#not calling anyone out i just feel like the joker sometimes

[thecoolerelakkval]

When you say trans Hatake Kakashi, nobody bats an eye...

You say trans Uchiha Obito, everyone loses their minds

[fanfic-obsessed]

I have a prompt for you, in light of the recent (very entertaining) DCU aus you've posted. If you were going to do a batfam-are-cryptids-but-now-the-justice-leauge-meets-them thing, how would you do it?

Have I told you thank you yet, @somestorythoughts, your prompts and responses make me so happy. Also I almost always end up with  more to write, which is fun.

Now back to the important part.

Fair warning, I screw with ages and timelines with this one. There is no canon here

I think, as far as a cryptid status is concerned this will be a ‘Batman is a founding, and funding, member of the Justice League, but has never revealed his identity’ kind of idea (with all the precautions therein to make sure even the metas can’t guess his identity). There is some speculation throughout the Justice League that Batman does not actually have a civilian identity, that he is the spirit of justice possessing a cape and cowl (Seriously there were three attempted exorcisms).  It is known that Batman always works alone, and that no one is to set foot Gotham, a few of the youngest members disbelieve that Gotham even really exists. 

However there are always rumors that can’t quite be dispelled.  No one in the Justice League can figure out the Watchtower’s firewall (designed by Oracle). Through the years there have been half heard conversations by the JL that almost sound like a wellness check after a fight, going either direction over a com line they can’t access. Sometimes during particularly difficult fights masked strangers will appear, most of which fight with styles similar to Batman, only to vanish again without a word. A few swear they have caught code names (Robin…or maybe Red Robin…Or was it Red Hood…no it was really Black Bat…there might be a BatGirl????) but no one can confirm anything.

In addition, it is impossible to quell the rumor that entering Gotham uninvited means you will disappear.  Not every time and no one can figure out the difference between being escorted out and vanishing, but there have been several heroes from the community who vanished after entering Gotham over the years.

What’s really happening is that I love the Young Justice Team and want a way for it to work with Cryptid BatFam. 

Two of the most notable, the first but certainly not the last, were Bart Allen, Impulse, and Cassie Sandsmark, Wonder Girl who entered the city limits together to try to prove that they too could be heroes. Both were 15 when they vanished.  Unknown to anyone else, at the same time an unnamed clone of Clark Kent and Lex Luthor was also sent into Gotham, as a test of some kind. 

All three of them, for different reasons, entered feeling abandoned or dismissed by the people around them. So when they encountered Tim Drake, as Robin, age 14; he called dibs and adopted them on the spot (Tim: These are my children Cassie, Bart, and the newly named Connor. Yes, I carried them in my very own womb and I am very proud of all of them. No, I will not accept questions. Batkids: Cool! Niblings. Batman<sighs>: At least tell me you didn’t kill someone to acquire them. Tim: I just told you, I birthed them myself).  So Cassie, Bart, and Connor are absorbed into the BatFam. Both Bart and Cassie decide against telling anyone where they are, with Connor not really having anyone to tell.  It should also be noted that the JL avoided asking Batman about the whereabouts of the kids who vanished after entering Gotham, they didn’t want to admit where the kids had gone. 

Three years later, Jason, as Red Hood (Jason did not die here, though it was close. He still took on the moniker of Red Hood after a beating by the Joker), age 19 happens upon Roy Harper, age 20 after Roy had a fight with Oliver and does the same thing. Only Jason dragged Roy home and introduced Roy home as his newest brother, giving Bruce a crazy look that said under no uncertain terms that Bruce better break out the adoption papers immediately; never mind that Roy was not underage.  

At the same time Raven, originally 26, was de aged to about 8 due to an attempted possession by her father, accidentally portals into Gotham and practically climbs Dick Grayson,age 22, in fear. The effects of the spell and the portal wiped her memories past her physical age.  So now Dick has a daughter as well, who he thinks is a Gothamite since he never saw the portal.  As far as anyone from Justice League Dark can tell there was a portal leading to Gotham where Raven disappeared but no one knows what happened (Batman and his family are looking for an adult Raven and never connected her to the 8 year old Rachel that became Dick’s daughter).

Others also disappear, having been adopted by the Waynes

What I am saying is that Gotham is considered quite a bit more dangerous to the caped community and the Batfam encompasses a few people it might not have otherwise. I think it would be funnier if Batman was not aware of his family's cryptid status (It never occurs to him that his kids have never been invited to join any of the younger generation teams).

Something sparks a partial return of Raven’s, now around 14 or 15, memory, enough for Rachel (who is the current Robin) to realize she is Raven. At her request, Batman announces this at a meeting and her intention to remain Dick’s daughter and Bruce’s granddaughter.  The JL react confusingly (they are all losing their collective minds at the thought that Batman has kids AND grandkids).  His response that one of his sons made him a grandfather when the boy was 14 does not inspire confidence.  Eventually, and I do mean this takes ages, it leads to the entire Batfam coming up to the Watchtower.  In spite of the masks Barry recognizes Bart, and after a moment the Wonder’s also recognize Cassie. Both had been desperately missed (the feelings of abandonment had been a misunderstanding).  Though the Wonder’s and the Speedsters both try to hug their missing members, it becomes clear that you can pry them from their mother, Tim, introduced as Red Robin, only when Red Robin is dead. 

The Speedsters look at each other, shrug, and immediately start lobbying Red Robin for Visitation (it does not matter that Tim’s kids are all adults with their own lives in Gotham). The Wonders do not have a chance to do the same as Connor, code name Agent C (he decided he did not want to be a field Vigilante, instead he has taken on a support role, like Alfred, where he is their Mechanic/Mechanical Engineer), drops the bomb that he is a Clone of Superman and Lex Luthor (Connor had not been told enough by the scientists at CADMUS to know what was going on, or even if Lex was aware his DNA was being used but of course the Bats did a DNA, he didn’t even know what the lab was called or where to find it).

Superman does make the connection to CADMUS labs, which he had shut down a few years earlier-though he never put those reports in the Watchtower computers as he considered it an internal matter (Batman would like it noted that all of the Batfam reports end up in the watchtower computer and is irritated that the other heroes do not do the same). 

Connor had been the only ‘viable’ clone but all the records (whether viable or not) had been stamped with ‘failure’, so Superman had not known that there should be a clone of him out there somewhere.  Also the intervening years of being able to process, ‘hey this person I knew, and was once friends with, stole my genetic material to try and create a new person without my consent or knowledge’ without having to deal with the results of said actions (Compounded by the guilt of not being able to look at this miniature version of himself without making the connection to his enemy Lex and his violation, knowing intellectually that it was not Connors fault for being created or that Connor was created specifically to be a weapon against Superman, but still not able move on emotionally, not enough to be responsible for a child) added to the fact that it is pretty clear that Superman does not need to be responsible for Connor means that superman can verify that Connor is happy where he is, which he is. Then Superman can, with a clear conscience-since Batman is undeniably paranoid enough to have a plan if Connor becomes a villain or an actual problem, offer to help with unexpected powers and have Connor meet the rest of his family. 

So Red Robin is simultaneously mediating the reunion between his three children and their other families, all the while ready to take down a Cape that breathes wrong in their direction. 

Red Hood, sans helmet but with a mask, is creatively and rhythmically cursing Green Arrow out on behalf of Roy (I want you to picture a Red Hood that practices and excels in the art of Flyting).  Green Arrow had made an immediate, and poorly phrased, inquiry into Roy sobriety.  Roy has been sober for almost 3 years. 

Damian, codename Firebird, is critiquing several of the last major fights and their fighters while having a discussion about blades and underwater fighting with the Aqua family.  He is also keeping a protective eye on Nightwing and Robin, who are facing off against JLD (who would like to see if what happened to Raven is reversible-mostly to make sure she is healthy and whatever happened is stable, Nightwing and Robin are taking it to mean they want Raven back instead of Robin). 

Steph as Spoiler, Cass as Black Bat, and Duke as Orphan are explaining to a largely horrified audience of former Titans the complicated legacy of the Batman, Robin, and Batgirl names in Gotham (The current Batgirl, Helen Wayne-12 year old daughter of Selina Kyle and Bruce Wayne- is standing with Bruce and Alfred-mask firmly in place. She is new to the name and this is her first mission outside of Gotham). It is at this point that the Justice League finds out that there are a number of times when the Batman they dealt with was NOT the same person. Someone also brings up the rumor that Batman is actually a haunted piece of clothing, to the entire BatFams bemusement.

At no point during this process does anyone in the Batfam reveal their civilian identities (save the ones that are now known, like Bart, Cassie, and Roy).  They also do not admit to the fact that every single one of them steals and impersonates each other frequently (Tim holds the honor of having patrolled, handled an Arkham breakout, and met with someone outside of Gotham, and handled a world wide invasion in every vigilante identity from Gotham successfully).  

It also should be noted that this does not provide clarity to the Justice League about any topic regarding Gotham or its vigilantes.

[teecupangel]

If Desmond ever ended up in the Persona 5 universe, I wonder what he would think of the Phantom Thieves? Would he be a confidant for Akira/Ren/Joker, be a neutral party? Become a Phantom Thief himself? I can't help but think that because of his Bleeds, he'd end up having his ancestors show up as Personas to help him fight in the Metaverse.

Ngl, I wanna make Desmond the Sun because of my penchant of giving Desmond something related to the very thing that killed him but based on his ‘situation’, these are the Arcanas that Desmond can be part of in my opinion:

Aeon (many of the Aeon Personas have an affinity to light and a common theme for Aeon representatives are that they are unfamiliar with the world they are in and are struggling to find their place in this world which describes Desmond’s current predicament and also… there’s no Aeon confidant in P5 so Desmond won’t be sharing this spot with anyone or, worse, won’t be removing an existing confidant)

Sun (A character in a lonely and most of the time terribly situation, signifying the hopelessness of them succeeding with the end results being them having to reflect on their situation and coming to peace with themselves and what is happening to them)

Moon (being attuned subconsciously to the world around someone, gaining the ability to sense things without being told about them, or without anyone else knowing, this arcana is also sometimes called the Arcana of Lies and Deceit which Desmond would be doing anyway because there’s no way he’ll tell the truth)

Death (metamorphosis and deep change, regeneration and cycles… which can also hint on Desmond’s origin as someone not from this world)

Personally, I do see Desmond as a Phantom Thief and acting like the cool older brother type to these teenagers. But being a neutral party seems more like his style, considering… everything.

