he should stay positive.

Ivan thanked Maria afterwards and went off to write a song for Mylène. Ivan later showed Mylène the song he wrote for her, but was teased by other students near them, Ivan ran away not wanting to be embarrassed more.

Back in the classroom Alix and Maria are sitting and talking when everyone hears crashing and screams outside, the class looked out to see a giant rock thing destroying everything  on its way to the school. The teachers sent the kids home in an attempt to keep them safe.

When Maria got home she noticed a small box with writing she didn't recognize, she carefully opened it, instantly releasing a glow of bright red-ish pink light.

"Greetings Maria Dupain-Cheng, I am Tikki, the Ladybug Kwami of creation and good Luck, it is a pleasure to meet you." Maria couldn't believe her eyes "Mon dieu..." was all she could say, before going full interrogation mode "You're a Kwami? What is that? How are you floating like that? How am I able to understand you? Do you have some sort of ability to communicate in any language?How did you fit in this box? w-"

"There is no time, Paris needs you! I can only explain the powers I grant and how to use them, so please listen carefully."

•~—~—~—~—~—~—~•

Soon Maria was running in a red suit with black spots and amor. She ended up facing the 'akuma' as Tikki called it in a stadium, meeting her partner (a blonde furry she decided) for the first time.

"Bonjour m'lady, so what's the plan to take this thing down?"

Without hesitation she explained her plan " The plan is for you to have your Cataclysm ready, I'll give you a signal when it's your-"

"Cataclysm!"  The boy proceeded to use his ONE attack on a GOAL POST!

"I said to wait for a SIGNAL! Now you only have five minutes before you power-off."

"Oops" The blonde was really wasting her more useful braincells. After the boy was thrown out of the stadium, Maria was left to fend for herself, and she did really well, considering this was her first non(but sort of) official villain fight, up until she lost her footing and was knocked into the side of the stadium. The akuma was gone before she could get back, more and more people were turned to stone, but it showed just where Stoneheart was heading.

She arrived at the Eiffel Tower, where blonde was fighting stone people, he just managed to get away and actually listened to the plan this time.

They defeated Stoneheart, Maria gave her speech to the villain, and did a fist bump (though at this point Maria just wanted to get some sleep), when a reporter came to interview them.

"What are your names, and where did you come from?"

"My name's Chat Noir an-"

"Ladybug, and we're hear to protect Paris from Moth-Man, as much as we would love to give you a bit more details, we don't have much time at the moment" right on que their Miraculous' beeped signalling they had 2 minutes left " Stay safe, and positive, Bug-Out. "

•~—~—~—~—~—~—~•

"Well done Maria!"

"Thanks Tikki." and with that Maria went downstairs to get something to eat, when she saw her parents watching the news.

"Earlier today Paris gained a villain and two heroes: Ladybug, and Chat Noir. Many of our viewers submitted pictures and videos, but only one of Ladybug came out clear."

"Thank you Ladybug and Chat Noir for protecting us, bonne journée à Paris."

.................

"Maria you're taking self-defense classes starting tomorrow" Sabine spoke, though Maria didn't have any complaints, plus it'll help when fighting akumas so it's a win win.

"Yes maman."

•~~~~~later in Maria's room~~~~~•

"Ok, so you're basically goddess of creation personified into a cute little Ladybug creature?"

"Kwami, but yes."

"And you've existed since basically the Big Bang?"

"Correct."

"... how are you able to float like that? How are we able to talk without any ancient god language in the way? And what other kinds of um kwamis are there?"

"I float with magic. Yes their is a language only for the Kwami, but we've learned every other language in existence, so there would never be an issue with communication. And to your last question, there are many different kinds of Miraculi all over the world, some even across the universe, so I am unable to list every single one in existence, but there are just as many Miraculi out there as there are starts in the sky."

"Impressive... does that mean I could learn magic?"

"As a human you are limited to what you can do with magic, but you have a strong creation soul. So yes it is possible for you to learn basic magic, I can teach you some life magic to help you heal quicker if you get hurt outside the suit. You can also learn other types of basic magic based on what Miraculous you are most aligned to. Surprisingly you have a close affinity to most of my brothers and sisters that are here in Paris."

"Are they in the hands of other Miraculous users?"

"... aside from Chat Noir, only two: one belongs to the Guardian, and the other to Hawkmoth."

"What are their names?"

"...Wayzz is Kwami of Protection, and is the partner of the Guardian. The other is Nooroo Kwami of Transmission, Hawkmoths Kwami.

"Ok, so then I assume the 'Guardian' is who you were with until now, right?"

"That is correct."

"And how was I chosen exactly?"

"The Guardian chose you because he saw your kindness in action, and sensed your strong Creation Soul, he has only ever been wrong once, but I can tell you will be a great Ladybug, maybe even one of the few who achieved a higher sence of life."

"... I feel like you kind of described a Sage, also how would he have seen an act of kindness, I mean, I got my things, went out helped an older man with a cain, wait."Maria squinted her eyes at Tikki as if looking for something.

"The elderly man's the Guardian isn't he?"

"..."

"I get it, you don't have to tell me, it's all apart of the 'plot' like some show, I get it. Welp, good night Tikki, have to get up early tomorrow."

"Good night Maria." Tikki never messed up so badly before, then again she never had a user with such a strong Creation Soul before either... Maria is something special.

•~—~—~—~—~—~—~•

And Tikki was right, she excelled at Life Magic, learning a fair bit of healing, luck and slight plant manipulation and communication magic. Tikki wasn't sure if she should be proud of her Bug, or scared at her fast learning skills.

A few weeks passed and Maria was thankful for the self-defense classes, she even started doing her own training routine with Tikki guiding her. She didn't like that her partner was a flirt, it got distracting and almost got Chat killed a few times. She often wondered 'what the hell did I do in my past life to get a partner like this?'

•~—~—~—~—~—~—~•

Tony Stark was called by Sabine to meet her earlier than they had planned, she informed him that Paris now has a villain and two heroes.

"Ok, so what's the problem? We agreed to put Maria in self-defense classes so she would be safe... is it a boy?! Don't tell me it's a boy, she's to young to be dating!"

"It's not about a boy."

"Then what is this about?"

"She's Ladybug, *sigh* I swear she gets it from you Tony. She learned it from your dumb@ss, and it didn't help the need to protect people she loves when you got kidnapped. I need you to teach her how to be a good hero, good combat strategist, and to give her your support. She already has a tactical mind, I'm proud in a way that she shares your bravery."

"Ffffffffudge... ok, where is she?"

"Upstairs."

•~—~—~—~—~—~—~•

After a slightly awkward conversation Maria started to get even more training, and became a pretty much badass on the field, she incorporated the known fighting styles of: Black Widow (her favorite hero), Captain America, Deadpool (favorite hero to some degree), Daredevil, Wolverine, and some moves from famous villains like, Kraven The Hunter, Red Skull, Doctor Doom, Scorpion, Shocker, and Taskmaster ( her favorite villain). And she used ALL of those skills in battle, it was damn impressive to watch, and then Sabine had a talk with Tony.

〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜Bonus〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

"Ok Tony wtf? I asked you to teach her how to fight for protection when she's out there, But you turned her into a complete badass, I mean none of the akumas have lasted more than 10 minutes with her! I want to hug you and kick your @ss at the same time."

" Sorry not sorry Sabine, but she is our Genius Little Ladybug after all."

•—–—–†–—–—•

First fic, wahoo (mario stile), hope you're all having an Absolutely wonderful day, stay safe, and stay positive, BUG-OUT!🐞💮🐞

〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜 Tag List 〜(꒪꒳꒪)〜

1st place★: @animegirlweeb ☕

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@lupagrimm

#marinette dupain cheng #miraculous marinette #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #fanfic #mlb x dc #mlb marinette #ml ladybug #mlb fanfic #crossover #miraculous alix #miraculous crossover #miraculous chloe #peter parker #miraculous adrien #adrien agreste #alix kubdel #chloé bourgeois #damian x marinette #maridami #ml marinette #miraculous damian wayne #miraculous lb #ml fanfic #foryou #have a good day #tony stark #badass marinette #maribat #Whacky Gotham Goofy New York and Chaotic Paris

[brandywine-tomatoes]

Hello! I was wondering if you could write a fluffy Lydia x reader where the reader is really bad at flirting, but absolutely loves being flirted with, as well as cuddling and being cuddled! Y’know, the usual fluff stuff. ❤️❤️❤️ Love ur aesthetics btw!

Natural Beauty

Masterlist

1 634 words

tw: none, just a bit of fluff in hallways at lunch

a/n: ahhhh!! Thank you so much for the request! I’m sorry it took this long, chemistry is taking up a lot of my time. I hope this is alright!! (and thank you for being my first request 💕)

“You need to learn how to repress your feelings better, it’s incredibly obvious,” your friend Anya said out of the blue from the desk beside you.

You whipped your head around. “What? What’s obvious?”

“You like her, plain as day, you’ve been staring at her for weeks. She’s your best friend, just tell her,” she went back to writing whatever was written on the chalkboard.

“I do not!” Your voice rose an octave. “She’s just that, a friend.”

“You keep telling yourself that,” she smirked at you.

You hadn’t been staring at her, just... admiring her. She was a work of the best artist, her smile perfect and lifted the clouds from your mind, how could anyone not admire her? But this was different. She was your closest friend, and you were her first friend at school, though that had been a different time. You both were young and innocent, now you were a year away from graduating and everything seemed to become more free-flowing and fast-paced. But Lydia was always there, she was the constant throughout all of it, who helped you when no one else could. She laughed at your terrible puns and stayed late on the phone to help you stop crying. She’d trusted you enough that she even invited you to meet her dad and stepmother and told you ghost stories until you drifted off to sleep beside her.

“You’re staring again,” Anya mumbled.

“I’m never sitting next to you again,” you sarcastically grumbled, trying to catch up on the photography notes.

Lydia sat a couple rows in front of you beside the window, her face always illuminated by the natural light while she furiously scribbled down notes and listened intently. She was incredibly talented; she could be accepted into the best schools for photography and that would be with her ‘worst’ photos. She just loved it so much.

“Okay class,” the teacher started, standing up to pack her bags. “There will be a project due in the next couple of days, very simple and covers what we’ve learned so far. I want you to find a natural beauty and capture it, keeping in mind the composition techniques we’ve learned. This will determine your status in the course.”

As she finished, the irritating bell rang over the intercom, signalling the start of lunch and a bit of freedom.

You and Anya packed your things and left the classroom in a hurry, not wanting to be caught in the stampede of students. You both stood close to the wall, waiting for Lydia.

The highway of students thinned out and only the ones who hung out in the hallways at lunch were occupying it.

“What’s taking her so long, I’ve got food to eat,” Anya asked.

“Dunno, maybe she’s talking with Ms. Wilson?” You shrugged.

“If she doesn’t come out soon, I’m gonna starve to death. I didn’t eat breakfast this morning.”

“Don’t be so dramatic, she can’t be much longer,” you reasoned, looping your arm in hers so she wouldn’t abandon you.

“This could be considered hostage-taking,” she retorted.

“This is a sign of friendship.”

She chuckled at that. “You’re so ‘sunshine and rainbows’, maybe Lydia will change that.”

“What am I changing?” Lydia walked out of the classroom with Ms. Wilson behind her, walking in the other direction.

“Apparently I’m too much of a ray of sunshine for little miss ‘I’m a hostage’,” you looped your other arm in hers to her surprise and started walking towards your lockers down the hall.

Lydia held onto your arm, the gesture warming your cheeks a bit. “Oh yeah, 100%, we’ve gotta work towards corrupting you.”

“New project for the spring, corrupt little miss sunshine.” Anya unlopped her arm and went to unlock her locker.

You realized Lydia was still clinging to your arm and your free hand found itself wrapped around hers. Your heart started pounding and you quickly let go to unlock your own locker.

“Any other projects I should be aware of?” You asked jokingly.

Anya gestured to an occupied Lydia opening her locker beside you. “Many in the works.”

You playfully slapped Any’s arm, feeling the heat rising up your neck and locked your locker.

The 3 of you slid down the lockers and started talking about whatever came to mind and shared the food you collectively had. As the minutes ticked away, somehow Lydia’s head ended up in your lap and your hands played with locks of her short black hair while Anya couldn’t stop smiling at the sight.

“So, then I was like ‘he wouldn’t do that! You’ve got be kidding me!’ and they were all ‘nope, he did, he let every bug he could find in into the house’ and then I was like ‘well where is he?’ and they were all-” Lydia went on about her step-uncle, her hands animated in the air for emphasis.

You had a little smile on your face as you looked at her passionately going on about her family. Your back was getting sore from leaning on the locker, but you didn’t dare move.

“Y/N? Earth to Y/N?” Lydia’s voice interrupted your thinking.

“Yeah?”

“You were staring,” Anya almost vibrated off the floor in excitement.

Oh no oh no you thought. Lydia could get the wrong idea... or was it the right idea?

“I wasn’t staring, just thinking,” you defended, Lydia looking up at you with curious eyes, causing more anxiety.

“Anyways,” Lydia thankfully interrupted, seeing you were uncomfortable. “I asked if you had any ghost stories.”

“I mean, I believe in them, sure, but I’ve never met any.”

Lydia’s lips quirked up. “You’ll meet some one day.”

“Is that a promise, Deetz?”

“You betcha babe,” Lydia winked. Anya choked on a french fry and you looked anywhere but Lydia, laughing nervously and your face feeling incredibly hot. You were suddenly very aware of your hands still playing with the locks of her hair and slowly pulled them away reluctantly.

“Aw, you’re blushing! You’re so cute when you blush!” She excitedly said as she sat up, her face inches apart. You swallowed and looked to the ground, to the wall behind her, to your fidgeting hands, anywhere but the gorgeous girl in front of you. You finally turned your gaze to her and saw hers was observing your lips. She looked from your lips to your eyes, then again, and you swore the corners of lips turned up when you let your gaze slide to hers.  

The irritating bell rang out, echoing off the walls and made you jump back. Lydia smirked and gathered her things into her bag. You sat there for a moment, stunned and really confused. You thought she was actually going to kiss you, in a school hallway, in front of Anya, around everyone else, against the no PDA rule. You told yourself you didn’t want that to happen as you packed up your things and let Anya help you up who was grinning like an idiot. 

Your breath hitched when Lydia looked at your lips, you almost leaned in, you imagined cupping her cheek and holding her closer then would be considered just platonic, you wanted that to happen. But you always felt like that, you always felt your heart pounding when she grabbed your hand to lead you to class and tried to keep your breathing even when she was bumped closer or when she flirted shamelessly with you.

You vaguely remember saying goodbye to a beaming Anya and walking slowly through the crowd to your next class, lost in thought. Well, lost in figuring out what you were going to do about Lydia.

“What’s going on in that pretty little mind of yours, Y/N?” Lydia came up beside you. You snapped out of it and halfheartedly smiled.

“Oh come on, what’s wrong? Was it something I said?” She stepped in front of you, her eyebrows turned down and a worried look in her eyes. The students behind gave you dirty looks as they passed by.

“No, of course not, you didn’t do anything wrong.” You gave her a reassuring smile, though she didn’t look convinced. You put your hands on her shoulders, trying to ignore your rising heartbeat. “If you did anything wrong, I’d tell you.”

She put her hands on top of yours, a relieved smile overtaking her features. “Come on, I’ll walk you to class.”

“Isn’t your class the other way?”  

She winked and pulled you forward, slinging an arm around your shoulders. “I can run.”

Her short hair tickled your jaw and you could see her dark purple lipstick shimmer in the fluorescent light. The crowd thinned out as everyone got to their classes, leaving you two walking through the empty halls. You walked to your art history class in a comforting silence, consumed by your own thoughts.  

You finally got to the plain entrance of the class and Lydia slid her arm off your shoulder to your dismay. You both faced each other, waiting for the other to say something, a goodbye or a confusion.

“You wanna come over after school? You know, to do the photography assignment?” She asked.

“Uh, sure!” You replied a little too eager. “I don’t really know what to do for it, but I guess I’ll think of something.”

Lydia smirked at you and began walking back down the hallway. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”

“Well, what’s the idea?”

“You.”

She blew a kiss and ran back down the hall, leaving you fumbling and blushing like crazy.

Once your heart slowed down, you smiled to yourself, wondering if the goth girl of Winter River really had a thing for you. Maybe she really did think of you like you thought of her. Maybe you could really be her natural beauty.

#beetlejuice #lydia deetz #lydia #lydia is so cool #i say i want to be lydia #because she overcomes her #because she overcomes her problems #and in the end she fully accepts herself #and her situation #its showtime #writing #fanfic #lydia deetz x reader #reader x lydia deetz #lydia deetz fluff #beetlejuice beetlejuice beetlejuice #beetlejuice musical #beetlejuice broadway #maya writes #lydia deetz fanfic #lydia fanfic #lydia x reader #reader x lydia #y/n x lydia #lydia x y/n #beetlejuice fanfiction #lydia deetz fanfiction

[reidecorating]

Like Ivy

Request: “Being able to see you smile, being in your vicinity, just that is enough for me.” and “Uh, here, this is for, uh, you.” I’m thinking something Christmas-y with Reid - Anon

A/N: I do apologise for procrastinating on getting this out, but I wanted to make sure it wasn’t terrible. Merry Christmas to all of you who celebrate it, my present to you is the longest fic I have ever written. I had so much fun writing it so I hope you guys enjoy reading it! Happy holidays <3

Pairing: Spencer Reid x BAUFem!Reader

Word Count: 7.7k

Summary: Best friends yearning & best friends pining - but make it festive. Entails Secret Santa, the classic penny behind the ear and waltzing.

Warnings: Fluff, proceed with caution :)

The Cathedral of Santa Maria. Spencer had finally put his finger on it. The small glass dome encasing a building, with doors small enough to allow entrance to ladybugs who may practice religion, adorned unmistakable timely Italian architecture and ornamented pine trees, all dusted with flitters of snow. For the past week, Spencer had caught sight of the trinket each time he wandered past where it sat, as one of the few other decorations surrounding the name plate displaying in gold Times New Roman ‘DAVID ROSSI’, on the often unoccupied desk. So, he gathered that it must be important. Filing away his final stack of paperwork for the night, a silver paperclip glistening in the artificial light, Spencer made a mental note to ask the man about it the next morning. Standing from his usual office chair slouch, he stretched his limbs, feeling a series of clicks in his back as he regained his posture, only to bend back down in reach of his satchel. He made his way home giving tight lipped smiles of encouragement to the few agents sprinkled about the room, working over time. Haphazardly, he pushed the arrow pointing downwards with a cardigan clad elbow. As if on queue, his phone buzzed to the simultaneous ‘ding’ of the lift. 

I understand you’re nocturnal, but I hope you’ve gotten home by now! If not, text me when you do so, safely :) 

He didn’t realise he was grinning from ear to ear until an aggravated looking bureau member from a floor above, evidently itching to get home, cleared his throat to gain Spencer’s attention. “Sorry,” he grimaced. Noticing the button for the ground floor having already been lit up, Spencer stepped inside and stood as far away, as was possible in the small space, from the rankled looking man and his briefcase. A dimple appeared on his cheek as he remembered you, two years, three months and seventeen days ago - not that he was counting - offering him cherry scented hand sanitiser from a small bottle, and, only after he’d nodded, gently grasping the tips of his fingers to steady his shaking hand as you poured the gelid liquid into his palm. The act was so pure he chose against telling you that while alcohol based hand sanitisers reduce the number of microbes on hands in some situations, they don’t eliminate all types of germs - making soap and water the most effective way to go. Since then, you occupied his thoughts in the same way ivy grew along bricks of long forgotten towers. In abundance, in the most beautiful way. He turned his attention back to the tiny mobile he was holding. 

On my way right now. I have a date with microwaved leftovers at midnight, can’t miss it. Will do. 

The next time his phone buzzed was when he’d dozed off on the way home, using the concave pane of a metro window as a shoulder to lean against. He waited until his feet landed on the uneven pavement of his stop to open it. 

Tomorrow you have a date with a properly cooked meal, at mine. What is it that Hotch always says? That’s an order, not a request. 

Spencer’s heartbeat quickened as he read what you had written, his brain immediately carrying variables in an effort to slow it down by convincing himself that friends make each other feel this way. However, when he counted the rose flush on his cheeks and nose whenever you were around, the looks you shared which said more than words ever could and the way you held each other nearer than the distance between the sky and the ocean where they met at the horizon after close calls and mentally grappling cases, it didn’t quite equate to being just friends. Dwindling leaves clinging to their branches shuddered as scissors of winter wind pruned the trees scattered about. Spencer’s pale hands slid into his coat pockets, hiding from frostbite. On the short walk to his apartment, he admired the twinkling lights on either side of the streets, feeling as if he were a plane which had just landed upon a runway in the night. Candy canes, reindeer and eccentric portrayals of Santa Claus glowed amongst bushes and on porches, making Spencer wish you were there to see them too. It wasn’t rare he found himself wanting to share everything he did with you. Pretty things made him think of you. Eventually reaching the familiar building, tiredly, he followed wreaths and holly all the way to his undecorated apartment door. 

You? Cooking? I’ll bring a fire extinguisher. Home safe. Goodnight, sleep well. 

He kept his promise, despite seeing the time was nearing to one in the morning and being doubtful you were still awake. 

