#like i just thought people bullied ne cause they did not like me so they had to find reasons to make me feel bad

[uraandri]

sometimes i think about the first moment i became aware that even people who liked me found me odd. i remember my friend asking me what i was constantly reading on my brand new smartphone and when i showed her i finally made it to the end of a mycity military thread on english longbows she just made a what the fuck face and i had to go sit alone for a while

[stawpny]

hey

I know I haven’t like posted but that was cause I was in DC

it’s really cool

but anyways, have some NY headcannons I thought of while driving 8 hours there and back

(my drama club cast list is coming out tomorrow AHHH [we are doing mean girls])

-

-New York has got the best fashion style out of anyone in the statehouse, buuuuuttt since this years fashion week was.. something, he has been downgraded to the second best. Cal’s the first now, ever since whatever the fuck that was happened.

-Punk NY x Hippie CA is something I need injected into my VEINS. I feel like they would be so cute together anddd the fan art would be delicious bc I would eat it with no hesitation.

-New York has the hand writing of like a fancy founding father. Like one that wrote, “We The People” on top of the constitution, or when he has too much coffee, he has a handwriting of a third grader. (just like me!)

-I imagine that when it gets “hot” here in New York (higher then 80 is too fucking hot for me) he just flops himself anywhere in the NE part of the house and just lays there until someone gets fed up or helps him. (NJ would get fed up, MA would help him)

-he gets frequent headaches so he just carry’s around a small bag of advil or Tylenol, or sometimes keeps it like pocket candy in his pockets like he’s about to give it out to children.

-I feel like he would take care of states (mostly southern) when they were young, along with Georgia and Virginia. The only reason he did so was because Penn claimed he wasn’t “man enough” so he had to do what he also claimed, “women’s work”. (No shade to ppl living in PA)

-I believe that Long Island bullies RI for two reasons, he isn’t an island, and LI is bigger than RI. LI always says that he should be a state instead and Rhode should just merge with MA or CT. (this is true, as a Long islander myself)

-I know NY is bigger than like many states in the NE, but I like the idea of him being the same height as MA or a little shorter. New Jersey would be shorter, same with RI and CT, but I feel like they would be the same height. (ma and ny)

-MA, CT, NY, and NJ have some maaajor beef with PA.

-New Yorks room is filled with a bunch of posters. Posters of Lana Del Rey, TS, Laufey, Tyler The Creator, Steve Lacy, and others are put up, but he puts more “manly” posters up to distract from the fact he literally has a huge ass Taylor Swift, 1989 poster in his room, above his bed. He has all the eras, but how could he not have a huge poster of 1989 when she wrote a song about his city, like, come on! (my fav album)

- CA x NY= Golden Cat x Black Cat (I keep seeing TikTok slideshows of the two cats and it always makes me think of them)

—

soooo

I had a loooong weekend of hiking around DC

it was fun though

I liked seeing all of the state flags and whateva

anyways, i hope u liked these

ily guys, byyeeee!

[spitefulsatanwrites]

'bully in big boy shoes' (C. rk800)

ask; “What abt Connor reacting to the reader punching the shit out of Gavin”

warings; cursing, slight violence in the workplace

rating; pg13

pairing; conner model rk800 x GN!reader

summary; conner has been getting pushed around at the DPD since he has arrived and y/n is sick and tired of gavin reed always being agressive towards him.

pre-revolution

~

"hey, tin can." the voice game out gruff and sounded like someone's annoying younger brother trying way to hard to get your attention for something completely foolish.

the voice belonged to gavin reed and oh boy oh boy, did it travel throughout the entire office, which seeing as it was almost always bustling with life and people, that was pretty impressivly annoying.

conner was standing with his back turned to the man in the semi - spacious break room making a cup of coffee to help sober the lieutient up from his hangover, flipping a small coin in between his aligile fingers and back into his palm when the voice from behind him caught his attention.

conner had been dealing with gavin for weeks now while, he hadn't stepped off since he arrived and if he didn't know any better he would've said it must've been out of some sort of pent up jealousy or insecurity or even rage.

but today was different for some reason, conner couldn't explain it and it made gears whirl figuritively and literally in his andriod brain.

"Give it a rest, Reed you've picked on him everyday this month and ne never gives you a reaction."  y/n, a senior detective on homicide, spoke up before conner could even respond to the insufrable nickname Reed had given him on the very first day he even stepped into the DPD.

Reed's head sanpped back to them and he seemed surpised, you hardly ever spoke up at all and when you did it was always about work, you hardly ever stuck up for yourself that is.. "this is between me and him y/n, keep out of it."  he said recovering from his slack jawed silence after a moment, but you weren't having it, you were feeling bold today and if you were honest, you liked Conner, he was nice to you, and Gavin was the worst.

"is it, though?" you asked squinting at him with a fake suspision, "cause you talk so loudly, sometimes I think you want every one to hear you being a bully" you laughed bitterly and looked back to  conner, who was just quietly watching the exchange, his face not showing much but his LED was blinking wildly like he was in deep thought about something.

Gavin tried to speak but you merely cut him off like he wasn't talking at all, or like he was below you, like he treated everybody else, "I think.. you just like to swing your dick around because you're an attention whore and need constant validation, you constantly need to feel like someone thinks you're 'SO COOL' but are you.. really?"

you slowly made a paced walk towards the man, who was sputtering out curses trying to find the right words to hurt your feelings, but truly nothing he could've said would've hurt coming from someone like him.

he was red in the face and looked so pitiful if it wasn't him you would've felt a bit bad about your harsh words, but in the moment it really only made you wanna laugh in his face, he finally managed some words after a long few moments, "whatever, you're just protecting the plastic prick because you wanna fuck him or something, stupid bitch.." was all he got out

"excuse me?"

now you were fuming, "you're gonna regret those words when you eat your goddamn teeth." you barked out angrily, flinging yourself towards him fist raised to land a solid blow to his face but before you could make contact Conner grabbed you by the arm and pulled you back, "y/n, I am going to suggest you don't do that." he said simply, artifical brown eyes just boring down into yours, you wanted to pull away but you were completely captured by his touch for a minute.

Reed was already snickering, backing up with his hands up like he was surrendering, "yeah, tin-can.. control your partner there.. fuckin' manaic.." he grumbled before heading back out towards the main area.

"what a prick." you muttered with a sour look on your face, still staring out where Reed had left from, god how much you wanted to just give him one good punch to the face..

"why did you do that?" conner, whom you'd almost forgot was there asked from close behind you, "I mean, I am an Andriod, he cannot destory me and if he does.. I will just be replaced."

y/n was a bit taken aback, not even they knew truly why they did that, maybe it was because you hated Reed or maybe just because you liked Conner or maybe both.

"cuz'.. I like you. Just because your an android doesn't change that, nobody should be treated like that— he’s just used to swinging his dick around for attention.”

that made the gears in conner's artifical mind whirl again and his LED flash a mixture of the three colors, "oh." was all he managed, but you had changed him, you'd taught him something without even knowing it, something he'd always remember.

[drakenology]

Their S/O is shy. With Bakugo, Todoroki and Midoriya!

author’s note: HIIII! So I got this idea from work today. I’m a shy, reserved person in real life and I imagined a headcannon where y/n was an uwu girl. enjoy! I’m going to do the Bakusquad next time. 

warnings: suggestive themes, light violence, fluff, and cussing.

Bakugo 

thinks you’re the cutest

teases you a lot. 

will smack the shit outta anyone who tries taking advantage of your kind and shy demeanor.

loves how your shyness comes to play in the bedroom; he likes trying to get you to loosen up a little.

Would butter you up with compliments and praises.

“I dunno what you’re so shy about. You’re fuckin hot.”

likes how he’s the complete opposite of you

VERY protective over you. 

You and Bakugo are out at a restaurant on a date. You’re looking through the menu to see what you want, not being able to decide between the burger or the quesadilla (yum!). 

“I think I’m gonna get the steak. What about you, babe?” Katsuki asked, peering over to look at your menu. 

“I dunno.. I think the burger sounds good. I think that’s what I’ll get” You say, sitting your menu down. Bakugo is staring down your dress, oogling at your ample cleavage popping out of the v-neckline. You notice his gaze, blushing profusely. 

“S-Stop it, Katsuki.” You say, covering up your chest with your menu. He smirks and runs his hands up your thighs causing you to fold your legs to try and stop the wetness coming from your panties. Even though you never admit it out loud, you loved when he groped and stared at you. It made you feel like the sexiest woman in the world. Katsuki grabs your chin and kisses you.

“You’re gonna get it tonight, princess.” He whispered in your ear. You blush as you notice the waiter coming your way, swatting Katsuki’s hands away from you. The waiter walked towards your table and sat your drinks down.

“Thanks. Ready to order, babe?” Bakugo looks towards you. You nod, feeling a little nervous to order yourself. You were very soft spoken, so ordering food was a bit of a challenge for you. But today, you had worked up the courage to order without Bakugo’s help. 

“Hi, u-um.. I’ll have the burger, please. Also could I get that without any onions? I’m allergic.” You say, looking down at your menu instead of at the waiter. 

“Certainly. And for you, sir?” The waiter said, motioning to Bakugo.

“I’ll have the steak please. Well done. I don’t like my steak pink. If I see pink, me and my lady are leaving without payin’, ya got that!?” Bakugo said aggressively. To anyone not knowing him, they think he’s being rude and difficult but you know he’s just trying to make the waiter nervous on purpose as a joke. 

“Yes, sir. Coming right up.” The waiter says, leaving in a hurry. 

“Katsuki, you’re giving the waiter a hard time.” You say softly, your voice sounding like a disappointed mother. He sighed, grabbing your hand and kissing it. 

“Alright, I’ll lay off.” He said, laughing. You two chatter about what you guys did for hero work that day, laughing and enjoying each other’s company until the food came. Finally, the food comes; the aroma coating your nose as you get excited to eat.

“Enjoy.” The waiter said dryly, clearly not liking Bakugo’s attitude. You both shrug it off and prepare to dig in. Bakugo seemed to like his steak but your burger had onions all over it. Even if you had picked them off, it still wouldn’t have been safe to eat. You sigh, poking at your burger in disappointment.

“What’s wrong? How come you’re not eating?” Bakugo asked, his mouth full as he wiped steak sauce from his mouth. You shake your head, not wanting to make a scene. He looked at your plate, seeing your burger teething with onions. He’s way angrier than you are, waving the waiter over to your table with fervor. 

“K-Katsuki, I can just take them off it’s not-” You’re interrupted by Bakugo, who isn’t having any of it; already knowing what you’re about to say. The waiter clearly didn’t like Bakugo’s attitude so he messed your order up on purpose because he noticed how soft-spoken you are. He didn’t chance fucking up Katsuki’s order because he knew he’d have a fit and probably kick his ass if he got short with him. 

“No Y/N, it is a big deal. Look at it! It’s got onions all over it. You can’t eat that shit, you’ll get sick even if you pick ‘em off. I’m givin that asshole a piece of my mind!” He shouts, still trying to get the waiter’s attention who was clearly ignoring you two. 

“HEY! I KNOW YOU FUCKING SEE ME. GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE, NOW.” Bakugo shouts. Oh god. The waiter rolled his eyes, walking over to your table.

“Is there a problem, sir?” He asks, not eager to help at all. 

“You’re fuckin’ right there’s a problem. What did my girl order, huh?” Bakugo says, standing from his seat. 

“Katsuki, please.” You say, tugging his sleeve trying to get him to sit back down.

“She ordered a burger.” the waiter answered with attitude. 

“Yeah, with NO ONIONS you idiot! GO TELL THEM TO FUCKING FIX IT OR I’M TELLIN’ YOUR BOSS AND YOU’RE FUCKED.” Bakugo yelled, grabbing the waiter by his collar. The waiter; scared out of his mind, is now sweating with fear. 

“V-Very sorry, sir. I’ll fix that for you right away!” The waiter said, running back to the kitchen to fix your order. Bakugo sat back down in his seat, going back to eat his steak as if nothing happened. The whole restaurant was staring at you both, you sinking into your chair from all the eyes on you. 

“THE FUCK ARE YALL LOOKIN AT!?” Bakugo yelled, getting everyone in the room to turn their attention back to their own tables. He looked back to you, seeing a frown on your face. 

“Don’t you think you went a bit too far?” You ask, crossing your arms. 

“Nope.” He said, feeding you some of his steak until your new burger came. 

“Nobody messes with my baby.”

Todoroki

is such a mom omg

just as protective as Bakugo (if not more)

encourages you to open up

supports your small wins (awww)

fucks the shyness outta you hehe

loves you and your shyness no matter what 

You and Shoto are getting ready to go out when you’re having a difficult time deciding what to wear. You had pulled out a few garments to wear; a red strapless bodycon dress that Shoto got you to accentuate them curves of yours or a simple bulky sweater and jeans. You were a little nervous to dress sexy for Shoto, unsure of yourself and your body not to mention all the potential unwarranted stares from others. You sigh and start dressing yourself in the boring outfit you picked out and sat down at your vanity to do your makeup. Shoto walked in the bedroom from your bathroom to see the dress sitting on the bed. 

“Why aren’t you wearing your dress, love?” He asked, concern written all over his face as he stood next to your vanity. 

“I-I just don’t want all the attention on me. I’m nervous. What if everyone stares at me?” You say, tears burning your eyes. Shoto takes you by your hand and leads you to the full body mirror mounted on the wall of your bedroom. He pushed your hair back and kissed your neck, running his hands on either side of your body. 

“You don’t have to worry about the stares. I’m going to be there to protect you, okay?” He says, sweetly kissing your cheek. You smile warmly and nod. He was right. You change into the dress and slipped on some heels to match, giggling at the praises and encouragement from your boyfriend as he reached for your hand to kiss it. 

