#as much as I love how the league is trying to make people more aware of certain situations

[dogwittaablog]

ok u have to admit the migraine pride tape rumors were kinda fucking hilarious the way some accounts clung to that story. another more believable one was he was lazy and didn’t wanna retape for the game or use another stick.

Hahahha hockey twitter went on such a big lap day with that, the topic arises once every full moon on there, makes you have a good giggle.

For real that kid had bigger problems to focus on then rainbow tape. I’m pre sure this was the time he was coming back too from missing a WHOLE ass season, he was going through it lol.

Even with the more realistic one, of him being lazy/not wanting to change sticks, people would figure a way to still drag his ass through mud.

[sxorpiomooon]

What kind of person are you truly? The good and the bad - a pac reading

for the days when you feel like no one knows or truly understands who you truly are, including yourself<3

Paid readings

tip me

Pile 1-

What's up with you guys and the number four? Were some of you also attracted to the fourth pile or what? Washing machine heart comes to my mind but I said heart? These people might love talking about love and might be interested in philosophy as well. Do you guys like nail paint? This pile is very feminine, even for the ones that feel like they are not you are trust me. You guys might have a good venus placements? Perhaps libra I'm not getting much pisces but could be cancer as well. You guys are calm and compassion "hold me, console me" played in my head I said heart again instead of head. You guys might love the sea? You guys also like cinnamon girl by lana del rey. Do you enjoy juices or perhaps coffee? I heard "I can bring others happiness without sacrificing my own" and honestly please do learn that. Stop making unnecessary sacrifices that are not needed stop pulling yourself in the front of a train. You don't have to be the one in the front of the bullet every time. Oo you guys like good shoes and I think they'll suit you well. You are calm and comforting providing comfort to way more people that you know while constantly being hanged on by a thread yourself oohoo start sewing or crocheting you guys might be good heard gemini perhaps bc it's done via your hands. People also see you as an "ideal feminine woman" btw alot of girls around you might want to be like you. Do you guys like winters or mufflers hahahahhaha. You are someone who likes to hype other people ho do you like concerts? Someone passionate and determined I saw an ink pen and jo march. You have a spark in you and remember no matter how much other people might try to steal it it will remain yours no matter what.

Pile 2-

OOO this is the pile of our high achievers and ambitious people the ivy league and the pile that is on the top. You guys like to be aware of everything happening around you I keep seeing a newspaper you keep in touch with all the news and buzz around you. Very quick to notice eyes and body movements lmao. You like to be two steps ahead of everyone I see you living your life very dramatically hahah bc it adds twist. This pile has people with very very high standards and that want to and will make it very big. You guys are constantly building yourself up and levelling yourself up via your skills. Constantly learning to be at the top and never lose their position I keep hearing ceos and all that. You guys love to have titles in front of your names might have capricorn or virgo asc in their d10 or I'm seeing sun rahu conjunction or something. Wants to be at the top and will be at the top. I see these guys being winners public opinion also matters you alot in a way that you want everyone to see your success and clap for you and so they will. You guys want to be at the authority this might piss alot of you but y'all might be like your father's like him started playing. You guys might have control issues and might start acting up/tweaking when you lose it. Stop ignoring other aspects of life

Pile 3-

I thought of the word "therapist" before I pulled the cards and looking at the cards y'all need to talk to one instead of being one<3 to start with the good you guys are brilliant leaders and bring happiness whenever you go. It's like a street filled with unhappy people will be happy and bought to joy if we send you there. You have the ability to make things and people work. You have the ability to make things feel hopeful and have people wishing of the best even when they almost gave up. You are able to hype other people ho and sort of bring them hope. You are sucessful and some of you might have good family backgrounds as well privileged in some manner? Alot of respect or authority is just handed to you I heard resources? This pile has people that are OBSESSED with working not because you like it or something bc this is just something that happens to you naturally. You don't know how to never not work. You also might sometimes be obsessed with the luxurious things not because tou like it but because you want to show off or like prove it to other people? I think some of you didn't have these luxuries growing up so now when you are capable of having them you own them even when they bring you no happiness. This pile has alot of unresolved traumas and a emotional baggage. This pile might have or will have to leave alot behind to get in this position. Honestly I feel like this is not who you are currently but this is the future you. I feel like this reading is for the people who just need to hear that they will be okay and they will make all their big dreams that seem unreachable or unattainable to other people come true. I'm rooting for you my pile 3

Pile 4-

you might forget things while speaking or thinking only your mind might get foggy? This pile might be struggling with some of their issues alone I'm seeing face acne but could be any other issue that you are insecure about. You guys sort of choose to deal and suffer alone. I heard "void" and a song that translates to "please don't go like this" keeps playing in my head might be scared of getting left by people or might have the fear that they will never be known and loved for who they truly are. But how would you even know that when you will never reveal or let other people see who you truly are? in order to be loved for who you truly are you must first reveal to other people who you truly are. This pile feels ashamed to ask others for help. This pile might like lip gloss/lipstick or might look good in them. It's crazy how they deal with their problems and issues alone because all and everyone's eyes are always on them. Everyone is always looking at you and all the eyes are always on you. My pile four, you shine so bright and I think you do know this but I don't think you are able to truly grasp how much bright you shine. It's like if you are in a room full of people there is only you in front of people's eyes. And this is not something that's romantic but something that there just is. You are truly charming and enchanting. Your presence demands to be looked at and be appreciated. You make people feel hopeful and look at the bright side. You can find the light for other people even in the darkest of the streets. A true poetic by heart naturally filled with the desire to create and articulate. It's very tragic how everyone's always looking at you yet you are so lonely and alone. I heard poetic again and saw a dove? You will find your match my pile four. You will find the love and light that you give to others. Fourth of July by sufjan stevens started playing. You guys might like the piano too.

[puppetwoman17]

Let’s talk about what aging would do to Billy’s perception of how he’s acting toward other heroes when he’s taking care of them(yes this is dad Marvel I’m feeding yall today).

When Billy was younger, he just wanted to help. Of course, that doesn’t alter anyone’s perception of Cap as a dad figure, but Billy wasn’t actively trying to take care OF them. All he’s doing is trying to be a helping hand. Someone to listen to others when they just need a good vent.

In his perspective, all he’s doing is being a good friend. Not a mentor, or an older brother, or anything akin to that. Of course, that doesn’t make a difference for younger heroes(or, heroes who perceive themselves as younger than Cap). Or even for some of his League coworkers. Because all of that care is coming from someone who they don’t really know the age of.

He could be in his thirties, or he could be thousands of years old, or he could even be just eleven, manifesting out of pure magic, and with that wisdom.

It’s only as Billy grows older, I’m thinking somewhere between high school junior-college freshman, that he actively starts thinking of himself as that mentor figure. Or, he starts thinking of what he DOES to heroes as being a mentor/older brother figure.

And once he feels more comfortable leaning into that, that’s when he starts reciprocating the affection given to him. I’m talking him saying “I’m proud of you” with that fatherly tone. Him deciding to give hugs instead of others always having to ask(ofc he asks first, our boy cares about consent). And yes, him going as a substitute for parent teacher conferences.

For Billy, it’s always been about being a better parental figure than the many adults who let him down. It’s about learning the dos from his parents and the don’ts from Ebenezer.

Now all the “best dad/brother” mugs make so much sense. Raven following him sometimes. Clark asking for advice on how to handle Jon and rekindle things with Kon. Tbh he feels kind of stupid for not realizing how people thought of him sooner.

Of course, this only amplifies his refusal to reveal his identity. Sheesh, he was gonna introduce himself on Christmas, but what would they all think now?

It’s a complicated thought process of “They deserve to know if I have such an important place in their lives” and “but what if I lose all that respect and relationship?” and “but that would be selfish of me to want to keep that.”

The thought that they might still accept and love him never crosses his mind because no matter how self aware he gets, Billy will always be clueless when it comes to how people perceive him(aka yes, Billy, you are lovable—No, Billy, no one is using you for money, you don’t have that).

[sweet-as-an-angel]

Father’s Friend! Simon “Ghost” Riley Headcanons

Warnings: 18+, Implied Smut, Age Gap Relationship, Forbidden Relationship, Older Man/Younger Reader, Protective! Simon, Slightly Creepy! Simon, Petnames, Profanity, No Pronouns Used For Reader Except ‘You’.

Simon was more gentle with you than he’d ever been with anyone, especially now as he lay on top of you, pushing into you slowly, carefully.

He knew what you were doing was wrong – the looks, the gifts, the sneaking around behind everyone’s backs – but he’d already betrayed too many of his instincts – allowed you to break down too many of his walls – to care now.

Simon had fucked before, but he’d never made love to anyone. You were his first, in that sense.

“That’s it,” he rasped, releasing a guttural moan as he finally managed to slip into you fully. He felt himself twitch. Felt you heaving laboured breaths as he lay heavy inside you. He rested his forehead against yours, skin slick with sweat, pressing a languid kiss to your lips, trailing down, along your jaw, down to the sensitive area just beneath your earlobe. Your pulse point.

“Doin’ so well for me, Love,” he told you. And from the veins bulging beneath his skin, his scars and tattoos underlined by a constellation of capillaries and a cacophony of life, you knew he was telling the truth.

Simon can remember every single point that led to this. At first, it was your meeting. Fated, it seemed. Especially now as the two of you lay with your legs tangled together, fingers interlocked and bodies all but conjoined. 

For a man who’s always struggled with eye contact, this is the only time he’s ever enjoyed it. Peering into you, your eyes.

Simon knows you love him. Though, he doesn’t quite believe it given how he perceives you to be out of his league.

And, despite your assurances, Simon tends to get a bit…jealous.

Self-conscious.

He’s aware of the fact that the age gap between the two of you is wide enough to let some doubts slip in; doubts that, in your young age, you’ve made a horrible decision pursuing a man as grizzled as Simon.

But he never takes his insecurities out on you. Not outside the bedroom, at least.

If you’re going out with someone Simon views as competition, he has a tendency to leave you ‘something to remember him by’ — namely his cum rolling down your thighs and dripping into your underwear.

He loves watching you try to greet people normally, knowing that you were getting raw dogged just ten minutes before, the aftermath seeping into the fabric of your underwear, making you shift in your seat, trying to find a position where you’re not pressed against the sopping-wet fabric.

Simon wonders if, during those times, you think of him. The same way he thinks of you as his mind wanders and his hand slips across the waistband of his jeans, palming himself at the memory of your whimpering, the tears in your eyes as you tell him how good he’s making you feel.

His possessiveness gets the better of him sometimes, hence he sends you into the world with some part of you filled with his semen.

During these moments, his jealousy manifests in his roughness with you — in his need to make you feel things no other man can.

Other times, he’s gentle. Endearingly so. And those are the times you know he needs reassurance the most.

Card your hands through his hair, call him yours, tell him how much you love him. He’ll be the one moaning and whimpering into the crook of your neck, I guarantee it.

Given the nature of your relationship, Simon is not one to take risks.

Unlike Price, he won’t slip his hand up your thigh and tease you in public.

He won’t sit next to you of his own free will when you’re out with your father, and he won’t be nearly as talkative with you as when you’re alone together (which, given he’s Simon Riley, isn’t much to begin with, but there’s a difference only you can tell).

But you’ll feel his eyes on you, see the look of longing, of hesitant love — first love — lie within them.

To others, it’s a death stare. To you, it’s the closest thing to an ‘I love you’ you can get under such surveillance.

If anyone — especially your father — started getting suspicious of the nature of your relationship – your affair – Simon would act as if it’s business as usual. Pretend as if nothing’s wrong.

If the two of you suddenly change your behaviour, it’ll look even more suspicious – that’s what he tells you. But, of course, he doesn’t invite you over to his house as much; doesn’t placate your desire to go shopping by driving you into town. The most he’ll do is offer you his jacket when you’re cold – a bare bones gesture of goodwill and nothing more.

