#don't mind me just thinking about leslie again

[theydoctor]

I LOVE LESLIE SO FKNG MUCH AAAHHHHHH

[zivazivc]

What was Ish and Lena's relationship?

I made so much for this ask, don't look at me 🫣

The two trolls had a short summer romance at a "no boarders" music festival called Fusion Fest. Back then it was a pretty new and small thing, and the point of the festival is for trolls from all genres to come together and enjoy each other's music and company; celebrating togetherness and acceptance.

(Yes, I made a logo. 😅 This festival is a major annual event for the mixed trolls in my AU.)

Ish and his friend group went to check it out because they're already a colorful ensemble of different genres, and they were curious to see what it was about.

Lena and her friends somehow caught wind of the festival in their backwater village where nothing new or exciting ever happens, and they decided to go to rebel against their closed-minded, racist parents and community, but mostly because they were bored teenagers who'd never seen any trolls other than Rock Trolls before. Despite them wanting to experience something new, their reason for going was very much NOT the point of the festival; They were treating it more like a freakshow to stare at, and them rebelling against their parents was more just to anger them and not because they were any better...

In my mind Lena is very attractive (in a trashy, grunge kind of way), and a 16-year-old Ish immediately got a crush on her from across the room.

He put his Funk moves on her and left her completely flustered from how forward he was. I imagine he was really charming and smooth, but also I can't stop cringing and comparing it to bird mating dances lmao.

(The song Ish is singing to Lena. It makes it feel extra perfect because I just happened to learn the singer was also a 16-year-old when recording it!)

Lena didn't fall for him as hard as he fell for her at first, but she's one of those girls who will go for any bad boy that looks intimidating, and she thought funk trolls were scary and intimidating, because she was subconsciously racist herself too. 🧍 She did really start to like him after they hooked up though, and started liking him for him (so at least she was learning...)

But then they were faced with an unexpected surprise one morning after waking up from a night of concerts and partying (and mixing of substances that shouldn't be mixed)...

Ish panicked hard, he even tried getting rid of the egg, claiming it had to be a dud given the circumstances, but Lena stopped him saying she felt it move. Thank god, because Leslie hatched only minutes later.

Ish was so freaked out that he abruptly left and headed back to Funk Kingdom in the same day, and just abandoned Lena with the baby.

Lena was also very scared but she immediately warmed up to little Leslie and had no intention of dropping him off at an orphanage or doing something similar, despite her friends' encouragement to do just that, claiming her parents were going to kick her out if she showed up back home with a mixed baby.

I'm thinking Ish did try to reach out to Lena by sending her a letter a few weeks later (he got her address before the egg thing happened), but the letter never reached her because she really was disowned and kicked out of her parents' house when she came home and refused to give her baby up...

So Lena never heard from Ish again, and the next time Ish heard about Lena was about 9 years later when Leslie turned up looking for him with his baby brother, and he learned that she was gone...

(Ish having a weird day where he went out after Kymani poorly relayed a confusing phone call from the police station, and later came back home as the sole caretaker of two neglected kids.)

[deadpool15]

Sugarbaby vibes ✨️

I walked out of the fitting room wearing the shit Chanel set. Let's be honest I looked to fucking die for, but once I saw the price it looked mid. Of course I wanted it and speaking of price it's Chanel what did I expect. If anything I suggested, let's go thrifting, as you can tell I didn't grow up with money. I'm still trying to get used to living this life now, it's crazy hoe just last week I was struggling to afford a pack of fucking Ramen at the convenience store and now I live in a penthouse. Your girl did, in fact, come up in life. You all better be proud. All thanks to the one and only Bada Lee.

Bada is about 28, and I'm 22, so there is a slight age gap if you care about any of that. Shit I didn't. I just needed someone to pay my bills. How we met it quite an interesting story if you think about it, I mean, I didn't sign up for a sugar mama like on the weird ass movies or stories you see on Wattpad. I was, in fact, working as a waiter in this high-end restaurant with might I add a shitty pay. Why are we serving all this expensive ass shit and in only getting made a few bucks in an hour? It's giving slavery, and not mentions my boss who, like most men, convince himself within the 3 minutes of hiring me that I was destined to be his furtre wife and the mother of his children as he call it. If you wanted to know what crazy looks like, we'll Mr. Kim is a prime example.

But we are getting of topic. See, I don't wanna tell you about my overly obsessive ass boss. I wanna tell you about the women who turned my life around. Serving tables is absolute shit, especially when no matter how rich one is, they never tip. "Hey Blue, bossman says he needs you at table six." I turned around to my partner in crime, Leslie. I'm happy to see her until I realized what she said, "I'm on break, though, like all these people around here . Can't he bother someone else." She gave me a sad smile and shrugged, "no, you know he likes to watch you suffer, because he expects after a while you will give in and let him take you out on a date." I stare at her with disgust.

"Yea, never mind your you're right. I'll take my chances with the wolves again. I'm just get going. If he asks again, make sure to tell him I chose getting screamed and yelled at my rich elderly woman over acknowledging his existence. " I hurried and jog off before she could say anything, grabbing my notepad and pen out of my pocket I had towards table six. With the biggest fake smile on. The love I have for these customers is crazy.

I stand there saying my usual line in the most chipper voice one can muster, whiteout even looking at the person sitting down in front of me. "Hello, ladies and gentlemen. I'm blue and very happy to serve you tonight. So what can I get, you folks?" I hear someone speak before muttering something about how I'm pretty, then I finally gather the courage to look up and see a group of women. All dressed to perfection, clothes tailored just to fit their figure. Those majority of them look around my age or slightly older. After a moment of being caught in a daze while overanlyzing them, I turn to her the tallest one of the bun speak up. "I would like to have a water to drink and just some shrimp pasta."

I make eye contact with her and my God. This is the most beautiful creature I've ever seen in my life. It almost feels like i should have to pay a fee to look upon her face. My stare moves down to her lips and not e how nice and pump they are. I would kill to suck on those lips, to feel what they tasted like even. I realize I've just been staring at her while the rest of the women have spoken uo about their order already. "Oo, I'm s-so sorry." I state being an absolute nervous wreck while looking down at my notepad. I hope she didn't notice that. "It's fine, sweetheart," I heard the girl that was referred to ad Lusher somewhere in the conversation state to me. I hurry up and excuse myself to go get their orders. She keeps staring at me, bitting the inner part of her check. Eventually, they leave after a while, leaving a $200 tip for me. I almost couldn't believe it. This I'd the first time someone has ever given me that much money as a tip.

After a while, the girl continues to come to our little restaurant. Same table, same confidence aura and everything. She makes it seem as if she is trying to just get something to eat. We continue to see each other even after work. She would pop in on my breaks, and around the time, I would clock out. She was intimidating. I'll get her that. I spoke with class, and her vibe just let you know she had money. And it seemed she had her eyes on a certain girl. Me. Though, after beating around the bush, Bada told me exactly what she wanted. "I want to take care of you. You'll never have to worry about a single thing when you're with me. Or lift a finger. Give you the life you deserve, baby. I mean, you are a cute little waitress, but you can be so much more. Why waste your time when you have me. Just say the words, and I'll take care of you."

Some might've immediately said yes, and to be honest, I would've to. Until Bada told me there were rules. Which did kinda throw me off a bit. I mean, I thought I had the whole idea down until well, I realized I didn't. It wasn't just about the money it was the pleasure. How much would she give me, and fuck did she give me a lot. Well lived by only a few rules, but Bada took them very seriously.

Rule 1: Don't question anything

Rule 2: Don't talk back

Rule 3: Don't touch yourself

You should've seen the look on my face when I heard the third rule, I mean, at the bright age of 22, who the hell doesn't masturbate. Literally made no sense to me until she tried to explain it further. "I give you pleasure. I'm the only one who should be touching you. I'm general baby. You belong entirely to me. That's how this works. Therefore, you shouldn't be doing anything without my permission cupcake." After finally going over the terms, I agreed in the end. At the end of the day, I was a broke college student who desperately needed the money, and Bada just so happens to be the sexy older one willing to give it to me. In a sense, I was happy with my current predicament. My life was going well. Now, back to what I was saying earlier.

I stared at myself in the mirror. Sometimes, I forget that I can look this good. "Yea, ayye, get it, girl." In the process of hyping myself up, I finally hear a voice speak up from behind me, scaring the absolute shit out of me. "I'm glad you like it, baby. It does look good on you, I told you I have an eye for beautiful things. I mean, just look at my baby girl." She says while holding on to my waist, kissing my neck slowly. I smile for a while until I realize what she is doing. "Baby, we are in public, a fitting room at that. We aren't doing that here," I say, trying to be firm while avoiding her glaze in the mirror.

"What did I tell you about saying no to me, huh? Do you make the rules?" She forcefully grabbed my chin when she caught on to the act. She grabs my breast while still making eye contact with me in the mirror. "That's right, just stand right here, ok? Gonna be my good girl, right?" I stare at the door, thinking about the people outside that will hear us. While I'm thinking about them, Bada moved the hand that was holding me under my top, slowly circling my right nipple. "Gonna be good, right?" She asks again,she never has enough patience to ask again. It seems she is being nice today. I nod my head at her question this time.

"Word babygirl, I need to hear you. Let them hear you. Just stop all that thinking for me." I whimper at her words. Finally, forgetting about the staff in the store. She moves her hand down my body, teasing me with her pace. "P-please, I'll be g-good. Gonna be so good for you." She smirks, looking down at my face before moving her hand towards my soaked pussy. "Always so f-fucking good for me, aren't you? My precious little baby. Just needs to be filled, like always." I look into her eyes in the mirror about to answer her before she insert a finger into me, all while still playing with my breasts. She knows my body like the back of her hand. Doesn't even have to try to find the spot.

"Yea, right there, come on. I can't hear you, baby girl." I know exactly the game she is playing at, but I can only stand there moaning like a bitch in heat being held on my weak jelly-like legs as she adds two more fingers. While she grinds her hips into me, fuck those bloody dancers and there hips. "Y-yes y-yes... shit o fuck right there". She just smiles at my reactions. Assuming to her if anything. "Were gonna buy this little outfit, then I'm gonna by 28 fucking more just to fuck the shit out of you in them. And you gonna let me, aren't you?. Gonna take it like a good girl who just needs her holes filled, right?" I shake my head, screaming yes over and over again while nodding profusely. Seems that's the only word my brain can come up with as she starts to suck down on my neck leaving marks while circling my clit with her thumbs. And she still continues to thrust those same three fingers in and out of me ob command.