“You’re so beautiful, baby.” Shoto said, taking a good look at your curves. He feels himself harden at the sight of you, involuntarily groaning as he pulled you close to him for a deep kiss. 

“How about we stay in tonight instead?” 

He was determined to make you open up... one way or any other teehee.

Midoriya 

loves you SO MUCH OMG

doesn’t care that you’re a little shy and soft-spoken

speaks for you when needed

stands up for you

loves to motivate you 

thinks you’re sinfully adorable

You and Midoriya are walking through the supermarket, shopping for food for your shared home. Izuku was always such a huge help, lifting all the heavy things and putting them in the cart or reaching for things that were too high for you to reach. You loved shopping with him and he loved it too because he could look after you and spend time with you at the same time. 

“Crap, I forgot we need meats for dinner tonight. What did you want again, Izuku?” You asked, looking up from your shopping list. 

“Pork, please. You always make the best pork curry, Y/N” He said sweetly, kissing your forehead. You blush and walk over to the meat department while Izuku gathers the rest of the ingredients for dinner. You stand in line with your number and waited your turn patiently. Suddenly, this big burly man comes out of nowhere and cuts right in front of you in line. You hated when situations like this happen because it was always so hard for you to stand up for yourself. You gulp and muster up enough courage to confront him...sorta?

“U-um excuse me.. I was ne-” You’re interrupted by the man shouting over you.

“Shut up, bitch! I’m in a hurry so why don’t you just wait a little while longer.” He yells. You’re shocked at how he spoke to you, clearly this man lacked manners. You stand there, dumbfounded and scared. You were so frustrated with yourself you’re brought to tears, wiping them away as you stand in line and wait your turn. 

“Bitch?” you hear a familiar voice repeat. It was Midoriya, standing beside you with your cart in toe. “You thought this woman was alone, didn’t you? Fucking coward.” Izuku walks towards the man, intimidatingly calm. The man scoffs until he sees Izuku’s face. The pro hero Deku was standing right in front of him and he was angry.

“H-Hey.. I had no idea okay? I’ll back o-”

“If it was me standing there would you have cut in front of me and called me a bitch?” Izuku asked, grabbing the man by his shirt. “You get off on bullying women don’t you, you spineless bastard? Think that just because your big and ugly that you can just push people around? People like you make me sick. Get in the back of fucking line before I lose my temper.” The man does so, glaring at you as he walked to the back of the line. You sigh in relief as your number is called, Izuku leading you to the counter with his hand on your back. He turned around and glared at the man who gave you a hard time one last time. 

“What would you like to order, miss?” The butcher said with a smile.

“Pork, please.” You sigh.

[juni-ravenhall]

i’ve been trying to figure out what to do, bc the more im away from ssoblr the  more it became obvious that i feel intensely fucking shit when i go on here and feel better when im not on here 

- due to the ppl who decided to make shit up about me behind my back and then double down on it and say “look!! he IS mean [for being hurt and upset - as a longterm victim of abuse and bullying, which everyone knows about]” when i try to talk about that. 

i just dont know what to do. i liked it here, and i did my best (as someone with severe social anxiety and with ptsd from abuse! i’m not perfect, but i did my best!) to talk to ppl directly, even the ones who have been rude or nonsensical or mean or whatever other form of disrespectful to other ppl. (that includes anons i received and normal convos.) 

but everytime i go on here now im just reminded about how ppl i thought i could trust would turn on me and make shit up about me instead of actually talk to me, and when i tried to talk to them directly, it would be shut down or discouraged. while the behind-my-back stuff clearly was never actually acknowledged or resolved.  

at this point i just feel so lost. i dont know what to do. when i try to resolve it instead i get told even worse things and got hurt *more* instead of getting a resolution. and i get told “you talk too much” and shit like this, so what? talking isn’t bad. treating others unfairly is bad. i wish i had a penny for everytime someone told me i talk too much! imagine, humans are different! talking isn’t harmful and when i was told to “stop replying to me if you don’t agree”, i did, aka i stopped talking, as much as i feel it’s an odd way to handle things. 

even my gf got grouped in with me as if she had done something wrong. what exactly these things we both did that are wrong, seems really unclear. i know that ppl got upset about specific things but i don’t really see how the things are wrong, and if nobody is ready to explain that, what can i do? what am i supposed to do? when *i* see someone post unfair or mean things, i replied to them and said “hey, this isn’t fair” etc... but the same group of people told me to stop doing that. (either by direct words, or by blocking me, or whatever.)

what do you want me to do then? to not reply when someone is mean, but also to think it’s okay for people to talk about me in private chats, and therefore to not get a chance myself to explain or defend myself since you refuse to talk to me directly about it? i hate all of this. it’s school style bullying at the point that you talk about others negatively in private and don’t have anyone there to offer a different perspective or defend them.

i didnt talk about any of these ppl behind anyone’s back: part of what made some ppl mad is the public posts i made (during panic attacks from severe mental illness and stressful poor life situations!) containing ~narcissistic judgmental mean content~ such as “i can’t handle ppl being irrational and mean”, or “people should stop being irrational and mean”, or “people should get help (just like i do) if they’re unhealthy and immature”. 

bc you know, it’s not like ppl were irrational and mean to me or others, i just made that up. and it’s definitely only about x persons on ssoblr who likes to think all vagues are about them and not the entire humanity (aka: ive been open about how many ppl have mistreated, abused or bullied me, actually, and every fucking time i go in a fandom i meet ppl who latch on to me as an easy target bc im Different. one person being immature or unhealthy isn’t unique; i meet them everywhere; if they treat others with disrespect or unfairly they are causing harm, no matter how common they are, and therefore it’d be great if they tried to fix that by studying psychology and getting mental healthcare. because it’s not okay to hurt others or be mean and you should stop. whoops, am i being a mean narcissist again?) 

i really wish all the trying-to-talk-it-out happened publically because i needed backup. they can keep doing what they do and everyone else thinks they didn’t hurt anyone because i handled this in private out of respect (i don’t believe in cancelling and blocking and all this shit). if nobody knows what happened then they’re also free to keep manipulating the perspective and act as if i really did do something wrong (i’ve asked what i did wrong and i get no answer. contrary to Things People Make Up About Me, i actually do want to know if i did something wrong, and try to make it right - and no, you’re not unique if you Made Things Up About Me, so that’s not just about one person, yet again). 

it’s not comparable to say “you’re talking too much” vs “you hurt me”. it’s not comparable to say “you wrote public posts where you said being mean and irrational is bad” vs “talking behind someone’s back in a private space where they or their friends can’t defend them”. the things aren’t the same. you can’t just act like all emotional reactions are equal when they’re not. 

i really dont know what to do. i dont feel safe or comfortable on here, i feel like shit that they hurt me like this and are still hellbent on that somehow it was my own fault and also it never happened anyway. 

(btw, i was literally told “we talk about you sooo much” and then told “no, we never talk about you”... “he thinks ppl talk about him”... as if i was being delusional or grasping in thin air, for putting together two and two when i know for a fact i had been talked about *and* i don’t see any other explanation than talking-behind-my-back for how some of the rude/mean things even reached me the way they did. anons that mysteriously sound exactly like the people who were being rude/mean and part of the same group? ppl replying to me just to be rude who supposedly don’t even follow me - i’d guess my posts were being linked somewhere? i mean, it’s not a far reach when you know it’s all one same group of people that do talk to each other in private where nobody can speak for me. i’m open to other explanations, but i haven’t been given any.)

also, to be clear because ppl love to make shit up about me:

i dont talk about any of this to insult or shame or whatever. i already talked directly to ppl from the very beginning and talked publically about my opinions and thoughts and this is what made them upset. 

i talk about this because im fucking lost and ssoblr is my only “big” fandom community. i’m really sad to think about leaving, like really really sad. i just don’t know what else to do when the people who hurt me are still here and still acting as if i did something wrong, but not ready to talk to me about it respectfully.

[thran-duils]

Nowhere to Run (P.1)

Title: Nowhere to Run (Part One) Summary: Fem!Reader x Dark!Stony. Reader was caught unknowingly stealing from the capitol harvest and is drug to the capitol for punishment. She is offered an option to go to trial or accept work in the main government building. Upon her tour, she ends up in trouble and catches eyes of two of the Master Council that decide she needs to be broken in by their hands. Words: 1,847 Warnings: Non-con, servitude, forced orgasms, verbal and emotional abuse

Author’s Notes: I don’t intend for this to be a super long series. This chapter is setting up the non-con to come. Read at your own risk, 18+ as always. Also, the picture under the cut is the mood in the world that I am seeing; kind of steam punk? AND, song inspo.

Part Two || Masterpost (mobile) || Fanfic masterpost

You were being led through the long halls of the capitol building, a collar around your neck. The guards could give you a small shock whenever they so pleased if you tried to run or do anything unsavory.

They had found you stealing fruits off one of the carts in the market. Normally, you would have had your hands whipped and spent a night in jail. But this cart that you had so stupidly failed to see had the symbol of the capitol on it. It had been dark, early morning, and you had failed to see it as you snuck around. The envoy had apparently come to the market as the vendors were arriving to fetch the best of the crops for the council members. Stealing from the capitol meant trial there and you were drug from your mountainous outskirt town to the city with others to face the highest court for your crime.

You were brought to a room and shoved inside; the door closed behind you. A man was sitting behind a desk, waiting patiently.

“Sit,” he invited, gesturing at the chair on the opposite side of the desk. “My name is Tsu. I’ll be your counselor for the day if you decide to utilize my offer.”

Cautiously, you did what he asked, sinking into the chair. He picked up a device — you had only ever seen guards that patrolled through your town with them — and clicked it on. A picture came to life, and you watched with awe as he was able to control it with his movements of his hand in the air.

“I have your basic information that they collected upon your arrest. Name, date of birth, crime. But I need to know what it is you do...”

“‘Do’?”

“Your profession.”

“I don’t have a profession. I’m going to trial.”

“Everyone has a profession.”

You stayed silent, not wanting to give this capitol worker any more information than he already had on you. Your town did well enough staying out of their way and business, keeping to yourselves besides when they demanded crops. Giving away too much about yourself seemed unwise.

Tsu eyed you and asked suspiciously, “Was it a, let’s say, less prestigious profession that you are more inclined to not disclose?”

You saw he was eyeing your arms and then neck causing you to you ask, “What do you mean?”

“Do you know women here in the city — and many other places in the kingdom for that matter — are tattooed?”

“I’ve seen people passing through with them yes.”

“Tattoos are normal, expected even. Your body is a canvas. And having the freedom to do with your skin as you please is a status symbol.” You stared at him dumbly, not picking up what he was trying to get at. He sighed, lowering the technological device and leveled with you, “Ladies of the night do not have tattoos. They’re not free and their skin is kept clear to show that. And to me, you look like ink has never touched your skin. Am I correct?”

Heat came to your cheeks, and you sputtered offended, “I’m not a lady of the night! I worked for the local librarian if you need to know! It just didn’t pay well, and I was hungry!”

So much for not giving him information. But he had provoked you. You were always told you had a temper.

“So, you’re saying yes your skin is clear?”

“Yes it is but I’m not a trollop!”

“It matters not. It will invite unwanted attention from people here in the city. And trust me, the higher up they are in status, the bolder they will be about assuming you are... open.”

Exasperated, you asked, “What does this have to do with my trial?”

Tsu shrugged, “With my help, you may not have to go to trial. You’ll just be sentenced to work in the capitol building. Here. I’m just trying to explain to you briefly how some things work. And I was merely asking what you did so I could better place you. If you were working nights, then, there is a spot for you, despite your immediate disdain for the profession. But, if that’s not the case, then I can find you something else here.”

“For how long?” you asked upset.

Tsu shrugged and said, “The typical time for a crime in your bracket is a year.” Your stomach dropped. An entire year spent here? Wearing a collar? Away from your home. “If you are outstanding — and someone happens to notice, which is rare — you could have a couple months shaved off. The other way, if you are unsuitable or enrage someone, they could seek to extend your sentence.”

“So, I am to be at the mercy of these wealthy, spoiled assholes’ whims?” You demanded before you could stop yourself.

That drew the briefest of smirks out of hum before he cleared his throat and said, “As assuming as it is for me to hear you share that behind closed doors with me, because it is true, I would watch your tongue very closely. That’s something that would most certainly get your sentence extended.”

“Noted,” you muttered, sinking back into your seat.

Tsu turned the tablet towards you and said, “If you would prefer to do what I am offering instead of facing trial and time in a cell, sign here stating you understand the conditions.”

You stared at the tablet, weighing your options. This way, you knew exactly what you were getting into and having knowledge and a plan seemed a comfort than going in blind. Reaching forward, you held out your hand.

“Use your finger. There’s no pen.”

Tracing your name, you watched it appear in gold before solidifying in black in the document.

“Perfect. Let’s get you changed into a servant’s gown. And get that collar off.” The collar was going to come off? He must have seen the shock on your face. “You’ll be given an ankle bracelet. It will look delicate, beautiful even, but trust me, it won’t break. And they’ll get an alert if there’s a lot of pressure aka you trying to do so. And that can also get you added time.”

<><><>

It only took half a day for you to find yourself in more trouble. You had been following Tsu as he gave you a tour around the castle and you had stopped as the two of you crossed a bridge. You had been transfixed by the sight of the city, your hands coming to rest on the balcony as you took it in.

You felt a hand at your ass before it cupped, and breath was hot on your ear.

“My, my, I don’t think I’ve seen you before, lovely,” the man rasped.

“Don’t touch me, you piece of shit!” you exclaimed, whipping around and shoving him. He stumbled back away from you, barely catching his balance having been so caught off guard by your reaction. You doubted the people here ever received pushback from servants. He looked furious.

