#in a way that i suspect nobody has really attempted for a long time

[anghraine]

It's kind of fascinating to me that towards the end of P&P, Elizabeth has become protective of Darcy and either a) actively tries to insulate him from Situations or b) wishes that she could and gets stressed that she can't.

Darcy deeply loves her and is very ready to do whatever he can to secure her happiness, but narratively, I think the emphasis at the end is very much more on Elizabeth's protectiveness towards him.

It's like:

When Bingley and Darcy first come back to Hertfordshire, Darcy is very quiet and Elizabeth can barely bring herself to say anything—until Mrs Bennet insults Darcy. Then Elizabeth speaks up.

Mrs Bennet enlists Elizabeth to separate Darcy from Bingley with another insult to Darcy. Elizabeth finds this both convenient and enraging.

That day, Elizabeth decides to privately tell Mrs Bennet about her engagement to Darcy, specifically so that Darcy will be spared Mrs Bennet's first unfiltered response.

Elizabeth fiercely defends Darcy's character and love for her, as well as hers for him, to Mr Bennet. She not only says she loves Darcy but that it upsets her to hear Mr Bennet's criticisms of him.

Elizabeth is both relieved by Mrs Bennet's ecstatic reception of the engagement and a bit disappointed by how completely shallow she's being about it, and 100% sure she made the right call in keeping Darcy away.

Elizabeth defends Darcy against Darcy himself, repeatedly.

There's a period where Elizabeth seems to unwind and laugh, but this passes, especially after Charlotte and Mr Collins show up. Darcy manages to stay calm around Mr Collins (I think this is framed as a significant and admirable achievement for him), but Elizabeth does not like him being in a situation where he has to deal with Mr Collins in the first place.

Elizabeth tries to shield Darcy from being noticed by Mrs Phillips and Mrs Bennet, who do seem to make him pretty excruciatingly uncomfortable.

Ultimately, Elizabeth ends up trying to keep Darcy to herself or to shepherd him around to relatives he can handle more easily, and is so stressed at this point that she just wants to get married and escape to Pemberley.

After their marriage, things are actually great at Pemberley and in their married life, despite the occasional complication.

Lydia writes a congratulatory letter to Elizabeth, asking for Darcy to get Wickham a promotion unless Elizabeth would rather not bring it up with him. Elizabeth really does not want Darcy to have to deal with this and handles it by privately setting aside a Lydia fund out of her personal expenses. (IIRC, it's not clear if Darcy even knows about this.)

Elizabeth also is the driving force behind Darcy's reconciliation with Lady Catherine.

This could read as an unsettling, unbalanced dynamic and a very odd ending point for the arc of a woman like Elizabeth, but in the context of the overall novel, it doesn't feel that way. Or maybe I'd see it more that way if I interpreted Darcy (and for that matter, Elizabeth) + their arcs differently? But as it is, I do think that by this point in the story they are genuinely doing the best they can, independently and for each other, and they've both come a long way. They shine in different contexts and support each other as much as they can in the circumstances that do arise.

It seems very them, in terms of their temperament and abilities, that Elizabeth would put all this effort into shielding Darcy, while at the same time, Darcy completely cuts off Lady Catherine for insulting Elizabeth and only ever speaks to her again because Elizabeth wants him to.

#one of the things that really works about darcy/elizabeth for me is how much they're kind of the apotheosis of each other's types #like the people elizabeth is closest to—jane charlotte and mr bennet #are very different people but they're quiet and private and strong-willed and stubborn and intelligent #and darcy is totally the full throttle version of that type #and darcy is obviously drawn to cheerful outgoing lively charisma bombs with minds of their own #(even in his youth this was kind of true w/ pre-villainy wickham) #(then there's fitzwilliam and bingley and elizabeth herself) #and nobody is more peak that type than elizabeth bennet #they're totally each other's types and like. darcy is blatantly ride or die for elizabeth #while end of the book elizabeth is so far from being intimidated or awed by him that she's sweeping in to save him #in a way that i suspect nobody has really attempted for a long time #anghraine babbles #long post #anghraine's meta #elizabeth bennet #fitzwilliam darcy #otp of otps #(obviously this is particularly endearing w/ the autistic!darcy headcanon) #(neither of them could ever know why he's like that and in their society it's probably for the best that they don't know tbh #but they make it work anyway)

[escapismqueen]

Chenford + were you jealous

Here it is ! 🥰I’m sorry it took so long, I’ve had the worst writers block 😂hope it’s okay ! I feel like I’ve written most of it when I was half asleep, so I wish you all luck 😂

Warnings- just a really annoying misogynist 🤢

Incl- fluff, jealous Tim, Protective Tim, Teasing Lucy. Alludes to smut like of, but no actual smut.

This is set around 5x13 time. 5x12 has happened, and Lucy and Tim are still riding together, and Tim is not yet at Metro.

Chenford fic- Lucky guy

Lucy walks up to get the bags for the shop, a happy skip in her step, her mind running through the events of last night with Tim. The feel of his hands on her body still lingers on her skin. The reminder of the way he caressed her face, convinces her own hands to cup her cheek, a small smile playing at her lips. Her mind continues to wander, replaying the way he held her thighs with a comforting firm grasp, he grabbed her thighs whenever he had the chance; she loved it.

“You okay ?” Lucy’s thoughts are interrupted by the soothing voice of her boyfriend. He’s looking at her with a perplexed expression, eyes glimmering with humour, lips curled into a smirk, fingers rested through the hoops of his trousers.

“Hmmm ? Oh, yeah, I’m fine” Lucy’s eyes dart back and forth, avoiding Tims playful accusatory gaze; worried she’s going to have to admit to him that she couldn’t stop thinking about last night; she knows he’s going to tease her about it endlessly. “Really ? Because you’ve been stood in the same spot for 5 minutes with a cute little smile on your face” Tims eyes widen for a moment, realising that he just called his girlfriend cute at work- a place he’s supposedly single, and definitely not dating his incredible and beautiful fellow officer, not to mention one in his chain of command.

Tim nervously glances around for a second, cop eyes switching on early, analysing everyone nearby’s facial expressions to ensure he’s in the clear. His quick glance ensures him that nobody heard him and soon enough, his own expression is back to one of questioning.

Lucy looks at him with a coy smile and rolls her eyes slightly in defence. She reaches to grab the bags for the shop and rests one on each of her shoulders. “I was just thinking about a case” Tim walks up to her calmly and takes the bags off her shoulder, carrying them in his hands, walking off before she even has time to protest. “Sure you were” he teases, looking back. He knows she wasn’t ‘just thinking about a case’ Tim Bradford doesn’t pride himself on a lot of things, but he prides himself on knowing Lucy Chen, and the way his girlfriend was biting her lip and cupping her cheek was enough to tell him that she was having some very ‘unprofessional’ thoughts. A slight chuckle erupts from Tim’s throat, secretly proud that he’s having this effect on her, and also glad that he’s not the only one who is affected by their rendezvouses in that way.

Later on in the shop

“Tim, that guy’s trying to break into that house” Lucy nods her head to her right and leans back, exposing the 30ish year old male who just smashed the side window of a cute suburban home. “”7 Adam 19, we have a possible 459 in progress; suspect is white male, 30’s, blue jeans, black shirt, brown boots, suspect is not armed” Tim sets the shop alarm and lights off and pulls over to the curb.

“He’s running” Lucy opens the shop door with power, quickly trailing after the suspect, Tim following not far behind. “Police, stop running” Tim sighs in annoyance as the suspect ignores his order and does not stop running. But his sigh soon turns into a scoff when the suspect trips over his own feet. Lucy kneels down and cuffs him “you’re under arrest for attempted burglary and breaking and entering”

“Can you get more stupid ? Breaking into a house in broad daylight, you’re asking to be arrested” Tim looks at the man, shaking his head in despair. He’s been at this job for years, and it still baffles him how stupid some people can be. He watches closely as Lucy pulls the suspect to his feet, guiding him towards the shop. He can’t help but appreciate how beautiful she looks right now. Her hair has slightly tussled at the sides due to her recent arrest, her cheeks are slightly flushed from the heat, and her skin is glowing. It isn’t until the suspect pipes up that Tim remembers he’s at work.

“Damn, you’re a super hot cop. Takes the sting out of getting arrested” Tim’s head snaps up with force, eyes resting instantly on the inappropriate gaze directed towards his girlfriend. Lucy glances slightly to the side, half wanting to avoid the leering eyes of the suspect, and half wanting to avoid the gaze that Tim is sending him. They may have only been dating for a couple of weeks, but one thing that Lucy now knows for sure, is that Tim Bradford is a jealous man; and she loves it- but now is not the time to show that she does. Her mind shifts instantly to last week when her and Tim stopped by the gas station to pick up some candy for their movie night. The guy on shift made a pass at Lucy whilst Tim was in one of the aisles, and safe to say, he came to regret it when Tim was at her side, glaring daggers right into his soul. It made Lucy’s stomach flutter, and she’s thought about it ever since.

“are you the one thats gonna be doing my body search? because if so, this day ain’t looking so bad” Lucy scoffs, pulling his arm towards the shop, but she’s quickly left empty handed when Tim grabs the suspect by the arm, pushing him angrily into the back. “Why don’t you shut your mouth and get a bit of respect ?!” He slams the door, the bang echoing loudly in the silence that’s just set upon them.

Lucy takes a peek at Tim on her way to the passenger door, and isn’t disappointed to find him fists clenched, nostrils flared and breathing slightly more elevated than usual. Tim’s usually very good at keeping his calm, but when it comes to her, she sees that side of him fracture slightly and it makes her feel loved and wanted; something that she didn’t often feel in her childhood. She mostly felt like a disappointment and like she was never good enough, but every time she’s with Tim, she feels worthy and wanted, and she can’t get enough.

The drive back to the station is particularly tense, at least between Tim and the suspect (who they’ve now figured out is called Peter). Tim’s expression only seems to encourage Peter’s flirting attempts though, and it’s not long before Tim’s ‘unbothered’ exterior moulds into a ‘definitely bothered’ one when his girlfriend is once again hit on.

“You got a man ? I’m available if you’re looking” Peter winks at Lucy through the front mirror, eyes giving her more than a once over. Lucy begins to grow frustrated with his advances, it’s not like she’s never been hit on by a suspect before, but this guys really going for it. “We’re going to be at the station soon, so I don’t think you’ll be so perky then” Lucy utters in annoyance.

“Oh cmonnnn, I’m just having a bit of fun baby” Lucy’s brows furrow in disgust at the pet name, one she only ever wants to hear from Tim. And clearly one that Tim only ever wants to hear directed at her from himself. His hands grip the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles start to turn white. His jaw is clenched and his expression is hardened into a scowl; if it were a different situation, Lucy would have teased him for it. “Well, I have a boyfriend, so I’d appreciate if you didn’t keep making a move on me”

“Wow, lucky guy” Lucy turned her head slightly to her left, eyeing the change in demeanour from Tim. His once aggravated appearance, was now replaced with a small smile and a softening of his jaw. Tim knows he’s lucky. He knows when he sees Lucy’s smile. He knows when he touches her. He knows when he gets to listen to all of her stories. He’s never been a religious man, but all Tim can think to do in those moments is thank a higher power for bringing him Lucy Chen.

During processing, Tim gets a call from his sister and has to step out, not enjoying that he won’t be able to keep his eyes on Peter. The guy overstepped one too many times in the shop, and whilst he knows Lucy can handle herself with no problem, he’d rather be there to ensure her safety completely. He supposes it might be a good thing he got the call though, because he was nearing punching Peter square in the face. He’d definitely imagined it several times on the way back to the station; his professionalism is strong when it comes to being a cop, but right then, he was planning on giving up the job entirely to give him a piece of his mind.

Tim finishes his call and hesitantly walks back into the processing room, eyes scanning intently to see if Lucy’s okay and if that creep has backed off. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that Lucy has been asked for help from a fellow officer and instead, Smitty was now processing him. “Thanks Smitty, I’ve got it from here” he gives Smitty a small pat on the shoulder and makes his way to the irritation of his day. “Hurry up, it shouldn’t be taking this long” Peter looks up at Tim, smirk already plastered on his face “cmon man, gimme a break, I’m about to go to jail !” Tim shook his head in disbelief “yeah, that’s what happens when you break into someone’s home, idiot”. Tim has had enough with him, and if he’s being honest with himself, he’s kind of happy that he’s got to spend the night in a holding cell.

