#i guess this is as good a day as any to post it

[lightseoul]

TWENTY-SIX (4.3k)

pairing. k. bakugou x reader

synopsis. your boyfriend's spending his birthday oceans away from you, and there's absolutely little you can do to celebrate his special day...right? (read on ao3)

c.w. minors dni. fem!reader, pro-hero!katsuki, aged-up, post-ch 431: more, established relationship, lots of cussing AND banter, explicit themes (which i will not describe in great detail for the element of surprise, but know that it's explicit), a little present for my fluff/smut girlies out there <3 (also me)

a/n. happy birthday to the (fictional. sobs) man of my dreams <3 i wanted to whip something special up for his birthday this year, especially since i started writing more seriously last september. since then, i've made so many friends on here primarily over our shared love for katsuki, and it's just been a blast (pun intended). this one kind of got away from me—this was just supposed to be a short drabble, but it ended up the way it did. still, i think it's a great read (if i say so myself), so i hope you enjoy this. once again, happy birthday, kats <3

“and then they fucking—told the waiter that it was my birthday.”

“no.”

bakugou sneers, his grimace just slightly distorted—a digital mosaic of rose-colored pixels. “it was fucking embarrassing.”

you try to imagine the picture of your boyfriend sitting awkwardly as the foreign restaurant’s staffers sang him a happy birthday, and you have to tamp down the smile that’s fighting to encroach on your lips.

“let me guess,” you quip—just loud enough for him to hear you over your phone’s built-in microphone, “it was denki’s idea.”

that grants you an eye roll, which is so animated, it doesn’t even matter that the hotel’s internet connection is so crappy, bakugou’s face morphs into an indistinguishable blob every two minutes or so.

“don’t remind me,” he retorts, “for dunce face’s sake.”

“or what?” you laugh, “are you gonna give him a good ol’ spanking?”

“fuck, no. for all i know, he’s probably getting spanked by ears as we speak.”

from a few feet away from you, a sudden sound akin to that of someone choking on their spit resonates, and you barely catch yourself from reflexively shooting a glare in that very direction. instead, you keep your gaze trained on your screen and on the ash-blonde who’s lying on his stomach with a pillow propped up underneath him, trying not to let the panic show on your face.

you’ve come this far, the last thing you need is for denki to—

“what was that?”

despite yourself, you stiffen. “what was what?”

“that sound,” bakugou points out, straightening up himself. “wait, where did you say you were again?”

“ochako’s,” you lie. she was one of your only friends whose apartment’s walls were almost the same color as the hotel bakugou’s currently staying in. and denki. and jirou.

the very same hotel you’re—

“that sounded like a guy, though,” comes bakugou’s cautious response, and it takes you a second to realize how the situation is looking like to him.

“izuku’s here as well,” you quickly supply, wishing to any divine being out there that he doesn’t ask you to point your camera at either of the couple.

thankfully, he doesn’t. what he does, instead, is furrow his eyebrows in equal parts confusion and disgust.

“they’re listening to our conversation?”

“chill, bro,” you force yourself to chuckle, “we just finished eating as well. we’re all just hanging out in the living room.”

now, if bakugou’s catching on to your deception, he doesn’t show it.

at least, by much.

“huh…”

“…yep.”

another scrutinizing squint. “and you’re sitting on round cheek’s floor because…?”

shit. right.

“i’m just charging my phone,” you fib, and before bakugou can get another word in and catch you in your deceit, you pipe up again.

“actually, it’s getting late, kats. i think i’m gonna head home.”

“but—”

“i’ll message you the plate number, don’t worry.”

at that, bakugou huffs, and you have to swat away the guilt that washes over you at the sight of his disappointment—disappointment that’s palpable despite his obvious attempt at eclipsing it with his worry for your safety.

he doesn’t say anything for another beat, and you take that as your cue to unplug your imaginary charger and lift yourself to your feet.

“well, i should get going,” you announce, just as he blurts something out that you fail to catch.

“…sorry,” you laugh—genuinely this time, “what did you say?”

“just—” he starts, voice lowered into a hushed whisper, suddenly appearing shy. “can we—i don’t know—call again when you get home?”

you hesitate, then remember that if things work out the way you planned them, you wouldn’t have to worry about the idea of it. still, you keep up the concerned act. “sure, kats, but don’t you have an early start tomorrow?”

“yeah,” he replies, “but another thirty minutes or so wouldn’t hurt.”

you can’t help it—you smile at that. bakugou seems to flush at the sight of you grinning knowingly, bringing up a scarred hand to rub at his face—a habit you’ve noticed he does whenever he feels embarrassed.

and, because you know telling him you miss him too would only fuel his embarrassment even further, you instead bite your tongue and wish him another happy birthday, but not before promising him you’d call as soon as you’re in bed and settled in your pajamas.

you wait for the tell-tale chime of a video call ending to go off before you dare to heave a sigh of relief.

the clamoring ensues in an instant.

“who knew bakugou was such a lover boy?”

from where she’s lounging on her suite’s expansive sofa, jirou flashes you a teasing smirk.

“excuse me,” denki exclaims from the queen-sized bed, “are we just going to breeze past the way he insulted me?”

you’ve got half a mind to comment on how you’d bet good money he’s already been pegged by the hearing hero, but decide against it—you still needed both of their help, after all. so instead, you bite your tongue, and gesture to the refrigerator.

“we don’t have much time, so we better get moving.”

“right.”

“o-kay.”

fortunately, it doesn’t take you a while to get things ready. denki manages to get the balloons inflated in record time, while jirou’s got the cake and champagne all set as you got changed into a much more flattering dress and touched up on your makeup. by the time you’re supposed to have arrived at your apartment unit way back in japan, the three of you are standing by the entrance of the musician’s hotel room, birthday paraphernalia placed in a fancy-looking cart you borrowed from reception, the air around you buzzing with nervous anticipation.

you check your watch for the umpteenth time, before looking back up to the two. “are you sure you guys don’t want to surprise him with me?”

jirou shakes her head. “nah, we already celebrated with him during dinner. we ought to give you guys some privacy to celebrate on your own.”

“yeah,” denki adds, “plus, i don’t want to be there in case things get nasty real fast.”

“denki!”

“dude!”

“what?” the electric hero cries, “kacchan can make sex jokes while i can’t?”

“you need to work on your timing, dipshit,” comes jirou’s reprimand, to which denki only pouts petulantly.

“well, i should get going,” you begin, reaching out to open the door. “he should be waiting for me to call by now.”

the two whisper their well wishes as you carefully roll the cart through the space, and you manage to mouth a quick thank you just before they quietly shut the slab of wood behind you.

you wait in the hallway for a second for denki to come out of the room and go back to his own, but that never comes.

well, then. you guess they’re not set on beating the allegations, either.

once you’re sure denki’s not coming out anytime soon, you take a shaky breath. meticulously, you let your eyes trail the row of doors that line the hallway, before they land on the number jirou supplied you with earlier today while you were still at the airport. pushing the cart that contains the lit cake and champagne—and even the dark orange balloons marking his age—right up to the doorway, you take another wobbly inhale.

suddenly, and in the face of finally seeing your boyfriend after over a month of being literally oceans apart, the exhaustion of travelling for hours dissipates from your system, leaving you almost shaking in nothing but excitement.

and you were about to lift your hand to knock on the door—really, you were—when, to your horror and without any warning, the door flings open, and you find yourself face to face with no other than the birthday boy himself.

you can only blink at the man who’s frozen midway through the passageway, his pretty face mirroring the utterly bewildered expression you’re sure you’re sporting right now.

you manage to gather your bearings first, the sole thing you can muster being: “…surprise?”

now, in the split second of thinking time this situation has granted you, you figured he’d likely curse in disbelief, maybe ask you what the fuck you’re doing here, but what you didn’t expect was for him to stand—unmoving—for a couple more seconds, before unceremoniously lifting you into a bone-crushing hug.

“katsuki!” you squeal, looping your arms around his neck and your legs around his body, holding on for dear life. “put me down!”

bakugou only squeezes you tighter in response, and you have no choice but to cling onto him for a beat longer, until he effortlessly puts you back on your feet, that same unbelieving look still painted across his features.

“what the—”

“—fuck am i doing here?” you finish for him, and he nods, scoffing out an astounded laugh.

you gesture to the cart beside you, and you make a swift mental note that the candle’s gonna go out anytime soon. “i wanted to surprise you for your birthday.”

and before he can say something in response, you jut in. “quick, make a wish and blow before it goes out.”

to your confusion, bakugou doesn’t even spare the cake a glance, gaze fixed on you.

“don’t have to.”

you frown. “what? hurry up, kats, it’s gonna—”

“i said,” he interjects, pulling you closer by your waist, and your hands shoot up to plant themselves against his chest, “i don’t have to.”

looking up at him, you gulp. “w-why?”

a smirk. “because you’re already here, dumbass.”

that's all the foreboding you’re given before you’re seized into a scathing kiss, and you barely manage to bite back a groan at the simultaneously foreign yet familiar feeling of bakugou’s lips against yours, even more so as he presses himself further against you, deepening the kiss. you let your hands snake up to bakugou’s neck as you feel his caress your sides, and you have to fight to ignore the shot of arousal that courses through you the moment his tongue breaches your mouth’s entrance, exploring it so hungrily like he hasn’t done so a million times before.

you probably stand there stuck to each other for a couple of minutes when a particularly hard bite on your lower lip lurches you back to reality—the reality that you’re very much still in a public space and that the last thing bakugou needs is to reach headlines for being seen aggressively making out with his girlfriend.

and so with much reluctance, you take a step back, and another when bakugou moves to chase your lips, before he finally gets the message and lets his arms drop to his sides, albeit somewhat begrudgingly.

you take the opportunity to chance another glance at the cake, and sure enough, the candle is already dead.

