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tealeafgrimm · 3 years ago

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New Beginnings

Draco Malfoy x Reader Words: 3k Summary: After the Battle for Hogwarts, you try to reorganise your life. New beginnings are not always easy and it is even harder when you want to prove that the person you love has changed for good. A/N: This is the third part of a little series. If you are interested in the previous parts, check out Missing You and Finding You. I really hope you all enjoy this third part (especially the lovely @ayeshaikram03 who always leaves the sweetest comments).

Several months had passed since the victory over Voldemort. Months in which your life was once again turned upside down. Apart from the rebuilding work at Hogwarts, countless funerals of good friends and trying to come to terms with what you had experienced, you had hardly had time to think about your future. But now that a new normality was creeping into your life, you had to think about your next steps. You had thought for a long time about what you wanted to do, how you would go on from here. This included your relationship with Draco. After the final battle, you had hardly seen each other. You needed time and he also needed to sort out his life. You wrote each other letters regularly and when time allowed, you met.

Out of your friends, only Hermione knew exactly about your relationship status. You had told Harry about your feelings during your search for the Horcruxes, but he didn't know what had become of them either. And Ron was as clueless as could be. And so, as the first necessary step into your new life, you decided to tell the three of them about you and Draco. With sweaty hands you reached for your butterbeer while you waited in the Leaky Cauldron for your friends. You had a rough idea of their reactions, but telling them for real scared you. One by one, the three arrived and you began to talk. In order to keep the mood light, you decided to first ask if your friends would also be returning to Hogwarts.

"Kingsley has offered Ron and I to finish Auror training without graduating. And knowing that there are still plenty of Death Eaters on the loose out there...I'll take him up on his offer," Harry replied as he played with his glass. "I feel the same way. I can't imagine sitting back in a classroom cramming at all now," Ron added. "I'm going to repeat our last year. I'm not sure what I want to do yet anyway. And when I get my N.E.W.Ts, I might have a bit more options." You smiled at Hermione. It was nice to know that at least one of your friends would be with you. Even though it definitely wouldn't be the same without the two boys around. "Yeah, I'm going back too. I...I wanted to tell you guys something by the way. You know they're starting the trials next week? Well, I'm going to go to Dracos and testify, hoping his sentence will be dropped." You whispered the last words so softly that Harry and Ron had to lean over the table to even hear you.

"Why on earth would you do that? The idiot deserves to serve time in Azkaban if you ask me," Ron indignantly said. "He's my boyfriend Ron. I love him. And he helped us, if I may remind you. He would have had the chance to betray Harry and he didn't," you countered as you felt your anger rising inside you. "Your BOYFRIEND? Have you been hexed? You can't be serious! And so what, he didn't tell on Harry, that's a long way from 'helping'!" "I'm not saying he's perfect, okay? I know, and so does he for that matter, that he fucked up. He's trying to get better, that situation back then was a sign." Your head had turned an uncomfortable shade of red by now and your voice had become so loud that the guests at the neighbouring tables had turned to look at you. Arms crossed, Ron stared at you angrily. "She's right Ron. Even though he'll never be my best friend...", Harry looked at you apologetically but you nodded understandingly "...I think Malfoy has more than learned his lesson and he has helped us, whether you want to admit it or not. He has made his decision. I'll be coming along next week. His mother helped me too, at least I owe her that." That was the end of your conversation. And even though Hermione and Harry tried to lighten the mood and continue a normal conversation, you knew it would be some time before Ron forgave you.

~~~

"I ask for silence," Kingsley Shacklebold's voice echoed around the room as he took his seat as Minister. "As the first hearing of the day: the case of Draco Malfoy in connection with being a follower, Death Eater and executor of the orders of Tom Marvolo Riddle, better known as Lord Voldemort." A uniform gasp could be heard from the stands. The courtrooms were filled to capacity. You had already read about it in the Daily Prophet, but had expected people's initial curiosity to dissipate after a while. Apparently, you were wrong. Besides Draco's, however, his parents' trial was also taking place today, and the sentencing of Lucius Malfoy in particular was of great public interest.

The courtroom doors opened again and Draco was led by two staff members to the centre of the room where a chair stood ready. "Mister Malfoy, you are accused of knowingly and willingly accepting the Dark Mark. Is this true?" "Yes sir." Draco's voice was so low you could barely hear him. Your hands were sweaty and you kept wiping them on your trousers. Harry beside you knew how much this court case was taking a toll on you and had vowed to do everything he could to help Draco and his family. "Furthermore, you are accused of acting as a follower, a so-called Death Eater, of Lord Voldemort on his instructions. How do you respond to this accusation?" Draco did not answer immediately. Instead, his eyes darted over the audience benches and paused on you for a second before returning his gaze to the floor in front of him.

"Mr. Malfoy?" "I...I had no choice. He threatened my family. Threatened me. Threatened my...friends." Again, his grey eyes met yours and you tried to smile encouragingly at him. "I am aware of the gravity of my actions and I would like to apologise to anyone who has been directly harmed by my actions. However, I would also like to say that I did not carry out the order to kill Albus Dumbledore and ultimately turned against HIM and his followers." Again, loud murmurs and whispers broke out in the hall. For most, it was the first time they had heard of Draco's assassination order and understandably, most of those present were outraged. "Before the court retires for deliberations, witnesses and advocates for Mr. Malfoy will be given the opportunity to speak," Kingsley continued unperturbed. Harry and you had been able to speak to him a few days earlier and he had made it possible for you to be here.

„Ms. Y/L/N, if you would please step down.” Kingsley looked at you and smiled reassuringly, as you took the few steps down to stand in the middle, just in front of your boyfriend. “Ehm…I…I. As Mr. Malfoy said himself, he had a lot of pressure on his person. Even though this is not an excuse, it surely should be considered in his sentencing. I would also like to mention an event which testifies to Mr. Malfoy's good intentions. At that time, Mr. Potter, myself and two other friends were in the Malfoy mansion..." You told of Draco's refusal to identify Harry and of his taking your side in the final battle. After you, Harry stepped into the middle of the courtroom. As expected, the murmurs grew louder and people in the last rows even stood up to catch at least a glimpse of him. Harry confirmed your story, told of the night Dumbledore was murdered and that he had seen Draco not do what he was ordered to. Finally, there was nothing left for you to do but wait.

"Do you think he has to go to Azkaban?" you asked Harry quietly as you waited for the verdict to be announced. "No. Kingsley will see to that. Draco was remorseful, we were his witnesses and he was under enormous pressure. Don't worry, he'll get off," Harry replied, taking your hand in his to reassure you. "Harry? Thank you. For everything. I know you don't like Draco very much and I don't blame you. You wouldn't have to do all this and I wanted to say thank you." "He's not going to be my best friend, but I can understand his side. And you're one of my best friends. After everything that's happened, you deserve to be happy. Oh, they're coming back!"

The whispering in the auditorium died down as Draco was again led to the centre and Kingsley rose to read the verdict. "The Wizengamot has reached its decision. Based on Mr. Malfoy's insight and final decision, as well as the testimony of the witnesses called, the decision has been made to acquit Mr. Malfoy of all charges. However, we would like to point out that the Ministry will remain in close contact with Mr. Malfoy and will conduct regular checks." Kingsley had not quite delivered the verdict when you fell around Harry's neck, beaming with joy. All the worry and tension of the last few months finally falling away from you.

~~~

Kings Cross Station was crowded, as it was every year. With quick steps you approached the barrier between platforms nine and ten and before you knew it you were already on the magical side of the station. After a few steps you stopped and waited for Hermione to step through the barrier as well. You had said goodbye to Harry and Ron the night before, as they had to leave early for the Auror meeting and didn't have time to accompany you to the tracks. It was strange to see the Hogwarts Express after you hadn't boarded it last year. Many of this year's second years still looked slightly intimidated as they boarded the train. Their experiences with Death Eaters last year were apparently still fresh on their minds.

"Um...I hope it's okay, but I told Draco he could join us," you said to Hermione as you walked down the track together. You could see that she was struggling, but in the end she just nodded for your sake. After a few minutes, you saw Draco's white-blonde mop of hair and with a grin on your lips, you began to wave at him. When he saw you, a smile spread across his face as well and he came towards you. "There you are at last. I was beginning to think you wouldn't get here in time." He wrapped you in his arms and kissed you in greeting. Hermione behind you looked left and right slightly embarrassed. "Of course I'm coming," you replied. When Draco caught sight of Hermione behind you, he froze. It was an awkward situation for both of them. "Granger," he finally murmured, nodding at her before turning to his trunk and motioning for you to follow him onto the train.

As you walked down the corridor to find an empty compartment, you could hear the whispering and muttering of the other students as soon as they saw Draco. Many of them gave him nasty looks and made no heel of how much they hated him. Even some of the Slytherins had turned on Draco and wanted nothing more to do with him. Not that you were sad about that. The less contact he had with his old life and the people in it, the better. Eventually you found a compartment at the back of the train to settle down in. During the journey Draco was exceptionally quiet. You noticed that the looks and words of the other students hit him harder than he wanted to admit. You held his hand in yours as you conversed quietly with Hermione. When she excused herself to disappear to the bathroom, you took the opportunity to talk to your boyfriend. "They all just need some more time Draco," you said to him after a few of the younger students had passed by your compartment and hurled savage insults at him. With a deep sigh, he just nodded and turned his gaze back to the passing scenery. You hoped that your words were true and that things would really get a bit better for him soon.

~~~

But even two months after the start of the new school year, the situation had not really improved. No matter what Draco did or didn't do, someone would find something to blame him for. Again and again, you taxed that the other students needed a little more time and would see that he had improved as soon as they had gotten used to the situation. But so far nothing had changed. Draco was withdrawing more and more to avoid the confrontations. He went to breakfast early in the morning and to dinner very late. Always hoping to avoid most people. Besides you, he had no close confidant at Hogwarts. His former Slytherin friends either hadn't returned, didn't want anything to do with him anymore, or he wanted to distance himself from them. You tried to be there for him. But you slowly had to admit that the situation was gnawing at you too. Your friends wanted nothing to do with Draco. Of course, you couldn't really blame them and you would never force them to spend time with him if they didn't want to. But this also meant that you always had to choose between them and Draco and one party was always mad at you.

Hermione was the only one who could see how much the situation was really stressing you out. When asked, you replied that everything was fine and that you didn't mind, but she noticed that you too were becoming more and more withdrawn. Your smile no longer reached your eyes and your whole mood was clearly dampened. One evening in the common room, you had clashed with a group of your old friends, the reason being Draco as so often. Your friends left angrily for their dormitories, leaving you alone in the common room. Hermione had watched the interaction from a window seat. "Hey, don't listen to them, they all need more time," she said, throwing an arm over your shoulder and sitting down next to you on one of the comfortable sofas. In response, you only replied with a faint nod. "I didn't think it would be this bad Hermione. I feel like I always have to choose and it's exhausting and makes me tired," you mumbled, wiping tears from your face. "You don't owe anyone an explanation for anything you do. Not Draco, not me, not the others. I...know it's hard for you and I know I haven't been the best friend these past few weeks. I promise you that I'll try to spend some time with you and him, okay?" "Thank you Hermione," you whispered and hugged your best friend. You knew it was a stretch for her and you would be forever grateful.

