#confirming someone couldn’t be the murderer because her allergies were too bad to be in the woods

[snzfanatic]

been super super into b/ones recently and fuckkkk so many random sneezes shoved in there, it’s dangerous

[theonewiththefanfics]

Tomato - Tomato (one-shot)

Synopsis: One is an international rock-star. The other is his loyal assistant. Both are complete morons in love. Also - she’s allergic to tomatoes, and it is important.

This started off as something completely else. hope you enjoy :D

Pairing: Harry Styles x fem!Assistant!Reader

Genre: fluff, minor angst

Warnings: two idiots pining for one another, swearing, mentions of allergies and EpiPens

Word count: 3492

Being an assistant to someone famous wasn’t all glamourous parties and wild nights out with celebrities. It was scheduling last minute flights and not sleeping for three days straight as you packed a million bags and then repacked because their stylist sent you knew pieces and the old ones no longer fit the aesthetic of the week.           It was also making sure that they were up by six AM with a hot coffee at their bedside ready to help them wake up as you lay out a detailed plan of the day down to the minute, while you yourself basically only had a two-hour nap because you had to finish off 568 handwritten notes to be sent out to each of the contacts in their phone. Or at least that’s what Y/N’s life was like being the personal assistant to none other than the modern-day prince of rock Harry Styles.            Said rockstar was actually still asleep when Y/N entered his room, ripping open the curtains and letting in the rising sun. He groaned, pulling up the bedsheets that’d ridden down his form during the night. “Not that I don’t like seeing your gorgeous face in the mornings….” he mumbled into the covers. “But I don’t like seeing your face in the mornings when they start at six bloody AM.”           Y/N snorted and rolled her eyes, rubbing them in an attempt to get rid of the sleep that still lingered in her own body. “You were the one that said you’re fine with seeing Lambert at eight for a fitting.”           “When did I say that?” Harry scoffed, only the top of his messy bedhead seen from the cocoon he’d built around himself.           “Would you like me to pull up the text messages, the calendar or the e-mails?”           Even with her back turned as she rummaged through his closet for him to put on some clothes, she could sense the middle finger he threw at her, and she smiled.           Despite everything, despite the zero sleep and stress always coursing through her veins, Y/N loved working for him. He treated her as a friend, not just some lackey he paid to, but most importantly, comparatively to the other people she’d worked for in the same line of business – he treated her as a human.           If something went over the deadline, Harry didn’t scream or yell at her and tell Y/N how incompetent she was, instead he asked what kind of help or assistance she needed to get the job done, or maybe if she just needed some time off to gather herself and look at the problem with fresh eyes.           “I hate how organised you are,” Harry groaned, finally throwing the covers off.           “If I wasn’t, you’d be in a ditch somewhere.”           She heard him scoff and two feet plop against the hardwood floor as he made his way towards her. “Is that how little faith you have in me?”           “You don’t even know what day it is!”           “Who does in these times?”           Y/N shrugged her shoulders and handed him a pair of boxers, some loose jeans, and a flowery Hawaiian shirt. “Are you telling me I’m wrong though?”           She looked over to her side, a smirk playing on her lips while he squinted his green eyes at her. “No, but it doesn’t mean I like getting called out, especially this early in the morning.”

