#people should just be intelligent and not share certain shit with children but people are assholes and online is a hellscape

[oops-prow-did-it-again]

I am blocking on sight anyone that puts any fucking discourse over "moral" fiction or whatever the fuck on my dash. I have blocked 5 people in the last month. I don't care if I've been a mutual with you for years, if you engage in this kinda shit, especially on the side of believing that certain fiction shouldn't be allowed, then you are someone I have no respect for.

Unless someone is actually straight up committing a crime (I.E., posting *actual* photographs or videos of REAL LIFE PEOPLE, not fictional/drawn people, REAL PEOPLE, being harmed/sexually abused) I Do Not Care what other people read or write or watch or make. I Do Not Care. I do not trust anyone else's, especially on the piss on the poor website, to be able to determine if a text is "glorifying" something or if they are just uncomfortable with the subject as a whole. You people all suck at media comprehension and I am just flatly not interested. I keep seeing posts of people making good points and then people ripping them apart in the most bad faith possible. "Someone else's media consumption doesn't hurt you" "yes except for when abuse is portrayed as love, or-" no. shut the fuck up. You Missed The Point. You DO NOT KNOW, and you CAN NOT KNOW, why someone else wrote or created something nor can you know why anyone chose to engage with it. Also, sometimes the fucking point of a story is to portray something bad as good, to serve a narrative purpose. that doesn't mean the author thinks it IS.

I Do Not Care about icky feelings. If you can't tell fiction from reality, that's a you problem. Leave us writers/artists the fuck out of it. And if your knee-jerk reaction to this is "oh, you're just making excuses For The Freaks" you are part of the problem and I also have no respect for you.

FWIW, I am an abuse survivor and I find everyone's moral panic over shitty fanfiction stupid at best and upsetting at worst. You people freak out over fictional bad things happening to fictional people, to the point you waste the resources and time of people that actually hunt down predators by sending them loli fanart? You make me feel like you care about fictional people more than you care about the victims. Also, you'll be fucking fine if you hear about weird art or fic happening. Just don't fucking read it yourself. But knowing it exists won't fucking hurt you. You know what does hurt you? ACTUAL ABUSE. Like the kind so many of the creators you demonize go through, bc like I said before, you can't know why people make the art they make and you certainly can't know whether someone's a victim or not. And people shouldn't HAVE to disclose their victim status for you to make sure you're only attacking the "acceptable" people.

Maybe just don't fucking attack people over some fucking fanfiction or fanart. period. go the fuck outside.

You crave ruthless, vindictive justice more than you crave to help people. You are after the high of feeling good about putting people down, the "right" people.

And I Have No Respect For You.

[bakujho]

Another rant about some Shady Eels

So, back again to talk about the shady eels though this time focusing on how with the information we’ve been given we can pretty well confirm the Leech family are mafia. We’ve gotten a few solid gems of information the last little while, pretty well confirming what we always figured. Octavinelle has got that mafia theme, so everyone expected some shadiness, but the info we’ve been fed about the Leech parents really brings home that it’s not just the dorm theme, and that the twins and Azul aren’t just “cosplaying as mafia baddies for aesthetic”. 

So what exactly do we KNOW? 

The twins were taught self defense by their parents from a young age. (Jade voice lines)

When they were children their parents ‘associates’ would buy them luxury or rare  birthday gifts...then were made to sign waivers saying that the gift had no ulterior motives and wouldn’t constitute a favour in return.  (Jade birthday)

Their father has told them that appearances on land are important, and to pay close attention to the little details. (When Idia asks for further clarification, he cuts Floyd off before he goes further saying that any further and he feels like he’d be “ensnared by darkness”) (Floyd dance and wishes wish)

There were many parties back in the Leech household, but they were more formal in nature. (floyd birthday)

Eels have a “tough guy” image in the sea, and them being carnivores doesn’t help. (floyd birthday)

Mama leech worries about her babies and contacts them often (jade birthday)

That they have a family run business, that has contacts with a LOT of kinds of different people. Jade tells us it’s VERY normal. (jade birthday)

Leech parents have spoiled their kids before, so they’re likely fairly well off. (floyd birthday)

Floyd seems to have a bit of a sore spot regarding humans (floyd robes) 

So obviously, without 100% confirmation, it’s impossible to say MAFIA LEECH ARE CANON, but with everything we’ve been given I’m pretty confident in saying it’s damn likely. That’s not even the fun part, cause it’s so surface level obvious considering Octavinelles theme, I decided to jump into it more. @chillableu​ had posted a comment in a shared discord that really got my brain whirring about WHY the mafia fam is maybe a bigger thing than just aesthetic, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since. Headcanon accepted, chilla. I thank you. (I took out your name in case you didn’t want anyone on discord to find you by it)

  I’ll put the rest of this under a cut since it’s really just me theorizing and head canoning a whole ton of shit about the Leech fam based on humans treating fish as lesser beings incapable of the same level of emotions and intelligence as themselves, adding in bits from other media that has mermaids, mythology, and a touch of the history of the mafia.

Not even really sure where to start with this, but here we go. So, What if the Leech fam (be it great grandpa/grandma leech or current Leeches) started the mafia as a way to protect themselves due to the mistreatment of merfolk that were more “monster” like than the regular human kind mermaids we’ve only seen up until now. Its reported that the original Sicilian mafia started as a way for certain families that were facing persecution from the rest of the towns that eventually spiraled into the crime syndicates we all know from various media today. Outside of the twins and Azul, all the other merfolk that have been shown in game have been the “fully human on top, fish bottom” type, and with Azul being bullied because we was a rare 8 legged mermaid, and the magicamonsters from the Halloween event seeing merfloyd and remarking how RARE it was to see one, so I’m thinking that maybe the Leech fam started as a way to protect themselves, since if carnivorous merfolk are seen as more brutish, they may have seen a lot of discrimination from other merfolk and humans alike. 

It’s no secret that Toboso has been covering a lot of heavy topics dressed up in Disney clothes, and has already addressed discrimination and fetishization with the scarabia, savanaclaw, and more recently Diasomnia boys (well, mostly Malleus in the halloween event being treated like an object). So what I’m thinking is that there’s an underlying problem in the twstverse, where non-humans are treated badly, and non-humans with monster features even more so. So the leech fam bands together with whatever other monster like merfolk families there are and create their own little area in the coral sea, and eventually expand out into other types of business until they’re in a comfortable enough position to not really worry about any backlash anymore. Floyd has shown some distaste before about being ordered around by humans, which could be an ingrained quality from his parents, or he himself may have experienced some form of mistreatment at the hands of humans before. If the leech fam has a lot of ‘associates’ I think it’s safe to say that they weren’t the only ones feeling abandoned by the normal merfolk and humans .

In Japanese folklore there are creatures called Ningyo (basically human fish), which were both feared as creatures that would bring calamity and misfortune, and prized as their flesh was supposed to be sweet tasting and grant near immortality if eaten. Mermaids in a lot of more modern media are also more nuanced than the “beautiful fish that sailors fall in love with”. Even in One Piece, there’s the mermaids that are captured and sold off to the rich as prize objects to collect and display, and the Fishmen, which are the strong brutes that are ostracised by nearly everyone in series for them simply being fish. If Toboso wanted to touch on the mythology in TWST it would make sense that the more monster-like mermaids have created their own sub-society separate from the regular merfolk. During the Halloween event, the children seem to be pretty scared by Floyd because he’s huge, so what if that’s nothing new for him and why he’s so good with kids? Cause as a mermaid they’re used to people being openly scared of them without any good reason outside of their appearance. I also suspect that Floyd and Jade have a few more siblings, since in one of Floyds home screen lines he says that he’s not the youngest nor the oldest, and tbh, eels lay thousands of eggs, so it wouldn’t be surprising that he knew how to deal with the kid without any struggle. 

What if, when the eels are first hatched they’re a lot smaller than they were and like in the original article that started all of this, humans were needlessly cruel to them and many of them died out of sheer neglect, or that humans just didn’t think merfolk as capable as having acute emotions and saw them as lowly fish rather than sentient beings. We saw with the Magicamonsters that there’s a complete disregard for the feelings of Malleus when they made it a challenge to touch his horns and get a picture, so I imagine that has to extend to merfolk as well when they’re actually seen. That same mindset could have extended to the regular mermaids as well, which is why mermaids like Azul were so tormented for being different, even though they’re all fucking mermaids at the end of the day. So bringing this back to the Leech fam, they decided that they weren’t going to stand for the same level of discrimination from humans and other merfolk alike and began building their own empire. They have contacts in the sea that extend to those on land (otherwise how would the twins get the rare land items for their birthdays), and have an extensive network of associates, with the added bonus of brilliant mermaid twins, one of which is incredibly cunning, the other quick to violence and both of them raised to defend themselves should the need arise. 

So basically, I’m fully on the “Mafia Leech Fam is canon for real” train and at this point it’s going to be very hard to change my mind. I feel like there were a few more things I wanted to touch on with this but they’ve poofed themselves into the depths of my mind somewhere, so I may have to come back to them later. If you have anything to add, please let me know cause brain rotting about the Leech fam is honestly one of my favourite past times right now.

[dumdumsun]

Of Starlight

A/N: Alright, this entire story has officially been written ❤️

Warnings: none that I’m aware of

Word Count: 3067

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Chapter 5: Extra Ordinary

Five years ago, Vanya Hargreeves began writing her autobiography, “Extra Ordinary: My Life as Number Seven”, less than two weeks before her sister’s novel, “One-Sided”, was announced in the papers. Those around who enjoyed her writing were buzzing with excitement, for it was the second book of her trilogy. (Y/N) was thrilled, herself, to be publishing her novel within the next month. Finally sharing her work with the world would have taken a tremendous weight off her shoulders, leaving her with only the weight on her bladder. While working herself nearly to death with her writing, she was with child for the second time, which added to her stress. Thankfully, she had a very supportive husband at the time to assist in anything she requested. It was in those times in which (Y/N) was grateful she decided to make something of herself rather than letting her past as Number Eight define her.

Once “One-Sided” was published, (Y/N) sent two copies out; one to Allison, one to Vanya. She figured her brothers wouldn’t want to read her romantic fantasy as much as her sisters, so she didn’t bother asking. Allison seemed ecstatic for the new addition, but she wasn’t too sure about Vanya, supposing it wouldn’t hurt to send it. If she didn’t want to read it, that was her decision. What she didn’t expect, however, was Vanya’s novel sent to her. After Jada was born, (Y/N) had taken time to read her sister’s autobiography. While Anthony was at work during the day, she’d multitask by reading and taking care of her newborn. She would quietly gasp at certain parts of the book before checking to make sure she hadn’t woken her daughter up. (Y/N) couldn’t believe some of the things her sister dared to put in that book. Some things she wrote were blatantly about (Y/N)’s own insecurities that she had trusted Vanya with knowing. Insecurities about her powers, her capability of being a suitable member of the Umbrella Academy. Vanya had compared it to her own doubts, stating that (Y/N) had no right to complain to her, of all people. Looking back now, (Y/N) could admit that it was a bit selfish to do that to her sister. Regardless, those had been personal and it was unloyal of Vanya to share that with anyone willing to read. Despite this, (Y/N) saw to promote “Extra Ordinary” along with her own work. Someone had to be the bigger person in this situation.

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Nostalgia wasn’t exactly what (Y/N) was overcome with when awaking in her childhood bed. In fact, she’d much rather have opened her eyes to the empty side of her king-sized mattress at home instead. She debated closing her eyes and pretending she had never drifted into consciousness, but sat up when remembering everything Five had told her the day before. If she remembered correctly, there were six remaining days leading up to the end of the world. She had promised Five to assist in preventing the apocalypse, and her drowsiness was not going to hold her back. So, she dragged herself out of bed and began looking for Five. She figured the first place to begin was his bedroom, so she stopped in front of his door and knocked. Hearing rustling on the other side, she asked, “Five, are you decent?”

“Decent enough. You can come in,” He called out, the door opening and (Y/N) stepping inside. He glanced at her over his shoulder as he fixed his white button up. “I take it you had a difficult time sleeping?”

“What makes you say that?” Her hand slid down her face, sarcasm in her tone. She didn’t need a mirror to know she had bags under her eyes. Five chuckled and moved to his vest and jacket, finishing with dressing himself. As he zipped his duffle bag closed, he glanced out the window.

“You tagging along today?”

“I plan to. I… suppose I have nothing to do.”

“Nothing, huh?” Suspicion hid amongst his words as he picked up his bag. “What is it you decided to do with your life, (Y/N)?” The question was simple, genuine, but the weight of it was suffocating. She really couldn’t go back to her normal, beautiful life after all.

“I… found my mother,” She slowly started out, carefully watching as Five curiously glanced up at her under his dark brows. “I became an author… and a mother.”

Suddenly, Five couldn’t breathe. He had anticipated this conversation, prepared himself for everything (Y/N) had accomplished while he was gone. But nothing could have prepared him for the stab in the heart at the mention of her having children. Children with someone who wasn’t him. It was stupidly selfish, he knew, to expect her to wait for him, to do anything else with her life except for the things he longed to do with her. Past the pain, however, he was happy for her. Something in him knew that (Y/N) would one day make a wonderful mother. She was patient, selfless, caring, and oh, how he wished he could’ve been the one. He didn’t even want to ask about the individual she had trusted enough to raise children with her.

His hesitancy to respond worried (Y/N) and suddenly she wanted to apologize. But for what? Her success, her marriage, her children? She had every right to those and she shouldn’t have to apologize. Her concern washed away when Five raised his brows in acknowledgement, opening the window. “Really? A mother? That’s great, Starlight…” God, that nickname… She thought. Why does everything feel so complicated now? Her feet moved her to follow him out of the window and down the fire escape. She thought it was best to not continue the conversation for now.

“Dammit, where’s Dad’s stuff?” The two heard an irritated groan on their way down. (Y/N) craned her neck to see Klaus digging through the dumpster. “Shut up! I’m trying to find whatever… priceless crap was in that priceless box so that Pogo will get off my ass!”

“I’d ask what you’re up to, Klaus, but then it occurred to me…,” Five turned to his brother. “I don’t care.” His useless comment earned an eye roll from (Y/N). Klaus glanced up at the two with a small laugh.

“Hey! You know there are easier ways out of the house, buddy? And bringing little (Y/N) along, too? Whatever could you two be up to?”

“This way of leaving involved the least amount of talking,” Five hopped off the ladder, helping (Y/N) down afterwards. “Or so I thought.”

“Klaus,” The eighth Hargreeves made her way closer to the dumpster. “Is Ben there?”

“Yes, dear, he says hi.” His hand waved in Ben’s supposed direction, (Y/N) softly smiling at her ghost brother. “So, hey, you two need any more company today? I could, uh… clear my schedule.” His eyes shifted to Five as he took a drink from his flask.

“Looks like you’ve got your hands full.” The boy falsely smiled.

“Oh, this? No, no. I can do this whenever. I’m just- I just misplaced something. That’s all.” He then fell into the trash as (Y/N) joined her traveling companion at his side. After a few seconds, Klaus reappeared with a bagel. “Oh! Found it! Thank god!” (Y/N) nearly gagged as he began to chew on it, muffling a ‘delicious’ in forced content.

“I’m done funding your drug habit.” Five spit out before walking away. She followed him and waved at Klaus, barely listening to him yelling after them as they climbed into a plumbing van.

“Why are we stealing a van?”

“Shush.”

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Once again, the two teenagers found themselves in front of Meritech Prosthetics. (Y/N) watched as Lance entered the building before sighing. “We’re really gonna sit here and spy on the man?”

“You got a better idea?” Five only kept his stare on him.

“I guess not… What’s the bag for, then?”

Five immediately turned his attention to the duffle bag he brought with them. “Oh, shit,” He muttered before unzipping it. “Hey,” He softly greeted before handing a bottle of alcohol to (Y/N). She blinked once, twice, thrice when he brought out the top half of a bald mannequin and set it between them. “Sorry you were in there for so long, Delores.”

“Wait,” (Y/N) choked. “That’s Delores?! The one you were with for over thirty years?!”

“Well, obviously,” Five frowned before turning back to ‘Delores’. “This is (Y/N), Delores. You know… the one I told you about.”

“You… talk about me to the mannequin? Should I be flattered or weirded out?”

“Oh, be quiet,” Five sighed and turned away. (Y/N) suddenly felt silly for being jealous last night. “No, I’m not drunk.”

“What?” (Y/N) frowned at the boy, who shook his head.

“Talking to Delores. She thinks I’m- Yes, it’s about the eye thing. This is the place it was made. Or… will be made,” His eyes moved up to his human friend. “We just have to wait…”

He’s actually talking to the mannequin, (Y/N) thought as she turned forward, eyes wide. So, that was what the apocalypse had done to him. She felt bad for him now. Initially, her heart warmed at the thought of Five finding someone to love, but knowing that his mind had gone somewhere far away enough for him to turn to a mannequin for comfort…

“So, (Y/N),” He started, his gaze once again trained on the building before them. “Your children… tell me about them.” Truth be told, Five wanted to know how much they had gotten from their mother. Were they just as humorous? Just as passionate? As wonderful? (Y/N) let out a heartfelt laugh as she closed her eyes.

“Where do I even begin? Michael, he’s… so intelligent. He has the highest reading level in his class and they’re thinking of letting him skip the first grade. He’s such a big help at home with his little sister… I swear, he’s a little man. He’s always trying to test my knowledge. Tries to get me to solve his ‘really hard’ math homework problems…,” She chuckled, Five looking at her with an unreadable expression. “And Jada… she’s such a character. No matter how many times I teach her the days of the week, she always gets them wrong… She wakes me up every morning, trying to guess. I say ‘Jada, if yesterday was Wednesday, what is today?’ and she just starts listing off every wrong answer… She’s a performer, too. I enrolled her into dance classes. Oh, it’s her favorite thing to do… And I’ll admit, she’s good at it. Don’t know where she got that from. Definitely not from me or her dad...”

Five tilted his head thoughtfully. “They sound… just like you. They think they know everything,” He joked with a small smile, (Y/N) playfully glaring at him. “Really, though… They sound like great kids… I’d like to meet them one day.”

“Yeah,” She smiled down at her lap. “I’d love for them to meet you… But I need to be an actual adult before I can face them again. Until then… It’s just checking up every once and awhile…”

“(Y/N), I’m so sorry,” Five frowned as he sat forward. “I- I’m going to figure this out. I promise.”

“I know you will,” She breathed and closed her eyes, her world slowly crashing down on her yet again. “Sorry, I need some air.” And with that, Five was in the car alone. Well, save for Delores. Outside, (Y/N) didn’t have much time to really be with her own thoughts before she heard Luther and Klaus’s voices nearing her. Turning to her right, she spotted the two walking side-by-side towards the van. Upon seeing her, Luther raised a hand.

“(Y/N), you need to get back to the Academy. We found something… and Grace might’ve had something to do with Dad’s death.” He gruffly explained, the young girl straightening to attention.

“Wait, what-”

“I can explain at the house, but we need both you and Five there for the family meeting. Is he in there?” He pointed to the vehicle their brother sat in.

“Yeah, but-”

“Great. Be right back.” Luther’s massive body brushed past her to get to Five, Klaus following behind to get in the back. Not waiting a second longer, she followed her junkie brother inside. When she entered the van again, Luther was trying his hardest to fit his body into the passenger seat as Klaus grabbed Delores, smirking at (Y/N) as he began to dance with the mannequin. She only watched him in disinterest. Once Luther was finally in, he turned to Five. “You okay?”

“You shouldn’t be… How did you find me?” Five’s question was answered when Luther turned to Klaus. With everyone’s attention on him, he looked up from Delores and dropped his smile.

“Hey, a little privacy, guys. We’re really hitting it off back here.” He began to caress Delores’s cheek before screaming when Five threw an object at him, Klaus using the mannequin to block. (Y/N) shook her head and moved closer to Five and Luther, the former fuming.