“we can just cut out the parts where the wax melted,” bakugou suggests when you don’t say anything for a minute, and you look back at him and smile, nodding.

neither of you says another word for a beat, resorting to just staring at each other with your mouths pulled taut into goofy grins.

it’s bakugou, though, who breaks the silence.

“you’re so fucking pretty.”

you flush, although you snort to hide your fluster. “i can’t be surprising my boyfriend looking like a hot mess, now, can i?”

“you can, you know,” bakugou replies without missing a beat, gesturing you inside, “and i’ll still think you look fucking pretty.”

you punch him in the arm as you file into his suite, which he takes in stride before pushing the cart in step behind you.

“since when did you become such a smooth talker?”

at that, bakugou laughs that gruff laugh of his as he closes the door and turns to regard you. “well, sue me for flirting with my girlfriend.”

“stupid,” you chuckle as you shake your head in amusement, before tossing him the sincerest smile you can muster. “i missed you, kats.”

before you know it, bakugou’s back on you in an instant, wrapping his arms around your torso almost too tightly, although you can’t find it in you to mind. “i missed you, too, baby.”

“were you in jirou’s room the entire time?” he asks after a moment of just standing there, limbs interconnected.

“yeah, they helped me keep the entire thing under wraps.”

“huh,” bakugou muses, rubbing absentminded circles on your waist. “didn’t know they were damn good actors. i had no idea.”

you grin. “i’ll take that as a win.”

a pause.

“you being here certainly is.”

you let out an exaggerated groan, pushing the man away and walking towards the foot of his bed, plopping yourself down onto the firm mattress. the motherfucker only laughs at you, although he’s quick to trail behind you and sit himself in the spot right next to you, not sparing you a modicum of distance.

“you know,” you start, side-eyeing the pro-hero as you take off your heels, “if you keep this up, i’m gonna start thinking you really missed me.”

“i’m fucked, then,” he retorts, “because i ain’t beating any of your allegations.”

you laugh again. “speaking of not beating any allegations, denki’s in jirou’s room right now.”

“what did i fucking tell you?”

“i know, i know. i just didn’t think they’d be so brazen about hooking up. they’re not even trying to hide it.”

bakugou sniggers, taking your hand in his. “should’ve made a bet with you.”

“you say that as if you’d take a single yen from me,” you rebut, to which he can only shrug, unable to argue with your point.

“enough about them, though,” you say a moment later, your hand still being massaged by bakugou. “what do you want to do?”

and when he only stares at you blankly: “for the rest of your birthday?”

“oh, right.”

you huff, lightly bumping your shoulder with his. “i mean, if you wanna go rest up, then we can do that, too.”

“quit being huffy,” bakugou chastises, “there is something i want to do.”

“really? what is it?”

bakugou lifts his gaze from where your hands are intertwined to meet yours, and one look is enough to tell you what he’s thinking.

you instantly feel yourself flame. “really? aren’t you too tired to do it?”

“nah,” he grins, “i was gonna jack off before sleeping, anyway.”

you snort. “of course, you were.”

“what?” he says defensively. “it helps me sleep better, especially after a long day of work.”

you study his face for another second, before nodding and moving to stand up, although you don’t get to go far because of bakugou’s hold on you.

“where are you going?”

“i have a hair tie in my purse,” you answer, “let me just go grab it.”

you try to step away again, but bakugou’s grip only tightens. you glance back at him, confused. “what?”

“who said i wanted you to suck me off?”

you frown. “aren’t you still tired, though? let me make you feel good, that way you can just lie in bed and take it.”

at that, bakugou shakes his head, pulling you back to him. despite yourself, you let yourself be dragged into the space between his legs, your hands placed on his shoulders while his take residence on your hips.

bakugou creens to look up at you, a serious expression etched on his features. “as fucking appealing as that sounds, that’s not what i want to do right now.”

“this thing i want to do—” he continues when you signal at him to keep going, “—is…new.”

“n-new?”

“yeah. new as in we’ve never tried it before, but i’ve been thinking about it, ever since shitty dunce face planted the idea in my head our first day here.”

you swallow. “first day?”

he nods. “it’s got something to do with—” his line of vision shifts towards something behind you, “—that.”

you look back behind you, and you’ve to stop yourself from gasping when your eyes land on it.

or rather, on the image of you and bakugou.

you whip your head to look at the man, unable to hide the shock on your face. “y-you want to do it—in front of—”

“the mirror, yeah,” he croaks, sounding like he’s trying to mask his own uncertainty, and yet, there’s no denying the determination in his voice. “only if you want to do it, too, of course.”

“yeah, no, of course,” you quickly say, “i-i want to. it’s just—frankly, i never thought of it before.”

“me too,” bakugou admits, “well, up until we arrived here and denki commented on how big the floor-length mirrors were.”

“…so naturally you thought of us having sex in front of it?”

that grants you a pinch at your side, and you squeak—more in astonishment than in pain.

“you forget that it’s my birthday, you fucking tease.”

“sorry, sorry,” you laugh, “i’m done. that was the last one.”

“that better be,” he warns, although it has no real bite to it.

“…so,” you try again after a lull, “how’d you wanna go about it?”

“here,” he gestures to the small space between his legs, “you can sit with your back turned towards me.”

“uh, sure.”

just as was instructed, you turn on your bare feet until you’re facing the mirror, and slowly sit yourself on the edge of the bed and in front of bakugou, although you’re not even fully perched against him yet, before you feel something stiff prod against your back.

you don’t get to comment on it, though, because he beats you to it.

“i know,” he huffs, seemingly self-conscious, not meeting the reflection of your eyes. “i don’t know why it’s turning me on this much, either.”

at that, you place a hand on the arm that’s circled your waist, and the other on one of his thighs, just as you flash him the most reassuring smile you can manage. “it’s alright, baby. i love it when you get this way.”

“y-you do?”

you playfully roll your eyes at him. “you know i do. now, hurry up. we don’t have all night.”

that earns you a disapproving tut, although you can see the amusement behind bakugou’s eyes in the mirror, and the very sight of it sends a wave of anticipation coursing through your veins.

jesus. when was the last time you were this excited?

“you know, for someone who’s eager to please her boyfriend on his birthday, you sure are being a brat.”

“and for someone who’s eager to try a new kink out, you sure are being slow.”

bakugou growls. “that’s it.”

you can only yelp as bakugou practically yanks the zipper of your dress down, and with it, the entire top portion of the ensemble; you don’t get to react or protest, though, because in a matter of a split second, bakugou’s hands are on your naked breasts, and you almost let out a loud moan when he gropes at them so roughly—you can feel your core throb at the all-too overwhelming sensation.

“fuck,” he groans in your ear just as you squirm in front of him, his grip on your chest unrelenting. “i’ve missed these.”

and, as if your breasts have a mind of their own, you feel your nipples stiffen at bakugou’s sentiment—a reaction that doesn’t go unnoticed by the pro-hero, who’s quick to tug at your pebbled peaks, rubbing circles and flicking on the flesh.

“shit, you like it when i tell you i’ve missed your boobs?” he rasps, and you can only rub your thighs together in response, eyes clenched closed in pleasure. “what if i tell you i’ve been jacking off every night to that picture of you in your lingerie?”

“you know the one,” he goads, squeezing firmly at your chest, “the one i gifted you that leaves nothing to the imagination?”

you nod—barely—but enough to indicate that you’re still listening, which you’ve learned the hard way is important if you didn’t want to trigger your katsuki. at your affirmation, bakugou lets out a satisfied grunt.

“now, get up,” he demands, “we need to get this fucking dress off of you.”

and off of you it goes. you don’t waste a second in heeding his order and discarding the sundress of the same shade of burnt orange off you, and you also take the chance to strip off your thong—the very one you went for despite the discomfort it brought just so you could surprise your boyfriend if ever things went the direction they are heading right now.

but you’ve barely tugged it off your hips when bakugou’s hand shoots up to stop you, and you look at him in bewilderment, mind only half-working with lust. “what?”

“keep it on,” he commands, “i want you to see how pretty you look when i finger you through your panties.”

well.

you know better than to argue with him at this point, so you only return to your seat that’s becoming smaller by the minute, with his erection taking up more space even against the straining fabric of his sweatpants. it’s only when you’re seated once again do you remember to finally look at the mirror, and when you do, the sight of you sprawled limp and bare against bakugou’s muscled frame causes you to moan out loud, to which bakugou could only curse in response.

“see, baby?” he spurs, tone desperate, “this is what i have to deal with every time we fuck.”

he scoffs, just as he brings a hand down to cup your sex. “and you wonder why i get so hard so fast.”

you whine, if not for his taunting, then at the lack of friction against your core, but you don’t get to do so for long before bakugou’s free hand grabs at your chin, forcing you to look straight into the mirror and at yourself.

“quit fucking whining and watch me finger you,” he spits, before: “and don’t even think about closing your eyes.”

that’s the last thing he says before he, true to his word, slips two fingers into your underwear and thrusts them into your hole with little to no warning. you’ve no choice but to moan at the intrusion—your eyes in the middle of fluttering closed when he grabs your face again and points it forward, all the while not stopping his pistoning of his ridiculously long digits in and out of you.

