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ragingbookdragon · 3 years

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Batsis Meet The Batboys

Batsis x Batfamily One-Shot

Word Count: 4.1K Warnings: Explicit Language, Angst

Author's Note: Y'all, I am slowly but surely making good on that promise to get all my stories reposted--also editing them so they're nice and neat! Enjoy! -Thorne

Dick:

She hummed in amusement as her father grunted and begrudgingly passed over another five into the man’s hand. “You know…it’s good to know that my perfect father actually sucks at something.” She turned and popped a piece of cotton candy into her mouth. “And it’s carnival games.”

He grunted again when he missed the balloon, and he handed her the darts. “Why don’t you try it, sweetheart?”

She handed him the cotton candy with a grin and took the darts, holding one up and making the repeated motion of throwing it. She couldn’t help but feel a little cocky as she asked, “Dad, if I get this, what toy do you want?”

She nodded to the bat in the corner. “I was thinking about the stuffed bat. Eh, dad?” He glared at her, but she laughed as she tossed the weighted dart, watching as it hit center and she pointed to the bat. “I’ll take that one.”

The man handed it to her, and they walked off; she held it up to her father. “Here. A bat for Batman,” she quipped, and he grunted at her.

“That isn’t funny, (Y/N).”

She shrugged and retorted, “It’s a little funny. You just have no sense of humor because you’re a stick in the mud.” (Y/N) shoved the stuffed animal in her backpack before reaching up and taking her father’s hand; she glanced down at her wristwatch on the opposite hand and said, “The performances don’t start for another twenty minutes. Want to go look at something else? I saw one of those spinning car rides. We could do that.”

When he didn’t give her response, she looked back up at him to see him staring off into the distance, his eyes set on the Wayne Enterprises tower. “Dad? You okay?”

He blinked as if startled from his thoughts and he directed his gaze down at her and after a few moments, he nodded. “Just thinking.”

“Penny for your thoughts.”

“I haven’t spent a lot of time with you.” He frowned and squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry, (Y/N). I haven’t been a good—”

She cut him off with a ‘pfft’. “Dad, it’s alright. I’m not angry.” (Y/N) squeezed his hand in return. “I might be young, but I’m not an idiot. I know being a dad is new for you, especially since you didn’t get to watch me grow up the first decade of my life. But what matters is that you’re here now, and you’re doing the best you can. And that’s all I ask of you.”

At her little speech, he was stunned, and after a moment he knelt down and hugged her. “I love you, sweetheart.”

(Y/N) returned the hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, though they were so big and broad that she couldn’t meet her hands around his back. “I love you too, dad.”

Happening to glance over his shoulder, she immediately gasped. “Dad!”

He let her go, immediately moving to protect her. “What? What is it?”

(Y/N) pointed towards a costumed family walking and greeting the people. “It’s the Flying Grayson’s!” She grabbed his hand and tugged him along in their direction. “Let’s get a picture with them!” She could hear her father chuckle behind her, but he followed, and they stepped up to the family.

(Y/N) waved at them. “Hi Mister and Missus Grayson! Can we get a picture with you?”

The man and woman smiled at them and nodded, and a boy a couple years younger than her stepped up.

He stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Richard Grayson. But you can call me Dick.”

(Y/N) took his hand and shook it. “(Y/N) Wayne. Nice to meet you, Dick.” She gestured to her father. “This is my dad, Bruce Wayne.”

Her father smiled and tipped his head towards the boy before handing the camera to someone and stepping beside her. She and Dick had become friends instantaneously as they slung their arms around each other’s necks, their grins cheesy and wide.

The camera flashed and the man handed Bruce the camera, and (Y/N) nodded to the family. “Thank you for taking a picture with us.” They started to walk away, but she stopped them, motioning to her dad. “Can my dad take a picture of the three of you? I know it seems a little weird, but it’d be cool to have a picture of you guys, and one with you.” They nodded at her request and she gestured to her father, watching him take the photo of the family. “Thank you!”

They waved and walked off, leaving them, and she turned to Bruce. “Wanna go find seats?” He nodded, and they began moving in the direction of the tent.

***

Time seemed to grind to a halt as (Y/N)’s heart stopped in her chest as she watched them slam into the ground. Chaos filled the tent in mere seconds, people screaming, children crying, and her father grabbed her arm. “(Y/N)—”

She nodded and pulled her arm away, already starting to make her way from her seat. “I’ve got him. Go.” She didn’t wait for his reply, hopping the seats until her feet hit the dirt ground and she broke into a sprint towards the sobbing boy in the center.

She twisted her feet and slid on the ground next to him, her heart tightened when he gazed up at her, sky blue eyes wide in agony. (Y/N) reached out, wrapping her arms around him. “I’ve got you Dick. I’ve got you kid.”

She felt his arms come around her middle as his head burrowed in her shoulder; his entire body shook with every heart-wrenching sob, and (Y/N) raised one of her hands, running it through his hair as she whispered repeatedly, “I’ve got you.”

(Y/N) heard GCPD officers shouting, and she looked up, seeing her father standing beside them. “Batman,” she whispered softly.

He glanced at her before kneeling beside them and blocking the way of the fallen couple. “You two shouldn’t look at this anymore.”

She nodded and squeezed the boy on the shoulder. “Dick. We need to get away from here.”

“I can’t…leave them.” He pulled back, tears streaming down his cheeks. “I’m…all alone.”

(Y/N) shook her head, and placed a hand on his cheek. “I’m here, Dick. You’re not alone.” His face pinched as a new round of tears sprouted in his eyes and he lowered his head, the sobs wracking his body, and she gazed up at her father’s face, knowing the agony behind the white slits. “You’re not alone.”

Jason:

She walked alongside her father, tugging at the collar of her suit. “Can’t we make a suit that doesn’t choke me as much as this collar does? I feel like I’ve got one of Ivy’s vines wrapped around my throat.” He didn’t say anything and she rolled her eyes. “Fine. Fine. Ignore me. I see how it is.”

“You’re the one who designed your suit, Batgirl. I told you to choose breathable fabric but you refused and said you wanted adequate protection like mine.”

She blinked and glared at him. “Do you get some sick pleasure from repeating my apparent failures?” He chuckled lightly, and she looked around. “Whatever…I still think you shouldn’t have parked in Crime Alley. You know there’s always trouble here.”

“The Batmobile is fine,” he said, voice tired as if he’d answered the question a hundred times before—he had.

(Y/N) hummed, nodding to the car a few feet ahead of them and quipped, “Oh, so the kid jacking the tires off it is completely normal?”

Her father looked at her split second before turning to see it, his eyes widening in disbelief as he muttered, “I don’t believe what I’m seeing.” He moved soundlessly towards the boy, her following.

“Got to give it to him. It takes some big balls to jack the Batman’s ride,” she admired and he grunted, though she knew he was in agreement, and they walked up on the oblivious boy.

She watched her father pull his ‘Put-The-Fear-Of-Batman-Into-‘Em’ stance and he cleared his throat with an exaggerated, ‘ahem’. (Y/N) snorted at the way the boy jerked, twisting to see them staring at him; she swore he’d shit himself the way the fear bled into his eyes.

Her father glared at the kid. “You do realize that’s the Batmobile, right?”

The boy’s face pinched, and he tipped his head up, his voice haughty. “Duh. You do realize you parked your car in Crime Alley, right?” (Y/N) barked a laugh, but quickly coughed when her father turned his glower to her, and he turned back to the boy just in time to see him swinging the tire iron.

“Bad move, hotshot.” Her words fell on deaf ears as she watched her father catch the tool and grip the boy by the front of his hoodie, picking him up off the ground a few feet.

He squirmed, legs kicking out for few seconds before spitting, “You want to beat up on a kid, go enlist in the GCPD like every other bully in this city.”

(Y/N) saw the gears turning in her father’s head as he leaned in, his face inches apart from the boys as he demanded, “I’m only going to ask you this once…So give some serious thought to your answer.”

The boy craned his neck, eyes narrowed as he asked, “What it is?”

Her father gave him a smirk. “Are you hungry?” The boy’s brows furrowed in suspicion, and within the next ten minutes, they were sitting on the hood of the Batmobile eating burgers and fries and sipping on milkshakes.

At one point, she’d reached over and grabbed the boy’s hands; he looked up at her and she nodded to his burger. “Slow down, Jason. You’ll eat your hand at this rate.”

He snorted but nodded, eating a little slower than before as he said, “Sorry. This is the closest thing to a home-cooked meal since I’ve had a home.” He paused and looked out at the city. “It’s funny…I was here once, looking for Wayne Manor.” He looked between them. “I was trying to case the place, but I got lost.”

Bruce looked down at the boy and questioned, “Why do you think it’s okay to steal from people?”

Jason scoffed at his question. “Are you kidding me? Look at this view.” He motioned to the buildings in the distance. “Freaking ‘Billionaire Playboy’ thinks he’s the king of the world. Pfft.”

(Y/N) elbowed him in the ribs and quipped, “Oh honey, he doesn’t think he is. He knows he is.”

The two of them cackled, but the solemn look from her father made their laughter fall short and he said, “Sometimes you just have to give people a chance Jason…they’ll usually surprise you.”

Her father’s words made Jason pause, and she saw him sink into deep thought. After a few moments, she leaned across Jason and nudged her father.

He looked at her and she tipped her head to Jason. “Does this mean he’s coming home with us?” Her father looked at him and back to her, then nodded and she shifted her arm, grinning as she wrapped it around Jason’s neck. “Well then, welcome to the family…little brother.”

Tim:

She could sense the boy following her, and after a few moments, she realized he wasn’t giving up. It wasn’t just some coincidence that they were on the same path—he wanted something from her. She glanced over her shoulder before ducking into the shadows of an alley, waiting for him to follow.

Sure enough, he stepped into the opening of the alley, looking for her, then he shook his head and stamped his foot on the ground. “No-no-no. I was so close to finding her.” He sighed and his shoulders fell in defeat as he visibly deflated.

She stepped behind him and gripped his shoulder in an steel-tight grasp, inquiring, “Why are you following me, kid?”

The kid gasped like he’d been shot as his knees collapsed beneath him, falling from her grip and to the ground. He rolled and gazed up at her with a mixture of shock and wonder as he breathed, “Batgirl.”

She glared down at him and demanded, “Answer my question before I call GCPD for you being out past curfew. Why. Are. You. Following. Me.”

He swallowed thickly before nodding rapidly. “Right. You see, I’ve been looking for you, Batgirl.”

“Yeah, I got that from the tailing. What I wanna know is, why?”

“I need to talk to you about Batman.”

Her eyes narrowed in suspicion at the mention of her father. “What’s a scrawny-ass kid like you, need to talk about Batman with me for?”

His mouth opened, then it snapped shut and he seemed to think on his answer for a moment. He looked at his hands and whispered, “It’s about your brother…Jason Todd.”

Hearing her deceased brother’s name knocked the air from her lungs and she barely managed to get the word ‘what?’ out without sucking in a breath.

He glanced up at her. “I know who you are Miss Way—”

(Y/N)’s hand shot out and she slapped it over his mouth before shaking her head. “Don’t say my name. You don’t know who’s listening.” He went silent as she removed her hand and held it out for him. “C’mon. If you know who I am then that means you know everyone’s identity.”

He nodded mutely and she clicked a button on her wrist; A few moments later, her bike pulled in front of the alley. “Get up. We need to go have a chat.” He took her hand, letting her haul him to his feet, and they walked over to the bike. (Y/N) climbed on before nodding to him. “Get on and hold on.” He followed her order, sitting in front of her, and she took off.

***

A few minutes later, they were stepping into one of the safe houses her dad set up around the city. She closed the door and flicked on the light, pulling the cowl off before gesturing to the table. “Sit.” He obeyed and she opened the refrigerator, pulling out two sodas. (Y/N) turned, taking the seat across from him and sliding his drink over. “Now. Who are you and how do you know about all this?”

He nodded and pulled out a giant book, placing it on the table. “My name is Timothy Jackson Drake, I’m thirteen, and I’ve been following the exploits of Batman, Batgirl, and Robin since I was two.”

(Y/N) cocked a brow at that. “Two’s a little young to be able to remember us.”

Tim looked at the book and nodded. “I know…but I have a photographic memory, and I remember the first time I saw Batman.”

“And that was?”

He paused and his voice quiet. “The night Dick Grayson’s parents were murdered.” (Y/N)’s eyes went wide, and he drew his eyes to hers. “I remember Dick swinging to the ground as his parents climbed the ladder. His mom went first, and his dad followed. Then…the rope snapped, and…they fell.”

Tim quieted considerably and she had to strain to hear him as he recounted, “I got scared, and I looked away. I couldn’t watch…then I heard the crash and Dick sobbing. And I saw you run down and hug him.” He met her gaze. “Then I saw this giant, dark shape falling towards you, and I thought it was going to hurt you two. But then I realized Batman wasn’t trying to hurt you…he was trying to help you both. And he went from being a monster…to becoming some great Dark Knight.”

Tim looked at her. “From them on, I’ve been having the same dream, over and over. I—”

(Y/N) raised a hand, stopping him. “When did you find out who we were?”

He nodded. “When I was nine, I was watching TV and I saw you and Dick, well, Robin and Batgirl. You—”

“Batgirl and Robin. In that order.” She pointed to herself with a face that could only be something akin to the ‘first-child-syndrome’. “I was first.”

A smile grew across Tim’s face and he nodded. “Right, Batgirl and Robin. Anyway, I saw you two on TV, and I watched Dick perform a quadruple somersault.” He grinned rather proudly of himself and declared, “I knew that somersault like I knew my own name. About six months later, Robin made his first appearance. And if Dick Grayson was Robin and Bruce Wayne’s ward, then Bruce Wayne was Batman, and you were Batgirl.” (Y/N) stared at Tim in shock, too stunned to even form words.

He shifted nervously under her gaze. “Um…Miss (Y/N)? Batgirl? Are you alright?”

(Y/N) blinked and shook her head as she muttered, “Holy shit, kid. What are you?”

“I—I’m sorry?”

She huffed a laugh and grinned at him. “You’ve got some damn good detective skills to have figured all that out.” Tim smiled sheepishly under the praise, then (Y/N) stood up from the table, stretching her arms over her head until she heard her joints pop, then she stared at him. “You got a place to sleep tonight?”

“I…no. Not at the moment.”

(Y/N) placed her hands on her hips and hummed. “And why’s that?”

“Well, in the course of looking for you, I’ve also been looking for Dick. But I can’t find him. He’s good at disappearing.”

She nodded and pointed to a room. “I know where Dick is. Go sleep in the guest room, and tomorrow we can go find him.”

As she walked past him, heading for her room, he questioned dubiously, “You’d do that for me?”

(Y/N) stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “Isn’t that what family does?”

Tim’s jaw went slack and he gaped at her as she stepped into her room and closed the door behind her.

Damian:

She shut the door behind her and locked it, though there really wasn’t any reason to considering the fact that no one could get into the manor, let alone across the front lawn without anyone inside knowing.

Hauling the bag up and over her shoulder, she found it odd that no one had greeted her yet and her oddity turned into unsettling when she didn’t hear anything.

She dropped her keys in the silver bowl on the side table and looked around the foyer. “Hello? Dad? Alfred? Timmy?” She stuck her head in the kitchen door. “Anyone home?”

There was no response and she hummed questioningly, knowing that on a Sunday, everyone was home relaxing. She made her way to the study and shifted the clock hands, watching as the entrance appeared, then she descended the steps into the cave. It was even quieter than usual, and she felt the hairs stand up on the back on her neck as she made her way to the Batcomputer.

She pushed a button on the keyboard, watching as the screen came to life and said, “Give me the most recent update.”

“Confirmation?” It replied.

“(Y/N) Wayne, Batgirl.”

The computer beeped for a moment. “(Y/N) Wayne. Batgirl. Access level high.” It paused. “Access granted. Welcome Batgirl.”

“Give me the most recent update.”

“Requested.” It processed the request then told her, “Talia al Ghul entered Gotham Bay approximately two days ago, leaving behind Damian al Ghul in Batman’s custody.”

Damian al Ghul? Who the hell is that? (Y/N) raised an eyebrow as she pushed another button. “Who is Damian al Ghul.”

“Damian al Ghul is the biological son of Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul. Conceived…month and day unknown…year was two-thousand-three.”

(Y/N) stared at the screen, not sure if she should feel shock that her dad had a second biological kid, or disgust that he slept with Talia to get one. All the sudden, her training kicked in and she felt someone behind her. She spun around, catching the blade of a sword coming at her. She looked down at a young child, no older than ten, glaring up at her. She’d seen pictures of her father when he was a child, and though he had Talia’s emerald green eyes and olive complexion, there was no mistaking the resemblance between him and her father.

Her eyes narrowed into slits as she shoved him away. “The hell are you doing?”

He raised the sword again and said, “Testing you.”

(Y/N) crossed her arms, her gaze curious. “For what purpose?”

He ran at her waving the sword. “To see if you are really father’s daughter.”

She chuckled at that and dodged each attempt to cut her. “Trust me short-stack, I’m Bruce Wayne’s kid.”

Her insult seemed to set him off and he swung the sword wildly. “I am not short!”

(Y/N) grunted as the blade grazed her arm, and she clenched her jaw. “Alright. I’m done entertaining you.”

She let him come to her, then she twisted, wrenching the sword from his grip before tossing it away and coming back around. She gripped him by the collar and used the momentum to slam him to the ground before pulling his arms behind him and putting her knee in his back.

It all happened within seconds, and he didn’t know how to respond other than to cry out in anger. “Let go!”

She pulled his arms tighter until he stopped squirming and she leaned down. “Take a chill pill, runt.” He still cried out in rage at the name, and she heard someone grunt a few feet from her.

“Let him up, (Y/N).”

She looked up to see her father and Alfred walking towards her. She obeyed, rolling away from the boy and to her feet. “I was wondering where you were.”

Bruce nodded to Damian, who was pulling himself off the floor in a rather heated fashion. “We were trying to find out where Damian had gone.”

(Y/N) eyed him for a moment before murmuring, “So, he really is your kid?”

Damian cut Bruce off, spitting, “Are you jealous?”

She looked at Damian and snorted. “Not even an ounce short-cake.” (Y/N) laughed at the way his face pinched in rage, and she turned to Bruce. “You just can’t help collecting them, can you?” He glared at her and she laughed, walking over and nudging him. “Smile a little, Scrooge. Your face will get stuck like that if you don’t.”

He sighed, and muttered, “I don’t know what to do with him.”

(Y/N) glanced at the boy who was picking up his sword. “Too angry?”

“Belligerent is more like it.”

She chuckled and patted his back. “Don’t worry. I’ve got him.”

“(Y/N) I don’t think—”

“Relax, dad. I handled Dick’s anger, didn’t I?”

“Damian’s got Dick beat by a longshot. I don’t think he knows any demeanor other than attack.”

(Y/N) waved as she walked towards Damian. “No one’s able to beat Dick’s anger. No one in a million years could reach the level of pissed off Dick Grayson stays at.” Bruce grinned as he watched (Y/N) take the sword and move Damian towards the stairs. “C’mon pint-sized. We’re going to explore Gotham.”

“I do not want to go.” He retorted, pulling away from her.

She grasped the back of his neck like a puppy and held him firmly as they walked and she quipped, “I don’t really give a fuck whether you want to or not. You’ve been raised by homicidal psychopaths since you were born.” She looked down at him. “You need to see the real world.”

“My grandfather and mother aren’t psychopaths!”

“Oh really? So killing people for money or because honor demands it, isn’t psychopathic traits? What about when Ra’s kills people because they disrespect him?”

“That is different!”

“I mean you don’t see me poppin’ caps in people’s asses when they call me a whore, do you?”

Bruce watched the two of them climb the stairs, arguing, and he sighed, sensing Alfred walk next to him.

“Almost reminds you of Master Dick and Miss (Y/N), doesn’t it Master Bruce?”

He looked at Alfred, then smiled and nodded. “In every way, shape, and form.”

Alfred smiled. “It is such a good thing that Miss (Y/N) is the oldest. The boys have needed her.”

“She’s their protector.”

Alfred paused, resting a hand on his shoulder; Bruce met his gaze and saw such a solemnity in them as he said, “She is everyone’s protector, Master Bruce. Even yours.” Alfred walked away, then Bruce turned and looked at the photo resting on the desk. It was the first photo he and (Y/N) had taken in their suits.

He smiled at it and nodded. “That she is.”

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astaroth1357 · 4 years

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Demigod MC Series: Hermes

Hey guys, still doing what I can to stay healthy (and entertained) in quarantine. Staying still, keeping calm, and trying not to exert myself too much because of the shortness of breath thing going on. My lungs just can't get enough air it seems… 😅 Anyway, I've gotten a lot of suggestions on this series and I'm excited to keep it going. Just going to be a tad slow until I'm feeling better. Thank you for the support, y'all!

Demigod MC Series: Intro, Aphrodite, Hermes

Lucifer

Oh no… it’s everyone’s worst nightmare… Another Mammon, but competent. Devil help us all…

Had he known who their father was, he'd have never assigned Mammon to watch over them. Hell, he would have made sure those two never even met. They became a new handful for him to manage from the day they first arrived…

When even more things started going missing around the House than normal, he knew he had made a grave mistake… They were clever, quick, and skilled. About the best WORST combination for a burglar to be…

Worse still, they were fast on their feet. He would pretty much have no way to nab them on foot and always had to resort to his wings or magic to have any hope of catching up to them… At least Mammon usually gets himself cornered!

But, paradoxically, he also came to notice that the mortal had an odd honesty streak to them... Like, they’d steal but they’d always admit to it, unlike Mammon who would try to deflect till he was blue in the face.

Were they proud of their work, maybe? Or just didn’t see the point in trying to get away with it...?

There would be several occasions where they’d take something, sell it with Mammon, and then steal the thing back later just to put it back where it belonged, seemingly never with Mammon’s permission to do so either…

Is it better that they returned the stolen item or worse because their actions went from just robbery to a full-on scam? Either way, it gives him headaches trying to deal with it…

He pretty much gives up getting the mortal to stop after 6 months, they are legitimately that good, but makes them swear to always put back whatever they take at some point. It seems to work out and he lets more things slide, but please someone get them out of here soon…

Mammon

Soulmatesoulmatesoulmatesoulmate, or maybe more accurately “Partner-in-Crime” but that means pretty much the same thing to him anyway. 🤷‍♀️

He’s never met a person better at thievery than they were. The day they met, they managed to pick his pockets without breaking a sweat (or a finger) and that was it. He was in love.

They could teleport! Actually teleport!! Suddenly, NOTHING was off limits to him any more! Lucifer’s rare records? Easy. Levi’s secret safe? Cakewalk. The Castle vault?? Child’s play!! It was like they could steal anything they put their mind to!!

He didn't even have to worry about them when they made getaways because they were fast too, the two actually have parkour races through the streets for the hell of it!

On top of all that, they were wicked creative. He’d come up with a money-making scheme then they’d offer him all sorts of little tricks to help get away with it...

HE’D have never realized that they could turn themselves into rats in order to frighten and sneak past Barbatos, but they thought of it the instant they heard of his fear of things. They're a mad genius!!

The only real downside was they seemed to like stealing for the sport of it instead of for the money… so they always steal back whatever they took.

That kind of defeats the purpose of all that work in the first place, right? Ah well, at least that's more money for him.

These two pretty much became a walking menace to Devildom society- Sorry, not sorry.

Leviathan

Not another Mammon!!! WHY?! What did he do to deserve this?!?

When he started noticing that EVEN MORE of his stuff was going missing than usual, he straight-up flipped! Like, had the mortal not been pretty tough in their own right they would have been Lotan-chow. End of discussion.

… And then they started using their powers for good? Kind of?

Like, first off they would always give back what they stole, which was a nice change from Mammon. Annoying, but at least he didn't have to go buy replacement games or anything…

And then they started stealing him limited edition merch or tickets and stuff because they… liked him?? He guessed???

Why else would they go to all the trouble of swiping one of the five ultra-rare Kitsune Ruri-chan figurines from its original collector? He would have had to pay Mammon half his tail for something like that but the MC just brought it to him one morning because they could!

Is… is this love? Has he grown to love that which he hates?! What is even happening anymore!?! Who is he?!? 😫

Eventually he has to reconcile his conflicted feelings by dubbing them the real life Peony Phantom Thief, Jane and even making them a cosplay. Yes, they have to wear it when they bring him things. No, it's not weird, shut up.