“Alright, alright, put me away !” Tim can hear the sarcasm dripping out of Peters voice. The snarky laughter that accompanies it grates on him like no other sound he’s heard. Tim grabs him by the arm, one hand rested harshly on his shoulder, the pressure clear from the slight wince he hears eliciting from Peters throat. “Someone’s angry today. Cant imagine why, you get to ride with that hot piece !”

Tim stops abruptly in his tracks, fury sailing through his veins “get some respect ! You’ve been disgusting all day ! Maybe a night in holding and then possibly some prison time will help you reevaluate some things” Tim gives him one last glare and locks the cell, glad to see the back of him. As he turns back around, he comes face to face with Lucy, one eyebrow raised, arms crossed and a humoured grin on her face. She heard it. He knows she did.

“You okay Tim?” he nods his head with assurance. “Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?” Lucy shakes her head and shrugs her shoulders with a dramatic flare that she hopes Tim notices. “Oh, no reason” before Tim can even attempt to reply, she’s walking out of the room, a bounce in her step that reminds Tim of her mood this morning. He’s never going to hear the end of this.

Tim and Lucy are laying on Tim’s bed, legs entangled. Lucy’s head is rested comfortably on his chest and her fingers are tracing patterns on his bare skin. She loves these moments. Everything in her head goes silent and all she can think about is him. Nestled in her boyfriends arms is her favourite place to be, and although she doesn’t want to move an inch, she feels compelled to lift her head up and gain Tim’s attention. The moment her head shifts, a slight groan escapes from Tim’s throat, clearly unhappy with the cold he is now feeling where her head used to be.

“Wanna tell me what that was today ?”

“Hmm?”

“Timmm, you know what I’m talking about ! Today, with the burglary arrest. Your face looked like thunder” she giggled quietly, knowing the exact reason that he looked like that, but wanting to hear it from him.

“It was nothing, I just think he needs to get some respect for women” the recollection of the days events rerun through his mind, and an exasperated sigh escapes him. “Well yeah, that’s obvious. But we often arrest people who need to gain respect for women. Today just seemed…different”

“What are you getting at Luce?” Lucy giggles and drops her head back into Tim’s chest. He looks down at her adoringly, a smirk etching his features. “I’m just saying, are you sure you weren’t jealous ?”

“Of that idiot ?! No.” Tim takes his hand that’s rested on her behind and runs his fingers through her hair, hoping she’ll get distracted and drop the subject so he doesn’t have to admit he was. “Tim!” “Luce !” “Admit it! You were jealous !” Tim glares at her playfully, blowing air in her face so she wriggles in his grasp. Lucy gets up and straddles his lap, hands rested perfectly on his chest. She leans down slowly towards his lips, teasing him as his chin arches towards her, eager for their lips to meet. “You” she whispers “were” she kisses him on his jaw “jealous” her lips are now hovering over his, a grin on her face that brightens Tim’s entire room.

Tim’s hands grasp at Lucy’s waist slightly, fingers stroking at her hips. His breathing quickens and he nuzzles his nose into hers. “Fine”

Lucy squeals in delight. “Fine what?” Tim rolls his eyes and lightheartedly pushes her off his lap so that he is now hovering above her. “I was maybe jealous” “I kne-“ Tim leans down and pushes his lips to hers, both of them breathing heavily as their lips dance passionately together. He parts from her for a second and kisses down her neck. “He was right about one thing though.” Lucy’s brows furrow. She wonders what he could have possibly been right about, that guy was a complete creep. “What was he right about ?!”

“I am a very lucky guy”

#therookie #chenford #therookiechenford #timbradford #lucychen #tim x lucy #lucy x tim #chenford fanfic #chenford fic

[a-student-out-of-time]

Talking about the Eden Killer Theory (Again)

//Hey there, so...it kinda seems like my blog has officially just become a DT theory blog at this point, so here's some more of my thoughts on a particular one I've touched on before.

//This is something of a response to this defense of the Eden Killer Theory, written by @venus-is-thinking, who is a proponent of the theory along with many others. And having read it, I can't help but feel that a lot of the points raised here are in response to many of my own criticisms, from the motivation issues to how it would play a role in the narrative.

//Now, as I've said my previous posts about this, even if I don't agree with this theory, this isn't meant to belittle anyone who does. I also have to admit that there are a lot of good points raised here. What I'd like to do is, instead of just trying to debunk them, I'd like to offer some counterpoints and alternatives, as well as address the points that make this theory not work for me.

//I'm also not going to push my own theory here, just stick to what I feel are some equally plausible explanations.

//So Venus, if you read this, know that I'm impressed by the time and effort you put into this, and I just want to offer some feedback:

I'll start by saying, thank you for not perpetuating this idea that Eden is somehow secretly some evil genius mastermind, because a lot of Eden Killer Theory posts really have that vibe to them and it bothers me to no end.

My first big question is why Eden would kill Arei and not Arturo, the guy who has actively threatened her. Nobody but Arei knew about that and thus would never suspect her of doing it. Arei herself really seems like she'd have Eden's back in that regard.

I will say, just because we have multiple LGBTQ+ characters, it doesn't equate to "sapphic girl betrays everyone to be with her GF" not being problematic. The quantity doesn't matter, the presentation does.

I do appreciate the focus on her motivation as having more to do with her family and people she wants to reunite with. My issue is that the same argument could be applied to others who we know have friends and family, like Rose, Veronika, Hu, even Ace. What makes Eden the exception here?

The hidden quote is definitely interesting, and it could apply to this case, but it could also apply at a later date. I've also looked thoroughly into the hidden quotes and wondered about their meanings, so I'll admit there's an argument to be made in your favor here.

Eden being the primary force trying to end the killing game does feel to me like it's meant to be more of a long-term thing. Maybe the idea isn't that she's running out of time, but the longer she spends in this game, the more it wears away at her attempts? That doesn't necessarily mean she'll be a killer, now or later, but maybe it takes a toll on her motivation?

"Every single second killer commits their crime due to previous attachments that go beyond the killing game." Now, this is something I've had people who disagree with my theories argue with me about, how we can't predict where the story will go, yet they'll still use the same formulaic tropes and archetypes in defense of their own points. We can't have it both ways, and it sounds to me like you do believe this will follow a fairly similar route to the previous games. Fair enough. As a counterpoint, I want to address that, while this is largely true, one could also make the same argument about my primary candidate for the Killer (though not necessarily the Blackened): Hu. After all, we've had some insights on Hu's past, how proud she is of her name and how she didn't want to go with her old one just because it was something English-speakers made fun of. Combined with her very motherly attitude, her dialogue with David after his reveal, her own secret quote and the like, it also makes her seem like a pretty good candidate in my eyes.

"Wouldn’t it only be proving Teruko right if Eden were to become a killer? Yeah. It would. And that’s the point at the story we’re at." I have to completely disagree with you there, but we'll get to that shortly.

"I don’t think it would make any sense for Teruko’s beliefs to be strongly challenged in Chapter 2." Counterpoint: Teruko's beliefs should challenged here, at least in a way that makes her reconsider them. Not necessarily throw them out completely, as even I don't think she would, but maybe open up a little to the idea of trust. Namely that trusting nobody at all means that she also can't trust people who claim they're innocent but have no proof. Maybe going with enlightened self-interest as a starting point. I don't like this idea that Teruko is going to double down this chapter, because it would otherwise feel largely pointless. We already covered this perspective in chapter 1, we had her be betrayed by two people she was close to, we've had her explain this and beat the point in throughout the entire thing, from her life before the game to the many scars across her body. If we end on "Well, looks like I was right not to trust any of you," what changes? What's there to be gained? How has this done anything for her character if she hasn't learned anything or changed at all? I'm not saying she's going to join the friendship club, but just that I think the story is better served by her being willing to trust somebody and having it not blow up in her face for once, despite her experiences and expectations. That feels like actual setup and payoff, you know?

The Monocredits thing feels like pure speculation to me, so I don't really see that as evidence of anything.

"Chapter 2 is typically a chapter in the canon Danganronpa games where things get worse, not better." I've gone through the entire canon series and a few fangans that have reached Chapter 3, and I have to say, this is untrue. Chapter 2 is where the seriousness of the Killing Game sets in further, but you still get moments of character development, revelation, and new developments in their favor. Chapter 3 is typically the low point where things hit their zenith of severity, since that's also where two people die and the killer is really fucked up, and the group also often learns just how bad things really are. Yes, it's still a rough time, but it's also where we get things like Toko, Fuyuhiko and Maki starting their gradual rises to prominence and development, the reveal of Alter Ego, and it was SDRA2 Chapter 2 that made Hibiki Otonokoji into one of my favorites in that game because she grew so much in such a short amount of time. Chapter 2 is really not where tragedy overwhelms growth and development...that's Chapter 3's job ^^;

"Eden is one of the most heavily featured characters, and to me, it feels more like one being set up for immediate payoff rather than long-term." What makes you so sure? Kyoko, Nagito, Shuichi, Himiko, Toko, Chiaki, Kaito, Akane Taira, Yuki Maeda, all of them were prominent early on but they didn't really play big roles until much later in their story lines.

"If she’s already spent two chapters being nice, happy and supportive, where does she go from there that’s narratively interesting and different? The only answer I can really come up with is “becoming less nice, happy, and/or supportive.” I gotta be honest here and say this does a major disservice to Eden as a character, and feels you're saying nice characters are boring or static. I won't put words in your mouth, that's just how it sounds here. For some alternative ideas, Eden could be more proactive in trying to help others, and maybe if Teruko starts to come out of her shell, she could be there to try and help her forward. If we go back to your point about her secret quote, maybe the two of them end up switching roles so that Eden starts to feel lost and Teruko is the one to try and support her. Eden's point that she's not naive or stupid, that she knows that the world can be a cruel place and chooses to be kind regardless, is a powerful moment that strikes a chord with Teruko, even if she doesn't want to admit it. That's already proof that there's more to her than just "nice and friendly support girl," as maybe someone who's seen how harsh life can be and might be able to relate to Teruko even more than she's letting on. For me personally, this is actually why I see David as the Blackened of this chapter. After that reveal, where he's admitted he's a manipulative nihilistic shitlord, what else can you do with his character? Nobody's going to trust him, he doesn't really contrast Teruko's perspective so he's not really a rival, and he's got a very doomerist mindset about everything so I don't see him being a chaos gremlin. I think he instead works as a warning for Teruko. He is what she could be if she sticks on this path of self-serving fatalism, and as the Blackened, his death would be a wake-up call for her to change.

Once again, credit where it's due, I had no idea this was there and that's a pretty good point. My counterpoint here is that it's such a broad statement that you could just as easily apply it to anyone: it works just as well for David, for instance. It could also apply to Hu, Levi and even Arei in this chapter. It also doesn't really scream "Eden is the killer" to me, just the idea that being a good person isn't easy or glamorous.

"Hu is someone who hasn’t gotten that much character arc focus, so I think she’ll probably be a bit more of a spotlighted character in the next daily life." Counterpoint: Hu is the killer and this is what "A Good Person" is referring to. Think about how much Hu has tried to be the Team Mom, stand up for Nico, work with David, be a nice person and everything, even if she did fight frequently with Ace in this chapter. While she didn't share her secret, David actually called her out and suggested she's not as upstanding as she claims to be. Her secret quote- "I want to pay for what I’ve done. But even then, I still want to live."- would also fit very well there if it turned out she was the killer. It could even be both of our ideas; having followed David's orders to kill, she has to grapple with that fact and regain everyone's trust, especially Eden's.

"This is pretty much the entirety of Arei’s character arc." And it's very unsatisfying if we just leave it off there, so I don't buy that's all there is to it.

"Chapter 2 frequently deals with the concept of bullying." Having seen the canon games and fangans that have passed Chapter 2, I can say that this is only sometimes true. DR1, SDR2, and DRA did, but V3, SDRA2, Antebellum and Blowback were tangentially related or completely distinct. As you point out, even sticking to canon, this is true just 66.6% of the time.

