#by protecting his friends and doing what he thinks is right
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clockwayswrites · 2 days ago
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Uncle John Part 2
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Even though Bruce knew what he was opening the door to, it was still almost startling to see John Constantine shielding two teenagers on the other side. The oldest was a redhead, though Bruce could only tell that from the fierce eyebrows. The hair of both teens had been shaved so close to the scalp that it was basically nonexistent. From what little Bruce could see of the second, behind the protective forms of John and the red head, the second teen’s head was also bandaged from what little Bruce could see under the hood of the thick sweater.
Whatever they had been through was clearly no small matter.
“Who’s all here?” John asked as he entered, looking around the foyer as he slunk into the room.
The kids stayed close to his back.
“Just Alfred and Tim. Alfred is in the kitchen and Tim is up in his room, though he was excited to know that there would be other teens visiting,” Bruce said, keeping his personage open and calm.
Excited was at least an honest enough word for Tim’s curiosity that Bruce had tone his bet to tamper. It didn’t seem the time to pry and Bruce was sure to learn far more as he set up the new identities.
John’s frown said he knew exactly what excited meant for Tim.
“He can help us instead if you’d rather,” Bruce offered to keep the peace, “but I thought that the kids might enough just playing some video games and enjoying Alfred’s snacks while we worked.”
“Stop that,” John said.
“Stop what?” Bruce said, blinking guilelessly.”
“Making fuck’n sense.”
The kid in the hood muffled a laugh into the thick fabric. The sound made Bruce smile. It wasn’t so very bad if they could still laugh. It meant that there was still hope.
“Tim is my current foster,” Bruce said, as that was the easiest way to explain things. “I would guess he’s around your ages. And I’m Bruce, a friend of John’s.”
John snorted. “He comes off as a rich playboy, but he’s one of the good ones, if you’ll believe that.”
“Thanks for that rousing endorsement,” Bruce said dryly.
John just grinned back, his smile a little more teeth than normal.
“I’m Danny,” the one in the hood said, still mostly hidden behind the redhead. The voice was scratchy, like it have been overused recently. The fingers that clung to the too large flannel shirt the redhead wore were covered in bandages. “This is my sister Jazz.”
Jazz regarded him with frozen blue eyes. “If you do anything to hurt him, I will find some way to hurt you worse.”
“That’s fair,” Bruce said calmly. “All I want to do is what John asked me to: which is to make you new identities so that you will be safe. Well, I would also hope that you both could relax some and enjoy some of Alfred’s cooking. His cookies especially are something amazing.”
Jazz searched his gaze for a moment longer before almost reluctantly nodding.
“Would you be alright with Tim joining you two?” Bruce asked.
Jazz glanced back at Danny before nodding again.
“Let me show you to the media room then,” Bruce said and started leading the group that way. He kept up idle chatter about some of the games he knew that Tim had been playing just to fill the silence and make everything seem less threatening.
It was still hard to speak of Tim like a son, but easier than it had been when Bruce had been the very broken and irrational man Tim had first come to. If Gotham’s spirit hadn’t thrown a fit, if Constantine hadn’t gotten involved… Bruce hated to think how things might have continued. Bruce hated to think what sort of mentor and guardian he might have been to the boy.
It was hard, but it was better like this.
Bruce opened the door to the media room with a smile. “Make yourself a home. I’ll send Tim down and either he’ll bring snacks with him or Alfred, a demure British man who isn’t a serous as he seems, will bring them in.”
“Right, thanks,” Jazz said and pulled her brother inside with her. She closed the door on them.
Bruce looked at Constantine who rubbed calloused hands over his face.
“Yeah, mate, it’s… it’s rough.”
Bruce reached out and clasped his shoulder in commiseration.
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AN: This was still stuck in my head so have some more! I'm thinking end game Danny/Jason, because it's me, and Jazz/Steph because Steph deserves to be a disaster bi with her own fierce, magic user redhead.
Obvious canon divergence due to the added ghostliness.
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heavyhitterheaux · 3 days ago
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Steady Love (Slight NSFW)
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Synopsis: After Joe learns of a secret that you've been keeping from him, he has a big decision to make on whether the relationship is worth saving and if he can accept it
Pairing: Joe Burrow x Reader
Do not engage if underage
Please Do Not Repost My Content Anywhere
Joe was deep in thought as he was on a popular restaurant's website looking at their menu to see everything that they offered. He knew that you, his girlfriend, was extremely picky and had a shit ton of allergies and had to make sure they had options that you could pick from.
He was convinced that your diet consisted of chicken nuggets and iced coffee and got on you all the time about it. His goal was to take you there for date night seeing as you had both been busy all week and now you were going to spend the weekend with him before going to his game on Sunday.
The restaurant had amazing reviews and the person who had told him about it and also made the reservation for it was Ja'Marr who was also on the phone, as Joe had put it on speaker so that he was able to talk to him and look at the website at the same time.
“I think Y/N is hiding something from me.” He blurted out as it had been on his mind for the last few days and he thought that he was going to explode if he didn't say anything to someone soon. He figured that telling one of his best friends was a good choice.
“Wait, what? That was random. Why do you say that? Your girl literally worships the ground you walk on and you do the same thing with her.”
“Something just seems off. I find her sometimes going to a different room to answer her phone, which she protects with her damn life by the way.”
“Don't we all? That doesn't mean anything.”
“No, not like she does. And do you know that I've never stayed at her place before?”
“Huh? The two of you have been together for what seems like forever.” Ja'Marr asked as he was moving around his kitchen and trying to find something to snack on.
“A few months but it's weird. Whenever I propose the idea, she immediately shuts it down. Claiming that my house is closer to her job, which is true but I don't know.”
“I think you’re paranoid and probably thinking too much into this. Y/N is amazing and she can do no wrong in my eyes.”
“Because you love whenever she cooks and tells me to invite you over too, but what if I'm right?”
“Hey! That just happens to be a plus but if you're right then confront her about it and the two of you act like adults and go from there. Just keep in mind she's making me salted caramel cookies next week. Don't mess up my supply.”
“Your supply? You act like we're talking about drugs when we are literally talking about cookies. And she just seemed so stressed out this week so the last thing I want to do is send her over the edge.”
“When it comes to her cooking, it might as well be crack! It's addicting! Look, if it comes up then you two talk about it and if it doesn't just wait for the right time. I'm sure that there's a good explanation to all of this.”
“I'm ignoring the part about the crack.”
“But you didn't ignore it because you just mentioned it.”
“Talking to you should not stress me out as much as it does.” Joe replied as he rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair.
“Keep in mind, YOU called me and I made the reservation for you so be nice!”
“Mm hmm.”
“Look, just let me know how it goes once you talk to her.”
Later on that evening, the two of you were now sitting across from one another in a secluded corner of the restaurant sharing the dessert that you had picked out. Joe wasn't one to eat a lot of sweets during the season, however for you he'll always make an exception.
You held your fork up to Joe's mouth and was encouraging him to take a bite but he was looking at you suspiciously before looking at the dessert and then looking back at you.
“Joey! Open!”
“Um.. what is this again?”
“It's a pistachio cheesecake. It's good, come on taste it.”
“It looks weird. And wait! Aren't you allergic to pistachios?”
“No, I got an allergy test done recently and apparently I'm not allergic anymore.”
“How reliable is that? The last thing I need is your throat closing. Do you have benadryl just in case? I'm about to call 911 so that they can be on standby.”
“I planned for my throat to close around something else tonight, but yes.” You told Joe as you winked at him.
Being caught off guard by your comment, his eyes went wide but he quickly recovered as he sent a smirk in your direction.
“Oh, is that so?”
“Mm hmm, I haven't seen you all week so I'm excited to spend the entire weekend with you which also includes plenty of activities that do not require clothes. This week was a lot and I really needed to be around you so this was absolutely perfect. Did you pick the place or did Ja'Marr?”
“We'll definitely get to that later. I know this week was a lot for you and there were a lot of things happening so I'm happy you're spending the entire weekend with me. And yes, it was Ja'Marr’s idea. I had never been here before and he recommended it.”
“Doesn't surprise me since you're such a homebody. I'm going to have to make him more cookies for that one.”
“All of my snacks and streaming services are at home. What do I need to leave for? And no, absolutely not. He's starting to stalk me just for your cookies. Any time he calls me now it's about you and your cooking. First thing out of his mouth is if you were at my house and if you cooked anything and if he can come over.” Joe told you as he laughed with you joining in with him.
“Okay, now open.”
“This better not be nasty.”
“Joey! Stop acting like you're five and open!” He did as he was told and slowly started to chew with his head nodding in approval.
“It's not bad, but I know something that tastes even better and I've been craving it all week actually.”
“What? You said you had never been here before.”
“I was talking about my girlfriend sitting on my face.”
“Get over here and stop running from me.” Joe told you as he pulled you back onto his California king bed since you were literally about a few centimeters from hitting the floor.
“I am nowhere done with you. Keep in mind you talked all that shit in the car on the way back and now look, a whimpering dripping mess underneath of me. So wet for me.” He whispered in your ear as he once again inserted two of his fingers into you, pumping them at an even and slow pace knowing that it would get you that much closer.
His fingers slipped out and he held them up to your mouth as you opened and sucked on them.
“See how good you taste?” Joe asked as he leaned down to place several kisses on your lips and slipped inside you at the same time making you gasp and quickly wrap your arms around his neck.
“Look at my pretty girl, she's taking me so well.”
He placed his hand around your neck and slightly squeezed, but not too tight as he increased his pace moving in and out of you.
Your moans were the only thing that you could get to come out of your mouth because of how much pleasure that you were in and knew that you being sore later was inevitable.
“Taking me so well that she can't even utter a single word, huh? This dick got you speechless?” Joe laughed, but was caught off guard when you suddenly flipped him onto his back and began to ride him.
“Damn, wasn't expecting that.”
“Not quite speechless, but you're about to be once I finish riding you.” You explained to him as you smirked with him taking hold of your hips in order to help guide you.
“Come on then, princess. Let's get to it.”
It was now three in the morning and you were wrapped into Joe's tight embrace when your phone began to vibrate violently on the nightstand.
Quickly picking it up to look at it, you were startled go see that it was Jayson, your daughters father and slowly moved from Joe in order to hopefully not wake him up and went into the master bathroom and closed the door behind you to answer it.
“Jayson, what's going on?”
“It's Nalanie. She won't stop crying and she's simply asking for you. She kept asking me to call you and wouldn't take no for an answer.”
“Just hand her the phone.”
“Hello?”
“Mom! I…” She started to say, but couldn't continue her sentence without crying.
“I'm coming, okay? Be there soon.” You comforted her and quickly hung up as you made your way back into the bedroom to still see Joe resting peacefully.
You quickly started moving around with the use of the flashlight on your phone to be able to see and this made Joe wake up and he quickly sat up to reach over to turn on the bedside lamp.
“Uh? Baby? What are you doing?”
“Looking for my clothes, I need to leave.” You told him as you had discovered your outfit that you had worn earlier all the way by the bedroom door suddenly remembering that Joe wasted no time in taking it off of you.
“Why? What's wrong? Did something happen?” He asked while you were hurrying to get dressed and you ignored his question. Not on purpose, but because you had no idea what you were about to walk into once you left there and went and got Nalanie.
Seeing how frantic you were, Joe pulled you over to him since he was sitting on the bed still to try and calm you down.
“Joey, I...”
“You need to breathe for a second and then tell me what's going on with you. You have me worried. What can I do to help you?”
“Just…. let me go please. I want to tell you but…”
“But what? You tell me everything. Or at least I thought you told me everything.” He replied as he took your smaller hand in his large one.
You hesitated before you answered him and it was clear by the look on your face that you didn't want to. The man in front of you had always been honest with you since the two of you had gotten together and it was necessary for you to do the same thing in return. He never deserved to be lied to despite your reasoning for it.
In your mind, you didn't necessarily lie to him, but you definitely didn't tell him the truth either.
“I just got off the phone with my daughter. She was crying and scared and I could barely make out what she was saying. I need to go get her from her father's house. I promise to explain more after I know that she's okay.”
“Wait, what? You’re joking right? Since when do you have a daughter?” Joe asked dumbfounded and he was waiting for the punchline of the joke that just came out of your mouth.
“Since I got pregnant when I was a teenager. Joey, I promise I'll explain but not now. Move so I can get up.” You said as tears were threatening to fall down your face.
“So you mean to tell me that you lied to me? And you've been lying to me this entire time?! I knew that something was off with you and I was right! What else are you hiding?! Are there more kids that I don't know about? Why would you lie about something like that?”
“Nothing. I'm not hiding anything else, I promise.” You said as you slipped on your shoes.
“Hmm, your promises have now been proven to come up empty so I don't want to even hear it. Just do what you have to do.”
“Joey…”
“No, I don't want to hear it. I hope your daughter is okay, but….”
“But what?”
“How am I supposed to be with someone who lies to me? Especially something as big as that?”
“It’s not that simple. I'll explain if you just give me the chance.”
“Oh, but it is. Get your stuff and you can leave.”
“I… fine.” You told him as you grabbed your overnight bag from the chair in the corner and your cell phone that had been placed on the nightstand after you had gotten that frantic call.
You looked at your keys and quickly took the key to Joe's condo off and left it on the nightstand that was closest to his side of the bed.
Without another word, you walked out of his bedroom and down the steps to eventually make it to your car. Once your belongings were in the backseat, the water works that you had been trying so hard to hold in, made themselves known and it was like a dam had broken.
After sitting there for a few minutes and giving yourself a pep talk, you made your way to Nalanie's father's house to make sure that she was okay.
It didn't take long before you were knocking on the front door and it was whisked open by Nalanie herself who then placed you in a bone crushing hug as tears were still streaming down her face. You rubbed small circles along her back as you kissed her cheek in order to get her to calm down.
“Lady Bug, are you going to tell me what's wrong? I'm here now and you're okay.”
She slowly nodded her head and broke her embrace from you and moved to the side so that you would be able to come into the house. Once she did, you were greeted by Jayson and his wife Sabrina who had come from the kitchen in order to greet you.
“Hey, she’s been like this for the past hour. Won't say anything to us. All she wanted was you.” Sabrina told you as she hugged you.
You nodded your head before also hugging Jayson, but Nalanie stayed quiet.
“Lady Bug?”
“Can we just go home?” She quietly asked and the first thing you did was nod.
“Go get your things and meet me back down here.”
Nalanie took the steps two at a time before Jayson looked at you and sighed.
“I was trying to handle it without us calling you, but I didn’t know what else to do. Anddd I just realized I ruined date night for you. How's you know who by the way?”
“Very upset with me because he found out about her like this before I could tell him properly and I think we just broke up? I had literally planned on telling him in the next two weeks or so and I was going to tell her too. But it's not important right now. What is important is my daughter so, if he can't accept her then he's not the one for me.”
“He's probably more upset about finding out in the way he did and not the fact that you have her.”
“Either way, we're probably done, so…”
“Don't give up on him so easily, he may surprise you.” Sabrina said before walking back into the kitchen.
“Just see how it plays out. This is the happiest that I've ever seen you and I would hate for you to miss out on that. Just give him time to process.” Jayson told you and you simply nodded as Nalanie reappeared with all of her bags in tow.
Nalanie said her goodbyes to her father and Sabrina and you picked one of her many bags up off the floor to carry outside. You never understood why she needed so many bags for a three day weekend, but then again she was your child and simply took after you when you thought about how you would do the exact same thing.
The two of you were now home and as soon as you opened the door, you wasted no time in asking her what was wrong.
“Okay, out with it.”
“I got my period and got really scared.”
“Oh, Lady Bug, that is nothing to be scared about. It happens to everyone that has a uterus.”