Satan

He wants to be irritated, no - furious, that they keep taking his stuff… But he’ll be damned if they aren’t making Lucifer’s life a living hell right now. 😏

He's honestly not even sure how they managed to swipe half of the priceless portraits in the Castle (a considerable feat since there's one for Every. Room.) but they pulled it off in under a week. Barbs didn't even notice the replicas…

If that's not mildly terrifying, he doesn't know what is. Who knows what things he could be missing at any given moment...?

At least the mortal had the good sense to return his things, unlike Mammon, which gets them off his shit list for the most part. 🤷‍♀️

It helps that they’re also impressively well-traveled. They claim to have been across every human continent and sailed every ocean. Though he was skeptical at first, just hearing their stories eventually convinced him.

What sort of person has sailed the Amazon River, hiked through Arctic tundra, seen every major capital city, and still had time to explore the sights of the French Riviera?

One that has magical teleportation powers apparently.

Frankly, he could listen to their stories of the human world all day and still ask for another. He's told them that they may as well just write a book of their own for him at some point, it'd be beneficial to their poor vocal chords.

Asmodeus

Ugh! Really? Another thief in the House?? Wasn’t one hard enough to deal with?!

Honestly, stolen beauty products aren't exactly something you can just sell or give back, so unfortunately a lot of Asmo's clothes/accessories get targeted and he is NOT happy about it...

Around the time his favorite scarf was stolen for the third time, he was about to gut the mortal himself, but they struck a deal with him. They could nab his clothes SO LONG as they returned them with an extra little "gift."

Jewelry, perfume, creams, nail polish, etc. Asmo kept a running list and pretty much treated his thieving friend like a less moral version of Akuzon. Whatever he asked for, no matter how rare or expensive, they always got their hands on so who was he to complain?

He once decided to test them by asking for the Hope Diamond - which they got for him - but he made them return it after a week after the curse on it made him ruin a particularly intricate manicure so…

Like Satan, he's also pretty impressed with all the places they've seen. He's pretty traveled in the human world himself so they exchange travel stories all the time!

He may bother them to him out traveling from time to time. There are so many gorgeous and romantic places to visit in the human world after all, it's not like anybody could stop them from just… popping in to have a look. Right? 😏

Beelzebub

They learned very quickly that his food is absolutely off limits and after that, they were good.

Seriously. Beel caught them once trying to swipe a piece of pizza from his dinner and he nearly ripped their arm off for it…

But on the flipside, he also knows that he can go to them if he REALLY needs a snack and is short on cash.

It's pretty comical watching the fleet-foot mortal running from angry demon vendors with a basket of stolen apples for their buddy… But he appreciates their enthusiasm! 🙂

Beel actually likes to hear about their travels too, but mostly what they've eaten. They can keep him enraptured for hours by describing all the food they've come across in the human world…

Watch out for the drool, though.

Since they can teleport, they'll sometimes pop up with a human world treat for him and the man internally swears his undying love for them every time...

Outwardly, though, he just smiles. 'Cause he's a sweetie.

Belphegor

They… they opened the attic door on, like, the first day they met… They didn’t even make it look that hard, they had some kind of knack for breaking and entering…

Seriously, imagine the look on his face when they just walk into the attic to say hello… He had this whole, “Lure and Trick the Human” plan all thought out then they pulled out a magic lockpick or something and BOOM! Freedom!

He laughed, perhaps a little closer to the edge of sanity than he was intending, and he tried to attack them but they were so damn fast he couldn't land a single hit!

Damn was it embarrassing when the others came in…

MC: "LUCIFER! LUCIFER!! There's a monster in your attic!!!"

Lucifer: "That's not a monster that's my brother!!"

MC: *stops midway through kneeing Belphie in the stomach* …. Ooooooooh!

MC: Whoops.

It was a… rocky start.

After they settled their differences quelled Belphie's bloodlust he found that they kind of grew on him rather quickly… Something about that mischievous energy and how much they gave his brothers (minus Beel) grief with it.

He absolutely helps them with their plans if it will annoy Lucifer in any way. Occasionally, they'll even take Belphie out on raids instead of Mammon.

Turns out he's surprisingly good at distractions because all he has to do is pretend to fall then take a nap. People around him will legitimately believe that he needs medical attention so the MC can sneak through crowds undetected...

Of course, Mammon gets PISSED when they do this, though. How dare his baby brother try to steal away his perfect partner!! Get your own damn mortal, Belphie!!! 🤬

#obey me #obey me shall we date #shall-we-date-obey-me #obey me lucifer #obey me mammon #obey me leviathan #obey me satan #obey me asmodeus #obey me beelzebub #obey me belphegor #obey me headcanons #obey me scenarios #obey me demigods

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fwacchi · 2 years

Note

On mobile & sorry if I said anything weird my first language isn't english & for not using puntuation I'm not good at it

Hello! This is just a mini rant(kinda)(since no one that I currently know are into vtubers or know what they are & I just wanna talk about it) but I just came across this tiktok short/edit (don't really know what to call it 😅) but she basically trying to expose? Vtubers (mostly nijien) (mostly nina in this case) but she was a minor (it's in her prof.) & I found on one of her edits/videos she was asking ppl for shoutout bc she 'needs her fame back' & that just makes me feel weird about it like.. Idk.. I think that recently I just had seen some ppl trying to cancel some vtubers on tiktok for stupid things like fu-chun getting 'cancel' for liking/reading BL even though he's bi if I'm correct (ik that some of the cancel aren't really recent but tiktok just kinda stated to put those videos on my for you page recently) like for vox I kinda get why he's was cancel but at the same time not bc sure you can feel uncomfortable & all but for me personally I think that calling him a p*do was too mush like lately ppl have been throwing that word around to losely & I just think that he over share to much but yeah

Btw it's ok if you don't want to respond to this you can just ignore it but have a good day/night also I hope that your first day in college was good! My younger sister also just started college & she was saying the same thing as you so just know that you aren't alone 🤣🤣

Your English is reallyyyy good!! <3 and good luck to your sister too!!!

I've wanted to talk about this topic before but didn't really have the chance to but now that you've ranted about it, I'm gonna reply to your rants with a rant of my own so buckle up 😌

(there's literally an essay down there so enter at your own risk 👁️👁️)

This is exactly why I barely go on tiktok anymore. when I used to be a diehard fan of kpop artists, shits like this was way more worse. At some point, it started disturbing me to the point I actually never went back on tiktok again. That's how much I hated that app back then. Literally just one or two months ago I opened that app again, thinking I could have a peaceful life in vtubers fandom but oh lord I encountered a hate video.

It was something similar to what you said, but what I saw was a video saying "canceling nijisanji en" and I thought it was a joke or something so I went to the comments section to see what it was about. And the whole comment section was filled with "omg yes" "ugh shifting to nijisanji jp right now" "well at least shu is safe💀" honestly, I was like huh??? seems that they were talking about most of the nijisanji en boys interacting with an artist who was apparently racist (or something else i'm not really sure) but yeah that's the bits of it. [I saw a comment under the specific post saying something like "if this is how yalls attitude is, then don't even think about coming to the jp side" and I was like SLAYY GIRL YOU RIGHT ASF] sorry I'm pretty much gatekeeping niji jp from toxic fans like that who could just hate on their so called "oshi" on a baseless rumour.

First of all, I'm on twitter literally everyday and have heard nothing of that issue. Or maybe it's possible that I could've totally missed it. Secondly, even if the issue is true, I'm pretty sure the en boys wouldn't have interacted with the said artist if they knew about it. Like girl, vtubers don't have to know everything about everyone on internet. Just because they don't follow up on who is who and who is supporting what doesn't mean you have the fucking rights to cancel them.

Let me tell y'all something mind blowing. Reading BL isn't a crime. Surprising? Get that into your fucking mind. BL is a genre just like Mystery, Romance, Historical and etc. Even if you're straight you can read/watch BL it's not wrong. It's not wrong as long as you don't fantasize about it and get off on it. If you're a straight person reading BL (yaoi) and getting turned on about it and being public about it, then seek help. That's just so wrong. You girls don't like it when men jerk off to lesbian porns so it goes both ways.

This is me speaking for myself as someone who enjoys BL and I would love to read GL genre too. But there's just none that suits my taste and BL stories are being published more and more rather than GL. That's the main reason I read more BL and not GL. It has nothing to do with me being a freak. I don't even read much yaoi like BJ ALEX, painter of the night, etc. I mostly enjoy fluff BL genre because I see it as any other romance. (if you have good gl manhwa/anime/donghua/manga recommendations, please share it with me👁️👁️)

And calling vox a p*do? that's just way too offensive and wrong. Did you see him having dirty talks or actually having sex with a minor? No you fucking didn't so stfu. You don't even know who he truly is behind the avatar so what gives you the rights to say something so horrible about him? And this goes to everyone else. Even if a person you know, or barely know, is a prostitute, slut, playboy or whatever, you do not get to judge them. You're not their parents/family members so you get no say in their life. Just stfu and live your own life instead of judging others'. UNLESS you see them committing real crimes which is against the law of your country then report them to the police. That's all you have to do.

Now, I don't want to categorise all tiktok users as one group but most of the people, I repeat, MOST of the people in tiktok are underage, or simply just utter fools who have no morals in them. Especially those hate accounts (and this goes to EVERY hate accounts. not just the ones dedicated to nijisanji/vtubers).

I see some accounts saying "this is a troll account. i actually love [insert name] so much🥺" no. If you love them as much as you claim to, then you wouldn't even think about hating on them like that even for a joke. That's just disrespectful.

What do they really get out of this hating behaviour? likes? shares? comments? fame? well if that's what they want then they're really doing it in a wrong fucking way. I didn't know people could be happy getting those achievements from such a nasty way. They have little to none shame. Possibly bringing down someone's career because of their stupid behaviour isn't something to be proud of. Their parents surely wouldn't be proud of it either. Am I mean? well not as much as they are and at least I'm only speaking facts.

It's literally so easy to shut up your mouth if you don't like something. Like, go find something else you enjoy instead of hating.

+the nijisanji en family has been getting bigger these days which is why they're getting more hate that are visible. The only thing we can do is comment something to put some sense in their shitty mind(which will end up going over their head considering how dumb they are), report, block and scroll away. Fools like them can't be fixed unless they themselves realise what they're doing and how it harms others around them. We really shouldn't be wasting our time and ruining our mental health over some dumb asses.

#this rant got way too long I'm sorry sorry #asks for fwacchi #— from anon #nijisanji #nijisanji en #nijisanji vox #vox akuma

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nightswithkookmin · 3 years

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So every member has been posting on weverse or Twitter lately, they've been coming on vlive. But Jk has done none of this. Do you see his social media absence as a silent rebellion against BH for them trying to hide Jikook or do you think he's probably just staying away for like mental health reasons or something.

Run that by me one more time???

Are you asking for my opinion on why JK might be absent from social media or are you asking me to choose between those two opinions as explanation as to why Jungkook might be absent from social media???

Is it for his mental health or relationship??? Lol. You are juxtaposing two extremely opposite theories so one sounds more appealing and plausible to highlight the other as outlandish and ridiculous. But that's a fallacy ma'am. Nice try though.

Also, the part about BigHit hiding Jikook...

I object. You is leading the witness sir/ma'am.

It's a little bit silly and presumptuous to assume whenever a member is absent from social media that the only possible reason I could possibly think of is that they are rebelling against their company.

Sometimes it's just a case of volition and personal interests. Sometimes you just don't wanna be social on social media. Sometimes you have work, family, chores, practice. Sometimes you've outgrown the space or lost track of why you wanted to be apart of an online community in the first place. Sometimes it's the toxicity and wanting to take a break from it for your mental health. Literally a plethora of reasons all of which could be valid depending on the context.

I try to give my theories context by sharing as much of my thought process as possible. It's asinine to strip those contexts away and present me with a skinned theory devoid of context.

About his mental health-

Let's try it this way...

Your first Ask: is there ever a moment I wonder if Jikook are just platonic brothers or something along those lines.

Yes. When they are not together romantically. I look at them and go huh... that's a very platonic hug, or interaction. I still uWu over their interactions though.

Cute. Next.

Is he rebelling against BigHit....

Why would he?? What's the context?

Do you think BigHit is making changes JK and the others might not be happy with in the company? Do you think the company or the members are interfering in his self autonomy and determination within the group or suppressing him in anyway in regards to what he says, what he does or who he does it with?

If so then him rebelling in that way would make sense to me because he wouldn't be the first idol to have used that tactic. A lot of idols do these and worse to assert themselves against their company.

If there's no such underling subtext then him rebelling makes no fucking sense to me.

Is he staying away for his mental health

Again, do you think he's been exposed to severe amounts of toxicity and hate online beyond what all the members experience on a daily such that he would need a break from the internet to rejuvenate like we saw around 2019? If so then taking a break for his mental health would make a lot of sense too.

But for someone who keeps reiterating how important connecting with his fans is to him, you gotta wonder how he strikes a balance between his mental health needs, his emotional needs and his professional deeds.

This is the last he was seen on Weverse.

Relatively recent I'd say. So when you say he's absent from social media which timeframes do you mean? They were all pretty much off the grid until recent times post PTD not just him. Are they all dealing with mental health issues or are they all rebelling against their company or something?

You have all these tiktok trends and memes he's been referring to here and there and incorporating into their freestyle dance- seems to me he's active online alright. Just not in the way we are used to them being 'active' online. He is fulfilling that need to connect with his fans just not in a way you'd expect. I can say same for Jimin.

Just gonna have to observe things for a while to form a definitive opinion. If you know what I mean.

BigHit hiding Jikook

Sigh. Sounds like shade when you put it like that honestly and so I didn't want to touch it but also I don't think anyone in Bangtan has had an out in the open romantic relationship with anyone yet💀

Show me RMs partner or Suga's girlfriend.

BTS are hiding their relationships gay or straight. If you can see it from that angle then I think the idea of Jikook hiding their relationship or Bighit aiding them or asking them to privatize their relationship isn't so outlandish and ridiculous like you make it seem. BTS are allowed to date, they are just not allowed to make those relationships public💀

If Jikook were heterosexuals and in different bands I think a lot of people would have entertained the thought. Hell people are convinced they are each dating female idols and keeping it a secret. People are convinced JK is dating Mijoo and keeping that a secret but him dating a boy in the same band and keeping it a secret is kapushkalava😌

Theories of RM married and raising a kid abounds in this fandom and people entertain the idea. However, because Jikook are in the same band and play out certain interactions in front of the cameras the thought that they may be hiding sounds funny in y'alls ears? Jokers💀

Most idols hide their relationships and are required by their companies to keep that out of the public eye. Jikook are idols ergo they are required to hide and are hiding their relationships be it with themselves or with others.

And yes BigHit does aid them in doing so when they issue statements about that "this relationship rumor is false" or when the members evade questions about their relationships in a way to insinuate they are single and not in relationships.

How Jikook feel about being required by the company to keep their relationships to themselves or their peers taking it upon themselves to enforce those company policies of private relationships is up for debate and speculation.

BTS wrote a whole ass song dissing the company and calling them out for having a no dating policy yet expecting them to write love songs and yet somehow we think it's ridiculous that Jikook who are part of BTS would rebel against their company from time to time over certain mandates? Lmho.

Edit:

This ask was sent in a few days before JK's recent VLive. I started answering it and let it go to draft because I felt it was pointless to answer it. Especially since a lot of my thoughts on this were regurgitative, abstract, and based on my own subjective opinion and assumptions about the boys. I feel I keep repeating myself and repeating the same things I've been saying over and over with these kinds of shady trolling asks. Sigh.

However, due to recent events that gives more credit to my thoughts and feelings on the matter, I'll attempt to answer it again.

In JK's VLive he said he noticed it's been a while he interacted with Fans which is why he jumped on the Live to see Army- if we take his word for it and at face value then he said nothing about his mental health ergo it can't be because of that😌

Tae equally said in his VLive he noticed the others coming on VLive and so he thought he would come too.

Now, don't you think they wouldn't have come so spontaneously if they were dealing with mental health issues or trying to take care of their mental health???

There was a time Tae was constantly online interacting with Fans and I think I was one of the few people out here who speculated he was lonely and wasn't dating anyone at the time- which he confirmed in Soop by the way when he told JK he being online constantly was because he was lonely.

Do you think he staying off Social media in recent times is because of his mental or that he doesn't feel as lonely anymore??

I stay off line sometimes for my mental health, sometimes too it's because I feel there are people and things in my life I've neglected and need to spend time with and pay equal attention to them.

Sometimes it's because there's death in the family or studies, or work or a film I need to catch up on...

As to the relationship between campanies and artists- in case you can't pick up on the subtle cues some of the members leave- Suga captures it so well in his Weverse magazine interview.

We made you, as long as you follow our instructions you will be good. Idols are expected to be subservient and sycophantic. As Suga points out it's a thing in the industry and it's destroying the industry.

As to whether or not you think BTS are fully and totally exempt from this harsh reality because BigHit is different is up to you frankly. As to whether or not you think this type of attitude from companies can create friction and tensions between them and the bands is equally up to you.

As to whether you think certain members in BTS are more obsequious than others, more rebellious than others is equally up to you.

In what ways they rebel is up to you too.

That's part A.

Part B. Lol

I answered the first part of this Ask based on the assumption you were being shady. But just in case you were not then here is an alternative response.

Like I said, JK is not the only member who's been absent from SNS in recent times. They all were at one point.

It's interesting how they will promise to come on Vlive whenever they have some to sell us and only recently started showing up on Vlive consistently when Permission to Dance received such mixed reactions from the audience.

It seems their disconnect from their fanbase and its subsequent consequences is becoming much more apparent to them...

For Jungkook, I think the members discussed his rebellious phase at the beginning of the year when they talked about him not posting for the members's birthday, how they expect his post for Hobi to be a start of something new and Jimin even said he was gonna cut his head off if he didn't post for his birthday- I don't think in all the times he didn't post for the members it's because he was grappling with mental health issues. It's just a post. It doesn't take more than a minute to wish your bandmate a happy birthday on their birthdays.

Especially not when he was posting relatively regularly on SNS but would go radio silent on their birthdays... Forget mental health that's antisocial and we saw how the members felt about that from the VLive.

Also, I think it would be insensitive for the members to expect Jungkook to post on their birthdays or for Jimin to hold him to such high expectations when they know very well that he deals with mental health problems or was dealing with mental health issues in those periods he didn't post for them- whoever says Jungkook didn't post for the members because he was dealing with mental health issues is a fraud. Yea I said it. If I ever spewed that nonsense out here then I'm a fraud too chilee💀

His other forms of silent rebelliousness has been in passive aggressive backhanded remarks aimed at the company and at times certain members. In my opinion of course. He won't do what he won't do and if he has to do it he will do it huffing and puffing and later chat shit about it during pillow talks at night with his boyfriend.

So I don't know what it is he might zeffbe rebelling against now. Like I said, being asked to tone down does not mean he can't Jikook. They are Jikooking. It's just on the low low.

And when you say he is reacting to BigHit hiding Jikook, you have to take into account if Jungkook himself wants to keep things hidden and private. Why would he rebel against something if it's what he wants too?? Know what I mean?

This is why I was talking about context. Jungkook of 2018 and 2019 is not the same Jungkook now. He's pretty much the same person, has the same values but he is learning and growing and that is equally important in the way he sees the world around him.

For instance, he wasn't one to think much about the future when he made certain choices and this is something I've talked about a lot in my blogs. Carpedium, make hay while the sun shines etc used to be his values but now he places a lot of emphasis on thinking about the future, being considerate and about how his actions could impact his future.

Those two mindsets produce totally different actions. One is likely to do very childish things, one is not. One is likely to be reckless, not very ambitious, and less serious, while one is likely to be thoughtful, calculative, intentional and less impulsive. He talks a lot about growing up fast but now it seems to me he's catching up with the times.

This is not to say he is a different person but more so he is becoming. He is learning and unlearning. He is not there yet but he is getting there.

If he wants to sit with Jimin, Vlive with Jimin, post on his birthday and not the others, if he wants to stand in a line up next to him but he can't then definitely he's gonna react strongly to that. But as it stands he is not doing any of that in my opinion- not that I'm aware of. Dude is living his best life out here.

I think I've said this, he is happy with where they are at now. If he is not we will know. That's when they ghetto jumps out of him. Don't know if I'm making sense chilee. Lol.

On the part of the company, I can only speculate to the effect that they are looking for various means to optimize and leverage the bands high demand. That they are trying to monetize their platforms and so restricting access to the boys is part of their mid pandemic marketing strategy- something I have been saying from day dot since the pandemic hit.

Like Suga says, monetization is a huge problem in Kpop and the Pandemic has only exacerbated it.

Showing up on Vlive gives us free access to the boys. As often as we would like to see them through that medium it doesn't pay their bills- doesn't pay much especially if they earn money in Won or whatever currency Naver uses.

YouTube is great. However it comes with restrictions and challenges especially with censorship- videos can be demonetized easily and willy nilly, You have to comply with Coppa and YT guidelines. There's CPM- whixh I don't know if it's high for BTS...

Then there's that whole breaching into Korea/China market agenda going on with them etc

Bighit is a business. BTS is not a nonprofit organization. I think the members can understand that much should the company explain to them why they all- not just Jikook- need to limit access to them.

Bighit made them and holds a contract over their heads. There's a certain amount of control they have over them yet a certain level of autonomy they reserve within such a transaction or business relationship.

Take Tae's appearance in Peakboy's MV for example. It's indication BTS does have a ree will to embark on such out of company adventures. There's Hwarang and features and all these side hustles they do...

Yet in the same breath they were at one point prohibited from taking photos with fans on the streets and stuff like that- I guess I should say allegedly.

If they want to VLive they will- as to whether or not they can VLive outside schedule is another thing all together.

As spontaneous as their VLives can be, a lot of them are scheduled too. So it's interesting how they all went MIA for a noticeable minute without the company officially scheduling these 'compulsory' Fan interactions via Vlive or even YT.

Let's not pretend they don't post sometimes on behalf of certain members. Let's not pretend that that doesn't happen💀

Jungkook showed up on YT grumpy and passive aggressive talking about that he didn't know he was supposed to do a VLive, he wasn't prepared, his hair was messy, he didn't know how to operate things- sigh.

Then he nagged us to death about the arts and crafts thingy... but in his recent live he said singing is all he can do so he sang and thrust his hips away- we can't be mad at that.

So if your question is whether I think there's something up with BTS and how they are interacting with fans or not interacting with fans my answer is yes. I mean that much is obvious...

Money is the root of all evil blink blink. Lol.

Do I think there's something up with Jikook and BigHit my answer is yes still- my theory?? Well I'm still observing things and hoarding information. Can't put out half baked theories you know?

I'm a professional ship delulu theorist and I take my delusions seriously😐

I can say this though, I think BigHit has a lot to lose now that they are a publicly traded company. They have investors and stockholders they hold themselves accountable to- how the fear of a scandal or the stigma of a queer relationship plays into all that is yet to be seen.

They are trying to mitigate that risk through strategic marketing and business models- separating BigHit under Hybe is one, their partnership with Dispatch has always been one. There's just so much they are doing we don't know and can only assume or infer.

If their recent interviews and line of questioning has taught me anything, it's that they are all well aware of our theories on BTS and speculations on their sexuality and if Taemin's manager can ask him or was asked if he was dating Kai to his face then others can equally speculate, wonder and ask BigHit directly if Jikook being the sticky ones in the group are dating fueled by all the fandom theories out there.

Rumour says Jikook is gay and are dating eachother. How Bighit feels about this, how BTS feel about it, how Jikook feel about it open for discussion.

There are those who just want to nip all such rumours in the bud and those who want to lean into it and and profit off of it because negative attention is still attention.

Which brings me to your question about Jikook, because I see you sent that Ask in twice, they sure as hell are goofy and dorky. Jungkook admitted that much in his interview.

They are the ones to troll the lives out of us and feed into our delusions of them. It's why most people dismiss them as messing with fans and playful and fanservicey.

So I find it interesting that the members calling them a couple because of their outfits isn't being taken as goofy, dorky, fanservicey but as a reason to further invalidate their relationship.

If you can't take whatever Jikook says and does seriously then you certainly can't take whatever anyone says and does concerning them seriously either.

I will answer the rest of it under the Ask you sent in. This post is getting longer already.

I hope this helps.

GOLDY

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davidmann95 · 3 years

Note

Thoughts on (the apparently rushed) DC solicits?

Yeah, apparently Diamond used to put them together and now it's just some guy in the DC offices, hence why they've been screwy since the changeover.

