#and she showed it to my uncle and they were both marveling about how 'that's a girl?? lollll' 🤢

[plinkcat-gif]

just remembered another boundary my mom crossed

[ferrstappen]

aren't we supposed to surprise you? l Charles Leclerc blurb

pairing: dad!Charles Leclerc x female reader.

you can find more of my version of dad Charles' here <3

summary: you somehow manage to overshadow Charles and Jo's gift.

Charles was an anxious man. Even more so since Josephine was born two years ago.

Yes, people laughed at him but he didn't care, he was going to sprint towards his daughter every time she took a wrong step and fell down, or his system would shut down whenever her lower lip trembled. Charles could communicate with his daughter through her eyes, they told him everything he needed to know in the meantime before she learned how to properly express herself.

They were an unstoppable duo, everybody knew that, but Charles was aware the reason both him and Jo could feel at ease and safe was you, and maybe he didn't remind you enough of that.

His mother and younger brother accompanied him to the various shops around Monaco, Pascale having to fight Charles to let her carry the stroll on the street, Arthur shaking his head at Charles' antics, playfully pitying his niece.

"I am going to make sure to take her to the worst tattoo parlors and pubs when she's older and then I'm showing you the images so you can die of a heart attack," Arthur teased his brother, earning a glare from Charles while being chastised by his mother, but the youngest Leclerc saw a smile on his mom's face.

Arthur winked at his niece and she giggled. Lorenzo had no chance of ever being the favorite uncle.

They entered different shops, not wanting to go for the typical jewelry and overly expensive designer clothing and accessories. No, Charles wanted to give you something you'd truly appreciate, something for you to relax and show yourself some love and distraction. Now it was turn for Arthur to carry Josephine while teasing his brother for being a simp.

A couple of books he thought you'd enjoy, different colored bath bombs, luxurious soaps and candles were some of the goods you were going to receive for Mother's Day.

Dad and baby Leclerc arrived got home greeted by the smell of coffee and some kind of pastry. It smelled like Charles' dream life; his life.

You smiled at Charles and gave him a quick peck on the lips before taking Josephine from his arms, your daughter babbling about papa and maman.

It was past midnight, Josephine sound asleep on her room after both you and Charles read her a short book in Italian, trying to accustom her to the language, all while you marveled at how Charles did the different voices and intonations.

Now it was just you and him in bed, his naked chest against your own skin, while his familiar hand found its place on your thigh, drawing shapeless figures, enjoying the peace of having you with him.

"I have to tell you something," You made sure to not make eye contact with Charles, hiding your face against his neck.

Charles chuckled with your reaction, "What is it and why are you hiding, bebé?" He tried to get you to face him.

"I know this wasn't planned or anything," you began talking but know Charles felt tears on his chest, it got him worried and helped you sit on the bed while assuring you whatever it was, you'd be able to find a solution.

"Babe, I'm two months pregnant," you announced and Charles placed his hand on his mouth in astonishment.

"No, in Bahrein?" Charles blurted out and a smile appeared on your face, of course that would be his first reaction as his brain processed the news.

You didn't know what you were expecting, maybe it was a problem because Josephine was still too young, maybe Charles didn't want another baby, you never really discussed it after Jo was born, but even in the dark his glossy green eyes were shining as his hand found its known place on your neck, his thumb softly caressing your cheek before lovingly kissing you.

those one of a kind kisses, the ones that were special and held so many emotions. neither of you could hide the smile appearing, only smiling at each other, Charles still caressing your cheek.

but suddenly he dropped his hand to your thigh, an unreadable expression on his face.

"But it's mother day and you're surprising me? No, I have this whole thing planned!" Charles protested and this made your eyes tear up, now it was your time to find his lips.

God, maybe it was time for a boy to mimic his dad.

[vxntagedior]

So could you do a, Xavier x fem!reader , where she's Wednesday's cousin and has a crush on Xavier. When Wednesday goes to Xaviers shed and thing pushes the blanket from over the painting, could it be a painting of the reader, and Wednesday thinks its creepy and she tells reader and you can decide how it ends. (idk if that made scenes but I thought it would cute.)

picture of you

summary | after discovering a picture of you, wednesday can't keep her mouth shut

pairing | xavier thorpe x fem!addams!reader

warning | fluff, friends to lovers, xavier has a crushhhh,

word count | 1.3k

Wednesday couldn’t hold a single ounce of love to anyone, except her cousin, and you really couldn’t call it love. The two of you grew up together with your father constantly on the run, staying with your aunt and uncle and cousins most of your life. 

You were the blunt end of Wednesday’s emotions, trying to make up for her lack of. 

Unlike your cousin, you were excited to start at Nevermore. Since you were little, your aunt would tell you the stories of her time there hoping that one day you and Wednesday would attend. While you basked in her stories, Wednesday just rolled her eyes at her mother, sick of hearing about her marvelous time at Nevermore. 

Standing next to Enid as she showed the two of you around, Ophelia Hall did not have enough room, leaving the three of you together as roommates. 

Starting to think in your head, Enid’s voice had drowned out as you scanned over the quad before your eyes stopped to stare. 

Turning, Xavier saw you looking at him, giving you a little half smile before turning back to his painting which was ravens, you think.

The rest of your day at Nevermore wasn’t much, taking your own route while Wednesday took hers but you didn’t expect to be sitting in the infirmary already. 

Sitting on the other side of her bed, both you and Xavier watched her quietly. He was the one to find you after bringing Wednesday to the nurse, explaining about what happened. 

“Thank you again, the two of you are even now.” You smiled softly. 

Xavier looked up at you, his eyes slightly wide, “You aren’t talking about my-”

“I am.” You laughed quietly. 

“Can never leave that in my past.” He looked down, smiling. 

Since the two of you have grown closer but once Wednesday started her journey to find the Hyde, you knew you couldn’t leave her on her own, going with her and keeping all of it from Xavier. 

Wednesday kept most of her theories to herself, especially that she believes that Xavier is the Hyde.

Heading out to the woods towards Xavier’s shed hoping he could clear out some answers for her. 

Once arriving, Thing could sense something, running from Wednesday, walking around Xavier’s shed, looking over to see the canvas, covered. 

Pulling down the cover, Xavier looked over, letting out a sigh watching Wednesday walk over towards the painting.

“Look, listen.” Before he could even explain, Wednesday spoke.

“You drew her.”

The picture was you during the Rave’N walking down the stairs, your dress swaying as you stepped down each step. Standing behind her, Xavier lifted his hand, letting the painting come to life, your self painting following your steps walking down the stairs. 

“I-I couldn’t stop thinking about her.” He confessed. Xavier truly didn’t know what Wednesday was going to do with the information, probably knowing that you were going to find out soon enough. “Just let me tell her first.”

“I make no promises.” Wednesday spoke. 

Coming back into her dorm, Wednesday contemplated what Xavier told her, knowing he probably would never tell you, and after hearing Enid gush about you and Xavier potentially being together, Wednesday thought it was best to let you know. 

Upon entering the room, she saw Enid sitting on her bed watching a movie, looking up, you saw your cousin coming into the room. 

“You finished what you were looking for?” You asked her, pausing the movie, turning your attention to Wednesday. 

“No, my dream didn’t help.” She concluded, finally turning to look at you. “Xavier drew a picture of you.”

There was a moment of silence before Enid let out a loud squeal. Both of you turned to see Enid, practically shaking in her spot. 

“Oh my god!” She gushed, grabbing onto your shoulders, shaking you back and forth, “I told you he liked you back!”

You couldn’t barely comprehend what she said, still shocked that Xavier drew a picture of you, you always thought he saw you as a friend, a friend wouldn’t draw a friend would they?

For the rest of the night you had to listen to Enid go on and on about you and Xavier, saying that the two of you needed to get together immediately, along with that, saying that the two of you could go on double dates with her and Ajax. 

“Enid.” You said calmly, “He doesn’t know that I know.”

“Right.” Enid nodded her head slowly, “You’ll have to tell him tomorrow then.”

You knew Enid was right, you needed to talk to Xavier eventually. 

Seeing him in classes the next few days, you tried to plan it out as much as could, speaking to him after class but something always got in the way of you getting to him. 

Finally gaining the courage, you made your way towards his dorm, frowning when he didn’t answer, after the 3rd time trying you gave up, but still on a mission to find him. 

Going out into the woods, following the familiar trail towards his art shed, knowing it was the only other place he would be that wasn’t his room outside of class. 

“Xavier.” You knocked on the wood, opening the door slightly, poking your head in slightly. 

Seeing that his headphones were on, you slipped in quietly, slowly making your way next to him, “Hi.”

Jumping, Xavier tried to hide what he was hiding while trying to answer back to you. “Shit, you scared me.”

“I’m sorry.” You apologized, “I knocked, but you had your headphones on, and I was wondering if we could talk?”

Finally looking at what he was drawing, your eyes widened, seeing the couple on his canvas.

“That looks beautiful Xavier.” You confessed, letting your eyes soak every spot. “Who did you draw?”

Feeling conflicted, Xavier didn’t know what to say, he knew that it was time to tell you about the other painting, and along with that, telling you how he feels about you.

Feeling his mouth dry, Xavier muttered up a small whisper, “It’s us.”

Closing his eyes, Xavier was waiting for the worst, saying that you now hated the painting, or that you didn’t think of the two of you like that.

“Really?” You smiled, “I kind of came to talk about us.”

Xavier let out a small sigh, looking up from his lap, looking at you, waiting for you to continue. “Wednesday told me about your painting.”

Letting out a hough, Xavier knew that Wednesday couldn’t keep her mouth shut, always wanting to know everyone’s drama. 

Silently, Xavier stood going back to your painting, pulling down the sheet. You stood on his side, letting out a quiet gasp. It was, you couldn’t even form into words about what you thought about it. 

“I know it’s kind of weird but-mmpphh!”

His words were cut off when he felt you grab ahold of his collar, pulling him down towards you. Feeling his lips on yours, Xavier greedily grabbed your face practically forcing his lips any farther on yours. 

Humming, you smiled into the kiss, feeling your bottom lip being sucked, pulling away slightly, looking out a quiet moan. 

Pulling away, both your lips swollen, you shyly looked up at Xavier. 

“I guess you liked it.” He murmured. 

“I think I liked it a lot more.” You smirked, “I have to thank the artist properly.”

“Another kiss should be sufficient.” He smiled, pulling you closer to him. “And maybe a date if he’s lucky.”

“I think I could make that happen, he seems really cute and my friends are constantly telling me that the two of us would be perfect together.”

“I think they have the right idea.” He smiled, gazing down at you, silently thanking your cousin for giving the two of you that final little push.

fin.

[em-harlsnow]

so, i’m guessing mickey spent a lot of time in the head master’s office when he was young. im pretty sure everyone in the show went to the same school, aside from Liam, so we can assume it’s the same headmaster that Carl got sent to a lot.

now, let’s say franny goes to that school as well. she’s a good kid, so it’s not like she gets in trouble a lot. but she’s been taught by all her family that if someone starts something, you finish it.

so that’s what she does.

she ends up in the office. the head master comes in and tells her he’s calling her mother, and franny’s not worried about that. debbie will defend her tooth and nail. when debbie doesn’t answer the phone (she’s not a bad mother, she’s just at work and turned her phone off) they call the next names down the line, which is ian (debbie says ian is her fave).

so the headmaster is making some comments about the other gallaghers he’s had to deal with. mentioning carl and his ways, and lip and his. he says he’s glad it’s ian coming, because he was the least trouble.

however, both ian and mickey come.

ian knocks on the door.