“I know that I could have asked Sabrina, but I just wanted you. I remember you telling me about what to do if you weren't around and it happened so I took a pad from underneath the sink. I'm sorry that I took you away from whatever you were doing.”
“Don't apologize. You needed me and never ever apologize for needing me. So, how about this?”
“What?”
“Take a bath, put on pajamas and we'll sleep. When we wake up, I'll do your makeup and your hair while we watch Mean Girls?”
“Ooh, deal! Can we make popcorn too?”
“Of course we can and then we're going on a snack run. You can't be on your period and not have a supply of chocolate and ice cream in the house.”
It had been almost an entire two weeks and Joe's finger kept hovering over your number as he debated on calling you while he sat in his living room.
This had happened ever since he had told you to leave that night. The guilt crept in not too long after he had heard you close the front door and he debated on running after you, but decided against it.
He admits that he should've given you a chance to explain everything, but in that moment he was too mad to even listen to one. He couldn't begin to wrap his mind around how you have a daughter.
His mind kept going to you and quickly decided that after practice was over and he was home that he would call you and hopefully you wanted to talk to him, but he honestly wouldn't blame you if you had told him no.
Thinking that it was now or never, he pushed down with his thumb on your number and the phone began to dial.
It rang for a while and Joe was about to hang up, before he heard your soft voice come through the phone.
“Hello?”
“Um, hey.” Joe responded hesitantly.
“Surprised to hear from you. Did you dial the wrong number by chance?” You curiously asked as you were fumbling through your kitchen cabinets looking for ideas on what to make for dinner for you and Nalanie.
“No, I wanted to talk to you. Are you busy right now?”
Startled by this, you placed the box of macaroni noodles on the counter and sat down at the island, trying to take in what he had just asked you.
“No, not at the moment. I'm free to talk.”
“Uh, can we do this in person? I would rather do that than talk on the phone.”
“Sure, I can be over there in 15 minutes.” You told him as you glanced down at your watch. After going over there to see him, you would have to go straight to Nalanie's middle school to pick her up from practice.
“Okay, I'll leave the door open for you.”
It didn't take you very long to get there as you had anticipated, but the anxiety of seeing Joe again after the two of you had left things was starting to kick in.
Maybe this was a formal break up?
No, he probably just wants an explanation and as far as you could tell he was long overdue to hear the truth from you about everything.
Reaching his condo, you pulled into the driveway before getting out of your car and walking up to the door. Turning the handle, it was open just like Joe had promised and a deep breath escaped your mouth before turning it and walking inside.
You found him in the living room and he gave you a small smile before getting up to hug you which caught you off guard. You tightly hugged him back just in case that was the last time that you were able to do it.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
The two of you were now sitting next to each other and Joe was the first to speak.
It was time to get it over with. Now or never.
“Y/N, why would you keep something like that from me? And you've done it for MONTHS. I'm just trying to understand.” he asked you, trying to make sense of the situation. He simply couldn't believe that you lied to him and lied to him about something as big as this.
“I wanted to tell you when I felt that the time was right. Please understand that. I had actually planned on doing it soon, but then everything happened so…..” You quietly said, but all he did was shake his head.
“And when did you exactly plan on doing that? At this rate, you probably weren't about to tell me until we got married.”
“That is not fair and you know it!”
“I knew something was up when you would go to another room to answer phone calls, never let me stay at your place with you and always shut down the idea when I asked, leaving early from date night. I care about you, so you could at the very least let me know what was happening. Even if you weren't ready for me to meet her.”
“I just didn't want her to get attached to you just in case we didn't end on the best terms. It's happened before in the past and I don't want her to be disappointed again. And I also didn't know how you were going to take it.”
“Hmm, I would have dealt with it because I love and care about you. But I see that you obviously don't give me enough credit. If something or in this case, SOMEONE is important to you, they're important to me too. How old is she anyway?”
“She just turned thirteen.” You quietly said and Joe's eyes went wide.
“I still can't believe you tried to hide the fact that you have a child from me.”
“Like I said, I was going to tell you. If you don't want to be with me anymore because I kept this from you, I get it. I think you made that pretty clear two weeks ago. I ultimately was just trying to protect her.” You quietly said feeling defeated.
Even though Joe was definitely upset with you, he moved closer to you and took your hand in his and started rubbing small circles on the back of it.
“What's her name?” He asked and from that point on, the light in your eyes returned.
“Nalanie Rue. But I've always called her Lady Bug. When I brought her home from the hospital and we were walking outside with her to get into the car, one landed on her nose and it's been her name since. I never call her by her real name unless she's in trouble, which isn't often. She's a really good kid and I honestly couldn't have asked for more. I'm really proud to be her mom.” You confessed as you told Joe about your daughter.
“I see the way you lit up when I asked you about her.”
“I got pregnant when I was 15 and was obviously scared out of my mind. I tried to hide it from my parents for a while but then my mom noticed that I wasn't using the tampons or pads she would put in my bathroom every month for me and she confronted me about it. They’ve always supported me even though I know deep down that they think that I robbed myself of my childhood, which is fair in a sense. I couldn't really go out with my friends unless I took her with me.”
“And you get along with her father? I'm assuming he is in the picture since he's the one who called you first?”
“Yes, he was there from day one when I told him and didn't back down. He's a year older than me. He got a job and would buy her as much as he could. Jayson. He's amazing to her and they have a good relationship. We're still close and he’s married now. But his wife treats Nalanie like she's hers and that's the best thing I could have asked for. I really lucked out because I know a lot of other people aren't as fortunate. My only prayer was that whoever he decided to marry would do right by her.”
“When did she meet his wife?”
“Literally right before he proposed to her and that was something that we both agreed on, but she did know about her. We never bring anyone around her unless we're absolutely sure that they'll be there for the long haul because both of us have messed up in the past with that. We want to protect her like I said before.” You honestly said and Joe was taking in everything that you had told him.
“And I told Jayson about you, but not Nalanie. From his perspective and the way that I talk about you he's really happy for me and all for it. But he did say that he wanted her to meet you. It might also help that you're his favorite player but who knows.” You said to Joe and a small smirk broke out onto his face.
“You're the one calling the shots here. I just want you to do whatever you're comfortable with. I would love to meet her whenever you feel that the time is right. But Y/N….”
“Hmm?” You asked as you turned once more to look at him and he sighed before answering you.
“You can't keep things like this from me. We've been together for a while and you know better than anyone how much I'm going to be there to support you with whatever is going on in your life, just like you do for me. No more secrets. Promise me. I get your reasoning behind it, but you having a daughter was not going to be a dealbreaker for me.”
“Promise. No more secrets from here on out.” You replied back to him as he leaned over to place a kiss on your forehead. He relaxed into the couch as you brought your head slightly to the left to be able to lean against his chest as he wrapped his arms around you.
“Do you want to see what she looks like?” You asked Joe at the same time that you had reached for your phone, not really waiting for an answer.
You never wasted an opportunity to show off your daughter and let people know how proud you were of her.
Joe nodded as you went to your gallery and pulled up the most recent photos of the two of you and moved it closer so that he could see it.
“She literally looks just like you.”
“My little twin. Everyone says the same thing when they see her except she's a little taller than me. She is literally my baby. I cried when she turned thirteen. I can't wrap my head around me now having a teenager.”
“And you’re going to do such an amazing job with her. I can see that you already are.”
“Well if you're ready to meet her, we can do it tomorrow. It's Thursday and she likes football just as much as her parents do.”
“How about football and an ice cream date? Does she like ice cream?”
“She does. Mint chocolate chip is her favorite and I always tell her how weird she is because I never met a kid that said that was their favorite flavor. Oh, and I should tell you something….”
“That's wild that she likes that flavor, but what is it?”
“The Bengals are her favorite team and for good reason but…”
“But what?”
“Ja'Marr is her favorite player so she is going to interrogate you about him.” You confessed as you stifled a laugh and Joe held his hand over his heart pretending that he was hurt.
“But I think the two of you will get along just fine.”
“Oh, and I think you'll need this back.” Joe told you as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the key that you had left on his nightstand.
Staying over with Joe lasted around forty five minutes until you told him about going to get Nalanie from practice. Once you had picked her up and the two of you were eating dinner and watching Netflix, you figured that it was a good time to tell her about meeting Joe tomorrow and nudged her to get her attention as she was sitting next to you on the couch.
“I have something that I want to tell you.”
“Okay, I'm listening. Is everything okay?” She replied as she turned to look at you.
“Everything's fine. I want you to meet someone really special to me tomorrow after you get home from school. We're going to get ice cream and…”
“MINT CHOCOLATE CHIP!”
“Yes, you can have that disgusting flavor and we'll watch Thursday Night Football with him.” You told her as you turned up your nose and she promptly stuck her tongue out at you.
“That is literally the best flavor of ice cream, you are such a hater. But wait a minute… him?”
“Yes, him.” You replied as you nodded your head.
“Hmm, I have to approve. I need to make sure that he's good enough to be in a relationship with my mom. If the two of you are in a relationship that is.” She said as she narrowed her eyes at you suspiciously.
“We are and I forgot how overprotective that you can get but I definitely think that the two of you will get along really well. You two like a lot of the same things including football.” You said as you thought about her probably wanting to go to every Bengals game once she meets Joe.
“In my eyes, only very few people meet my expectations of being good enough for you. And I want to see you happy, but you look happy so I guess he's doing something right so I'm okay with it. And I know he must be important because I never meet anyone that you date.”
“And be nice. No interrogating.”
“No promises.”
You and Joe agreed to meet at one of your favorite ice cream stands that wasn't too far from your job and you found yourself going there sometimes when you got a break to destress by eating a treat that you knew was going to satisfy your craving. It also had a small park nearby and that's where you planned on meeting him.
Nalanie was actually bouncing off the walls and very excited to meet the mystery man, or it was the fact that she was going to get ice cream in the middle of the week.
It was probably the latter.
The two of you were in line and you were about to pay for your ice cream as well as Nalanie's when you felt a presence behind you. You got a whiff of the cologne that you grew to love so much and knew that it was your boyfriend. Joe then slipped the cashier his card as you shook your head and smiled while Nalanie was looking around confused.
“Wait, mom, where's your man? Is he late? I thought he was supposed to be here already. And why is Joe Burrow here? Wait! Is Ja'Marr here too?” She asked as she was looking around to see if she could spot her favorite player.
“Lady bug, this is my boyfriend Joe and Joe this is my daughter Nalanie.”
“It's nice to meet you Nalanie, your mom has told me all about you.” Joe told her and she slowly nodded her head up and down indicating that she was still taking everything in.
At that moment, her eyes went wide.
“I.. wow… It's nice to meet you too. I had this whole speech in my head to interrogate you with but now I can't remember a word of it.”
“Nalanie! I said NO interrogating!”
“He seems like he would be able to take it anyway.” She told you and you shook your head at her.
“I didn't bring Ja'Marr, but maybe next time. Since someone did tell me that he was your favorite player.”
“Don't be jealous, you're a close second.” She replied as she smiled.
Over the next several months, you watched as Joe and Nalanie grew closer and was happy that they were building such a good relationship with one another. There were even a few conversations that had happened regarding the two of you moving in with him and of course Nalanie was all for it, but you on the other hand wanted a little bit more time before you came to a final decision about it. Joe told you that there was absolutely no rush and that the offer would stand.
It was currently Friday and you were stuck in traffic due to an accident as you were on your way to get Nalanie. You didn't want to keep her waiting and since it was her weekend with you instead of spending it with her dad, you quickly asked Joe if he could get her for you.
You- Joey, I'm stuck in traffic, could you go and get Nalanie for me? But only if you aren't busy. I owe you for this.
Joey- You don't owe me anything and of course I'll go and get her. We'll wait for you before we decide on dinner.
You- Thank you, I love you 😘💕
Joey- I love you more and be safe.
Nalanie was surprised to see Joe instead of you as he pulled up in his Porsche, but quickly slipped into the passenger seat as Joe had leaned over to open the door for her.
“Hey, where's my mom? Not that I’m not happy to see you or anything.” She told him as she brought the seatbelt across her body.
“Stuck in traffic so she asked me to come and get you. We'll decide on dinner once she gets back. How was your day at school?”
“Hmm, it was okay, but this boy Cody is convinced that girls don't know more about football then boys so we got into an argument at lunch about it.”
“Did you know that there are more women who actually watch it then men do?” Joe told her and she quickly nodded.
“See!? And that's what I told him. I was firing off all these stats about my favorite players, you were included, and he was just looking at me like he didn't know what I was talking about.”
One thing Joe knew Nalanie was passionate about was football and sports in general and that you and her were never one to back down from an argument or discussion regarding it.
“He sounds like he talks a big game, but can't back it up.”
“I'm convinced that his head is full of air instead of a brain.”
“You literally sound just like your mother.” Joe told her as he laughed and came to a slow stop at a red light.
“I have a question. Well, two actually.”
“Ask away.” Joe told her as the light turned green.
“Well first, when are you going to marry my mom? She's really happy with you and I can tell.”
Hearing Nalanie ask this caught him off guard, but he quickly composed himself.
“Hmm, funny you should ask. Can you keep a secret? And I also wanted to ask you something.” He said and she quickly nodded.
“I already got her ring, just have to plan when I'm going to do it. And I wanted to ask your permission too, because I feel that it's important.”
“Really!? Well you already know that my answer is yes. I already consider you my bonus dad and that's a plus. This is the happiest that I've ever seen her. What does it look like? Can I see it?”
A million thoughts were running through Nalanie's head about how excited she was about the entire thing. She finally felt that now her family would be complete.
“I have it hidden in my room, hoping she doesn't find it but I'll show you later. What was your next question?”
“Are you two going to have a baby? Or babies? I like the idea of at least three. I want a sibling or siblings to play with.”
“I… you are so full of questions today.”
“I only asked you two questions and you are definitely stalling. I guess all that media training has led you to be able to learn how to dodge questions.”
“I'm not dodging the question!”
“Lies! Then answer it!”
At that moment, Joe's phone rang indicating that it was you and quickly answered it as Nalanie made a face at him.
“Saved by the phone call. But I'm definitely going to ask again later.”
It was around eight at night when you were painting Nalanie's nails on the floor in the living room while Joe was sitting on the couch behind both of you and she noticed that you kept glancing at her.
“Uh, mom? Everything okay? You literally only do that when you have something that you want to tell me.” She asked as you were now painting a second coat. This also caught Joe's attention and he quickly looked over at you.
“Well there is something….” You said as you gestured for her to put her hand in the nail dryer.
“What is it?” She asked as she looked between the two of you and you looked at Joe to give him permission to tell her.
“I think that the role of being a big sister is going to look pretty good on you.” Joe told her and her mouth was now hanging wide open.
“Now I see why you didn't answer my question earlier.”
“Wait, what question?” You asked her and she sent a smile in your direction.
“I asked him when the two of you were going to give me a sibling, but I see that was clearly already in the works. I want at least three by the way.” She told you as she pointed to your midsection.
“Umm, we'll have to see about that and we wanted to make sure that everything was okay before we said anything about it.”
“Well I'm excited for that obviously and now I guess there's only one more part left.”
“And what part is that?”
“The part where you two get married and then we'll be a family for real.”
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loganhowlettshousewife · 1 day ago
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something something dark!logan who puts reader in dangerous situations so he can save her and then convince her that no one is safe and he’s the only one she can trust. is it bad that i find the thought of logan baby trapping me hot?
