ok ok in the spirit of community, how would the ros fair in a paintball war?

(referring to this ask! like the zombie au post this ended up making me think a lot 😅)

ohh... interesting, interesting... p sure the only paintball wars i’ve really seen were the ones featured in The League, Peep Show, and Community... but let me wrack my lil head...

ok, i ended up coming at this from multiple angles like the zombie au post 😅 always so much to consider in battle environments! and in the spirit of community, I'll stick with the individual player elimination style paintball match. in the woods with other e prep seniors. last one standing wins bragging rights

Gabe

Shooting skill | 6/10 - Experience with shooting and practice with Kile ofc

Stealthiness | 8/10 - He's done a fair amount of sneaking around during his after school activities, is super observant (or just paranoid lol), and naturally light on his feet. Good luck ambushing him.

Strategy | 8/10 - Strike deals. Do favors. Form alliances. Shoot 'em in the back once they’ve outlived their usefulness. ...What? It’s just paintball.

How does he win? | Graciously. Gabe likes winning, and especially via strategic manipulation, so it puts a smile on his face. And he's in a good mood so he treats a bunch of you to ice cream or smth 👀

How does he lose? | Slumps in frustration at being outwitted or taken off-guard, sulks about it for a little while. He's not that sore of a loser but needs time to lick his wounds and stop thinking of the different choices he could have made.

Kile

Shooting | 9 - The most accurate shooter of the cast and easily one of the best shots at E Prep. Lots of practice + talent

Stealth | 10 - They're stupid good at climbing trees and 100% consider that a valid method of ambushing their classmates. People start having flashbacks to 3rd and 4th grade recess and P.E. Scanning the trees. They just start taking people out with such efficiency it quickly starts ruining the game 😂

Strategy | 0? 10?? - “...Strategy? You just stay out of sight and kill 'em all, right?” (immediately scolded by Gabe for word choice 🙄) They really do mainly stay out of sight and pick people off with max stealth, like 😆 they'd be such a terror, people would need to take them out early for anyone else to stand a chance! They spend a lot of the game staking out the most frequented paths in the area and taking out groups quickly, all at once. Then they'll get around to stalking and picking people off one by one. The real fun...

Winner type | Stoic. Likes winning combat but the stakes were non-existent, so... the win is meaningless! this just infuriates the losers more 😅 such disrespect

Loser type | Sucks their teeth and tosses their paintball gun to the ground. "Y'all suck." (they're over it five mins later tho lol)

Jack

Shooting | 3 - This is nothing like shooting light guns... ☹️

Stealth | 5 - Not just due to his size making him an easier target, but homeboy is liable to get distracted by a cute squirrel or some pretty flowers 😂 He's not great at keeping his voice down either so good conversation would make him easy to seek out. He's just out here enjoying a beautiful day 😅

Strategy | 7 - All that movie-watching (and DMing) make him a valuable creative mind for problem-solving, but he needs a cooperative team to be effective. Rescued and recruited by Rupan/Rohan early on in the game ^ ^

Winner type | Disbelief! And everyone’s content and satisfied with him winning. Except Vivian/Vincent, that jealous fool

Loser type | Doesn't mind losing at all! He just hopes he was a good teammate and was glad to have fun ☺️

Jessie

Shooting | 7 - Comes from a family of hunters, girly knows how to shoot.

Stealth | 6 - Familiar enough with woods and stalking prey to be capable of sneaking around. Having too much fun to not giggle and get overly invested in the developing plot of the game. Even more easily distracted by critters and flora than Jack 😅

Strategy | 5 - Oh, she's just here to have fun. She'll go with whatever the person she's teaming up with decides, but can adapt easily enough.

Winner type | Surprised... then elated! Bouncing and happy and it's completely contagious. No hard feelings about a single thing. Convinces Heidi to invite people to the Emerson Estate—it's a hot day and they have a nice pool

Loser type | Same as Jack! Congratulates the winner with a hug because she's sweet like that 🧁

Rain

Shooting | 2 - This... thing is so cumbersome. And ugly. At least it shoots pretty colors.

Stealth | 7 - Small and used to sneaking around different environments and seeking out hiding spots. Their height and frame makes them harder to spot too.

Strategy | 4 - Hide!!! They’re not getting assaulted with paint and pellets!! Especially not after managing to make this ugly jumpsuit look cute?? Waiting it out is perfectly legitimate. Might share snacks if you decide to join them in hiding 😆

Winner type | Falls asleep in an unexpectedly cozy hiding spot and emerges as everyone thought they’d declared the winner. I imagine R and others yelling at them to get their gun while the original winner scrambles to get theirs, just for Rain to win by pure luck of the draw. Won’t stop them bragging about it, though! (I want this spurned runner-up to be Vi bc ofc)

Loser type | "So I can stop holding this thing?" Yawn. "I'm so hungry and bored, we've been at this for hours..."

Rupan/Rohan

Shooting | 4 - Ah, shit. These don't shoot anything like light guns.

Stealth | 7 - They sneak out and around town a lot 😂 They just force themself to be careful about how loud grass and bushes are.

Strategy | 7 - They’re treating this shit like an action movie and banding together a ragtag team of misfits to take down the strongest alliances and players. Savvy enough to reject Gabe’s and Curt’s offers to join, not opposed to strategic backstabs. They're very clearly just as focused on having fun as they are on winning—and playing Predator, which honestly works with Kile runnin around. They even brought war paint and borrowed a tactical vest. Is it mostly packed with snacks and weed? Maybe. Does it prove useful for negotiations? Hell yeah.

Winner type | Raucous celebration, just pure joy and adrenaline ☺️ Celebrates with their team, brags a bit, rubs it into Vi's face, makes fun of Curt, the usual. Then invites allies out to get pizza because it's the obvious next step

Loser type | Mostly disappointed they can't keep playing. They're a little sore about being left out of the action, but soon just start chatting with other marked players about how the game went for them. Plenty entertaining on its own, they want all the details

Vivian/Vincent

Shooting | 5 - They've got a little bit of shooting experience.

Stealth | 4 - They're overly sensitive and hate being in nature. Their skin is sticky, they keep feeling bugs everywhere, they've gotten dirt all over their pants, it's so hot, they keep WALKING into SPIDERWEBS, [flails about, screaming furiously]

Strategy | 8 - They have good ideas, they're just difficult to execute alone, especially since they're getting sunburnt and getting crankier and can't stop swatting at insects 😅 they're one of the first people to figure out that someone's taking out groups from the trees, so they stay solo and try to find a single person to team up with. Really what they need is someone who's a better shot but easy to boss around. They can probably just owe them for an in-school favor...

Winner type | Barely suppressed gloating. Vi somehow finds a way to be an obnoxious winner almost entirely by the look on their face. Once they're in a smaller group, they're passionately discussing the details of the game and happily boasting about their triumphs (while glossing over all of the whining and and slip-ups lol)

Loser type | Booo, such a sore loser. (Especially in the scenario where Rain wins 🤣) If they're outsmarted or outgunned in a clear, transparent way they'll growl and stomp off, then quietly glower and sulk for way too long. If they're double-crossed or beaten in an underhanded way oh lord —they're fighting it to the end. R can't help but get involved either way, reminding them it was a damn game with literally no prize. "C'mon, Vi, chill. You want ice cream? Let's get you ice cream."

Heidi

Shooting | 6 - Some shooting experience.

Stealth | 8 - She's very aware of her surroundings and her body. Perceptive yet quiet. Tactical. All residual traits picked up from her many activities over the years.

Strategy | 9 - Most likely to outsmart everyone. The first one to figure out groups are being targeted from the trees. Goes it alone and only open to trading (unless she sees Curt with Jess in which case she puts a quick pin in her plans to rescue her 😂). She also immediately figures out it's Kile, because ofc it is. Keeps close tabs on what groups are doing, knowing that eventually Kile will come down to ground level to pick off individuals and couples. Predator becomes prey 👀

Winner type | Proud but not boasting. She doesn't need to be. Victory looks good on her, natural and fitting. Thanks everyone for a good game then takes the girls for a long ride in the Cadillac 😎 top down on a bright day, baby

Loser type | Damn. She should have won this. Maybe if she'd... She probably could have... Then she snaps out of it, roped in by the celebratory mood of congratulating the winner. She's over any feelings of frustration or regret after getting to discuss the match with the person that took her out/the winner and there's no hard feelings. If anything this was fun as hell, it should be an annual thing. ☺️

Curt

Shooting | 8 - Some shooting experience and a natural knack for it. Good reflexes.

Stealth | 8 - Curt likes to say he gets along with the woods around these parts. Sneaking around is second nature to him. Really good hearing too. He's an easy target if you manage to seduce him though, having no issue leaving himself vulnerable if it means that kind of fun 😂

Strategy | 7 - Honestly, he's most interested in seeing how long he can get away with using charm and seduction for both protection and double-crossing 😂 Eventually becomes persona non grata and gets all of his ammo stolen by a vengeful mark, barely getting away in the process. Since that jig is up, he finally starts thinking a win might be nice... and so he teams up with the only competent player who would never betray him and also inspires the least vitriol in others: Jessie. What? Is his back-up plan using her as a human shield? No! 😚 Of course not! 👉👈

Winner type | Insufferable and gloating. Rubs it in a lot of people's faces, specifically Heidi, Rupan/Rohan, and any participants who genuinely don't like him. Brags to Gabe (who is completely disinterested in gassing him up 😂), then promises he'll make things up to Jessie (who didn't mind and had fun lol). Then celebrates by asking whoever he's flirting with these days for a quick date—and a ride in the Ferrari. Makes a scene pulling out of the parking lot. Ass.

Loser type | Doesn't care one bit as long as he had fun! And he always finds a way to have fun, it's why he's so carefree 😅

Reader who has a mighty spike

Not @ me for playing Genshin Impact nonstop instead of doing my WIP 😔

Karasuno

Hinata and Kageyama were having another dispute.

The former had accidentally spiked the ball to the the back of Kageyama’s head—apparently it had happened before, because the setter was scolding him about it. “Kageyama it’s so easy for you to say!”

[Name] was in no way part of the volleyball team; they just liked to attend practice and watch the boys play. They had formed a friendship with several of them so they were never told to leave.

“I don’t see what’s so hard about it.” [Name] offhandedly blurted out whilst chatting with Kiyoko. This did not go unheard by Kageyama, who was already in a bad mood.

“What did you say?”

Behind him, Hinata and a few others waved their hands but [Name] was ballsy, repeating their previous statement without flinching.

“I’d like to see you try it then.” Clearly they had no idea how much work and dedication went into spiking. Even professionals would occasionally mess up.

“Fine.”

The parents of the team attempted to diffuse the situation but [Name] was already marching towards the end of the court.

Removing their sweater and throwing it to the side, they grabbed a ball and positioned themselves. By now, the team had shifted sideways, curious about the outcome.

The first try was a fail, hitting the net. Tsukishima let out a snicker. For someone who talked big, [Name] was only proving The King right.

Kageyama had his arms crossed. [Name] ‘tched’ glancing at him with a pout. “That was a warm up.” He rolled his eyes but said nothing.

Grabbing another ball from the trolley, [Name] bounced it on the floor, taking a moment to breath in. Their gaze focused.

The ball zoomed by in a blink, shocking the members of the team. It was silent for a moment before several of them erupted in cheers, Tanaka and Noya ran toward them. Hinata shined with surprise, wanting to be taught how to hit it so precisely.

Yamaguchi and Hitoka let out sighs of relief, initially pitying them for fear of being clowned. Their admiration for [Name] leveled up after that. Tsukki was quiet, not expecting for them to actually do it.

Kageyama’s eyes widened before scowling lightly. He grumbled “Whatever”

Eventually Daichi reigned them all to practice again, the arguments having died down with that spectacle.

After that, there were days where the team would now force [Name] to help them practice, especially Hinata.

Seijou

To no one’s surprise, Oikawa was overworking himself again.

The team had already tried to work some sense into him but he kept blowing them off. Even for Iwa, it was hard to break their captain out of that state.

They eventually turned to [Name]. As their manager, it was their responsibility to look after the players. Even so, they sighed. It was always a pain whenever Oikawa got like this. His motivation was understandable but he needed a limit.

And that limit was now.

“Hey, quit being so stubborn and take a break.”

“You don’t understand.”

Oikawa was normally v soft towards [Name] as their precious manager but not today. He brushed them off so easily, choosing to continue with his spikes. His missed that one, after a sharp pain shot through his knee. It wasn’t entirely apparent, but [Name] was observant.

Going back to retrieve it, Oikawa didn’t notice [Name] grabbing another ball.

“Like hell I don’t.”

Before he could return, a ball smacked against the wall, missing the pretty setter by a hair. Oikawa turned to see their feet hitting the ground, a stern expression on their face.

Perhaps the only way he could understand was through volleyball.

The other members were like 😮 not expecting their manager to do that. As far as they knew, they never played volleyball??? Sure, they could handle the basics but that spike was monster-like, rivaling that of their captain.

Oikawa was convinced to sit for a while. Next time he didn’t want it to be his head. He’d surely be killed.

[Name] kneeled before him, now gentler. “Let me massage your knee” they said, removing the pad. Oikawa blushed at their actions, apologizing softly about his attitude.

In return, they smiled, “Don’t worry. I think you know next time I’ll break your ankles if you keep acting like this.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“......”

“[Name]-chan???!!”

Shirotorizawa

Even though [Name] was Ushijima’s partner, the team didn’t know much about them.

They were on the quiet side, attending their practices to observe since Ushijima would walk them home. Sometimes the team even forgot they were there.

One day, Tendou thought it wouldn’t hurt to ask. It was break time anyway. Approaching them, he inquired if they could play volleyball. [Name] was a bit surprised by his question but answered that they vaguely knew how to spike, which instigated the guess monster into asking them to demonstrate.

Some of the younger members looked at Ushijima; he seemed unconcerned but was on the look out in case [Name] felt too uncomfortable. Drinking from his water he watched as his s/o shyly approached the court.

To be honest, the expectations weren’t that high. [Name] didn’t practice any sports and just because they were dating their captain didn’t mean they knew how to—

Their jaws nearly dropped to the floor at the sound of the ball smacking the floor. Did it deflate??? How could someone who had no use for spiking be so good at it???? What a powerful hit???

Well, they certainly learned something new about [Name] that day.

Nekoma

[Name] was tired of waiting.

They had planned to play a new game with Kenma but he was still practicing even though it was supposed to be cancelled because coach Nekomata had a meeting.

Nevertheless, here they all were. Kuroo was being specially strict, wanting to win their game with Karasuno.

Kenma had tried to skip but the rooster haired captain literally dragged his ass back to the gym. [Name] stared as they practiced spiking. They began to whine about it, not so quietly either.

Tired of their antics, Kuroo finally approached them. “What will it take for you to shut up?”

[Name] grinned. They definitely had a trick up their sleeve. “Make a bet with me. If I win, you let Kenma go early. If I lose, he stays.”

He mulled it over. “Okay, but you have to break past one of my blocks.”

“WHAT?!”

Blocks were his strength. He was literally a middle blocker. Kuroo certainly lived to his title as ‘Scheming Captain’

Kuroo had a smug expression. “Take it or leave it, kitten.”

💢 oh it was on!

With fire lit inside them, [Name] marched towards the court. Kenma stared at them as if they were an idiot. “You don’t know a thing about volleyball”

[Name] waved him again. “I’ve seen you do it a hundred times, it’ll be fine. Pack your shit so we can goooo.”

Kenma muttered something along the lines of “that’s not how it works” but got off the court as Kuroo was joined [Name].

They bounced the ball harshly against the ground before clutching it with a grin on their face. “Prepare to have your arms broken Kuroo. Maybe you’ll think twice about calling me kitten you rooster headass—”

Before they could continue, Yaku broke their snarky comments.

Throwing the ball up in the air, [Name]’s eyes never left it. Kuroo, though he knew they didn’t play volleyball, still didn’t let his guard down. Though [Name] was cocky, he didn’t wanna underestimate them and lose.

The force that they utilized to hit the ball was enough to break a few fingers, it flew past Kuroo and smashed the floor. The sound of it was terrifying.

Kuroo was surprised, not expecting such a violent yet potent spike. I guess it wasn’t a joke when they said they’d break his arms.

He prepared to congratulate [Name] when—

“Out”

They groaned in defeat, cheeks puffed out in frustration.

Kenma: I told you

[Name]: shut up, the bet was that you could go early. I’m not a member so I’m free to go loser 🤪 see ya!

Needless to say, Kuroo may have won but he would keep a close eye on [Name]

Light Yagami in Death Parade

Earlier this week I got an ask about Light Yagami’s appearance in the anime Death Parade. I’m happy to say I binged the whole dang thing and have some thoughts, both about Light’s appearance in Episode 11 and the series in general and how it compares with the themes of the ‘afterlife’ in Death Note (there will be some spoilers if you haven’t seen either one).

I really loved Death Parade overall. The plot is relatively simple-- after people die, they get off an elevator and find themselves in a ‘bar’ called Quindecim, staffed by a stoic bartender named Decim. He asks them if they remember anything before coming here, and they all say no (except one person). His job is to convince the unlucky pair of memoryless people to play a high-stakes game against each other, telling them their lives are at stake. They cannot leave the bar until the game is over, and shows them what appear to be dead bodies if they try to refuse.

However, Decim is a liar. His real purpose is to use the competitive games to draw out the darkness in human hearts which, along with memories that he can download and view, he uses to judges the fate of their souls. Their behavior during this one competition seals their fate, so Decim will also cheat and try to create extreme conditions to see people at their worst. They gradually get their memories back during the game, which can create unpredictable scenarios since the pairs are linked in some way in life. There is no Heaven or Hell (although he lies about this too). People can either be reincarnated on Earth or thrust into the eternal Void. There are elevators going to each place.

And there is the major difference between Death Parade and Death Note’s afterlife. In Death Note, all humans go to the same place-- Mu-- regardless of their actions on Earth, and there is no intermediate judgement or arbiter like Decim. The Void of Death Parade is described not as a place of nothingness like Mu (non-existence), but as a place where your consciousness is still there, dwelling on negative thoughts, while perpetually falling. So, these two ideas of the afterlife are incompatible. 

This feels a little jarring when Light Yagami is clearly shown in a cameo in Episode 11, because it implies several things that Ryuk and the Death Note itself said were impossible: 1) all humans don’t go to the same place; 2) Mu isn’t eternal nothingness; and 3) humans can come back to life. It’s also interesting to imagine how Light might have fared in these games and how the arbiters like Decim might have judged him. Because these are twisted games of skill and intelligence-- darts, bowling, air hockey, cards, Twister, etc.-- Light would have excelled at these. I would pity the person who would be up against him because he would be merciless in trying to win, and the games could be very cruel. Past that, Light is adept at keeping a cool head in tense situations.

That’s perhaps another major difference-- cruelty as a theme. The shinigami in Death Note are neutral bystanders meant to reap lives in very direct ways (heart attack and rapid death) to sustain their lives. But the arbiters in Death Parade are deliberately cruel-- rigging the dart board to incur damage to an organ, creating terror by having the floor fall out of the Twister game with spikes below, or giving one player the opportunity to cause deliberate pain in a restrained opponent. All this is part of the ‘test’ but nothing is simple. The arbiters make mistake after mistake and send people to the ‘wrong’ place, misjudging what they see because they do not understand the human heart. That’s only natural as they are not human themselves, but shinigami made no such vain attempts at judgement. 

But back to Light in Death Parade, considering the two forms of information that an arbiter would have about him (performance in the game and his memories) and how the arbiters have very little insight into human morality or motivations, it is not clear to me at all how he would be ‘sentenced.’ Decim was made aware when a murderer came to the bar, but he also displayed sympathy for vengeance or ‘righteous’ murders. He didn’t have a good frame of reference to know when a killing was justified or not, and in Light’s memories and mind they would ALL have been justified. Light’s memories would have focused on ending all wars, decreasing crime, etc., and these arbiters would have viewed things from his perspective only. If he won and behaved well in the high-pressure game, it would be even more difficult to decide. Whichever way it went, it wouldn’t have been true to Death Note lore, but I could see Light figuring things out very quickly and turning the game around to his advantage.

During the very brief scene that Light was shown (another ‘contestant’ turns down the option to hurl Light into the Void and save someone she loved), his arbiter says, “Humans all behave the same way, like idiots. They all forget they’re someday going to die, so the moment they come face to face with death, they cling to life.” The episode name is “Memento Mori” which is apt-- the term means a symbolic reminder you will die one day. Later in the episode there is a drink Decim serves also called Momento Mori:

And this part does seem similar to Tsugumi Ohba’s message of Death Note, that all humans die (and don’t come back), so we should make the most of our lives on Earth. Death Parade differs on the “don’t come back” part, so I prefer to view it as a parallel universe versus a compatible one. [Edit: more thoughts here]

KissCam

@kernezelda Here is the Cherik fic you won in the second Star Bright release party challenge! I hope you enjoy!!