He longs for you in ways you can’t even fathom during your away-time, in ways he could never verbalise. But trust that, when you’re able to again, Simon won’t be letting you leave his house. Or the bedroom, for that matter.

You can expect him to be a lot more open and receptive to physical affection after that – in private, of course. 

Kisses to the crown of your head, longingly staring down at you as you lay against his side, holding your hand at every convenience, etc.

Simon is the BEST gift giver you could ask for. He spoils you silly, buying you anything your heart desires, be it clothes, jewellery, food; the world is yours when you’re with him.

He isn’t unwise with his purchases, however.

He’s observant, has a keen eye. He’ll see things you like before you do, and he’ll buy you things he knows you’ll love before you even have the chance to tell him.

Your bedroom is going to be near-bursting with all the things Simon’s bought you. But telling your father that you bought them all off the internet with your new job money (a job you had to fabricate to account for the many hours a day you’d disappear off with Simon and the sudden influx of cash coming your way).

It took a LONG time for Simon to start liking you. To start loving you.

The close proximity of his house to yours made your paths cross more times than he could count, leading to a daily conversation of some nature. ‘How are you?’ and ‘What are you up to?’ eventually turned into ‘Hey, can I ask you a question?’ — for you often asked Simon’s advice about issues you didn’t want to discuss with your father; a bold show of trust, Simon thought — and ‘Are you doing anything later today?’

The first time you’d interacted with your father’s mysterious friend beyond a superficial capacity had been when you’d helped him paint his fence (which, you noticed, he’d started sprucing up after you’d suggested it to him a few weeks prior). Sure, you thought he was attractive, a nice, albeit very quiet, personality, and decided to lend him a hand on your way back from a walk one morning.

You stayed there the whole day, talking to Simon throughout.

It felt like this was the first time you’d actually met him. The first time you’d managed to get more than three words out of him.

Sure, most of his answers were stunted, but you could tell they were truthful. And yet, you also knew he was hiding something. Many things, in fact. Things you didn’t push for, instead opting to tell Simon about yourself, relinquishing details about your life, your hobbies – anything to make you appear more like a person and less like a nuisance.

He painted, too. Though, he’d often find himself distracted by the sight of you in your shorts, bent in a way that, to a man as pent-up and lonely as Simon, could be seen as provocative.

He felt icky. Like a creepy old man spying on his younger neighbour.

He did try to distance himself after that, uncomfortable with the thoughts that ran through his head for the entirety of your time together.

Unfortunately for him, however, you were persistent. Hadn’t seen the hungry glow in his eyes whenever you wore something slightly revealing.

He felt like lecturing you, telling you to cover up — to not flaunt yourself so readily. Didn’t you know lecherous men (him) lurked around every corner ?

Another part of him felt like enabling you. Wanted to see as much of you as you’d let him. You were the first pretty thing to wander into Simon’s sights in a long time – one that hadn’t fled or disappeared at his behest.

One day, you’d dressed yourself in a flimsy little shirt and shorts and the weather had taken a turn for the worse. You and Simon had rushed back to his house, the shelter closest to you. There, seeing you soaking, your shirt sticking to your body, Simon did the gentlemanly thing and offered you a hoodie of his to keep warm in.

He’d never given someone his hoodie before. Not in this capacity, at least (Johnny didn’t count because Sergeant MacTavish had actually stolen Simon’s hoodie and worn it without asking.)

The sight of you drowning in the fabric made the breath in Simon’s throat catch.

In that second, you weren’t the byproduct of his best friend. You were small, defenceless, and indebted to him.

Simon hadn’t been able to see you the same way since.

No longer did he take pleasure in watching you bend over for one thing or another. Now, he looked for opportunities to care for you.

Subtle shows of his growing fondness for you. His need to take care of you.

And…well, you know the story from here ;-).

Reblog for more content like this! It helps creators like myself tremendously and it is greatly appreciated :-)

Masterlist Masterlist [Continued] Masterpost Modern Warfare AI Masterlist

AO3 Wattpad

[6okuto]

KENMA RELATIONSHIP HCS

gn!reader, timeskip mentions

isn't a pda guy, but will fall asleep on your shoulder/rest against you as he games, and if you play with his hair, who's he to say no?

if you change your contact name in his phone, he keeps whatever it is, even if it's super silly or cheesy. like okay call "my honeybear darling angel 😚". he says it's because he's lazy but he does find it kinda cute/amusing

you cheer for kenma at practice in like, a sort of exaggerated way, like "gooo kenma!!! yeaahh!! let's go kenma!! kenma! kenma!" and he tries really hard not to look at you—not because he's annoyed, but because he doesn't want you to notice how red his face has gotten. his teammates point it out anyway

lol his team using you as motivation. "don't you want to impress them?" and kenma's like 😒😒 but gets up from the floor

kenma teaching you how to play his favourite (co-op) video games!! he's pretty patient and explains things well, so if you don't have a lot of gaming experience, don't worry too much ^^ buttt if you're competitive, get ready to Compete. he seems like someone who doesn't take it too seriously unless you start (jokingly) shit talking him

he'll try out any games you like too, even if it isn't something he'd pick himself. he doesn't really plan to when you're describing it, but then he thinks about it, or sees a post mentioning it, and the curiosity (And Affection 4 U :3) gets him

easily notices if you've gotten quieter/tired when you're out. if you're with a group, he'll tap your shoulder and offer his own, ask if you're alright, and or make up an excuse so you can both leave. if it's just the two of you, he's quick to find a place to rest for a while

he'll never make you join if you don't want to, but fans eat up any videos or streams with you—they make edits and compilations of you walking in during streams and everything. the amount of begging for a q&a and story time of how you met is crazydsjdhsj

chat is soo annoying about it too /lh "no they're not single," "i know they're out of my league," "yes they were my first subscriber," kenma telling you not to answer them when they ask if he's clingy, etc etc

! i think it'd be cute if you guys had matching phone cases, but his fans didn't know until you showed up with the other one. and they realize Just how much he has on that's matching you—the bracelet and necklace that they catch glimpses of under his hoodie, the hoodie itself from the same line as yours... yeah.

time for "he said no pickles." unless you also don't like asking/don't care,, then you guys can just take the pickles off together <3

^ if it's a serious mistake they made with your food, kenma's a lot more compelled to approach the counter.

would teach you about stocks. if you asked

mutual info dumping and yapping... he's very aware of how much he's telling you the first couple of times, but gets more comfortable when you do it back !

^ kind of guy to do his own research afterward. he makes a semi-obscure reference/joke the day after and you're like ???? Who told you that.

kind of boyfriend who hears you go "i want him" "wait why's this character kinda..." and isn't like, that offended or put off by it. says "understandable" (or questions your taste), but knows they're a character at the end of the day

quality time kind of guy. people know you're special even if they don't know you're dating because you can convince kenma to go to events or try something new when they wouldn't expect it. (obviously it's never something crazy out of his comfort zone, and it's probably because he knows you'd feel better with someone with you, but he's going all the same!!)

kenma isn't the best with receiving words of affirmation or gifts... he appreciates it, but gets awkward and doesn't know how to react ^^; you reassure him that he doesn't have to jump for joy or be super affectionate back—he shows his love in his own ways !

his gifts are very thoughtful. he gets you something practical, and then things that you've really wanted for a while. his cards aren't filled with long letters of adoration, but they're genuine and very much kenma. (+ having money in the timeskip doesn't mean he'd ever buy something expensive or flashy just because it might be 'easier.' it means he gets to buy you way more merchandise for your favourite media, paying the shipping fees that kept you away.)

you get him a super thoughtful (and maybe expensive) gift and he Lights Up. and then he's like ? you remembered / really paid that much ? really ? and he keeps smiling when he looks at it..

kenma coming downstairs with super bad bedhead and pouting when you snicker. but then he relaxes as you comb your fingers through to fix it

tying up his hair... a little ponytail or bun...

matching pajamas... or those fluffy headbands you wear to wash your face... he looks so silly and cute

university student kenma who walks in visibly irritated, and you know you're about to shit talk his group members or professor together.

late night breakfast. sitting in the kitchen eating bowls of cereal past midnight

! late night gaming sessions... and or sometimes you fall asleep waiting for kenma to finish, then wake up to realize he fell asleep at his desk. you have to coax him into bed after saving the game for him

very nervous during the first year you're together any time there's a holiday, especially valentine's day or your anniversary. he wonders if his plans and gifts are enough, not romantic enough, too boring, if you'd rather do something exciting, even if logically he knows you'll like anything he thinks up

sometimes you guys will just lie on the floor, stare at the ceiling together, and talk. maybe there's music, a game menu screen playing in the background, or you're just listening to the birds and neighbours outside. floor time is healing all the same

bleaching kenma's hair + him helping dye yours... timeskip where chat asks if you've done your hair recently because his hands have been stained :')

it's super easy to team up with kuroo to tease him but also ! teaming up to taunt and prank kuroo !! think of kenma laughing bright and loudly, eyes squinting and arms clutching his middle !! kuroo can't be that mad because he's happy someone else can get kenma this happy too

🏷️ | @icekitgeorge3 @dira333 (hey guys) @pelicanpizza @godoffuckedupcats @causenessus @priv-rose @ur-local-simp @respitable @deepenthevoid

[esotericbluntbaby]

heya! just thought of some angst hehe

hamzah and reader are out and about and reader keeps getting hit on by dudes (some shes aware of, like a guy is filrty so she just uses him for drinks for her and hamzah, some shes oblivious to) since this is hamzah's first relationship, he doesnt really know how to act. he thinks hes just overthinking it since you've shown no interest in any of the guys thats tried to hit you up, but slowly it starts to consume him, what if you leave him for anothrr guy? he knows hes pretty akward at times and thinks u could probably do better than him

it gets to a point where the once goofy hamzah turns to him just being quiet all the time. u try asking him abt it but he doesnt really say, embarrased about the way he feels. it gets to a point where u wake up in the middle of the night to hear him talking to martin abt how he feels

then u confront him and stuff then boom comfort!! all is well!!!!!

superrrr sorry if its a long request, i just felt pretty imaginative today 😔✊️

eavesdropping troubles

hamzahthefantastic x reader

description: the reader, oblivious to hamzah's insecurity, accidentally eavesdrops on a conversation between him and martin.

mentions: angst, insecurity, she/her pronouns, happy ending, sfw!

i love love love this idea <3

--

hamzah's emotional state was currently in shambles.

when he met you, his old friends hinted that you were out of his league; though they aren't in his life anymore due to them leeching off of his energy and fame, the insecurity they brought into your relationship played with the folds of his brain. it was like they somehow were able to stick their fingers in the crevices of every memory, thought, and idea he had gotten and tainted it, similar to how wine stains tablecloth and isn't able to be washed out.

he knew you were attractive. actually, he didn't even know how to comprehend how beautiful you are to him. hamzah believes that every step you walk could potentially lay seeds to grow flowers with every waking step you take. he believes that your voice would be what he hears when he goes into whatever the afterlife is; a sense of comfort, a sense of home. your laugh, to hamzah, was a song only sirens can sing, luring him in whenever he senses your presence by the extroverted laugh escaping from your vocal chords; if he was a pirate, he would jump into the rough waters of the cascadian sea and swim to you, even if water begins to flood his lungs and his legs give out from exhaustion. your personality was one that felt like a break from all the fake and shitty ones. you were a catch. you were his form of meditation, his home, and his solace, all in one.

though hamzah feels deeply about each and every aspect of you, he didn't realize that other people could potentially gain the same emotions his heart beats for; not until he began to notice the stares and attention you would get in public. with the realization that the men you speak to could mean more by their subtle touches and glances, he began to walk with an arm slung around your shoulder at all times. you, being his girlfriend, stole his hoodies and occasionally pairs of pants and accessories; he knew it was his, yet, he realized that everyone else probably thought it was yours. so, he upped the antics; the level of pda went through the roof the more he realized that he needed to make a point. though it was never anything too much, his hand was almost always interlocked with yours. you thought it was the sweetest gesture anyone has ever given you. that was your man; yours specifically, and he was proud of it.

however, with all the male attention given to you, he began to doubt himself. the insecurity, though starting with his old friend group, became amplified each time a man offered you his number when he wasn't around, or when you would text him about some guy asking if you were single. so, as his thoughts became louder than his voice, he unintentionally became cold, dry, and distant.