(this is not proofread, i wrote this in like 30 minutes)
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the first time he sees you, something primal unlocks in him. you’re suddenly the only thing he can think about, your sweet smile taking over his dreams. he wants you in a way he’s never wanted anything before, willing to do anything you ask of him, willing to kill anyone who so much as looks at you the wrong way.
every time he sees your smile drop he’s filled with a murderous rage. 
but when he’s around you, the world slows down. there’s only you and him and the tension between you. your friends tell you that he’s dangerous, he’s angry and drunk all the time, but you just stare at them in confusion because he’s never so much as raised his voice at you.
so you wave off your friends worries, telling them that he’s an absolute sweetheart and maybe he just has a bad reputation, but you know him.
he invites you to go to a bar with him and you agree enthusiastically. you love spending time with him, and this is sounding almost like a date. you get all dolled-up for him, hopeful that something in your relationship will shift tonight. 
you agreed to meet at the bar, so you wait outside the building for logan, bouncing on the balls of your feet. that’s when a man approaches you, big and burly and asking what you’re doing all dressed up and alone. he drags you into the alley beside the bar, but before anything can happen, the man is being thrown into the wall.
logan stabs the guy in the chest with his claws, letting the blood run down his hand. because while he was the one who paid the guy to do this to you, he still couldn’t stand the sight of another man’s hands on you. so he brings his fist down again, claws puncturing the man’s lungs. and again and again and again, until you have to pull him off the bloody corpse.
the minute his eyes meet yours, it's like he becomes a completely new person. he drives you home, a hand on your thigh. he holds you close when you cry in his arms, whispering that he’s so sorry he wasn’t there to protect you, that he should have offered to drive you, that he should have known someone would try to hurt you, because you’re beautiful and pure and the world is a wretched place that wants to destroy souls like yours.
you start dating and logan becomes even more protective and jealous. now that he knows what it's like to have you, he’ll do anything to keep you.
so he stages dangerous situations, manipulates you into falling right into the traps he’s laid out, and every time he comes to rescue you. he’s the hero of your story, and you tell him that, laying with your head on his chest one night.
but he still doesn’t feel like it's enough. the animal in him longs to call you his, to claim you permanently. to mate with you, to breed you. 
so he convinces you to move in with him, something that’s pretty easy after he hires someone to break into your apartment. he observes your routines, memorises your little daily schedules, and when you’re in the shower he switches out your birth control pills for placebo ones.
when he fucks you it’s hard and rough. it’s the only time he lets himself be something other than gentle with you, because he knows how much you love it, can smell your arousal growing with every thrust, can feel how wet you are around him. you cry out his name, grasping desperately at his arms, shoulders, back, anywhere you can reach really, for some sort of support.
you’re so out of it that you don’t notice when he cums deep inside you instead of pulling out like you’d asked. he keeps fucking his cum into you, pushing it deeper. when the afterglow of your orgasm fades and you feel his cum leaking out of you, you freak out, pushing him off you.
but he asks, “aren’t you on birth control?” and after a long conversation he convinces you that it’ll be fine, that’s what birth control is for, and besides, doesn’t it feel better raw? don’t you love the feeling of his thick cum shooting inside you, coating your insides, claiming you?
you’re terrified when you find out you're pregnant, and logan acts just as shocked, as if he couldn’t smell when you were ovulating and hadn’t planned to breed you as many times as he could during that period to make sure it stuck. 
he tells you that no matter what he’ll be by your side, that he’s never really thought about settling down and being a family man but that he’s never felt for anyone what he feels for you, and the thought of having a child with you, someone that’s half your dna and half his, your love for each other in a physical form, sounds wonderful.
and then one day, after your daughter is born, as you’re watching logan holding her in his large arms, you admit that you knew he was borderline stalking you before you two started dating, and you knew after the third time that the men attacking you were being hired to do so, and you knew when he switched out your birth control.
and you confess to him that no one’s ever really loved you the way logan does, completely and unconditionally, and even if logan’s a little unhinged and obsessive about making sure you won’t leave him, you appreciate that quality. because he wouldn’t go through all that effort and all that trouble if he didn’t care about you.
logan, who thought it was impossible to love you any more than he already did, feels himself fall in love all over again at that confession.
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goodlucktai · 2 days ago
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only going up from here
rise of the tmnt word count: 4k pairing: leo & mikey i wrote this for one of my very favorite people and best friends, the bentley to my bookshop and ben to my sammy and mikey to my leo. HAPPY BIRTHDAY @mykimouser! i'm genuinely better off for having you in my life, it would be significantly darker around here without you. i hope your day is absolutely amazing and you're surrounded by people who love you and you get everything you want forever <3 title borrowed from bummerland by AJR read on ao3
x
If you asked Mikey if he was protective of Leo, he would say of course he is! He wouldn’t even have to think about it, what kind of question is that? He’s protective of everything and everyone he loves, and he loves all his siblings more than life itself.  
If you asked Mikey if he was overprotective of Leo, he would say whaaaat? I don’t—I think you’re breaking up actually, shhhcchhkkchhssh—and he’d artfully dodge the conversation by literally sprinting away from it.
The thing is, Mikey knows how annoying it is to have well-meaning loved ones go into hypervigilant mode anytime they come within a five-foot radius of your person. He’s been lobbying since he was twelve for Raph to take the kid gloves off! And throw them far away!! Down a deep hole that Donnie could fill with cement and Leo could plant fake biohazard warning signs around so that no one would ever dare excavate!! 
But Leo has always been independent, more than any of the rest of them. More than maybe he really wanted to be. He takes care of himself, like he has to—like there aren’t a half dozen people around him who would happily do it, who want to do it, who would jump at the first chance to prove that he can depend on them for anything. 
Mikey doesn’t know when Leo got this idea in his head that dealing with him is a chore but it’s an idea that grew up with him. That grew about ten feet taller after the Krang invasion. It’s always towering over them, keeping Leo even further from the people who love him with both its long unwanted arms. 
Sometimes Mikey can slink past those arms and find the hole that Leo hides in and climb in there with him. He’s the best at it, because he’s the smallest, and the one their enemy’s eyes tend to jump right over when they’re sussing out a fight. He can go places the others can’t. And it’s a rule of the universe that once he gets within hugging distance of his brothers, they’re compelled at a molecular level to hug him. 
When they’re holed up together, in that place Leo goes to when he’s alone, it gets a little warmer but it’s still cold. It feels like one of those early winter mornings when the shadows are the longest and darkest and cover more ground than they do the rest of the year and Mikey is just waiting for that spring thaw. He’s been waiting for what feels like forever, but he knows it’ll come. He knows it will.
Two months after the invasion, the sun peeks out.  
“I’m going to tío’s,” Leo announces to the lair, one foot out the door already. 
There’s an immediate crash from the lab, and the familiar sound of a weighted barbell falling on a snapper’s chest from the dojo, as two older brothers scramble to either throw their entire weight into stopping him somehow (impossible) or at least convince him that one of them should tag along (more likely, but Leo would not be happy about it). 
Mikey scrambles from his upside-down seat on the sofa to poke his head over the back of it and call out, “Can I come?” 
Leo glances back down the hall, probably calculating the seconds until his quick escape is botched, but then he looks back at Mikey with that crooked, mischievous smile that’s been Mikey’s favorite since he was two.
“Grab your shoes, Miguelito. We’re prison breaking.” 
“Gimme two shakes!” Mikey says over his shoulder, already bolting for his room. 
Mikey’s arms have mostly healed up from the golden portal he opened into the Prison Dimension. There isn’t a crack or a scar left but the lingering nerve damage is killer. The colorful custom arm braces that Draxum sourced for him help a lot and he’s good about remembering to wear them—so there is really no reason for their entire family to be such worrywarts about it. Especially when Don’s shell is still too tender for battle armor and Raph’s lucky he can still see out of his right eye. 
“It’s because you’re both the babies,” April said a few weeks into their collective recovery period, poking Mikey right on the beak that he had wrinkled in frustration. “The youngest in the whole clan. Even Casey Jr.’s older than you two. Deal with it.” 
Donatello is technically a month older than his twin, not that either of them care about pesky things like birth dates. They’re twins in their souls. Even though that means Leo has to grit his teeth and plot convoluted revenge when Donnie dares play the older twin card. 
But also, Mikey knows even though no one has come out and said it, they’re the two who scared the rest of their family the most. 
Donnie and Raph did what they had to do because it was their direct responsibility. Donnie was the only person alive who could have piloted the Technodrome with some degree of success even without his ninpo-powered technopathy. And Raph gave Leo his escape pod because his top priorities have always started and ended with his little brothers. If there had been another way out, he would have taken it. 
Mikey was willing to disintegrate to get Leo out, holding that portal open even though it hurt, even though every ounce of instinct and intuition was telling him to let go, even though he had no way of really knowing it would work the way he wanted it to. Leo threw himself feet first into hell for the rest of them and came out the other side broken and bleeding and traumatized, and he wasn’t sorry he did it. He would do it again, and again, and again. 
So—Mikey gets it. He does. 
It doesn’t stop him from cramming his Jordans on and snatching up the nearest hoodie—pink; he never gave that back to Raphie, oops. He whirls around to find Leo in his doorway, sword slung over his shoulder, weight braced on the neon blue foldable crutch in his opposite arm. 
“Little rowdy back there,” Leo says peacefully, regarding the state of chaos in the lair as their older brothers actively hunt them down. “Let’s take off from here.”
“You got it, boss,” Mikey chirps, hopping in place as he ties his shoe. 
The cyan portal opens as easily as April opens her bedroom window to usher them in for a movie night, bright and inviting. Having opened a portal of his own, Mikey has a brand-new appreciation for how incredible Leo’s ninpo is. He’s never hesitated to hop right through, even back when Leo was still getting the hang of it—either he’ll go where he’s meant to, or he’ll have a fun adventure wherever he does end up. Literally win-win. 
He steps out into Run of the Mill’s back of house. A harried server pauses mid-step to give him a strange look. Then she visibly clocks the blue of the portal behind him, rolls her eyes and continues on her way. Mikey beams at her retreating figure. She should know who Leo is, Leo is the best. 
Leo takes long enough to join him that Mikey has started poking around in the dry storage area. 
“Raph caught me,” Leo says faux-somberly. “I let him know we’d be home by dinner.” 
“With some calzones as a peace offering,” Mikey says with a nod, matching his grave tone. It makes Leo crack a smile, because it’s always charming to him when his siblings commit to the bit. 
“Can I please get through for a can of tomato paste,” a salamander yokai in an apron and unnecessary hairnet says loudly from behind them. Oh, they are kind of just hogging the whole doorway, huh?
“Weeeell, since you said please,” Leo replies, steering Mikey by the shoulders out of dry storage through the prep kitchen and out the employees-only door. 
Mikey ambles along agreeably, and accepts the hot basket of mozzy sticks Leo plops into his hands without questioning where it came from, and hops up into a seat at the bar since the dining room is pretty full. 
“I’m gonna go bug tío Hueso for a bit,” Leo says. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do, and if you do—”
“—deny everything and throw Draxum under the bus however I possibly can,” Mikey recites. He would never actually throw Draxum under the bus—unless it was a really funny bus—but they both know that so there’s no point bringing it up. 
“You’re my favorite,” Leo tells him. He knocks his knuckles on the bartop to get the attention of the rabbit yokai back there and wiggles his fingers in a wave when he has it. The yokai’s fur poofs a bit, like always, and he immediately drops the handful of forks he was holding with a noisy clatter. Then Leo whirls off to go make trouble elsewhere, crutch slowing him down not at all. 
The rabbit yokai is one Mikey knows pretty well from a hundred other afternoons just like this one. Usagi isn’t old enough to serve drinks, but he likes to roll silverware behind the bar so he can prop his phone up beneath the counter and watch TikToks. He always watches the Hamatos when they come in—maybe one Hamato in particular. 
It would probably make him less flustered around Leo if he knew that Leo’s entire family had a betting pool going on the two of them. Or maybe it would make it worse. Hmmmm. Mikey won’t mention it just in case. 
“Hi, Usagi,” Mikey says cheerfully, popping open the lid on the marinara sauce nestled into his ill-gotten gains. “Mozzy stick?”
“Hi, Mikey,” Usagi replies. “No, thanks. I’ve already eaten like a million garlic knots today and señor Hueso is making me take the leftover lasagna home since Auntie isn’t back until—” He cuts himself off, embarrassed. He always volunteers a ton of information and then wrongly assumes his friends don’t want to hear about all of that and reels himself back in. “Anyway! How are things?”
“Good!” Mikey says. “I’ve been one-hundred percenting all my Pokemon games since I’m stuck inside so much.”
Instead of remarking on that, or on the bright eye-catching colors of his arm braces, Usagi says, “Woah, even Diamond?”
“Yeah! Ohmigosh, I forgot to tell you, I caught Feebas!” Mikey pulls his phone out to show him proof, the victorious picture taken of his Switch screen. “I finally had to just lock in and totally ignore my phone for like two hours. Raph definitely thought I died when I didn’t reply to a meme Donnie sent in our group chat. Check it out!” 
Usagi leans over the bar to see and his reaction is everything Mikey could have hoped for. He gasps, “It’s a shiny?” 
“It’s a shiny!” Mikey hollers, then ducks his head a bit when the actual bartender gives the two of them a pointed look. Tucking his phone away, he says, “So what is your aunt up to? And what does it have to do with leftover lasagna?” 
“Oh! Well, she’s visiting with her sister, and I told her I could definitely fend for myself while she was gone, but yesterday there was kind of an incident with the microwave—”
Someone settles into a stool at Mikey’s right, and cuts right over Usagi to say, “Hey, Michael, right?”
Mikey glances over to find a really tall cat yokai, tawny fur with a black rosette pattern which makes Mikey think of a jaguar, except his ears are long and fluffy, and his face is distinctly more human than feline. 
“Half-right,” Mikey responds, frowning. “You just completely talked over my friend, bee tee dubs.”
“I’m sorry!” the cat is quick to apologize. “I didn’t realize you were friends, I thought he just worked here. You don’t mind, do you?” he adds to Usagi. 
Usagi has the deer-in-headlights look of someone thrust into a social interaction they Do Not Want To Have, and Mikey cringes a little at himself for it. Resolving to make it up to him later, he swivels in his seat to get the attention back on himself. 
“What’s up?” he says, hoping they can speedrun whatever this is. 
“I was just wondering how you’ve been since the invasion,” the cat says. “We haven’t seen you or your brothers around here much recently.” 
“Yeah, we’ve been spending more time at home,” Mikey says, the usual canned response they’ve taken to giving when their friends and associates wonder about their less frequent appearances lately. “We had some close calls but—you know, we won, so.” 
Usagi’s ear twitches, and his mouth turns down, and he gives the silverware he’s rolling his full attention. He has a lot of feelings about the Hamatos being involved in a huge fight that he was completely unaware of until it was long over. Mikey thinks he would have helped if they’d asked him to. He’d definitely do anything if Leo asked. But how could they ask? 
The cat yokai says, “Yeah, I saw the footage. Very impressive.” 
Mikey frowns and stops turning his seat back and forth. “Donnie—my brother wiped all the footage with us in it.” 
“I’m sure he did. But someone captured a few minutes of your battle on a scrying mirror and it made the rounds down here.”  
Ugh, magic, Mikey thinks with derision for the very first time in his life.
He makes a mental note to ask Draxum about how they can get rid of that footage, too. 
If Draxum doesn’t know, Big Mama will. Leo is her favorite. 
“Did I see Leonardo come in with you?” the yokai is saying, leaning in a little. “A few of my buddies and I, we were wondering if we could interest him in a proposal.”
A suspicious little animal in the back of Mikey’s brain sits up straight and starts paying attention. It’s weird that the guy guessed at Mikey’s name but knows Leo’s. It’s weird that he’s been paying attention to their comings and goings from the one place in the Hidden Cities they frequent regularly. And it’s weird that he has a proposal for a teenager.
