#chewing on the drama. it makes me feel things! unpleasant things but anyway!

[mourn-and-watch]

i know that aveline's condolences scene is supposed to be about understanding of other's grief but oh boy does it feel completely utterly wrong when you remember how she has treated the white lillies killer situation at the beginning of act 2 and how she just. never mentiones it if hawke doesn't call her out. and if they do her only response is "well people always blame the guard".

i believe she's genuine when she tries to comfort hawke by relating to their pain and telling about her father and how he died and how she'll miss leandra too but. the thing is. she knew about these murders as the captain of the guard and even asked hawke to help her with this. by shutting the guy who tried to investigate it up. because he talked nonsense. or did he.

hawke feels like shit and is consumed by guilt because they couldn't save their mother but aveline kinda should share the sentiment. there was a serial killer in the city and she did absolutely nothing to stop him and gave up on investigation because all of it seemed random and therefore couldn't be solved. it was literally her job but she decided not to act on it. consciously. so people died and if that wasn't enough, her friend's mother died, horribly too. is there really nothing to be said besides "well my father died too you know. it's okay to grieve. take your time" or "well the guard can't save everyone. blame the killer not me"

[lestwritewhilewaitingforajobcall]

The Spark That Split the Seas - Poseidon x Reader x Thor

(A/N)

Hey guys I’m back! I’ve been grinding hard for a new character that I’d gotten in this game, Genshin Impact, so I’m sorry for the absence! Anyways, as always, I want to thank you all for the support on my past two stories and on my account, I truly appreciate every one of you! On a story-related note, since I’d mentioned on my previous post that I had a lot of Poseidon x Reader x Thor fics written in my drafts, I decided to post one so you guys could also join me in the feels! Any feedback would be appreciated! This was originally shorter than the final story you’re seeing now, as I’d first only written their dialogues, but as usual, I excitedly itched into making a story out of it!

This is for entertainment only. Record of Ragnarok belongs to Shinya Umemura, Takumi Fukui and Ajichika. I also do not own you, the reader.

The Spark That Split the Seas

Poseidon x Reader x Thor

For more than all the millennia the gods and other species alike had known the lonely kingdom of Atlantis, never once did the crashing waves gave way to the chirping of the largest Albatrosses until now. Otherworldly flying creatures joined with the familiar exclusively earthly ones in enjoying the ebb and flow of the ocean, albeit this time, the hungry ocean appeared more satiated and seemed to follow a regular pattern ‘from sudden crash to a long calm, to crash again then back to another lengthy calm;’ life in the sea rejoiced in this odd occurrence.

Beautiful yellow sun rays poured through the stained-glass windows, casting a kaleidoscope pattern on the large interiors of the kingdom ruled by the god of the seas, and catching the reflection of his nonchalant visage. The long, elegant dining table filled with every kind of seafood delectable imaginable also fell victim to the light, along with a figure that sat down opposite, whose invitation was clear.

Hidden from this heavenly atmosphere were the prying eyes of a little messenger bird who stood unobtrusively behind one of the tall pillars near the far end of the room, halting his slide just in time to witness this miracle:

The living bearer of the most fearsome title, the ruler of both this grandiose palace of the most precious gems and coral and all the oceans and waters, the almighty Poseidon, though against all reason and self-proved authority whatsoever, against the epics of Greek poets, was indulged, seemingly willingly, in the pleasure of having another’s company. In the shadows, Hermes’ red eyes shot wide open in shock.

Poseidon, the ever abrupt and rude god who had deemed most beings to be below him, received a guest, a still breathing one at that.

What in the gods’ name?

In a tone of haughty contempt, a grunt escaped from Poseidon’s lips. Finishing chewing the last bite of delicious food in your mouth, you nodded your head in earnest agreement with his point. Your next words were uttered with the firmness of an old sage who had all the answers, your beliefs shaped by the countless lifetimes you had lived.

“Existing is painful.” Your shoulders bobbed with your chuckle.

Although Poseidon felt a small measure of relief−a feeling that by habit had always been easy to brush-off with a condescending thought, his face betrayed nothing as his stoic features remained still. “If you agree, then why not allow me to kill you this instant?” As if to emphasize his strength, the crashing sound of dreadful combat between waves and rocks rang in the air, and you almost wished that a low rumble of thunder accompanied it, finding beauty in its loud peals, and additionally giving a volume of inspiration to Michelangelo below.

Despite your gaze being unrequited, you were sure you had the god’s attention. Since arriving here, Poseidon noted that your expression had always been smoothed into a calm, smiling one. “If you had intended to kill me, we would not be having this conversation right now.”

Poseidon sat rigid and silent.

“It’s a comfortingly tragic drama, my circle of life. I may not have been lucky to acquire a life as long as that of the gods, but I have definitely lived more times than you have.” Your words were so nonchalant, for a second there Poseidon thought you were kidding.

“That is for the simple fact that you mortals are weak, pathetic.” Lips as pink as young petunias touched the clear edge of the wine glass as Poseidon’s eyes closed, content to give over to listen.

“Yes, we are.” You paused. “But because of this frailty, we learned to adapt, evolve.”

“There is no need for evolution if you are perfect from the moment of conception. Hence why gods such as I, will always be above you.”

“You’re correct. Humans will never become gods after all,” Again, Poseidon found himself absorbing your words like a sponge. At the same time, he experienced an occasional sharp prick at the edge of his emotions, as if signaling him to pull back. “The same as gods will never become like humans.”

“Extremely foolish of you to think that trash is worthy of the shiniest Orichalcum. Your race has been created by us, for us, and will therefore always be inferior.”

“Humans are inferior in all aspects, this, is a fact. It is hence no accident that there is a history of rebellion and consequently, a false notion of superiority. But to be able to look beyond this, is to understand that we never truly intended to surpass animals nor the gods themselves. The nature of our desire: everything was meant for either survival or man’s search for meaning.

“We are by nature flawed and inconsistent creatures. And as you have no doubt seen for yourself as well, despite reaching all our goals, achieving our wildest dreams, we have never reached a position where satisfaction is achieved.” Keenness made your words sound almost heroic. There was a twinkle in your eye and a lilt in your voice, and Poseidon found that now he had a much clearer picture of your reputation for an irrepressible desire to see what is beyond your reach as you questioned: “If I may ask, as I have seen the gods share this sentiment of looking for meaning, do you feel an inkling of the same?”

When Poseidon had put the wine glass down, he hesitated a moment, his supposedly closed mind wavering between doubt and certainty. He would never come to understand this, nor admit to feeling this dissonance, but at last, he shook his head at his consideration, trying to reduce the unpleasantness he felt by the same way he had always used to get out of extremely rare difficulties.

“Do not disrespect me, mortal.” He knew himself that it was an empty threat.

“Those were never my intentions.” You bowed with great respect, but there was at the same time apparent in your manner the consciousness that while Poseidon would never in any way confirm your statement, he did not necessarily refute it. Your heart rose in gratitude as you regarded him with a look of affection, believing in your intellectual companionship.

“Lord Poseidon, as the fearsome god of the seas, what is the meaning of life for you?” The god surveyed your reflection in one of the golden plates, and maybe it was because he had acted in a charitable way towards you, but he saw brightness, a refreshing difference, as if there were no heavy shackles to weigh you down.

“My husband has always been in search of a worthy opponent. What about you?”

It was like a pin came dangerously close to the rational bubble of Poseidon’s beliefs. But then your words penetrated his mind, and he berated himself for almost falling prey, yet…

“Perfection.” Poseidon blurted out loud, full of self-indulgence, but uncomfortable with the thought of pity reeking from his pores, a role that was clearly uncharacteristic of him.

Tilting your head, your brows meshed inquisitively upon hearing this. “This presents the conundrum; you are already perfect, as should all the gods. Since you have explained, gods have always been pristine, perfect, the moment you all were born.

“So, if you have already achieved the meaning and purpose of your life, what is there left to live for?” There was something entrancing in your guileless form, and Poseidon was displeased that another should feel such an interest in your wise, unguarded character. “And if gods have already reached perfection, why is there an endeavor still for the dross of earth?”

For the first time in Poseidon’s life, he was receptive of contraries. Not one single time, had he ever been in the position where he listened, much more considered the act of interpretation. What he said goes, but for some frustrating reason, he was coming to terms of mutual respect; whenever he was sitting opposite you, chin in hand, the more he caught the flame.

Quickly, he stopped that train of thought and he seamed his mouth, stoic. Only his eyes betrayed a spark of defiance. “Stop asking ridiculous questions.”

Again, you bowed. “I apologize if I have overstepped such boundaries.”

“You better be.” With a look of eager inquiry, Poseidon asked, “Why are you not afraid of me? Is it because you are confident Thor would protect you?” One thing that distressed him was that the more he was alone with you, the more he saw your hands, always ungloved, noticed the wedding-ring on your finger. That closed circle excluded him, his face registering the insult. “As expected from a repulsive weakling,”

“No. I know he would be there for me whenever I should need him, and also the times when I don’t.” You said still a smile on your mouth.

Although you were unaware of the eagle eyes that were watching your every move, you had the instinct. You did not need all the information, and you had nothing to hide. Your shoulders were loose, back wasn’t ramrod straight and you exuded a carefree attitude. “The sole reason why my fears have dissipated is because perhaps, I enjoy your conversation.”

To say this whole exchange took Hermes by surprise would be an understatement. After the initial expression of shock, he laughed lowly.

You continued, “I have already accepted your beliefs. No one is entitled to those except yourself.

“If I were to die from imparting what my beliefs are, that is simply fate, a tragedy, but nonetheless, fate. Of course, I would try my best to avoid disappearing from this lifetime, seeing as I have made a promise with my husband, to continue to fight for my life, shall needed, until the very end.” Poseidon’s grip tightened the slightest bit.

“I believe that despite our obvious differences, we are simply two being who each have our own unique experiences that shape our views and beliefs. For hundreds of millennia, I’d seen calamity from all angles; mainly conflicts over a universal truth,

“But so long as there are questions, there will never be one solid concrete truth. And I’m okay with that.” You concluded.

Compliments never rolled off Poseidon’s tongue easily, since in his view they were nothing but hollow words. But this time, he could hardly slip a word in bad taste. He thought it pleasant to hear you, but it could not distract him from the uninvited presence in his throne room.

“You’re a heretic.” His usual strong voice beckoned your attention, discerning the sternness on the table of his expression to be forced. No matter, you had just enough of a last glimpse to see his face looking younger in repose.

“I have been labeled as such.” You noticed the unique rhythm of the crashing waves seemed to have settled along the sand grains, and you admitted it was so beautiful and timeless.

“You’re dismissed.” Poseidon believed in being straightforward with affairs. Since the conversation has ended, the final interchange of words was not likely to be a substantive one. Though this was his original reason, the face at the forefront of his mind right now was not yours but Hermes’.

You stood up and curtsied to show your gratitude. “Very well. It was splendid to be in your company this afternoon.”

Blue eyes followed you as you began walking away, and he watched you until you went out of sight when you began to ascend the Skíðblaðnir, a ship so completely reserved only for you by the Kingdom of the Norse. Then Poseidon’s ears turned toward the messenger’s direction.

Hermes quickly dashed to Poseidon and knelt to greet him with such a great respect akin to the expectations all elderly gods have always expected of their younger ones.

“We gods are perfect beings from the very start; therefore, we do not plot schemes nor engage in disagreements.” The implication registered with a jolt, and Hermes felt his mouth open as the real reason for your invitation became clear. He fought the urge to look at where Adamas had died brutally as a lowlife, not failing to recognize that this was the exact opposite of that faded history.

Finding quiet when Hermes immediately left, the god of the seas stared at his dominion, taking deep breaths of the air, not feeling the normal icy sting carried by the ocean. Over again he dwelt upon in his conversations with you, interested to find out if the Norse god of thunder had been able to sustain a similar type of conversation.

The very first quiver of interest sparked through Poseidon and though he did not recognize it nor perceived it, he understood the most important things, the only ones he ever needed to:

You did not seek validation nor attention. You had no fear of death, neither of the hardships of life.

Your depths of wisdom were unparalleled throughout the realms, which he would comment on its wasted potential, however, he knew Hermes already understood that part of it.

And the god of messenger did, as the word got around slowly but surely:

“There would always be those who dare to brave the ocean’s roar, but there was only one who withstood it.”

[megan-is-mia]

(Yandere! Vil Schoenheit x Peahen! S/o) (Oh Vil my beloved pretty man, how you make my heart go doki-doki! Anyways heads up that the Y/n in this fic is butch, so she looks more like a male peafowl with bright and long feathers than a female peafowl with shorter, duller feathers) 

“Love, your eyes are wandering again” Vil said, nudging (Y/n)’s leg with his foot as the peafowl-beastwoman stared out the window of his bedroom. His patience with the peahen-girl was running short as she continued to ignore and disregard his words to her. Why did she insist on being so unpleasant when he was only trying to be pleasant towards her? He blamed his own appreciation of beauty for making him so tolerant of her blatant disrespect of him. (Y/n) wasn’t like most peafowl-beastwomen, she presented rather masculinity with long elegant feathers making up her tail and dragged so beautifully behind her when she walked. She also held herself with a stubborn dignity that made it clear she was proud of the way she looked even if it was unconventional and unusual. With those factors in mind how could he have not fallen head over heels for her? Why there was no reason he could see in resisting her innate magnetism. Which is why he saw nothing wrong in kidnapping the peahen-girl and bringing her back to his dorm to be his girlfriend. Everything was going smoothly except for one thing, (Y/n) was proving to be as stubborn as a mule. She refused to even try and see things his way, instead insisting that he let her go right now or she’d escape then press charges against him just for good measure. Of  course Vil couldn’t, wouldn’t let that happen so he made sure to keep his darling compliant with sedatives in all her meals. The sedatives were only a temporary solution, something to keep (Y/n) from doing anything stupid while Vil put the finishing details on his permanent solution to keep the peafowl-beastwoman by his side, permanently by his side that is. He’d had the final solution ready for a few days now but hadn’t used it yet, wanting to wait for the right moment for maximum effect. Today however that moment had finally come…  What made today the right one for his scheme? Well it was his birthday of course. There was no way that the peahen-girl would be cruel enough to refuse him a humble request on today of all days. However Vil still needed to proceed with caution, (Y/n) was smarter than she looked and if he messed up now by showing his hand too quickly he might never get a second opportunity for his plan to come to fruition. Giving up on his efforts to get her to look at him, he carefully picked up a slice of cake, stabbed it with a fork and offered a bite of it to his dear darling. “Come on Love, just one bite? Can’t you give me just this one thing and take a bite of this cake?” Vil crooned poking the corner of (Y/n)’s mouth with the fork. The peafowl-beastwoman glared at the bite of cake like it had personally offended her and did nothing else for a long moment before reluctantly opening her mouth so the bit of cake could go in and she’d have to chew on it before swallowing. She had to admit it was pretty good and she did not fight being feed another two, three, four bites of cake. However as the last bite went down her stomach started to feel weird and her insides started to heat up like she’d been standing out in the sun. (Y/n) looked up at Vil with a questioning look that he answered with a knowing smirk. Of course he’d poisoned her, the drama queen. Couldn’t settle for plain old murder like a normal person. However… it didn’t feel like she was dying, she wasn't feeling any pain. She just felt unusually hot, and for some reason she couldn't stop looking at the blonde sitting beside her. “What do you think Love? Did my love potion cake taste good?” Vil said, still smirking as the peahen-girl’s eyes widened with alarm. “Don’t worry the love potion wont turn you dumb with love for me. It’ll just make you absolutely miserable when we’re apart. After all, absence makes the heart fonder does it not? So this will help you learn to love me naturally and when you do, i’ll give you an antidote to the potion” Vil finished his explanation by pecking (Y/n)’s forehead affectionately. “And when i do, you’ll thank me for what i’ve done...” THE END

[yodawgiherd]

Unpleasant News

>>>Read on AO3<<<

Unlike 136, I'll focus on some P L O T :D

“We have to tell him.”