I Am Batman #1: "In the throes of Future State" just means those events coming about rather than this being set in the future, right? My impression is this is very much in the here-and-now, and I think this is gonna be really enjoyable with no more teasing out aspects of the premise and Coipel steadily on art. Killer title too. You're really gonna open this with the 'Anti-Oracle' though?

Batman #112-113: Glad to see Brandon Thomas but already miss the Ghostmaker backup.

Batman: Urban Legends #7: THE BOYS ARE BACK

Batman--Knightwatch: Bat-Tech Special Edition: I'm...not clear what this is?

Deathstroke Inc. #1: lol

Aquaman: The Becoming #1: shit I'm gonna like an Aquaman comic, and about a character who debuted on Young Justice no less, this sucks

Harley Quinn: The Animated Series: The Eat. Bang. Kill Tour #1: Zero interest but glad to see Max Sarin getting work.

Suicide Squad: King Shark #1: Ditto except replace Max Sarin with the Defacer.

Are You Afraid of Darkseid? #1: This one's a maybe.

Action Comics #1035: Excited for this, especially with the fairly long-teased 'event' arc with Janin starting in the next issue, but I can't help but laugh looking at that cover because it absolutely looks like Superman's doing a Brandon Routh to his poor family.

Batman '89 #2: Ah, so this and '78 are still miniseries, somehow missed that before.

Batman: Reptilian #4: The preview for the first issue was definitely not what I expected coming from Ennis's interview; I'm curious how he'll square apparently doing the "Punisher MAX but it's Batman" approach so many people will want with the comedy he inherently sees in the character and his world.

Batman: The Adventures Continue Season Two #4: I had thought I was probably out but dammit if you're bringing the Gray Ghost in you've got my attention.

Batman/Superman #22: This is ending to be relaunched to focus on Jace and Jon, right? Between it doing steadily sales-wise and the acclaim I can't fathom a reason to dump Yang the same month King Shark is getting a mini.

(My worst fear is that DC floated this as a test - put a dynamite creative team on their two biggest characters, but without any sense of 'importance', and see how much readers gravitate towards it relative to crap that's central to the sacred Continuity - and feels it got an answer.)

Hardware: Season One #2: Probably still getting this.

Infinite Frontier #6: Hate when I'm made the new de facto head of the DCU and people are so unenthused about the prospect of this that the solicit for the last issue of my event mini isn't even listed at the front among the 'big' books of the month, when the first issue hasn't even hit the stands yet.

Justice League #68: This is where Jon joins, right? Conceivably even Jace/Yara/Kaldur, though I think that full changeover will be the marker of the next 'proper' relaunch.

Justice League Infinity #3: Moraaaaa. The premise of 'what if the Justice League cartoon did all the cool stuff?' loses something when it isn't actually the cartoon anymore - we're already used to seeing the cool stuff in this format - but I'm not gonna turn down good Justice League comics.

Legends of the Dark Knight #5: Cool, I'll get this.

Mister Miracle: The Source of Freedom #5: Orion still looks like that?

Rorschach #12: Hurm.

RWBY/Justice League #6: I guess any plans to sell Rooster Teeth would be on hold what with the move from AT&T to Discovery, so hopefully the chances of a more character-driven sequel aren't 100% dashed.

Strange Adventures #12: So goddamn nervous until the very last moment it's gonna turn out to be "it was his wife all along!"

Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow #4: God, what a cover.

Superman '78 #2: Looking forward to seeing that Hitch variant, and Hackman's Luthor should be fun in this context.

Superman and The Authority #4: Right up to the end the solicits for this sound like an event lead-in mini circa 2007 or so except it's Grant Morrison so what is it really??? AND WHY NO QUITELY VARIANT

Superman: Son of Kal-El #3: I don't trust Taylor to do the ideal possible version of 'Jon Kent becomes a leftist in college' but the basic setup of this status quo is great and I think he'll do a fun version of it that's going to satisfy a lot of people.

The Batman & Scooby Doo Mysteries #6: That's MY Scooby-Doo, y'all!

A Nice House On The Lake #4: WHAT SECRET COULD BE MORE TERRIFYING THAN ANYTHING IN THAT FIRST ISSUE

Wonder Woman: Black and Gold #4: God, Lotay.

Batgirl of Burnside Omnibus: I get why this is a collection that basically had to happen but that's not a new cover by Stewart, is that? Somebody please tell me that's something repurposed and they didn't give him new work.

#DC Comics #Opinion

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seb-owns-these-tatas · 4 years

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Chapter 14 (Witcher of the Night)

THIS IS MODERN ERA READER WHO WOKE UP IN THE DIMENSION OF THE WITCHER.

UPDATES FOR WITCHER OF THE NIGHT WILL BE PUBLISHED EVERY SATURDAY NOW IN MY TIME (GMT +8)

CHAPTER 13.1 (PREVIOUS CHAPTER)

WITCHER OF THE NIGHT MASTERLIST

Characters: Geralt of Rivia x small!Naive!Reader

Summary: NSFW. 18+ Geralt tried his best to resist. With Destiny sitting on her throne, utterly anticipating for how the witcher would react to your rut. She won the game this time because Geralt of Rivia was a lone man who couldn't say no to a woman who was thirsty for what the Djinn has held her in, especially when this woman was you.

Warnings: Size kink? Cockwarming? Insecure reader. Unprotected sex but no worries because it's Geralt? The long awaited smut. Smol tittie reader? (Respect to the big tittie committee, please do donate some to us!) Frustrated Geralt and reader. Wet Geralt? He's in the tub okay! 😂💕 Loss of virginity. NSFW. 18+. Explicit words. They’re both in a rut on this one. This is basically just smut before the plot shifts.

Words: 7.8k

A/N: STARTED FROM THE BOTTOM NOW WE HERE 😎 GET WRECKED, MIDGET! Also, SCREAM FOR ME, BB'S! I know y'all are waiting for this moment to shine! xD I've realized that the next smut after this is more explicit than Chapter 14. So, get ready for that as well. Most GIF’s are from (demivampirew) 💕

TAGLIST IS STILL OPEN FOR THIS ONE! Heehee! Don’t forget to REBLOG, COMMENT OR GIVE FEEDBACK IF YOU DID LOVE THIS CHAPTER! IT’LL MAKE ME SMILE! Sorry for the grammatical errors and such because English isn’t my mother tongue!

Disclaimer: PNG’s used in edits are not mine even the GIF’s too. However, the edits and oneshots are definitely from moi

MY WORKS ARE NOT NOT NOT NOT NOOOOOOT TO BE POSTED ON ANY OTHER WEBSITES. My official username in Wattpad is “TATATHEPOTATO” and that’s the only other site I have for writing aside from Tumblr. Thank you, Tater tots!

Geralt's touches nearly pacified the scathing heat surging through your body. Your head that was nuzzling in between his neck helps soothe the pain. Howbeit, with Geralt; he was feeling rather tormented especially when the simple intimacy was winding the witcher up in a very hellish way.

The tip of your nose brushing against that part of his neck that had him turning rigid was driving him insane. Just your nose perched in the curvatures of his neck made the tent even more bigger, thoroughly agrestal and waiting to be unshackled from its pound.

Your satisfied sighs, breath that brushed and tickled his skin had received a deep timbre of warning from the man whom you were precariously desiring for. The way your breath touched his skin made his jaw clench so tight as he brought you up stairs, surrounding you in his rugged arms that you also wanted to kiss, wondering how strong it looks like once he was disrobed.

You never had seen Geralt in the raw. The way his clothes strains on top of his Herculean body was enough vision that he was utterly jacked; shredded and a man whom made your reticence plummet down the sewers like it has never been there before, the sexual longing and curiosity filling the void of lechery that has been furtively hidden and was now growing in absolute masses because of how one man can ruin that sobriety you have been holding dear.

When you were gently dropped down to your feet, torrid kisses and passionate touches were expected; but the way he'd stepped away to tell you that you needed a bath to take the heat away had your head turning hotter from how he wasn't dealing with your ache just like the way you wanted him to.

It was better if he joined, you asked him that but his silence was enough of an answer that he wouldn't despite of how you've noticed the wolf that rested in between his leather pants, waiting to be released from its cage and find relief in between that hollow cave you've been dying to be visited at.

"Midget..." the white haired witcher was belligerent as he seethed, giving you a frown because of how uncooperative you were becoming; turning hostile as much as you can get.

Geralt took a step closer, his actions appearing to be quite the contrary of his words when he'd tried to grab onto the hem of your sweater before you immediately jerked away; maddened for your wishes to be dismissed like he wasn't feeling the same way. You were desperate now. You understood and knew what relief that the pain needed to take.

"Stop touching me! I'm not going to undress myself in front of you, Geralt! I want you! Not a bath!" you loudly snapped, voice definitely ear-piercing by how you wanted to be followed; shaking the tranquil night away from your antagonism.

The way you've jerked away from him had dropped down more frustration to himself and to you as well. You've wanted nothing but to be in his arms, kissing him, touching anywhere you haven't touched, exploring the deepest depths of him that you haven't discovered. Geralt lowly groaned, his mouth in a tight lour that simply tells you he was utmost pissed-off from your resistance.

"Cease the mulish act even just for tonight!" he barked rather furiously, teeth gritted together with his eyebrows tightly curved in a way that alarmed you that he seemed to also be in pain; struggling with the appetite he seemed to be famished with, the cravings he desired standing before him whom also had the same wishes in her mind.

"Oh! now, I'm the one stubborn?! Why don't you do it for yourself too, Mr. stubborn-pants!? Why don’t you cease the mulish act even just for tonight, huh?!" you sent a snark, glaring back at the infuriated witcher. His eyes were burning in aggravation and midnight, dilated in a process of telling you he was in mania. Carnal manias. Geralt emitted a feral growl; in distress for himself, what was happening to him and also to your inflexible decisions.

"---and also cease the fucking crabbiness!" he snarled out loud.

The heat stirring below your belly wasn't helping his exasperation towards the situation at hand. His enraged demeanor stirring a strong prurient desire that sat between your legs, making you cross them together as you've continued your narks; trying to get under his skin. Literally or figuratively.

Your nose was flaring and so was his, emotions riling up your mind as you truthfully snapped the grudging feelings out in the open; freely for Geralt to hear and react upon.

"Stop caring like you're actually fond of me when you're not!"

"You're in pain!" the white haired witcher was quick to bark, hands on his sides and tightening them into tight fists as he mindlessly raked your ungraceful form; dilated pupils and your legs crossed like the heat was starting to pool down your pants. You were aroused alright.

Hence, Geralt knew that, sensed that. He could smell you from afar and the scent that naturally dripped from you was far more better than the Lemon and Peony he'd been thoroughly accustomed with.

It was heating him up; a lot more than he ever felt, if that was even possible.

You've given him a black look, teeth clenched together as you were hopping mad. The words that came out of your mouth seeming to be a sudden slip of your tongue.

"It's all your genie's fault and I'm blaming the Djinn again for even letting me fall for you hard because apparently, in your oh-so-silent witcher perspective; all that I’m feeling had magical or supernatural explanations! Thank you for letting me realize that, sir! I really needed that subtle rejection!"

The witcher blinked, his stance thoroughly livid. Back tense and piping warm as his heated gaze was solely on your enraged, elfin self. Your candor stirring and kindling with the fire that was sipping through his veins, wanting nothing but to strafe your lips with passionate kisses he'd fantasized about, exploring fascinating chasms and cavities that has never been traversed yet.

You were hot under the collar, completely seething as you've given him the most nasty lour you could. Still, being pigheaded from what you wanted, trying to furiously explain to him that you needed a different kind of relief that involved intercourse and not a lame bath. He couldn't help but try to soothe his displeasure by fluttering his amber eyes shut, controlled breathing slipping through his flaring nose as he lowly seethed.

"You need to calm down!---Stop shouting."

Your indignant self was awakening something barbarous within him, violently rousing the thirst that has been there from the start and he was certain that if you push harder, he may never be able to control.

Not anymore.

Severe profanities tripped out of your tongue, the profound sensations and feelings consuming you too much; more so difficult to handle as the clock ticks by with Geralt who stood maddened and raging with such desire that he appeared to be in denial about. His glowing amber eyes piercing through the piety of your soul, begging nothing but to corrupt you in any way despite of his refusal to accept.

"Don't go all alpha-shit on me, Geralt! I'm shouting because I'm in pain! I'm fucking frustrated, sad, weirdly thrilled, very infuriated because of your foolishness and I don't even know the fuck why!"

Your sudden impiety had the witcher cocking his head to the side, feeling his leather pants grow tighter by how you've spat those words with such a harsh tone when he shouldn't be feeling things by being cursed back by a midget who he'd seen to be vindicated and a little bit demented for his sanity.

"I know you're in pain!" Geralt fumed, heavily swallowing the discomfort from his thrilled, angered excitement for what was about to come.

You've growled, sounding rather a bit dinky for the latter like a kitten who was livid and trying to scratch a big dog. If you were trying to be intimidating, then it was totally a failure because it only got him more charmed than he ever was before.

"You don't know that, Geralt! Because, it's not happening to you!"

He angrily shook his head, heavily marching to where you stood till he was looming before you like a lion to its prey, utterly intimidating as his gaze was smoldering your core. The dampness of your panties making you wary of Geralt's effect on you when he isn't even doing anything but be mad. It was nutty to even feel aroused from his lambasting; getting thrilled and excited by his livid state? You were probably going bonkers.

"It is!" the enraged, white haired witcher roared, peering down at you as your feet ceaselessly stepped backwards till your spine hit a wooden; storage cabinet that was a lot higher than you, he trapped you in between his presence and the cabinet. Nonetheless, still galvanized for his fit of pique.

You were spitting false assumptions to his face because you never know what forbidding and rapturous sensations you were giving him. Hence, it was like you both were sharing each other's anger and frustrations. Your breath hitched when his abrasive, thick fingers caught your hips as he thoroughly hunched down to your level. The haze in his Aurum eyes making you catch a breath as a spark of flame utterly triggered the enthusiasm.

"I can feel what you feel and it's driving me fucking insane!"

Before you even know it, his rough padded fingers brushed onto your heated skin; oblivious of his ardent fingers that has slipped under your sweater, swiftly hauling you on top of the cabinet with ease as it felt a loud thud from his abrupt, hurried gestures.

"Geralt!" you loudly shrieked when he carried you; eyes bulging out of its eye sockets, not due to fear but utmost jubilant that you were ceasing yourself from grinning back at the glaring witcher because your carnal self was loving where the crossness was heading. Yet, you still chose to kindle with the raging fire that he had in him, stirring the witcher up more than you could ever do; bringing it out of him for you to succeed.

"That's bullshit! What are we? soulmates? a freakin' soulmate AU? Feeling what I feel like our hearts are connected? Some fantasy fanfic where you magically become my destiny when I somehow teleported in your world?!"

You were now in-level with him; close enough, but he still had the leverage to look down on your face. The gaze in his eyes intensified, to the point that it was telling you how much he wanted to ravish you in so many ways.

With the way how you were smart mouthing him and the desperation in your sentences was working him up more than how those women in the brothels do. Just one word from you could wind him up in sinful ways.

Geralt tightly kept his pretty mouth shut, his gaze too penetrating as you could feel your heat twitching and moist to the point that you were soaking in ways you've never known it would despite of how you've not used your fingers in this one. Which explains how Geralt's presence was too overwhelming for a midget's heart and vagina.

Your words were obviously a conflict to how you've uncorked the lock of your legs, slightly unfastening them open till Geralt took a brooding step close to fill in the gap. The proximity rather fatal for your palpitating heart and raging fire that surrounded you both.

His fingers teased and witlessly glided along your imperfectly pouched belly, making you softly gasp from his touches as you've both shared heaving breaths. Your eyes connected with his in a way that got you wanting to hyperventilate from the choking tension you both have given to each other. You couldn't help yourself but shiver from Geralt's languid thumbs that brushed along the tubby curvatures of your waist; along the parts that has given you self-doubt because it was a body flaw that was quite difficult to erase.

Your mind wasn't thinking straight. It was in a whirlwind that no any other man could give with only his eyes staring straight into your soul. Tantalizing, wild and unchaste. The small stumble of words was enough to give Geralt the upper hand, knowing that only one touch was enough to make you feel like jello as he stood in between those unlatched legs of yours, waiting to be taken in any way that won't make you form any coherent words nor make you remember your own name.

"Stop...stop staring at me like that. You don't even like me that deep; for you to know what I'm feeling right now,"

You've avoided looking at him in the eye, your abashed state still passing through every now and then because it was what makes you, yourself. The timorous tone of your voice sounded titillating in the witcher's perspective as it stirred him up even more, wanting and urgently waiting to be free from the leather constrains that his pants locked him in.

His tender, teasing touches heightened your senses as it was the only thing you focus on as it brushed against your skin like a pencil to its paper, light and delicate. You were heedless of his other hand that moved under your sweater, his rough thumb and index finger giving you a spark of tingles when he'd lightly held your chin, ushering you to stare into his glowing amber eyes that captured your heart since the night he saved you.

The dimples of his nose caressed your plump cheeks, nuzzling the side of your face that gave such delectation of shivers through your spine; his breath was warm and impending as it fanned your ear, turning your body stiff as he gravelly whispered so closely to your ear.

"You don't get to decide nor tell me that you know what I'm feeling when you're uncertain of the verity," he apprised, taking a brief pause as you could feel the tickling tip of Geralt's nose nestling between the back of your ear, ponderously breathing in your scent that makes him feel like he was in paradise.

You could feel your heart thumping out of your chest, the hurried heartbeat of your heart ringing in your ears as it felt like molten lava pouring down on you both when Geralt seem to finally give in to your wishes.

He was a man, an amorous one, indeed. Hence, a tiny woman whom he was smitten with? Begging for a nooky? Well, why would he even be too obstinate to reject such bliss?

Your eyes immediately fluttered closed, teeth biting the insides of your cheeks as you were utterly thrilled. The voices who had been whispering inside your head has died down from the moment you both have shared the peeve out of the boiling kettle. Breathing turned erratic, thoughts quickly moving down south as Geralt heavily breathed against your ear.

You knew you were done for when he'd fondled with the hem of your sweater; those thick, sleek fingers of his, slithering higher and higher till you could never think straight; towards a place no one has ever did just yet and you were gladly letting him explore you in places you have never been touched.

His name clouded inside your head like a bell ringing from a church. Geralt's comforting warmth seething through your senses as you've felt him plant one soft kiss on the back of your ear, igniting a sensual whimper out of you that got him heavily breathing. The witcher's mind pooling with debauched thoughts for you.

And so, he let the palpable sensations control him for once; maybe not once, if he was given the chance again, letting his emotions get the best of him as he finally let go and like a warning, he rasped; "---you are asking a lot from me that not any other person could seek for a witcher,"

"---Yet, here I am; standing before you, succumbing to your wishes and trying to think of ways to help you overcome your struggles despite of knowing the repercussions, midget."

Based on how he'd let his gorgeous head fall in between the crevice of your neck, tempestuously giving your skin starved, open mouth kisses; those adorable fangs you've adored having its way as it was giving your neck a delicate bite every once in a while, you knew you were in for a delightful night.

The Djinny-Djinn-Djinn would surely be worth it.

Warm water pooled just below the lower parts of your bodies. Bare bodies submerged beneath till it stopped before your chests. Awning whatever it is that was needed to be sheltered. The abrupt reserved demeanor dawning on you every now and then when you were reminded why you've acted the way you were before, like a desperate animal that was needed breeding. But, the pain that stung in your chest was enough reminder that it was a needed reason for Geralt to just do it.

You have covertly imagined how Geralt would be crafted. Heedful to be expecting a brobdingnagian man molded like one of Michael Angelo's fine pieces or a painting made by Vincent Vann Gogh; utterly a prepossessing sight which needed to be reminded for yourself that you still needed to breathe.

Geralt of Rivia's birthday suit could wholly take a woman or man's breath away; you were gawking and he'd caught your sly peepers, gaping at the lofty man who was undressing while you sat in the end of the tub has got him humming in interest.

The vision of himself who was stripping his clothes off brought you in hell and also in heaven. He had his back turned away as he peeled his black tunic off him in one go; the gesture sucking all of your breath in your lungs, giving you a harsh whiplash when you've seen his wide shoulders and his sinewy upper body in the flesh, your heat pulsing with just the image of the witcher who was shedding his clothes off in idle; the zeal growing much more impatient as minutes pass by.

You were going to get wrecked tonight.

Your faint clearing of your throat resonated in the room when you've seen his fingers move through the front of his pantaloons, never wanting to snap your head away because seeing him strip fascinates you in so many ways; marveling at the sight of his chiseled, stark naked form. Your alter ego asking God how he was perfectly imperfect with those disfigurements that has wallowed up his fiborous back.

It was a wide-reaching scar; like a Megalodon shark has sunk its teeth along his shoulders and ribs. The mark made you give him another once over before he pulled his pants down straight off, making you snap your head away due to the blush that wanted to burn your face. Your fingers itched, in a way that it was pleading for you to brush your soft fingers against the scars that obviously appeared to be painful. You couldn't help but gnaw on your lower lip because of the despairing feeling that suddenly crept up your chest from how he was thoroughly scarred, imagining what happened to the witcher when he had it.

You were weak-kneed. The batter of bath water slightly swaying you when he'd finally walked in the tub. But, your shyness was simply manhandled by the witcher himself when you've heard him hum in amusement, a small grin curving his luscious lips when you seemed to be stilled from hearing him sitting beside you. Those buff arms on either side as you could feel his ardent gaze on you, forbearing your abrupt timidness that you were slowly trying to process the idea that he was bathing together with you, thoroughly stark naked as you were also the same way.

Geralt was silently hoping you weren't thinking about leaving him alone after all of that, bearing with his raging boner has been quite a torture.

It took minutes after before he literally hauled you over his thick, slightly unlatched, brawny legs. You were tormenting him in ways he could never imagine as his hardened girth twitched under the warm water. There was a bashful squeal that erupted out of you when you were manhandled by the strong witcher, sitting you in front of him as you were greeted with his hirsute chest that gave your cunt a thump. He was also welcomed by your perky, right-sized breasts and a glowing cicatrix with the image of his medallion that rested in between the valley of your chest; while his, shone beneath the moonlight seeping through the opened windows.

Your diffident self was immediately forgotten with just one touch of Geralt's fingers brushing over your mark. The scorching heat now seemed to be blistering with one thing in both of your minds.

Coition.

"Thought you had other ways to help me?" you skittishly questioned in between torrid, passionate kisses you were sharing with him. Those calloused fingers of his rested and raked behind your nape, eager fingers slipping through your locks as yours fell on his thatch of hair on his prominent, wide chest; tenderly caressing over the medallion he wore.

Only a low, hoarse and short grunt was said. The way his mouth moved and brushed along the soft pillows of your lips was utterly enticing, perfectly molding against yours in a fervid way. His warm, febrile tongue slipping inside your mouth of its own volition; making you catch your breath as he'd lapped your stilled tongue. His vigor seeming to be over the top as you tried leveling with his fervor as well.

His torrid kisses was enough to make you forget your own name. What more if he was finally pummeling inside of you?

"I do." Geralt gruffly murmured, his succulent lips trailing from your side of your lips before you've took his face in between your palms, urging his vermillion to give you more passionate kisses that you were greedy for.

He'd willingly gave you another, his lips falling in between yours as you've given him another scalding smooch that unconsciously made you mewl when you've felt the tip of his tongue brushing against your lips and teeth. An unconscious nibble of his lower lip got the witcher growling beneath his chest, his other hand tightening around your hip while the one raking behind your hair, pushing your face further to his. Those simple touches making you struggle for breath; momentarily breaking away to look into those diluted, darkened amber eyes.

"Doesn't seem like it, Rivia. You're falling for the bard's suggestion," you grinned like a Cheshire cat, heaving breaths as you sat on his lap. Your forehead delicately falling on his temple when you've licked your swollen vermillion from all the bites it took.

His hot breath fanned your lips, nails tenderly scratching along the skin of your nape as he ceased his ministrations to admire the small, naked woman in his arms. He never imagined for this to happen so quick; like it was even meant to be because of how right it felt. Geralt was sure you'd be all faint-hearted once the effects of your scar dies down; if it ever would. Then, you were back with your abashed self; entirely blushing to even realize that he had finally bed you all night.

As long as you could remember everything. He was alright.

