#and I still can distance myself from them

[kouudi]

ᡣ𐭩 winter is cold in tokyo — itoshi rin

contains: reader gender isn’t mentioned but you have a brother, meet cute, not proof read

a/n: I kind of want to continue this into a pt 2 but knowing myself it probably won’t happen soz

You first met Rin at your older brother Hiro’s football game.

Your parents had dragged you along despite your protests that it was too cold to be sitting outside.

In the car, your mom argued, “You need to support your brother.”

“You’ll regret not watching me when I grow up to be a super-famous football player,” Hiro added, sticking his tongue out from the front seat of the family SUV.

“As if you’ll ever be good,” you mumbled under your breath, burying your face in your thick winter scarf.

The moment your mom parked the car, Hiro bolted out to join his team on the field. Your mom sighed, clearly not surprised, before turning to help you out.

“I need to talk to the other moms about the end-of-season party. Stay nearby,” she said, though her words barely registered as you trudged behind her, more focused on keeping warm than on following directions.

Your mom disappeared into the crowd of chatting parents. Despite her instructions, you wandered near the field where Hiro was already running drills with his teammates. He was shouting and laughing as if the cold didn’t bother him at all.

Typical Hiro.

You settled in a spot between the field and the parents, a place where your mother could still see you but far enough away that you didn’t have to listen to arguments over whose house the party should be at.

The ground was cold underneath your thighs—not cold enough to make you stand, though. You picked at a patch of half-frozen grass for a minute before the chill started to creep into your toes through your boots, making you regret every life decision that led you to this place.

You hugged your scarf tighter around your face, determined to get through this dumb soccer game by sheer force of will—or by sulking through most of it.

Your eyes flickered between Hiro, laughing with his teammates on the field, and your mom, chatting with the other parents, a bright smile on her face.

She leaned in closer to one of them, nodding as if they’d just come to an agreement on whose house would host.

It seemed as if everyone around you belonged somewhere. They were connected and warm.

You shifted around on the ground, trying to get comfortable as the cold bit through your layers. The laughter and voices blurred into the distance; none of the noise was meant for you.

Even the air began to feel sharper, like it stung more because no one was distracting you from it. It was as if the air itself was mocking you.

Your gaze drifted back to the field. Hiro was grinning without a care in the world. You had always envied how effortless it was for Hiro to find people, to always belong, for others to want him around.

A gust of wind sent shivers down your spine, and you curled up into yourself, wishing you could disappear into the scarf around your neck.

It made you wonder if anyone noticed you sitting there, alone. Would anyone notice if you got up to use the bathroom? You probably could just leave, and no one would care.

“Can I sit here?” a voice interrupted your thoughts, soft but kind.

You blinked and looked up. A boy around your age stood a few feet away, his cheeks pink from the cold. His long underlashes stood out on his round face, and he was wearing a too-big hoodie under his coat. In his hands was a thermos, steam curling from the lid.

“Sure,” you muttered before scooting over. You didn’t have a reason to say no.

“Thank you,” he said, giving you a small smile before sitting beside you. He unscrewed the lid of the thermos, the rich scent of hot chocolate wafting out. It made you jealous—you wished you’d asked your mom for hot chocolate before leaving.

“Is your brother playing?” you asked.

“Mhm! He’s the redhead!” He pointed toward the field. You followed his finger to a red-haired player who looked exactly like him��underlashes and all.

You recognized the older boy as Itoshi Sae. Hiro always complained about how Sae acted all high and mighty because he was a good player, but you could always tell Hiro admired Sae’s skill.

“My brother is the one with a bad haircut. He says he’s gonna go pro, but I won’t buy it.” You stuck your tongue out at the thought of Hiro going pro. “Oh! What’s your name?”

“Rin.” He unscrewed the lid of his thermos and took a small sip. “Sae says he’s gonna go pro, and I believe him. Sae is the best football player ever!”

“Are you sure?” you asked. “They got beat by another team a few weeks ago.”

“Sae still got the most goals on his team. Once he joins a better club than this one, he’s gonna get even better.”

You furrowed your brow at the slight insult toward Hiro. “What makes you say he won’t suck on another team?”

Rin blinked at you, his expression shifting to one of quiet confidence. “Because Sae doesn’t lose. He plays to be the best, not just to win. And when he’s on the field, it’s like he dominates the area.” Awe shone through his voice. “Sae is different.”

“That’s kind of intense.” You stared at him for a moment, surprised by how sure he sounded.

Rin shrugged and took a longer sip from his thermos. “That’s just Sae. He’s not the type to care about what anyone thinks as long as he’s getting better.”

Rin glanced at the field. You followed his gaze again and watched as Sae effortlessly weaved through a drill. Even from a decent distance, you could see how differently Sae moved compared to his teammates. Every step he took seemed deliberate and precise.

Hiro, on the other hand, was laughing on the ground with another teammate. You rolled your eyes.

“My brother is a clown. I don’t think he’s serious about football because he’s never been serious about anything in his entire life.”

Rin tilted his head at your words. “He probably plays because he loves it. He doesn’t have anything to prove.”

You frowned; his words lingered in the air between you. He was probably right, though. Hiro always talked big, but there wasn’t much effort to give him credit for. Still, you weren’t about to let Rin off the hook for mildly insulting your brother, even if Hiro sometimes needed humbling.

“Well then, if Sae is so amazing, Hiro just needs to beat him one day.” You said it half-jokingly.

Rin frowned. “Good luck with that. Sae doesn’t lose to anyone.”

“Oh, really?” You raised a brow at his confidence. “Everyone loses eventually. You might even beat him one day if you play.”

“I don’t want to beat Sae,” Rin said with a small smile. “I want to play beside him and be the best after him.”

His smile quickly vanished as he looked back at you with a small frown. “Sae definitely won’t lose. Especially not to your brother.”

Rin shook his head, looking at you like you just didn’t get it—and maybe you didn’t.

You sighed. “Oh well. What do I know? I’m only here because my mom forced me to be.”

“Figures. You don’t look like you want to be here.”

“Wow, thanks,” you deadpanned, though you couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at your lips.

Rin looked over at you. The expression on his face was unreadable. “You just look like you’d rather be anywhere else than here.”

You glanced at the field again, watching the players laugh and shout, Hiro the loudest. “Yeah, well… I kind of would.” You sighed into your scarf. “What about you?” you asked, mostly out of politeness. You already know the answer.

Rin didn’t say anything for a moment, but when you looked back at him, he was smiling—small and quiet. “It’s not too bad here.”

You weren’t entirely sure if he meant watching the game or sitting next to you, but for some reason, his words made the cold feel just a little less biting and for the first time that day, you felt a little less miserable.

written by koudi

[chantylay]

What in the shrimp colours of drama is this? Granted that I've only been transitioning for three years and don't know all the drama but this is ancient history drama. Background first so that I'm not vagueposting, in 1980 an arch-TERF arch-SWERF bastard wrote possibly the most transphobic book in existence and in one note in there credited Adrienne Rich with being 'supportive' of her personally. People put Rich on blast for this at the time, but Rich never publicly commented her thoughts on it. Leslie Feinberg (a trans person, communist, and pro-Palestine activist, mind you) put a similar note in their book Transgender Warriors in 1996, 16 years later. This seems to have led some people to think that Leslie Feinberg somehow palled around with every TERF going. Feinberg counter-protested MichFest for years, in case it needs pointing out, and we have no idea if their relationship to Adrienne Rich was personal or purely professional. Or if Rich simply realised that she had been a shitbag in the intervening years, assuming the endorsement is accurate (which it might not be). bell hooks is an even stranger case because afaik she talked about Paris is Burning (a documentary about Black drag queens) only in an essay in 1992, which she spends most of critiquing white feminism, white supremacist construction of white women as the standard of womanhood and Black women as Other, and white voyeurism of the (especially Black) queer condition, which alone is half the essay (I don't know how that ever could be relevant to a world in which RuPaul exists /s). The only time trans people are mentioned in the whole thing is in the second paragraph where hooks says that drag, and transsexuals and transvestites (which were still commonly used in-community words in '92 and don't convey offensiveness) all are transgressive to gender norms and credits us with challenging gender before any feminist ever did. After a paragraph where she talks about what sound like some pretty trans feelings tbh. She criticises the queens in the film, after a statement of how much she approves of queen in general, for aping white women and treating black women as undesirable. That's really the only time she criticises anyone even tangentially associated with queerness. Background out of the way (holy fuck I hate ancient drama) what in the fresh hell is this shit? Have we come to vagueposted denunciations of shit that happened before anyone under 30 was even born? About bell hooks' earlier essays and a note in one of Feinberg's most important books no less?

