#justice for ayna

[choicesmc]

made using [makowka character maker II]

Quick Sheet! Markus Howards

basic info

pronouns: she/her zodiac: leo love interest: ayna seth -> tatum mendoza

personality

marcus is an amazing negotiator and for a good reason! she's good at hiding her intentions behind flattering words and honey-dipped smiles. though this can come into question when her impulsive nature gets the best of her.

misc. hcs

she's a transwoman + kept her given name

distantly related to sawtooth (<- they're fourth cousins on her mom's side)

has ptsd related somatic symptom disorder focusing on ataxia in her legs

her relationship with tatum collapses a little after the events of the book (though it doesn’t stay that way)

tempering expectations here: markus won't be added to my official list of mcs! she's lovely but im not quite sure i have the bandwidth to add anyone else right now + do them justice. for now, she's one of my "quick characters", mcs i'd like to share but not devote a particularly large amount of thought to.

she will get a tag tho: #qc!markus h.

[cardinalnuggets]

You make me feel safe.

Pairing: Ayna x f!mc Word Count: 1350 ish Rating: T Summary: The attack on Kennedy was a bit more attack and less red paint being thrown on her. She's ended up in hospital and wakes up to Ayna sitting with her. It's pure self-indulgent cheese but hopefully it'll cheer some of you up given what's coming later tonight.

- - - - -

Beep, beep, beep, beep.

The noise was incessant, and it was only making the squeezing in her brain worse. If only it would shut up, she might be able to drift off again until the worst of it had passed. But just as she thought this, she slowly became aware of dull pain aching all over her body, right from the top of her head to the tips of her toes. Her head was definitely the worst, however.

There was a nice sensation as well, now that she thought about it. Something warm and silky under her palm. It was enough to calm her, give her something to focus on before she lost her patience with the pain. With every bit of energy she had, she concentrated on moving her fingers, trying to figure out what was beneath them. Smooth as a baby’s bum, she thought, skin? As though to confirm her theory, the thing tightened around her hand and she realised it must be someone’s hand.

Could it be my mom? She thought, and then almost immediately dismissed that. Even an attack on her wouldn’t be enough to make her mother abandon her political engagements. If she were able, she would have rolled her eyes at her own foolishness.

Tatum then? That seemed the most logical. No doubt he would be feeling guilty even though there would have been nothing he could have done. She would have to put up with him hovering around her even more than normal.

Just then, a soft groan reached her ears, decidedly too feminine to belong to Tatum. A quiet rustling next to her was followed by a weight lifting from the bed next to her hand.

“Kennedy? Are you awake?” The voice was hoarse with sleep, but it was instantly recognisable. Ayna. Ayna must have followed her to the hospital, and God she didn’t think she’d ever been so thankful for anything before. The attack had left her shaken, but Ayna’s presence was sure to help keep her from the worst of her panic.

Almost as though her body was waiting for confirmation she was with her, Kennedy’s eyelids fluttered open. At first, she looked like nothing more than a vaguely person shaped blob but with a few blinks to rid herself of the last of the sleep, she could see her in all her beauty.

She looked so soft, bathed in an almost ethereal glow from the hints of light filtering through the room’s crooked blinds. Angelic, Kennedy thought as her heart stuttered in her chest before picking up double time. Unfortunately for her, the heart monitor attached to her beeped along with it. With a look bordering on panic, the last of the sleepiness disappearing, Ayna turned towards the monitor.

“Is something wrong? Are you in pain?” Her voice wavered with the worry written on her face. She was half out of her seat, focused on the bell to call the nurse above Kennedy’s bed.

A short snort of laughter escaped Kennedy, though it quickly snuffed out as her broken ribs screamed at her. Ayna’s soulful gaze flickered over Kennedy’s face, her brows crinkling in confusion but seeing the pain on her face, she reached again towards the call button.

“No, no you don’t need to press that! I’m fine!” Kennedy’s voice was raspy and she instinctively reached up to try and grab Ayna’s hand, sending another wave of pain through her ribs. She all but doubled over in the bed, ruining her assertation that she was okay. “I promise I’m fine it just hurts to move.”

Ayna’s hand dropped to her side and instead of sitting back in her seat, she perched on the edge of Kennedy’s bed. “Are you sure?” She asked gently, reaching out to lace her fingers with Kennedy’s. “Your heart -”

“I’m fine.” Kennedy repeated, giving her fingers a squeeze. Heat crept up her neck and blossomed on her cheeks as she turned to stare at the wall opposite Ayna. “I just – I was – ugh,” she stuttered, rolling her eyes at herself, “I can’t believe I have to admit to this out loud, but you looked so beautiful sitting there half asleep. It just – caught me off guard. I’ve never gotten to see you like that before.”