"Fucked you dumb, aww that's adorable baby. But we just started, " She says while smirking, and I stare at her in a mix of fear and pleasure. "Now open those legs wider for me, baby girl."

[boyfridged]

pls expand more on the rehabilitationist v abolitionist dispute comment!

as a preface of sorts: this post is written with marxist theory of criminology in mind, and i relate to many concepts that stem from it. i consider batman as a series to be one of the most politically inclined texts when it comes to superhero comics as a whole, so imo it is imperative that it introduces many different outlooks on the topic of jurisprudence. and it is an approach that used to be pretty popular.

btw. if anything is unclear in terms of theory –– ask.

okay so, to answer the question: there's so much that contributed to this stray thought, and i think i hinted at a lot of it before on this blog, but let me just dump some of my thoughts in a disorganized manner... (maybe one day i will write about it in a more coherent way):

batman as the title needs an actual genuine counterweight to bruce's worldview, one that does not target the no-kill rule. enough with the no-kill discourse, really, i think in many ways it's almost... a detail, and i think the fixation on that detail leads to watering down the whole dilemma. (especially that bruce did not always treat is as a complete dogma and i preferred it that way.) what is more interesting i believe, is that bruce is a rehabilitationist – despite his vigilante work, he is dedicated to the idea of the legal system being a viable solution to crime. and, what is even more important, in his mind, crime is equal to a moral failure. i talked about it at length in my post about eoc, but let me just copy the relevant fragment in here:

bruce, while obviously caring, is still bound by his belief in the legal system and deontological norms. he is benevolent, but he is also ultimately morally committed to the idea of a legal system and thus frames criminals as failing to meet these moral (legal-adjacent) standards (even when he recognizes it is a result of their circumstances). in other words, he might think that a criminal is a good person despite leading a life of crime.

and of course, criminals need to be "corrected" and rehabilitated in order to be able to function in society again. the deviant behavior has to be eliminated.

i don't doubt that at the time when it was introduced, bruce's rehabilitationist philosophy was a radical one when compared with the prevailing popularity of the concept of retributive justice. but in the year of our lord 2023? the view that you can simply "fix" the system by aiding it in some ways is not radical at all. the system in question was mostly built around sustaining that corruption as a goal. and there are (or used to be) some characters, like leslie, who are “vigilante-critical” (among others) because of that reason.

enter jay. jay is very much in a position that makes it clear that the law is not usually on the side of the poor and marginalized. of course, he is only an ~11 year old, so of course he has no language to express most of these worries; he probably does not know anything about the rehabilitationist vs retributive vs reperative justice in a theoretical sense anyway. i doubt he knows that abolition exists as a concept; he might be well-read, but probably not in these categories. but he has certain intuitions; intuitions that i already talked about in the earlier mentioned eoc post. and these intuitions are that crime does not define morality. he does not consider himself wrong for stealing; he is not conflicted about willis being a criminal and grieves him easily; there’s no word of him being resentful to dealers. he has his own idea of justice that seems to be very much affected by his trouble with authority, the intention behind the crime, and perceived harm (this is imo one of the reasons he takes issue with ma gunn specifically). i think this setup is something that could lead to him taking an abolitionist point of view later on, since he seems frustrated with the label of “crime.”

obviously, at this point, jason’s disinterest in crime as something to contempt is seen as a problem (both by the editorial and in-universe); a problem that has to be fixed. and within his tenure of robin, we see him “learning” to ascribe to bruce’s moral code; which makes sense, because he is a kid, and because he trusts bruce. and so, i think his perception in this period does shift to accommodate the rehabilitationist outlook.

the garzonas’ incident, jay’s growing cynicism at the end of his robin run, and the red hood era altogether might suggest that jason, disappointed in the limits of this approach actively takes to the retributive standpoint instead. it’s def true insofar that the writers are not politically educated enough to understand the nuance that (imo) should naturally arise in his storyline. for example: the particular caveat in garzonas’ case is the position of power that felipe occupies and that grants him immunity. bruce, naturally, looks for the ways to bring justice by exploring other legal paths to solve the issue. jay goes with it despite being visibly unhappy. and i think this gets us to the core of the issue which is power and the system– the fact that the system is simply built to make it difficult to incarnate the higher-ups. diplomatic immunity exists for a reason, sure, but the fact that it allows people to get away with wrong-doing is not a side-effect; it's the goal. and so, felipe garzonas cannot be deemed a criminal, but willis and even jay at age of 11 were. the pattern repeats when it comes to the joker, who later uses diplomatic immunity to exploit the role to continue fucking with bruce. so the issue is not that the system does not work. the issue is that the system was built not to work.

another tangent: of course, you may note that the concept of the separation of powers (the judge, the jury, and the executioner) that bruce is so fond of is supposed to remedy the problem of the abuse of power. and it is, without a doubt, something necessary within the democratic system. still, i believe jason quoting arendt explains why he doesn't care for it in the slightest; in the man who stopped laughing #8 jay says: “you familiar with hannah arendt’s concept of schreibtischtäter? desk murderers? it’s people who use the state to kill for them, so they don’t have to get their hands dirty. you should read up on it. i think you’d find it very relatable.” arendt's work emerged in a very specific context, but jay makes it into something more definitive; a trait of the penal system as a whole; you can bring as many people into the workings of the justice system as you want to; but ultimately, most of them will act in the interest of authority, without a second thought (this also explains why he considers that making decisions on who lives and dies yourself is better than blindly following the rule of law.) (<- btw it links very well with the idea of autonomy as a predisposition to be moral since you need it to be an active member of the society. anarchists such as wolff have written lots of that.)

i'd say all of this leads us to the point where jason has great potential to come to the conclusion that abolition is the way to go. the ones in power will not get punished within that framework anyway, and the ones at the "bottom" of the socioeconomic ladder remain victims of it. months, months ago i had anons arguing with me, saying that comicbook characters don't have to be so socially aware and that even people irl rarely are; and i am also willing to indulge the narrative and say that jason is terribly confused regarding it all for now, because of how his childhood went and as a result of his personal trauma. nevertheless, characters are often vessels for ideas, especially in titles like batman; and bruce, for example, is allowed to have a developed a sound ideology on jurisprudence. why not jason? especially that all the motivations are there; the setup is there too. that's just another great incentive to actually make use of his origin story.

an extra disclaimer is that abolition is not the answer to all and that it requires so many reforms on all levels... and i don't think jay would be satiated with the mere idea of restorative justice that usually accompanies it, because that still leaves us with the problem of those in power maintaining it and (in the fictional context) supervillains (who very often do occupy those spaces) prevailing... but you know. abolition is very compatible with general revolutionary principles. who says he can't kill in that name if retiring is not a way to go (though my preferred timeline would include retirement for jay at least for a while... but i digress!)

to conclude, i think it's a conflict much needed not just for the sake of any progression of batman in terms of philosophy, but also because the ways jason was initially introduced (even pre-crisis) suggested that he was supposed to grow to be critical of bruce even as robin, while being on good terms with him too. and that's definitely a kind of dispute that is much more productive and nuanced than just going back to the no-kill rule over and over and over again when the source of it is much more interesting.

i hope you got anything out of my rambling. i rest my case for now:)

[wheeboo]

MOOT GAME: " make up a trope for your moots and their biases. doesn’t need to be romantic. can be crackfic/funny. ^ㅇ(๑>◡<๑)ㅇ^ "

okay i received this ask game 3 times so JDFKLS i guess i shall do it rn . i will be doing my moots svt biases <3 rlly wish i could do a lot more moots but this took more brain power than it needed 😭😭

@slytherinshua -> joshua

first thought was cute lil teacher x teacher couple!! maybe he's a new hire as a music teacher and him and zanna both have a lil meet ugly at first in the staff room (one of them spilling coffee on the other or something dsjfklfsd) but its all full of shy smiles and fumbled apologies, and joshua smoothly gives her his # with the purpose of starting over 😍

@etherealyoungk -> hoshi

the classic case of the class president x class clown. skye our big brain queen is just trying her best to sort through all these plans and plans for school while hoshi keeps curiously meddling in her business, trying to get close with her by proposing these weird n funny ideas at meetings (even tho he's not in the student council???) that don't make any sort of sense, and overall just wanting to make her smile cuz he may or may not have a tiny tiny crush on her. and skye may or may not like him having around...

@roziesmei -> jeonghan

love at first sight. not the biggest fan of this trope but hello who wouldn't fall head over heels over this man at first glance? maybe mimi is out and about running some errands to the store, and as she's about to grab for the door, another hand meets hers, and i WONDER who it is!!!! the two of them gaze at each other for a second, and maybe the world feels a lil brighter and a lil warmer in those few moments, before maybe jeonghan pulls away and holds the door open for her. she spends her entire time shopping thinking abt him wondering if they'll ever cross paths again (they do)

@bookyeom -> seokmin

i love the whole concept/trope of exchanging letters. maybe leslie gets received this Very long letter detailing something she has no idea what is and its signed sorry from me & my dog, lee seokmin. does she know who lee seokmin is? absolutely not. but is she very curious why he seems so STRESSED in this letter over his dog accidentally stealing a stranger's pair of socks from the laundromat? yes

@welcometomyoasis -> seungcheol

ngl the whole enemies to lovers arc from rival families has always been a concept in the back of my mind and i've ALWAYS envisioned something for cheol for it so here you go shu 😭!! and perhaps there's some forced proximity involved, where they both become reluctant allies for some overly complicated business reasons and realise 'maybe we aren't exactly enemies after all...'