“Get out! You can’t be here! I’m in the middle of something.”

“Oh, but (Y/N) can be here?”

“Yes! We’re in the middle of something!” Five turned forward as Klaus joined (Y/N) at her side, poking her cheek gently.

“Any luck with your one-eyed man?” He asked her, receiving a head shake. Five sighed and turned to Luther.

“What do you want, Luther?”

Turning his attention away from the conversation between the two, Luther answered Five, “Um… So, Grace might’ve had something to do with Dad’s death. So I need you to come back to the Academy, alright? It’s important.” His request was met with silence for a split second before the time traveller shook his head.

“‘It’s important’. You have no concept of what’s important-”

“Hey!” Klaus interrupted, holding his sister at his side. “Did I ever tell you guys about the time I waxed my ass with chocolate pudding?”

And that was when (Y/N) tuned out the entire conversation between her family. She left Klaus’s side and pressed her back against the back of Luther’s seat, closing her eyes. She knew Five wasn’t going with Luther and Klaus to the house, and she didn’t need to listen to the bickering that would’ve led to that outcome. Her attention was eventually brought to Klaus swinging the back door open, huffing as he got out. She watched him slam the door closed and make his way towards the store across the street. Not trusting him in the slightest, she sent a clone after Klaus, telling it to “watch over him”. At this point, she was waiting for Luther to leave so her growing headache would subside, but it seemed the man wanted to talk some more.

“What the hell are you up to, Five?”

“Believe me, you wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me. Last I checked, I’m still the leader of this family.”

“Well, last I checked, I’m twenty-eight years older than you.” Five tightly smiled before (Y/N) snorted with laughter. The boy rolled his eyes and smiled fondly at her before Luther pulled his attention away.

“You know what your problem is?”

“Really hoping you’ll tell me.”

“You think you’re better than us,” Luther’s words wiped that sarcastic smile right off Five’s face. “You always have. Even when we were kids. But the truth is, you’re just as messed up as the rest of us. We’re all you have… and you know it.” Luther stared at his brother, as the boy slowly inhaled.

“I don’t think that I’m better than you, Number One. I know I am,” He hissed, Luther only chuckling. “I’ve done unimaginable things, things you couldn’t even comprehend.”

“Right...”

“Just to get back here and save you all…” Five stared out the window. (Y/N) sighed and grabbed Delores.

“Luther, out.” She ordered, her “big” brother turning to her with an offended look. “Five’s clearly not going with us. No use arguing with him either. So, just go and I’ll catch up-” She was cut off by the sound of a voice whooping in excitement. The three looked across the street to see Klaus running out of the store, arms full of stolen snacks, the clone following close behind.

“Hey, bitches!” He shouted as a cop chased after them, blowing his whistle. The clone turned to the officer and pushed him away with great force as Klaus was nearly hit by a car. Five’s head followed Klaus’s movement.

“I’m starting to wonder if that was the wisest decision…”

After Luther was sent out of the van, (Y/N) took over the passenger seat once again and set Delores down between them, Five quietly thanking her. “So… I’m going with the guys.”

“What? Why are you wasting your time, I thought you wanted to help me?”

“I do, and I will… But I don’t trust Luther to make decisions right now… I mean, if Mom really did have something to do with Dad’s death… Who knows what he’ll do? The least I can do is try to talk him out of it. I promise, when I’m done, I’ll come and find you.” She softly smiled, gently patting his hand. Five shook his head at her.

“You don’t have to promise me anything… I’m the one who owes you.”

“All you owe me is this,” She gently squeezed his hand. “You being here… That’s what I’ve wanted for so long. Now I have it. So, your debt is paid.” She chuckled. Five rested the back of his head against the seat as his eyes searched her face, trying to find anything that should worry him about her. But all he found was her warm smile and eyes that shone with affection. It suddenly felt inappropriate to have Delores around right now.

“Well, then, you should get going… You’ve gotta catch up with those idiots.”

“Alright. Don’t be out here forever, okay?” (Y/N) leaned in and pecked his cheek before getting out of the car and rushing after her brothers. As he watched her speed away, he tried to regulate his breathing, heartbeat increasing.

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Taglist: @melinda-hargreeves @43sparrows @sapphicsyn @m00n-sh @starcurrent @alexander-hamilhoe @youcandalekmyballs @wonderlandfandomkingdom @yrdadjstcallsmekatya

[soulmate-game]

Well that happened.

B!dbwm 2020

Day 6: Meeting the Justice League

Marinette paced in her bedroom in Wayne Manor, running her hands through her hair as Damian laid on her bed and played animal crossing while completely ignoring her freakout. 

“Dami, how did I get myself into this mess?!” she asked, frantically pulling at her pigtails. Her brother snorted, rolling his eyes unsympathetically. 

“You never use your brain until after you’ve already made important decisions,” he responded ruthlessly. “All of your mental capacity goes towards planning out completely inane things like birthday parties and actually caring about what our even more idiotic class thinks about you, so when you actually need it you don’t have any intelligence left to spare.” 

Marinette turned her eyes on him, the blue lightening to an icy color in her panicked annoyance as she glared at him. “Gee, thanks. I can always trust my darling brother to have my back,” she said sarcastically, to which Damian only smirked. 

“When it matters? Of course. But in this case, watching the fallout will be entertaining and not at all dangerous to your physical safety.” 

Damian and Marinette had been sent to live in Paris a few years back, about a year after Damian had come back to life. Marinette had been far too attached to the twin she had thought she had lost for good, and had nearly driven him crazy with how overprotective she had gotten. Right alongside that, Damian had started to become even more stifled by Bruce’s own protectiveness and distrust of him, so he quit being Robin and they were sent to PAris to try and “recover” from their “trauma” somewhere “safe and peaceful, under the jurisdiction of the JLE.” 

Yeah, that was a great idea. Up until they found out the hard way that the JLE had up and abandoned the Paris headquarters and taken up unofficial residence in England somewhere. And then Hawkmoth showed up. And of course, of fucking course, an old chinese man from the pacifistic organization that acted as a direct foil to the League where they grew up somehow decided that they, out of everyone in Paris, were the best people he could find to wield the power of tiny gods to save the city. 

Sure, he was right, but Damian chewed him a new asshole as soon they met for trusting complete unvetted strangers with the gods of creation and destruction. 

And now Marinette had finally managed to leak to Tim, who then spread the calculated slip of information to Bruce, that Paris had had a supervillain for the past few years and the JLE had been neglecting their jobs. Which turned into Batman setting up a meeting with Ladybug and Chat Noir (Damian had tried to tell everyone his name was Chance Noir, Dark Luck, NOT ‘chat noir,’ since the last thing he needed was to be associated with Selina in any way. Nobody listened, and now he was stuck with being called Chat Noir). They had a lovely discussion about all the shit Hawkmoth did, their lack of resources, and the lack of assistance/straight up refusal to believe their word that came from the JLE. 

Which led to Batman inviting Ladybug to meet the Justice League to debrief on the Paris situation. Damian had been invited as Chat Noir, but had taken the smart path and opted out. Now Marinette had to not only go to the Justice League as Ladybug, but also as Batman's daughter Hummingbird, who was being brought in for consultation along with Damian as Robin. 

“I’m gonna die again,” Marinette continued her catastrophizing, Tikki and Plagg sharing a glance at once another from their spot on her writing desk. “I’m gonna die of total embarrassment. Don’t bother resurrecting me Dami, I’m just gonna die all over again once Dad finds out who we are and kills me.” 

Damian snorted. “Hah. Father killing anything, good one,” he snarked back blandly. “You’ll be fine. Remember, you’re the planner and I’m the one with actual skill. You have the strangest ability when it comes to getting out of situations like these by the skin of your teeth,” Damian grinned at something on the screen of his Switch before continuing. “You’ll be fine. And if you sell me out, I’ll bury you myself.” 

Marinette stuck her tongue out at him. Neither of them wanted their dad to find out that they were LAdybug and Chat noir, especially since they had already explained to him the basics of the source of their powers. They were both certain that Bruce would completely ignore how well they had been handling the situation on their own for almost five years and jump straight to the “my murderous children should not be left with the powers of destruction and creation at their fingertips,” line of thought. Bruce had never trusted them alone before, why now? 

“At least help me, shaqiq?” Marinette asked, walking over and plopping onto the ground next to her bed, so she could look straight into her twin’s bright green eyes. At first, he refused to even look at her, completely unmoved. Marinette hummed mischievously, a habit that was the source of her Gotham codename. “If I go down, I’m taking you with me.” 

Damian finally huffed, scowling. “Fine.” 

He knew better than to doubt her. Marinette always got her way when she decided she was wronged and needed to even the score for something. Always. 

—* — * — * — * — *

Hummingbird. The smallest Bat, by far, and the fastest when it came to natural speed. Hard to spot, with the sole giveaway that a short playful hum could be heard if she thought she had her prey cornered. She was hardly ever wrong. 

She had also been temporarily retired as she and Robin moved to some undisclosed location to get away from the vigilante life for a while. Or so Batman said. And for the most part, aside from the occasional League gathering here or glimpse that they got of the two’s civilian personas if someone visited the manor while they were there, Robin and Hummingbird stayed retired. Heroes who knew them wondered if Robin had finally given up and settled down somehow, if he was even capable of it. And they all speculated that Hummingbird was so scarred from Robin’s death that she wouldn't ever be able to leave his side again, retired or not. 

 Seeing Hummingbird in her navy blue and black uniform, almost identical to her brother’s but for the thick navy blue scarf that covered her neck and lower face, everyone in the Justice League who knew her thought they were right. She stood there, older and only a little taller, never leaving Robin’s side as they traded secretive glances and hand signals only they understood. They didn’t make any attempt to stray from one another’s side. 

But Jon Kent, superboy and Damian’s oldest friend, was of a different mind. He had been by Marinette’s side after Damian died, and by both of theirs when he was brought back. This was not the same terrified dependence he had seen back then. His eyes narrowed. 

The twins were scheming, and nobody else would notice until it was too late. 

Quicker than they could blink, he was by their side with his trademark smile. “Hey guys! Long time no see!” 

They gave the half-kryptonian identical deadpan expressions, sighing in tandem. “You facetimed us last night. And you flew to Paris to visit us last week,” Damian pointed out with a raised eyebrow. “Despite us expressly telling you not to.” 

Jon shrugged. “If I listened to everything you two said all the time, we’d never have any fun. So, excited to meet this Ladybug girl? Dad says that your dad won’t tell him anything about her until she shows up.” 

Hummingbird and Robin traded looks before Marinette answered. “Not really. We see Ladybug in action in Paris all the time—”

“She even saved Marinette from an Akuma who was obsessed with wanting to date her,” Damian interrupted with an insufferable grin. Marinette elbowed him hard, making her brother wince before chuckling at her red face. 

“I could have saved myself just fine! It’s not my fault we have to lay low, or we might get kicked out of Paris for being past vigilantes!” Marinette argued, voice high as she protested how helpless Damian had made her sound. She puffed her cheeks out in annoyance. Damian’s grin widened into a predatory smirk that showed off teeth.

“Oh? What about that one time that Tsurugi got akumatized, and Chat Noir had to save you because she wanted to duel you for the right to date me and you were cornered?” 

Marinette growled, throwing up her hands in frustration before smacking Damian’s shoulder angrily. He only laughed at her. “I’m leaving! Come find me when Ladybug finishes explaining the things we already know!” with that, a fuming and embarrassed Hummingbird stormed out of the room. 

“Huh,” Flash remarked, leaning against the wall. “She looks a lot better than the last time I saw her. And she actually left your immediate vicinity. Willingly,” he remarked to Robin, who glared at the speedster. 

“It’s been almost six years. If you think my sister is weak enough to be that thoroughly encumbered by the past for so long, you are greatly underestimating her,” he looked around to see almost all of the gathered League members staring at him. He grit his teeth and looked over at his father. “When is this woman going to arrive, anyway? You’d think she would actually be on time.” 

Just then, a portal opened in the middle of the room and Ladybug walked through. Quickly shedding the brown costume that allowed her to teleport in, she was left in just her black and red-spotted combat suit. Seeing as they finally found out how to alter the costumes the Kwami gave them, Ladybug’s hair now sat in a braided bun on the crown of her head and her costume was made to look more like Nightwing’s with the ladybug symbol on her upper chest and between her shoulder blades on her back, with black gloves that reached up to her elbows and black knee-high boots with red stripes up the sides. 

The brightly colored heroine smiled, seeming to light up the room with cheer that nearly put Jon to shame (it took her awhile to perfect that particular smile. She actually based it off Jon himself, and Damian was impressed by how accurate she had been able to make it over time. Not that he would say as much out loud). 

That was when Diana started choking on thin air, and Damian and Marinette both realized that they had overlooked something rather major. 

Hippolyta had been a Ladybug. Diana had met Tikki. Diana knew how to see past Tikki’s glamour. 

At first, Ladybug tried to play it off. Maybe Diana would catch on and help her out. So she walked over, holding her hand out for Wonderwoman to shake and putting on another wide smile for good measure. 

“Oh my Kwamii! It is so good to finally meet you, Wonderwoman, Tikki told me so much about you and your mother! Would you like to talk later—”

“Marinette Wayne, how in Zeus’ name did you become the new Ladybug?” Wonderwoman instantly yelled, making Marinette wilt. Damian tried backing away slowly, only for Diana’s eyes to then shoot over to him and narrow dangerously. “And you! I knew I felt something weird, but now I can pinpoint it. You are wielding the Black Cat! One of you explain what is going on. Now.” 

Ladybug and Robin instantly looked away, getting ready to make a quick escape right as their father walked up behind Robin, putting a firm hand on his shoulders. As always when Batman smiled, it sent a shiver down everyone’s spine. Marinette gulped a little. 

“I agree. Marinette, I forgot to tell you that we changed the locations of the League security cameras last night,” shit they were so busted. Bruce must have suspected them of something from the very beginning, stupid world’s greatest detective instincts— “But now that we have confirmed that my suspicions were correct, we can save that discussion for later. First, let’s debrief on the Paris situation like we agreed. Then, you two will explain why you decided not to tell me while you help each other clean the entire Batcave tonight.” 

Damian didn’t open his hand for the entire meeting. He and Marinette made eye contact as soon as everyone sat down for a suddenly very uneasy debrief, silently agreeing that they would not let their father take away their Miraculous. They finally had names and reputations of their own, away from the Batclan and their father’s influence. They had learned more about themselves and what they were capable of in those past years as Miraculous wielders than in all the years of the rest of their lives combined. They wouldn’t give it up, not even for Bruce’s approval. 

But when they got back to the Manor and began cleaning up the batcave as they had been ordered, they were surprised when Bruce made no mention of taking their jewelry back at all. And he stayed up with them, silently reviewing things on the Batcomputer as they cleaned. It could almost be considered family bonding. 

By the time the twins were done cleaning the sun was about to rise, and finally their father spoke up for the first time since they had begun their punishment chore. 

“I watched days worth of your Paris battles before going out to meet Ladybug and Chat Noir in person,” he said without ever turning around from his spot at the computer. “I was impressed. I still am. The teamwork was flawless, and the Parisian heroes never used deadly force. They even did their best to provide emotional support to the victims who were akumatized. I thought for sure at least one of you two would have been victims yourself, with all that you’ve been through. Anything can be a trigger for you, anything can make you vulnerable to Hawkmoth,” Bruce paused to take a sip of coffee. He didn’t have to look at his children’s reflections in the face of the Batcomputer to know they were drinking in every word he said. He did anyway, allowing a small smile that they couldn’t see to form on his lips. 

“I scoured through every akuma attack one by one, trying to find the one where one or both of you were the ones possessed. But I only found more reasons to be impressed by the heroes instead. By the time I was done looking through every scrap of video I could find, I had a feeling I knew who you were. Hearing your voices in person cemented it further, but I wanted video proof. So, knowing that Marinette would have forgotten about agreeing to accompany me to a JL meeting, I asked Ladybug to debrief us.” 

“You had us from the start,” Marinette sighed, shoulders slumping. But Damian said nothing, eyes wide as he picked up on the nuances of what Bruce was saying that Marinette was too tired to catch on to. 

“I’m proud of you two.” 

Then, even Marinette froze. The twins had identical expressions of shock on their faces, and Bruce finally turned around to look at them properly. For a long while, the three of them only made silent eye contact as dozens of emotions flew through the air silently, but understood. Then Damian and Marinette straightened up just and silently. Damian nodded to his father, Marinette gave him a vulnerable little smile, and then they both backed out and went to head to sleep. 

And once they were gone, Bruce sighed in content. Seems his meet-the-Justice-League plan worked out perfectly. He had finally managed to say something right to his two most troublesome children, for the first time. He leaned back in his chair, gazing up at the dark bat-infested cave ceiling as one more tiny grin played on his face, a little melancholy this time. 

Guess they never needed him to help them find their inner hero, after all. They had become even better at the whole hero thing than he was, and all on their own. Bruce closed his eyes, not noticing when Alfred draped a blanket over his body and left the Cave with a soft chuckle. 

--*--*--*--*--*

This sucked, but I wanted to give you guys something. So. here you go I guess? 

[stillbandofbrothersthirsty]

As Far As Friends Go

Chapter 16 (Chapter 1; Chapter 2; Chapter 3; Chapter 4; Chapter 5; Chapter 6; Chapter 7; Chapter 8; Chapter 9; Chapter 10; Chapter 11; Chapter 12; Chapter 13; Chapter 14; Chapter 15)

Nixon - July - September 1944 All thought left Nixon’s mind as he stared down into Emily’s red-rimmed gray eyes. He wanted to say more, but the words were stuck in his throat. Who the hell was he to tell her anything? He was married. He was a bad husband, a selfish lover, a drunk - he had no business giving her advice.

“Just trust me,” he whispered. Emily’s frown deepened as she searched his face. But Nixon would reveal nothing. The only thing he was certain about in that moment was that he didn’t want to see Emily get hurt; not by Harry, not by him, not by anyone. “Emily, I’m sorry I accused you of not taking your job seriously. You are one of the best people on my staff.”

