#hopefully that wasn't disappointing since two of y'all asked for my take :')

[maverickbackalley]

i need to hear you talk about krisnix

What why? I'm totally normal about them ahahahahahhaha..haha.. 😞

Okay so I don't waste hours of my time (Future Mav: LIAR) and yours: I love them, your honour. It's not a relationship anyone should put up with in real life so there is a shock and appeal to their dynamic that none of the other main ships can offer. Krisnix ooze venom, animosity, and this indescribable tension that's fascinating to see blossom in these two powerhouse attorney's dynamic. The pair is just so damn diabolical, manipulative, and ideally comes with so much psychological horror that makes you question your own sanity and realise how quickly you would lose the game if you were swapped out with either of them. Underneath it all though, Krisnix is basically a pathetic pissing contest between two cunning individuals and that's stupid enjoyable for me to watch from the sidelines. I love how many different routes people can take with their actual romantic relationship too. Is it all an act? Rivals with benefits? Do they care about each other? Are they just keeping their enemies close and maybe at some point took the saying a little too literally?? Are there genuine feelings there after 7 years and one or both of them absolutely hate themselves for it??? So many possibilities and it's so riveting to think about. Like, 7 years is a LONG TIME to put up with someone purely out of spite. These idiots routinely ate dinner together in canon for crying out loud! Neither of them seem the type to happily put up with that with zero gain or case development for that long. (For my own reference: My longest relationship was almost 8 years and while it feels like no time at all looking back in the present, if I sit down and truly dissect it so much positive and negative change and development took place during that timeframe that it's actually quite jarring. I think that's one of the things that makes it hard for me to believe that nothing happened between them.) Kristoph is such an enigma and so full of sinister potential that his clash with an established bleeding heart like Phoenix is so compelling. I honestly have a hard time describing their appeal and always feel like there is more that I just.. can't quite put into words. So hopefully even an ounce of this makes a lick of sense outside of my head.

On the flip side, I will say I'm not the biggest fan of every portrayal of the ship. I feel like some people lean too heavy on physical domestic abuse (not talking BDSM. I don't want it misconstrued that I see these as one and the same since I believe there is also a large chunk of BDSM!krisnix out there) and completely neglect the brilliant minds at play. Or focus too much on making Phoenix an absolute pushover like he's too dumb to catch on to even the bare minimum attempts of Kristoph manipulating him. To be honest, some of these feels like throwing Dahlia-era Phoenix at Kristoph and it's like.. hmmm.... noooo. He's not that same person if you're writing for Beanix. I think that would probably be my personal gripes with the pairing if I had to be critical of it. There is a fine balance to their dynamic that's hard to capture, in my opinion. Like I don't even feel I could properly do them justice outside of memeing it up. Which is partially why I haven't done any real art for the pair despite them being one of my personal favourite and being all too aware that they have little to no content. They are like the definition of "It's Complicated" and I love canonically knowing how the story starts and ends. But that 7-year gap is just a juicy wealth of knowledge soup that I and others can throw whatever the fuck we want into it and boy does almost every spoonful taste delicious.

...Well that was more than I expected to write. ENJOY. Feel free to let me know your krisnix thoughts as well!

[chiffiorra]

Forgive Me for This? Please?

Synopsis: Last minute presents aren't really his thing, but he had to make it up to you for forgetting such an important day in his eyes.

Pairings: Boyfriend!Chifuyu Matsuno x fem!reader

This Fic Contains the Following: Fluff, established relationship, Chifuyu's an idiot but he's your idiot, poor bb tries his best to make it up to you, Baji and Kazutora are so done with his nonsense and you are too

Note: part of The Valentine's Day Collab by the amazing @sleepysnk! i just had to join in and make one for my sweet boyfriend ❤️ hope y'all have a great valentine's day!

WC: 1,137

If any neighbor looked out of their window, they would be surprised to see a young man zooming as fast as he could to his place. Not only that, he was carrying a bouquet and a heart shaped box full of chocolates.

If they thought he was running late or forgot to get his valentine something for the holiday? Well, they wouldn't be far off.

Chifuyu forgot.

He forgot to get you a present and also forgot to take you out on a date like you two had discussed beforehand last week. While he was running back to your shared apartment, he was mentally praying that you wouldn't kill him.

He didn't mean to forget, he really didn't! He was just so caught up in working for the past few days until Baji and Kazutora reminded him of what day it was, that was when it had all exploded in his face.

"So Chifuyu, what are you and your girlfriend doing for today?" Baji had asked.

Chifuyu was a little confused as to what he meant. He stopped sweeping the area he was in, wondering what his long time friend meant. "Huh?"

Kazutora laughed, "You mean to tell me that you forgot what today is?"

Chifuyu was still lost, he was trying to comprehend just what in the world that his friends/coworkers were telling him. There was silence in the shop as Baji and Kazutora waited for him to take the hint. The latter started looking a little concerned that he wasn't getting it. At all.

Baji finally had enough and facepalmed himself, "Yo dumbass, today is Valentine's Day!" He exclaimed. Meanwhile Kazutora sighed and shook his head in disappointment.

Right after Baji's statement, your dear boyfriend dropped his broom in shock as he gasped, "Oh shit!"

A few passerbys heard his yell and looked into the shop through the window, confused by one of the men in said shop who looked horrified at the other two before shrugging off the scene and going about their own way.

"Shit! Shit! Shit!" Chifuyu ran to the break room to grab his jacket and keys before running out as fast as his legs could carry him, "Hope you guys don't mind closing the place, I really gotta go!" He blurted out as he sped away to his car. Thank goodness the shop was just closing up!

"You better hope she doesn't kill you when you get home!" Kazutora called out as he watched his friend start his car and drive off. Both he and Baji could only snicker as they watched Chifuyu drive away, possibly breaking a traffic law as he left.

"He's so dead."

