#she was a model and usually she pointed out how smart i am

[bobbywarren]

hi y’all so today i brought you my amazing(no promises) headcanon

so i personally believe that bobby’s crush on warren was done absolutely wrong bc warren isn’t just sexy he’s y’know rich & so confident & successful & beautiful as well but as well. and they have something in common; it’s a little, but it’s enough for person like bobby to think so. what i’m trying to say is such crush may be considered as ‘i just want to be like him’ and only then you can understand the whole picture

[sammylbir]

Day 6: The Tragedy (Junko x Kyoko)

*Kyoko stared outside the window, mustering the dark red sky and the shadowy clouds in the air, from her Office in the Future Foundation.

To think that this sight should have been nothing, but a macabre fantasy of sorts.

Straight out of a nietzschean novel.

A world full of darkness, where god abandoned its toys and moved on.

Yet.... this was reality. All done by a bored criminally insane teenage girl.

Destroying the world for nothing, but shits and giggles.

Kyoko met many screwed up people over the years and yet, Junko was the one who kept on surprising her.

She never saw anyone, who was so smart, charismatic, pretty...and so utterly insane.

...................

"You know, you should smile more.", Junko told her, as they sat inside the closed in academy, at the table in the cafeteria. Kyoko looked up from her novel and tilted her head, glancing at the model curiously.

"Hm. I never expected you, to worry over someone else's well-being.", Kyoko mused, causing Junko to pout offended.

"Gee, just because I'm better than all of you, doesn't mean I'm heartless.", the fashionista replied and tried to sound offended, even though Kyoko could see through the mask easily.

The void........

*"Of course not.", Kyoko answered with a frown. *

"Say you're sorry!"

"Hm.", Kyoko replied and glanced around.

The others had already gone to bed.

It was just Junko and her....

...........

A year ago:

Junko leaned forward and gave her a grin.

"Awww what's wrong? Are you being flustered on our date?", she teased, causing Kyoko to shake her head.

"It is not a date. Stop lying to me.", the detective answered and crossed her arms.

"Oh? You think I'm lying to you?", Junko asked and looked down saddened. "That hurt...you know I love you."

Love.....

"I'm not in the mood for your games.", Kyoko told her adamantly and crossed her arms, giving her a cold look. She expected Junko to tease her further and and to mess with her even more.

Yet....that didn't happen.

Instead...the mask began to slip. Bit by bit.

Her smile dropped.

Her eyes lost all of their warmth.

And the skin gained paleness and her hair seemed almost dead at certain points.

To say that the sight surprised the detective, would be an understatement.

"Mask's off then.", Junko told her, her voice being completely cold and devoid of life. "Funny. I never would have thought that I'd meet someone like you."

"Like me?", Kyoko asked carefully and tried to not look afraid and remain as composed as usual. Junko nodded slowly, her movements being almost alien.

"Yes. I met so many people in my life...all of them look the same...all of them act so predictable.....all of them....but you."

Junko leaned forward and forced a smile that didn't even look genuine at all. She grabbed her fingers and forced them up.

"I act so charming and convincing...yet you aren't fooled by my mask one bit. Can you tell me why? Why won't you fall for my charms? In all honesty.... I do not get it."

That last part had a bit more emotion than the rest of the words.

Did...she really not understand Kyoko?

Kyoko closed her eyes and shook her head.

"If you do not get, how I am not falling for you...then you are not nearly as smart, as I thought you were.", she explained to her and stared into the corpse's eyes. "I could explain it to you. But you still wouldn't get it. Because being human is something you will never, ever be familiar with."

"....Hm."

Junko stroked her own cheek.

"You know I love you for that, Kyoko.", she mused emptily. "You see through me...the real me..... It's a shame that you don't love me, as much as I do."

"........Hm."

"We could have done so much together....but I suppose you want to keep holding onto your weakness. And to not embrace the darkness in your heart."

"Never.", Kyoko told her adamantly. "I will never see the world, the way you see it."

"Hm."

Junko slowly got up and towered over her.

"We'll see."

And then suddenly, the mask was back on.

"Anyways..", Junko told her, acting as fake as usual. "I'll go bully my dumb sis. Bye!"

With that, she walked off and approached the door. She blew her one last kiss and she then left the cafeteria.

And Kyoko was alone.

Staring after her....

....

Staring through the window with her cheeks, as red as the sky.

The End

[lordmartiya]

This prompt done by someone literal minded... What am I gonna do now?

Day 6: Injury (Hurt/Comfort)

Marinette had one weird day as Ladybug. First she had to go to the police with a gas mask to retrieve the pair of Miracolous, then, since she hadn’t been involved in the fight, had to wash them the hard way rather than use magic (thankfully Lila had shared the recipe to remove what remained after the tomato juice), then she had to go to Master Fu’s massage parlor, where Master Su had taken residence, drag him away from the tv, and explain what had happened, or at least what she knew.

And now that Lila had finally left the Prefecture (because the mess was too big for anything less than the headquarters of the police to handle, even without the whole “daughter of a diplomat” thing) she was supposed to meet her in front of Place des Vosges and get a full explanation, except she was sitting over the piled up bodies of four of Adrien’s stalkers waving her diplomatic passport, symbol of the diplomatic immunity she was taught not to use unless necessary, to Roger Raincomprix. Only good thing was that she was wearing MARINETTE’S dress, the one she had given her for the modeling job that changed their relationship. That, and the cop seemingly accepted he was more useless than usual, given Lila left him to deal with the stalkers.

“Ok, what the fuck.” Marinette demanded.

“They decided this morning’s events were part of a cunning plan to get Adrien all to myself, and tried to stop me without being able to handle the pain from a spleen shot.” Lila explained with a smile. “Hope I ruptured them.”

“No, I mean this morning!”

“Well, I was making my usual report to Gabby when he noticed my new decoy necklace, the one I had you make to hide the fact I wear the Fox Miraculous as a belt under the dress, and he asked if he could see it. I didn’t like him handling it so I said no, he threatened my job, I told him my mom’s lawyer can beat his lawyers, he said “Nooroo, Dusuu, unify”, and I sprayed him right as he was done transforming. Then I ran out of the room, closed the door, and called the police, and some idiot soon to be unemployed must have blabbed to the press since it got out so quickly. Oh, I also swiped his ring, there’s a thing I need to verify. It’s stupid and unlikely, but considering YOU have an embarrassingly plain costume…”

“Can you just let it go?”

“Giammai.” that being Italian for “never”, only hammier.

Marinette didn’t know if she should be angry or laugh. Or how they had gone from sworn enemies to this. Whatever it was that made Lila’s teasing so amusing rather than irritating, that made her want to spend as much time as possible with her. To just make sure she would never be lonely.

Before she could decide how to react, however, a smart stopped near them, and Nathalie Sanscour came out.

“This is for Gabriel and Emilie.” she said as she pulled a small pistol – and shot Lila in the chest.

“NO!” Marinette screamed as her pretend girlfriend fell. She then turned to the attacker and demanded: “Why?!”

“Because Gabriel was just trying to save Emilie. She was put in a coma and almost killed by the broken Peacock Miraculous, and-”

“And the fucker couldn’t just ask for help.” Lila’s pained voice replied before taking a deep breath – immediately imitated by Marinette, she knew what was coming.

After Nathalie got skunked, the two girls moved to safety, with Lila in clear pain and a hole in the dress but no wound. Only when they were far enough from the skunked shooter Marinette asked how Lila survived.

“A guy in Mexico makes normal-looking bulletproof clothes, there’s where my mom bought my shirts in bulk and where I just got a few undershirts.” Lila explained. “Already got shot once for an ad, though the guy had the decency to use a small .22 Long Rifle from some distance, not shooting me at point blank with a Para or larger! Seriously, that’s a Beretta Storm subcompact, it only has the 9 Para or the .40 Smith & Wesson.”

Marinette didn’t know what kind of madman made those ads, only that she felt dying when Lila was shot – and happy beyond belief when she turned out almost unharmed. How? How had she fallen for this girl?

 Afterword

Yep. Got Lila shot. I was initially planning to have one of the fan club do it, but this is Western Europe, guns are more controlled than that. Thus Nathalie did it, and is going to jail skunked.

For the bulletproof clothes… They exist, and wealthy people do buy them. Go on YouTube and look up “I was shot by Miguel Caballero”, that madman actually makes ads by shooting his customers (and his wife) at close range with a target pistol to show off that yes, his products do stop small cartridges flat (literally).

[finnothehimbo]

I finally got top surgery and I’m healing beautifully I feel so lucky

And I don’t have the whole depression brain fog etc that people report having. this is incredibly normal to me. i actually feel less brain fog than before. I do really poorly with estrogen progesterone I’m glad I get to go back on T soon.

However I do hate clothes. I usually am exclusively shirtless at home and I must wear my post op binder until Halloween. This is the hardest part. I’m a trans person who hates all transitions. I hate going from dressed to undressed but need to do twice a day nipple dressing changes. It’s such a nucance but will be so worth it.

I got to go with my absolute number one pick for surgeon and I’m beaming. He’s done just as good as I dreamed of. It’s so even and natural. I’m so excited to gain my muscle mass back. I’m not allowed to lift more than 10 lbs for eight weeks. Yuck. Id been working manual labor moving 300+lbs more than eight miles a day. I’ve been getting buff and am so ready for summer 2025.

I feel like I’m just the luckiest man alive.

I’ve got top surgery from my top pick for surgeon.

I’m getting free training to go into my choice job field.

I can see myself in the mirror and am so much more sane that I was just a few years ago.

I have a partner I’d love to marry.

I’m known by name at work and am the popular guy. People flag me down to just chat. I’ve been openly described as smart and interesting. My inner child is screaming to be cool without sacrificing my morals. I just care so much about people and topics that it’s cool. I got an award for caring about the people we serve at work. I just feel like I belong.

My income is comfortable. Nothing flashy but I can eat out weekly without worry.

My person is so peaceful and sweet. Fae continue to improve and go to therapy. I don’t have to beg them to care about me or our relationship.

Poly has been painless when previously I thought I’m just too jealous when in reality I enjoy poly. I just need a partner who’s similarly invested in me as I am them. They don’t sleep with and flirt with all of my friends. Fae have a FWB and it was actually a beautiful thing to see them explore faer sexuality.

I’m seen as a positive male role model.

I go to muches routinely and am confident in my sexuality. My partners libido matches mine and I never feel like a lesser partner for how I exist sexually. I have been working through so much trauma around sex and am a changed man. I look forward to our long sentimental scenes. Faer just addictive.

My therapist is just the best. She truly gets it all. Autistic queer polyam chronicly I’ll person who’s helped so very much with my mental health. She actually found a physical health issue that I think will be world changing to get treated. Just fantastic.

I’m learning Spanish and have gotten good at math.

No one’s laughing at me. No one’s mean to me. My people genuinely care. They’re safe and don’t stir up such instability and lack of safety that I lose my marbles. I thought I was a loud irrational emotional person when that’s just not the case.

I’ve got my own place with a sweet cat. She was given a clear bill of health and is turning 13 next February.

My Person takes Christmas pictures with me and I just love it. They never make me feel dumb for caring. They never make me worry. They are worthy of the care and trust I put in. They deserve the dedication I give and it’s gorgeous. They’re a 20/10 and get flirted with constantly but come home to me. I sing happily and they look forward to my songs.

I have a full pantry and a home cluttered with things i adore. It’s clean and safe.

I just feel so lucky. The world is in my fingertips. There once was A little autistic queer kid who couldn’t fathom a good life. A sad young adult who felt like no matter how clear he spoke no one believed him. He’d freak out and cry daily. It was miserable to feel so looked at but so misunderstood. That everyone was ready to judge me to the point I just became feral with no fucks left to give. I had spiraled into a point of insanity that I couldn’t figure out a way out of. Now it’s just so easy. My life’s not perfect but the hard outcomes are so easy to stomach. My top surgery has been completely wonderful. I’m just so thankful.

