#sry to everyone else trying to figure out what the hell this means

[youhavereachedtheendofpie]

alle deutsche in den notes so

all these unfunny jokes about how german is such a hard and awful language >:(

well, can your language do this?

[kimberly-spirits13]

Batfam Reacting to S/O Turning into a Robin HC (Request)

So this entire thing happens because you and Bruce were fighting Circe who just had to throw a spell at a civilian

You jump in front of the spell and catch it, taking the blow

This means that on site, you turn into a Robin

Wtf

Bruce is big mad now since now he thinks that you could be a Robin for the rest of your life and that’s just not cool

The moment that the fight is over, he calls in everyone from the league

Z, Constantine, Dr. Fate, Zatara, Wonder Woman, the whole lot

Once they find out what happens there’s a worry but eventually they find that it’s going to be alright and you’ll change back within the next 72 hours or so

72 HOURS

Bruce just simply cannot wait that long

he doesn’t know what to do with a bird like

ALFRED

They make sure to not try and feed you anything that’s too disgusting that you wouldn’t normally eat

No worms

That would be gross

Bruce does find it kind of funny that you turn into a Robin and not something else

So happy it wasn’t a bat

You’d get mixed and lost with the rest of them in the cave and that would be weird

Plus there’s a high chance that you’d just fall from the ceiling

Once you finally detransform from the entire debacle, Bruce is very happy to have you back

Gets special charms from Z and Constantine that repel bad magic back onto the user

Ensures that something like this doesn’t happen again

Dick Grayson:

This man does not know what to do

It’s a run in with Witch Boy that causes this to happen

Z!!!!!!

That’s the first person that he calls

Wally is really the one that takes you back to him since Dick wasn’t on this mission but you and Wally were leading it

You jumped in front of one of the newer recruits and that’s how that happened

Does this entire experience count as a souvenir?

Like maybe he just takes a feather that you drop or something and like SOUVENIR OF THAT ONE TIME THAT Y/N TURNED INTO A ROBIN

After the initial freak out mode, he just thinks that it’s kind of funny that it was a Robin

Z said that the spell was the wrong spell (thankfully) and you’d only turn into something that you loved for a little while

RObin yOU TuRNeD InTO A RoBIn

And that makes Dick a blushing mess

Once you finally do turn back, he teases you

Your most important question is did you eat anything gross

The answer was no but still

Trust issues

he does mention what the spell was and that lead to some blushing

Jason Todd:

This was the last thing that he had planned

The absolute last thing

On a mission that involved some weird magic stuff, you just happened to get turned into a Robin

What the literal hell is happening now

The first instinct is to see that it’s really you

Once you understand that you’re a Robin, you’re just like, oh, so this is happening now

And that’s just how it is, you fly up onto his shoulder and just run with it

Just sitting there like it’s no one’s business cause it isn’t

If anyone asks why there’s a Robin following, it’s just what’s happening now

He is concerned that you don’t turn into a human again

So he does make sure to ask and this time, it needs a counter spell

Z is the one to do this since Jason isn’t keen on trusting Constantine

Doesn’t take super long to do this since Z is already very powerful

We Stan a powerful helpful queen

So Jason goes to one of her shows and sneaks back stage still in the Red Hood uniform and explains what happens

Z just goes ahead, sets you on the floor, and does the transformation

It was really easy, not to painful, but it was weird to just be laying on the floor and not able to fly

You’ll only miss that part

Jason doesn’t miss any of it and still jokes about the fact that you were a Robin

“Babe at least you didn’t blow up in your time being Robin.”

JASON PETER TODD

Tim Drake:

So you turn into a Robin on a mission with the team

He was on this mission and watched the entire thing go down

The funny part was that you could still talk since the magic was somewhat incomplete

There’s just this small voice “WHAT THE HELL!”

And then Tim knows that it’s definitely you

Tim was going to take you to one of the magic users in the league

but since Diana was right there when you got back, you stormed up flew up to her and just mouthed off

“DIANA LOOK AT ME! THAT ASSHOLE CIRCE TURNED ME INTO A ROBIN! THERE’S NOTHING WRONG WITH ROBIN BUT I DON’T WANT TO BE ROBIN! WATCHA LOOKIN AT BATS! I’M NOT UP FOR ADOPTION!”

Tim just died laughing

Cause it really was funny that you were just a little tiny Robin and mouthing off at the most powerful heroes in the world

Recorded it 100%

When Diana takes you to Themyscira in order to get one of the Amazon’s to help, Tim obviously couldn’t come

So it’s about a three day long trip and during that period, Timmy is a mess

He needs to know what’s happening at all times to ensure that you’re alright

When you do finally get home, he tackles you into a hug and checks you up and down to make sure that there’s nothing still wrong

Very happy when he concludes that there’s nothing wrong anymore and you’re back to the regular Y/N

Damian Wayne:

His first instinct is to not let anyone touch you but him

He takes you everywhere and makes sure that you’re alright

You can’t talk but he’s helped birds before and has dated you for some time so he knows what no to do and what to do

That being said, he does want you back to normal ASAP

That means that he’ll call an emergency league meeting without Bruce’s approval

Although Bruce probably would have done the same thing since he really knows that Damian loves you and would make sure that you’re alright

That’s super important to him and the rest of the family since you are kind of family at this point

Damian insists that the magic users help turn you back very quickly

They call in Constantine since Z is off doing other things and he makes sure that he knows exactly what happens

Constantine has had some bad experiences with magic in the past and he wants to be sure that you’re not going to have anything really bad happen to you

Damian is the same way

Probably threatens John’s life if something goes wrong

Once you’re finally back, Damian also tackles you

Though Constantine has to hold him back at first since the shock of turning back and then having someone tackle you to the ground would be over whelming

But when he finally can, he does

Checks you over just like Tim and then doesn’t let you out of his sight for a week or so

It’s not that he doesn’t trust you, just not anyone else

He makes it a point that you’re too important to lose

Cuddles everywhere

Once he does step back and think about it though, he finds it kind of endearing that there are thousands of other things that you could’ve turned into but it was a Robin

It was sweet but didn’t need to last longer than it had to

Duke and Luke:

I’m putting these guys together since in my mind they’re pretty alike

Luke is the classical version of Duke and Duke is the Lofi/ alternative hip hop version of Luke

For these reasons they both have very similar reactions

And that would be to freak out

they take you to Bruce and get advice cause what is going on

They don’t have as much of a connection with the Robin deal since they weren’t ever technically Robin for Batman

Duke is a bit more of an arguable case but still

They do find it both suspicious and a bit comedic that it was a Robin out of anything else though

