#man i knew he sucked but he really is in the top 3 of deadbeat dads in manga/anime huh

[pulquedeguayaba]

Oh yeah

[accidentallyadramablog]

Review: Down With Love (2010)

I felt a little nostalgic this week and decided to rewatch Down With Love, a romcom out of Taiwan featuring Ella Chen (from Hana Kimi) and Jerry Yan (Meteor Garden).

This is more of a brain dump as opposed to a real review. More below the cut.

Let me just start with the fact I love dramas with tomboys, gender benders, and gender non-conforming women and girls in general. I'm a 40 yr old gnc bi-woman, so some of these storylines really resonate with me - despite the trend of making those female characters glaringly stupid and pitiable.

Tags: Nanny, Love Square, Tomboy, Male Chases Female First, Sismance, Rich Man/Poor Woman, Pretends To Be Gay, Single Parent, Sisterhood, Boss/Employee Relationship

Our girl Ella Chen plays tomboy Yang Guo. Yang Guo works, has friends, and a shitty boyfriend of 5 years. She acts naïve, but she actually has a lot of life experience due to a *tragic backstory*. After her mother died, her father ruined the family business. Their family plunged from riches to rags and their father abandoned them. Yang Guo is 6 when this happens and it falls on her older sister Yang Duo to raise them both while homeless, starving, and navigating the homeless camps in the parks of Taipei.

Yang Duo (Kelly Huang) has raised her little sister by herself, beginning from poverty and homelessness to having a house and making a life for themselves. They bicker good-naturedly, but Yang Duo is very protective and supportive of her sister. She's managed to earn a job at a prestigious law firm as an admin assistant with strong accounting skills. She is seen as frugal, clever, and competent. Several characters make comments throughout the series about how it was a shame that she didn't go into certain careers because she's so accomplished despite not having a formal education. It's obvious that Yang Duo has put her own dreams and happiness on hold to make sure that she and Guo have financial security. Yang Duo is my favorite character btw. She is a supporting character that is multi-faceted and has her own character arc. I really like seeing her growth in this drama, and she gets some cute side couple action later in the series. Skip the last episode.

Due to growing up in poverty and scrabbling to lower-middle-class, the two girls work nonstop. After Guo is fired from her job waiting tables, Duo gets Guo a job as a nanny for her boss Xiang Yu Ping by lying and saying Guo is a lesbian.

Xiang Yu Ping (Jerry Yan) owns his own law firm and is seen as cold and overbearing. He is raising his dead brother's kids and none of the nannies he's hired have lasted either due to being chased off by the kids (a la the Sound of Music) or by trying to seduce him because he's a rich handsome lawyer. Relieved to have found a nanny who definitely wouldn't seduce him (because he thinks she's a lesbian), he just pays an unreasonably huge salary to keep her there with the kids despite their abuse.

Supporting characters: Amanda Chu as the best friend Yan Ling with the messy dating life is also delightful, but I've enjoyed all her roles. I may rewatch Lion Pride for her, now that I'm walking down memory lane. The office of 'just some lawyer dudes being dudes' are funny. I love when they gather around to watch drama and place bets on what's happening. They're also slackers. I would love/hate to work with them.

So that's the setup.

Honestly, I hate the 'pretends to be gay' plots. It's typically really offensive and this was no exception in a lot of places. (It's not at the same level as Personal Taste, but it's bad.) One of the cases Yu Ping takes on is unlawful termination and blackmail of a gay teacher and he asks for Yang Guo's advice to help the man. Taiwan was trying in 2010, but it wasn't exactly good representation to have a fake lesbian help an actual gay man faced with employment discrimination and blackmail over his orientation. When I compare this with Love is Science (2021 twdrama) that has two out lgbt characters employed in their office with significant roles, I'm just so happy that lgbtq media representation is still progressing.

I don't care about Yu Ping's best friend Qi Ke Zhong or Yu Ping's ex-girlfriend Ding Hui Fan because they're both terrible people that don't deserve forgiveness and their only purpose was to drag out our leads getting together. Since this was a rewatch, I knew how much I hated their scenes and skipped them as much as I could. You're not missing anything. Someone on YT needs to just make a Yang Duo/Xiang Yu Ping cut, tbh. Also? Go ahead and skip the deadbeat father.

The nanny bit only lasts three episodes (the kids are adorable), but it's long enough for Yu Ping to catch feelings and think his lesbian nanny is cute. He actually is not cold and overbearing as episode 1 makes him out to be. Yu Ping is supportive and tries to be a good friend to Guo. When he thinks her 'girlfriend' is cheating on her, he absolutely flips out because he feels she deserves to be respected and loved in her relationship. He learns about her family. He learns about her friends. He knows where to look for her when she's upset. He knows how to cheer her up and later, he knows how to make the perfect date. When he finds out she lied about being a lesbian, he's not even mad. He admits it was his fault for making certain demands in the employment contract. He's just upset that he's lost chances to flirt and court her.

Listen. It's a dumb premise in this drama and the misunderstandings suck. But it's so refreshing to see male leads be decent to women that are romantically and sexually unavailable to them. The bar is so low, in RL and in dramas, that Yu Ping belongs in the top tier of male drama leads. This dude was just going to continue in a supportive friendship for an undetermined time, both when he thought she was a lesbian and later when his shitty weasel of a best friend dated her under false pretenses. He didn't burden her with a confession until her relationship was over. And whenever she asked for space, he gave it to her. And when she confronted him on instances of jealously, he apologized and gave her space.