“come in.” headmaster says.

ian smiles tightly and enters, mickey following behind. they both take inventory of a room they haven’t stepped foot in in a decade, marvelling at how unchanged it is.

the headmaster glances up and honestly? he’ll never forget those knuckle tats. they tortured him for the entire time mickey was in school, because they were strictly against school rules.

mickey smirks when headmaster’s face pales.

“i see you’ve brought company, Mr Gallagher.” he says.

“yeah, sir… hope that’s okay.” he smiles again, never falling out of the pattern of calling this guy ‘sir’.

mickey snorts at him, but takes the seat beside ian, opposite headmaster’s desk. “you’re such a fucking goody-goody.” he mutters, and ian smacks his thigh with a shush.

“i didn’t do anything! he started it!” franny shouts, getting the first word in.

“i’m not entirely surprised to see another gallagher in my office. but it makes even more sense now, Mr Milkovich.” Mickey smiles at him mockingly. “who are you in relation to Franny?” he asks.

“he’s her uncle.”

“right. what is it with you gallaghers and milkoviches intermingling? i had to deal with your sister-“ he points at mickey, “- and your brother-“ he points at ian, “for far too long.”

“good genes.” mickey replies.

“oh, i’m sure.” the principle snarks. “so, we understand the other boy started it. that’s not the problem. the problem is that franny broke his nose.”

mickey barks a laugh, and ian shushes him again even if hes barely containing his own smile.

“i’m glad you’re taking this as seriously as we are.” principle huffs.

“sorry - we’re taking this very seriously. what’s the solution here?” ian asks.

“the boy’s family just want an apology. an easy way out, really.”

franny makes a noise of protest and mickey’s eyebrows shoot up. “a fucking apology? the kid’s clearly an asshole, maybe a little bone breaks from a girl would be good for him.”

“please contain your language, Mr Milkovich. and no, we don’t tolerate violence of any kind here. so franny will have to apologise.” the principle roles his eyes.

“that’s totally fine, excuse my husband.” mickey rolls his eyes and ian’s placating. “franny will apologise.”

although she huffs, she nods as well.

they’re about to get up and leave, taking franny with them, when the principle speaks again.

“if you don’t mind me asking, Mr Milkovich, how long were you in prison for? you see, me and some… fellow colleagues had a little betting pool going.”

Mickey rolls his eyes, and ian laughs.

“you made bets on whether he’d go to prison?”

“not so much on whether he would go, more on how long he’d stay there.” the headmaster corrects, which makes ian laugh.

“you’re such a problem student.” ian tells him, and mickey scoffs.

“like… two years? three maybe? he did escape at one point, not sure how that factors in.” ian tells him, because mickey is busy rolling his eyes.

“i did hear about that. impressive, i must say. i don’t think anyone will win any money on that, most people bet from ten years to life.” the headmaster tells him.

“yeah, well. one, fuck you. two, glad i surpassed your expectations, Principle Twat.” mickey huffs sarcastically, getting up and going.

“i see that nickname is never going.” the principle mutters as the two most insane families he’s had the displeasure of meeting leave the office.

god, he hopes franny won’t be trouble.

[elvesandlanterns]

Helpline part 2 “Why the hell is a child here?” Hall yelled! Constantine rolled his eyes, “Age is relative … tho even by demon standards I assume you’re rather young eh Sheila ?”

The demon pouted, “My name isn’t Sheila, I told you call me Konstelacio!”

“Right my apologies.”

Damian sneered,”Idiot.” Only to have Dick elbow him,”Don’t.”

“Now then! What do you need?” The girl crossed her arms and slowly paced by the edge of the circle.

“Wait wait hold up! What is the Infinite Realms?”

Demon girl kept on examining the circle, “Exactly what it sounds like.”

“What are you?”

“Rude”

“How old are you?”

“Depends”

“I thought this spell was supposed to be random?”

Dick groaned, “Wally-“ Zatanna put her hand up, “Hold on that actually is an important question. Why did you show up?”

The demons face contorted. “Uh because it’s my job?” Her hands coming up to her chest.

“How do you get a job like this Konstelacio ? This doesn’t exactly seem like a safe job for a kid?” Superman pondered.

She shrugged, “Eh, community service.”

The heroes gapped. Hal’s ring shone, “And what exactly does a demon have to do to be sentenced with community service?”

“None of your business!!!” The girl grew flustered shoulders tensing.

“Was it a violent crime?” Batman questioned

“That’s it I’m leaving!” She stepped closer to the middle of the circle “You humans are so rude!!!”

“Wait wait,” Constantine pleaded “I apologize on behalf of my colleagues. They have simply never met anyone as…” weird, different, odd “magnificent as you o great one!”

She hummed, “Oh no! The Great One is my uncle!!!”

Uncle? What did that even mean?!?! John was gonna have a heart attack at this rate.

“Yes well please don’t leave we truly do need your assistance!”

Batman cleared his throat, “We were trying to reach someone to help us with several world ending threats that have appeared.”

“Yes, you said that you were uh a helpline? Could you connect us with someone else?” Superman spoke in a kind tone.

“Well duh” the girl relaxed, “You need to actually talk about the issue tho and what exactly it is you’re looking for these things can be tricky.”

“Tell me about it. ….ow”

Batman continued, “ There seems to be some sort of disease spreading everywhere as well as a monster running rampant.”

“If it’s a magical monster why not have your magic users take care of it?”

“Captain Marvel and Dr Fate are both currently of world. We also think the disease may also be magic in nature.” Superman butted in.

The demons eyes lit up at the mention of the Captain only to turn to stone right after. Interesting thought Damian this might be useful information.

“ Alright then I’ll need as much info on these issues as I can! Tho I already do have a few ideas on who to contact about it!”

“This is the monster,” Aquaman pulled up photos of a blue glowing dragon in a gold amulet on screen. “It first appeared in Atlantis wreaking havoc in it wake as it took over the mainland along the coast of California. Our magicians were in able to harm it at all! One second it was there the next gone.”

“Uuughgghhhh Aragon!”

Necks almost broke looking back at her.

“Oh great you two know each other,” Constantine’s voice began to rise in pitch, “lovely.”

“What is he? My magic barely did anything to him too!” Zatanna asked

“Yeah,” Wally backed her up, “We couldn’t do anything against that thing!”

“He’s not a thing! He is a ghost his name is Arragon!”

Flash paled, “A ghost?? That thing couldn’t be a ghost !”

“That’s it I’m leaving! You are being rude again!”

John ran towards the circle, “Wait wait hold on now..”

“You are all being so rude! We are people! We have sentience Aragon is a person!” Red hot anger flushed her cheeks as her eyes wavered.

Flash went up to the circle, “You’re right you’re right it’s my fault entirely I’m sorry! Konstelacio!” Barry felt awful the young girl reminded him of Wally before the adoption. Sad and joking. Sad and demanding to be seen for what they are.

“Yeah whatever,” she looked away, “what about the illness ?”

“It started around the same time as the mons- as Aragon arrived. The illness seems to be random causing deterioration of the skin and violent outbursts,” Batman threw the file over the ring of the circle, “Here’s more info.”

“Hhhmm I’m going to be honest I don’t understand half of this stuff. You said it might be magic based?”

WonderWoman nodded, “ Yes I use to hear tales of something similar back on Themyscira. Supposedly it is one of the illnesses Pandora released from her box.”

“Well why didn’t you start with that ? I’m sure NanaDora will be happy to help!”

[afanaticrabbit]

Allez!

Second dates always involve swords and (consensual, friendly) fighting, right?

A commissioned RWBY piece featuring Weiss and Ruby!

Ruby loved fighting.

Okay, maybe that’s not precisely correct. It would be fairer to say that Ruby loved weapons, from the complex, mechanical marvels of the modern era to old, simple relics from years long gone. She learned as much as she could about how they were used, the fighting styles that accompanied them, and the masters that crafted both.

It meant she loved a chance to show off her own style, a blend of her uncle’s skills and her own flavour to fit her size and semblance. She’d watched Yang grow into her own style, similar to their father’s but more raw and aggressive.

Her love of hunter techniques and styles made her adore the idea of Weiss taking the time to teach her about her skills one-on-one. A fantastic idea for a second date.

Their first had been good, but it was a little cliché.

A personal lesson, with Ruby’s crush acting as a teacher and a sparring partner? That was much more Ruby’s speed.

Ruby turned the sword over in her hand, examining it closely. Long and thin, with a rectangular body, Weiss called it a foil. It didn’t hold an edge, and the tip was rounded off with a bulbous little cap. It might hurt someone without an aura, but Ruby suspected the most they’d have to worry about would be a mild bruise.

“This looks flimsy. And you fight with these?”

She looked up at Weiss standing before her, clad in a blue tank top and matching form-fitting pants. There wasn’t much of a chance Ruby could hide the blush on her pale cheeks.

Fortunately, they were well hidden underneath a metal mesh mask, the only piece of armour the both of them wore.

They stood at either end of a mat laid across the classroom floor, white lines splitting it into segments Ruby didn’t know the purpose of. If she spread her legs a little wider than her shoulders, she could probably cross over the breadth of it with ease. The classroom had been set aside expressly for them under the pretence of a study session.

That wasn’t incorrect.

“That’s rather the point,” Weiss said. Her voice was mildly muffled by the mask, but Ruby still heard her crystal clear. “They’ll bend when we hit each other, so they shouldn’t cause any damage.”

Ruby split her hands between the base and the tip of the foil, then pushed both hands inward, just a little. The metal flexed with minimal effort, then flicked back to its original shape when she released the end, rigid.

“It’s like a wobbly version of your sword,” Ruby muttered.

“Again, kind of the point.” Weiss giggled, a little femininity and softness floating out of a relatively androgynous, intimidating form. It was weird not to see Weiss’ side ponytail, having been tied into a tight bun and stuffed somewhere under the mask’s hood. “You wanted to know how I fight, and I thought this would be an excellent demonstration. There’s a reason I designed Myrtenaster the way it is.”

Both hands settled on her hips, the foil loosely pointing away from Ruby. “Now, there’s a few ground rules we need to go over before we begin.” With her free hand, Weiss flicked up her mask, then held the sword close to her belly, the tip passing up in front of her face. “Normally, we’d start each bout with a salute. As it is just you and me, you just need to salute me.”

Ruby blinked. “Really? I’m not sure I’ve really seen you do that, and grimm don’t really care about you being polite.”

Rolling her eyes, Weiss let her head tilt a little. “I acknowledge that grimm or street thugs aren’t really in the interest of waiting for me. But this is important, and I do do this.” Weiss shut her eyes, and for a second, the hair on Ruby’s neck tingled.

A spinning glyph appeared under Weiss’ feet, slow and steady. Prepared, but not cast. “This is also a ready stance for me to use my semblance.” The glyph then vanished, and the energy in the room wound back down. “It’s not my fault that you’re too focused on cutting up Nevermores to actually see it,” Weiss added with a smirk.

Ruby let out a short but amiable laugh. “I guess,” she said, then copied Weiss, flicking up her mask to expose her face. She held the foil up, mimicking Weiss’ stance as best she could.

“Hmph. Close enough.” Weiss looked Ruby up and down like she was examining some statue that she’d need to refine. The tool she used to direct the changes, raised up and pointing Ruby’s way, was a little longer and… stabbier. “You need to widen your stance a little, one foot forward, with the weight on your back leg.”

Ruby tilted her head and looked down at her feet. She’d taken the opportunity to dress similarly to Weiss, save for her boots, and she’d put on a loose-fitting t-shirt instead. She found it a little challenging to keep her front foot flat on the ground, but Weiss called for her to push it out further and further until it made sense for Ruby to point her toe down.