So I would suggest we make Desmond a neutral party the Phantom Thieves meet up with in the Metaverse from time to time, mostly in Mementos because, in his own words ‘something calls to me here’.

The Phantom Thieves don’t know he’s the same bartender that works at Crossroads who would always give Joker a Shirley Temple whenever he’s on break. Lala told Joker that Desmond looked ‘lost’ so she helped him out (in more ways than one, Lala actually thinks Desmond is undocumented and helped him be an ‘upstanding citizen’…)

Desmond, for his part, is just happy that, for some reason, he knows Japanese? He has a feeling it’s one of his Bleed and many people tell him he speaks like he’s from a period drama so yeah, there’s that (it’s one of his Ibn-La'Ahad ancestors who knew Japanese because they chased the Mongols to Japan)

As for Desmond’s Persona…

It would be funny to give him Minerva or Juno as a Persona but we’re not that evil. Another idea would be to give him Dionysus for our usual ‘Desmond could totally be Dionysus’ Sage’ idea that pops in and out XD

Although…

So we’re going to make Desmond special because he’s our blorbo and we’ll use the Persona 1 and 2 plot of how the characters get their Persona.

He does the Persona game because he was bored one day XD

And that’s how he starts to hear Mementos’ call.

And while he journeys in Mementos by himself, that’s when he encounters the Shadows… of his Bleeds.

Confronting them (which always ends in a boss fight) ends with him receiving their Arcana and his Bleeds become his Personas.

His Bleeds’ Arcanas:

Altaïr: Hermit (wisdom, introspection, solitude, retreat and philosophical searches)

Ezio: Judgment (associated with realizing one's calling, gaining a deep understanding of life and a feeling of acceptance and absolution)

Ratonhnhaké:ton: Hanged Man (sometimes self-sacrificial or self-loathing, but are more often notable for being caught between two different extremes, parties or stages in life of which they have little to no control – always in the middle of two opposing forces and he’s doing his best to protect his people given what’s happening) or Strength (associated with the morality about the stronger power of self-control, gentleness, courage and virtue over brute force)

Haytham: Emperor (desire to control one's surroundings, and its appearance could suggest that one is trying too hard to achieve this, possibly causing trouble for others; some elements in life are just not controllable)

Desmond’s real Arcana and his own Persona (which may or may not be some biblically accurate angel-like figure with all of his Bleeds around a small orb similar to the Apple of Eden in the same veins of the Norns design) will only awaken after Joker reaches max level with him.

Also, the Phantom Thieves don’t know it’s him because his form in the Metaverse is always hooded with the robes changing depending on which Persona he uses (at the start, they thought it was different dudes until Desmond changed Personas in midbattle)… and yes, that includes Haytham. Desmond gets a hood too even when he’s using Haytham but he also has Haytham’s tacohat. Them’s the rules.

Arcana symbolism from megamitensei.fandom.com

[iwritenarrativesandstuff]

P5R Random Thoughts #3: Annoyance, Anger, and Conviction

Or, just a couple more random thoughts about Joker.

I actually do enjoy that Joker seems to sometimes get genuinely frustrated with his friends' antics - I don't know if it reads that way to anyone else, but a combination of his dialogue options and character model body language definitely reads that way to me.

He's gotten mildly annoyed with Ryuji's loudness on several occasions - often having dialogue choices that are essentially some variant of "keep your voice down!" Much as Joker feels what I suspect is quite a lot of gratitude for Ryuji's unflinching support and passion (he was his first friend in Tokyo, after all - no deal, just friendship), his dialogue options also become a lot more passive aggressive during early Kaneshiro arc - and small wonder, because Ryuji's eager carelessness actually did get them caught; thankfully by Makoto, and not law enforcement. Of course, he still cares a lot about Ryuji; I think he's just a little frustrated right now.

He's usually pretty chill with Morgana bossing him around - for what reason, I honestly couldn't tell you, but he does pretty much anything that not-cat recommends. However, when Morgana spontaneously invites Yusuke to stay with Joker without asking him, Joker kind of "!!" and looks at him. It's then followed up with everyone deciding to invite themselves to Joker's place, again, without asking him and Morgana encouraging it. The scene ends with Joker straight up elbowing/jostling Morgana in the bag after everyone's left for Leblanc. Pfft.

He tells Yusuke to hurry it up in Mementos when he gets too in the zone... and much as you can't rush an artist, they do near immediately get jumped by Shadows after that, so, you know, he does have a point.

Even with Ann, Joker frequently sweatdrops at her kind of out-there ideas of how to strengthen her heart. While I wouldn't call it annoyance, per se, there is at least one scene I can think of where two of the options straight up shut her down, and the last is basically a sarcastic "good luck with that", which Ann proceeds to take at face value as encouragement, leading to Joker sweatdropping once again. Lol.

So many of these are basically the equivalent of Joker going >:( at his friends and them typically completely not noticing which is funny as heck.

Also, because I'm the kind of person who loves to read into things, I think it can tell us a little more about Joker. What actually frustrates him here?

Drawing attention to the group in the real world - something he actively tries to avoid, at first, because of consequences for him, and then, because it puts the thieves at risk

Getting himself and the group into unnecessary trouble - so we've got two instances of Joker being mindful of potential consequences

People getting invited over without being asked first - this one's a little ambiguous as to why. Could be a simple courtesy thing, could be related to Joker's earlier obvious discomfort with people getting in his personal space without permission, could be that he likes his privacy. Personally, I suspect he's actually somewhat embarrassed and a little concerned about what his friends' reactions will be to where he's staying - I do have some reasons for this interpretation but ultimately, no matter what reason you ascribe, he's definitely not initially happy about this spontaneous invitation by Morgana.

I think we can even condense the first two and say that Joker seems to be a little more focused on outcomes and consequences than much of the rest of his group, who (before Makoto joins) very much people who act in the immediate moment. He's not quite on par with Morgana's brand of pragmatism, but he does seem to always be at least thinking ahead.

There are a few exceptions, however.

Joker's actual anger is something he is evidently not good at hiding. He has an excellent poker face, but his eyes and, apparently, the way he speaks give it away entirely. To hide his anger, he outright has to not say anything and obscure his face. That actually does not seem like someone who is especially good at hiding strong emotions, even if he can school the rest of himself.

Ann, of all people, has to make excuses for his obvious disdain towards a cop. Every single dialogue option is some flavour of snippy comment. His character model continues to stare directly at said cop, even after Ann interrupts.

He is not thinking about consequences here. Joker fucking hates cops, and he is either very bad at hiding it - or he has no desire to. A very similar thing happened with Kamoshida too. He has nothing but disdain for abusers with power and authority over those they hurt. He also outright doesn't trust the justice system at all after seeing how it failed him and so many others ("They do more than the cops" <-hello. on live tv no less.).

And this leads to something else that's actually a fairly interesting facet to his character that I'm curious to see if it'll get acknowledged in some way.

For the most part, despite the Metaverse confidence and flashiness (which I feel isn't a great metric anyways - all the thieves are like that), Joker responds to most compliments and successes by either complimenting the whole team in turn, or brushing it off as luck or not a huge deal. This is likely in part a cultural thing, but when it comes to genuine appreciation being shown, he does seem to have some semblance of humility about it all - which is why it's almost hilariously shocking how pushy he can be about helping others.

He chases after Ann because she's upset, even though initially she told him not to. He corners some of the students getting exploited by Kaneshiro and won't leave until they tell him the details, even resorting to playing into the rumours about him so that they'll talk. He overhears his confidants in some kind of trouble on several occasions and near immediately asks them about it, and then continues to bring it up if they don't elaborate. It's notable that these instances are some of the few things he decides to do himself, without Morgana's explicit encouragement. I suspect a lot of this is because he has so little faith in anyone else to do the right thing - he has no trust in the justice system, and most adults don't seem to care. But Joker cares, and he will listen to what happened, and he will do something about it, and he will help, and he does so by refusing to let up - he does not wait for someone to ask for help necessarily, he just kind of goes and does it. It's not like I can't see the rationale here, but it's also, kind of, a little bit... presumptuous, in a way.

Again, it's a fascinating contrast with his typical (at least apparent) humility, and his kind of wishy-washy dialogue from early game - Joker has always been firm about this.

The official forming of the Phantom Thieves at the buffet is a scene that really caught my eye for this. Again, much as Joker has the same level of anger as his friends, his answers are still largely "probably"s and "maybe"s. He "hadn't even considered" continuing to act as Phantom Thieves. But interestingly, there is one dialogue option that is stated with none of the usual hesitancy or vagueness - "I want to help people". <- It's the crux of his awakening. This is Joker's true conviction. And he's willing to do anything, be whoever he needs to be, to see this through. He wants to help. He can't bring himself to look away.

Asserting the Phantom Thieves' brand of justice is a conviction that arises later on through proof of the effectiveness of changing hearts, and as a natural extension of his growing familiarity and confidence in their methods. Joker nearly always needs a little push to get started, but once he gets going, he's kind of relentless. He doesn't seem to be truly all that angry with either Makoto or Akechi for their questioning of the thieves' justice (barring his initial reaction), but he does, again, get annoyed at the assumption that the thieves are somehow a threat to people who aren't inflicting harm onto others - Joker says the thieves only target "criminals", implying that even though others may see them as criminals themselves, Joker does not agree. And when Makoto winds up joining them, there appears to be no residual hard feelings from him - she's like them, and she's come around.

It's likely too soon for me to state with any certainty, but I do think that's what Joker is hoping for - that people will come around if he gives them undeniable proof that they help instead of harm. Every character has at least some "selfish" motive to being a Phantom Thief, in addition to the shared goal of providing courage for those left abandoned by society. Ryuji wants positive instead of negative attention for once, Morgana wants his memories, Ann wants to alleviate her feelings of guilt surrounding Shiho, Yusuke aims to understand the human heart, and Makoto wants to feel useful and needed. What about Joker?

