#she’s the one that eventually has to explain it to him

[sturnioz]

shy!reader is left alone for the weekend while fratboy!chris is at the fraternity formal — but when the weekend is over... ⌞ part one ⌝

when you found out that this weekend would be spent without chris—a weekend without raging frat parties—you initially thought it might be a refreshing break, envisioning peaceful days for you to relax.

instead, you were extremely unprepared for the loneliness that quickly settled in.

with most of your friends away at the fraternity formal, the apartment felt stark and empty. nick generously spends friday and saturday with you, easily distracting you from the hollow ache in your chest and the gnawing sense of isolation, and you're grateful for his company.

but sunday arrived, suffocating you with eerily silence.

you sit on the couch, the stillness of your apartment pressing in around you, unsettlingly quiet, and you fidget restlessly, trying to push away the spiralling thoughts in your mind as you stare at the flickering tv screen. one of your favourite series is playing, yet it fails to bring the comfort and joy you so desperately crave.

eventually, your hand gravitates towards your phone resting on the arm of the couch, and despite the nagging voice in your head urging you to leave it untouched, curiosity pulls you in. you open the instagram app, and you're instantly bombarded by a flood of posts.

you smile softly, liking the ones posted by kitty and matt, as well as your friend and nate. you even double-tap a few pictures from the other frat boys too. but when chris' post appears, you smile falters.

your thumb hovers over the heart button, and a heavy weight settles in your throat, making it difficult for you to swallow. why didn't he tell you about the formal? why didn't he invite you? did he go with someone else? the answer to that last question becomes painfully clear as you begin to swipe through his posts, and you freeze upon seeing a photo of him standing in front of a mirror, and cherry by his side.

he went with cherry? the last girl he was sleeping with? the realisation hits you like a brutal punch to the gut, and suddenly, you're gasping for breath, the air feeling thick and constricted in your lungs as your heart races with a mix of hurt and confusion.

you know you have no right to feel this way. you are chris are not even dating; you're just sleeping together. it's casual. yet, the pang of betray still cuts deep and you shut your phone off and place it down, your hands trembling slightly as you rub your chest uncomfortably, trying to soothe the ache that has settled there.

you sink deeper into the couch, wishing you could escape the whirlwind of emotions swirling inside you — the loneliness, the shock, and the sharp sting of feeling left behind. you wish you could silence the nagging thoughts that tell you you should be okay with this, that you should just let it go.

but the truth is, it hurts more than you want to admit, and you can't shake the feeling of being pushed to the side in a situation that was never supposed to matter this much to you.

when monday rolls in, you find yourself slipping back into your familiar routine — consciously pushing aside the worries and pain from the weekend as you greet your hungover friend as she stumbles into the apartment, giggling softly as she dramatically slumps on top of you, declaring how much she missed you.

fortunately, your professor called in sick, granting you a day off, so you settle in, spending your morning in your room as your friend fills you in on what happened on the weekend. you nod and hum along, smiling at her explaining to you how drunk she had gotten, but your amusement falters when she suddenly brings up chris.

"everyone thought you were going with chris, you know," her says, her voice still croaky as she rubs her tired eyes with a yawn. "so when you didn't show up, everyone just assumed that he'd be going alone, just to get fucked up or whatever."

"but..?" you press quietly, already bracing yourself for the answer you dread but need to hear.

"he went with some sorority girl — cherry, i think her nickname is? 'cos of her red hair and fucking insane double d's. i'm jealous," she huffs beside you, craning her head on her pillow to look at you. "are you okay?"

her words hit you, dragging you back into the painful reality you've tried to forget about and you swallow hard, attempting to compose yourself.

"yeah, m'fine," you reply, but the tremor in your voice gives you away. you force a fragile smile. "promise, i'm good."

even if she doesn't believe a word that came out of your mouth, she doesn't press the issue, which you're grateful for. instead, she shifts the conversation to something completely different.

throughout the day, you remain in your apartment, working on assignments, baking treats with your friend, and crocheting. you even eat popcorn and watch your favourite shared movies.

yet, every so often, your phone buzzes beside you, lighting up with notifications. you take small glances at the screen to read, but each time you see the name, you choose to push the device to the side, ignoring the person on the other end.

© STURNIOZ

[stra-tek]

765874 Unification DEEP DIVE!

There's a lot to unpack on this little video, including lots not at all explained in it and only behind the scenes. Is it dreamy and ambiguous, or is there a solid background?

First of all, is Kirk dead and in heaven? Is he alive? A hologram? The answers are shown in the intro, prior 765874 videos and built from Easter Eggs in Picard season 3. Eagle-eyed viewers spotted Kirk's remains in the Section 31 Daystrom vault. The readout mentioned something called "Project Phoenix". James T. Kirk has been resurrected.

The park Kirk starts out in? It's not just any park. It's inside the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701-J, just look at the Roddenberry Archive Ent-J interior. We're in the 26th century, that's why Saavik looks so old. And speaking of Saavik, the Roddenberry Archive say they consider the Vulcan's Heart novel canon. Which means Saavik is Spock's wife. And the Vulcan man next to her? That's Sorak, the son she had with Spock following the Pon Farr in Star Trek III, according to OTOY.

It gets weirder. The old man wearing a white TNG movie era dress uniform? He's credited as "Crusher". That's an elderly version of our time travelling Wesley, dressed as he was in Star Trek Nemesis.

This sinister character, who gives Kirk his badge back and takes him through time? Temporal soldier Yor, from Discovery 3.09. From the Kelvin timeline, he jumped forward in time and across timelines during the 30th century temporal wars, eventually resulting in sickness and an agonising death. Here he takes Kirk from the 26th century Enterprise-J to 23rd century New Vulcan in the Kelvin timeline.

But why was Kirk resurrected? Just to zip though time and be with Spock at his death?

And what role does Yeoman Colt (whose Starfleet serial number these shorts are named for) play? She's seen in all of them, even the start of this one in a Kelvin Universe uniform looking at Project Phoenix stuff. I guess time will tell...

[anonymousewrites]

Apple of My Eye Chapter Four

Eventual! Harry Hook x Child of Snow White! Reader

Platonic! Descendants x Reader

Chapter Four: Out There

Summary: Family Day goes extraordinarily wrong.

            “I’m guessing you got Mal ready for her date with Ben?” said (Y/N) as they sprawled across Evie’s bed.

            “I picked out her outfit, did her makeup, reminded her that him being nice isn’t disrespectful like on the Isle, and tried to remind her to have a good time,” said Evie.

            “A whole bootcamp,” chuckled (Y/N). “I did the same for Ben. Sure, he and Audrey were…something, but it was mostly Audrey dragging him around at organized events. This was the first time he actually asked someone out. He’s nervous.” They looked at Evie as she sewed. “What about Mal?”

            “Mal doesn’t get nervous. But this isn’t something she’s used to. It’s not like her mom told her how to date,” said Evie. “My mom was the only one really interested in having her child learn about that. The others…it wasn’t encouraged.”

            “Is that why you’re trying to find a prince?” asked (Y/N).

            “I’m the daughter of a queen. My mom has high standards for me and whoever I date,” said Evie.

            “You should be able to fall in love with whoever you want,” said (Y/N).

            Evie smiled slightly. “It would be nice to fall in love and just…be.”

            (Y/N) grinned. “It sounds like you’re thinking of someone?”

            Evie’s eyes widened, she blushed, and she chuckled nervously. “I’m not.”

            “Uh-huh, sure,” said (Y/N). “He likes you, too.” They didn’t have to say Doug’s name for Evie to know. “He was going on and on about how well you’re doing in chemistry today at lunch.”

            “He told you about that?” said Evie, smiling.

            “He’s always talking about you,” said (Y/N). “Always, ‘did you see Evie’s outfit today? She looks amazing. And she’s so smart, and she explained how she made her jewelry, and she’s so creative.’ ”

            “He thinks all that about me,” said Evie softly.

            “He thinks the world of you,” said (Y/N). “You shouldn’t hold yourself back from that if you like him.”

            Evie smiled, and then her smile fell. Soon…soon this would all be over. The villains would be freed and overrun Auradon. It wouldn’t matter what her feelings towards Doug or anyone else at Auradon were.

            “I’ll think about it,” said Evie. She cleared her throat and smiled at (Y/N). “And you’re still certain no one here interests you? I think I’ve seen a few different people looking at you. Merida’s daughter is pretty dashing, and Esmeralda’s child is very good-looking.” Evie grinned. “And I saw you watching them dance. You like someone with some sway.” Evie got up and pretended to dance with a wink.

            (Y/N) laughed and sat up. “I find them attractive, sure. Who wouldn’t love those green eyes and hips? But I don’t feel…”

            “The spark of True Love?” said Evie.

            “That,” agreed (Y/N).

            “Do you get worried you won’t find it?” said Evie.

            “Sometimes,” admitted (Y/N). “But it would be a disservice to myself to settle for less than what I want.” And (Y/N) wasn’t just saying that about themself.

            Evie smiled. “I hope you find who you’re looking for.”

            “I hope you do, too,” said (Y/N). “And until then, we’ve got good friends, right?”

            “Right.” Evie grinned.

            “Oh, by the way,” said (Y/N), leaning in. “Speaking of good friends, would you do me a favor as one?”

            “What is it?” said Evie.

            “Would you design an outfit for me? For the coronation?” said (Y/N). They smiled. “I love your designs, so it would be really cool if you would make me one. Even just a sketch.”

            They could have sworn Evie’s eyes lit up. “I have been waiting for this moment.”

            “Is that a yes?” said (Y/N).

            Evie grabbed (Y/N) and pulled them to their feet. She already had a measuring tape in her hands. “I have free reign?”

            “I’m scared and excited by this intensity,” said (Y/N).

            Evie gave them a positively evil grin. Royalty to dress up? Her friend to dress up? She was going to have a field day.

            “(Y/N), your mother might be the fairest of them all, but we’re about to give these royals their first taste of real style,” said Evie.