-

While the other two men were snickering and laughing amongst themselves as they closed up the shop, Chifuyu panicked as he drove to the nearest flower shop. How could have he been so foolish to do this? For the past decade since you two had made it official, he never failed to wow you with whatever plan he came up with on this day. None of them were ever last minute, they were always crafted carefully sometimes by himself or he would have a friend help him out a little.

Until now. Boy oh boy, was he so dead.

Surely you would understand, right? He never meant to do this on purpose, this was the first time it ever happened after all. Maybe he was just overreacting and you would be cool with it after all? Or you wouldn't, and today would officially be the end for Chifuyu Matsuno because he forgot that today was Valentine's Day.

He really was an idiot, huh?

"Hopefully these would spare my life a little bit longer," he muttered as he rushed back to his car right after paying, there was no need for him to take any receipt.

Not only did he buy a large bouquet of your favorite flowers, he also got you a big box of chocolates. Luckily for him, said bouquet was the last one in stock and he counted his lucky stars that he made it before someone else decided to take them.

After unceremoniously tossing both in the passenger seat, he stepped on the gas pedal quickly as he quickly drove back home. But this time, he eased up on the speeding a bit. He really did not want to get pulled over when all he wanted to do was to go home to you.

-

As for you, you were staring out the window while sitting in your living room. As you got cozy on your couch, your mind began to wander: Where was Chifuyu? He was supposed to be here earlier so you could go out on the date you two were going to go on. He didn't forget, did he? That was a little worrying to think about.

You sighed as you leaned back and chose to turn on the TV to take your mind off of these thoughts. Perhaps he got caught up in traffic, that usually happens.

As you tried to tune in on the show that was currently airing, you heard your door unlock and watched it swing open to see your boyfriend run in. To your surprise, he had a large bouquet of flowers and a box of chocolates in one hand. Well the box looked to be in good condition, as for the bouquet? A handful of the flowers seemed to have disappeared during his run. Hell, a trail of petals led from the door to the living room where he currently stood.

As you looked on in confusion, Chifuyu smiled sheepishly in return. "I forgot about what today was, and I'm so sorry! I swear it wasn't on purpose! I thought buying these would make it up to you," he said as you stood up from the couch.

As you walked over to him, he began to sweat nervously as he handed you the gifts. As you took them in your hands, you only laughed in return. "I know you didn't mean to, baby."

He sighed in relief as you kept going, "While I am quite upset that you forgot, you're forgiven because it was an honest mistake that you tried making up for and I appreciate it a lot." You added, as you hugged him and kissed his cheek.

"I'm guessing it's too late for us to go out on that date after all, huh?" He asked, leaning into your hug.

"We can have dinner and a movie here, I'm just glad you're back." You responded, before leaving to grab a vase for the flowers.

Chifuyu was sure glad that he didn't completely screw this over and could tell the others that he was still alive after all. Looks like today wasn't going to end horribly after all.

[miss-smutty]

Forbidden

Chapter 1

A/N- I've teased y'all for so long I hope this series is going to live up to expectations, I'm confident it will though because I'm addicted and it's been super easy for me to write - I'm up to chapter 3 so far so updates can be on time! There's a slight age gap between my professor Hemsy and OC Jess but she's twenty and completely legal. You know this is gunna be a giant tease fest for the first couple of chapters cos that sexual tension is fucking gold 🥵

Summary- Jess meets the man of her dreams and then stupidly leaves without getting his number. Will fate bring them together again?

Word count- 1.5 K

Pairing- Professor!Chris Hemsworth x OC

Warnings- Swearing, age gap

18+ only!

Disclaimer: This is an entire work of fiction/AU and has no affiliation to real life what so ever! This is a fictional story about fictional characters who happen to share names and faces with some real people.

Posted: 5th August 2021

Taglist:- @innerpaperexpertcloud @pandaxnienke @chickensarentcheap @jjpogueprincess @longlostinanotherworld @mostly-marvel-musings @darklydeliciousdesires @monet-belle

@skyfullofsong123 @swaggysposts

Chapter 2

I pulled out a chair at the last available table in the unusually busy coffee shop, I thought I might've caught a break choosing the one outside of campus but alas I was wrong.

I was about to sit down when the chair opposite me slid out from under the table, my eyes lifted to meet with the most sparkly blue eyes i'd ever seen. The sight of him took my breath away. Literally.

I stood staring, frozen on the spot, my mouth slightly ajar as I looked him up and down. He was tall, so tall, definitely over 6ft and built like a dream. Thick thighs straining against his fitted trousers, wide muscular shoulders and I just knew there was a six-pack hiding behind that tight t-shirt. 

"Sorry. You were here first, I'll just grab a take-out." He smirked a side smile, amused at how I was so obviously checking him out but his sexy Australian accent distracted you from anything else.

"It's fine, I'm on my own. I don't mind if you want to sit there too." I mentally face palmed myself, drawing attention to the fact I was alone wasn't the best idea but then again he was alone too. "I don't bite." I added trying my best to flirt.

It seemed to work, he smiled at me as he sat down and I took the time to admire his handsome face. He was quite clearly a lot older than me, the laughter lines around his eyes a tell tale sign but he was still quite possibly the best looking man I'd ever laid eyes on. His hair was fair and the short beard framed his face perfectly but the one thing that stood out the most were those piercing ocean-blue eyes.

"So do you come here often?" I cocked my eyebrow at him over my coffee cup making him laugh at my reaction. "Sorry, it's been a while." He said nervously, running his hand through his hair.

"It's been a while since you spoke to a stranger or…?" I questioned casually.

"It's been a while since I spoke to an attractive woman." He finished, his eyes sparkling as he watched me almost choke on my drink.