@haecien -> jun

fake dating!! maybe cien accidentally says to his group of friends that he has a partner but like... who is it ?? and so he gets jun to play as his fake boyfriend for the time being and it's this whole cute mess but yeah they're both sorta falling for each other. i can imagine this whole cute prom scene where they are each other's dates and this cute slow dancing scene... yeah you get i'm going with this i think lmao

@planetkiimchi -> minghao

strangers to friends to lovers!! but it's the most natural, sorta slow burn ever. it's kinda like reading your favourite comfort book with your favourite comfort couple where they get together and it's like THE standard ?! they're both communicative with each other, understand each other's boundaries, etc. bonus for the plot since they're both dancers and meet each other for the first time at practice, and it kinda just blossoms from there :)

@blue-jisungs -> wonwoo

a very very cute office romance. axe may be like a new intern at this workplace and is nervous asf abt everything, but she gets assigned this very handsome man with the power of glasses in his eyes to help her around and get adjusted. but even after settling in axe really tries her best to get close with wonwoo. he's a little reserved, composed, maybe a bit cold at first, but it's enough to cause some gossip to float around the office hehe. one thing leads to another, and they're both trying to hide their relationship from everyone else (but they all know anyway)

[sillysarahsthings]

Finally, I completed them. (Imma still make more probably.)

@xxsweetoothxx

Okay so I honestly could not decide how much of the fanfic to put but whatever this'll do.

But since this is a very old fanfic here are some disclaimers (just some things that should be kept in mind since this is pretty old and I'm pretty nervous about people reading it.)

Probably ooc

Poppyfield is referred to as Jack and is depressed for some reason

Some unexplained stuff and timeskips I guess??

Jack was pretty much stressed after meeting Miss Black, he really wasn't expecting them to bring a 9 foot tall demon in toyland. he thought as the woman kept staring at him as he made tea. "Um... excuse me?" he asked nervously, handing her a cup. She nodded and sipped it before turning towards the living room and walking toward a bookshelf, which seemed to catch her interest. He followed her curiously, and stopped when she knelt to examine a book on the side of the shelves. "you read, Mr Poppyfield?" she asked without looking up.

he jumped, having forgotten he had told her who he was, and said, "yeah...uh so why exactly are you here?" Leslie was gonna say something but Jack interrupted them. "not from you Leslie." Leslie stuck out their tongue out to him. "I'm the one who brought her..."

Miss Black looked up from the book, her gaze cold and emotionless like a broken doll. "there's a demon that followed me here with Leslie and might target the other toyfolk, and when I say target I mean eat their souls." no one spoke, until Jack took Leslie by the collar and dragged them away from Miss Black's ears.

~~in the kitchen~~

as Jack exhaled and looked at Leslie (who didn't seem to find any danger in the situation.) "you brought...a violent soul eating demon to Toyland?!" Leslie shrugged sheepishly. "are you talking about Miss Black? cause she's not that violent, not to toyfolk at least, I have no idea about the other demon she's talking about." Jack sighed and walked up to the counter and put his head on top of it. "that doesn't make this situation better," he muttered to Leslie who nodded sympathetically. "well, why don't we just ask Blackie to get the demon out of toyland? she knows how to tame it." Leslie suggested.

Jack groaned. "I suppose you don't mean you when you say demon." Leslie shrugged in response again and then grinned. "alright then, let's go find that demon." they said excitedly and left the room.

Jack sighed, "ugh... this couldn't get any worse."

at that thought, Leslie peeked their head into the room.

"uh...so Blackie's gone."

"what-"

~~timeskip~~

Leslie was now looking for a lost Miss Black accompanied by a very angry Jack. "great, so now there's two demons running around toyland and we have no idea where they are..." Jack complained, Leslie didn't look too worried. "oh c'mon it's Blackie, she's probably out to get the other demon, I know she won't hurt any toyfolk." Jack huffed but agreed. "okay then. I'll take care of the other one and you search for Blackie." Leslie smiled and waved and ran off.

leaving Jack to look for the other demon.

he walked around town and even went by Quinn's house, might as well ask him about it. as he approached the house, and rung the bell. as soon as the door opened, Quinn answered it almost immediately. "Jack! hi." he greeted. "um...hey, sorry to bother you but I wanted to ask if there was anything strange happenin' to you?" Quinn looked confused for a minute before answering slowly. "well now that I think about it...kind of? I keep hearing things from my walls...happens everytime I open the faucet." "wow, okay. thanks Quinn, I'll be seeing you." he said and left.

at least Jack knew where to look now, hopefully Leslie found Miss Black by now.

[djservo]

crashes in in a fashionably late kind of way.. january is finally over!! 31 days felt like 300 but now that we’re on the other side of it, what books did you read to start 2024? what was the vibe any standouts has it changed what’s on the horizon?

I've started keeping a physical calendar again so you'd think having the month splayed out in front of me so directly and constantly would be grounding but week after week I was just like Omg how is there More.... we made it thru tho god bless xx January was fun!!

in terms of my pre-planned monthly reading themes, January was a grace period where I let my whims guide me so I'm surprised at how many themes incidentally overlapped?? Naomi Klein referencing The Fire Next Time, the theme of internet doubles and online dark corners in Doppelganger essentially being the core of The Sluts, the dark spiraling mystery of The Sluts akin to the dark spiraling mystery of Mysterious Skin, yada yada yada. I luv when the dots inadvertently connect!! right place right time vibe!!

The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin

it's been really nice starting my reading off with Baldwin these past few years, something grounding about immersing myself in sharp indictments of the US amidst the usual new year wide-eyed blitheness. this one was only 2 essays but both gripped me just as much as his longer collections. I imagine it's hard to sort of reframe arguments, pleas, and points you've been talking about for years when things still haven't changed, but each new (to me) Baldwin essay reads so fresh in the way that he contextualizes these core points within different interactions + relationships. I think Ive said this before but it's also so rewarding to read an author's works chronologically because you can kind of follow how their frame of mind sharpens/adapts throughout the years and in a way you grow with them, and his first essay (a letter to his nephew) kinda feels like the culmination of that growth laid out with such care. super special

Doppelganger by Naomi Klein

totallyyyyyy consumed + dizzied by this wow I can't believe it took me this long to read Naomi Klein. I think I'd been intimidated by the size of her books + my incorrect assumption that something so research-heavy (bc boy does she research!) will read too dense, but everything here was laid out and tied together so smoothly + accessibly (I feel like I use that word a lot for nonfiction which is probably my subconscious quest to entice ppl to read more nonfiction hehe) This read like partial investigative deep dive into the online world of conspiracy theories/Qanon cesspools + partial mystery novel about her own experience with Naomi Wolf (her 'doppelganger')?? idk it feels weird to relate someone's lived experience to a spectacle like that but it really was like edge of seat level curiosity/uncertainty/etc. just so engrossing and thorough and THRILLING, the epilogue made me gasp!!!

Leslie F*cking Jones by Leslie Jones

my one + only spotify audiobook experience, cut short amid the last chapter bc I ran out of hours and no longer am a spotify premium user so I just read the rest </3 but that turned out to be fun bc I saw what a stark difference it was to listen vs. read this. the audio rules bc Leslie totally goes off script to add anecdotes (one of the reviews was like 'she was NOT reading what was written!!' LMAO so true.. and I love her for that!!) + an emotional depth I don't think could've been sufficiently captured in written form - her laughter and her palpable anger and her literally crying over... such a robust journey! I was an SNL fan basically my whole life til I went to college so I always love stories about it and I really admire how she didn't hold back in her criticisms. I feel like former members (especially those somewhat fresh off the slab in a way) feel like they have to be eternally grateful to their experience when so much of it is so clearly draining and thankless. doubled expectations because she's a woman, tripled because she's a Black woman, and therefore expected to just bend over and take it (her words) but she never does!! she never tries to compromise her own experiences like "this happened... but at least this happened too and they actually were nice in this way-" NO!! she compartmentalizes the good and the bad so distinctly so there's no misunderstanding, and I just really really admire that, the lack of kissing ass in an industry where that's practically what fuels your career/reputation!! she rocks + is such a funny storyteller+ I'm so glad I listened to this

The Sluts by Dennis Cooper

ofc had to squeeze my old man in... I think this was actually the book to first put Cooper on my radar so it was super fulfilling to finally get to it (even tho I devoured it in just 2 days.. a shame bc it was a slay to read this in public) Supremely up my alley with its 2000s internet mystique, the perfect backdrop for a twisted mystery + ruminations of Internet As Performance Art™, the internet as roleplay, what's real + what's just fantasy/fetish, etc etc. so so so good and while still sick and horrifying as his writing is known for, perhaps the most readable for an uninitiated reader of Cooper's works?? even then I'd say this is still for a very particular reader tho idk i can never get a pulse on what a majority of readers are into these days!! I really loved this though and I'm sure it'll be in my top 5 for the year thank u once again for the twisted ride denny !!!

My People Shall Live by Leila Khaled, George Hajjar

feels more like political ethnography than personal memoir. there is some of Leila's backstory and family and personal relationships sprinkled in (her husband is given maybe 5 lines total LOL), but so much of her being is clearly centered around Palestinian resistance + revolution, so recounting her political work within a collective was her truest form of autobiography as that was indeed her life/livelihood. wild to read how intense she was even from childhood, how Down she was to sacrifice things and put herself on the line... literally getting plastic surgery after hijacking a plane in order to be able to get involved in more demonstrations without being recognized like god!!! intense life-altering decisions and it's like she doesn't even bat an eye or show any regrets/wistful 'what if i hard a 'normal' life?'!! that eric andre margaret thatcher meme but instead "do you think leila khaled effectively utilized girl power by hijacking a plane?'' LOL I mean... ! 🤭

The Master and Margarita by Mikhail Bulgakov

SILLY + ABSURD!!! a bit of a hike to get there but once I hit it, it was hard to put this down (as is my experience with a lot of classics, I find) I think I really enjoy magical realism rooted in political/cultural landscapes, or maybe I just really like wacky shit (it made me think a bit of Catch-22 which I also had fun with!!) + this didn't disappoint!! truly giggled aloud at some parts, the ridiculousness of it all!!! makes me wanna deep dive into the history of the Soviet Union but I feel like I'll need to clear at least an entire month for that .... will have to plan accordingly 👩‍🔬

Mysterious Skin by Scott Heim

heartbreaking and dark but handled with a lot of care. I guessed the "twist" (which feels indelicate to call it that but I cant think of another word rn) early on but I think that just heightened the slow unraveling of it + made it that much more emotionally grueling to get thru. perhaps that was even the point! I'd been meaning to watch the movie for like over a decade at this point but wanted to read it first so now having read and watched it I'm glad it was now vs. me at 10 or whenever bc dumb tween me likely wouldn't have processed it well enough and the darkness would've overshadowed the journey itself. sometimes it's important to wait I guess is what I'm trying to say!!!