And as promised, Hermione spent the next day with you and Draco. Together you went to the library to do your homework. The atmosphere between Draco and Hermione was still a bit tense and you could tell that they were having a hard time talking to each other. And yet, for your sake, they were both trying. And to see and hear that the two of them got along more or less well was more than you could ever imagine and it filled you with joy. As time went by, the tables in the library filled up with more students seeking peace and quiet to do their assignments. But at the same time, the stares and the whispers came. You noticed again how Draco stiffened and tried not to lift his eyes from his books.

You put your hand on his, drawing his attention to you. "Don't listen to them Draco. The others still need some time," you whispered to him, out of the corner of your eye you could see the others whispering at the tables. "Are you really so sure about that? Nothing has changed and the one who suffers is you. I have the feeling that you are always in between chairs because of me. Maybe it would be better if you at least avoided me here at school." "I can make my own decisions. Draco, if I couldn't take all this, I wouldn't be here, okay? It just takes time. I need to talk to Madam Pince for a minute, I'll be right back." With a kiss on his cheek, you disappeared to talk to the librarian.

"Do you love her?" It took Draco a moment to realise that she was talking to him. Normally, the two of them tried to avoid each other as much as possible and only talked to each other when you were there or it was absolutely necessary. "What?" he asked, perplexed. "Do you love her?", Hermione repeated her question forcefully, looking at him. "I...yes, of course. Why do you ask?" It felt weird enough that Hermione Granger was talking to him willingly, but the fact that it also involved his feelings was almost creepy to him. "She's like a sister to me and this past year has been bloody hard on her. I just want her to be happy. If you make her happy, fine. But if I overhear you doing or saying anything to hurt her, I swear to you Malfoy, you will not be happy in your life. Understood?" Draco had to admit that he had expected a lot from Hermione, but not such an outburst.

"Don't worry Granger, I know what I have in her. I may have been an idiot many times in the past, but I'm not that stupid to gamble it away with her. I know she's too good for me and that she chose me anyway...she's important to me and I won't repeat past mistakes." Hermione pursed her lips and looked at him appraisingly for a few seconds before nodding slowly and turning back to her rune text. "Oh, and Malfoy? She's right. The others just need time. Maybe you really aren't that bad after all."

#draco x you #draco x reader #draco malfoy one shot #draco fanfiction #draco malfoy fanfiction #draco malfoy #draco x y/n #draco malfoy x you #draco malfoy x y/n #draco malfoy x reader #harry potter oneshot #harry potter series #harry potter fanfiction #one shot #reader insert #harry potter #ronald weasley #hermione granger

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jojotichakorn · 3 years ago

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my thoughts and opinions on "lovely writer": criticizing the critic

tw for discussions of age gaps, rape, and sex

before i turn into the mean and constantly dissatisfied archer that we all know and hate, i just want to say that i liked this show. i think it's great, actually! gene and sib are appropriately cute, the premise is nice, and the attempt at criticizing the industry is... well, an attempt, which is better than nothing. moreover, "lovely writer" came with gifts because it gave me my new favorite character, so you can't go telling me i'm trying to completely obliterate it or something.

besides, this specific post isn't going to get into analyzing the show as a whole anyway. i won't be talking about any irrelevant plot points, cinematography, sound design, or anything like that, though i could probably write a post just as long as this one about that side of things as well. however, i am here to specifically look at the problematic things that were both criticized by the show and included in the show without any criticism. i'm going to talk about the more serious side of things here, which means i'm going to get serious. and i'm going to be harsh. very harsh.

gene and nubsib: yes's and no's

overall, the relationship between gene and sib was a fair attempt at showing something complex, yet ultimately quite healthy, which i appreciate. there were some things i was especially glad about. the fact that sib dated other people before settling on getting together with gene, for example, makes the whole situation a little less codependent. however, as much as this show prides itself on not wanting to romanticize problematic relationships, there are at least two major problems with genesib.

the age gap (and why it was not needed)

i've tried my very best to give this entire concept the benefit of the doubt. at first, i was convincing myself that they were simply close childhood friends, then i was trying my best to believe that even though sib did have a sort of crush on gene (which sometimes happens to little children), gene only saw him as his younger brother, but eventually, the show gave me no choice, but to deem the entire storyline problematic, because they did their best to romanticize that relationship - from gene's dad seeing the "early signs" to the counting and kissing the cheek turning to counting and full-on lip-locking in the last episode.

i could go into how this could all easily be mended if little sib was shown as kind of obsessed with his older friend, but gene was shown as not being anywhere near interested in the kid. but the real question is - why was the age gap needed at all?

i've researched the age of the boys during the flashbacks to the best of my ability and it seems that gene is 11 and sib is 6 or 7. if sib was the same age as gene (or maybe just one year younger, but not any more than that), not only would none of it feel weird, it would also be quite appropriate to explore that first glimpse of romantic feelings some of us experience exactly around that age. i don't think it's necessary for sib to be much younger than gene (children can be just as impressionable at 11 as they are at 7, and as for gene being surprisingly nice and helpful and the other kids not wanting to play with sib, he could have easily been - for example - bullied by his peers instead, which would have the same effect).

moving forward to the present, i don't think the lack of an age gap would affect the storyline that much either. even if they desperately needed sib to be a university student, they could have that one-year difference i've talked about before, which is not as significant. sib could be in his last year of uni, while gene could have easily written his very first novel during his university years, which would actually make more sense (since that guaranteed him employment and freedom to write after he finished uni; and i would rather believe that he had time to write his first novel in-between classes than in-between shifts at work, which he would surely need to have if he started writing after finishing university).

so that brings me back to my initial question - why was it needed? and much like the show often does, i will leave this one up for your interpretation because i do not have any sensible answers myself.

the issue with sex and consent

"but archer!" - i hear you exclaim - "lovely writer is known for explicitly denouncing rape romanticization in bls, how could there possibly be any problems with consent here?" and i hear you, my dear reader. and you aren't incorrect, "lovely writer" is indeed very explicit at calling out bls for having rape scenes (and i do appreciate that). however, as i'm sure you know, there are different ways in which consent can be taken from a person, and there are different non-consensual acts that someone might perform. for example, there are many different forms of coercion, such as the person being persuaded until they feel like they have no other choice, but to say yes. touching someone or kissing someone without asking for permission are also non-consensual acts. i can go on and on, there are many examples outside of what so many people consider rape.

now, what if i tell you that though there (thank the gods) has been no rape present in "lovely writer", not all scenes with gene and sib are consensual? well, that's what i'm telling you because it's the truth. both the first kissing scene and the scene where gene and sib "try out different poses" have clear coercion in them. the entire "joke" of the scene before gene and sib's first time is literally built upon the concept of "a person is trying to run away from someone, who wants to have sex with them" and it is NOT funny. the later reveal of gene actually looking up how to have sex seems to be there on purpose, to show that everything that's happened is "ok" because gene was thinking about it. as a sensible person, i will only accept actual enthusiastic consent and not someone possibly maybe probably considering it. not to mention that right before having sex, sib asks gene one last time if he is sure, which is great, except it is immediately followed by "i'm not going to let you change your mind anymore", which - daily reminder - you are allowed to stop having sex at any point during the act if you start feeling uncomfortable with it. that's absolutely normal.

now the problem that we seem to run into here is that "lovely writer" appears to think that it's ok to push someone to the limit until they either finally agree or confidently and loudly disagree. the drama has repeatedly shown us that actually forcing someone to have sex is not ok; however, persuading and otherwise coercing someone, as well as taking an approximate guess of them wanting to have sex based on some marginally related factors, is ok. i would like to once again remind everyone that all of that is not ok.

one more issue i want to bring up in connection with sex is something i wish was common knowledge: it is NOT supposed to hurt during your first time. whether you are planning to have vaginal or anal sex for the first time, it should not hurt. and if it does, something has definitely gone wrong and you need to stop. you are not supposed to experience any pain or discomfort during sex, including your first time (outside of desired and therefore intentionally inflicted pain, but that's not what i'm talking about here). i have seen this misconception brought up many times in bls along with the other person "thanking the person who got hurt for bearing the pain to bring them pleasure" and absolutely none of that is normal. stop. please, just... stop.

criticism of the BL industry

there are certainly quite a few things i liked about the way "lovely writer" criticized the many problems that surround bls. i think they dealt especially well with the fan aspect. the breaches of privacy that are considered normal, the toxicity of social media that encourages people to comment on other people's personal life, harass and stalk them - all of that was shown in its full glory (or rather horror) and clearly condemned. it was also interesting to see how easily everyone around sib fell into the routine of having to hide genesib's relationship, just because "that's what's supposed to be done in these situations" - even tum did that without thinking twice.

however, i have not spent the past three years hating gmm for a show trying to criticize the industry not to focus on criticizing the production company and everyone professionally involved with the making of bls. don't get me wrong - they didn't completely overlook that side of things, but i found the way they approached it dissatisfying.

like yes, tum fights with his sister (aka sib's manager) and calls her out for her terrible actions, and the publisher (bua) eventually apologizes for what she did, but all of that feels a bit too... personal. i do not care about these individual stories. i care about you saying that the whole system is broken because it very much is. i wanted manner of death but with the bl industry, and instead, i got an "uwu the fans are demanding we do this, and our hands our tied" (which is a lie) and "uwu i'm just trying to make money" (which i mean... if you feel ok milking even more money than you already have by doing something unethical and immoral, then be my guest, but also go fuck yourself). besides that, i didn't see any criticism of tabloids or exploitative celebrities either (both of which we had examples of in the show), and that was kind of disappointing.

coming back to the fans for a moment, i also think that the criticism of real people shipping was entirely unsuccessful. we basically mostly got an "oh, what if this person's partner thinks they are actually dating", which... if a bunch of people on the internet who do not know your boyfriend personally and make all their judgments from screenshots and their imagination can convince you that your boyfriend is cheating, i've got some bad news for you and also a number for a therapist. partly i know why it was so complicated for them to get into it properly - the issue with real people shipping is an issue of privacy, boundaries, the perception of celebrities, acceptable interests, and many other complex topics. however, it's better to not criticize something than to criticize it badly and inaccurately (because the latter usually leads to even more encouragement of whatever you were attempting to criticize).

aey: the flamboyant villain

aey certainly starts as a promisingly complex character, but the farther we go from his backstory and his family, the less complex and the more evil he gets. eventually, the trauma he goes through is no longer enough to give him a get-out-of-jail-free card, and he loses all remaining sympathy after sexually harassing gene and pretending to drug sib. and i did start this post by saying that i am not to analyze any plot points or characters from the show here; however, i'm saying all this to prove a point that aey is a clear villain in the show. this is further cemented by the fact that by the end of the show he loses the only two people who cared about him, and the very last moment with him in the show is literally just him crying for about 3 minutes. there was no redemption arc, no pity, no revenge - he was left alone and broken, clearly punished by the narrative. and i've got a bone to pick here as well.