"Oh, I err…. I don't think you're doing too badly." I absentmindedly circled my finger around the rim of my cup, crossing my leg over my other and accidently rubbing my foot up his leg. My cheeks felt hot and flushed as I looked up into his eyes and saw him smiling slyly.

"Evidently. We're already playing footsie under the table." He smiled widely, a genuine smile that stretched the corners of his mouth. I smiled back at him shyly, thinking of something to say to change the subject before I ended up looking like a tomato.

"What part of Australia are you from?"

"I'm originally from Melbourne but I lived in Byron Bay before I came to America." 

"Awesome. I've always wanted to go to Australia, the Spiders put me off though." 

"Yeah I think they put most people off but in heavily populated areas they stay pretty much hidden, I think it's the size that scare people." How have I made this conversation go from flirting to talking about spiders? And how do I get back to flirting?

"Are we still talking about spiders?" I raised my eyebrows questioningly and laughed at the innuendo, flicking my hair over my shoulder. I noticed something in his eyes when I did so, a hunger, just a little flash and then it was gone again. I'm sure I didn't imagine it though because his eyes lingered on my exposed shoulders.

I checked my watch subtly, not wanting him to think he was boring me but I had to get to class and couldn't be late again, not when this semester had only just started.

"I'm really sorry, I'm gonna have to run, I'm going to be late. It was really nice meeting you." I gathered up my bags, ready to leave.

"Already? You've only just got here." He looked disappointed, his smile fading. His mouth opened as if he was going to say something else and then closed again when he saw I was ready to leave. "It was really nice to meet you too, hopefully I'll see you again." His eyes sparkled as he looked into mine, standing from his chair to get the door for me. I felt fireworks when his hand brushed against the small of my back and his face lingered close to mine. The tension was unreal, like we were the only people in the room as his eyes hungrily stared into my soul, undressing me with his eyes. My heart stopped beating when his face moved closer to mine so I could feel his breath on my lips, the smell of coffee and his aftershave filling my nostrils. I paused, my feet routed to the spot, I wanted him to kiss me so badly but I moved away at the last minute. Surely he wasn't actually going to kiss me, we'd only just met, that would be ridiculous. Wouldn't it?

********

I spent most of class daydreaming about my tall handsome stranger and the way he looked at me but most of all how I didn't even get his name. Or his number.

Now I was feeling sorry for myself because it would just be my luck to meet the man of my dreams and then never see him again. So I'd moped about all day and avoided the invitations for drinks after class. Instead I'd

gotten home early, changed into some sweats and settled myself in front of the TV for the night.

"What's up with your face?" My roommate, Ellie said as she walked into our room, throwing her bags onto her bed.

"What're you talking about?" 

"Your face. Looks like you're chewing on a wasp."

"Feeling sorry for myself." I pout pathetically.

"Why, what've you done now?" She rolled her eyes, kicking off her shoes and throwing her legs up onto the bed. I felt so lucky to have a roommate like Ellie, during our freshman year she'd become my best friend practically straight away and now after two years together we were practically sisters.

I sat up in bed cross legged and faced Ellie, getting myself ready to spill my misfortunes of the day with her.

"Well, I went to Impresso's this morning to get my morning coffee before class." She nodded, showing her enthusiasm by also sitting cross legged on her own bed, facing me. "And it was packed full of students, there was only one table left. So I went to grab it as soon as I could." She raised her eyebrow at me, wondering where I was going with the story. "And I kid you not, the most attractive man I have ever seen, pulls out the chair opposite me." 

"Oh my god! No way. Did you talk? Oh my god, this is like the perfect chick flick. Carry on." I smiled at her excitement.

"I told him I didn't mind if he sat there, I mean of course I didn't mind, you should've seen him El. Oh, oh, oh I almost forgot" I flapped my hands, bouncing on the spot. "He was fucking Australian."

"Fuck off, you're lying. Drop dead gorgeous with the sexiest accent ever. How is this even real? Now remind me why you're sat there with a face like a slapped arse?" 

"I panicked when I had to leave, didn't want to be late for class and I didn't get his number, didn't even give him chance to ask for mine." 

"Wow! Ok, now I understand. What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't thinking, I was panicking and you know what I'm like when I panic." You sulk.

"It's ok, maybe you'll bump into him again."

"Yeah, right. I should be so lucky."

"Cheer up." she says throwing a cushion at me. "There's a party at Alpha Kappa this weekend, I'm sure we can find you someone to help get over your mystery man. Or under should I say?" She raised her eyebrow at me, smiling slyly and making me laugh. She always did know how to cheer me up and maybe a party is what I needed.

There must be some good looking boys around campus that could make me forget about my Australian hunk. Surely? I thought about the guys I'd seen around campus, the guys I'd seen at frat parties and that's definitely not what I wanted. How could a twenty year old boy match to the masculine, experienced man I met this morning. My mind was set, I'd dipped my feet ever slightly into the mature pool and that's what I wanted more than anything. There was always something missing with previous boyfriends and I was tired of all the game playing. I wanted someone who knew what they wanted and wasn't afraid to get it.

The only thing was, he didn't know I was only twenty and I had no way of finding him again. If fate did bring us back together, would he mind that I was still a student? That I couldn't even drink when we went on dates? 

Who am I kidding? Of course he would mind, he could get any woman he wanted, why would he want me?

[blackpoliglota]

Moi assistant une réunion qui aurait été un e-mail...

This is me in that scenario and now after having spent WAY TOO MUCH TIME looking for a GIF for this post... that doesn't even fit the space properly on the desktop version 😭😭😭

Ah well, much ado about nothing, I suppose... anyway, I'M BAAAAAAAAAACK!!! So sorry for the unannounced hiatus... which wasn't really much of a hiatus, as I was still reblogging things BUT STILL. I ended up getting super sidetracked with teaching and dealing with the biggest headache on the planet known as the Spanish Beaurocracy™️🤦🏾‍♀️ Seriously y'all, those people DO NOT know how to do their jobs! If you want to hear about the fun time of trying to get my papers in order so I could remain a legal foreign resident, lemme know! Well, even if you don't I may create a post solely dedicated to that anyway; I could use the opportunity to let out some steam.