"Ace bullied Nico, and eventually they snapped and tried to kill him in revenge." Counterpoint: Nico didn't snap, it was David's fault. Keep in mind, the last time we saw Nico before that scene, they were with Hu and David in the Relaxation Room. Now that we know David manipulated the hell out of Hu, is it really a stretch to suggest that, after all their fights, David also might've pushed Nico into trying to kill Ace? It would guarantee someone would die and David's secret would be preserved.

"Eden simply didn’t believe her relationship with Arei actually changed." Counterpoint: Eden is friendly but she's not blindly trusting. She had no idea why Arei saved her from Arturo, so maybe she thought that this was Arei trying to mess with her? It isn't until she has proper context that she sees it as a potential friendship. Personally, I think the statement that "you don't know how much this means to me" lends credence to the idea that Eden has had some hard knocks in her life as well, much like Teruko, but she's chosen to be kind instead of recoiling into cynicism. And again, even if we wanted to say she didn't actually buy that they were friends, why would she kill the person who was trying to be friendly with her and promised to protect her instead of the guy who was actively threatening her just minutes earlier? Bullying is one thing, but someone pulling a knife on you over a secret is quite another. As we see in Episode 7, she's still skittish that he's following her. Why Arei and not him?

I believe that moment with Charles and Whit has less to do with their feelings on Eden and more to do with the idea that something more is going on with Arei than we've been assuming.

"They did pair up Xander and Min though, so it’s not like it’s impossible that they paired a victim with their killer." Maybe, but we've only had one full chapter so far. Seems a little preemptive to decide that this is all foreshadowing.

"However, it’s possible that the message the creator wants to send us is that the cast isn’t currently capable of being entirely positive and friendly." I agree that's a possibility, but it's just as possible that they're saying they can, but the cast needs to address the issues plaguing them. If Chapter 1 is about the breaking of trust, Chapter 2 could be about rebuilding it and Chapter 3 about forging it or seeing it break again while trying.

"I believe the motive of getting back to her previous life, in combination with the constant fighting, Arturo's threats against her and her apparent inability to actually make a meaningful change in those around her, would be enough to get her to break and kill in this Chapter 2 position." Okay, fair. Again though, what sense is there in killing Arei to achieve these goals? Like you say here, Arturo actively threatened her, and that seems much more pressing than a girl who bullied her but who since apologized. Why kill Arei and not him? I don't see the logic behind any of it. If it's because Arei is an easier target, that really just makes Eden look selfish and opportunistic, especially when Arei promised to protect her.

You don't get genuine breakdown scenes like this in the first half of the chapter, when there's still so much to learn about the ins and outs of the murder. Not unless there's going to be some kind of reveal, and that reveal isn't necessarily going to be that she's the killer.

While DRDT is full of hidden meanings and foreshadowing, sometimes I feel like the fandom takes things too literally. Like, if Whit said "Dead at 6," would people assume he or Charles is the mastermind?

David is saying a lot of cruel, guilt-trippy, misanthropic things by design, and Eden is grieving. It doesn't seem strange that she's going to start blaming herself. My counterpoint here is that he's trying to shift blame onto her because this is HIS fault.

"I think it makes more sense if it’s her coping with the fact that Arei did want to be her friend, and she killed her." Counterpoint: Eden is grieving someone who she did want to consider a friend who she believes is dead, and which she personally blames herself for because she wanted to include Arei in her activities earlier. She wanted them to be friends, and now she thinks her efforts lead to Arei's death. I don't really get why this needs to be anything more insidious or emotionally loaded.

Why it doesn't work for me:

While it's clear that you've put a lot of thought into Eden's motivations, what kills this theory for me is HOW Eden could be the killer. Any effort to reconcile the events of Chapter 2 with her presence, character, motivations and the time elapsed either require her to be insanely fast or genuinely malicious, manipulative and evil. Especially considering Eden would've had to set up a trap or something to break Arei's neck and then set her body up to look like she hanged herself.

Charles' statement that they fucked up, which I'm sure is in reference to the time and alibis, is also not really evidence because he's yet to elaborate on it. We don't know what he's going to say or who was where at any time. We can't make any snap judgements about it and will just have to wait for part 2 to see what it's about.

None of this explains the purpose of Teruko's prosopagnosia. If we're going to accept that small bits of dialogue and sprites are foreshadowing, then we also need to accept that a minute-long conversation and name-dropping of Teurko's condition is even more important. Nothing about this theory explains why that's there other than ignoring it or saying it's for later, and those are very weak arguments to me.

Why did Arei appear in the cafeteria after Ace's attack but say nothing? What purpose did that serve in the story? I've seen some people suggest that, to explain the prosopagnosia, it's actually meant to be Eden in disguise, but that makes no sense on multiple levels. Even if we wanted to say that she's an evil mastermind, why would she disguise herself as Arei and not just let everyone think she's still locked in her room? I know that's not part of your defense, but I just wanted to bring it up.

What's the significance of Arei having the secret "You're a murderer and you hold no remorse" if Eden is the one who killed her? We know Eden's secret and she's not a murderer.

How does David figure into the Eden Killer Theory at all? It seems like his role was mostly skimmed over.

What's the significance of Teruko's momentary flashback right after Arei's breakdown, where her crying reminds Teruko of someone? We never got follow-up on that, but the screen went black and time was devoted to her internal dialogue, which leads me to believe it's meant to be important.

//Again, these are just my thoughts on this theory and why they don't work for me. Even taking the narrative and thematic relevance out, the actual mechanics and character motivations just don't really work for me to see Eden as the one behind this.

//As I've made clear, my thinking is that David is the true blackened of this case, but Hu is the one who carried it out for him. He got her to kill for him, trying and failing with Nico at first, only to learn that the Blackened and the Killer can be different people in this game. His mindset and attitude, made pretty clear by the MV and Tally5, are that he's a fatalist who represents the logical extreme of Teruko's thinking, and what she could end up as if she continues or doubles down.

//His death would do a lot to serve the narrative and develop Teruko's character, while Hu's survival but status as a murderer could be the focus of her arc in Chapter 3, and Eden would then have to contend with all of this while trying to mend the group. I have my own theory as to why all this is the case, but that's a story for another time.

//Once again, while I disagreed a lot with this theory, I appreciate the thinking put into examining everything and trying to analyze every potential scenario behind who the killer may be.

//Credit to Venus and all the other writers for also getting me to think more critically about small details I either didn't see before or didn't think much about at first. I hope my points here can do the same.

#mod talks #a student out of time #drdt #danganronpa despair time #eden tobisa #eden killer theory

[shelandsorcery]

some left-handed gouache studies from the past week, after taking a couple months off thanks to the arm surgery and a deep fear that being bad at it would take all the fun out of it for me. painted on 12x16 paper, so I can get less mad about my wobbly left hand and focus more on larger marks and color and composition. good news! I'm not quite as bad at it as I had worried I would be, and it is mostly still very fun. bad news: not being able to draw a straight line continues to be a legit problem.

I don't know if this arm recovery stuff is interesting to anybody besides myself, but not talking about it would make me crazy, so allow me to update you on all of the weird side effects of being able to partially but largely mostly not use my dominant hand:

- as expected, I continue to attempt to use my dominant hand for things despite the fact that it: cannot hold any weight, it cannot get my fingers out of the way when I go to grab something, portions of the back of my hand and fingers are completely numb and don't notice when they bump against things, and despite the fact that I get weird nerve pain if I attempt to manipulate anything smaller than a tennis ball for any length of time

- I am most likely to thoughtlessly switch to my dominant hand in the middle of drawing or painting, in the middle of brushing my teeth, and while eating. apparently these are the three things I do where I get into a flow state.

- I am starting to confuse right and left, not so much as absolute directions, but as used to determine which way to tighten or loosen the lid on a jar or similar rotational acts that it turns out I absolutely do not have a logical structure for solving for anymore.

- I am starting to think of using my dominant hand for any purpose as "cheating", which is definitely counterproductive, but that's the ol' internalized ableism for you.

- I am more convinced than ever that our entire society has been designed to be subtly infuriating to deal with using your left hand, and there is no way anyone who is left hand dominant needs to hear my opinions on the matter, but wow. gosh. geeze.

- I oscillate wildly between being deeply deeply grateful for adaptive tools and being deeply deeply angry about their limits. again, there is nobody out there who has been using any of these adaptive tools for more than 2 months who needs to hear my thoughts on the matter, so this message is just for able-bodied people: you cannot call a tool a successful replacement for abled usage methods if it does not allow self-determination in how you use it. Microsoft, I'm looking at you and the many useful swearwords you censor when i try using your speech to text tools.

I do still really love painting, and drawing, and writing, even though they are all now very much new challenges all over again. I suspect mostly I'm just speed running the same experience many people will go through as they age of having to modify and realign their approach to their usual modes of expression and interaction and creation, which is something people have been doing for as long as society has existed, which just means I'm going to be better at it, obviously, thanks to getting this Head start

and maybe a year from now I will have the ability to hold things in my dominant right hand for more than 30 seconds, and definitely a year from now I will have a lot more precise control over my left hand, so I guess there's lots to look forward to 👍

in the meantime I will continue to paint my favorite things!

#gouache #bram stoker's dracula #crystals #painting studies #left hand life #adaptive tools #disability #voice to text let me say fuck challenge 2023

[deepest-dope]

remember my ex-raider post? no? im referencing it anyway! so anyways heres the new vegas companions ranked for how long admitting to being an ex raider would shut them up, listed longest time to shortest time! you can use it for your own ocs i guess but this is mostly based on my boy cave

boone stopped talking for an entire week after. he'd just barely gotten conversational after 1 month of traveling together towards vegas. he was talking about the ncr too much and too positively. it took 2 more weeks for him to get back to what counts as conversational for boone. hes not really chatty in the first place but his weirdly high trust in the ncr even after what he himself is upset about them putting him through is very grating. cave dropped an additional im a jackal and ex-powder ganger bomb month 3 after craig tried to suggest he enlist after a trip to bitter springs. they never really got to start talking again before boone was killed.

cass went quiet after being told and stayed quiet for 3 entire days. got over it in the end though, but mostly because he's not a raider anymore. nobody tell her its only ex because he literally cannot get back to his old group and he does not trust anyone else enough to run with. probably shouldnt say anything about having considered trying to join the great khans for a while before unfortunate circumstances ended up souring his relationship with most of the great khans he was close to either. this was before she figured out he was an addict which she was honestly way more upset about, she was pestering him to drink with her.

raul took one full day to get over it, actually suspected it for a while beforehand based on cave's vaguely guilty reaction to being told the story of how raul's family died. doesnt really hold it against cave like boone and cass did either. he is the first and for a long time only person to realize cave uses the fact he used to be a raider as an easy single use method to make people shut up and leave him alone for a while. cave used it because he ran out of stuff to keep withdrawal at bay and just needed some quiet time without raul razzing him or kvetching at him. raul is actually semi-prepared to come to cave's defense for when he tells other people that little tidbit about himself if they have a bad reaction to it. not where cave can see him do it though.

arcade took until cave was finished cooking for everyone, so like an hour at most, but wasnt overly hung up on it. cave actually pulled that card out more for arcades benefit then his own because arcade was stumbling over another attempt to cover up his past with the enclave badly. arcade wasnt that torn up over it but could tell cave needed a little time to himself, but not that cave usually uses the ex raider bomb to get time to himself. also semi-prepared to come to caves defense if anyone takes the ex-raider thing badly. it actually helps arcade feel better admitting to being an enclave citizen to cave. they both think their past is much worse then each others.

veronica takes it 2nd best out of everyone at like 30 minutes tops, and thats mostly because she was eating lunch with him. also the only one to really pick up on the fact that he would very much still be a raider if he still had his family and is pretty understanding of this. also fully prepared to play defense with raul and arcade if anyone ever finds out and takes it badly. dude gives her every pristine dress he gets his hands on and has her eternal friendship by now.

grandma lily took zero time to come to terms with it. she was fussing over him for whatever reason and he dropped the ex raider bomb trying to get her off his back for a minute and she said "its okay sweetie, you and your old friends all did what you had to to make it out there in the wasteland. no shame in that at all, grandma still loves you" and ended up making cave cry for the first time in a decade. raul had to take over cooking dinner for the group while he was crying uncontrollably. leader of the jimmy defenders.