one of the first things that we find out about aey is that he is gay, and quite openly so. he is repeatedly described as very feminine by many characters, he flirts with men, he talks about being good in bed, and his entire character is built upon being gay (half of it directly, and the other half due to the fact that his entire backstory and therefore personality is also built upon the fact that he is gay). he is - for the lack of a better term - the gayest character in the show and the only one who is loud about being gay not because he is in love but simply because it is a part of him and he doesn't want to hide it. and he is the villain. not the disgusting publisher or the terrible manager - no, this guy was specifically chosen to ruin everyone's lives. and i can't say i'm particularly happy about that. *british voice* seems a bit homophobic love

not quite queer enough

as i said, aey is openly gay. gene and sib also eventually say that they are gay, gene's father teep is queer, so are tiffy and mhok. but it just doesn't seem to come up as much as it would in real life. the only time anyone has a problem with any of the characters being queer is when we deal with the parents. but knowing actual queer thai actors in real life, we are all aware how hard it can be for them, but it has not come up even once for aey, gene or sib (with genesib only being a problem because they are a "non-shippable couple"). being queer is far from being a non-issue in the industry, and i found it incredibly weird that it was never brought up (and i would also prefer if they brought that up instead of showing the unaccepting parents plot for the millionth time).

same goes for the lack of conversation around queer people on set. i think we all have a wonderful example of how much better a bl can get simply when it involves a queer director and/or screenwriter (gods bless p'aof), gay actors, etc. i also thought it was a missed opportunity that gene being a gay man writing a bl novel was never highlighted. if anything, everyone made a big deal out of him being a man writing a bl - never mind that he is a gay man that is far more qualified to write bls than a straight woman.

in conclusion, there are simply not enough queer issues talked about here for a show that is about queer people facing difficulties while making a queer drama.

tiffy and tum: the good, the bad, and the ugly

overall, tiffy and tum are quite cool. outside of my own personal feelings, i really liked the clear reversal of gender roles they have going on: he knows lots about make-up, she knows nothing about it, he knows how to sew, she knows how to repair a car, etc.

tiffy is also a nice addition to the precious few queer girls we have in bls. however, the way her being bi is executed... it isn't great. when she first talks about dating girls to tum, she says things like "even though i look like this" (implying queer girls have a certain look?) and "maybe it seemed normal because i was at an all-girls school" (which wtf does that even mean?). i think the worst thing, though, was when she assumed tum was gay. my best guess is she thought so because she initially thought that tum and gene were a couple; however, she should be the first person to know that just because he likes men, it doesn't mean that he doesn't like women or any other gender. even though there was nothing explicitly leading me to make this conclusion, this whole thing did kind of feel like the old "flipping the switch" stereotype (meaning, she used to like women, but now she likes men, and both of them can't happen simultaneously).

make it make sense

i think i've never been more confused in my entire life than when i found out that the director of "lovely writer" also happens to be the director of "th*arnt*pe". and if at first, i was asking a lot of questions about this peculiar individual, who went from working on the worst rape-romanticizing show we have ever had to a show that explicitly states that rape is not normal. but the more i thought about it, the less i was interested in him, and the more i was interested in whoever made the decision to hire him. there are dozens of different directors that have worked specifically on bls, and even more that haven't. yet out of all those, you decided to choose this one. the dude, who before your show has only directed the show with the biggest rape-y vibes. that casts a particular kind of shade on the entire show that i simply do not like.

conclusion

at the end of the day, i think what "lovely writer" tried to do was very interesting. it succeeded in some ways and failed in others. frankly, i think this show could have easily been made better if someone queer was involved in making it. that's always true, but especially so, when we try to talk about the issues of making a queer drama. either way, it's certainly a good start to this conversation; however - as i said - i'm still waiting for my manner of death but with the bl industry. this was unfortunately not it.

#it is here it is queer it has some controversial hot takes #archer speaks #lovely writer

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catwithangerissues · 4 years ago

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Sweet by Cigarettes after Sex - Sakusa Kiyoomi

🌱This is another scenario based song fic😌 let me know what you think, please! I think I peaked with that Yachi drabble lmao. This is for a request that was sent to @sunalma ,but fit under my prompt so she sent it on over to me :)

“Watching the video that you sent me

The one where you're showering with wet hair dripping

You know that I'm obsessed with your body

But it's the way you smile that does it for me”

You were sat on the rooftop of your home, the chilly night shingles and wind nipping at your uncovered face. You only wore the hoodie Omi had given you, knowing you’d get cold at the most random times, and a pair of your own old joggers.

With your feet dangling off, you sat close to the edge, you had only one earbud in at the time, and were peacefully humming to the tune you’d been playing basically on repeat the past few days. It was from the playlist you’d made many months ago for when you weren’t feeling well, and with the gray blue and purples clouding the early night sky, you thought it was quite fitting.

“It's so sweet, knowing that you love me

Though we don't need to say it to each other, sweet

Knowing that I love you, and running my fingers through your hair

It's so sweet”

You came up here to get some fresh air, the open window beneath you allowing the bitter wind to seep into your bedroom. You hadn’t been feeling well, and you weren’t sure whether it was just an off day or what.

You knew your sweet boyfriend Omi had been worried about you all day, he had practice so he wasn’t able to spend as much time with you as either of you would’ve liked, but he texted you every chance he could to ask how you were doing and to make sure you’d been taking care of yourself until he got home, he knew you had a habit of neglecting your needs when you felt bad. He felt guilty for leaving this morning, all the more reason why he caught himself cursing under his breath when he fumbled with his keys to open your shared front door.

He opened the door expecting to be hit with a wave of warmth from the house, but once he realized it was only slightly colder outside than it was indoors, he knew exactly where you’d run off too.

He always knew you preferred the rooftop when you weren’t doing well. You had mentioned many times that you liked the scenery up there; the lights from the city, the different vivid colors swirling within the sky and clouds, and the ambient sounds from your street- like the neighborhood cats pestering one another about their territory. Truth be told, he didn’t mind joining you up there, he could agree with you that it was rather peaceful and he certainly didn’t mind being in your company when you two escaped to your little space away from normal life.

He desperately wanted to bask in a hot shower after such a long day of practice, but he wanted nothing more than to make sure you were doing okay before you both turned the lights out for the night.

He made his way to your shared bedroom, only reaffirming the answer to his mental question as to why the house was so cold moments ago once he saw the open window. It felt routine at this point, as odd as it sounded, to climb through that window and up onto the roof. The first few times you asked him to join you, he was put off by the offer, and usually gave you snarky comment about how filthy it was, but he slowly began to join you more and more, to the point where it felt normal now. He still didn’t enjoy the filth, though.

“Watching the video where you're lying

In your red lingerie ten times nightly

You know I think your skin's the perfect color

But it's always your eyes that pull me under”

He peered over the edge of the shingles at your laying form, eyes closed and hair gently blowing onto your soft cheeks. He could tell you were cold from the goosebumps that covered your body, so he made a mental note to keep the house extra cozy tonight.

You hadn’t heard him climb up next to you, until you felt his fingertips gently ghost over your cheek and brushing your hair away. You would’ve been alarmed, had you not immediately recognized the gesture; Omi was always so gentle when touching you in any way, like you could break into shattered glass if he wasn’t careful.

You opened your eyes slowly to see a small smile on your longtime boyfriends face, though you could easily pick up on the hints of exhaustion and concern beneath his dark eyes. Reaching up to grasp his proportionally much larger hand, you lay it gently flush against your cheek, basking in the warmth of his skin as you nuzzled further into his touch. He couldn’t help but smile wider at your gesture.

After getting comfortable, sitting up next to one another, your head laid casually on his shoulder and his arm around you, you two spent what felt like forever talking. About his day, your day, how you were both feeling, and otherwise. You could feel your heart swell and sink simultaneously at his worry for you, you wanted nothing more than to bring a smile to his face, but you greatly appreciated all the love and care he had for you. He pet your hair lightly as you continued to rant, offering his occasional two cents of advice.

It was comforting, and you found yourself slowly feeling better as he continued to spend time with you. About the time he saw your eyes drifting closed again, he decided to bring you in.

“It's so sweet, knowing that you love me

Though we don't need to say it to each other, sweet

Knowing that I love you, and running my fingers through your hair

It's so sweet”

After helping you back into your bedroom, he quickly went to turn up the thermostat to heat the now icy indoor air. You felt a large pair of arms wrap around your waist, pulling you as close as possible to his chest. He nuzzled into your shoulder, mumbling about throwing the towels in the dryer to be warm for you once you got done showering. You hadn’t noticed he slipped into the bathroom behind you to prepare it for you, but you felt woozy with appreciation and adoration at that moment. Peppering his face lightly with your kisses of approval as payment, you both found yourselves smiling wide at the other after pulling apart.

After a steamy shower, you felt newer, and the warmth of the previously mentioned towels definitely helped in improving your mood. Omi had run off to the guest bathroom to clean up himself in the meantime, wanting to give you space if you needed any, and using it as an excuse to prepare a few more surprises for you, as he always knew you took longer showers than he did.

He had taken the time to bring a few extra blankets into your bedroom, along with your favorite comfort movies and some of those snacks he’d picked up on the way home that he knew you loved, you always said they were your favorite but he knew that changed basically each week.

He laid out some pajamas for you, including one of his own sweatshirts, the same one you said was your favorite on him so he wore it more often from that point forward.

The house had begun to warm up, and he padded his way to the kitchen to make you some hot tea, figuring you’d spent quite a bit of time in the chilly air outside even before you’d spent an hour up there with him.

“And I will gladly break it

I will gladly break my heart for you

And I will gladly break it

I will gladly break my heart for you

And I will gladly break it

I will gladly break my heart for you

And I will gladly break it

I will gladly break my heart for you

It's so sweet, knowing that you love me

Though we don't need to say it to each other, sweet

Knowing that I love you, and running my fingers through your hair

It's so sweet”

After bringing back the tea to set on your side of the beds nightstand, the steam from the open bathroom door and missing clothes he’d laid out for you gave it away that you’d finished your shower. Once you emerged, he couldn’t help but think about how much cuter that sweatshirt looked on you than he ever thought it did on him, but he wouldn’t tell you that now. You smiled at the sweet gestures your boyfriend had done for you, even after such a long day of intense practice. He really never failed to bring a smile to your face, and this was no different.

