#confession: i hate oswald a lot

[r3djy]

if its art prompts you crave, i bestow upon ye:

draw the rogues as different rogues. dr jonathan crane, aka the penguin. pamela isley, better known as harley quinn. shes the girlfriend of the joker, dr harleen quinzel. jervis tetch as the riddler. oswald cobblepot as the mad hatter. edward nashton as the scarecrow. is this anything

This is such a cool concept.😭 Please keep this up

So anyways here they are!

(Sorry i didn't have enough energy/time to colour so its like this💥)

((Also i added some silly things in the tags if you want to read ))

[malachiexists13]

Gay Or Nay?: Ikemen Series Edition

86% voted yes, 14% voted no, so here’s the post. Reminder that these are MY impressions of the characters, and this is entirely a joke. No need to take me too seriously. If you disagree with me, that’s fine. No need to argue, just make your own post. 

Also small spoilers for my ikemen ocs series.

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

Ikemen Sengoku

Nobunaga Oda 

Have you SEEN his right and left hand men? He’s either an ally or bi-curious. Can’t decide. 

Masamune Date 

He flirts with Mai to hide his homosexuality /j 

Nah, I’ve seen how he admitted that he’d kiss Nobunaga. He’s gay. Bisexual if you please, but gay. 

Mitsuhide Akechi 

Is that even a question? Have you somehow not seen the way he flirts with Hideyoshi? Let’s be honest, he’s bisexual. 

Keiji Maeda 

Idk him well enough to judge that. 

Hideyoshi Toyotomi 

I know a lot of people are going to want me to say Hideyoshi is gay because of Mitsuhide... But honestly, Hideyoshi gives me the vibes of someone who says gay shit without realizing its gay. He seems more like a very supportive ally to me. 

Ieyasu Tokugawa 

Idk but I can see him as like, panromantic or something. He also screams femboy to me but we dont talk about that 

Mitsunari Ishida 

Confused ally <3 

Ranmaru Mori 

Confused ally pt.2 + closeted ace 

Yoshimoto Imagawa 

Gay (they try to push so hard that he’s pretty, and no straight man is supposed to be that pretty /j) 

Sasuke Sarutobi 

Nerdy gay 

Kanetsugu Naoe 

Either indifferent so like, some kind of mspec or somewhere on the ace spectrum, maybe both, not too sure 

Yukimura Sanada 

Awkward gay (secretly dating nerdy gay) 

Kenshin Uesugi 

That one token straight guy who no one is completely sure that he’s straight or not. 

Shingen Takeda 

In my brain, major flirt = major bisexual so- 

Kicho 

I’ve seen other people write him as like, indifferent or pansexual so I’m leaning towards that 

Kennyo 

Wdym? He’s homophobic- (THIS IS A JOKE. NO HATE TOWARDS KENNYO) 

Motonari Mouri 

Kinda gives me either disaster bisexual or ace/aro vibes. 

Ikemen Revolution

Lancelot Kingsley 

Gay but in the closet about it 

Jonah Clemence 

Confession time: I thought he was a woman at first LMAO- 

Gay 

Edgar Bright 

He’s straight and an ally, but enjoys teasing the others 

Zero 

I dont think he’d care tbh 

Kyle Ash

Didnt realize he was gay until after he started dating his boyfriend 

Ray Blackwell 

His whole thing about freedom and living how you want to or whatever makes me think he’s bi 

Sirius Oswald 

He’s an ally <3 

Luka Clemence 

Shy gay 

Fenrir Godspeed 

Overly supportive ally (especially since his gf is MTF) 

Seth Hyde 

Everyone thinks he’s gay, but correction he’s pan 

Harr Silver 

He’s pansexual 

Loki Genetta 

I dont know him well enough?? 

Blanc Lapin 

He’s straight, maybe a little curious tho 

Oliver Knight 

He’s another ally, gives me the vibes of someone who would punch a homophobe in the face for insulting his friend 

Mousse Atlas 

I chronically forget he exists, so idk 

Dean Tweedle 

The gay twin 

Dalim Tweedle 

The straight twin that gets confused for the gay one 

Ikemen Vampire

Napoleon Bonaparte 

As far as I’m aware, in history he had two different wives and he kissed the tsar (even apparently said if the tsar was a woman, he’d make him his mistress soo--) Napoleon definitely isn’t straight 

Mozart 

He’s straight and hates everyone equally (/j) 

Leonardo da Vinci 

Gay 

Arthur Conan Doyle 

WHORE- this is a disaster bisexual 

Vincent van Gogh 

the supportive straight brother 

Theodorus van Gogh 

the angry gay brother 

Isaac Newton 

Too anxious to question his sexuality 

Jean d’Arc 

I like to joke that he’s bi but denies it because he hates men 

William Shakespeare 

not too sure tbh 

Osamu Dazai 

another disaster bisexual 

Comte de Saint-Germain 

I feel like he’d be omni. Like he doesn’t care, but still has a slight preference. Also supportive father figure <3 

Sebastian 

Serious gay 

Vlad 

I pondered on this one for a long time.. and I still have no answer 

Johann Georg Faust 

Closeted gay who suffers with internal homophobia (i literally wrote a oneshot for him where this was the main premise-) 

Charles-Henri Sanson 

another bi guy 

Ikemen Prince 

Leon Dompteur 

straight but supportive 

Chevalier Michel 

Bro, it’s CANON that he’s pansexual (I think- idk. I played his route when it first came out in english so its been awhile) 

Yves Kloss 

I feel like he’s bi but doesnt really talk about it 

Nokto Klein 

He’s too slutty to be ONLY into women 

Licht Klein 

Straight but an ally 

Clavis Lelouch 

gay ass clown 

Jin Grandet 

Straight 

Luke Randolph 

I HAVE NO IDEA???? 

Sariel Noir 

I feel like he’s straight but also an ally, like he doesn’t care but absolutely will NOT tolerate homophobia 

Rio Ortiz 

unsure. 

Gilbert von Obsidian 

Silly little gay man <3 I can see him as like, pan or something. 

Keith Howell 

Excluding his “other” side.. I can see Keith as straight, but a supportive ally 

Silvio Ricci 

He’s homophobic (secretly not straight but in denial) 

[patchwork-artists]

What would it be like if Original Felix met his IM counterpart and the IM crew and Circus? Would he tease IM Felix about Ozzy?

that's a hard question because it depends what counts as original felix,(⚠️autism moment upcoming⚠️) there's his black and white self, his comic self, and a lot of people look at either the 1950s show or the twisted tales show for references too 🤔 im not as knowlegable on his comic self as i didnt read those, on his black and white self as ive only seen a couple shorts(ive been meaning to watch more but im always meaning to watch more of x ajjsajjda rn im trying to catch up on some oswald and some popeye classics to better understand them and i didnt even Began tackling the mickey shorts—and i fully dropped the alice comedies i dont like them very much, i'm more of a fleischer than a disney guy i watched muuuch more of bettys black and white ones and fleischer generally has much stronger characterizations amongst the black and white era!the other cartoons had characterization but i wouldnt say they were at the level that fleischer was beggining to do with its protagonists)

anyways sorry. you tackled the hyperfixation lemme cut myself from ranting more and answer your question qjsjajdjajdjw i thiiiink. i think, if we speak on a more general term, some b&w felixes would tease him but theyd look more towards the chance of teasing him in general than the chance of teasing him over romance in specific—or they wouldn't care at all/would care more about other things(i know there were a lot of comics and shorts that implied felix to be someone who had this ideology of sharing to your community in a very communism utopia manner, and they might be a bit more focused on the fact that felix is a famous rich writer and isn't doing. anything with that, while some of those felixes are starving on screen he had a lot of starving and poverty issues), from what ive seen of the 50s shorts(i havent seen them all! i just got the luck to find a cd with several episodes on a store nearby so i know those episodes)that one is a little bit more calm and nice and would probably try to help him confess, and twisted tales felix which was tap's main inspiration for his younger self i think would think "oh this poor dude is about to get ruined with another romance he has no chance in. sheesh. anyways how can i either steal his man or steal his money(surely no comical hijinks could come from that)"

now the crew. as in questers. hhhggh long one so i'm just gonna resume it to strongest friendships. black and white shorts felix would hit off very well with bendy, and a little bit boris but deef with bendy. 50s felix would probably like holly the most, mugs second. twisted tales would be interacting with cup the most but always in an almost rivalry to him, not full on rivals but not buddy buddies kinda thing, and i say that because i can see him passing by when cup's playing a luck game to see if he can get him to loose, him seeing cup get himself dates and flirting and try to steal those girls' attention to it not only not working but cup laughing at him, and he's def pretty zany on that show which cup doesn't like because it's unpredictable, not to mention cup's entire attitude could get him to mutter sassy remarks, but i think they'd find enjoyment in that entire dynamic he wouldn't full on hate cup and cup wouldn't full on hate him either

but i might be wrong i haven't watched those in like 3 years ajsjjajdjajd and besides everyone has different interpretations of the characters. as much as i love felix (literally got gifted a felix notebook and felix socks and a felix shirt all by different family members and considering i had already made myself a little felix necklace and was also gifted an oswald bag i finally have the full "i am normal about black and white cartoons" fit 💥 ahsjsjskcja) i am a 6 people and i can only watch and analyze and remember so many shorts while everyone else also uses the brain for their own hyperfixations kwjdjwjfja

[just-an-enby-lemon]

I have a lot of Oswald headcannons involving catholicism and he are some:

- He read the bible pretty young and he loved the old testament the most. He was fascinated with the tales of revenge and just retribution and really wanted god to send a bear or a plague against his bullers.

- He started to get disapointed with god at twelve after realizing god was not doing much to help his family even tho they were faithfull followers. He ploted his own revenge against his bullers (he pushed one of them down stairs and sucefully blamed the other) and promissed to not be tricked or subjegated by no one not even god. It was when his hate for all authorities except his mother started.

- He went to a catholic school and the opnion of the nuns on him were very divided some though he was a perfect little angel and others (specially the ones that saw he playing with animal corpses) though he was possed by the devil. Gertrude only heard the first ones.

- At first Gertrude wanted him to be a priest and considered his lack of romantic or sexual interest as a teenager as a sing of god that this was truly his path. A part of her still hopes he becames a priest one of this days but the other is glad she didn't lost him to the congregation.

- Sixteen year old Ozzy was very annoyed over the fact he had to knee in front of the bishop during his confirmation but he still did the ceremony because it would make his mother happy. He also growled at the bishop when he puted a hand in his shoulder to start the jurament.

- Deep down he is still afraid of his certain destiny in hell (If hell existis he is going there). He tries to bring up the subject with Edward but gives up because Ed would think his though funny and just say that hell isn't a thing.

- Since Falcone was not only raised catholic but was still religous even though he was a criminal Oswald though a lot about asking to him about hell but never felt confortable enough.

- He sometimes absent mind prays in hungarian when stressed.

- Depending on how young he started working for Fish I can imagine he asking her to be his goodmother for the confirmation since he doesn't really know people. (I can't decided if she accepted it or not)

- He always lied in his confessions because he was afraid the priest would tell the things he said to his mother. Except once they went to a church founded trip with school and since the priest was of a different congregation he felt free to confess. The priest was deeply disturbed and took sabatical days to reflect on life after it.

- He still has Gertrude cross and bibble and Mary statues preserved in a room in the masion. He actually made the room one day when he had forgotten she was dead and decided she would be happy if he made a prayer room to show he didn't gave up on religion even tho they weren't going to mass together anymore. When he realized she was dead and he just spend a hour doing a shrine for a god he doesn't really belive he was devastated.

- He used to lie to his mother about being the perfect catholic boy. He went to mass to her (not regurlaly - a thing she complained about) during important celebrations and was very polite with the passive agressive chuch ladies asking about his lack of mariage and the rumors of his criminal activities. (He did ruin their lifes later).

- He is afraid of elevators and part of it is because his fear of hell. The idea of it is enough to make him afraid of anything that goes down quickly.

[guzmapkmn-archive]

guaranteed chemistry

ও word count: 1,346

ও relationship(s): pre ryan/oswald

ও warnings: none

ও summary: ryan struggles with his feelings as oswald celebrates the election. set during 3x04

ও notes: me dancing around writing a confession fic that literally happens 2 episodes later. also there may be mistakes but that's bc i finished this at 1am

ok to rb!!

The mansion, as it had been the last few weeks, was packed full of Oswald’s campaign team, with their low chatter filling the remaining space. I stood towards the back of the room, trying and failing to focus on the TV screen. The reporter’s babbling about tonight's election was almost a white noise, drowning out everything around me, so I hardly noticed the rhythmic tapping of Oswald’s cane against the ground as he headed my way. He came to stand beside me, with his suit sharp as always, and his neat hair unfortunately devoid of spikes.

I did my best to match his wide smile, but it felt much more forced than I would have liked. Luckily, Oswald didn’t seem to notice, or he at least didn’t mention it. “This is it,” he said, “the moment I’ve been waiting for.” He broke off into a nervous chuckle then fell silent, following my gaze to the TV before speaking again. “I… thought a lot about what you said the other day.”

“What do you mean?” I asked, though I felt I knew exactly what he was talking about. The other day, when I told him my thoughts about him paying off the election to guarantee a win. I know for a fact he could win on his own - after all, who was his competition? Aubrey James? The man was a hack - but he wanted to make sure. I wasn’t the one running for mayor, so I wasn’t going to call the shots for him, but knowing he had spent so much of his life as a criminal, so hated by the public, I knew an honest, genuine win would be beyond gratifying for him.

“About my decision to buy the election. I… I hope you’re right.”

“You took the money back?”

“Yes.” He pressed his lips together tightly. “You seemed so sure I could win on my own. I trust your opinion. And seeing everyone who didn’t know cheer for me these last few weeks has been unlike anything I’ve ever experienced.”