[melanielocke]

Book recommendations - Morally complicated/unhinged protagonists

I usually tend to gravitate towards characters who are good. Most of my own written characters will fall firmly on the good side of an alignment chart even if they are complicated, have trauma etc. But every once in a while I do enjoy some characters who are kind of unhinged or morally complicated. Here are some of my favorites.

I'm going to start with the book I just finished reading and am currently obsessed with: Some Desperate Glory by Emily Tesh

In this book, earth has been destroyed, and Kyr has trained all her life to avenge earth. She was raised on an isolated space station with what she believes are the last humans, taught to hate the Majoda, the aliens who destroyed earth. Kyr has never questioned anything she's taught and worked hard to be a model soldier, but then her brother is assigned to a suicide mission while Kyr herself is relegated to the Nursery to bear children.

Kyr decides to take her fate into her own hands and rescue her brother from what she believes is pointless and leaves the space station together with her brother's brilliant but kind of unhinged friend Avi and a lonely Majo captive Yiso. But when Kyr enters the wider universe she must confront that not everything she's been taught is true and that the universe is a lot more complicated than she believes.

Essentially, this is a story of someone indoctrinated by a cult slowly breaking free. Kyr starts out not very likeable. She wants nothing more than to be the perfect soldier, is mean to everyone and is pretty clueless. But slowly she learns through the book and I loved watching her journey.

My favorite in this book has to be Avi though. He's unhinged. He's a genius, way too smart for his own good. He's gay and has a very complicated relationship with Kyr's twin brother Mags. I can't say too much without spoiling the book.

Mind the content warnings for this one, and keep in mind that Kyr is heavily indoctrinated by what is pretty much a fascist cult and as such she shows some queerphobic views (such as refusing to use they/them pronouns for a genderless Majo at first), though it also seems relatively watered down compared to how bad it probably was in the cult. It's also pretty obvious to a reader that Kyr is wrong about most things at this point.

The copy pictured is my Illumicrate edition, which has the UK cover (and very pretty edges)

Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao is up next

Iron Widow is a YA sci fi with characters inspired by people from Chinese history. The main character, Zetian, is inspired by the only female emperor in Chinese history Wu Zetian.

Huaxia is under attack by hunduns, a type of mechanic aliens, and to combat them they fight in chrysalises, machines taking the shape of creatures of Chinese mythology piloted by a boy/girl pair using spirit presence. Unfortunately, the girls often die due to the mental strain.

Zetian's sister was murdered by one of the pilots outside of battle, and she enlists as a concubine pilot to kill the man responsible. She gets her wish in an unexpected way, when said pilot takes her with him to battle, she kills him through the mental link.

Labeled an Iron Widow, Zetian is paired with the most powerful male pilot, a convicted murderer who is only kept alive because of his exceptional spirit presence. But Zetian has had her taste of revenge and is not going to go down quietly.

I love how unhinged Zetian is in this book, and the author is very good at making us root for her. They could probably have Zetian blow up an orphanage and still have us cheer for her. Zetian's anger is understandable, she's a girl fed up with the patriarchy and girls dying as pilots. This book also has a poly main couple, with all three being bi and into each other.

The book is the first in a duology and book 2 will be out April 2024 (it was delayed)

The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir is already pretty well known but it fit this category well and I only started it recently

There's three books out, but book 3 only comes out in paperback this September which is why I don't have it yet (nor have I read it)

The first two books focus on Gideon and Harrow, who are both from the ninth house. Harrow is a necromancer and heir to the ninth house, whereas Gideon is a warrior who would much rather leave the ninth house altogether. But when Gideon tries to escape, again, Harrow makes her an offer, become her cavalier when she answers the summons of the emperor, who called the heirs of all nine houses and their cavaliers to become lyctors.

The first two books are already very different in tone. Gideon in book 1 is funny, the language is very modern and Gideon is often not paying attention because she's describing all the attractive female characters in full detail, but otherwise she's relatively reliable as a narrator. Then comes Harrow the Ninth, which is one of the most confusing books I have ever read. It pays off in the end, everything will make sense (mostly).

What I found very funny in book 1 was just how childish and petty Gideon and Harrow could be towards each other. They hate each other but in a very childish way. Harrow calls Gideon "Griddle". Gideon considers that Harrow would never leave her alone in their rooms on purpose because then Gideon would mess up the buttons of Harrow's clothes.

Book 2 in comparison has a much more serious tone, which much written in 2nd perspective as well as some flashbacks to previous events that do not add up to what we saw in book 1. I have yet to read book 3 but I've heard it's amazing. After Nona there will be one more book which comes out 2024.

Last up is Black Sun and Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse

This book is not so much unhinged, but very morally complicated. The world is based on pre Columbian americas and it shows a complicated conflict between different cultural group through the POV's of a couple different characters. The main character Xiala is a Teek who was banished from her own home. The Teek are very recluse and not super involved with the main conflict.

She is given the task of sailing Serapio to city of Tova, where much of the conflict takes place. Serapio's mother made him to be the reincarnation of their god, the Carrion Crow, and avenge their people.

We also follow Naranpa, who is the Sun Priest in Tova but grew up in a poor section with a group of culture who were excluded from the clans that make up the city.

And then there's Okoa, the brother of the leader of the Carrion Crow clan within the city, who only wants to protect his clan but doesn't really know what is the best way to do this, meaning he often changes his mind and alliances.

The first book builds towards the Black Sun, a rare solar eclipse that will change the world.

There are currently two books out and the third and last is scheduled for 2024.

@alastaircarstairsdefenselawyer @life-through-the-eyes-of @astriefer @justanormaldemon @ipromiseiwillwrite @a-dream-dirty-and-bruised @amchara @all-for-the-fanfiction @imsoftforthomastair @ddepressedbookworm @queenlilith43 @wagner-fell @cant-think-of-anything @laylax13s @tessherongraystairs @boredfangirl16 @artist-in-soul @aliandtommy @ikissedsmithparker

[susiephone]

This ties into why a lot of people fall into conspiracy theories and cults - usually, people trust their friends and family, or fall into something they shouldn't because they need a community, and they're being offered one.

Hey Hun: Sales, Sisterhood, Supremacy, and the other Lies Behind Multilevel Marketing by Emily Lynn Paulson is a really great book if you're interested in this kind of stuff. The author spent several years working for a multi-level marketing scheme, and part of why she got so deep into it was because she was extremely lonely. She was a stay-at-home mom with few chances to go out and socialize, no time to work a traditional job where she could meet people, she was depressed, and she was overwhelmed. The acquaintance who recruited her into the MLM offered her a chance to make new friends and money for her family, and a sense of accomplishment. Paulson also writes a lot about why it took so long for her to really accept that the MLM was not just a predatory business model, but bad for her personally - even though she was one of the top earners. She gets into how it drew her in, even though she was skeptical at first, and how, even when she started to realize it was toxic, it took a long time for her to fully leave.

Generally, if you find yourself asking, "Why do people do stupid shit?", the answer is rarely going to be, "Because they're stupid." Smart, good people fall into stupid shit all the time.

I often think about how grateful I am that I had several wonderful friends who I already regularly spoke to online in 2020, because not only did Covid hit, but my dad died, my anxiety was ratcheting up to the point where I had a full-blown panic attack for the first time, and I was having a harder and harder time managing what I now know to be severe OCD. I couldn't get good therapy until several months after lockdown ended, and I went through a very, very rough year. If I hadn't had my friends, and my mom, if I'd been going it alone - I could've very easily gotten sucked into an MLM or something else cult-ish.

You don’t say.

[missspringthyme]

January 17th, 2024

Alexa from the future note: I originally wrote this on the day, but I made the fools mistake of attempting to post it from my tablet without first saving a draft. I will (hopefully) never make this mistake again because it made me so angry that I did not post the last 19 days worth of art. My disgust has lessened and so now I'm back, but because of this many of my writings are now being done days or weeks after the day. Blame the Tumblr mobile app.

Today I had a meeting with my supervisor, and as usual, I was a little bit late. Whoops. I woke up late (shocker) but not late enough to be late late, just rushed. I then skipped breakfast because the turkish roommate was in the kitchen with her friends and I didn't really feel like talking with her this morning (I find her a bit annoying because she's very clearly 18, and very sheltered. This is her first time living away from home but she lacks some basic life skills. She treats me like a parent and asks me for permission to do things. Additionally, she keeps trying to talk to me about how actually it's okay to be racist to Arabs, so I try and limit my conversations with her).

There's train strikes, and the trains are more expensive anyway so I took the bus. Unfortunately, I fell asleep on the bus and missed my stop, meaning I had to walk a little longer than I had budgeted. I should really start taking the bus before the last possible bus I can take before being late, but alas plans always seem more tangible in dreams than reality.

Anyway, I make it to the meeting and we talk. I managed to hold my own in the conversation and he complimented me on understanding the material because most students don't. The only reasons this is true is because (1) my undergraduate thesis was on distributed vs centralised sub-second timing models and my undergraduate supervisor is an angel who explained everything to me on brightly coloured sticky notes (2) I am incredibly smart and talented (3) I am incredibly good at appearing to be smart and talented and (4) he talks a lot and doesn't really allow you the chance to speak.

He does it in this very German way where he's very calm and soft, but he has this gravity around him where you wouldn't dare interrupt. I feel like every conversation I have with him is a game of chess. This time, I managed to make a really good move though, because at the end of our meeting, I pointed out a flaw in his theory and asked how he accounted for it. Tee hee.

After my bachelor's thesis, I currently feel that the brain uses a combination of centralised and distributed systems to accomplish the experience of time. I cannot in good faith support a purely centralised model of timing when there is adequate evidence supporting differential processing of timing information from different sensory modalities. This motherfucker has based his entire work off of a centralised timing hypothesis. It's what I'll be working on for this thesis, but oh ho ho if I won't have some stuff to write about in my discussion.

At the end of the meeting, a girl came in who's doing her thesis on the project that I'm doing my independent elective on, so we'll be working together. She seems kinda quiet and shy, but hopefully, we'll be besties by the time this is all over. She's from Greece, but also did her bachelors in the UK (in England though, so boo).

When I left I decided to take the train for god knows what reason. Like I said, there are strikes so there's no direct route at the moment. This means going to Heerlen and then changing trains at the station. However, for the 2nd time since moving here I took the wrong fucking train! It comes very close to when the train I am supposed to take will come, and the screens that show the route and the train number were broken.

Much like the first time this happened, I didn't notice until I got pretty far north. At least this time I knew what to do and got out at the next station to begin working my way back. It had begun snowing very heavily earlier in the day and there was only more coming, so I sat on a bench in the station and cursed myself while I watched my fingers slowly turn blue.

At one point, a train came and I watched it wishing that it was the one I was supposed to take and not the one in 15 minutes. On the side, it had the words 'Pink Pop' written on it. I have no answers for why, because nothing on the train was pink and when I googled it nothing came up. The thing I'm choosing to believe is that is the train's name. First name Pink, last name Pop. I stared at Pink Pop until it pulled out of the station.

Eventually, I made it back, and I had to rush home to get to my therapy appointment on time. I had made another stupid decision today (wearing Mary Janes instead of snow boots because I assumed that the snow wouldn't stick) so when I got back to my apartment, my feet were soaking wet and freezing. Only 3 minutes late, I joined the therapy session, frantically eating a granola bar I had saved from my flight in the first 30 seconds of the call. After that was done, I had my first real meal of the day. Hooray!

[mabeysomeclasspecting]

I gotta send this in before I overthink it too much lol. Even now in this ask box I’m adding shit.

