#in her head jon is a threat to that power due to being not only a reminder of ned's infidelity but also how his placement could supplant
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people doing this whole "look at how rhaenys acted with corlys's bastard son vs how catelyn acted with jon snow" to demonize one or the other is weird because, like, maybe it's just me, but i think that catelyn and rhaenys had different reactions because they're different people in different situations.
#personal#like they're clearly very different people with different personalities#hell even the situations are different#rhaenys kinda stumbles upon corlys's bastard whose name i don't know cuz i'm not watching this season just kinda in passing#she knew he existed but didn't really have to deal with it at all#meanwhile ned comes home with this baby he says is a product of cheating and just goes 'he's living here now'#there's no space for catelyn to separate herself from the betrayal of fidelity the way that there likely was for rhaenys#like i'm not catelyn's biggest fan#not just because of her treatment of jon (altho yeah i'll be honest i'm not a fan) but there's stuff about her personality#and how she views the world and what being in her head is like that can rub me the wrong way#(she's just so constantly judgy and rude about nearly everyone she doesn't know and even some that she does and it can get exhausting)#but she's a different person to rhaenys and also occupies a different role than she does#rhaenys has a lot more going for her in her marriage than just being corlys's wife#she's got the bluer blood as a targaryen princess she's got a dragon she's got power and influence in her own right#meanwhile catelyn doesn't have nearly as much#she's a lord's daughter yeah but in this entirely new kingdom where she is now her power comes from being ned's wife#and mother to his children#in her head jon is a threat to that power due to being not only a reminder of ned's infidelity but also how his placement could supplant#her children and thus herself by extension#along with her just having a different personality to rhaenys that makes her harsher about it#(i mean i still don't LIKE that she takes it out on jon who certainly didn't ask to be born but i at least understand from characterization#and again: they're different people! no shit they'd react differently!#i'm just baffled at this attempt to pit GOT characters against HOTD characters all the time it's so weird#like now there's people arguing who's better between jace and robb stark and i'm just left baffled#do y'all literally not know how to consume content in any other way except petty fandom wars? my god you're annoying
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It seems like what anti-Rhaegarites are missing is an awareness that there is actually something accurate in the prophecy. The dead are in fact an actual threat to humankind, which we now know is in the content of the prophecy. If Jon Snow was never born, this story would not even exist. Elia probably knew of the prophecy since GRRM has said they had an unconventional marriage.
The realm was a tinderbox due to Aerys and Rhaegar didn't overthrow him from power despite his unpopularity. Most nobles would have supported Rhaegar in a rebellion against his father had he chosen to go that route. Instead he had the grand idea to abduct Lyanna and disappear for months, leaving his mad father to handle the fallout of his actions. He is responsible for House Targaryen's ouster from Westeros.
But according to "Rhaegarites" this is okay because Rhaegar had knowledge of the future! Westeros will be under threat from ice zombies! So what worthwhile actions did Rhaegar take to combat this threat? Rhaegar is never mentioned to know of the dead from beyond the wall. Even if he knew, he didn't do anything to prepare for this. All he did was impregnate two women and what exactly?????????
We know he was focused on having three children with Elia due to Rhaegar in 'The dragon has three heads' vision in Dany's HotU chapter and from Rhaegar writing to grand uncle Aemon at the Wall about Aegon's conception. He left for Lyanna only after Elia was said to be too weak to carry another child. So how did Rhaegar's obsession of prophecy meaningfully help anyone here?
You can't credit Rhaegar with Jon's good nature and achievements because NED is the reason the Jon Snow we know of exists today. If Ned hadn't reached the Tower of Joy in time, who knows what would have happened to Jon. You think the kingsguards who chose to fight Lyanna's brother to death while she was dying inside the tower would have raised Jon? Ned smuggled Jon and raised him with his family, and he is why Jon is the character he is in the series.
Lastly, Elia being told about the prophecy vs Elia enthusiastically participating in those prophecy plans are two different things. Elia is not complicit in Rhaegar's actions just because he told her he needed to sire three children to fulfill his prophecy delusions.
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The Fall and Rise of Orca: Bootleg The Thing Possession and Bad Puns
Warning: This post contains spoilers for Harley Quinn 2022 Annual Vol 4 Issue #1 “Task Force XX Chapter 5″.
In the wake of the Justice League seemingly dying and other hero teams being preoccupied, Luke Fox gathered together a team of semi-reformed villains in order to retrieve the dangerous Element-X from an abandoned League moon base with the intent of destroying it, with Harley Quinn being among the team’s number. The U.S. military soon became aware of the team’s rocket flight to the moon, complicating matters. Once the team arrived, team leader Lashina was quickly possessed by Element-X, now a sentient alien being. Luke informed the team that he had in fact sent the element to the moon base after having a vision of it destroying all life on Prime Earth as team member Solomon Grundy was also taken over by the alien element and morphed into a hybridized monster with Lashina, forcing the team to defend themselves and fall back. While team member Killer Frost was able to fend the hybrid monster off via draining its collective life-force, the monster soon turn its attention to activating the base’s teleportation system in order to reach Earth after the power had been restored by the team.
Luke, realizing his terrible mistake, went to call Jon Kent for aid, only to be ambushed by military forces, shortly before they themselves were attacked and possessed by the hybrid monster. As Luke did his best to evade the monster and the soldiers, the remaining team members teleported back to Earth, fighting off the soldiers until Luke was able to don his new armor and rescue them. After some soul searching from Luke on finding his own hero identity and regrouping, the team set out to face the extraterrestrial threat once more.
In the midst of the fight against the soldiers, the monster had escaped, forcing the team to regroup and plan a strategy. Luke recalled that Killer Frost had been able to draw lifeforce from the monster, thus hypothetically giving them a chance of ending the threat. The team considered where the monster might be going, theorizing at first the near Gotham City, as its goal was absorbing as many people into its collective as possible, but realizing that the even closer Blackgate Penitentiary was its primary target. By the time the team arrived, the monster had already had taken over the prisoners, guards and staff, forcing the team to fight their way through once more. After the hypothesis of Killer Frost being the alien's weakness was proven correct, the team split off with Luke and Bronze Tiger holding off the brainwashed horde and Harley, The Verdict and Killer Frost heading off to find the monster.
However, they were soon stopped by a strange rumbling and faced a new obstacle with an infected, familiar face:
The hammer Harley is weirding was shown earlier in the story to have some sort of enhanced electrical power, though she seems to be just using normal strength here, probably to avoid leathal damage. It's still hard to say if Orca would normally be able to tank that kind of hit without being under alien possession, so I'll put that in the maybe pile. I also don't know whether the puns are charming or groan-worthy. Probably both.
Killer Frost was soon able to gain the upper hand, freezing Orca to the wall as The Verdict elected to stay behind in order to give Harley and Frost more time to find the monster:
Not sure if Orca is breaking out of the ice due to enhanced strength from the alien or if she can do that normally. Real orcas are able to withstand temperatures of the Antarctic waters, so I'm going to say this is within her normal strength range. Plus we've already seen she was able to punch Etrigan's head 360 degrees around, so this is probably a cake walk for her.
After an intense battle, Killer Frost was able to drain the monster's lifeforce, allowing Grundy and Lashina to return to their normal forms and ending the hivemind control of the prison, Orca included:
Luke took responsibility for the events as he still hoped to find his own identity and things ended on a happy note with the team going out for frozen yogurt.
I don't always like stories where Orca is just an extended cameo, but this felt almost like a one shot episode of an action animated series, so it was actually fun from the small section I looked at. Not a big fan of Orca being subjected to bad puns, but she wasn't otherwise disrespected in the story, so I'll let it slide. I wonder if this is taking place after the Punchline storyline where she was in Blackgate. In which case, they forgot her prison croptop jumpsuit. Also are we ever going to get any follow up on her potentially facing a life sentence after being framed for a prison riot? No? Okay then.
I think the only major complaint I have is the design for Orca. It makes sense for her to be hideous when she's got alien tentacles coming off her, but the more normal looking shots are way out of proportion and just flat out ugly:
If I have to look at it, so do you.
Sorry this entry had such a long summary, but context is context.
Next time, Orca joins a furry gang!
#Landlubber (OOC)#the fall and rise of orca#harely quinn 2021#harley quinn 2022 annual#orca#grace balin#dc comics#harley quinn#harleen quinzel#luke fox#killer frost#caitlin snow#lashina#solomon grundy#bronze tiger#the verdict
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Hello Beautiful! I hope you are very well 🤗 I love your writing and I was wondering if you could write something about the GOT characters how they would react in love with the reader and they go to bed and all that (I mean they are the lovers of the reader) and she is married to another Lord And although she assures that she loves them (and doesn't feel anything for her husband) she doesn't want to divorce her husband? sorry if it's weird :") I love you take care ❤
Not too weird at all! Here you go lovely!
Jaime - Jaime being your secret lover would be very playful. Jaime would be extremely cocky about being your secret lover. He would want to mess around all the time, never wanting to leave your side. He would make jokes about how much better he is than your husband but you both know that you can’t divorce him due to the laws of the land. However there are times when Jaime would get a bit more solemn, asking when the two of you can properly be together in public even though he knows the answer is never. He would want to be with you, whatever that looks like. However, more often than not the two of you just like to have a lot of fun with one another.
Sandor - Sandor being your secret lover would be very scandalous. Sandor is not the kind of man that many people think about having affairs with. That is until you meet him. The two of you start seeing each other in secret and he is almost immediately wary of what might happen if the two of you were caught. If he is found with the wife of a prominent lord, he could lose his head. However he knows that he wants you and that he doesn’t give a damn about some high up lord. Sandor isn’t scared of many things but he is scared of losing you. If people were to find out that you were together he wouldn’t get to be with you anymore so he chooses to be incredibly cautious.
Petyr - Petyr being your secret lover would be very controlling. Petyr wants to be in control of every aspect in his life. That includes his affair with you. He wants to be with you in public, not in private. He hates being a secret. However the only thing he hates more is the idea of not being with you at all so he endures the torture. However he is very possessive of you. Keeping you away for longer and longer periods of time just so you can’t be with your husband. Marking you in hard to see places so that you always feel his claim on you. Sneaking you into the brothel at late hours of the night since it’s the last place your husband would look for you. He wants you to himself.
Jon - Jon being your secret lover would be very distressing. Coming from a world of lords, he knows what would happen if he was found with you. He is nervous to lose his title as a member of the Night’s Watch. He is nervous to get caught and killed. However, he is terrified to lose you above all else. If someone were to find out you would be split up forever and he would be lost. So while the times that you share together are nice and loving and sweet, there is always just a bit of guilt for Jon. Sometimes he says that he wants to break things off but he never does. He loves you too much not to be with you.
Robb - Robb being your secret lover would be very passionate. There isn’t much about that man that isn’t passionate and over the top. An affair with you would be no different. He would make threats to your husband, swearing to take him down if that is what it means to be with you but you both know that without your permission he wouldn’t lift a finger. The nights you spend together are warm and full of fiery carnality. He would want all of you all the time. Anytime that he has to be away from you is absolute torture. He loves you and the fact that he can’t be with you all the time tears him up inside.
Tywin - Tywin being your secret lover would be very hush hush. Tywin is a very prominent and powerful man. As much as he likes you, he is not going to give up an ounce of his power by being associated with you. Sleeping with another lord’s wife could get him killed or have his reputation ruined. So he wouldn’t take a single risk that might cause him to lose something. However he does enjoy the time you spend together. The two of you are very compatible in bed as well as intellectually. He would enjoy your company and would have you over as often as secrecy would allow. However if there’s any risk of you getting caught, he wouldn’t want to take any bad chances.
Bronn - Bronn being your secret lover would be very stress relieving. Bronn is the kind of man who floats through life and lets whatever is going to happen, happen. An affair with you would be the same way for him. He doesn’t really give a damn about your husband finding out about the two of you. It’s only because you asked him to keep it a secret that he doesn’t say anything. However, when you’re with him he would want to relieve all of your stress. After spending the night with Bronn, you always leave more relaxed then when you came in. That’s part of what made you fall for him in the first place.
Jorah - Jorah being your secret lover would be very romantic. With Jorah being such a romantic at heart, he would want every moment with you to be as special as possible. The idea of not being your one and only does make him sad sometimes but for the most part, he just really enjoys your company and he would do anything to be with you. Even if that means waiting in the shadows until the coast is clear just to be able to kiss you. He would always prepare his tent with flowers and wine and candles just so that you know how special you are to him. He always wants you to feel like a queen because you are to him.
Ramsay - Ramsay being your secret lover would be very dangerous. Not necessarily dangerous for you but most definitely dangerous for your husband. When the two of you get together for the first time, it is full of lust and passion. Every time after that is the exact same however, over time he becomes a little more serious when he makes jokes about killing your husband so he can have you all to himself. Ramsay doesn’t particularly fear the law or your husband for that matter. All he wants is you and he’ll do whatever it takes to have you, even if that means killing your husband to get him out of the way.
Stannis - Stannis being your secret lover would be very intimate. Stannis is the kind of man who honors vows, who respects the words of honorable men. However he doesn’t find your husband to be particularly honorable or worth respect. He would want you to have a better life with someone who really loves you. The both of you know that man is Stannis. He adores you with all of his heart and he would do anything he could to remind you of that and to make your life a little happier and more comfortable. He just wants you to be with someone who is going to treat you like the queen you are to him.
Oberyn - Oberyn being your secret lover would be very open. Honestly, Oberyn doesn’t care in the slightest that you’re married. If he wants you he is going to have you, vows be damned. He would on many occasions threaten to tell your husband or kill him so that he can have you all to himself. The killing comment is always a joke but Oberyn is not above telling your husband. He doesn’t fear the Western laws or what anyone might do to him. Your love is worth it for him to say something and have you. However, because you beg him not to Oberyn keeps his mouth shut much to his own chagrin.
Sansa - Sansa being your secret lover would be very guilt inducing. Sansa didn’t grow up in an environment where she viewed cheating as something that was acceptable. She saw the way that her mother treated Jon, who was the product of infidelity. She didn’t want the same to happen to her and you. However, she knows that she loves you more than your husband ever could. That is what keeps her sane, what reminds her that it’s not such an evil act. The fact that she loves you as much as she does. However, that wouldn’t keep her from being ridden with guilt anytime she thinks about your cheating.
Dany - Dany being your secret lover would be very mischievous. Daenerys loves and respects you and she would never actually do anything to upset or harm you. However she does like to tease and joke about your husband. There isn’t a mean name under the sun that she hasn’t called your husband at some point. She also likes to joke about telling him about your affair, about how shocked he’d be. She also likes to tease you more publicly, doing certain things to get you riled up. She’d never actually do anything to get you in trouble but she loves seeing how worked up you can get when she teases you.
Brienne - Brienne being your secret lover would be very difficult. Much like Sansa, Brienne takes vows very seriously. Whenever she makes a vow she sticks by it no matter what and she thinks that others should too. However when she meets you her philosophy lightens just slightly. She knows that she is in love with you and she wants to be with you. To her, breaking a vow is worth it for the feeling of your skin. She just wishes she didn’t have to break any vows to be with you. She would encourage you to get a divorce so that your affair would be more lawful but she knows it’s not possible.
Margaery - Margaery being your secret lover would be very confidence building. Margaery ends up being your secret lover because she thinks that you are the most exquisite creature she has ever laid her eyes on. She would never want you to be insecure again as long as you’re with her. To her, the worst part about the whole affair is that she can’t take you out in public and show you off. She wants everyone to know exactly what she has and how lucky she is. She knows that your husband doesn’t appreciate you nearly as much as he should but she surely does. She thinks you are stunning.
#game of thrones#game of thrones preferences#character preferences#jaime lannister#sandor clegane#petyr baelish#jon snow#robb stark#tywin lannister#bronn of the blackwater#jorah mormont#ramsay bolton#stannis baratheon#oberyn martell#sansa stark#daenerys targaryen#brienne of tarth#margaery tyrell#reader insert#self insert#secret lover
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A Broken System
MASTERLIST
Summary: At her birthday celebration, Y/N is out on the town enjoying herself when she runs into a cute FBI agent who she’d love to take home and do terrible things to. Normally, someone meeting an FBI agent at a bar wouldn’t be that big of a deal. There’s just one, miniscule, microscopic, meager, problem... Y/N is only twenty.
tags: Large Age Difference, power imbalance, choking, Dom/sub, safe sex, vaginal penetration, dirty talk, cliffhanger.
A/N: this just made so much more sense in third person. i tried replacing it with second person, but trust me it did not work. hope you enjoy! gif by @toyboxboy
Pairing: Spencer Reid x Female!Reader
Rating: Explicit
Words: 5,930
~
Spencer Reid never really thought he was attractive.
Probably had something to do with his perpetually messy hair, gangly stature, and his tendency to ramble on and on and on and. . .
Yeah. Like that.
Another factor definitely was the fact that he was in his 30’s and had never really had a stable relationship. Sure, he’d had relationships with a few women. Well, two women. The first being a girl he’d met in college with whom he had a brief fling. Spencer didn’t really count it as a stable relationship due to the fact they barely even kissed. And the other woman, the only woman he’d ever really loved, died tragically several years ago.
Maeve.
Maeve was the real reason Spencer didn’t like going to bars with Morgan or being set up on dates by Penelope. She was the reason that Spencer wasn’t interested in anyone anymore. Who could possibly compare to Maeve?
Damn it. That was the other reason he wasn’t looking to date. He knew how the mind worked and there was no doubt that if any new person came into his life, she’d be unconsciously compared to Maeve. He couldn’t put anyone through that.
So, Spencer Reid stayed single. Which, for him, was relatively easy. Whenever someone started to get a little too close with him, he’d blabber and spout facts until they ran off. Morgan would ask what happened and Reid would just put on a slight frown, mumbling how she had to go.
The charade got more effortless the more they went out. Morgan, almost always going home on the arm of some woman and Spencer content to get a cab back to his own place, have a quick efficient orgasm, and fall asleep.
He had a system. And no one was going to break it.
~
Y/N hated the summertime.
Well, she didn’t usually. Anywhere else on the planet it would be mildly enjoyable. The beach, ice cream, staying up all night. All that fun crap. In Washington D.C, however, summer was hell.
But! When one was accepted into Georgetown and their parents offered to pay FULL tuition plus housing, how can one say no?
Seriously, she wanted to know.
After two whole years in this armpit of a town, Y/N had finally gotten used to the sweltering heat that plagued the city during the summer. Whatever. She just stayed in the comfortable A.C. all day anyway.
But, the summer before her third year was almost over, and the only thing she could think about now was graduating with a major in Journalism. She didn’t really like most of the courses, but it’s what she needed to do to become a full-time editor.
Living in a rent-free apartment was heaven. No roommates meant no worrying about, well, anything. The only problem was, her parents could hold it over her head every time they called. Which is why she never answered their calls.