I have to say that they’re the most chill out of any of the Batfam when it comes to something like this since this kind of thing just happens a lot

Not turning into Robin, just weird outta pocket experiences

Like this is just another thing to add to the list of oh here we go again

Duke does think that you’re still really a pretty Robin

In the most non- weird way possible you’re just a pretty Robin

Luke doesn’t really pay attention to that and instead wants to get to the bottom of what happened so that it doesn’t happen again

They’re both really smart so they’ll figure it out but at different paces since one is more urgent than the other

Doesn’t mean that either care less though

Once you’re back they do make sure that extra diagnostics are run to make sure that nothing was effected and you’ll be okay long and short term

Once they’re satisfied it’ll all go back to being pretty normal

Sry this took so long, exams are running wild

[collecting-stories]

Paranoid - JJ Maybank

Request: hey I was wondering if I could have an insert where they don't know jj and the reader and dating until they catch them? sry ik it's cheesy haha

Outer Banks Masterlist

❋ ❋ ❋ ❋

“I told John B I was staying at yours, he won’t think anything of it.” JJ insisted when you voiced your concern for him being at your house since the rest of the pogues were on their way to yours.  

“Why would you tell him that?” You asked, stopping midway through pulling on your shirt.  

“He knew about the fight with my dad and wanted to know why I wasn’t staying at his…what was I supposed to say? I was coming here so I said I was coming here.” JJ shrugged.

“Yeah but now he knows you stayed here. In my house.”  

“We’ve all stayed at your house before…you’re acting paranoid.”  

“I’m not acting paranoid JJ!” You snapped. You and JJ had been dating for a few months now and both of you had agreed not to tell the rest of your friends about it. And maybe he was right, the sneaking around did make you feel paranoid, but you didn’t want him saying it. “Everyone has stayed at my house before together! Or it’s been like me, Kiara, and Sarah…not just me and you.”  

“I doubt John B is gonna figure out that we’re macking on each other just cause I spent the night at your house.” He replied, pulling on his boots and lacing them. He’d spent the night on the couch but the moment your dad had left for work that morning he was in your room.  

“Yeah but Kiara might suspect something and then she’ll tell Pope and John B and he’ll tell Sarah and then everyone will know that we broke the no pogue on pogue macking rule! Then what?” You pointed out. Not everyone was as clueless as John B.  

“Then we can make out wherever we want.” He shrugged. “Whenever we want.”

“JJ, this is serious!”  

“I’m being serious! If you don’t want anyone to know we’re dating than we shouldn’t date.” He said, standing up and heading for the front door. He couldn’t help feeling pissed that you cared more about people not finding out than you did about just having a relationship. You were always worried that someone would figure out the two of you were dating and half the time he felt like it took away from actually dating at all. And he was sick of sneaking around.  

“That is not what I said! Don’t twist my words!”

“I’m not! You’re standing here all morning freaking out that someone might find out we’re dating...well if you’re so bothered by the idea then we shouldn’t date.”  

You followed JJ outside, practically running down the stairs after him. “I’m not bothered by the idea! We both agreed-“

“Because you insisted! I never would’ve agreed.” He admitted.  

“What’re you doing?”

“Leaving.” He replied, turning to look back at you as he headed down the driveway toward the road.  

“Everyone’s coming over!”

“Well I don’t really feel like hanging out with everyone!”

“JJ please,” you followed after him down the long driveway, “I didn’t mean it that way.”

“There aren’t too many other ways to take it.” He pointed out. He stopped at the mailbox at the end of the driveway to readjust his cap.  

“Just wait-“

“No.”  

“Where are you going?” You asked, worried that he would go back home to his dad.  

“What’d you care?”  

“That’s not fair! You know I didn’t mean it like that!”

“I’m pretty sure that’s exactly how you meant it!” He snapped.  

“JJ!”

He shook his head, turning and walking down the road. You didn’t know what to do, standing there and watching him walk away. You hated that the two of you had to sneak around too but you didn’t know what else to do. All of your friends were pretty insistent on their made up ‘no pogue on pogue’ macking rule. They’d harp on you for breaking it, with JJ of all people. Kiara constantly remarked on JJ’s supposed commitment phobia and claimed that was why she never hooked up with him when he had a pass at her a few years back.  

It was that alone that had you freaked out. What if he backed out and your friends had to choose? They’d choose him in a heartbeat.  

-

“I can’t believe he’s ghosting…that’s not like him at all.” John B mentioned, checking his phone for the fifth time in so many minutes, waiting for a text back from JJ to tell him where he was.  

“Are things rough at home?” Kiara asked, looking over at you.  

You were sitting on your deck with them, feet hanging over the edge where the railing had broken off and left a gaping hole. “How would I know?”

“He wouldn’t act like this though.” John B reasoned, looking between both of you. Even when things were rough at home JJ was always dependable.  

“Just asking, you guys were the closest out of the group.” Kiara said, ignoring John B’s comment.  

“I haven’t talked to him.”

“No one has.” Pope finally cut in. “Maybe he’ll be there tomorrow? I mean the boneyard is pretty big…he doesn’t have to see us, if that’s the problem.”

“Why would that be the problem?” Kiara asked, confused.  

“I’m just saying.” He shrugged. Pope knew about you and JJ. His best friend had told him, in an excited series of texts, that you and he were dating but that you’d agreed not to tell anyone. Judging by your demeanor now and the lack of JJ, Pope could only assume something happened. “You’re pretty quiet.” He mentioned, placing a hand on your shoulder.  

“What? Sorry.”

“Did he say anything to you last time you saw him?” John B asked, clicking his phone off again. Still no JJ.

“No.”  

-

When two more days without him passed you decided that the only course of action was to be drastic. He wasn’t at John B’s, The Wreck, the HMS Pogue, Pope’s boat, or anywhere else you usually looked on the island. He wasn’t answering texts or phone calls. So you summoned what courage you had and you made your way to the Maybank residence. Luke was on the screened porch when you pulled up, walking up the few rickety stairs to the door and knocking even though you were sure he had to know you were there.  

“Hi, uh, is JJ home?” You called, the screen separating the two of you offering a false sense of security.  

“Who’s asking?” He called back, not looking at you.

“Just a friend.” You replied, not wanting to give Luke any information about yourself,  “I was wondering if he was around, I haven’t seen him lately.”  

“The hell should I know! I can’t keep that kid straight.”  

“Right, well sorry to bother you.”  

