#ela writes stuff

[xxprettylittletimebombxx]

Hi Polin fandom! First time poster, long time lurker-- nice to meet y'all!

I started this one shot sometime between when we got the trailer and when the first half of season 3 dropped and then life got in the way so I had to shelve it. Happy to have finally gotten around to finising it though as i've been wanting to play around with writing Polin for a while now. So consider this my practice run-- a way to warm up and dust off the cobwebs, if you will-- before I try my hand at something longer! Hope you enjoy reading!

SUMMARY:

Some days, Colin’s thoroughly convinced that he’ll never love anything as much as he loves travel. That no other feeling will ever measure up to one he only ever gets when he sets foot in lands thousands of miles away from the only home he’s ever known. But then, he kisses Penelope Featherington. And suddenly every notion he’s ever had about love absolutely pales in comparison. — OR — A glimpse into Colin's thoughts for season 3, episodes 1-4, with an alternate love confession at the end as a little treat.

EXCERPT:

Perhaps if he’d unburdened the truth of his feelings— if he’d told her that his heart was hers to fill or burst, to keep or toss aside, to do with whatever she thought fit— then she’d still be standing right in front of him. Instead, Colin is forced to watch on as Penelope catches up to Debling. He can see them from even down below where he’s still rooted to the same spot, his jaw clenching involuntarily when he sees Penelope offer the other man an encouraging smile.  Part of him doesn’t think he can stomach the sight of the woman he loves accepting a proposal from another. But the other part of him that already aches is the part of him that won’t let him look away. If he’s going to have his heart broken by Penelope Featherington either way, he might as well make sure it’s done thoroughly.

[rivenantiqnerd]

i hate when my parents tell me i dont need to put as much effort into homework assignments because “the stress isnt worth such a small amount of points”

and then because i dont put 100% effort into it i only get 89% and my parents go “a B??! Whats wrong, are you okay?”

bc im supposed to be soo smart

[alex-just-vibing]

Hcs on Solar System finding Kel crying by himself? (With him obviously denying the claim and telling them that he's fine)

ooh, I actually had a fic idea in my head kinda like that! (not solar system, but baseball bat. but I can change a few things)

This is less headcanons and more just word vomit/a pseudo-fic lol (under read more for the benefit of everyone here lol) Cuz I know I wouldn't be able to rest until I got this out of my head now (thanks a lot anon /lhj)

Sunny, Basil, and Aubrey were walking through the streets of Faraway Town, looking for the last person they needed to complete their group. They were hoping to find somewhere to just hang out at, whether that be one of their houses or somewhere else, like the park, Hobbeez, or maybe Gino's, but they didn't want to do it without Kel.

He wasn't at his house, and when they asked his mother where he was, she told them that he'd just gone for a walk. They thanked her, and she said to them, as she always does when they stop by, that they're welcome there anytime.

After stopping by his house, the three of them decided to check the park to see if he had stopped there while on his walk. He wasn't there either. Aubrey suggested checking their secret hangout spot, and the other two agreed that it wouldn't hurt to try.

None of them were particularly expecting him to be there, but when they walked past the trees into the area, they saw Kel sitting on an old picnic blanket. He was hugging his knees to his chest, and his forehead was pressed against his knees. His face wasn't visible from where the three others stood, but it was obvious something was wrong.

Aubrey was the first to approach him. She walked up to him and kneeled next to him. He didn't seem to notice her.

"Is everything okay, Kel?" she asked. She then saw the tears streaming down his face and facepalmed mentally. Of course he's not okay, what kind of question is that? She can't recall the last time she saw him cry...

Kel turned his head to look at her, before smiling weakly. "I-I'm fine!" He brought his hand to his face and wiped at his tears. More fell, replacing the ones he wiped away. "Don't worry about me!"

Sunny and Basil had also walked over to him. Sunny sat down next to him, as did Basil. Sunny gently grabbed Kel's hand.

"No, Kel." Sunny's voice was firm, but caring. "You aren't 'fine.' And that's okay." He squeezed Kel's hand slightly.

Basil cautiously placed one arm over Kel's shoulder. He leaned his head slightly against Kel's shoulder. "We love you Kel. A lot. We want to be here for you, the same way you always are for us."

Kel shook his head at their words. "I'm... I'm fine, really! You don't need to worry about me..." His voice was shaky and broken up by sniffles. He continued trying to wipe away his tears, but they just kept flowing.

Aubrey pulled him into a hug, not saying anything just yet. She let his head rest against her chest, and she placed a gentle kiss on the top of his head.

Basil moved closer to Kel, leaning against him to hopefully be a comforting presence for him. He turned to fully hug Kel, and he buried his face in Kel's shoulder. Kel in turn moved his face to rest in Basil's hair.

Sunny scoots closer, so that he could be sitting right next to Kel. Sunny didn't let go of his hand while moving, and once he settled into a comfortable position, he squeezed Kel's hand again.

"I'm sorry." Kel's voice was barely above a whisper. "I... I didn't mean to worry you guys..." When he spoke, his voice broke, then trailed off into a near-silent sob.

"It's okay, Kel," Sunny reassured him, and he rubbed his thumb over Kel's knuckles. "You're allowed to cry. Just let it all out. We aren't going anywhere."

The four of them sat in a comfortable silence, which was only broken by the occasional sob from Kel. After a good few minutes, Kel's crying seemed to slow, then eventually stop.

Basil noticed that Kel had stopped crying, and he was the first to speak. "Kel... Would you want to talk about why you were upset..?" His tone carried genuine concern and love.

Kel paused for a moment, before shaking his head. "No... Not right now..."

Sunny nodded. "Okay. We'll be here for you whenever you're ready." The other two nodded in agreement, all three of them smiling warmly at Kel.

"Now, weren't we planning to hangout?" As she spoke, Aubrey started to stand up, and she extended her hands to help the other three up. Basil and Sunny stood up first, then all three of them pulled Kel up.

Kel smiled, chuckling lightly as he was pulled up. "That sounds nice... How about a sleepover at my place?"

[wildflowergirlie]

the curtains will never just be blue if I'm the one writing about them.

[bnesszai]

sorry hold on just....hold on....im thinking about Dazai and humanity again

[zlatakleos]

Elmira, Demise of Daring and Darling Ego

A short story I felt like posting here; constructive criticism is always welcome and encouraged! While this has nothing to do with my actual novel wip, I had to get this idea out of my handwombs <3

______________________

Elmira, Elmira, Elmira. The way her sunlit hair gently swayed with the rest of her body, her frame small and thin. Her light footsteps rapidly tapped the stairs on her way through the halls of Princeton. Such a strong name for a weak girl. Light of the dearest star, how she sparkled in my wandering eyes so wonderfully bright. I let my vision- and vision only- follow whilst my feet stood as still as roots under me.

She stood out amongst the crowd- shorter than most, sloppily dressed but still presentable, moving fast and free as air. Her eyes of olive green shone brightly against the harsh university lights. Her noticeable eye bags under her lower lashes without even a hint of mascara, small blemishes visible on her skin even from afar. Her posture hunched over, whether from long nights spent pouring over her work or only for pure comfort- I cannot say. Her voice as she sang well past two in the morning, viola and beautiful voice together- more melodic than a lullaby could ever hope to be. 

I leaned against the wall, waiting for her to see me- dressed in my favorite maroon turtleneck and black blazer, a gold ruby-encrusted pomegranate necklace glinting off my chest. She never gave me the time of day, even as I care for her more than a friend ever would. She can’t even remember to eat. Stupid. She’s just so busy, busy, busy, bu-sy, never a single goddamned moment to spare. I took a deep breath, feeling my lungs expand as if they tripled in size, my chest rising with them. I exhaled, looking down at my feet while my cheeks flamed with reddened heat. I looked back up as Elmira caught my gaze, giving me only a small wave and walking straight past me in her pretentious academic superiority. All there was left for me to do was leave, given that she didn’t even show me a smile. Shame. Her delight would outshine all others, that I’m very sure of- not that I’ve ever seen it.

My footsteps echoed through the cold fall evening, almost tapping against the sidewalk like a local performance. Two children- neither could’ve been older than nine- were walking on the sidewalk in front of me, joyful as children in jolly December. I’ve always particularly loved children. “Curse these loud shoes,” I hissed, talking to no one in particular, watching as my words and warm breath summoned frosty wisps of air on this dark, chilly evening. Elmira was staying late once again in the university library as, I can assume. I made my way to her home. I fumbled with her doorknob, my cold hands no longer nimble. I reached under the carpet for her spare key- one that I’ve seen her grab many times before. 

Barely even minutes later, my body entered her living room- no longer within my control. Oh dear, oh dear, what am I about to do? My heart flails in my chest, pounding so loudly I feared the neighbors would hear it. Still, I couldn’t stop moving. I had to feel her beneath my greedy hands. I did not move gently into her room during this good night, the air full of silence and angered lust, with the faint scent of sweet pomegranate lingering throughout the room- likely from her red-stained bowl sitting plainly on her desk.

I sat down on her bed, waiting in thrilling trepidation. As the minutes passed, I stood still as I always was, letting the grandfather clock across from me fill my ears with passing time. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, hear me when I say that my body isn’t mine anymore- maybe my mind isn’t mine either. 

Once- and only once I’ve felt her skin, soft and smooth as roses and redder than her beloved pomegranate beneath my fingernails, once the feel of her skin has met my fingertips will I have known true bliss. Once she has stained my hands and dirtied my nails will I know love’s grasp on the mind.