            (Y/N) grinned.

l

            “As you know, this Sunday is Family Day at Auradon Prep,” said Fairy Godmother, smiling at her Remedial Goodness 101 class. “And because your parents can’t be here due to…distance—” she laughed awkwardly “—we’ve arranged for a special treat.” She turned on a computer, and the screen displayed four familiar, infamous villains.

            Their kids straightened and paled. This would be a…very special treat.

l

            “Do you think Family Day is going to go well?” said Ben.

            “We do the same things every year other than changing the song-and-dance routine,” said (Y/N). They smiled. “So, yes. You shouldn’t be worrying about this of all things.”

            Ben cleared his throat. “But things are…different this year. I’m with Mal, now, and I want her to meet my parents.”

            “That’s a big step,” said (Y/N). They smiled. “You really like her.”

            Ben’s smile softened shyly. “I do.”

            “I’m happy for you,” said (Y/N).

            “Do you think my parents will like her?” said Ben. “I know they were hesitant about the program, but Mal and her friends are really great.”

            “Your parents learned to see past prejudice, so they should come around,” said (Y/N). They paused. “Eventually.”

            Ben sighed. “I just want this to go well.”

            “I’ll be there to help,” promised (Y/N). “My mom and dad know I’m part of the organizing committee, so if you need to call me away for some help, it’s fine.”

            “Thanks, (Y/N),” said Ben.

            “Anytime, my prince,” teased (Y/N).

            Ben groaned at the title, and (Y/N) laughed.

l

            One disastrous videocall later, all thoughts of happiness over being at Auradon had flitted from the VKs’ minds. They knew what they had to do the day of the coronation. They knew what would happen to them if they didn’t pull it off. They knew the consequences for everyone if they did.

            “Okay, we all know what it looks like,” said Mal. “So, we’ll be up on the dais under Beast’s spell jar, and we’re coming in from here. I will be in the very front. You all will be up on the balcony.”

            “Okay,” said Evie.

            “Carlos?” said Mal.

            “Okay, so I’ll find our limo, so we can break the barrier and get back on the Isle with the wand,” said Carlos.

            “Perfect,” said Mal. “Evie?”

            “Yeah?” said Evie.

            “You will use this to take out the driver.” Mal held up a perfume bottle. “Two sprays, and he’ll be out like a light.”

            “Okay.” Evie nodded solemnly.

            Carlos and Jay nodded. Mal looked at each of them and nodded. The plan was set. They just needed to follow it through. However, Mal found herself slouching down in her seat as she gazed at the potion she wanted to make.

            Evie’s eyes widened as she saw the page. “M?” She furrowed her brow. “You want to break Ben’s love spell?”

            “Yeah.” Mal cleared her throat and tried to defend herself without letting her true feelings shine through. “You know, for after. I don’t…” Evie sat down next to her, and Mal swallowed. “I’ve just been thinking, you know, when the villains finally do invade Auradon and begin to loot and kick everyone out of their castles and imprison their leaders and destroy all that is good and beautiful…” Mal pursed her lips. “Ben still being in love with me just seems a little extra…cruel.”

            Evie’s gaze softened. Mal cared, truly, about Ben. Evie understood. They had all made friends and bonds here at Auradon, and those would all be burned away when their parents came and took over Auradon.

            “I’ve been thinking about that, too,” said Evie. “My mother…she’s going to kill Snow White this time. She’s going to make sure of it. She’ll have her revenge and be the fairest in the land again.” Evie paused. “And I don’t know what she’ll do to (Y/N) just for being Snow White’s child.” She looked at Mal. “They’re…kind. I don’t want them to—” She looked down. Her friend was going to be hurt because they were kind like their mother.

            “I know,” said Mal. “I know, E.”

l

            (Y/N) stood behind Ben in blue slacks and a white blouse with yellow bows as Family Day began. He stepped into the small group of students performing and put on a charming smile.

(Ben) “Ma chere Mademoiselle, It is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure, That we welcome you tonight, And now we invite you to relax, Let us pull up a chair, As the dining room proudly presents, Your dinner.”

            He bowed, and the group began to dance.

(All) “Be our guest, be our guest, Put our service to the test, Tie your napkin ‘round your neck, Cherie, And we’ll provide the rest.” (Ben) “That’s right.” (All) “Soup du jour, Hot hors d’oeuvres, Why we only live to serve, Try the gray stuff, it’s delicious.” (Ben) “Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes.”

            He grinned, and (Y/N) and a few men moved up to dance with him.

(All) “They can sing, sing, sing, They can dance, dance, dance, After all, miss, this is France, And the dinner here is never, never second best! Come on, go on, unfold your menu, Go on, take a glance, and then you’ll Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest. Yeah, be our guest.”

            Everyone came together and weaved in and out of lines.

(Ben) “We tell jokes, I do tricks, With my fellow candlesticks.” (All) “And it’s all in perfect taste, That you can bet. Come on and lift your glass, You’ve won your own free pass, To be our guest.” ((Y/N)) “If you’re stressed, It’s fine dining we suggest.” (All) “Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest. Yeah, yeah! Come on, be our guest, be our guest, Come on, come on, Be our guest!”

            They finished with a flourish and a bow. They were met with cheers and claps, and so the group bowed again.

            (Y/N) spotted their friends, smiled, and walked over. “You made it.”

            “Wouldn’t have missed that,” said Mal. “It’s cheesier than the snacks.”

            (Y/N) laughed sheepishly. “You should’ve seen a few years ago. It was a rendition of ‘Heigh-Ho.’ That was a trainwreck.” They glanced at their phone. “My parents are arriving soon, so I’m going to say ‘hi’ to them, but if you need me, just come and find me. My parents and I won’t mind.” They waved. “Bye.”

l

            “(Y/N).” Snow hugged their child tightly, and Florian joined the hug a moment after her. “Oh, it’s been too long.”

            (Y/N) laughed. “I saw you just two weeks ago,” they said.

            “Still too long,” said Florian, smiling. “Tell us about everything.”

            “We’ve heard about Prince Ben’s new program. Is it going well?” said Snow.

            “I think it is,” said (Y/N), smiling. “Ben’s fighting to do what’s right, and I think it’s going to pay off.”

            “That’s wonderful,” said Florian. “Who are the four students? You haven’t told us anything.”

            “We have Jay, son of Jafar. He’s really strong and a great leader at sports. Then there’s Carlos, son of Cruella. He’s a real sweetheart with a big heart,” said (Y/N).

            “I like the sound of them,” said Snow.

            “And then there’s Mal, daughter of Maleficent,” said (Y/N). “A little rougher around the edges, but she’s really funny and cares about her friends. I admire her strength.” They paused and glanced between their parents. “And last we have Evie, the best fashion designer I’ve met and a girl with the strongest, sweetest heart. She’s basically my best friend. She’s the daughter of…the Evil Queen.”

            Florian stiffened slightly, and Snow paused. (Y/N) bit their lip.

            “Mom?” they said.

            “It’s…unexpected,” said Snow. “I can’t say it doesn’t make me nervous to know that someone raised by my stepmother in a place with very few good influences is near you.” She smiled. “But if you believe they have good hearts, then I’ll believe it.”

            (Y/N) relaxed. “They really are great people. I think it’s taking time for some people to see it, but—”

            “You!” A frightened, furious voice pierced the air.

            All heads turned to the croquet field. Queen Leah, mother of Aurora—Sleeping Beauty—stood staring at Mal, who took a step back at her cry.

            “How are you here?” demanded Leah. “And how have you stayed so young?”

            (Y/N) moved to the field before their parents could even say a word, and everyone watched as they stepped between Leah and Mal.

            “Queen Leah, it’s alright,” said (Y/N). “This isn’t Maleficent. She’s still on the Isle.”

            Ben stepped up beside them and smiled. “This is her daughter, Mal. Don’t you remember my proclamation to give the new generation a chance?”

            “A chance to what, Ben?” said Leah sharply. “Destroy us?” She looked around at everyone. “Come on, you remember, don’t you?” She looked at Snow and Florian and then at (Y/N). “The poison apples?”

            Evie’s eyes went to the ground, and (Y/N) tried to catch her gaze and shake their head, to remind Evie it was alright, but Leah was still speaking, still hurting, still turning people’s heads away from the kids who deserved a chance.

            “And the spells,” said Leah. “Spells. My daughter was raised by fairies because of your mother’s curse.” Mal flinched. “So her first words, her first steps, I missed it all. You mustn’t trust her.”

            “Queen Leah, your daughter was cruelly punished for a simple mistake,” said (Y/N) softly. “But it would be unfair to Mal to punish her for what her mother did. We can’t change if we continue the same cycle of hurting people.”

            The VKs’ lips parted at (Y/N)’s words, and their eyes went to the ground. All this hurt, and they were going to—

            “I’m sorry,” said Mal, stepping forward.

            Chad moved in and pushed Mal back. (Y/N) instantly took a step forward, and Chad stepped back slightly.

            Still, he glared at Mal. “Stay away from them.”

            “Don’t do this, Chad,” said (Y/N).

            “What?” Chad scoffed incredulously. “They were raised by their parents, (Y/N). What do you think villains teach their kids, huh? Kindness? Fair-play? No way, okay? Nuh-uh.” He looked at Mal. “You stole another girl’s boyfriend.” Ben almost lunged, but Chad just held up his hands. “Hey, hey!” He looked at Jay. “You enjoy hurting people.” He looked at Evie. “And you’re nothing but a gold digger and a cheater.”

            “Chad!” said (Y/N), raising their voice. “You do not speak to my friends that way.”

            “Friends? You think they’re your friends?” Chad stepped forward. “You’re just the idiot idealist who is playing pretend that villains could ever become good. Wake up. You’re going to be the first in line to get hurt, playing ‘besties’ with the Evil Queen’s daughter. Let’s just hope you don’t take a bit of any food she gives you.”

            (Y/N)’s eyes widened at the accusation, and Evie’s hands quivered. She pulled her mirror from her bag.

            “Mirror, mirror, in my hand, who’s the biggest jerk in the land?” She sneered and held it up to display Chad’s face.