Your heart was palpitating; feeling overwrought for the words that wants to be frankly said. You beseeched, "I also thought---you...you didn't want me?---"

You've fidgeted with the medallion that rested upon his chest, his hand on your hips leaving to take your chin to cease you from saying anything further as he slightly moved his face away from yours. His features soft and understanding, "I didn't say that. Never. " pause. "---you are certainly unaware of how much I want you, midget. Too much that it's frightening and utmost perilous,"

Those lips of his that you've been kissing simply lifted into a small beam, making your heart flutter and feel ways that you could never fathom. You carry a torch for those scars that laid upon his face. Some were miniscule, difficult to notice unless you were staring up close and some were deep that probably held some menacing experiences.

Your delicate fingers glided down the pockmark he had that rested on the side of his ribs. The wonders in your head being filled by the experience your hand can get. Geralt let you, his scars never fazing him nor you as well. Just a touch for your curiosity to be quenched.

You've heard him inhale a deep breath, the simple action making his chest vibrate beneath your fingers as another hum slipped past through. Both hands grabbed onto your hip, ushering you closer to him in a proximity that weakened your legs. His hardened cock; feeling it veiny, protruding and thick, resting in between your damp folds that made your breath hitch as you've finally felt how he was gifted within his pantaloons.

Hence, it made you bite the insides of your cheeks. A question inside your mind as to how it would fit inside your damn vagina.

Geralt noticed you stuck in a daydream that he ought to withdraw yourself from, you've felt his breath glazing along your collarbone, languidly puckering his pillowy lips along your skin with every pass of his breath. The honeyed sound that leaves his lips whenever he pecked, sending jolts of heat up your spine as he took his wondrous time to worship the body you somehow have been insecure about.

He knew your low self-esteem; probably even have his own issues as well so that was why he could understand. If he would focus on how you've tried covering yourself up when he firstly sat in the tub, those eyes of yours demanding for him to not be ashamed of what sat in front of him. Geralt instantly knew and the white haired witcher planned to glorify all night, if you'd let him.

"That scent. Hmm. Your tangy scent makes me forget of what and who I really am," the latter roughly whispered, his lips on your skin; savoring your salty, sugary and rich taste against his tongue as he brushed his lips through the depths of your chest, ending in that glowing Cicatrix that made you audibly gasp before his sweet lips.

"Geralt---" you salaciously and softly whimpered, his name sounding raunchy when you did so. Irritable pain punctured through the symbol, like a spear being stabbed through your chest for a hundred times with no explanations why it was making you suffer like this, "The pain---It's not helping---It's just turning worse---I can't take it anymore,"

As the pain tripled, Geralt halted his smooth kisses that he'd wanted to give on the mount of your perky breasts. Your eyes demanding for him to satiate each other's cravings, aggressively, passionately or whatever could quench the lust. You were begging.

"Take me," you've raised your hands and grabbed onto the side of his pretty, white head. Peepers dazed and overflowing with obscurity, "---Claim me. Over and over, I don't care. Just take the heat and pain away,"

Geralt of Rivia was no angel nor any knight that honored the dignity of one deprived woman. He was a hunger-stricken man who yearned for all of what you could offer and if he had the chance to honor your chastity to be corrupted by the witcher himself; he wholeheartedly would.

That was what he would just do. Corrupt you in so many ways till his hunger would be sated. But, he doubted it would be slaked.

From the moment you were in pain and also pleading to be ravished, it didn't take him two darn seconds to continue his onslaught on peppering your breasts with searing kisses that gave you a shiver, his wet tongue hiking down a trail around your areolas before taking your nub in his god-forsaken mouth, suckling on your nipples like a starving man.

"U-Ugh, shit." you've quietly moaned in the back of your throat as you’ve taken a sharp intake of breath, utterly lewd for anyone to hear as you held onto Geralt's wide, muscular shoulders; giving them a gentle squeeze while your eyes fluttered in exstacy. The image of him who suckled your teat was utmost impure for your once chastised thoughts.

A moaning mess was what you've become, the slight hitches of your mouth whenever he'd licked your nub after his rough suckling made his stone hard girth twitch beneath you. One shift of your hips was enough for the witcher to be grumbling a grunt from the action that has made his cock feel your moistened heat which started to grind onto him mindlessly.

"Geralt," you've whined in the back of your throat as your hips moved in its own accord, his thick girth that rested in between your cunt being rubbed by its own and you were stroking in a way that could get the little nub finding the release it wanted.

He was sucking through your neck, making you whimper as his thick, calloused fingers went straight to knead at your teat that needed attention, his hands seeming to be larger than your breasts but he certainly didn't mind as he was loving the feeling of them that rested beneath his palms. Geralt lowly grunted beneath your ear, sucking on a spot that got you sighing as another lewd plaint slipped between your lips, mouth slightly opening. The coil starting to build up in between your heat.

His fingers ceased you from continuing so, making you whine in complaint as you were already feeling an orgasm approaching. Though, he may want you gushing around his girth and not through bathwater or humping him in the middle of the tub.

The hunk of a witcher passionately kissed you one more time, fervently devouring your lips like he would chump them for his sate. You weakly moaned in between his assaulting lips, tightly shutting your eyes closed as you feel euphoria surround yourselves by whatever natural deed that was happening from the both of you.

He grabbed onto the base of his reddened, swollen cock; lining the bulbous head on your seeping entrance. The water from the bath and your position would probably help you for your first time. Geralt went on in kissing you, never breaking apart as he'd dragged his leaking tip to your wet mound and throbbing clit, flicking his tongue inside of your mouth as he'd lowly hummed out of his chest, vibrating your breasts as it was closely rested together with his, sending ripples through your soul.

His girth pressed along the insides of your heated cunt before ceasing on your entrance, it took only one tight grope of Geralt's hair for him to deeply groan, letting him take control and delve inside, his size ginormous filling every depth and fissure that ignited a kittenish moan which certainly made him whimper once he was abnormally tightly snuggled inside.

Geralt felt like he was over the moon; your grip bringing himself into a delirium that made his mind shake, choking in his own breath when all he could ever think of was you, alone. Y/N. His midget. The way your mouth tasted. Your warmth. A solace that only you could give. More, he wanted and more of you he would take.

You hold him like a vice; your mound choking his girth from how delightful you felt around him. The idea of being sexually connected with Geralt in this way was totally a different feeling, bringing you in rhapsodies of pleasure that you didn't know existed in your life.

He was fully sheathed inside before you even know it. Too distracted by his kisses that you don't feel any ache from being filled to the brim; expecting the unexpected from that experience. His hardened cock that has slithered inside you felt uncomfortable at first, though it seemed to have no problem with slipping in because you were too aroused and wet. Good. Geralt didn't want you feeling anymore pain and only hoped for your pleasure.

You've took your time to adjust, wiggling your hips every now and then; making you slightly wince because it had a pinch of ache when you tried to move. So much for feeling no pain. Your squirming got the witcher humming in displeasure; speechless and observant of what you were feeling. Geralt patiently waited despite of the howling feeling inside his chest; wanting nothing but to begin his corrupting, yet he respected your adjustments. Both of you were throbbing in each other's hold, before you've shakily got on your position, firmly on your knees, hands on either side of his shoulders as he was intensely staring into your eyes; all darkened, piercing and libidinous like a hawk while he waited for your next move.

Your hips got the best of you, wantonly stroking in a way that made the both of you whimper in sheer gratification for trying to get comfortable with the way he fits inside of you. The way you'd slowly lift yourself up before tormentingly coming back down, his jutting veins that rubbed you in the right way as your mouth went ajar when his length and size stretched you in pure exaltation.

Geralt's focal point was on you and your mound that choked and clasped around him, intently eyeing how your face contorted in such rapture that got him adoring the coltish mewl that emitted out of you, the way you've concentrated at the blurry image of his meaty girth that has been swallowed by your pulsing heat, he knew he would beg for another round.

Your wanton pace was torturing him; more so than hunting a beast in the continent that was difficult to find. He hoarsely groaned in the back of his throat, doing his very best to not turn you around and have his way with you. You bit your lip out of loving how he filled you to the rim, uttering out another weak, sensual moan that got the witcher feeling the pining rather agonizing while he silently watched you take your time.

But, he couldn't take it anymore. He was close to sputtering out profanities from how it was growing more intolerable as minutes go by.

"Fuck." he suddenly spat, sounding like a throaty whimper as you languidly sunk back into his twitching girth for a couple more times, his amber eyes blazing with the need to brutally ravish.

"---You are planning to give me an early death,"

Which got the witcher abruptly grabbing onto your waist, pulling himself out of you as you were suddenly turned around in the bath, your back hitting the edge of the tub as you loudly shrieked, whining for the lack of being filled thereof and also for the slight pain that his prompt actions got you.

"Well, that...that hurt." you honestly whined at the witcher, curious peepers gazing up at him as he moved in front of you, his fingers taking in your knees as he spread them widely apart. The water splurging around you as he'd move, seemingly fascinating to see how largely built his body was, before feeling his robust fingers on your waist, pulling you closer to his body; your back slightly slanted before gasping when he'd fervently entered, starting to consume you again and again.

"N-Nevermind. The pain--Ugh, probably's---Ugh, fuck! Geralt!---worth it," have been coyly moaned out loud, your face scrunched out in utter ecstacy as Geralt began to avidly pummel inside you, his girth violently ravishing your soaking mound with sharp thrusts of his hips.

His body was making you feel tiny compare to his gargantuan built. The way he situated himself above you, a hand tightly clasped onto your pinguid hip while the other rested on your side, his sweaty and earthy scent choking you as he drove you instantly to heaven.

The rousing sounds of his low grunts and hushed whimpers was enough to take you on edge. You've never...ever can tell how it was music to your ears as it also does the same to Geralt, your moans and mewls were bringing him to utopia, his heavy weight thoroughly crushing your bones apart no matter how he was helping himself up.

You didn't know you had a kink where you've wanted his body crushing you down; apparently, it was a new fact that you knew would instigate the fire and excitement. A size kink, then.

He went on with his ceaseless, wild, hammering of his girth. Your arms closely embracing him tight in a way that tells him you didn't want to let go; only wanting him to surround you in his warmth forever. Your palms gliding down his wide back till you've brushed your fingers along his own scar that you've handled oh-so-delicately, urging Geralt to utter a lewd audible grunt. He was congenial to your mushy touches; new to the gentleness he was receiving rather than ruthless force.

Thusly, it was entirely spiffing as it came with the freedom of impaling you till you were thrashing against his arms.

Your orgasm was quickly building up as you clenched around him, feeling his lips giving your neck wet, open mouthed kisses as he deeply whimpered. All-consuming changing his strokes as he pummeled yet again, holding onto your legs to surround himself better as he thrust brutishly, hitting a spot that loudly made you gasp, curving your spine as your breasts brushed against his fleecy chest, his medallion seeming to be in contrast to the heat that your mark has been giving.

This was what the voices inside your head wanted. The question is, why? For what reason?

"Geralt!" Your mouth was scrunched in pleasure, eyebrows furrowed together in a frenzy as you gripped onto Geralt's hair a little more tighter than you intended to, earning a low murmur of your nickname as he deathlessly shove and shove his hips, reaching you both in a place that'll give you what you needed and wanted.

A mind-wrecking orgasm.

One last drive of his hips, hitting the spot that uncoiled the havoc burning down below. You've seen the stars, maybe even the whole universe as you've obscenely moaned out with your mouth ajar, your orgasm making your eyes roll at the back of your head as you shuddered against his hold. Though, Geralt didn't stop there when you've continued to milk him whole. The swashing of bath water resonating the whole room and your amatory whimpers of delight came with his as he tries to reach his peak.

His thrusts turned sloppy and you knew he was close to coming. Your body was writhing against his, your cunt utterly sensitive as he nailed you over and over with his mouth-watering girth. Your body squirmed below him, moaning his name like a chant as it was the only word you could ever form.

You could feel another burst of bliss that spread through you as Geralt took one last sloppy thrust to your mound, lately realizing that he had slipped a hand between you both, urging you into another orgasm as he flicked and rubbed your clit; your second orgasm letting you emit a rather loud, noisy moan that would get any porn star shunning away because of how sensuous it sounded.

That last moan really got the witcher spewing out his load inside of you, also sending a witless guttural grunt when he came after you, ceasing once he rode out the orgasm with several sloppy thrusts before you've feebly and shakily reach out to grab onto the side of his sweaty and wet face as he slowly came to a stop, ushering him to look at you.

You've felt his come spread through you, summery and utterly pleasurable for the glow of your Cicatrix to be twinkling against the candle light. You were trying to catch your breath as Geralt also does to do so.

Your half-lidded eyes met his still diluted ones, the glow inside of it thoroughly comforting to your debauched form. The afterglow of sex making you feel spent but slightly quelled from your carnal gluttony.

You could feel his breathing turn even in less than a minute; the vulgar act washing away from how quick he seemed to got a hold of himself as your fingers brush against his temples, delicately wiping away the drop of sweat with your finger as the simple gesture was enough to make Geralt lean onto your touch.

He'd slightly turned his head, his nose nuzzling against your cheeks as this newfangled closeness was making him feel relaxed than he can ever get; having such a type of blessed peace that he may never imagine it to be, "Don’t worry," he huskily reassured, his thick fingers unclasping the hold he had on your waist, leaving a slight bruise that you obviously didn't mind.

You've heard the water splurge, his fingers lightly grasping your chin, turning you to look into his earnest eyes that was filled with sudden pique within it, "I'm---" his whole explanation was quickly cut off with a coaxing, soft tone of yours; doleful of what he wanted say.

"Shhh. I-I know,"

A breathless, depleted midget laid beneath the witcher. His soft cock still inside your sensitive mound but paid no heed as you warmed him up. His face etched of bliss, though it appeared emotionless. Well, what man would be glum when he had a lay?

Geralt contemplated whether or not to pull out of you as he'd raked your naked body that stowed beneath him, those divine looking bites that rested upon your neck and even on your chest when he'd worship your body that no one ever had. Even so, he wasn't satisfied. Well, when did the witcher even been?

"Hmm." he fascinatingly hummed, eyes burning your skin as you watched him admire your midget of a body that he somehow find utterly exquisite.

His enthralling amber landed on yours, his eyes darkening as it was keen for more. More he wanted to take and have because of the ravenous hunger utterly palpable. The Cicatrix that was engraved on the valley of your breast still gleaming beneath the candle light; his impassioned self seeming to be shared with you as the cravings were still there, strong and unwavering.

"I may need you one more time, midget." he roughly admitted, the tine of his nose brushing against yours in a sweet caress.

The latter has his eyes fluttered closed as he sighed, his salmon colored lips dangerously close to your swollen ones as he continued to rasp, "---or maybe all night," he leaned in close to leave a soft peck to your lips that he couldn't get enough with.

"---and the weeks after,"

He consumed your lips once again, zealously keeping the sweltering heat going as he breathlessly snogged with you. Those needy fingers of his snaking to grip along the side of your neck; his kisses growing impatient and demanding as the sound of your lips smacking together was the only thing running in your mind, the urgency quickly building up again like it never even left.

The way he began to torridly kiss you felt like you were struggling to breath. His desire in having you again feverishly lighting you up as you've instantaneously break the kiss, panting before him as he chased for your lips before you had a finger laid between them, your face in flames while you got flustered, those rough fingers ceasing from kneading your taut breast on his other hand, "Maybe---maybe, a bed is nice to be ravished on? you know, with a mattress or something soft?"

You were completely flushed. Nose scrunched as you felt your heart pounding; waiting for his answer to your suggestion. Your mind was scolding you all through out as he held his silence, aware of his semi hard on that seemed to never want to leave your cunt as he tried and hinted for another nightly ravishing between you both.

Never in your life; even back in earth that you would actually get to experience sex in the making. The idea of you and another man going at it disturbing you before because you were worried they would despise your body and how you actually looked like, entirely bare. Yet, here you were, having your virginity taken by an attractive, hot mutant who slaughters beasts for a living in their dimension.

Fortunately, you were lucky in this department because of how magically you've met him and how gloriously you've been dicked down.

You wouldn't get to forget this once the effects of the Cicatrix finally comes to its halt or probably the morning after you've slept with Geralt. Your ribald suggestions for moving in a much more comfortable place while being rode off to Neverland will probably horrify you if the idea was taken into deliberation.

"I think I may have to agree, midget." Geralt gave a soft nod of understanding, intensely staring into your eyes as he has seen the same salacious look he has been giving; simmering down his worry about the thought that you weren't in the same page as he also was.

Perhaps, beasts aren't the only thing he butchers at night and in daylight.

Geralt only wanting this to be a one time opportunity? Oh, heck no. IT’S A PRANK! He never gets satisfied! LMAO JK 😂💖 FEEDBACKS ARE SO MUCH APPRECIATED! Please do! Heehee! (Strikethrough means I couldn’t tag you, bb’s!)

Taglist for WOTN: @alyxkbrl @himarisolace @barkingbullfrog @ayamenimthiriel @hellodevilslittlesister @vania-marie @spookypeachx @grungelovebug @fangirl-inthe-us @nympeth @amirahiddleston @gabethelobster @dreaming-about-starfleet @uncoolcloudyhead @melaninstylezz @psychosupernatural @missjenniferblog @dance-dreamer @marvelousell @kingniazx @angelias134 @tapismyforte @chook007 @covid-donotenter @winter-moons @cheesecakeisapie @silverkitten547 @angelofthor @carrieannewaywardson, @plantingmum, @stuckupstucky, @shesthelastjedi, @a--1--1--3

Overall witcher taglist: @pizza-eater-i-ate-the-pizza

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supercharmed-forever-mine · 3 years

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Update to my post about ask/minor messaging please read:

*****Please read if you're still worried I just updated this post again for more definite clarity after messages because I realize I was saying some stuff out of order and this edit probably clears up some questions or worries

Edited at 3:30 Central Time 6/28/21*****

This is a quick note for the 3:30 am edit before reading please note that this incident in question took place a month ago and that is also why you may notice for a particular fandom I have not been posting as much. But when I posted that original thing about more interaction it popped into my head and I figure out Might as well get it out because it's been on my mind since then and my anxiety has just not let me post it before this.

As I have come to realize I'm getting quite a bit of hate regarding the minor messaging aspect of that post.

I clearly stated that I was not trying to call out the particular minor in question and if they see it I am very sorry about putting your virgin status out there even though I did not name any names and this was also done in private messages so the odds of anybody but the person I'm talking about knowing who they are or astronomical just so y'all don't sweat on that anymore. Also I blocked them as they're popular in one of particular fandoms I tagged.

I was literally just trying to explain the situation also to bring some awareness to it because I feel like it's not an aspect that a lot of people have the balls to talk about or admit it's happened to them. That being said it clearly states that I'm 25 in my profile and the person who messaged me gave information that indicated they had saw my profile meaning there is a 99% chance they knew my age and as a minor they still engaged in making a comment of sex/ sexuality and I responded in kind with an appropriate answer based on the question / comment.

Which if any of y'all are wondering since we're already going to go ahead and call out people and be rude to me was this blah blah blah something something Im still unsure about man and women and they made the comment in a sexual manner and said something in the message before that that indicated that they we're not a virgin and was comfortable enough to make that comment therefore I thought they were comfortable enough for me to reply about what they had just said about sex. Then I said well I'm bisexual and I've slept with both genders and sometimes I don't think either of them are worth s*** I was trying to be humorous about it. They proceeded to say that they were not comfortable talking about sex they were as they were a virgin and also apparently a minor.

And do y'all know what my response was I immediately was capital A appalled and I told them I was sorry and that the subject would never be brought up again you know appropriate adult response.

Now as far as looking at their side about being triggered by what I said I can see it once I knew they were a kid that's why I responded the way I did when they told me they were a minor. But also rationally for me triggering stance point you have to look at it this way I was an adult that had a near Miss pedophilic level encounter by accidentally having just talked about sex with a child it made me feel disgusting. And that was simply all I was trying to state.

And as far as begging for responses I wasn't begging if you don't want to interact you don't have to interact but what I meant by that was I simply wish that with the amount of people liking my both my post about asking questions in the legacies and Charmed and I think even supercorp fandom that for as much as you like them I wish I had gotten a little bit more ask. Mainly because I actually do like having thorough discussion about the different things in the fandoms I mean it might take me a minute to respond because my writing skills are subpar and my thoughts don't translate well that's why in real life I prefer phone calls to text.

Anyways in conclusion I will no longer be taking hate on any of my post about anything in the future if you don't like it you can simply keep on going I'm just trying to put my opinion out there and my opinion/ statements no less valid then anybody else though it seems that way it makes me cry to read negativity and I just don't have it in me to fight anymore.

#tvd #abimel #charmed cw #cw legacies #hope mikaelson #josie saltzman #lizzie saltzman #hizzie #hosie #supercorp #kara danvers #lena luthor #supergirl #supergirl cw #stop the violence in my tags #no hate all the love just tired of life

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yeonjuns-croptop · 3 years

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Check in tag^^

tagged by @soonhoonsol thank you chey^^

why did you choose this URL?

yeonjun in a croptop was a cultural reset and i am still not over this look tbh

Do you have any sideblogs?

technically this is a sidelog but other than this i have one for all the songs chan plays on chan's room (@chans-playlist) and one (abandoned) one where you can find a ton of good omens analysis (@great-good-omens-essays-lmao) because i was very much into good omens at one point

How long have you been on tumblr?

i think early 2018 if not late 2017 not sure, this blog i've had for like half a year now

Do you have a queue tag?

no, it's all or nothing from me, either spamming or silence, no inbetween^^

Why did you start this blog in the first place?

idk anymore why i started using tumblr at first, i think for harry potter stuff and a bit of kpop

this specific one was for me to have a place to dump all my stupid thoughts haha

Why did you choose this pfp?

Why did you choose your header?

Cuz this outfit changed smth in me (and maybe also finally gave me a nct bias lmao) and i was having fun editing some things so yeah

i am thinking of changing it tho

i saw this on weverse somewhere and it just describes my life, i am going broke (me: omg i'm so broke! also me: buys yet another 30$ album)

What's you post with the most notes?

How many mutuals do you have?

It's this beautiful meme of 1 + 1 i made on a whim and it resonated apparently

closely followed by a post about germany's next topmodel, because a very famous comedian was gonna be a judge there and it was just so fucking weird

Not a lot i think? on the top of my head i can think of chey^^,@ren9510 (hallu), and @loveyourselff haha

How many followers do you have?

92 here, 126 on my chan blog and 1302 on the good omens one lmao

Following?

374

Do you make shitposts?

my whole blog are shitposts/commentary with the occasional edit thrown in

How long do you use tumblr each day?

way to fucking long this is my only social media i am here constantly

No? only thing i can think of is that time i worded smth really bad and got called out for it, but i explained myself and they deleted the post (i did panic hardcore tho like rly bad)

Did you have a fight/argument with another blog once?

How do you feel about 'you need to reblog this' posts?

Don't like them. I don't like the pressuring nature of them? like if it's a post like 'pls reblog this that'd be awesome'? no problem with those but the REBLOG THIS POST NOW posts aren't cool nope

Do you like tag games?

YES pls tag me in them i love this ('this' meaning oversharing my life haha)

Do you like ask games?

On the occasion that i reblog them absolutely let me interact with y'all

Which of your mutuals do you think is tumblr famous?

idk @iiasha and @soonhoonsol both feel very big to me idk why haha y'all are great

Do you have a crush on a mutual?

Nope✌

tagging anyone who wants to do this i'm not creative i'm sorry

#tagged #this was fun uwu #love it #also not me seeing my notifications and going #CHEY TAGGED ME???????

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rayofsunas · 4 years

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red – choi san

A/N: sorry for the long absence y'all, but I plan to be writing a lot more. thank you for being patient, and to those who have stuck around or kept reading my works! <333 This took me close to 3 hours, but I honestly had so much fun writing it. I used Grammarly to edit this and went over it as well, it's 1 am though so sorry if there are typos. I'm sure you're all itching to read something so here you go, lol! stay safe and be kind to one another! (no gif because the one I was going to use wasn't loading properly)

Pairings: Choi San x Fem! Reader

Summary: There was always this beautiful, but horrifying, place where you would always travel during deep slumbers. You were never sure if it was based on your fears, maybe wishes. If it even existed or not. But turns out, you weren't as scared of the place as you originally thought.

Warnings: Swearing, god/angels/heaven (mentioned), devil/demons/hell (mentioned), supernatural lore, dream walkers (supernatural), dark humor, sarcasm

Words: 1,509

requested by @ShadsKpop on wattpad

––

The sky was red, the air was heavy, smelling like something metallic, and another scent you couldn't decipher, the environment around you made you feel trapped, yet secure at the same time, scared but also filled with a curiousness that seemed to block it all out.