Now without further ado, onto my first original post of 2021!!!

As you may have guessed, this is about emails, particularly those written in French. I have 2 recent-ish emails I sent off to a college French professor asking for a recommendation letter for a fellowship. Wanting to keep up my French skills (and not disappoint my former professor), I used that opportunity to practice French by setting aside several lovely hours of my life for each email... yep, you read it right, HOURS. If I wrote those emails in Spanish it would've only taken me a hour tops for each email, but since this is French we're talking about here I had to spend the majority of my email-writing time looking up virtually every other word/phrase, cringe over each eventual sentence(s) I'd create with said word/phrase, and ultimately convince myself to move onto the next sentence to repeat that same process. . . all of this with taking a break after every 3rd sentence due to being lowkey dissuaded from continuing. . . fuuuuuuuun🙃🙃🙃

Anyway, not all language learning sessions are great. BUT, ya gotta push through those annoying/bad times to achieve greatness, amirite? Right, so with that being said, ALLONS-Y!!!

So I mentioned having spent the majority of my time looking up words and phrases for these 2 emails, meaning I now have a lovely list of vocabulary to get through! Check it out below:

Le premier e-mail

La Nouveauté - innovation / novelty / originality / freshness [In the email I mistakenly used it to mean "news", when I really should have used "nouvelles"]

À part - Aside from

La folie - madness / lunacy / insanity / chaos

Supporter - To put up with / to tolerate / to bear

Pour l'instant - For the moment

Falloir (qqch)- To have to do (sth) / must do (sth) [In the email I mistakenly used it to mean "should", when I really should have used "devoir"]

Déménager - To move (house)

L'essai (m.) - Try / attempt

Remettre - To turn in / to hand over [there are many more meanings for this verb, but in the email it's used to mean this]

Le formulaire - (Application) Form

Le faute - Fault / mistake / error

La date limite - Deadline

Faire face à - To deal with / to face

Opérer - To operate / to work / to function

Quoi qu'il en soit - Anyway / either way / be that as it may

Ce que - What [As an antecedent, not a question word]

Se rendre compte de (qqch) - To realize / to become aware of (sth)

La bourse - Scholarship / fellowship / grant / stock market

Requérir - to require / to call for

Le solliciteur / la solliciteuse - Petitioner / solicitor [In the email I mistakenly used it to mean "applicant", when I really should have used "demandeur / demandeuse" according to WordReference]

Le motif - Reason / motive / pattern / motif

Si longtemps - So long [As in "such a long time"]

Le thème - Topic / subject / theme

La déclaration personnelle - Personal statement

La déclaration d'intention - Statement of purpose

Payer le luxe - To have the luxury (to do sth) / to afford (to do sth)

Urger - To be urgent [In the email I mistakenly used it to mean "to oblige", when I really should have used "obliger"]

Amitiés - Best Wishes / All the Best [Letter sign-off]

And for the sake of breaking up these two lists so you won't be too overwhelmed at all the vocab I need to study, here's a picture of the first email below:

Now for the next one!

Le deuxième e-mail

Le tour - Turn

Désolée de. . . - Sorry for. . .

Tel (m.) / telle (f.) - Such (a)

À temps - On time

Lié (m.) / liée (f.) - Related / connected

L'affaire (f.) - Matter / issue / business

Le séjour - Stay / temporary residence / family room / living room

Donc - Therefore [Grammatical position is after the verb, after "pas" if negation is present]

Une fois encore - Once again

L'objet (m.) - (Email) Subject / object / purpose / target

La nouvelle normale - The New Normal [COVID-19 related]

Vécu - Lived [Past participle of the verb "vivre"]

Propre - (One's) Own / clean / tidy / neat

Lorsque - While / when / as soon as

S'étonner - To be surprised / to be astonished / to be amazed

Chacun de nous - Any one of us / each of us

Poursuivre - To continue / to pursue / to keep up

Presque - Almost

L'enseignement de l'anglais langue étrangère - Teaching English as a Foreign Language [abbrv. "TEFL"]

Instituteur (m.) / Institutrice (f.) - (Primary school) Teacher

Le déménagement - Move / moving

Devenu(e) - Became [Past participle of the verb "devenir"]

L'éducateur / l'éducatrice - Educator

Le retour - Return

Bien que - Although / even though

La carrière - Career

La demande - Application

Écrasant (m.) / écrasante (f.) - Overwhelming / crushing / heavy

En réalité - Actually / in fact / in reality

Le résultat - Result

La ronde des finalistes - Finalist round

Alors que - While / even though

Les études (f.) - Studies

Réviser - To review

La communauté - Community

À ce sujet - On that note / speaking of which

À l'avenir - In the future

Postuler à (qqch) - To apply for (sth)

Scolaire - Academic / scholastic

S'améliorer - To improve / to upgrade / to get better

La capacité - Ability / capability

Cela dit - That (being) said

Fou (m.) / folle (f.) - Crazy / insane / mad / wild

Être en bonne santé - To be healthy

Être en sécurité - To be safe

Jurer - To swear / to vow / to curse / to cuss

Le temps de réponse - Response time

Chaleureusement - With Warm Regards / Warmly [Letter sign-off]

And here is the second email itself:

As you can see, I blocked out the name of my professor because Consent Tings™️. Hopefully the email images help with putting the vocab into context! I plan to make quizlets for these vocab words soon and will post the link to it here for y'all if you're interested in studying them! Also, DISCLAIMER: if you didn't know this before, I am by no means an expert in the French language; I'm hardly at the B1 level. Cela dit (that being said. . . see that? heh heh😏), I'm sure there are a plethora of errors in both emails. If you're feeling extra critical when reading them, please please PLEASE point out those errors to me! I want to discuss them with you and learn from them so I can poursuivre m'améliorer (keep on improving. . . once again, hehee😂)!