Inspired by this video clip :)  Also on AO3.

En Sabah Nur portrayed for us here by Oscar Isaac sans smurf makeup.

.

Charles wasn't much of a sports fan, but he wasn't opposed to attending the Yankees game. He'd been following the story of Yankees player Carl DeMarco, who was fighting to keep his contract after coming out as a mutant. When the very handsome Egyptian immigrant who had become Charles's coffee shop pal suggested they make the Yankees game their first date, therefore, Charles was all for it. He bought a "NY <3 DeMarco" flag, wore his big red M lapel pin, and let En Sabah Nur pick him up in a startlingly expensive Mercedes-Benz.

En Sabah Nur had always been friendly, witty, and attentive at the coffee shop, but today he was distracted, constantly on his phone, and far too smug about his car and his expensive clothes, expecting Charles to be impressed. Charles, who could have bought the clothes, the car, and the coffee shop and still had room for a yacht in his monthly allowance, was not impressed. Just because he preferred broken-in tweed jackets and lowering his carbon footprint with public transit didn't mean he was going to get stars in his eyes at the sight of a Rolex watch.

Perhaps Raven was right, Charles thought with a sigh as he paid for his own hot dog and tried to block out Sabah's irate phone conversation. Raven had seen them together often enough—she worked at the coffee shop, which was why Charles went there—and she was convinced he only wanted Charles for his body.

There were worse things to be wanted for, honestly. It was all very well to be loved for your mind, but Charles had encountered enough telepathy fetishists to find a certain relief in straightforward physical lust.

The two seats on Charles's right had been empty; now, with the game about to start, a man about Charles's age helped a frail but bright-eyed older woman into one of them, and sat down next to Charles himself.

"Hey!" Charles barely rescued his soda from the man's careless elbow.

"Watch it!" the man snapped, as if Charles had been the one at fault, only to pause and grimace when he realized his mistake. "Um… sorry."

"No worries," Charles said lightly. "Of course you're focused on your—mother?"

"Yes," the man said, and turned back to the woman in question, fussing over her comfort until she batted him away with a fond expression. He settled in next to her, looking disgruntled.

"Sorry again, about that," he said after a moment, shooting Charles a sideways glance. "It's too cold out here for her, but she's a big baseball fan—us immigrants have to love the Great American Pastime, right? And she insisted on coming to support DeMarco. You're a fan of his, too?" He nodded at the flag.

"Mutant solidarity!" Charles said, flashing his M pin. "Oh—what's that you've got on yours?"

"Mutant solidarity." The man's grin was all teeth, but in a surprisingly attractive way. In terms of appearance he was right up there with Sabah, in fact, lean and chiseled with fascinating gray-green eyes. It took Charles a moment to force his gaze onto the pin the stranger wore in the same place Charles had his mutant M. This pin was larger and made of multicolored metal, a rainbow flag with an M in the middle, and words along the top and bottom. QUEER FREAK.

"Oh, I love that!" Charles cried. "Where did you get it? I'd love to have one!"

The man's cheeks reddened and he looked suddenly bashful. "I made it. I'm a magnetokinetic—I work with metal." He opened his hand, and the pin lifted from his jacket to settle into Charles's hand.

"That's brilliant!" Charles knew he was getting overexcited in the way Raven always teased him about, but he couldn't help it—the infinite variety of mutation was always so fascinating. "Oh, but I couldn't take yours, you need it to show your support—could I commission one from you? Do you have a card?"

"Sure." The man let his pin return to his jacket, and fiddled in his wallet for a minute before handing Charles a card with a phone number, email address and the words Erik Lehnsherr, Custom Metalwork.

"What's your mutation?" the man—Erik, the trim-yet-spiky German name fit him perfectly—was asking.

"I'm a telepath," Charles said, and this was always the tricky moment, seeing how a new acquaintance—even another mutant, sometimes especially another mutant—would react.

"Impressive," Erik said, his eyebrows lifting, and his mental sense (even muted by the thick shields Charles had to erect in a crowd like this) was all interest and admiration, no trepidation at all.

"You're a telepath?"

Charles turned toward Sabah's voice, sudden and sharp on his other side. "Yes? Hadn't I mentioned that? I usually do, I'd rather know sooner than later if it's going to be a problem." That last sentence came out stiffer than Charles intended, but this date already hadn't been going well…

But Sabah didn't look panicked or judgmental. He was smiling, with (finally) a spark of focus in his eyes. It should have gratified Charles, but somehow it unsettled him instead. He tried to remember what Sabah had said his mutation was.

"Quiet now, boys, the game is starting!" Erik's frail mother said excitedly, and they all turned their attention to the ballfield.

It wasn't long, though, before Sabah leaned in close to Charles and caught his eye. Can you hear this, Charles? Can you hear me thinking?

With an inward sigh, Charles replied, Yes, I can hear you.

Sabah's smile widened. That's amazing. What else can you do? Can you…

The stream of obscene scenarios and intricate fantasies that followed could not have all occurred to En Sabah Nur in the last three minutes.

"I'm trying to watch the game, Sabah," Charles said loudly. "We can discuss all that later."

"Oh, okay," Sabah said in a tone that made Charles wish he'd phrased that differently. Something more like We won't be discussing that at all. It wasn't even that Charles was opposed to using his powers in bed; there was indeed some incredible fun to be had that way. But…

Erik, frowning, leaned in close to his other side. "Is this guy bothering you, um… Mister..?"

"Xavier," Charles said automatically. "Charles Xavier. And no, of course not, he's my date, we're just—I'm just—"

"You're just realizing he's a jackass?"

Charles couldn't repress a snort of startled laughter, but was saved from further conversation with either man by DeMarco taking the field. All four of them cheered wildly, waving their flags and, in the case of Erik's mother, unfolding a small banner that she made Erik help her hold up.

The announcers were talking about DeMarco's mutant coming-out, of course, and how various parties were trying to get him disqualified from the league.

"Unbelievable nonsense," Charles said, just as incensed now as the first time he'd heard it. "His mutation doesn't even have anything to do with his performance. The man talks to plants, for heaven's sake."

"It shouldn't matter if his mutation was 'always wins at baseball,'" Erik said next to him. "Everyone's born with natural advantages and disadvantages, they shouldn't penalize DeMarco any more than any other player with the lucky genes for strong arms and long legs."

That sparked a lively argument, which Charles found more intriguing than irritating; Erik had several good points, some of which Charles struggled to refute, and while he criticized Charles's logic without mercy, Erik didn't seem to be remotely angry at him personally.

"What do you think about it, Sabah?" Charles said eventually, chagrined that he had half-forgotten his date.

"Oh, I'm sure you're right, Charles," Sabah said absently, one eye on the game and the other on a text message.

"You're terribly distracted today," Charles said, trying to keep the irritation out of his voice. "Something wrong at work?"

"Oh, you know, there's always something." Taking the hint, Sabah put his phone in his jacket pocket. "If it were easy to take over the world, everyone would do it, right?"

"Er, right," Charles said, trying to remember what it was Sabah did for a living. He was starting to realize he didn't actually know very much about this man, for all of their cozy coffee shop conversations. The 'take over the world' remark had to be a joke, his expression indicated it was a joke, and yet… jokes had a pretty distinctive mental feel, almost like a lie but without the ill intent. That hadn't felt like a joke or a lie to Charles's telepathy.

"What are you and this guy arguing about, anyway?" Sabah asked.

"Mutant rights, what else?"

"Well, I'm in favor of them," Sabah said dryly. "The natural order is for the strong to rule the weak, and mutants are the next step of evolution. Eventually, mere humanity's going to be left in the dust. The sooner the better, in my opinion."

Charles blinked at this calm, confident declaration of a borderline genocidal sentiment. "Well, that's—I mean, mutation is evolution in action, but mutants are human, the next step of humanity, not—I mean we're considerably more alike than not, and there's no reason we can't coexist peacefully—"

"If one or the other has to be on top," Erik said on his other side, "and history suggests one does, it should be mutants. But," he sighed, "in my experience it's a lot easier to say 'screw the baselines' than it is to look at the actual baselines around you and say 'screw you.' My daughter Anya's baseline. My mother's baseline." He jerked a thumb over his shoulder at her, then did a double-take. "And she's taken off her coat! Mama, what are you doing?"

"That one itches, schatz. Look, Frankson is going to take third base—yes, he's doing it! Look at him go!"

"Here, she can wear mine," Charles said, shrugging out of his coat; he had a heavy sweater underneath and was a bit overwarm with both.

"Thanks," Erik said, and bullied his mother into the coat.

"If you think he's wrong about things," Sabah murmured to Charles, "you can just… change his mind, can't you?" His voice was disturbingly sultry.

"I certainly cannot," Charles replied coldly, but Sabah only chuckled and turned his attention back to the game.

When Erik settled back into his seat, Charles, feeling squirmy and embarrassed that Sabah had even brought that up, changed the subject. "You have a daughter, you said?"

"Yeah, married my high school sweetheart before I realized I was gay—big mistake for both of us," oh good, he was single, "but it brought us Anya." He started showing Charles pictures on his phone of an elfin dark-haired nine-year-old.

"Oh, look, she has your chin!"

"Yeah, poor thing…"

Mama Lehnsherr gasped and started slapping at Erik's arm.

"What? Mama, what?" Erik cried in alarm, but she was laughing, pointing at the Jumbotron.

"Look, Erik, we're on the KissCam! Or, no, your new friend and his sweetheart are in the center—"

So they were, Charles saw. Saxophone music swelled through the speakers, and all through the stadium people were laughing and cheering in anticipation. Charles had to admit to being charmed by the idea of being on the KissCam; it was delightfully silly and romantic. He turned to Sabah—

Who was on his phone again, turned entirely away from Charles with his finger in his other ear.

Fine. Actually? More than fine.

"Shall we?" Charles said, turning to Erik on his other side.

Erik's eyes widened. Then he smiled, that wild-looking show of teeth that Charles had instantly found endearing, and leaned in. Their mouths met in a warm, firm press that felt shocking and new and yet strangely familiar, as if some deep unconscious part of him had been expecting this, waiting for this. For Erik.

Charles was dimly aware of applause and catcalls, of a surge of laughter throughout the stadium as Sabah turned around and began sputtering in outrage, but he didn't care. As far as he was concerned, the date was over—and something else, something much better, was about to begin.

Parent Trap 1/? (Keanu x Reader)

Summary: Annie and Hallie are twin sisters who never met until they end up in the same summer camp together. They decide to switch places to see how the other lives. Hallie heads to Los Angeles to meet Keanu, owner of Arch Motorcycle Company, while Annie goes to New York to meet you, rising fashion designer. Their plan is simple: get their parents together to make the perfect family. If only it could be that easy…

Author’s notes: So here we go! Off to chapter 1. I’m still setting up the twins and the story, but I promise you get some more Keanu soon. I’d like to thank everyone who read and commented on the prologue. Hope you all enjoy this first chapter as much as the first part. Prologue

Wordcount: 2954

Warnings: mentions of child abandonment.

Maine, July 2019.

As Hallie looked at the crowd of kids talking and running around, she felt a ball of anxiety in her chest. This whole thing had been her idea in the first place. She watched too many teenage movies and ended convincing her aunt to let her come to a camp during the summer. She just wanted to have a chance to experience something different for the city she grew up in.

Hallie did the entire research, looking up a place she liked but didn’t cost way too much and settled for this camp on Maine. Now that she was here, watching as everyone seemed to know each other and where they were going, she was second-guessing her own choice. What if this entire thing went terribly? What if she couldn’t make friends? What if she hated all the outdoors activities?

With her mind spinning with those thoughts, she reached for her phone and glanced at the screen, which showed a picture of herself, her aunt and their cat Salem. Hallie knew that all she had to do was give her aunt a call. She would drop everything and come get her. However, Hallie also knew that she had paid good money for this month at camp and the trip was nonrefundable. No matter how much her aunt put on a strong face and assured that they were fine, Hallie knew they were struggling financially.

So, she pocketed her phone again and with a fortifying breath, Hallie picked up her duffle bag and headed to her assigned cabin, mentally telling herself she could do this. Maybe, if Hallie hadn’t been so distracted with her own internal pep talk, she would have noticed the slick sports car that parked just a couple of feet away from where she was standing with a mirror image of herself sitting on the passenger’s seat, twisting her hands nervously.

“You’re sure you wanna do this, sweetheart?” Keanu asked, his dark sunglasses hiding his hesitant gaze. Annie only nodded, looking out the window with a frown.

“Yes. Summer camp is like a rite of passage, right?” she glanced at him and her dad nodded, the movement making some strands of his long, dark hair fall over his glasses and he pushed them back.

“That’s what Hollywood tells us.”

She chuckled and threw her arms around him for a hug. Keanu didn’t have to be here. Hallie knew how busy he was with the race circuits coming up, but he still flew all the way from California with her just so he could bring her here himself.

She also knew that if she asked Keanu would walk her all the way to her cabin but Annie wanted to do this herself. It wasn’t that she was spoiled, but her dad was a little too doting sometimes and she was turning thirteen in a few months. Annie wanted to learn some independence. That was the whole point of his summer trip.

“Don’t work too much. It’s summer,” she said, pressing a kiss on his cheek, before letting go of him and pushing the door open.

“Don’t worry about me. Just have fun and remember, I’m only a call away if you need anything.”

“I know, dad. I love you.”

Annie waved at him as she stepped out of the car, shouldering her backpack and looking around with wide, excited eyes. This was going to be the best summer, she vowed to herself. She was gonna make sure of it.

She set her things by one of the beds at her cabin, exchanging her Arch shirt for the camp uniform before heading down to the dining hall for lunch, ready for her new adventure. In the line at the catering table, Annie didn’t realize she was just three people behind Hallie, who, despite her concerns, ended making two new friends as soon as she stepped inside her cabin.

The two girls ended up sitting back to back, both unaware of the other, too absorbed by the new environment, fresh faces and the prospects for the summer. For the first couple of days, they kept missing each other by mere inches or seconds, it was almost as if fate wasn’t ready for them to meet just yet. Not until they were well into their second week of camp and the event both girls were so anxiously waiting finally arrived. It was time for the paintball championship.

When Hallie was doing her research this championship had been one of the biggest selling points for this camp. Being excused from all the camp chore work if her cabin won was just a bonus. A big one since she hated chores, so she would be damned if she was gonna let another cabin take the win.

Only a couple of feet away from her, Annie put on her goggles and checked her weapon, confident she had this one in the bag. She and her dad played laser tag all the time. If she could beat him, she doubted any campers here would actually give her trouble.

As soon as the camp’s chief counselor blew the whistle, both girls ran to the opposite ends of the field, paint guns at ready and extra ammo packed in their matching cargo pants. They were both very skilled players and soon all the other teams were out of the competition, leaving only Hallie’s and Annie’s teams standing.

The clock was ticking, approaching the end of the game so Hallie became bolder, chasing after one of the last remaining players of the other cabin, taking them out with a green paintball to the back of the head. She cackled in victory. One down, one to go.

A red paintball flew past her ear and Hallie rushed to find a hiding spot. Her final enemy had shown themselves and she could almost taste the freedom.

“You should just give up now,” Hallie called from her spot behind a tree. “I promise I’ll spare your face if you just surrender.”

Annie faltered a step. That voice was familiar, but she couldn’t place it and didn’t have time to do it either. She was so close to winning it. Her dad would be proud. Taking cover behind the wall of one of the cabins, Annie risked peeking at her enemy only to have a green paintball hit the wall inches away from her head.

“Reeves don’t quit,” she shouted, before moving to the opposite side of the cabin, hugging the walls to keep the other girl from seeing her. She had a plan ready.

“Well, I never lose!” the girl said, her voice much closer now and Annie smirked because the other had been cocky enough to get out of hiding. Her opponent was begging to be taken out.

Hallie inched closer to the cabin, paint gun held in front of her just like she had seen in those action movies her aunt loved so much. She thought she had seen a flash of red just moments ago. She leaned against the wall, taking a long breath, before turning the corner shooting a couple of times before her target actually registered in her brain. It wasn’t her opponent, just the red vest hanging from a low tree branch.

As soon as she noticed that, Hallie felt the blunt impact of two paintballs splashing against her body. One on the center of her back, the other directly in the middle of her head. The slick paint mixed with sweat made her hair stick to her nape uncomfortably.

“Guess there’s a first time for everything,” Annie gloated.

Hallie spun around, yanking the goggles from her face to properly look at the idiot that would cost her hours in the shower washing away all this paint. She gasped and staggered back as she came face to face with herself.

At least that was what her shocked brain first thought. For a moment, the pair of twins just stood there, staring at each other, eyes wide, mouth hanging open, too overwhelmed to do or say anything. How was that even possible?

“Am I going crazy?” Hallie finally broke the silence, taking a step forward.

“If you are, so am I,” Annie replied meeting the other girl half-way. They circled each other, almost as if examining one another to confirm the uncanny resemblance. “Whoa.”

“I think we need to talk,” Hallie declared.

“We really, really do.”

-----

When they met at the cabin after showering, the weirdness of seeing a double of themselves still lingered. They looked each other up and down as if to find those differences that would prove that it was just a first impression thing, that they were not actually the spitting image of each other.

But aside from Annie being maybe an inch taller and her nose having a slight upturn, while Hallie had a rounder face and the waves in her hair being a touch more defined, they were identical. It was undeniable that they were twins.

“How is this even possible?” Annie asked sagging on her bed and Hallie sighed, taking a seat too. She knew exactly how it was possible.

“When’s your birthday?” Hallie asked.

“October 20th,” Annie replied pausing for a moment and Hallie noticed as realization shone on her eyes. “That’s what my father put on the birth certificate at least. He didn’t know the actual date, so he put the day he found me.”

Hallie’s heart leaped on her chest at those words. So, it was true. This really was her sister. Annie looked up at her, eyes welled with tears, hugging herself.

“Did she…” she hesitated, afraid to voice her question, but even more afraid of the answer. “Did she give you away too?”

Hallie took a deep breath bracing herself. She didn’t want to be the one to tell Annie but there was no other way. She only learned a couple of years ago when she convinced her aunt to tell her the whole story. This was the first time she would speak about it aloud. It was fitting that it would be to Annie and maybe the other girl could fill the blanks that her aunt didn’t know.

Hallie explained how their mother Mary was ill; how it got worse after giving birth. She explained how Mary ran away one night, taking Annie with her and it wasn’t until a month later that she was found but it was too late; she had passed away and Annie was nowhere to be found. Hallie also told how her aunt searched for Annie even when the police wrote her off as dead. She hired a private detective to track down Mary’s steps in the month she disappeared, but after burning through her savings, and considering that she had Hallie to take care of, her aunt had to stop.

“What did your dad tell you?” Hallie asked once she finished her side of the tale, watching as tears ran down Annie’s face and she clung to her necklace like a lifeline.

In her turn, Annie explained how her father had been approached by a woman one night. How she just put the baby in his arms, begging him to help her, but once he agreed she disappeared into the night. He called the police, but he knew nothing about her and there were no cameras on the corner of the street she approached him.

She also told Hallie how she was initially taken by social services and put in foster care while the police tried to locate the woman and waited for the family to contact them. They even put the sketch her father supplied on the local news to see if anyone recognized her, but they didn’t get any response. After two weeks without anyone claiming Annie, her father began the process of registering to be a foster parent so he could take care of her. He stayed in New York for a year before he could officially adopt Annie and go back to California.

“This stuff is straight out of a soap opera,” Hallie whispered once Annie was done and the other girl nodded. “But Dave’s gonna be so happy when she finds out!”

“Who’s Dave?” Annie asked with a frown and Hallie chuckled.

“My aunt. I call her Dave.”

“Why?” Annie asked even more confused.

“2001: A Space Odyssey?” Hallie replied, noticing Annie’s brow furrowing even more. “Kubrick? It’s a sci-fi classic!”

“Sorry. I don’t really like sci-fi. My dad’s always trying to make me watch it with him, but it’s so boring.” Annie just shrugged, and Hallie rolled her eyes.

“The computer that runs the ship is called Hal and she always called me that, so I call her Dave, after the protagonist for the movie, get it?”

“That’s the stupidest nickname ever,” Annie snorted, shaking her head. She had dried her tears and was looking at her sister curiously. “How is she? Your aunt?”