--

you first realized it when you were telling him a story about some guy, who made you insanely uncomfortable, asking for your number. you were used to the attention, yet you never gave them the attention you would give hamzah. a simple, "no. i have a boyfriend," sufficed each and every time. hamzah never blamed you for it, which is why you felt so comfortable telling him about the encounters you go through in your day to day life.

"if i could've told him to fuck off, i would've," you mentioned, "but people are scary these days. men, specifically."

"yea, i get that," he replied.

you took a bite of the pasta, spicy rigatoni alla vodka that your loving boyfriend prepared, in front of you, "do you wanna go do something after we eat?"

"nah, i gotta do some work. in fact, i'm gonna finish my work in my room right now."

"are you not gonna finish your food?" you asked, slightly worried that he wasn't eating.

he got up from the leather stool, taking the bowl with him, "i will. i'll talk to you later."

it was odd of him, you thought to yourself. normally, he always finishes his meals with you. in fact, that was the first time he ever left mid-meal. yet, you shrugged it off as him being busy. you've always been understanding of his career and how important it is to him, so you let it go as a way of supporting the boy who supports you the most.

--

the second time was when he took you out on a date to the aquarium. he had always joked around about you secretly being a mermaid from how much you enjoy the ocean and natural water, in general. as you marveled at the enormous fish tank in front of you, taking in the sight of the vibrant coral reefs and schools of fish swimming at different paces, he stood behind you. his arms wrapped around your waist, similar to a koala crawling up a tree with its arms interlocked in the front. suddenly, a grating voice interrupted the moment you were having with him.

"hey, are you single? my friend over there thinks you're hot," the boy with the glasses and buzzcut said to you.

you rolled your eyes and turned to look at him, "do you not see the boy that's hugging me from behind right now?"

"ah, aight. my bad, slime," he apologized before returning to his friend.

turning around to look at hamzah, a certain emptiness took away the light from his face. it was dark in the aquarium, but you noticed worry evident in the scrunched up eyebrows and and mouth pushed to the side. you reached your hands up to his cheeks and kissed his mouth with the essence of care and adoration. pulling away, you spoke.

"are you okay? i'm sorry."

he looked at you, still with a level of solemness apparent, "don't apologize; it's not your fault, it's okay. can we go home now? i don't feel that good."

you hugged him, "yeah, baby, of course."

as he pulled up to the designated parking of your shared apartment, he seemed more in a rush than usual. of course, he opened your car door and helped you get out as he always does; however, he was walking quicker than usual to the front door. as soon as you entered the apartment, he went straight to the room. you decided to let him cool off alone for a little; his rushing made you feel like it was the best course of action.

--

the third time wasn't even when a man gave you attention. you noticed that his replies to your questions and conversations were less loving and more straight to the point.

--

"hamzah, can you please help me reach the measuring cups at the top of the cabinets?" you asked him as he was working on his laptop.

without a word, he walked to the kitchen with you following behind him. he reached up to the top of the cabinet towards the ceiling and grabbed the stack of measuring cups, not having to extend much because of his height.

"thank you-"

before you knew it, he vanished back to his pc before you even had the chance to turn around.

--

"what do you think of my outfit?" you asked, smiling in confidence and giving him a twirl.

he looked stagnant with his resting face, "it's nice."

you frowned, "do you think it looks weird on me?"

"nah, you're good."

"oh, okay."

--

hell, even in texts he was being as dry as a teenage boy trying to ghost the girl he met on snapchat a week ago after she refused to send nudes.

--

hamzahh :p <3

11:45 am | do u need anything from the store

derp queen gf :3 <3

11:45 am | yes pls, can u get some oat milk? we ran out

11:45 am | thank u baby i love u :)

hamzahh :p <3

11:49 am | k

--

derp queen gf :3 <3

3:23 pm | i have a headache

hamzahh :p <3

3:30 pm | oh u should prob eat or sleep or smth

derp queen gf :3 <3

3:30 pm | i did earlier, idk whats up with my head

hamzahh :p <3

4:21 pm | idk either

--

derp queen gf :3 <3

10:07 pm | hii baby i just wanted to ask when you'll be home

hamzahh :p <3

10:08 pm | like 20 min

derp queen gf :3 <3

10:08 pm | ah okayy drive safe i love u <3

hamzahh :p <3 liked your message

--

it was currently around 3 in the morning. you were attempting to chase sleep peacefully, however, the absense of warmth wrapped around you made it hard. the blanket didn't work as well as hamzah did. you wondered why he wasn't in bed yet; he finished the video he was editing earlier and he hadn't seen you all day. normally, this was the time when he would be all over you; the time where his lips would shower your body in kisses and marks, since he knew you were ticklish and enjoyed hearing you laugh. your feet hit the cold, wooden floors beneath you, sending a shiver in your spine, as you decided to venture to find him.

the light of the office was on and you could hear two distinct voices speaking on the phone; martin and hamzah were currently on a call. your hand reached out towards the metal doorknob, yet you pulled away after the voices started sounding more clear to you. it was muffled, but you could understand what was going on in the call.

"martin, i just don't know what to do. i mean, my girlfriend's genuinely the most attractive person i've ever seen and, y'know, i kinda didn't realize that other people would think so too."

"okay, yeah, but, like, at the same time, that doesn't mean you just ignore her and get hella distant. you think me and mandy would've lasted this long if i did that?"

"it's not like i'm trying to be a dick, it's just happening. i dunno, i just feel like she would do so much better with someone else that isn't me."

"why?"

"look at her, martin! and then look at me. i feel like people just look at her in pity like i'm some sort of weird guy who follows her around like a dog. it's like i can just hear their thoughts of, 'damn, why's she with him?" or, 'shit, does she realize she could do waaaay better?' i love her so much. i don't wanna drag her down from being with someone who deserves her."

"hamzah, don't say that. i'm sure you treat her, like, exceptionally well. i see it, mandy sees it, chase and claire see it... i think you're just getting too much into your head about what other people think of you."

"it's hard not to when i constantly feel like i'm not enough for her. like, she doesn't do anything to make me feel like this- shit, she's the best girl i've ever met in my life and she genuinely treats me so good- like i live so good because of her. it's just, i dunno, i guess i'm scared she doesn't feel the same towards me."

the last sentence made your heart drop to your stomach; you viewed hamzah so highly that he could be considered a higher being. being attractive, you've been with a couple other people; however, none of them treated you with the same elegance, poise, and kindness that hamzah does. none of them opened every single door for you as if their life depended on it. none of them would take off their jacket just to hold it above you like shelter whenever it rained. none of them would cook whatever meal you requested, regardless of if they know how to make it or not. hamzah would do all of that and more. every door was opened, in fact, he would even kiss you as you entered whatever building it was. his jacket would be taken off as soon as a droplet hit the floor, no matter how hard or light it was raining; "you'll get sick if you get wet and i don't wanna get sick too. i know if you get sick, i'll get sick because i can't stay away from you." hamzah spoke to your mother when he realized you were getting home sick and learned exactly how to make your childhood comfort dish, to the tea; your mother likes him and he is the first boy she's ever enjoyed the presence of. you opened the door slowly, making sure not to be too agile with your movements. he looked at you, a glimmer of fear manifesting in his eyes.

"martin, i gotta go," he said, quickly hanging up the call.

he stayed seated in his desk, motioning for you to come closer to him. you stood next to him, silent, and began to rub his upper back with comfort laced in each movement.

his voice was a whisper, barely audible, "how much did you hear?"

"i heard about how you truly feel about me," you mentioned, "the parts where you think you're not good enough for me.

you sat on his lap, as his arms moved to rub circles on your thighs. your arms made its way to the back of his neck, holding yourself upright so that your heads would be facing each other. one of your hands made its way up to his hair; you knew that playing with his hair was one of the most comforting things to him and right now is the time to be comforting him. you kissed him lovingly, the urgency not necessarily being neither a peck or a makeout; it was a third, more balanced option. in that moment, hamzah felt the love you had for him transfer within him. this kiss was different; though all of your kisses had meaning to them, this kiss transcended the insecurity he previously felt about the way you viewed him. you gazed at his eyes after pulling away, noticing hints of lighter brown in the irises being reflected by the dimmed lamp in front of him. he saw how you felt about him in yours.

"is this why you've been so distant?"

he sighed, "yeah. it is."

you frowned, "baby, you could've told me you were feeling like this. i would've comforted you the way that i'm trying to right now."

"i didn't wanna make you feel like it was your fault. it's not. it's mine."

"it's not your fault. you can't control how you feel and that's okay."

he looked away, turning his gaze to the floor, "i didn't want you to think i was weak."

you gently turned his head, eye contact filling the space between you, "hamzah, you're the strongest boy i know. both mentally and physically. it's one of the things i admire the most about you, but i admire so much about you that your strength is one of thousands of traits i feel so strongly about towards you. i don't ever want you to feel like you're weak for having feelings or for having trouble talking about those feelings, but i do want you to be able to talk about them so that i can at least try to help you."

he kissed your cheek, "i know, i'm sorry. i'm sorry i was a dick and i'm sorry i've been so cold. i should've just talked to you about everything."

"did you know that you're the first boy to ever show me what love truly is?"

he looked genuinely confused, "what? i thought you've been with people before."

"i have, yeah. did i love them? i thought i did, but i didn't. and did they love me? not even close. and that's why i stopped loving them. but you and me? it's been three years and going since i started loving you.

"baby, we've only been together for a year and six months."

"yeah, and before that you were a friend. a friend who i never felt scared of talking to if i had a problem and a friend who i could talk to about anything because of the trust i have in you. i think i've genuinely loved you ever since i really got to know you; even if we weren't dating. i've always had that trust and love and care for you. it hasn't stopped and it won't."

the emptiness slowly left his eyes with every word you spoke; hamzah needed this. hamzah needed you.

"you're the first boy i've ever truly loved because you deserve it. i want you and i need you in my life. you're my lifeline. even though anything i do can't ever be enough for you because you deserve everything and infinity, i'll do my best to love you as much as humanly possible. and even when i die, i'll love you as much as i can as ghostly possibly.

he smiled and laughed lightly, "you wanna be a ghost with me?"

"hell yeah. we could haunt the shit out of people we hate."

"i think they'll be dead, too, baby."

"you get the point. but my point is that i deserve you and you deserve me. i love you, hamzah. i always will and always have since i got to know you."

in that moment, hamzah realized the the folds of his brain was playing with themselves all along; including the current state of kissing and hugging his girlfriend. currently, the folds of his brain were creating a memory; a memory that will stick with him each time he gets a voice in his head telling him that you were out of his league. each time hamzah heard you giggling while on his lap as he joked around about everything he wasn't able to tell you in the period that he was being distant, his brain healed itself. his brain was now able to be quiet, as the sound of your voice echoed in his ears, leading up to his head. his brain's voice was now silenced, as the voice of true love was able to scream.