#ede and rex not listed because well 1 they cant really bother cave enough to have the raider card used on them #nor would they have much reaction to it in the first place

[brekkie-e]

yo! i dunno if you've made a post on this before, but i'd be interested to hear details about epione (+ any other tavs)! what's her story? what's she like?

Hey, yes, hi, hello! This is one of those questions that I crave to be asked constantly but also fear all who do will come to regret. I can not be normal about my kids. Especially Epi. She’s my little creature and I cry about her a lot. Thank you so much for asking, and I apologize for the wait!

I do plan on making a more in depth introduction post at some point, so if you like her that’s on the way.

Epione! Far more commonly known as Epi though.

She is a grown up urchin, still trying to find her place in the world. Life has been testing her from the day she was born. Started out in a orphanage that didn’t treat her kindly. Ran away when she was seven to the Lower City, where she promptly met what would become her Mol. Her and her bosom companion, Vestia, grew up alongside eachother in a pick pocket crew and when they hit their teens started a chaotic ride or die relationship. It ended in tragedy when Vestia’s ambition and selfishness found her doing jobs for the Zhentarim as Epi began trying to “go straight” and work her way to a normal life. Vestia agreed to make the attempt, but continued doing jobs behind Epi’s back. When she found out and tried to confront her, shit hit the fan at the wrong time. Flaming Fist made an appearance, and Epi took the fall for the job Vestia was running for the Zhent- spending the next 80 years in prison for it while Vestia climbed the ranks of the Zhentarim and ended up one of their top dogs by the time of the game.

Epi got out of prison about 6 months to a year before the game starts. She found a job as a carriage driver, and essentially plays the role of a chatty cab driver. I do not know for a fact if that is lore compliant due to the animal ban in BG, but we see carts around all parts of the city in the game and it’s an important headcanon for me that I’m too attached to so it stays. It’s one of the reasons she has 3 levels in bard. She has no training but she is a chronic story teller. She has a shitty apartment, few long term friends, and a burning desire to make something of herself that is more than what people see. Above all else, she is a survivor and a hard worker.

Oh and like. As a minor, only slightly important bit- she’s also a cambion. A long lost daughter of Mephistopholees to be exact. One of seven cambion children he had with divine soul sorcerers to aquire enough divine energy to usurp Azmodeus to be exact. Her older brother was sent to fetch her when she was born, and was pissed at his dad so conveniently misplaced her at the orphanage. They cropped her wings in a bit of anti-tiefling sentiment (tieflings can technically be born with wings too so nobody suspected she was a cambion from the start.) So Epi does not find out about her heritage until early Act 3 of BG3 because of Raphael. Yes, he found her alliance with Astarion incredibly humorous because neither knew they were the run away missing ingredient in a plot Mephistopholees was trying to pull. I want to note, this was a plot I came up with in 2020/2021 so finding out Astarion’s infernal pact info was INSANE playing it real time.

She will be getting her wings back courtesy of Raphael in Act 3, and it will be a bit of an ugly transition with a dash of identity crisis.

ALSO she’s supposed to be a lighter pink than shown in some screenshots. Her original colors were removed in the full release so sometimes she’s got a hot pink look to her when it’s really supposed to be a bit more pastel. She’s actually pretty insecure about being so pink, she feels like people don’t take her seriously because of it. It makes life difficult for Astarion when he wants to put her in nice clothes. She hates stuff that draw attention to her.

General info:

Age: 226

Class: 9 levels of wild magic sorcery (headcanoned to be infernal but unstable cause she’s got no training) and 3 of lore bard so CUTTING WORDS

Romance: slow burn rivals to lovers with Astarion

She has a mouse/rat companion named Todd that has had it’s lifespan unnaturally extended by her magic

Epione is technically a part of a custom party that has many more Tav’s in it which I will put much more briefly under the cut 💖

It says Brendan, but it’s a cover name. This is the human form of Jehvka, which is Epi’s older brother. He’s always kept an eye out for her where he could from a distance, and tries to infiltrate the Mindflayer ship to save her. Unfortunately he gets stuck in the same situation and has to play along. It’s nice for him though cause he actually gets to know her and befriend her, but it sucks cause he gets deeper and deeper into the lie about who he is. He’s a very witty devil may care type. Comes off like the big scary brooding guy, but does it intentionally to throw people off gaurd when he gives a big smile and hits them with a pun. Romances Gale. Winds him up by playing dumb during his info dumps and pretending he’s never heard of basic things like “the weave.”

Mizzyrm. She’s going to be the other half of Lae’zel’s evil cultish culture duo. Wizard from Menzoberazzan who channel’s her “evilness” in to extensive research. Which is so important she finds herself hardly leaving her lair, and thus is spared from having to attent soirée’s where no less than 3 murders will occur and everyone is mean to eachother. She is shaped by her culture, and definitely has a dark side because of it. Her research is primarily about how to magically hurt people faster. But she’s got a softness in her that makes her just kind of retreat from her peers when she can get away with it. Basically an evil introvert. When she get’s to the surface, it isn’t going to take her long to warm up to the idea that maybe there’s a different way to live. But she gravitates to Lae’zel because it’s familiar and a dynamic she understands. Also she thinks her mom would approve.

TYPHON. My head empty no thoughts but “do you think lifting this boulder over my head will impress the babes?” Dark Urge boy. He’s going to be the fun stabilizer of the group who encourages everyone to work together. Probably unironically makes people do group huddles and say “go team” before getting into battles. Invented the “bhaal-tap” locker room maneuver. Is sufficiently horrified by his dark urges, his mantra about it is “be cool, man just be cool.” He will likely get a little more serious on a narrative level, but he will not stray far from his Ken roots.

Anathema 2.0

Repressed Rich Virgin Syndrome has taken a devestating toll on her. She is the daughter of patriars who simply don’t have time to raise kids, so she was raised by a very religious nanny and then sent to a convent for a while. She’s only recently been brought home due to a politically advantageous betrothal. She doesn’t have much of an opinion about it because she doesn’t have a lot of opinions about anything. Other people tell her what to do and think. She’s insufferably naive and ignorant and rich. She’s going to turn red with embarrassment and mortification every time Karlach says fuck in her general viscinity, because she has literally never heard a swear word prior to meeting her. Yes, Karlach is going to teach her how to be her own person and be rebellious and think for herself. Yes they are going to elope. No it won’t be until after Gortash causes mayhem and drama.

BONUS PICTURE: VESTIA. My toxic queen. Stay awful, my love. She’s the kind of character that is there narratively to cause problems but you feel bad about it because you know she deserves growth and good things too, but her entire point is to be an example of what happens when you DON’T grow and just get worse. Astarion wants to see his reflection so bad, this is it. A warning sign not to ascend cause it will leave you lonely in the end.

#brekkie asks #oc: epione #oc: Jehvka #oc: anathema #oc: Mizzyrm #oc: vestia #oc: typhon #Bg3 tav #tav #baldur’s gate 3 #bg3 #not supposed to be this long but im a menace

[cynicalone94]

Obedience

Read on AO3 here.

He has no idea how it had come to this. 

Except that he does. 

A violent drug dealer that he has history with had been found dead a few hours after a confrontation with the man that if he’s being honest had gotten a little out of hand. 

And now he’s on modified duty until his team can prove that he didn’t do it. 

Which means they have to figure out who did kill the scumbag from his long list of other enemies and provide enough proof. 

All while a notable alderman screams up the city with complaints that even drug dealers don’t deserve to be gutted in their homes by the police. 

Honestly, at this point the only reason that Voight hasn’t sent him home is the fact that they aren’t really sure it’s safe to do so. 

He’s trying to stay off the news sites and social media but its hard. There’s only so much he can do since he isn’t allowed to touch anything to do with the case. 

He’s about ready to make his way down the stairs and ask Trudy if he can help with something at the desk when the gate buzzes open, revealing Commander Jenkins, Deputy Superintendent Austin and a very uncomfortable looking pair of patrol officers. 

Jay’s stomach immediately twists.

Voight steps out of his office. 

“It’s been six hours.” he says, arms folded across his chest. 

“You know how it goes with public opinion cases like this.” Austin says, his tone sympathetic but his face anything but. “And in this climate we can’t be seen going easy on a suspect because he’s a fellow cop.”

“So be seen hauling him in for questioning.” Voight snarls. “Oh wait, he’s right fucking here. You want me to go make him camp out in interrogation in case we have any more questions that he hasn’t already answered?”

“Not enough anymore.” Austin says. “It’s time to make an arrest. Show the public that we won’t just close ranks and protect a brother in blue.”

An arrest?

“On what grounds?” Voight demands. “There is no evidence aside from the incredibly tenuous circumstantial evidence that he argued with the victim the day of the murder. A victim who, might I add, probably argued with a lot of people that day.”

“Nobody else was witnessed shoving him.” Austin says. “And Halstead doesn’t have an alibi.”

“You’re just pandering to the public to further your own career.” Voight hisses. “And all the better if it gives you the chance to take a dig at me in the process. But you’re hurting a damn good cop to do it.”

“We have a duty to uphold and honor the law.” Austin says aloofly. “And he had a duty to obey it.”

“Detective Halstead.” Commander Jenkins says, looking uneasy. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to hand over your badge to your sergeant.”

His weapon had been surrendered six hours ago, when it had first been discovered that Jennings was dead. Now his badge too. 

He unclips it from his belt, avoiding eye contact with the rest of his team as he reaches toward Voight. His boss locks his jaw, glaring fiercely at Austin but eventually reaches out and takes it from him. 

“Officer Tanika.” Austin says, no longer making any attempt to hide the glee in his voice. “Search and cuff him.”

This brings a round of protests from his team. Typically when a cop is arrested, being handcuffed in the station is avoided to allow them to maintain some level of dignity. 

Jay isn’t surprised though. Austin wants this to be some big public show. 

Wants to prove to the pubic that he, and by extension Superintendent Greenway, won’t stand by and allow police corruption to run rampant in the department. 

He steps out into the open, placing his hands on the back of his head while the young officer steps forward, searching him with shaking hands. 

He doesn’t know Tanika well but he’s worked with him a few times in the past. Knows enough to know that he isn’t any more okay with this than Jay is. 

But none of them have any choice but to obey Austin’s orders and go along with it until his team can prove that it wasn’t him. 

Voight doesn’t speak again until he’s been cuffed. 

“We’re going to find out who really did this.” he says, his words for Jay as much as for Austin. “And I hope you’ll be prepared to make as a big of a display of admitting that you were wrong when we do.”

“We’ll worry about that step when you do.” Austin says, but any idiot could see the heavy implication of if they do painted over his words. 

“How long do you think you can stall before taking this to trial?” Hailey demands and Jay can’t help but look over at her, pained to see the glassy look in her eyes. 

Hailey is the toughest person he knows but she can sometimes be an angry crier, especially when helplessness is added to the mix. And he knows she hates that her body reacts to the emotion that way. 

“You have to know that this won’t hold up in court.” Adam adds. “Voight’s right, you’ve got nothing.”

“I’m sure homicide will find the evidence that I need while you all scramble for nonexistence evidence trying to prove that your boy is innocent.” Austin says. “In the meantime, get him booked Officer.”

There’s less of a media presence outside the station than Jay had expected but the dozens of civilian protestors that have been there all day kick up plenty of fuss. 

Cellphone cameras still capture plenty of footage of him being shoved into the back of the patrol car and he hates that Austin is getting exactly what he wants. 

Public outcry hasn’t even been that high the few times that he’d been unable to resist the pull of the internet. 

Trent Jennings was a young black man supposedly murdered in cold blood by a white cop. That had given some rise to the level of protests that the alderman had been able to stir up. 

But no spin artist in the world could even try to paint the man as innocent which has made a lot of the protests lackluster at best. 

What it boils down to is that in no way does Austin ‘have’ to do this. He sees a chance to curry public favor and like a lot of the brass, wants to knock Voight down a peg. 

Jay just hopes the man has a plan to walk this back when his team is able to prove his innocence. 

Because they will. It’s only a matter of time. 

He’s jolted out of his thoughts by the squealing of brakes and crunching of metal as the car is t-boned, sending them careening off path and into a ravine. 

He immediately fumbles for the spare handcuff key that he conceals at his waistline. 