Despite Oswald’s confident words, there was a hint of anxiety in his voice. Which was understandable, after all, anything could happen, but I didn’t want to get him down with my usual pessimistic ways. And besides, I truly believed that he could win - that he would win.

The TV cut back to the news segment, about to announce the election results, and Oswald fell stock-still beside me, barely even breathing. I held my hand out to him and he took it, almost crushing it in his nervous grip. Silent anticipation filled the room in a moment that felt like hours, which made the applause that followed almost deafening.

In what can only be viewed as a seismic shift, even by Gotham standards, former underworld kingpin Oswald Cobblepot has won the mayor’s office by a landslide.

Oswald dropped my hand, speechless and teary eyed amidst the cacophony of cheers erupting around us. “I… I still won.” He took a step forward then turned back to me.  "They... they love me," he breathed, tentatively, as if he didn't believe it. As if there were any reason for him to not win.

I grinned widely at him, real and genuine this time. "Of course they do, who wouldn't?" My breath caught in my throat as soon as the words left my mouth. I didn't mean to say that. Fortunately, he didn't seem to notice the true meaning of my words, too caught up in his euphoria and the chanting of his name, from both the broadcast and his campaign team.

I hung back as he began to accept his congratulations and praise, practically glowing with excitement and joy. He looked so beautiful, and I so desperately wanted to tell him so, tell him how amazing he was, but he disappeared into the crowd before I could even begin to work up the courage.

~~~~~~~~~~

“It is with a humble heart that I accept the trust placed in me by this great city to become your mayor.”

Oswald stood in front of the crowd, long after I decided against telling him how I really felt about him. Cameras clicked and flashed around me as he spoke. 

“The people have spoken, and I have heard their call.” He locked eyes with me before continuing. “As my first act as mayor, I would like to introduce you to my chief of staff, Mr. Ryan Campbell!”

My mouth dropped open and my face flushed dark as everyone’s attention turned towards me. I felt like a deer in the headlights, standing awkwardly amidst the throng until I noticed Oswald waving me up.

I somehow never even imagined the possibility of holding a position with Oswald, thought I probably should have seen it coming. After all, what else would I do while he’s mayor?

My brain went on autopilot as I made my way up to stand next to him, and when he grabbed my arm to raise it proudly, I really truly felt like my heart would beat out of my chest or my legs would give out. I had never had this much attention put on me before, especially so suddenly. Was I supposed to say something? I wasn’t sure, though it didn’t seem like anyone expected me to.

The rest of the night passed by in an overwhelming blur, and I was glad to find myself sprawled out on my bed in comfortable clothes that didn’t feel like they were choking me. A knock on my door shook me out of my daze, and I sat up into a more flattering position. “Come in.”

Oswald entered my room, still dressed but a bit disheveled. “Hello there, Mr. Mayor,” I said, grinning at the laugh he huffed out. I patted the bed next to me, swinging my legs over the side when he joined me. “To what do I owe the honor?”

“I still can’t believe that I won,” he said softly. “I’m the mayor. Me.”

“I knew you could do it. I always believed in you.”

“I know.” He looked up at me. “And I can’t even begin to express how grateful I am for all you’ve done for me. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for you.” I ducked my head, embarrassed at the praise and raw emotion in his voice. There was no way that was true, I knew for a fact he could do all this and more, with or without me. 

After a beat of silence, he spoke again. “I’m sorry for putting you on the spot like that, especially without warning and in front of so many people.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “But… are you sure you want me as your chief of staff and not, you know, someone more qualified?”

“Of course,” he said matter of factly. “I trust you more than anyone.”

Fuck. It was so unfair, how he could say things like that to me so easily and not know what they did to me. I could feel my face start to heat up, and I once again wanted so badly to tell him how I felt about him. How much I loved him. It’d be so easy, right? Just say it - I love you.

Oswald stood up before I could speak, oblivious to the complete and utter turmoil my mind was in, but saving me from the embarrassment of what I’m sure would have been a lousy confession anyway.

“We’d best be getting to sleep soon, tomorrow will undoubtedly be busy.”

“Yes,” I said. “Goodnight.”

As Oswald left, I cursed my cowardice and failure to tell him how I felt tonight, not only once, but twice. Although, I thought, settling into bed, perhaps this was fate telling me to just keep it to myself. After all, no matter how hopeful I was, I could never convince myself that Oswald would ever feel the same way towards me. I could settle for what we had now, no matter how much my heart ached for him every time he was near. I had to.

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[forgiveness-in-the-misery]

Arthur The Ventriloquist Penn is definitely not meant to be a parental figure to Oswald, despite that being said back when season five started by people working on the show.

The reasons for my disagreement being: Oswald already had a mom and a dad.

Oswald looked at Carmine Falcone like a father, he even to a similar yet mostly gay extent admired Jim Gordon. These things are important because Oswald has an obvious respect for men that he admires or sees as a sort of or complete father figure.

He treated Arthur like garbage, he treated him like he hated him most of the time. Which makes no sense if he respects him or sees him as a parent.

Arthur to me is an obvious Ed replacement, to a small extent in season four but to a much larger degree in the final season of the show.

Mr. Penn reminds me of Ed in the first and some of the second season of the show: both men tend to dress in a way that is bland, they stick to muddy colors that appear to cause them to blend in with their surroundings, their clothes often looking cheap, and ill fitted for their thin frames. Penn like Ed before he became The Riddler is socially awkward and often seems nervous, falling into being a “jittery loser” as Oswald referred to the Ed he first met. Penn just like Ed in the first half of season three cares possibly too much about pleasing Oswald and earning his praise and validation which we see primarily in season five, except unlike Ed he doesn’t get it.

Oswald loves Ed, he doesn’t love Arthur. Arthur is a pale imitation of Edward from the “good days” before Oswald fell in love and before Ed betrayed him.

With season four when Oswald finds out that Penn had been working for the Falcones he was pissed, but much like Ed pretending to help Butch in early season three it’s a soft betrayal especially because we know Penn had no real malicious intent. So we see Penn back by Oswald’s side, except being treated worse now.

I think Oswald took out a lot of his frustration and anger he had towards everything that had happened with Ed out on Arthur, he makes sure to never treat Arthur good like he had Ed, in fact he treats him like he’s not even a person. Just a thing that he owns. I’m not saying what they had was romantic and definitely wasn’t sexual, but the tensions and subtext of Oswald and Arthur feels like a romantic relationship, it feels like a twisted not right version of what he wanted with Ed. To live in city hall, the place him and Ed had once claimed before everything went to shit, running the guns and a good chunk of the city, even down to owning a dog albeit Ed definitely would not have let Oswald name their dog Ed. Except he isn’t sharing any of this with Ed, instead he has Arthur who seems like an older pathetic version of the Ed he had met years prior.

Even when Arthur dies Oswald isn’t incredibly upset, he’s bothered by it but it isn’t a death that haunts him because strangely enough Ed comes into his life soon after Arthur dies. Then when they settle into a new relationship we get an episode where Ed is annoyed by Oswald’s lack of commitment to building their submarine that Oswald named after his mother aka a way to claim it as his and his alone despite doing none of the work. The two bicker and Ed’s obviously hurt and upset by Oswald still after all this time being selfish and incapable of just being there when Ed needs him.

Then Arthur comes back with a puppet named Mr. Scar face and suddenly for me he’s a lot like Ed.

Ed became The Riddler because of Oswald and because of Oswald Arthur became Ventriloquist. Both villains have a personality disorder, both created an altar that is stronger and more bold than they themselves could be. Watching Arthur confront Oswald for the way he treated him, for the fact he didn’t even try and check for a pulse or heart beat or give him a burial but instead just left him there to be tossed onto the streets mirrors Ed’s season three pain at finding out Oswald’s obsessive selfishness lead to him having Isabella killed. What turned both men against Oswald were actions he took because he’s ultimately a selfish man.

I also like how Ed spends a lot of the time being irritated by Arthur and irritated to find out Oswald made another villain. That Oswald really hasnt changed. What cements Arthur as a rebound romance for me is that Oswald does end up faced with two men he had close ties to and hurt in different yet similar ways he confesses that he treats those in his life he cares about like shit. He treats people badly and pushes them away and he knows he’s doing it and he knows he’s alone because of the way that he is. As I said in another post, Oswald places people in boxes of what use they have to him, and a lot of times this results in those people hating him like we saw with Butch and Ivy and Barbara and Ed and Arthur. He could have had better and longer friendships or in Ed’s case a romance with these people if some part of his brain hadn’t slotted them in a box of “tool”.

The pentacle of this all being very gay and very much about romantic relationships is that after the puppet is....killed, Arthur is grateful to Oswald and also straddling his lap which is super gay, but also that Oswald seems like he would be willing to try to treat him like a person this time around....Then Ed kills Arthur when technically there was no cause to do especially because that could have triggered Oswald to turn on Ed. Ed explains Arthur was a lunatic and they needed to get rid of him, which I can’t argue with but Ed also is unpredictable in the same way as Ventriloquist. Ed explains that he accepts Oswald for who and what he is and that this thing of theirs works because Oswald accepts him as the trainwreck that he is. Oswald says maybe they are meant for each other and....all of that is gay.

Due to network interference it couldn’t be gay, but season five really drove it home as hard as they could. And Arthur was very very clearly a rebound romance and a placeholder until Ed came back into Oswald’s life.

Also just general shoutout to getting to see Ventriloquist in live action, like all of that was exactly how I would expect the puppet and character to look in real life.

[sunriseverse]

rec listtttttttttttttttttttttttttttt

fair warning there’s a lot of different fandoms here—i have, uh. twenty-two pages of bookmarks. lots of newmann though, i promise. in no particular order, i give you a fic rec list

the future’s owned by you and me by kaiyen (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 7k, Not Rated)

Years after they stopped writing each other, Newt and Hermann run into each other on the steps of Cambridge University Library. Quite literally.

 Newt stares at him, expecting more. He doesn’t get any. “Come on, man, who are you? Maybe I’ve read something.”

 I doubt it, Hermann barely catches himself from saying. “Gottlieb. Hermann Gottlieb.”

 And Newt looks like he’s struck oil. “Oh my god,” he says, and something flickers behind his eyes, like there’s more than just recognition there, and before he can wonder any more about what it is, Newt blurts, “Oh my god!” and Hermann flinches and makes a face like a disgruntled frog.

What you can expect: emotions, opprotunities missed, and opprotunities taken. I absolutely adore this fic, though I might be biased by the fact that it has Newt as bipolar, and that’s something I always crave (more bipolar Newt fic when???).

Survival is for Nerds by Annabeelee (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 46k, Teen and Up)

It's three hundred and two years after humanity lost to the Kaiju and two hundred and twenty one since the Kaiju left. Not that it matters to Hermann. In relation to following a neurotic genetic experiment across whats left of the Northern American continent while dodging alien predators and hostile subgroups of humans, its possibly the least helpful thing to keep in mind.

What you can expect: scifi, tension, and a very intersting world. Post-apocalyptic, technically, but the way it’s written makes it almost hopeful. I love how the setting and writing makes it feel like a blend between victorian steampunk and futuristic in tone.

people can surprise you (or not) by pdameron (James Bond, James Bond/Q, 10k, Teen and Up)

“I’m not you, Bond. I don’t exactly have a technique for getting rich strangers to like me.”

“Just do your naive cute puppy thing, and they’ll be doting on you in no time,” Bond replies as he pulls up to the grand estate.

“My what?” Q asks incredulously. Bond doesn’t answer, simply giving him an indulgent smile. The fucker.

(or: 00q meets Gosford Park. Except not really.)

What you can expect: humour, murder, and some light espionage. Also, fake dating.

Infinite Distance by lachatblanche (X-Men, Erik Lensherr/Charles Xavier, 7k, Teen and Up)

When they encounter an unfamiliar and seemingly-abandoned ship in the middle of nowhere in space, Captain Charles Xavier of the spaceship Graymalkin heads out to investigate.

What you can expect: drama! Intruige! It’s set in space! I read this a while ago but I have memories of it being rather riveting despite the relatively short length.

Gertrude’s Goulash by lollzie (Gotham, Edward Nygma/Oswald Cobblepot, 7k, General Audiences)

Ed needs a new roommate. Oswald needs a room. Oswald may just be the most amazing person Ed has ever met. Shame he's not single. Cue wooing via the medium of cooking.

What you can expect: pining, misunderstandings, obliviousness, and a lot of goulash as a method of romancing.

Death Of The Author by happygolovely (Gotham, Edward Nygma/Oswald Cobblepot, 9k, Mature)

Edward Nygma was never intended to be anything more than a secondary character.

The Riddler demands otherwise.

What you can expect: a story within a story within a story. You think you have it figured out, and the next moment the carpet is yanked out from beneath you. Fairly dark, possibly disturbing, but my goodness if it’s not engaging.

we make our friends, we make our enemies by ORiley42 (Mission: Impossible, Benji Dunn/Ethan Hunt, 52k, Teen and Up)

Benji finds out he has a new neighbor. This new neighbor happens to be off-the-charts hot. Hijinks, friendship, more-than-friendship, and secret agent drama ensue.

What you can expect: pining. There’s spy stuff going on too, and it eventually gets brought up, but my gods, the pining. Also, it’s fucking hilarious, and, at just over fifty thousand words, the perfect read when you’ve got an hour or two and you want something that’ll make you both laugh and cry.

Self-Sabotage by EmilyweepsforPilfrey (James Bond, James Bond/Q, 2k, Teen and Up)

For some reason, whenever he's alone with Bond, the most ridiculous things come out of Q's mouth.

Or 'the one where Q accidentally invents a girlfriend'.