“No, we don’t.”

Mikasa stopped her pacing, fixing Eren with a completely serious stare.

“Eren, we do.”

“You remember how he acted last time she hurt him! You know what happened! Armin almost… he…”

His voice faltered. It was months ago, when the tragedy took place, but it would be a stretch to say that they were over it. The shadow of almost losing their friend still hung heavily over them both.

Seeing his pain, hearing it in Eren’s voice, Mikasa came to sit next to him on the couch, taking a gentle hold of his head and pressing their foreheads together.

“I know that it’s hard.”, she said, staring into Eren’s green eyes, “But there is no other way. What else can we do?”

“Hope that she won’t make it to the finals?”, he offered, but Mikasa shook her head.

“I’ll bet that Annie is determined to prove herself. After all, fighting was the reason why the whole drama between her and Armin started. You know her, but you didn’t fight her, I did. If she is hell-bent like I imagine she is, there is no way she won’t make it to Vegas.”

Pulling back, Eren leaned back against the sofa, rubbing his eyes.

“God fucking damn it.”, he sighed, “Guess we can’t just lie and say that we had no idea, can we?”

“Hardly. You know Armin, he would see right through us both.”

“Fine, let’s break the news to him then.”, Eren half reached for his phone before Mikasa’s gentle yet strong hold immobilized his wrist in place.

“I think it would be better if we did it face to face.”, she said, “Even with the therapy, I don’t want to tell him with this much distance between us.”

“Right….”, he agreed.

But when neither of them moved for a second, Eren reached out with his other hand, gently rubbing the tattooed mark on Mikasa’s wrist.

“You know, I still have to call him to set up the meeting.”

“Oh, right, sorry.”, immediately releasing his hand, Mikasa gave him an awkward smile.

Despite being the one pushing for this, she was not exactly looking forward to the thing itself. Annie was a big dangerous area in Armin’s life, and that was not all. She still remembered how angry she was, blood boiling white and hot, during that night. She remembered almost beating Annie to death, completely surrendering to the savage side of herself. It was not a nice memory.

“How do we do this then?”, she asked, half to stop herself from thinking about that night.

“Do we invite him out?”, Eren suggested, but Mikasa was already shaking her head.

“No, a public place is no good. We don’t know how he will react.”

“Then I guess we go over to his house, and… I don’t know, tell him?”

“We could pick up some food on the way, maybe… gifts? I don’t know…”

While Mikasa’s words were clumsy, Eren understood perfectly what she meant. They both wanted their friend to be as relaxed as he could when they would tell him. He was dear to them both, and neither of them wanted for him to do anything rash.

Eren was the one to break the silence.

“I don’t think we’ll get anywhere by sitting around.”

Despite the worm in her stomach, Mikasa had to agree with him.

“Let’s go then, waiting will only make it worse.”

“No phone calls then?”

“Nah.”, Eren put his phone back in the pocket, “Let’s give him a nice surprise.”

Doubting that the surprise they were bringing would be nice, Mikasa joined Eren as they left for Armin’s place still feeling somewhat doubtful about this whole thing. Yet she was the one who put it the best: What else could they do?

Armin opened the door almost right away, looking at the Chinese takeout they brought with a surprise on his face. To avoid the obvious question, which was what were they doing here, Mikasa pushed past her friend with Eren in tow.

“You’re hungry, right?”, she asked, willing her voice to drop from that annoying high it reached when she was nervous.

“Well I was just about to cook…”, Armin shrugged, “Guess I don’t have to anymore.”

They ate in awkward conversation, with both Eren and Mikasa doing their best to talk to Armin without bringing that one burning topic, the reason why they were here really, up. It sucked, and all present at the table realized it. Armin mulled the thing around in his head while chewing his noodles. It was obvious to him that there was something, the elephant in the room, but for some reason, his friends were making it all secretive.  So what could make them behave like this? Turning the various possibilities in his head, he stuck with one that could technically be correct. To try it, Armin turned to Mikasa with a beaming smile.

“You’re pregnant!”

It took a moment, and then both Eren and she started to talk over one another.

“N-No... Th-“

“What? Dude I…”

“We don’t…”

“We didn’t…”

“An implant…”

“Countermeasures…”

“No?”, Armin’s smile somewhat faded, “Then what is the big thing you are not telling me about?”

Mikasa and Eren exchanged a look, horrified how easily Armin read them both.

“Well, you see..”, manning up, Eren took the word, “You know about the tournament that’s going on right?”

“Colosseum? Of course, I do, Mikasa has been kicking ass there.”, he pointed at her with his fork, “You are amazing Mika.”

The praised party managed a very tight smile, awkward as hell. To bail her out, Eren continued.

“And once the first rounds that she is fighting in now ends, there will be a final.”

“In Vegas.”, Armin finished for him, “I’m looking forward to that and….”

The cheerfulness in his voice. The joy in his eyes when he spoke. Mikasa couldn’t take it anymore.

“Annie will be there!”, she pushed it out in one breath.

There was stunned silence after.

“A-Annie? But I… But she…”, Armin’s gaze slid down to the floor, his whole body hunching down.

He needed them, he needed their support. Reaching over, Eren put a hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly.

“Listen, buddy, if you don’t wanna go that’s fine, you won’t even have to see her.”

Hearing that, Armin shook his head.

“No. I want to go, I want to see her.”, looking up, he met Eren’s eyes, “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Hitch – I want to talk to her.”

Mikasa slid down from her chair, rounding the table to hug her friend from behind.

“We don’t want anything bad happening to you.”, she whispered, tightening the hug slightly, “You know that we love you, right?”

Armin put his hand over hers, not saying anything yet, slowly digesting the information. He wasn’t lying, he did want to talk to Annie, but the prospect of it happening was scary. Hitch said during their sessions that he would be the one to make the final decision, whenever to cut Annie clear out or try to reconnect. In their talks, he always chose the latter. Armin needed time to think it over, time with peace and quiet, time to be sure himself.

“Listen guys,”, he spoke up, “Thanks for coming and telling me, but I would prefer to be alone right now.”

He saw that quick look Eren and Mikasa exchanged.

“Don’t worry, I’m fine, nothing drastic will happen. I just need to think”

Mikasa was the first to move, probably understanding him better than Eren right now.

“Right, of course. We’ll make ourselves scarce.”

She detangled herself from the hug, taking her boyfriend’s hand and pulling him along. He followed, but his eyes never left Armin’s, the worry in them visible. Outside, he turned, fixing Armin with a stare.

“If you feel bad or something, need to talk, please give us a call. Or call Hitch if you would feel more comfortable talking with her.”, he said, “Okay?”

“You don’t have to worry, I’m good.”

“Promise us anyway.”, Mikasa spoke up, “Please.”

Assaulted from both sides, Armin could hardly say no.

“Okay. If I feel like doing something stupid, I’ll call first.”

They nodded at that but were hardly relieved.

“I’ll see you soon, Eren, Mikasa. And thanks again for telling me. I mean it.”

The door closed and the pair remained outside, staring at the wood.

“Do you think that we did the right thing?”, Eren asked.

“I think so, but I’m not sure. Time will tell.”

They both knew that keeping it from Armin would be way worse but telling him didn’t feel that good either. He took it better than expected, Hitch certainly did some real work with him, but Armin was still visibly shaken.

“Do we just leave now?”

“I guess so? What else can we do, stand here in the cold staring at his door? Armin said that he wants to be alone, so we should respect that.”

Mikasa was all for respecting wishes, so with the last look, she followed Eren to the car.

If there was a person that Levi didn’t expect to see in his gym, it would be his estranged uncle Kenny. Second in these rankings was the president of the United States, and the third place was ambiguous. Maybe Yelena wasn’t that high up, but she was in top ten, so seeing her waiting for him outside of his office made Levi’s brows ride up.

Was this about the increased training load? He wondered, scratching his chin. It was true that Mikasa was practically living at the gym right now, her modelling job cut short and pushed into a much smaller time window. Then again, if Yelena was here because of that, she had to realize a few things about his sister. Mikasa was a martial artist first, model second. She wasn’t that type of a woman who liked getting things handed to her for free because of her appearance. Sorting these thoughts, Levi crossed the short distance, nodding at the woman in greeting.

“Yelena, was it? To what do I owe this honor?”

“Mr Ackerman, I’m here on behalf of Hizuru Ltd.”

That was obvious, Levi knew that she wasn’t here to work out.

“I see.”, he said, biting back the ironic remark. This was Mikasa’s boss he was talking too, no need to make things harder for his little sister.

“We have an offer for your sister that I would like to discuss with you.”, Yelena stepped aside, letting the path to Levi’s office door open, “Shall we?”

A minute later, they were seated, watching each other over the table.

“Let’s cut to the chase,”, Yelena began, “We know about the tournament Mikasa is taking place in.”

“Is that a problem?”, Levi asked with his speech of MMA first, fashion second ready to go.

But Yelena surprised him by a shake of her head.

“No, of course not. We don’t have any problem with her doing what she wants. In fact, we want to support her on the journey.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s only logical. We are her employers, so we should sponsor her at this tournament.”

If he was being honest, Levi liked dealing with Yelena. Unlike her boss, who got easily excited, she drooled over Mikasa damn it, Yelena was completely calm and businesslike. Even now they were watching each other with completely emotionless eyes, two people doing business, nothing more, nothing less.

“How much money are we talking about here?”

“Enough to cover her tournament expenses. And of course a certain performance bonus, should she reach the top.”

Levi grinned.

“Should she? You don’t believe in her?”

“I don’t believe in anything Mr. Ackerman, I think that if something can go wrong, it tends to do so.”

“That’s fair. What about the representation, what would Mikasa need to do? She can hardly give your brand a shoutout in the middle of the match.”

Yelena’s lips twitched.

“Nothing so radical. She would have our name and logo on her fighting uniform, on the car that would bring her to the matches, and maybe say a few words about the company during the winner interviews.”

“Such as?”

“Such as how easy it is to work with us, how flexible we are with our schedules so she can keep her training going. Mikasa doesn’t have to talk about our clothes, we want her to give Hizuru a humane, warm feel.”

“The offer is tempting,”, Levi admitted, “But I have to ask Mikasa first. You understand that, right?”

“But of course.”, Yelena stood up, offering him her hand.

She had a firm grip, Levi noticed.

When Eren’s phone rang at the hospital, the cold fingers gripped his stomach immediately. Was it Armin? Did something happen? But looking at the screen, he saw an unknown number calling, plastered right over Mikasa’s smile that was his lock screen, so with a frown, he answered.

“Hello?”

“Hi! Kiyomi Azumabito here.”

He knew who Kiyomi was, Mikasa told him enough stories for Eren to have a faint mental image of the fashion mogul. Incredibly energetic despite her age, somewhat easily excitable and yet carrying herself with an air of dignity. Yeah, he knew her, but that did not explain why she was calling him. That was until Kiyomi told him herself.

“I’m so looking to us working together!”

“I’m sorry, but what the hell are you talking about?”

“The contest, you won!”, Eren could hear the chair creaking on the other end, as Kiyomi sat up, “If you are anything like your fiancé, the photoshoot will be a BOMB!”

“I.. Uhmm..”

Kiyomi was like a force of nature, and it was somewhat amusing hearing the old lady being all excited like this. Adding to that, this was all so out of nowhere and sudden too. He sort of forgot about the whole competition, about the magazine and everything. Luckily, Eren was saved from any future conversation by a beep in her phone, announcing that she had another call waiting.

“I’m so sorry Eren, can I call you Eren?”

“I…”

“Great, so I have to run now, but Yelena will be in touch with you soon to set the details. I’m so excited!”

And she was gone, and Eren was staring at his phone. If this was what Mikasa was dealing with in her second job, his admiration of her mental strength was bumped past the infinity it was already sitting at. Just then, a new person walked into the break room.

“Yo Eren!“

“Onya, good to see you man.”, walking over, they exchanged a practiced fist bump, “What’s up?”

“Me and Ymir are heading over to the bar after work. You wanna join?”

“I should…”

I should go home, was the sentence on Eren’s mind, but it died on his tongue. He should go home and do what? Stare at the wall wondering how Armin is doing? Or better, stalk him like a creep instead of trusting that his best friend and the smartest guy he knows can figure this out on his own? No, there was no point.

“I mean, I would love to.”, he corrected himself.

“Amazing!”, Onya’s face split into a shining smile, “It’s been some time since we last drank together. I have so many stories to tell you?”

Despite the Armin situation still in the back of his mind, Eren returned the grin.

“How many of those are about your tinder dates?”

“You know me, my friend.”, throwing a hand over his shoulders, Onya winked at him, “All of them.”

“Nah but think about it.”, Ymir had a dreamy look, “Getting tied up by Mikasa, that would be the stuff.”

Krista raised an eyebrow on her girlfriend over the file she was reading.

“You came all the way here to share your horny thoughts?”

“Sorry, sorry, but after Eren told us all these things I…”, she exhaled, calming herself a bit, “I feel like it would be amazing you know.”

But as soon as those words left her mouth Ymir realized that they were not exactly sensitive towards Krista.

“I didn’t mean that you’re not amazing or anything, it’s…”

Krista spoke up before she could finish.

“Please. You think I’m getting jealous or something?”

“Aren’t you?”

The blonde snorted.

“If I was nearly as tall as you and could pick you up with one hand, maybe I would be. But no, I understand what you’re fantasizing about, although I have a counterpoint.”

She raised a finger.

“What about, tying Mikasa up instead?”

Now that was a language Ymir was speaking fluently.

“You think she would let anyone tie her up?”

“She lets Eren if you believe what he said.”

“I don’t know. Hard to imagine someone like her being… helpless? She’s always in control, so strong and cool and… dominant I guess.”

“True, but doesn’t that make it hotter? That such a powerful woman will submit to you because she likes you that much. Because she knows that you will make her feel amazing.”

Ymir sighed, the mental image very pleasing to look at. If she was a man, she would have a hard-on right now. Still, Krista kept the conversation going down that infernal path.

“Oh, do you think that they use pet names?”

“You mean like… err… babe?”

“No, not that.”, Krista shook her head, “I was thinking more like princess, or… kitten?”

Ymir exploded in laughter, wiping her eyes.

“Oh god, can you imagine! Mikasa being called kitten, I’d pay good money to see her breaking the neck of whoever called her that.”

Yet the blonde was on the fence.

“I dunno. I know that we mostly get that hard-assed, tough MMA warrior side of her, but we both know that she can be super soft on Eren. You remember the parties, so you know how clingy to him she gets once she’s a bit drunk.”

“Pretty sure she has to be soft on him.”, Ymir chimed in, “Otherwise he would have shattered pelvis after one night of letting her be on top.”