“The coolest!” Hallie replied with a soft smile. “She has the best taste in the world. And I’m not talking just about clothes, but for movies and music and food, even though she can’t cook to save her life,” she chuckled a little. “And she was always there you know? For every school event, helping with my homework…” Hallie paused, looking over at Annie, who was smiling too. “And your dad?”

“He’s the best dad. Always made sure I didn’t feel like I was missing out for not having a mom. He can do all kinds of hairstyles and he bakes the best snickerdoodles ever! Maybe he’s a little too invested in my life but… I know it’s only because he loves me. My aunts too. And my grandma.”

They stay the rest of the afternoon and most of the night swapping stories about their respective lives, sating each other’s curiosity. Annie always wanted to know more about her biological family, so she really wanted to know every detail about Dave and any other relative she might have. She was a little disheartened to find out that Hallie didn’t know anything about their biological father and their grandparents had died when their mom was 20.

On the other hand, Hallie wanted to know all about what it was like to have an extended family like Annie seemed to have. It had been Hallie and Dave since she could remember, and she was a little envious of Annie for having so many people around her.

“So, your dad never married?” Hallie asked as they walked back from the dining hall after dinner. Annie shook her head, dropping back on the bed.

“Not for lack of trying on his girlfriends’ part,” she said with an eye roll. “But he’s a big romantic, you know? He’s waiting for the right one.”

“Geez! That’s cheesy!” Hallie rolled her eyes and Annie glared.

“I think it’s nice,” she declared with a huff. Annie always thought it was lovely that her dad had such big beliefs in true love and all that. She felt the same. “How about Dave? Is she dating anyone?”

“Well, there’s Jason,” Hallie said with a shrug. “He’s like her unofficial boyfriend because they kinda do everything together, but Dave always says they’re just good friends and she doesn’t have time for relationships. Not until she gets her fashion line off the ground.”

“Smart! Clothes over bros,” Annie grinned. “You know, my dad also built his motorcycle company from the ground up with one of his friends.”

“That’s pretty cool,” Hallie grinned too. “Keanu seems like a really good guy.”

“He is,” Annie agreed an idea suddenly popping into her brain. “I bet Dave’s gonna like him. I mean, they have a lot in common.”

“Like what?” Hallie frowned, not following her sister.

“Well, they’re single parents and self-made businesspeople. They both like sci-fi and…” Annie paused, racking her memory for more and Hallie snorted.

“You wanna play matchmaker, don’t you?”

“I mean, wouldn’t it be perfect if they got together?” Annie said with a dreamy sigh. “It would make everything easier.”

As much as what Annie was saying sounded crazy, Hallie knew it might be the only real way for them to be sisters full time instead of flying across the country every once in a while to see each other in summer or holidays; and even that was a best-case scenario. As soon as the truth came out, they would have to part again and that was the last thing Hallie wanted now that she found her sister.

“How would we even make that happen?” she asked, looking over at Annie, noticing the other girl had a thoughtful frown.

“Well, you know Dave better than anyone just like I know my dad better than anyone… what if we switched? So, we can find more about what they’re looking for in a partner and make it happen when they have to meet up to switch us back?”

“That sounds insane,” Hallie snorted, giving Annie a disbelieving look. “That’s the stuff of movies, Annie. Not real life.”

“So is running into your long-lost twin sister on summer camp, but here we are,” Annie pointed out. “You would have to learn everything about being me and vice-versa.”

“So basically, I need to be a snotty brat?” Hallie joked, making Annie glare.

“Do you think I wanna be a tomboy who never heard of a manicure?” she asked with an arched eyebrow and her sister stuck her tongue out at her. “So, are you in?” Hallie paused to consider. It was insane, but what did she have to lose?

“Operation Cupid is a go,” she grinned, offering her fist for Annie to bump against, a matching grin sneaking across her twin face.

xxx tbc xxx

Tag List (give it a shout to be added or removed)

@toomanystoriessolittletime @meetmeinthematinee @theolsdalova @krazycags01 @beyond-antares @cumberbatchbaps @sgt-morgan @futuristic-imbecile @howtoruin-someones-perfect-day @a-really-bi-girl @fanficsrusz @nonsensicalobsessions @poisonedjoinery​ @soarocks​ @tnu-ree​

Finale Episode: “This has been AMAZING.” - Pat

Drama? Caused. Immunity? Mine. (hopefully) Maybe I should've just voted Liv to cause a super messy re-vote but this was an okay outcome I suppose. Now I just need to win immunity OR convince Keegan and Pat to vote with me for one more round. :) Balls to the fucking wall. I'm here to win. 

So final 6 tribal council was a bit of a shitstorm. But I’m still here so it turned out not too bad and Kailyn, the one person I’ve basically never talked to got the boot. Pat played an idol I didn’t know he had, Jaiden played a legacy advantage on himself and Livingston played an idol on me. Bless his heart. Liv is the best. If I can’t win he absolutely deserves to. And now we have a stupid endurance type challenge that requires 6 hours of dedication and I don’t want to do it, because I feel like I could make better use of my day tomorrow but whatever. We’ll see what happens. I would ideally love to have Jeff gone next, and then Jaiden. If it’s a final 2, I’m going with Liv, whether or not he beats me I don’t care. There’s a case to be made for taking Pat out instead of Jaiden. But we shall see how this challenge goes.

....five seconds later

I hate this challenge

....five seconds later

Why'd this challenge have to be 6 hours? I get that we're at final 5 but man this is awful. Sorry Dan, Sorry Jake but I hate this challenge. 

Okay so I don't really remember when the last time I gave a confessional was. So we're just gonna cover the Xavier tribal and hope I didn't already do that lol. This tribal was extremely good for my game, and along with likely the John/Super Idol tribal, will be the time I use as my defining moment in the game, as it shows that I wasn't entirely reliant on Jaiden to get me places, because that seems like the most likely argument against me winning. I could very well see people coming in with a preconceived notion that I was in some way carried by Jaiden, or the fact that I'm alive is because of him. This tribal, where Jaiden thought he could take me out since he knew what the vote count would be with my vote steal, is evidence of that. Luckily for me, I had one more card up my sleeve with the extra vote. And this is why no matter how much you may trust someone, always have an ace in the hole. But on top of that, blowing nearly every advantage in the game, while also being vulnerable at that tribal, is about the best that things could've gone for me. It shows that despite voting out Joey, I still had the trust of Keegan and Liv, and it shows that I had plenty of my own agency in the game. With the next challenge being a logic puzzle, I was not feeling confident going into it. I'm alright at them, not notably great, but when I was practicing, the average times there were something like ~2-3 minutes, which I was just not able to match the pace of. But I did the challenge, and managed to pull off a clean 4 minute time, plenty to spare to win the challenge which I was happy about. This also gave me some breathing room after being to close to going home for comfort. Going into the next tribal, I do know that I have to be wary of Jaiden. The way he talks about him having received legacy from Xavier, saying that Xavier went home with an idol, a lot of his actions there were very sus and I know that I can't take everything at face value. Because of this, I decided to take advantage of being immune, and tried to get Liv on board for a potential F3 of Pat/Him/Me. The caveat would be that Keegan goes home here, just because he has strong potential of winning challenges, which is very true. Liv seemed skeptical, and said he'd sleep on it, which really should've been my first inclination that something is wrong. But I asked him again the next day, and he said "he was open to it". That should've been strike 2, and I'll admit, I was being a little over confident. At that point, Jaiden starts talking to me and is really paranoid about things going wrong, acting like he's going to get voted out. But he insists he has legacy, so everything is fine. I'm just letting him be paranoid, but I also explain that if he's not going to be straightforward with me about what he's thinking for tribal, I'm not particularly interested in exploring possibilities that can hardly be considered possibilities. Come tribal, and what do you know, Jaiden was right. 2 idols and a legacy get played, and Kailyn goes home. Which even if a roundabout way, is what I intended on happening if Keegan had had an idol, so I was not upset about the outcome at all. This also works to my advantage, because it gives Jaiden an "I told you so" moment, and should make him be more confident in going to FTC with me, should I lose these immunities. I just need to get to FTC and I can tell a great story on why I should win. Making it there is the hardest part though

Really gonna go 6 hours posting every 5 minutes. I hate this.

General thoughts on how I think end game should play out from my perspective: My main reasoning for why I think I’ll win though, is just who my alternatives are. Liv won’t win the game. Too small of a player, too defensive of moves. Could be considered an underdog, but in general not pulling much. Keegan, probably too quiet, and like Liv, too defensive. The ideal “contrarian” candidate though, due to general likability and not really doing anything wrong. Pat, should in theory be a budget version of me. From what Jaiden says, he’s less social than me, although admittedly, my social game has fallen off hard throughout the end. It’s difficult to keep up so much though when I don’t have a life to speak of for myself. Jaiden, the clear other option, at least from my perspective. Had had many failed moves, not always a clear direction on what he’s doing or where he’s going, could be seen as second fiddle to me. I think that FTC would mostly come down to, in a me vs Jaiden scenario, which of us people see as the second to each other. People could take my survival as due to Jaiden keeping me safe, but Jaiden calling the shots. People could take me as being the one really in the middle, controlling moreso how each vote turned out. Personally I think the thinking in my favor is more likely/reasonable, but Jaiden has the personality that people will want to support as well. If jury is more game oriented, I probably win. If they aren’t, Jaiden may come out on top. 

I feel like this is my Tumblr Survivor breakthrough. I finally made it to the final four. The finale episode. I'm not on the jury quite yet. The end is so close I can literally taste it. But my work isn't done just yet. With Jeff gone, I oddly feel a lot of weight lifted off my shoulders and I can finally breathe again. It wasn't the primary or even secondary plan I had going into this, but if I want a chance to win this game, I have to take care of him first. It also seemed as though there was an opportunity for me to create a little chaos in the event that this game becomes a final two instead of a F3. People are going to want to cut me at the first chance they get I think, but now that it's a F2 they can hold it off one more vote, no? I tried to plant a seed into Pat's head that Livingston and Keegan are a tight duo and while we could totally get rid of Keegan tonight, we could do Livingston instead and have better odds at the F4 because Keegan/Jeff are going to be laser-focused on going after each other. But then Pat went and told Jeff everything in the chat we have together so I flipped it around and made Pat responsible for going after Livingston. So now I go back to Keegan and tell him that Pat was doing whatever it took to keep Jeff safe and that I was the person keeping Pat on focus to get rid of Jeff. It became way more logical after Pat started throwing Liv's name out there for real for me to get rid of Jeff, because either Pat votes Liv and looks like a fucking shady bitch in the F4, OR Pat votes Jeff with me and we share the blame for getting rid of Jeff equally. Keegan owes me - I just saved him from getting voted out. I could've easily voted out Keegan tonight! I could've left two guaranteed votes in his direction but I didn't. Pat owes me - I convinced him the necessary moves and walked him through two big plans heading into tribal, but I kept him up to date on what he wants. At the end of it, he still begged me to tell him what we needed to do - he flipped back to Liv and then told me, then begged me to tell him what he should do, and I told him to do Jeff. He voted correctly because of me. Livingston owes me - As far as he needs to know, Pat and Jeff were going to vote his ass out of here with me had I not turned Pat's vote back and kept Keegan on close watch. Livingston and I have a decent relationship, but I've now saved him more times than I've voted against him (again, as far as he knows) and that's gotta count for something. This season wasn't about making best friends. It was about winning Tumblr Survivor, so yes, I've backstabbed along the way and voted people out mercilessly. But if I make it to the final two, I kept it real with the friends I made along the way but also put my game first. I feel like I can justify that because I made it this far without anybody ever writing my name down and everything I've done, whether its voting out Kailyn or using the powers of suggestion to drive a deeper wedge between Pat and everyone else, has had a bigger purpose than just surviving one more day. It has felt like a huge house of cards up until this point. I didn't play the simplistic "speaks for itself" game that I wanted in the beginning. Instead, I am going to have to justify every single move if I even make it to the final two. It's crazy. I expected to go home tonight had I not won immunity, and now I'm expecting to go home every night until I reach the finish, but like I said there's no more stress now. I'm fully galvanized here. I've been through the worst of the worst, now all I have to do is close my eyes, exhale, and let go. If I can pull off just two more challenges, I think I'm going to be the winner. You know, it's funny, I didn't come into this experience wanting to play a perfect game. It's so.. unrealistic especially with the type of game that I play, but it might happen? I'm not entirely sure. It would be such a good gift to me on my birthday if I do it because its looking like the FTC will happen on my birthday so umm.. Tumblr Survivor gods I know I've been praying to you a lot this season, but truly, please let that happen LOL

So Jaiden won immunity which is fine. Because Jeff didn’t win and that is all that matters at this point. So after some discussion and some Jaiden freaking the absolute fuck out, we ended up unanimously voting out Jeff. And for some odd reason, Jeff decided to switch a vote from me to Livingston. So I currently only have one vote against me and it was blocked by an idol. Yahoo!! I am in a very precarious situation at this point. Liv and I have a final 2 deal. Jaiden and I have a final 2 deal. Liv and I also agreed to vote out Jaiden in 4th place once Jeff was out. So.... I’m actually hoping that Jaiden wins this next immunity challenge so that can’t happen. And at that point we just vote out Pat and everything is good. That’s the absolute best case scenario at this point because it guarantees I make the final 2 regardless of who actually wins the final challenge. And believe me, if that’s the case I’m throwing the challenge LOL Liv will take me. Jaiden will take me. Why should I win? So yeah, fingers crossed that Jaiden wins this Cards Against Humanity game so we can have the best case scenario happen in this game. 

JEFF IS VOTED OUT AT F5

If I don't go home tonight I will be completely shocked

JAIDEN IS VOTED OUT AT F4

Final 3! One more challenge to go! And I win a fire making challenge. Suck on that! Also don’t come to my DMs whining that I voted for you when you voted for me too. And we’re just playing your game? Honey, you wouldn’t have had a game without us there. There’s this thing called threat level management. Learn it some time. Glad us three undeserving Palazzo members are the final 3. Time to win this final immunity challenge.

Y'all really thought my extra ass wasn't going to write one last confessional? Yeah right! This is probably the last one I'll ever write in a main season so let's make it good. First things first, some acknowledgements. I want to scream this from a mountain top, I really am just so thankful for the opportunity to play and Jake and Dan have my whole heart forever for giving it to me. I can't thank them enough and I really think this will be a positive experience that I hold in my heart forever. So yeah!! If you're reading this (but who is, really?) just know that Dan and Jake are KINGS!!! I also want to acknowledge how lucky I am to have gotten to where I was in this game, because luck did have a lot to do with all of this. I know that my game might not have been as good as it could've been in particular moments and maybe I boxed myself in at the end in a couple different ways, but luck always found a way to get me out of some sticky spots and I am humble enough to admit it. After I got voted out, I wasn't particularly upset with myself because I knew that if I didn't win the immunity, I'd be going out in this spot. I'm surprised that I had to make fire, but I wish that I had spent some time learning how to do slide puzzles really quick because honestly my performance in it was pathetic. Either way, not mad about it, that's just how the cookie crumbled and I probably would've lost to Livingston, too. The relief to all of this is that I got to join the jury full of people that I genuinely wanted to talk to again because I didn't have anybody left in the game that I particularly found great interest communicating with anymore. Keegan treating me like I didn't just spend my valuable time actually being his only friend was probably the lowest moment of the entire game for me. I wasn't even mad that I was losing as much as I was mad that he lied to my face when I confronted him with the truth, then called me a bitch because I told him I would have kept my word to him had he not tried to take me out. For me, that was fucking awful. The petty side of me wants to make final tribal particularly awful for Keegan, but the new and improved side of me wants to just tell him off and let him lose like about a thousand other Tumblr Survivor flops have over the past several years. When I came into this game, I didn't fully expect myself to make it as far as I did and have really had this gigantic transformation like I did. At the same time though, I'm not surprised that I did because I was living the transformation for like two years since I last showed my face in this community. The Jaiden seen in Las Vegas is the Jaiden that I'm finally in love with. It's the player that I've never been stable enough to be for almost five years now, and I am so proud to say that now. Without a doubt, I dominated this season. I know that. So many outcomes went the way that I had set them up, from getting rid of Stephanie to Joey handing me the legacy advantage. Even when they didn't go my way, I didn't become the next big target even though I said I was going home literally every single tribal since the beginning. There's a lot more gamewise that I could say, but I know Dan and Jake are aware of that and they're probably the only people even reading this now. So I guess that part will just stay between me and them. When I made my entrance to the jury, I was a little surprised to see such an overwhelmingly positive response from people like Kailyn, Joey, John, Xavier, and Andrew. It made me feel so validated as a player, a feeling that I have literally never had before in my whole entire time playing these games. It's so great how much that boosted my real-life confidence. After being part of the org community for like seven years by now, I've been able to separate the real world with the online world pretty well, but while devastating losses in the past haven't truly rocked my real world much, this positive reception will have a lasting impact on me for a really long time. I can't say how much it all means to me, because it's so profound and I can't explain it all in words. It just makes me feel optimistic despite being a chronic pessimist. Phew! Although I'm not the winner that I should've been, I am truly proud of myself. I feel like I've finally rolled that fucking stone ball up the hill and thrown it down the mountain on the other side, letting it tumble and kill my enemies on its way down. I think I came into this thinking that I was Sisyphus, but by now I've realized that I'm actually Kratos, the divine personification of strength and power. So maybe my story of never feeling complete from these silly games was never the problem I was looking to solve. My journey was about finding the strength and power I never knew that I had before. The confidence of being able to be at my lowest in games and real life, and somehow finding my way out of the darkness of both realms in tandem. I am basically living in the golden hour of my 23rd year of life, and this game just happened to take part in the midst of that. Good and bad, I am so thankful to have had these experiences shape what this period meant to me. I am living in a world now where the truth is that I am worthy. Not only because of this silly game, but like I said, the confidence gained here affirms that truth. I will never forget it. I'm not at all a religious person, but there's one verse in the Bible that I've always felt drawn to, and more so right now than ever before. John 8:32 - "Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." And now, with this last confessional to wrap my journey up, I am free. 

LIVINGSTON IS VOTED OUT AT F3. 

This is it. This is the end. I’ve done everything I can do and now it’s up to the jury to decide. This game was a blast, a true gamble actually playing. I’m proud of what I’ve done and how far I made it. I’m no longer a 5 time flop! 

I cannot believe this season had the end game that it did. Winning final immunity was a check off my bucket list, but getting there how I did was very well done in my opinion. I really hope that’s it’s respected by the jury. It’s nerve racking when the other person winning is valid. I hope o shows my impact on the end part of the game being influential enough to get votes. I may have been messy by being incorrect but I think I did well over all. I just want Jeff to know that that his vote off was really the hardest of the season. I hope lulu really was a benefit to me winning by making a final appearance. Queen lulu. Honestly no matter what happens I am so proud of myself. I know I’m getting at least one vote so that’s means good things, if I win this game I will be ecstatic because it’s been five years since I entered this whole community through tumblr survivor. I hope my game is respected and that I am to be rewarded. Thanks everyone for an amazing game this has been AMAZING 

some nygmakins thoughts

Binged/finished Gotham last week. So I was behind on seasons 4 and 5 and I’m tight I waited so long to catch up because Nygmakins literally gave me life and it’s already done and I have no one to share this excitement with because I showed up 15 mins late with Starbucks.

For a ship I never predicted I’d want, I’m blown away by it and how I forreal can’t stop thinking about Ed and Lee. I’m still a Nygmobblepot fan but I realized a while ago that that would probably never be explicitly canon. But Nygmakins! The people who say it seemed forced are delusional. And it definitely ‘didn’t come from nowhere’, as you see their initial reunion being one of hostility and threats. They gradually shift from enemies to allies to friends and almost lovers and it was so sweet to watch.

Ed and Lee have clear chemistry.  They play well off of each other, shifting from flirtatious to serious as the scene necessitates. They support each other. They uplift each other. Seriously, I’ve been rewatching their scenes and all I keep noticing is how much they compliment each other. And the lengths they go to protect each other. And how they’re constantly giving advice or encouragement. Please forgive my crappy gifs and screencaps, I’m just enamored with these two. [AND I learned some basic giffing for this post.]

That’s Lee and Ed. Let’s talk about the queen of the narrows and the riddler because they are a different pair.