Yu Ping never tries to change Guo. He doesn't give her a makeover. She has a makeover scene that is instigated by another character and all he does is try to make her comfortable when she's so obviously uncomfortable. Then he cheers inwardly when he sees her overcome her awkwardness and have confidence. But by the end of the drama, she is still dressing and acting the same as in act 1. It honestly reminded me a little of Coffee Prince in that the fancy male lead is still just as enamored with his gnc woman by the end and the way she presents herself doesn't have an effect on their romantic relationship. Again, this is content catered to me as a bi & gnc woman in a relationship with a cis-het man. I often am mistaken for a man when I go out with my spouse and he's still super into me so let's normalize gnc people with gc people already it's 2021.

Anyway, if you watch romances for kisses, there's really only a couple of pecks and one nice passionate kiss and they're all in basically the last 3 eps of the series.

The last episode sucks. Stop at episode 15. Seriously. Don't watch episode 16. Why oh why do you let terrible people back in your life? Qi Ke Zhong and Ding Hui Fan are toxic and should but cut out of their lives. The end of ep 15 had a happy ending with a family-style breakfast for our two sisters with their boyfriends. Ep 16 threw in some more misunderstanding, jealousy, and separations followed by a time skip for no reason and brought back my two least favorite characters.

Anyway, I will live in my little world with Yang Duo and her sweet lawyer boyfriend Liang Zhi Hao (Ian Yim/Cyran Yan/Yan Yi En yeah, this actor has three stage names) that supports her interests and self-determination while they save money on mass transit by using his motorbike. And they build her dream home that she designs. Perhaps they put aside funds for her to pursue a degree in what she's passionate about.

[talesofphantombandits]

The Loyalty of a Bandit ~ Chapter One.

Summary: Solar Bandit was an Orphan since the age of Five. She now lived her life pick pocketing and stealing to make ends meet. Ryder has been there for her since before she can remember, they were tied to each other and made a packed to marry one day.  But what happens when she steals from a charming pilot in the Cantina and he changes her life forever. 

Character pairing: Poe Dameron/OC character. Warnings: probably mild language. If this chapter does well, then I’ll be writing the rest of the chapters before sharing. If you would like to be tagged let me know, I will start a tagging list <3 Enjoy. 

Solars outfit. (Source: Pintrest) ____________________________________________________________

“Where are you going?”

I walked out of my room and headed towards the door, picking up my long coat off the back of a chair as I walked past.

“Out.” I snapped.

“I swear Solar if you bring those Storm troopers to my door again, you’re out.”

I open the door but turned to look back at Frieda who was in her favourite chair slumped by the fire. This is where you’d always find her, she was the typical grumpy old women. She even had the straw grey hair that sat in a bun atop of her head. I wouldn’t say she was a guardian of sorts but she owned the little room I slept in, so she was more of a landlord. I’d been here since I was five years old when my parents were mysteriously murdered and I become an orphan.

That’s when I turned to stealing, pick pocketing you name it. I did whatever it took to survive, at least the experience had given me a hard exterior. I’d learnt to fight and protect myself. It paid to keep the roof over my head, Frieda was kind enough women but at the first opportunity to kick me out I think she would she would take it in a heartbeat. 

“Don’t worry, I won’t.” I shut the door, putting my hood up and scarf over my mouth. The streets were dusty, the sand could get everywhere imaginable but I’d learnt to cover up well. This kept the dust out and kept the harmful sun off my skin. 

I headed down the hill towards the hanger, I was hoping that Ryder would have finished repairs on the old abandoned X-Wing. The resistance was something of a mystery to us, I don’t think anyone on this planet has seen a resistance fighter. Unfortunately we’d seen way too many First Order troops. So where the X-Wing had come from was unknown, but it was exciting. 

“How’s it going Ry, any progress?” I propped myself on his cluttered desktop, however many times I’d tidied it when bored. Ryder always managed to get it to the same level of messy.  I should learn my lesson and just leave it alone, but it was something to do during evenings I spent in here while he worked on machines.

He emerged from behind the wing wiping his hands on a old rag. “Nearly finished actually, wasn’t as torn up as I thought.”

He smiled at me sweetly and walking his way over to where I’d perched. Ryder was tall, probably about 6’1. He had dusty blonde medium length hair and a toned physique. But my favourite part had always been the ocean blue eyes. I looked up as he approached and looked into them smiling at how beautiful he was. I handed him his flask that sat next to me, he stood just in front of me his thighs touching my knees. 

“Thanks Sol.” He chugged nearly the whole flask before continuing. “You going to the cantina?” He put the flask back where it belonged on the workstation then put his hand on my knee.

“Unfortunately yes, rents due soon.” I made a sad puppy face.  I didn’t like stealing from people, I always carried a wave of guilt when I did. But I also liked food, water and keeping myself alive.

He just chuckled at me, stroking my cheek. “Well be careful, I need you back to me in once piece.” He smiled, kissing the top of my head. He moved back towards the X-Wing.

I hopped down, saluting him. “Yes, Sir, You get that X-wing ready for tomorrow. I’m excited to take it out for a spin!”

“Yes ma’am. She’ll be ready for you.” I just giggled and waved to him, he just waved his rag at me.