          With a roll of her eyes and a shove at his shoulder for him to move to the bathroom, Y/N handed him the clothes, moving downstairs to start making him some light breakfast and get herself a cold glass of water.           You see, she’d been working as his assistant for close to two years, and they’d grown not only as people around one another, challenging their beliefs and world views, but as friends too. And, well, Y/N would be lying if the emotions hadn’t evolved from platonic to falling in love. Not that she’d ever admit it. He was an international sensation, and she was the girl who got him vegetarian croissants at the airport.           She dragged a hand down her face as she clicked the stove on and took out a carton of eggs from the fridge. Y/N knew how he liked his omelette to the T, mostly because when she’d spent the first night of quarantine with him a year prior right as the pandemic had started, Harry had wanted to do something nice because she couldn’t go and see her family any more, so he’d gotten up at seven to make breakfast for both of them. The only problem was, he hadn’t asked if she had any allergies, so as he added bits of tomatoes, parsley, cheese and scallions, Harry hadn’t expected Y/N’s eyes to go wide at the first bite as she dropped the fork.           “Harry…” Her tone had been cautious. “What’s in this?”           He was sweating. Was his cooking really that bad? He just wanted to do something nice and there he was screwing everything up. “ ‘S just some of my favourite things. I’m sorry I didn’t ask, I just thought you’d like it.”            “I do, but this tastes like it has tomatoes in it.”           He nodded. “Yeah. It does.”           Gently she smiled at him and pushed the plate a bit further away. “Could you grab me a coat, and if you have any – an EpiPen?”           “An Epi – oh shit!” When the realisation hit him, Harry was jumping out of his seat, running to one of the cupboards and rummaging through in a panic all the while apologies flew non-stop from his mouth.           Y/N in the meantime had gathered her purse and mask, making a call to the nearest hospital to explain the situation to which they responded they’d be waiting for her arrival.           “I’m so sorry!” Harry ran up to her, a first-aid kit in his shaking hands. “Please don’t die! I didn’t want to kill you, I promise! I just wanted to make you some breakfast cause you do so much for me, and now you’re stuck here, and – oh god,” he cried. “I’m going to be prosecuted for killing my assistant.”           She didn’t mean to, but the snort came out of her nose either way. “Harry.” She put a hand on his shoulder. “Please calm down. I’m not going to die.”           “You’re allergic!”           “Yes, I am, but I only had a small bite. The ER is just a precaution.” Y/N took his palms in hers and squeezed them. “Now take a deep breath with me…” They did so, holding it for five seconds and letting it out for eight. “And calm down a bit. I’ll go give myself the shot, and then I’ll drive to the hospital.”           “Let me,” Harry begged. “Please, let me at least drive you to the emergency room. God, I almost killed you with an omelette, it’s the least I can do. I – I could also help you with the shot, I won’t hit an artery, I promise -”           “Harry, you’re barely coherent. Not to say anything, but you’d have a bigger chance of killing me in a car crash, than from that tomato.” Y/N gave him a smile. “I’m gonna be fine.”           With that, she left him to venture into the bathroom and did the unpleasant part of stabbing herself in the thigh to alleviate her body from the allergy symptoms. She sat there for around five minutes before she felt that the swelling of her tongue and itching in her throat was starting to subside, which meant the epinephrine was working.           “Okay,” she huffed, taking her purse from the couch where Harry had been sitting, hugging the accessory. “I’ll be back in probably around two hours. Do we need anything from the store?”           He shook his head. “Just come back home, please.”           Y/N would never admit how her heart thundered in her chest when Harry said to come back ‘home’. “I will.” She promised. “Don’t you worry. You’re not getting rid of me that easy, Styles. The money’s too good.” She winked at him and then left Harry pouting on the couch, but she couldn’t get through the door, before he jumped up, yelling, “wait! Do I need to get rid of every tomato in the house?”           “No,” she laughed. “I’m good to be around them. Even touch them. ‘S just my insides that don’t agree with it when they meet.”           “Okay.” He nodded, hands on his hips. “Alright. I’ll uh – I’ll be waiting. I’ll make you something else.”           “There’s no need for that, Harry.”           His eyes widened at her words. “I swear I’m not trying to murder you!”           “Oh my god,” she muttered shaking her head. “Just – just relax. Okay. I’ll send you hourly updates.”           He bit his lip. “Make it every ten minutes.”           “Harry –,”           “Please?” The way he was giving her puppy dog eyes melted her heart.           With an eye-roll, Y/N waved at him and promised to update her boss at every possible moment and confirm that he hadn’t, in fact, been the reason for her demise. Well, he was the reason for the demise of her low standards in men, having taken them and thrown them up to the Moon, but unless her feelings were miraculously requited or if one of the Marvel characters, she was obsessed with came to life, she’d have to stick to what was available. And in her mind, that wasn’t Harry.           “What are you thinking about?” His voice startled Y/N out of the memory, and she shook her head, adding salt and pepper to the beaten eggs.           She shrugged. “Just about that time a year ago where you secretly tried to off me because you were too nice to say you didn’t wanna quarantine together.”           The groan he let out was of royal embarrassment, and it put a wide smile on her face, as she took one of the forsaken fruits and started to chop the red ball into small pieces.           “You’ll never let me live it down, are you?”           Y/N raised her eyebrow at him. “Your failed murder attempt?” She snorted. “Of course not! It’s like you don’t watch the crime shows and murder documentaries when I have them on. You really haven’t learned anything.”           Harry stuck his tongue out at her and moved to her side, dropping some chives into the mix as well. “Well given how it wasn’t a murder attempt, I wouldn’t consider it a fail.”           Her hip bumped his, and only then did Y/N really give him a once-over. As always, he looked amazing in whatever was on his body, but what made him even cuter in her eyes was the sleepiness still lingering in him.           Harry’s movements were a little bit sluggish, eyes half-closed and small sighs passing his lips as he sipped onto the coffee she’d come to his place with. The shirt sat loosely on his body, the first two buttons left open while he’d tucked the bottom of it into the jeans, having found a Gucci belt and cinched it around his waist, giving it a more eighties look rather than the sixties vibe he usually had with his suits.           The brown hair was still messy and dishevelled, and Y/N could barely, just barely restrain herself from running her fingers through it, but what she didn’t know Harry was struggling just as much.           All he wanted to do was pull out the bottom lip Y/N had gotten in between her teeth and kiss her senseless, to have her fingers dig into his arms and leave crescent shaped imprints on his skin.           “So, uh…” He had to start a conversation otherwise his mouth would find itself on Y/N’s mouth in a second. “What’s Lambert got in his schedule? How many outfits is he thinking?”           “Two or three, I think,” she said, pouring the mixture on the pan and letting the slow sizzle erupt around them. “He’s got this one suit which I think you’ll really like – all leather, but it needs to be altered.”           Harry hummed, and for a second both of them relished in the domestic feel of it all. They’d had many moments like it before, especially during the spring and summer seasons of 2020, and Y/N couldn’t help but relish in her memories at them.           “Harry?” It was like her voice snapped him out from a trance. “Could you pass me a plate please?’           “Uh, yeah,” he stammered for a moment and then nodded, wordlessly going to a cupboard and taking out a white marbled plate. That single piece of kitchenware probably cost more than her life insurance, but it was definitely aesthetic if nothing else.           Silently Y/N plopped the omelette onto the plate, placing it on the kitchen counter and went to get him a fork, however when she turned around, he was facing her, chewing quite agressively on the inside of his cheek.           “You okay?” she asked, coming closer. “I can call Lambert, reschedule it for later. He wouldn’t be too happy about having to wake up and then – “           But Harry shook his head. “It’s not that.”           “Then what?”           He didn’t say anything. It was like he was trying to decipher the best course of action, and when he ultimately did, Y/N was pressed up against the counter, Harry’s forehead against hers with two ring-clad hands cupping her cheeks.           “Harry,” she breathed, out her lips brushing his making the air in her lungs hitch. “What are you doing?”           “Something I’ve been dying to do for a year now. If you let me that is.”           “I -,” The words were muddled up in her head. Of course, Y/N wanted him to kiss her, she wanted him to ravish every part of her body. The fantasies and dreams she’d had at night would be incriminating proof if her feelings were on trial, but despite it all, her brain was usually in charge and would overrule any decision made by her heart. “Harry, we can’t.” She whispered, voice breaking.           “I -,” Horror morphed onto his features as he took a step back. “Did I misread the signals? Did I do something you don’t wan –“           “No.” She grabbed onto his cheeks, trying to calm him down, his body practically melting into hers. “I do.” She didn’t need to explain what she meant. He understood. “So much it hurts me sometimes… but Harry, you’re my boss. My employer. It… it wouldn’t be right.”           “Why? How can it not be right, when it feels like the rightest thing in the world?”           “Because, Harry,” she huffed. “You’re my boss. And what’s worse – I love working for you!”           That made both of them laugh, the tone of her voice as if she was more annoyed than anything else. “ ‘Nd why’s that bad?” He nudged her nose with his. “I’d hope my employees like working with me. What kind of a person would I be if I thrived on them being miserable?”           “Because if I didn’t, quitting would be easy.” She raised her eyebrow at him. “And if I quit there’d be nothing stopping us from dating.”           Harry bit his lip, finger trailing along her cheekbone. “There’s nothing stopping us now either. There is no clause in your contract that says you can’t date people who you work for or with. Sarah’s with Mitch, and they’re the happiest they’ve ever been. They’re even having a baby…”           Y/N gave him a sympathetic smile. “I know. But that’s different. They’re on equal levels. You and I, however… I don’t want people to think I got my job because I slept with you, or some shit. It’s bad enough some already do so.”           His brows furrowed, and Y/N saw how his jaw clenched. “Who?”           “Strangers.” She shrugged. “I know you don’t look at comments like that online, but I see them. My DMs are filled with that. Gossip magazines. The point is – there are already unsubstantiated rumours about us. This would give them the confirmation they’d need.”           “How can it confirm something that’s not true?”           “There are still people who believe vaccines cause autism. Even when their ‘proof’ has been discredited and shown to be just complete bullshit, most don’t like to admit they’re wrong, so they’ll look for whatever tells them they’re right.”           Harry huffed throwing his head back to look at the ceiling. “So, where does that leave us? In love, but without being able to do anything about it? Because I can’t.” He shook his head. “I won’t be able to just pass you by without kissing you, or not pull you into the bed when you wake me up, or press you against the wall and not have my head between these two gorgeous legs.”           Y/N groaned slapping his chest and dropping her forehead against his peck. “That is so unfair. Why do you have to tease me like that!”           “Oh, sweetheart.” The rumble was deep and shot a wave of heat straight to her core. “This is no teasing.” The smirk on his face when she looked up at him was shit-eating. “Trust me, if I was teasing, you’d be begging for me.”           She’d imagined him between her thighs more times than it was appropriate considering he was her boss, but hot damn, did it feel amazing when his lips crashed onto hers, and she let him. In her dreams, his lips hadn’t been just pressed to her mouth but other places which were more south, but it was still one of the best feelings in the world.           The kiss left them both breathless, and grinning and satisfied, yet begging for more, teeth nipping at the soft flesh.           “I’ll put out an official statement, if you want,” Harry muttered against her mouth, unable to stop pecking her lips now that’d he’d gotten a taste. “But please, please, please… for both our sanities go out on a date with me.”           It seemed like Y/N was the one contemplating the best plan of action now when her brows furrowed and she looked up at him, pressing and unpressing her lips, as the swelling from the kiss grew. “Did you by any chance have a piece of that omelette already?” She had a suspicion it wasn’t just from the kiss.           His eyes widened, and then his head dropped to her shoulder. “Not again!”           Y/N rolled her eyes lifting his face by the chin so he would look at her. “How about EpiPen first?”           “Fair enough,” Harry grumbled unlatching himself from her and going for his keys and wallet, already preparing for the short drive they’d have to take. “But then a date?”           She raised her eyebrow, taking out the box Harry now kept under the sink with at least three EpiPen’s for emergencies. “In a hospital?”           “We could be going dumpster diving for all I care, and I’d count it as a date.”           Y/N rolled her eyes. “You’ll have to do so much better than that; you’ve almost put me in anaphylactic shock twice. Now come on.” She motioned with her head towards the bathroom. “Stab me and take me to the ER.”           “Fucking tomatoes,” Harry grumbled, taking her by the hand and not letting it go even for the short walk.           “Tomato-tomato, you’re the one that kissed me.”           “That I don’t regret.”           Y/N smiled, turning towards him, and taking him by the nape of his neck pulled Harry down for one more kiss, groaning at the feeling of his tongue dancing against hers.           “Y/N!” He pulled back with a gasp, shock on his face.           She just shrugged her shoulders. “We’re already going to see the doctors anyway.”           Harry pushed her shoulder and made her sit down onto the toilet. “Take your pants off before my kisses kill you.”           “Yes, daddy.” Y/N wiggled her eyebrows as Harry moaned, squeezing her calf.            His eyes were dark as he looked up at her. “Next time this happens, you’ll be begging me.”           Her wicked smile was so full of happiness he couldn’t help the one that grew on his face. “I’ll be keeping you to it. Now, dear sir.” She handed him the EpiPen. “Hit me with your best shot.”           And although it’d been now two times in their lives where Harry trying to do something good and make the other feel just as good had done pretty much the opposite, when they got to the emergency room, their smiles could be felt even under their masks           Harry watched with blushing cheeks as Y/N explained the situation to the nurse, especially when one of them threw him an unsavoury glance, eyebrow raised high as if saying ‘again? One time wasn’t enough?’.           “No more tomatoes.” He promised. “And also - it wasn’t on purpose!”           Y/N squeezed his palm, chuckling. She may not be able to give a shot at eating a tomato, but she sure as hell was going to give Harry one. After all, she had almost died for the man. Twice.