Their relationship starts with as much antagonism as Ed and Lee’s. Riddler's superiority complex mixed with Ed's 'pathetic' love for Lee pretty much sets the stage for her being an object of derision to Riddler. In their first meeting, he spends half the time ignoring her and the other half insulting, saying she's weak, all talk and no action. When he is subsequently captured and tortured, while Penguin runs off to save him, Lee is busy taking care of business. She's the clear underdog, the newcomer, the outsider, and she takes out a bigger, more established boss. Most importantly, she proves Riddler wrong and that is something he can't tolerate.

Their first face off - without the distraction of Sofia, Oswald, or Grundy - comes at the Riddle Factory. The Riddler is already intrigued by Lee and his choice to hold the club in the Narrows is both for attention and retribution. I'm convinced he saw Lee's killing of Sofia as a fluke. She got lucky, he thinks to himself. Obviously, the weakest player can move around, avoiding detection, and get lucky by being at the right place at the right time. So he put his club in the Narrows as a challenge to Lee. When Lee wins the challenge and bests him, proves him wrong once again, his intrigue mixes with fury but you can see his thinking start to shift.

He's beginning to understand not to underestimate her but still his pride insists she won by trickery, by trying to manipulate the love she knows Ed has for her. But when she insists on that love, he cannot abide her attempts to manipulate him in that way and draws his blade on her. Lee is unaware of the danger she’s in up until that point. She's never feared Ed because he never threatened her harm. Riddler is a card of a different color. And the darkness in her reacts to him. Riddler absolutely senses this. He knew she had to be dark to do what she did to Sofia - and Sampson - but since he wasn't there for either event, the first time he glimpses her darkness for himself is with her in his arms, a knife pressed to her neck, and not a touch of fear on her face. And when she brushes the knife aside to kiss him, that’s when Riddler starts to fall in love with her.

Let's talk about the difference in the pairs.

Ed is the more repressed one. You can see it in his body language with Lee.

With Ed & Lee there’s usually a bit of distance or Ed will be standing behind Lee, symbolically watching her back and letting her dominate many interactions.

Likewise, he keeps his emotions for her quiet and to himself.

Riddler is not that constrained. Their very next scene together, following the kiss, they’re shown standing shoulder to shoulder, leaning more casually and closely than we’ve ever seen Lee with Ed.

It was Ed who said, I'm not one to play the sidekick, but it's the Riddler who actually steps up. When he's in control, he's either leading, right at Lee’s side, or two steps ahead of her, anticipating and dealing with danger - Penguin and Butch - before the threat even becomes known to her. He’s grown comfortable being near her and doesn’t pull away when she enters his space.

He doesn't hesitate with verbalizing his feelings either. After the kiss, Riddler is extremely direct with his questions, asking their relationship status, confronting her on what he saw as her teasing behavior, and demanding to know if she was just stringing him along. His bluntness extends to all audiences and we get quite a few declarations of love and loyalty. 

This is a big distinction. Ed doesn’t speak his feelings but Riddler is bold, brimming with charisma and I think that affects Lee. After he promises she’ll fall in love with him, they’re both looking at each other like Christmas freaking morning.

If Ed was a pawn, then Riddler’s the knight. Especially after he proclaimed his love for her and was ready to throw down with Gordon and the GCPD without any thought.

Previously, I didn’t think that Lee was being manipulative. At least not with Ed. I feel she genuinely wanted to help him improve as a person which is why they drew so close after she became queen. He supported and advised her and she recognized him as a friend. But it isn’t until the Riddler shows up that the relationship gets physical. I think with Riddler pulling the knife on her, Lee realized that he was a different Ed, one that would bring harm on her if pushed. So she adopted a new method to combat that - seduction. She cared for Ed but with Riddler she knew she’d need a little more to persuade him. And I think the scene in the bank, with Riddler proclaiming his love for her and embracing her dark side, had Lee realizing that she liked Riddler as much if not more than Ed. She may have started out manipulating him but it would end up being something more genuine.

There’s the sense of dualism with the two of them. Lee is generally light and opts for avenues of nonviolence. Until she’s challenged and injured then she has no problem breaking a hand or shooting someone in the face. Riddler is the manifestation of all Ed’s dark impulses. Both sides compliment their counterpart. It’s not all the way healthy - show me a nonproblematic Gotham ship - but it works for the two of them. Ed has someone who sees the good in him, who believes in him even when he himself does not. Lee has someone who accepts the changed part of her, even the ugly bits that others would rather pretend doesn’t exist. 

Then they go and introduce Gordon and the jealousy plot and I knew that’s where it was going to go downhill. It went just about as predicted. I knew Lee and Ed weren’t going to be endgame but I was still devastated when they took each other out. Lee’s set to leave. She’s changed out of her dark Narrows’ clothes and wears bright blue. Her dark lip is wiped away, leaving a tired woman behind. This is a death scene, even though Lee survives. It’s death to the Queen of the Narrows and Riddler brings it on her. He was trying to free her from her past self and ended up doing just the opposite. (Obviously, I’m very bitter/disappointed with Lee’s reversed personality in season 5. It all felt utterly pointless to have her acting essentially the same as season 2 Lee, especially the marriage to Gordon which was boring and nonsensical. ) But the scene is so Shakespearean, betrayal by your lover’s hand,

a final pained kiss, 

and a joining in death. And their final words to each other.

Just lay me in my grave because I’m as dead as these two. I’m gonna go write an obnoxious amount of fanfiction.

Quick Thoughts on TRR Book 1, Chapter 6

• Two things happen this chapter: you meet the Queen and (optionally) eat cronuts.

• That's it. That's the chapter.

• Title: The Queen of Hearts.

Alternative Title: The Regina Roast. She can and will roast you if you have even a hair out of place. You will be burned to a crisp by the time she is done.

• Fortunately you'll get the opportunity to roast if you decide to walk back with Drake after cronuts. Even reading it on the YouTube playthroughs was quite satisfying 😅

• You also get cronuts if you pay. Nomnom.

• Me Back Then: Cronuts sounds like a cross between a crow and a nut.

Me Now:..Please stop.

• Throughout Book 1, you have characters who will appreciate you no matter what (the LIs definitely fall into this category), people who will ally with you mainly because you convince them you're worth forging an alliance with, in their individual scenes (the ladies of the court and the press)...and people who keep track of your progress over the course of the book.

• The last category is especially important because it alerts you, the player, to how your MC has performed thus far. Now I have two MCs who interact with everyone in very different ways, so I can actually see this in action and compare notes. The characters that keep track of your overall performance, will not hesitate to point out how you've done in previous occasions (like the first press interview, or the impression you left on King Constantine) and their dialogue will be coded accordingly. At least two people fulfill this role in the first book.

Who are those two people, you may ask? Well, see for yourself:

(The top two screenshots are from my Esther playthrough, and the bottom two from my Persephone one).

Bertrand: In his case, it really comes as no surprise that he takes note of how we've done. He's our sponsor and mentor, after all. And we are representing his house - so if we perform badly it ends up reflecting on their house as well. So if he doesn't keep track of how we're doing, then who will? However, as the social season moves forward and his stress over the house's financial situation takes precedence, he steps back a little in terms of this. By the end of the book he expresses his support and belief for the MC regardless.

Queen Regina: Regina is known for being the torchbearer of stoicism and for destroying you with her snark (as can be seen in her responses to the 'hat' options). But some of the truly interesting insights you can get about her come from a failplay. She also is shown keeping track of the MC's progress. A scene like this one shows her being dismissive of you if you don't impress her...but in the course of the story, this will change. Overall...I find the fact that some of her scenes are coded to reflect the MC's progress in the social season a lot more interesting, because that's something we would expect from Bertrand who is directly guiding us, rather than her.

• So this chapter begins where we left off, with Hana and the MC talking about the upcoming event. A dainty little tea party, where we will meet and talk to the Queen for the first time. You have a choice between stating you love tea parties, or telling Hana tea parties aren't your thing. I highly recommend the second one coz Hana calls a tea cozy "a sweater for your teapot", proving that she can be insanely funny when PB and this fandom actually choose to remember 😂

•

At this juncture, Hana - who loves tea parties - tells us about her childhood experiences with a tea set (there will be a callback to this in her childhood scene in TRH, and it looks and sounds a hundred times more disturbing than what an adult Hana says now. Understandable, because at this point Hana cannot even begin to contemplate how messed up these aspects of her upbringing and childhood was (she is not completely blind to the damage - as can be seen from her piano scene - but she does show signs of normalizing her parents' controlling behaviour and attitude towards her).

• In the limo, Bertrand enquires about our blossoming friendship about Hana - thereby keeping tabs on those we ally with - before moving on to the important business of the day - impressing the Queen.

• Whether you ask what she likes or what she hates, the responses state similar things:

- a great sense of style and fashion

- she favours ladies from Cordonia, and is wary of foreigners (but somehow not 'wary' enough that she will do disgusting things like her husband does).

- has a high regard for protocol and can be very angry when it's disregarded (ergo correct use of titles and positioning yourself behind her are a must)

- doesn't like funny people (in fact, if you do choose the funnier hat options, she stresses that "fools use laughter to cover up their own ignorance")

- is pretty competitive, and the implication is that she likes to put up a good fight with a worthy opponent

• We get down at the venue, which the MC can either call a million dollar picnic (mentioning money and costs like that! classless! says Bertrand) or like something out of the set of Downton Abbey (television! such a travesty! says Bertrand). In any case, we wait alongside the other ladies, arriving just before Regina makes her appearance.

• Since RoE was the series that introduced Cordonia to the Choices audience, there's often going to be that one chapter where you'll find more than one reference to that series. We associate the royal family and Madeleine with the TRR series now, obviously, but back then these were side characters only briefly from RoE. So we obviously had our impressions of them set in stone, and to view them differently, we'd need a completely different lens (more on this later).

• Me Back Then (on seeing Regina): This person yapping about stoicism. Wasn't she the one who threw a hissy fit over her stepson wanting to marry an American in RoE?

Me Now: ...Leo existing is a good enough reason for anyone to have a hissy fit.

• Me Back Then AND Me Now @ Madeleine:

• It's also interesting to see the reactions to Madeleine before and after the announcement of her joining the social season has been made. Before this, Olivia demands we speak of her with respect, using her title and insisting we know her importance, and Kiara and Penelope speak of her in tones of pity. So long as she is not their rival, they look up to her as someone who has been in their place, and won the season. But once it's made clear that she is a suitor as well, Olivia shows the strongest reaction (naturally). The other two express surprise at the news, but are mostly neutral towards her as can be seen from the fact that they casually chat with her in Lythikos.

• Madeleine and Regina were clearly gossiping about us before they came here 🤭

• Regina gets introduced to all the suitors then finally turns to us, and between the Derby and the car ride to here, has learned quite a bit about us - including our first impression from the press and the moniker they've given us:

(Screenshots for 'The American' from the assyrianprincess YouTube channel)

I kinda like this bit because it shows us the flip sides to how we navigate this society, the way we might be expected to please different people whose needs and interests go in opposite directions. If the press, the representative of the people, finds these monikers exciting, interesting and relatable, then Regina makes it clear there is a flip side to those same monikers as well. As I've said earlier, the MC's identity as an anomaly, a foreigner and non-nobolity (yet) is what makes her stand out amongst her competitors, but those same things may also contribute to her struggle to be a part of this country and be accepted by these people.

• The Queen's questions range from discussions on what makes a great leader, the importance of stoicism, and governance. Fairly simple questions, and the answers that she loves the most are the ones that subscribe to both her and the royal family's ideas of 'putting on a brave face for the country'. The alternatives that displease her, are either to crack (hat) jokes, or to subscribe to a worldview that places emphasis on being relatable (charisma, and showing the people that their rulers can be human). So while Regina's not entirely wrong about her ideas of ruling and governance, there is a clear distance between the monarchy and the people that Regina and Liam would genuinely want to serve. This is a distance that Liam will later acknowledge in his portion of the cronut scene.

• The irony is also that eventually, Regina herself will crumble under the weight of all these lofty principles, and discover for herself exactly how impossible they are, once she witnesses Constantine die in front of her own eyes. I find the sequence where the MC comforts Regina in Valtoria to be an inverse of this one, because she blames herself for not living up to her own principles, and the MC has the option to validate her pain and encourage her to let it out. There (especially if you will be Queen soon) the roles are reversed, and the MC's relatability - even if she's done terribly - wins out in the end.

(And she wears the mother of all hats).

• If you don't take two steps back while the Queen is walking, Olivia and Penelope make fun of you, Hana comforts you, and Kiara doesn't say a word. Now this could be because she already had a go at us the last chapter, but I feel like it could also be because she is stepping back and taking note. She recognizes early on that her energies are better focused on networking than on trying to catch the attention of a Prince who already prefers someone else and a court that won't choose her. Remember, the next time we interact with her, we're trying to gain an alliance.

• Liam joins his stepmother and the suitors for a croquet match, where he chooses the MC regardless over any other suitor. Olivia is shocked, and Penelope is the one to speak sensibly about how the Prince has made his choice.

It's a small moment, but what follows two chapters after is Olivia secretly targeting us during her time hosting the court in her estate, and her increasing desperation. Plus Kiara and Penelope being ready to become allies rather than competitors.

There's been news that highlights the MC as a suitor Liam has a preference for, but this is probably the first time the ladies of the court must be openly confronted with it. And of course, Olivia is the hardest hit, and works the most at undermining the MC because her hurt and fears get the better of her.

• The croquet match takes place in two segments: one where Liam gives the MC a run-down of what the game will be like, and the second, where she can actually choose to take the win or allow herself to lose so the Queen will look like the victor. In the middle of these two plays, the Queen gets to slip in another question about governance.

Uh huh, uh huh, so when I make jokes I'm an ignorant fool, and when your niece does it suddenly she's Cordonia's Next Top Stand-up Comedian. Uh huh, sure.

• Either that or maybe she's had to put up with Adeleide's 18+ humour for so long that she's almost grateful that it's her uppity niece delivering the gags instead 💀 💀 At least she can be assume the humour would be PG-13 (provided Madeleine's not drunk, and even then she's not been as risque as Adelaide is when she's sober).

• The Queen purposefully opts to lose the match just to see if the MC is the kind that will play to win, and hates it if you decide to let her win. If you do win, she will alert you that things will only get more complicated for you from here, and she may not hold back next time. Back then it read as perhaps a bit antagonistic back then, but now it reads a little differently to me - more as a reminder to the MC that this social season won't be an easy one for her.

• Regina was definitely testing her in a couple places to see how she handled herself in a couple situations.

• If you win her approval, she praises you for standing out among the rest ("you've proved yourself to be unlike the other ladies in the court, which is no small feat in my eyes"). If not you're...tolerable. But she will still watch out for your progress!

• Here's one of the rare times Liam gets to tell you to your face you performed badly (besides the option at the ball if you offend Penelope), even if he still does make excuses for you. From here on out, he and every other LI will be mostly making excuses for your failures whatever they may be:

• Now that our first meeting with Queen Regina is over, we can now kick back and relax with the rest of the group!

• Drake complains about the finger foods laid out for a tea party (it's a TEA PARTY, Drake. They're not going to be serving cheeseburgers and hotdogs at a TEA PARTY), and two of the MC's three dialogue options come with relationship points ("you WOULD complain about free food" and agreeing with him). The first option seems to be the one I'd imagine a Drake stan would love because there's a slight bit of teasing there, plus Drake shakes his head, smiling, which is a nice shift from the grumpiness and snark of the previous chapters to his attempted friendliness of the Lythikos chapters. It's also a bit of a teaser to the MC's (optional) teasing of Drake later on in the cronut scene.

• ...I could have happily lived out the rest of my life not seeing 'escargot' and 'aioli' side by side in the same sentence.

• The poor MC's mind is blown from the sheer number of people who don't know what a cronut is (Me Back Then was still like WTF is a cronut).

• The highlight for TRR - besides the LIs themselves - are the group scenes. The group had three men who grew up together - or at least in some proximity to each other - and two women who were outsiders. There was a familiarity to their interactions that you wouldn't find so easily in, say, a book like TF where the relationships among the LIs grew alongside their relationship with the MC. I still recall how often people who didn't like the series would mention that the group interactions were a big plus for TRR. The cronut scene really does show you why. Even though it's very centered around whoever the MC wants to be romancing, we get a glimpse of their shared experiences at the palace, coupled with their mutual joy when trying out this new treat. We even get hints from Liam and Maxwell about the old, not-so-stressed-out Bertrand!

• The scenes meant just for the LIs are split into two portions - the first is the romantic one inside the bakery, where the MC can choose who she wants to sit next to and subsequently flirt with (no Maxwell, sorry. Though some of the subtle hints for him becoming an LI will emerge after Chapter 8!):

(Screenshots for Drake's scene from the Ashley Barrus-Gardner YouTube channel)

Each one has a different vibe to it. Liam is clearly smitten and not ashamed of showing it, draping his arm behind her chair. Hana is shy and confused, feeling those first stirrings of love for this woman, unsure of what it could all mean. Drake's is sarcastic and witty, and the MC is at her sparkling, biting best in both Drake portions of this scene.

• Our third RoE reference! Bestien appears at the end of our cronut trip, and when Liam apologizes he smiles and reminds him that his brother has done worse.

• The second LI centric portion allows you to build relationship points rather than romance ones. The MC chooses who to walk back to the palace with, and the LI tells her what has begun to shift for them, thanks to her presence:

Liam: Speaks about this experience as an eye-opener to regular life in Cordonia, is baffled by how little he knows of his own country and people, having lived such a restricted life in the palace. In one option, he openly calls his world the "statesman's bubble". As a commoner, the MC has shown him in this scene glimpses of life outside of his "princely world". He begins to let go of some of his preoccupation with protocol here, telling the MC that perhaps it's not too bad an idea for him to spend more time with her outside of the social season events. This is good buildup to his hot tub scene in Lythikos.

Hana: Is largely very grateful to the MC for keeping her company and sharing this experience with her, as she is lonely and has very few people she knows personally enough to invite her. Both she and the MC speak of their identities as outsiders who stick together because both of them know the pain of assimilating into a culture that you didn't grow up living. I kinda wish more of that aspect was explored, it would have been an exciting route to take for the story!

Drake: Drake doesn't openly speak of what he's learned from the MC or what she's given him like the others do, but the advantage in this scene is that he's begun to thaw towards her. She can choose to tease him relentlessly through the walk back, and he responds positively to it, telling her she is more fun when she's "not pretending to be a princess". As I have mentioned earlier, this helps to set the stage eventually for his friendliess to the MC in Lythikos.

• Overall, you can see why this scene is so popular and remembered so well. Others that are more detailed and extensive and fun have emerged since, but this bit was lovely to read just for those first few sparks between the friends. I knew I wasn't expecting that when I first saw this scene.

• It's now time for Lythikos! The chapters in Olivia's duchy (only 2 really) are fun and packed with a lot of interesting stuff, character development and plot details. I honestly can't wait to jump in.

• It's been at least two years since this series first came out, I think, and what's intriguing to me is how the lens of this whole story, and our view of some of the characters, has changed. I remember coming into this story straight from RoE and TCaTF, and back then I was still looking at everything from a very Leo perspective. Remember, in RoE Leo was the only Cordonian our MC had regular contact with, and therefore we saw this country from his point of view. So Constantine was stuffy but more supportive, Regina was ridiculous in her expectations for protocol, Liam was remembered as "thinking he's smarter" when Leo is away from him but extremely supportive of his decisions when he needs that support. Madeleine was the jealous angry fiancée getting in the way of true love.

Our perspectives have taken such drastic shifts since. When Leo stopped becoming the center of the story and we actually GOT to see and experience Cordonia as readers - suddenly a lot of things made sense. Regina's insistence on stoicism. Liam's pressures and burdens. The fear in the country once Leo abdicates. The stress that Liam, as new Crown Prince, would have to go through transitioning into that kind of role. Suddenly Leo's abdication wasn't a brave thing he did "for love" or "for honesty", but an irresponsible (though necessary) act that had repercussions.

In a perspective that does not center Leo, we see all that Leo misses. Constantine is no longer benign, he is capable of doing the worst things to a suitor under his protection if it means he can get her out of the way. Regina is still uppity and stoic, but can also be someone with incredible foresight, who can read the signs and embrace the change the best she can once she realizes it's coming her way. Liam is a man who was built to love and lead this country, even if he sometimes doubts his own potential. Madeleine is still a horrible human being, BUT not in the "jealous fiancée" way we witnessed in RoE Book 2. In fact, I know those who deeply dislike her, and still feel that she deserved better than what Leo was doing it her, and the rejection she faced from both brothers.

• Regina definitely comes across as cold, distant (and in an initial fail play, even rude) and not exactly interested in you. But she does keep tabs on your progress, and often highlights it before the activity itself can start.