I definitely want to squeeze in another Naomi Klein this year if possible, maybe some Russian/Ukrainian lit. I've focused on Baldwin's nonfiction these past years so I might pick up a fiction of his this month + ofc Cooper wherever I can squeeze him <3

[galactickle]

Plus One Chapter 2

Jean-Ralphio Saperstein x reader

Summary: You have been secretly dating Jean-Ralphio for a while… How will the parks department take it when you bring him to Leslie and Ben's wedding?

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3

Masterlist

A/N: this is not canon compliant

When you returned to work the following Monday, you kept your head down, hoping no one had noticed your shenanigans and that you could just move on with your life. Well, the universe had different plans for you. When you walked into the Parks office, Ben Wyatt stood talking to Ron Swanson, the very same Ron Swanson who you saw as a father figure. You stop in the doorway, and consider for a moment, leaving. 

“Y/N. There you are,” Ron greets, calling you over to him and Ben. You and Ben lock eyes and you shoot him a scared expression, which he returns. “I was just telling Ben here about how you do the front desk for the department.”

“Yeah,” you nod.

“That’s great, would you mind being mine and Chris’ receptionist for the time being?” you once again shoot him a shocked look. 

“Y-yeah sure,” you didn’t know the guy well and were honestly worried he might blab if you said no.

“Great, if you wanna gather your things, me and Ron have a couple of other things to discuss,” he smiles warmly at you. 

“Okay, cool,” you let your shoulders relax a little and head to your desk, gathering some personal effects. 

“Hey there beautiful,” you nearly jump out of your skin at the sound of his voice. Jean-Ralphio leaned over your desk, as you emptied out a drawer. 

You glare at him and try your best to act disgusted, “Ew, fuck off.”

“Aw, don’t be like that, baby,” he reaches out to caress your cheek, but you pull away from him.

You look around quickly, “I’m serious, fuck off,” you whisper. 

“Jean-Ralphio! To what do we owe this honor?” Leslie asks loudly, trying to draw him away from you. 

He looks to you briefly, but ends up flirting with Leslie, as he heads to the back to find Tom. 

~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~

April and Andy’s wedding came as a shock to most people, but not to you, you knew April well enough to know that she really did love Andy, and you didn’t doubt that love.  You were honestly very happy for the two of them. 

Entering the kitchen, you browsed the snack table. “Miss me gorgeous?” you hear from beside you. 

“Jean-Ralphio,” you sigh. 

“How you been, beautiful?” 

“Good, you?” you ask, looking around the room.

“I would be better if you let me drill you again,” he leans on the table.

“How charming,” you state, walking away.

“Oh c’mon, you know you wanna,” he begs, trailing behind you.

“Maybe I do, but I’m not gonna do it if you keep making what happened between us so obvious,” you whisper harshly at him.

“Jean-Ralphio!” Tom exclaims, gaining Jean-Ralphio’s attention, “There you are!” 

Jean-Ralphio opens his mouth to reply to you, but you're already gone before he can turn around.

You spend the rest of the reception practically glued to the hip to Ron. Though Ben approaches you when Ron gets distracted talking to April’s dad. “Hey,” Ben says. 

“Hey Ben.”

“You uh were talking to Jean-Ralphio earlier, I saw,” he scratched the back of his neck. 

You nod. “Yeah, he is, um, annoying.”

“I want you to know,” Ben whispers, looking around, “your secret is very safe with me, I would never tell anyone what I saw.”

“Thank you, Ben,” you spot Jean-Ralphio and Tom chatting across the room. 

“You know,” he starts again, “I don't mean to intrude, but you shouldn't care so much about what other people think.”

“Thanks, and I know, but I mean,” you lower your voice, “It's Jean-Ralphio, ” you shoot Ben a grin.

He laughs lightly, “Yeah, but I still think you should go for it… I mean, if you want to,” he rushes, “I’m not assuming-”

“It's okay,” you calm him. “I do, I think.” You look to Jean-Ralphio again, only to see he was staring back at you, something dark in his eyes. “Excuse me…” you slip past Ben to the side of the room, keeping eye contact with Jean-Ralphio, and nodding your head towards the back door. His eyes shoot to the back door and back to you and he nods quickly, excusing himself from his conversation with Tom. 

You step out into the backyard and take a deep breath of the cool night air. The stars twinkle overhead as you find a bench off to the side, “Enjoying the view?” Jean-Ralphio moves into the backyard beside you. 

“Mhmm,” you agree.

“Me too,” he slides into the seat and places an arm around you. 

You turn your head to look at him and see he's already staring at you. You risk a glance down at his lips. Which prompts Jean-Ralphio to place a hand on the side of your face, tracing your cheekbone with his thumb. He leans forward to press a soft kiss to your lips, which seems uncharacteristic at first, but then his other hand begins roaming your body. 

“We can't do this here,” you say, grabbing his adventurous hand.

“Then let's get out of here,” he bites his lip.

“It's my best friend’s wedding, I can't just ditch it…” you start, thinking deeply, “Meet me at my car in an hour, okay?” You kiss his cheek, getting up to leave.

“I’ll be there!” Jean-Ralphio calls after you.

~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~

Your second time hooking up with Jean-Ralphio was slower, more sensual, the type of thing you would want to continue doing. That had you feeling some type of way. 

When you woke neither you nor Jean-Ralphio were clothed, and there was an insistent knocking at the door. 

“Y/N! It's Leslie! Can I come in? Its important!” Leslie called from the other side of the door, you look at the sleepy Jean-Ralphio who was clinging tighter to you now.

“Jean-Ralphio,” you whisper-scream. You hit him lightly when he doesn't respond, “You have to get up!” 

You roll out of the bed, pulling the tired boy with you, leaving him half dangling off the bed. He groans,  “What's going on?”

“Leslie’s here, now get up and shit , what am I gonna do with you?” you stop briefly from putting on clothes. 

“Y/N?” Leslie calls. 

“Get up!” you pull the pants on the rest of the way, grabbing Jean-Ralphio's clothes off the floor and pushing him into your closet. “I’m sorry,” you say before closing the closet door. “I’m coming Leslie!” you rush to the door.

“Oh thank god, I thought something horrible had happened to you,” Leslie sighs as you open the door. She pushes her way in despite your protests, “I need to talk to you about Ann, something awful is happening to her…” Leslie sits on your couch, rambling for a few minutes about Ann’s constant changing aesthetics. 

“Leslie, let me stop your for a sec,” you interrupt, “I’m half awake and it's clear you've really thought this through, so how about this, you head down to JJ’s, get us a booth and order us some coffees and waffles, and I’ll take a shower and meet you there! By the time I get there the waffles should be ready!” you smile nervously at her. 

“What an incredible idea Y/N!” Leslie stands. “You're always thinkin, huh?”

You smile, “Yeah, I’ll uh see you in like 20 minutes okay?” you rush her out the door before she can even agree. You breathe a sigh of relief as you lock the door and turn around. Shit . You rush across the apartment to your room, releasing Jean-Ralphio from his prison.  “I’m so sorry,” you say. 

“It’s fine,” Jean-Ralphio shrugs, putting his clothes on, “I get it, you don't want anyone to know about us.”

“What? No! I mean, sort of, just- not yet,” you sigh. “How about this, we go out sometime?” Jean-Ralphio lights up, “In Eagleton,” he deflates a little, “But you can pick the time and place.” 

Jean-Ralphio smiles, starting to get giddy, “Really?”

“Yeah,” he leans down and kisses you feverishly. Pulling away slightly, you tell him, “But you do have to go now.”

“Okay, yeah,” he kisses you again. You push him towards the door lightly and he grins excitedly, walking backwards toward the door and exiting. 

~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~~°✷°~

Your date with Jean-Ralphio was surprisingly nice, even though you spent a lot of the time looking over your shoulder. This prompted your late night and even daytime rendezvous with Jean-Ralphio to become more and more frequent. Unfortunately though, this was not a planned rendezvous. 

You sat at the front desk of the parks department, when he walked in carrying two coffees. A small smile graces your face, but you keep your tone even, “Jean-Ralphio,”

“My love,” he sets one of the coffees down in front of you. 

You look around quickly and shoot him a glare, “You and I both know I can’t take this.”

He frowns at you, “Jean-Ralphio!” Tom exclaims behind you.

“Tommy-T! How you been? I brought you a coffee!” He grabs the coffee off the front desk and hands it to Tom when he approaches. 

“Thanks man,” Tom smiles widely, taking a sip. “Ew!” He spits the coffee all over the desk. 

“Dude,” you scold, looking at the splattered coffee. 

“What is this? It’s disgusting! Y/N throw it out!” He shoves it in your direction. Instead, you take the lid off, sipping the coffee and shrugging, taking another sip. “Fine, or drink it, whatever,” Tom sighs, “C’mon Jean-Ralphio, let’s talk at my desk.” As Tom leaves, Jean-Ralphio lingers, hoping to catch your eye, you shoot him a grin, sipping the coffee again. 

After Tom and Jean-Ralphio were at Tom's desk, April comes up beside you, “Gimme that,” she demands, ripping the coffee from your hand. You begin to protest, but April takes a sip, standing there pensively. “Just what I thought.” And with that she leaves. 

“April-,” you start but she’s gone. 

A little later you approach April’s desk, “Can we talk?” April nods and the two of you move to the courtyard. “Listen, I don’t know what you think you figured out earlier, but you can’t tell anyone.”

April crosses her arms, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, but if I did, you know I wouldn’t say a thing.”

You smile in relief, “Thank you, I love you.”

“I’m not the only one you love,” she teases. You gape in shock and grab your chest dramatically as if you'd been scolded.

[sherlockianscholar]

This is from Leslie Klinger's The New Annotated Sherlock Holmes. Bear in mind, aside from this, I greatly admire Klinger and his work. HOWEVER, I don't understand how a prominent Sherlockian scholar could even think about writing down one of the most slanderous and ill-informed sentences I've ever read. Thus, let me pull some quotes from "The Empty House" and defend Sherlock Holmes along with his and Watson's friendship.