[littletism]

🎒✏️🍎 weekend activity for littles! turn your house into a school! 🍎✏️🎒

prepare your schedule the night before! what classes will you do at what time? what order will you do them in? write it down! set alarms on your phone for when each class will be, so you know when to switch!

don’t forget to prepare worksheets, activities, and make sure you know what rooms you’re using! if you have a cg, this job is best suited for them!

class ideas: math, spelling, writing, social studies/history, science, art, music, etc!

“downtime” class ideas: naptime, free time, movie time, free draw, computer lab, play time

wake up bright and early! get dressed, brush your teeth, brush your hair, and get your school supplies! go into the room that you’ve designated as your classroom!

if you have a cg, have them be your teacher for the day! if you don’t have one, that’s okay! you can do all of this by yourself pretty easily.

if the room has a closet, use that as your cubby! hang up your bag and any other belongings in it!

get ready for your school day! sit down on the floor like you would in a preschool or kindergarten classroom, and get ready to learn!

ideas on what to do for each class under the cut (to avoid this post being way too long!)

math

print out some math worksheets (or download and do them digitally, bonus points if it’s on a tablet with a stylus for extra realism!) and work on them! do whatever level of math is most accessible to you!

count stuff! count your toys, blocks, stuffies, anything! make problems and equations by taking away items, adding items, dividing items, etc and solve them!

play math games! multiplication .com has a lot of accessible math games, or you can use the flashpoint program to play math games from your favorite tv shows!

ELA

print/download handwriting practice sheets and practice writing your letters!

if you have a cg with you, have them read a book out loud to you! make sure to pay attention, and be prepared to write about what was just read to you!

read your favorite book, and create a book report based on it with pictures and decorations!

do spelling worksheets and exercises!

social studies

practice geography by identifying states or countries on an unlabeled map! start with your own country, then move on to other countries to make it more challenging!

learn about history by watching educational history cartoons!

do a cultural interview! find someone in your life whether it be a friend, a partner, or a family member and interview them about their heritage and culture! if you can’t find someone, write about your own culture!

science

use a store bought science kit and play around with it! write down everything you’ve learned.

make slime or oobleck! there’s countless recipes online that teach you how to make them! they’re both super easy to make.

draw a diagram of our solar system! label the planets properly and write one fact about each one!

art

draw your family! could be your biological or found family!

finger paint!

watercolor paint!

make pottery out of clay or play doh!

make a collage of your favorite things! print out pictures of stuff you like and glue it to a piece of paper!

music

sing along to your favorite songs! pull up sing-along versions of songs from disney movies or karaoke versions of your favorite songs!

if you have any kind of instrument, play it! try to play simple songs on it like mary had a little lamb or hot cross buns!

if you’re regressed a bit older, study sheet music! teach yourself what all the symbols mean!

nap time

take a 30 minute break to nap, or just lay down and rest! put on a soft lullaby or a quiet song you really like.

to make it more “school-like”, nap on the floor! preferably on a fluffy rug or mat, so it isn’t uncomfortable or bad for your back! lay out your favorite blanket, pillow, stuffie, and hit the hay!

play time / free time

just play!!! have fun and play with your toys, your stuffies, play dress up, etc!

if it’s nice outside, go play outside!

draw a picture!

read your favorite book!

if you’re an over-achiever, do some more worksheets!

computer lab

go on your computer or laptop if you have one, and play some educational games, watch educational videos, etc!

when you’ve done an adequate amount of learning, you earn free time! use this to play any fun game you want! (minecraft, roblox, animal jam, fun flash games, etc!)

field trips

(may require a cg if you can’t take yourself places when small!)

take a trip to a museum!

go to the library! find a cool book you find interesting and read it!

take a walk around town! write down all the interesting things you find in nature like animals, bugs, plants, etc!

end of the day

when your “school day” ends, have your cg grade how you did! if you don’t have a cg, grade yourself! but be honest, of course. if you get a good grade, you’ll get a reward!

i know this is elaborate and may seem silly, but i’ve heard a lot of littles say an elementary school environment would be really beneficial to them! i hope this helps some of you who are yearning for that!

[writing-mlm]

Idk if you take requests right now, but if you do, can you please write more damian wayne x reader 🙏

Sincerely, someone who has been scavenging for damian fics for days 😔

New Years, Same Words [D.W]

Summary: He's tired of hiding, but damn Damian cannot be subtle for the life of him. Pairing: Damian Wayne x male!reader WC: 8.8k

a/n: recs are always open :3

Back home, school was so different, almost every single detail was different. The way humans digested information was so slow and inefficient; back home students wore helmets and immediately got the knowledge they’d need. No need for lectures or turn and talks. They’re learning ideas and math that, quite frankly, a child back home would’ve already learned. 

But, you enjoyed this style. No matter how stupid it was. Back home, you never really had a chance to bond with peers or enjoy any activities like art or music. It was telepathic lessons and then home, usually, that’s when the kids would play together. But the school-sanctioned together time was nice. 

Everything else sucked. 

The hallways were cramped and you had to watch extra carefully to not bump into people and break their shoulders. No matter how badly you wanted to. 

“(Y/n)!” You hear from across the hall and look over, seeing your adoptive brother running down the hallway with his bag almost slipping from his shoulder. “I’m here!” He says, beaming as he stands next to you. 

    “You’re a mess,” You chide while fixing his bag and almost pick him up in the process. “Apologies.” 

“You ready for class?” He almost groans as he says it. “I swear, if she gives us another pop quiz, I’m going to laser her!” He whispers the last part and you chuckle. 

   “No quiz,” You reassure him, turning down the hallway. ELA was at the end of the hallway, right next to the smelly staircase where kids go to smoke or leave the building due to a faulty alarm system. “I heard we have a project.” 

“From who?” He says, voice raising several octaves. Jon has this thing, he doesn’t believe news from certain people, even if they’re later proven to be right. 

   “Marissa,” He stops walking and you can basically hear his thoughts. He’s so debating skipping class. “She said it’s not bad, c’mon!” Grabbing the back of his collar, you pull him after you as you hear the start of the warning bell. Quickly, you pull your headphones from around your neck to your ears and the bell rings. 

It’s at a human volume with the headphones on, so it’s still loud but not nearly as loud as it would’ve been otherwise. 

School back home also didn’t have bells. 

Sliding into your seat, you drop your bag in between your legs while glancing around. Mostly everyone is in class, save for a couple of people. The teacher is late, but you can hear her running up the staircase— not the smelly one, one that’s going to take her at least two minutes to get to class. She never uses a different staircase. 

Mrs. Elton is particular about that sort of stuff, her classroom never changes. She’s gone as far as to superglue the desks in a permanent shape around the class. There are three groups of desks, two in the front and one in the back. The one in the back is a straight horizontal line of seven desks while the front ones are arranged in an upside-down T shape. The vertical side of the T has eight tables, with four tables turned to face each other, while the horizontal side has four desks. 

Your seat is in the front, on the horizontal line. While seats aren’t technically assigned, they totally are assigned amongst everyone else. Jon has the seat in front of you, and he can never see the board properly since he has to turn his whole body around to see it. 

Mrs. Elton finishes her run up the stairs as the final bell goes off and the remaining students trickle into class. Amongst them is your other seatmate, the girl who sits to your right. She looks a little upset but she visibly calms down when she sees you. 

“I thought you were absent,” She tells you as she walks around your chair to get to hers. “You weren’t in second period, what the fuck, dude?” She playfully hits you with her bag before it settles on her lap.

   “I was late,” You shrug, watching her pull out her pink Macbook case with several stickers on it. “Why, what happened second?” She gives you a look before she slips her bag down to the floor and you raise an eyebrow, looking at Jon who shrugs. 

   “They were making plans to make a bomb for the winter dance.” She says. “Those two kids who always sit in the back, like that’s normal right?” You nod, the two kids in the back always talk about school shootings and whatnot but they’re typically harmless. “They talked about how their orders for materials came in and exactly where they’re gonna plant it.” 

“Text me,” She nods and Mrs. Elton walks into the room, effectively silencing the class. She’s dressed like an English teacher, which you hadn’t known was a stereotype for the longest. You thought there were dress codes for each subject teachers. 

Go figure. 

“Good morning!” She smiles, her kitten heels clicking on the brown tiled floor as she heads over to her desk. Her laptop is already connected to the smart board so she only has to log back in. “How was everyone’s weekend?” There are some murmurs amongst the kids but she takes what she can get. 

“As I’m sure you’re all aware, we have a project!” With her presentation on the screen, she turns to face everyone and clasps her hands together. “This will not be a group project, but there are many options to choose from.” She turns around again, fiddling with the keyboard. “Skipping the do now, let’s get right into it.” She pulls up a slide that’s blank for now. She does this thing where she presses a button and words pop up. “The Best Friend project!” She announces as it pops up on the board. 

“This is different from your other projects since this is a project that’s a week long. You only get this week to do it and everyone will be presenting next week. We’ll do it by volunteer order, if no one volunteers then I will call you to go!” She explains and you glance over at Jon. His back is to you, but you can see him rubbing his forehead. 

“As seniors, you need to understand how to present. But this is an easier one to do since I’m giving you so many options!” A list of options pops up as she says that. “Firstly, you can make a photo slideshow and explain your friendship; you can make a video collage with a voiceover, you can write a newspaper article and read it to the class, or you can bring the person in. But only if they do not have my class. So say Blake wanted to do his project on say… Michael, he could not bring him in. But if Blake wanted to do his project on his neighbor, he could bring them in. Understand?” Everyone nods and she moves on. 

“Pick the way you want to do your project today,” She says, looking over the class. “After today, we will not be working on this during class, we will continue to read Salvage the Bones.” 