• As I've mentioned earlier, Bertrand and Regina are specifically coded to make us aware of how we're doing. Does anyone else in the book get to do this? One more person, and I will speak of them somewhere along the line.

• Failplays are incredible because there are so many things you see SO DIFFERENTLY until much later. There's a lot you can figure out from the responses to the wrong answers alone.

• ...I need a cronut now.

• Until next time folks!

• The TRR MC and The Saga of Hats - A Short Summary in Nine Pictures:

Persephone was the one saying it, but you can bet Esther was the one thinking it!! 😁😁

• Also thank you Your Majesty for noticing how lovely my head is 😁😁😁

• That's all for this week folks! Hope you're as excited as I am to explore Lythikos!

--

• Tally Counts:

Number of Times Drake has Called Esther/Persy by Their First Names: 4 (I missed one scene at the stables in Chapter 5, and this time while challenging the MC to a race back to the palace)

Number of Times Tariq Has Mentioned His Shoes: 1

Number of Times Drake Has Taken A Drink that’s Not Whiskey: 1

Number of Times Someone Has Called A Reigning Monarch 'Your Highness’: 2

Number of Times You Can Leave Hana Shook. SHOOK I TELLS YA: 2

Number of Times We See Penelope’s Angryface: 2

--

Stand up for what you belive in

Summery: Jim and Leonard are both captains. The one of the football team the other of the swimming team. But the only sport respected on their high school is the football. So what happens if both captains decide that both teams deserve the same respect? Will everyone be okay with that?

Pairing: Mckirk (High School AU)

Words: 3776

Warnings: violence, mentions of blood, mobbing, discrimination

Leonard knows where his position in the school is. He is the captain of their schools swimming team, but that doesn't mean that he is popular. Oh no it is the exact opposite. The only team respected on their school is the football team with his badboy leader Jim Kirk. And in addition to his position in the swimming team he is also the schools nerd. Always the best marks, not one day he missed school. 

Jim also knows where his position in the school is. He is not only the famous captain of the football team, but also has a badboy reputation. But to his defence he has no idea where that came from. He is the third best student of the whole school, after Leonard and Spock of course. Sure he is a flirt and he misses a few days of school, but who doesn't do that, well except for Leonard and Spock again. And maybe it could be because of his motorcycle and the leather jacket he's always wearing. Okay so he does know where it comes from.

The two captains both have no problem with the other team. Leonard loves to watch the football games, many people tell him again and again he should play himself with his physique he would be the perfect player, but he isn't a fan of violence and he loves the water a little more. Also he loves to watch Jim on the field and how he acts as a captain. Maybe the small similes and waves he gets from Jim are making his day as well. Yes he has a little crush on Jim, but not in a thousand years would the most famous boy of school want to have something to do with him.

Every competition Leonard has been part of, was watched by Jim. Jim simply loves how Leonard’s body moves in the water and the looks of the swimmers body outside of school, where he hides under his glasses, big sweaters and his books. The small twitch of his Leonard’s lip every time he sees Jim at one of his competitions makes his heart spark with joy. Yes Jim has a crush on Leonard, but the sweet nerd would never want to have something to do with the badboy.

Like every wednesday, the swimming team has training and as always Leonard is staying after everyone else has left to swim a few extra laps. Their coach has long ago trusted Leonard with locking up after he is finished. 

Finally satisfied with his time for one track he leaves the pool the go to the shower.  After his shower he could not expect who he finds in the locker room. Standing there are Kahn and his group of friends all form the football team. He is still in his swim shorts, but that doesn’t stop him from giving them his opinion on their visit. 

“What are you doing here, the last time I looked the football team had their locker room right across the football field,”Leonard says with his normal amount of sarcasm in his voice. “Oh nothing special we just wanted you to say something,” Khan answers. “Well spit it out I have to lock everything up and I would like to be home in time for supper;” he remarks. “We just want you to get out of the swimming team,” Khan says with a smile.

As fast as Leonard’s eyebrow shot up in that moment it will probably never in his life do that  again. “What the hell, I’m not going to leave my team.” “Well you have no other choice but to leave otherwise you have to live with the consequences,” Khan says with a calm as if he hadn’t just threatened Leonard. “Shove your damn consequences up your ass where they came from. Just because you can’t make it captain of your team you won’t make me leave mine,” Leonard says with all the strength he can muster.

The swimmer could see the red in Khan’s eyes right before the slap hits him in the face. Caught off guard the slap sends Leonard falling on the floor. “You see that was just a taste of what’s to come.” And with that Khan and his followers are gone.

Leonard sits there for a few moments in stunned silence, but even after this physical attack he knows that he won’t leave his team, just because some mad fellow student thinks that he can destroy the swimming team by making him leave. He will fight for his team, because he is their captain after all. 

Still sitting on the floor Leonard has the perfect idea, not only will he fight for his team, but he will make it more popular. They have won at least as much prices as the the football team and he will let the whole school know.

The next morning Leonard goes to school really early and when all the other students arrive they see what he just did. All over the school he put posters, which read things like ‘Stand up for your team’ or ‘Every team has the same rights’.

Jim stands in front one of the many posters, it’s a picture of Leonard and his team, every single one of them holding a gold medal. He remembers that competition, Leonard was the last to start and got them the victory. It all brings a smile to Jim’s face.

If Leonard could break out of his normal self so could Jim. Jim knows Leonard’s routine like he knows his own, so he is sure that he’ll find him in the schools library after his lessons and as he predicted Leonard is sitting on the table in the corner of the library. 

“Hi Bones,” the football captain says. The other boy winces at Jim’s voice. When he sees who is behind the voice Leonard’s cheeks turn a bright shade of pink. “Hi-i;” Leonard stammeres. 

The smile he gets back from Jim is blinding. “Bones I want to participate in your project,”Jim speaks again. “Bones, what the hell is a Bones?” Leonard asks finally finding his voice again.

“You’re Bones, it’s a nickname, because of the bones on your swimming shorts,” Jim explains happily.  At that Leonard’s blush turns an even darker shape of red. 

“Sorry what project are you talking about?” “The posters you put all over the school, I want to help you. Your team deserves the same respect as my team does,” Kirk says. 

That’s how Jim and Leonard spend the the next few weeks either learning, exercising or working on their project. And as the weeks go by they get closer and closer and more and more people come visiting the swimming competitions, so that the thread Khan had voiced moves further and further into the background of Bones thoughts. 

That causes a shock when Leonard comes back after another training and finds again Khan and his followers in the locker room. “We told you that your actions would have consequences and now you’ll be at the receiving end of my rage,” Khan says in a threatening voice. Before Leonard is able to register what happens he is pushed into the lockers. Khans people restrain his arms and legs and one puts his hand over his mouth. He is trying to get out of their grip, but even in his shape he couldn’t fight five football players.

The first hit lands in his gut and his answering scream is muffled by the hand over his mouth. One hit over the other goes down on him and soon he can’t hold back the tears running down his face and he is pleading them to stop. 

They finally stop after Len has bruises all over his body and they leave him in a heap on the floor. Brushing away his tears he changes and goes home, but he still doesn’t think about leaving his team not now that everything goes so well.

The next day he is sore all over and when Jim comes next to him and gives him a hug as a greeting he backs away. “Bones is everything alright?” Jim asks concerned. “Yes everything is alright, you just scared me for a moment,”Len answers giving Jim a small fake smile and pulling Jim back into a hug, biting his mouth to keep his pain hidden. 

“Bones, are you..”

“I’m fine, Jim”

“... really okay?”

“Jim really, I’m alright.”

Jim isn’t convinced by Leonard’s statement. Something is wrong he just doesn’t know what, but he sure as hell wants to find out.

Just this moment right now he’ll savor his time in Bones’ arms, his badboy image be damned. Everyone else should look if they want, he likes it better this way anyhow, because this is how he really is. 

The time spent with Bones goes by in a rush and Jim is happy to finally have a real friend not like all the others who just want to be his friends to get more fame in the school. But even with all their time together he can’t figure out what is wrong with Bones.

Leonard realizes that Jim is suspicious and tries to cover his pain in the presence of his friend. 

The bruises that cover his body make not only Jim suspicious, but also his team and his coach, so it’s no wonder that after their training his coach comes to him.

“Leonard I have to ask you where did you get the bruises from?” His coach asks in a concerned voice.

 “There was a family feast on the weekend and my small cousins got a little over excited when the saw me. They haven’t seen me in a long time,” Leonard tries to convince his coach.

 “I hope you’re saying the truth and just so you know if someone hurts you or any other from my team I want to know, we are a family here.” 

“ I know coach, but it really is nothing, if it’s alright I would swim my few extra laps now.”

“You do that, I want the captain of my team in best shape for the next competition in two weeks, we’ll show those other teams what real swimmers look like.” With that statement the coach’s voice changes from concerned to right out proud and with one last wave his trainer is gone.

On his way out of the swimming pool and back to the locker room he thinks at the conversations with Jim and his coach, maybe he should have said something, but his line of thought is interrupted as soon as he steps into the locker room. 

Because who else then Khan and his gang would wait there for him? However, this time he does not get away with just bruises. In addition, they give him a black eye and a split lip. This will get a whole lot more difficult to cover.

He got his parents convinced easily he just told them that he someone kicked him in the face during the swimming practise, but Jim would not be that easy to convince.

Of course, as always, he is right in his assumption. As soon as Jim sees his face, he gets ready to fight the next person who is going to touch Leonard. 

“Bones who did this, tell me and they won’t see the next day.”

“Dammit Jim calm down I just got kicked in the face during swimming practise.”

“Did your parents…”

“My parents did nothing and nobody else did anything on purpose, Jim I’m alright.”

Jim carefully takes Leonard’s face in his hands. “Bones, please. You are so important to me I don’t want anything to happen to you.” This close Leonard is able to see all the emotions swirling in these crystal blues and if he had not seen Khan and his people out of the corner of his eye, Jim would know what they do to him right now.

Their faces are close, only a few centimeters apart, breathing the same air. Jim’s lips this close, his intense look and Leonard can’t think straight. “Jim, I-I can’t,” Leonard stammers, but is cut of by Jim’s lips on his. 

The kiss is short, but it takes the swimmers breath away nevertheless. “I trust you Bones and I know you’ll tell me when you are ready, but in the meantime, what do you think of a date?” 

“You want - a date - with me, Jim I don’t like these type of joke,” Leonard says coming out of his haze. 

“I’m not joking Bones, if you could see yourself through my eyes you would understand that I want a date.”

“Hell, Jim, nobody wants a date with me, I’m just some nerdy swimmer and then look at you in comparison, the golden boy of the school, the football hero. I’m nothing.” 

“Okay that is enough, you are the captain of the swimming team and let it everyone hear. THE SWIMMERS ARE WORTH AS MUCH AS WE FOOTBALL PLAYERS AND ONLY ALL TEAMS TOGETHER REPRESENT OUR SCHOOL,” Jim speaks so loud that the whole hallway turns towards them and applaud. At this moment Len has a blush spread over his face and he tries to vanish behind his glasses.

From all the looks turned in his direction Khan’s angry glare is the one that catches his eye. He already knows that the beating next week will be even worse. Saved by the bell he escapes all the stares in his direction, but he can’t escape Jim and he’s not even sure if he wants to escape him.

When he gets into the classroom Jim is right behind him. “So about our date…” Jim starts but is directly interrupted by Bones. “I didn’t agree to a date yet,” he says in an amused tone. “Well, Leonard, would you like to go on a date with me?” Jim asks. “Sure why not,” Len answers trying to keep his real excitement hidden. 

That’s how Leonard and Jim find themselves in a cinema the following Saturday watching a space movie. It’s like a dream come true. But as always, the big disillusionment comes on Wednesday after his training.

Beaten up as always he comes home and over the weeks even his parents got suspicious, but he tries to to keep going until the competition on Saturday. Nearly the whole football team is convinced to come and watch. The campaign started with the posters and will hopefully end with respect for all sport teams.

On Saturday the swimming contest takes place in their school and the teams are getting ready. 

“Speech, speech, speech!” Leonard’s team is cheering. “I think this is our chance to show the school that not only the football team brings our school glory, but that we do too. We will rock this race and we will kick some ass. And now everybody out and get ready to take the next trophy home;” Leonard announces solemnly.

When it's time Leonard sends all the other swimmers out, leaving him on checking if anyone of them left something important. He is on his way out when a strong grip grasps his wrist and he is pulled to the other side of the room.

“You ruined everything you little piece of shit, don’t you understand that you and your fishes don’t have a place in this school. You don’t deserve the title of the captain, YOU ARE NOTHING,” Khan shouts at his face. 

“Now you listen here, I’m part of a team, no a family, that has won more competitions than you ever will you know why, because after this race I’ll tell my coach, my teachers, my parents and most important I’ll tell Jim, my friend and your captain who hurt me and then you will be out of the team and probably even out of this school so leave me the fuck alone,” Leonard tells him as calm as he can manage.

As it turned out that were the wrong words to say, because it triggered the other boys rage even more. “You won’t go out there not today, not ever again,” Khan says and with that he starts to hit Leonard. But today even the beating is not enough, so he pulls out a knife and begins to scratch his name in the belly of Leonard.

The first letter already bloody in his belly, the door to the locker room burst open and Jim comes in. “Bones I wanted to wish you luck...” Jim says, but stops when he sees his Bones pinned against a locker by members of his team.

“What the hell are you doing to my boyfriend?”

“Nothing captain we just found him like this and wanted to help,” Khan claims. 

“Found him like this, my ass, you did this to me,” Len says. 

“Don’t listen to him captain he is lying,” on of Khan’s followers argues.

“All of have lost your mind. I trusted you, all of you, you were part of my team. Do you really think that I’m that stupid? That I didn’t see what just happened? You are still holding the knife, Khan. I knew that you were jealous Khan, but that you would go this far. I just can’t understand it, we are all just doing our sport and we all just want to represent our school, tell me what is wrong with that. You are a shame for every sportsman. Now let go of my boyfriend and get out of here and just so you know I’ll make sure that not a single one of you will ever set a foot on football field again,” Jim sputters in anger as he says that.

Taking one look at their captain and his rage filled eyes they hurry out of the locker room, leaving Jim and Leonard on their own. 

As soon as Jim spots Bones and the extent of his injuries, the fury in his eyes dimms and only worry remains. He hurries to Leonard's side and guides his arm around Leonard’s back to support him. “Bones we need to get you to a doctor,” Jim exclaims. “Dammit Jim I don’t need a doctor, I need to get out there, I’m already late,” Bones says already moving in the direction of the swimming pool. 

“Have you seen yourself, you can’t swim like that,” stresses Jim.

“I can and I’ll swim like that.”

“You are way to stubborn, Bones.”

“Maybe it rubbed of on me from my, how did you call me moments ago, oh yes, from my boyfriend.”

“Sorry it just sounded right, we are…”

“Jim I actually like it, I’m just joking with you and now come on I’ll go to the doctor after the race.” 

Jim takes the few steps till he reaches Leonard’s side and interwindes their fingers, then they step out of the door and suddenly all eyes are on them. Leonard lets go of Jim’s hand, who gives him a peck on his cheek in response.

Len goes purposefully to his team, who eye him shocked. “Len vhat haz happened?” Pavel, the youngest of their team, askes. “Pavel everything is alright, now get ready everyone we are on our way to kick some ass,” Leonard assures him. His coach eyes him warily and when he is about to say something, Jim comes to him and assures that Leonard can do it.

Everyone in the team gives their best and when the last swimmers, which include Leonard, get ready Hikaru is only a few seconds behind the fastest. Leonard jumps into the water and a small red spot in the water can be seen. 

He swims faster than ever before and on his second lap he finally overtakes the one on the first place. His finish is celebrated by the whole audience including the football team. Pulled out of the water by his team, they try to hug him but he just backes away, still sensitive to touch. Only when Jim comes the team makes room for the football captain. 

“Wow Bones that was awesome, but we need to get you to a doctor now;” Jim says.

“Oh no he goes nowhere until after the presentation ceremony is over we need our captain,” his team objects.

“It is okay Jim,” Leonard assures and so he is pushed in the direction of the winners podium.  

The presentation ceremony begins and first the low rankings are honored before the first three placings are announced. “The third place goes to the Hood High School with their captain Gary Mitchell and his team, the second place goes to the Farragut High School with their captain Galia Orion and her team and the first place goes to the Enterprise High School with their captain Leonard McCoy and his team. Now I want to hear a big applause for all our athletes,” their Principle Pike exclaims ceremonial. 

At the mention of his name Leonard stepps on the podium and he notices that he vision starts to get blurry. He wants to get down again, but Pike puts the microphone in his hand and looks at him with an expectant look.  

“I want to thank my team they are the real winners of this competition,” Leonard says, his vision already starting to turn black, “ and I-I wanna thank the audience especially the football team for comi…” His speech stops abruptly when his vision turns black completely and he faints. 

Jim stands next to Bones’ coach as he notices that Leonard is swaying on the podium. He tries to get nearer and reaches the podium just in time to catch Leonard. “I’m alright, Jim, he says, don’t make me laugh, if anyone else tells me that he is alright I’ll lose it,” Jim mutters as he carries his Bones outside to the paramedics, who have to be at every school competition.

Leonard wakes up to Jim holding his hand. “Hello, sleeping beauty,” Jim says. “Hello yourself,” Leonard answers taking a look around realizing that he is in his room. “ You know you scared all of us,” Jim begins.

And as Leonard lies there and listens to Jim telling him what happened after he passed out, he realizes that the rest of the school year can only get a success with a boyfriend like Jim Kirk. The only thing that needs to be sorted out is what Khan did, they will go to Principle Pike and tell him everything Khan and his friends did, to assure that they can never hurt anybody on this school ever again. But that can wait till tomorrow, today he will just enjoy Jim’s presens. 

~The End~

BAU Prep School AU: 2018

Welcome to the Frederick Buchanan Institute located in scenic Quantico, Virginia, a senior high academy that shapes the best and brightest minds. Its motto is “Behavior, Analysis, Unity,” the mascot the Submariners, colloquially “the Unsubs”. The small school supports the most accomplished faculty from across the country. (image link)

2016- 2017   Class of 2018

Messy

September 29, 2017 11:17pm

           Luke Alvez hadn’t expected this, despite his explicit instructions to his team to do so in the case of an emergency. And yet he found his phone ringing in the late-night weekend hours from an unsaved Virginian number.

“Hello?”

“Is this Luke Alvez?”

“It is, and you are?”

“My name is Frank Broadhead and I am—”

“The principal for the International School.”

“Why, yes, actually.”

“With all due respect, sir, but why are you calling me so late?”

“Well, you see, Mr. Alvez. Or Coach? Do you prefer Coach?”

“Semantics, please continue.”

“Right, well. Phil and I just so happened to find a few of your students breaking into our football stadium tonight. Now I wanted to call Aaron Hotchner myself, but young Mr. Malcolm has convinced us that you were the right call. Are you?”

“Sorry?”

“Are you the right call?”

Luke stared at the ceiling of his apartment and whispered a few choice curses beneath his breath.

“Are you pressing charges?”

“Now, Coach, we were very lucky to have apprehended the intruders prior to any hijinks. But, either you or another faculty member come and collect the lot of them or I am calling the police, followed by their parents.”

Luke could hear various protests in the background, this was not the way he wanted to spend his weekend. He also didn’t have a large enough vehicle to cart around multiple teenagers. “Besides Trevor Malcolm, who and how many are there?”

Luke grabbed his keys and double checked his back gate as he continued with the phone call.

“Well, I have a very aggressive young lady by the name of May Howard, a more demur girl named Azalene Curtis, a disrespectful punk who refuses to tell me his name and Mr. Malcolm.”

“Alright, Broadhead, tell Brooks to sit tight and I will be there as soon as I can.”

“Thank you, Mr. Alvez.”

Luke hit the end call button and sighed. It was late enough that the bugs and occasional cars passing by were the only noises on his street. He stared at his list of contacts for a solid minute before making the call, which finally connected on the fourth ring.

“Man, you better not be drunk dialing me.” Morgan’s voice was amused.

“Sorry, Derek, but duty calls.”

An hour later, HM Hotchner, Coach Morgan and Coach Alvez all stepped out of the large black Suburban. The rival school was cast in near darkness, besides a few lights in a first-floor wing. Luke led the way, Hotch and Derek shared a glance at his familiarity with the campus. When they reached the door, Luke was texting on his phone.

“K, should be just a sec for them to let us in.”

“Anybody know about this?” Hotch looked at his two current sports’ coaches with concern.