“Really?” Emily’s voice was meek. 
“If not the best. You’re invaluable. I’m sorry that I haven’t given you the acknowledgment you deserve. I’m sorry you don’t get the respect you deserve.” Emily swallowed. Nixon’s heart broke into a thousand pieces when her chin quivered. “I’m sorry I got so emotional,” she said in a hushed voice. “Don’t apologize.” Nixon wanted to move forward to touch her, to hold her, but something in him wouldn’t allow it. She probably didn’t want that from him anyway. His words could only heal so much in a night. 
“Please,” something caught in Nixon’s throat, “please just don’t say anything to Harry. I don’t want to see you get heartbroken.” Emily bit her lip. It took all of his patience to remain quiet as he waited for her to respond. She roamed his face with her eyes. It was as if she was looking right through him, right into the very core of him. Nixon’s stomach jumped at her shameless gaze. “Fine,” she finally said. Fine, he would have to accept that. Inside, he begged her to say more. He begged her to stay standing there so he could just look at her a moment longer. But she turned to the street, the city’s shadows rippling off the folds of her dress, the angle of her jaw and curve of her eyelashes. She stretched a hand into the night sky and a black cab appeared, its golden headlights flashing. Emily turned back to look at him before stepping through the open car door, “see you in Aldbourne, Nix.” 
Nixon only managed to raise a hand goodbye and then she was gone, slipping off into the night. Nixon kicked himself. Why did he make the same mistake over and over again? He always went too far. He was mean. Why? Why did he lose his cool around her? Day after day he had officers, soldiers, and Tommy’s saying stupid shit to him and he still managed to hold his tongue. But the simplest conversation with Emily would spiral out of his control. Nixon returned to Aldbourne in the morning. He was relieved to be back. He needed a purpose and he enjoyed the work that occupied him. Green replacements were showing up every day to take the place of men Nixon had worked alongside for two years. All of the new faces suddenly made the quaint refuge of Aldbourne feel foreign. The new soldiers hadn’t had half the training the Toccoa men had, nor the rigor that Easy Company experienced under Sobel. Winters and the other officers had their work cut out for them getting the replacements up to standard. Nixon had other things to worry about. The 101st was on standby; jumps were scheduled and canceled as Patton’s army infiltrated the continent. The men were restless. Having faced the reality of war in Normandy, the men were living carpe diem. They went out drinking, fighting, and playing every chance they got. John Martin and Bill Guarnere even got themselves some tattoos. In the evenings, Nixon found himself in his lover’s bed, and during the days he was watching Emily. As far as Nixon knew, Emily hadn’t said anything to Harry regarding her feelings. But Nixon didn’t miss the forlorn looks she gave him. Nixon grit his teeth each time he saw her mooning over Harry’s turned back. That night in London Nixon realized that he cared deeply for Emily in a way that could never be realized. He was married. He was a rogue. She deserved so much more than being a mistress- stop. He had to stop himself there. He couldn’t afford to even entertain the idea. Let her pine for Harry. It was only a crush, a crush and nothing more. It wasn’t hurting anyone; at least no one but him. The reality was, Emily was young. She was beautiful and clever. One day she would meet someone and it would be more than just a crush. Their fight in London had sobered Nixon up. Not literally, but it made him check his own behavior. He didn’t want to fight with her again. He never wanted to make her cry again. If all they could be was friends and colleagues, he wanted to be the best friend and colleague she had. Once they returned to the continent their time together would be even more limited. Nixon was determined to make the most of it. That summer in Aldbourne they worked together more symbiotically than ever before. Nixon’s conscious patience combined with Emily’s keen intuition made their workdays go smoothly. This was beneficial for the American intelligence’s reputation in front of the Brits. The next drop onto the continent would take place in Holland. Operation Market Garden was the brainchild of British intelligence. Nixon didn’t want to sound like a snob so he wouldn’t admit that he was wary of their plan. But orders were orders so Nixon surrendered control. Though Operation Market garden was the strategic genius of the British, Nixon and his staff did a lot of the grunt work. Emily helped to identify drop zones and coordinated routes for the paratroopers to meet up with the British armory. It was a lot of work in a region Emily had never seen, nor would likely ever see. The plan was to drop into Holland near Eindhoven. This meant another troopship for Emily and overground travel through the seized territory. If everything went as it should, Emily would link up with Battalion headquarters just across the border in Germany. That was if everything was executed as the allies hoped. Summer wound down and the first chills of winter came with the falling leaves of September. Back in their old digs, Nixon sipped on a whiskey-laced cup of coffee. “Why are you being so nice to me lately?” Emily was working at her desk, using a ruler to draw a grid on a black and white map. “What do you mean? I’m always nice.” Emily lifted her pen from the map she was looking at to give him a look. “What? You want me to be mean?”



“No, of course not,” she turned back to her paper, “but it’s weird.”



“Why is it weird?”



“I’m just not used to you like this.” “Like what?” “You have two versions.” Emily said, “smart Nix and grumpy Nix.” “Nice to hear you think I’m smart,” Nixon perched on the edge of his desk to watch her work. “Smart as in smart-ass,” she elaborated. “Well, that’s not very nice.” “I’m not the one being accused of being nice.” “Accused? You make nice sound like such a bad thing.” Emily giggled, “I do not! I’m just saying you’re out of character.” “Maybe war has changed me.” “I’m so glad you’re never dramatic.” Nixon raised his eyebrows over a sip of coffee, “If I’m dramatic it’s from spending time with you.” Emily stuck her tongue out at him. Nixon was about to retort when Lt. Colonel Strayer appeared in in the doorway, “Captain Nixon,” “Right,” Nixon sat his coffee down on his desk and followed Strayer out the door. Nixon shared a jeep with Strayer as far as the hanger outside Aldbourne. Winters stood in front of the Easy Company men assembled beneath a large map of Holland. Nixon took his place on Winters’ left and the lieutenants and sergeants fell in by rank behind him. Nixon noticed Emily’s handiwork on the stenciled letters above the hand-colored map. “This is called Operation Market Garden,” Winters presented, “in terms of Airborne Divisions involved, we’re dropping deep into occupied Holland.” Nixon scanned the faces of the men assembled before them. Without knowing the individuals, he could tell who had been in Normandy and who hadn’t; it was the difference of acceptance and anxiety. All of their serious faces hung on Winters’ every word, soaking up every detail of what was to come. As Winters finished his presentation some of the veteran’s expressions changed to ones of confusion. Nixon stepped forward, “the entire European advance has been put on hold to allocate resources for this operation. It’s Montgomery’s personal plan and we’ll be under British command.” Once Nixon finished the men filed out to prepare to jump the next day. “Old men and children?” Winters said over Nixon's shoulder.

Nixon looked over at his friend, “that’s what they’re telling us.” “And how reliable do you think the intelligence is?” Winters asked as they walked out of the hanger. Nixon rolled his jaw, “what can I say? It’s coming from the top.”

“It’s hard to believe this will end the war.”

“All we can do is hope for the best. Home by Christmas,” Nixon said. “Home by Christmas,” Winters repeated as if it were a mantra. That night Nixon couldn’t sleep though he needed to. They would be leaving for the airfield at first light. After an hour or so of staring at his ceiling, Nixon pulled on his boots, grabbed his flask, and walked downstairs. He didn’t know what he was seeking but he had to get out of his room. Nixon took a sip from his flask as he stepped into the hall. It seemed to stretch on forever in the darkness. He didn’t bother to screw the cap on his flask. He made his way down the carpeted steps drinking along the way. Nixon didn’t know where he was going as he wandered through the winding halls of the manor. It wasn’t until he was in front of her door that he realized he had walked to Emily’s room. He raised his hand to knock when the door swung open. “Oh!” Emily yelped in surprise then quickly pressed a hand over her mouth, “Lew, you startled me.”

“Uh, sorry,” Nixon said. Emily’s expression quickly morphed into concern, “is everything okay?” Nixon smoothed his hair down, realizing it was probably mussed from laying in bed. “oh yeah, I just was walking by and noticed your light on. I wanted to make sure you were okay.” “Oh,” Emily smiled suspiciously, “okay, well I’m going downstairs for some tea, you want to come?” Nixon hesitated, considering her offer, “uhh, no, that’s okay. Thanks.” “Okay, you sure?” Emily’s eyes flicked down at the flask in his hand. Nixon tightened his grip on it suddenly self conscious. “Yeah, gonna head to bed.” “Okay, well hey, if I don’t see you before,” she paused, not wanting to verbalize the goodbye. “I’ll see you over there,” Nixon nodded confidently at her. Unexpectedly, she reached out and took his empty hand. Nixon looked down at her grip and back up into her sweet face. She squeezed his hand, “I’ll see you over there, Lew.” It took all of his willpower to turn away from her. He walked slowly back down the dark hallway listening to her light steps fall away down the steps behind him.

[dasibom]

hi alina! who do you think is the prettiest in shinee and why is it all of them👀? also I hope you're having a great day💖

IT IS ALL OF THEM! i already answered one shinee so i'll talk about all of them... wow this turned out very long but i guess i just had a lot to say?

first off jinki! i didn't really start paying attention to him until recently but he's very good looking.. 😳 strong arms i find it very cool he just does wood work thats a real cool hand craft. we love a multi talented man. love his smile too, the eye smile!!!! and he has a very comforting presence to me, i do love his lame jokes as well 🥺🥺 he takes great care of shinee and everyone around him! you can really see it in how people interact with him 🥺

okay now jjong... motherfucker his energy... he goes on stage does his sexy little (sometimes a little homoerotic which is cool very much respect thats the vibe) dances and that's amazing and you just CAN'T look away. then THE EMOTION AND FRAGILITY AND CERTAIN KIND OF OPENESS HE CAN PUT INTO HIS WORK AND PERFORMANCE! his writing is just out of this world and not only can he do a real good pop song a cool little banger he can also do the most vulnerable and beautiful and sincere shit out there in the industry. like having that kind of mind is just extremely sexy to me. obviously this goes for all of the artists that have been influential and a source of comfort and security and acceptance growing up but i simply feel so lucky and grateful to have witnessed his work. to have existed at the same time as him. it's still hard to talk about how influential he and his art has been for me but i genuinely think i would not be the person i am if he hadn't been part of my life. i love all parts of him and i wish that i'll be able to talk about him openly in the future because he was such a wonderful human and i think everyone should know it.

kibum!! my beloved!! he's one of those idols i wish i could like have a conversation with!! i would love to hear what he thinks about so many things. and from what i have seen of him he seems incredibly emotionally intelligent. his fashion sense is really good i really admire that. also how he's literally designed clothes? made art that made it to a shinee album cover? is there anything this man can't do? while he was in the army i missed him so much, just him on amazing saturday every week, he posting his instagram posts, having lives, being with the rest of shinee. he's always so supportive of all of his members and friends and colleagues in the industry and it's wonderful to see.

minho... he is full of love. i want to tell him that he is loved. the way you cannot help but smile when you see him and love him. there is just something about him i CANNOT describe, i have no words for it. he is also so beautiful!!! his smile makes me feel warm inside. he keeps posting on instagram at 5.25 TELL ME THAT ISN'T THE MOST ADORABLE THING YOU'VE EVER HEARD!!! all these small things 🥺 getting gifts for his members, coming straight from being discharged to taemins back room at a music show!! just to name a few recent things... also how he is with children ❣️ it's so adorable its so cute and the kids also LOVE him like you can really tell a lot from a person from that. if he ever has children he will make a great dad and i'll support him 100%. i also have to say that he's so underappreciated as a singer just listen to i'm home. there's so much affection i have for this man.

oh taemin oh my god i miss him so bad. obviously we have many years of age difference but it has felt like i've grown up with him. the beauty he puts into everything he does is so incredible!!! it's so beautiful how he inspires people too like which idol isn't inspired by him? he's so hard working i can't believe it. i don't think he's that popular and loved for nothing. he's come so far from not even having his voice recorded on replay to having one of the most successful and long solo careers (obviously while being incredibly popular in shinee too). even how in the recent years he's started writing his own lyrics which just makes me so proud. something else that just fjdudolsheheh makes me feel feelings is how he always keeps his art very genderless and wants to break the gender roles and expectations. he's truly been, might i say, paving the way, for (especially sm emts) solo artists and especially idols focused in dancing... i am so incredibly proud of him and i admire him and his hard work and love for what he does. i miss him already and i hope that he's doing well and having fun. i do also worry for him a little, he works so much and now he went straight from promotions to the army like pls take a holiday 😖 he's worked so hard, non stop, since he was a child and come so far, he really deserves to take a moment to rest. i miss this silly little man i miss his lives i miss seeing him say weird things i miss seeing him performing and i'm so thankful that he shares his art with us. he deserves every bit of his success and achievements and above all, happiness.

this answer got a little long i just felt like talking about shinee a little <3 thank u sm alex for sending me this ask thinking about shinee was very nice ❣️💓

[edenmemes]

game of thrones (s2) starters

❝ two cups of wine? that’s not much at all. please, have another cup. ❞ ❝ you don't need to live your whole life taking commands from old men. ❞ ❝ what did you say? did you say i can’t? ❞ ❝ i will not fail you. ❞ ❝ i don't go serving some shit king who's only king because his father was. ❞ ❝ do you want to stop me? stop me. ❞ ❝ you must be their strength. ❞ ❝ i’ve been fighting far longer than you. ❞ ❝ ‘ how can a man be brave if he's afraid?’ ...that is the only time a man can be brave. ❞ ❝ you are the biggest liar i have ever met. ❞ ❝ we looked for you on the battlefield. you were nowhere to be found. ❞ ❝ i’ve been here, ruling the kingdoms. ❞ ❝ i could show you the streams to fish, the woods to hunt. ❞ ❝ we heard you were dead. ❞ ❝ power resides where men believe it resides. it's a trick, a shadow on the wall. ❞ ❝ you don’t even have the decency to deny it. ❞ ❝ we share a common enemy. ❞ ❝ brave? a dog doesn’t need courage to chase off rats. ❞ ❝ aren’t you always so clever with your schemes and your plots? ❞ ❝ someone once told me that the night is dark and full of terrors. ❞ ❝ the king does not ask; he commands. ❞ ❝ loyal service means telling hard truths. ❞ ❝ i don’t like you. i don’t like your face. i don’t like the words oozing out of your mouth. ❞ ❝ if half an onion is black with rot, it's a rotten onion. a man is good or he is evil. ❞ ❝ a man without friends is a man without power. ❞ ❝ that’s twice i’ve warned you. ❞ ❝ no one can survive in this world without help. no one. / let me help you. ❞ ❝ i’ve never heard you hide from the truth. ❞ ❝ calling yourself king doesn’t make you one. ❞ ❝ you can’t avenge if you’re dead. ❞ ❝ these bad people are what i'm good at. out-talking them, out-thinking them. it's what i am. ❞ ❝ are you trying to frighten me with magic tricks? ❞ ❝ the histories won’t mention you but i will not forget. ❞ ❝ sometimes i wonder. if this is the price for what we've done, for our sins. ❞ ❝ it's hard to put a leash on a dog once you've put a crown on its head. ❞ ❝ wise men do not make demands of kings. ❞ ❝ it's like stepping into a dream you've been dreaming for as long as you can remember, and finding out that the dream is more real than your life. ❞ ❝ i'll remember it all until i die. rhat was the best day of my life. ❞ ❝ the more people you love, the weaker you are. ❞ ❝ it’s better to be cruel than weak. ❞ ❝ do it. all these bad people, they can’t stop you. forget about them. come with me. ❞ ❝ you're not the person you’re pretending to be. not yet. ❞ ❝ my place is by your side. ❞ ❝ would it be excessive of me to ask you to save my life twice in a week? ❞ ❝ i’ve gone too far to pretend to be anything else. ❞ ❝ you promise me these things, but you don’t know. none of us know. ❞ ❝ show me how you fight. ❞ ❝ leaving that battlefield was like being dragged off to prison. ❞ ❝ you’ll say nothing to anyone. do you understand? ❞ ❝ you can’t talk about it without blushing. ❞ ❝ i don’t need trust any longer. i don’t want it and i don’t have room for it. ❞ ❝ cleaner ways don’t win wars. ❞ ❝ i always hated crossbows. take too long to load ❞ ❝ i’m not questining your loyalty. i’m denying it’s existence. ❞ ❝ you don’t have to call me ‘your grace’ when no one’s around. ❞ ❝ you need to be careful. no one can know you’re here. ❞ ❝ this city stinks like dead bodies. ❞ ❝ where i come from, guests are treated with respect, not insulted at the gates. ❞ ❝ i’ll be silent as the grave. ❞ ❝ i understand you don’t like me, and while that saddens me greatly, i did not come here today seeking your affection. ❞ ❝ you know my family name. you have me at a disadvantage. ❞ ❝ a very small man can cast a very large shadow. ❞ ❝ what is dead may never die, but rises again harder and stronger. ❞ ❝ some say the beauty most desired is the beauty concealed. ❞ ❝ that’s exactly what they are - stories. ❞ ❝ keep out of sight. if things go wrong - you run. ❞ ❝ you want to rule? this is what ruling is. lying on a bed of weeds, ripping them out by the root one by one before they strangle you in your sleep. ❞ ❝ you might find it difficult to rule over millions who want you dead. ❞ ❝ you don’t know what i’m like. ❞ ❝ i’m not like most men. ❞ ❝ look around you. we're all liars here. and every one of us is better than you. ❞ ❝ i will love you from this day until my last day. ❞ ❝ i have heard tales of your beauty and grace, but the tales do not do you justice. ❞ ❝ you have a tender heart, just like your mother did your age. ❞ ❝ that’s a fine little blade. maybe i’ll pick my teeth with it. ❞ ❝ how do you sleep when you...have those things in your head? ❞ ❝ they’ll be singing songs about you as long as men have voices to sing. ❞ ❝ you should give me the reins. i’ve been on horseback for the past nine years. ❞ ❝ how unspeakable of me to go on and on, when all you want to do is rest. ❞ ❝ what you just did is punishable by death. ❞ ❝ tales of your courage and wisdom have never been far from my ears. ❞ ❝ you shouldn’t insult people that are bigger than you. ❞ ❝ the streets aren’t safe at night. ❞ ❝ i have come to love you from afar. ❞ ❝ would you like something for the pain? ❞ ❝ and who are you that i must bow so low? ❞ ❝ a lion still has claws and mine are long and sharp. ❞ ❝ i will keep you safe, my love. i promise you. ❞ ❝ asking me questions is bad luck. you’ll probably be dead soon. ❞ ❝ have you grown fond of me? is that it? ❞ ❝ knowledge is power. ❞ ❝ sometimes those with the most power have the least grace. ❞ ❝ how do you kill a dead man? ❞ ❝ i saw it in his eyes. hated me. he never met me before, but he wanted to hurt me. ❞ ❝ not very noble to accuse a lady of dishonesty. ❞ ❝ there’s nothing more sickening than a man in love. ❞ ❝ threaten me again and i will have you thrown into the sea. ❞ ❝ i am very good for keeping secrets for my good friends. ❞ ❝ i promised to protect them. promised them their enemies would die screaming. ❞ ❝ you’ve been having those dreams again. ❞ ❝ would you please shut up? you think you’re better than me. ❞ ❝ don’t trust anybody. life is safer that way. ❞ ❝ boil this for an hour and drink the tea. makes all your pain go away. ❞ ❝ it must be odd for you to be the disappointing child. ❞ ❝ you love your children. it’s your one redeeming quality / that and your cheekbones. ❞ ❝ nothing is worth what this will cost you. ❞ ❝ i thought they were going to kill me. ❞ ❝ i heard you suffered a terrible head wound. ❞ ❝ i know that our enemies hate each other almost as much as they hate us. ❞ ❝ do you understand we’re losing the war? ❞ ❝ wish i could stay and celebrate, but there is work to be done. ❞ ❝ i’m sorry for your loss. ❞ ❝ it’s just words to give us a little warmth at night. make us feel like we’ve got a purpose. ❞ ❝ death is boring, especially now with so much excitement in the world. ❞ ❝ i’m glad you’re not dead. ❞ ❝ more ravishing than ever. war agrees with you. ❞ ❝ i never thought i’d have reason to doubt your loyalty. was i wrong? ❞ ❝ only death may pay for life. ❞ ❝ smart people don’t find themselves in places like this. ❞ ❝ i will shield your back and give my life for yours, if it comes to that. ❞ ❝ do not speak to me like i’m a child. ❞ ❝ i want you to know what it's like to love someone, to truly love someone. before i take them from you. ❞ ❝ you may cover it up and deny it, but you have a gentle heart. ❞ ❝ there are times when i look at you and can’t believe you’re real. ❞ ❝ betray me, and you will wish you hadn’t. ❞ ❝ he who passes the sentence should swing the sword. ❞ ❝ gods help you. now you are truly lost. ❞ ❝ look around. you start thinking you know this place, it will kill you. ❞ ❝ i want you to curse and fight until your heart’s done pumping. ❞ ❝ they’ll never know what you’ve done. they’ll never know how you died. they won’t even know your damn name. ❞ ❝ you are a man without honor. ❞ ❝ does it give you joy to scare people? ❞ ❝ there’s been talk of other forces at work. dark forces. ❞ ❝ strike hard and true, or i’ll come back to haunt you. ❞ ❝ one day i pray you love someone. i pray you love them so much, when you close your eyes, you see their face. i want that for you. ❞ ❝ you are far too smart to think i will succumb to flattery. ❞ ❝ i had terrible dreams last night. i could not sleep until the sun was shining and the birds were singing. ❞ ❝ all my life i’ve been knocking men like you into the dust. ❞ ❝ you will not provoke me to anger. ❞ ❝ there are people who want to hurt me. ❞ ❝ i’m no ordinary woman. my dreams come true. ❞ ❝ i will take what is mine. with fire and blood, i will take it. ❞ ❝ you’re a sharp little thing, aren’t you? ❞ ❝ i always thought i was a brilliant liar. ❞ ❝ i’m yours and you are mine. ❞ ❝ you defend these men who insult you behind your back. ❞ ❝ we’ll stay warmer if we stay close. ❞ ❝ i would kill for you. do you know that? you’re mine. ❞ ❝ do you hear them out there? they want your head. ❞ ❝ you’re brave. stupid, but brave. ❞ ❝ don’t be afraid. i can take care of myself. ❞ ❝ a day will come when you think you're safe and happy, and your joy will turn to ashes in your mouth. ❞ ❝ why do you hate me so much? have i ever harmed you? ❞ ❝ this will be my last war. win or lose. ❞ ❝ you're too smart for your own good. has anyone told you that? ❞ ❝ you have forsaken every vow you ever took. ❞ ❝ eny isn’t attractive. ❞ ❝ treat your oaths recklessly, and your people will do the same. ❞ ❝ they will all come to you, little lion, to rest a crown upon your head. ❞ ❝ the world is built by killers. so you'd better get used to looking at them. ❞ ❝ the gods have no mercy. that's why they're gods. ❞ ❝ your crimes are past forgiveness. ❞ ❝ i don’t want to leave you. ❞ ❝ if this is a dream, i will kill the man who tries to wake me. ❞ ❝ you talk about war as if you understand it. ❞ ❝ i don’t want your grief. i want my vengeance. ❞ ❝ what? what? why are you staring at me? ❞ ❝ you are the moon of my life. that is all i know and all i need to know. ❞ ❝ i’d say you possess above-average intelligence. ❞ ❝ i’ve been waiting all night. what is wrong? ❞ ❝ oh, are we friends now? ❞ ❝ never swung a sword before, have you? you look like a baby with a rattle. ❞ ❝ maybe i am dead and i just don’t know it yet. ❞ ❝ i’ve seen your face almost every day. and for that, i consider myself very, very lucky. ❞ ❝ the only way to keep the small folk loyal is to make certain they fear you more than they do the enemy. ❞ ❝ i will pray for your safe return. ❞ ❝ this is the safest place we can be. ❞ ❝ the worst ones always live. ❞ ❝ i’ve never much liked my head, but i don’t want to see it removed just yet. ❞ ❝ your childhood must have been awful. ❞ ❝ who do you fight for? ❞ ❝ now you’re arguing just to argue. ❞ ❝ i hope you gave them quick deaths. ❞ ❝ you want me? here i am. ❞ ❝ the thing about you i find so interesting is absolutely nothing. ❞