•What are your interests/hobbies?

I like making genetically accurate family trees for a specific book series. Ngl though, I’ve started it, stopped several books in, restarted it completely, and repeat the cycle. I still have not finished that project. I am interested in psychology too because I’m curious as to the reason/why people do the things they do. I also enjoy listening to music and collecting random tiny objects. If I ever get the chance, I like building things too. Could be anything from legos to model houses/rooms, or an object made from stuff I found in nature or on the ground.

•How do you see yourself?

I’m polite but I usually don’t really care about people most of the time. I’m a bit detached too in that sense, because people close to me will be having problems and I don’t really care too much. I have a short temper, but I actively try to tone down my general emotions, or act like I’m fine if I’m getting upset because I feel like afterwards I didn’t deserve to feel mad lmao—doesn’t always work. When I’m not chilling and I’m in fact very upset, I tend to go for destructive answers. I would say I’m very loyal to my friends though. I’m very detail-oriented and like to do things a certain way, to the point where I’m itching to take the lead from someone because I feel like I could do it right. Sometimes I can get a little bit pushy when I want certain information out of someone. Also, I have awful time management. I know I’ll have a task to do but I’ll actively ignore it to do something else, and then I’m left to do the task 3 hours before it’s due. I’m sensitive, but I don’t like being seen as sensitive. Can you tell that I contemplate myself a lot haha

•How do you think others see you?

I like to keep track of what people describe me as because I’m curious as to how people perceive me. I’ve been described as mellow, diligent, naïve, smart, and extremely quiet verbally and physically. I don’t talk to a lot of people so I’m probably seen as a loner occasionally. I’ve also been called innocent and gullible. While I’ve never heard anyone say it, I’m pretty sure a lot of people think I’m sheltered as hell. A hard worker too maybe. They probably see me as very creative and artistic too. Maybe a bit of a know-it-all, since I have a tendency to correct people without thinking. I just want them to have the right information.

•How do you interact with your friends?

I guess I’m more chill and responsible, I don’t respond much. I give advice when it’s implied or asked for but other than that I’m kinda uninvolved. I’ve been called boring (as a joke) because there’s literally no drama worth talking about going on in my life while my friends have relationship drama every 3 hours. She once straight up told me to just lie about drama happening to me so I would have something to talk about lol. Once I feel I’m allowed to act like it, I can be a little chaotic with friends, and even be a bit of an instigator.

•What’s important to you? (Specific people, ideas, morals, objects, etc.)

It’s important to me that people are fair and honest. Like if two of my friends are fighting and I think one of them is being treated unfairly, idc if they’re both my friends, I will absolutely fight the one being unfair. I like honesty because I admit I’m kinda gullible and I do not like being lied to. I also like keeping whatever trinkets I find, I’m both sentimental and paranoid that I’ll need them in the future for whatever reason. It’s also important that I have headphones or any music player because I listen to music a lot, especially my repeated songs.

•Describe the ideal you, what kind of person do you strive to be?

I don’t really have a type of person I want to be necessarily, I just want to be happy with my choices and my life. I guess I want to be seen as smart and logical, and not sensitive and over-emotional. I don’t want to be held on a pedestal though, I just wanna be seen as some guy and that’s it.

Hi!

Aspects: Time, Space, Mind

Classes: Bard, Page, Prince

Try out Bard of Time and Page of Space first, I think one of those two will feel right.

Hope this helps!

[lcvernat]

Insecurities | Natasha Romanoff x Reader

Request: hello you are one of my fave authors here i super love your works. can i req for a r x natasha where reader has this visual disorder (like her eyes' grade was 1000 and has astigmatism) thats why reader were wearing eye glasses for a long time then this moment when the team was asking for a picture reader takes off her glasses bc she had low self esteem, nat comforts her. thank you and i'll patiently wait for this ❤️

Word Count: 1.6k

Content Warnings: angst with happy ending, low self-esteem, reader is very insecure, some strong language, natasha is the best

A/N: i am so sorry anon this took so long but i hope you like it! fellow glasses wearers rise! this honestly lowkey turned into a bit of a vent but we aren't going to talk about that. i finally got another fic out after months i'm so sorry, but i think i've managed to get passed the writers block and i have motivation to write now! so send in requests or whatever, and expect more fics.

You had always been insecure. Ever since you were young, you hadn’t ever found yourself liking the way you look. Sometimes it even felt like your insecurities had been engrained into your DNA, so you’d always feel this way. You had always had terrible vision, and have been wearing glasses for practically your entire life, which is likely one of the main causes of your low self esteem.

It wasn’t as if glasses were the beauty standard either. Any time you opened a magazine, or looked on Instagram, none of the celebrities or models you saw wore glasses. If, by chance, a character in a film did wear glasses, they were mainly seen as the nerdy, geeky, weird and annoying outcast. None of the popular or 'beautiful' characters ever wore glasses. It sucked. Big time.

Despite that, you’d have to say it’s quite ironic how you were more than likely seen as a nerd in high school. You were extraordinarily smart, exceeding in all of your classes and being the top of the class in each one almost effortlessly. So, it was to no one’s surprise that you were smart enough to get a job as a SHIELD agent. You weren’t a field agent and you didn’t do hand to hand combat - your vision and glasses would’ve caused too much problems (contacts were too expensive, and you didn’t much like them either) - so you were one of the agents who hacked into databases and gathered intel.

At SHIELD is where you met who would unknowingly become your future girlfriend, Natasha Romanoff. To be completely honest, sometimes you sit and wonder how you had managed to make her fall for you. You certainly weren’t anything extraordinary, you were average (or less than average, in your opinion) but her? Natasha Romanoff had to be the most gorgeous, angelic and sweetest person you had ever met. You had fallen for her as soon as her eyes met yours.

Fellow SHIELD agents had warned you about the Black Widow; ‘she’s incredibly intimidating’, ‘someone once said she made multiple men piss themselves out of fear’, ‘she’s so scary, I would hate to get on her bad side’. While that part is, admittedly, true, under her hard exterior you saw someone who loved her family and friends unequivocally and would not hesitate to die protecting them.

She was the best girlfriend you could’ve ever asked for. She showered you with love and gifts that you didn’t need, she knew exactly how to cheer you up and she remembered the little things that you couldn’t even remember telling her. But you didn’t deserve her. She deserved better. You saw the way people looked at you, ‘why is she with them? what does she see in them?’, whether out of jealousy or spite, it didn’t matter, because you couldn’t help but believe them. No matter how many times Natasha tells you differently.

Dating an Avenger meant that you usually got to join in when the team have ‘fun days’, and you’ve practically been dubbed Honorary Avenger at this point. The team had the day off and had so decided to take a trip to an amusement park. You had split up into separate cars. In your one; Sam was driving, Steve was shotgun, you, Natasha and Peter were in the back. Peter had complained he’d been shoved in this car so ‘the adults could babysit him even though he’s old enough to take care of himself’.

It was going great, music was blasting, everyone was laughing and telling jokes and Nat had packed some snacks for everyone. That is, until it wasn’t going so great for you.

“Isn’t that right, specky?” Steve guffawed after telling a story about some form of shenanigans you had got up to one night when you were drunk. You couldn’t remember it, but it was the nickname that had made your smile falter and your voice quieten to a whisper. Even though you had been called it as a joke for most of your life, and you knew Steve only meant it as such, it also targeted your biggest insecurity. Jokes that target insecurities aren’t funny, at least to you.

Natasha had instantly noticed your change in demeanour. She put a comforting arm around your shoulder and turned her gaze momentarily to glare at Steve, “Steve,” she said, her tone stern. The atmosphere in the car immediately tensed, and Sam quietly turned the music down.

“What?” Steve asked, “It was just a joke!”

“That wasn’t fun-“

You interrupted Natasha, “It’s fine, really,”

She looked at you, and you could tell she didn’t believe you. You squeezed her free hand reassuringly, “I promise,” she still wasn’t convinced, but dropped it either way. You were quiet for the rest of the car ride.

Upon arrival at the amusement park, Tony had gathered the entire team in for a group photo. He had asked a random woman to take the photo, who looked equally starstruck and scared to be in front of and taking a photo of the Avengers.

"Y/N, you should take your glasses off!" Tony suggested as he handed the woman his phone and got into line.

Your head whipped towards him, "What?"

He shrugged nonchalantly, "It's just a suggestion, we've never saw you without them before,"

You merely nodded as you felt Natasha's hand squeeze yours, you glanced at her to find her looking at you with a soft smile on her face. You knew each other well enough that sometimes conversation wasn't needed, and you knew she was telling you to only take them off if you were comfortable.

You drew in a deep breath before carefully taking off your glasses, your vision immediately going blurry - it was impossible for you to see anything around you - but at least it was only for the photo. You placed them gently into your pocket. Natasha squeezed your hand again at the same time the woman said, "Say cheese!"

The only sound that filled your ears was all of the Avengers and you saying a chorus of 'Cheese!'. You had a big smile on your face, even though deep inside you your insecurities were gnawing away at you. Tony ran to check the photo as you put your glasses back on, following the rest of the team to see it.

They all tried to gather around Tony, crowding over a tiny phone to see a tiny photo - which obviously wasn't working - so Tony resorted to passing the phone to each person so everyone could get a chance to see it clearly. When it was your turn, your eyes immediately went to you, and you had to stifle a sigh. Once again, you saw nothing worth being called beautiful. Natasha beside you was radiant, the massive smile she had on was one of pure happiness due to being surrounded by the people she loved. She was glowing. You looked dull beside her. You quickly gave the phone to Peter, who was standing beside you, wanting to see it.

Natasha instantly knew something was wrong. "Go on ahead, we'll catch up," she said to the rest of the team who walked away, giving you two some privacy.

"Y/N," she said, standing in front of you.

You avoided her gaze, "Hm?"

The redhead let out a sigh before cupping your cheeks, forcing your gaze to focus on her, "You know I love you, right?"

You didn't answer, so she continued, "You're beautiful," you scoffed but before you could say anything she cut in, "no, really, you're gorgeous. Not just outside, but inside. You have such a beautiful soul. You are so kind to everyone, and everyone who knows you absolutely adores you. Trust me, I've heard the team and SHIELD agents talk about how amazing you are. I'm not bullshitting you. You are so smart, honestly the most intelligent person I've ever met and on top of that you are so pretty," she could tell you didn't believe her, but she pushed on, "listen to me, you only see yourself when your posing for photos, you don't see yourself when you have a genuine, real smile on your face, or when you're laughing at something funny, or when you have a spark in your eye because you're doing something you love. But I do. I see you in those rare moments, and in those moments I swear to you I think you must have been an angel sent down from heaven. It was only inevitable that I was going to fall for you."

By the end of Natasha's rant, tears had sprung to your eyes. She said it with so much ferocity, so much conviction, that you couldn't help but believe her.

"Plus," she kissed the tip of your nose, "I think your glasses are adorable. You might hate them, but some people love them enough to buy fake glasses when they don't even need them,"

She had a point. You smiled at her and she returned the smile, her hand moving down to grab yours. You entwined your hands together, "I love you," you said, placing a chaste kiss on her temple.

"I love you most, now let's go catch up with the team,"

You both walked hand in hand, shortly catching up with the team as they hadn't made it very far (Thor saw a cotton candy stand and insisted everyone get one). You were feeling a lot better than you had 10 minutes ago, the words Natasha said to you repeating in your head, squashing the insecurities that had plagued your mind today. Sometimes you wondered how you ended up with such an incredible girlfriend.

[gale-gentlepenguin]

Gale Reviews: ML Season 5 Episode 2 Multiplication

Spoilers below

-Wow they continuing from the previous episode like almost exactly, that is impressive Continuity. I feel like I wrote it XD

-So recap, and They are addressing Felix. Smart move!