Tags (crossed out wouldn’t take):

Harry Styles tags: @breezykpop​ @girlboss99​ @harrystylesdoesntknowiexist​ @alliyjane​ @sirtommyholland​ @raylovessarcasm @just-here-to-escape-from-reality @harryhub​

Everything tags: @lumelgy @palaiasaurus64 @supernaturalbaesduh @breezy1415 @crazy--me @thatawkwardlittlefangirl @sea040561 @staryeyedgirl @deathbyarabbit @s-c-a-r-e-d-po-t-t-e-r @reblogger-not-a-blogger @m-a-t-91 @dalilx @i-need-a-hero-i-need-a-loki @maladaptive-ninja-returns @averyrogers83 @in-the-end-im-still-trash @gallifreyansass @dewy-biitch @avxgers @unlikelygalaxygiver @magicwithaknife​ @ollyoxenfrees​ @bnhvrdy​ @tvwhoresblog @celebsimagines @thatkindofgurl​ @sj-thefan​ @teenwolflover28 @lestersglitterglue​ @im-squished​

A/N: I’m at work and I wanted to write a bit for my book, but hahahahahahaha I can’t stop procrastinating. Also, this was something comepletely else centered around Christmas, then New Year and the Valentines, but I just couldn’t and it morphed into this. Maybe this Holiday season when it rolls around I’ll post it :D

P.S. if anyone’s had a septoplasty (repositioning of the septum) - how was it? how painful is it? kinda starting my journey towards it cause apparently I can’t breathe out of my left nostril, but I’m kinda scared ngl. I’ve read some horror stories about having holes and pieces of the cartilage fall out afterwards :/// 

P.S.S. what did ya think? my tags are always open, just drop a message if you wanna be added :)

P.S.S.S please don’t plagiarise or repost my work on other platforms (wattpad, AO3 etc)

[baenxietydad]

What’s The Matter Here? || The Baes

title

April 30th, 2020

tl;dr: Nemo confronts his father about his knowledge of Ashlee’s situation

@justkeepdancing-nemo

tw: discussion of abuse

NEMO: 

As soon as dance practice had finished and he’d said goodbye to Ashlee, Nemo snatched up his phone as fast as he could, dialing Appa furiously. He still couldn’t believe it. How could his appa know that Ashlee was being abused and do nothing about it? Well, not nothing but-- nothing to stop it. Tears of frustration and fury beaded in his eyes, though Nemo didn’t know if they were leftover from the adrenaline rush of his panic or the fact he wasn’t sleeping well these days or...who knows.

 He ignored the tears. He grit his teeth. He got Appa’s messages. 

 Nemo snorted at once at the irritating beep. “Appa, we have to talk right now!” he snapped and snatched his bag from the ground, ignoring the raised eyebrow Chase was giving him. “I can’t believe you’d keep that stuff about Ashlee from me! She’s my friend, you know! I can’t believe--” his anger got too big and snatched the rest of the words from his mouth. He sucked his teeth the way Appa always did to him when he was too frustrated for language-- any language, Korean or English. 

 “You better pick up next time!” he yelled into his phone. 

 And dialed again. Got the same beep. Left another miniature rant, this one featuring a couple of Korean phrases just to prove how serious he was! Meanwhile, he clambered out of the dance studio and started speed walking all the way to the forest with Chase zipping along beside him. 