Alrighty, that covers just about everything! Again, I am so sorry for not having created any original posts in such a long time; life carried me away🤷🏾‍♀️ Now that I finally have my first post of 2021, here's to more frequent content creating!

乾杯(Gān bēi)! 🥂

EDIT: Links to the quizlets below!

Le premier e-mail: https://quizlet.com/_9mktlv?x=1jqt&i=3dk8u9

Le deuxième e-mail: https://quizlet.com/_9ml1s4?x=1jqt&i=3dk8u9

[elusive---ivory]

Little Clown pt 1

Yes, yes, yes oh, boy. Here we are!! The Sequel to TWIV. It took me a while to finish this first part, hopefully y'all enjoy it 💖💖

PAIRING: Arthur Fleck x Oc/Joker x Oc

WARNING: Unrequited Love, Child Endangerment

Part 1

Taglist:

@gloomyladyy @princessgeekface @memory-mortis (ps I apologize if I left some people out. Just message me again if I forgot)

"Mommy, I don't want a clown at my birthday party." A little girl said, troubled.

"I know, sweetheart, but clowns aren't so scary. Could you please try for me?" Her mother said, holding her hand.

It was 1993 in Gotham City. It had been 12 years since the incarceration of The Joker. Chaos was still rapid in Gotham, but the police didn't seem to care.

Sandy Fleck was one of Gotham's notorious villains, who rose to the top in popularity. Half her popularity came from followers of The Joker, hoping to seek guidance from her. The other half came from the angry mob of Gotham City, who were still hurt by the damage. For those who knew her on the streets, She was known as Dolly. She had the city tight around her finger. The only thing she was missing was Arthur.

Her daughter looked up at her. "I'm not afraid of clowns, Mommy. I just don't like them. The news doesn't like them, so why should I?" The little girl frowned. Her green emerald eyes were staring into Sandy.

"Ruthie, not everything on the news is trustworthy. Besides, I'm pretty sure your will love it." Sandy said.

"What friends, Mommy?" Ruth replied, monotonous.

Ruth Quinn Fleck wasn't like most kids her age. She was very smart, but not so sociable young girl. From the age of 5, Ruth was diagnosed by a medical professional that she had Asperger's Syndrome. Her doctors were still confused about Ruth's behavior, hoping that maybe by the time she was 8, Ruth could grow out of it. Ruth was nearing the age of 10, with her birthday being a couple days away.

The two crossed the crowded street. Ruth held onto her mother closely, as they walked into their small, yet, comfortable apartment complex.

Sandy didn't move from the old apartment complex. After all that happened, she decided that the best place for her little girl was the complex. Sure, it was an awful complex, but there was something about it that felt so warm and familiar.

As they walked up to their apartment, Sandy walked past a certain apartment door, flooding memories of someone she missed.

Sandy unlocked her apartment door, placing the groceries on the kitchen counter.

Ruth took a small juice box from the fridge, and darted for the living room. Ruth turned the TV on, and switched it to the news.

Sandy giggled to herself. "Why do you only watch the news?"

"I dunno. I like the news. It's interesting." Ruth sipped on her juice box.

Sandy smiled, washing her hands in the kitchen sink and preparing dinner.

"Twelve years ago to this day, Thomas Wayne was killed outside the Monarch Theater. In remembrance of him, we've gathered here at the theater with the young Bruce Wayne, Boy Billionaire over night."

Sandy rolled her eyes. "Ruthie, don't watch this crap. All they talk about is Bruce Wayne."

"Not all the time. They also talk about Joker." Ruth replied.

Dishes clanked in the sink, causing Sandy to break a mug, cutting her finger.

"Ruth. We don't talk about Joker, okay?" Sandy said through her teeth.

"Why not?" Ruth inquired.

"Because," Sandy rose her voice, then closed her eyes before calming down. "Because, I said so." Sandy spoke softly.

Ruth looked down at the floor. "I didn't mean to upset you, Mommy."

Sandy rubbed her temples in frustration. "I know, baby. I know."

The telephone rang on the kitchen counter. Sandy rushed over to get it.

"Hello?" Sandy answered.

"Hey, Dolly. We got ourselves another client. Do ya think you can meet us downtown at 5 o'clock?" A gruff voice said over the phone.

"I'll see, Rudy. Where is the meeting at?" Sandy turned towards her daughter, who was focused on the TV.

"Roxy's Cabaret. Our client also said he wanted to met Joker in person." Rudy explained.

"Well, he's gonna be surprised. Joker is still incarcerated, remember?" Sandy replied.

"Dolly, my hands are tied here. It was the only fib I could use to get him to see us. Anyway, do you wanna take the job or not?" Rudy said, impatiently.

"You haven't even told me the job, yet." Sandy scoffed.

"Look, I don't got time for this, Dolly. Just be here by 5 o'clock." Rudy hung up the phone.

"Who does that lowlife fucker think he is?" Sandy grumbled to herself.

As it was nearing 5, Sandy did her makeup in a small vanity mirror.

"Mommy, do you really have to go?" Ruth said, standing in the doorway of her mother's bedroom.

Sandy sighed, putting on a strapless dress. "Yes, sweetheart."

Ruth looked up at her mother, disappointed, but her lack of emotion on her face couldn't show it.

"Sugar, I know you're upset, but I swear I'll be home by 11. Please don't do what you did with the last babysitter." Sandy finished the rest of her clown like makeup.

Ruth still kept her disappointed eyes on Sandy.

She heard a knock on the door. "Could you get that, sweetheart?"

Ruth huffed nodding.