-So Gabriel is being a salty b**** but evil monologue as usual

-And su han is pointing out their mistakes and Chat noir tells him that he needs to shut up

-OH SNAP THEY ARE TAG TEAMING HIM. Couple goals

-Su Han got distracted by modern stuff! Thats actually kind of funny. I enjoy this bit. Su han is still an idiot tho. HE GOT DISTRACTED FOR 4 months on Cat videos! Okay I don’t hate him as much as before.

-Ladybug and Chat noir dealt with that well.

-Su han going to get back up. Well that will take a while. But at least he is doing something.

-So they are heading to Felix!

-FELIX FATHOM! OH DAMN. He got a wiki page.

-WHO MADE THIS PAGE THO?!

-Damn Felix, and here I thought he was just a typical rich kid. He graduated highschool already. Well we knew he was smart.

-They are talking to amelie. I am amazed.

-Amelie seems concerned and doesnt know where he is and promise to look for him.

-Felix is on the run, of course he would!

-Marinette blames herself, and it seems its a dead end.

-I’m sus of Amelie

-Holy crap the finale, the Evolution and the first part of this episode take place in the SAME DAY! Ladybug ain’t kidding. It’s been a long day

-AWWW SHE MISSES THEM kwami

-Marinette asks for company, baby girl is sad.

-Adrien returns home and is thinking about what felix did.

-Adrien realizing that if he just stood up for himself that would have saved everything.

-Adrien told his dad?! That was way too easy. He was WAY too okay with it

-meanwhile at the sleep over

-Alya trying to assure her that it wasnt her fault (cute sleep over)

-STATUE REFERENCE @gentil-minou now grows more powerful! Also Alya loves cringe

-Marinette vowing she is done with adrien until monarch is down JUST AS HE CALLS! Because Life ain’t that simple

-Alya answers for her like a bro.

-Adrien just wanted to let her know he quit modelling.

-Marinette was so happy for him! So cute. She forgot she was pretending to not be there

-ADRIEN YOU BEAUTIFUL BABY

-Adrien is clearly simping

-Marinette is trying not to look into it. Alya is me rightnow

-Adrien is GUSHING. I CANT TAKE THIS KIND OF SWAP

-Plagg calling his fake ass out!!!! drag him! he knows

-REVERSE CRUSH LETS GO

-Oh, Nathalie is back. She is gonna call out Gabriel.

-Nathalie seeing adrien and smiling. She cares for her psuedo son.

-MR. ALIM TELLING THEM THAT HIS DAUGHTER IS BUNNYX! TO THE CLASS

-CALINE IS PREGNANT! It wasn’t me

-The class is worried about Alix but are staying motivated.

-Nino is right, stats are cool, but max, Shut up.

Also his stats are wrong

-And Chloé is being a salty b****

-Oh Lila, you have a role in two episodes, amazing. Also I saw that Back hand compliment you bitch!

-Sabrina looks a bit different. Also sweetie, Roger is a dumbass.

-A MONTAGE!? Of them being vigilent but no akumas.

-Tomoe is there! I see drama in the rise.

-Oh, this is awkward.

-MARINETTE! STOP COCK BLOCKING YOURSELF.

-Anaisi training DJWIFI! I love it!

-Wait, are they making an ADRIEN HOLOGRAM!? OH SO THATS HOW HE IS GONNA GET OUT OF MODELING.

-Gabriel hasnt been active for weeks so everyone is relaxed with no akuma.

-Felix hasnt shown up. His mom has to be covering for him

-OH SNAP AN AKUMA PERFECT FOR COCKBLOCKING!

-Adrien you awkward boy.

-AH YEA GIANT MILF AKUMA

-Oh damn Ikari Gozan is agile for being so big

-OH S*** SHE CAN MULTIPLY! SHE GOT THE MIRACULOUS.

-so many milfs

-I mean so many monsters

-Ladybug and chat noir are asking her how she got a miraculous.

-Chat noir still got his cataclysm active

-FISHING ROD LUCKY CHARM

-oH!!! I think I got it.

-Chat noir got the rod

-I am living for this teamwork!

-Wow they handled this a lot easier than I thought.

-Tomoe seems to not know what happened. Just something about a park being in the way of her development plans.

-They ask if she has a miraculous. But she says she doesnt have one.

-I am sus. She has something.

-They give her a lucky charm.

-Tomoe you lying bitch! THE PROTOTYPE! The rings! That’s what it was! That why he got those rings!

-THE TECH! OMG THE TECH! ITS AMAZING! IT LOOKS SO CLEAN

-WTF IS WITH THAT ALL WHITE LOOK

-Its a communication tool

-ITS CALLED ALLIANCE! SO ON THE NOSE! YOU EVIL BASTARD! THATS HOW THE RINGS GO.

-Its an alliance of two companies.

-so thats why he did the scan thing!

-Amelie straight up lied to keep her son safe, shady, also Felix what you gonna do boy.

-Felix sounding OMINOUS!

___________________________________________

Okay so I am LOVING this continuity. The flow is nice. It seems like they are actually USING the characters! Season 5 seems to really seems to be an improvement. The writing is much more crisp. The pacing is a lot better, the drama is more apparent. It’s like they took the best aspects of season 3 and 4 and fixed it.

I enjoy the ladynoir and adrinette. Solid stuff

Felix’s mom is awesome. (And she is single)

Gabriel seems to have a new plan that involve those rings and Tomoe seems in on it.

I’m hoping it’s the rich cult from season 4.

Adrien finally waking up and realizing Marinette is special is about DAMN TIME!

And just in time for Marinette to try and keep her distance. A little late, but a reverse lovesquare would be lovely.

Overall I will say that this is a solid 8.5 out of 10.

It is a bit dialogue heavy but I think it’s crucial in setting up the next episodes. Now some might call that boring, I call it world building.

If season 5 can keep this level of good writing and execution it will be a great season.

[blackgirl-galactica]

"LET'S SEE WITH THE ASCENDANT" PART 1!

NOTE: WHILE I AM NOT A PROFESSIONAL ASTROLOGER, I LOVE ASTROLOGY AND ITS ASPECTS AND I LOVE TO LEARN THEM! PLEASE DO NOT STEAL OR REWORD MY WORK WITHOUT CREDIT! THANK YOU :)

Hey y'all!

- I am finally settled and I am ready to give you some more astro knowledge to keep in the books!! Today we will be talking about the Ascendant (ASC for short) through the first 6 signs!! Part 2 will come out tomorrow!

- But first, what is an ASC sign?

-I'm glad you asked honey! First things first, your Ascendant is an angular house! Angular houses are the Ascendant, Descendant, IC (Imum Coeli), and MC (Medium Coeli). I'll do a post on what angular houses mean later on! Or do feel free to research on your own time :)

-Your ASC sign is what's popularly known as the sign (or sign traits) you may give off as a first impression to the outside world. According to the book, The Only Astrology Book You'll Ever Need by Joanna Woolfolk, she asserts that our personality is a blend of our Sun Sign in combination with our ASC sign. This has some truth in it as our ASC can also represent our self-interests, how we process self-awareness, our goals, our objectives, & how we assert our self-sufficiency! Think of your ASC sign as the sign when you walk in a room full of people.

- You can find your ASC here! Below is my chart( credit from Astro.com) for my visual learners! The ASC will be on the left side of your chart (marked AC); usually your angular houses are marked! In this example, my ASC is in the sign of Sagittarius!

-Have you ever had someone guess your sun sign but they were wrong? Chances are, they probably are guessing your ASC sign!

-With that being said, let's get into it!!!!

ARIES ASC:

Adventurous and pioneering!

Typically the ones to be "the first" at something.

Likes to get shit done! Act first ask questions later kind of energy.

Leader of the pack vibes.

Possibly have a very muscular, strong body.

When they walk in the room, they give such a strong sense of power, strength, and exuberance!

Possibly can be red-headed. Aries rules the color red and also rules the head. Doesn't mean every red-head is an Aries ASC though. Or they may like to wear alot of red.

They can give a direct, kinda bossy attitude but also a very free-child-like attitude I love it!!

Be careful with sharp objects. Sharp objects like knives are ruled by Mars (Mars rules Aries) and you may be a bit more accident prone so be careful, according to Woolfolk.

TAURUS ASC:

Very stable and calm energy when they walk in the room.

Patient & steadfast people.

Love the arts, could be talented at composing music esp!

Love comfort and the comfort their materials bring them.

Can have super beautiful necks. Necks/throats are ruled by Taurus.

Also, they may have larger, rounder eyes ooooo so cute!! Almost like a doe.

Can accumulate wealth over time.

Loves security and things that make them feel safe.

Many people think they are lazy, but that is not the case. A Taurus ASC does not believe in wasting time on things that don't bring them joy or comfort. They are hardworking, if it means they can attain the goals they set out for!! Once again, THEY ARE NOT LAZY!

GEMINI ASC:

Witty & charming.

Extremely smart and sociable.

Also can thrive in the entertainment industry as actors, writers, TV hosts, or comedians. They can really captivate an audience with their social and witty behavior!

Gemini rules the arms & hands, so they can have really nice hands/arms. If Venus is in aspect to their ASC, this can possibly point to someone who is a hand model.

The type to always want to be constantly stimulated and learn something everyday so they don't get bored.

May like to travel alot or move alot.

They also can marry more than once in their lives.

Extremely intellectual communicators. Very good with using their words as their best assets!

Could have big, wide eyes. This is just a personal take as I have seen multiple Gemini risings with big, wide eyes.

CANCER ASC:

Love security & comfort.

May have a oval face or round face. The moon rules Cancer so I won't be surprised if your face is shaped as round as the moon.

Sensitive to other's emotions & intuitive on how people may feel or react.

Amazing creatives. They use their emotions to make the best projects. Some of their projects (story writing for example) can be based on their lives at home or their hometown.

On the outside they may come off reserved and even cold. This is the "hard on the outside soft on the inside" effect. Deep down they are very soft, sweet, giving, & sensitive.

They want public recognition for their efforts, as you should!!!

According to Woolfolk, they are very good with saving money and handling it as well. Being the opposite sign of Capricorn (the sign of conservation), I am not surprised since opposing signs do share qualities of each other in one way or another.

LEO ASC:

Very grand people and luxurious YESSSS BITCH!!!

People may notice their hair first. Know how Leo is the lion? We see the lion's mane (or hair) first. This also applies for Leo ASCs.

A personal take- Leo ASC have this sun-kissed glow about them (lol pun intended). It's like their skin is so bright and glowy and it is so beautiful.

Give off a very happy and exuberant energy.

Extremely likeable people.

Views life as a stage!

Prides themselves on being a leader and delegator.

Can easily find fame or people will scout them out easily.

Also can be surrounded by alot of influential people. This helps their image if they want to be famous one day. Get to networking!!!

Can have a very nice back. Leo also rules the back.

VIRGO ASC:

Another personal take: why do so many Virgo ASC or Virgo placements have to wear glasses? That's interesting.

May have a frail looking body, but that does not mean they are sick yall.

Looks at life through a filter. Meaning, they like to hold on to valuable information that they can actually use and apply in their life.

^Yet, this can also mean that they may become too dependent on details to make decision. Don't forget to look at the bigger picture.

They love order and reason.

Thrive in intellectual pursuits. Especially if they are scientific and not philosophical.

Likes to gain rewards from their own efforts and not due to what others think. They love to listen and be assured in their own reasoning as YOU SHOULD!!!

May forget to take others' opinions into consideration.

Could come off shy and distant.

May own property in their later lives? Idk but Woolfolk mentions this and if anyone can chime in here I would be happy to hear it!

-That's it for PART 1! Part 2 will be out tomorrow!