Although the words came out half-garbled as Kennedy tried to rid herself of them in a rush, Ayna caught every one. Kennedy could see her go completely still out of the corner of her eye, so she turned back to face her, worried that she had said too much. Ayna’s mouth had formed a little “o” shape and her eyes were wide behind her glasses. She opened her mouth to try and shove what she had just said back in, or maybe her own foot. Before she could, though, Ayna’s face melted into the warmest smile Kennedy had ever seen, but her dark eyes glittered with mischief.

“I might have said the same about you if I could actually see your face behind all the wires and bandages.”

A sharp, startled laugh escaped Kennedy, though it was once again short lived thanks to the excruciating pain in her ribs. “Oh, please don’t make me laugh,” she whined, though her face was lit up in a way Ayna hadn’t seen it for a while.

“I’m sorry,” she answered, leaning down to plant a kiss on the small bit of Kennedy’s forehead that wasn’t bruised or bandaged. She probably would have felt a little guiltier if Kennedy’s smile didn’t look so joyful. There hadn’t been much of this kind of happiness on her face since they had gotten caught by the paparazzi in the lake.

They lapsed into a comfortable silence, so with a last squeeze of Kennedy’s hand, Ayna shifted her weight to get off her perch on the bed to sit back in her seat. Before she could move, however, Kennedy stopped her with a tug on her arm.

“Are you going to stay with me?”

Ayna answered with a short nod but before she could say anything, Kennedy patted the small space next to her in the bed.

“Then you should lie beside me. It’d be much more comfortable than sleeping in that chair.”

Honestly, the whole attack ordeal had been quite traumatic, and although Ayna’s presence calmed her, she didn’t think it would work enough to let her get back to sleep. Having her arms around her though, well that might just work. But Kennedy was not ready to talk about the attack and how much it had scared her, so she would have to hope that Ayna would take her up on her offer.

Ayna could feel Kennedy’s palms get clammy, see her eyes darting about in barely concealed panic and she knew there was more going on than Kennedy wanted to say. Gently lowering herself into the bed, she replied “okay, but you have to promise me you won’t kick me in your sleep.” Her eyes swam with worry, but her lips curled up in a cheeky grin.

“I’m a wriggler, so no promises. I can apologise in advance with a kiss?”

“Hm, making me an offer I can’t refuse. How diplomatic of you.” With that, Ayna leaned down to tenderly brush her lips with Kennedy’s.

Her lips were pillowy and soft, and Kennedy swore that she could gladly spend her life kissing her. Despite the sharp pain lancing through her, she reached a hand up to rest on the back of Ayna’s neck, hoping to keep her there for as long as possible. But all too soon, Ayna pulled back, dropped a kiss onto Kennedy’s forehead and said “you should try and get some more rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

With a nod, Kennedy snuggled into the warmth of Ayna’s chest, feeling her arms wrap around her. The scent of her sweet perfume calmed her instantly.

“Promise?” Came the quiet reply, Kennedy’s eyelids already drooping.

“There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.” And with that, Kennedy fell asleep, safe in the arms of the woman who was quickly starting to feel like home.

[samanthadalton]

I guess trying to romance Ayna at the same time as Blaine was a waste but my heart lies with Blaine 🥺 (if only pb treated her better)

[cardinalnuggets]

What happened to doing better by people of colour?? 🥲

Confront the traitor in tomorrow’s chapter of Foreign Affairs… But tread lightly, my friend. 👀

[kamilah-the-bloodqueen]

Heeeey💖

Don't get me wrong, I like your fics very much, have been following your blog for a long time, and could say you're getting better day by day. I read your last fic too, you did a great job again. Now don't want to be like I'm meddling in your business, but I'll ask something very politely and nicely. Please, don't make Ayna dirty or ruin her image in that fic, she's sweet, pure and precious 🥺🥺💖

Thank you so much for your supportive words and I promise that wasn’t my intent with that last fic! I value this kind of feedback because I’m not romancing Ayna so I’m not as familiar with her character as f!Blaine but I will try to keep her as her wholesome, precious and adorable cinnamon roll self. 💖❤️

[mortallyclearwonderland]

Star Wars Alien Species - Kel Dor

Dorin was a dark and dusty planet in the Expansion Region. It was the homeworld of the Kel Dors, with an atmosphere of a unique gas and helium.