“Perfect!” Weiss let her sword drop down to hang at her side. “A delicate yet strong pose practised a hundred times gives me a good base to work from when casting glyphs.”

“Okay…” Ruby shifted on the spot. It didn’t feel natural to retain the pose. “I can’t really cast glyphs though.”

“No, but now you have an understanding of how my semblance works.”

Ruby thought for a few moments, her analytical brain kicking into gear. “You need… flat ground and a few moments. How long?”

“Usually only a second or two,” Weiss answered. “And I don’t always need somewhere flat, but it most certainly helps.”

A smile spread across Ruby’s face, lifting her gaze to Weiss again. “Anything else?”

“For the salute? No. Just remember to also salute the referee and judges if you decide to fence with anyone else.” With a quick nod, Weiss flicked the mask down over her face, then lifted the sword up in front of her.

That was a stance Ruby recognised. It didn’t take a genius to see when someone was ready to fight, their stance lowering to give them more power behind their strikes to move quickly.

Ruby tried to copy Weiss’ posture. It felt unnatural for Ruby to even think about holding a weapon in one hand, but it only took a second of wrapping her hands around each other to figure that she didn’t have a lot of hilt space. It could probably work if she finagled her fingers just right, but she was there to learn how Weiss fought.

“When I call en garde, this is the position we want to take. Stand in behind this line—“Weiss dipped her blade down, gesturing to one of the trio of middle lines nearest her “—and wait for me to call prêtes.”

“Pray?” Ruby snorted. “I don’t think you’re going to kick my butt that easily.”

“What—? “Weiss’s stance faltered, rising just a little. “No, not pray, prêtes. It means, ‘Are you ready?’” Ruby opened her mouth, but Weiss flicked up her sword again. “I know, I know, grimm and thugs don’t wait for you to be ready. That’s not what we’re practising, though. Even if they don’t want to give you the time, you always go through these steps. Understood?”

With a sigh, Ruby nodded. “Alright, I get it. Do I just answer that I’m ready then?”

“Correct. Then I call allez, and that’s when we fight.”

Ruby had been taught several new words. “Why do we need all the fancy words to say all that? Can’t you just say it normally? It’s a whole lot of effort for something that won’t matter in the real world.”

Weiss grunted somewhere under her mask. “I’m trying to teach you how I learned! I thought that’s what you wanted?”

“Well, yeah, but…” Whining, Ruby shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just a lot of effort.”

Sighing, Weiss straightened up again. “How… How did you learn how to fight? With a scythe, no less. That must have required months of practice, getting all the fundamentals drilled into you, learning the theory.”

“Not really.” Ruby giggled, then whipped the foil in front of her, cutting a few arcs with a swishing sound each time. “He just handed me a dull scythe and told me to,—“she lowered her voice to a grunt, an unconvincing masculinity “—‘Have at it, kid.’ When I did something wrong, he just showed me how to do it right.”

Weiss’ stare sent a shiver down Ruby’s spine. Somewhere behind that mask, those icy blue eyes bore into her, and Ruby felt the judgement of an entire legacy stabbing deep. She was forced to endure the disdain that Weiss must have meant for both her and her uncle in tandem.

Unfortunately for Ruby, Qrow wasn’t present.

“You just… Swung a scythe around and just figured it out?”

Ruby rolled her shoulders, her right hand reaching over to her left elbow to hold it. “Well… Yeah. More or less.”

“This is going to be interesting,” Weiss muttered. “We won’t be having any of that here. No swinging wildly. We’re going to do this the right way, even if it’s abbreviated. Understood?”

Ruby wanted to argue back, but the thought of that steely glare intensifying drove her to simply nod in response.

“Good. I’ll summarise everything else.” Weiss stepped forward, her sword swishing up between them and raising the tip of Ruby’s with a metallic hiss. “Only the tip matters. You don’t score with the side of the blade. That means we’ll mostly be thrusting. When you hit my torso, arms, or legs, you score, the bout ends, and we reset.”

Weiss quickly dipped her point down toward the ground. “If you step off the mat, I score, the bout ends, and we reset.”

The mesh guard hid most of Weiss’ features, but that close, Ruby could make out the corners of her mouth rising up, the pleasure sparkling in Weiss’ eyes. She enjoyed barking orders, giving a lecture, and feeling above her captive audience.

It made Ruby’s heart flutter.

“Understood, ma’am!” Ruby’s voice squeaked, and she scrambled to pull her mask back over her face before her blush returned in full force.

“Good. Now…” Weiss took a few slow and deliberate steps over the middle of the mat, back to her side, and then resumed her ready stance. It always struck Ruby as being a little tall, as if Weiss were putting on a display more than she was fighting. “En garde!”

Ruby shuffled to her line, then held her sword out. The reach of their swords allowed their tips to briefly clatter against one another. Weiss gave Ruby’s sword a little flick. It was playful, just a tiny bump, but it reminded Ruby to hold the foil a little tighter, to keep it between her and Weiss.

“Prêtes?” Weiss asked.

Ruby was so going to lose. She felt it in her gut.

She nodded to Weiss.

“Allez!”

Weiss moved like a gunshot. It was as if she’d borrowed Ruby’s semblance and was suddenly a foot forward, her foil rushing straight at Ruby’s shoulder.

With a shout, Ruby flicked her foil up, their blades sliding across one another until the baskets around the hilts clanged. It sent both their hands aside, which in turn drove both their sword points wide, away from their targets.

It bought Ruby a hair of a second to adjust herself, to bring her foil back in front of her.

Weiss, however, was faster, and her hand was between them.

The Schnee’s foil bent and Ruby felt a pressure in the middle of her chest. For some reason, she thought it would have hurt more, but then she realised her aura likely took the brunt of the force, so all she was left with was a simple touch.

“No fair,” Ruby whined, and Weiss giggled. “This is meant to be a date, not ‘kick my butt’ day.”

“Oh, shush.” Weiss stepped back. “If you want to learn by doing, the best thing I can do is show you exactly how fast and accurate I can be. I’m sure our great leader’s mind can keep up with just one opponent.”

Ruby puffed out her cheeks.

Another smug giggle. “I can hear you pouting.”

“Shut up and say an guard already.”

“It’s en garde, Ruby…” Weiss backed up behind her line again. “En garde!”

Ruby lifted the foil again, then took a few moments to examine Weiss’ stance more closely. She figured her own posture might be a little too wide. Weiss’ sword arm wasn’t as extended, so Ruby brought her hand a little closer to her body. Weiss’ legs were a little closer, so Ruby pulled hers in, heel to toe.

“Prêtes?”

Ruby nodded.

“Allez!”

Once more, Weiss lunged forward, but Ruby was ready for her. Instead of a last-second flail trying to shove Weiss’ hand away, Ruby managed to intercept her attack, pushing it aside with the body of her blade. The pressure in Ruby’s palm made the whole thing feel like shoving two needles against one another and only mildly less awkward.

Weiss tried the same flick-dive trick, but Ruby was prepared for it. Instead of the tip of Weiss’ sword prodding Ruby in the chest, it flung over her shoulder, whooshing past her head as Ruby ducked and leaned to the side.

That, to Ruby’s mild surprise, gave her the upper hand. Her point lingered between them. All she had to do was turn her arm around, thrust forward—

Weiss’ hand came back, and she half twisted right as Ruby’s frantic thrust carried through. It dove past her back, missing Weiss entirely.

Weiss’ fancy footwork and Ruby’s momentum put the two side by side, and Weiss quickly shuffled back while giving Ruby a little push with the palm of her right hand.

“Good work,” said Weiss. “Sloppy, but good.”

The proud lilt in her voice was unmistakable, and Ruby slid back a step. “I’ll show you sloppy.” She giggled and leapt forward, bringing both hands onto the hilt of her sword. Weiss smacked it in the side, but Ruby had the advantage of leverage to keep her blade on the straight and narrow. All Weiss did was alter its trajectory a tiny amount.

The sword bent as it struck Weiss in the thigh. They stood still, heads bowed down to process the moment.

Ruby got past Weiss’ defences. It was only a single round, but she managed to beat Weiss at her own game, her own style.

She leapt back and bounced on the spot, holding her sword high as she cheered and shouted. “Yeah! Go, team Ruby!”

Weiss stood there, almost passive, with a slight bob to her head as she watched Ruby hop with excitement like a hyperactive spring.

Her voice cut through Ruby’s excitement. “Don’t rub it in, missy.”

“Sorry,” Ruby squeaked with a giggle. It took a few bounces for Ruby to calm herself, and despite her apology, she felt no less elated and joyful. “That makes us even-stevens, though!”

“Yes, I suppose it does.” Weiss sighed. “Normally, you’re meant to only use these with one hand, but I never actually said that to you, so I’ll let you have that round. Going forward, though…” Weiss lifted her sword up, perpendicular to the mat and to Ruby. “One hand only.”

Ruby grunted. “Why can’t I use two? It takes two hands to use Crescent Rose!”

She imagined Weiss blinking incredulously. “Because it’s just not how it’s done. Not with foils, anyway. If you can find some rubber scythes to swing at each other, I’d be more than happy to play at your game.”

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Ruby made her way back to her starting position. “Fine, fine…” She then put her right hand behind her back while her left held the sword out forward. She held herself straight, with her shoulders pulled back, her feet closer together. “Un-gawd?”

“It’s not—“A groan came out of Weiss like she’d been shoved in the chest before silently taking her place, posing ready before Ruby.

“Pra—play—“Ruby shook her head. “Ready?”

Weiss nodded.

Ruby crouched down a fraction of an inch. “Go!”

That time, Ruby tried to push the offensive from the get-go. She kept her right hand clenched in the small of her back as if it was forcing her to crouch down and extend herself forward like a bent board or a bow under tension.

Her sword didn’t meet Weiss’ leg, or any of her for that matter. Instead, their swords became entangled, with Weiss’ blade spinning around Ruby’s. The motion was so fast the blades appeared to curve around each other.

It made it difficult for Ruby to anticipate which direction Weiss’ sword was to jut out to, at least, not with any certainty. All she could do was guess and hope that she was correct.

Ruby flicked her sword across her body, and Weiss’ blade flung out wide to her side. Again, the point came at Ruby, and again, it flew over her shoulder.

Lucky guess, but it kept Ruby in the fight.

As Ruby brought her sword point forward again, it clashed with the centre of Weiss’ blade. The opposing weapon had moved so quickly that it seemingly teleported to its new position. If it weren’t for the faint ring or the mild pain of her sword hand being redirected, Ruby might have assumed that’s what had actually happened.

It gave her little time to respond with her blade, so Ruby had to use her body instead.

When Weiss’ next jab came at Ruby, she leapt backwards, ducking down so the point missed her belly. She was all stretched out, one leg too far back while her sword arm lagged behind, reaching out for Weiss. It forced Ruby to consciously pull them both in.

She wasn’t given enough time to reset her posture as Weiss threw another thrust at Ruby, then another. Each one missed, at first only fractionally, but Ruby’s altered senses ramped up to meet Weiss’ newfound speed.

Weiss had been going easy on her, slowing herself down. All Ruby had to go on from that point were the subtlest of twitches as Weiss pulled herself back to a neutral guarding position.

Another thrust slapped away, another dodged with a hop-slide or switching front and back legs. It felt all the world like Weiss had turned into a gale of wind, and Ruby’s role was to be the leaf that she shoved back.

Eventually, a booted foot landed on hard wood. Ruby prepared herself for another flurry of blows, but Weiss simply stood back, standing tall with her sword held defensively in front of her and nothing more.

“And now you’re out of bounds,” said Weiss. Schnee smugness oozed out of a hidden smirk. “One point to me.”