Today, however, answering was unavoidable.
Because not only was it the day before her first class, today was her twentieth birthday.
Y/N was in the middle of getting dressed to go out with her friends when her phone vibrated from the kitchen table.
“Hello?”
She tried so hard to suppress the cringe at her mom’s voice.
“Sweetie! How are you? Are you eating?”
“Yes, mom.”
Oh boy. Strong start, mom.
“You look skinny in the pictures on Facebook!”
Yeah, she was definitely going to be late.
Surprisingly, it only took five minutes to push her mom off the phone, insisting that her friends were on their way and she had to keep getting ready.
A sharp rap on the door saved her.
“Come on!! It’s almost ten!” Y/N’s friend, Mina, said, annoyed. “All the old people leave the bars at ten and if we don’t get there soon, the bouncers won’t let us in!”
Y/N didn’t really understand the logic there. Hot girls always got into bars. Especially late at night. How were there not more crimes committed in clubs? Maybe she’d find out in her first class tomorrow.
“Hey!” Mina snapped her out of it, “Come on! Let’s go.”
They arrived outside a dinky little club a few minutes later. It had taken Y/N a while to get accustomed to how close everything was together in this town. Before college, she had been a small-town girl. Promise ring and everything. That, uh. That didn’t last long.
Before they got in line, Mina took a long satin sash out of her purse and secured it across Y/N’s torso.
“What the hell’s this?”
The sash was white with large pink flowy letters that poignantly spelled out: Birthday Bitch.
“It’s a sash.”
Three of Mina’s friends strode up, quickly exchanging hugs and wishing Y/N a happy birthday.
“I see that it’s a sash, but why am I wearing it?”
Mina confidently strode up to the bouncer, Y/N at her side, fake ID at the ready. Technically, it was the right birthdate, the year was just a little off.
“Go through. Happy Birthday,” the guy said, barely sparing the ID a glance, more focused on the huge sash. It made sense. She didn’t look her age. No one would think she was only in college by taking a glance at her.
“Oh, thank you.”
“Look,” Mina pulled her aside just before they entered, “this makes every single guy in there want to buy you a drink. So, go enjoy a free Shirley Temple, on me.”
Y/N scoffed and entered the club, immediately overwhelmed by the booming of the music.
Jesus Christ. How did people not die from this? It felt like her heart was beating out of her chest.
Sure, she’d been in a bar before. But not a real, proper club. She was pretty sure she saw some people wearing neon. Oh my god, there was a DJ.
Suppressing a laugh, she headed to the bar. At least there was a bar. There were so many people gathered around though that she couldn’t get much access to the one bartender on staff.
Luckily, he spotted her sash that seemed to shine under the blacklights.
“Hey, make some room for the birthday girl!”
And the crowd parted like the red sea, every man’s head turned towards her, and she cautiously approached the bartender who gave her a quick wink.
“Scotch. Neat.”
A dark man with a silver nose ring slid onto the stool next to her.
“It’s on me,” he addressed the bartender, staring at her the whole time. “So. Birthday girl. How old are you turning?”
She smiled softly. The sash was working great, but now she had to come up with a way to answer his question without explicitly lying.
“Who wants to know?”
Maybe flirting would be distracting enough.
He smiled, glancing down for a moment, then holding out his hand. Ha. Men.
“I’m Jon.”
Ugh. She hated handshakes. But for this man, she might be able to make an exception.
“Y/N.”
Five minutes later, she wished with all her heart she could take the handshake back. Y/N should have known better than to talk to a guy at a club. They were all sleazebags. But! She did manage to get a couple of drinks out of it.
“If you’ll excuse me,” she said after his fifth time mentioning Outback Steakhouse.
But before she could leave the bar discreetly, a hand wrapped around her arm, yanking her back.
“Hey, what’s the matter? I thought we were talking?”
Y/N may have been a small-town girl, but that didn’t stop her from grabbing his shoulders and driving her knee up into his crotch, stomping off toward the exit.
Only when she got outside did she realize how fast her heart was beating. She leaned over, hands on her knees to catch her breath.
A soft hand on her shoulder made her snap around, grab the hand and twist it around the stranger’s back, shoving him up against the alley wall.
“I’m sorry!” the man squawked shrilly. “I’m sorry!” It wasn’t Jon.
“What were you doing?” she demanded, not releasing him yet.
“I saw you lean over. I just wanted to see if you were ok!”
She finally drank in the man’s appearance. He was wearing a soft purple sweater vest over a grey button-down, slacks, and worn black converse on his feet.
Confident that he wasn’t a threat, she released him and took a step back.
The man rubbed his elbow softly, glancing at her chest. Before she could tell him off for staring at her rack, he pointed to the sash.
“Is it your birthday?”
She looked down. Oh, he’d been looking at the sash of course. Then why did she feel … disappointed?
“Oh, yeah. Some guy bought me a drink and got a little, er, touchy.”
Suddenly, the man’s face went dark.
“Who is he? Where is he?”
He started to walk back into the club but she stopped him, reaching out and gently grabbing his arm.
“Hey! It’s fine. I kicked him in the crotch.”
The man’s eyes switched from anger to surprise in a flash. He flustered for a moment, before shoving his hands in his pockets and walking back into the alley.
Y/N now took a closer look at his face. He had deep, wise brown eyes, a small five-o-clock shadow gracing his jaw, and very full lips, the latter of which he was biting profusely. Aw. He was nervous. But why?
Maybe because he was in an alley with a random girl who had just been groped at a club and he didn’t know what to do.
She chuckled, attempting to diffuse the tension.
“Um. I didn’t get your name?”
He smiled brightly, thankful for the change in topic.
“Oh! Of course, sorry. I’m Spencer!”
And Y/N braced herself for the telltale outstretching of the hand.
But none came. He simply stood there, one hand in his pocket and the other waving at her, a dopey smile on his face.
Her face lit up.
“You didn’t try to shake my hand,” she muttered, awed.
The man, Spencer, got an embarrassed look on his face, nervously rubbing the back of his neck.
“Sorry, I, uh. I’m a bit of a germaphobe. But, really, everyone should be! The amount of germs passed in a handshake is staggering. They really should be abolished altogether.”
“Right! People should just bow their heads or, or, wave!” she said excitedly, gesturing to his hand. “I mean a handshake is like a hug with a part of you that comes in contact with everything! Might as well go up to someone and start making out with them.”
As she spoke, his face lit up in wonder.
“Right? It’s crazy! But the thing is, some people actually do that! I was in that club for fifteen minutes and I swear I saw three couples leave together that definitely didn’t go in together.”
“I know!” she said, starting to pace in the cramped alley. “I mean, who goes home with someone that you just met! They could be a serial killer for all you know!”
She looked at Spencer and was delighted to see a joyful expression on his face. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t introduced herself.
“I’m Y/N. Sorry for blabbering,” she waved, chuckling slightly.
Spencer smiled even wider.
“Don’t be sorry! Usually, I’m the one who has to apologize.”
“Apologize for what?”
“Blabbering,” he said sheepishly, hands back in his pockets. When he was talking, they had been moving about wildly. It was kind of endearing.
“I don’t know,” Y/N said, considering. “Blabbering is underrated. One could argue it’s the best way to learn useless information.”
“Well, I’d agree but no information is really useless.”
Y/N held up a finger.
“‘Information is useless if it is not applied to something important or if you will forget it before you have a chance to apply it.’”
Spencer’s mouth fell open.
“Timothy Harris?”
She nodded. “The 4-Hour Workweek. Outdated, but still applies.”
When she noticed his expression, it nearly knocked her breath away. He was looking at her like no one ever had before. Like he’d just realized the most important thing in the universe.
Before her cowardice could catch up, she took a step forward, closing the distance between them. His face went blank, shocked by the sudden approach. He nearly gasped when she spoke.
“It’s totally ridiculous to go home with someone you just met, right?”
Spencer’s eyes widened.
“Totally.”
“Why were you out tonight in the first place? You don’t exactly seem like the club-going type.”
He smiled softly.
“I, uh, just got a promotion last week. My friend Morgan wanted to take me out to celebrate. It was either this or karaoke.”
She chuckled softly, their faces so close he must have felt her breath.
“I don’t know, I’d have liked to see your rendition of Bad Romance. Has anyone ever told you you’ve got a whole Lady Gaga vibe?”
“You should see my Beyonce.” And he did a little mime of the Single Ladies dance, sending Y/N into a fit of giggles. Without thinking — probably due to the trace amounts of alcohol in her system, not enough to be drunk, but enough to be tipsy — she reached up her arms around his shoulders, clasping them together behind his neck like a teen slow-dancing at prom.
Spencer seemed startled by the sudden physical contact. He froze, hands unmoving at his sides.
Y/N pulled her arms back, stepping away from him, discouraged and embarrassed.
“Sorry,” she said, collecting herself and walking back towards the club door. “It was nice meeting you.”
“Wait!” he called before she could reenter the club. A tiny part of her let out a breath in relief. She turned around to see him with a hand outstretched toward her, frozen with the uncertainty of what to do next.
He recovered quickly, a blush visible on his cheeks in the lamplight of the alley.
“If you’re leaving, would you, um. Could I walk you home?”
She had no idea what possessed her in that moment but just as he spoke, she walked up to Spencer, threaded her fingers through his hair, and pulled him down into a passionate kiss.
To her surprise, he responded immediately, running his arms around her waist and pulling her flush against him, eagerly returning the kiss.
His lips were so warm. He tasted very faintly of alcohol and maybe a breath mint? Y/N let herself fall into the sensation.
Suddenly, her back was pressed up against the wall of the alley, Spencer’s hands lighting a trail of fire down her body. He hesitated, pulling back briefly to make sure she was ok.
A glint in her eye, she yanked him back down, tongues clashing together in a blaze of glory. He hiked her leg up around his hips, pressing them closer together. Y/N could feel the hardness in his pants pressing into her stomach, sending a wave of heat down to her core.
She pulled back. If they went any further, she didn’t know if she’d be able to leave the alley.
Y/N tried to hide the smile on her face but it was no use. She beamed at Spencer, linking her arm through his elbow.
“Lead the way. Wait, that doesn’t make sense, you’re taking me home. I’ll lead the way!”
And so they walked, arm in arm down the busy D.C. streets, silently enjoying each other’s company.
They arrived outside her apartment fifteen minutes later, Y/N clumsily unlocking the door, nervous from the thought of what was about to happen. They hadn’t explicitly said anything in particular. Was he going to come in? Would she invite him?
Spencer, it seemed, was also daunted, standing awkwardly on the threshold of her place, hands buried in his pockets.
An idea sprung into Y/N’s brain.
She approached him, wrapping her hands around his neck again only this time, his hands rested lightly on her waist.
“Still think going home with a stranger is a bad idea?”
Spencer chuckled softly, stroking the exposed skin of her waist from where her top had ridden up.
“I’m still debating it.”
“Oh?”
He slid his hand around the sash, fingers hovering above her chest.
“I never asked, how old did you turn?”
She smiled. For some reason, she felt she could trust this man. The worst that could happen was he calls the cops on her for having a fake ID. She could deal with that. Destroy the evidence, bat her eyes. Easy. Besides, he looked barely of age himself. She quickly wondered what he did for a living? He did say he got a promotion.
It would be easiest to just tell him the truth.
“I don’t know if I should tell you this…”
He chuckled lowly in her ear, moving his lips gently across her neck.
“I can handle it.”
She gasped at the sensation, legs clamping together.
“Officially, it’s my twenty-third. At least, that’s what it says on my ID. One of them.”
Spencer froze, waiting for her to go on.
Y/N quickly backtracked.
“It’s okay! I’m twenty! Not a minor, no worries.”
But Spencer pulled away, an extremely worried look on his face despite her assurance.
“What?” she asked.
“You’re underage.”
She rolled her eyes.
“Yeah? Come on, by one year. What, you never had a fake ID?”
“No!” he said shrilly, running a hand through his hair.
“Spencer, it’s ok! It’s not like I’m gonna get caught. I look much older and when are there cops at a place like that?”
He reached into his pocket and fished out a folded wallet. Snapping it open, Y/N’s jaw dropped at the FBI badge with his picture in the corner.
She floundered for a moment, unable to truly comprehend what was happening.
“You’re . . .”
“Yep,” he said shortly, pocketing the badge.
“Fuck.”
“Yeah, that’s pretty much my reaction too,” he said, sighing. “I should arrest you.”
Y/N took a step back, incredulous.
“Arrest me?”
“You have a fake ID. You’re clearly drunk.”
She scoffed, crossing her arms.
“Great idea, Spencer. Book me. Take me down to the FBI and tell them exactly what happened to lead to you finding out I’m only twenty. I’m sure they’ll need very specific details.”
A look of realization flitted across Spencer’s face and he buried his head in his hands, groaning.
“How old are you anyway?!” she demanded, upset at him for being upset.
“Thirty-four!” he shouted, throwing his arms up in the air.
Oh shit.
This was bad.
He was fourteen years older than her, in the FBI, and probably was seconds away from arresting her.
“There’s no way you’re thirty-four. I mean, look at you!”
He rolled his eyes, snorting, and beginning to pace the small hallway.
“This is exactly what I get. I meet a girl I really like for the first time in years and she’s decades younger than me. And a criminal!”
“Hey!” she said, shoving his shoulder. “Not decades. I’m not a criminal. And how the hell do you think I feel? I’m out trying to have fun on my birthday, some guy gropes me leading me to run into the perfect man, take him back to my apartment thinking I’m gonna get lucky only to find out he’s a cop who’s gonna arrest me. Best birthday ever.”
Spencer eyed her carefully.
“Get lucky?”
Y/N’s eyes went wide. Shit. She hadn’t meant to reveal that part. Even though it was pretty obvious, something about it not being said added to the excitement.
“Did you really . . . I mean were you…. Um.” Spencer seemed to lose all authoritative tone suddenly, stammering nervously. It was such a 180, it shocked Y/N.
“Was I going to let you fuck me?”
He cringed at the bluntness but nodded sheepishly.
“Yeah, Spencer. I was.” She scoffed. “Honestly, I still would. But I understand if I’m more than you can handle,” she said coyly, trying to keep a straight face. “Just please don’t arrest me, Sir.”
His expression darkened at her words. Something deep and lustful behind it. Feeling bold, she went with it.
“Or is it Agent?” she cocked her head, holding a finger to her lips in thought. “How do I address you properly, sir?”
A small groan left Spencer’s mouth and he stepped forward, brushing a hand over her hair.
“We shouldn’t do this, Y/N…”
Slowly, she backed up into her apartment, pulling him with her.
“We shouldn’t.” She gently led him to her bedroom, sitting down on the edge of the bed, him towering over her. “To be fair, you’re the one with handcuffs.”
He groaned again, wiping a hand down his face.
“This is a bad idea.”
But he crouched down in front of her, pressing his forehead to her exposed knee, breathing deeply.
“Spencer,” it was barely a whisper but he met her eyes instantly. She smiled gently, reaching out to him and coaxing him up from the floor so he was hovering above her, mouths inches apart. “Listen, you don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” she assured him. “But I want this.”
She leaned back, pulling him with her so he was lying atop her, an obvious bulge pressing against her through their clothing.
“I want this, Spencer.”
Y/N hoped that he knew he could leave if he wanted. She didn’t want to pressure him into anything. Despite the age difference, she seemed to be the one more in control.
Spencer lowered his head, sighing.
“Fuck,” he moaned, lightly thrusting against her, a moan escaping her mouth at the contact.
That seemed to be the last straw.
He sat up, ripping his sweater vest off along with his button-down, quickly moving back over her, lips latching to her neck and chest.
Oh thank god. She wasn’t sure if she’d have been able to stand it if he’d left. But from the way he was touching her, hands moving up and down her sides, gently pulling her skirt down, looking up at her every now and then to make sure it was alright, he wasn’t going anywhere.
She just spurred him on, stripping off her top and bra, now only wearing her panties.
Spencer groaned at the sight, a hand reaching up, hovering over her breast. She arched her back up into his hand, letting out a gasp as he started to fondle her.
God, his hands were huge. And nimble. Oh, so nimble.
She reached for his belt, quickly unbuckling it and tossing it across the room, pushing his pants down faster than possible.
He groaned again, a magical sound, reaching a hand down to stroke her through her panties, coaxing a gasp from her beautiful lips.
In a flash, Spencer had pulled down her panties and buried his head between her legs.
Y/N gasped, hand flying to the back of his head, edging him on.
He slipped two fingers into her, his tongue flicking against her clit wildly, making her writhe and moan on the bed, gasping his name.
“Spencer, Spencer.” It took all the resolve she had to pull his head away from her. “I need you to fuck me.”
Spencer looked at her, trying to read her expression.
“Y/N . . . are you sure?”
Rather than answer, she yanked him up, crashing their mouths together, one hand quickly pushing down his boxers, his erection springing free.
Good god.
Wow.
How the hell was she supposed to fit that inside her?
She looked up at him, impressed, only to see a slight blush on his cheeks.
“Well,” she said, kicking off the panties pooled around her ankles, laid bare underneath the stranger on top of her. “This night gets better by the second.”
His size was a little daunting, but the thought of him slowly filling her up, probably not being able to fit all the way in, only added to her desire.
He dipped his head down, stealing a quick yet passionate kiss.
“Do you have . . ?”
“Yeah, in the drawer.”
He reached over, grabbed a condom, and rolled it on. It looked extremely tight on him. Y/N unconsciously licked her lips. Spencer chuckled.
“Maybe next time. I need to be inside you.”
And with that, he flung her legs around his hips, positioning his cock at her entrance, slowly running it up and down, moistening the condom with her juices.
God. The feeling of him being so close and yet so far was almost enough to push her over the edge right there. He had been a god with his tongue and she was desperate for more friction.
Reaching down, she lightly circled her clit, moaning at the instant pleasure.
Before she could enjoy it much, hands gripped her wrists, pinning them above her on the bed, Spencer staring at her with a dark look.
“If you wanna touch yourself, you have to ask permission. Understood?”
Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck.
Words escaped her so she settled for a small nod.
“Use your words.”
His tone was so commanding the word left her mouth the moment he finished speaking.
“Yes.”
He lightly placed his hand around her neck, not applying any pressure, just hovering.
“Yes, what?”
Fuck. She wondered if it was possible to come just from being talked to.
“Yes, sir.”
And with that, he slid inside her, slowly filling her up with his length, moaning roughly at the sensation.
Y/N’s eyes snapped open, watching as Spencer’s face tightened, jawline even sharper, and a dark look in his eye. He carefully applied a bit more pressure to her throat, quickly releasing his hand afterward.
They were both still as she adjusted to the size of him inside her.
“Is this ok?” his voice sounded so different than it had a moment ago. He had shifted back to the geeky guy she’d met in the alley.