The planet was situated between two black holes, making access to the planet limited, while space travel for the natives was highly dangerous. Dorin's atmosphere contained very little oxygen, and barely supported life, although some flora did exist on the planet. This atmosphere mix affected the evolution of the Kel Dor, requiring them to wear antiox breath masks to filter out oxygen while off-world. Likewise, many non-Kel Dors visiting Dorin would have to wear breath masks of their own for the gases they required. Humans, however, could survive at least a short time in the atmosphere without suffering any ill effects.

The Kel Dors were aware of and used the Force long before they joined the Galactic Republic and the Jedi. This proud Force tradition was known as the Baran Do Sages. The Baran Do Sages often acted as advisers to rich and powerful Kel Dor families. Initially, their powers centered on weather-prediction, but as the Baran Do Sages learned more about the Force, they realized they had an affinity for detecting, and subsequently preventing, dangerous events. Wars and disasters were often averted simply by the insight of a Baran Do Sage. After joining the Republic, the Baran Do Sages dwindled in power and number, due to the Jedi's greater knowledge of the Force, and their taking of Force-sensitive infants. Those Kel Dors who were even aware of their existence considered them to be eccentric wizards. Some traditional families still sent Force-sensitive children to learn from them, however. Because of their obscurity, the Sages managed to escape the Great Jedi Purges, for the most part, unscathed.

Kel Dors were noted for their simple approach to justice, and they typically saw moral issues in black and white. On the one hand, the Kel Dor were noted for their hospitality, they would never turn away a stranger in need. Yet, Kel Dors were not averse to taking the law into their own hands, and had no compunctions about putting to death a thief who was merely stealing to feed himself.

Kel Dor surnames, like Human surnames, were based on ancient family trades or jobs, or even a description of a particularly famous Kel Dor in the family. The Koon family name, for example, meant 'explorer'.

Kel Dor given names were based, loosely, on the sounds generated by Dorin's unique atmospheric phenomena. This tradition was highly popular among the Kel Dors, and the upper classes considered it bad luck to name a child away from Dorin. Kel Dor names tended to be short, usually monosyllabic, due to an ancient superstition about the "wind spirits" of Dorin. Upon hearing the sustained wind-sound of a long name, so the story went, the wind spirits would have mistaken the child for one of their own, and carried him or her off to be raised as a wind-child. No one believed in this myth for thousands of years, but the effect it had on Kel Dor naming conventions remained.

The tradition of using the sounds of atmospheric phenomena meant that Kel Dor given names appeared to have almost no meaning to an outsider, but another Kel Dor who had heard the sound in question and could identify the phenomenon would understand the significance and meaning of the name.

Likewise, objects and techniques were often named after their purpose or effect. For example, the Baran Do Force technique ayna-seff, which caused brain activity to become undetectable, translated to "dead brain" in Galactic Basic Standard.

Dorin joined the Galactic Republic in 5975 BBY, and had direct representation in the Galactic Senate. Because so many Jedi came from Dorin, the Republic funded the construction of an enclave on the planet. The atmosphere limited the regular students to Kel Dor, although many Jedi of other species visited the enclave to learn from the Kel Dor masters. While its isolation allowed the planet to remain unharmed by the Old Sith Wars, nearly all Jedi at the enclave on Dorin were killed by Sith assassins following the Jedi Civil War. During the New Sith Wars, the planet was the site of a battle won by the Sith.

During the Clone Wars, General Grievous led an attack on Dorin, but the Galactic Republic defeated his forces.

Dorin fell within space controlled by the Galactic Empire during the Hunt for Zsinj of 7–8 ABY and was within the core territory of Grand Admiral Thrawn's confederation during his campaign against the New Republic in 9 ABY. Dorin was outside of Imperial space by the following year, during which it was attacked by Imperial forces as part of an offensive by the reborn Emperor Palpatine's alliance of Imperial factions. Dorin later joined the New Republic, and the Baran Do engaged in contact and exchange with the New Jedi Order.

During the Yuuzhan Vong War, the planet fell into the hands of the invaders. After 35 ABY, the territory of the Imperial Remnant expanded, and Dorin was within the borders of the Remnant during the Second Galactic Civil War of 40–41 ABY. In 43.5 ABY, Luke and Ben Skywalker traveled to Dorin to consult the Baran Do and their involvement in Jacen Solo's fall to the dark side.