            He scoffed and batted her hand away. “Come on.”

            “Hey!” Jay grabbed Chad for putting his hands on Evie. “Back off, Chad!”

            “Alright, hey!” Doug nervously tried to intervene.

            “Just back off!” said Jay.

            Evie dug a perfume bottle out of her bag and pushed into Chad’s face. She pulled the pump twice, and a mist fell into Chad’s face. Instantly, he collapsed.

            “Chad? Chad?!” Audrey gasped as Doug caught him.

            Horrified gasps and cries went up in the crowd at the sight.

            “Evie did something to Chad!” cried Lonnie.

            “Come on, Mal,” said Evie, grabbing Mal’s hand as everyone stared at them like they were a freakshow.

            “Chad, wake up!” cried Audrey.

            The VKs ran from the party. Ben and (Y/N) were left to stare helplessly at one another. Ben’s gaze went to his parents and then to the floor upon seeing their disappointment. (Y/N) turned and ran after their friends.

l

            “Guys,” said (Y/N), catching up to them. “Are you…” They trailed off. Of course they weren’t alright. “Can I help at all?”

            “We don’t need your pity,” said Mal.

            “Mal, I’m not trying to pity you, I want to help,” said (Y/N). “What Chad said was unfair, and your reactions were provoked. That wasn’t your fault.”

            The other VKs just looked away from them.

            “Yeah, well, it felt pretty good anyways,” said Mal coldly. “Just leave us alone, royal. It’ll be better for all of us.”

            (Y/N)’s heart ached, and they looked at the others. Jay crossed his arms. Carlos looked down. Their gaze landed on Evie. “Evie?”

            “Just go,” said Evie softly.

            “…Alright.” (Y/N) stepped back and turned away. “I’m sorry.”

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[a-bad-case-of-the-stephs]

@duskdog

Hiiii! Been meaning to respond to this because you raised some really interesting ideas, sorry that it’s taken me a hot sec.

The crazy part is (like a lot of things about Steph) we get conflicting information about how Bruce sees Steph in relation to her father.

Steph consistently worries Batman is judging her by her fathers actions when she’s sanctioned at Spoiler. She identifies it as a potential reason the rest of the team doesn’t trust her.

This tracks with how Steph is shown to have a pattern of feeling responsible for the Cluemasters actions (which as I’ve mentioned before I see as an extension of her helplessness to protect herself and her mother from him during her childhood).

She identifies on multiple occasions that her choice to be the Spoiler is rooted in the misgivings of her father. Clear, easy example of this mindset is when she states because her dad is an asshole, she “has a lot to make up for” (Robin 80 Page Giant). She finds herself responsible in some part for his actions.

So it makes a lot of sense that Stephanie keeps asssuming other people are holding her to this same standard, judging her based off of her fathers criminal ways.

However, this assumption is not really substantiated.

I can’t think of a time Batman says or thinks anything which implies he gives a fuck who her dad is, besides when they first meet assuming she’s working with the Cluemaster instead of against him. (I’m not perfect however and I Might have missed one)

That is, until… Bruce Wayne: The Road Home Batgirl (🎉I love talking about BWTRHB!!!!! The worlds shittiest acronym!!!🎉)

After his little assessment and convo with Steph, Bruce tells Alfred that Stephanie and Wendy “need watching”, as their dads were both “criminals”.

This train of thought comes out of nowhere. As already stated, there’s very little evidence that Batman cared much that her dad was a criminal before this point.

Additionally, half his goddamn team has criminal fathers/mothers, ranging from mob bosses to goons to cult assassins to international terrorists. What is he even saying.

This is a total inconsistency. But I can see your view kinda accounts for that hypocrisy. If Bruce sees Cluemaster as a “lesser” threat and holds him in less esteem than the more formidable villain parents, it might explain why he seems to put this bonus emphasis on Stephs parentage. (Maybe he sees Stephs fathers criminal ways as more ‘mundane’ and therefore easier for her to slip into?)

I don’t think I’m totally sold on that idea, but it’s definitely interesting.

His statement feels just so out of nowhere (and again applies to half the people he works with) that I find it hard to believe this is a consistent concern of his.

Batman’s opinion on low level thugs varies (obviously by era and writer), but the versions of him I find most compelling are when he is shown to be sympathetic and willing to help people in shitty situations get out of them (even if they were doing crime beforehand). However it’s entirely possible (and probably equally substantiable) that he has unconscious and class based biases which might affect how he acts and treats certain characters.

I’m not nearly as intensely familiar with Jason’s character as I am Stephanie, so I’m low grade blanking on any good examples of how Bruce interacted w Jason’s background (besides his generally all consuming belief that Jason was on track to worse and worse crime and eventual death before Batman took him in).

Sorry this is pretty rambly, but I thought you brought up a Rly interesting point and i had some thoughts I wanted to add on

How Batman uses the idea of those "born for" vigilantism to justify working with Teen Vigilantes before and after the death of Jason Todd, and what it has to do with Stephanie Brown.

(DISCLAIMER: I'm not trying to condemn the concept of child/teen vigilantes in superhero comics, its a staple of the genre and dumb to condemn it like you would in the real world. I'm analyzing the times in which Bruce Wayne the character has questioned the concept himself, and the rationalizations he comes to about it)

By examining Bruce Waynes mindset immediately before, during, and after Jason Todd's deadly time as Robin, we can see how Batman rationalizes and justifies teenaged vigilantism.

When Dick Grayson as Robin is shot by the Joker, Batman essentially fires him from being Robin. Bruce entirely dismisses the concept of working with a "child" to fight crime. Batman seems to believe working with Dick as Robin is simply too dangerous.

Batman #408 (1940)

His Mindset at this point: Teenaged Vigilantism = Dangerous and Bad

But this, obviously, doesn't stick. It barely takes any time at all after this forBruce Wayne to take in Jason Todd and subsequently make him the second Robin.

Crime fighting with a 19 year old is too dangerous, but crime fighting with the 12 year old? Yeah, sure, why not!

There is an obvious contradiction, and a clear change in mindset.

In order to rationalize his choice to take in Jason Todd as Robin after firing Dick, Bruce Wayne must internally reendorse the concept of Teenaged Vigilantism. And he does so in a specific way:

Batman #410 (1940)

Mindset: If Jason Todd was not Robin, he would become a criminal and die

The dying part is specific as well. When confronted at first by Alfred, its more of an afterthought, something which would occur down the criminal "road" Jason was bound to end up on. But when he is later confronted by Dick, the idea that being Robin "saved" Jasons life takes center stage.

Batman #416 (1940)

It's no longer some distant crime related death Jason was on course for, it was an imminent death which Bruce was able to save him from.

Mindset: If Jason Todd was not Robin, his "self destructive energies" and lack of "self esteem" would have killed him.

This phrasing is SUPER interesting to me, because its not true in a very specific way.

1. Jason Todd wasn't really shown to have "Self destructive energies" before he became Robin. He was stealing to make a living, to stay alive. He never showcases a desire for "self destruction", unless you count his hitting Batman with a tire iron, and his interference in Ma Gunn’s heist. Which I don't.

2. It seems to imply Jason Todd might have died because of specifically "self destructive tendancies", which seems ascribes a small amount of passive potential suicidal ideation, which is also vastly unsubstantiated by anything we see from Jason before he becomes Robin. But you know who is a character who is deeply rooted in concepts of suicidal ideation? Batman. (I'm not going prove this point here, but this concept gets more firmly rooted in the upcoming years after this comic, Knightfall being a great example) Being Batman, Knightfall will establish, is pretty much all that keeps Bruce Wayne living. You could say that being Batman saved his life.

3. Bruce admits he took Jason on because he was lonely in this very same confrontation when Dick pushes him on this idea. This makes it abundantly clear why he needs this rationalization in the first place, his real reason for making Jason Robin appears to be somewhat selfish.

But what does this all mean? For one, it proves that Batman's primary explanation for why he took on Jason Todd is lowgrade BS. It also shows how Batman's rationalization has begun to veer into projection. He states that Jason was saved from his self destructiveness by becoming Robin, something that is certainly true for himself, but not really Jason.

We see this projection fully take root when Leslie Thompkins confronts Bruce. Not only is Jason Todd saved by becoming Robin, now he wasn't even chosen by Batman. It was, much like Bruce Wayne becoming Batman, inevitable. Something he was "born" to do.

Detective #574

Mindset: I didn't chose Jason, he was chosen, he is just like me, we were born for this

This is essential. This mindset will show up again and again as a core part of Bruce's ability to rationalize working with child vigilantes once Jason has died.

Lets look at how his mindset has been evolving from before he meets Jason to his time as Robin progressing. Batman has gone from:

Teenage/Child vigilante Bad --> Child Vigilante Good because Jason would have become a crimial --> Child Vigilante Good because Jason would have died, I saved his life --> Child Vigilante is Good because I saved his life and Jason was meant to be Robin just like I was meant to be Batman, this is what we were was born to do

This is insane rationalization. But it works. For a while.

Then, Jason begins acting out, and putting himself in danger. Whoops. uh oh! How can Jason be saved by becoming Robin, if he is endangered by it? The balm for Bruce's semi-suicidal ideation was crime fighting, so if Jason is self destructive as Robin, does that mean Jason isn't like Bruce after all? Does that mean he wasn't born to be Robin? Was Bruce right in the begining? Is Teen Vigilantism Bad? Well, lucklily, the rationalization Bruce has built doesnt need to change too much in order to accommodate these new facts.

Batman #426 (1940)

See, this issue has not reverted back to being child vigilantism, it's the fact that Jason isn't ready yet.

Batman #426 (1940) / Batman #427

Batman latches onto this idea, he identifies it as "the problem". Is he wrong? No, not really. It does seem like Jason needs come to terms with his parents deaths. But this is important because it is still a rationalization for mindset he started with, still part of the reason he can be in favor of Teenage Vigilantism.