Bringing him into your tight embrace and falling back onto the bed, his head resting on your chest and muscular arms wrapped around your torso, your arms around his neck and shoulders, you let out a sigh and a sweet hum. His weight on top of yours was comforting, and his black curls smelled nicely of his shampoo. He nuzzled further into your touch, mumbling a question you didn’t really catch about having an impromptu movie night and if you’d like a massage, also letting you know he’d be around the house all day tomorrow, he’d texted the teams groupchat to let them know he would be missing practice. You smiled wide at his words, excited to spend a full day with the man you loved so much.

Some people would consider Sakusa Kiyoomi a cold person, one who wasn’t fond of people nor someone who could be very affectionate. But in that moment, you knew more than ever how wrong they were.

✨Tag List: @sunalma @toworuu

🌱Let me know what you thought of comforting Omi, he’s one of my favs to write for. Hope you liked it! <3

#weeklypromptevent #haikyu #haikyuu #haikyuu oneshot #haikyuu x reader #haikyuu!!#haikyuu fluff #haikyuu matchup #haikyuu matchups #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu sakusa #sakusa kiyoomi x reader #hq sakusa #kiyoomi is my husband and i love him #kiyoomi fluff #sakusa fluff #sakusa headcanons

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itsclydebitches · 3 years ago

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I adore talking about this with you, it's so cool to be able to agree, everything I've read is just excusing yen lmao.

And with "geralt would rather do and say things Yen wants to avoid pissing her off" LIKE YEAHH I guess I annoyed yen with my answers and she teleported Geralt out of the tower thing, and then threatened to do it again like??? Like he pissed her off so she has fuck all care about him, was over water thank god but like girl??? omg and her refusing to tell the wticher bros what she was planning on doing to Uma, like I get that they would be hesistent but I mean it's cause it's cruel and painful and they have that trauma around that. She just expects everyone to do what she asks when she asks no questions. (Lambert's "I'm not geralt" when he and Yen are kinda arguring, bb red flags)

I just assumed she didn't believe him cause if she did whats her excuse for behaving how she is lmao??? Like you believe he has amnesia and you still blame HIM over the person who maniplated him KAY.

And goodddd that fucking scene when Triss and Yen see Ciri in Kaer Morhen is genuinely the worst, Triss and Yen see their sis/daughter (not gonna get into how weird I find it that Triss considers Ciri her sister and Geralt is Ciris father and she still wants to fuck him, uncomfy) for the first time in forever, she's alive and well and while Triss is hugging Ciri, Yen kisses Geralt and Triss throws a glare at her. I hated that scene so damn much, it's stupid and shouldn't have been there. (aso I get emotions and all but Yen kissing Geralt is so bitchy, idk even full of gratitude and emotion I wouldn't kiss the man who just dumped me lol, especially not in front of a situation like Triss)

I'm still mad about the women, I really wanted to like them fuck meeee

YOU GOT TO THE PART. Oh thank god, anon, I've wanted to talk about this since we started these conversations lol

Okay, let's set the scene, shall we? You arrive to find that, with our playthroughs anyway, your ex has barged into your home. I say "barged in" because although we (Geralt) know that Yen's help is necessary and she'll be tagging along, the other witchers living there are given no prior warning and, according to Vesemir, Yen teleported in without so much as a "Hello." She then immediately starts ordering everyone around like her servants, failing to explain the situation beyond there being a curse that they have to help with. No, this isn't negotiable. She (still being an ex) takes your old room for herself, which just happens to be the biggest in the keep, and proceeds to toss a bed out the window. It's only later that Vesemir recalls that Triss used to use it, so prior to that everyone apparently just accepted that Yen was destroying their stuff for no understandable reason. Classic Yen. You go upstairs to find her cursing a blue streak at her failed experiment and when you try to lighten the mood, she snaps at you. If you're of the opinion that Yen's every order must be obeyed, this is when you're supposed to drop the conversation entirely, because she said to. Except, funnily enough, you'd like to know why she's up here being The Worst Guest Ever and destroying your property. She tries to justify this by saying that destroying a bed is better than how she could be dealing with her anger over Triss. Be grateful and all that. Except, it's not really about Triss, is it? The line is "You shagged my friend. For upwards of a year. I don't know what your witcher's code says on the matter, but ordinary folk would consider it obscene, base, vile." The blame is not on the woman who knowingly manipulated Geralt into having sex with her while he was vulnerable, it's on Geralt himself! He is the "obscene, base, vile" person for... daring to have amnesia? And when you point that out - "Yen... told you already. I lost my memory" - she yells that she's "lost [her] patience" and teleports you into a lake! This is, apparently, how she really wants to deal with her anger. Not by destroying beds, but by attacking you for things outside of your control. And I do consider it an attack. Yen is meant to be insanely powerful, she is leveraging her magic as a weapon here, particularly when Geralt has spent the whole game commenting on how much he hates portals. Yen knows this. Not just because he says so in her presence, but because she frequently reads his mind, something else he's expressed discomfort with. She's not just demonstrating her power (controlling) and sending him away when he makes a point she doesn't want to acknowledge (immature), she chooses the one thing she knows makes Geralt uncomfortable, perhaps even scared. Then when you've swum your way back to shore and returned to, despite all this, begin her list of chores, she makes a dry comment about how next time she just might drop you high enough for the fall to be fatal. With the next time implied to be, you know, the next time you disagree with her. The next time you dare to do anything other than agree with her every belief and jump at her every command.

The fandom interpretation of all this: "Lol Geralt getting yeeted is so funny. And their banter is just 😍"

Me:

You mentioned red flags and yeah like that ENTIRE SCENE is a crimson banner for me. I mean, by all means, love the fictional ships that are super messed up (I often do), but it astounds me how many fans honestly think this is just a cute interaction with absolutely no problems attached. Nothing to question here, folks. I've mentioned before, but last I discussed this in depth the asker wanted to know if I'd been an asshole to Yen and... that's it. That's the perspective. Any disagreement with her, any pushback, anything that's not complete, blind obedience is something she will not permit AND something most fans take as a given. If you're not doing what Yen tells you to, you're automatically the asshole, and if you're the asshole, you automatically deserve any punishment she chooses to dish out.

Comic spoilers coming up if you want to skip, but this is made abundantly clear in "Curse of Crows." Yen and Geralt are at their best in the moment below, enjoying one another's company on a nice day. Yen asks if Geralt wants to swim and he says nah, he'd rather watch her. She appears to like that idea and, indeed, swims naked while Geralt admires from the shore.

Actually cute right? I really liked this moment! They're cuddled up together and exchanging smiles. It's a rare moment of peace where I can believe that they truly care for one another, outside of passionate sex and not wanting the other dead. Finally, something beyond that incredibly low bar.

...except Yen starts flirting with a young man who shows up, invites him to travel with them, all while refusing to explain why she's interested in his company. The sudden third wheel is clearly bothering Geralt, but Yen continues to ignore his questioning. The answer she finally gives later that night?

She did it purely to mess with Geralt! It's his "just desserts" for "refusing to swim with [her]." She is "not one to be refused - I thought you needed reminding" by giving him "a flick on the nose." When I say that Yen treats Geralt like a dog I mean she literally treats him like a dog. He's a servant who must jump at her every command and if he doesn't, he'll punished for disobedience. He might not even know why he's being punished for a long stretch because Yen enjoys making him think she's a normal person capable of accepting that he doesn't feel like swimming right now - insert the Kaer Morhen scene where she wants to go have sex upstairs, but Geralt wants to catch up with the brothers he hasn't seen in an age here - only to reveal that actually she's made their formerly nice outing uncomfortable because he needs to be put in his place. All of which is followed by, "So... willing to join me now?" The message is very clear! Geralt had better get his ass in that tub unless he wants to be punished some more. Whether he wants a bath right now or not is inconsequential.

This is also the run where she scares the women Geralt was with, despite them being separated right now. Why? "I could."

Claims that Geralt is allowed to return to his companions (who he actually waves away) only for him to realize she's cast a spell to burn him with the water. Yen loves pretending she's okay with things only to punish Geralt for them later - sometimes with physical punishments. And what would have happened if the women had actually joined him again? Do witchers weather hot water better than the average courtesan? Who knows, but Yen clearly doesn't care who might get hurt.

Just like her time in Skellige and at Kaer Morhen, she refuses to explain what's going on. She just expects people to obey her, so-called loved ones included. Geralt was to get her cider, and arrive before her bath went cold, not question what they're doing on this dangerous hunt. He's a servant.

And my favorite, petty moment: transforming her awful inn food into a lavish meal without offering to do the same for either Geralt or Ciri.

"But, Clyde, that's just the comics. They're not really canon." Nah, questions of canon aside, this is 100% Yen's characterization. She's prideful. Immature. Beyond controlling. And punishes anyone who dares to tell her "No." Fans are always pointing out that she's meant to be horrible, she could have been a villain in another life, like any of that explains why I'm supposed to root for this relationship or enjoy her existence outside of being a complex character. Yen is interesting, but she's interesting in a "I can't wait to see her get her own just desserts" way. Not "Wooo now I get to watch this story ignore her behavior again to push a True Love narrative."

She punished Geralt frequently during their first meeting, she punishes him whenever they get together, and, I think, she punished him during the reunion with Ciri. Given our playthroughs, do we really think that after breaking up with her and all this fury over Triss - an anger so deep she destroyed the bed and attacked Geralt - she's just overcome with such joy that she forgets they're not together anymore and forgets the anger she's been nurturing for years? Yen doesn't forget. She's staring at Ciri during that moment, right where Triss is currently running towards them, and then after a considering look at Geralt pulls him in for that kiss. That was calculated. She did that to make a claim she no longer had. To punish them both: make Triss uncomfortable by playing at the "perfect" family reunion; make Geralt uncomfortable by kissing him when she knows he doesn't feel the same way. But of course, the popular reading is that she just loves him so much she couldn't help herself. Riiight.

It's just all SO BAD. (Including, as you say, the ickiness of having Triss lusting after Geralt and referring to Ciri as "little sis.") I love a lot of the women in Witcher - Cerys is a fave, Ciri, Saskia, Philippa, Keira, etc. - but the two I'm supposedly meant to fall in love with are just the worst lol.

Basically:

Half the fandom: TEAM TRISS 🤬

The other half: TEAM YEN🤬

Me: TEAM REGIS 😭

#witcher #mymetas #long post

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rivalsforlife · 4 years ago

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i'm holding myself back from asking commentary on almost every scene from the catch up game bc i love so much how you wrote phoenix in that fic!! that said, could u do commentary on the last 2 scenes from the first chapter (party + gumshoe), if that's not too long or on parts of it if it's too much?

Sure thing!! The scenes on their own are already over 2000 words so I’ll put them under a keep reading for everyone’s peace of mind.

Alright let’s start then...

The bachelor party was beyond Phoenix’s expectations. He’d been expecting Edgeworth to be much stingier with the spending, considering his general attitude towards Gumshoe’s salary. But he’d agreed to rent the bar out and pay for one drink for everyone, plus transportation home for those who couldn’t do it themselves. Phoenix… was surprised, actually. He’d known for a long time now that Edgeworth appreciated Gumshoe much more than he let anyone know about, but it was still surprising to see in action.