“Go ahead! Start!” She smiles and turns on the class playlist as everyone turns to their laptops. 

“Who’re you doing yours on?” Amira asks, already on a blank slideshow document. 

   “Not you,” You laugh and she fake scoffs. “You don’t know him, though.” She hums in acknowledgment. 

   “Do I?” Jon asks and you look at him, head tilted and lips pulled into your mouth. “Ohhh!” He nods. “I’m doing mine on Jay!” 

“Fun,” You offer a smile and look over the options. 

Writing in English is not your strong suit, it’s why you weren’t allowed into AP classes. You were amazing with working on stuff but you were still learning English, despite living on Earth for four years now. Kara says that’s normal and it took her ages to get to your level of speaking and understanding English, but you feel stupid struggling with the words. 

You pull out your phone and open your messages. 

would u come to my school next week

4 a project 

What type of project? 

‘best friend project’ 

Is this like Show and Tell? 

idk what that is…

I’ll explain later. 

But I’ll agree, explain it to me tonight, okay?

kk :3

Closing your phone, you set it face down on the desk and look over the “bring a person in” section. It says you can either give a completely verbal presentation but you’ll need to create a transcript for it, for proper grading, or you can create a presentation in which the two of you explain what’s happening. You opt for the second one. 

There are some requirements, though. Each presentation needs to be at least ten minutes long; which you think is absurd, there cannot be any cursing included, and visual aids are required for all but the verbal presentation. Videos cannot be longer than two minutes, and only a maximum of two videos— each of them gives an extra five points to your grade. 

“Imagine someone does Damian Wayne.” The local Gothamite, Rebecca laughs and you share a look with Jon.

   “I totally am!” Her friend, Mariam jokes. “We’ve been dating for ages, darling!” Her group shares a laugh and your mind is settled on doing yours on him. 

—

Meeting Damian during his patrols had become somewhat of the norm since you started dating. For many reasons, but mainly since Batman doesn’t have super hearing, despite what the general public and some heroes may think. While you’re not entirely out of earshot of Kal-El, being in Gotham meant that he would have to focus a bit more on listening to you instead of doing whatever he was doing back home. Sure, sometimes Damian came to Metropolis, but that was rare. Only one of you could get to and from in three seconds, after all. 

“So,” You start as you slowly lower yourself down to the roof he's standing on, it’s on the outer side of Gotham, away from any of the normal patrol spots. “You’re dating someone else?” Robin frowns and crosses his arms. 

   “Ya albi, never.” He says in the most reassuring tone you’ve ever heard him speak in while slowly pulling you close. “Where’d you hear this?” It’s hard continuing the charade and you give up, a grin spreading across your face. It lets him immediately know and his frown goes into an unamused glare. 

    “These girls were joking about dating you during class,” You explain as he pushes you away and rolls his eyes. You smile and pull him back towards you, he crosses his arms and makes a point to keep a distance between the two of you.  

“Moving on,” He fixes your cape before wrapping his hands around your shoulders and pulling you down to his height. Leaning in, you watch his eyes close before he kisses you and you let your eyes close. Pulling him closer, you dig your fingers into his hips and smile when he smiles. 

“I was thinking,” He says when the two of you pull away. “We should go to the New Year’s gala together,” You pause, standing up straight and looking over the Gotham skyline before back at him. 

   “As us?” You ask and he nods, his eyes searching your face for any signs of… anything really. 

    “We could go as us for the one father is hosting and then as Robin and Rao for the Justice League party.” He suggests and he means it. He’s just as tired of kissing in corners as you are and you smile, big and bright before calming yourself. 

    “Are you sure? This is an incredibly big step, there’s no taking it back.” 

You’ve thought about this moment before. Even before you started dating, you’d daydream about the world finding out Robin and Rao were dating. About the world finding out that Damian Wayne is dating the adopted son of Lois Lane and Clark Kent, the world's best reporters. 

It wasn’t always the best in your head, you thought of the villains and the press. The jealous fans and suddenly you’re no longer just that kid in school. 

And you didn’t care. You’d thought of every single bad scenario, every scenario that almost made Clark and Lois break up; but it didn’t matter. You… you were in love with Damian, in every way. All of him, whatever he came with you were down for. You’d kill for him— you have killed for him. Not that he ever has to find that out. 

“Rao,” He says in a stern voice, pulling you back to him. “I… I want you forever. Why would I take any of this— of us back?” He asks as if you’ve offended him, his eyes darting between yours as he speaks. He’s talking as if you had thought so little of him as to think he wasn’t in the relationship a thousand percent. That you weren’t the best thing in his life and he’d do everything to not lose you. 

“I dunno,” You shrug, letting go of him but he grabs your hands to stop you from moving. “What if you want someone else one day? Someone who can’t hear the fact that your heart is racing and your blood is rushing? Or the fact that Batman is trying to reach you right now.” From several streets over, you can hear Bruce speaking into his comm trying to reach Damian. He’s asking Barbara why he isn’t responding, worried for his son. 

“I will never want someone else.” He promises, squeezing your hand and clicks his earpiece to turn it back on. 

“Yes, father?” He takes a step away but doesn’t let go of your hand. 

“Robin, where have you been? We’ve been trying to reach you for ten minutes” You hear Bruce tell him, worry lacing his voice. 

    “Sorry, father. I accidentally turned it off.” Damian gives you a look that screams not to laugh. 

    “There’s a robbery close to you, it’s just Catwoman,” Bruce explains and Damian sighs, saying he’s going on it. Better than to have his father go and have sex on the roof again. 

He still couldn't get the picture out of his head when the gossip pages found them one day. He almost moved out after that. 

“Call me,” You smile as you begin to hover above the roof. “I still gotta explain the project to you.”

“Yknow, this could go by faster if you helped.” He offers and you laugh. 

   “Is Robin asking me for help?” He scoffs and lets go of your hand before walking to the edge of the roof. You watch him, already knowing your answer to his request but you wanted to see how long it would take him to say something. 

“Let’s go!” He calls and you grin, flying over to him and he lets you scoop him up before heading over to the bank. 

—

A week comes and goes, you’d finished your presentation the same day you had told Damian about it. Clark and Bruce insisted on getting it done as quickly as possible— you’d just take any excuse to spend the night in a fucking manor. 

“Good morning!” Mrs. Elton smiles as the final bell rings. “I’m so glad some of you signed up to give your presentations, uhh—“ She looks at a notepad on her desk, reading over the names. “Today we have (Y/n), Rebecca, Julie, and Jesus!” A little confused, you try and think if there’s another (Y/n) in your class. But you’re the only one in the entire grade. And you sure as hell did not sign up. 

“You signed up?” Amira whispers and you shake your head. 

    “I absolutely did not!” You whisper back, pulling your phone from your bag to text Damian. God, it would probably take him at least half an hour to get from Gotham to Metropolis. But as you open your phone, you realize there wasn’t a mixup with the volunteers. 

I’m in the office, about to head up. 

The text had been sent two minutes ago, and when you look up you can see him at the door. He sees you see him and ducks out of view before anyone else can. You should’ve listened harder, you could’ve spotted his heartbeat sooner. 

“Oh, you’re doing a buddy presentation?” Mrs. Elton says as she looks over your slides. You nod, your heart hammering in your chest. “Are they here?” Again, you nod and she smiles. “Excellent! Bring them in!” Standing up, you head to the door and step outside.

“One second, Ms!” You say before the door closes. Damian is leaning against the wall opposite to the room. He’s dressed a little fancier than he normally is, a turtleneck and slacks. But he’s wearing a pair of thick, black boots. Are those yours..?

“You asshole!” You whisper, ignoring the boot situation and he looks at you, faking a confused look. “I’m shitting myself, dude! Oh my god!” You rush over to him, running your hands over your face as you talk. 

   “Habibi,” He places a hand on your shoulder. “You’ll do fine, it’s nothing compared to fighting Lex, right?” Sighing, you nod and calm yourself. You’d given speeches to entire countries before, this is a walk in the park comparatively. “Good, now let’s go.” He turns you around to face the door and for some reason, talking to the President was easier than walking into that classroom. 

Nope. Not fine. 

But he guides you back into the classroom and you stand at the open door. 

“Come on in!” Mrs. Elton encouraged you with a smile and a gentle wave to usher you over. Licking your lips, you head inside and Damian steps in after you. Immediately there are murmurs throughout the room and several eyes land on him. Mariam gasps and slaps Rebecca’s arm. She’s been on her phone, mostly uninterested for the most part but when she looks up her eyes go wide. 

“You may start,” Mrs. Elton hands you a remote that lets you control the slides and you thank her, fiddling with the remote as you and Damian stand off to the side of the screen.

“My best friend is Damian,” You start, trying to shake off the feeling of absolute dread over you. Not that it works.  “Um… I met him what— two, three years ago?” Time is hard for you, times blend together and merge, sometimes stretching to points where they couldn’t have possibly happened. But Kara thinks it’s the lingering effects of the Phantom Zone. 

   “Four,” He corrects and looks over at you. “I was there when you arrived.” That’s right, you’d forgotten when you crashed into Earth. Bruce and Damian had gone with Clark when the Watchtower got a reading of a spaceship entering Earth's orbit. You’d crashed into the middle of the Atlantic Ocean and almost sunk to the bottom of the sea. 

You nod, looking back to the class. “Four years ago, when I was adopted, I met him. I think he hated me back then, though.” You chuckle, pressing the slide to pictures you have where the then fourteen-year-old Damian was either attacking you or clearly yelling. In all of the pictures, you’re unbothered or confused, still learning the language. “Can’t imagine why, probably because I’m black.” 