A tall blonde woman in her twenties appeared that the door. "Hiya! Is ya mommy home?" The woman smiled, cheerfully.

Ruth glared and nodded.

"Well, aren't ya gonna invite me in?" The woman asked.

"I don't like you." Ruth said, still glaring at the woman.

The women's cheerful demeanor disappeared completely. "Maybe I don't like you either."

Sandy headed towards the door. "Hi. Thank you so much for coming. I was worried that I was going to have to leave her alone." She sighed in relief.

The woman brought up her false happy demeanor again. "No problem. I'm Harley. Very nice to meet ya."

"Sandy. It's a pleasure. Emergency contacts are on the fridge. She needs to be in bed before 8." Sandy kneeled down to Ruth's level. "Promise me, you'll be good."

"I promise, Mommy." Ruth kissed her mother on her forehead.

"I love you. I'll be back." Sandy walked out the door, putting on her coat, heading to the elevator.

Ruth turned on the TV, turning up the news.

"Does ya mother always looks like a circus act or does she have some type of gig?" Harley asked, rummaging through the fridge.

Ruth didn't answer her eyes were glued to the TV.

"Breaking news: Just a few minutes ago all of Arkham's electricity turned off, then back on again, but 10 inmates were reported escaped from the facility, including the most infamous clown, Joker. One female inmate was also released from the scene, most known as Harleen Quinzel. The police have speculated that the two were working together, and helped each other escape. In further new-" Harley unplugged the TV.

Ruth looked up at her, confused.

"That's enough of that. You're mommy's gonna be quite surprised when she gets here. Mr J has been dying to see her again. It's a shame that she's had you, isn't it? Mr. J isn't gonna be so thrilled to see you up and about." Harley sneered.

Ruth turned towards her. "I hate you. You're mean."

Harley stuck her tongue out. "That makes two of us. Now, Mr. J told me to call him once I got her and I said I would so, beat it."

Ruth grabbed Harley by waist and tackled her to the ground.

"Get the hell off me, twerp." Harley yelled, throwing Ruth around.

Harley threw Ruth to the ground. "Now, listen here, you little shit. I told Joker I wouldn't hurt you, but I'm sure he'll make an exception." Harley pulled a small dagger out of her pocket. She hovered over Ruth, about to lay the knife on her.

A man in a red suit and clown makeup walked through the door. He pulled Harley off of Ruth.

"Mr. J, I'm sorry. She wasn't cooperating with me, so I did what I had to do." Harley said, feigning her innocence.

The man glared at her. "Leave, Harley."

"What?" Harley spoke quietly.

"I said, Leave. I don't need you anymore. I found what I've been looking for." The man said, looking over at the little girl who had no expression on her face.

"But, Mr. J, I thought we-" Harley was cut off by a laugh.

"We what? What did you possibly think we were? I told you our deal was simple. I helped you out of Arkham, then you were to help me find Sandy. You helped me, and I helped you. I've had enough of your services." The man turned over to Ruth.

Harley glared at Joker, then bolted out of the apartment.

Ruth got up and looked up at the man. "You're the Joker, aren't you?"

The man chuckled. "I wasn't always called Joker. My real name is Arthur."

"My name is Ruth." Her emerald eyes were the same as Arthur's as they stared at each other.

"That's a nice name. Who's your dad?" Arthur asked, kneeling down to her level.

"I never had a daddy. My mommy says that my daddy was a kind man, until he changed." Ruth looked away from him.

Arthur frowned. "I understand how you feel. I never knew my dad. My mother lied to me for all my life. Your mother taught me things I could never forget. Where is your mother now?"

"She's at work." Ruth yawned, rubbing her eyes.

Arthur smiled slightly. "Someone's tired." He picked Ruth up in his arms, and carried her to her bedroom.

"I like you, Joker, unlike the news." Ruth said, half asleep.

Arthur smiled, placing the small girl in her bed.

[hearteyes-for-killmonger]

Makeover fic. This is for my love. It's long but I'm a try to fit this into 2 parts because I'm stubborn. @amethyst1993

---

Part 1

Ken slurped the overflow of her grape crush soda from the top of the aluminum can and wiped the spill from the counter with her hoodie sleeve before pouring it into a red solo cup to fizz down. Erik, Shawn, and Travis were already in the living room with the TV on CBS and she could hear the superbowl commercials. “Ken, bring the nachos and hurry up,” Travis yelled and she snatched up the tray of cheesy chicken and jalepeno goodness balancing it on top of the pizza box.

“Why is Erik the only one in here who knows how to cook anything beyond ramen,” Ken wondered aloud dropping the goods onto the living room table before pushing her glasses back up onto her nose and taking her seat on the couch next to Shawn.

“Because y'all filthy niggas useless outside of good company,” Erik smirked grabbing a hot slice of pepperoni pizza while everyone else went for his homemade chicken nachos. Gnawing on a well-seasoned piece of chicken, Ken belched but continued her chew, watching the screen.

“Aye, but why can't you cook, Ken, wasn't your mom real traditional? I remember she made you wear them loafers and them catholic dresses with the tights when we were in middle school,” Travis chuckled reminiscing.

“Oh yeaah, them Throwback Thursday pics she posted. I seen em, she had the James Brown perm and then the two stick out braids like Snoop Dogg,” Shawn cackled and the room broke out into jokes.

“Akiki,” Ken mocked not finding any of it funny. “My hair was stiff because it was damaged that's why I cut it to my scalp. It grew back..” It was pulled straight back into a low bun at the back of her head as they spoke. She always wore a headwrap, however, so to their credit, they probably forgot she had hair.

“Oooo, aye Erik, remember when that girl you was with last year around February thought she was a nigga and tried to get at her? Big Ken almost took your girl,” Travis grinned as the football game finally returned. Ken sighed at the memory. It hadn't been so funny to her when it happened. It was confusing because as far as she was concerned she presented herself as a woman and it was obvious what she was. Irritated, she stuffed her mouth with a pizza slice and licked her fingers, wiping the residue on her baggy wide-legged jeans.