This place, whatever it was, definitely wasn't like anything you'd seen before. If you could guess, it was something that closely resembled what one would think hell would look like. Red sky, black trees, vines, and flowers that seemed withered and pretty much dead. Not even a water source of any kind, but still there were what looked like life if you could say those mimics of life were alive. They looked pretty dead to you. As you ventured further into the world you know for sure you've seen many times in your dreams, you realized that there was definitely luring you in. Maybe it was your own curiosity, but you definitely felt another presence, calling for you, almost reaching out for you.

Why were you here? Where were those monsters you saw in one of your dreams? Why were you conflicted? Feeling both terrified, yet not tremendously keen on returning home to the real world just yet.

A wisp of air being blown in your ear caused goosebumps to rise along your chilling skin, something you had felt a few times after waking up from nightmares. "You're finally here. I've been waiting for you."

Gasping, you couldn't help but jump from the sudden scare. Whipping around, you found yourself facing a young man with dark raven hair and a red outfit with a silver chain necklace, it seemed to represent his muscly body incredibly, from what you could see from his toned legs. Considering the place you were in and assuming it was something like hell or maybe even the dark place itself, you weren't sure he'd find the name 'God' enjoyable. But he did look like a beautiful creature that God had created, and it astonished you greatly.

He didn't look familiar, though but his aura felt identical to the presence you kept feeling in your dreams, almost every time they occurred. What the stranger did too, blowing in your ear. That action was familiar, a habit even for him.

His head cocked to the side, and his eyebrows knit together, he looked just as lost as you. Completely puzzled.

"Your aura doesn't feel like the prophets said it would," He muttered. "Stupid angels, once again wrong."

You just eyed him suspiciously, mouth still agape from the jump scare earlier. Speechless was definitely an understatement as to how you felt, you truly were lost in an abyss. You didn't understand what he was saying, you couldn't even think properly.

"Are you going to speak or what?"

You stared at him in disbelief watching as he sighed loudly and walked over to a blackened 'tree', where he plopped against a large boulder.

"Great, another slow earthling, who happens to be a dream walker, isn't that just great."

Anger bubbled with your bones.

"Am I going to speak?" How inconsiderate of him, expecting you to be able to speak actual sentences that made sense, while he was throwing confusing concepts at you. Stomping over to him, he held a smirk on his face as he watched your own become reddened by the growing anger and annoyance. Asshole. "I am beyond confused and you're just going to be rude to me?! Maybe if yo-" Something shiny on the young man's right pinky finger had caught your line of sight. Snatching his wrist, you held the surprisingly burning body part in front of your face, ignoring. "Wait!" You snapped.

It was ruby red, with a silver band of sorts. It looked incredibly simple, yet sharp, and unlike any other jewel, you'd seen before. You hadn't seen many as beautiful as this one, ever.

The sight of it just confirmed what you were already assuming.

"So you were the one in my dreams," You pointed out, he nodded, seemingly glad you were catching on. "That was me!" Your eyes squinted at him, dropping his wrist distastefully and pointing your pointer finger at him. "You were watching me."

"Sure call it what you want. I was just observing the girl who apparently will do great things here on hell." He waved it off nonchalantly.

So, this was hell... That didn't explain anything though, except as to where you are.

"You're a stalker." You concluded.

"I was told to look out for you." He tried to redefine stalker. It wasn't going to work for you.

"Correction, stalk me." You couldn't count how many times he'd appeared in shadows, never showing his face, obviously toying with you, but showing specific parts or doing things like blowing in your ear, that would be recognizable in the future.

He shook his head abruptly, jumping to his feet. "Watch over you!"

You rolled your eyes. "You're a stalker, end of story," he rolled his eyes, approaching you with long strides. "Since I now know you were the one who's been stalking me, it's safe to assume you were the asshole who kept blowing in my ear."

"Also me," He took credibility proudly, despite it not being something to want to claim proudness over. "Definitely not the asshole part, that couldn't have been me." You huffed. "It was. The asshole part included, I wasn't even bothering you in the dreams. You were just doing it because you're an asshole."

"I'm a demon, I like playing around with clueless earthling-dreamwalkers," The nameless being, now known as a demon, shrugged his shoulders.

"So, what exactly is going on here, asshole-stalker."

"Well, clueless, earthling-dream walker," you scoffed, annoyed that he managed to one-up you by one more nickname. "Welcome to hell, my name is San, son of Satan, the most powerful demon, outside out of my father of course," San carried on. "You're here because you're the Red Queen we've been waiting for, and you're going to unite heaven and hell."

"Unite heaven and hell?" He nodded.

"Isn't that... weird?"

His head shook, "Why would it be?" You deadpanned. "Um, I don't know, how're good and evil supposed to co-exist together, like that..."

"Easy! Once those pissy angels are under the control of Satan, coexisting won't be a problem!"

"We'll be in control."

"So what do you expect me to do, annex them?"

"Exactly!" You shook your head at the demon's excitement.

"No thanks, I don't want any part in this." He snorted loudly, calling bullshit on your statement. "That's what they all say! But you're the Red Queen, it's your destiny."

"Red Queen, huh? I have no special abilities, I'm from earth, and apparently I'm an idiotic dream walker, whatever the hell that means!"

"That's why I'm here, as the second most powerful being in the world, it's my job to help you awaken your powers."

"No, I want no part."

"It's in the prophets Y/n!" You could tell San was growing more and more frustrated. But what bothered you was that he knew your name and you hadn't even gotten that far as to tell him. Why were you even shocked though? He was a stalking asshole.

"I'm not from here, it's not my job." he looked furious, and you were so sure he was going to snap at you, yell some more. But he didn't, instead, the young man shook his head and stepped back with a sharp glare.

"You're selfish." You frowned but immediately replaced it with a scowl.

"You're still an asshole." He wasn't phased by the insulting nickname, not right now at least. Maybe another day.

"It's what's right. Angels have been capturing demons and taking their demonic grace, many of my people have gone missing over the years. They seem to think they're so high and mighty after the last battle between angels and demons,"

"It pisses me off, that they think they can just get away with it. My old man says their time will come when the Red Queen arrives."

You ignored what he had to say about the Red Queen prophecy, not wanting to feel pressured anymore into taking up on whatever troubling offer he had up his sleeves "There was a battle?"

"Of course there was a battle!" San's eyes rolled, "It was bound to happen."

"On this very Island actually, what a coincidence."

Looking around suspiciously, you frowned in confusion. This was an island? Where was the water then... "Island?

"Yeah, island," he looked annoyed once again as if he wanted to flick your forehead. "We're on one of the old battlefields. It broke off a couple of thousand years ago when the angels and demons went to war."

"Who won?" You questioned curiously.

"Evil always wins." He gloated.

You couldn't help but snort and shake your head. Clearly he hadn't seen the movies where hero's had always beat evil. "Not true. Where I come from, the hero's in stories always come out victorious."

"Maybe on earth where earthlings can make up fake characters based off of their wishes and fears,"

"Here where I come from? Satan and his demons always win. Evil wins every time."

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shaekingshitup · 4 years

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Shae’s First Date

For anyone who is bored: the most brief (that I can recap because ya girl is a lengthy heaux) summary of my first date goes as follows:

EDIT: THIS SHIT AIN'T BRIEF. SORRY NOT SORRY 🤷🏿‍♀️🤷🏿‍♀️ But I put a TLDR at the end.

I matched with a guy on Bumble who had some cool hobbies and some of which overlapped with mine. We talked daily for almost 2 weeks before we met up in person and the guy was a very big charmer/woo-er. Like if I was messaging this kid I was constantly laughing and smiling

Tbh this was a lil bit of a red flag to me becauae I'm like: "no one is this charming. Something has gotta be up" & I legit came up with a few different scenarios. But I chose to shelf them because people do that to me all the time.

Like I'm just a really loving person and I will gas people up or go out of my way to make them happy if I can and people always want to try me like that can't truly be how/who I am or if I'm doing it it's because I'm trying to get at that person and they are always wrong. All the way from best friends to new acquaintances I really just like when people are happy. I mean the world's shitty already, if I can make your day easier or put smile on your face I'm game!

So we're on the phone one night (stayed up to 3 am sacrificing my sleep talking to this dude 🙄) talking more about who we are as people, what we're looking for in an ideal partner, etc. I told him straight up both via call and via message that honesty is really important to me. I value honesty with myself and also with others.

So also in this late night call things got a lil spicy 🌶 🌶 I was honest and told him that I'm pretty much a blank slate. Never fucked/sucked, etc or had anything like that done to me. He was taken aback like everyone I share this with is. Apparently I'm some sort of unicorn 🦄 out here in these streets to all y'all hoes. He makes a comment about stealing a kiss from me the next night and I said "I might allow it."

But the point is. I told him what it was. I was honest. That's my truth.

I didn't tell him that I'd never been on a date/kissed anyone because he didn't ask. Maybe if I would've said something, things would've been different. But I can't "what if" what's already happened y'all!

SO, day of. We messagin and snapping. I'm allll ready. We're going to a drive in and I'd never been to one before so I'm excited. I'm also just committed to making this a good time because I easily get distracted and often don't stop to take my experiences in to experience them fully. So I said not today!!

I got snacks. All of his favs and some of mine. I brought drinks and a blanket. I looked good.

Like I said in my pre-date post: I didn't have any lofty ideas about this dude being my soul mate or anything but I anticipated a good time.

He picked me up at our designated location. My sister met him and got his license plate; because apparently I had enough sense to realize I didn't know this nigga but not enough sense to later realize I didn't know this nigga.

It wasn't gonna take as long to get to the drive in as originally anticipated. So we went to a local park and sat in the car and talked because the park was PACKED and ya know RONA!

It was somewhat awkward because it was our first time talking face to face. But we found a groove and I'm extroverted af y'all. So, I can get people to have a conversation.

Topics range from our days, music and conspiracy theories which he's really into. What kind? Like: Shakespeare wrote the Bible is one. A lot of people that we know from media aren't really the original ones that we were introduced to is another. Ya know like that Beyoncé is not the real Beyoncé. There's two Trumps. There's two Hilary Clintons etc.

So at this point sensible me is like: this can be the point where you go home girl. You're 5 minutes away from your place. You can just say this ain't workin and cut it short.

OPTIMISTIC/BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT GIVIN/NAIVE SILLY ME IS LIKE: well, I 100% don't agree with anything you're saying just because you're saying it. But ya know, I don't know everything and I'm not in the business of judging people-especially since we just met and I don't want this human to feel uncomfortable. So, okay. I don't agree. But I won't judge. Let's just continue on.

If you haven't guessed by now which me I listened to, you may be just as silly as I am 🙃🙃🙃

But obviously I continued on and that's what I call mistake #1

So we're driving to the drive in. I'm realizing we're kind of different in ways. Most notable is that dude was raised Jehovah's Witnesses and celebrates 0 holidays & I'm in love with Halloween and at least birthdays.

We miss the drive in entrance due to my poor navi skills & he decides to smoke before we pull in. He offers it to me and I accept. This is mistake #2

Ya girl hasn't smoked in 6 years. I tried edibles recently. But that shit ain't the same. I really just feel like I said I wanted to be present and then I smoked and I was tired and everything was kind of dull?

So I'm high and sleepy but still a lil excited because it's my first drive in!! We get there and park and the drive in is really just a giant protection screen we all park in front of. Lmao. 😅 Idk what I was expectin but not that. But it was still cool. It's 10 and this movie still hasn't started because the last one is still showin credits.

Dude says he wants to chill in the back but he's going to the bathroom. I AM SLEEPY. THAT IS WHAT WEED DOES TO ME. Plus I was on the phone til 3 AM. So I'm like imma close my eyes before this thing starts since it's already late.

So while he goes to the bathroom I legit laid down in the back on a pillow because ya girl is a sleepy heaux 😴

He comes back and pits the pillow in his lap and is talking to me because this movie ain't started yet. My eyes are closed but I'm listening and everything and he's massaging my shoulders and whatnot. Eventually advertisements about common courtesy come on and what not. But that's not important and I don't move.

Soo he says something I'M ASSUMING IT WAS ABOUT THE KISS (I don't remember y'all. I'm about to skimp on some of these details because that high was really kickin in and I was feelin foggy.) But, I said "I would allow it." And he kissed me.

It honestly felt anticlimactic as fuck. Yeah my mind is kind of foggy because of the weed so I feel like I wasn't as fully cognizant as I would have been if I was sober minded. But also, it just happened

I'm in my head af. I've never done this and I'm sure I'm shit at it but I'm trying not to be ya know? Dude's tongue is in my mouth. His hand is under my romper.

So, I'm a roll with the punches kind of human and the rest of the film we pretty much are making out (lowkey meh), groping (I hate this word) & watching Deadpool ( for people who needed that detail)

As previously stated, all of this shit is new to me. But, I'm also not a "prude". I chose not to kiss/fuck anyone prior to this because it was what I wanted for a period of time. I couldn't do much in the date department because I was just not approached often or by people I wanted to entertain. But the opportunities for all that physical shit were presented and I chose not to just like I chose to engage in those activities on this date. I'm real big on not judging nor regretting those choices because those were what I wanted at one point and that's it. Soo if you got opinions about what I was out here doin, keep em to yaself.

We ended up making out and I feel like it was cool.. but just not great. We did other shit minus actual fucking. But it all just felt pretty muted to me. Not bad. Not uncomfortable. Just not great and I think in hindsight it was because I a) really didn't know and have an established connection with this dude and b) I was high.

He really wanted me to suck his dick and I was really hesitant to do that. Not even that much because I was checking off a lot of "firsts' or anything like that but because I swore I was gonna be shit at it due to 0 experience and that was what I told him. Like, I wanna be good at shit and also I would like if the person I was hooking up with was actually enjoying being with me ya know? Is that not a thing? Y'all just be out here tryna get ya nut and say fuck it to whomever you with? Lemme be a unicorn then. 🦄

But anyways, I did this and he says like nothing. I'm in my head af trying to recall upon all of my BP smut I've read and trying not to suck at sucking (SO THANKS TO ALL OF Y'ALL WHO BE WRITING SMUT!!). After a few minutes the car turns off and Ryan Reynold's ain't talking anymore. Sooo I take this as a sign that I should stop and tell him as much.

He turns the car back on so we can still hear the movie & I'm pretty much like half watching the movie and talking to him like: "Soooo. I did that and I feel like I was right." To which he responds, "I've had worse," which is like ya know the compliment of the century and the most reassuring feedback you can give someone who is insecure about shit they've never done.

We still ended up making out and I gave him a handjob and finished the movie. I can't recall if it was at this point or when he drove me home but he basically implied that I was a liar and that is the shit that literally makes me wanna go back in time and tell former me to never say yes to a date with this nigga.

He drove me home and I was pretty quiet listening to Ari Lennox (💕) and thinking/processing. He gets to my place and we're talking now that we're parked and tells me that he thought I probably wasn't right about never having sex before. He told me I probably just had sex like 3 years ago and it had been so long that's why I said that and that's why my pussy is so tight.

So, I'm real life hurt. I like to consider myself to be someone who has a good character and I am really big on honesty.

So I asked him why he said that if I told him from jump what it was. He told me that his ex lied a lot and that he just couldn't believe me..

And I know for certain that his assumption was independent of any of my actions. He literally just told me so. He projected his insecurities onto me. But I'm a sensitive ass heaux and that shit still shook me. PBS raised me right. I don't be out here lyin & I don't like when people try to tell me who tf I am.

We pretty much just ended up arguing about the night and he was doing it on purpose because he thinks it's sexy when women are mad. But when I get mad, I get done. If I let enough shit slide and you have the audacity to try and flip my script, I will fucking write you out of it.

Then I looked up at the time and realized I was sitting in this car arguing with nigga for at least 25 minutes. So I was just like: bitch, why are you still here?

I told him straight up that when I got out of that car he could forget about talking to me altogether and he was like: "I'll let you know when I make it home."

I told him he need not bother because apparently I'd finally gained some damn sense. I exited the car. He left. He hit me up when he made it home but I just deleted the app and removed him off of snap because I meant that shit.

TLDR; Went on my first date with a conspiracy theorist I matched with on Bumble and he told me I lied about my lack of sexual history.

#bumble #first date #drive in #story time #short stime #i need my mutuals to pray for me #because lordt #deadpool #ryan reynolds #ari lennox #personal #mine #big time sigh #im sorry I can't add the keep reading tab on mobile tk!

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motleymoose · 4 years

Text

Homecoming Pt. 3: Bits & Pieces Ch. 1

Chapter 1 Ashes in a Vacuum

Fandom: The Mandalorian, Star Wars Characters: The Mandalorain (Din Djarin), Gender Neutral Reader, The Child Words: 2.5k+ Warnings: Injury, Angst, A whole lotta attitude

Summary:

I AM ALL SORTS OF ANGRY AT THAT FRAGGING BUCKETHEAD!!! He's leaving me with more questions than I have the ability to ask, and I don't like it one bit.

But dang, that little greenie is cute!

Notes:

Heya! Thank y'all for reading!!! I'm not sure how many chapters this part is gonna have, so??? We're coming up on the halfway point of the story. Maybe my editing skills will improve by then (ha).

(See the end of the work for more notes.)

Homecoming Masterlist

The way everything hurt, I was sure I was dying.

Squinting at the dim, fuzzy gray light of my bunk, I ran an internal diagnostics check. With every little wiggle and flex of an appendage, I gradually realized that I was not, in fact, dying, but I wasn’t in prime fighting shape either. Slowly, gingerly, I scrubbed sleep from my burning eyes with the heels of my palms, my vision spotty and fuzzy in places. It felt good to let them linger, pressing heavily into the closed eyelids and relieving the pressure built up behind my eyeballs. As killer headaches went, the one I was experiencing in that moment wasn’t the worst I’d ever had, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like doshing kung.

Now that I was sorta awake, I took physical stock of my body. My eyes still wouldn’t clear, the large flecks of gray shadow swimming lazily in my periphery, so I used touch to see what was going on. Letting my hands do the work, I started with my head, running my fingers lightly down my neck to my shoulders and chest. Something felt off about the shape of my body as I continued to scan downwards to my hips. Foggy memories swirled inside my head, screaming and pain and choking smoke. A jumbled mess of noise and smells overpowered everything else, and the bits and pieces of the fight and flight from Bosph scattered nervously into the darker recesses of my brain.

Frustrated, I sat up, ignoring the sharp tug at the pit of my elbow and the violent, painful thumping rattling my brain. “Fragging buckethead,” I hissed through clenched teeth. He had got me in this mess. Sure, it was my fault for getting a bounty put on me, but if only he’d listened to me in the first place, we coulda avoided Bosph entirely. The anger, bitter and sparkling and pulsing red, numbed the headache and the bruises slightly. And as the ire rose, so too did the functionality of my brain.

I could focus now on what my hands had been trying to tell me: all of my possessions, from my boots to my jumpsuit and everything in between or tucked into pockets, was gone. A worn coarseweave tunic hung from my curved shoulders, the sleeves neatly rolled up around my biceps, and a newer looking pair of long johns, the baggy legs bunched around my knees, had replaced my utilitarian and well-loved apparel.

Oh Mother of Kwath! Had the Mandalorian undressed me?! I mean, I was an adult. He was an adult. And apparently I had been injured enough to warrant such an invasion of privacy. Still, I couldn’t fight the blush burning brightly across my chest and face.

So doshing uncomfortable.

Nope, nope, nope. Didn’t want to think about it anymore.

Pushing down all of the humiliation and trauma and apprehension until the feelings were little more than an annoying itch under my skin, I allowed the rage to take over a little more. It was easier to be angry than to feel anything else, the outrage a warming presence in my chilly body. It also gave me the little boost of courage for what I had to do next.

Screwing my eyes shut, incredibly unprepared for the worst possible outcome, I touched the place under my collarbone where my silver skull pendant rested, a solid, reassuring weight...

Nothing.

Instead of skin-warmed metal, I was met with warm, padded resistance. Peering into the neck of the tunic, I found a thick, dull-colored wrap encasing my midsection from under my armpits to my hip bones. It smelled of the sea on a warm summer’s day, and I wrinkled my nose automatically. Bacta. Whatever injury I had sustained must’ve been bad enough to call for the precious, oftentimes expensive goo. The wrap wasn’t so tight as to constrict breathing or some movements, but it wasn’t exactly comfortable either.

The physical uncomfortableness brought me back to the question of why the bounty hunter was keeping me alive, but just like all the other feelings, I ignored it. I needed to find my clothes, my necklace. Get dressed. Leave this beautiful ship and her tyrant pilot behind and become a krill farmer out on the Outer Rim.

Well, probably not a farmer. A droid mech, perhaps.

The soft skin on the inside of my elbow twinged again, pulling me out of my daydreams as I reached for the blanket covering the lower half of my body. A thin, clear tube snaked from a needle inserted into a vein to a nearly-empty pouch hanging from a hook in the bunk wall. Fumbling, my fingernails worked their way underneath the sticky medical tape, peeling up an edge wide enough to pinch. I ripped the tape from my arm, gritting as it pulled hair and skin with it. Once the tape was gone, I slid the needle out of my arm with a hiss, tossing it aside to leak between the cot and the bunk wall. Whatever cocktail of drugs the bounty hunter had mixed into the IV, he’d probably added a good dose of sedative to keep me down for the count. That would’ve explained the fogginess.

And it made me so mad.

I let the full-blown, all-consuming fury in, jerking the coarseweave blanket off of me and freeing my legs. Exhaling forcefully, I tested my injured knee, poking at the matching bacta bandage. The original searing-white agony I had experienced on Bosph was muted now, less of a screaming torment and more of a dull throbbing. Healed enough to put weight on. Hopefully

Groaning and cursing at stiff muscles and bucketheaded hunters respectively, I wriggled on the bed until my bare feet skimmed the floor. The cold steel of the hull platform sent shivers through my flesh, feeding the annoyance and anger and frustration. I inhaled, steadying myself for the shooting pain sure to follow standing on both legs. Pleasantly astonished as I was that it didn’t hurt too horribly, I wasn’t prepared for the lightheadedness. The blood rushed from my face, my vision blackening around the edges.

“Oh frag,” I managed to croak before slumping to the floor in an unconscious heap. --------------- I awoke, some time later, inside my bunk. The coarseweave blanket was tucked firmly beneath my chin, the IV reinserted into my arm, and my red-hot rage completely dissipated. An imposing, blurry figure stood at the foot of the bunk, and I took my time adjusting myself from lying flat to reclining, eyes tightly shut to avoid the spinning shadows. Once I was comfortable, I cracked an eyelid. The Mandalorian’s blurred steely stare greeted me, a clear bag of liquid over one arm and a sling supporting the other.

“You’re awake,” he stated matter of factly.

“D-Didn’t want to give you the satisfaction of travelling in silence,” I replied dryly, voice husky with disuse. “By the way, where’s my jumpsuit?” I opened my eyes all the way, blinking rapidly to dispel the fog coating them. It didn’t work.

The bounty hunter harrumphed softly. “Incinerated. You had a fractured knee, two broken ribs and a blaster wound to the stomach. Plus severe retinal damage and dehydration. You’re lucky you even made it off-planet.” He angled his visor away from me to tap out something on his vembrace.

“Wait, what?”

He tilted his visor towards me and put it simply. “You almost died.”

I feebly waved the non-IVed hand in front of my face. “No, not that. Did you say you incinerated all of my stuff?!”

Ignoring me, per his style, he continued to tap on his vembrace’s control panel.

Devastated, depressed and not a little bit murderous, I glowered squintily at him. I was reeling inwardly, but on the outside I was colder than carbonite.

As he ignored me, I studied him as closely as my recovering vision would allow. I could tell there was something different in his appearance, but it took a moment for me to recognize what it was . A softer quality to his edges that I couldn’t quite understand, his body looking less defined, less bulky than normal. I blinked several times to refocus, and was rewarded with infinitesimally better vision.

“Where’s your armor, shabuir?” I sniped. I may have been more than a little miffed that all of my worldly possessions were now ash and lumps of twisted metal, and biting at a Mandalorian was a temporarily soothing balm to my aching heart.

The hunter reached over me and unhooked the empty bacta IV bag from a rod above my head, replacing it with the one he’d brought. Adjusting the solution valve, he tapped the drip chamber twice before turning his attention back to me. “There’s a spare jumpsuit in the ‘fresher. Keep the bacta wrap on for another hour, at least.” As an afterthought, he added, “We’ll be on Nevarro in a few days.” A frown tainted his voice. “Stay out of my way ‘til then.” Spinning on his heel, he marched to the ladder and disappeared onto the upper deck.