Whatever she wanted to say next was interrupted by her pager, beeping. Ymir picked it up, looking over it with a tight expression.

“Looks like I have to go.”, leaning over the counter, she pressed a sweet kiss to Krista’s lips, “I’ll see you after work, kay? Once we hit the bar, we can continue our fantasies there.”

Krista said her goodbyes and sat back in the chair, doing her best to clean her head. It was difficult to focus back on work stuff after filling her mind with things like Mikasa, Ymir and restraints. Yet she had to, so opening the file, Krista eyed the black text and immersed herself in the job.

Entering the bar with his friends, Eren waved to Connie behind the counter almost claiming a free table for the group until he saw that there was someone here already.  Jean looked the same as ever, half-full glass in front of him, staring at his phone with a faint smile. Probably texting Hitch, Eren figured. Onya, being as social as he was, walked over and clapped Jean on the back, and their party got a new member.

“Mikasa not holding your leash tonight?”, Jean smirked over his glass, sizing Eren up.

“She’s cutting down the alcohol because of the tournament, so no.”

“Shame.”, with that Jean turned to Onya.

Eren did ask Mikasa if she wants to come, of course he did, but she sent him a sweaty selfie from the gym and a quick text that she’s good, but he should have fun for them both. Eren thought about ditching the bar and joining her, but in the end decided against it.  Mikasa was in a full-on tryhard mode right now, so he would probably just slow her down.

He was alone for tonight, but that didn’t mean that he couldn’t have fun. Most of his friends were here, and the bar was nicely packed by other guests as well. Eren had to admit, despite his better judgement, that Jean was a marketing genius. He swam through the confusing waters of social media like a shark, knowing exactly when and how to strike. It was entirely his doing that The Third Wheel was as popular as it was today, his carefully crafted campaign striking gold. Even Levi’s gym got a boost lately thanks to Jean’s efforts.

Ymir and Krista snickered were they were sitting, very close to each other, eyeing Eren for some reason. When he met their gaze, the blonde blushed and looked away while the freckled girl winked at him before shifting her attention back to her girlfriend. Eren sighed. It wasn’t hard to guess what the two of them were most likely talking about, and while Ymir kept her word and haven’t told anyone about his small secret, there was always the possibility that her tongue might slip. It’s not like they were doing anything illegal with Mikasa, but certain things are better if they stay private. To drown that worry, alongside the thousands he already had, Eren raised his glass.

The night progressed positively, and as the hour grew late the tongues loosened, and Eren found himself once again in an argument with Jean. He couldn’t even remember how it began, but arguing with him felt good, like a pleasant habit.

“I see your mouth opening but I don’t hear anything.”, Jean was saying, words tumbling thanks to the alcohol in his system.

Not like Eren would let that one stand.

“Here: You’re a bitch, heard that?”

Jean shrugged.

“Nope, not a word.”

For whatever reason, Eren was hit by a massive wave of nostalgia out of nowhere, making him forget the next insult on his tongue. Instead, he hunched down, hooking his arm around Jean’s neck and pulling him down to his level.

“Listen, Jean, don’t say this to anyone but…”, Eren looked around nervously, but nobody was paying any attention them, “You’re okay.”

“What? Did you say that I’m gay?”

“No dumbass. I said that you’re OKAY.”

“Oh... Thanks, I guess.”

“Yea. But don’t tell anyone.”

Letting go of Jean’s neck, Eren sat back up, satisfied with himself. Damn, but he was such a good friend. Back home hours later, he joined Mikasa at the couch where she was lying sprawled face down. He was glad to see her relaxing for once because she had been destroying herself at the gym lately, so much that it made Eren worry a little bit. And then she yawned and asked if he had a good time.

“Yeah. I did actually.”, he poked her fallen form, gently, “You should try it too sometimes, it’s fun.”

“Eh, after the preliminaries I promise that we’ll celebrate. Now tell me about your day, I want to fall asleep listening to your voice.”

That was such a cute request that even buzzed as he was, it made Eren feel incredibly warm inside. So he talked and was soon rewarded with soft snores, making him successful in his mission. You know what, he was not only a good friend, he was pretty okay at being a boyfriend too.

Her opponent lay crumpled in the other half of the cage, being carefully checked by his couch. At the same time, the referee was holding Annie’s arm up, announcing her as the winner of this bout. She hardly cared. This was another step she had to take to reach her goal, it wasn’t anything special. The fight was pretty good, it got her blood pumping, but from the first time their fists made contact, Annie knew how this is going to end.

“Congratulations, you’ve qualified.” Reiner said with a broad smile,  meeting her outside of the arena, “Although I’d be lying if I said that I had doubts.”

She bowed her head slightly in thanks.

“What about you?”

“I’m done with the preliminaries too.”, the blond giant informed her, “And Bert has one more unfortunate fool to crush before he’s done too.”

His voice softened a bit and Reiner hunched down to be on an eye-level with her.

“You should call your dad Annie, I’m sure that he watched the fight and wants to congratulate you. Besides, we are all going to the states soon anyway, so you should let him know.”

“Yea but…”

States meant not only her dad but also Armin, and feelings that Annie wasn’t ready to face. She thought about him more often than she would like, especially in these vulnerable times before falling asleep or after waking up. But Reiner didn’t need to know that. Just as she was about to say that talking to her father is not exactly pleasant, Annie’s phone rung. It was no one else but dad, proving that Reiner was correct in his assumptions.

“I should… I should probably take this.”, she murmured.

Reiner clapped her on the shoulder in a silent show of support before turning around and leaving her alone. With a deep breath, she took the call.

“Annie! You did so great!”, her father did sound very excited, “The way you wiped the floor with that man, that was incredible.”

“Thanks dad,”, she replied flatly, “It wasn’t half bad.”

“Anyway, this means that you are ready for Vegas, right?”

“Yes. We have to wait until Berthold finishes his last fight and then we will all be coming.”

“That’s so amazing. I’ll prepare everything, you guys won’t have to worry about rooms or such.”

Annie might not be on the best terms with her dad, but she had to say that he was an amazing couch. This extended to his abilities of having exactly what he wanted where he wanted, so turning his offer down out of spite would be downright stupid.

“That would be great, I’m sure the guys will appreciate it.”

“It’s the least I can do. But listen, Annie,”, her father’s voice lost its cheerfulness, “You should know that the girl you used to train with, Mikasa Ackerman, will most likely also be there. A few days back she knocked the favorite of her bracket out, so there is no one else of significance standing in her way. She still has some matches to go but honestly, they don’t’ stand a chance against her.”

Annie could feel her empty hand balling into a fist, heart beating faster. Yes, she expected this, but hearing it confirmed made the confrontation a reality. She would see Mikasa again. Unless something unforeseen would happen, she would fight Mikasa again. Hearing her go silent, her father continued.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure you won’t let me down and…”

“No dad.”, Annie interrupted him, “I won’t let myself down. Sorry, but in this, you are secondary.”

He was quiet for a moment, taken aback by these bold words.

“I… I understand.”, he finally said, voice heavy, “You’ve grown, Annie. I… I’m proud of you.”

Not sure how to respond to that, Annie had to cut this conversation short, to prevent her feelings from spilling out.

“I’ll see you soon dad, okay?”

“Of course. Take care.”

Beep. And she was alone again. Gripping the phone in her white-knuckled grip, Annie let the ice-cold indifference wash away these treacherous emotions. She had grown, but Annie doubted that Mikasa was sitting on her hands the whole time. The raven would develop too, and it came to the simple question of which one of them did it better. Annie would have her second chance, she would have her confrontation, and she would show Mikasa that the rainy night was a one-time thing.

Soon.

[johnny-and-dora]

how sweet the taste of certainty

Finally, she doesn’t have to wonder if their love is doomed to be some quiet, fragile thing. It’s not some fickle flickering candle at all, but rather something as bright and as certain and as inevitable as the sunrise. Something beautiful and familiar that, in earnest, is only just beginning.

or, amy tells her parents the shining, golden reason why she can't marry teddy. (a missing scene of my royalty au)

read on ao3 / read the original  -

The morning after she asks Jake to marry her, Amy stops a couple steps short of the heavy dining room doors, heart in her mouth, feet suddenly and brutally rooted to the ground. The eloquent and respectful speech she spent all night planning has seemingly evaporated, leaving her less of a person and more a pile of nervous mush.

“Are you ready?” Rosa meets her gaze, her armour glinting in the summer morning sunshine.

“No.” Amy admits, smiling nervously, calculating the nearest escape route and how long she could survive in the forest based on her existing hunting and foraging skills. “Do you think this is a bad idea?”

Rosa considers it for a beat. “No. I think it’s crazy, and it might blow up in your face, but I think it’s a good thing. For everyone.”

She can’t help but feel reassured by her best friend’s trademark bluntness, smoothing down her dress and fixing her hair again almost compulsively. It’s just breakfast. A breakfast that may as well be taking place in the middle of a minefield, but still just breakfast. She can handle breakfast.

Amy takes a deep breath, nods at Rosa, and pushes the doors open.

She’s greeted by the tail-end of an idyllic Santiago family meal; her parents sit at the head of the table, looking stoic and serious as usual. Three of her brothers are also dotted around, Julian in the middle of shoving an entire croissant in his mouth as he waves at her. David is mercifully absent. Silver linings. She definitely doesn’t need the golden child around today.

“Amelia – good, we were starting to worry…” Her mom trails off, a weight behind her words that instantly sends an unpleasant lick of irritation down her spine. She clenches her fists, resisting the urge to tell her just how much she really needs to be worried about. Just how close she was to smuggling herself and Jake over the border last night and never looking back.

Amy knows this won’t work unless she’s calm, firm and collected – she needs this to go perfectly, the stakes for this particular conversation so far past the roof they’re practically up in the stratosphere (Jake’s words, not hers). So, instead of letting out all the latent anger kicking around in her chest, she takes a deep breath and smiles politely, the one usually reserved for dukes that condescendingly call her “sweetheart” and then drop their jaws when she can recite state law from memory.

“You guys said you wanted to see me?”

“Prince Theodore has been asking after you. He’s waiting at the West Wing gate.”

“Good. I need to talk to him.” Amy says, forcefully enough that her mother sharply raises an eyebrow, sucking all the air out of the room in the process. “I need to talk to you, too.”

Her mom and dad share a quick, loaded glance. Everyone falls quiet, Tony and Simon no longer squabbling over who gets the last bread roll, Julian letting a blob of jam fall on his shirt without noticing. All eyes are on her as Victor gestures for her to continue – ideally, she’d do this with as little of an audience as possible, but she confesses to Jake later that she couldn’t help but revel slightly in the drama of it all.

She’s Amy Santiago – she’s fluent in five languages, director of the royal art collection, ambassador for human rights and one of the best trade negotiators in the seven kingdoms. She is capable of anything. She can do this. She’d barely last a week in the forest anyway.

“I’m not going to marry him.”

“Amelia…” Her mother sighs disapprovingly – it drills into Amy’s soul, but she stands her ground, making peace with her portrait being one step further away from the mantel. Her father eyes her warily as if he was expecting this.

“No, I know. I know you think it’s what’s best for me. I know a marriage like that worked for you two, and I know that it would benefit the kingdom and that’s great. But I can’t marry someone I don’t love, and you can’t force me to.”

“Accepting his proposal may seem like a risk, but a one worth taking.” Her father says. “He’s good for you, Amy – his reputation, his influence, it could really help you build something. You two are perfectly matched.”

Amy chews her bottom lip, a nervous tic she just can’t shake, gathering her courage. “Maybe in a different situation, Teddy and I would have worked. I see what you see in him. But it’s more than just on principle. I physically can’t marry him.”

“Why not?”

“Because - “Amy says, voice shaking a little, but eyes alight, “-I’m engaged to someone else.”

And, well, there it is. Her whole life changed by a single sentence.

It has the intended effect, increased tenfold thanks to a truly magnificent spit take from Julian as he chokes on his orange juice. Her parents stare at her in stunned disbelief – a wide-eyed Tony pats Julian on the back as his coughing dissolves into laughter. Best of all though, Amy can see Rosa smiling wide and proud in the corner of her eye, and it’s all she needs to feel newly emboldened, heart thumping in a way that makes her feel powerful instead of helpless.

“My God, Amy. I thought I had it with the whole one-night-stand with the Prince of Arabia thing, but you officially just won most dramatic family announcement. Well played.” Julian laughs, uproarious and bright. She’s glad he’s here.

“I…don’t understand. You are…already engaged?” Her mother asks weakly.

“As of last night, yes.” Amy tries to remain as neutral and matter-of-fact as possible, but she can’t help softening at the fresh memory of Jake saying yes over and over again, punctuating each affirmation with a kiss as she laughed, buoyant and alive with unadulterated joy. It’s all still very surreal, especially considering she hasn’t slept since; but if it is all a dream, it’s one she never intends to wake up from.

“I don’t see a ring,” Julian says, a bright grin plastered on his face that Amy ever so slightly mirrors, unable to completely tamp down her happiness any longer. “Isn’t there supposed to be a ring?”

“There is, but he has it. I proposed to him.”

“Oh, of course you did.” Julian shakes his head in a perfect marriage of awe and amusement.

“How…what…who…” Tony stammers – having graciously passed the point of no return, Amy decides to throw all her caution and concern to the wind and dive headfirst into the unknown.

“His name is Jake Peralta and he is the absolute love of my life. I have never been surer about anything than I am about that fact.” She consciously pours every ounce of conviction she has into her words, and it tastes like honey on her tongue, fresh air in her lungs. “He’s a baker and he helps out in the kitchen with Charles and he is the kindest, most loyal, most wonderful person I have ever met.”

There are so many ways to describe him – completely unexpected, completely full of warmth and laughter and more love than she thought any human being was capable of containing. Loving Jake is endlessly surprising, but it’s also the easiest thing she’s ever done.

“I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d never approve of me being with someone who didn’t have ‘reputation’, but the truth is that Jake is good for me in a way that Teddy could never be. He is unconditionally supportive and thoughtful, and he sees me for me, not just as a status symbol or some idealised fairy-tale. I love him and I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with him.”

She says her piece, affection flowing from her almost of its own accord. As she does, she’s flooded with memories – throwing grapes at each other at the picnic they shared in the wildflower meadows beyond the gates. Jake smuggling cupcakes to her to cheer her up on bad days. Him clumsily risking his life climbing through her bedroom window just to help her rehearse her big address at a formal dinner, planting a kiss on her forehead every time she got through a cue card.

Their walks around the castle grounds, laughing at stupid inside jokes. Playing cards in the kitchens with Charles, Terry and Rosa. Teaching him how to paint and sketching him in increasingly ridiculous poses. Having dinner with his mom. Stealing away moments behind the stables and on staircases. Most vividly, their countless private rendezvous in the forest, free of all façades and responsibilities and reputations to uphold.

Amy refuses to hide any of it anymore – he is, openly and unashamedly, the man she loves.

No-one speaks, for a little while; she lets her honesty sink in. Her mother is wearing a look of abject horror – her dad’s expression is stony and unreadable, and it startles her when he is the first one to break the silence, directly addressing Rosa standing guard by the door.

“Diaz. Is all of this true?” Rosa glances at Amy, who gives her an encouraging nod. She knows her father has always valued Rosa’s directness as much as Amy does.

“Yes, sir.” She pauses. “And for the record, I’ve known both of these people a long time, and this is the happiest I’ve seen either of them. It’s kind of sickening, actually.”