--

authors note!

i think this is one of the most descriptive things i've written in a while! i hope u guys like this and i love u guys thank u sm for all the support on my fics my pretties <33 :p

[letters-to-rosie]

random Ekko thoughts

so I'm trying to get a little fic writing in, and I was thinking of some timebomb takes I've seen recently. I realized that a lot of opinions people have on their relationship and how it's depicted center around Jinx, and I was wondering what care people give towards writing Ekko, so here are some things I like to include when writing him:

perfectionist. Ekko, at least in League canon, goes back and forth over and over to craft a perfect moment. I think he'd be observant, detail-oriented, probably a little neurotic, definitely the type to replay an awkward interaction over and over in his head in the shower or before falling asleep

emotionally guarded. first, I gotta say I don't think Ekko would want to be this way. but he's been through so much he finds it useful to have walls up. it's not like all the toughness is a defense mechanism—he fights for what he believes in and is clearly very brave (who else makes hoverboards ffs). he does miss, though, the times and people that allowed him to be more vulnerable, and he treasures it when he has it. his childhood ended way too soon

chronic overthinker. this goes back to the perfectionism, but I think he'd constantly be questioning everything. he's good on his feet, but he likes to have a plan, and he'd tends to think about those for a long time

charismatic as hell. this one I think is proven by the show, lol. Ekko seems very personable, likes to haggle (at least as a kid), and is liked enough to lead a resistance movement. I think he'd make good speeches and be good at convincing people. this would, of course, cause drama with Jinx, because he'd be like "all these people believe in me and my former best friend doesn't," ow

drama. I like to give him a pretty dramatic inner monologue, lol. I also like to think he's self-aware enough to realize he's being dramatic in the moment and to then continue the drama anyway

enjoyer of thrills. hoverboard. need I say more?

childish and playful side. didn't get to have a full childhood and cherishes getting to let that side out. cue fluff

fidgeter. it preceded the tinkering

player of mind games. this is mostly based on how he treats Caitlyn and Vi after kidnapping them, putting them through what essentially amounts to tests (for, imo, understandable reasons). he also goads Jinx into a game he knows he'll be able to win. I think he'd apply this thinking to other scenarios, be they big or small

too-big sense of responsibility. would feed into the drama for sure. he feels the weight of his community on his shoulders, and because he wants things to go well, and because they're counting on him, he takes on a lot that he maybe should not

self-righteous. he strikes me as filled with righteous anger. he's right, most of the time. on the occasion he isn't, this causes problems

proud. wouldn't be a real issue in most situations, but it's there

irreverent. he flips off cops as a kid. we love him for this

smart. this is obvious, but sometimes can be forgotten in the fandom. I'd see Ekko as book-smart and having street-smarts (or at least a lot more than Jayce, but that's a low bar). I think his verbal skills would also be a bit more polished than some of the other science-inclined characters (cough cough Jinx). I think it's also notable that among the others (Jayce, Viktor, Heimerdinger, Jinx), Ekko is the main science character who has no access to proper schooling at any point. sure, he has his job with Benzo, but it's unclear how much that would have taught him. Silco probably got at least books for Jinx, and the others had real teachers. there's an element of resourcefulness in Ekko's smarts which is laudable, imo

very dorky. we love a man with range. I feel like he would be able to operate on multiple levels, one in which he's this cool charismatic leader and another when you get to know him better, who makes science puns and has a lot of insecurities, which naturally leave him replaying awkward conversations in the shower. layers!

idealistic. you have to give people what they need to live

heart of gold. one thing that always strikes me is that Ekko is really the only member of the main cast concerned enough with the plight of the average person in Zaun to make it his whole business. he's tending to the crisis in a way that is simultaneously very grounded and (again) idealistic, where substance use recovery is very much needed in the setting but he's also (perhaps in contrast to Vander) throwing himself into battles that are unsustainable because he believes in his cause, even if the persecution is so bad he has to hide over it

disaster bi (this one is for me)

Ekko's a really layered and interesting character. I wanted to bring up some things I think about when writing him because of posts I've seen recently about him being reduced to "Jinx's boyfriend" (due to anti-black racism, of course) and posts just kinda about timebomb in general? I think because it's been canon that Ekko has a crush of Jinx for so long, it's easy to take that for granted and not give much thought to his side of the ship. we also spend a lot more time in Jinx's head than his in the show, even though the brief moment we do spend in his head introduces a whole new art style and the best song on the soundtrack (fight me)

obviously, I'm a shameless Ekko and Firelights stan. he's my favorite character in Arcane and one of my favorites in anything ever, so it was fun to flesh out my headcanons, things I think are extrapolatable from canon, and just some of the traits that go into writing him. if people have others (or just traits and things they think are interesting) I'd love to hear them! I love my brilliant and contradictory boy!

[auras-moonstone]

heyyy i love your ficsss so badly! i was wondering if you could do “you are in love” reader x (ethan or jack, doesn’t matter) where reader and ethan/jack slowly start falling in love, and just make small little moments where it shows how they slowly start developing feelings for each other, and it ends up in them kissing in a car or on a rooftop!! thank you so much!! i love ur fics, they make me believe in love all over again xx!!

that’s actually the cutest thing someone’s ever told me🥺 thank you so much, i hope you like it!

you are in love — ethan landry

word counter: 2.2k

pairing: ethan landry x fem!reader

summary: y/n moves to new york to be with her friends and meets ethan, with whom she connects instantly and they slowly start to fall for each other.

warnings: none! just fluff.

Y/N couldn’t believe she had let the group drag her to one of the places she hated the most—parties. The only reason why she accepted was because she had just moved to New York after years of living in another country, and she missed her friends. Especially when she heard the news about their attack and the death of Wes and Liv. She needed to be with them, so she transferred to Blackmore University.

“Can you at least pretend you’re enjoying yourself?” Mindy asked, trying not to laugh at the girl’s scowl.

“No, at least people will get the memo. I swear if one more frat boy offers me to go upstairs I’m starting something.”

“Hey, you wanna go upstairs?” a voice from behind her teased.

Y/N laughed as she turned around. “Hi, Chad. You’re the only frat boy I tolerate… most of the time.”

“I missed your grumpiness so bad.” he hugged her. “By the way, this is Ethan. Eth, this is Y/N, my best friend who just moved and our new roomie.”

Standing beside Chad was the tallest 20-year-old Y/N had ever seen. With perfect brown curls and magnetic brown eyes, he was also the most gorgeous guy Y/N had ever met.

Very aware of the pretty girl’s intense eyes on him, Ethan blushed. In an act of nervousness, he foolishly extended his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Y/N looked down at his hand and with a smile, she shook it. “Nice to meet you, too. I heard a lot about you. Chad is kinda in love.”

He truly spoke a lot about him, and Y/N thought their bromance was everything.

“Damn right. He is my boy.” Chad squeezed his male best friend’s shoulder. “I think you two are going to get along great. You can bitch about parties together while the rest of the group have fun.”

“Have they been dragging you to a lot of parties?” she asked in a sympathetic tone.

“Sadly, yes.” the boy laughed. “It’s nice to know I won’t be miserable alone anymore.”

Y/N giggled. “Hey, thanks for letting me stay in your dorm, by the way. I know we don’t know each other, so I appreciate it.”

“No problem at all, really. Chad says you make the best coffee in the world, and coffee is practically what keeps me alive in college. So my reasons might not be selfless at all.”

“I share the sentiment, and I’ll gladly make you coffee anytime you want. I promise.”

“That’s a dangerous promise to make. I truly do drink a lot of coffee.”

“Trust me, she could make a run for your money. She hasn’t had coffee for like three hours and she’s already Grouchy Smurf.” Chad spoke, reminding the two teens that they weren’t alone. “I’m telling you, you’re going to get along great.”

“I believe it. Hell, I might just have replace you already.” Y/N exchanged a smile with Ethan.

Chad rolled his eyes and scoffed, acting annoyed. Truth was, ever since he had met Ethan, the only thing he could think was what a perfect match he would be for Y/N. Sam and Tara could see it too, but Mindy thought Y/N was way out of his league.

“Whatever, you two party poopers can hide in the corner. I’m going to party.” the boy said, leaving them alone.

Time flew too fast, which was unusual considering they were at a party, but between getting to know each other and light-hearted jokes, they realized almost three hours had passed and together they decided to call it a night.

“Sorry I wasn’t here this afternoon to welcome you. I lost track of time at the library.” Ethan said once they entered their dorm.

“Don’t worry about it. We didn’t do much anyways, they just helped me unpack and then I took the most awesome nap.”

Ethan smiled. “Yeah, you look way too energetic.”

“And you look like you’re two seconds away from collapsing on the spot.” she laughed. “Go rest.”

“Are you going to bed?”

“I’ll probably make some tea and read for a while, I’m not tired.”

“I can keep you company.” he offered. Y/N smiled, he was trying hard to keep his eyes open yet he was still there making sure she didn’t feel alone.

“No, it’s okay. You look very tired and I don’t mind some alone time, really. Thanks, tho. You’re very sweet. “

“Fine, but if you need anything wake me up. I’m serious.”

“Okay, thanks. Good night, Ethan.”

Ethan yawned and mumbled a quick “Night, Y/N/N. It’s was nice to meet you.”

It was a Sunday morning and Y/N woke up in a good mood, so she decided to make breakfast for Ethan and her. Starting with the coffee Ethan had become obsessed with ever since the first time she made it for him, and then she tried to make toasts. Keyword: tried.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck.” she cursed, taking the burnt toasts out of the toaster. “Idiot!”

“Well, good morning to you too.” a sarcastic raspy voice said from the other side of the stool.

Y/N turned around to face the curly-haired boy. “Sorry, Eth. Good morning. I tried to make us toasts but I burnt them.”

Ethan smiled and walked towards her. “Thank you, you didn’t have to. Let me do it, you already did coffee.”

Their shoulders brushed and they stood still, looking at each other in shock. The moment lasted for only a second, but it was a meaningful one. Just one look and a small touch, but they felt enough.

It had been a month since Y/N moved in with the two boys and met the rest of the group. And even though she had built a nice friendship with Anika and Quinn, it was safe to say that Ethan was the one she had connected the most with.

“So, what are your plans for today? Chad already left for the gym and then he’s going to Tara’s.”

“I honestly don’t feel like going out, so maybe I’ll stay in, watch some movies.” Ethan shrugged, giving her a cup of coffee.

“Do you mind some company? I don’t feel like going out either”

Ethan smiled widely. “Of course. What’s your favorite genre?”

“Slashers, horror, suspense… anything gory.”

“Fuck yes. I finally have someone to watch horror movies with.” the boy smiled like a little kid.

“What are you talking about? Mindy’s really into them.” she frowned.

Ethan grimaced and let out a chuckle. “Mindy kinda hates me.”

“What? Why? Are you sure?” she asked, completely taken aback. Mindy sure was a peculiar human, but Ethan was so sweet and funny, there’s no way you could not like him.

“Yup. Surprised you haven’t noticed, she doesn’t hide it.”

“She’s a little distrustful, because of what happened last year.”

“I know. But that’s not it, she actually dislikes me. She says I have the profile of a killer, and I swear to God I feel the disgust on her eyes everytime I’m near. She says something mean about me whenever she can, and she bluntly said you’re too good to be my friend.”

Y/N’s jaw fell open and her heart hurt a little for him. “That’s a load of bullshit. I’m sorry, Ethan. That’s awful.”

“It’s alright. The rest of the group is cool with me, and Chad is already my best friend. I can take Mindy’s comments.”

“Well, you shouldn’t have to bear with them. I swear if she says something about you in front of me I—”

“You’re not going to say anything.” he cut her off. “I don’t want any tension, I’ll just keep on ignoring what she says.”

“Okay, then. I’m not saying anything.”

“Thanks.”

“If you’re present.” she finished. “If she talks about you when you’re not there, I’ll give her my piece of mind. And there’s nothing you can do to make me change my mind.”

“Stubborn woman.” he rolled his eyes.

Y/N gave him a toothy smile. “Proudly.”

Ethan felt like he had been given an electric shock. There was a parade going on inside his stomach, and his heart was beating as if he had ran the longest marathon.

But it was all Y/N and her protectiveness over him. They had known each other for a little over a month, and there she was, becoming his best friend and making him feel cared for and important.