Early in the reign of the Darth Krayt's Galactic Empire, Dorin was blockaded by the Imperial Navy. The Sith then ordered that the best and brightest of Kel Dor offer their service to the Empire, or their people would suffer. As a result many Kel Dor entered the Imperial service, though the blockade remained in place. A secret route onto the world, called the Dorin Run, was discovered by smugglers, though it lay so close to the black holes, that all but the most reckless considered it too dangerous to use.

Their skin ranged in color from peach to a crimson red. Most had dark, black eyes, although some were born with silver irises, a mark that was often seen as an affinity for the Force.

Kel Dors were, as a whole, considered an unattractive species due to their strange facial structure. Their noses were described as falling short of becoming a beak, with a gaping opening that descended to the mouth, a toothless chasm with drooping fleshy strands. In place of teeth, Kel Dor had an upper and lower hard-palate, visible only when they pulled their lips back. Framing their head were extrasensory organs which terminated in small black tusks.

Due to Dorin having a unique atmosphere composed of helium and a gas unique to their world, the Kel Dors were forced to wear an antiox breath mask and protective goggles whenever in atmospheres of a different composition. This equipment protected them from carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and oxygen, which were fatal to a Kel Dor. The breathing mask also helped to amplify the Kel Dor's voice, as they were forced to shout to produce any sound when out of their native atmosphere. Without their protective goggles, Kel Dors were considered effectively blind when away from Dorin. They were also able to survive in the vacuum of space for a short time, though it was unknown exactly how long they could withstand it.

The Kel Dors also had heightened reflexes, a result of the extrasensory organs in their heads. As a species, they were thought to be typically quick and wise, but of a weaker constitution, when compared to other species. Kel Dors were also said to communicate with their minds using a form of telepathy. This form of telepathy was thought to be a Force technique known only among the masters of the Baran Do order, but was later exposed to be a lie spread by the Baran Do sages.

The average Kel Dor stands between 1.6 and 2 meters or 5.2 and 6.6 feet tall and weighs 70 kilograms or 154 pounds.

Kel Dor age at the following stages:

1 - 11 Child

12 - 15 Young Adult

16 - 44 Adult

45 - 59 Middle Age

60 - 69 Old

Examples of Names: Dorn Tlo, Plo Koon, Sha Koon, Torin Dol.

Languages: Kel Dor, or Kel Dorian, was the native language of the Kel Dor species from Dorin. Most Kel Dor were fluent in both Kel Dor and Basic, preferring to use Basic over their own language when away from their homeworld due to oxygen atmospheres making it more difficult to understand. It was easier to speak the language when in Dorin's atmosphere, though this did not prevent some non-Kel Dor from learning the language. Vylanthar Merric and Commander Doel Scherp both had learned the language, as well as the Jedi Bultar Swan and Ahsoka Tano.

[hell-chronicles]

I’m not shocked that they ended FA so quickly because that’s what PB does but I will miss the LI’s 😔 was kinda hoping for a sequel

Tbh FA was really boring plotwise and a second book probably wouldn't have been better

But yeah the LI were great and I'll miss them

And a second book would have been great to give Ayna justice as a character and LI tho PB would have messed up again

[shreyamistry]

Rules

Prompt Lists: Soft Sentence Starters, Fluff/Angst, NSFW Prompts and make a reader swoon

pairings undercut, please look before requesting to see which ships I am or aren’t accepting requests for. thank you!

America’s Most Eligible: Bianca x MC, Mackenzie x MC, Slater x MC, Ivy x MC

A Courtesan of Rome: Sabina x MC

Desire and Decorum: Annabelle x MC

It Lives In The Woods: Lucas x MC, Ava x MC, Stacy x MC, Andy x MC, Dan x MC

It Lives Beneath: Parker x MC, Imogen x MC, Tom x MC, and Danni x MC

High School Story: Michael x MC, Maria x MC, Emma x MC, Aiden x MC, Caleb x MC

The Elementalist: Shreya x MC, Beckett x MC, Aster x MC, Griffin x MC

Bloodbound: Lily x MC

Open Heart: Jackie x MC, Rafael x MC, Ethan x MC

Perfect Match: Sloane x MC, Alana x MC, Hayden x MC, Damien x MC

Red Carpet Diaries: Victoria x MC

The Freshman Series: Becca x MC, Kaitlyn x MC, Kaitlyn x Becca, Chris x Zig

The Royal Romance: Hana x MC

Veil of Secrets: Kate x MC

Murder at Homecoming: Stevie x MC, Tyler x MC, Donovan x MC

The Cursed Heart: Kieran x MC

Immortal Desires: Gabriel(a) x MC, Cas x MC

Crimes of Passion: Trystan x MC

Blades of Light & Shadow: Nia x MC, Mal x MC, Tyril x MC, Imtura x MC, Aerin x MC