“What did she just say?” the man demanded, coming for you but someone stepped in his way.

This other man was blonde, short haired. “There’s no need to maim the girl here in public, is there?”

The first man looked ready to explode but he grated, “Did you hear what she said to me, Master Barton? She—"

“I have ears and they’re perfect, so yes I did hear what she said,” Barton replied coolly.

Tsu had come back to your side — how far had he gotten, talking to himself, before he realized you were not behind him? He pulled you a few paces away.

“What’s going on, sir?”

Before Barton could say anything, the man spat, “That little wench shoved me and swore at me!”

Tsu inhaled deeply before hissing in your ear, “Did you hear nothing of what I spoke?” You opened your mouth to protest but he continued on in a hushed whisper, “This whole thing can possibly be fixed if you just go apologize. And if you do this I’m going to have to grab the back of your neck without any resistance from you.”

“Gods,” you breathed.

“I’m serious.”

You gave the slightest of nods before Tsu’s hand was tight around the back of your neck and he walked you past Barton to the man. He was staring at you ferociously, like he wanted to tear you apart.

“She’s just arrived today but that doesn’t excuse her actions. She would like to beg your forgiveness,” Tsu told him, and his fingers flexed, signaling for you to start.

You had dealt with bullies before. You could do this.

Trying to keep the disdain out of your tone, you said, “I’m sorry for being enraged and acting impulsively. It was uncouth of me. I’m new and I am trying to learn how to act respectively with your customs. I beg your forgiveness.” You quickly added, “Sir.”

The man straightened out his shirt before sneering, “These little whores keep getting more brazen. Keep them in line!”

With that he turned on his heel and stormed off.

Tsu let go of your neck and he breathed easier that it had not escalated, and the man had begrudgingly accepted your apology. You caught Barton watching and he winked at you before turning on his heel and leaving as well.

<><><>

Tony was watching the screen of the security footage with arousal swimming in his eyes, his fingers at his lips at the woman. He was insatiable at times with his lust — the whorehouse a place he frequently relished in. He turned his attention to Steve.

Steve was cold at first, displeased by the mountain girl’s behavior towards one of the council members. But upon seeing her come back and apologize, a small smirk broke out.

“Thought you might find that interesting,” Clint commented, leaning against the wall. “Seems there’s a little hellion now in our midst.”

Tony paused the recording on a close up of her face and Steve leaned forward. He studied her for a few moments before telling the guards.

“Send her our way,” he ordered. “We’ve needed a new chambermaid. And I haven’t had to break a new one in in a while.”

“Cause she definitely didn’t mean a word of that apology. Look at that fire in her eyes,” Tony chuckled, strolling closer to the screen, looking at her face on the paused screen. Quietly to himself more than anything, his fingers tapping his lips, he said, “No... no you didn’t, did you, little vixen?” He was drinking the sight of her in, and he adjusted his pants, already titillating himself at the thoughts playing in his mind. Turning away from the screen on one foot, he went back for his goblet, taking a drink. He smacked his lips and vowed, “She’ll mean it when we ask for an apology. Of that I am certain.”