She nodded gently at him, running a hand over his cheek in a way that was surely far too personal for a one night stand.
“My safeword is apple.”
He froze for a moment, shocked. Apparently she was kinkier than he’d expected.
Tired of not being fucked by this man, she dug her heels into his back, directing him to move.
He did without hesitation, groaning at the sensation of slowly pulling out and thrusting back in.
The feeling overwhelmed both of them, a litany of curses and moans falling from their mouths. Spencer’s hand moved back to her throat, squeezing much harder now that he knew what to listen for if she wanted to stop.
The sound of her moaning was enough to make him come right there and then. That, with the feeling of her around him and the fact that his hand was around her throat, totally in control.
“Fuck, you’re so fucking tight.”
Oh my god, where was this coming from? Her nails scraped down his back, leaving a trail of marks.
“You like feeling me fuck you?” he wrapped a hand around her leg, pulling it higher to try to hit the magical spot inside of her. “You like when I wrap my hand around your pretty little neck? Showing you how in control I am of you.”
She nodded ecstatically, legs tightening around him. She was definitely close to coming.
“What were you thinking? Going to a bar when you’re underage. Then leading a stranger to your home, intending to let him fuck you silly. Finding out I’m ages older than you and still practically begging me to bend you over and pound you till you can’t see straight. Is the age difference what gets you off, Y/N?”
At the sound of her name, she let out a raucous moan, no doubt waking up the other tenants of the building.
Spencer smiled, drilling harder and tightening his grip on her throat.
“Oh, you like it when I say your name? You like when I shove my big cock in you and moan your name in your ear?”
She practically screamed as his hand started to circle her clit, the stimulation practically knocking the air out of her.
He was hitting her g-spot with every thrust, pushing her closer and closer to the edge. She was so close. She just needed….
“You gonna come for me, Y/N?” he punctuated it with a particularly hard thrust, feeling her begin to clench around him, orgasm washing over her.
Her walls tightening around his cock was enough to send him barreling over the edge, grunting as he thrust in her four more times before feeling his balls tighten up and spill his seed deep inside her.
“Fuck,” he grunted, using his forearms to stay above her, both of them completely out of breath.
Slowly, he pulled out with a sigh, discarding the condom in the trash by her bed.
Y/N was seeing stars. This man had just given her her first penetrative orgasm. And, possibly the best sex she’d ever had.
‘Fuck’, was right.
Spencer flopped down next to her, still naked, trying to catch his breath.
Y/N turned to him, placing a hand on his chest.
It was strange. Even though they’d just had some of the best sex Y/N had ever had, she didn’t even know this man. And yet, somehow, she felt like she did. Did that happen a lot once you had sex with someone?
Her eyes refocused from where they’d been staring off into space to see a concerned Spencer looking at her.
“What?” she asked.
He studied her for another moment before speaking.
“You were biting your lip.”
A blush crept up her cheek.
“Yeah sorry. Helps me think.”
He let out a sharp breath, a sort of soft laugh.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he said as he retrieved his underwear, slipping them back on and starting to button up his shirt.
Oh. Was he going to leave? Of course he was! That’s all this was, anyway. A one night stand. You had sex. That was the point.
Then why did it feel like hell?
“You okay?”
Her thoughts had drifted into space again. Spencer had laid back down, now on his side facing her, holding her hand, looking at her intensely. His gaze was practically burning.
“Yeah.”
“I, uh, I don’t normally do . . . that.”
She chuckled. It was rather obvious he wasn’t the hookup type. Despite the dirty things that had come from his mouth.
“Me either.”
He softly stroked her cheek.
“Are you going to stay?” she blurted.
His face fell.
“Oh, no I wasn’t going to impose if you-”
“NO! I mean,” she took a breath. “I want you to . . . I mean, if you want . . . I'd . . . I’d like you to stay. If you want?”
God. She sounded like a teenager asking their crush to prom. This was no stuttering sophomore she could kick in the crotch if he said no. He was a man. Although, he did tend to stutter. Maybe it wasn’t all that different.
He lit up, a wide smile brightening his features and he began to stroke her hand.
“I’d like that too.”
Wondering if it was possible for cheeks to sprain from smiling, she pulled up the covers, cuddling up against him, falling asleep almost immediately.
~
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Ugh. The stupid alarm. She had been right in the middle of a wonderful dream involving Spencer’s hands and her bruised throat.
What time was it anyway?
The red clock radio proudly displayed: 7:00.
Right, it was the first day of classes. Maybe she’d just ditch and stay in with Spencer. He had been so warm she was sure he had a sun where a heart should be. College didn’t matter anyway, right? Ugh.
A shiver ran through her. She reached out for Spencer, only to find the cold other half of the bed.
Sitting up in bed, she stared at the empty spot.
Had he really walked out on her in the middle of the night? No…. No? Fuck. How could she be so stupid. Of course he didn’t want to-
Oh, he’d left a note.
In a fast yet tidy scrawl, Spencer had left the following message on a little notecard.
Good morning! I am truly sorry to walk out like this, but I have a class at 7:30 and I have to stop by my place and get ready. I’ll be back at the bar tonight, 10:30. I’d love to see you there.
-Spencer. X
Her heart melted into an ocean at the sentiment behind each individual letter. The man she’d just had a dirty one night stand with wanted to see her again.
Wait, he’d said a class? He hadn’t told her he was a student! To be fair, neither had she. That’s another thing they had in common apparently. It made sense why he didn’t tell her. A lot of people were ashamed of going back to college later in life. She thought that was ridiculous. Good for him.
Maybe she could look him up in the student registry. Actually, he may not even go to Georgetown. There were plenty of colleges nearby. She couldn’t have looked him up anyway. She didn’t even know his last name.
It was probably a good thing he left, because she, too, had a class at 7:30.
It only took her twenty minutes to shower, get dressed, and walk the very short distance to campus.
She arrived in the lecture hall with exactly one minute to spare, finding a seat next to a brightly dressed redhead holding a fuzzy pen.
“Hi! I’m Allie.”
“Y/N,” she said, suppressing the cringe as Allie reached out to shake her hand.
“Nice to meet you! What’s your major?”
Oh god. The inevitable college question.
“Journalism. You?”
“English,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Super boring I know, but it lets me take fun classes like this one. Why are you taking this class?”
“Oh, um. It looked fun, I guess. My dad was a lawyer and he kind of piqued my interest in the criminal justice system.”
Allie sighed.
“Thank god. You know half the girls are here just because the Professor is a hottie,” she said with air quotes, rolling her eyes again.
“Really?” Y/N asked, glancing around at the seats noticing the vast majority of the population were women. “Wait, I thought Ms. Merklins was the teacher? Did something change?”
“You didn’t get the email? It just went out the other day, Ms. Merklins had to retire. Something about a club foot. Anyway, the new teacher is supposedly super overqualified. Plus, he’s cute.”
“Huh.”
“Yep. I talked to this one girl in the hall, she actually said she’d sleep with him! Can you imagine?”
Y/N laughed.
“Nooooo. I cannot and I don’t want to. I’m just here to learn, I promise.”
“Same here. Although, if I start getting C’s, all bets are off.”
Y/N laughed and politely chatted with Allie while they waited.
The Professor’s office door swung open and Y/N reached into her bag to get her laptop.
“Hello, class.”
“Hello,” the class echoed.
“Welcome to Criminology. I am Professor Reid and I-.”
Y/N looked up over her screen as he stopped talking, making sudden eye-contact with the Professor.
She froze in her seat, blood running cold.
No way. No fucking way.
Spencer?
~
TAGLIST
~
@whollytaciturn @101donuts @thegingerfairchild @safertokiss @happyiidiot @cielo1984 @thupidalethea @darkacademiacherry @matthewreid @aloha-ashley-taylor @justchiara-02 @spnobsessedmemes @sweet-darlin @matthewreid
#spencer reid smut#spencer reid x reader#spencer reid#spencer reid fic#criminal minds#criminal minds fanfiction#fanfic#fanfiction#fandom#smut
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The Secret Life of MDC | Part 4
Part 4 - Riddle Me This!
Part 1 | 2 | 3 |
It just had to be the Riddler who decides to grace his appearance at the strip mall. Just looking at his outfit was a crime against her eyes. Marinette had her far shares of a run-in with the green suited villain, and after countless complaints, he still hasn’t changed his outfit let alone attempt to contact her about an outfit change. Catwoman literally has her number; he could have just asked.
“Now who wants to go first. Choose wisely and you shall survive, but choice wrong and you may get a bullet.” The Riddler taunts his capture victims. They squirm under the threat, eyes widen beyond belief.
From afar, Marinette could see the shaking figures of her classmates. Years of being under Hawkmoth’s terror, showing little to no emotions during an attack, and they are shaking to the sight of the Riddler. Perhaps it was because there was no Miraculous cure or they have forgotten their permanent residency. To be honest, Marinette was just waiting for Lila to say something stupid that would most likely get them all killed.
“M-my Damiboo would save me!” Yup, there she goes. Everyone, that was not fooled by Lila’s words (ie. Gothamites), facepalmed and groans as she gains the interest of the Riddler.
Tapping his chin, he stares at her before introducing his first riddle of this heist, “It's raining, and you pass a bus stop. There are three people there; your trustworthy friend, the love of your life, and a woman about to go into labor. Your smart car only has two seats. What do you do?”
Lila blubbers her answer, something about taking the love of her life and leaving. She is then scared shitless as a bullet zooms past her, nearly hitting her ear. A shock facial expression stays prominent on her face until she falls down, fainting.
“Oh, how the fibber swoons to darkness. Batsy isn’t here yet and I really want someone to solve my riddles.” He searches the crowd for his next victim. The Parisian teens quickly try to wake up Lila, but they also hope not to be the Riddler’s next targets.
Marinette mentally goes through answering the riddle. Chloe and Adrien stare at one another before shaking their heads. They knew what Marinette was thinking and that is a bad idea. Then again it might bet the better option seeing as they have no idea when the bat crew would make it to the scene.
“You give the keys to your friend so that they can take the woman in labor to the hospital and wait for the bus with the boyfriend.” Marinette confidently answers. The GA Trio stare at the Marinette in awe.
“She does that a lot,” Adrien whispers just enough for their new friends to hear. That was true, Marinette has a tendency of solving riddles which were due to her time being Ladybug.
Chuckling happily, the Riddler turns his attention to Marinette. Marinette doesn’t falter at him glancing at her, but she does narrow her eyes just enough to enforce a challenge.
Dancing closer over to Marinette and her friends, the Riddler chuckles. Half of the weapons turn to them, it's Adrien and Chloe that hold their ground while the GA trio looks like they want to bounce to safety.
“No amount of sass can save you from this riddle, pick the correct answer and your friend shall do free but pick the wrong—”
“They die?” Marinette quirks an eyebrow at the villain.
The Riddler blanches and says, “Only one color, but not one size, stuck at the bottom, yet easily flies. Present in sun, but not in rain, doing no harm, and feeling no pain. What is it?”
Emotionless and quick, Marinette gives her answer, “It's a shadow.”
“How about this one: if eleven plus two equals one, what does nine plus five equals?”
Adrien turns to Marinette, he knows the answer as Chloe taps the ground giving away the crook with a gun behind them. Tensions slowly rise among the group of friends.
“Uh, it’s two o’clock. You’re adding the hours of time.” Marinette answers with a sigh of relief at the end. She knows they are aching to pull the trigger, but unknowingly to the Riddler if anything happens to her, well let's just say he might not live to see another day.
The Riddler growls clearly frustrated with the teen's ability to answer correctly. Only a handful of people can do this to him. “In that case, what is it that given one, you'll have either two or none?”
Marinette only smirks, riddles was also one of her favorite past time against Tim when they are both on the verge of death by lack of sleep. Those late-night twitter messages give much to their twisted mindset on a lack of caffeine.
As Marinette draws on the answer a little longer, Chloe and Adrien take down the henchmen behind them. The henchmen fall to the ground swiftly as the blonde duo nod their heads. Adrien quickly pulls out his phone to see if there were any messages in the group chat. There’s none.
“How long do you think we can hold him off until they get here?” Chloe whispers side glancing at the rooftops of buildings.
“No clue, they haven’t sent anything in the chat, should I try texting Jon?”
Chloe’s eyes narrow causing Adrien to gulp and quickly tap on his phone.
“It’s a choice.” The blonde duo turns their heads towards Marinette who was now toying with the green suit villain. It was clear that she was slowly becoming agitated. “You know, what I have a riddle for you. What’s green and yellow, has no sense of fashion, and is literally killing my eyesight?” She yells at the villain.
It’s like a pin drop as everything freezes once more. Her classmates on the verge of leaving the scene as they were no longer the targets. Seriously, you’re just going to leave them to fend for themselves. Yup, they are as they make a large dash out of the scene. This then creates confusion among the Gothamite as they are used to this and what did they expect, screaming?
“Uh, I—uh…” The Riddle tries to formulate an answer. It takes him a second before pointing to himself. “Me?”
Marinette, like a disappointed mom, nods her head. “Yes. You dare show your face in such a green that could put someone’s eyes out. Don't you dare get me started on the yellow question marks? That tone does not do well on your skin. Gosh, you had one job, Riddler, one fricking job.” Marinette begins to go off. The Riddler and his henchmen pale at every word she says.
Just as Marinette was beginning to calm down, a shadow in the shape of a bat looms over the Riddle.
“Finally,” Marinette huffs as the Riddle turns his attention from her to fight against the Batman.
“Hey, you guys okay?” It was Nightwing who asks appearing behind the blonde duo. If looks could kill, he would have been six feet under with the look Chloe was giving me.
“Oh, my lord, it Nightwing!” Allegra squeals in the background but she goes ignore as Nightwing rubs the back of his neck.
“Get us out of here, like now!” Chloe screams to the vigilante.
Robin rushes to Marinette and tries to take her away from the situation.
“Are you alright miss?” He asks bringing them to the safety of the public. Marinette stares at him deadpanned before nodding. As much as we would like to kiss her lips, he sends her a shrug over to her friends. “Where are your classmates?”
“Gone, unless Alya decided to do something stupid like try and get a film of you guys in action.” Realization began to set over Marinette’s eyes. “You’re going to need to find them. Hopefully, they made it back to the academy without any problems.”
Robin nods then proceed to send a message over the coms about the missing foreign class from Paris. He quickly joins the search as Marinette turns to her friends.
“Do you any idea how ridiculously stupid that decision was?” Chloe grills the designer before whispering, “You know we’re not even in our suits.”
“Sorry Bee, but did you see that outfit?” Marinette counters before going on a massive rant about the Riddler’s outfit and how he could choose it.
~*~
Nette @GothamsFashionSense Yo, some foreigner just grilled the Riddler on his outfit. I’m so proud of her. #prideful #doIseecompetition
Chloe B. @QueenBeeOfParis Replying to @GothamsFashionSense That was my sista @MarinetteMemes, she too loves your content.
Nette @GothamsFashionSense And I ❤️ her, that rant was amazing 🤩. Need any tips @MarinetteMemes? #futureapprentice #fashionmess
~*~
Case in point, Alya did separate from the class when they were trying to escape once word got out that the bats were on their way. She is quick to make sure that Lila was alright before dashing back to the “crime” scene with her phone recording.
Batman had found her, but before he could get a word out, Alya was blasting him with questions regarding the situation and personal questions. He, of course, ignores them. Alya even tries to bring up Lila’s name but he doesn’t answer. Nightwing pulls on up on his bike to take the “aspiring” journalist back to the academy against her pleases and constant questions.
Upon returning to the academy, Alya was heavily lectured by the GA’s headmistress before her own teacher baby her. Mlle. Bustier was never one to give punishments unless it was warranted and even then, she doesn’t do it right. Alya was lucky to return to her dorm with a slap on the wrist and detention.
~*~
Babe Bee @Iheartthebatboy23 Um… can we talk about the girl that grilled the Riddler and how she looked so much like a Wayne? #newWayne #theorieseverywhere #brucewayneexplainplease
~*~
After a week of grueling classwork (aka grading assessments), getting pestered by her former classmates in Mlle. Bustier's class, Marinette wakes up with a beating headache. She hasn’t felt that way since the last time she had gone days without sleep, running on twelve shots of expresso before crashing.
“C’mon buggy, it’s Saturday and Jon’s in town. You know how much the kitten would want to spend time with him.” Chloe states, standing in front of Marinette fully dress and with a businesswoman power pose.
“And here I thought you did want to be the fifth wheel.” Marinette retorts only to get a chuckle out of the mayor’s daughter.
“No, but I will be FaceTiming Gami while you and the boys have fun,” Chloe responds back as she laughs at the dismal look on Marinette’s face. “But seriously though, get dressed. We’re meeting the boys in thirty.”
Marinette rushes over to her wardrobe and picks out her clothes then rushes to the bathroom. She comes out in fifteen minutes wearing black leggings and one of Damian’s sweatshirts that look like a dress against her small frame.
As the teens exit the school, they were quick to avoid Lila who was making up another story as to where she’ll be this evening. It was something along the lines of going on a date with her Damiboo. It took everything in Marinette’s body to not grill the liar about her boyfriend, but with soothing words from Chloe, they managed to get out the building without bloodshed.
If only that wasn’t the case later on that day.
Part 5 >>
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#maribat#daminette#fic:The Secret Life of MDC#ml x dc#mlb x dc#damimari#ml crossover#dc crossover#teacher assistant Marinette AU#teacher assistant au#ta marinette
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My Superfamily Set-Up
By and large I’m fairly happy with the upcoming Infinite Frontier status quo for the Superfamily. Granted that’s in part because I’m still convinced Kara will get an ongoing or mini in 2021, probably to coincide with her show returning, and PKJ hinted at plans for Steel on Twitter. But Kon has escaped the Titans dumpsterfire for a little while, and I’ve heard good things about Thompson as a writer as well. Kenan is popping back up in a one shot written by Yang that will hopefully herald more appearances in Batman/Superman. Jon is still co-protagonist with Clark in the main books, Tanya is in the Future State Shazam book and also a candidate for the FS Justice League book, so hopefully she’ll be in Titans Academy, and Lois is poised to be a big player in the upcoming Checkmate mini by Bendis. So fingers crossed, all the core members of the Superfamily will be in stuff come end of 2021.
Now that said, were DC to suddenly realize that I alone can save Superman, and asked me what kind of status quo I would like (whether for a mainline or Elseworld book makes no difference to me), this is the basic set up that I would go with:
Superman - I’d do a traditional status quo. Superman is disguised as Clark Kent, mild mannered reporter, married to Lois Lane, etc. I’d have Ma and Pa go back to being dead since I still am not a fan of them being alive. Note that this isn’t a reaction against Bendis, I loved Bendis’ run, but I do want to play with the traditional status quo a little bit before diving into something different. Especially since so many Superman writers have traditionally completely wasted the potential of Superman’s status quo.