[askintothevoids]

The Epilogue:

Roman and Virgil:

They never did get married, because they didn’t want to. Virgil believes it to be a british social construct to control women and the lower class, and Roman believes marriage to be bad luck.

They did get into that huge funky war that we were talking about, and had to put Babe with Protection. After weeks of convincing, Valentine, Mac-Kenzie, and Junius fought by Virgil and Roman’s side, and they won after 5 years of fighting.

Virgil fulfilled his lifelong dream of making Bonner regret his words, and plunged his mother’s dagger into his chest. Something about Bonner that Virgil never mentioned was the fact that the man often shared the same words as his former husband, so perhaps that fueled his anger. After a lot of crying, Virgil came to the conclusion that maybe he’d leave the fighting to Angie, and hire a royal therapist.

There was more to Virgil’s story than that though, he did raise Babe with his beloved partner, Roman, after the war. He made an excellent father. Anne even came back and apologized, earning her role back into Virgil’s and his son’s life. He even got to see his nephews more often.

Seeing that his son is now only 12 years away from being a full fledged adult (to him that isn’t very long), Virgil now has to see that Babe is very different from other children. Honestly, he never thought his own very very dead mother would be assisting in the parenting of his child, but hey, Virgil has to remember that he isn’t always right, even if he can see the future.

Meanwhile Roman pursued his love for music and theatre, he even opened a music program for Oteriphanne, showing the lovely folks the beauty of music that isn’t just only about killing the French and Brits in order to stop deculturalization of their land (though that’s not a bad topic, Roman literally just wanted 14th century vampires to enjoy Spice Girls and it worked).

He obviously, but admittedly very awkwardly, learned how to parent a child. Roman wasn’t as picture perfect as he would’ve liked to be, he did after all accidentally make his son cry many times. Like Virgil, he now sees that their kid is different. His son’s ears are full of words that he can’t understand, but hopes to try his best to ease Babe’s worries and hardships in life.

Through five years of virgous studying, Roman became a quarter fluent in Pterannan. With even more studying and training, he finally became a fully trained Knight and earned his spot next to Virgil with his forementioned music program (turns out teaching a population several new skills, means he bettered the population which is a requirement to become a king when you're not blood related to royalty).

Still there’s somethings that Roman still regrets, he never did come to an understanding with his stepfather, who was his namesake. Nor does he see Remus and his husband as often as he wishes he did. And he kinda wants to buy a cow.

Even after being together for almost 10 years, they still love each other, and yes, Virgil still calls a phone, a magic box because some things never change.

Patton:

After he and Logan adopted the children from the Dragonwitch au that they accidently orphaned, Patton certainly was trying his best to keep going, and he did a pretty alright job.

Patton single handedly traveled across the country from Florida to Indiana with four small children whose identities he had to hide along his.

Once he had made it to the David-Dase residence, he explained what had happened and asked for help, and here’s what happened.

Nicholas and James owned property in rural Saskatchewan, which they had inherited from Jane Phoebe David (James’ deceased mother) and never really knew what to do with it. So in order to keep their son’s husband and their new grandchildren safe, James and Nicholas let Patton and their grandchildren live there. It was a good spot for them, it kept the reporters away from Patton and kept people away from Daniel, Jane, Harper and Buddy.

After receiving help from James and Nicholas, Patton had to figure out how to explain his disappearance to the police so that he could gain some form of normality, and a good enough job to support his growing family.

Stuff didn’t exactly go well at first. Still grieving over his separation from Logan, he did often find it hard to smile for his children, nor did he find it easy to explain to them that they couldn’t out in public without being hidden from the world’s view. It didn’t help when his O’Pa (Janus Van Den Bosch-Brzozowski) passed away from a deteriorating body, it was for the best, but it hurt to lose another parent.

He kept going though. His brother, Patton Reyes-Baker, moved in with him and got a job helping a local beekeeper. It wasn’t so bad, grief can strengthen some bonds. His step father, Remus, visited every so often, it was clear that he probably wouldn’t be around much longer either.

He’s doing a pretty good job raising those kids. Still it doesn’t help that Patton wishes he did it with his beloved. There have been many long nights of waiting and crying. There’s a good chance that Patton won’t move on until old age, which could be a good thing for a certain someone. Overall, if he were to describe it, it’s like the worst nightmare and the best dream ever at the same time.

Patton did get to open that diner, he did get to take his puppies home with him, and he did teach his kids how to ride bikes (except Buddy), but it still wasn’t the same. For all he cares, he’s still a married man.

Hymnthian:

Being one of the oldest motherfuckers ever, Hymnthian is still kicking it. Under Virgil and Roman’s rule, he’s pretty happy. He does find some common ground with his great (times a couple hundreds) grandchild though. Babe’s remarkable ability to hear the dead often comes in handy for a grieving widower. In return for hearing what his dead wife has to say, he teaches Babe how to play To-Ouch, an Oterian instrument.

Janus and Remus:

As you might've heard earlier, Janus passed away. It’s important to remember that death is an important part of life. In Janus’ case, they were fine with it. After an aspiring career as a ballerina and potter, not being able to use your hands or foot can often be depressing. When their body finally gave out, Janus figured it best if their sister took their place. Janus died comfortably and happily. What else can I say that will convince you? Death isn’t always a bad thing.

Remus O’Malley-Gator was a different story. After the death of Janus, he found himself once again lost. He visited Patton, Patton, and his step-grandkids every so often. Remus spent most of time adventuring, looking for some kind of fulfillment. I suppose that sounds bad, but I always write a bittersweet ending.

Camila and Lotte:

After spending most of her adult life in the void, Camila was beginning to feel hopeless. Her sons were already grown and had found their soulmates, while she had still had nothing. Camila wandered for a while, universe after universe, she turned up with nothing once again.

With Janus having passed, their replacement would soon have to come in. And well, she was certainly surprised. Camila had no idea Janus had a younger sister! Lotte had been frozen for over 200 years, and arrived fresh from the fridge at the ripe old age of 48.

Camila had her fair share of trying to tell this beautiful, intelligent, strong woman that she was from a soulmate universe and that Lotte was her long awaited soulmate. Let’s just say, it took her a couple years.

Lotte had her share of pining as well. I mean, Camila is an equally beautiful, intelligent, strong woman who was tall (every short lesbian’s weakness).

She found her footing as her sibling’s replacement eventually, while she didn’t wield a shepherd's crook but having arms of pure steel sure did come handy when dealing with the dangers of the void.

Eventually, you know that their had to be an equally cute lesbian void wedding, where Patton and Roman became cousins, so that’s cool.

Logan:

As the only void dweller that actually only lives in the void, his life, honestly, sucks.

As the years go by, Logan’s hair only gets grayer and his yearning only grows stronger. He builds his tough exterior up once more, with some dull hope still intact. Logan knows the probability of never seeing his husband and kids again, and lets the gnawing feeling eat away at him.

But you know what? He did get to be cool Uncle Logan (his Ultra Secret Oterian Code Name was Protection) for about five years. He loved the shit out of Babe, even taught that boy some french and how to clear his mind even when people’s thoughts are louder than all shit.

Then he had to give Babe back to Virgil and Roman, knowing he should take the offer to live in Oteriphanne, he did.

Nothing became of it, he’s just a guy in a country full of vampires. There’s nothing there for him after all. Logan knows Babe isn’t his to parent, and chooses to keep his distance so he doesn’t crowd Roman and Virgil. Maybe in a few years, he’ll risk his life. For now, he’ll just become a grizzled middle aged man.

[fangirlyah]

✦coffee shop visits - Draco Malfoy x Muggle!Reader (part 1)

summary: when things get complicated in Draco and Astoria’s marriage, a small coffee shop seems to be the solution.

warnings: none

word count: 2,019 who would say that Draco Malfoy, born in a pure-blooded supremacist family, would end up falling in love with a Muggle. No one would have crossed that thought in their mind, not even him. But he did.

It was a sunny day and with beautiful weather, which did not match the mood of the blond. The arguments with his wife, Astoria, were getting stronger and more and more serious. His son, Scorpius, was just four years old and he already knew that when he heard a hand whipping the table it was time to go to his room. Despite his troubled childhood and lack of parental affection, Draco knew that his son could not grow up in such an environment. 

That Friday afternoon, when the sun was at its peak, Draco took his son and left his house for a cup of coffee to wait for the anger to wear off both him and his wife. Astoria didn’t even try to stop him from asking to leave her son with her. 

A small and cozy coffee, with warm colors and few tables, was waiting for them a few streets away.  It was perfect for spending an afternoon with a loved one. Draco came in with his son by the hand and sat on some sofas near the window, they were going to be there for hours so they should find more entertainment than just talk to each other, so watching people come and go, sounded like a good idea.

The first time he saw y/n was when he felt her presence at the side of the table "hello, I am y/n and I will be your waitress today, it is a pleasure to meet you both". Her smile radiated light and her sweet voice was almost melodious. Scorpius looked at her with fascination "Daddy, the girl is pretty!", listening to the small laugh that she released, Draco’s body felt things that he had not felt for a long time. "You are also a very handsome boy, may i know your name gentleman?" y/n followed the game naturally, without the blond needing to meddle and silence the child with a loose tongue. "My name is Scorpius Malfoy, I’m four years old and my dad’s name is Draco" the little blond boy pointed out to his father that was silent in front of him. Draco couldn’t stop contemplating the girl, he tried to lower his sight, but it was almost impossible. "It’s a pleasure to meet you, Draco and Scorpius". There, for the first time, y/n and Draco made eye contact, y/n thought that maybe that was the prettiest human being she’d ever seen. "Have you thought about what to order? There’s a new hot chocolate that I’m pretty sure you’ll like, Scorpius" she said trying to calm her nerves, where’s the boy’s mother? she thought. “I want that, Daddy! Please!" The boy stood on the fluffy couch but was gently pulled down by his father "you can have that, son...em.. I would like a coffee without sugar, if possible" y/n heard Draco’s voice and her hands trembled softly, he sounded intimidating but he had a touch of kindness that did not go unnoticed. "I’ll be right back with your orders". Within minutes, y/n appeared with a tray in his hands, she left the drinks and some complimentary cookies, with some drawings so that Scorpius could color with the crayons that she had taken care of giving him.

Weeks passed and y/n saw Draco and his son at least three times a week. And their cordial meetings were maintained. A short chat with Scorpius, which consists of telling him the new chocolates that were on sale and he explaining why he had colored each of his animated animals a certain color. Then take the orders and just give them a farewell greeting. y/n was fascinated with the child, his intelligence was too much for a child under five, and Draco was fascinated with the relationship that the girl had formed with his son. Scorpius didn’t usually open up like that to adults, he didn’t even share long conversations with his mother. So it wasn't until their fifth meeting, where Draco took the initiative to speak to her not just to greet her or give her his order. The idea of having another girl who was not his wife in mind as constant as y/n was in his thoughts, terrified him and that’s why he had never left the client-waitress chat with the pretty girl. 

"How long have you worked here?" with an insecure voice, the blond spoke while she wrote down the five different cake tastes that her son wanted "a few months ago, my brother is the owner so when I lost my job this was my work solution" y/n spoke warmly and kindly even if it was such a trivial question as the one that he asked "what were you working before?". Scorpius looked intently at the exchange between his father and the girl, he had never seen anyone smile so much when talking to him and his father, almost always the adults who approached his father were serious and did not smile at him. "I’m a fashion designer, so I worked for a well-known stylist but he went bankrupt and had to fire his employees. So here I am, temporarily".

And so each day, they both learned new things from each other in those little talks. Since y/n’s hate for American peanut butter, and that Draco used to hate coffee until adulthood or that Scorpius knew all the alphabet at just four years old. 

Months passed and coffee visits became more frequent, and afternoons at home with Astoria fewer and fewer. Scorpius' mother had not paid attention for months to what the child wanted or needed. She was immersed in her own 'misery', supposedly brought on by Draco himself.

"can you sit with us?" Scorpius asked one winter’s day, which was cold enough that the only ones in the place were them and a couple on the other end of the shop. Draco’s stomach began to feel tickles to his son’s words, he wished with all his being that y/n would sit with them. "Um...I could, but only if your father...em it's okay with it" she timidly turned her eyes from the child to the father to see him all flushed as he nodded quickly "if...um of course". Scorpius' small hands clapped as he saw the girl sitting next to him, "you’re very pretty up close too. Just as pretty as my mother". The little one had no idea that his words were stirring the adults’ worlds beside him. Y/n  thought about them all the time, he wondered if his mother would be present and if there were more children in the family, but the one who most wondered was if the mother of the child was with Draco. "That’s very kind, Scorpius, I’m sure your mom is a very pretty woman" y/n avoided looking at Draco’s reaction for her own good. "It is, one day she will come with us and you will meet her!" the blonde’s eyes went to the window looking for distraction, he wasn’t sure that day would come. "I can’t wait!" she said without losing her sweetness even though jealousy and uncertainty were more than present. 

That afternoon was full of tenderness and happiness in Draco’s eyes, he saw his son happy and smiling thanks to y/n. His heart melted when he saw them paint with crayons and look for equal patents in passing cars. There were times when they spoke to him and he was so immersed in y/n’s beauty and her charisma with the child that they had to repeat his name several times until he answered. It was the best coffee shop visit.

That week, they did not appear again. Y/n’s head did not stop reviewing all the events that occurred in each of their trips to the coffee. She had taken a great affection for both, father and son. She knew she shouldn’t, that she shouldn’t be fond of an already formed family, where she wasn’t a member. It was impossible for her not to idealize her with Draco and Scorpius forming a family. One of her greatest wishes was to have her own family, so imagining scenarios like Draco and his son looking for her from work and then going to do a movie night in their cozy home, came naturally. 

She wondered day and night if Draco was with the child’s mother, she wanted to take her place. The looks from the counter to the table, the constant friction of their hands, the happiness that both released when Scorpius spoke to them; she wanted all that, she wanted to have that forever. But it wasn’t her place and she had to respect that.

on a sunny Wednesday, y/n  felt a voice behind her as she put cream on a coffee "hi, y/n! I missed you!" A small voice rang causing her to turn around immediately, hoping to see Draco and Scorpius behind the counter. And they were, but they weren’t alone. 

the smile that grew y/n’s face, when he heard the little one, vanished quickly. "You must be y/n. My son spoke of you a couple of times" spoke for the first time the woman, who was holding Draco’s arm. Y/n couldn’t stop her face from transforming when she heard the woman emphasize on ‘my son’. Draco noticed the girl’s face, who did not leave his mind and who made him squirm when he realized that he was falling in love with another woman who was not his wife, so he couldn't help but to curse the moment in which his son had mentioned y/n in front of her wife. 

"Dad, can we go to coffee today? I miss y/n" said Scorpius sitting in his chair waiting for his pumpkin juice. 

"Yes, sure son" 

"who is y/n?" his wife had mentioned when entering the kitchen, without giving a smile. They hadn’t smiled in months, if at any point in their marriage they did. 

"The pretty girl in the coffee shop! She always brings me a gift cookie and things to paint" his son mentioned enthusiastically. 

"I’ll have to go meet her then" 

"yes mom, you’ll like her very much! Dad likes her, always makes him smile a lot" shit.

To Astoria’s surprise, the woman behind the counter was a Muggle girl about two years younger than her, carrying a young and sweet air that fell off when she visualized the small family. "yes that’s me, you must be Scorpius' mother" she said without losing her cordiality. "and Draco’s wife, yes that’s me". The blond noticed her intentions, Astoria believed he was better than y/n, much better. "I am so happy to finally meet you and I am just as happy to see you again Scorpius, what would you like to paint today?" She addressed the child with the best humor despite the whole situation. "mmm...I’d like the dinosaurs’ drawings" with that, the little one ran to his usual seat leaving his parents behind "I’d like a peach tea... I see you at the table” Astoria said to deposit a kiss on Draco’s lips, which y/n did not see since her eyes ran before. He stood in front of the counter for about two minutes, until she finished with the usual boys’ order and the woman’s tea. "I’m sorry..." She looked up and saw him as beautiful as ever, but this time with a serious face. "Why are you apologizing?"  "I didn’t tell you I was married" he spoke low despite the small clientele in the place. "You didn’t have to do it," actually a clarification like ‘I’m married and being nice, not flirting with you' would have been very helpful. She very deeply supposed it, but she wanted to hold on to that belief that she wasn’t reading the signs wrong. "What?" The blond was surprised, she didn’t feel the same as him?  

"I’m just a simple waitress, serving coffee for you and your son"  

 "you’re not just that".

[bumblebee-moreno]

I just wanna make a quick post about interacting with kids, because people on here seem to not know how kids work. (quick note before I start though: this is all spoken from my experience in working with kids--I do not have children of my own. I volunteer every year at an elementary school, working closely with younger kids who are struggling with learning certain subjects but don’t necessarily qualify for special ed (COVID has put a pause on this but I fully intent to resume as soon as it is safe to do so.) I am also a facilitator for a support group through a nonprofit--I’m part of the team in charge of facilitating the middle school group (ages 11/12-14). I didn’t really want to make this post because a lot of people get offended by these viewpoints, but the more I observe how kids are being treated by the adults in their life, the more I realise I need to say something.)