“just look at yourself, princess,” he hisses, “i love it when you look so fucked out like this.”

“uuuugh—”

bakugou snickers, not even giving you a heads up when he brings his other hand up to start rubbing figure eights on your clit. “can’t even form a proper phrase? that’s how good i’m making you feel?”

“uuugh—fuck—”

the pro-hero seems to take this as further encouragement, because he only presses harder against your bud, while the fingers that are nestled deep within you continue to rub oh-so deliciously against your walls.

the tell-tale signs of your impending orgasm come sooner than later after that, and bakugou notices it, too, because he doubles down on his ministrations the second you start violently shaking and thrashing in front of him.

“are you gonna cum, baby?” he whispers against your ear, and you can only nod, too distrusting in your capability to say yes without whimpering like a bitch in heat.

“look at the mirror, then,” he coaxes—gently, this time—softly bumping your head with his so you would turn towards your reflection.

and, because you want to please your boyfriend on his birthday—of all days—you do.

and the sight of bakugou’s big, strong hands pumping in and out of you and rubbing frantically at your clit while you moan and squirm right up against his big, strong body drives you well over the edge.

and you cum.

and cum.

and cum.

and you don’t know how much time passes with you lying flaccid on top of the pro-hero’s torso, but by the time you come to, bakugou’s rubbing soothing circles on your waist, while your arms lie slack on top of his that are circled around you.

you shift to look up at the man, who only smiles at you—so delicately, the way he does whenever he was feeling especially intimate—you wouldn’t think he was just roughhousing you a mere moment ago.

“what about you?” you eventually manage to croak out, eyebrows furrowing in apprehension.

“what about me?”

“you didn’t get to finish, birthday boy,” you say pointedly, shifting in your seat. but then it suddenly registers how wet your butt is, and you do a double-take to make sure you’re not imagining it, when bakugou confirms your suspicions.

“i came, too,” he confesses, voice betraying his difficulty of wrapping his head around what just happened. “i don’t fucking know how, but i did.”

“…wow,” is the only thing you’re able to say for a while, before: “we should do this more often.”

at that, bakugou snorts, shaking his head. “neither of us has a big mirror back home.”

to that, you toss him a mischievous smirk, before standing up and padding towards your purse in all your naked glory. you try to ignore the way bakugou’s definitely eye-fucking you as you hastily fish out your phone from its depths, quickly making a few taps before placing it on the coffee table, a triumphant smile on your face.

“what?” bakugou asks, mirroring your grin.

“you won’t believe what i just got you for your birthday.”

˖⁺‧₊ as always, reblogs, replies, and tags are appreciated <3 feel free to drop an ask, too—i'd love to chat with you. have a nice day!

tagging. @bunnysaursushii @yawnzzzzzzzz @cholios @kashee-h @iluv-ace @lotuslovers @elarakive @touyas-moon @napbatata @k0z3me @h0ngh0ngh0ng @honeyoru @yoongiwithglasses @hellokitty-doll @lilsebnem @tetsuukuroo @crangrapel0ver @syrhra @qyuin @lotusstarr @akiii143 @eternallyshifting

[sanguineterrain]

hi sanne!! i feel like u make suchhh good comedy/fluff fics when it comes to jason, like u make him more of a human than just some vigilante killing machine. especially in in the buff

would u ever write something liikke that one tt trend where you’re mean to your brothers gf to see his reaction? but with stephanie brown, jason, and reader?????? the thought makes me laugh so hard but i cannot write for shit

Thanks for the prompt! Hope this is okay :)

jason todd x fem!reader. estab relationship, tiktok silly shenanigans, batfam interactions, this is technically 50% chatfic.

****

"This is dumb," Jason says, glaring at the camera that hasn't begun recording.

"Don't be such a wet blanket," Steph says airily, fussing with the filters. "Even Damian lets me post stuff. He did a speedpaint last week."

"Damian isn't legally dead."

She shrugs. "B got that worked out."

"Hmph."

You lean your head on Jason's shoulder. He instantly relaxes, rubbing your opposite arm. Steph smiles at you in the camera. You smile back.

"And your girlfriend is on board," she adds, sitting back on the couch. "She thinks it'll be fun."

"I do think it'll be fun," you say, looking at Jason. His expression mellows as he looks at you, and he pecks your lips.

"Sure," he says to you. "Could be fun."

"Whipped," Steph mumbles. "Okay! Let's get started. So Jason, I'm gonna ask you which of us is more xyz, better at a skill, et cetera, and you have to answer honestly. Okay?"

"Yeah, I got it."

Steph nods and starts the video, all business.

You hide a smile, endeared by the fact that Jason's let himself get gently bullied into doing things like making Tiktoks for Steph's three hundred thousand followers. Steph had insisted he wouldn't have agreed without your urging, but you get the feeling that just like with almost everyone else in his family, Jason's not as hard-hearted as he appears.

You're not nervous about the video, exactly. You know Steph is just pretending. But you are a bit nervous that Jason might not flock immediately to your side. After all, he's known Steph longer than he's known you. And she's an official member of Bruce Wayne's merry band of Robins. You're just some woman who accidentally bumped your cart with Jason's at Shoprite and wound up dating him.

"Okay, um..." Steph's voice pulls you back to the prank. "Which of us has better style?"

Jason says your name. "But I think you dress nicely too, Steph."

Steph, to her credit, is a wonderful actor. She makes a face at Jason, then looks at the camera. "Really? She wears the same thing every day. I feel like I never see her without jeans."

You school your face, acting unaware. Jason, however, whips his head to look at Steph.

"What?" he asks, squinting at her. "What're you talking about? She doesn't wear the same thing every day. And you're one to talk, always wearing purple."

"I like her purple outfits," you offer.

"I do it on purpose. Because it's my thing," Steph says blithely. "Not because I have nothing else to wear. Okay, next question!"

You can see Jason's unhappy expression in the camera and are immediately pleased. Steph had bet you that he'd last three questions before stopping the video. You'd guessed four.

"Hmm." She rests a finger on her lips, thinking. "Oh, okay. Who's a better cook?"

Jason snorts. "Obviously her. I wouldn't let you near the stove for anything."

"Jason, be so for real!" Steph says. "It's not like she's any better. Remember when she made those peanut butter cookies for Dick's birthday?" She looks at the camera. "That's his name, guys." She turns back to Jason. "Those cookies were awful! It was like eating peanut butter gravel."

"They were a little dry," you say, nodding gravely.

"No, wh—Stephanie, what the hell is your problem?" Jason snaps, roughly turning on the couch and resting a hand on your waist, simultaneously comforting you and grounding himself. "Why are you being so goddamn mean? Those cookies were great. And I thought you two were friends. This ain't how a friend talks about a friend."

Steph shrugs, cool as a cucumber. "I'm just being honest. That's what this game is. You're supposed to be—"

"You're not being honest, you're being nasty."

"I'm being honest!"

Jason shakes his head in disgust. You allow yourself a small grin while he's looking away. Steph covers her mouth to hide a laugh. Jason leans over to turn off the video.

"No, I'm done. We both are. C'mon, baby, let's go."

He pats your hip and stands, waiting for you to get up. You shoot an urgent look at Steph. She nods and grabs her phone, jogging to stop in front of Jason.

"Wait, hang on! It was a prank. The video wasn't about comparing us, it was me pretending to be rude to her. It's a whole trend."

Jason folds his arms. "Yeah, if you think I'm buyin' that bullshit—"

"It's true," you say. "Honestly, Jay, Steph and I were pranking you. It's a trend, like she said."

"What kinda fucked up trends are they doing on there?" Jason asks, mildly horrified. "That's awful. Steph was so mean."

"It was about to get really good, but you stopped the video," she says, pouting.

Jason glares at her.

"Um, not that that matters! And I meant none of it." She looks at you. "You know that, right?"

"I know, Steph," you say warmly. "It was just a prank."

"Well, don't do that with us again," Jason says. "I was about to cuss you out."

"Implying that you weren't already cursing me out?"

"No," he says. "I really wasn't. Apologize to my girlfriend."

She sighs. "Okay, okay. I'm very sorry. I love you. I hope Jason puts a ring on you soon. Unless you find someone better, in which case—"

"Steph."

She rolls her eyes. "Us ladies have to stick together. Do you think I wouldn't advise Tim's girlfriend the same thing? Of course I would, because I'm a feminist."

You grin. "It's okay, Steph. And same."

"Happy?" she asks Jason.

Jason kisses you and pulls you into his side. "With her? Always."

****

it went viral!!! is Steph's text two days later. She's sent the video to the entire group chat, which includes the Bats, plus you, and minus Bruce because he's a loser, according to everyone in the chat.

Jayjay 🥰: If an article comes out about my resemblance to a dead kid, count your days

Steph 💜: i would maim u first :) everyone watch my vid pls

I'll watch it right now, you reply.

You tap the link. It's weird to see your face on a video that has almost one million likes. You open the comments as it plays in the background.

paellaprincess_89: "what the hell is ur problem??" dear lorddd when i get to heavennn 🧎‍♀️

oliverqueensleftnut: oh uh he seems kinda possessive... kinda problematic. where did you find this guy? are there other men like him? what are their addresses? are they single?

pam_24566: the way he was holding her waist and looking at her he is in loveeee

killthejoker23: his gf is so cute 😭 steph apologize to her rn

stephaniebrownswife: i like ur purple fits too 💜💍

wonderwomanlovebot: yeahh that's not her bf anymore, that's our bf

The group chat dings. Dick's replied.