Lois Lane - Similar to Superman I’d go with a more traditional status quo at the start. She works at the Daily Planet, she and Clark are married, she’s the best reporter in town, etc. I would eventually have her take over as editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet from Perry, I thought that was a great idea the New 52 wasted, and I love the idea of her and Cat Grant being rivals with the Daily Planet and Catco competing.
Jon Kent - I’d restore kid Jon and toss him back to the Super Sons, not because I think what’s been done with him has been bad, but mostly because I don’t want to write him as Superman, I want to write Clark. Jon seems to be being set up to be co-Superman, and I just don’t have any interest in writing that. To restore kid Jon without destroying Bendis’ run which I enjoyed, I’d explain that teen Jon is actually the “evil” Jon we saw from the Super Sons of Tomorrow future. He went back in time and rescued his kid self from Earth 3, and explained to him that he wanted to prevent that future from coming to pass, but that he needed to take his younger self’s place to do so. Kid Jon agreed, after all he was terrified of becoming evil in both Tomasi’s Super Sons of Tomorrow and Bendis The Man of Steel, and has basically been in hiding watching the events and also studying Hypertime so he can learn how to avoid ending up evil.
Clark and Lois would blow up at the Jons for the lie when Teen Jon judges he’s changed things enough for his kid self to return, but both Jons could point out that both Clark and Lois have kept secrets when they deemed it necessary from each other and Jon. That would be a neat conversation to have, and a way to continue the untraditional family dynamic that Bendis set up. You could keep teen Jon as a time anomaly until Hypertime catches up with him and restores him to his timeline, with him continuing to be Superman as penance, while kid Jon goes and pals around with Damian in Williamson’s Robin or whatever.
Superwoman/Kara Zor-El - I like the idea of Kara “graduating” to the Superwoman name. It’s open right now given Lana’s retirement, and I think it would suit Kara. I would keep Kara in National, it’s her own little corner to play in, but I would keep that development from (I believe it was) Andrea Shea, where Kara gets fired from Catco because she’s a terrible intern due to always running off to be a heroine. She and Kal talk, Kara admits she doesn’t really want to be a journalist, and so she goes and interns at STAR Labs. I hate how DC keeps turning all the members of the Superfamily into Clark clones. It’s goddamn stupid and I want them to please STOP. Why the hell would Kara want to go into journalism anyway? We’ve never even seen a damn journalist on Krypton! It’s a stupid thing they did on the TV show because they wanted to swipe Clark’s stuff. Let Kara be the scientist of the Els, the one who carries on the family tradition. What form that takes is something I’m open too, I liked Venditti making her interested in history in his annual, maybe make Kara an anthropologist? That would be hilarious.
Also give Lena to Supergirl, they can be best friends, enemies, lovers, I don’t care. But Lena is wasting away in a vault under Lexcorp last we saw, and that’s a damn shame considering how popular CW Lena is. I’d also add Natasha Irons (who I’d rename Mastersmith) and Tanya Spears (Powerhouse) to Supergirl’s supporting cast, they could play off each other as three supergenuis women).
Kon-El/Conner Kent/Scion - I’m really excited to see what Thompson is going to do with Kon on the Suicide Squad, but here’s what I would do with him. Kon would finally be able to shake off the Superboy moniker and leave that to Jon. Instead he’d take the name “Scion” as a reflection of his origins, and a tie-in to his new status quo. In the wake of Death Metal, Lex Luthor would abruptly step down as head of Lexcorp, stating that he needs time to redefine himself in the wake of his latest attempt to justify himself as the true hero by serving Perpetua, ending up with him needing Superman to save the day again. While he is away, he’s turned over complete control of Lexcorp to his sole heir: Conner. Conner is now head of one of the evilest megacorps in existence, and is one of the wealthiest men alive. Conner knows this is just another maneuver by Lex in his neverending crusade against Superman, but he’s determined to not just be another pawn. He accepts control, renames Lexcorp Superman, Inc. His mission will be to transform the megacorp into the force for good it pretends to be. Conner will have to take on not only Lex loyalists and traitorous underlings who would love to be CEO themselves within Lexcorp, but new megacorps who have flocked to Metropolis in hope of establishing themselves, now that the former Master of Metropolis has abdicated his throne. Threats within and threats without, but armed with the powers/morals of Superman and the charm/brains of Lex Luthor, Kon is just cocky enough to think he can handle it.
John Henry Irons/Steel - It will be a big year for John Henry Irons. His private company Steelworks is about to go public and make him a billionaire. Lana Lang has accepted his marriage proposal and they’re due to be wed. His niece Natasha has left the nest and is off working at STAR Labs. Irons is posed to finally resurrect the decrepit Suicide Slum and allow it to catch up to the rest of the City of Tomorrow. However there are problems: new megacorps are moving into the city in the wake of Lex Luthor leaving, people are disappearing from Suicide Slum with dark rumors are spreading about the reasons why, and the people of Suicide Slum are accusing Irons of planning to gentrify the borough. Making matters worse, weapons that Irons designed as a young man are appearing on the streets of Metropolis, attracting negative attention from the media and putting Steelworks at risk. Irons is going to have to suit up and take up the fight all over Metropolis, from the darkest levels of the Undercity, to the bright deceptive board rooms at the top of skyscrapers in the city’s heart. Irons will have to reckon with his past to secure his future, and confront the evil Metropolis would rather pretend doesn’t exist.
Kenan Kong/New Super-Man - Look just give Yang a damn Kenan book and let him go wild. Right now is either the best or worst time to give Kenan a book given the situation with Hong Kong, but if anyone is equipped to deal with it, it’s Yang. I’ll just add that I would love to see Kenan on a Global Guardians team, but I’d also love to see Justice League of China as a spinoff book of the main Justice League. Kenan is as close as DC has come to their own Spider-Man/Invincible take on Superman, Jon sadly hasn’t really differentiated himself from his dad while Kenan is VERY different. I would love to see Kenan pushed more and would buy a new book in a heartbeat. Also put out a damn New Super-Man omnibus Jim Lee, for God’s sake can’t you abuse your power to push the character you wanted created and is actually good unlike most of Wildstorm? You’re shoving Grifter back into everything but not Kenan? Christ.
So yeah that’s the Superfamily status quo I’d establish. Keeping my Clark and Lois ideas close to my chest for now, but I might go into more detail later.
#superman#superfamily#lois lane#jon kent#kenan kong#steel#supergirl#superwoman#dc comics#new super-man
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bloop, I find many of our TMA characters very lovable. Tortureable. I mean, lovable. Definitely that one. What do you think would happen if the eye fell in love with some other people?
Oooooh yes I also find every single character in TMA amusing to torture worthy of love, so I greatly appreciate this ask! In fact I wrote 2000 whole words of this ask, holy crap. It was long enough that I posted on AO3 here, if you prefer to read over there.
Otherwise, have 5 different humans the Eye could have fallen in love with in a funny way, and One in a serious way. :)
---
Jon is tiredly washing his face in the Archives bathroom when it happens.
Nothing immediately concerning, like waking up from a coma or feeling the pull to traumatize random strangers on the street. It’s just--when he looks in the mirror, there is a little buzzing at the back of his head, similar to what he feels when he gets a burst of knowledge or compels someone. Then, like an intrusive thought, words appear.
HELLO THERE, HANDSOME.
Jon stares at the mirror for a split second.
“What the fuck.”
Melanie gets to overhear Jon’s hysterical phone call to Elias’s prison later.
“No, no! I refuse!” he says, pacing as his voice gets increasingly shrill. “I’ve been kidnapped, blown to smithereens, resurrected, and had my free will toyed with. I’m drawing the line here. I am not having a-a possession-induced sexuality crisis in my thirties! That’s too much! No!”
“Well, Jon, I’m afraid you can’t simply switch off whatever feelings our master channels through you.’
“Go fuck yourself.”
“Considering our predicament, it would actually be much better if you --”
Jon throws the phone at the wall.
---
Elias is tiredly washing his face when it happens.
He looks up into the mirror and feels a buzzing at the back of his head, similar to what he feels when he gets a burst of Knowledge, or when he compels an answer from someone. And then, like an intrusive thought, words appear in his head.
HELLO THERE, HANDSOME.
This is what Elias always thinks when he looks at himself in the mirror, so he pays it no mind.
---
“We don’t think like they do,” Arthur Nolan says.
Gertrude scoffs. “I’m not convinced they think at all.”
Before the statement can go further, the door to the Archives bursts open, revealing a flushed, disgruntled looking Elias.
“Well, how do we know that you think?” he snaps, his cadence distinctly un-Elias-like. Un-Wright-like, for that matter. “I mean, philosophically--you can’t know if anyone is thinking besides yourself! Various human philosophers came to that conclusion you know! If you can’t be certain of whether humans think, then why doubt whether powerful eldritch beings can?”
Gertrude squints. “Elias--”
“The Eye is definitely smart. Super smart,” Elias says, still red and jittering like a teenager stumbling for a comeback. “You’re just--you’re mean! Anyway, the Eye knows sooooo many things! So many more than you, Gertrude. Maybe from the Eye’s perspective you don’t think because your brain is sooo tiny and your thoughts are so small. Ha, ha! Bet you didn’t think of that!”
Gertrude pinches the bridge of her nose. “I was taking a statement, Elias,” she tells him curtly. “Also, I didn’t mentioned the Eye spec--”
“The Eye is also very sexy and dateable too” Definitely-Not-Elias-Or-Even-Magnus says, bowling over her. “I hear the Eye has an eight-pack. That the Eye is cosmically shredded--”
---
Melanie expected her mental breakdown would be the end of her career. It had been awful. She’d woken up every day utterly miserable over the fact that one of her worst, most vulnerable moments had gone viral and was being watched and laughed at by millions of people over the internet.
And then, unexpectedly, her patreon earnings tripled overnight. Hundreds and hundreds of new accounts signed up and started donating. Suddenly every single video she’d made was one of the most popular on YouTube of all time, due to a sudden influx of likes from new accounts.
That’s also when the weird comments started up. Thousands upon thousands swarming the comment section of every video on her channel.
HEY HEY HEY THIS IS VERY FUNNY VERY GOOD MELANIE KING IS GOOD I LOVE HER
THE DOG GHOST JOKE IS FUNNY VERY FUNNY I LOVE MELANIE KING YES
MELANIE IS THE BEST VERY GOOD YES MORE MELANIE PLEASE
Melanie assumed it was some kind of mockery, but none of it was outwardly hostile enough to report. The thing that made them disturbing was just the sheer volume of comments and likes, from so many accounts all writing in the same style.
“This is--uh,” one of her more computer savvy friends told her. “I mean, I thought someone wrote a program to write all of these when you described them at first but… most of them are from different IP addresses. Um, it seems like the most likely explanation from a technical perspective is… multiple people collaborating to send all of these to you?”
The second disturbing thing was that the comments started to respond to things Melanie did not share on the internet… or even speak out loud.
NO MELANIE NO BREAKS POST MORE VIDEOS PLZ
MELANIE YOUR NOT BAD IT WAS VERY SEXY WHEN YOU PUNCHED THAT MAN
MELANIE YOU ARE LOVED HOPE THE ANNIVERSARY OF DADS DEATH WAS NOT TOO BAD WE LOVE YOU
And then, of course, was the third disturbing thing. That in addition to implying to have incredibly private knowledge about her, the comments started to… suggest things. Or rather, one thing in particular.
DO A MAGNUS INSTITUTE EPISODE MELANIE WILL BE FUN YES
MAGNUS INSTITUTE TAKES STATEMENTS THEY WILL BELIEVE YOUR STORY MELANIE DO AN INTERVIEW THERE
Melanie looked up the place. The Magnus Institute. Known for taking stories of spooky shit. Latest Archivist had disappeared mysteriously. Apparently the police gave the place a wide berth.
Melanie took a swig of whiskey, and decided she didn’t have much of a self-preservation instinct anyway.
---
Joshua had dealt with enough creepypasta shit during the coffin ordeal to be able to figure there was something supernatural about the Harry Potter style flurry of letters that swarmed his apartment, the ones with eyes painted all over their envelopes. He ignores them at first, which was his preferred way of dealing with this kind of nonsense, but that leads to the whole thing escalating. Now there are more letters, several boxes of chocolate on his doorstep, and… the wall has a bunch of new security cameras. The lenses seem to have silhouettes of hearts in them.
Huh.
He opens the door, uncertain about what to do with all the packages. That's when he notices his cell phone was buzzing up a storm. He checks and finds notifications peppered with eye emojis and hearts and x’s and o’s.
Well. Might as well see what the sender wants from him?
He taps the notification to see an impossibly long stream of letters.
Dearest Joshua, my love~
He stares. The texts come in as he does so.
458 new messages.
498 new messages.
He shoves the boxes of chocolates back out, and texts back.
---
Basira is tiredly washing her face when it happens.
It’s just one thing to add to the pile of obsessive paranormal weirdness that’s been happening around her lately. She looks up into the mirror and feels a tingle at the back of her head. Her face looks… well. Not different, exactly. Her features are all the same, but she can feel that thing at the back of her head tingling, appropriating her own eyes to size her up in an intrusive, alien way, noting the softness of her skin and the angles of her cheekbones. It’s not a way Basira sizes herself up--not on her own, at least.
BEAUTIFUL.
Basira knows, deeply, that she is not beautiful. Beautiful is a label that was always applied to other girls, ones who ran around in frilly short skirts, or put on makeup or wore sparkling things. Basira’s labels were different: smart, practical, sensible and most importantly useful.
Basira doesn’t like to look at herself in the mirror much these days. Still, of all that oppressive… interest… that she’s been saddled with, the appropriation of her own eyes on occasion might be the least of her problems.
Melanie watches her, whenever Basira takes to reading openly in the Archives. Melanie’s eyes are wild these days, and she’s always muttering and pacing and snarling as her eyes dart around as though looking for threats--except for when Basira is there. Then she gets still, watching, eyes unblinking.
“Stop that,” Basira says, when she catches her. “I’ve told you I want to read alone.”
Melanie looks utterly wounded for a second, then she flips.
“Fuck you!” she snarls. “I saved you, that fucking meat man would have skewered you without me! How dare you act like I’m some wild animal?”
“That doesn’t mean you get to--”
But Melanie isn’t good about listening to reason these days. When Basira tries to get her to stop, Melanie kicks furniture and throws things. Staplers. Scissors. Usually Basira doesn’t get hit. Usually. But even when she does, Basira keeps her voice level and her feet on the floor.
(Just like Basira isn’t beautiful, she’s not someone who shakes or cries when people throw things at her.)
Jon is worse than Melanie, though. Not violent. Not irrational. Just concerned. He tries to bring her coffee when she wants it but hasn’t asked, gives her Advil when she has a headache and hasn’t mentioned it. He blinks even less than Melanie these days, even if his eyes are softer.
What makes him worse are the questions--and the fact that Basira can’t stop herself from answering them.
“What happened?” he asks.
“Melanie. Scissors nicked me. She didn’t mean to, I think. Just was angry and didn’t think. Looked more hurt than I did when they actually hit.” Then, Basira got control of her tongue again. “Stop that.”
No reply to that last bit. Just an unblinking, soft gaze pinning her down like she’s an insect on a board. “How are you feeling?”
“Awful. I miss how she was before,” Basira can only barely keep her voice steady. “I’m mostly okay about the violence. I’ve dealt with worse. It’s just it all adds up, having everyone act so weird around me all the time. Jon--”
“You’ll feel better when you talk about it,” he says. Like he’s doing her a favor, instead of just satisfying that sick curiosity that this place runs on. “Basira, you said you’ve dealt with worse. Do you mean in your past job, or has anyone ever-?”
The second she’s done answering that one she bolts and locks herself in the safe room, pressing a pillow over her ears. She can hear Jon knocking outside, sounding so sorrowful. Saying he’s sorry and he just wants her to feel better and she needs to talk to someone.
She’s furious with him. If she’d caught him pressing anyone else for info like that, she’d have called him a monster. She’d have threatened to murder him in his sleep. She can’t manage any of that now. Instead she curls up on the cot, shaking in a way Melanie hadn’t managed to get her to.
(It’s not really Jon. Just like the violence isn’t really Melanie.)
(Is there a “Jon”, anymore? Or is what’s left just a hollowed out vessel for--?)
Her phone buzzes. Martin, the screen says. Martin, who refuses to be in the same room with any of them, or respond to any of their texts. Except Basira.
Are you alright?
Do you need anything?
Basira puts her phone down, unsure how to respond. The timing of the text means that Martin probably saw something, either through cameras or spooky Eye powers. That he’s just as compromised as Jon, or Melanie, or Basira’s own eyes in the mirror.
They can probably see her now, she realizes. One or another of them watching every single little twitch and lip wobble right now. The thought makes her suck in a deep breath, and school her expression into perfect stillness.
I wish Daisy were here.
The thought almost cracks through her calm and sends her into a spiral.
I was always safe with Daisy.
Outside Jon stops knocking and jiggling the doorknob. Quiet. As though he’s had an idea.