Ruby blinked, then looked down at her feet. While one rested on the blue mat, the other was flat on the hardwood classroom floor.

“Hey, no fair!” Ruby’s mask flung up, and she scowled at Weiss. At least as much as Ruby could. She knew her angry face just got baby-talk thrown back at her most of the time. “You never said anything about staying on the mat.”

Weiss chuckled. “No? I thought I did. Besides, what else did you think the mat was for? It’s not like the professors take any care when we do demonstrations against captive grimm.”

A puppy dog growl buzzed in Ruby’s throat. “Ugh. You’re sucking the fun out of this.”

There, Weiss’ shoulders slackened a little. Her prim and proper composure vanished, and she leaned forward a tiny bit while she flicked up her mask and delicately extended her sword.

There was some genuine annoyance on her face, and Ruby worried it was directed at her. Had she said something wrong? Did she want to make that a proper lesson?

Weiss’ cheeks had a mild puffiness to them, the sort of thing Ruby infrequently saw when Weiss was deep in contemplation. It was oddly cute, a little immaturity contained within the heiress borne not from being coddled by family or wealth but instead by just… being her.

Ruby wanted to learn more expressions like that. She wanted to read Weiss more clearly.

Something cold bumped Ruby’s chin. Her eyes dipped down to see Weiss’ sword running almost to her throat, the rounded tip putting a little pressure onto the bottom of Ruby’s jaw, urging her to lift her head.

Ruby did so by just an inch.

As she looked back at Weiss, the puff-cheeked thinking girl was gone, replaced with the confident, knowing smirk of a young woman with ideas.

Ruby swallowed.

“You’re right,” Weiss said. She lowered her shoulders, coming a little closer to Ruby’s face. The blade stayed still, just as non-lethal as before, but Weiss’ proximity made Ruby feel increasingly vulnerable. “Let’s make this more interesting.”

Ruby could have stood to bat the sword away.

But Ruby didn’t want to be anywhere else at that moment. She wanted to see what Weiss was about to say and do.

“We do one more bout. Double or nothing. Semblances allowed, but all the other rules are the same. Whoever wins gets to choose what we do on our next date.”

Next date. The words bounced around in Ruby’s skull like a DVD screensaver in the middle of a sugar high, and she practically jumped to her feet.

“Oh, you’re on, sister.” Ruby beamed, her mind suddenly racing with thoughts.

None of them were actually about what to do next. All of them were focused on the mere fact she would be doing them with Weiss.

With semblances allowed, that opened up a dearth of possible approaches for Ruby. The simplest solution would be to rush Weiss and let her semblance carry her in close or behind her. Of course, Weiss would probably expect either option and prepare something to counter them, so Ruby might have to consider a different approach.

Come in from above? Sweep her feet?

Guh, there were too many approaches. It’d probably be easier to just think on her feet in the moment. Let herself rely on her instincts and let her semblance buy her the time to think in the moment.

Weiss backed up, giving Ruby space to resume her place on her side of the mat. There, Ruby took up her pose, only she was lower down with her legs further apart. If they were eschewing the no-semblances rule, she was doing away with the silly pose.

Ruby knew her strengths. Among them were her shortness a lower centre of gravity. She was quick and agile, and years of using a weapon half her body weight made her shockingly strong and fast.

“En garde.” Weiss’ voice was considerably softer. Ruby loosened her grip with her blade, letting it hang slightly.

Weiss took up a different pose, her salute. It may telegraph what she was about to do, but it also could have been a bluff.

Ruby blinked, the thoughts clear. She refused to read into it.

“Prêtes?”

What sort of date would Ruby take Weiss on next? Movies? Games? Oh, they could do a haunted house tour! It was getting close to that time of year.

She nodded to Weiss, and she felt goosebumps ripple across her skin again.

Weiss dipped her sword forward, and they remained still for only a second longer.

“Allez!”

Like a gust of wind, Ruby blew past Weiss. Tapping into her semblance was always a thrill, like moving in a freefall that Ruby controlled. Her gut did loop-de-loops, and her inner ear silently screamed that the world had disappeared under her, but Ruby knew where she wanted to be, precisely and exactly.

At first, she was around Weiss, hoping the cloud of petals would confuse her. It also let Ruby get close to Weiss for a hair of a moment, taking the opportunity to embrace even if it wasn’t with her physical body.

Ruby materialised behind Weiss not even a second later, her sword flying through the air, but instead of poking Weiss in a shoulder blade, it bounced off a rapidly spinning glyph like Ruby stabbed a wall.

It sent her off balance, and Ruby kicked her back leg out and into the air to keep her from toppling off the mat while she windmilled her arms.

Glancing over her shoulder, Weiss pirouetted on the spot, turning without moving an inch, then attempted to thread the needle Ruby’s way. It came for the middle of her torso, a sure shot while Ruby struggled to balance.

Weiss cut through nothing, though, unlike Ruby, Weiss managed to retain her balance just enough to pause and seemingly stare at where Ruby had just been.

All that remained there was a faint trail of petals. Ruby had fallen, letting that momentum and her semblance work together while she guided herself back to her side of the mat. Desperate reflexes and intuition unfortunately put Ruby’s back to Weiss.

She flipped the sword around, then extended her arm out and behind her.

With a kick to the mat, Ruby twirled around and lifted her weapon in time to catch another of Weiss’ thrusts. Their swords sang, the vibrating metal buzzing up through Ruby’s forearm. The parry had pointed Weiss’ sword skyward, but it put Ruby’s point precisely where it needed to be. Inches from Weiss’ shoulder.

Ruby quickly arced her arm down in a stabbing motion, but an icy gale came between them. It pushed against Ruby with enough force that she slid across the mat, and her inertia brought her to her knees with her hands to catch her.

Weiss remained more composed, leaning into the wind like it was a breeze. A glance up confirmed that a glyph hovered above where they stood, winking out as quickly as it came.

The length of the mat stretched between them, crossing half the classroom. In a fight, it may as well be miles, with myriad possibilities as either foe took one chance or another if they re-approached.

Ruby felt the closest to Weiss she had ever been.

Bringing herself up, Ruby kept her head and shoulders low. She stared ahead at Weiss, her body rising and falling with deep breaths, building up enough oxygen for the next gasp, the next phrase of singing swords. At the distance they were at, the mesh made it somewhat challenging to make out more than Weiss’ outline, but it was clear she was doing much the same. Breathing. Contemplating. Waiting.

“You have some nerve holding any sword like that,” Weiss barked across the room. Laughter filled her voice.

Ruby flipped the sword back and forth a few times, pointing it toward Weiss, then away. “It just kinda just feels more natural.” Ruby rolled her shoulders, both shrugging and loosening them up.

Even across the room, she could make out the heel of Weiss’ back foot rising. A little upward sweep of her sword summoned a glyph behind her.

That was a trick Ruby recognised, and just as Weiss launched forward, gliding across the battlefield like a dart, Ruby fluttered into a red mist again.

They passed each other in the middle, and Ruby once more materialised behind Weiss.

Once more, she twirled, trying to catch Weiss’ weapon and poke her in the belly.

She hadn’t expected Weiss to come back at her, fully horizontal, with her foil plunging down into her side. She struck, then spun overhead, upside down. Ruby didn’t see her land.

She’d instead tumbled onto the floor, and her all-or-nothing spin turned chaotic. Ruby didn’t travel far, landing face down right where she started, her arms and legs reaching across the mat so that her hands and feet touched the floor.

Eyes shut, Ruby groaned into the ground before rolling onto her back. A sudden flash in her side forced another grunt up Ruby’s throat, and she grasped at the source. Falling to the floor must have twisted her mask, as even with open eyes, she couldn’t see much more than a hint of light to her side.

“Ruby!”

Hurried footsteps rushed up to her side, and then the mask was ripped from her face. She stared up through squinted eyes into Weiss’ icy blues.

Funny that the first thing Ruby noticed was how the sweat from the mask pooled around Weiss’ soft cheeks and chin. It also stuck some of her hair to her forehead and temples, and the tight bun she’d weaved frayed, threatening to come undone and cover Ruby’s head with an avalanche of platinum.

Their eyes separated as Weiss looked down. Cold hands touched Ruby’s side, pulling up her top to expose her waist.

“You’re bruised!” Weiss stammered as she shook her hands in front of her. “How—I didn’t mean to—I’m sorry!”

Shifting her elbows under her to prop up her shoulders, Ruby’s gaze followed Weiss’ arms to the bruise. It was there, but it was only a tiny point of slightly purpled flesh. Her aura must have been working quickly if she was bruised mere seconds later.

It was also impressive that Weiss had bruised her at all. With weapons meant to avoid injury and their auras, they shouldn’t have been able to so much as scratch one another.

“I’ll be fine,” Ruby said, waving her hand. “I’ve done worse to myself. You should’ve seen my knees when I was five. They were redder than my cape!”

Weiss didn’t look happy with Ruby’s dismissiveness. “I still hurt you.” She shut her eyes and huffed.

Chuckling, Ruby reached up and gave Weiss’ shoulder a little shove. “Hey, it just means you win, and you get to pick what we do next. You can rub that in for a little while.”

Blue eyes opened again, looking up at the ceiling with a shake of her head. “That’s the last thing I want to do. And this is the last thing I want to end a date on. No date should end with one of us injuring the other.”

“Weiss…” With a deep breath and a great sigh, Ruby shook her head, too. “It was an accident. I can manage an accident fine, and I know you didn’t mean it.” She then smirked, tucking her head down into her collar a little. “And… We don’t have to end it on that. Maybe we just stop here and pack up and… go get something cold to drink? I’m hungry, too.”

For a second, Weiss stared at Ruby. She looked a little surprised, eyebrows raised.

Ruby started to pick herself up when that expression hardened, and Weiss’ hands slid underneath Ruby’s shoulders and knees. She hauled Ruby up off the floor with a grunt. “Shower first. Then you’re resting while I get you something nice and sweet.”

Giggling, Ruby kicked her legs a little and slung both her arms around Weiss’ neck to stabilise herself. It brought their faces close together, with Ruby seeing the growing tint of pink in Weiss’ cheeks spread in real-time. “Fine, fine. You can treat me like a princess for a little bit.”

“I can still drop you.”

Weiss didn’t mean it. Ruby could tell. She grinned as she’d made the threat, and her hands tightened around Ruby’s legs and ribs.

“Okay… You can buy me an ice cream sandwich instead. Apology ice cream is some of the best.”

“It’s a deal.” Weiss smiled and nodded.

Just a slight clench of Ruby’s arms was all she needed to bring her close enough to kiss Weiss’ cheek.

[captainsophiestark]

Magic Trick

Pietro Maximoff x Reader

Masterlist - Join My Taglist!

Written for Fictober 2022!

Fandom: Marvel

Prompt: “You’re looking, but you’re not seeing.”

Summary: Pietro and Y/N have been dating for a while, and have often been put in charge of watching Wanda and Vision's kids. When they're left to spend some time watching Billy together, it might not be long before they're thinking about having kids of their own.

Word Count: 1,017

Category: Fluff, Humor

Putting work into an AI program without permission is illegal. You do not have my permission. Do not do it.

I smiled to myself as I watched my boyfriend, Pietro Maximoff, hold up a coin in front of his nephew's face. Billy frowned in concentration, staring hard at the coin in his uncle's hand. Pietro had done this trick twice already, but since Billy was still a toddler, he hadn't quite caught on to Piet's secret.

"Are you watching?"

Billy nodded intently, clearly taking this deadly seriously.

"Good. Then in three... two... one..." Pietro moved the coin closer to Billy and then further away with each number. Finally, after one, he moved his hand again and suddenly the coin was gone!