“Hey,” He stood up and came over to the door, leaning close to the screen. “You see him, tell him to get his fucking ass home, kid thinks he can just run all over the fucking place and never come home. Owes me rent; the shithead is behind a month.”  

“Maybe if you weren’t such a shitty person he’d come home.” You muttered under your breath as you took a step back.  

“What’d you say?”

“Nothing. No, sorry, I didn’t say anything.”  

“Ya said something.” His hand gripped the doorknob and you shook your head furiously.  

“No.”  

“I heard something.”  

“No.”  

“Must’ve been my imagination then? Right?” He mocked, fully out of the door now.  

“I dunno.” You were halfway to your car, too afraid to turn and run. You’d seen JJ’s bruises; you knew what happened in his house.  

“Cause it sounded like you said it was my fault that son of a bitch isn’t here.”  

“I didn’t say anything.” Your back hit your car door and you practically pried it open, climbing in and starting the engine. It turned over once before it kicked in and you jumped when Luke’s fist pounded against the glass of the window.  

“Tell my son that next time he decides to send one of his little friends around I’ll fucking shoot them the minute they set foot on my property.” He shouted through the glass. “You fucking kids think you can do whatever you want-”  

You hit the gas and tore off before you could hear the end of his sentence. You had run out of places to look for JJ and scared yourself shitless in the process. Your hands were shaking as you drove back to your house, hoping that wherever JJ was he absolutely did not go back home.  

-

Luke Maybank spooking you didn’t deter you trying to get in contact with JJ. You kept texting and calling but he didn’t answer you. He sent a text to Pope, telling him he was fine and just clearing his head which you could only imagine meant he was somewhere, high as a kite. You didn’t expect to see him the day after that text to Pope came through so when he came walking up the gravel driveway to your house you practically ran down the stairs from the porch.  

“JJ!” You didn’t care that he was pissed at you or that you and he had basically broken up last time you spoke, you threw your arms around him the moment you saw him.  

“I’m just here to get my-“ he had started to say when you hugged him, arms around his shoulders. He stumbled a little, wrapping an arm around your waist to hold himself up, “whoa, hey to you too.”  

You pulled away, taking a step back from him and wrapping your arms around yourself protectively. “Sorry I, sorry. I was so worried. Where were you?”  

“Stayed at Miss Lana’s for a couple days.” He shrugged, “it’s no big deal!”

“It is! I was freaking out. I couldn’t find you anywhere I was afraid something happened with your dad. When I went to see him I half expected to find him hiding a body!”  

“Whoa, hey, slow down. You went to my house?” JJ asked, eyes widening in surprise at your confession.  

“Yeah.”

“How many times have I told you never to go to my house without me? And on top of that, never talk to my dad! Ever!” He stressed, freaked that you had gone to his house. He figured that staying away for a little while to clear his head would be a good thing. He couldn’t imagine it turning into anything negative but you had gone to his house to look for him and that terrified him.  

“I was worried about you!”

“I don’t care! What if something happened to you? Oh god, are you okay? Did anything happen to you?”  

“No! No I’m fine. JJ! I’m fine!” You pushed at his hands when he reached out to check that you were unscathed. “I’m okay!”

“You shouldn’t have gone there.”

“I was worried about you. You weren’t answering your phone and no one had seen you.” You replied, trying to make him understand how worried you were when he disconnected.

“Look, I’m sorry okay. I was pissed cause we got in a fight. I know I said I didn’t want anyone to know either but I…I kinda do. I wanna tell people we’re dating. I hate pretending we’re just friends.” JJ confessed, letting out a heavy sigh. “But you shouldn’t have gone to my house!”

“Well then you shouldn’t have left mine without talking to me.” You stressed.  

“Don’t try to turn this around on me.”

“I wasn’t worried about anyone else!”

“I don’t want you getting hurt.” He replied. He didn’t care if you told him you only wanted to be friends or if you did still have feelings for him. All he cared about was the fact that you were okay and that you hadn’t been hurt when you went to his dad’s house.  

“Well, I don’t want to keep fighting about this with you. I’m sorry I seemed like I didn’t want anyone to know we were dating. I just…liked having something that was ours. Once everyone knows then it’ll constantly be them trying to make us feel guilty for going off together.”  

“Screw that, who cares. If I want to ditch everyone else to spend time with you than I will. It’s not like we don’t spend every waking moment with everyone.” He insisted.  

“So you’re not breaking up with me?” You asked, “just to be clear?”

“No. Yes. Whatever...we’re not breaking up. But no going to my house.”  

“I guess we should tell everyone?”

“Hate to break it to you but…we kind of already know.” Kiara’s voice came from behind you and you both looked over to see Kiara, Pope, and John B standing in your driveway. “You guys are shit at pretending.” She admitted.  

-

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[matoitech]

hello u dont have to answer this if u dont want, but ur situation with gender is scarily similar to where im at except im in the mindset that im nb wlw and dont rlly kno whats going on. I guess if u kno how to explain it, I wanted to ask how u made that jump or how u could tell it isnt just a "womanhood is like that" kind of thing and is actually "i am a guy"

oh man i wish i had smth that would make it Click for u easier cuz i def understand being rly confused abt this kinda thing.. i got a few Thoughts, idk if they will help u out but hopefully they give u some more thoughts to chew on that will maybe help anyway. this got so long oh hell sorry gbfhg

i think like the main thing as like a tip b4 we get in2 the Meat of it is it is good to relax and b open to thinking abt bein a guy as a possibility, i dont know if this will make sense bc i do not know how to explain it rly but when i was struggling 2 figure stuff out what i had rly needed 2 know was that being a dif gender can just feel like You (but as u become more comfortable w it, you but happier!) for some reason i thought u had to meet certain criteria to b ‘allowed’ to make what seemed 2 me at the time a Leap but thats not how it works lol. u as u r right now can b a guy if u want to or r considering it. u dont have to feel different and u dont have to think abt ur body a different way or anything. sry if this part doesnt make sense its difficult for me to verbalize lol

it was hard for me personally bc ppl would b like ‘if u Want to b a dif gender than b one’ but like i said in those last posts, for a long time i genuinely did not know i Wanted to be a guy/was a guy, or whatever. i had no conscious longing about it or anything, that came later once i was more comfortable w accepting it. i didnt have ‘i want to be a boy/am a boy’ moments i can rly consciously remember putting into those words as a kid, cuz i just did not care about gender on that level till i was a teenager. like i cannot stress this enough, ur life and feelings abt gender n whatever do not have to match up with what u have commonly heard the trans experience is about. once u figure stuff out and r more comfortable w urself u may look back and notice things that may b like that common trans experience, but remembering this stuff or having these childhood experiences or whatever in the first place is not a ‘requirement’. like i said, no requirements for bein a dif gender