Then Jason Todd dies, as Robin. That truly breaks the underlying concept for this rationalization, that being Robin saved Jason Todd. The entire justification has fully shattered, and Bruce Wayne has lost a son. And, so because of this, in the wake of Jason Todds death, we see a full 180 revert back to the idea Bruce held onto at the end of Dick Graysons time as Robin: Teenage Vigilante = Bad.

Batman #428/ The New Teen Titans #55 (1984) / Batman #439

He has fully rejected the very concept of working with anyone, including the now adult Nightwing. He is literally right back where we started, with even deeper convictions against working with someone else (especially a kid) ever again.

But we all know this doesn't stick. He takes on 13 year old Tim Drake as Robin not long at all afterwards. As the 90's progress Bruces goes on to work with a huge variety of other vigilantes and partners, both teenaged and adult.

So how does he possibly justify this?

I believe he retrofits his rationalization for taking on Jason as Robin.

He adheres to a primary idea. The idea that some people are, like him, simply built for Vigilantism. That they, much like he once believed Jason was, "born" for it.

Mindset: Child Vigilantle is not always Good, but it can be Good. When its the right kind of teenager. Some Teenaged Vigilantes are meant to be Vigilantes just like I was meant to be Batman.

In this way, Jason Todds tragic murder is not a failure of concept, it a category error. Batmans mistake was not working with a teenager, his mistake was working with the wrong kind of teenager. Jason Todd was not built for vigilantism. But others are. This means he's still totally in the clear to work with teenagers, Tim Drake as Robin, then Cassandra Cain as Batgirl, and then eventually Stephanie Brown as Spoiler. So long as Bruce is able to believe they are "born" for it, that they are like Batman himself, meant to do this, and incapable of living a normal life, there is no contradiction, his rationalization holds.

But where’s the proof?

This mindset can be clearly seen and prominently seen when Stephanie Brown is fired as Spoiler.

When Steph is fired as Spoiler because she has moved in Bruce's mind from the "acceptable Teen Vigilante" category into the "unacceptable Teen Vigilante category". And the reasons he gives for this decision are exactly in line with the rationalization I've lain out. She is consistently contrasted to other teen vigilante characters who are fit for duty because he does not see her as "like him/them".

Detective #790

Notice how he jumps right from "Jason and Stephanie were/are not fit to fight crime" to "they could/can have a normal life" right to "unlike me and you, Cassandra Cain, who are stuck fighting crime forever". Much like how he originally justified his decision to work with Jason Todd as Robin through the idea that Jason and Bruce were both destined for this life, he applies the exact same idea, but this time, about himself and Cassandra Cain as Batgirl. And in contrast to them, and in directly comparison to Jason Todd, Stephanie is not meant for crime fighting.

Batgirl #38 (2000)

And Stephanie Brown is contrasted with Cass again, when Bruce first explains why he fired Steph to Cass. This is a consistent pattern. She is not like Cass. This is why she shouldn’t be a vigilante.

When he explains that he is going to fire Steph as Spoiler to Tim, he says something very interesting which invokes the same idea. In the list of three reasons he throw out that Steph shouldn't be Spoiler, he mentions that she is going to "throw her life away". When taken in combination with the other panels discussed, its clear to me that he means this is the common way the saying is used. That she is wasting her life by being a vigilante, that she should, as he mentions earlier, be living a normal life. But why is he saying this to Tim? If one of the reasons Steph shouldn't be Spoiler is her ability to lead a normal life, why the fuck is Tim exempt? I think it comes from a genuine belief that Tim is "like him". Unable to live a normal, non-vigilante life, "born" for crime fighting. Much like Cass, who we already saw him directly compare himself to in this exact same way. Thats why he can directly reference to Tim Steph's ability to have a normal life as a reason she shouldn't be a vigilante, he doesn't believe Tim fits the same category at all!

Robin #106 (1993)

So why the fuck does Stephanie move categories? She was acceptable earlier? What changed?

I've already done an in-depth explanation for what the subconscious underlying reason Bruce fires Stephanie: she simply is no longer useful to as a balm for his loneliness. I highly recommend checking out the post here if you are interested in the breakdown of why and how.

But in addition to that, it’s clear to me that it also has a weird amount to do with Jason Todd.

Stephanie simply and clearly reminds Bruce of Jason Todd. He points out their similarities in personality, and it’s worth mentioning the similarities in their circumstances as well (mothers who struggle(d) with drug addiction, and fathers who were criminals).

As we saw in Detective #790, their personality similarities led to Batman associating Steph with Jason. This makes sense, this association would only grow as he got to know her over the time she is sanctioned as Spoiler.

I believe this association leads to him eventually placing her in the same category as Jason, as not "born" for vigilantism at all, and as capable of having a normal life.

But it also serves as a clear way to rectify his mistakes with Jason. It’s his way of “making up for” his role in Jason's death. It’s his second chance. Never mind that this second chance leads to his assessment of Stephanie having very little to do with Steph herself, and a whole fucking lot to do about Bruce’s guilt over Jason’s death.

This is especially brutal because it seems to come from a place of genuine care (and a selfish desire to assuage his guilt too), but Stephanie doesn't get the tender moment of explanation and grief and regret that Cassandra hears. She doesn't get to know this.

What she gets, is to be told point blank that she is fired because she just isn't good enough. She gets to hear that she lacks the "skills and talent" from the same man who originally came to her to train her because he finally saw and recognized her potential. She gets told she will never be good enough by the guy who told her that she could learn and improve under his instruction. She gets two sentences. She has to fight for any more.

I cannot emphasize enough the fact that she had to track Bruce down to get an explanation for why he was suddenly ghosting her. He didn't even have the decency to tell her himself. Stephanie had to track Bruce down just so she could find out that he gave up on her.

Stephanie gets a blunt lie about why she is fired. And Bruce Wayne gets to feel good about "correcting" a mistake that had nothing to do with Stephanie. Stephanie gets cut off from her friends. Bruce Wayne gets to reconcile with his team. Stephanie gets to feel worthless. Bruce Wayne gets to feel justified.

[patolemus]

Wip Thursday

Got tagged by @gege-wondering-around and @dontcallpanic so here you have another snippet for my demon!stiles au!

“So. I know what this thing is,” because there comes a point where your only option is ripping off the bandaid, and also, Stiles has exhausted all his other resources. “The good news is I know how to get rid of it.”

“And the bad news?” Derek already sounds like he doesn’t want to know the answer. Stiles would feel guilty, he really would. Only, Derek brought this on himself, really, letting Stiles into the pack all those years ago. He should just accept that Stiles will do his thing and rest easy.

“Uuuh… I’m going to have to talk to my Father and that always sucks,” and he’d been doing so well, too, dodging his messengers and little notice-me calls. The fire had been a little too on point, though.

“The Sheriff? What for?” Scott tilts his head in that way that makes him look exactly like a puppy. Stiles has a sudden urge to squeeze him until he bursts.

Heh, good old cute rage.

“Oh, no, not my dad. My Father. Completely different people,” Stiles is met with blank expressions. Huh. Right, the puppies don’t know who his Father is. Eh. Not his problem. Derek can explain it to them on his own time. “Anyways, it’ll be a pain in the ass because I’ve been trying to avoid his calls for a while now and he’ll be so clingy and smug, but I’ll take one for the team,” he says, ever so graciously. Ugh, Belial is going to be unbearable, too. Stiles is so not looking forward to that conversation.

More blank stares. Stiles smiles, nods once and turns around. He’ll have to go kill an animal or something for his sacrifice, since his Father still refuses to get signal on Hell. So messy. Stiles hopes his Father understands he won’t be returning until he gets stable wi-fi connection because he is not giving up Google.

“What? Stiles that explains nothing!” Lydia says, exasperated. Stiles doesn’t know what she’s talking about, he made perfect sense of himself! “You haven’t even told us what this thing is!”

Oh. Okay, maybe that one’s on him.

Please don't take this seriously. I beg of you. Also I know this makes absolutely no sense at all but it will be. Eventually. Maybe. Hopefully. Tagging @oldefashioned @salty-fryingpan @novasillies @hedwig221b and of course @dontcallpanic and @gege-wondering-around again, thank you so much for the tag!

[sugar-coated-prat-dragon]

Yes. I do like the show obviously. 🙄

What I don’t like though is a fandom that acts as if every Knight of the Round Table in the show is some kind of magic hating bigot. When nothing like that is ever shown.

The Knights as a whole are the equivalent to our modern day military force and yes obviously, they will go after someone who killed their king.

Are you serious right now? 😅 You honestly expect the knights of Camelot to NOT go after the sorcerer who they believed killed their king?

If you believe knights of a realm only defend kingdoms that are run by pure hearted rulers and will automatically disobey someone that has questionable motives, then I think it’s you that doesn’t understand the show.

Or the Medieval Era at all?

Even though we (as the audience know) that not all magic users are evil. It’s been mentioned multiple times in the show and in the books as well, that magic twenty years ago was used by corrupt sorcerers to wreak havoc.

Camelot and many of the nearby kingdoms banned it as a result.

Uther might have ultimately made his decision because of what happened to Ygraine, but magic was a legitimate danger back then and others followed in his footsteps with magic bans in their own territories, because they also believed magic to be dangerous.

Kara killed innocent people on the roads leading into Camelot for the weapons they were carrying (with the help of the Saxon’s; who are dangerous mercenaries) and then attacked the king when he had been trying to do nothing but assist a young woman he thought was injured.

Arthur was not a danger to her in that moment and he didn’t have her executed for being a druid or having magic.

Kara wasn’t a “freedom fighter”.

Kara was working with Morgana. Someone who had killed innocent Camelot citizens during her reign and waged wars against their kingdom in order to take the throne by force.

Arthur only had her executed, because she attacked him and tried to kill him.

And that is well within his rights (especially within his own kingdom).

The fact that you can hear multiple mentions by Gaius, explaining to Merlin that magic at one point was a big problem for Camelot and was wreaking havoc.

Only to sweep it under the rug because it doesn’t fit your desired narrative. Makes it obvious that maybe you’re the one whose black and white mortality is clouding your judgment of the show.