Hilarious :/ and I will, knowing you’re alive. Goodnight Spencer :) 

Spencer coveted for nights when he could tell you goodnight from right beside you, perhaps with his hand draped around your waist while yours tugged at his hair. He wanted to fall asleep to the scent of your skin and whatever soap you’d picked up from the store that week, not the quiet hum of his vintage fan. His microwave beeped, acting as an alarm to return down to earth from the clouds, presenting him with far less than gourmet potatoes. Realising he would take your burnt cooking over this any day, he settled for a sandwich.

 ∗∗∗

“Did you know that snowglobes were invented in France. They were first introduced as ‘water globes’ at the Paris Expedition Fair in 1889, and, to no surprise, the first snow globe actually contained a tiny scaled Eiffel Tower covered in snow,” Spencer lectured, almost putting the two agents who had struggled enough to get out of bed, back to sleep. The days were slow. Annual leave for a majority of the bureau was looming nearer and files kept them busy as the jet gathered dust. “Glad to hear the French contributed something, other than their opprobrium of a language, to this world,” Emily complained, from her desk. “Well, baguettes… Croissants, parachutes… Aspirin-“ Spencer was halted by the unimpressed look on Rossi’s face, as he hovered on the edge of Spencer’s table, a bushy eyebrow raised in vexation. “What’s with all this talk of snowglobes, kid?” The older man squinted at Spencer, craning his neck towards this, the way he did to suspects behind the glass of an interrogation room. “Since you brought it up,” he smiled smugly, swivelling in his chair from one side to another. “What’s the story behind the Santa Maria sitting on your desk?”

“Yeah, the eighties have come and gone, Rossi, isn’t it a bit late for repentance?” Emily let out a sly smile, walking over to also lean against Spencer’s desk with a steaming mug in hand. “It was a gift from my grandmother, handmade, I take it out every Christmas to help get in the festive mood,” Rossi explained. “Also, that was very funny Emily but now… I can’t help but recall what Garcia told me about the time you got a little tipsy and licked peanut butter off J-” 

“No one told me it was National Congregate Around Spencer Reid’s Desk Day today.” The three agents turned their heads in unison to find who the voice belonged to, Spencer’s breath hitching at the sight of you. You stood before them, an upturned magician’s hat in hand, semi-curious as to what the ending of Rossi’s sentence would have been if it weren’t for you interrupting. “Y/N!” Emily waved, flashing a smile. “You’ve taken an interest in magic and didn’t even think to tell me,” Spencer feigned a hurt look. “Spencer, I knew magic wasn’t for me after I did the card trick you taught me, wrong . Six times,”

“It was seven. Plus, the student is never as good as the teacher,” he suppressed a smile. “Or maybe the teacher just isn’t good,” you raised an eyebrow at him. “That’s a little hostile, someone didn’t get enough sleep last night,” Spencer defended himself, putting his hands in the air. His eyes held a glimmer of mischief as if to say ‘we know something that you don’t’ when they met yours. Emily’s jaw dropped. “That… Didn’t sound suggestive at all,” Rossi pursed his lips in concern, looking back and forth between the pair of furiously blushing agents. “Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t,” you winked at Rossi. Basking in the radiance of your laughter washing over him like the sun, Spencer chuckled along. “Anyway, what’s with the hat?” Emily questioned. “This,” you shook it by its brim, “contains the remaining names for this year’s Secret Santa, courtesy of Miss Penelope Garcia. I was just ordered to present it to you all. She calls it being her ‘little elf’ - I call it unpaid manual labour - but pick a name, any name,” you encouraged. You watched as Spencer’s tongue comically poked out as he eagerly concentrated on picking a name, elbow bent at a worrying angle. “I just want to say that every time I get a gift that isn’t alcohol, I’m slightly disappointed,” Emily turned to you as it was her turn to fish for a piece of paper. “I’ll keep that in mind,” you grinned at her. You watched Rossi’s expression as his eyes skimmed the name in his hands. “Oh, and Rossi, yes, there’s a budget,” you called over your shoulder, causing them to laugh as you gave them a wave. Slinking away from the comity of the bullpen, back to Mrs Claus’ lair, you retrieved the only remaining name. You paused in the hallway to double check if you’d read the glittery scrawl correctly. Spencer Reid. It was just your luck. You were prepared to engage in hand to hand combat with Garcia, seeing her office looming ahead. “Penelope. I hate you. I love you,” you kissed her cheek, placing the top hat on her curls, “but I hate you.” She recognised the tone, beaming at the implications. “Thank me later, beautiful!” She called after you as you rushed away to get started on completing the mountains of reports you had been avoiding thus far. 

The day had come to a close, a headache making a home for itself in your head. Scanning the, now, mostly empty room, you caught sight of the back of Spencer’s uncombed head. Double checking that not enough people were around to be reprimanded by HR for misconduct, you inconspicuously made your way over to him snaking your arms around his neck and burrowing your nose in its crook. “Hi,” he chuckled, amused at the sudden affection, his unoccupied hand immediately reaching to grasp one of your wrists. Spencer had followed your strict, but coffee induced, orders earlier that morning telling him not to distract you unless, one, he was dying, or two, something was on fire, because you were determined to finish the numerous write-ups you had left until today. “Hi,” you mumbled into him. “Ready to go home?” You asked sweetly, arms still slung around him, pulling your face away to get a glimpse of his soft features. Your heart stopped for a little while, at the beauty of him. He was breathtaking. You refrained from tracing the small bump of his nose with your own, and settled for admiring the five o’clock shadow presaging a hidden jaw. The part of Spencer that craved domesticity was enchanted by your simple question, the word home resounding in his head, acting as an old film reel for projections of images of the two of you together; leaving work together, going home together. Little did he know that, as if through an unnoticed telepathy, just a few inches away, the same images occupied your own head. Coming home to an empty apartment had become tedious. You allowed yourself to give into your daydreams of returning home to Spencer - with Spencer. Spencer, with his warm eyes and words that drip like syrup from his tongue. You wanted nothing more than to revel in him filling your senses once the cologne from the day had been washed away, and hear him harp on about the history of mattresses, attempting to retain questions to ask him later in your memory bank, as you capitulate to sleep. “As a matter of fact, I finished most of what I had to do last night so I am ready to go… home,” he tested out the word, to which you had assigned a brand new connotation, feeling a flutter in his chest. You quickly rescinded your arms as you peripherally detected a flock of agents returning from what you assumed was an afternoon break. Spencer suddenly missed your body on his. Having already packed your things, feeling accomplished noticing that the pile of folders on your desk had shrunk significantly, you packed Spencer’s things to save him time, aimlessly throwing the strap of his satchel over his head for him once he had ungracefully shoved his arms into a blazer. “Hang on,” you gently pulled at his shoulders to meet your height, carefully fixing his tag and creased collar. The blush on his face, at the feel of your cold fingers brushing the nape of his neck, said everything he didn’t - save a meek, “Thank you.” You smiled at him in return. “Wait,” his eyes widened, “I need this,” he mumbled, reaching into the bottom drawer of his desk, pulling out a large black bag, decorated in gold intricacies. He didn’t explain it, but you knew that if Spencer had something to say, he would come out and say it, just all in good time. “Now are you ready?” You eyed the thing curiously, and glanced back at him. “Let’s go,” he motioned his arms in front of him, with a small nod, letting you lead the way. 

Afternoon rays of sun fought their way through clouds, battling with the winter air to warm the people mingling outside as you made your way towards the crowded station. “Penny for your thoughts?” You asked, intuitively slipping an arm through his when the sun began to disappear altogether. Your cheeks grew warm as you realised your compromising position, feeling your heart rate return to its usual pace once he relaxed into your touch. “Hm?” He turned to look at you, letting his river coloured eyes unabashedly scan your face. “You look like your mind is far away,”

“What’s on my mind is definitely not very far away,” he said, quietly. That glimmer had returned. You noticed that the crease between his brows had disappeared, indicative that whatever thoughts were rattling through his brain, were good ones. You hummed a smile, content with his contentedness. “So… Hand it over,” he extended a palm a second later. “Hand what over?” You asked, genuinely confused. “A penny,” he said as if it was obvious. You blinked up at him, unfazed by the joke, as he bit his lip provokingly. All of a sudden he stopped walking, eyes still on you. “Just… Hold on a moment,” he whispered, squinting at you as he reached a hand towards your cheek. You remained still, thinking that Spencer had finally lost his mind. “Here it is!” He exclaimed, breaking out into a smile as he retrieved a one cent coin from behind your ear. “What!? You’re kidding! That was brilliant,” you beamed at him, eyes wide in bewilderment. “For a second there I thought you had gone crazy,” you teased. “Magic does that to people,” he nodded, satisfied with how impressed you seemed. “Ah, but alas, you gave me a very ambiguous answer, so I,” you snatched the penny from his fingers, “am entitled to a refund.” Spencer shook his head with a soft smile. “You might need to use that for the bus if we miss the next train,” he informed, hurriedly examining the watch on his upturned wrist. 

No trains were missed, that day, the two of you arriving at your door in time for the six o’clock news. “Here, let me take your coat,” you offered, putting it on the small rack beside the door, placing yours adjacent to it. Spencer relished in the warmth of the place, setting his things down. “So, I’m thinking we get a proper meal in us, and then you can help me decorate this dreary place,” you instructed. He wanted to let you know that anywhere you are is far from being dreary, but something told him that was far too sappy, so he settled for a simple, “Sounds good.” He took in the familiar apartment, its walls embellished in old paintings snagged from secondhand stores and books scattered about on almost every horizontal surface, in a certain disorderliness that said, yes it’s messy, but everything has its place. “Also, I hope you know that you’re only leaving in the morning so make yourself at home.” It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence for the two of you; you falling asleep at his apartment out of feebleness, him at yours, and more often than not, it involved discarded games of Scrabble as the two of you settled for debating the rules instead of actually playing. Lately, he’d been craving it more and more - and so had you. Spencer would never say no to that offer, but he was taken aback. “But I didn’t pack- I don’t have-“

“Eidetic memory is slipping I see,” you giggled at his flustered state. “I told you, I kept finding toothbrushes, sweaters and socks here every time you left, so I made a drawer full of your things, since you practically live here anyway,”

“An entire drawer? I didn’t think I was missing a whole lot,” he responded, nose tinted red. “I have to water my plants quickly, before I put dinner on, but feel free to shower,” you said, still laughing quietly. “Let me help cook, first. You need someone to disassemble the smoke alarm,” he raised an eyebrow at you. One ‘KISS THE COOK’ apron and half an hour of seasoning a chicken, spilling sweet potatoes and bumping elbows later, the two of you stood back from the counter, you boasting to Spencer about how nothing had turned to ashes, and him pointing out that the oven hadn’t been turned on yet. Soon after, you put the oven on high, humming an indistinguishable carol over the shower that could be heard running from the next room. A warm, tingling feeling overcame you.

By the time you had showered, Spencer stood serving - a well timed and flawlessly cooked - chicken, wearing mitts matching the baggy flannel pyjamas keeping him warm on top of the open oven. “Smells good,” you complimented, slightly startling Spencer. He stood at the small wooden dining table, mouth agape at the sight of you. He was sure his heart was a puddle. “I like your sweater,” he praised. You glanced down slightly confused, shortly realising that your sweater, with its much too floppy sleeves, reaching a little way above your knees, was actually his. “Oh, I’ll wash it and give it back to you at some point,” you said shyly. “I was wondering where it went, but don’t worry about it, the colour looks nicer on you than it does on me,”

“Nonsense, you know that’s not true.” Soon enough, you found yourselves digging in - not before you expressed your gratitude towards food that wasn’t charred for the first time in months. You sat across from each other, your reindeer sock clad feet occasionally tapping his beneath the table. Spencer’s heart was full, marvelling at you from where he sat, wishing this could be something he could experience forever, much preferring it over a stale sandwich. You watched him intently through your eyelashes, chin resting on your interlaced hands while he taught you about how the thalidomide scandal emerging from Germany led to safer drugs in the pharmaceutical industry, the lecture prompted by an article he’d read recently. It continued into getting the dishes cleaned up, his rambling only being interrupted by your intermittent questions which incited further tangents, or requests to pass the tea towel. His voice was a ruffled silken sheet, on which you would like to lay for eternity. Admittedly, you found it difficult to focus on retaining any more information than the odd date, due to being too focused on the way his lips moved to form every word he said, hopelessly enamoured by the overly enthusiastic expressions he made to match the tone of what he was saying. Eventually, he wandered towards the living room as you stacked away the final plate, butterflies still spurring in your stomach from when his fingers brushed yours as he handed it to you.

“Spencer Reid effortlessly navigating technology, Christmas miracles really do exist, huh?” 

“Actually, I just remembered watching you choose music, instead of paying attention to the road, that one time you drove me to work,”

“I was most definitely paying attention,” you huffed out a laugh, slightly bashful at the thought of him remembering small things you do. “You hit the kerb four times! That was the day I vowed to never let you transport me anywhere,”

“I see your argument, and I raise you with the counter argument: the kerb hit me.” Sitting with his back against the couch, legs sprawled out over the rug beneath your coffee table, Spencer couldn’t hold back his laughter. After watching you disappear into the kitchen, he busied himself with reading the holiday edition of Reader’s Digest laying on the table. He recounted you telling him that you had accidentally  drunkenly subscribed to it, and never bothered to cancel the subscription, the first time you’d caught him reading an issue. You emerged a short while later, with drinks in both hands. “Bonjour monsieur, on tonight’s menu, we can either open this Merlot or, drink Capri-suns like the sophisticated adults we are. Your pick,” you said, hiding the juice pouches behind your back and noticeably waving the bottle of wine in front of you. “I have a feeling it isn’t my pick,” he let out a laugh, “so just fill a glass with enough Merlot for two,” you were on your way to get a glass before he had the chance to finish. “Your wish is my command!” You called. Spencer put down his magazine once he saw you rushing towards him with a large glass of wine in hand. “Of course you opt for Christmas Jazz over Mariah Carey,” you teased, hearing the music he’d queued floating from the withering speaker in the corner of the living room. It was the kind of music that would play in the diner of an expensive hotel, you noted. “I can change it if you’d like?” He began reaching for your phone, when you halted him by grasping his arm. “No, it’s good, I like your taste.” Spencer grinned sheepishly, taking the glass from your hand as you sat down beside him. 

Hours of conversation and decking the halls with tinsel later, with wine flushed cheeks and twinkling eyes you moved the furniture to cater for your very own dance floor. Carefully, Spencer placed a hand below your ribs, touching you like new glassware, lacing the other with yours. Your unfettered hand, replaced the weight of the world as it rested on his shoulder. You recognised the look on his face as he settled into the close proximity, it was the same look that painted yours when you admired him whilst he failed to notice. The soft glow of a lamp illuminated the man you held, making an indistinct halo of golden light appear above his unkempt hair. “I apologise for any damage caused to your feet,” you giggled, struggling to find a rhythm. “Here, follow my lead,” he looked down at your feet. “The Waltz?” Dazzled, you raised an eyebrow, a few seconds after recognising the box-like steps in unison. Spencer tried to focus on anything but your lips, glistening in the dull light, so close to his. “Mhm, I’m not exactly the most co-ordinated-”

“You don’t say?”

“That’s tough talk for someone I’ve seen fall up a flight of stairs,”

“That sounds made up, but as you were saying,” you laughed into his chest. “It’s simple because its a repeating pattern. Did you know that name of the dance comes from the German word waltzen, which means to turn, or to glide? Some say the dance itself comes from the folk music and dances of west Austria, but others debate that it’s a variation of the Volta, from the 16th century,”

“Interesting, makes sense to debate that though. I’m pretty sure volta means ‘a turning’ in Italian - although that’s mostly in reference to the turn of a new thought or idea in sonnets… I’m thinking of Shakespeare,” you chimed in. “Sonnet one-hundred and thirty being a classic example of that,”

“Of course you would know that,” you shook your head in awe, cheeks hurting from grinning too wide. The incandescence of the smile that hadn’t left his face all day was mesmerising, the honeyed expression tied together with the dimples on his cheeks and creases around his eyes. “What would you like for Christmas?” He mumbled, lifting a moment of peaceful silence. “If you pulled my name out of the hat today you’re going to have to be a lot more subtle than that,”

“Unfortunately not,” he pouted. “Don’t tell anyone I told you, but I have Rossi,” he whispered the words into your ear, neglecting that no one else was around to hear. “What do you get a man who already has everything money can buy?”

“A new wife,” you joked, causing him to scoff. He studied your visage as you pondered his earlier question, still swaying to the soft piano sounds. “Honestly Spencer, being able to see you smile, being in your vicinity, just that is enough for me,” you finally answered, tilting your head up at him. Spencer thought his knees would give way. He thought his knees would give way, and he would hit the ground with enough impact to implode through the earth’s crust. In reality, he only stumbled over his feet momentarily, regaining his composure before you noticed him slowly becoming unhinged. “If that’s the case, I wish I’d picked your name,” he managed to utter, breathlessly.

The music which continued to play was drowned out by the sound of steady breathing, you were too caught up in each other to pay attention to the world. Wordless, you looked into his eyes, his actions parallel to yours. “You look beautiful right now,” he sighed. “Of course, you always look beautiful but, you know.” You shook your head, refraining from averting your eyes from his. He wished you believed it, promising himself to never abstain from letting you know until you saw yourself the way he did. “It’s funny you say that, because I was thinking the same thing. About you of course,” you rushed out the last part, realising the potential for miscommunication. “I love seeing you happy,”

“Well, as long as you stick around, you’ll be seeing a lot of that,” he spoke lowly, on the verge of telling you about all the things he felt for you. You hadn’t realised, but you had unconsciously moved closer together. You could feel his warm breath on your skin, lighting a fire inside your lungs, as he took yours away. Spencer saw all of the signs; the signs that this was not usual for a friendship. Maybe, if it weren’t for his defeated battle with fear, and doubt, he would have told you by now that he had fallen desperately for you. Spencer knew there wasn’t a drop of insincerity behind any of the kind words you spoke into him, he understood that you were his person, but he found it difficult enough to comprehend that someone could feel this strongly for someone. So, the implausible idea that someone could feel this way about him, was one he was not even prepared to entertain. “Y/N? I, um,” he tried, wearily. You gave him a soft smile, both tired arms laced behind his neck now as his rested on your waist. He dropped his sword. Once again losing the fight against his unreasonable insecurities, changing his mind at the last second. “I need to give you something,” his demeanour changed and he vanished from your line of vision. Your heart sank, hopes of hearing him say that the love you had for him was requited, fallen. Before you got too lost in your head, he emerged from the doorway with the same black bag you’d been inquisitive of. “Uh, here, this is for, uh, you,” he tucked his lip beneath his teeth. “Spencer…” you trailed off as he handed it to you. You sat yourself on the carpet, patting the spot next to you for him to join. “I thought I should give it to you now, since I’ll be in Vegas for Christmas,” 

“Spencer, you really didn’t have to-“

“Go on, open it,” he ignored your humility. You gave him a look as you opened it - it being replaced with a look of elation as you realised what it was. In your hands, you held a scarf, long enough to hit the floor, striped in all your favourite tones. “I had to ask my mom for help with the tassels, but-“

“You took the time to make this? For me?” You exclaimed. Without thought, you draped it around his neck to tug him closer to you, throwing your arms around him in a tight hug. “This is the sweetest thing anyone has ever done for me, thank you so much,” you lauded, refusing to let go of him. “I think it was last winter, we were walking back to our hotel in Minnesota during a case, and you insisted that the both of us use my scarf to keep us warm, because you didn’t have one,”

“Ah, I remember that, except it ended up being one of the top ten worst disasters in U.S. history due to the height difference, and we both ended up falling face-first into the snow,” you giggled, recalling the way you had used up most of the hotel’s hot water afterwards. “Exactly,” he matched your expression, “seeing as you still haven’t bought one for yourself, even though we lose eighty percent of our body heat through our head and neck, I thought I would take matters into my own hands,”

“Well, I love it. You’ll have to tell your mother I said thank you and that I’m sending my love,” you finally dropped your arms from around him, out of fear of crushing his shoulders. 

Once the zeroes had lined up on the twenty-four clock, Spencer sat where he usually resided on your bed, ardently admiring you as you folded away his gift. “Wait! Spencer close your eyes! Please!” You squeaked, immediately shutting the cupboard doors, realising your unwrapped present for him was hidden within. “Y/N? Is everything alright?” He asked, eyes now sealed shut. “I didn’t want you to see what I’d bought for Secret Santa,” you let out, too exhausted to form a coherent excuse. “We only got those names today - well, yesterday, now - so how did you manage to-”

“Shoot,” you cursed to yourself, knowing his unintentional profiling would lead him to the conclusion sooner or later. Spencer’s eyes slowly opened. “Okay, let’s say if, hypothetically, I had intended on giving you something for Christmas anyway, but then drawn your name today, would you, hypothetically, be able to act surprised when you receive it from me at work?”