***I encourage you to reblog and add your own thoughts: I want to have an open discussion about this. 

Ok, first of all: Kids are a LOT smarter than you think they are. 

The problem is, they don’t know how to communicate and apply this yet. Calling them dumb and treating them as if they have nothing to offer conversations doesn’t support their development at all; in fact, it is one of the easiest ways to discourage a kid. This doesn’t mean turn off your filter and talk to kids the same way you’d talk to your friends. It just means, genuinely listen to their perspective and allow them to be part of intelligent conversations. Kids can’t learn responsible, mature ways to communicate if you don’t give them the opportunity to try it. 

One city in Colorado did a project that got kids involved in city development. In fact, this project was so successful that they are still continuing it! The classroom I volunteer in did a project inspired by this a few years ago. The first grade classroom was tasked with creating a city that could be applicable to real life. Their only restrictions were that they had to include four things: recreation, housing, jobs, and education. How they did that and what else they included was up to them. They were allowed to be as creative as they’d like. 

The teacher, other volunteer and I expected the city they made to be something out of a fantasy world. What we saw, though, was absolutely incredible. 

The kids created a detailed park complete with a pond for wildlife, a pool for recreation, walking trails, parking, wheelchair ramps, disability accessible bathrooms, community gardens, playgrounds designed specifically for younger kids, and another for older ones. They included apartment buildings and bus stations. They added traffic lights to intersections and lowered speed limits nearby their school. They made several large public schools, as well as a college (which they insisted, unprompted, was low-income accessible. They made a hospital and a fire station. 

Their instructions were only to create a city with only four boxes to check. They weren’t required to do any more than build the layout of it. But when we asked them to give us a tour of their city, they not only told us what each building was: they described laws that protected minorities. They told us about what roles people would have in their city, including the roles of kids.

No, it wasn’t to the great detail and precision that an adult could. Yes, there were many holes in their creation that would cause problems in the real world. They obviously weren’t thinking in terms of budget or government restrictions. But in a way, that made their ideas so much better. They weren’t tied down by the expectations adults had. They added features that we’ve been fighting for for years, such as basic accessibility, both physical and financial (such as their insistence about free college education).

Kids’ lack of experience doesn’t make them stupid. In fact, I believe it’s part of what makes them so smart. They observe the world around them and aren’t seeing things in terms of criticism and limits. They see something that needs to change, and they aren’t afraid to come up with creative ideas to make that change.

Talking at kids doesn’t do shit.

Telling a kid to do something or not to do it is probably the quickest way to encourage them to do the exact opposite.

But you know what I’ve found works almost every time? TWO WAY CONVERSATIONS!

Saying “don’t talk to people like that” is a very easy way to not change behaviour. Rather, help them understand why they shouldn’t talk a certain way. 

When working with young children, I usually start off with saying “When you said [x], my feelings were hurt because...” And then they usually figure it out for themselves that they said the wrong thing. 

This works so much better because:

1) the kid doesn’t get defensive. When you scold them for misbehaving, they quickly learn to guard themselves from that. When you can calmly explain to them what was wrong about that situation, they’re less likely to try to protect themselves from your words: because they won’t need to.

2) They learn exactly what was wrong about what they said. When you just tell them they’re wrong but refuse to talk to them about how or why they did something hurtful, they can’t always take it the right way. When a kid says “you look dirty” and you tell them that’s rude, they don’t understand why. In their heads, that may have been them trying to say you have mud smeared on your pants, or you have food spilled on your shirt: they may have just been trying to help you. When you explain to them exactly what about that statement was hurtful, and perhaps offer a kinder way to say it, they’ll recognise their mistake much quicker and remember it better.

3) They’ll learn how to express their own feelings in a much more healthy way. Kids learn from their surroundings. When you snap at them for making a mistake, you teach them to do the same. Then, later on down the road, you may hurt their feelings, and they may lash out at you. When you teach them to communicate more openly, they’ll learn how to address their problems in a productive manner.

4) It gives them the opportunity to problem solve. When you say “this hurt because” instead of “you’re wrong”, it allows them to come to the conclusion that they made a mistake on their own. It’s basically the child-equivalent of providing someone with sources to try to disprove them. Except when it’s taught from a young age, they’ll learn to accept the criticism instead of attack it.

On a related note, when you see a problem coming up repeatedly, or a child is growing upset about something: Share your feelings about the situation, ask them to share theirs, and then help them come up with solutions.  

Mistakes are healthy

Stopping a young person from making a mistake isn’t always helpful. Obviously, if they’re about to hurt themselves or others, stop them. But if it’s a little mistake, let them make it. And then talk to them about it. Help them come up with ways to first fix this mistake and then to avoid making the mistake again in the future.

It conveys the message of “you’re human and mistakes are normal: I’m here for you.” instead of the message of “You can’t do anything right, just let me do it for you.”

You can’t learn and grow as a person if you’re never allowed to put yourself out there and make mistakes. Give young people the chance to try things themselves: but make it clear you’re here for them when they need support. 

Listen to them.

This piggybacks off of a lot of what I said above, but listening to kids is important. 

When a teenager says they need help, it’s far more effective to ask them how you can help them than it is to tell them why they’re struggling and then refuse to help them solve it. I can’t tell you how many kids I’ve had reach out to me saying they feel alone because of this. They’ll come to me saying that they went to their parent to say they feel depressed (or even are on the brink of hurting themselves in some way), only to be met with “well you should think about how I feel” or “you’re just being dramatic.”

When a kid says something hurt them, LISTEN TO THEM. Kids’ feelings are every bit as complex as those of an adult. You don’t turn 18 and suddenly have a real brain with real emotions. You have that your whole life; humanity doesn’t come with age. experience based decisions do.

And, spoiler alert: kids know themselves better than you do. No, this doesn’t mean when your 11 year old refuses to eat vegetables or brush their teeth, you can shrug and say “well they know themselves best”. This means when they try to share how they’re feeling (ESPECIALLY when they’re sharing a feeling about something you did), listen to them and try to compromise when it’s reasonable to do so. If you hurt their feelings--apologise. If they feel like they deserve more freedom, offer up ideas for how they can earn your trust. 

TL;DR: Kids aren’t brainless creatures you can ignore and wonder why they aren’t becoming functional adults. They don’t lack intelligence: they lack a method to communicate that intelligence

Treating kids like adults (in an age-appropriate way) gives them the opportunity to learn the skills needed to act like adults when they’re thrown into the real world. You can’t treat them like they’re dumb their whole life and then ask why they’re not succeeding.

[sakkac]

“please take care of me in this life as well” is the only manhwa i would recommend without hesitation. the description that goes along like ‘my past life is impeding my current love life’ does not do it justice at all. it has so much nuance... like anyone can write about an immortal person or knowable reincarnation and force their fears and beliefs about this invention onto fiction, like ‘omg this shit hurts so bad xoxo im angsty and actively self-destructive uwu” but yoon joowon is actually insane in an enjoyable way. she’s fun to watch and rarely tense, a welcome freshness from someone like “omniscent reader’s perspective”’s joonghyuk’s oversaturated depression.

from the beginning, joowon is portrayed as uncomfortably comfortable, secretive, and clever. she scares a rich, entitled child just because it could turn out to be fucking funny for her. and literally she says that throughout all her experiences, she’s learned the best thing is money... she’s ready for her cushy 18th life... but she’s gonna scar an impressionable child first maybe. despite that, she is extremely kind in her own way and is careful not to overstep boundaries. though intelligent and experienced, she knows she lacks knowledge in certain areas. joowon genuinely enjoys life and being with those she loves... she doesnt worry about mortality or anything, bc she knows it doesnt matter in the long scheme anyways, the difference between them is wide enough without her actively pushing it. she will remember and carry them in her memory and that’s enough. however, as children, she lets seoha gather these misunderstandings about her for fun and watches him unravel them in horror and then affection... and then she grows fond of him enough to passionately chase after him when the distance between them widens later on

the chemistry between the main leads is palpable and believable; their infatuation grows into sincere care, and the characters learn to recognize each other as people exceeding the former’s initial expectations, i.e. seoha grows up in many different ways while joowon isnt there and she gives him space so they can both interpret each other as essentially new people, while also reminding him her shoulder is there for him to lean on. each interaction between them is careful but open... joowon acts only within the boundaries she and seoha have taught each other, and they slowly expand them as they grow closer. she’s still mischievous in her own way, and seoha is, at times, naive as he was as a child, especially with her. they are v much their own ppl, though i’d argue that joowon is the stronger and more stable of the two of them, but that’s to be expected and joowon always acts with this in mind.

i loved hye lee’s “a good day to be a dog” too, but “in this life” is in another ballpark entirely... like somehow she took all the good parts (the relationship’s growth, characters as their own ppl, apt humor, pretty girls with interesting personalities, a good balance of humor and introspective content) from her last work and reshuffled them so they work even better. like i love this series so badly ive written this post in my head for months but only now have the courage to write it out. i am constantly in the between of wanting to share this manhwa and hoarding it so no one else can see... no one would ask me this, but if i had a choice between which should survive, i would push “a good day to be a dog” down a cliff for “in this life.” i love this series so badly that even if i didnt have to resort to violence in an imaginary scenario, i would still commit murder just to ensure the survival of “in this life”

[kuriquinn]

Dear Mr. Kuri, thank you so much for your recent post concerning the young artist who was effectively censored from sharing his/her/their art on a particular subject (just... so sad). I was hoping to get your thoughts on how adults might navigate interactions with minors in this space. Specifically, extending our support for their work w/out necessarily... engaging with them. I know this sounds crazy stupid but before tumblr I wasn't really active on any social media and I had no idea (cont'd)

there were so many users under the age of 16 on this site. I've even come to learn that some identified users I had interacted with early on were as young as 13, and as someone in my 30's - tbh that scared the shit out of me. I totally agree that someone that young and impressionable would be crushed by the kind of criticism that poor artist faced, and would likely never create or share again... to their detriment. The thing is though, I feel really hesitant following any creator (cont'd)

that isn't 18 or older... What are your thoughts on following/reblogging/interacting with minors in fandom? I fully agree that they need support, especially from older users who don't care what some stranger on the internet has to say... but I just feel... like I don't know how to go about that the right way. I really REALLY don't want minors on my blog at all... sorry to bother you with this, just wondering how you'd suggest handling this. I didn't comment on the post bc I didn't (cont'd)

want to risk that young artist reading my inquiry and feeling even more alienated. As always, thank you for your time and insight. - Birk

I may go a bit off-topic here, but let me give this a try:

I think in, In the end, it all comes down to communication and mutual respect.

Adults have this pervading mentality that until a child hits 18, they need to be infantilized and sheltered, but once they pass that magical number, then it’s a free for all. So, for eighteen years, it’s all about sticking a Potemkin village in front of any idea, person or situation that a child might find uncomfortable (read: they don’t like the feelings it gives them; very different from actual harmful ideas/persons/situations). Then, these sheltered almost-adults enter public spaces and expect society to keep doing that…when it turns out that’s not how it works, they become toxic.

This is how poisonous movements like purity-culture develop online, or new fans who demonize older fans and adults as being perverts for enjoying the very same pastimes they have.

For those of us interacting with these people, the automatic reaction is to “cancel” that person, thereby alienating and isolating them even more in their bad behavior. Instead of taking the time to talk with and try to show them through actions that the world isn’t limited to what they know.

As adults in fandom, we know that a large majority of the fandom is younger, because we were them once. We were that 12-year-old discovering fanfiction existed or sharing drawings we made of our original Harry Potter characters or quoting our favorite movies and televisions ad infinite. We got shit for it in real life, so we had to create spaces of our own online.

We, in effect, built fandom so that it would be more welcoming for the generations that came after us. And while a lot of us stick to that unwritten knowledge, as the years pass, a lot more become gatekeepers. They set a standard of what a fan must know or do to be considered a “real” fan, and they’re mean about how they do that.

Is it any wonder that new fans coming in experience this behavior and then jump on the “adults in fandom is creepy” bandwagon?

These new fans coming in, especially tweens and teens, they still live in this false reality where they only get to enjoy themselves and be kids for a limited amount of time, and once they Become Adult they have to give it all up—and can’t figure out why all those old creeps online are still a part of such “childish” things.

That fault lies squarely on our society, which pushes kids from a young age to be thinking of what they want to do when they grow up so they can get out there and start producing, producing, producing for the state and becoming a “useful” member of society.

We as fandom veterans, need to do our best to teach them differently, and that comes right back to my point: communication and mutual respect.

Older fans need to respect newcomers, as much as the new baby fans need to learn to respect their fandom elders. There is no maximum age for fandom; there’s no minimum age, either, although the younger the fan, the more their parents should be keeping an eye out for the truly damaging stuff and teaching their kids how to avoid that stuff on their own.

Now, obviously, people don’t always announce online how old they are (though it does happen more frequently now than when I started writing), but regardless, there should be a certain etiquette to it.

When you interact with someone online, you don’t know if they are 15 or 50. And the way you interact with them shouldn’t change based on knowing their age. We should maintain the same level of respect for the new fans as the older fans.

So, as to how adults might navigate interactions with minors (especially when you know they’re minors)?

Treat them as any other intelligent human being: with respect.

Because how else are they going to learn?

My mom always used to say to us, “I’m not raising children, I’m raising adults,” which basically meant she was teaching us how to be adults. Kids don’t pop out of the womb magically knowing how to interact with the world, they take their cues from the adults that are already there.

Fandom babies learn how to be active participants in fandom from the people who are already there. And they’re more likely to listen to and look up to someone that treats them as a mature and capable being, than someone who dismisses them as too young or too green, or dismisses their knowledge and experience because they haven’t earned their metaphorical stripes.

Remember, a lot of these kids are coming to fandom because they need an outlet. In this age of helicopter parents, this is the only place where they get to be treated as an individual adult-in-the-making instead of the overly protected child or student that must be shielded from the world. A lot of them are trying to figure out how to deal with the horrors that happen to them or around them every day. That 16-year-old girl writing a rape/non-con fic under a pseudonym? She could be exorcising her own demons through the only way she has because no one in her life is listening to her. That 14-year-old writing about homelessness might know more about it than someone twice his age.

Expertise and experience knows no age, and as adults, we need to not fall into the trap of thinking it does. There are some kids out there that have seen and endured more than I can even imagine.

In recent years, there’s been this trend of treating kids like sexless beings until we, the adults, deem them capable of having a sense of sexuality. When the reality is, once kids start puberty, they’re developing that sexuality, and are trying to figure out what it means to them and how to navigate it, and the world. It doesn’t matter if adults are uncomfortable with it, this is what our human biology has decided for us.

And chances are, as much as adults try to curate the world and keep kids from seeing the darker, less safe stuff? They’re already doing it. I saw this when I was teaching, the kids are already accessing and interacting with stuff like sex, drugs, relationships… Whenever a faceless censor tries to block that sort of thing, they find a way around it. Humans are funny like that—we want the things that are kept away from us, whether harmful or not.

It’s our responsibility to help them think critically about what they’re seeing, and teach them to express themselves about it in a respectful manner.

So by all means: follow that amazing artist even if they are only 15. Their age doesn’t negate the fact that they have talent that needs to be nurtured and encouraged. Reblog the images and the fics that strike you, even if you find out the person writing it isn’t 18 yet. Send a shoutout via DM or review or comment to someone that you admire whether you know they’re age or not.

Unless you’re being actively creepy and offensive (and seriously, don’t do that, it’s gross whether the recipient is a minor or not), chances are these creators are desperate for some assurance that the medium they choose to express themselves in is having an effect on people—and that they have the power to make even adults sit up and listen.

So…TL;DR:

When interacting with younger fans, do so with respect. And if they say something problematic, don’t automatically cancel them and write them off as “obviously too young and immature to understand”. They understand more than you think and will seek out their interests whether adults think it’s appropriate or not. That’s how freedom works. But if we’re going to nip bad behavior like purity culture and agism in the bud, we need to start by treating minors in fandom as adults developing their worldview, not as infants to be sheltered.  

[sugamoonv]

Whipped Namjoon

A.N: Another Headcanon!!!!! I just have some strong feelings for my intelligent, talented string bean.

Let's just say you work as camerawoman or man

You’re interning with bighit and are currently working on your degree in film and directing

But one of your jobs is to follow BTS around and help with Run episodes, choreo videos that they want to use for reference

Bc the actual choreo is shot by people higher up

 Since your job is to literally follow BTS around with a camera, you get to know them pretty well

They’re all incredibly nice to the staff around them

though since you’re new and do more assisting than directing, you don’t talk to them too much......yet

 Namjoon just kind of awkwardly stares at you infatuated for the longest time hoping that you and his members think he’s looking at the camera

Until one day when you get a break and you’re just sitting on the floor in the dance studio eating your lunch

Namjoon builds up the courage to join you

His members kind of give him confused looks when Namjoon brushes them off to sit with you all of a sudden

He finds out that you have a lot on common actually, and if you weren’t already beautiful to him, then listening to you talk to him about something he likes cements his schoolgirl crush on you

He’s especially enamored with the way you ramble about the things your passionate about, even if it’s something he doesn’t understand

After eating lunch together, Namjoon tries to find small moments to talk to you, be near you, etc.

Jeon “romance boy” Jungkook soon realizes that it’s not the camera that Namjoon is staring at as if it were the freaking moon

it was in fact you

And boi does the teasing start bc the little shit just couldnt keep his mouth shut over how his hyung was head over heels for you

Besides the staring, Namjoon makes his crush incredibly obvious to anyone with a brain cell

He’s suddenly more clumsy and the way you laugh only subconsciously reinforces him to be clumsy

Namjoon also laughs at everything you laugh at or every joke you crack

And I’m not talking a haha, that was funny, chuckle

I mean like the real, genuine, full-on belly laugh

To Namjoon, all the comedians in the world combined would never be as funny as the dumb scenarios or quips you come up with

And they say that a good sense of humor comes with intelligence so........

Luckily, you have more than one brain cell and aren’t completely oblivious

The boys aren’t exactly subtle either.....

Whenever you enter the room, the boys start giggling and looking at you and Namjoon before turning and whispering to each other

and the oh-so-subtle comments about how you and Namjoon should get food together for everything, or how Namjoon is alone in his studio, or “Doesn’t Y/N look nice today?” 

Namjoon is the only one that’s forced to answer that question

Not that he’s upset about it

It’s just he preferred if he could say you looked good without any prompts and without his face turning tomato red

 Namjoon takes you under his wing

I feel like that’s how he shows he cares about someone

He provides emotional support, helps with anything you need, gives advice, and just overall wants to help you grow and be healthy

As you get closer, you begin going out of your way to help each other out

You’ll volunteer your time to listen to new songs or ideas Namjoon has, go over the choreo with him when he’s struggling, give him small pieces of advice on his outfits and what not

Namjoon likes to sit with you as you edit videos

Maybe if it was a busy day, he offers a massage bc holding a camera up all day WILL make your arms sore, no matter how much you work out

It gets to the point where you constantly buy each other food and carry snacks and water with you at all times, bc what if the other gets hungry?????????

Absolutely not

Namjoon is the one that asks you out first

tbh, Namjoon is kinda old fashioned in that he believes it’s up to the guy to ask the other person out

Though if you had asked him out first, he would be just as happy

The boys all ship you

To the point where it almost becomes overbearing????