I skipped out of the hanger making my way over the dune to the old Cantina with a smile on my face. Ryder had been my only friend for many years now, we had made a pact to get married seen as it had just been us for so long. We felt like we kind of owed it to each other to stick together seen as we’d come this far. I definitely loved him, at least I think I did.  I hadn’t really been exposed to relationships, only being around Ryder.

He was a brilliant mechanic, his talents were being wasted on this dull planet. The amount of craft he’d fixed up in record time always amazed me. He’d even let me take out the ones he’d found and fixed up, flying was an escape from this place. It was also comforting to know I could fly us out of here if we ever needed to escape. 

As I entered the cantina I stood leaning against the back wall, starting to scope the tables and stools for my first victim. This was the routine flirt a little, bat the eyelashes and when they were totally sucked in mess with them a little while taking all the precious goods they had idly left in their deep pockets. They would be none the wiser. It wasn’t anything genius or complex, I was no spy. But I had yet to be caught out, I’d had one close call in the thirteen years I’d been at it.  

I was scanning over the bar stools when a man with curly hair grabbed my attention, he had his back to me but the expensive looking leather jacket set jackpot bells off in my head.

“Bingo.”

I slowly made my way to the empty stool next to him, lowering my voice. “Is this seat taken?” I pointed down to it.

He placed his glass down, turning to look at me. To say he was a little taken a back that someone was talking to him would be a big understatement.

He was silent so I looked at him properly. Dam he was beautiful. He had a head full of curls, warm chocolate eyes and honey toned skin. I nearly turned and walked away, this man was most certainly too stunning to rob. I quickly shook my head that was nonsense I wasn’t going to start giving people special treatment just because god clearly made him his favourite. You either rob him or you live on the streets, you can’t be picky I told myself. 

“No.” He spoke finally. His voice was deep but calming. He smiled at me, I had to sit down before my legs turned to jelly. “Please, join me.”

Taking a deep breath I sat, reminding myself that I had Ryder waiting for me back at the hanger. But this guy was so hypnotising.

“What brings you here?” He ordered me a drink.

“Just got off work, I needed a pick me up. But then I saw you sitting here by yourself.” I said thanking the barman as he handed me my glass.

I turned my body in the stool so that I could face the stranger to see him better.

“How did you know I was alone?” He turned as well resting one arm on the bar, He was still smiling at me, It was almost blinding.

“Well are you here with someone?” I raised my eyebrow at him sipping on my drink I crossed one of my legs over the other. My knee rested against his thigh. 

He looked down where our bodies now barley touched and slowly said. “No.”

“Then you’re here alone.” I downed the rest of my drink while he stared at me with a mixed look of confusion and interest.

I just laughed. “What are you doing here?”

“Ah, now if I told you that I’d have to kill you.” He pointed at me with his glass in hand and took a swig.

I smiled and shrugged my shoulders shuffling a little more forward. “Maybe I like putting myself in danger.” I said even lower. 

Now it was his turn to look surprised. I gauged his reaction for a second and then I just laughed, licking my lips.

“I’m joking I swear. But seriously, I’ve never seen you around here before. You look different from all the other deadbeat ass holes in this place.” I looked around the room, nothing different from most nights.

He shook his head, smirking like it was the best compliment in the world. “Just passing through.” He stated simply.

I eyed him suspiciously as he downed the rest of his drink and slammed it lightly onto the bar. I looked at the glass then back to his face to find him studying me.

“What?”

“What’s your name?” He said so quietly that I almost didn’t catch it.

“I don’t think we’re quite on first name basis yet.” Both his eyebrows shot up. “You could be with the First Order for all I know, I don’t need someone like that knowing my name.” 

He laughed. “I promise you, I’m quite the opposite. What do I have to do to earn knowing your name?”

I stood up slowly, his eyes never left my face.

I was so thankful for how dark the cantina was, I’d never been this flushed during a routine thieving. I moved to stand directly in front of him, I leaned over and whispered in his ear as calm as I could.

“The next time you’re passing by. Come find me and I’ll tell you how.” I placed my hand on his arm, a wave of heat shot up to my elbow. I trailing my hand up to his shoulder. I slowly started  walked away patting him lightly before heading to the exit.

I waited until I got round the corner and out of sight before looking down at the metal object, it looked expensive. Expensive enough to pay my rent for two months. But why did I feel so bad about it? A quick thought of going back and explaining, apologising to him crossed my mind but it was only there for a brief second. But I felt a pull to this man.

I knew that I had no time to dwell on it I had to kept going, I turned down a gloomy alley way but got an instant feeling that someone was behind me.

I hadn’t even got halfway down when the feeling became intense, suddenly I was pushed face first into the wall.

“Ouch! hey! get off of me!” I wiggled but the grip they had on me was tight.

“I thought you were a good girl.”

I scrunched my face up in annoyance, it was the guy from the cantina.

“I can explain, I swear.” I tried to fight his grip so I could turn to him.

“Think were a little past that sweetheart.” He leaned into my ear.

I pushed back a little harder gathering some strength from somewhere, that or the fighting skills I had taught myself where finally kicking in. When the man stumbled a little I took the chance, kicked back making him fall to the ground.

I slumped forward down the wall but managed to get my bearings pushing myself off the wall with my hands, I started to run again. I didn’t get far though as he caught my arm, pulling me back.

This time my chest was pinned up against his, he held my arms firm behind my back.

“Tut tut.” He shook his head. “That wasn’t very nice of you.”