He’s not surprised Tanika had missed it, had planned on letting him know it was there before he was taken into the prison to avoid embarrassing the kid but hadn’t wanted to do so in front of Austin. 

He’s glad he hadn’t now as he quickly unlocks the cuffs, calling out for the young officer as he does. 

“Tanika? Hey, come on, talk to me. Are you okay up there?”

He sets the cuffs aside and presses up against the mesh security wall. The car is twisted and damaged but not so much as to provide him a way out of this backseat to check on him. 

Tanika is slumped against the steering wheel, blood running down his forehead and unresponsive to Jay’s calls. 

And then the screech of metal on metal gets his attention and he looks over to see a man in a black ski mask prying the door across from him open. 

“Who are you?” he demands. “What do you want?”

“You’re coming with us.” the man says and Jay looks down at the crowbar. 

It’s a decent weapon but its not a gun and he could probably take the guy. 

“I’m not here alone.” the man says. “You might be able to fight me off but you won’t get past the others.”

Jay sees the others but they’re far enough away that he’s pretty sure if he dropped this guy now he could get away, get to help before they got to him. 

But that would leave Officer Tanika alone with these people and he won’t do that. 

“If you let me radio for an ambulance for him I won’t fight you.” Jay says. “I’ll come quietly.”

The man glances up at the front. 

“He just arrested you. You’d do that for him?”

“He was just doing his job.” Jay says. “He’s hurt and he doesn’t deserve to die. Please.”

The man tilts his head but nods, opening the front door and grabbing the kid’s radio to hand to Jay.

“5021 George. 10-1 at 2650 W Fulton Street. Officer down, need an ambulance and CFD.” 

The radio is ripped from his hands as soon as he’s done and then he’s being pulled out of the car. 

His arms are jerked behind his back and secured with a zip tie. True to his word he doesn’t fight the man, allowing himself to be restrained and then pulled up the ravine.

Now in addition to solving a murder and proving his innocence, his team will have to discover who’s behind his abduction, where he’s been taken and come rescue him. 

Hopefully they can multi-task. 

#febuwhump 2024 #febuwhumpday4 #obedience #jay halstead #chicago pd #whump fic

[tokoyamisstuff]

Are you happy, Strange? - Chapter 4

!Multiverse of Madness Spoilers ahead!

Stephen never opened up to anyone. Neither about his regrets of the past, nor his reoccuring nightmares of the future. But when a certain universe-traveling girl revealed that the woman in his few pleasant dreams is meant to be his Soulmate, he is determined to meet her.

Sadly, when he finally finds you, the Sorcerer has already been possessed by the Darkhold...

[Previous Chapter]

Warnings: Angst, Stockholm-Syndrome

"I'm in love with a fairytale Even though it hurts 'Cause I don't care if I lose my mind I'm already cursed" - Alexander Rybak

This has been going on for two months now.

God knows if Strange had prepared an explanation for your absence to your friends and coworkers or if anyone was searching for you, but they'd certainly not suspect you being held captured by one of the Earth's mightiest heroes.

You never wanted this farce to take as long as it did, but ever since you had awaken from this trance your altered memories needed some time to be rearranged.

Back then, when he still had you in his powerful grasp, you thought the heart- and headaches stemmed from that alledged illness of yours - but things were different now. You knew it was your mind and body's attempt to break free from the effect of this dark magic all along.

Maybe you had built an resistance against his spell, or it simply lost it's effect after being cast so many times on the same being - if that was even possible, that is. But all you knew was that one morning, you remembered the day before. Every detail of it.

A day like many before, when you once again realized something was off and questioned your relationship with your mage - yet this time, he wasn't able to make you forget.

You were smart enough not to tell him, never confronting him demanding answers or an explanation. Knowing what you did, it was certain he'd find another way to erase your memory - to trap you, keep you his.

So you kept on with this play, acted like the loving wife just to find any clue about what this maniac really wanted from you.

The man seemed like the Doctor Strange you knew from television only, but you could never be sure. What business would a much-loved hero like him have with a nobody like you? But on the other hand, there's no reason for someone else to appear just like him, right?

There was no way to fully grasp this situation - however after all this time, you knew for sure that no barrier, no magic or hero could stop this person when it came to conquering you again and again and again.

Stephen Strange would stop at nothing to keep you here.

So it was excruciatingly hard for you to play along with this pretend, well aware that behind this innocent facade of a man, an all-powerful eldritch sorcerer was lurking, threatening to snap at any time.

You'd bite back on a scream every time he touched you, skin scrawling with every kiss that crept you out so much. Resisted the urge to run from this man that had become both a familiar person yet still a stranger.

Allowing yourself to cry only when the beast next to you laid fast asleep, searching for a way to escape whenever he was gone to do tasks you wouldn't know about.

How could he not notice the shift in your behavior, the obvious change of the atmosphere ever since you became aware?

Maybe he simply did not want to - caught so deep in his delusions without a way back now...

...or he might just get his sick pleasure from seeing you all obedient to him, even without having to repeat the magic.

You felt empty, hallow, like he ripped out a part of you - just to keep it for himself, in a desperate attempt to fill the hole in his strickened heart.

However, that wasn't good enough an explanation to ease your pain...

...but whatever else than your heart would someone like you have to offer? Money, strenght, influence? Ridiculous thoughts, since you possessed none of this.

Did he do it for the sheer fun of it, feeling mighty to have so much power over a life? Was that it, and you were simply being the playtoy of an allmighty mage, out of his sheer boredom?

All of your questions led to dead ends, not even close to the plain truth - that Stephen Strange was only ever aiming to have the normal life he was never granted.

And as time passed, weeks turning into months, you were shocked to find yourself growing fond of the man you had become used to live with.

It started almost unnoticeable, with you laughing genuinely as the two of you danced in the kitchen, Stephen carelessly swirling you around in his arms. Thinking back about his compliments and promises, how he was showering you with affection and declared to give you everything you wished for in life. How worried you became when he returned home injured from a fight, brushing it off as a violent patient's outburst.

The mortifying sensation of passion whenever your phony husband kissed you with more urgency in his touch - even though never crossed this line. Never.

And over all this time being with him, not even once he showed any other intention than truly wanting to be close to you. You knew it every time he looked at you with that sincere smile, eyes shining with such great fondness it was almost startling you.

Strange seemed so genuinely happy in your presence, without scheming anything remotely evil - the opposite, even...

...and sooner or later, you ultimatively grew tired, exhausted of feeling all that hate and rage, of struggling against the irrational affection you now felt slowly but steadily growing for your abductor.

"Stephen?"

It was far past midnight when you finally gathered the courage to speak up, almost whimpering his name in the darkness. Your husband hummed in approval, laying his arm around your body that stiffly remained on it's back.

"Can I tell you something?" Strange raised an eyebrow at you, wondering what could be so important at this time in the middle of the night. He cleared his throat, raspy voice giving it's best to appear inviting. "Sure, go ahead."

"After I've lost my parents and five years of my life to the snap, I felt a burning hate for you allowing all this to happen."

Strange jumped up in the bed, both alarmed and bewildered at how calm you were declaring this. You however still remained on the mattress, hands folded above your chest as you stared at the ceiling.

"I don't know how long you've trapped me in here, but I think it's not long ago that I found out you had also lost someone during the time of your absence, right?" Now turning to face him, your piercing glare showed more reverence than aversion, remembering the newspaper article about Christine's wedding. "Only then I began to understand the importance of sacrifices for the greater good...and learned to forgive you."

Stephen soaked everything word you spoke like a dry sponge, astonishment and fear present in his features.

"I-I don't know, I-" you choked on a sob, balling a fist in the sheet at all those confusing emotions inside of you. "Back then, I just needed someone to channel all of my anger and frustration onto - otherwise, I would've just bursted through all the grief."

Tasting your own tears on your lips, you smiled weakly, defeated at the sorcerer, reassuringly putting your hand on his. "And I think you did the same to me - but you showered me with all the love you were never able to give someone before."

Stephen's mouth opened and closed noiselessly a few times before giving it up, head burying in his hands in despair. You could physically feel the pressure in the air, of how the formerly nice man grew more cold again.

Shouldn't he be glad that you stopped resisting?

But he wasn't. It felt terrible, his consciousness eating him alive as the consequences of his actions began creeping up, catching up on him.

What has he done to you, all this time?!

"Are you mad at me?" That question got him out of nowhere. He, angry with you?! It should be the complete opposite way! "Wha-no! Never! I-I"

"You know, I wanted to visit you." Chuckling weakly you interrupted him, knowing nothing he said could change anything he had done. "I know it sounds weird, stupid even. There have been countless people like me. And telling a great hero like you such an insignificant story...but I thought it would lift the weight on my heart, you know? And maybe, in the other universes, that was how the versions of us have met...and fell in love."

"I-I knew we'd eventually meet and fall for each other" the guilt-ridden Strange managed to wring out, "But- you don't understand. Being with me is dangerous! It-"

"We cannot change fate from happening, Stephen. Certain things are destined to happen." Were you still talking about this topic, or your emotions towards him? "Loss and death are steady parts of our lives, and nothing to be afraid of. I've learned this through my parents - through you."

No answer, instead heartfelt sobs echoed through the room, a faint glow of purple surrounding his fingertips

"Are you going to erase me now?"

Strange screamed as he fought the demons inside of him, letting out a roar until all air had left his lungs. He collapsed, now kneeling in front of you facing the ground. "No! I swear! I will bring an end to this right now!"

Instead of casting the spell once again, the room around you shifted. All illusions ceased until they disappeared fully, leaving both of you on the floor of the Sanctum's basement - and then, you heared the door to this prison of yours unlocking itself through his magic.

"Was it too much to ask for some happiness?" Stephen was shaking, glossy eyes searching you as he spoke to himself in a voice so small, it made familiar tears sting in your eyes.

Even through everything he's done, you couldn't help but feel sympathy for the man you had so many memories with. The fake ones had disappeared into thin air, like corrupted files on a computer.

Yet the time you had spent here, with him...it preserved.

Maybe if he didn't do this from the beginning, then- "Can you make me forget again?"

"Huh?" The broken man looked up to you now, confused and honestly forlorn. "Completely, making me forget about everything."

"Why would you want that?"

"I-I don't know, so we can start anew? Get to know each other naturally, and- I will fall in love with you again. You said it yourself, it's predetermined."

Again.

Such a small yet powerful word, resonaiting in his head.

"Y/N..." Strange was looking at you, almost reverently at this undeserved angel in front of him. "Please, forgive me...I will make this up to you. I-I love you, Y/N, I really do!"

The sorcerer reached out for you, his hand lingering on your cheek as you trustingly leaned into his touch. This time, his magic felt different than before. Warm. Familiar. Soothing. Like a part of you. You closed your eyes, smiling in peace at the thought of this yet unlived love-story...

...however, just before the spell could have it's effect on you, the door slammed open, a magic shot by the person kicking it in separating the two of you.

"Hands off of her, Strange!" Wong demanded harshly, another bunch of allies storming after him in assistance. Within the blink of an eye they had you surrounded, not even their allied forces enough to somewhat contain Doctor Strange.

The Sorcerer Supreme had his eye on his friend for a long time now, certain that having used the Darkhold - even crossing the line of possessing a corpse with it - exacts a great fee, even of the inheritly good and strong-willed.

What they did not expect however was how far this sinister side of him would go if it came to protect you.

And overwhelmed by the sight of the least experienced disciples restraining you as well, Strange saw red.

It was a horrendrous sight, honestly - how the former hero had completely lost himself in that moment. Unable to hide his true appearance any longer, the enraged and unhinged Strange acted on pure instinct.

Stephen's skin was worryingly pale, dark grey circles present under his eyes. His orbs were darkened and now constantly shining purple - all three of them.

You had no idea what tremendous power he tried to suppress all this time, and how much it had been nourishing on his soul ever since.

Even his appartent allies were both afraid and astonished at the sheer amount of dark energy this man possessed through the Darkhold's amplification.

"It's worse than we expected!" Wong ordered the others, sensing no threat from you whatsoever - even though he had no clue what you had to do with all this. "We need to get the girl out of here, quick!"

"No!" you shouted with all of your might, much to their surprise being able to break free from their magic hold. In an instant, faster than the others who gained their distance to Strange could reach you, you ran over to him. "Stephen, can you hear me?!"