If you understand anything about systems theory, then you know that society is structurally transmisogynistic in the same way it is structurally racist, and that transmisogyny simply pervades society. People have to break down their entire world view before they can work out some of the more casual or ingrained aspects of transmisogyny. An occasional fuckup happens, and honestly isn't unexpected, but we can't go looking for transmisogyny in every shadow because a, we'll find it, society is transmisogynistic, of course we'll fucking find something, and b, we're going to push out everyone that isn't a trans woman and turn out no less isolated and curmudgeonly than the fucking TERFs. Their "misogyny! misogyny EVERYWHERE!" attitude turned them into pieces of shit, and I don't want to see the same happen to trans women who are new to this whole 'everything is a little bit transmisogynistic' thing.

Besides, if we're going to start doing denunciations of transmisogyny then I would've started with Julia Serano. Whipping Girl has a bevy of transmedicalist opinions and the idea of 'subconscious sex' misses the mark so badly that it almost wraps around to being a parody of a transmisogynistic position. Plus, the entire work has no idea about the difference between sex and gender in an incredibly frustrating way. I almost stopped calling myself transsexual for half a second to distance myself from the association.

struggling to understand how people can act THIS shocked whenever another TME theorist/activist (especially a cis 70s feminist) gets revealed as having written super transmisogynistic texts and palled around with TERFs. surely this cannot come as this much of a surprise. people are so incredibly reluctant to question the politics of the Established Feminist theorists. maybe someday having been "kink critical" and talking about the Unique Oppression of (cis) Lesbians and repeatedly drawn trans woman and lesbian as two separate categories and having attended fucking michfest will be enough for people to realize that without acting so surprised like come on now.

[misswynters]

The crazy and blonde

Part One

Leon S. Kennedy x dimitrescu!reader

song rec: reflections by the neighbourhood

warnings: blood, one kiss :3

The first time Leon saw you, it was under the flickering light of a broken streetlamp, shadows coiling around your silhouette like they’d been summoned to you. Street littered with bodies, undead shambling toward the distance, oblivious to the bloody mess at your feet. You stood in the center of it all, breathing hard but perfectly still, a dark, almost serene smile on your lips as blood dripped slowly from your hands.

He froze. There was something mesmerizing about you—this lethal calm, a sense of dark purpose that he hadn’t seen in anyone else. When your eyes turned to him, sharp as a blade’s edge, he felt his heart lurch. His instincts screamed at him to run, but he couldn’t move. You had him pinned with just a look.

“You lost, officer?” you asked, your voice smooth and mocking as you raised a brow. Your lips curled into a smirk as you took him in, and he noticed the faintest glimmer of hunger in your gaze, like you were sizing him up, determining whether he’d be of any use.

Leon cleared his throat, gripping his gun tighter. “I… wasn’t expecting company.”

You let out a low chuckle, and the sound slid over him like silk, sending a shiver down his spine. “Neither was I,” you murmured, casting a casual glance at the bodies around you. “But you don’t look like them. Not scared or helpless.” You tilted your head, gaze roaming over him appraisingly. “So, what are you, then?”

He held his ground, even as every instinct screamed that you were dangerous. “Just someone trying to get out of this hellhole,” he replied steadily, his eyes never leaving yours. “If you’re not one of them,” he nodded toward the corpses, “maybe we could work together.”

You seemed to consider this, your smirk deepening as you took another step forward, invading his space with an intensity that made his pulse hammer. “Work together?” you repeated, as if the words amused you. “Interesting.” You leaned in slightly, close enough that he could see the fine lines of blood staining your cheeks, close enough that he caught a whiff of something both intoxicating and unsettling. “Are you afraid of a little blood, officer?”

Leon swallowed, his throat dry. “I’ve seen enough not to be.” Your smirk widened, a spark of something dark and dangerous flaring in your eyes. “Good,” you purred, and, without warning, you tossed a knife into his hand. He caught it, feeling its weight and sharpness, his gaze flicking back to you in surprise.

“If we’re going to survive, you might need more than just that gun,” you said smoothly, crossing your arms as you waited, as if daring him to protest.

He gave you a wary look, but there was a hint of admiration beneath it. “Thanks, but I can handle myself.”

“Oh, I don’t doubt that.” You laughed softly, though there was something almost predatory in your expression, a glint in your eyes that made his heart beat faster. “Let’s just see if you can keep up.” With a final smirk, you spun on your heel and disappeared into the shadows, your steps barely making a sound. For a split second, he hesitated, unsure whether to trust you, but something about you. There was thi strange, dark elegance, the ruthless way you dispatched those creatures. It made him believe you could get him out of this mess. Or at least make it interesting.

He followed, keeping pace as best he could, watching the way you moved, like a predator gliding through the night. Everything about you was lethal and effortless, a blend of violence and grace that both terrified and fascinated him. At one point, you stopped dead, raising a hand to signal silence. Leon crouched beside you, scanning the alley, his senses on high alert. “What is it?” he whispered, keeping his voice low.

You shot him a quick, almost teasing look. “Someone’s in a hurry to get out alive,” you whispered back, but then you pressed a finger to your lips, your gaze sharpening. “Quiet,” you said softly, and the authority in your voice made him obey without question.

Leon barely dared to breathe, watching you with tense fascination as you disappeared into the shadows. For a few seconds, he could only hear silence, thick and pressing, and then—a scream, cut off almost as soon as it began, followed by a dull thud.

When you reappeared, blood spattered across your face, you looked every inch the vengeful phantom. You gave him a pleased, slightly wicked smile as you wiped a bit of blood from your cheek. “That’s one way to clear a path,” you said with a dark chuckle, sheathing your blade.

He raised an eyebrow, impressed despite himself. “Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

“Oh, you wouldn’t survive it,” you replied with a smirk, stepping closer, your eyes gleaming as they searched his face. Then, almost playfully, you traced a line down his chest with a gloved, blood-streaked finger. “Tell me, Leon,” you murmured, voice soft and laced with something darker. “Why do you trust me?”

Leon’s breath caught as he felt the chill of your touch even through his jacket. “I didn’t say I did,” he said, his voice rough.

Your lips quirked, your gaze never leaving his. “Then why do you keep following me?” There was no point denying it anymore; he’d been drawn to you from the start, even if he knew it was reckless. He forced himself to hold your gaze, a small, defiant smirk tugging at his lips. “Maybe I like the challenge. Or maybe I think you’re as stuck here as I am, and you don’t want to admit it.”

You went still, and for a moment, he saw something shift in your expression. There was a flicker of vulnerability, something raw and painful that quickly disappeared behind your carefully crafted mask. Your fingers paused on his chest, then resumed their path, tracing a slow, tantalizing line. “Don’t flatter yourself,” you whispered, leaning close enough that he could feel your breath against his neck. “I could leave any time. I’m just… enjoying the entertainment.” You shrugged pulling back, gaze heavy-lidded and challenging. “Unless you’re suggesting you need me.”

Leon swallowed, heart racing, heat pooling in his chest despite the cold air. He couldn’t deny the strange pull he felt, the thrill of your presence. “Maybe I do,” he admitted softly, barely a whisper. “Or maybe you make this whole situation feel a little less miserable.”

Something softened in your gaze, your smirk fading, and for the first time, he saw a hint of genuine warmth. “Well,” you murmured, almost to yourself, “I suppose I could use some company too.”

And before he could think twice, you leaned in and pressed your lips to his in a kiss that was surprisingly tender, almost gentle. He felt the cold of your touch, the faint metallic taste of blood, but underneath it, something raw and vulnerable. Something real. When you pulled away, your lips curled into a dangerous smile, and you tilted your head. “You sure you can handle me, officer?” you murmured, the question playful yet laced with a dark edge.

Leon’s eyes glinted as he smirked back, matching your energy, surprising even himself with his boldness. “Guess we’ll find out.”

With a wicked grin, you turned back toward the alley, casting one last look over your shoulder. “Try to keep up, then. I don’t wait around for dead weight.”

And, without hesitation, he followed you, stepping into the darkened alleyways of raccoon city beside you, knowing he was risking his life, but for the first time, he didn’t care.

banner: @anitalenia

[skitskatdacat63]

One makes him up, so the other can break him down.

This is a little terrifying but hello!! Posted my first fic on ao3!! I would've saved the illustrations for the fic's eyes only, but I'm too happy with them haha. Hope you'll still go on to read regardless!!