[2:26pm]

Dick 🐦: 😂😂😂 jasons veins were popping out of his head. steph you really did a number on him 🤣🤣🤣

Steph 💜: thank u! i try. also what did we say about using the laughing crying emoji? OLDASS

Dick 🐦 has replied to your message

-> btw we loved the cookies and youre very stylish 😎👌😋👗

Cass 🦇: yes! 🍪

[2:27pm]

Dick 🐦 has replied to Steph 💜's message

-> bite me! 🤣🤣🤣

Jayjay 🥰: Why the fuck are people asking if I'm single? Didn't they watch the video?

[2:28pm]

Steph 💜: an unfortunate side effect of posting this is facing the reality that ppl think ur hot. we live in dark times

Tim 🦆: ew

Damian Wayne: I'll say.

Jayjay 🥰 has replied to Steph 💜's message

-> I have a girlfriend. You don't. Bite me. 👻

Jayjay 🥰: And fuck🖕 you guys

Jayjay 🥰: Love you baby

You: ily too <3

[2:29pm]

Steph 💜: gross. stop.

Dick 🐦: we should do this w me and kori. but youd insult me instead of her bc i know the trend

Steph 💜: r u kidding me 😃 i actually value my life. kori would blast me to space if i hated on u

Dick 🐦: yeah 🤣🤣 love her

Tim 🦆: what's with all these amazing women with mid men? it's an epidemic

Steph 💜: LMFAO you are SOOOO not one to talk tim

Jayjay 🥰: wasted

Duke ⭐️: real

Cass 🦇: 🫵😂

Dick 🐦: hey cass used the emoji! make fun of her!

Steph 💜: Cass can do anything she wants. Queen

Cass 🦇: thank you. 🥰

Tim 🦆: wait a damn minute. i'm not mid

Several people are typing...

The chat continues to blow up with Tim trying to defend himself and Steph mercilessly not letting him. You go to the comments again, giddy at the mix of people supporting you, people thinking you and Jason are a great couple, and people thirsting over Jason and Steph.

One comment has over twenty thousand likes: I would let him choke me out with those biceps.

Your reply comes naturally: me too!

A text pops up a minute later.

Steph 💜: STOP ENCOURAGING THEM.

[loupy-mongoose]

I prepped up a whole post to share this art all censored and timid, before realizing... I don't have to be. I wish to be bold. (Prepare for a ramble about partial nudity, lol)

So, I got a very generous impromptu color theory lesson a couple days ago, and after testing out some things, I felt like doing a full painting. But I for some reason decided that not only should it be a passionate kiss, but one in which Cody is shirtless (g a s p!)

And I went to grab a recent quote from the lovely @ann-chovi (“Having the time of my life drawing these blorbos. Smooshing them together and making them kiss like Barbies”--Never have I ever felt so understood as an artist and creator ❤️ Go follow her her art is so GOOD)

Looking at the post she said that, I realized that she drew a scantily clad man AND woman, with nary a censor or warning in sight. Which is NOT a jab at her by any means, it's the opposite... I want to be able to do that myself. I want to feel brave and comfortable enough to draw and post my blorbos like that. I've always been a modest sort--overly so, I'm realizing--and have a hard time with drawing partial nudity. Barbie doll anatomy, shirtless dudes, bikinis, crop-tops, anything. It's the main reason I had a phobia of drawing people at all for many years. I felt like I was doing something immoral by just trying to know their bodies so I could fit their clothes properly on them.

And I don't want to be like that. So I'm putting my foot down. XD

Anyway, back to the art, lol. I feel like I actually took something worthwhile in for once (color theory has been an elusive subject for me lol), and was able to make my art pop in a way I've never been able to achieve before. I'm extremely happy with the result! ^-^ I guess another reason I want to be bold--I'm proud of my work, and want to share it unashamedly. ❤️

It's a decade in the making anyway, they deserve to be a little scandalous ❤️

[honeypiehotchner]

The Gambit (Hotch x Fem!Reader) -- part twenty

My version of celebrating 8,000 followers (thank you again!!!) is posting yet another chapter of these two, getting us ever so closer to them getting their shit together 🤭🫶🏻 (And if I post the next one in a couple days, don't mind me)

Warnings: the usual angst, once again they're...tender? they're not fighting?, Rossi is kind of maybe meddling but not reaaaally, teeheeheeee this is just the beginning!!

The team does their worst impression of “acting natural” when you walk into the conference room. You pause in the doorway, raising an eyebrow at them.

You didn’t see them watching you and Hotch a moment ago, but their behavior is a dead giveaway.

You can understand why, though. Just a few months ago when you first started here, you and Hotch could barely be in the same room — hell, the same building — without one of you starting an argument. And just then the two of you were, what? Sharing a few hushed words with no heat whatsoever behind them? Almost playfully?

It’s odd, you’ll admit. You wish you could say it felt odd, but it didn’t. And that concerns you. Slightly.

The problem is that you don’t know how to be anything other than how you have been with Aaron. There’s always an argument, always something the two of you disagree on. No matter how hard the two of you try.

Then again, though, the two of you haven’t tried, have you? Not really. You were getting somewhat close, but then Richard Monroe happened, and now you’re here. In this weird grey area of being thankful for his help, angry at his betrayal of your trust, and…confused.

Confused because above everything else, Hotch has seemed genuinely remorseful and sorry for what he did. While it’s clear that he doesn’t necessarily regret it outright because he was doing what he thought was right, especially with your safety at risk, he does seem sorry. And that’s honestly all you can ask for.

Because with every new thing happening with this unsub — the car chase, the note at your door — you’re starting to understand why Hotch did it. You never could’ve predicted any of this, or how serious this would get, though you had a gut feeling that it was never going anywhere good. Hotch must’ve had the same gut feeling and acted on it. Something maybe you should’ve done sooner.

It’s not like you can explain any of this to him, though.

Or maybe you could. Maybe you could try.

Not right now, obviously. Because right now you need to deal with your fellow profilers who are absolutely awful actors, especially when it comes to this kind of stuff.

You’re too busy giving them all pointed looks to realize Aaron has practically materialized behind you.

“Why are we standing in the doorway?” he asks. A completely valid question, except his proximity to you and the low voice he spoke it in has chills erupting down your back.

You crane your neck to fix the raised eyebrow on him, asking in just as dangerously low a tone, “Trying to sneak up on me, Hotchner?”

His eyes burn into yours and it takes both of you far too long to come to your senses and move away from one another.

You take the open seat between Penelope and Reid. Hotch takes the one across from you in between Rossi and Prentiss.

You catch Garcia’s eyes and she gives you the most blatant what-the-hell-was-that look, but you don’t have a good answer.

Because, honestly, what the hell was that?

You clear your throat instead, ready to focus on the task at hand. The letters.

“I’m sure you all heard about the note left at my door yesterday,” you look around and are met with nodding. “Good. I really didn’t feel like rehashing that. Do we know anything yet about if they found any prints or anything on the paper?”

“Not yet,” Garcia says, “but let me check again.”

“Thank you,” you pause. “I guess our next resort is the letters,” you gesture to the pile of them in the middle of the table. “They were written to me from when I was fourteen to eighteen. My mom got some as well, but my dad wrote to me almost every week.” You pause to let out a laugh. “Truthfully, guys, I don’t remember what any of them say.”

“That’s why you have us,” Morgan jokes. He playfully swats Reid’s shoulder, “Start reading, pretty boy.”

“I’ve actually been examining the handwriting this entire time,” Reid murmurs, leaning closer to the table.

Morgan’s eyes roll to the heavens. “Of course you have.”

“Share with the class,” Prentiss grins. “What did you already find out?”

Reid begins rattling off speculative personality traits and behaviors from the handwriting, most of which you don’t even hear. It’s so strange, analyzing your father’s writing when you once used to cling to every word. Your mom warned you not to, which is why she never let you write back to him—

Except once.

One time. That, as far as you know, your mother never knew about. Because your father never mentioned it, to your knowledge at least, in any of his other letters.

Your eyes lift from where you had been staring a hole into the table, finding Hotch’s gaze locked on you. Not glaring, though. Soft.

“What is it?” Hotch asks, interrupting the ramblings of the team as they continue Reid’s speculation.

Everyone falls silent, waiting for your answer, looking between you and Hotch like they’re witnessing the most gripping tennis match.

“Sorry,” you say in general to the entire table. “I just remembered that I did write back to him once.”

“Only once?” JJ asks, curious.

“Yeah,” you continue. “My mom never wanted me to get attached to his letters. I was having a hard enough time separating who I thought he was as my dad from who he actually was as a person — a serial killer. She didn’t want to make it harder on me, so I wasn’t allowed to write back to him. I’m not even convinced she let me see all of the letters. I’m sure she threw some out.” 

And if none of these letters here mention the one you wrote to your father, maybe she threw out the letter where he did. Maybe she did know you had written to him, but she never acknowledged it, and burned the evidence of his acknowledgement. To keep you safe.

You know that everything she ever did was to keep you safe. You’ve always known that. Part of you wonders now, though, if it’s doing the opposite.

By never talking to you about him, and being reluctant at best when you did want to talk about him, it left you with more questions than answers. It’s no surprise, then, that you went into the FBI. And it’s no surprise you’re being haunted by this now.

