#but because of subject matter i wanna do it justice

[intuitively-her]

How will this school/career year go for you?

Pile 1-(5 of cups, 3 of swords, 2 of swords, The Magician rx, Justice, 10 of pentacles, 9 of pentacles)

This school year will be a huge lesson for you. You’ll learn a lot about yourself. You’ve got some untapped potential. Someone here could be an art major or you’re interested. You may have a lot of interests or curiosity about different subjects. Whatever it is, look into it! Don’t be scared to learn new things or get involved in study/social groups. Try something different! It would be beneficial for you academically and socially. For someone here, you may face some disappointment in regards to school. It feels like you tried out for something or put in an application and things just didn’t go as expected. It just feels like a rejection from something. But that’s okay! There’s something better for you. There will be many situations where you’ll be faced with a dilemma, and it’ll be up to you to make the right decisions. Spirit needs to see if you’ve learned from your past lessons. There will be many moments where you’ll be faced with an obstacle. Don’t let this scare you tho! This is all to build you up into the person you’re meant to be. This year will teach you more about adulting and having to stand on your own two feet. You will be harvesting the fruits of your labor. Your hard work will not go to waste.

Pile 2-(Temperance, The Hermit, The High Priestess, Page of pentacles, The Moon, 2 of cups rx, Knight of cups rx, 4 of wands)

This year will cause you to look within and do a lot of self-work. You’re starting to realize that certain mindsets, habits, and environments don’t serve you anymore. This is your self-improvement era. I see you spending more time by yourself and getting your sh*t together. You’re working to have more balance in your life. I also see you rejecting love offers and may even be in this heartbreaker energy. It feels like you wanna put more focus into the people closest to you and what truly matters. So more power to you! Apply yourself to new subjects or activities that you’d like to learn. I see you really being on your grind with this. This will also lead to an increase in financial opportunities. You’re gonna follow your intuition and inner-knowing more (or you need to) You know exactly what’s right for you, so trust it! Look at the bigger picture in situations. You will start seeing people/situations for what they really are.

Pile 3-(The Emperor, Queen of wands, Ace of wands, 8 of swords, The Hanged man, Wheel of fortune, Ace of swords, Justice)

You will be presented with many opportunities to help you excel in your studies. This will open so many doors for you. You could feel trapped right now, or like you can’t be your true self. Everything will be okay babe. I see a sudden turn of events for you. Many of the cards I pulled have snakes on them, which signify rebirth and transformation. Think of yourself as a snake shedding its skin right now. This is gonna be a huge breakthrough for you. You will have a clear vision of what you want and who you want to be. You’ll see everything from a higher perspective. This new shift will really cause you to toughen up. You will also be more open and confident. I see you having more discipline with yourself and others. You will be living a more structured lifestyle. You’re stepping into a leader energy. Get outta that shell and let you creativity/passions lead you to where you’re supposed to be.

Pile 4-(10 of wands, 8 of wands rx, The Magician rx, The World rx, Knight of pentacles, Ace of pentacles, 6 of pentacles, 9 of pentacles, The Star)

You might be at a point where you feel like you’ve hit a wall. Things might be feeling stagnant right now and as if your efforts are going to waste. Use this time to recharge, because things are about to take off for you! You won’t have time to rest. I heard “booked and busy”. This feels like fame that happens overnight. Maybe some content of yours will go viral or a piece of your work will get noticed by someone very important. This is gonna bring in a lot of abundance for you. I also feel like this is gonna boost your notoriety in your work environment, especially if it’s social media related. Spirit sees how hardworking and committed you’ve been to your craft. This is their reward.

[mlm-mod-taka]

I will order again! Sorry if it's overwhelming you or something, I really like your writing and you can write at your own pace ^-^

Can I request makoto (once again because I love him), shuichi and hajime (separate ofc) with a man who represses his feelings and can't vent because he was taught that "boys don't cry" since childhood and was pressured by society?

It can be a sensitive subject, you don't need to write if you don't feel comfortable! I'm waiting :)

REPRESSED READER • makoto, hajime & shuichi x male reader

ah, hello! i remember alot of people requesting these three specifically back during the peak of my account. i hope i can still do them justice! though i will admit, i never finished v3 and barely remember it now... so i apologize if shuichi is a little out of character. thats all, i do hope this was worth the wait!

tws/cws: repressed feelings & mentions of societal pressures towards men.

|| -> mod taka <3

makoto has always craved closeness with you. you're his boyfriend, his lover, and he wants to get to know you better, but he knows better than to pressure people who aren't ready yet. so, he waits for you while giving gentle encouragement.

he encourages you by using himself as an example. sharing little things about himself when you two are sleepily cuddling, mumbling things that made him cry when he was younger to you, anything that might reassure you that its okay to be honest about your feelings, that its okay to cry.

theres nothing he won't do to make you feel more comfortable around him. when he loves someone, he'd do anything for them. if he notices even a slight signal of discomfort from you about something, he'll immediately lead you away from it. if he picks up on a subtle mannerism you do whenever you get upset, he'll remember it for the rest of his life.

tries to subtly point out how his classmates show their masculinity in different ways, but are still comfortable being upset or sharing negative emotions around others. he's not as subtle as he thinks he is, with him mentioning takas crying and hiros natural cowardly nature whenever you look down, but you appreciate the thought.

he understands that the problem is bigger than himself, and societal pressures combined with bad teachings made you this way, but the least he can do is to try to make you feel as unjudged as possible so that maybe, you can start healing.

whenever you're sad, he will always present himself as an option for comfort. "i understand if you want to be alone right now, but... if you ever wanna talk to someone, i'm always here for you." if you don't come to him, that's okay, you just need more time. and if you do, he'll treat you like the most precious thing in the world, and will cling to every word you say.

will never rush things. maybe he'll nudge you in the right direction often, but if you're not ready, he'll never force you. is willing to wait for you to open up on your own terms, no matter how long it takes. while he waits, he busies himself by making sure he can be your safe space.

is much more forward with trying to help you. not to the point where its forceful or uncomfortable, but its something that he wants to help you with, and he makes sure you know that.

"you know... men can cry, men can scream their feelings out, and sometimes they do both at the same time. they're still men at the end of the day, even after they do all that." will say things like that to you every once in awhile when you two are alone and if you're having a bad day. being direct and undeniable, while still remaining careful and loving is his main approach.

as caring as he is, he's also quite salty, and holds a bit of a grudge towards the people and system that forced you to lock your feelings in a safe. he has quiet criticisms of the way people perceive men expressing their feelings before, but meeting and loving someone who is an embodiment of the problems these treatments can cause makes him feel even stronger about the issue.

will be defensive if anyone ever tells you to "man up" or to "be a man", even if its just a lighthearted statement. "hey, don't say that to people. what do you know about what men should and shouldn't be able to do?" he'll confront them with a frown on his face.

is very cautious about letting mahiru around you. as much as he enjoys her company and sees her as a friend, her views would definitely hammer your bad habits into you more, so he tries his best to watch over any interactions you have with her.

if you're okay with the idea of it, he'd initiate a weekly movie night where you two watch a bunch of sad movies. it almost always ends in him tearing up and voicing all his sadness about the film to you in hopes that maybe one day, you'll reciprocate and do the same with him.

his approach is more direct, protective, and defensive than how makoto would go about it, but he just wants you to feel unchained around him. he wants you to open up without any fear of getting made fun of, he wants to love you for all you are, ugly emotions and all.

from my observations, he's the most emotional out of these three. that may be a bad thing to other people, but because of this, he'd be the one you can relate to the most in the group.

he could relate to how you feel. while he definitely didn't have it as hard as you, he understands what its like to feel like you had to act a certain way just to be considered a man. he remembers all the times he got made fun of for his fear of exposing the truth as a detective.

others could be so cruel to emotional people, and especially cruel to emotional men. he talks about his personal experiences every once in awhile, a sad smile on his face as he recalls others poking fun at him not initiating eye contact.

however, what comes with the territory of being made fun of for something you know is a part of you, is knowing you're not in the wrong for feeling emotions. he'll reassure you with his own experiences, mainly telling you he'd never make fun of you for crying or showing "cowardly" emotions, because he does those things too.

being emotional or shedding tears is not a weakness to him, its what makes humans human. he wished someone taught you that when you were younger, instead of teaching you horrible, toxic mindsets that would do nothing except stunt yourself.

isn't as active as makoto or protective as hajime, but he's definitely the most patient and understanding. he won't push you into things you're not ready for, but will always be your cheerleader if you do decide you're ready.

is very watchful over you. he juggles with trying to not interfere with the pace of your healing and discovery, while also trying to make sure you don't dig yourself deeper into the hole you're already in.

whenever you might dig yourself deeper, he's always there to be your life line and pull you away from that. he may not want to you to feel rushed, but he also certainly does not want want you to feel slowed down in terms of progress. with a lot of concerned dissuading and serious late night conversations, he always manages to pull you back into the safety of his arms.

he would wait until the end of time for you. no matter how many times he has to talk you out of returning to old habits, and no matter how many times he has to hold back the urge to insert himself into your healing process, he'll always be waiting for you with open arms and a warm, understanding smile.

[seariii]

My take on Kotoko as a morally gray person, about a morally gray character who thinks in black and white

first of all, i absolutely love this woman, so all of this comes from a kotoko enjoyer, but when talking about canon i can not turn the blind eye to the wrongs she has done. i will talk about my perception of her murder, of her as a character and about her beating up the guilty prisoners (i will put this emoji 🐺 when i jump subjects just to keep it organized)

this next phrase is my personal take, i know some will disagree with me and thats okay, which also works as a tl;dr:

Kotoko didnt do anything wrong outside the prison, but she did wrong inside of it

i know beating up people isnt actually good, but she did research upon research to get to the bottom of the cases she was investigating and found the culprits this way. "but she could've brought them upon justice" and you arent wrong about that, but the victim she actually murdered, even when his identity was revealed to the public, the law didnt bring justice upon him.

screenshots & translations from @/maristelina (i didnt put everything in here, if you wanna check all the articles, please go check on their post!)

her victim was a child murderer, he had already killed 10 girls in 2 years, but even then, he was still free because of his father’s position of power. 

then we have her other victim, the man she beat up and sent to the hospital

there are a couple articles dedicated to this one. but a quick run down: the man, Mikio Oshii, was wanted for theft and assault, having tricked at least 2 or 3 elderly people, pretending to be a bank employee, and convincing them to hand over cash, he pushed one of his victims, fracturing her ankle. 

then we have the article about Kotoko’s assault. again a quick run down: someone heard screaming and found a man lying on the ground, who had lost consciousness after being beaten up, and was taken to the hospital. the police suspects a man (kotoko was wearing men’s sneakers and covering herself up). the victim was wanted for theft and assault charges and was Mikio Oshii.

further proving that she was aiming at people who prayed on the weak, she had good intentions (at least at first), and we also have the facts that she was trying to go through the lawful(?) path at first 

she was studying law, showing us that she genuinely believed her cause, bringing justice to the world and protecting the innocent, or “weaklings” as she calls them, more on that later.  that she was gonna try and go for the morally correct route, but what changed? what is that thing she “wants to do”? i hope we get to see her reasoning on the next trial. for now i agree with the theory that says that her or her family was victim of someone like the guy that was above law for having money and a father with a position of power. showing her the flaws of the law/justice system and thus taking matters into her own hands.