When Holmes reveals himself to Watson in Watson's study:

"When I turned again Sherlock Holmes was standing smiling at me across my study table. I rose to my feet, stared at him for some seconds in utter amazement, and it appears I must have fainted....When it cleared I found my collar-ends undone and the tingling after-taste of brandy on my lips. Holmes was bending over my chair, his flask in hand. "My dear Watson," said the well-remembered voice, "I owe you a thousand apologies. I had no idea that you would be so affected."

"Can it indeed be that you're alive? Is it possible that you succeeded in climbing out of that awful abyss?" [Watson] "Wait a moment!" said [Holmes]. "Are you sure that you are really fit to discuss things? I have given you a serious shock by my unnecessarily dramatic appearance."

Holmes discussing his financial logistics with Mycroft during the hiatus:

"I had only one confidant--my brother Mycroft. I owe you many apologies, my dear Watson, but it was all-important that it should be thought I was dead, and it is quite certain that you would not have written so convincing an account of my unhappy end had you not yourself thought that it was true. Several times during the last three years I have taken up my pen to write to you, but always I feared lest your affectionate regard for me should tempt you to some indiscretion which would betray my secret."

When Holmes returns to 221b Baker St for the first time (sans Watson):

"So it was, my dear Watson, that at two o'clock to-day I found myself in my old arm-chair in my own old room, and only wishing that I could have seen my old friend Watson in the other chair which he has so often adorned."

It is widely thought this next quote is said in regards to the death of Mary Morstan Watson, but it is still up for debate among Sherlockians/Holmesians:

"In some manner he had learned of my own sad bereavement, and his sympathy was shown in manner rather than in his words. 'Work is the best antidote to sorrow, my dear Watson,' said he, 'and I have a piece of work for us tonight.'"

Now to cap off the night:

"And now, Watson, if you can endure the draught from a broken window, I think half an hour in my study over a cigar may afford you some profitable amusement."

Yes, Sherlock Holmes can be a calculating, logical "machine" (other's words not mine), but the canon shows time and time again how devoted Holmes and Watson are to each other. Holmes highly values and respects Watson as a person and as a friend. It genuinely upsets me at the thought of someone dismissing that and giving such a mis-guided view of how Holmes behaves to Watson when he returns. Holmes is fully conscious of how deeply affected Watson was by his "death" and does not try to diminish that pain in any way. Holmes even tells Watson how much he missed him and just wanted to be back home at Baker St with him. Their friendship is the guiding light through these stories, which if absent, would not have gathered the following and community that has existed for the last 100+ years.

[inafieldofdaisies]

Last Line Paragraph Tag | Tagged by @socially-awkward-skeleton

Dropping by with a little treat from John's AU where Oliver is grilling the shite out of Leslie. I couldn't bring myself to cut out any of his jokes, so you're getting an extended last line. ❤️

"Coffee run, boys. Anyone want something?", Oliver hollered, stiring up the rest of the detectives that were in at the early hour, "No? Byyyyeee." He sing-songed the rest as he threw on his jacket and Leslie did the same, rushing to leave before both could get wrapped up in actual orders. "Aye, you fuck, I wanted-", Ross' yell was cut off as McKenzie slammed the door to their division shut, whistling to himself on their way to the stairs. "Graham will retaliate, you know that, right?" "I promised Maxie I'd get him a coffee, there's only so much I can carry.", he explained while Leslie followed closely, "Plus, Ross has legs and cheated me out of my poker win last week. So… he can suck it." Parish chuckled, but it felt more forced than anything with his mind still racing with questions, "Weren't you also cheating?" "Beside the point." "Mhm.", he hummed as they hit the ground floor and made their way out the precinct. "You know, my jokes are only good if people are paying attention to them…", Oliver began while the two set on their usual route to a small bakery nearby. "I was listening, it just wasn't funny." The deadpan answer did little to convince him of the lie based on the snort he replied with, "Sure. Repeat it back to me, will ya? Then I can decide if it sounded funny or not."

"Fuck off.", Leslie remarked, pulling his coat closed against the sudden gust of wind that blew in. "That's what I thought.", McKenzie sent him a cocky smirk over his shoulder as they navigated the crowd moving down the street, "What did Rina do this time?" "Nothing." "And you've been looking like I kicked you in the nuts the whole morning over nothing. How long have we known each other to think this would work with me? Hell, I think even Vaughn would pick up on your lie, and he is as oblivious as they come." A groan left Leslie, but deep down he was thankful someone cared enough to notice the mood he was in and try to get him out of it, "I have no idea how we're still friends, you don't ever let up." "Why my ma said I'd make a great detective, and how right she was…" In ways Oliver truly was like a K9 that had caught a perp's scent, refusing to let go until getting an answer, on top of it all he was competitive as hell. The bakery's sign finally came into view, making him wonder if he could actually get away with not providing any details for once. Doubtful. "Well?", McKenzie asked again, swinging the door open and entering the shop first with Leslie close on his heels. "Coffee first." "Fine, but you try to dodge my questions, I'm locking you in the interrogation room until you start singing like a canary. I have all the time and patience in the world." "Buchanan will have your balls." He rolled his eyes as they took their place in line, "Think I care about what old Jerry will do?" Doubtful again.

Parish occupied his time by mindlessly watching the people seated at the tables in the back of the bakery, wishing his heart would skip a beat the same way it did for Sabrina when his gaze was met on accident by a woman sitting on her own. The little smile she gave him only darkened his mood as he forced his eyes back ahead and Oliver's hand landed on his back in silent support. "Jesus. It's bad." "I'm absolutely fine." "Sure, Sabrina. You're picking up all her sad habits.", Oliver grumbled, "Lying you're okay, going through life deep sighing over somebody you can't have for some stupid ass reason." He rattled out an order when their turn came and paid for everything, giving Leslie a much needed break from arguing over the ugly truth. "Just ask her out. You have to start somewhere.", his fellow detective insisted as they set on waiting to the side, "Who cares if she went on a date yesterday? Like, fuck, you sure won't be sending 100 roses to her and panic-calling her over a little bat paying you a friendly visit. You already have an advantage - you know what she likes and what she wants before she even figures it out." "60." "Huh?", McKenzie gave him a dumbfounded look. "60 roses is what Bruce sent." A snort left him at the choice of nickname, "Batman ain't cheap, I'd give him that. Though, I'd argue blowing your hotshot lawyer money on a bouquet is kinda idiotic." "Hotshot?" "Oh, yeah.", Oliver nodded at his raised eyebrow, "I looked him up myself, too. Fucker's a new partner in Atlanta. Has his name on the plaque and everything. I wanted to barf at his fancy photoshoot on their website, haven't seen anyone looking so sure of themselves while holding scales. Lady Justice is shakin'."

"Not making me feel any better about this." "I wasn't trying to.", a playful slap landed on his shoulder, "I'm trying to kick your ass into action. Get your girl. Getting laid will fix you both, I promise." "We've been over this." Thanfully, the woman out front waved Oliver over to pick up his bag, stopping the conversation they've had plenty of times before in its tracks. Or so Leslie thought until he was dragged back into it the moment they were back outside. "Spill, Parish and I don't mean my coffee.", McKenzie instructed him with narrowed eyes as they set towards the precinct and he passed him the takeaway to light up a cigarette, "You can even tell Rina you bought her the croissant. My treat." "We talked like we do every night yesterday…", the storm clouds above them certainly matched his mood, "and she let it slip that she's invited him over because his neighbors were annoying the shit out of him with loud sex." Oliver laughed way too loudly at that, startling a woman walking ahead of them and getting a dark look from her he met with a wink, "Batman wishes he was gettin' some." "I asked her to keep me posted, so I know she and Sav are safe." "Reasonable.", he agreed, "Considering they just met." Leslie sighed, "I expected a text, you know, 'We're all good, he left. Goodnight.' She called me instead… sounded completely off, mind you, I was close to jumping on my bike and driving there." "Don't tell me-" "No! Nothing of sorts."

"Good, because it would suck to get arrested for murdering one of Maxie's case victims." "After dancing around the subject, Rina announced that Bruce is stayin' over." "Uh-oh.", Oliver let out a whistle, "She actually went for it. Damn, I-" "In the guest bedroom.", Parish interjected before he could go on a tangent about Sabrina getting laid. He suspected he'd get an extra detailed version of possible events as punishment. The detective's eyes shone with a devilish gleam at the news, "Poor Batman. But… wait… why the fuck did she call you?" "She wanted me to convince her sleeping with him was a bad idea." The two came to a halt in front of their building, not exactly rushing to go back inside despite the subject. Oliver took a long drag from his cigarette, gaze running over his face before he exhaled some of the smoke and muttered, "And you did just that. Cockblocked him, six ways from Sunday." "No." The rest of the vapor left him at once, making him choke at the confession. "God-fucking-damn.", McKenzie croaked out between coughs as he hit his chest dramatically, "This ain't how I want to die. Especially before seeing you get laid for good." Leslie said nothing and tightened his grip on the bag in his hands, focusing his attention on the street, watching each passing car, instead of meeting what he knew would be his fellow detective's disapproving gaze. "You're an idiot, you know that?" "Thanks."

"It's accepted you look a person in the eye when they speak…", he gritted out, taking another pull of nicotine. "What do you want me to say?" "That you didn't actually encourage her to sleep with him and are now in this shit mood because of it? I'd start with that." "I told her the truth.", Leslie replied flatly, "You saw how she was after their lunch. I don't even want to ask how close they were at it…" "I didn't give them the chance to. For you." He shifted his weight from one foot to the other, skipping over the part where he had mentioned protection, because Oliver wouldn't let him live that one down, "I reminded her it's rare she ever feels so strongly about anyone, that she shouldn't worry about the rules of dating or how soon it is." McKenzie dropped his cigarette on the ground, stomping on it with way too much force before throwing it in the nearest trashcan, "You basically shoved her in his bed, gotcha. How the fuck aren't you day-drinking? I'd be spiking my coffee right now." "Rina didn't say she would. In fact she made it a point to say how he's probably already asleep." Just shut up, Parish. His reply received a humorless laugh, "Oh, definitely. You hearin' yourself?" "Sadly, yes." "Good, because currently I feel like walking into traffic to put myself out of this misery…", Oliver pointed ahead of him and clicked his tongue, "but knowing my luck, the closest I'd get is getting run over by a kid biking to school, scarring us both in the process." "Dramatic." McKenzie blinked slowly, "I'm dead serious. And your phone?"