“I wrote to him,” you continue. “But in the letters my mom let me read, he never mentioned it. I would’ve remembered if he did because I would’ve written to him again.” Which is probably why she never let you read it, if he did write one in reply acknowledging everything you wrote.

“What did you tell him?” JJ asks hesitantly. “When you wrote to him.”

You smile softly, remembering how bittersweet it was. “What does any sixteen-year-old girl want to tell her dad about? I got broken up with by a guy who then went and dated my best friend a week later. Teenage romance, y’know?”

Garcia rests her hand on your arm with a frown.

You place your hand over hers with a smile. “And random shit, you know, probably about my mom freaking out over me having a C for the first time in my life that year, and then. Probably that I missed him.” Your hand slides away from Garcia’s. “Sorry, I—” You shake your head, tears suddenly springing to your eyes, but you blink them away. “You guys can read the letters, I um, I’m gonna take a walk for a second.”

You push back from the table, eyes momentarily catching Hotch’s before you head out of the conference room. You’re not even sure where you’re walking, just that you need to get away from the letters.

You pass by Hotch’s office, the door wide open, and his fax machine whirring as papers fly out of it. You’re in front of the machine before you realize it, collecting the papers and stacking them as neatly as you can in separate piles on his desk — among his other piles of paperwork.

For so long, you saw the letters as a good sign. That your dad missed you, that he felt remorseful about what he had done to all those women and to you and your mom in the process, that he was going to be better, that the letters were him trying to be a better father and a better man.

But your mom knew the truth, the reality of it. She knew to protect you. And you’re glad she did. But sometimes you still wonder. What if those times were different? What if each time he wrote a letter he was trying to be different?

A soft knock on the doorframe causes you to jump and spin around.

“Sorry,” you and Hotch blurt at the same time.

“Sorry,” you repeat, chuckling. You hold up the few papers in your hand. “These were coming through so I figured I’d sort them, since you said you had a few departments sending stuff over.”

Hotch nods, staying put in the doorway. “That’s fine. Thank you.”

You turn back around to the machine, grabbing the papers as they come, sorting them almost robotically. Anything to keep your hands moving and keep your brain occupied.

You hear the rustling of Hotch’s suit as he moves into his office, coming to stand beside his desk, but not too close to you. When you turn to place another stack of papers down on his desk, he’s standing there, and takes them from you without a word. 

The papers are still coming when you start talking.

“You know my dad was pretty awful before we found out about…everything.” You don’t even know where you’re going with this, or how it will help, but you continue, letting your eyes glance over the police files as they come in. “Of course, I realized it all in hindsight. When I was just a kid, I loved him. He was the greatest dad ever — when he was around. Took me out for ice cream when him and mom were fighting, just the two of us, so she could calm down. Let me have basically anything I wanted.” You pause, letting out a small laugh. “He never could say no to me.”

Hotch says nothing, only lets you talk, and he listens. He continues to take the papers from you, some form of assembly line to keep you sane.

“Obviously, I grew up and realized how bad it was. Him giving me anything I wanted was to keep me distracted from all the things he missed. I don’t know that he was ever actually in town for one of my birthdays. Or awards ceremonies at school. Or recitals.” You sigh, handing more papers over. You linger for a moment when your fingers brush Hotch’s, but you snap yourself out of it, wrenching your hands back. “But before I realized how bad it was, I just missed him. I missed my dad. Even though he wasn’t around much, I clung to the moments when he was because when he was— He was good.”

You hand more papers to him, and then the papers stop. The machine powers down. 

Without the buffer, you don’t know what to do. You hold onto the final two pieces, staring up and out the window.

Aaron says your name, but you don’t move.

“What am I supposed to do?” you say, to no one in particular, not Hotch, not yourself. 

Hotch reaches around you to take the remaining papers from you, setting them down on his desk without looking.

“Are you okay with us reading the letters?” he asks.

“I don’t have a choice,” you reply, turning to face him. “We don’t have any other options, any other leads. There might be something in them.” You pause. “But I don’t think I can be in there while you guys go through them— But I’m not saying I can’t be a part of this investigation,” you rush to add. “I’m more than capable, I just—”

“I understand,” Hotch says, interrupting you gently, sensing the impending argument. A heat that, once, he would’ve leaned into. He would’ve fed the argument without a second thought. But not now. Not anymore. “I’m not removing you from this investigation. We need your insight.”

You blink up at him, clearly expecting the same pushback as you’re used to. “Thank you,” you say instead.

“We can look through everything that was faxed over while the rest of the team focuses on the letters.”

“We?”

“I’ll need all the help I can get,” Hotch says, gesturing to the piles you’ve both laid out on his desk. “I can’t read as fast as Reid can.”

“No one can,” you snicker. “We’re gonna need fresh coffee if we’re looking through all of these.”

Hotch raises his eyebrows. “I think I’m at my limit.”

“Are your hands shaking?”

He holds one up, and it’s still.

You smirk. “Then you haven’t reached your limit. I’ll go make us a fresh pot.”

You almost run smack into Rossi as you leave Hotch’s office, placing a hand over your heart to steady yourself.

“Jesus, what is with you guys lurking today?” you joke. “Eavesdropping for the team?”

“Funny,” Rossi smirks. “No, I was just coming to see if you were alright.”

“Yeah, I’m alright. Hotch and I are going to go through the files that were sent over from the local police departments while you guys handle the letters.”

Rossi nods slowly. “Just the two of you?”

You roll your eyes. “We’ll try not to kill one another.”

“Good to hear,” Rossi chuckles. “Let me know if you have any questions about anything from back then.”

“Thanks, we will,” you reply. “And you guys too, with the letters.”

You head off to the break room to start a fresh pot of coffee and grab some snacks, since it might be a while with the amount that was faxed over. 

+++

Inside Hotch’s office, he’s rearranging the desk chairs so the two of you will be more comfortable as you scour the files. He hears you speaking to Rossi but mostly tunes it out, until Rossi is walking into his office with that smug smile of his.

“What?” Hotch asks, standing up straighter. “Did you find something?”

“Not yet,” Rossi says. “She was just telling me the two of you are going to go over these while we handle the letters.”

Hotch nods. Rossi raises his eyebrows.

“Don’t start,” Hotch mutters.

“Okay, I won’t,” Rossi holds up his hands in mock surrender for a moment before dropping them. “But I did have something else to tell you.”

“What is it?”

“I have that guest lecture coming up—”

“Dave,” Hotch sighs, exasperated. “You cannot go out of town right now.”

“Aaron,” Rossi deadpans. “I do this guest lecture every year. You knew it was coming up.”

“You can’t go out of town when she’s staying with you for security,” Aaron clarifies. “Can’t you miss it for one year?”

“Well, considering it’s this weekend, no, I can’t just miss it,” Dave replies. “It’ll only take the weekend, and then I’ll be back. She’ll be fine. She can handle herself.”

“You know that’s not the issue.”

Rossi sighs, then perks up. A little too much. “I have an idea.”

Aaron tries (and fails) to not roll his eyes at his friend. “Great.”

“Stay at my house with her for the weekend.”

“No,” Hotch laughs. “Are you kidding? She would not agree to that, and frankly, we might end up killing one another.”

“Come on, the two of you have seemed…better.”

“Better?”

Dave shrugs, “Cooled off.”

“Cooled off?”

“You didn’t bite each other’s heads off today.”

Hotch sighs. “We’ve been less…angry ever since visiting Richard Monroe in prison.”

“You mean ever since the truth finally came out.”

“Yes,” Hotch grumbles. “But I don’t think it has anything to do with her no longer being angry with me. I think it’s the opposite.”

“What do you mean?”

“I think she and I pushed each other’s limits ten years ago, picked up where we left off when she started here, and— I think I found her limit. I think she’s…done. Tired. Wants to get this settled so she can go back to hating me out loud. Or ignoring me entirely.”

Dave is quiet for a painfully long moment. “You know, it’s been a while since I’ve heard you be this down on yourself.”

Hotch sighs.

“Just ask her,” Dave says. “I’ve already told her I’ll be out of town, but as far as I know, she hasn’t made any plans of staying anywhere else. Yet.”

Hotch hears the yet loud and clear.

[ilona2nerrie]

Part four of Jon and the Wayne’s: poker night.

“Alright,” Jason said, grinning. “Place your bets, demon.”

Damian glared at him, hands tightening on his cards. “I am not losing to you again, you human scratching post.”

Tim hummed absentmindedly sitting next to Jason, more focused on his book then on the game.

“Wow. You guys are really mean at this game.”

Damian looked to Dick, taking a sip of his water while assessing his cards.

“Grayson, are you in?”

Rick smiled, putting his cards down with a hum. “Oh I fold harder than if my own weapon shatters my skull, Dami.”

“Wow.” Jason rolled his eyes, looking over his hand at Dick. 

“Dramatic much?”

“Okay.” Damian said with a sigh after assessing his cards. “I’m in. Duke?”

“I thought I mentioned I’m not very good at this game.” Duke mumbled. It didn’t help that his eyes lit up every time he got a really good hand. He tried sunglasses but they reflected his hand to everyone else.

“Ok.” Tim said, still not putting down his book. “I’m all in.”

Jason pinched the bridge of his nose, looking over at the other. “You don’t have any money left.”

Tim shrugged. “Oh, I know. I just didn’t want to leave the circle yet.”

“And I call it,” Jason said, turning his head to Damian. “What do you got?” 

Damian smirked and looked up, putting his cards down. “Watch out disappointments, because I am straight.”

Tim snarked under his breath.

