#maya's there but.... she's too tiny :P

[vanillamatchadove]

mostly jun7 but some stuff from my pinoy au I need to ramble abt.

[fancyfade]

Post theme going around on LoCG where people say whre they want the batfam members to end up.

I figured I'd share my post (link) here on tumblr b/c I have way more tumblr followers and post many dc thoughts here anyway

original post:

Anyway, where the Batfam members end up in a couple years in my opinion:

Bruce: I honestly think he should retire. Is this ever realistic? No, he makes too much money. But he’s got to be getting what close to 50 by now? He needs to quit before he dies RIP. I’d love to see him trying to do what he can to help the community as Bruce Wayne (which I don’t think he never does as Batman – we see comics involving it. But like more emphasis).

Cass: I view Cass as the logical successor to Bruce. She deserves to be Batman (and wants to be and embodies his ideals very well).

Barbara: I think it’d be neat if Babs (as Oracle) kind of expanded BoP so we have different subgroups… we got a tiny bit of this might be happening at the way tail end of New Earth continuity, with babs faking her and oracle’s deaths to get the heat off and allow herself to dedicate more attention to major operations rather than being everyone’s problem solver, and her training Wendy as a protege… just pick that up. I like Wendy Harris being involved, and I think Helena is a good candidate for an op leader (more on that later)

Helena: Helena should work with a small team of Birds and take on missions that require some convincing undercover work – shout out to both her mob deconstruction plan in Simone’s BOP and her past as a Spyral agent in this continuity. The team should be flexible, but I’d like to see Steph occasionally team up with her… her forgotten-by-continuity adopted son, James, should also help on tech stuff IMO.

Damian: I like the idea of him doing Batman and Robin stuff in Gotham and more globe-trotting stuff on his own, using Maya and Suren and other friends. He also definitely will try to reform any kid/teenage supervillains he comes across, so he should probably fight mostly adults :p

Duke: I think Duke should stay as the Gotham daytime hero, in contact with the kids from We Are Robin, but… get more appearances. Him being in everyday contact with more normal people could be an important storytelling avenue.

Dick: What Dick’s currently doing is fine, no need to change. He’s already got his niche.

Tim: DC doesn’t know what to do with Tim… I think Tim should honestly go into semi-retirement, coming out for big stakes plots and to train younger heroes. In my head this would be after a 12 issue mini series where Tim contemplates how much his life has changed since he started being Robin, with his initial goal that it was going to be something he does his time in and then gets out, out of obligation, and then slowly he had no normal life to get back out to… we’d bring back Dana as a character to bounce thoughts off, as well as the YJ kids especially Cissie who has also retired as a superhero.

Jason: I think what Task Force Z was doing for Jason was perfect, I’d love to see things continue along that line where he like *wants* to do good and to not be the person he used to be, but he sometimes (often) fails… and leading around a team of other equally-or-more corrupt people is fun. That’s as heroic as I feel like Jason should get, if he’s just turned into pretty much another hero it’s like… offbrand nightwing???

[their-we-go]

exiles among you, 1113 words, rated G:

Dean steps outside. Squints out at the yard through white winter sun.

She spots Sammy a minute later. He’s sitting on a bench out front, looking tiny in one of Dean’s old button ups and a hoodie.

Dean pulls up her own hood and crunches out to meet him. She watches her boots crush into the snow as she walks. Punching her-shaped holes in that wide, white blanket.

She thinks about sneaking up quiet behind Sammy and scaring him, but thinks better of it.

He hears her coming, anyway. Looks her way for a second, then back down to his knees.

“Hey,” she says to the top of his head.

No answer.

Another bad day.

She picks his bag up off the sidewalk and shoulders it, easy. It’s feather light.

“You ready to go?”

She gets a nod this time.

They’re quiet for the first few minutes of the trek. The sidewalks are shoulder-to-shoulder at first, a mass of kids shuffling along the slush-covered streets. All chattering about their classes and their homework and their dates to the dance next week.

The crowd thins out, after a while. Kid after kid turns off onto nice, quiet side streets full of nice, quiet houses.

After fifteen minutes, it’s just the two of them crunching along the side of the road.

“Your eye is bruised, you know.”

Sam’s hand flies to his face. He prods, careful, at the soft skin under his eye.

Gotcha.

“No it’s not,” he says.

“No,” Dean agrees, “it’s not. But you were in a fight, weren’t you?”

Sam doesn’t say anything.

“Jamie Flores has a kid sister in your grade. Maya. Maybe you know her.”

Sam kicks at a chunk of salt on the sidewalk. Doesn’t say anything.

“They’re close, Jamie and her sister. They talk a whole lot.”

Still nothing.

“Me and Jamie, you know, we’re close too. She likes talking to me. Telling me things.”

Finally, Sam sighs and looks over at her.

“You two going out?” he asks.

“Might be.”

“What happened to Suzy?”

What happened to Suzy? Nothing happened to Suzy.

Suzy is great. Suzy is grand.

Suzy has a boyfriend.

“Nothin’.”

“You break up with her?”

“Yep,” Dean says, popping the p.

It’s close enough to the truth, anyway. She was sick of being jerked around. Sick of being played with.

“I liked Suzy.”

“Yeah,” Dean says. “I know.”

She lets the quiet stretch for a minute. Then she sighs.

“Why’d Maya Flores tell us she saw you fighting with an older kid at lunch?”

“Jimmy isn’t older,” Sam mutters. “He’s just big.”

“Jimmy Mitchell?”

“You know him?”

“His brother.”

He came on to her, once. She punched the guy. Suddenly, he wasn’t so crazy about her.

Go figure.

“Look, he started it.”

“He hit you?”

Sam shakes his head.

“Did he—call you something?”

She knows sometimes the other guys give him a hard time. Hassle him about the way he talks. The way he holds himself. The way he’s—soft.

She knows what they call him.

But Sam shakes his head no. Not about him.

Oh.

“Sammy, did he call me something?”

He hesitates, then nods. Doesn’t meet her eyes.

“What’d he say?”

He shakes his head. Can’t say it.

She has a pretty good idea, anyway.

They’re stopped at a stoplight. Cars whir by in both directions, wheels spinning through the slush.

Dean turns to her brother. Talks to him low under the hum of the traffic.

“Sammy, I like Jamie. You know that.”

He rolls his eyes and nods.

“And I liked Suzy. And I liked Jennifer and Holly and Martha, too.”

Martha was ages ago. The first girl she’d ever kissed. She was a good girl. Sweet.

Dean never got to tell her goodbye. Swept away to another case in another town in the middle of the night. No time for goodbyes.

So it goes.

The light turns from a hand to a man. They cross.

“I like going out with girls, Sam,” she says when reach the sidewalk. “I like wearing my hair short. And I liked being called Dean and wearing guy-clothes and my big work boots.”

“I know,” he says. His voice is quiet.

“And I know what all that makes me. I do. And I know all the ugliest names for it.” Dean stops walking. Turns to her little brother.

He cried when a bird hit the motel window last week. He made Dean bury it in the frozen garden beds while he watched. And today he punched a boy in the face for calling his sister a name.

So soft, and so fierce. So much feeling in him.

“Sammy, can I tell you a secret?”

He nods. He’s looking up at her like—

Like he wants so badly to believe that whatever she’s gonna say will make a difference. Make it easier.

Like he doesn’t quite believe that’s possible.

There’s no one else on this stretch of sidewalk. They’re alone in the silencing snow. She whispers anyway.

“I like being a dyke.”

Sam’s eyes are big. She’s never used that word with him before. She laughs, and starts them moving again.

The motel is in sight now. A strip of red in the white.

“Cross my heart, Sammy. I love it. And guys like Jimmy are always gonna find new, ugly words for what I am. But it’s like—whatever word they pick, it means the same thing. You know? They can pick the meanest, ugliest words to throw at me, but in the end, it means the same thing. The thing that I love being.” She looks over at him. “Do you get what I mean?”

“Kinda. I think.”

“Alright. So don’t go breaking your face trying to defend my honour, okay?”

“I wasn’t trying to—He just said it so mean .” His voice goes small. “They always—they always say it so mean.”

Dean knows what he’s saying. Knows all about how words become a kind of violence.

“Yeah,” she says, “I know.”

They’re quiet.

Almost at their room, now. The sky is almost dark.

“How’d you—” Sam starts, then stops. “How do you do that? Start liking…”

He trails off. Stares up at her, eyes big and sad and hopeful.

Dean thinks about it. Sighs.

“In my experience? You lie. You tell yourself that you love it. You tell yourself it doesn’t matter what they call you. Tell yourself you don’t care.” She unclips the key from her waist and clicks open the door.

They step into the warm.

“And when does it become true?”

“In my experience?” He nods. Dean makes herself smile. “I’ll let you know when I get there.”

dean and sam, headed home from school in the snow

(a scene from my butch dyke dean and gay sam fic, exiles among you)

[montmartre-parapluie]

Maya, 1700s Mode: Remodel of a Felicity “Meet” Gown!

Hello again! We only have one dress to look at on the historical-mini-gown extravaganza today - but this was a really interesting one for me!

Now, back when I first discovered what I’d missed out on as a British child with American Girl, my absolute first love was Felicity and her original Rose Garden ‘Meet’ dress. You know, this one:

Seriously, 8 year old would have sold her kidneys, baby sister, and possibly her SOUL for Felicity and all her historical goodies. That was just how little M-P rolled. And that chintz is a lovely 18th century print! But I was just a few years too late to that party.

But then my mum caught the AG bug and started collecting. In her wanderings, she found a reasonably priced Felicity clothes bundle! The seller photo was fuzzy, but worth a punt - she bid, and won it...

Only then we found out the dresses in it were... messy . Some just needed a wash, but there was an ugly brown stain across the back of the ‘meet’ dress that hadn’t shown up in the Ebay pictures- and all the washing and careful treatment in the world wasn’t going to make it salvageable for any AG doll! 

But I’d coveted the lovely look of that gown and that fabric for YEARS. I couldn’t just let her throw the meet dress away...What to do?

But then I looked at the  smaller, slimmer frame of my A Girl for All Time dolls... and my brain went “zing”!

If it’s too damaged for Felicity - how about reworking it for someone else? There was enough fabric in there if I was careful and did some piecing....

 This was before the AGAT company released Elinor the historical redhead, so alas, there was no pseudo-Felicity. 

(Sorry Elinor, you’d have been almost perfect as a Felicity!)

But I’d recently bought Maya, and I wasn’t really feeling her dungarees much... 

Historical makeover for you, my girl!

So, well.... THIS happened...

I had enough in the meet dress that I got bold enough to play around, and made Felicity’s dress into an honest-to-goodness open robe for Maya, in the style of Felicity’s Christmas Dress!  (you may notice she’s “borrowed” Felicity’s lappet nightcap for this photoshoot)

I’m not going to lie - this was hard; harder even than making actual stuff for me, because I got so nervous about making mistakes with the tiny amount of fabric I had. There wasn’t extra if I cut it wrong! But luckily for me it worked out. And I had the bonus “historical” experience of having to rework an existing item of clothing without wasting fabric, something many seamstresses in the past had to do with what was available in their closets!

 I had to piece the bottom petticoat beneath - that’s mostly plain white cotton with a tiny strip of the “Meet” fabric sewn in to make it look like a full underskirt.  I made a stiff stomacher for her out of cardboard (full disclosure: I cut a triangle out of a kleenex box! ) and covered it with a scrap of the fabric, giving it a little centre bow out of rose pink silk for compliment the flower print in her frock. 

I took in the sleeves and saved the little strips of fabric I took out of them to make the robings (the green ribbon-edged pieces on the sides of the gown bodice) They went very nicely together. There’s some hidden snaps under the robings for getting in/out of the gown, and it suited Maya like a dream!  

It also, weirdly, gave me the confidence for doing it large scale with my green robe anglaise. I’d long wanted to improve it, but I didn’t have the confidence to start. Practicing on a smaller model showed me I could do it if I was careful and planned it out. 

And, just for fun - Maya looks to be having no end of fun taking tea with Matilda and Beatrice (another doll I should introduce sometime...)

[urbiggestdaydream]

fear street: a review

happy spooky seasons babes!!! for every week in october, i'll be posting reviews on spooky movies and tv shows inspired by this Instagram post https://www.instagram.com/p/CUN2Xeth3N4/?utm_medium=copy_link attached in case you want any ideas for a spooky night in. this first review will be on the netflix original movie, fear street. one of my best friends is OBSESSED with this trilogy so it's dedicated to her. i told her someday i would watch it and today is the day :) 

fear street is a trilogy set around 1994, 1978, and 1666 respectively. for the sake of the review, i will be watching the first one. it runs for an hour and 47 mins and is rated r. the first opening line states, “it started as a prank and ended in murder” already intriguing. it sets the stage of a rebellious teenage age that could end in an accidentally murder or an supernatural circumstances that leads to murder. either one sounds good. i’m getting a little ahead of myself. the general plot is about a group of teens from the town of shadyville that try to rectify the brutal killings that plague their town. for more insight, keep on reading. it will contain major spoilers so you have been warned. 

SPOILER the movie begins with heather (maya hawke, a queen) who is working at a book store. a relatable girl with her “not like other girls” personality, she exchanges teasing banter with her friend, ryan who works near her. as the mall begins to close (named shadyside mall which serves as a foreshadow), she encounters the killer wearing a halloween skeleton mask. they wrestle around for a little bit and she is then killed afterwards. just when i started to like her. before her death, she unveils the killer and it is revealed as her friend ryan who she was just conversing with. 

the opening scene provides an inner look into shadyside and its reputation for being a murderous town. we are then told that this is a common thing. it has a neighboring town called sunnyvale. like the name suggests, it is the complete opposite. it is safe, wealthy and comfortable. it had a record breaking year of no violence as opposed to shadyside which is cursed with murders. it is dubbed “killer capital usa”. i wonder if this is used as a social commentary on how certain towns cannot be saved and are riddled with crime. but that is a discussion for another day. we are also given motifs of a witch being executed. could this be an illusion to events to come? 

we are met with a new protagonist named deena. deena is going through a breakup with someone named sam. she is heartbroken and resentful as sam is the reason she left band. we meet her friends, simon and kate, who are there to support her throughout the whole process and with that they discuss the current standing of their town with the recent murder of heather. a possible reason for the killings is considered: shadyside creates murders. certain people lose their breaking point and take it out on unsuspecting victims. it makes people go insane.

a town left in shambles once again. a candlelit vigil is held for the victims of the mall massacre hosted in sunnyvale. it is clear that the neighboring towns have animosity towards each other. it is giving pawnee vs. eagleton (shout out to parks and rec). with the rising tensions between them, a fight ensues with the two football teams. it is also revealed that the reason for sam and deena’s breakup is sam moving to sunnyvale. deena is displeased at her decision and i would be too but at the same time, i don’t blame sam. i would have left too if my life would be in danger just by being there. but that’s besides the point. enraged, everyone goes back to their respective homes with a few football players plus sam tormenting the shadyside team. several hyped up chants later, the shadyside team retaliate by throwing a cooler directed at the car. the car begins to swerve and hits a tree harming the people inside. grasping at life, sam begins to see visions which could be due to the accident, but it is assumed as the witch. 

now at home, deena sees the killer at her home and he also comes after kate. due to the events prior, they believe it is peter (one of the football players) and they visit the hospital where sam is held. deena goes on a rampage telling sam to control her psychotic boyfriend. however, peter was in the hospital the whole time and is killed right in front of their eyes thus disproving the theory. good riddance to him. they run away from him and getting away safely but like heather, they unveil him and it is revealed as the same person as before: ryan torres. they go to the police but they are disregarded because ryan was killed by sheriff goode when he killed heather. they decide to take this into their own hands. outside the station, simon encounters this girl that tries to kill him. josh, (deena’s brother) who has done research on the various shadyside killers, identifies the girl who tried to kill simon as ruby lane. the weird part is that ruby’s killings were over 30 years ago. the witch from the opening scenes, sarah fier, was executed in the 1600s (when the first shadyside killing was reported). these massacres are somehow all connected to her and it could be how normal people are suddenly becoming murderers because she is seeking revenge by inhibiting unsuspecting bodies. sam is her next victim as the killers are attracted to her blood and she is seeing the visions. they make a plan to kill kate to wane away the bad spirits and bring her back to life with an epipen. it works in the end, but simon and kate are eliminated in the process by the demons. 

the remaining survivors (deena, kate, and josh) go to the police and talk about their experiences. because they aren’t willing to give up information (which i don’t know the reason; i might have overlooked it), the murders are planted on the now deceased kate and simon. (a mild rant). what is bothering me about deena is that she didn’t properly mourn her friends killed in the crossfire. she’s so selfishly in love with kate that she completely disregarded her friends death. life just seems to be all good for her as if nothing happened because she got back together with sam. freaking josh seemed to care more than she did. he stood up for them in his online chat but deena? where’s the energy. she seemed to care a tiny bit with the police officer (because as she claimed drug use is a perfect example to blame since the two sold drugs) but not enough to clear the air about the murders. idk that just rubbed me the wrong way. 

deena and sam are back together and living their best life good for them (i’m so petty lmao) deena gets a call from c berman (the sole survivor of one of the past massacres). she tells her its a little too late for the phone call because they could have used her advice when they still were fighting the demons. berman tells her that it never goes away and sarah always comes back. we see sarah etching sam’s name under ryan torres on a gravestone. sam is now possessed with sarah’s spirit and attacks deena. she ties up sam and tells josh that she isn’t acting like herself and they need to save her. to be continued. END SPOILER. 

final thoughts: i like this. i get why this is popular.  i’m usually not the biggest horror movie fan because they are always so typical and kinda corny. however, something about this feels fresh and new. the idea of a possessed witch is nothing new but i don’t think i have heard about a witch seeking revenge on her execution by passing on her witchcraft for generations. a woman’s scorn. plus we got some teenage drama mixed into it to add more dimension. i like knowing that the story continues on because i like the direction this is going. dare i say it i would put it up with scream as part of my favorites in the horror movie genre. someday i will watch the next two. i definitely recommend this movie for horror movie fans. i will give it a 8/10. 

[voids-colourful-creations]

“Idly, Franziska noticed how their steps perfectly aligned with each other. That shouldn’t have made her heart flutter the way it did.“

Words: 1457 Rating: G Warnings: None Pairing: Franziska von Karma / Maya Fey Summary: Franziska is leaving the courtroom when Maya catches her attention. It's really a waste of her time to chat with her like this, but she just can't help herself.

Franziska sighed, stepping out of the lobby and heading towards the stairs. She had planned to leave the courtroom as soon as the case was over to prepare for the next, but instead paused, a glimpse of dark hair catching her eye.

Perhaps the hair shouldn’t be what caught her attention, what with the person it was attached to calling her name and sprinting at her as fast as someone wearing platform sandals could.

“Hey!” Maya called, waving an arm back and forth as she darted forward to meet Franziska’s slowing strides.

She finally caught up and matched pace, breathing heavily with a smile. Idly, Franziska noticed how their steps perfectly aligned with each other. That shouldn’t have made her heart flutter the way it did.

“Maya Fey.” Franziska didn’t quite make eye contact, but acknowledged her presence regardless.

“Hi Franziska!” Maya chirped, and yes, that was a good way to describe her, Franziska thought.  She reminded Franziska of a songbird. Carefree, curious, mischievous, yet elegant somehow… beautiful, even.

“So, you just left a trial?” Maya asked, leaning forward and tilting her head, her feet swinging out in front of her as she walked along.

Franziska nodded.

“Obviously.”