for me like.. knowing it for sure... making the Jump as it were. like its kinda embarrassing but literally the way i Found Out was i was feeling all sorts of things whenever i watched promare and i just felt this INTENSE longing whenever i saw galo that i later realized was just me rly feeling the Gender w him and being envious of that.. it had happened w other chars b4 growing up, but i had never rly noticed to that extent till now. and one night i was thinking my usual ‘i wish i looked like galo i wish i could be a guy’ maybe for the first time in like a Conscious thought, when i had never rly heard it in words b4, and i kinda stopped and was like. what? i WHAT? and then it clicked and it was like a euphoric moment for me. easily top 5 best 2 ams of my life. it is kind of a hyperspecific experience but it is also not UNCOMMON rly lol

also figuring out my sexuality was intertwined in that bc i was iding as a butch nonbinary lesbian and i had tossed the idea of ‘maybe id b more comfortable as a man’ around a bit but the idea of being a straight man didnt feel right 2 me, but luckily i kind of made the connection of wait im a man and im attracted to men at like the exact same time, it had to b both at once for me personally to figure it out and b happy about it. idk if thats smth going thru ur head at all but it was for me and was part of my Journey i guess and may help to think abt it a bit lol

and while yes its absolutely about what makes u more comfortable at the end of the day, i think it wouldve helped for me to hear ppl say that just bc the idea of being a dif gender (in this case Man) might make u feel confused and maybe even uncomfortable rn, that doesnt necessarily mean u r not one if youve been struggling w this and wondering, it might just mean u havent had that clicky moment and r ready to rly think abt it yet. i have grown much more comfortable w myself over time as ive figured this stuff out and i am still open to figuring out more abt myself and i think thats a good place to b at! just b open to stuff like this that u maybe had never thought would have a positive effect on you or make you happier.

speaking from experience i think if ur confused and maybe even miserable telling urself that womanhood is just like that and u gotta suck it up and get used to feeling uncomfortable and bad, u dont have to live like that! im not saying that ‘oh im actually a guy’ is gonna b what everyone who is struggling w thats answer is cuz obviously thats not true- and im not saying how i just described it is even how u feel- but like. as someone who thought that same thing but less consciously. womanhood does not have to be a confusing sad experience, its not an inherently miserable experience, it is possible it just isnt for you and trying smth else might make u feel better. and that can b rly hard to figure out in the moment, cuz ur Used to feeling like this and even if youve heard it can b different it might b hard to have that ‘oh theyre talking to ME, it can be different for ME not just everyone else’ moment lol

also i dont know if this is relevant to u but im saying it in general 2 anyone who needs it i guess; being a man isnt a bad thing and it doesnt make u an inherently bad person, manhood and masculinity r not inherently or naturally toxic or something. thats a harmful mindset to have for multiple reasons and a whole nother post so im not gonna b like and now a word about transphobic red flags but like, worth mentioning that that can b harmful or dangerous to trans ppl, transmascs and transfems.

my god this got rly long... if anyone else has went thru a similar thing and has anything 2 add, feel free to :0 hope i somehow got around to answering ur question w all the rambling! i am just one guy and my experience may or may not b helpful to hear about, especially bc my memory is not the best lol <3 hope it helped at all tho!

[kirishwima]

I'm glad to hear you're having so much fun! I'd like the RFA boys (including V, my fave as well ♡ ) reaction to MC who's super outgoing & fun in the chatroom (cracking jokes with Seven, teasing & complimenting the others, jokingly flirting & fangirling over Elizabeth 3rd) but doesn't show up to the party bc she's like super shy & awkward in person, especially since she's nervous about meeting them for the first time? How would they handle it? Sry this is oddly specific & many thanks ଘ(੭ˊᵕˋ)੭ ❤

awe i really like this idea! id probably be just as shy tbh lmaosince you specified MC’s gender, I’ll write this with a female MC! ^^

ZEN:

* He’s seen MC before the party as she’s visited his home, but he was so shocked to see this cute shy girl on his front door, so unlike the bubbly person he’d got used to in the RFA chatrooms!

* He figured it’s just nervousness because she’s meeting him for the first time and tried to make her as comfortable as possible, reminding her that he’s still the same person as the one she’s talked  to in the messenger, but it does little to ease her nerves-MC’s stiff as a brick, stuttering short responses to Zen’s questions

* Eventually he decides to take a bolder approach-as they’re sitting on the couch sipping tea, he takes a hold of MC’s free hand and interlocks her fingers with him, bringing them up to his heart.

* “Do you feel how fast it’s beating?” he asks, his face a flush of furious red to match his eyes, “you’re the cause of it. I’m just as nervous as you are, and the only reason I can hide it so well is because of my acting skills, so please...don’t be so nervous around me. Let’s make each other feel more comfortable.”

* MC promises she’ll try, and slowly but surely manages to ease up a little around Zen, enough at least to talk normally with him (she will however McFreaking Faint if he so much as hugs her which, let’s be real, is totally valid)

* Talking to Zen has been accomplished, but going to the RFA party, where she’ll have to face dozens of strangers at once...is a completely different matter

* The day of the party, Zen woke up much earlier than she did, getting everything ready for the big day, his nervousness manifesting into an excited energy. 

* MC on the other hand...wasn’t having it. The moment she woke up her stomach churned, her skin pale with terror. She couldn’t do this, it was impossible, she just can’t up and go to this party, she can’t face all these strangers at once she can’t-

* Zen immediatly noticed her anxiety, and tried his best to talk her out of it-assured her he’ll be with her the whole time, and that the rest of the RFA would have her back as well.

* If he saw that MC was still nervous, he’d hold her hand in his, and tell her it’s okay if she doesn’t want to be there, if she wants to take it slow in meeting everyone else, but that if she decided to come, he’d protect her like her knight in shining armor. 

* At the end of the day, the choice is hers, and he’ll support it no matter what

JUMIN:

* The situation is somewhat similar as Zen’s-meeting MC before the party helped her get used to him, and with such big matters like Elizabeth the 3d dissappearing at hand, she had little time to let her shyness sink in-she had to be there for Jumin, and that took the most priority in her mind.

* When all was said and done however, and she’d finally gone back to the apartment to prepare for the party....her legs turned into jello, her stomach twisted uncomfortably in her belly as she realised just what would take place the next day.