Foreign Affairs: Tatum x MC, Blaine x MC, Ayna x MC

Will Not Write For: Any Books Not Listed, as I’ve either A) not read them, B) didn’t like them, or C) don’t feel I can do the characters in the book/or the book itself justice or D) have lost inspiration for the characters/story

For any book listed, if there’s a ship from it (ex. but not limited to: Chris x Zig or Kaitlyn x Becca from The Freshman Series) feel free to ask if I’ll write a fic for the pairing. Chances are, if it’s gay, I’ll write it LOL.

if you’d like me to use they/them pronouns please let me know! For books w MC and the LIs having customizable genders, please let me know if you want a M/M MC/LI or F/F MC/LI. I typically write gay fanfiction, so that would be preferred as I’m more comfortable with writing gay relationships. I am open to M!MC/F!LIs more than F!MC/M!LIs. (Shreya x MC is the only exception, I am happy and glad to write either M!Mc or F!MC with her!).

NSFW requests are welcomed and encouraged wink wink.

[sanyak]

Who is one of the most educated people in the world?

Dr. Rajub Bhowmik

Dr. Bhowmik is a police sergeant in NYPD and an adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Law and Police Science at John Jay College of Criminal Justice At the University of New York. 

He currently holds a total of 10 college degrees, 4 master's degrees, and 4 doctorate degrees. 

He is also a professor in the Department of Psychology at Iona University in New York.

He has a Master's Degree in “National Security and Homeland Security”, “Science in Curriculum and Instructional Technology”, “Science in Psychology”, and “Science in Criminal Justice”. 

Dr. Rajub has also finished a Ph.D. in “Forensic Psychology”, a “Doctorate in Education” (EdD) in “Leadership”, a “Doctorate in Business Administration” (DBA), and Doctorate in “Clinical Psychology” (PsyD). 

He along with his family immigrated to the United States from Bangladesh when he was around 15 years of age and today 19 years later he is the most educated person in the world. Apart from being a celebrated cop, Dr. Bhowmik is also dedicated to writing unique poetry. 

 “Asian Age” (A famous Indian Newspaper) reported, that he has written over 500 sonnets about love, philosophy, the afterlife, nature, as well as politics. Along with that, Mr. Bhowmik has also published over 20 books in multiple languages which include works of research, poetry, romance, and thrillers.

He is the pioneer of Ayna Sonnets which comprises fourteen lines. Further, each line comprises fourteen letters. Some of his most popular Ayna sonnets are ‘Ghoriber Janmo’ meaning The Birth of the Poor, and ‘Noyoner Asha’ meaning Hope in the Eyes.

A police sergeant, an extraordinary writer, a passionate professor, and an actor, Mr. Rajub Bhowmik is a man of diverse talents.

[chaotic-cute]

BNHA OC: Ayna Fujiwara

Basics

Age: 18

Blood type: O-

Birthday: May 3rd

Mother: Natalia Tchaikovsky (Russian)

Father: Kuro Fujiwara (Japanese)

Languages: Japanese, english, and russian

Appearance

Height: 5’2”

Hair:

color: naturally it’s a dirty blonde but she split dies it black and pink

texture: pretty thick and dense. it’s also a weird mix between curly and wavy. rip combs.

length: sits right above her waist

she keeps it down usually and have small sections in her hair in small pigtails

she likes the Misa look lol

Eyes: Dark blue

Figure:

she has a nice body

she has a nice set of boobs and ass

she doesn’t like that she has a tummy and is very self conscious about her stretch marks and her cellulite

Quirk

aight so bare with me here...

her quirk is called ‘hallucinogenic’ and basic makes the person really high and not able to tell what’s real and what’s not. the person in affect can suffer from the following;

passing out

feeling like their going crazy

feeling calm

utter euphoria

her downfalls are:

migraines

don’t worry she carries ibuprofen on her all the time just in case it gets too bad

extreme confusion

“where am i?!?! who are you?!??”

extreme hunger

can and will beat up someone for ramen

her vigilante name is “Overdose”

Personality

She’s pretty sarcastic

She loooves to make a fool out of villains and hero

“Aww, not only are you wrong, but you’re also stupid!”