As always, my thoughts and progress, since I can't help myself:

I'm soooooo proud of these. I never ever really do dramatic lighting, so I'm really surprised that I pulled it off.

It's surreal actually posting this because for a while, I've thought about how if I ever post a fic, I'll have to make illustrations too because I can't do anything not full force. Look at me now! I'm shocked. Also didn't think I'd finish it tonight, but here it sits before you nevertheless(though as always, I'm writing this past my bedtime before class, time efficient as always.) So with that being said, here are some notes, though if I had known I'd be writing this so soon, I would've prepared more lol.

First of all, I hope it's clear both of these are Mark's perception. Gah, the fact that his face is the only one you can see clearly. The first is obviously him unwillingly fantasizing about what exactly went down last night.

Aghhhhh the difference in colors and settings of the two drawings is so important to me. The warmth and intimacy of the bed behind curtains in the first one, and the coldness and openess of the second. It's so clear Mark feels like he's been distanced, like he's been ousted. It's like he's been thrown outside on a cold winter's day, no longer able to feel the heat from the comfortable warm stove inside.

Mark was probably assigned to Seb bcs he has a much greater appreciation for the Spanish etiquette, which Seb has very little interest in. He'll abide by it when he absolutely has to. But he's just a very non-typical Emperor. People find it charming so it's not a public death sentence for him, but it is an issue. Thus, Mark is there to keep him in line. Though important to note that when Fernando, who has an equal if not greater respect for the showmanship of etiquette, realizes Mark is interested in that as well, they start warming up to each other.

The inherent disrespect of Fernando just. Throwing Seb's clothing onto the floor. Meanwhile he probably took like, 20 minutes folding his up(that's what Seb was gonna tell Mark at the end of the fic.) Borderline ripping off Seb's clothes only to edge him. Its not even like the ripping off the clothes is because of passion or anything, he's deliberately being an asshole. Don't worry Nandl, Seb's turned on by it!

So sorry to marknando fans if their dynamic feels like a complete 180 haha. Its not like I'm like, they actually hate each other!! It's just their relationship under completely different circumstances. They're like two dogs in a dog fight, they don't have any real reason to hate each other, but they're put against each other regardless. They don't understand their hatred, just know that they have it and that they're supposed to have it. The inherent hatred the mistress has for the spouse, and vice versa. If they actually were able to talk without barriers, they'd realize they actually get along pretty well. They kinda just hate each other because of their respective relationships to Seb. And then there's Seb who's mostly completely oblivious to his effect, though of course plays with it a bit.

Seb's marriage completely recontextualizes their relationship in Mark's eyes. Though there's something incredibly sado-masochistic about the way he can't blame Seb for it at all. He's a loyal dog after all. But when it was just them, he was obviously Seb's main companion and lover. Seb definitely slept with people on the side, but Mark brushed that off: 1. Bcs its very period typical. 2. He was the main, they were the side, what more needs to be said! But now *he's* the side piece, and is left wondering if their relationship was down to proximity alone. Not to pull a Mark and completely excuse Seb, but it's not. Just very different perceptions of love and relationships. And again, as I've mentioned before, he was raised to always be the most important person in the room, so he obviously has very different understandings, especially since he's always the center.

NANDL!!!!!! In my Habsburg book I've been reading lately, they randomly referred to one of them affectionately as "Nandl" and it's stuck in my head ever since. Can we start a movement to canonize that as an official Fernando nickname? I'm sooooo fond of it, I litrally ended the fic that way just so I could shoehorn that nickname in.

Speaking of the ending. It was really tough, I almost wanted to have Fernando burst in, looking for his ring, and then coming across whatever that is. But I didn't want to disrupt their moment anymore, it felt cruel. Though shame I couldn't mention that the reason why Seb's pants are nowhere to be found is because Fernando accidentally put them on and didn't realize till he was out of the room.

*I FORGOT TO POINT OUT ONE OF MY FAVORITE PARTS! Truly the danger of writing a post while falling asleep. There's something so incredibly funny to me the way they're talking so refined and then Seb just throws out: "that guy." It's a way to show his own disrespect of Fernando, not even using his name, implying he's just some guy(nur ein Kerl.) I laughed writing it cause it reminds me of the random dry humor anecdotes I've read lately.

[fiction-is-the-new-reality]

Pt 4: If only you knew

Old Friends and Tears

word count: 2k

warnings: major violence, adult language, and angst

previous part series masterlist

It feels like you can’t stop driving away from the tunnel. Like you can’t put enough distance between it.

You keep thinking about Arkham Knight following you, which spurs you to drive faster and further. After making a loop around Miagani and ensuring that no one has followed you, you swiftly turn into an alley.

Switching off the bike, you take a few heavy breaths, calming your thumping heart. Your mind is still whirling from the fight.

You nearly jump out of your skin when a voice calls down to you.

“Almost didn’t recognize it was you.” Nightwing flips down into the alley. Stepping off your bike, you walk towards him, meeting him halfway. Dick opens his arms, and you lean in to hug him. He tightens his arms and slightly rocks you back and forth.

One of Dick’s many underappreciated talents is giving amazing hugs.

“Look at your fancy new suit. You’ve finally made it big.” He grabs your shoulders before pretending to wipe away a tear.

You playfully roll your eyes, “Always so dramatic. What are you doing here?”

He gasps and tosses a hand over his heart. “What? Not happy to see me?”

Giving him a deadpan look that he only laughs at, he finally tells you. “Bruce is looking into North Refrigeration, which is a job I’ve been working for months,” you interrupt in shock. “So he called you?”

“....Not directly. Alfred asked what I knew about North Refrigeration. He said Bruce was about to look into them. Figured he wouldn’t mind the extra hand.”

“Oh, so you invited yourself over, got it.”

Dick shakes his head before he gets serious.

“I heard about Barb. How are you holding up?”

“I’m just ready to have her back, even if I have to kick Scarecrow’s ass myself. What about you?”

“She can take care of herself. I’m surprised Scarecrow hasn’t thrown her back at us.” You both chuckle. You look at his eyes, which show unspoken fear. He’s worried about her, not like he’d ever say. The ever-persistent Nightwing, always the big brother, always calm.

“I know. I find it strange that Arkham Knight knew she was Oracle and, more importantly, where she was.” You sigh before continuing. “It makes me wonder if he’s been lurking and watching before all this.”

“You never know. It’s made it very clear that no matter how careful you are, there’s always a risk.”

Before you can respond, he presses his fingers on his earpiece. After a beat of silence, he speaks, “I gotta run. Bruce is waiting for me, but I’ll see you before I return to Bludhaven. I promise.”

“Call me if you need me!” You shout as he scales up the side of the building. Once he’s back on the rooftop, he waves goodbye before dashing away.

You roll the bike to the back of the alley and throw a black tarp over it, hoping it’ll blend in with the shadows. You decide to go back to the rooftops for a while. It’s easier to keep watch when no one hears you coming.

Getting up to the roof the same way Dick did, you walk to the opposite side and look out over the roads. You watch as groups of men run around beating each other, tipping over trash cans, and occasionally almost getting hit by cars.

Nearby, a piercing screech echoes out, making you wince. Startled by the unexpected sound, you quickly turn your head, scanning the area for any signs of movement. Your eyes land on a bird flying in the distance. You watch in sheer horror as the “bird” approaches. As it comes into focus, you realize it’s an enormous bat-like creature, and it is now barreling directly towards you.

“What the fuck!” You exclaim out loud, running towards the edge of the roof.

It gets to you before you can jump onto the street below. You crouch down, hands covering your head. It swoops overhead, and a piercing shriek fills the air, chilling you to the bone while the colossal wings whip chilled wind around you. The large beast lands on the street below, and men yell in panic, filling the air with their screams.

You stand there blinking momentarily, watching it move in a circle, screeching out what sounds like mournful cries. You take in the pale clammy skin, the white hollowed-out eyes, and the sharp teeth protruding from its mouth. As you think about your next move, it’s too late. The creature takes off into the sky again. The massive wings bring it toward your rooftop and you crouch low, bracing for its talons to cut you. Once again, you’re spared as it veers left at the last second. You begin running after it but aren’t fast enough to catch up. It rockets up into the sky and you lose sight as it flies behind the skyline.

“What the fuck?” You whispered.

On the other side of Gotham, the Arkham Knight enters a room where Oracle is being held. He leans against the doorway and watches her silently. Barbra glares back.

The silence is broken. “What the hell do you want?”

A robotic chuckle is let out. “Oh, Barbra, Barbra, Barbra. When did you become so rude?”