………

It took about twelve hours for me to feel well enough to rid myself of the IV and bacta wraps and get out of the bunk without having the ship buck underneath me like a wild bluurg. I took that time to cry myself to sleep, wake up and cry some more. The loss of my tools and kit was a huge blow to my self-worth, but the loss of the pendant, well. It was the only piece I had left of a life full of fear and hunger and love; it connected me to home. If I didn’t have that, where did I belong?

It took another three hours for me to get up the nerve to get cleaned and dressed. I prowled around the cargo hold, poking and prodding at the carbonite storage, the control panels and the refresher. There hadn’t been much of a chance on my earlier voyages to explore, so with the Mandalorian occupied guiding the ship through hyperspace, I felt emboldened to figure out more about him. Not that there was much to glean from my investigation; the hold contained only the basics of survival for deep space travel, and weapons. Lots of weapons.

Oh, and several beings in what looked to be forced-stasis, frozen in carbonite.

Shivering in sympathy for my hold companions, I turned and shuffled back to the bunk. What I really had hoped to find was the incinerator - most ships kept them below near the back for easy dispatch of trash - but I hadn’t found hide nor hair of one below deck. It could’ve been located above. Not exactly the safest or most pleasant location, yet with all the fire power and carbonite in the hold, it kinda made sense. No need to put three dangerous elements all in one place, if you had the room.

A little voice at the back of my head reminded me of something else: that fragging Mando had all but ordered me to stay put. If he thought for one second that I was going to listen to him, he had another thing coming. I held no ill-will against Mandalorians in general, but this one was getting on my bad side. First arresting me and then almost getting me killed and then destroying the only thing I had left of home reminded me that I only had myself to rely on, that everyone else was out to either disappoint me or kill me.

I’d be doshed if I was going to let that buckethead dictate what I could and couldn’t do, especially since he was the one who took me off that Maker-forsaken moon in the first place.

Especially since he handed me over to Mihcas without an apology.

And took my pendant and tools to boot.

Ascending the ladder turned out to be a formidable feat in my weakened condition, but I prevailed. It took more effort than it should have, and I collapsed onto the cool steel platform once I made it all the way up.

“What are you doing?” The modulated baritone came from my right. Swiveling my head, I watched as the bounty hunter stomped out of the captain’s quarters, a bundle of clothes clutched to his chest and fingers unsurprisingly reaching for his blaster. Whatever was in the bundle must have been precious, for he shifted it away from me to his injured arm. It obviously still hurt; he held the bundle in the crook of his elbow, awkwardly bent and trembling with effort.

Good.

Rage flared in my chest, licking its way up like flames and leaving a red mask pounding behind my eyes. Pushing the anger away, I clambered up to my feet. I was going to get answers, and I’d be fragged if I was going to show emotion in front of him.

“Where’s the incinerator?” I spat savagely. So much for not showing any emotion.

Obviously taken aback by my vehemence and bluntness, he cocked his helmet and pulled his hand from his blaster, resting it casually on his belt buckle. “Why?”

Simple enough question, simple enough answer. But I didn’t feel like answering him. Opening my mouth to respond, a cooing sound interrupted me. It sounded like it was coming from the bundle still shielded in his injured arm.

Snapping my jaw shut with a painfully audible click, I raised my eyebrows pointedly at him. “Trafficking something illegal there, chakaar?” Anxiety clenched my stomach in its viselike grip, and I had to force the bile from rising in my throat. I was still weak from Bosph, but if he was buying and selling living beings to make a living, he was no better than my ex-boss. No better than me. Which meant I was going to have to hurt him or die trying.

A sharp hiss of an inhale through the vocoder told me I’d hit on something. Something he didn’t want me knowing. A whispery stream of very impolite Mando’a floated in the space between us. The air was thick with tension, and both of us were patiently waiting for the other to make the next move.

The coo came again, slightly muffled, followed by a bubbly giggle, startling us out of our stare-down. The bundle wriggled, and the Mandalorian shifted his attention from me to it as the thing became too much to handle with one injured arm. Grunting either out of pain or frustration, the bounty hunter stepped backwards until he was in the doorway of the bunk. Squeaking and chittering indignantly, the lump in the clothes broke free with a victorious huff.

And it was the cutest fragging thing I’d ever laid my eyes on.

_____________________

Notes:

chakaar - corpse robber, thief, petty criminal - general term of abuse shabuir - extreme insult - *jerk*, but much stronger

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shadowthrone-ammanas · 5 years

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Ghost Kid Chapter Thirteen: Greetings

This is where I started pretty much 100% making stuff up as I go because I had a vague idea for this fic up until this point and Mu seeing Hat Kid again. When I wrote this and onward, it's all new to me, excluding the Mu and Hat Kid scene. So I guess in a way you could say the adventure starts here, we'll all see where this goes and what happens and hopefully it's good. I'm having fun writing it though so how good it is doesn't really matter, especially since the big cushion of chapters I have already written means I have plenty of time to edit and fix things that need fixing to make them as good as I can without driving myself insane. I hope y'all continue to enjoy it. :)

Hat Kid may have gone around the forest, telling every Subconite and dweller she came across that she was officially a resident of Subcon now too; she’d signed a contract and everything. She was welcome here; this was her new home. It was… strange to be so relieved about that after all the work she’d put into gathering the Time Pieces so she could leave. That had been before her death though, before she’d technically failed the final test to become an official space pilot. She’d miss her one friend at the school – everyone else in her classes had been older and had thus resented her for being better and younger than them – but… that was okay; Bow would do just fine without her.

It was nighttime – or the darker part of night, depending on how one viewed the everlasting magical darkness in the forest – when she finally returned to her ship, still supported by Snatcher’s magic vines. She’d have to talk to him about building a space dock here soon because even if this was her home now, she still wanted to go out and visit other planets sometimes. Maybe Snatcher would even be willing to come with her on a few adventures. That would be exciting! They’d probably have to be short adventures though because he needed to protect his forest from his crazy ex and other people who might try to do bad things to it if he left for too long but…

“Subcon’s newest resident, hello.”

She froze, her hand reaching for the door on top of her ship. She looked up and around but… no one was here. Unless they were under the ship.

A form appeared before her; grey skin, strange shaped head, tattered clothing that had perhaps once been fancy, very strange eyes, and no legs. And… were those chains on his wrists? “When one greets you, typically you are expected to return the greeting,” he said.

“Uh… hello?” Hat Kid wasn’t sure about this but… this guy wasn’t necessarily a bad guy. “Who are you?”

“I am Moonjumper. I hail from the horizon” He put a disformed hand to his chest and bowed slightly. “You go by Hat Kid, correct?”

“Yeah, how do you know that?”

“I’ve been watching you and Lukas. He’s basically adopted you even though he won’t admit it. It’s very cute.”

“Uh…” Hat Kid took a ‘step’ back, suddenly even more unsure. “I don’t know anyone named Lukas.”

Moonjumper grinned. Whether it was an actual malevolent grin or a mischievous one that just seemed evil because that’s how his face looked, was hard to tell. “But you do, you just don’t know that that’s his name.”

There were a lot of people she didn’t know the real names of – everyone on this planet seemed to want to go by their title for some reason expect for maybe DJ Grooves and that was probably a stage name – but there was really only one person he could be talking about, right? He hadn’t basically adopted her but he was definitely being very accommodating in letting her stay in his domain. “You mean… Snatcher?”

“Bingo.”

Oh! … Hat Kid lifted her hands to hid the grin coming to her face. She knew Snatcher’s real name! … How she’d found out was kind of dirty though, wasn’t it? It’d been given to her by this stranger who was probably telling her to annoy Snatcher. Unless he was lying… she’d have to test it later.

“I can see you are very happy to know that,” Moonjumper said. “Would you like to know more?”

Yes! But… “How do you anything about him at all?” As far as Hat Kid could tell, Snatcher was very secretive about everything having to do with his past. So much so that even the people who knew the tale of the prince and Queen Vanessa didn’t know the prince’s name or that he was Snatcher – she’d had to piece that out herself based off what she’d learned when she’d visited the manor. And even then, she hadn’t been sure until she’d confirmed it with him.

“His body is the vessel I am currently inhabiting.” Ah! Mystery solved at last! Was that a good thing or a bad thing though? “So, I know everything about him from when he was alive. He always wanted a daughter; seems he finally has one.”

It took Hat Kid a second to realize what he must mean by that. “I don’t think he sees me as a daughter.”

“Hmm… maybe not but maybe so too. It has been a long time since he lost this body. He’s changed since then, not as much as he thinks though. I believe he still secretly wants a kid, someone to pass his wisdom on to. … Not that he’s very wise, he just thinks he is.”

Hat Kid couldn’t exactly argue with that. But one thing she could argue with was… “Why are you just now introducing yourself to me? Can you only talk to official Subcon residents?” As much as she was enjoying learning about Snatcher, she also needed to know more about Moonjumper.

“Well, this is embarrassing but… when you first showed up, I was sleeping.” Meaning he wasn’t a ghost, right? Ghosts couldn’t sleep… except the Subconites could because they were possessing dolls and Moonjumper was possessing something too. A dead body but that probably still counted so… maybe he was ghost. “Not being able to pop in on you when you first entered kind of ruined my grand entrance idea so… I just let it go. But this is your home now so I need to introduce myself eventually. Besides, I’m getting rather bored, sitting around doing nothing, it’s time for something new.” He grinned again; mischievous or evil, it was still impossible to say for sure.

“Well uh… hello then. It’s good to finally meet you.” Copying his earlier move, Hat Kid put a hand to her chest and bowed slightly. “Thank you for telling me stuff about Snatcher.” She still wasn’t sure she trusted him or believed the things he’d said but… he didn’t seem too bad… maybe. She’d have to talk to Snatcher about him later. Not that Snatcher was the most reliable source of information on whether or not someone was good or bad since he disliked a lot of people for no reason and more often than not pretended to dislike the people he did like because he was just like that. “Can you tell me more?” She probably shouldn’t ask for more info but… she wanted know and it’s not like Snatcher would ever tell her anything about himself.

“Hmm…” Moonjumper lifted a hand to his chin in thought. “You probably already know he’s lawyer. He was known for being shrewd and sometimes harsh but fair and overall kind when alive. He was happy once upon a time too before Vanessa got her hands on him. She drove all his friends away, separated him from his family and orchestrated many of their deaths. Part of Lukas suspected but he didn’t know so I guess I don’t know for sure either. But I think she did, he just lied to himself about it because he’d convinced himself she was an angel. She’d sunk her claws so deep into him, escape would’ve been painful and he wasn’t willing to go through with it. Because of her, he even considered committing suicide a few times. Not seriously, mostly just idle thoughts, but if he had then maybe…”

“Please stop,” Hat Kid interrupted. That… wasn’t the kind of stuff she wanted to know. “That’s horrible, how can you sound so… so… like you don’t care?”

Moonjumper chuckled. “He’s the one who fell for her lies and false faces. He could’ve left at any time. He also considered that a few times when she first started isolating him and taking over his life, showing her true colours. He never did though even when his one last friend told him to over and over again. He got mad at her instead and she eventually died because of him, pretty horribly too, I think. In a way, everyone in Subcon died because of him. If he’d just…”

“Stop,” Hat Kid interrupted again. “Why are you telling me this?”

Moonjumper shrugged. “You wanted to know more.” And apparently, he just liked being an upsetting asshole.

“Well… I don’t want to know anymore. And… and… it’s not even your stuff to tell. Also, it’s not Snatcher’s fault so don’t blame him.” She didn’t know the specifics of what had happened but she did know that Snatcher couldn’t be held accountable for Vanessa’s actions. “So, stop it.”

Moonjumper chuckled. “Whatever you say young one. I suppose I will see you later. Good bye for now.” He winked before his form faded and disappeared.

Hat Kid crossed her arms as she looked all around at the burning forest surrounding her and her ship. He was gone, no trace of him remained. Was he still watching somehow though? … Possibly. Didn’t matter though, did it? She needed to go talk to Snatcher, confirm some things, apologize for other things.

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#My Writing #ahit #A Hat In Time #ghost kid #ghost kid fic #Moonjumper is here to play at last #what mischief will he get up to?

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general-cyno · 4 years

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tagged by @myolniir thank you cari! and merry christmas/happy holidays 🎉💖

nickname: jay, joha, johnny

gender: transmasc (he/him pls)

star sign: aries

height: 1.57m which is like 5'2 i think? I'm tiny

bday: april 1st and honestly i'm grateful colombia doesn't celebrate april's fool lmao the holiday equivalent is on december actually

fave bands: fall out boy, panic! at the disco, florence + the machine, dorothy, royal blood, walk the moon, neon trees, of monsters and men, imagine dragons, paramore, welshly arms, ETC

fave solo artists: ngl this actually made me realize i don't listen much to solo artists lmao, the ones that come to mind are lady gaga, dua lipa, marina diamandis, zayde wolf, lola indigo, rina sawayama, pabllo vittar........and idk who else sjsksks

song stuck in my head: rn it's lonely in tokyo by mirei (surprisingly a good youtube ad recommendation)

last movie: freaky (2020), it was pretty funny

last show: i can't remember rn??????? but im currently watching the tian guan ci fu donghua and jujutsu kaisen anime

when was this blog made: digging through my emails, apparently it was made 7 years ago on july 18

what i post: literally anything lmao, mostly danmei, art, movies, shitposts and random tv shows as of late

last thing i googled: a local cinema bc im gonna go watch a movie with my friends today!

other blogs: @miqthythor which is my comic books sideblog, i used to make/post comic edits and stuff but don't use it that much anymore (or make edits for that matter)

do i get asks: sometimes! tho i think I've gotten more asks this year than in all the other years I've been here lmao

why i chose my url: i was sick of vl/d and i got very into rdr2 back then so. i have some 2ha urls saved so i'll likely change it soon tho

following: 291

followers: hit 2k recently which is still amazing to me. what are y'all doing here. love u guys

average hours of sleep: around 5-6 hours if insomnia doesn't hit

lucky number: 13

instruments: none, unfortunately

what i'm wearing: an old black justice league tshirt and some shorts

dream job: actually getting a job someday

dream trip: i'd like to travel around colombia bc there's a lot of places i don't know since my family doesn't travel much

fave food: PORK TAMALES, fried fish with patacones, RICE, pretty much any soup, chicken in any form basically, different fast foods, etc

nationality: colombian

fave song: so many sjsjsjsjs can't really choose one

last book: the black prince by ariana nash, it's part of the silk and steel book series

fave authors: don't really have favorites tbh (doesn't mean they aren't good writers btw) it's just that i read books at random mostly and only keep tabs on the author if i've read and loved more than 3 or 4 of their books (the only ones i can think of rn are some danmei authors), i do have a lot of favorite books tho

fave animals noises: cat purrs are so cute

random: i can do like 4 or 5 different pitched voices and all of them sound different sjsjsj i can also imitate accents

#this was fun!!!!!#long post #personal

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vocalfriespod · 5 years

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Bilingualism Isn’t Just For White Kids Transcript

Megan Figueroa: [Music playing]

Welcome to the Vocal Fries Podcast, a podcast about linguistic discrimination.

Carrie Gillon: I'm Carrie Gillon.

Megan Figueroa: And I'm Megan Figueroa. I have some behind-the-scenes info we, or at least I, always forget our intro. [Laughter]

Carrie Gillon: I do, too.

Megan Figueroa: It's, like, 11 words. [Laughter] Well, you forget who goes first –

Carrie Gillon: Yes, you're right.

Megan Figueroa: – or who, who says it, and I forget what it actually is. [Laughter] I think it's, like, um, right before you go out and speak in front of a audience or something [laughs], I have the same thing but when recording for a podcast, so I always forget the intro.

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs] But you remember.

Megan Figueroa: Uh, yes. [Laughter] And if I didn't, we would've waited until I did. [Laughter]

Carrie Gillon: That's true.

Megan Figueroa: The power of editing when recording.

Carrie Gillon: So, this is our last episode of 2018.

Megan Figueroa: Yes, uh, happy late Christmas [laughter], everyone that celebrates.

Carrie Gillon: Happy holidays.

Megan Figueroa: Yes.

Carrie Gillon: Season's greetings. All of the other ones. [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Yeah. Happy winter – winter solstice passed.

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs] Happy Christmas, if that's the way you say it.

Megan Figueroa: I started saying that just to pretend like I'm at Hogwarts with Ron.

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: And Harry, that first, uh, in that first movie. [Laughter]

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, uh, apparently, they use both "happy" and "merry."

Megan Figueroa: Oh, okay.

Carrie Gillon: I, for a long time, thought they only said "Happy Christmas." And then –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: – at some point, I realized that that's not true. It's just maybe more salient to us because it's "wrong." [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: Quote-unquote wrong.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, well, you know how Americans like to be quote-unquote "right."

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: I mean, [crosstalk].

Carrie Gillon: No, in this case, it's North American.

Megan Figueroa: Oh, well, yeah.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Uh, I never wanna drag anyone else into it. [Laughter]

Carrie Gillon: Okay, so, we have some e-mails. So, Katie, uh, messaged us to say: "Thank you so much for your episode about Philly English. I grew up outside of New York City, but my husband's family is from the Philly area. My mother-in-law grew up in south Philly has a positive anymore that you discuss in that episode. I'd figured out what it means from hearing it so much, but it still made me feel a little confused every time I heard it." Same, uh, I mean, I know what it means, and I still have to, like, stop and process it – [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Wait, can we do it again? Say, say, um, "I like to go there anymore."

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: And that means you're still actively going there and you like it.

Carrie Gillon: It means you didn't used to go there, but now you do.

Megan Figueroa: There's a change in state.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, so, or, like, "He smokes anymore." He didn't used to, but now he does.

Megan Figueroa: Okay.

Carrie Gillon: "I'm so glad I finally understand. My husband doesn't seem to have positive anymore in his speech, but he also doesn't think it sounds remarkable in any way." So, he probably does, but it just hasn't –

Megan Figueroa: Right.

Carrie Gillon: – you just haven't heard it, yet. Um, "I've noticed that he and his side of his family, um, all have another construction that I don't have. Where I might say, 'I'm done with,' or finished with something, they drop the 'with' and just use 'done.' For example, he might say, "I'm done this book," or, "I'm done dinner." Do you know if this is a feature, characteristic of Philly English, as well? Or if adding 'with' is a feature of New York English? Thanks so much, and love the show." So, yes, I do know. Do you know?

Megan Figueroa: No, tell me.

Carrie Gillon: Okay, so, uh, there are some regions – Philly is one of them, Canada is another – where –

Megan Figueroa: Ah –

Carrie Gillon: – you don't need to use the "with."

Megan Figueroa: So, tell it to me, tell me something.

Carrie Gillon: Like, "I'm, I'm done my homework."

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, I definitely don't have that.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, it sounds really strange to people who don't have the feature, but – and I think – I'm pretty sure it's, like, Philly – and maybe that's it – uh, or Pittsburg, too? I can't remember, but it's, it's not very common in the United States, at all, but it's really common in Canada.

Megan Figueroa: Meaning, everywhere in Canada?

Carrie Gillon: As far as I know – I've never heard anyone say, "Oh, this region doesn't have that." But that doesn't mean that's [laughs] not the case.

Megan Figueroa: Right.

Carrie Gillon: So, if anyone knows if there's a regional distinction, let me know. But it's very widespread, regardless.

Megan Figueroa: Well, that's fun. Um, oh, you posted some – you, on Tweeter, um, [laughs] posted, uh, great – ten, our ten best episodes of 2018. Could I just say that I'm really impressed with Philadelphia? [Laughs]

Carrie Gillon: Seriously.

Megan Figueroa: It's, like, y'all make me wanna go visit – [Laughs]

Carrie Gillon: It's a great city.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah. Oh, you've been there. Um, you love your city and your – the way you speak, and I love it.

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: And it's infectious, um – and thank you to Betsy Sneller, Dr. Betsy Sneller, um, for talk –

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, for blowin' up. [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Woo, yeah, after, um, she was on the show, she got – she did a morning radio show, which is fun.

Carrie Gillon: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Um, yeah, so, Philadelphia. And it was one of my favorite titles that we did, too.

Carrie Gillon: That is true. [Laughter]

Megan Figueroa: So, that's cool.

Carrie Gillon: I mean, it was literally just taken from the episode itself, but –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, it was literally a quote. [Laughter] Um, so, thanks, thanks, Betsy, for that.

Carrie Gillon: So, we did have another e-mail from someone who seemed to really think that switching, like, language pronunciation of a, of a proper name, with, within a different language –

Megan Figueroa: Mm-hmm.

Carrie Gillon: – so, you switch from English to Spanish pronunciation, or English to French pronunciation, but just for the name, the proper name of the town –

Megan Figueroa: Mm-hmm?

Carrie Gillon: – the place name. Um, I seemed to think that think that was just not done.

Megan Figueroa: [Laughs] [Crosstalk]

Carrie Gillon: And it, it is, and we actually have an example of it, in this very episode, the way that, um, Abi pronounced Peru.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, that's true.

Carrie Gillon: It's – it happens.

Megan Figueroa: My dad does it all the time. He would never not say it with, like, the Spanish pronunciation, eve, even when he's speaking English, there's no way.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, I think if it's your, if it's your, your language, and you're speaking in your second language, you're probably gonna just use your first language's pronunciation. And sometimes it's the other way around –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, I mean, and I feel guilty not doing it, because in Arizona, we have a, um – I don't know, is it more a town, not a city – um, Casa Grande, and I always say "Casa Grand," like everyone, everyone else in Arizona. [Laughs]

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, because that's the, uh, at least the Anglo, uh, Arizona pronunciation.

Megan Figueroa: Right?

Carrie Gillon: When, when I first got here, I kept calling it "Casa Grande," I mean, it's still anglicized, but, like, I thought that's how you pronounced it. And it took me forever to realize it "Casa Grand." [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Oh, yeah. [Laughs]

Carrie Gillon: Which I, I actually kind of, uh, I don't know, place names are so fascinating, and I kinda like it when they get mangled like that, like, it's fun.

Megan Figueroa: And there's a lot of emotion, like, attached to it, too.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah. Yes, uh, yeah, that, I think that's, that's exactly the, the point, like, if, if someone is pronouncing it in a particular way, there's probably a reason for that, so, why shit on them for doing it?

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: Okay, so there, there is one more, um, e-mail that we got, um, from Tony, uh: "My name is Tony, and I just listened to your podcast about the Philly accent – " So, yes, the Philly one blew up. Anyway –

Megan Figueroa: Yes.

Carrie Gillon: Uh, "I have to tell you, I loved it. I'm from the Philly area, both parents born and raised in Philly, and I found your show very interesting. I also have a podcast called Finding Subjects – " Um, and I listened to it, and he does have a Philly accent. It's really –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah?

Carrie Gillon: It's really cool. Yeah. Um, "I noticed when I'm doing the show by myself, I talk different than when I have a guest on."

Megan Figueroa: Mm-hmm.

Carrie Gillon: "Alone, I seem to pronounce words less Philly-like, but when a friend is on, I'm more Philly, and I never realized that until listening to your show."

Megan Figueroa: Yep.

Carrie Gillon: "So, feel free to listen to my show, to hear the diff, diff, difference." And, uh, I haven't heard one with him talking to someone else, but I heard the Philly accent – well, when he was talking by himself. So, I just can only imagine –

Megan Figueroa: Oh –

Carrie Gillon: – how much more Philly-like it gets. [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Yes, that's my favorite, because, I mean, we're just social creatures.

Carrie Gillon: Yes.

Megan Figueroa: Even, uh, as, like, I mean, I, ultimately, would, you know, probably rather be alone and reading, but [laughs], I mean, still a social creature, right? We're all social creatures.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: And it's, like, when I am around someone that speaks Spanish, uh, my vowels get different.

Carrie Gillon: Mm-hmm, yeah. Uh, he also said, uh – I just, I only mention this because I wanna give a blanket, blanket okay to people – um: "If you don't mind, I'd like to men, mention your show on my next episode?" Yes. [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Oh, yeah, yeah.

Carrie Gillon: Um, anybody, you don't have to ask us, you can talk about us. [Laughs] I mean, obviously, if you're mean, you can still do it – it's your show.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, I mean –

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: I got asked if, um, someone could use, um, a link to one of our episodes, in a presentation they were giving at a conference. Um –

Carrie Gillon: Oh, very cool.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah. And of course.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Please.