-Also, to show your appreciation, do feel free to tip me! I have so much more content I want to teach and tell yall and I'm excited! You can tip me at my cashapp: $DellyRelly if you appreciate my content in more ways than just following me! Anywho, see yall tomorrow!

-Claude

[sie-rui]

Hii can u do soft baji headcanons??

❀ BAJI BEING SOFT | TOKYO REVENGERS 🤍 baji keisuke 💿 general headcanon, third pov, fluff 📅 june 12, 2021 🔗 main

baji keisuke being baji keisuke

☆ Baji Keisuke loves his mom so much. She raised him all on her own and Baji will literally do anything to make her happy.

☆ He learned how to cook from his mom. Actually, he’s an amazing cook.

☆ He takes his mom out on dates every once in a while

☆ Tries to study real hard but it’s either he gets bored or someone / something distracts him.

☆ Keisuke is definitely going to fail his tests. Chifuyu is just a tiny bit smarter but that is not enough to help him pass. These two barely pass their exams.

☆ Keisuke will not cheat. He’s a lot of things but he’s not a cheater. (Both in exams and in love.)

☆ In conclusion, he’s definitely going to make his mom cry again if he doesn’t get his shit straight.

☆ He may not be smart but he’s hella perceptive. When Chifuyu is down in the dumps, he notices. When his mother is worrying about something, he notices. When Mikey ate one more dorayaki than usual, he notices.

☆ He was wide-awake during a class once but at the end of the day, he didn’t remember a single lesson nor word his teachers said.

☆ Practices his signature during classes. Also doodles cats and taiyakis. Once drew Mikey with pigtails. A decent artist, if Mikey may say so himself.

☆ Since they’re classmates, Baji and Chifuyu copy off each other’s homework. They both absolutely get a perfect zero. The teachers aren’t even surprised at this point.

☆ A little more application and Keisuke is actually capable of passing. He just has... other priorities in his life. (Mainly cats.)

☆ Jumped out the second floor in school before.

☆ Well-loved by both cats and dogs. One time, Chifuyu met up with him at the park only to see Keisuke on the ground, covered with dogs.

☆ Goes absolutely feral when someone hurts the doggies and the kitties.

☆ Chifuyu had seen him climb trees to help cats a lot of times already, along with helping dogs cross the street.

☆ Do not fuck with his food. He protects it with his life and will fight anyone if they dare mess with it.

☆ Keisuke most definitely randomly started dancing in the middle of the street before while Chifuyu records it on his phone. He’s supportive.

☆ He also most definitely ruined Chifuyu’s apartment before by chucking iced chicken in the microwave when Chifuyu was returning the neighbor’s cat.

☆ Watches sad telenovelas on the television. Chifuyu joined him once. They were both crying at the end of it but none wanted to admit it.

☆ Absolutely adores Chifuyu as if he was Keisuke’s baby brother. Hypes him up all the time.

"Fuck Chifuyu, did you just get scouted as a model or am I seeing things?" "Baji-san... I'm sorry but please shut up." "You're turning red!" "Shut up!"

☆ When he’s not fighting, he’s really dorky and sometimes squirms when girls’ attention are on him.

☆ Talked with Draken about shampoo and hair condition more than once.

☆ Are you trying to tell me that Baji hadn’t braided Draken’s hair before and Draken reciprocated and did the same. Taking care of each other’s hair is basically Toman’s love language.

☆ Recommends great shampoo and hair care brands to Chifuyu once before. In exchange, Chifuyu helps him with fashion. It’s a pretty nice deal if Baji says so himself.

☆ Surprisingly knows how to play chess. He learned online.

☆ Wanted to own a dog. He never really did get to adopt one.

☆ On the bright side, Chifuyu who shares his love for cats, always comes with him to visit pet-cafes. They go every Saturday. It’s tradition at this point. It does not matter if they’re broke or if they have an important event to go to that day, they. will. go. to. a. pet. cafe.

☆ Once tried to smuggle a cat out of said cafe.

☆ Crackhead by day, crackhead by night. Randomly burst out laughing in the middle of a class for no reason at all other than Chifuyu looking so offended at what the teacher said.

☆ Teachers are always trying to separate the two of them at class. Chifuyu sits on the front row and Baji is either outside, out in the hallway, or at the very back. Hey, even if he looks like a poindexter, it doesn’t mean that he is one.

☆ Chucked erasers and rulers at Chifuyu during class before. I’m here to remind you that he’s literally at the very back in the far corner and Chifuyu sits at the very middle right in front of the teacher’s desk.

☆ Baji has no patience for Escape Rooms, did Mitsuya care? Nope. He and Chifuyu got stuck together in one room for half a day, not even bothering to find clues. Baji literally fell asleep and Chifuyu stared blankly at the wall.

☆ Judges Mikey on daily basis. Mikey judges him back.

☆ Emma put flowers on his hair before. It stayed on the whole day. No one knew if he didn’t notice or he left it there on purpose. Except for Mikey that is. And Mikey can tell you that-

☆ He’s always there to cheer up his friends in a weird unconventional way.

☆ When Baji smiles, it’s always genuine. He doesn’t force himself to smile and he doesn’t fake grins. It’s what makes him Baji.

[megthemewlingquim]

someone new.

summary: there's an art to life's distractions.

pairing: eventual hades! loki x persephone! reader

warnings: implied smut, alcohol consumption

a/n: here it is, the first part of foreigner's god. as said in this fic's masterlist, these will not be chapters, but rather short stories and one shots that can be read separately or as one whole piece. it's up to you.

i plan to base each part off of one or two hozier songs. this is inspired by "someone new".

is there a right way to fall in love?

    that’s what loki asks himself every day — well, every night — when he spends his free time at bars and gatherings. populated widely with fellow gods, goddesses, and spirits of many colors and passions; these bars are perfect places to find someone new.

    being the god of death, however, puts loki at a bit of a disadvantage. yes, the stereotypes are, unfortunately, true. loki is dark, a little antisocial, and very quiet. beautiful in appearance — death is seductive, at least to the willing.

    ‘the willing’ being many a spirit, many a dryad or goddess or creature who wants bragging rights, or a little nightly thrill. ‘that’s right,’ they say, ‘i had a little dance with death last night.’

loki doesn’t mind the mornings when his temporary partners talk about the nights, but he always cringes when they mention that accursed french phrase — la petite mort. it’s a joke to them. a mockery.

   yet, they stay, and sometimes, they come back for another little death.

    the spirits and goddesses never make a big impact on him. he is with one for a night, then another for a night, and so on. he falls in love every day with someone new and it’s a bore. a bore and a drag.

    dark caresses don’t do much to numb the pain: the pain of loneliness and solitude. the ache in his heart is constant, tearing at his mind whenever it can. alcohol can't do much either — all gods have a very high tolerance. mead was made for them.

   so loki is left with no escape besides those that come from the willing. little deaths. they make him feel loved.

   no...

   no one loves death. some crave him. but they don't love him.

   that’s the common theme running through loki’s head every time he takes someone home with him, or goes upstairs with them to the top floors of the inns he’s at, where the bedrooms are. it’s a distraction.

   however, the cycle ends when, while pointlessly wandering around his usual bar, he sees someone new one night. you.

   you radiate this... this warmth that he’s never felt before. everyone around you seems to be affected by it too - they don’t treat you as the life of the party, but they do gravitate towards you like birds to a nest. 

    and you’re quite shy, but infectiously happy and cheerful. you’re so beautiful, with your bright eyes that he knows are wide and filled with wonder, and your lovely skin that he knows is so soft. and your smile that he knows is so comforting to all who see it.

   to everyone else, you feel like they’ve just wandered into a happy memory, or a sun-lit room that’s pleasantly warm and golden. you feel familiar. ordinary, but lovely all the same.

   to loki, you feel... feel like something he’s only experienced in dreams. so, really, he’s never felt it before in his immortal life: something warm and alive and... and anticipatory. like there’s new things about to come up to the surface — flowers, new animals, maybe. you give off a sense of... he can’t describe it well. a slow and joyful awakening something.

   and you also feel completely and utterly powerful. unstoppable. he’s terrified of you, and yet he’s drawn to you. you’re so fascinating, strange. not as if you could end the world, no, that’s his own job. but it’s as if you can bring the whole world to life, raise it back up again after the chaos fades.

   you feel like spring. like rebirth. like new life.

   and that’s when it hits him.

   persephone. he’s heard the name passed around before, but before now, he has never seen the face behind the name. something about this sparks some fear in him: how would persephone, goddess of spring, daughter of demeter, react to seeing anyone even remotely like himself?

   for a moment, he’s grateful that you’re not looking at him; you’re actually looking at the table, at the drink you’re sipping. there’s a look on your face that isn’t bored, nor afraid. maybe... observant.

   people are around you still. not crowding, but not interacting with you either. it’s like you have a bubble around you, keeping everyone from getting too close. maybe it’s your doing but maybe it’s theirs. honestly, you’d think that dryads and gods and goddesses and spirits of all forms and colors and subjects would be more accepting.

   he pities you. you seem lonely.

   loki takes a few steps forward, betraying his own fear. like the red sea, the crowd parts. some are bold and unafraid, and they give loki varying looks: disgusted, seductive, snarky. you don’t notice him until he sits down in front of you, at the other end of the table.

   “hi,” he says calmly. he manages a small smile. “you’re new here, aren’t you?”

   your eyes lift to lock with his own. immediately, you recoil just the slightest bit. he knows what you’re thinking: wait, that’s hades! god of death... wh-why is he talking to me?

   “it’s alright,” he soothes. “don’t worry. you’ve probably heard of all the stories: gods kidnapping and doing terrible things to goddesses and spirits and dryads. i’m not here to do any of that. i promise.”

   with a single, somewhat confused blink, you nod. “m-my mother has told me a lot about that stuff,” you say slowly, as if saying anything too revealing will somehow alert demeter and get you in trouble. “she’s... she’s terrified...”

   “what is she terrified of? that those terrible things might happen to you?”

   “yes,” you say. “she’s told me that she’s had nightmares in the past. specifically about you. how you’ll kidnap me and take me to hell to live with you.”

   he laughs at that - a rich, amused laugh that takes the shivers out of you. “that’s bullshit. overprotective mothers, yeah?”

   you shrug. “she loves me.”

   “and are you afraid of me, princess?” the last word is whispered. his voice extremely soft - it’s a curious question.

   he notices how you lick your lips. “no,” you say. he notices how your eyes flick all over him. “no, i’m not.” and you seem truthful.

   “smart girl,” he says with a grin. “i hate liars. there’s not a god on in the world that’s ever been truthful. well, besides jesus. yahweh. whatever you wanna call him.” loki leans back, crossing his hands behind his head and bringing his feet up to the table. “your father, though... he’s the worst of ‘em. having children with other women, including your mother, while hera has to sit by and watch, and then lying about it.”

   “we’re gods,” you say. “i'm not trying to justify things but... we’re far from perfect.”

   “damn right we are. we’re fucked up. good. we can agree on something. most days, people think us gods are... perfect things. role models. and, maybe some are. but not us. not the gods of olympus.”

   he pauses, takes a swig from a beer bottle that was not in his hand a few seconds ago. “i was wondering if you wanted to do what humans do.” loki winces at the awkwardness. “when they're... y'know. interested in someone.”

   “you're interested... in me?” you ask, incredulously.

   “yeah, i am.” one sip of beer has loosened his tongue. or maybe that's just his confidence soaring now. “maybe this hasn't been the best introduction to things but i would love to take you out sometime. show you things.”

   “my —” you swallow. “i'd get in trouble.” you shrink away just a bit.

   his smile fades and it's replaced with a sadder, more sincere look. “the best things in life have risk to them. it's time i show you that.”

   and really, he does feel sorry for you. it's your first time at a bar, you're lonely. no friends as far as he can tell. an overprotective goddess mother.