“Probably when someone manhandled me out of my home, got me thrown from a car, and locked me up in this room.”

“Hmm, yes, that was a bit rougher than I had intended. But honestly, you have Batman and that other birdy to thank for that.”

He stalks over to her and circles around the chair. She stays steady, showing no fear in the face of danger. A skill most will credit to Batman, but it’s a trait directly from her father.

She slightly jumps as his hand clamps down on her shoulder, and his helmet lets out an echoing hiss as he opens it. He tosses it on her lap. She glances down, wondering what he was doing.

“Don’t worry Babs. You’re just a pawn in this game, so as of right now, you’re safe.” Why did he sound so familiar? Why did she know that voice? Barbra racked her brain trying to figure out who that voice belonged to.

He walks around and her eyes land on his face, a gasp leaves her mouth. Her eyes must be playing a trick on her. Scarecrow must have injected her with fear toxin or gassed the room and she just didn’t realize it. That would be the only logical explanation as to why Jason is standing in front of her dressed as the man who has been terrorizing Gotham.

“Jason? H-How?” Her voice, barely above a whisper, is breathy with surprise.

“I know. Long time no see Babs.” He’s fully facing her now and she can see how the years have affected him.

His blue eyes, were bloodshot and sunken, with dark purple circles underneath. On his left cheek, a scarred letter J grabs her attention. And her eyes linger on it. She notices a recent scratch on his throat before he turns away from her.

“Jason! Why? Why are you doing this? How could you do this?” Her pain laces her voice. Tears glisten in her eyes, and confusion wrinkles her face.

“Like I said, you can thank Batman. Everything that has happened and that will happen is all because of him.” He walks towards the door.

“He mourned for you! We all did Jason.”

“Bullshit! It took all of about three months before I was replaced. Three months before I was forgotten! I was still alive while you guys were moving on!”

“We didn’t know, Jason. Please understand.”

Jason’s out the door before Barbra can say anything else. Once the door closes, she lets the tears fall out of her eyes.

Jason clicks his helmet back in place before entering the surveillance room. The monitors light up showing him the streets of Gotham. The Batmobile speeding after the tanks and the APC’s. A screen to the left side of the display catches his attention.

It’s Vulture. The one that escaped him. He watches as she take on a checkpoint with eight of his men inside it. His eyes tracked her every move, learning her fight patterns.

As Vulture knocked down a medic, one soldier holding two stun batons crept behind her, pressing the sparking stun batons against her back. Jason leans in as he watches her collapse to the floor. The three militiamen circle over her as she lies on the ground.

One bends down and once he’s close, she wraps her legs around his shoulders and springs her body upwards. They crash to the floor and Jason watches as the head of the militia bounces against the ground.

She stands, her hand reaching down to her waist, and pulls a small blade from her belt. It’s then hurled at the soldier with the batons, causing the baton in his right hand to slip out, dropping to the ground. With a leg sweep, Vulture disarms him, snatching the baton in a single fluid motion.

She swiftly turns to the other soldier and uses the baton to jab at his crotch, forcing him to drop to his knees. As he’s on his knees, she quickly flips to the other side of him, gaining some distance from the last soldier. She brings the baton down on the kneeling soldier’s neck, sending him sprawling face-first onto the ground.

Now she’s facing the last soldier. The soldier runs and grabs a wooden crate off the ground. He launches the crate towards Vulture, but she pulls the crate out of the air and to her chest. Using the wall for leverage, she launches herself into the air, smashing the box directly onto his head. He stumbles back, and her roundhouse kick connects with his chest, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

She stalks over to the unconscious head commander and smashes the communicator, making the checkpoint walls collapse.

Jason presses the comm in his ear.

Having let go of the communicator, you allow it to crash on the ground. A crackling noise comes from the commander’s earpiece, followed by the Knight’s voice.

“Don’t get too happy, birdy. I’m still seeing and hearing everything all over Gotham. Maybe I should be the new Oracle.”

Your blood runs cold.

You snatch the earpiece out of the commander’s ear and the Knight laughs on the other end. Pushing the button down on the comm, you respond.

“Maybe you should stop being such a coward and show your face. Or do you hide behind that mask because your face is too mangled?”

The laughter from the Knight is unlike the previous ones. It is not mocking you or sarcastic. It’s dark, and you can feel the hatred behind it. It sends a shiver down your spine.

“Just wait, this mangled mess will be the last thing you see with your dying breath.”

You waste no time leaving the scene.

The projectors around Gotham whirl to life. It’s a holding cell, and the camera zooms in on the person inside. It’s Barbra, slumped over in her wheelchair. Scarecrow’s scratchy voice comes through the speakers.

“How does it feel to see your city on the brink of ruin, your friends in the clutches of death?”

The screen distorts and then it’s Scarecrow’s face on the screen.

“You stretched yourself too far this time, Batman, and now your failure is all but complete. As that final, dying breath escapes her body, she will know you are the one who failed her.” The audio screeches out as the screen turns black.

You press down on your comm.

“Alfred, where is she being held?”

“Master Bruce said a safe house in Chinatown. He’s on his way now.”

Shit. You’re nowhere near Chinatown.

“Thanks, Alfred.”

You begin driving your bike as fast as you can, zipping around corners, and taking shortcuts through the infrastructure of Gotham.

As you get to the middle of Chinatown, you stop the bike and grapple to the nearest building. Listening closely for anything that will point you in the right direction.

Closing your eyes, you try as hard as you can. A minute of stillness passes, and then, like a whisper on the wind, you hear it. The distant, muffled thuds of gunshots punctuated Scarecrow’s voice, raspy and echoing. Your legs start running before you even realize it, your heart pounding in your chest as fear takes over. With a rush of wind in your ears, you leap from the rooftop to the next, landing softly in front of a heavy wooden door.

You’re about to open it when Bruce comes out. Without Barbra.

“Where is she? Was it a trap? Is she somewhere else?”

His blue eyes lock on yours. You can see the pain in them. His jaw tightens.

“No, no, no, Bruce.” You’re pacing back and forth.

“I was too late. Scarecrow he….was punishing me. He killed her.” Voice heavy with guilt.

“You’re lying! She’s in there.” You need to get into the building. You need to see that she’s fine and that she’s not really in there. Heading for the door, Batman blocks you.

“No, I’m not letting you in there.”

“You don’t give me orders! I-I need to see Barbra.”

He speaks your name softly. “She’s gone.”

You turn your back on him, taking a few steps away. Bruce does the same.

You dodge Bruce with a quick movement, adrenaline surging through you, your eyes fixed on the door as you sprint towards it. His arms reach out and grab you, pulling you into his chest and lifting you off the ground, like a child throwing a tantrum. You thrash in his arms, your movements frantic, as you try to break free from his hold. His grip on you becomes a vise-like clamp, his muscles tightening as he pulls away from the door.

“Stop it, Bruce! Let me go! It’s Barbra, Bruce, it’s Barbra, please!”

“You don’t need to see. It won’t change anything.” He holds you until you’ve calmed down.

Bruce, let’s go, setting you on your feet. Your shoulders sag and you look at the ground.

“I’m headed to GCPD to talk to Ivy. She was immune to the fear toxin.”

“You’re hoping she’ll help against the Cloudburst?” Your voice sounds small, even to your ears.

“She doesn’t have a choice.”

taglist: @thegirlwiththeyarn @geminizmoonz @emilia527 @anime5005 @babypaperwitch @skypperlegacy @rwylm-things @mayo-0-o @ex-cla-ma-tion @pheonixfucu @not-herexo @g0atmansbridge182 @theg0ddesshera @redhoodedangel @just-lost-inbetween-worlds @marigiano @lilocapoca @misaki-kira8 @blackcanary130 @ykyouluvme @kiwi03 @xbonniepricexx @definitelynotanalien @ghostlyleech @pinkmaggit666 @0littlestwolf0 @stupid-ninja @reanie-xoxo @kittykatchicha @bunz-lover @justalittleb1tcrazy @gghoulpool @snackeyalleyjuice @comealivedaya @thefandomdiaries07 @peter-parker-tony-stank-trash @awstrck @gemini-bichxx-blog @jennifermoyas @xdrin @harleycao @screamingsilence3 @ex-pinguina @ppiglovestravel-blog @catsinhatswithbats @jazminjacuinde @honeywolflower8364 @lillianmorningstar

[joeyalohadream]

WIP/Last Line Tag

I've been tagged by quite a few people in the last few weeks (most recently I think by @happy-days19 , @counting0nit and @swifty-fox) for 'Last Line' and 'WIP' tag games. I appreciate anyone every tagging me or thinking of me! I promise I wasn't ignoring you, I just genuinely hadn't written anything in almost a month until this week. Thank you all so much for still including me despite my lack of engagement lately! ❤️

Happy with myself today for finally sitting down and putting words on the page. I think I might manage to finally finish the care-taking fic I posted to AO3 a while back today.