 They wing-sprinted all the way back to the Hollow, and Nemo didn’t even bother to get changed out of his dance clothes. He marched straight to the clinic.

 Like always, the waiting-talent at the front sighed when she saw him. “Nemo,” she said. “Your father is--” 

 “I know, I know!” Nemo shouted, brushing past the curtains. 

 “I didn’t say you could--!” 

 “Appa!” Nemo exclaimed. His eyes darted around once, but the clinic really wasn’t busy-- it rarely was, it wasn’t like people got life-threatening injuries that often. There were just a couple of sniffly fairies (allergies, spring colds) and then one who looked like he had a stomachache. Good! No emergencies! So Appa could take a five minute break. 

 “Appa, we need to talk right now,” Nemo said. 

 MARLIN:

 “There Bae’s kid goes again, making a fuss.” Jeered one of the healing-talents in the corner of the room. Mu-yeol glared at them over his shoulder and reached out a hand for Nemo to take it.

 He led him to a room down a hall mainly used to store things and pushed some clutter aside so they’d have room to talk. Whatever this was, Nemo seemed serious. Was this an appeal to get Chase off Nemo duty? Yeah, right. Not happening.

 “What is it, baby?” He asked, reaching to play with Nemo’s hair. “Are you okay?”

 NEMO: 

Nemo swatted at his hair. He wasn’t in the mood to get babied right now.

 Actually, he hadn’t been in the mood for days, but that’s what happens when an appa makes his son break up with his boyfriend. Nemo hadn’t been sleeping. His whole chest was still sore. And now all that pain had doubled with Ashlee. He was definitely yelling at Appa 75 percent for Ashlee… and maybe 25 percent for himself too. 

 “I’m fine, but y’know whose not? Ashlee T.” Nemo said. The fury deepened in every line of his face now that he was looking at Appa’s clueless expression. He had known. He had known for how long? “Her dad’s hitting her, but you knew that-- you knew and you didn’t stop him! You didn’t even tell me!” 

 MARLIN:

 Mu-yeol’s hand fell to his side as he stepped away from his son’s burning hot anger. No, not burning hot - so cold it burnt. He swallowed and licked his lips as he backed up against the nearest wall as if to distance himself from his son’s hatred.

 “Nam-min...how did- where did you hear that?” He wouldn’t confirm or deny anything unless Ashlee herself fessed up to Nemo. He promised he wouldn’t tell, didn’t he?

 NEMO: 

“From Ashlee, obviously!” Nemo hissed. His fists were clenched. He was trying not to shout, if only because he knew what people thought of them-- especially after this past week. Pixies hadn’t stopped whispering about him. He’d heard pitying remarks, he’d heard sneers, he’d heard scoffs of disgust. 

 Nemo didn’t want to give them more ammunition. But he was also so mad. 

 “She told me you’ve been healing her. You realize what that means, don’t you?” His eyes burned with tears. “It meant her dad could just hurt her all over again. Over and over. For months. You knew all that, and you just let him.” 

 MARLIN:

 ...what? No, no it wasn’t like that at all. Ashlee wasn’t willing to reveal her father to the authorities, she wasn’t-- someone tried to force her into telling her story and her father punished her with violence over it. What else could he do?

 He couldn’t force her to reveal her father; he could only take away her pain. 

 He could also, and did, take detailed notes of every occasion she came to him for healing. The notes included the date , time estimate, and injuries with a description of how old they seemed, for when Ashlee was finally ready to tell the truth about her father. 

 “No, Nam-min— baby, listen to me. It isn’t - it isn’t as black and white as that, as much as you and I want it to be.” Mu-yeol stepped forward and held his son’s hand. “Nemo. I found out by chance and Ashlee wouldn’t even admit what he was doing to her. I healed her to take her pain away, not to protect him. She made me promise not to tell and I- I should have told the police, probably, but I don’t. I don’t trust them. The police don’t protect and serve anybody but the interests of the State. Anyway-” enough with the Marxism, Marlin, not the point. “The police don’t actually protect those in trouble. They didn’t investigate your mother’s murder, and they didn’t help Ashlee. Because after I healed her, someone else who suspected something was wrong called the police.”

 Marlin scoffed. “And you see how well that turned out. Child safety services did a half-assed investigation, Ashlee denied everything to avoid the embarrassment, and despite that being a common thing for abuse victims to do, it wasn’t looked further into. And then she came to Pixie’s when the rumors circulated, to accuse me of being the one to report him and...Nemo. The state of her made my blood run cold. So what would you have had me do Nemo, hm?”

 He sighed and stepped back from Nemo to lean against a table. “Someone already tried to force Ashlee into telling her story. And her father punished her for it, terribly. I tried. I told her over and over that a father - a good father - doesn’t hurt their children. I told her it wasn’t her fault, that she deserved to be safe, and that I would help her be safe. But had I gone to the police, Nemo? They failed her once. If Ashlee wasn’t ready to tell her story for herself, then I couldn’t force it. He’d only hurt her as terribly as he did that time if the police started prodding him again and she wasn’t ready to be honest.”