🐺 i personally believe that there are some people who dont deserve second chances, like pedos and rapists, and like the man kotoko murdered, between others. so this is why i forgive her from her crimes. she did proper research, she is passionate about it, she wants to protect the weak, or thats what she tries to convince herself of, because this brings me to my next point

she does have those violent tendencies, and she enjoys them

“this feels so good”

this is from the t1 trailer, people suspect this were phrases they said after their murders. so i think there is a possibility that while she was trying to convince herself that her actions were for justice, to try and protect the weak, and i dont doubt that that was where it came from at first, she ended up doing it out of personal enjoyment.

i once read that “if you do a good deed because you want to do it, it means that you arent a good person. to be a good person you need to do good deeds without wanting something in return” meaning that you should be uninterested on even the satisfaccion of said deed. this is a phrase that i absolutely hate and dont agree with, but i think it applies in here. kotoko was trying to do something “good” (morality is on the bearer’s eyes) by bringing to justice people who kept escaping it, by taking revenge for those weaklings she so desperately wants to protect, and while thats her main motivation, she also does it because she wants to.

i believe my girl has a thirst for power. she is self righteous, the way she refers to the people she wants to protect as “weaklings” its like shes putting them down in some way, the way on her VD she just wants to keep rambling about her theories, the way she inserted herself on Mikoto’s interrogation, the way she just assumes Es’ intentions and doesnt seem to accept when they call her out on it. she doesnt listen to others at all and once her mind is set on something, there is nothing that can move her from there. she isnt a good person…. but also, she isnt a bad person, and i feel that the fandom forgets those two statements can coexist. even if she sees herself as a saint, and firmly believes that she did nothing wrong, thats because

🐺 her world view is black and white. and this is why while i condone her actions on her murder, i do not condone her actions of beating up the guilty prisoners.

a lot of the prisoners have a black and white morality, heck, milgram itself as a system IS black and white. and from what i’ve read, a lot of the fandom also thinks in black and white. all of which i find extremely… interesting…. tbf its the nd majority vote game about nd murderers on the nd website, so makes sense (im half joking, sorry)

kotoko attacked the guilty prisoners because thats what she had been doing, and thats what she got voted innocent for on t1 (i wasnt around). but no one told her to do that, she acted on her own, she misinterpreted her judgment and forced her opinions and methods on others, claiming it were Es’, without their knowledge and without ours.

as a side note, when i first got into the fandom, i found surprising to see that kotoko was inno and fuuta was guilty on t1, since from my perspective their crimes are basically the same, they both exposed and harrowed “bad” people.

i make a lot of emphasis on black and white thinking, since its something im familiarized with, for example lets talk Amane since its her trial is still going

she is the type of girl who will correct other’s mistakes, who will call them out and try to fix them so that the others can be right, like her. her truth is absolute and even when it flails, she stands her ground and proceeds to believe in herself and her views of the world. in what i said, you could re read that and it would also apply to kotoko, and just like her, Amane also convinced herself of doing something she wanted to do by telling herself it was the right thing to do. kotoko’s “protecting the weaklings” directly translates to amane’s “punishing her mother for her sins (hurting the cat)”. so while in both cases there were hidden feelings, something tells me neither of the girls knew about their own ulterior motives, thats how well they convinced themselves.

people who think in black and white just see it as it is, right or wrong, left or right, green or blue, there is no other choice but those two. and from my personal experiences with myself and with others, its something you end up applying in almost every aspect of your life and its really difficult to change up this way of thinking. beginning to see the grays of the world and its other options its not an easy task without some proper help

overall, i dont believe she was right for hurting the guilty prisoners, and fuuta losing his eye because of her gives me a horrible gut feeling. overall, it also ties on her need for power, since she firmly believes shes Es’ “fang”, thus reducing herself a weapon for justice, not implementing her own judgment anymore, but someone else’s, ours, which my problem with her actions in this scenario. i firmly believe that if outside the prison she had came across mahiru or fuuta, she wouldn’t have attacked them, but  after her t1 inno, and getting her ideals supported, her beliefs became radical, and now shes going based on our ideals, our judgments, our right or wrong, our black and white morality, MILGRAM’s black and white morality.

🐺 im still a kotoko inno truther, and i love her, shes my favorite character. but i dont expect her to get innocent this trial, as she did wrong. i dont want to say it was our fault that she harmed the other prisoners, since we had no way of knowing this would happen. in retrospect we can say whatever we want, but none of us can read the future. 

i dont even have a real argument on why you should vote her innocent “shes pretty” is not good enough lmao… but who knows, maybe we will see something that makes her worthy of an inno vote on her second trial a few months from now (not counting on it, probably wont be enough)

in the end i wrote this because im really passionate about this character and her black and white views on the world (shes so intense). and because this beautiful person @archivalofsins told me to "keep talking about kotoko" and i have zero self control regarding this fictional woman.

🐺 i believe with the help of a third party, someone who could act as a moral compass to her and could teach her that the world has more colors, more choices, and if she actually learns about this, she would end up being an amazing thing. 

also, if the theory about her being an accomplice of the serial killer turns out to be true, i will puke and cry :) 

[thestalkerbunny]

How do you research stuff when you write stuff?

Okay so first thing you need to understand about me is that I LOVE learning about stuff. I love learning new things that I can bring up in conversation. I love being that person who can hold the most inane conversation at the bar and it's compelling.

Step One: What do you want to know?

Important question of course, but you gotta know the WHY WHEN WERE AND HOW if you're going to add something to your writing. Cause some weirdo CAN and WILL nit pick the fuck out of it for inaccuracies. And it's better to be correct the first time than spend the next 5 years being roasted for it. (that or admit up front to inaccuracies.)

Step 2: Make sure your facts are VALID.

I like to write about a lot of subjects. and I wanna do 'em RIGHT and accurate and do them justice-from intense trauma, religion, or Culture-you wanna do it justice. Number one thing people hate other people getting wrong it's shit to do with their trauma, religion or culture. Get it right the first time. When doing research, always seek out reliable sources and check multiple sources and see what lines up, what the pattern of sameness is.

Step 3: Wikipedia is your bestie

Nuff said. You wanna know the mating habits of caterpillars? WIKIPEDIA. You wanna know the year pizza was invented? WIKIPEDIA. You wanna know all the ingredients found in the common American latex condom? WIKIPEDIA. Of course, you will want to fact check with other sites but your boots to the ground starting point is always Wikipedia.

Step 4: Listen to other people

I will admit. There has been sometimes when I made a character and a person will interperate in such a way that I didn't think of. (Example being both a Character who was interpreted as autistic which I made canon because it had such a compelling argument and another who apparently was a very good presentation for DID and how it felt to struggle with it. Both unintentional, a real Olympic backflip I didn't mean to do but somehow I landed on my feet.) But your best source of research is always going to be well...a SOURCE. There's dozens of websites where people love to talk and answer questions on subject matter that may pertain to them-especially here on tumblr. Again you will always want to fact check-but sometimes it's good to get research material from the horses mouth.

tldr; Google, just google, click those links, find out what your favorite things were inspired by, follow that thread, learn. expand. grow. Brought to you by PBS.

[daisymylove]

Hide the breakables and board up the windows, my beloved Mfs, for a rant is coming your way.

I want to be done complaining about chot I really do, I hate being so negative about a book I waited and yearned for, for so long, but there’s one more thing that annoyed me greatly, and, per usual, I want to know what yall think

Today’s subject is our Blackthorn sibling duo.

I wanna preface this by saying that Grace’s povs were one of my favourite parts of Choi.Her character in itself adds grayness to a narrative of angels and demons, good vs evil, and I really enjoyed all the complexity and layers given to her.I ended Chog cursing her name to the wind swear to god, the cursing emoji was a perfect visual representation of me when she put that thing on james again, but in choi cc achieved exactly what she aimed for with grace :” an explanation, not an excuse”

However, I feel like all that information we were given in the previous book was completely wasted in Chot.The characters never find out that she was threatened into putting the bracelet back on James, or that she tried to take it off at his wedding. Her motivations, too, are never known.The way it was portrayed, it looks like Grace stayed so long by Tatiana’s side bc she truly had some sort of fetish for torturing men, when, in reality, it was all for Jesse 

She could’ve begged for sanctuary in an institute, once she became old enough, she could’ve fled with Magnus when he offered to help her in TMH, but she never did.Grace never left bc leaving Tatiana would also mean leaving Jesse and what was all that for? home boy discarded her like some rancid food at the first opportunity  When she went to Curzon street to demand James kissed her? That was for him. Even that train wreck she caused by the end of choi was for him, bc she couldn’t bear the thought of controlling her brother and twisting his feelings for her.To me, this is some very relevant info that should’ve become known if all the secrets were going to be revealed, AND YET NONE OF THIS IS ADRESSED IN THE GODDAMN BOOK

the only explanation I can think of is because that knowledge would require of Jesse to have at least a little bit of loyalty towards his sister, or look like an ungrateful arse which he did, but I’ll get there.

Now about jesse.I had great expectations for him in this last installment, the first one in which he’s alive, but my main take away is that he has become an extension of Lucie’s feelings and opinions, in the most symbiotic way possible, with no personality of his own.

In choi we find out that Grace withstood a lot of physical and psychological abuse from Tatiana that he didn’t know about.I was expecting them to have a true heart to heart, they would discuss everything that went down when they were kids, not just james and the bracelet, and jesse would not only feel guilty about not being able to protect his little sister, but also decide to stick by her side no matter what.