#I think I invented several cursed ships for this one#tma fanfic#the magnus archives#not sure what else to tag this rn I'll think of something later#taiey
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so this episode was the first in a while to inspire a bit of theory speculation from me (yay lore! yay plot!!!) so here we go.
three big things from this episode that had me thinking (in order from quick thoughts to Many Thoughts Head Full)
sounds like daisy immediately went for jon. it’s possible that it’s because he was the closest, it’s possible that she could detect he was the biggest threat vis a vis prince of beholding and whatnot. but i’m kind of curious whether it might be because, despite their friendship, she perceived him as the same as her other victims; a hunt that never finished, prey that got away.
jon can’t see things when he’s distracted. this is VERY interesting. i’m really interested to see where this goes. he didn’t leave the cabin for some time since there was so much to see and feel and know on the outside. is he getting more control? was he dwelling on it too much, is having martin by his side on this journey helping with distracting him? is it possible that his powers are narrowing a bit, putting blinders on, as he approaches the panopticon? this tidbit happened twice this episode. this is definitely some delicious, delicious foreshadowing.
and now the biggest thing that’s been in my head all day; daisy’s ability to hurt jon.
this obviously has some pretty severe implications and is some nasty (read: delicious) foreshadowing again. i doubt daisy is the only one with the capacity to hurt jon. he said it was due to their relationship before the change. interesting that martin didn’t ask him to expand on that, to see if he could guess who else felt “right” to be able to hurt him. he might not have thought to, he might not have wanted to know, or there could have been some webby mind meddling in there, who knows. i’m sure we’ll find out later. but here are my two speculations:
daisy was able to hurt him because she marked him
daisy was able to hurt him because he set aside his fears to get himself marked for her
with those ideas in my head, i did a quick run through of all the people directly responsible for marking jon, and all the people (i.e...... two, that i can think of) that he got himself marked for. let’s see where they are at this point in the story.
thinking that physical entites responsible for marking the archivist are a weakness, here are his markings listed in order that he received them, from the tma wiki:
web - mr. spider. not really a person, moreso a supernatural manifestation of the leitner. might still be around somewhere. the bully that “saved” him is presumably gone.
corruption - jane and the worms. dead.
spiral - first mark was michael stabbing him, really. michael is gone. he’s also been marked by helen, who is still around.
stranger - not-sasha. smote. also nikola, who is also dead.
desolation - jude. smote.
vast - mike crew. dead.
hunt - daisy. dead.
slaughter - melanie. presumably alive and well.
end - the coma. not really a person. i do not count oliver as creating this mark, because the mark from the end was already there. i mostly consider oliver as a catalyst for jon choosing to embrace death or choose the eye, but not actually marking him.
flesh - jared. smote.
buried - the coffin. not a person. no idea how much of a factor it is anymore.
dark - the dark sun. not a person. manuela created the dark sun, but did not have any intent to hurt jon with it, so i do not consider her directly responsible.
lonely - either peter or martin. we’re not entirely sure of the nature of jon’s lonely mark. it was peter’s domain, but one could argue that he was as indirectly responsible as someone like oliver or manuela; created a situation or tool or pawn for marking jon. in this case, that situation/pawn was martin. whether jon’s fear for his own life or his fear for losing martin was responsible for the mark is not clear. an argument could certainly be made that martin made that mark. that said: peter is dead, martin is obviously alive and well(-ish).
eye - jonah. no explanation needed.
all that said, there are 1-4 people still around that could be a kryptonite to the archivist, if this theory is correct: helen (if you think marks past the first are still important), melanie, martin (if you consider him directly responsible for the lonely mark), and jonah. if this theory is correct, it is interesting that jon was going after people that marked him despite clearly not really enjoying doing so, and avoiding people that didn’t personally mark him. it lines up with my other theory that the web is running the entire show here, subtly compelling him to eliminate the remaining threats to his survival. we’ll come back to that but i bet you can guess where i’m going with that.
and then people that jon got himself marked for:
daisy (entering the coffin to save her) - dead
martin (entering the lonely to save him) - alive and well
and an argument could be made for melanie, though that was a bit more unintentional. also presumably alive and well.
hopefully i’m not forgetting anyone there; that concept is a bit more subtle.
so if one of these theories is correct, that a list of 2-4 people still around that could be capable of hurting or even killing the archivist. i say kill because maybe it’s possible that a severe enough injury dealt fast enough, before he has the change to recover/regenerate, could be lethal. helen and jonah being threats are no real surprise and very boring to think about personally. here’s the fun bit because i love to suffer: melanie and martin.
melanie or martin needing to kill jon isn’t a new idea really. it’s on a few tma s5 bingos. but my thought is going back to that compulsion to smite the people that marked jon. again, this is absolutely rooted in my theory that the web has been driving the plot behind the scenes and is responsible for the apocalypse. not discussing that on this post because it’s long enough already and i’ve already talked about it a bit. if you disagree with that theory, you are welcome to ignore my concluding speculation. which is this.
people have been worried about the possibility that someone like melanie, or more likely martin, will need to kill jon to save the world. but what if the web pulls its strings, and tries to force jon’s hand in hurting or killing one of them?
personally, i think he’d resist. i wouldn’t be surprised if he is strong enough to refuse to follow through, which breaks something in his status as semi-immortal semi-leader, or loosens the state of the world itself. but my brain has decided to draw that conclusion from this one tiny tidbit in this episode and it’s so fun to think about.
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The Two Bastards
Fandom: Game of Thrones (TV)
Pairing: Jon Snow & Arya Stark
Warnings: None
Read below or on AO3
Jon Snow. Arya Snow. The two Stark bastards. Born to the honorable Lord Eddard Stark of a woman he was not married to.
Arya thought her father should get points for her and Jon having the same mother. He'd simply fallen in love, and it hadn't been with the woman he'd had to marry-- a woman he hadn't agreed to marry, when the contract was being drafted.
Lady Stark hated them. Jon more than Arya, since he was the oldest son of Lord Stark, and therefore a threat to Robb should he ever decide that he had a craving for power. The problem with that thinking, of course, was that Jon didn't care for power. He didn't want to rule anything. He liked going to his sword lessons with Ser Rodrick, and he liked staying out of Lady Stark's way when she was around.
Arya was older than Lady Stark's eldest daughter, but, since she was a woman, she didn't pose as great a danger as Jon did. She knew that, in a way, it was true. She knew that there was a history of the older, bastard son murdering the trueborn heir to take the title. The problem was that Jon was nothing like that. He loved Robb, and he'd never betray him. He worried when he gave him a bruise while sparring. He'd never be able to kill him. Besides, as Arya had already said, Jon had very little interest in ruling.
Seven hells, Arya was older than Robb, too, but no one ever accused her of wanting to usurp the seat of Winterfell. Not that she'd ever want it, plus she liked Robb, too. In spite of his southern coloring. All the trueborn children of Ned's had the look of the Tully's, not the Stark's. It drove her mad. With all of them lined up with their parents, their father looked like the one who didn't belong.
"The King is coming to visit," Jon said as she stood at a target dummy, taking her arrows out of it.
"How droll."
"Most people are excited by royal visits to their keep."
Arya turned and raised an eyebrow at her brother. "Most people are idiots, and how would you know, anyway? You've never been in a keep that had a royal visit."
"People that have experienced it have started talking. They say it's a hassle."
"We're not the Stark's, it's not our hassle to have," Arya said with a smirk.
"Fair enough. Keep our heads down, and we can skate by this royal visit unmarred."
"We're good at that."
Jon nodded, and he was silent as she walked back to her mark. Before she could draw the first arrow across her bow, he asked, "Do you think Father will introduce us?"
"To the King? No. To his friend Robert? Yes."
"They're the same person," Jon said.
"A King is not introduced to a lord's bastards, you know that. As Father's best friend, he'll want to know."
"But as King," Jon said, understanding, "we can't be introduced to the entourage. You're right. When did you start to understand this shit?"
"When you stopped understanding it. And while we're on the subject-"
"Of things I don't understand?"
"Of the royal visit," Arya said.
"Alright."
"I vote we tell everyone you're the woman, and I'm the man. You're the prettier one by far as it is, and this way we won't have to hear everyone say it to our faces."
Jon snorted. "I like the idea, but I'm not doing that. If only because Father would never agree to go along with it."
"Coward," Arya groused, without heat.
*
Jon kept his head down, and he dragged Arya with him when she woke up on the wrong side of the bed and only wanted to cause chaos.
A month of preparation and seeing Father grow more and more weary had Arya believing, whole heartedly, that Jon had been right when he said a royal visit was a hassle-- and likely a hassle alone.
"Mother says that the King will ask Father to be Hand of the King during his visit," Robb said. Jon had somehow been roped into getting a shave and a haircut the evening before the King was due to arrive. Theon was there too, which made him feel slightly better about the whole ordeal, though he was pissed off that Arya didn't have to cut her hair for this visit.
"Is he going to say yes?" Jon asked.
Theon snorted, none too kindly. "You don't say no to a King, Snow."
Jon didn't say that Robert would be asking as Father's friend. From a ruler's point of view, it didn't make any sense to ask the Warden of the North to go south. There was no place for him in King's Landing. His arms were already crossed over his chest, so he didn't move. He didn't say anything at all to Theon in response. Lady Stark would hopefully be able to keep Father from agreeing to it. Yes, Robert was the King and no one said no to a King, but he was also Father's oldest friend. They'd started a war together. They'd rode into battle together. They'd won the war together.
Lady Stark remembered the negatives of it, and hopefully she would remind Father when he got wrapped up in the thoughts of all he and Robert had accomplished together. Father had gone off to war, and he'd come back with two children that weren't born to his wife. He'd gone south, and he'd managed to come back once. Ned's father and brother had gone south, and they hadn't survived it. Stark's don't belong in the south; he should remember that when the offer was made.
"Watch your tongue, Theon," Robb said, barely a second later. Jon wouldn't have had time to reply, even if he'd wanted to. "Father will do what is right, not what someone demands of him."
It was a good thought. Jon hoped it was true.
Later, when his curls had been cut to a 'respectable' length and he despaired having to wait for it to grow back out, he found Arya. She was in the Godswood, caring for her sword. It was a dainty little thing, long and thinner than a finger. He'd had it made for her when they were children and she was being denied sword lessons-- Father had given in when he learned that she was practicing in private because it was better for her to be properly trained, if she insisted on carrying a sword with her at all. "Arya," he said, before he got too close, not wanting to startle her.
She didn't so much as twitch. Heard his footsteps, most likely. She'd always been good at sneaking.
"Did you hear?"
"Unless someone in the royal entourage died, I'd rather not know."
Jon ignored that. "Robb said that the King is going to ask Father to be the Hand."
"That's the sort of thing I didn't want to know," she said with a sigh. Her hands paused in their work for a minute.
They sat in silence, listening to the wind flutter the leaves.
"Do you think the Gods would listen if I prayed for Father to stay here?"
"Do you think the Gods listen to any of us?" Jon asked in return.
Another sigh, and she resumed caring for her sword. "That's what I thought."
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Bloodlines (2 of 3)
After receiving a vague warning from his mother about his cousin and Richard, Damian goes looking for his runaway ward.
Part of Batkid and Robin
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“Someone’s in the house.”
Damian paused, one foot out the door of the car. He turned to Jon to study him.
If it was a Bat, Jon wouldn’t have said anything so he could see how long it took Damian to notice. If it was Kon or Lara, he’d already be telling them off for breaking into their house. No one else in his family would have broken in and neither would most of their friends. If Jon didn’t recognize the person or considered the person a threat, he’d be worried. For most anyone else, he’d be annoyed.
He wasn’t worried or annoyed though, which only left one person.
“Stay here,” Damian sighed and got out.
Jon grunted, still staring at the house with enough fury that Damian was surprised his heat vision hadn’t activated.
Once inside, Damian dropped his keys into a dish on the entryway table then hung his jacket on the coat rack. “You know Jonathan doesn’t like it when you show up unannounced.”
“With your alien’s powers, I never should have made it inside without his knowledge.”
He came into the living room to see his mother sitting in an armchair, a pair of teacups waiting on the table next to her. “I asked you not to call him that. And it’s about being polite, Mother.”
She hummed and grabbed her cup. She tilted her head towards the chair next to her as she said, “He is never going to approve of me and I am never going to approve of him. This is something I have come to terms with so I wish you would as well.”
He ignored the invitation, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway. “You only don’t approve because he doesn’t have any more interest in providing me -- and therefore you -- with an heir than I have in obtaining one so he won’t help you convince me to allow your scientists our DNA. You should just come to terms with the fact you’ll never have a grandkid.”
“But I already have one,” she said into her drink.
“What are you talking about?” he growled, marching into the room to loom over her. “What did you do?”
“Calm down, my Baby Bird, I haven’t done anything. You know I wouldn’t do that without your permission.”
“After what you did to Jason, how can I be sure?”
She sighed and placed her drink back on the dish. “This isn’t what I came here to talk to you about and, unfortunately, I don’t have time to debate with you as I have to cull another uprising of the Council of Demons. When was the last time you spoke to Richard?”
Damian frowned at the change in subject. “Why do you care?”
“The Demon’s Followers are gathering.”
“Have they joined forces with the Council?” That didn’t make sense. Mara was all about gathering power for herself and she wasn’t foolish enough to think she could use them for her own gain then betray them without facing serious consequences. “And what does this have to do with Richard?”
“So you really haven’t been paying attention to the boy’s antics.”
Damian bristled. He’d been watching as closely as was possible without risking Richard discovering the invasion of privacy, something he knew would surely drive the boy away forever. “I ask again, why do you care?”
His mother stood, brushing nonexistent wrinkles from her pants. “I suggest you look into what the boy has been up to. Perhaps ask your pet, I know he’s been hounding Richard.”
Damian opened his mouth to argue, but his mother just pressed a quick kiss to his cheek before slipping into the hall. “And tell your cousin that should my grandson face significant harm, the League will wipe her little organization from existence.”
“Mother!” He followed her into the hall, but she was already gone. He didn’t bother to give chase, knowing she wouldn’t tell him any more than she already had.
“What was that all about?” Jon asked, coming through the front door.
“I’m not sure.”
Oh, he could certainly put the pieces together.
Mara was up to something, something that could put Richard in danger, but what could she be up to that would put her on the Teen Titans’ radar? His team was efficient, but they didn’t handle the type of secretive things the League of Shadows or Outsiders dealt with. The kind of things the Demon’s Followers dealt in.
There was also his mother’s descriptor for Richard. Saying that his mother wasn’t fond of his family was an understatement. She absolutely loathed Tim and Duke, more than even Damian had during those first few months after he’d been brought back to life, and the Council’s interest in Tim had only aggravated her feelings for him. She was more neutral about Cass and Jason, but she saw his sister as a stand-in child that his father should have rid himself of when his true child arrived and she saw Jason as his and his father’s pet street trash. For her to not only claim his ward as her grandson, but to also place him under her protection was… out of character. They had never spoken about Richard before, what with her going dark due to the Council’s actions during his father’s absence followed by his feelings towards Jason’s death and resurrection, but Damian had assumed she’d feel no different for him than Jason given his circus heritage.
“Are you going to go talk to Richie?”
Damian shot his partner a look.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re giving him space. It’s been over a year, though, D. I think that’s enough space.”
“He has to come to me. If I force myself into his life -”
“He’ll resent you,” Jon finished. “Okay, but he’s got that Bat stubbornness you’ve all somehow managed to inherit from Bruce despite the fact most of you aren’t actually related to him. Richie’s not going to make the first move. So if neither of you reaches out…”
“I don’t have time for this,” Damian muttered, heading for the door to the basement. “I need to figure out what Mara is up to and if the Teen Titans can handle it on their own.”
“Bats,” Jon huffed and followed him down. He stayed on the stairs, though, as Damian opened the secret door that led down to the Perch. “Do you want any help?”
Damian paused. “… Not at this time. Somerset will need your focus while I’m distracted. If anything changes, I will let you know.”
“Alright.” Jon drifted up behind him to wrap his arms around Damian’s waist. “Just know I’m here if you need anything. And be careful.”
“I will.” He leaned back into his partner for a moment before pulling away.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Red Hood was watching a factory burn when Flamebird found him. The teen had a gun pointed at his head before he could even speak. “Come for the fireworks, Boss-Bird.”
“I don’t want to fight. I need to talk to you. It’s about Robin,” Flamebird said, holding up his hands. He quickly ducked to the side when Red Hood shot at him.
“Yeah, no, you lost your chance to talk about him when you let Bitch-man kick him out.”
“That’s not what happened,” Flamebird said and threw a feather, lodging it in the gun’s barrel. “And it’s not the point. Mother came asking after him.”
That made Red Hood’s anger spike into fury, but at least he paused his attack. “She has even less of a right to talk about Red Bird.”
“Agreed, but I’m not about to ignore a warning about Robin’s safety, no matter who it came from.”
“So now you care?”
Flamebird sighed. “Hood, please, can we at least agree to put this aside for Robin’s sake?”
Hood threw the plugged gun at him. “You’ve got ninety seconds. This better be good.”
“Have you heard of the Demon’s Followers?” Flamebird asked as he grabbed the gun and slowly approached his brother.
“No. They related to your dear grandpa's cult?”
“Sort of. Like the Council, the Followers were a faction of the League that left when Mother took power. Instead of worshiping Ra’s, though, they follow my cousin.”
“You have a cousin?”
“Mara al Ghul, the daughter of one of Mother’s elder brothers. She resents me for leaving the League. She came after me when I was just forming the League of Shadows, but we took her down. The Followers have mostly operated as an organized band of mercenaries since, though Mara’s always looking for a way to gain power or spite me.”
“And you didn’t tell us about this because…?”
“I told Father, and I’m sure Barbara knows, but Mara shares Mother’s opinion of you all -”
“Meaning she thinks we’re trash.”
“- so there was never any reason to involve you.”
“Right,” Red Hood snipped. “And why does this matter?”
“Mother insinuated the Teen Titans have gotten or will get involved with the Followers, specifically with Mara putting Robin in harm’s way. When I asked for more information she acted surprised that I wasn’t already aware and suggested I speak to you. I looked into it and found evidence of the Followers in California, but nothing focused on Jump or the Teen Titans. So here I am.”
Red Hood crossed his arms and turned to leave. “Well, I haven’t heard about any Mara or her Followers so you’re out of luck. I’ll let Red Bird know to keep an eye out, though.”
Flamebird nodded, knowing he wouldn’t get any more out of his wayward brother. “Let him know she might use an alias as well. She has used Maria, Miranda, and Mariam for given names and Raatko, Tate, and Šabaḥ for surnames.”
“Sh-Shabac?” Red Hood said, looking over his shoulder.
“Šabaḥ,” Flamebird repeated slowly. “It means ghost in Arabic. She chose it to pay homage to her father, who went by White Ghost.”
Red Hood stared at him for a moment then pulled a communicator out of one of the pockets on his belt. “Shit, shit, shit!”
“What?”
“Shut up!” He brought one of his hands to his helmet and the red color leached away until only an X remained, the drain revealing a white skull on black. Similarly, glowing red X’s appeared on the back of his gloves and across his chest.
Red X flipped open the communicator and pressed a button on the side.
“What’s going on?”
“I swear, if they lost him again…” Red X muttered as the communicator rang.
“X -”
“Who is this?” a voice said from the communicator and Flamebird looked over to see Nightstar’s face staring back.
“Take a guess, Princess. Where’s Red Bird? And if you tell me you lost him to that stalker bitch again, I’m going to wreak bloody vengeance on the lot of you.”
Nightstar scowled, but was knocked out of view before she could say anything by Impulse. “What stalker? Do you know something about Robin’s disappearance? Howdidyoucallus? WhydoyouhaveaT-Comm?”
“Bloody. Vengeance,” Red X growled and Flamebird grabbed the communicator before he could destroy it.
Impulse gasped as he came into view, but he ignored her. “What do you mean Robin disappeared?”
“I, uh…” Impulse glanced between him and someone offscreen. She mouthed, Help!
The screen’s view expanded to show the rest of Robin’s team.
Virus was vibrating, the edges of their body going to static. Nightstar was glaring up at him, eyes glowing. Impulse was still gaping and Wonder Girl looked startled as well, but was working to hide it as she stepped forward.
“Flamebird, this is unexpected. What are you doing with Red X?”
“We’re looking for my baby brother!” Red X growled.
“X, calm down,” Flambird said and the boy flipped him off. “What can you tell me about Robin’s disappearance?”
“Why do you care?” Nightstar asked, eyes narrowing further.