 NEMO: 

Nemo glared. The longer Appa talked, the harder the glare got, his anger unyielding when he wanted it to be. And he wanted it to be. Sure, Appa had all his excuses. But they weren’t good enough. He wondered what Appa might have done if Ashlee had been a pixie like them--

 --no, that thought was too mean, Nemo knew it was-- but right now he was hurting everywhere, hurting for Ashlee, for himself, and blaming Appa was a strange, comforting salve. None of Appa’s excuses even made sense. Because he was Appa. He was a grown-up. Wasn’t that supposed to mean something? If it didn’t, why did Nemo bother listening to adults at all? 

 “Too bad!” he said angrily. “Too bad, you’re-- you’re an adult. You’re supposed to do something. Even if the cops suck, there was something else you coulda done, not just let her get hurt over and ov--”

 His breath suddenly hitched, words swallowed up by his own horror. The tears brimmed, nearly falling. Nemo sucked a breath, shaking his head.

 “You should’ve at least told me. I don’t care if she said not to tell anyone-- this is something you tell people! We have to help her before something worse happens!” 

 MARLIN:

 “Did you not hear what I just said?” Mu-yeol hissed. “Someone had called the police. And Ashlee was hurt for it. If I called them next what would have happened, hm? So you honestly think they would have actually looked into it?”

 He raised an eyebrow at Nemo. “He would have gotten away with it again, until she was ready to expose him herself.”

 You should have told me. Maybe. But what would Nemo do, huh?

 “She didn’t want you, specifically, to know. If I told you and you asked her about it, she would have stopped coming to me to heal her. If she wasn’t constantly getting her strength restored, she would be in worse pain. Ashlee has yet to indicate she’s willing to bring her father down once and for all. At least I can heal her, Nemo. At least this way her injuries can’t pile on each other. And if she’s ready to expose him, I’ll back her up.”

 He gestured vaguely in the general direction of their home. “I’ve kept a detailed record of every incident. Dated, descriptions. I can corroborate her story in writing. Has she told you she’s ready to end him?”

 NEMO: 

Nemo wouldn’t ever believe what Appa said. And that was because of one thing-- he believed in Appa. Even now, after his heart was crushed, after Appa let him down for Placement, he still had his abeoji’s roots grown deep through him, planted firmly. He was the only person Nemo had to rely on for Big Life Things. Not silly problems at school, not petty complaints at dance. The real stuff. When disaster struck, Nemo went to his appa, that’s just-- the way life was. 

 Disaster struck. Appa was saying he couldn’t do anything. It didn’t make sense. The only thing that would make it make sense was that Appa didn’t want to try-- because maybe he was too much of a coward, because maybe he let his own feelings about humans get in the way. 

 “We’re-- I’m-- making sure she’s safe first,” he said, flashing another glare Appa’s way. “We’re figuring it out. She’s gotta talk to her other friends and make sure she can stay with them so foster care won’t take her away but then-- yeah.” He sniffed a little, and crossed his arms, all that anger still bright and hot in him. Anger and-- disappointment. Appa had let Ashlee down. And Nemo too. 

 MARLIN:

Foster care. 

 Those words made his heart race and his palms sweat more than his son’s borderline hatred did. Mu-yeol purposely didn’t try to involve himself with humans much until recently but he had still interacted with humans enough to hear about the horrors that ran rampant in the foster system. There were some truly loving, safe, and well-intentioned foster homes. There were some who were a warm bed to sleep in and little else. And there were others, still, where the horrific foster care tales were reality. 

 “She can’t go into foster care.” Mu-yeol gasped, like he was short for oxygen. “I’ve read what happens to kids, especially girls.”

 That was another reason he couldn’t try to force her to tell the truth. If Ashlee was whisked away to a foster home in London or Liverpool who turned out to treat her like her father did, was that really better? At least in Swynlake she had a healing fairy at her disposal. 

 “Nam-min.” Marlin sighed, dragging his palm down his face. “I was afraid that if I said something before Ashlee was ready to say something and tried to force her to expose him, she might deny everything out of fear again. And when she did, I thought he might be so angry he might — might really hurt her. I mean...Nemo, I mean kill her. I’ve read enough stories, that’s what humans do when they’re about to get caught.”

 NEMO: 

“I don’t care!” Nemo blurted-- too loud. He blinked furiously at his own voice, and his eyes darted back toward the clinic. He didn’t want anyone to hear. Even though most of the fairies in the clinic never went to town, Ashlee wasn’t any of their business and neither was fight between Appa and Nemo.

 Though, was it a fight? Nemo didn’t know if it was a fight. He couldn’t win anything. He just wanted Appa to say he was sorry or something. 

 “If that’s what you’d really thought, you should’ve done something else. Anything else. N-not just-- just let her be hurt over and over, and right under my nose--” And suddenly he was crying, tears dribbling out of his eyes. He ducked his head to wipe them away as quickly as he could. 

 “Why didn’t she tell me?” he heard himself crying now. “Why didn’t she--?” 

MARLIN:

 “Oh, my love.” Mu-yeol cooed, wiping Nemo’s eyes with his thumbs.

  He frowned as he helplessly watched his son grapple with the reality of what evil humans are capable of. He lost all of his drive to argue, and to explain to Nemo that the government systems in place meant to protect Ashlee failed and were inefficient and would have failed again. 