“I tried to forget. That one hurt my pride,” Erik scoffed.

“It's cool man, you still that nigga. You'll get her next time. She still on campus,” Shawn laughed good naturedly, elbowing Ken in the side, which was practically titty meat too. He didn't seem to notice then an odor hit Ken's nostrils and her face twisted in disgust. “My bad,” Shawn laughed, “It's the cheese.” Ken tried to fan the foul odor back in his direction.

“That's okay, I'll do you one better,” she said lifting an asscheek off the couch and ripping a ripe one.

“Dammit, nigga,” he coughed and Travis and Erik laughed. That was Sunday night.

A few weeks later, she was at the mall leaving Old Navy and saw a fine dude from her school's campus shopping in the Footlocker looking at a pair of New Balance sneakers. He caught her eye because he was tall and brown with a track runner's build, and had nice thick curly hair. She hesitated on whether she should approach him, afraid to be turned down and embarrassed. She knew for a fact that some men could be cruel when it came to women they weren't attracted to. Finally, she worked up the courage and she walked over to him. “Hey, um, you go to MIT.. So do I. I saw you from outside of the store and I thought you were attractive so I came over to see if I could get to know you and get your number.. something?” she spoke hopefully with a friendly smile on her face. His eyebrows rose as his mouth opened and closed, a bad sign.

“I… I mean.. I actually can't?” He squinted in apology, but Ken couldn't show her disappointment. “I'm kinda… already seeing someone,” he added, “...but thanks tho!” Nodding with a polite smile, Ken walked away but when she saw the same guy again, she was close enough to hear him shooting his shot at a girl who was with a group of her friends, all of them pretty like divas. She peeked out of the corner of her eye at her reflection in a random store’s glass window. Something inside of her was deeply hurt, but she didn't want to explore it and have the feelings break her down in public where she stood. She definitely didn't look like them. There was a reason why she never got male attention.. why no one ever asked her out or looked her way.. and she wanted them to.. badly! She hadn't gone to prom. She didn't go on dates. She still had her v-card and none of it was because it's what she truly wanted. She wanted love and magic. She wanted to feel wanted, admired, and pretty even if it was just one time. It was lonely being the only girl in a group of guys, especially when the group would get around other girls who they viewed as actual women. She was treated differently then by the men and the women as though she didn't belong in either category. It was an awkward feeling, being considered as sexless and unattractive. She didn't like it one bit, but what could she do? The only thing that came to mind was to call her best friend. Who else would she call?

---

"Wassup, Big Ken, what's this about," he asked walking into the kitchen as she followed. The smell of roasted potatoes wafted through the air.

"My bad, E, I didn't mean to interrupt you in the middle of dinner," she paused hunching over the counter. He looked over.

"Nah, you good bro. What was the 911?" He fixed his food, passing her to sit down and she took a deep breath.

"So, yeah, um.. You date a lotta women right?" He looked at her like she had three eyes.

"You tryna get hooked up? You ain't had to come over here for that. You could've called and I'd have s--"

"No, I don't need a hookup, Erik! I'm trying to ask you something, but you can't laugh. Just say yes or no." He waved his hand as if saying get on with it and she decided it was best to just blurt it out. "Erik, do you think I'm pretty?" Silence. He blinked in confusion and she sighed almost regretting her question since he couldn't even give her a straight answer.

"Excuse me?" That meant no. "Do I think you.. pretty? Define pretty.. I'm just saying.. pretty how because you not a ugly nigga you just need..," he shrugged hesitantly, "You the homie-" That was the last thing Ken wanted to hear.

"Nevermind, just stop.. please," she groaned walking away.

"What's wrong with you, you acting weird. You good?" He was genuinely concerned, she could hear it in his tone so she turned to face him again.

"I need you to help me. I don't know what to do. I'm not a nigga, I'm a woman and I'm tired of having that ignored. I wanna be pretty too where no one has to think about it."

He kisses his teeth, "Nig--Ken," he corrects, "You got personality and a good heart, don't you think that's better than looking pretty?" She thought about it for humor's sake.

"As smart as cool as I am... Would you date me?" She waited. He opened his mouth, with no words so she filled in the blank for him. "No, you wouldn't because I'm a nerd and I'm not pretty like the girls you date that get love and attention AND prettyboys like you to give it to them! I wanna be hot, Erik. I want to find love. You've never been in my shoes so you don't understand, but--" He waved again to cut her off.

"Nah, I get it. I mean, just looking at you now I could come up with a few suggestions. My only condition is that you gotta be on-board with all the changes I suggest." As long as the end justified the means, she would handle it.

"Done," she agreed quickly. Shortly after, she left.. content with his promise to clear his schedule for the following day. No classes for either of them.

---

"Your makeover starts today," Erik stressed standing over her. They were in a nail salon and Ken was laying back on a thin leather bed that she felt she was too heavy for, it was tipping and didn't want to hold her straight and level. A tiny Asian woman approached with a paper mask over her mouth.

"You want top lip, honey," the short woman asked. "N-" Ken started before Erik took over. "Yes. First, you need to wax them caterpillars she calls eyebrows, then that lil peach fuzz mustache, her hairy ass mannish armpits, and.." he turned to Ken moving her face from side to side, "Are you secretly Ashanti and ain't tell no one?" Her confusion cleared when he told the lady to wax her "longass sideburns".

She hissed, almost crying when the waxing strip ripped off of her top lip. A tear escaped and ran toward her ear. "C'mon Ken, you tougher than that. It can't hurt that bad. You see all these scars I got? You gotta suffer for what you want."

"Nigga I'm not like you, I don't get off on pain," she groaned angrily. He kissed his teeth.