Since I'd dated the speedster for a few years now, I knew he'd just used his super speed to toss the coin into his other hand without Billy seeing. But Billy didn't have super speed, and he'd only recently turned four, so he didn't know that.

"What! Uncle Piet, where'd it go?" cried Billy. Pietro just grinned.

"Haven't you learned by now?"

Quickly, Billy's hands flew to his ears. Pietro (again with help from his super speed) had pulled the coin from Billy's ears twice in a row now.

Pietro shot me a smile while Billy felt his ears, and I smiled back. I always loved spending time with Wanda's kids, especially when Pietro and I were working together to babysit. He was just so good with them, it never failed to make my heart melt.

"Uncle Piet, it's not there!" Billy finally declared. Pietro just grinned at him, and reached forward slowly. With a super speedy wrist flick, he passed the coin from his off hand back into the one reaching for Billy's ear. Like the last two times, Billy didn't notice. Pietro paused a moment for dramatic effect, then pulled his hand away and showed Billy the coin resting in the palm of his hand. Billy's mouth dropped open in awe.

"Not bad, eh kiddo?"

Billy stared at the coin for another minute, then his head snapped back up to look at Pietro.

"How do you do that?"

"Magic," Pietro answered with a shrug.

"Uncle Pietro, you don't have magic! Only Mommy has magic!"

"How can you know that for sure? Your mommy's my sister. Maybe I have magic like her and just never told you."

Billy paused like he was really considering Pietro's words. Then, after a few moments of careful thinking, he looked back at Pietro and shook his head confidently.

"No, you and Mommy would have told me. You're fast and she's magic, just like Tommy's fast and I'm magic!"

"Hmm..." Pietro put his hand on his chin and pretended to think carefully. He looked at me like he wanted help finding the answer, and I nodded my agreement with Billy. Piet and I both looked back to Billy, who seemed very pleased to have made such a good point. "I guess you're right. I'm not magic. So you must need to pay attention more carefully when I do the trick."

Billy's mouth dropped open in outrage. "I paid attention! I was looking the whole time!"

"Ah, that's your problem," said Pietro, leaning back casually on his hands. I smiled and settled in to watch him. "You're looking, but you're not seeing."

Billy frowned, clearly not satisfied by his uncle's answer, so Piet sat forward again and held out the coin to show Billy.

"When I wave the coin in front of your face with my hand, I'm trying to get you to look at my hand, and only my hand. What you need to do is see what I'm trying to distract you from."

With that, Pietro went through the motions of his trick again. Billy watched intently, and when it came time for Pietro to toss the coin to his off-hand, this time he didn't use his super speed.

Billy's eyes went wide. "Were you really doing that every time?"

"I was, with a little more flare." With that, Pietro tossed the coin from one hand to the other again, this time using super speed. Billy's eyes went wide, and then he laughed.

"Uncle Pietro, that's cheating!"

"How is that cheating?" asked Pietro, playing mock offended. He put his hands on his chest like he'd been wounded, then turned to me. "My love, was I cheating?"

I shrugged. "You said you were doing a magic trick, and sneakily using powers definitely counts as a trick. Sorry Billy, my verdict is no cheating."

Billy threw up his hands like he couldn't believe us, and Pietro and I shared a laugh. I could've spent hours doing nothing and everything with these two boys, but unfortunately, we were supposed to get Billy back to Wanda in time for dinner. With a sigh, I stood and went over to Billy, holding my hands out in a peace offering.

"Come on, after all that magic I think it's time for us to go get some ice cream and get you back to your mom," I said. Billy instantly perked up, smiling at me excitedly as he took my hand.

"Yay! Let's go!"

He hopped off the chair he'd been sitting in and used his other free hand to grab Pietro's, pulling us along as he walked in the middle of us. As we headed out the door, I shared a soft smile with Pietro, my heart practically melting at the scene I got to be a part of.

As we walked Billy down the street to his favorite ice cream shop, swinging him between us as Pietro cracked jokes and Billy laughed like a maniac, I couldn't help imagining what it would be like for the two of us to have a kid of our own. And when I caught Pietro's eye as we handed Billy back off to Wanda and Vision a little later, I could tell he was thinking the exact same thing.

We were going to make great parents, whenever that day came.

[jediwizard]

i took this picture last week. i went to the cinema with some old friends and watched the new deadpool movie. the film was so unoriginal and dumb, like most marvel movies lately, but i loved it anyway. the film was funny and it felt so nostalgic. it was the gayest thing ive ever seen, and this is by someone who obsesses over destiel and anderperry. after the film was over i went for lunch with my friends, and i ate japanese food. i ordered a chicken yakisoba, which is basically noodles with a lot of chicken, stir fried vegetables and all of it was coated in a sweet and tangy sauce. two of my friends saw how good it looked and they both ordered the same thing. i would definitely recommend anyone to try it if you haven't already.

my dad came to pick me up from the mall later, and we went to our favourite coffee shop. the place is really cozy and dark, with open brick walls, black leather couches, plants, records and prints of iconic artists like the beatles and bob dylan. my dad ordered mocha and i had hot chocolate. after we got home, my cousins invited my siblings and i for a sleep over and we had the best time. we watched casper (1995), one of my all time favourite movies. i was really looking forward to showing to my cousin. she didn't like it much, and i'll admit, i was a bit disappointed. on the other hand, she and i read pretty much the same type of books and we would talk for hours about percy jackson. anyway, we eventually fell asleep at 2am after singing, talking and taking a shit ton of photos on my sister's digital camera. i fell asleep on my cousin brother's bed, and just like almost every other 12 year old, he had spiderman bedsheets.

the next day, my cousin brother and i were the last ones to wake up. the girls woke us up and we went down for breakfast. my aunt made a ton of stuff and we went to their pool later. my uncle grows a lot of vegetables in their backyard, contrary to my dad, who finds it impossible to keep an indoor plant alive for more than a month lol. we probably spent 3 hours in the pool before our parents eventually called us in.

i would have posted a picture of my friends and i or a pic from the sleepover, but i feel uncomfortable posting pictures of myself for strangers to see;) i took this picture at my parents house. the rooftop's one of my favourite places in the whole world because of how peaceful it is. i took this at around 4.30pm and while it doesn't showcase any photography skills, i just really liked how the sky looked around the time that the sun was setting.

i don't usually blog about my life, but saturday and sunday were really good days and i wanted to document it somewhere. if you read this entire shitpost, then thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[purplehanfu]

Self Indulgent Birthday Post: 2023

notes: Spoilers!, probably. Yay, it's my birthday again! Enjoy some of my finest unfinished work!

Oh? You have both my interest and attention!

Booooo.... (this disappointment brought to you by The Young Brewmaster’s Adventure, which happens to be the prequel to Blood of Youth)

Recap Recycle Bin

So many dramas and never enough time to write a full review. Read on! 

Dominator of Martial Gods

tl:dr for this drama

Each episode is 35 minutes long, feels like 3,500 minutes, and delivers maybe 10 minutes worth of story. Impressive! 

We waste a great deal of time in the first few episodes watching Qin Chen and the bootlicking alchemist refine a needle that will allow our hero to activate his bloodline. Intriguing, because you often hear dramas refer to treasures being refined into weapons, but you never see the process. There's a reason for this- it does not make for compelling viewing. But that does not stop us from standing around arguing about the specs and adding things to the oven. This process was more fun when Chu Wanning just takes you up to the lake. On a technical note, I am enamored of the way the ever present green screened background makes no attempt to be in scale with the human actors.

My Deepest Dream

Ooh, a plot with a time loop, evil birds, superpowers, getting sucked into the Marianas Trench when you just wanted to go on a scuba diving excursion and JIN HAN!!! But, as always, there's a glitch in the matrix.

Our heroine realizes she has lost a year of her life and no one has noticed. No one except the astrophysics PhD candidate turned car mechanic Wu Yu (JIN HAN!!!). Wu Yu divulges that he can read a phone screen at 10 kilometers. But mostly he uses his special eyes to keep an elaborate dossier on the comings and goings of the FL, who lives across the street from the garage he works at. Is that creepy or romantic?

don’t be silly, if it were a Marvel movie we’d be having an interminable CGI sky battle 

Till the End of the Moon

Meet Tantai Jin. As you may have noticed from his costume design, he's totally evil.

He's a goal-oriented CEO who's turned the Devil Sect into a high reliability organization that generates impactful customer experiences (annihilation). I bet he's evil enough to use six sigma. But where Tantai Jin truly shines is personal branding. You may not be buying what he's selling, but product recognition is through the roof.

Tantai Jin seen here working out of his travel office: a flaming, flying boudoir with melting skull detail. This is why CEOs should never make more than 10x what the average worker does.

Circle of Love

I can see why the Republican period was relatively short. Everybody setting fire to each other's estates, staying out late ballroom dancing, getting uniforms tailored, making sure there are enough manacles to chain the female lead to a bed... it doesn't really leave a lot of time for governance.

We start out, as we generally do, with a clean sweep of the FL's family, in this case via a big ol' raging house fire. Where is everyone? Or even anyone? Even Maid's Revenge scraped up some extras to be dead family members.

My Kung Fu Girlfriend

Slow your roll, it ain't GL.

You know what they say- it's not whether you win or lose the MMORPG, it's how you min max all your stats and then act like an ass in chat about it.

Meet Huang Xiao Yu. She clearly did not pay to win because she is the low XP real life martial sister of a kung fu champion. In this drama, she'll level up in love and life with the help of an OP MMO NPC who escapes her game and shows up uninvited in the real world.

The Antarctic Octopus

Not to be confused with the 2020 film Big Octopus. I guess that's the great thing about having an audience of over a billion people- even the most niche interest has plenty of content.

This is how you dress when you visit your Uncle Pete in Antarctica.

In this movie: monsters, explosions, a supercharged ice jalopy and a dedicated ignorance of the laws of physics usually only seen in a Fast and Furious film. But credit where it's due: The Antarctic Octopus delivers. Only 12 seconds in and we get our first tentacle!

available free on youtube although how bravely they were fighting is up for debate

Bonus Content: Superlatives

In the Day We Flipped

My post of the year!

Getting over 500 likes on a review? Unexpected.

Forgetting to add a link back to my other recaps? Priceless.

Bloody Romance

still my favorite drama

when your grandma’s a zombie and she was left in a cave to guard a tiny box with one (1) restorative pill in it and she’s suspended by her hair but her hair is also like tentacles that can kill people and she thinks you’re your mom but she still loves you. 💚💚💚 But then she starts screaming and tries to strangle you with her hair.

Heroes

2nd favorite drama

you know something’s good when you have a file called ‘sappy su mengzhen yang wuxie edits.txt’

go get your man, Wuxie!

pinboard full of recaps!

[braveclementine]

Part 9

Warnings: None. However, future chapters will contain sexual content so readers that are under the age of 18 may have to skip those chapters (However they are very few so those under the age of 18 can still read a majority of this book. However please keep note of the warnings).

Copyright: I do not own any Wizarding World characters that J.K. Rowling wrote. I do however own Elizabeth Kane (main character) and Trang Nyguen (best friend). There should be no use of these two names without my permission. Also, all of Severus and Elizabeths' childrens names are mine and mine alone.I also do not condone any copying of this.

PLATFORM NINE AND THREE QUARTERS

🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶🩶

Marinette stands on the platform, watching her mother and father interact for a moment as they say good-bye to the kids. Remus isn't there, the first time he's missed a station visit. But he's out of country for his job. Elijah Kingsley wasn't there either, at a job interview at the Ministry. Minerva however, was helping Davina load her things onto the train and teasing Seraphina. 