Her parents exchange glances, a silent conversation Amy isn’t privy too – she’s too busy feeling her heart swell with further affection, this time for her best friend. She and Jake owe so much to Rosa helping them out, relaying messages back and forth and covering for them. When this is all over, Amy’s definitely embroidering a thank you pillow for her to punch.

“I see. Will you please bring this Jake Peralta here for me?” His tone is even and calm, almost unnervingly so. Rosa nods, quickly disappearing. She knows exactly where Jake will be; in the kitchens, probably stress eating day-old pastry and getting a last-minute pep talk from Charles (which is guaranteed to be largely unhelpful and delivered through hysterical tears).

She’d warned him that they’d probably want to meet him; he’d expressed anxiety about it last night, but Amy had quickly reassured him that no-one else’s opinion mattered to her about this. They’re getting married, whether her parents approve or not.

Obviously, she wants them to like him. She’s dedicated a lot of time to making sure he knows he is loved and accepted, and she’s willing to work even harder to wax lyrical about how wonderful he is for the rest of their lives if she has to. For now, though, she just has to focus on not getting them both exiled.

Her dad calmly asks her brothers to leave the table – Julian mutters in protest as he exits, only stopping to brightly clap Amy on the shoulder and earnestly congratulate her with an enthusiastic high five.

“He sounds great, mimi. I can’t wait to meet him.” For once, her older brother is completely sincere, save perhaps for the suggestive wink he gives her, and it’s a touching gesture that eases some of the relentless anxiety building in her gut. Amy dreads to think how insufferable the pair will be when they do finally meet. She can’t wait either.

Part of her is absolutely fucking terrified to be left alone with her parents with her open defiance and violation of their wishes hanging so ominously in the air – Amy Santiago has never been a rule breaker. She’s always worn the stupid fancy dresses even when she’s dying for something more practical and let Gina give her more and more complicated and ridiculous hairstyles and politely mingled with the endless line of boring high-status bachelors as her parents watched on hopefully. She’s always played the role of the only princess to perfection.

But then she thinks of little six-year-old Amy demanding that she be taught the same combat training as her brothers and twelve-year-old Amy petitioning to allow female members into the Royal Guard and, well. They really should have seen this coming from a mile away.

Thankfully, it doesn’t take long before Rosa strides back in, a clearly nervous Jake hurrying forward in her wake. For a moment, her original plan of whisking him away to start a simple life together swims into her head, a powerful urge to protect him surging over her.

But then their eyes meet, and he waves, a small nervous smile on his face. And then she notices, as it catches the sunlight streaming in through the window and glitters as if enchanted, the engagement ring hung proudly around his neck. And she just knows, as sure as the sun will rise, that they can handle anything.

“I understand that you are engaged to my Amy.”

“Yes, sir.” Jake rocks on his heels slightly, nervously fidgeting the way he always does when he’s anxious. “I’m very lucky to know her and I love her very much.” It’s not the most eloquent speech ever performed in this great hall, but it’s by far her favourite.

“How do I know you are good enough for my only daughter?”

“Oh, there’s no way I’m good enough for Amy. She’s the most incredible person I’ve ever met and the best thing that’s happened to me.” He steps closer to her, silently taking and squeezing her hand as he speaks. “But she still chose me, and I promise you that I will spend every moment of the rest of my life trying to be someone worthy of being loved by her.”

She wants to scream from the top of her lungs that he is completely and utterly good enough, and she wants to hurt anyone who has ever made him feel otherwise. Instead, she squeezes back, and mouths I love you while her parents exchange another hushed conversation.

“Well then - it appears there’s nothing we can do to stop you. Nor do I think we should try.” It could be a trick of the light, but she swears that she sees a glimmer of pride in her father’s eye. Her mom clears her throat, clearly still struggling to comprehend the situation.

“Mija, what we want most for you is for you to be happy. Does he make you happy?” She asks – Amy glances at the man beside her and finds her best friend, her fiancé, her favourite person. Easiest solve in the world.

“More than anything.”

“Then that settles that. You two have our blessing.” Her father says, as simply as if he was commenting on the weather. Amy blinks once, then again, her grip on Jake’s hand getting tighter.

“We…we do?”

“Yes, you do. We clearly have much to discuss, but I must first inform Prince Theodore that other arrangements need to be made.”

“I…wow. Thank you. Thank you, so much, I…” Her brain appears to be malfunctioning, so she does the only thing that feels right; she hugs her parents, whispering another strangled thank you, and then hastily pulls a stunned Jake out of the room, now squeezing his hand so tightly it’s probably cutting off all the circulation. If it does hurt, he doesn’t say anything – then again, in the moment neither of them seems able to speak.

She drags him into the nearest room; Holt’s classroom which, blessedly, is currently empty. Heart pounding, she finally meets Jakes gaze. He looks like he’s just found the end of a rainbow.

“Did they just…”

“Yeah. Yes. I think they did.”

“So, we’re…”

“Getting married. Yep. That is a thing that is officially happening.”

There’s a single moment before they’re both collapsing into shocked, near-hysterical laughter, an amalgamation of relief, disbelief, exhaustion and above all else, joy. Amy practically throws herself around him, performing some kind of strangled hybrid of laughing and crying as she buries herself into his shirt.

They stay like that for a while, completely wrapped up in each other. It could be seconds or minutes or maybe even hours – she doesn’t care. Time has ruled their life together for so long; now, it’s an insignificant enemy, no longer precious, unpredictable or finite. It’s bliss.

“Hey, listen. Rosa told me, uh, what you said. To your parents. About me being the love of your life and all that.” Jake says, suddenly adorably shy.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. She said it with a disgusted look on her face, but I think she’s secretly rooting for us.”

Amy hums in contentment, making a note to call her a secret sap and then hug her the next time she sees her. Jake clears his throat nervously, calling her attention back to him, all soft and warm honey gaze.

“You’re mine too, by the way.” He says sheepishly. “Just in case…I mean I hope you that know by now, but-“ She smothers his nervous ramblings with a firm kiss, finally. Finally, the abstract brush-strokes and subtle hues of the future they could have together come into sharp focus, vivid and prismatic.

Finally, she doesn’t have to wonder if their love is doomed to be some quiet, fragile thing. It’s not some fickle flickering candle at all, but rather something as bright and as certain and as inevitable as the sunrise. Something beautiful and familiar that, in earnest, is only just beginning.

“I love you.”

“I love you too, future wife.” He grins, kissing her again. She’s sure, now, as her lips meld to his that he is the person she was always meant to come home to, to find a home in.

Amy feels a wave of exhaustion overwhelm her; now that the adrenaline is wearing off, the unfortunate side-effects of not sleeping for almost twenty-four hours rapidly take hold. She barely suppresses a yawn, scrunching up her nose as Jake looks at her fondly.

“You wanna go back to bed? I happen to know an excellent nap partner.”

“Oh, great, me too. I’ll see if Hitchcock’s available.” She says, laughing when Jake pouts in offence, draping her arms around him, leaning up so that their noses are almost touching.

“It’s our first day together as an engaged couple. I want to do something special.”

“Ames, we have the rest of our lives to do something special.” He says, gazing down at her with so much undiluted affection that her resolve completely melts away. The rest of their lives. She really likes the sound of that.

“Okay, napping sounds pretty good right now too.”

“Good, because we have about five minutes until I collapse from twelve hours straight of nervous hysteria. Would you mind carrying me to your bedroom?”

She rolls her eyes and shoves him, but also offers him her hand. They soon collapse into Amy’s four-poster bed, quickly pulling the covers over their heads, wriggling around and fighting for space while they giggle like little kids. Amy sleepily leans into him when they’re all settled in, and she’s never felt safer than she does now, being lulled to sleep by the steady rise and fall of his chest.

“We’re getting married.” She whispers reverently, eyelids heavy – she feels his lips gently ghost against the top of her head in response, perhaps subconsciously as if he were made to do it. They drift off, and the last of her anxiety ebbs and flows away as if merely a bad memory.

It’s the best sleep either of them has had for months.

[ellana-ravenwood]

“Are the Wayne kids single ?” - Batsis x Batfam

So...I am a shameless people watcher (don’t judge haha). I get a lot of inspiration from sitting somewhere for hours and just looking at strangers going on about their lives ^^'. Sometimes catching conversations and such and man, many people are borderline obsessed with knowing who their fav’ celebrity is dating and all that. Which made me think : “Mm, wonder if the members of the Batfam, who are definitely celebrities in their world, ever have problems with people borderline obsessing about their love life ? And how do they handle it ?” so um...I wrote about that. And here it is. Hope you’ll like it :  

PS : Since I don’t appear in the Tumblr searches anymore, reblogging my stories is the only way for other people than you guys who are following me to see them...so if you feel like helping out :D.  My master list blog : @ella-ravenwood-archives

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“(Y/N), we don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know.” 

“What ? What are you talking about ? Don’t be stupid, of course I want to. One of them will pick up on it at some point anyway, and then believe me, it’ll be much worse. It’s always better if it comes from us.”  

You wince at the tone of your own voice. 

You didn’t mean to sound so cold and a bit condescending, especially since you understood that he was just trying to help you, understanding that you were under a lot of stress and pressure.

He. 

Conner Kent. Your boyfriend. He has been yours for a while now, which was what this all thing was about in the first place. 

************

Growing up as a “Wayne” brought it’s fair share of advantages, and disadvantages.  

The good points were very obvious. No one needed to think much about the “Why being a Wayne is great ?” thing. Everyone knew the answer to that. Money, fame, doors opening for you easily etc etc.

The bad points though...Many people never realized there even were unpleasant sides of being a Wayne, the good points overshadowing this darker facet of your life. But what most people thought was a blessing, could be a real pain in the ass sometimes ! 

Having money brought its lot of “vulture” that wanted to be friend with you just because of this. Having a good network meant that people always assumed everything you ever earned through hard work was just handed to you. And being famous...

Oh, the fame was probably one of the biggest drawback of being a Wayne. Because being often in the spotlight meant that people could get absolutely obsessed with your every move. 

You were lucky enough to have a father who always managed to shield you (and your siblings) from all this when you were a kid...But now. 

Now you were an adult, and you couldn’t always rely on your dad to save you from paparazzi and such. Plus it came with the territory of being a Wayne. Your father prepared you long enough for that. 

He knew he wouldn’t always be able to protect you from the public eye. He knew that, just because you were his kid, at some point, you’d have to appear at events filled with journalists and photographers. 

And though he was able to bargain when you were a child to only have pictures he previously approved published (plus the law was on his side, as pictures of children appearing in magazines had specific rules to follow, and he had amazing lawyers)...Now that you were an adult, you had to fend for yourself. 

Otherwise, rumors would start. Bad rumors. Hurtful ones. 

Your dad taught you long ago that to keep the little privacy you had while famous, you had to give a little first. Or things could turn sour. He could talk from experience, he had some scandals in his youth (one of them being suddenly becoming a single dad while in his early twenties, while being back in Gotham for less than a year after his mysterious disappearance when he was 16, and always refusing to talk about who was your mother um um.This sprout some pretty terrible rumors in its days...But that’s another story).

The trick was to give away enough so that people would be satisfied, without actually saying much. It was important to give them something to chew on. They’d just write something about you anyway, just because of who your family was so...Hinting on things cheekily and with humor came a long way. 

Like for example, what your dad always did in regards of women and his relationships. He build himself a “womanizer” persona and always played the part perfectly, so questions about a potential “Mrs Wayne” died down a while ago. 

Nowadays, he just  had to smile charmingly, wink and say “A gentleman never tells” to any question about his current supposed “conquest”, and everyone would be satisfied. 

And oh there were so many pictures and videos of you, standing behind him as he uses his charms to swoon everyone, and rolling your eyes at the all thing. 

In fact, Tim pointed out to you a while ago an instagram account someone made called “(Y/N) Wayne’s sassy eye roll”. It was filled with videos of you rolling your eyes in public (mainly at something your brothers or father did). This account had over two millions followers when he showed it to you, and probably gained more since then. Which wasn’t really surprising. 

Actually, this little dynamic you had with your dad, him (faking) being an extroverted flirty man, and you shaking your head whenever he did that...people loved it. And more than once, you got out of a delicate question someone asked because your dad used his charm and you acted embarrassed and “so done with it” that it made people laugh and move on, without even needing an answer ! 

Implying things without ever confirming them was key in a lot of situations. And using humor and quick come backs was too. 

When people were being rudely intrusive, and asked questions about your personal life, it was easy to shut them down. To answer with wit and sarcasm, and make them want to stop asking you this kind of questions. Plus the public LOVED a good little drama and to see rude ones being put back in their place.

Most of your “fans” were rooting for you, and wanted to know things about you because they somehow felt like you were their friends. Many of them saw you grow up by your father’s side. Your family always been a loved one in Gotham. So...If someone was being an ass to you, of course they’d yell “YAAS QUEEN !!” and talk about how well you answered, not caring about the actual question anymore even if they were curious. 

Yes. Dealing with rude scandal journalists was easy. 

But sometimes, oh sometimes...Sometimes you fell on a nice reporter who didn’t think what they did was wrong in any way, and who was just genuinely curious. Who just wanted to give actual infos to their followers. 

After all, you were a “celebrity” just for being born a “Wayne”. And though you never asked for this fame, it came with some sort of contract that you kinda had to talk about your private life from times to times. 

Which was your biggest problem currently. You weren’t really sure how to go about...All this. 

You’ve always been good for getting away from questions about your love life, by feeding journalists little anecdotes about your relationship with your dad, or funny stories involving your siblings. By deflecting their questions to give them some other hindsight about your life. 

Plus your use of social media, especially Instagram and Snapchat, also helped you get away with a lot. You showed enough, so that people wouldn’t be too curious. 

But you knew that a day would arise that you’d need to actually spill the tea...”Were the Wayne kids single, or not ?”

************

Go figure why, but this question : “Are the Wayne kids single ?”, was always only aimed at you. No one ever asked your brothers. You wondered if it was because you were the only girl, and people just instantly assume you liked talking about “love” and shit ? Damn gender cliches. 

Maybe it was the reason. But clearly, they were wrong. 

“Love and shit”. Just the way you were thinking about it could give every answer needed. For a long time, you didn’t care much about relationships. 

Even more so since, you being a Wayne, it was difficult to meet guys you could trust for being genuinely interested in you, and not just your name. Plus you simply never felt the need to be with someone to be happy. It didn’t came first on your priority list. 

It actually never even was, on your priority list. 

You were busy with so many other things, you never thought you really needed to have someone involved in that way in your life. 

Plus, maybe, just maybe, the fact your father and mother had a complicated on/off relationship kinda made you afraid of any kind of romantic commitment. 

Batman and Catwoman’s mouse and cat chase was infamous. You didn’t want to ever feel the way they did and still do. You saw more than once, how miserable they could get because of all that. Of course, they had just as much happy moments but...Meh. You’d rather just avoid it. 

Which is why you always seemed to know how to avoid questions about your love life ! You decided long ago that you wouldn’t go the “helpless flirt” way your dad took, and rather borrow the “funny self-deprecating jokes” road. 

You’d just brush off any rumors concerning you and a potential love interest with this kind of humor, and then talk about something else involving your family life. 

And that was it. Easy. Plus anyway, there really wasn’t that much to talk about. 