Carrie Gillon: Feel free. I mean, it's kinda out there in the public, right?

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: So –

Megan Figueroa: I mean, that's why it was so scary to start a podcast, because now my – you know, I'm just out there.

Carrie Gillon: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: But we knew that. [Laughs]

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: So –

Carrie Gillon: Yeah. Um, and, and, it's, like, we wouldn't put it out there if we didn't feel good about it, so, yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, exactly.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Anyway, yes, please share.

Carrie Gillon: So, today, we are talking with Dr. Abby Bajuniemi about heritage languages.

[Music playing]

Megan Figueroa: We're so excited, today, to have Dr. Abby Bajuniemi. Um, she received her Ph.D. in Hispanic linguistics, from the University of Minnesota, in 2015. And we are going to talk about heritage languages, today, which is very exciting.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Carrie Gillon: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Um, I feel like heritage languages are something that kind of pop up in medias, in media a lot. So, let's just, like, go straight into what is a heritage language.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Sure. Um, I am using one from Anne Kelleher, who is at the University of California Davis, and this is from, uh, the Center for Applied Linguistics. Um, her definition is: "In general, the term 'heritage language learner' is used to describe a person studying a language who has proficiency in or a cultural connection to that language. However, just as there are different kinds of heritage languages, there are different types of heritage language learners."

Megan Figueroa: And do you get the sense that this is, um, something that gets represented in media, just kinda like code switching is?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm –

Megan Figueroa: 'Cause I've seen this thing where, like, code switching is just used kind of to talk about anything, these days. Do you think the same thing's happening with heritage language learner?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: I think so, because, um, I think a lot of the time, when people hear "heritage language learner," they think of people of color, usually, Latinx or Hispanic people, um, because by far, it's the largest, uh, second-language group in the United States. So there's this, like, whole thing around, "Well, why don't you learn English? You should be speaking English." And so, there's this – it's – there's this, like, misunderstanding of what a heritage language learner or speaker is, and the stigma that goes along with it, too. Because you have non – uh, you have white people who are heritage speakers of languages, as well.

Like, you could consider my spouse a heritage speaker of Swedish, because his grandfather came over from Sweden, and, um, his family grew up. And he has got really, uh, pretty much receptive, uh, bilingualism, as far as the Swedish language goes, 'cause he didn't really speak it very much. But, but that's another type, but you don't really hear people talk about that, or –

Megan Figueroa: Right, because it's not as stigmatized.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Right, mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: I was thinking about this before we started to chat. Um, in 2005 – so I don't know if this is how it's still being done, but when I was an undergraduate going to University of Arizona, I had to take this computer test to place me into, um, a foreign language class [crosstalk] take Spanish.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Megan Figueroa: And when I took the Spanish test, there was, like, some demographic info they wanted, and they were, like, "Did you ever hear Spanish in the home?" and I clicked yes. Um, but I don't, I'm not a productive speaker of Spanish –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: – but at the end of this test, I still got placed in a heritage language class for Spanish.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: And which I believe in a level that was way beyond what I could perform at.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm?

Megan Figueroa: Do you have any sense of if this is still happening, or what's going on with that?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: That's actually really early for that sort of thing to be happening. In my, um, in my experience, a lot of those placement tests don't consider background at all. Um, when, certainly, when, when I took the placement test in 2000s, they, it was just, you know, you, you test in the modalities, and then, uh, you get placed based on how well you scored on the exam. There's no questions about, you know, have you ever heard this language in your home, or been in this country, or anything like that. So that's actually, uh, sort of ironically progressive?

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah. [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: But also, I was, like, "Oh, I think I should put – like, they probably want to hear no – " Well, they don't wanna hear no, but, like, if I put no, I might be placed in what I really should be placed in, you know?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah –

Megan Figueroa: But I, I didn't wanna say no.

Carrie Gillon: But you would have, still, like, a leg up, then, over people –

Megan Figueroa: It's true.

Carrie Gillon: – who had the same level of skills but hadn't heard it in the home. So it's not completely wrong –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Right.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: – what they did. Maybe they just put you slightly too high.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah. So the thing, the problem with that is that, there usually weren't, and aren't, enough people that identify as a heritage language, language speaker, to justify entire sections of each level of class.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: So what you end up having – and I had tons of students like this – I mean, when I say "tons," I, I mean, like, teens of them. [Laughs] Uh, but they would be varying levels of proficiency, a lot of them were what we call perceptive, um, so, they have a lot of listening and reading skills, maybe not writing and, and speaking. These students would get put in levels that were above their productive capabilities, and so, that would –

Megan Figueroa: Right.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – lead them to feel really – it would lead to a lot of linguistic insecurity, because you have all these, like, Anglo students who are "speaking better," in quotation marks, than you –

Megan Figueroa: Right.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – and –

Megan Figueroa: And "writing better" than, quotation marks, better than you.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Because they learned where to put the accent marks –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: – and all these things.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: And you're, like, "Oh, now we're gonna practice subjunctive," and they're, like, "What the, what the fuck is that?" [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, exactly, no, totally. Where they can, you know, these, these, quote-unquote, "heritage language speakers" that are placed in these classes, um, can use the subjunctive and they don't know they're using the subjunctive.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: But they're gonna still feel insecure –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: – at least, you know, if there, if it's the right environment for that, to grow some insecurity, right?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah. And there's so much other stuff that parents are actually doing to their kids, too, that in, that adds to that insecurity, as well. Like, uh, one of participants in my dissertation was actually a heritage speaker of Spanish. Her mom was from Argentina, and her dad was from the United States. And so, she grew up hearing and speaking Spanish, and, you know, she had Argentine relatives and everything, but there was this moment where her mom was, like, "I'm, I'm not doing this, anymore. We're not raising a bilingual child." Because, uh, because racism, um, so she stopped encouraging her to speak Spanish.

And so, she ended up in this, like, intermediate Spanish class in her college, and I – so, my, my study was just, uh, was an ethnographic study of, um, language production over time. And so, she wore this little lapel microphone, and she would forget that it's there, and sometimes she would talk to herself. And she, you know, she would talk to her classmates and stuff, they did a lot of, like, groupwork, and her accent was just pure Argentine, it was so interesting and beautiful to listen to. And her, her classmates would be, like, "Gosh, you just sound so great when you speak. You know, I love your accent. Sounds so cool."

And she's, like, "No, I'm not good. No, no, I'm just like you guys. No, I'm not, I'm not." And she just had so much reluctance to speak in class, for the longest time, because, you know, she would try to practice with her mom, and her mom was, like, "No, I'm not doing that. You're not good enough. I'm not – you know, this is – "

Megan Figueroa: Ugh –

Carrie Gillon: Ugh –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, she'd say, "I, I'm too – I, I have too much stuff to do. I can't sit here while you try to tell me something and it doesn't sound right."

Megan Figueroa: Oh –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: And –

Megan Figueroa: Oh, that's so –

Carrie Gillon: Ugh –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, so there, there's, like, layers.

Megan Figueroa: – terrible. I mean, I, you know, I'm used to the story where very, very – well, I mean, her mom, in her own way, was probably well-meaning. But I hear the stories of very –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: – well-meaning parents, like my dad who just was, like, kind of subconsciously was, like, "Not gonna teach my kids Spanish, because it's stigmatized."

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Megan Figueroa: "They might as well get the easiest route through life, here, um, so I don't have to worry about that."

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Megan Figueroa: Um, but to hear, like, this kind of, like, "No, ugh, your, you know, I can't hear your accent, right now – it's not right," is, is hard to hear.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, and then there are other students who are told – it's sort of that, like, you know, "You'll have an easier time in life if you just speak English all the time, and you'll have the advantage that I don't have because I don't speak English all that well." Um, there's this other level of, um, "Well, we don't speak 'good,' quotation mark, Spanish, because we're from a poorer rural community in Guatemala, or something like that, and we don't speak, quote-unquote, 'proper Spanish.' So, um, you're, by default, not going to speak it, either, so you need to go to Spanish classes and learn 'good Spanish.'" And so, they get that from their parents, like, you know, "What we speak at home isn't good." And then you'll have, usually, white teachers, who have never studied sociolinguistics, who are also, like, "You don't speak good Spanish." And so, [laughs] there's, like, all these things coming at these poor kids, to try to undermine their confidence in their abilities.

Megan Figueroa: What can we do better, at the university level, I'm thinking of – 'cause that's where you taught, right?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, yup, yep.

Megan Figueroa: Um, what can we do better for these, these students that are labeled heritage language learners?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Ugh, god, so many things. So, the ideal thing with that, you, would be that you have a parallel track for heritage language learners, from the beginning to the advanced level, that is structured more like a language arts class, instead of a foreign language class. And so, you start with content-based curriculum from the beginning, instead of, you know, some of the stuff that we're doing right now, with our second language, uh, learners, which is a lot of communicative stuff. Which is good, but it's also not necessarily content-based, and so it's not taking advantage of this cultural knowledge and receptive abilities. Like, you're not doing as many movies or readings or, you know, in-depth readings.

Um, a lot of places are kind of moving towards that, 'cause they see the value in both, for heritage language learners and traditional second-language learners, um, but there are still a lot of places that aren't doing that. So, having that parallel track is, I think, the ideal. Um, in reality, I, I don't think that there are budgetary allowances for that, um, in both the faculty and in what the administration will pay for, you know, opening new sections, and things like that.

Megan Figueroa: Right.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Because if you have, like, if you have a small program and you have five heritage language learners, and each one is at a different level, I mean, you know, you can't open a section for each one of those people, right? Moving more, more towards a content-based curriculum I think would, is really helpful. Uh, making your teachers, whether you're in high school or postsecondary, take a sociolinguistics class –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – and stop talking about how their home language is terrible. And framing it more as a, like, "Okay, I'm gonna teach you a different register. You have your home register, which is valid and good and great. What I'm teaching you now is academic Spanish," which is what I did –

Megan Figueroa: Right.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – um, when I was teaching, you know? 'Cause we didn't have the heritage language track, 'cause we didn't have the enrollment to justify it.

Megan Figueroa: Right.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: That's, like, the bare minimum, though. [Laughs]

Carrie Gillon: Yeah. [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Yeah. I got the sense, as a student, at university, that it was always PHG students that taught foreign language classes.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, the majority of the faculty that taught language classes was, uh, non-tenure track or, uh, graduate students.

Megan Figueroa: I mean, my TA training at the university level was bullshit, let's be real.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: But did you actually get any? Because I didn't. I was just, like –

Megan Figueroa: It was, like, a pamphlet.

Carrie Gillon: – "Here – " A pamphlet is still more than I got. I was, like, "Here's the – here's what you're gonna be, uh, talking about in your tutorial. Bye." [Slaps hands together] [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Yeah –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: So, we actually were forced to take a methods class, a teaching methods class –

Carrie Gillon: That's good. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – our first semester. It still wasn't enough, but we were forced to do it just because – I got my degree in a, in a foreign language department, and so, they knew that we were all, like, their undergraduate language, you know, grunt work army. So, we had to. I mean, the literature people, the culture people, and the linguistics people all had to take a language acquisition pedagogy course, at the start of our, our careers.

Megan Figueroa: And did you think it was a good course, just not enough, like, it was a beginning?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, it was, it was good; it wasn't necessarily enough. It gave you the basics to start doing thoughtful lesson planning and figuring out how to make tasks that, you know, will promote language acquisition and use, and things like that. And, and course design, and, uh, assessment design, and those sorts of things. So, we, we created exams together, and we created some lessons together, and basically learned the foundation of language acquisition. But, again, it wasn't – we didn't really talk about heritage language learners. That was me taking further linguistics classes and sociolinguistics classes, that helped really, um, cement that.

Megan Figueroa: I'm thinking about how the, the second point that you made of "we can do better" is to, to treat the, the language of the home as, um, valid, which is so true. And I actually, uh –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: – ran across – I don't know if it was a paper or a conversation about how – and I've said this, like, in our first episode, how I'm, like, people need to hear my vocal fry different, you know? Like, I don't have to change me.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, no.

Megan Figueroa: People have to hear my vocal fry different. That's how I feel about, um, like, the Spanish we bring from home or whatever, um, is, "Ugh, people need to fucking start listening to our Spanish differently." And I just think, like, that's, like, worlds away – do you feel that way, sometimes? [Laughs] Like, you know, instead of teaching, like, um, kinda like, "I have to teach you academic Spanish, uh, you know, like, but you're, you're valid, this is valid, this is all valid." It's just kinda like, why can't we change the way people hear us kind of thing?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Carrie Gillon: Well, I mean, in academia, though, people are gonna expect certain things, so. I –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: It's hard – I know, I know, like, I totally get it, it's hard. I'm asking, I, I am asking a question that's just so hard, out, like, putting it out there.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: So, I, I think that's easier to do at the college level than at the high school level. 'Cause you have all these, like, you know, lifer teachers that learned audiolingual method, and "repeat after me," and "let's write grammar charts on the board," and it's all just very terrible. [Laughs]

Carrie Gillon: Yes, it is.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, [crosstalk] I’m having a flashback to my high school Spanish classes – it's awful.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: I'm so sorry. [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Cuz I mean, I don't mean to say every Spanish teacher is awful, I just had some very, like –

Carrie Gillon: No –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: No, they're not, but it's the traditional way that languages were taught, so there are still a lot of people doing it. I mean, I had that, and I went to college and jumped into a communicative classroom, and I was, like, "What the fuck, I can't say anything. You're gonna make me talk? No. No. No."

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, yeah, exactly. The most talking we did was actually, like, conjugating. Like, we never said sentences.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: We’d be, like, "Okay, conjugate 'comer.'"

Carrie Gillon: Really?

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, you had, you had better, then, Carrie. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: Well, I mean, uh, [sighs] yes, we had better French instruction, but it wasn't – still wasn't great. There was a lot of conjugation, but we still had to say full sentences. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Well, my Spanish teacher didn't even speak Spanish, so.

Megan Figueroa: Oh, no –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: I'm not, I'm not joking. I went to a small Catholic school, and she was – I don't know how she got that job. But, uh, we had a couple of exchange students from Columbia, and they would sit in the back of the class and make fun of her, because she couldn't –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – speak Spanish, at all. And, so, what we did was vocab lists on the board, and conjugations, and, yeah, it was – I don't know how I tested into Spanish 3, but I did. [Laughter]

Megan Figueroa: So, okay, so we've got these people that are kinda stuck in this very traditional and outdated way, in high schools. But you think, like, at the college level, we've got some promise.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, because, um, uh, this is sort of a bad-good kind of thing. Um, so, [laughs] the people who graduate with Spanish Ph.D.s are either literature, culture, or linguistics, right? And so, the literature and culture people are, like, "I don't wanna teach anything but my favorite novel. Uh, language classes are baloney. And we have an army of linguists who need jobs, and they can direct our language program. And they can teach all of our language classes."

So, I mean, it's kind of good-bad, because there's more jobs for linguists, um, they're not always tenure track, and they're usually, like, directing language programs and teaching undergraduate language courses. But that means that you get more people who at least have perhaps been, uh, exposed to sociolinguistics and understand language variation, teaching your undergraduates their, their language courses. And this is more true in your four-year colleges than in your universities where degree programs are granted, because – or, like, advanced degree programs, like, Ph.D. programs.

Megan Figueroa: Um, could you give an example of how, um, like, quote-unquote, "academic Spanish" might look differently than something that a student –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm?

Megan Figueroa: – would bring into the classroom, just for the listeners to kind of understand?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, so, um, one example is with the subjunctive, which we know is very unstable. Um, and so, you'll have – there's a, an if-then clause in Spanish where it's, like, si something with the subjunctive, then the conditional. Um, and in, there are some dialects – I think – it's been a while since I've looked at this literature, but I think Peru might be a place where this happens, um, where it's all subjunctive, so the conditional doesn't exist –

Megan Figueroa: Oh –

Carrie Gillon: Mm –

Megan Figueroa: – cool.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – in those, those constructions. So it's, like, si subjunctive, then subjunctive. Yeah, or the reverse where it's all conditional, so, instead of the subjunctive, it's si conditional, then conditional, if condition, then conditional. Um, so that might something that people will bring into the classroom, something like that. And so we have to say, "Okay, yeah, that's totally fine. That's the way that your family does it, and this is the way it's used in where your family comes from, and that's totally fine. And for academic Spanish, we want to do it this way, instead."

Megan Figueroa: And I think the big thing – and, uh, [laughs] I think we were joking about this on Twitter, once, um, 'cause I'm doing, uh, a Babble Spanish, and it's –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Uh-huh?

Megan Figueroa: – so clearly from Spain – um, the lexical items.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: So, I think lexical items are gonna be a big thing that, that people are gonna bring into the classroom that are different, right, that you might have different words for?

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Megan Figueroa: Is that as big of a issue – like, would you teach them other words for things? Or is it more, like, grammatical structure that would be – look different in academic Spanish?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: I think it's both. Like, you know, I always warned my student – yeah, warned, I guess – that, you know, the textbooks are very generalized, and they often have a peninsular bent. Textbooks are getting better, though, so, like, the last one that I used for an advanced accelerated intermediate course – which is basically two semesters in one, which was very intense. But it offered, like, all the variations, and it told you where they were from. 'Cause a sociolinguist helped write it [laughs] –

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, yeah.

Megan Figueroa: That's really cool.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – so it was, like, "This is – you know, 'banana' is this in this country, and this in this country, and this in this country," and so you have all these different ways of presenting it. And I told them, I'm, like, "I don't care – I don't give discrete vocabulary tests. Whichever one you feel like you wanna use –

Carrie Gillon: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – "do that one," you know?

Carrie Gillon: I mean, you're gonna have to also learn a bunch of, like, more academic jargon stuff. And that's just, like –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: – more academic jargon stuff, and that's just, like, across-the-board gonna be true.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah. And that was more for, like, the advanced writing courses, and, like, intro to Hispanic linguistics, then we got into more of that. But for the undergraduate language courses, not as much.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: I mean, this is definitely analogous to, um, uh, monolingual English-speakers –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: – going into an English com class, right? So –

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: – we bring what we bring to the classroom, and then – and then they're gonna teach us academic English, right, they're gonna wanna – [laughs] they're gonna try to tell us not to split infinitives or whatever. [Laughter]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Whatever bullshit [crosstalk] try to teach us.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm. And I actually got to the point where I would have students who were heritage speakers, they would raise their hand and they're, like, "Well, my, my family says it like this. Is that still right?" And I would just be, like, "Yeah, I mean, if you wanna – use that in your speech all the time. But if I give you a writing, or, a writing exercise, then we have to have you try to use this other way, just so you can gain proficiency in that. But, you know, in your casual writing or in your speech, that's totally fine." Or they would raise their hand and be, like, "At my house, we call it this," and I'm, like, "That's cool. Let's write that on the board. Look at that: dialectal variation."

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: I love that. Well, I love that they're sharing that with you –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: – 'cause I think that's a step toward getting rid of the internalized stigma that they have.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Because if you're, like – just going through these kind of steps myself, too, if you're really, really ashamed of what's going on with your language, you're not gonna raise your hand and share anything.

Carrie Gillon: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Right.

Megan Figueroa: So it actually – that's a really good thing that that's starting to happen, if you share.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: That usually doesn't happen right away in the semester, like, I'm thinking of, uh, about one student in particular, oh, I just love her. She is such an amazing person. Um, I still keep in touch with her, even though I quit teaching in 2016. Um, she's just such a rock star, she's doing so many cool things. But anyway, at the beginning of the class, she was – it was her first Spanish language class outside of high school, and they placed her in my intermediate course. And she was, like, "You know, I speak Spanish at home, and my parents told me that I have to learn better Spanish, and, you know, that I'm not very good at it, whatever."

And I'm, like, "That's bullshit. You're great. You're, you're wonderful. Like, you know, I embrace the variety you speak at home, and if you wanna ask me questions in class, like, 'Well, I say it this way, you know, why is that different?' you know, we can talk about that." And so, she was just, like, "Oh, my god – " And at the end of the semester, she gave me a card and she's, like, "My Spanish has improved exponentially, my confidence in myself, and my identity as a Latina," and, like, all this – and I'm just, like, "Holy shit, this is amazing. See? More teachers need to do this, because it is so important."

Carrie Gillon: Yes.

Megan Figueroa: I got chills, I had chills. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, it's so important, because these kids are not getting validated – and language is so tied to your identity and your culture.

Megan Figueroa: Foof, yeah, yeah. Um, and you're in Minnesota – I, I just wonder, what is the Latinx population like, there.

Carrie Gillon: Bigger than you think. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, it's –

Megan Figueroa: It's bigger than I think?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: It is. Traditionally, we had a very large – like, the whole – I live in Saint Paul, and the whole west side of Saint Paul is, um, Chicano. There is a very large Mexican population from the Bracero Program, where the United States brought in workers for the meatpacking plants. We have, like, the Hormel plant where we have a lot of Central American, um, immigrants that work in the, the meat processing plants, there, and some farms, and stuff like that. But it's mostly the meat processing plants. Um, but, and, and the restaurant industry, too, the restaurant interest, industry is, is big.

We had, um, I, I did a, a gig with a local restaurant, 'cause they were doing some accounting thing and they wanted input from all their employees. And surprise, surprise, they weren't getting input from their Spanish-speaking employees, because there was a language barrier. And so, they brought me in to teach them the, you know, the accounting stuff, and get their buy-in, and get their input, and all that stuff. So, and, and most of, pretty much 100 percent of the back of house, the dishwashers and the cooks and the prep cooks and all that, they were, um, Spanish speakers with limited or minimal English proficiency. So, yeah, it's bigger than you think.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, I mean, everything's bigger than I think. I've spent all of my life in Arizona, where I'm, like, "We have a ton of Chicanos, here." So, like, I always think that I'm overestimating if I assume that there's Chicanos anywhere besides LA and Chicago [laughter], so, yeah. Do you think that there's a lot of heritage, um, speakers that don't get labeled heritage speakers at the university, then? The, the program, the computer program is failing them? Or I don't know if failing them, but just not catching them?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: [Sighs] That's a tough question, because a lot of the one, a lot of the kids that I, uh, had in my classes weren't from Minnesota. So, I don't know if they're going to different colleges, if they're not going to college, if they're going to community college, if they're not taking Spanish, you know, that's kinda hard to say, because, um, they don't – I mean, just 'cause you live here doesn't mean you go to college here, or go to college at all. So, I, and I don't really have much contact with high school Spanish teachers, to know whether that's, you know –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, I always – I guess I, um, have a, probably a bias to think that, if you're a first-gen, you'll probably go really close to home. So, I was just, like, wondering if maybe the students that are getting to go to college or want to go to college go, and are not being placed in Spanish classes. But –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: No, the student, the student that I mentioned, that I just mentioned, she's from somewhere in, like, the southeast or something like that, maybe – it might be as north as Chicago, but she's not from Minnesota. Um, and then I had another, uh, young lady, in a more advanced communications course, who, she might've been a DACA student, and also, um, was from Chicago. The very first one I had, I think she was from Minnesota, and then there were a couple of them along the way, who might've been from Minnesota but they're – you know, it, it really depends. 'Cause especially with the University of Minnesota, we get, like, we have a reciprocal program with Wisconsin, and so –

Megan Figueroa: Oh.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, if you live in Wisconsin, you get, uh, instate tuition. So we would get a lot of students from, like, the Milwaukee-outside of Chicago kinda area, too, so.

Megan Figueroa: So, I wonder – there's gotta be heritage language speakers of whatever language, um, listening. We talked about what could be done at the college level – what, what – do you have any, like, particular messages to people that feel insecure about language, as someone who was grading papers or interacting with heritage language speakers?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: You know, I think heritage language learners bring so much richness to the classroom. And not that you should be there to be the token, like, cultural ambassador or anything. But usually they have ways of looking at authentic texts and ways of relating to these texts that, when they start talking about it, it kind of, kind of makes the non-heritage speakers rethink the way that they're reading something, they're reading a poem, reading a novel, or watching a movie. Or, you know, when they're hearing, if you're more of a productive heritage speaker and you speak in your, um, your family's dialect or variety, I think it, it also helps benefit everybody around you, to get that input, uh, like, authentic input from someone who doesn't speak, you know, generic newscaster Spanish. Or peninsular Spanish, which is what a lot of, traditionally, a lot of the audio materials have been in.