And yes, he could’ve done that while also condemning her mistakes and treatment towards James.The two are not mutually exclusive, and would do justice to his little speech about complicated stories, which, to me, is a very hypocritical spiel since he decided to become his sister’s jury, judge and executioner

I never thought I would say this in my life, but I was infuriated on Grace’s behalf reading their scene in the silent city.Everything about it was very odd, Grace conveniently for cc withholding something so important, the way she explained herself, his storming off. Jesse had never had ONE conversation with Cordelia in his life, he barely knew James, can a kind soul explain to me WHY he would be more concerned about their marriage than his actual sister? Considering his beloved had just done necromancy (YES, Thats what it was, even if it was a unconventional form of it.Bro was dead, then bro was alive again, just like that. N e c r o m a n c y) his moralism is very hypocritical and his understanding of nuance lacking

It irked something so deep inside me to see not just kit defending a girl he barely knew tooth and nail over his cousin and life long friend, but also Jesse not giving a fuck about his sister.They were talking about leaving Grace completely isolated from society (that was disgusting btw, it was up to their authorities to decide her future, not a bunch of teenagers thinking they can treat a person like a broken doll, to be put away wherever they feel like it) and Jesse looked like he couldn’t spare a visit. He seemed more than eager to put Tatiana AND grace behind him in order to start a new life with the herondales. So much for them being all each other had growing up and his so called loyalty

As some last thoughts bc this is getting way too long, Grace should’ve been the one to kill Tatiana.That wasnt Cordelia’s business and had no emotional significance. When that fight happens Grace looks the polar opposite of everything Tatiana ever groomed her to be.She is dirty, shoeless, bedraggled and feral looking, Lucie even thinks that grace’s little training would only be useful if she got close enough.Imagine, my siblings in christ, Grace slitting Tatiana’s throat, after she kills Grace’s only friend, while she is distracted with Rupert.Tatiana molded Grace into her blade, and that Blade was responsible for her end.Feel the sheer power of it, the poetic justice that could’ve been ours.

I also think Grace should’ve been sent away to the scholomance (against her wishes, hence the I didnt choose this) for intensive training both bc she’s really behind in it, and as a punishment from the clave.Its not like she had a place to go to, and staying at her ex fiance’s parent’s house is not the way to go. . 

This new scenario would give her a fresh start to properly heal and eventually make friendships/ find love without the taint from the past on her heels.Her hanging out and chilling with James and his friends has no sense and is a disrespect to his abuse.James doesnt need his abuser living in his uncle and aunt’s house, Grace needs to start her life over where her past won’t haunt her everyday

[aries-writingblog]

Enemy Fire: 23

Summary: There's a new kid in town, and she's got a city to usurp.

Pairing: Jason Todd x f!reader

Word Count: 7.3k

Warnings: violence (Jason spars with reader), language, threats, mention of arson

AN: this one is a little long and mostly filler, a big chunk of it is a fight scene and I tend to get long winded on those. Photos are from Pinterest, credit to original creator.

Stephanie watched as YN took off in a short sprint, before launching her weight onto her hands. She pushed off her palms and back to her feet, three times in a row. Landing back on her feet for a moment.

Then she lost her balance, toppling, grunting discontentedly.

“You’re getting better— lighter on your feet.” Stephanie instructed, pointing down to where Yn’s feet met the ground. “Remember when you land, keep your weight even and land on the balls of your feet. If you land on your heels, you’ll bruise them, and possibly shatter your ankles.”

She put a hand out.

YN nodded, accepting the extended hand. Steph tugged her up, their shoulders bumping.

“As much training as you have obviously had, you weren’t taught any basics?” Damian asked, his brow lifted.

YN wrapped her towel around the back of her neck, letting it wick the sweat away. When Cassandra offered an extra water bottle, she accepted, cracking it open as she answered.

“I wasn’t lucky enough to have League training— Shadows or Justice,” YN explained, she dropped to a knee, resting her forearm across the other. “It was back alley, bootleg, mafia training.”

And that, it truly was.

She had never even seen half of the equipment that the Wayne’s had in their gym.

Adrian had trained her in various warehouses and alley’s behind his businesses. He had shipped her off to some guy for two weeks, one year. The guy nearly wore her down to nothing, with how consistent his methods were. And how often he handed her ass to her.

Not to mention the various boxing rings and torture cellars. Or the spontaneous sneak attacks. The kidnapping attempts; Everything orchestrated to prepare her for the worst situations.

She hadn’t been taught parkour, or acrobatics, or anything to preserve herself. YN had been taught that she was a crude instrument.

That her body didn’t matter, as long as it was powerful.

Her schooling consisted of brute force opposition and an undeniable defense. But her bones ached and her joints creaked.

Years of wear and tear, and abuse under the guise of training.

And for a while, she had just accepted it. That was simply the cost of being powerful. Body aches and strains, trembling muscles. Broken bones, fractures— a whole slew of problems.

But that was the price for her training. To know how to be the strongest weapon she could be.

All in his name.

“Either way, you’re doing great.” Dick assured her. He didn’t know much of her past, but for her to be trained the way she was— it took serious discipline and time. He doubted she chose her own path at that young of an age. And because of that, he didn’t want to linger on the topic of her past for too long. It seemed to be a touchy subject. “You’ll be out on patrol in no time.”

Jason glared harder at his screen, clenching his jaw.

If that was their big goal, the whole family needed their heads checked.

Hell, maybe they needed it anyways.

“That’s exactly where we need her: where she can endanger the public.” Stephanie teased, leaning back on to Duke’s shoulder. Duke hummed in agreement— albeit a bit more serious than she— and crossed his arms.

“Watch your mouth; I’ll endanger you.” She jabbed, stretching both arms above her head.

“You wanna take this to the ring?” Steph barked, pointing over her shoulder.

The blue mats echoed the sentiment, eagerly awaiting their next use. The next two opponents to step into their bloodthirsty noose.

“Oh, please, none of you were even close to taking me down last time.” YN gloated, smirking at her obvious prowess.

Nearly all of them groaned— recalling when each of them had taken her to the mats, only to have her lay them flat.

No matter how well they started out, or how many blows they landed on her, she was always victorious.

Dick finished his round of stretches, arms dropping to his lap. He glanced across the room to where a particular body sat.

He had been keeping to himself— acting more as a babysitter. Jason had kept an eye on YN, while she was in the company of his family. Dick knew it was because he didn’t trust any of them, YN included.

But that little part of him— maybe the most hopeless of romantics— thought it was because he didn’t want to be too far away.

Like his body craved hers in proximity, and being in the same room was enough, for now.

Either way, YN meant Jason. As long as she was there, he wasn’t far behind.

Dick nearly called out to his younger sibling, prepared to either goad him on or disgruntle him; Until out of nowhere, someone else did it for him.

“Why don’t you join in, Jason?” Barbara called, inviting Jason into the present. Attempting to jolt him out of his reverie.

He narrowed his eyes, and Barbara only returned with a grin. Her fingers traced imaginary patterns over her wheelchair armrests.

She was trying to trap him.

Jason was one of the most, if not the best, advanced combat fighter she had ever seen. He was powerful, smart.

He was the perfect opponent for YN to learn something against. Because the rest of these losers had been flat on their backs within minutes.

Cassandra had been their only hope— holding out longer than the others, landing blows against her opponent.

Jason cast a glance to YN— her overconfidence practically casting a glorious light over her surroundings. Her face alight with a grin.

“Yeah, right.” Jason snorted, returning to his work.

A woman had hired him to investigate her husband. It was easy work— he wasn’t exactly hiding his infidelity from anyone other than his wife.

“Afraid I’ll beat your ass again?” YN taunted.

Jason paused, his hands freezing on the keys of his laptop. He looked over his shoulder at her, fixing on her smug expression.

“Again? Tails, I don’t seem to recall any time you beat my ass. At anything. ” He retorted, his chair turning to face her.

“The first and second. Rooftop.”

“That was a draw.” He clarified, eyebrows tilting upward.

“No, you had backup arrive before I was done with you. I think you owe me, Red.”

Jason pursed his lips.

She knew the outcome of those fights, already. Had he been solo, she would’ve ripped him to shreds. Burnt him to a crisp. So why was she so adamant on a redo?

Was she hoping to embarrass him in front of more people? Remind him that she was better? Or just use him to expel built up energy?

“Come on, Jay. What’s it gonna hurt?” Stephanie pushed, tapping her hands against the mat she was seated on.

‘His ego.’ Cass signed, grinning.

Jason bit down on his lip. She was daring him. Both of them. Cass and YN both wore the same conniving expressions.

If he had known the two of them would get along so famously, he wouldn’t have even considered staying in the Manor.

Or perhaps it was a good idea to play Yn’s impulse control. He wasn’t sure how long the pair of them would last without a third party playing sanity.

“Fine. I’ll show all of you.” He relented, tugging his hoodie from his body.

He ignored the excited, taunting whoops from the sidelines as he stepped into the boundary lines.

Jason very rarely participated in family activities, that included training of all sorts. It wasn’t necessarily that he was above it all, but he was.

The few times he had joined, he dominated the playing field every time. There was no use in him training with them, in his mind.

So he usually stuck to his workouts and various other tasks.

But now…. Now he may have a viable opponent.

YN abandoned her rest area, tossing the towel and bottle back where she had been sitting. Her feet entered the ring on the floor, and they kept moving. She began at a slow pace, nearly circling him in anticipation.

“Come on.” She taunted, a sly grin taking over her features. Her eyes glittered dangerously.

Jason scoffed at the notion.

The more comfortable she got, the more cocky she was. He supposed her confidence was valid— she was incredibly skilled and stubborn as a mule.

He stepped into the ring, his shoulders broadened. Making himself larger than her was no use— she had proven resistant to his intimidating structure.

But he had learned a thing or two, watching her fight. Fighting against her, and with her.

She was no easy target.

YN made the first move— launching from the outer edge toward his side of the ring.

Her left fist aimed at his gut; He blocked easily, but missed his mark on her right, as it swung into an uppercut against his jaw.

His teeth rattled, but he was unperturbed by it. Grappling her wrists, he tugged her forward, his forehead aiming for her face.

YN let her legs drop out, becoming deadweight in his grasp. Jason grunted, attempting to right himself. Taking advantage of his unkiltered stance, she ducked between his legs, ripping her wrists back into her own control and elbowed behind his knees.

He didn’t go down to the floor, but it was enough for her to get back to her feet and swing an elbow onto the back of his neck.

Jason growled, throwing an arm out to gain distance. Avoiding his defensive move, YN leapt back.

She lingered for a moment, waiting to see his next move. While he got to his feet, she debated drawing this out, to see if he would catch a second wind and fight harder. Or if one move would KO him.

This was creeping toward fun.

Jason swung a fist at her left side, then her right. YN dodged and weaved through his punches, as if it were a dance she had been practicing for weeks.

Just as she had begun expecting his next move, Jason sent the heel of his palm into her nose. YN stumbled back with a shout, her hands coming up to block her face, too late.

She wiped blood away, glancing at the crimson liquid in her palm. Soaking through the white fabric that had been bound around her hands. Her glare swung up to see Jason, a certain gleam in his eyes.

YN scoffed, tilting her head to crack her neck.

Jason steadied his stance again, both fists raised in preparation.

YN growled as she sprung forward again, relentless in her attack. Instead of going for a retaliatory smack in the face, she latched at his waist, keeping herself at his center of gravity.

Before he could do anything about the odd choice, she had swept his legs and tackled him backwards. He grabbed at her body, but she quickly rolled over him, out of reach.