“Whatever she’s been assigned, reassign her to our villa community,” Steve added. “She’ll have plenty work there to learn her manners.”

~~~

Marvel tags: @coconutqueen21​ @undecidedsworld​ @holl2712​ @agustdowney​

[mbti-notes]

Anon wrote: Hello, I am a young INTP who regularly settles for mediocrity and has lost all motivation to pursue higher education beyond my associates degree (which I am close to obtaining but have not just yet). I'm decently well-off and see no problem living a simple lifestyle. I don't know what my life will look like in the coming years, and I don't really care.

It's worth noting that yes I have two diagnosed depressive conditions, a rare auditory disorder, one of my parents took advantage of me sexually as a child, etc. so I'm often mopey and I pity myself. I'd stop but it seems like I want some form of external support to motivate myself to continue my education. It's unreasonable because I should have the motivation inside of me. But I have no passions, no aspirations, and I'm outclassed by the productivity and brilliance of my college peers.

Was it really just the faith I thought my parents had in me that kept me going (and comparison to my HS peers, who I arrogantly surpassed out of spite from bullying)? Why did I have such an unreliable source of motivation? My father displays psychopathic empathy impairment and was (and potentially is) a predator, my mother is an ESFJ obsessed with peace and no conflict to the point where I was once blamed for my father's actions/ignored.

I am taking a break this coming semester to attend therapy, but I'm pessimistic about what results it may yield. I'm very sensitive to external opinion in my current state and I fear my therapist downplaying the effects of an isolated sexual predation incident from my childhood may cause me to wallop myself further and sink even lower in motivation (to find a new therapist, etc.). I'm sure I could find the answers on my own with time, but I'd like a second opinion on a strategy I can devise to handle this step in improving myself.

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

Therapy isn't a magical elixir. You have to find a therapist who is equipped with the right expertise to handle your particular problems. You might have to shop around or get some recommendations before you find the right fit. You also have to be fully committed to exploring the things that need to be explored for the sake of psychological improvement.

To clarify: Do you or don't you want to change and improve? It is a contradiction to say that you really don't care and then seek help as though you do care. There is a lie in there somewhere. Lies and ambivalence ... not a great place to start.

If you truly don't care, no therapist will be able to help you, because your low expectations will become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I also won't spend time on people who aren't ready and willing to change because my energy is finite and better put elsewhere. If seeking help is really just an unconscious exercise to confirm your preexisting belief system (e.g. that change is unnecessary or impossible for you), then you are stuck in Si loop and likely on the road to giving up on yourself.

If you do ultimately care about your well-being and that's the real reason you're seeking help, tap deeper into the feeling of being psychologically unwell in order to strengthen your commitment to getting well. Motivation comes from your needs and wants -> the awareness that they remain unfulfilled and the desire to fulfill them. One of the unfortunate side effects of being abused, especially as a child, is you're taught that you don't matter, that you're nothing (i.e. low self-worth). You have probably learned and internalized that lesson, in terms of devaluing your own needs and wants to the point of being unaware of them. If you never need, want, or aspire to anything, then you'll never have to face the negative, like hurt or disappointment. But it also means that you're unable to feel anything positive.

You don't have to believe it, but it's true that every person has within them a voice which guides them to live life to the fullest and make the most of their potential (in INTPs, it's found through Ne). However, when you suffer too many psychological problems that remain unresolved for a long time, you lose touch with that voice. This doesn't mean that you have to give your life over to self-improvement as a "mission". There is no law which states that you must always keep improving yourself and your life. If you are truly content as you are and where you are, then stay there, happily. The question is whether you are honestly happy there. If you're actually not, that discontent is a manifestation of the voice within that is prompting you to make a change. Listen to the voice or not, it's your choice. But ignoring it for too long leads to deep-seated regret and unhappiness eventually. When you keep trying to silence the best part of yourself, how can you not eventually start to feel dead inside? It is self-violence born of self-loathing. If that's not the person you want to be, then commit yourself to discovering a better way to be.

[funkymbtifiction]

i just want to add to what you’ve said in the past about entps being prone to being taken advantage of. it’s definitely a thing, and some of it is hubris.

for almost a year, i gave a “friend” the benefit of the doubt even when i was never given the same consideration. i changed various behaviors to keep their friendship, to avoid hurting their feelings, and to maintain peace. i stuck around even when they straight up disappeared on me (once when i was even in the hospital). i listened to them talk shit about our mutual friends and wax constant negativity, often turning on me if i didn’t mimic their opinions or “validate” their feelings. meanwhile they dismissed my experiences/feelings (on the rare occasion i tried to share them) and openly mocked an issue that was very distressful for me. It’s not easy for me to be vulnerable, so having someone respond with 0 empathy and use this *against* me was honestly one of the most painful, shocking experiences I’ve ever had. Especially when I went out of my way to demonstrate my consideration of them, even if it meant throwing myself under the bus.

it 100% fucked me up. i really started to think that i didn’t deserve their attention, wasn’t interesting or important enough to have reassurance, and instead of ditching this “friend” i just kept giving them chances. maybe they’re depressed? anxious? going through a hard time? it’s covid so that could be it? maybe i am really shitty and don’t even realize it? am i the toxic person? when i said i understood did that come off sarcastic?

im an optimistic person by nature, but the constant, endless bitterness this person maintained against people they supposedly cared about really made it difficult to even function on a day to day basis. I had constant anxiety. I didn’t want to get out of bed in the morning bc I was afraid of whatever issue or bad mood I was going to be responsible for that day. I was always trying to handle issues they were causing with other people and talking them down from hateful rants.

Turns out the whole issue was jealousy. We shared a friend and they were possessive of the friend, even though I’d been friends with said person over a decade and they’d only met that year.

Funny thing is, I considered this possibility early on because there were several red flags. I had suspicions that there was something off in how she treated me because the friendship never seemed mutual, but I didn’t want to believe it. I really didn’t. So I kept coming up with other possibilities and dismissing the negative ones, telling myself this person has to care a LITTLE. I told myself that jumping to any conclusion was unfair since I had no evidence. I’m not the type to trust in “gut feelings” so it was easy for me to ignore the uneasiness in the pit of my stomach. I rationalized it away and got myself lost in a rabbit hole so deep that I ended up doorslamming because i couldn’t fucking handle it. And I NEVER doorslam. I just couldn’t take it anymore.

So while ne/fe can be a good combination, if you let someone in who is willing to treat you badly (and start looping because of it), getting that fucker out is a nightmare. Im so much happier than I have been and I’m finally feeling like myself again, after months of walking on eggshells and minding my behavior, speech, and conduct for the sheer purpose of their feelings in spite of my own. I NATURALLY dismiss my own feelings constantly in favor of the collective or because I don’t find them worthwhile, but I quickly realized that having a *friend* constantly do this to me utterly destroyed my sense of self. I didn’t feel like I mattered or could speak or be direct without repercussions or consequences. I couldn’t be sincere or have any needs.

I never thought of myself as someone who could be emotionally bulldozed or bullied, but it fucking happened. And I’m mad about it. I overestimated my fe and thought that I could handle the situation and turn it around if I did all the right things. I 100% could not.

So ENTPs, listen to your instincts if that nagging feeling doesn’t go away.

Mod: Also valid for ENFPs. Stupid Ne-dom idealism = too many chances. ;)

[l-anna-art]

Wild extract of my clone!AU (eng/fr)

The subject of suicide is mentioned in this excerpt, even if it's light. If you’re not okay with it, be careful.

___________________________

"I'm not you, yet everyone sees you instead of me."

He squeezed the frame in his hands.

"Why did you do that?"

"I guess I was tired," someone finally said.

Izuku jumped at the sound of the voice and stared, perplexed, the child appeared beside him. Forest green hair and emerald eyes, the little boy was an exact copy of the subject of the photo. He looked at the illusion and, after observing for a moment the photo Izuku was holding, the illusion gave him back his look with a smile. It seemed fake, though.

"What?"

The child shrugged his shoulders.

"I was tired," he repeated.

They remained silent for a long time, simply observing the photo in Izuku's hands. The little boy was sitting on the bed next to him, swinging his legs in the air.

"Was it that... hard?" Izuku ends up asking.

"Huhu," he nodded. "I was often laughed at. Some of them played some pretty nasty pranks too. Thumbtacks in the shoes, shoving or writing nasty things on my stuff. Sometimes some would disappear. Sometimes I was ignored for days, and Kacchan could be difficult too." He paused, then looked at the white-haired boy. "But his quirk is incredible, you know. With time, he'll probably make a great hero."

He became pensive for a moment.

"It's just too bad he uses his quirk so much on others."

"A quirk, no matter how incredible it is, doesn't excuse everything," Izuku replied. "Look what you're became because of him. And I don't think a hero is supposed to act like that," he mumbled. "Nor do I see how a bully could become a hero. In fact, they're completely opposite."

The child pouted.

"Perhaps. But hey, it's Kacchan. He's always been like that. Explosive."

Izuku couldn't deny it. The few time he had spent with the teenager had quickly put him on edge. The explosions and the incessant screams of the blond were not really his cup of tea.

"But you know, he's not so bad! He's just very stressed by all the expectations people have of him and he's a little terrible at dealing with it. Not that he'll ever admit it."

The boy's laughter resonated throughout the room, soft and clear.

"If you were so happy for your friend, why did you have to do a such thing?"

The laughter faded, and the boy's look suddenly grew old, showing an expression far too tired for such a young child.

"I've probably reached my limit," he thought aloud.

"Izuku?"

The two boys turned to the new voice, staring at Inko who had entered the room.

"Who were you talking to?"

Izuku blinked. Then, he turned his head to look at the empty room of any child, before shifting his attention to the picture on his lap.

“To no one,” he said.

___________________________

FRENCH VERSION:

___________________________

"Je ne suis pas toi, et pourtant tout le monde te voit à ma place."

Il serra le cadre dans ses mains.

"Pourquoi as-tu fait ça ?"

"J'imagine que j'étais fatigué," finit par dire quelqu'un.

Izuku sursauta au son de la voix et regarda perplexe l'enfant apparut à côté de lui. Cheveux verts forêt et yeux émeraudes, le petit garçon était l'exacte copie du sujet de la photo. Il regarda l'illusion et, après avoir observé pendant un moment la photo qu'Izuku tenait, l'illusion lui rendit son regard avec un sourire. Il semblait faux, cependant.

"Quoi ?"

L'enfant haussa les épaules.

"J'étais fatigué," répéta-il.

Ils restèrent longtemps silencieux, observant simplement la photo dans les mains d'Izuku. Le petit garçon était assis sur le lit à côté de lui, et balançait ses jambes dans le vide.

"C'était si… dur ?" finit par demander Izuku.

"Huhu," il acquiesça. "On se moquait souvent de moi. Certains faisaient des farces assez méchantes aussi. Des punaises dans les chaussures, des bousculades ou des choses méchantes écrites sur mes affaires. Parfois, certaines disparaissaient. Parfois, on m'ignorait pendant des jours, et Kacchan pouvait aussi être difficile." Il fit une pause, puis regarda l'enfant aux cheveux blancs. "Mais son alter est incroyable, tu sais. Avec du temps, il fera probablement un super héro."

Il devint pensif un moment.

"C'est juste dommage qu'il utilise autant son alter sur les autres."

"Un alter, aussi incroyable soit-il, n'excuse pas tout," répliqua Izuku. "Regarde où tu en es à cause de lui. Et je ne pense pas qu'un héro soit sensé agir comme ça," il marmonna. "Je ne vois pas non plus comment un intimidateur pourrait devenir un héro. C'est même deux notions complètement opposées."

L'enfant fit la moue.

"Peut-être. Mais bon, c'est Kacchan. Il a toujours été comme ça. Explosif."

Izuku ne pouvait pas le nier. Le peu de temps qu'il avait passé avec l'adolescent l'avait rapidement mis à bout de nerf. Les explosions et les cris incessants du blond n'étaient pas vraiment sa tasse de thé.

"Mais tu sais, il n'est pas si mal ! Il est juste très stressé par toutes les attentes que les gens ont sur lui et il est un peu nul pour le gérer. Pas qu'il l'avouera jamais."

Le rire du garçon résonna dans la pièce, doux et clair.

"Si tu étais si heureux pour ton ami, pourquoi as-tu dû faire une telle chose ?"

Le rire s'estompa, et le regard du garçon vieillit d'un coup, arborant une expression bien trop fatiguée pour un si jeune enfant.

"J'ai probablement atteint ma limite," pensa-t-il à voix haute.

"Izuku ?"

Les deux garçons se retournèrent vers la nouvelle voix, fixant Inko qui était entrée dans la chambre.

"A qui parlais-tu ?"

Izuku cligna des yeux. Il tourna ensuite la tête pour regarder la pièce vide de tout enfant, avant de reporter son attention sur la photo qui reposait sur ses genoux.

"À personne," dit-il.

[alexiessan]

Never alone - Chapter Eleven - Soulmate AU

AO3

Previous - Here - Next

Master List

Tumblr must hate me or something ‘cause it seems to love deleting my chapters and other posts from the tags. You may have missed Chapter Ten, so don’t hesitate to go read it and give me your opinion.

In other news, my back has seized and I’m hurting so much... I swear I’m going to have back problems like old people... Anyway, here is Chapter Eleven!

Marinette smiled as she hung up from her call with Robin. Summer vacations have been very busy for her. She has done commissions for Jagged: an outfit, a poster and the cover of his new album. Marinette was not a professional, so it took her more time to do, but Jagged was very satisfied in the end.

But that meant that Robin’s outfit has been delayed since her trip to Gotham. She managed to send it to a safe address he gave her only last week and he showed her the result during their video call — it was so weird for Marinette to see him in a regular outfit, even if he had his mask on.

During the summer, she also made a lot of plans with her friends: several outings with Alya and Nino — and Adrien when he was allowed and in town. She also watched Kitty Section repeat at least once a week and would go get ice cream with them. She would take Kagami out to get out of her home and her mother’s influence as much as possible.

That summer where she got to see all her friends almost made her forget that their class would change when they would go back to school in September, the very next week.

Max and Adrien would be in Première S, in a class with a science specialty. Rose, Juleka, Nathaniel, Mylène, and Ivan would be in Première L, in a class with literature specialty. The rest of the class all chose to go in Première ES, in a class with economics as a specialty. But even with this same speciality, there was no way to know if they would be in the same class.

She could do without Lila, Chloé, and Sabrina, but she would like to stay in the same class as the others.

For once, the Eurasian girl was organized, and all her things were ready for their first day in class. She just had to pray that no one would get akumatized again. Hawkmoth had a habit to take advantage of someone’s feelings about going back to school, and it was not good for her record to miss an hour or two on the very first day of school.

Luckily, Marinette got the people she wanted in her class. Unfortunately, Chloé and Sabrina were still in her class, but Lila was in the other ES class.

So for this year, she would be in a class with Alya, Nino, Alix, Kim, Chloé, and Sabrina. Aurore Beauréal, Mireille Caquet, and Jean Duparc from Mrs. Mendeleiev’s class were also in her class along with three other students that she didn’t know: Claude, Allan, and Allegra.

It was a small class of thirteen students but Marinette preferred it that way. The professor could help their students better when there was a small number of them in the first place.

Like usual, Marinette brought macarons from her parent’s bakery and shared them with all her classmates. She got to get to know them and had a feeling that they would all get along well.

As for Chloé, well… She still had hope that the girl would start to be kinder.

She was Queen Bee once, so she had the potential to be a good person/ She just had to put the effort into it.

The Akuma didn’t strike during class, but at the end of the day. A kid that didn’t get to be in the same class as his best friend. Chat and Ladybug did a quick job in defeating him and got to talk a little about their first day in class.

Chat was sad as he only got one of his friends in his class. All his other friends were scattered in other specialties and his close group of friends was in the same class.

He told her that he was scared that they would grow apart from him since he wasn’t with them all day anymore.

Ladybug tried to reassure him that if they were really friends, that wouldn’t happen. After all, she thought, she would never allow Adrien to drift apart from them, and she will do everything in her power to maintain her friendships.