“Hypothetically speaking, I would?” He squinted at you, stifling laughter. Your hair was slightly messy and your drowsy eyes were visible to Spencer even without his contacts in. He thought you just looked so adorable, wanting nothing more than to hold you and share your warmth. “Anyway, come to bed,” he beckoned, his voice gravelly, giving way for the day. Obliging, you shuffled towards your bed before sliding your cold feet beneath the covers. Spencer turned to face you, resting his cheek on an upturned palm. “Sorry for ruining the surprise,” you whispered, tucking the duvet under your chin, bright eyes looking through him. “You didn’t ruin anything,” he assured, treasuring the sight before him. There had been a shift in the air between the two of you. Spencer held the wine accountable, but he could sense that you felt it too, a level of intimacy that you had not quite reached during previous nights like this. “Come closer, I need to exploit your body heat while I can.” Spencer listened to your instruction, inching nearer to you, his heart rate so high he was sure you could feel it when you nuzzled your head into his chest. “Goodnight,” you felt his chest rumble. “Hang on, the night isn’t over yet,” you mumbled, “talk to me,”

“About?” He asked, amused by your grit to avoid sleep. “Anything you want,” you yawned. “You’re sleepy,” he stated, coaxing you into getting some shut eye. When you tilted your head up and continued to blink at him, he gave in. “Have you ever wondered why a lot of our most vulnerable conversations happen  at night?” You nodded in response. “Well, a study done by the University of Colorado a couple of years ago concluded that natural light from the sun actually regulates your circadian rhythm, or internal biological clock, which standardises your sleep cycle. According to their study, this sleep cycle coincides with sunrise and sunset, meaning that if you regularly expose yourself to sunlight, your body enhances its internal clock to align more closely with the natural light cycle,” 

“Based on that,” you contended, words slightly jumbled, “our circadian rhythm would vary between seasons, right? And yours would be different, since you’re a literal vampire, to say... someone who surfs down in Florida because of disparity in sun exposure?”

“Precisely,” he raised his eyebrows, “I’m impressed you’re still paying attention, you look like you’re already dreaming.” Spencer nudged your forehead gently with his own, causing you to breath out a laugh. “Alright, so how does all of that relate to being more vulnerable at night?”

“It relates in the sense that the rise and fall of the sun reflects in our physiological, as well as emotional behaviour. During the day, we’re a lot more active, and at night, we become more relaxed and receptive. Hence, since your mind is at ease, all the thoughts and emotions that might have felt jumbled up during the day become clear, making them a whole lot easier to express,”

“Mhm,” you managed, eyelids growing heavy. “Do you… have anything to say now,” you whispered drowsily, eyes now closed, “that you can’t say during the day?” Spencer couldn’t handle it anymore. He was already so fond of you but as his hand settled to rest around your waist, feeling your warmness, he believed his ribs could collapse from the way he felt inside. As you dozed off, gradually, winter became less cold in his arms and dreamscapes of his tea leaf eyes. “And, she’s asleep,” he whispered, minutes after silence, into your hair, “but to answer your question, yes,” his lips planted a chaste kiss on your forehead, “I love you.” Of course, unbeknownst to him, you weren’t asleep just yet.

∗∗∗

A couple of days went by, and as more time went on, the less certain you became as to whether Spencer had really even said the words, wondering if the whole thing was just a fatigue driven hallucination your lovesick mind had conjured up. Waking up beside him the next morning however, tangled in a warm cocoon of cotton and limbs, had left you feeling giddy, smiling like a fool with heart shaped eyes as he attempted to feed you the waffles he’d made - which the two of you gulped down far too quickly than sanctioned, to avoid being late for work. When you didn’t succeed, and the clock had beaten you by ten minutes, you both wrestled past evocative looks from the rest of the team for the remainder of the day, JJ even singing something about the two of you ‘sitting in a tree’ . The soft, shared, smiles and light brushes of fingertips when he handed you coffee in the mornings left you wanting to concede; let him know that you would walk on burning coal for him, the more logical side of you reminding you that professing your devotion to him over an open case file consisting of a double homicide, three days before Christmas, was far from ideal. Spencer wanted the kind of love only the poets could express. This had become evident the evening you took him to a midnight screening of ‘Un homme et Une Femme’. You recalled leaning into him to translate, catching sight of his welling eyes glimmer in the dim lit theatre. Believing his love should be celebrated, you decided to withhold the unsurfaced feelings a little while longer.

Later that week, you all gathered around the BAU tree, a small framed picture of Derek decidedly hanging from one of its upper branches after Garcia had to be heavily persuaded, and eventually bribed, to not place it at the top, arguing “But he’s my star.” Spencer snuck behind you, subtly placing a hand on your back to glide through and place Rossi’s gift under the tree. “I want to let you know that I’ve been practicing my ‘surprised’ face in the mirror,” he discreetly whispered against your neck, making you roll your eyes. “Okay super sleuths, I know we’re all itching to fly away for a break, but hold your reindeer, because we are yet to kick off our annual Secret Santa,” Garcia excitedly exclaimed, shuffling in with two large sparkling bags. “I thought there was a budget?” Rossi quirked. “Yes, sir,” she looked smug, “for you.” The team shared smiles at Rossi’s perplexed look. “So, who wants to start us off?” Garcia chirped. With that, the festivities were under way. You held tight an abnormally large heat sensitive mug, which you were sure would also reveal a promiscuous image once warm - a gift from Emily, who gave herself away by insisting it would help your caffeine dependency - watching as the others tackled ribbon wrapping paper. You threw an impressed look Spencer’s way, that glint of knowing something the universe doesn’t returning to your eyes, when Rossi opened a small portrait of what looked to be a Venetian cathedral, the Santa Maria to be exact. Once the banter and excited chatter had died down, everyone turned to the recipient of the final gift, neatly labelled Spencer Reid, enveloped in brown paper and tied with deep purple ribbon. Penelope looked as if she were about to pass out. Spencer’s shifting eyes landed on JJ as she mouthed a small ‘you’re up’, causing a smile to tug at his lips when he eyed you gazing at him with the soft look he adored. Your eyes lingered on his hands as they swimmingly untied the mauve knot and tore open the paper to reveal a large leather-bound journal. He examined the old looking thing,  trailing his fingers along the convoluted golden details of the artistic interpretation of a moon calendar adorning its umber covers, partially covered by thin leather straps. His mouth was slightly agape, shaking a little at how well you knew him, clumsily catching the matching novelty pen before it slipped out of the wrapping and onto the floor. You had picked it up at a forlorn occult shop after it had caught your eye while looking out of place as it lay surrounded by large crystals. Knowing in an almost divine way that it should belong to Spencer, you had bought it. He couldn’t help but look at you briefly, communicating a silent gratitude. “This is amazing,” he ogled, “I love it.” Your heartbeat was in your throat. He was yet to find out you’d filled the first page for him.

Shouts of Merry Christmas, long hugs and season’s greetings were thrown around the room before, one by one, everyone slowly bade their goodbyes. While helping JJ clear away torn reds and greens of gift wrapping, you caught sight of Spencer, ears and cheeks scarlet, with his nose buried in his new, opened, journal.

“We are asleep until we fall in love," you looked up from Leo Tolstoy’s one thousand page book and recited to me, once. Since you walked into my life, I’ve been wide awake. You know that I’m never far away, but this is for the days you need to let out some of what you hold in, without saying it aloud. 

I love you too, Spencer.

Spencer read and re-read the words until he was sure he could recite them like the Lord’s Prayer. It was commonly Spencer who remembered small details and remembered paltry quotations, but this time, it was you. Sitting in the glow of the afternoon sun, one October, he had been reading War and Peace, and couldn’t help but share the line with you as you sat across from him, chewing through a much smaller number of pages and reading a collection of poetry. The woman he had been so captivated by, admiring from afar that day - and all others, felt the same way he did. In disbelief, he began breathing manually. Making sure he was deciphering the cursive lettering correctly, he scanned the page again. While his eyes were definitely not deceiving him, they remained glued to one word. Awake. The havoc caused in his heart by the train of thought hitting him so brutally, rivalled only Gare Montparnasse. You must’ve heard his confession nights ago. It was the only explanation for the ‘I love you, too’. You most definitely were awake. Profiling tendencies overcame him. With his basic background of graphology, he could make out that the last line had been written in fresher ink than all the others, confirming his hypothesis. For the first time in a while, his mind was quiet, the uncertainties which fought to float in, unable to make their way through as if the thee simple words you’d handed him were a barrier for them. He needed to talk to you.

Walking quickly towards the elevator, an overwhelming wave of anxiety crashed over you. You had subconsciously been avoiding Spencer for most of the evening, second-guessing whether or not you’d heard him correctly, whether he’d even meant the words in the way you’d interpreted, wondering what you would do if this friendship were to ever end. However, a more hopeful side of you contended to quiet those thoughts. He had to feel it too. There was no room in which you hadn’t shared a longing look. The feather touches, and dancing. So badly did you want to believe that he thought this too. A slender arm appeared through the closing elevator doors, tugging you back to reality, causing you to jump before quickly pushing the open button. “Spencer! You could’ve lost an arm!” You yelped. “It’s okay, I have two of them,” he huffed. He avoided your eyes for a moment, before inhaling half of the oxygen in the small lift and turning towards you. “I wanted to say thank you, for this,” he held up the book, “it’s gorgeous, and sort of… exactly what I needed - and not just the book itself but what you wrote… inside it,” he nervously looked at you. “Did you- do you mean what you wrote?” His tone of voice syringed into you a drop of hurt. “Spencer, I never want you to think that I don’t mean it,” your let out in a shaky voice, gently grasping his elbow. You visibly saw his body ease, a smitten smile replacing the lip being chewed at. His throat bobbed as he gulped before he spoke again, heartbeat in his ears. “I want you to know that I’m in love with you, Y/N. I don’t want you the way I want a best friend, I want you in a-” he sighed, clenching and unclenching his fist trying to find the words, “I want you in a way that means I want to fall asleep beside you, and wake up to you the next morning, for as long as the sun rises. I want you. I want you - no, need you, the way the tide needs the moon to rise and fall, I want you-” he swallowed, furrowing his brows at his feet, “I want you, like this.” Hazel eyes fluttering shut was the last thing you saw. Large hands lightly caressed your face, one travelling behind your ear, brushing your neck to delicately tangle in your hair. After years of wondering, you finally knew what his lips felt like on yours. His nose bumped yours lightly as you tasted his soft lips, their slight chap reminding you that winter had kissed them first. Your hands wrapped around his wrists, before one settled on his tilted jaw and another hid in his chestnut hair. He felt warm, everywhere you touched setting electricity through him. Even after you pulled apart, his arms remained on either side of your face, holding you like you were fragile. His breath fanned over your face, as you shivered, the fluttering in your stomach unsubdued. The elevator had long reached the ground floor, causing the two of you to bashfully laugh concurrently. You thought to yourself that Spencer’s crimson flush and wide grin was a sight you would lose sleep to gaze at. “All this time, I’ve been missing out on that,” you teased, watching him shyly bite his lip as he waited for you to say something else. “I’m very glad you said all of that because I’m very much in love with you, Spencer Reid, and, if you’ll let me, I want to love you, the way people love in all the books you’ve lent me,” you told him. At that, he was sure his heart was yours, fearlessly. So, making afternoon plans and debating which train to take, neither of you really caring as long as you were in the other’s company, you finally stepped out of the elevator, oblivious to the mistletoe that was hanging within it, but more than mindful of what was to come. 

#this was almost as long as their elevator ride #me? writing? unheard of #this took so long i don't know if it's even fully edited but we'll see #hope u guys have fun reading it!! #spencer reid #spencer reid fanfiction #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid x y/n #criminal minds #criminal minds fanfiction #criminal minds fic #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid oneshot #dr spencer reid #matthew gray gubler #mgg x reader #mgg fic #spencer reid x reader #mgg oneshot #cbs criminal minds #gublernation #spencer reid smut #spencer reid self insert #mine: writing

[hotchley]

balls fair in love and war

So... this is the fic inspired by the AU in this post. Umm... it's a shambles, I low-key hate parts of it, the ending is rushed, but we're going with it before my laptop dies </3

Ignore any and all medical inaccuracies. I did a bit of research, but a lot of it confused me, so... this is not an accurate representation of a concussion. Like seriously. Also ignore any ethical issues, they're just... it's fine. As usual no proofreading. Umm.... don't ask where Rossi is. I don't know.

Taglist (I guess? I don't actually have one, it's just for this lol): @eldrai @willlemonheadsupremacy @shmaptainhotchnersmain @sarcvstiel @unionjackpillow @katytheinspiredworkaholic (you said you would read it so... is that okay?)

A very big and grateful thank you to @aaron-hotchner187 for giving me a title!! And to everyone else that gave suggestions, you are also much loved <3

Also, the way Hotch acts as a teacher is inspired by the way I think @ellyhotchner will be when they become a teacher <3 and everyone go and tell @whump-town thank you because she: told me about penlights, gave me the easy tiger line and is just overall a good person.

Trigger Warnings: concussions, fear of brain hemorrhages, hospitals, self-blame

read on ao3!

Like most things that went wrong in Aaron Hotchner’s life, his current predicament could be blamed on Emily Prentiss. He would not hear otherwise. And he didn’t think he should be forced to hear otherwise, given he was the one sitting on a hospital bed in a thin gown that did nothing to keep him warm, whilst she got to sit outside with a cup of coffee.

She had, admittedly, looked absolutely horrified when the accident occured, and had spent the whole journey to the hospital apologising again and again. He’s pretty sure she offered up her first-born child to him at some point as a form of penance. As well as her apartment. And he definitely remembers hearing something about grading his papers for him.

So whilst he may not want to be anywhere near her offspring- especially if they’re like her- and whilst he may definitely not want her apartment- he doesn’t care what she says, it is haunted- he will be taking her up on that last offer. Did he feel suitably appeased by her squirming the whole time, and by the fact that she was the one that had to explain to the principal why there were two classes screaming, crying and a teacher on the floor?

Yes, but there was no harm in milking it.

If he’s being completely honest, he felt like he was taking advantage of a hospital bed. He was sure he was fine. Yes, it hurts to move his head and he feels dizzy, and he probably has all the symptoms of a minor concussion, but he just really doesn’t want to be in the hospital.

Besides, he needs to make sure the kids aren't traumatised. It can’t have been easy for them, watching him just fall to the ground and hit his head hard enough for there to be blood. Emily could be traumatised, he didn’t care. But their students? Absolutely not.

He sighs. He wants to hand in his resignation now. Going back is going to be so embarrassing.

“I don’t think you understand. He is my best friend, and if he doesn’t get this blanket, he will- Spencer, what will he do if he doesn’t get this blanket?” A voice says from outside.

Aaron closes his eyes. He wants the ground to swallow him up. Forget returning to school, the next few minutes of his life are going to be even more embarrassing than the time Emily tricked him into being part of the Christmas pantomime. Haley hadn’t been offended, thank goodness, but still. It took him three months to be able to meet her eyes.

“He’ll- he’ll- I can’t even say it, it’s just so upsetting,” Spencer lies.

“Ma’am, sir, if you would let me speak for two seconds. Miss Prentiss said that some of her colleagues would be coming with Mr Hotchner’s things. All I am asking for is proof of identity,” the floor receptionist says.

The apologies immediately start to pour from the mouth of Penelope Garcia, whilst Spencer Reid just takes out both their driver's licences. The receptionist clearly approves, because before Aaron knows what’s happening, he’s being embraced by someone who smells like roses, and his favourite blanket is being draped over him.

“Oh my goodness, you don’t know how grateful I am that you’re alive,” Penelope says.

Aaron gives her a slight smile. Penelope is one of his favourite people, despite all their differences. And he likes to think he’s one of her favourites. He wouldn’t be thinking wrong.

“Penelope, I’m fine. Seriously. This is just a precaution. I promise it isn’t that bad,” he says, even though the light is starting to hurt his eyes.

“Isn’t that bad? I saw you and Emily taking your classes outside, which was weird to begin with because you both have classes that don’t require being outside, what were you doing? And then, I’m watching because the class can be trusted to sketch without my guidance and I’m curious. But then I turn my back for three seconds to help someone, and everyone is screaming, and you’re on the floor, and there’s blood everywhere and- it was scary!” she says.

“I’m so sorry,” Aaron says, for lack of anything else to say.

“I don’t want you to be sorry! I want you to stop getting hurt!” Penelope exclaims, whacking him in the shoulder.

“I don’t want you to be sorry either. It was hilarious to watch, my students were in hysterics,” Spencer adds. Penelope glares.

Aaron isn’t surprised. Him and Spencer get on- they even have shared interests- but they also have some of the same classes. And as a result of the different subjects and ways they teach, it seems to them that it is impossible for their students to like them both.

“So, not that I don’t appreciate it, but why are you here?” He asks.

Spencer and Penelope glance at each other, and Hotch feels like he’s dealing with two students that have tried to set up two of his friends.

“Garcia. Reid,” he says. In the same tone he uses when dealing with two students that have tried to set up two of his friends.

“We thought that if we came, JJ wouldn’t, but uhh-” Spencer starts.

JJ bursts into the room before he can finish. “”Hotch! What happened? I mean, I’ve heard what happened because Strauss came and told me the basics, but still. Why were the two of you in the playground? Are you okay? Let me see that bump on your head. I also brought your lunch in case you were peckish.”

“Well basically-”

“Why does Emily look like she’s about to start crying?” Haley asks, entering.

Everyone but JJ turns and stares at her with a slight look of horror. Aaron slides down the bed slightly, hoping the blanket can cover the furious blush that he just knows stains his cheeks. Him and Haley went on a date once, after he asked her in a moment of impulsivity. It was the worst thing he’d ever done, for both of them.

“Oh come on guys, we’re professionals. JJ asked me to come because apparently, Aaron listens to me? I said he’s just too afraid of me to disobey. Which, I meant as a joke, but you do know that I don’t hate you right? Sure, the date was a disaster, but you do know we can still be friends?”

“I thought you didn’t want anything to do with me,” he confesses.

“That’s why I brought her with me. To prove you wrong,” JJ says. “But yes, why is Emily so upset?”

“Because I almost killed my best friend and traumatised our students and I’ve ruined his life and our careers and he can get me fired and press charges, but all I wanted to do was make him laugh, and this is the first place where I’ve felt appreciated, and I’m going to lose it all,” Emily sobs from outside.

“Can you bring her in?” He asks Penelope.

She obliges, and Hotch pats the area next to him. Emily sits beside him, wiping her eyes on the corner of the extra blanket they brought.

“You didn’t almost kill me, it’s a mild concussion at most. Our students have seen worse, and they will be fine. My life is not ruined because you will be doing my grading. I’m not going to get you fired or press charges, and you’re not about to lose any of this. Okay?”

“You always know what to say,” she says.

He ruffles her hair.

“Love you. Platonically,” he tells her.

She gives him a bright smile, and he can feel himself smiling back, less embarrassed about everything.

And then she starts laughing hysterically, and deliberately shoves him, causing him to almost fall out of the bed, only stopped by Haley and Dave each grabbing one of his arms and pushing him back up. Of course, Emily just looks at him like she hasn’t done anything wrong.

“I cannot believe you fell for that. As if I would ever be that upset. Honestly. Haley, maybe I should replace you as drama teacher!”

Haley raises an eyebrow. “Ah yes, because the last time you got others involved in theatre, it ended so well.”

Emily has nothing to say.

Aaron does. He turns and swears in French.

“Naughty boy. Don’t let anyone else hear you. Especially not my class, I told them what that meant after you said it when I stole your stapler and then told you I’d given it to Miss Brooks.”

He pales.

“Speaking of your classes, how did this happen?” Haley asks, clearly sensing the need for a change in topic.

Emily looks at Aaron.

“It was your fault!” he says.

“Well it was your idea!” she counters.

He sighs. “So what happened was…”

Hotch and Emily’s classrooms are next to each other. To Hotch, this is both a blessing and a curse. It means he could keep an eye on her. It also means he had to keep an eye on her. See, Emily isn't irresponsible, and she would never actually endanger her students, but sometimes, she leans towards danger.

How, when she teaches modern languages, is beyond Hotch, but regardless. Strauss had actually hired Emily, not just for her abilities, but because she believed someone needed to keep an eye on Hotch. How the times have changed.

Hotch is on break duty, and he can't see anyone from his class. Which is weird. He tries to keep their lives as stress-free as possible, and he was always willing to help anyone that needs it, but certain assessments could not be avoided. But still, he expects to see at least one of them outside, if only to get a few minutes of fresh air.

Emily smiles at him sympathetically before she walks into her classroom. It is like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over him. Sympathy from Emily isn't comforting. Not when it was aimed at him. If anything, it just makes him more scared. The last time she had looked at him like that, he had explained how his date with Haley had gone from one disaster to another.

And then she laughed.

So he pushes the door open, stepping back in case something fell on him. It wouldn't have been the first time. But nothing does. So he steps into his classroom, expecting to see his eleventh grade literature class doing something suspicious.

They aren't, and suddenly he understands exactly why Emily had looked at him like that.

Because his class has never looked so upset or defeated. And his heart breaks for all of them. It has been a while since he was fifteen, but he wouldn't ever forget the feeling of helplessness that seemed to define his existence. Nor would he forget how everything felt like too much and not enough.

"What happened?" He asks them gently.

Violet, a quiet girl that always tells him what Miss Prentiss had said about him, burst into tears. One of her friends patted her back, but it's clear they didn't quite know what they were doing. Neither does Hotch, but goddammit, these are his kids. Nobody is going to hurt them.

"Hey, it's okay. Do you want to go somewhere else?" He asks her.

She shakes her head. "I just- I want all of this to be over, but then I don't because it means going to college and leaving here and having to grow up, but I just- I have no fucking idea what I'm doing and it's all too much."

He winces at the use of swear words, because he is still a teacher, but that also means he feels a sense of pride that she's able to voice what it is. Because now, he may not be able to fix the situation, but he can help.

"I know. That's okay. That's normal. And you'll work it out. You know, I almost became a lawyer."