* It wasn’t even just the party and the guests, it wasn’t just that she’d be meeting the rest of the RFA-Jumin had invited his father, his father’s girlfriend, all those cameramen....goosebumps appeared on her skin just at the thought of it

* She felt horribly guilty when, on the day of the party, instead of waking up and getting ready, she laid in bed curled into a ball, her breath hitched in her throat.

* Even checking the time became stressful-what was the rest of the RFA doing right now? Would they hate her for ditching them like that? Would Jumin despise her?

* She couldn’t say she wasn’t expecting a call when the hour of the party neared. Jaehee was the first to call, frantic as to why MC wasn’t there yet when she ‘was the star of this event’ according to Jumin. She let MC know just how busy the venue was, something she could judge for herself just by the hustle and bustle she could hear in the backgroung of the call.

* “I’m sorry Jaehee I just-I can’t make it. I’m really not feeling well, I’ll-I’ll send an apology to the guests after the party. Please greet them properly for me.”

* Jaehee couldn’t get another word in before MC hung up, her fingers shaking as she ended the call.

* Moments later she received another phone call, this time from Jumin.

* She expected him to yell, to ask her how she could disappoint him like this, why she’d betray his trust-

* What she didn’t expect was the sound of a moving car as Jumin answered the phone, worry ebbed in his voice.

* “MC? Where are you, what’s wrong? Jaehee said you’re not feeling well, I’ve let her take care of the guests and I’m heading your way. I haven’t managed to contact V yet and ask about the apartment’s location but I’m working on it, do you think you can meet me at the nearest street to the apartment? Do you require medical assistance?”

* He was bombarding her with questions, and she could picture his face perfectly-loosening his tie as his throat felt constricted, a scrunch forming at the bridge of his nose as his lips form a thin line, his tell-tale sign of worry.

* “Jumin I-” she couldn’t lie, not to him. “I can’t-there’s so many people coming, so many cameras, and I know I promised I’ll be right beside you, and I don’t want to betray that trust I just-I can’t do it. I’m not comfortable with this, you saw how I was just with meeting you, what if I make a fool of myself at the party?!”

* Jumin remained silent for a long moment before replying, his voice gentler than she’d ever heard it before.

* “Darling, you could never betray my trust. I love you and believe in you wholeheartedly, and would never want to put you in a position you’re not comforatble with. If you feel that the party will make you nervous, then we simply won’t go. I can deal with Sarah and Glam Choi in a different way. What matters the most to me is you.”

* This boy loves MC, no questions asked. He’ll do whatever will make her happy and comfortable ((even if it makes poor Jaehee suffer orz))

YOOSUNG:

* This boy...has literally gone through hell and back for MC

* And he’d do it 100 times over, because even if he hasn’t met her, he loves her. Not for who he thought she’d be, but for who she is, and for who she helped him become.

*He’s so excited to meet her at the party, he even left the hospital early simply to be there for her...

*....Only MC is no where to be found.

* Immediatly he feels his heart drop. He’s so worried something happened to her, maybe that evil organisation got to her-maybe-

* He wastes no time in calling her, rushing out of the party venue, ready to grab Seven by the collar and get the location of Rika’s apartment out of him if he must so he can find MC.

* When MC answers, he’s shocked by the quietness of her voice, how it sounds like she’s almost trembling as she speaks. He asks her what’s wrong, if he needs his help, and she breaks down, telling him the truth about how nervous and shy she is, how she doesn’t feel like she can come to the RFA party.

* Yoosung...really gets it. He was quite similar to MC until not so long ago!

* “Okay. If you don’t want to come, then you don’t have to”, he says, and MC feels as if he’ll hang up after saying this, probably to never speak to her again, “but I’m coming to you. You’re my pre-girlfriend remember? And-listen, I’m shy too. I’d be shaking like a leaf if I were to talk to a girl on the phone at any other instance! But you changed that. You helped me become a better, braver person, and I’m still changing and evolving, thakns to you. So...let me help you change as well? Please?”

* Who can say no to this boy, srsly

* If MC’s fine with it, he’ll meet her for coffee (Although to be fair she’ll probably have to drag him back to the hospital YOOSUNG IT’S NOT SAFE TO BE OUTSIDE AFTER SUCH A SURGERY i have to break the fourth wall as a med student to say this aA)), and he’ll help her slowly meet the rest of the RFA, one at a time

* ...He’d probably leave Seven for last though lmao

SEVEN:

* I mean, neither of them was going to go to the RFA party anyway lmao

* Let’s, for the sake of this scenario, assume that they’re both attending next year’s RFA party, after the hacker incident!

* Seven’s so excited, he’s picked what suit he’ll wear weeks before the party, happy to be enjoying this with his beloved.

* MC however...doesn’t seem all that thrilled.

* He knows she’s shy-it took her so long to open up to him, he genially thought she hated him at first! She’d barely glance his way, her cheeks burning a fiery red that easily beat his hair colour the first time they’d kissed, and it took a long time for her to simply get used to his presence around her.

*He knew what it’s like to be a different person online, so he’d never judge her for it-besides, he knows both her online persona and the shy girl in front of him are the same person, just how his happy-go-lucky attitude on the messenger is just another side of him too.

* He tried his best to hype her up for the party, told her about all the pranks they could pull on Yoosung and Zen, how he’d hack the speakers to Rick Roll everyone if she wanted him to, and for a while, it seemed like she was a little excited about it to.

* The night before the party however, as Seven brought his suit out to show to MC (or maybe he brought out another cosplay to troll her lol), MC broke down, tears striking her face as she shook her head, saying she can’t she can’t do this, can’t go to a room full of strangers and act happy, she’d be so nervous she’d vomit, what if she makes a full of herself-

* Seven stops her, placing a hand on her shoulder and gripping her gently to snap her out of it.

* “We don’t have to go if you don’t feel comfortable. MC, I never, never want to pressure you into anything, and I’m sorry if I made you feel like you have to go. Listen, we can spend the day just us two, we can meet the rest of the RFA at a later time and explain it to them, we don’t have to go, you hear me? I just...I want you to be happy. That’s that.”

* She shook her head. “No but-you were so excited to go, I don’t want you to miss out because of me I’m-”

* Seven laughs with a roll of his eyes, bringing his hands to wipe the tears off of MC’s face. “Do you hear yourself? I’m not missing out on anything, except the moments when I’m not with you, silly. There’ll be another RFA party time and time again, but if you never want to go to any of them, then I won’t go either. Besides...we can always troll the RFA from the comfort of our home too” he shrugs, a devilish smirk on his lips.