Merlin uses his magic for the greater good and yes, there was many innocent sorcerers who died unnecessarily in the kings war against magic.

However, that doesn’t mean that magic wasn’t at one point a very dangerous weapon and that the people of the kingdom don’t have a legitimate reason to fear it.

In the Merlin universe, magic in fact does have the power to corrupt those who use it.

Obviously, not everyone who uses it gets corrupted because magic is a neutral force, but is only common sense that some humans if given great power would eventually succumb to temptation and start to use magic in order to gain power, money and influence.

To blatantly just ignore the mentions of the dangers of magic in the past.

To act as if it’s a completely one sided story where sorcerers of the past were always completely innocent victims and magic never posed a threat to the lives of innocent citizens is too ignore the story the writers created.

Title: The knights were NOT anti-magic extremists

I’m really tired of the fandom acting like the knights of the round table were sadistic murders, when it came to magic and sorcerers. 😬 🚫

So I’m going to write out all the times (that I can remember off the top of my head), where they went up against magic users and how they reacted.

Most of the knights of the round table, never showed any malice towards magic users who weren't dangerous and they certainly didn't go out of their way to harm any of them.

In fact, the only real time the knights ever go after a magic user in such a way is when they go after Dragoon, (who they plan to arrest) and even then, only because the kingdom believes him to have been responsible for killing Uther.

- Gwaine initially raised his sword to Grettir, but only when he thought he wasn't going to allow them to cross the bridge and showed no further anger towards him, once he was told his sword would be returned to him.

- Leon is awed by the Druids for having saved him when he was on the verge of death. He shows no malice towards them.

- Gwaine kills Orn (Alator’s bodyguard/minion). Which he does because they have kidnapped Gaius, held him prisoner and tortured him.

- Elyan hugged the spirit of a little boy because he thought he might be cold and tried to comfort him.

- Gwaine didn't move to attack the Diamair, despite it clearly being a magical creature.

- The knights only go after Finna, because they believe her to be a dangerous sorcereress (given the way Helva was attacked and only a few people managed to escape with their lives).

LEON There's a dangerous sorceress at large, Merlin. Plus a bunch of Saxons. This is not the place to be alone.

ARTHUR Send out a second patrol. Seal off the Ford at Greinten and alert the border garrisons.

They must be found and brought to trial.

- The knights only pursue Kara originally, because she was spotted near the area where Saxon's raided wagons of weapons headed to Camelot.

And then of course, Kara seals her fate later by trying to stab their king and refusing to repent her crime, even after they show her mercy. ⚔️

- Admittedly, the knights did go on the hunt to find and destiny Aithusa's egg.

However, I think it's important to remember their kingdom was ravaged by a dragon, only a few short years before and many of their people died.

They also had no way of knowing Merlin was a dragon lord, who had the power to control the dragon and keep it away from the kingdom.

So honestly, that's a very valid and understandable fear.

- In the Disir episode: The knights try to apprehend the sorcerer, Osgar (as is their job).

They only go after him with more force once one their knights, Sir Ranulf, is killed in the process.

Leon: They were trying to apprehend him when he used his powers to escape. I am sorry to report... Sir Ranulf was mortally wounded.

So yes, the knights aren't going out their way to pull masks over their heads, to hide their identity and then free sorcerers.

But the knights are also not shown to have any actual grievances against magic users or go out their way to attack them.

The only time the knights have been shown to attack sorcerers, is when they were a threat (or to arrest Dragoon, who they believed killed the former king).

So (excluding Leon), I don’t think it's out of character to believe the knights might initially fear Arthur's reaction to finding out Merlin had magic, or thinking they might have to step in to protect him.

The knights trying to instinctively protect Merlin, doesn't mean that Arthur is evil or unreasonable.

It simply means that they recognize the kings authority in that moment, (since magic is against the law of the kingdom) and they would likely be able to visibly see that Merlin was afraid.

That makes them protective friends.

Something that I think even Arthur would appreciate afterward.

He cares deeply about Merlin and would be grateful the knights had the backbone to try to protect him.

[blueberri-blu]

Learning You...

Mikey ♡

[Bayverse] Slowly getting to know Mikey ♡

Leo ♡⁠˖ Donnie ♡⁠˖ Raph♡⁠˖

Meeting Him:

You met through April, her thinking you two would hit it off

(and knows Mikey wants more friends)

He immediately starts flirting with you

You just start giggling, realizing it's just his personality

You both have been joined at the hip since then

I'm sorry this is so short but I feel like with Mikey you wouldn't take long to become friends!

Befriending him

You and Mikey have competitions to see who can eat the most pizza

Or beat the other in a video game

But you just giggle it off as Mikey being mikey

Or skate better

AKA, Competitions all around

Very friendly, giggly, joking Competitions

You'll have long movie marathons, with Mikey and you making fun of the movies (we all know he can't sit still for long)

He is constantly flirting with you "Angel cakes, baby, sweetcheeks, Babycakes" you name it

But you just giggle it off as Mikey being Mikey

Eventually you both are trying out pick up lines on each other

This always ends in huge laughing fits that are so loud even Even can hear them

Honestly? Y'all are just like those elementary school best friends on the playground

"I'd die for you, you're my bff"

"omg so would I!! You're MY bff"

You'll start inviting Mikey over so you two can get some time off, show him around your apartment/house

If you have any, and I mean ANY pets, he is in love immediately

You two will watch TV shows for hours

If y'all end up watching Euphoria, he'll say "wow your highschool must've had drama novela style"

You'll have to explain to him that no, most high schoolers aren't doing hard drugs in the bathroom, and that yes, maybe a few hook up in the school bathrooms

All in all, you and Mikey hit it off right away and have a friendship even the mane six from my little pony would be jealous of

First Date

Your first date takes... awhile to be honest

With Mikey always flirting with you, you can't tell the difference between joking, and Mikey trying to ask you out

Mikey goes to April for advice

She tells him that, it's not really special when he talks like that to everyone

So, Mikey thinks of a plan

Influenced a little bit by Leo

He brings you a box of pizza to your place

And when you open it, it's a heart pizza, and in the box in sharpie is written "will you be my only love?" With Classic by MKTO playing in the background

You two stay the night at your place, playing video games, watching TV shows (you show him reality TV and he is hooked.)

At the end of the night, Mikey is confident and leans in for a kiss

If you kiss him back, after he'll be breakdancing a "victory dance" in your living room

If you pull away and say you don't kiss on the first date

Hell immediately start planning your second, third, fourth date and, if you let him, your wedding

Dating

Mikey is very touchy

He loves PDA and physical affection in general

If you do too, you can't keep your hands off of eachother

His brothers, don't appreciate it

If you don't like PDA or physical affection as much (in public) he will have a pillow to hold and cuddle with while he holds your hand

He doesn't care if he has to wait for you to be comfy for physical affection

In his words "my sexy Angel cakes, no need to rush, imma have you forever, right?"

Omg he is so sweet

His brothers are kind of happy he has you now tho, you entertain almost all of his ideas, and Mikey never feels stupid or dumb around you

You even encourage him to try some of his (non dangerous) ideas, just so you two can see what happens

I can totally see Mikey teaching you to ride on a skateboard

Thankfully his "powerful lou jitsu ninja skills" as he puts it, give him the reflexes to always catch you

If you don't get the hang of it, that's ok!

Mikey loves it when you and him share his skateboard,

His two favorite things, you and skateboarding (all that's missing is pizza)

You'll go to skateparks that are either closed down

Or just closed at night with no one there at night

You bring a calming presence to his chaos

Always encouraging him to try things, but within safe limits

Mikey brings out an adventurous side of you tho

He loves cuddling you, big spoon or little spoon, you on top, him on top, he doesn't care!

Dating Mikey means pizza, skating, adventure, movies and gaming

[sleepingdiaryzzz]

yandere!young justice x magician and sorcerer!reader

BUUUUUUUUUT,the readed is a part of the team,however,shows no interest in them,and it just there because she kinda just has to,and no matter how much they try to get her attention,she never gives them any of it.

(I love your writing btw😼)

Yandere! Young Justice x magician! Reader

The Cave was quiet, as it always was at night, the hum of machines and distant murmurs of the world outside barely touching the stillness that clung to the mountain like a second skin. In this isolated hollow, surrounded by the cool stone walls, you could hear your own thoughts—the whisper of spells, the pulse of magic, the unspoken words you chose not to say.

You never had to explain yourself here, never had to wear the mask of pleasantries or pretend you cared about anything more than the mission. The others, they didn’t understand. They couldn’t, not really. You weren’t like them, never had been. You didn’t need the comfort of their companionship. You didn’t want their attention, their curiosity, or their pity.

And yet, they tried.

Conner was always watching. A silent presence, brooding and intense, always lingering in the background, his eyes following your every movement. He never asked questions—no, that wasn’t his style. Instead, he observed, the way a predator watches its prey, calculating, waiting. He never made an effort to speak, not in the way Wally did with his incessant jokes or M'gann with her quiet warmth. Conner was patient, cold, waiting for something to crack, for something to change.

His silence was a constant reminder. He didn’t need to speak; you could feel his presence, the weight of his gaze pressing down on you, always at the edge of your vision, always waiting.

It was unsettling, but you never let it show.

Wally was a different story altogether. His energy was like a crackling fire, unpredictable, always bouncing from one thing to the next. He couldn’t sit still, couldn’t leave you be. "Come on," he would say, leaning over your shoulder as you worked on a spell, his grin wide and carefree. "Show me something cool. You know you’ve got some crazy magic tricks up your sleeve."

His insistence was always accompanied by that grin of his, mischievous and bright, as though his charm could draw you out of your shell. But you never did. You never gave him the satisfaction of seeing you smile, never let him see you as more than just another teammate. It wasn’t his fault—he was just trying to make the team feel more like a family. But you didn’t care about family. You didn’t care about any of them.

“I’m busy,” you’d say, dismissing him with a flick of your hand, returning to your spell. And Wally, ever the optimist, would laugh and zip away, the sound of his footsteps echoing as he left you to your silence.