You were single. You were glad to be single. You didn’t want to get involved with anyone. End of story (and you knew this wouldn’t satisfy anyone’s curiosity which is why you often retorted to deflecting things). 

It was all rather simple and straightforward. 

That was your mindset. Until you met Conner. 

Things changed after that. And though you went through quite a lot of misunderstanding (I wrote stories about this, you can check them out on my master list on the DC one under “Conner” @ella-ravenwood-archives​), in the end, things were great between you two ! 

Actually getting rather...Serious. Which is what got you in that particular mood you were today. What made you somewhat snap at your beloved boyfriend. 

************

You knew. You just knew that the info would come out eventually. And not knowing when or how was getting you on edge. 

It’s not that you didn’t want to present Conner as your “official” boyfriend. Not that you were ashamed of him or unsure about your relationship. It’s just...getting this kind of thing in the open wasn’t easy. 

You were dreading all the questions about how you met (you couldn’t possibly talk about the truth, and the Young Justice, and coming up with a believable story you could both say was weirdly incredibly stressful), how things were going, wether or not you thought about marriage, living together...kids ! 

This was a step in your privacy you weren’t sure you wanted anyone to cross. And yet...Yet it HAD to be made public ! Because god forbid one of those rude scandal journalists find the truth before you talked about it. 

You could be sure it would bring its lot of rumors and unpleasant things like that. You didn’t want anyone to talk ill about you and Conner dating !! You knew it could really have a bad effect on your relationship...

You witnessed your oldest brother, Dick, and his first fall out with his first girlfriend, Barbara, because the public pressure was too much. Now of course they had other issues and after a lot of things happening managed to work things out and were back together for good (they went through too much together not to), but you didn’t want to go through any of that ! You spend enough nights trying to cheer your older brother up after his break-up, and listening to how things got awful once people started to talk about them...

You already went through so much, with Conner. Convincing your families to accept your relationship was tough for many reasons. You definitely didn’t need some noisy people to speculate about why you didn’t go public or anything...

Which is why you needed to do it now. By yourself. But you just didn’t really know how to...go on about all of that ! 

“(Y/N), we don’t have to if you don’t want to, you know.”

“What ? What are you talking about ? Don’t be stupid, of course I want to. One of them will pick up on it at some point anyway, and then believe me, it’ll be much worse. It’s always better if it comes from us.”  

You wince at the tone of your own voice.

You didn’t mean to sound so cold and a bit condescending, especially since you understood that he was just trying to help you, understanding that you were under a lot of stress and pressure.

You turn to him and smile apologetically, before adding :

“Besides, I think it’s finally time I show you off.” 

Oh it was so easy to make Conner blush. Any compliments coming from you and his cheeks would get that cute rosy tint. You were about to reach for his cheek and caress it lovingly, to complete your not-so-subtile “I’m sorry I was just being an ass” excuse when, as often, your fun and enjoyment at witnessing your boyfriend being so sweet was cut short by...one of your sibling, of course (they always seemed to be around when such moments happened...well today you were visiting the family home, so obviously they’d be there, but still). 

“Tt. There’s not much to show off really !” 

Your youngest brother starts, sneering at Conner. 

Your boyfriend got accustomed to this kind of behavior a while ago now, and only answered with a smirk which Damian thought was absolutely infuriating ! But he didn’t dare say or do much more, because you were now glaring at him and he just knew you too well to risk any other words. Before you could scold him however, your other younger brother, Tim, said : 

“Well, technically speaking, there IS a lot to show. Conner is a, and I’m quoting dad talking about him to one of the Justice League about wether or not he should be one of its new member : “big and able strong man”...bit redundant really. Now, if we speak about conversation and brain...”

Tim snickered, aware of what not finishing his sentence implied, and exchanged a knowing look with Damian. The high-five they gave each others a few seconds after almost stopped you from saying anything. After all, it was so rare to see him bond like that...You just wished it wasn’t in this circumstance. Which made you say : 

“First of all, Conner is a very intelligent man, Mister I-thought-fish-fingers-could-be-found-like-that-in-the-sea-and-were-actually-fingers. And second, he’s also a rather attractive one. So there’s a lot to show off, and you’re just being jealous.”

Damian made an exaggerated gagging sound at you calling your boyfriend “attractive”, but didn’t say anything else (your glare always had such an effect on him), but Tim exclaimed, outraged : 

“Hey ! I was kidding ok ? No need to bring out the jealousy card ! And about the fish fingers, I was seven and you and Jason kept telling me that I was right !” 

You smiled smugly at him, happy you managed to turn the tables on him, and...wow it feels nice. To joke around with your brothers, even if you’re not so sure they’re really joking when talking about your Conner. It was just nice to forget your stress a bit. Nice to think about something else. 

 You came to the realization you HAD to talk about your relationship publicly today, as you were coming home from the Kent farm with Conner and almost got caught by paparazzi. Thanks Gods for Wayne Manor’s high hedges and the fact that from behind and far away, your boyfriend could very well be one of your brother, what with his large frame and dark hair...

But this little event of you two almost getting caught made you realize that you had to go public. You had to introduce Conner to everyone. Because if you didn’t, the truth would eventually come out and it’d just be bad overall. A source of unwanted and easily avoidable troubles. 

You were talking about this all morning with your family, and they were definitely very supportive and agreed with you. You had to talk about it...

Which is why you spend most of your day stressing about it and trying to think about a strategy to bring the subject as smoothly as possible. And so, this little joking distraction was very welcome. 

Your dad’s chuckle finished to make you feel more at ease. It was very rare, to hear him laugh, and when he did, it always had a big soothing effect on you. Even if there was a possibility he was currently mocking you, you couldn’t care less. 

He laughed, and you liked when he was happy and carefree enough to do so. 

You turn to him and he smiles fondly at you. Raising you hadn’t really been the easiest thing for many reasons (none related to your personality or way of being, on the contrary...but that’s another story), and seeing you all grown up brought a special emotion to his heart. 

Seeing you stressed about introducing your relationship to the public made him feel so many different things. 

Nostalgia that you weren’t his little girl anymore. Pride that you grew up so well despite all the hardship you went through, and was such an amazing young woman. Sadness and guilt that it’s only because he was your dad that you had to go through all those troubles (and many more). Happiness because you seemed happy, albeit a bit stressed. Resentment, mainly towards Conner, because he was taking you away... 

His chuckle came from you shutting up Tim with that “fish fingers” comment (and because he was reminded of how cute it was, that arguably his smartest kid was also the most gullible one as a child...oh how you and Jason took advantage of that fact. You also managed to make him believe that the hay wrapped in white plastic in fields were actually giant marshmallows, and that those candy Tim particularly liked were plants), but also because seeing you so worked up over something he never thought you’d even think about much was entertaining. 

You often knew exactly what you wanted and how to achieve it. So the fact you were so unsure right now, about such a trivial thing as to introduce your boyfriend to the “World”...it was oddly funny to him. 

Hence the chuckle. And his next words : 

“I remember being nervous too, when I was about to announce that I was seriously dating your mother.” 

You smile at him and...Oh no. Of course. Of course you were going to turn the tables on him too and try to divert this whole issue : 

“Which time ?” 

Constantly joking about your parents on and off relationship (currently off) was your way to cope with the fact you’d never have quite conventional parents (well, as they said themselves : “they dress as animals at night”, obviously they couldn’t be “normal”). To compensate your fear of having their kind of painful yet exciting relationship (even if clearly, between you and Conner it was completely different  than between them). 

Your dad knew you weren’t quite mocking him, but just teasing. Which is what he wanted to achieve. If you teased him, it meant you were a bit less stressed. 

“When we got engaged. -short pause - The first time.” 

He answers your question, his face stoic even if you know he’s not taking all this too seriously (the fact he added “the first time” proof enough). You smirk and...it always impressed you very much, how your dad always seemed to know what to say to calm you down. 

After all, he was known to be a bit “challenged” when it came to express himself, or his feelings. But for some reasons, he just always know what to say to make his kids feel better. His magic didn’t work only on you, you knew for a fact that in moments of doubts, he always managed to cheer your brothers up to. To bring them back from dark thoughts. 

He knew what it felt like to be miserable, sad, lost and any negative feeling you could think of...And the mere thoughts of his children feeling any of that pained him so much that he always ended up letting his guard down, and letting his heart speak. 

It was always very effective. Like now. 

Even if very simple. Just a few words. You already felt better, more cool headed. Less nervous. More encline to think properly and not panic.

In fact, the way your dad just joked about his own nervousness (and knowing that he had to then announce that his engagements were off which was even worst...) made you see the entire situation in another light. 

You smiled widely at your dad, then at Conner. Ignored your two pouty little brothers who were still vexed about how you easily turned tables on them, and suddenly stood up to go get your phone. 

Conner looked at you, curious, as you came trotting back to him. Your dad, however, knew what this meant. He recognized the little spark in your eyes. He saw it enough to know instantly what it meant. 

You just had an amazing idea to solve your problem. 

************

Thanks to your dad joking around and therefor helping your mind be more at ease, you were able to foment a little plan as to how would be the best way to bring the news about you having a serious boyfriend. 

You didn’t want to directly come forward with him and say you guys were steady already. You knew that if you did, many people would wonder how long you got together. And the answer to that question would bring too much annoyances. 

If you said the truth, that you’ve been together for almost a year, then people would get vexed that you only just introduced him, even if technically, it was none of their business. They would wonder why they never saw him on any of your social media pages. 

They would talk about why you waited so long before introducing him, and even if your reason was to “make sure things were serious” which was valid, they’d find a way to twist your words, and you didn’t want Conner to think anything of it. You knew he wasn’t one to be easily manipulated, but if problems could be avoided...Then you should avoid them, right ? 

On the other hand, if you said “oh we just got together”, then people would annoyingly give your relationship an “end date” and talk about how you introduced him officially way too fast ! Again, he never even appeared on your instagram !

No. No. Rule number 1 of being famous : give a little info, just enough to satisfy people’s curiosity. Don’t give away too much at the same time, or things will go haywire. 

The biggest problem right now, was that people never even heard of Conner. How would they ? You met while at the Young Justice headquarters. You rarely had the time to go on “conventional” date and even so, you’d then go in places you were sure no one would recognize you (like in Smallville and such). 

You had to first ease him in. Talk about him a bit. Introduce him as a “friend”, before talking about “boyfriend”. So that people wouldn’t be shock. So that they’d slowly get accustomed to him. 

And how to do that ? Well, social media came in handy for sure. 

First, Conner started to appear in your “group pictures”. The one you would take with your brothers, to satisfy the “Wayne fix” people seemed to need. The caption on that first picture of you, Conner and your brothers was : “Hanging with those guys <3 #bestbrothersever #lookatthoseidiots #Waynefam″, as simple as that. 

You replied to a few comments of people wondering who “That dude on the left of Jason” was by replying a simple : “He’s a friend of my brother !” 

It was quite clever really. Bam. Conner was in as “your brother’s friend” (never mentioning which brother was smart, people just assumed it was Dick or Jason and that was it, even if technically, he was Tim’s bestie). And the fact you personally replied to some comments made you closer from the people who wanted to know all about you ! It was a win-win situation. 

Then slowly, he started to appear in your snapchat stories and such. Like “My brother’s friend is a dork”, filming him doing something silly with one of your sibling. 

And bit by bit, he took more space on your social medias. He went from an “unnamed man in your picture”, to “your brother’s friend”, to simply “Conner”. 

The first picture you posted of just you and him had so many comments from people saying things like : “I don’t know for y’all, but I ship them !” or “Oh they’d be a cute couple !” even before you’d hint at anything. 

Literally, this said first picture was of you and him in Metropolis’ streets, picture taken a little blurry on purpose, as if you’d just met by accident. 

The caption read : “Look who I ran into into in Metro-city ! #ConnerK #Thatdork #Mybrosfriend #coincidence”. It was simple, and enough for people to start kinda liking the idea of the two of you together. 

Of course by then, you’d really been together for literal months, but eh, no one but your families and close friends knew. The fact was, you guys dating was part of your “unknown world”. Part of your “superhero World”. You hung out together at the Young Justice headquarters at first. But now it was time for Conner to come and be part of your “Alter Ego” world. 

You posted another picture of you and Conner the same day you “accidentally” ran into each others in Metropolis, of him sitting next to you in a park, an ice cream in his hand, smiling charmingly at the camera. With a caption saying : “Thanks for showing me around dude ! Glad our path crossed #coincidence #Iwaslost #GladIranintohim #mybrothersfriendsarealsomyfriends #suchlonghashtags #ConnerK #icecreamtime #MetropolisSucks”. 

From that point on, it was easy to slowly ease into people’s mind that actually, they kinda like you two together. 

You denying any romantic relationship with him was another smart move. You’d sometimes say : “no he’s just a friend !” and such things whenever people shipped the hell out of you, which made people like and like even more the idea of you two dating. 

You got the inspiration from watching too many TV shows. You know, those incredible slow burn love stories ? Where the lead character has that perfect chemistry with another recurring character, and since their first scene together you’ve been wanting them to date ? But things drag and drag and problem keeps getting in their way and suddenly you would DIE for them ! You are rooting for them to get together soooo bad ! That once they finally do...You’re just incredibly happy, and since you feel like you just witnessed their relationship blossomed for the past three seasons, you don’t mind not having all the answers to your questions about them together, ya know ? 

On the contrary, you want things to keep unfold in front of you. 

Well, you basically applied that TV show trope you love so much to your own fake un-relationship. Posting more and more things with Conner. Cute “friendly” videos, and awesome pictures. 

Conner even started to use his own instagram page, that he never really used before. The message he wrote for you for your birthday, accompanied by a cute picture of you smiling at the camera made so many people write in caps lock “JUST GET TOGETHER ALREADY !”. 

Your plan was going perfectly well. Your father was actually very impressed and proud about how you decided to handle everything. From extremely nervous, to a neatly and skilled little plan coming perfectly together. 

In that way, you were a lot like him. Always had a plan. And multiple back up plans. Only most of the time, your initial plans would almost always work. 

Like father like daughter, right ? 

************

You were so damn proud of yourself. And so happy Conner understood. 

You were perfectly aware that your “plan” could be misinterpreted by him. After all, he could’ve been weirded out by all the “faking” you asked of him. But nope. He really wasn’t. 

You explained to him that you thought that easing things down would be the best and more problem free way to go. That acting as if you weren’t already together since a long time was a good idea. 

You explained all the rumors that could ensue if you just came out together now without saying anything (you could see such rumors every day in scandal magazines, as soon as a celebrity was hanging out with someone else !). 

And he understood. He agreed. Plus, he didn’t mind acting like your friend in public. So far, you both always kinda hid yourself wherever you went together.

So for Conner it was a great change of pace. Even if he definitely understood too why until now you wanted to keep your relationship hidden. You just wanted to be with him without any other worries, to be with him as if you were just a random person, not someone famous ! Plus he knew you were afraid to impose your fame on him, but now, you’ve been together long enough for him to accept that fact, for him to know he’ll eventually have to roll with it if he wanted to be with you...Oh and he wanted to.

He never thought you were ashamed of him, or not serious or anything. No. He understood why you wanted to hide things. He was totally on board. He was actually pretty sure he would have waited centuries for you to be ready ! And now that you were, that he was too, and moving forward with things...Well then he’d do whatever you want him to do. 