A month passed and Marinette was once again elected as the class representative. Except, this time, Alya wasn’t her deputy, but Aurore was.

Aurore was the former class president from Mrs. Mendeleiev’s class and did a very good job, so the fashion designer was confident that they would both work well together.

October was also the month where her parents took a week off from work to travel a little. This year, they would spend a week in Ireland.

Marinette was a bit envious, but she was happy that they could take a little time off for themselves now that she was old and mature enough to stay at home by herself for a week. Her parents made sure she had enough stock of everything to last her for a week so that she didn’t have to buy groceries. They left her some money for emergencies too, but the bluenette knew that she wouldn’t need it.

She hugged her parents tightly and waved them goodbye.

Damian’s new school year, so far, has been pretty good. His new classmates were still idiots, but they were tolerable. He talked to some of them, but he wouldn’t call them friends. At least, they knew that him calling them by their last name meant that he held some respect for them, and they didn’t look for more.

So, yeah, it was good, contrary to his former class where they were always trying to befriend him and would take offense every time he opened his mouth.

Calling Marinette every week made it more tolerable too, as she told him that he didn’t have to be friends with them if he didn’t want to, but should still refrain from insulting them when they didn’t do anything that would deserve such words.

It took a bit of work, but he eventually managed to not insult the people that tried to talk to him.

In September, his best friend, Jon — he would never say that to him, the youngest Kent would never leave him alone if he knew that — found out about him finding his soulmate. He asked questions, a lot of questions, and Damian reluctantly answered. The bespectacled boy wouldn’t shut up until he got answers, so he gave him just that.

He didn’t want to think about the similarities between Jon and Marinette.

Those two should never meet, he promised himself. It would be his end if they did.

Damian came back from school, thinking about Marinette. He wanted to call her after dinner. He knew her parents were gone for a week, so she probably won’t be sleeping until the early hour of the morning back in France.

He didn’t expect to find his family reunited at the dinner table, all looking solemn and worried.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Todd looked at him, handing him his phone. The youngest Wayne took it, seeing a video from the Ladyblog — the blog from Césaire, Marinette’s best friend.

“Take a seat and look at that.”

He really didn’t like the look on his brother’s face so he did just that. As he looked at the phone, the video waiting to be played, Damian suddenly got a bad feeling. He could feel knots in his guts and he looked up at his family once again.

Marinette has “met” Red Hood a few times on their video call. Todd thought it would be funny to crash his video call with his soulmate and to Damian’s misery, the two got along very well and were now thick as thieves.

Like her getting along with Drake wasn’t enough, she had to get along with Todd too.

He knew that Jason liked her a lot, and his face right now made him worry more than he would like.

He finally pressed play.

The video began like any others from the Ladyblog. Césaire explained the situation: a boy from their high school has been akumatized because he got bullied for his love of mangas and animes. The Akuma was named Animechara and his costume looked like this character from Naruto, the one with black hair and red eyes with a sword.

Damian watched, satisfied as Ladybug fought him. She took his advice to heart and took martial art classes. She was fairing very well and he couldn’t help but wonder how much she had progressed since the last time they sparred.

He watched as the Akuma took notice of Césaire.

He watched with dread as Ladybug and Chat Noir noticed that the Akuma’s attention shifted.

He watched as the cat-themed hero tried to distract Hawkmoth’s victim, only to get knocked a few feet away.

He watched with widened eyes as the Akuma threw the sword towards Césaire.

He gasped when Ladybug pushed her friend out of the way and she screamed from the pain as the sword impaled her.

Screams from Chat Noir, from Césaire and from the witnesses could be heard. There were a few more seconds of video, showing Ladybug on the ground, a pool of blood slowly appearing under her as Chat Noir tried to get a response out of her.

Then, the video stopped.

He was silent for a few moments before he looked at his family.

“Do-” he cleared his throat, trying to get his voice under control, trying to not show how worried, how scared he was. “Do we know if she’s ok?”

Todd shook his head and Damian didn’t wait for a verbal answer before he took his phone out, calling Marinette.

The dial tones seemed to last for hours for Damian, until, finally it stopped.

“Marinette! Are you-”

“Salut ! Vous êtes bien sur le répondeur de Marinette Dupain-Cheng ! Je ne suis malheureusement pas disponible pour le moment, mais laissez-moi un message et je vous rappellerai !” (Hi! You've reached Marinette Dupain-Cheng's voicemail! Unfortunately I'm not available at the moment, but leave me a message and I'll call you back!)

Dread settled in Damian and his stomach was in knots. He hung up, not leaving a message.

“I got her voicemail, she’s not answering.”

He tried to call her a second time but to no avail.

“Why- Why is she not answering?!”

He had to calm down. He could not panic. Marinette was probably fine, the Miraculous Cure healed every injury. She must not be near her phone, that must be it. She’s alive and healthy, and probably sketching in her room.

A hand to his shoulder almost made him jump, and he turned to see his father’s hard face.

“Go change into your costume. Take the Zeta tubes and go see her.”

“But, the zeta-”

“I know that we can’t use them just like that, but it’s an emergency. Go.”

He didn’t wait for his father to tell him a second time.

Marinette was in her bed, agonizing. The Miraculous Cure healed her after Chat ended the fight in record time and handed her the akumatized object, but as usual, the pain was still there.

The sword has impaled her right between her breast. Without her suit, she would have been dead in less than five minutes, but the miraculous’ magic kept her alive enough for her to purify the akuma and to cast the cure.

She didn’t tell Chat how much pain she was in. She told him goodbye after telling him to have a talk with Alya about her safety and went back home.

Thankfully, he didn’t try to get her to stay.

So, here she was, two hours after the fight, feeling like her chest was burning from the inside. She took painkillers an hour ago, but it didn’t work at all.

She was glad her parents weren’t home, she didn’t know how she could explain that to them without revealing her identity.

But, maybe she should. She would have to talk about it with Tikki first, and she knew that she wouldn’t approve at all, but the girl was the new Guardian, so she could set new rules if she wanted, right?

But it was a discussion for another time, she thoughts as she couldn’t hold back tears of pain. Right now, she wanted the pain to stop.

She felt guilty about the two phone calls she received. Her phone was on her desk, and the blue-eyed girl was in too much pain to move and answer it.

As she closed her eyes trying to sleep when she knew it wouldn’t come, she heard three knocks. Groaning, thinking it was Chat Noir, she opened her eyes, ready to tell him to go away.

But it wasn’t Chat Noir.

It was her soulmate.

“Robin?”

She could feel tears in her eyes once again. Both from her pain and from the happiness to finally see her boyfriend after five months apart.

Tikki flew up to open the skylight. With her tiny body, she only managed to open it a few inches, but it was enough for Robin to slip his finger in and lift it.

In a few seconds, he was by her side, his hand stroking her cheek. She could see the worry in his eyes.

“I saw the video on the Ladyblog. How are you feeling?”

She gave him a small, strained smile. Taking his hand in hers, she kissed his palm.

“The Miraculous Cure healed me but the pain is still there. It hurts so much.”

“Did you take something for the pain?”

She nodded. “It didn’t work.”

She saw him looking around.

“Do you have a heating pad or something? It won’t make the pain go away, but heat can appease it a little.”

She pointed at a dog plush at the end of her bed.

“It’s actually a… a bouillotte. You can put it in the microwaves.”

He frowned, trying to remember what a bouillotte was.

“Oh! A heat-storing cushion! But as a plush.” he smiled at her. “It’s cute.” He kissed her on the forehead and stroked her hair. “I’ll be right back.”

Robin came back from the kitchen after heating the plush. He handed her the dog plush and lied beside her, bringing her closer to him and resting his hand on her hip. He watched as she sighed when she put the plush on her chest. He could see she was still in great pain, but at least the heat appeased it a little.

She looked at him with eyes full of happiness, and he couldn’t understand how she could be so happy and in so much pain at the same time.

“Hey.” she stroked his cheek and kissed him on the lips. “I’m so happy to see you.”

His only answer was to kiss her again, longer this time. He hoped that she knew it meant he was happy to see her too.

“I wish it was in other circumstances, though.” he said after breaking the kiss.

“Yeah.”

He looked around, taking in her room.

She laughed.

“I know, it’s a lot of pink.”

“Yeah, but that’s totally you. Can’t say I’m surprised.”

She yawned.

He kissed her temple. Then, her jaw, her nose, her neck, and finally her lips.

“You should get some sleep.”

She nodded, grasping his cape, as if not wanting him to go.

He took the hand grasping the clothe in his, kissing the top of her head.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere.”

He felt more than saw her nod and took her in his arms when she tried to get closer to him. he waited until the pattern of her breathing changed and he was sure that she was asleep before he closed his eyes too, taking in her scent.

He fell asleep five minutes after she did.

Tag List:

@bigpicklebananatree @animegirlweeb @crazylittlemunchkin @northernbluetongue @cutechip @justafanwarrior @iloontjeboontje @resignedcatservant @maribat-is-lifeblood @i-like-fairytail-and-stuff @toodaloo-kangaroo @mikantsume @dast218 @amayakans @zestyzealot @lunarwolfspn @corabeth11​ @marinettepotterandplagg​

[fxckitup-buttercup]

“Girl let me love you And I will love you Until you learn to love yourself.” from Ne-Yo’s Let me love you.

sorry this took so long but i wanted to make sure i got this right for you! i know you like angst so i tried to make this angsty for you, my friend! ❤️❤️❤️ warning: online bullying

You felt love for everyone. 

Everyone but yourself. 

Someone could compliment you and your reaction was always, “Thank you, but that’s not right!” You would always laugh it off with the biggest smile. You never broke down no matter what happened. 

People thought you might be with someone who more matched your levels of innocence. None of them ever thought that you would be with the Red Devil himself, Karma Akabane. 

He was so completely sinful everyone was worried he’d corrupt you. You didn’t have to worry about that. You knew he loved his pranks and always listened to his crazy stories. There was a new one everyday. 

Throughout your entire relationship, you made sure to keep your head high and your smile wide. Karma had never seen you once break down in any way. 

Something that he was overly used to was you surprising him with a picture. He knew that you used social media even if he didn’t. You really did love to take pictures of places you and your friends would go for fun and post them. 

There were always issues that you would face due to being online but you would never bother anyone with them. 

There was one day when Karma was hanging out with a few of his classmates. Nagisa had gotten a notification on his phone that you had recently posted a picture on one of your platforms. Now, Karma always loved to have pictures of you on his phone so he had asked to see it. 

Nagisa handed his phone over - something he rarely did because it was Karma. “Please just don’t fuck up my phone again,” he said with a nervous laugh. 

Karma scoffed and waved aside the concern. He scrolled through your feed, smiling at how happy you looked in the pictures. There was one picture that he couldn’t help but stare at. You were wearing an outfit that you had been really happy to put together. The comments grabbed his attention. 

xxxx: that outfit just makes you look fat

xxxxxxx: protip! dont smile

xxxxxx: how are you able to have a boyfriend when you look like dog shit?

The comments went on like that. Karma went to other posts and found that there were some like that under every post. 

At that point, he was livid. He wanted to find each and every person who made those comments and make them pay. He wanted to literally smash their heads into the cold, hard, pavement. 

No one should ever disrespect someone he’s close to, especially you. Karma handed Nagisa his phone back. “I have to go,” he said quickly. He grabbed his stuff and called you, worry picking at him. 

His mind was racing. He knew that you were struggling with your body image and that these comments weren’t helping. Why didn’t you come to him? Why didn’t you tell him about what was wrong? 

As soon as Karma got to your house, he used the key you gave him to get inside. He knew you were going to be here - your last picture was of you in your room. He made his way to your room, knocking before opening your door. 

You weren’t inside but he could hear you. You were letting out soft cries and he could hear it. “(Y/N)? Babe, are you okay?” he called out. Karma immediately went to the bathroom. The door was closed and locked, making an already worried Karma, even more worried. “(Y/N), please.” His voice was soft. 

He heard you sigh from the other side. Your voice was shaky and uneven. “I’m…. I’m okay, Kar. You don’t have to worry about me,” you said from the other side. 

Little did he know that you were in a downward spiral. The people telling you those awful things online. The feelings of dread you got whenever clothes didn’t fit. The feeling of not being good enough for Karma swallowed you up most. 

You had no idea how you were able to get with a guy like Karma. He was so sweet and he loved you with all his heart. At least you hoped he did. 

Karma didn’t want you to be alone. “I know you’re not okay. I know that you’re going through shit,” he said, leaning against the bathroom door. “I don’t want you to go through this alone.” You listened to his words, not wanting to say anything. “You shouldn’t listen to what those people say about you. They’re all wrong.”

You took a deep breath, trying to wipe away your tears as you heard him. His voice was filled with so much worry but held so much care in every word. You finally opened the door, causing Karma to almost fall to the ground if he had not gained his balance quickly. 

Just as he was regaining his balance, he almost fell over again, getting tackled in your hug. You started to cry into his chest, holding onto him. He held onto you tightly, gently moving the two of you to the ground. 

Karma hated to see you like this. He hadn’t ever wanted to see you so broken. “I promise…. (Y/N), I promise, I will love you and I will love you,” he whispered softly to you. “I will love you until you learn to love yourself and even after that.”

[solest]

This will be yet another mental health post, but I won't put it under a cut this time because a) I'm on mobile and don't know how to do it here and b) yes, friends might read this. I will eben tag this and try not to feel guilty for being an attention whore by doing so. This will be longer I guess, so sorry if you have to scroll through because of a).

I thought I would have stagnated. I went to a psychosomatic clinic this summer and felt like it had not helped at all. I tried to put myself out there again and had a good moment and an immediate throwback in more than one ways. But now I'm lying here, crying over videos I see or stories I read about certain mental health things and for the first time I can accept that what I read is applying to me. I knew before, but now I accept.

I have a trauma from school and bullying. It still feels weird to say it, because I always thought that Trauma had to be something big, something life threatening and not a shitty teacher and a bunch of kids you knew since you were 3, who turned on you all of a sudden. I studied social work, took child care and protection classes, but the Traumas that were discussed there were always cases of severe violence, abuse, neglect and so on. No one ever told me that things that don't seem so threatening can stick to you and change how you react for such a long time.

I've been told by three or four therapists by now that what vi experienced was trauma, but only recently therapists were using actual methods for this on me. I've been a lively and adventurous kid until second grade. I had a math teacher who was hysterical, got emotional outbursts, screamed at us and got physical. This was known, my brothers who's six years older had her as well.

I remember her screaming at us, especially me. I've never been a math genius but this woman managed that I developed a solid fear of maths. I clearly remember her pulling my hair in front of the class, because I did not know what 7x7 was. To this day, I forgot simple formulas, my mind goes blank if too much math is involved and I'm slow calculating in my head. I started to emotionally shut down and burst into tears when doing maths homework. I was 7.

When I got into third grade, we had a maths test at the very beginning of the year and I failed it miserably. I remember I was devesrated and I link the beginning of my bullying with it and just remembered why. I got an emotional outburst. I screamed, I cried I felt helpless and lost and it was too extreme a reaction to a failed test for all around me. I now know that it was a stress response to what I had experienced before and what I linked to it. I feared to get my hair pulled again, to be screamed at. But this odd behavior only made the other kids frown on me and trying to make me this upset again., which resulted in me not having friends and not understanding why people I knew since kindergarten and who were perfectly fine with me some months ago could be so cruel.