Flamebird breathed out through his nose as Red X snorted. “Knew I liked you, Princess. I’ll make your death quick.”
“I received information about a dangerous group of mercenaries in your area. There may be a connection. What happened?”
Virus leaned towards Impulse and whispered, “Are the Teen Titans going to work with the Flamebird?”
“I think so. This is so cool! Do you think Batgirl will be there?”
“Or Nightwing!?”
“We can hear you, dorks,” Red X huffed and the two flinched, Virus ducking behind Nightstar and Impulse blushing. “Just tell us what happened to Robin!”
Wonder Girl cleared her throat. “Well, last night Impulse and Robin were on a date at the boardwalk.”
Flamebird blinked.
Red X snorted. “What? Didn’t know your kid had a girlfriend?”
“His kid?” Impulse squeaked.
“Flamebird is Robin’s father?” Virus asked.
Wonder Girl looked at her team, uncertain, and Nightstar sighed.
“Short answer: No, he isn’t. It’s complicated and not important right now,” she said with finality. “Robin and Impulse were at the boardwalk. They got separated in the mirror maze and no one’s seen him since. We searched the entire area, but couldn’t find any evidence of where he could have gone.”
“Virus scanned the maze,” Virus said. “Impulse was worried Robin’s disappearance was the work of Mirror Master or Reflek, but Virus didn't find any energy anomalies, not even any that would suggest teleportation. Robin just vanished.”
“You didn’t even find evidence of a fight?” Flamebird asked and the teens shook their heads. “Have you faced anyone recently who could have taken out Robin without leaving evidence?”
Wonder Girl shook her head. “We’ve considered that, but there aren’t many of our villains that could who aren’t locked up right now. The only one we considered was, well,” she gestured vaguely, “X. But Nightstar said she had evidence he wasn’t in Jump City at the time.”
Flamebird nodded, well aware that his youngest brother had been taking down a warehouse of drug dealers in Gotham the night before.
“Did you consider White when you went through your list?” Red X asked pointedly.
The teens shared a look.
“White hasn’t bothered any of us since she came back to life,” Impulse said.
“Maybe because she’s been reconnecting with all her minions,” he snorted. “I thought Red Bird said he was trying to track her progress.”
The teens looked uncomfortable.
“Which none of you knew because you all get mad when he investigates her. Of course.”
Nightstar crossed her arms. “He’s obsessed. We -”
“News flash, your teammate is a Bat. Any of your relatives who’ve worked with one of us could tell you that obsession and Paranoia come with the gig. And that’s, you know, ignoring the fact that that psycho is stalking him.”
“Stalking?” Flamebird asked.
“You better hope he’s fine when I rescue him or I'll raze that tower to the ground,” Red X said then snapped the communicator closed.
“What’s going on? Who’s White?” Flamebird asked as Red X grabbed the communicator and shoved it into his belt.
The boy stared him down for a moment then groaned and switched his suit back to Red Hood. “Follow me.”
His brother led him to a dilapidated apartment building. As he perched on a ledge to open a window, he muttered, “I’ll have to burn this safehouse now.”
The apartment was sparsely furnished, just a small card table with two folding chairs on either side and a couch in front of a book-covered coffee table. It was tidy, though. The books on the table were in neat, organized stacks. The kitchen counters were wiped clean and the only dishes that were out were the ones drying on the rack. The mattress that could be seen through the half-open bedroom door was also made to Alfred’s exacting standards despite its lack of frame or box spring.
Red Hood stomped across the living room to a closet door, opening it with a keycode to reveal weapons and ammunition arranged on shelves. He grabbed a tablet off a lower shelf and pulled up a file.
“She’s called the White Woman,” he said, opening an image for Flamebird to see.
The woman was covered from head to toe in a white suit styled after a Komon. The skirt only went halfway down her knees, though, revealing grey leggings that matched the obi around her waist and the hood that hid her hair and neck by connecting the suit to her hannya mask. Like the suit, the mask was primarily white, just with silver teeth, horns, and eyes. She also wore silver boots and gloves along with a matching utility belt over the obi that was designed to look like an obijime. A sword was strapped to her back, though he couldn’t see what kind from the angle.
“She started setting up shop in Jump City around a year ago. Her motivations weren’t very clear at first. Her lackeys stole and she set other villains loose on the city, but there didn’t really seem to be any goal in mind.”
“But she did have a goal.”
Red Hood nodded. “Dick realized she’d been testing the Titans, toying with them. He thought she was planning something for them, like trying to figure out how to take them down so she could take over. He… miscalculated.” He closed the picture and opened a new one from the file. “She was only after one of them.”
The image appeared to have been captured by a security camera. Richard was clearly the focal point, but he wasn’t Robin. The suit he was wearing almost seemed to be mocking the Robin suit. The tunic was still red, but a darker blood-like color that had also replaced the green on his boots and gloves. His belt, cape lining, and tunic’s trim were a dull silver instead of bright yellow and his sleeves, pants, and cape had inverted from black to stark white. His domino mask has similarly flipped colors, going from a black mask with white lenses to a white mask with black lenses. The R logo on his chest was replaced by a silver and black bird’s claw.
“Don’t know a lot of what went down since Red Bird did a hell of a job burying everything, but Robin went renegade for a week or two and started working with White. I thought he had just been undercover, but one of the few things Dick would tell me about his renegade act was that he wasn’t doing it by choice. She forced him to become her apprentice somehow, the creepy bitch. She’s obsessed with him, and would probably still be after him if she hadn’t died about six months back after one of her schemes backfired on her.”
Flamebird frowned as he switched the picture back to White.
“I’m sorry, I don’t know where Talia is,” Nyssa had said when Damian had contacted her after he’d found out about Red Hood. “She cut contact with me two weeks ago. Apparently, she objected to my use of the pits. If only you had called earlier so I could have called out the hypocrisy. Healing my niece is a far better use of the pits than fixing your pet.”
At the time, Damian had been so focused on arguing that Jason wasn’t a pet, he hadn’t questioned why Mara had needed to be healed in the pit. Especially one of Nyssa’s, which rarely saw use as his aunt was far warier of the effects of the pits than his mother or grandfather.
“Mara’s the White Woman,” Flamebird said, eyes tracing her mask. It reminded him of the Oni mask she’d worn thirteen years earlier, when she’d first attacked his team. “But why would she suddenly target Jump City?”
“Specifically Dick,” Red Hood corrected. “And beats me. Like we established, none of you al Ghuls give a crap about us.”
Flamebird opened his mouth, to argue that he did care. He cared about his Robin and he cared about his Batkid, no matter what either boy might think.
Then he froze.
“Grandson.”
“What?”
“When she came to warn me, Mother called Richard her grandson,” Flamebird said, turning towards the window. “I don’t know why she’d claim him as family, let alone acknowledging him as my heir, but if she was willing to overlook our lack of blood relation -”
“White could too,” Red Hood finished, tossing the tablet back into the closet and slamming the door closed. It locked automatically as the anti-hero raced after his elder brother. “She’s been targeting Dick to get at you, and you didn’t. Even. Notice!”
“I need to find Robin.” Flamebird pulled out his grapple gun, but Red Hood grabbed his arm before he could fire.
“I’ll find him. You’ve done enough.”
“I have a list of places where Mara might be.”
“And I have a list of places where White might be.”
Flamebird pulled his arm away, but turned to the boy. “Then we can compare our lists and narrow it down.”
“Not happening,” Red Hood growled.
“Ho-Jason,” Flamebird said, setting his hand on his brother’s shoulder. “This is about Richard, remember. Our focus right now should be locating him as fast as possible. You can be as mad at me as you want later.”
Red Hood slapped the hand away. “I’m going to shoot you in the kneecaps when this is over.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
For clarification:
League of Assassins: The normal LoA in the comics, ran by Talia (with Nyssa as an advisor when they aren't fighting)
League of Shadows: Dami's team (Flamebird, Nightwing, Abuse, Beacon, Flyway, Nobody, Quick)
Council of Demons: A cult that worships Ra's and seeks to bring him back to life
Demon's Followers: Mara's criminal organization
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DamiRae Fanfic: Vulnerable
Authors note/Summary: Takes place during the new timeline everything that happened in JT VS TT happened even Raven gifting Titus to Damien. Terra didn't die or betray the titans; she's part of the team happily. Also along the way Raven became very fond of Superman thinking of him as a father figure and a mentor. Trigon has now weakened due the help of Constantine's dark magic powers yet Raven still has him but now on a necklace since he isn’t much of a threat to her. Just wanted to clarify so there's no confusion i don't really want to focus on how trigon isn't much of a problem anymore, he just isn’t. keep in mind this is my first time ever writing a fan fiction story and writing in general anyway thank u
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chapter 1: comfort
Damian walked into the titans conference room only to reveal the massive wreck that the previous day caused. Beast Boy would throw random little surprise parties after missions and this was like every other one. Red plastic cups scattered on the ground along with confetti after beast boy would pop them when the titans walked into the tower last night, loads of pizza boxes surrounded by random fluid that knows what it could be. As of Beast Boy and Conner, their bodies were being tangled up in the couch drool falling dramatically down their mouth. Donna and Terra passed out on the kitchen table literally on the table with red cups in their hand. Jaime has took a departure for a week to be with his family the day before, not attending this little surprise party which was a blessing for him.
Tsk How could they be so foolish after a few drinks down their system. Damian shook his head heading towards the kitchen to get a water bottle for his morning training, not caring if he made any sound that would wake them up.
“They’re on the kitchen table this time?” Damian looks up from the fridge door seeing a restless Raven rubbing her violet eyes with her palms. It was only 7 in the morning and considering today they didn't have training but had a conference til 2 o'clock it was rare to see her this early, usually she’ll be meditating in her room a little bit longer. Not like Damian knew her whole morning schedule or anything.
“Yea, I guess whatever they drank last night hit them harder than usual.” Damian says, raising the bottle of water to drink, “Why are you up early?”
She shrugs her shoulders, “I felt like making my tea first before meditating today,” Damian nodded looking at her, her hair has gotten longer a little bit passing her shoulders since the last encounter with Slade. The red crystal her father was trapped in now became part of a necklace that laid on her collarbone. His eyes traced down her body taking notice in her pajamas she wore. Her legs bare wearing a pair of navy blue shorts hugging her small curves that he would always notice paired with a rather large dark red shirt that hid all the perfections of her body. He never cared about the female body as to just comparing it to a distraction to please men yet Raven never used it for attention. She was pure whether or not she was the daughter of a demon. That's what she was to him, a considerate flawless untouched being that was real.
“I’ll feed Titus right now you can go train to get a head start on everyone today, something tells me this hangover is going to kill them today.” Raven eyes their teammates feeling utter failure that the crime fighting superheroes at night are drunkenly passed out experiencing a hangover in broad daylight and might add underage too.
He looks down in her violet eyes, always being fascinated by them looking like a portal to infinite dimensions that could pull him in. “I appreciate it, I’ll take him out for a walk later today” Damian responds to her. She gives a small smile before turning her back to him. He had become less of a brat in his time with the titans but yet still kept his arrogant remarks here and there but it was nice seeing a change in him even if it was ever so slightly.
He exits to the training room, activating the training system to a level higher from the day before's training. The system activates with holograms of criminals and little silver machines coming out of the ceiling to shoot red lasers at him to make it more realistic, and so he begins battling.
It’s been quite some time that he and Raven have felt comfortable with each other, ever since Titus especially. Despite the bond that has been connected to them ever since Raven healing him with his fight with Jaime. He and Raven both knew they understood each other the best out of the team, they felt at ease with their presence. He never knew exactly when he started feeling attached to her, nor did it matter because that feeling of wanting to be closer to someone was never negotiated in his life.
Damian grunts his thoughts cutting when the red laser slices the skin on his shoulder. The effect soon left him with a deep bloody long injury, yet Damian just went harder annihilating his acrobatics when running towards the opposite wall lifting himself to abolish the battling exercise into pieces falling to the ground becoming nothing more than a useless piece of metal.
An hour later in the other room Raven was picking up the trash her teammates had caused last night with her magic. She knew Kori and Dick would lecture them if they came here with revolting pieces of trash everywhere.
“Sorry to make you do this i could’ve helped you--ow” The girl with blue eyes remarked only to hit with a sudden headache when she turned her head too fast to stop Raven from picking up all the trash with her abilities.
“It’s okay besides magic, remember.” Raven lifted up her hand as dark purple magic appeared. In a quiet second all the trash was lifted from the floor and gone into the trash.
“thank you again, so boy wonder is already up and at it.” Donna sips from her cup of tea Raven whipped up for her.
“Yea he should be done soon.”
“You should join him ya know training together, a touching moment to share, i mean hellooo sparks flying hmmm..” donna raises her eyebrow with her mouth being covered by the mug she lifted, “I mean come on Raven it doesn't take a genius to see you guys have a connection.”
Raven let out a small laugh, “Yes a connection we do have,” she lifted her finger pointing to her head reminding her of the mind link.
Donna rolls her eyes sighing as if she expected her to say that anyway, “A different one i mean,”
Raven has never thought about Damian and her in that position before although she had to admit he was a sight for sore eyes. Puberty hit him more than the team expected, not to mention his shoulders becoming much broader along with his chest, his height now becoming a head taller than her, his voice became deeper, everything changed in appearance as for her, it was like she became small to him.
Donna knew something was always between them; it felt like they had their own inside language in their own little way. Whenever they were with the team or on a mission they would exchanged glances and small nods as if it were a secret code.The team noticed but never once mentioned it to both of them in the room knowing damn well that damian would just oppose with an arrogant remark that would just lead to whole argument of back and forth protest.
“It’s not like that, we just feel secure with each other that is all.” she dipped her mouth to take a sip from the mug, “Just like you and jon” she quietly said with a hidden smirk.
Donna’s cheek redden whipping her head towards Raven pouting, “Shhh he’s right there he has super hearing remember.” she whispers pointing at the boy who is still tangled up on the couch sleeping.
Raven rolls her eyes, “Please he looks dead.” she scoffs tilting her head to view the boy “He might actually be dead considering whatever fluid Beast Boy made to get him like this.”
Donna sighs lowering her tone “Still, it’s not the same thing either. Just because I like him doesn't mean he sees me that way.He just sees me as the sister of the girl his dad had a fling with. He’s already grossed out at the fact that his dad basically hooked up with my ‘sister’ at one point.” she lowers her head into her arms in defeat.
“I’m sure he’s not grossed out. It just makes him uncomfortable knowing his dad has been with other women before marrying his mom and that women happen to be wonder women. I think you should keep trying, never know.” Raven smilies at the girl patting her head as a sign of support.
Damian sees the two females chatting at the table or more like a miserable ball of Donna being pet by Raven. “What’s with you?.” he questions donna walking towards them with a small towel thrown over his shoulder to stop the bleeding from the wound he has just gotten.
She sniffs, “Just some girl time. Hey did you hear about that new mission Kori has assigned for us?”
Raven looks at her puzzled, “No. I thought she would come later today to tell us. How’d you hear about it already?”
“She told me when we were on our way home yesterday. She thought I would take an interest in it especially, so she gave me a heads up.”
“What is it?” Damian glared at her thinking what it could possibly be. There could be endless possibilities such as tracking down Prometheus once again or perhaps there could be a crisis in Themyscira. Either way he did not care what the mission could be as long as it benefited his combat skills.
“It’s an undercover mission!” she lifts herself off the chair raising her fits, “Kori said that we're going to be going undercover to night clubs because of some new insights about something dealing with a new serum of something….?” she dies down her words acknowledging she doesn’t actually know what the reason of the mission is. “But! We get to go to nightclubs guys even when we're only 17 i mean come on how cool is that . Being able to dress up in cute little tight dresses, wouldn't that be fun Raven.” her eyes light up as if her dream mission was finally coming true.
Raven blinked, obviously trying to process what she said, “Uh it's not really my taste in missions.” Tight dresses? Getting all dolled up? It’s not like they never done undercover missions before but this was like stepping into a new realm into Donna’s world. It also meant she would have to wear something rather revealing to blend in but her more concern was that Damian was going to see her in scandalous clothing. He was going to see her out of her comfort zone, would he like it? Would her body even look good in it that he would take notice? What is she thinking of course not, he's used to seeing beautiful girls with voluptuous bodies at the academy. How could she compare.
She sneaks a glance towards Damian in the corner of her eye. He looks pestered as if he was expecting a grand mission that would save human lives but instead got nightclubs?
“Perfect. We’re going to a destination where people roofy others, drunks everywhere, with horrible music. That was your idea of an interesting mission, Donna?” Damian’s hand fell to rub his temples and bit back a curse before he caught the curious expressions of them.
Raven shifted over to him “What’s wrong? Did you get injured while training?” immediately telling that something was wrong no matter how many layers he would secrete.
Damian grunted rolling his shoulder to help ease the pain only making it worse when he grunted, “It’s nothing I got hit with a blast today sliced the skin above my shoulder,” he pulls away the towel exposing his hidden bloody ruptured combat injury, clearly needing healing.
He saw Raven’s angelic eyes widen quickly putting the towel back on his shoulder holding pressure on the wound, “Come on let’s go to the infirmary so i can heal you.” Pulling his hand on top of hers when adding pressure to his wound, he nodded. Raven opened a portal, walking side by side, vanishing leaving Donna alone in the kitchen feeling like an utter third wheel in that moment.
They sat down on the little nurse bed that stood in the middle of the room. Raven pulled herself close to him causing his knee to gently knock against hers as her body became close enough within reach to heal him . His body towered over, was he always this much bigger than her? Heat started to rise up her body flushing her cheeks with a small blush seeing his muscular arms close the sides of her hips. He looked down at her, seeing her long lashes flutter as she blinked. Oh how he wants her to look up at him to admire every perfection on her face. She turned her body fully towards him; it took everything in his power to not lean forward and just bring her so much closer to him. Her hands crept over his wound; he felt the fondness of her magic overrun his skin. Feeling it takeover the wound unleashing small sharp stings that he loved to feel. He closed his eyes, how he loved the insignificant bitterness causing a sense of pleasure run through his veins, he enjoyed it even more knowing this came from Raven. He let out a soft valuable breath from his lips as he felt the sensation disappear, damn.
He clears his throat wanting to break the silence after his little incapable moment, “Thank you seems like you're doing that a lot to me lately.” he chuckles considering since he’s the only one who doesn’t have rapid healing abilities in the team. He rolls his shoulder again not feeling the sharp pain he once had. “Once you get healing abilities you’ll be my new sorcerer.” She gives him a soft smile. He lets out a laugh at her shaking his head playfully. She loved his smile. It was rare to see it genuine in front of the teammates, it might've been selfish but she loved that he shared this side of himself with just her.