Jason pushed himself to his feet, just as her fist came down where his face had been. He wedged his foot against her shoulder and shoved her onto her ass. YN rolled onto her side, but Jason didn’t relent. He kicked her over again, flat onto her belly. Not allowing her a moment to recoup.

YN grunted, and Jason dropped his knee between her shoulder blades. Pressing all his weight into her. She squawked in pain, palms banging against the mats; She pushed back against his mass, getting nowhere.

“No back up now, is there?” He sneered, his hands dropping on top of hers, pressing her in place. She squirmed, body thrashing to no avail.

With a growl, she tossed her head back in hopes he was close enough. Luckily, he was; The back of her head catching his nose. Jason grunted, his hold loosening just enough for her to roll the pair over.

Jason fell to the mats, propped on one elbow in preparation to get back to his feet.

YN had different plans; She rose to her knees, above him, and let her fist come down against his face.

The taste of metallic blood coated his tongue, liquid dropped from the corner of his mouth. YN took hold of his hair during his moment of surprise and maneuvered her way behind him. Her chest pressed against his back.

Arms wrapped around his throat. Jason gasped, only for her to press harder. His hands came up to her arms, nails pressing— scraping— down her flesh. She hissed, but added pressure.

Jason’s vision wavered— eyes watering.

“Tap out!” She growled, keeping her stance steady as Jason thrashed.

He thrust his elbow into her gut, then rocked his weight back, sending them both to the floor. On her back.

His skull bounced against her stomach, forcing all the wind from her chest.

A deep cough nearly gagged her; Forcibly releasing her grasp on Jason, he wrapped his hands around her wrists and dealt another blow to her face.

She didn’t give him the opportunity to do it a third time, as she spit a bloody glob in his face. Jason flinched, trying to avoid it.

She kicked him away and scrambled to her feet.

Jason lumbered onto his own weakened knees, joints aching at the exertion. YN dragged her hand across her mouth, wiping blood that had dripped from her nose.

“You’re the best they’ve got? I’ve seen toddlers with better tactics.” YN called, her grin stained red.

“You talk too much.” Jason panted.

Without giving another spare moment, he launched forward again. YN braced herself, unmoving from his path. He lifted his fist again, prepared to knock her down.

Until YN caught his fist and tucked her shoulder into his gut, sending his body rolling over her back and straight to the floor.

YN followed immediately, her weight on his chest. Forearm pressed to his trachea.

“And you put too much weight into a backhand.” She smiled.

Jason panted, staring up into her eyes. Sweat dripped from her brow, landing against his cheek. He swallowed hard; Blood rushed to his face at her triumphant, predatory grin.

In that instant, the world fell from around him. He was no longer on the floor of the Manor, surrounded by his family.

Instead, he was somewhere… floating alongside her. Beneath her. The pressure of her arm, pliant enough to give him a chance to breathe. It didnt keep him from hurdling through the stratosphere— pieces of himself fragmenting away the longer he stared at her.

Into her eyes.

For a moment, he was frozen in time. The weight of her body against his own was strangely comforting. Her proximity didn’t send barbs of discomfort down his spine. Her touch didn’t feel like insects, crawling over his skin.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen Jason go to the mat before.” A voice pitched in his ear— laughter following the statement.

Jason nearly gave himself whiplash at the speed that he regained consciousness. YN was clamoring from his body, her knees straddled his hips as she leaned back to push herself to her feet.

A sharp exhale forced his lungs to collapse; They had been holding air for longer than he cared to admit.

What the fuck?

Alarms rang in his head— suddenly noisy as opposed to the quiet, comprehending solitude he had experienced moments prior.

“She bruise your ego that badly, Little Wing?” Dick jeered, extending his palm to his disoriented brother. Still lying on the mats.

He ignored the offer of help, opting to gain his own balance once more.

“Sorry about hitting you,” Jason muttered, swiping his palm across his face. The skin of his hands returned blood stained and sweat soaked. “I try not to participate in friendly fire anymore.”

YN waved a hand, her other propped against her waist. Her breaths came in short pants, mainly through her mouth, as her nose was still dripping.

“All’s fair. I deserved a few of those.” She admitted, her voice sounded slightly nasally.

Jason shook his head, the corners of his mouth turning up.

He hadn’t remembered how much fun sparring used to be. And while he certainly didn’t condone hitting women, something about being in that ring with her… nearly fighting for his life…

His body nearly hummed with energy— the adrenaline still lacing his veins. His eyes drifted over to where YN was kneeling at Barbara’s side, allowing her to staunch her nose bleed.

He hadn’t fought that hard in years.

“Did you hear me?” Duke asked, assumably a second time, as Jason came back into focus. “I asked if you needed Alfred to check out those bruises?”

“No,” Jason shook his head. He backed away, grabbing his phone and laptop. “I’ve got somewhere to be.”

Without another word, he took off to the staircase and nearly sprinted up them.

“Is he okay?” YN asked, peeking over her chin from where she had her head tilted back.

“He’ll be fine,” Stephanie assured her with a grin. “He’s got to lick his wounds. You’ve got to teach me how you did that, though.”

YN grinned, accepting another clean wad of tissue from Barbara.

Jason was losing his shit.

Literally and figuratively.

His mind had to be slipping— otherwise he would’ve remembered where he left his godforsaken phone.

He’d had it taking pictures of the sunrise, a few hours earlier. And then he had gone onto one of the balcony’s to smoke a couple cigarettes.

Then he’d visited his own grave— sat for a few minutes and just stared into the carved granite headstone.

Where he went afterward— he didn’t remember exactly.

He turned into another sitting room. The curtains were opened— that was a good sign that he had been there previously.

Tracking deeper into the room, he headed directly for the objects closest to the window, where he would have haphazardly left his phone sitting.

“Where are you going?”

Jason paused, turning to see where the voice emanated from.

He peeked over the sofa; Yn’s body lay on one of Bruce’s Persian rugs, her feet kicked up behind her, a book in her hands, elbows propped up.

Dressed down in a black tank top and grey sweatpants, she looked comfortable. Like she had always belonged in the manor.

Her feet kicked again, one leg flat on the floor, the other still in the air. His eyes dropped to her ass, involuntarily.

“Why the fuck are you on the floor?” He demanded, his eyes running along her spine and finally returning to the portion of her face not hidden by her book.

“My back hurts. Where are you going?” She repeated, tilting the book down so that she could see him clearly. Jason shrugged.

“Nowhere.”

“Bullshit— you’re dressed.” YN snapped her book closed, tossing it to the side. Her palms coming to rest under her chin. Her eyes wide, staring up at him. Jason swallowed, hard— his eyes drifting to where her shirt was giving him full access to her chest. “You’re about to go somewhere.”

With his face burning, Jason tore his eyes away from her. Not trusting himself to speak when looking at her.

This was unbearable, inconvenient — pretty fucking annoying too. Why should he notice what she looks like or what she’s wearing? Why does he care?

God, he needed this embarrassment to go away. He needed all this shit to go away.

“I’ve got errands.” Jason muttered, stepping over her.

YN rolled to her back, her eyes following him across the room.

“Can I come?”

“Absolutely not.” He blurted. YN frowned; He was being weird.

Was he actually upset about losing to her? In front of everyone?

Or was it something else… the manor, being back with his family. Something else entirely?

She wanted to curse his name until the end of time; If his face wasn’t so blank all the time— if he actually gave some sort of emotion — maybe they would get along better.

“Why not?”

Jason blanked, unable to form an excuse or explanation.

What was he supposed to say: ‘Sorry, I’ve been sort of watching you every time we’re in a room together and I don’t think I can handle being physically close to, and alone, with you for an extended amount of time’?

He didn’t see that going over too well.

She might even kill him.

He just needed to find his phone without setting her off.

“Because you’re on house arrest.” He finally answered. YN pushed herself up, sitting cross legged with her arms crossed over her chest.

“I’m allowed to leave with a chaperone.” She suggested, almost instantly.

YN observed his hurried movements; Moving pillows, shoving his hand between the sofa cushions. Pilfering the drawers of the coffee and end tables.

A chuckle came from deep in his chest.

“I’m not quite chaperone material, sweetheart.”

She swallowed, the air leaving her lungs. Another nickname.

While ‘Tails’ gave her a familial sense of warmth in her chest, this new one sent butterflies to her stomach. The pesky little insects causing riots in her belly— demanding to be released.

Luckily enough, she knew just how to squash those bugs before they caused any real damage.

That was all this was, anyhow. YN chalked it up to her mind, running rampant and spinning scenarios in her spare time. He had done her a favor, saved her life.

And for some, fucked up reason, his presence sent shivers along her spine. At first, she thought it was just a reminder; That he was present when she almost died. A traumatic response to a trigger.

But, the more she thought about it (because her mind, truly would not give it up, and kept slipping back against her will) the less uncomfortable she was.

And the more confused she became.

It didn’t make sense. She wasn’t nervous around him, so what was this… this? What was this? It was infuriating.

And him— Jason was being infuriating.

What was his deal?

He’s on her side one minute and the next he’s giving her the coldest shoulder this side of Antarctica.

“I’ve been cooped up in here for weeks.” She reasoned.

“Lies. You went with Steph, Cass, and Barb to get your shit last week.” He argued.

“It’s not the same.”

Jason huffed a sigh, hanging his head.

She wasn’t budging. Of course she wasn’t.

Maybe he was over exaggerating this whole thing. Maybe he was just feeling weird about being in the manor again.

This whole thing would blow over soon, and he wouldn’t have to worry about it anymore.

He clenched his jaw, nostrils flaring.

Fuck, he was gonna regret this one.

“Not a single flicker of a flame and you wear your domino. At all times.” He instructed sternly.

YN let out an excited ‘yes!’ before scrambling to her feet. She bolted out of sight, presumably in pursuit of her mask and a change of outfit.

He rolled his eyes.

She really was going crazy in this place.

Strolling up the quiet drive, Jason removed his helmet, shaking his curls out from where they had been pressed to his head. His skin cried out in thanks, sweat cooling his heated skin. It collected on it forehead, where his domino sat.

The evening was winding down— the sun setting over his shoulder.

Muted laughter and conversation came from ahead of him. Sat on the porch were three women, gossiping and teasing one another.

“Good evening, ladies.” Jason smiled brightly, tossing his hair back and tucking his helmet beneath his arm.

Cristi glanced up at him, before standing to greet him.

“Thank god you’re here.” Robin cried, springing up from her seat on the steps. She leapt down and into his arms, hugging him tightly. “That noise has me on my last leg. I don’t know how much longer I can stand it.”

Jason chuckled, amused, his hand resting lightly against her shoulder blades. Amanda laughed, her eyes rolling.

A chirping sound had started up at the beginning of the week; All six of the women had searched high and low for the origin of the noise, to no avail.