* He’ll definitely try and help MC to slowly come out of her comfort zone, but he realises such a feat takes time, and he’s not about to push her into a situation she won’t feel safe in. He’s happy so long as they’re together, be it at the party, at home, or at the ends of the earth.

V/JIHYUN:

* Again, for the sake of the scenario, we’re talking about a future RFA party, after everything’s been settled. 

* It’s the first RFA party he’d go to in a long time, and he’s just so happy to be there with MC by his side, to make new, wonderful memories with her.

* He has to admit, when he met her he was taken aback by how shy she was-the way she spoke to him via messages, it was nothing alike to the way she stuttered as she greeted him (granted, she did think he was nothing but an AI so *shrug*)

* He was so insanely patient though, approaching her slowly, at her own pace, until she was comfortable enough around him to just be herself. He’d never wanst to upset her, and would honestly wait forever if it’s what she needed.

* So when he noticed her apprehension about the party, he didn’t think much of it-he’d talk to her about it, try to make her as comfortable as possible, tell her that both he and the rest of the RFA would be there for her no matter what.

* It seemed like she agreed, as she smiled and nodded, but that all changed the day of the party.

* V woke up with a smile on his lips, ready to face the day, only when he patted the bed next to him for MC she was no where to be found.

* He frowned, but figured she might’ve woken up before him, the nervousness for the day keeping her up.

* He was more than shocked to find her in the kitchen, tears threatening to spill from her face as she looked down into her cup of coffee.

* He’s there for her in a flash, cupping her face between his hands, kissing her eyelids as he whispers soft affirmations to her.

* “Honey, no, what’s wrong? Please don’t cry, please..”

* It took a while to calm her down, and even then feeling the tremble of her body as she spoke made his heart ache.

* “I’m sorry V, I’m so sorry I-I know you were so excited for the party but I just-I’m not ready for this. I tried, I’m trying to push myself, to be more open and social so I can be the girlfriend you can proudly bring with you to parties and gallery openings and stuff but I’m-I’m not ready” she concluded with a defeated sigh, another sob threatening to escape her lips.

* V kissed her, once, twice, held her in a tight embrace as he rested his chin on the top of her head.

* “Baby, I don’t care about any of that. If you don’t feel comfortable going to the party, then we don’t have to go, and that’s that. I don’t care about galleries or parties or anything of the sort. I care about you.” He leaned back holding MC by the shoulders as he smiled, fondness clear in his eyes. “I care about you. I love you. I do want to help you slowly get out of your comfort zone, if anything then only so you can see how much kindness can exist between strangers, how much more of the world you can experience when you put anxiety aside, but I never never want to pressure you into anything.”

* He means it. This boy just wants his girlfriend to be happy, parties be damned.

* He’s absoloutely content to spend the day cuddling MC and watching old movies; he trusts the rest of the RFA and knows the party will be just as successful even without the two of them there.

* He will do his best to slowly help MC with her shyness, and maybe, eventually-they’ll proudly stand side by side at a future RFA party.

Sorry this was sort of long lol, hope you like it!

~Send me scenarios/headcanons for mystic messenger character(s) to react to!~

[ais-n]

1 | more like apologise for how harmful it was? how the mlm relationships were so clearly hetero? the sex scenes were so straight to me tbh. and i say this as someone who has read the books twice. first time i didn't see what i saw the second time. i think you genuinely wanted to have people of colour representation but it's very racist to me how hsin and emilio were done. constantly called "exotic" which is a thing americans like to use so much when it's not their ethnicity.

Hi! Thanks for the detailed explanation, I appreciate it! At first I had such HIGH HOPES I could reply to all three of your asks in one place but it turns out I talked too much (go figure lol) So I’m going to do then one at a time. I did want to start out replying to one offhand comment in the 3rd ask and then I’ll get into the rest. Below is what I had written before I realized I need to split it into three and then edited out saying I’m answering all at once. For anyone who hasn’t seen all three asks yet, that’s why part of what I’m talking about isn’t represented above - anon, hopefully it makes more sense to you since you know the future right now from what you had written in the past. ....wow, I made that confusing.

++++++

Thank you for the explanation! I appreciate you too! Also you made me laugh out loud at the gay comment, so thank you for that XD You are not making me feel worse; I appreciate the courage you no doubt had to pull together to post this :) I could be wrong but if I imagine myself in your place, I imagine feeling a little scared or intimidated to post and yet feeling it is necessary. I think it’s really cool you were able to post this in such a thoughtful explanation. Thank you!

In order to not overwhelm anyone’s inbox - and to make it easier for you - I put these all together in one ask. [[[EDIT: JUST KIDDING I talk too much - this is answering stuff from each ask at a time, sorry. I put it behind a cut to make it less long on people’s dashboards.]]] 

Still, I imagine with so much I want to talk about at once, I will probably miss things so let me know if I miss something you really wanted to talk about or you wanted follow up on something in particular.

Anyway READ MORE BELOW for a probably stupidly long reply lol Just, knowing me at least….

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Hi welcome to the below deck party! I don’t know why I said it that way. That was creepy sorry lol Anyway I’m breaking this up a little bit but the more I think about it the more I think this probably really can’t address everything properly in one place. So, again, seriously just let me know if you want follow up on anything - or if anyone does, for that matter. I’m not doing this quite in order though.

RACE: 

Yeah actually, I agree that “exotic” is pretty ??? terminology to be using tbh. I don’t imagine I would use that wording if I were writing something today and if we were to edit the series now, I’d remove it. I don’t remember the context, to be honest; whether it was only used in narration or if it was used in dialogue too. Dialogue might stay, if it’s to show a person speaks a certain way and has certain views on life, but I’d personally probably change that in narration unless it had a specific reason for being there. Which my very vague memories combined with your comment make me think probably not?

In regards to Hsin/Emilio plus even terminology like ‘exotic’ or whatever being used - so, upfront, I need you to know this whole post is not an excuse or etc. It’s just an explanation. 

I didn’t write Hsin or Emilio, so I honestly can’t speak for or about them. I would like to be able to give you some insight into “Sonny’s” background and his friends and family he said he was inspired by in writing them, or give you insight into Alicia’s background (as she is a person of color, at least I was always told she is), but I truly don’t even know what was a lie and what was truth anymore. He always told me his characters like Hsin and Emilio were based pretty directly on people he knew - well, Emilio in particular was hugely based on a cousin of his. But that cousin didn’t exist, it turns out, or at least not in the way I knew. We wrote our own characters and were in charge of their own stories, although we also co-wrote the series as a whole and had input on the plot and etc. But I never really dealt directly with Emilio or Hsin in the writing of them other than how my characters interacted with “his” characters.