Nothing more than a growl as response, you were unsure whether the real Strange was actually able to hear you right now. But even though you were clueless about the spiritual world, you knew this would be your last chance to get through to him before his old self would vanish.

"Now!" Wong proclaimed, so all of the mages that were on defense until now would hold him in place with their eldritch whips - to no avail. And before you knew what you had unveiled at yourself, you were standing defenselessly in front of the furious Strange...

...who did not attack you.

"Stephen?" you whimpered, tears of worry shimmering in your eyes ever so slightly. The man was hovering slightly above the ground, three purple eyes locked on you cautiously. "Stephen, it's me, Y/N. Please, come back to me!"

The tension in the air was so thick one could cut right through it, only Stephen's fastened pants audible as everone else had fallen dead silent. If you could settle this without a fight that might destroy the Sanctum, then so be it.

You hugged his thorso, carefully and hesistant for his pained groans left you on high alert. Yet slowly but steadily, the sorcerer would calm down and as his feet touched the ground again, he collapsed right into your arms. "Y/N, I...what happened? Are you alright? What did I do?!"

Your pained smile couldn't gloss over the fact that Wong and the others had used the moment to close in on the two of you, harshly shackling a Strange that had already sucked every ounce of fight from his will.

When they took him with them, only Wong and you remaining in the month-long prison that had become home in your heart, you made a promise.

"I will find you again, no matter what!

[Next Chapter]

#doctor strange´ #mom spoilers #stephen strange / reader #doctor strange x reader #marvel #doctor stephen strange #self insert

[chlodriendump]

What would you think if Chloe and Audrey heard rumours about the way they were going to be portrayed in Astruc’s new movie, so they went back to Paris in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the movie from being completed? Then an evilized villain (maybe a wishmaker-like villain or maybe even a villain that's unrelated to the butterfly miraculous) caused Chloe and Zoe to switch bodies somehow, and nobody fully understands what's going on, so Zoe (in Chloe's body) is taken by Audrey back to New York, despite Zoe desperately trying to explain things. But Chloe enters a fugue state (heavily due to trauma caused by the neglect of her parents) and genuinely thinks she's Zoe, and is even able to recall many of the things Zoe did due to being in Zoe's body. The class thinks “Zoe's” change in behavior is due to the psychological effects of method acting, since “Zoe” is playing Chloe in Astruc's new movie, but they gradually convince “Zoe” to let them help her relearn how to be “herself” again.

Zoe is not able to gain access to Chloe's memories while in Chloe's body, because unlike Chloe, Zoe knows she's in the wrong body. In New York, Zoe is trying to get back to Paris, but when she gets there, “Zoe” thinks she’s there to try to hurt Marinette. Eventually, after listening to “Chloe”, Marinette starts to suspect that “Chloe” might be telling the truth, so she decides that she must test “Chloe” and “Zoe”. She fakes being in danger to see how they react. “Zoe” reacts slightly faster than “Chloe”, so Marinette comes to the conclusion that “Chloe” is lying and that “Chloe” has an evil and manipulative plan. Marinette thinks that “Chloe” must have picked up a few tricks from Lila, because she thinks no version of Chloe could possibly react faster than Zoe when it comes to protecting her. So Audrey takes “Zoe” back to New York again to “correct” her after “Zoe” fails to convince anyone of the truth.

10 years later, “Zoe” gets seriously injured after fighting a villain when Ladybug isn’t around, which causes “Zoe” to not have long to live. Then Ladybug accidentally stumbles upon the truth about “Zoe” while trying to help “Zoe” using magical powers. Ladybug decides that the moral thing to do is to switch Chloe and Zoe back to their original bodies. Once Zoe gets her body back, she blames Chloe for her impending death and for leaving her with 10 years of loneliness, while Chloe got off scot-free. When Lila gets defeated, Zoe steals the Butterfly Miraculous to get her hands on Ladybug and Catnoir’s miraculouses, hoping to “make things right”. Zoe gets defeated by the heroes (including Chloe, who has gotten her memories back) and Ladybug manages to cure Zoe’s injuries.

Hey, anon! This is a really interesting plot 🤔😊 You should definitely write this fic if you ever have the time! I'd be happy to read it.

I normally don't include Zoe in my art and fics just because idk what to do with her character and she sometimes feels like an excuse for Chloe not getting her redemption arc (but that's just me) 😔

[data-expunged-0]

GUESS WHAT

CHAOS CREW INCORRECT QUOTES ARE BACK

...

Ted: Squishy's refusing to wear their glasses!

Squishy: Ted, look, I wore the glasses for a day. My eyes are much better now. Watch.

Squishy: * points to Poppy* Poppy.

Squishy: * points to Kayla* Kayla.

Squishy: * points to Red* Sasquatch.

...

*The gang's thoughts on stabbing*

Kayla: Would never stab anyone.

Ted: Would stab someone in retaliation.

Red: Yells "I won't hesitate, bitch!" first.

Squishy: Would stab without warning.

Poppy: Would stab as a warning.

...

Ted: I swear to god I'm the only one here with a braincell.

Poppy, Squishy, Kayla, and Red: ALL HAIL the keeper of the sacred braincell!

...

Ted: Kayla is late again.

Red: How did this happen? I called them at 8 o'clock this morning and pretended it was 11.

Squishy: I printed up a fake schedule for them saying we were starting at 9 instead of noon.

Poppy: I set their clock to say PM when it's really AM.

Ted: Oh boy. We may have overdone it.

* Kayla bursts through the door*

Kayla: WHAT TIME IS IT?

...

Ted: What do rainbows mean to you?

Squishy: Gay rights.

Red: There's money.

Kayla: The sign of God's promise to never destroy the whole Earth with a flood.

Poppy: It is an optical phenomenon that separates sunlight into its continuous spectrum when the sun shines on raindrops.

...

Ted: *visiting the squad* Hello, I just came to-

Ted: * sees Squishy shoving Poppy into the washing machine while Red records and Kayla watches*

Ted: *retreating* Something suddenly came up.

...

Ted: Time for plan G.

Squishy: Don't you mean plan B?

Ted: No, we tried plan B a long time ago. I had to skip over plan C due to technical difficulties.

Poppy: What about plan D?

Ted: Plan D was that desperate disguise attempt half an hour ago.

Red: What about plan E?

Ted: I'm hoping not to use it. Kayla dies in plan E.

Kayla: I'm not sure I like plan E.

...

Ted: What makes you all smile?

Red: Friends and Family.

Kayla: Snacks.

Poppy: Victory and success.

Squishy: Face muscles.

...

Ted: How do you connect with a fictional character?

Poppy: What?

Squishy: What?

Red: What?

Kayla: * pulls up a 500 slide presentation* I'm glad you asked.

...

Ted: Who the fuck broke the toaster?

Poppy: It was Red.

Kayla: It was Red.

Squishy: Red broke it.

Red:

Red: ...YOU PROMISED-

...

Ted: Guys… the principal just called—

Squishy: It was Red!

Red: It was Poppy!

Poppy: It was Kayla!

Kayla: It was me!

...

Ted: You're a loose cannon, Red.

Red: No, I'm not.I'm a cannon, maybe, but a loose cannon? Is that what you think of me?

Squishy: I think you play by your own rules.

Kayla: No way, they think rules were made to be broken.

Ted: Those are all attributes of a loose cannon.

Red: No, I'm just a reckless renegade. Poppy is a loose cannon.

Poppy: * smashes a chair* Aah! You shut your trap, Red!

Kayla: I'd say Poppy's more of a cop on the edge with nothing to lose. That's an entirely different thing.

Squishy: Now I'm just confused. Is Red a loose cannon or not?

Ted: All right, put on a pot of coffee. We're gonna get to the bottom of this.

Red: *groans*

Poppy: Aw, man.

...

Ted: Kayla is a strings kid. We must sacrifice them to the band gods.

Red: Yes.

Squishy: You're right. It'd be a good initiation for me.

Kayla: Wait, guys, what about the truce we signed-

Red: What truce?

Ted: * sigh * The truce that we must destroy all the choir kids and leave the strings alone.

Poppy: Wait, I'm a choir kid!

Everyone else: * prepares for sacrifice *

...

*the squad is at a dinner party but someone has been murdered*

Kayla: You're acting pretty carefree for someone who's life's at stake. Who's to say you aren't the killer?

Red: It's a murder, not a tax audit. I'll be fine.

Poppy: What about Squishy? Nobody ever suspects Squishy!

Squishy: Well what about Ted? They have a gun!

Ted: Kayla has a knife.

Kayla: Yeah, for fun, not for murder! *stabs Poppy in the arm*

...

People who were mentioned:

@colossal-red@poprockpanda@squishys-soft-stories@kayla-crazy-stuffs

[justonemorechapternicercy]

Might i suggest for Halloween, Percy & Hazel (platonic) with witches??

Hazel didn't really like the Jupiter Academy of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Well, that was a lie. She loved being there, she loved her friends and the classes, and being able to use her magic without fearing that some mortals would find her and burn her alive like they did with her mother. But there were things in the school that were…

Well.

Uncomfortable.

Caroline Cornwall - Queen CC for the "masses" - has been a thorn in Hazel's back ever since her first day at the Academy. She started late, later than usual because her mother wanted to homeschool her, and it was only after her death that she found herself in the most prestigious institution for witches and wizards like her.

Queen CC instantly found her, and she had no way to run from her and her bullying. Endless mocking for her status as an orphan - with "reassurances" that she will end up like her mother -, speculations about why Nico di Angelo, the Head Boy would favor an insignificant worm like her, and other cruel remarks. There was nothing in Hazel that she could not find a reason to poke fun of, it was as if she had no life outside of making Hazel's hell.

It didn't help that she had no way to fight back. She was a nobody, while the Cornwall family was a side branch of one of their most powerful noble lines. Any attempt from either her or CC's other targets would be met with a swift denial and a harsh punishment. There was no escape from their "queen".

It was a breath of fresh air when her bully vent on an exchange program to their partner school, Academy of Magic-Blood, and to her delight, she quickly became best friends with the guy who came in her stead. Perseus "Percy" Jackson, son of The Poseidon Jackson, one of USA's three warlock leaders. She, they all, expected a spoiled, cruel brat, somebody worse than CC, but he was anything but. Sure, they could all be ruthless, but it was different to be vindictive and being cruel for cruelty's sake. He was funny and kind, goofy and sassy, and frighteningly smart and talented. He was the best friend she could have ever wished for.

It was smooth sailing from the beginning. She was assigned to lead him around, and that was the start of a beautiful - albeit chaotic and full of troubles - friendship. Percy was always prone to get into the most ridiculous troubles, and Hazel was beside him, to the endless despair of Nico. The Head Boy kept an eye on them every time - but Hazel quite suspected it was only partly because he wanted to make sure she was okay. She wasn't the only one who adored Percy, and it was a lovely surprise when he declared that he would finish his studies with them, rather than going back home.

But with the happinesses that she could keep her best friend, she almost forgot one thing. Even if Percy wouldn't go home - there was one person who just couldn't stay away for long; the one year reprieve soon came to an end when CC waltzed into the Big Hall, as is she'd never left, eyes immediately locking onto the table where Hazel was sitting with Percy, and her boyfriends, Frank and Leo.

"Well, hello there," CC purred, voice dripping with contempt. The gasp that left Hazel's lips couldn't be helped. She almost forgot the bitch existed, and now she was there, looking forward to continuing making her life into a living hell. Frank's knuckles turned white with the force he was gripping his fork, and Leo was echoing her surprised fear. Percy could only frown at their reaction, not knowing the story behind it, and nobody was able to explain it. "Long time no see, Levesque. Miss me?"

"No chance in Hell!" Hazel growled, contempt clear in her eyes. "The Academy was better without you, nobody missed you, least of all me."

CC just smiled eerily, like a haunted porcelain doll.

"The kitten has claws now," she laughed. It was a fake, ear-splitting sound that made Hazel sick in her stomach. She could see Percy's confusion from the corner of her eyes, but she knew she couldn't let her guard down. Not now. Not anymore.