But it wasn’t enough for him, no. His persistence was a thing of legend. Sometimes you’d catch him watching you, his gaze fixed, a question burning in his eyes. "Why are you always like this?" he seemed to ask with every look. But he never voiced it. Instead, he’d turn away, hoping that somehow, eventually, you’d change your mind.

Then there was Robin. The dark and silent watcher. He knew how to stay in the shadows, how to be everywhere without being seen. His presence was like the night itself—always there, always watching, never truly gone. Robin was the most subtle of them all. He never asked outright; instead, he would drop little comments, observations that always felt like a puzzle, like he was trying to figure you out, piece by piece.

"You know, you could talk to us more," he’d say, casually leaning against the wall as he watched you work. His tone was light, almost playful, but you could sense the undercurrent of something more—something deeper. “We don’t bite, you know.”

You didn’t respond. Of course, you didn’t. The only response he got was the steady flick of your fingers over the spellbook, the quiet hum of magic filling the space between you. He didn’t try to get too close, not like Wally or M'gann, but his eyes never stopped tracking you, always measuring, always calculating. Robin was patient, the kind of person who knew that some things took time, that some people had walls that needed to be broken down slowly.

And you? You weren’t going to let him.

M'gann was the opposite. Her presence was always warm, soft, inviting. She would sit beside you, her legs tucked under her, her eyes wide with curiosity. "You know," she would say with that gentle voice of hers, "I could help you with your spells. I can be a good study partner, if you ever need one."

Her kindness wasn’t forced, never had been. It was natural for her, as natural as breathing. She wasn’t like the others who were driven by some sense of duty or curiosity. No, M'gann’s attention was genuine, a quiet offer of companionship. She was the one who tried to reach you without asking, without expecting anything in return.

But you didn’t need help. You didn’t need her to reach you. And so, you’d quietly decline, giving her nothing more than a polite smile before returning to the words in your book, the pages filled with symbols that had no need for her warmth.

And then there was Artemis. The sharp, straightforward one. She didn’t waste time on subtlety. Her approach was always direct, blunt, like a sharp blade that never hesitated. "You don’t have to be so closed off, you know," she’d say, her voice a mix of irritation and something else. It was hard to tell with Artemis—her eyes were always guarded, her emotions always hidden behind a wall of indifference. "We’re all in this together."

She had a point, of course. But you didn’t care. You didn’t care about being “in it together.” You had your own path to follow, and they weren’t a part of it. You didn’t need to explain that to her, or to anyone. So, you’d give her a nod, a brief acknowledgment that wasn’t really an acknowledgment, and move on with your work.

Kaldur was the calm one, the quiet one. His respect for you was obvious, but it never crossed the line into anything more. He would offer you a nod as he passed, his gaze soft, his presence steady like the water he controlled. He didn’t push you the way the others did. He didn’t try to break down your walls. He simply respected them, kept his distance, and allowed you to be as you were.

But even Kaldur had moments when his gaze would linger on you, just a second too long, like he was waiting for you to finally open up, to let him see more than the cold silence you kept locked behind your eyes.

It wasn’t much, but it was enough. Enough for you to feel the weight of their gaze, the quiet pressure of their attention. They thought they understood you. They thought that if they just tried enough, kept reaching out, eventually, you’d let them in.

But you wouldn’t.

In the midst of their attempts, you kept your distance, always lost in the pages of your spells, your incantations, the quiet hum of power that thrummed beneath your fingertips. They were drawn to you, like moths to a flame, their fascination burning just beneath the surface of their words, their glances, their actions.

But you would remain untouched. You would keep your secrets locked away, your magic a barrier between you and the world they wanted to draw you into.

They didn’t understand it, not really. They couldn’t. You were not like them. You didn’t need what they offered. You didn’t need to be a part of their team, their family, their world. You were the silent watcher, the one who kept their distance while they reached out, always hoping that something would change.

But it wouldn’t.

You weren’t there for them. You were there because you had a purpose, one that had nothing to do with them, nothing to do with the team, and nothing to do with any of their quiet, unspoken obsessions. You would remain distant, and they would keep trying, never understanding why you remained so cold, so unreachable.

And that, for now, was enough.

(A/n: thank you kind fellow fur🤭😽)

[viennakarma]

So in the one where reader moves on, how does teen/preteen Luna feel about Fernando when she finds out the real reason her parents got divorced? Especially if she has siblings?

I think Luna would be a little angry at Fernando just in the beginning, just because she's a teenager, dealing with a big revelation like that and the first urge is to find someone to blame, at first she refuses to put the blame on Lewis since he is her loving father for her whole life and he could do no wrong (in her eyes).

So after finding out her dad cheated on her mom, I believe Luna would be angry and stop calling him Papá/Papá Nano (which she had been doing since she was little and her younger brother Vincenzo started addressing Nando like that).

Fernando would clock that something was very wrong the moment a full Fernando came from Luna's mouth.

Eventually, after everything was settled with her parents, Fernando would sit her down alone, to talk about everything. He'd explain how he had always been in love with Reader and how he spent many years away because he respected her relationship with Lewis. And he only romantically pursued Reader when Luna was a little over two years old, the divorce with Lewis long signed (I think he'd like to make it clear to Luna that he never came between her parents). He'd assure her he loved her as a daughter but he would unsderstand if she wanted to stop calling him Papá. Luna would stop calling him that but it would last only a couple of weeks before she slipped up and gradually went back to calling him that.

-

ON ANOTHER NOTE: I SHOULD PROBABLY DO A MASTERLIST FOR SAY SOMETHING TO ADD ALL THE TIDBITS AND OUR CONVERSATIONS.

Also, if anyone had questions about any other fics, let me know, let's chat!

[lucygraysboy]

billy listens with such intent that his lips part slightly and eyes become alight with interest, trying to picture the dolly that lucy gray’s describing. it’s plain to see just how much sentimental value the toy had. it makes him wish he could find a way to retrieve it, or maybe sew her something similar. as a thank you for taking him in tonight. “did she have a name? your dolly.” his adoptive father was a skilled carpenter and once built him a little wooden horse. oh, how he adored that horse. he named it moon dancer. “i’m sorry to hear that it got left behind. if you drew it for me, maybe i could find somethin’ similar,” he offers shyly, pale blue eyes flickering toward the colorful bear. a sweet smile blooming on his lips when he spots all the similarities between the girl and her teddy. “oh, look, she likes rainbows just like you do. you have a twin, too, lucy gray.” he jokes, but there’s no malice or mockery to his words, just good-natured humor, as he scrambles to his feet and walks across the room. “may i?” he touches the bear with such tenderness as if it were made of glass, calloused fingertips tracing the hearts sewn into the soft fabric, then moving onto the place where the other arm’s supposed to be. “she’s been through a lot, hm? reva blue, you’re one strong bear, you know that? and you’ve got a very beautiful dress,” he praises, his voice an octave higher as he speaks to the bear, gently patting her back before setting her down, tucking her in so that she’s warm. “reva blue and lucy gray. even your names match,” he points out, wondering if she has a sewing kit or a crochet hook and some fabric, a thread or yarn, in this little house. they could easily fix reva blue. give her a new arm. 

“that’s how most people from the capitol are. not to condone their behavior, but i think it all stems from fear.” extreme hatred is almost always based on fear. people may feel threatened by those they view as different or foreign, their traditions and culture. call them savages just to prove their own superiority. “it must be tough, not knowin’ what’s happened to your grandma, if she’s alive or not. maybe you’ll still meet again her one day.” he glances towards her, briefly wondering how it’s possible that such a small body can survive so much tragedy and still carry on. he feels for her, relates to her experiences to a certain extent, but he can’t grasp the enormity of her trauma. “guess so, but not everyone is like that. i don’t have no killer motives.” he’s thinking about ways to fix her teddy bear, and she’s accusing him of plotting murder. it’s unfair, but again, who knows what she’s been through? maybe she’s lost all trust in humanity. “yeah? why? i keep hearin’ it’s a real boring name, common.” and it looks like she doesn’t particularly like it either, which stings to a certain extent but he manages to keep these emotions at bay and offer, “you can call me kid. when my father,” his adoptive father, “first brought me home to thirteen, i refused to speak for a month or so, and so everyone just called me kid.” he explains, taking off his shoes and setting them by the fire to dry, having to occupy himself with something while she’s changing.

once she’s seated again, billy’s eyes find hers and he offers her another smile, ignoring the scowl that she’s in turn offering him. if he keeps being kind, maybe she’ll eventually warm up to him. maybe she won’t hate him. “alright, let me see these scratches.” he washes his hands and wipes them on the cloth that he’d used to dry her feet before laying them on her skin, standing up to inspect the cuts on her shoulder first. “oh, wow.” a gasp escapes him when his eyes fall on the purple spots and scratches, pink lines running in different directions, surely causing her a lot of discomfort. some a little deeper than others, some a little swollen and tender. it doesn’t look bad, but it doesn’t look good either. “it might sting a bit,” he warns, wringing out the soaked cloth and carefully pressing it to her wounds, dabbing them clean, the fabric turning pink. he pauses, brushes her curls out of the way and continues his ministrations, rinsing the cloth and pressing it other skin again until there’s no more dirt sticking to it. 