“Not what Jon thinks.” 

Before Damian could kill him Jason cleared his throat.

“Well hope back in that closet because I have a full house, bitch.” 

“God damn it!” Damian said, throwing his cards down in a huff.

“There there Dami it’s alright.” Dick smiled, rubbing his back.

Damian hugged at him and looked through his lashes scathingly.

“That was my budget for more animals.”

Dick gasped and turned to Jason with a frown.

“You barsterd.”

“Go cry to Wally about it.” Jason monotoned at dick.

“Can I please be done now?” Duke asked, sitting back.

“Yeah, I’m done too.” Damian scoffed.

“I’ll keep playing.” Tim said absently.

“You don’t have any money.” Jason scoffed.

Tim thought for a minute.

“I could beg my suit-“

Jon walked in to find the other sitting on the floor of the batcave. He went over to dick and sat down next to him. “Hey, what are you guys doing?”

“Getting robbed.” Damian snarked.

“Hey kid,” Jason asked, turning to his new victim. “You know how to play?”

Jon stared at him blankly, pausing before saying airily.

“I don’t remember.”

“You got money on you?”

“Yeah.”

“Sit down I’ll deal you in.”

Dick turned incredulously to Jason.

“Wha- hello? What do you think you’re doing?”

Tim looked up, folding his books page.

“I don’t think he knows how to play Jay.” 

Jason turned to face Tim, raising an annoyed eyebrow.

“So? You don’t know how to play this game either-“

Dick cut Jason off with a scoff.

“Yeah! And now he has no money.”

“It’s ok.” Tim said. “I don’t need to buy… food.” He trails off, thinking.

“It seems you maaay be trying to take advantage of him.” Duke mused.

“That’s not very honourable, Todd.” Damian said.

“Yeah, yeah. Ok kid, I bet 100.” Jason said, turning back to Jon who was inspecting his cards.

Jim looked up blankly, before responding.

“Hmm. I guess also a hundred.”

Dicks head snapped to Jon.

“Woah- hey kid no-!”

“No interrupting.” Jason shot at dick.

“What do you got?”

Jon looked at his cards, before looking back up. He turned them. “Is this anything?”

“Oh.” Tim said. “Hey he won.” 

“No he didn’t.” Jason sighed.

“Oh.” Tim said, picking up his coffee. “Hmm. I don’t know how to play.

“And I have two pairs. So I’ll be taking that.” Jason said, leaning into the middle and scooping up the money. He grabbed the deck.

“Jason! This is disgraceful.” Damian said, glaring at him.

“I don’t think you’re being very fair.” Tim shrugged.

Jason rolled his eyes and dropped a fifty in Tim’s lap. “Shut up, go buy yourself something pretty.”

Tim nodded, pocketing it. “Ah. Hey thanks.”

“Can we play again?” Jon asked.

“Kid,” Jason smirked. “If you’ve got money we can play all day if you want.”

“No! No. Ok? I am putting a stop to this.” Dick said, standing up. 

“You back up,” Jason started. “Or I’ll tell Wally how much money you lost.”

“…sitting dooooown. Carry on.” Dick smiled, strained.

“Exactly.” Jason turned to Jon. “You bet first kid.”

Jon looked at his cards, merely a glance.

“Ummmm. Can I bet 500?”

“Woah.” Tim said, eyes widening as he finally put down his book and picked up his mug, ready to watch this tv shit.

“Kid, why?!” Dick asked, exasperated and concerned. 

“Mmm.” Jon said, unfazed. “500s my favourite number.”

“Okay,” Jason said nodding. He was getting into this. “I raise you, 200.” He said, thinking that was a high bet.

Without pausing or faltering Jon just said.

“I raise you 500.”

“Uggh.” Damian huffed, knowing his best friend was loosing all his money.

“Oh my god!” Dick groaned, massaging his temples.

“And I call it,” Jason said, smirking at the newbie. “You ready for this?”

Dick on the side sighed.

“Please god tell me you have nothing.”

“Four of a kind.”

There was audible groaned around the room as Jason leaned forward to collect his money.

“How do you even look yourself in the mirror Jason.” Damian snarked.

“Like this.” Jason said, then flipped them off with a smile.

“That’s true actually.” Tim said, “I’ve seen him doing that.”

“Nice try kid?” Jason smirked, putting his hand on the pile. “We can try again if you want-“

Jon placed his hand on Jason’s, eyes glinting and that blank expressing staying the same, but with a new aura.

“I have a royal flush.”

 The room went dead silent.

“Huh?” Dick finally broke the silence. Damian just gaped at his friend.

Jason stared at the cards in front of Jon, fuming.

“What”.

“Pretty sure that’s the highest.” Jon said, letting himself a smile. “Four of a kind is only the third highest.”

“Uhmm.” Dick said, unsure what to do.

Tim looked quizzical and questioned.

“I thought you said you didn’t know how to play?”

“Did I?” Jon asked, folding his money and counting the bet.

“I can’t remember.”

“Did you just hustle me.” Jason growled, glaring.

Jon looked at him, and smiled.

“I don’t know Jason.” He quipped. “Did I?”

“He hustled you!” Dick whisper yelled happily.

“This games more fun then I thought.” Duke said offhandedly.

“You sneakily little punk ass.” Jason said, stareing at him.

“Oh, and Jason.” Don said friendly.

“You might want to check the mirror you’ve got some egg on your face.”

“Ohhh! He’s dead!” Dick celebrated.

“Well done Jonathan.” Damian said, offering him a quickly masked smile.

“He hustled you! You idiot!” Dick cackled.

“Shut up!” Jason spat, embarrassed. 

“Haaaah.” Dick wheezed.

“I can’t breath-“

part before this: Jon sets Jason up.

Tagged:

@klance-one-standing

[lemotmo]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Q. Taking the time to write 'EX' into the script was completely unnecessary. Buck stopping to actually take the time to clarify something like that was ridiculous. He literally would not have done that. And bringing him back to basically only serve as a distraction so Athena and Karen could be the big saviors of the episode was pointless. Why bring him back if it wasn't for any kind of movement on his part?

A. The fact that the majority of you all in my inbox are livid about how he was used or came across in this episode has been my only enjoyment tonight. So I sincerely want to thank you. That being said, are you fucking kidding me? The EX was loud because it was supposed to be loud. I have zero idea why Tim felt the need to include him in any of this. Zero. But he's there so the show taking the time to hammer home that his time as Buck's boyfriend is over makes perfect sense. You all are dumber than bricks. You pretend you don't understand things that are blatantly clear so they wrote it into the script for you. Their relationship is over. He exists within the 911 universe but not as Buck's person. I could not care less that you don't feel well fed. None of this has ever or will ever be about Tommy. Go. Away.

Thank you Nonny!

Yeah listen, it's obvious that they used Tommy because they needed a helicopter. But the EX was really loud.

They have broken up twice now. I guess they wanted them to end on good terms or something like that. Maybe make them friends? So that they could use his character for other things along the line? Tim likes keeping useless characters around. I mean, look at Gerrard and Brad. 🤷‍♀️

Lou has confirmed a few days ago that his filming for 911 had concluded already, so he won't be in any of the remaining episodes after the funeral in 16. My guess is that he will have one more conversation with Buck about how they can be friends or something liek that and he'll be gone.

It's over and done. Let's move on from this.

Besides... we have bigger fish to fry here than T. Like Tim Minear blowing up his own show.🙄

IMPORTANT! Please don't repost this ask and/or a link that leads straight to my Tumblr account on Twitter or any other social media. Thank you!

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If you are interested in more of Ali’s posts, you can find all of her posts so far under the tag: anonymous blog I love.

[rawserhh]

hello!! i'm super interested in DID and if it's not too uncomfortable for you, i'd like to ask a few things! i'm really sorry if any of this comes across as disrespectful, by the way.

how did you 'meet' your alters, for lack of any better phrases? what does it feel like for each alter when they're fronting? if they all split from your body for a day (i'm picturing like Yin-Yang in season two), would they all look identical to you or would they look like different people? have you ever had any alters split/fuse/go dormant?

i partly ask because i find myself switching between personalities (i like to call them modes) sometimes, but they're not really independent to be their own people. i don't really realise i do it until a few hours after and i'm not too sure if it's like a result of trauma/DID or just kinda strange.

sorry again if this is way too many questions for you or way too personal! i know you aren't a doctor, too…

-🪴

hiiiii! and don’t worry it’s not disrespectful at all to be curious . i’m open to expanding on my disorder the best way i can for people interested. just be aware that some systems prefer to keep private and that’s totally okay too 🤍.

it’s very hard to describe what it’s like meeting an alter for the first time . for some people it may be exciting, like seeing an old friend or family member. for the majority of other people i’ve met though, along with myself, it’s very scary and dissociating. it can feel like someone is in your head without your permission and somehow knows things about u . it really is just another person there , with thoughts and feelings and a personality . for me, it isn’t like someone just pops in one day and decides to stay. they might fade in or out of my head before i actually can tell a clear identity. the best way i can describe it is someone in a dark cloudy alleyway, and u can only see their outline and hear their voice, but they appear distorted and scary .