this paragraph brought to you by My AAI2 Feelings, particularly the parts where Gumshoe really does come through in the investigations, so much that Miles actually gives him a salary raise at the end... it did a great job developing their friendship, I loved it a lot.

(Also I headcanon that after aai2 but possibly before that... every “I’m going to cut your salary!!” that Miles says does not actually result in a salary cut. poor gumshoe can barely feed himself as it is. but Miles can’t be, like... Nice about it so he’s just going to pretend. Gumshoe understands. it’s like an inside joke now.)

And honestly figuring out this whole party scene was such a pain. I still feel like it could be better but I’m not sure how? I just had the goal of “get someone to let it slip that Miles is in love with Phoenix” but then there was the issue of a) who knew Miles well enough to know this, and b) who knew Phoenix well enough to talk about it, and c) what circumstances would let them slip up and say it. The answer was Gumshoe because he can’t resist leaking information to the defense... even when it’s information about his boss’s personal life. oops.

Athena dropped by for a movie night, since Pearls was too young to attend. Phoenix wasn’t worried about them; he was sure they wouldn’t get into any more trouble than he and Maya could at the party.

OOF AWKWARD PARAGRAPH this is a remnant from when I shifted a lot of scenes around in this chapter. I thought it would be cute if Athena and Pearl were friends. And I think there was more to this but then it was distracting from the overall topic so I cut it out... resulting in this.

“Pals!” a familiar voice boomed at the entrance to the bar, and Phoenix soon found himself and Maya swept up in a bone-crushing hug. “I’m so glad you both could make it!”

“Gumshoe!” Maya returned the hug enthusiastically. “It’s been forever, man!”

“Sure has!” Gumshoe released them, allowing Phoenix the opportunity to wheeze and clutch at his ribs, while Gumshoe ruffled Maya’s hair. “Been keeping yourself out of trouble?”

“You know it!”

“Uh, I had several sleepless nights last year suggesting otherwise,” said Phoenix.

“Shut it, Nick.” Maya elbowed him, not helping with the situation with his ribs, and beamed.

a little bit of banter that really just serves as a transition thing. most of the party is actually both “transition scene to indicate that the party did, in fact, happen before I get to the important stuff” and “introduce some important character stuff while I have time to fill”.

and of course these sleepless nights are in reference to pretty much the whole plot of SOJ...

One last note that I think Gumshoe probably gives great hugs, if you can survive your ribs potentially being crushed in the process. he doesn’t mean anything by it. he’s big and strong and likes hugs so much he forgets how big and strong he is.

... ps I love Gumshoe

“But congrats, Gumshoe! Seems like just last decade Nick and I were wandering around trying to pass your lunches over to Maggey.”

“God, it’s been that long, hasn’t it?” Phoenix reminisced. It was odd, thinking back on cases he took before he was disbarred, before he became a father to a daughter who wasn’t even with him today.

Gumshoe chuckled. “Guess so, pals. You two’ve really been there since the beginning, huh? Maggey and I wouldn’t be here today without you.”

Phoenix smiled. “Aww, Gumshoe…”

“And that’s why I get to be maid of honor, huh?” asked Maya with a sly grin.

“Maid of honor?!” Phoenix looked to Gumshoe, who didn’t object, before rounding back on his best friend. “You didn’t tell me that!”

“You didn’t ask!” Maya sighed. “If it weren’t for me eating Gumshoe’s beloved bento box in front of Maggey, who knows if we’d be here today?”

“I don’t think that was a deciding factor at any point…”

Gumshoe clapped Phoenix on the shoulder. “Sorry, pal. Would’ve made you the best man, but, y’know… Mr. Edgeworth.”

“Yeah, of course, no hard feelings, pal.”

“What’d I tell you about stealing my trademark, huh, pal?” Gumshoe laughed before stepping back into the bar. “C’mon in, you two.”

REALLY just more awkward transition scenes haha. Maya is the maid of honor in this fic mostly because I went to Maggey’s profile page and she was the only woman listed under the “friends” list... and we don’t know much about Maggey’s personal life. plus more “Miles and Gumshoe friendship” agenda pushing in here!

There were more people there than Phoenix was expecting, and many of them he hadn’t met. Edgeworth had mentioned that he would let Gumshoe select the guest list, but he’d kind of expected this to be people the two of them knew. Or, at least, that Phoenix knew — Edgeworth seemed to recognize more, which was rare, and was currently speaking with someone Phoenix vaguely recognized as an Interpol agent he’d worked with on a few cases back when Phoenix would help him out in Europe.

Ema ran up to them and made small talk before she and Maya got caught up in discussion about some show Phoenix had never heard of, so he wandered off to find someone else to talk with.

And there was… no one, really. Gumshoe and Edgeworth were talking with strangers, and Phoenix didn’t want to butt in on that conversation — he thought he saw Larry lurking about but couldn’t find him right now — and anyone else Phoenix recognized he either hadn’t talked to in years or was sure didn’t recognize him.

Phoenix hadn’t realized just how much his disbarment affected him, in these little ways. He looked out over the crowd of people Gumshoe or Edgeworth spoke to and had no idea who they were. It had been eight years out of touch with the rest of the legal world — eight years to fall behind.

It was… oddly lonely. Eventually it was just Phoenix standing there at the bar with a glass of grape juice in his hand. He was beginning to wish he’d ordered some more euphemistic “grape juice” instead.

You know that feeling when you go to a party and your one (1) friend leaves you and then you have no one to talk to and don’t know what to do -- maybe? That’s kind of the thing. slight Lang cameo in there.

ORIGINALLY Ema and Maya were going to talk about Lana and Mia and kind of hint at some Lanamia stuff in there, but then I thought about it and really why would Phoenix pass up an opportunity to gossip about his boss’s past relationships.

And this also tries to kind of go for one of the general... “themes” of the fic? More of an exploration into Phoenix’s loneliness/how he copes with not having people around him. RFTA and JFA in particular kind of really entrenched that he Does Not Do Well without people to take care of -- which comes up a lot during this fic. And part of getting to explore those issues is essentially me trying to make Phoenix as alone as possible. ... sorry Phoenix!

Also in here is a lot of “disbarment should have messed up Phoenix more than DD and SOJ would lead you to believe” -- he essentially spent seven years completely disgraced, it’s unlikely he made a lot of notable legal connections, aside from maybe Miles and Miles’ social circle. He probably missed out on a lot.

The last paragraph there is just referencing the “grape juice” thing - I do believe it is literal grape juice and not an alcohol euphemism, and I believe it was also literal grape juice in the original, so that’s what it ends up being.

“Hey, Niiiick…”

… But Phoenix supposed that just when you’re feeling down, the Butz arrives to drag you down further. “Hey there, Larry.”

Larry slumped against the bar beside him with a sigh, a glass of what definitely wasn’t grape juice in his hand. “Y’know Franzy didn’t even show up to this?”

“I’m not surprised. Being whipped half to death during your own bachelor party isn’t anyone’s idea of a good time, y’know?” In truth, he knew Franziska couldn’t make it down until just a few days before the wedding because of work — or so Edgeworth had told him — though he couldn’t help but wonder if Gumshoe was grateful for it.

Larry muttered something under his breath that sounded like it might’ve been contradicting Phoenix’s last statement, which Phoenix decided he was certainly not going to press further on, before Larry cleared his throat and continued. “But why’re you out here by yourself, Nick? Maya ditched you?”

“No, not at all,” Phoenix lied. “Just… taking in the scenery.”

“... Huh. Never took you for the wallflower type.” Larry frowned. “I mean, we did use to spend school dances in the corner by ourselves… guess some things never change.”

“Please don’t remind me of middle school ever again.”

“I’ll drink to that,” said Larry, who then did. “But I get it, dude. I was kinda hoping for some more excitement here… more ladies…”

“Don’t worry Larry, I’m sure you’ll find someone else to pester tonight,” Phoenix commented dryly.

... enter Larry Butz.

I really did try to explore the relationships of all the important people in Phoenix’s life... Larry though is so insufferable in canon I didn’t really have the heart to fit him in, so he falls out. (Apollo also doesn’t show up much, aside from the bit in chapter 5, that’s because he’s in a different country and I couldn’t come up with much of a role for him.)

And I also do believe that Larry and Phoenix were super unpopular in school. Larry was... Larry, and Phoenix was probably very sensitive up until the Dahlia Incident, and together they had enough unlikable traits that anyone who could spend time with one wouldn’t want to hang out with the other, but the two of them were loyal to each other. It’s my headcanon that Phoenix’s only real close friends throughout his childhood were Larry and Miles, which is part of why he got so attached to Miles to change his career for him.

“Yeah.” Larry’s eyes scanned the crowd before landing on a woman with dark hair in a high ponytail, and his face brightened. Phoenix cringed preemptively.

“Little miss Kay!” Larry called out, as the woman looked their way. “Looking as cute as ever! And more grown up, too…”

Phoenix tensed, suddenly feeling the wrath of hell creeping up behind them.

“Larry Butz,” a deadly voice boomed, “if you go anywhere near her, I will sue you for everything you are worth, little though it may be.”

Larry jumped and spilled half his drink over his jacket. “Geez, Edgey,” he grumbled, scuttling off to find a napkin. Phoenix, hoping it was safe now with the target gone, turned back around to meet the glare of his other childhood friend. “Hey, Edgeworth.”

Larry being gross but more importantly: me pushing the Dadworth agenda!

“You didn’t have to do that, Mr. Edgeworth,” said the woman with a laugh. “I’m an adult. I know how to effectively break someone’s kneecaps if they bug me.”

Edgeworth raised an eyebrow. “Though I don’t necessarily disapprove, do we need to talk about avoiding criminal records again, young lady?”

“Sheesh, you’re still treating me like a kid,” she huffed, before noticing Phoenix and extending a hand. “Sorry about that! Kay Faraday. I’m Mr. Edgeworth’s assistant.”

Edgeworth gave an exasperated sigh, though Phoenix could detect a note of fondness to it. “You haven’t been my assistant for over ten years, Kay.”

“So you finally admit I was your assistant at some point!”

“Ngrk…”

Phoenix laughed and took her hand. “Pleased to meet you. I’m Phoenix Wright, attorney at law.”

Kay grinned. “Oh, I know! Gummy debriefed me on you, Mr. That Man.”

“Kay,” Edgeworth warned.

“Plus I kept up with the news,” Kay continued, before Phoenix could say anything. “I’m a big fan of your work! Anyone who can take Mr. High-and-Mighty over there down a notch or two is a hero in my book.”

“Ha, I appreciate that.” Usually the first thing people said to Phoenix after saying they saw him on the news was much more negative.