He started to search my person, most likely for the object. “Do you mind? You’re violating my personal space.” 

He finally found it in the pocket of my side bag. He brought it up in front of my face observing it.  “Well you violated my personal space first sweetheart.” He smirked at me. “All this over one little object.” 

I just rolled my eyes slowly and sighed. “That little object could keep me alive for two months. What would it do for you pretty boy.” 

I stared at his chest so I didn’t have to look at his eyes. He decided to ignore my comment. “You know I should be mad, but honestly I’m kind of impressed.”

My eyes shot up to his, I gave him a confused look.

“I honestly would have never noticed it missing, that’s if the guy I was giving it too hadn’t of shown up early. Low and behold it was no longer there. You were the only person who had been that close to me.” He looked over my face. “Normally I’m sharper than this.”

“Did I catch you on a off day?” I tried to pull away again but he pulled me back tighter to his chest.

He looked around us then looked back into my eyes. “I want you to come with me.”

He started to move us but I pulled him to a stop, our chests clashing again. “Go with you where. How can I trust you, I don’t even know who you are. Are you taking me to get arrested, because I promise you I’ll put up a good fight.”

“Well maybe you should have thought of that before you stole from me Darling. But no I’m not taking you to the authorities.”

I grinded my jaw, he was right. I put myself in his position how the hell was I going to get out of it.

“Then where are you taking me.” I stood my ground as he tried to make me walk.

“Don’t make me do this the hard way. You’re a smart girl, I advise you to listen to me.”

He let go of me and stepped back, I stared at him confused. He was letting me decide, was I going to follow him nicely or was I going to try run. He really wasn't expecting me not to try right?  I turned to run the other way but again he was faster, grabbing my arm and then my shoulders.

“I’m sorry but you brought it upon yourself”

Brought what upon myself?

Soon his hands on my shoulders got tighter it dug into my skin, I tried to shuffle away but his grip was too tight.

I stared to loosing consciousness, taking a deep breath. The last thing I remember was falling backwards into his chest and him picking me up bridal style.

[emotionalcello-makefanfics]

Ferris Wheel (Jaydick Fanfic) Part 2/3

Summary :

Dick spotted bloodstains by the Ferris wheel that trails from the bottom cabin to the very top one. What he found inside is a boy can't be older than 15, bleeding down from the stomach, and even so, he refuses to come down from the Cabin.

“I want to see the stars, one last time, just... one last time.” The boy still muses upon the sky, mesmerized. Dick looks up, and the starless sky that’s tinted red from light pollution. Then, with great sorrow and resignation, the boy whimpers, “You ruin that from me.”

Word count : 2.3k

Part 1 3

Click link to read on AO3

Click keep reading to read on tumblr~

A few days after the incident, Dick finally forgets about it. But then, the universe says: No.

Dick comes to the amusement park a bit earlier for his shift when his second job ended early.

“This deadbeat job doesn’t deserve you coming this early.” Stephanie walks into the staff room, making a beeline to the coffee maker.

“Oof, on coffee already?” Dick eyes how the blond pours watery coffee to the brim of her pink mug and finishes it in three big impressive gulps.

“Yup, as soon as I pop my daughter out,” Steph raises her second fill of coffee and drinks slower this time, “Don’t judge, I need this coffee because she woke me up at 3 am.”

“No judgment here,” Dick raises his hands, “Why don’t you go home now?”

“I still need to close up.”

“Don’t worry about that, I’ll do it.”

Stephanie’s blue eyes sparkle as she smiles from ear to ear, “Oh God, really?”

It’s the first time Dick ever saw the new mother smile from these past few weeks, it’s contagious, “Yes, now go home.”

“You’re the man!” She flings her body towards Dick’s already open arms. “Thank you so much, I’m gonna make you my brownie tomorrow!” she loops her arms around Dick’s chest and squeezes all the air out of his lungs.

“I-I’ll be waiting for that,” Dick whimpers out of his crushed ribs. When Stephanie said she did weight lifting as a workout routine, she was not joking.

He informs the day shifters that he’s already in to cover for Stephanie, which used to be his job before he took the night shift. His job is to check all the booths and the rides thoroughly, making sure there’s no visitor left in the park except for the food and toy vendors tidying up.

As he walks down the paved pathway, he sees one of the rides are still on. The Ferris wheel stopped, the music doesn’t play, but all the lights are on, they even seem brighter than before. Maybe maintenance placed new lights.

The operator should’ve already turned it off, but Dick doesn’t think too much of it. He has the keys, he can operate it, so he’ll do it.

As he was walking down the path, the waiting line for the Ferris wheel came into view, along with a woman standing stiff like a statue in front of the ride. She’s looking up to the top of the Ferris wheel. Her frame is frail and slightly hunched. Her long short-sleeved blue sundress worn over a thin knitted yellow cardigan seems offseason for the cold fall. Her ponytail wilts down to the nape of her neck, a tangled mess. A few strands of her salt and pepper hair escape from the worn pink scrunchie as if she slept with her hair tied and never re-did them when she woke up.

When Dick looks up to where the woman is looking, even though there’s nothing there, all he remembers is the bleeding boy that he never saw again.

“Ma’am?” Dick called after he put the memory to the corner of his mind for now, but the woman doesn’t heed his calls. “Ma’am, we’re closing. Are you lost?”