They all work to hide your new relationship from management bc both of you aren’t sure how well BigHit would take you dating

With Namjoon being an idol, dating was already bound to be difficult for him, and companies have become laxer on it but still

Not to mention that the person he’s dating is technically a co-worker

They boys come up with the idea to put on a fancy dinner for your first date since you and Namjoon can’t go out without risking being caught

Jin cooks the food

Jimin and Taehyung wait on you

Jimin had to drag Tae away from the table bc he wanted to talk about how good of a job he did decorating with you guys

Jungkook wanted to sing for you guys??????????

he claimed he wanted to do it to set the atmosphere

Yoongi nearly beats him and offers to play the piano in the background

Namjoon feels a little better considering Yoongi won’t snitch if Namjoon fucks up

You catch Hobi spying on you, but needless to say it goes well

so well that you and Namjoon become official by the next week

Since you and Namjoon are officially an item, none of the boys get upset when he ditches them to be with you

they still definitely tease him tho

Namjoon comes up with dumb excuses to have you near him

“Namjoon, you’re just going to do laundry. Why would Y/N need to accompany you?”

“The FaNs mAY WaNT tO SeE HOw I wASh mY CLoThEs?????”

Yeah that does’t work for too long and BigHit eventually puts two and two together

They weren’t happy

They told Namjoon to break up with you and he got PISSED

he went off on this whole angry rant about how you’re good for him and how hard he’s worked for BigHit and BTS so he deserves to be happy, and how BTS is big enough and the fans are so wonderful that they would accept you

He basically told them if they ever tried to force him to break up with you again, he would break his contract

You felt bad and told Namjoon that perhaps you should break up

You both had your careers to focus on and BigHit didn’t approve and you worried that the fans would hate you for taking Namjoon from them

You let your doubts get the best of you.

You’re both mature adults so after two days of arguing, you both agree to sit down and talk this out

Neither of you wants this fight to be what defines your relationship

Because of this, you come up with a pact to always be honest with one another and that if you’re still angry with the other person after a certain amount of time, you HAD to talk it out

because with his and your busy schedules, the whole, no one goes to bed angry thing may not always work and sometimes that was the reality as trying to talk about an issue may make the person angrier before bed

One thing you were surprised about was how needy Namjoon actually was

As the leader, he has to appear more mature that his members and so you and him don’t perform much pda

maybe holding hands, hugging, or him putting his arm on your shoulder/waist

but other than that.....nada

But behind closed doors??????

That boy is all over you

You can’t go more than two minutes without having his lips on your when he’s in the mood

and that’s not even when he’s in the mood IN THE MOOD

Namjoon often overworks himself which brings a lot of frustrated energy into the bedroom

He once fucked you so hard that wearing skinny jeans was a no no

Namjoon was also loud af that night so none of the boys got any sleep

Yoongi has that 3 million dollar apartment so you bet your ass he went there to actually have some peace and quiet

the others begged to go with him but he only invited Jimin

which only made the remaining members even more miserable

Jin told Namjoon that if he was that loud ever again in the dorms, Jin would leave BTS and never talk to him again

Everyone but Jimin and Yoongi were exhausted the next day, all for different reasons

Namjoon also likes to have slow, passionate sex too

Morning sex is his favorite

you’re just so soft and all of you is bare to him

he loves that he’s the only one that sees you in your natural state like this and can make love

After a year or so of dating, Namjoon really wants to get serious

You’ve already met his parents and he still has the same feelings for you the day you got together

He starts daydreaming about what it would be like to have children, pets, and a home

When you’re gone, he’ll gush to his members about how much he would enjoy being domestic with you

This man can go on for hours on how he’ll buy your favorite snacks (he’s had those memorized for a while now) and how you’ll coook for each other and try new recipes together

Jin laughs at him for this bc the boy can’y even properly cut on onion much less cook

Namjoon also talks about how amazing it would be to fold laundry together and go furniture shopping

The boys may joke but they would never actually tell Namjoon to shut up

They love Namjoon too much and he works hard for them and seeing you make him this happy, makes them happy

These future plans start to make up the majority of your after-sex pillowtalks

When he broke his relationship to the fans, most were happy but there was a bunch that were angry at you, and all of a sudden you had a ton of attention on you

So he didn’t want to make the proposal a public thing

Namjoon had to go on tour and unfortunately you weren’t going with them as you weren’t too needed, which was fine

The thing was, the sneaky little bitch didn’t tell you when he got back

So you just walk into your shared apartment to hear your favorite soft song playing, scented candles going and a pathway of rose petals

And you walk in slowly bc what the fuck right??????

Only to see Namjoon standing in the middle of the room, dressed to the nines while you look like a bum coming home from a long day of work

But he still looks at you as if you’re the most beautiful person in the world and with so much love

you almost run to him bc you missed him so much but when he gets on one knee when you see him

you freeze

Namjoon is shaking, bad, but that’s okay bc you’re on the verge of happy sobbing

imagine if I said you didn’t accept the proposal lmao

Namjoon swears that that night is the happiest he’ll ever be

making love to you after being away for so long while the only thing you’re wearing is his ring......

He could literally die from overwhelming happiness

The boys throw Namjoon and you an engagement party, but you think that they did so just to have an excuse to get drunk

From the get-go, they start planning Namjoon’s bachelor party

Taehyung asks if he can be your bridesmaid and you almost say yes

Jungkook has kind of become a brother to you, so you ask him if he wants to help walk you down the isle

it’s really unconventional, so Jungkook is shocked for a couple minutes then he just starts crying

He says it would be the biggest honor to help give you away to his brother

Namjoon can’t pick one person to be his best man so he just makes all of the boys his best men

Everyone is at this wedding

All of the boys family and yours, all the staff from BigHit that work with BTS, and all of your’s and BTS’s friends

BigHit wanted to televise the wedding but Namjoon said that he would prefer if was private to the people he was close with

No offense, Namjoon loves his fans, but this wedding is so special to him, he just wants it to be as intimate he can get it

And would it truly be Namjoon’s wedding fi he didn’t break at least one thing?????

He calls his dad into the room panicking because he broke one of the buttons on his tux

Then during the ceremony, the clip on mic somehow breaks so both of you are forced to stand there until it’s fixed to continue the wedding

Namjoon’s so happy he doesn’t care if everyone is laughing at him, including you

Namjoon chokes up a lot during his vows and when he tries to hide that he’s crying, you just laugh at him with happy tears in your eyes too

Hobi and Jungkook cry the whole wedding

Well all the boys do but Hobi and Jungkook literally cry from the moment you begin to walk down the isle to the 30 minutes after the reception begins

Jimin’s, Jin’s, and Taehyung’s eyes are also red from crying but theyre more happy than emotional

Yoongi doesn’t cry until he gives his speech

He gives this sentimental speech about how Namjoon means so much to him and how proud and happy he is for you and Namjoon

And when he looks at Namjoon’s teary eyes, he just kind of breaks down

Namjoon hugs Yoongi for 10 minutes while Yoongi sobs into his shoulder

Namjoon takes you to the country you’ve always wanted to go to for the honeymoon

He apologizes over the fact that it won’t be a normal honeymoon since some fans will probably recognize him

The first few days isnt an issue since neither of you leaves your luxury hotel room.

bc lets be honest, everyone knows honeymoons aren’t meant for visiting museums and learning the local history......

if you weren't acquainted with each other's bodies, well now you are

you and Namjoon decide to hold off on having kids for a while, at least until his contract runs out with BigHit

Instead, you buy a dog and with how much Namjoon and honestly, the rest of BTS spoil him, it might as well be your child

I mean Taehyung bought the dog a custom gucci dog sweater for when it’s cold and he has to go pee or go for a walk

Bottom line, Namjoon loves you with all his heart and every day he’s incredibly grateful for the many ways he’s blessed having his brothers by his side and being able to call you his

Permanent Tag List: @eshika0102 @detectivebourbon @omgsuperstarg

[vfdbaudelairefile13]

Chapter Thirty-Six:

The One When the Lachrymose Leeches Attack

 

 

Lemony raced to the Anxious Clown ready for confrontation. If worst came to be, he was going to kill Olaf. He had hoped that Olaf didn’t murder Larry. He honestly did not want another death on his hands. When he turned the corner, he was surprised to see Larry standing outside of the restaurant, he was unharmed for the most part.

“He’s after the Baudelaires,” Larry stated urgently. “I tried to stop him...tried to keep him here longer but it was no use.”

“Your efforts are acknowledged. But there is no need to worry, Larry. They’re good, they’re with Josephine.” 

“But Josephine is dead,” Larry said looking at Lemony confused.

“What? What do you mean she’s dead. I just took them to her,” 

“What do you mean what do I mean?” Larry asked. “How did you take them to her, she’s dead! Did you see her?”

“Well, no. But the children were so sure that she was at Curdled Cave! How do you know that she’s dead?”

“That’s what Olaf said. He said Josephine threw herself out the window. I assumed that isn’t the entire truth, seeing that it is more logical to believe that Olaf threw her out the window…” Larry began.

“When does Olaf tell the fucking truth!?” 

“Well, how are you so sure she’s alive if you didn’t even see her.”

“The kids are sure of it!”

“They’re children, Lemony.”

“No, you don’t know these children like I do! They’re intelligent. They’re resourceful.”

“They might just be overly hopeful, Lemony.”

“No...Larry, you don’t get it. She’s alive.”

Larry sighed. “We can only hope. But I have my doubts. Olaf did kill Monty, I wouldn’t put it past him to kill Josephine.”

“Maybe...maybe Josephine was resourceful like the Baudelaires,” Lemony said desperately. “Larry, you can’t sit here and tell me that I left those two children out on Lake Lachrymose at some cave for nothing!” 

“I’m not saying it’s for nothing. I’m just relaying the message. Olaf was so confident when he said Josephine was dead but the kids did seem to be in a rush.”

“Should I go back?” Lemony asked looking out at the lake from where he stood. 

“You do what you think is best..." Larry replied, "But if Josephine is alive and they’re with her, they’ll be fine. She’s one of the most fierce and formidable members of our organization...well behind one other person.” 

“Who?”

“You,” Larry said patting Lemony on the back. “You haven’t lost a beat. You have Kit’s reckless nature but Jacques’ determination.”

Lemony smiled at that. “Thanks,” he sighed. “Do you know where he went?”

Larry shrugged his shoulders. “He and the incompetent banker left to Josephine’s house.”

Lemony nodded. “Then hopefully, the kids will be fine.”

He was debating on whether or not to go back onto the lake to help the Baudelaires. He felt guilty for leaving them at Curdled Cave.

__________________________________________________

Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire stood silently at the mouth of Curdled Cave. Klaus looked over at a For Sale sign that stood crooked at the mouth of the cave. 

“Curdled cave is for sale…” Klaus commented.

“Vivet?” Sunny asked her brother, which meant, “Who would want to live in such a phantasmagorical place?” 

Before Klaus could answer his sister, they could hear a weird sound that sounded like a mix between a wail and a screech. Sunny looked up at her brother. 

“Tumultum,” Sunny asked, which meant, “What is that sound?” 

“J-just the wind probably. I read that when wind passes through small spaces, like caves, it can make strange noises. It’s nothing to be afraid of.”

“Timere,” Sunny replied, meaning, “I’m afraid of it anyway,”

Klaus looked down at his baby sister in his arms, “Me, too.” he admitted.chuckling softly.

He began to walk into the cave cautiously, the screeching wail getting louder and louder as they entered the cave. Klaus saw a figure sitting on one of the rocks. “Aunt Josephine?” he called out. 

The figure wailed so loud that it shocked both Baudelaires. Klaus gave wide eyes as Sunny gave Josephine a ‘What The Fuck’ face. “Are you…” Klaus began as Josephine screeched. “...ohhhh kay?” he asked looking at his guardian.

“You figured it out! I knew you could figure it out!” She yelled running to Klaus and Sunny, hugging them tightly in her arms. She looked at the two siblings and the children looked at her and found themselves with tears in their own eyes as they greeted their guardian. It was as if they had not quite believed that Aunt Josephine’s death was fake until they had seen her alive with their own eyes. “You two decoded my message!” 

“Fecit Klaus,” Sunny replied, which meant, “Klaus really did it,”

Klaus smiled as he translated for Sunny, he looked down at his sister, “Don’t be modest,” Klaus said to her and turned to Josephine. “Sunny figured out how to get out of brunch with Sham. Without Sunny, I wouldn’t have had the time to decode the message.”

“Well, I am so glad to see both of you,” Josephine said releasing the children from her grasp. “Just let me catch my breath and I’ll help you bring in your things.”

The Baudelaires looked at one another. “What things?” Klaus asked confused.

“Your luggage, of course,” Josephine said not noticing the children’s confused expressions. “Oh, I hope you brought food. I’m out.”

“We didn’t bring any food.” 

Josephine looked at the children in disbelief. “No food? How in the world did you expect to live with me in this cave if you didn’t bring any food?”

“We didn’t come here to live with you,” Klaus said annoyed.

“Then why did you  come?”

“Stim!” Sunny yelled, which meant, “Because we were worried about you!”

“Whatever word that was, Sunny, it was grammatically incorrect. But maybe your brother will explain in correct English why you’re here.”

“Because Captain Sham almost had us in his fucking clutches!” Klaus yelled. “Everyone thought you were dead, and in your will and testament, you wrote that we should be placed in the care of that bastard!”

“He forced me to do that! We were only halfway through our fried-egg sandwiches when Captain Sham told me that he was really Count Olaf. He said I had to write out a will saying you children would be left in his care or he would drown me in the lake. I was so frightened that I agreed immediately…”

“You agreed immediately!?” Klaus asked angrily, interrupting Josephine.

“But... I hid a secret message that I hope you children would find. Of course, then I knew my life was truly in danger. I waited for my opportunity and faked my own death.”

Both children could not believe their ears.

“Aban!” Sunny shrieked, which meant, “So you fucking abandoned us!” Klaus was quick to translate for her. 

“Why didn’t you take us with you? Why did you leave us all alone by ourselves? Why didn’t you protect us from Count Olaf?” Klaus asked his voice breaking. “ Do you understand what that man is capable of and what he plans to do to me and my sister!? ”

“Oh, Klaus, it is not grammatically correct to say “leave us all alone by ourselves”. You can say “leave us all alone’ or “leave us by ourselves’ but not both. Do you understand.”

Klaus rolled his eyes at Josephine's complete lack of caring about the well being of the Baudelaires. Sunny yelled, “Deus!” which meant, “For the love of God, we don’t give a shit about grammar!”  Klaus translated for his sister. He was equally annoyed with their guardian.

“That wasn’t grammatically correct either, but we’ll say no more about it. We have all had a very trying day, but I don’t think Captain Sham will ever find us here. We can share Curdled Cave for the rest of our lives.”

“What?” Klaus replied. “We’re not staying here! We’re taking your sailboat back to town and you’re coming with us.”

“No way, José,” Josephine replied shaking her head. “I am too frightened of Count Olaf to face him!”

“But...if you tell Mr. Poe what happened, then Count Olaf will be locked away and we’ll be safe. All of us.”  

“You can tell him that if you want. I am staying here.”

“He won’t believe us unless you come along and prove you’re alive.”

“No, no, no. It’s much too dangerous.”

“ Dangerous!?” Klaus yelled. “You are our guardian! You’re supposed to take care of us!”

“No. No. No. No. No. No. No. No. I am too afraid.”

“Omnes!” Sunny yelled, which meant, “Tough shit, we’re all afraid!” Klaus translated for his sister and then looked at Josephine.

“Sunny’s right. We’re all afraid! We were afraid when we bumped into Olaf at the store. We were afraid when we thought you had jumped out of your window. We were afraid to give ourselves allergic reactions. We were afraid to trust a stranger and cross Lake Lachrymose in the middle of a hurricane. But that didn’t stop us!” 

“I can’t help it if you are braver than I am. I can’t do it. I am going to live here for the rest of my life and there is nothing you can stay that will change my mind!”  Josephine replied stomping her right foot on the ground as if to say that her word was final. 

Klaus and Sunny looked at one another. Klaus formed a smirk on his face and then wiped the raindrops from his glasses in a similar fashion as the windshield wipers of an automobile wipes the windshield clean. “You know Curdled Cave is for sale,” Klaus said nonchalantly.

“So what?” Josephine replied turning her back towards the children.

“Well, that just means that before long, certain people are going to want to look at it.” Klaus began as he walked slowly towards their guardian. “And some of those people,” he got as close to Josephine as he could. “Will be realtors,” he whispered. 

Josephine’s eyes went wide with fear, she turned towards the Baudelaires. “Okay, let’s go.” 

Klaus smiled to himself seeing that he had successfully convinced his guardian to leave the cave. 

Josephine took the life jacket from the Baudelaires and followed Klaus and Sunny on to her sailboat. The lake was calm, Hurricane Herman had passed and the Baudelaires stupidly believed that everything was going to be okay. They were irritated by the fact that Josephine kept crying out ‘oh no’ and ‘uh-oh’ every minute, it was truly getting on the children’s nerves. Klaus and Sunny manned the sailboat by themselves wondering how in the world Josephine even got to Curdled Cave in the first place. Klaus remembered books that he had read on sailing and instructed Sunny on how to move the tiller as he manned the sail and kept them on course to Damocles Dock. 

“Uh-oh,” Josephine had repeated. 

“Shush!” Sunny yelled rolling her eyes.

“Oh no,’ Josephine whined anxiously.

Klaus sighed but moved closer to Josephine in the small sailboat. “Aunt Josephine, please stop saying that. Hurricane Herman is over, the sailboat is working perfectly and we’ll be back to Damocles Dock by morning.”

“Safe!” Sunny yelled.

“Maybe...maybe...you could think back to a time when you were a little more fierce and formidable,” Klaus suggested as he took the two photographs out of his pocket.

Josephine gasped as her eyes got wide. She snatched both pictures right out of Klaus’ hands. “Where did you find these?”

“In the library,”

“I haven’t seen either of these photographs in years,” Josephine commented with a nostalgic smile plastered on her face. “Lucky Smells Lumbermill! Ah, it’s not far from here,” she commented as she pointed at the most familiar face in the picture. “Oh, look at Ike! Look how handsome he looks in that hat.”

Klaus gave a low chuckle as Josephine rambled on. “Oh, and look at Monty!”

“And our parents,” Klaus commented pointing at his parents standing front and center in the Lucky Smells photograph. 

“And your parents...such brave and noble people,” Josephine sighed. “Oh, how I miss them dearly.”

“We miss them, too,” Klaus said looking to Sunny, who nodded as she manned the tiller. “But we have questions about them. They never told us about you. They never told us about Uncle Monty. I have a feeling there’s a lot of things they never told us about. Like why Olaf is in this picture, seemingly pals with them.” He said pointing to the other picture that had several young adults sitting on a couple of stairs holding spyglasses.

“Your parents, Baudelaires, wanted to raise you in a quiet world, far away from the fiery injustices that were threatening all of us. They were trying to keep you safe.”

“It didn’t work…” Klaus muttered.

“No...unfortunately, it didn’t,” Josephine commented. “There was a time when Olaf��was a...better...man. Things happened...that altered his life and...he merely acted out, at first. Then his behavior became much, much worse. Now, don’t dare think I am excusing his actions because I am not, children. It’s just he used to be like Ike and I...like your parents…”

“Factom?” Sunny asked, which meant, “What happened?” Klaus translated for his sister.

“...It’s really not my place to say, children,” Josephine said handing Klaus back the two pictures.

Klaus rolled his eyes and quickly took the pictures back, folding them into his pocket. He took out the pictures he was able to retrieve from Ike’s room. Being able to look at them for the first time. He was amazed to see that there were pictures of different fires. “What are all these?” 

Josephine’s eyes went wide. “Where...where did you children find these?”

“In Ike’s room,” 

“The fires…” she whispered.

“Why was he investigating fires?” Klaus asked.

“We all were...Uncle Monty, Count Olaf, the Snicket siblings, Ike and me....” she began.

“Our parents?” 

“They were two of our most fierce and formidable volunteers…” Josephine began.

“Volunteers?” Klaus asked looking at Sunny, who was staring at Josephine in utter confusion. 