On the other side of the bar, Usagi’s eyes are dark and watchful. He and Leo can talk shop about kenjutsu for hours at a time, and in this second Mikey doesn’t have trouble imagining Usagi with a sword in his hand. 
“Why?” Mikey says. 
“Those portals—I’ve never seen anything like it,” the cat says. “He could do so much with that ability. I’m sure he’s got people falling over themselves left and right to offer him work, but my employer could probably double any standing offers.” 
He still sounds surface-level friendly and admiring, but there’s a rot beneath it all, sickly-sweet. A greed. Mikey abruptly wants this guy at least one ocean and a language barrier away from himself and his big brother. 
Yeah, Leo’s portals are second-to-none. It’s incredible, the way he can think in three different places at once and account for every single sibling on the field like he’s playing 5D chess while everyone else is playing checkers. He makes it look easy because he’s Leo, and that’s what he does—he makes impossible stuff look like a breeze. Give his ninpo to a clown like this cat and they wouldn’t be able to accomplish a tenth of what Leo has in two years. Even if they had a hundred years. 
And Mikey can feel himself falling into that trap that Raphael so often falls into—that Donatello is guilty of tripping into now and then—the overprotective one. In the same second he thinks about how capable and cool Leo is, he’s thinking about how he would do anything to keep creeps like this away from him. He’s thinking about how Leo deserves to be around people who like him and appreciate him for him, and not for what he can do for them. 
“He’s sixteen,” Mikey says coldly. To him, sixteen feels very grown-up, but he makes sure to say it the way everyone else in his family constantly says it. “If he wanted a job, he’d work here.” 
“Oh, yes!” Usagi blurts. Then, “Uh, I mean, we’re hiring.” 
“A guy who can portal like that, taking pizza orders? Please,” the yokai says with an amiable grin, like they’re all in on the joke together. “Seriously, can I give you my card? Let him think about it. He could, uh—do some real good. For the community, you know? The Krang left a mark everywhere, even here. If he wanted to give back, there are lots of opportunities.” 
He takes a monochrome business card out of his wallet and slides it across the bar. Mikey doesn’t even look at it. He can feel himself getting really, properly angry. 
Leo’s too clever to get played, but he’s so guilt-motivated. He’s got that huge shadow hanging over him that convinces him so easily that he has all this stuff he has to make up for. He has all this love he has to earn. If this creep framed his job opportunity to Leo as a way to give back, to help people in the wake of an invasion he entirely blames himself for, then Leo would be lured right in. It wouldn’t even be hard. 
Michelangelo is so. Sick. Of this guy. 
“Can I just save you the time?” he says, smiling super brightly. “He’s not interested.”
The yokai’s smile fades a little, expression distinctly less friendly, but just for a second. He looks at something above Mikey’s head, and the smile stretches back out again. 
“I’ll wait to hear that from him,” the guy says, nodding to indicate something behind Mikey. 
Looking over his shoulder, Mikey sees Leo and Hueso chatting as they emerge from the office. Leo is waving his hand while he tells whatever story he’s telling, bright and animated, a far cry from that frightened boy they pulled out of the Prison Dimension. He feels safe here and he doesn’t have to put on a performance for anybody here and it shows. It’s why Raph let him go earlier without much of an argument. 
Mikey isn’t about to let anybody ruin it for him. 
Hueso wouldn’t exactly thank him for starting a brawl in his restaurant during the late lunch rush—and Mikey’s done a really good job of not getting banned this month! 
So sabotage it is. 
He’s the youngest of five—six, now, with the addition of Junior to their ranks—and when it comes to big, wounded eyes and crocodile tears to shake dad off his trail and throw another sibling under the bus, nobody does it better than him. 
Moving fast, Mikey pitches himself sideways off his seat. The stool clatters over noisily and Leo looks up in time to see Mikey hit the floor. Picture-perfect. 
“Ow!” he cries out, only half-faked. He did kind of land on one of his wrists a little too hard. 
“What the hell,” the yokai says dumbly. 
Leonardo is beside Mikey so fast, Mikey’s not one-hundred percent convinced he didn’t teleport himself there. He crouches, broken knee and all, and says, “Gravity two-hundred and eight, Angie zero.”
“No fair,” Mikey protests, sitting up. “It was two-hundred and two yesterday.” 
“Well, this wipe-out was embarrassing enough it’s worth multiple points.” 
Despite his teasing, Leo is entirely focused as he tests Mikey’s wrist for pain. When that doesn’t cause more than a wince, he pulls at the velcro straps until it’s loose enough to slide off. Mikey patiently endures Doctor Leon’s careful assessment of his arm, and buckles the brace back on when he’s allowed to. 
“What the heck happened?” Leo only asks when Mikey is helping him to his feet. 
“That guy pushed me down,” Mikey said immediately, head lowered enough that he has to look up more than usual to meet Leo’s eyes. 
“What?” the yokai snaps. “I didn’t push you down!”
“Sure, I just decided to fall down for no reason,” Mikey shoots back sarcastically. 
“That’s exactly what you did!” 
Leo glances at Usagi, the only eye-witness. Usagi says, to the cat yokai, “I saw the whole thing, man. You’re really gonna sit there and lie?”
Oh, we’re keeping you, Mikey thinks gleefully, almost forgetting to ham up his hurt expression. 
The cat yokai is definitely pissed off, but Leo stands up tall and steps in front of Mikey, his body language daring the guy to say one unkind word about his little brother. Hueso takes over before anything unfortunate can happen, encouraging the yokai to get his food to go and also to consider never coming back to this establishment since he thinks it’s acceptable behavior to bully a child, et cetera. All in a day’s work. 
Out of the corner of his eye, Mikey sees Usagi sweep the business card off the bar and probably into the trash somewhere behind it. 
They hang out at the bar for the rest of the afternoon. Usagi isn’t on the floor today, restocking and cleaning and running food instead, so he gets away with chatting and sneaking them free cranberries-on-the-rocks up until they leave. Leo finds out about the leftover lasagna situation and convinces the rabbit to come over for dinner, including a calzone for him in their take-home order to sweeten the deal.
“Uh,” Usagi says, “sure. Okay. That’d be—yeah.”
“Nice,” Leo says. He sounds way cooler about it than Mikey knows for a fact that he is on the inside. But that’s Leo to a tee—make it look easy. Don’t let anybody in on the big secret that you struggle, too. You have to unlock like fourteen friendship tiers before you get on the other side of all that. 
They portal most of the way to their favorite manhole back home, walking the final city block for a few extra minutes under the warm red evening sky. 
“So what happened with Puss in Boots back there?” Leo says apropos of nothing, when Mikey’s dramatic rendition of his capture of the Feebas and ultimate one-hundred percent completion of Brilliant Diamond has winded down. 
Mikey looks at him sidelong, but Leo is still looking ahead. He does kind of need to pay attention, the city sidewalks aren’t always clear, but that usually doesn’t stop him from looking at his brothers while they talk, to his brothers’ eternal exasperation. 
“I told you, he pushed me.”
“Uh-huh. And what actually happened?”
Ughhhhhh, Mikey has only fooled Leo like three times in his entire life, why did he automatically assume this would be success story number four? 
“That guy was weird,” Mikey mutters. He watches the ground while they walk, his untied shoelace flapping around with every step. “He knew about your portals and wanted stuff from you. He was super shady, Lee! He was like if Kingpin from the Spider-Man comics and Gaston from Beauty and the Beast had a baby. And were cats.”
Leo snorts, and Mikey jerks around so fast he’s not able to hide his smile in time. 
Aha! Mikey thinks, doing cartwheels in his mind. He laughed, I win!
“I’m not gonna let anybody walk all over you,” Mikey says, clenching one fist in front of him. “I know that you don’t need anybody looking out for you—believe me, I know.” They share a commiserating look, two little brothers against the world. Leo looks distinctly amused, like everything Mikey does is worth watching and bragging about later. “But I just love you so much, Leo. If this was a perfect world, everyone would love you as much as I do. But since that’s impossible, and no one will ever usurp me from my number one spot as your biggest fan, then I’ll settle for everyone at least liking you as much as I do. Which is still a pretty high bar, but it’s doable. If they just put the hours in, if they, you know, worked for it—”
“Oh my god, Miguel, stop,” Leo says, pushing at his shoulder. Mikey sways sideways with the push and comes right back, undeterred. 
“I’m unstoppable!” he hollers, lifting both arms and punching his fists up above his head. 
“Yeah,” Leonardo says, sounding like his old self again—sixteen years old, the whole world in his corner. “You’re the best.”
Mikey thinks he could do anything, he could light up the sky, he could punch a hole in the dimension, he could travel through time—he can definitely protect his brother. He’s the only person in the world who can get away with doing it, after all. That’s a big responsibility. Good thing Mikey is big enough to hold it. 
Daylight is only an afterthought in the sky now, all those rich autumn colors dimming into deep, vivid hues of purple and blue. The tunnel home is just around the corner, and they’ll have to reheat the food when they get there, but they’ll have to reheat Usagi’s anyway. 
When Leo reaches over and strings his arm around Mikey’s shoulders, Mikey adjusts his stride, shuffles his takeout bags to one hand, and puts his arm around Leo right back. 
“Thanks, Mike,” Leo says. “For being on my team. I know I don’t make it easy.”
“Your team is the only place I wanna be,” Mikey announces, when he’s sure his voice won’t wobble and give the wet sheen in his eyes away. “If you ever try to kick me out I will make your life a living hell. It seriously would not be worth it for you. Don’t tell Raph I said hell.”
Leo throws back his head and laughs for real. His crutch skids on a dead leaf and since they’re attached to each other they both stumble wildly and almost drop the calzones and get dirty looks from other Manhattanites. It’s the kind of moment that becomes the kind of memory that settles deep in the core of a person, never to be forgotten. 
And Mikey sees it—spring. The sun is finally coming out. Someday really soon, he thinks, those shadows that cling to Leo will have to find someone else to haunt. 
Until then, he can be sunshine enough for them both. 
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holylulusworld · 2 days ago
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Bucky still got this
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Summary: You took the perv home.
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x fem!Reader
Warnings: smut, protected sex, mentions of unprotected sex, fun, naughty reader, naughty Bucky, a match made in heaven
This is a snippet to Big girls don’t cry masterlist, but with Bucky and a different reader. It can be read as a stand-alone fic.
Catch up here: Bucky got this
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“I got this... I got this,” Bucky grunts in your neck with every deep thrust. He’s so close to losing it that he moves at a madding pace. “I fucking got this.”
“Yes, you got this,” you eagerly agree, rocking your hips faster. You’re so painfully close to another orgasm, you don’t care that you just met the guy holding you pinned to your mattress. “You fucking got this.”
"I GOT THIS!"
“BUCKY GOT THIS!” You scream at the top of your lungs when you fall apart underneath the cocky guy you met in front of the bakery.
“Fuck, I got this,” he whines in your neck through his orgasm. “I got this...always.”
“Yeah, Romeo, you got this,” you snicker when he lifts his head to look you in the eyes. “You got it more than once.”
You both laugh when your neighbor hammers against the wall. Not for the first time, though.
“We all know you got this. Can you stop with the non-stop fucking? Other people want to watch TV, eat, or sleep!”
“Shut up! I must bear hearing you jerk off to bad porn every night. I got a perfect dick to ride and will make good use of it. All. Night. Long.”
“Bitch!” Your neighbor yells and slams his fist into the wall. “Keep it down!”
“Shut up, dick-less jerk,” you reply, making Bucky chuckle. “He will fuck me with his tongue and fingers now, and we will make as much noise as we can!”
“What?” Bucky slowly pulls out to roll on his back. He discards the condom and sighs. “My jaw still hurts, lady. I’m not a sex machine.”
You snort. “You promised me a good time, little perv,” you pat his chest. “Come on, don’t be a disappointment.”
“I made you cum more than once,” Bucky mutters under his breath. “Women these days are so greedy. I give them an orgasm, and they want more.”
“Aw, poor baby,” you roll on top of Bucky to kiss his chest. “Is my pretty perv already tired? I thought your hands and dick can work magic.”
“I did,” he grunts. “Lady, hey...” he hisses, feeling your hand wrap around his sensitive dick. “I can’t get it up right after I filled you up.”
“Hmm…do you know that one Beyoncé song?” You coo and peck his lips. “You know, if you like it, put a ring on it.”
Bucky’s eyes widen, but he can’t help the growl leave his lips. “You want to use me like some toy, huh? Do dirty things to me and ruin this cunt forever. Maybe let me fill your pussy up this time too.”
“Please, for the love of whatever,” your neighbor yells. “Stop fucking! I need silence!”
You sigh and get comfortable on top of Bucky. “So, how long does it usually take for you to get hard again?” You giggle when Bucky slaps your ass. “I mean it, Mr. Barnes. How long?”
“You’re insatiable.”
“You are a perv. We’re a match made in heaven.”
Bucky rolls his eyes but says nothing. He just had the best sex in ages. If he wants to get some more sugar, he’ll play along and let you say whatever you wish to him.
“I’m not a perv,” he finally replies. “I told you about my friend and his girl’s problems.”
“I only heard your friend is a douche hurting that beautiful woman,” you huff and bite his nipple.
Bucky yelps. “Hey, what was that for?”
“You supported that douche.” You grin before biting the other nipple. This time, Bucky slaps your ass. “Hmm…harder, perv.”
“I told you to keep it low! I’m calling the cops!” Your neighbor yells even louder.
“Go ahead! Tell the cops you’re listening to other people, fuck!” You yell back. “You are a fucking creep. Don’t think I didn’t see you stare at my ass!”
“He stared at your ass." Bucky’s features darken. “Let me find my pants, and I’m punching his face.”
“Punch his dick!” You snicker as you roll off Bucky to watch him look for his pants. “No, wait. You won’t find his dick. It’s tiny.”
“Where are my pants?” Bucky looks for his pants, ready to punch a stranger for you. “Fuck!”
“Bucky, get back to bed. He’s not worth it,” you laugh while Bucky struggles to find his clothes. “We started in the living room, remember?” You crook your finger and lure Bucky back in. “If you can’t get it up right now, how about you invite me to the bakery for something sweet?”
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Bucky impatiently watches you look at the baked goods. He huffs and hopes you’ll choose something soon. His cock twitched more than once watching you bounce on your heels in front of him.
“Dammit, that’s not good,” he murmurs and looks down at his body. “Don’t fall in love, little Bucky. That’s a one-time thing. Do not get addicted to her. We won’t discuss this. I'm warning you, punk.”
“What do you think?” You twirl around to show Bucky a baguette, not cake. “Do you think we can skip the cake and go back to this?”
You seductively slide your tongue over the baguette, your eyes holding Bucky’s gaze. He chokes on his spit, watching you open your mouth to put the tip of the baguette into your mouth.
“Fuck, woman!” He grabs your wrist to drag you out of the bakery. “I guess your neighbor will hate us even more.”
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Chosen Appa | Wooyoung
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- Pairing: Jung Wooyoung x Single-mom!Reader.
- Requested by: no one
- Requests: Open for now. Please read my requesting guidelines before requesting.
- Warnings: single mum, hints at readers ex-husband being a cheater and an overall douchebag, best friends to lovers.
- Word Count: 1,205
- Taglist: Open. Send an ask or fill out the Tag List Form.
Wooyoung Masterlist | ATEEZ Masterlist
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Walking back into her small living room, Y/N is met with silence. The babbling sounds of her 15-month-old baby girl, who usually keeps herself entertained with her toys in her play pen while Y/N does the housework, has gone quiet. Assuming her little one might have fallen asleep, she peeks into the playpen only to discover that her daughter is missing.  