“It’s because you kept breaking my stuff,” He corrects quickly. “I went through five phones, six doors, and I think twenty windows that first month.” He lists and you want to defend yourself, imagine suddenly being so strong that a simple nudge could send walls toppling down but you can’t say that. 

   “Don’t remember that,” Shaking your head, you click to the next slide and look at it. You’d forgotten all about that trip. 

“This was when my father took the Kent’s on vacation to The Netherlands,” Damian says, looking at the picture of you looking out of the plane window. You look unamused and you remember saying I can see this all the time, why would I get the window seat? And you ended up switching seats with Jon. Another picture is of you and Damian sitting on the windowsill of the hotel, it’s nighttime and you’re both watching the stars. 

You remembered talking to him about your home and he’d talked to you about his. 

Another picture is Damian, Jon, and you at a creek. You and Jon are knee-deep in the water but Damian is sitting on a tire swing, clearly disgusted about the idea. He’s yelled about bugs, parasites, and fish pee infecting the water. Jon wanted to throw him in, but you talked him down. 

“We spent a week there,” You explain, looking back at the class. “I think that’s when we actually became friends.” He agrees, giving a small nod and you click to the next slide. It’s a video, and from the thumbnail, it’s set around Christmastime.

You’re in the woods, wearing a jacket Lois had gifted you; Damian is holding the phone from what you remember.

“Don’t do anything stupid,” Damian’s voice is the first thing you hear as the video starts. It’s different from his voice now and you wonder when the change happened. 

   “I’m good!” You dismiss and pick up your pace when you see the thing you’ve been looking for. It’s a little embarrassing hearing your voice, especially how you sounded back then. But it’s still a fond memory. 

In the middle of the forest was a lake, and it had frozen over. Clark had wanted to give it a couple of weeks to get to a proper thickness and you felt you’d waited long enough. It had been four weeks already, and you heard Alaska got pretty cold. 

“Do not,” Damian warns as you hold onto a tree, lowering yourself onto the ice. “(Y/n)!” He sets the phone down on a fallen tree and goes into view of the camera, following after you. But his point was to get as close to you as possible without getting onto the ice. 

“I’m fine, Damian!” You wave him off, putting a foot onto the ice. “It’s slippery!” You gasp, putting your other foot, and struggle to find your balance for a good second. 

   “It’s ice.” He reminds, still holding his hand out. “Now, c’mon! That’s dangerous, even for you.” Looking at him, you hold your hands on your hips and grin. Your balance is much better now that you’ve gotten your bearings. 

“Nothing bad ever happens to me!” You declare and take a shaky step further into the lake. It’s more difficult than just standing and you’re tempted to just cheat by flying a little bit. 

   “You’re an orphan for a reason,” He sighs and you loudly boo at him. You must’ve booed him for a good five seconds, both your thumbs pointed down and he rolls his eyes. 

   “One bad thing happened to me!” Taking another step, you almost fall and he lunges to grab you but you’re able to remain upright. 

“See,” You look at him and he shakes his head, carefully inspecting the ice. His body language changes when he does and he takes a mini step closer, holding his hand out with a sense of urgency. 

“Off the ice, now.” He demands and you look down. You can hear the cracks forming and there are white lines starting to appear. But you’d assumed the noises had been from the woods. “(Y/n),” Looking up at him, you grab his hand and he pulls you towards him. 

The ice lets out a sharp crack and you remember watching the ice fall into the water as the two of you fell back into the snow, your heart swelling with some feeling. It wasn’t even the fact that you’d almost fallen, you were more than sure you would’ve been a-okay; it was the fact that he had cared that much about your safety. 

“I could’ve flown,” You whisper, looking at the spot you’d been standing at. The video doesn’t pick it up, but you remember what happened. How the two of you had fallen back and he held you tightly until that point. 

“Doesn’t mean you can be so reckless,” He says, standing up before pulling you up. “Let’s head back to the cabin, be glad Lois isn’t here to scold you.” He picks the camera up as he speaks and you roll your eyes. 

   “I’m sure you’re gonna tell her either way.” The video ends and you look towards your classmates again. 

“That’s an example of why I’m the best,” You announce, faking being serious. “But in my defense, it was my second winter ever and I was very excited.” Back home, the weather was just… not cold. At least where you lived. 

   “And stupid,” Damian mutters and you nudge him, hiding your grin. He nudges you back and you’re about to start a stupid nudging war when Mrs. Elton clears her throat. 

“When was this?” Mrs. Elton asks, motioning to the video. 

    “Two years ago,” You answer, looking back to the video that’s stuck on a still of Damian and you walking up, a cheesy grin on your face while he’s less than impressed. “Clark and Lois rented out a cabin in Alaska, I invited Damian. We spent the weekend there and he never did tell Lois about the incident.” But Clark surely did hear, so when you returned there was some discussion about safety and caution. 

“That same day, (Y/n) decided it would be a good idea to try and befriend a wild bear,” Damian says and you scoff, going to the next slide. 

  “Me and Jerry did become friends,” You grumble. 

“This is for my birthday last year,” Damian says as he looks at the picture that’s in an apartment Bruce rented so Damian could have a small party with just his friends. He saw Billy, Cassie, Bart, Wally, Jackson, Nika, Jon, Courtney (who he didn’t really know, she was more your friend since he had no interest in Stargirl), Jaime, and you standing around a table with him in the center. There’s a birthday cake but most of it is hidden by the several bodies in front of it. 

He has a ridiculous paper party hat on and there’s some frosting on his nose. He looks less than amused but you remember he put up no protest to any of the things that happened that night. Although Wally said it’s because it was you doing it and had it been anyone else, they would’ve lost an arm.

And he agreed! 

There’s a green Happy Birthday balloon banner behind him and in a different picture, it’s the two of you standing in front of it. You’re both holding sparklers, which was incredibly dangerous according to basically everyone else. But it’s an apartment filled with teen superheroes, a little sparkler was not going to be the thing that caused damage. 

“It was a group sleepover,” You announce, staring at the picture Jaime had taken of everyone sleeping on the large couch. There are several blankets over people so no one’s really huddled together for warmth until you see you and Damian in the corner of the couch. 

You’re still awake, on your phone but Damian is knocked the fuck out, his head is on your shoulder and if you squint, you can see his legs wrapped in yours under the cover. Your arm is around him, keeping him from rolling onto someone who’s sleeping close by. 

“I didn’t think you’d put that one,” You whisper, admiring the picture. When making the presentation, Damian had suggested that you each get ‘secret slides’ and the others were not allowed to look until the day off. Your slide was the ice video. 

   “Nika considers it a soft launch, whatever that means.” He grins and you smile. 

There’s another picture, but it’s a picture of a picture. Taken on those handheld cameras that were really popular in the early 2000s. It’s of you, Damian, and Nika. The three of you are in the kitchen, sitting on the kitchen island with Damian in the middle. 

You’re eating cake, surprised that someone was going around taking pictures while Nika is blowing a kiss to the camera and Damian is actually smiling for the picture. 

There’s a picture right next to it where you’re actually posed. Your back is to Damian and Nika copies as the two of you fake holding guns, acting as his bodyguards. He’s playfully rolling his eyes, and there’s a wider grin on his face in that picture. It was actually your screen saver. 

Honestly, when you first met Flatline, you were kinda upset. She did kinda kill him and then they became best friends? It was confusing as all hell but whatever, you warmed up to her and she was actually really cool. 

“The cake was super good,” You note as you press the next slide. It’s another video, and it’s still from the birthday party. “I don’t remember this,” You admit, looking at the thumbnail. It’s when he’s being sung Happy Birthday. 

  “I do,” He smirks as the video plays. You could hear his heartbeat pick up a little bit and you’d have to admit you’re a little worried about the video. 

“-irthday to you, happy birthday to you! Make a wish!” Everyone says and Damian takes a second. His thinking face only appears for a second before he closes his eyes and blows out his candles. They go out and everyone cheers as he stands up tall. 

   “Try the cake!” Nika shouts from the back. 

“Come, aynii,” He tells you and you emerge from the small crowd as he wipes frosting onto his finger. You remember this exact moment and you blink, a slow and long blink as you smile. Damian notices and his heart picks up even more. He tries his best to look composed but Jon can see you unraveling in that moment. 

The class watches as he wipes the frosting onto your lips quickly enough that you don’t have time to react before he kisses you. 

And it’s an absolute riot when he does. Cheers and shouts take over the room. The kiss doesn’t last long as in the video, the people in the video are also cheering and you pull away, clearly flustered with so many people watching. He presses a quick final kiss to your lips and then licks his, fake-tasting the frosting while you wipe the frosting from your nose. 

“Tastes lovely,” Damian tells Nika as the video ends. It ends with you turning away from the camera and Damian pulling you closer to the table and him. 

“It was vanilla flavor,” Damian tells the class as they settle down. “That’s the last of the pictures,” The ten-minute requirement isn’t up yet, you have about two minutes left so your teacher suggests answering some people’s questions and you just know they are not going to be about anything other than the video. 

“How long have you been dating?” Mariam asks. 

   “Two and a half years,” Damian answers without hesitation, his hand slipping into yours. You feel his pulse settling down against your skin and run your thumb across the small, barely visible scars littering the back of his hand. 

So much for a soft launch. 

—

It turns out that the student was not live, but he did in fact post the video online. Very publicly, as it was viral absolutely everywhere. It even reached Worldstar, which you thought died out several years ago. You’d seen it across all your feeds, you’d been tagged a bunch and even sent it directly. News outlets have even contacted you and there've been some vague threats for your life, but nothing you haven’t seen before. It’s just a headache seeing so many new messages you end up making entirely new accounts and setting them to private. 