Here's a little tiny snippet to make up not participating in tag games much lately:

“Mhm,” John hums, looking back at Gale to find him already focused back on him. “Yeah, Buck, it’s pretty much scrap now. Think we can salvage some parts from the engine block though, definitely from the frame. Not a total loss.” “Good,” Gale nods and looks down, voice quiet. “That’s good.” He looks guilty and John reaches out, lets his hand rest over his knee. “Hey, now,” he gentles his voice, ducks his head to catch Gale’s eyes. “I don’t give a damn about the truck.” He squeezes the firm muscle under his palm, lets his thumb brush over a bony kneecap. “The only thing I care about is sitting right here in front me, alive and mostly okay.” The smile he gives gets him a small one in return so he closes the distance between them and plants a kiss to the corner of Gale’s mouth, his cheek and then lets his lips press against his temple. Tension he hadn’t even noticed had coiled Gale tight leaves his frame and he sags a bit into John’s side. John leans back and gets an arm around him, pulls him closer until Gale takes the hint and rest his head on John’s shoulder. He’s a solid line of warmth along John’s side as he gets comfortable, finally turning enough to let his injured wrist rest over John’s stomach. The sight of his fingers just barely poking out of the too-long sleeve of John’s sweatshirt before they latch onto the fabric of the one John’s wearing makes that warmth spread though his insides. That ever present possessive feeling that’s been kicking at his hindbrain since practically the moment he met the younger man is back and curling a fist around his heart.

Hoping to have the third and final chapter of this one posted sometime tonight. 💕

[narfin-frood]

Silly question but how do you art?

Or more like, how is your process to draw? Your lines and posing are so loose and show the feeling of a character so well, like, how do you make your art so real with only a few lines is what most amaze me. Anyway I hope I'm not bothering you and that makes sense, thanks for reading!<3

you're not a bother, don't worry! i'm not sure if there's an appropriately concise answer to a question like this, but i'll try to explain my process for poses a bit, and if there's anything else specific you'd like to know about my process, feel free to ask, and i'll try to answer!

for posing, i find it's very helpful to start by thinking about what situation the character is in. you don't need a location or a background or anything (unless you're being #serious about it). for this, i chose "picking up something way too heavy" (cont. under cut, wall of text ahead)

keeping it very simple is key!!! do not worry about details!!! i am very bad at this. i love to add a little detail or two, like his eyes or his little expression, but i have to catch myself before i get too into it, otherwise i'll forget the point of what i was doing and/or get bored. use just enough strokes to get the point across, and stop there (for now).

i draw fast and loose, with long strokes, which also happens to help with the problem that happens if you start with any specific part of the body. it's important to start with... everything at once, or else you won't be able to see what needs to be changed or fixed until it's too late and you've already decided on where you want the head and the left arm to be!

to display effort & strain without just contorting the character's face, you gotta think about just how heavy the object is, how one would go about grabbing it comfortably, and whether your character is smart enough to lift with their legs.

wander is great (read: BEST CHARACTER DESIGN EVAR. i love him kisskisskiss) because he's not grounded in any sort of reality until necessary, and his limbs have no bones, but he still has specific proportions and volumes to refer back to if you get carried away with the wackiness. posing a character made up of several noodles of varying widths is very simple, because you can do basically whatever you want to push and pull and make it as clear (and/or as funny) as possible.

start with your line of action, in this case the long line connecting his neck and his left foot. think about where the floor is, so you can make the feet of your character and whatever else is touching it coexist in the same reality. think about clarity: big, simple shapes are your friends, and if you're not getting the gist of the pose through the silhouette alone, try again! there's NO shame in hiding the first layer and doing a couple more sketches until you land on something you really like. Don't polish a turd, especially if you yourself think it's a turd. it'll make you feel like you're wasting time, and drawing is about having fun and experimenting, so if it's getting boring or frustrating, it's time to try something else.

wander and other characters with no bones and no rules are great for posing because you can do things like make their arms bend the wrong way just to play with the clarity of the pose. this:

un-breaks the arms and makes a little more sense for somebody with elbows, but some clarity in the action is lost when the arms don't curve upward and away from the very heavy object he's straining to pick up.

grounding your characters is both more complex and easier than it sounds, and it unfortunately requires you to think about perspective (i know. i know. i know it sucks and it's confusing. i hated it for a very long time but once it clicks, you'll have it in your brain forever)

fudging a perspective grid is fairly easy, just draw several parallel lines and have them get closer to each other as they recede into the distance, and then do it again in the opposite direction. you can use the transform tool in whatever program you use most to fudge this for even less effort, by just getting a png of a grid and fucking with it

now that you've got your floor, think about those feet. the grid makes it fairly easy to envision how a shoe would look sitting on that floor:

this is also where having an understanding of volumes comes in handy, because things farther in the distance will in fact look smaller, but it's up to you to figure out just how much smaller it would be in comparison to the other identical thing with the same volume that's closer to the camera. usually it's almost negligible, but it becomes easy to spot if it's a little off.

and here's the pose i settled on! i made his noodle arms more extreme for extra XD factor and i put him on his tippy toes for that extra bit of height!

a lot of the principles i'm talking about in this post i mainly pick up from consciously watching my favorite cartoons (and live action shows) and if i really, really like the way something is done, or if i see something that i've never really registered before, i'll screencap it or i'll pause or i'll just keep thinking about it until i draw again.

this is called "building a visual library" and it's the #1 easiest and most important way to practice. it requires no drawing, unless you want it to. look at lots of art by artists you love, and if you see something and you think to yourself, hey, this looks really good, by all means, absorb it.

art is great and it's really fun and there's literally nothing wrong with taking inspiration where you can find it!! seriously!!! absorb your favorite parts of every art style you find cool and fun and put it into your own! you're the only person who can draw the way you draw, and while replicating an art style is fairly easy (or it can be, depending), matching it perfectly is Literally impossible, so don't worry about being derivative. Nobody will notice, and if they do, it's okay to say you're inspired by them! encouraged, even!

my own art style, like everybody else's, is a frankenstein's monster containing all of the things i've loved before!!! and i think thats beautiful and if anybody tries to tell you you've gotta be 100% original and have "your very own style", they're a filthy liar and they're definitely (consciously or not) already taking inspiration and reference from the things they themselves find cool and awesome.

ANYWAY. wall of text over.

TLDR: draw quickly, use long strokes (try not to pet your lines), have a specific situation to put your character in, get familiar with volumes and proportions, and have fun!!!

[megs-1800]

Love Of My Life

Notes: Requests are still open and as usual please give feedback

Summary: You and Mason were toxic together and couldn't continue, but when your child was born you agreed to co-parent. At your son's second birthday how will Mason react to meeting your new boyfriend? How will he react to this boyfriend throwing away the letter confessing his feelings to you months before? Now you have a choice to make, which boy is the love of your life?

Pairings: Mason Mount x Reader

Word Count: 5.6K

Warnings: Fluff and Angst

As I open my eyes I can feel a small body on top of me, “mummmyyyy” I hear as I slowly adjust my eyes to the light. “mummy I am two today” my baby boy says holding up two fingers slowly and so proud of him that he can say that and knows how old he is. I smile at my boy “that’s it baby you are two today. Happy birthday!” and I grab him into the biggest hug. I look directly at him and damn he looks so much like his dad, he has all the features of Mason he is his double.

I think back to the time between me and Mason, we were together for 3 years. We met whilst I was in University in London. We hit it off straight away, and I instantly feel in love with him. When he moved to Manchester it did become harder and put a strain on our relationship as University had finished and I moved back to (your hometown). Due to the distance, Mason asked me to move in. Of course I jumped at the chance, but I was worried as I would be so far away from my family.