She looks up, her eyes red, but starting to sparkle again. "A lawyer."

"Yep, I almost also applied to the FBI Academy. It was actually Miss Prentiss that talked me out of that one. Well, it wasn't really talking but the true story is a little too… inappropriate for school."

"I can't imagine you doing either of those. You'd get bored as a lawyer, and you would never smile as an FBI agent," Clarissa says.

Hotch blinks.

She shrugs like it's the most obvious thing in the world. And then she offers him a piece of candyfloss, which he rejects.

He checks his lesson plan. And then his planner. And then the calendar he keeps on his table. Emily always makes fun of him for being so organised, but Spencer admires it, and that makes him feel cool, so he focuses on that instead.

"I have a compromise. We don't need to do a lesson today, we have more than enough time to cover everything because we're already ahead. I let you do whatever you want for the remainder of the lesson- whether that's colouring or crying or dancing. But you have to do it outside. I didn't see any of you at break."

"Really?" Violet asks.

He nods. "Of course."

Everyone cheers, and grabs their bags, clearly ready to not use their brains for a bit. Aaron gives them the most warm smile he can manage, but he can't help the small surge of guilt that accompanies his lack of realisation.

As his class exits, happily chattering away to each other, Emily pokes her head out the door.

"Mr Hotch, what are you doing, and can I join?"

Immediately, all eyes are on him.

"Please?" Violet asks.

Clarissa pulls out the puppy eyes.

Thomas falls to his knees.

"Oh my god, yes fine, okay, just- everyone be quiet before Strauss finds out and shouts at me," he says.

Emily runs back inside, and soon, they're all just milling about and having fun on the playground. It's nice, both for the students, and the teachers, to have a bit of a break from the world, and to spend a few moments away from it all. Some of them are running around, playing a game of tag, some of them are simply sitting around, and a few are colouring.

"Do you still like playing catch?" Emily asks him.

"What?"

"Catch. Remember, you used to play it with Sean all the time when we were in college."

"I mean yeah, I would probably get involved, but I'm not quite sure-"

"Think fast!" She shouts, and she lobs a netball at him.

The last thing he thinks, moments before his head meets the ground with a large amount of force- enough for there to be a small amount of blood- is: how is it always her? Every single time he gets into a situation, it's her that causes it. That has to be statistically impossible. Maybe he should ask Spencer…

"So yeah! And now I'm here!" He shoves Emily, who has the audacity to look offended.

Penelope kisses his forehead. Haley laughs a little, but Reid just blinks like he can't quite believe how stupid his co-workers are.

"Well. From what I've heard, it was a pretty good shot," JJ comments.

Haley turns to her. "From everything we've just been told, that's what you choose to pick out?"

"I'm a gym teacher, can you really blame me?"

Emily mutters something.

"You were what?" Garcia asks.

"I was aiming for his leg," she repeats.

"Emily. I know you teach languages, not biology, but look at me. Head," Hotch says, pointing at the bump he's not going to cover up, "Leg." He points at his ankle.

"It's always lovely when people know their anatomy. Saves me a lot of time," a new voice says.

Hotch turns in the direction of it, ready to make a snarky comment, but whatever words he had thought of die on his lips as he suddenly feels like he's been transported into a medical drama full of unrealistically attractive protagonists.

Because the doctor who has just walked in is the most handsome man he has ever seen. His smile is easy and genuine, and his eyes seem to twinkle with mischief. And his arms, oh god his arms seem like the safest place to exist. Aaron can't help but wonder what it would be like to have those arms wrapped around him-

His cheeks warm. No.

"Hi, I'm Dr Morgan. But you can all call me Derek. I'm here for Aaron Hotchner. Who I am going to assume, is you," he says, looking straight at Hotch.

"I- yes. How did you know?"

Dr Morgan- Derek- somehow smiles even more. "Well, even though there are far too many people in here- did all of you somehow miss the two people at one time sign- you are the only one in a hospital bed wearing a hospital gown, so. I'm no profiler, but it was pretty easy."

If it's even possible, his cheeks flush more. But one word sticks out to him. "Wait, profiler?"

"You got me. Crime procedurals are my guilty pleasure. I always said that if I joined the FBI, I would become a profiler. Obviously, I went down a very different route."

"Obviously. Wait, too many people? Oh god, I'm so, so sorry, if you need them to leave, they can. In fact, I also feel a lot better, so if you would like me to also go, I really, it's no trouble."

Because he is an idiot- there really is no other justification for this- he tries to stand up. And he does. He also gets a few steps in before the world starts spinning and he almost loses his balance. Derek somehow moves fast enough to guide him back to the bed. Aaron tries and fails to ignore how warm he is.

"Thanks," he whispers, slightly breathless. And not just from almost hurting himself again.

"It's not a problem Aaron. Both things. Your friends can stay, we're just doing some simple checks," Derek says.

"Oh everyone calls him Hotch," Penelope says.

"Aaron is fine. Really." Because he likes Derek calling him Aaron. He wants Derek to call him Aaron.

And then he meets Emily's eyes and he realises his mistake. There's a common denominator that exists with everyone that he tells to call him Aaron, and he knows that she knows what it is. He's fucked.

"Okay then. Well, can you explain to me what happened?"

Aaron is mesmerised by Derek's eyes. So mesmerised that he forgets to answer. "Sorry, what?"

There's a flash of concern, replaced by a smile. "Can you tell me how you ended up here?"

"Oh yes. So, I'm a teacher- so is everyone here. And I- I was outside, with my- my students when Emily- that one there- she, look, it's a really mild concussion, can I just be discharged? I'm sure my students are very, uhh, very scared," he stutters. Why can he never function when he likes someone? It's mortifying.

"I'm sure it is, but you can't blame me for doing my job. I'm going to take your heart rate now, okay? The stethoscope will be cold, but it'll warm up eventually," Derek says.

Aaron nods, and barely flinches when it touches him. If anything, he's more concerned by how close Derek seems to be. Not in a malicious way, but he's always had this deeply irrational fear that if someone got too close to him, they'd be able to read his thoughts. Which would mean Derek can hear both the fact that he has a crush and that he has this fear.

Derek pulls away, and Aaron exhales.

"Your heart rate is unusually fast. Normally that wouldn't be too concerning, because we expect that when patients seem anxious, but you've seemed pretty calm, up till this moment," Derek says, noting how Aaron tenses.

"Is he going to be okay?" Penelope asks.

Derek turns to her. "Of course he is. He's in good hands."

Aaron needs to get his mind out the gutter before his cheeks explode. Or before Emily opens her mouth.

"Aaron, I know you think the concussion is mild, but this is still a requirement. I'm going to turn on this penlight, and I'm going to ask you to follow it with your eyes okay? Follow the light," Derek explains.

He nods, and Derek turns the penlight on. Aaron flinches at the brightness of it, then tenses in slight fear that his lovely doctor is going to be annoyed at him or call him difficult, or sigh and say he needs to stop acting like a child. It wouldn't be the first time,

But Derek doesn't do any of those things. He does something very different.

He places his hand on Aaron's thigh. "Easy tiger. I won't hurt you," he says.

Aaron melts. His eyes drop down to where Derek's hand is warming his skin. He thinks Derek says his name, but he's too busy having a crush to hear him. And then suddenly, his thigh is cold, but Derek is touching his shoulder and he should be shying away from the light being shone in his eyes. But he isn't because he's too busy looking at Derek and his beautiful eyes to even pay attention.

Rather late, he remembers that there is a reason for Derek to be looking at him the way he is, and he tries to follow the light. But the headache he's had since he came around is only getting worse, and the light isn't helping.

Derek isn't smiling anymore.

"Aaron. Be very honest with me. You've displayed difficulty with coordination, memory and speech. If I asked you whether or not you felt sick or nauseous, what would your answer be?"

Normally, he would just under exaggerate, but Derek seems to genuinely care. So he chooses to be honest.

"Yes?"

Derek's eyes widen. "Aaron, I don't want to alarm you, but I like to keep my patients informed. You're going to have a CT scan done immediately, and there's a chance you may be rushed into emergency surgery."

Everyone, including Emily, starts to panic, but Derek leaves the room to grab a nurse to help, and to tell someone else to make sure there's a clear room. Aaron isn't completely sure what's happening, but his head is killing him, so he lays down again. It only helps a small amount.

For Aaron, the CT scan isn't too bad. If he knew the reason it was being done, and that it wasn't a routine procedure, he would probably have spent the whole time panicking. But he doesn't, and so he sits there- well lies there- with a slight smile on his face. The migraine he's had has been getting worse, so keeping his eyes closed for such an extended period of time is actually quite enjoyable.

It is far less enjoyable for everyone that is upstairs, waiting to find out whether or not their friend has a brain hemorrhage. That's what Derek told them after Aaron was carted away, still seeming very out of it. They needed to test him for a brain bleed. And if he had one, then it would just be a case of waiting to see whether they could treat him. And even if they could treat him, it wasn't guaranteed that he would get back to normal.

Emily, in spite of all of her teasing comments, isn't coping. Because it's still early, the floor is relatively quiet, and Derek is technically on his lunch break, so he's sitting with them in an attempt to provide them with some sort of comfort. He's not sure where this emotional attachment to these random people has come from, but it's formed itself and now he's determined to provide some comfort.

"I really was aiming for his leg," Emily whispers.

"Hmm?" Derek asks, not quite following.

"When I threw the ball, I really was aiming for his leg. He had lost consciousness by this point, but I started crying when he hit the ground. He forgave me. He told me he loved me, platonically that is, and I laughed at him. He's going to die, and he isn't going to know how much he meant to me."

"He's not going to die. He may not even have a brain bleed. But if he does, we're going to save him, and you're going to be able to spend the rest of your life telling him how much he means to you. I promise," Derek says.

Even though there are tears in her eyes, Emily turns to him and smiles. "You're a good man, Dr Morgan."

"That's all I've ever wanted, Miss Prentiss. So thank you. It means a lot to me." And it does. He replays the moment as he goes over to Spencer and Penelope, who he feels a strange sense of protection over. Like he needs to protect them from everything, which is weird, because once Aaron is discharged, he'll probably never see them again.

That shouldn't make him sad, but it does.

"Mr Hotchner's CT scan came back normal. There's no sign of a brain bleed," the nurse tells them, what feels like a lifetime later.

There's a collective sigh of relief, and when he's wheeled back in, looking tired but alive, Emily throws her arms around her best friend, who lets out a soft sound of surprise. Like he's not quite used to the fact that people love him. Derek smiles. His patient will be in good hands when he gets discharged.

"Wait, so what caused all of those problems?" Spencer asks.

The nurse shrugs. "It's probably as simple as: his concussion was more severe than we initially thought, but not as bad as we feared."

"Oh."

"And on that note, Aaron, we're keeping you overnight for observation. It's just to be safe. We can't be too careful. You gave everyone a very big scare when you got sent out," Derek says.

Aaron cannot, and will not, confess. Does he feel guilty? Yes. But he can live with the guilt. He cannot live with the all-encompassing shame that will come with explaining that actually, the reason he was stuttering and failing the penlight test was because of a silly little crush.

"Okay," he says, determined to be as compliant as possible.

"One- and only one- of you is welcome to stay with him, if you'd like," Derek adds.

Haley's eyes light up. "I'll do it! Jessica can bring me my things, and maybe you'll be able to look at me after we've spent another night together. Only this time, nobody's getting pneumonia. I hope so, at least. You're not cold are you?"

Aaron shakes his head. "But you really don't need to stay. I'll be fine on my own. Seriously."

"I know, but I want to. Believe it or not, I do actually enjoy your company."

He smiles.

"We should all be getting a move on. Jason and Erin will want updates, and I have lots of marking," JJ says. She kisses Hotch on the forehead before walking to the door, smiling at Derek for looking after her friend so well.

Spencer waves from where he's standing and Penelope showers him with affection. Emily is the only one that seems hesitant to leave.

"Can I stay till visiting hours end?" She asks.

"Do you feel like you can keep up with these two lovely ladies Aaron?" Derek asks.

Aaron has never enjoyed the sound of his name as much as he does when it comes from the doctor. "I- sure," he stutters, and he just knows his cheeks are a stupid colour. Emily frowns, as though she finds something suspicious.

Derek smiles. "Good man. I'll be back in a few hours to run the same tests as before. For now, take it easy."

Derek doesn't come back a few hours later, because he has other patients. It's a different doctor, and Aaron is both relieved and disappointed. Because on the one hand, he's not going to create another medical crisis, on the other, he wants to see Derek again.

Maybe he can get Emily to knock him out again…

"Your heart rate seems completely normal. And you followed the penlight exceptionally well, so I believe we have nothing to fear. Of course, you'll stay overnight, and we'll run these tests once more before you're discharged tomorrow, but I think we're out of the woods now," they say.

Emily gasps, and Aaron knows he's screwed. Luckily, both the doctor and Haley seem to not have heard, and she leaves with the doctor, so Aaron doesn't have to know right at that moment whether his suspicions are correct.

"Night Hotchner," Haley says a few minutes later.

Hotch is already asleep.

The entire team comes and collects him from the hospital.

Aaron is just grateful they're sending him home with a pack of all the things he now needs to do, because he spent the whole lecture admiring how handsome Derek looks with sun shining down on him that he didn't take any of it in. It's also Derek's signature on the discharge papers. He's reminded of high school, when he and his friends would make fake marriage certificates. Not that he's going to do that.

"Bye Aaron. I don't want to see you here any time soon, okay?" Derek teases.

"I won't make any promises," he replies, just relieved he does it without stuttering or blushing.

Derek smiles, and the twinkle in his eyes seems even more mischievous. "Miss Prentiss," he says, spotting Emily.

"Dr Morgan," she responds. She's smirking.

When Aaron asks her what was going on, she doesn't answer. Haley says it's probably linked to the emotions of the previous day, and she's usually good at reading these situations, so he doesn't push any further. Besides, he's too busy catching up with the meetings he missed, and the antics of his students, because a lot happened in the three days he was off, to give it much thought.

Two weeks pass, and the incident is almost completely forgotten.

But then he walks back into his classroom, having just finished a meeting, and he finds flowers on his desk. Tulips. His favourite. He immediately pulls the note out, and when he opens it, he almost wonders if he's concussed it.

Because he knows that signature. He's been staring at it for fourteen days. It's Derek's.

"Surprise. Aaron," a voice says for the doorway.

"How- what- I- what?"

Derek Morgan, still in scrubs and a white coat, smiles at him. "Want to pick a question I can actually answer?"

"How did you- what are you doing here? And why?"

"Well, you should thank Emily. After the other doctor took your heart rate, she came and told me her suspicion. Apparently, you always say you're Hotch. Even the students call you Mr Hotch. Which is strange, because I call you Aaron. And, you shouldn't have done the penlight flawlessly if you had a more severe concussion. So she thinks you have a crush. I didn't want to be unethical, so those flowers can simply mean: I hope you're coping. If you don't have a crush that is."

"What if I do?" Aaron asks, surprised at his own boldness.

"Then I would ask if I could kiss you before I take you out to dinner," Derek says, not missing a beat.

"And if I said yes?"

Derek takes three long strides, and he kisses Aaron like it's something he was made to do. Aaron melts against him, trying to memorise him as quickly as he can, before he realises he has all the time in the world to do that. Because Derek is going to take him out to dinner. Derek, who brought him flowers.

"That was- wow. Wait. You have a crush on me too!" Aaron exclaims with a grin.

"Of course I do," Derek says.

That stuns Aaron back into silence. "Wow," he whispers to himself.

Derek hugs him, and being in his arms is everything- no more- than Aaron imagined it to be. "I'm glad you're okay," he says.

"I'm glad you don't hate me," Aaron says, because he really doesn't know what else to say.

Derek laughs, and Aaron can't wait to find all the ways he can make that happen.

"We should say thank you to Emily at some point. If she didn't know you as well as she does, she wouldn't have realised you had a crush. And if she wasn't so terrifying when she wants something good for her friends, I wouldn't have sent the flowers."

"Can we say thank you later? I want to stay like this for a few moments," Aaron whispers, snuggling closer to his new boyfriend.

"Of course we can," Derek says, kissing his forehead.

When they eventually make it to Derek's car- Aaron can come back tomorrow and get his, it'll be fine, Aaron realises he has one more thing to say.

"Derek?"

"Yes, sweetness?"

Well. That makes him feel things he won't confess too, because he needs something to make him seem the slightest bit cool.

"I'm really sorry I made you think I had a brain hemorrhage."

Derek's laughter is so real that Aaron can't help but join in, and they end up not starting the car for five minutes because it would be irresponsible to drive in that state. And it's only when they're pulling out that they both realise something: Derek gets to see Aaron's family again, and Emily didn't need to hit him in the head again for him to get to see Derek again.

#criminal minds #criminal minds fanfic #hotchgan #mortch #aaron hotchner #derek morgan #tw concussion #tw brain hemorrhages #tw hospitals #tw self blame

[immaturityofthomasastruc]

IOTA Reviews: Miraculous World: New York - United HeroeZ

So... with the recent announcement that Seasons 4 and 5 of Miraculous Ladybug will air on Disney+, with one episode set to air around March 27th (and it's out of order because of course it is), I figured I would try something new with this blog.

While I'm sure Astruc will be more active while the new season is airing, I figured I'd take a stab at reviewing new episodes of Miraculous Ladybug when they come out, as I already have a Disney+ account that I only really use to watch Star Wars and other Disney Channel cartoons I've never seen before. Well, that and the gloriousness that is Mech-X4.

And I was thinking that since a certain special is already available on Disney+, I'll review it now. Consider it my, uh...

279 Follower Special. Yeah, that’s it.

Miraculous World: New York – United Heroez is the first in a series of Miraculous Ladybug specials with the premise of having our heroes travel around the world. Because I guess that's what you do with your show when you run out of ideas for things your characters can do. Just ask Ash Ketchum and Thomas the Tank Engine.

The special is somewhat polarizing among the fandom, with some loving it, and some hating it. If you've seen some of my earlier posts, you probably already know how I feel about this.

Anyway, let's take a look at Miraculous World: New York – United Heroez

We start off with a logo letting us know this is going to be the start of a series of specials called Miraculous World.

Yeah, I'm sure that'll be remembered among other great cinematic universes like the Dark Universe and Ghost Corps.

In all seriousness, this is actually a pretty decent opening. It has some nice visuals that inform the audience of the globetrotting gimmick seen in the special, and the orchestral cover of the Miraculous Ladybug theme sounds pretty badass.

The special truly starts off in the middle of an Akuma fight, where we see that Mr. Pigeon is taking inspiration from Startrain's plan to escape to the one place that hasn't been corrupted by capitalism... SPACE! Apparently, this is the 51st time that Ladybug and Cat Noir have fought him, which makes you wonder if Hawkmoth is either running out of ideas, or if he just wants to see how insane Mr. Pigeon's plans can get for the hell of it.

Ladybug and Cat Noir transform into their new space forms that they've obviously had for a while, given Alya's familiarity with their names... even though those forms probably would have been useful when they were fighting Startrain. And this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of things this special retcons.

We get a few interactions between Ladybug and Cat Noir to give new viewers an idea of what the Love Square dynamic is like, with Cat Noir fawning over Ladybug after she leaves, and Marinette gushing over a new poster Adrien is in. I'll get back to this later,

After that, we see a brief clip from a student film teaching the audience about the real life friendship between George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette (the latter actually becoming one of Washington's close advisors during the Revolutionary War), and how it lead to the completely made up, “French American Friendship week”, which is basically an excuse for Marinette and Adrien's class to go to New York for a week.

Their teacher, Ms. Bustier isn't going with them because she's having a baby (God help us if the writers resort to pregnancy jokes next season), so the only other teacher in the school, Ms. Mendeleiev, will be supervising the class instead.

Adrien isn't able to go to New York because his father won't let him, and even he lampshades how predictable this is. But as soon as Lila suggests spending time with Adrien, Marinette immediately declares she will try to get Adrien to come on the trip with everyone, because he's her friend... and then Alya mocks her for saying that in the very next scene.

And here is the first problem with this special: The way Marinette's crush on Adrien is portrayed.

We're supposed to see Marinette as being in denial about her feelings for Adrien, but when you think about how Season 3 ended with Marinette realizing Adrien and Kagami (who will make an appearance in this special later on) are happy together, it makes sense that she wants to do this. She wants to move on from her crush on Adrien and try to be friends with him.

Unfortunately, her “best friend” Alya isn't willing to let her move on, which is extremely hypocritical when you remember how often she teased her for her behavior around Adrien, to the point where her other “friends” made bets about Marinette's hesitance to confess to him (Cat Blanc). Does she even know about Adrien and Kagami?

And throughout this special, rather than acknowledge Marinette's decision to move on, she constantly teases Marinette about how she still has feelings for Adrien, instead of simply leaving her alone. She reaches salt fic levels of unlikable in this special.

It doesn't help that Marinette's anxiety around Adrien is cranked up to twelve in this special, with her constantly stammering, or fidgeting around to the point where she struggles to get through a door. Twice. And as always, this behavior is only going to be played for laughs, because the showrunners are running out of ways to make Marinette suffer for comedy. And it only gets worse from here.

While watching a news report about a necklace and sabre George Washington had given to him by Lafyette, Nathalie, bedridden from the events of the season finale, tells Gabriel that the necklace in question is actually a lost Miraculous.

And as soon as Marinette arrives, Gabriel tells her that he's going to let Adrien go on the trip. His reason?