He was never into PDA anyway, and it was nice to be able to hang out with you in public without caring much if people took pictures or not. Because it was known that he was “just one of your brother’s friend” at first, so there was no mystery there ! People knew him now. And even started to point out how he appeared before in your brothers’ pictures anyway !

And then once you started to hang out more as friends yourselves, and all that...as your PUBLIC relationship started to bud...Well who cared if paparazzi took picture and titled their articles : “Are (Y/N) Wayne and Conner Kent dating ?!”

To be honest, it was quite a big help that Conner was “Clark Kent and Lois Lane’s kid”. It eased even more your fake backstory of how you met. It was notoriously known that Bruce Wayne was good friend with famed reporters Kent and Lane. So the fact their children knew each others...wasn’t really surprising ! 

It played perfectly in your little “he was just one of my brother’s friend. I never saw him as more than a play buddy for a long time...until that fateful Metropolis encounter !”. Oh Alfred’s acting class he used to give you as a child definitely came in handy ! 

************

“So, serious question...Are the Wayne kids single, or not ? There has been rumors lately !” 

You managed to pull a bashful smile that was completely fabricated but that everyone would think was genuine. You became quite good, at faking facial expression in public. “Thanks dad”. 

You knew exactly why, this time, they asked you this question. A few days earlier, you gave an anonymous tips to some paparazzi that “the famed (Y/N) Wayne and her rumored boyfriend Conner Kent had been spotted on Gotham’s docks, having a romantic promenade”. 

You let them take pictures of you quickly kissing Conner, as if you were actually afraid someone would catch you. You and Conner played the part perfectly, acting as if this was your first date or something. All shy and small touches. 

You planned for this event for months. It was the culminating point of everything. The time when finally, things would change. And you were so glad that the journalist to ask you this tonight, was one of the few you actually liked. With a charming smile you say : 

“Oh well you know I rarely talk about that, Miss Torres.” 

Gabriela Torres, a famous EW journalist smiles knowingly but insist. She would usually never do that, but there is some pretty incriminating pictures of you and a certain Metropolis boy... 

“A Metropolis boy you say ? No idea who you are mentioning.” 

You say coyly, and you know they’re falling right in your trap. For this little stunt of admitting you’re in a relationship, your brothers gave you permission to talk about their love life. Briefly. 

“I can tell you however that my brother Dick’s wedding to Barbara Gordon is starting to coming up nicely. That Jason is most definitely following in my dad’s footstep. That Tim is still with his high school sweetheart, Steph’ and um...Well, Damian is only fourteen ! I think he’s barely interested in any kind of romance right now. I’m sure he has crushes but...uh, you know.” 

They didn’t really know, but acted as if they did. Because you had a way with words, that just made people satisfied enough. Just like your dad. Plus, they weren’t really interested in your brothers right now, they knew you were just deflecting. 

Gabriela Torres asks once more about that “Metropolis boy”, but this time, she names him. 

“Isn’t there something going on between you and Conner Kent ?” 

You manage to fake being bashful once again. You turn away from the camera. Laugh a little bit nervously, and then turn back to the journalist and say : 

“Well, a proper lady never tells.” 

You then proceed to smile and wink in a very Bruce Wayne-way (again, like father, like daughter) and walk away. 

And you’ve done it. Gave them just enough so they’ll be satisfied, but not enough to truly invade your personal life. 

Conner’s officially in. 

************

You’d be lying if you said you weren’t feeling nervous at all when you brought your boyfriend to an official and formal event for the first time. 

And oh man Conner ? Conner was almost throwing up because of how nervous he was. But here you were, walking the red carpet under a hundred of camera flashes. And it was time. 

“(Y/N) Wayne isn’t single anymore, it’s official”. 

************

“Wow, well. This went better than expected ! They really like you Kon !” 

“Yeah ? I was afraid I messed things up a bit by being so nervous...” 

“Oh no, I think they loved that. It brings a certain quirk to you. And it shows you care about making a good impression...You can bet that tomorrow, people will be all over the papers about me being hitched ! And the next day, they’ll forget all about it because then they’ll focus on the fact that there’s, potentially, three Wayne kids that are still single...So all in all, very successful evening !” 

This was such a relief. Finally. Finally he was “officially” your boyfriend, and you’d never have to hide anymore. Awesome. Things really went smoothly ! People truly LOVED Conner. 

And you were all pretty sure it was thanks to your plan of easing things down. When you finally presented Conner as your boyfriend, people felt like they knew him too, after all those videos and pictures and such you posted. 

They had been shipping you two since “way before you guys started dating” (something people often said, and that amused you often, given the fact you celebrated your first year anniversary while you were still not “officially” together), and were glad to see you two making things official. The “I ship them so hard” comment were now replaced by “#relationshipgoals” and other “THE SHIP HAS SAILED !!” and such. 

Wow. Well. Why were you nervous in the first place ? 

************

And here you were again, nervous beyond all measure, unable to stop playing with the new piece of jewelry on your ring finger...

Conner asked you to marry him months ago, but it was only now that you had time to truly announce it to the World. Your family and friends already knew of course, but your “public alter ego” had to still come out clean about that. 

The day before the gala you were going to, Conner posted on HIS social medias (sounded more logical) a simple picture of the ring on your finger, your hand holding his, and a caption saying : “She said yes <3″. 

The post broke the internet. 

It became one of instagram’s most liked pictures. And people couldn’t wait for your official statement the next day at the gala...And here you were, nervous again even if you knew most people knew already and you just had to confirm things, to “give them the little infos so they could be satisfied”. 

************

“Wow, well. This went better than expected ! They really really like you Kon !” 

“Yeah well, I think I figured that out by now. I do receive the occasional hate online about “not being good enough for you” but I’m pretty sure all those accounts are Damian’s...” 

You snort, but start to genuinely laugh when your little brother gives a half-joking “Tt, not ALL of them”. 

You’re on your way home to your apartment, and as often during official galas like so, you’re in the family car as you all went to the event together. Of course. 

You, Jason and Dick didn’t live in the Manor anymore, but Alfred and your dad always made a point to pick you up so you’d all go as a family. It was important for them, but also for that public image you kept up all those years, of you guys being a very close family (which was true anyway). 

People LOVED when the entire Wayne family went somewhere. They always went completely crazy for pictures of all of you together, which unfortunately were rarer nowadays than they used to. Which made said picture all the more appreciated. 

You finish laughing at your brother’s (half) joke and Conner smiles as you lay your head on his chest, closing your eyes, exhausted after tonight’s emotions and commotion. 

There’s a small silence as Alfred drives the family limousine back to your apartment to drop you and Conner off first, as your home is closer to the city center than Dick’s and Jason’s. And definitely closer than Wayne Manor, where your dad, Tim and Damian will go back after dropping all of you off. 

It’s a comfortable silence. Everyone is very please about how the entire evening went. Your dad would never admit it, but he was really happy and proud that you were going to marry a man such as Conner Kent. 

The silence is broken by said man :

“I wonder what people’s reaction will be when we’ll tell them you’re pregnant...” 

Conner says, before he freezes and a horrified expression slowly creeps on his face. Did he just...Drop that bomb ? While you and him only discovered that fact the day before ? And didn’t say anything to your family yet ? Oh my god, you were going to be so mad at him ! 

But you were already asleep, comfortably nestled on his chest, and your boyfriend, future father of your child...Had to bear the glares your brothers laid on him, the furious shock in your father’s eyes. 

He had to ignore the gasp they all made, the way they refrained themselves from yelling because you were asleep and it was rare for you to get any of that, especially so peacefully. The way they “yelled” silent “WHAT ?!” and threw their hand in the air, the scene being utterly comic, as they tried to make as little noise as possible. 

The way your brothers weren’t sure wether they were happy or mad. The way your dad’s glass of water he had in his hand shattered as he gripped it. The way his expression went from “angry” to “wait, what, I’m going to be a grandfather ?” to finally land on “I’m happy ! But also, how dare you touch my daughter that way ?”. 

And all the while, you slept peacefully, not knowing that this novel piece of news that stressed you out was now out in the open to your family. You had just barely started to foment a plan about how to tell them ! 

For Conner, the ride back to your apartment was a very awkward one. And he blessed the fact that you didn’t wake up as you arrived home, meaning he didn’t have to witness your grumpy self awaking to your family asking you a thousand questions about your pregnancy ! 

He exited the car slowly, making sure to not wake you up, and mouthed a “I guess we’ll talk tomorrow...” to your brothers and father, smiling awkwardly at them, closing the car’s door. Worst timing EVER. And it was a bit surreal, to see their frustrated face realizing they’d really have to wait for tomorrow to ask for an explanation, as the door slowly closed on them. 

At least the good thing about all that, was the fact that you were deeply asleep and unaware of his mistake. That way, he had time to think of something to tell you, of a plan to break the news to you that he accidentally might have slip the fact that you were bearing his child to your family...

Damn. 

_______________________________________________

Sorry it took me a while to get that story out. I just got extremely busy with life lately...So. Yeah. I had ZERO time to write. Anyway, glad I could finally post this :). As usual, the initial idea I had changed quite a bit along the way, and I ended up focusing on Batsis/Conner more than on the Batsibling as a whole (don’t worry, there’ll be more bat siblings story related, and only them :)), but eh, that happens. I always end up getting carried away by the story.

Hope you liked it (???), don’t hesitate to leave a feedback and reblog, it’s always BEYOND appreciated (motivates to write more and all). Hope you weren’t disappointed or something and...yeah. That’s pretty much it *proud for once I didn’t comment on how insecure I am posting a story*.

[tangyyyy]

Triangle and bullshit

Taking part in every dramas inherent to this fandom is not in my habits, I must admit it. Generally, I don't agree with the majority view. Why? I don't really know... I already asked myself the question without really finding any answer that totally suits me. Do I have different logics because I'm older than the average age of the fandom? Perhaps my opinions, steeped in French culture, do not match the cultural majority of the fandom? I really don't know. The fact remains that I often disagree with the majority opinion and that more often than not, I force to shut myself up. Unwilling to give anything to chew to people who spend their time complaining, questioning everything, most of the time, I keep what I think for myselfn just sharing my views with fandom friends who, without necessarily sharing my opinions, can themselves be open-minded and less radical than some in the tag. Anyway, seeing the increasing criticism and, above all, the more or less hateful messages directly addressed to the Skam France team, I feel the need to explain myself. Completely selfish approach, it has no other goal than to bring out what I have in mind, nothing else. Afterwards, I will no longer take part in this sterile and somewhat childish "debate". The vox populi (aka the majority opinion of the fandom) seems to reject the idea of ​​a love triangle. Small parenthesis... This rejection is so massive, so extreme, that it's impossible for me to forget the underlying narrow-minded morality that seems to create it. I don't judge you ! Myself, at the start of the season, I was one of those who prayed not to be entitled to yet another love triangle. What I regret is the little thought shown by the fandom now that the event they feared has happened. The love triangle... Let's talk about it. Love triangle is a dramatic scheme widely used since time immemorial. The literature (western or otherwise) of the past three millennias testifies without controversy to this dimension of archetypal universality of the love triangle. I won't cite all the books, films and series that deal with love triangles, it would be endless. Why does this dramatic pattern come up all the time? But because these triangles can give rise, among the protagonists, to a palette of feelings, each more interesting than the other. Jealousy, humiliation, betrayal, guilt, feeling like a traitor, being dishonest, hurting someone... And guess what? All this... This is love too! To believe in a love without cloud, without wound, without misunderstandings, excuse me, but I find that a little... Naive. Youy think I'm cynical? No no, I sincerely believe in pure and eternal love. I don't turn a blind eye to the difficulties experienced by couples to achieve this, quite simply. In short.. As unpleasant and painful as it is, the experience of the triangle can be a powerful growth lever for the characters involved. Betrayal has enormous potential value on us. It denounces an identity flaw and at the same time authorizes a process of quest for identity, which will succeed or not, depending on what the characters decide to do with it. If a triangle comes into our life, on our own or someone else's act, it has a purpose. It becomes the revealing mirror of our unconscious. You don't like relationships based on triangles? That's too bad, The majority of interactions between humans is based on triangular issues. (One of the three people may very well be imaginary, a fantasy. The triangle may very well not be romantic but can take place into family (Freud and his Oedipus)). The problem in this fandom is the poverty of meaning that the fans seem to add to the love triangle of this season 5. Exemple: “Arthur cheats the nice Alexia with the bad Noée, it's not good, it does nothing for the story”. Or even without a personal value judgment... “Arthur hesitates between Alexia and Noée, it's silly.” WTF? But if we stick to this vision of things, necessarily that no intrigue is worth exploring. Through this intrigue, instead of grumbling and rejecting it, how about considering its potential? OKAY! Ok I know! You did't want to see a love triangle. Neither did I. But once we have said that, once we have expressed our dissatisfaction, we should perhaps think of moving on to something else, right? I only see posts that ramble, that always say the same thing, it's kinda annoying, really...

We have no choice, we aren't decision makers. The writers decided to write the story this way. Well. We can have reservations, but that won't change anything, so go ahead, right? Or else, you know what? You can also make the choice to stop watching Skam France or even to shut up... Yes, yes, I assure you, it's possible! I say all this while finally, for me, in this season 5, there is no love triangle. Let me explain... For me, there is a love triangle only if there is real hesitation, if one of the three protagonists is really attracted to the other two, may not be in the same way but in any case with the same power. Is this the case here? No! Arthur is not in love with Noée! Arthur is clearly in love with Alexia, it shows, it feels. Maybe I'm wrong but for me, there is no doubt. For a love triangle to work, the outcome must be uncertain. There, we know very well that Arthur never thought of becoming a couple with Noée. So no, for me, there is NO love triangle, Arthur is not attracted (lovingly speaking) by Noée. Okay... Okay, but he kissed her, right?! Yeah right... But there is kiss and kiss, right? I know many will disagree with me. I know it and I expose myself, by giving my opinion, to many outraged reactions but I want to say it anyway ... (My blog is not important enough to receive haters anyway :P) I don't think Arthur really cheated on Alexia. Is kissing cheating? Everyone discuss about it, often sticking firmly to their positions. The debate rages between those for whom the kiss wreaks havoc in the couple with a strong taste of cheating, and those for whom kissing remains harmless and is not adulterous. the notion of cheating remains at the discretion of each. In my opinion, a kiss can be considered as cheating if it's leaded by attraction, by desire. In the case of Arthur and Noée, it wasn't really the case I think. Maybe yes on Noée's side but certainly not on Arthur's side! And it's Arthur who "cheats", not Noée. This kiss came to fill a moment of interstellar emptiness. We all know these voids. These moments, often silent, which follow great confidences, when people find themselves in a state of great vulnerability, an intense fragility, where we could die of embarassment or fear. So yes, at that time, Arthur and Noée kissed. It wasn't desire but simple reassurance. Let's face it, kissing someone, touching one another lips, it's a feeling that can make you forget everything. An intimate gesture that comforts, that warms. Did you know? In some cultures, friends may very well kiss on the mouth without this being considered a loving gesture. So ok, that was bullshit. Instead of kissing Noée, Arthur would have done better to burst into tears, to give her a hug or even to make a mental breakdown, that would have meant the same thing (at least for me) but would have been much more politically correct.It would have less shocked  very young fans who still believe in the love of fairy tales...