 “Nam-min there is a complicated psychology behind victims of abuse. On the outside it is very easy and tempting to feel hurt that you weren’t told, but you have to realize, baby.” He held Nemo’s face in his hands. “It has nothing to do with you. People— people in those positions feel shame, and they blame themselves even though only their abuser is to blame. I know you’re not used to seeing things like this, you’ve been insulted by a Hollow your whole life. I raised you here so you wouldn’t have to understand the casual evils of the human side like that. But you’re learning them anyway.”

 “It’s okay to be confused. And sad because it is sad. Ashlee deserves to have an Appa— er, dad— that loves her like you got.” Mu-yeol pulled Nemo into his arms and carded his fingers through his hair. 

 NEMO: 

Appa drew Nemo into his arms and Nemo wished he could fight him off. He was still so mad at Appa-- mad at him for everything. For Robbie, for Nemo’s placement, and now for Ashlee too. Seasons, he still couldn’t believe that for months, Ashlee had been getting beaten. For months, and Nemo didn’t know.

 It wasn’t his fault, but like everything else, it felt like it. And so like everything else, he wanted to give the blame to Appa to hold instead. Appa was so much stronger than Nemo-- he could take it.

 But he didn’t fight Appa. He didn’t yell or blame him. He just hugged Appa back, his wet face pressed against his tunic as he shuddered with his tears.

 “We have-- have to help her.” His voice was muffled by Appa’s tunic. “Please, promise. You’ll do--do something.” 

[goron-king-darunia]

Annon-Guy: Hi Darunia. What did you think of the Marta Defense Post I sent you? What did you think of it? Did it have good marit to it?