When we moved in that’s when things starting to go wrong, we went public so I was receiving a lot of hate from his fans. I didn’t look like a WAG, I wouldn’t say I was ugly but I wasn’t in the same league as some of these girls. I wasn’t as skinny and I was more natural, that’s what mason said he loved about me. There was loads of cheating rumours going round, which made us argue, I trusted Mason but of course I was insecure. Then Mason’s injuries came and the hate was directed at it him. We argued more then we didn’t it started to become toxic. That’s when we found out we were having a baby. That put even more pressure on the situation, we didn’t even know if we wanted to be together, I spent nearly every night crying and those nights I didn’t Mason wasn’t home. I wanted to be with him more then everything, but the pressure of everything got too much. We decided to call it when I was 6 months pregnant. We sat down and had an adult conversation, the first time in ages we actually spoke and didn’t shout at eachother. We decided it was the best thing to do for the baby’s sake, we both brought up with a stable family and we wanted our baby to have that. We both cried that night, and believe me all I wanted was Mason to wrap me up and tell me everything is going to be okay and beg me not to leave, but he agreed and let me go, I think that hurt even more.

Mason was amazing since the breakup, we were constantly talking and facetiming. We spent more time communicating since I moved back home then we did when we were together. He was so supportive and made so much more of an effort. It made me fall in love with him all over again, but I had to tell myself that he didn’t want me otherwise he would of fought harder so we just had to focus on being the best parents to out child. He ensured he came to all the scans and appointments, he made the 3 hour travel each time to ensure he attended them all, he said he didn’t want to miss a moment of it. We wanted to wait and see the gender of the child as we both agreed it would be more magical on the day. I know Mason secretly wanted a boy.

My heart melts as I look at Elijah, knowing how much he is loved by Mason and I and both sets of families warms my heart. It flashes my mind back to the day he was born 2 years ago. I had intense pains the day before, I quickly ran Mason and explained that the contractions are here, it was the early afternoon before a game so he was insisting on coming down but my midwife said as its my first it could take hours as my waters hasn’t broken.

Mason scored a goal and assisted in another I was so proud of him, he rang me as soon as he was back inside the tunnel. I explained I was only 3 cms dilated and they sent me home and just to monitor the contractions and to come in when they are closer apart and more intense. Mason insisted on staying on the phone with me the whole time so he could monitor how the contractions are. When he got like 30 mins away we agreed that I really should go to the hospital as they got closer together and a lot more intense. Mason said he would meet me at the hospital as it would make it quicker and my parents drove me.

Mason paid for me to have a private room so we would have privacy, he came running into the room still in his football kit. “Jheez are you trying to cause attention” I say laughing through the pain. “I didn’t get time to get changed, I have an emergency baby kit in my car with spare clothes though so I will get changed in a min I just wanted to see how you are feeling”. He came running straight over to me and held my hand and gave me a reassuring smile. God I love that smile. “I scored a goal for you”. He smiled the biggest smile he was so proud of himself. “I know you did, me and bubba are so proud”. He pulled my chin up so we were eye to eye, and he placed a small kiss on my lips. “Now y/n lets have a baby”.

The pain was excruciating and the midwife confirmed I was too far along to have the epidural, I cried in Mason’s arms “Please Mase, make it stop I cannot do it. I cannot do it Mase, I am so sorry please I cannot do it”. I can feel myself sweating and my hair is all stuck to my face from the mix of the sweat and the tears coming down my face. Mason kept running his fingers through mine and kissing my forehead. “Come on baby, yes you can you doing amazing”. I kept pushing whilst Mason gave me words of encouragement. Elijah was finally born at 3am. When the nurse said it was a boy, I watch as Mason shreds a tear as I know that’s what he was hoping for. “He is so perfect, I am so proud of you. Thank you giving him to me”. Once the nurse left and I got all cleaned up, we got to have a moment with just 3 of us before all the families came in. We both sat in silence looking at baby Elijah in my arms, “he is your double”, I say looking at Mason. Which Mason nods agreeing. Mason looks into my eyes and places a kiss to my lips, it was a passionate deep kiss. “Thank you for giving me the most incredible thing y/n, I will love him more then words can say, and I will always love you for bringing him into this world, you did incredible”. We were in complete baby bliss.

Mason was an amazing dad, and we co-parent well. It makes everyone ask what happened between us because we were so amazing together and there was always banter and a connection between us. Looking at it from the outside perspective I have no idea why we are not together, there are so many feelings between us both, but Mason never makes a move and keeps us in the co-parenting zone as I do not think he thinks about me in that way, so I guess that’s where we will stay. We are always going out on days out with Mason’s family and Mason, we generally act like family, but inside my heart is broken knowing Mason will never want us to be that again.

I am getting ready for Elijah’s 2nd birthday party, I am so excited all his friends are coming as well as my family, and Mason’s family. Mason had hired a venue in London with a massive garden, as his birthday is in April is a lovely spring day so lots of activities for the children and agreed if its in London then its central for all sets of families to attend. I had no idea what to wear, I decided to wear a blue spring dress and matched it with some healed sandals and curled my hair. My make-up was subtle but I think I loved quite pretty but I was still insecure about my mum body, but today was about Elijah not me.

The party went by well, I watched as the guests turned up and Elijah seemed like it had the best time. He had his hair jelled, and had a pair of jeans and a shirt on which were already ruined 2 hours into the party. I am walking around socialising with others and thanked them for coming. That’s when I bumped into Mason, I watched as his face light up when he saw me, I felt myself blush too. “Hey y/n, I am so sorry I have been socialising thanking everyone for coming. How you doing?”. He came round and embraced me in a hug which I melted into. “Honestly its fine, I have been doing the same. Thank you for arranging all this he looks like he has been having the best day! I cannot believe we have a 2 year old where has that time gone?”. Which we both turn to look at Elijah, “I know right it feels like yesterday when he was born, I think I am still recovering from how hard you were holding my hand”. Mason chuckles. “You wanna push a human out of your body you lucky I didn’t break your hand for doing that to me”. Which we continue to laugh and talk.

That’s when I feel an arm around my waist as I turn my head I instantly notice who that is. Daniel. Shit I didn’t get time to speak to Mason about it. That’s when Daniel opens his mouth “Hey baby, sorry I am late. I just saw Eli he looks like he is having the best time! Damn look at you” Daniel looks me up and down and makes me do a little twirl “you look fit. Doesn’t she look fit mate”. He turns to Mason and goes to shake his hand. I can tell by the confusion on Mason’s face he is not impressed but he nods to agree “yeah she looks beautiful.” Mason replies which gives me butterflies. “Sorry I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself I am Daniel. Its nice to meet the famous Mason Mount after all this time, y/n has told me so much about you. Eli is incredible you are a very lucky man”. Mason nods and mutters the word thank you, I can tell he is trying to work out who Daniel is but I can tell he is nervous about the answer. That’s when I step in with introductions, “This is Daniel, we have been seeing eachother on and off for a little while, but we went official a couple of months ago,”. Mason looked down, I feel awful that’s not how I wanted to tell him, I just haven’t found the right time. “Well okay then, well enjoy the party mate. I best go and mingle”. He replies and quickly escorts himself.

Daniel turns me to him and I wrap my arms around his neck “I missed you, you look amazing! Mason didn’t look to impressed” making a little smirk. “Well I haven’t found the right time to tell him and I think his sons 2nd birthday party was probably not the best time.”  To that Daniel placed a long kiss to my lips. I can see Mason’s family watching me, his mum knew as I told her a couple of weeks ago when I went out for lunch with his mum and Elijah but I do not think anyone else knew. As I pull away from the kiss, I can see Mason watching me from afar, I never wanted to hurt him.

“I am going to pop to the toilet, you all okay?” I say to Daniel as I am wrapped in his arms, “no worries baby and of course I am okay I am with you and our beautiful boy”. I didn’t want to correct him and say that Elijah isn’t ‘our’ boy he is ‘my’ boy as he was being cute. Mason was now standing closer so I really hoped he didn’t hear that as I know that would hurt him. I give Daniel one more kiss on the lips as I make my way inside.

As I come out the toilet I see Mason standing in the hallway, I am assuming he was waiting for me. “Why didn’t you tell me before?” Mason asks, I am not sure what to say as honestly I was just scared. “There was never a good time, everytime we saw eachother it always went so well and I didn’t want to start an argument. I don’t know Mase, maybe I was a little scared I didn’t know how you would take it”. Mason looks down I can tell he is upset with this, but we haven’t been together in over 2 years I cannot stay single forever. “I heard him say ‘our’ son, does Eli think he is his dad, or does he act like his dad?” I can hear a little bit of jealously and hurt in his voice when he is asking this. “No mase, Eli knows you are his dad and knows Daniel is just a friend of mine for now that’s how we leave it. Honestly Mase there are no hard feelings are there?”.  I see Mason trying to give me a smile but I can tell he is upset, which is really weird as he hasn’t made a move with me? “Of course not, all I ever wanted was for you to be happy. I can’t say I am not disappointed in seeing someone get to have a part that used to be mine but as long as he treats you and Eli right then I am more then happy, I am just gutted you know I never got my chance to make us a proper family, I never got another chance with you”. I am shocked at this statement as Mason never made a move to become anything more then co-parents. We had our little kisses every now and then, and there was that time last year when Mason came round to see Eli and once he gone to bed, Mason and I got drunk and we ended up sleeping together, but the next day he acted like nothing happened and he never made any other advances or declarations of love so why is this all coming out now? I am a little angry if I am being honest. “What are you talking about Mase? Saying that you never got a chance with me? You never tried to have a chance with me? I love you Mason and I always will but you never made me feel like you felt the same, or made any actions to move the relationship forward, so what the hell are you talking about”. Mason now looks into my eyes, I can see the confusion on his face. “I wrote you that letter y/n, I literally confessed my whole entire love to you and you ignore it and acted like nothing happened so I am assuming  you didn’t want to take the relationship to that level. Wait you still love me?”.