Gabriel: Letting Adrien go to New York will be simpler than hiding my absence here from him. Besides, this will allow me to continue keeping an eye on him.

Yeah, he seriously thinks it's a good idea to send his son to the same place he's planning to attack as part of one of his plans. At least you could make the argument that whenever Adrien is endangered during an Akuma attack, he's simply caught in the crossfire because he's in the wrong place at the wrong time, like with “Style Queen”. Here, Gabriel is intentionally letting Adrien go to New York, while claiming that he will be able to monitor him while he plots to attack the city. This is like if Grand Moff Tarkin let his son go to Alderaan for vacation. And again, it only gets worse from here.

Though Gabriel waits a day to tell Adrien he's going to New York, because of he did, we wouldn't get any scenes of Adrien moping around about how much his life sucks. Well, that and a scene of him and Kagami, where the latter kisses him. This is Kagami's only scene in the special, and she isn't mentioned again after this.

As Ladybug, Marinette tells Cat Noir she's going away for a few days and trusts him to guard Paris as long as he alerts her of an Akuma or Sentimonster. What will happen to the Miracle Box Marinette inherited from Former Master In Name Only Fu is never explained.

To Adrien's credit, it's Plagg that convinces him to go on the trip even though Ladybug trusted him, and even then, it takes a little bit to convince Adrien, showing he still takes his job seriously, with him coming up with a plan in case an Akuma attacks. It's not perfect, but it's something. That all goes to hell later on, though.

We then see Gabriel once again talking to Emilie's corpse about his plan.

Gabriel: Blah, blah, blah, Emilie. Blah, blah, blah, blah, I'll get Ladybug and Cat Noir's Miraculous this time for sure. Blah, blah, blah, blah, I'm such a good father and sympathetic villain.

Oh, sorry. That's how I hear most of his monologues to Emilie these days. My bad.

The next scene features something I bet you've never seen before, Marinette being late for something. Thankfully, Luka gives her a ride to help her catch up, hoping that the trip will “give her some clarity”, most likely referring to her conflicting emotions. Marinette then kisses Luka goodbye and gets on the bus. This is Luka's only scene in the special, and he isn't mentioned again after this.

On the plane, it turns out that Adrien is conveniently sitting next to Marinette, prompting Alya to tease Marinette yet again while making this face.

Alya: (smirking and talking in a very smug tone of voice) Awesome, Marinette! Go and sit next to your “friend”! So you two can enjoy a nice flight together! A very long flight.

Alya continues to relentlessly tease Marinette and makes fun of her crush for no real reason, suggesting Marinette get off the plane because “New York is the most romantic city in the world after Paris”. And this gives her a goddamn panic attack where she frantically tries to run off the plane. Remember kids, if someone has some kind of anxiety or social awkwardness, it's perfectly fine to tease and make fun of their behavior, and even exploit it for your own amusement.

And after some unfunny hilarious slapstick involving Marinette on the plane, Alya continues her streak of treating Marinette like her plaything.

Nino: If only this trip could help Adrien finally come out of his shell.

Alya: And if only it could help Marinette be more honest with herself and clearer about her feelings!

Nino: Operation New York?

Alya: Operation New York!

Nino: Let's help them loosen up!

Alya: After all, isn't the United States the land of the free?

Well, the only thing you actually got right about America is forcing others to do things they don't want to do. Just ask the Native Americans.

It's scenes like this why Alya is portrayed so negatively in salt fics. And this happens throughout the special. Now, while I'm not really a drinker, I'm guessing there's at least one person reading this post right now who is. So I have a little idea for a game. Every time Alya acts like a terrible friend to Marinette, take a shot. I'd just have a donor ready in case one of your kidneys gives up on you.

After an admittedly nice scene of Adrien thanking Marinette for convincing his father to let him come (undercut by Marinette creepily commenting on Adrien's cologne as they hug), another problem with this special rears its ugly head, as a man with oddly-colored skin arrives on one of the plane's wings.

Alya: Oh, no! That's Techno-Pirate, the supervillain who steals technology!

Yeah. This is happening. The special is just casually introducing this new supervillain, Techno-Pirate as well as some other superheroes, neither of which had any buildup before, not even a throwaway line They're just here now.

So some of the American superheroes are to save the day, now, I guess. Majestia, the Superman knockoff, helps steer the plane back into position, her robotic daughter, Uncanny Valley, helps fix the plane's broken wing, while Knightowl and Sparrow, the Batman and Robin knockoffs, deal with Techno-Pirate. And everyone just treats this like a regular occurrence.

Marinette: Wow! That all happened so fast! I didn't have time to transform or help out!

Adrien: Good thing the American superheroes were here. I couldn't have transformed here. I'm supposed to be in Paris!

Plagg: Relax, Adrien! Let the local superheroes handle their own problems.

I have so many problems with this plot development. Just how common is the knowledge that there are other superheroes besides Ladybug and Cat Noir in other countries? How have they never been mentioned until now? Why is everyone just accepting the fact that there are other superheroes?

I get that these characters weren't conceived around the time the show started, but the way they're just thrown into the story is just so confusing and does so many things to hurt the narrative instead of helping it. In other episodes, Majestia and Knightowl were only seen in comic books, and Ladybug and Cat Noir were seen as the only heroes in the world because the world itself was fairly down to earth, barring some more advanced technology (the police's weapons in “Origins”, Hawkmoth's lair, Max's robot, Markov, the space dumpsters in “Reverser”, and the AI in Startrain).

The fact that New York is apparently filled with all kinds of superheroes for very mundane things like directing traffic and selling hot dogs just makes the Miraculous seem less important. If there was more work done to better integrate them into the story, like maybe making them an American secret or something, it could have worked. To quote a character voiced by Jason Lee...

And the sad thing was that Power Rangers was able to pull something like this off far better in 1995. During the third season of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Master Vile had successfully reversed the Earth's rotation, turning the Power Rangers into children (yes, it runs on Superman logic, just go with it). Because of this, the Rangers are unable to morph, with the villains free to attack the city. In response, Zordon sends out a distress call to another team of Power Rangers from the planet Aquitar.

Now I know what you're thinking. If Zordon had the ability to contact another team of Power Rangers for help, why did it take him so long to do so? The episode immediately answers the question by pointing out that Aquitar is a planet made entirely of water, so it's incredibly dangerous for them to head to a planet like Earth, making their intervention a last resort. And even after they come, a major plot thread is finding ways to keep the Alien Rangers hydrated, which only gets worse when the Alien Rangers' enemy, Hydro Hog, arrives to drain Earth's water while teaming up with the main villains.

The integration of the Alien Rangers into the story generally feels natural, and there is a clear explanation as to why they haven't joined the battle until now, and even then, still place some hurdles for them to overcome. Here, the special just wants the audience to immediately accept the fact that there are hundreds of superheroes in New York.

So as Marinette and Adrien's class arrives in New York, we see Sparrow watching over them, referring to them as “the little croissants”. That's another thing the special gets right about America: casually making racist comments.

Uncanny Valley's civilian form, Aeon, sees Marinette and Adrien, and, of course, she says that they're “made for each other”. If only the writers actually bothered to give us evidence of that fact that everyone loves to say for some reason. Though we do get the only instance of sanity regarding the Love Square in this special, where Sparrow's civilian form, Jess, calls out Aeon for thinking of getting them together.

Aeon: Those two are made for each other.

Jess: Seriously, Aeon? Not again!

Aeon: But I am programmed to help people, Jess!

Jess: Just stop meddling with people's private lives!

Also, I had already mentioned the unfortunate implications of Aeon being programmed to “help people” in an earlier post, but I still want to reiterate that I don't think any of that was intentional at all, and I definitely don't think a single writer on this show is actually racist. Everyone got that? Okay, moving on.

Jess and Aeon are assigned to watch over the Parisian students while they sneak out to a party on the rooftop of the hotel they're staying at, where they meet another superhero, Hot Dog Dan. He gives random people magical hot dogs that give them temporary superpowers. Marinette and Adrien share one, and they both start flying before Adrien offers to slow dance with Marinette.

Okay... It's clear they they're trying to reference an earlier episode, “Despair Bear”, by having Marinette and Adrien dance to the same song they danced to in that episode. The problem is that the context isn't right.

Adrien is dating Kagami, and he's offering to do this... why? What makes him so interested in Marinette all of a sudden? I get that he doesn't realize Marinette has feelings for him, but if someone says they only see you as a friend, do you offer to slow dance with them? Especially if their reaction to your offer is recoiling in fear?

I'm sorry, writers, but you can't try to recreate some of the magic you had in earlier episodes with Adrienette when you have clearly established Lukanette and Adrigami as official relationships at the moment. And don't give me any of that “that's not the point of the special” crap. The season finale showed Marinette and Adrien getting together with Luka and Kagami respectively, so it's natural that a lot of people were looking forward to seeing how they worked as couples. I'll get back to this point later on.

Meanwhile, Gabriel has made his way to New York, and decides to akumatize the arrested Techno-Pirate into Technolizer, asking him to steal Lafyette's sabre from the museum instead of the necklace.

Back to the museum, Alya and Nino decide to send Marinette and Adrien into a room alone where they're locked in and attacked by the supervillain Solutide...'s hologram, which was all part of Jess and Aeon's plan. In a city where there is a superhero and supervillain on every street. They seriously planned on giving Marinette and Adrien a near-death experience to get them to realize their love for each other.

That's... pretty fucking demented.

What if Marinette and Adrien did something reckless in their attempt to escape? They could have seriously gotten hurt. Hell, what if the scare gave either of them a heart attack? And let's say either of them found out what the plan was (which would be pretty easy, given “Solitude” is a hologram). Do you think either of them would be happy with Alya and Nino, even if they confessed their love for each other? And none of them even think to apologize for what they did, and this scene is never mentioned again. To quote a certain internet reviewer. WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!?

Though to be fair, the scene before was the only scene where Alya gets to use a brain cell in this special by pointing how wrong that plan is... for a second before she goes along with it. So close, Alya. So close...

So after Adrien gets a news report revealing that Robustus is attacking Paris (even though Markov is with them in New York), while Marinette isn't contacted by Cat Noir. The situation only gets worse when Technolizer attacks, getting the sabre in the process.

Sparrow and Uncanny Valley try to fight him off, but are quickly overwhelmed, with some of the latter's technology getting stolen by Technolizer. Marinette and Adrien transform and help out the two heroes, naturally being confused by the other's presence.

But while the four heroes chase after Technolizer, Hawkmoth shows competence for once and steals the necklace in the process, while revealing that the Robustus attacking Paris was actually a Sentimonster created by Mayura.

During the fight, rather than focusing on stopping the already dangerous supervillain powered up by Hawkmoth, Ladybug decides to trash talk Cat Noir instead. I get that she's angry at him for not following through on his promise, but can't she wait until after the fight?

Ladybug: (mockigly) “Just go and rest easy! Yeah, leave Paris with me!”

Cat Noir: I-I didn't know I was going to leave! It was a last-minute decision, that's all!

Ladybug: Do you realize that because of you, there's no one in Paris to protect the city?! Why didn't you tell me that you were leaving?!

Cat Noir: I was afraid you'd get angry!

Ladybug: And you were right, because as you can see, I AM angry!

To quote our recently inaugurated president, will you shut up, man? People say I'm too harsh on Cat Noir for the way he acted during episodes like “Syren”, but this is basically the same thing. Ladybug is prioritizing her own feelings over stopping Technolizer. Yes, she has a right to be angry at Cat Noir, but all she has to do is wait until after the battle to chew him out.

And during the battle, Ladybug outright says she can't trust Cat Noir anymore, making the latter flinch, so Technolizer throws him into Uncanny Valley with his Cataclysm activated, killing her.

In her anger, Majestia punches Technolizer through several buildings before Hawkmoth recalls the Akuma inside him before helping the villain get away. Ladybug casts her Miraculous Ladybug, fixing Uncanny Valley, but that's not enough. Knightowl is pissed, and orders Ladybug and Cat Noir to hand over their Miraculous, not listening to why they're so important, so the two run away.

To make things worse, the two find out about Hawkmoth's plan, and Ladybug explains she can only use Miraculous Ladybug to fix damage caused by a specific villain, and since the Sentimonster is gone, she can't do anything.

In his grief, Cat Noir admits that everything that happened is his fault, so he renounces Plagg and hands over his Miraculous to Ladybug before running away.

So... this scene.

This. Scene.

Where. Do I. Begin?

First of all, this is what causes Ladybug to lose trust in Cat Noir? Not the multiple times he disobeyed her orders because of his own personal feelings? Not the constant flirting and unwanted advances even though she's made it clear she doesn't see him that way? Not the time he trusted an evil doppelganger of Ladybug over the real one? It's this? Cat Noir leaving Paris alone while a Sentimonster attacked?

Okay, let's say that Cat Noir decided to stay in Paris after all. What was he supposed to do when Robustus attacked around the same time as Technolizer? What was Ladybug supposed to do when she found out about Robustus in Paris? Was she supposed to abandon New York and head back there or focus on helping the American heroes?

Second, who does Knightowl think she (yeah, she's a woman, I'll get to that in a bit) is ordering Ladybug and Cat Noir to hand over their Miraculous? What authority does she hold over them? Why should they listen to her? Why can't they simply explain why their Miraculous are so important, and that they can't give them up? Why doesn't Ladybug just explain that she's now the Guardian of the Miraculous? In fact, why does Majestia go along with the order? Ladybug still saved her daughter's life! If anything, she should be sticking up for the two.

There's actually a Superman comic where Captain Marvel storms a police station to interrogate a criminal who killed his best friend so he can find out who hired him. Though he comes close to doing it, Captain Marvel ultimately doesn't kill the criminal's boss, but still flies over to Mount Everest to grieve his friend's death.

Enter Superman, planning to call out Captain Marvel, but instead, he sees him crying. He explains that the boy killed was his best friend before revealing his identity as Billy Batson. Superman's response?

He goes to the wizard Shazam and demands to know why he did this to Billy, furious that a child was forced to go through stuff like that. While Shazam can't take back the powers he gave Billy, he encourages Superman to reach out to Billy, leading to him revealing his identity as Clark Kent to the kid.

I'm not saying that Majestia or Knightowl should have called out Master Fu or ask who made Ladybug the Guardian (as awesome as that would have been), but the point I am trying to make is in that comic, Superman made the effort to understand what Billy had been through, and understood what happened. Majestia and Knightowl made no effort to do anything like that. In fact, they never even knew Hawkmoth existed, which I call bullcrap on, given that he once MOVED THE PLANET AWAY FROM ITS ORBIT. Were you all asleep that day? Why didn't you do anything to help Ladybug and Cat Noir fight Hawkmoth? Were you expecting them to just fight this magical terrorist on their own? They don't have the same support system the American heroes have, and they could really use the help.

And third, Cat Noir. Yeah, just because I'm calling out Ladybug doesn't mean Cat Noir isn't taking any heat either. Again, I have to ask, this is what makes him give up? Keep in mind, when he was Aspik in “Desperada” and saw Ladybug get captured by an Akuma, he reversed time 25,913 times to try and save her before he threw in the towel. At the same time, he was willing to quit in “Syren” because he claimed Ladybug didn't trust him. The level of Adrien's willingness to keep going is incredibly inconsistent, and this doesn't really help his reputation as a character.

And then there's the fact that he's bailing on Ladybug when things are at their absolute worst. Yes, Marinette also briefly gave up in “Origins”, but that was after her first battle, and she was overwhelmed by her screw-up endangering countless lives in Paris in addition to being a nervous wreck even before she got her Miraculous. But here's the difference: She took responsibility. She realized people were in danger, so she jumped into action to save Alya and Cat Noir. Even then, she acknowledged her failure and felt unsure of herself, with Cat Noir helping to reassure her, showing the emotional support their partnership has.

Adrien, who has been a superhero for months, and has faced some pretty stressful situations, as soon as things head south, he immediately gives up and leaves Ladybug to fend for herself while two separate cities are in danger. And he knows that she has no other allies, because Master Fu ran away at the end of the last season, and Miracle Queen exposed the identities of the other temporary heroes. She has nobody to go to for help. He doesn't even show Ladybug her civilian form to apologize, just so he can't get any flak in his regular life. He just gives Ladybug his ring, and literally runs away.

A wise man once said “With great power, there must also come great responsibility.” Adrien has shown no responsibility at ALL in this special, barring the one moment I mentioned earlier.

It's nothing more than a forced emotional moment that has no buildup. This is basically the same with basically every time Miraculous Ladybug tries to be emotional. The writers think that despite never really having any tension or character arcs in their story, they can just have their characters cry out of nowhere, and suddenly, it's a deep moment? That's not how writing works, idiots!

Back at the hotel, Jess and Aeon are getting chewed out by their mothers (Who are the civilian identities of Majestia and Knightowl), and have a conversation about being superheroes... less than a few feet away from the French students. Though at least Barbara, the civilian form of Knightowl (again, I'll get to that later) calls out Aeon and Jess for their stupid “fake supervillain plan”, so there's that I guess.

So we cut to a press conference where the President of the United States, Camilla Hombee (An anagram of Michelle Obama's name, because Astruc has made it clear what his political views are) advises everyone to stay inside while Techno-Pirate is still an active threat. Why does this seem so familiar? And then she... transforms into a superhero too.

Oh, for the love of-- THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES IS A SUPERHERO?! The person in charge of the country and relations with foreign nations is a superhero too?! If she's the president, why didn't she do anything to stop Hawkmoth?! I get that America doesn't really care about news from other countries outside of America, but you would think that the frickin president, WHO IS A SUPERHERO, would at least acknowledge the existence of a supervillain in Paris as a threat!

GOD, this is stupid! And it only gets worse...

Gabriel sends a car to pick up Adrien, realizing the city was too dangerous (I still don't get the point of sending him here in the first place), causing him to tearfully say that he “wouldn't have minded being stuck here a little longer with a friend like her” before leaving. And then Alya...

Alya: What is wrong with you, Marinette?! Couldn't you see that he was just waiting for you to tell him to stay?!

Marinette: What-? But I...? He...? He made his choice. What did you expect me to do?

Alya: It doesn't matter what I expected you to do! Who's Adrien to you?! A friend or more than a friend?! There will never be a better time to be clear with yourself, Marinette! Do you want him to leave or do you want him to stay?!

NO. You do not have the right to say ANY of that! It doesn't matter what YOU expected Marinette to do? This whole special, you've been teasing her about her feelings for Adrien, and forcing her into uncomfortable situations with him all because you want your OTP to be a thing. And now you're saying Marinette had a choice the whole time? Marinette expected herself to get over Adrien and start to see him as a friend, AND YOU WOULDN'T LET HER DO THAT! For three seasons, Alya has made fun of Marinette's crush on Adrien, while at the same time, has constantly pushed her into situations where she was clearly uncomfortable around him to the point where she discouraged Marinette for trying to move on in a previous episode (Frozer). And then in this special, she trapped them in a room with a fake supervillain (which is this world's equivalent to pretending to be a terrorist) just to get them to confess their feelings for each other. AND THE WHOLE TIME, IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE MARINETTE'S CHOICE???

If Obilvio didn't make me stop caring about Alya, this was the moment that actually me despise her.

And the worst part? The narrative frames her as being right. This is somehow enough for Marinette to run out in the pouring rain while a supervillain is lose in New York, with nobody even trying to stop her, to chase after Adrien's car, where she tearfully confesses that she still loves him after the car gets away.

What is the point of this exactly? We already knew Marinette liked Adrien last season, her nonexistent character arc was learning to get over him, and now she's supposed to learn she's still interested in him? What about Luka? Are we just going to ignore Luka? What about the fact that Kagami is already in a relationship with Adrien? None of these questions are never explained.

Gabriel finds the lost Miraculous, the Eagle Miraculous, which represents Freedom, and gives it to Techno-Pirate, turning him into Miraclonizer. Using the Eagle Miraculous' power, Liberation, he can undo any mental boundaries someone has, but since he's using it for evil, it basically drives several heroes crazy without their own moral codes. And while I claimed it was an original power in one of my earlier posts, the more I think about it, Liberation is really just a different version of Reverser's airplanes. All they did was just phrase the explanation a different way.

So despite being a city full of superheroes, Miraclonizer manages to drive every hero crazy in a matter of minutes, with the exception of Jess and Aeon. So do none of the other heroes have sidekicks? Is there not even a Young Justice or Teen Titans-esque team in this city? I'm just saying, if they have a hot dog superhero, there should be at least more than two sidekicks in New York.

Aeon goes to search out Ladybug and Cat Noir, and because of some technobabble stuff, Aeon can easily figure out their identities. Again, this was something I already talked about in an earlier post, so I won't harp on this scene. It's a dumb retcon in a special full of dumb retcons, what else can I say?

So Aeon goes to find Adrien on his private plane to give him back his Miraculous... even though wouldn't it make more sense for Aeon to use it instead to save time? I didn't mention this, but right before this scene, Majestia was pushing the moon towards the Earth. Time is kind of the essence here. It also would have saved us more of Adrien's whining.

Uncanny Valley: Cat Noir, New York and Ladybug need you!

Adrien: (looks at where his ring used to be) I'm no longer Cat Noir.

Uncanny Valley: To err is human, apparently!

Adrien: My mistakes are unforgivable. I couldn't bear to see the disappointment in her eyes.

“i'M sO tOrTuReD. fEeL bAd FoR mE, dAmNiT!”

Cut it out with Angstdrien Depreste already, writers. It's gotten old.