There was one week left until finals, and the anxiety was in the air and printed on Y/N’s and Ethan’s faces. They were both sat on the couch—papers, notebooks and colourful markers sprawled around them—and talking to themselves under their breaths.

“That’s it, I’m out. I can’t stand the sight of you two.” Chad said, pocketing his phone as he stood up from his chair almost tripping over one of the empty cups of coffee on the floor.

“I’m so sorry we’re invested in having a future.” Y/N said sarcastically “If one day you need a doctor,” she pointed to herself and then at Ethan “or a lawyer, we’re definitely not going to be there.”

Chad raised his eyebrows, and bit his lip trying not to laugh. “Okay, whatever you say.” he raised his arms. “Good luck with this one, Ethan.”

“Ethan’s fine, he doesn’t get on my nerves. Unlike you.”

“Because you’re one and the same.”

“I smell jealousy there, Chad. Are you mad your boyfriend replaced you?” Y/N smirked.

“He didn’t replace me. I’m still his favourite, right, Eth?”

Ethan diverted his gaze. “I plead the fifth.”

“He doesn’t want to hurt your feelings, but the answer’s clearly yes.” Chad said to Y/N. “Goodbye.”

Once the door closed, the only sounds that could be heard in the living room were the turning of pages and some frustrated sighs. Ethan was the one who broke first, “Okay, let’s just stop. You’re going to get migraines and I can sense you’re about to burst out crying.”

“Thank fuck, I didn’t want to be the weak one and say it first.” Y/N said in relief, closing her textbook. “Want coffee?”

“Sure” Ethan said with a laugh.

“So…” Y/N started. They had sat on the balcony, with a cup of coffee, to admire the streets of New York at midnight.

“So…”

“Who’s your favorite? Chad or me?” she asked with a playful smile.

Ethan rolled his eyes and tugged her close, so her back was resting against his chest. They both closed their eyes and enjoyed each other’s presence.

Something they loved about their friendship was that there wasn’t any need to fill the silences. There wasn’t any awkwardness because they had learnt to communicate without words, they could read each other’s expressions and body language. Everyone in the group could see they had a unique bond.

Y/N and Ethan never had to say anything for the group to know something stronger was developing between them. Something more than a friendship. They could hear it in their silences, they could feel it on the way home from university—both would walk beside each other and absentmindedly brush their knuckles or lean against the other—, and they could definitely notice the way they looked at each other. Whether the other was looking or not, they were constantly searching for one another. They were falling in love, you could see it even with the lights out.

“Ethan?”

“Yes?”

“You’re my favourite, too.”

Ethan smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. Y/N fell asleep listing to his heartbeats.

Things changed after than night. The two friends finally realized what the rest of the group had known for months—they were in love. And with the realization came the fears. Fear of rejection, of ruining a perfect friendship, fear of those feelings being one-sided. And so they spent days trying to push down those feelings until it became unbearable.

“There you are.” Y/N said with a smile once he found Ethan lying on the rooftop. Now that finals were over, the group decided to take a well-deserved vacations and rented a house on the beach. “Can I join you?”

“Always.” Ethan smiled patting the place beside him.

“What a view. Can we stay forever?” Y/N said in a content tone. The sun was setting, painting the sky with pretty shades of bright orange and soft pink, contrasting with the clear blue water of the sea.

I already get to see the prettiest view everyday, was Ethan’s immediate thought. But he couldn’t say that, so instead he went with, “I wish.”

Silence followed those words. This time, it wasn’t the comfortable peaceful one they were accustomed to. There was this loudness in Y/N’s strange expression, like she wanted to get something off her chest but she was overthinking it way too much.

“You can tell me anything, you know?” Ethan said softly.

Y/N looked into his eyes and moved her body closer to his. Ethan’s heart started beating in anticipation, something about that move made him hopeful.

“I just…” she paused. “You’re my best friend, Eth.” they were so close she might as well have whispered those words against his lips.

Ethan smiled and closed the distance painfully slow. If she was any other person, he might have had second thoughts, but not with Y/N. He could read her like his favourite book. “I’m in love with you.” he whispered when the kiss ended. Their foreheads were touching and their eyes were still closed.

“I’m in love with you, too.”

[thestargayzingheroine]

Why A Better World is my favourite "Evil Superman" Story

So in the last two decades or so, there's been a notable amount of dark and edgy stories around superheroes turning evil and whatnot and most of them really love to do their own expies of Superman. I've never been the biggest fans of these kinds of stories.

And then there's the actual stories of Superman and other heroes being outright villains or at least just massive assholes. In recent years, this has been largely thanks to the influence of media like the Injustice Games or the Synderverse DC movies. It's... honestly become a trope I am tired of.

Because you know the damnest thing? There is a story that does all these ideas really damn well and arguably better. It is the two-parter from the Justice League cartoon "A Better World".

Now, I am aware how most people favouring the DCAU has become a bit of toxic nostalgia at times and it's something I myself am trying to work through a bit. But in this case, I do think it's the best idea of doing an evil DC story, much better and more interesting than the Crime Syndicate, who if you ask me are not very interesting, though I do remember liking the Crisis On Two Earths movie a lot, which funny enough, was originally going to be this two parter before various things led to it being canned and then later repurposed as a direct to DVD movie.

Anyway, my main crux of why I love this story is simple... The entire Justice League turns evil... and the reasons are very much in-character for all of them. You look at the scene with Justice Lord Batman for example.

As fucking evil as the Justice Lords are... Batman can't quite fully hate his alternate self for his reason for taking part in all this being basically one-step further than his own mission, that no child should ever go through what he did. Hell, I recall reading that the reason the writers had Batman drop his batarang at the end of this scene... was because he genuinely wouldn't be able to come up with an argument to that.

Superman likewise kills Lex Luthor because yeah, Luthor literally exploited the flaws in Democracy and became president of the US, threatening to kinda basically start world war 3. It's obviously horrible... but Superman is a character whose main motivation is making the world a better place. And if people who abuse the systems of power of the world are hurting people, why shouldn't Superman put a stop to that?

And yeah, Superman should obviously never kill, he's the most paragon of paragons of the DC universe, a man committed to always being better than the villains he fights... but this is him pushed to his most logical extreme. Hell, the main Superman knows this and its why Lex used his knowledge of this alternate universe as part of his plan in the season after this, to goad our Superman into crossing the line because yeah, there's a part of him that could go this far.

But right as Superman is about to apparently finish him, the big guy says this.

"I'm not the man who killed President Luthor. I wish to heaven that I were but I'm not."

Because Superman like everyone else, obviously would have those same thoughts and same urges. He's human.

I've kinda gone off Injustice a bit because to be honest... the injustice games were kinda just this but a bit too edgelordy. Hell, in A Better World, Lois Lane still lives and the whole genesis of it doesn't revolve around her getting fridged.

So yeah, A Better World is probably one of my favourite mirror universe stories because of the fact that well... it really is like looking in a mirror and seeing just how easy the greatest heroes can become evil and how they wouldn't be massively out of character doing so. But also it reminds us that as much as this darkness can tempt some of our finest, the ones who don't go down this dark path are stronger in heart than anyone else. Because when the world becomes a dark and horrible place, it becomes very easy to be just as dark. But even though it can be hard to still try and be a good person even in dark times, it's ultimately worth it. Because good always triumphs over evil.

[bichletmepickaname]

I am still mad about the fact Giopara League Viktor and Blizcrank are being retconned PELASE I LOVE JAYCE GIOPARA SO MUCH I MIGHT LOVE HIM MORE THAN ARCANE JAYCE

OMFG DONT GET ME STARTED.

I was mad that a lot of Giopara’s original characteristics didn’t make it into arcane because he is one of my all time favourite characters. But I was able to get over it because I found Talis’s character interesting for other reasons, even if I loved Giopara a hell of a lot more. Also because I was under the impression that arcane wasn’t going to be canon to league lore. I crashed out after finding out about the re write.

With Viktor it’s a little different in season one. I believed there was still a lot of room for his MACHINE herald arc. and he kept alot of his personality from league. And I thought they weren’t allows to fundamentally change a character so much from the original material. I was proven disgustingly wrong with each act we got till act 3. He wasn’t a machine herald. He didn’t cut off his arm and replace it with one he made himself. He was more of a mutant. And near the end he didn’t care if people wanted to be evolved or not he was going to do it, unlike Viktor in league. Again I wouldn’t mind this if arcane wasn’t becoming the new canon.

The way the did Viktor and Jayce’s relationship is portrayed in arcane is very basic to me. Arcane adds layers to all the relationship that league didn’t. Except for Viktor and Jayce’s friendship. Viktor and Jayce’s friendship was complex in league because neither fully liked each other(or atleast wouldn’t admit it to eachother), But they never were able to fully hate each other either. They were two outcasts who didn’t know how to act with other people. Jayce was an asshole who couldn’t even give pity to the thought that others would take a little more time to understand things than him, choosing to believe everyone was just stupid but he was aware that he was a dick. Viktor was someone who’s thinking no one could understand his thinking, leading them to dismiss it. But Viktor and Jayce were both intelligent, they were able to ignore each others flaws to work together. Before Viktor pushed it too far. What makes their relationship particularly interesting is that even when they become enemies they don’t really hate each other. In arcane Jayce and Viktor are friends, sure there’s the odd conflict but it’s clear that they are friends there close. They enjoy eachother company. And their enemy arc(their whole thing in league) is kinda thrown out the window. Theres no fight Viktor just leaves. Jayve doesn’t attack Viktor because we can see Viktor is doing something morally dubious. In league Jayce shows up at Viktors lab to get his crystals back, he see’s what he thinks is Viktor killing people for experiments and apologizes to Viktor for being an ass but insists that this wasn’t what Viktor wants. Then Viktor orders the bots to kill Jayce so Jayce blows up Viktor’s lab killing everyone Viktor was trying to save. There were so many layers to that scene. But in arcane Jayce gets told by mage Viktor to kill him but also save him? So he blasts a while in Viktor’s chest, we know he’s doing it for the greater good, but I still don’t know why he shot Viktor if he promised he would save him? I do enjoy Jayce in Viktor in arcane but league is just arguably more interesting. This wouldn’t be a big deal if ARCANE WASN’T BECOMING CANON.

Blitz crank particularly pisses me off, he isn’t in arcane AT ALL not even w mentioned, and his whole back story doesn’t even happen. Viktor doesn’t create him in arcane because he’s to focused on the HEXCORE. Blitzcrank being written out of the story while characters from arcane are making into league just rubs me the wrong way. I’ve always loved blitzcrank and I’ve been waiting for him to come into arcane forever. The fact that he doesn’t but arcane is becoming canon is worrying me.

Long story short I think arcane would have been better if it never existed/hj

[menacing-menace-rat]

Can I get platonic yandere headcanons for all of the founding members of the Justice League?

I definitely can! Also sorry it took me so long to get to this. I'm still learning about how the inbox stuff works.

I'm going to have to make this in parts because it's alot to look at with all 7 members. This is part 1 of ?

I'm gonna use the founding members from the animated universe. More members and I love Martian Manhunter. If you were looking for the Snyder universe let me know and I'll edit the post and add Cyborg for you. 🤗

Warnings: kidnapping, gaslighting, obsessive behavior, general yandere creep stuff.

Platonic yandere justice league members part 1

Superman

You were a scientist at LexCorp

After some questionable experiments you knew you had to blow the whistle

So you went to the Daily Planet.

That's where it all stared.

So smart with a kind heart, how could he not protect you?

He's deluded himself completely.

He can't see how he can be the villain in anyone's story let alone yours.

He's very aware of his own strength thankfully.

You are more of a risk to yourself than he is. At least physically 👀

You'd be moved to a farmhouse almost right away.

When it comes to kidnapping you, he has no self control, it's near instant.

he knows how fragile humans are and he refuses to take any chances.