He started off this story just trying to help. No one believed him. He was punished for "hurting" someone and there was nothing he could say or do that would convince anyone otherwise. It was his word against society's. And when the Phantom Thieves' motives are brought up, it's the same questions: aren't they going to hurt people? Aren't they dangerous and untrustworthy? And this frustrates Joker in a similar way to the rumours surrounding his own arrest, but now - now he has proof. Proof that they helped, proof that this works. It's undeniable, to him, that real good is coming of this. And so now he has a leg to stand on; he can actually argue his point by saying "the Phantom Thieves aren't like that; look at the people they're helping, and how the people who should've done something can't do half the good they do". It's no longer his word against the rest of the world. He's counting on people being unable to deny what they are forced to witness.

In a way, Joker now has grounds not just to plead the Phantom Thieves' justice... but also his own innocence and good intentions. His defense of their justice is also, I believe, a defense of his own ego, to an extent.

[bullet-prooflove]

The Joker & The Queen: Jake 'Hangman' Seresin x Reader

Tagging: @hardballoonlove @dempy @words-and-seeds @cosmic-psychickitty @xoxabs88xox @proceduralpassion @crazy4chickennuggets @kmc1989 @oureternalbond @ashcosmo @hardballoonlove @djs8891 @shanimallina87 @chickensrule @@ssa-sadboi @queenslandlover-93 @iwannabeinthesequalmrghostface @malindacath @dreamlandcreations @midnightmagpiemama @littlebadariell @imaginecrushes @luckyladycreator2 @shepgurl @flrboyd @nani-kenobi @adaydreamaway08 @lovelyladymayy @cheyrenee @inkandarsenic @stressed-chas

It’s further down the beach, a little way from ‘The Hard Deck’ that you find Jake. He’s sitting in the same spot the two of you spent the night staring up at the stars, trying to put names to of all the constellations. He’s still in his uniform, but he’s stripped off his boots and socks, his feet sinking into the sand as he watches the sun set across the ocean. He has a beer bottle in his hand, hanging between two fingers. He doesn’t say anything as you sit down alongside of him, your body brushing his.

You know what happened today, you heard about it through the usual channels. It’s a wake-up call, not just for him but for both of you. Phoenix is an exceptional pilot so the fact her plane had crashed is enough to scare the shit out of anyone. Both her and Bob were recovering in the hospital, minor injuries but it still hits home because it could have been anyone of them.

“I’m an asshole.” He says simply, his gaze fixed forward on the waves as they lap across the shore.

“You say that as if I don’t already know.” You tease lightly as you study the profile of his face.

He’s hard to read when he’s like this. You know he’s shut down, the same way he always does when he’s struggling to process. Sometimes you just need to give him a minute, because it’s hard untangling the mess of thoughts in your head after something like this.

“I’m the best.” He says taking a sip of his beer. “And I make sure everybody knows it.”

“Yes, you do.” You agree, your elbows coming to rest upon your knees. “But I haven’t met a pilot who doesn’t have an ego. It comes with the territory. It’s part of what allows you to get your ass in the air and do the shit you do.”

He turns his head towards you, his eyes meeting yours and there’s such an earnestness in them that it makes your chest ache.

“If I’m selected for this mission…” He says carefully. “There’s a possibility that I won’t be coming back.”

It’s the way he says it that strikes you and you realise this isn’t like the other times. There’s always uncertainty when he flies but this time…

“You’re saying there’s a high probability.” You summarise.

“Yea.” He says simply.

There’s a silence between the two of you. You know what he expects, for you to get up and walk away, to leave, to say this isn’t what you signed up for. It’s happened before, every relationship has ended the same way. For Jake it seems inevitable. The ones he loves will always leave and he will always be alone.

“I want to be honest with you.” He tells you, his voice rough as he speaks. “Right now, you can pull the plug, walk away and I would understand…”

You shake your head.

“I’m not made that way…” You trail off, trying to find the words to explain how you feel. “When I say I love you I mean it, it isn’t conditional. Whatever time we have together I’ll take it.”

He sighs before setting his beer bottle down in the sand.

“Anyone else would be running in the other direction right about now.” He says softly, the edges of his mouth tipping up into a small smile. “But somehow you’re still here, still in my corner.”

“Always.” You promise him, your thumb trailing over the curve of his cheek as you guide his gaze so that it meets yours. “It’s what people like us do. We stick together.”

He can hear the honesty in your words, feel the truth behind them. When he kisses you it’s with a  tenderness he holds for no other person in this world, because you’re his, the other part of his heart, his soul.

“I love you.” he whispers as his lips brush over yours. “Just remember that alright? Whatever happens just remember that I love you, that I’ll always love you.”

Love Hangman? Don’t miss any of his stories by joining the taglist here.

Want to read more Jake? Check out his Masterlist!

Like My Work? - Why Not Buy Me A Coffee

[igotanidea]

Secrets: batfamily x ScarlettWitch!reader

The graphic is not mine, found it on pinterest.

Story requested by @p4inis - I know it's been ages, sorry! : Jason x scarlet witch fem reader? She’s best friend w dick and she secretly works with Batman then the boys found out when she entered the bat cave and tried to pick a fight with Batman ?

***

„BRUCE!” the very angry voice echoed through the stone walls of the batcave and very angry girl came to the view “What the hell?!”

“Y/N?” Jason stood up from his chair, shock on his face “What are you doing here?”

“And more importantly, how did you get here?” Dick was equally as surprised as his brother.

“Can someone explain to me, who is this girl?” Damian frowned.

Let me stop the story right here and give you a bit of context.

Y/N Y/L/N, born and raised in Gotham were best friend with Dick Grayson from the day he arrived at the city. Poor boy, who just lost his parents were just wondering around the street, all by himself, moody and clearly looking for trouble. Y/N was getting back from school when she encountered him, brooding in one of the alleys,  absentmindedly kicking a trash can while muttering something to himself. In any other circumstances, she would just walk past him, but something inside her told her to stop and she listened to that little voice, taking her time in observing the boy with her eyes slightly narrowed and head tilted.

“Too much on your mind?” she finally asked after a while of hesitation

“Yes.” He muttered not even looking up at her

“Need a pair of ears to listen to your sad story?”

“Why do you care?” Dick’s eyes landed on her face “you don’t know me.”

“I don’t. But I can tell you are in need of a friend. I’m Y/N.” she took a few steps forward and extended her hand

“Dick.” The boy shook it hesitantly

“Really?” she smiled lightly at the name he gave her

“Yes.” His tone became harsher.

“Ok, all right, no hard feelings there, Dick.” Y/N raised her hands in defense “wait, you’re the Wayne’s kid.”

“How do you know?”

“I….. I don’t know….. I just sort of sensed that.”

“Sensed? Is there anyone normal in this city?” Dick rolled his eyes

“Hey! Careful there, boy! I might take offence.”

“Sorry. I’m not really used to people dressed like clowns and bats running around the streets and citizens to have superpowers.”

“ What can I say? Welcome to Gotham, Dick.”

And that was how their friendship started and lasted for years. However, there was one thing Y/N never told Dick. She did have powers. Maybe not at the time when they met, but when she was somewhere around 18 they started to show. Out of nowhere, she could hear people’s thoughts, the objects around her started to move and when she was nervous or scared the air around her was literally turning red. Oh, and sometimes, people around her saw the things she wanted them to – some sort of illusions. That was when her mother told her that she was holding the power of a Scarlett Witch and poor girl did not like it at all. In the city of freaks and criminals she always prided herself on being normal, ordinary, usual. She never wanted any skills. To be honest, she got scared and due to her conflicted emotions her powers started causing troubles. The only option was to leave Gotham for a while and learn how to get it under control. Her mother, a witch herself, contacted some old friends and Y/N was sent to train with the old order of sorceresses.

She got back after a whole year, finding Gotham in worse condition than ever. From what she learned in a quick time, there was a new vigilante, calling himself the Red Hood running around and causing havoc.  One time, when she focused, she got into his mind, feeling all the rage and pain and fear and regret. She saw his story of how he was killed by Joker and brought back to life. All the conflict he had with Batman, because apparently they were a family once, and at some point in life he was his sidekick, Robin. She broke this mind connection before finding out the real identities of anyone. That was private and she never wanted to know. Second thing was Dick. Their contact during the last year was a bit limited, since while her training she was not exactly allowed to use phone and internet so they rarely talked and when she returned, the girl found out that Dick left Gotham and resided in Bludhaven. Third thing was Batman’s newest sidekick, apparently calling himself Red Robin, who was on her tail, treating her like some sort of threat. After a month of playing cat and mouse with him, she got inside his head and practically commanded him to meet her so they could talk without acting like kids.

“What do you want with me?” they were standing in front of each other on the rooftop surrounded by Gotham’s darkness.

“The question is, why is someone like you just sitting around doing nothing?” he retorted

“I’m sorry. Someone like me?” she scoffed “who do you think I am?”

“Please. You’re not so hard to crack.” Y/N raised an eyebrow at him waiting for some more explanation “you are Scarlett Witch. You have so many crazy level skills, so why are you passive if you could do so much good for this city?”

“You remind me of someone from my past, you know. Someone who practically called me a freak the first day we met.”

“I never said you were a freak.”

“No. No you did not. And I am not. At least, not anymore that I learned how to control my abilities I never asked for. ….“ she hesitated “Now. I am not going to go inside your head, but I strongly suggest you to tell me the truth why you were on my tail, lately.”

Red Robin sighed deeply considering what words to choose to reveal to her the real reason behind his action. Clearly this girl couldn’t be deceived with half-truth.

 “It’s Batman.”

“Batman? What does your boss have to do with it?”

“He’s not my boss. But he wants to be yours.”

“I’m not planning on becoming a sidekick of his.” She scoffed “If anything I work alone.”

“ Just listen to me, all right? Let me convince you.”

“You entertain me, Red Robin. You know, I was fairly familiar with your predecessors. The original Robin tried to save my ass from the assaulters once, the second bumped into me while chasing the robbers. They both seemed …. too enthusiastic and energetic. It can cause trouble at times. You seem more …. rational. Wiser. And I appreciate that, so I’ll listen to you.  Tell me then, what can Batman possibly offer me to join him in his work?”        

He convinced her, talking about the people and doing good work and being trained by the Batman himself. He offered her wide range of freedom, so she wouldn’t have to be a sidekick. He talked and talked about how the joint efforts can bring good effect. He might have also slipped something about admiring her and the things she can do and how he himself would like the opportunity to work with her. And she agreed, keeping her alliance with Red Robin and Batman a secret.

After making such important choice, she realized it would be nice to get back in touch with Dick so she simply called him and they rebuilt their friendship. They even went far enough to reveal their other identities to each other.