I can’t speak on behalf of anyone so I honestly can’t say if Emilio and/or Hsin are concerning or not concerning portraitures of any demographic. I really feel that such a determination has to be up to each reader. I say that in part because I’ve heard over the years that people actually appreciated the way they were written, for various reasons, and some of the people saying that were from demographics that the characters represented. But that also doesn’t mean it has to be something across the board; that because one person feels a certain way, everyone else whether in or out of that demographic has to agree. Quite the opposite, really.

I wish I could even say something like “I know Sonny did a lot of research on xyz specific topic because we talked about abc in regards to it” but I can’t. I know we had those conversations but I don’t know if anything I was told is true. What I can say is the series was written basically 15 years ago. Or rather, started around 15 years ago, then written on/off over multiple years. And we started it essentially in the same vein as BL fanfic, just sort of as a fun thing to do on our off time without any initial plan to ever publicly share it. The good thing about humans and culture is we change as we grow, and there are many things we can continue to gain understanding of as we go. 

One of the really good things about the last 15 years is it’s become more and more accessible to learn about the world and its people. When we started ICoS, for example, Google streetview wasn’t a thing. In order to try to be accurate about something like the streets of a particular city, we either had to totally make shit up and say the war changed everything in that town or I had to try to track down a paper map of it and hope nothing had changed significantly since then. 

Slowly over the years, the globalization of information expanded. Over time, all the little details I didn’t know to even question became things I could find easily. Like, do they say W Something St or Something St W? Is it Avenue Blah or Blah Avenue? Do they even use terminology like avenue or streets? Do they commonly have alleyways everywhere or anywhere and if so how big are they? What are the roads made of? What is the lighting like? Are there basements? 

I grew up in Midwest USA on the tail end of tornado alley where a basement is an absolute must. Imagine my absolute confusion when I learned there are houses out there where they DON’T go underground. Like, at all. wtf??? From my, at that time obviously limited, experience, the only people I personally knew who didn’t have some sort of underground space were apartment dwellers or my friend who lived in the mobile home park. It was such a staple understanding in my life to assume everyone had a basement in their home that I had no idea to even question the existence of such a thing when trying to write another location within the US, let alone anywhere else in the world. And at a certain point when we were writing it, I didn’t even know to ask certain questions, or if I did I didn’t have an easy way of finding it.

If you were to read the very, very original version of Evenfall and compare it to what’s most recently released, for example, there are many differences. One example of something you might notice is the streets are totally different in Monterrey. That’s because we had to make up streets the first time around because I could not find any maps for the city. I tried but they just weren’t accessible for whatever reason; not in the detail I needed and where I could find them, or probably afford. We had to just be like “Welp, guess the war changed it all, sry!” to explain the random names and structure. But as the years passed, information spread to a minute level across the world slowly but surely. First, Google eventually had the layout of the city streets, then it had satellite imagery, then it had Google streetview, then it had people randomly uploading photos to locations, and so on. Eventually, there was enough information from big to small to feel relatively sure we could at least somewhat accurately represent the geography - not perfectly, absolutely not because we’d never been there - but an approximation that hopefully wouldn’t be too jarring for someone actually able to visit, themselves.

You may wonder why the hell I’m talking about streets in Mexico when your comment was on Hsin’s and Emilio’s characterizations, but I mention it because I look at a lot of things in writing with that same level of paranoia of wanting all the details possible to write it to try to be as accurate to at least someone’s reality as possible. That’s one reason why I haven’t written Domino, for example, which focuses on Vivienne’s life; it probably seems like it should be easy to do, and in ways it is. But I don’t feel nearly educated enough on how it would be to grow up in France in a rural then urban area with the sort of pressures she had as a young woman and with her different levels of wealth and the way she looked and etc etc to be fair to anyone who may find representation within that and to not accidentally jar them totally out of the experience by the equivalent of randomly throwing a basement in the middle of Texas because who the fuck knew Texans don’t automatically have basements in all their homes?? 

Really, with anything, there is always room for improvement - especially with anything as complex as any aspect of any demographic which inherently then serves as some form of representation for a huge variety of human beings. Humans, being complex beings themselves, will thus have an even larger variety in the way any topic can be seen. What is severely off-putting to one person might be acceptable to another. Sometimes society steps in and is like nah bro, idgaf if you’re cool with that, I’m not. And sometimes it remains so complex that it’s hard to give one exact answer.

What we tried to do was listen to feedback as we wrote and take it into account in the writing of the series itself. Also, especially later in the series, whenever possible we tried to do research as much as possible on whatever detail or topic we had going on to try to be as accurate as possible.

I’m truly not trying to skirt any sort of issue, I just don’t think I can properly say a singular reply to your concern without being unfair to different voices I’ve heard on this topic over the years. If I had never heard directly or indirectly from people that they specifically appreciate the representation of the characters, if in fact I had only ever heard concerns about them, it would be easier to say we were wrong. But I’m not part of any of the demographics so I can’t speak on behalf of any of them. Thus, I can only listen to what different people tell me, and know that regardless of what I’m told, for them that is truth and thus I respect it.

What I will say is it certainly was not the intention to upset, insult, alienate, or otherwise cause concern for anyone reading the series for anything other than the actual things intended to be fucked up like the things the characters went through and so on. I’m very sorry that the characterization is so upsetting and concerning for you. That really sucks; it takes away from the point of the story and puts you in a place that is deeply uncomfortable. I’m very sorry we put you in that position.

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RELATIONSHIPS

Actually, I’d love to hear more what you mean by your comment. I have certain inferences I make based on what I think you mean but I don’t want to misinterpret and misrepresent your concerns.

The way I interpret “how the mlm relationships were so clearly hetero? the sex scenes were so straight to me tbh.” is maybe related to the idea of dominance vs submission? Like making an equivalence of that to masculine = dominant = power/strength = top = Hsin, and feminine = submissive = weakness = bottom = Boyd? Is that what you’re suggesting or did you mean something else? I have a lot of thoughts on this subject but, again, I don’t want to ramble on a tangent if I am totally misunderstanding what you meant. Especially since I rambled so much above.

So if you’d like to explore the topic more and would like thoughts/answers/etc just let me know in another anon ask more specifically what you mean, if you can. Thank you :)

I’ll go onto ask 2 for now - I forgot exactly what came up in that ask vs the 3rd ask so I’m not sure how long it will take me to type up a reply. Just in case I don’t finish it today, I wanted to sign this off in the meantime with I hope you’re staying healthy and safe!