No matter how much you pleaded with him it was no use.

He was the only one who could help you and stop Lex.

This man has a scary amount of patience. No amount of hitting or screaming is going to set him off.

He will subconsciously prolong any solution that would make Lex and his people less of a threat to you.

He'd insist on sharing a bed. If he was anyone else you'd be worried he would try something.

If he wanted that kind of thing from you, you knew he could just make you.

So you were pretty sure whatever this was it was at least a platonic infatuation.

At night he'd hold you so tight it was difficult to move.

A physical reminder of what you already felt inside, trapped.

There was no escaping that farm. Anywhere in the city he could hear you.

He'd hear the front door open or your panting as you tried to run for the nearest road.

He wouldn't allow any kind of phones or computers in the house.

Why would he? Need help? He'll be there faster than any cop. You are lonely? That's fine he'd love to have hour long talks about anything you want.

Batman

Your best bet is to play along for years maybe. How ever long it takes for him to maybe let you make a grocery run alone.

He found you on the streets. Maybe it was your sad eyes or your dirty face but he knew he had to take you in.

He'd tell himself he could help you learn to fight. That you'd make a great Robin.

Deep down he knew he'd never let you fight in any way.

He's not like Superman. He knows how much he cares for you is unhealthy. He knows it's wrong to take you in and effectively trap you in a huge manor but what else can he do?

He is a world class manipulator. He also has far less patience then Superman.

Too many escape attempts and he's going to make a plan.

He'd go as far as to allow you to "escape". Only to orchestrate some horrible traumatic event so he can find you and save you all over again.

Depending on how strong willed you were the worst it would be.

It was twisted and horrible but he almost craved reassuring you.

He loved your tears so long as they weren't for a real reason.

Bruce kept a tight lid on his emotions. You'd never see him lose it. He'd never show he was upset with you.

Despite this being a very unconventional child/parent relationship his go to punishment is normally grounding and lost of privileges.

You'd be home schooled of course.

He isn't all that hands on unsurprisingly.

He'd ask one of the other kids to keep en eye on you or even another justice league members.

Asking them for help wouldn't work.

The kids are on board with Bruce. Even if they weren't what could they do?

As for the other JL members he'd tell them you were mentally ill and confused.

He'd get his colleagues/friends admiration for being so selfless by raising a sick child and you'd just look crazy.

Bruce is not known for his affection but he does try.

If you are crying or screaming he might try and comfort you with a hug or by rubbing your back.

He's not the best at comforting words either but his little acts of kindness are where he shines

He'd do his best to make most of your days as structured and predictable as possible.

You'd be kept in the best health imaginable. whether you liked it or not.

Anything you can ask for he'd give you, so long as you don't ask for freedom.

He even makes time to tuck you in every night no matter your age.

If he has time he might even read to you.

You probably are never getting free of him and his kids but your best bet would be utilize the uncontrollable.

Batman is a planner. He likes to be able to predict things.

Try and wait till something goes majorly wrong.

All of Arkhams prisoners being released or an alien invasion are your only chances of slipping out of that place. You'd only get one shot though.

Diana isn't crazy right off the bat.

Wonder Woman

(This one might be the only non gender neutral one.)

You were an anthropologist given the rare opportunity to study the amazonians from the island of Themyscira.

She is cool under pressure and isn't easily impressed.

After so long of staying there she'd start to feel like you were her sister.

But once she's invested in you there is no going back.

She would follow you back to whatever city you called home.

She isn't shy about her sisterly love for you. There would be no mind games with her.

She respects you too much for that.

She is so direct about it she would likely just tell you, you were going to go back to the island with her and be with her forever.

Depending on your reaction towards her directness she may not even make you.

She might be okay with you just visiting. For a while at least.

She's confident and self assured.

If you liked being around her as much as she likes being around you things would be easy.

If not life was going to be hard and potentially painful.

Rejecting her affection and forthcomingness will break her heart.

She would blame herself and work to be better.

Unfortunately being better to her means giving you even less space.

She'd make you come back with her.

An island full of tall strong women all who listen to Diana's will.

You are not escaping.

She is near impossible to trick twice if you have already tried to get away from her.

That being said it wouldn't be all that bad.

She would be painfully gentle with you. So long as you just listen.

You are her little sister after all.

She differs from Kent and Bruce in a big way.

She would train you, she is pragmatic and understands one day she may not be there to protect you.

Long and rigorous training sessions would be the norm for a while.

On Themiscyra you'd have much more freedoms. You would even be able to walk around alone if you showed you can handle it.

Your happiness is her second priority after your safety.

She'd being you anything you wanted from your part of the world.

She would like for you to participate in amazonian traditions and customs but she'd never make you. Even if she wants to sometimes

She'd relish in watching you acclimate to her world.

She would insist her sisters treat you with the love and respect she feels you deserve.

Your only hope of escape would be to somehow get off the island and disappear.

Nothing sort of complete disappearance would work. If she ever caught you again you wouldn't be leaving that island for a second time.

More to come hopefully soon. There will be 2 or 3 parts in total not sure yet. Hope you enjoyed!

[queerstudiesnatural]

i find it so interesting to look at sam and dean's respective views of society and people vs monsters, especially in early seasons, and then how that shifts and evolves throughout the show. like when we first meet them dean is very anti establishment whereas sam is literally studying law at an ivy league college. dean is very vocally anti police, and you're like wow for someone who was raised by an authoritarian father and is trying his hardest to please him this guy sure hates authority. he is aware of and cares about issues like racism and classism. but then when it comes to anyone non human he pretty much has no grey area, he sees them all as monsters to be put down. they are Things and they all killed his mum. whereas sam is pretty neutral about people, he doesn't even seem to be aware of systemic inequalities, he has a more individualistic approach to society. but this means he also sees monsters as individuals, just as capable of being good or redeemed.

This has everything to do with the way they grew up and the challenges they faced that affected them the most. dean's biggest challenge was putting food on the table. dean grew up poor and hungry. he was arrested for stealing, he had to use his body to get by, and he had to starve to try and feed sammy. and sam also grew up poor, but he was somewhat shielded from the reality of it. he wasn't the one who had to get food and pay for the extra week in a motel john left them in. his issues were much more personal. because sam knew he was a freak by all standards, he felt impure, and he knew in his heart that the monsters they hunted weren't too different from him. so his hope was in believing that anyone could be saved. anyone could choose to be good. where dean saw a system, with people in power and people who suffered because of them, sam saw grey individuals, and he was drawn in particular to the ones that had something "wrong" with them (max, madison, the kid from bugs, etc)

dean grew up so isolated that he couldn't be individualistic. he could only look at people from afar and that's why he sees the systems. and the violence he faced wasn't targeted at him personally, it was targeted at people like him. poor people, drifters, queer (or queer-looking) people. sam grew up trying to make connections. he made friends, he wanted an education. he tried so hard to belong.

and it's interesting to me that dean ended up being the one who formed the most personal bonds with people who were different, or ostracised, or monsters. see crowley, benny, charlie, claire.

sam tried to build communities (see his s14 arc) but every time he tried to get close to someone it ended in disaster so he ended up keeping his distance. and building a system. throughout the show he takes on leadership roles, and as time progresses he keeps his relationships more and more goal-oriented. whereas dean ends up forming personal bonds with a lot of people, and focusing less on helping oppressed people in general, and more on saving the individuals he cares about. i'm not saying they switched roles, they both kept their original views of the world, but they shifted towards a more confused and confusing moral compass that pointed somewhere in the middle and made it harder for them to understand each other. and ain't that just what growing up is like. dean cared about the whole world as a teen and young adult, but then that became too much to bear, and he had to focus his energy on his circle of loved ones. still caring about the world, but he had individual connections now and had to prioritise them. and sam still saw the potential for redemption and goodness in everyone, but he grew weary of people too, afraid of them or afraid of losing them, and he built walls. tried to help by giving himself missions rather than getting personally and emotionally involved.

psychologically speaking this show is so rich, the characters don't feel one dimensional (despite some of the writers' best efforts), and following their journey for 15 years means we saw them change and evolve, they don't remain the same people they were in season 1, but they keep some of that, and they just grow organically. sometimes i just love spn

[fairvstairs]

ANDREIL WITH KIDS!

So I've seen a lot of people say that Neil and Andrew wouldn't be good with kids/wouldn't like them but I think that it's much more complicated than that.

Of course I don't view them as the types to see kids and go "OMG so cute I want to hug them" but I also don't think they would hate them on sight. I have spent my life basically surrounded by children and let me tell you, some of them? They are really little shits. But after all, they are just tiny people, you are gonna find some assholes.

Kids are so much more complicated than people make them out to be and it really pisses me off. They are learning how to be in this world so they basically copy the behavior they see in the people around them, good or bad. They want attention, they want to have fun, they want to be loved, they want to explore and, most importantly, children want to trust.

("I was seven, I believed him.")

They don't understand 'stranger danger' or why someone would want to hurt someone else and some of them manage to become amazing human beings even if they didn't have a good role model.

So I think that if Andrew ever stumbled upon a kid crying his eyes out because he misses his mommy he wouldn't be annoyed. A child feels safe with his parent. What's wrong with that? And Neil looking at a child play, run, laugh, be happy, wondering when all that joy was beat out of him.

And the other foxes' kids? Children with parents that weren't supposed to make it but fought hard as hell to maintain their place in the world when everybody kept trying to steal it from them?

The Foxes know Neil and Andrew, they learn how to behave around them when everybody thinks they are just rude (they still have bad days) and their kids learn too. Especially because I don't think any of them are gonna be strict parents so the little ones understand that when they say "no" they really mean it.

The first years are hard, they do nothing but eat, sleep, cry their lungs out, poop, throw up on everybody and drool while making sounds that Matt swears he understands ("It's their way of communicating!"). Neil doesn't really like being around them, not since a random kid got scared after looking at his face, but his nieces and nephews (don't argue with me on this) grow used to him pretty quickly and really like the texture of his skin, because of the scars. Andrew treats them slightly better than he would any other adult: he doesn't talk much around them but he's always aware of every move they make. He picks them up when no one else is around and plays make-believe with them, he spoils them with sweets ("Andrew! Now he's never gonna go to sleep." "That seems like a you problem.") and often insults their parents.

Things get easier over the years and, before you know it, Neil and Andrew are the go-to for every problem the kids, now teenagers, have. It goes from "Uncle Andrew do you want to help me pick a dress for the prom?" to "I think my friend is in a really dangerous situation at home, what should I do?". The kids slowly become their own people but the foxes never stop protecting them. Every single one of them makes sure that all the kids get to have what they didn't.

I don't think Andrew and Neil would ever have kids of their own but they are bound to retire someday. Maybe Andrew starts to work in child services and maybe Neil becomes a little league coach, it doesn't really matter to them what they do as long as they give these children second chances. Second, third, fourth, whatever, as long as they get at least one more than what anyone else wanted to give them.

-

Not trying to push a "yay kids!" agenda on you but I'm just tired of people hating children for being children. The foxes would be very disappointed.

(If you already saw this, no you didn't)

[gilbirda]

Friendly neighborhood vigilante. Chapter 26

BatmanxDP crossover. JasonxJazz

[Read on AO3] [Read on FF.net]

Based on this post

First chapter || << Previous chapter || Next chapter >>

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The rest of the visit at the Wayne Manor was more relaxed, or at least Jason thought so. He wouldn’t forget Jazz’s tense shoulders while they listened to Danny’s explanation of Jazz’s actual role in the Infinite Realms.

Was she tense because she hated being an executioner? Because she found that dreadful?

He wasn’t sure, and the doubt was capable of consuming him — did she really understand him, what he tried to do for Gotham, or was she projecting her own insecurities in him and wanted him to “reform” like she seemed to be doing with herself? Because it didn’t escape him how she went from such a violence-heavy role to completely focusing on reforming Gotham rogues.