Maya tilted her head back, looking up at the courtroom’s ceiling.

“Nice, nice. How do you think it went?”

Franziska took a quick glance at the ceiling to see what was so interesting. Nothing really, but maybe Maya saw something she didn’t.

“I won, naturally,” Franziska responded. Something about her own voice seemed wrong to her.

“Congrats!” Maya cheered, pumping a fist in the air.

“It was an open and shut case. I’m not even sure why they wanted to call me in for it anyway…”

Maya tilted her head again.

“I mean maybe, but it’s still impressive! It must be hard doing so many trials after all!” She laughed to herself as she looked off. “Nick only takes like, five cases in a year and he’s still going gray over it! It’s kinda incredible you can do so much at once, haha!”

Franziska scoffed.

“Well, I am much more competent than that fool.”

She took a moment to think, wondering if the walk out of the courtroom had always been this long. Part of her wished it was longer, which she hastily buried.

Her tongue hesitated on her lips before she spoke again.

“Speaking of… that fool… where is he? I was under the impression you always stuck fairly close to him.”

Maya raised an eyebrow.

“Hm? Oh, Nick? Nah, he’s not here today, he’s back at the office, at least I think… He might have left for lunch?”

Now it was Franziska’s turn to raise an eyebrow.

“Really? What are you doing here if not to accompany him?”

Maya laughed.

“You know I have a life outside of Nick, right?”

Heat rose to Franziska’s cheeks.

“I-I knew that, naturally! I’ve simply never seen you without him not also being close by.”

Maya raised a finger to her lips.

“Hmm… I guess that’s true! It’s not like you really see us outside of investigations or trials. That’s kind of disappointing to be honest…”

“Disappointing?”

Maya sighed.

“Well… you know! Mr. Edgeworth and Nick are rivals and they hang out sometimes, and Nick texts him a lot, at least I think that’s Edgeworth, he always gets all flustered and defensive whenever I ask, but I don’t know who else he’d be texting and he gets this dumb smile on his face and-“ Maya cuts herself off. “Nick is gonna kill me if he finds out I told you any of this.”

Franziska made a mental note of Maya’s ramblings before speaking again.

“Well, if he does I suppose I would just have to find him guilty on your behalf.”

Maya smiled teasingly, her eyes shimmering with playful malice.

“Wow, you would do that for me? I guess you really do have a heart!”

Franziska spluttered some excuse out, but it was clear Maya wasn’t listening.

They continued walking a few more steps before Franziska spoke again.

“So, if not to watch Phoenix Wright, why did you sit in a trial?”

“Well I-“ Maya began before backtracking, “Wait, hold on a minute! How did you know I sat in a trial? I could’ve just been here for a book or something! How do you know I don’t just really like the food here?”

Franziska couldn’t help but let a smile sneak onto her face.

“You have some court confetti caught in your hair.”

Sure enough, the tiny multi colored scraps of paper clung to the thick, dark strands of Maya’s hair. The light caught onto the tips of the confetti as she stepped into and out of the reach of streams of light that flowed through the court house’s windows.

Maya laughed, reaching up to grab one off her head.

“So I do!”

She held the light blue piece of paper up to the light, squinting to look at it as if it were something much more valuable. She laughed once more, trailing off into a contented sigh.

“Yeah, I came to watch your trial, actually! Surprise! Bet you didn’t see me up there.”

The rhythmic clicking of Franziska’s heels halted as she stopped momentarily, stunned.

Maya stopped too, a few steps ahead, and turned to look back at Franziska.

“What? You okay?”

Franziska shook her head and kept walking, speeding up to meet Maya.

“I’m fine.”

Their steps matched. Again.

Franziska didn’t even take the time to regain her mental composure before she began to question Maya.

“Why on earth did you come to watch me? Are you trying to find flaws in my work to hold against me? It won’t work, my case was flawless-“

Maya interrupted, waving her hands about as she spoke.

“No, no, no!! Hang on a second, whoa, no! I didn’t come to like… sabotage you or something! That would be so weird! And mean too, who would do that?”

Franziska could think of a few people, but she kept her mouth shut.

“And I came to watch you because I wanted to? I mean anyone can just walk in and I hadn’t seen you in a while. Plus I didn’t have a way to contact you so…”

The gears in Franziska's brain turned at lightning speeds trying to comprehend the sheer madness behind Maya’s actions. Consistently, she got stuck on one thing.

Maya wanted to see me?

Franziska sighed, hoping it masked the whirlwind of broken logic and emotion swirling around in her mind as she spoke.

“Well, next time you want to contact me you don’t have to attend a trial. Just call me.”

Maya pouted.

“Well this was more fun! Plus, like I said before, I don’t have your number or anything…”

Impulsively, Franziska pulled a business card and pen out of her jacket pocket. Scribbling as best as she could while walking, she wrote down the digits of her cell’s number in admittedly still very neat handwriting and then shoved the paper in Maya’s direction before she had the sense to abandon the entire idea.

“There. Now you do.”

Maya oooh’d at the card, tilting it back and forth to see the shimmer of the ink, still wet.

“Did you just give me your cell phone number?”

Franziska coughed into her hand.

“The number that’s written is often busy and hardly ever checked. If you need me in an emergency, the number I’ve written will be more effective.”

Maya smirked.

“Looks like you should update your business cards then.”

Franziska refused to let her face or voice betray emotion.

“Looks like I should.”

As she spoke, the pair finally reached the doors to the courthouse entrance, swinging out to a single ray of setting sunlight shimmering through the clouds. Despite the gray skies, the world seemed to be cast in a warm, comforting light.

A car was waiting at the curb, and Franziska knew it was for her. The thought shouldn’t have made her feel as disappointed as it did.

“Well, looks like this is where we part!” Maya commented. “See you later!”

Franziska nodded, “Goodbye,” and walked towards the street.

She had only gotten one foot into the car when she heard Maya call out to her, one final time.

“Hey Franziska! You should know, there’s some confetti stuck in your hair too!”

Her voice carried, a bubbly sound, and when it reached Franziska’s ear she got the distinct feeling she would find herself playing it over again in her mind.

She didn’t respond and closed the door.

As the car began to rumble down the road, Franziska reached up to touch her hair, and found herself pulling out a violet scrap of paper.

She smiled.

“So there is.”

[The End]

[beevean]

逆転裁判　逆転姉妹 Part 5 (開廷 1)

This part goes from April May giving her first testimony to the end of the trial. Here’s the first part of the trial, and here’s the first part of the entire case.

Sorry if this post is a little longer than others, but I managed to find very interesting things :D

1) Small difference. If you keep pressing April on her first statement Edgeworth will eventually come in and say to Phoenix “Mr. Wright! I will not have you badgering my witness!”. In Japanese he’s more insulting, saying “Defense! I want you to stop this despicable/cowardly conduct!” (“弁護人！卑劣な行為はやめてもらいたい！”)

2) I vaguely referenced it in previous posts, but now I can confirm: April is more “kawaii desu ne” in the Japanese version (for example she talks in third person, elongates vowels at the end, and sometimes uses childish words), and only slightly sexual, while in the English version it’s flipped and she’s much more sexually charged - a small example is how they replaced stars ★ with *wink*. It makes sense considering the different values in the two cultures - in Japan cuteness more appealing than sexiness, and it’s the other way around in the West. The English version put a lot more jokes regarding her, for example her being called “a big far liar” and taking offense only to being called “fat”.

3) Instead of asking “which hand do I hold my knife with”, April asks which hand does she hold chopsticks in. Of course :P

4) Another small difference that I liked. In English, Phoenix says, in response to the Judge asking him to withdraw his question, “But questions are all I have!”, while in Japanese he says “This method is my weapon!”. I like both versions, the English one flows better while the Japanese one highlights how asking questions is Phoenix’s most important asset in the courtroom.

5) If you mistakenly say that April couldn’t have heard the clock from the hotel, in English Edgeworth says “Without [proof], you have nothing. You ARE nothing.” In Japanese he doesn’t insult Phoenix at all, besides calling him rookie. (I guess it’s to compensate for calling him despicable earlier)

6) When Phoenix reveals Maya’s cellphone in court, and Edgeworth gets furious and mutters that he will cut Gumshoe’s salary for his incompetence, Phoenix thinks to himself “My heart goes out to you, Edgeworth. Not.” In Japanese, he simply says “Oh dear, poor thing” (“おやおや、かわいそうに...”), which might be about Gumshoe himself? It’s another case of the English version taking an ambiguous like and translating it to paint Phoenix as more antagonistic towards Edgeworth.

7) This has just been bothering me: the last time April snaps on the stand, she says “Shut up, all of you! What gives you the right to talk to ME like that! You... you LAWYER!”. In Japanese, at the end she says “このタコがぁ！” and... for the life of me I can’t understand the meaning. Does タコ here stand for “octopus”? “Kite”? “Callus”? What slang am I missing??

8) This one threw me for a loop. The GBA version of the game lacks a lot of dialogue compared to the DS port - and therefore the English version - after you ask April if she is the killer or why did she use the wiretap.

if you choose the first option, as soon as Phoenix asks if she did it, April says that at the time of the incident she was getting room service and they can try asking the bellboy, the Judge asks for Phoenix’s next course of action, and then you have to choose whether you want to call the bellboy or keep cross-examining April.

if you choose the second option, the dialogue immediately jumps from the Judge saying “While this court does not condone the defense's tone of speech, he has a point. Well, Miss May? Do you have an explanation for the court?” to April explaining her alibi like above.

In the DS version, there are extra tidbits like April insulting Phoenix, her accidentally revealing she used the wiretap, her guessing what Phoenix was thinking about her and swearing she can prove her innocence, or her saying that she asked for iced coffee and then explaining what it is (plus a bit of a joke where Phoenix repeats in hiragana the English nouns April says in katanaka, because I guess in Japan back in 2001 iced coffee wasn’t well know yet).

This surprised me because up to this point, there haven’t been significant differences in structure! Especially not between GBA and DS! I wonder why they felt the need to do this, and how much they re-wrote the script for the DS port.

8) The infamous “Objection! That was... objectionable!” is in Japanese “Objection! I raise an objection right away!”, with the Judge replying “Objection overruled right away”. とりあえず can mean “right away”, “for the time being”, “first of all” or “at once”, and every one of these options make Edgeworth sound delightfully awkward

9) At the very end of the trial, Edgeworth, instead of saying “T-these accusations are... ludicrous!” (because Phoenix just rubbed in his face how he manipulated the bellboy’s testimony), says “I cannot believe this”, which can either mean “I cannot believe these accusations” or, as I think, “I cannot believe I’ve been upstaged by this amateur”, which would mean that at least my boy is honest with his dishonesty. He also stops calling Phoenix キミ and uses キサマ, because he hasn’t been rude enough apparently.

Enjoy you boob-bouncing nightmares.

襲う　（おそう）　to attack

ちっちゃい　tiny, person with poor character

攻撃　（こうげき）　attack, assault

止め　（とどめ）　finishing blow

ぐったり　 limply, listlessly

それだけ　 no more than that. that is all

疑問　（ぎもん）　doubt, suspicion

ほぼ　almost

弟子　（でし）　pupil, apprentice

粗　（あら）　 flaw, fault, defect​

卑怯　（ひきょう）　coward

どうやら　 possibly, apparently

弱点　（じゃくてん）　weak point

何気ない　（なにげない）　 casual, unconcerned, nonchalant

逸らかす　（はぐらかす）　to dodge

探りを入れる　（さぐりをいれる）　to probe, to investigate

突っ込む　（つっこむ）　 to delve into (a matter),   to press (someone) about

きっかけ　 excuse, motive

卑劣　（ひれつ）　 mean, foul, cowardly

行為　（こうい）　act

すらっと　slender, slim

体型　（たいけい）　figure, body shape

完全に　（かんぜん）　completely, perfectly

ありえない　impossible, improbable

先ほど　（さきほど）　a short while ago

しかたない　it’s no use

反省　（はんせい）　 regret, remorse

参る　（まいる）　 to be defeated

いけない　 wrong, must not do​

とってつけたよう　 out of place, forced, faked

取り上げる　（とりあげる）　to pick up

しんみり　quiet, solemn

遂に　（ついに）　finally, at last​

尻尾を掴む　（しっぽをつかむ）　 to have something on someone, to catch someone out (lit.: to catch the tail)

教え込む　（おしえこむ）　to train to, to give an idea to

口走る　（くちばしる）　to blurt out

目くらまし　（めくらまし）　distraction​, deceptive means

却下　（きゃっか）　rejection, dismissal

���義　（いぎ）　objection

納得する　（なっとく）　to agree, to consent

新人　（しんじん）　rookie

直接関係　（ちょくせつかんけい）　direct relation

切り替える　（きりかえる）　 to change, to exchange

空っぽ　（からっぽ）　empty, hollow

嘘つき　（うそつき）　liar

楽しませる　（たのしませる）　to amuse, to delight, to entertain

抜き取る　（ぬきとる）　to pull out

何やら　（なにやら）　some kind of

見落とす　（みおとす）　to overlook, to fail to notice

ぶつぶつ　grumble, complaint, mutter

筋が通る　（すじがとおる）　to make sense

保険する　（ほけん）　to safekeep, to keep in custody

どうだっていい　 not worth worrying about, trivial​

とっとと　 at once, right away

死刑　（しけい）　death penalty

冷静　（れいせい）　 calmness, composure

マジ切れ　（まじぎれ）　being truly angry​

傑作　（けっさく）　masterpiece, funny mistake

大失敗　（だいしっぱい）　massive failure

話にならない　（はなしにならない）　 not worth considering, out of the question

ごく　quite

要求する　（ようきゅう）　to demand

気安い　（きやすい）　relaxed, familiar

話しかける　（はなしかける）　to address someone

素顔　（すがお）　real face, face with no make-up

止めを刺す　（とどめをさす）　 to finish off, to deliver the coup de grace​

無関係　（むかんけい）　unrelated

物凄い　（ものすごい）　extreme, incredible

寒い　（さむい）　 uninteresting, lame, dull

条件　（じょうけん）　condition, term

飲む　（のむ）　to accept a condition

崩す　（くずす） to destroy, to demolish

材料　（ざいりょう）　material, evidence

自動的　（じどうてき）　automatic

いかにも　indeed

招待　（しょうたい）　invitation

畏まる　（かしこまる）　to obey respectfully

きっかり　precisely, punctually

お仕舞い　（おしまい）　the end, being done for​

管理　（かんり）　management (of a business)

気取る　（きどる）　 to affect, to act like (something one isn’t)

目を付ける　（めをつける）　to have an eye on, to zero in on

念を押す　（ねんをおす）　to make sure of, to emphasize

接吻　（せっぷん）　kiss

ホの字　（ほのじ）　the L-word*

印象付ける　（いんしょうづける）　to impress someone, to leave an impression

ご苦労様　（ごくろうさま）　I appreciate your efforts

食い下がる　（くいさがる）　 to refuse to back down, to persist

時点　（じてん）　point in time

言い分　（いいぶん）　one’s point​, objection, excuse

痺れる　（しびれる）　 to become numb,  to get an electric shock, to be mesmerized

取っ捕まる　（とつかまる）　to be caught

いい気味　（いいきみ）　 serves you right, it’s what you deserve

* basically the bellboy says that April might have given him a kiss because of “the L-word”, too shy to admit he thought she fell in love with him.

[zayadriancas]

Bughead, Veggie, Kevin/Moose, Clannah, Justin/Jessica, Tony/Caleb, Jaitlin, Janny, Spemma, Jellie, Imogeli, Cake, Frankston, Zasha, Mola, Shiny, Shawngela, Rucas, Charlie/Riley, Drianca & Zaya

Thank you! :)

Bughead: They’re definitely one of my favorite Riverdale Ships. I love how supportive they are of each other and I think they have the strongest connection on the show. I think Season 4 has made me love them even more. The writers I think write this ship the best because they just keep getting better. I just wish Jughead would come back to Riverdale because the Stomewall story is getting kind of boring IMO and it’s done more harm for him than good, but I’m glad him and Betty haven’t been affected by the distance. In fact I think they’ve gotten stronger. Not much else to say lol other than they’re super adorable and I love them :)

Veggie: They had great chemistry and I didn’t mind it as a temporary thing, but it was clear Veronica wasn’t as invested in the relationship. If both of them had been fine with just friends with benefits it would have been fine but it was clear Reggie wanted more than that. It sucks that it seemed to ruin their friendship since the one scene they’ve had this season was Veronica questioning Reggie on doing something (I don’t remember what exactly) in the episode we find out about his abuse. Oh they had a scene with Archie and Munroe too but they don’t really seem to be friends anymore and that’s a shame but maybe that will change.

Kevin/Moose: This was my favorite Kevin pairing and it sucks that it ended as soon as they got closer, like all of Kevin’s relationships. I didn’t like the Kevin kind of making him feel bad about not being out of the closet but i know he just felt like Moose wasn’t serious about him, he wasn’t trying to be pushy or hurtful. Anyway I wish that Moose went back to Riverdale instead of the other school, at least he had friends there that could have supported him and he wouldn’t be made to feel like he had to leave.

Clannah: I really only liked them in season 1. They had a couple cute scenes in season 2 but mostly the writing for them was really bad in s2 and I saw you said the same thing in your answer and I agree about Clay putting her on a pedestal and then acting irrationally when she didn’t live up to his “perfect” image of her. It’s what made me dislike Clay in season 2. Guys like Zach and Justin definitely were flawed but they didn’t hold Hannah to that ridiculous standard or judge her. I do sympathize with Clay having a hard time coping with her death but that still didn’t excuse his behavior.

Justin/Jessica: I feel guilty for shipping them for obvious reasons and they’re definitely problematic but it’s clear that they love each other and Justin never wanted to hurt her. He handled things awfully but it wasn’t because he was evil like Bryce. He did deserve consequences and I wouldn’t have blamed Jessica if she never forgave him but she did and since then he’s made her happy. Honestly it’s mostly season 3 that I ship them, but I didn’t dislike them before that even though I definitely acknowledged that Justin fucked up.

Tony/Caleb: They’re super cute. I don’t have many strong feelings but I’m glad Tony found someone that makes him happy and has been a good support system for him.

Jaitlin: I LOVE THEM. I really need to rewatch DJH and DH. They’re super sweet and I will never forgive the writers for what they did to them. Well actually I blame Kevin Smith more because apparently he got to help write that episode and he had a crush on Stacie, so. Anyway, I definitely believe Joey and Caitlin belonged together. They had so much history and they made each other so happy. I don’t have much else to say but they deserved their happy ending.

Janny: I really like them together. I do think they could have had better build up/development but they worked despite their differences and Jay definitely treated Manny the best out of all her boyfriends. I liked the softer side she brought out in Jay. I’m glad they were endgame :)

Spemma: Lol what’s funny is they actually could have worked if they had build up. Not as a marriage unless they had been a thing since the beginning but as a couple they wouldn’t have been terrible if it wasn’t so random and rushed. At least it’s confirmed that it was a mistake and I believe they were only still married in NC as a joke to piss us off. But yeah it was nice that they made each other happy and like if they had just hooked up in the movie as a rebound for Spinner and maybe had a friends with benefits type thing that would have made sense. Or if they started dating in season 7 or 8 and were endgame but NOT married then fine. But I’ve literally never seen a much more rushed couple on the show and that’s saying something.

Jellie: I’m assuming this is Jimmy/Ellie. They were cute but I wasn’t the biggest fan of Jimmy and I didn’t like that Ellie was rude to Hazel especially since she didn’t even like Jimmy back. I would have much rather had them get together instead of Jesse/Ellie(the inferior Jellie lol), and rather them instead of Jimash getting together again, but I didn’t really care about them either way.