“It’s okay, buddy, your whole existence is a mistake!”

and she says it all in a nice, sweet and loving tone.

she will admit the reason why she won’t “pick a side” is because she sees that they both have flaws and both have strengths.

she sees that hero society is extremely corrupt and thinks that heros should suffer the consequences if they do something wrong

but also thinks villains shouldn’t kill civilians all willy nilly

she mostly goes after sexual assaulters, abusers, and just over all people that are really messed up. (if she catches word what enji todorki has done oh boy he gonna get surprised)

she has in fact curb stomped a pedophile before and when the cops talked to her and she goes “and i’ll do it again.”

she is all ACAB and BLM

“No justice! No peace!”

She does have a softer side

if you’re her friend she’ll be like “have you ate today?” “do you need someone to talk to?” “is your dog/cat doing okay?”

will put you waaaay before her

[arcanaisms-blog]

;; Tag dump part one.

[heygmicheelle]

This. This.

(I'm a sucker for the "let me help you and heal you" trope)

PB needs to hire you! You've given it a better ending. PLUS! and most importantly, justice to Ayna's character. I hope this is not the last thing you write about Ayna. Thank you very much for taking your time and sharing your talent with us.

Not Letting Go

Pairing: Ayna x f!mc Word Count: 1951 Rating: T Summary: Adrenaline is really great at numbing the pain. Set just after the end of FA. Prompts: "bandaging the other’s hand and not quite letting go" Tagging: @robintora @brycesgirl @heygmicheelle @saratustra4 (if anyone else wants to be added let me know!)

Of all the kisses they had shared, Kennedy was sure this one was the best. It was far more chaste than those they had shared earlier in the night, but the meaning behind this one was everything. This kiss was freedom from secrets, and from hiding. This was them being open and basking in the truth of how they felt for one another. They no longer cared what anyone else thought; only each other.

A giant weight was lifting from Kennedy’s mind with each brush of Ayna’s lips against hers, but there was an anxiety in the pit of her stomach growing and growing. There was no doubt in her mind that this was the right decision for them, but the level of scrutiny they would now face would be staggering. The invasion of her privacy since the “scandal” was bad enough, but now that they had a face and a name, Kennedy doubted they would know peace for quite a long time.

And of course, the second their lips parted, there was an explosion of noise from the press before them.

“Kennedy! Who’re you kissing?”

“Is this the woman from the scandal? It wasn’t Evelyn was it?”

“Are you two together?”

The noise was overwhelming, most of the questions nearly indecipherable. Ayna’s hand clasped tightly in hers was the only thing grounding her, the only thing stopping her from running.

“You can do this,” Ayna mouthed to her, squeezing her hand quickly in hers.

With a deep breath, Kennedy nodded and turned to the press. She raised her free hand in the air, asking for quiet. Several long moments passed before the uproar faded into background noise, each and every reporter champing at the bit to hear what ever scraps she was going to give them.

“I have a short statement to make,” Kennedy began, in a voice more confident than she felt, but she was used to running on adrenaline and faking until she made it at this point, “and time for a couple of questions.”

Every single reporter leant forward, eager to not miss a single word. It would have been an amusing sight if they weren’t all waiting to splash her private life all over their newspapers. The silence now was almost deafening, broken only by the occasional sound of a camera shutter.

“This is Ayna,” Kennedy gestured towards her with the hand not wrapped around hers and watched as Ayna gave a cautious wave, “she’s my girlfriend.” God, Kennedy thought, that feels so good to say out loud.

Momentarily, they were blinded by the flashes of cameras as each paparazzo clamoured to get the perfect shot of this “historic” moment.

“We’ve been seeing each other for some time and have decided it’s now time to let the people of Rutherland know. Although we are excited to share this happy news with you all, we would ask for privacy and understanding. We are, after all, only human. Thank you.”

The silence broke then, replaced with chaos and uproar as everyone screamed their questions at the couple standing before them. Kennedy tugged Ayna closer so they could each draw strength from the other.

Raising her hand again for silence had little effect, so instead Kennedy shouted, “If I can’t hear the questions, I can’t answer them.” That soon calmed them, and she couldn’t help the little grin of triumph that slid onto her face in place of her usual polite mask.

“You in the red skirt, you may ask your question.”

“Is she the same woman you were photographed with in the lake a few weeks ago?” She didn’t miss a beat.