Not a smoke detector, or any other alarms in the house. Nothing seemed to be making it.

But still, it chirped.

“Dramatic, Robin. Just a touch dramatic.” Cristi teased.

Robin pulled herself off Jason, pouting at her friends.

“Oh, like it wasn’t driving you crazy, too!” She defended.

“Either way, I’m here to look at it. You can stop worrying over it— Prince Charming has arrived.” Jason bowed, playfully.

Cristi leaned over and smacked the back of his head. Jason scurried back, hand pressed to his new wound. A look of betrayal on his face.

“Yeah, right.” She beckoned him to follow, as she started up the steps. Then she stopped, one hand swinging back. “Oh, before I forget, Liv had that special customer again.”

Jason abandoned his helmet on the porch railing, rubbing his palms together eagerly.

Perfect; Just what he was looking for. Information from a council member.

That should keep him busy for a few days, at least.

“She get anything?”

“Besides an STD? I swear, that man has everything on God’s green earth.” Amanda leaned one shoulder against the doorframe, hip jutted out.

Jason frowned, hands falling to his hips.

He hated that these women felt this was the easiest option for cash; He hated that it was the easiest cash flow.

But it was their decision. He would do what he could to make it easier.

“Hey, my information isn’t worth that. If you want him to stop—“

Robin shook him off.

“He pays good. There’s no way she’ll want him to stop comin’ round here.” She pointed out, shrugging. “He’s an easy fix, anyways. Only takes him a couple’a minutes.”

“Don’t forget to talk with her before you leave.” Cristi repeated.

Jason nodded, aware that there was no way he was forgetting anything, as long as Cristi was there reminding him.

The woman had the memory of an elephant.

YN rounded the corner, jamming her phone into her pocket.

Stephanie had kept her on the phone for too long— asking mildly strange questions and clarifying answers.

Then Dick had gotten on the line, and god, she thought of hanging up at least twelve times.

But then she would have missed the screaming match between the two.

Cristi laughed at a joke Robin cracked at Jason, leaving the boy’s face flushed (which wasn’t easy to do, considering the boy’s upbringing).

Movement at the end of the walkway caught her eye.

A familiar figure marching up behind them.

“Jason.” Cristi’s hand latched to his elbow, giving him a harsh tug. She stepped in front of his body, her own body rigid.

He turned, eyes landing on the perceived threat.

YN was making her way up the driveway, finished with her phone call.

“She’s a friendly.” Jason assured, smoothing a gloved hand over Cristi’s.

The woman scowled, surprise clear in her eyes as she whipped around to face him.

“A friendly? She tried to light me on fire.” She growled.

YN slowed to a stop at the porch steps, a halfhearted frown on her lips.

The woman who challenged her.

“I wasn’t lighting you on fire— just the lawn.” YN responded, easily. As if she hadn’t admitted to committing several acts of arson.

Jason clenched his jaw. He had nearly forgotten the whole incident had ever happened.

He’d been so wrapped up lately, his head hadn’t been on straight.

What the fuck was he thinking, bringing her here, of all places? Where a grudge was sure to stick around.

“I am an extension of this property.” Cristi snapped, arms crossing her chest.

YN gave a quiet noise of acknowledgement, dipping her head into a bow. Her hand sweeping to the side.

“Forgive me, your highness, for stepping on your face.” She spoke with an air of regality.

Cristi snarled, her fists clenching tightly. Preparing to storm down the steps and take care of the intruder herself.

Jason intervened— wedging his body in front of hers. She kept the scowl on her face as he forced her to back up.

“Okay— hostility.” He held his hand out, ensuring she wasn’t going to go through him to rip the other woman to shreds. “I’m here to fix the noise you were asking about. She’s just along for the ride.”

Cristi’s eyes narrowed, her distain palpable.

Jason steadied himself. Preparing for the worst. Cristi had practically raised him for a few years when he was small.

He knew anyone that attempted to harm her family would catch hell in a hand basket. He had seen her deck a guy for putting his hands on one of the girls in the house.

Her word was law, here.

“She has to stay outside.” Cristi decided.

Jason snickered. YN elbowed him, a scowl on her lips. She glanced up to see his teeth pressing into his bottom lip, forcing himself to stay quiet.

“Fine. I’ll stay on the porch.” Her hands fell to her thighs, head tilted.

“The sidewalk.”

YN grit her teeth. Cristi didn’t budge. She didn’t even have a smirk on her face. She wasn’t doing this to be a bitch— maybe a small piece of her was, but this was about regaining control.

YN had come onto her property, threatened her and her family, then lit the front lawn up.

So it wasn’t that far of a stretch to think the woman was just exercising her limits of control. To stretch them again. Push back against something that had scared her.

She could understand that.

“Fucking hell. Fine.” YN grumbled, retreating down the steps again.

Jason raised his brows, impressed by how easily YN had rolled over. Maybe he had misjudged her affinity for a fight.

Cristi didn’t wait another moment, shoving his shoulder roughly. He cried out in opposition, only for her to push him through the front door.

He stumbled over the threshold, and the other ladies who had greeted him all filed through behind him.

She slammed the door, huffing an exhale before spinning around to face Jason.

“What are you thinking? She tried to kill you.” Cristi scolded, smacking his chest.

Jason kept his hands out, held with his palms facing her. He wasn’t blocking her blows, just surrendering to her mothering.

“Only like, twice.” He reasoned. Cristi growled, her scowl somehow deepening. “Compared to the amount of times you people thought I was an intruder—“

“I didn’t know it was you!” Toni called from her seat in the kitchen.

Cristi shook her head, pacing a few steps before pushing a hand through her hair.

“She wanted you dead.” She stated, uncertainty on her features. “We’re just looking out for you, sugar. You’ve been our baby for so long.”

She knew Jason was softhearted, but not this much. This was a little excessive.

“We’ve worked through her issues with me.” He assured her. His hand was a heavy, put welcome, weight against her shoulder.

She sighed, her own hand coming up to press atop of his.

“Some people can’t be saved, Jason.”

“I don’t want to save her. I’m not tryna make her change. This is her choice.”

Cristi bit her lip, eyes searching his face. She wished he didn’t wear his domino in the house.

It was so much easier to read him when his eyes were showing.

“Be safe, sweetheart. And smart.” She squeezed his hand. Jason returned it.

“Ten four.”

YN sat, sulking on the sidewalk. Hands pressed to her cheeks, elbows on her knees. She didn’t mean to pout, but what else was there to do?

She supposed this was fair enough. She still wasn’t happy about it.

Jason emerged from the walkway thirty minutes later, helmet in hand. Blush on his face.

“Everything okay?” YN asked, practically jumping to her feet.

Jason shoved his helmet on, attempting to hide the raging warmth on his cheeks.

“Peachy.” He grouched, brushing past her.

YN ran to catch up, then kept her strides alongside him.

“What’s your problem?” She muttered.

‘She your girlfriend?’

‘No one is getting a girlfriend, chill out.’

‘Oh, god, Jason. You like this chick?’

‘You’ve got a thing for convicts, too, huh?’

‘Robin!’

“I don’t have a problem.” He threw a leg over his bike seat, the compression making the belly sink lower to the ground.

He braved his feet, pushing the kickstand off. YN didn’t budge, just standing beside him. Hands on her hips.

“You’ve been all cagey recently.” She confronted. Jason rolled his eyes, shoving his black helmet into her belly.

She grunted, forced to back up two steps.

“M’not.”

“Mmh— yeah. You are.”

Jason tapped her shin with his boot, urging her to hurry.

“Just shut up and get on.” He complained, starting the motor.

She opened her mouth again, only to have Jason rev the engine loudly. Effectively cutting off her words.

YN scowled, shoving the helmet over her head and clipping it tightly.

“Cagey.” She muttered, latching onto his waist as he sped away.

YN tossed herself into a booth seat of the diner.

Jason had decided he had to stop to get food, or else he was going to wither away in five minutes.

“Fucking drama queen.” She grumbled, angling herself to sit in the corner.

Of course, she guessed it was easier to tolerate Jason on a full stomach, rather than an empty one.

Jason emerged from the bathroom, finished with his business. He spotted YN sitting in a corner booth, her domino still covering her eyes.

“Hey, man,” Jason stared up at the blinking menu. The cashier didn’t flinch at the six foot something, broad shouldered vigilante standing before him. “Can I get two number fours, water on both?”

“That all?” He asked, the Gothamite drawl thick on his voice.

Jason confirmed, sliding cash over the counter. He waived off the change, and stood to the side waiting for his order.

While he had certain doubts about eating inside the diner, with only a domino to cover his identity, YN had brushed him off. Gesturing to the empty parking lot.

When he pointed to the quite obvious scars on his face, she scoffed and passed over a compact.

“Cover them up, then.”

He hated that she had an answer to everything— like a smartass.

“Here.” He deposited a basket of food in front of her, sliding his own across from her.

YN frowned, putting her phone down to the table. Her brow furrowed.

“I told you, you didn’t have to buy this.” She stated, moving her gaze to him as he crammed his body into the booth. The table shaking as he settled. “I thought you said you were going to the bathroom?”

“I thought I said zip it?” Jason extended his legs, accidentally bumping hers as he spread his thighs. Taking all the room he needed.

It looked comical; His large, bulking frame jammed into a booth, broad shoulders nearly twice the height of the seat’s back. His feet were beneath her seat, elbows propped against the table’s edge.

YN rolled her eyes, pulling her basket closer.

Jason dug directly into his own food, dispensing an absurd amount of ketchup onto the side. Dunking a piece of fried chicken several times before eating it.

She looked on, mildly repulsed, but forced herself to ignore him in favor of eating.

“You know, all of you Wayne guys are so difficult.” YN complained, sinking down into her side of the booth.

Jason grunted, swallowing his food. She mainly picked at the fries; Eating one every few seconds, instead of several at once.

“We get it from our father.”

YN snorted, shaking her head.

Even though none of them were blood relations, they all shared similar aspects. Just from time, being around each other for so long.

They weren’t the worst people to imitate, she supposed.

She could see Jason’s record time eating skills had definitely come from Bruce, as he had done the same handful of fries into his mouth.

And Damian’s grin, though rare, was a mirror image of Dick’s.

Tim and Damian fought just like Dick and Jason did. Bruce’s insomnia had been passed to at least two of the boys— and Cass, on bad nights.

Batman was taking after Tim in technology competence (slowly), the two of them influenced by Barbara. But Bruce, on the other hand, was not allowed to operate his own Twitter account.

They were all connected, so tightly knit that they were basically one person, but not, all at the same time.

The Wayne Manor was a confusing place at times.

It was no wonder they all started branching out, as soon as they could.

Like Dick…

“Why did Dick form the Titans?” YN asked, wiping her fingers on her napkin. Jason stopped, fries halfway to his mouth.