If all Jazz could see in him was a pet project to “fix” in any way, he knew it would completely crush him. After all they’ve been through, there was still doubt that any of this was real. That what they had was real.

No. He had to try. To believe.

He still felt shaken after the rapidfire revelations one after the other — Jazz was the Crown Princess of another dimension, the Spirit of Gotham was Bruce’s mom, Jazz’s actual job was scarily close to his, and the personification of fear wanted to marry his girlfriend. He knew he would be thinking about all of this, and come back to every little detail, that night while he was supposed to sleep.

He just knew.

Especially because when he closed his eyes, he could see Danny’s haunted eyes when he pulled him aside to talk.

He expected a shovel talk, he expected vague threats from a caring brother, or maybe a rundown of what it means to consort a Princess.

He didn’t expect what actually happened.

“My sister… Please keep an eye on her. I wasn’t kidding when I said she takes the bad stuff and deals with it on her own,” he smirked, acknowledging that he knew the couple had been eavesdropping, “but what I didn’t say is how she disregards her own wellbeing.”

“I’ve noticed.”

He shook his head. “You don’t understand. Jazz self-destructs, she… It’s almost as if she punishes herself for wanting more. Maybe, I don’t know, maybe I’m reading too much into it; but she is always so quick to accept the worst and plans for it without thinking that things could just… Work out. It doesn’t help that things have been hard for us for so long – self fulfilled prophecy?” He chuckled. “I’m more aware of things than she gives me credit for.”

Jason kept his gaze straight ahead, watching the rest play in the backyard, a tiny green dog — Cujo — running around and imprinting on Damian almost immediately.

“She loves you.”

“I know.”

“She lied to me for you.” Danny looked at him funny. “I’m not saying it's your fault or anything. Just observing. She was ready to face the Justice League over a misunderstanding rather than telling the truth.”

Danny hummed, storing the new piece of information.

“She would make rivers of blood to protect you.”

Danny stayed quiet, so quiet that Jason assumed the conversation was over.

“She already has.” Danny’s voice was small. “One time, she was sent with an entourage as a political representative to an ambivalent community, to negotiate their alliance. Or find out if they would support Vlad. She came back a few weeks later, alone, and covered in blood. She only said that we didn’t need to worry about those people anymore.

Her wounds were fatal, and we don’t know how she not only survived but made the trip back. The funny part? I think that incident marks the beginning of her descent into the executioner role she finally took. It was almost as if— She was changed. I could see it. My worries were confirmed when I got word that the city she had visited had been burned to the ground. No one ever found any remains, of either faction. Just blood and rubble.”

“Darling?”

“Hmm?”

He looked down, finding the teal eyes of his girlfriend. It was the same face, the same eyes, the same worried expression.

A few weeks ago, she was the woman he was so scared to reveal himself to. Now, she was so much more. It felt silly to worry about what she would think about his other life, how she went from “just” being the girl he was interested in to whatever they were now.

He couldn’t see her in the same way. Not after learning what he knew now.

“Are you okay?” Her cold hand was on his cheek. When did she move? “You’ve been quiet.”

He kicked himself in his mind for worrying her. It’s just… After saying their goodbyes and getting on the road back to their apartment building, he started to let his mind wander and hadn’t come back to the present yet.

They were in front of her door, the fluorescent lights illuminating Jazz’s face looking up at him.

“Sorry.”

She bit her lip. “Don’t say sorry. No blood, no fault.”

“Har har,” he smirked, leaning down for a quick kiss. “Smart-ass.”

She giggled. All thoughts and doubts left him as he let himself bask in the moment.

He leaned in for a kiss, smiling when she got on the tip of her toes to meet him halfway, her arms sneaking around his neck to keep him there.

Her kiss was the same. Her smell was the same. Her touch, and the way his hands fit on her waist, was the same.

She was the same person, he reminded himself. Even if every answer he got only opened more questions, Jazz was still here with him, and she still wanted him.

The door opened behind Jazz, and Jason had to quickly grab the door frame to prevent the pair from falling to the ground.

“Time to sleep.” Danny was there, arms crossed, a small smirk on his face. He enjoyed his sister’s grumble and annoyance. The little shit.

“Yeah, yeah.” She sighed, turning to look at her boyfriend. “Talk to you tomorrow?”

She looked so uncertain and hopeful. Did she think he would run?

“Of course.” He gave her another quick kiss, smiling when she giggled.

He nodded at Danny as they parted. He nodded back, his smirk turning something more dangerous for a second, but back to a normal smile when Jazz passed by as she went inside the apartment.

Jason stayed an extra second, waiting to see what Danny had to say.

“Goodnight, Jason.”

He arched an eyebrow, expecting anything but that. He took it anyway. “Goodnight.”

With that, Danny almost slammed the door shut in his face. Jason scoffed and went back to his own apartment, still reeling from everything that happened.

He only turned on the kitchen light, got some coffee started — if he wasn’t going to sleep, why the hell not — and opened the fridge to see what leftovers he could quickly reheat for dinner.

With a warm cup and some food, he sat down on his shitty couch and turned on the TV to have background noise to think and organize his thoughts. It was some stupid procedural show, mainly focused on criminal psychology, something he knew Jazz would love.

He chuckled, sighed and put the half eaten leftovers on the coffee table.

He wasn’t that hungry anymore.

Why did he feel like this? It didn’t make sense — it wasn’t like it was the first time he was involved with people with superhuman abilities and a complicated past. Back when he was Robin, he had gone with Bruce to the Watchtower more than once and met enough members of the Justice League. And after his resurrection he had been involved with the Al Ghuls, who were irreversibly affected by the Lazarus Pits.

No. This was different.

Jazz was… She was supposed to be a civilian. The one normal thing in his life. He agonized over telling her about his other life, but deep down he wanted to have something that made him feel less like he was adrift in life, drowning, feeling like his only purpose had become vigilantism.

He wasn’t stupid. Jazz’s status as a meta was something he knew early on, and the way she had been hinting at some kind of hero's life was ironic, but he could handle it.

I couldn’t give you normal even if I tried.

She warned him. She told him she wasn’t sure that their relationship should happen at all. She told him she risked a lot to be involved with him, and that it wasn’t in her plans at all to love him.

He’s different. We clicked.

She told Danny that what they had was different, and he believed her.

Crown Princess of the Infinite Realms. Warrior. Executioner.

Jazz had no place playing human in Gotham, making friends, enduring shitty bosses, having a human boyfriend.

What he understood from what the siblings explained, her actual life was a fantasy story like the ones from his childhood books – with Kings and dragons and magic and insane stakes.

A tiny part of him resented her, he discovered.

Jason leaned forward and put his head between his hands, the stupid show on TV forgotten.

Why did she involve him in this? She knew the kind of burden she would put on anybody she dated, at least anybody she was interested enough to involve in her true life. How could she think she could just give him hopes and love him and then… then what? Did she plan on leaving without an explanation when her internship ended? Was she okay with breaking up, making up a shitty excuse to feed him hoping he eventually forgot about her?

She said she planned on telling him, but how much really? How much would she have told him if Bruce didn’t poke things he wasn’t supposed to?

He refused to feel grateful about what the old man did, he still treated Jazz poorly and jeopardized a lot of people’s existence in Gotham; but it was difficult to let go of the thought that if Barbara hadn’t looked, if Bruce hadn’t confronted her like he had been too much of a coward to do… That Jazz would have fed him half truths and lies by omission to protect Danny up until the day they parted ways.

His eyes felt a little damp. He blinked the moisture away and pressed the palm of his hands against his eyes until he saw stars.

No. This is ridiculous.

Jazz was very smart in many ways — she guessed everyone’s secret identities after all — but she could be so dumb about so many things too. He remembered their fight, how her voice changed when she admitted she didn’t know why or how she loved him. He thought about how she could remain oblivious to a guy crushing on her for years. He thought about Danny’s admission that Jazz tended to be too harsh on herself and set unnecessary hard limits.

He could believe that Jazz’s living in Gotham was a little experiment, a game of pretend that she was going to eventually end no matter who was hurt in the process, or…

Or he could believe that she was winging it so hard she contradicted herself all the time. That she was used to putting others above herself so much that she didn’t consider the possibility she didn’t have to end things. That there was no game, no further motives, no plan.

That the Princess of the Ghosts loved him, and she felt as lost as he did.

He breathed in, trying to calm down his racing thoughts.

It was useless to ponder and guess what her motives were, if she had them at all. They said they’d enjoy what they had while they still could, and going by what they learned that day, Danny gave the OK for them to be together — in a very strange and convoluted way, that is. And from what he overheard, Danny was this all powerful entity that made the rules.

A loud thud interrupted his thoughts, followed by his girlfriend’s voice screaming Danny’s name.

He smiled, picking up his food and considering finishing the rest of it. It was probably cold, so he decided not to. Instead, he picked up his coffee and the remote and decided to change channels, looking for something that didn’t require a lot of brainpower and maybe fall asleep to.

It didn’t help that everything either reminded him of Jazz, or thought it was something she’d enjoy.

***

Sunday was uneventful.

He decided to sleep in, pushing away the thought that sleeping alone never felt so cold before. He was being ridiculous. Everything about the situation was ridiculous.

He stayed in bed as long as his hungry stomach allowed him to, going over every conversation, every touch, every look. Trying to organize the new information and memorize every piece of detail, unsure of when exactly he’d have another opportunity to gather so much about the siblings’ secrets.

He allowed himself a few moments to burn the visual of Jazz wearing her armor in his memory. She looked comfortable in it, powerful, and very inhuman. Nobody brought it up at the moment, but she glowed when she wore it. It was subtle under the daylight, and next to the living light bulb that was Danny in his King form she didn’t stand out; but he had been distracted by the way everything about her had a bit of supernatural glow that separated her from the humans in the room.

It was different knowing all he knew and seeing it for himself.

Liminality. He wondered what else he still had to learn about her. What else he had to learn about himself, too. Going by how much information the Fentons gave him and after… After Jazz gave him pure ectoplasm, he was sure to expect some kind of change.

He hoped he found time to talk to Danny about the topic, and maybe coordinate a visit to these yetis they kept talking about.

The situation was ridiculous, but might as well embrace it. He had been The Chosen One for a secret sect of warriors oathbound to rid the world of an ancient evil — he could take whatever The Infinite Realms threw at him.

The rest of the day was relatively quiet, if you take into consideration the noises coming from his neighbor’s apartment — seriously, what were the walls made of? Paper? — and Jazz and Danny’s voices when they left in the afternoon for dinner. Jazz texted him a few times asking how he was and sending a few pictures of stray cats she saw while out with Danny. It was cute.

But he also had messages from his goons that they had some information about the Black Clovers gang. Finally.

He informed them that he would be around the base to discuss what they found. They better have something good, because he really needed to get these guys out of his turf. They threatened Jazz. Well, not her specifically, but they were looking for a redhead woman that helped Red Hood, with the vague description those guys Jazz fought a few months ago gave.

So long had changed since that fateful day. For starters, it was imperative he stopped these guys from going after his girlfriend.

And he couldn’t tell her.

Jazz was dead set on trying to be normal. She came to Gotham deadset (heh) on living a normal civilian life, and she got involved in this mess because of him. She didn't need to worry about something like this, especially since he was going to make sure the Black Clovers never had a chance to find her if he could help it.

He ate a quick dinner and got ready for tonight, geared up and jumped out of the window to the adjacent rooftop — he spared a glance at the place from where he had watched Jazz like a creep for a whole afternoon. What an idiot he had been, suspecting her like that. He shook his head.

He looked down at the street when he heard approaching voices, finding Jazz and Danny walking towards the apartment, probably coming back from their dinner.