Clark and Bruce had both sat the two of you down when they saw it— which was immediately after it was posted. Seeing as one of them is a high-profile billionaire and the other is a high-profile reporter married to another high-profile reporter and journalist. There was an extremely long talk about… relationship stuff, and it was a little awkward when Bruce asked about some private information. Damian shut it down, though. Giving vague but concise answers to their questions while you tried to bury yourself on the couch. 

They ended with basically; you’re both 18, so you’re old enough, blah blah blah, wrap it and tap it, blah blah blah, at least there won’t be pregnancy scares, blah blah blah, no more sleepovers. 

That part wasn’t going to be in place for long, though.  

All in all, the worst part to come out of the situation thus far was the sudden attention on your back. 

People in school suddenly knew your name and while no one was acting strange, it was weird that people would suddenly be nicer to you. But at least no one was homophobic, that was something you were not going to complain about. 

“So,” Rebecca and her group of friends swipe the seats around you as you’re finishing up some of your work during gym class. “Damian Wayne?” She grins, sitting next in front of you. 

   “That is my boyfriend.” You hum, slowly closing your laptop. 

    “Good!” She grins. “Because we used to go to school together and I’ve never seen him so happy before! Everyone called— fuck it, probably still calls him Arab Psycho.” She imitates his public resting face, albeit very poorly and you think for a second. It’s that human movie. Tim talks about it. 

   “American Psycho but he’s Arab…” You ask and she nods. 

   “Always felt racist but those rich white fuckers didn’t care.” She explains and you hum. 

“You’re sweet,” She says. “Has he asked you to the winter dance yet?” Rebecca grins, her nails tapping against the glossy floor. “Oh my god! You two would totally be Winter formal royalty!” 

“I’m not going.” She frowns and her friends make awww sounds. It’s kinda hard to explain you’re gonna spend the night as Rao, making sure kids don’t try and blow up your school. Not to mention the fact that you really did want to go, but shit happens and you’ve been to every other school dance. And there’s still prom. “But he did ask.” 

“You’re stronger than me.” Kirara shakes her head. “What’s your Instagram, by the way?” 

—

The day of the dance rolls around and you’re stuck with Damian on the roof of the building across from the school. Forced to listen to the music and watch people dance with their dates, just waiting and watching. He notices, of course. But he doesn’t know what to say, or what to do. He’s always avoided school dances, they felt trivial, beneath him. But you enjoyed the American school traditions like those. 

He remembers whenever you’d hang out at the manor you’d insist on watching some high school movie, especially if they had dances. Apparently, they weren’t a big deal back home. 

You can’t move from the roof until you’re sure there’s no bomb. Your super-vision didn’t show anything and you scouted the place the two kids talked about but nothing. Jack shit popped up. But the two kids aren’t home, so there’s a chance they might show up and do it later. A mix of Carrie and Heathers, you suppose. 

It’s about midway through the dance that something happens. You recognize their dingy car— think a rusted car that is literally duct-taped together and one wind gust from breaking apart. The two of you slink into the shadows and you watch as they open the trunk, grabbing the bomb.

“At least this wasn’t for nothing,” You mutter and fly down, landing about four paces behind them. Robin lands in front of the car, his arms crossed and head tilted up. 

“Planning something?” You ask and they spin around, the taller one slams the trunk shut while the shorter one stuffs something into his jacket pocket. 

   “Just a dance…” Short laughs, tucking his arms under his chest. 

“And a bomb?” Robin asks and they spin around to see him. And it’s like the absolute life had drained out of them when they realized they had two vigilantes on them. One with a sword and the other with fucking heat vision. 

“We’re sorry!” Tall shouted, getting on his knees, and his hands were in the air within seconds. 

   “Dude…” Short grumbles and removes the poorly made bomb from his shirt and places it on the ground before getting on his knees. “Fucking pussy.” He glares at his friends while Robin calls for the cops to pick the two up. 

You pick up the bomb, looking it over. It’s about the size of a football and fairly heavy. But the intent was clearly there, you doubt it would’ve worked. They didn’t connect the wires properly. Seems they must’ve missed a step in their plans. 

The cops arrive soon after along with the bomb squad. They say the bomb is safe and the two kids get locked up. Before, they used to hound for you to go back to the station to make a statement but they know you’ll show up soon and leave with a quick thank you. 

“Cops in Gotham never thank us,” Robin huffs, watching them drive off. 

   “We’re nice here,” You shrug, looking at the school. “Wanna go to the Titans?” He looks at you and your barely hidden frown and then at the school. He’s sure his dignity isn’t as fragile as it seems because the decision isn’t a hard one to make. 

“We could go inside.” The frown turns into a smile and you rush inside, your cape bellowing with how fast you move. He rolls your eyes but follows you towards the music. 

Of course, the two of you cause a stir in the gym as everyone sees Rao and Robin at their shitty high school dance, slow dancing to the cheesy song playing but that’s perfectly fine. Everyone sorta returns to their own devices when they remember you’re two teenagers who probably just want to experience a dance. 

“Thank you.” You whisper to him as the night wraps up. Mariam and some dude who wasn’t her date were voted as the Winter Formal Royalty, despite them trying to give the crowns to the two of you. “This was fun. Very human.” You laugh at the last part, watching as kids get into their parent's car and head on home. You see Jon is waiting for Clark with Jay, he has a strict rule of not interacting with you when one of you is out of uniform. Something about being a horrible liar.

   “It was my pleasure seeing you smile.” He says, settling on the railing of the steps. “I’m just sorry you couldn’t enjoy it normally.” He adds, his eyes flickering to the large S symbol on your chest and then to your masked face. 

“Please,” You huff, sitting next to him. “We stopped a bomb. It was a… bad bomb, but still.” 

“You’re still here!” Mariam gasps when she sees the two of you. She has her heels in one hand and her phone in the other so her date holds the door open for her. “Good! Here—here, take it!” She hands you her crown and the other crown. Apparently the king didn’t care for it and gave it to her. “Don’t say no, either.” She shakes the crowns for you to take and you laugh, grabbing the king's crown while Damian takes the queen. 

“Okay, thank you.” The plastic crowns are but paper to you, so you take extra care not to break it. 

   “Put it on!” She urges, taking some steps back, and points her camera to the two of you. Robin looks at you and takes your crown from you, setting the crown on your head before putting his own. “Y’all are too cute!” She gushes and takes about ten pictures. You’re posing, of course, about three different poses and she’s hyping the two of you up beyond belief. 

“I’ll send these to you, bye-bye!” She shouts, running down the stairs while her boyfriend gets in the car. 

   “Bye-bye!” You call back.

“Clarks here,” Robin nudges your hand and you see Jon get into the car. 

“Break has officially started!” Someone shouts from the parking lot. “See yall mother fuckers next year!” You laugh, and float up, pulling Robin up with you. He latches on immediately, looking at you as you shoot into the air and over to Gotham. He’s a little more careful to make sure your crowns stay on than you are and he promises to keep it safe in Gotham. That honestly sounded like an oxymoron. 

“What’re you doing for Christmas?” He asks as you take your masks off in the Batcave. 

   “Mrs. Kent invited us to the farm,” Throwing yourself into the chair, Damian sits on the table while taking his gloves off. “We’ll probably be there for the entire weekend. Unless there’s some emergency. You?”

“We typically do a small gift exchange and not much else.” He shrugs. 

   “Y'know…” You trail, pushing the chair closer to him. “Martha has been wanting to meet you.” 

“She’s met me.” He says, fixing your hair into something that doesn’t make it obvious you had just been flying around. 

   “Yeah, but not as her grandson’s boyfriend.” He cups your face as you speak, staring at you with this soft gaze that makes you like putty in his hands. 

“He’ll go,” Bruce says as he enters the cave. Damian grumbles and drops his hands to his side while you spin around to see him. He’s not in his Batman gear, though. Just his nightwear. “Clark invited all of us yesterday.”

“Fun!” You turn to Damian who’s not too happy about the fact he still has the spend the holiday with his siblings. 

   “My siblings are going to cause your grandmother to have a heart attack. I’d advise you to fool-proof the house.” He warns you, getting off of the computer and pulling you up from the chair. 

“It’s Kryptonian proof. They can’t do much damage,” You call him a name he’s heard a bunch. It’s this word in Kryptonian but you won’t tell him what it means and he doesn’t know the language enough to piece it together. But he likes it. It just feels right. 

   “That’s what you think.” 

But despite his warnings and swearing up and down about his family ruining the day, Christmas went smoothly. Save for the embarrassment of introducing your boyfriend to your family and such, of course. The gifts were wonderful, but what you loved the most was Damian’s recreation of your home, you hadn’t thought he’d remembered so much detail from when you talked about it but he was spot on. You’d gotten him a special sword, made of alien metal and carefully carved with his initials. He said it was too good to use, that something of that marksmanship should never see bloodshed. But his eyes sparkled when you pulled out a set of new charcoal and paints for him. 

He spent the rest of the night drawing. 

With Christmas wrapped up, the time for the New Year’s party rolled around. Of course, Bruce had formally invited the Kents to the gala that was being hosted at some fancy building in Gotham. You’d been all but attacked by Dick to get a matching suit with Damian. Not that you minded, of course. 

“Your first public appearance as a couple, congrats.” Duke grins as he sees you standing next to Damian, the two of you fixing the final details of your suits. You peer up from your cufflinks and see he’s in a fancy yellow suit. He paired it with a soft blush pink undershirt and silver jewelry. 