"My phone?", Parish felt his pockets with his free hand, wondering if he had managed to swipe it with another 'magic trick'. Certainly wasn't uncommon for him to pickpocket for kicks, even their Chief, Buchanan. "Yes. Why were you staring at it like it held the solution to all of our cases, and then some?" He produced the device to Oliver, his screen still on Sabrina's open message that he had reread an embarassing amount of times and tried to convince himself it had nothing to do with her late night guest. "I will be in a little bit later today.", McKenzie read her text that wasn't anything unusual to receive from any of the other detectives in Missing Persons, for Sabrina though, it felt out of character, monumental. Both of them were aware of that. "Leslie 'God-how-much-I-wish-you-had-a-middle-name-right-now-so-I-can-scold-you-like-a-mother-would' Parish.", the first part flew past his lips in record speed, "You got this from her and are still thinking she hadn't followed your advice to grab the handsome egomaniac by his horns?" Leslie hoped his shrug was nonchalant enough, "There could be another explanation. Many, in fact." Based on the 'Are you kidding me' look he received, his partner in crime wasn't buying it, "You sweet summer child."

Tagging, @jillvalentinesday @cassietrn @thesingularityseries @josephseedismyfather @unholymilf @madparadoxum @shellibisshe @shegetsburned @purplehairsecretlair @adelaidedrubman @strafethesesinners @strangefable @onehornedbeast @voidika @direwombat @florbelles @corvosattano @theelderhazelnut @harmonyowl @simplegenius042 @clicheantagonist @euryalex @aceghosts @josephslittledeputy @trench-rot @dumbassdep @wrathfulrook @nightbloodbix @quantum-lover and anyone that would like to share a line or a couple ❤️

[themuse-if]

Another 20 (or so) Questions with Everly/Everette Thompson

Interviewer: Welcome to another installment of our character interviews, where we dive deep into the lives and minds of our favorite cast members of The Muse. Today, we have Everly/Everette Thompson with us, our resident multi-faceted thespian . Everly/Everette, thank you for joining us. Could you start by telling us what made you want to pursue not only acting, but dancing and singing as well?

Everly/Everette: Hey! I'm super happy to be here today, thank you for having me. Honestly I grew up spending most of my summers with Gran Gran, she lives in Florida. We would spend most of the day at the beach, and then she would teach me how to knit while TCM (Turner Classic Movies) played in the background. So many classic Hollywood films were musicals and I fell in love with all of the razzle dazzle. Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Leslie Caron, Ginger Rogers they were all so captivating in their time, and I'd love to captivate others in the same way.

Interviewer: So classic Hollywood is your main inspiration, and I'm guessing that also led to your love of the stage. Describe your art in your own words.

Everly/Everette: Once I realized my love for the dramatic arts I knew that I wanted to do it all. Both on stage and on screen, I knew that I wanted to live many lives and tell thought provoking stories time and time again. Getting fully immersed in a new character, and knowing that an audience can see, feel, and hear what I'm trying to express through them is such an overwhelming feeling.

Interviewer: How do you want to be seen by others?

Everly/Everette: If were talking about how I want to be seen as a person rather than as an actor, then the answer is that people can perceive me however they please. People are always going to have their own opinions and make assumptions. I can't really control how people view me, all I can do is be true to myself.

Interviewer: True it's easy for people to make quick assumptions about you when you're in the spotlight. And how do you want your art to be seen by others?

Everly/Everette: I want people to be as immersed in my roles as I am. When they see me perform I want them to forget that it's me and only see the character that I am portraying.

Interviewer: What trait do you value most in a friend?

Everly/Everette: I really value the support of my friends. I may put up a strong front, but it's hard to constantly be in the spotlight. People make a lot of assumptions without really getting to know you. So having friends who trust and understand me despite what others may say is really valuable to me.

Interviewer: What is your latest obsession?

Everly/Everette: I think most people know this about me already, but I'm really into DnD. So recently I've been playing Baldur's Gate 3. It's so unbelievably good! And yes Astarion is my favorite...but Karlach is a close second.

Interviewer: I think Astarion is everyone's favorite! Alright next question, describe your ideal best friend.

Everly/Everette: Someone who shares my passion for the arts and understands the dedication required to succeed. Someone who is supportive, honest, and always up for a spontaneous adventure.

Interviewer: And what about your ideal partner?

Everly/Everette: I think that my ideal partner is really similar to my ideal best friend. The biggest difference would be that I want them to only have eyes for me. I don't mean that they can't perceive other people as attractive I just always want feel like their number 1.

Interviewer: That makes perfect sense. What was your first kiss like?

Everly/Everette: I was really ambitious my freshman year and I auditioned for the lead in our spring musical, Grease. I got the part and my co-star was pissed since they were a senior and really wanted to do the role opposite their partner. As you can imagine this made baby freshman me really nervous, so I begged my best friend Cleo to help me practice the kissing scenes. In my head I thought that maybe if I was a good kisser then maybe my co-star could at least tolerate me. *shrugs*

Interviewer: So did it work? Did your newfound kissing skills help you get closer with your fellow actor?

Everly/Everette: *self deprecating grin* Well........ sort of....... *chuckles to themself* So the thing is I could tell that they definitely started to get more into rehearsing with me kissing scenes or otherwise. The thing is as soon as we were done rehearsing or performing they would become super cold towards me. I don't think they were even capable of warming up to me, but hey the show must go on.

Interviewer: Indeed it must. Well Everly/Everette, have you ever been in love? Off the stage of course. *cheeky grin*

Everly/Everette: I mean I've dated here and there throughout high school, but I don't know, I can't say that I was in love. I have yet to feel that same rush that I feel on stage playing out a scene of love, with someone in reality. And I know that love isn't supposed to feel like something fictional, it should feel real, tangible. Like something that I just have to hold onto because once it slips through my fingers who knows when I'll be able to grasp it again.

Interviewer: *gets wide eyed and then holds back a chuckle* Um...uh are you sure you've never been in love? I just can't imagine having thought about it so deeply if you've never felt it. Could you tell me when was your last relationship, and why did it end?

Everly/Everette: *hides their cheeks from blushing* Ah uh sorry. *chuckles* Yeah I have a habit of being overly introspective. I just think about emotions and abstractions like love and hate, happiness and sadness, so often that it's hard to really define those things in day to day life. And as for my last relationship, well it ended pretty recently. So I was cast as the lead in my final high school spring musical which was Heathers. Long story short my co-star asked me out opening night, and I felt like I sort of had to say yes. Honestly I didn't really see them as anything more than a friend and fellow actor, but I was scared that the performance would tank if I turned them down. After going to prom with them I decided that I had to end it before graduation, I felt really horrible stringing them along. I couldn't be honest with them and say that I was never into them from the start, so I just said that since we were going to schools on different coasts it would be better if we went back to being friends.

Interviewer: Wow that's a lot to unpack. I guess that probably put a bit of a damper on the end of your senior year. Lets move to a lighter topic. What’s your ideal Friday night?

Everly/Everette: If I don't have any plans to hang out with friends, then I'll usually just have a chill night in with the twins. They're in middle school so they're old enough to stay home alone or go hang out with friends, but I still like spending time with them. Plus it gives my parents a chance for a night out. We'll just order pizza and stay up late watching movies and playing video games.

Interviewer: That's really sweet I'm sure they'll miss your Friday night hangouts. What’s the last song you listened to?

Everly/Everette: "Body Language" by Helena Deland.

Interviewer: How do you behave in a relationship?

Everly/Everette: I'm honestly not 100% sure... Since I basically faked my last one... I don't know I think that maybe I'm just a little possessive. Not in a controlling way I just want to spend all of my time with my my partner. But that's normal...right...if you really like someone?

Interviewer: Well I guess that would depend on how it makes your partner feel. Speaking of people you really like, do you approach those you’re interested in or let them come to you?

Everly/Everette: That depends. If the person is someone who likes to take charge then I'll just make my feeling obvious, and they can come to me. If they're a bit more reserved then I'll just take my time showing how I feel and I'll approach them more, the more they show interest in me.

Interviewer: That's a very thoughtful approach. What is your biggest pet peeve?

Everly/Everette: *immediately gets heated* People who tell others to "tone it down." Like what the fuck does that mean? If you can't handle someone with a more expressive personality then just fuck off. Why should I have to tone it down to make someone else more comfortable. If they don't like it, then they can leave, no one is forcing them to stick around.

Interviewer: *cheeky grin* Sounds like your talking from experience. I bet there is definitely a story there, but moving on. What do you notice first about a person?

Everly/Everette: Their eyes, or their gaze more precisely. The way someone just watches the world when they don't think anyone is watching is really interesting.

Interviewer: That's an interesting one, I haven't heard a take like that before. Alright last question, what did you dream about last night?

Everly/Everette: I honestly don't know. I can only recall little snippets. A vivid sunset, me dancing with someone I don't know to a song I've never heard, and streams of people. I uh...don't remember any context those are the only points that stuck with me.

Interviewer: Sounds like even your dreams are cinematic. Well that's all the time we have for today. Thank you so much for coming in and sharing more of your story with us!

[theydoctor]

CRITICAL LESLIE ALERT WE CAN SEE HIS ARMS THIS IS NOT A DRILL WE CAN SEE HIS ARMS !!!! BITCH EVEN GOT A VIOLIN!! ARMS. VIOLIN. DO YOU UNDERSTAND ?! THIS IS CRITICAL

[barry-j-blupjeans]

Also if you want more - 30 and Angus, with whoever you want! :3

30. Yeah I’m fully understanding the murder part, just not why you’re the one who needs to solve it?? 

--

Look, Kravitz's job was nowhere near normal. He fully understood that. It wasn't exactly a nine-to-five. Death can't really take vacation days, y'know? But it got monotonous really fast. Surely necromancers could come up with a new evil number every once and a while? It was all always the same thing- cheat death, live forever, become a god. That last one always made Kravitz roll his eyes. Like the Raven Queen would ever even think about voting a necromancer into Godhood. Honestly.