You know, it's, it's just another perspective, it's another – like, I'm a big proponent of collaboration, and I think every single student has something important to offer to the classroom. And just because you don't know where the accent goes on, you know, the past, past tense or whatever, that doesn't mean you don't have something important to contribute to the class.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah. And also, like, we should always remind ourselves that writing and speaking are very different, and –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Carrie Gillon: Like, if you, you could be, like, an amazing speaker and a terrible writer, and vice-versa. And for me especially –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: – like, I found writing in French easier than speaking, because I had that time to process and remember –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Carrie Gillon: – the rules, and [laughs], and I didn't have to worry as much about the pronunciation.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm. Well, yeah, and that's the other thing, you know, a heritage speaker, if they feel, uh, insecure about the way they speak or the way they write or, you know, "I don't write as well as, you know, this person next to me," there's something that you do really well that they're jealous of, you know?

Carrie Gillon: Exactly, yeah, yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Like, your – maybe your pronunciation is, like, really cool and really, you know, sounds really good, and you have, like, a really natural, uh, flow to the way you speak, and it's not really stilted and stuttered. While, you know, that, the way that some language learners' language is, at first, when they're still kind of figuring out that processing thing. You know, there's something that, you know, you're better at. It's like that whole thing when people say, you know, jealousy is useless, because there's always someone better and someone worse than you?

Megan Figueroa: [Laughs] Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs] Yup.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: So, I mean, we all bring our own, uh, uniqueness to the classroom, and, and it's no reason to, you know, feel insecure. Because there's something that you're really awesome at that someone else really sucks at and, you know, they wish they were you. [Laughter]

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, exactly.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Do you – uh, we've talked about one side of the coin. What about the flipside: have you had heritage language speakers that were very insecure about their English?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: [Sighs] No –

Megan Figueroa: Or [crosstalk] just not come out in the classroom 'cause you're teaching Spanish?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, I don't think that really comes out in the, in my classrooms. I think that might come out more in an ESL kind of situation. Um, but, no, I haven't. I mean, I've, I've encountered that outside of the classroom, where someone is bilingual and they're just kind of like, you know, "Ah, my English is not good," and I'm, like, "What are you talking about? I understand everything you're trying to tell me, and you're speaking fluidly, and I – you know, there's no problem, here. Um, I'm not even having to, like, ask you to repeat yourself, [laughs] to, to get at what you're trying to say." You know, so, not really in the classroom, but outside of it, for sure.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, I think a lot of people underestimate just, like, getting your point across as being, like, what language, like, what language is.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Like, we, we're so obsessed with getting things, quote-unquote, "perfect" –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm?

Megan Figueroa: – that we're, like, "You know that I just understood you," like –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm?

Megan Figueroa: – we're having [crosstalk] conversation and our ideas are going back and forth. Nothing else matters. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: So, one thing – yeah. One thing I like to tell my students, especially my first-year and second-year students who are, like, "Oh, I can't talk in the classroom, 'cause I don't know how to form a sentence," or whatever. And I'm, like, "Nobody does, except for me, and so that's okay. But also, record yourself speaking English, and write down all of the errors that you make without knowing it." And they're, like, "Holy shit," they do it and, or they think about it or they do it, and they're, like, "Shit, I didn't realize how many bad grammar mistakes I make when I speak English." God, that's – okay, that’s, this is not a problem, then." [Laughs]

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, exactly.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, and guess what, when you sit down and write an e-mail in English, or whatever, [crosstalk] –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: – have time to think it over before you, you know, like –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: It's just different, speaking –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: – and writing are so different, yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: And that's why I never graded people for accuracy when they were speaking in class, because I'm, like, "I just want you to talk. I just want you to talk. I'll give you three points if you're, you know, fully engaged in the class, two points if you are, you know, somewhat engaged, one point if you're sitting there in the corner looking out the window." [Laughter]

Megan Figueroa: Right.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Um, and zero if you're not in class. And so, that gives the students, really, a lot of freedom to participate, in a way that they feel comfortable. And, you know, I knew other professors who graded based on how correct the, you know, Spanish they, their students was using, were using was. And those classes were usually silent. I would walk past the classroom and, like, nobody was talking. But then, I had to shut my door, all the time, because my students were so loud. [Laughter]

Carrie Gillon: That's good.

Megan Figueroa: That's such a good problem to have, though.

Carrie Gillon: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: I know –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – it was really – yeah, I, I really miss teaching, sometimes.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs] Yeah, I sometimes miss it, too.

Megan Figueroa: I know, I was, like, sometimes.

Carrie Gillon: Just not the grading.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: No, not the grading.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah. [Laughs] Especially since it's so demoralizing for you, too, if you care about students. It's, like, "Why do I have to – " I don't know, grading is an interesting other problem [laughter] [crosstalk]. I just overhear, like, at coffeeshops, so many professors that are grading for all the wrong things. And who am I to say what wrong is, but I'm, like –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: – "Well, do you really have to take off for that?"

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah –

Megan Figueroa: [Laughs] [Crosstalk]

Carrie Gillon: I would say split, uh, marking off a split infinitive –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, like –

Carrie Gillon: – is actually objectively wrong. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah –

Megan Figueroa: [Crosstalk]

Carrie Gillon: Or, or, or claiming that the passive is [crosstalk] ungrammatical is subjectively wrong.

Megan Figueroa: Yes, it's the passive.

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Argh, yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah. [Laughs] Are there things in Spanish like that, too?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, I, I struggle with that a lot, because, you know, I'm supposed to be teaching them this artificial academic register. And so, like, yes, I'm supposed to be doing the copyediting of their papers, but I also wanna know what their ideas are like. So, I came up with a rubric that was, um, part of it was ideas, and organization of ideas, and elaboration of ideas and sources and things like that. And then, a smaller part of it was, you know, grammar stuff. And, so, if, if I would've been fulltime somewhere with a lot of support, I would've had multiple drafts where they could correct that stuff, but –

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: I wonder, do you have any feelings or thoughts or experience with younger kids? Because this seems to be a really big – I, I'm gonna just call it a fuckin' problem, right now, where, where we're not doing right by kids that come into our K-12, that speak Spanish at home, that are – I mean, they're labeled so many things, and sometimes it's "heritage language learner." Um, is there – you – how do you – any experience – have you read any of the stuff that's happening [crosstalk]?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: I have many feelings, and some of them are shouty, about –

Megan Figueroa: [Laughs] [Crosstalk]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – how we treat those kids. Um, I think that the expectation that people should come – okay, first of all, let me back up a little bit. This whole, like, hysteria about, "Oh, my god, whatever language is gonna take over the country, and no one will speak English, anymore," is such bullshit. Because if you go to the Pew Research Center, they did research on heritage languages, like, all of them – Tagalog, Chinese, Mandarin, uh, Spanish, whatever. By the third generation, these people aren't speaking their language, anymore.

Carrie Gillon: Exactly.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: So, it's, like, totally unfounded, bullshit, whatever, and, um –

Carrie Gillon: Yep.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: So, then we have these administrators who think that – and people who are providing the funding for courses and programs and stuff, who think, "Oh, well, you have an ESL class. You can have people from any other – any old language come in and mishmash together to learn English, and they will do it in two years," or four years, or whatever the case may be. And that's just not – that's not tenable, that's not – you don't necessarily have people who are ready to be integrated into English-only classrooms, after that. And it just, it frustrates the shit out of me, because these kids deserve better, they deserve more, and then you wonder why they might be falling behind? Because they're stuck in a classroom where they don't necessarily – they're not, necessarily, able to thrive the way they would if they had support in their native language.

And it's just, oh, it's just so frustrating. There's, uh, dual immersion programs, and I think – Minnesota is actually the leader in dual education, in dual language education. We have the most programs of anybody in the United States, um, I think, in front of California. Um, so we have dual immersion in Korean, uh, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, um, and there might be Hmong, and there might also be, uh, like, Aramaic or other Somali languages, as well. Uh, but these programs are excellent, because you get these kids who speak, you know, whatever language as their first language or home language, and you get, um, American students or United States students who don't speak this language, and you put them together in the first grade.

And they are in 100 percent, you know, the other language, for, like, the first four years, or whatever. And then they start to gradually switch over to all-English, so by the time they graduate in 8th grade, they're 100 percent English, but they still have that other language, too. So, I think those programs are super helpful, and I know that some of my colleagues at the U of M in the, um, Carla Institute, which is the Center for – I can't remember, it's been so long. But, um, they do a lot of work on immersion studies, and they found that the, the kids, the native or heritage speakers who start out in dual immersion end up doing better in high school and college, um, when they have that support.

Megan Figueroa: Well, I'm thinking, like, you see them when they're in college, I imagine, um, you're gonna see kids that aren't as insecure.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Like, how important is that – like, I mean, yeah, okay, they got some more language skills that look a little bit different than what they might look like at home, and they had, like –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm?

Megan Figueroa: – all this, like, I don't know, like, academic support in the school, but that all leads to – the, I think the most important thing is not feeling fuckin' insecure –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Megan Figueroa: – [laughs] about the language you came with.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Megan Figueroa: And that's, that's why I, I was interested about younger kids is because you are seeing them later –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Megan Figueroa: – and the foundation for how they feel is set so young.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, very young.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep, because they, they start out seeing their language as being valid and valued and important, and something that you do academic work in, and, you know, your teachers all speak it and your administrators all speak it, and –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, exactly. And, uh, when we talked to Alberto Rios, the poet, um, about his experience with Spanish and English, he was talking about going to school and how, like, they would make him feel like Spanish was bad. And then you, like, put this label on your mom – on – I think it was –

Carrie Gillon: It was his dad.

Megan Figueroa: Oh, his dad, his dad.

Carrie Gillon: His, his, his mom was English.

Megan Figueroa: His mom was English, yeah – on his dad, that he's bad. Like, it, it just [crosstalk] kid.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, that judgement, yep, that judgement come, can come from your parents, it can come from your school, it can come from your friends, it can come from TV, it can come from politicians, it can come from anywhere, or all of those places. And it is traumatizing –

Megan Figueroa: It is, and –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – and it's bad for development.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: I was thinking, just, like, thinking about child development, they are doing the best they can with the information they were given –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm?

Megan Figueroa: – and they're trying to reconcile these things that they're, this information they're given. And this is what's coming out, bad – that Spanish equals bad, family [crosstalk] –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Unless you're white.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, right, exactly.

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Exactly, it's true.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Because there is no stigma around white kids taking a foreign language from beginning, or going to dual immersion, or whatever, there's no stigma.

Megan Figueroa: I was gonna say, dual immersion is going – like, the way that dual immersion is becoming popularized is because white families are seeing the benefit.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Megan Figueroa: And it's one of those other things where I'm, like, "Listen to my vocal fry, and you adjust to it." It's kinda like, "Shit, we should want dual immersion." Because we have these kids that aren't English speakers, but it was only until we realized the benefit for [crosstalk] –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: All children, yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, exactly.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Which means white.

Carrie Gillon: And probably not just white. Probably, like –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: – upper-middle-class. 'Cause this is the –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: – same thing that happens in Canada, with the French – you know, there's no, like, stigma around, like, the type of people who speak French, because we're all white –

Megan Figueroa: Right.

Carrie Gillon: – well, well, you know –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs] It's more complicated than that, but, you know. Um –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Carrie Gillon: But, but, but, um, people who put their kids in French immersion tend to be upper-middle-class, and so –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, there's [crosstalk] –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: – fanciness associated with it.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, exactly.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: And that's what I really appreciate about Minnesota's immersion programs is that a lot of them are public.

Megan Figueroa: [Crosstalk]

Carrie Gillon: Well, they're public in Canada, too, but –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, [crosstalk].

Carrie Gillon: – there's still –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: – it's self – it's like self-segregating.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, that's true, that's true. But it is accessible to – I mean, there are some charter and private ones, but there are really good public ones that are available to anyone who is interested in that. But you're right, it, it tends to be middle-, upper-class, because they're the ones who read the research and are, like, "Oh, good for development, bla bla bla."

Carrie Gillon: Exactly, exactly.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah. Well, English or – um, Arizona has the law – shit, was it 300 – 200 – where it's, "English must be taught in English." So it's illegal to have anything but – what do we have, like – I don't know – it's basically sink or swim is what we have in Arizona. I'm real excited, though, Arizona has an actual bilingual speech language pathologist, who's gonna be our new superintendent of schools, who really, really cares about bilingualism.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: That's great.

Megan Figueroa: So I'm hoping that we're gonna see something good happen. I think that one of the main things that I, when I was talk, um, when I knew that we were gonna talk about heritage languages, which made me really excited – and also, I'm, like, "Oh, no, we're gonna talk about so many things that are so disturbing" – um, but I want a lot of people to know that it does start so young. Like, you know, and that we may, you know, if we're teaching in college level, or even if it's just, like, our peers, there may be some – like, there are a lot of complicated feelings about the language that we –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: – languages we have, and –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: I mean, if you dive into the media and all of the conversations among Latinx communities in the United States, there's all this, like, "If you speak Spanish, are you really Latinx?" you know.

Megan Figueroa: [Crosstalk]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Or if you don't speak it – excuse me.

Megan Figueroa: Right, [crosstalk].

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: You know, so, like, there are all these, these nuances and complications around whether, you know, you are actually part of your cultural group, if you don't speak the language. So –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, it's like for mezcla or some –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah –

Megan Figueroa: – like, some of these media that I, like, you know, follow all the time, and I know what they're doing, like, they're starting a conversation, but I literally cry when I – like, I don't know why I play them –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: – because they're really mean. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Carrie Gillon: Really?

Megan Figueroa: Some – yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: And, yeah, so you'll get, even from inside your –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – cultural group –

Megan Figueroa: It might be worse. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: It, uh, I think so.

Megan Figueroa: In some ways, it's worse, yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: I think – especially when it comes, like, from your parents or your family or whatever, like –

Megan Figueroa: Yes, that's terrible.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – "Oh, you don't speak Spanish," or, "You don't speak whatever. You're not really – " whatever, you know? It, it's, it's very hurtful for kids. And then, if they go to school and their teacher's, like, "You don't speak good Spanish," then that, like, compounds on that pain that they're already feeling because they feel rejected by their community. But you wanna know something really interesting. So, um, just to prove that, you know, Spanish speakers aren't a monolith. Like, in Cuba, or, uh, Cuban Spanish in Miami, like, there is Spanish everywhere, there are Spanish –

Carrie Gillon: Oh, yeah.

Megan Figueroa: [Crosstalk], yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – programs in schools. But most of the, the Cuban people that came and established all that were white.

Carrie Gillon: Yep, exactly. [Laughs] Exactly.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: But, like, in the places where most of the Spanish speakers are brown or not white, then you have a lot more of these, like, severe, "You don't speak Spanish in the home. You don't speak Spanish in the school."

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: That's a really good point.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: "Your Spanish is terrible," you know.

Megan Figueroa: [Crosstalk]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: But when it's, like, the doctors and lawyers who are refugees from Cuba speaking it, "Oh, yeah, let's set up, you know, schools, and newspapers, and radio programs, and TV programs, and everybody – " you know, so.

Carrie Gillon: Yep, absolutely.

Megan Figueroa: Absolutely.

Carrie Gillon: Uh, god, I, I –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: I mean, every time we come, we, we bump against this – well, not every time – all – it's a lot of times we bump up against this.

Megan Figueroa: [Laughs]

Carrie Gillon: But it just makes me so fucking upset how racist –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm?

Carrie Gillon: – both my country and the United States are. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, yeah. I mean – yes.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: And what sucks is that it's not overt racism; it's, like, really subtle, 'cause it's not something –

Carrie Gillon: It can be, yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, but, I mean, like, you know, if you're, if you're telling your kid, "Oh, your Spanish isn't good," it's not like you're saying – or if you're a teacher and saying, "Your Spanish isn't good," it's not like you're saying, you know, "I don't like brown people," necessarily, 'cause maybe they don't think they're being racist. They are, but they don't think they are.

Carrie Gillon: Right. Or they think –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: You know, it's not –

Carrie Gillon: – they're talking about, about, about it because they, like, really love Spanish, and so they think they're, like –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Right –

Carrie Gillon: – uh, uh, you know, [crosstalk].

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – "Oh, the Spanish from Spain is beautiful, and it's the right –

Megan Figueroa: Yes.

Carrie Gillon: Exactly [crosstalk] comes down to. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – "right one, because the, the Real Academia, the Real Academia is the one –

Carrie Gillon: Mm-hmm.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – "that sets all the rules." And, uh, you know, okay, but that's colonialist and –

Carrie Gillon: One hundred percent.

Megan Figueroa: Do you get a sense – do you guys sense in, uh, in your heritage language, uh, classes, uh, how do the students feel about Spanglish?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: So, in my language classes, it didn't come up a lot. In linguistics classes, uh, we actually had a chapter on it, or a section on it, on – we didn't call it Spanglish, we called it, like, code switching. So there's, um, the, like, super – I hate this word – seminal article on, uh, code switching, from Otheguy, Ricardo Otheguy, and, um, some other people that I can't remember right now, 'cause it's been, like, three years since I've taught that class. Um, but, so, you know, usually, people are, like, "Oh, that just means you don't speak either language very well," and I'm, like, "Uh, actually, not." Um, so, you know, using that article, we would teach that at the end of the semester, and, and they would be, like, "Oh, shit, it's actually, you know, regulated, and, like, you know, it has rules and, you know, grammatical barriers when you can do it, boundaries, and – " you know.

So, um, and then, we would have student – I would have the students – 'cause I had people write, like, a research proposal, so they would do everything except for, you know, actually carry out the study, and then do the analysis. Because I couldn't get IRB approval 'cause I was a grad student, and also, we didn't have time.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah, no, it takes a long time.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah. [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, they would read all of the, the literature on code switching, and, you know, they would – they were super into it, afterwards, and they thought it was super cool. Um, and then, in – let's see – I taught a composition and communication class, which is basically like the bridge course between languages and the major. Where you learn how to write more longform and all that sort of thing, and consume different kinds of narratives, and write in different genres. And we did have a couple of, like, poetry or, um, literature pieces that dealt with, uh, switching languages. And, you know, usually, they would have, you know, if not neutral, maybe slightly negative, um, attitude toward it.

And this is – I'm talking about students in general, 'cause I don't – I didn't have enough of a sample size of heritage speakers to kind of determine, like, "This is what they think writ large." Um, but they, they would, you know, they ended up thinking it was really cool, because they could see how it was used stylistically, and for emphasis or for some other effect in the writing, so.

Megan Figueroa: Well, when I think of, um, heritage language, I just, like, I want one of the things that they know about, when they switch between languages, is that it takes so much skill.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, that's what – I, I always told my students, I'm, like, "If you can code switch fluently, that's a very sophisticated use of both languages and – "

Megan Figueroa: Oh, so sophisticated.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: So, you know, they were usually pretty surprised to hear that. And then, um, I think – I had some videos of someone code switching, um, that I would play in my linguistics classes, that people thought were really fun, so. But I never really encountered, like, "Oh, people who do that are stupid or, you know, not good at – " semilingual or, you know, however they – negative thing they wanna call it.

Megan Figueroa: That's good. It's, it's terrible, but that's what's happening in the kids' literature.

Carrie Gillon: That's bad.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yuck.

Carrie Gillon: That's really bad.

Megan Figueroa: One of the first articles I was given was, by my advisor was, like, "Read this [laughs] and tell me why it's wrong." Um, but it's kind of an older thing and saying, like, well, they come to start at five years old or whatever, and they're, they 're not completely good at Spanish, and then their English is, you know, like, kind of developing. So, like, they have, like, no language; they're, like, in this, like, limbo or, like –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Oh, gross.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, it's not good.

Carrie Gillon: You know how unlikely it is for someone to not have any language? Like, oh, my god. [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Ugh.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: It’s, unless they're, like, locked away in a, an attic or something –

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Right.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – and never have any interaction with anything –

Megan Figueroa: The forbidden experiment?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Or, you know, I mean, we're not talking about, like, language disability or anything, um –

Carrie Gillon: No, no, no.

Megan Figueroa: Right? You have language. Um –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: You do, yeah.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, yeah, and, and this gets more complicated with sign, as well.

Carrie Gillon: But you just have a, maybe a slightly different version of whatever it is that you're doing, but that's – we all do.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Right.

Carrie Gillon: Like, aaahhh.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: So, I guess I've heard kind of, uh, critiques along those lines, of the dual immersion program, so that people were, like, "No, English-only."

Carrie Gillon: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Yes.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Um, they say, "Oh, well, you know, they're not gonna be as good at either language, they're just gonna suck at both of them."

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: And it's, like, yeah, sometimes there are delays –

Carrie Gillon: Yes, for sure.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: – but they more than catch up with their peers, by a certain level. Like, by, by high school or, like, middle high school, they're usually at or beyond their peers.

Carrie Gillon: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: And it's not a concept delay, right? You're still gonna have the concepts –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: – you just might only have the words in one language. Well, I could talk about this, like, for hours, um –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: I know, me, too.

Megan Figueroa: And we probably shouldn't, because [laughter] we want the podcast listeners to listen and not lose us. But, no, I think this is really, really good and really interesting. Do you feel like there's anything that we missed, that's really important to know about heritage language, um, speakers?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: I think we hit on everything. I think that we need to stop valuing bilingualism in white kids and not valuing it in kids of color. I think that teachers need to take a sociolinguistics class and understand language variation, before they get to teach it. I think that heritage language learners should be encouraged to learn, in whatever way they want to, their home language, if they want to. And be encouraged to use it however they feel comfortable using it. And I really wish that we had more funding for, like, language arts-style classes for heritage language learners, because they do learn slightly differently than people learning a second language.

Megan Figueroa: And when you say language art, you're kind of like meaning putting the culture in there, too, like, let's have cultural lessons, right?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, so, like, how we do – in, in the United States, how we do language arts classes in English should be how we do it for heritage speakers, too. Because, you know, that, that's the part where they're getting, like, cultural readings, and, you know, movies, and all these other things that help support that language. 'Cause we know that language is tied to culture; it's not – it doesn't exist in a vacuum. And, you know, people who speak a language at home or, or hear a language at home have a different cultural context than someone who's going to school to learn it and has, have never experienced it before, outside of their classroom.

Carrie Gillon: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, and it wouldn't fuckin' hurt so much if I, like, just didn't know Spanish, if it weren't so tied to culture, you know. Like, and, like, this kind of cultural connection I feel like I'm missing because there are a lot of Latino people that are saying –

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah.

Megan Figueroa: – I am missing something very important.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: And I think that, I think that it's important to educate parents, too, about the fact that, you know, it's okay that they maybe don't speak as well as you do, or, you know, are trying. Let's just encourage them to be supportive instead of, like, "Well, I don't have time to listen to you struggle through this, you know, I don't understand what you're trying to say to me."

Carrie Gillon: And also, kids are gonna speak differently than you do, always.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, yeah.

Megan Figueroa: [Laughs] Yes, they are.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Stop saying, "Get off my lawn," like, [laughter] [crosstalk] the kids will be all right.

Megan Figueroa: Say, "Get on my lawn," at least to your own kids.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: This linguistic landscape. [Laughter] Um –

Carrie Gillon: All right, well, that was really great.

Megan Figueroa: Very cool.

Carrie Gillon: Thank you so much, Abby.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, thank you so much, Abby.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, super fun.

Megan Figueroa: And, as always, don't be an asshole – can you say it in Spanish for us?

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Uh, no seas pendejo?

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs]

Megan Figueroa: Yes, that's a beautiful [crosstalk].

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Or, or, for those, uh, in Spain, no seas gilipollas.

Carrie Gillon: Oh –

Megan Figueroa: Oh, I've never heard that, okay.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Carrie Gillon: Nice, nice.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Mm-hmm.

Megan Figueroa: Very cool. Yeah, just don't be an asshole.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yeah, don't be an asshole.

Carrie Gillon: So I think that's three different versions we've gotten in Spanish, now.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah, [crosstalk].

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Wait, what was the third one?

Carrie Gillon: It was the Argentinian version, so, I can't –

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Oh, yeah.

Megan Figueroa: Yeah.

Carrie Gillon: [Laughs]

Dr. Abby Bajuniemi: Yep.

Megan Figueroa: Alrighty. [Laughs]

Carrie Gillon: Beautiful, all right, bye. [Laughs]

[Music playing]

The Vocal Fries Podcast is produced by Chris Ayers for Halftone Audio. Theme music by Nick Granum. You can find us on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, at Vocal Fries Pod. You can e-mail us at [email protected].

[End of Audio]

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