Panic sets in as Y/N searches every corner of the apartment, trying to convince that her baby isn’t capable of climbing out on her own yet. Her eyes dart to the entrance, where she notices the stroller and the diaper bag are missing. Relief washes over her and is quickly replaced with annoyance as she picks up the phone and calls the only person brave and sneaky enough to kidnap her baby in broad daylight. 
He quickly answers but before he can start his yapping, Y/N yells at him. “Yah! Jung Wooyoung! You better bring my baby back right now.”  
“No,” he says defiantly. “You’ve been under a lot of stress lately with finding a new job, the divorce and your soon to be ex-husband being a total asshole. She’s coming with me to the studio while you have a few hours to yourself," he insists.  "Don’t worry; she’ll be safe and sound. You know everyone here loves her.” 
Y/N can almost hear the smirk in his voice, and it only fuels her irritation further. “You can’t just take her without asking me first! What if something happens? What if she gets scared?” 
“Y/N,” he interrupts, his voice firm yet gentle, “You know I won't let anything happen to her. I protect her as if she's my own." 
"Fine, but if you pull a stunt like this again, you'll never see her again," she warns her best friend. "You got that? I'll make Yeonjun her godfather. You’ll be no one to her." 
"You really trust Yeonjun with Hannie?" he asks, skeptically. 
"He wouldn't kidnap her without me knowing," she defends their mutual friend.  
Wooyoung chuckles on the other end of the call, the sound brings some comfort to her. “You know, I think you’re just jealous because I didn’t kidnap you for the day too. Stop with the housework and enjoy this time to yourself. Take a walk, go get some lunch, do a little shopping.”  
Y/N sighs, her shoulders slumping as she leans against the kitchen counter. The weight of her responsibilities presses down on her. Never did she think she would be jobless, almost divorced and a single mother. But four months ago, everything came crashing down. Her husband’s mistress turned up at their door, crying and pregnant. She left, losing her job in the process, and moved in with her mother who’s been helping support her and Hannie while she finds a new job so she can get an apartment. But finding a job was proving harder than she expected. She’s seriously considering the job her mum offered her at the small restaurant she owns. 
Y/N feels a twinge of guilt for wanting a moment to herself. “I know, but she’s my baby. I can’t help but worry.”  
“Worrying is part of being a mother, but you also need to take care of yourself,��� Wooyoung replies, his voice softening.  
Y/N bites her lip, contemplating his words. He’s right, of course. The past few months have been a whirlwind of stress, and she hasn’t had a moment to breathe. “Okay, but I want updates and photos. Text me every hour, or I swear I’ll come down to that studio and take her back myself.” 
"I promise to send you plenty of pictures," he assures her. "Hannie, say see you later, eomma," he adds, moving the phone closer to Hannie.  
Hannie babbles into the phone until a clear word breaks through. "Appa!" 
Y/N’s eyes widen with shock. Hannie just said her first word. Her heart swells with a mix of pride and disbelief. “Did she just say ‘Appa’?” Y/N asks, her voice barely above a whisper, as if she’s afraid to break the special moment. 
"I've been trying to get her to say eomma," Wooyoung admits after putting his phone on speaker, disbelief and pride in his voice also. He quickly ends the call and calls her back on video call. 
She quickly answers and the first thing to pop up on her phone screen is her little girl, her bright eyes sparkling with innocence and joy as she looks past the phone at wooyoung. She’s always imagined the day her daughter would speak her first word, and now it was directed at someone else. Someone that wants nothing to do with her. The reality of her situation hits her like a wave, and she feels a lump form in her throat. 
“Appa,” Hannie keeps saying, her tiny voice filled with joy as she looks up at Wooyoung, her little hands reaching out wanting him to pick her up. "Look, Hannie, it's eomma," Wooyoung says, turning the phone to show Hannie her mother on the screen. For a brief moment, she captures the baby's attention, and Y/N can see the flicker of recognition in her daughter’s eyes. "Can you say eomma?" he playfully encourages, trying to elicit another word from his goddaughter.  
Hannie giggles, her focus shifting back to him, her laughter like music that fills the room. "Appa!" she exclaims again. 
"I think she's calling you Appa," Y/N says, the realization dawning on her. When she thinks about it, Wooyoung has present in Hannie's life more than her own father. Especially since Y/N and her ex-husband ended their relationship. Hannie's father hasn't had anything to do with her since. 
 "Me?" he asks surprised, turning the phone camera back to him. "Why would she call me Appa?" he questions not really thinking about it. 
"Maybe she sees me as a father figure," Y/N tries to convince herself, but deep down, she knows that Hannie is forming connections, and Wooyoung is a significant part of her life. 
"I mean, I’ve been around a lot since you and—" He stops himself, the mention of her ex-husband hanging in the air. 
Y/N swallows hard, the lump in her throat growing. "You have been," she admits, her voice growing softer as she thinks about it. "You’ve been a great, Wooyoung. I don’t know what I would do without you." 
He smiles, but it’s tinged with something more serious. "I just want to be there for both of you. You know that, right? You and Hannie mean the world to me." 
"And you mean the world to us," she replies with a warm smile, her heart swelling with affection. In that moment, she realizes that there could be something more between her, her daughter and her best friend. Wooyoung has stepped into a role that neither of them expected, but it feels right. 
"I don't think this is a conversation that should be spoken about over the phone," he says after a moment of silence. "I'll bring Hannie home now and we can talk more." 
She nods, a small smile playing on her lips and ends the call. She rushes around the room, picking up toys and putting away the play pen. anticipating Wooyoung and Hannie's return home. 
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petriwriting · 3 days ago
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Bad Boyfriends - Theodore Nott X Reader
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Summary: your boyfriend treats you terribly and Theodore comforts you when you finally break up. Then you realize you love him.
A/N: based on a tiktok meme I saw. Reader is a slytherin. Once again proofreading is for the weak and I wrote this on like no sleep. Contains Cheating & Protective Theo. Friends to lovers. Rupi Kaur poetry.
Your boyfriend, Silas was the stereotypical gryffindor guy. He had decent grades, was relatively social, popular. He played quidditch too. From afar the relationship was the perfect ‘enemies to lovers’ trope. You were a slytherin, and he was a gryffindor but despite being in different houses you were in love, or so it seemed to the average person. it was picturesque.
The halls flooded with students preparing for the weekend, some housemates of yours had invited you to a slytherin after party that would undoubedtly take place after your house won the quidditch game that evening. You had a killer winning streak, and tonight slytherin was playing against gryffindor. Silas wasn’t too excited for you to go, so he said you could come to the gryffindor after party instead, which would be “wayyy more fun” he had said. You were torn, but also tired. Silas grabbed your arm out of the busy hall, and pulled you into a slightly more private hall in the corridors. “Heyy,” he cooed. “Excited for my game tonight?” He said in a cocky tone. “We’ll definitely kick slytherin’s ass tonight I can feel it,” he exclaims. You sigh. “Well slytherin has a winning streak right now, so maybe not.” You say jokingly, you truthfully didn’t care who won, you just wanted to relax at a party with your friends afterwards. “Don’t say that.” His tone is blatant, rude. “I want you to wear my jersey tonight as always.” He winked, grabbing your hand and brushing his thumb over it in attempts to be affectionate. “I was going to wear gear from my house.” You uttered.
There is a slight pause, and Silas looks angry, part of you is genuinely scared. but you know that he won’t do anything too drastic if you’re both in public. You silently thank Merlin that the hallway has some students shuffling through every now and then. Not that Silas would get physical, or hurt you. “Absolutely not.” He says flatly. “You can’t control what I wear,” you retort getting frustrated at his attitude. “Come on you can’t support me this once? After all I do for you?” He pleads. ‘After all I do for you’ refers to holding doors open for you, pulling out your chair, giving you compliments, and holding your hand in public. All which are things that are in fact the bare minimum. You exhale loudly. “I’m not doing this with you right now.” You say quietly, retreating somewhat.
“Come on, you hang out with lowlife bratty snobby kids who think they are way better than everyone else. Didn’t think it would rub off on you this much.” He snaps back. You’re angered, hurt and ready to spill tears but you hold your composure. “Silas I’m not doing this!” You repeat yourself, more stern despite the break in your voice. “Why can’t you just do what I ask?” He mumbles. “There’s girls lining up to be with me but I chose to be with you instead and you always treat me like I’m some bad guy whose out to get you.” He exclaims. His narcism is shining bright at you.
“Silas I’m unhappy.” You uttered, somewhat scared of the consequences. “Really?” He says, in a condescending tone. “Shocker.” He rolls his eyes. “Did your bitchy friends put that idea In your head?” He snapped again. He’s projecting, and it hurts. You did love him at first, but with the arguements of recently, and his attitude being less and less loving and caring you knew something was up. There was even a rumor that he had been seen getting more than friendly with a ravenclaw girl. Everything just bubbled up in that moment. You had stayed because the relationship looked good but now it was doing nothing but hurting you and you were starting to realize it. All the lake night talks, dates at hogsmeade, passing notes in class, it all suddenly meant nothing. Tears welled in your eyes, you wanted to shake him.
“No they didn’t, and my friends are loyal and look out for each other.” You stated through the tears, anger seeping out. “Unlike yours who blow shit up for fun and barely pass their classes.” You snapped back. “We’re done.” You said, the words came out sharp and cold. “Figures as much.” Silas retorted before storming off. He muttered something about you being an evil snake on his way off.
You stood there for a moment, tears falling from your cheeks your face was red and you were exasperated. Your instinct was to rush back to your room, taking the long way to the dungeons to avoid being seen. You walked fast. Faster. Rushing through the castle. You rushed right past your friends who greeted you, and went to your dorm to cry alone. The door heavily shut.
. . . . . . . .
Later that evening, your friends had convinced you to go to the quidditch game that evening, and as suspected slytherin won with a pretty high lead. You were decked out in your slytherin gear, showing your house pride with your face painted. Deep down you were hurting and upset, but you didn’t let anyone see it. The game was cold, as you stood on the stands cheering and clapping. Your scarf was wrapped around your neck tightly, and you wore a bulky sweater over top a quidditch jersey.
Soon enough the after party rolled around. It felt great to not have Silas dragging you down…
By the time you arrive to the party in the common room it is already starting to become full of students who drink and smoke and laugh. The music is loud, some trendy band everyone’s been listening to with a catchy beat and carefree lyrics. Alcohol won’t make you feel better but at least you are with friends. While Blaise and Draco are off dancing with pansy and Astoria. Eventually the chatter and music is becoming loud so you venture to the corridor just beyond common room for some clarity. You wanted to cry again but you promised yourself you would be okay just for a little while longer.
Outside the common room, you follow the scent of smoke and are quickly lead to Mattheo and Theodore. Theodore has a cigarette lit, he’s been drinking and so has Mattheo. Mattheo was in the middle of explaining some grandiose plan he had to impress a transfer student, while entertaining his friend Theodore, who intently listened. He had always had a dark demeanor, quiet but thoughtful. The two were in your friend group but you certainly weren’t close. You knew Mattheo liked to party and was quite rebellious and that Theodore and yourself shared a potions class together. They both nodded and acknowledged your presence. You awkwardly stood, not wanting to be rude but not wanting to seem desperate either. “Y/N, I could hear you cheering us on from the stands.” Mattheo exclaims. You lean against the wall next to Theodore. “Yeah I’ve been excited for the game all week,” you admit. Theodore was very reserved, he offered you a cigarette, which you accepted. You didn’t typically smoke, though you had before. You took a few long drags and thanked him. “No problem.” He said with a smirk. “Mattie!” Someone called. It was a slightly drunken girl. “If you’ll excuse me…” Mattheo ran off after her. He always liked his mischievous antics.
“So,” Theodore began. “How are you holding up?” He asked. You sighed. Did he know? Did everyone know already? You tried to be discrete and keep it private, but words travel fast. “Sorry, I didn’t realize you knew.” You said, hugging yourself in the chilly air. “Well I don’t, but whatever it was I saw you were pretty upset about it.” He states, referring to the moment he saw you rush past everyone playing cards in the common room to your dorm earlier in the day. Theodore had always been the quiet observer, he saw things but didn’t speak much in comparison to his friends. He was still relatively social despite his mysterious demeanor. For the past year and a half, you always saw Theodore as a friend, but never relied on him much except for notes from class and gossip on occasion. You’d spoken with him a few times here and there. It wasn’t a huge issue that he knew you were dating Silas, the school always clung to the gossip and paid attention to the it couples. Especially Pansy and Draco who were both influential. You had been so wrapped up in trying to maintain your relationship with your now ex boyfriend that you hadn’t seen the signs of Theodore pining over you. He doodled you in class, and always romanticized the thought of asking you out despite never doing so out of circumstance. By the time he had decided to act on his feelings for you, you were together with your ex. So it felt pointless. Nonetheless he still cared for you quite immensely.
“Oh yeah, sorry,” you say slightly embarrassed. “I was um..” you stop yourself. “Silas and I broke up. It’s been a rough day.” You admit looking at the ground. “Sorry to hear that.” He says, taking another long drag of his cigarette before putting it out. “It’s okay.” You say. It’s quiet, almost too quiet. The chatter is very muffled and the music is faint from the common room. “Do you want to talk about it?” He asks. You sigh, and think for a moment. You want to say no and forget about this whole thing and move on, but you also know how good it will feel to get it out, and since Theo was the first person to ask you gave in to his offer. “I just,” you began quietly. “I heard a rumor that he was seeing someone else.” You admitted with a shrug. “And at first I didn’t want to believe it until I saw them in the library one day, this was maybe 2 weeks ago. They weren’t just studying but flirting. I was in denial about it, and today I just finally snapped and broke it off.” You continue. “I loved him but it wasn’t worth staying with someone who won’t treat me the way I deserve to be treated, someone who cheats and lies and hurts me over and over again without a care. Someone that genuinely made me so insecure and sad.” You finalized, sternly wiping your tears. As if convincing yourself the words were true the tears welled up in your eyes again as the wound re-opened. “I don’t want to ruin your night it seems like you were having fun.” You say as your voice softens.
Theodore has now turned towards you with his hands in his pockets. “No no,” Theodore reassures. “My night is definitely not ruined.” He states. “I enjoy hearing you talk. We don’t get to do that very often.” He confesses slightly. He’s right. You barely speak, but his presence and his shoulder to cry on is appreciated and you sniffle and wipe your face. “I’m glad to hear you open up.” He replies.
You sigh and shake away some anxiety from your body. “Thank you for listening to me.” You say. “It means a lot.” “Anytime.” He says quietly. “You deserve to spend your time with people who respect your feelings and your thoughts and time, not someone who hurts you that much.” Theodore says. He’s nervous now, he wants to tell you he’s been looking out for you since you first met and that he’s only just come to the realization that he might be in love with you, but he’s silent in that regard. “It’s good to talk about things sometimes,” he says. You were not prepared for him to be vulnerable with you in reciprocation. “When my mom passed,” he says tenderly. “I didn’t talk for 3 years. I was nearly mute. And when I finally told someone how I felt, it felt so good. Amazing. I know it’s not the same as what you’re going through at all, but hey, we’re here for you.” He says kindly. We, as on his friend group. Your friend group too. You want to turn to thank him, right the but instead you don’t. You wrap your arms around him tightly. It feels strange to do so at first but then you both melt into each others embrace. It’s a sweet moment. “Thanks.” You whisper.
. . . . . . . .