   “Thanks,” You smile and check your sleeves. Still nicely pressed and the cuffs shine against the silky brown suit. 

   “Nervous?” He asks, stepping into the room as Damian hands you the dahlia brooch the two of you were going to wear. Damian knew more about flower symbolism than you, but you just knew the flower meant something about the two of you that he wholeheartedly agreed with. 

“Far from it,” Damian responds, pinning his own brooch to his suit. He makes it look so damn easy, but that’s probably because he doesn’t need to worry about breaking the brooch. “Yellow clearly suits you.” He tells Duke who in turn, compliments Damian’s suit. 

“Oh, you two did henna?” Duke asks, seeing your deep orange-stained hands. He’s too far away to see the exact details, but he knows henna when he sees it. 

   “His idea,” You grin, looking at the designs on your hands. “We still have to find our initials, though.” Your eyes flicker to where Amira’s mother had hidden the letter D on your hand.

“In private.” Damian adds, his hand finding reprise in your own. He doesn’t need to look at Duke for him to understand that Damian is telling him to leave and close the door. The clicks closed as he guides you to his bed. The two of you sit together and he looks first. 

“These designs are lovely,” He utters, his fingers ghosting over your skin as if you were a delicate artifact he was trying so desperately to keep safe. There were a lot of small details, hardly any of your skin was showing and it just looked like a lace you’d wrapped around your hand. His eyes flicker from left to right, as if he’s reading words in a book trying to find the letter D somewhere in the henna. 

He’s far from frustrated, though. He absolutely loves that you’d agreed to do this and even more so that you clearly didn’t half-ass in getting it done. You’d even let the henna sit for two hours extra, just in case your genes made the stain fade faster. 

“Here,” He points to one of the curves along a flower, his finger tracing over the hidden D. 

   “That was fast,” You look up at him and he just can’t look away from your hand. You call him, using another Kryptonian pet name and he looks at you. 

   “I’m perceptive.” He hands you his hands and you gently take them. 

You suppose you’re cheating, but your eyes are naturally gifted and you can zoom in. Even so, it does take you longer than him. You’re looking between his hands, almost stressing about finding out. 

“There,” You point to your initial resting on his ring finger, right above the second knuckle. He smiles and nods and you pat yourself on the back. And then he says something— something that’s surely a promise. He says it in a way that’s clear he’s thought about it for so long that nothing is to change his mind about it and you stare at him with wide eyes and an even wider smile. 

“It’ll be harder to find when we get married.”

—

The gala is nice. The two of you arrived after your families just two hours before midnight, hand in hand. Perhaps it was on purpose, but you’re holding the hand that has your initial and he’s holding the hand that has his. Maybe that’s his way of keeping it between the two of you; intimate. 

There are a lot of people, as is expected with galas. A lot of rich old people, a bunch of shitty reporters trying to kiss ass to Clark and Lois, and their older children. No one under sixteen is ever allowed to gala’s, a rule that came into place when Jason was taken under Bruce’s wing. You were surprised to hear the rule wasn’t because of Dick, but apparently Dick didn’t attend enough gala’s for the rule to be needed. 

It’s your first gala seeing you’ve always declined the offers to go but there wasn’t room to say no in this situation. But it’s calm. You were more nervous about your presentation than about this. You and Damian mingle together for around an hour and a half before you see Kara at the snack table and excuse yourself.

You’re talking to Kara about school and she’s talking to you about her job. It just sounds like a bunch of human adult stuff you’re probably going to have to do in five years and honestly? That sounds like hell. But she makes it sound fun. 

“Mother.” Damian says from across the room. Your head snaps over to where he is and you see her. Holy shit. You should run. “What’re you doing here?” His head turns to find you in the crowd but you see that Thalia is already looking directly at you. At least she’s smiling, that’s good… right?

“His mothers here?” Kara whispers, having heard that too. She’s been big on meeting the woman who raised him, apparently hearing how Bruce and Damian talk about her isn’t enough for her never-ending curiosity. 

   “I’m gonna piss my pants!” You gasp, looking at her. “Oh my god, she’s gonna kill me. i— Kara!” Your eyes widen as she tugs you after her. She barely weaves past people and you have to awkwardly apologize to them and let this crazy woman drag you over to your boyfriend and his assassin mother. 

“Hello, Ms. Al Ghul.” You gulp as Kara makes you stand between her and Damian. 

   “Ah, so this is your partner.” Thalia looks at her son and then at you. He’s not upset, but he’s cautious. He’s purposefully slowing his heart rate and you hear the subtle sounds of his joints moving. He’s ready to take you and run. 

   “Yes, this is my significant other, (Y/n).” He introduces you with a hand on your back. “And his aunt, Kara.”

“I’ve heard a lot about the boy who my son has fallen in love with.” She bluntly says and you don’t know if you should smile or hide. Neither of you has actually said the L word before. 

   “Mother…” He whispers and she tsks. 

   “What does he call you?” She asks you, ignoring her son's plea to stop taking. 

“Uh…” You trail. “He says: ya albi; habibi, hobbi, and ya hayati. There’s some more but I can’t remember…” When you say them, she takes a deep breath in and turns to her son. He’s a little red but not from anger. 

   “And do you know what they mean?” She asks, her eyes flicker to you. 

   “No, ma’am.” You answer honestly and she grins. That’s where he gets it, oh my god. 

“He’s professing his love for you. My love, my darling, love of my heart, and my life.” She explains. 

“You call him the same things!” Kara points out, slapping your arm and Damian looks over, the embarrassment off of his face and now he’s confused.

   “Kara…!” Your eyes widen as it’s your turn to be embarrassed. 

    “He calls you…” She waits for Damian to tell her the pet names and now you’re embarrassed that he’s repeating them. She doesn’t hide her excitement or her expressions like Thalia had and openly gushes. “The first one is: my only love. Then he says: my life and my reason.” 

“Your reason?” He asks and you turn your face from him. If you weren’t surrounded by people, you would’ve flown away. 

“Where we’re from, to have someone as your reason is the highest form of love. You’re living for someone, you’re devoting your life to them and their happiness.” You carefully explain and Kara nods, a hand over her heart as she gushes again. 

“Let’s leave the boys to their devices and chat,” Thalia smiles at Kara who nods and loops her arms with the literal assassin. 

“So…” You trail but the lights turn off and you hear the countdown start from one of the speakers around the room. Geeze, the night had gotten away from you. 

“Shall we?” He asks, stepping in front of you. New Year's kiss. Okay, holy shit. This is. Okay, you got this. You hear them say three and you get ready, cupping his face in your hands. You figure this is the best time to say it. Hell, you both have practically been saying it for years now. Just now it’ll be in a language you both understand.

“I love you.” You whisper as everyone shouts Happy New Year around the two of you. 

Kissing him, he holds you close and you’re sure you’re about ten seconds into the new year before he pulls back from the kiss. 

“I love you, too.”

[cressidagrey]

New Pursuits - Chapter 3: Wood carving

Summary:

The shadows decide that Azriel needs a hobby.

5 times when said hobby-related shenanigans didn’t end so well…and the one time where it may end up better than Azriel could ever have imagined.

Warnings:

Rhys bashing, the shadows steal some stuff, Cassian has no skill in wood carving.

(super pretty dividers thanks to @saradika)

The shadows had more ideas for him over the following weeks. 

It was a rather wide range:

Sometimes he had outright said no. (He was not going to buy himself a doll house. That was just creepy…also what exactly was he supposed to do with these dolls? Play? Play what?)

Sometimes it was completely impractical (He was not going to travel to the Winter Court only to try out riding on a reindeer. He didn’t care if the shadows thought it sounded like a grand old time…)

Sometimes it just didn’t work out (Most card games only worked if there was more than one person, and no, the shadows didn’t count, especially not when they snuck behind him to see his cards…Dirty cheaters, they were) 

Sometimes they just reminded him of something he didn’t want to be reminded himself of (He was not going to start a flower garden on his balcony. That was Ela…no. He was not going down that route.) 

Sometimes it was too fucking dangerous. (Journaling. He didn’t even need to explain why it maybe wasn’t a good idea for the fucking Spymaster of the Night Court to have a diary.) 

And sometimes he had tried it out and very quickly realised that it was doing absolutely nothing for him. (One evening spent in the park bird watching. He was never going to get that time back.) 

Though to be honest…the shadows had been right about one thing. 

He was no longer moping. 

They had gotten him out of his funk. If only to playfully argue with them about whatever new suggestion they had for him. 

And so, even when Elain and Lucien spent the summer growing closer, and Rhys kept him ridiculously busy with the kind of work that he  could  delegate if Rhys would just fucking let him…

It was fine. Azriel was fine. At least he liked to pretend that. 

Wasn’t it something like “Don’t cry over spilt milk”?  

The milk had been spilt that Solstice. And Az wasn’t going to cry over it. It was fine. He would get over himself. 

Rhys would get what he wanted, Elain would be happy…and Azriel…Azriel was going to find something to do. 

What’s your next suggestion?  He asked the shadows that morning as he dressed for another full day of…work. 

What would you like to do?  The shadows asked curiously, obviously pleased with his request. 

Something with my hands,  he requested after a moment. 

Hands. He would like something with his hands.  

He stared at them for a moment, at the horrendous, gnarly scars that covered them, that wrapped around them until there was no normal skin anywhere in sight.

He could pretend that they weren’t covered in blood…that they were good for something other than giving unfathomable pain…

Wood carving?  came the suggestion just seconds later. 

Huh. 

Sure.  Azriel agreed. Wood carving. Why not. 

So that evening, he came to his room in the House of Wind only to find his desk set with a couple of blocks of wood…and a pretty set of carving knives. 