But it was her parents that Mari was more interested in. Her father had been so much happier over the summer than he had last summer. Her mother too. Whatever had happened while she had been at school the past year, they had reconnected. 

She watched her father poke her mother in the side, her mother giggling, swatting at him. Her grandfather was nearby, watching them with a small smile while he paid attention to whatever Carlisle was showing him in his Marvel comic book. 

"I hate Hogsmeade." Albus' voice caught Maris' attention and she turned, tightening her arms around snowball as the cat made to jump out of her arms at a toad that was hopping around. 

"How can you hate a place you haven't actually visited yet?" Albus was standing with his father, who had given Albus his signed slip for Hogsmeade. 

"Because I know it'll be full of Hogwarts students." Albus said, clenching his hand around the paper so it crumpled. 

"Just give it a go- come on- this is your chance to go nuts in Honeydukes without your mum knowing- no, Albus, don't you dare!" Uncle Harry said as Albus raised his wand to point it at the paper. 

"Incendio!" 

"Of all the stupid things!" Her Uncle Harry cried, exasperated, throwing his hands into the air. 

"The ironic thing is I didn't expect it to work. I'm terrible at that spell." Albus said happily. 

"Al- Albus." Uncle Harry said, trying to connect with him. "I've been exchanging owls with Professor McGonagall- she says you're isolating yourself- you're uncooperative in lessons- you're surly- you're-" 

"So what would you like me to do? Magic myself popular? Conjure myself into a new House? Transfigure myself into a better student? Just cast a spell, Dad, and change me into what you want me to be, okay? It'll work better for both of us. Got to go. Train to catch. Friend to find." 

It wasn't entirely true, Mari felt. She could've been popular if she'd wanted to, being a Snape after all the only Snape in Slytherin. No one had rejected her, and in fact most people had wanted to be her friend, the same way they had wanted to be Minerva and Seraphina and Haru and Elijah Kingsley and all of her other siblings friends. But she didn't care about friends or people. 

Meaningless faces. 

She supposed it was a little different with Albus. His entire family generations- besides his sister- were in Gryffindor. Lily would be sorted in Gryffindor this year, something Mari seemed to know, but maybe it was obvious. With Mari, her mother was a Hufflepuff and her father a Slytherin. All of her siblings were spread out between the other three houses so it made sense that one of them would end up in Slytherin. 

But she also knew that Albus didn't try. It was as though he was trying not to be friends with people, trying not to be anything his father was. Aunt Minerva was right, Albus didn't try in class and Mari was honestly surprised he hadn't been held back yet. He really only got through because of Scorpius. 

"Hey Mari!" Albus said, "Come on, let's go find Scorpius!" 

Mari waved to both of her parents, before following Albus onto the train and heading down the hallway until they found the compartment that Scorpius was sitting in by himself. 

"Scorpius. . . Scorpius. . . Are you okay?" Albus asked, sitting down in front of him. Mari took her seat by the window, staring out. Snowball finally leapt off her lap, padding over to nuzzle up against Scorpius. "Your mum? It's got worse?" 

"It's got the worst it can possibly get." Scorpius sniffled, wiping under his eyes. "She passed last night." 

"I thought you'd send an owl. . ." Albus said softly. 

"I couldn't work out what to say." Scorpius said. 

Albus looked angrily at Mari, "I thought your  mother cured her?" 

"No." Scorpius said softly. "Just bought her some time." 

"She should've done more then!" Albus snapped. 

Mari frowned, "My mom isn't a miracle worker Albus." 

"No, Albus." Scorpius said softly, shaking his head. "Her mother did what we needed. She gave her three extra months to live. Three extra months that I got to spend with my mother and she wasn't in pain for any of it until the last three days. It was. . . I'll have to thank her." 

Albus was quiet then. 

"Is there anything. . ." Mari asked. 

"Come to the funeral?" Scorpius asked. 

"Of course." Mari and Albus said together. 

"And be my good friends." Scorpius said softly, before petting  Snowballs' head. 

The train ride was a silent one. None of them spoke another word on the train, nor in the carriages, nor at the Great Hall. In fact, it wasn't even until after the Sorting Ceremony, when the Sorting hat announced Albus' sister was going to be in Gryffindor, did anyone say anything at all. 

"Yes!" Lily cheered from the front of the Great Hall. 

"Great." Albus said bitterly. 

"Did you really think she'd come to us? Potters don't belong in Slytherin." Scorpius said. 

"This one does." Albus said. He was quiet for a moment while Mari put food on her plate, before he said, "I didn't choose, you know that? I didn't choose to be his son." 

And Mari thought very privately, 'Well I did.' And she smiled to herself because in that moment, she knew who the lucky one was. Her father was happy and she was lucky. 

She took out a piece of parchment, and started to write her mother an apology letter, before eating dessert, and going to bed, dreaming of the day when she would be as lucky as her parents. 

[paladin-of-nerd-fandom65]

Got some more :D

1: what apps do they like to use? I can see them using twitter & maybe TikTok; probably do silly videos on there.

2: did Nightwing & starfire, plus mar’i tried to hide their superhero identity from Jake? (Probably did the same before mar’i got her powers too.)

3: how would a starburst duo movie start?

4: besides spider-man, do they like other spider-man stuff like the venom movie?

5: do they play battle royale games? I can see them both playing Fortnite (& doing the dances both in & out of costumes) but Chris likes COD Warzone & Jake like apex legends.

6: silly question, since they are pre-teens almost & have girlfriends, what do they prefer: butts or boobs? or personality XD

Sorry for the wait @gothicghost2000 But Here we are XD

1. They have three primary social apps: YouTube (the first one respectively), Twitter and Tumblr. All three apps have specific tools The Duo can use for their particular hobbies and interests, Tumblr for example being the blog space where they can give their predicts and hypotheses about their favorite ongoing shows and where it can go from there.

YouTube is their video library place, for all sorts including live streams, recaps of favorite shows/games, and yes thank to the Shorts function, TikTok style videos. Chris and Jake thankfully have both Jake’s tech expertise and even Oracle on some occasions to help them make sure they don’t get busted for copyright by the algorithms.

2. Not entirely actually. Even as a toddler, Jake was a relatively smart cookie and everyone knew it so before he was able to piece it altogether by the time he was 3 to 4 in his own way, Dick and Kory came clean to him about everything and even Mar’i pitched in about her training to one day be a great superhero like Momma and Daddy are since she has powers while Jake’s are still not kicking in.

I can just imagine little Jakey looking at his family, taking it all in and then finally breaking the silence saying “Does that mean I blast lasers from my eyes too later?” Akin to when Marky found out his powers at the end did the original Invincible comic

3. Basically I’d have first a colorful and detailed title sequence that through simple comic panels and even some motion comic elements, details the basics of how the Duo were born, Chris’ arrival on Earth and adoption by the Kents, the two first meeting as little kids who look up to their parents as their heroes, Jake’s power first kicking in when fending off a bully at school, the Duo training on their powers together and gaining renown slow but steadily, then once the title scene ends, we open with a bang as we are catching up with the Duo in the middle of a massive superhero battle in Metropolis against all sorts of baddies and villains, something akin to the opening shots of Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith

4. They have a good laugh and thrill at the first and second Venom movies respectively. They also are big time fans of the Spiderverse films; there actually is a strongly passionate debate between Chris and Jake over which Spidey films are better. Chris vouches for the Raimi trilogy while Jake sides firmly with Spiderverse. Other than all that though, both also watch every single Spidey animated series, good or bad, collect what their friends online consider the best runs in both Marvel Prime and the Ultimate Universe (the latter Jake is really into thanks to his Uncle Tim(my) loving Ultimate Spidey) and regularly playing co op on the Playstation games

5. Only once a month really and it’s mainly Fortnite. I can’t really see them playing COD or Apex not just because those two are more FPS centric which even if fictional in universe doesn’t sit that well with them for various reasons, but also for COD especially there egregious money practices from all that miscellaneous DLC, Lootboxes when they are a thing, battle passes, etc. it just doesn’t sit right even if technically Jake can be considered a millionaire’s kid at best

6. Personality. Full stop. Even if they’re aware of the more scandalous and fanservice side of true love, they have the content of a female’s character above physical appearance of any kind. Chris and Jake respect girls and women, plain and simple.

[t-h-i-n-g]

Day Sixteen: Grave Offereings

Character: Dustin Henderson

b’s 31 Halloween day bash m.masterlist

a/n: aaaarrrrgggg I love DUSTIN AGAAARHEH-(don’t take any of the random info in here seriously. i just said it all for the sake of keeping the plot going.)

warning: this is on the sadder side as it talks about people passing and car accidents

——————

“Who even is this person, Dustin?”

“I already told you like a million times.”

“‘The most epicest person ever’ does not answer my question,” you stated, exasperated. Dustin rolled his eyes in annoyance. Sharply he turned to stop you in your step. Almost running into the boy you lurched back.

“Have I ever told you who got me into all my nerdy shit?” Raising a brow you shook your head. Sucking in a breath, Dustin released it slowly. Moving out of your way he took your hand and continued moving around the headstones of the cemetery. “You know how my dad died when I was young.”

“Mhm,” you answered. Showing you were listening.

“After he passed, Mom didn’t really have anyone to depend. All of our family members lived so far away and she didn’t have enough money to go back to them. The only other person she could ask for help was her brother, my uncle. He’s was like a couple years younger than her so at the time he didn’t know what the hell he was doing with a two year old kid. But as time went on, he would baby sit me when he had the time and mom had to work. He always had these comics and figurines that were so cool and he would tell me all about them...” Slowly Dustin’s steps fell to a stop as you now stood in front of a grave.

On the cement stone it read the numbers ‘1940-1966′

“He was 26 when he passed?” You asked in a whisper. “What happened, Dustin?” He sniffed beside you and brought up a sleeve to wipe his nose.

“Some guy ran a stop sign on Main and hit the driver side. He wasn’t put though any pain or anything like that though. Once at the hospital the doctors said it was death on impact so we know he didn’t suffer.”

“Im so sorry,” you mumbled, wrapping an arm around the boys waist and pulling him into your embrace. He smiled lightly and patted your back before moving to place his backpack on the ground and pulling out a few things.

“I was like seven or eight when it happened. I don’t remember much, but I do remember he loved Marvel. Like heavily obsessed and it was kind of a concern,” he chuckled, placing the paper backs down in front of head stone. Squatting down besides Dustin you watched him place a single rose on top of the books.

Quietly you both sat together. With you being ready to stay as long as he needed and ready to do whatever he needed at the moment.

[karlyanalora]

Hi, I recently found the post you made awhile ago talking about Burns family ships while looking for Graham/Amy stuff, and you mentioned writing a fic set ten years after the show ends. I don't know how long ago that was, but would you mind sharing more about that fic, I'm personally very intrigued.

Ah yes! It might not be happening anymore, but here were some of my plans.

It would have been part of a crossover involving both Star Wars, Marvel, and DC. A lot of work had gone into setting up how DC, Marvel, and Star Wars coexist earlier in the series (that part I am still planning to write) before Transformers entered the picture (which probably won't happen anymore.)

The year is 2025. The Batmobile is a Decepticon OC of mine named LS. IDW based Drift is partnered with Nightwing. IDW based Red Alert is also partnered with Red Robin. TFP Soundwave is partners with Black Bat. Whirl Sr. and Harley Quinn are partners too.

The Coruscant Guard (who are alive after Order 66 due to some Marvel based shenanigans) have moved to Gotham and work with the GPD. Also, Mandalore has an embassy in Gotham because they think the city is neat. (It's trying to kill them, just like home!)