The next few months are spent blissfully happy in your new found singleness. Although it can be lonely you have amazing friends to support you through. And since that evening you had grown much closer to Theodore. He sort of becomes one of your best friends. You had pulled away from that friend group for obvious reasons, although it felt good to have your old life back finally. You could be yourself without judgement. You hadn’t seen Silas nearly at all, avoiding his usual hangout spots and ignoring his buddies in the halls. You were finally over him. The cold air was harsh, and a light dust of snow covered the ground outside the castle and soon enough everything around. You found comfort in the quiet of the common room, and warmth by the fire place. A book was in your lap, a lovely poetry novel. You wore a heavy sweater, and cozy socks as you were curled up reading on the couch by your friend. Theodore had become the perfect person to be around. He had a quiet understanding of your pain, and he shared his own with you and opened himself up which you thought was special. Not even the other slytherins had known about some of the things the two of you talked about. He’s sat beside you on the couch, silently doodling in his notebook between the pages of notes. You yawned, and leaned closer to Theodore. “This one reminds me of you.” You said softly before resting your head on his shoulder to read, it was an affectionate gesture that made your heart race.
The world
gives you
so much pain
and here you are
making gold out of it.
As you read aloud the words come out like milk and honey. “That’s pretty,” Theo says quietly. “I like that.” He admitted. Your head stayed on his shoulder and eventually he had snaked an arm around you. You were both sleepy, as it was getting relatively late. The crackle of the fireplace was just soo soothing. “Thank you.” You said quietly, tempting sleep to take you. “For what?” Theodore asks. “Being here for me.” You explain. “It feels nice to have someone who understands me as much as you.” He smiles softly, you couldn’t see his face flush slightly. He hesitates and says this a bit too late, thinking you’d fallen fast asleep, since you chest rise and fell softly and you had let your book relax in your hand. And sighs a bit, “I love you.” He uttered softly, without a response, you were nearly asleep. It wasn’t long before sleep griped the both of you.
The next morning, you’re met with Mattheo smiling in your faces. “Well then good morning love birds.” He chuckled. “Did you sleep well?” He mused. It’s early enough not everyone is awake yet, aside from Mattheo. You were surprised to not see Draco or Blaise wandering about yet, as the common room was still mostly empty. You yawned and stretched. You had been cuddled up to Theo and when you realized you blushed a bit unconsciously. “Breakfast will start soon if you’d like to accompany me.” Mattheo says. “Yeah, sure.” Theodore says rubbing the sleep from his eyes. “We’ll meet you there, yeah?” He says. Matt nods and wanders off. The two of you share one extra moment practically in an embrace on the couch before you lean in closely and utter a whisper that changed the boys world forever. “I love you too.”
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stupditysholy · 20 hours ago
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I have to get this off my chest because the amount of Curly love on tik tok actually stresses me out and I’ll tell you why:
So to my understanding having experienced the game multiple times, Curly absolutely fails to advocate for/help Anya. She hides the gun to keep it away from Jim because Curly will not allow her to protect herself. He straight up calls her crazy to her face, too: “You never had to get psych evals like the rest of us. I should’ve known” or something along those lines. When Curly confronts Jim before Jim crashes the ship, he doesn’t say ANYTHING in defense of Anya, instead consoling Jim that they would figure it out, and he’d been in rough spots before.
For all intents and purposes, Curly does not see that Jim has done something inexcusable, and rather he has made a series of mistakes. He does not for one single moment consider how Anya’s life has been permanently altered, how her autonomy has been entirely stolen from her.
Until he experiences it himself.
Curly being reduced to a mostly immobile spring sausage is his way of experiencing the pain he allowed to be inflicted upon Anya, full stop. Even more ironic? Anya can’t bare to give him his pain killers, so he is left completely at Jim’s mercy, a fun-house mirror of how Curly could not bare to hold his friend accountable, and therefore left Anya at Jim’s mercy pre-crash.
Curly only becomes Jim’s victim because he allows Anya’s victimization to go on unchecked. He thought he was exempt from Jim’s abuse, and that is his biggest mistake.
Also, I have to say the idea that Curly get’s rescued and lives happily ever after does the narrative no justice. In fact, it completely undermines Jim’s entire character arc. Curly living happily ever after would, in some sense, redeem a little of Jim’s character—redemption he did not remotely earn because he did NOT take responsibility. At all.
Jim putting Curly in the pod at the end is no act of mercy. It’s actually the worst and most selfish thing he could have done. It’s the exact freaking opposite of taking responsibility. When he has his big talk with Polle before the very end, he is spouting complete and utter bullshit. Why?
The crash and Curly are NOT the things he is supposed to be taking responsibility for. The thing he is supposed to be taking responsibility for is ANYA’S TORMENT. That is the thing which started all of this, which lead to the crash, which fried Curly. That is the inciting incident.
That’s the freaking irony!
Anya get’s completely and utterly forgotten in this moment. In my opinion, this is why Polle says:
If all of that is true… why are you still so concerned with him?
Because right before that, Jim is about to say “Our worst moments don’t make us monsters.”
And Polle knows, then, in that moment, that when Jim thinks of his worst moments, he thinks of the accident, what happened to Curly, rather than the immeasurable pain he inflicted on Anya PURPOSEFULLY. Jim completely fucking ignores his worst moment, and that DOES make him a monster.
So when Jim puts Curly in that pod, not only is he righting the WRONG wrong, but he is actively choosing to believe this is what it means to take responsibility. He is making his amends to a man he accidentally hurt rather than the person who suffered the most at his hand.
It’s also pretty evil of Jim to put him in there because he knows: a good captain goes down with his ship. He makes Curly out to be a selfish and pitiful. He may even be setting him up for failure depending on how the authorities reason out what happened.
I just think at the end of the day Jim is the villian of the story, and Curly is a freaking bystander. Obviously post-crash this is inevitable, but that’s almost funny—not gonna do anything to stop him, Curly? Guess what, now you don’t even have a freaking choice.
Anyway please stop glazing the spaghetti man you can love his complexity but he is not a good guy or uwu cutie pie. He sucks. Straight up.
Feel free to start discourse in the comments I’m okay with being wrong about him I guess I just don’t think I am.
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starlightshadowsworld · 1 day ago
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Concept: Fukuzawa walking past Fyodor to go to Atsushi.
Just a “I’ll deal with you in a second” and that more then anything angers Fyodor to no end.
Fukuzawa taking in the sight of Atsushi’s blood stained shirt and his once bright eyes have lost their shine.
It hurts his soul and strengthens his resolve. A kind but firm hand rests on Atsushi’s shoulder. A thumb wipes away his tears like he was tears younger.
Fukuzawa pulls him into a warm embrace and feels Atsushi fight not to break down then and there. All he can think is that Atsushi was to young to experience such horrors.
That they all were.
That he was supposed to be the one to protect them. It was his mistake that bought them here and it’ll be him who fixes it.
“President…?”
“Atsushi” he says not like the Boss of an organisation but as a father. If he even deserves to hold that title anymore.
“Can you do me a favour?”
“Anything.”
Fukuzawa gently turns him around. Away from the blood and rubble, towards the light. “I want you to run as fast as you can. There’s a helicopter that’ll take you to Fitzgerald. Your friend will join you with Aya.”
Atsushi looks at him, frowning “what about you?” He asked as Fukuzawa ran a gentle hand through his hair. “I will be right behind you. You won’t even notice that I’m gone.”
I’m sorry.
“I’m sorry” says Atsushi but Fukuzawa shakes his head. “You have done nothing wrong.” And he would say it a thousand times if it got Atsushi to believe him. “I am happy that you joined the Agency. I am thankful for everything you’ve gone. And I am so proud of you Atsushi Nakajima.”
We all are.
We all will be.
Fukuzawa smiles softly “know that no matter how far you go. Even when you feel all alone know that the Agency will always be with you, right here.”
He points to Atsushi’s heart as all the memories cross both of their minds.
A sword strikes through the air that Fukuzawa dodges instinctively. He pushes Atsushi away from it as he draws his sword.
“Now run. And whatever you, don’t look back.”
Atsushi wants to argue but doesn’t. He grabs Akutagawa from the ground and starts running. Tears run freely down his cheeks as the sounds of battle become more and more intense.
Even as he gets further away.
“My my how cruel” smirked Fyodor “to lie to your dear subordinate like that.” Fukuzawa glared at him “his allies, our friends will always be with him.”
“If you say so but you’re not leaving this airport.”
“Funny. I was thinking the same about you.”
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saintsenara · 2 days ago
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How do you think Sirius felt about Lupin not reaching out to Harry before POA? Would he be angry or would he understand that Lupin’s condition (plus extreme poverty) would have made that difficult (along with his guilt and self loathing ofc)?
controversially... i don't think he gave a shit.
before i have the timeline up in arms, let me say that i'm an enormous fan of harry and sirius' canon relationship. the muddy paw-print good luck card - and the fact that sirius is the only person harry ever seems even vaguely child-like with, and the fact that harry knows that sirius is dead because he'd never disappear from his sight otherwise - lives rent-free in my head, and i understand completely why so many fans hate seeing the depth of their relationship devalued in service of a characterisation of sirius which is stupid, prissy, flaky, and fickle. because i'm one of them.
however... i must also be frank that there are some things which have emerged in reaction to this fanon devaluation of sirius' commitment to harry which i think are a little overblown. [and which have moved beyond "good godfather sirius black" to "flawless godfather sirius black".]
the reaction sirius is often written as having - within the canon timeline [alternate universes are alternate universes] - to harry's pre-hogwarts experience is one of them.
sirius is often taken as someone who's ready to murder the dursleys and whisk harry away from them at the slightest provocation. within such a characterisation, lupin's failure to check in on harry during his childhood - and, therefore, his failure to do anything about the neglect and abuse harry was experiencing - could be presumed to have sirius ready to tear his old friend limb-from-limb.
in prisoner of azkaban, sirius invites harry to live with him - not because he wants to rescue him, but because he's harry's legal guardian according to james and lily's wishes, and he wants to fulfil those wishes - but by order of the phoenix he takes the same view of harry living with the dursleys as everyone else does: that it isn't nice by any means, but that it is necessary.
that is, once sirius knows about the blood protection - which we can presume happens fairly shortly after prisoner of azkaban, since we know he and dumbledore write to each other - he's completely on board with harry staying where he is.
and this connects to something else i think the fandom has a tendency to overstate: the extent to which sirius intervenes in harry's favour against the rest of the order.
because - yes - sirius is absolutely right to say - on harry's first night in grimmauld place - that he should be updated on what the order have been doing while he's been in little whinging.
this is correct from an operational standpoint - and the primary flaw in molly weasley's argument is, as lupin points out, that excluding the children in the house only stops them learning accurate information about the order's mission, rather than information full stop.
and it also shows sirius' understanding of and respect for who harry is as a person. he's the only adult character in the book who explicitly recognises that harry objects to being infantilised, is frustrated with the information blackout to which he's subjected, and feels that his own contribution and usefulness to the anti-voldemort cause is being overlooked for no good reason.
but... even as we acknowledge this, we also have to acknowledge that - while he recognises that harry's feelings are valid - sirius never suggests that the order's treatment of harry is inappropriate, unnecessary, or unreasonable.
throughout order of the phoenix sirius takes exactly the same view as everyone else:
that harry should be subjected to an information blackout that he should remain in little whinging until told otherwise that he shouldn't be told he's being surveilled that he shouldn't be told about the prophecy and its contents that he shouldn't be made privy to the detail of the order's plans that he shouldn't be informed that he might be possessed and - above all - that dumbledore's decisions when it comes to harry are the right ones and dumbledore's interpretation of events which involve harry is correct
clearly, there's some tension in sirius and dumbledore's relationship in order of the phoenix. but this relates to sirius' view of his own experience - in particular, his struggles with seeing any non-active contribution to the order as valuable. when it comes to harry, he defers - like all the other adults in the order - to dumbledore.
and this is obviously going to affect how sirius understands harry's experience while he was in azkaban.
dumbledore explains to harry - at the end of order of the phoenix - that he was placed with the dursleys for his own protection. not only does the blood protection keep him safe from voldemort - indeed, it is the only thing [as both dumbledore and voldemort acknowledge] that does - but his separation from the wizarding world keeps him safe from voldemort's supporters. and while - yes - dumbledore is withholding certain, horcrux-related bits of the truth from harry here, the broader truth remains... harry is placed with the dursleys because it's the only way to keep him alive, and - regardless of whether the reader thinks this justifies what happens to him - canon is clear that sirius, whose only motivation is to keep harry safe, would.
which means that lupin wouldn't need to offer any explanation for not attempting to seek harry out beyond "dumbledore said not to".
i also think, as a post-script, that the fact that harry doesn't seem to be particularly bothered by his distant relationship with lupin - while sirius is alive, that is - is another reason why sirius wouldn't care about it.
sirius' priority - which i say not as a wolfstar-versus-prongsfoot thing but as a "these are the group dynamics in the canon text" thing - is james. lupin and pettigrew are both clearly his secondary friends while james is alive.
and so, while i reject the idea that he sees harry as indistinguishable from james - this is nonsense the films invented - sirius does nonetheless see harry as someone who takes the same role in society as james did [notice, for example, that he always imagines harry as a leader and the other child characters as followers]. this is the thing he perceives as the same across his relationship with harry and his relationship with james: that he is the only person seen as a peer or co-leader, rather than a follower. he can't envision harry feeling let down by lupin, because in this context lupin would have to have had power over harry to let him down.
if harry was angry at lupin himself - especially if harry framed this as being betrayed or shown insufficient loyalty - i think there's grounds to claim that sirius would share this anger. but i don't think he'd ever be inclined to manufacture it for himself.
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pruneunfair · 2 days ago
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Tropes in manhwa are awful yet people still defend them
I'm in a bad mood right now so what better way to release all that pent up anger by ranting on what can ruin a good story.
1: Slavery being inserted only for cheap plot and slaves being demonized as obsessive/greedy monsters for "not knowing their place"
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Theres nothing wrong with wanting to insert slavery in your story AS LONG as it's not just cheap plot to make your MC look "better" by buying from a single to all of the slaves because let me tell you this: there is no such thing as a good slave owner, you cannot morally own another human being. A lot of manhwa like to have slavery be a part of their plot completely ignoring that just because the MC goes "wow this is terrible" doesn't make them a good person after they buy a slave.
Remarried empress does this with its villian Rashta by pushing the notion that she's being greedy for not wanting to stay in poverty so Navier won't suffer because apparently a slave wanting what the silver spoon mouthed nobles were born into is so terrible not to mention they justify slave owners and slavery in general as a punishment for criminals (neglecting the fact that children can be sold by their parents)
The villainess has fun again justifies a child slave being bought by the lead and he becomes an obsessive shouta love interest, fans continously justify by using the ancient lolicon excuse "he may look young but he's actually 99182823 years old!"
In divorcing my tyrant husband, Robelia buys 30 slaves and the only 2 that consistently show up have no other personality other then "we love you FL we will worship you till the end of time!"
There's a damn manhwa out there literally called the order of slave breeding and even when a story tries to do this correctly such as VADTD with Penelope being portrayed as a bad person for what she did to Eckles, fans have been so deluded by the idea that FL's buying slaves is "girlboss" that they think Eckles should be grateful to be Penelopes "pet"
2: ML's murdering innocent people after one guy hurts the FL
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I already made a specific post about it before and I'll say it again: all this does is make your male lead/father figure look like a horrific monster. While you could say it's because its a medieval kingdom (objectively that is true that they would do this) manhwa and OI is the same place where despite in those times taking a mistress was considered normal they still view it as cheating and "how could you pick that slut when you have such a perfect wife!? 🤬" in most stories. So yes, modern morality is still inserted within these tropes. While I can get it's a way to show that the man in questions loves the FL so much he's willing to go to such lengths to protect her I think just mutilating the guy that actually did the sin would be enough because try imagining yourself as a faithful servant who was amazing at your job getting brutally slaughtered by the Emperor because your boss attacked his daughter or lover.