Mason closes the gab between us, we both now confused at the conversation, “What letter? What the hell are you talking about-“ We are suddenly interrupted by his mum walking through the hall way. “Ahhh there you both are, we have been looking everywhere for you both. We are going to do Elijah’s cake.” I nod at Debbie and explain that we are coming. I turn to Mason as we are walking back outside, we both give eachother a look as to say we will discuss this later.

People start saying their goodbyes from the party as I am starting to clear everything up, I see Daniel coming over to me from across the room and instantly puts his arms to my hips. I do not relax into the gesture like I usually do, I am on edge about what Mason said, what letter was he talking about? Daniel pulled me out of my thoughts “I am so sorry baby, the hospital called I got to go. Did you want me to wait for you so I can drop you and Eli home? But I really need to go now so its really upto you?” this is when I see Mason but into the conversation which I can see on Daniel’s face he is not too impressed. “Honestly mate go, we still got quite a lot to sort out here so I will drop y/n home honestly”. I can see Daniel’s hesitation, but I am on board with this as I need to speak to Mason. “Honestly baby go, as Mason said I need to finish off some bits here and do not want to hold you up. I will see you tonight yeah” Daniel nods and places a kiss to my cheek, I can feel Masons daggers even with my eyes closed. “I love you” Daniel says, “I love you too”. I whisper to him being careful of Mason’s feelings.

We finished tidying up and loaded all of Elijah’s present into Mason’s car, “Are you sure you are okay dropping us home because its like 40 mins into the wrong direction?”, “of course its honestly no problem at all”. The drive home was silent as Elijah feel asleep in the car, which wasn’t surprising as he didn’t have a nap today and all the excitement from the party, but we didn’t talk the whole way, that always was our problem was communication. As we pull into the street, I ask Mason “did you want to come inside?” in which Mason shakes his head in reply “I do not think that’s a good idea”. I look down as I can feel my heart hurting I was hoping Mason would come inside. I guess I will have to talk to him there, I need answers.

“What letter are you talking about Mason? You never left me a letter?”, Mason looks angry at the reply as in I am talking the piss out of him. “I wouldn’t just make up leaving you a letter y/n. You remember the day we went to the zoo?” I reminisce of that day, the days leading up to it were perfect, me and Mason were basically acting like a family with Eli, we spoke nearly every moment of every day, he was constantly came round the house. That was the time I had hope for our relationship. We ended up going to the zoo with his parents, his brother Lewis, Sister Jaz and the girls. We were like one big happy family, it was like me and Mason were a couple, it was the day before he went away on pre-season training. I quickly snap myself out of the memory to listen to Mason. “Well that evening, after I dropped you and Eli home, I left a letter I wrote on the table. I wrote it months before that but I always chickened out actually given it to you. I wrote about how much I love you, and how I want to make it work again, how I want us to be a proper family. But then I went on pre-season training and everytime we spoke you never mentioned the letter so I just thought you read it and didn’t know what to say, that you didn’t want me back.”

I can see the hurt in Mason’s eyes, I think I can see tears starting to well up in his eyes. “But I never saw the letter Mase”. Mason now looks confused, “I literally left it on the table, I left it where you would see it. I made sure to leave it right in sight.” Now everything is running through my head, I never saw a letter? Wait.. “Daniel” I say, “I’m Mason not Daniel but cheers” he said sarcastically. “I know that dickhead, I mean that night after the zoo Daniel came round. He must of moved the letter”. I can see the anger in Mason’s face. “Do you really think Daniel would of moved the letter and not given it to you? Because believe me y/n if he is the reason I haven’t got to be a family with the love of my life, he is going to feel the wrath of Mason Mount.” I giggle a little at this, but I quickly settle my face to a straight expression when I see Mason isn’t joking, “please Mason you couldn’t hurt a fly. But wait I am the love of your life?” I can feel myself blushing. “This is not the point of this conversation y/n has that dickhead been fucking with my family?” I can see this conversation is starting to get heated which I want to stop now before Elijah wakes up, we always ensure he never saw us argue. “Let me speak to Daniel tonight, lets not jump to conclusions yeah. Everything will be okay, let me figure out what has happened then we can go from there”. I place a small kiss to Mason lips, I knew I shouldn’t of as I have Daniel its just when I am around Mason I am weak.

I am pacing around the flat, anxiously waiting for Daniel to get home, as soon as he walks into the house he can sense the tension as much as I can. He looks at me worried as to what has happened. “Whats wrong baby?” he asks unsure if he wants to know the answer. I gesture to him to sit down next to me. “You know we said we would never lie to eachother?” I ask which Daniel nods in agreement. “What happened to the letter?” I can see Daniel’s eyes go wide as to know he has been caught but he still tries to act dumb. “What letter?” I shake my head to him as I am not in the mood for bullshit. “You know what I am talking about Daniel, the night we officially got together and gave ourselves the label, that night you came round. There was a letter on my table what did you do with it?” I can see Daniel looks uncomfortable with this conversation, but I hope he just gives in and tells the truth. “Okay.. I just needed you to give me a chance. You always said when you and Mason were together it was toxic. When I came over that night as you were putting Eli to bed I saw the letter. I assumed it was from him as I know you guys were out all day. I read the letter about how he loved you and wanted you guys to be a family again. I knew if you would of read it, you would of chosen him and never would of given me a chance to show what me and you could be. Look how happy we are y/n.” I can feel tears running down my face but they are tears of anger. “The problem is Daniel is that it is my choice to make not yours. I deserved to read that letter and make my own mind up not for you to decide what to do for me.” Daniel comes closer and tucks a strand of hair behind my ears “I am sorry y/n I just needed a chance to show you how much I love you”. I nod as I know he didn’t mean it in any horrible way the problem is, is that I deserved to know what Mason wrote. “I need some space” I say to Daniel, which I can tell he is hesitating “please take as much space as you need. Just please remember how much I love you”.

Once Daniel leaves I don’t know where my head is at, I understand that Daniel wanted to be with me and I do love him, but I am angry at him for not giving me that letter. I deserved to make my own choices and he took that away from me. I quickly ring me friend and asked if she could look after Elijah for me which she confirmed and made her way over.

Next thing I know I am on my way to Mason, as soon as I rang his doorbell I wanted to run back home, but its too late now. The whole drive there everything was running through my head. I didn’t know what I was doing. As soon as I saw Mason’s face I got butterflies, it was like the first time we met. “y/n/n what you doing here? Is Eli okay?” I can see the panic on his face. “Of yeah Eli is fine I um I wanted to speak to you about that letter? Are you free?”.

“I am always free for you”. Mason smiles and opens the doorway and invites me in, he offers me a drink and we settle on the sofa. “so what did Daniel say?”. I was scared about how he is going to react to the answer. “He said that he was worried that if I saw the letter, that I would end things with him and choose you, so he hid the letter. I am so sorry Mason I didn’t know that was going to happen, you know if I read that letter things probably would have been a lot different, but Mase I didn’t read the letter and I have now created this relationship with Daniel so I do not know what to do. My head is all over the place.” At this I break and start crying, I am struggling to control my breathing. Mason moves himself closer to me from across the sofa and wraps me up in his arms and lets me cry. “Come on y/n/n its okay, come on wipe these tears”. He cups my hand and wipes the tears staining my cheek. “y/n look at me”. In which I look up into his eyes, which breaks my heart more, he has the most gorgeous eyes.