“Club?” Sunny asked.

She sighed. “Children, there are good people in this world and bad people. The ones who start the fires and the ones who put them out…”

“Who’s doing this?” Klaus asked. “Is it Olaf?”

“I’ve said too much already,” Josephine said shaking her head fiercely. “Your parents probably had the answer to that and look what happened to them!” 

“Aunt Josephine! We demand answers!” Klaus yelled. 

Josephine sighed. “There are some things better left unsaid, Baudelaires. Not long after those photographs were taken, your parents and two of the Snicket siblings had to make a vastly frightening decision. I remember that day so well, Klaus. Your mother had just wrestled one of our enemies to the ground when she turned to me and said--uh-oh”

“What?” Sunny asked. 

“Uh-oh! And I mean it this time!”

“What’s wrong?” Klaus asked slightly worried. 

“We are now entering the territory of the Lachrymose Leeches!” Josephine whined. “Oh, my poor Ike! He always loved shredded beef tamales, and they ended up sealing his doom!” 

Both children rolled their eyes. “Aunt Josephine, focus! What did she say?”

“Oh! We should have never left that cave! It’s not too late to turn around now and I will just take my chance with the realtors…”

“Josephine!” Klaus yelled angrily. “What did our mother say!?”

In the calmest tone that the Baudelaires ever heard from her, she looked out at the water of Lake Lachrymose and without even blinking, she said, “ We’re going to die, ”

Klaus looked at her with wide eyes. “What?”

“ It’s the leeches!” She screeched, pointing out at the water.

“I-I’m sure we’ll be alright. You said that the leeches were usually harmless.”

“Unless you have recently eaten!” Josephine corrected.

“Well, it’s a good thing none of us have eaten in a while. The last thing Sunny and I had were those peppermints at the Anxious Clown. That was brunch, and it’s almost morning now.” Klaus replied studdering from both his fear and how cold he was.

Sunny glared at Josephine, who was trying to stay silent but she could tell the infant was staring daggers her way. “Banana,” Josephine replied.

Klaus’ eyes got even wider, but the only part of his face that showed fear was his eyes. The rest of his face showed pure anger as he stared at his guardian. “You didn’t eat anything recently, right, Josephine?” he asked through gritted teeth.

“I ate a banana just before you arrived,” 

“Uh-oh,” Sunny said looking at Klaus.

Klaus sighed trying his best to remain calm and level headed. “I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about. Leeches are very small creatures. If we were in the water, we might have reason to fear, but I doubt they’d attack a sailboat. Besides Hurricane Herman might have even scared them a bit.” Klaus looked down into the waters of Lake Lachrymose and gave a low chuckle. “Uh-oh,” he said nervously, still studdering over his words and anxiously looking around to see the leeches. 

Out of the swirling blackness came, skinny, rising shapes, barely visible in the moonlight. The shapes were scarcely longer than a finger, and at first, it looked as if someone were swimming in the lake and drumming their fingers on the surface of the water. But most people only have ten fingers, and in the few minutes that followed, there were hundreds of these tiny shapes, wriggling hungrily from all sides toward the sailboat. The Lachrymose Leeches made a quiet, whispering sound on the water as they swam as if the Baudelaire orphans were surrounded by people murmuring terrible secrets. The children looked at one another, both trying their best to stay calm for their sibling. The children watched in silence as the swarm approached the boat, each leech knocking very lightly against the wood. The water bubbled all around them.

“You see,” Klaus said nervously, as the tapping of leech-mouths continued. “We’re perfectly safe.” 

“Leave!” Sunny said nervously, which meant, “See...they’re leaving.”

The leeches were, in fact, swimming away from the boat. But to the Baudelaires’ horror, the leeches made their way back to the sailboat much harder and much faster than before. Determined to knock the three passengers out of the sailboat. The tapping continued, getting more and more rough and loud. Everyone onboard the sailboat was quite anxious to see what would happen when frustration brought out the worst in the leeches. The leeches continued to swim away and swim back to the sailboat with all their might. With loud thwack!s , causing the sailboat to rock precariously, a word which here means, “in a way which almost threw Aunt Josephine and the Baudelaire youngsters to their doom.”

“Whoa!” Klaus shouted holding on to the edge of the boat. Sunny crawled cautiously over to her brother. As Josephine started to scream.

“Yadec!” Sunny shrieked and pointed at the said of the boat. Even if ‘Yadec’ wasn’t proper English, even Aunt Josephine understood what the younger Baudelaire orphan meant, which was, “Look at the crack in the boat that the leeches have made!” 

“We’re going to need to sail much, much faster or this boat will be in pieces in no time,” Klaus said to Josephine. Who just stood there screaming and panicking.

“We’re doomed!” Josephine yelled. “There’s a crack in the boat!”

Klaus handed Sunny to Josephine so his baby sister wouldn’t be in too much danger. “We’re sinking...we’re sinking...we’re sinking.” She chanted holding Sunny close.

“ Aunt Josephine that’s not fucking helping!” Klaus shouted as he stood up.

Klaus looked around in dismay. “Sails rely on wind but we can’t make the wind go any faster,” he said more or less to himself trying to think out an idea.

“I’m frightened!” Josephine cried looking at Klaus. “ Please don’t throw me overboard!”

“No one is going to throw you overboard!” Klaus yelled impatiently.

“Ironiam?” sunny asked, which meant, “Dramatic irony?”

“Take an oar, Josephine!” Klaus yelled handing her one of the two small oars that he found in the sailboat. 

The leeches continued screeching, which cause Josephine to continue to wail as loud as she could. Klaus watched as several leeches had hit hard enough to break through the wood in the sailboat. During the leeches attempt to either flip over the sailboat or destroy the sailboat, one of the leeches was thrown over the side in the impact and twisted this way and that on the floor of the boat, gnashing its tiny teeth as it looked for food. Grimacing, Klaus walked cautiously over to it and tried to kick the leech overboard, but it clung onto his shoe and began gnawing through the leather. With a cry of fear and disgust, Klaus shook his leg and the leech fell to the floor of the sailboat again, stretching its tiny neck and opening and shutting its mouth. Klaus grabbed the oar he was trying to use to row and scooped up the leech and tossed the demonic beast overboard. He began trying to row with one oar as Josephine held the oar tightly to her and Sunny.

“Aunt Josephine! Help me!” Klaus cried. 

To his horror leeches were not only eating his oar but they were crawling on it trying to make their way to him. He threw what was left of the oar into the water. “Well, rowing isn’t going to work.”

“No auxilium!” Sunny shouted pointing down at the puddle of water on the sailboat’s floor, this meant, “Rowing isn’t going to help anyway. This boat is sinking!” 

“We need help,” Klaus whimpered unsure of what to do. He grabbed a small bucket that was laying within the sailboat and started to scoop the water out of the boat. “How are we going to get help in the middle of a lake so soon after a hurricane!?”

“Steve?” Sunny asked remembering the Ferry operator who had helped the kids to get to Curdled Cave.

Klaus stood up looking around for Steve’s boat. “It’s too dark! I can’t see anything!” 

The leeches continued screeching and thwacking the boat with all their might. “We need a signal...something! Anything!” Klaus shouted but Josephine was too busy freaking out to help him think. 

Klaus closed his eyes. “That’s right, darling! Close your eyes! That’s what I do when I’m afraid!” Aunt Josephine yelled in Klaus' direction as Sunny rolled her eyes.

“I’m not blocking out anything! I’m concentrating!” Klaus shouted crossly at their guardians as he bailed out more water from the boat. “Well, at least I am trying to!” 

“Pyro!” Sunny yelled, which meant, “Fire!”

“What?” Klaus asked not understanding his sister.

“Arson!” Sunny said, which meant, “We need to start a fire! We need light!”

“Won’t that get us in more danger?” Klaus asked as the leeches hit the boat again.

“Aladdin,” Sunny replied, which meant, “Do you trust me?” 

Klaus sighed heavily but nodded his head. “It’ll be hard to start a fire! Everything here is…” He began as he heard the terrifying noise of the boat creaking and Josephine screaming. “...wet from the storm.”

“No,” Sunny said pointing at Aunt Josephine’s scarf.

Klaus ran up to Josephine. “Aunt Josephine I need your scarf and your oar,” 

“You can have the oar, but you can’t have my scarf!”

“Josephine!” he hissed.

“No! I need it more, I need it to protect my neck!”

“I don’t have time to fucking argue you with you! I’m trying to save each of our lives!” Klaus yelled angrily.

“The expression is ‘saving all of our lives’ not ‘saving each of our…” Josephine began as Sunny roughly pulled the scarf off her neck, causing Josephine to scream in terror. Sunny handed the scarf to Klaus and looked at Josephine. “Sit!” She yelled at her. 

“Oh my God. Oh! Oh!” Josephine cried.

Klaus looked at the scarf trying to figure out how he was going to light a fire, he knew he couldn’t use friction, seeing that that requires technique, patience, and dry conditions. There’s always something. He told himself and immediately he got an idea when the lavender lighthouse shined its light on his face. 

“The scientific principle of the divergence and refraction of light…” he muttered to himself, as he hopped up on one of the seats as a leech tried to bite his knee. 

“What?” Sunny asked.

“You know when horrible people use a magnifying glass to burn ants?”

“Olaf used to do that,” Josephine commented.

“Of course he did,” Klaus said rolling his eyes. “The point is, theoretically, if I can catch enough light from the lighthouse beam…” he sighed. “But that seems unlikely.”

“Tentant,” Sunny reassured, this meant, “Just try your best.”

“It doesn’t matter if I try my best. What matters is what happens.”

Klaus quickly took off his glasses trying to maneuver the beam of the lighthouse to properly help him. He tried and tried, turning himself in each direction to create new angles. He looked up at Aunt Josephine and his terrified baby sister and felt hope leak out of his heart as quickly as water was leaking into their boat. “It’s not working,” he said miserably and felt tears roll down his cheeks. He thought of the promise he made to his parents, shortly before they were killed, that he would always take care of Sunny. The leeches swarmed around the sinking boat, and Klaus feared that he had not lived up to his promise. During their latest unfortunate episode, it had been Sunny who came up with each idea and saved him. Now, the one time where Sunny couldn’t physically help their situation, he realized in horror that he couldn’t either. He looked at the depths of Lake Lachrymose, imagining how Ike must have felt when he died. Klaus feared that soon both Baudelaires and Aunt Josephine would suffer the same fate. A fate he believed would be a very unpleasant way to go. “It’s not working…we need a fire and I can’t make one…” 

Sunny gave him a small smile. “Tintet,” she replied, which meant, “It’s okay, don’t cry...you tried your best...we’ll think of something.” but Klaus cried anyway. 

It is very easy to say that the important thing is to try your best, but if you are in real danger like the Baudelaires found themselves in, the most important thing is not trying your best, but getting to safety. The boat rocked back and forth and water poured through the cracks, and Klaus cried because it looked like they would never get to safety. His shoulders shaking with sobs as he began to break down. “The angle’s wrong. The light just needs to refract off of something else to reach us.”

“Nada,” Sunny chimed in miserably, which meant, “There is nothing else.”

Klaus nodded miserably. “We’re all alone,” He rested his hands in his pockets, and his fingers touched something cold. Quickly he pulled out the spyglass. He took off his glasses again, this time using both the spyglass and his glasses, he pointed both lenses towards the oar that he had tied Josephine’s scarf too. 

Klaus used the spyglass to catch the flickering reflection of the lighthouse’s beam. He quickly tilted both the spyglass and his glasses at an angle he hastily computed in his head. The beam of the lighthouse passed through the lenses of both his glasses and spyglass and was concentrated into a long, thin band of light. And within a moment the thread had become a small frame. 

“It’s miraculous!” he shrieked happily.

“It’s unbelievable!” Josephine remarked.

“Fonti!” Sunny shrieked. 

He put his glasses back on as he began to step carefully to avoid onboard leeches and so as not to put out the fire, he moved to the front of the boat. With one hand, he held his make shift torch up, making a bright light so someone can know where they were, as he used one of his feet to kick the bucket to create noise. He used his free hand to look around the dark lake with the spyglass. He finally noticed a boat, it was too dark to see entirely but he can see a small light that was attached to it. “I see a boat!” he yelled.

All three passengers began to shout and call out to the boat. 

“Steve?” Sunny asked Klaus.

“I...I can’t tell, it’s too dark. But I assume so.” Klaus said.

Both Baudelaires began yelling for their strange ‘friend’. “Steve!” Sunny shouted as loud as she could watching as five more leeches made their way into their boat.

“ Steve!” Klaus cried desperately flailing his hands. “ Steve! Over here! Steve help us! Please!”

The boat continued to slowly creep closer to the children’s wrecked sailboat.

Klaus’ signal had worked. But it was a mixed blessing, a phrase which here means, “something half good and half bad.” Somebody saw the signal almost immediately, somebody who was already sailing in the lake, and who headed towards the children in an instant. Both Baudelaires hoped and prayed that it was Steve Barkin, the kind Ferry operator who had offered to take the Baudelaires to Curdled Cave in the midst of Hurricane Herman. 

Klaus, Sunny, and Aunt Josephine all grinned as they saw another boat sail into view. “Steve!” Sunny shouted again happily.

“Oh! Steve, you are a lifesaver!” Klaus shouted happily.

But there was no answer.

“Steve!?” Klaus shouted as he dropped the torch into the water, feeling relieved that they were saved. “Steve! You don’t know how thankful I am! You got here just in time!”

“Steve?” Sunny called out as the boat neared them a little bit more. They were still unable to see clearly due to how dark it was. 

“Steve?” Klaus called out to the boat’s operator, his smile began to slowly fade away.

[bhaalble]

Alistair: A Defense, a Critique

I PROMISED AN ESSAY

I DELIVER AN ESSAY.

So here we go. What’s up Ferelden, its him, ya boi

So, let’s start off by clearly delineating some things that Alistair is, and more importantly, what he is not.

I think there’s a tendency with Alistair critical posts to treat the worst possible version of Alistair as the “real him”, which is more than a little unfair. Unhardened, kinda bitchy Alistair is a part of him, yes, but its a part of him that only arises when your Warden is continually a dick to him, and I think it’s fair to say that none of us are the best versions of ourselves when we’re constantly being treated like shit or ignored. Furthermore, this isn’t really something we do when we talk about the other characters. Zevran straight up tries to murder you if you don’t have his approval ratings high enough and somehow most people don’t see Zevran as inherently a backstabbing little shit.

So, let’s run down the list of common accusations and overturn them

Alistair is not stupid. He’s just…not. Morrigan jokes, yes, but Morrigan tends to see everyone as an idiot for not sharing her worldview, including your Warden. The one who jokes about Alistair being stupid more often than anyone is Alistair, but as we see time and time again, he’s rarely the most trustworthy source for his real complications.

Alistair may not be a scholar and can make some pretty boneheaded statements, yes, but he’s hardly alone in that department for the DA:O crew. His retorts show some real wit behind them at points. He can demonstrate great social awareness (e.g. catching on to the fact that the Grand Cleric sending him, an ex-templar, to interact with the Circle Mages was definitely an intentional slight). Furthermore, I’d like to point out that he managed to catch on to the Chantry’s bullshit all on his own, before he racked up dozens of counts of mage abuse (*cough* CULLEN *cough*). He still shows some effects of the templar’s training, (especially in his treatment of Jowan and Morrigan) but I’d argue that this is hardly a surprise. He’s been subjected to it 24/7 since he was a child. But he’s aware, and based on the other templars we meet throughout the game that on its own shows some serious introspection and critical thinking.

Alistair is not selfish. While he has his moments, I don’t think that’s really who he is, deep down. Take, for instance, his forgiveness of Arl Eamon. He hasn’t seen Eamon for years. The expected arc would be that he waits for Eamon to wake up, gets an apology, and then forgives him. But based on how he talks about him when you enter Redcliffe, its clear that he’s already forgiven Eamon, and is honestly more than a little ashamed of his behavior. Frankly, this is more selfless than even I would be: imagine being twelve, having lived your life as a street urchin because your adoptive father simply won’t treat you any different than he treats his paid employees, only to be sent away from the only home you’ve ever known because your presence embarrasses his wife. Frankly, I think Alistair would be justified in resenting Eamon for it, but it’s clear that he doesn’t. He calls him a good man from beginning to end.

Furthermore, I think what the Guardian says to Alistair is telling. He doesn’t just feel sad that Duncan is gone. He feels guilty. He, deep down, genuinely believes it should have been him. He wishes he could throw himself on the sword to save his mentor. Then there’s the ritual to consider. It takes some convincing (because of course it does) but with little fuss, Alistair will sleep with a woman he genuinely dislikes (which hoo boy does this make a consent conversation more than a little shaky) to conceive a child that he will never get to see. He, a bastard child cast away from his father, is essentially doing the same thing. All to ensure that he won’t risk his friends dying. Even an unhardened King Alistair casting off a non-human non-noble Warden, while it of course hurts, to me shows a sense of latent responsibility. He genuinely loves and cares about your HoF, but he has the sense that this matters more. That even though he never wanted this burden, he has to carry it as best he can.

What Alistair is is immature.

I want to draw a fine distinction here because I think we tend to use immature interchangeably with “selfish” and “stupid”, so it can sound like I’m contradicting myself. So, to explain myself: I use “immature” in the sense of a symptom, rather than a personality.

For an example of “immature as a personality”, look no further than Tony Stark in like, the first half hour of Iron Man (arguably Tony in the rest of the movies too but ashfagdkh follow me here)

Early Tony Stark is very much someone who is irrepressibly immature. He is capable of being an adult, but he chooses not to be, valuing his own desires above pretty much everyone else’s. He acts out simply because he knows no one will stop him, chases the shiniest, biggest toys he can get, and throws a fit when he doesn’t get his way. He treats other people’s time and needs with a flippant attitude, generally behaving like they are literally side characters who only matter so long as they help him get what he wants.

This isn’t to say there isn’t a reason Tony is the way he is (his relationship with his father being a big contributor), but what is important is that Tony is fully capable of being otherwise, knows it, and chooses not to. He revels in his shamelessness, believing that his immaturity is a sign of his intelligence. Everyone else acts like an adult because they have to, but Tony acts like a child because he is smart enough and rich enough to get away with it. Call it a sort of Capitalist Peter Pan syndrome.

By contrast, Alistair strikes me as immature as a symptom. First off, his age is important to factor in here. Alistair is 20 (my age, which is trippy as fuck). He is barely done being a teenager by the time you meet him.

There are further factors that have stunted Alistair’s emotional maturity, even for the average 20-year-old. He jokes about having been raised by Mabari, but its very clear there weren’t a lot of adult influences in his life at a young age. He mentions Isolde ensured that the castle wasn’t home to him long before he was sent to the Chantry. Imagine being under ten and feeling like you were unwanted by a person who has the power to make your life miserable in every imaginable way.

Then, once he was moved to the Chantry….well, if the Circle is any indication, the Chantry doesn’t exactly know how to accommodate children. Alistair made life a merry hell for the priests but it’s clear he wasn’t treated very well by them. Then straight into templar training. All of this while barely interacting with the outside world and shunned by his peers for his status as a bastard. Kids need to engage with other people in order to grow up effectively. With that in mind, it’s frankly stunning that Alistair has as much care for other people as he does.

The observation of Alistair’s immaturity is exactly groundbreaking either. Think about his dream in the Fade. We see Alistair at his most honest and vulnerable, fully convinced of the illusion. And it seems his greatest dream is to have the family he never got as a child, via his sister. Alistair behaves childlike to the point of parody in this dream. He pleads like a child and tries to entice the Warden to stay by begging his mom sister to make a special meal, his favorite. Hell, the whole “hardening” subplot is basically about the Warden forcing Alistair to let go of the childhood he never got to have and moving forward into adulthood.