Into the light once again does this with Aishas dad murdering all the relatives and close friends of a count that tried to kill Ysis and Aisha, Aisha doesn't seem to care despite being in a situation where she was wrongfully executed in her past life.
Remarried empress does this too. After Navier is nearly killed by Krista's brother, Heinrey tortures and kills the dad and slaughters the servants of the zemensias. I can't remember if he also murdered the remaining family members but I wouldn't put it past him.
3: protagonist centered morality
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Protagonist centered morality is the biggest indicator that a piece of media is dealing with a mary sue FL. Whatever the protagonist says is right is immediately morally correct. This is actually used to justify the last 2 examples with "it was for the FL!" Things like slavery, murder, workplace abuse, union busting, pedophilia, and being a POS to your loved ones are all justified if the protagonist finds a cheap way to justify it and you HAVE to agree with her because her backstory is very tragic 🥺. Protagonist centered morality also ruins the chance for good characters since the FL herself never has to grow as a person so she stays the same exact thing as she was just with more enablers and random characters will be treated as villains even if they aren't actually wrong about being suspicious of the Protagonist or calling out her behavior. It twists the narrative in such incomprehensible ways that you don't even know what your reading anymore. I can't even list all of the manhwas that do this given how many there actually are so I'll just list some that are at least self aware there Protagonist is awful/morally grey or isn't even a bad person but they still have flaws that can be pointed out
Villains are destined to die
My in laws are obsessed with me
Not sew wicked step mom
Depths of malice
The villainess turns the hourglass
Beware of the villainess.
4: villains being dumbed down to make the lead look smarter
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This is unfortunately another common staple often used as a quick way to make the FL look smart and witty but is that really hard to look smarter when everyone else around you is an idiot? Not only does the FL not have to put in actual effort to best her enemies but you just start to pity the villain for basically being a punching bag. Dimwitted villains aren't always bad in fact they can be some of those most entertaining characters no matter much they lose but that only works when they are meant to be seen as a goofy character that your not supposed to take seriously. Villains that are written as extremely childish and stupid but your still supposed to treat them as serious antagonists on the other hand are just annoying since you wonder how the protagonist even got killed by them in the first life if they're so stupid.
Isabella de Mare while admitly having a good reason for being dumbed down (she's a teenager in the 2nd life so it's reasonable she wouldnt be as smart as her adult counterpart) is still a joke of a villainess who keeps flipping back and fourth from a snot nosed whiny brat to a mastermind only at convenient opportunities when the plot needs conflict.
Mielle from the villainess turns the hourglass was first portrayed as extremely conniving as she arranged for Arias downfall in the shadows but in the second life she fails at every scheme she has even though she has Emma and Isis to help her out.
Ragibach is a literal demon possessing the body of another woman with the goal of setting demons loose on the word to start another human vs demon war and she succeeded in that the first time, the devastation was all there so clearly she has to be a formidable antagonist right? Well no, she's another case of being dumbed down further and further so Keira can succeed and while they do understand some plot holes such as Ludwig not trusting her as much in the second life it doesn't change the drastic character change from evil genius to bumbling idiot.
In short: dumbing down your villains so your lead can look smarter is essentially going to give the equivalent of a hydrogen bomb vs a coughing baby.
5: feminine women being demonized as basic "other girls" sluts
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Okay this one isn't nearly as terrible as the others on this list because we all love the good old "a demon makes itself look beautiful to deceive humans" kind of villain, in fact as you probably know by me by now, white lotuses are my favorite kinds of character and even in media outside of manhwa I always find myself drawn to angelic villains but it seems like this is less of that and more of "Oh those are all the other girls who just want a man to save them, look at how much better my badass rich boss babe is for working for herself while taking all of their men at the time 😎" in manhwa. As soon as a traditionally feminine girl shows up, comments are already calling her a two faced bitch and half the time protagonist is already skeptical of her. This is the opposite of what being a feminist really is, a real feminist wouldn't be putting down other women just because they dress with more pink with bows and skirts and while I do think for most manhwa this is unintentional I do wish that we could have more characters like Psyche, Helena, Athy, and Jennette that prove that being overly feminine doesn't make you a backpedal on feminism. This doesn't make the badass or sexy fl's bad either, it just means they can co-exist.
An angelic villain should be treated as evil for being a well calculated schemer, not because they have a light colored color scheme
6: toxic relationships being romanticized as good
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You know for a large community that claims to be about girl code a good chunk sure likes to look the other way when it comes to toxic relationships as long as the abuser is "hot" and theres always the terrible excuse such as "he has trauma!" Or "he doesn't know how to show his love normally!" No just no we aren't doing that here. Cry or better yet beg has this problem with not only the narrative claiming that Matthias graping Layla is okay because she actually loves him and doesn't know it but a large part of the fanbase also defends it, the same goes with try begging, a manhwa written by Solche who also wrote cry or better yet beg and once again despite Leon being an abuser everyone's ready to justify his actions because he's just a soft little boy who ends up falling in love with Sally awww 😍 (what the hell?) Everyones all about not justifying abusers because they had a sad past until it's the "sexy" male leads with daddy issues.
7: maid slapping
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This shit isn't asserting your dominance as a boss bitch it's just work place abuse. This trope has gotten so out of hand of being justified by narratives and readers that there is an entire webtoon called this isekai maid is forming a union that's all about criticizing twisted manhwa tropes that get brushed off with maid absuer being at the biggest one. It's funny because a lot of people complain that Isekai maid union villainizes the nobles too much but they never ask the same questions when a OI is demonizing maids as greedy and lazy in order to deserve a beating. This doesn't just stop at hands either it can escalate to threats of mutilation just to assert dominice which is absolutely sick. Most of the time these leads used to be office workers or terminally ill patients, they know how terrible it is to be treated like garbage by their superiors yet they continue to absue every maid who isn't getting on their knees for them. Most maids in real history would not mistreat a noble even if they were the most hated in the house and even if they did they'd be fired without a letter of recommendation so why can't the FL's just fire the rude maid if they care about dignity so much because I'm pretty sure getting violent with a maid isn't very dignified either.
8: disgusting age gaps
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Very similar to #6 but in this case while the ML/FL isn't a cruel monster to their partner it doesn't change the fact that grooming and pedophilia is still a crime worthy of life in prison. You'd think "oh no way, this can't be justified can it?" You'd be wrong. Now I belong to house of Castillo thankfully has a larger fanbase of people who think that a relationship between a girl who got groomed by her knight is bad but in cases like into the light once again a lot of people like to say "Well Aisha is technically 28 so it's fine!" When it really isn't since Aisha is still mentally 14. Taming my ex husbands mad dog is another one that does this with Reinhardt grooming a 16 year old boy and its apparently meant to be "cute".
9: claiming a character as unattractive yet giving them a perfect body and appreance
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I just think this is a major cop-out since there's time where they want to make a realistic story yet also wanting a fantasy fufilment. I don't think its a coincidence that the only woman in tears of a withered flower that yout supposed to support is a Victoria's secret model body type. Even though she's meant to be an overworked exhausted 33 year old woman being mocked for losing her beauty she sure as hell isn't drawn that way, the only other women around hae soo are all women with smaller boob's and in general more common body types that are either classed as stupid or jealous that Hae soo is so beautiful that all the attractive men want her
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how about we don't pit all the women against each other for once? And let's especially not villainize other women because their jealous they could never be have large boob's and tiny arms+waist at the same time?
10: the commoner protagonist actually being a noble rich person all along
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Look I know most of us had loved those "the hated child is the lost princess" GLMM but we need to drop it because it's kinda disappointing that the nobody who had to work their way to the top is actually a secret magical princess who had royal blood in them all along. While I did think the villainess turns the hourglass was a pretty decent read I was super disappointed finding out that Aria was of noble descent all along. I liked seeing a commoner protagonist for once and it really felt like it was critiquing the idea that all commoners and poor people who want nice things like the nobility are greedy animals. Something similar can also happen with certain saintess manhwas that decide to twist itself into "the villainess was the true saintess all along!" And I'm just sitting here thinking "well there goes the hope that you didn't need the super duper rare power to be a strong character"
I feel way better now after writing all this.
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beef-brisket · 2 days ago
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Adam smiles, and goes back to eating. But he can't get Charlie off his mind. Or the other sinners at the hotel.
What if she hurts them? They have no one to go to, and would Charlie believe them? Would they even go to Charlie?
He's not on the best terms with everyone at the hotel, but that doesn't mean he wants harm to come to them. Especially if it's from Lilith. She's the second most powerful being in Hell.
Lucifer: You're doing a lot of thinking.
Adam: Just... what if she hurts on the sinners? Charlie's friends? Or if she hurts Charlie? Angel or Husk don't have you like I do... they can't speak to anyone... I think we should stay at the hotel, just while she's there.
Lucifer: ...are you sure? After-
Adam: I won't leave your side, or I'll stay in the room. I know you'll protect me. But Charlie and her friends need you to. Just as much as me. You should be there, Luci... if something happens to Charlie and you're it there... I know you'd feel horrible. You'd never forgive yourself.
Lucifer looks down. Adam's right. He'd rather dispose of Lilith before doing something to Charlie than after.
And her friends need protection.
Lucifer: Okay. As long as you never leave my side. And if you stay in the room, I'll put a spell on it- no one in or out.
Adam: Sounds perfect, Lu.
Devil Lucifer x Ghost Hunter Adam
@beef-brisket ((Here it is lol))
Adam is trying to prove that ghosts are real so he started a YouTube channel with his friend Lucifer, who unbeknownst to Adam is the literal Devil.
-
Adam: I'm telling you Lu, this place is super haunted I can feel it.
Lucifer was unloading their filming gear as they got ready to go into this supposedly haunted prison.
Lucifer: I don't know Ad, you'll need more proof than just the wind.
Adam frowned: It was a whisper and you know it.
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trippinsorrows · 2 days ago
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Wait someone mentioned another roman x leya short i kinda wanna see roman and lina his little twin oh my god i just know they’re rowdy together
"daddy."
"hmmm."
"can i quit school and come work with you?"
roman can't sit here and act like this is the first time his daughter has asked him an out of pocket question. no, of the twins, lina is always the inquisitive one. leya is too. lina, however, is the one to allow her many questions to leave her head. the latest causing the tribal chief to look down at his mini me as the two share a bowl of cookie dough ice cream. his favorite. hers too.
"why do you wanna quit school?"
"cause it's stupid, and boys are stupid."
she's right about one part. "you're right. boys are stupid. you hate them all. never forget that." he makes a mental note to ask about the backstory there. it's about that time he has to show up at her school and remind them just why catalina reigns is never the one to fuck with. "what makes it stupid?"
lina pouts, and he has to hold back a chuckle. she reminds him a lot of himself in this moment. "cause daddy, it's boring. i don't wanna study. i wanna fight." and fight she does. girl is only seven and on track to become a black belt before even hitting double digits. "i wanna be like you."
this is the part he always struggles with. she says it all the time. her desire to be like him. to one day be the tribal chief. such a heavy, complicated thing for a young child.
"you know i had to go to school, too."
she frowns, her dark eyebrows caving together as she scoops some ice cream onto her little spoon. "but, that was a long long long time ago."
"watch it, kid." lina's giggle evokes a small chuckle from him. "baby, you like school."
she finishes chewing her ice cream, caving, "sometimes."
"oh, sometimes." he mocks her a bit, also taking some ice cream into his mouth with his much larger spoon. roman swallows before asking, "what about your sister? you just gonna leave her?"
lina's eyes widen in horror. one would think she was just told santa isn't real. "i can never leave sissy, daddy! she's my best friend!"
his heart swells at that. one of the many things he loves about his family is the closeness of the girls. such a stark contrast to his and solana's relationship with their siblings. "well, if you quit school and come work with me, leya will be all by herself...."
"noooo" lina whines, frowning as she clearly rethinks this horrible plan of hers. "i gotta protect sissy."
roman suddenly asks, prompted by her bringing up protection. "that little bitch tracy still messing with her?" he didn't mean for the 'bitch' part to come out. he definitely feels that way, but saying it in front of his already aggressive little girl probably isn't the best move.
lina nods and glares, angrily scooping her ice cream. "i'm gonna punch her in her stupid face."
roman should discourage that. should try to use some of that conflict resolution shit solana has been trying to get him to get on board with. however, that would be too much like right.
instead, he welcomes lina as she scoots closer into his side, advising, "just make sure to keep your thumb over your fingers. punch her good, and i'll get you some ice cream afterwards."
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jeonscatalyst · 1 day ago
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Fuck Hybe and Fuck Min Heejin. I hate how they keep using their artists as meat shields.
Hybe made this whole thing public to try to use MHJ as a scapegoat to all of their wrongdoings, and used their artists for sympathy to get the public on their side.
Then Min Heejin manipulated NewJeans into ruining their careers for her and put this horrible mentality in their mind that they're nothing without her.
Then we find out Hybe has been mistreating Taehyung, letting the people who leaked Jimin's personal documents go without taking any legal action, committing fraudulent album sales, and prioritizing gaining money over their artists protection and wellbeing.
And now, Min Heejin is trying to use Taehyung for sympathy points by bringing up something that happened last year, and pretending she's his friend. He's already dealing with the hardships of military service and now she drags him into her mess. If she was really his friend she wouldn't use him like this, especially at such a delicate time for him.
I hope all the artists are well. I can't imagine how hard it's been for them to deal with all the consequences of the company's mistakes. I just wanna give them all a huge hug 😢💜
Let's protect ourselves as well, as infuriating as it is, we can't let this mess take over our lives and ruin our days. The best we can do is support the artists and remind them about how loved they are. Taking sides and sending hatred is only helping the perpetrators fight each other.
I hope you're doing well!
Borahae 💜
Hey @moo-mood
I understand what you are saying but I think some of the points your brought up are pure conjecture as there is not a single shred of proof from the documents that shows that any of the BTS members are being mistreated. I think that fans are so sensitive of their idols they don’t understand the difference between a label having an opinion on an artist and an artist actually being mistreated.
I have seen people read and misunderstand those documents and I don’t even know where to start from in correcting some of those things. I have seen Tae’s fans promise to bring down the company because apparently the company has been sabotaging Taehyung but there is actually nothing in those documents that support this claim. They had an opinion on Tae’s album and suddenly that was sabotage to Tae stans. The same way they mentioned that Tae’s dating rumors might have helped other members live more peacefully in their private lives and Tae fans took that to mean that Hybe orchestrated the rumours so other members could live freely. The lack of reading comprehension or even understanding what those documents were about in the first place is truly astounding.
Don’t get me wrong though. I don’t for one moment think that company is innocent. As a matter of fact I think they are just as dirty as any other entertainment company and everyone with a brain knows that for these companies to get so big, they have to dip their feet in dirty waters and Hybe definitely is no different. They all have to play the dirty game to keep up with the competition and taekookers are acting like they were right all along and are trying to link every mention of Jk , Tae and Jimin in those documents to a nonexistent romance between Tae and Kook. I don’t think of Bang PD as a saint but I think he actually cares about BTS members and this isn’t because of anything he does or says but because of what the members do and say and how I have seen them around him for years. Watching them, you could easily tell that he didn’t treat them like a boss would but actually like his little friends or younger brothers. You see how he allowed the boys to be able to give him their honest opinions of how he ran things starting from Rookie king when he made it possible for the boys to climb that platform and yell out any grievances they had towards him or anyone else and how Jimin wasn’t afraid to tell him that his previous melody for DNA sucked and he listened and changed it . That is not a dictator. That is not something someone who doesn’t care about the boys or their opinions would do. You also see how freely they tease him, how happy they seem around him, they even have this funny drawing of him that they always laugh about, the even go as far as teasing him about his weight and he just laughs it off.