I really still can’t believe Kay would be 27 here. that’s just so weird. she’s permanently seventeen in my mind. --- said by miles, probably

Even though this was supposed to be a fic about Phoenix’s important canon relationships Kay just wormed her way in here. I love her so I didn’t make any particular effort to take her out of this. Plus it gives me the opportunity to write my favourite things: Dadworth, and also Kay bullying Miles.

And yeah the part about people seeing Phoenix on the news is a reference to disbarment... can’t imagine anyone would have had anything particularly nice to say to him, especially those first few years.

“Kay has been assisting some of the prosecutors and myself through some tricky crime scenes lately,” Edgeworth informed him.

“Technically I’m a P.I., but Mr. Edgeworth said they’re really short-staffed these days, so I thought I’d lend him a hand,” Kay elaborated.

“Oh, so I might be running into you at the crime scene someday.”

“Probably!” She grinned. “Though I’m not gonna go easy on you just ‘cause Mr. Edgeworth likes you.”

“Kay.”

“Oh is that Ema over there?” Kay said loudly. “I’ve gotta run, see you around!”

She dashed off. Edgeworth sighed.

At first I made Kay just a straightforward detective, but I changed it pretty last minute. I feel like she’d want to do her own thing, plus this way she can assist from the outside when dealing with Dark Age of the Law Corruption-type stuff. Miles hires her because canon says he was left pretty short-staffed in SOJ. I’m not... totally sure what the laws are regarding private investigators working with police, but this is a fictional universe with fictional laws so I will do what I want.

Aside from that... more Kay making fun of Miles.

“She seems energetic,” Phoenix commented.

“Indeed she is.”

“... Why did she call me ‘Mr. That Man’?”

Edgeworth coughed. “I’ve not the slightest idea,” he said, turning his head to the side. “That aside, this whole affair is going much smoother than I expected, aside from that slight mishap.”

“Yeah, murder’s not really the best way to kick off a bachelor party, huh? Even if it is Larry. But I think we did alright.”

“Indeed.”

As if on cue, a loud cheer rose up from the crowd at the far corner of the bar.

“... Do you smell something?” Phoenix asked, and true to form, the swaying form of Larry crawled on top of a table.

People making fun of That Man is one of my favourite tropes regarding the AAI characters.

I don’t actually know how bachelor parties work, but if anyone can make them into an overly dramatized super wild party... it’s Larry.

Edgeworth groaned and began to storm off, but Phoenix grabbed him by the hand to hold him back. “Edgeworth, it’s a party, let them have their fun.”

“I… suppose so,” Edgeworth relented, but his hand was still tense in Phoenix’s.

Phoenix released him. “C’mon, we can chaperone from a safe distance.”

Edgeworth nodded wordlessly, but Phoenix could sense that same feeling of unease from him again. He opened his mouth to ask about it but a loud shout took up his attention — this was something that could be dealt with later, he thought, as he and Edgeworth rushed over to the scene.

Miles internal monologue: Wright is holding my hand. Wright is holding my hand. Wright is holding my hand writgh is holding my hand wright is holdin g my ha--

Phoenix: uh. edgeworth?

So in this fic... Miles is gradually working up the courage to confess to Phoenix. He finally worked out his own feelings at some point prior to this fic starting but can’t quite admit them yet, so every time Phoenix does anything that can be remotely construed as romantic he just goes “!!!” and it’s probably all he can think about for a week. Poor guy! I’m sure that when he finally confesses all will be well.

Hours later, as the party wound down and various taxis came to take people home, Phoenix found himself crowded in a booth with a tipsy Maya and a drunk, gushing Gumshoe.

“... and I know she’s gonna just be so beautiful, pals, and what if it’s too much?” Gumshoe asked, lying sideways against the table. “What if they don’t let me see her and then the day of the wedding I look’t her and… I die?”

“People have gotten married without dying, Gumshoe,” Phoenix consoled him.

“But they don’t marry Maggey, pal…”

Maya snorted. “With her luck, I wouldn’t be surprised if something like that happened.”

“Hey, don’t tell him that!” Phoenix hissed.

really this wedding should have had way more disaster than I wrote about... probably at least one murder.

“No, no, don’t mention her luck, she’s already so worried,” said Gumshoe. “We’ve checked off every good-luck wedding charm in th’ book… but she still thinks somethin’s gonna go wrong. I love her, I really, really love her, pals…” A far off look crossed his face, and Phoenix wondered if anyone would ever speak of him like that, “... but she worries so much…”

“What’s she worried about?” Maya asked, slumping over against Phoenix’s shoulder.

“Ceremony, reception, if people’re gonna show up, if we’re gonna lose somethin’ important… even ‘s far as the bouquet toss. I told her, if you’re not sure, just toss it in th’ direction of you,” he pointed at Phoenix, “or at Mr. Edgeworth, and maybe it’ll work.”

Phoenix frowned. “Why me?”

Gumshoe let out a burst of hearty laughter. “I’m thinkin’ if you or Mr. Edgeworth catches it, it’ll give ‘im the courage to finally ask you out, pal.”

Maya shot straight up. Phoenix froze. “... What?”

probably not the smoothest way to get to the entire reason why this bachelor party exists, BUT.

Also it’s implied that Miles DID actually talk to Gumshoe about this at some point. probably Gumshoe caught him pining at a bad time haha.

“Y’know the old tradition, whoever catches it is the next to get married and all…” Gumshoe stared at them for a moment, before his eyes widened and a look of absolute horror crossed his face. “O-Oh! Crap! Pal!”

“Edgeworth wants to ask Nick out?!” Maya shrieked.

“FINALLY! IT’S ABOUT FREAKING TIME!”

originally Gumshoe used a much stronger word than “crap” but idk Gummy doesn’t seem like the type to curse much...? Maybe it’s a stretch haha. also “pal” as an exclamation is my favourite little Gumshoe speech tic

“Shh, shh!” Gumshoe reached over to clamp a hand over her mouth but fell, collapsing on the table. “You heard nothin’ from me, pals, got it? Mr. Edgeworth’s gonna kill me if he finds out… worse, stop funding the wedding…”

Death is one thing but the WEDDING...

And I can’t remember if I mentioned at any point that Miles was also funding the wedding haha but it’s probably also something he wouldn’t want to tell anyone. Gumshoe with his perpetually terrible salary (which is also Miles’ fault) plus Maggey with her inability to hold down a job before being fired in a murder-related incident probably means they don’t have a lot for a nice wedding so Miles offered. secretly and evasively. because he’s a nice person but also doesn’t want anyone to know that.

Maya stared at Phoenix, her mouth agape, as Gumshoe continued mumbling to himself under his breath about the various consequences of Edgeworth’s hypothetical wrath. Phoenix, meanwhile, felt like his brain had short-circuited.

That wasn’t possible. He must have heard Gumshoe wrong. Edgeworth didn’t think of him that way. Edgeworth didn’t think about anyone that way, Phoenix had thought, for the longest time.

Little do you know, Phoenix!

Touching on the aroace Miles headcanon here because it’s a very valid interpretation of his actions even if it’s not my own...

… Even if Edgeworth had been acting strange lately, even if something in his expression softened when he looked at Phoenix, even if…

No. Phoenix quickly shoved that thought to the back of his mind. There were many things he knew about Edgeworth, and one of those was that Edgeworth saw him as a part-time friend and part-time annoyance, but never a romantic interest of any kind. The thought of it was just… just unbelievable.

Phoenix craned his head around, catching sight of a familiar pink jacket across the room and watched Edgeworth in the middle of some phone call. He would know if Edgeworth was interested in him that way… wouldn’t he?

At first “the back of his mind” was “the overflowing mental trunk of repression” but that seemed a little too on the nose. Just know that’s essentially what he’s doing.

Another thing I wanted to establish throughout the fic was how close Phoenix and Miles are now -- they essentially know each other really well. And thinking about that part in Turnabout Goodbyes where Phoenix declares that “I’m the only one who knows the real Edgeworth”, I kind of interpreted that Phoenix Knowing Things About Edgeworth is an important part of their relationship to him. And the occasions where Miles did surprise him (with some aspect of his personality) weren’t always very good things... realizing he’d turned into a “demon prosecutor”, then the “choosing death” part... it’s a lot of my headcanons running away from me haha. Basically in this fic, Phoenix thinks he knows Edgeworth so well because he’s so close with him so an indication that there’s something about Edgeworth he doesn’t know or has completely wrong kind of... connects to him /not/ being as close to Edgeworth as he thinks he is? Maybe? And being close to him is something very important to Phoenix.

(This is not my personal opinion though haha, people can and will surprise you no matter how well you know them... but this fic is Phoenix’s Relationship Issues: The Fic, so.)

And no one else has mentioned the scenes where it comes up yet so I’ll talk about it here -- a lot of my editing process involved going through the fic and cutting out every instance of Phoenix either talking about him hypothetically being in love with Miles, or of Miles being in love with him. I just ctrl+f “love” and cut out whatever fit the criteria. Phoenix’s interpretation of Miles’ actions up until the end of chapter 5 isn’t exactly that Miles is Capital-L In Love with him, more that it’s like... a little crush? Mayyybe some physical attraction. Misconstrued admiration. Not anything so severe that Miles would willingly initiate a conversation about Feelings. so “He would know if Edgeworth was in love with him” changed to “He would know if Edgeworth was interested in him that way” because part of Phoenix’s issue here is that he can’t actually directly acknowledge the possibility that he’s in love with Miles or that Miles is in love with him. It’s a whole complicated thing I’ll probably talk about in the next commentary I do?

This got long but there’s the end of the chapter! I’ll answer more later...? These take up a lot of time haha.

#dvd commentary meme #the catch-up game #asks

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guarding-rose · 6 years ago

Note

Glad you liked the merlin-magnus switch idea. Usually I have tons of ideas but not enough time or inspiration to write it, so I'm honestly glad you liked it and want to write it

Link Here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15354291

Keep Reading to well…keep reading it here! Thank you so much, I had a blast writing this!!!

“Merlin, hurry up! We’re going to be late to our own feast!” Arthur dropped his head back against the door to their quarters, glaring at the guard next to him who tried to stifle a laugh. “I will leave without you!”

He sighed when no reply came and turned around to head back into their room.

“You’re not Merlin.”

“Astute observation. Honestly, should have realised where I was as soon as I saw the colour scheme. Nice to see you again, Arthur.”

Alec was exhausted. Bone deep weariness was causing everything to ache. Even his Angel-damned toes were aching and he hadn’t even known that was possible. It probably shouldn’t be possible. He dropped his bow onto his desk and slumped into his chair, sighing in relief as he leaned back. Soon enough Magnus would arrive to take him home to have dinner. Maybe he’d ask to put a film on, one that he could fall asleep listening to whilst curled up with Magnus on the sofa. That’d be nice.