So he didn't exactly mind when things did get shaken up every now and again. If there was one thing you could say about Kravitz, it was that he loved the chase. Did it make the assignment take longer? Yeah. But the Raven Queen certainly didn't seem to mind if he played with the necromancers a little bit before locking them away. Sue him, he had been here for hundreds of years and things got a little spicy maybe once every twenty.

That being said: There were certain things about the job that Kravitz did not enjoy seeing unexpectedly. Anyone who legitimately seemed to enjoy hurting the people they were using for their experiments- necromancy was a sick type of magic, but using others for your dark deeds was a strict no in Kravitz's book. Even more so if it was children. He had seen in all by now. Parents with twisted ambitions, kidnappers who didn't seem to care, the whole shebang.

But Kravitz had never, never, seen a child not only interrupt him but then start doing his job.

"It was very nice of you to help out, sir," the child said. He had large, circular glasses that made his eyes look a little too big. His hat had a feather in it. A feather. He peeked over Kravitz's shoulder to see the necromancers all huddled in a corner. He had taken the soul of one already, who was lying on the ground next to Kravitz's feet.

"Is it, like, take your kid to work day?" one of the necromancers, who was bleeding rather heavily, said weakly.

"No, sir," the kid answered before Kravitz could. "At least, not for me. I don't know who this man is, nor am I his child, but I do know who you are!" He bounced in place, the blood around their feet sloshing a little. He pulled a file of papers out from his messenger bag and flipped it open. "Mason Redrick, correct?"

"Uhm," said the bleeding necromancer. "Yes?"

"And you're partners, Wanda and Leslie? Right?" Two nods. Kravitz had no idea what was fucking happening anymore. The kid put the notes back into his bag and pulled out a badge instead, flipping it open. A shiny detective badge was displayed. "I work for the Goldcliff Militia and under that power, and the power of my superviser, Captain Captain Bane, I'm going to have to arrest you."

"For what?" the necromancer from the left- Wanda, apparently- said.

"Well, several things, actually," the kid said. "The murders of Ralph Wittle, Reenie Barnes, Greggory Holzman, Ju-"

"Excuse us for a second," Kravitz said, stepping back. The child turned to him, eyebrows raised, and Kravitz pulled him back a little by his sweater vest (good gods, who wears sweater vests anymore?). They huddled in another corner of the room, so Kravitz could still see the necromancers, but he could also talk directly to the kid.

"Sir, I have half the mind to ask you who you are and what you're doing here," the kid said, voice lowered. "As far as I know, you could be aiding these criminals in-"

"What I'm doing here?" Kravitz asked, a little too loud. He coughed, lowering his voice as well. "What are you doing here? You're like, six. This- this is a crime scene-"

"I'm eight, actually," the little boy said. "Almost nine. And I'm here because I was assigned this case and I fully intend to do so, sir. Now, if I can ask again, who are you and what are you doing here?"

Kravitz let out a breath, resting the urge to sink to the floor and never stand up again. Did kids get jobs at eight now? Maybe? Maybe. Kravitz was pretty out of the loop but he was pretty sure eight-year-olds were supposed to be making mud pies and learning multiplication.

"My name is Kravitz," Kravitz said. The kid had taken out a notebook and was writing this down. "And I-"

"No last name?" he interrupted.

"N- no, no last name," Kravitz said. "I'm... I guess you could say I'm an employee for, uh, the Raven Queen."

"Like the Goddess?" the kid said, looking a little more interested. "Can you tell me a little more about that, sir?"

"Not- not at the current moment," Kravitz said.

"Well, I'm sure I could tell my supervisor that you were at a crime scene and refused to elaborate on why-"

"I gotta-" Kravitz made a frustrated sound. "I'm here to- to take these guys in! To hold them accountable for their actions and to uphold the laws of life and death-"

"That's nice, sir," the kid said. "Is that going to interrupt my business with them?"

"Probably," Kravitz said. "I- I do have to kill them to, uh, to reign justice and all."

"And how many people have you killed, exactly, sir?"

"Listen," Kravitz said, feeling a headache coming on. "What's- what's your name?"

"Detective Angus McDonald," the kid said, holding out his hand for Kravitz to shake. Kravitz did so. His entire hand was just slightly bigger than Kravitz's palm. "But you may call me Detective McDonald, or just Detective."

"And you're eight," Kravitz said.

"Nearly nine, sir, and I don't see how that's relevant right now," Angus said, turning his nose up. "Now, if I have you here, I would like your assistance. Since we both are trying to achieve the same goal, sort of, I was thinking you could help me with this murder case-"

"You're eight," Kravitz said again.

"And they're murderers," Angus said. "I think you're focusing on the wrong thing here, sir."

"No, I fully understand the murder part," Kravitz said. "I'm- I'm just not sure why you're the one who needs to solve it?"

"I feel like you're doubting the full range of my abilities, sir," Angus said, frowning. "Are you going to assist me or am I going to have to arrest you as well?"

Kravitz imagined putting that on his mission recap. The murder went okay, but then an actual child arrested me! He sighed again.

"What do you need me to do?" Kravitz asked.

[boyfridged]

Hello, sorry to bother you. I saw your post about 80s Batman comics compared to today's and i wanted to ask you if you know if there's a good starting point to begin reading Batman and Detective Comics from that era. My mind inmediately goes to post crisis but I felt i needed to ask, thanks and sorry if im bothering.

you're not a bother, no worries!

i don't think there's one good answer to it. post-crisis is a good starting point if you want to get background on the contemporary lore as a whole, but my commentary regarding it was not limited to it. there's at least a couple of pre-crisis stories that are very much worth checking out, for example:

detective comics #457 which is the first appearance of leslie (i'm cheating here because it's a story from 1978 but leslie becomes relevant again only in the 80s),

detective comics 501 - 502 which is an intro of julia remarque,

batman special #1 (1984): a storyline about wrath which was specifically mentioned by me in the post you're talking about.

i am also tempted to be a bit cheeky and to say to just read through the silver age, because while not my favourite, there is plenty that conway has to offer. and i definitely do recommend moench's run who has written both dc and batman since 1983 to 1986, wherein the first incarnation of jason appears. and don't listen to anyone who says that he's just a copy of dick – it's a fantastic and ironic story wherein all similarities are purposeful. moench's writing might lack the political and social depth that for instance that of barr does, but i think this is the era that really gets into the meaning of legacy and family in batman, and if you want to get an idea of what bruce realistically could be like as a father also to post-crisis jason (given we don't actually get to see that much), this is perfect background to post-crisis. and speaking of pre-crisis, batman and the outsiders (1983) is also quite good!

when reading post-crisis, keep in mind the office politics of the time, but first of all do not forget to read the absolutely riveting barr's detective comics run starting with dc #569. detective comics #574 (this story actually starts with #573) is a reference to dc #457 and batman special #1, both mentioned above. it's also probably my favourite batman story ever. and while for whatever reason a lot of people don't like it, batman year 2 is phenomenal too. since we're already covering barr, batman: son of the demon is one of the best batman books as well.

don't forget about annuals during that read-through either (starting with #11 for post-crisis). there are also some other series (and mini-series) that you might want to read, like legends or the cult. (<- although neither of these two are my top picks. but they do exist) oh, and the batgirl special from 1988.

in case you don't know, dick does not belong to the batman office at the time, so he sparsely appears in these comics. but the titans titles of the era are pretty straightforward so i don't think you need guidance in this matter (also, jason for example actually does get borrowed by them too.)

catwoman (1989) is another must-read and a scene from it was mentioned in the post of mine as well.

i'm probably forgetting about something...? i'm not big on strict reading guides (i think the fun of it is to just dive into it by yourself), but these are a couple of my recs. i'd say you can just start with post-crisis batman (#401!)/dc (#569, already mentioned) and later 'read around' with these titles as further points of reference.

[armpirate]

UNDER HIS SKIN || JJK || Ch. 12

Pairings: tattoist!jk x fem!reader

Genre: smut, angst, friends to lovers, tattoo au, virgin reader.

Summary: They say there are two versions for every story, and it's important to hear both of them. Everybody is hearing your side of the story, but it's just fair to get to know his.

After breaking up with his girlfriend, the only thing he wanted was to have fun with no attachment. You wanted to get rid of your virginity, and he wanted to tick you off his list. What he didn't expect was getting so emotionally attached to you that he would regret the deal.

Previous || Next

MASTERLIST

I get home, like I usually do, like I've been doing the past three months since Leslie decided to start some design courses. Both me and Mark were fine with her doing that, she was tired of doing the same thing in the studio and was looking to do something new. I loved that from her. How she was never afraid of testing herself and taking risks, always trying to learn new things.

Ever since she started that course, she'd leave the studio an hour or so earlier, and we'd meet back home, where she'd be waiting for me with a beautiful smile. It was crazy how good changes looked on her: her hair was brighter, her skin looked smooth and her mood boosted.

Today is different though.

Mark said we had no customers left, so he told me to get home earlier because he was the only one that'd be busy that evening.

Something stops me from crossing the door though, my phone ringing in the back pocket of my jeans.

I open my eyes slowly, meeting the darkness in my room and the warmth of my blankets when I'm fully aware of the place I'm in. I roll in bed, insulting myself for having that dream again after so long. I thought I moved on from that, I genuinely thought I wouldn't be having that dream again, but guess I was wrong.

I groan when the phone doesn't stop ringing, and sneak my hand out of the blankets to reach it.

If it's Taehyung, trying to get me to pick me from somewhere else, I'm going to kill him. I don't know what time it is, but I'm going to kill him.

Cocktease

I'm even more confused when I see her nickname on my phone screen, because why is she calling at four in the morning? I bet whatever she needs to say can wait for a more normal time.

—Yeah?

While I wait for her answer, I roll on the bed again, lying my back on the mattress. She's totally silent, I can't even hear her breathing, so I kind of assume she might've called by mistake. I'm getting ready to hang up the call, but her voice stops me.

—What's the penalty if one of us doesn't carry out their part of the deal? —she asks fast.