"I told you that in secret.. damn. Just for that give her a bikini wax too, I know she got a wolf pussy." Ken flinched already afraid, but a Erik left the room giving her the necessary privacy. He could hear her pain from outside of the room and he cringed imagining his balls being snatched.

"Wax his armpits," Ken commanded when he'd finally re-entered. His body was already pretty much hairless.

"Hell no.. No.. Pfft," he shook his head but somehow he ended up with a strip on his underarm. He grunted, steeling himself when it was snatched off. "Ffffuck," he whispered.

"See," she laughed, still tender all over. When it was over and she'd been rubbed with alcohol she looked in the mirror and saw an extreme difference in her face. "Don't touch it, your fingers dirty," Erik scolded when her hand went up. "You got Flinstone fingers," he frowned. Her nails were bitten down, but it was a habit that was hard to break. He dragged her to a chair and chose a nail color.. hot pink. "Super girly," he prefaced sitting it on the table. It was her first time getting acrylics. They felt weird on her fingers, but she found herself moving her hands more when she spoke and maneuvering them gently so not to break her new nails. "Now them dogs," he said pointing to her sneakers.

She scoffed, "You might want me to keep these shoes on unless they got a chainsaw and a sander back somewhere." He rolled his eyes.

"Nigga, that's why you need it, so your feet don't look like you been kicking glass and bricks. Also, no more dairy. Pretty girls don't fart so you gotta stop that nasty shit.. I've yet to have a girl pass gas in my presence. Plus dairy is bad for your skin. No belching either or at least excuse yourself."

"I feel like I'm Anne Hathaway at princess lessons," she chuckled. Next was hair. Erik knew a girl who worked at a beauty salon/barbershop and he also knew the girl would do anything he asked so he called her and she picked up giving him a time to come by.

"I actually canceled a lady's appointment just to give you this spot. I know this lady is pissed as fuck at me..," she rubbed Erik's chest with her nails, "So you owe me..." she whispered seductively. Ken decided to mind her business and she sat in the chair, watching Erik's back as he left. While Erik was gone, Ken started talking to the stylist. Her name was Melissa and she was head over heels for Erik. She was also really good at hair. Ken's hair had been brought to life. She was rocking bantu knots and her edges were swooped for the first time. She absolutely loved her edges and she'd purchased the gel that Erik's girl used to slick it. Erik was also impressed and he slipped Melissa a cheek kiss, turning to look at you. "What you waiting on Ken? Pay the woman."

---

Clothes were next. He went over to Ken's place and went through her closet thoroughly throwing out her old beaten shoes and worn out hoodies. If it was dingy, baggy, or with holes, he trashed it with some resistance from her. She didn't want to let go. He had to remind her of their deal in order for her to back off. She was left with a few pairs of jeans and half the number of shirts. His next move was to take her shopping.. for bras and lingerie. He made her get fitted and buy her size.

"Just in case you get lucky. You wanna be ready," he encouraged, pulling various sets for her to buy. She seemed awkward about it but he was used to lingerie shopping and knew his way around. "If it comes down to it, you wear this shit right here and let that nigga rip it off you. You gotta be cute with it though. You know how girls be acting coy like they shy but you know they ain't?" He chuckled looking for dap, but when she only stared, he remembered that she didn't wanna be looked at as one of the boys anymore. "My bad, Ken.."

"While we're on that, I'd prefer it now on if you all called me Kendra," she said rolling her eyes. Erik threw his hands up, relenting. He followed her as she payed for the undergarments and then she allowed him to drag her into other stores.

"These pants are too small, I need a few sizes up or a longer shirt to pair with it," Ken grunted in the changing room as she struggled.

"Let me be the judge. It looks sloppy when you wear all that baggy shit. I always figured you just ain't care." It took her a while, but the changing room door opened and she walked out awkwardly, jumping and yanking at the jeans he'd given her to try on. His jaw dropped but she didn't notice. He was thankful for that.

"DAMN," he gasped, "Where all them thighs come from? ....Turn around?" He hissed like he was in pain when she turned and her ass was sitting like two globes fighting each other. She jumped and her ass shook as she tried to wiggle. Her waist was more tapered than he thought and that ass... He was speechless, mugging her ass like it was evil. He looked down and he could see his dick getting hard. Oh shit. He grabbed a nearby pair of pants off the return rack to hold in his lap and cover it.

"I need a size up," she sighed and hearing her irritation, he used it as an opportunity to escape without her noticing his erection, going to get the next size up. He couldn't get the sight of her perfect ass out of his head. He'd masturbated to way worse. Nigga, It's Ken, he reminded himself repeatedly. BIG KEN. The image of her belching and farting in competition with Shawn came to mind and it seemed to help him remember who she was, but now he had to deal with what had just happened to him.

---

@muse-of-mbaku @imaginewhoever @whoramilaje @panthergoddessbast @thadelightfulone @misspooh @inlovewithmakeupcomicsanimelove @marvelpotterlove @youreadthatright @forbeautyandlife @theunsweetenedtruth @bidibidibombaclaat @myboyfriendgiriboy @dameshaemonique @blackpantherimagines @eriknutinthispoosy @vikkidc @hidden-treasures21 @mysidefanting @allhailnjadaka @hold-me-like-a-heart-beat @syndrlla97 @winteroflife @thotyana-in-this-hoe @texasbama @gingerylimonte @princessstevens @magic-madness-heavensin @taint3dvirgin @wawakanda-btch @scrumptiouslytenaciouscrusade @wakanda-inspired @blackgirloneshots @thegucciwaffle @thiccdaddy-mbaku @ange-sensuel @drsunshine97 @purplehairgawdess @trevantesbrat @indigoxsummers @cccccx1 @dynastylnoire @iamrheaspeaks @blowmymbackout @fonville-designs @they-call-me-le @theblulife @yoyolovesbucky