Imogeli: They had great chemistry and I liked their friendship, but Eli treated Imogen awfully in the first half of season 11 and during their short lived relationship in the second half and I’m glad they realized they were better as friends. I still like them better than Eclare though lol.

Cake: They’re really cute, I didn’t ship them but I had no problem with their relationship, especially after rewatches because I didn’t really like the way Clare was written the first time I watched s11. I hate that the writers hard on for Eclare fucked up this relationship. Even though I didn’t ship them at least they were healthy and happy and Jake was actually a good guy. If they had just broken up then fine it happens but their parents clearly only got married so they couldn’t get back together, so they could go back to Eclare and nothing will convince me otherwise.

Frankston: They were really cute in season 13, but Winston became such a asshole in season 14, first with being the blackmailer (sure he said it was doing it to help Frankie but it just made things worse) and then cheating on her, and with her best friend of all people, and had no intention of telling her and made Lola feel like it was her fault. And then basically calling Frankie crazy for not trusting him right away. The Logan thing I can understand being upset but not only did Frankie not actually cheat but she was actually honest about it. But Winston said what she did was “worse”. Fuck him, it’s not like she planned on falling for Logan who just used her, she was genuinely just trying to be a good friend at first. So yeah I’m glad Frankie didn’t take him back in Next Class, he may have been nicer but she still deserves better.

Zasha: I really like them. I’m glad Zoe found someone who loves her for who she is and has her as a first choice. They’re super sweet and adorable and I’m glad they were endgame. I still wish Gracevas could have happened instead, but at least Zoe was able to find someone after that mess of a storyline.

Mola: I really like them. The only thing I don’t like is Miles cheating on Tristan, and Miles telling her to take the bus was really harsh. And not seeing him reach out after he found out she had an abortion was fucked. I don’t think he meant to hurt her though and he did apologize for how everything happened. But other than that I think Miles and Lola were actually a good match. It was just bad timing. I wish they could have at least talked once in season 4.

Shiny: I really love them. They’re super sweet and adorable together and I’m glad they were written much better in season 4 because I was disappointed how they were written in season 3. I didn’t really expect them to have sex but Tiny was super sweet. I’m glad they were endgame, sadly they probably wouldn’t have been if the show had continued, I guess that’s one good thing about it lol :P

Shawngela: They were adorable! I don’t have many thoughts (I need to rewatch BMW too lol) but I definitely think they were a great match and it’s sad they didn’t get a happy ending, I definitely think they deserved it. One thing I didn’t like though is how they repeatedly compared their relationship to Cory and Topanga, like they were their own relationship they didn’t need to be like anyone else. But other than that I did like them a lot together.

Rucas: They were my favorite GMW ship, they were super adorable and I’m mad the writers neglected their relationship when they finally got together. They wasted so much time on the “triangle” with Maya that was stupid and pointless. Like as much as I loved Rucas the show shouldn’t have revolved around all that, like BMW had two major relationships(3 if you count Cory/Eric’s parents) with a few minor ones here and there that never meant anything, and none of them ever had love triangles (except Cory/Lauren/Topanga but that lasted like 3 episodes and wasn’t dragged on for half a season). I get GMW was geared to a younger audience but it still wasn’t necessary. But I still do like Rucas and still think they’re sweet even though I don’t care about the show anymore.

Charlie/Riley: Weird. Pointless. Unnecessary. Like they are so irrelevant I literally do not even have any other way to describe them lmao.

Drianca: 😍😍😍. My 2nd favorite ship of all time! My babies!!!! I love their build up, their chemistry, how much they love and care about each other and the lengths they went to protect each other ❤️❤️❤️ Drew helped Bianca get her life back on track and was there for her when she had no one. They were always super happy together and SCREW THE WRITERS FOR BREAKING THEM UP. I get people move on and that long distance sometimes puts those things in perspective, but they were doing just fine!!!! Like maybe Alicia couldn’t come back to the show but they were doing long distance just fine. Maybe if they didn’t stretch the seniors year out for 80 years they could have graduated in s13 and they could have been endgame. But nooo they just had to give Drew unnecessary relationships that just dragged down his character!!!! Like Clew was fine but they didn’t even happen for real and then Drew got screwed over by her mistaking the baby as his and ugh!!!! Anyway, I love Drianca so much, everything about them is amazing and they were made for each other ❤️❤️❤️ and they’re back together now the writers can’t do shit about that :)

Zaya: MY BABIES😍😍😍 my first favorite ship of all time! Their build up was AMAZING AND WORTH THE WAIT👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 They have amazing chemistry, a beautiful friendship, they clearly love each other to pieces, they never gave up on each other even when they were with other people, and that gross NC storyline only happened because the writers hated Zig for whatever reason. That never would have happened otherwise!! Zaya is just, beautiful. Season 14 was amazing because of them. Season 4/18 did a great job bringing them back together. I’m sad they didn’t kiss but oh well, WE GOT PROM ZAYA AND CUDDLY ZAYA AND THEY SAID THEY ALWAYS PICTURED GOING TO PROM TOGETHER LIKE 😍😍😍. So yeah fuck the haters ZAYA IS BEAUTIFUL ZAYA IS AMAZING AND ZAYA IS ENDGAME!!!!!

[scarlettlawyer]

Next attempt: Shelly de Killer and Pearl Fey!

Shelly de Killer:

- I hate them / I don’t like them / I’m neutral / I’m ok with them / I like them / I love them / I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

- favorite thing about them: THE PERFECT COMBINATION OF ELEGANCE AND MURDER. HE’S JUST SO GREAT!!! I love the aura of absolute calm and aesthetic interlaced with imminent threat. Well, not absolute calm. He can certainly lose his patience. But he's not really one to raise his voice. It’s a quiet and terrifying anger if invoked. The veneer of calm is part of the gentleman aesthetic; the hint of anger is the imminent threat. Outside of his being angry, however, it’s still the same: even if he’s not angry at you, his mere job makes him intimidating. That’s inescapable. But his polite demeanour is still there. The combination of those things is fantastic. He will kill you if he must but damn if he isn’t going to do it in style.

- least favorite thing about them: I actually did have a reply to this come to mind, possibly connected to AAI2, and yet it slipped away shortly thereafter and now I cannot recall it, and after losing the actual reply I had I’ve honestly sat here struggling to come up with something. Like there were moments when I enjoyed his character a bit less, but... Hard to just list off a least favourite thing from that.

- ship(s): ...Oldbag. You have done this; you have planted this idea in the mind of my friend and I. Like okay I don’t actually ship it in canon OR in your fic, but the thought of it is so out there, and therefore amusing. And then my friend came up with this amazing JFA au running with the idea so, I do “ship” it specifically in the context of her au ahahaha. I love my friend’s idea of... him liking her and her not really being aware of it? Because it’s a reversal of what’s usually the case in canon. Let a guy be interested in her for once and have her be unaware of it. XD

Also just gonna tack this fic-related message(s) on randomly too but FOR CONTEXT TO BE FAIR THIS WAS before I read the ending which actually does address the death of Wendy’s husband and before the actual dynamic between Oldbag, Shelly and Benny had been elaborated on by the story:

(I ACTUALLY MEANT IN THE SENSE OF HAVING BEEN HIRED BY SOMEONE TO KILL MR OLDBAG BUT THEN MY FRIEND WAS LIKE “HOW DO I MAKE THIS ABOUT THE SHIP” LOL). Okay but maybe Mr Oldbag could have been an important figure in an au that someone would have reason to assassinate 🤔 :P

- BROTP(s): I guess Sirhan Dogen is the main candidate for this, although I haven’t thought about their interactions too much!

- NOTP(s): I don’t think I’ve really seen any Shelly shipping haha...

- Game/case where I like them more: Gonna go with standard JFA case for this one, but AAI2 case 1 is also just really awesome. Particularly the whole hostage thing to help Edgeworth’s investigation out.

- Random headcanon: Not headcanons about the character himself but rather in relation to him; I like to imagine how scandalised Phoenix would be if he heard that yes, Shelly de Killer, that guy Edgeworth and law enforcement at large are so intent on apprehending? The guy who kidnapped Maya? Edgeworth totally spoke kinda casually with the guy a bunch of times, and was even assisted by Shelly (you could even stretch this to perhaps argue that he COOPERATED with Shelly). Even saw Shelly face to face during AAI2 and had a chat with him. Well, yes, context, but... :P Especially without context, Phoenix would not be pleased. Not that Edgeworth would readily offer up this information to him. I think Edgeworth is in a slightly awkward position with regards to Shelly post-AAI2, at least slightly more than before, given how much help Shelly was and now having actually interacted with him in person.

Another thing I was thinking of recently is that... I think that there could be a very secretive and select group of individuals working for law enforcement SPECIFICALLY dedicated to trying to arrest Shelly and gathering as much info as possible. A highly skilled and dedicated team of say 5-10 people, and all of the information they deal with, and about them, is absolutely top secret. The group itself is secret, even, because this is dangerous work. They’re all about trying to track him down, analysing all the data they’ve gathered, you name it. Not that they have much success. But they would also over time probably veer more towards less conventional methods. Delving deeper into the criminal underworld for information, going undercover... Honestly? The closest they might come to actually getting a hold of the guy in person... is to go undercover as a client. Finding out how to hire him. It’s an awfully dangerous game they would be playing and their covers would have to be airtight.

- Unpopular opinion: I wasn’t sure how I felt about him sparing Simon. I really gotta replay AAI2, get my thoughts in order. This ties in with the “least favourite” question but I wasn’t too sure about the whole thing where Simon was considered to have broken the bond of trust for not saying it was a double and yeah I just gotta, replay the game haha. But... if a client normally recounts the ENTIRETY of the circumstances to him, expected not to leave anything out, as opposed to a simple “I want this person dead”, then I suppose that makes sense....Actually, wrong question for this but I’ll add it as a headcanon anyway: when Shelly meets with a client, part of establishing that bond of trust is kind of like the client “confiding” everything thoroughly to him, like telling a story of everything connected to, and culminating in the assassination request. He wants to know not only the who, but the why. What’s the client’s connection to and history with the target? Was there a time when they got along, were they always enemies? Is it just a political or corporate matter? It’s not about justification - Shelly doesn’t care how “justified” a client is and he certainly doesn’t judge. He just listens. None of the added information is necessary to complete the job, but divulging so much information is a demonstration of trust and helps make it clear this person is real with motivations and not an undercover person trying to arrest him or something like that. It’s also kind of an added bonus to get to hear some of the tales of intrigue that result from such meetings with clients. In the context of something like this, omitting the fact that the “president” was a double is a very serious offense.

I was gonna go on another tangent but this is already long enough lol.

----

Pearl Fey

- I hate them / I don’t like them / I’m neutral / I’m ok with them / I like them / I love them / I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

(I do love her! Just not with as much intensity as some of the other characters this series has).

- favorite thing about them: She is adorable incarnate, she is strong, and very cute

- least favorite thing about them: The fact that she was not allowed to grow as a character at all post-timeskip. I have so many complaints about older!Pearl. They took a ~17 year old character and forced her into the exact same role and characterisation as a ~nine year old! She is restricted and kept the same, and it feels deeply unnatural and kind of uncomfortable to me. The whole thing around her height too, like... why did they go out of their way to make her so short and tiny? To reinforce that we are still supposed to see her as a 9 year old? I love trilogy Pearl, I love her so much, but I find older Pearl so boring and so uninspired on top of that undercurrent of discomfort. They did nothing new with her, but in a uniquely and unnaturally limiting way in the sense that she is trapped as her trilogy self. After the timeskip the games appear to have a weird preoccupation with infantilising her because I guess they think connecting back to the trilogy (instead of doing something new) is the only way to keep us caring about her??

And like... Yes, Pearl embodies and encapsulates the cuteness and innocence of children. That’s a big part of her character and I love her for it, and I would therefore be reluctant to let that go. There’s nothing wrong with preserving stuff like that when she’s older. All I’m asking is for the games to actually put at least one new spin on her; SOMETHING that can distinguish her from her younger self so I’m not left feeling like she did not change at all in nearly ten years. A slightly different design, one (1) distinct new and different thing that sets her apart from (and potentially at odds with) her younger self, and I’d probably be happy. I don’t like what they did with her hair either. It sucks. Should’ve gone with the gorgeous inverted pretzel style.

Anyway I want to be given a reason to care about and be invested in older Pearl, an older Pearl trait that I can love older Pearl for...

- ship(s): Trupearl can be cute, but I don’t think about shipping much at all seeing as I vastly prefer her younger self, haha.

- BROTP(s): General “Pearl getting along with the gang” type dynamics haha.

- NOTP(s): Well, I do not like any implication that she has a crush on Marlon or vice versa. I really don’t like that.

- Game/case where I like them more: I’m not sure ahah. Good thing I’m trying to work through the games in Chinese on youtube so maybe I can brush up on my AA knowledge a bit.

- Random headcanon: Ok made this one up just now: When she’s slightly older she adopts the term “Narumayo” for her shipping of Phoenix and Maya. At least, the Japanese version of her where the characters have their Japanese names... lol. I guess her English-speaking self tried but failed to come up with a good name as the counterpart headcanon. Mayanix?

Actually, I guess another headcanon would be her being a hardcore shipper for any media she’s invested in. She moves away from shipping real people and onto characters, channelling all that energy elsewhere.

Or honestly, she could stick with real people and either become an Ace Matchmaker or overall consistently terrible matchmaker. Either’s good. If you combine the two, she could try to matchmake what seems to be an absolutely horrendous pair/combination of people, only for it to actually work.

- Unpopular opinion: Well, I think I already got quite opinionated above, and nothing really comes to mind to reply to this with. I might have been too harsh on older Pearl, but everything I wrote is what I genuinely felt and the impression that I was left with. That impression may be false, I’m not sure, but yeah.

[the-everlasting-dream]

The Revelation, Chapter 14 - TRR AU

Summary: Drake and Elizabeth meet face to face finally. 

A/N: Surprise another chapter, I’ll have you know I’ve scrapped the rest of the plot to this series so from now on this is pure spitballing so for those of you still with me, lets do this. 

Word Count: 3000+

Warnings: Language, slight violence, mentions of blood and injury

MASTERLIST

-

‘I’m gonna call to check on Bartie then I’ll be back,’ Savannah informed her brother sitting on the hospital bed. 

 Barely hearing his sister stepping out to take a call, Drake sighed once again, eyes flicking to the ceiling, studying the white plaster mounted above his head. He’d passed out after the duel, after the significant blood loss he’d sustained from Neville’s cut to his side. The deep cut had gotten infected despite the medical attention he’d received. Under Savannah’s careful supervision, he’d taken the prescribed antibiotics and the infection was subsiding. You should be able to resume normal activity with supplementary physiotherapy sessions for that shoulder, they’d informed him after the latest check up. 

By all rights, he should be fine. He should be okay, more than okay in fact. First man to win a duel in a hundred years they told him. You should be celebrating they said. You should be proud of yourself. 

But why did he feel so numb?

Never in his life had Drake felt so… listless. As if he’d lost the will to move, to breathe, to do anything.. At first the pain, though it hurt like hell was a welcome distraction from her. Elizabeth… Her name still pierced him every time it crossed his mind more often than it should have. He was missing her so much… No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t get rid of those thoughts, couldn’t stop them from creeping into his mind again. He’d tried to force her out of his head, but it seemed impossible. His victory over Neville had only confirmed that. At Hana’s insistence, he’d done it, he’d kept fighting, fighting for her and when he had won, when they were showering him in praises and honours, he’d realised that the only prize he’d wanted was to see her again. During the fight, a tiny part of him had naively been hoping that she’d miraculously be there and naturally when Elizabeth wasn't, his spirit plummeted. 

‘You will face many defeats in life, but never let yourself be defeated.’ 

Jackson Walker’s rendition of Maya Angelou’s words echoed back to Drake now as he continued to stare out the hospital room window, looking out at what he could see of the Cordonian citadel stretched out beneath him. He’d held those words close to his heart all through his life, recalling how his dad had told him that after a particularly gruelling day at school. His father had made him promise him that no matter what life threw at him, even though he’d get knocked down, he’d always get back up. When Jackson had passed away, Drake silently resolved to honour his father’s memory in that. And so far, he’d kept his promise fiercely until now…   

His chest ached now where the bullet had torn through it, a visceral reminder of what he’d had and lost. A deepset tiredness filtered through him. He was tired, so tired of feeling this way, of fighting constantly only to be constantly let down. I’m sorry Dad. Drake thought to himself, feeling a profound sense of shame and regret. This time, this time its too much… He couldn’t go on like this, to hope and to pray for a sign that was never going to arrive. This was the moment that Drake Walker gave up.

Almost as if fate had answered his call, Drake heard the door swing open. Assuming it was his sister, he ignored her, barely turning his head in favour of continuing to stare out the window at leaves blowing by in the wind. 

‘If you’ve come to lecture me again Sav you can save it,’ he snapped backhandedly. 

 ‘Its… its not Savannah.’ 

 At the sound of her voice, Drake whipped his head around so fast, the nerve in his neck tinged painfully but he was too distracted by the sight of the one person he’d given up on seeing for the rest of his life. 

 ‘Elizabeth!? W-w-what? How?’ 

What… what were the chances of her showing up so… just when he was ready to give up… 

 ‘Hey Drake,’ her voice was small and smile even smaller as she stood in the doorway, hesitating. 

 ‘You’re back.’ It come out somewhere between a question or a statement but Drake was too busy trying to still the butterflies in his stomach as he scrambled into a sitting position. 

 ‘Uh.. yeah, I’m back.’ She shifted uncomfortably on her feet, hands wrung in a tense knot. 

 A million questions buzzed in his mind yet his tongue failed to articulate even one as he sputtered visibly at the sight of her, same dark hair twisted into a loose braid, grey cardigan, jeans and a t-shirt hanging on her slim frame he knew so well and at the same time not at all. Amidst his negotiation to settle into a comfortable, his arm missed the edge of the bed and threatened to send him crashing down to the floor. At the last second he managed to catch himself on the bed frame but not without a pain lancing through him so sharp, his vision tinged red.

Before he could register it, Elizabeth was by his side, helping to prop him back up on the bed. As she moved to position his pillow, Drake couldn’t take his eyes off her hand where it rested on his arm, her skin warm against his for the first time in months seemed to seep through him to his chest where a little spark of hope was rekindled.  

‘What happened?’ Elizabeth scanned the sight of him, a tiny crease between her eyebrows telling him she was thinking hard with that medical science degree of hers, assessing him closely. 

 ‘I..uh….’ 

How was he supposed to tell her he got stabbed? Drake glanced at her determined face and nodded slightly, knowing he shouldn’t lie to her. 

‘After I passed out… after the duel… Neville’s stab… it wasn’t very deep but coz of the crowds at the ball, the ambulance took a lot longer to get… to get to me. They told me I bled a lot, almost bled out, used some big fancy word like ex-extrasink-‘ 

‘Exsanguination,’ she put in, her expression still calculating. 

 ‘Yeah that,’ Drake gulped, dropping his gaze to the blanket cover his lap, resisting the urge to scratch at the sound under the bandages, a constant urge he fought to curb. ‘Anyway I guess I should count myself lucky that that bastard can swing a sword but he didn’t have any force behind the blow. Since it was on the side and not in the middle, its not too bad I think…’ 

‘You’re extremely lucky it didn’t hit any major organs.’ 