His heart slingshotted into his sternum, slamming against his ribs. A panicked rhythm setting up a tremor through his body.

“You aren’t thinking about that offer are you?” He demanded, lip curled.

“What’s it to you?” She muttered, her own features copying his expression.

He tossed the fries back to their place among the others, pressing both palms flat to the table top.

Everything pooled in his stomach. Leaving him uneasy and angry.

What did Dick do now? Had he been cornering her into talking about joining a team?

And why the hell was she even considering?

“Tails, you’re not joining their little boy band.” Jason stated, matter of factly.

YN felt heat rush to her face; Her nose stinging as she grit her teeth. Hastily looping reigns over the fire in her chest before it exploded.

He stared at her, from across the table; Chewing his food like he hadn’t said the most outrageous sentence to her. In her face.

What kind of delusion was this man living in?

“Oh, and you get to make these decisions for me?” She snarled, hands curling around the edge of the table.

Jason felt the air around him warm, exponentially. Heat was practically wavering around her body.

But he wasn’t backing down. Not on this conversation.

“I’m giving you advice.” He rephrased.

“Then format it differently. Because you don’t get to tell me what I can and can’t do.”

“Why not?”

The heat kicked up again— flaring to an intensity Jason guessed would be near supernova level.

He had to admit, he had started the conversation seriously, but then derailed it. Just to see her angry.

It happened so easily, most days. Just the slightest amount of pressure and she would snap.

Was it fun, or was it fun?

“Fuck you, why not.” YN snapped. Smoke rose from her hands. She was sure if she looked down, her print would be burned into the table, but that was the least of her concerns.

Not when Jason sat across from her— a smirk on his stupid face and even stupider words coming out of his mouth.

“You wouldn’t be a good fit for the Titans. Or the Justice League.” He finally explained.

“And you know this, how?”

Was she joking?

Most days she was homicidal, at best. Not to count her arson charges and property damages. He didn’t even want to know what Adrian had her doing. It certainly wasn’t making flower arrangements for his closest, criminal buddies.

To think she was Justice League material was laughable.

And with the Titans, well, he could only imagine how much of a disaster that would be.

The group was always in something, or another. Drama between themselves, a megalomaniac villain targeting them. And the uniform she would be wearing?

Would definitely not be to her taste.

Besides, those groups were pure bureaucratic bullshit. PR teams, tabloids, television. They were celebrities. Not vigilantes.

YN would suffocate.

Or kill a paparazzi.

Whichever opportunity came first.

“We’re more similar than you realize.” Jason told her, simplifying all the reasons his brain created into one truth. He knew her, because, for better or worse, he knew himself. He gestured to her half eaten meal. “Eat up. We should get back soon. Not only are you committing property damage, everyone’ll think I stole you.”

YN glanced down, eyes landing on the handprints she had scorched into the table top. She winced.

Oops.

“Would that be so terrible?” She teased, leaning her cheek against her fist.

“I can’t see any reason someone would steal you.” He determined, his knuckle rapping the table twice. “You’d be returned.”

“Comedian of the year, ladies and gentlemen.” YN’s palms splayed before her, gesturing to him.

Jason only gave a faux smile, letting it slide off his face as fast as it arrived.

YN sipped her drink, fingertips dragging through the condensation ring left on the table.

“I wasn’t gonna join them, anyways. Just curious.” YN mumbled, picking through her fries to find the right ones.

“About Dick?” He frowned, eyes roaming over her form. She had never expressed interest in him before. Not even a passing remark. “There’s nothing interesting about him.”

YN perked up, her eyes glittering.

Now this was getting interesting. She never specified Dick.

“Jealous, are we?” She asked, haughtily.

“Of Richard Grayson?” Jason scoffed. “Who’s the comedian now?”

He wasn’t jealous of Dick.

Not anymore, at least.

Besides, what was he supposedly jealous over? Her?

Jason nearly laughed in her face.

Who did she think she was?

He restrained himself, just barely. He didn’t want to explain why two vigilantes were sat in a restaurant booth, snacking, and suddenly the place goes up in flames.

He had poked the bear enough, for today, he supposed.

YN seemingly had the same idea, as she quieted down and finished her food.

Jason followed suit, using his mask to his aid as he watched her. He didn’t know where exactly she had gotten a new domino, unless she had multiple.

Her last one had been half burned away from her explosion in the warehouse.

He wondered if she had attempted that again. Surely not, as he hadn’t seen her in bad condition since. Maybe she had finally scared herself into a smidgeon of common sense.

Some part of his mind wanted to see how far she could push it. See how powerful her explosions could get. How far she could push her abilities.

But then the sight of her ragged body in his bathtub came rushing back into the forefront of his mind.

Then he couldn’t stop himself from thinking of how many times she might’ve gone through that level of pain in her childhood. Mastery of any ability was accompanied with blood shed.

And how many times she had gone through it alone.

Jason might’ve come into the whole YN-Adrian debacle on the tail end, but he knew it wasn’t much different than it had been the whole time.

When he tossed his napkin into the empty basket, YN took initiative and stood up. Taking both of their baskets and dumping them in the nearest trash can.

Jason held the door as she followed him out.

“Thanks for letting me tag along. I know I was being pushy.” YN said, shoving her hands into her jacket pockets.

“You were, but it’s understandable.” He nodded, elbowing her arm lightly. “Things will start loosening up soon. You’ve been a model prisoner.”

YN scowled, jamming her elbow into his ribs. He hissed, smacking the offending appendage away.

“How about I make you a model corpse?” She snapped.

Jason laughed— the sound echoing around the city. Night had begun to settle. Streetlights blinked to life in the parking lot.

“I don’t think I’ve introduced you to my grave yet.” He realized. YN slowed to a stop as they approached his bike.

Jason had roughly explained partial details of his untimely demise to her, before. She just hadn’t realized there would still be mementos handing around.

“It’s still there?”

“Where else would it go?” Jason asked, grinning. She groaned at his smirk, rolling her eyes behind her domino. He extended the motorcycle helmet, holding his own against his chest. “Safety first.”

[lawlietscaramels]

L and Matsuda for 002?

-🎲

THANK YOU 🎲 ANON!!

How I feel about L: hhhhh sigh. hhh. sighhhshhshsiigggh. honestly? he's kind of like my favourite jumper. he's my number one comfort character ever and I came very close to crying in bed for days after he died. i am not 'typical about this man.

How I feel about Matsuda: he's such a cutie!! teehee!!! look at this silly fella who probably cuts his own hair!! giggling and kicking my feet cause he's funny and silly and would be a good friend doncha think?

All the people I ship romantically with L: Matsuda, Misa, Rie, other people's OCs (if they're shipped with him by their creator xD). Light deserves a mention because while I don't ship LawLight romantically I do think they're an iteration of the "red thread" trope because no matter what time, no matter what place, they'll write history together with a pen filled with their own blood in place of ink. that said I was genuinely surprised that so many people ship them just because I don't see it at all. I don't hate it, there's just nothing that clicks for me when looking at L and Light.

All the people I ship romantically with Matsuda: mostly just L, I've seen Matsu + Misa stuff but I think they'd be cuter friends.

My non-romantic OTP for L: Light 100%. You can't have one without the other. I can't explain all my thoughts about them without a whole post dedicated to it, but anyway, Light is my answer.

My non-romantic OTP for Matsuda: mentioned it above, Misa! They're two sillies and they're both :3 so they're besties and they've probably got matching friendship bracelets.

My unpopular opinion about L: he does eat normal food on a semi-regular basis. specifically, meat, usually I think steak. I hc him as anemic but also Watari wouldn't let L die or become malnourished and there's important things in food that you can't necessarily get in vitamins or tablets. and actually, as someone with anemia, I think L would actually have really strong cravings for rare or medium rare red meat when his iron is low and thus when he eats it he enjoys it.

My unpopular opinion about Matsuda: He's actually really smart, especially with humanities subjects. Just doesn't have great detective skills. A different career path may have been beneficial but he actually really believes in justice, probably more so than L and Light, and he actually QUESTIONS his own sense of justice which leads to more balance. he's such a great guy.

One thing I wish had happened with L in canon: he survived. and actually, I'd just really like to see him solve lots of cases. idk how many/if any he solved outside the anime but you know. a side series where he solves cases and explores the world and has tea parties with Watari would melt my heart.

One thing I wish had happened with Matsuda in canon: honestly I just wish we got to see more of him in general. I wish we got deeper into his character - into everyone's character, actually, they're all a little 2D and it's not just the animation - but yeah. more Matsu. how he works.

My L OTP: I'm not sure if I can pick one HAHAHHS I love all his relationships (well, my headcanons for them) from platonic to father and son to mentor and mentee to enemies together to lovers. yeah. I just like L LMAO but maybe Matsu. hm idk. I hear some people ship him with BB or Naomi and I wanna look into that.

My Matsuda OTP: lowkey L and Matsuda are one of my favourite ships. in Matsu's case I don't really ship him with anyone else so this is the only answer. some of you might have noticed that in my headcanons Matsuda plays Pokémon Go! and L is a Pokémon fan too... hmm... Also I like them cause they're both childish: like yeah L is always calling Matsuda stupid but does he call any other task force members stupid, even when they deserve it? no. arrogant child and silly child. even in non ship situations I think they're actually on similar wavelengths in a way.

My crossover ship for L: (platonic) Saiki K. you can't tell me they wouldn't be best friends come onnnn smnsndndm hehe

My crossover ship for Matsuda: I dunno actually...

A headcanon for L: if he has to wear shoes, he has to wear blue socks. not dark blue or navy, LIGHT, SATURATED BLUE. it's like neon ahhaha. there's little yellow flowers at the hem bits but his jeans cover them.