“Honestly, Hotch, I had no idea. I gave the guys my number in case they needed a sober driver, I wasn’t exactly expecting a full bail out.” Luke admitted, scratching the back of his neck. Aaron nodded, he was grateful to have Alvez on his team.

“My whole focus has been putting in the work to stick it their football team come playoffs, Hotch.” Derek held up his hands as they were empty of precursors to the crime. “If I had heard Howard and company would be trespassing I would have nipped that in the bud.” Derek’s eyes lit up as someone opened the secure door wide.

A tall African American guy gave them an annoyed appraisal, “Look what the cat dragged in.”

“It’s nice to see you too, Brooks.” Luke sighed. “This is my boss, Aaron Hotchner,” he paused as the shook hands. “And I’m guessing you’ve met Coach Morgan?”

“Brooks. Sorry about this.” Derek patted the man on the back as he led the way through the dimmed hallways.

“That bulldozer on your line?” Brooks started. “She’s a pistol.”

“Are the students alright?” Hotch interjected.

“Yeah, the guys may have been on something, but they lost their buzz fairly quickly.”

Luke and Derek both groaned, Coach Phil Brooks led the way to the principal’s office as they passed through a waiting room. In a row, spanning the spectrum of fear to boredom sat four Submariners. Lena Curtis, May Howard, Trevor Malcolm and one Iggy Cruz. When their teachers and headmaster stepped into the room, they erupted into a slew of explanations.

“Sir, we didn’t even—” Trevor started.

“Coach, I am so sor—” May’s voice hitched as her favorite teacher looked at her with complete disappointment.

“Are you going to call my dad?” Lena squeaked, she had been crying.

“Enough!” Hotch raised his voice and the room quieted. “Submariners on your feet.” Even the coaches beside him straightened up at the direct order. Iggy was the last one to stand, letting a huff fall from his lips. “You will wait here with Mr. Morgan and Mr. Alvez. I am going to sort this out with Principal Broadhead, then we will discuss the consequences of your actions.”

October 2, 2017 12:58pm

Ms. Prentiss’s phone buzzed against her desk, but it didn’t register as she was reading going over the final act of The Crucible with her Sophomore class.

“Now Miller wrote this during the Red Scare, what parallels can you draw from the play and those events?” She looked out into the faces of some very bored and mildly confused teenagers. Her phone buzzed again, more obvious now in the silence left by the unanswering class. “Okay, let’s try this again. Red Scare? Anyone take post World War Two history, yet?”

Five hands were raised around the room, she sighed and nodded. Then Zachary Henkel’s hand shot up as if he was electrocuted.

“Yes, Mr. Henkel? What can you tell us about the Red Scare?”

“Nothing, actually, but Ms. Garcia is waving frantically and knocking at the door.”

The English teacher’s brow knit as realization sunk in.

“It’s time?” She asked the excitable guidance counselor.

“It’s definitely time. I don’t want to into details. But, hospital, go, you now.” Emily Prentiss gave a wilted glance back to the waiting class. “Go, Emily, I’ve got them.”

“Communism and Arthur Miller. You, go.”

1:14pm

The Kirsch Memorial Hospital felt like a maze, despite the now weekly appointments JJ had been having within. Emily soon found the birthing wing and signed in at the desk.

“Your partner is in room 13C. Breathe, Mama, you got this.” The beaming nurse said to Emily, who must have looked like a deer caught in headlights.

“Right, thanks.” Emily gave a half smile and pinned her security tag on her blouse. The rooms were set up like hotel suites: very comfortable and spaced in pairs down a soothing hallway.

“Oh thank God!” JJ exclaimed as she saw Emily’s black hair peek through the double wide door.

“Or just Penelope, hey you.” Emily grabbed JJ’s hand. “Sorry I didn’t answer right away, I though it was an email notification.”

“You really need to stop being so professional.” JJ’s laughed cut short as a contraction started.

“Where are we at?” Emily watched the monitors they had on her girl and her bulging belly.

“Six minutes apart, but only dilated to 4,” JJ grunted. Emily rubbed JJ’s back with her free hand, as the pain eased so did JJ’s grip on the bed rail and Emily’s left hand.

“Good job, its like you’re ready to have a baby today.” Dr. Savannah Hayes smiled at the couple as she entered the room on her rounds. Emily watched JJ with immense pride as JJ sighed at her OBGYN.

“Ya think?”

Oct. 8 3:40pm

Matt Simmons had wrapped up his Sociology class early, telling the kids to enjoy the fresh air before a set of storms was due in for the weekend. Between his amazing stories, his looks and his more relaxed teaching style he had quickly won the hearts of the student body. He regularly received assignments early and was asked more than once if he was single, for their mothers or aunts. He politely declined the offers. Today he made his way down to the sound booth at the back of the Rothschild Auditorium to help set up for the coming musical. Rehearsals varied by day of the week as Lucas Turner was a lead this year and had recruited a few other football players for backstage work as well. The actors wouldn’t be in until 5:30pm. Matt found Alex Blake already playing with the levels as the set crew started showing up after the final bell. She held her chin in her palm, scrutinizing the coloring below.

“How’s it going?” He leaned against the door frame, his large arms folded across his chest. Alex jumped at his appearance, holding her chest. He tried to bite back his amusement, but her rueful smile told him it wasn’t going to be met with a scolding.

“Matthew! Damnit, I thought reporters liked an intro before they make an appearance.”

“Getting hard of hearing in your old age, Doc? Better keep up.”

“I am as quick as ever, thank you very much,” Alex tilted her head.

“Yeah, I bet,” He smiled at her confidence. “I’ve been meaning to ask you. What’s up with the ‘Ms.’ Did you decide to forget your PhD?”

Alex sighed, spinning to face him and away from the control desk. He had leaned back in another chair, all young and firm and handsome. “When Dave and I split, I wanted a fresh start, so I left the Doctor title behind as it was always paired with Rossi.”

“I was sorry to hear about that, and Ethan of course.”

“Thanks.” She closed her eyes at the mention of her late son. “So, what exactly brings you to teaching? It’s not exactly high adrenaline, which I recall you always chased.”

“Hannah had a rough go of it last year and I, well, I needed a change of scenery.” Matt flinched but didn’t go into greater detail.

“Did your sister ask you to keep an eye on Hannah?” Alex’s voice was low and soothing.

“Are you kidding? She barely talks about Hannah, no, Hannah and I have been close since she was little. I figured there was going to be at least a temporary opening and I reached out to Hotch.”

“JJ probably loved that.” Alex smiled, turning back to the stage.

“Yeah, well, she has her hands full now.”

“True. You sure you want to give up your nights to help run sound?” Alex teased.

“I like to be useful, plus, something tells me the Director can keep me in line.”

She gave him a look before rolling her eyes at him, “Welcome to life in the Theatre, Mr. Simmons.”

6:08pm

Jake wasn’t certain his feelings meant anything in the grand scheme of things and that thought alone made him panic. But the gnawing in his gut was getting worse with each passing day. There was something about being in the wings, the dust and ancient currents were like layers of reality, secluding and enclosing them. Michel was going over their lines and Jake was trying not to stare or break their concentration.

Michel was had contoured today and felt drastically more confident now that the itchy school blazer had been discarded. They had their sleeves rolled up to their elbows and left the top buttons open, despite the draftiness of the theatre. Now if they could just get their lines down they would earn their bad ass title for another week. After rehearsal they had a late dinner with their parents, who were briefly stateside and probably another hour of homework. So much for senior year slacking.

Jake was going to lose his nerve, but the romantic leads were going over their first scene and it felt like they would be called on for their entrances at any moment. Michel had turned to him now, “Can you read Jackson’s lines I just need to stop using the script as a crutch already.”

“Sure. But, you could always ask him to run lines.” Jake didn’t mean to sound snarky, but his self-consciousness came off as annoyance.

“Jake, you are literally doing nothing right now. Come on,” Michel huffed. Jake stood up straight and accepted Michel’s script from their out stretched hand. He leaned over the folded booklet and waited for Michel to start, their character was Bellomy, the leading lady’s father and they adjusted their stance as they got into character. Jake was transfixed, clearly, he understood acting, but watching Michel do it was like watching water boil or leaves change color. A natural transformation resulting in something completely different than who was there before.

“Oh lady le di le da loo…”

“Oh, lady le di le da loo…” Jake sounded it out choppily. Michel grabbed him tightly as the characters would greet each other in the show

“Hucklee!”

           “Bellomy!”

“Neighbor!”

           “Friend!”

Jake hadn’t let go of Michel, though a wall was meant to be separating the men on stage. He dropped the script and turned to his longtime friend and crush.

“How’s the gout?”

“What?” Jake looked down at Michel mystified.

“That’s the line, Jake. What’s wrong?” But before Jake could answer or Michel could stop him, his lips were on Michel’s.

Oct. 10 6:54pm

“Now ladies and gentlemen, will you please rise for the singing of our National Anthem?” The announcer’s voice boomed over the stadium filled to capacity with Homecoming crowds. The F.B.I. Scarlet Submariners were on the East side of their home field as their opponents the gold and black Kingsford Knights were on the West side. The sun had set fifteen minutes prior, letting the overhead lights illuminate the turf for miles around.

Mr. Walker raised his arms and the Pep band began the familiar bars, as Sacha Kane began to sing. The song wrapped up with thunderous applause and the coin toss followed. The teams stood lining the field as the captains returned. Sitting and stewing in their jerseys without their pads were the benched senior Ignacio Cruz and sophomore May Howard. The defense took the field and Lucas Turner sighed as his right side felt empty with an unreliable substitute. Coach Morgan had made the call, which Headmaster Hotchner backed fully. Coach Alvez had given Trevor a comparable two-game ban and a parent-approved drug test as punishment for the theatrics at the end of September.

“It had to be Homecoming,” Derek thought to himself as his back up kicker botched a punt, leaving the rival team on the Unsubs’ thirty-yard line. They went into the locker room down by six at half time. Thunder rolled in the distance. As well-spoken as Coach Morgan was, he didn’t need to say anything, the team knew they had to step it up. He let them breathe before offering a few shuffles to the lines.

“Unsubs! Whose house is this?!” Coach Morgan bellowed to the cement lined room.

“Our House!” They barked back.

“Whose house is this?!”

“Our HOUSE!” A deep booming response this time.

“Search and destroy, guys! SEARCH AND DESTROY!” The sweaty and pumped up bodies of forty teenagers jogged back on to the field to the enthusiasm of their stands. They went on to win by eleven, just as the cascade of rain flooded the stadium. After everyone had showered, Coach Morgan called Cruz and Howard over to discuss their reinstatements for the following week’s away game.

“You two care about your school, but there are better ways to defend it. Use your God-given talents to help your team, or you never were an Unsub. Behavior, Analysis, Unity. Earn it.”

Oct. 11 5:24pm

Chloe’s phone went off as she helped set the table for dinner. Her gaggle of siblings were either taking up space in the kitchen, trying to snag a taste early or lounging in the adjoining living room. All of her friends were off to take group pictures before heading to dinner at some posh restaurant or another. What a difference a year makes, the memories of last year’s dance clouding her thoughts.

She glanced down at the caller id before answering. “Lucas?”

“Hey, Chloe, listen, are you busy tonight?” He seemed quiet, like he was secluded.

“Helping with dinner right now, why?” She propped the phone against her shoulder as she began dishing out the salad.

“Well, I was wondering if you wanted to go to Homecoming. With me. Like a date?”

She had not seen this coming, but that was probably because she had avoided romantic entanglements like the plague they had proven to be.

“Lucas…” She let her voice hang in the air. “I don’t have a dress, this is really last minute.”

“Wear anything, you can go in jeans. I just, I just want to dance with you Chloe, I swear.” He sounded sweet, not desperate and demanding. But nervous and sheepish.

“Lucas, you can dance with anyone there, you’re classically trained.” His nerves seemed to be infectious.

“They’re not you, Chloe. Please think about it? Call me back when you’re done with dinner. I won’t be hurt if you say no, but just think about it.” Lucas waited for twelve seconds before she replied.

“Yeah, I can do that.”

“Thanks. Talk to you later!”

“Later.” Chloe ended the call and turned back to find her entire family had sat down to eat around her.

“Who was that?” Her mother Anita asked suspiciously.

“Lucas, Lucas Turner.”

“Well, what did the boy want?” her mother sat down and patted Chloe’s seat beside her.

“He asked me to go to the Dance tonight.”

A mix of ‘ooohs’ and teasing burst from her siblings, her cheeks flushed and she ducked her head as she fell into her usual spot.

“Do you want to go, doll?” Her father asked as he started cutting into his steak. She shrugged and then nodded.

“He’s a good guy, then, not going to get fresh?” Chloe smiled at her mom’s concern.

“He’s a sweetheart. He was there for me when I broke up with Brayden in the first place.” The name drew a stunned silence among the Roycewood family. It had gone unspoken for so long.

“Alright then, it’s settled. Aimee, you’re to help your sister get ready right after dinner. You hear?”

“Sweet! Of course, Mama.” Chloe’s thirteen-year-old sister replied, the excitement of dresses and make up turning her weekend magical.

“Thanks, you guys.” Chloe tried to bite back a smile, but her cheeks were determined to stay up.

“Anything to keep that smile on your face, doll.” Her dad nodded.

Next Chapter: The Show(down)

@mentallydatingspencerreid @dontshootmespence @ultrarebelheart @lyrasilverroseelizabethamanti @cynbx @rikersgirl22 @pllfrommars @wheresthewater  @darknesstoglowing @adropintheocean1234567 @tleighstone12 @unitchiefwives @sam-carter-in-training @prettyboysjello @ddreammcatcher @thegirlinflames  @night–hawk @t25luver @onlyalittleteenwolfobsessed @thismiss02 @literallyprentissstwin @usercorgis

 @natalie-fangirl

The Lily Special by LittleRose13

Day 6, The 12 Days of Shipmas - Did someone spike the eggnog?🍾

In which Lily is given a lifetime kitchen ban and Albus vows to never become an actor. 

Words:2,657

Pairings: Albus/Scorpius, Teddy/Victoire, Harry/Ginny

24th December, 2026

Everyone in the family knew that Lily Potter loved board games. They also knew that Lily Potter was the most viciously competitive member of her generation. These two facts were why everyone avoided playing games with her on the off chance she lost and threw a tantrum or a hex their way.

But Christmas Eve was the exception. It was the one night of the year Lily could convince her family to play with her, and they didn’t hold back. Now Lily was no longer a child, her brothers thought she could handle losing from time to time, and they did their best to make that happen. Some rather underhanded tactics had taken place in previous years to prevent Lily from winning.

As the kids got older - and James started playing professional Quidditch and really discovered his competitive side - the gameplay became even dirtier. With the addition of alcohol in more recent years, Potter Christmas Eve Game Night was really quite something to behold.

Of course Teddy had always been part of Game Night too, and then Victoire when he married her. This year was the first year their baby twin girls were also in attendance. Albus started to bring Scorpius along from their first Christmas out of Hogwarts and living together and Scorpius enjoyed the whole thing immensely. James, ever the bachelor, was unlikely to bring anybody with him. Lily was gushing to anybody who would listen about her new boyfriend who she’d met at university, but he was a muggle and it was a very new relationship so she hadn’t brought anyone either.

“Who wants The Lily Special? I make them at uni all the time.” Lily asked her family loudly, brandishing a cocktail glass. Everybody said no, apart from Scorpius who politely asked what was in it before Albus listed the five different types of alcohol included and Scorpius shuddered.

“I can’t drink much tonight. The twins have never slept away from home before,” Teddy explained, appearing in the living room with his wife after having put their twins down to sleep in the spare room.

They were three games in, Lily was in second to last place (Harry was last because he always let Lily beat him) and she was really not enjoying herself. She was bored of being picked on by her brothers in every single game and the smug look on Albus’ face was starting to get to her.

“Next we’re playing Mandrake Mime!” Lily insisted and Albus rolled his eyes at the mention of the game which only Lily actually knew how to play.

“That game is the worst.”

“Last place always gets to choose,” Lily turned to her father, who was nursing a firewhiskey and making eyes at his wife sat beside him. “Daddy, do you choose Mandrake Mime?”

Harry looked up, confused. “What? Oh, yes definitely.”

Lily gave Albus a triumphant look. “You’re incorrigible,” he muttered as she set the game up.

“Cheer up Al, this one’s always hilarious.” Scorpius poked Albus in the side. “What was it you had to do last time?”

“I don’t remember,” he muttered.

“He had to mime eating a hot dog and didn’t understand why we were all laughing so hard at him,” Teddy put in helpfully.

“That’s you lot and your dirty minds, not my intention.” Albus held his hands up.

Lily scoffed. “Probably for the best, otherwise I’d feel sorry for Scorpius if that’s actually how you-”

“Who wants more eggnog?” Ginny quickly interrupted and offered it round. Albus was rolling his eyes at Lily and Scorpius had turned bright red. With a triumphant look, Lily shook her head and gestured to her own glass which was already full with some concoction probably containing copious amounts of vodka, knowing Lily.

Despite Al’s protests, they played Mandrake Mimeand to Lily’s delight, the withstanding ‘don’t let Lily win’ rule was sidelined in favour of ‘pick on Al’ instead. The game required each player to choose someone to act out a phrase on a card, and there was also a board and a complicated system of earning tokens, which only Lily understood.

Nobody was paying a great deal of attention to any of the rules and instead they were enjoying winding Albus up.

“Oh, it’s my turn to draw a card.” Scorpius innocently took a card from the pile and held it face down. “Let’s see, who do I choose?” He pretended to consider everybody before handing the card to a scowling Albus with a flourish. Albus was in such a bad mood by this point that Scorpius was probably the only person who could have gotten away with giving him another card.

“I’m moving out, you no longer have a housemate,” Albus said to Scorpius as he begrudgingly took the card and read it to himself. “Or a boyfriend.”

“It’s okay Scorp, you can move in with us, can’t he Dad?” Lily patted Scorpius on the shoulder.

“Any day Scorpius. You’re much tidier than Albus.” Harry grinned at Albus who was rolling his eyes but was taking the teasing well.

“Can I get this over with?” he held the card up.

“Short, scrawny potions nerd,” James yelled as soon as Albus stood up.

“Wow, Jamesy. Got it in one.” Albus threw the card down in front of his brother and fell back onto the sofa next to his boyfriend. “Can we play something different now? I’m bored of being a performing monkey.”

“This says realising you’ve forgotten your wand,” James read the card incredulously.

“Yes!” Lily drowned out everyone else. “That means I won that game!”

There was a collective groan.

Somehow the next game didn’t ever happen as the family descended into conversation and everyone was too busy drinking and talking to bother setting up another game, even Lily. Albus and Scorpius were curled up together in an armchair, not far from the sofa which Victoire was sat on with Ginny and Harry. Over on the other sofa, Lily was leaning against James and tapping at her muggle mobile phone, chatting to Teddy as she did.

Teddy’s wand, which was lying on the mantelpiece, emitted glowing sparks and the sound of a baby crying came from it. Victoire put her drink down immediately.

“If one of them wakes up, it doesn’t take long for the other one to join her,” she muttered to Ginny, rising to leave.

“I’ll do it, you stay here, Princess.” Teddy was on his feet already and he kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair lovingly. “I love you so much.”

Vic raised her eyebrows as she watched him leave.

“That was… sweet. A little over the top, but sweet.” Ginny was confused by her almost-son’s behaviour.

“He’s drunk,” said Victoire shrewdly, narrowing her eyes into the distance where Teddy had just left. “That, right there, that was drunk Teds.”

“I thought he wasn’t drinking much ‘cause of the babies?”

“So did I.” Victoire looked thoughtful. “He’s barely drank at all since we found out I was pregnant, it’s supposed to be a solidarity thing. I told him he didn’t have to but, well, you know what Teddy’s like.”

“His taking-care-of-people thing,” Ginny said proudly. “What happened tonight then? It’s not like Teddy to just abandon ship like that.

Victoire considered her question for a second and then turned in her seat. “Albus!”

He looked up from his boyfriend and grinned at her, his green eyes giving away instantly that it wasn’t only Teddy who was drunk.

“What did you give my husband to drink?” She eyed his full glass of something that looked like one of Lily’s Special Cocktails.

Albus gestured vaguely to the door that Teddy had just left through. “Your husband went that way.”

“Not really what I asked. You’re no help when you’re drunk, Al.”

He shrugged and took a sip of his drink happily. Scorpius had been listening to their exchange and luckily was able to shed light on Vic’s question where Albus had failed.

“He’s just been drinking this delicious eggnog all night. It’s not strong at all.” Scorpius was holding a glass of said eggnog precariously as he spoke and Victoire looked at him suspiciously.