He nodded once. 'Got infected for a bit but they gave me something for that and it seems to be working, I guess...'

‘Its still an abdomen wound,’ she rationalised, eyes sweeping across him again. ‘They’re always tough to recover from because they’re in the middle of the body and you can’t just pop it in a sling like a broken leg. You must have had trouble breathing and eating and peeing and p-’ 

‘Yeah that’s been rough,’ Drake cut her off, feeling the top of his ears burn red hot in embarrassment. He shifted again, wincing as he tried to try alleviate the discomfort where the bandage was digging into his ribs. 

Elizabeth noticed immediately, concern flooding back into her expression. ‘You’re not comfortable. Do you need me to call the nu-‘ 

‘Its fine,’ he cut her off, loathe to cause a whole scene. ‘Just this stupid bandage is twisted.’ 

She swallowed once. For the first time in months, those brown eyes lifted up to meet his own and he couldn’t help a sharp inhale of breath. ‘I can take a look if you want?’

Drake eyed her for a moment, conflicted but eventually he gave in. ‘Sure that would be great actually.’ 

It was a bit of a challenge to wrestle the hospital gown up while preserving his modesty but they made it work and as soon as Elizabeth’s cool hands touched his side, he hissed a little, not expecting the contact. 

’Sorry,’ she gave him an apologetic look before leaning down to peer at his wound. 

As she fiddled with the bandage, he marvelled at the level of care and concern she was showing him. He had no idea what state her memory was in but he couldn’t deny his own feelings, having her here next to him was so inexplicably right he couldn’t explain it. The spark of hope flared up in his chest.. Maybe they- Suddenly the tiny irritating pain in his side ceased. 

 ‘Better?’ 

He wiggled experimentally and found that the pain had subsided and he could breathe properly again. ‘Much. Thank you.’

‘It was nothing.’

She helped him adjust his clothes again, sitting on the edge of the bed for a moment as Drake took in the sigh of her again, unable to believe she was even here. With her sitting so near, hand inches away from his, close enough to reach out and- 

Elizabeth glanced down abruptly clearing her throat as she realised how close they were and wrapped her cardigan tighter around herself, almost as a shield between them. Her gaze slid hesitantly up to his before dropping to the floor. A hundred things were on the tip of his tongue, burning questions he had wanted to ask for the last few months but he couldn’t bring himself to vocalise any of them. Just as he was mustering up the courage to say something, Elizabeth spoke, her voice quiet and unsteady. 

 ‘You could have died Drake.’ 

 ‘Elizabeth…’ Her name felt both foreign and familiar on his tongue after months of disuse. he wanted to say mo-

‘Why did you do it? Why did you do it Drake?’ She questioned. ‘Why did you accept Neville's challenge?' 

A long, deep sigh escaped him as he struggled to find some explanation. 'I had to Richmond... I had to for you. For Savannah, for my dad, for every commoner they’ve ever looked down on. Saying yes was the only chance I had to prove him wrong about all of this. To fight him on his own terms... It was a stupid idea,’ he continued, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. ‘For a moment there, I almost didn’t make it.’

‘Drake..’ 

Her voice was wobbly as her mouth shaped his name and he knew tears were not far away. This time he did reach for her hand, grasping it between his fingers until she was looking him deep in the eyes. 

‘It was you Richmond… Elizabeth.. I thought of you. I did it for you. Even if you don’t remember… even if you don’t love me… Elizabeth I-‘ 

She tugged her hand away from his suddenly, he gasped at the break in contact before his eyes strayed to her face where he could see her withdrawing further into herself… and away from him. He opened his mouth to speak, to say something, anything that would bring her back to him when the door suddenly slammed open, the sound shattering whatever headway they’d made. 

 ‘Dra-Oh!’ Savannah’s grey eyes blew wide open at the sight of her. ‘Elizabeth…’ It was obvious how her tone immediately soured. 'I didn’t know you were back.’

‘Uh.. yeah. Hi Savannah,’ Elizabeth mumbled, standing up to quickly she almost tripped. 'Yeah well… I was just leaving actually.’

Drake watched his younger sister’s face morph into a disgusted look. ‘So soon? You look like you just got here… What made you come back?’ She snapped, crossing her arms over her chest as she stared the other woman down. 

 ‘Yeah,’ he put in, finally questioned, curiosity deep in his voice. They’d had no contact since she left. How had she known where he was? 

‘The duel…’ Elizabeth replied, swallowing thickly acutely aware of both their invasive gazes before continuing. 'I heard you got hurt and I… needed to make sure you were okay. Liam said-‘ 

‘Liam?’ 

‘Yeah he came to my brother’s apartment-‘ 

‘He came New York?’ Drake’s brain raced to put the pieces together. The night of the duel brought back so many unpleasant memories but through it all he remembered that Liam hadn’t been there. During at the Costume ball… Maxwell had said it was official business… Maxwell would never lie to him, would he?   

‘He did.’ 

Drake dropped his gaze to the floor, his mouth tasting sour and his voice laced with months worth of resentment when he spoke. ‘I guess you’re with him now aren’t you?’ 

Elizabeth opened her mouth to argue but something ugly reared inside him, determined to make her hurt just like he’d hurt when he’d seen her kissing Liam but Savannah beat him to it.

‘You’ve got no fucking right to be in there you know?’ she snapped at Elizabeth, stalking up to the taller woman, anger radiating off her entire frame. 'After all the shit you put him through.' 

'Savannah I can handle this,’ Drake interrupted but she ignored him, her voice raising in pitch and volume. 

 'Why can’t you just stay away!?' 

Elizabeth seemed to shrink further into herself, backing away from her. 'I couldn’t okay?! I can't stay away when-' 

’Then why you come back huh? To rub it in? Was leaving not painful enough for him? Or did you just have to see it through, to have the final laugh now that you-'

‘That not it at all,’ She cried out, immediately wincing as she raising a hand to her head, grimacing in pain as she turned to face Drake, eyes imploring him to listen. ‘Drake it was because of you! Back in New York, I could never get you out of my head. I tried to forget you, to move on but I couldn’t. The memories, our memories of you, of us wouldn’t stop no matter how hard I tried to block them out. And when I heard you got hurt-‘ Tears began to roll down her face as Elizabeth clutched her head in pain. 

‘Save the tears for someone who actually cares princess,’ His sister was yelling now at full volume. 

 'Savannah could you… please-‘ 

‘Sav cool it.' Drake attempted to step in again, his voice a warning now as he struggled to get off the bed, pain arcing through his side.  

‘Cool it? You’re asking me to cool it and this bitch just gets off scot free?’ She whirled back to Elizabeth, grey eyes flashing with rage. 'Puh-lease! After all the shit you put my brother through, you don’t get to ask You don’t get to traipse back here and suddenly decide that you want him in your life again!'

Elizabeth’s face twisted in anger. ‘Oh but you do?’

Neither of them saw the movement but there was no mistaking the sound of Savannah’s hand making contact with his ex-fiancee's right cheek, the stinging echoing throughout the small hospital room. 

 ‘Savannah what the fuck!?’ Drake screeched, eyes wide as he regarded his sister, horrified at how smug she looked. His eyes flew back to Elizabeth, who was clutching her cheek in pain, the skin underneath already red and swelling up. He made to say something but Elizabeth held a hand out to stop him. 

 ‘No its fine,' she gulped. ‘I-I..’ She didn’t wait to finish her sentence before dashing out the door, her sobs echoing behind her. 

Drake stared after her retreating figure, frozen in shock what had just happened. Suddenly his mind kicked him into action. 

 ‘What the hell are you doing?’ Savannah demanded, glaring at him as he struggled to get to his feet. 

‘What the fuck does it look like?’ He growled. ‘I’m going after her. I'm not about to let her go again.’ 

His sister’s face twisted into an ugly look. ’She doesn’t deserve it. No one came after me when I left..’ 

‘How is this suddenly about you?’ Drake snapped, ignoring the pain in his side as he struggled to move into a sitting position on the edge of the bed. 'You know what I don’t have the fucking time to deal with this right now.’ 

‘You’ll never catch up to her,’ Savannah replied bitterly, watching him rip off the hospital gown and slip on a pair of pants over his boxers. 

 ‘Watch me.’ With that he struggled to his feet, sliding on his shoes, gritting his teeth at the strain on his wound. 

 ‘She’s not worth it Drake.’ 

He paused in the doorway to glance back at where she was glaring at him from inside the room, grey eyes still brewing with anger. He matched her gaze, looking her fiercely in the eye. 

‘She’s worth everything.’

Drake barely heard the door slam and Maxwell’s gasp of surprise before blindly turning down a hallway, hoping to find Elizabeth. He called out her name, over and over as he staggered forward unsteadily, hospital parsons and staff of all kinds staring at him in annoyance but he didn’t care. He couldn’t let her go again… not this time. 

Attempting to navigate the busy corridors for a glimpse of her grey cardigan, his shoulder glanced off a protrusion on the wall, jerking him back painfully. He reflexively brought an arm to the bandage on his side and found it wet with blood but he forced himself to go on, calling out her name with renewed vigour until red began to fringe on the edges of his vision. 

 ‘NO, no, no, no,’ Drake muttered to no one in particular. ‘I need to find her, I have to tell her…’ His head swam and he could barely see until finally he sank to one knee, depleted of the strength to even hold himself up, vaguely aware of the hospital staff surrounding him, waving them off as he willed himself to get up but couldn’t as the darkness enveloped him once again. 

I need to tell her Iove her..

-

Idk who’s stil keeping up with this Tags:   @chantelle-x0x , @choicessa  @quartzandarrow , @drakewalkerwhipped , @ooo-barff-ooo @meeraaverywalker , @littleblossom-18, @boneandfur , @lizeboredom , @topsyturvy-dream , @american-duchess , @withice , @majesticmintyj @ninamckenzie22 , @drakelover78 , @h3llostrang3r , @cocomaxley , @zarina-x-zig , @nicestrokepam  , @enmchoices ,  @kellyale1804  , @mrswalkerreynolds , @kamybelen-blog ,  @hhiggs , @jenjosh5 ,  @bruhvs ,  @natalievgoodehenry ,  @choiceswreckedme ,  @laniquelove , @theroyalweisme  , @jamielea81  , @penguininapinktuxedo  , @tmarie82 , @crookedslimecreatorpasta ,  @asprankle  , @drakewanker  , @client-327  @graceisgone56 ,  @mfackenthal  , @smritysriv , @drakewalkerfantasy, @bobasheebaby , @ineedpeetalikehekneadsbread  , @srawesleyghuewrites , @ekhw1989 @mymandrake , @writtenbycandy , @andy-loves-corgis , @alwaysthebestchoice , @snyggflicka @mrsdrakewalkerblog , @moodygrip , @barbaravalentino , @agent-zephyrkah , @radpicklebakeryhero  , @innerpostmentality ,  @fairydustandsarcasm  , @speedyoperarascalparty , @debramcg1106 , @gardeningourmet , @blackcatkita , @meladoridarcy @lovelylittlewren @walkerduchess , @caz1003 , @annekebbphotography , @guilia3272 , @eileendannie 

[ircnxveils]

maya ( dealer's choice - you pick )

7. …to shut them up

  It was easy to forget that there were always threats, E S P E C I A L L Y when they happened to be supernatural creatures; the world would always REQUIRE a balance. Now she typically would’ve told the world to fuck off. It seemed plausible in instances where things just couldn’t be simple, where they were left hiding behind some wall in hopes that the hunter who’d just killed someone not too unlike them..wouldn’t wonder their way. That maybe the perfect cloak came in the form of brick and cement. 

 There was a tempting aspect, some part of her keen to jump out and tear the man apart (and while that worked in her world) it wouldn’t work here. She didn’t have a death wish…she knew the other woman didn’t either…-that they both just wanted to get out of here A L I V E. 

She’d heard footsteps, the slow approach of steps against the wooden floor. A sound that rang in her ears, something diluted by the sound of the other’s whispers. She’d taken action;nothing more than a requirement to make sure they weren’t heard. The gentle press of plump skin against the others, a softness to it because it was the only thing she could do to both shut her up and ensure they weren’t heard. 

 When the footsteps moved further away, then came the relief though nothing quite like the sound of the door opening and closing. He was gone and they were alive. “Next time be just a TINY bit more cautious huh?” 

@swtsvrndr

[theatricks]

Seisho School Story - Chapters 6-10 (English Translation)

Happy birthday, Hikari!!! ✨ 🎉

Chapter 6

Mahiru: Karen-chan, Hikari-chan. Are you done changing yet? Karen: Nnnn, Bananaaa, more rice... nomnomnom. Zzzzzz... Hikari: Karen, there's rice on your cheek... Zzzzzz... Mahiru: Wha-, you're sleeping again! And that's not all, you two! Mahiru: Geez~ Your uniforms are going to get wrinkled~! That's enough, wake up, you two!! New Year's is over!! Karen and Hikari: ....Wha-!! Mahiru: Are you awake? Today I want to air out the bedding and clean the room. You two are always messing it up... Karen: You sound just like a mom, Mahiru-chan~ Hikari: ...Mamahiru. Mahiru: I'm not your mother!! Mahiru: You two are going out today, right? Karen: (Oh, right... Got it.) Y-You're right. Hikari-chan, let's head out! Hikari: ? Did I make that sort of promise with you? Karen: It's fine, it's fine... (Karen and Hikari leave) Mahiru: Is it really fine? It'll be a tough performance, but do your best... Karen-chan.

Hikari: So, where are we going, Karen? Karen: Let's go to the lesson room! We got a bit rusty during the break, so let's work up a sweat practicing! Hikari: Then, I have to go back and get my leotard. Karen: You're right, let's go back to the dorms and...

~Karen's Memory~ Nana: We'll be using the kitchen until evening, so take care of her until then, okay?♪

Karen: Aah, no, we can't go back! Er, I mean, it'll be a pain to turn back now, so let's just go someplace else! Hikari: Oh? Karen: I wanted to do a little shopping. Hikari: The mall, then?

~Karen's Memory~ Futaba: Karen, make sure you don't go to the mall that day, got it?

Karen: Ah! No good... I was told to stay away from the mall today... Hikari: By who? Karen: M-My horoscope! In any case, that's a non-non, Hikari-chan!! Hikari: A more forceful non-non than usual... How about we go to the aquarium? Karen: Yeah, if we're going to the aquarium, then we can take the train there, and...

~Karen's Memory~ Claudine: We'll be looking around the store at the station, so avoid it if you can, okay?

Karen: Yeah, that's a non-non... Hikari: ...... Let's just go to the park. Karen: The park? The park is... The park is A-OK, Hikari-chan!!

Karen: Looks like there's someone doing something over there? Street Performer: Here I have a ballo~on! I do this, give it a twist, aaand~ Now it's a doggy!! Karen: Woo~~w!! That person's amazing, Hikari-chan!! Karen: Excuse me, please make me your apprentice~~!! Hikari: Ah, Karen! She was drawn in by their energy... Street Performer: First up is~~ The method of preparing~~ The balloon's air~~ Karen: The balloon's air~~

Karen: Hikari-chan, thanks for waiting! Here you go. Hikari: Mister White balloon art...? Karen: I made it for you. Go on, take it! Hikari: Huh...? Karen: Teacher's example was so good... I'll do my best to make something even more sparkling next time! Hikari: Karen... Karen: You weren't bored, were you, Hikari-chan? Hikari: No, it was fun just watching you. And you gave me Mister White. Hikari: Karen, thank you. Karen: Don't mention it! Karen: Evening crept up quick. Hikari-chan, let's go home. Hikari: Is that okay? Karen: Yeah, it's probably fine by now!! Hikari: Right... Hikari: (Oh, Karen, you're terrible at keeping secrets...)

Chapter 7

Futaba: I wonder if they're doing okay... Junna: I wonder... Futaba: The cooking crew should be fine, but I'm worried about Kaoruko and Karen who's in charge of being the diversion. Junna: I'm worried too. Especially about Karen. Futaba: She needs to keep Hikari away from the dorms, but the station and mall are off limits, too... Junna: And she needs to do it without her suspecting anything. This might be a tough mission for Karen. Futaba: Well, all we can do is carry out our own mission here.

Junna: Now, let's go to the goods department on the 3rd floor! Futaba: ...You sure are dependable, Hoshimi. I could just sit here and there'd be no problem, easy-peasy. Junna: Hanayagi-san would be angry if she heard you say that, you know? Futaba: It's the truth, though~ She even got lost here recently. Futaba: That Kaoruko... Hope she's not giving Kuroko and Tendo any trouble.

Kaoruko: ...Achoo. Someone's talking about me. Must be Futaba-han, she's probably anxious being away from me. Claudine: You never know, maybe she's taking the chance to let her hair down? Kaoruko: Unacceptable.

Junna: This miscalculation is unnaceptable. To think that it would be sold out...! Futaba: It's popular merchandise. That thing... Junna: We'll just have to go looking for it elsewhere. It's something the eight of us decided on, after all. Futaba: Alright, let's pick ourselves back up and head to the station!

Futaba: Let's see here... Oh, looks like the goods department is on the second floor. Junna: If it's sold out here too...what'll we do... Futaba: Well, there's still time, so don't give up just yet. We can try the shopping district too. Junna: You're a positive thinker, Isurugi-san. Futaba: You think? Futaba: It's probably because Kaoruko used to be such a sourpuss. I was always having to pull her along, I never even had the time to be negative. Junna: Understandable... To the point of being respectable.

Kaoruko: Achoo, achoo!! Claudine: Oh, Futaba's talking about you again. Maya: "To sneeze twice means you're being talked poorly about"...or so they say. Claudine: Well, she must be insulting you then. Kaoruko: How can you two say that!? There's no way that's the case!!

Junna: If this is the place, then it must be that shop at the corner there. Junna: Excuse me. There's something we're looking for... Junna: I see. You're sold out... Junna: Huh... You'll look into which shops have it in their inventory? Thank you very much!!!

Junna: ...Isurugi-san, we're going back to the mall! They said that someone cancelled their order and it's available now!! Futaba: Alright, let's go!!

Junna: Haa... Haa... We've been doing nothing but walking around but, as expected, you're not showing it at all. Futaba: This is nothing compared to theatrical combat practice.

Shopkeep: Thank you and come again! Junna: We did it... We finally bought it! Futaba: Haa~h, thank god. With this our mission is accomplished. Futaba: But, man, that was a long trip! I didn't think we would have this hard of a time. Junna: Now all that's left is the wrapping materials. What color do you think Kagura-san would like? Futaba: Out of those... It'd have to be the blue, right? Junna: Then, blue wrapping paper and a red ribbon? Futaba: How about we go a bit fancy with a gold ribbon? Junna: Good idea, that suits her! Futaba: This is a celebratory day, after all!

Junna: It's bulkier than I thought... Is it heavy, Isurugi-san? Futaba: Nah, not at all. You had your hands full with the shopping, so let me take care of this. Junna: I'll rely on your strength. That must be from carrying around Hanayagi-san's things every day. Futaba: She's actually been carrying her things herself lately. Junna: Wow... That's progress. Although it's normal for most people... Junna: But with that, our mission is complete. Now we just need to hope it goes smoothly for everyone else. Futaba: Let's hurry back. So we get there before Karen and the others. Junna: Yeah, let's help out the cooking crew and decorations team! We still have to do the wrapping, too.