Percy opened his mouth, possibly to talk back to CC, but Hazel couldn't let him do that. His father might have been Poseidon Jackson, he might have been a favoured one, but he was an illegitimate child, and as such, it would be a political suicide letting him piss off the Queen B. She had to protect him, so she placed a hand on his wrist, letting him know he shouldn't do anything. He stilled, clenched his jaw, but stayed.

She also knew Percy was too stubborn, too protective of his friends, so she hoped CC would leave before Percy's patience was torn down.

It didn't happen.

"Now, we all know what's going to happen," CC said, dropping her nauseatingly sweet facade. Leaning closer to Hazel, trying to intimidate her, which, unfortunately, was going well for her. Hazel knew what cruelty lurked behind those blue eyes. A shiver ran through her as the memory of a cold, airless coffin resurfaced from the back of her mind.

She was too fearful of what was in front of her, she didn't notice what was beside her. Only one drop needed to cause a tsunami within Percy, his power flooded his veins, overflew his bones. Nobody noticed the little smirk that betrayed what was coming.

"I think you became-" CC started, but couldn't finish it. Leo gasped and Frank flinched in his seat, and Hazel… she couldn't look away from the thing appearing behind CC.

The thing was like something from a nightmare, with eyes more than anything would ever need, legs ending with sharp needles, black hair covering all of its body. And the teeth… the teeth dripping with venom, burning through the table it was perched on.

As the bully turned to see what took their attention away from her, Hazel could have sworn her heart stopped for a moment, before letting out the most bloodcurdling scream one ever heard.

"Just to be clear," came Percy's hard voice. Hazel could barely tear her eyes from the nightmarish thing, but seeing Percy, it was the first time she realized how utterly fortunate she was to be his friend. Nothing could be scarier than he was that time. "You will not approach Hazel again. You will not speak to her, not look at her, not even think about her! If I ever hear that you - or anybody you have ties to - tried to sabotage her in any way, shape, or form, this will be nothing compared to what will happen to you. Understood?"

Hazel should have been frightened, maybe uncomfortable, or apprehensive that Percy was capable of such a thing, but the only thing she felt was the overwhelming love towards him. Her best friend.

#percy jackson #hazel levesque #witches #pjo #pjo fic

[surrsilver]

In retrospect, I should have seen this coming, but was caught off-guard when she cornered me at lunch."Hey....Dan! Wait up! She sprinted up the long flight of stairs leading to the building's main entrance and cut me off before I reached the door."What, we don't have lunch together anymore?"

"Stop it, weirdo.I looked all over for you." Her sensitivity was, at times, ridiculous. Then again, so is mine.

"Okay, okay. Sorry, yeah....I was in Justin's (another pseudonym) office." she was still panting from having to run up a single flight of stairs. Lydia looked to be in much better shape than she was.

"Jeezus....join a gym, or something. You're TWENTY? Good lord...."

"Yeah, yeah....whatever, asshole. Anyway, Justin's locking up tonight, so I can go with you." She attempted to act as though she fully expected me to be thrilled with this idea. I suspect she knew better.

"Come with me....to the meeting tonight?"

"Yeah, dude. Come on. Please. We've been talking about this girl forever, and, well.....I just wanna see for myself."

"See WHAT for yourself?" I queried.

"Well....see how some chick you don't know, and has expressed no interest in you at all can have you so fucked up. I mean....you're not a total dork, or anything."

"Well, thanks Lid, for professing that I'm not a total dork, but I don't see what good can possibly come from this. I mean, no offense, but you can be.....aggressive and, well...really blunt. I don't think that...."

"I won't say anything to her without your permission. I promise. And, who knows, maybe she needs to see you with a woman...she probably thinks you're gay. I thought that for a while."

"How 'bout I just get you a picture?" I was grasping at straws, but knew, at this point that she'd be going. I was not willing to offend her to the lvel required to prevent it, and she had a point. Nobody thought I was gay (I thought) but Lydia was not just a woman, but a gorgeous one. If I could keep her sometimes obnoxious ways under wraps, this may, actually wind up helping my cause. The truth was, while my feelings for her had not dissipated, my confidence that anything would ever come of them certainly had. I was close to moving out of the halfway house, and had more than enough money to do so. If I couldn't make, at least, some headway in the next couple of weeks, it may be time to concede that, while powerful and bizarre, my reaction to meeting her may have meant nothing.

"If you don't take me, I am gonna go over to that halfway house this weekend, find this girl, introduce myself and tell her all about this....does that help?" She gave a "fucking try me" look that contained just enough of a loving element to prevent from rousing too much anger in me, and, the truth is, while I don't think she'd do exactly THAT, I had no doubt that she was, at this point, curious enough to start investigating matters for herself....and I didn't want that. So....."Yeah. Fine. You aren't saying anything to or about her, right?"

"Promise. Hey, can you buy me Blimpie's? I'm broke?"

"Lid....it's fuckin' Monday. You're already broke?"

"Yeah....it's kind of a long story."

"Well, you can tell me tonight, I guess." I handed her 50 bucks."in the meantime, get your own Blimpie. I'm going to Pete's....and you're paying me back on Friday."

"Cool. I have to go drop a UA. I'll be back before closing. Don't even leave early....I'm your wingman now. You never leave your wingman. You've seen Top Gun, right?"

"Yeah. Okay, wingman. Just remember our agreement. You're the SILENT wingman."

"Yeah, yeah. Totally. So, like....just out of curiosity....what if this thing with this girl like, isn't gonna happen? Ya know, like....well, you said she had a boyfriend, right? Will he be there too?"

"Yeah, I think she still does...and, I don't know. I'll point everybody out to you, we just can't be obvious about it....and hey, since you're leaving, can you bring me some of those raviolis?"

"I haven't made them yet, dumbass. I make them from scratch. They take a while...that's why they're good. But, you didn't answer my question."

I pondered for a moment. "Well....it appears unlikely that anything ever WILL happen with her....and, I don't know. I guess once I'm sure there's no chance, I'll have no choice but to move on...maybe that's why I've actually been avoiding her. I know, on some level that she's not interested, and I don't want my fantasy destroyed."

"Wow. That's sad. You deserve better. You're a great guy....even my Mom likes you."

"Okay Lid. I look forward to more of your 'help' later. Happy peeing."

"Sorry, I just..." it seemed she wanted to say much more,"sorry. And thanks, I'll pay you back Friday."

"No worries." We hugged and she walked toward her car to leave. I considered what she had said. This was far from the first time that I had completely closed myself off to the entire female species, except for one individual target. This was the first time I'd managed to choose someone before even knowing them, but the truth was, even when I did, my plans DIDN'T come to any sort of fruition, at least as often as they did....and, except for one instance, disappointment eventually reigned in either case. It was, sorry to sound trite and non-responsive to obvious challenges to this way of being all at once, just how I was wired...it was not something I chose. But, there were some unprecedented aspects of this situation that I would have never thought possible, even aside from the most glaring. Ya know, the fact that she and I had barely spoken. For example, and I considered telling Lydia this a few moments prior, but decided against it, I wasn't sure I would want her unless she not only reciprocated my feelings for her, but that I would also add something special to her existence. In other words, if she was better off and happier with someone else, I would want her with him. Also, and there was no way I was going to ever reveal this (or so I thought, but did reveal it several years later, while drunk with another female alumni of that halfway house) she had fairly severe health concerns from what must have been a prodigious drinking career. I noticed that instead of fantasizing about her in her capacity to, eventually, fulfill my desires, I spent much of my time worrying about her prognosis. Of course, there was no way on earth for me to affect this, but I, while stone-cold sober, mind you, imagined a few with the help of self-twisted tenets of religion, as I understood it....to be more specific would undermine my anonymous ethos and cause great embarassment. Suffice to say, I was ridiculous...even by my standards. I suppose, though, that as love is defined in that section of Corinthians read at every Catholic wedding ever...this was probably the closest I'd come. I was not attempting to "score" her, and had absolutely no interest in no-strings, or even few-strings sex (not typical for me to that point...or, in some cases, beyond it) with her. Half a year after being presented with this issue, I was not only no closer to her, I was even farther from deciding what, exactly, it meant to me....but, at least I thought, at the time, I was nearing the point of giving up and pretending it never happened. That finally seemed a possibility, but not because she was any less perfect, from my vantage point, than she'd ever been. The halfway house held a mandatory meeting every Sunday morning which gave me a highly anticipated opportunity to stare at her for close to an hour. My fondness for her had not gone unnoticed, and I had admitted to it, casually. None but Lydia was aware of the full, crazy extent, though.....and, I gusss that not even she knew EVERYTHING. Lydia was becoming a question of sorts, as well....maybe this was God's way of providing a way out. Like,"look kid, sorry for the misunderstanding, but what do you think of this?" And I thought plenty of her. Not only the bearer of rare physical beauty, she, despite some rough edges, was a genuinely good person. She was also honest and loyal...if she made a move....and she seemed close to doing so, how stupid would I be to turn her down in favor of a feeling that, more and more, seemed rare and awesome, but, ultimately false? I was, at least, starting to consider other options....but, still, staring across the room at one girl trumped anything else that may happen with any other, I walked back onto the floor to finish my day.

[therese-lokidottir]

What would you think if Chloe and Audrey heard rumours about the way they were going to be portrayed in Astruc’s new movie, so they went back to Paris in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the movie from being completed? Then an evilized villain (maybe a wishmaker-like villain or maybe even a villain that's unrelated to the butterfly miraculous) caused Chloe and Zoe to switch bodies somehow, and nobody fully understands what's going on, so Zoe (in Chloe's body) is taken by Audrey back to New York, despite Zoe desperately trying to explain things. But Chloe enters a fugue state (heavily due to trauma caused by the neglect of her parents) and genuinely thinks she's Zoe, and is even able to recall many of the things Zoe did due to being in Zoe's body. The class thinks “Zoe's” change in behavior is due to the psychological effects of method acting, since “Zoe” is playing Chloe in Astruc's new movie, but they gradually convince “Zoe” to let them help her relearn how to be “herself” again.

Zoe is not able to gain access to Chloe's memories while in Chloe's body, because unlike Chloe, Zoe knows she's in the wrong body. In New York, Zoe is trying to get back to Paris, but when she gets there, “Zoe” thinks she’s there to try to hurt Marinette. Eventually, after listening to “Chloe”, Marinette starts to suspect that “Chloe” might be telling the truth, so she decides that she must test “Chloe” and “Zoe”. She fakes being in danger to see how they react. “Zoe” reacts slightly faster than “Chloe”, so Marinette comes to the conclusion that “Chloe” is lying and that “Chloe” has an evil and manipulative plan. Marinette thinks that “Chloe” must have picked up a few tricks from Lila, because she thinks no version of Chloe could possibly react faster than Zoe when it comes to protecting her. So Audrey takes “Zoe” back to New York again to “correct” her after “Zoe” fails to convince anyone of the truth.

10 years later, “Zoe” gets seriously injured after fighting a villain when Ladybug isn’t around, which causes “Zoe” to not have long to live. Then Ladybug accidentally stumbles upon the truth about “Zoe” while trying to help “Zoe” using magical powers. Ladybug decides that the moral thing to do is to switch Chloe and Zoe back to their original bodies. Once Zoe gets her body back, she blames Chloe for her impending death and for leaving her with 10 years of loneliness, while Chloe got off scot-free. When Lila gets defeated, Zoe steals the Butterfly Miraculous to get her hands on Ladybug and Catnoir’s miraculouses, hoping to “make things right”. Zoe gets defeated by the heroes (including Chloe, who has gotten her memories back) and Ladybug manages to cure Zoe’s injuries.

So, I am the wrong person to ask all this. As I said in my little rant about the lack of character development I only watched the first 3 season and I didn't even watch all of season 2&3. I was just reminded of Chloe because the series recently wrapped up and I from what I've heard what happened with Chloe development was a common complaint.

Sorry, I haven't really engaged in the show in some time so I am just not the person to bounce ideas off of

#asks #miraculous ladybug

[starlight-bread-blog]

What would you think if Chloe and Audrey heard rumours about the way they were going to be portrayed in Astruc’s new movie, so they went back to Paris in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the movie from being completed? Then an evilized villain (maybe a wishmaker-like villain or maybe even a villain that's unrelated to the butterfly miraculous) caused Chloe and Zoe to switch bodies somehow, and nobody fully understands what's going on, so Zoe (in Chloe's body) is taken by Audrey back to New York, despite Zoe desperately trying to explain things. But Chloe enters a fugue state (heavily due to trauma caused by the neglect of her parents) and genuinely thinks she's Zoe, and is even able to recall many of the things Zoe did due to being in Zoe's body. The class thinks “Zoe's” change in behavior is due to the psychological effects of method acting, since “Zoe” is playing Chloe in Astruc's new movie, but they gradually convince “Zoe” to let them help her relearn how to be “herself” again.