But... Ok, I take a step aside, I take a step back (come, try, do like me, you'll see, it's pretty easy actually!). For this paragraph, I will consider this kiss as cheating... An infidelity can speak of many other things than disaffection. It can be linked to a problem in the couple: loss of communication, concern for the other, desire, estrangement from the two partners, conflicts ... It can also respond to a very personal problem. Kissing Noée, Arthur didn't mean to say: "Noée je t'aime", or "I don't love Alexia anymore." or even "That's it, I hesitate between two girls now!". No! Perhaps this "cheating" simply meant "I'm lost", "There is a problem between Alexia and me, we no longer understand each other. ", " I'm scared.". By kissing Noée, Arthur expresses his doubts to the spectator, he lets go under the pressure of being perfect on both sides. He shows himself to be human. And yes! Before being the perfect boyfriend, Arthur is a human. Anyway! Love is worth living, it is a feeling of intense lightness, of absolute happiness. But one cannot ignore all the pains which can gravitate around this love. It's not magic. All that to say that I will continue to follow Skam France season 5 with great happiness. Ok, they did not go in the direction I wanted but... This is also why I watch series, films, that I read books. To be surprised. If I want to control all the stories, I write them, it's that simple. I do not agree with everything that the writers put in place (the treatment of Alexia's caracter disappoints me a lot so far for example) but I won't flood the social networks with my own disappointment and my hateful comments. Trust me, I have a lot better to do with my free time. So, in short: Take a deep breath, try to step aside, get out of your own representations and you'll see, the Skam France experience is worth living.

[rottenappleheart]

mm liveblog part 2

majora’s mask, unfiltered notes for the entire first 3-day cycle until you get the ocarina back and are no longer a slave to the passage of time

DAWN OF

THE FIRST DAY

72 HOURS REMAIN

tatl's thesis - that we should ask the great fairy for help, because the skull kid is no match for the great fairy - is deeply flawed. i have met great fairies. do you know what they don't do? help much.

that said i now like the idea of the skull kid being periodically taken to task by various great fairies

"sit down and tell me what you did this time"

"i made  you a sandwich"

"are you sorry"

i know it's meant to be irritating but i love that the guards will stop both deku link and normal link (until they see he's armed, and also looks like he hasn't slept in seven years) from exiting. becasue they are doing their job and keeping the population safe. and that means not letting children wander around alone.

I LOVE CLOCK TOWN OKAY

I TALK TO EVERYONE ABOUT THEIR LIVES AND I READ ALL THE POSTERS FOR THE LOCAL BANDS AND THE GUARD RECRUITMENTS AND I WATCH THAT ODD MASKED PERSON PICK UP THEIR MAIL AND I TRY TO BEFRIEND THE LOCAL STRAY DOGS AND IT IS JUST SO GOOD

the grown deku scrub who promised his wife a moon's tear, i just have to ask: is that a thing that normally happens? does the moon always just... cry onto the surface of the planet? what???

i love their banners and streamers and their happy music and their busy bustling lives and it's so good

what the fuck kind of ink does the banker use that remains indelible even as time itself unwinds

yikes i want to stop and just look at everything but the first sunset is already closing in and i haven't done anything

I FORGOT HOW NERVE-WRACKING THIS GAME IS BEFORE YOU CAN SLOW TIME DOWN

i... just found a lottery shop in clock town. i literally never knew this was here. how have i missed it all these years.

NIGHT OF

THE FIRST DAY

60 HOURS REMAIN

how is time passing so fast aaaaaaa

clocktown is such a nice place, they have a whole section of town set aside for a public park with a playground and gardens and everything ;___;

okay so the  great fairies though

remember what i was saying about how this game is actually very heavily voiced for being an ostensibly unvoiced game? everyone sighs, grunts, yells, hmms? and so on. and sometimes you'll catch almost a word.

except for the great fairy, it just sounds like she's squeaking "PLEASE ME" which is. an uncomfortable request. at the best of times.

but especially when i am in the form of a young potted plant.

idk what that was supposed to sound like but the midi-ified file is NOT GREAT, nintendo.

members-only late night milk bar... aw yeah please spike my milkshake, that is a great idea and i love it

(i'm not joking i love spiked milkshakes)

(also i love the milk bar and all the scenes that take place in there, especially on the last night, when you can just have very quiet calm conversations with people doing their best to be calm in the face of their unavoidable deaths)

DAWN OF

THE SECOND DAY

48 HOURS REMAIN

oh no oh no oh no WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO BE DOING IN THE FIRST GO-ROUND

oh right i have literally two tasks

phew

i forgot to go into the stock pot inn on the first day, and i missed seeing kafei at the mailbox, so i am THIRSTY for EVERYONE'S FAVORITE CANONICAL FIANCEES

seriously, another weird but lovely choice on the part of the developers when they were ganking oot character models for this game. "who's a potential spooky villain? how about that one merchant guy? sure! and for an attractive bride-type character, what are our options? hmmm... how about the cuccoo lady with all the allergies? it's perfect"

i love not just anju and kafei but everything involved in their storyline - how kafei's friendship with the curiosity shop manager saved him, how anju's best friend is cremia on the ranch and they talk about their lives and how cremia will save her life (if she can), how you can spend actual in-game hours just sitting with anju's ancient senile grandmother hearing her stories as she thinks she is telling them to her long-dead son, how anju's mom will quietly not like kafei and kafei's mom will love and worry about him on a serious level very unlike her public persona... it's all so very real and human and i love it so

also heck the whole cast of characters staying in the inn

AH THERE SHE IS

THE BRIDE

anju i'm going to fix this ;___;

hello guardsmen if you are concerned about the state of today's youth maybe you should talk to THE BOMBER GANG i'm just saying

people who have played the more recent loz games, is the trend of "horrible underaged gangs of roving thugs" still a thing? or are mm and ww the only two games where they inflicted that on the player?

NIGHT OF

THE SECOND DAY

36 HOURS REMAIN

i'm sweating, i am just trying to find the bomber gang so i can get into the observatory so i can get the moon's tear so i can get the flower launch pad so i can get to the top of the clock tower and not die in a fiery inferno as gravitational forces rip the world apart

is that so much to ask

THERE'S THE LITTLE RUGRAT

COME HERE SO I CAN PUMMEL YOU

i refuse to feel bad about spin-kicking this child in the face because 1) i am technically also a child, in any body they put me in and 2) they are super racist if you talk to them while you are still a deku scrub! VERY RUDE

heck they let fergus over there man the door and he is still in diapers

gonna fill their hideout with encouraging tracts and stuff helping them grow into better people

so, fun fact

i remember many things about this game

but not that there is a skulltula in the waterway leading to the observatory

that was an unpleasant surprise

you probably could have heard me yell from three states away

(also, nothing has attacked you yet in the game (that actually does damage, and is not part of the story) so it's a little wake-up call: hey, don't forget to use Tatl to scout ahead, don't forget that you have a shield

also just

don't

be a moron

anyway

i was about to ask who the dickens put balloons with majora's mask on them all over the place - it's a weird choice, since no one... knows... what's going on? but technically, so far, all of the balloons are being interacted with by the bombers, or in places where the bombers go, and skull kid was, however briefly, a member of the bombers' secret society for justice (AND ALSO RACISM) so actually it makes more sense than i expected

when you first walk into the basement of the observatory and... the music changes... and there's a chicken??? it is what i assume being high is like.

DAWN OF

THE FINAL DAY

24 HOURS REMAIN

plays just as i lunge for the moon's tear

okay i've got this, i can stop fretting, the while last day can just be me looking around at stuff and being sad because i can't help anybody

yet

DON'T WORRY PEOPLE I WILL SAVE YOU

EVENTUALLY

IN A DIFFERENT LIFE

YOU'RE DEFINITELY BONED IN THIS ONE

SORRY ABOUT THAT

BUT I'M A STUMP THAT CHEWS BUBBLE GUM RIGHT NOW AND I DON'T THINK YOU CAN ASK VERY MUCH OF ME

I CAN'T EVEN REACH THE DOORKNOBS OF THIS TOWN SO TBH I WASN'T GOING TO BE MUCH GOOD AGAINST AN INTERSTELLAR BODY CRASHING INTO THE PLANET

a more srs thought: it was an interesting choice of curse skull kid lays on link at the start, making him into a deku scrub, and i think we can unpack some stuff there: he's drawing on his woodland roots (which link shares), he's making link into something small and largely helpless (like skull kid is, without the mask), he's... actually giving link a very similar kind of body to  his own?

i don't know what  the exact taxonomical differentiation is between deku scrubs and skull kids, but they are both wooden-bodied, whether grown or carved, they both have radiantly glowing eyes unlike most other things in the world, they both clothe themselves in bright layers of leaves... i imagine that if you sandblasted all the drama off a skull kid, you'd find something pretty similar to the lankier deku scrubs.

in that case, what he did is... he really kinda turned link into himself. but his helpless, powerless, abandoned, friendless, pre-mask self. to taunt him with all those awful feelings that skull kid himself experienced.

(mythological distinction for skull kids: they are people who got lost in the woods, and became cursed. if i'm not mistaken.)

(link is literally becoming a skull kid.)

(good times y'all!)

oh gosh the music is so frantic on the third day, and it's such a good bit of development on the design team's side: every day, clock town's music gets a little faster, a little shriller, as their time runs out

if you talk to the guards who block you in on the third day, instead of their usual "hey kiddo it's dangerous outside" they'll start saying "hey, are you alone, where is your family, are you okay, someone is probably worrying about you, please find them and get out of town as soon as you can"

fun fact: one of the things that consistently Wrecks me about this game is how the guards stand at their posts, jaws clenched, holding their fists to their hearts, as they watch their world be destroyed... because they will not abandon their duty.

seriously, every time i die.

and the cow figurines all over town that, if you hadn't noticed before, have bobbleheads, because as the earth starts shaking they do too, and it's another tiny detail that makes it all The Worst.

awkward council meeting eavesdropped on

("nothing is wrong!" is a lot less believable when the ground is literally shaking from the gravitational stresses being exerted by the falling moon, but hey, 2018)

the carpenters shouting back and forth "hey dudes i'm sorry but i'm gonna jet" "are you kidding if i stay i get a promotion"

;_______;

SO MANY RACISTS IN CLOCK TOWN, the merchant's hipster assistant will literally refuse to talk to you if you're "just" a deku scrub

meanwhile the bomb shop guy's grandmother (the one who gets robbed, if you're not paying attention, like i wasn't) is just "oh goodness you are a very small customer, please be careful in our shop of very dangerous things"

NIGHT OF

THE FINAL DAY

12 HOURS REMAIN

eeeeeeeeeeep

finally got into the milk bar (everyone's a member when the world is ending!) and madame aroma, the scary and powerful socialite, starts with a very gentle "are you okay with not fleeing? it looks like we are all going to die here in town. is anyone looking for you?"

if i had all my masks and instruments i would love to invoke that scene right now and be the band on the titanic and give her and the other customers a few minutes of... life, if not joy, and beauty, if not quite comfort.

snuck into the now-abandoned stock pot inn, as well, and... okay, i'm going to say it, i don't know wtf is going on with anju's wedding dress. is her midriff made out of ivy? why is her romantic wedding-day mask (which is a neat concept btw!) a grinning rictus? what are we saying about love in this moment???)

(also, if you have ever made the mistake of helping kafei but forgetting to tell anju to wait for him, or telling anju to wait and then not helping kafei deal with sakon... it's a shitshow, it's bad for you, it darkens your heart forever)

during the last 12 hours the guards will say "i want to help you get out of her asap, run find your folks and i will let you out, please hurry"

nooooooo ;_______;

the postman sobbing because "flee for your life" is not written on the schedule

he wrote himself a letter saying that he is doing a good job and he requests that he himself flee ;__________________; but he can't do it ;__________________________;

oh no here we go

here it comes

the clocktower

the fireworks

the moon

the six hours remaining music

HEART CLUTCH

soft wailing

ngl that sad and weary music is the best part of the entire narrative experience to me

and then skull kid's impotent fury against all that immense power

tatl to skull kid: "what if we... didn't???"

also a good and valid point: friends don't hit friends

JUST LOOK ABOVE YOU

IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN BE STOPPED

JUST TRY AND STOP IT

(his voice is still so horribly thin and shrill, like a child)

but one well-placed gum bubble to the face and we are BACK IN BUSINESS

the BUSINESS

of RUNNING FOR OUR LIVES

from THINGS WE CANNOT FIGHT

i like that the one time zelda appears in the game, it is such a gentle and tender scene, reminding you of the bond she MUST have had with Link, for him to have done so much, and how much trust he puts in her

(... ask me again about the Song of Endings)

("even though it was only a short time, i feel like i've known you forever")

("i believe in my heart that a day will come when i shall meet you again")

(--> all my worst most wretched tp emotions about the wolf and the shrouded lady in the tower)

the song that reminds her of herself and link is the song of time, not anything else... the song about cycles and memory and history and second chances and legends

;_________________;

WELL FUCK I GUESS I'M HAVING PRINCESS ZELDA FEELS IN THE MIDDLE OF  THE GAME IN WHICH SHE DOES NOT PLAY A ROLE

i have to play the songs in the right time, i can't just half-ass it by speeding through the buttons, idk why

("the goddess of time is watching over you" --> old old questions about who the goddess of time is, and which sage zelda was, etc)

the PLOT TWIST when you equip the ocarina and it turns into A GOSHDARN BRASS QUINTET STRAPPED TO YOUR BACK i love it

(each little snail yeah knows how to wail yeah)

tatl saying [as midna will, centuries later]: um dude i mean sir WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU, HAVE I MISJUDGED, SUDDENLY I AM WORRIED ABOUT MY MANNERS

and we are... not victorious, but reprieved!!!

i'll do better this time everyone i promise

DAWN OF

THE FIRST DAY

AGAIN...!!!

[academla]

Clarification (again)

(I say “again” because the amount of times drama has sprung and I have had to clarify is comical)

Somebody emailed me yesterday and basically, well, attacked me. I mean, we are talking a pretty in depth email completely chewing me out and saying some less than kind things. That being said, I emailed them back politely (the miracles of being polite) and was able to clarify. They apologized if they came across intense, they explained what their understanding of the situation was, and this was my response:

That's alright, completely understood.

I WAS NEVER. PLANNING. TO DELETE. MY STORIES.

I do not know where this rumor got started, but it seems to have seeped into the crevices of Tumblr. (I'm not mad at you, I'm just totally annoyed that this rumor got started/misunderstood and I just want to debunk that myth ASAP.)

The actual plan was that I would, rather than continue to post updates on AO3, email updates to my readers. It's just less stressful for me, and a personal preference — and something I had considered previously. This was just the straw that broke the camel's back.

Here, for the record, is what happened:

One of my friends came to me and gave me the impression that in a large group chat, Megan (newt-loves-tina) was frequently talking shit about my stories. E.g. complaining about the OCs, complaining that she didn't like them, basically insulting my writing and perseverating on it, throwing shade... the whole nine yards.

I probably also exaggerated it more and interpreted it way more negatively than it actually was and, rather understandably (I would hope), got upset. Then I calmed down. Then my friend came back saying that more shit had been talked about my fic. So I got upset. (And took my friend's word for it. She knows that she should have stopped talking about it and about Megan when I asked her to. So she's definitely taking responsibility.) I also thought that the entire group was engaging in this shit-talking.