Chapter 8

Kaoruko: Snip, snip, snip... Kaoruko: Aaah, impossible...! This isn't what my fingers are meant to do! Kaoruko: They're for perfectly holding a folding fan!! Claudine: You chose this job because you said it seemed the simplest. Maya: All you have to do is cut along the lines. Claudine: Your ballet coupe isn't very good either. Kaoruko: What does that have to do with anything!? Claudine: "Coupe" is the French word for "cut". Kaoruko: S'that so... The A, P, B, and R are so difficult. What's up with those shapes? Holes are the worst. Maya: Shall we change it to kanji? How about "誕"... would that be preferable? Kaoruko: Hell no. Claudine: Put them up on the wall when you're done cutting, Kaoruko. And you, what are you working on? Origami? Maya: Take the paper like this and fold it over and over again repeatedly... Cut it with scissors... Claudine: It looks like you're just cutting at random though... Maya: And then open it up... Claudine: C'est quoi ça!! How did you do that!? It's shaped like birds!! Claudine: ...Impressive. Mine are paper flowers. I've already made this many of them. Well? Fast, right? Maya: You got better and better as you went along, didn't you? Claudine: Each one is in a topdown perspective, but... Well, whatever.

Claudine: Haa... Haa... Claudine: Look how large the balloons I inflated are! Seems I come out on top in terms of lung capacity. Maya: ...... Claudine: Hey, say something... Maya: Large balloons don't look very pleasing when gathered together, do they? Claudine: Guh-... You're right.

Maya: A little higher. Now a bit to the left. Good, there. Claudine: There we go. Oh, Maya, can you hand me a thumb tack? Claudine: The garlands and balloons are up. They look nice, don't they? Maya: The cooking smells good as well. Claudine: Mmhmm, it's going well, isn't it? ......? What are you looking at, Kaoruko? Kaoruko: I mean... I can't really tell if you two get along or if you don't. Claudine: Did it look like we were getting along!? Maya: Oh, were we not? Claudine: Were you trying to!? Maya: That's what I was assuming, Saijo Claudine.

Claudine: W-Well, if you think so, then that's fine, I guess. Kaoruko: ...You really do get along, huh? Kaoruko: Oh, by the way, I'm done cutting. "HAPPY"! Claudine: That's it!? Where's the rest!? Kaoruko: I'm working on it... Claudine: You're working on it? Do you realize what time--... Kaoruko: Don't worry. Any second now... Futaba: Kaorukooo!! We're back! Kaoruko: See, they're back. Futaba-han will take it from here. Futaba: Huh!? You're not done with your work? I mean, I kinda figured as much, but... Kaoruko: Isn't the fact that I'm on the decoration team in the first place weird? Having to use these tiny scissors... Futaba: So what would you rather have done? Kaoruko: Taste testing? Anyways, here, I leave the sniping to you, Futaba-han. Futaba: ...Geez, whatever.

Futaba: Hehe~n, finished. How's it look? Maya: Lovely... You're quite dexterous, Isurugi-san. Claudine: Thanks to that, we'll finish the decorations just in time. Give Futaba your thanks, Kaoruko. Kaoruko: I did all the work I possibly could. I'm clumsy, you know. Futaba: No, you keep working too! Claudine: They sure get along well. Maya: They really do.

Chapter 9

Nana: Flour, eggs, butter, cream, and lots of fruits... Mahiru: Carrots, onions, nori, and... umm, let's see... Mahiru: My family sent a whole bunch of potatoes to the dorms, so I think that'll do it. Nana: Your family's potatoes are really tasty♪ Mahiru: I'm always surprised when they send so much, but your cooking really helps out. Nana: Now that the shopping is complete and we've got all the ingredients, it's time to put our skills to the test. I hope the others enjoy it, too. Mahiru: Even the cake will be homemade. They'll definitely enjoy it!

Nana: Okay, I'll prepare the cake and desserts. Mahiru: And I'll handle the potato dishes and sushi rolls. Both: Nanahiru Cooking♪ Nana: Sift the flour~ Melt the butter~ Preheat the oven to 180~♪ Nana: Crack the eggs in a bowl~ Add the sugar and use the hand mixer~♪ Mahiru: You're as skillful as ever, Banana-chan. I can't make sweets unless I'm looking at a recipe... Mahiru: Boil the potatoes... Peel the skin... Mash until fluffy... Nana: You don't peel the potatoes first and then boil them? Mahiru: My Grandma taught me that if you boil them before peeling, their flavor won't escape. Nana: Bananice♪ I didn't know that. I'll try it next time. Nana: We should clean up while we're at it. I'll wash the bowls and knives. Mahiru: Then, I'll wipe this down! Mahiru: ...This kinda takes me back. I come from a big family, so there was always a lot of cleaning up to do. Mahiru: My grandma would wash the tableware and I would wipe things off. Nana: Fufu... You have a big family even now. That's what we are, after all♪ Mahiru: Banana-chan is the mother, then... Nana: And Mahiru-chan is the older sister.  Karen-chan always seemed like the youngest child, but... Nana: Lately she seems like an older sister, too. Mahiru: Then, the youngest is Hikari-chan? Nana: Fufu, probably♪

Nana: Sponge cake, cookies, fruit punch, sweet potatoes... Mahiru: Potato salad, German potatoes, mashed potatoes, fries... And finally, the sushi rolls... Nana: We made quite a lot...♪ Mahiru: And there's just as much cleaning to do now!! Junna: I'm home. Nana: Welcome back, Junna-chan... Ah, it's already this late!? I have to hurry and decorate the sponge cake! Mahiru: The table still needs to be set up, too! Oh, no! Karen-chan's gonna be back any second. Junna: It's okay. Start by taking a breath, you two. I'll take care of the cleaning, the two of you handle the table and cake. Nana: That's our Junna-chan♪ You must be the eldest. Junna: What are you talking about?

Nana: I think that's a good consistency for the cream♪ Mahiru: Is it okay to cut the strawberries like this? Nana: Perfect. Nana: Alright, let's decorate it. Junna and Mahiru: Wooo~w! Mahiru: Banana-chan, you're like an artisan. The cream is turning into roses! Junna: The cream is dancing on the stage of the sponge cake... Even in a place like this, your mettle as a Stage Girl is tested. Junna: ...Cake making is profound. Nana: And now for the finishing touch... Mahiru: On top, a chocolate slab with a message written on it... All: It's ready to be served♪ Claudine: Karen and Hikari should be back soon. Kaoruko: We've finished decorating the room, too. Junna: Dim the lights and get ready. Mahiru: Everyone, when Hikari-chan gets back we'll... All: Celebrate!!!

Chapter 10

Karen: Hey, hey, Hikari-chan, Hikari-chan. What day is it todaaay?? Hikari: Hmm... National Earbud Day? Karen: Is it really?? I didn't know that~... wait, no!! Karen: Today's your birthday, right? Hikari: ...You remembered? Karen: Of course I did, Hikari-chan!! I'd never forget the birthday of someone important to me! Hikari: Thank you, Karen. And for the Mister White balloon, too. Karen: Let's allllways celebrate your birthday together from now on. Hikari: Yeah, and your birthday too. Even when we become adults and then old ladies. Karen: It almost feels like we've jumped straight from our reunion to now. Everything went topsy-turvy, helter-skelter! Karen: Hikari-chan, thank you for spending the day with me! Hikari: Yeah... It was fun, Karen.

Karen: We're hooome... *pop* Karen: Eek! A party popper...? All: Welcome baaack!! Hikari: This is...! Karen: Wo~w!! Amazing!! You guys!! There's so much wonderful food! Mahiru: There's lots of potato dishes and sushi rolls that you can choose your own ingredients for. Hikari: The room decorations are cute, too. Did you all put this together...? Kaoruko: Cutting out letters was tough. It was a good way to kill time though. Futaba: It was Karen who planned it out. Karen: I just said I wanted to celebrate Hikari-chan's birthday with everyone. Karen: Then everyone pitched in and it turned into a big thing!

Hikari: ...... Karen: Hikari...-chan? Are you crying? Hikari: ...I'm not. Junna: Let's get this party started. The food's going to get cold. All: Leeet's eat!!

Kaoruko: Pheeew. I can't eat another bite... Maya: It seems there's dessert, as well. Mahiru: Oh... Then it should be time for that! Hikari: That? Claudine: Here, a birthday present from all of us. Go ahead and open it. Hikari: ...... This is...a Mister White hanten!! Hikari: It's the one I've been looking for. It was a limited edition, so I wasn't able to find it.... Kaoruko: That incredibly lame hanten...? I don't understand how she could possibly be happy to get something like that... Futaba: Kagura likes it, isn't that all that matters? ...It is pretty lame, though. Karen: For Hikari-chan, it's gotta be Mister White. Nana: Okay, next up is the birthday cake♪ Light the candles aaand dim the lights! Hikari: I had no idea... To think you'd do all this for me. Karen: Hikari-chan... Kaoruko: Kagura-han, as a return gift, feel free to give over the role of Claire in Starlight to me. Futaba: Kagura, what sort of lessons did you do in England? Let's practice them together sometime! Junna: To take your and Karen's place as my own, I'll be aiming for the next lead role and I won't lose. Nana: I'm glad we can stand on the same stage together for the Seisho Festival and DramaFes, Hikari-chan♪ Claudine: Let me see some acting from the English version of Starlight sometime. I'll show you something from the French version in return. Maya: I look forward to seeing your performance as Claire, Kagura-san. Mahiru: Hikari-chan, I'm glad I became friends with you. Let's keep taking care of each other from now on, too. Karen: Okay, everyone... one, two!! All: Happy birthdaaaay!! Hikari: Everyone... Thank you... Karen: Come on, let's cut the cake together, Hikari-chan!! Hikari: It's... not a wedding, though. All: Ahahahahahahaha!!

(TL Note: Just to clarify, the term that Karen uses (入刀) is specifically for when a couple cuts their wedding cake together and Hikari is like, "Umm, I don't think that's the word you're looking for?")

[maya-matlin]

Sending a lot cuz I’m bored too 😆 Jay/Emma, Clare/Drew, Manny/Spinner, Justin/Hannah, Clare/Adam, JT/Paige, Mia/Danny, Peter/Riley, Tony/Ryan, Veronica/Josie, Moose/Kevin, Sweet Pea/Fangs, Jessica/Alex, Tori/Cam, Zoe/Goldi, Winston/Imogen, Tony/Clay, Owen/Anya, Spinner/Hazel, Jane/Danny, Riley/Lucas, Maya/Farkle, FP/Gladys, Lola/Frankie, Jack/Clare, Zoe/Jack, Imogen/Drew, Sav/Mia, Anya/Fiona, Ellie/Spinner, Darcy/Jay, Fitz/Clare, Jack/Imogen, Holly J/Darcy, Chantay/Holly J, Tiny/Grace

Thank you. You’re always great about sending me things. 💞

Jemma: OTP/BROTP (Obviously they should have happened and the fact they didn’t was a huge waste of chemistry but since Jay ended up with Manny in canon, I’d never want a Jemma pairing to get in the way of that, so. :p Or they can just be polyamorous. If I had any interest in romantic Emma/Manny, I could get into this.)

Clew: OTP/BROTP (I don’t love the way Clew was written in 13C but there was potential for them to be much better than they were and the writers really botched it. It’s sad because prior to that, Clare and Drew had a nice friendship and thanks to the drama with Eli, it’s very likely they’ll never be on great terms again since his jealous ass would never go for it.)

Spanny: NOTP

Justin/Hannah: OTP/BROTP (I really don’t know. I think you said this in an ask but I also had a moment in season 2 where I was seriously considering shipping Justin/Hannah. Obviously they weren’t meant to be and both had stronger feelings for other people but in that moment it could have been great. I wish things had been different because without Bryce around or so much pressure to fall in line, they could have been decent friends.)

Clare/Adam: BROTP

JT/Paige: BROTP

Mia/Danny: OTP

Piley: OTP/BROTP

Tony/Ryan: NOTP (The idea of them seems fun but I can’t say I’m invested in anything pertaining to their relationship)

Veronica/Josie: OTP/BROTP

Moose/Kevin: OTP (I guess. Joaquin is dead so Moose is the only decent love interest for Kevin left.)

Swangs: BROTP

Jessica/Alex: OTP/BROTP (As much as I wish Jessica had stronger feelings for Alex and could give their relationship a proper second chance, she clearly doesn’t and still loves Justin. So it’s likely they’ll end up as friends and that works for me, too.)

Tori/Cam: BROTP

Zoe/Goldi: BROTP

Winston/Imogen: NOTP (Season 14 Winston was the worst so no thanks)

Tony/Clay: BROTP

Owanya: OTP

Spinner/Hazel: BROTP

Jane/Danny: OTP/BROTP

Rucas: BROTP (I don’t care enough about their relationship for them to be a NOTP but the writers stretching out the triangle with Maya and then failing to show us any development with romantic Rucas made me lose interest in them romantically. They aren’t terrible, but I’d rather see Riley end up with Maya and Lucas with Farkle.)

Markle: BROTP

FP/Gladys: OTP (They were actually really fun together a couple of times this season. The show would never go there but I think it would be much more interesting to see FP give his marriage another chance.)

Frola: OTP/BROTP (I ship them mostly as a past thing. I could have gotten into a relationship in seasons 14-NC season 2 but they don’t feel as compatible now)

Jack/Clare: OTP/BROTP

Zoe/Jack: OTP/BROTP (How is Jack such a flat character yet so shippable?)

Drimogen: OTP/BROTP (I’m not that invested, but it would have been much more tolerable than Drecky and might have prevented Drew from being shit on come season 14.)

Sav/Mia: BROTP

Anya/Fiona: BROTP

Ellie/Spinner: BROTP

Darcy/Jay: NOTP (This is an odd example, but I ship them not getting along because they’re the most fun that way)

Flare: OTP

Jackogen: OTP

Holly J/Darcy: NOTP

Chantay/Holly J: NOTP

Tiny/Grace: BROTP

[speckofglitter]

  get to know me tag

I was tagged by the lovely @mashiho  (most iconic url)

rules: tag 10 followers you’d like to get to know better!

name: tiyi (not to brag but like i’m named after an Egyptian queen lol it’s cool except no one can pronounce it)

birth year: 2000

sign: aries (that’s why i’m so chaotic and implusive haha)

height: 164 cm or 5ft4  

put your playlist on shuffle and name the first 4 songs:

elevated by rkcb

dayfly by dean ft. sulli, rad museum

his pain by bj the chicago kid ft. kendrick lamar

the other side by alessia cara (yoo this song is beautiful as fuck)

grab the nearest book, turn to page 23, what’s the 17th line?

there’s no 17th line so i just put the last line

'and no curtain drapes open the door' - from maya angelou the complete poetry book

ever had a song or poem written about you?

nope no one likes me that much lol but i have written poems about a person

when was the last time you played air guitar?

i can’t remember but i have a feeling it wasn’t too long ago tbh

celebrity crushes?

lalisa manoban cause she’s the queen, dean, dpr live, ph-1, jackson wang, alex aiono (i’m sorry i’m a hoe)

what is a sound you love/hate

i hate any sort of buzzing sound it makes me want to scratch my skin off. i love any peaceful sound like ocean sounds of the sound of rain

do you believe in ghosts?

yes but i don’t believe in the way they’re represented in the media

do you believe in aliens?

yes but once again i doubt they look like weird tiny bodies with big heads lol i feel like they would kinda look like humans but just speak a different language and stuff (can you tell i’ve spent nights thinking about this)

do you drive? and if you do, have you ever crashed?

i can’t drive i was supposed to get my license last year but my dumbass didn’t make time for it also it’s expensive in france so i was like fuck it

last book you read?

how to be a badass at making money by jen sincero. super inspiring read.

do you like the smell of gasoline?

uhh hell nah

the last movie you saw?

proud mary starring taraji p henson. it’s a bit creepy but i recommend it. basically the main plot is that men are trash lol

do you have any obsessions right now?

ygtb, clc, working out, kpop random play dance lol (i swear i be acting like i’m on weekly idol i know so many dances now)

do you tend to hold grudges?

nope. my motto is forgive but don’t forget. i’m very quick to forgive people and give chances but people know not to fuck with me so i don’t need to hold grudges.

are you in a relationship right now?

nope i’m ugly lol (jk self-love or whateva) but like i suck at relationships, i ghost 90 percent of guys i meet on tinder because they’re boring or just wanna do the nasty and i have super high standards so... yeah nah

i tag @moonxlika @jasminesonline  @chulliesgf @shikyus  if u guys want to of course

[mylittleedgey]

Just Give Me a Reason

Phoenix Wright was used to operating on the fly when it came to his relationship with Miles Edgeworth.  Sometimes it was smooth sailing, sometimes it was harsh words that needed to be said, and sometimes it was just harsh words. Sometimes it was making up, sometimes it was two angry men trying to navigate a small room without acknowledging the other’s presence, and sometimes it was amazing sex. Often it was a mixture of those things. Phoenix was getting used to falling asleep with just a few inches of their backs touching, mirroring each other like a large antisocial butterfly spread out over the sheets.  He’d learned from experience that they normally woke up in each other’s arms.  If being in crisis was normal, then at least pulling off miraculous turnabouts at the last second were nearly as easy to count on.

Today’s crisis began with a panicked call from a detective who’s main skills were misinterpreting facts and jumping to conclusions.  Phoenix knew from years of painful experience that that a call like this normally meant everything was about to go straight to hell, with about even chances that Gumshoe would turn out to be the cause or not. “Listen, Pal, no one’s supposed to know about this, not even me-” he began.

“-especially you, let’s be honest,”  Phoenix interrupted sarcastically. He’d lost count of the number of times Gumshoe’s well-meant tips had made things worse for himself or the prosecutor he’d been paired with. He always told himself that next time he wouldn’t act until he’d heard the truth straight from the source, and yet, he didn’t hang up the phone. The chances were too high that it involved him.

“Well, you’re a close second, Pal, and at least I don’t have to sleep on the couch every time he’s angry at me!  Anyway, it’s about Mr Edgeworth, of course.” As if the two had anything in common besides their dangerously low incomes and their mutual obsession over a certain brooding prosecutor.  “He’s been making calls all over Europe the last few days, and he’s just about to leave for the airport!  He even had fake appointments for the rest of the day!”  

Phoenix felt his stomach drop.  “But, still,” he started, trying to force normal words out of his suddenly dry mouth.  “That doesn’t mean anything.  He could be picking someone up, or…”  His mind was suddenly hyper-fixated on the conversation last night where Miles had declined to meet for dinner.  He simply wasn’t available.  He didn’t offer a reason, and Phoenix knew better than to ask.  There was always tomorrow.

Until one day there wasn’t.

And Gumshoe didn’t need to know it, but it had been weeks since he’d seen the inside of Miles’ bedroom.  It’s not that they were fighting, not technically…

…Fighting would be better.  They were hardly talking.  It wasn’t the silence of two angry men who needed time to let their egos calm down before they could make up, either.  It was two men who wanted to talk to each other desperately, that had more to say than they knew how to express, two men who were (hopefully) still very much in love but overwhelmed by the circumstances.  Troubles beyond what they could have foreseen, even after everything they’d already been through.  An elephant in the room that he wasn’t sure they could surmount.

A tiny elephant with brown hair and a contagious laugh and a penchant for magic tricks.