“Wait, you were the original Robin?!”  her eyes went wide upon hearing the news “you were the one who tried to save me during that assault?! Damn it, Dick.”

“You never really needed my help.” He shrugged “now I know why. Scarlett Witch, huh? Makes sense. What exactly can you do apart from getting inside people’s heads?”

However, she never told him she was secretly working with his foster father.

Not when during one of the mission she found out that Red Hood real identity was Jason Todd and he was in fact Bruce’s son and Dick’s brother.

Not when she fell in love with such brother.

Not when she started working with the latest Robin aka Damian.

Not when one time Dick asked her to join him on the mission.

Not when he suggested she could be a part of bat team, even if the team already consisted of too many people who tended to fight with one another (mostly Dick and Jason).

She kept in the dark and it was getting harder to control who knew what about her. Dick and Jason were aware of her real name and her alias, but not that she was occasional Batman’s partner. Damian knew only the Scarlett Witch and working with Batman part and Tim knew everything, of course while Cass, Steph and Babs knew her only as Y/N, their civilian friend. It was crazy.

Until the day when Bruce broke his promise of giving her mission freedom and she got really angry. Despite their agreement, Batman interfered in Scarlett Witch’s contacts on the drug trafficking causing the informants to fled from the city and her operation went south.

“Get out of my way!” she yelled when both Dick and Jason blocked her way demanding some explanation.

“Y/N. why don’t you just calm down a little, all right?” Dick started, trying his best not to worsen the situation. After all she was the freaking Scarlett Witch. She could have them on the ground wincing in pain within seconds. It was better not to mess with her

“Yeah, I will calm down right after the freaking Batman keep his promises!” she yelled

“Wait, what? What promises? I don’t get it…..” Damian frowned again “Father, who is this girl?”

“Leave us.” Bruce spoke calmly

“What is going on here?” Tim emerged from the door and as his eyes landed on Y/N he understood everything  “Oh, shit…..”

“Can someone tell me…..?”

“Shut up Damian!” Jason, Dick and Y/N yelled in unison

“I said: leave us.” Bruce repeated in his most stern tone, yet no one paid attention to him anymore

“I don’t understand half of what’s happening but I’m not leaving” Jason laughed  “If my girl goes full Scarlett Witch on Bruce I’d love to see it.” He moved towards Y/N and kissed her cheek making her blush a bit. “Don’t hold back, babe. I like that wild side of yours.” He smirked

“Stop it, Jace!” she tried to rid herself of him

“Wait. SHES THE SCARLETT WITCH!?” Damian exclaimed “but she looks so….. ordinary.”

“WATCH YOUR TONGUE, DEMON!”

“Before someone get hurt….” Dick started blocking Jason and Damian from killing each other

“LET ME GO DICKHEAD! HE JUST OFFENDED MY GIRLFRIEND!”

“ I JUST STATED THE OBVIOUS! SHE LOOKS NORMAL!”

“THAT IS A STEP UP FROM HOW YOU LOOK!”

“Do you work with Bruce Y/n? I mean, Batman? Why didn’t you tell me?” Dick’s finally caught up on the situation and glanced at his best friend with hurt expression.

“You have always been a bad detective, Dick. Of course she works with Batman. I was the one who offered her this position.” Tim smirked

“YOU DID WHAT?!”

“It was my idea…..”

“YOU GOT HER INVOLVED IN THIS SHIT!?”

Now, everyone was fighting everyone and it was hard to tell when all of this started. Y/N and Bruce were just standing in the middle of the havoc, eyes switching between all of the boys with despair and embarrassment (Bruce) and disbelief and amusement (Y/N).

“You know, Bruce, I came here to confront you about interfering with my operation, but I don’t think I am angry anymore.”

“I can see. However, I wanted to tell you, that I got you the information you needed to finish it.”

“Really, you did? How?” she turned slightly from the scene in front of her and looked straight at Bruce

“A bit of intimidation and mention of powerful woman coming after anyone who refused to cooperate.”

“A powerful woman, huh?”

“Catwoman, of course.”

“Of course” she nodded “Thank you, Bruce. Business with you is …. tolerable, I guess.”

 “But we’re not partners.” He muttered

“Obviously” she smirked “never were, never will be.” They were both liars.

“Do you think we should stop the boys from killing each other?” Bruce wondered

“Do you think we can?”

“Well, you are the Witch here. As much as I hate magic, can’t you do something?”

“Did you see them?” Y/N pointed towards the four unhinged figures yelling at each other “that’s beyond my level of expertise.”

“So…. we just leave?”

“Yes. Yes, we just…. leave. They will sort it out by themselves, right?”

“And it’s not because we are terrified of what they can do…..” Bruce muttered retreating backwards

“Absolutely not….. We just should discuss the case.”

“Yes. We should discuss the case.”

“Cause it’s really important.”

“Vital.”

“And it definitely can’t wait.”

“Shall we then?” Bruce pointed toward the exit and without any further ado they both disappeared from the cave leaving boys to deal with their banter themselves.

[geekishfangirl]

I can’t view Batman/Bruce as a real hero

So I’ve gotten into DC recently, or more specifically I’ve gotten into the Batfam, and the more I learn about Bruce Wayne the harder it is for me to look to him as a hero.

I’ll preface all this by saying I have consumed very little DC content, so if something I say is not actually canon pls let me know.

It started when I learned that this man seemingly has an absolute no kill rule. Not a “I try to avoid killing and only do it when absolutely necessary” rule, but a “I refuse to kill anyone no matter the circumstances” rule. I honestly hate this because it’s not effective in any way. Take the Joker for example, Batman has to fight him over and over again because they simply cannot seem to keep that man in prison and Batman won’t kill him or let anyone else do it. I think this is because he wants to believe that anyone can change, and they can, but just because they CAN doesn’t mean that they WILL. People have to choose to change and the Joker has had like 30 chances to do so, yet he continues to kill innocent people. How many innocents have to die before someone acknowledges that the Joker will never choose to be a better person and finally decide to do what’s necessary to protect everyone? They either need to find a way to keep him in jail or just take him out.

This got worse when I learned about Jason Todd. Here you have a poor boy taken in by Bruce, who idealizes him and views him as a father, and when he gets kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by the Joker he dies alone. When he is brought back to life, he’s mad at Bruce, not because Bruce didn’t save him, but Bruce didn’t kill the Joker to avenge him. Because Bruce didn’t love him more than he loved Justice. Hell, even on his grave, “A good soldier”. I’ve seen ppl say that maybe he didn’t say son because he didn’t want to erase their family ties and the kids never took his last name and sure, I get that. But putting a good soldier instead? He didn’t have to do that. Jason wasn’t a soldier, he was a little boy. It seems like Bruce forgets that about the Robins sometimes. (None of this is even getting into my feelings about Bruce taking in multiple children and having them fight crime, literally risking their lives every night but then this rant would be even longer)

And apparently Bruce fucking decks Dick because Dick was asking him why he let him become Robin before he was ready? Bro cannot take any criticism for his actions I swear. I mean, even if he never officially adopts them (I’m very confused on that tbh) he does still view them as his kids. He still helped raise them. After all, they were all underage when he met them and took them in. So to straight up deck your eldest and tell him to get out literally right after your other kid was murdered solely because he questioned you is actually wild.

Then you have the whole batarang incident, which just makes me question his morals more because he’s got the whole “no killing whatsoever” thing going on but then decides, “I won’t kill the man who murdered my son and countless other innocents, but I can and will slit my son’s throat and leave him for dead.” Like, HUH??? Also, didn’t Dick accidentally kill the Joker once and Bruce went out of his way to REVIVE HIM? Honestly feels like Bruce has some weird relationship with the Joker cause he seems to care about him more than anything. LET THAT MONSTER DIE!

I saw someone say that they thought the “no killing” thing wasn’t effective but was accurate to Bruce’s character because his vigilanteism isn’t actually mainly about helping but about punishing himself for what happened to his parents. And if you kill the villains when you need to, you can’t keep punishing yourself through fighting them. Like a self-sabotage thing. I thought that was super interesting but it would also just go along with him not being a truly effective hero, cause he won’t make the hard calls that are sometimes needed.

In conclusion, while I am sure Bruce has done good for people, it’s hard to see him as a truly effective hero (or a good person/father for that matter) when he does stuff like this.

[lilithess]

ASTRO OBSERVATIONS II

gemini detachment > aquarius detachment even though they have similarities. aquarius are blocked by their ego (leo opposition + saturn the ruler); meanwhile geminis can stay objective and speak ill even of themselves if neccessary. one of the most rational astrologers i’ve stumbled across had gemini influence. they’ll criticize anyone anywhere, no attachment

cancer cares more for revenge than scorpio. cancer placements can hold resentment and are very private people so you never really know what struck them. they notice everything and there’s this aura around them like “open up to me or else! let me take care of you or you’re dead”. cancer is an angst of care and love, but they mean well. other water placements can be this way, too. they are really going for the depths

despite the ego, leos are one of the sweetest people i meet. truly the heart and sunshine of the friend group. they might care too much about superficial things, but at the end of the day - when a leo loves you, it’s like “you’re it”. leo venus falling in love with you is you finally experiencing true, healthy love. they will uplift you to the sun

scorpio and capricorn 🤝 most tragic lives. people with these energies suffer so much and the worst outcome i’ve seen coming of it - is them seeking to hurt others. this is the darkest place these signs can fall into and it can be pretty rough getting them out of there. they can get envious towards people whom they feel had it “easier”; capricorn mostly regarding status, money, prestige, family; and scorpio regarding other people’s likeability, easiness, love and warmth

i find aries to be the main badass rebel of the zodiac. very outspoken, tough, real people. sometimes too real. they’re so bad at faking it, even if it requires them to do so (example: sales job). they hold so much power, yet somehow they’re not as popular in the zodiac. wonder why

there isn’t a single pisces i met who wasn’t shady. yet, they’re all somehow very different people. gets under your skin easily and has a thing for trying to get to you. they just keep poking. sometimes i don’t understand whether they care about anything or not. i can asign this to geminis as well. the way mutables talk is only understood amongst themselves probably. a conversation overheard between a pisces and a gemini recently: gemini: what are you doing here, i though you were at x” pisces: “i’m everywhere” gemini: “i’m nowhere”

i don’t know why opposite signs are specifically called sisters, but i do see them as two sides of the same coin. people you can’t stand yet miss when they’re not around. people you compete with and people whose attention you seek. people you wanna prove wrong so badly. kind of a Batman and Joker, Sherlock and Moriarty thing going on. there’s no one without the other. if you ever meet a person who’s mostly your opposite, good luck

[subaquatic0mess]

Genderswap! Team Escope au

Except everything feels oddly personal as I overthinkwd everything.