“it just hurts Mason, because all I ever wanted was for us to get back together and be a family for Eli. Now the whole time this could of happened. But at the same time there is Daniel involved I just do not want to hurt anyone”. I continue to cry into Mason, which I can feel his grip tightened around me as a sign of comfort. “ Look baby girl its all your choice. I want you y/n, you are the most beautiful girl inside and out, you are perfect in every way and the most incredible mum. Eli is the luckiest boy alive, but its also your choice. Whatever you have created with this Daniel if he is guy you want then I will accept that and we can continue with how we are the moment. I just want the chance to say I love you y/n, I always have and I always will.”  I can feel my heart melt, Mason was always my weakness. “Just answer me one question y/n.. do you love him?” in which I nod in reply. “and then do you love me?” which I also nodded to reply as I couldn’t get my words out. “Well then you have a bit of a dilemma there then baby.” I start trying to control my breathing so I can get my words out. “Can I ask you something Mase?”.

Mason agrees to my question and allows me to get it out, which took a couple of attempts, “have you got with anyone you know since we haven’t been together?”. I can see Mason’s face relax as if I was going to ask a harder question. “I dated a couple of girls but nothing major, everytime I thought they were just not for me, they weren’t you. All I ever wanted was you y/n/n”. I don’t even know what to say to that comment. “Where did we go so wrong Mase, we used to be so happy then it got so bad. But look at us now, why couldn’t we be like that back then”.

“I don’t know, maybe it was right person wrong time? The stress of everything at that time got to us. I promise you though if you decide to choose me then I will never let that happen again. It will be me, you and Eli against the world.” At that last comment I left myself leaning into Mason, he looked between my eyes and my lips and then next thing you know we are kissing. I deepen the kiss which Mason allowed entrance for my tongue. Then I suddenly realise what I was doing “Wait we cannot do this. I am still technically with Daniel. Until I decide what to do we cannot do this.”

Mason backs away and gives me space understanding that I am not a cheater.

Masons POV

I watch as you explain that you need to go home now as you need to think about a decision. You explained how your head is all over the place. I can watch the tears falling down your cheek which is making my heart break. I always hated when you cried. As I am showing you out, I watch as you are hesitating. All I want is for you to stay and choose me but at the same time I know you need to have some space to think this through. As you are trying to say goodbye, all I can think about is continuing that kiss. The next moment I am running across the room to the door, cup both of your cheeks in my hands and place a hard kiss to your lips. You do not pull away which I think is a good sign. As we both pull away I explain “Just in case you choose him, I had to feel your lips one more time”. You give me a small smile back, “no matter who I choose Mase. I always will love you”. I can feel myself welling up trying hard not to break as you say goodbye.

As I watch you get into the car with tears flowing down your cheeks, it reminds me of the night we broke up. That was the worse night of my life, I have never been so heart broken. I cannot believe Daniel never gave you that letter. I was so angry, we could have been a couple right now, and because of that you do not even know if you are choosing me, you may choose to stay with Daniel. I do not think I will be able to cope.

I had to call my mum and explain everything, “I thought you were both acting weird near the end of the party. I said to Lewis I thought I interrupted something when I caught you in the hallway” she says. I explain how much I love her which my mums keeps reassuring me that you are going to choose me but the thought of it makes me worry, everything is running into my head right now.

I try to sleep that night but all I can think about is you, I keep looking through all the photos we have together and makes me want you more. We can be a proper family, but at the same time we were so toxic near the end, the more I think, the more I think you are going to choose Daniel.

I am woken up by the sound of the phone ringing, when I see your name popping up with the picture of you and Elijah. You really are the most beautiful girl. I then see the time it was 4am but I quickly answer it “hey Mase I am so sorry to wake you”. I quickly respond “honestly its fine whats wrong” I am a bit worried now her calling me at this time. “I called it with Daniel, I want you Mason its always been you. I am sorry there was never really any question, the whole ride home all I could think about was that kiss. I want you Mase, I need you. I want us to be a proper family”. I can feel my whole heart beating quickly. “y/n that is the best news ever! I will come to you now.” I just want to wrap you up in my arms.

“Don’t be silly Mase, not at this time. How about me and Eli come down tomorrow we can watch your game then come stay at yours tomorrow. I know Eli would love that”. I can feel the butterflies in my stomach. “I would love that more then you will ever know”.

We continue to talk for another 20 mins then I can hear you yawning on the phone, so I agree you should go. “I love you Mase”, “I love you more y/n”. As soon as we hang up I place my head down on the pillow. I can feel my heart melting at thought of you. I cannot believe we are going to be a proper family, I finally have the love of my life back.

[seaf00d-hater]

It was horrid being in that clan. Having all your things stolen and taken from you all the time. Food, water, shelter, toys, even your own life. even if it wasn't necessary it would be taken in a heartbeat if you weren't strong enough. when the clan invaded, aryas home was stolen and destroyed, her grandmother and father perished leaving arya and her mother to be next. The head of the clan wanted her mom giving her the choice of killing arya and taking her or taking the both of them if she was willing to follow them which is what she chose.

Soon the head married aryas mother and made her bare Child after child after child all dying of hunger or neglect. Arya tried her damndest to feed them to help them but she was just as helpless. As arya grew older she stopped growing and her siblings just kept dying. the second of starvation, the third of sickness, the fourth killed, the fith and sixth starvation, and I couldn't even see the birth of the seventh when they ousted her from the clan.

Aryas mom was too weak and heavily pregnant to fight for her. She was beaten and left behind to die but somehow it felt numb to her. She was able to walk but her throat couldn't make sound, she was still alive so she started to learn how to survive in the wild. Knowing her mom was still in there in that clan, suffering, she could not just leave her behind so she followed the clan from a distance. It was hard to live, it was hard to learn how to survive in the wild in darkwood, in anura, in anchordeep, and especially in silkcradle. But in time she learned how to heal myself, how to harvest, how to use traps to my advantage and most importantly how to fight and hide, learning to burn her own arms in order to keep the growing wool to a minimum.

And as the years went by the body's left by the clan kept coming, and she knew some of them were her brothers and sisters. The eight of starvation, the ninth of sickness, the tenth murder, the eleventh and twelfth of starvation, it was happening all over again but this time arya couldn't even sing them to sleep.

And finally the body that produced all her siblings came. Her nightmare came to be. Her poor mother being to weak to birth the thirteenth was dying and was left behind. She was relieved To see me for the last time and told arya of her last wish. “Eat me. Gain strength to survive. You must survive. And if you can, you must avenge me. For what they did to you, to all your brothers and sisters and for what they did to their own kind. Eat me”

So she did. She ate her alive and continued when she died. She did not eat her womb. Arya buried it just like the other siblings I had when they all died. This was a nightmare, and the only way to wake up from it was to kill it. To kill them all.

~~~~~

Soooo this is the back story of arya :) I also did finally manage to design narinder and all the bishops with aym and baal so you'll be seeing more art from me!

I HOPE YOU GUYS LIKE IT AGAIN IM NEW HERE IM LEARNING SO IF SOMETHING IS AMISS PLEASE TELL ME I WILL TRY TO CORRECT MY ACTIONS

Also more context: the clan is actually a pillaging clan made of sheep that do raides on any other town or village that aren't them and believe the whole the strongest will survive which both arya and her mom suffered from the most arya in the first image being 7 years old and in the last around 15 to 16 years old

FUCK I FORGOT TO @teruuu sorry bbg

[crystalprism]

it really has come to a point where I have to blacklist Rammstein, wow

[avichor]

i rlly wish ppl would stop engaging in eastern media with a western mindset. have u considered that honor, admiration, and respect are massive factors in most relationships and that such relationships operate with a different nuance? have u considered that closeness =/= romance? someone having a high level of admiration for someone =/= wanting to bone? or that misogyny ( and other bigotries ) manifests in very different, subtle ways than how the west depicts it?

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

ohhhhmygod im gonna be sick. actually nauseous and i did it to myself - there was a spider on the countertop and i Panicked, grabbing the first distance-killer i could grab. it was a grease cleaner spray. i buried it in the stuff, walked away to recover mentally, came back

it fucking fell apart and dissolved into the cleaner. i both feel horrible and im disgusted beyond words. how the fuck do i get rid of it

[itspileofgoodthings]

Learning how to love my teenage boy students and they’re learning how to love me within the proper teacher-student dynamic.

[yellowloid]

only way i'm accepting the apology video that's no doubt going to come from watcher in the next few days is if ryan and shane decide to throw steven out altogether

[shikai-the-storyteller]

Listening to "Out There" from the Hunchback of Notre Dame again and I'm like damn that really is a q!Fit and Madagio song huh

[drsunshineee]

whats worse than having only like 1-5 friends?

having only that many friends and you talk to only 1 more than once every two months!