Phoenix himself had been the one to introduce a stranger into the relationship, without the consent and certainly without the approval of the other party.  That would have been enough to throw the status of their relationship into question even without the far-reaching scandal that had destroyed his career and was currently drawing his partner’s ethics into question.  He had been trying to remain optimistic for his new daughter’s sake, even when he couldn’t bring himself to believe he deserved for things to go well, he knew how unrealistic it would be to just assume things could be smoothed out. A large part of him had expected this weeks ago.  “Listen, Gumshoe,” he finally continued, trying to keep his voice calm,  “there’s a lot going on right now.  Thank you for the heads up, but if he’s made up his mind-”

“But I don’t think he has!  You’ve had him moping for weeks, but he’s been different the last few days.  Y’know, quiet, nervous, jumping at stuff, like he does when he’s really lost in his thinking!  I think he’s about to make a really big decision.  And, y’know, Pal,” here his voice got a little lower.  “You ain’t been that good for him recently, but still I think you should be there.  Ya gotta try, anyway.”

“I…”  Hope wasn’t what he needed right now.  Hope had gotten him everywhere in life: his profession, his public standing, and even the relationship he hadn’t dreamed was possible; but it had let him down this time.  Right now what he needed to do was work on managing expectations, and that included accepting that Miles Edgeworth wasn’t actually obligated to take on the role of father to go with his newly acquired reputation as a prosecutor dating a disbarred attorney.  Hope was selfish.  “He should do what’s best for him.”

There was a very long pause, during which he swore he could hear the detective’s mood switch at least three times.  “Listen, Pal, if I can be frank,” he finally started, an uncharacteristic edge to his voice, “If you’re done with Mr Edgeworth, you should just tell him.  This ain’t fair.”

“Done with him? Me?! Listen, Detective,”

“No, you listen! You haven’t been to his office in two weeks-”

“-You think I’m welcome there?!” Phoenix snapped.

Gumshoe didn’t even pause,  “You think he’s welcome here?!  You think nobody mentions you just ‘cause you ain’t been visiting lately?!  Mr. Edgeworth has put his life into this job for years, he can’t just drop everything and run because you made a mistake, and,” Phoenix was cut off before he could protest, “I don’t even care whether you did it or not, you made a mistake and you gotta own up to that!  Mr Edgeworth defends you a dozen times a day, why can’t you speak for yourself once in a while?!”  There was a disturbingly wet sniffle.  “If I could do anything to help him through this, I wouldn’t even question it!  I… I’d even call the chief stupid!”

It took a second for Phoenix to finish cycling through the emotions the sudden rant had caused.  He found his pride was most hurt by the fact that he had no comeback to Gumshoe’s logic. He must have gotten better at lying to himself if he could get himself to believe things even Gumshoe wouldn’t buy. “Listen, Detective,” he began warily, “if I’m the reason he’s suffering, why on earth do you think seeing me would help anything?”

There was another long pause, and then Gumshoe replied in an extremely disappointed voice, “I dunno, Pal. I guess I just assumed you two were in love.”  A beep ended the conversation.

It was difficult to process what had just happened.  He had just been told off by Gumshoe about his love life.  Detective Gumshoe, who’d pined after Maggey for years without ever making a single move that didn’t make things drastically worse.  Gumshoe, who only followed after Miles and did what he was told, who wouldn’t stand up for himself if his paycheck or job or even his life was on the line.

Gumshoe, who was always willing to risk everything for his boss, regardless of whether or not he was benefiting from it.  Who trusted his boss to make the right decision every time.  Who, in his own way, had loved Miles for almost a decade, probably more than the poor detective even loved himself.

Love.  He and Miles respected each other deeply when it came down to the line, and trusted each other implicitly. They had managed to carry the bumbling lust of a first tryst and work it into a familiarity that had yet to take the edge off of their incessant need for each other.  If you had asked him a month ago if they were in love, he probably would have just responded with a self-depreciating smile. Did it matter? There would be time enough to figure all that out when things calmed down.  Now, the question made his stomach turn sour with anxiety.  Love?  Not blindly like Dollie or protectively like with Trucy.  What he had with Miles was something strong enough that he would walk through fire without even questioning whether it was necessary, but it was still young enough he felt awkward asking to reschedule a date. It was something like a sharp cliff; the base was sturdy and would probably survive after everything else had crumbled away, but the edge was constantly breaking down, subject to landslides, eternally changing.  It wasn’t something you could just define, tomorrow it might be something completely different.

Miles was so much to him.

But what was he to Miles?

Almost automatically, he picked up his phone off the desk. He would probably never understand the inner workings of Miles Edgeworth, and he was even less likely to interpret how it applied to their complicated bond, but he knew someone who deserved to be part of the dialogue.

Maya picked up on the third ring.  “What’s up, Nick? Adopted another kid you need to have looked after?” She snickered. “I don’t do bulk discounts, you know.”

“Hey, Maya?  This is weird, but can I talk to Trucy?”

“Yeah, whatever. Need some advice?” she laughed, handing the phone over.  “At least you know who’s the adult in your house!”

The phone thumped a little as small hands wrestled the phone into place.  “Hi, Daddy!”

“Hey, Trucy, how are you doing?”

“Great!”  Trucy giggled.  “Aunt Maya’s trying to figure out how I keep making all the cookies disappear!”  Her voice became louder and more distorted, presumably because she was cupping her hand against the phone to be secretive.  “I ate them.”

“Don’t give Aunt Maya too much trouble, okay?  I need her to still like you enough to babysit you,”  he joked.

“Everybody likes me!”  she proclaimed loudly, the scuffling of a chair implying that she thought this statement was worthy of standing up.  “I’m the amazing Trucy Wright!”

Phoenix laughed again.  “Well, you’re Daddy’s favorite, that’s for sure.” He paused for a second, taking a deep breath.  “You know Mr. Edgeworth, right?”

“Yeah!” She responded enthusiastically.  “He’s really pretty.  He needs a better agent.  When we saw him on TV yesterday they didn’t even center the camera on him!  He’s the best talent they have, they should treat him like it!”

Phoenix gave a sad half-smile to the receiver.  “Well, I’ve heard he’s going to England.”

He heard her shift the phone excitedly.  “Does he have a new gig?”

“Yeah, I guess. Something like that.”  Phoenix replied.

“Sounds exciting!” she exclaimed. In the silence after the statement, she seemed to quickly pick up his unease.  “But you’re gonna miss him, huh?”

“Yeah, Honey,” he admitted quietly,  “a whole bunch.”

“So, go kiss him goodbye! And tell him you’ll miss him! Don’t you watch movies?!”  She sounded as angry as a little girl could muster.  “He’ll miss you too, you know!”

“You really think so?”

He could practically hear her little eyes roll.  “Daddy…” she explained with exaggerated patience. “Mr. Edgeworth’s whole thing is that he’s really good at catching bad guys, right? If he really thought you were a bad guy, he wouldn’t keep insisting that everyone say ‘alleged’ when they talk about bad things you’ve done. ‘Allegedly’ done.” she corrected herself, and giggled.

He didn’t realize she’d picked up on that, although every media outlet in the country had made multiple references to it. And while their relationship wasn’t common public knowledge yet, any amount of familiarity invariably reflected badly on Miles. “You don’t think he’s gotten sick of me?”

There was a long pause. “Daddy, are you sick of me?” She finally said, and his chest seized. She was still young and confident enough that it was still rhetorical, but it was still a dangerous question. A question that a child should never have to ask, especially one who had already lost two parents.

“Of course not, Honey, you know I love you more than anything. Aunt Maya has to watch you while I finish all this paperwork about why I don’t get to be a lawyer anymore, but we all know she’s not allowed to keep you, right? I’d miss you too much.”

“So why do you think Mr Edgeworth doesn’t like you?”

Christ, he could write a book. An entire series, with hourly updates on the official blog to remind the world what he’d done in the last ten minutes that would make Miles Edgeworth regret being seen in the same room as him. But how to explain that to Trucy…

No, if she had caught on to the significance of what ‘alleged’ meant for both of their careers, she had to realize how tense things were on the few occasions when “uncle” Miles had shown up. She probably even realized that at least some of that tension involved her. He knew she was almost unnaturally perceptive. He wasn’t even sure when she’d realized that his relationship with Miles was the kind of thing that warranted a kiss goodbye, but he found he wasn’t surprised that he knew. “Honey, you know Edgeworth and I have been fighting, right?”

“Yeah.” He was surprised how vulnerable her voice sounded all of a sudden. “It’s hard to hear.”

“I’m sorry, Truce, I-”

“It’s not like you’re too mean.” she interrupted. “Dad- my other Dad, he gets in fights a lot. Sometimes he even punched people. I didn’t like that. The yelling hurt too.” “Sweetie...”

“You and Mr Edgeworth are different.” she continued quietly. “I can tell you’re mad, but… I don’t think you’re mad at each other. And you don’t really want to be right either, so it doesn’t even matter if you win or lose. It just hurts.”

Holy shit. Magic was her calling, but her was certain that they could set up the agency as a counselor tomorrow and make more money in their first week than he pulled in as a lawyer in the average month. Just the fact that he’d managed to gain such a wonderful daughter was the closest thing he had to proof that he hadn’t ruined everything. “And you still think he likes me?”

“Daddy, he loves you.” she replied. “He wouldn't fight like that if he didn’t.”

“You really think so?” He should probably feel ridiculous relying on his daughter to bolster his confidence before he went to confront his boyfriend over his still theoretic and totally justified abandonment, but at the moment all he cold think of was how much better she seemed to be reading the situation. If she believed it was worth a shot, then maybe…

“Daddy...” the tiny clairvoyant mood seemed to pass as quickly as it had begun, and now she was just another long-suffering child dealing with a clueless parent. “He thinks you’re pretty. Even I don’t think you’re pretty.” In the background, Maya burst out laughing. “Besides, you want to kiss him, right? It’s good for both of you!”

He couldn’t stifle a chuckle. Trucy was still Trucy, thank goodness.  “You know what, Honey?  I’ll do that.  Thanks.”

“Kiss him for me too,”  she laughed,  “You can kiss him on the mouth if you want, as long as you tell him that part was your idea.  Oh, and tell him I know a guy that can help him with his sound checks!  He’s got a nice voice, they just need to wire him better.”

Kiss him goodbye. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?  If he managed to even find Miles, and didn’t get chased off immediately, he could kiss his boyfriend goodbye and tell him there would always be a place for him here if he got lonely.  And if he didn’t, well… Phoenix Wright had plenty of practice pining after Miles Edgeworth.  He’d survive.

“Thank you, Truce.”

“Go get him, Daddy!”

“I’ll try, Sweetheart. Be nice to Aunt Maya, okay?”

“Yep!”  The call ended.

Phoenix grabbed his wallet and headed for the door, intentionally avoiding the mirror. He already knew Miles wasn’t dating him for his looks or fashion sense or career, or anything else that readily came to mind. Getting his suit out would only waste time and make him more recognizable to gawkers. If he had any chance of pulling off a miracle, his pride wasn’t going to enter into things. In fact, the less he thought about it logically, the better. This was one for the heart.

THIS WAS WHERE WE LEFT OFF–

Fortunately, it was easy to catch a shuttle to the airport from the Gatewater, and if Gumshoe had been right and Miles wasn’t leaving just yet, he might even have gotten there first. Besides, he knew the prosecutor well enough to be confident enough that Miles would never resort to a taxi. He had to be storing his car, which meant more delays. And on an international flight, it could still be hours before he actually left.

If only his dumb ass hadn’t gotten him stuck in arrivals.  It never ceased to confound him how such a huge airport could constantly manage to have the same population and hostile, zombie-eyed energy of an overcrowded high school. He was scanning the area with growing apprehension, wondering what to do. He could try to find departures, although the time and energy it would take to force his way against the current of humanity would mean he’d show up at the right area missing his sunglasses, most of his sanity, and possibly a few fingers, just in time to catch a glimpse of one of the nicest asses in Los Angeles passing through a metal detector behind four security fences. He’d look great on the news being arrested as a terrorist who jumped a counter in the name of love. At least he knew a good defense attorney…

...Oh wait, not anymore.

He was surprised how much the realization still managed to hurt.

He could page Miles and see just how mad that made him. Did they even page people at airports anymore? It would be easy enough to convince someone of the uselessness of his piece of crap phone, but Miles would know exactly what was happening even if they didn’t give his name. He should probably just hang his head in shame and crawl back to his office and be glad he hadn’t had a chance to make things even worse.  If this was a movie, he’d be sitting here on the brink of despair when all of a sudden a flash of magenta would catch him off guard.

A little girl in a dark pink dress happened to be taking off her coat in the corner of his vision at that exact moment and nearly gave him a heart attack.  No, of course it wasn’t Miles, because this wasn’t a stupid movie and he had a feeling he wasn’t anywhere near the nadir of his fall from grace anyway.  He apologized profusely to the family he had frightened and pretended he had mistaken her mother for someone he knew because it seemed slightly less creepy than saying he thought her young daughter was his boyfriend, and made his way to the bathroom to get a hold of himself.

And there was Miles Edgeworth in the flesh.  Tall and harried and unfairly beautiful, leaning against a suitcase that was far too large to be meant for a weekend trip.  He was sipping tea from a national chain Phoenix knew he could hardly stand and trying badly to pretend he didn’t hate everyone within a hundred yards of him.  Phoenix slowly edged around the masses of people, trying to get closer without looking suspicious.

God, he looked tired.  He always tended to look overworked, but this was beyond a Miles who had suffered through a hard day at work and needed a glass of wine before he was willing to talk about it.  This was Miles on day two of a three day trial, considering a nicotine patch just to keep him awake and re-applying concealer in the bathroom because he was raised to be perfect and perfection didn’t show up to court looking like a drug addict in a nice suit.  This was Miles holding together because failure wasn’t an option even when nothing else was a possibility anymore, and he was the Miles that always caused Phoenix and Gumshoe to hold their breath and hope this wasn’t the millstone that broke the camel’s back.  

That was the look of a man who had had three cases in the last two days appealed simply because Phoenix Wright had touched the case, and their shared history alone was proof enough that someone needed to take a closer look.

That was entirely Phoenix’s fault, and as Gumshoe has pointed out earlier, he hadn’t really been doing anything to make things better.  And here he was, in sweat pants with a ratty old beanie pulled over his hair and his favorite pair of sunglasses that made him look like any one of thousands of people going through a personal scandal.  What did he have to offer?  He wanted to run.  

And god, did he want to kiss that man.

Hold him and kiss his tired eyes and tell him it was okay, there had just been a misunderstanding and his stupid boyfriend hadn’t ruined both of their lives thinking he could handle things on his own.  Call a cab and give him a back-rub and a good meal and make sure he got a good night’s sleep whether he wanted it or not, and maybe in the morning they could talk about their relationship if there was anything left of it.

He was considering his options when the man with the silver hair happened to glance in his direction.  He froze, but Miles didn’t even look surprised. “Goddamn it, Gumshoe’s got to be afraid of a living wage.” He turned back like that was the end of the conversation.

Phoenix stepped forward.  “I…”

“What did he even tell you?”

“He just said you were leaving for the airport and if I hurried I might be able to catch you before you left.”  Forget that kiss goodbye, not in front of all these people.  If he really loved the man, he should let Miles punch him out in front of the crowd.  Let him leave on a high note after weeks of being abused by Phoenix Wright simply existing.

“You…”  It seemed to take a moment for the words to sink in, Miles must be even more exhausted than even Phoenix realized.  “…Listen, I don’t think you have any idea what’s going on here, but I need you to leave right now.We can discuss this later.”

“What’s to discuss?”  Phoenix asked with a wry smile, removing his sunglasses.  “You’ve held out longer than I thought you would.  I just wanted to say I’m sorry it’s come to this.”

“Come to…” Confusion momentarily overtook the irritation in Miles’ voice.  “Come to what, exactly? At what point did you finally notice things had gotten out of hand?”

Phoenix shrugged the question off. “Yeah, I know, I’ve been screwing everything up since the whole thing started, right? Why should this be any different?”

“That’s not what I meant, and I’ll thank you not to twist my words-”

“Easy, I’m not blaming you for anything. I just wanted to…”  kiss him, that’s what he had set out to do, wasn’t it?  Show up like the arrogant prick he was and demand a kiss from a man he’d inadvertently tried to ruin.  “Hey,” he asked suddenly, “would you like to punch me out?”

“What?!”

“The press would eat it up, you know, everyone’s got a camera these days, it would be all over the news by this afternoon.  At least it would give you something to talk about when you get to wherever you’re going besides what terrible taste you have in men.”

“Listen, Wright, I assume you think you’re helping with something, but I assure you that you aren’t.”  Miles was finally showing signs of true, intense agitation around the edges of his frazzled confusion.  “When is the last time you actually tried to talk to me?  Now you want to look like a martyr?”

“No, not a martyr, just an asshole.”  Phoenix returned.  “Isn’t that what everyone’s thinking anyway?”  He glanced around.  A few people had paused around them, either recognizing the minor celebrities or just smelling a public breakdown.  It occurred to him that people who didn’t recognize them must be wondering what sort of business the man in the dirty hoodie with stubble that said he was never expected to be presentable anywhere might have with the person who looked like some sort of minor royalty in a period piece.  Someone must have alerted security already.  Whatever was going to happen would have to happen soon.

“Wright, this is not the time.  Honestly, I’ll be the first to admit we could use more communication, but you have somehow managed to pick the worst possible time to initiate it, and even by your twisted logic this is wildly inappropriate.”

“Come on, Sweetheart, I know you’re good for it.”  Phoenix persisted, taking Miles’ wrist more roughly than he had intended.  Even he wasn’t sure why he was so insistent about a physical altercation.  Perhaps he was afraid of the lack of passion in their voices.  If what they had was ending, shouldn’t it end with the same fire that had forced them together in the first place? The relationship had been short, but the events leading up to it overshadowed both of their lives.  “Do something,”  he insisted. “I’m not just some stranger asking for change.”

Miles looked at the hand trapping his and then back at the owner of said hand.  “After everything we’ve been through, can’t you just trust me?”

That was fair, honestly it was more than fair.  Miles had never intentionally hurt him during their brief but intense relationship, and a man who didn’t order takeout without an intense inner dialogue about his decision wouldn’t have just up and left without considering the consequences of his actions.  He should just trust Miles to make the right decision.  But standing here, inches away from the man who he’d pursued for over a decade, it struck him just how difficult it would be to accept that what was best for Miles was to leave and not look back.  Certainly without a kiss goodbye.  It wasn’t that Miles had dispassionately concluded that his use for Phoenix Wright had ended, it was a man who had dedicated weeks to trying to drag his unresponsive partner out of an engorged river and was finally having to accept that getting himself killed over a lost cause wasn’t accomplishing anything.  “I…” he started, with no words in his mind to finish the though.

The last time Miles had left, it had taken fifteen years to catch up.  This time, would it even be possible?

“Miles?”

Both men turned to see the confused man who had just exited the bathroom and was now standing a few feet behind Miles, still drying his hands on a linen handkerchief as he surveyed the scene.  He was very average in almost every regard, but in a strangely comforting way. He somehow gave off the feeling of a relative you hadn’t seen for a while but remembered on almost an instinctual level as being a source of comfort, perhaps an uncle. He was certainly old enough to be, with gray hair fashionably beginning to dust his temples and glasses that only made him look more refined.  Phoenix was the first to admit he didn’t know as much about suits as his profession would suggest, but he realized at first glance that the suit the man was wearing was most likely custom and definitely closer to Miles’ budget than his own.  “Who is this?”  The man asked with a faint but refined accent.

Phoenix would have liked to have something to say at this point, if only so that the first impression of him was that he was a coherent human being capable of rational speech, but unfortunately his mouth had become incapable of such niceties the moment it registered that a total stranger had referred to Miles by his first name with no reaction. He’d never even heard Franziska refer to him by his given name without tacking on his last.  Hell, they’d been dating for months, and he still knew better than to throw the epitaph around carelessly. But this man… He looked to Miles, who had gone totally silent.  There was no attempt to return his eye contact.  “Miles?” he repeated softly.