I decided that in light of this alleged hate, and because of my other feelings about AO3, I would just enact this other plan. So I added at the end of each unfinished fic to just email me if you want to be on the email list, and I'll update them on AO3 eventually, but for now I'm gonna do it via email. I also created another chapter to put excerpts/chapter summaries, so people would be in the loop. In case it was not clear, I never said I was taking my stories down. (Honestly girl if anything my ego is too big to delete all the nice comments people have commented in the past anyway.)

On top of that, last night I received a survey response which basically talked about how shitty the fic was, and how the reader did not enjoy reading it at all, and wanted nothing more from me. Which also angered/hurt me because I'm sorry, why would you read 87 chapters of a fic you find miserable and unpleasant to read, only to chew the author out at the end? That is not constructive criticism. Constructive criticism is "I read the whole story (and, you know, enjoyed it enough to have actual reason to continue reading it) and these are some more critical comments I have." It is not "I read this entire thing and hated it the entire time I was voluntarily reading it, and now I'm back to tell you all the reasons I hated it." At least Megan stopped when she realized the fic wasn't her jam. I don’t think that I was simply massively overreacting to light, well-meaning constructive criticism.

I had been talking to readers about the situation because I was very frustrated (I did not name names publicly. Some of my readers explicitly asked, and I did tell them individually). I thought that somebody was pointlessly trash-talking my fics, and then feeling the need to broadcast to the others. So yes, I was angry. One of my readers sprung to my defense — and I will admit, I did not necessarily try to stop her; I was pretty sick of this nonsense, and I was relieved that someone would come to my defense (which it turns out I didn’t need, but I didn’t know at the time). This knight in shining armor also misunderstood the situation and sent the Tumblr equivalent to the shot heard round the world (which happened where I live #ConcordPride) (if you don’t know, that’s the shot that started the Revolutionary War).

All of a sudden the internet blew up, Megan was defending herself, and it was a mess. Apparently untrue rumors also spread during this time. I was upset, she was upset, everyone was upset. I got emotional, as we all do at 4:30 am when we’re getting hurtful messages and the entire internet has exploded.

This morning, I woke up and decided to claim responsibility just to end the craziness, and because I don't want her to be getting hate for it, and I don't want people taking sides and so on. Despite what everyone seems to think (probably that I'm childish and immature and a baby), I do on occasion decide to be the bigger person.

This afternoon, Megan messaged me on Snapchat, and we talked it out. Honestly, it was a huge miscommunication and misinterpretation as to what exactly she was saying behind my back. There's a difference between "yeah that fic wasn't for me" and the things I heard she was ostensibly saying. She thinks the writing itself is great, and people have rec'd it to her numerous times; it just wasn't for her. Which is fine (and I guess you thought I was overreacting to that). And also, another facet of it was that I thought this was a group thing — that she had an entire group of haters who talked shit about my writing. Which is not true at all.

We're gonna touch base later today. I would like to address the rumors in particular and just move on from it. 

For the record... tbh I'm a pretty chill person if you just talk to me. I'm not so chill, obviously, when somebody just talks behind my back. I don’t put up with shit like that. But Megan messaged me and I was like “bro it's totally fine I don't care anymore and I think it was miscommunication,” and she agreed, and then I started just being really talkative (as I am) (ofc leave it to me to be in a serious discussion and then be like omg where do you work?!) and it was all good. I don't think she thinks I hate her, I don't think she thinks she's totally responsible, and I think the situation is totally resolved at this point.

Hope that clears all of that up. 

The shitty thing about the internet is that people tend to jump down others' throats without having all or any of the facts (I did a research paper on Tumblr and this was one point I touched upon). They see one or two posts, make assumptions, and attack whomever seems to be worth attacking. We're all privy to that effect. It doesn't necessarily make it excusable to act on assumptions and murky details, but I understand the reasoning for your response. Had I actually been defiantly deleting all of my stories simply because someone said they didn't like a fic or OC, I would wholly deserve such an impressively thorough dressing-down. I’m sure I was not at my clearest either in fits of emotion, which I think a lot of people have been in during the past few days.

I believe Megan and/or I will make an additional post sometime soon, but I thought perhaps this would be helpful, if anybody else was unclear on the sequence of events and wanted to reconsider their opinion on the situation/me.

[springtear]

2019-01-14

days before his too-formal request took place, reenie had had a dream. with heavy steps, she walked toward the door the maid had opened; gabriel was there, and his smile was fake, she noted. with each step, each glance at him, it seemed her heart was tearing apart slowly.

indeed, he’d become distant as of late. up until his birthday in november 2018, they had enjoyed a heart-fluttering relationship, almost like that of a romantic movie. reenie and gabriel often when on dates to pricey restaurants and ended the night drunk on expensive white wine, many times making love and waking up to have breakfast while adoring the outstanding view of the city from reenie’s penthouse. though the richness of their relationship laid within, of course — gabriel loved her as much as she loved him, perhaps he loved her more; and this was draining him, maybe. but it wasn’t her fault; it was nobody’s fault. sometimes relationships get worn out, like clothes or articles of any type that you handle and fumble way too much when you shouldn’t. reenie didn’t quite feel worn out herself, but gabriel was, though not visibly. so, reenie did not notice the teeny shift in their relationship.

during his past birthday, nothing out of ordinary had taken place — well, not in the eyes of reenie. for gabriel, a new window had been opened. that evening was spent at gabriel’s apartment with guests from different areas of his life, though mostly they were colleagues. also not out of the ordinary was lux’s attendance, which was a bit unpleasant for both reenie and gabriel; luckily, lux had come with a friend who distracted her enough from causing drama. when reenie went to the restroom at some point during the evening and came back to the living room, she saw gabriel enthusiastically chatting with lux’s friend — reenie did not find this odd at all, so she approached them; but when she did so, the vibe between them shifted, suddenly becoming awkward. the girl, whose name reenie later on learned was scarlet, was slightly shorter than her, skinnier, had angelical features and long dark brown hair. it was at some point during the night when their eyes encountered that she knew there was something eerie about her, something that felt like a threat on a deep level. reenie was not jealous, she was frightened, for a moment, as she locked eyes with scarlet — eyes that seemed to turn wholly pitch-black. the threat of scarlet’s presence was enough for reenie to disregard completely the most evident threat posing over her nose; scarlet was not there by accident.

the coming weeks, reenie sent one of her trusted private detectives to  investigate scarlet. there was not much he could find out as the girl, though korean of ethnicity, had not been born in south korea, so there were no records of her in this country. the detective also told reenie that scarlet was just settling in seoul, living alone in a rented apartment in a middle-class area of seoul. from pictures he’d taken of her, it could be seen that she frequented herbal shops — this gave reenie a better idea on who or what she could be.

after a month of reenie’s detective following scarlet around and not finding out anything else that could be of importance, she thanked him for his work and informed him she wouldn’t need any more of his services. during that month, reenie was so intrigued about scarlet that she had seemed to forget about gabriel’s (or anybody else’s) existence. on his part, gabriel was far too entertained chatting day and night via text messaging with scarlet; like a puppet, he was being pulled by scarlet to serve a greater purpose, but such a thing never even crossed his mind — for gabriel, he was simply re-encountering a friend from his childhood, a friend he had liked a lot back then, but whom he couldn’t date as he was far too troubled by his situation with lux. also in his mind, his late night chats with scarlet were innocent things; he was not doing anything wrong, was he?

a month later, gabriel, who had not spent new year’s eve with reenie, was calling her, asking her out for dinner. what was coming was no surprise for neither of them — they weren’t speaking like before, they hadn’t talked for almost two weeks as gabriel had not the decency to reply to reenie’s messages or would reply with blatant lies, poor excuses. when he called her asking her out, she chuckled and questioned him whether a dinner was really necessary, but agreed on it anyway as it’d perhaps be the last.

neither had said a single word during their thirty-minute drive to the restaurant, and when they were already settled at the table gabriel had reserved, they started eating and drinking wine without saying anything, though perhaps it is more appropriate to say reenie was only poking at her food with the fork — of course, she could not eat. a day ago, when gabriel asked her out, she thought this would be easier, but now that he was in front of him, looking at him, at that face she had kissed for so many years, she couldn’t stand it, a knot formed inside her throat, it almost felt as though she could not breathe. gabriel noticed this; he had been eating, though without really an appetite at all, chewing on the food and swallowing it like a puppet, or a body that needs the nourishment in order to survive, but that is not able to enjoy it. gabriel put down his fork.

“please, eat something,” he begged reenie.

with a slight, almost unnoticeable frown, reenie did not manage to respond and she sat frozen in place, hands holding the knife and fork lifeless by the sides of her plate. she finally set them down on the table and simply grabbed the glass filled with white wine — tonight would most likely not end up like most nights for them, and she needed the alcohol to help her get thru.

“out of all things, i think having dinner together is the less appropriate for what’s to come from your mouth, gabriel,” she gulped down more than half of the content from her glass and set it down. “so, go on, just spit it already. i thought i’d be able to sit here and watch you—watch us eat as if nothing happened, but i can’t. so, go on, speak.”

it was gabriel who then set knife and fork on the table, picking up the napkin to clean the corners of his mouth. it was difficult to bring himself to look at reenie directly in the eye, so he hesitated and the incessant chatter of people speaking and laughing around them made them feel as though they were on a pit, like a rock sinking, sinking, sinking. gabriel sighed and reenie finished the contents of her glass, signaling the waiter to refill her glass, to which he did so obediently and with a smile. but reenie did not look at the waiter, not even once — her eyes were glued to gabriel’s filthy face, plastered with lies the past month, trying to hide the ever so evident truth from her. there was so much rage within her she could barely feel her sadness anymore.

“i’m sorry, reenie,” he finally managed to mutter, and struggled to find the next words. but reenie was impatient, burning inside.

“sorry about what, exactly?” with one arm crossed over her stomach, the other holding her glass up, she squinted at him.

“i did you wrong. i’ve—” gabriel shook his head in frustration. he also couldn’t believe what he was about to blurt out. “i’ve fallen for another. i’m sorry.”

suddenly, all anger left reenie’s body and only a freezing sadness was left in place. she felt empty, cold and miserable, the little alcohol she had had dizzying her already as she had previously eaten nothing. rushing thoughts passed thru her mind and it was hard to pick just one for her to articulate; her lips parted as if to make a sound, but none was made. gabriel blinked too many times in a few seconds and his eyes filled with tears just as reenie set the glass on the table, almost on top of the fork; she was trembling. this had been so much easier in her imagination, but the shock of it seemed to be hitting her just now.

“please, say something,” gabriel pleaded and reached for her hand over the tablecloth, but she avoided his touch.

“i want to leave,” she murmured before quickly gathering her coat and purse and sprinting out of the place.

gabriel was only able to mutter ‘wait’ and leave cash over the table to pay for the dinner bill, after which he grabbed his coat too and chased after reenie.

“wait!” gabriel grabbed reenie by the forearm and made her face him. “we need to talk about this. i need you to... understand. i don’t want it to end like this for you.”

“understand? understand what? that you want to fuck another now? there’s nothing i need to understand about this! nothing! whatever you say, it will end badly for one of us, and it’ll clearly be me. you can’t change that, no matter what you say; it’s over, and it’s painful no matter what you say,” as reenie spat these words against his face, tears escaped her eyes and she struggled to let go of gabriel’s hold, and in the end did. she walked nowhere in particular and was again stopped by gabriel, who stood in her way and wrapped her arms around her.

“it’s cold, put your coat on, at least,” he said these words seemingly devoid of emotion, when in reality tears were also streaming down his cheeks. he dried it with the sleeve of his coat and sniffled.

“you’re gonna regret this, gabriel. you’re so gonna regret this,” reenie sunk her face into his chest and sobbed against it, grabbing onto his coat tight with her fists.

gabriel wrapped reenie’s coat around her shoulders and took her to his car, where they finally sat in silence for maybe half an hour, seeing people past by and cars park and go next to them. both had stopped crying, but reenie just wasn’t able to lift her eyes and look at him, she could only look at her hands and fingers, playing with them nervously.

“i wish there was a way of doing this that wouldn’t hurt you,” gabriel sighed and shook his head, holding onto the steering wheel as if that’d make him feel more in control of the situation.

“just take me home. i want to go home,” reenie’s voice faltered, she was trembling out of pure sadness. “i know it’s over... it’s over between us,” she cried silently whilst staring out the window, though in the end she had to cover her face because the pain was far deeper than anything else.

“don’t— don’t say it like that, i—” gabriel failed at finding the correct words to soothe her; he couldn’t even soothe his own troubled soul. he felt as though he were back to the unstable boy he was before he started a relationship with reenie, so he was scared. was it really worth it, ending this beautiful relationship with reenie, for someone he barely really knew? he gulped. “just... give me some time, alright? i… need a break to... think things through.”

“that’s bullshit, gabriel. if you came this far to ask me for some time, it only means— it only means you no longer love me,” reenie chuckled in the midst of her tears and couldn’t believe her own words: he no longer loved her. a sob escaped her before she opened the car door and stepped out of it, running toward the nearest car and getting on it. she had forgotten her coat in gabriel’s car, but not her purse. there was a man in the car she’d gotten into, her make-up was ruined from the tears as she opened her purse and offered him money. “please, take me home and away from that man,” she begged the stranger, who stared at the money and chuckled before starting the engine of the car.

“where to, miss?” the stranger man passed his phone to reenie, who typed her address in the phone’s gps. she did not mutter a word. “i won’t get nosy about what just happened to you, but i really hope you’re well, or that you can recover from whatever this is pretty soon,” the man spoke into the silence and darkness of the inside of the car. reenie seemed lifeless; she opened the car window, she needed air, lots of it, and the wind hitting her face felt just like what she needed. the man took a couple of glances at her and chuckled silently; she’s cute, he thought.

that night, she was dropped home safe and sound by the man whose name she never asked, and who didn’t accept the money she offered and kindly left her with a smile on his face.

the next weeks were spent in misery both by reenie and gabriel. true, gabriel had scarlet to keep him company, but somehow something did not feel right — perhaps he felt far too guilty for making someone like reenie suffer, someone who had accepted and loved him for who he truly was, someone who had made him so happy during a difficult time in his life; gabriel surely thought reenie deserved better than this. as for reenie, she had nobody to really take care of her, as marla was not in south korea during those days and she had no other friends she could entirely trust in. therefore, she decided to focus on work — she would work as many hours as her body and mental strength allowed her to, so much that by the end of the day she were so exhausted she’d have no time to think about gabriel; it worked on some days, but most days turned out hellish as there were not many clients in town, most of them celebrating new year’s far away from the country. nonetheless, within those hellish days, reenie gained a couple of new clients, among them a man of russian nationality and korean ethnicity, who had come to spent new year’s with his family in seoul — he had brought along his son as well. reenie had to look twice to realize the man’s son was the same stranger who had brought her home the night of her break-up with gabriel.

“my name’s vlad. tis a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” he stretched his hand to shake it with reenie’s, whose lips were at first parted in awe (both from the shock of seeing him again and from realizing how charming he actually was), though then quickly she switched it into an affable smile.

that night, the thought of gabriel didn’t make her too sad. instead, she wondered whether that vlad had come with his father to see her by mere coincidence, or if he actually had planned it all along, because he wanted to see her again. she shook her head and sighed, there was no use giving it much thought. after she fell asleep, she dreamed of scarlet — the girl left a message for reenie in her dream. maybe, just like reenie had feared, gabriel was in danger.