A headcanon for Matsuda: he doesn't like chips because they're too crunchy. he likes chips though. curly chips. YES I CALL BOTH TYPES CHIPS AND IT MAKES IT HARD TO DISCERN OVER TEXT SHSGYAYDH SORRY

[scattered-winter]

I JUST REAliZed ThEre ARE QUESTIONS IN THE THING I CAN ASK YOU HERE GO HAM

13, 15, 27, 39 <3

YAY YIPPIE

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you write about? What is easy?

so thing about me is fiction/writing is my way to explore things. right. i write whump because those thoughts and feelings are fascinating to think about and explore in a context where nobody is actually getting hurt. but there are a few things that i don't really like writing about because they hit a little too close to home yk. don't wanna go exploring shit i've already lived through bc i know what that shit feels like and it sucked. so stuff like terminal illness, bad car accidents, suicide stuff, and religious cults (i'll happily write something Similar to a cult like w adam in the werewolf au, but bring religion into the mix and its a no from me). and rape/noncon. i'd write most of these under the right circumstances (like shiro's illness in qs) but Overall its usually a no and something that's always been easy for me to write about is found family! i feel like it just comes to mind easily and its also very fun to write

15. Do you write in the margins of your books? Dog-ear your pages? Read in the bath? Why or why not? Do you judge people who do these things? Can we still be friends?

i write in the margins of books sometimes! only if i own them ofc but for a while i was working on annotating my copies of the six of crows duology. that was fun i should pick that back up tbh. i generally don't dog ear pages just bc i dont like how the pages lay when they have a crease in them, but i'll do it if i don't have a bookmark around. and i literally don't care what people do with their books like. if someone's defacing library books i have a problem with that but if they own them????? WHO GIVE A SHIT and funny story i've actually dropped books in the bathtub before when i was younger. needless to say i do not read in the tub anymore because someone as uncoordinated as me should not be doing shit like that

27. Who is the most stressful character you’ve ever written? Why?

qs is on the mind so tbh probably shiro. i feel like his whole character got completely steamrolled (maybe even more so than some of the others) and i want so badly to do him justice that it stresses me out lmfao. outside of qs its literally fine its just when im trying to fix an unfixable show LMAO

39. What keeps you writing when you feel like giving up?

i think just. interacting with friends and commenters who remind me why i started sharing my writing with people in the first place. the community of it all yk. i've been writing since i can remember but the MOST fun i've ever had with it has been when i'm sharing it with people and they're giving feedback on it or yes and-ing with someone in dms. genuinely one of the best things ever im so fr

writer ask game

[chronicler-of-narrative]

Ok, at the interest of @corpse-water, a little bit more about the cephalon oc and the delusional princess:

The cephalon is named Zaton. Currently, his story is very simple and, intentionally so, a bit silly. The idea was that Zaton was once but a feeble foot soldier set to fight in the Old War. However, after a few months of zero action, he figured he was just wasting his time, and thus deserted to go back home to his family. He was almost immediately caught, brought before one of his generals, who was bored and spiteful, lets say due to a demotion or a scuffle he had with some superiors or some other, unreleated matter. And thus, instead of properly disciplining Zaton, his general just glassed him without a second thought. And welp, Zaton was then put in service of one of my other ocs, Lavius (a sentient Frost Prime who is also a massive simp for the Orokin), to "learn some manners". As for his appearance, currently im imagining a brown and or black cube with stripes, because hes, well, imprisoned.

As for the "princess", her name was is currently Alvina, and althought I've forgotten most of her original lore (if she had any) on account of years having passed since the last time I thought about her in any capacity, I can tell you this much: She is but a simple Tenno, one who aboard the Zariman had experienced extreme social isolation post disaster. Or at least she did, until a misunderstanding allowed her to convince a small congregation of Tenno that she was an Orokin princess, and that not only would she find some way to get them out of his mess ("on account of her importance"), but that she would also have the power and priviledge to expose Tuvul's betrayal and bring the colonists justice. Safe to say, she lied, mostly out of necessity. And while she conveniently used the Second Dream's memory supression to never bring up her actions, waking up in a post Collapse world brough about that same form of isolatoon she experienced back then. And thus, back came her persona. (Btw, all of this lore aside from playing princess to not die alone I just made up on the spot, but it should remain cannon unless there are any consistency issues!)

Oh, and as for one final surprise, I actually have an ancient mini-fic I wrote ABOUT THE TWO OF THEM TALKING Imma just copy paste here. So to anyone not interested, this is the end of the post. To those who wanna read my writing from 2 years ago, here you go:

Alvina couldn't help but sigh as she stared blankly at the wall of Lavius's Additional personnel quarters (or a guest room, as Nara called it). Of course, she was a princess, but did they really have to leave her behind? She could've contributed so much to the mission! Like for instance...well...maybe she could've-

-"Hey kid", Zaton, the spiteful ship cephalon, called out to her.

-"What do you want?", she responded, annoyed.

-"Look, don't blame me for wanting to talk to a person who isn't as insane as that pompous monster and his little protege".

-"Hey! Those are my friends and future subjects you are talking about!", she huffed.

-"Heh. And your only ones, right?", he responded, cynicism evident in his voice.

-"You...I will have you beheaded, you-!",she began, before being cut off.

-"Look, kid. It's nice and all when you're putting up that front for the others, but I think it's time you pulled back the curtain a little, don't you agree?"

As the ai finished his sentence, a chill ran down Alvina's spine. He was...simply talking nonesense, of course! As if such a...regal and...royal princess would even have a front! Ha! That idea was so stupid that it was actually funny!

-"Hmph! As if I even have one...", she dismissed, wrapping herself in her blankets.

-"Mhm...And that makeshift attempt at Orokin fashion is definitely helping your case....", he said sarcastically, causing Alvina's eyes to dart open.

-"Well, that's just because I...um...it's simply...", she stammered, before sighing loudly as her resistance finally caved in, "How did you know?"

-"Well, being the guard of a vessel frequented by the nobles does come with it's perks..."

-"Wait, you were a guard?"

-"One of the best. Yet, you desert to visit your family ONE TIME, and suddenly a few bored generals force you to serve their little pet!", he explained, brimming with spite.

-"That's....rough", she responded, her normally bratty exterior now completely replaced.

Suddenly, she heard him chuckle, like he just had a revelation.

-"You've had a similar experience, haven't you? On that unholy ship, right?".

-"And what would...give that away?", she inquired, memories slowly dripping back into her mind one by one.

-"Well, why else would you want to act like an entitled noble?"

-"I...really don't want to talk about it...", she responded, become slightly teary, "But...do you think they'll...accept me?"

Suddenly, a loud metallic bang tore through the ship. Alvina got up to locate the source, but was quickly met by Lavius himself.

-"Not. A. Word.", he sneered, heading towards his personal garden. And soon enough, Nara and her warframes came running in behind him.

[arzuera]

💌

Hmmmmmmm this is a toughy.

I want to talk about the Invisobang fic but I literally can't. Because the rules say I can't and my partner would kill me. But I can talk about that! For this fic, I'm teaming up with @tathartiel creator of Phantom's Fables, Wayne's Haunted Mansion, and Batcat Spectre! I have been having a lot of fun with it so far. Tathy is a sweet bean <3

But since I can't really talk about that... I guess the next thing would be Rehoming or 'Safe' house and You aren't alone (and now you never will be).

I have received a lot of asks about when Rehoming chapter 2 will be done and it's going to be soon! This is something that was supposed to be done months ago but I have a habit of biting off more than I can chew and then have to force myself to decide what is a higher priority or not. Since Robin's Egg came out first, that story is the top of my list. I wanna say I will have chapter 2 for this done within the next couple of months. It also might gain another couple of chapters if I can't find the resolution in chapter 2.

As for You Aren't Alone (and now you never will be) I'm going to hype this story up a bit because it is not as popular as the other 2. This one will probably become my next long fic once Robin's Egg is done(which will be awhile. I have to many shenanigans for Damian). there needs to be more Duke x Danny content out there and its taking a while because I want to give it justice. I'm working with my brother who worked as a suicide hotline operative so that the conversations they have are 1 accurate and 2 will serve as a way to show people what happens when someone calls.

People often don't call when they should because they are scared of what that conversation would entail and I want to help dispell those myths and maybe it'll help someone down the line. The entire fic is full of delicate subject matter and I want to do it right. And I'm super excited about it because of that alone.

[writebackatya]

Questions for writers: 5, 10, 13

5. Do you have any writing superstitions? What are they and why are they 100% true?

If I ever pair a song with a story, chances are I am listening to that song a number of times while working on that piece. It’s not the only thing I listen to of course, but whenever I’m stuck sometimes I’ll just listen to whatever song I’m pairing with the story to try to get the vibes or whatever I’m trying to get done for the story

You’re gonna hate me for this but I still use Microsoft Word. Yeah even though I have you check my stuff on Google Docs I still use Word to write my stuff there. I’ve been trying to ween myself off of it, but I think it’s because its the one program I’m used to using

And if I’m ever smoking weed while writing, joints > bong. I don’t know why, I just feel like a real writer when I hold a lit joint in my hand while pondering how I wanna make the characters kiss in a story

10. Has a piece of writing ever “haunted” you? Has your own writing haunted you? What does that mean to you?

Oooh that’s a good question. Unfortunately I don’t have a good answer cause I can’t really think about a piece of writing that has ever haunted me. I think the only writing of mine that haunts me is the unfinished stuff. I think that means I just need to relax

13. What is a subject matter that is incredibly difficult for you to write about? What is easy?

One thing I ALWAYS find difficult is writing smart/scientific dialogue for smart/scientific characters. I’m a Communication Major. Not a scientist. Or someone really really smart. I want my characters to sound natural and not like someone who thinks they know what they’re talking about. I want to do them justice

Something I find easy to write about. Sibling stuff. I grew up with five other siblings and was the middle child I kinda know what it’s like to be an older sibling and younger sibling. Plus I love writing sibling dynamics

[simulacrah]

I was so happy when I finished the most recent chapter of your Detachment fic and saw that you had a tumblr! I need to tell you how much your writing moves me. As someone who is a victim myself and still has a long journey ahead of her, the way you write how Leo processes things, thinks about himself, analyzes other people is so painfully relatable and accurate. This story is so well written because you’re not exploiting this idea of Leo being a victim as an attractive or pornographic thing like other fanfiction authors but it’s so well explored, well thought out, and raw that it accomplishes the goal of being a narrative study in the infection that is childhood trauma. It reads like if you were to swap out the names it could 100% be a best selling novel or short film. I just wanna say you’re one of the best writers on AO3 and I will always look forward to every worth-the-wait upload of “Detachment”. <3

Hello, dear!

Thank you so much for getting in touch. I needed some time to process your message.

I always worry a lot about being accurate with this fic and doing the subject matter justice, and although I have some knowledge about these things, I can’t say I’m always confident that I won’t mess things up. I’m so glad to hear that you judged my portrayal as accurate and not romanticising, because the latter was the thing I was most trying to avoid! You have no idea how much this message means to me, I was honestly not expecting that my writing would resonate with someone at all, let alone to a point where they’d take the time to write such a thoughtful and lovely message.

I’m sorry you had to go through what you went and I hope that you’re currently doing well. Take care of yourself and if you ever want to chat, don’t hesitate to drop me an ask <3 thank you again for this

[noodlenibblescribble]

Prison of Plastic Thoughts on Molly, Giovanni and Especially Lorelai (Spoilers)

I finally finished Epither Erased: Prison of Plastic yesterday and oh my freaking god omf I cant get my blorbos out of my head.

The way this series said the system failed Molly, that trusted adults failed Molly, that even her friends who love her and see her suffering first hand can't help her in a way that really matters. Fuck it broke my heart. Hearing Navan's thoughts about being unable to just. Take her away because *he's a pillar to his community* hurt because he's a good guy. He's shown to be an amazingly thoughtful and caring man but classes and occasional money is not enough to save Molly. She needed a wrecking ball and I'm so happy Giovanni didn't even need to be asked. He was already planning on taking her. He just saw a girl in need and he gave zero shits to laws or future ramifications, he was going to help her come highwater and hell.