When the woman doesn’t reply again, Dick steps in front of her and sees her face that seems hopeful. Her cloudy blue eyes reflect the colorful lights of the Ferris wheel. Pink, yellow and green lights shining on her pale face.

Cracked thin lips parted and her yellowing teeth peek out in between. The bags under her eyes and sagging skin are signs of either her age or that life hasn’t been kind to her.

Dick obstructs her line by waving his hand fairly close in front of her eyes, then finally, the woman looks at him.

“Oh, I... I’m sorry, did... I didn’t hear you,” She looks ashamed. Bony shoulders hunched as her wrinkled hands clench a lock of her bangs.

Something breaks in Dick’s chest, looking at the poor woman that seems lost and lonely, “It’s alright ma’am, we’re closing, I’ll lead you to the exit.”

Even after saying so, the woman doesn’t move, eyes still up to the top cabin.

“What are you looking at, ma’am?”

“My son, I thought I saw him there.”

Dick’s heart skipped a beat, “Your son? Black hair, blue eyes, looks like he’s scowling all the time, red hoodie?”

“Yes, that’s him! Have you seen him?” her eyes widen and so do Dick’s.

“He was at the top of the Ferris wheel, badly hurt. Is he missing?” he asked with a tone just as hopeful as the boy’s mother.

“Yes,” the woman cries, lips deeply frown and covered by her trembling hands. “Is he... Is he alright? Do you know where he is?”

“We don’t know ma’am. He ran off before we could help him.”

“Oh... I-I need to go home, he might come home.” She visibly deflates, but not Dick, he has hope, he has proof. That boy exists, and he’s going to find out what happened to him through her.

Dick offers his arms, “Let me guide you to the exit.”

The way her face stares into the concrete below is as if her consciousness is disconnected from her body, but she manages to loop her arms around Dick’s.

It only takes a few steps for Dick to feel something’s wrong. One second he was holding her cold arm, and gradually the feeling slipped away.

When he looks beside him, there’s no one there, and he doesn’t know when the old lady had slipped away and left.

++++

It’s a chilly morning when Dick stood only with a wife beater on, staring into his locker. The wife-beater can’t solely stop him from feeling the chilling cold, but a bottle of pills in his locker distracts him from it. He keeps the bottle in his locker even though he convinced himself that he doesn’t need it. Just in case, he thought.

Now, after everything that’s happened, he questions his decision.

After pondering back and forth, he pops the tiny pill on the back of his tongue and it goes down like a boulder.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been skipping those,” Barbara chirped as she went around the locker behind Dick’s.

“It’s not nice to snoop Barbara,” Dick remarked casually while swallowing a massive amount of anger. He quickly changes into his casual clothes, not wanting to stay here with his anger any longer.

“Just looking out for you, Dick,” Barbara sounded apologetic, that alone melts his anger, just a little bit.

Dick sighed, feeling terrible for almost snapping, “I know, but I swear it’s not because of this. I really saw her. She was his mother.”

“I want to believe you Dick, Wally too. But we didn’t see what you saw.”

“I don’t need you to believe me, just stop treating me like I’m crazy.”

“We don’t.”

“Well, that’s how it feels.”

“Dick-”

Dick reaches the door with a few long strides and slams it behind him.

++++++

They didn’t stay mad at each other for too long. That’s what best friends do: worry, fight, apologize, then go back to their bullshit.

A few days passed since Dick met the lady who admitted to be the boy’s mother. This time, the days didn’t let Dick forget.

His mind-numbing job became something he looks forward to, in the sense that it became obsessive. Even when the amusement park is closed, he keeps wishing he would meet that boy again. He purposely comes in early with an excuse to cover Stephanie’s day shift, hoping to meet the boy’s mother.

Despite the range of his friend’s reaction heading towards skeptical, Dick doesn’t care. Wishing upon a ghost that he probably made up in his mind is crazy, he knows that, and he doesn’t need a constant reminder of it.

Maybe he’s seeing a ghost, he thought, and just before he gets to believe it, the boy appears.

It’s 10 PM, closing time, and he was about to turn off the Ferris wheel’s lights when he saw the boy sitting on the stairs of the platform. No longer a boy and no longer in a bleeding red hoodie. He’s wearing a mustard shirt under his murky green bomber jacket paired with worn blue jeans and sneakers. The day Dick carried him out of one of the cabins was weeks ago, but the boy’s face is different now. Older.

“You.” Dick breathed, uncertain that he’s seeing the same boy.

His eyes are the same blue, wearing the same scowl, but his expression is no longer empty. “You remembered me,” the boy says, amused, sounding way deeper than he remembered.

Then the boy stood up. Though Dick is taller, the boy isn’t so far shorter. He was sure that he lifted the boy, but he’s not sure whether he’d be able to carry the teenager in front of him. Doubt rises, even though the teen recognizes him.

“You... you’re the one I carried from the top of the cabin, right?” Dick says, incredulous of what he’s seeing.

“Yeah, and I tased you,” The boy smirked, a spark of life on his face. Reddish cheeks, glinting eyes, a smile. He’s okay. He doesn’t even think about the tasing.

“What’s your name?” Dick asks, finally he’s able to.

The boy stares down shyly at his shoes, and looks up with his deep teal eyes, “Jason.”

“Jason,” Dick echoed. He can’t believe he finally meets this boy.