“i did have a dolly, her hair was made out of yarn cause of course there wasn’t any means for a real doll even if we wanted one. it was one of the things that got left behind when our covey got pushed out of our last home by peacekeepers. all i have left of childhood toys is my mama’s bear she made for me, over yonder. sittin’ on the bed with a missin’ arm. reva blue the rainbow bear, or probably should be rainy bear now since she must not feel so fun anymore with no arm.” lucy gray frowns, “reva blue is her birth name, though. reva means rain and blue because rainbows start in bluer skies after the rain.” giving a little explanation, the bear is light brown with quilted rainbow ruffles sewed into her waist with a purple heart sewn onto her left foot, a yellow heart sewn into her right foot. her rainbow skirt is in better shape than hers, even if she’s took some wear and tear of her own with that missing arm. lucy gray thinks how she feels a lot like that bear, still trying to be colorful in these conditions because that’s the type of person she was born by heart as — staying relentlessly optimistic, but slowly officially losing her light. wearing her rainbow but becoming torn apart. “nice knowin’ how terribly biased an’ judgmental she is.” really— she’s shocked why coriolanus was even enamored by her for a few seconds. or how. since, she would figure he’s exactly like his grandma’am. thinks anyone other than capitol is the only worthy people in his mind. her mind is puzzled he could find anything attractive about her at all, since she feels like she should have been horribly ugly to him. how could he fake starry eyes and exchange kisses with her if he thought she was gross? but she should have been gross to him so her mind is burning trying to understand him even more. “of course. but one passed when i was younger and then the other i had that was livin’…i’m not sure anymore. we moved so often, but mamaw couldn’t just pick up and leave, so she stayed. i’m not sure if she somehow still might be there or she got rooted out too. or somethin’ else.” she could have died by now, that was a few years ago now. either way, the loss of so many family members weighs down heavily never knowing their fates. “well, that’s how people get you vulnerable. they pretend to fix things an’ be nice, but they can have killer motives behind it all.” lucy gray points out, placing the knife down on the bed while other hand is pulling loose the strings on her corset. “that’s interestin’.” thinking out loud, meaning his new name. william henry bonney. opening the door on the closet filled with pans and other miscellaneous things, she uses it as a cover. tugging the corset off, her long sleeve and then the ruffly multi colored skirt— throwing each of the pieces onto the bed. her hands dip down in her bag and pull out a soft lavender colored skirt and a white long sleeve with floral and butterflies on the front of the collar where it ties in the front and a tiny bow hangs down. wobbly legs step into the light purple skirt, feeling dangerously lightheaded before tugging on the shirt. closing the closet door back, she leaves her arms hanging out of the shirt, sleeves loosely hanging at her sides.

billy… brows creased at the familiarity. did he or dr gaul purposely choose the name billy to be even more twisted? she’s staring over at him like he fully offended her alone just by his name: billy. of course he offends her, because he must have remembered billy taupe. “there’s a scrape on my shoulder from tree limbs getting a hold of me takin’ it’s time healin’. and then there’s one like it on my leg, from scrapin’ it on a rock.” reluctantly sitting back down in front of him with that same scowl still on her face as she keeps dwelling on this name billy, there are scatters of bruises and cuts on her shoulders now that they’re bare not just the one she’s sugar coating on her left shoulder just because it’s a little more significantly different in size. the biggest though, is on on the inside of her upper leg where her knees meet. the second one that’s actually getting potential to set up for infection. moving her skirt until it’s bunched up in her lap, revealing the icky red scrape on her left leg starting above her knee and ending somewhere down the inner part of her upper leg.

[whatsfourteenupto]

Today Rose gave the Fourteenth Doctor a t-shirt that simply said “Spiders Georg.” He’s got no idea what it means, but it’s a gift from his favorite niece so of course he’s going to wear it.

[akkivee]

we have three people who’ve been affected by the true hypnosis mic and two of them, nemu and kuukou, have physical items that represent their bonds, kuukou’s matching bandana and nemu’s aohitsugi bracelet

sasara’s the odd man out so i wonder if it’s smoking that represents the mcd bond????? but the fact that sasara’s trying to quit instead of already sober is striking me as strange, like the bandana and bracelet are notably missing but sasara’s is still lingering???? 🤔

[wewerebornsextuplets]

parentce 👍

[baggebythesea]

Hah, of course Entrapta is the favourite. Go, go, you beautiful mad queen, you.

Entrapta would be happy as a clam in the Crimson Waste. She didn't listen when Bow tried to explain the whole jobswap thing, so from her point of view she's just on an extended field study and immediately starts digging up lost first ones tech.

The local bandits are a bit unsure what to do with her, so some of the wanna-be-tough-guys decide to beat her up to establish the pecking order. Entrapta doesn't register the threat but is delighted to have new field assistance volunteering. She forcibly dresses them in lab coats with a few cyber augumentations while she's at it (because Entrapta never mastered the art of knowing when to stop), which looks similar enough to her beating them up that the Crimson Waste residents decide that she has won the fight for the pecking order and is the new boss.

With a lot of manpower to work with, Entrapta sets up a proper excavation camp for large scale mining for first ones tech. She decides her new science buddies need better gear and, inspired by the local fashion, decks them out in a veritable orgy of leather, spikes, motor cycles and killer bots. She soon runs out of equipment and sends her new army of goons volunteer scientist to 'borrow' material from the neighboring towns and villages.

By this point, everyone except Entrapta has understood the narrative as Entrapta beating herself to the top of the heap, creating a motor cycle army of marauders and launched a full scale attack on the rest of the world mad max style. The Crimson Waste bandits are all for it, and downright giddy for all the cool weapons and toys Entrapta has given them. Entrapta herself is just happy so many people finally are interested in scientific exploration.

Eventually the princesses ask Hordak (moonlighting as She-Ra) into talk sense to her. He utterly refuses to do so, being of the opinion that if she wants to take over the world that is HER business. But him talking to her distract her from her conquest funtime science outreach, and they start snogging instead.

Without Entrapta, the marauders lose momentum, take everything they can grab and return to the waste. Entrapta happily takes the looted gear and builds a space observatory. When she realizes the bandits are not as good as her as reading ER spectrums she set up a school for them. There is peace at last, at least until she decided to repurpose the space observatory as a giant space laser in space.

At no point does Entrapta register that she is a de facto bandit queen. She has a lot of fun, though.

Job swap - Etherian addition

Time for shenanigans. Bow gets into his head that everyone would benefit from switching job with each other for a change in perspective.

[maegalkarven]

A future fic carcass I'll write when I write (after I finish 9 ungoing fics)

King Viserys dies at the wedding celebration of his daughter, Crown Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen.

No one else does.

I am a firm believer Otto and Viserys are the rot on the face of the House of the Dragon and without these two everything would be fine-ish.

Unfortunately, we need Vissy T for his kids to be born, so Viserys dies soon after Aemond is conceived. Sorry, Daeron, not this time.

Joffrey doesn't die because he doesn't manage to provoke Criston before the king dies.

Rhaenyra overrules his father's decision and marries Harwin Strong.

Their son Jacaerys Targaryen is the heir to the throne, Lucerys Targaryen is the heir to Harrenhal.

Daemon marries Laena and lives at Dragonstone (Rhaenyra grants him that), their firstborn is the heir of Driftmark.

Laenor joins the Queensguard and is sent to Dragonstone to protect Prince Daemon (ha) and his future heirs.

Criston Cole becomes the Commander of City Watch while still retaining his white cloak (what? He did it in canon, can do it here).

Rhaenyra removes Tyland Lannister as the master of ships and appoints Corlys Velaryon (back).

When Baela and Rhaena are born, it is decided to betroth Prince Aegon and Lady Baela, making him future lord-consort of Driftmark (and successfully removing him out of succession of the iron throne).

When Jace is born, his and Helaena's betrothal is announced.

Baelon is born without an issue and the royal family meets at the celebration on Dragonstone, where Aemond claims Cannibal and loses an eye in the process.

(Kinslayer, everyone. It fits).

Afterwards Luke is sent as a ward to Harrenhal with his father. A huge ass scene ensures there Luke clings to Aemond and refuses to go.

Aegon makes a greasy comment and gets punched.

Both Aegon and Baela are sent as wards to Driftmark.

Lucerys still leaves.

Harrenhal doesn't burn bc even if Larys kills Harwin and Luke, there's still Lyonel and Joffrey in the equation. Lyonel keeps serving Queen Rhaenyra as her Hand.

Years later the royal family meets at the wedding celebration of Baela and Aegon, where Luke and Aemond behave very much like Rhaenyra and Daemon at Rhaenyra's not happened wedding.

Rhaenyra and Alicent clutch at their pearls, Rhaenyra suggests father died because of seeing something like that.

Daemon asks if she implies they killed Viserys, then asks where is Baelon.

Laena replies Baelon is playing knights with Joffrey.

Rhaenyra and Harwin Strong (no) have three more children, Aegon, Viserys and Visenya, all silver-haired like their mother (her uncle).

Laena is fine with it, they have a poly. Laena doesn't have more children because Baelon's birth was a ghasty one.

Baelon claims the Grey Ghost.

Otto is never called back to the capital because (suprise!) Rhaenyra didn't rush to kill her 3 y.o brother or the other one who was born after Viserys' death. Instead she marries Aegon off so he's no threat.

Aemond eventually joins the Queensguard and is appointed to the future lord of Harenhall.

Lucerys refuses to marry and appoints his brother Viserys as his heir, who marries Visenya. They have a very good life in Harrenhal.

The reason Luke skips over Joffrey is because Joffrey is always at the sea (with Baelon), and Aegon the Younger is bethrothed to Baela and Aegon the Elder' firstborn, Laena.

Everyone lives happily ever after, Otto gets to be the head of the house Hightower after he successfully plots against his own kin, since his blood is secured on the throne, if in unconventional for him way.

He once tried to manipulate Aegon, but was cut off sharply by Rhaenys and Corlys, who kind of adopted the boy as theirs.

Aegon enjoys wandering about Essos very much, he, of course, whores around, but he and Baela have an agreement. One of Baela's children is born from Alyn of Hull, but no one is any wiser, since everyone just thinks the child looks like her.

Jacaerys and Helaena have three kids, Jaehaerys and Jaehaera and then Maelor.

Jaehaera is oldest and so is the heir.

Oh, and Rhaena is happily married to Corwyn Cobray. They have a daughter, Rhaenys.

[softquietsteadylove]

could we possibly get a little angsty mermaid au action? missing that one! thank you for continuing to share your masterpieces with us!

I almost didn't recognise you, it's been so long.

Thena blinked, the only time needed for her friend to go from being a speck in the distance to right in front of her. She sighed, bubbles rising from her mouth. Sorry.