“Yes.” It was Ayna that answered, in a voice so calm that Kennedy would have thought she’d done this a hundred times before.

Shooting her a soft smile, Kennedy raised her arm again before the pandemonium could restart.

“And you with the blue suit, you can have the final question.”

“Thank you. Can I just start by saying congratulations?” His voice was smarmy and Kennedy instantly regretted letting him speak. Not wanting to seem impolite, though, she threw him her signature fake-grateful smile. “Why now?”

“I’m sorry?”

“Why wait until now to go public? Why not when the scandal hit? Or when it was clear that it couldn’t be easily brushed under the carpet?”

There were a hundred answers to this question, all starting and ending with Kennedy not wanting Ayna’s name to be dragged through the mud. She knew that as soon as the press figured out that Ayna was her TA, she could kiss her career goodbye. Nobody deserved that, especially not someone as kind and caring as her girlfriend.

“That was down to me, I’m afraid.” Once again Ayna spoke up before Kennedy had the chance. She turned to Ayna with wide eyes, questioning with her gaze if she was sure about this. She nodded subtly, squeezing Kennedy’s hand gently. “I wasn’t prepared for a life in the public eye yet. I asked Kennedy to give me time to adjust, which she has done. I’m in awe of her for the way she has handled this alone and respect her so much for all she has done to keep me sheltered.”

Kennedy melted hearing Ayna talk about her with such tenderness. Wrapping an arm around her waist, she couldn’t help but stare at her in wonder. As much as she was glad to be out in the open now, she was done sharing Ayna with the world for tonight.

“That’s all we have time for I’m afraid,” she announced, barely sparing them a glance as she led her girlfriend towards the embassy. The chaos as they turned their backs was unparalleled, but neither of them seemed to notice, focussed as they were on getting back inside.

“You were amazing out there,” Kennedy whispered, grinning stupidly at Ayna.

Letting out a long breath, she turned to Kennedy with a strained smile. “I think that was the most terrifying thing I’ve ever done.”

“Do you regret it?”

“No. Absolutely not.” As if to reinforce her claim, she reached behind her back to squeeze the hand resting on her back. A wince scrunched her face up as she did so and she immediately pulled back, holding her hand in front of her face. “Whoops,” was all she murmured, wincing again.

“What?” Kennedy asked, gently taking her hand between her own. She didn’t even need to bring it any closer to see how raised and raw Ayna’s knuckles looked. How had she not noticed this before? It looked so painful.

“I must have hurt it fighting Winston off you. The adrenaline must have numbed the pain.”

“Ayna!” Kennedy all but scolded. She stared at her girlfriend wide-eyed before letting go of her hand. “Go and wait in the room we were in earlier and I’ll go and find some ice or something. The swelling is only gonna get worse the longer you leave it.”

Ten minutes later Kennedy pushed her way into the room, her arms laden with an ice bucket, cloth napkins and a first aid kit. Ayna was sitting on the ottoman in front of the bed, her expression a mixture between pain and sheepishness. Kennedy hated seeing it, hated knowing that it was because of her that she was in pain. If she’d just learned self-defence from Tatum or been smart enough to see Winston for what he truly was before he could best her, then Ayna would be fine.

Shaking it off because she needed to focus on helping Ayna get better, she sank to the floor by her girlfriend’s feet, depositing her things next to her.

“Hey,” she said softly, “how’s the hand?”

“Sore,” she replied with a rueful smile, “I’m sorry.”

Kennedy looked up at her in alarm, her hands absently stuffing ice into a napkin. “What do you have to be sorry for?”

Ayna shrugged, then lifted her injured hand a little. “This.”

“You got injured protecting me. You don’t have to be sorry. You probably saved my life tonight!”

The soft smile on Ayna’s face only faltered as Kennedy gently cradled her hurt hand with one of hers and pressed the ice to the raw flesh. She hissed, gritting her teeth through the sting.

“Sorry.” It was Kennedy’s turn to apologise this time. She hatedseeing her in pain. “It’ll get better I promise.”

“I’d do it again, you know.”

“Do what again?”

“Fight someone to save your life.” Her voice was serious, and Kennedy knew she was being serious, but still there was mischief dancing in those dark eyes. Kennedy revelled in both. It was thrilling knowing that someone cared about her so much that they wouldn’t even think twice about getting hurt so she wouldn’t. But she also loved that Ayna would turn it into a joke to clear the tension from the air. She truly was spectacular.