   “think of it this way. i think you're very pretty and i like your honesty. i would like to help you see the world, and to have a little fun, since your mother has obviously never let you do anything in your very, very long life.”

   “i'm twenty—one.”

   “and now i'm wondering if demeter actually has you tell people that, as if you're a teenage mortal.” loki shakes his head, disappointed. “that's pathetic. you're a bajillion years old. you're a goddess! you should be able to do whatever the fuck you want, right?”

   when there's no answer from you, he sighs. leans forward to sit normally, putting both of his elbows on the table and pointing his hands at you. “alright. i'll roll with it for now. you're twenty—one. i guess. you can drink. you can go out alone to bars and other places. you can meet new people. you're an adult. think about that.

   “so, again. i think you're very pretty and i wanna show you around. get to know you. would you like to do that with me?” he raises his eyebrows a little, waiting for a response.

   it's an eternity before you can win a battle in your mind. slowly, you nod, giving him a smile. “yeah,” you whisper. “yeah, i would. thank you.”

   “don't thank me just yet, sweetheart. i haven't shown you anything yet.” he gets up, pushes his chair in.

   before he leaves, he winks at you. “call me loki. it's... not as dreadful... as hades. and... what do i call you?”

   you say your name, your voice quiet.

   “much better than persephone, i think. it suits you. we'll keep in touch, ok?”

   “okay,” you say. butterflies are flying rapidly in your stomach.

   loki leaves you there. he'd much rather take you back to your home himself, but that would be too risky for the time being. for now, he walks out of that bar feeling like the king of the world.

[goggles-mcgee]

i’m really loving the Wish me Away au idea! Would you be up to writing about what the batfam does after seeing mari’s reaction to emilie and adrien?

Like an actually little drabble? Yeah sure! It'll be based off the headcanons from this post -> 👶

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎♤♡◇♧▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

Bruce couldn't remember having so much fun, he always loved to brag about his kids and show them off at work, but it was a little hard when it was 'Bring Your Kid To Work Day' and most of your kids worked with you. That's why he was so happy bringing little Marietta with him to Wayne Enterprises, he also brought Damian but Damian had wandered off to see what Dick did since, and he quotes, "I know everything about you father. If I am to be your successor it is only natural I familiarize myself with your work. I believe it would be beneficial for me to oversee Grayson's work ethic."

Honestly, Damian could have just said he wanted to see what Dick did but that was just part of Damian's charm. Before he had left, Damian had let Marietta grab his finger and give it a little shake which delighted her, if Bruce was not mistaken, Damian had even smiled before he said bye to the both of them. The boy had really grown to love Mari and Bruce could not be more proud of his son. Though, he had to admit, all of his children were absolutely enamored with the baby, not to say he wasn't, but Lord have mercy on anyone who dared mess with his baby girl. She would have an army behind her of overprotective brothers and sisters, and father and mother, and grandfather, and cow...and turkey...and dogs...and cats...and dragon bat....and semi-god things that called themselves kwamis...and two very very powerful almost godlike godparents (Diana and Clark.) Now Bruce didn't like to think about it but he did also have to add Mari's....friends to that list... i.e. some of his rogues, which yes was fucking bizarre beyond all reason, but some had even cut back on crime because of their friendship with his little mini-hero so that was a plus. Right?

Well that was a thought for another day, now he got to take his little girl around and take her into meetings, which was certainly going to be interesting, but Marietta always seemed interested in watching him work so he wasn't too worried. He packed her plenty of snacks along with her lunch that Alfred made, he made sure to pack her favorite toys and a variety of coloring books and markers and crayons. And of course he remembered to pack cookies for Tikki who was riding in the hood of Marietta's dress. Plus he made sure to pack a little first aid kid just in case, also another sweater for Marietta in case she got cold.

He liked to be prepared. Sue him.

First meeting of the day was with a Ms. Graham de Vanily. If his memory served right this was Emilie and not Amelie who he had spoken with in the past. Not for the first time he had to wonder what possessed their parents to name the identical twin sisters Emilie and Amelie, but apparently she had brought along her son as well so that made this meeting a little less awkward. He adjusted his hold on Marietta before he continued on his walk to his office where he would be meeting Ms. Emilie, he had hoped to show his daughter around more when they had arrived but he had actually forgotten about this particular meeting and so hadn't rescheduled it to a time when he would hand over Marietta to one of her brother's since they deemed it "unfair" that only he got to show her his work.

Honestly his boys. They were wonderful but boy did they get jealous of one another if Marietta gave one more attention than the other. He fondly remembered one family game night where all the boys were asking who Mari's favorite brother is and she had just been laughing at all the attention not really understanding and it was the first time Bruce had witnessed Damian giving someone a smile and opening his arms for a hug. Of course he had done it behind all his siblings backs and only Alfred and Bruce himself had seen it. It was a sight to see everyone's face when Mari giggled out a, "Dami!", and ran over to him. When everyone turned around he was back to his stoic face but he was hugging Marietta and she was snuggling herself against him but as he looked at everyone he gave them a small smirk. There was an uproar, a demand for a retest, but Damian wouldn’t have it and it had been one of the most chaotic nights in the Manor. Selina had been very entertained especially when Marietta somehow made her way out of the gaggle of children and waddled over to her and had climbed in her lap very clumsily before plopping herself down and making herself comfortable, almost like a cat Bruce had thought, before smiling up at Selina. Selina had just turned to Bruce and said in a complete monotone voice, “I would die for this child.” 

Him and Selina hadn't tied the knot yet so to say, nor had he proposed. They were trying their hand at dating again but he couldn't help the way his heart skipped and his mind conjured up images of tuxedos, lace, friends and family, cakes and kisses, and rings and vows exchanged, when his baby girl, his little Marietta looked up at Selina and called her Maman. Bruce wondered if she ever shared his thoughts, he almost convinced himself she did whenever he saw her melt and practically purr when Mari, or as Selina liked to call her, Kitten, would call her Maman. He could see the love in the older woman's eyes and he had no doubt in his heart that this time, they would work out, this time they would get their 'happily ever after' or whatever came close to it.

He was ripped from his thought when he heard his baby girl giggle at something Lucius said.

"Morning Lucius."

"And good morning to you Mr. Wayne. I see you brought the little one."

"Yes. I promised I would bring her but I must admit, the meeting with Ms. Graham de Vanily slipped my mind." Bruce sighed out.

"I guessed as much. Well if you want, I can watch the Little Wayne while you have your meeting." Lucius offered, of course Bruce trusted him to watch Marietta seeing as the older man also practically adopted Mari at first sight. He was basically another grandfather to her.

"Gampa Fox!" Marietta began before dissolving into her baby babble. She was getting very good at speaking. Honestly she was very smart for a two year old.

"That's okay Lucius, I want to bring her in. Besides if her brothers spot her with you they wouldn't hesitate to snatch her up before their scheduled times. If Ms. Graham de Vanily has a problem with it I will insist on a reschedule. It's not everyday I get some one on one time with Marietta." Bruce admitted.

"You know one day someone is going to say no to you despite your good looks, money and reputation. Fine. Head on in, our guest is already here, which by the way, I don't think she will mind Mari seeing as she brought her own son to this meeting." Lucius sighed but he gave Mari a little wave and pointed Bruce to one of the smaller meeting rooms they had in Wayne Enterprises.

"Aww Lucius you think I'm good looking?"

"Go."

"Yes sir." Bruce chuckled out with a brief wave before he made his way over to the meeting room Lucius had pointed to and gently rapped his knuckled on the outside door despite the room being visible from outside because of the large windows. He heard a feminine voice call out from inside so he entered,

“Remember your manners Marietta and if you need anything don’t be shy.” Bruce told his daughter softly as they walked in, he chuckled when she nodded enthusiastically. As soon as he caught sight of the blonde woman he put on his best business smile. “Ah, Ms. Graham de Vanily, so sorry to keep you waiting. I must admit that this meeting slipped my mind.”

“No worries Mr. Wayne, I don’t believe this will be long. I see you brought your daughter. I brought my son! Adrien say hi.” Ms. Graham de Vanily light-heartedly scolded her son and tapped his shoulder. When Bruce took his seat and placed Marietta on his lap he finally got a good look at them both. Both mother and son were blond, her son, Adrien was a teenager, from the looks of it he was 16 maybe even 17. When his mother tapped him on the shoulder he sat up straighter than when he was slouching so obviously he didn’t want to come. So why bring him then? 

“Hello Mr. Wayne, it’s an honor to meet you.” Adrien greeted him with a model smile, he had seen enough to spot them from the real deal.

“Likewise. Marietta, can you say ‘hello’ to our guests?” Bruce asked gently down to his daughter who was being uncharacteristically quiet. Usually she would already saying ‘hi’ and waving, maybe even trying to get a high five or hand shake. Though now she was hiding her face in his chest and hugging her backpack to her, she made a small noise like a whimper and Bruce was absolutely dumbfounded. His daughter had never acted like this before, not even with Joker for crying out loud yet here she was trembling and trying to hide herself in his arms. He didn’t know what was going on but his daughter was scared so he scooped her up and held her closer to him but she still tried to pull herself closer. Finally Bruce caught sight of Tikki inside Marietta’s open backpack and saw her antennae-like things pulled back and her eyes narrowed as the kwami glared at Ms. Graham de Vanily and her son, if he wasn’t mistaken she was even glowing a faint red especially as she stared at Adrien. Bruce didn’t understand what was causing these reactions but he did know one thing, he wasn’t going to make Marietta sit there.

“I apologize. She’s not normally like this, I think it would be best if I take her to one of her brothers if you don’t mind.” 

“Oh...no worries at all. I’m sorry if we scared her somehow.” The woman actually sounded genuine but Bruce wasn’t going to risk anything, especially with how her son actually looked at his daughter for the first time that they walked in there.

“I’m sure that’s not the case, but it will probably be best to take her to one of her brothers that way we can get through this meeting. I will be fast.” With that he was out the room and speedwalking down the hall over to Lucius’s office. “I don’t have time to explain but Marietta was acting strange around Ms. Graham de Vanily and her son and Tikki as well. Can you take her to one of her brothers please? Just inform me who and I will go pick her up after the meeting.”

Lucius on his part did his best not to ask questions knowing Bruce didn’t have the time but he did raise a brow that told Bruce he would be answering those unasked questions later. “Of course. I’ll go see what Dick and Damian are up to.”

“Thank you Lucius.” Bruce said sincerely before he made his way back to his meeting. He had questions too and they were all for Tikki, but there would be time for that later, now it was time for business.

__________________________________________

The meeting passed and all Bruce could think about was getting to Marietta. He checked his texts from Lucius that informed him that he did indeed leave Mari with Dick and Damian so he made his way over to the central security room knowing that’s where Dick would most likely be. When he got there he was relieved to see his baby girl laughing and playing with Dick while Damian sat on a chair watching, as he walked in the two boys stood up swiftly with Dick scooping up Marietta and angling her away from the door but when they saw it was him they relaxed. “Father, Lucius told us nothing, what happened?” Damian demanded.

“I’m not sure myself. Marietta started acting scared when we got in the meeting room with Ms. Graham de Vanily and her son Adrien.” Bruce answered.

“NO!” They all stared at Marietta in shock when she screamed and tried to hide herself in Dick’s chest, then they all stared at each other with wide eyes. 

“Hey, hey, hey. Etta what’s wrong?” Dick asked softly.

“No Adrien! No!” Marietta cried out. 

The air grew cold. Bruce could hear his son’s gasp and he wouldn’t be surprised if he did as well. “ طفل الخفافيش (tifl alkhafafish), you’re safe. This Adrien won’t harm you I promise.” Damian cooed to Marietta.