To think that he was a ghost. His friends can suck it. Jason is real, and he’s okay. Dick spreads his arms and wraps Jason in a tight hug, who’s stiffened by the contact. His heart is beating a million miles an hour, but it rapidly slows down the longer he squeezes the teen that he thought had died. Dick buries his face in the crook of the boy’s neck, and a tear escapes when he closes his eyes.

He remembered the way Jason looked so empty, devoid of life when he was still breathing. Something about the way he looked was so terrifying for Dick. Obsessively, always looking for this boy he barely knew, just to know if he’s okay, and he is, Dick finally knows that.

A pair of hands landed on Dick’s back, not pulling as tight as Dick does to Jason, but Jason laid his head on Dick’s shoulder. They spent a minute just hugging when Dick finally steps back.

“I’m sorry for that,” Dick says first.

Jason shrugged and then asked, “Why do you care so much anyway?”

“You were there to die, weren’t you?”

Jason pursed his lips, looking away, not answering, he doesn’t need to. Dick knows.

“Let’s just say the way you looked then reminded me of someone.” In a breath, an image pops in his head, then a series of them follow. Red hair pours to the floor from the edge of her bed. Laying limp and peaceful. Head pulled to the side as if sleeping. He couldn’t have imagined that she out of all people would be in that state. In one frame of memories when they were together, she looked far away into the distance, just like Jason did. Dick didn’t see it, brushed it off, and blamed himself for the way she passed.

“Sorry, you had to see me like that.” Jason’s voice snaps him out of trance.

“It’s fine,” Dick says in the same meekness, “as long as you’re fine now, I can rest easy.”

“Don’t tell me you were restless for all this time just because of me,” Jason smirks, tipping his chin up while folding his arms.

“Yeah, I was,” Dick admits without care, catching Jason off guard.

“Oh, huh,” Jason mumbled, then his eyes landed on Dick’s name tag on his left chest. “That’s your name? Please tell me that’s a prank,” he chuckled.

“Nope, I’m Dick Grayson. My parents are old fashioned.”

“Yeah, I’ll say.” Then Jason looks a bit nervous, shifting his eyes everywhere, “Look I hate owing people, and I’m tight on money, so all I can do is treat you dinner.”

“Oh c’mon, you don’t owe me anything, just doing my job.”

“Please.”

The gentle plea from his deep voice shoots Dick right through the heart. The boy looked so... well, he’s not actually a boy now is he? A teenager? He has to be, there’s no way he’s more than 18 even though he looks like it. Maybe they can get to know each other more.

There’s a lot that Jason holds back and –not to feel nosy– there’s something about him that Dick just couldn’t let go. He doesn’t need to know Jason’s story if he doesn’t want to tell, but Dick feels like he needs to. His soul called for it.

Though Dick knows now that he’s not crazy and Jason exists, but why does it feel like no one knows Jason existed but him? All this time, Dick is the only sole proof that Jason existed.

“You’re here, right?” Dick asked, still feeling like he could be dreaming.

“What is it with you?” Jason punched him on the shoulder, hard.

“Ouch!”

“Feel that? I’m real.”

“Yeah... you are,” Dick smiled as he rubbed his shoulder, “I’m on a night shift though, can you do mornings?”

“That’s great actually, I’m on night shifts too,” Jason perked up, “Uh, 10 AM tomorrow? Let’s meet up at Dinah’s, you know the place?”

“By the pier right?”

“Yeah, there’s only one Dinah in all Bludhaven.”

“Okay, great then.”

Jason then nods with a slight pull on the corner of his lips and waves, slowly stepping back.

“Oh wait!” Dick stopped, “You mom came the other day, she was looking for you.”

Jason knits his eyebrows together, “That can’t be right, my mom died a long time ago.”

Jason looked at him funny and Dick felt like his stomach dropped. “Oh, never mind then, maybe she was talking about someone else.”

Jason doesn’t seem convinced, but shrugs anyway, “Alright then, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Right, see you.”

Dick spent his shift skipping.

He waits at Dinah’s from 10 AM sharp till 3 PM.

Jason never came.

[vampiresmiled]

✩ kaidette

i haven’t even started it yet and i know this is gonna physically pain me … let’s go ! leggo, my eggo. update : i finished it and now i’m depresso. 

DISAGREEMENTS

who is more likely to raise their voice? odette. she is a very loud human being.who threatens to leave but never actually does? typical kai antics.who actually keeps their word and leaves? if odette says she’ll leave, then she’ll leave. sorry bout it. who trashes the house? odette’s the type to throw some glasses on the floor to make a point. loud and clear !do either of them get physical? despite his history, i don’t think kai would. but odette would definitely poke at that shit to try and get a reaction from him. he’d leave. she’d be pissed. life is hard. how often do they argue/disagree? like every day, she’s her. it’s never that serious, though.who is the first to apologize? kai. she never apologizes, not even once.