What you can expect: Q being an utter idiot. It’s hilarious. Nice quick bite of humour if you fancy it.

The Long Con by harleygirl2648 (Hannibal, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, 19k, Teen and Up)

There are two kinds of cons: long and short. Short cons mean short-term gain, with smaller rewards, mostly just everything you have in your pocket at that moment. Long cons mean lots of time, effort, costumes, masks, props, sets, and other characters all looking to set up the downfall of the mark and take them for all that they've got.

Con Artist/Thieves AU: Will Graham and Hannibal Lecter are both interested in acquiring a Botticelli, but both of them are quite fond of each other's short games. For both of them, it's the deception and thrill of the game that's worth more than the payout.

And well, after all, aren't the easiest people to scam are those who think they are smart enough to not get scammed?

What you can expect: no cannibalism, a lot of banter, and, of course, con artistry. Quite delightful if I do say so myself.

deus ex machina by coloredink (Hannibal, Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter, 26k, Teen and Up)

"What the hell?" said Katz.  "Is that--"

"Yeah, I know, it's kinda flashy."  Will shut the car door behind him and patted his pockets for the little fob to lock the car.

"Isn't that Hannibal Lecter's car?"

The car beeped to indicate it was locked.  "Yeah, I guess so."  Will walked away, toward the field, Katz on his heels.  "I needed a new car."

"So you bought the cannibal car?"

-----

You asked for it: the one where Hannibal is a murderous self-driving car.

What you can expect: what it says on the tin. Quite funny, especially with the element of magical realism meaning Hanni-car is sentient. The Hannigram is more vaguely implied than an actual thing, owing, probably, to the fact that Hannibal is, well, a car.

adapt, evolve, become. by peupeugunn (Alex Rider, Gen, 3k, Not Rated)

“This is how you get out. You're slowly moving towards a desk job.” A pause, then, “you know, most people do it the other way around.” Alex chuckles softly and and shuffles towards him to lean against his shoulder, burrowing into the crook of his neck. Ben’s arm winds around him, shields him from the world, a solid weight on his back. “You're going to miss the adrenaline rushes, kid.” There's something almost sad in his voice. Alex doesn't want to understand why. Down that road lies madness. 

What you can expect: a character study, in a bit of a roundabout way.

A Sharp Dressed Man by Avelera (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 12k, Teen and Up)

Hermann's latest book needs an author photo. However, when he's given a makeover and a suit that actually fits for the photo shoot, his appearance is so transformed that Newt mistakes him for his (much hotter) older brother, Dietrich.

Hermann decides to play along.

What you can expect: gods this fic is so good. It’s the first Newmann fic I ever read, and I’ve reread it a good six times since 2018. I would say more, but I think the fic speaks for itself.

Gestures by Actually_Crowley (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 7k, Teen and Up)

Newton finds out what Hermann does with his rare free time, but the discovery leads him to believe that Hermann honestly and unequivocally hates him. 

What you can expect: the rituals are fucking intricate. I love this fic so so so much. And the eventual reveal/confession...scream.

Fate’s Horrifying Ways (also known as: CHRISTMAS GODZILLA) by linearoundmythoughts (Pacific Rim, Newton Geislzer/Hermann Gottlieb, 4k, Teen and Up)

Your name is Newton Geiszler and you’re going to have to break things off with your sort-of online boyfriend because you’re cheating on him. Sort of. [AKA the most dramatic summary of a humorous crackfic ever ok]

Originally written for the Pacrim Secret Santa back in 2014.

What you can expect: first off, it’s not second person, I promise. It is, though, really fucking funny, owing to the misunderstandings that ensue. There’s much pining, some angsting, and, of course, humour.

Letters From Berlin by spenshi (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 12k, Teen and Up)

Newton keeps in touch with his family when he's shipped off to the Shatterdome. Jacob and Illia send care packages to the K-Science Lab. 

What you can expect: Geiszler-family feels. A lot of them. Also, Newt and Hermann slowly growing closer to until they can finally admit they’re into each other.

Wishbone by cypress_tree (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 8k, Teen and Up)

Hermann doesn't have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving, so Newt invites him over for food, family, and a little bit of flirting.  Just a warm, fuzzy college AU to get you through the holidays. 

What you can expect: fluff, softness, general feel-good fic. It’s really good, and it has Geiszler-family feels. Reading this fic is a bit like drinking hot cocoa on a cold day.

next days by catbeans (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 5k, Teen and Up)

Hermann had never felt an ache quite like this one, and he had felt plenty. He had been running on adrenaline first, and then on the necessity to keep running, pain and bone-deep exhaustion falling to such a low priority that he couldn't even consider it one anymore, and then it had stopped.

(the 18 hour nap date these guys deserve)

What you can expect: Newt and Hermann cuddling. A lot. That’s really it, that’s the fic. It’s 100% indulgent and I love it for that.

Tebori by SkysongMA (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 7k, Not Rated)

Newt squints. "It's really not a sex thing? 'Cause I'm not opposed to it being a sex thing, mind you. I just don't want to come in the lab tomorrow and not get to throw things at your stupid face."

Hermann lets out an endless, long-suffering sigh. "It's really not a sex thing, Newton, honestly. We hate each other. That's worked out very well for us so far, and it will continue to work out for us in the future." He doesn't mention that they haven't always hated each other and that, at one point in their long relationship, showing up unannounced at Newton's door for the purpose of sexual favors would not have been so far out of the realm of possibility. Had been, in fact, one of those things Hermann had considered late at night long ago, when he couldn't go a week without a fat envelope in the mail full of Newt's ramblings.

But that was quite some time ago, and he means it. They each get more work done than they would ever have separately, even if only because they like to rub their progress in the other's face.

Anyway, admitting anything different would just give Newt ammunition

What you can expect: Newt gives Hermann a tattoo. There’s a lot of feels.

Newt Inherits a Bar by orphan (Pacific Rim and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 11k, Not Rated)

The scary part is the bar looks exactly like Newt remembers.

What you can expect: you’ll probably tear up a bit. This one hits pretty hard, honestly, but it’s so, so, so good.

First a Darling, Then a Marvel by isozyme (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 20k, Mature)

Newt runs a simulation given three constraints:

1: Newt wants to clone a kaiju 2: Hermann does not want Newt to clone a kaiju 3: Newt is going to clone a kaiju anyway

What you can expect: a lot of sciencing, a lot of feels, and two repressed idiots. There’s like, a paragraph or two of smut but it’s pretty clear when it’s going to happen so it’s easy to skip, which is great. The tl;dr of this fic is Newt clones some kaiju, Hermann reminds him how fucking horrible of an idea that is, and everything more or less works out in the end.

Tea and Sympathy by osprey_archer (Torchwood, Owen Harper/Ianto Jones, 13k, Teen and Up)

Soon after Jack's disappearance, Owen takes sick. Ianto goes to check on him.

What you can expect: crabby doctors, put-upon Welshmen, and a fuckton of emotions that everyone is trying to ignore. Not particularly happy, but then, when is Torchwood ever? It’s good while it lasts, though.

Pareidolia by hal_incandenza (Pacific Rim and The Black Tapes Podcast, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 102k, Mature)

It starts as a profile of paranormal investigator and professional skeptic Dr. Hermann Gottlieb. But it seems the further journalist Newt Geiszler delves into his cases, the more mysterious Dr. Gottlieb becomes. What is he hiding? What is he looking for? What is the truth? What is the difference between a journalist's idea of truth, and a scientist's?

Seeing is not believing. Believing is believing.

What you can expect: suspense, mystery, horror, pining, and apocalypse cults, with a dash of an ambiguous ending. I love this fic so much. I literally would stop what I was doing to read it when I got an alert that there was an update when it was still a work in progress.

Meet Me There Across The Water, And We’ll Start An Endless Storm by Skepticamoeba (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 35k, Teen and Up)

Hermann, an honorably discharged veteran has retired to continue working as a Keeper at a Lighthouse. It is perfectly solitary, and with little in the way for incidents. Newton is the sailor that washes up on the seashore after a summer storm.

[Late 19th century Lighthouse Keeper AU--or the one where Hermann was an aspiring artist whose dreams got a bit derailed, and Newt is the sailor that needs to learn to take his time with things.]

What you can expect: the pining........the intricate rituals............the denial.........*chef’s kiss*

and I couldn’t whisper when you needed it shouted by Lvslie (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 24k, Teen and Up)

He still smells like Newt; bears traces of his recent nearness. Clothes sleep-wrinkled from the proximity, from the way Newt’s ankle has during the night hooked around the calf of Hermann’s good leg and dragged his whole body seamlessly closer. Cheek half-flushed from the face unconsciously nuzzled his into the side of Hermann’s neck—evidence of his presence, fast asleep, as Hermann lay still and fretful for hours an end, staring at the ceiling and feeling sick with wanting.

[An early 20th century AU inspired loosely by Maurice and Age of Innocence.]

What you can expect: wistfulness, pining, repression, denial, lots of feelings. You’ll probably tear up. There’s an achingly happy ending for both of them. This is one of the fics I want a hard copy of so I can mark it up because, fuck, I love it so much.

leave the car running by Macremae (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 1k, Teen and Up)

It is clear that, after everything, Newt doesn't like to be touched. 

What you can expect: touch starvation, mutual pining, Newt finally getting the human contact he deserves. I wrote my own version of this since it was initially a prompt, but quite frankly, I like Newton’s version better because it hits.

The Man Who Invented Sherlock Holmes by Calais_Reno (Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, 15k, Teen and Up)

John Watson, struggling young doctor, doomed to live an ordinary life, dreams of writing detective fiction. If he can just figure out his hero's name, the story will practically write itself.

What you can expect: Watson sort of, kind of, maybe invents a man into being. Oops. I haven’t read this one in a while but I remember it being quite a lot of fun. There’s elements of what I would say is probably magical realism, but it’s never quite clear.

Newton Isn’t Dead by Macremae (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb and Vanessa Gottlieb/Karla Gottlieb, 32k, Mature)

Newton Geiszler is currently being possessed by a genocidal alien race known as the Precursors. They’ve taken over his body, leaving him a prisoner in his own mind. However, Newt has a totally awesome plan. He’s going to make a deal with them: let him prove that Earth is worth saving, and if he can’t do that, they can have his body. But convincing a hivemind full of mega-colonizers that one blue planet can be wonderful isn’t going to be easy. He’s going to need the help of his kind-of-ex Hermann, his best friend Vanessa, and one awesome Footloose remake to pull this off.

So, naturally, they go on a road trip.

What you can expect: pining, world-saving, eventual confessions and happy endings. I had the great honour of reading the chapters before they were published, and this fic is one of my top five favourite fics. There were multiple points where I yelled, both literally (quietly) and through text (slightly less quietly).

it takes time, but time moves slow by prettydizzeed (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 2k, Teen and Up)

Hermann conducts a cost-benefit analysis every class period of sitting in the back of the lecture hall versus walking down the stairs to the front. He wishes he had hard data for this, to get some actual statistics, and perhaps after a while, if he records his pain level and his ability to read the board and pay attention after each class, he will be able to predict the outcomes given either choice on a particular day.

Two curves, traveling in opposite directions, inversely proportional: pain goes up, concentration goes down. It’s comforting, somewhat, to make it a numbers game. Impersonal. Absolute. Not a tragedy, and not his doing, only his to interpret, a smudged scrawl across his left knee in an unfamiliar handwriting, his to analyze, to decrypt.

What you can expect: the fic may only be 2k, but it will leave you feeling like you were punched. It’s fantastic.

I Could Be Jew-ish For You by Macremae (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 10k, Teen and Up)

When Hermann agrees to spend Chanukah with his family in an attempt to wheedle some desperately-needed funding out of his father, Newt insists that he shouldn’t face Lars alone and tags along as his “emotional support family rage distraction”. What they fail to realize are two things: 1. When Hermann brings Newt with him to the festivities, assumptions will be made, and 2. Newt may be half-Jewish, but he sure wasn’t raised as one. 

What to expect: fake dating fake dating fake dating— (can you tell I have a favourite trope?) In which Newt is Jew-ish, Hermann is both exasperated and pining, Lars is disliked, and we all get the Jewish romcom we deserve.

It Was Love At Second Sight by rednights (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 35k, Teen and Up)

Hermann receives the first letter when he is eighteen years old.

or: Kaiju don't attack the Earth, but Hermann and Newt still write letters, botch their first meeting, and fall in love, not necessarily in that order.

What you can expect: feels. So many fucking feels. There’s no kaiju but that doesn’t mean you won’t be on the edge of your seat.

hello my old heart by firebirdsuite (The Magnus Archives, Martin Blackwood/Jonathan Sims, 15k, Teen and Up)

Peter’s wrong, of course. When it’s all over, Martin does still want to tell Jon everything. It’s just—well, there’s a few things they need to work through first before they can get there.

Martin and Jon find each other again in Scotland.

What you can expect: tenderness, domesticity, and love. The perfect trifecta.

the truth about me (and the truth about me) by danimagus (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 11k, Teen and Up)

Newton suffers from a bout of memory loss and is told Hermann is his fiancé.

Hermann plays along, to his endless shame.

What you can expect: two words: fake dating. Gods, I love this fic, as Mary can attest from how I unceremoniously started screaming at her about it in her tumblr messages the day of/after it was published. This fic is great because it subverts the trope a bit, and thus avoids issues of consent that may otherwise have occured.

speak right to my heart without saying a word by thekaidonovskys (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 13k, General Audiences)

“Your eyes. Your expression. Your smile. I’ve worked with you for ten years, Hermann, and words have never been our primary method of communication.” 