His immaturity doesn’t just express itself in the obvious childlike behavior, however. Even though we tend to forget that Alistair is a junior member of the Wardens and is barely more experienced than the HoF in terms of actually fighting darkspawn, I think we can all agree that tossing the decisions on someone who’s barely past their Joining probably isn’t great behavior. Pretty much every comment he makes, about mages, blood magic, elves, even women, also read as the words of a man who simply does not have the world experience yet to really know how to engage with people who aren’t like him. It doesn’t mean these comments don’t….yanno, suck, but there is rarely any real malice behind them. Despite the hardships in Alistair’s life (of which there have been many, I grant), he has still been on the receiving end of certain privileges by virtue of being a man and being human non-mage, and it is clear he is still unlearning the prejudice inherent in that. His youth doesn’t excuse how hurtful or ignorant his comments can be, but its the unfortunate truth that, especially for those of us who grow up relatively privileged, being mindful of the Other is a learning process.

However, the main reason I view this immaturity as a symptom more than a personality is that I think Alistair has a genuine desire to grow past this. He acknowledges that he complains a lot, with an additional note that “and you haven’t been having an easy time of it either”. If you push back on his comments (or at least when the game gives you the chance to), he’ll usually apologize for it. And as I said, the hardening storyline to me indicates that Alistair is more than ready to grow up. He’s just still learning how to do it.

None of this, by the way, means that you have to love Alistair. Its more than easy to be annoyed by him, especially for a non-human and/or non-noble character. In the interest of full disclosure, it took me romancing Alistair to move past simply tolerating him. But I think its time for all of us to stop pretending Alistair is something he isn’t. He isn’t really a side character as much as he is a deuteragonist. More than any other companion (except, arguably, Morrigan), Alistair has a character arc that acts in response to your own characters. He grows and changes over the course of the narrative in a way that parallels how the story treats him, and if you create an Alistair that behaves like an asshole, well, you might want to take a look at how you’ve been treating him

to

[thefreckledone]

Satori (Between the Lines) - Part 11

“What are you doing, kid?”

Sakura startles, nearly dropping the scroll she is reading. Anko catches it with deft fingers, quickly surveying its contents.

“Reading up on ways to break grabs,” Anko says flatly, expression unreadable. “Y’know, these ordinary defensive maneuvers won’t protect you against the Nara hiden,” Anko continues dryly.

Sakura flinches slightly, shoulders hunching inward in an attempt to protect herself.

Anko crouches beside her, eyes gentling even though her voice remains hard. “Yeah kid, I heard. Hell, I think the whole gossip mill of Konoha heard. That shit gets churned out pretty quickly. Konoha would collapse without the steady, ever-present heartbeat of gossip.”

“Oh,” Sakura says in a small voice, keeping her gaze on her hands fisted in her lap.

“Hey it’s—I’m not attempting to make you feel bad,” Anko says, clearing her throat. Sakura sees Anko’s hands flutter awkwardly in her periphery before Anko fists them against her sides. “It’s smart.”

Sakura finally looks up, meeting Anko’s gaze. “Really?”

Anko nods, leveraging herself down into a seated position beside Sakura. She clears her throat, directing her eyes to the far wall. This part never gets easier for her over the years; still tightening her throat in that awful, prickling way. “You were hurt—betrayed.” Anko's face twitches for a moment, an old, personal pain showing before it settles once more into a placid expression. “It is not an unusual experience, especially as one of the few kuniochi of Konoha.”

Sakura swallows at Anko’s words, something about them ringing strangely true. She thinks about the makeup of her class; the proportion skewing male by far majority. In fact, very few of the shinobi that Sakura has encountered in her daily life or even at the Academy are women. As she contemplates further, she lingers on the history forged by Konoha in blood and iron.

Only a handful of the named individuals were women.

Yet, Sakura knows, she knows, deep in her marrow that this country runs on the backs of women as well as men; women like her mother, like Sarasa, like Aiko, like Anko herself. And somehow, their stories, their legends, their burdens, go unsung.

Something wells in Sakura’s eyes as a bitter sense of unfairness settles into her. “Is it?”

Anko glances at Sakura in her periphery. She sighs at the sheen in Sakura’s eyes, forcing her body to relax, hands unfurling palm up. “There are far too many monsters within this world, seeking to prey on those that they see as easy victims. Yes, you fell victim this time but you survived. You’ve survived and you’re training to become a monster all your own.”

Sakura squeezes her hands tight, the sting keeping her tears at bay. “I don’t know if I want to be a monster.”

“You won’t be a monster like them. A monster is strong; it can protect itself. It can protect others should it choose. You can make yourself into a monster who can protect those who are seen as prey.”

“What if I become the other type of monster?” Sakura asks, staring hard at her clenched hands. She is reminded of Shikamaru, of the shocked horror in his face during and after the incident. She thinks of Shikaku, of his stilted but seemingly heartfelt apology regarding the circumstances his machinations wrought. They didn’t intend to hurt her, but they did. It doesn’t change the fact that she still bolts upright, chest heaving, in the middle of the night from lurking nightmares. She still cannot bring herself to forgive either of them, the trauma of the incident still too raw. “What if I do not mean to, but I do?”

Anko shrugs. “You realize it and make a conscious decision about it. You either decide to continue to prey on the weak or you own up to your mistake and make reparations for it. You grow and continue to learn.” Anko inclines her head toward the scroll beside them. “You’re already seeking to prevent it from ever happening again.” Her mouth stretches into a dangerous smile, one with a sharp knife’s edge. “You’re already on the right track.”

Sakura mulls this over in silence for several long moments, considering the weight of Anko’s words. She glances askance at Anko for a moment, wondering at the jagged, festering wound that she still carries. Reading between the lines, Sakura thinks that Anko perhaps considers herself a monster of the second order. Finally, her shoulders straighten out of her slump as she considers the mantle that Anko offers to share with her. Sakura smiles and places her hand in Anko’s palm. Sakura can feel the way Anko twitches beneath her touch before stilling eerily. Sakura isn’t sure if Anko is even breathing. “I’ve got a lot of work to do, if I want to be big and strong enough to become a monster that eats monsters.”

Anko laughs her wild, raucous crow’s laugh, intertwining her callused fingers with Sakura’s in a tight squeeze as she begins to breathe once more. “Oh yes. I think you’ll be just fine.”

“My, oh my, something smells amazing!”

Sakura continues to whisk the sauce as she glances up at her father’s booming voice, grinning. “Welcome home, otou-sama!” she chimes, returning her attention to her cooking. “How was your guild meeting?”

“Ah, it went well enough,” Kizashi says, moving around the island of the kitchen to ruffle Sakura’s unbound hair. “I wish your mother was present; she has a unique ability to get all of these pompous artisan guild leaders to shut up.”

“Oka-sama is terrifying,” Sakura says sagely. No one, not even Anko or Ibiki before she got to know them, is as scary as Mebuki when she chooses to be. Sakura has never had that terrifying presence directed her way, but she has seen it emerge sometimes with obstinate family members and difficult clients.

“She is,” Kizashi drawls in a lovesick sigh.

Sakura wrinkles her nose a bit at that, shaking her head. Her parents are strange, but she loves them nevertheless. She guesses that maybe love makes you a little bit odd to those who are on the outside looking in. She doesn’t quite understand it, but the sight of her tall, powerful father acting so lovelorn over her mother warms her through to her toes.

“You’re making quite a spread here,” Kizashi says with a low whistle. There are multiple platters of already prepared food and he inhales the scents of spice. “You’re using those spices we brought back from Suna? I’m not certain most Konoha palates can handle that sort of heat.”

Sakura smiles up at her father a little mischievously. “Well, they’re all shinobi-in-training or certified shinobi; it’ll be a practice in managing pain.”

Kizashi laughs outright, patting Sakura on the shoulder. “You sure Morino-san and Mitarashi-san aren’t training you in any torture techniques? Because you are downright devious.”

“I get it from you, otou-sama,” Sakura replies.

Kizashi chucks her under her chin, smile softening. “You sure do. I’m going to wash up; holler if you need anything at all.”

“I will,” Sakura says, shifting to remove the saucepan from the stovetop and place it to the side to cool slightly. “I think everything is almost ready. If I know anything about the Aburame, they will be frustratingly punctual.”

Kizashi huffs a slight laugh. “In that case, they’ll probably arrive before your mother. That Council meeting is bound to run long.”

There’s something unusual in his usually steady voice, a threadiness or lilt that snags Sakura’s attention. “What is the Council convening on today?”

Kizashi clears his throat, gaze skittering away for a moment before returning to Sakura. His background as a samurai-in-training in Iron serves him ill here; as his straightforward, honest manner fights the subterfuge he attempts to commit. “Uh...that is...I don’t know?”

Sakura channels the posture of people in the Intelligence Division, keeping her stance solid as she arches an unimpressed brow. Her father actually fidgets beneath her stare before wilting slightly.

“Ah, Sakura-chan,” he says, almost whining.

“Otou-sama,” Sakura replies evenly.

Kizashi cracks beneath her steady questioning, scrubbing his hand across his mouth. “They’re discussing the introduction of new legislation regarding civilian-born students at the Academy; new protections as it were.” He raises his hands as he notices the curiosity sparking in her eyes. “I don’t know any more than that. This is all in the early stages of development. You can speak with your mother about it after the dinner.”

Sakura nods, tamping down on the questions that brim and nearly bubble over the surface. She manages to restrain herself, lifting her arms to her father. He picks her up in a hug and she busses a kiss across his cheek. “Thank you, otou-sama.”

“You’re welcome, Sakura-chan,” Kizashi says, twirling her around once. No matter how amazing tree walking is, it still does not compare to the giddiness that fills her when her father spins with her. He sets her down. “You are just too smart for your own good.”

Sakura doesn’t argue with him, his words ringing true.

She hums to herself as Kizashi heads upstairs. Sakura looks up and around briefly before moving to one of high cupboards. She shimmies up onto the counter, utilizing a bit of her chakra to stick firmly as she opens the cupboard and starts drawing out plates for the dinner. Her chakra-laced feet assist her in staying balanced even as she piles more plates onto a tall stack. She places one hand firmly over the stack of plates as she climbs back down and sets the table for dinner.

A strict pattern of knocks on the door draws Sakura attention and she leaps toward it, throwing the door open without hesitation. After all, she knows full well who knocks like that.

“Shino!” she exclaims with a ebullient smile. She notices that both Torune and Shino look a bit surprised, but she isn’t sure why. “Torune, Shibi-oji! Welcome to my house. Please, come in!”

“Thank you Sakura,” Shibi says, smoothly stepping between his stunned wards to enter her home. He smirks slightly at the antics of his children, amused by the fumbling of their youth. He peers around with a soft lilt to his mouth. “You have a beautiful home.”

“Otou-sama has impeccable taste,” Sakura replies with a giggle. “Oka-sama says that’s why she married him.”

“Revealing all my secrets, Sakura?” Kizashi asks drily, coming down the stairs. “You are a sly one.” He turns his attention to the Aburame clan, a more serious mien overtaking him. “Aburame-sama,” he greets, grasping Shibi’s hand without hesitation. “It is wonderful to see you again.”

“I am glad you seem in good health,” Shibi says, impressed by the fact that Kizashi displays no fear in making skin-to-skin contact with an Aburame. Most people, civilians and shinobi alike, display fear and distrust of the Aburame, perhaps based out of the very base fear of insects. It seems that Sakura is not the only Haruno with a spine of steel. Shibi cannot help but find his respect for Kizashi grow. “Thank you for inviting us into your home.”

“Of course,” Kizashi says, releasing Shibi’s hand and looking to the Aburame children. “I wanted the opportunity to meet all of Sakura’s friends.” Shino and Torune fidget a little bit but hold fast beneath the weight of Kizashi’s stare, keeping their expressions open and earnest. “Besides, this was all Sakura’s idea; she wanted to cook for you all.”

“Otou-sama,” Sakura says, catching his hand as her cheeks flush.

“You cooked for us?” Torune asks, looking dumbfounded for a short moment as he processes this information. He directs a dazzling smile to Sakura as he quickly draws her into an embrace. “I know it will be delicious.”

“I hope so,” Sakura replies softly.

“It will be good,” Shino says. “How do I know this? You are dedicated, meticulous, and methodical; you are more than capable of preparing a successful meal.”

Laughter bubbles out of Sakura as she claps her hands together. “Thank you Shino!”

“You are welcome,” Shino replies.

Shibi notices something in Kizashi’s face softening toward the Aburame children at their visible show of support to his daughter. Truthfully, the clear display of the bond among the three of them melts something within Shibi himself.

Uncertain times linger ahead, especially for Sakura, Shibi knows this well. There are storms in her future and some of them are already darkening their horizon. Yet, some of the tension and heaviness in his heart eases because he knows that the union among Sakura, Shino, and Torune will serve them well.

“Lead on, Sakura,” Shibi says. “I look forward to tasting this dinner you’ve prepared.”

Sakura gingerly turns through the pages of the tome, tracing over the curling characters. She’s read lots of handwritten reports and scrolls, but this is her first time reading through a handwritten bound book like this. It’s quite a deal different from the plain but legible writing in the reports. The author of this book, who writes under an apparent pseudonym, clearly has an artistic hand. The letters are written with a flourish, a whimsical lilt to them that immediately engages her.

She found this book among the historical archives of the Intelligence Division and it immediately caught her attention. All of the other documents available in the archive are nonfiction; yet this text…

It is entitled the Journey to the West.

Sakura knows the general story, but she has never read it through in its entirety. Yet, as she began to delve into this handwritten text, she noticed there are some glaring inconsistencies with the actual story.

Which is what brings her here, doing something of an informal text analysis as she compares the handwritten book to a copy of Journey to the West that she was able to check out from the library.

The handwritten book picks up after Tang Sanzang, the travelling monk, has gathered together his disciples Monkey King, Pigsy, and Sandy. The dynamics of the traveling group are slightly off compared to the actual tale, as there is even stronger animosity between Monkey King and Pigsy. Pigsy is characterized as much more taciturn, severe individual, very focused on their mission. He clashes with Monkey King, not because of Pigsy’s laziness as in the original story, but seemingly from jealousy.

The handwritten story is much shorter than the other and written almost in episodic format, following the misadventures of Tang Sanzang and his disciples. Sakura finds herself engaged in the story, especially interested in the character of Sandy who provides some much needed levity throughout as tensions continue to mount between Tang Sanzang and his numerous opponents.

Another point of deviation from the original is the fact that this story is woven from the perspective of Yulong, the steed of Tang Sanzang. Yulong offers further insight into the characters of the story, bringing them more to life for Sakura than the original tale does. She appreciates Yulong’s voice as it draws her into the plight of the characters. She loses herself for hours on end in the story as the struggles and triumphs of Tang Sanzang’s group unfurl as they face off with uncountable enemies.

Yet, it all comes to a head abruptly with the deaths of Tang Sanzang and Sandy in an ambush from twin dragons. The details of this battle are scarce at best, but the scene that follows leaves Sakura feeling unsatisfied and even a little uncomfortable.

Monkey King and Pigsy are the only two of the original four left and they take to the task of burying their fallen comrades. A heavy silence lingers between them throughout the grueling job of digging the grave, but, as they cover the bodies once more, a new bond is forged in blood between Monkey King and Pigsy.

They swear upon their lives and the honor of their fallen friends that they will have vengeance upon the dragons, even if they have to sunder the heavens apart to make it happen.

Sakura flips through the next few pages, a chill passing through her as she realizes that they are perfectly blank, leaving their story unfinished.

Sakura checks the rest of the book, finding it empty before closing it. She drums her fingers across the surface of the tome as she thinks about everything she just read, left with more questions than when she first began.

Why is this book here?

Why is it the only fictional book in the historical archives?

Why is the story different from the original tale?

Why are the characters so changed from the original?

Why do Tang Sanzang and Sandy die?

Sakura frowns at the cover of the book before shaking her head and standing. Her legs are shaky after being seated so long in an odd position. She stretches, deciding to head over to the Academy to train a bit on the training grounds to exercise her physical capabilities rather than her replete mental facilities.

She places the book back on the shelf, leaving behind the historical archives room and all of her unanswered questions.

For now at least.

“Sakura-chan!”

“Good morning, Naruto,” Sakura greets, startled to find him in the classroom. It’s odd for anyone to arrive before her and Naruto does not have the most stellar record for class attendance besides. “You’re here pretty early. How are you this morning?”

“Fine, fine,” Naruto replies, brimming with energy. “I wanted to make sure I got here in time.”

“In time for what?” Sakura asks.

“To make sure I could sit beside you today,” Naruto says guilelessly. “You’re always sitting with Ino and Shino in the back before I get here.”

“You usually arrive around third period,” Sakura cannot help but point out, charmed though she is by the simple request.

Embarrassment filters across Naruto’s face for a moment as he scratches his cheek. “School’s pretty boring; I like exploring the village more! Chōza-oji made me promise to come to class more often though.”

“That’s good!” Sakura says, making her way to one of the tables in the middle of the room. This way she can sit with all of her friends. Her heart sings at the thought of even having to consider such seating logistics when it comes to her friends. The memories of her friendless days are still fresh and painful in her mind.

“Lessons are so interesting,” Sakura continues, unable to hide the excitement in her voice as she chooses a seat. “Learning all the aspects that encompass becoming a shinobi; the skills, the knowledge, the tools, and the history necessary to be a good shinobi. Did you know that Konoha consistently lowers the age of graduation from the Academy in the two to three years before a War begins? And we haven’t had a war in decades because the chunin exams took their place. The exams make for greater profit and entertainment for the nations; there’s a severe uptick in tourism and wealth within the village that hosts the exams.”

Naruto’s eyes go wide and he plops down into the chair beside her. “How’d you learn all of that Sakura-chan? Chōza-oji only recently told me about the fact that the chunin exams have shinobi from all of the villages competing together.”

“I’ve read about it,” Sakura replies, purposefully keeping her answer a bit bland. She learned most of the information that she has in coded documents from the Intelligence Division. The resources on the exams available in the public library are frustratingly vague. Truthfully, some of her knowledge is drawn from conversations she overhears among her extended family; each branch is excited when the exams are announced to be held within their nation. “There are some amazing books that can supplement the lessons we receive here.”

“Yeah,” Naruto drawls, rubbing the back of his neck. His brows pucker in a crestfallen expression.

“What’s wrong?” Sakura asks, catching the noticeable change. Naruto’s cheeks flush a bright red. Sakura reaches out and places her hand over Naruto’s. “Naruto?”

Naruto turns toward her, looking so ashamed that Sakura immediately wants to comfort him and take away all of his problems. “I’m not very good at reading. I haven’t read a book in over a year.”

Sakura restrains herself from reacting, trying to put herself into his shoes. She cannot imagine a world without reading. However, Naruto is an orphan; his parents did not foster and encourage a love of reading in him. He’s never had his father read him a bedtime story or his mother weave a tale with the most fantastic voice acting. Sakura’s throat tightens a moment with that realization and she squeezes Naruto’s hand.

“Books are pretty great,” Sakura confides. “Before Ino, they were my only friends.” She pauses, watching Naruto beneath her lashes. “Would you like to practice reading with me? If you don’t like it we can stop but-”

“Are you serious?” Naruto interrupts. “You’ll teach me to read?”

Sakura nods, not even given a chance to be nervous as Naruto throws his arms around her, drawing her into an uncoordinated hug. “Thank you, thank you!” Naruto says, breath tickling Sakura’s ear. “I won’t let you down. I’ll be here early every day! You won’t regret choosing to help me.”

Sakura laughs into Naruto’s hair, embracing him in turn. “I won’t ever regret it.”

“I knew you were the right choice,” Naruto says, almost to himself.

“Right choice?” Sakura repeats.

“For my first friend,” Naruto says, pulling away and grinning pure sunshine at her.

And then nothing will do but to pull Naruto into another hug, if only to hide her misty eyes.