SEX

who is on top? i want to preface this by saying they’ve never had sex, they never will have sex and all that is being spoken now is totally not an accurate portrayal of the future. anyways, odette rides him like a mechanical bull.who is on the bottom? kai. she pegs him, too.who has the strangest desires? probably kai. she’s not that … adventurous. for obvious reasons. any kinks? kai shutting the fuck up.who’s dominant in bed? listen. normal circumstances, not to speak ill of the dead, but – with n*c she was the more dominant party ‘cos she got them issues, we been knew. with kai, however, the trust this girl has … he can put her in a chokehold and she’d be like, haha cute. is head ever in the equation? if it wasn’t she’d leave. if so, who is better at performing it? kai. ever had sex in public? no and they never will.who moans the most? you really gonna make me out my girl like this.who leaves the most marks? odette. if she’s gonna rid herself of her morals and smash this giant man, she’s gonna make it clear he’s OFF-LIMITS. who screams the loudest? eye-who is the more experienced of the two? kai. obviously. one hundred percent. do they ‘fuck’ or ‘make love’? no matter what she says, no matter the circumstance, it’ll always be the latter. rough or soft? depends on how pissy she is.how long do they usually last? like, way too long. send ava away to camp long. is protection used? yes, she doesn’t want another one of THOSE. does it ever get boring? probably not. they’ve known each other since they were YOUTHS, if they aren’t bored by now they never will be. where is the strangest place they’d have sex? reality. 

FAMILY

do your muses plan on having children/or have children? i know kai does but with odette i am unsure ™ ! i think she’d want a kid if the opportunity presented itself, but she’d never actively plan for one.if so, how many children do your muses want/have? fucking no more than two. counting ava. who is the favorite parent? kai. like he already is.who is the authoritative parent? odette. like she already is.who is more likely to allow the children to have a day off school? kai. he’s the cool dad. the funky dad. who lets the children indulge in sweets and junk food when the other isn’t around? you think i’m gonna say kai ‘cos he’s more lax ? no. odette can’t cook, you think she’s gonna deprive these kids of poptarts if they so desire it ? fuck no. who turns up to extra curricular activities to support their children? kai. honestly, odette can’t really be bothered ‘cos kids doing shit is … BORING. but kai would drag her along. who goes to parent teacher interviews? kai. odette threatened to beat up ava’s math teacher once and the rest is history.who changes the diapers? kai. who gets up in the middle of the night to feed the baby? kai. truly, he’s giving his all here folks.who spends the most time with the children? also kai. maybe odette is just a deadbeat. stay tuned for more at six.who packs their lunch boxes? please don’t make me say kai again.who gives their children ‘the talk’? definitely fucking kai. odette never got the talk herself, she just caught her mom smashing some drunk once and that’s how she was introduced to the world of sex. who cleans up after the kids? also kai.who worries the most? like about trivial shit ? kai. homework, soccer practice and what not, that’s his territory. odette worries about the social stuff. like first boyfriend, meeting new people, sending ava off to college. that’s scary. a shitty grade is not. who are the children more likely to learn their first swear word from? odette, big oof. 

AFFECTION

who likes to cuddle? both. but odette has a tendency to initiate it, ‘cos he’s a big ass pussy.who is the little spoon? most of the time, odette. ‘cos she’s wittle. but bad mood kai is definitely getting spooned the fuck out of.who gets naughty in the most inappropriate of places? * insert the lap hc i sent you many moons ago * “ what if he gets a hard-on ? ” “ she’d leave. ”who struggles to keep their hands to themself? odette. how long can they cuddle until one becomes uncomfortable? like a good while. she’s not that affectionate in general but kai’s more like an extension of her. odette’s emotional support teddy bear, you know. who gives the most kisses? kai. what is their favourite non-sexual activity? reluctantly watching star trek and cuddling on the sofa. fuck off. if beer is involved all the better. hanging out with ava is just like a good time, too, for whatever reason. where is their favourite place to cuddle? bed. couch is very chillaxed and they hang there most often. but bed … when she sneaks into his room ‘cos hers is cold and its his fault and she puts her cold ass feet on him and wraps herself up next to him in his blanket like a wittle burrito – that’s soft antics. who is more likely to playfully grope the other? odette. how often do they get time to themselves? not that often now that ava is grounded, but otherwise, pretty often. 

SLEEPING

who snores? no one, but sometimes odette.if both do, who snores the loudest? who ya think.do they share a bed or sleep separately? depends on the day.if they sleep together, do they cozy up together or lay far apart? i mean, when she does sleep in his bed it is to cuddle and ‘cos they’re in a good place. but sometimes, she’s there even when she’s mad at him. so, really, it’s fifty/fifty. okay, more like eighty/twenty. who talks in their sleep? neither.what do they wear to bed? she snags his shirts, might as well be nightgowns the length of them. when he knows she’ll be in there he is clothed, and by clothed i mean pjs and a tee. when he doesn’t, he’s just all about freeing the nipple. she prefers the latter but you didn’t hear it from me. are either of your muses insomniacs? i feel like kai has some issues sleeping. and odette, to a degree. she will wake him up for late night convos which mostly are just whining and her poking fun at him. sometimes it gets deep and borderline ‘ what if ’ … she pretends it never happened in the morn. can sleeping pills be found by the bedside? they’re kais, odette likes them with her wine.do they wrap their limbs around each other or just lay side by side? side by side. who wakes up with bed hair? both.who wakes up first? kai, no doubt.who prepares breakfast in bed for the other? also kai.what is their favourite sleeping position? she likes being the little spoon. she also likes having her head on his chest with him holding her like the small baby she is. who hogs the sheets? odette.do they set an alarm each night? kai does. can a television be found in their bedroom? nope. it’s they-time. i say as if it isn’t his bedroom. truth is, they’re too poor for it.who has nightmares? not so much anymore but odette. who has ridiculous dreams? i feel like kai doesn’t dream. he’s too grounded for it.who sprawls out and takes up most of the bed? odette. which is impossible ‘cos she’s a baby.who makes the bed? kai, ‘cos it’s his.what time is bed time? whenever odette crawls in there.any routines/rituals before bed? not that i can think of. check back again in 3-4 business days.who’s the grumpiest when they wake up? odette, no doubt in my mind. she’s always pissy. more so in the morning, though.