What you can expect: to be knocked the fuck out emotionally. This one hits pretty hard, and that’s what makes it so good.

Transducer by hal_incandenza (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 85k, Teen and Up)

“I need you to hide something for me.”

“Oh, excellent. Of course, Newton, please allow me to jeopardize my career. And yours as well. My pleasure. Do go on.”

“Yeesh, relax,” said Newton. “It’s a personal thing, not a work thing.”

“As if there is any division between the two,” Hermann snapped.

If only you knew, Newt thought.

What you can expect: intruigue, alien tech, light espionage. This fic will have your little nerd heart beating double-time. It’s very very good.

A Really Private Person by astolat (Person of Interest, Harold Finch/John Reese, 18k, Mature)

The end of the world started on a Wednesday in March. 

What you can expect: badassery on Finch’s part. One of the few fics I have bookmarked for this fandom, and it’s bookmarked for good reason.

Party For Two by ProblemWithTrouble (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 18k, General Audiences)

 “My mother’s parents have a home in the Black Forest that has a guest house. They’ve often allowed me to stay there when I could spare the time.” Hermann looked distant as if he were remembering something; the warmth of a fire and a nice book and the smell of freshly made tea. “It will be quiet, and possibly too boring for you-”

 “It won’t be. I could use some quiet after the decade we’ve had. I could actually compile my research. And sleep. It sounds amazing.”

After the world doesn't end Newt and Hermann take a vacation together to live in a cabin and finally relax, as friends. Cue the pining, the longing, and the living together as best friends.

What you can expect: a fic that will wrap you up like a warm blanket. Mutual pining, vacationing together in a cabin, lots of feels—what more can you want?

Dream Drifting by MooseLane (Pacific Rim and Inception, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 5k, General Audiences)

"You're running an extraction on that spastic PPDC biologist, is what I hear." Chau fixes him with a side-eye. "I know I wouldn't want to go poking around in that little bastard's head."

(There are not enough Inception x Pacific Rim crossover fics, so I decided to change that.)

What you can expect: Inception meets Pacific Rim. There’s no other way to say it, really.

I’ve Got Nothing To Do Today But Smile (The Only Living Boy In New York) by gyzym (Inception, Arthur/Eames, 19k, Teen and Up)

Arthur's a corporate lawyer, Eames owns the coffee shop across the street, and all good love stories start with a quadruple shot latte. 

What to expect: Arthur is stressed, Eames runs a coffee shop, and, through the power of friendship and a lot of stress-baking, everything works out happily for our intrepid protagonist.

Kalimat/كلمات  by rainbowagnes (The Old Guard, Yusuf Al-Kaysani/Nicolò di Genova, 3k, Teen and Up)

Yusuf translates medical texts for Niccolò from Greek and Persian into Arabic, and Niccolò spots the substratum of the ideas of the classical authors that he had once believed the basis of his own civilisation that he would go to the sword to defend, translated and passed down and sewn into a no longer foreign script. There are words Yusuf does not know how to translate. They will never, ever know all of the words. The prospect is thrilling. --- It takes Niccolò lifetimes to learn Arabic. 

What you can expect: if you, like me, are, especially natively, multilingual, this might hit the sweet spot of Language Feels. It did for me. Also, Joe calling Nicky hayati? Yeah.

i never liked that ending either by Macremae (Pacific Rim, Newton Geiszler/Hermann Gottlieb, 15k, Mature)

You want a better story. Who wouldn’t?    - Litany in Which Certain Things Are Crossed Out

Once upon a time Dr. Flick Tucker, K-Sci head of Biology, fought a bunch of highly scientific dragons to save the world. Then, they took over her life. It didn’t end well.

Once upon our time Dr. Newt Geiszler, marine biologist, sci-fi aficionado, and accidental discoverer of dimensional travel, got a chance to take her place. He has a couple of ideas.

In which Uprising is still a bad movie, musings on the nature of choice and personal autonomy are made, and somewhere, probably, a coin is showing heads every time.

What you can expect: everything’s fine this is a perfectly normal fic come here i want to cause you as much emotional damage as I can

Not Allowed by acedott (BBC Merlin, Gwen/Morgana, 1k, General Audiences)

Gwen has been dealing with self-imposed touch starvation since she was a child. Morgana sets out to challenge this. 

What you can expect: gays. Pining. Touch starvation. Need I say more?

Rocky Horror Pancake Show by ChuckleVoodoos (Daredevil, Matt Murdock/Franklin “Foggy” Nelson, 19k, Teen and Up)

Foggy falls asleep at exactly 12:00 AM, and he’s making a wish. He wakes up at 12:00 AM too—twenty-four hours before he fell asleep.

"Let's do the time warp again!"

What you can expect: Ground-hog Day style time-loop, lots of fluff, and a happy ending.

Ain’t No Nancy Kerrigan by cleverqueen (DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Leonard Snart/Mick Rory, 13k, Teen and Up)

It's 1994, and young Lisa Snart's jumps aren't strong enough for an Olympic singles skater. Thankfully, her older brother has an athletic friend who can match her in pairs.

Mick Rory is hopelessly in love with Leonard Snart, though he'd never say anything about it, so he jumps at a chance to do Len's little sister a favor. If he's patient and works hard, maybe he'll even get to skate with her older brother.

What you can expect: pining, ice-skating, and general goodness. It’s fun, it’s funny, and it has a happy ending.

[malereader-inserts]

What a Man Gotta Do?

Fandom: Gotham Pairing: Oswald Cobblepot x Male!Reader Summary: He never question your loyalty, but the curiosity still stands Word Count: 1,052 Request: Could I please have the love/romance prompts 18 and 23 with Oswald Cobblepot? Please make it directed towards him, like the reader is devoted towards him. Oswald deserves people who love and don't betray him.  Prompts: “I have never loved myself, but you? Oh God, I love you so much I forget what hating myself feels like.” “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter how short or long that is.”

Oswald doesn’t have many people in his life, most usually go away due to his temper and other undesirable traits of his, but there was one particular man. Loyal to Oswald through and through, perhaps even blackmailed into staying and yet, Oswald has never questioned his loyalty.

See, he was known throughout the crime world for his criminal activity, how he’s just as fearsome as Victor Zsasz. Oswald had never questioned where you had stood or what you wanted. Oswald found himself defending you when people were to question you or your motives. He found himself loving someone that wasn’t about him or Edward.

Perhaps it was your gleaming glare at people but your eyes softening when your eyes land on him. Perhaps, Oswald found your sarcasm endearing, your venomous threats comforting and your sweet compliments as reassurance. He doesn’t know, but along the way he just found himself adoring you. 

It could be the fact that you would never doubt him, you have complete faith in him and stay by his side even if he fucks up. But, whatever the reason was, you were loyal to him therefore he should be loyal back to you - it wasn’t much of an ask. So, you don’t question much of Oswald’s logic when he goes easy on you, never loses his temper much around you and has a lot of patience.

Thus, you weren’t afraid to slack around because Oswald knows you would make up for it later down the week. 

As you lounge around the Iceberg lounge, Oswald limps to your resting state. He gently knocks your leg with his cane, stirring you awake. Oswald tries not to let his heart melt when you slowly open your eyes, confused about where you were before sitting up straight when you see him.

“Having a nap?” Oswald asked, harmless sarcasm biting towards you, your lips turned upwards in a soft smile.

“What do you mean?” You asked with a sleepy tone, “I was wide awake.”

That’s why Oswald liked you so much, you treated him like he's just a friend. You weren’t strictly afraid of him, sure you knew he had power and he technically can tell you whatever he wants you to do but still, you had loyalty to him and acted none the wiser. You treated him with shit and respect, you made fun of him but never crossed the line. You were a friend as much as you were his worker.

“So, what’s up?” You asked, stretching your back as you pat the empty side, allowing Oswald to sit next to you, “You look like you have a lot on your mind, boss.”

“Why do you stay by my side?” Oswald asked, you rubbed your eyes as you looked at him, eyebrows furrowed with big questioning eyes.

“What do you mean?” You asked, with scrunched up nose and knitted eyebrows with obvious judgement in your eyes, “Isn’t it obvious?”

Oswald looked at you, this time with the questioning eyes and furrowed eyebrows, “What is obvious?”

“That you’ve caught my heart once, maybe, twice - but, I’m yours. I'd move the earth or lose a fight just to see you smile because you got no flaws,” You chuckled, yawning, “I have never loved myself, but you? Oh God, I love you so much I forget what hating myself feels like.”

Oswald looked at you shocked, with your confession, you yawn again, “How much sleep have you gotten?”

“Hmh?” You leaned your head on his shoulder, “God knows, Os, probably three this week?”

“Then, your confession is invalid,” Oswald concluded, he wants your words to be true but he wasn’t ready to give his heart to you - as much he desires to know what it feels to have your hands wrapped around him and how your lips taste against his when you kiss him, “Your words don’t mean anything and refuse to believe you hate yourself.”

“Of course I do,” You scoffed, “Come on, Os, the real reason I’m in this shitty criminal business is that I don’t have the guts to kill myself. The more I’m in danger, the less likely I feel bad about dying.”

“Oh,” Oswald lets out softly, utterly devastated, however not realising you weren’t finished talking.

“But still, after being your loyal guy, I found a comfortable life to live and a reason to feel shit if I die.”

“You’re tired, (Y/n), your words are invalid.”

“Ah, no,” You pointed to him, adjusting your head to look up at him as Oswald softly smiles to look down at you, “So, Oswald, what a man gotta do?”

“I’m confused?” Oswald asked, loving your sleepy state.

“To be locked up by you?” You started to giggle at your stupid joke, “No, for real, Oswald Cobblepot...”

You sat up abruptly and turning to look at him, Oswald looks at you with confusion as you blink your sleepiness away. There was full seriousness, no dishonesty in them and Oswald fully trusting your next words.

“I want to spend the rest of my life with you, no matter how short or long that is.”

“And I would always want you by my side, (Y/n),” Oswald says with honesty, pulling your head back to rest on his shoulder, he stroke it lovingly and his heart-melting when you hum, “Go to sleep for a bit, then we can properly talk about it.”

“You’d stay by my side?” You asked as you shut your eyes, relaxing in his arms.

“Of course,” Oswald says sincerely with a smile that was very genuine, “What a man gotta do to be your last "Goodnight" and your first "Good day", (Y/n)?”

“Not much, Os,” You softly hum, burying yourself closer, “Just keep being you, you’re perfect enough.”

Oswald was about to respond but he then hears a soft snore escape from you. Oswald chuckles softly to himself, careful not to wake you up as he readjusts himself. Leaning back and shutting his eyes, it won’t hurt for him to rest next to you. 

He’s safe next to you, a person he never thought he could love nor would love him back. But, he’s happy and he’s not complaining. But you and he will endure a long-overdue talk when you both wake up. 

Still, he won’t mind since it’s you.

[byorder-fanfic]

Love Thyself, Then Thy Neighbour

Summary: Linda Montgomery is tired of living for everyone but herself. It may not be holy, but it is hers.

Word count: 1957

Warnings: Swearing, LOTS of talk about religion and Church, war, hospital and blood mentioned

Author’s Note: I really hate the misogyny in the way Linda was written and I think that sometimes the fandom demonises her as a bitch for her religious beliefs, so I wanted to try and make her a bit more sympathetic. Hope you like it xx

One thing that being brought up in a strict Catholic home is that Linda leant not all rules were written in the big book. The most important rule was that women didn't work. Her mother would huff and puff when she was eighteen and desperate for work, saying that being a wife was work enough. Keep his belly full and his balls empty became the second most used phrase in her house after Amen. Linda Montgomery kept her face straight as her mother introduced her to nice, young Catholic suitors who she would take one good look over and ask whether they supported Miss Pankhurst and her plight for women's enfranchisement. Her mother would tut and her father would bury his head in the palm of his hand, as another man was scared away to the next young girl. Linda was a radical- Linda was wrong. So, when she met another devout woman at a local meeting for WSPU, she immediately trailed along to the Church that could possibly allow such beliefs alongside the teachings of Christ. The Quaker priest welcomed her with open arms, saying he was thankful to help her cast away the false idols she had been brought up with. Her mother spat at Linda's shoes, saying she had condemned the family by falling into an ecclesial community. Was this the love thy neighbour teaching that each holier than thou figure preached? So, Linda got a flat with Dorothy Evans (the woman who'd brought her to the Church) and attended that service on Sunday, then woke up before the Sun to get to work on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Saturday sometimes too, if they needed a girl to work an extra shift.

That was another unspoken rule, even amongst the Quakers. If a woman was to find work, as rare as that would be, there were only two professions deemed suitable for good Christian women: teaching and nursing. Now, Linda had never been fond of children, so nursing it was. She had romanced the idea of it all throughout training, cooing over her baby blue uniform in the mirror that matched her eyes and thanking God for her ability to help others. It was no menial task, she would never say that. With the drunkards that gained injury after injury to the horrors of the Spanish influenza, on top of the everyday maladies that she guided to a hospital bed and patiently listened to her patients as they told her their stories. With those that noticed her silver cross that she always wore proudly over her uniform, she'd been invited to sit by their bedside and pray alongside them. Eventually she'd learned a couple of appropriate Bible verses to encourage and uplift, sometimes even writing them down if they wanted a more permanent influence. Then the War happened. The called it Great- she couldn't agree. Dorothy and her had both decided right from the start that knitting socks and lighting candles would not be enough for them. They packed up their nurses uniforms and followed the soldiers as they marched over to France. Romance was lost in the makeshift hospitals set up over thick mud that got their long dresses turning brown. Linda learned not to care; there were worst things that ended up on her aprons and managed to soak back through her clothes, turning her skin pinkish. As soon as she got home, she burnt her nurses uniform. She wanted to keep it at first, as a reminder of all that she'd lived through, but no matter how many times she washed and scrubbed until her hands were a familiar pink raw, the smell of blood never washed away. The photos stayed, as mementos to remind her that the Lord saved her, that he was with her still in the sleepless nights and the guilt that plagued her soul.