He smiled to himself, playing the evening out in his head as he took a minute to breathe.

“Alec!”

Alec groaned in protest but stood up as fast as his legs would allow and opened the door just as Jace reached him. “What is it now?”

“I uh- well, you see, it’s a bit complicated.” Jace’s brows were pulled together, Alec had known his parabatai long enough to know when he was trying to paint a prettier picture than reality presented.

“What have you done now, Jace? Do I need to grab a weapon?”

“Woah, what’s with the instant assumption that it’s my fault?”

“Is it?”

“No!” Jace cried, throwing his hands up in the air dramatically before grabbing Alec by the wrist and all but dragging him to the training room.

“Jace,” Alec came to a halt in the open doorway and pulled his wrist back, hand paused halfway to the hilt of the dagger strapped to his thigh, “who’s that?”

A man, roughly the same height as Magnus with similarly coloured black hair stood against the far wall with Izzy seemingly frozen in place, whip caught mid-air. He wore a brown jacket over a purple shirt, complete with a neckerchief of all things and no shoes; his blue eyes darted over to take in Alec, who was quickly trying to decide how best to diffuse the situation. The man was familiar in a strange way, like Alec had seen him in the streets often but never bothered to introduce himself, but also clearly a warlock, without any obvious warlock mark.

“Where am I?” The man asked, golden eyes flicking between the three Lightwood siblings.

Jace threw an arm out, as if to say ‘see-what-I-mean’. “One minute me and Iz are sparring when Magnus waltzes in asking where you are, all normal and then poof, Magnus is gone and this dude is freaking about! Izzy tried to uh…well, you can see how well that went.”

Alec nodded, squinting at the stressed Man’s face. There was something familiar about his clothes as well, that combination of colours maybe? He shook his head, it would have to wait.

“Let my sister go and we can talk. Peacefully.” He held his hands up in a show of surrender and took a couple of steps into the room, Jace at his back following Alec’s lead.

“Tell me where I am first. Where’s Arthur?”

“Arthur?”

Realisation hit Alec like a brick. “Oh for the love of- you’re Merlin Emrys, aren’t you?” Magnus had a couple of photos up around the apartment of himself and Merlin and a blond man Magnus had named as Arthur. “Magnus told me some stories about you, I met Arthur once too. When you were in Magnus’ study working on some spell or something.”

He’d walked into their apartment to find a stranger fixing himself a cup of coffee, a second mug filled to the brim with tea next to the kettle. Alec was used to coming home to find Magnus still occupied with clients but normally his boyfriend would give him a bit of warning. Alec had put away his gear before introducing himself. He remembered how he’d been struck by how old his eyes looked compared to the young body and face, those eyes had held centuries of pain and wisdom and life. Magnus had poked his head out of the study upon hearing Alec’s voice and beckoned him over for a hello kiss, thoroughly distracting him from asking anymore questions.

“You know Arthur? How? Who are you people? I don’t know a Magnus.” Merlin seemed wary still but less like he wanted to freeze them all on the spot.

“Alec, you know him?” Jace asked, voice pitched just that little bit higher than normal belying his intimidating facade.

“Let our sister go, and we can fix this. Please, Merlin.”

Merlin looked over at Izzy again at last, he looked a bit surprised to see her there still. They watched as he muttered something and his eyes flashed a darker gold before fading to blue. Izzy’s whip dropped to the floor and she stumbled forward a step, swearing a mile a minute in outrage.

****

“How do you know my name? What have you done with my husband?” Arthur thought about shouting for help, alerting the guard outside, but the man currently standing out like a sore thumb in his maroon jacket and extremely tight fitting trousers didn’t seem like much of a threat.

He was adorned with more jewellery than he’d seen any man wear and his hair… Arthur assumed it must be magic that had coloured the tips of his hair an almost matching dark red.

“Oh goodie, this is going to be fun to explain.” The man murmured to himself before walking past Arthur to sit on his table. “I- who’s Merlin to you currently, husband did you say?”

“What does that matter to you? Tell me who you are and what you’re doing here before I draw my blade.” Arthur dropped his voice low, threatening.

The man rolled his eyes. “My name is Magnus, a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Arthur. Again. I can’t explain why I’m here until you answer my question.”

“You do realise I’m your King? I don’t have to answer any question unless I see fit.”

“Oh, god. I wish Merlin was here to have heard you say that.” Magnus said with a chuckle, seemingly unaware, or at least unconcerned, with how thin Arthur’s patience was starting to run.

“I won’t ask again.”

“Nice to know you’ve always been a bossy prat. I think, and I can’t say this for certain, that Merlin and I had a little magical mix-up and have managed to swap places.” He waved a hand, complete with what looked like dark blue nails, dismissively. “It’s fine. I’ll figure out how to swap us back in no time, or Merlin will first.”

“Let me get this straight. You’re a sorcerer. You mixed up a spell and now Merlin is trapped in some other world?”

“Ah, no. No. I know you two in the future, which leads me to believe that this is more of a…time travel incident as well as an issue with having moved in space too. And trust me, my boyfriend is not going to be too happy about this either. We were meant to have dinner. I was going to cook and everything.”

“I-…You- What?” Arthur let himself be helped into a chair, a headache was beginning to stop him from even trying to wrap his head round the situation.

“What are you all dressed up for? Had a date with Merlin?”

****

“Arthur is going to kill me.”

Alec frowned at Merlin’s distressed statement, yet again thrown for a loop as the man buried his head in his hands. They had moved to Alec’s office for some better privacy; Izzy stood by the door, prepped to send anyone who came knocking away whilst Jace had been pulled away by Clary.

“Um. I’m sorry about that?”

“No, I’m sorry, I know that I should probably start focusing on getting back and getting your…?”

“Magnus. My boyfriend.”

“Right, getting Magnus back. But I was already running late, I’m not even dressed yet!”

“You look pretty dressed to me, sadly.” Izzy commented, throwing a wink his way causing her brother to roll his eyes.

Merlin flushed, coughing loudly before clearing his throat; Alec shot Izzy a reproachful look before offering to fetch their guest a drink.

“I’m fine, thanks.” Merlin waved him away. “And um, thanks I think for the uh interest, miss, but I’m already married. Happily. Well, maybe not so happily now I’m so utterly late for my own anniversary.”

“Anniversary of what?”

“Oh, just my coronation.”

****

“Why don’t you just go to your feast or whatever, Arthur. I can’t focus with you flitting about over my shoulder.” Magnus grit his teeth as Arthur sat down again. Then stood up to restart his pacing.

“I can’t very well turn up to a celebration for Merlin’s coronation without Merlin.”

“Isn’t it also your wedding anniversary then?” Magnus asked, giving up on trying to get some peace and quiet.

Arthur froze near the window. “Ah, right. Well, it is as far as the people know.”

“Arthur, how long have you lied to your kingdom? I never thought you’d have it in you, Merlin definitely but not you with your ridiculously royal responsibilities.” Magnus teased, clicking his fingers together to produce one of the spell books he knew Merlin had kept since his time in Camelot.

“We aren’t lying! How dare you-”

“Oh you’re threatening now, there’s the Arthur I know.”

“Merlin and I are married! We did get married in front of the kingdom this day three years ago. We just, were married by the druids a bit before that.”

“How long before?” Magnus asked, genuinely curious.

“We’ve been married for five years, together for seven. Happy now? How long until you can,” Magnus’ eyebrows rose as Arthur did a very good impression of Alec’s own gesture for his magic, “get Merlin back?”

****

“How long until you think you can get Magnus back?”

“You’re almost as bad as Arthur! Go talk to your sister or something. Your little glass thing keeps flashing so that’s gotta be important.”

****

“I can’t cast the spell if you’re standing looking over my shoulder, Arthur.”

“Oh, right right. Sorry.”

****

“Well, it was lovely meeting you, Alec.”

Alec shook Merlin’s outstretched hand with a smile. “The same to you, I’ll be sure to ask you about this next time we meet.”

“I’m sure I’ll like that. That’s such a weird thing to say.”

****

“Goodbye Arthur, hope your evening looks up from here.”

“Thanks.”

Magnus rolled his eyes at Arthur’s crossed arms and skeptical frown and started the spell.

****

Alec didn’t actually see Merlin disappear or Magnus appear. In the blink of an eye they’d switched. Magnus slumped back against the coffee table, only stopped from sitting on the cluttered table by Alec’s supporting embrace.

“I missed you.” Magnus whispered, curling into Alec’s body without a moment’s hesitation.

“We can just order takeaway tonight, I think we’ve done enough to deserve it.”

“You are an actual angel, darling.”

“Says you.” Alec said shyly, pulling Magnus into a soft kiss.

****

“You aren’t even dressed?” Arthur cried, albeit after practically squeezing the life out of Merlin.

“What a pleasant reunion this is. Remind me why I came back?” Merlin griped but couldn’t and didn’t try to stop from smiling as he wrapped his arms behind his husband’s neck.

“You love me really.” Arthur murmured, pressing soft kisses across Merlin’s cheeks.

“Mhmm, maybe.”

#merthur #malec #shadowhunters #magnus bane #alec lightwood #merlin #arthur #fanfic #fanfiction #Guardian_Rose #prompt #reply #anon #anon ask

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lizzybeth1986 · 7 years ago

Text

Nuestra Familia (RCD MC: Astrid)

Book: Red Carpet Diaries

Rating: G

Pairing: Astrid-centric, minor Seth x Astrid

Summary: Astrid realises she doesn't know her family as well she had thought. Minor crossover with The Freshman/The Sophomore/The Junior.

Author's Note: This is a bit late for MC Appreciation Week, but I figured I'd put it out there anyway. This is my origin story for Astrid Ortega, my second RCD MC, who is involved with Seth. There's a cameo of one character from TF/TS/TJ in the end and I have a feeling you folks have already figured out who it is 😅 I used (of course) the "crossover" prompt from this list for my fic. I'm tagging @choices-mc-rules, in case they would still like to reblog this.

Translations:

Nuestra familia - "our family" in Spanish.

Chanclas - slippers/flip-flops

Tres leches cake - Typically a very moist chiffon cake soaked in a mixture of evaporated milk, condensed milk and heavy cream. Tres leches literally means "three milks".

Abuela - one of the terms used for ‘grandmother’ in Spanish.

Ita - Short for Abuelita, also used for grandmothers. Astrid calls her grandmother the former, her mom Teresa calls her grandmother the latter.

Manda Huevos - Can mean a lot of things according to context, but generally used to express a range of emotions, such as annoyance, disappointment, contempt or disbelief. In this context, Teresa means “it's not fair”.

If I've gotten anything wrong in terms of references, please do tell me, and I'll definitely fix it in the fic.

“One more foot inside my kitchen and it'll be my chanclas for you later.”