Chief Burns had grown up in Gotham. His mom had run away from home (Griffin Rock) for love, but her husband turned out to be a jerk and left her and the kids. She died from an illness, and Charlie joined a gang to put bread on the table. Charlie killed a man from a rival gang in self-defense at the young age of 16. Woodrow was worried for his bro, and in an age before Batman, reached out to my oc hero Foxglove. Foxglove in turn reached out to Jim Gordon's dad, who took in the two Burns boys.

After reconnecting with his grandfather and losing his wife to Crime Alley, Chief moved to Griffin Rock. But Dani, Kade, and Graham are old enough to remember and consider Gotham home.

Kade is also Babara Gordon's favorite cousin.

The year is 2025, and Babs is getting married to Dick Grayson. Kade thinks his cousin can do much better than that bimbo and is very vocal about it. Babs invites Kade to come and see why she's not settling.

Dani has also been dating a guy online named Thire, who works for the GPD. He's let her know he's got some "interesting life facts" he'd like to share in person, and she knows she'll have to tell him about Blades if things are going to get serious. But her Uncle Jim says Thire is a real good guy so she's not too worried.

The We Are Robin has also started and is not going away. They are joined by the Blanks, a group of anonymous young clones going behind their older brothers' backs to protect their new home in Gotham. Commissioner Gordon calls in Chief Burns to negotiate with the teens to find an agreement the adults can live with.

So this gets Chief, Dani, Kade, and Heatwave in Gotham for a visits.

Dani has a very fun date with Thire, who is a clone. Fox, Chief, and Gordon have way to much fun running into the couple and Fox gives Thire a hard time about it in a teasing way.

It is revealed Blades is like a dad to Drift, and Drift was like a dad to Wedge back when he was Deadlock. There is much angst as Drift frets about his past. It's a whole thing to convince him Blades will still love him. Blades and Wedge are both thrilled to be reunited with Drift.

Whirl Sr. and Whirl Jr. also have a wonderful reunion.

Kade learns he saved Ketsu Onyo once years ago and she finds that hot. He gets a date out of it. He can't help it her kid is adorable! (She was at the Embassy when Kade came to visit.)

Also, somehow, the Burns somehow get included in the "We know who Batman is" club.

As for more normal stuff? Cody and Frankie are married. So are Graham and Amy. Might be a few grandkids. Chief still hasn't managed to retire yet. Cody is a paramedic, but he feels his calling might not be in rescue work.

Yeah. So that's a bunch of thoughts I had. Here's a fic I wrote to lay the groundwork for some of it.

[ascendancy-echoes]

Interlude: His Little Star

Truce, Guardia. Sixteenth of Fourthmoon, 1008 AG

At twenty-three years old, Janus Ashtear never imagined he would have found the love of his life, let alone become a father.

On the subject of children, it had taken Janus and Lucca the last four years of trying… Both due to his own health and the unfortunate luck of Lucca inheriting the same troubles her own mother had endured with becoming pregnant. However, despite the obstacles, he and Lucca had finally conceived a child. As the day for their child to be born neared, Janus was both excited and terrified. Something he hadn’t discussed with anyone until Crono brought it up during a visit to their house.

While Marle visited with Lucca in the living room, Janus sat in the kitchen with Crono. He sighed and admitted to Crono that he was afraid he would fail to be a good father to the baby. After all, his father had died when he was very young and all the male role models he had had, except for Glenn or Taban, had failed to teach him anything that could possibly prepare him for the role of being a father. He added that he worried he wouldn’t be able to show the baby how much he loved them as his own mother had been so distant and he was not sure how to show how he felt at times.

“Look at me, Janus,” Crono said firmly. “I didn’t have a father growing up either…. I’ve had to learn what to do by remembering how my mom raised me and how Taban was with Lucca…. Marle’s dad did his best to give me advice when Liz was born… You will do fine.”

“Parenting really isn’t as hard as it seems,” he added. Just as he was about to continue, Crono let out a shout of pain as his daughter accidentally smacked him in the back with her wooden bokken.

Grabbing the bokken from his five year old daughter, Crono snapped, “Liz! What did I say about using swords indoors?!”

“Dad! You can’t grab a sword by the blade!” Liz protested. “Sword safety!”

Crono sighed, “Sword safety is not using the bokken in the Ashtear’s house, Liz… and watching where you’re swinging it.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I forgive you, kiddo… just be safe, okay?”

Crono smiled and handed the bokken back to Liz who hugged her father and ran off to the living room where Marle and Lucca were. 

Janus couldn't help but notice how much Liz looked like Crono. She was like a strawberry-blond copy of her father and she wanted to do everything he did. She was constantly on the move and talked nonstop. It was adorable albeit exhausting to witness.

“Let’s go make sure she doesn’t knock down anything in the living room,” Crono sighed with a smile.

Janus led the way, greeting Lucca with a kiss. Marle smiled and asked Liz if she was being careful while giving Crono a look that Janus had come to learn meant ‘I told you so’. He had gotten better at picking up on the subtext of his friends’ interactions and judging by the look on her face, Marle had evidently told Crono it was a bad idea to let Liz bring the bokken with her, let alone have the wooden blade at all.

“Hi Uncle Janus,” piped up a small voice.

Janus looked over at Crono and Marle’s son Oren curled up next to Marle. Oren had just turned three and was, in many ways, the opposite of his parents. He was a quiet and mindful child, more interested in being read to than play-fighting with his boisterous sister. Janus smiled and greeted Oren before sitting next to Lucca. They talked some more with Crono and Marle before the royal family had to return to the castle.

A week later, the baby was born just as the sun was rising. While Lucca rested from the exhausting ordeal, Janus marveled at the small life in his arms, bundled in a soft blanket. She was the star of his life… Zarya.

Minutes old, Zarya gazed sleepily up at her father. She started to fuss but calmed the moment he spoke to her. Janus swore at that moment that he would let Zarya have the childhood he had been denied. No matter if she was like most children or just like him and Lucca, she would get to be her true self. He would make sure of it.

[elvesandlanterns]

Ghost a helpline part 10

Uncle Tucker part 2: conversations are had and the Masters family finally move to Gotham.

Diana could practically see her comrades sputtering at the Captains words. She felt conflicted, “I understand Marvel you are also my brother in arms. The trust I have in all of you because of that is very important to me. We are not writing her off as a threat nor are we going to go after her.” At this she threw a pointed look at Bruce, “We just want some information on her that’s all. We don’t know anything about her and are justified in being cautious. “

“From my understanding you all decided it was a good idea to contact her not the other way around. And now the Batman is going to do what he does best and come up with contingencies because he feels insecure.”

Diana put her hand on Clark’s tense shoulder.

“Captain that is not-“

“The same way you’ve been trying to find my weaknesses for years. So if you’re that desperate to find one then here. She is my weakness and if anything happens to her I don’t know what will happen. Do you understand me?”

“Marvel! We are not-“

“Understood.” Batman grunted, “I still have questions.”

“So do I.”

Diana looked between them and shared a look with Clark, hopeful Batman would know what not to ask…. Clark opened his mouth first, “You two were in a war?”

A grin, “What did you think I just made up the Captain part of my name for kicks?” a humorless laugh left him.

“Right that makes sense, you’ve been around along time but isn’t she too young.”

“In a way, Konstelacio is considered a ‘forever child’ uhh she’s pretty much stuck that age.”

“So she just has the body of a teen but is actually an adult.”

“No she is a kid, and always will be. She’s just sorta stuck. She may have lived a long life but she’s still a child.”

Diana pondered over it. It’s wasn’t anything she didn’t expect. She was even use to it, on Paradise Island children were taught to fight, to kill when necessary. War was something Diana knew. But it felt wrong.

“A demon child with resources, connections and reality altering powers.”

“She’s a child who loves her family, collects trinkets and helps people.”

“But who exactly is she helping. What is stopping her from being summoned by Lex Luthor or Felix Faust or any number of villains.”

“She can decide who to help and who not to help you know. They can’t force her. Trust me they’d be sorry if they tried.”

“You just said she’s a child, anything could happen. They wouldn’t have to force her when they could manipulate her.”

Diana smiled leave it to Bruce to care about a child he barely meet, even when he was scared of them.

“Also we can’t just allow a potential danger to run around buying souls.”

Diana took it back, Bruce was making a mess.

—- —- —-

Konstelacio followed the guard to the sitting room, Uncle Tuckers kingdom always felt comfortable to her. It was warm, sun filled and quite frankly Konstelacio had a lot of leeway here. A type of get out of jail free card that made her feel safe, but also nervous. She would not embarrass her family again, not here.

She bowed to her uncle as he entered the room, “I greet Pharaoh Tuck, Prince Consort to High King Phant-“

“That is enough my constellation, Princess Violet how many times must I ask that you call me Uncle?”

“I only mean to show my respect.”

“None needed come here. Tell me what I can do.”

“What I didn’t !” Had he heard from Dan already?

“Come on Violet I know you and I know that if you came here for help it must be something big.” Her Uncles smiles always looked genuine, she loved them.

“It’s a long story.”

“Eat some snacks and tell me everything.”

—- —- —-

Well that had been a mess Clark thought after both the dark knight and Captain had stormed out. Clark still wasn’t sure were he stood on the matter, he didn’t want to make the same mistakes he made with Connor. But just like with Connor none of them had enough information. It was time to call another meeting, ugh and invite Constantine to it.

Clark stopped walking, wait wasn’t there a demon on the Titans?

—- —- —-

Vlad’s eldest, Dandy Masters, parked the car outside the Gotham estate. Their new home was located far enough away that their neighbors wouldn’t be able to hear them scream, the manor was gothically decrepit, and the outside plants looked dead. It’s perfect thought Vlad, just perfect.

—- —- —-

Tucker nearly spat his coffee, “YOU MEET BATMAN.”

- The guards outside the door twitched, their pharaoh never yelled. He sounded shocked and was quickly shhhuhed by the princess. Hopefully this Batman would not be causing ether of them stress in future. The bird like guard pursed his beak, whoever this bat was did bode well. He would have to tell the others to keep their swords sharp.

“You SWINDLED Batman out of his gadgets!!”

- Yes the guards were probably due for some more training, just in case.

“Guards please get ready to escort the Princess to Pandoras realm.”

- All the guards, the bird adjacent ghost thought to himself. He had a felling something was coming.

“A WHAT?!”

- Something bad.

—- —- —-

Tucker moved his newly allotted gadgets into piles looks like he had a belt to work on. He picked up the handkerchief. “Violet what did you want this for?”

“I… had a suspicion I needed to prove.”

“And did you?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m guessing the tracking device wasn’t a part of your plan?”

“A WHAT!”

The man held his nieces hands, “Konstelacio please tell me what else is going on. I’ve already promised not to tell anybody.”

Violet wanted to believe him but she knew he’d tell on her to keep her safe. He wouldn’t understand, the Al Ghuls were dangerous she need to keep THEM safe! No matter what.

“Not yet, not until I figure everything else out for sure.”

“Alright but when you do please please come and talk to me okay.”

“Okay.”

“Alrighty then off to Pandoras then okay, be nice to the guards and tell her and Ghost Writer I said hi okay. And be careful delivering that antidote to the league. Minimal contact is the - oh you’re hugging me.”

Konstelacio smiled into her uncles shoulder, she would tell him everything someday.

[bobbiworks]

Beyond the Bell's Chimes | Part 41

It was already winter break, and the city embraced the season with a snowy charm. The market and shopping districts were bustling with shoppers, the streets alive with people promoting their shops and cars weaving through the busy scene.