“Give me that a second.” She reached for his glass and he obliged. One quick sip confirmed that Harry’s eggnog recipe certainly was strong.

“Merlin, Uncle Harry! How much rum did you put in this?” She turned to her uncle who was all kinds of confused.

“James made it this year.”

Everyone turned to look at where James was sitting and talking to Lily.

“What?” he said, looking up when he sensed so many people looking at him.

“How much alcohol did you put in this?” Ginny asked, looking confused but also like she was trying to hold back laughter.

“Did someone spike the eggnog?” James looked shocked and appalled, and grabbed Scorpius’ glass from Victoire’s hand to taste it. “Tastes fine to me. I followed Dad’s recipe exactly. Lily helped me, you saw, didn’t you Lil? I used the recipe.”

Lily didn’t respond and was looking rather shifty.

“Lily Luna Potter!” Ginny reprimanded her daughter as if she were seven, rather than eighteen. “You didn’t?”

“Come on, you have to admit it made everything more fun. Look at Scorpius.”

“Oh, hi everyone,” Scorpius said, looking pleased when he noticed so many eyes on him. He’d conjured himself a party hat which he’d been unable to convince anyone else to wear with him.

“You got Teddy drunk, Lil.” Ginny looked as if she was slightly amused by her daughter’s actions.

“He got drunk from that? When did he become such a lightweight?” Lily looked incredulous. “He’s not Scorpius.”

“Hey!” Scorpius said, offended, but then he shrugged his shoulders. “Actually, fair point.”

“You’re a cheap date,” Albus threw an arm around his shoulders and stole his party hat.

“Your idea of a lightweight isn’t on the same page as anyone else’s if your stories from freshers week are anything to go by, Lil.” Ginny rolled her eyes.

“Teds hardly ever drinks anymore, Lily,” Victoire explained calmly; she wasn’t upset by the situation because drunk Teddy just meant he was more tactile and a bit soppier than usual.

“Since he had babiesand turned boring,” Lily muttered, stirring her own drink with a straw. Victoire laughed at her words and got up to go to the kitchen and refill her drink, taking Harry’s glass with her too.

Teddy appeared in the kitchen, their daughter held firmly in his arms, one of her hands in his as he exaggeratedly danced around with her and she squealed in delight. “That’s your mummy, the most beautiful woman in the world.”

Victoire rolled her eyes and took the baby from him. “Is Clemmie still asleep?”

Teddy didn’t seem to hear her, he was still holding their daughter’s little hand and making exaggerated faces at her. “I love your mummy so much, and I love you so much.”

Victoire looked around the kitchen and lowered her voice so nobody else could hear her use his pet name. “Blue Bear, I know you’re drunk right now. Lily spiked the eggnog. I don’t mind one bit, you can stop all this.”

He smiled at her gratefully, as Pippa let go of his hand. “Thought you’d be cross with me,” he muttered, stroking the baby’s blonde hair. “S’all Al’s fault.”

“It’s actually all Lily’s fault,” Victoire replied, leading Teddy back into the living room with their baby. They were met by both Ginny and Scorpius descending on them to coo over the baby.

Ginny took her from Victoire and Scorpius held onto her little hand, waving it around and making faces at her. Baby Pippa was smiling widely at him and her smile grew even bigger when she spotted Teddy again over Scorpius’ shoulder. She reached out for him and Ginny obliged, handing the baby over to her dad where she curled into him and rested her head on his shoulder.

“She’s normally such a good sleeper,” Victoire sighed, watching her daughter.

Scorpius ended up sat on the floor with his back up against the sofa, his knees bent up and Pippa sat across his stomach happily.

“Look at her little feet, and her little toes, and her little pyjamas. Look how little she is.” Scorpius was practically in tears over how cute the lower half of baby Pippa was. He was talking to Albus, who was spread out on the sofa behind him, giving non-committal noises of comprehension every few seconds and gazing at the baby too. “She’s just so little, wow, so small. She’s like a human, but really tiny.”

“Have you done your term in the neo-natal ward yet, Scorpius?” Victoire asked him, watching her daughter giggle. Victoire was a junior Healer and she’d chosen to specialise in mental health magic; Scorpius was in his third year of Healer school and about to choose his own specialism.

“That’s my last one! I’ve got the whole paediatrics department still to go. I’ve been in Spell Damage this past term, and before that Potion Poisoning.” Scorpius turned to speak to her then immediately shifted his gaze back to the baby and started cooing over her again.

“I think you’ll enjoy it,” she laughed as Scorpius babbled away to her daughter.

“You should have seen him when he was on the Labour and Delivery ward.” Albus grinned, sitting up on the sofa behind his boyfriend. “Albus, this baby was only this big. He was so small, only this big I tell you.”

“I don’t sound like that!”

“You do a bit, love.” Albus stroked Scorpius’ shoulders and Scorpius, noticing he’d sat up, picked baby Pip up to sit beside Albus on the sofa. The baby reached curiously towards Albus and he leaned forward to take her from Scorpius. Pippa was more interested in grabbing a fistful of Al’s hair, and his neck was stuck tilted at an odd angle as she happily pulled at it.

“Your daughter’s broken my neck, Ted,” Albus laughed, his head still leant over to one side. Teddy didn’t hear him because he was curled up against his wife who was stroking his hair fondly and keeping an eye on their daughter from across the room.

Scorpius freed Al’s hair from Pippa’s grip and she looked at him reproachfully. “She’s cross with you now,” Albus observed.

“I’m sorry, Pippy. I’m quite attached to your Uncle Albus’ hair,” Scorpius told her very seriously and she giggled at him, squirming down further and settling herself across Albus’ chest.

Albus kissed the top of her head. “I think I want one, one day. A long time from now.” He spoke loud enough so that only his boyfriend could hear.

“Me too.” Scorpius rested his head on Albus’ shoulder and gazed down at the baby too. “You know I can’t give you one of these. Or did you mean with somebody else?” he said quietly.

Albus looked up at him and furrowed his brow. “Of course I meant with you.”

“Which takes me back to my original point. I can’t give you a baby, I lack certain essential components.”

Albus laughed lightly as Pippa crawled across the two of them, landing on top of Scorpius. “We’ll work something out. Imagine having one of these around all the time.”

Pippa sat up and stared at Scorpius, as if realising for the first time that he was neither of her parents. Her bottom lip trembled and she let out a piercing scream, attempting to throw herself from his lap. Scorpius’ reactions, while slower than usual, still kicked in to catch her in time, but that only made her cry more. He hastily lifted her up to deliver her back to Victoire, where she settled almost instantly.

“I think I prefer it just the two of us for now,” Scorpius sighed, throwing an arm around his intoxicated boyfriend. Albus nodded in agreement.

Top 100 Whatsapp Attitude Status

In this blog, we are going to share with you the Top 100 Attitude status for Whatsapp and other social media sites. All the statuses are picked by us and only those statuses are published in this blog which according to us are top levels status.

Status is a great way to express one's Feelings, Emotions, Thoughts, and Personality. Nowadays, almost every social website offers the options to its users to share text, images, and videos in their stories which get disappeared automatically after 24 hours. 

So without any further delay, let's move to the main topic, which is Top 100 Attitude Status.

 Do I really look like a guy who gives a fuck about what people think ?

 Don't let her treat you Poorly, just because you Love her.

 When you cared, you were taken for granted but when you said fuck it, You became the bad guy.

 When I shut my mouth and walk away, It doesn't mean you won. It simply means you are not worth any more of my life.

Fuck every single person who ever doubted you.

 If I needed you and you were not there. I will never need you again.

 The longer the explanation, the bigger the lie.

 People are not permanent. Remember this and you will be fine.

 You couldn't handle me even if I came with instructions.

 When you are talking behind my back. Feel free to kiss my ass.

 You were made an original. Don't die a copy

 Be like a mirror, show people what they show you.

Think like a Millionaire, Hustle like you are broke.

Believe in yourself and you will be unstoppable.

The word "lucky' is an insult, I worked hard to get it.

Confidence never goes out of style.

Let them party, One day they will be working for you.

Life gives you two choices, Give up or Man the fuck up.

The pain today will be the strength tomorrow.

Hustle because being Lazy is expensive.

If you want things to change, you have got to change.

Laugh with many, don't trust any.

You can't change the past, so focus on making great future

Dream big, there is nothing out of your reach.

Be a Man with a Plan, a Dude with an Attitude and a Gentleman with Class.

You were born to Stand out.

I am not afraid of losing, I am afraid of not trying.

I am mine before being anyone else's.

Don't blame distractions, blame your Focus.

I knew all the rules, but the rules did not know me.

Don't be afraid of being different, Be afraid of being same.

Focus on yourself. Don't get lost in other people.

Confidence is the key to do anything.

The goal is to live life on your own terms.

Swag is for boys, Class is for men.

They play the game, I change the game.

Passion is the fuel of success.

Don't be afraid to be alone. Goals are personal.

Always believe in yourself.

Make today so awesome that yesterday gets jealous.

If you want to go Big, stop thinking Small.

 This is my life, not yours, stop worrying about what I do.

Be crazy enough to believe. You can do anything in life.

Pain is temporary but pride is forever.

The best Revenge is Massive Success.

If you want to go big, stop thinking small.

Life is Better when You don't care.

A Dream becomes a goal when action is taken towards its Achievement.

A Happy soul is the best shield for this Cruel World.

Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.

If hard work is your weapon then Success will be your Slave.

Don't let your Dreams just be your Dreams.

Life is about taking chances and making moves.

You will never understand until it happens to you.

Not everybody you want deserves you.

Unlock the best version of yourself.

Life is a Game, Money is how we keep score.

If you do not like what you are? Move. You are not a Tree.

Their opinions, Don't pay your bill.

I may be crazy but Crazy is better than Stupid.

No matter how many times I fall, I still rise.

They call me a dreamer, but I am the one who doesn't Sleep.

Start for nothing, Stop for nothing. 

I am glad you stopped talking to me. Its like trash took itself out.

Call me crazy but I like to see other people succeeding and happy. Life is a Journey, not a Competition.

I am something, you will regret losing.

No regrets in life, just lessons learned.

I have learned a lot of lessons from a few fucked up people.

I don't get lucky, I make my own luck.

Those who Fly solo, have the strongest wings.

Tell your past, it can go and fuck itself. You are busy.

I hate people who assume shit. Just ask me and I will tell you.

When the people you don't even know hate you. That's when you are the best.

In a world full of fakes, stay real

I don't have time for fake friends anymore, either be Real or be Gone.

Don't let small minds convince you that you have Big Dreams.

Choose your habits carefully. They decide on your future.

I believe in 4G's 1. GOD 2. GLOWING 3. GOAL 4. GROWING

Not every " sorry " deserves an "it's ok " in return.

Don't judge me. You can't handle even half of what I have survived.

Damaged people are strong because they know how to survive.

No one stays with you permanently, so learn to survive alone.

Everybody is broken here. Some with Love and some without Love.

Karma has everyone's address, even if you are homeless.

A great future doesn't require a great Past.

I try to be a nice person but sometimes my mouth doesn't co-operates.

Know your worth and stop giving people discounts.

Be a Game Changer, the world is full of players.

When you are Poor, they see your face. When you are rich, they start seeing your heart.

I am not heartless. I just learned how to use Heart less.

I am one of the rare people who don't know how to quit.

A person who is Rude in behavior is the one who cares the most.

Tough times never last. Tough people do.

I am sorry if you don't understand my level of thinking.

They don't miss you when you are gone. They miss you when you start doing better.

Whatever you hear about me , please believe it. I have no longer time to explain myself. You can also add some if you want.

Tell me "I can't" and I will embarrass you.

I prefer to smile in my Darkest hours, just to show the life that it messed with the wrong person.

Show no effort and I will show you No Interest.

I am not born Rich but I work twice hard to fix it instead of crying.

"[D] An analysis on how AlphaStar's superhuman speed is a band-aid fix for the limitations of imitation learning."- Detail: I will try to make a convincing argument for the following:AlphaStar played with superhuman speed and precision.Deepmind claimed to have restricted the AI from performing actions that would be physically impossible to a human. They have not succeeded in this and most likely are aware of it.The reason why AlphaStar is performing at superhuman speeds is most likely due to it's inability to unlearn the human players tendency to spam click. I suspect Deepmind wanted to restrict it to a more human like performance but are simply not able to. It's going to take us some time to work our way to this point but it is the whole reason why I'm writing this so I ask you to have patience.First of all I want to clarify that I am a layman. I've been following AI and the Starcraft 2 scene for years but I do not claim to be an expert in either topic. If you notice any misconceptions in what I'm about write please do point it out. I'm only a fanboy and all this is fascinating to me. This essay contains a lot of speculation and I will admit that I can't prove all of my core claims definitively. Having said that, if you are so kind to read all of this and disagree with me, please argue in good faith. I would love to be proven wrong.Lastly I want to emphasize that I do find AlphaStar to be an amazing achievement, in my opinion the greatest from Deepmind so far and I'm eagerly waiting to see how it develops from here. Ok, here we go.The Superhuman Speed of AlphaStarDavid Silver*:* "AlphaStar can't react faster than a human player can, nor can it execute more clicks than a human player".The Starcraft 2 scene was dominated in 2018 by a player called Serral. He is the current world champion and won 7 out of 9 major tournaments he attended that year resulting in the single most dominant run of any Starcraft 2 player in the history of the game. This guy is fast. Maybe the fastest player in the world.Here's a first person view of him playing. Serral is the pinkish white player. Take a look at his APM displayed in the upper left corner of the screen. APM is short for actions per minute. Basically it is a number that represents how fast the player is clicking on his mouse and keyboard. At no point is he able to sustain more than 500 APM for long. There are burst of 800 but they last only fractions of a second and are most likely resulted from spam clicking, which I will be discussing shortly.While arguably the fastest human player is able to sustain an impressive 500 APM, AlphaStar had bursts going up to 1500+. These inhumane 1000+ APM bursts sometimes lasted for 5 seconds stretches and were full of meaningful actions. 1500 actions in a minute translates to 25 actions a second. This is physically impossible to do. I also want you to take into account that in a game of Starcraft 5 seconds is a long time, especially at the very beginning of a big battle. If the superhuman execution during the first 5 seconds gives the AI an upper hand it will win the engagement by a large margin because of the snowball effect. An engagement in game 3 vs Mana. AlphaStar sustain a 1000+ APM over a period of 5 seconds. Another one in game 4 had bursts that go up to 1500+ APM. One of the commentators points out how the average APM is still acceptable but it is quite clear that the sustained bursts are way higher than what a human could do.Spam-clicks, APM and the Surgical Precision of a RobotMost human players have a tendency to spam click. Spam-clicks are exactly what they sound like. Meaningless clicks that don't have an effect on anything. For example, a human being might be moving his army and when they click to where they want the army to go, they click more than once. What effect does this have? Nothing. The army won't walk any faster. A single click would have been enough. Why do they do it then? There are two reasons:Spam-clicking is the natural by-product of a human being trying to click around as fast as possible.It helps to warm up finger muscles.Remember that player Serral we talked about earlier? The impressive thing about him is actually not how fast he is clicking but how precise he is. Serral not only has a really high APM (the total clicks per minute, including spam-clicks) but also a ridiculously high effective-APM (the total clicks per minute, excluding spam-clicks).Here's a former proplayer losing his mind on twitter after discovering the effective-APM of Serral. An E-APM that high is practically unheard of. 344 is so much that I have hard time believing it. But wait. If AlphaStar can potentially play without spam, wouldn't this mean that it's peak E-APM could be equal to it's peak APM? This makes the 1000+ spikes even more inhumane. Now also take into consideration that AlphaStar plays with perfect accuracy. It always clicks exactly where it intends to. Humans missclick.There is a clear, almost unanimous consensus among the Starcraft 2 scene that AlphaStar performed sequences that no human could ever hope to replicate. It was faster and more precise than what is physically possible. The most mechanically impressive human pro in the world is several times slower. The accuracy can't even be compared.David Silver's claim that AlphaStar can't execute anything human player a human being can't replicate is simply not true.Doing Things the Right Way VS Doing Things The Fast WayOriolVinyals: It is important that we play the games that we created and collectively agreed on by the community as ��grand challenges” . We are trying to build intelligent systems that develop the amazing learning capabilities that we possess, so it is indeed desirable to make our systems learn in a way that’s as “human-like” as possible. As cool as it may sound to push a game to its limits by, for example, playing at very high APMs, that doesn’t really help us measure our agents’ capabilities and progress, making the benchmark useless.Why is Deepmind interested in restricting the agent to play like a human? Why not just let it run wild with no limitations? The reason is that Starcraft 2 is a game that can be broken by mechanical perfection. In this video a bot attacks a group of tanks with perfect micro. When the unit control is this good, the AI doesn't even need to learn strategy. The purpose of this exercise is not lost on me. Deepmind is not necessarily interested in creating an AI that can beat Starcraft but advancing AI research as a whole. It is deeply unsatisfying to have prominent members of this research project make claims of human-like mechanical limitations when the agent is very obviously breaking them and winning it's games specifically because it is demonstrating superhuman execution.AlphaStar is able to outperform human players with unit control that was not taken into consideration when the game developer was carefully balancing the game. This can obfuscate any strategic thinking the AI has learned. It can even make the strategic thinking completely unnecessary. This is not the same thing as being stuck in a local maxima. Abusing superior control is very likely to be the best and most effective way to play the game as disappointing as that sounds.This is what one of the pros who played AlphaStar had to say about it's strengths and weaknesses:Mana: I would say that clearly the best aspect of its game is the unit control. In all of the games when we had a similar unit count, AlphaStar came victorious. The worst aspect from the few games that we were able to play was its stubbornness to tech up. It was so convinced to win with basic units that it barely made anything else and eventually in the exhibition match that did not work out. There weren’t many crucial decision making moments so I would say its mechanics were the reason for victory.There's almost unanimous consensus among Starcraft fans that AlphaStar won almost purely because of it's superhuman speed, reaction times and accuracy. The pro who played against seems to agree. There was a member of the Deepmind team who played against AlphaStar before they let the pros test it. Most likely he would agree with the assesment. David Silver and Oriol Vinyal keep repeating the mantra of how the bot is only able to do things that a human could do as well.This does not sound like doing things the right way. Something about this is really sketchy.Why Does Deepmind Allow AlphaStar to Have Super-Human Mechanical Ability?Now we finally get to the meat and potatoes of this essay. First let's recap.We know what APM, E-APM and spam-clicking are.We have a rudimentary understanding of what the upper limits of human play looks like.We understand that AlphaStars gameplay is in direct contradiction to what the developers claim it was allowed to be able to execute.We understand that the consensus among Starcraft scene is that the unit control won the games and that strategic thinking wasn't even needed.We understand that the goal of Deepmind is not to create a microbot or abuse the game in ways it was never meant to be played like.It is incredibly unlikely that no one in Deepmind's Starcraft AI team thought burst APM of 1500+ were unrealistic. Their Starcraft guy knows more about the game than I do. They are close with Blizzard. It is in their interest (see the previous bullet point) to make the bot act as close to a human as possible.Thank you for sticking with me for this long. Here's what I suspect happened:At the very start of the project Deepmind agrees upon heavy APM restrictions on AlphaStar. At this point the agent is not allowed to have superhuman bursts of speed we saw in the demonstration. These restrictions most likely take into account.The average APM across the whole game.Maximum burst APM over a short period of time. I think capping it around 4-6 clicks per second would be reasonable. Remember Serral and his 344 E-APM that was head and shoulders above the competition? That is less than 6 clicks per second. The AlphaStar that played against Mana was able to perform 25 clicks per second over sustained periods of time. This is so much faster than even the fastest spam clicks a human can do that I don't think the original restrictions allowed for it.Minimum time between clicks. Even if the speed bursts of the bot were capped, it could still perform almost instantaneous actions at the beginning of the time slice in an inhuman way. A human being obviously could not do this.Something like that. Some people would argue for adding a random element on accuracy as well but I suspect that would hinder the training way too much.2) Next Deepmind downloads thousands of high-ranking amateur games and begins imitation learning. At this stage the agent is simply trying to imitate what humans do in games.3) The agent adopts a behavior of spam-clicking. This is highly likely because human players spam click so much during games. It is almost certainly the single most repeated pattern of action that humans perform and thus would most likely root itself very deeply into the behavior of the agent.4) AlphaStars maximum burst APM is restricted close to how fast a human spam clicks. Because most of the actions Alphastar is executing are spam clicks, it does not have the APM available to experiment in fights. If the agent doesn't experiment, it won't learn. Here's what one of the developers said in an AMA yesterday, I think he tipped his hand:OriolVinyals: Training an AI to play with low APM is quite interesting. In the early days, we had agents trained with very low APMs, but they did not micro at all.5) In order to speed up development they change APM restrictions to allow high bursts. Here are the APM restrictions that AlphaStar was playing in the demonstration:OriolVinyals: In particular, we set a maximum of 600 APMs over 5 second periods, 400 over 15 second periods, 320 over 30 second periods, and 300 over 60 second period. If the agent issues more actions in such periods, we drop / ignore the actions. These were values taken from human statistics.This is the equivalent of lying through statistics. It looks reasonable, but it allows for superhuman execution.There's a limit to how fast a human can spam click. The most typical form of spam clicking is issuing a movement or attack commands to a unit. This is done by clicking with your mouse. Try clicking your mouse as fast as you can. The agent learnt that kind of spam clicking. It would not be clicking faster because the humans it is imitating are not clicking faster. The extra APM that allows it to go to superhuman speeds can be considered "free" APM wich it can experiment with.6) The free APM is used to experiment in engagements. This kind of interaction would happen often while training. AlphaStar starts to learn new kind of behavior that leads to better outcomes and it starts to break away from constant spam clicking.7) If the agent learned actual useful actions why then didn't Deepmind go back to the speculated initial harsher, humanlike limitations on APM? It couldn't be because they didn't realize that what the bot was doing was superhuman. The Starcraft community has almost unanimous consensus that AlphaStar had superhuman micro. The human pros said in the ama that AlphaStars greatest strength was it's unit control and greatest weakness it's strategic thinking. The Starcraft people within Deepmind's team must have been thinking the same. The reason is probably because the agent still occasionally displays spam clicking. Even though based on analyzing the games it seems to be able to execute crisply with very little spam, it still regularly engage in it. This is apparent in game 1 against Mana when Alphastar is moving up the ramp. The agent was spamclicking movement commands. It still had not unlearned it. The spam clicking would hurt the agent most during big engagements and the APM cap was tinkered to allow it to perform well even in those.You Wrote a Damn Book, Why Do You Even Care OP?So there you have it. The agent was not able to un-learn spam clicking and Deepmind had to tinker with the APM cap to allow experimentation. This had unfortunate side effect of superhuman execution wich resulted in the agent breaking the game by being able to execute strategies that were never intended to be possible in the game.What leaves the sourest taste in my mouth is this image:http://bit.ly/2S7fllC seems to be designed to mislead people unfamiliar with Starcraft 2. It seems to be designed to show how the APM of AlphaStar was reasonable. Look at Mana's APM and compare that to AlphaStar. While the mean of Mana is higher, the tail of AlphaStar goes way above what any human is capable of doing with any kind of intent of precision. Notice how Mana's peak APM is around 750 while AlphaStar is above 1500. Now take into account that Mana's 750 is almost 50% spamclicks while AlphaStars is a lot less spammy.Now take a look at TLO's APM. The tail goes up to 2000's. Think about that for a second. How is that even possible? It is made possible by a trick called rapid fire. TLO is not clicking super fast. He is holding down a button and the game is registering this as 2000 APM. The only thing you can do with rapid fire is to spam a spell. That's it. TLO just over-uses it for some reason. The neat little effect is that this is masking AlphaStars burst APM and making it look reasonable to people who are not familiar with Starcraft. The blog post makes no attempt at explaining TLO's absurd numbers.This is literally lying through statistics.. Caption by SoulDrivenOlives. Posted By: www.eurekaking.com