Teresa Ortega said these words to her daughter Astrid, in the same tone one would use to offer a guest some tea.

It wasn't that her mom didn't allow her kids to help with the cooking. She did. Salome was too young to do much but set the table yet but Astrid (and her big sister Letitia, whenever she was home) often pitched in to help with the meal.

But heaven help anyone who tried to help Mom with her tres leches cake.

This recipe was from Mom's Ita’s faded little diary, passed down to her by her mother on the condition that she would learn its recipes off by heart. It was her pride and joy, Mom would often say. Her baby before her actual babies came along.

And today it was even more essential Mom get this cake right. Astrid's abuela was visiting, and ever since Astrid's mother insisted on naming her Astrid (“She’s already named my first and last - at least leave the middle one to me!”) she could do nothing right.

Perhaps it would've been easier to handle if Dad wasn't Abuela's only son, if Mom had someone she could jointly ignore Abuela with, if they had cousins they could play with while the adults sorted out their issues. Or perhaps not. Still, it would have been nice to know.

“Easy, mom, I'm not going to touch your precious cake,” Astrid said, grinning, “Lemme demolish it at lunch instead.”

She'd be lying if she said she wasn't tempted, though. She could get the scent of baked cake wafting in all the way from her bedroom, and her mother was already starting to combine Carnation milk, condensed milk and 1/4th of a cup of heavy cream into a thin, but somewhat creamy, mixture.

Mom raised her eyebrows. “Why are you here, then?”

Astrid felt the muscles around her neck tense up, but schooled her face to a look of injured innocence. “What, can't I just want to talk to my mom once in a while?”

She craned her neck a little further behind Astrid, a tiny frown beginning to form between her brows. “What's that you're holding behind your back?”

Ding! The cake was ready now, just in time for soaking. Astrid let out a sigh of relief. She wanted Mom to see this wedding card, yes - it was why she came to the kitchen in the first place - but now was probably not the time for questions. Questions about family or about secrets. Not when she knew how important it was for her mother to get her weekend cakes right.

“Family” was always a big deal around the Ortega table. Dad was his mother's only child, and Mom’s parents passed on long before any of them were ever born. Her father was as annoyed by Abuela's antics as her mother was, but it never stopped him from having her visit every Sunday because “she's the only family we have left”.

It was as if he needed her to keep himself rooted, as if without her he would be floating aimlessly, no aim or identity, taking his wife and children down that path with him. Abuela knew this. By God, did she know this.

Or so I thought, Astrid said to herself, gripping the wedding card tightly and creating new creases where the word Ortega was written.

Mom was gritting her teeth now, carefully pouring the three-milk mixture over the cake and muttering to herself. “One more word about dry cake this time and I'll give her soggy toast, I swear I will.”

Astrid would have stood up last week and said something to Abuela, if only Mom would let her. It was probably a good thing Leticia wasn't around, she'd fire shots at Abuela for less. She was protective over all of them and often in the heat of the moment she'd forget she’d be landing them all in further trouble.

She was still muttering. “Wants chiffon cake. Screams bloody murder if I use box mix. What, Teresa, looking for shortcuts again?” Mom's voice was raised in an accurately nasal imitation of Abuela's voice. It was almost like she'd forgotten Astrid was there. “Then I make it from scratch like she wants. Then it's Oh Teresa this is so dry oh Teresa it tastes like sawdust. Why else do you think I use box mix, eh? You want it from scratch and you want moist. ¡Manda Huevos!”

The diatribe kept Mom occupied while she finished pouring, so Astrid kept silent. Mom needed this. This wasn't something she can say in front of Letitia (resulting in another Sunday screaming match) or Dad (what would he do?) or Salome (no way would the kid ever take Salome, language! seriously again). Mom needed someone to have her back, no matter how silently or secretly. And that someone had better be her.

“If only Linda had stayed…”

Astrid froze. “What did you say?”

Mom looked up, blinked twice, then stiffened. “Nothing. Nothing.”

Silently, Astrid handed over the card she'd been holding, all this time. She found it while searching for her dad's treasured García Lorca poetry collection, hidden between a page that exalted love and a page that mourned loss.

Mom took it from her, her eyes widening as she read the words.

LINDA ORTEGA

and

DOMINIC SANDOVAL

request the honour of your company at their wedding.

“Dad always told us he was all Abuela has, right,” Astrid said, “The only Ortega for miles around."

Mom answered by busying herself with more activity than ever. Keeping the soaked cake in the fridge. Pouring the remaining milk mixture into two glasses. Washing her hands. Washing the dishes.

“I'll do that for you,” Astrid took a plate from Mom's hands, “Just talk to me.” She grabbed a sponge and dish washing soap, cleaning vigorously. “All this time, Dad's been telling us Abuela's the only family he has, Mom. Like, he has no one else. Like, we have no sisters or brothers besides the three of us. Was he lying?”

“You're wrong,” Mom said, her voice suddenly sounding sharper, harder, “Abuela's the only family he has left. Your father didn't lie.”

“Just omitted the truth, yeah,” Astrid wished she knew how she felt about this. Right now there was so much she was feeling that she didn't exactly know where to begin. “There's no “together with our parents” above their names either. Not like yours’.”

Mom sighed, picked the card up, then held up two glasses of milk-mixture in front of her. “Take one and give the other to your sister. I have a lot of work to do.”

On any other day, Astrid would have grabbed that glass and relished its creaminess, wiping the milk-moustache off her mouth with a flourish. But today no amount of sweetness was going to take away that weird metallic taste in the roof of her mouth.

“I'm not done asking about this,” Astrid said, scowling, “to you or to Dad. If I have aunts and cousins out there, that's something I wanna know.”

Astrid did try in the weeks to come. But she never saw the wedding card again, and neither Mom or Dad ever responded when she raised the topic again. Still. It felt nice to dream.

Every time Abuela made a snide remark at lunch, she imagined her cousins there. A snarky younger girl who’d make smartass comments. A strong boy her age who’d shut Abuela up with just a glare. A nice aunt who’d take Mom's mind off all this nonsense. It didn't help much, but it felt nice.

It felt nice knowing she had company out there. Somewhere.

6 years later.

“Donuts, Iowa?” Seth’s eyes were gleaming at the prospect. He was more a bag-of-chips kinda guy most days, but he also liked having massive sugar rushes before a comedy gig.

“As long as the insides of six of those are practically spilling over with fruit jam, I'm game,” she said, standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek. It felt exhilarating, freeing. She hadn't felt this normal in a while - normal enough to kiss her boyfriend without worrying about paparazzo jumping out from a bush. There was a guy in a leather jacket she didn't recognize - three blocks across - looking at her like he wanted to talk, but not in a way that made her feel unsafe.

That was the nice thing about Northbridge. People looked, sure, but they were less likely to make you feel like an exhibit from a zoo.

“Wait here, yeah?” Seth said, planting a kiss on the lips instead, “I'll be back before you can finish spelling “OHIO” with your arms.”

Astrid laughed. Seth said the most Ohio things sometimes. Neither of them had had this much fun since she was offered a lead role in Tender Nothings, which was why Seth always jumped at a chance to take up gigs in Northbridge, and why he always offered to take Astrid along when she was free.

The guy from before stepped forward a few minutes after Seth entered the donut shop. The summer heat must have been too much for him - his leather jacket was now slung over his shoulders. “Um, hello. Astrid Ortega?”

He stood with his hands in his pockets, mouth pursed into a thin line, a tiny curl slipping carelessly from his hair and resting on his forehead. She caught a peek at the tail end of a bird tattoo (Owl? The tail looked pointy) on his left arm.

“Yeah,” Astrid said, wondering whether it was her or Seth he wanted to talk to, “but I don't know what your name is.”

“ Zigmund. Zig for short,” he replied, looking behind him from time to time, “My sister Lucy’s a big fan. Asked me to help her get an autograph from you.”

“Is she here?”

“Yeah. But she doesn't want to come out. She's shy.”

Ah. So that was the cherry-red blur barely hidden by that building. She learned long ago that no matter how friendly you appeared, your image would precede you and intimidate people anyway. Autographs were great, but somehow she didn't want to stop at just that.

“Would she come out now if I asked?” she gave him her sunniest smile, “Tell her I won't bite.”

Zig hesitated, then nodded. Astrid watched him walk to the other building, move his hands expressively as he tried to convince his sister to join him (from that angle he almost looks like Letitia, Astrid thought), and return with a curly-haired, starry-eyed teenage girl.

“H-hey,” she said, then blushed, clearly embarrassed by her nervousness. Silently, she hands over her autograph book. She keeps her eyes studiously away from Astrid's face. “I, um, I like mystery films, and I really, really liked Tender Nothings.”

A girl after my own heart. “Maybe you'll like Sunset Boulevard, then,” she said, smiling.

Astrid could have just signed and left it at that, but there was something about these two. Something about the way they stood together, or exchanged glances, or something, that reminded her of home. Which was silly. But it didn’t change the fact that she wanted to leave a good impression on them.

“What would you like to be when you grow up, Lucy?”

Lucy didn't miss a beat. “Ballet dancer. Like my brother.”

Astrid smiled, particularly at the look the girl gave Zig. Yes, she could see on second glance that even though some people would say he didn't have the body of a dancer, he held himself with a certain grace, a certain lightness that belied a stronger core. Hit by a sudden rush of inspiration, she quickly scribbled a little note to go with her signature, and asked Lucy to read it.

To Lucy and Zig, future (hopefully!) best ballet dancing duo in America. Be sure to save me a seat when you folks get famous. Love Always, Astrid.

“Wowwww,” Lucy whispered. Zig suppressed his smile, trying not to let how he felt show, and failed. A corner of his mouth lifted upwards, revealing an almost-invisible dimple.

The two left before Seth brought his box of donuts,but they thanked her at least thrice as they walked away.

“Wait till I tell Mom about this,” Astrid overheard Lucy tell her brother as they left, “I told you she'd be really, really nice.”

“You did,” there was a note of indulgence in Zig's voice.

"Ortegas all around the world. Wherever we're from, we're nice.”

Had Seth come out a moment later, Astrid would have probably walked up to them and asked. Perhaps asked them where they were from and their parents’ names.

But Seth was here, with donuts, and there was never a moment she could take her eyes off either.

“Do you know those two?” Seth asked her, passing her a tres leches cake donut that was claimed to be one of their best, “They looked familiar.”

“”No,” Astrid replied, closing her eyes in bliss. Mmmm. The treat was taking her back to Des Moines, back to home, back to her mother's little kitchen. “But I wouldn't mind meeting them again.”

#fanfic #red carpet diaries #the freshman #the sophomore #the junior #rcd mc #astrid ortega #seth levine #zig ortega #lucy ortega #seth x astrid #playchoices crossover #seth x mc #mc appreciation week

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