“Excuse me, may I help you?”  The other man stepped forward, taking a worried glance at Miles’s obvious discomfort. “Do you have some business with Miles?”

Phoenix supposed the man could be considered handsome.  Not his own type at all, but he had to admit that the man, while definitely many years older than himself or Miles, seemed fashionable and well-aged.  It was more than that, though, something in the eyes or the wrinkles by his mouth, that made him look soft and kind.  Not the kind of person he would have expected to turn Miles Edgeworth’s head,  but somehow he looked like the kind that would be strong and stable enough to support the troubled man through his hectic life without piling on extra unnecessary stress. A relationship a man like Miles truly deserved.

He knew he was able to satisfy Miles sexually. The man standing between them probably had no idea that the refined and outwardly repressed prosecutor had introduced the subject of bondage the first time Phoenix had stayed the night at his place, or that they’d had to establish a safe word that same evening after Miles had gotten so loud they’d had to pause and confirm that unless it involved that one certain word, the volume should be considered an indication that everything was perfect and he should not under any circumstances stop. Two weeks after they had gotten together Gumshoe had actually hugged him, tears in his eyes as he thanked Phoenix for whatever it was he was doing, because in the almost ten years they’d worked together he hadn’t even realized Mr Edgeworth could be that relaxed. Gumshoe definitely hadn’t caught on that Phoenix’s main objective in that moment had been to distract the detective from how fast Miles had ran for the bathroom or that his bangs were wet when he returned, but he definitely noticed when he dropped some decisive evidence and his boss shrugged it off without comment. For a few perfect weeks they had been living like rock stars.

But as a couple their relationship was mostly hard spikes and sharp edges, no pun intended, and after his scandal things were getting roughed up faster than they could force them back down into place. A couple of spectacular orgasms a week didn’t even begin to justify what Miles had been through lately. Even then, this was the closest they’d been physically.

And yet, the idea that Miles had reached out to another for emotional support hurt so much more than the thought of him finding a convenient body to warm the other side of bed. “I get it.” he finally said quietly, trying to keep the tears out of his voice. He’d embarrassed himself enough.

“I highly doubt that.”  Miles replied coolly, still looking away.  He looked more upset at the inconvenience of the scene being played out in front of him than he did embarrassed or conflicted.  He just wanted it to be over.  In some ways, that hurt the most.

“No, I get it. Honestly, you’ve held out longer than I deserved.”  A kiss goodbye, that had seemed like such an obtainable goal this morning. This was exactly what he deserved for listening to the lies of hope. Anger rose up in his throat, at everything, the world that had put him in this position and himself for allowing it to happen.  At this other man simply for looking exactly like the source of mental and professional stimulation he’d never been able to be for Miles.  At Miles himself for letting things get to this point without saying anything.  For that look that was too exhausted to even be ashamed. “Listen,” He had no idea what he was going to say, but he knew something had to be said.  He was surprised by the pain and challenge in his own voice.  “I’m not quite as stupid as you think I am-”

“No, you listen,” Suddenly the other man was between them, blocking Miles’ body with his own.  “I don’t know what your problem is, but-”

“Robert.”  Miles finally spoke up, his voice quiet and reluctant as he put his hand on the man’s shoulder gently. That hurt too, physical familiarity was not something Miles was readily comfortable with.  “I appreciate your concern, but this is something I need to deal with personally.” The gesture was enough to quiet both men down, waiting in silence for the prosecutor to speak.  Even in his anger, Phoenix could tell that the other man held a deep respect for Miles and was willing to wait for an explanation before jumping to conclusions.  “I would like to introduce you to Phoenix Wright.  We’ve spoken of his recent troubles, which I can only assume are responsible for him acting like this.”  

Robert’s face seemed to lighten instantly.  “Why, I didn’t recognize you without the suit!  And that silly hat. Yes, of course, I’ve heard…”  he turned back to Miles, and was suddenly quiet again, as if realizing there was more to the story.

“I’ll admit that our communication has been strained recently, but the last time we actually discussed it, I was under the impression we were still a couple.”

Phoenix’s heart caught in his throat as Robert looked from one face to the other with shock.  “I had no idea-” he stammered, and then went quiet again.

“And Phoenix Wright, I had hoped that this would be under different circumstances, but I would like to introduce you to Robert Edgeworth, my uncle. I assume you understand how circumstances kept us from speaking for most of my life, but we reconnected in Brussels two years ago. I’ve asked him to stay out here for a week as my guest.”  He cleared his throat as he thought over his words.  “There were things I felt more comfortable speaking about in person rather than over the phone.”

And this would probably be that nadir he had been thinking about:  The exact moment that he was able to pinpoint what exactly he saw in the other man that would be such a comfort to Miles and realized it was how closely he resembled Gregory Edgeworth.  “I-I, um, I’m Phoenix Wright… I guess you knew that.  It’s such an honor to meet you, Sir, I, um, I didn’t realize- he never talked about- n-not that he hasn’t talked about you, just not to me!  I mean…”   Now words were coming without thoughts or pauses as he tried to decide the most socially acceptable way to excuse himself to find a good hole to crawl into to die.

“Don’t worry about it, Mr. Wright, Pleasure to meet you.”  Robert offered his hand awkwardly.  “I was aware that the two of you were close, but I didn’t think… I wouldn’t presume…”   he glanced back towards his nephew.

“It’s complicated.”  Miles said quietly.  “Significantly more so as of late.”

“Yes, I can see where it would be.”  Robert said, his voice filled with concern. “And you said that he had recently adopted a young girl, didn’t he?”

“I personally need a drink.”  Miles announced.  “I don’t live far, and I honestly don’t think I’ll be driving again today.  Wright…”  he paused.  “I don’t even know what to do with you right now.”

“I can get lost, no problem.”  Phoenix mumbled.  “I mean, you’re still welcome to that punch, if you’d like.  You’ve certainly earned it.”

Miles’ expression was too exhausted to show his emotions properly, everything came out as profound, soul-crushing disappointment.  “I suppose you’re free to do what you like.  I’ve never expected otherwise from you, anyway.”  He was still avoiding eye contact, and it finally hit Phoenix exactly what he had been accusing his partner of.  

“After everything we’ve been through, can’t you just trust me?”

He trusted Miles with his life. Even the lives of the people closest to him, which was significantly more impressive because he actually cared about their well-being.  He idolized Miles so much that he had automatically assumed infidelity was a normal, healthy thing for to do before it occurred to him that such an action would be out of character for the prosecutor.

He was so deeply devoted to the man that he’d practically forced Miles out the door towards a better future without even asking for his opinion.

“I’m so sorry,”  Phoenix stammered, having trouble forcing the words past the lump in his throat, “I… I guess I just got so used to the idea that I was dragging you down that I just assumed…”  the words died on his lips. There was really no way to recover. “I hope the two of you have a great time...” He abruptly turned to go.

A hand caught the back of his sweatshirt. “You don’t don’t mind, right, Miles? I’d hate to think I’d strained your relationship further.” Miles shrugged without glancing in their direction. “Then as my guest, please.” Robert addressed Phoenix directly. “At least until we get to the house. I need to thank you for saving my nephew’s life.”

“It’s nothing. It was a long time ago.” Phoenix mumbled. Miles continued towards the exit with the larger of the suitcases.

“Nonsense.” Robert returned. “You fought Manfred Von Karma for his sake. Some of the bravest men I’ve known would balk at that.” He glanced back at his nephew, who had retrieved the suitcase and was walking towards the exit without comment. “And you won, boy! Do you know how impossible that was? I underestimated him once, I’ll never forgive myself.” His voice dropped, and he leaned in closer. “I tried to sue for custody, I was his uncle, I had a steady income and a stable job and I was cocky young bastard... By the time the ordeal was over it cost me my practice in the states. The man was a monster, Mr. Wright.”

Phoenix cringed away from the words. “Please, Mr. Edgeworth, it was nothing. I didn’t even do it on my own, I got help from everyone. The press didn’t show how strong Miles had to be.”

“Mr. Wright...” That sad smile. Phoenix hadn’t even realized he had so many memories of Gregory Edgeworth until he met Robert. If it was affecting him so much, what could Miles be feeling? “I lost my brother, and there was nothing I could do about it, but I almost lost my nephew too. I can’t speak for Miles, but I know I can never repay you for what you’ve given back to me. I can’t imagine how my nephew must feel. He needs you, probably more than he needs me. Please, Mr. Wright.” His gray eyes glinted earnestly, and for the first time in years Phoenix wondered how Miles would be with a nurturing guardian. “For the ride over, at least, I’m sure you would be appreciated.” He turned to catch up to Miles.

Against his better judgment, Phoenix followed him.

Conversation was nearly impossible as the two less experienced men struggled with keeping Miles in sight as he wove through people and cars with the air of someone who must visit this airport several times a month. He didn’t look back or address either of them until he arrived at his car. Finally he turned, and seemed to notice for the first time that both men were still there. Phoenix stood still guiltily, like a child awaiting punishment, for the surprise to turn to resentment, but it never did. “Let me see if I can get these in the trunk.” he finally said. “It might be tight, but we should manage.”

“You have your father’s taste in vehicles, I see.” Robert smiled, and it took Phoenix a tense second to notice the shy, barely-repressed grin as Miles mumbled a thanks. “Even his color. Did you ever see the photos of his cars when he was younger?”

“A few.” Miles admitted. “He kept a picture of the Spider in his office, sort of in the back. Andrea, wasn’t it?”

“I remember her. Robert smiled. I still think Sarah wanted him to sell that one because he didn’t stop referring to it as his girlfriend until after they were engaged.” Robert let a hand trail lovingly along the well-polished hood. “His priorities changed when he had a child, but I’m sure he would have been thrilled to know you inherited his love.” He wiped a tear out of the edge of his eye with the base of his palm. “I’ll stop now.”

It hadn’t occurred to Phoenix just how little Miles must know about his father. Truth, justice, protecting people that couldn’t protect themselves, all of that had become a mantra that stuck with the boy until adulthood, but little things, preferred movies, book, foods… Most of it wouldn’t come up in normal conversation with a nine year old. Just knowing that he had a link with his father must be more precious to him than breathing after surviving on scraps for so long. Phoenix watched the two other men talk with relative ease as Miles somehow managed to get the huge suitcase into the back of the car.

He felt like an intruder in an extremely intimate scene, and at the same time he felt immensely blessed to be here at such a magical event in his partner’s life. There was something deeper though, not jealousy, he was thrilled to see Miles connecting with his past in a positive way. No, it was more like dread. He had always seen Miles as a cornerstone of his childhood, a rock that diverted his life from an unfocused kid to the path he had followed for most of his life. He was suddenly struck by the ugly thought that he wasn’t even a particularly strong link to his lover’s past. Here was a living relative who actually knew Gregory Edgeworth, and he has always counted himself as something special for remembering a few words Miles had said about a book he hadn’t even bothered to read.

Miles turned to Phoenix again when he closed the trunk. He seemed to be waiting for some response, but Phoenix didn’t have one. “I… I can still get lost if you want. I realize how important this is,” he offered lamely.

“I’m not asking you to leave.” Miles replied. He certainly wasn’t asking Phoenix to stay either, but after everything the prosecutor been subjected to today, he deserved to have his partner stick out his own neck.

“I...” Phoenix cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about everything. I should know by now not to listen to Gumshoe.”

“And I should have known better than to think I’d managed to keep him from interfering.”

“I,” Words were so stupid. In all these thousands of years, why hadn’t mankind invented a way for people to actually communicate their feelings? “I’ve just felt so useless lately. All I do is cause problems for you.”

“If you think we started dating because I thought being in close proximity to you would make my life less complicated, I’m afraid you’re very much in error.”

“No, I...” Over Miles’ shoulder, Phoenix could see Robert jerking his head towards his nephew. He wasn’t quite sure what it was meant to suggest, but if their short conversation had been any indication Robert was expecting something. “I...” He stepped forward with no real plan. “I...” Up this close, Miles was even more breathtaking, and somehow even more exhausted than he had looked in the harsh light by the baggage pickup. “Oh, Miles...” His brain was still telling him that this was all stupid, he didn’t even deserve to touch Miles after everything he’d put them through today, and if you took the last month into account he didn’t deserve to exist in the same city. Everything he’d done so far had only managed to dig the hole different. He ignored that voice and wrapped his arms around his poor, worn out boyfriend.

Miles was all one tense muscle as Phoenix settled into him, pulling his arms tighter as he was enveloped in the familiar smell and warmth and realized that the last time they’d just gotten lost in each other he had been a single man with a career ahead of him. That was lifetimes away, but here was Miles, still warm and solid and… familiar. Somehow, despite Phoenix’s terrible luck and horrendous judgment, this was still available to him. “I’m sorry, Miles. Let me make it up to you.” He couldn’t think of anything he had to offer, but Miles was here in front of him and not pushing him away. That was worth anything to him.

Miles hadn’t let go of his tension yet. “Is this just how it is now?” He asked, his voice ragged. “Nothing for days and then accusations out of nowhere?You’ve always expounded on your unshakable trust, and yet-”

“I trust you, Miles.” Phoenix whispered. “I never stopped believing in you, I just don’t believe in me right now.”

“Without you there’s hardly us, Phoenix.”

“Do you still want us? Even after everything that’s happened?”

“...Do you?”

It was hardly fair to turn it about like that, but hell, Miles had earned it and more after everything he’d put up with. “I’d give anything short of Trucy to keep us.”

He wouldn’t have thought it possible, but the man in his arms stiffened more at the mention of the young girl, and Phoenix could have sworn his heart just stopped cold, its last beat echoing through his empty chest. “She… needs you, doesn’t she?”

“Yeah.”

“And it had to be you, didn’t it?” Miles asked, voice wavering. “She doesn’t just need a father, she needs Phoenix Wright.”

Phoenix felt his heart, still cold and unbeating, drop out of his chest. “I really believe she does,” he answered quietly.

There was a choked, broken noise in back of Miles’ throat. “It’s not fair,” Miles croaked.

“I know, I’m sorry.” Phoenix whispered. He hadn’t realized it was possible to hurt this much after everything he’d been through. He had been sure there was too much scar tissue on his heart for a fresh scar to be possible, but here it was, bleeding new blood. “I love you.” As he spoke the words aloud he realized he had the answer to the morning’s doubts. “If there’s any way I can keep you both in my life, I promise I’ll do anything. If you just tell me there’s a chance someday, just enough hope to keep me going...” He was wrong. He needed hope more than anything. He needed to believe the universe wouldn’t make him throw away one love to protect the other. “Please...”

Miles was silent for several seconds more. “I don’t understand children. I didn’t understand them when I was one. I don’t know what you think you can expect from me.” His voice was so strained it hurt to hear.

“This isn’t your fight, Miles.” Phoenix replied quietly. “I meant it when I said you’ve already held out longer that I deserved.”

Miles hissed through clenched teeth, eyes flicking around in what Phoenix was quickly identifying as a panic attack. “Are you telling me to let go, then?”

“I don’t know what I’m saying, I just know that every time I talk I make things worse and I don’t know what to do!” His head was pounding, but it wasn’t something that could be defined as a headache, it was more like his thoughts were so conflicted they were refusing to coexist inside the same skull.

“Excuse me,” a quiet voice came from behind him, and Phoenix turned when he felt a hand on his shoulder, easing him aside. “I realize I’m a stranger under these circumstances, but I think I understand better why I was asked here.”

Miles gritted his teeth. “I certainly didn’t ask you here to be my personal therapist, Robert.” His voice was laden with shame and suppressed tears. “I had hoped to spare you from as much of the drama as possible.”

Robert reached out and put his arms gently around his nephew. “You’re not a burden, Miles. You never have been. You realize that, don’t you?” Miles seemed to flinch away from the words, like just hearing them hurt. “You’re a gifted young man. You have faults like any other human on the planet. No one blames you for reaching out.”

Phoenix watched, transfixed, as Miles slowly melted into the embrace. “I’m sorry,” he offered lamely. “I’m making things worse again.”

“My area of expertise is divorce court.” Robert’s voice was calm and still gentle, but with a sort of parental authority. “Oh, come now, it’s not that bad. My area of expertise is determining whether a couple needs a therapist, a trial separation, or if divorce is the best option.”

“I didn’t ask you here to help me end my relationship!” Miles protested. His voice was no longer verging on panic, but it was still so raw and tense even the words sounded like they needed a massage.

“I know, Miles.” Robert soothed. “The road to hell is often paved with good intentions. I’ve no doubt you’ve both seen your share of hell, and I truly believe you both have the best of intentions for each other.” He turned slightly. “My professional opinion is that there’s a severe lack of communication going on between you. Miles, may I speak to him on your behalf?” Miles replied with a distressed noise. “There, there,” he soothed.“Mr. Wright, Miles contacted me… perhaps two months ago. He said he was being considered for a position that would station him in Belgium for a year, and then possibly continue in various cities across Europe. He was excited about the prospect and the opportunities it could present, but he was afraid he didn’t have the...” here Robert stopped to consider his words. “social skills to to create a meaningful long-distance relationship. My partner lived in Australia for three years, so of course I was happy to assist him in any way possible. It was a week after that when the conversation seemed to change. Looking back, it must have been your trial.” Phoenix cringed. “He’s very upset about that, I might add. We spoke about you extensively, although I wasn’t aware that you were also the significant other he spoke of. He told me that under no circumstances should I believe the news was true, but that didn’t change the fact that your professionalism had reached a new low, and your naivete is going to get you killed someday.” Robert paused again to reflect. “It occurs that the fact that he was so open in expressing his feelings that sealed the impression you weren’t the significant other he had been referring to. There was none of the frailty I would have expected from a new relationship.”

“We’ve been seeing each other romantically for about three months. We’ve known each other since we were nine.” Phoenix offered shyly..

“Nine?! Miles, you didn’t tell me-!” Robert sputtered into a laugh, and despite his tension Miles managed the indignant glare of a cat that had been forced out of it’s favorite sleeping spot. “Wait, are you telling me he was the trial boy from class?!”

“I don’t know what my father told you, but I’m sure it was exaggerated.” Miles replied, his cheeks bright red as he glared in any direction that would keep him safe from eye contact. “I was just being logical. It was unfair.”

“He told me you hadn’t made many friends since Sarah passed, and he was genuinely upset that you wouldn’t let him take you both to Disneyland to celebrate. You know how he worshiped the ground you walked on, how could he help but adore a child who wanted to become your first disciple?” Robert replied knowingly. “Come here, Wright, I feel like I’m practically your uncle too.” He offered Phoenix a hearty hug. “You’re persistent, aren’t you? Good show!”

“Robert, please-” Miles had never had any use for praise, but it was obvious that this had blown past his first few levels of discomfort and was rapidly approaching Oldbag levels of stress. Some sadistic part of Phoenix was comforted by the fact he wasn’t Miles’ sole tormentor.

“It can’t be as bad as all that, Miles. If he’s been following you since you were nine, a few thousand miles probably won’t make much difference. Now, Mr. Wright, what would you say is the biggest issue in your relationship?”

“That’s easy, me.”

“Could you be a little more specific?”

“I’m a lazy, unemployed asshole who adopted a kid without asking my significant other. And I thought about punching his uncle for being better than me at everything like thirty seconds after I met him.” Phoenix rattled off. “Would you like more?”

Miles snorted derisively and threw an aggravated look at his uncle like he was planning a retort, but said nothing.