Leaning up, Kennedy met Ayna’s lips in a lingering kiss, feeling the strain dissipate from them both. “As long as you know I’d do the same for you,” Kennedy murmured as she leant her forehead against Ayna’s

“Deal.” She smiled warmly as Kennedy readjusted herself to check on the swelling under the ice. “It might be better to make sure your bodyguard is always with you, though.”

Kennedy laughed as she reached for the bandages and began wrapping them tightly around Ayna’s knuckles. “I think you’re just as capable as Tatum is when it comes down to it,” she joked, sending her a cheeky grin, “but you’re right, I just didn’t think I would need protection around Winston. He pulled me so far away from everyone before I’d even realised he’d done it.”

“Why would you think you needed protection? You’ve known him your whole life.” Ayna’s free hand raised to cup her cheek, thumb stroking against the skin. “You didn’t do anything wrong, Kennedy. He was the only one in the wrong.”

Kennedy nodded slowly as she finished wrapping Ayna’s bandage and tied the ends together to stop it unravelling. She knew Ayna was right, really she did, but she couldn’t help but feel stupid that she’d let someone get the best of her like that. In hindsight, she could see all the signs pointing to Winston’s odd behaviour which she hadn’t thought twice about at the time. She really should have known.

“Thank you,” Ayna whispered, leaning down to press a kiss to the top of Kennedy’s hair.

“It was the least I could do,” Kennedy murmured back, cradling the newly wrapped hand in between both of hers.

She lost herself in thought then, of everything that had happened tonight, of everything that had happened since she had arrived at Vancross. So much had happened – lots good, and more bad. But sitting here quietly with her girlfriend, she knew she would do it all again in a heartbeat if it meant she could feel the hope and the happiness she felt while in Ayna’s presence. That was worth everything.

“Shall we?” Ayna asked after they’d sat in silence for several minutes, Kennedy steadfastly refusing to let go of her injured hand.

“It’s been an emotional night, I wish I could just stay up here with you. Alone.” She let out a deep sigh before heaving herself to her feet. “But we should go back. People will notice if we don’t come back.”

“At least we don’t have to be apart even once now that everyone knows,” Ayna reminded her with a smile, offering her good hand.

“Hmm that’s definitely the highlight of the night.”

Hand in hand, they walked back down to the ballroom to re-join the party, not once straying from the other the whole night.

[henooh]

SOCIAL JUSTICE. #InternationalHumanitarianDay. With Aynalem (Center) and Lensa (Right) Beautiful People. Indomitable Spirit. #TheNewSpiritOfAfrica. Lensa meaning - Green Grass Aynalem meaning : Ayna - Eye Alem -World. #VisionBecomes. #BecomeBeautiful. #BecomeGreenGrass. #BecomeWorldSeer. #visioninacts. #visionteleios.

[samanthadalton]

The diamond scene with Ayna kinda sucked but at least we finally got to kiss Blaine again 🥺🥺🥺

[samanthadalton]

FA spoilers

going on a mini rant about Ayna

People are already attacking Ayna bc of the spoilers but let’s get one thing straight

1. she admitted she has no idea who’s pulling the strings

2. the fact that she’s an li and pb pulled this crap is super dumb and they better have something in store for blaine and tatum otherwise their misogyny is showing

3. she doesn’t owe her life to mc, the people attacking her clearly haven’t spent any time with her- Ayna’s father is everything to her, especially since she lost her mother and she didn’t even know mc when she agreed to it- people complained about the “attack” not being much but then attack ayna for giving away mc’s location- if the attack wasn’t that deep why are you attacking ayna ????

4. people’s racism and misogyny is showing bc if it was anyone else, they would be okay with it but no bc it’s someone’s who’s canonically female and asian it’s okay if she’s berated- i don’t understand why pb does this- whether it’s intentional or not it’s messed up and they really need to think about the narratives they’re presenting especially when certain characters are susceptible to being attacked by the fandom (need i remind you of the hate zoey from QB got when she compared mc to poppy? and people were being super racist towards her???)

5. the fact they paywalled her apology and the chance to forgive her???? it’s messed up, y’all act like her acting in the best interests of her own family and saving her only parent she has is selfish but mc can rant and bitch about their own mother as much as they can bc boo hoo mommy’s not paying attention to them

[cardinalnuggets]

And when will be the time to get to the bottom of your blatant racism and misogyny 🔍

Time to get to the bottom of the attack in today’s chapter of Foreign Affairs. 🔍