“الأخ الأكبر (al'akhu al'akbar).” Mari cried out wetly as she reached her hands out for him and he of course took her out of Dick’s arms and held her. 

“Tikki. Explain...please.” Bruce pleaded.

Tikki flew out of Mari’s backpack and sadly looked over at the girl before flying over to her and kissing the top of her head before flying and landing on Dick’s desk. “It’s...They are from her old life. Ad- He was her former partner...the one who wished her away. That woman shouldn’t be alive.” 

“He was the one to betray her?” Damian asked, his voice full of ice and steel. “Father I will be needing my swords. All of them.”

“Damian. No.”

“What do you mean no?” His son asked indignantly.

“Yeah what do you mean no?” Tikki asked with a tilt of her head, Bruce glared at her, she knew what she was doing.

“Tikki what do you mean that woman shouldn’t be alive?” Dick asked.

“Simply that. She was a corpse. No soul. Haw-Gab- The villain Mari had to face before, she was his wife. He wished for her life.” Tikki explained as though it made total sense to all of them.

“Yeaaaaah, you’re going to need to expand on that.” Dick said which made Tikki frown in confusion.

“While I do agree with that, maybe we should wait until we are at home to continue this conversation. You boys know how Tim and Jason will be if they aren’t informed about what happened. You boys tell them and I’ll take Marietta. We will continue on with our day, but if you see either of them lingering here alert me. I don’t want Marietta to have to interact with them at all if we can help it.” Bruce said as he gently took Marietta from Damian who looked like he wanted to do anything but give his little sister to his father.

“If I see them I have a right to defend Marietta.” Damian stated. “You can’t stop me.”

“Damian.”

“Don’t worry Bruce, at least he doesn’t have a sword on him.” Dick chuckled.

“Who said I didn’t? Was it Todd?” 

Bruce needed a break. Bruce questioned why he had so many kids not for the first time in his life. Bruce decided to ignore the fact his child admitted to having a sword somewhere on him and just did as he said he was going to do, continue his day with his daughter and if he held her a little closer to him than usual? Well it couldn’t be helped. 

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎♧◇♡♤▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

I know it’s not like the reactions yet but I am in the process of writing Wish Me Away so take this! XD

طفل الخفافيش (tifl alkhafafish): Baby Bat

“الأخ الأكبر (al'akhu al'akbar): Big Brother

[pale-silver-comb]

So I know absolutely nothing about Leverage except what I've been seeing you post lately and I have to admit you're making it look tempting to watch! Can I ask what are some of your favorite things about the show/reasons you would suggest people watch it? And is there really a poly relationship that is canon?

Okay. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. I am going to do my best not to just “asdfghkjl” at you and answer coherently.

In a nutshell, Leverage is about 5 people. 4 are criminals (Parker, Hardison, Eliot and Sophie) with different and unique skill-sets and 1 is an ex-insurance investigator (Nate) who, at one point or another in his career, has tracked down (or at least attempted to) the other 4. The whole show is essentially: man reluctantly reforms 4 criminals to use their criminal powers for good and 4 criminals move into man’s life and stubbornly refuse to leave because, goddammit, now they have morals. 

I’ve got a lot of favourite things about the show but the main ones are as follows:

1. Found family. And I’m not talking about loners who come together to fight crime and happen to co-exist to the point where they realise they happen to have found themselves a family. I mean, Nate and Sophie are the Drunk Uncle and Wine Aunt who somehow become Mom and Dad to 3 beautiful criminal children. Mom and Dad love their criminal babies and the kids love them (as well as each other, but we’ll come to that in a moment). You get amazing family moments such as: Mom and Dad packing the kids lunch before sending them out to kick corporate greed’s ass; Mom and Dad giving the kids ridiculously expensive and personal Christmas presents causing their most Grumpy Kid to go very very quiet and soft as he runs off to gleefully play with his new murder toy; the kids interrupting Mom and Dad’s big Movie Style Kiss to ask if they can please keep their new underground layer and huffing and puffing when Dad tells them no.

2. Found family: the OT3 edition. To answer your question, the OT3 is indeed canon, confirmed by the creator. Now, usually, “confirmed by the creator” infuriates me because most of the time it’s a way for a creator to be seen as “progressive” without doing anything to actually be progressive. That isn’t the case here. The OT3 are built up carefully and while it is obvious the creators didn’t originally intend for all 3 of them to become a relationship in the romantic sense, by mid-season 5 we are given a very clear picture of where Parker, Hardison and Eliot are heading in their relationship. There aren’t any kisses at the end to signal this but there are solid marriage vows in not only one but two episodes. (And by marriage vows I mean literal equivalents of marriage vows: “for better or worse” and “’til death do us part”. I’m not even exaggerating). The OT3 also doesn’t need explicit romantic narratives to convey how much they love each other. Their love is laced through the whole show, from the way they teach each other things to the way they respond to each other and work as a unit. The way they fiercely protect and admire each other. Like someone once said, if you need characters to kiss or say I love you to let the audience know they love each other, you are writing them wrong. 

Aside from that, each of the parings in the OT3 are just. Gah. They are so well done, with friendship being the solid basis for them all. The creators never expect the audience to assume anything about them or fill in the gaps. They give us their relationships on screen and reference many things off-screen to show us how these relationships continue to build in between episodes.

Hardison and Parker are a canon couple and date in the show: it’s approached slowly and they are so goddamned sweet. They are basically every fluffy slow-burn trope with a healthy dash of mutual pining in the mix. They are basically that quote “love is patient, love is kind”. (I would like to add their romance never becomes the focus of the show or overrides the importance of any other relationship they have with the other characters, especially Eliot.)

Hardison and Eliot are the Old Married Couple and from day one are already bickering and looking at each other/making comments that are found in every UST fic ever (not to mention Hardison has a very good knack for making Eliot grin like a little kid, when usually he’s basically an Angry Little Chef Man). They argue, they play, and love each other plain as day. 

Parker and Eliot are more subtle but every bit as wonderful. They have an unspoken connection and understand each other on a level no-one else can. Parker and Eliot are not good with giving themselves over to affection for different reasons (and Hardison plays a central role in helping them realise it’s okay to want it and have it- that boy has endless patience) but there is something so beautiful in the way the two of them come together on their own and develop their own special bond that works for them. Parker and Eliot are that trope where the characters don’t need to speak to understand each other perfectly. They just do. Their love language is a lot of the time non-verbal but speaks volumes. (Parker also likes to annoy the hell out of Eliot and Eliot....just.....lets...her. Because he’s soft. The softest, grumpiest boy.) 

I could go into so much depth for each pairing and their dynamics as a 3 but that's for another post.

3. Subverting stereotypes. There is the occasional hiccup in the show regarding stereotypes but ultimately, Leverage gets an A+ when it comes to writing characters and making them 3 dimensional people who are not defined by certain characteristics or events. Nate could so easily fall into the White Man Pain trope where he uses the trauma of losing his kid as a reason as to why he is entitled to act like a dick. Nate is a dick but he doesn’t use his pain to excuse it and I appreciate that. Hardison is a black man who is soft and nurturing. Easily the most empathetic and patient of the group. He’s nerdy, an actual genius, and has the biggest heart of all the characters. Nate is maybe the glue but Hardison is definitely the heart. Media’s usual aggressive, amongst other, racist stereotypes can fuck right off. Parker is canonically autistic (I am sure this was confirmed by one of the creators) and she is not defined by it. It’s not written as some kind of singular personality trait. It’s part of what makes up Parker but it’s only one facet of who she is and not once is her actions, thoughts or feelings treated like a joke. Sometimes people don’t understand why she does and says the things she does but it’s met with patience and fondness over the course of the show. Equally, it’s not met with over-caution. Parker is just Parker. No-one tries to change her. The other nice thing is Hardison, who always makes sure Parker knows she’s amazing because of who she is and not in spite of it. Finally, Sophie is in her 40s. She’s not treated like she’s past her prime. Ever. She’s sexy, smart and never is she pitted against or compared to Parker (who is younger) for anything. Sophie is amazing and there’s never even a conversation of “I may be older but I am still *insert adjective typically associated with younger women here*”. Sophie is possibly the first female character I’ve ever seen who isn’t just unapologetic about her age but has never had to apologise for her age. It’s a non-issue and that’s that. The women on the show are written so well, right down to secondary characters and it’s beyond refreshing.  

4.) It’s just fun. The show has a “monster of the week” type format. Except instead of a ghoul or a ghost, the monster is some corrupt wealthy and powerful individual or organisation. The show draws on real-life individuals to do this and therefore closely parallels real-life people and events. It addresses important political, economical, social and environmental issues while at the same time remaining fun and light-hearted. The characters constantly get the chance to play dress up and by GOD do they have fun with it. You get to watch Eliot beat up bad guys in the most delightful of ways, usually after a witty non-sequitur and with a weapon you’d never think could be a weapon. The dialogue and back and forth between the characters is everything. And finally - my favourite thing- the team can never resist striking a dramatic pose after they’ve taken down the bad guy, making sure the bad guy sees them. I mean, they COULD just walk away, satisfied they’ve taken the person down, but nope. They gotta be dramatic bitches 24/7 and pose like they are models for every single month of this year’s Criminal Calendar.  

5.) Competence Porn. So. Much. Competence Porn.  

Honestly, I could list a thousand reasons for why Leverage is amazing but to list them would to be spoiling so many amazing moments you’d get to discover for the first time on your own if you do choose to watch it. It’s the kind of show you can watch with an eagle-eye and sink your teeth into. But it’s also the kind of show if, you would prefer, put on in the background for something entertaining while you do something else. Each episode is about the job at hand but it’s made up of so many moments between the characters that show how much the creators and writers care about them. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll do whatever it is you do when something Soft and Wonderful happens that makes your heart melt. I am so beyond grateful for Leverage. It’s everything I always wanted in a show. Nearly every show I’ve watched in the past 10 years has disappointed me in some way, usually either because the writers run out of steam or characters who I love are treated poorly or given some kind of unnecessary “shock value” arc. Leverage doesn’t do that. Leverage is what it says on the bottle. Fandom isn’t something I joined because I needed canon fix-its. Fandom only enhances and celebrates an already excellent canon. 

[super-unpredictable98]

The Unavoidable | Me and Mrs. Jones AU

Pairing: Billy x Saga (Me and Ms. Adolphson’ Verse) Word Count: 2,8 k Warning: Strong language

(Masterlist)

"Should I be worried, S? You left the house twice this month, once for your sister's hen night and once to pick the twins up from school. But even then you were covered from head to toe, Alfie told me people thought you were a child predator," Billy laughed, sitting by his girlfriend on the couch. 

"Welcome home from work, my dear, I missed you too!" Saga laughed nervously.

"Who you runnin' from? Any stalker I should know about?"

"No... It's just... I heard my father is in England," she admitted quietly, and Billy's heart dropped. 

He knew she wasn't embarrassed of him or anything like that, she was more scared of her family than anything else, but it still hurt that she was that terrified of being seen with him. 

Most of the time he felt like a mildly successful guy: he had a good job (it wasn't a five-star hotel restaurant, but still), he had a nice flat, and he could afford to take Saga out and buy nice gifts for her. He was faithful and loving, she seemed happy with him.

"How are we gonna do this at the wedding? Are you gonna tell him or am I just Alfie's friend when I'm there?" He asked hesitantly.

"I- I'm gonna tell him, of course. I don't wanna have to pretend like you're not my boyfriend, I love you!" Saga cried. "Besides, he's not gonna throw a tantrum during Inca's wedding. My brothers will be there too, I think they'll like you, they just want to see me happy."

"You sure? I heard your brothers are quite big, if they don't like me, I'm pretty much fucked."

"No, they are big but they are also really nice."