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They have spoken endlessly about how well he treats them and about how good he has been to them. He is usually in the habit of treating the boys to one on one meals and even invited Jin over and cooked for him. We even see how closely Jungkook worked with him in the solo era and I’m sure working with him wasn’t the only option he had.
One thing that I have always found funny is that Tae stans swear that Tae detests bang PD but watch these videos
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And this one
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Is this how people behave with someone who maltreats them? Pay attention to the part where bang pd calls them after they win first place, Tae is the one excitedly holding the phone and calling him “shiyuk hyung” instead of referring to him with more professional appellations. Also recently, bang pd did a show or something of the sort with JYP and Taehyung screenshotted it and posted it on his instagram story and captioned it something like “does this mean he “JYP” is now my uncle?” Why on earth would he do this if he hated bang pd? Why would he do this if he was sabotaged and mistreated so much by the company?
I think Bang PD is a piece of work and is just like any other money hungry and egotistical boss is but I think he always cared about BTS, I mean that was his first group and they came up together from nothing to something. This isn’t to say that they probably haven’t had misunderstandings but generally I think they have a good relationship with the company regardless of what some fans think.
As for Min Hee Jin, I am somewhat indifferent about her because I don’t know enough about her to form a strong opinion and I Know that in her fight with Hybe, both parties are definitely guilty of things but I think her move to mention how Tae contacts her amidst all of this was low, even for her. Dragging the members into their fights to gain sympathy is low and she knew exactly what she was doing because now she has supporters from within the fandom who are Tae stans and that is because they think she cares about him and Tae likes her. She claims she cares about NJs but look at the nasty things she said about them.
Anyways, hun, let’s just trust in the members and know that they are old enough to take care of themselves and know what is good for them and what isn’t. If at all they are being mistreated, I trust that they would know how to deal with it.
Thanks💜
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avayarising · 3 days ago
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OK , from the year or so I’ve been reading comics, here’s my impression of each character. (Note that they are all very intelligent, all very skilled martial artists, all adrenaline junkies, and all a little too self-sacrificial. And they all come with bucketloads of trauma.)
Bruce: The first thing you have to know about Bruce is that he was raised by Alfred who had no clue what he was doing and who very much failed to model any sort of emotional openness. Full of self-loathing and survivor’s guilt, and very very determined. Genuinely wants to make Gotham a better place and works very hard to do so as both Batman and Bruce Wayne. Probably not as much chronic pain from injury as people think, because he keeps getting physically reset by death/resurrection events, but he definitely does not respect his body at all and goes right back to abusing it every time. Deeply admires and respects his friends. Falls in love easily but always sabotages his relationships. Very soft with babies and young children. Loves his kids with all his heart; rarely knows how to show it and often screws up with parenting. Doesn’t tell people things because it doesn’t occur to him to or because he doesn’t know how, quite aside from the very real trust issues, but will be emotionally honest with someone when their life is at stake. Doesn’t truly believe in his own mortality but is terrified of bad things happening to his kids. Is weak to being called ‘Dad’ – that’s how he came to adopt the telepathic space starfish.
Dick: Brilliant, charismatic, incredibly loyal, a great leader. Loves easily, widely and deeply, and in turn is beloved by all. Understands what people are saying and can get a lot of information from what they don’t say. Genuinely enjoys being a hero, in its danger and violence, in its opportunities for acrobatics and showmanship, but most of of all in the way it lets him help and protect other people. Has the occasional civilian job but never stays in them for long. (Despite the number of fics which feature him as a police officer, he was a cop for only around a year and it is by no means his default profession.) Likes to be up high and goes skydiving for fun. No-one knows he has horrible imposter syndrome. Pretends to be open but actually keeps his true feelings under wraps a lot of the time. Has a tendency to hide or drive people away when he is hurt or depressed, and blames himself when things go wrong. Does not often lose his temper but when he does he becomes a whirlwind of wrath on whoever has threatened his friends and family (especially if it’s Tim).
Jason: The unreliable narrator. Tends to lie to himself and does not do self-examination; avoids thinking about things that make him uncomfortable. Justifies his actions to himself a lot. To others, he’s a poor liar, if he tries to lie at all. Generally he speaks the truth as he sees it and gets hurt when he is lied to by someone he trusts. Has big feelings and likes to talk about them. Probably feels guilty for liking being a hero. Probably still believes some people need killing, even after he has forsworn murder for the sake of the family (and mostly follows company policy). Doesn’t seem to make friends easily, but likes being part of a team. Was actually only a crime lord for a couple of months, and really only to set up his Bruce–Joker confrontation. Likes books, particularly the classics (you’ll see Pride and Prejudice mentioned a lot because he was seen reading it in a panel once but he actually enjoys a wide range). Tends to lash out with both words and fists when he feels hurt.
Tim: Absolutely adores Dick and that is the fundament of his character (Dick adores him right back). Canon doesn’t show him routinely stalking the Batfam before he became Robin – but doesn’t entirely rule it out. Very good at spotting clues and inferring meaning from them. Believes with all his heart in the importance of hero work and making the world a better place. Does a lot of self-examination and exploration of his own motivations. Only mildly neglected; his parents were away a lot but put him in boarding school rather than leaving him unsupervised. A fast and very dedicated learner (learnt how to skateboard in one weekend, then built himself a motorised crime-fighting skateboard). Confident in his skills and abilities; sometimes too confident – on the rare occasions he goes down the wrong track he can take a while to realise it. Friendly, talkative and gregarious: he’s not necessarily the best leader but he can make friends with pretty much anyone (including bad guys) and get them to bond with each other and work together as a team. Good with computers and engineering, and admires other heroes who build and use technology. Likes building cars, driving fast in cars, and crashing cars. Like Dick and Bruce, he tends to push people away and self-isolate when he’s upset or depressed, and becomes much less talkative. Is not overly addicted to caffeine, does not drink copious amounts of coffee, and is generally not particularly sleep-deprived, whatever the fandom may tell you.
Steph: Rather brash and self-centred (not selfish, but tending to default to seeing things primarily in terms of how they affect her) in her younger years, but becomes wiser and more self-confident as she matures and gets more training. Still sometimes feels she doesn’t measure up to other heroes, but is determined to protect and help others. A quick thinker, she can improvise and come up with new creative solutions on the fly, and does so even if it means diverting from the plan, meaning she often clashes with other team members. It also means she can jump to the wrong conclusion. Very stubborn, whether she is right or wrong. Fights dirty both physically and emotionally. Is generally cheerful and enthusiastic, and this is usually genuine, though she can sometimes use it to cover sadness or hurt. When upset she will tend to confront whoever she blames for it and express her feelings loudly (and is likely to take quite a while to calm down and listen to any explanation).
Cass: Knows she is physically superior to most people on the planet, and therefore feels the responsibility to use that skill to protect people. Is absolutely against the idea of killing and hates the thought of anyone dying. Has a special bond with Barbara who helped her a lot when she first came to Gotham. Her difficulties with language mean she will never be a great reader or orator; she eventually learns to talk but is a very sparse and utilitarian speaker and sometimes lacks vocabulary. This frustrates her. She is good at reading body language, but that just tells her what people are about to do and roughly how they are feeling, not what they are thinking, and she sometimes struggles to understand why people do what they do or what to do about it, or to articulate what she knows. Enjoys dance and other activities that use and challenge her physical abilities without hurting others. Because she was first deliberately isolated as a child and then lived on her own for years, she has had to work hard to learn how to work in a team and it still often doesn’t occur to her to ask for help or tell people things. Tends to run away when she feels too emotionally seen, and make reckless decisions when upset.
Damian: When he first comes to the family, is very defensive and expects to be attacked, and this fear and insecurity is why he is so hostile and aggressive. He goes for Tim in particular probably because he feels most threatened by him. Later, and with Dick’s influence in particular, he mellows out, feels more secure, and becomes fiercely protective of all his family, and particularly loyal to Dick. Dick has tried to teach him the joy of hero work, but he probably still sees it mainly as a legacy and a duty. Is still abrasive and tactless, and is often hostile to new acquaintances, but tends to bond well with small groups over time. Loves animals and is a vegetarian. Enjoys drawing and playing the computer game Cheese Vikings. Tends to get defensive and blame others when upset or when things go wrong.
Duke: Charismatic and very courageous. Will throw hands with anyone if he feels it’s necessary, and will not balk first in any game of chicken. Very good at solving puzzles and bringing clues together. Likes heroing because he wants to help and to make a difference in the world. Is not adopted – Bruce fosters him for a while but after that he stays with a cousin (and in current canon may now be back with his mother who has recovered from her Joker-induced coma). Very good at pep talks and persuading people into a particular course of action. This, together with his strong grasp of strategy, makes him a great leader. His facility with words also comes out in his skill with puzzles and riddles and in his creative writing. When he’s sad or hurt he will outwardly carry on as normal and let out his feelings in his poetry (which he never admits to writing).
Barbara: A trained librarian with a very organised mind and an eidetic memory. Knows an awful lot about everything and can find out anything she doesn’t already know, so she can quickly put together disparate pieces of information. Very good at hacking and coding and can crack pretty much anything. Is the go-to contact for information for almost everyone and basically holds the whole hero system together. As Batgirl before being paralysed, she enjoys being a hero for the thrill of the action, but after being shot in the spine, being a hero is for her a personal victory over the Joker’s attack on her. (In current canon, she now has full mobility again which may be poor disability rep but is absolutely in character: if the treatment existed – and given the world they are in it makes sense that it would – she would definitely take it, though she would research the hell out of it first.) Is an excellent co-ordinator and strategist; works very well with teams and keeps everyone together and on target. Cautious; sometimes overly so. Generally a good teacher and mentor and genuinely enjoys it, but occasionally gets impatient and frustrated when people don’t follow her train of thought quickly enough. Sometimes overworks herself due to her awareness of how many people depend on her, and drinks a lot of coffee. When she is upset she will tend to seek out friends or family for comfort.
Alfred: Dead in current canon, but we mostly ignore that. Military background and severe stiff upper lip syndrome (which is not good for raising a traumatised child). A very private person who projects an image of himself as the perfect butler, stoic and unfazed by anything that happens. Secretly he’s the biggest drama queen of the lot and absolutely enjoys the concept of the fighting and the cool toys and the costumes and the drama of it all, but will never admit it and hides it with sarcastic comments. (I believe that if Gotham had had a decent Gilbert & Sullivan Society for Alfred to join then the whole Batman thing would never have got off the ground.) Sometimes commits to the bit too hard and loses sight of the feelings of the people on the other end. Loyal to Bruce to a fault and will support him over anyone else. Somewhat insecure over his role in the family, and very manipulative when he feels the need to be. Expresses disappointment and disapproval by withdrawing, and often hides behind his role as an employee rather than intervene in personal disagreements within the family. Rarely admits to being in any way wrong or even surprised about anything.
Can someone pls give me like a comprehensive characterization of all the characters in the batfam??? I’m trying to write fics on them and I SO DO NOT want to mischaracterize them. Like how Jason was not the angry robin, but in fact the sweetest and only 4 apples tall Robin, while Dick “Crashout” Grayson was out here raging on every criminal. Things like that would help give depth to the characters Any additional lore as well would be good, as I’ve only been consuming batfam content through tumbler, fics, and other mishmash from social media. I’ve yet to start the comics and no ideas on where to start so any help there would be GREATLY APPRECIATED!!
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merlingenrecs · 2 days ago
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Peace reigns, Arthur is King, magic roams free, and Merlin is finally able to embrace his destiny in the open. Whether it’s stories set in an idyllic Camelot where old prejudices have been overcome, or simply quiet moments of happiness shared between friends, this category is all about the Golden Age being truly golden.
Today's gen fic rec theme: Happy Golden Age
↓ Find the list of fanfic recs under the cut! ↓
⚬ Freedom by reelin_writer, 1k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/35368405 summary: "The first few days after magic was legalized, Merlin passed out four times." The new Court Sorcerer is collapsing right and left. After the initial panic, the populace is unfazed. Even Gaius acts like it's normal. By the third time, Arthur's the only one that doesn't seem to think Merlin's behavior is natural. Well, if no one else will, Arthur's going to get to the bottom of it.
⚬ Other Duties as Assigned by N16, 5k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/33804967 summary: Tess finds many things about Camelot strange, but nothing quite as strange as Merlin, the king’s… Well. That’s the strange thing. Try as she may, Tess can’t figure out quite what Merlin is.
⚬  In the Light of Day by N16, 3k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/48470635 summary: It’s not a big deal. Arthur and Merlin get attacked in the forest and they successfully defend themselves. It has happened a hundred times before. And yet this time, it’s entirely different.
⚬ Magic Wanders Free by N16, 3k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/38988387 summary: Merlin has magic. Arthur knows that now. He can do all kinds of dramatic, extraordinary things. Perhaps even more miraculously, he can also do a million little things. And he doesn’t even realize it.
⚬ The Royal Pet by N16, 1k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/39395520 summary: It’s very convenient having a sorcerer as Arthur’s manservant. Unless, of course, Arthur gets on said sorcerer’s nerves. Then things get… decidedly less convenient.
⚬ When the Inevitable Comes by N16, 3k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/49949851 summary: It was inevitable that one day, one of them would be left behind. Someone had to die first. They both knew that. They did not, however, agree on who that someone would be.
⚬ Coming Home by N16, 7k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/50026903 summary: When a simple errand turns into something dark and violent, Merlin returns to Camelot with wounds both inside and out. And he’s in no condition to take care of himself, whether he realizes it or not.
⚬ Lucky Roll by N16, 1k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/29379705 summary: Months after Arthur learns about Merlin’s magic, he suddenly realizes the truth about all of those games of dice. He is not happy.
⚬ The Great Tavern Conspiracy by N16, 5k, rated T https://archiveofourown.org/works/34503646 summary: Arthur knows that Merlin isn't at the tavern. That's just a lie Merlin used to tell, back before Arthur knew he had magic. So if Merlin isn't at the tavern all those times he disappears, where the hell is he?
⚬ Speak (With) Your Mind by s0mmerspr0ssen, 7k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/43308666 summary: When Merlin sets out to teach mindspeech to Arthur, he couldn't have known just how much it would affect the friendship between King and Court Mage.
⚬ With this I Protect (For this is My Oath) by salted_popcorn, 1k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/52629106 summary: Yule is the time of year to reflect on the past year and look forward to the year ahead. But with the guilt that lingers and the people they lost? How does one look forward? This is a story of love, protection and promises.And fluff, of course of Merlin and his best friend's son.
⚬ Like Father, Like Son by salted_popcorn, 1k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/40868550 summary: "Shut up, idiot. I didn't ask him to break into the vaults. It was his own idea." Merlin chuckled. "Doesn’t surprise me. You both have terrible ideas. Like father, like son." Really, the Prince need to stop following his father's advice on certain things.
⚬ Grumblings of the Head Knight by salted_popcorn, 1k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/40868700 summary: Council sessions were tedious, boring and repetitive. Everyone hated them. But no one had figured out it was Sir Leon's revenge plan. Oh, and Merlin had burned down half of the castle. Leon did not want to deal with things anymore.
⚬ Greet The Dawn by Flight_of_Fantasy, 6k, rated G https://archiveofourown.org/works/43201323 summary: Merlin is terribly nervous about the transition from servant to court sorcerer, and Gwen knows a thing or two about transitioning from a servant to a member of the court. Luckily, she has a remedy. She began it when she became Queen, and she's more than happy to share her secret with Merlin.
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