Jazz looked happy as she listened to her brother talk, nodding along his story and a small smile curving her lips. This was a side he hadn’t seen yet — how she carried herself differently than when she was alone, how she kept one eye in every dark corner, every shadow. She was Danny’s protector, even if the other probably didn’t need such protection.

Both stopped walking once they reached the entrance of the building, but instead of getting inside, the siblings looked up – looked at him — at the same time with the same eerie eyes reflecting the street lights like a cat’s.

He chuckled, waving a hand at both. Danny rolled his eyes and Jazz waved back with a big smile, her cheeks slightly red. Cute.

With a slight nod, he turned back to continue his way to his base, and did his best to not look back and check she was still looking at him.

***

Jazz held her gaze on the rooftop, waiting to see if he turned back, but he never did.

She sighed.

“You are ridiculous.”

She rolled her eyes at her brother. “Oh, shut up.”

“This is worse to watch than the thing with Johnny.”

“Johnny happened so long ago, don’t be an idiot.” Danny opened his mouth to protest. “Eh, eh, eh. I was sixteen. You can’t judge me.”

“And you judged me for Paulina.”

She lifted her chin. “Deserved it~”

Danny scoffed, but didn’t add anything else.

The walk to the elevator was quiet. Jazz played with her keys, wondering where Jason was going, and if she could wait up and see if she could glimpse the vigilante passing by on his patrol route. Maybe she was being ridiculous, feeling this giddy about her boyfriend.

“Jazz.”

She looked at her brother, humming in question.

He looked back with serious eyes. “We need to talk.” She blinked, not really knowing what warranted this. “You have to tell me what happened with Batman.”

She froze, but tried to play it cool. She made time walking out of the elevator when they got to her floor, and continued towards her apartment without saying anything.

“Jazz. You know you have to.”

“There’s not a lot to say — he found some documents and I tried to fill in the blanks as best as I could.”

Danny grabbed her hand when she pulled out her keys to open the door. “Bullshit.” She wasn’t sure what kind of face she was making, but Danny’s expression softened. “I need to know, Jazz. As your brother and as the King.”

She closed her eyes and nodded.

He let her go and open the door, walking in after her. Neither bothered with the light switch, allowing the soft light of the full moon coming from the curtainless window to be enough for their conversation.

Jazz felt a sensation of déjà vu when she sat down on her couch and Danny pulled a chair to sit across the coffee table. It was another apartment, another situation; but she still had to give explanations about roughly the same things.

When would this nightmare end?

She licked her lips and got ready to talk.

“It started last week. Jason and I went on a date — our first official date —” she smiled when her brother made a face “and it was in the middle of a massive Arkham breakout.”

Danny nodded. “Unsurprising.”

“Yeah. So, he needed to go back to the fight and our date was interrupted. I waited up — no, shut up, let me finish — and he finally showed up. He was half dead and losing it and I really thought he was done for.”

“And you used your vials.”

“I did, and he got better.” She nodded. “But Batman wasn’t that far behind. He found us, and he found out I knew about them, and we… we kind of had a fight.”

“You fought Batman?” Danny was amused.

“No… Not really. I managed to kick him out without an actual fight, but he just,” she pulled her hair back, frustrated, “he couldn’t let things go. Apparently, he and Oracle — yeah, that Oracle —” she nodded “joined forces and researched us. All of it, Danny. I don’t know how the Ancients they managed to get some of that stuff, I’m positive Tucker had tight security.”

Danny’s back straightened. “He does. He was.” He narrowed his eyes. This was a huge breach of security. Both knew that measurements will be taken about this. “Tell me everything.”

She leaned forward, placing her arms on her knees, looking down and avoiding her brother’s eyes.

“Batman — Bruce waited for me, and found me at Arkham, when I would be alone, and ambushed me with two more of their colony accompanying him.”

Danny’s eyes were glowing bright green when she looked up. She swallowed. After such a nice weekend she had to relive all that happened earlier in the week, and she feared his reaction.

“Go on. And spare no detail.”

---

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[loycos]

How do you think Ekko feels about Caitlyn and Vi, separately and as a couple? Reed Shannon (Ekko's VA) stated in a post on how Caitlyn found her humanity and grace through her struggles; plus he resposted(?) a meme of Caitlyn alongside Ekko, Jinx, Vi and Isha from that gangster family meme; I don't know if you know the meme, it was the best way I could describe it.

again diving into personal headcanon territory, with a little bit of support from League lore (idk if its still relevant). i feel like i need to explain what my post canon vision for caitvi is to articulate what i think ekko would think of them. ramble incoming:

i think caitlyn and vi are gonna be enforcers again, caitlyn as the sheriff and vi her second-in-command (deputy). caitlyn will try to reform the enforcers with a stricter hand, and a watchful eye. theres a reason she didnt take her seat in the council- caitlyn is all about doing the hard job on location, seeing reality through her own eyes- she doesnt want to help by sitting in a tower and discussing things in theory, shes practical and realistic and she wants to experience the real thing. her job as sheriff will allow her to make that change while still giving her the access to do things on the field.

vi joining tbe enforcers will mainly be done to stay close to caitlyn and protect her if needed. vi never had a big direction in life other than the people she loves- she would jump on the opportunity to spend more time with cait and have the chance to punch people with her big gauntlets. her position as deputy is absolutely unearned in terms of experience or even commitment to the cause- but caitlyn is the sheriff and she put her there, so vi and her can stay close. which other enforcers, and pilties, and zaunites, are extremely aware of. it is corruption, even if relatively unharmful one. having a zaunite as the deputy made a lot of pilties upset, especially when shes so underqualified, and made them question caitlyn's ethics, for good reason. mega especially when vi is known to overall act out of line, cause unnecessary property damage, show overall disrespect to the reformed enforcer protocol and not bind herself to schedules, and yet get absolutely no punishment, let alone acknowledgement of her misdeeds by her boss, who turns a blind eye (wink wink) to her shenanigans.

so yeah, other enforcers are fuming, the pilties arent happy, and zaunites? well, despite caitlyn trying her best to solve the issues that ran years before she was born, there's only so much changing the protocol can do for her. she is harsher on enforcer violence and the prison under her watch has changed to be more humane, but its not like she can control every single enforcer personally. so its not perfect but its slightly better than what it used to be. caitlyn herself has the exact same attitude towards both pilties and zaunites- kind of cold, calculated, no bullshit taken, unapologetic, yet with a layer of empathy underneath the surface. kind of similar to what grayson was. this attitude doesnt win her people's favor on either side, but it does earn her respect- and especially in zaun, where her family status means nothing, that means a lot. she's definitely not a "champion of the people"- i think most people in the city actively dislike her, and the (true) rumors of corruption arent helping.

as for vi, zaunites see her as a traitor. she is known to be kind of a bulldozer that can be quite trigger happy, especially when it involves caitlyn (who we already discussed people dont really like) being in danger or disrespected. she has a dismissive "and what about that" attitude that is very zaun in nature, but since shes now wearing a badge, zaunites get annoyed with. pilties, of course, absolutely hate that attitude. so she isnt seen very favorably either, on either side of the river, just like her girlfriend.

the relationship between them is kind of an open secret. every enforcer in the force knows vi is only in her position cause she "gives caitlyn favors under the table", and those rumors reached topside and bottom as well. and again, they arent untrue, theyre just a relatively mean and shallow reading of the actual relationship between the women. neither caitlyn nor vi ever acknowledges these rumors. they stay at a 6 feet distance from each other while working, but the fact they are so interlinked really leaves no other answer. they know everybody knows, everybody knows that they know, and it's never addressed directly by either of them. their relationship is kind of an anigma to people on both sides- pilties think caitlyn settled for a street rat, zaunites think vi sold her soul to be with a rich pig. no one really knows the history or intimate details about their relationship, for obvious reasons, and thats what it looks like to them on the surface.

righttttt, this ask was about ekko. i got carried away. so ekko. how does he play into all of this? while he's not entirely on the average zaunite camp, he is reluctant to work with caitlyn, but does so anyway because ultimately they share similar goals. while he understands vi better than most people, and knows she always puts her loved ones before any political cause, he can't help but feel a little betrayed by her choice. i think he doesnt really see what vi sees in caitlyn, and since he doesnt "get" that, vi's choice to stay with her at all costs looks odd. especially since caitlyn on the surface just looks like a cold, authoritarian bitch. with good intentions! but still a bitch.

in the end, it all comes down to masks. i imagine post canon caitvi are both sporting masks for protection, and have their walls really high up in public. and can you blame them? they actively wear their weakest spot, their achilles heel- each other- on their sleeve. theyre in public positions, have a lot of eyes on them, and their "professional" relationship is extremely looked down upon. so caitlyn acts colder and harsher, and vi puts on a bravado of "i dont give a shit" and uses violence as a threat to deter people from seeing her as weak. the walls are there to ensure their safety. but like we saw in the series, when its just the two of them, all those walls crumble, and they allow themselves to just be vulnerable.

[itsnothingofinterest]

You know, honestly the LoV should have won the Paranormal Liberation War and annihilated most of the Class 1A and the hero society as a whole. I didn't like Class 1A because nobody died and plot armor saved them too many times so I want the LoV to win in the PLF War Arc.

While I can't say I’m a big proponent to any of the kids dying, especially when they…used to be…the best chance the story had at changing things in the next generation. (Definitely should’ve killed more pro heroes though, especially Endeavor.) But that other stuff?

Yeah, yeah I think the first war should’ve ended in a far more decisive villain victory. Especially one where they get to be in charge a bit.

Like, people came away from the first war thinking the heroes lost, and certainly it was their worst showing of an operation in living memory. But did they lose? Certainly not. The villains lost over 99% of their forces including many of their power players that could’ve taken on pro heroes solo and won. Sure they picked up more later for the 2nd war, but most of these replacements were USJ-tier nobodies at best. Meanwhile the heroes only lost half their numbers...and most were just due to cold feat in the aftermath. Actual casualties were, as I recall, a few dozen or so? Maybe in the low hundreds?

And I think that’s quite a missed opportunity. I’d have loved to see what things could’ve been like with Shigaraki on his rubble throne; let the PLF put their money where their mouths were and make the easier-to-live-in world Toga kept talking about. I think it could’ve been a great way to show the flaws that were supposed to be in their approach, maybe see why things can’t get better through their kind of violent upheaval or what ways they aren’t equipped to govern; but maybe also highlight some more flaws in the existing system by having the PLF focus hard on fixing them or maybe fixing a few easily. Just one "man, why didn't we do that?" situation could've been really cool & interesting.

Instead we got a period where nobody was in charge…well, actually more accurately the heroes and their government were still in charge in theory, but they were doing it badly because they failed once so a bunch of people lost so much faith that they stopped listening and chose to live in localized effective anarchy instead. But then the heroes prove themselves again and it all went back to normal.

(Man, putting it like that makes the hero system seem like the stock market if it was law enforcement.)

Anyway, because we didn’t really get to see what the villains’ world would be like, I still kind of think a resolution where Shigaraki triumphed over everyone and came out on top as ruler would’ve been the 2nd best ending for everything we could’ve gotten. (1st was of course one where heroes and villains work together for a best of both worlds resolution. 3rd by a wide margin is the one we got where everything goes back to as it was and trucks along to doomsday. And 4th was the one where AFO pulls a win out his ass.) Because, considering how aware the PLF are of the existing system’s flaws and their want to correct them; I can’t think of much solid criticism for their hypothetical governance that are not themselves purely hypothetical worst-case assumptions. I mean, besides ‘it’s wrong to get there through such violence’…and this is a shonen action manga where All Might ushered in an age of peace after beating up enough of AFO’s goons. A message like that’d always read a little hollow.

I can’t help but think that’s not the impression I was supposed to get towards the idea of the League being in charge and trying to make their easier world, but it’s the one I got anyway because there's not much to disprove it. Whoops.

Besides, the Paranormal Liberation War arc really was the villains' arc; if anyone had earned a true win by the end, it was them.