Prepare for a big rant!!

Izzy's name is Zach.

He hates that name and no one calls him that. Everyone knows him as Izz.

He claims he got that name because he was raised by snakes and that was the name they gave him.

If anyone dares call Izz, Zack they won't leave without him launching himself at them screeching. (You definitely got a bloody nose from that)

Team Escope are the only ones that know that Izz's true name is Zach. But they know Izz is just Izz that's his name done.

His hair is somewhat more curlier and messier than Izzy's but it's basically the same. (Height of the hair is also very similar it just looks slightly shorter because it's curlier)

He's the tallest out of team escope.

The only difference in his clothes is that he wears shorts under the skirt (?) thingy Izzy wears. He also doesn't have the hole on his chest because yk he a guy now. (Scrap that Izz wouldn't care about wearing women clothes it's only the pants that are different)

Izz laughs like the joker for some reason.

Noah's name is Eleanor.

That's because I wanted to keep the fact of Izz calling her No-no's. (Every Eleanor or Leonor that I know is nicknamed that)

Nobody really calls her that tho. Most people call her Leo/Lea. Izz and Owen have their little nicknames for her tho.

She isn't very different from Noah physically.

They dress the same. Sometimes she dresses like Adam Sandler tho. Evan and Izz find it outrageous. She doesn't give a shit.

I think appearance wise she would literally look the same just maybe with bigger lashes or smth. (Even the hair looks the same or whatsoever longer but for like a millimeter)

Eva's name is Evan.

Not a big change there.

Instead of iron woman Leo calls Evan the incredible Hulk. Or just Hulk.

Just as buff as Canon Eva. Physically his strength is more visible but its still the exact same.

Evan has a mullet. That he can somehow manage to put in a ponytail. Leo still doesn't understand how.

His shirt is similar except now its more of a tank top (?) They have more body hair. (Something they tried giving Eva but was barely shown)

The rest of his clothes are probably the same but his shoes might be swapped by sneakers. (Different ones I mean)

[rmbunnie]

Another little inconsequential red hood thing and I'll admit that I'm decently biased but it irks me to see the whole "Jason can't shut up about his death/he makes his death everyone else's problem" take really frequently because he simply does not do that enough for it to be a thing in like any actual Red Hood story.

It's a thing you see sometimes in modern annuals/comics with large casts, particularly if a writer doesn't seem super confident with writing all of the characters that they're working with or if he's just a background character in this one, because with comics it's quicker to reduce a character to recognizable landmarks than to try and work out a whole new complex voice if you don't really need to, so it's tire iron, Jane Austen, Joker, and death, and it's all written out in dialogue because every character in a group event can't have their own internal monologue, but like. That's pretty much it. UTRH is the establishing event for Jason Todd post death so of course a lot of it is about his death, although it's arguably about the lack of response to his death more than his death itself, and he certainly makes it Bruce's issue but one beef doesn't make a trend. Plus if his death is anyone's issue beyond his own Bruce and Joker are like the number one guys whose issue it is. He THINKS about his death a ton in Lost Days, but it doesn't really reflect externally on any of his interactions besides with Joker, which again, that's justified and relevant beef. Teen Titans 29 is more about his place in the hero community/feeling like he was an outsider even before the bomb/Tim being the new robin than about his death, and side note, that being counted as an attempt on Tim's life also bugs me. He beat him up and then left of his own volition. That's not an assassination attempt its called a fight, albeit a sneaky and unfair one. But anyways. I can't speak on Battle for the Cowl because i haven't read it, both that and Batman and Robin 2009 don't really compel me, but it's entirely possible that's an outlier to my point seeing as I kinda sorta haven't read it and don't care to lmao. Even New 52 (although HIGHLY unpopular) and Rebirth/Dawn of DC/Whatever we're doing now Red Hood content don't really have him talking to people about it besides the occasional little quips. He might make stances that were developed because of his death other people's problem, like in the Mia Dearden Green Arrow situation with the "getting involved in other people's business" issue, but acting like he makes specifically his death everyone else's problem is ignoring all of the perfectly valid actually canon things he makes other people's problem. Most of the unpleasant traits he brings to the table are a result of his death and the sense of abandonment and betrayal that came with it, but that doesn't mean he's bringing his death into it when he acts unpleasantly any more than he's bringing his birth into it when he shows up in the first place. The consequences do not equal the event. All this to say it's irritating when people say the character is grating because he doesn't stop whining about his death when that kinda just indicates to me that they're working off fanon based on fanon based on kinda mid batman annual.

[nishloves]

heartbreaker • yoon jeonghan

pairing : yoon jeonghan x f!reader

theme : fluff ☁️ / angst 🌩️

.

cooking up mischief was his cup of tea, cleaning them and saying sorry was yours, he couldn't exist without you— well, people wouldn't let him exist without you being there to sweettalk them out of hating him.

jeonghan had many weaknesses, many problems but there was one problem which he considered his asset. you.

putting up with all your thoughts, your antics, your cravings was certainly a hard job but he didn't mind them, he loved being your friend, he loved the fact that he was the closest one to you, and you would trust no one but him with everything but, he hated dealing with your feelings, your feelings for him which you oh so desperately tried to hide.

if he was an imp, you were a succubus

if he was a joker, you were a queen

if he was a— you get the point.

he saw many broken hearts throughout his life, many of them were caused by you, you were a siren in some way, attracting everyone around you, not in a cliché perfect way like it happens in movies— where everyone would fawn over and fall because you're just so ethereal but, in a way where even one conversation with you, would unlock deepest depths of their heart, almost as if a colourful river full of bounties were unlocked, basically their blood pressure increased in a good way.

"you were a refreshing morning breeze which made everyone feel cared for and heard." was what jeonghan was told by boys and girls when he asked them exactly why they liked you so much, he could never understand it, you were just a human and you seemed very normal to him.

once he read a book called "percy jackson and the olympians" and even though you argued just how much you fit into the apollo cabin, because you were borderline perfect (you knew you weren't, you just liked to hype yourself up) and did have a longing to be a doctor, jeonghan would never believe it and always place you into the aphrodite cabin, his reason? your sweettalk which had saved him numerous times.

he never understood the expression of "his heart melted" why would anyone's heart melt? but once when he was in deep shit and no one had ever believed him, you had hugged him and whispered, "hannie~ i trust you and i always will, i love you, please don't do something which you will regret."

i love you.

his heart felt warm? almost immediately? as if someone had heated his blood lightly and threw it on his heart in a good way. that day he understood why you were a siren.

you lulled people with your fake words and sometimes genuine care and your ability to actually empathize when you wanted to or when you aren't emotionally invested in yourself, your quirks... made people happy.

as much as jeonghan would like to say that you're perfect, he knows you like the attention which you rightfully command, he knows you like it when boys are just so nervous in front of you that their bodies will literally shake, he knows you feel better when even slightest of your touch would send jitters up their spine and he knows you enjoy it when some girls would stare at you longingly, wishing you were more interested in them than the gender with cooties.

you would purposefully ask them for favours (only small ones because you would do the hard and important things by yourself, saying that you are independent and you don't trust others with shit) favours which they would gladly do for you, bring your bag from the fourth floor to the ground floor while the elevator is under maintenance? that's easy. do a fifty page assignment because you had honestly overslept and were a little panicking about your grades? finished it in an hour with three different handwritings and an errand boy printing out pictures.

it wasn't because you desired attention or gave them attention, you certainly enjoyed attention yet didn't desire it, you are sweet and caring and kind to everyone no matter how bitchy and awful personality they had, everyone just had to like you and some insecure personalities loved to call you fake.

you were sometimes sad by people's assumptions, you didn't like the fact that being a decent human being these days was considered fake; but you would say that you don't mind it because at least jeonghan knew that you weren't fake.

but you were a heartbreaker, that's for sure.

and you didn't even acknowledge it, you never understood why people liked you that much, but you were thankful for it, yet you never would accept that you were a heartbreaker because yes, you have rejected many people over the course of time— you never deemed yourself that important for the others, you didn't think you had that much of hold to make them feel devasted,

you were wrong though.

and jeonghan hated to deal with your feelings, hated to be reminded again and again that you can't look at him in the same light, that you can't love him as more than friends.

you still stayed friends, you never pushed him away after he had confessed, you acknowledged his emotions and denied them, as simple as that; and then you would also hit jeonghan lightly and chuckle whenever he would "jokingly" say that he loves you so much.

maybe it would be better for him to take a break, to go far and far away from you so that his heart doesn't break and isn't strung on a daily basis, he might be a jokester, but he's human too, you made him realise that.

but, when he told you that he was going away, there were tears in your eyes which you tried to subside and gave him a tight smile saying,

"i will miss you, do fucking well."

yeah, you saw him as nothing more than a friend.

but on your part, were you actually aware of what you felt?

"hannie... are you really going?" you asked as jeonghan was at the airport, bags in hands for his over a year of travelling.

"ofcourse, why would I come to airport if not?"