And just some weeks ago, I saw a video on how trauma comes to be. It isn't the severity, but the surprise that shake our core beliefs. I might have a genetic disposition to anxiety disorders, which might have made it "easier" to be shaken by what happened, but that's not the sole reason it affscted me like it did. Another video stated that trauma is the way we react to what happens. This firstly made me think "Oh, so you're an over dramatic bitch that was so startled by such a thing that you developed a trauma. How pathetic". How dare I think this about myself.

The way I experienced it is valid. It did what it did to me and I can't change that. Maybe I'm too sensitive, but I can't go back and tell this my sobbing 7 yo self. I lost all my adventurous attitude. I cried a lot and developed a general anxiety disorder that was only diagnosed when I was 21. I was shamed and frowned upon my overly sensitive and emotional reactions, and as the manifestations of my GAD, mostly extreme nausea. All of this only made me hate myself more and more. People said I'm weird, not normal, mentally disabled and I believed them. I tried to please them all, to just not be alone and laughed at anymore. I'm well aware that there are people with far more severe and terrible stories, but this is mine and I can't change either.

My parents tried best their could, but looking back a proper therapy as a child might have helped me. Instead I wasn't doing good in school, because stress let me break down completely. I had anxiety when doing tests and exams, a high perfectionism I'm still not able to act upon though. My parents had not been the cause for all this and tried to help as best they could, but the damage was done.

And still, parts of this personality I had before the trauma was still there, though I felt like I had to hide it, otherwise people would reject me for who I am. I missed out on much, simply because I did not grève the mental strength to try, fearing my peers would not accept me.

My self esteem is pretty low most of the times still, but somehow I'm now at a point where I can look back on this stuff and say:

"This was messed up. There's nothing you could have done better or to prevent it. The teacher should not have acted like this. Adults should have protected you and take your desperation seriously. The other kids, no matter their own awful experiences were not entitled to treat you like shit. You're réactions are not over the top, they were cries for help. You did not deserve this, and I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. And if I could turn back in time, I would come to your aid and kick their arses."

I wasted so much time hating myself. I might not be perfect, no one is, but I'm okay. I'm enough. I don't have to be outstanding at something to be worth it, I already am, by merely existing. I'm worthy of love. I'm worthy of respect. I might have had a lot of help and I might took longer than most around ne, but I accomplished things. Things people like the math Teacher or stupid parents of stupid classmates told me I never will.

I got my high-school diploma. I studied. It took me 6 instead of 3 years for a Bachelor's degree, but I was experiencing flashback anxiety because it reminded me if school and I had to stay at home for one whole year, because I was so deep into anxiety and depression. And I made it.

I'm the first one with an academic degree in my whole family. Despite feeling like shit and thinking I can do nothing, I decided to pull through. The scores I had on papers do not define how professional I am, because I had to write them with severe panic attacks and procrastination problems.

I had long and stable relationships. I learned to drive. I figured I'm Bi, came out and nothing terrible happened. I went to Japan, with my girlfriend at the time for two months, just the two of us. I moved out and lived with another person. I quit a toxic job, because I knew it was toxic. I made friends.

Writing this down does not come easy, but I'm doing it right now. Being able to admit my successes is a huge step. I'm currently experiencing something like a second adolescents, and I think that's because I finally understand that I have to learn what I really am, what I want. I might overcompensate but that's okay. After 13 years of therapy and meds, and a noch most time without much help in this regard I'm allowed to do so.

I will not be loved by everyone and that's okay, because it means I don't have to love everyone in return. People do like me for what I am, even if it's hard to grasp. I'm not too old for things with 33 and I'm allowed to like "childish" stuff and it does not make me less of an adult. I deserve happiness and to cut toxic people out of my life. I will find a new job and it's okay if I feel like I don't know anything, I'm not dumb and I can learn quick.

I'm more than my mental illness, it does not define me completely.

[usedtobeafreesoul]

Overcoming my Fears and Doubts to Follow my Passion!

In March 2020, I discovered my dream(I guess, everyone has it, but mine was out of my wildest dreams)I just wanted to be a Singer and I mean a Pop Professional singer here. Living in India, I hadn't even heard one English song then but this dream just conquered me after I heard the FIRST one ‘Sorry’ by Justin Bieber (who is now my second biggest inspiration, keep reading to find THE FIRST ONE) what's the first step everybody does, yeah I practiced a LOT, my parents and my neighbors were the most troubled people on Earth at that time ’cause though I practiced tons I was really bad (or should I say horrible). All my family mates gave me a negative criticism at all times thinking I would let go but surprisingly I didn't. I hadn't ever been a confident girl, I was usually bullied easily but at that time I felt like my inner soul is telling me that “NAYSHA, YOU WOULDNT LET GO OF YOUR DREAMS” and I didn’t. I didn't let go, which has actually been the best decision I have made in my freaking life.

After 8 months, at last, my birthday came (Woohoo!) and think what did I ask for? Vocal lessons, of course! I took them with all my hard work and then came the time to prove myself, to whom people might ask? MYSELF. Yes, I wanted to prove myself that I am fully absorbed in this avocation. So I started a YouTube channel (Check it out if you want to), but a clear path to walk on is certainly not in my cup of tea I think. I was terrified that my friends will demotivate me and that this wall of confidence that I had created around myself will crash.So I made the stupidest decision ever possible, I didnt claim my channel, nor told anyone bout it.  Literally 4 months and 4 videos later, my mind and heart were debating on the same topic, Wanna know which side they were on? Mind-No Way. HEART- YES WAY, at last my guts kicked in and became the tiebreaker. Conclusion- I put my name in that video and my face in the video after that. More on this later Peace, Naysha

Ps. Just on a thought, I’m putting my favourite sentence (Idk if it’s a quote too) below.....Check and tell if you can find its meaning.

“ne laisse jamais tomber tes rêves”

[cutesuki--bakugou]

Cute Bakugou x Koge HCs

Just because, to cheer myself up. ╮(╯∀╰)╭

·         Bakugou has a bit of an obsession when it comes to playing with Koge’s hair. Usually, he enjoys just stroking the back of her head while casually running his fingers through the soft white locks. He’ll do this even when in the presence of others, as it has become a bit of a habit for him to do when sitting or laying beside her. 

·         They have a tendency to kiss in sets of threes. For example, if Bakugou is leaving for the day, they will share three separate kisses before Koge lets him go. Or, if they are in a more passionate moment, they will share two softer kisses before the third becomes more intense. It’s an unconscious action, and neither of them have really figured out where it came from, but it stuck. 

·         Bakugou calls Koge ‘Utsuro’ instead of her name, unless he is particularly angry / serious / affectionate. Meaning ‘hollow’, he used to call her this as an insult to her expressionless face when they were younger. It stuck, however, and Koge quite likes it. 

·         Koge does not use -kun or -chan when referring to or using Bakugou’s name. In fact, she doesn’t use these phrases for anyone except Nene, who she calls ‘Ne-chan’. She simply calls Bakugou by ‘Katsuki’. 

·         Along with that, the couple hardly uses cute pet names at all. Occasionally, Koge will call Bakugou by ‘babe’, ‘baby’ or ‘love’, but otherwise they address each other by name or Bakugou will use ‘Utsuro’.  

·         Koge is a year older than Bakugou, and surprisingly, this has caused a bit of discourse between them, mostly from the fact that Koge would do things that he wanted before he ever got the chance. This includes getting into U.A., getting a secure job before him, as well as getting her first apartment without him. At first, he did get upset from jealousy, but then it turned into a more protective side that made him angry. He wanted to be the one to provide for her and be there for her, when in reality he couldn’t, all because of a one year age difference. (Reflected in stories Home and Memories (naughty))

·         When Koge was five and Bakugou was four, just after his quirk manifested and he started to grow arrogant, he pushed her over in one of his moments of being a bully. Instead of crying or being upset, Koge got up and smacked him square in the face. Surprisingly, this had enough of an impact on Bakugou that he never tried to physically bully her again. Instead, they became friends, as he found that she was tougher than other girls and could withstand his harsh personality. 

·         Koge did struggle to stay his friend as they grew older, as he had a period of ‘ew, I can’t be friends with a girl’ and constantly pushed her away. She persisted, however, and stayed close to him all the way up until she moved away. 

·         Bakugou did have a crush on her during his pre-teen years, though his inability to connect with people on a deeper level resulted in his affections only becoming portrayed in an incoherent and often rude manner. Although they hung out alot, often in his home, he could never quite find a way to express himself outside of his typical attitude. 

·         Koge was always smitten with Bakugou, from a platonic love to romantic attraction that blossomed after she moved back to her childhood home after a year of being away so that she could attend U.A. She adores his fiery personality, but she never thought that he could feel anything more for her, so she never tried to pursue a relationship. 

·         The first time Koge ever cried in front of him was after his return from being kidnapped. (Reflected in story Emotion)

·         The two love to train and work out together. It’s something that they have always used for bonding, and they continue it well into their adult lives. (Reflected in story Love Of My Life)

·         Koge’s first pregnancy (with Matsuki) was completely unplanned and accidental. (Reflected in story Memories (naughty)). Natsuki and Atsuki were planned. 

·         Bakugou and Koge began dating due to a random event that neither of them really planned on. Having been in his dorm building during a heavy storm, Koge decided to stay in his room after a bit of an argument and admittedly heated moment. Much to her horror, she woke up to him cuddling her, and it exploded from there. (Reflected in story All Of Me) 

·         The two pick on each other quite a bit, in a friendly ‘roasting’ way. They know their limits and avoid picking on insecurities. Bakugou has a tendency to tease her about how short she is, while Koge often mentions how he smells like walking candy because of his quirk and he absolutely hates the thought. 

·         Although their adult like with children and work is hectic, they always make sure to find time for each other at least a few times a month. This could be anything from a nice date to getting shitfaced at home while the kids are gone and playing video games for hours on end. 

·         How they got engaged was actually an accident, very similar to how they first started dating. Over stressing and worrying about asking her, Bakugou decided to put the ring on her finger while she was sleeping. It didn’t turn out like he expected, but it was still an emotional and sentimental moment. (Reflected in story Accidental Proposal (Naughty))

·         Koge’s favorite physical thing about Bakugou is his back and his hands, while Bakugou’s favorite thing is her smile. 

·         It took Bakugou quite a long time to admit it, but he loves listening to Koge sing or hum, and has more than once fallen asleep listening to her. 

·         Koge loves to make bad jokes just to see Bakugou pretend to be annoyed, when in reality he can’t hide that little bit of a smile and laugh behind his scoffs. He secretly likes them. 

·         Half of Bakugou’s clothing also belongs to Koge to wear whenever she wants, and he doesn’t have a choice in the matter. Doesn’t matter if it’s giant on her, she will literally wear his t-shirts as a short dress.

·         Koge can be extremely lovable, often embarrassing Bakugou with cute words and loving phrases and turning him into a pouty cuddly mess because he doesn’t know what to say back, so he just squeezes her. 

·         They can hardly stand to not be touching when they are next to each other, even if that means just standing extremely close. Koge tends to crave his affection, while his wanting to touch her and keep her close is more often a protective impulse, especially when out in public. They stay like this way into their adult life. 

·         Oddly enough, Koge likes to play fight or wrestle with Bakugou, even when they are older. Of course, he usually always wins, but she finds that it takes a lot of energy out of both of them and makes them laugh even after a stressful day. It’s also how she tends to make up with him after arguments. (Reflected in Truth)

·         Just like Bakugou has a nickname for her, Koge has one that she calls him on occasion as a way to tease him. ‘Cutesuki’, which she says in English. She even has it spelled that way on her phone. 

·         One of their favorite things to do is take baths / showers together. It gives them a chance to talk and relax together, and they’ve found that most of their big decisions have been made while sitting in a bathtub. 

·         Bakugou often says Koge has an unhealthy obsession with skincare, but he doesn't argue when she pulls out the unscented lotion he loves so much so she can rub it on him. He is also secretly into her candle collecting, often putting them out around the home himself when she forgets.

·         They love watching B-Rated horror movies together, the worse it is, the better. 

·         Koge is actually more jealous than Bakugou is, and has a tendency to feel protective of him out in public. Being a famous pro and an attractive man usually has women gravitating towards him, which is another reason why she likes to keep herself latched to him out in public. 

·         Bakugou adores how tiny Koge is compared to him, for many reasons. He loves being able to just scoop her up and take her wherever he wants, to which she normally doesn’t object. 

... More may come as I think of them. (♡´౪`♡)

[infallibleimperfection]

Kimetsu No Yaiba - A Modern AU

Okay so I recently binge watched KNY and then reread the manga for the 100th time and all the feels just washed over me like a huge fricking tsunami so I decided that I needed a safe haven where people (SPOILER) weren’t dying left, right and centre. 

These are just head canons for now since I did write them late last night so they’re kinda all over the place but I do have more and want to continue! It’s a modern AU following the one you see in the extra pages of the manga so I tried to follow that in terms of who’s who etc. 

Also thank you to @teenytraveler who helped me head canon and also encouraged me to actually write them <3 <3 <3

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

Tanjirou’s family owns a bakery which is all the rave in town so Tanjirou often spends his free time helping out. Zenitsu also comes over to help sometimes but it’s usually an excuse to see Nezuko so he’s often sent out on deliveries instead (much to his dismay.) Inosuke tags along too but in his case, it’s because he doesn’t want to feel left out and because Takaharu nags at him too much at home.

Since Kimetsu Academy is an integrated middle and high school, Tanjirou, Nezuko and Takeo walk to school together. They stop by Inosuke’s though because he’s violently terrible at waking up for school (and only school because he thinks it’s a waste of time). Again, Zenitsu tags along to be with Nezuko, though Takeo gets in the way as much as he can.

There’s always a bit of an issue with the school counsellor, Tomioka Giyuu, at the front of the gate but Tanjirou manages to always avoid any direct conflict in a way which leaves Giyuu confused. He does have to drag Zenitsu towards the high school building though because he sometimes trails after Nezuko towards the middle school building.

Giyuu is a pretty new member of staff at Kimetsu Academy which means he’s an easy target for the rest of the staff so he often finds himself being teased by them.

He can deal with it for the most part since most of it goes over his head but he’s at a loss when the 3rd year, Kocho Shinobu starts teasing him. “Ne~ Tomioka-sensei, what’s it like being disliked by everyone?” “Ne~ Tomioka-sensei, you are aware you’re disliked, right?” She even appears in his dreams some nights, causing him to wake up in a cold sweat and fill with dread for the new day.

It takes some time for each lesson to start because Inosuke makes a big show out of challenging every teacher to the fight - something that leads him to being tied to his chair until he finally calms down and shuts up so the lesson can commence. It’s also something Zenitsu snickers at which only ensues more chaos as Inosuke chases him - chair-bound and all - until he finally lands a direct headbutt to his stomach.

All of the Kamado siblings are somewhat suspect of Zenitsu due to his overbearing adoration for their sister but the youngest, Rokuta, apparently looks up to him because he asked his mother if he could, “Have the same hairstyle as Zenitsu-nii-chan!” (It’s safe to say that Zenitsu cried a bit more than usual that day.)

Tanjirou is super popular amongst his classmates - especially with the guys. They can’t explain it but they say his presence just heals them but Inosuke often gets jealous and tell them to back off from “My Gonpachiro!”

Zenitsu looks at them all like they’re idiots before resuming his fantasy of skipping happily through a field with Nezuko.

All the middle schoolers flee the halls when they hear the familiar, “NEZUKO-CHAANNNNNN!” and the flash of yellow that zooms down the hallways along with the cry.

If he’s lucky, Zenitsu does sometimes manage to find Nezuko but if he isn’t, then he’s usually stopped by Takeo who resorts to anything to get rid of him (even if it means kicking him where it hurts.)