And despite making a big deal about how much he failed Ladybug, he immediately jumps back into action as soon as he hears a recording of Ladybug saying she needs him. I know it's supposed to be a heartwarming thing by showing him wanting to support his lady, but to me, it just comes off more like he needed an ego boost. He was fulling willing to let Ladybug save the day on her own, but as soon as he heard how important he is to Ladybug, he's more than willing to become Cat Noir again. Because it's not like he could regret his decision to abandon his partner, and realize it isn't too late to make up for his mistake, right? That would imply Adrien is motivated by anything other than his feelings for Ladybug. Then there's the fact that as soon as Cat Noir returns, Ladybug instantly forgives him, despite saying earlier that she didn't trust him. It's almost like that whole debacle was only there to eat up about fifteen minutes of the special's runtime.

Hawkmoth issues an ultimatum to Ladybug and Cat Noir. Miraclonizer is ready to fire a nuclear missile (though the dub calls it a rocket, let's be honest, it's not), fully intending to start World War III unless Ladybug and Cat Noir give up. He's seriously willing to risk making The Day After a reality all for his wife. But remember, you're still supposed to feel bad for this literal war criminal.

Ladybug, Cat Noir, Aeon, and Sparrow manage to get to Miraclonizer's hideout, the Statue of Liberty, and take back the Eagle Miraculous, with Sparrow taking it and transforming into Eagle.

And then there's the design of the new hero's suit. While I'm glad it isn't another skintight jumpsuit, and the wings are a nice touch, people have raised some questions regarding Eagle's design, and how it feels like the animators really want to remind the audience that Jess is Native American. I mean, it looks like what Zack Morris wore in that one episode of Saved by the Bell barring the headdress.

And this might be because I'm a history major, and I just brushed up on this subject in class last semester, but I'm a little uncomfortable with the fact that someone actually thought it was a good idea to give the Native American girl the Miraculous of the Eagle, the symbol of America which represents Freedom. I don't want to go too into detail about this, but, uh... let's just say if you know about the history of the relationship between the Native Americans and the colonists, you'll get why this raises a couple of red flags.

Does this mean I think the showrunners are racist? No, it was an honest, albeit questionable mistake. Do I think this is the worst Native American representation on TV. Oh, hell no. Chakotay from Star Trek: Voyager was a walking amalgam of every Native American stereotype in the book, and was featured in an episode that said, with a straight face, mind you, that Native Americans used to be backwards savages, so a group of white aliens genetically altered them so not only could they survive the Earth's harsh weather, but so they would become more creative, leading to the birth of Native American culture. I apologize to any Native American human being who had the misfortune of learning about that for the first time. But over all, Jess is far from the bottom of the barrel of poor Native American representation.

So Jess uses her powers to calm every superhero down, while Ladybug and Cat Noir de-evilize Technolizer. And of course, Hawkmoth assumes that since there are other lost Miraculous, “they will be his”. Maybe focus on getting the two Miraculous you originally set out to get first, buddy.

So Knightowl and Majestia apologize for their behavior, and we learn that apparently Knightowl and Sparrow have been around for at least since the Wild West, and that the Knighowl and Majestia we've been following have been keeping up the illusion that the original duo are still alive for several generations.

Was this special written in the 1950's? Why make a big deal out of this? Why is it so important that Knightowl and Sparrow both have a Y chromosome? The president is a woman and a superhero, the strongest superhero on Earth is a woman, and you were just saved by a female superhero all the way from Paris. I don't think people will be afraid of getting cooties from this Knightowl. Hell, we live in a world where if you don't like a female superhero, people automatically hate you. Just ask the people who didn't like Captain Marvel.

We see that Alya still learned nothing, as she continues to tease Marinete for daring to call Adrien her “friend”, as our special mercifully ends with the class sending a picture of a banner to Adrien to show their support... but not before a brief scene where a Guardian tries to take Eagle's Miraculous, before she makes him instantly pull a 180 as soon as she suggests he help to “create a new generation of heroes together”.

I'm guessing this is meant to be yet another tie-in to yet another Miraculous side project that will go absolutely nowhere. You might as well have had Nick Fury, oh, I'm sorry, Mick Flurry, recruit Eagle and Uncanny Valley for the ZAG Initiative.

But it doesn't matter, because the special's over, and once again, I never have to think about it ever again.

So... what else can I say that I haven't already said. This special sucks.

While the animation is honestly some of the best to come out of ZAG, and the action can get pretty good at times, it honestly doesn't really mean much when the story surrounding it is just so abysmal. Basically the only thing I liked about the Season 3 finale was the idea that the status quo was shifting in terms of Marinette's feelings for Adrien, and this special just ruined this interesting idea by the end faster than you can say “the series finale of Quantum Leap”.

Alya is at her most unlikable here with everything she does in this special. Almost everything she says to Marinette is either some catty comment or making fun of her trying to get over Adrien. Because God forbid she actually try to grow as a person and not let her life revolve around a cute boy. It's stuff like this that I genuinely wonder why Marinette even bothers to stay friends with her when all she does is tease her and force her out of her comfort zone. And according to co-director Wilfried “Winny” Pain, Alya is meant to be like Jiminy Cricket to Marinette's Pinocchio. I don't know which version of Pinocchio he read as a kid, but clearly, it's not the version we're mostly familiar with.

I'm still glad they didn't have Cat Noir revert back into his Ladybug-simping self we all knew and loathed in Season 3, but that doesn't mean he's still enjoyable in this special. The angsting about how sad Adrien's life is stopped being interesting years ago, and it's only done as a way to get the audience to care about him, but it comes off more like the writers are holding the audience at gunpoint and demanding they sympathize with him for bailing on the world when they need him the most.

I thought Aeon was a pretty likable character. Maybe it's because I'm a sucker for socially awkward robot characters like Data or Penny. I just wish we got to know her more, and why exactly her mother felt the need to play God by create her instead of just adopting like what Olympia and Barbara presumably did with Jess.

As a matter of fact, despite being played up as a big deal, there's still a lot about the American heroes that we don't really know about. How were the “United Heroes” formed in the first place? How did Majestia get her powers? What exactly is the origin of Knightowl and Sparrow? Why are all the American heroes so open about their identities to the point where the President's identity as a superhero is so well-known she can casually transform on TV? Hell, Ladybug and Cat Noir barely even interact with any of the heroes, and that includes Uncanny Valley and Sparrow/Eagle.

Generally, the special feels very rushed at times, with a lot of ideas not really being utilized. According to Astruc, there was actually a lot of things cut from the special, including a deleted subplot with Chloe and Ms. Mendeleiev. Although, given Astruc's track record, I don't think it would have been a good one given Chloe is involved.

This leads into a personal theory I have regarding this special, that I want everyone reading this to take it with a huge grain of salt. As much as he claims that he can't change anything he's already written, I personally believe that Thomas Astruc rewrote part of this special so Adrienette could get more focus to renew interest in the ship.

Hear me out on this. During Season 3, there were a lot more shipping debates between Adrienette shippers and Lukanette shippers, with the latter gaining more traction that season. It was also the season where other ships like Felinette, Kagaminette, and even Maribat became more prominent. And all of these ships were featured in post-Chameleon salt fics bashing Astruc's sunshine child, Adrien.

So, given how Astruc already dedicated an entire episode to bashing Felix fans, why wouldn't he use something like the New York special to convince the shippers to have more faith in the Love Square? After all, aren't Adrien and Marinette made for each other? Astruc has already said so on his Twitter.

Unfortunately, right now, I like to describe the Love Square as “Shrodinger's Relationship”. While the show can claim that Adrien and Marinette would make a great couple, they simultaneously show no real chemestry happening between the two in favor of Love Square shenanigans. And yes, I'm actually thinking of talking about the Love Square in a future analysis post.

And then there's the fact that Astruc himself said that everything that happened in this special is going to lead into the events of Season 4. What do I have to say about that?

Bring it.

I already talk about Miraculous Ladybug itself on this blog almost as much as I talk about its creator, and since I have a Disney+ account, I might as well subject myself to everything Season 4 has to offer. I've already seen one of my favorite shows go to hell, so why don't I chronicle another one of my favorite shows going to hell as well?

So yeah, as soon as a new episode is officially released on Disney+, expect a review from your boy IOTA.

I survived Season 3, so let's see if the number 4 is as unlucky as some countries say it is.

#immaturity of thomas astruc #thomas astruc #miraculous ladybug #miraculous ladybug salt #miraculous new york #miraculous new york salt #marinette dupain cheng #ladybug #tikki #adrien agreste #cat noir #chat noir #plagg #gabriel agreste #hawkmoth #hawk moth #nathalie sancoeur #mayura #alya cesaire #nino lahiffe #chloe bourgeois #ms mendeleiev #kagami tsurugi #luka couffaine #mike rochip #techno pirate #technopirate #technolizer #miraclonizer #jessica keynes

[sayuricorner]

Miraculous Ladybug salt x Jojo’s bizarre adventure: “Biodad!Jonathan Joestar” AU

Headcanons part 1

Warning: English is not my first language so sorry if it’s confusing.

Warning 2: This AU content salt don’t like don’t read!

Warning 3: For the Jojo character’s palettes colors I use the anime palette colors as reference.

If you want to use this AU you can! just credite and tag me in return please! :)

----------------------------

So, in many ML biodad AUs Marinette’s bio dad is most of the time someone like Bruce Wayne or Tony Stark, but how about:

                                 Biodad! Jonathan Joestar AU

I mean when you think about it both Marinette and Jonathan are alike in looks and personnality!

Appearance:

-Both got blue hair

-Both got light blue eyes

Personnality:

-Both are kind souls

-Both are selfless and think about others before themself most of the time

-Both got a strong sense of justice

-Both are very smart

-Both are combative when needed

-Both don’t hesitate to put themself in danger to protect others

-Both can over-react when they’re carried away by their emotions

And just imagine the story possibilities with this AU!

“But Sayuri! Jonathan Joestar is from the Victorian aera and Marinette is born in the french modern aera how Jonathan would be Marinette’s bio dad in this AU?”

Well the same way which make Giorno, Donatello, Ungalo and Rikiel Jonathan’s kids:

Yep! In this AU Marinette is another child born from Dio’s one night stands!

Now I know that make Marinette Dio’s daughter too and I know Giorno, Donatello, Ungalo and Rikiel are mostly know as Dio’s children but to be honest I consider them more as Jonathan’s kids than as Dio’s because honnestly outside of the head the rest of the body is Jonathan’s.

How Marinette’s conception happen then? Well here’s how:

Years before Marinette’s birth, a young adult Sabine Cheng was on a trip in Egypt, she meet Dio in a bar one night, he seduced her and they got a one night stand, with Dio having the intention to suck Sabine’s blood after, but at one Dio got a brutal crisis.

Normally anyone would get afraid and run away but instead Sabine, being the kind person she was, had done all she can to calm down Dio with all the tenderness she can give. And without being aware of it this actually saved her life.

After helping Dio to calm down both fall asleep, Dio woke up later in night while Sabine was still asleep.

Remembering the warm and familiar kind feeling he experienced during his “episode”, a feeling he didn’t feel for a very long time, he decided to spare Sabine under the pretext he wasn’t in the mood to suck her blood anymore before living to go back to his mansion.

In the morning Sabine wake up only to notice Dio left and never see him again after that night, she go on with her trip and when she go back to France she found out she was pregnant.

She decided to keep the baby, times later she meet and fall in love with Tom Dupain, both end up marrying to each other and Tom adopt Marinette and became legally her father.

The Dupain-Cheng couple also decided to give her a middle name “Joanne” in memory of one of Tom’s aunts with who he was close, making her full name “Marinette Joanne Dupain-Cheng”

Does that mean Marinette in this AU had the Joestar birthmark? Yep, she does! And she also got the Joestar genes when it’s come to body shape: as a kid she look like a shrimp but when she will be older she will get rather tall and will got more muscules to her peers’s surprise.

Did she had a stand in this AU? Yes!

Her stand is called [Viva la vida], a reference to the Coldplay’s song, this stand had the power to create miracles like making plants grow, healing illness and bad injures or being a big source of luck she also had a big affinity with plants and animals. But her powers had limits for example while her miracles allow her to bring back someone to life it’s only possible if the dead person isn’t dead for a too long time and make a powerfull miracle drain Marinette energy and she end up knocked out for a time.

When Marinette is Ladybug, [Viva la vida]’s miracles powers are stronger.

[Viva la vida] isn’t a stand know for her strengh but she’s very fast which allow her to make a lot of punches and kicks at the same time.

Stand’s appearance: [Viva la vida] is an humanoid stand with beetle features, her color schemes are black white and pink, she had beetle wings, big rond blue non-reflective eyes and her head is rond with two anthenas and is a head smaller than Marinette.

But if [Viva la vida] is a cute stand when Marinette is a civil, when the young girl took her Ladybug form, her stand took a more imposing and majesting appearance, she became taller, more muscular, her eyes smaller and almond shaped, her whole body get more armors features and her colors scheme change to black and red with black dots and she emit a rather intimidating aura.

Stand’s behavior: [Viva la vida] is a very expressive stand and very sentient and is a friendly and playfull stand. She’s very curious by nature and had the habit to examin in curiosity when Marinette meet new people or stands. Her being very sentient allow her to sometimes act as a conscience to Marinette.

She also love to eat cookies baked by Marinette.

When Marinette is Ladybug, [Viva la vida] is more serious and a more combative behavior.

Stand’s cry: “Mira!” a reference to “miraculous” and to the word miracle.

AU additional details:

-Class salt

-Bustier salt/bad teacher Bustier

-Adrien salt or Adrien sugar(it’s up to whoever use this AU)

-Lila salt

-Chloe redemption

-Class redemption, a part having a redemption or none of them having a redemption(you choose)

-Permanent miraculous user Luka

-Permanent miraculous user Kagami

-Stand user Luka

-Not everyone die AU/temporary death AU: if some Jojo characters like the Pillarmen, Caesar, Kakoyin, Avdol and Iggy are alive but others like Buccellatti, Abbacchio, Narancia and La Squadra are still dead but will not stay dead(You’ll see).

-Good father Jotaro

-Marinette's closed friends/loved ones calling her "Jojo" in reference to her middle name "Joanne"

-Donatello, Ungalo and Rikiel adopted by the Dupain-Cheng

-Protective siblings Donatello, Giorno, Rikiel and Ungalo

-Marinette being the baby sister of all Jonathan’s and Dio’s kids

-[Viva la vida] being a cute stand

-Marinette, Giorno, Donatello, Ungalo and Rikiel not acknowledging Dio as their dad

-Protective Joestar family

-Jonadad

-Good parents Sabine and Tom Dupain-Cheng

-Permanent miraculous users Donatello, Ungalo and Rikiel

-Badass Marinette

-Scientist Gina Dupain at Speedwagon Foundation

-Diavolo and Doppio getting differents boddies

-Akumatised Marinette with her stand being corrupted and turned into a sentimonster.(You’ll see! ;) )

-Temporary Ladybug!Giorno (You’ll see! ;) )

-Diavolo still stuck in the death loop(’cause it’s only canon if Diavolo die!)

-The Pillarmen knowing about the miraculous

-Shipping:You decide the ship you want just not Adrinette please

Arcs for this AU:

The bizarre origins arc:

This arc is about the origins of Marinette’s birth, her growing up and getting a stand, becoming Ladybug and learning to accomplish her duties as Ladybug while learning to control and use her stand and meeting others stand users.(ex: Luka)

The bizarre USA adventures arc:

Take place times after Lila’s return, the liar keep her word and little by little Marinette’s friends turned their back on her and the fights against the akumas are always very hard to not say harder especially ever since she became the guardian.

Seeing their daughter’s moral so down Sabine and Tom decide to send Marinette to Gina to the USA for summer break. After making sure to had Kaalki with her to teleport back to Paris when an akuma attack, Marinette go on a trip to the USA with her grandmother.

But what should have been a normal vacation trip will take a bizarre turn when Marinette will learn about Gina’s job at the mysterious Speedwagon Foundation which will lead to a meeting with four ancients Aztec gods of fitness, getting informations about stands and her mysterious lineage and a meeting with three american unknow brothers.

(In this AU the Pillarmen aren’t dead after Battle Tendency but they’re detained by the Speedwagon Foundation)

The bizarre mass resurection mystery arc:

A lot of things happened in Marinette’s life, things she didn’t expected whatever in good or bad.

Finding out about her grandmother’s job at the Speedwagon Foundation, learning more about her stand, finding about the existence of three brothers and having said newfound brothers being adopted by her parents, her friends isolating her thank to Lila and learning she by Bustier she and Chloe were banned from the class field trip...

So she decided with to create with other classmates from the school a trip club and after some successful fundraisers the club get a trip to Italy.

And since Hawkmoth seemed to not have attacked for a time there isn’t any problems to go on that trip.

In Italy, on Giorno’s side the part 5 events happen just like in canon while on Marinette’s side she and the trip club get a good time in Italy until a particuliary violent stand user akuma attack the country. He was akumatised by Hawkmoth ‘cause Gabriel Agreste was on a business trip in Italy and thought creating a akuma in the country would attract Ladybug and Chat Noir and give him an advantage since the akuma attack in a unfamiliar place.

The fight was very hard but in the end Marinette and her allies were able to beat the akuma and with her miraculous powers combined with her stand powers she revert any damage... it’s even worked for damage/injuries/death by stands leaving Marinette knocked out for a time since she use a lot of energy while using her stand’s miracle powers.

On Giorno’s side after he beat Diavolo and became the boss it was noticed that Buccelatti, Narancia, Abbacchio, the whole La Squadra were bring back to life.

Even Doppio was back but in a boddy of his own.

Everyone thought at first this was the work of [Gold experience requiem] but it was reveiled later this was the work of another stand which will put Giorno, his gang and even Jotaro with the SWF on a big infestigation which will lead them to the stand user resposible for this mystery and unknowly to them and to Marinette to one big bizarre family reunion.

The bizarre family arc:

With everything which happened in Italy, Marinette not only had to deal with Lila, Hawkmoth, the akumas and her guardian duties but also with the discovery of an extended families and horrible and disturbing informations about “one of her bio fathers”.

And one day Lila took things too far leading Marinette to unleash all her frustration, stress and anger making her akumatised and it will be up to Giorno as a temporary Ladybug holder, her true friends and her family to saved her from herself and from Hawkmoth’s influence.

But the task will be hard with not only Marinette being akumatised but also with her stand [Viva la vida] having being unconsciously corrupted by Mayura while trying to corrupt Marinette turning her into a sentimonster.

The bizarre final showdown arc:

A alliance between Hawkmoth and a mysterious priest will lead the miraculous villain to his ultimate plan by helping the priest to resurect a powerful man, a man infamous for being a curse to the Joestar family and to the world, with the promise to achieve Heaven and to gain a power which will allow Hawkmoth to do all he want.

It will be up to Marinette, her friends, allies and her new found family to put an end to Hawkmoth once for all and to beat this priest before the worst happen with the resurection of the infamous Dio.

But bizarre chains of events will lead to another resurection, the resurection of a man very well know by the Joestar family and who’s tightly connected to Marinette, Giorno, Donatello, Ungalo and Rikiel.

#ml salt #miraculous ladybug #jojo's bizarre adventure #jjba #crossover #ml au #ml au idea #bio dad au #marinette dupain cheng #jonathan joestar #giorno giovanna #donatello versace #ungalo #rikiel #class salt #bustier salt #adrien salt #adrien sugar #marinette deserves better #lila salt

[savrenim]

What does a “mathematical brain” mean ? My math teacher told me he didn’t know why I couldn’t get good grades in math because I have the mind for it so I’m very confused by what having a mathematical mind is supposed to be.

I really don't think there is such a thing as a mathematical brain? Especially because math is a huge subject, and different parts of it require very differently skills and instincts. Writing off an entire subject as "your brain is just good or bad at it/ you're just pre-disposed to be good or bad at it" is bullshit, especially in math, where any given problem will have multiple solutions and especially when you're first learning standard maths taught through the calculus sequence and not where it all came from and how it all connects with each other the best way to go about remembering how to do everything in my opinion is find the one way that really makes sense to you, and then stick to it.

I will say that "I am bad at languages" / "My brain is just bad at languages." The actual truth of the matter is, I'm... not bad, like, I certainly don't have any sort of auditory processing disorder, but at the very least sub-optimal at purely auditory processing. I am very bad at remembering people's names or hearing them right in the first place unless I see them written down in front of me, rip my DM for having to send me character lists every new arc of gay murder elf bachelorette or I just will call everyone the wrong name, I cannot do 'listening to podcasts' really well, I don't bother with audiobooks, etc. Very specifically, if something is purely auditory with no visual component attached, it seems like my brain just doesn't interpret it or remember it correctly. And again, this definitely isn't a disorder or anything! I mildly prefer subtitles, but I watch movies without subtitles just fine all the time. I can listen to podcasts so long as I have an appropriate activity like driving or cooking or laundry that I'm doing at the same time occupying just enough brainpower. I have zero problems with my hearing, zero problems with speaking to people in English, zero problems in general with learning/ learning disability. But oh boy, trying to learn a different spoken language. I did just fine, in fact straight As because tests were written, in six years of Spanish and three years of French, but I cannot for the life of me understand a single word in one of those languages. Despite the fact that I can still somewhat read French. The spoken bit never clicked. Teachers asked me why I did not join the honors sequence or even the AP sequence for the languages I was in because I was so good at it and I externally went "my courseload is busy enough" and internally went "you mofos those classes would actually grade me on the oral bits, I can do this now bc I'm good at charts and grammar and written things and memorization, but that will not make me good at speaking the language."