He had seen knives like these used before. When he visited his mother at Rosehall and she in turn visited an old friend of hers, Garvan. 

Garvan had a little shop at the market of Rosehall, selling all the things he whittled and carved…spoons and bowls and whatever other wooden object anybody wanted to buy…sometimes he even carved furniture. He also had an intricately carved wooden leg, which was the reason why he had even made it to Rosehall in the first place. 

That reminded him, he should write his mother a letter. She had been quiet over the last few months, but that wasn’t out of the usual. He was sure she had found something to occupy her time. She always kept busy. And the one shadow that he kept with her, that never told him anything more than that she was fine…well, that always calming. 

Do I want to know from where you stole the knives?   He asked with a sigh. 

No…

Alright. What am I supposed to make?  Azriel asked as he sat down at the table. 

Linden Wood is easiest for beginners,  the shadows explained.  And all the books suggest you should start with something easy! Like a sheep! 

He wasn’t quite sure in what world a sheep could be considered to be something easy to carve but…oh well. What could go wrong? 

A lot…like the sheep having legs of three different lengths and toppling over anytime he tried to get it to stand on its own…That was sheep number 1. By the time Sheep Number 3 rolled around, it actually could stand. And if he narrowed his eyes, he could pretend that it actually looked like a sheep. And not like a misshapen blob of wood.

Quite frankly, of all the hobbies he had yet tried out…this one seemed to be the most successful. There was just one problem...

What am I supposed to do with them, once I am finished?  he asked. He had 3 sheep. None of them was good enough that he could give them to anybody as a gift without it resulting in laughter. And even if they were good enough, who wanted a carved sheep out of wood as a gift? Maybe Baby Nyx? Though he would probably gnaw at it. 

Or he would have a whole nursery shelf with intricately carved wooden animal toys made by some artisan in the Rainbow of Velaris. That was probably more likely. 

Put them on your shelves to display!  The shadows suggested brightly. Right.   

So you want me to make a whole shelf of misshapen farm animals?  He asked drily. He already had 3 sheep. Now he just needed a couple of cows, a donkey and a chicken and he had a whole farm.  

If it makes you happy, Master!  Always enthusiastic.  Make a donkey next!

There was a knock at the door. 

“It’s open!” he called, fully well knowing that it was going to be Cassian, who strolled into the room, blinked twice and then came to investigate. 

“So we are whittling now?“ he asked with a bright grin, picking up one of the sheep Azriel had made. 

“Yes.  Would you like one?” Azriel asked him, only half joking. “I don’t think I have room to display all of them."

“Is that a sheep?” Cassian asked, cocking his head to the side.

He just nodded, surprised that it was actually recognisable. 

“Is that the first time you have done this?”  Cassian asked curiously. They had…learned to whittle in the way that they had learned how to fashion spears from sticks to spit a poor rabbits so that they weren’t gonna starve. But that was it. They had never learned…art in that way. Illyirans weren’t the most artistic folk in any sense of the imagination. 

They were outliers of course…Like Rhys’ mother, like his mother…but everything soft and beautiful these two had loved had been snuffed out of them during their times in the warcamps. 

“Yes.”

“You are good at it,” Cassian complimented him. “I don’t think I would be able to make anything that’s actually recognisable. Let me try.” 

And so his brother came to sit beside him and the two of them spent the better part of an hour adding to Azriel’s collection of misshapen farm animals. 

Cassian had absolutely zero talent at it. Repeatedly and accidentally knicking a finger with the sharp knives and making a sheep that had a distinct similarity to a potato. 

“…What are you two doing?” Nesta’s voice came from the door, and he looked up to find her standing there, her arms crossed, wearing one of these silky robes she was partial to. Even her hair wasn't intricately braided into a crown for once but fell to her waist in caramel-coloured waves. She raised an eyebrow at her mate

“Wood carving,” Cassian said proudly. “Do you want a sheep, Nes?” he asked, holding out the wooden lump to her. 

Nesta stared at him. “No, Cassian, I do not want a sheep,”  she said with a sigh. “You could come to bed though…I want that.” 

Azriel already settled in for a long and sleepless night only because these two were never going to learn how to be quiet. Though…if he got to carve a cow to go with his sheep and donkeys…maybe that wasn’t all too bad. 

“So, is this hobby going to stick around?” Cassian asked as he rose to meet his mate at the door. 

Azriel shrugged. “Maybe it is.” Granted there were only so many animal figurines he could make but…well. It was something. 

 Even when the only thing he was good at was using a knife. 

So he kept on carving…until he nearly carved off his finger, as he tried to remove one stubborn bit of wood with too much enthusiasm.

Maybe it wasn't going to stick around after all.

[youtry2replaceurself]

Is there a legal amount for how much work a teacher can assign?? Because in science I just finished a project that was more than 5 pages and the same teacher immediately after gave us three separate packets with 4-6 pages each

Also in math we have ANOTHER study guide to finish by Friday + a packet with a ton of questions which is due Tuesday next week. It isn't a lot in that class but with the other stuff it's stressful

Also in ELA I have to write a paragraph about a book and then make a comic about it with 5 pages at LEAST and it's due on Friday too. You cannot expect ANY artist to draw all that in less than 3 days

In French we have a quiz tomorrow but that'll be easy to do bc we literally just have to talk for a few minutes and we're graded based on how fluent we sound idk

I know it could be worse but HOLY SHIT THATS A LOT

[casualaruanienjoyer]

Hello Stella, I hope you're doing well. 🧡☺️

Can you answer for the ask game 7, 20, 25?

Hello Ela! Thank you so much for your ask, I'm well, but still very tired from my trip! Just chilling for the rest of the night!

7. Your favorite tropes to read/write/draw.

Hmm, this is tricky! I like quite a few!! Not sure if this counts but I love drawing long hair Armin, it's so satisfying. And well, I just generally like longer hair on guys so yeah, massive crush on the bowlcut sadly!

Things I like to read hmm, I like riddiculous situations, stuff like sharing a bed, having to work together as enemies, characters attending a formal party and having a sweet reveal of their outfits. Going undercover, makeover time, body switch and many others.

20. Your very first fandom!

I think, well I believe it was Ice Age where my obsession with media really started. Specificaly Ice Age 3. I remember searching up EVERYTHING I could about it online. And I was super young back in 2009. Fun fact! I have had an Ice Age 3 poster in my room, on my wall since 2009! My longest lasting poster to date! And it's not going away any time soon.

Beside that, what brought me to tumblr was My little pony friendship is magic and Gravity Falls!

25. A piece of advice for taking care of yourself in fandom spaces

Block anyone who makes you feel bad. Fuck em. You come here to chill, so why let someome ruin your free time!

[xxprettylittletimebombxx]

“ but you're here. so stay. “ + “ you know me better than anyone. you always have. “

I could have given you about a hundred more of these because they're so good and the ✨ vibes ✨ but let's go with these two. 🥰

A million years later I am here to (hopefully) deliver the ✨ vibes ✨ 😂

I love these two prompts paired together because there are so many directions one could take them. In the end, I settled for playing around with the idea of Julie and her "boundaries," and came up with a fluffy little missing scene that I envision taking place after The Orpheum. Hope you like it, friend! 💕

A Breach of Boundaries

Pairing: Luke/Julie | Word Count: 1,273 | Rating: G

SUMMARY: “I don’t remember saying I wanted you to leave,” Julie says after a moment.

“I thought it was implied,” Luke replies. “Julie rule number one: ‘boundaries.’ Julie rule number two: ‘stay out of my room.’”

“And here I was thinking you were all about smashing the rules,” she teases.

“I was— I am. But those rules are important to you…and you’re important to me.”

Fic under the cut OR read it on AO3!

Julie knows she should be sleeping. Her bones are practically aching for some much needed rest after one of the longest days she’s ever experienced, and she knows she’ll hate herself a little in the morning if she doesn’t go to bed soon. 

The adrenaline of knowing she’d somehow managed to save Luke, Alex, and Reggie had been enough to carry her through the long talk she’d promised to have with Carlos after they’d gotten back from The Orpheum. But that sudden burst of energy had run out about halfway through her little brother’s list of burning questions about the guys and their ghost status. She’d cut Carlos’ interrogation short after that, and while he’d seemed disappointed, his mood had instantly lifted when Julie had not only promised to answer more questions later, but had also promised she’d come and watch him play at his baseball tournament tomorrow.

Carlos had been all too willing to let her retreat to her own bedroom after that. But neither her current exhaustion nor the promise of an early day ahead seem to be enough to lull her to sleep. Not when what Julie really wants to do is to sneak past her dad in the living room and head back down to the studio so she can spend some more time with her newly solid bandmates. Even as she thinks it, she recognizes the thought for the lie it is. Because the truth of the matter is, there’s really only one person she’d been hoping to spend more time with tonight, and he might just be the reason she risks sneaking back out against her better judgement.

It’s Luke who ends up taking the decision to stay or go right out of her hands when he materializes in her bedroom. Julie doesn’t startle like she normally does whenever he poofs in unannounced— too wonderstruck this time over the way Luke had simply appeared in front of her like she’d willed him there herself.

“Boundaries, I know,” Luke says, getting ahead of her. “I just…”

He sighs, trailing off as though searching for the right words. It doesn’t really matter though because Julie doesn’t need him to elaborate. She already knows. Knows because she knows Luke better than anyone. And also because she needs it too. Had needed him near even before he’d poofed up into her bedroom. Because the feeble few moments they’d spent with their hands exploring the features their eyes had long since memorized just hadn’t felt like enough. 