What?

—Are you fucking serious? —I sigh hard— It's 4 am, what's your fucking problem?

—We never mentioned what could happen. And it's already been a week.

And she thinks about this at four in the morning. She could've asked me that earlier this evening, yet she didn't. She waited for me to get home, and fall asleep to do it. Unless...

—Is this an excuse to make sure I didn't take anyone home after leaving your house?

—No —she rushes to answer—. Listen...

—I'm a man who can keep a promise —I continue either way—. But I can tell you what I did after getting home...

—That's not what I called for —she replies back.

Sure, thing. If that isn't the reason, I can't make up who in their right mind would call just to ask something like that. Either she's crazy or she wants to annoy the fuck out of me. And, at this point, it's probably the two of them.

—I didn't think of anything because we are both grown ups. The moment one of us wants to walk away, it'll be okay —I decide to answer her question—. Why? Do you want to write down some penalties?

—No.

That answer leaves me confused, but I find it funny for some reason. She's contradicting herself and she just doesn't mind.

—Why are you awake so late, huh?

—I couldn't sleep —she doesn't sound convincing at all.

—So, since you couldn't sleep, you decided to wake me up —I sigh, loud enough so she can hear it—. Cocktease, I thought we said we would wave a white flag. It's the first rule.

She goes back to being silent. And, at some point, it kind of scares me thinking about the possibility of Y/n taking what I'm saying seriously. I was annoyed when I woke up, but not now that I'm talking to her.

I'm just playing around.

—Do you have plans for tomorrow? —I dare to ask, breaking the silence.

—No.

—Want to hang out? I'll drive you to work after.

I could've hung up after she said yes, but instead, I keep the conversation going, which doesn't make sense. It just seems like the right thing to do right now, and I don't care enough to look any deeper into it.

—Good thing you said yes, because you need to make up for waking me up with a beer —I chuckle—. You have no idea how hard it'll be for me to get back to sleep now.

—Oh yes, I bet it'll be so hard for you to fall asleep —she scoffs—. I saw it in Seneca, how problematic you are for that. Especially when you fell off the bed —she says with sarcasm.

—So that's what happened? —I palm my forehead— My knees were hurting when I woke up, now I know why. Thank you —I hear her laughing on the other side—. But it's not the same. You've woken me up in the middle of the night, that doesn't mean I don't have a deep sleep. Actually...

I don't know why I'm telling her how Taehyung pierced my eyebrow while I was asleep the night of my graduation after having way too many beers, but hearing her cackle and asking about it makes me think it wasn't a bad idea after all. It just flows naturally with her. It's not a forced conversation, it's just going on because we both want to talk to each other.

Weird, isn't it?

I hear her moving and yawning, before she points up she has never, in her life, gotten drunk. And I make Y/n laugh again when I gasp dramatically.

—I can't believe you.

—Never —she assures me—. I've never tested my limits. So yeah... never.

—I need to change that —I bite my lip.

We keep talking for a few more minutes, until I never hear her speak again. I call her name, and even make some sounds to get her attention, but I get nothing.

She probably fell asleep.

—Good night, cocktease —I whisper, hanging up the phone.

I look up at the ceiling through the darkness, trying to remember the last time I felt this way about talking to someone -without the aim of sleeping with her the next day. I mean, I know I have the whole deal with Y/n, but that's exactly why I don't need to talk with her right now. I could've cut the conversation, I could've ignored her call... But I didn't.

✸ ✸ ✸

—No, you pick him up.

Y/n looks at me nervously, and then looks around. When I first told her to reach out to any of the guys in here, and flirt, I was kidding -not really. I was just trying to piss her off and push her buttons, and I really thought she'd just shrug it off and move on. But, instead, she took my invite and agreed to it, trying to make me pick up the boy she'll flirt with.

She keeps encouraging me to choose, when I actually want to tell her that she doesn't have to do that. So I give in. I look around, trying to find any man that could be easy for her. Most of them are coming with other girls, or other guys, and that could put Y/n in an uncomfortable situation -if she's already struggling at doing it with one, I can't imagine how hard it'll be if she has public witnessing everything. No, I need someone who's alone.

I see one boy sitting on the counter, but he's just scrolling through his phone, nothing interesting. And when I see him dig his index in his nose, I know he can't be the one. Mentally shaking my head, I keep scrolling over the room, finding a guy with short brown hair, looking at his phone. He looks boring, but he's by himself and he has a book on the table -so it could be a good excuse to talk to him first.

Her eyes follow my finger, landing on the guy, just to fall on me back again shortly after. I try to reassure her, and cheer her up. And that seems to be enough for a while. At least until she's aware of what it's about to happen, and turns on her tracks to look at me again with horror. She gets my negative when I shake my hands in the air, and turns on her feet again.

After she finally taps on his shoulder, I swear I can hear her fast breathing and her heart pumping hard against her chest when he turns around. I follow every single movement she makes, and when I see her pointing up somewhere in the table, I think she might've taken the lead and control the situation. But instead of keeping the conversation going, I see the guy giving her a confused look, just to hand her some napkins right after.

—It could've been worse —I try to comfort her when she's back to me.

But she's still upset over what happened, at least it's what it seems by the way she hides her face behind her hands. Huffing and whining every few minutes. I tap on the table, trying to get back her attention.

—I'll give you a demonstration. Pick any girl you want —I encourage her.

Clearly, she goes for the girl who got there with her boyfriend, and that was all over him just five minutes ago. I try to give her the chance to change, but she genuinely wants to see me being rejected.

And that's not gonna happen.

—Hey —I greet the girl, who looks at me confused when I reach her table—. I need your help with something.

—Sure —she frowns, leaving her phone back on the table.

—I came with my girlfriend... No, don't look at her —I stop her, when I see her attempting to move her head towards my table—. She's jealous as fuck, but she's also pissing me off constantly on how I would never be able to pull a girl like you. So could you play along?

—Okay —she isn't frowning anymore, but I can tell she's still confused.

—Laugh and play with your hair —I smile, sitting on the free chair while I laugh along.

I keep talking nonsense, although most of it is me thanking her for helping me out. And it's all fine until I feel my body being lifted and dragged away from the chair, and I bet I've seen my life pass in front of my eyes when the six feet tall man raises his fist at me.

—Who the fuck are you?

—A friend? —I try, but that only makes him groan.

—I was looking for you —I hear her voice, before she tries to get in between us, although her eyes are fixed on me—, I told you selling those bibles around would get you in trouble someday.

—Bibles? —the man that's still holding me asks.

—Yeah —she nods fast—. Poor boy just got out of jail for robbing them, so he's trying to make up for it by helping to sell them. He doesn't realize when he's overstepping boundaries though, don't take him seriously.

As soon as he lets me go, Y/n holds me by my wrist and drags me away from there, back to our table. I look at her intensely, thinking she would apologize. She never does. She only looks away, at any point in the bar but me.

—You knew she was with her boyfriend.

—What? No —Y/n looks at me with rounded eyes, trying to act shocked by my accusation.

Thank god she didn't try to be an actress.

—It's funny —I look at her, while supporting both of my elbows on the table—. You were perfect at pulling a big story to save me from getting my nose broken, yet you are unable to lie to me with a short answer.

—Think whatever you want of me.

The way she lifts her chin and looks away again is so cute, it makes me smile and giggle unconsciously.

—By the way —I try to get her attention—, that story? How did you come up with it?

—When you have strict parents, you learn how to lie and come up with the dumbest, not totally believable, excuses —she shrugs.

I guess that makes sense.

[king-crane]

SABBATICAL.

@2ndbat Professor Jonathan Ichabod Crane wasn't exactly the most popular man in Gotham City. He had the respect of his students, his colleagues... and a few of his former criminal compatriots. Every now and then, his mind drifted to the Society - had Luthor finally kicked the bucket? Had Grodd found his secret to immortality? Were either of them still there? It really didn't matter, except to illustrate the depths he had once sunk to - and the depths that clawed at him once again. Bodies littered the lobby of the Humanities and Sociology building of Gotham University, most of them broken beyond recognition, but still somehow breathing. The sixty-eight year old professor wields his cane with the dexterity and grace of someone four decades younger, and cracks skulls with as much precision as a surgeon. By the time the authorities cleaned up the other buildings, Crane was left in the lobby, surrounded by the unconscious bodies of gangsters, wheezing and collapsing against his cane. His once blue overcoat was now a deep red, and as police flocked to him to check his condition, he reflexively holds his hands out, waiting for restraints. The restraints never come. Instead, he is met with only confusion, except for from a vaguely familiar face. The commissioner, Barbara Gordon. "Crane." Her voice is laced with what feels like venom, but she keeps her gaze level. He can barely speak, his lungs screaming in protest as he does so regardless. "Arkham. Take me... to Arkham."

Crane would soon find, of course, that Arkham had been demolished. He remembered, of course - destroyed, after what happened with Joker. Still, he was going to the next best place, the Leslie Thompkins Medical Center. They still didn't put handcuffs on him. He was just defending himself and his students, or so they said - but he could feel the shadows at the corners of his vision coming alive once more. The police cruiser stops outside the hospital, and Crane steps out, leaning heavily on his cane. The officers who guide him in are gentle - they don't drag him. He realizes it must be because of his bruised body. They'll have time for the handcuffs later. Where was the Batman? And that pesky bird that always followed him? "Fools." He snarls, under his breath. "Fools, all of you. You think I cannot harm you, because I am old? I am the Master of Fear, the Lord of Terror! When I tell you to restrain me-" His words seem to fall on deaf ears and he huffs a bit more, but doesn't bother. After a visit with a doctor who is more concerned with his body than the fact that Crane could kill him with a single blow, he finally gets a cell. They had to be convinced (did they wish for him to just sleep outside?), but he finally got it, along with a set of warm, fresh clothes. The TV (why was there a TV in his cell) is set to the news, and, predictably, they're covering tonight. "-University found itself attacked by a gang of Jokerz, though casualties were minimalized thanks to the heroic efforts of Psychology Professor Jonathan Crane." Was she joking? There was nothing heroic about what he had done. He can feel the end approaching - it was only a matter of time before he relapsed completely. His vision was fading, the old burlap monster returning.