Instead of returning to the hospital before the Sun woke up on Monday, Linda found work at the only home she knew. The Church offered all kind of charity and volunteer work for her, but she was also employed as an accountant-cross-secretary role. She was good with numbers. She never knew that before. Nurse Montgomery was gone, but Linda Montgomery was proud and faithful and working still. She was twenty six and made sure to use her well-earned right by attending each and every campaign that her local area had to offer, voting according to her beliefs whenever an opportunity was open. Linda clung to it, to her faith, to her work with all she had. She had to make herself right in the Lord's eyes, had to make all those lives lost and unsavable soldiers that she'd pray with till their soul extinguished like a candle, she had to make it worth it. It had to mean something. So, when Linda saw a strange man stumble into the Church one Friday night, looking over to the empty rows of pews with hesitance and fear etched in every line in his face, she knew what she had to do. He was a handsome man, she couldn't deny it. Maybe it was that which piqued her interest.

Excusing herself from the desk (although the priest was getting on and hardly even heard her) she walked down to meet this tall man in a bulky grey coat that still hadn't figured out he was supposed to sit on the pews. 

"Hello there sir, are you alright?" She asked, polite and smiling. He looked up at the sound of her voice, although he didn't have to look far as she was quite the bit smaller than him. His eyes trailed up and down. Linda pulled her cardigan tighter around her shoulders, feeling her face go the same colour as her clothes. She didn't wear baby blue any more, even if it matched her eyes. This man had a soldier's haircut, shaved at the sides, and the rest of it was slicked back out of his nervous-looking face, a moustache presiding over his top lip.

"Um...yeah, well," he sounded a little gruff, although that was probably in part to his thick accent that Linda couldn't quite point her finger on. "Well, this is embarrassing. I thought this was supposed to be a Church, see, so I thought I'd come on in, but...uh, I, um, didn't mean to intrude. I'll leave you be."

"This is a Church," she said it quickly, before he could turn around to leave.

"It is, hey?" He chuckled a little to himself, rubbing the back if his neck. "Sorry, I thought there'd be a confession booth or something. They have that in St Oswald's."

"They have confessionals in Catholic Churches, this is a Quaker Church." She kept a smile on her face, although she heard the bitter voice of her mother ringing in her ears. Ecclesial. Pagan. Damned. "But if you need to talk, you're welcome to take a seat. I'm not a priest, but I can try my best to help."

She gestured to the pew, and the man ever so ungracefully set himself down, tucking his coat behind his hips. She sat in the pew in front of him, turning on her side so that she could face him. He, however, seemed to only be interested on the floor.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

"No, don't call me sir." He shook his head, looking up as he held his hand up too. "Arthur's the name, Arthur Shelby."

"I'm Linda Montgomery," she shook his hand demurely, not sure if the ragged-looking man was really the gentleman he presented himself as.

"Montgomery?" He smiled as if there was something funny about that. "That's a proper lady's name, that is. Bet your husband's a rich man or somethin'."

"I don't have a husband," she told him, showing off her bare ring finger. It never seemed important.

"How come?" He scrunched up his face as if in genuine confusion. "A lovely lady like yourself should have a man eating out the palm of ya hand."

"Work and war," she explained simply, shaking her shoulders as if it meant nothing. "I was a nurse. Never had time for it."

"Now you have no man but Jesus, right?" 

"Something like that." Linda moved a hand over, reaching onto his. There was a point to this conversation, one she was keen to getting back to. "Why are you here, Arthur?"

My, um, aunt always comes here when she needs, I dunno...clarity, I guess? I used to go too," he stumbled through his words, clearing his throat at odd moments as she tried to figure out how to get his heart into words. "I loved the hymns. But then the war happened, and I have all this shit in my head. Can't get rid of it either, cause I'm still a soldier. Still a fuckin' soldier."

His hands shook under Linda's own, and she was quick to realise the cracks in his lips and bruises under his pale eyes were a clear sign of withdrawal symptoms.

"Arthur, you aren't at war anymore," She said gently, rubbing his calloused hands soothingly. His wide eyes looked up at only her and she felt it stir a sermon in her. "You can find peace, I swear it. I know you've just quit drinking." His brow creased in shock, but he didn't dispute it. "The temptation you feel will be difficult to fight, but once that battle is over, you won't have to fight anymore."

"Work, love, work. I have to."

"Fuck work." She surprised even herself with her bold statement that was hastily followed with a look over her shoulder to see the aged priest nodding off in the back room. "There's a lot of things that aren't written in the Bible, Arthur, but that doesn't mean they aren't Gospel truth. The most important thing is that you have to love thyself before you can love thy neighbour. Once you help yourself, get yourself out of the darkness you're in, you'll find a way out, a way to better things."

There was a pause for a moment in which Linda could see the conflict in Arthur's eyes between blind faith in a woman he'd just met, and doubt in his own abilities.

"You're an angel," he whispered. He leaned forward and she half expected him to kiss her, although she didn't move her head back. Rather, when his hands rested onto her cheek, she moved forward ever so slightly, watching his adoring look with a little smile on her pink painted lips. "I think the Lord sent me to this fuckin' Quaker Church for a reason, Linda. I think He knew I'd meet the pretty blonde cherub woman who knew just what to say to stop me from reaching a bottle again."

"You give me too much credit," she warned.

"No, love, no. No one's ever said I could have a redemption. It feels good to be believed in."

"There's a temperance group here," Linda started rubbing circles in his hand. "Would you like to join? I work at the Church so you can pop in and see me afterwards, tell me if the Lord sent you in the right direction."

He laughed a lot at that, eyebrow cocked.

"You want to see me again, huh?" He said it like a dare, something amusing in the words.

"What would be so crazy about that?"

Bold words weren't usually Linda's forte, but she'd chased after work, the Church and a good life. Why couldn't she chase after this handsome man the Lord delivered to her?

[glitterwolfvi]

Can you talk abt ur favourite fallout character and your hcs for them?

OK YEAH I CAN! this is going to maybe get a bit long tho because I have.. a few favorites from each game

also in general, I want to smooch all the ghouls

Fallout 3

Butch DeLoria: ah yes, the boy, the bastard. I love him and his whole look, and the Tunnel Snakes! first off, I like to imagine he is a GNC Trans Masc dude, he’s gay, and he’s 5′1. he/him pronouns! he HATES how short he is and will fight anyone who calls him that, don’t test him. huge fear of radroaches AND the dark, don’t mix them. he’s bipolar and autistic, and favors vocal stims. echolalia!!! growing up he was forced to be pretty feminine and hated that he was forced, so when he first came out, he tried to be as masc as possible, but later at 19, he started letting himself being as feminine as he wants, but not forcing it, y’know? smokes and drinks. later, I imagine he absolutely gets his gang up and running again, with better people. they stab transphobes. Tunnel Snakes Rule!!

Charon: heart eyes motherfucker. I love him. he’s a big dude, and I mean big. 6′10. he’s bi! he/him pronouns! he’s always super nervous to act on his attractions, because not only is he a ghoul, he’s honor bound to a contract. Azrukhal said he got hypnotized to follow it I think?? I imagine he actually did! he’s not a pre-war ghoul, but a more recent one. maybe ghoulified during the what the people did to hypnotize him. canonly, he has a 3 Intelligence, and I like to think before he got hypnotized, he had a higher Int. but still had a low Charisma heh. probably also has a brain injury. selective mutism! BIG softie under all that grump

Sergeant RL-3: love this Mister Gutsy! I think he sounds way too like.. charming to be a Gutsy, but I love it. good robot! they’re definitely demi-bi/ace and Masc Nonbinary! He/They pronouns for this bot. they’re protective of the Lone Wanderer, and he just wants them safe and secure. I think he should be a companion that doesn’t have karma requirements to have them. despite his... patriotic comments, I feel like he doesn’t really care who you are or what you follow, as long as you don’t harm those they care about. the patriotism is just how he was programmed anyways. they love to just be called Sarge, rather than Sergeant RL-3

Gob: ;o; I want him to be safe and ok. Trans Masc and bi with a preference for men. He/They. 5′6. PTSD, anxiety, depression. he’s autistic too! vocal stimming and hand flaps. but he can’t because of stupid Moriarty. loves his lesbian moms and just wants to go back to them, where he’s safe. crush on Charon!

Fallout: New Vegas

Raul Tejada:  love this old ghoul and his voice. augh I just can’t get over it. anyways, he’s gay, 5′8, and he/him pronouns. he absolutely hates being alone, but is scared to get close to anybody. if you do manage to get close to this man, he’s a ride or die kind of friend, y’know? he’s also the type of guy for lots of platonic ‘I love you’s and cheek kisses if you’re close. he doesn’t like when those he cares about wanders far from him when they’re traveling, and gets super nervous, and just wants to run and make sure they’re ok. he respects boundaries, but still worries over them. sweet man, jokes a lot, but also complains a lot about being old

Arcade Gannon: I haven’t known him for very long, but I love he. he’s a Demi-Boy, he’s gay, and he/they pronouns. 6′0. autistic and will go on and on about certain topics, there’s no stopping him. not like you’d want to, but still. likes the sound of a clicking pen and stims with it. more stims than that, but y’know, his favorite. he has lots of anxiety, but does have plenty of ways to cope. he gets crushes super easily. you’re nice to him? he loves you. that cute guy over there that said hi to him? love. dhfgkjgf

Lily Bowen: don’t have much for headcanons. but just... grandma. I love her. lesbian grandma. she/her

Yes Man: the best bot in the Mojave!!! good bot!!!! baby boy. baby. anyways, Masc Nonbinary, bi, and He/They. just loves everyone! easy to make friends with. when he’s allowed to feel other things and say no, he’s still super friendly and happy. he just... he’s filled with love. shaped like a friend. relationships with them? lots and lots of affection, and sweet gestures, and gifts. he tries his best, and likes making people happy. but he’s also a sarcastic shit at times, and can get very passive-aggressive

Fallout 4

Deacon: stealth egg!!!! Trans Masc Genderfluid, Demi-Bi, and He/They/She. 5′5. the sunglasses are to hide who he was. jokes about his depression and anxiety and ptsd. which is.. not good. he’s super good at sewing. he has lots of wigs, but that pompadour is his favorite! it’s so so so hard to get him to open up, but when you do, it’s only in private, with said person, but when he is, he’s super sweet and soft-spoken, makes less jokes. sensitive, but has it easier time hiding it when not being... himself

RJ MacCready: trash husband. rude garbage weasel. I want to smooch. Trans Masc, Bi, and he/him. 5′2. don’t call him a mungo, he gets super whiny and pouty. he’s a good dad tho and loves his son very much. probably spoils Duncan a shit ton when he’s cured. he’s very awkward with relationships but is very loving. he’s very nervous something will happen to his partner a lot, considering what happened to Lucy. loves dogs a lot

Nick Valentine: ahh, the reason for my last name. synth detective. BETHESDA LET ME ROMANCE HIM. Questioning his gender, Bi, and He/They. 6′0. it’s easy for him to defuse a situation. one of the sweetest people alive. he’s comforting, and if someone he cares about needs it, will sit by them while they sleep, just to make them feel safe. good singing voice. pre-war Nick wasn’t a movie person, more of a book person, so everyone’s favorite synth detective is the same. puts himself down a lot, because he’s an old synth. especially if you confess to him. doesn’t feel like he deserves whoever is his partner, but is so sweet and loving

Ada: not many headcanons for her yet. tiny lesbian bot, she/her. gives you anything that reminds her of you ;o; and random junk to help build settlements

Oswald the Outrageous: LOVE. good ghoul. Trans Masc Nonbinary, Demi-Bi/Ace, and He/They. 6′2. autistic, love performance and painting. tbh? water is a big sensory issue, especially now because water has been described as ‘sludge’ now. often covered in paint

Kent Connolly: I love him and his excitement. Demi and He/Him. 5′7. autistic and his special interest is The Unstoppables! specifically the Silver Shroud! sweet man. easily flustered

Fallout 76

Mordecai McCoy: good ol Morty-Mort. Trans Masc, Bi, and He/Him. 5′6. wants to make a name for himself, besides just being able to go into heavily irradiated places for people. a sweet man and easily excitable, but always tries to put on like.. a kinda tough guy act. but it’s super easy to break. likes to joke around a lot, and can be a flirt

ok to rb!!!

[experimentalmadness]

Interrogation

Back with more OC nonsense. Jacky’s little double act is found out and Harvey’s brought in as part of the interrogation. Remember when I said we only write Harvey as a fundemantally kind person in this house? Well...take a look. And if you’re curious about this OC and the fic that precedes this one check out her tag! Anyway if you’re liking my little drabbles reblogs and likes mean the world. :) 

***

Jacky always imagined the police interrogation rooms would be much colder, more impersonal. The room in the GCPD precinct almost felt like a regular office space. It even had a small, barred window overlooking the street. She could see the monorail line. The bakery was about three stops off of Grand Avenue and Miri would be opening soon. Funny, how that was what came to mind first. 

All those years of careful consideration. Living on the line. Over now. And all she could think of was if Miri was going to be able to handle the morning rush without her to man the registers. 

The door to the interrogation room banged open and Harvey Dent, flanked by two officers came inside. “Case number 0114, Miss Jacqueline Ripley held on suspicion of attempted murder.” 

Jacky had never heard Harvey at his work, never seen him in court, only heard the campaign speeches and the play by plays afterwards over a drink, or while watching a game. One of the officers took out his handcuffs to chain her to the table, which she fully expected. No need to make this nightmare go on for longer than it had to. Jacky put her wrists together and held them up. 

“Thank you, officer, but those won’t be necessary.” Harvey took a seat, pulling out a tape recorder and manilla folder from his briefcase. 

“All do respect, Mr. Dent, but the state we found her in warrants—”

“I’ve dealt with worse.”

The officer just shrugged and pocketed the cuffs. “We’ll be just outside,” and Jacky knew the warning was for her to not do something so stupid as to attack Gotham’s favorite DA. 