"i will miss you, please text me and facetime me on a regular basis, send me pictures," she said as jeonghan patted her head, affirming her that he will never ever forget her, but how will he ever will?

flying between the clouds as he marvelled at their amusing shapes he wondered, if he will ever move on from you.

as he flew he remembered some pranks he did; leaving lizards on his language teacher's desk? you made sure that the teacher never suspected him; stuffing his face with grapes, you made sure he didn't choke to death.

even as he was a thousand feet above grounds, his heart kept looking for you, unbeknownst to him.

he saw you in everything, the water fountain, corridors, eastsides of cities, westsides of cities, during sunsets and sunrises, in the stars, in the moon, oh he saw you everywhere and that's when he realised, this time he's in an actual deep shit.

the trips felt small, the time spent seemed long if that made sense anyhow, he wished nothing more than wanting to see you again, yet he wanted to run away from you at the same time.

when he landed, why didn't he expect to see you? why didn't he expect that you will run up to him, hug him, kiss his cheek and just wouldn't let go of his hand because her year without him was terrible.

jeonghan wanted to run away again, just to experience her longing again.

as he laid in her backyard looking at stars, she came near him grasping his hands she whispered something to him, he didn't answer, maybe it was jet lagg but he was really tired, almost exhausted.

yet when he found himself buried in covers of a familiar yet unknown bed he panicked for a short while, but when he saw her standing near her desk with her lamp light on as she buried her dear diary deep in her drawer, jeonghan closed his eyes and went quiet.

he didn't want to leave her room yet, the covers smelt like her and he has slept in her bed before, they were inseparable since childhood and during college trips too they had shared a bed with pillows in between them.

yet today, when the bed shrank because of her weight she didn't put any pillows and just stared at him longingly for a while.

closing her eyes she whispered, which jeonghan heard, and he was glad that he did for she said,

"i love you, and i don't lie, i love you so much it's hurting my heart; i want to stand with you wherever you are yet, i feel it's too late... i feel you have moved on and i... don't want you to spiral back to me when you're doing so great in your life."

jeonghan couldn't sleep that night, and he couldn't wait for the sun to come up, so that he would scream enthusiastically and confess to her about everything he has ever felt for her and how much she means to him, distance didn't bring sadness for the first time.

<3

"and kids, that's how i met your mother." jeonghan smiled, content. and still in love.

[yeetus-feetus]

Fic idea that's just Jason and the song I Bet on Losing Dogs.

He just wants to be loved. Needs to be loved.

He felt loved when Bruce took him in. But he quickly got jealous of anyone else who took up his attention. He gets upset when Bruce chooses women over father-son bonding time. He's Bruce's baby. Needs Bruce to call him his baby the same way his mum would.

"my baby, my baby, my baby"

And it's worse when Jason finds out the reason Bruce hadn't stayed home to look after him while he was sick was because he was out with Talia. Talia, Bruce's new obsession. Talia, the one whose case files sound like cheesy romance novels.

And it's the same feeling Jason used to get when his mother would choose his father over him. Choose the drugs over him.

Bruce is his. He doesn't want to share. Bruce is supposed to be looking after him, spending time with him.

"tell your baby that I'm your baby"

Jason, older now, feeling lost and alone. He wish someone would just stand by him despite everything. Wishes Bruce would have chosen him, just on more time.

But he doesn't. He still chooses Joker.

No one chooses him. No one chooses Jason. Not anymore. A losing dog never gets chosen.

So Jason goes out of his way to do just that.

He's there for the alley kids. For the kids with abusive parents. For the kids who can't afford food. For the kids getting mugged or tempted with drugs. For the kids sobbing in the rain after getting kicked out.

He's there for Bizzaro when no one else is. He's there for the working girl on the corner who sleeps on his apartment's stoop sometimes. He's there for the failed artist wasting away by the bottle. He's there for the guy shooting up in his bar's bathroom.

"I know they're loosing and I pay for my place by the ring"

He's there for the single mother working herself done to weak bones. He's there for the sick old lady who's family has forgotten her. He's there for the boy who's knuckles need bandaging because he punched the brick too hard.

He's there for the people no one chooses.

"I'll be there on their side, I'm losing by their side"

He's there for Tim.

Tim who can't see what he's doing to himself. Tim who does everything and anything for everyone else, and never himself. Tim who sacrifices himself for 'the mission'. Tim who throws himself at danger with a worrying amount of calm. Tim who's almost died too many times. Tim who's losing himself.

"I always want you when I'm finally fine"

Jason looks out for Tim when he doesn't have to look out for himself. When he remembers to eat he makes sure Tim is eating properly. Makes sure Tim gets patched up when he doesn't tell anybody he needs it, but Jason can see it in his eyes. Helps Tim when their patrols cross over, when he needs help but won't admit it.

Jason sits on the roof with Tim when he sees him eyeing the edge for a little too long. Doesn't say anything, just sits with him in. Just silently let's him know he's there. Let's him there's someone on his side, someone who cares.

"I wanna feel it"

He watches Tim bet on loosing dogs, and he wants Tim to bet on him, too.

He wants Tim to choose him. He wants them to lose together. Wants to hold him, wants to feel held. Wants someone who understands, someone he can trust to stay. Someone who's got his back, who will still love him, even when he's wrong. Someone who will fall apart with him.

He wants Tim to sit on the rooftop with him when he's the one eyeing the edge. He wants them to hold each other while eyeing it together.

"someone to watch me die"

"someone to watch me die"

[valentinedaughtler]

Tainted Opal (Part 8)

Kaz Brekker x fem!reader

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7

T/Ws: violence, romantic feelings, blood, mild spice scenes sometimes, fem!reader and she/her pronouns, sexual abuse/trauma (not explicit)

Synopsis: You test your skills in an intense game of poker with the Crows. Kaz gets fed up off and you have to cool him off.

REQUESTS: OPEN✅

____________________________________________

8 - No Strip Poker

"This isn't just a game for fun, Jesper," Kaz grumbled as he separated the cards into seven piles. He kept the remaining cards in a stack by his hip. I guess he decided he was going to be the dealer, and no one interjected. "Everyone has a 'tell', you all know that. We're playing this to observe others' reactions and then call them out at the end of the game."

"So we're gonna point out each others' flaws in order to suppress them during a negotiation or a fight?" I asked, my voice dripping with mockery, the idea seemed smart, yet damaging. Kaz nodded to me, he seemed to want to glare at me, but you could say he suppressed it.

"So this is not strip poker?" Jesper asked with a whine. I laughed a bit as almost everyone objected. Nina seemed pretty on board with the idea though. With all the usual shenanigans out of the way, the game began.

Everyone picked up the deck dealed to them, inspecting their hand. I had a pair of sixes, but that most likely wasn't good enough to win. I knew if I lied during the game my lower lip would quiver, giving me away. I have to say nothing if asked, but I need to seem confident to fool.

"Give two cards, darling," I said to Kaz with a smirk. He passed them to me as I discarded my useless three of clubs and ten of hearts. I now held an additional six and a joker. Holy saints, four of a kind and an ace. That ranks me above a full house and under a straight flush. I suppressed my glee and stared down at my cards blankly. I was aware that everyone was darting glances around the room, attempting to spot an awkward movement of someone else.

Matthias huffed and threw his cards onto the table, "I fold," he said with a boiling rage. Nina gave him a soft kiss on the cheek before looking back at her hand. When Kaz nodded, everyone placed down their luck.

Inej had a three of a kind, of kings. Very good.

Jesper had nothing.... What could have been a royal flush was ruined by a single two of clubs.

Wylan had two of a kind, of threes.

Nina had two sets of two of a kinds.

Finally, my gaze fell off Kaz's hand. A straight flush.

I bottled up my frustration as Kaz reshuffled the cards and Jesper complained. I felt my competitive spirit shoot through my veins. Poker was a weekly event back on the ship, it was the only way my father respected me. Now, I felt the need to win every time. But I also wanted to win to beat Kaz Brekker.

I looked up at the pale boy with scarred lips, he ignored my stare- well, my glare. I finally spewed out words driven by a lust for winning, not testimonial thought,

"Let's make bets," I said, with a sweet undertone in my voice. It was like mixing honey into warm tea. Everyone turned to my direction as I broke the tense silence, I guess we all were competitive. "Information is much more valuable than any coin. Whoever wins each round gets to ask a question -that must be answered—, to anyone here." I spoke with enfaces on each word, a smirk dancing on my plush lips. Jesper and Wylan smiled, and Nina let out an approving giggle. Kaz nodded, but did not show a sliver of opinion.

"Well, let's see how confident you are, Y/n," Kaz rasped, but there was a hint of amusement in his gravely voice. I looked at my hand, just a two of a kind, but it was of Queens. I asked for three cards, and others needs followed in suit. My hand now consisted on two queens and two kings. My bite was going to be underwhelming compared to my bark...

Everyone revealed their hand, darting gazes past the other cards laid out in. Nina won with a royal flush, which caused my body to soften on the inside, at least Kaz did not win after the spectacle I made. My competitive nature often got in the way of my judgement. Nina made a humming sound as she leaned against Matthias before looking directly at Inej.

"What's the weirdest thing you've observed while spying..?" She inquired with deep curiosity igniting in her eyes. Inej laughed softly before thinking for a moment.

"One time I saw a woman singing opera to... maybe 12 chickens sitting on her

couch-," the Waith could barely keep a straight face as she spoke, smirking at just the thought of the sight.

"I would pay to see that, the women could get rich of Kruge," I remarked with a giggle. Inej smiled at me with glittering eyes, and the game resumed.

A few rounds past before I won, but no alarming questions had been asked yet. Everyone seemed to just be dipping their toes in the shallow end of a deep pool of secrets. As I looked at my new hand of cards, I had a perfect full house, but everyone would know my deck was perfect if I didn't draw cards for the first time. I have to risk it. My anxiety spiked slightly, but I had to keep my heart rate steady, Nina would know if it sped up. I asked for one card, and luckily it was a joker. I could replace the card I had just discarded.

"I gotta' fold," Jesper whined, his gambling addiction seemed to be having a low this round. The remaining players placed their cards on the table. Everyone's eyes were glued on my hand; my perfect hand; the winning hand. Kaz didn't show signs of frustration, but I knew he was. He was so close to winning, just like I had been the very first round. My competitive advantage bubbled in my throat, my ego boiling over. I smirked and turned to Kaz,

"Why do you were gloves all the time?" I asked with curiosity lined with amusement. Everyone in the room seemed to tense up, we all most likely knew very little, but we had heard the rumors.

Brekker's hands are stained with blood that can't be washed off.

Dirtyhands has sharp fingers like the devil.

Kaz's hands are scarred beyond belief, the fate of his work.

Kaz clutched his cane tightly and stood up, his tall form towering over my hunched body.

"Choose one of the theories of Ketterdam's voices. They're all true enough," he responded. And with that, he began walking outside, opening the cabin's door. He stopped at the doorway, his strong posture framed by the blistering white outside. "I've learned enough from this game, you all need to improve your sloppy skills, especially Y/n. The quivering of your pretty lips will get your teeth knocked out."

As the door slammed shut, we all sat in silence. The tension from the game lingered as the quiet in the room festered. I couldn't help but feel embarrassed, Kaz was cold and bitter, but he was important. I had to value his feelings, or at the very least, his reactions. My cheeks grew red, but I sighed and attempted to keep face. When in doubt, become seductive; desire trumps all.