Tanjirou, Zenitsu and Inosuke aren’t the best at studying so they usually ask Kanao, who’s top in their year, and Aoi-senpai, who’s a year above them, to help them study. Inosuke is the first to get bored and always tries to distract the others but Aoi has made her own Inosuke Swatter to smack him on the head if he tries anything funny. It pisses him off but she always makes him really tasty food at her family’s restaurant and food > revenge so he makes do with glaring at her through the study session.

Kanao likes teaching Tanjirou because even though he’s not the best with his studies, he does catch on quicker than the other two and he puts in a lot of effort. He’s also the reason her confidence is more than what it used to be so even if she never vocalises it, she’s eternally grateful to him and treasures the time they spend together.

Nezuko also tags along but only to silently cheer on Zenitsu who will finish 100 questions in a flash if she’s there.

“Only because Zenitsu-nii-chan is dumb and will probably die if he loses any more braincells!” is Takeo’s reasoning for letting Nezuko join their study groups.

Tanjirou, Nezuko, Zenitsu and Inosuke are all part of the kendo club which Giyuu is the club advisor of (he showed up for work one day and was told the other teachers voted him to fill in the role - is this another form of their bullying?) 

Rengoku - the history teacher - used to do kendo when he was part of the high school so he often drops by to see the members and give them some tips. His training is pretty intense so most of the members tire of it quickly but Tanjirou is always wide-eyed and sparkling to learn more. They get super passionate and soon enough they’re shouting back and forth in encouragement before Zenitsu finally screams at them to shut up.

Zenitsu was initially forced by his grandpa to join and was dragged by Tanjirou, kicking and crying, but as soon as he laid his eyes on Nezuko in the room, he was up and in a kendo outfit before the warm ups had even begun. His attempts to show off kind of piss off the other members though.

 Although Nezuko has yet to speak her thoughts on Zenitsu’s affection for her, she does keep and nurture every single flower he brings her when he visits the Kamado household. Zenitsu doesn’t know this though because the rest of the siblings never tell him in worry that it’ll go to his head (which it most likely will) if he finds out.

I already have more and I’m ready to write EVEN more but I’ll just dump these ones here for now :)

[hunterartemis]

The Assistant: Filler Chapter : Nostalgia and Unresolved Issues

Word count: 4340 (initial) 5745 (after edit)

Chapter Theme: Beth’s Theme by Ólafur Arnalds : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmKkaCKWreM

Warning: Intoxicated state, mention of alcohol and smoking (I do not drink, do drugs or smoke or advice to do either one of these to anyone.)

This chapter is also very prose based, and has lesser dialogues and actions (I thought, I should take it easy in this chapter)

Summery: As the title suggests, there will be some nostalgia and unresolved issues.

The golden memory of the sunset stayed picturesque in their mind while they whirled in the edge of Dover cliff. All that happened in the golden winter afternoon seemed like a distant happy past in comparison to the ashy lilac sky against the stark white and still Dover cliff. They parted ways like two playmates after a long day in the playground, forcibly separated from each other by their mothers, however good memories need to be embalmed with a quiet solitary pondering.

Newt didn’t go straight home. He was tired and out of his senses with exhaustion. He went to the Leaky Cauldron to have himself a dinner; smiling and recalling his memories at Le Procope just to take off his mind from this perpetually subordinate meal, under a musty and dark roof. At the time of his return, while he was paying his bills, he felt the rigid folded paper in his inner breast-pocket, dormantly tucked in for a chance of safe posting.

He called upon the Hotel Owl and posted the letter, and with a crack, he was standing in front of his apartment. With a click of lock, a soft plop of his coat on his side-couch and clacks of kicking shoes of and a sweep of disrobing, Newt thudded in his bed, fast asleep. The last image in his eyes was the light blue Lanvin paper bag on his bedside study table, bulging with his unexpected ‘Christmas gift’.

On the other side of Thames, Maxine entered her apartment. Despite the day, there was a lingering futility in her exhaustion. It was that kind of exhaustion that comes after labouring intensely and getting no positive result out of it. She disrobed and donned on her favourite pink watersilk dressing gown, plopped herself on the chaise and called for her dinner. Lampito, her elf brought her dinner at the baroque coffee table at the lounge. She downed her food without any enthusiasm, as if she was being tube-fed while being anesthetised.  She was constantly reminded of Newt’s molten gold eyes and dazzling smile when he replied “yes... I do.”

There was a sense of disassociation in those three words.

While uncoiling her finger-curled bob, she leaned at the door panel of her bedroom, looking around her room with displeasement. It was the usual, a normal bedroom with a single bed and a small study table, monochromatically dull and claustrophobic. Two of the four walls were stacked upto ceilings with some read and mostly unread books. It was literally done prim and proper by her elf and instead of a welcoming comfort it generated a sternness and rigidity. She lolled towards her bed, kicked off her slippers and tossed her robe at an indefinite direction and sunk into the bed, only to summon her slender pipe and light a cigarette. But coincidentally, not once her lips touched the pipe. As the bluish gray smoke rolled upwards her mind whirled in her past.

The journey hadn’t been easy

The night oddly reminded her of her first night at Hogwarts. It was a rain-drenched September night, cold as the ninth pit of hell and awfully quiet. She smiled sourly at the affectionate bed arrangement for her on the floor by her roommates, where she slept all night, just to return the favour for the next few weeks. And she couldn’t blame them. After all, not every day a beautiful French girl comes to claim one of the spare beds amongst the people she never seen in her life. She wished she was this confident when she was actually there. The execution of the revenges and wiping the OWL papers blank of that bully Montague just after submission would have been way more fun.  

His face was priceless when he had to repeat fifth year.

Although she would never admit it to herself, she clearly remembered the first time she walked the grounds of Hogwarts, accompanied by her father Hrothgar Valois*, grabbing her by the wrist. Her unsteady feet and mass of black waves interfered with her vision and caused irritation her otherwise generous father. She remembers how he sat her down in front of Headmaster Armando Dippet and Albus Dumbledore, the assistant headmaster and head of Gryffindor house, with utter disappointment, and she remembered the flabbergasted look on their faces, as at the time of admission she was 14.

“Zere ‘ad been some circumstances for which I have come ‘ere--” Monsieur Valois spoke with a low melodious tone with a heavy French accent, and did not sound very pleased with himself.

“That we can conclude... however” Professor Dippet answered with a wheezy voice “may we know what is the reason she is insisted to be admitted here so late...? The window of admission at Hogwarts comes only once, and it is the rule and the Law of the British ministry.” Professor Dippet looked at Monsieur Valois with displeasement.

“You misunderstand me, Professeur , she is, in fact educated. She is ze third child of mine and an heiress to the noble house of Valois, surely you’ve ‘eard?” Hrothgar waved his left hand perhaps to give them a glimpse of his baroque Alexandrite signet ring, glinting on his small finger.

“Blood purity cannot buy your daughter a place in Hogwarts, I am sure you know that.” Dumbledore answered sternly and Dippet agreed with him.

“What is the proof that she wasn’t neglected her education... a couple of purebloods we know take pride in their illiteracy and claim that Hogwarts have nothing to teach... they are the Gaunts, descendants of Salazar Slytherin, surely you’ve heard?” Professor Dippet commented with taunt. Hrothgar did not faze at all, in fact e softened instantly, in fact, he became almost glib.

“Of course, of course Professeur , ‘ow impudent of me. I should ‘ave brought it earlier” Monsieur Valois gave the headmaster a series of papers, “Zis is ‘er proof of previous education, a certificate from ‘er previeus school, ‘owever, in ze matter of delicate circumstances, ze name of ze school must be confidential.” Valois looked grimly at headmaster Dippet.

“And you are still insisting that I let her in my school?” Professor Dippet spoke quite loudly, but was pacified when Dumbledore spoke something in his ears. Dippet took the papers and read through all of them, and then he looked at the girl, who was, until this point, invisible. Both Dippet and Dumbledore fixed their gaze upon the fourteen year old.

“Do you know how to perform standard spells?” Dumbledore asked her, and her dark eyes fearfully looked at her father’s face then at the professor’s face, in shaking voice she replied

“Pardon, mais je ne comprend pas…” (I am sorry but I do not understand anything) and she was more scared when professor Dippet looked displeased, “Professeur, je suis désolé pour mon incapacité a parler Anglais, je promets…” (Sir, I am sorry for my incapacity of speaking English, I promise...)* she sounded positively panicked, “d’essayer plus fort--”* (I will try my best)

“It’s okay Maxine... Ca va... Est-que ce tu savais a effectuer les sorts standard?” (do you know how to perform standard spells?) Dumbledore asked kindly, and her fearful eyes glowed with hope. She went up and attempted to perform a spell, but she could not do anything except sparks and smoke.

“It’s no good…” she heard Dippet utter, “she is just another--”

“No Professeur… j’essayer encore… une chance… sil vous plait” (No sir, I will try again, one chance... please) she waved her wand desperately again and again but nothing happened.

“Miss Valois... relax...” Dumbledore called out “respirez...” (breathe)

She breathed and closed her eyes, letting her surroundings vanish. Slowly she raised her wand and conjured a paper out of the thin air. She manoeuvred the paper to fold on itself into a bird which increased its size each time it flapped its wing and gave a final dive into the teacher’s table where it vaporised with a small ‘poof’. Dippet was judging the child by her father, and now he looked impressed for her talent.

“Very good…” came Dippet’s verdict while Maxine huffed a little sigh of relief.

“Peux-tu me montre… un sort pour transfiguration avancé?” (can you show me an advance transfiguration spell ?) Dumbledore asked her and within a moment Maxine transformed the jade paperweight on the table into a black iguana which jumped from the table and slithered across the room, startling all three men in the room.

“Bah… j’essayair un dragon” (I was aiming for a Dragon), Maxine mused but she knew with their expression that she is as good as in. Her years in L’estate Valois made her good in reading men.

Maxine smiled at her little memory of entrance exam. She remembered when professor Dippet finally agreed to bring out the sorting hat and place it on Maxine’s head. Dumbledore kindly informed her about all the formalities of the school. But that’s not the most kindest or memorable about the first day; the strangest thing started when that frayed battered hat was placed upon her head.

“Ah… how very interesting” the hat whispered in her mind, “courageous and timid, loyal and detached and an inquisitive mind… what to do with you?” the hat as if whispered into her inner psyche, like some cumbersome thought bugging one in the dead of the night.

“C’est étrange… Vous parlez ?” (How strange… you talk?)  Maxine’s mind relayed this at an instant. In the reply of the child, a faint coarse laugh echoed in the hollow of her brain, “Oui, petit fille, et je peux regarder dans votre espirit” (yes little girl, and I can see into your mind)

“Tu crois que tu peux me comprendre?” (you think you can understand me?) Maxine thought, “un petit chapeau comme toi?” (a little hat like you?)

“Défiance, c’est vrai?” (Defiance, is it?) The hat whispered “mais ma petit fille, est-que ce vous savez quand j’ai possède un abélite extraordinaire ce qui rend vous petit esprit claire comme du verre pour moi ?” (But do you know little girl that I possess an extraordinary ability that renders your little mind as clear as glass to me?) the hat haughtily answered her back and paused, and in a assuring and firm tone spoke “laissez moi démêler ton âme Maxine Valois… laissez moi te guider a la sublime.” (let me uncover your mind Maxine Valois... let me guide you to the sublime.)

“Comme ca?” (how so?)

“Even in the least confident child lies innate capability that, if harnessed correctly, it transforms them into someone extraordinary.” The sorting hat sermonised “and I am here, at the threshold to the doorway to greatness, only to make that choice easier.”

“Je comprend tout… mais c’est Anglais!” (I understand everything... but it’s English) Maxine thought.

“Yes… now let’s look at you again. Ah, such curious mind you have… what a complex concept you have on good and evil, respect and retaliation, rage and calm. An old fear that have caged you long since, but what is that that lurks inside? A bird or a monster...?”

“So you are nothing but a rusty old hat, who cannot even decide where to put me...” Maxine thought sarcastically, and then within her head the voice echoed “You possess contempt for the world because it fails to understand you, but do you understand yourself?”

“What do you mean?”

“And that is the reason you crave greatness to conquer them all and knowledge to conquer yourself” the hat asserted, “and both sides weigh equally. So if you have to choose one of them, which one would it be?”

“Knowledge” Maxine answered in her mind “you can achieve greatness without knowledge, but it will not be for long, someone will eventually defeat you. However, if one has knowledge, greatness is a matter of time.��

“A heart fit for a Slytherin…” the sorting hat said aloud. However in that finality of note, lingered another statement, in which’s anticipation made Maxine lose her patience for every passing fractions of seconds. She knows what she was getting into, another place where status and family meant all. At the same time seeing her father’s eyes glinted with pride; she didn’t had the heart to disappoint him. She saw Dumbledore and Dippet watching her closely, and instantly she knew none of the conversation was heard by them. It must have been quite long because they looked at her way as if they were waiting for long anticipated news.

“But the spirit soars with Eagle wings…” the sorting hat concluded, and announced the verdict “I place her in Ravenclaw.”

Her life in Hogwarts wasn’t normal at all. She struggled a lot with the languages, got a lot of detentions and eventually she became more reckless and desperate with the faculty and the students. She hadn’t any friends, even within her houses. People would either whisper “go back to your country” or openly call her ‘Quin’ or some other adorable slurs. The faculty couldn’t do anything to her because of her grades, but she could tell that they didn’t like that she was the topper, there was some disapproval in their eyes... for which she caused it, she didn’t know.

Another thing which made her more of a target for bullying and censor. She was frequently visited by ministry officials, for what she didn’t know. They always asked the same questions: who was she? how was her family? where she came from? and the answers were always the same exasperated replies. She didn’t even remembered their face at this point, but they looked at her in a way that made her feel like she was being pitied. And she didn’t like that-- after all, why should she, she was from the Noble Family of Valois, one of the oldest  and richest French Purebloods. She should not be pitied, she should be a subject of jealousy. 

Hogwarts, as she remembered, was a prison to her. The hardest part of this experience was the inability to express her opinion. After all, who would believe her? Hogwarts was the best Wizarding school in the whole world.

Therefore she sought her escape in the Dark Forest, away from the maddening crowd, far from the scorns and judgement, into the musty scent and under the shades of the green canopy, with the dryads and wood-fairies, bowtruckles and the nightingales... flying all across the vast forest, harmonising with the Merpeople into a green horizon of peace. The silent ones don’t judge and discriminate, they love unconditionally, give unconditionally and that was the only thing that pacified her in the whole world. That same peace, she found with Newt Scamander.  Only with Newt she found a place where she can belong--without and family name or money, or grades. Just as herself.

The cigarette ash suspended on its dying ember. Maxine tipped it off and blew out the candle.

Many miles underground, inside a dark office, scratching of quills over papers could still be heard. Theseus Scamander was still working on the leads of Grindlewald. His well combed waves were astray, and he was on his fifth coffee in the past three hours. The towers of documents, immigration papers, and status profile and employment details were taking a physical toll on him as well as mental. All his employees left after sunset, as per standard rules, but not him. He could not bear to go home and eat, and sleep and let the memory of Pere Lachaise haunt him. He had to find a way to avenge Leta—

Thud.

“For Merlin’s sake Max, stop generating more work and just go home...”  Theseus screamed while scribbling and when he looked up to see the scattered piles of paper, he saw no one there. Feeling stupid on his antics and thanking that he was alone, he tried to refocus. However, he couldn’t. He put down his quill and tried to reach for his coffee. It spilled all over his papers.

“This evening could not get any worse... tergeo” with another wave of wand he put away all his papers, took his bag, opened the door and locked it, determined to go home and take some rest. Now he regretted his frequency of consuming coffee which will make him stay wide awake.

At the same time, he was made terribly aware of himself and the silence and utter solitude around him. Each step he took magnified and came to his ears like some demented dying heartbeat. As if he was alone in the world, the only human cursed to walk in his wretched world that had stripped away everything from him. The slopey rails took him further and further down to the landing, now gleaming darkly as the dying lights slowly tossed themselves against the black marbles. The golden bars of the lift glowed dimly with the pallor of dead bones, which in fact surprised him. He always thought them beautiful, but now they did not.