What's wrong? Makkari asked, despite her feelings about Thena spending more time on land than in the water, these days. She swam around her friend, resting on a sandbank like a beached whale. It must be bad for you to leave your precious human.

Thena snarled her lips, letting her fangs poke out. She turned over in the sand, her tail dusting it up around them. "Leave it alone."

Makkari swam around to her other side, though, real concern on her face now. Hey, it was a joke. Is there something I should know?

Thena's lip wobbled. If she were on land, her eyes would be pouring salt. They had done so a few times, like when she was sick, or when she watched a heartbreaking movie with Gil that felt very much like how they had come to fall in love.

But underwater, the vacuum of it swallowed her sorrows. Her gills expanded and contracted with her heavy heart. "We are quarrelling."

You and the land walker? Makkari tilted her head a few times, the gold charms she liked on the ends of her hair floating with the motion. What did he do?

Thena swiped at her eyes, another human habit she had picked up. She sighed again, adjusting herself on her sand bed. He didn't do anything. I...I learned something.

Makkari - against any mer's instincts and natural inclination - also settled herself on the sand. She rested her chin on her arms folded in front of her, the red sparkle of her scales reflecting on the beautiful tone of her skin. She raised her brows.

Thena smiled at her friend. There was nothing about the ocean she missed quite so much as Makkari. We were out walking in town. A woman approached Gil, and he knew who she was. They spoke for some time, and he introduced me. She seemed nice.

Makkari nodded along with her very factual recounting of the story. She was used to it with her, after all. She would ask her questions as they came.

I asked Gil who she was when we got back to the boat. Thena blinked, laying her head on the sand again like a pathetic guppy lost in a strange reef. She was his mate.

Makkari shot up again, her tail swishing and her hands poised as if she had the human man's throat there for the strangling. His what?!

Thena nodded, feeling the rush of foolishness and resentment and anger and envy all over again. Humans don't mate for life. Apparently, it is not uncommon for them to have numerous partners.

It wasn't that it was impossible for mers to have multiple mates. Sometimes things didn't work out, that wasn't so incomprehensible. But it wasn't something taken lightly, to become bound mates at all. Certainly it wasn't common to encounter someone's past mate and strike up pleasantries.

She nuzzled the sand, pressing her temple to it in a poor substitute for the soft but firm feeling of Gil's chest under her. He said it was a long time ago. That they had been young and parted amicably. That they were 'still friends'.

Makkari watched the way she punctuated his verbatim statement. She lifted her lips around her fangs. That sounds like a clown who wants more than one anemone.

She agreed. It was hard to communicate that to him, though, when all she had felt was rage. Anger with him for smiling at his past mate wit her right there, on his arm no less! How dare he greet this woman so normally as if they hadn't been entangled from the inside out?!

She knew it was normal for them. She knew Gil didn't mean to hurt her and she knew that she shouldn't have thrown herself right over the side of the boat to avoid him. But just the sight of him made her want to shatter coral right off his thick skull.

Humans actually had very thin skulls compared to theirs, Sersi said.

What else did he say?

Thena shook her head. The sun moved above them, or a cloud did, and she lost her comforting warm spot. She let herself drift off the sand and listlessly ride the currents around them.

Hey, Makkari nudged her arm as she began swimming next to her. I never thought I'd see the day you were limping around because of some bull.

Nor did she, in all honesty. But she had never felt quite like this, either. She let herself drift down and down until some shelves of coral made themselves known. Her tail flopped limply after her; the tail Gil said was so beautiful.

Makkari swam to face her again. Now I'm really worried.

"Sorry," Thena squeaked out. She couldn't help it. She wanted to be in a bed and to tug the covers up over her head. She wanted to run a hot bath and fold herself up in it, letting just her tail hang out in the open air.

Okay, Makkari also sighed, moving to lean against the edge of her coral refuge. I may not be the biggest admirer of your...human. But I know how much you care about him. Are you going to go back to him?

Of course--of course she would. She just came to get out her feelings. The question of going back or not was not even an option. But maybe that was part of the problem. Thena looked at her oldest and dearest friend in all the seas. Kari, I can't leave him. We're...

Makkari's eyes widened. Perhaps she'd had some inkling of things, but this was a damning admission nonetheless. She waved her fingers. You, and him, you're...you mated with him?!

Thena pursed her lips, tempted to roll over again as if she were in bed at home. "You don't have to make that face."

How is that...how? Makkari concluded, rather mildly all things considered.

How humans do it, Thena sufficed to say. She didn't have to go over the gruesome details.

To her credit, Makkari restrained herself from further reaction. She crossed her arms again. Do you feel different?

She did, but she also didn't. She had never taken a mate of her own kind, but she had never even desired to. With Gil...it had happened so naturally, come of natural events. Perhaps she had experienced new mate-hood, in which she had become so infatuated that she had nary desired to leave Gil's side.

But then she thought of the human woman again, of her hanging on Gil's arm, and kissing him and eating his food. And it made her stomach clench like when she had fallen ill with a human 'bug'.

Thena blinked as she felt the touch of a hand on her arm. Makkari gave her a sympathetic look. Mers were not the type to exchange physical gestures meaninglessly, and they in particular were not partial to it. But she smiled, "thanks."

Makkari patted her arm before fiddling with the gold on her fingers (also stolen little trinkets). Well, you'll go back, you said. When?

She was asking if Thena would stay in the water for some time. But she hadn't considered it. For all she had done to storm off and leave poor Gil all alone in the small motorboat, she hadn't considered staying past the height of the moon. For how miserable she was feeling, she still wanted to return to his arms to sleep.

How foolish mating with a partner made someone.

I don't know, Thena answered more properly. She at least lifted herself from the coral. I wanted time to think clearly.

Makkari shrugged. Bulls--what can be done about them?

Thena offered a somewhat sardonic but genuine smile. She was inclined to agree, but she still wished to return to her bull in question. I promise I will return soon, and in better spirits.

Makkari followed her as she began swimming upward again. As soon as she had tossed herself from the boat, she had swam straight down, desiring nothing more than getting Gil out of her sight. Does Ikaris know?

Thena rolled her eyes. No, and he never can. I had to worry about him drowning Gil before they had even met. This will not help.

Fine, but I can't say I'm completely against it, Makkari offered neither her complete support nor condemnation. But it was support either way, and Thena appreciated it.

Thena eyed the bait that was hanging in the water. They weren't deep enough for mers yet, but it was deep enough that most wouldn't be fishing with a regular manual rod in such an odd spot.

Makkari beat her to it, of course, swimming right up to it. There's something tied around it.

Thena floated next to it, undoing the strip of cloth tied around the line. The ink was already being eaten at by the salt, but the sloth was scrawled with a very sad SORRY on it in horrific lettering. "Oh, Gil."

Has he just been sitting here? Makkari asked, looking up at the bottom of the boat.

That was exactly what he had been doing. Because that was Gil; he wouldn't have gone home without her. Even if she had, she would have discovered he wasn't back and come to find him. So he had stayed put, cast the line with a message for her to come back to him, unable to come after her properly.

Okay, fine, he's not bad for a human, Makkari conceded with minimal eye rolling. She gave Thena's fin a friendly smack with her own on her way past. Come back another time you don't want to just cry about your boyfriend and his legs?

Thena waved to her friend's swiftly retreating image before Makkari truly put her power into her tail and shot off with blinding speed. She did owe her more visits, and it was nice to truly swim completely uninhibited for a time.

She poked her head up slowly, the water lapping around her. It was dusk, and soon would be completely dark. She rose until she could peek over the side of the boat.

Gil was tearing another strip of fabric off his emergency canvas, writing the word over and over and over to get the ink to penetrate the cloth properly.

Oh, her sweet, sweet human man. Thena sighed, once again feeling the air in her lungs, even with her gills in her neck. She brought her hands up to the boat's edge, "Gil?"

"Th-Thena!" he startled, but his head whipped up to her. He had been crying. "Angelfish!"

The boat tipped dangerously as he rushed over to her. As much as she could get them back home, she wasn't strong enough to tip over a boat by herself. "Gil!"

He stopped his rush to hug her, or lift her out of the water and back onboard with him. His shoulders sagged, "oh, sweetie, I'm so sorry. I should have explained more--a-about my ex. I didn't mean for you to find out that way."

She still didn't enjoy the concept of Gil and his ex-mate, doing mating things. But she pulled herself up and into the boat for herself, settling on the bench, still with her tail on. "I know you were put in a difficult position, Gil. I...I shouldn't have swam off."

He plunked himself back down to the other seat by the motor. "No, I don't blame you for being mad. I probably wouldn't want to find out about any ex of yours by running into him on a date."

Yes, exactly! She had her vindication, which did soothe the stubborn part of her. But she split her tail into legs again, leaning forward. "Gil."

He let her lift his chin, happy to accept her kiss. He slipped his fingers into her hair. "I'm sorry, Angelfish. I didn't want you to get hurt like that."

It had hurt, in an odd way. Humans had such interesting concepts of pain--so internal and self reflective. But Thena smiled, running her thumb over his cheek, "I know."

He accepted her acceptance. He wasn't forgiven, but he wasn't asking for that. He reached behind him, putting his jacket over her, "let's get home, okay?"

Thena nodded, pulling the jacket up and zipping it. It was cold in the air, even as the salt beaded off her skin. "I'm sorry, I don't know where the dress ended up."

"It's okay, Cuddlefish, we can get you another one," he smiled, eager to maintain their lifted spirits. He held his arm out, inviting her to sit next to him for the boat ride home.

She obliged him, settling herself in the crook of his arm. She pressed her temple to his chest, finally soothed after the sand failed where he was succeeding. "I want that seafood stew you make for dinner."

What he called 'Jjampong' was one of her favourites, not only for the seafood, but for the pleasant spiciness it possessed.

He kissed her hair, speeding ahead and back to their home, on the island, with Titania waiting for them at the dock. "Anything you want, Thena."

She wanted him to swear to be her one and only mate from now on. But dinner would suffice for now.