I’ve seen it before. I admit, the author of the post writes in a convincing manner, but it still doesn’t change my mind. I do feel she spent at LEAST half the game showing the negative traits Lumenary insists were only there for 1/4 of the game and that being 16 isn’t much of an excuse for Marta. 16 definitely excuses her from, say, accusations that “she didn’t stop her father so she is bad.” Like... She is 16, has no real legal or physical power and has no allies so of course she can’t take down Brute and the entire Vanguard by herself. She’s a kid. 30-year-old. Yeah, she might be able to oppose her father (even though it’s definitely not her responsibility to do so). 16-year-old Marta? I don’t blame her at all for stealing the core and running. Despite what Lumenary thinks, my problem with Marta stems not from the fact that she didn’t oppose her dad and the Vanguard. It comes from how she treated Emil.Being 16 does NOT excuse her from being that insensitive to Emil’s and Ratatosk’s needs for a large portion of the game. Her mother being dead also isn’t an excuse. Emil lost both parents and Richter is also an orphan and neither of them have the same boundary-breaching issues Marta has with intimacy. Emil repeatedly confirms what he’s comfortable with and she keeps pushing his limits. (It’s also especially nasty of her to demand Emil choose between Colette and herself IN FRONT OF COLETTE and the only reason Emil avoided giving the ‘wrong answer’ was because he didn’t understand the question and Tenebrae bailed him out. Like... it’s not nice to ask someone to pick favorites in front of the people he’d end up hurting if he said they weren’t his favorite, you know?)Also the part where Marta goes to sacrifice herself to save Luin that Lumenary talks about? I see that as selfish. When Emil asks her to hand over the core to save Luin, he doesn’t understand that removing it is impossible for her without her dying. Yes, he should have let her explain why she couldn’t hand over the core, but as far as he knew, the Vanguard - which Marta was part of - is fighting over this core and the entire reason Palmacosta burned was because of that and Luin was currently under attack for the same reason. As far as Emil knew, all they wanted was the core. And, as far as he knew, it could simply be removed and handed over... and once Tenebrae said she would die? He immediately changed his tune. “We have to tell her!” “SHE ALREADY KNOWS.” She didn’t try to explain again after Emil’s outburst. She didn’t say “I would hand over the core for you if I could, but if I try, it will kill me. And besides that, I think it’s better for us to hang onto it, since I believe what Tenebrae says about the importance of waking Ratatosk.” She didn’t try to explain or wait for Emil to calm down. She just saw he was angry with her and said “LOL, okay, I’ll go die for you. And once Emil realizes she will die? He immediately backs off of that idea, even though Tenebrae REMINDS HIM that the town will ostracize him for protecting Marta and the core. This reads less to me as a noble sacrifice and more like petty squabbling. “Marta, eat your broccoli” “But I don’t wanna!” “But you have to.” “FINE.” Eats broccoli and dies of allergy for SPITE. Now, I’m not saying this is how it’s meant to be read or even the correct way to read that, but it feels like she didn’t even try to explain to Emil again. It’s possible that she thought he wouldn’t listen, but the fact that he listened to Tenebrae suggests that perhaps if she’d said “Dude, it would literally kill me to remove this core” Emil might have said “Oh, yeah, nevermind, handing over the core is a bad idea.” Like... poor negotiation skills is not a trait I admire in Marta, regardless of if she turned herself in to be spiteful or if she never thought of another option or thought it would be noble. She basically just threw her life away without considering other options. (I’m aware the same can be said of Richter, though.)I agree that it’s nice of her to consider Magnar’s wellbeing when Ratatosk decides beating him to death sounds fun for no reason, but saying “Oh she has morals! Look!” doesn’t address my problems with her. I feel Lumenary has a fundamental misunderstanding why a lot of us dislike Marta. She’s a good person. We know she is. Or at least, we know she has morals and wants to help others. We have no qualms with that. “She does fawn over him, but Emil doesn’t stop her. He talks with Tenebrae about how he feels about it, but not with Marta. He willingly holds her hand in Asgard, but when he is VISIBLY embarrassed/awkward about it, she lets go. She’s not trying to make him uncomfortable, and when she can see that he is, she drops whatever she’s doing to try to make up for it. She may get carried away, but at the end of the day she tries her best to be considerate. That fact needs to stop getting overlooked.”I think Emil gives off enough of a clear signal that he’s uncomfy. Yes, it would have been better if he told her earlier that he was uncomfortable instead of just telling Tenebrae, but I feel like he was afraid of hurting her. But here’s the thing. When I was a kid, I thought tickling and hugging were all great signs of affection. I’d tickle and hug everybody. This made people avoid me because tickling isn’t pleasant for a lot of people. Not all of them told me to stop (and frankly I was a little asshole idiot who didn’t stop even when people told me to because laugh=happy to me so I was always just “why would I stop? We’re having fun!”) But just because they didn’t tell me to stop, doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have noticed they were uncomfy and STOPPED. I’m not much better than Marta in this respect because it took me until adulthood as well to learn “Hey, stop means stop, no ifs ands or buts. Respect peoples’ boundaries no matter what.” But I’m also not your average joe. So maybe I’m holding Marta to an unfair standard since it’s one I also didn’t meet until recently but I feel like consent matters and since Emil wasn’t enthusiastic about all the affection he was receiving, she should have not only STOPPED when she saw he was uncomfortable, but she should have stopped initiating those activities as well. (Also, at least this is a reminder that they DO hold hands, but... it was kind of mandatory so they didn’t get sent flying by the wind.) Tenebrae really doesn’t help in this endeavor because he also shoves his nose into their relationship and rubs Emil's nose in the fact that he had to hold Marta’s hand and it was awkward. And yeah, she lets go when he asks but she teases him about it. Also IDK if I can call it “willingly” holding hands if it’s for their mutual safety. “Willingly” to me means that if no other factors changed, would he still do it? And he probably wouldn’t have held her hand if it wasn’t for safety. But who knows? Maybe he would have if she asked nicely? It’s hard to say. “Marta doesn’t really acknowledge it afterwards, only getting a bit jealous when Emil later says that Colette was soothing to be around. She tried to fish for compliments from him before and got nothing, but then he casually complimented Colette. Given that he’s her only friend in the world (besides her confusing relationship with Colette), and she has a puppy crush on him, I think it’s pretty understandable why it would make her feel not so great inside.” See, this is what I have a problem with. It’s not even just that she fished for compliments. She actively asked him to choose between herself and Colette. The fact that Emil can’t say anything nice to another girl without making Marta jealous is a little unnerving to me. Jealousy has a purpose and is a valid emotion, but if I was Marta, Emil complementing Colette would be my first sign that maybe he doesn’t like me and I should stop pursuing him. Also, yeah, it’s understandable that she gets upset that Emil is giving extra attention and paying compliments to Colette, but it’s no excuse to make it EMIL’S problem. Her unrequited love is HER problem.“When Emil and Marta end up in Iselia, Emil is extremely agitated from the get go. He makes rude comments, and has an overall bad attitude since it’s Lloyd’s hometown. Marta lost people too, and Lloyd took Lumen’s core, but she chooses to be the bigger person for the sake of their objective.” Double standard is intense. When Marta is being pissy about Colette, it’s forgiveable because she’s “confused and upset” about someone “letting her mom die” but Emil is not deemed “being the bigger person” for not hating Colette right off the bat. But when Emil is upset that he has to be around people who grew up with the guy that he thinks ACTIVELY AND MALICIOUSLY murdered his parents, Marta’s calm demeanor is read as “being the bigger person.” All that tells me is that Lumenary thinks that it’s okay for Marta to be petty because she’s sad someone accidentally killed her Mom, but Emil isn’t allowed the same amount of pettiness because someone ACTIVELY killed his parents.“When Emil finally tells her he doesn’t like the way she treats him (like a prince, etc.) she owns up to it and vows to change. She takes legitimate personal criticism and applies it immediately, and that’s hard to do.” It honestly doesn’t feel like that to me. She is less possessive of him, certainly, but she still doesn’t treat him as an equal. She treats him better, but it’s not enough. And it’s definitely not instant.“She changes her view and without meaning to, starts to love the true Emil. And she tells him that. She tells him, “I think that the real you is much, much cooler than the fantasy I had in my mind.” She acknowledges her flaws in this same scene but by this point, has actually already overcome a lot of them.” This takes her until the end of Chapter 4 to do, which is basically half the game.IDK, again, there’s a lot to like about Marta, but I feel like she doesn’t really begin respecting Emil until the very end of the game, and the interim is just an awkward slurry of her either being weirdly obsessive and creepy or her just... barely trying to change and treat Emil like his own person.