Hi! Just wanted to say, I've noticed that you described Saihara as suicidal and depressed in several of you meta posts, including the most recent one. I'm not having anything against it, I can see where it's coming from, but could you maybe elaborate a bit more on how it manifests in the game?

No problem! The fact that Saihara is depressed (that all the ndrv3characters are depressed to some degree) is established fairly early on, but I’dsay it first comes to light in Chapter 2. Following Kaede’s death, Saihara isinclined to stay holed up in his room without really eating or talking toanyone the next day. If Momota hadn’t come to fetch him in person, it’s quitelikely he wouldn’t have come out for some time.

This kind of behavior isn’t abnormal considering how muchtrauma all of them just experienced the day before, but it’s fairly notablethat Saihara is the only one in thegroup who didn’t really want to come out and meet up with everyone forbreakfast. As far as I can remember, it’s not something Naegi or Hinata everexhibited, even when they were both at their most upset. Meeting with the groupand trying to figure out what they would do next or how they would tackle thesituation always sort of won out on the list of priorities.

This trend of Saihara staying holed up in his room andfeeling too lethargic or upset to go anywhere or talk to anyone continuesseveral times throughout the game, culminating in Chapter 5 with the reveal of “thetruth of the outside world,” but I’ll touch on that in a bit.

As for Chapter 2, the remember light they use is perhaps thefirst really big tip-off as to how depressed Saihara and the others actuallyare, as well as a fairly good clue as to the potential real state of theoutside world. One of the first things Saihara recalls as a result of usingthat remember light is thinking a very strong, prevalent thought: “I want todie together with everyone.”

At the time, Saihara and the others can only assume thisline of thinking was related to the SHSL Hunt and erasing their memories inorder to live as talentless students. Knowing what we know about the reveals inChapter 6 however, there’s a strong implication that the decision to enter thekilling game willingly was itself a method of “throwing away one’s life.”

Tsumugi strongly emphasizes again and again in Chapter 6 that“the world of Danganronpa” is the only world in which “people like them” canlive. This is, of course, no doubt partially due to her desire to break theirspirits and have them never be able to open up the catbox or visit the outsideworld themselves. But I think there’s at least some degree of truth to it too,as there is with many of Tsumugi’s comments. She wouldn’t be able to weave sucha convincing story about the survivors, and about Saihara in particular, ifthere weren’t some underlying truth to it too, in my opinion.

In ndrv3, regardless of what the state of the outside worldmight be, one thing that seems pretty consistent is—bad. There are tons ofhints that the virus in particular seems to be real. Even if it didn’t wipe outall of humanity, the fact that Tsumugi was clearly sweating bullets when sherealized Momota was sick in Chapter 5 and the fact that the virus wasforeshadowed by Ouma long before the Hope’s Peak remember light, as early asChapter 3, all suggest that some kindof disaster happened in the outside world.

There’s also what we hear from “Makoto” in Chapter 6. Thescene with Makoto isn’t shown via any remember lights or scenes with Tsumugi;rather, it’s a scene entirely for the player’s eyes, and it highlightsincredibly well the sort of pressure placed on “normal, talentless” people tokeep up with societal pressure in a school meant only for the “elite.” Makotopretty much flat-out confirms that he would just up and kill himself without throwinghimself headlong into fiction and into DR in particular in order to cope—to anunhealthy degree even.

This scene sets the tone for the rest of Chapter 6 and forthe reveals we discover about the rest of the characters. This is exactly whatleads me to believe that pre-game Saihara did, to some extent, rely on the DRfranchise in the same way; his audition tape suggests as much. The ndrv3universe seems to hinge heavily on convincing children, particularly teenagers,that their lives don’t particularly mean much if they can’t “keep up” with theelite and talented members of society. And so, joining “the world ofDanganronpa” is a definite way to escape from that frustrating, painful realitywhich puts so much pressure and misery onto these kids.

Going back to what I mentioned about Chapter 5 earlier aswell, in-game Saihara is notablydepressed and suicidal after Ouma drops “the truth of the outside world” on allof them. The whole group is, really, except for Tsumugi as the ringleader andMaki because she’s used to dismissing her own personal feelings in order tokeep going as any good soldier or assassin would.

Saihara literally lies in his bedroom for at least two orthree days literally thinking to himself “there’s no reason to live, there’s noreason to live, there’s no reason to live” on loop, unable to eat, shower, orgo out and talk to anyone. Maki even agrees to kill all the rest of the groupas per Himiko’s request if they still want to die after using the rememberlight she found—and none of them have any problems with this, because realizingthat all the people they ever loved are dead and gone and the earth is acomplete wasteland is just that painful a truth.

This tendency to want to just give up and die is somethingthat carries over even into Chapter 6, when Tsumugi hits them with one “reveal”after another about the fragile state of their existences as fictional beings.As she claims credit for every single thing they’ve ever thought or done, downto their experiences, their memories, even their emotions, the initialexpectation from most players I think is to assume that Saihara’s going to bereally shocked and upset at first, only to bounce back with the usual “you’vegot that wrong” speech full of hope and inspiration.

But that doesn’t happen. Saihara quite literally gives up.It’s a very emotional scene full of heavy impact because Saihara makes someextremely valid points on why there’s not even any point in going on. If she saysall that, then it is true they have no way to deny it. And he’s tired. He’s tired and he’s in pain andhe’s miserable and they’ve already lost so many of their classmates, and nowthey don’t even have anything about themselves that they can trust, not eventheir own feelings or the memories of the people they love.

It’s at that point that Kiibo has to take the stage as themore traditional “hope-giving” protagonist figure—and it’s this hopeful andinspirational speech which actually incites Saihara to action again. Ratherthan hooking him into the usual “hope vs. despair” conflict though, it’s angerthat drives him. Anger and a willingness to quite literally discard his life ifthat’s what it takes to end the whole killing game. It’s the same sort ofsuicidal but determined drive which allowed Ouma to make the same decision inChapter 5.

Even at the very end of Chapter 6, Saihara never reallyexpected to make it out of the game alive. Every truth he exposed, he did so inthe hopes of keeping himself and the other survivors alive, but by the game’send, he was fully convinced that the DR franchise and the killing game showcould only be brought to a stop if he and the other survivors sacrificed theirlives for it. He was willing and ready to die, and only Kiibo’s self-sacrifice offeredthem a third option they hadn’t considered before.

In other words, Saihara is pretty clearly depressed,anxious, and suicidal for almost the entirety of ndrv3. He’s capable ofcheering up and gaining confidence in himself, of course, but often he needs torely on others and has a much more dependent streak than either Naegi or Hinatabefore him. His hesitation and insecurities about his own abilities, aboutfinding the truth, and about whether or not he even wants to live on, are allextremely relatable in my opinion, and part of what make him such a greatprotagonist in the most unconventional way.

I hope this cleared matters up a little! There’s probablymore examples than what I’ve listed too, but these are just the big points Icould remember in terms of how depressed and willing to die Saihara gets. Thankyou for asking!

"if you weren't you, then we'd all be a little bit less we"

Growing up I've always been told "family comes first." "When your friends aren't there for you, your family always will be." "Family is forever." These concepts had been instilled in my mind at such an early age not only through words, but actions and the very nature of my life. There were definitely times when I would look around and acknowledge that "okay, not all families are as close as mine, and that's okay." But it wasn't until I came down here that I realized this universal truth of family-being-the-most-important-thing-in-your-life may not be as universal as I thought. Let me just start off my saying there's nothing wrong with living your life otherwise. I've met so many people who have different priorities and I'll even admit - there have been times when I wish I could be able to be more like them. To focus more on me, on my career, on my friends. To be able to worry less. To care less. But that's just not me. Starting from the very beginning weeks of my adventure, I thought about my ppl back home a lot. It was amazing to be able to share all of these new experiences with new people and bond with my roommates to create unique friendships, but all the while I had sometimes wished I could also share it with the ones I already loved and left behind. It got easier to be able to enjoy this experience for what it is and embrace my independence as time went on, but there were always those days when I would be riding pirates or splash mountain and wishing my dad was there with me, or wishing I had jess to blame when I secretly wanted to ride the astro orbiter. Needless to say, disney is where I grew up with my fam, so it has only been natural for me to be nostalgic of those days in the place where so many of my favorite memories were created. I wouldn't sit here and say I've spent the last 3 months longing to be home and spending every waking moment missing the people there (tbh ain't nobody got time for that even if I wanted to), but this experience has made me appreciate more than ever that home IS such a happy place, and I'm grateful for the people there that make it that way. So as you can probably imagine, the week in Florida when home came HERE for a little bit was one of the absolute best so far. It all started with a visit from Aunt Linda and Uncle Steven. I showed them around my complex and spent about the first 20 breathless minutes answering rapid fire questions about my program, lol. They took me to a lovely and salubrious lunch at bahama breeze and then on a very unique thrift shopping adventure. They offered to buy me ANYTHING I wanted from the thrift store, and though the $25 dishwasher was tempting, I resisted. No but seriously, I really did enjoy my time catching up with them. It's so nice to see family and get the chance to bring them into my own little world here. The mr. softee ice cream was also a plus, but that's besides the point. Before we knew it, it was time to go meet my mom and dad at their new ("week" long rental) (three bedroom) condo! If the nostalgia wasn't already strong enough, being back at caribe cove strengthened it a little bit more. I helped them get settled in and re-explore the old stomping grounds, and soon enough it was time for me to be off to work :/. That was one of the slowest nights I've had here, as all I could think about was my family down here in Orlando having fun without me, but thanks to them - I had some surprise visitors asking for some ice cream! Between mom's narration/recording of snap chats, uncle Stevens high decibel excited voice, and aunt Linda's flash from her digital camera, it was only a matter of seconds before every person in the shop knew my family was here to visit. Lol. I ensured that dad got the best (and largest amount of) ice cream (nonna d's oatmeal lace, yum) and sent them on their way. I heard Mickey was pretty good to them at the register, you'll have to ask them about that doe. The next day I had work again and consequently missed the arrival of my dear cousins. Matthew, Jamee, and Matt were scooped from the airport by mom and dad that morning and directly started their Disney adventure at Hollywood Studios. When I got off, I boated over to meet them (what a beautiful change from the post-work bus transportation I'm used to) and we made our way over to none other than the magical magic kingdom. I could tell they already were running on fumes from such a long day, but you can't Disney half butt, so we pressed on. We got to watch the beautiful Wishes (a night time spectacular, ending May 11, 2017), and explore as much of the park as humanly possible. I convinced them to try the churros, which may have been in the running for the highlight of my night. I beat them all in buzz lightyear, but that I'm used to, so it didn't make the running. Also, dad got to join the club of being on screen for monsters inc, lol - looks like he needs a hug. No worries tho, mom gave him that hug on screen. Supe cute. When in line for splash mountain, we realized time was running out and it was likely to be our last ride of the night, which we came close to accepting (side eye at Matthew and dad who knew there was still a chance for one more). After exiting the world of the b'rers, we HUSTLED over to big thunder, and squeezed in one more ride with 1.5 minutes to spare. No but really, we were the very last train to run that night. Now that's what I call doing disney right. That night, I stayed at the condo. I snapped the metal bar on the pull out couch in half just by sitting on it. It was a funny experience to add to the adventure, but if that isn't a sign to lay off the churros I don't know what is, lolS. So matthew and I got our rest that night with a metal pole in our backs, but TBH we were tired enough that it didn't even matter. The next day called for some animal kingdom exploration. We started off the day right, that is - a ride on the famous expedition Everest, which was actually a lot more fun than I remembered. Still not sure if that particular ride was actually superior or I just was happy to be with my fam, but either way I'll take it. Matt really liked it, too. He's into the g force thing. Jamee giggled the whole time. Dad sat with a stranger. But if I gave you a play by play of every single thing we did we would be here all day. Some other highlights from the DAK of course were the festival of the lion king, and our kick start on drinking around the world with some fancy drinks in Africa. And of course, (thnx Lynne!) we got to see the harp player up close and personal. We traveled back to magic kingdom that night, as per usual. We finished up most of the things that we had missed the night before (still second guessing if we should have waited 130 mins for space mountain or not) and then left the park. Before closing - I know, shocker. We relaxed at the condo pool with some beverages that night and got to bed relatively early. My final day w the cuz' was spent in Epcot. I had work in the afternoon but I got some time with them in the morning. When I said goodbye the first time, I was sad and cried. So then later they came into my work as a detour part of their drinking around the world showcase. I said goodbye again but it was still sad and I had fomo. So then, of course, at the end of my shift they come back to the boardwalk AGAIN and we all got ice cream before they drove me back to my apartment. That was the kind of goodbye closure I needed to last me the final two months, lol. High key miss them lots tho, but we had a blast. After work the following day, I met mom and dad in Japan (Epcot) for dinner, and HAD to try the Andalusian nights. We hopped over to animal kingdom post dinner, to enjoy rivers of light once more. We had really good seats this time, and got some cool pics around night time DAK. The next day of that week I had class and work, but typs mom and dad picked me up at the end of my long day so I didn't have to get the bus. I actually had off again the following day (ty managers) so I was able to spend the night at the condo again. The following morning (and by this point I was exhausted so when I say morning I mean 12pm), we enjoyed some lunch at Cici's and some magic kingdom magic. I had to stop at company D which is right by MK, so why would we choose any other park?? Ya know?? Highlight of that day was getting to ride the up and running railroad train!! Before we knew it (guess that's what happens when you sleep in in Orlando), though, it was time to go get chris and jess and jaime from the airport! I was so super happy to see them but that was to be expected I suppose. I got to do universal with them, which was a fun and different experience. Harry Potter world was a blast, and they even convinced me to go on the dueling dragons for the first time. I scream laughed the whole time, which won me the title of jaime's new favorite person to ride a roller coaster with. Also we had some butter beer on mommom, and got to see the incredible!!!!!! Ollivanders show. We kind of were all over the place, but got A LOT done considering. My roommate rebecca also joined us that day. We got to be one of the first ever to go on the new jimmy Fallon ride, which was really really cool, but slightly underwhelming considering all of the press it had been getting. I rode rip ride rocket next to jess and we chose the same song so we could jam together, which was pretty legit. G-l-a-m-o-r-o-u-s, na mean? Overall we had a pretty fantastic time, but I had to leave them around 5 to go to work :/. They also visited me at work that night, which was a nice little pick me up considering my how tired I was from all day in the park/working. Next day we went to ... you guessed it! MK! And started off in adventureland. We did pirates first (anyone else NOT remember that by drop from when we were little??) and made our way clockwise throughout the park. Since the park had been at such high capacity they were doing the parade twice, so we saw the 3 o'clock parade at 12! We skipped a few things, knowing we would be back again the next day (spoiler alert - that night too) and ended over at buzz light year which unfortunately was shut down!!! We got a fast pass though to come back later, but had guest services switch it over to Epcot since that was our next stop! At Epcot, we went on test track and soarin' and the land and ate at sunshine seasons before making our way over to the showcase to travel the world. We started in Mexico, where we even got to meet Donald Duck. Chris was so excited, but he def was trying to be cool and hide it. A great start to our travels, even though I was slightly mis that my contact was scratched and I couldn't see. Next was Norway, where jaime thought the statue of the gnome from frozen was dobby. Lol. Next was china - we detoured here for a bit to watch the acrobats and enjoy some potstickers and plum wine. Germany was a blast, we got some really cool pictures here with our grapefruit beer and pretzel. Italy is always my favorite food wise, I split a chocolate covered cannoli with mom and it was deeeelish. We also had limoncello here. That was something. Chris was doing this cool thing where he made us say cheers in the language of the natives of the country we were in. Our journeys continued through America, Japan, morocco, etc. We stopped for a little dance party in morocco and of course revisited the Andalusian nights. France was fun, UK was funner (Ello mate we're in London would you like some fish n chips). We made it to Canada just in time and ended our Epcot night there for the fire works. But of course, it was only 9, and MK was open til 12! So we hopped on the monorail and made our way back over. Night time disney really is the best disney. We got to a bunch more rides including Winnie the Pooh and the Snow White mine train. We even got to see the kiss goodnight!! The next day, the sad and final day, we finished up MK. We had a few fastpasses, so we got to ride space mountain and mine train sans wait times, which was really nice. We got to see the infamous country bear jamboree. We also went to ride splash mountain for a second time, and boy was that SOMETHING! I felt bad for being so excited about such a miserable thing to the rest of my party, but the ride broke down and we got EVAC'd!! Mom shared in my glory with me. That was legit on my DCP bucket list, and one of the few that I had absolutely no control over! It really delayed us and put a wrench in our plans for the day, but it was cool to be able to exit the log mid b'rer world and be escorted backstage on one of my favorite rides. Big thunder was shut down, and I felt real bad about that :(, so the mine train actually was the last ride of our day. I think every time I go on it I love it more and more. After squeezing in the last few things of the day, we made time - even though we really didn't have any - for a little TLC sans C (Turkey legs and churros without the churros for all you noobs out there). That was a good time. When all was said and done, we exited the MK as a fam for the last time for a long time, and they took me back to my apartment before making their way to the airport. That was supe said because I really love them. And I miss them. And I had a really really good time with them.