Epithet Erased is so amazing and means so much to me. A kid forced to grow up gets to be a kid again. Not by any concentional methods but it doesnt matter because she's free now and with people that will actually care for her.

That was amazing.

.......

But as much as I loved the book, I have gripes with Lorelai's part of the story.. I don't feel a sibling relationship as volatile as this was done enough.... justice?

I don't wanna get personal but there's a reason sibling relationships get to me the most out of any other familial one. I was so excited to cry over Molly and Lorelai, and I did! But it definitely felt like their interactions, the progression of their fights and their thoughts on one another could've been polished better. To me, it never felt like Molly got to actually communicate her problems with Lorelai properly. She either apologized or suddenly lashed out, which I understand, emotions run high, but because she never got through to Lori-

Lorelai does not feel like she learned a proper lesson at all. Her takeaway from the whole ordeal being 'I can stand to lose a bit' coming from *playing* a villain and picturing herself playing with Molly as one instead of what it should've been, her recognizing that she really put too much on Molly's shoulders makes her arc (in this part of her story atleast. Since there was no resolution between the sisters, I HOPE we are getting that in tbe future) frustrating.

I also feel like, if one of the main points of congression against Lorelai's powers was gonna be that she can hurt people (to the point where she freaks out about so much a d even WISHES SHE NEVER HAD THEM, THAT CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. UP UNTIL THEN ALL WE SAW WAS HER ENJOYING AND ABUSING HER POWERS EVEN IF SHE WAS LONELY), we could've had most instances of them actually doing something to people in the past other than just her potentially having set the hojse on fire. I thought the story was setting up her loneliness and departure from her school friends as maybe after losing her mom, she became overwhelmed and actually hurt one of them while having a meltdown. It would've solidified to her that maybe she SHOULD be alone, and given her more standing in her mind to freak out about actually hurting people while in this book, not just because she POTENTIALLY killed her mom but because, like Navan said, she already had confirmation of what she COULD DO with another incident.

And on that note, maybe a sprinkle of having Lorelai flinch and be scared of hurting Vincent Murder only to have him insist he's a gargoyle he can't be hurt(!) could've been another cute point to her crush on him. (Not that I'm a big fan of that potential relationship, but hey, if there's a focus on that, then you gotta milk it through the book).

On the subject of Gio/Vincent, I feel like he went too easy on her after the 'revelation' of what she's been doing to Beartrap on the side while hanging with him. He just breezed through it and was still joking with her during the fight. I didn't expect him to be a complete shift in personality and to cut ties with her, but maybe a bit 'tougher love' would've been good to see. I was waiting to see a more serious side to him as a protector of Molly, but he instead of keept it lighthearted and it didn't feel right. Theirs wasn't a matter of just petty sibling squabbles, Lorelai was a big contributor to the pain and stress Molly felt daily.

Brushing it aside felt so. Bad. For a story that does so well with showing how people fail and the consequences of it, they really softened Lorelai's in the end. She is still with the mindset of a child playing a game. It disappointed me ^^"

But uh, anyways. Sorry for the sudden negativity. It's honestly the only major thing I had a problem with. I love Epithet Erased so much, I guess I may have expected too much out of the sibling side of the story. I still heavily enjoy the rest of the cast and their relationships (other than Giovanni and Lorelai because I think he could be a little harder on her. Again, not a lot! I just think that as the person she likes and actually wants to listen to, she'd learn more from him.) But ah well.

[daydadahlias]

don’t apologise for rambling about PT and WB, i ask about your stories bc u wanna hear you talk abt them lmao

but yeah i read PT after WB and i was like ‘wait, ashton didn’t become a lawyer with pink nail polish?? :(’

and i didn’t know WB was controversial. it was one of the first jess fic i read and i loved it, still do

oh, anon thank you sm!! This is so so nice in a way I can't explain lmfao. I really do love WB. And "controversial" may be a strong word to use but y'know, by sheer virtue of writing heavy subject matter like WB in an rpf fandom you're kind of inviting some adverse reaction!! Which I knew prior to posting and is really always something you have to be prepared for if you're going to post work on a public platform for any reason.

But the thought of it being one of the FIRST fics from me you've read is insane!!! It's always really crazy to me to hear what fic of mine was someone's first. I always just kind of assume people start with Risky Risque or Scene 14!!! But there are tons of people who have probably only ever read one work of mine and it's neither of those. Which is so fucking cool!! And insane!!! And I kind of love the thought of WB being one of ur first Jess fics while also... kind of loathing the thought!! Like i imagine u reading it and going "damn this kid's got issues" sdfghj

And I'll also be honest, it never occurred to me that people might read WB before PT!!! I'm sure that was probably a pretty shocking thing to stumble upon!!!!!! And maybe be like "wait?? are these??? the same guys??? this is what they're doing now??" god that's such a cool thought... A couple of my fics are set in the same universe (ex. Fine Print & Next Contestant) and I always like the thought of someone just STUMBLING upon them and being like "WAIT!! IT'S THOSE GUYS!! FROM THAT THING!!"

I'd be curious to hear how that altered your reading experience of PT. Y'know, if you automatically associated it with those characters you read previously who came from a really dark place, one that is obviously so different from PT where they're just... y'know slutty guys having a good slutty time. Does their dynamic feel the same? Does it feel older? Does it feel healthier? Blah Blah Blah. So many things!! Since I wrote PT before WB and most people who spoke to me abt WB had read PT prior, these aren't really things I got to see a reaction on!! I just remember someone saying they felt so much younger in WB.

And also no :(( ash never became a lawyer unfortunately. in my mind, it just all felt too overwhelming to him to know that he wouldn't be able to get justice in a court of law and so he was forced to think about all the people like him that never would either. All the people he'd never be able to save, y'know, and who would be overlooked just because their case didn't fit the cookie cutter crime. And he just didn't really want to have to bare witness to it.

[numinously-yours]

Hi! I saw you opened your free reading so I would like to ask for one 🙏 how can I love myself more? I'm quite hard on myself. I just wanna embody my leo 🌙 kidding aside, I just wanna love myself -INFP hey thank you so much!

Hello my love,

I hope this resonates for you because you DO deserve to love yourself. For your reading, I pulled for a few things. First and foremost, I have three cards which indicate three qualities your guides really need you to know you have. Then I asked what steps you can take toward more self love. Finally, the end is some additional messages from your spirit team.

Some of your amazing qualities:

6 of Swords - You are adaptable and can do hard things

The Fool - Your faith, even amongst the unknown, is something to be admired

Justice - You know how to look at situations in an objective manner

Steps to take in your self-love journey:

Before the cards, I wanted to throw this quote from a commercial in the background during this part of your reading. It said, "The words in your head? Only you can hear them." This just really struck me and I feel called to say that the words you say to yourself still matter, even if others can't hear you say it. You're your forever best friend and deserve to be spoken to as such. Now for the cards!

The Magician and 8 of Pentacles

Find what inspires you. Is there a cause you feel strongly about? Do you enjoy learning particular subjects? Investing some of your time in these areas can help light a fire under you. The more you participate in these inspirational aspects, the more joy you'll feel. The more joy you feel, the more optimistic you will start feeling overall. maybe challenge yourself to join a group surrounding these topics. OR do something creative around it (write, paint, blog, etc). a couple of things may come out of the creative pursuits. ① you might find like-minded people. surrounding yourself with them will bring some of that outside validation that we all crave. ② seeing your OWN success will show you that you are pretty damn cool. the more you do it, the more you'll think t. the more youthink it, the more you'll believe it.

Additional message from your spirit team:

Your spirit team wants you to be aware of people who are trying to manipulate your feelings (both NOW AND as you continue your growth). There are going to be people who don't understand why you're invested in that thing above. Your spirit team warms you that you may feel like giving up It'sgoing to affect your self-esteem (and, likely, currently does), and this will cause you to start shutting down. you are encouraged to analyze the people who are"helping" you feel this way. Are they people who ACTUALLY have your best interest at heart? Is there something from their past that they're ashamed of and are now projecting? Remember how your guides want you to know about your quality for object viewpoints? That's where this can really come into play. It's easier said than done, but you can do it. I think doing this will also help you realize/ believe in your greatness.

I hope things get better for you. I'm sending all my love to you and your guides

[villainessbian]

yep, it does not go through, like I expected

there's way too many of you that have been beaten down hard enough that you cannot recognize when you're hunkering down and shutting off your brain

all criticism is TERFs. All people that do not whole-heartedly agree with you when you literally claim that something that is happening is not happening is somehow merely somebody close to "praising glinner and jkr"

jesus christ you give me a headache.

and by the way, this is coming from in-house. from a transwoman. But chiefly, a transwoman that has experienced the brunt of what misandry is really like, and how much misandry goes on to fuel transphobia

you say the shit terfs say when you say men aren't subject to misandry

It's not that your message does not go through, it's that I know it's wrong. I even explained why to you, but it looks like... it's not going through.

You can take "knowing more than you do" and rename it "hunkering down and shutting off our brain" but you being a bitch about being wrong doesn't make you any less wrong.

"all criticism is TERFs" no. "You lot (trans women) are part of the problem why men's issues aren't taken care of, it makes me sick and you keep being disappointing by perpetuating the system of gendered violence" is in fact textbook terfspeak though. Literally. Every single point and term of reference. Get better.

"by the way, this is coming from in-house. from a transwoman" so, apart from the fact that even the way you write "trans woman" is the way that terfs push to dehumanise us, I still hope you get better. When you realise that the pick-me MRA act doesn't solve anything and that generation upon generation of feminists were right all along no matter what reddit says about how men's suffering is really caused by women and especially minority women.

So to repeat myself until it "gets through," shut up. Stop talking to me until you drop the MRA bullshit. You wanna know which side of the discussion you're on? Glinner also openly believes in misandry and that "terf" gets thrown as a term of abuse for not agreeing with "us lot."

But surely you have another load of separate, uneducated reasons why you agree with him so let me pre-empt this with a third and final DON'T UNTIL YOU STOP. I don't care nor wish to know why you're desperate to belittle any trans woman who knows even just a little about feminism, and then parrot known terfs, and make MRA points. No one does. No one gives a fuck and going anonymous doesn't hide (because you literally just got all cross with me about it before you switched to anonymous asks) that you are cothica-keywitch, and you're worrying in general. You get angry when people explore themes of violence in fiction, you attack people without checking first whether they deserve it, and you rapidly switch between social justice and femcel speech. Holy shit, better yourself before you tackle the big social questions like "is the oppressor... ACTUALLY THE VICTIM"