They sat still on the bed not moving, it wasn't awkward it was actually kind of peaceful. They both knew they didn't need words to enjoy each other's company. “This mission is going to be a pain don’t you think. It's already got Donna riled up.” Damian groans
“Yea, males feasting on women. Gross.”
“Especially females roofing people’s drinks.” They both look at each other snorting knowing they are referring to their own parents from their horrific ways.
Raven sighed in defeat shaking her head “We’re going to hate this mission so much.”
“Yea we are.” their eyes met each other. The room fell silent and you could almost feel their heartbeat pacing at the same time within each other. Her heart wouldn't stop pounding as she admired his vibrant emerald eyes. She hated the effect he had on her not even realizing it himself. Their fingertips were practically brushing against each other, all he wanted was to keep her close, so fucking close. It pained him how innocent she appeared, how she could do the littlest touches, the littlest words she could say can concede him to make him do anything for her, and he will. Without breaking contact she felt his hand lift from the bed and slowly move towards her collarbone. Shivers were sent down her spine when she felt his finger tips delicately land on her necklace.
“He doesn’t give you nightmares anymore?” his voice barely a whisper yet loud enough to break the silence in the room. She gulps hoping her didn't hear her seeing how flustered she already was, “N-no, he hasn't since Constantie ya know,”
He nodded in response, his hand still on her now looking down at her chest, “I remember,” his voice and face expression changed stern looking down at her chest, “when I would feel your energy from the mind link. When I felt the negative emotions stirring at night all because of your father. Those violent destructive dreams yet all i was able to offer was staying with you the nights of your nightmares.”
Raven was terrified that he could feel her heart beating beating out of her chest. Why was he to bring this up now? It's been 2 months since those nights. She'd be lying if she said she didn't think about them but she did if anything she missed them so much. Those nights where he would come into her room cautiously questioning what was wrong, shaking her to wake her up only to be woken up by him hugging her. He stayed with her, made her feel safe. They were valuable memories she cared for. Even though all she ever wanted was for those nightmares to be gone she didn't realize those moments would have to become memories. Another selfish thing she had yet to add, missing him comforting her. He thinks he didn't do enough for her? He did more than enough he stayed with her, that was more than she could ask for.
Raven carefully thought of her words, placing her hand on top of his that still layed on her collarbone, “Damian I’m more than grateful you stayed with me during those times. You offering to continue to be by my side is more than enough for me especially during those times. I’m happy you were there.” she genuinely smiled at him giving him a sense of comfort.
Her smile. The most treasured thing he could ever lay sight on. The one thing from the very start that made him change perspective on his new lifestyle when he first came to the team. He felt like his heart just got pinched and stopped with her words, he felt a blush crept up but tried to keep it under control. He just wanted to bring his lips towards her, to let her know how much she means to him. His other hand lifting from the bed slowly crossing over him wanting to reach her soft cheek, he wanted her no, needed her.
“TITANS! I have news on your new mission to come to the conference room to discuss please and thank you.”
Damian’s and Raven’s bodies jumped in shock snapping their heads towards the announcing speakers to what they just heard their leader's voice come out of. Raven stands up first walking towards the exit, Damian already in the miss of her touch, “We should probably go.”
“Right.” he follows her out the door.
He could’ve had her right then and there. He would have made her his. Then again he was just a boy who has no idea of the concept of sentiment or romance if anything. He wanted her so bad it pained him not being able to hold her. Then again she wasn’t his, possibly never will be.
Just teammate Just Teammates
#damirae#damian x raven#raven x damian#rachel roth#damian wayne#demonbirds#teen titans#donna troy#fanfiction#dc#dc comics#i dont know#i did a thing#sorry its bad#justice league#justice league apokolips war
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I read something rather hilarious today and it made me realize that the fundamental issue for a lot of A Song of Ice and Fire fans is that they are not sure what they want Sansa to be.
Sansa stans proclaim her as being the most intelligent character in the series but then get angry when readers criticize her actions because she is just a naïve, innocent little girl who does not know any better. Any criticism of Sansa in the first book is mainly because Arya and Jon are biased against her due to jealousy and is not in anyway indicative of who Sansa really is. She has no flaws and is perfect as is at the start but also she is a great character because she has tremendous character growth over 5 books and learns and changes so much.
I recall an Arya post I made once about Arya’s traditionally feminine characteristics and mentioned a book canon fact that Arya was better than Sansa at managing a household. This immediately got me a triggered Sansa stan in the comments who claimed that I – and Arya - was wrong about this and that Sansa was the expert in household management since that was her forte. Despite me and several others pointing out that Arya’s extroverted nature and friendliness with the Winterfell working staff meant that she could manage them better, we were accused of ‘demonizing’ Sansa for implying that Sansa did not enjoy interacting with the smallfolk.
This is how the Sansa stan metas about how Arya would have never survived KL came about – from a need for Sansa to excel in an area where Arya could not. So despite Arya having survived Harrenhal by keeping silent and enduring abuse and despite Sansa impulsively trying to push Joffrey off a bridge (only prevented by the Hound), we were constantly told that Arya would have been killed off in KL while Sansa survived using her wits and ladylike demeanor. This school of thought was so widespread that it actually made it’s way into the TV show – a prime example of how Sophie Turner and D&D were basing Sansa off Sansa stan metas on the internet instead of the actual books that GRRM wrote.
Let’s take the most prominent example of this clash of viewpoints regarding Sansa – her being the smartest character in the books. Something that the TV show audience was hit over the head with using a huge hammer and we got basically any character introduced on the show literally looking at the camera and telling us – ‘Sansa is the smartest’
Right at the start of book one Robb, Jon and Arya view Joffrey as a vain, pretentious ‘little shit’ from observing his behavior. Sansa is the lone exception who thinks highly of him. Even after watching Joffrey sadistically mutilate Mycah and attempt to injure/kill Arya, Sansa sides with him over her family. We are told by Sansa stans that a) she is just a naïve, innocent girl and b) she is cleverly siding with her future in laws and also trying to protect Arya from her stupidity of sticking up for a low class butcher’s boy.
Sansa tattling all of Ned’s plans to Cersei is also blamed on Ned rather than the person who actively made the decision to betray her father just so she could marry Joffrey and become queen. Let’s see what Sansa knows at this point - Cersei Lannister ordered that Sansa’s pet direwolf Lady be put to death for something that she played no part in. Jaime Lannister has killed Stark men and run off. Ned tells her the following:
Father’s mouth twitched strangely. “Sansa, I’m not sending you away for fighting, though the gods know I’m sick of you two squabbling. I want you back in Winterfell for your own safety. Three of my men were cut down like dogs not a league from where we sit, and what does Robert do? He goes hunting.”
“Sweet one,” her father said gently, “listen to me. When you’re old enough, I will make you a match with a high lord who’s worthy of you, someone brave and gentle and strong. This match with Joffrey was a terrible mistake. That boy is no Prince Aemon, you must believe me.”
To the girls he said, “I am looking for a fast trading galley to take you home. These days, the sea is safer than the kingsroad. You will sail as soon as I can find a proper ship, with Septa Mordane and a complement of guards... and yes, with Syrio Forel, if he agrees to enter my service. But say nothing of this. It’s better if no one knows of our plans. We’ll talk again tomorrow.”
Ned let’s Sansa know that it’s dangerous in KL for both girls, that he was sending them home for their safety and to not let anyone know about their plans. What more should Ned explain to his 11 year old daughter to get her to comply? Should he explain to her the complicated politics of KL before she deigns to obey him? Should she have the basic intelligence to acknowledge that her older, wiser father knows better than her about these things and follow his orders? Or should she go tattle to Cersei despite knowing what the Lannisters have already done against her family?
Oh, but Sansa is just a naïve, innocent little girl. But Sansa is also so intelligent.
When Ned loses his head at the end of book one, Sansa finally realizes that the Lannisters are not the good guys – something that the rest of her siblings figured out in like the second chapter of the books. And Sansa stans are like – wow, Sansa is so smart now! She’s like the smartest Stark. Sansa then proceeds to trust the Tyrells - because they are good looking and charming and charismatic - while they play her to get power over the Lannisters. But she’s so smart! Sansa then trusts Dontos who is LF’s tool. But she’s so smart! Dany and Jon are so stupid as leaders – look at all their mistakes. But Sansa - she thought that one time about how she was going to make the people love her when she becomes queen – surely the best ruler/queen in the books!!
But this is all in the previous 3 books. Let’s look at the most recent Sansa in the Vale. Any growth? Which brings me to the hilarious post I read today and Sansa’s conversation with Maester Coleman.
Maester Coleman clearly tells Sansa that these high doses of Sweetsleep is dangerous for SweetRobin in the long term . No ifs, buts or maybes about it. And it’s clear that Sansa knows this considering it’s right there in the text – “Maester Coleman cares only for the boy though. Father and I have larger concerns” . While Coleman is talking to her about his worry for SR’s health, Sansa is pondering over how much she likes to dance and whether she should give it a try as Alayne. And when Coleman, once again hesitates at the end, Sansa basically threatens him with LF – take it up with the scary boss man. Nowhere in the text does she herself evince any concern for SR’s health or express doubts about the effects of sweetsleep on SR.
But we are once again informed by asoiaf experts/Sansa stans that Sansa is just a naïve, innocent 13 year old and like they did with Ned, blame Maester Coleman for not explaining it to her in more detail. Sansa does not have google or Wikipedia you guys! – how can she know that Maester Coleman is right? It’s not like his qualifications as Maester is relevant or anything.
I mean, Jon Snow at the wall – the character who is often mocked for being stupid and knowing nothing in contrast to smart Sansa by tumblr – should not have taken any of Maester Aemon’s advice without looking up what ‘kill the boy and let the man be born’ on Wikipedia and only then follow that advice. It’s not like Maesters have trained and learned about these things at the Citadel or anything.
So we are back to excusing Sansa’s actions because she is the innocent, naïve, little 13 year old who is not aware of sweetsleep being dangerous for SweetRobin and it is all the Maester’s fault because he did not explain it to her properly and Sansa should not just take a physician’s word at face value without checking up on it with Wikipedia first and that’s not available to her.
Oh, but also Sansa is super smart now. Smartest Stark, best ruler, most compassionate and maternal etc.
This is basically the dichotomy that we are going to continue to see from Sansa stans as Sansa starts to become more LF like in the books – she is after all currently learning from him, following his orders and thinking that he knows best about all things – even where SweetRobin is concerned.
And Sansa fans want her to be the expert player of the games – from pawn to player – is how they see her endgame. But the expert players of the game – Littlefinger, Varys – are not good people. They betray, backstab, employ treachery, destroy families. If Sansa wants to join their ranks and play the game, then she is going to have to get her hands dirty and do some not so nice things.
And that is not going match up with the Sansa stan viewpoint that Sansa is essentially a very good person who only does bad things because older, wiser people don’t explain things properly enough to nice, innocent naïve little Sansa. It’s going to be fun seeing all the mental gymnastics they do as they try to justify Sansa’s actions as being both super smart and also because she is naïve and innocent. Sansa does not know, she does not have Wikipedia is already one of the most hilarious excuses I have read today.
And this is why show Sansa was such a mess and there was such a huge dissonance between what we are told by the cast/crew about the character and what is shown on the screen. We are told that she is a compassionate, non-ambitious, non-power hungry character – and yet she is written as LF 2.0. We are told that she is the smartest ever while all the time she is written as being an utter moron deliberately sabotaging her brother when he is trying to save the North from an apocalyptic threat. We are told that she is a super politician/diplomat while she is written as a spoiled child brat needlessly antagonizing a much needed ally. We are told that she loves her family (Lone wolf dies etc.) but she is written as betraying them for power.
Sansa fans – like D&D and Sophie Turner for ex. – have an image of her which is contradicted by the writing but they are unable to reconcile these halves and so we end up with nonsensical, garbage characters like show Sansa and hilarious justifications of her actions on the internet from her fans.
#I read something funny today that I seriously thought was a joke post#But then I realized they were being serious#anti Sansa stark#anti Sansa#anti sansa stans#anti GOT#anti D&D#This is about book Sansa but has to be tagged anti Sansa because Sansa fans think that book Sansa is anti Sansa
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AEW: Predicting the Next Champions (from Dec 2020 Onward)
Note: Spoilers for AEW Dynamite ‘Winter is Coming’ 2nd December Show
So Winter Came, and it came for Jon Moxley’s title reign. With a new champion, Kenny Omega’s reign will begin and most likely rule into and potentially beyond the year 2021 - along with what seems to be a budding relationship with IMPACT wrestling as well. At this current point I am expecting all the current champions: Darby, Cage, Young Bucks, and Shida to still be champions come the year’s end. So now is time to determine who will take the title from them? Note: While I am Legitimizing the FTW Championship for these predictions I am not doing predictions for the AEW Diamond Ring since it seems to be an annual trophy thing, the same applies for the Deadly Draw medals.
Potential AEW Trios Championship Prediction: Death Triangle Alternative Options: Jurassic Express, Best Friends & Orange Cassidy or Dark Order This is just an out-there one because there currently is no Trios Championship, but recently Tony Khan has noted that there is the possibility of a Trios Championship being introduced in 2021, and with several stables having 3 members it does look very likely. So for my money, PAC and the Lucha Bros’ faction Death Triangle (or Triángulo de la Muerte) will be the first to claim the gold. Currently a tween faction having feuded with Eddie Kingston and family, Death Triangle is definitely one of the most popular trios stables in AEW, to the point that we’ve anticipated their reunion longer than they’ve been a stable. Also, the Lucha Bros are due a title win, they fell short on the AEW Tag tournament and kinda hovered in the midcard, so they do need this the most. Alternatively, I can see other trios winning with the same appeal. Jurassic Express have been a favourite babyface faction who also seem to lose more than they win, the Best Friends with OC could use their experience to establish a solid reign and the Dark Order’s resurgence and usage of the Freebird Rule could allow them to enable dominance by numbers. While Team FTW and the Inner Circle could also be long shots, FTW have their own title and the Inner Circle, may have other plans for them. One can wish that the Trios Championship could be Intergender to allow more women to wrestle and be involved in factions, could have All-Women trios or mixed Trios but I do doubt so I won’t entertain for now.
FTW Championship Prediction: Cody Rhodes Alternative Options: Eddie Kingston, Lance Archer, ‘Hangman’ Page, Wardlow or Mr. Brodie Lee Recently the FTW Championship has been gaining attention due to Team Tazz’s prolonged feud with Darby Allin overlapping with Cody Rhodes. The rankings do have Cage and Starks very high up without title matches - save for Cage’s Casino Ladder Match victory entitling him to one. In the prior Dynamite, Tazz demanded that the FTW Championship be legitimized, and I feel like this will only happen if it changes hands to Cody. As much as he is talented and has a good head on him, Cody has unfortunately been reluctant to leave a form of spotlight. With the Shaq thing going nowhere like the Tyson thing was with Jericho, Cody making a ‘rise up’ feud with Cage and winning the FTW Championship would be a means to keep Cody in a top billing as he looks to legitimize the title only under his possession. This could also further storyline with Tazz, having ‘Hook’ perhaps side with his father and FTW fight to reclaim their branded title, or even Tazz vacating the title from Cody in stubborn rage. The alternative would be down to who else would have Brian Cage in their corsairs to be a legitimate threat. The FTW Championship this way could be a ‘Big Man’ belt since not many can beat Cage and share the FTW mantra Tazz would allow the belt to change hands for. With that in mind, Archer, Wardlow and Brodie are definitely ‘Big Man’ wrestlers capable of dethroning Cage and Eddie Kingston would definitely be someone who fits the FTW attitude, the man is money after all. Hangman Page would also be a decent shout to further his slow-burn storytelling, having Hangman fall into nihilism with this title, but for it to bring him no joy since this first singles title of his is from an illegitimate championship.
AEW World Tag Team Championship Prediction: Santana & Ortiz (Inner Circle) Alternative Options: FTR, Best Friends or Dark Order It is no easy feat to dethrone the Young Bucks. There’s not much else you can say about that, because of this it is not easy to determine who in the uber talented tag division can usurp them. Acclaimed, TNT, Private Party and Top Flight are not ready and Hybrid 2 are so talented but not in the champion mentality, the Trios Title talk also makes JE and Death Triangle less likely to just go for the tandem title. As a result, I am picking the former LAX to beat the Bucks. While Jericho and Hager seem to be representing the Inner Circle’s tag front right now, I do not think they would be successful to defeat the Bucks, this could trigger Santana and Ortiz to finally get involved. Like the Lucha Bros, despite some stellar matches they have found themselves aimless, so this is a good time to rebuild them to the great tag team we know them to be. With the advantage of the Inner Circle backing them also, it would restore legitimacy to the faction’s name. Other than the Inner Circle, FTR are probably the most likely to usurp the Bucks, I only don’t think they will because as the former holder it’d be a bit of a flip flop. The feud doesn’t need a title after all. Best Friends may not have to team with OC to capture gold, the same way that Dark Order don’t need to go for the Trios to capture gold, the Dark Order’s overness and the fact that the Bucks have taken responsibility for their booking could mean that they will seek to pay off the faction as a whole.
AEW TNT Championship Prediction: MJF Alternative Options: Sammy Guevara, Jungle Boy, Ricky Starks, Orange Cassidy or Miro Darby Allin is definitely entertaining as hell, but now he has the test of seeing if he can carry momentum on a weekly TV basis as a champion. I am certainly sure he can do it, but his downfall can easily be putting his body in too much harm’s way, which fits the strategy of MJF. Potentially without the AEW Diamond Ring when his challenge comes around, MJF can certainly profit from being a title holder in year 2 of AEW, his prior snipes at Darby especially before his World Title match against Moxley can fuel his confidence going against him and with the Inner Circle and Wardlow flanking him it can lead to him resorting to cheat tactics for heat and potentially lead to his downfall for when he loses the title, as well as neutralizing the legendary Sting - who I expect to stick around Darby, or at the least have a paternity test - for that extra dose of nuclear heat. Ricky Starks is considered the common alternative right now given their long-term feud, but let’s not forget Sammy Guevara had a great series of matches with Darby in the early days too. Miro right now is in one of AEW’s weaker gimmicks at the moment but a TNT title reign can restore dominance to his character. One possibility we do have to consider though is the heel turn, Darby could easily become consumed with defending his championship by any means, or his challenger obsessed with claiming gold, the former would better suit against opponents like Orange Cassidy - who will then be forced to ‘try’ - or Jungle Boy - who would seek to establish himself as a future world champion and not just an athletic midcarder.