WORK

who is the busiest? kai, probably. but his schedule is also more predictable than hers, so.who rakes in the highest income? odette. breadwinner right there.are any of your muses unemployed? nope.who takes the most sick days? no one. odette’s got a tendency to skip shit ‘cos she’s lazy but when she’s sick she powers through ‘cos she’s not WEAK.who is more likely to turn up late to work? odette.who sucks up to their boss? kai.what are their jobs? he’s a nurse bitch and she’s a bounty-hunter. in connecticut. yeah, that pays … who stresses the most? kai, probably.do your muses enjoy or despise their careers/occupations? i think they both enjoy them.are your muses financially stable? hell no.

HOME

who does the washing? kai, he’s so powerful.who takes out the trash? kai.who does the ironing? kai.who does the cooking? kai.who is more likely to burn the house down just trying? odette ! it’s a wonder she hasn’t already in my opinion.who is messier? odette. literally … without him and ava she’d be lost. who leaves the toilet roll empty? odette. she’s just a fantastic roommate, isn’t she.who leaves their dirty clothes on the floor? also odette.who forgets to flush the toilet? ava.who is the prankster around the house? kai’s more fun but odette likes to mess with him. pranks are a-okay if she started them, but don’t you dare put flour in her blowdryer unprompted. who loses the car keys when it comes time to go somewhere? odette, every single time. kai has an extra set of keys for literally everything.who mows the lawn? apartment people.who answers the telephone? kai. odette pretends she doesn’t hear it ringing.who does the vacuuming? kai.who does the groceries? also kai.who takes the longest to shower? still kai, m’dude. who spends the most time in the bathroom? the answer might surprise you … it’s kai. odette takes ten minute showers and blowdries her hair and then she’s out the door. kai takes styling his hair very seriously. it’s an art form ! and also he shaves and gets hair everywhere which adds like 15 minutes. 

MISCELLANEOUS

is money a problem? more like is money ever NOT a problem. they figure it out, though, but shit’s tight. so no skateboards for the kids.how many cars do they own? used to be one before they got to town. now they got two. good for them.do they own their home or do they rent? rent.do they live near the coast or deep in the countryside? literally i don’t know where sheffield is stop asking me this.do they live in the city or in the country? downtown apartment.do they enjoy their surroundings? no, they miss california and they really have got no reason to stay except ava’s inevitable bitching if they move again. what’s their song? rocket man by elton john. no one but luna gets to know the story.what do they do when they’re away from each other? odette got no hobbies and honestly, does kai ? so nothing. they do too much together. odette hangs out with jack and emma but that’s literally it. where did they first meet? the streets ™ honestly, i dunno. probably some youthful hangout underneath a bridge in chino. there was a burn barrel, kids were doing coke and they bonded. how did they first meet? is that not the same as the first question. they met being homeless and annoying. odette thought he was too tall and he thought she was too bitchy. the rest is history.who spends the most money when out shopping? odette. she’s cheap, but she also has no concept of money. she throws dollar bills at walmart like it was a strip club. who’s more likely to flash their assets? neither. they were homeless and in the foster care, they don’t like braggarts and the rich. who finds it amusing when the other trips over? odette laughs every single time. sometimes she trips him, she’s mature like that.any mental issues? too many to count.who’s terrified of bugs? i feel like odette has a distaste for them but she doesn’t really give an f. kai doesn’t like spiders, though. she likes getting those toy ones on halloween and put them in his bed. who kills the spiders around the house? odette because : see above. their favourite place? his shitty car. sometimes they ride around and do fuck-all, like they’re back to their youth. sometimes they sit in the front-seat, parked on some remote spot in the woods and they smoke. cool, thanks. who pays the bills? both.do they have any fears for their future? not really. they’re pretty solid, honestly. not really worrisome people at their cores. who’s more likely to surprise the other with a fancy dinner? kai, honestly. just ‘cos he can cook and she fucking can’t.who uses up all of the hot water? odette. her showers might be short but the water’s scorching. if it doesn’t burn the skin off her body, she doesn’t want it.who’s the tallest? you come into my home … who’s more likely to just randomly hop into the shower with the other? we have never encountered this scenario before and we absolutely will not, ever, ever, ever. but odette 110%. who wanders around in their underwear? odette. and i’m not sorry about it.who sings the loudest when singing along to the radio? kai * cue the scene in the last song w miley & liam *what do they tease each other about? everything. nothing’s off limits which is absolutely stupid as hell. i mean, obviously they don’t mention ~ the things ~ but, a lot of it has to do with parenting techniques and their past as street rats. odette likes to mock his height, he tries to do the same but she smacks him when he does. who is more likely to cringe at the other’s fashion sense at times? odette. she wears like neutrals and blacks, there’s nothing to make fun of. kai on the other hand …do they have mutual friends? do emma and jack really count ?who crushed first? you want me to say kai but odette is the truth, so back the fuck off.any alcohol or substance related problems? i mean … they both got their respective histories and that’s messy and odette really can’t handle her liquor sometimes but they got it under control, thanks.who is more likely to stumble home, drunk, at 3am? odette, duh.who swears the most? this is not a question i will validate with a response.