Billy nodded, trying to believe her. He was usually so great at meeting parents, his natural charm always made them like him, but this time he was the bad boy who stole the girl away from the man her dad chose. That thought had been haunting him ever since they started dating.

"What are their names? Y'never talk about your family," he pointed at the plastic bag on the table with the meal he prepared for her before closing the kitchen. 

"My mum's name is Kajsa, she was a model when she was my age, but now she's a housewife. People say Inca and I look a lot like her, she's the best mom in the world and nothing you say can change my mind. My dad, Ivar, has his own menswear brand he created with my grandpa. He is very strict, but he does what he does because he loves us. He just wants what's best for me."

"Mmmhm I see, I see..." Billy nodded. He absolutely didn't like her father, not after learning that he essentially forced Saga to date Ake despite her protests. Ivar sounded like a huge control freak who treated his kids as property, but for everyone's sake, he was willing to ignore those feelings and be nice to the old man. "And your brothers?"

"Noak is the oldest, he works with my dad and he is very uptight, he always used to tell our parents when I did something wrong. Esbjorn is a lawyer and he loves to read, especially the classics, he's really smart. Then there's Inca, and Goran is the second youngest, he is an athlete, he swims for his college team."

"And then there's you, the little family princess protected by all these people," he chuckled as he watched her happily eat her spaghetti and meatballs. "I'm fucked."

"No, you are not! They will love you just like I do, you are a good man, a great catch, Billy. If my dad or my siblings can't see that, then it sounds like a them problem, I'm not gonna give up my happiness for them anymore."

Billy wasn't so sure they would even give him a chance. An Irish nomad who just settled in England, working as a chef, but at a small pub and with a salary that wouldn't impress anyone. Living in a flat with one chair and who just happened to swoop in and win the heart of a, let's face it, rich Swedish heiress. He loved her to bits, but was that enough for her family?

As the days passed by, he tried to focus on his groomsman duties and work, ignoring his doubts and doing the best he could to hide them from his very perceptive girlfriend. When the day finally came, the nerves were at an all time high, but for a moment everything disappeared:

"You look... Gorgeous, Saga," Billy swallowed when she came out of his room in her long emerald green dress. 

It was quite a simple outfit, Inca would never let the bridesmaids upstage her in any way, but Saga made it look like a masterpiece. Her hair up exposed her long neck and her delicate collar bones, the slit that exposed her beautiful thigh... It all made his heart skip a beat and send blood somewhere else.

"Thank you, sweetie, you look very handsome too," she stepped closer to fix his tie and his hair. "When our wedding happens, you are definitely not wearing gray again."

"We're gettin' married?" He chuckled.

"I would like to one day, wouldn't you?"

"Yeah, of course, I just- we never discussed that. I thought you'd be horrified with commitment after all that happened."

"I am, but not when it comes to you. I want to be with you for as long as I can, being with you is like being home."

"That is so beautiful, darlin'," he smiled, taking in the sight of her so he would never forget it. "And what color would you want me t'wear for our wedding?"

"I don't know, maybe blue, or deep red."

"Sounds good t'me, as long as I'm marryin' you I'll wear a diaper for all I care," he offered his arm for her to hold. "Let's go, Tom is already waitin' downstairs."

—————————————————— 

"I am starting to lose my mind!" Inca cried, pacing from one side of the room to the other.

"Hey, hey, calm down," Saga took her hands while Gemma simply watched awkwardly from the side. Calming the bride was a job for the bridesmaids of course, so they both had to be there. "Look at me, Inca! You are going to be fine."

"What if I'm making a mistake?"

"You won't know until you make it and it's better to make a mistake and fix the mess later than to never try and never know how things could've been."

"Divorce is always an option, don't feel like your life is over," Gemma said, but quickly shut her mouth when Saga glanced at her. "I don't think you're making a mistake."

"You married Jason once and it didn't work, maybe I am!" Inca panted, she was starting to look even paler if that was possible. "This dress is too big, it's suffocating me! I'm needing to change."

"It's okay, you are just anxious, sister! You love this dress because it's too big, it's gonna look amazing in the photos. You'll look perfect, and you are going to be so happy with your husband. I meant what I said that one time, Jason is an idiot, but he is a good person. You are perfect together, there's nothing to worry about."

"Are you sure, Saga? You really think so?"

"I am one hundred percent sure."

"Okay, I'm ready! Go on, I'm going to be preparing for my big entrance."

The two bridesmaids ran into the church and took their places at the altar. Billy gave them a questioning look and Saga gave him a thumbs up, nodding with a smile. Her face changed completely though when she noticed her father sitting on the first row with her mother and brothers. 

It had been a while since they had seen each other. Saga purposefully avoided calling or texting so she could escape the questions about her love life and whenever Ake came up in conversation, she simply made up an excuse to hang up. 

During the ceremony, she allowed herself not to think about that and simply focus on her sister and that big moment. Saga had never been so grateful for Inca being such an attention seeker, who would even look at her when that beautiful bride with that massive fairytale dress was standing right there? 

But there was only so much that could be done to avoid the unavoidable. After the pictures everyone headed to the reception, Billy opened the car door for his girlfriend and once again offered his arm so they could go in together.

"Would you rather walk in alone?" He asked just to make sure.

"No, being with you makes me feel safe."

"Saga! Have you been running from us?" Esbjorn laughed, taking her in his arms and lifting her in the air. "We are all missing you so much."

"I miss you too, I've just been so busy. Work and babysitting for Gemma..." She murmured.

"Hmmm you have your lying voice, Sag," Noak quirked an eyebrow and Billy cleared his throat uncomfortably, none of them seemed to even notice he was there. "Come on, what really happened? Are you being mistreated in England?"

"Mistreated? Look at her!" Goran teased, giving her stomach a squeeze. "She gained some weight, she's been eating well! That's really good, remember how she was always moping around right before moving? Saga is looking much happier!"

"Yes, I see that," her father joined them. "Looking much happier indeed. I missed that smile."

"You look beautiful, baby, so beautiful! Soon you'll be the one standing there in a wedding dress," her mother added. "Speaking of, where is Ake? I thought he moved here to be closer to you."

"Haven't you heard? Ake moved back home actually," Saga chuckled nervously. "It's been a few months, we are... Not together anymore."

"What? He broke up with you?" Noak asked.

"He wouldn't dare..." Ivar muttered.

"No! He didn't, it was mutual. None of us were happy, he didn't want to live here and I didn't really like him anymore," she explained.

"Didn't like him anymore? And since when is that a reason to be breaking up? I found you a great boy!" 

"I'm grown, father, I'm a woman now. Don't you think I have the right to choose who I want to be with?"

"And who could possibly be better than Ake for you, Saga?" Kajsa asked.

"M-my boyfriend," she pointed at him, and he finally approached the family, his legs barely holding him up straight. "His name is William Delaney, but everyone calls him Billy. He's a chef and we are living together most of the time, that's probably why I gained some weight. He is amazing, so smart, hardworking, and kind. He has a heart of gold and makes me really happy."

"Hello, sir," Billy shook Ivar's hand and did the same to each of her brothers before delicately greeting Kajsa. "It's a pleasure to meet you all."

"Why does he talk like that?" Goran asked.

"Because he's Irish," Saga mumbled. "He also just moved to the country recently with his friend Alfie. Alfie is Gemma's son, Gemma was married to Jason, and Jason is now marrying Inca, so he's not just some stranger."

The silence that took over that conversation was deadly. No one dared to speak and Saga's dad still seemed very upset about the end of her relationship with Ake. She knew that would happen, she shouldn't have introduced them at all, maybe just trying to be totally invisible during the wedding would've been better. 

"I see you are meeting the Irish! mammy, pappy, Billy is fantastic!" Inca showed up out of nowhere to save the day. "He is such nice little boy, so funny too. And handsome, of course, they are going to have beautiful babies." 

"Babies?" Saga hissed.

"Are you...?" Esbjorn's eyes grew wide.

"NO! I'm not, no chance at all!" Saga shook her head and Billy quickly followed her lead.

"Yeah, I guess Inca meant after we are married, in a few years," he added.

"You plan to marry our sister?" Noak gave him the most skeptical look. 

"Absolutely, she's the most amazing girl I've ever met and I'd be a complete idiot t'let her go. Especially after I fought so hard t'have her... You know, sir, she really tried t'make things work with Ake. I was foamin' at the mouth with jealousy all the time,  she did the best she could. But I guess in the end love always wins, isn't it?"

"You love this man, Saga?" Ivar asked, Kajsa already melting from how sweet he was and how clear his intentions were.

"I do, more than anything in the world," she took his hand. "And if you still don't like him, please come over tomorrow for dinner, he's the most amazing cook."

"Oh yeah, I'd love t'make somethin' for my future in-laws, whatever you want," Billy offered. "I can even make a typical Swedish dish if you like."

"He's being so nice, Ivar," Kajsa sighed, completely mesmerized. "Wasn't that what we wanted? For her to be happy? Back when you chose Ake she was so sad, don't you remember?"

"She was always crying," Inca added. "And it's the 21st century, forcing your child to be with someone like that is not right."

"I do remember, I thought it was just jitters, I didn't think she was actually unhappy," he scoffed sadly. "Well, if you are really serious about marrying my Saga and not just make her wait around like this bastard Jason did to my Inca... Then you have my blessing."

"You have my word Mr. Adolphson," Billy nodded, trying not to seem too giddy from getting his approval. He could've sworn the night would go a very different way.

"Thank you, pappy," Saga grinned widely. 

"But I will be coming over tomorrow, William," Ivar warned. "If you are not making a good janssons frestelse, I guess you are just not good enough for my daughter. It's her favorite dish, you need to be cooking it."

"I'll do my best, Mr. Adolphson. May I have your next dance, Mrs. Adolphson?" he held out his hand and she took it, blushing slightly.

"Of course, young man."

"Sweet! C'mon Sags, let's get this party started!" Alfie pulled her by the hand to the dance floor, still holding a couple of scotch eggs and munching on them. 

"Maybe we were lucky, pappy," Goran pointed out. "Saga could be dating him."

—————————————————— 

"So that went well!" Billy loosened his tie as they finally arrived at the flat. "Your family is way less scary than I imagined."

"I told you. I knew dad wouldn't react too badly at her wedding. Maybe on any other day he would've beat you up, but we got lucky, didn't we?" Saga kicked off her shoes and collapsed on the sofa.

"Good t'know," he laughed. "You're a good strategist. Now y'just gotta teach me that dish he wants. What is it?"

"Oh, it's very easy, it's like a fish and potato casserole, I can teach you," she pulled him down with her and leaned against his chest, remembering how they danced after everything was settled. How he held her so close, swaying gently to the music and stealing kisses when nobody was looking. 

"I think I can manage," Billy wrapped his arms around her. "Guess now I better start thinkin' about how I'm gonna propose t'you."

"There's still so much time," Saga laughed.

"When the time comes... I need t'plan ahead, I wanna top Jason's confession when he asked your sister to grab his steady horn so he could take her on a magical adventure right after settin' fire to himself."

"Yeah, that'll be very hard to top," she nodded with a giggle. "But I guess you already know what to say. Remember that time? Jason made you pretend like I was Inca and propose to me? You are my perfect person and I see you perfectly."

Her heart raced just thinking about that day, the kiss that came after... She couldn't believe she was actually his girlfriend, that he actually liked her. 

It felt like a dream most of the time when he looked at her with that charming smirk, when he kissed her and it still felt like the first time, chest to chest in the bathroom the first night they met.

"I wanna find new words," Billy explained. "I wanna find a whole new way to surprise you and make you say yes."

"I'm the luckiest girl in the world," she mumbled without even realizing it.

"And I'm the luckiest guy in the world. I'm glad I didn't give up, sometimes I feel like a complete homewrecker, but... When y'look at me like that, it's hard t'feel guilty at all."