for fronting , it really depends . i’m a covert system, meaning it’s not easily noticeable when i switch to a different alter . sometimes they fade in and out. for me, it’s like a few people riding a horse. the person in front may be guiding the horse perfectly fine, when the person behind them grabs the reins and pulls really hard . obviously, that would really scare the horse!!!!! in all honestly it’s not too fun switching , which is why on tumblr i normally only post art without talking much . as you grow, u adjust to change which can make it a bit easier

the yin yang comparison is a good way to describe it ! i guess i wouldn’t really know just because my alters are very foggy compared to my friends’ that have very clear visions of them . i assume it would be something along the lines of being their own person, but still very confusing and disorienting. like throwing a surprise party almost, but it isn’t your birthday lol . alters are still their own people, and some may look like an identical twin or a whole different species . it really depends on who u ask

i’ve had alters split, fuse and go dormant . all of the above ! i’m sure u get the gist by now that it can be confusing and scary . sometimes someone will split from another and it’s like meeting a completely different person . fusing is something i can only due through therapy, or at least right now. sometimes people have a goal to fuse their whole system , which can also be a hard process . thats not really my own personal goal though . dormancy is really interesting to me, because sometimes it can still feel like meeting a whole new person even if they have memory of being in the system before . it can also be the other way around, when everyone remembers them being in the system but themself .

i always recommend seeing a doctor or therapist for any issues with identity . while there is a chance it could be DID, it could also be puberty or another disorder that needs to be treated differently . there’s no shame in researching or asking friends/family u trust ^_^ my best of wishes to you

[dflogerzi]

Meg Musings

I was thinking more last evening of Meghan's now and future path after the latest news yesterday of her fallout with some sugars. She has managed to alienate people regardless of political persuasion, because of political persuasion, across several industries, several levels of income, affluence, non-affluence, cultures, and even countries.

She has shown herself to be exactly what she is. Not just someone who will grift anything and anyone, but will steal anything to do it. She is also breathtakingly a liar. And it is incredible that she does not even worry apparently if the story can even be somewhat believable or actually possible and plausible.

She has just about utterly and completely destroyed everything she has touched, but in the end what she has truly reduced to almost complete destruction is herself.

Harry will be fine, at least in the sense of his needs to live and breathe will be met. He will not make out as well as Andrew did, no huge royal digs to hunker down in and lord over. I am guessing he will receive a safe bit of a royal pad tucked off somewhere. Hopefully he does still have his inheritance... She however will be dependent on whatever ill-gotten gains she has squirreled away or manages to be awarded.

It is coming. The media is starting to hint at it, a huge percentage of people now know or are discovering it, and there is no way she is going to last much longer. Even if BP is still trying to hold it all back to protect Charles. And yes I just wrote that... Because there are going to be questions. But here is my other thought. By this time in our countries few are going to hold the ire they would have had years ago. Because the world has issues FAR larger and on a huge scale so much more pressing than one mere low class ex-cable actress who has shown the world how cheap, selfish, self-centered, and inwardly ugly she really is.

Everything on this post is of course my own opinion. This was a slight bit of a vent, but not a rant. That is because I can barely summon any emotion whatsoever about Meghan now. I am here in the cheap seats waiting for the final curtain so that I can just dust off my clothes, go home, and pour myself a nice glass of wine. Or upgrade to champagne for an excellent toast to the end of a very long and grotesque drama.

I have one of these brewing for Charles btw. Yesterday for me was close to a final straw on his absolute lack of seeing the truths of what is happening to his own country and the world... And his complete selfishness in the obvious belief that he holds the future answers not just by supporting the WEF goals and objectives, but even in the disrespect of some of his people's Christian beliefs... all while the Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Oh wait. I think the Charles thing is now mainly good for the day...

[kunoiashifts]

·˚ ༘ ~ ʜᴏᴡ ɪ'ᴠᴇ ʙᴇᴇɴ ɢᴇᴛᴛɪɴɢ ᴄʟᴏꜱᴇ ᴛᴏ ꜱʜɪꜰᴛɪɴɢ ɴᴏɴꜱᴛᴏᴘ ꜰᴏʀ ᴅᴀʏꜱ ~ ·˚ ༘

✩ for the past few weeks, i had been spiraling repeatedly.

✩ it was like whenever i got newfound motivation and a feeling that i'd actually shift, i'd just spiral over and over. i was stuck in a loop of having a good mindset, to having a worse one all over again.

✩ last weekend, i decided enough was enough. i wanted to shift, and i wanted my mindset to be suitable for shifting in general.

✩ i read up on these two posts and realized that i was basically just self sabotaging myself all along. 😭

✩ when i cried and worried about not shifting, i let my thoughts run rampant and persist in the fact that i hadn't shifted yet. it wasn't bad that i felt emotional, it was bad that i felt like my emotions would set me back. and i let them do so. this is why people tell you it's okay to be upset. it's okay to cry. just don't let your emotions dictate your shifting journey because you will get there no matter what.

✩ what i should have been doing was instead of persisting in negative thoughts, i should have swapped them out (i used the photo in the first post linked to help me understand how to do it). even if it hurt to even try to affirm or stop them, i'd let them go if i just forgot about them on my own. after a while, i found myself putting way less pressure on myself.

✩ and to help me normalize revision, i used it for other undesirable thoughts throughout my days. eg. "i hate math class— wait, i love math class because it's so easy!" (and guess what? it became easy just like that!!)

✩ and now, for the fun part. :3 after learning how to revise my negative thoughts, i decided to figure out how to actually get what i want.

✩ and the only key was to know i already have it.

✩ but i had already heard that 1,000 times before. however, when i read up on the second post and learned more about imagination, i realized i had been doing it all wrong.

✩ manifesting isn't about getting. it's about remembering you already have it.

✩ i had heard countless times about how you should "live in the end" and "act as if," but nothing ever stuck with my stubborn brain.

✩ so when i actually sat down and learned how the 3d and 4d worked through imagination using the video linked in the second post, i knew how to get to my dr.

some of the other edward art videos i watched, i genuinely find him so helpful:

Don't Try, But Experience - literally everything clicked for me in this video the most

Imagination is Not A State

Imagination is Self

✩ tldr: once i imagined it, i experienced it. no matter what the 3d throws my way. whenever i got a fleeting doubt, i'd simply revise it. "i haven't shifted yet— what? i'm in my dr right now, what am i talking about?"

✩ obviously it's easier said than done. but trust me, my brain was extremely stubborn before this and didn't take in ANY info i mindlessly bombarded it with. if you just take a second and actually try to understand law of assumption, it will click. and for me, all it took was these two simple posts.

if you'd like to know how i've been getting extremely close to shifting, then here :3 — every night, after using the HMM method and imagining my dr before sleeping, I've gotten very vivid dreams, (multiple about me successfully shifting) a flash of light behind my eyes as if i shifted for a split second, feeling way more connected towards my visualizations, (because now i see them as truth, they're genuine memories from my desired reality.) and overall feeling way more confident in myself. doubts have barely popped up, even if i wake back up in the old story. because i'm living the truth in my true reality (4d). my mind is all i need.

this is why people tell you your mind shifts first.

take that and run with it.

persist in the fact that you've already shifted.

imagine your dr, not as a faraway place, but as a place you've already been to. a place you're already in.

- ʟᴏᴠᴇ, ɴᴏɪᴀ

[goawaypopup]

Look Outside Posting Part 4: Sybil

Today, a little on the most mysterious character in the game.

Having established that she is probably the fleshy stuff everywhere else in the building, Apartment 35 is definitely her core, or base, or something. Whether it's full to the brim with meat with two blue little eyeballs at the cracks in the walls, she's budded off a fresh, separate body in there, or that room is some kind of Schrodinger's time anomaly.

If you interrogated Beryl, you'll know that she knew Sybil was in Apartment 12, not 35. But, crucially, something i haven't seen anyone else mention: Sybil did live in 35. The game takes place in March; Edwin's ledger of equipment loans shows Sybil borrowing a telescope, in Apartment 35, in February of the previous year. She moved out, and into 12, at some point in the interim.

What remain of Sybil's memories and knowledge show that this can't be an unrelated Sybil. Beryl was the first to join the group (Jasper taking care of Sybil, and Edwin sort of off to the side providing tools). She met Sybil only a few months before the game's events, after she had already witnessed the Visitor, and when she was already in the new apartment. Neither Beryl nor the others after her ever knew Sybil in Apartment 35, and she's the only one you mention it to, so they never find out about her.

The thing that makes Sybil so clearly pivotal, even if it's never clear exactly how, is that she's privy to information no one else is. As far as I'm aware, nobody else somehow just knows that the Visitor will leave in 15 days.

Even the Astronomers don't have an estimate. Whatever speed the Visitor was traveling at before is obviously shot - you'd have to be able to calculate its attention span somehow to know when it's going to leave. And Sybil is right on the money. She's wrong about having "heard it" somewhere, at any rate - from where, the news? The panicking residents? At literal sunrise on the first day?

Not even the Visitor itself seems to know stuff like this about what it's going to do. It doesn't even know what a photo is... I don't think it's actually responsible for the Astronomers' visions of offerings.

So who the hell is??

You can probably guess this one from context.

Sybil is suspiciously knowledgeable on all this, if unconsciously so. Even for someone who was studying this entity. She doesn't just know what it looks like or where it came from, she knows what it's going to do. She knows what to do about it.

The relationship of brain-sharing between her and the Visitor might have... become even a little bit less one-sided, with the amount of time they've spent like that? Though it doesn't seem to have been good for her coherence of thought.

Her being in her old apartment, and unaware of this, might suggest some kind of time frickery, too. Her claim to have lost her job only a month ago seems questionable on the timeline.

Sybil dreams constantly, when she manages to get some sleep in. She's positively tormented by visions of falling into a well of starlike eyes, and four robed men.