They left, the door clicking so loud it set off bombs in Jacky’s brain as she stared opposite of the man who was doing everything in his power not to look up at her. He fiddled with the recorder and opened his files, tapping his pen against the steel tabletop. “For the tape, suspect was found near 1st Street and Quinn in the Cauldron at approximately 3am with a Mr. Robert Young,” he flipped through the file, “Mr. Young was taken to Eliot Memorial with multiple contusions, fractures, and internal injuries. Suspect has given a full confession to Commissioner James Gordon at 5:15am. Are the following statements accurate, Miss Ripley?”

“Yes.”

“And you have waived the right to an attorney is that also correct.”

“I have.”

The recorder clicked off. “Are you being coerced? Officer Franklin has a history of taking cuts from Falcone, Jacky, I can make a call.”

“Harvey…”

“Get someone from legal aid down here in twenty. I can say you won’t talk to me.”

“Harvey, no.”

He turned on the recorder again. “For the record, Miss Ripley, again, are the following statements accurate? Was your confession coerced in any way by any interrogating officers?” 

He nudged the recorder closer to her. That was funny. She’d lived through a lot in her fairly young life already, seen a lot of nasty things, done plenty to make her numb to most, but it was that little motion--out of everything--that broke her heart. She leaned over the table so her mouth was hovering over the recorder. “My statements are accurate, no coercion.”

Harvey slammed another hand down to pause the recording, inches from her face. “Damnit Jacky!”

That was fine, he yelled in all her nightmares, too. Sometimes he hit her, they’d fight, she’d lose. In some dreams he even turned into the Batman—back when she thought they might have been the same person. Now he just sat back, eyes trained on the pages in his folder. “I’ve been doing this a long time, Harvey.” 

He ignored her, clicking the recorder back on. “You came upon Robert at around 2:45am by your statement, walk me through the events leading up to your confrontation, for the tape.”

Jacky leaned back in her chair, tilting her head back to watching the fluorescent lights on the ceiling. “I get calls for odd jobs at least once or twice a month. Robert had been selling--let’s call it information for the record—to Penguin, er, Oswald Cobblepot. That means I do it special.”

“What does special mean?”

She already had the shovel in her hands she might as well keep digging. “My employer likes to send a message. You think it’s easy beating a man to death? Normally it’s quick and clean jobs—”

Harvey was quick to shut off the recorder again. “I only need the details of this case.”

“But I’ve done—”

“You are looking at five to twenty-five years on this charge alone, Jacky. The police only have evidence following this particular case, do you understand?”

She always thought he’d stop looking at her like that after he knew. That those earnest eyes would go hard and distant. Why did he still look at her like she was his friend? Like she was someone he was still going to save? Didn’t he get it yet? The charade was over. She’d had a good long run, but the secret was out, it was time for the DA to do what he was supposed to do: clean up Gotham’s streets and put people like her away so things could be better for everyone. 

Jacky squared herself in her chair, slicing off another small piece of herself as she met his gaze. “I’ve killed a lot of people, Harvey.” 

“No,” he said, simply, certain, like she had just told him the sky was purple. “Off the record then,” he closed a hand around the recorder, knuckles going white under the pressure, “Are you protecting someone? Does Falcone have anything over you? I know that night at the shop—”

Jacky couldn’t stop herself from laughing. “There’s no protection racket, Harv! No coercion, no set up! No frame job! Do you haggle with any other suspects like this? Asking them if they were all put upon? You’re Harvey freakin’ Dent. How many nights I spent hearing about how you threw the book at a killer? A dirty cop? A mobster? Here I am, buddy, take your shot.”

Was nothing she said getting through to this idiot? When was he going to drop the act and treat her the way she deserved? Instead he just checked his watch, and ran a hand through his hair. “Right about now I’d be coming into your shop.”

“I’d ask if you had any exciting cases today,” Jacky continued, replaying the routine effortlessly in her mind. She’d slide him the coffee, he’d give her one of his signature grins that would carry her through the rest of the day, she’d make some smartass remark, he’d double it, they’d make plans for the evening or tomorrow, and Jacky would pretend to be the woman who was lucky enough to be friends with a man like him. “Guess I’m getting the news early.”

He covered his face with both hands, elbows leaning against the tabletop. He sucked in a breath and straightened up at once. “Get a lawyer, Jacky,” he snapped.

“Don’t need one, I’m guilty.”

“If you can get the DA’s office any pertinent information on Falcone’s operations I can look into getting your sentence reduced.”

“That doesn’t seem fair to me, you offer that to every other hired killer who sits in this chair?”

Harvey slammed a fist against the table. “You are not a killer. You’re not. I know you, Jacky.”

If she reached across the small expanse to take his hand the cops waiting and watching outside would be all over her in seconds. Not that she would anyway. Her hands twitched in her lap. All he had to do was walk her through the next steps, verify the case, make sure her rights were being recognized and leave. “I am a killer,” she whispered, hoping this time it registered. That it stuck. “I am a good sister, a pretty decent hitwoman--well used to be I guess, and right now a bad friend.”

She might as well have taken out her pistol and shot him with each word she said. Here it comes, she thought, the big bad lawyer all the rest of Falcone’s men would never admit they feared. She almost wished he’d haul off and hit her. 

“This city…” he sighed, running another hand down his face as he stared out the barred window. “It has a way of beating down the best of us. You can’t let it. We can’t let it.”

The bars on the window played a pattern of interlocking shadows across his face. She was prepared for his hatred, for all of that righteous anger she’d seen him direct at the sickness and corruption in Gotham. She hadn’t been ready for his disappointment. 

“So here’s what we're going to do Jacky. I’m going to switch on this recorder again, you’re going to tell me how to nail Falcone to the wall and you’re going to get five years. You’ll make good in Blackgate. Take any classes they offer, do everything right. Get out for good behavior in two. And you're not going to let the worst side of this city win. Got it?”

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. 

He reached across the table and took her hand, pulling it towards him, covering it with both of his. “You do this with every convict?” He was being a hypocrite and she wasn’t going to be the reason he went corrupt. He squeezed her hand, she kept wishing he’d punch her instead. 

“The whole spiel? Yeah, I do, actually.” He had the audacity to give her a small smile. “There’s enough people in this city that think there’s no other way. There’s always another way. Jacky, c’mon look at me.”

“Didn’t think I was part of the saving crowd. Thought you’d hate me.”

“Oh it’s going to take the full two years for me to stop that,” she almost laughed at his words. His hands around hers kept her steady, pulling her up out of the water that had been over her head for years. 

“But what I want to know, Jacky, is who convinced you you weren’t worth saving?”

[boundlesshart]

preliminary cindered shadows thoughts and headcanons

Or: DLC truly fed me more than I fed myself today

Ok. I have watched through all of Cindered Shadows, read through the library texts, and seen the Claude/Balthus supports. I’ll keep this mostly concerning Claude and House Riegan as a whole, since they’ve gotten a lot of development.

As of right now, the information seems to be more informing than “you see this carefully created headcanon that you like? poof. gone”, which is excellent!

Spoiler warning extends to early Chapter 1 of Cindered Shadows (snippet of dialogue ten minutes into the side story, nothing story related), Basement Library contents, and the Balthus/Claude support. 

Members of House Riegan

The most exciting development for me is that every immediately relevant Riegan has been named! Duke Riegan (Claude’s Grandfather) is now Oswald von Riegan (nicknamed Oswald the Old in the C support of Balthus/Claude), and Claude’s mom is now Tiana. 

First off: Oswald the Old. Love it. Keeping it. I’m only now realizing that a lot of my headcanons have been restricted to the headcanon channel on our discord, so for a refresher: I hc that Duke Riegan has a Major Crest of Riegan, which has allowed him to reach 100 years of age by the time the game starts. He’s kind of shaking his cane at the youngins and being stubbornly alive in the face of Alliance nobles praying to the goddess for him to pass on finally, but his health is failing and he is unquestionably old. It reminds me a lot of “The Late Lord Frey” from ASOIAF, which refers to another ridiculously old man who people wish would die so that they can get their inheritance, only for him to be stubbornly alive (and hated, though he doesnt particularly care about that). LITERALLY hate that I compared Oswald to Walder..... LITERALLY hate that i realized that their names have similarities. Moving on quickly before I get mad.

I do miss my Shakespeare reference of Desdemona falling in love with Othello the moor, and Tiana feels a little too simple next to her brother Godfrey, but it’s fine. I’ll talk more about her later, because now we have to talk about the brand new Riegan on the block: Claudia von Riegan.

Letter to a Mysterious Noble: Lady Riegan Gives Bren a Heart Attack, Part One

I’ll start with the letter that nearly killed me:

My Beloved.... 

You were right. It seems he would not hesitate to divide the house. What's more, I hear he's considering taking his half of the territory and joining the Kingdom. 

I can't believe he would even consider dragging another region into this, not to mention stirring up trouble over his inheritance, at a time when the Alliance desperately needs to unite. He's clearly out of his mind. Though he bears a Major Crest, and you a Minor Crest, your father was wise in his attempt to declare you his heir. 

As it were, I can't help but wonder what your intentions with me are, I am drowning in letters proposing marriage to that....beast. He may share your face, but the resemblance ends there. I refuse to marry such a foul creature. If you don't come to me soon, I am going to you. Don't forget that my father's blessing could be revoked at any moment.... 

I will depart Derdriu at the end of the Lone Moon. You have better be prepared for my arrival. I wish to marry you beneath the Garland Moon. Why? Well, I am a woman, after all, and even I harbor dreams of being a Garland Bride. Understood? Great. Make it so. 

- Claudia, Second Daughter of House Riegan

Ok. With the Claude/Balthus support it is confirmed that Claudia von Riegan is NOT Claude’s mom, which is a relief and a half because I was about to throw hands in defense of the milfdilf power couple that I made Claude’s parents to be. 

Now that that is cleared up, this letter is definitely referring to the split of House Daphnel and the creation + defection of House Galatea to the Kingdom. We don’t have a date for when this happened to give more context to the letter, so I’ll leave that to a future Ingrid to decide. In lieu of that, I’ll place this at the 960s, since the Alliance would be in turmoil rebuilding and recovering from the war against Almyra, which would be a time when they desperately need to unite. It’s also a part of my Riegan timeline that isn’t getting filled up, so it works for me. 

What’s more important is what is happening in this letter: Duke Riegan’s daughter, fleeing her home and all she knew for the one she loved. Very Claudemom, which is where we realize that this is the inspiration behind Claude’s name. I’ll deal with that in a second, I just want to comment on how funny it is that a Riegan lady eloping is something that has happened twice now. It’d be funny if this was a pattern..... though I can’t see it staying positive though, Riegan ladies being thought of as notoriously difficult and strong-willed, in a bad way.

I thought this was Claude’s mom because of how frank she was. Claude calls his mother a warrior goddess and a demon queen who would have laughed right alongside his dad if he got into trouble, and from this letter..... it really fits. “He’s clearly out of his mind”, “I can’t help but wonder what your intentions with me are”, calling one of her suitors (the other brother?) a “beast”, “if you don’t come to me soon, I am going to you”, and my favorite part: “You have better be prepared for my arrival. I wish to marry you beneath the Garland Moon. Why? Well, I am a woman, after all, and even I harbor dreams of being a Garland Bride. Understood? Great. Make it so.”

Very blunt. She knows what she wants and she’s going to get it. It’s pretty much confirming what I’ve been thinking about how Tiana would have approached Hairan (Claude’s dad) and captured his heart, and what I’ve been going with for Claude’s search of a partner. They know what they want. They won’t stand to marry a spineless lowlife. They want someone who can keep up with them, not walk behind them or ahead of them but beside them. Excellent content. This really made me love House Riegan.

Now. Claudia. Claude. Claude is meant to be named after Claudia. My headcanon prior to this was that Claude is a name he took on when he came to Fódlan, naming himself after Godfrey Claudius Riegan to curry favor and affection from his sentimental grandfather. 

Here’s the thing: both ways have their own meanings and I love them both. The first references someone who could have been Tiana’s inspiration to leave to Almyra, a tribute to the woman who gave her courage. The second references a dead guy whose name Claude uses for his own personal gain, only for it to end up being a big part of his identity, similar to his initial view of Fódlan as a stepping stone to achieving his dreams. I’m not in the business of headcanoning deadnames. Claude’s reference of fake names after Balthus asks if he is Claude von Riegan (something along the lines of “Claude is such a common name in Fódlan, it’d be perfect for a fake name”) is definitely just to throw Balthus off, but it’s too perfect not to appropriate for my own use. My initial headcanon about Claude’s names stay: When he started transitioning he chose to go by Hafez, and when he resolved to go to Fódlan he decided to go by Claude after his recently-departed uncle.

Tiana von Riegan: Lady Riegan Gives Bren a Heart Attack, Part Two

Tiana von Riegan..... I love her. God I love her. I love that Balthus loves her and confirms that she is a hot milf on top of being a badass woman in general. Claude being like “Dude that’s my mom” was also really funny. Excellent support that goes into what is important for me. Love. Stan.

Timelinewise, I’ve put Tiana’s birth year at 1135, her graduation from the Officers Academy at 1154 (a year after Balthus was born, she was 19), and her disappearance in 1160. Reminder that Claude was born in 1162, specifically stated outside of Fódlan. Things are actually looking up for this timeline and where I placed her: Between 1154 and 1160 she is stationed at Fódlan’s Throat as one of the Goneril Valkyries, which gives me a fantastic excuse to have Holst and Balthus meet her a few times before her disappearance as stated in the support. Both of them knew her, and apparently they bawled their eyes out when they heard that she disappeared, which is hilarious but also cute???? She really was popular.... 

Back to the milfdilf power couple, LOVE Claude’s line when Balthus says that he wants to confess to his mom: “Is that a fact? Well, it’ll be interesting to see whether my father can kill you before my mother beats him to it”. They’re MARRIED. They LOVE EACH OTHER. I love it when Fire Emblem gives me parents that love each other and their kid.