He walked towards the right hand side corridor, towards the Department of Mysteries. It looks like it was one floor down from the Auror Office, but it was not. The illusive architecture always amazed him and always amused Maxine; she called the illusion of the floor ‘like a screw’, winding upwards and winding downwards at the same time.

He smiled on his own, as he trotted through the dark corridor, doors after doors passing like some avoided and neglected people on a depraved street. Then at one point he stopped, he stopped at the Door of Archives, where from the inception of the Ministry, every person is documented and kept behind the locked doors. On the opposite was the interrogation room; where convicts are brought for questioning, and curiously enough, interviews took place. The first time Theseus entered those doors after entering the ministry, was as one of the directors in the Interview board. After a boring set of interviews, entered a willowy and pale woman, whose sharp black eyes and slit smile announced that she was no ordinary woman

“Tell us about yourself...” Travers asked her and Theseus was noting everything down on his clipboard, mainly about her body language.

‘Tall, attractive, very French... ’

‘I am Maxine Valois, I graduated Hogwarts in the summer of 1912, and I grant myself proficient in all the qualities you require for an Auror.’

‘Late-comer, desperate, trying to conceal insecurities with confident voice’

“Excellent... now, if your testimony is correct and so is your records, you’ve been graduated about eleven years ago.” Travers asked, “May I ask why you delayed yourself from reaching out?”

“With all respect sir, I said I graduated Hogwarts at the summer of 1912, that doesn’t conclude that I have pulled a curtain upon my studies, now does it?” said she with amusement “I was out and about around the world, studying and researching, and when my inheritance of some few thousand galleons were at exhaustion I decided that it was an end for my academic pursuits.”

Theseus scratched out the last sentence and scribbled ‘Possibly formidable candidate, intelligent, little on the over-confident side, has a way with words, less likely to follow authorities,’

“What kind of studies were you pursuing...?” Travers asked with curiosity and a sense of annoyance that sounded to Theseus’ ears as a mockery.

“I am not really obliged to disclose that here because I have sworn secrecy with the institutions about the lessons I received...” said Maxine.

Theseus scribbled ‘Emphasis on arrogant, likely to fail for angering Travers.’

“Why is that?”

“I have paid visits most of the Wizarding schools in the world, you can ask them individually if you want. Nothing shall escape my lips”

‘Bordering on insufferable,’

“Thank you Miss Valois you shall be called--”

“You cannot cast me out like this.” Maxine said calmly and Theseus looked up from his paper to look at her face. The level of audacity was just too unimaginable for him and later he understood that he was on the same page with everyone about this interviewee. There was no sign of fear, arrogance or sneer on her face. The calm demeanour signified that she knew what she was talking about and it made Theseus look straight across her face, but only for so long. There was a dazzling sharpness in those angled black eyes that made the beholder lower their sight after a few moments.

“Why do you think that we do not have that kind of power” said Travers, laughing “because we at this side of the table have every power to cast you out as you like.”

“You misunderstand me sir...” Maxine continued with her serene voice “British ministry is getting weaker and weaker every moment, you see, this little Island is not only detached from Europe but also the rest of the world where the recruitments are better, stricter and more efficient. You see, your inefficient policy with wizards and non-wizards have made you vulnerable against the extremists and right now most powerful wizards in the country are rallying against you. If I walk out of this and send a word, most powerful anti-British ministries will jump on the bandwagon of recruiting me, and I would rather be on this side than on the other side of massacre and extremism... if you think I am lying or bluffing, the fourth page of my Curriculum Vitae can testify to that.”

Theseus and Travers, out of curiosity peered to the page Maxine mentioned and a shining golden badge on a piece of silk paper was encrusted. Maxine, understanding that they cannot read the language, pointed her wand towards them and softly uttered in an unfamiliar language.

“This Award of Golden Robe and of Five Seals goes to Miss Maxine Valois, By Japanese Wizarding Congress. She is hereby awarded an honorary member of Society of Eurasian Magical Corporation and is hereby granted a full permission to take citizenship and work on Japanese soil”*

The men could not speak for some times, and then suddenly Travers looked at her “that is indeed an impressive feat. To be able to acquire such a position in an ultra-homogeneous community” Said he and started to counsel amongst his fellow board members. After some painful minutes and questioning stares the verdict was passed.

“And we will be glad to have you here on the British Ministry.”

“Thank you sir... I am most delighted” Maxine stood up and shook his hands.

After all the interviews, when the selections were being done, there was a time when Maxine’s names was announced. Theseus was astound at the frivolity of the minds of men in power; those openly displayed disapproval were now fighting over that single girl who had outwitted them. He remembered how the interview board turned into the fights of Juries in Wizengamot. He quietly observed how the Head Aurors practically jumped on each other. Not even Theseus knew what was going to happen in the next moment.

“Sirs...“ boomed Theseus, standing up, “with all due respect, I think your fight is nothing more than redundant.“

“What is the meaning of this Mr. Scamander?“ Damon Yaxley roared, “just because you have won the war, doesn’t make you decider of our fates...“

“Why would I try to decide your fates Sirs, I am an Auror... I destroy my enemies, like you all.“ and with him all the interview board started to laugh with him “all I am asking that I should have that Franco-English girl as my intern and subordinate.“

“Sorry m’boy, but I think you are a little too young to decide to that“ answered Archturius Black, and Theseus replied, suppressing the heated insult “and you Mr. Black, is too old for that.“ and the board laughed again

“Sirs... not only my department is short stuffed and suffering, but also compromised most aurors in the field than yours. I am only asking a fair recruit. Besides, don’t I deserve that for winning the war?“ Theseus smiled and sat down, because he knew the game was his when no one spoke against him anymore. He too was surprised of himself... he never thought he would be this desperate.

Theseus smiled at that memory and for a good reason. It was the pivotal step of their relationship, he as the boss and she as the intern. And soon from fetching papers and carrying out notices, that belated intern became an inseparable member of Theseus’ team. Soon Travers started ordering Theseus to take her into important missions, carrying out espionages and surveillance jobs, and her promotion rate was going upwards so steeply that she was soon the Assistant General on Theseus’ team, working alongside him in the same office. Of course he never told her what he did to the entire Law Enforcement team to get her. The Scamander-Valois team was unbeatable, until that time...

It was almost six months ago...

He was preparing for departing to Paris with Leta and his team, Travers had a big row with Maxine as she thought the operation will be a great failure. Terrified more than excited, Theseus was coming out of the archive room after inspecting some papers. After closing the door, he saw Leta in front of him, equally terrified as him and sad.

“Leta... we will be fine” Theseus tried to console her, but she didn’t budge; the thought of dead Corvus Lestrange always plagued her. Theseus took her into his arms, lifted her face and embraced her lips into his. Leta understood that, Theseus always tries to console her at both physical and psychological planes, but sometimes when he finds himself at loss of words, he lets his affections physically manifest and radiates on to others. Each time he connected himself physically with Leta he felt an unknown fulfilment, and Leta allowed him that.

In his moment of satisfaction, his ken picked up another face, gleaming at the dark at the side. He broke his kiss with Leta and looked at the person.

“Max...” he unconsciously wiped his lips and spoke hoarsely and unsteadily. Maxine on the other hand, looked like her usual self; Theseus cleared his voice and said “what you’re doing here?”

“I am sorry to interrupt your meeting but Travers is calling for you...” Maxine informed; and was attempting to leave the place, but Leta stopped her. Her hand reached her high shoulder gently and she waited for Maxine to turn, “Maxine I am sorry that you could not join us.”

“It’s okay...” Maxine asserted before even Leta could finish, “Besides, dictators, social climbers and brainless whiners seems to be the order of day. Someone needs to keep their heads in the right place” Maxine added with her usual twisted smirk, “and um... that dress seems to be a little on the drinking party side than ‘I am visiting my brother’s tomb’ side--”

“Maxine...” Theseus’ voice concealed an alarm in that hushed tone.

“However, who am I to judge, I am not the only French here right?” a cruel smile graced on her lips.

Theseus could take no more, he took a few stepped forwards, “Stop it” he hissed at Maxine, whose expression looked unaffected and almost bored. She turned her face towards Leta, “so bon chance on your failed mission and do let me know how many of you gets compromised--” after a sneer and a wink, she clacked away.

Leta prevented Theseus from chasing her back and shook her head in the indication that Theseus should not speak about this fiasco and cause a ruckus. As Leta left to join Travers, Theseus chased right after Maxine. He could feel the skin under his collar heating up with every step he took. Blood pounded in his ears. As he slammed his office door open, he saw Maxine there, organising papers. She turned towards him as if it was another day in the office, but it only did so to infuriate Theseus even more. He forcefully turned her towards himself and his face, by this time looked like he had murdered someone.

“Why are you like this Maxine, Why?” Theseus bellowed, “Your attitude was beneath you. I can overlook your petty pranks here and there but that... that was unforgivable. You behaved like a mean schoolgirl with her and I am disappointed in you.”

“Beneath me?” Maxine asked unemotionally, “you claim to understand what is beneath or above me? Stop sounding so noble Theseus, you sound like those imbecile chevals.”* She tried to walk off from the conversation by brushing the topic lightly but Theseus wasn’t having any. He again turned out towards her “yes I do.” He said with heat “You behaved improperly today, and not to mention you have hurt Leta beyond the limit. All the ministry employees know that Corvus Lestrange is a forbidden topic--”

“By your orders it is then? Merlin when I came to this place I had to work so much harder despite my academic qualification and she, didn’t even had six months is getting treated like a queen. I wonder how far she went in your--”

“SHE IS MY FIANCEE MISS VALOIS AND YOU WILL DO WELL TO SPEAK WITH HER WITH DECENCY.” Theseus took a few steps back and turned on his heel and walked away. For a brief moment he saw the dazzling black eyes moistened, but he was too proud to stand there.

The memory hit him hard. He stopped at his tracks and leaned on the wall; the same wall where it all started. That incident that never really got resolved even though things got back to normal after the days. Whenever he tried to apologise, Maxine would ignore it or veer the conversation otherwise. Sometimes he thought she leaving Ministry and joining as Newt’s assistant was a big prank on its own; why argue through your job and literally throw it away for animal scutwork?—he will never understand that, and sometimes just thinking about all those mismatching things gave him a headache.

Nothing makes sense anymore these days.

...

‘‘Maîtresse... maîtresse...’ a wheezy voice woke Maxine up in the middle of the night. Rubbing her eyes, she breathed sharply and sat up on her bed. There was still some streetlight left in the street that could permeate through the still and transparent linen curtain.

“What?” Maxine exclaimed angrily and the elf turned on the bedside lamp, “it’s two thirty in the morning, I told you unless someone is dying on my doorsteps do not disturb--”

“It is a man maitresse… ” Lampito answered fearfully, “he introduced himself as Scamander… he is asking for you maitresse, and he is not well.”

Maxine’s face hardened and a trace of worry in her sleepy eyes appeared like a thin curtain “Barbe de Mer…” she almost jumped out of the bed, throwing herself only her blush colored dressing-gown. The time she entered her sitting room, she saw a tall brunet man in tweed suit lolling on her chaise with his face down towards the floor. His hand lolled at one side and it seemed like all the blood in his body was drained. Maxine rushed towards her chaise and straightened him to see his face.

“Theseus--” she whispered, but it was unlike anything she ever known that barely resembled ‘Theseus Scamander’. His face was red and lulled to a drunken stupor. Traces of vomit crusted around his lips and jaw, and some even soiled his shoulder. Maxine covered her nose and pointed the wand to siphon the dirt of his body and face, and indignantly looked at her chaise, if something has been dirtied or not.

“This chaise cost me six hundred galleons… direct from Provence too…” Maxine exasperated, “I wonder what gotten into him to do this. Lampito…” she turned to the elf “go make Monsieur Scamander some tall espresso and fetch all the sausages and eggs we have. For now, get me a glass of milk. Levicorpus…” Maxine lifted Theseus up on air and kicked off the door of her study, to prop him on the fainting couch; no way will she let a drunken man into her bedroom.

She laid him on his side first, loosened his shoes, necktie and got rid of the blazer and the waistcoat. She gave them all to the elf and ordered them to wash it. With all the changes of position and possible rise of discomfort, Theseus started to groan as a response of being moved.

“Okay you schmuck…” Maxine propped his head as gently as possible. It was a strenuous job to lay him comfortably on the cushion because not only he was a foot taller and weighed at least 40 pounds more than Maxine, but he was also an exceptionally difficult person in his intoxicated self. Maxine tried hard to hold the head close but not too close to her chest, the fluttering of her neckline due to Theseus’ groaning and breathing was unnerving already. After an agonizing struggle when she finally managed to lay his head on the pillow, he jolted up and another wave of projectile vomit ensued, spewing everywhere.

As much as Maxine wanted to scream at Theseus and bash his skull in the walls for ruining her Victorian couch and Chinese watersilk, she felt an uncommon pity towards him that she never knew before. Siphoning every speck of sick, she knelt beside him as he groaned feverishly. His dry, puce lips mumbled something so low that Maxine had to bring her ears to his lips to listen.

“Forgive me…. Leta… I couldn’t save you… I am sorry… so sorry”

“Oh you fool…” Maxine whispered to herself, “stop blaming yourself for her death… it wasn’t your fault” her small voice shook, “you cannot carry the whole burden of the world… stop being such an imbecile Cheval… ” Maxine put her hand on his forehead reluctantly after contemplating against doing it, and stroked him gently and surely. She felt terrible seeing someone who had always been superior to her broken into pieces like this. Not even in her worst nightmare she would have imagined that Theseus would do something like this. Even the day when she quit, he seemed fine and alright. Personally she blamed herself a little for this state of Theseus; after all she was the Vice Head of his team, working alongside him day and night. She could have understood it—but she failed.

People say it’s the woman who are difficult to get a read on, but what about men like him, who suppress their emotions to such a point that it breaks them from within?

“please don’t leave me… pleas--”

“Maitresse…” Maxine startled into life and looked at the back, Lampito was standing with a glass of milk, “you wanted it for Monsieur Scamander”

Maxine stood up hastily, rearranging her robe a little, “feed him, and check on him every hour…” she walked towards the door.

“Maitresse, are you alright?” Lampito asked in a puzzled voice.“Yes…” she turned towards the elf and smiled with a small manner, “I am just tired.”

Tags: @my-current-fandom-is

In this chapter I wanted to explore a bit with the dynamics of Maxine and Theseus. They were former colleagues and I have hinted that things weren’t entirely platonic. From whose side it was more, I will leave it to you. At this point you can see, Maxine has totally different dynamics with Newt and Theseus. 

The French subtitles were getting cumbersome, so I added the translation right there. But some words here and there are added in the footnote.

Baroque: I have mentioned that quite often. Baroque is a style of architecture, music, and fashion that is emotional, overtly religious and ornamental. It was famous form late 17th to late 18th century. This is also the period when French Aristocracy died (French Revolution : 1789), so I thought that an old French Pureblood family, such as the Valois will try to hold onto that ‘good old days’. Here is an example how ‘Baroque’ looks like:

Signet Ring: a family jewel worn as a ring on the little finger by European aristocratic males (the eldest son, the Paterfamilias). It usually bears the Family crest, and passed down generation after generation. Here is the sample Baroque signet ring worn by the Last French Monarch, Louis XVI, crested with Fleur de Lis

Valois: French for “From the Valley”, it was a very famous Aristocratic house in France, and for several centuries, they assumed the French Throne.

Quin: a Slang for Vagina

Maitresse: French for “Mistress”

Barbe de Mer: French for “Merlin’s beard”, however, Maxine shortens Merlin into “Mer”, French for the sea, also signifying “Beard of the Sea” or tumultuous waves.

Fainting couch : a couch in the Victorian household where women who were sick, fainting or both used to lay down.

Cheval: french for “horse”, metaphorically signifying Cheveliers (knights).