AEW Women’s World Championship Prediction: Britt Baker DMD Alternative Options: Abadon, Kris Statlander, Thunder Rosa or Jade Cargill Despite its criticism, I believe that Hikaru Shida’s record-breaking title reign has been for the most part great. Shida herself has made a great fighting champion, calling on all contenders and having very good matches, to the point where we hold Shida matches at a higher standard to others. While I would love to have a strike match between her an a strongly-booked Tay Conti, I don’t think it’ll happen in time for Shida to still be champion, because the Doctor is in. Britt Baker was intended to be the Face of the Women’s Division, but after failing to connect with the crowd she became a revelation as a heel, only to be cut down by injury. In my opinion, AEW have maintained confidence in Shida’s reign because they want Britt to overcome her, likely by snide heel tactics to subdue Shida when she continues a juggernaut run through the division. Bringing a heel champion in will also open the door for more face challengers to shine, including returns for Riho, Statlander and Yuka Sakazaki. Currently Abadon has began to feud with Shida, crossing paths for the first time since Abadon’s only AEW loss against the then-not-champion Shida. Leaning on having the champion face fear, despite the Champion’s insistence that she is not afraid, it is still possible for fear to take over and for Abadon to win the championship, her gimmick definitely stands out and she has a definite following, there is also crossover value for her if AEW link her with or against IMPACT’s Su Yung and/or Rosemary. Other than Abadon, Statlander’s return from injury could start with a Heel turn of her own, allowing Statlander to use her power moves to more intensity, former NWA Women’s Champion Thunder Rosa may also rekindle the rivalry for a second crack. While I’ll admit I’ve not seen Jade Cargill wrestle, if looks are to be judged, Cargill can certainly rule as a smarmy heel champion, and there can be added story with Vickie Guerrero allying with her and guiding her to get personal vengeance on Shida where Nyla failed.
AEW World Championship Prediction: ‘Hangman’ Page Alternative Options: PAC, Brodie Lee or Brian Cage Storytelling doesn’t have to be convoluted to be great, AEW and NXT have proven that with stellar stories even when we knew how it would end. And climbing Adam Page from the gutter to the top is certainly the story one would top off a big PPV or an Anniversary show on. Granted, it’d be a super slow burn, but Omega is certainly a champion you expect to hold ‘Big Platinum’ for a long time, it also serves AEW better to limit the amount of times their main belt changes hands, which I’m sure the EVPs are all well aware of. Kenny’s alliance with Callis can usher in some IMPACT wrestlers to perhaps bolster Kenny’s allies and opponents but for now I feel that AEW should keep their world title at the very list restricted to their roster. Outside of Hangman, PAC definitely has unfinished business with Omega, the Bastard’s talent cannot go amiss and his character has been a proven success in WWE and the Indies as strong titleholder. Brodie may also fit the top title, his feud with Moxley was brief but very entertaining, I would love him to have the same coveting that he did in the Moxley feud, even having Dark Order members carrying the title for him to the ring. The final option so far has to be Brian Cage, in NJPW Kenny had multiple foils; Okada, Tanahashi, but one of the major ones was the ‘Stone Pitbull’ Tomohiro Ishii, a man with plenty of physical similarities to Brian Cage. Cage’s deceptive speed and monster power could prove to be a similar foil to Omega as Ishii had been for him years prior. So yeah, congrats to AEW’s new champion, I wonder how many I’ll get right.
#aew#all elite wrestling#kenny omega#jon moxley#darby allin#brian cage#team ftw#team tazz#the elite#ftw championship#aew world championship#aew world tag team championship#aew tnt championship#aew women's championship#PAC#death triangle#triangulo de la muerte#lucha bros#rey fenix#pentagon jr#penta el zero m#Eddie Kingston#Hangman Adam Page#Hangman Page#mr brodie lee#brodie lee#dark order#ricky starks#jungle boy#jurassic express
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𝐒𝐄𝐀𝐒𝐎𝐍 𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓, 𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝐒𝐈𝐗 –– 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍 𝐃𝐈𝐕𝐄𝐑𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄.
** this blog will not be following any of the events post episode five, unless plotted otherwise. for the general arch of daenerys in my portrayal however, her ‘end’ was incredibly different. this does not mean to say that i am opposed to exploring narratives where jon attempts to murder her, or where she does turn mad but i will not be explicitly portraying that theme throughout my writing in general plots and threads. this is my canon divergence, the original post which is mostly a rant written after watching the final season can be found HERE but for the sake of my new blog, i thought i would type it properly !!! this is likely to be an incredibly long post as i have it in my head that daenerys deserved far better so thank you for sticking through and reading this. its hugely important to me. ** in my head, i truly believe that daenerys was not mad. george r. r martin did not write her to be mad and her storyline will hopefully take another route after the butchering of her narrative in the final season.. she was simply doing what she thought was right and best for the people of westeros in a way where she got her justice and unfortunately, she did lose her way and became wrapped up in what she believed her ideal world to be. we completely saw in her final scene with kit beside the throne that she was still very much human and not insane. she was genuinely a human being, asking him to create a better world with her and … my girl. i would also like to put it out there that i am happy with the ending ( for a handful of the other characters and the justice they received ). i know there were a few loose ends that could have been tied with more time and less rush to crack on with star wars, cough cough d&d. but i think everybody is where they are meant to be. solely talking about jon’s ending but i won’t clog this post !!! give that like button a ♡ if you do read this –– just so i know for future plotting !!!
𝐄𝐏𝐈𝐒𝐎𝐃𝐄 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐎𝐍𝐒
◈ with still writing her, it is clear that in my portrayal that daenerys doesn’t die. whilst daenerys presented jon with a difficult choice to make, she asks him to build the new world with her in a throne room that is still intact and not burned to ashes. this would happen in the scene which he comes to her, only the turn in events does not follow the route of the show. how this does unfold however is dependent on my writing partner ( if writing with somebody who portrays jon ).
◈ tyrion urges that she invites the great lords and ladies of westeros to the dragon pit so that they do not feel uncomfortable or on edge with seeing her on the iron throne ––– a woman that they have only ever heard stories of. the idea of bringing them to a place where her dragons were once held as prisoners is a metaphor for the freedom that she wants to instil upon the seven kingdoms. now that the war has been won, they discuss the nights watch and other worldly issues, including northern independence because as somebody who has had everything taken from her, she recognises the loss that the stark family have also faced.
◈ the main reason that she grants the north their independence is because she knows how much eddard stark meant to jon and how the north has been a staple of his childhood and his narrative and she also respects that. she respects everything that he has lost much like her and i think it is important to note that daenerys respects and understands where sansa is coming from. she wanted to take her rightful throne and in the process of obtaining her families kingdom, she wants to give the stark’s what is rightfully theirs too. i would also like to imagine that somebody has brought it to her attention that this man whom she did not know fought for her life against his king and best friend in the earlier storyline when robert orders for her to be killed.
◈ in episode four, she urges jon not to tell his siblings about his parentage. whilst portraying daenerys and jon romantically, i feel most comfortable writing in a context where jon is not the son of rhaegar. if threads do follow the rhaegar and lyanna storyline, whether a romantic relationship is involved or not, daenerys would still be incredibly concerned about jon telling people of his heritage. not because she believes he would ever dethrone her but more so, because she cares about him and knows that kingship is not something he has ever sought after. there is something within her that worries for the throne too, which is completely okay. daenerys is allowed to have that burning dream in the back of her mind as it is all that she has ever known.
◈ “ because of everything she has been through, because of everything they have done to her. ” this is something that she says to jon, in relation to sansa. in my portrayal, daenerys does not feel threatened or anger towards sansa. instead, she actually feels disheartened and she understands it in a strange and peculiar way. she acknowledges that sansa has concerns for a reason, she absolutely understands that sansa has a vision ( similar to her own ) where she wants the best for her people. in my mind, i see a friendship and alliance forming betwen the pair ––– particularly on daenerys’ behalf as she has not come to westeros to form enemies. theyshare hardships and more importantly, have both blossomed into two powerful women who deserved better. i think they would be perfect together, as the southern and northern rulers.
𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐌𝐀𝐋𝐋 𝐂𝐎𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐈𝐋
◈ daenerys’ small council will have been heavily planned with tyrion by her side. in my canon, jorah, rhaegal and missandei are still alive. however, dependent on the threat and plot ––– if it aids the other person that i am writing with, i am not opposed to exploring the themes and troubles that their deaths may bring daenerys. sharna likes to live a world of angst, hurt and upset so bring me these heartbreaking, gut wrenching plots !!! please.
◈ as the queen of the six kingdoms, daenerys would absolutely appoint master of war to jon snow. in her eyes, there is not a single person more deserving of the role given every battle he has faced. she would not expect him to take it because canonically, targaryen or not, she knows that he has and will always be a stark inside. if it pleased him to travel back to the north and live his days back in winterfell with his family, then she would accept this, even if it did hurt her. an alliance between the southern and northern regions of westeros would be incredibly important to her, whether it is jon or sansa ruling as the king / queen in the north. failing this, greyworm would be appointed as the master of war with being the leader of her armies.
◈ bronn would remain her master of coin at tyrion’s suggestion, though at first daenerys would be sceptical due to him being part of the sack on highgarden. she does not feel comfortable with the idea that bronn was a part of the sack, murdering her allies and then claiming the castle for himself. but in this ‘ new world ’ she is trying to build of forgiveness and second chances, it only seems right that bronn is given the opportunity to prove himself worthy. in any verses with margaery writers where she is still alive, margaery tyrell is very much the heir to highgarden.
◈ lord commander of the queens guard would be jorah mormont. although daenerys has faced betrayal from him, she has forgiven him. there is not a single person in both westeros and essos that daenerys would trust with her life above jorah. not only that, but he has been by her side for the longest and it would give her no greater honour than presenting him with such a title after he has heavily protected her from the moment they met in pentos. daenerys’ knowledge of westeros and essos is not simply made up of what she has learned from characters like viserys and magister illyrio but a majority of it has come from jorah mormont, who has been by her side apart from the small timeframe in which he was exiled by her.
◈ davos seaworth will be granted the title of master of ships. i would like to think that daenerys had formed a bond with him, due to him being the one to bring jon to dragonstone. she admired his humour for what it was and more than anything, she admired his bravery as she knew that he had never fought in many fights. i would like to think that they shared memories of dragonstone and seeing as she does not know the castle very well, he would have offered her insight and knowledge of her ancestral home … telling her stories that shireen had taught him about the night she was born and her families history here. master of ships would also be a way to commemorate his son, in his death through the battle for blackwater bay.
◈ master of whispers. in this divergence, varys did not die or betray her because she ‘ went off the rails ’. varys may have lost faith in her but daenerys’ kind nature and desire to give second chances was what gave him the opportunity to see something else in her ––– a fire. he could see that daenerys knows what she needs to do in order to make this world far better than she found it and he believes in her to do so. master of whispers has always been a role he fulfilled in kings landing below kings that he has not necessarily believed in, so she would like to present him with the chance to work under her, having chosen her as his queen.
◈ grand maester is something which would be offerered to samwell tarly. in this canon, daenerys did burn randyll tarly and other soldiers as punishment for the sack of highgarden and their distaste in taking her opportunity to fight for the winning side, especially as somebody who had an allegiance to house tyrell and decided to dishonour that for the premise of gold and serving under the lannister’s. she knows the hard work he endured throughout his time at the citadel and feels as though this is the perfect opportunity to honour the time that he spent there, as well as providing a safe place for gilly, sam and their new child to live ––– under protection.
◈ master of law is something that i have not yet thought of and whilst tyrion would likely be perfect for the role, he is her hand. i am going to leave this one open as a plotting device to other people so if anybody would like to do a thread surrounding that role, then be my guest. this is also open to OC characters ––– including females as we need some more woman on this small council. i am also open to other suggestions for this role !!!
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A PROPER SLEEPOVER
Post Magnus Archives 159. Written entirely on my phone so forgive my formatting mess. Sometimes a girl has to write soft stuff.
Ship: Jon/Martin.
Rating: PG-13 for mentions of blood and past spooks
Summary: In a world where there is a calm before the storm, the Archives team has a moment to rest. And talk. Just a little.
A PROPER SLEEPOVER
In a different world, one where Elias is not waiting for them outside the Lonely but biding his time to seize his crown, Jon and Martin end up in Panopticon.
Magnus is still there, the all seeing eye, but Martin pulls Jon’s hand away from his side as he reaches for the pocket knife he keeps in his belt.
“If you kill him, you become him,” Martin whispers. It isn’t due to a fear of being overheard. The Lonely takes your voice over time, making you smaller, less intrusive. Martin isn’t sure he could scream even if he tried. Jon stares at the body of Magnus and then back at Martin.
“Later,” Jon says to Magnus, an empty shell of many eyes. He looks back to Martin. His gaze is piercing, unsettling, but somehow Martin finds it a comfort. He’d rather be seen than invisible. “Let’s go upstairs.”
They do. The offices are a mess but Not!Sasha is gone and so are Julia and her fellow hunter. There are no bodies but plenty of blood, and Martin feels a pang of concern that he hasn’t let himself feel in months. They run through the halls, Martin following Jon who somehow knows the way. When they get to the end, Basira and Daisy are there. Alive.
But not well, Martin realizes with a start. Basira is covered in blood but not hurt. In her arms is Daisy, who also looks mostly uninjured. But Daisy is different. Her nails are now claws that scrape against the floor. As she breathes heavily on her hands and knees, Martin can see her teeth are now pointed. When she looks up her eyes are that of a cat.
Martin watches Daisy’s gaze go right to Jon’s throat and he steps in front of him without thinking. Basira grabs Daisy’s elbow, whispering in her ear. Daisy’s blood soaked hair drips droplets onto the floor.
“Looks like we’re both monsters now, Archivist.” There is a growl to Daisy’s words but Martin is relieved to find her no longer looking at Jon’s throat. Jon moves in front of Martin, his hand on Martin’s shoulder.
“Maybe for now,” Jon says. “But perhaps not forever. If we're lucky.”
Daisy looks at him for a long moment then makes a noise that could almost be close to a laugh. Basira pulls her close and that same noise morphs into something loosely resembling a sob.
After that, after checking that all current threats aren’t at their doorstep still, they mobilize. They don’t bother to clean up the blood, but Basira and Daisy head to the bathroom to at least wash it off themselves. Martin begins to head to his own office but he is stopped by Jon seizing his wrist with a strength that’s surprisingly strong from such a lean man. When Martin turns back to look at him, his gesture loosens but he doesn’t let go.
“I-um,” Jon says. For a man who knows so much, he never seems to know what to say, Martin realizes with a start. “Sorry, but if you are heading somewhere, can I come with? Probably not best to be alone.”
Martin realizes with a start that he’s probably right. He’s so used to being alone at this point that it’s almost his default state, the comforting blanket of loneliness a shield. That shield won’t protect him if the hunters decide to come back.
If he’s not careful that shield may smother him too. That’s what Jon is worried of, Martin thinks, given his almost frantic expression.
“He actually missed me,” Martin thinks. And isn’t that a revelation through all the static still in his head.
He lets Jon come with him and he collects some of his things. His business cards say “Assistant to Peter Lukas” and Martin doesn’t miss Jon picking one up, scowling and then throwing them all in the recycle. After he has his files about the Extinction and his favorite poetry journal, he looks up to find Jon texting.
“Basira says we should all sleep in the same room tonight,” Jon says without looking up. “Safer. So we can keep an eye out for intruders and also each other.”
“So we’re having a proper sleepover then?”
Jon scoffs. “Technically we’ve been having a proper one for months.”
They pick one of the conference rooms for the “sleepover” though when Martin calls it in front of Daisy, she gives him a look that makes him almost vanish on instinct. They do a little planning, but everyone is exhausted and Martin soon finds himself drifting off. The Lonely, he thinks, takes a lot out of a person. Perhaps it is because exhaustion is something that so easily isolated people.
When he wakes, it is dark inside the conference room. Basira and Daisy are curled up next to one another, holding hands tight. Both of their weapons are at their respective sides. The Guardian and the Hunter, both taking respite where they can.
Martin himself is asleep next to Jon, his head next to Jon’s thigh. There is a hand softly brushing through his hair and Martin doesn’t have to look up to know who’s hand it is. Months ago, the thought of this situation would have turned Martin into a stuttering, embarrassed, mess. Now, he is too tired to feel anything but content.
John is reading through his files from the sound of the papers ruffling, his phone’s flashlight providing the sole illumination. Martin closes his eyes as he hears Jon turn another page. Like this, he can almost pretend it is like the old days when he thought of the Archives as a quiet place where papers were filed and statements were taken. Not the world where you cannot remember your co-worker’s true face or your boss rips out the worst truth you’ve ever suspected and read it to you out loud.
“My notes are on the back of each folder,” Martin says. Jon doesn’t seem surprised by his voice; he likely already knew Martin was awake.
“I saw them. They’re comprehensive.”
“Not bad for a fake master’s degree.”
“Quite.”
There is more silence. It isn’t like the silence of the lonely, the sound of paper and the other’s breathing filling up the small space. Martin can still hear static but it is faint, held at bay by friends and a warm hand in his hair.
“Martin,” Jon says, his voice soft like it was in the Lonely. “I thought you might be lost ,” he had said to Martin within that endless fog. And in many ways, Martin was. Lost upon a journey he had chosen but lost none-the-less. “Peter said something to me in the Lonely.”
The static in Martin’s ears grows louder.
“He said we barely knew each other,” Jon continues. “And I…I would like to prove him wrong.”
The static lessens. “Hm?”
“I am a monster,” Jon says, voice a different kind of soft now. The kind of soft when one feels all too human. “I crave other’s terror, I haunt others' dreams, and I am worried I will keep getting worse until I stop caring about getting worse. But-“ There is a deep breath. “I don’t want to be. A monster that is. Not forever.”
Martin turns now to look up at Jon. He’s looking down at him, his eyes lined with dark circles, his expression pinched with anxiety. Martin wants to wipe it all away. He knows he can't, he is not an idiot, but he still wants to try. “And?”
Jon closes his eyes. When he opens them, they seem to lack the weight of the Beholding, if only for a second. They look...soft. “I’d like to try. To be someone worth knowing. Worth...loving. If you’d still like me to be.”
Martin processes that. The words, the inflection, the meaning underneath. Even with the weight of the Lonely fresh, he can feel longing and hope and love bubble up in his chest. Maybe enough to make him smile for the first time in weeks.
“Yeah,” Martin says, throat dry. “I think I would.”
The smile that appears on Jon’s face is soft and relieved and excited all at the same time. Martin wonders how long it will take him to get back to holding all those emotions at once again.
“I’ll need time,” Martin says. “To remember what it’s like to be-“ To be what? Around people? To express feelings? To stop pretending he is nothing but lonely? He can't find the words so he waves his hand, hoping Jon’s knowing powers get the point across. Given Jon’s nod, they seem to.
“I can wait. Sleep. You’re tired.”
Martin does. As he drifts off, Jon’s hand still in his hair, he hears him speak one more time. Jon's voice is quiet but firm.
“I love you as well. Don’t vanish on me.”
“I won’t,” is the last thing Martin says before he drifts off to a static-free slumber.
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