There was also a small voice in the back of her head that she’d been trying to ignore ever since she’d left the safe and happy bubble of the studio. A voice that had quietly wondered if she’d still be able to feel him in the morning. Or if the magic of whatever had happened after The Orpheum would have worn off by then. It’s a bleak thought to say the least, and being forced to go back to the way things were at this point seems like it would be the cruelest twist of fate. Especially now that Julie knows what it’s like to really feel him. Now that she knows what it’s like for Luke to really feel her. 

The idea of never being able to touch him again is almost too much to bear, so she forces herself to push it aside in an effort to make the most of what she knows to be true in that moment. And what she knows to be true then and there is that they can touch each other now.

“You’re right,” she murmurs. “This…definitely counts as a breach of boundaries…”

Luke’s quick to nod in agreement, the corners of his mouth turned down into a solemn expression of understanding. There’s more Julie wants to say but she doesn’t get the chance. 

“Do you want me to leave?” 

He whispers it when he says it, and despite the fact that Luke doesn’t move from his spot on the floor, Julie knows he would disappear without protest if she asked him to. Fearing he might even poof out before she gives him an answer altogether, she takes a step toward him, and then another until she’s close enough to reach out and touch him. 

She lets out a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding when the pads of her fingers make contact with the back of his hand, the corners of her mouth quirking up into an involuntary smile when Luke instantly flips his hand over so he can slide his palm agains hers. 

Julie’s expecting it this time. For Luke to be solid. But she still marvels over the sight of her skin pressed against his. But that’s nothing in comparison to the way Luke effortlessly slips his fingers between hers, stitching them together like the spaces between her own were made just for him. It’s a perfect fit. Just like she always knew it would be. Just like they’re a perfect fit for each other in every single way that matters. But Julie hardly gets a moment to revel in the reality of that before Luke slowly brings their joint hands up just so he can brush a kiss across her knuckles. 

The barely there feel of his lips is so achingly sweet, Julie’s knees nearly buckle and give out from under her. 

“I mean it Julie,” he says, his breath fanning over the same stretch of skin his lips had just touched. “If you want me to go, I will.”

Distantly, she wonders if Luke can hear her heart beating wildly away beneath her ribs. The thought of the traitorous organ betraying the truth of what she feels for him might have caused her embarrassment once. But now? After knowing what it’s like to nearly lose him forever? It’s hard to remember why she ever felt the need to keep that secret at all.

“I don’t remember saying I wanted you to leave,” she says after a moment.

“I thought it was implied,” Luke replies. “Julie rule number one: ‘boundaries.’ Julie rule number two: ‘stay out of my room.’”

“And here I was thinking you were all about smashing the rules,” she teases.

“I was— I am. But those rules are important to you,” he continues. “And you’re important to me.”

It’s not anything she didn’t already know deep down, but hearing Luke say it steals the air straight out of her lungs all the same. It takes Julie a minute to find her voice again after that, but she makes good use of filling up the silence. Carefully, she reaches her free hand up to cup his cheek, reveling in the way Luke’s eyes flutter shut as he leans into her touch.

“They are,” she agrees. “But so are you. And you’re you’re here. So stay.”

Julie doesn’t say forever like she wants to, but it’s implied in the way her voice cracks on the final word. And in an effort to ensure there’s no more room for inaccurate implications, she rises up onto her toes and presses her lips to his. 

She draws back nearly as quick as she’d swooped in so she can gauge Luke’s reaction, but he doesn’t let her get far. Instead, he simply loops the hand in his grasp over one shoulder before wrapping both arms around her in an effort to draw her closer. His eyes hold her own steady gaze as he grins adoringly down at her.

“Okay,” he breathes out.

And then, there’s nothing left for Luke to do but lower his lips back down to hers and return the favor.

[lavendermoon48]

INTRO POST

hello i'm lavendermoon, but you can call me luna or rey

my pronouns are she/her (although i'm vaguely having a gender crisis but whatever) and im a minor

i think i'm autistic but i don't have a diagnosis

i mostly post fandom related content and art so yea. sometimes i do science things related to my hyperfixations

DMs are open and you can always send asks

things i like

the color purple

stars ⭐️

sleeping

softball/baseball

my hair

drawing

writing

cats

dogs

SQUIRRLS

sparkling water

lemon

math :3

physics

quantum physics

science in general tbh

greek mythology

fun facts

i walk on my tip toes

i love musicals

im learning how to crochet

i freaking hate ELA

i pick at my finger skin

i bake food sometimes

i have a crap ton of OCs

they also are part of an intracit story

i'm an ace lesbian

fandoms

murder drones

the owl house 

omori

epic the musical

the amazing digital circus (IK THE FANDOM IS SCARY BUT I LIKE THE SHOW)

school bus graveyard

marionetta

bluey

smokeebee

percy jackson/riodanverese (yes i'm still reading the books i have finished yet

ramshackle 

dragon prince

hazbin hotel/helluva boss (this fandom is also kinda scary but i enjoy the shows)

lacey games 

chikin nuggit

amphibia

pokemon

carmen sandeigo

gravity falls

deltarune/undertale

ddlc

fnaf

amanda the adventurer

hooky 

animal crossing

my little pony

ghost eyes

ninjago

funtime phobia

steven universe

spiderverse

heartstopper

stardew valley 

voltron

portal

not even bones

coraline

arcane

mouthwashing

alien stage

and maybe more i'm forgetting

my main hyperfixations rn

murder drones

omori

epic the musical

sbg

arcane

smokeebee :3

ninjago

DNI IF

you're a proshipper

you have explicit NSFW content (i don't like seeing that kinda stuff)

you're homophobic

you're transphobic

you're racist

you're sexist

or just discriminatory

anyways thank you so staying i love you BYEEEEEEE :3 {last updated on dec. 4}

[alex-just-vibing]

shouls i a) keep writing the shuffle group stuff b) try to figure out a sk8 roller derby as c) do my ela homework

[boyswillbedogz]

me: im not autistic

my parents: youre not autistic

my therapist: you talk too eloquently to be autistic.

also me:

"yeah i dont like ELA. no its easy and the teacher is really nice but the lights in her rokm are too bright."

"if i leave my room without my headphones the planet will explode"

"yeah i dont know how to express feeling sso i just started saying the name of the emotion."

"yeah when i get really upset i sob and slam my head against walls and cant talk idk whats up with that."

"i stopped going to the library because i read every single book about my favorite animals. all of them. also i dont use netflix anymore because ive seen every nature documentary. yeah all of them."

"i think the kids at school hate me but i cant say why. yeah i literally cannot tell."

"yeah. yeah all of my clothes are made of the same 3 materials and i have to go clothes shopping with my parents to feel the inside of every clothing item because if its different i wont wear it. also i hate when my clothes touch my skin."

"stuffed animals that are too fluffy get kicked off the bed i dont wanna touch them."

"yeah my hours on procreate over the summer are equivalent to a full time job. no i dont take commissions, i draw for fun."

"talking is physically exhausting and i basically dont exist outside of school hours to my friends because im so fucking tired. also sometimes i just cant talk if im too tired, or i get really quiet and deadpan even if im having a good time."

"yeah. yeah im really good at speeches and writing and performing but i just. cant fucking talk to people in non-structured conversations its horrible."

"yeah i have a bunch of all-consuming obsessions that, will like, eat my time. yeah i dont know, i just spend like all my time and money on this stuff."

"i wont eat like 90% of foods because the texture. also if im too tired i cant eat anything that isnt super bland"

"one time i ate literally nothing but campbell's chicken soup for two weeks and didnt eat for like two days because my mom stopped buying it."

"are you being sarcastic???"

"i wasnt being sarcastic."

"yeah no i dont want you to make my food. yeah i need it done in a super particular way and youre gonna do it wrong so i just do it myself."

[totallyjustabunchofhocuspocus]

I think someone legit tried to throw me under the bus at work today :-/

So my school does the Elks Lodge essay contest every year, and usually our Social Studies teacher handles it even tho I'm the ELA teacher because the theme is always some (frustratingly vague and at least jingoism adjacent) variation of "America is the best country ever!" so it fits in with their curriculum, and I just provide support. But anyway, she's really stressed out this year (we all are, but she's got other stuff going on), so I said I'd handle it solo.

And the due date is December 15th. That's when the essays have to be dropped off. Fine. So we write, we revise, I develop twelve new ulcers when multiple upper elementary students tell me they don't know how to spell their parents' names or what their addresses are as we fill out the cover sheets. So I figure, fuck it, I'll take them all home tonight and fill out the forms with missing info, then just drop them off at the Elks Lodge Saturday.

So, imagine my surprise when people start calling down to my classroom (AT ONE PM MIND YOU) that they need the essays cause someone's coming to pick them up at the end of the day today. Uh, what? Sorry bruh, according to my paperwork I still have 48 hours to get sixty five essays stapled to their cover sheets.

"Oh, but Ms. HocusPocus, didn't you read your email? The date was moved up! We told you this a week ago!"

um, no the fuck you didn't.

So, I'm sure the date was changed a week ago, but someone didn't forward me the email (accidentally I'm sure), but they sure the fuck on purpose tried to act like I'm not reading critical district communications in a timely fashion. :-/ Fortunately, I've been noting my plans for how I was turning in the essays in our team meeting notes for two weeks, which our principal signed off on as acknowledged, and I never delete emails sent to me with specific instructions, so I was able to reply to the email with the old date and CC everybody that this was my last communication on the matter.

Then, because I am a petty bitch, I threw an independent extra credit assignment on Google Classroom, and got those fuckers filled out and stapled in record time anyway.

Fuckin' AUDACITY, I swear.