Overall, nothing much changes besides the name. Except for this one..... “interesting” document from the Basement Library.I’m just going to be mad and confused at it so it gets their own separate section:

To Those Who Slither in the Dark: Eat My Ass

Ok, so straight up? I don’t like the whole “secret society of mole men are behind every plot point in history ever” thing. Stop it. Stop it! I hate this almost as much as I hate alternate timelines coming together. I’d rather it be people making decisions on their own be the reason why things go to shit, not secret societies of mole men. I had a feeling that the Slithers would be involved in the Leicester Alliance somehow beyond the Ordelia mess, but that didn’t mean that I wanted it.... Awful. Terrible. I’m posting this note here for posterity.

Item 51 Part 6 ...son of the Alliance's leader, Duke Oswald Riegan, has died in an accident. This follows an incident involving the previous successor, and even the knights of Seiros suspect it was at Count Gloucester's command, thought it seems to conspicuous. This is some concern that this could spark a war. With Duke Riegan gravely ill, the situation is....

At first glance it’s pretty much what it is: throwing some ambiguity at the identity of who arranged for Godfrey’s death. The one thing I’m still trying to wrap my head around is the mention of a “previous successor” before Godfrey. The only mention of Duke Riegan’s other kids is in the Alliance Nobility Register Thingy describing House Riegan, which only mentions his daughter Tiana. Timeline-wise, she is the only person that fits. I headcanoned Tiana as a crestless daughter and the last child of many throughout her father’s lifetime, so far out of sight and mind that she gladly took on risks like fighting to defend Fódlan’s Throat and eloping to Almyra because she didn’t have any duties tying her down. I don’t know what to make of this.... so I’m just going to pretend it doesn’t exist.

Claude/Balthus Support

Finally.... here is the rest of my reaction to Claude’s one new support from the DLC. I said this a lot but I’ll say it again: Love it, excellent, incredibly informative. I like it for the same reason I like Hilda’s (going into his origin), but I also like it because it’s the first time someone that can speak comments on Claude’s ambitions outside of the one cutscene after Fort Merceus. I’m very satisfied with what I got.

The official story/explanation for Claude’s origins seems to be that he was born to an offshoot of House Riegan. Now, Balthus dismisses it, but Balthus is dumb and I’m not dismissing it because it perfectly fits with my headcanon that there are a handful of people that are Riegans in name only, children of the current Duke Riegan, crestless and poor and existing only as irrelevant nobles. They would have been ignored if Duke Riegan died without an heir. Balthus sees through it immediately, but seeing that Claude thinks it’s plausible enough to use as a cover story, I think there’s some truth to it.

Claude reaction to Balthus poking into his heritage is to tell him to mind his own business, followed by saying that he’s too busy and leaving. This is so unconvincing that I’m choosing to ignore it. Come on Claude. You’re better than this.

We get a little information on Kupala, the autonomous village in the mountains close to Edmund Territory, north of the Alliance and straddling the borders of Leicester and Almyra. I’m not tooooo interested in them personally but I like Claude’s last line when he’s talking about a description of the Kupala tribe he heard in Almyra: “Don’t try to find them, people say, or you’re liable to get hexed. Or so the tale goes. That part was probably added to spice up the story a bi, but even so, they’re certainly a mysterious lot.” I headcanon that magic isn’t widely practiced in Almyra and to a point even feared (see: Claude’s pleas to not get hit by magic in his Lysithea supports). So like.... love it when my dumb headcanons get that Support.

Absolutely LOVE that someone is telling Claude that simply “breaking down the barriers”, whatever that means, won’t be easy and might result in consequences he didn’t prepare for. It’s like I possessed Balthus.... “Give me concrete details on your plan and also let me tell your mom I love her”. I also love Balthus’ line “Everything we’ve built to until now could fall to ash”, which references Claude’s death quote in CF.

[supervillain-smut]

Edward Nygma Fluff Alphabet

Anonymous requested I do a Fluff Alphabet for Edward Nygma, so these are a thing you can request now! Here you go, Anon! This one’s pretty long. - Mod Babydoll

A = Attractive (What do they find attractive about the other?) He's a huge fan of people's eyes. He always makes a point to look everyone in the eyes and yours completely floored him.

B = Baby (Do they want a family? Why/Why not?) He likes being a rogue too much, and already has a daughter whom you take care of to the best of your abilities. She's 15 now and completely accepts you.

C = Cuddle (How do they cuddle?) Whenever you cuddle with Eddie, it's usually all arms and legs tangled up with you lying on his chest or him spooning you once he's finally come to bed.

D = Dates (What are dates with them like?) Extravagant, pricey, more often than you'd think. He'll only take you to the Iceberg Lounge if you're comfortable with Oswald.

E = Everything (You are my ____ (e.g. my life, my world…)) Greatest Riddle. He can never fully figure you out, and once he thinks he has it you change it up again. He loves it, keeps him always guessing and on his toes.

F = Feelings (When did they know they were in love?) First, it was your eyes. Sure, they were stunning but that's not all it takes to swoon the Riddler. No, it was the way you carried yourself, the way you barely payed him any mind and loved to attempt any Riddles he had for you. Even if you got some wrong, you laughed it off, admitted defeat and asked him what the answer was. It was like the game he had always intended his riddles to be. That's when he was in love.

G = Gentle (Are they gentle? If so, how?) Eddie never shelters you, but he always touches you as if you were made of glass. The mosaic kind. Something to be admired and coveted.

H = Hands (How do they like to hold hands?) Not so much in front of other rogues, considering he's mostly concentrated on the task at hand or what someone else is saying. In private, however when all his attention is on you, even if you're just watching a movie he'll intertwine your fingers and pull you into his lap.

I = Impression (What was their first impression?) He thought you'd never want anything to do with him same as everyone else, or you'd just want him for his scores like a couple before you.

J = Jealousy (Do they get jealous?) Oh yeah he does. He will literally stand in between you and Dent, and glare daggers at Jonathan when he kisses the back of your hand after you finished a very in-depth conversation with him. Of course Jonathan does it to mess with him and he would never dare chase you, in fact he's among the few rogues you actually get along with and Eddie trusts enough to leave you alone together. Besides, he's Asexual. Eddie gets jealous but he's not possessive, he knows that's wrong of him.

K = Kiss (How do they kiss? Who initiated the first kiss?) The brave Edward Nygma did in a moment of pure anxiety and trust. He kisses deeply and with a lot of passion every time. A little liquid courage didn't hurt either even though he hates drinking, he needed it.

L = Love (Who says ‘I love you’ first?) Edward, right after he first kissed you. He looked like he was ready to cry and his voice cracked mid-sentence, he's never looked so terrified and unsure. He immediately sighed when you kissed him back and said that you loved him too.

M = Memory (What’s their favorite memory together?) After you found out he was the Riddler. You didn't get mad, you weren't afraid of him and recoil from his touch like he thought you would after he came in all tattered, distressed and bruised after the Batman had found his hideout. You just slowly nodded your head at the sight of him. 

Question mark tie all askew, domino mask half broken with a bruised cheek and a split lip, clutching his rib cage breathing hard yet shallow. He had tears in his eyes as he begged you for forgiveness and a place to stay, and was confused as you took excruciatingly slow steps towards him and breathed a shuddered sigh as you took his face in your hands and removed what was left of his mask off his face and kissed his bruised cheek as gently as possible.

N = Nickel (Do they spoil? Do they buy the person they love everything?) Oh, absolutely! He doesn't do it to show off, either he just loves when your face lights up. Depending on whether you're a jewelry person, or just simply nostalgic he will do everything in his power and maybe a little more to make you happy. At the end of the day though, he only wants you from you. He feels unworthy of any expensive things you get him, he's supposed to spoil you, dammit.

O = Orange (What color reminds them of their other half?) Whatever your favorite color or shade is, whenever he sees it when out on a job or on his own or hell even in Arkham he can't help but smile to himself. Once, a doctor in Arkham had a clipboard the same color/shade and he was grinning like an idiot. Considering he's always miserable when under analysis, they inquired why he was suddenly so happy and he confessed that he had someone special in his life that he loved very much and would do anything for, including staying in Arkham to get better (which would probably never happen, you asking that of him I mean.)

P = Pet names (What pet names do they use?) He doesn't really... Use pet names. It just never really was a thing, he's passionate about loving you but he's not all lovey-dovey.

Q = Quaint (What is their favorite non-modern thing?) Unsolved mysteries, reasons behind cryptids, debunking photo-shopped images, images too old to be photo-shopped and theories.

R = Rainy Day (What do they like to do on a rainy day?) Sit inside, preferably with a little fireplace and a book or classic movie. He doesn't like the horror ones too much, especially the more modern ones.

S = Sad (How do they cheer themselves/others up?) He delves into his work, refuses food and anything else to distract him from whatever’s hurting him. If he doesn't mention it, he doesn't want to talk about it. In those times it's best to just hug him while he works and eventually he'll snap out of it and go cuddle with you, and maybe tell you what's bothering him.

T = Talking (What do they like to talk about?) Anything deep. What is the meaning of life? Is religion real or just a hoax meant to keep everyone in line? Give him tongue twisters for some fun, or do a puzzle with him for quality time.

U = Unencumbered (What helps them relax?) Massages from you are his favorite, but a blanket burrito will do the trick as well as your company.

V = Vaunt (What do they like to show off? What are they proud of?) He's proud of his ability to keep up with you, what you like and what you like to do. He shows off in many ways, whether it's just you on his arm or what exciting thing is coming up next for the two of you.

W = Wedding (When, how, where do they propose?) The rogues have to help him out on this one, and he sends you on a scavenger hunt throughout their 'trials'. Answering questions about him or things the two of you did, in each rogues fashion. Such as what significant things happened in the winter as you walk through Victor Fries' winter world, or what was the best time you had while out for some fun as Jervis guides you through wonderland. Crane would ask what was the hardest thing you've had to go through together, etc. Finally it all leads up to Eddie and he asks you to marry him in the dorkiest riddle ever, so easy even Batman could answer it! 

You tie the knot at the Iceberg lounge, where Oswald decided to cover the whole thing because it's Oswald and this is his best friend we're talking about. Batman is invited, and shows up in a tux and cowl along with Selina on his arm. Crane and Harley are also there as Best Man and Bridesmaid respectively. Oswald turned down best man and Eddie handed it to Crane because Crane never shows up to any rogues events and everyone was surprised he agreed. This all comes after many hardships and years together as a couple.

X = Xylophone (What’s their song?) Edward gave you 'Do I Wanna Know' by the Arctic Monkeys, and you gave him 'Everything At Once' by Lenka.

Y = Yes (Do they ever think of getting married/proposing?) In your first two years, no. He was terrified of the commitment and the fear of betrayal was all too much, that and he figured no woman except for Harleen would want to marry a Gotham Rogue. About four years in, however he considered it almost every week and once he confided in Oswald and Jonathan they would help him figure out when was right and how.

Z = Zebra (If they wanted a pet, what would they get?) He always enjoyed the loyalty and smarts of dogs, but also the cunning and adaptability of cats. Probably one of both, for a dog he would bring home a puppy easy to start training like a Chocolate Lab or a German Shepherd. Maybe even a mix if he could find one. For a cat, classic tabby is just fine. 

Selina fosters cats, and one day as Eddie was stopping by she was finishing up on a stray kitten with one green eye one blue eye and it warmed up to him immediately. As soon as he heard Selina was looking for a home for the little curious rascal, he swooped in and claimed she wasn't getting it back. She was fine with it, of course.

[daybreak-academy-fanfic]

Daybreak Academy: Chapter 56

New Student, Familiar Face

Summary: In which my dumb af ship from 2013 can once again set sail. Word Count: 1,674 First | Previous | Next ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆ ⚬ ☆

There were going to be about 50 new First Year students this year- Ven did the headcount. Was it a bad turnout? It seemed like a low number to him, considering how large the school was. He couldn't even remember his student orientation to recall the amount of students there. But weren't all the students cherry picked from around Departure County? Maybe this count was right after all.

'She's not here.' Vanitas grumbled somewhere to the left of Ventus.

“She is.” Ven mumbled back, making a vague motion to the sound of Vanitas's voice. “She promised she would be.”

Yet, despite telling himself otherwise, Ven still couldn't see Sabrina in the crowd. Right now, the new First Years were taking their house tests en masse in the auditorium. When they were done, they were to give their tests to the headmasters -all five sitting on the stage itself at a very long table- and wait for the others to finish. Once everyone had their tests reviewed, each headmaster took turns in announcing who was a part of their house. It was a very nerve racking time; it almost rivaled the stress during finals.

Ventus had thought that choosing to hide out in the balcony seat would have helped him see Sabrina better. He had been quickly proven wrong in that regard. Sure, he could see everyone, but he couldn't see them clearly. From the back you couldn't tell who was male or female- you only got a very good look at the back of their multicolored haired heads. Sabrina's hair was a raven black. He's never forget that. Too bad she wasn't the only new student with black hair, though…

“There she is!” Ventus declared, almost a bit too loud, when he saw Sabrina head up on stage to hand her test in. It took all it had in Ven to not shout her name and wave over to her in hopes of getting her attention. But it was a massive relief in knowing that she was attending Daybreak Academy; he didn't have to call for her because she'd be on campus from now on. Maybe if the orientation finished quick enough, they could have lunch together.