"Soooo, now that the party pooper is gone, maybe be could play strip poker-,"

"Please play without me, dolls, I'm going to reason with... the party pooper in question," my voice was a soft purr, one that drew in the most modest of people. I lifted myself with grace, sauntering out the door into the cold, but not before slipping on Kaz's jacket.

✵ ♣ ✵

The bitter boy had not made it far in the short time, he was just a hundred or so paces ahead of me, limping his way into the cold. I wasn't sure why, but I assumed it was to clear his troubled mind.

I finally made my way to his side, and without acknowledging me, he continued his brooding trek.

"Did you just come out here to suffer for fun or did you want to escape my question?" I made my tone extra clear, my honeydew voices melting the cold feelings. Kaz said nothing for a while, his jaw clenching slightly.

He halted and cocked an eyebrow. His head turned and his high stature caused him to crane his neck in order to make eye contact with me.

"We cannot escape our pasts, Y/n, all we can do is carefully cultivate a collection of present actions to allow the world to assume our upbringings," he voice sounded choked, strained, but he still held himself with pride. I noticed how he said 'we', including himself in the population of whom made the decision he described.

I sighed softly and narrowed my eyes, peering through my eyelashes at the Kaz. I didn't apologize for my question, I didn't need to, but I gave Kaz a looking of understanding.

"These personas we create may be true enough, Kaz, but they're simply an escape from the hell we're stuck in." I stepped closer to him, my stare hardening. "You have your tells too, Kaz Brekker, you may have a perfect front you present to the world, I'm guilty of it as well, but you're still just a scared kid."

Kaz stiffened as I inched closer to his face, taunting him. I stood on the tips of my toes, our noses nearly touching. I didn't have to use my Grisha abilities to sense his heartbeat quickening.

"We met before, didn't we?"

__________________

Word Count: 1606

__________________

I wasn't a fan of this chapter, but it was pretty rushed. Sorry for the awkward start to this.

-Valentine

[sleepingdeath-light]

relationship hcs ; poly! joker & dagger

requested by ; onehellofashadynerd (29/10/22)

fandom(s) ; black butler

fandom masterlist(s) ; hub | arc antagonists

character(s) ; dagger, joker

outline ; “Can I request a poly thing with Joker and Dagger from Black Butler? Maybe a soft drabble or something else if you prefer?”

warning(s) ; none, just fluff!

these boys love you so very much, which means that they’re both intensely protective over you

dagger is much more blatant about it, actively threatening and fighting anyone who besmirches your honour or otherwise insults you

joker, meanwhile, is more subtle and will focus on subtle threats and conflict deescalation whilst removing you from the situation

they both keep you away from the darker side of their business and excuse their late night absences as being down to last minute practise and joker being anal (which he’s willing to take the insult for if it means keeping you safe)

they both love spoiling you but they rarely have the means to do so — which makes the occasions where they have the funds to do so that much more special and romantic

you always have clothes that fit comfortably and don’t have any holes in them (a luxury for the circus)

you always have access to the products you need to protect your skin and hair

you always have the most comfortable blankets and pillows

and sometimes they can scrounge the funds together to get you a book — they’re both illiterate due to their upbringing so they rely on you to read to them, which is a very intimate thing for you all

joker’s tent has the most space in it as he doesn’t need as much equipment for his act, so that’s where you’ll push all your cots together when you’re feeling especially clingy

joker calls you ‘darlin’ and dagger calls you ‘my lady/my lord/my dear’

they’re both casually affectionate people, but dagger is much more likely to be flustered if you initiate pda (you and joker take full advantage of this fact to quieten him down when he’s being aggressive)

you help the boys out with their makeup and keep on top of dagger’s hair dye situation so he doesn’t end up covering himself in it (again)

whenever you get sick these two turn into the ultimate mother hens — dagger is constantly fretting over you and going into hysterics about how you don’t deserve this and he’d help you if he could, whilst joker is calmly fetching warm soups from the canteen tent and sending other members of the circus out to get medicine

joker is a big spoon type of hugger, the sort that will just envelop you and kiss the top of your head

dagger is a koala who likes to snuggle up into your stomach and wrap his arms around your waist

this means that if you’re cuddling both at the same time then you’re most definitely going to end up overheating (unless it’s winter at which point you’ll welcome the affection)

you’re the only one who gets to call them by their real names — and even then only in private when you need to ground them

dates usually consist of you sitting in bed and reading them a few chapters of the latest book they bought you — but on occasion you do manage to sneak out between practice to go on a walk in the nearest lot of fields (always with some food the three of you managed to pocket throughout the day)

dagger has lost his prosthetic on several occasions from just tossing it aside when he’s exhausted, which makes for an interesting early morning scavenger hunt whilst your poor boyfriend is left stranded on the bed — because, of course, he left his crutches back in his tent as he didn’t anticipate lobbing is leg away like a scalding pot whilst half asleep

joker suffers from pretty extreme panic attacks as he’s the one who’s seen the worst of father’s activities — he also tends to have horrid night terrors and has woken up screaming before

you and dagger are the only ones who can ground him and help him come back to reality, but even then it’s difficult for you both as you have to content with your usually calm and chipper boyfriend being reduced to a whimpering, sobbing shell of himself

to conclude: you love your boys and they love you dearly and they’d do anything for you — even if it meant lying to your face

[rainmustfallts4]

The Cherry Tree (Short Story)

Date: January 5th, 2020

Genre: Friendship, Fluff

Word/Picture Count: 1,747 words/14 pictures

‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊ ☔ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ ·͙̩̩͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩̥͙·̩̩̥͙̩̩̥͙˚̩̥̩̥̩̩͙‧͙ °̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥ 🍂 ‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊‧̍̊·̊‧̥°̩̥˚̩̩̥͙°̩̥‧̥·̊‧̍̊

Addi smiled brightly as she stepped into Magnolia Blossom park, her eyes scanning the nature around her. Although the pond and the river, and the various flora and fauna were quite nice to look at, she had something else that, in her opinion, was ten times more beautiful; a cherry tree, in full bloom at the beginning of summer.

No matter what emotion she was feeling, she felt happy sitting under the cherry tree. Sometimes, she wondered if its roots were filled with magic.

She paused when she noticed a boy around her age standing beneath the tree, his head tilted back as he looked up at the pink petals. Her head tilted to the side, curiously. Addi had never seen this boy before, not even at school.

Putting on a friendly smile, she approached the boy. “Hey, there!”

He turned to look at her, his expression staying neutral. He didn’t reply.

Her smile didn’t waver. In fact, it grew when she noticed the shirt he was wearing. “You like Deadpool? Me too! He’s the best anti-hero. Although he’s cool in the comics, he’s way cooler in the live-action version.”

He quirked a brow. “You really like him? I’ve never met anyone else that does… Most people say he’s annoying and prefer the heroes.”

Addi scoffed, waving her hand to express her displeasure. “They say that because they can’t understand the genius that is Deadpool. I mean, sure, heroes go around saving people and obeying the laws, whatever. But anti-heroes also save people but they do it in a cooler way! Think about it, how many heroes have put the law above saving people? That’s not how a hero should be. Saving people should come first, ya know? Otherwise, you’re basically just a beefed-up cop.”

His lips twitched up as she ranted on about her beliefs when it comes to heroes and anti-heroes. He had never met anyone, let alone a girl, that had such passion for the same thing he enjoyed so deeply. He thrust his hand out at her, making her pause. “My name is Adrian Webber. I just moved here from Brindleton Bay.”

Her eyes lit up with excitement as he shared the small detail with her. Her hand slid into his, enthusiastically shaking it up and down. “Addisyn Sanders, but you can call me Addi! Welcome to Willow Creek.”

“You know, I was worried about moving. It’s kinda hard to be the new kid in the middle of senior year, ya know?” He rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. “It might just be a bit more bearable now…”

Addi laughed, slapping his arm. “You say that now, but I get annoying real fast, ya know?”

Adrian hummed, thoughtfully. “Guess we’ll see, hmm?”

After standing around and debating heroes versus villains for about fifteen minutes, the two teenagers decided to head over and have a seat at the picnic tables to continue their conversation.

“Personally, I don’t think the Joker is actually mentally unstable,” Adrian commented. “I believe he knows exactly what he’s doing and he just wants people to think he’s unstable.”

“Maybe,” she tapped her chin. “But he’s not very relevant anymore. Harley Quinn is the queen of the villains, now!”

He chuckled. “So you’re a Harley fan, then?”

“Totally! After seeing her in Suicide Squad, you’d have to be insane not to love her.”

“Hey, Addi!” Cassandra Goth, Addi’s best friend, approached the two of them, plopping down across from them at the table. “Who’s your friend?”

Addi didn’t miss the way Cass’ eyebrows wiggled as she eyed Adrian. It was clear on her face that she found him attractive and, honestly, Addi couldn’t blame her. He was a teen after her own heart.

“This is Adrian, he just moved here.” Addi introduced. “And this is Cassandra, but everyone calls her Cass. She’s in our year.”

“And Addi’s best friend,” Cass added with a wink. “Nice to meet you, Adrian.”

His smile dropped, but it was so minuscule that neither girl noticed. “Hello,”

“What were you guys talking about, hmm?” Cass raised a brow, pushing up her glasses.

“Superheroes and villains!” Addi grinned, making the ravenette roll her eyes.

“Not that stuff again,” she frowned at her friend before turning to the male. “Sorry about her, she’s totally obsessed with that stuff and once she gets going, it’s like stopping a bullet train.”

Adrian’s lips formed a straight line as his brow furrowed. “Actually, I enjoy it, too.”

“Good, she can gush to you instead of me.” Cass joked, making Addi stick her tongue out at her.

He checked his watch before clearing his throat and standing up. “I’ve got to get home. See you at school?” His eyes met Addi’s and she smiled brightly.

“Of course! See ya~”

After he was a safe distance away, Cass sent her a knowing look.

“What?”

“You totally have a crush on him,” she smirked.

“I do not,” Addi scowled. “We just have a lot in common, is all…”

“Sure, sure~” Cass stood up, brushing off the seat of her skirt. “I gotta get going, too. Bye, Addi.”

“Bye!”