I am fairly certain if I devoted years to it and tried really hard, I could learn to speak a different language. I deeply admire people who do learn other languages. But it's Hard for me and I've decided to use my time for Other Things, and that's okay.

The thing with math is that it's similar. If you're dealing with anything up to and through a college calculus sequence, there are specific skills you'll be using and depending on how those skills are taught, they may or may not align with your natural instincts. For me, math is pretty much visualization. A lot of working with functions and manipulating values and what-not is at least for me something that I did with internal sketches of what was happening the whole time. For example, why is the solution to |x-a|<b a single interval but |x-a|>b two intervals? Well, the picture in your head of a number line, and think of point "a" and distance "b" then you're either highlighting "distance b close to a" or "distance b away from a". Or what is the domain and range of f(x)=8/(x^2-16). Well, the picture of x^2-16 is a parabola but most importantly it has zeroes at 4 and -4 and a minimum of -16, so once that sketch is in your head you kind of. Instinctively reconstruct the reverse sketch of 8/(x^2-16) by thinking of where it's positive, where it's negative, where it goes to 0, to infinity, or hits a local maximum/minimum.

For higher maths, the only thing that I can really think of in terms of having a "mathematical brain" is training oneself in formal logic for proofs. But again, that involves way more learning of tools (proof by contradiction, proof by induction, proof by construction) and figuring out on your own how to make them work for you than any one given particular type of skill. A lot of actual math research though is fucking around playing around with things until you see what stuff actually sticks. Whole bunch of trial and error trying to get things to work, and them either working or not.

I think the public perception of what makes a "good mathematical brain" is probably something along the lines of: (1) an exact/precise person, whatever that is supposed to mean, (2) someone good at memorization, and (3) someone who seems logical/organized? But that is kind of delving into stereotypes and way less what actually makes people good at math. But also I'm pretty sure pretty much every person has their own internal stereotypes, and a teacher will probably have their own specific stereotypes after teaching a class for years about which general types of students are usually good or bad.

But mostly, flat-out? Any teacher who tells you something like that is a shitty teacher, and fuck them.

#if you're struggling I'd really recommend looking for things that teach the bits you need to learn #in different ways than was presented in class #if you can afford it/ if your school offers it for free tutoring can be super useful #for online resources khan academy is my default because I really like their videos and their step-by-step examples are useful #but really there's no such thing as a 'mathematical brain' #there are particular skills that will predispose you to be better at certain techniques #but nothing is ever set in stone for good or for bad

[wornoutmouse]

First off I wanna start by saying that I love your content no exaggeration. As a 4c dark skin, I feel very included 🤧. I just discovered you today and I already love you... anyway.... we all know Sero Hanta is the Latin King or at least I hc him to be. What if him and reader were dancers who were always partners but there was a dance he could NOT get down but reader could. So the coach said Sero had to get swapped out for someone else, he knows reader can do it but he kinda... uncomfortable cuz the song is sexual. Something like Finesse, 34+35. Don’t forget to drink water!! No stress or rush to this request

I absolutely loved this 🤤 Also thank you for the compliment!!😩😭

"1 and 2, and 3 and, 4. Step, dip, pop your hip. Bounce swivel and pop!"

At the end of your routine, everyone is sweating and giving their partners a generous pat on the back. You wipe your face and drink some water as Sero fans himself with his drenched T-Shirt.

From the corner of your eye, you watch as your teacher assesses each pair according to their progress. What caught your attention however, was two dancers following close behind as she got towards you.

"Hey guys, just want to say that I see you two are doing amazing, Y/n the power behind your pops is extraordinary!" Sero stepped next to you, hands on his hips, and breathing heavily. Your teacher's eyes seemed to reluctantly drag over to his figure.

"However, I just can't seem to feel the normal chemistry that I usually get from you two." Sero straightened up and had a slightly panicked look on his face. "What do you mean!?"

Your teacher flinched at his loudness and you placed a comforting hand on Sero's back. "It's just that it seems like you're not focused and mistepping a lot."

As much as you hated to admit it, there was no denying the throbbing feeling in your toe from Sero stomping on it repeatedly. Your teacher sighed as she motions the man behind her to come forward.

"Tomoe, you are our most advanced make as of now so I will be partnering you with Y/n. For now, Sero you will be dancing with Lattrice, so she can critique you when I'm not there."

Sero glances at his ‘new’ partner with a sharp look which you could tell intimidated the poor girl. You gently placed a hand on his shoulder for comfort. “Look Hanta, the show is in a week, this isn’t permanent and if you can get it quickly, we might be able to still dance with each other!”

Sero looked at you disbelieving but eventually gave in.

As you two practiced separately, Sero quickly realized how much he hated your partner. He didn’t even remember his name, but the sight of him grinding against you, even platonically, sent a tremor down his spine. Sero glared at the male’s hands holding your hips against him as you two swiveled around and he crushed his water bottle, making it spray everywhere.

“Oh my goodness!’ Sero’s partner Lattrice, quickly ran to get a mop but Sero was still too busy pouting. “Mamaguebo.” Sero cursed under his breath but you could hear a few of the Dominican dancers nearby stifle a laugh.

In the end, Sero never got it quite right and due to the slow but sure competition between dancers, he now found himself in the audience waiting for your routine to start.

The sound of 34+35 filled his ears and he wanted to die on the spot. You were wearing a white crop-top that exposes your toned midriff along with low hanging pants. You bent over, hanging on your partner's waist for him to use his hands to make you grind for all the world to see. The crowd around him cheered but anger was all he felt.

Towards the end, you dropped low on your knees facing him and a smile dawned on your face when you caught his eye. That brightened his mood only for it to dampen as your partner stood over you with his shirt raised and hips moving. “Esta cabrón!” A mother next to him gasped as she shielded her child, but that didn’t bother him in any way.

At the end of your routine, Sero waited to find you, and much to his displeasure your damn partner was there too. “Okay Tomoe, see you next week, say hi to juicy for me!” You turn back to look at Sero and your eyes widen as he gives you the most disgusted look you had ever seen “What?!”

“Who the hell is juicy?!” You shrugged, “His french poodle, he’s the sweetest thing, he has little bows and stuff in his hair!”

Sero looks at you for a moment, holding the bridge of his nose. Everyone around had long since gone home so now it was the occasional bystander and people cleaning up. “Come here.” Your wrist is grabbed as you are dragged around the building. “Where are we going?”

Your question is soon answered as you’re pushed into a linen closet. “Sero...” Your speech is hindered as heated lips capture yours. Your arms are held as you’re pressed against the shelves behind you. Sero skillfully prods your parted mouth with his tongue and gently bites your kiss swollen lips as he pulls away.

“Carajo, look Y/n, will you date me?!” You felt your head spin from the onslaught of emotions. “Huh, what!? I..” Sero couldn’t help it so he kisses you again, this time slotting his knee between your thighs. When he pulls away, he laughs as you try to chase his lips, “So will you go out with me?” You nod your head, “Of course, it’s about time you grew some balls!”

Sero rolled his eyes and hit your shoulder, “Yeah right, anyways, we should get out of here before they lock us in.” You put on a sultry look as you wiggle your eyebrows, “With that confession, how do you know that I don’t want to be locked in here with you?” Sero shakes his head, “I am not doing you in a theater closet.”

#black y/n #blackreader #bnha headcanons #mha #bnha x black reader #bnha #sero imagine #sero hanta #sero x black!reader #dancer au

[reversemoon255]

(This is the final of a three-part series chronicling the development and ideas behind “Dungeons ‘n’ Dragonites,” a Pokémon DnD campaign. This last entry will be about the final string of encounters, some of the later ideas for story elements, and a deep dive into the overarching themes of the campaign’s Starters. Speaking of, the fantastic art of them, along with many of the other original Pokémon seen here, was done by @extyrannomon on Twitter, and I highly suggest you check them out.)

Dungeons ‘n’ Dragonites - Phase 3: Fauxchemine

Like the Queen Durant, the Steelix/Glacix fight would have been a transitory battle between phases of the campaign, taking place right before the Starters were about to evolve for the final time. Glacix was an idea I came up with early in development. As Rock, Steel, and Ice have a relationship throughout Pokémon, having Onix evolve into a specially tanky Ice-Type rather than the physically tanky Steelix made sense. This was also a design I put a lot of work into the actual proportions, like stretching its face vertically as Onix is circular, and Steelix is horizontally stretched. Also, as Steelix has two long spikes on every other segment, Glacix has four smaller spikes in the same pattern.

Glacix was also the first of the four penultimate boss encounters before the close of the campaign, each representing one of the four sacred beasts of Chinese mythology. I thought it would be a pattern that players could recognize and possibly plan ahead for. Glacix was always planned as the Phase 2-to-3 transitory boss, but I actually had roughly prototyped the other three before I realized Glacix fit into role of the Azure Dragon (which I was missing).

The second of the bosses, representing both the Black Tortoise and Rare Variants, was a Dire Torterra. The idea was this Torterra was symbiotic, housing a Sudowoodo instead of a tree, and hiding its identity was a shiny Altaria capable of Mega Evolving thanks to the Key Stone that had replaced one of Torterra’s stone spikes. This was a rough concept, and I’m sure it would have changed drastically by the time the players would actually encounter it.

Third, representing both the White Tiger and Ultra Beasts, was Shora (from Shodo and Tora, the Japanese words for calligraphy and tiger). A pure white tiger that paints floating, metal stripes above its body with its brush-like tail. This was an idea I was very happy with, though I lacked the artistic abilities to render it effectively. If I remember correctly, the markings above its shoulder were based on the Kanji for Tiger. I also hadn’t settled on an ability for it, which was key for depicting Ultra Beasts in this campaign.

And the last of the penultimate bosses was Phanic, being a second Ultra Beast and representing the Vermilion Phoenix. Sadly, I had little planned for this guy apart from some concept designs, like the rest of them. I was working on these as the campaign was starting, and didn’t pursue finishing them after its premature conclusion.

Phanic (from Phoenix and Panic) is actually an Ostrich. If you picture a phoenix, you typically imagine great plumes of feathers around the head, wings, and tail, which are all things Ostriches specifically lack, and I wanted to subvert that typical depiction. I liked the idea that when it was startled, it would scatter its feathers resulting in an exclamation point forming using the spot on its face. It was supposed to seem unassuming compared to the many larger and more imposing bosses, though just as dangerous. Also, it was Electric-Type because it is frequently “shocked” *Ba-dum-tish.*

=====

Let’s talk about our players. One of the backstory elements our Grass Trainer, Ethan, had was that his parents’ restaurant was struck by lightning and destroyed some time before he went to school, and saw a Pokémon at that time. This left him with a fear of lightning (ironically picking an Electric-Type Starter). With this knowledge, and as I was using Ultra Beasts, I altered his backstory slightly so that it was caused by a Xurkitree, and would eventually encounter one during the campaign with his victory over it (probably with a lot of Wisdom Saves) curing his phobia.

Johnny, our Fire Trainer, had a goal of becoming an entertainer, but was vague about what kind. I had an idea for a “Streamer” Trainer Class he could run into. Someone who uses their Rotom Phone to live stream battles and get reactions and advice from their chat. (Let’s face it, if Pokémon were real, this would totally be a thing.) There was also DJ Tomomitsu, who runs Stelopy City’s Trainer Radio, and was a Gym Leader. The idea was to present a bunch of different Pokémon-based entertainment ideas and professions and have him decide which ideas he liked and wanted to pursue.

While our other players were aiming for careers, Orion, our Water Trainer, was more interested in exploring his relationship with his family. His father in particular; both he and his wife being high-ranking executives for Silph Co., and raising their children to also be successful. However, Orion had always wanted to be a Trainer, and it was his parents that prevented him from adventuring. I had it that his father was so against the idea was because he, too, was a Trainer in his youth. But not a successful one, failing many more times than he succeeded, and didn’t want his son to suffer the same disappointments as he did. His partner was Rhyperior, btw.

Lastly was our Fairy Trainer, Arthur. He wanted to be a Gym Leader, and cited specific interest in the Galar League. He also mentioned in his back story that his father was belligerent and against the idea. While the Leaders of the Galar League are entertainers by profession, if you look at the list of Gym Leaders and Kahunas in US equivalent regions, almost all of them have a profession and run Gyms on the side:

(Restaurant Owner, Museum Curator, Artist, Model, Business Tycoon, Pilot, Actor, Teacher, Rock Star, Mayor, Shop Owner, Police Officer; 12/15)

It felt like a hobby, rather than a career, and I ran with this idea as it seemed like Arthur and his obsession with the Galar League hadn’t noticed this fact (nor had his player), but his father had and was pushing him into a sports-based career (one that is usually lucrative and has off-seasons) so he could have a well-paying job and time on the side for his interests, similar to Orion’s father.

Though, no DM can control their players, and even by the end of our fist session I could tell I would have to change some things. It’s just good to have some idea of where to lead everyone, and adjust as you go.

=====

There’s one more Pokémon I want to talk about before we get to the Starters.

This is Necrotiti (Combining Necro with the Egyptian God Nefertiti), an evolution of Cofagrigus, evolving if it’s holding an item called the “Ceremonial Jar” (literally a jar filled with Yamask’s human intestines). It was meant to evolve from the Yamask they could catch during their museum field trip. The reason it exists is... silly. It’s another instances where I wanted to surprise my players, and giving the “Gardevoir Treatment” to what I consider the creepiest Pokémon was funny (which I feel is a reason I cite a lot). And I was really happy with this design, which is why it got commissioned.

A lot of the original ideas I had for this campaign were meant to either surprise or creep out my players. Everyone I was playing with knew Pokémon very well, so I had this fear that if I presented them with a standard adventure they would either become bored or be able to easily predict where things were going. Having a Pokémon adventure within a single city, having it be more a mystery than a collect-a-thon, and using new Pokémon were all ways I came up with to keep interest high and have them guessing as to what would happen next.

Back to Necrotiti, despite having a sarcophagus Pokémon, we didn’t get a mummy. I wanted to make the body effeminate without being overly so, which is why her body is very geometrical in specific areas. For the mask, I went with a typical Egyptian Nubian motif mixed with some of the overall design elements and basic lines from Yamask, and the colors and patterns from Cofagrigus. But despite how much I like it, I don’t know if I would have used it. It didn’t match the Mutant Evolution concept, with its only similarity being that it’s a rare occurrence.

Onto the Starters: Epipesis has evolved into Drachenura (from Dragon, Lichen, and Meganeura). Grass Starters are typically based on extinct animals, and Flymph’s line is based on a Meganeura (an ancient species of giant dragonfly). Apart from some bulking out and additional colors, the lichen sacks in its tail are now yellow, as the plant matter has evolved with it. It supplies it with so much energy that it has to constantly move while the sun’s up to burn it off. Its tail tip is also based on the X-15, the fastest aircraft to date, as it was designed to be the fastest Grass-Type.

Steared has evolved into Auradiat (from Aura, Auroch, and Radiate). Now a Fire/Ice-Type, it’s based on an extinct species of cattle found around the time of the Ice Age. Its ability to absorb energy with its horns has become so powerful that they have frozen over. When I was originally designing it, I was actually trying to base it on the phrase “Irish Bull” (meaning a paradoxical statement), but as I kept working on it, it became more and more Minotaur-like, so I kept the Fire/Ice-Typing and dropped the more abstract elements. As I did, I actually made it more bull and less Minotaur since all Fire Starters are bipedal, and I wanted to try and avoid that.

Knaval has evolved into Chivalazuli (from Chivalier, the French word for knight, and Lapis Lazuli). This was probably my favorite example of features naturally changing as it evolves, with the antenna growing longer and the shield and lance growing harder (going from carapace, to stone, to crystal). Some of the things you might not have noticed at first glace were his forelegs becoming sub-arms on his chest, him gaining the lobster nose and it becoming a face guard, and how his eyes recess into his head. Also, almost every Starter is symmetrical (apart from patterns), with the only exception being Torterra, so I designed it to be asymmetrical throughout.

And Uteteo has evolved into Makutah (from the Aztec naming scheme used for their Gods of wealth and abundance and Utahraptor). He’s Fairy/Flying, with the gold adornments that first appeared on Uteteo now on his head and arms, giving him a more bird-like appearance. The idea was to have him naturally evolve from a Dinosaur into a bird, with the leg bands making them look more like talons, and the face mask giving him a beak. Also, he starts out with the singular sickle toe raptors are known for, and gets a new one every evolution, ending with a full set.

The thing that sets these Starters apart from ones you’d find in the games is that these are designed to be a team. As such, there are a few themes they all share to help reinforce that. (This ignores Utaw, but) All the Starters, throughout their evolutions, have a distinct yellow detail on their heads (eyes, nose ring, and antenna). Furthermore, once they reach their final stages, they share colors between them, with Drachenura having red on its extremities, Auradiat having blue neck fur, and Chivalazuli having flecks of green in its gemstone. And on top of that, they also all have two overarching themes. First is they all represent different time periods, with Drachenura being pre-humans (Precambrian), Auradiat being prehistoric humans (Ice Age), and Chivalazuli being more modern (Medieval Period). Secondly they all represent DnD, with a Dragon(fly), Auradiat filling the role of a minotaur and its connection to a labyrinth/dungeon, and the adventurous knight who traverses them.

There’s also reasoning behind their types, as all three’s secondary Types are also strong against their usual counterpart (Grass and Electric are both strong against Water, Fire and Ice against Grass, and Water and Rock against Fire). Furthermore, Electric, Ice, and Rock are all strong against Flying, which is the reason behind Makutah’s Type (a joke against the player who joined late).

Makutah does fit into these themes, but more loosely as it was created later. Utaw and Uteteo lack the yellow facial details (though they do have yellow eyes), only really achieving this during their final evolution. He also doesn’t share any colors, as Fairy is outside the usual threesome. It does somewhat fit into the themes of the others, but not as cleanly. Utaw, being a Dinosaur, is still pre-humans, but closer to them than Flymph is, and having Aztec themes puts him past Medieval and closer to the Renaissance in terms of human history, but is very close compared to the other time gaps. Also, the gold was partly to fit him into the DnD theme, representing treasure.

=====

One of the first things the players were told at the beginning of the campaign, and was reinforced throughout, was that Pokémon from outside the Wellou Region were mysteriously popping up all over the place, with the Ultra Beasts being the most extreme example. As to the cause, there were a number of red herrings. Silph Co. employees could occasionally be seen in areas where UBs were with strange equipment, Tomomitsu could occasionally be found before something would show up, and there were a few other strange characters like the Regional Champion or Silph Co.’s president. The only definite thing they would know was that there was a strange, creepy, grey Charizard that would occasionally appear when they took something down.

However, it would eventually be revealed that the above were only trying to understand what was going on, and prevent the appearances of such dangerous Pokémon, like our heroes. And as a massive Ultra Wormhole appears above the city, they come face-to-face with the true mastermind. Not an evil team, or a lone conqueror. Merely a single, twisted Pokémon. And our heroes have interfered with its fun long enough.

“You stare up at the now familiar form of the grey Charizard, which stares back with unblinking, dead eyes... Its mouth stretches wide, wide enough to swallow you whole, and a hand appears. And another. And another. Four skeletal hands pry its maw open from the inside, stretching it until its skin falls down to settle on its hips. What looks down on you now, with a single, glowing eye, is a monstrous form made of bone and rotting flesh. And witnessing the four of you before it, it lets out a high-pitched, chilling laugh...

“‘Fofofofofo...’“

Fauxchemine. A sadistic Ultra Beast capable of warping time and space to its will. All the disturbances throughout the town, all the strange creatures that have appeared, all the monsters sent to terrorize our heroes; all the result of its twisted sense of fun, and the consequences of getting in the way of it.

So there’s a running joke among my friends that we all “hate” Charizard. Not actually, but it’s always pushed in marketing with new forms and such, even though its popularity has been dropping steadily over the years. As such, I thought it would be somewhat cathartic to have the big bad they have to beat up at the end be related to Charizard. ‘Chemine’s skeletal nature comes from trying to cinematicly picture the encounter in my mind, with the eerie image of the mouth stretching open from the dialogue earlier. With bone white and rotten greens, the skin wasn’t meant to reflect Charizard as a shiny, but rather with all its color drained from it, as it’s more a puppeted skin than an actual part of the Pokémon. And as many Pokémon draw inspiration from Kaiju, ‘Chemine does, too, specifically calling back to an Ultra-Kaiju named Greeza with space warping abilities.

It’s Steel/Dragon with Thick Fat. When planning encounters, especially this late into the game, Auradiat made things tough since its offensive Typing is insane, and that combination made it resistant to all of the Starter Types except Fairy. This was supposed to be the toughest fight in the campaign, so I wanted to build a Pokémon that would be difficult to deal damage to. A swift Pokémon able to warp around the field, summoning Ultra Beasts or other versions of Charizard as adds or for specific attacks, I wanted this to be memorably difficult.

Oh, and the name? It’s meant to rhythmically sound like “Pokémon,” with the ‘faux’ symbolizing its disguise, and the ‘mine’ representing its personality. Everything in this world is its to play with.