Ven let out a sigh of relief as he relaxed now. Knowing that Sabrina was here led him to wait for the orientations to finish. He was so relieved that, when Invi stepped forward to announce the students coming into her house, Ventus almost didn't hear Sabrina's name among them. It took a solid minute for the realization to sink in, and when it did, Ven's heart nearly stopped.

He and Sabrina were not going to be in the same house. Okay, yeah, sure, it had been a one out of five shot. They wouldn't be sharing many classes, but they could still see each other after. It could still work. You know, just like it did with Ephemer and his other friends. Nothing to freak out about. It was just… disappointing. Yeah… Really disappointing…

The orientations finished up about 30 minutes after the house results were announced. Ven had snuck out just before the stream of new students came out of the auditorium. He waited at the front entrance for Sabrina to come out- idly passing time by watching the clouds roll by.

He only had half a second to register the happy exclamation of “Ven!” before being tackled from behind. A loud, undignified shriek escaped the boy's lips as both he and his tackler crashed into the ground. Ventus blinked for a moment, waiting for his senses to come back, before realizing who had now pinned him to the ground.

“Sabrina!” he rasped. “You… you're…!”

A wide smile stretched onto Sabrina's face. “Lemme guess,” she said, “I'm a huge surprise! Or the best thing you've ever seen! Or, or…!”

“You're crushing my ribs.”

“Oh.” was the small answer. “Sorry about that...” and she quickly got off of him soon after. She even helped him get back onto his feet.

“So now what?” the girl asked him. “Classes start tomorrow, right? So what do we do now?”

Ventus blinked. There was no stopping with this girl, huh?

“We could go get lunch.” he offered. A nervous laugh escaped the corner of his lips. “The cafeteria isn't that far from here.”

“Sounds great!” Sabrina agreed with a cheerful nod. Ven smiled and before he was able to tell her anything else, Sabrina quickly grabbed him by the hand and led them both to the cafeteria.

. . .

“I can't believe we won't be in the same house.” Sabrina pouted. “What a bummer.”

“Yeah...” Ventus agreed with a little nod. “It'll be a bit harder to get together, but not impossible, I don't think.”

“Will the schoolwork be the same?”

“Should be. I'd have to ask Brain or Lauriam about that.” After a short pause, Ven then let out a small sound of remembrance. “Oh!” he exclaimed, “That reminds me...”

Ventus reached down into his backpack and pulled out a three-ring binder filled with paper.

“I, uh, I wanted to give you some of the notes I made last year.” he nervously said to her. “We won't have the same teacher for a lot of classes because we're in different houses, but it should still help. I think.”

“Sweet!” Sabrina declared, taking the binder without a second thought. “Thanks Ven!”

The boy bashfully smiled while scratching the back of his neck as Sabrina poured through his notes. They weren't the best, but they would still work for studying. Ven watched her- he was quick to notice the faces she made as she tried to make sense of curriculum she had yet to learn. Her eyebrows were knit together and her nose was scrunched up, almost like a little rabbit.

“What was it like being adopted by rabbits?” Ven asked her- not at all realizing what he said before it came out of his mouth.

“Hmm?” the girl hummed. It took her a moment to realize what he was asking; when she did, she looked up at him with her nose even more scrunched up in disgust. “Ortensia's a cat. Oswald's the rabbit.”

“O-oh...” Ven stumbled, “I didn't mean...”

“'S okay.” Sabrina told him with a little wave of her hand. “I know what you're sayin.' It wasn't bad, honestly. Can't complain. They had a lot of money that they didn't know what to do with. Such as it is when you've got a multimillion billionaire to call a brother, and he's one of the slightly more generous ones. Or maybe he has a really guilty conscience? Old Ozzie was cut off from the money for years, so I've been told.”

Then Sabrina's face softened a little. She looked Ventus over with a curious eye before asking, “What about you? What's your family like?”

If it was possible, Ventus's face went from a bright red to a ghost-like white. “M-my family isn't special.” he sheepishly claimed, averting his eyes from her.  “My parents are nice. I've got some siblings, but it's not...”

“How many?”

“Huh?”

“How many siblings do you have?”

“I have… four.” Ven confessed. “Last year, just before I started going to school here, my mom had a pair of triplets. Sora, Roxas, and Xion. Roxas, he… he looks a lot like me. It's really weird. I haven't gone to see them in awhile though- I plan on doing it soon. I've kinda been waiting for Mom or Dad to give the okay. Gets kinda hectic raising three babies at once, or something.”

“And what about the other one?”

He didn't mean to, but Ventus flinched. “What do you mean?” he asked her. But Sabrina wasn't having it; giving him an impatient click of her tongue.

“You said you have four siblings,” she pointed out, “So what about the other one?”

“It's a long story.”

“I have time.”

But Ventus shook his head. “I can't tell you.” he told her in a quiet voice. “You'll never want to be my friend again if I did.”

Sabrina raised a bemused eyebrow at this. She's probably only known Ventus for a full day now and she had massive doubts that she would suddenly decide not to like him. Family was family- how bad could it really be? And, by golly, was she a stubborn one.

“Can I have a name, at least?” she asked him- she even put on her best puppy pout. Ventus made the mistake of looking at her for half a second and immediately gave in.

“Vanitas.”

Without wasting a second, Sabrina followed up with another question. “What house is Vanitas in?”

Ven shrugged as he looked back down at the ground. “He's, uh, he's in An… guis...” He paused, only know realizing what he had said. He looked up at Sabrina with wide, fearful eyes. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes.” the girl snickered. “So he's here, at Daybreak, and we're in the same house! That's so awesome! I can't wait to-”

“But you can't!” Ventus quickly told her; he almost leaped at her to take her by the shoulders, but just barely stopped himself in time. “Vanitas is… Vanitas is…!”

His new friend was giving him a weird look. “Vanitas is…?” she repeated. She even rolled her hand at him- a not very subtle hint that he just needed to spit it out and get it over with. Ventus once more averted his eyes.

“You'll hate me.” he mumbled. Ven's fist started to clench as he thought about Vanitas. He couldn't tell Sabrina about his brother. She wouldn't understand. She just wouldn't…

Ven jumped when he felt Sabrina calmly place her hands into his. He looked up at her to be met with an unreadable expression. His heart leaped into his throat in realizing how much older she looked when she wanted to be dead serious; it was like the ten year old had switched bodies with a thirty year old instead.

“Ven,” Sabrina then said, her voice quiet and still, “Is Vanitas even real?”

[isagrimorie]

23, 24, 28, 9, 14, 19, 29, 2 (sorry if you've answered any of these before, I don't remember which questions you've done already)

from this meme

2. Top 3 companions

- Bill Potts, Donna Noble, and Liv Chenka.

Big Finish Audio companions count, right? Honorable mentions: Rose Tyler, because she’s my first Companion, series 8-9 Clara Oswald, Liz Shaw, Jo Grant, Barbara Wright - The OG.

9. NOTP?

I don’t think I have a NOTP, maybe not something I prefer? Then I think it would be Ten/Rose. I adored Nine/Rose but my god were they (authorially intended) insufferable. They were so much better apart than when they were together.

14. How long have you been a fan for?

Since 2005! I was the same age as Rose was, so I really glommed on to her, she was the reason I kept watching after the pilot. Actually, up until Eleven, I was more Companion centric than Doctor centric. Twelve changed all that for me.

19. Favourite one off monster

I think it’s a toss up between “Are you my mummy?” kid or the Entity in Midnight.

23. Least favourite companion (why?)

Adam. RTD wanted to make him unlikeable and boy did he succeed. I think I like all the companions I’ve met so far… then again I haven’t met Adric, and from what I know of Adric I know the kid would annoy the hell out of me.

24. Any era’s that you would like to know better?

I really need to get a move one my Classic Watch because I really want to know what the hype is all about with Four.

29. Thoughts on the current Doctor

I answered this here

But let me add to it! 

I really love Thirteen and how Jodie Whittaker portrays Thirteen, I love that we got to see the glimmers of sadness in Thirteen in series 11, and the glimmers of Thirteen’s love for the fight. There’s an American Gods quote I love to ascribe to Thirteen: Thirteen loves to fight for the sheer joy of it, the fucking unholy delight of it!

And the majority of series 11 most of her opponents were either not all that and bored her (Tim Shaw, Krasko) or not evil at all. The only time she could cut loose was with the Dalek but it also had the danger of killing her friends so that was tempered.

Coming into series 12, I also see there’s an undercurrent of anger running deep in Thirteen, that reminds me a lot of how one character from Justified described the seemingly mild-looking protagonist: “you do a good job hiding it and I suppose most folks don’t see it, but honestly, you’re the angriest man I’ve ever known.”

I think that’s what Thirteen is, she is still kind and trying but she is also so angry. She thought she left her past behind, she thought she could start fresh with a clean slate but the Master kicked down any notion that she could escape her past.

And then with him, he brought along the mess of Gallifrey, a home she’s always had complicated feelings for amplified by the absolute fuckery of the confession dial. They march the Doctor’s name around as a war hero and in the same breath condemn the Doctor to a billion years and change instead of just asking. 

Thirteen is trying to be careful with her companions but it only ends up distancing her from them.

Thirteen’s shown an angrier and more pragmatic side to the team than when they first met and honestly? I think it’s about time – sure the Doctor can try and play the gracious host but she claims they’re a family but they actually don’t know a lot about her as a person, about the various facets of her personality that aren’t happy and sunshine. 

And because of that, it felt like the Doctor wasn’t being true to her friends – it reminds me of the moment in Torchwood Miracle Day that I love and Selena’s read on it:

I’m really invested in the Gwen & Jack relationship. I use the ampersand advisedly, because I don’t mean in the sense that I want them to become lovers, au contraire. But they’ve grown into this ruthlessly honest friendship which I don’t think either of them had with someone else, or rather, not without the added complication of family ties or romantic love.

[snip]

“I’ll strip the skin of your skull if it means I survive” is a far cry from heart-of-the-team idealisation of Gwen, but it’s infinitely more real. As is him telling her about the most beautiful memory he has when she asks without intending to let this sway her for a minute.

Yes, I do want the team to be happy but I also want their friendship, their relationship tested because coming together would be more awesome and earned.

It’s why the Doctor’s relationship with the Master is so fascinating to me, because they know each other so well – they are inexplicably tied to each other – they’re kind of that logical conclusion to: what if two immortals were soul mates, what would happen? There would be joy and happiness but there would also be large decades and centuries where they would be sick of each other and hate each other’s guts but inevitably they get back together like magnets.

It’s also why I really liked Clara and Twelve’s relationship by the end of s8 because god they tear at each other but in the end, the fight they had with each other only brought them closer.

And I want the team to know the Doctor up to this level, to sneak past her defenses and know the real, the very flawed person underneath that charm and quirks.

Who knows, we might get all that in the finale, or it might carry over the next season.

[lestatwillneverhurtyou]

All questions ending in the numbers one and three?

1. What was the first fandom you got involved in? The first fandom I remember being really active in is either Harry Potter or HIM/Bam Margera (there was a lot of crossover) I’m not sure which one came first.

3. What is the best fandom you’ve ever been involved in?Honestly? I’d say Gotham is one of the nicest fandoms I’ve ever been in. There’s almost no drama that I’ve seen and even if we don’t all share the same opinions we’re all pretty respectful about it compared to other fandoms I’ve been in.

11. Who is your current OTP?Nygmobblepot! Love those murder boys.

13. Any NoTPs?Ed x Isabella is the only pairing I actively hate I think.

21. What was the first fanfic you ever wrote?I truly have no god damned clue. Probably a Ville x Bam fic. Maybe a self insert with Jesse McCartney? I’m not really sure.

23. Name a fic you’ve written that you’re especially fond of & explain why you like it. I’m pretty proud of Confessions. It was a hell of a lot of fun to write and I feel like I really nailed the voice of Riddler. 

31. What’s the nicest thing someone has ever said about your writing?That it was the most poetic shit they’d ever read. That meant a lot.

33. Do you write oneshots, multi-chapter fics or huuuuuge epics?One-shots. Every multi-chapter fic I’ve tried to write I ended up losing inspiration for.

41. List and link to 5 fanfics you are currently reading:1. Negotiations by Gedry is a fic about Oswald and Ed learning to love each other after the series finale and it honestly portrays the relationship between Ed and Riddler in a way I’ve never seen before. It’s really cool.

2. The Sirens by Inkfowl is an awesome AU about a genderfluid Oswald who joins Barbara’s all girl band. Kind of college age AU. There’s Nygmobblepot and Gobblepot. Good stuff.

3. The Spell of You by Penguina is an AU where Oswald is mayor and married to Sophia and Ed writes a murder column for the Gotham Gazette. They meet at a party and it’s really sweet. There’s also a murder mystery going on it’s really fun.

4. When Only Bitter Memories Remain by Gottaread2 is about Ed waking up in Arkham (around the time of the finale) with the last thing he remembers the confrontation with Oswald in the lounge during season 4. It’s pretty sad actually. But, it’s fun seeing how Ed’s mind works and how he tries to put everything together. 

5. bait and switch by lo-fi is a time travel AU and it got me all kinds of fucked up. Basically s5 Oswald and s3 Oswald switch places!  

43. Is there anyone in your fandom who really inspires you?The general chaotic tomfoolery of @gothamgroup inspires me :D

51. Rant or Gush about one thing you love or hate in the world of fanfiction! Go!Fanfiction is just wild you know? People just love this thing so much and they’re so passionate about it that they feel compelled to expand upon it. They wanna fix where canon went wrong or explore new avenues of adventure with the characters they love so dearly. They spend hours, days creating these intricate stories for free just because they love it so much they wanna add to it. And there’s a whole community of people just collaborating and creating things for each other and helping them become better artists. It’s pretty incredible when you think about it. And the fact that the powers that be wanna shut these things down just because they’re “using their characters wrong” is heartbreaking and pathetic. If I created something someone loved so much they took time out of their busy lives to make art and create stories of MY WORK, I would praise them, encourage them.

RIP to Anne Rice and a bunch of other people, but I’m different.

Thanks so much for the ask!!