Addi returned home in high spirits, but it wouldn’t last long. Her dad hopped up from the couch when she entered, quickly flicking off the TV. She instantly recognized the nervous look on his face and she felt her heart pick up speed.

“Honey, I need to tell you something.”

Addi frowned. He only called her honey when he was about to say something he knew she wouldn’t like. “What is it?”

“You know I had a meeting with my boss the other night, right?”

She nodded.

“Well… I got a promotion!”

“Dad, that’s awesome!” She threw her arms around him. “You’re one step closer to your dream~”

“Yeah,” he breathed, holding her tightly within his arms. “There’s a catch, though…”

Addi pulled back with a furrowed brow. “And that is?”

“We’re moving to San Myshuno…” He paused a moment for her reaction, but she just stared at him blankly. “Surprise?”

She forced a smile, “That’s great. When do we leave?”

“Tomorrow… you’re not upset?”

“Nah, it’ll be fun! Oh, I should call Cass.” She turned away from him so he wouldn’t see her frown. Her father had been working so hard his entire life to reach his dreams and he had sacrificed so much to keep her happy and provide for her. What right did she have to deny him after everything he’s done? It sucked, but it was the cards she was dealt.

She dialed Cass’s number before pressing the phone to her ear, releasing the breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. “Hey, Cass? I, uhh… I need to tell you something.”

🌸 The 🌸 Cherry 🌸 Tree 🌸

A year had passed since Addi and her dad moved away from Willow Creek and, now that she’s an adult, she has flown from the nest and returned to her childhood home. Naturally, the first place she decided to visit was the park.

Her lips slid upward on their own accord as she breathed in the warm summer air, watching two birds fly from tree to tree as they chased one another. She felt warm and happy being back in her hometown.

To be honest, she wasn’t really expecting to find Adrian under the cherry tree as he had been upon their first meeting, but she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t at least a little hopeful.

Although she missed many things after moving, one thing that often came to her mind was Adrian. Every time the topic of heroes was brought up, his face would flash in her mind and her heart would skip within her ribcage. She didn’t understand it.

They had known each other for only an hour or two, and yet she spent the better part of the year thinking about him, wondering where he was or how he was doing. Did he hate her for disappearing? Had Cass told him about the move? She said she had, but Addi still had to wonder.

She assumed that he probably had a girlfriend by now and was on the path to follow his own dreams. The thought upset her and she didn’t understand why he had such a hold over her.

“What are you doing?”

She looked up at the man staring down at her, a brow raised in question. “Huh, isn’t it obvious? I’m cherry blossom gazing!”

“You’re… what?”

“Ya know, cloud gazing but instead of gazing at clouds, I’m gazing at the beautiful cherry blossoms!”

He hummed thoughtfully. “You must really like cherry trees,”

“I love them!” She grinned before letting it soften to a smile. “Plus… I met someone special here when I was younger.”

“Special?”

“Well, special to me, anyway.” She chuckled, sheepishly scratching her cheek. “I wonder how he’s doing…”

“Addi.”

“I bet he has a girlfriend, too. I mean, he’s gorgeous, how can he not?”

“Addi…”

“Did he move back to Brindleton Bay? He wanted to be a teacher… I wonder if he’s in college.”

“Addisyn.”

“What?” She shot up, staring at him suspiciously. “How do you know my name?”

He quirked a brow. “Have I changed that much?”

“I… what?” Addi hopped to her feet, moving her face close to his as she squinted her eyes, trying to recall who this man was. “No way… Adrian?!”

He nodded.

“Oh my grim, this has got to be some kind of fate or something!”

“Fate? I don’t know about that…”

“It definitely is! I mean, honestly, what are the chances that we’d meet under a cherry tree as teenagers and then again exactly a year later?!”

“I’d save about fourteen percent,”

“It was rhetorical!”

His lips twitched up. “You’re as excitable as ever. I’m glad,”

She grinned, rubbing the back of her head. “Once a goofball, always a goofball!”

“Do you mind if I join your, uhh… cherry blossom gazing?”

“Of course I don’t mind,” With a smile, Addi plopped back onto the grass, with Adrian slowly lying down beside her.

“To answer your questions,” he started softly. “I’m doing well. I don’t have a girlfriend. I stayed in Willow Creek. Yes, I want to be a teacher and no, I’m not in college. I’m working at Rainy Day Entertainment.”

She couldn’t stop the smile spreading across her face. “I’ve missed you,”

Adrian hesitated for a moment before gently grasping her hand in his, their fingers lacing together. “I’ve missed you, too.”

[nowandthane]

7 snippets, 7 people

thank you @vakariansvixenand @stormikins for tagging me!! <3<3<3

no pressure tagging @xoshepard @poetikat @sweetmage (feel free to not read this it's all mass effect jsdhfg) @illusivesoul @westernlarch @sillyliterature @mxanigel @menacingmetal @grim-starling

These are all gonna be from Sarani's longfic because I'm not writing anything else atm. Mostly rough and unedited too so beware xD

cw for suicidal ideation in the last two

She turned to look at him, shocked at the outburst. His eyes were wet with tears that stubbornly refused to fall. He glared back at her, as if challenging her to defy him. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she thought that she really should. This was insubordination. But she felt so relieved that someone else was making the decisions that she just relented, turning to look back out into space in silence.

“How could I have left him behind?” she whispered, long minutes later. Her face was wet. Joker was quiet for long enough that she stopped expecting an answer — what could he have said, anyway? But he did answer.

“You were doing your job, Commander. I… I’m sorry.” And he really did sound sorry for her.

“This job fucking sucks.”

-

Finch sneered. “I can find a dozen Reds who’ll swear they saw you kill aliens for fun. Who’s going to believe you then?”

His grey eyes caught hers, and held them steadily. The world slowed down as she seriously considered whether he really did know. Even without proof, anyone who had known her then could put two and two together and figure out what she did — no one else could have done it. But no one ever cared before.

Now it was something they could use against her. And they were threatening to.

Was that was he was doing? His words saying one thing, but meaning another?

I know you killed her, but I won’t say it in front of them. As long as you do what I say, no one else will ever know.

Was that what was behind his words?

The image of her, of Nazia, crying and begging Shepard for forgiveness intruded on her mind. Her screams echoed in Shepard’s ears, her blood sticky on Shepard’s hands.

-

“Do you compare yourself to your old Captain a lot?” Garrus asked.

“Not really. Not anymore.” Shepard shook off the thoughts rattling in her head. “I know I have a screwed up moral compass. That’s just a result of my ‘upbringing’. But I don’t let that turn me into monster. I don’t want to cross any more lines, but I keep stumbling over them anyway.”

Garrus looked at her, his thoughts and emotions inscrutable. She was getting better with reading turians, but he seemed closed off to her at this moment. Silence became heavy in the air, and she did nothing to break it.

“I wonder…” Garrus finally mused, “if I killed Saren, would I be struggling with it now as you are about Finch? I don’t know what the answer to that is, and that — that kind of scares me. Am I a monster, Shepard?”

“No, Garrus.” She smiled at him a little sadly. “You’re not a monster.”

“Yet,” he said. “Don’t you ever think that it takes a monster to stop a monster?”

“Sometimes,” she answered. “Mostly, it feels like an excuse.”

Garrus nodded. “Why did you get so angry when he called you by your name?”

-

“How about a new name?”

“What’s wrong with Shepard?”

“No, not that. Don’t you want to change Jane?”

“What’s wrong with Jane?” She frowned.

“Well clearly the orphanage just named you that because they couldn’t be fucked to actually care about you. Don’t you want a name more fitting for who you are?”

“I don’t want any connection to the people who threw me away like I was trash,” she said curtly.

“It’s not about your parents,” Nazia insisted. “They suck, but you have a whole culture that you come from.”

“I know nothing about it.”

“So? Don’t you want to reclaim it?”

“Well, you clearly want me to.”

“Just think about it. It can be like… like a new start for you!”

Considering it. Maybe it is better, to have a new name, one untainted by the dirtiness of her beginning. And if Nazia was the one renaming her, so much the better. She was the one who made Shepard feel like a human. And if this was important to Zi, then it was important to her.

-

“You think you know me so well?” she asked, sneering. She regretted it almost immediately when the animation that had taken hold of Garrus abruptly left him. He had seemed more alive for a brief moment there, much more like the angrily passionate man who had argued with his superior at the Presidium, or the one in Dr. Michel’s clinic, ready to take on a group of thugs alone.

As his commanding officer, it didn’t feel good to have made one of her own people feel so small. But even outside of that, she felt bad because she did think he was a good person, just misguided. And this conversation they’d just had was their first real one. They had been getting to know each other.

He was turning to leave when she said, “Wait. I’m sorry.”

He turned back to her, expectant, but now that the apology had come out of her mouth, she floundered for what else to say.

“I was trying to compliment you,” Garrus pointed out, breaking the awkward silence. “Didn’t think you’d take it so badly.”

-

“Do you still want to die?” Shepard asked.

“Do you?” Thane returned.

She had to turn away. “Sometimes.”

Leaning against the viewing window, she turned her gaze on the drive core below — pulsing, powerful, dangerous. Peripherally, she noticed Thane standing and coming to her on silent feet, but she still couldn’t bring herself to look at him.

“I don’t.” His presence behind her felt like a weight she couldn’t shake off. “I agreed with you, once. That perhaps those of us who have died should stay dead.”

“You never really died,” she said.

“In all the ways that matter, I did.” He touched her shoulder, so softly that she barely felt it, except that there was no atom of her existence that could ever be unaware of him. “Will you not look at me, siha?”

-

The dream begins as it always does: with the fall. Falling through the nothingness of space, the alarms in her armour chiming as she gasped desperately for oxygen. There is a breach somewhere. Probably around her torso, where pain and warmth radiated.

She flailed helplessly, heat and hurt building. But it never did reach an unbearable point. They faded away as she fell, and with them went the burdens she carried. Her legs stopped kicking and her arms stopped reaching. She fell looking at the vastness of space, that blanket of mystery she had watched so often when she was stuck on Earth, so determined to get away.

And she did. The choices she was presented with had been unacceptable to her, and so she had found another way. She became more — made herself more. She had explored the galaxy, helped people, saved lives… She’d made a difference.

For better, not worse.

When she lost consciousness, it was without pain. Without worries. Peace was not something she had ever been familiar with, but she learned what it meant, right there at the end.

If only it really was the end.