Robert nodded as if that was exactly what he had expected to hear. “And what do you bring to the relationship?”

Phoenix had to think about that. “Stress and mediocre sex?”

Edgeworth arched a wary eyebrow. “Mediocre?”

“Don’t get me wrong, you’re great! I’ve got no complaints there. It’s just, you know...”

“No, I don’t know.” Miles replied, apprehension giving away to a scowl. “Perhaps you’d care to enlighten me.

“Well, yes,” Robert thankfully chose that moment to intervene again, “I’m certain you can work the ins and outs of the whole thing later. Right now, we’re working on verbal communication. Now Miles, what would you say the biggest issue in your relationship is?”

It took a moment for Miles to remember what their conversation was supposed to be about. “I.. uhh, I guess right now it’s mostly a problem of myself and his daughter.”

“What?!” Phoenix choked. Miles flushed. “It’s not as if I’m claiming your daughter isn’t upholding her obligations to the relationship. She’s a child, she has no obligations, it’s just that her presence causes… issues.” He tried to explain, scowling as he tried to explain his feelings.

“No, I mean, what about me?” Phoenix asked. “Me, the one that ruined everything? The one that continues to ruin everything? The one that-” There weren’t words to describe what had transpired today. “-I just, I’m no good for you.”

“Well, I’m not really contributing anything to the relationship at the moment, myself.” Miles replied with eyes fixed on the ground..

“What would you even contribute?”

“Are you saying I bring nothing?”

“No!” Phoenix snapped, then bit his tongue when Miles looked away quietly. “I meant that I don’t feel that way, Miles.” he added, slightly irate that he even had to clarify. “You’ve done more than your share in the past. Right now there’s not much you can do.”

“You’re not letting me do anything!” Phoenix jumped slightly. He had meant it as absolving Miles from any guilt, not as an accusation, but he was overwhelmed by the passion in the response. It wasn’t even anger, he could almost taste the complex tangle of emotions in the words. “I understand that I’m not qualified to take care of children as I am, but you seem so intent on keeping us separated. We agreed this wasn’t something casual, so why are you walling me out of your life? Do you not trust me? I still don’t even know what she thinks I am! Am I your friend, your partner, an uncle? Does she even understand the idea of two men in a romantic relationship? I don’t know what children these days know!” He ran a hand through his hair, clenching a fistful of it in frustration. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong, and you’re not telling me anything!”

Phoenix had felt the color drain from his face as Miles’ fears became more clear, and now he felt like his heart would actually break if his partner continued. And he’d deserve it, but this was about damage control. “Oh Miles,” he said quietly, gently, as he brushed some of Miles’ long bangs back into place. “I’ve tried to keep her out of your hair. I thought all of this was overwhelming enough without you having to deal with all my issues on top of it.” The tiny movement of Miles’ face, turning slightly to nuzzle into his palm, went straight to his heart like an electric shock, and before he realized it, he was wrapping his partner in another hug. “She loves you. She calls you Uncle Miles and she loves seeing you on TV. She doesn’t quite understand your job, but she says that you rely on your wits and showmanship like any good performer.” Miles replied with a quiet sigh, and for the first time in weeks he felt the hug actually soften into an act of intimacy between two lovers. Their issues certainly weren’t solved, but from a hopeful outlook rather than a sense of merely delaying the inevitable separation, he found it impossible to comprehend how he had survived the last month without the steadying assurance of his partner. Had he really forgotten what a comfort it was? “She knows I’m crazy about you. How could I hide that? She can even tell when I’m thinking about you already. She knows the tells.”

“In what sense?” Miles mumbled into his shoulder.

“In the ‘how did I I let things get this bad, how can I solve this without hurting everyone involved’ sense, I guess.” Phoenix replied. “And even then, ‘talk it out like adults’ was never an option I considered viable. I didn’t even think it was worth annoying you with my existence to tell you I would miss you. She was the one who told me to kiss you goodbye and tell you I’d be waiting if you decided to come back.”

“We mutually agreed to enter a relationship. I would have hoped the decision to end said relationship would be subject to the same sort of cooperative discussion.”

“Yeah,” Phoenix replied, his voice growing just a bit wistful as his grip tightened, “but I’m… In my experience, we don’t always contact each other before making life-changing decisions.” There was a long, anxious drag of air between Miles’ teeth that meant he knew exactly what was being referred to.

“That’s fair.” Miles agreed hesitantly. “I… apologize if I haven’t been clear in my intentions.”

“You haven’t done anything you need to apologize for.” Phoenix replied. “I’m sorry I’ve been projecting so much on you.”

Miles cleared his throat. “I need you to keep in mind that I’m not good with other people, and there’s little hope of me picking up your insecurities interfering with the relationship while I’m busy fixating on my own faults.”

“I’m sorry,” Phoenix replied with a small chuckle, “I’ll try to remember you’re not perfect.”

“I don’t see how that would be difficult to remember.”

“Yeah, well, you’re a little more handsome than I’m used to dealing with, and sometimes I wish you’d dial back the wit for a bit to make it easier to lose an argument against you without feeling like I should take a vow of silence to make sure I never sully the world with my idiocy again, but I’ll admit that ‘unfathomably still interested in boyfriend who continues to ruin everything he touches’ wasn’t a fault I considered.”

“Please don’t hesitate to let me know what it is I’m doing that might hurt your confidence.”

“I’ll bet you’d like to know. You could use a technique that would grant you some sweet, sweet silence in this relationship, couldn’t you.” Phoenix laughed.

“You know me so well.”

Phoenix had entirely forgotten the existence of the elder Edgeworth until he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. “And this is the point where I am happy to tell you that you boys don’t need the services of a divorce lawyer,” he said gently, “although in my professional opinion, you would benefit greatly from couple’s therapy.” He squeezed Phoenix’s shoulder encouragingly. “Now, Miles, I assume you could still go for that drink. Would you like me to drive? I think I remember enough to keep on the proper side of the road.” Miles replied with a soft noise that was non-committal. “Or would you prefer that Mr. Wright drove?” “I don’t drive.” Phoenix interjected quickly.

“In Los Angeles?” Robert asked, “You certainly are the odd one.”

“You have no idea.” Miles mumbled, his face still nestled in Phoenix’s shoulder. With no further words and the least possible movement he produced the keys and offered them in the general direction he had heard last Robert’s voice.

Phoenix’s heart was somehow simultaneously melting and overflowing. This was his boyfriend. His gorgeous, overextended, pushy, conflicted and emotionally stunted, absolutely perfect boyfriend. Miles loved him. They were mutually in love. And for the first time since he’d heard that fateful verdict was read, that love didn’t feel like an anchor around their necks threatening to drag them both to their deaths. This was real and sustainable. No, much more than that, this was the culmination of events set in motion when the most amazing child he’d ever met had seen him as human when even he was convinced he was trash. Miles had been there to help him in the same way that he had managed to help Miles years later. They didn’t need to be on equal footing to be there for each other, they only needed to want to be together. It was impossible for him to comprehend two people wanting to be together more, and yet he’d almost let this go without so much as a word. Without a kiss goodbye.

The realization of what he’d just narrowly escaped struck him suddenly and violently, like feeling a hand on your shoulder stopping you and not realizing what was happening until you felt the wind from a bus passing an arm’s length from your face. He’d almost lost… He’d almost actively given this away…

He didn’t deserve this. He’d lost the right to this sort of happiness when he’d let his faith in others trump his common sense. He didn’t deserve Trucy, with her infectious giggles and a gigantic heart big enough to hold him even with all his issues and failings. He didn’t deserve Miles telling him it was okay when it wasn’t, he definitely didn’t deserve that strong, broad shoulder to bury his face into, and no force on earth could convince Phoenix that he was worthy of disturbing Miles Edgeworth’s precious sleep. And yet, Miles was in his arms and holding onto him like something precious, something necessary to his survival.

The question wasn’t whether or not his presence was still beneficial to Miles. The evidence stated that Miles still wanted to be with him, and no matter how improbable that was, he had to accept that it was the truth. “Miles...” He hadn’t realized how close he was to crying until he heard his voice trembling.

Miles squeezed tighter, burying his head further into Phoenix’s collar. “Please don’t do this right now.”

“Oh, I have to do this right now, Miles,” there was no recovering from this, his voice was rapidly breaking down into ugly sobs. Miles must have said something in reply, he could feel reverberations that felt like the familiar baritone voice, but he was beyond processing words. All he could think was this feeling, this warmth, this man he’d almost lost so many times… all of that was still here. They were still here, together. Phoenix was sure he was still talking too, when words could make it out between wet sobs, but those sounds didn’t mean anything to him either. This was beyond words. It was like the last few weeks of fear and pain, mourning what he’d lost and failing to understand what he still had, all the thoughts he couldn’t stop thinking, the stress of hiding the darkest parts of him from his loved ones from, every emotion he’d been frantically forcing back, all of it was being projectile vomited into his boyfriend’s cravat.

It hurt so much.

But damn, did it feel so good.

Miles was tugging on him listlessly, and even though he was aware on some level that Miles must be trying to get him in the car where his bellowing tears would be slightly less public, he fought the suggestion like an irate child refusing to give up his toy. He needed this, he needed every single centimeter of contact with Miles’ body, and nobody, not even Miles himself, was going to deny him this moment of healing. Miles finally seemed to accept that his quest was pointless and settled with wrapping Phoenix in a hug again, and in that moment Phoenix really felt like he might be in danger of dying simply from an overabundance of love.

What a way to go.

Of course this didn’t mean everything was solved, there was still his badge and his daughter, and they needed to discuss this job Miles had mentioned. He still had to convince Robert that he wasn’t the possessive madman he had probably come across as. But if he hadn’t properly gauged how much of the patented Wright bullshit Miles was willing to put up with, Miles had substantially underestimated just how long Phoenix could sustain himself on the barest of scraps as long as he knew he was still wanted. “God, I love you, Miles.”

“And I’ve long since given up on trying to pretend I don’t return those feelings.” Miles replied, his voice filled with the irate affection that seemed to sum up their relationship. “Now, do you think I could get you into the car?”

“Mmmm, in the back seat.” Phoenix knew it was a little mean to egg Miles after he’d been through so much, but right now he was ecstatic and exhausted and just a hint of that subtle European aftershave he knew so well always kicked some animal part of his brain into high gear but right now he was drowning in that feeling. “It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

“Wright, please.”

“I think I’m the one who should be begging,” Phoenix breathed, “I’m the one who’s been a bad boy.”

He was hardly surprised when the hand that forced him bodily into the back seat was more angry than playful. “You are an adult-” Miles was climbing in after him with the air of someone planning to start a fist fight, but Phoenix knew the prosecutor’s limits better than the man probably knew himself. As soon as he was in range, Phoenix shot forward and wrapped his arms around Miles’ neck. He moved quickly as the mouth opened to protest-

And caught them gently, softly, in a total reverse of what most men were probably expecting. He was drunk on Miles, and more now than ever before, but this wasn’t goodbye. Even if Miles ended up taking that job in Europe, this was far from the end. They had plenty time to explore their feelings and desires. Right now, the only reason he had to coax Miles on a horizontal surface was to get the gorgeous man some much-needed rest. Their relationship wasn’t going anywhere, it could wait. “Thank you,” he gave a lopsided smile as he caught Miles attempting to adjust to this latest shift, “for everything. I love you.”

“I...” Miles shifted his gaze. “I know I’m not the best at expressing it,” he let one finger run down the side of Phoenix’s cheek, “but I I love you, as well.”

Phoenix leaned into the point of contact. “I owe you a shave,” he admitted. “I was a little out of sorts when I left.”

“I don’t mind.” Miles replied as he leaned in for another kiss. This one was even lighter and softer than the last, and Phoenix felt himself enthralled by every tiny shift of Miles’ thin lips. It was like a first kiss. No, it was better than a first kiss, there was nothing of the awkwardness or fear, wondering if you’d made a mistake, no fear of rejection. Just intimacy. Which kiss it was didn’t matter, he had a feeling he could keep kissing Miles Edgeworth for decades and still get dizzy from every little kiss.

He couldn’t wait to find out.

The door to the front seat opens. “I have your address in my phone, Miles,” Richard announced as he climbed into the front seat and adjusted the wheel.  “I was just going to use it for directions. Anything I should be looking out for?”

“It’s pretty straightforward.” Miles replied without taking his eyes off of Phoenix. “There’s enough money in the ash tray to pay for parking.”

“Sounds good.” He turned the key and seemed more than happy with the way the car purred to life in response. “Are you boys okay back there?”

“Everything’s okay back here.” Phoenix replied as he felt Miles settle into his shoulder with an air of familiarity he’d assumed were gone forever. “Everything’s just fine.”

And, as ignorant as the Phoenix Wright of this morning would have called him for listening to ridiculous hope, he knew it was true.

[damijon-supersons]

Master list for all my Super Sons fic prompts

Hi! This is the master list for all the fics i’ve done so far in response to the story prompts you guys sent me before and short ficlets that i’ve done. All of them are tagged #fic and #prompt. Thanks so much for the support you’ve given me all the while and I hope you keep enjoying my work :) I know I still got a ton of prompts in my inbox, and I hope I’ll get the free time I need to keep doing them. (Updated as of 5/20/18)

For the Master list of my non-prompt original longer Damijon fics, click here: Original fics

Love Letters - a damijon fic - A short but really sweet fic prompt I did for my damijon discord friends. Jon keeps getting love letters in his school locker, but he can’t tell who they’re from, and there are a lot of them. Updated to include art from my good friend @jaidenstar !!

How does the sunshine die? - an incredibly angsty damijon fic -  The third of some angsty fics that I’ve done recently. This was born from a time when I was really inspired to write but the worst prompt i could possibly get in my inbox showed up by way of an anon ask lol. One of the heaviest fics I’ve written, but one that I’m really proud of too. I was just coming off of reading Stephen King’s It, and I still had some inspiration from that wonderful book. Basically...Jon figures out how the sunshine dies.

“We’re friends, aren’t we?” - a Damijon fic - The second of some angsty fics that I’ve done recently. Jon always asks Damian one particular qustion that Damian could never bring himself to answer directly. This is my response (in the form of a fic) to the rumors that Brian Michael Bendis taking over the Superman comics might result in Jon getting scrapped as a character.

Superman’s Sword - an angsty damijon fic (sort of) - The first of some angsty fics that I’ve done recently. This was written before Super Sons 14 and Action Comics 1000. A mother tells her child about the story of Superman and why the Superman of their time carries a sword.

Damijon Week Prompt Day 4 (losing control) “Mid-air hugs are pretty cool”- My Day 4 Submission for DamiJon week. After getting kissed by  Damian, Jon takes Damian with him back to their farm in Hamilton so that they could have the privacy they need to sort through their feelings for each other. WARNING: Heavily Implied NSFW

Damijon Week Prompt Day 3 (first kiss) “We’re in the closet. Literally.”- My Day 3 Submission for DamiJon week. This was based on the incredible picture that flipityflip made for Day 1 of the week. With her permission, I based my fic on it. Here, Damian and Jon run away from detention and get stuck in a locker together. A really tight one. 

Damijon Week Prompt Day 2 (coming out) “I’m Damian and I do not pine! And yes, I’m just fine!” - My Day 2 Submission for DamiJon week. Here, Jon has been away from school for a mission leaving Damian alone. Damian bumps into Maya, and the two have a heart to heart talk about Damian’s not-so-secret secret.

Damijon Week Prompt Day 1 (middleschool AU) “Slice of life? Very poor choice of words…” - My Day 1 Submission for DamiJon week. Here, Jon and Damian are classmates in middleschool and Damian is having a lot of trouble adjusting. Jon tries to comfort him the only way he knows.

Picture Prompt: Hunted by the Son of Night - This short fic is a Jon Vampire Hunter/ Damian Vampire AU that was inspired by artwork from dsasworld. My friend and I on our discord group loved the pic and I was so inspired to write a fic for it, with the artist’s permission. Here, Vampire Hunter Jon is meeting Vampire Damian for a very clandestine and fateful reason.

Picture Prompt: You’re safe in my arms - This is the ficlet I made to accompany my pic commission from laizy-boy. This is based on the Super Sons of Tomorrow crossover arc (Teen Titans #15), where Damian rescues Jon after the latter exploded and fell into San Fran bay.

Prompt: Dark Future’s End - I wrote this before the Super sons of tomorrow arc, but inspired by the idea of it.  So an anon asked me if Damian would take the initiative and kiss Jon first. My answer to that is…yea, basically. He totally would. I was motivated to turn that into a cute little story but things got crazy and I somehow ended up with an overly dramatic end-of-the-world scenario. 

Prompt: Will I grow up a villain? - An anon asked me to make a story about Damian and Jon playing a game. I chose Injustice 2. At the time, discourse was flaring up about DC giving Damian really bleak futures as an adult. This is my response to that since, in Injustice, Damian turned evil.

Prompt: Baking with the Super Sons -  So a friend of mine gave me a quick story prompt about Damian and Jon just cooking together like in a romcom.

Prompt: Who has the best Superboy? - Damian and Tim argue over who has the better super BFF.

Prompt: What if Injustice Damian attacked the main timeline Damian and Bat Family? - I was asked what would happen if Injustice Damian, the grown up one who utterly betrayed Batman, came into the main DC universe and saw that his younger self was loved and adored by his family, and had a best friend in Jon. Long story short, Injustice Damian doesn’t take it very well.

Not exactly a prompt: What if Jon was in injustice? - This isn’t really a story, but an anon asked me what if Jon was in Injustice, and this was my long reply to that. I also couldn’t help but write a tiny little ficlet at the end. This ask informs the injustice prompt i got above.

Prompt: You don’t own this secret spot! - A prompt where Tim and Kon are flying to their secret date spot, except they find that Damian and Jon had beaten them there.

Prompt: Babysitting the Super Brats - Tim and Kon just wanted some alone time, but they get saddled with the responsibility of looking after their youngest siblings.

Prompt: I can’t protect you! - Originally a prompt where Jon doesn't want Damian to go on a dangerous mission because he’s at risk of getting killed. I turned it into an end of the world scenario, because of course I did :p Written in Jon’s POV.

Prompt: Dick’s Robin outfit does not fit Jon - Because Jon lost a dare with Damian, he now has to wear Dick Grayson’s original Robin gear. Yep, underwear and all.

Prompt: Maya’s Surprise - Supposedly part of a 5+1 thingie where people walk in on Damian and Jon kissing. It’s Maya’s turn, and well, she gets way more than she bargained for. This actually a censored version lol. The slightly more graphic version is on my ao3.

Prompt: Damian’s death anniversary - Jon accompanies Damian as the latter remembers the day he died. This prompt was really hard to write, because of all the emotion that Damian would have had to deal with.

Prompt: A TimKon Damijon double date - Damian and Jon are forced to go on a double date with Tim and Kon. They go eat dinner and then play laser tag, with a bet that the loser has to do what the winner wants.

Prompt: Super Puppy Love Epilogue: Why there’s a naked Damian in Jon’s bed - this was originally a story prompt but in the end I turned it into the epilogue of one of my better fics, which you can find over here:   (Super Puppy Love:   Damian finds out Jon has a crush on him and decides to have fun with it.)

Prompt: Board games with the Super Sons and the Bat Bros - Damian and Jon join the older Wayne boys for some games. What they don’t know is that the Bat Boys have already guessed just how much the two of them feel for each other.

Prompt: Everybody walks in on Damian and Jon making out - My first-ever prompt! Apparently, a 5+1 thingie where various people walk in on Damian and Jon snogging each other in some way :p