Jiwoo found herself cleaning tables in The Nara Cafe, a small but thriving establishment two streets away from the bustling areas. The local apartment residents frequented the cafe, drawn by its cozy atmosphere and freshly baked goods prepared by Jiwoo's talented mom.

Having invited her friends to visit, Jiwoo anticipated their arrival. Wooseok, her single and successful uncle who managed the cafe, questioned her about their timing. Jiwoo assured him they would be there any minute, knowing her uncle had never met these friends she desperately convinced him to accommodate.

As the door chimed, Jiwoo's friends, including unexpected guests Eunseok, Shotaro, and Sungchan, made their entrance. The cafe's atmosphere shifted as customers, mostly women, turned their attention to the gathering of boys.

Wonbin, Jiwoo's boyfriend, greeted her with his signature smile, and she laughed softly as the upperclassmen, led by Eunseok's idea, observed her at work. Sohee marveled at the cafe's simple, cozy interior while Seunghan admitted feeling nervous about the impromptu gathering.

Jiwoo's uncle, Wooseok, joined the conversation, introducing himself to the boys. As he shook their hands, he jokingly identified each one based on Jiwoo's descriptions, impressing them with his accuracy.

"He is my mom's younger brother," Jiwoo added, explaining the family connection and the source of their shared beauty. Wooseok proceeded to guess the boys' identities, correctly naming Wonbin, Seunghan, and Sohee.

"The boyfriend," Wooseok remarked, earning a nod from Wonbin. He continued by identifying Seunghan as the one resembling a cat and Sohee as the cutest.

"He made it up," Jiwoo interjected, laughing at her uncle's playful introductions.

"I don't care, but welcome. I am glad you chose to work here in my cafe. Jiwoo didn't tell me that you boys are so handsome," Wooseok teased, reveling in Jiwoo's discomfort as her friends received uniforms and the prospect of work.

He took the initiative to extend the offer to other friends, prompting Jiwoo to object, expressing concern for Eunseok, who was well-established and didn't need to work. However, Eunseok welcomed the idea, finding it enjoyable and not minding the minimum wage.

Sungchan, intrigued by the server uniform's cuteness, decided to give it a try. Meanwhile, Shotaro, who already had experience working at the cafe on weekends, was willing to help them learn the ropes.

Jiwoo silently communicated to Shotaro her expectation for him to guide the less experienced friends, recognizing their lack of practical skills and intent to pass the time.

Shotaro divided the group, taking Sungchan and Sohee to assist him, leaving Jiwoo in charge of Eunseok, Seunghan, and Wonbin.

Seunghan expressed a desire to learn how to make coffee, but Jiwoo redirected their roles to serving outside. She handed them notepads for taking orders and explained their responsibilities, emphasizing cleanliness and handwashing.

As Jiwoo briefed them, she noticed Eunseok's compliment about her appearance. Before she could respond, Wonbin, feeling a bit territorial, asserted his position as Jiwoo's boyfriend. Eunseok, apologetic, and Seunghan, harboring lingering feelings, both adjusted their behavior.

Wonbin, visibly protective, showcased their relationship by intertwining their fingers and proudly showing it to the others. As the two boys were called away by Wooseok, Jiwoo and Wonbin were left behind, navigating the challenge of maintaining personal and professional dynamics in the midst of their friends' involvement.

Wonbin couldn't shake off the subtle unease lingering after Eunseok's comment about Jiwoo's changing appearance. Apologetically, he sighed and turned towards Jiwoo as she gently tugged his hand.

"I am sorry," Wonbin sighed, acknowledging the irrationality of his feelings. Jiwoo, with her empathetic nature, responded with an invitation to dinner, accompanied by the softest smile.

"S-Sure," stammered Wonbin, his heart racing as Jiwoo's face drew near. Confused about the occasion, Jiwoo, in her characteristic carefree manner, shrugged, instructing him to remember. Cupping his cheek, she cooed, "And don't be sulky," planting a soft kiss on his lips. Wonbin's frown persisted until Jiwoo silenced him with another kiss, coaxing him into acquiescence.

"I am not sulky," he insisted, defeated by Jiwoo's charm. "Fine. I am..."

"Don't be," Jiwoo chuckled, playing along. "I'll be your supervisor when we go out of this room, so work hard. Okay?" With that, she pulled him out, leaving Wonbin feeling like he was on cloud nine, experiencing a cascade of emotions, all new and exhilarating. Jiwoo, fulfilling roles as both a best friend and a girlfriend, had an undeniable impact on him.

At the door, Jiwoo checked their appearances, expressing a surprising nervousness for him. Wonbin, full of assurance, declared, "I can do it," adding that serving was nothing compared to performing on stage. Jiwoo, playfully scrunching her nose, complimented his stage presence once more.

"I love you," Wonbin confessed, momentarily silencing Jiwoo. As he stepped out to start his work, Jiwoo took a deep breath, noticing her uncle peeking at her from behind the wall.

...

In the bustling cafe, Sohee greeted customers, among them four girls keenly observing the handsome workers. They ordered lattes, citrus tea, carrot, and matcha cakes. Noticing Wonbin cleaning tables, they requested him to serve their food.

"They are your customers. I am okay cleaning the tables," Wonbin declined Sohee's attempt to convince him.

"Come on, man, they ordered a lot. You just got to serve," Sohee insisted, leading Wonbin to relent. As he washed his hands, the girls, captivated by his chic demeanor, awaited his service.

"Two lattes, two citrus teas, carrot cake, and a matcha cake," Wonbin announced their orders, holding the tray to the side. The girls exchanged glances before turning to him.

"What's your name?" asked the girl with luscious black hair and straight-cut bangs, cupping her cheek with intense curiosity. Wonbin sealed his lips, waiting for an answer relevant to his previous question.

"If there is anything you'd like to add—" Wonbin started, but the blonde girl interjected, continuing the intriguing exchange.

"Do you have a girlfriend?" The girl with luscious black hair and straight-cut bangs asked Wonbin, her intent gaze fixed on him. His irritation mounting, Wonbin simply dipped his head, excusing himself from the probing questions. As he walked away, the girls called Sohee over, making requests for another server, preferably pointing at Eunseok or Seunghan.

"You are not fun," one of the girls sighed as Sohee tried to accommodate them. They asked for water, and Sohee, eager to please, headed to the counter to fulfill their request.

The blonde girl expressed her dissatisfaction, lamenting Sohee's perceived shortcomings, oblivious to the fact that Sohee could hear their conversation. Meanwhile, Wonbin, having overheard their comments, struggled to contain his frustration.

"Here you go, ladies," Sohee returned with four glasses of water on a black tray. Unexpectedly, the girls pushed the tray towards him, causing Sohee to get wet. Laughter erupted as they mockingly complained about Sohee wetting their skirts, drawing attention from everyone in the cafe.

Sohee, despite the humiliation, apologized profusely, picking up the glasses. His friends, including Jiwoo, started to approach, but Jiwoo intervened first.

"Great, another useless worker," the blonde girl scoffed, towering over Jiwoo, who remained unfazed. Jiwoo, gently pushing Sohee away, asked the girls to leave.

"I'd like to ask you to leave," Jiwoo insisted, but the blonde girl, unimpressed, continued to criticize the service. The situation escalated when the blonde girl slapped Jiwoo across the face, stunning the onlookers.

"Jiwoo," Sohee panicked, rushing to her side. The blonde girl mocked Jiwoo, reminiscing about their past, revealing herself as Kwon Taehee, Jiwoo's tormentor from middle school.

"Ya, don't say you forgot about me? We had fun back in Sewon, right?" Taehee asked maliciously, cupping Jiwoo's cheek. The revelation shocked Jiwoo's friends, realizing the painful history between Jiwoo and Taehee.

"Wait, it's Jiwoo? The freak?" Others whispered in surprise. Taehee, reveling in her cruel nature, suggested catching up outside, her hand moving to grab Jiwoo's hair.

Frozen by the memories, Jiwoo couldn't react. Wonbin intervened, gripping Taehee's wrist tightly, warning her not to touch Jiwoo. Taehee, unfazed, challenged him, unaware of the fierce protector she had just encountered.

"I don't know and I don't care," Wonbin spat, pushing Taehee's hand away before swiftly pulling Jiwoo out of the escalating scene. Taehee screamed, demanding to continue the confrontation, but Wooseok intervened, maintaining a smile despite his underlying anger.

"We would like to ask you to leave the premises as you're bothering other customers," Wooseok calmly declared. The girls exchanged glances before reluctantly getting up from their seats.

"Hey," Eunseok called out to them. The girls halted, flustered to face another tall and handsome boy with strong eyes and brown hair walking towards them.

"What?" Taehee spat.

"You have to pay," Eunseok handed them the receipt.

"We haven't—" Taehee began but was interrupted by Eunseok.

"You have to pay for your order unless you are just going to dine and dash?" Eunseok maintained his smile, leaving Taehee no choice but to pull out money and slam it onto the tray.

"Stick it up to your face!" She yelled, storming out of the store. Sungchan and Sohee cleaned the mess left behind. Sohee blamed himself, but Wooseok reassured him that it wasn't his fault.

"Jiwoo got me this job, and she got hurt," Sohee said, expressing his desire to excel at the job.

"You are doing good; it's okay. It's not your fault," Wooseok comforted him, patting Sohee's head. Jiwoo reassured Sohee, putting on a brave front despite the lingering pain in her swollen cheek.

"Hey, it's totally okay! Silly!" Jiwoo laughed. "Oh, we have customers. Go assist them!" She said excitedly.

...

"Damn that b**ch! Of all the places! Of all days!" Taehee vented angrily, smoking cigarettes at the park. It was her birthday, but seeing Jiwoo had infuriated her.

"Wait, why do you hate Jiwoo so much?" Ria asked, curious about the intense animosity.

"Huh, because Jiwoo always comes first in everything," Bora added, laughing. "Except for beauty? But Jiwoo has gotten prettier now; no wonder I couldn't recognize her!"

"Shut up, you slut!" Taehee snapped.

"Isn't she the girl Yeonjun liked back then? But Taehee liked Yeonjun and—" Yijin mused.

"Do the math, Yijin!" Bora laughed. "Yeonjun rejected Taehee because he liked Jiwoo, so she did everything to make him dislike her."

"But did Jiwoo know?" Yijin asked.

"Know what?" Taehee questioned.

"Did she know that Yeonjun liked her?" Yijin clarified, and the girls shook their heads. "So if she doesn't know, then she must be wondering until now why we are bullying her."

"Damn it, Yijin! Can you shut up? I am mad as hell right now, and here you are sympathizing with that lowlife!" Taehee yelled, pushing Yijin away. Later, as they headed to a karaoke place, they encountered a familiar face on the street – Miri.

Taehee, driven by anger, confronted Miri in a small alley but was unexpectedly pushed away by someone else.

"How dare you touch my dog?" It was Yuri, accompanying Miri the entire time.

"Dog?" Taehee laughed, looking at Miri. "Miri, have you gotten so low that you are now a dog? Haha!"

Miri, maintaining her silence, kept her face hidden from the group, clearly avoiding any interaction. Taehee, however, persisted in her curiosity.

"Miri, what happened to you and Jiwoo? You look so miserable. Did she abandon you?" Taehee probed, trying to extract information about Jiwoo's life.

Yuri's gaze intensified as soon as Jiwoo's name was mentioned. "Are you talking about Shim Jiwoo?" Yuri inquired.

"Yeah, why?" Taehee responded, eyeing Yuri skeptically. She presumed this might be another person holding a grudge against Jiwoo.

"I'm Hwang Yuri. Don't you think it's a great day to be friends?" Yuri smiled, extending her hand for a shake, seemingly unfazed by Taehee's assumptions.