Zoe is not able to gain access to Chloe's memories while in Chloe's body, because unlike Chloe, Zoe knows she's in the wrong body. In New York, Zoe is trying to get back to Paris, but when she gets there, “Zoe” thinks she’s there to try to hurt Marinette. Eventually, after listening to “Chloe”, Marinette starts to suspect that “Chloe” might be telling the truth, so she decides that she must test “Chloe” and “Zoe”. She fakes being in danger to see how they react. “Zoe” reacts slightly faster than “Chloe”, so Marinette comes to the conclusion that “Chloe” is lying and that “Chloe” has an evil and manipulative plan. Marinette thinks that “Chloe” must have picked up a few tricks from Lila, because she thinks no version of Chloe could possibly react faster than Zoe when it comes to protecting her. So Audrey takes “Zoe” back to New York again to “correct” her after “Zoe” fails to convince anyone of the truth.

10 years later, “Zoe” gets seriously injured after fighting a villain when Ladybug isn’t around, which causes “Zoe” to not have long to live. Then Ladybug accidentally stumbles upon the truth about “Zoe” while trying to help “Zoe” using magical powers. Ladybug decides that the moral thing to do is to switch Chloe and Zoe back to their original bodies. Once Zoe gets her body back, she blames Chloe for her impending death and for leaving her with 10 years of loneliness, while Chloe got off scot-free. When Lila gets defeated, Zoe steals the Butterfly Miraculous to get her hands on Ladybug and Catnoir’s miraculouses, hoping to “make things right”. Zoe gets defeated by the heroes (including Chloe, who has gotten her memories back) and Ladybug manages to cure Zoe’s injuries.

I'd think that'd be really cool. (Although not in the show itself, Chloe thinking she's Zoe for 10 years is too dark for a kid's show in my opinion). That's a crazy way on going about her redemption arc. I'm hesitant to call it a redemption.

I love it. Like, one day Chloe's gonna wake up and realize she isn't herself. That's crazy. She lived 10 years thinking she's someone else, grew as a person, developped a sense of self, only for it to get thrown away.

There are so many ways to spin this, like, all the character work during these 10 years is gonna have a dark edge to it, and it'll all come to ahead in this one moment where her world is shattered.

Not only that, she spent all this time being a good person, a hero, and now she realized that she had stolen someone else's life, put 'em through these 10 years, and that person is her own sister. I also think you can showcase the guilt of direcly creating a villian.

And that's just Chloe. These 10 years could be anything. If I'm correct Zoe should be in her early-mid 20s by now. Did she ever accept that as her new reality? Did she not? Did she remain spiteful? Did she start a life?

Or did she dedicate them to finding a way to fix it, isolating herself to where she's alone with her growing anger at Chloe? Did she prefer to be alone, rather than playing a character again? Let me just say, trapping Zoe to play a role when that's her backstory is smart.

(One thing I don't really understand, how did Chloe and Zoe stay in each other's bodies after the akumatized villian was defeated? Shouldn't they swich back? This question got me thinking of an adjustment I'd personally make, I hope you don't mind me adding this thought: What if it wasn't an akumatized villian, but something related to the Miraculouses? (Maybe rewriting the Rabbit Miraculous since it only creates plot holes, lol). This would also mean the swich would have to happen is some pivotal point of the story, giving this plot line a very strong beggining).

One last thing: You have no idea how much I appreciate that you decided to share that with me. Sharing your ideas can be really hard. Thank you for this and have a nice day.

#miraculous rewrite #miraculous au #miraculous chloe #zoe lee #Chloé Bourgeois #chloe bourgeois #miraculous #mlb #mlb rewrite #ml rewrite #rewrite #mlb au #ml au #mlb zoe #asks #asks open #miraculous ladybug #miraculous tales of ladybug and chat noir #ml chloe #mlb chloe #ml zoe #idk how else to tag this #i do have an au for Origins myself #Although #I'm not sure I'll post it #maybe if someone will be interested I will #but Idk #lol

[kuramirocket]

What would you think if Chloe and Audrey heard rumours about the way they were going to be portrayed in Astruc’s new movie, so they went back to Paris in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the movie from being completed? Then an evilized villain (maybe a wishmaker-like villain or maybe even a villain that's unrelated to the butterfly miraculous) caused Chloe and Zoe to switch bodies somehow, and nobody fully understands what's going on, so Zoe (in Chloe's body) is taken by Audrey back to New York, despite Zoe desperately trying to explain things. But Chloe enters a fugue state (heavily due to trauma caused by the neglect of her parents) and genuinely thinks she's Zoe, and is even able to recall many of the things Zoe did due to being in Zoe's body. The class thinks “Zoe's” change in behavior is due to the psychological effects of method acting, since “Zoe” is playing Chloe in Astruc's new movie, but they gradually convince “Zoe” to let them help her relearn how to be “herself” again.

Zoe is not able to gain access to Chloe's memories while in Chloe's body, because unlike Chloe, Zoe knows she's in the wrong body. In New York, Zoe is trying to get back to Paris, but when she gets there, “Zoe” thinks she’s there to try to hurt Marinette. Eventually, after listening to “Chloe”, Marinette starts to suspect that “Chloe” might be telling the truth, so she decides that she must test “Chloe” and “Zoe”. She fakes being in danger to see how they react. “Zoe” reacts slightly faster than “Chloe”, so Marinette comes to the conclusion that “Chloe” is lying and that “Chloe” has an evil and manipulative plan. Marinette thinks that “Chloe” must have picked up a few tricks from Lila, because she thinks no version of Chloe could possibly react faster than Zoe when it comes to protecting her. So Audrey takes “Zoe” back to New York again to “correct” her after “Zoe” fails to convince anyone of the truth.

10 years later, “Zoe” gets seriously injured after fighting a villain when Ladybug isn’t around, which causes “Zoe” to not have long to live. Then Ladybug accidentally stumbles upon the truth about “Zoe” while trying to help “Zoe” using magical powers. Ladybug decides that the moral thing to do is to switch Chloe and Zoe back to their original bodies. Once Zoe gets her body back, she blames Chloe for her impending death and for leaving her with 10 years of loneliness, while Chloe got off scot-free. When Lila gets defeated, Zoe steals the Butterfly Miraculous to get her hands on Ladybug and Catnoir’s miraculouses, hoping to “make things right”. Zoe gets defeated by the heroes (including Chloe, who has gotten her memories back) and Ladybug manages to cure Zoe’s injuries.

Hi. I watched the first 3 seasons of Miraculous. So, I believe Chloe leaving with her mother was in later seasons right since you mentioned Zoe. Haven't rewatched the series either in a long time so. Lol.

I really dislike how Zoe replaced Chloe as the Bee Miraculous holder because from the very first episode I liked Chloe. I had a feeling there was something more to her under the mean rich girl trope. And as the series went on I was happy to see that this was the case, but ofc, we all know how season 3 went down.

With that said, I can't really say what I think of Zoe's character herself as I haven't actually seen her in the series. Idk if I'll like her or dislike her.

As for the idea you mentioned. It sounds interesting if messed up how Zoe is trapped in Chloe's body unable to convince everyone of what has happened. It's sad to have that happen to her, but it's also interesting how Chloe just mentally believes she is Zoe. With her upbringing and treatment I can see how she somehow believes she is Zoe. From what I can tell and the little I've heard, Zoe is supposed to be a 'good' and 'better' Chloe. So, I can see how this is what Chloe would have wanted for herself - friends, people who admire her, to be a hero and the one and only holder of the Bee miraculous.

Having Zoe try to steal the miraculous after regaining her body is also interesting since it shows even the good guys who are well liked and seen as heroes can fall into a dark path whether that be due to being pushed so far, feeling they were abandoned and alone, upbringing, etc. It creates sympathy for Zoe because, ofc, she would want the years of her life she lost back, but at the same time the sacrifice that is required to make a wish is also obviously not good.

I feel like this would kind of place her on the same equal footing as Chloe - sympathized, but also hated (sort of how some fans like myself love Chloe whatever the reason may be, but others dislike or hate her). It would be nice to see Zoe make those same mistakes or something like Chloe to not only make her more layered and complex, but also because I feel like the writing for Chloe is unfair. We all know that one specific writer pathologically hates Chloe.

It also does make me wonder how everyone will respond to these new developments and realizations, especially in regards to Chloe since she was in Zoe's body all along even if she thought she was really Zoe.

But yeah. Justice for Chloe's character writing!!

Marinette in part was the one to fck up. She should have chosen Chloe to fight alongside her when Chloe's parents were akumatized, but she didn't. (Again, need to rewatch the series, but this is how I remember feeling when I first watched those eps).

We should also have both sisters, Chloe (as Queen Bee like she deserves) and Zoe (a similar bee themed miraculous or I guess Wasp since she seems to combine bee and wasp for her costume) fighting alongside each other instead of whatever grudges they seem to have within their relationship. Honestly, we need more healthy family bonds in media in general.

#asks #miraculous #zoe lee #Vesperia #marinette dupain cheng #andre bourgeois #chloe bourgeois #audrey bourgeois

[icantbeliveimadeanaccountsmh]

What would you think if Chloe and Audrey heard rumours about the way they were going to be portrayed in Astruc’s new movie, so they went back to Paris in an unsuccessful attempt to stop the movie from being completed? Then an evilized villain (maybe a wishmaker-like villain or maybe even a villain that's unrelated to the butterfly miraculous) caused Chloe and Zoe to switch bodies somehow, and nobody fully understands what's going on, so Zoe (in Chloe's body) is taken by Audrey back to New York, despite Zoe desperately trying to explain things. But Chloe enters a fugue state (heavily due to trauma caused by the neglect of her parents) and genuinely thinks she's Zoe, and is even able to recall many of the things Zoe did due to being in Zoe's body. The class thinks “Zoe's” change in behavior is due to the psychological effects of method acting, since “Zoe” is playing Chloe in Astruc's new movie, but they gradually convince “Zoe” to let them help her relearn how to be “herself” again. Meanwhile, in New York, Zoe is trying to get back to Paris, but when she gets there, “Zoe” thinks she’s there to try to hurt Marinette.

Eventually, after listening to “Chloe”, Marinette starts to suspect that “Chloe” might be telling the truth, so she decides that she must test “Chloe” and “Zoe”. She fakes being in danger to see how they react. “Zoe” reacts slightly faster than “Chloe”, so Marinette comes to the conclusion that “Chloe” is lying and that “Chloe” has an evil and manipulative plan. Marinette thinks that “Chloe” must have picked up a few tricks from Lila, because she thinks no version of Chloe could possibly react faster than Zoe when it comes to protecting her. So Audrey takes “Zoe” back to New York again to “correct” her after “Zoe” fails to convince anyone of the truth.

10 years later, “Zoe” gets seriously injured after fighting a villain when Ladybug isn’t around, which causes “Zoe” to not have long to live. Then Ladybug accidentally stumbles upon the truth about “Zoe” while trying to help “Zoe” using magical powers. Ladybug decides that the moral thing to do is to switch Chloe and Zoe back to their original bodies. Once Zoe gets her body back, she blames Chloe for her impending death and for leaving her with 10 years of loneliness, while Chloe got off scot-free. When Lila gets defeated, Zoe steals the Butterfly Miraculous to get her hands on Ladybug and Catnoir’s miraculouses, hoping to “make things right”. Zoe gets defeated by the heroes (including Chloe, who has gotten her memories back) and Ladybug manages to cure Zoe’s injuries.

I think that you have a very active imagination, that’s what. But uhh I would also be very confused the whole time. If you or anyone wants to make this- like into a story or comic - I feel it would be really interesting!

Oooh you know what else? A body swap episode would be sooo interesting no matter who gets swapped!

#Asks #chloe bourgeois #zoe lee #Miraculous ladybug