The four Astronomers all get dreams hinting at depictions of the Visitor to offer up to it, ones so evocative that they persuade some very skeptically-minded individuals to go hunting for them in real life. (God knows those dum-dums needed the help to finish the ritual in time, seeing as they all spend two straight weeks standing and pondering in their respective rooms if Sam doesn't get the offerings for them.)

Sam's "go up into the sky" dream at the beginning is probably Sybil's fault as well. It's the same sentiment she's having at the moment he wakes up, that the sky is very pretty and he should go look at it.

Sybil is in a lot of very weird pieces now, but all of them are doing their best to help.

If it ever gets added as an option, I'm immediately ripping her door down and examining this woman with a microscope. There's only so much analysis I can do from behind the wall, y'know?

---

A parting note: I'm open to doing shorter reviews on less broad aspects of the game, if you have something specific in mind. Send me an ask!

[akatsukiky]

some things i liked from dr season 3 part 1 and some stuff that disappointed me

spoilers down below

the animation was phenomenal! pixal and zane reuniting was lovely! stabbing me in the heart with That Part Of Zane's Theme was heartwrenching! sora and arin's bond being further fleshed out was heartwarming! jay was great in his appearances, i adored that they brought back his glider

also lowkey the way they defeated thunderwing reminded me of the end of the metru nui bionicles movie when the toa metru defeated makuta teridax. i also like that arin's whole mess with ras didn't get resolved, it keeps it realistic, and i like the sora is going too

however i do take some slight issue with how zane lowkey became helpless/dead weight after his remodel? like he did help here and there but he got brushed off so much in every fight. and the total lack of cole throughout the season; i kept asking myself- sooooo they're gonna get cole now right? did they just forget about him?? LMFAO

also jay's hair is totally ugly sorry (i say this with nothing but love for him in my heart, he's still my favorite ninja)

while i don't hate how they find out about the prismatic steel, i do feel like it's a slight waste to have THE BLACKSMITH SIBLINGS not use their own knowledge or go to their parents to learn through established methods and not with book ex machina (however i do understand that to new viewers who only know dr, roby's book might feel more reasonable/established? however it feels very irritating as someone who watched since the pilot because THAT is kai and nya's family's expertise)

i feel like elemental powers are still very under utilized in this season? just in general since they started relying on physical weapons (since around the post movie era started) it feels like they use their elemental powers as a plan b more often than not. i just wish they would go back to using them alongside physical combat in creative ways that aren't just 'blast of this guy's respective color'

and, while this isn't a particularly new thing, i once again am mourning the tornado of creation. they used it like twice and never again, rest in peace my funny rainbow master builder tornado

i am disappointed to see that morro didn't get to interact with any of the ninja who knew him and that he wasn't even mentioned by name? like lloyd was Right There, i wish some time could have been dedicated to that interaction. i'm also disappointed that morro just got slurped up by thunderwing- like ok. bye i guess. otherwise i do like how they portrayed and utilized him and extremely glad they didn't undo his redemption from day of the departed!

the season generally did fall back into the general ninjago formula: try to get the magic weapons/artifacts scattered across the world (golden weapons, fang blades, oni masks, prismatic blades), fail and the enemy obtains them to do what they want with them (escape the underworld, awaken the devourer, revive garmadon, free thunderwing), lloyd loses his powers temporarily (or permanently in the case of his golden power rip). i don't have anything against it and i don't see i as a positive nor a negative; maybe it's a little tired now after so many seasons??

however, all in all, good season, i enjoyed it greatly :)

[thelvadams]

TRANSFORMERS ONE (2024) • dir. Josh Cooley

[aestheticallynotdeerlightful]

Style swap- Invader Zim and Psychonauts

Cause I thought it would be fun and practice

.

(Please do not use or repost my works anywhere without explicit permission from me first thank you <3)

[psilliguykai]

Happy [depending on your timezone belated-] 2nd birthday CCCC!!

I gotta eep now, but I might add some more thoughts tomorrow ^^

For now, thank you CCCC for being my intro to Chonny Jash, and thank you cj for all the awesome community and inspiration and joy you’ve brought me and so many other people. Your music and characters will always hold a special place in my Heart [haha] <33

[luck-of-the-drawings]

so REVENGE, HUH? or justice, if that makes you feel better. it tastes the same when cooked just right. 'I REALLY WANTED A BROTHER.' such a shame to burn a bridge you so desperately wanted to keep, especially when it wasnt even you who started the fire. especially when you hope that not a single fragment of that bridge ever washes ashore.[MAY IT ROT FAR FROM MY SIGHTS] an unfortunate loss! atleast he has his friends.

[kelin-is-writing]

kelin may i hear more about rockstar touya \(★ω★)/

I was planning to post other headcanons before going for these, BUT I’ve got some for Rockstar!Touya that are pestering my mind these days and your asks come in the right moment, so bear with me please 🤧

࣪𖤐… ROCKSTAR!TOUYA

The first time Touya knew that he wanted to become a rockstar was in middle school, right at the age of thirteen, his influent CEO of a father was trying to mold him into a carbon copy of himself to rival Yagi Toshinori’s Enterprise. While taking a break from studies, he saw his sister watch on TV a rock concert of “Loudness” and to say Akira Takasaki is his role model is the least. That’s a true legend to him.

After “Loudness” and Akira Takasaki, he discovered “Metallica” and Kirk Hammett which made him go like “HOW??? HAVE??? I??? MISSED??? ALL??? THIS???”, scolding himself for taking so long to fall in love with the electric guitar and its sound. The next week he’s blasting full volume “The Final Countdown” by Europe inside the Todoroki Mansion like the good old stamp rock fanatic he is, getting himself scolded and grounded by Enji who is a fan of traditional Japanese music so yeah…

At one of the Todoroki family gatherings during the weekend, he was scrolling down his phone looking first of all where to take guitar lessons and second for a guitar to buy, but he knew his father would never agree to get him one. That’s when his grandfather, peeking at his grandson’s phone, butted in and asked Touya if he’s interested in music. He wasn’t sure if it was a good thing to answer that question, since he’s the father of his father, but he did and hell has it been the best thing he did!

On his fourteenth birthday, Enji’s father bought Touya his very first electric guitar, a good old Fender Stratocaster CUSTOM MADE for him. It’s snow white like his hair and has a his name engraved on the bottom left side of the guitar, while on the other side there were engraved tiger’s fangs, all in turquoise… The color of his eyes. And this has been by far Touya’s best birthday ever.

After finishing Middle School he choose to attend an Art School, taking the music classes as main classes of course; he may or not have done it to piss off and raise Enji’s blood pressure from how mad he got for choosing something different from Finances and Management. Oh his father was livid and Touya was so proud of himself for that.

He has formed a rock band, of which he’s the guitarist and vocalist, with Tenko Shimura (Bassist&Vocalist) and Shuichi Iguchi (Drummer) called “The Villains”… Are we even surprised about this name? Really? Because I am not. Tenko suggested, Iguchi supported strongly and Touya just went with it because complaining and thinking about another name was “Too much effort”. He likes it a lot but will never admit it.

At the age of nineteen, Touya owns a Fender Stratocaster (Custom Made), an Elite Stratocaster, an ST-83-80 Japan (1983) black, Lone Star Strat, IC350 black, IC50 black, ICHI00 white, Gibson SG Standard mahogany and a Jackson Pro Series DK Modern HT6 MS. He also owns four acoustic guitars for songwriting, like a Martin GPC-X1E, Martin 000-28 Modern Deluxe, Taylor GS Mini-e Rosewood SN LTD and a Taylor AD22e. Did he pay all them with Enji’s credit card? Hell yeah. Did he do it out of spite? Absolutely. Did he care about his father’s blood pressure rising even more? Not even remotely.

His favorite groups are Loudness, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, Europe, Scorpions, Slipknot, Three Days Grace, Green Day, Skillet, Linkin Park, The Rasmus, L’Arc-En-Ciel, UVERworld, Nirvana, Guns N’ Roses and Evanescence to list some, because there are many more he adores honestly. He isn’t a picky ear as long as the song gives him chills and inspires him, being someone who’s driven by emotions that’s what makes him likes something he hears.

Atsuhiro is their homeroom teacher, at the Art University they attend, who introduces them to Giran, a friend of his, who has an agency for new talents and after they sent him six of their songs wants to launch their very first album by August to make them debut at the “Rock In Japan Fes.”

Touya, being the emotional driven type of musician, is the one put to write the lyrics for the band’s songs and most of the times are hits, especially because his and Tenko’s voice brings to life the emotions of the lyrics in a way that it reaches the listeners right into the heart and soul.

You will never catch Touya’s fingers empty, there’s always rings decorating them and some rings are even custom made by his cousin Geten, who owns a Jewelry shop that he promotes a lot on his social media. One of his most precious rings is the one that he got made for him, with his birthstone carved in it, when he turned eighteen.

He has three earrings on his right ear: an helix, mid helix, conch and low helix. Four on his left one: two helix, a low helix and one on the lobe, plus three nostril piercings on the right side of his nose.

After “The Villains” debuts and proving his father that he could succeed through music without his help nor his name, Touya owns now a black card that he lets Fuyumi and Shoto use to their heart content.

Last, but not least, be ready to be the muse of Touya’s songs the instant he falls head over heels for you. The moment it happens everything, and I mean everything, to him becomes about you driving Tenko and Iguchi to pure exasperation.