But that giant Ultra Wormhole wasn’t just for show. Part-way through Phase 2 our players were sucked through a Wormhole themselves, both they and Fauxchemine bearing witness to a titanic creature as they did, and upon its defeat, it is let loose upon the city:

Standing over 100ft tall is Wreknarogg (from wreck, to destroy, Níðhöggr, a massive world-ending creature from Norse mythology, and Ragnarok, the end of the world). A massive symbiotic group of four Pokémon from a dead world, the whale-squid Bayleige, the parasitic Serrasite, and the barnacle Rhizocano. This was actually the first symbiotic Pokémon I designed, and its creation sparked the others like Shiinotic and Torterra so this wouldn’t be the first time our players encountered one.

Whales are the largest creatures on Earth, so using one as the base for a kaiju-sized Pokémon fit. It also helped that the prototype designs for the Cloverfield monster were based on a whale, so I had something to go on. Secondly, I really like a lot of the eldritch design philosophy, and a lot of those are based on sea creatures, which is where the combined squid elements came from. Also, when I was prototyping the design and trying to make it creepier, a friend suggested having a parasite coming out of its blowhole, which is what sparked the creation of Serrasite and Rhizocano (as whale’s are known to have such parasites in real life).

This was a design very inspired by the world it was supposed to inhabit. Coming from a desert world where they are the only living things remaining, they symbiotically support each other to stave off their own inevitable death, with Bayleige able to create rain with its ability and Rhizocano able to make artificial sunlight to feed Serrasite. Serrasite then gives energy to Bayleige to allow it to keep moving, and Rhizocano takes energy from Bayleige. It’s an incomplete system where energy is slowly lost over time.

Stage 2 of the final boss wasn’t supposed to be as intense as the last one. A gimmick for this fight was, at the start of every round, I was going to roll a D100, and an event would happen. They would be things like their friends showing up with healing items, trainers they knew joining the battle, wild Pokémon they’d befriended getting in pot shots, etc. It was meant to be a fun, celebratory, “you’re at the end of the campaign” fight rather than an intense one off the back of another. I was even considering having everyone use their full parties.

But after it’s defeated, a thick, dark haze enshrouds everyone. With their allies gone, and left with just their Starters, our players are alone in a dark void. I did say there were four Pokémon earlier...

And the final encounter is Wreknarogg (Core). The Pokémon who brought the three titans together, and controls them while siphoning off some of their energy to survive. Similar to Phanic, this was another unassuming Pokémon. Designed to resemble a virus while calling back to aspects from mythical Pokémon like Jirachi or Manaphy. I understand it might not feel as climactic as there wasn’t any set-up compared to ‘Chemine, who was shown throughout, or the previous Wreknarogg, who was foreshadowed, but I wanted a 3-stage boss fight, and this felt like a good way of concluding it.

While stage 1 was supposed to be difficult, and stage 2 was meant to be fun and call back to the long journey, stage 3 was an un-losable, cinematic fight with a somewhat somber tone to it. It was the final fight, the end of it all, and there’s a certain level of sadness that comes with that in accordance with the jubilation of completion. It was also meant to see how much everyone had grown; how would they handle this encounter? Fight it? Catch it? Persuade it? Maybe I haven’t listened to enough DnD finalés, but in how many can you beat the final boss by being nice to it and calming it down?

=====

And that’s the end. There would be some sort of epilogue, picking up with our characters some months or years later, but that’s not something I could write without witnessing the actions of the players. I was debating having everything that came from an Ultra Wormhole be sucked back in after Fauxchemine’s defeat, including the Starters (pull a Digimon Tamers), but as Wreknarogg came from a dead world I thought that a little cruel.

And to end things how I usually do; Overall, despite not getting off the ground, I was very happy with this project. I’m the type to pick up and drop projects frequently, and the fact that I stuck with and continued to work on it for months was something I was really proud of. It was also a great learning experience on many levels. And who knows; maybe I might do something like this again in the future...?

#Pokemon #Dungeons and Dragons #DnD #dnd homebrew #Onix #Steelix #Torterra #Sudowoodo #Altaria #Yamask #Cofagrigus #Charizard #Whale #Ultra Beast

[barisiscourtroom]

@randofando-spoonie​ asked for Barisi and forehead kisses, and suggested a 5+1, and my brain really latched onto that idea, because yeah, that is cute af =D It took a while, but I managed, and I’m not sure that this is what you wanted at all, but I hope you like it! =D

Once again a big thanks to @novemberhush​ for the beta! ♥

Warnings: There's a brief non-explicit injury to a minor character with a mention of blood, and there's some alcohol at one point. Less than canon levels on both tbh. This is just fluff.

Forehead Kisses ao3

2000 words | Gen characters: Rafael Barba, Sonny Carisi, Minor Characters (Lucia Barba and Olivia Benson) tags: Establishes Relationship, Fluff, 5+1 Things, Forehead Kisses, Asexual Sonny

Five times Sonny kissed Rafael on the forehead, and one time it was Rafael's turn.

1.

The first time it happened, Rafael didn’t think about it until long after the fact. He got a call when he was at the SVU, in the middle of talking to the squad about the latest case. He excused himself and stepped to the side to take it, and a teacher at his mother’s school told him his mother had been in an accident.

"I’m at the hospital, but they won’t tell me anything since I’m not family," she said, clearly distressed.

"What happened?" Rafael asked numbly.

"She fell and hit her head, and she passed out, so I called 911. She woke up before they got there, but there-" she stopped to take a shaky breath "-she was bleeding too."

Sonny quietly came over to Rafael, eyebrows furrowed in concern, and Rafael was torn between needing space and wanting his support and physical reassurance that he was there.

"I’ll be right there," he told the teacher. "What hospital are you at?" She told him where they were, and he promised to go there, then they hung up, and he looked at Sonny. "Mami’s in the hospital."

"Okay, let’s go," Sonny said, starting to lead Rafael to the elevators, then, addressing the squad, "Family emergency."

Liv fell into step with them, a worried frown on her face.

"My mother’s in the hospital," Rafael said, his voice only slightly wavering.

"Okay, stay as long as you need," Liv told Sonny, who nodded and pressed the button to call for an elevator. "Call if you need anything."

"Yeah," Rafael said.

The elevator got there, and once him and Sonny were alone, Sonny wrapped his arms around Rafael. "It’ll be okay," he murmured softly and pressed a kiss to Rafael’s forehead.

It was okay. Lucia had a concussion and four stitches on the back of her head, but she was mostly okay, the biggest bruise was to her ego, which she did not like.

"I slipped and got a concussion, Rafi," she complained, and he nodded for the umpteenth time. "I can never show myself at the school again."

"I think you’ll be fine," Rafael said patiently, and Lucia sighed.

It was a few days before Rafael remembered Sonny’s kiss on his forehead, but when he did, it hit him harder than he would have thought possible. He and Sonny hadn’t been together for long, just over a month, but they had kissed and shared a bed and discussed boundaries and consent and all the things that was necessary when in a relationship with a sex-indifferent asexual. A kiss on the forehead was tame. Mild. It shouldn’t be a big thing.

But it was a big thing, and Rafael had been too stressed to properly enjoy it when it happened.

2.

The second time was better. It was a couple of weeks after his mother’s fall, she was back at work, everything was calm, and Sonny had spent the night at Rafael’s on a weekday. He was wearing Rafael’s tie to work, and when Rafael got to the SVU later in the morning, he saw Sonny smile out of nowhere and stroke his hand down the tie. He noticed Rafael a second later, and he self-consciously put his hand down only to immediately adjust the tie as he came over to say hi.

"Sunshine," Rafael greeted, and Sonny’s face split into a beaming smile.

"Hi," he said.

Liv rolled her eyes at Sonny, and Rafael shot her a glare, making her roll her eyes at him too, then she started talking about the case they were working on.

He stayed longer than he strictly needed, because seeing Sonny looking so happy about wearing Rafael’s tie made it much harder than usual to leave. Rafael wasn’t sure he liked what that said about him, so he decided to not think about it. And he did manage to leave eventually.

But a few hours later he needed to ask Liv a question, and instead of picking up the phone like a reasonable person, Rafael went back to the SVU. The smile he got from Sonny was worth the knowing look he got from Liv. And he could get a better update about the case in person than via phone. Well he would have if they had actually made any progress.

"Twice in one day, Counselor," Sonny said when he walked Rafael to the elevator.

"Yes," Rafael said, refusing to try to justify the second visit to Sonny.

Sonny still smirked though, looking equal parts amused and pleased. "Well, it was nice to see you," he said.

"You too, Detective," Rafael said.

"I’ll see you later?" Sonny asked, just as the elevator got there.

"I’ll see you later," Rafael confirmed.

Sonny smiled and leaned in to press a kiss quick to his forehead. "Goodbye, Counselor," he said.

"Goodbye, Detective," Rafael said and stepped into the elevator.

He touched his forehead once the doors had closed, confused and pleased and happy. And annoyed. Sonny could just kiss him on the forehead like that whenever he wanted, but Rafael couldn’t kiss Sonny’s forehead without making him bend down or wait until he was sitting.

3.

The third time happened the next morning. Sonny was already out of bed when Rafael’s alarm woke him up, and he could smell coffee, so he padded to the kitchen to find him. He was making them breakfast, French toast, it looked like. There was bacon on the counter too.

"Good morning," Rafael said.

Sonny turned to smile at him. "Morning, babe," he said, grabbing a coffee cup for Rafael.

"Been up long?" Rafael asked.

"Nah, just twenty minutes or so, figured I might as well start breakfast," Sonny said as he finished making Rafael’s coffee. He came over to hand it to him, then pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Rafael said. "Woke up miserable for a moment, but it’s all better now."

"Oh?" Sonny asked, full of concern.

"I was alone in bed," Rafael explained, and Sonny’s smile was instant.

"Sorry," he said, not sounding sorry in the least, just happy and pleased.

"I can see that," Rafael said.

He wanted to go stand in front of Sonny so he would kiss his forehead again. It really had no right being that nice. And Sonny really had no right to be that tall, so Rafael couldn’t kiss him back.

4.

It was getting to be a regular thing, and Rafael loved it, even if it was slowly driving him crazy. And the fourth one was just plain rude.

Sonny had been visiting Bella, getting some toddler time and giving Bella and Tommy a night off cooking, which was very nice of him. Rafael had thought it would be nice to be home alone for a day, to relax and recharge, he used to appreciate those days, but then Sonny had ruined that too, and Rafael found himself whiny and needy. And utterly fucking alone.

>> How is everything with Bella and Tommy?

That would be okay to ask, just checking in.

<< They’re good.

Well, that was a disappointing text. He frowned at it, trying to figure out what to say to keep the conversation going just a little longer. He got another one before he did.

<< Don’t tell me you’re bored already? What about your relaxing and recharging?

Rafael glared at his phone.

>> I’ll have you know I’m having a very good time.

<< I’m glad. I do miss you, if it makes any difference. Toddler kisses are great and all, but I’d much rather kiss you. A lot less saliva everywhere.

>> Wonderful, I’m a better kisser than a toddler. Such high praise.

<< It is. But I’d rather be kissing you than pretty much anything right now.

>> You’ll just have to owe me one.

<< Do you want me to come by after dinner so you can collect?

>> If you’re up for it, I’d like that.

<< I’m always up for seeing you, I thought you’d figured that out by now.

>> I’ve had my suspicions, glad to have them confirmed.

<< I have to get back to the cooking, but I’ll let you know when I’m on my way.

>> Say hi. See you later.

It was easier after that, knowing that Sonny would get there within a few hours. Rafael spent some time tidying his home and listening to music, and by the time Sonny texted to let him know he was on his way, he actually felt rested and recharged.

Sonny looked a happy mess when he got there, his clothes wrinkly and with a couple of stains on his henley, his hair tousled, and his smile big.

"She wants to touch everything," Sonny said, gesturing to the state of himself, then pointed at the stains, "and she insisted on being in my lap for dinner."

"Charming," Rafael said.

"Do you have something I could borrow?" Sonny asked, picking at his shirt.

"I’ll get you something," Rafael said, heading to his closet.

Sonny followed, pulling his shirt off as he walked, and when Rafael handed him a clean henley, he accepted it with a smile. "Thanks," he said, pulling it on.

"I believe you owe me a kiss," Rafael said. He had planned on waiting, but Sonny was right there, and he hadn’t seen him since the day before.

"I do," Sonny said and cupped Rafael’s cheeks. He kissed his forehead, then pulled back with a badly suppressed smile.

"Really?" Rafael asked, his stomach fluttering and his chest warm.

Sonny stopped suppressing his smile and leaned in for a proper kiss. Rafael loved kissing Sonny, and it was better than the forehead kisses, but not by much.

5.

A couple of days later, they were at Liv’s place, the whole squad and Rafael. He had had some scotch, and he was slightly tipsy. Sonny was too, smiley and happy and all kinds of perfect. Rafael went to the kitchen to get some water, finding Liv already there, getting another bottle of wine.

"Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, of course, I’m just getting some water," Rafael said.

"Are you sure?" Liv asked, and Rafael furrowed his brow. "It’s just that you’ve been glaring at Sonny all evening."

"Oh," Rafael said.

"What’s wrong?" Liv asked.

"Nothing’s wrong," Rafael said, smiling reassuringly.

"Rafael," she said, raising her eyebrows at him.

Rafael sighed and stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Okay, but you can’t tell anyone, okay? I will kill you myself," he said.

Liv looked delighted at having her life threatened. "Hand to God," she said.

"He kisses me on the forehead," Rafael said.

"Uh. Okay?" Liv said.

Rafael sighed, frustrated. "He’s so tall, Liv, he just has to lean in and my forehead’s right there, and it’s the best thing ever, you don’t even know, and it’s driving me crazy because he’s so damned tall, I can’t kiss his forehead," he said.

Liv was pursing her lips together, looking like she was about to burst into laughter any second, and she didn’t cow at all when he glared at her.

"That sounds-" she started.

"Like a short person problem," Sonny finished from behind Rafael.

Liv started to laugh, and Rafael clenched his jaw and closed his eyes to breathe for a moment. "You knew he was there," he accused.

"I’m so sorry," Liv said, wheezing with laughter.

"Oh, I can tell," Rafael said.

"Babe," Sonny said, and Rafael turned his glare at him. He just looked happy, though. Tall and happy. Then he cupped Rafael’s head between his hands and leaned in to kiss his forehead.

"I hate you," Rafael grumbled, his chest warm with happiness.

Sonny grinned as he pulled him close and put his forehead against Rafael’s temple. "And I love you," he said softly, his breath tickling against Rafael’s ear.

+1.

"Get down here," Rafael said, turning to cup Sonny’s cheeks, and when Sonny lowered his head for him, he pressed a kiss to his forehead, then pulled back to look him in the eyes. "I love you too."

#Barisi #Barisi fic #Smowkie's fic #asexual!Sonny

[misssophiachase]

For @klarolinefallbingo “Broomstick” 

What a month it has been! Thank you @eliliyah for organising this (and all your stunning graphics) and all of your hard work! I don’t think I have any more left in me but thank you everyone for being so supportive and kind. 

I also got 3 BINGOS (almost 4 if I do one more) which isn’t too bad I thought lol. I’ll do a master past soon : )

Thank you also to @helpfulfairy for her awesome quidditch knowledge, whatever would I do without you, luv?

Everything She Does is Magic

Witch and wizard Caroline and Klaus can’t stand each other according to school gossip. Although, news of her addition to the quidditch team is going to make things much more interesting and complicated.

Wednesday

“I think I misheard you,” he offered, a slight smile playing on his crimson lips from across the wooden, dining table. “You’re starting in this weekend’s quidditch match?”

“Did I stutter,” Caroline shot back, rolling her blue eyes in his direction.

As someone who made over-achieving an art form, Caroline was determined to master everything the school had to offer, including quidditch. She figured that all the pain and bruises from an extra circular activity would be worth it to secure good, future job prospects.

She was always thinking ahead. 

Obviously, Klaus Mikaelson didn’t share her view. Not that she was surprised given he’d made it his main aim in life to terrorise her since she started attending Hogwarts School of Magic two years earlier.

Just because he came from a rich and powerful family didn’t give him the right to make her life difficult.  

“I just wouldn’t want you to falter and fall off your broomstick, Forbes, that’s all,” he chuckled, a stray dimple appearing without notice.

Why did he have to look so good insulting her?

Ass.

“Funny, I thought that would be you, Mikaelson, given last week’s pathetic loss,” she muttered, trying to avoid the urge to throw a french fry in his direction. “Gryffindor is going to wipe the floor with Slytherin this weekend and clearly you’re worried.”

“Me? Worried? Highly, bloody unlikely.”

“We’ll see about that,” she argued. “I’ve got moves you haven’t seen before.”

Caroline wasn’t sure she was talking about quidditch anymore and given the way his dark, blue eyes clouded over briefly she wasn’t sure he was thinking that either.

“Bring it on, love.” His husky tone only confirming her suspicion. He was gone before she could reply, no doubt on purpose. 

Maybe it was a ploy to distract her before the match but Caroline was struggling to decipher whether they were enemies or something else completely. 

“He wants to nail you and I’m not talking in a competitive sporting type way.” 

“Why thank you, Lorenzo,” she drawled, swatting her best friend away from her personal space. “I’m just glad he didn’t hear you.”

“Why would you care if you didn’t think it was true?”

“I’m not going to dignify that with a response.”

“Which translates to you wanting to jump his bones,” he teased. “If he swung my way I’d have joined the quidditch team myself.”

“I did not join the team for him,” she huffed, gathering her books and attempting to make her getaway. 

“Whatever you say, darling.” His unconvincing tone wasn’t lost on Caroline. Either way she was going to wipe the floor with him and enjoy doing it. 

Saturday

“Niklaus? Hello?” The repetitive sound of his inquisitive, and annoying, younger brother’s questions were wearing on his last nerve. 

He was trying to get into the zone before the quidditch match. Seated in the Slytherin locker room, it wasn’t something he struggled with usually but today was very different and he knew why. 

Caroline Forbes.

He teased her, sure, and pretended he hated her but that wasn’t the case. Not by a long shot. He was head-over-heels and pathetically in love with the blonde witch who’d stolen his heart when she turned him into a toad during charms class. 

Not the love at first sight scenario most would imagine.

Sure, he should have been furious, and he’d acted that way, but it only made him want her more. 

Then she decided to join the Gryffindor quidditch team. 

Klaus wasn’t averse to anyone playing the game but he’d been surprised when she’d admitted it during study hall. He’d been arrogant, because that was his defence mechanism, but only really to mask his real feelings. 

It didn’t help that she was a chaser just like him. 

“Niklaus!”

“I heard you the first time,” he barked, looking at Kol in frustration. 

“Wow, I was only letting you know the game was about to start,” he joked. “If I’d known you were going to be so uptight, I’d have stayed away.”

“I’m not uptight,” he uttered through pursed lips. 

“Oh, that’s right,” he offered. “You’re scared your girlfriend is going to whip your ass.”

“I am not.” Klaus didn’t mean for it to come across so abrupt and childish but decided to blame it on his brother’s bad sense of humour. “Enough talking, I’m ready.”

Klaus wasn’t sure if he was but decided that bluffing was his best way of deterring his annoying brother. 

45 minutes later 

Slytherin had the lead, although Gryffindor was attempting to even the score. Caroline felt the wind whip through her hair as she competed, her attention solely focused, well except for the annoyingly handsome idiot on the opposing team. 

If she knew playing was going to feel this good she would have taken it up two years ago. She’d always been competitive but this was next level. 

Her persistent opponent was certainly not going to let her forget it though. He was so close she could smell his spicy scent So much so, that after a particularly rough tackle, Caroline felt herself spinning out of control. 

The blue sky above and green grass below were playing on uncontrollable  repeat, Caroline not quite sure what was happening until she felt someone catch her before she hit the ground.   

In fact, she dropped onto something which helped cushion her fall and she was madly trying to get her bearings. Feeling her surroundings, Caroline could make out a set of toned arms, not to mention the hard abdomen she was straddling. 

The sound of a muffled groan was enough to wake her from her daze. Caroline’s eyes opened, not expecting Klaus Mikaelson, of all wizards, to be lying beneath her. 

“If you wanted me, all you needed to do was ask, love.”

“You wish,” she growled, attempting to stand but failing miserably given their hard fall. “Hang on, why are you here?”

“Because I’m stupid obviously,” he groaned, his pain evident. Then she remembered the strong grip that caught her fall. 

“Did you, of all people, really break my fall?” She waited for his response, not realising she was holding her breath. 

“If I wasn’t in so much pain, I’d argue you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, sweetheart.” 

Clearly that was a yes. 

Caroline wanted to argue because that was her immediate instinct when it came to him but he looked so vulnerable. It also didn’t help that she was straddling him in a not so innocent way. 

But the way he was staring up at her, dark blue eyes trained on hers, was causing her to falter. 

She hated him.

Or so she thought. 

“Caroline?Klaus?” She was broken from her trance by their teacher, clearly concerned about their wellbeing splayed out on the field. “Are you both okay?”

Their gaze hadn’t deviated at all, both clearly okay with their current and extremely close predicament. It took another question for them to finally separate. 

“Can I help you?”

Caroline immediately felt lost when they did eventually separate. Given the look on his face, she knew Klaus felt the same way. 

Slytherin won that match but Caroline promised to avenge the result the following week, secretly hoping she’d find herself wrapped around her opponent again. 

Not because she liked him at all but so she could tell him what an ass he was. 

Or that’s what she told herself. 

#klaroline fall bingo #klaroline drabbles #klaroline fanfiction #klaroline #dramione #fusion