[idk-my-aesthetic]

Trapped- lena fic

When Lena was, well not small, as she’d been in a non-aging body most of her existence, but rather new, Magica had cared for her. 

Magica had acted like a real guardian, comforting Lena after failed attempts to escape the shadow realm, and telling her stories of Magica’s own adventures. 

Magica had even said she wanted them to get a home once they were free, and to be a family. Lena had believed her. 

But misinformed people do seem to think the cat toying with its meal is cute, don't they? 

-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-

“I don’t understand.” The nameless shadow said, but she had no voice, and no mouth to speak with. It was like she had thought so loud anyone could have heard her. Perhaps everyone did. 

The figure’s, her creator’s, beak twisted, into a smile that she will learn is too bright, too sweet, too kind, and hid things she will wish she had run from right in this moment. 

But now she was small and innocent, only in control of her thoughts for mere minutes, and believed it when the figure said: 

“I’m your Aunt Magica, dear. And you and me are going to do great things together.”

-=-=-=-=-=-=--=-=-=

hey!! this is a wip fic im eventually gonna put on ao3 but i want it all to be one chap so ig were putting the first one here lol. sry if the formatting is bad i rarly post fics to tumblr and i think it got rid of all my bold and italics :( (i put back what i could tho) anyway please please read kjdsklakldfj

TW for child abuse!!!!

She gained consciousness all at once, overwhelmed by everything surrounding her. All of a sudden she could hear, and see, and feel, and it was awful. She wanted to cry, to scream.

It was the first time she had ever wanted anything. 

She had never existed before, never been anything more than a shadow. It felt wrong, like nature itself was rejecting her creation. 

And it hurt. Everything was too bright, too loud, too much. She felt like her body was on fire, pain smothering her from everywhere. Her body was melting, she realized, tearing her gaze from the near frozen battle before her to her own figure. Her form was dissolving, dripping from a vaguely duckling like shape to an amorphous blob, the glow of magic thrumming in her center. 

She looked back to the fight, the birds moving as if swimming in jello, everything slowed. She watched as a figure was sucked towards a coin, anger written on the figure’s face. Something inside her pinged, and she knew. That was her creator. 

She felt some obligation to help, but when she tried to she found she couldn't move, not even twitch the blurry mess of shadows that made up her fingers. What could she have done anyway? She may be sentient, but she was still a shadow, and a deteriorating one at that. 

She watched, caught in a horrified trance as her creator was trapped. It seemed like hours to her, watching the woman be slowly sucked into the dime, but was probably only seconds to them. Her creator never looked at her, never acknowledged that she was brought into existence. 

When the woman had finally disappeared, the shadow realized all her energy was gone. Did she even have any to begin with? She started to fade, confused and scared even as it happened, and sank into the shadow realm. 

~

-=+=-

~

“Would you wake up.” A voice asked, sharp and cold. It was phrased like a question, but was so much more than just a command. It was imbued with magic so strong she couldn't have resisted if she tried. 

(No matter how hard she tried.) 

She had no eyes to open, but sight came to her suddenly. There was a figure standing before her, one she could vaguely recognise, despite the glowing red eyes and inky body. She realized she had a consciousness, her consciousness. It wasn’t like when she first gained a mind, going from nothing to everything. It was like she’d had  thoughts of her own since her creation, but lost them when she dissolved, and only regained them at her creator’s command.  

“I don’t understand.” The nameless shadow said, but she had no voice, and no mouth to speak with. It was like she had thought so loud anyone could have heard her. Perhaps everyone did. 

The figure’s, her creator’s, beak twisted, into a smile that she will learn is too bright, too sweet, too kind, and hid things she will wish she had run from right in this moment. 

But now she was small and innocent, only in control of her thoughts for mere minutes, and believed it when the figure said: 

“I’m your Aunt Magica, dear. And you and me are going to do great things together.” 

-=+=-

Aunt Magica told her things, weaved her stories of the overworld, a place she said they both belong. Magica told her the story of a wretched man who trapped them here, and of his jealousy of Magica’s power. Magica said she created her, and that they were going to find their way back to the overworld together, and that they’d be a family. 

“What do you mean, a family?” She asked, her newly created beak malformed from lack of practice. 

“Well, we would live in a nice little house, just the two of us. And we would cook meals there and go out on adventures. Maybe I’d even teach you some magic.” Magica had said, her voice pitched higher than normal, more controlled and precise, not that the shadow could tell. Magica’s grin sharpened, turning to her. “Would you like that?” 

The shadow nodded, smiling earnestly. Or, as ernastly as she could, with her half formed figure. 

“Then finish making yourself a body, alright.” Magica said, patting her on the head. “It’s only the first step in breaking us free.”

The shadow nodded, determined to make her aunt proud. 

~

-=+=-

~

“Lena.”

“Hmp?” Magica blinked at her. 

“I figured I needed a name, so I’d like you to call me Lena.” The shadow smiled shyly, tugging at her fingers. She was getting better at holding a form everyday, and she was slowly constructing a distinct body for herself, something she would always transform into rather than the random and different shapes she took each day. Once she had a stable and practiced form, they'd try to break out to the overworld. 

Magica barked out a laugh, quickly smothering herself. Lena took a step back, her face morphing into an expression of shocked hurt and confusion. 

“Oh it’s not you, something else.” Magica said, cooly covering her outburst. 

“O-oh. I just-, nevermind.” Lena looked to the side, her eyebrows knit together and beak pressed tightly shut. She wasn't trying to upset you. It wasn't even about you, you’re being ridiculous. She cares about you. Just ignore it. 

“Alright then, Lena.” Magica cooed, patting the shadow’s head, once again the picture perfect aunt. Lena nodded, forcing a smile on her face. 

~

-=+=-

~

Lena fought with everything inside her, trying to crawl her way to the light. The shadow realm pulled back on her, wrapping itself around her in an almost comforting embrace. 

She wanted to give into it. The light of the overworld burned, made her sob pure magic and heave phantom breaths of air she didn’t need.  

She’d tried dozens of times before, tried to break her way out of the shadow realm. But every time she was sent back. 

The light of the surface was too strong, it burnt her away, melting her back into nothing, until her only option was to retreat back to the little place she carved out for herself and let her consciousness be lost to the realm.

She would stay like that, something like what one may have called asleep, until the amulet that made her core generated enough magic to pull her consciousness back again.  

But. She was almost there, almost out, inches from freedom. I’m gonna make it. She told herself, repeating it like a prayer. As if she could simply believe it into existence. 

And yet, it was still too far. Her magic was running low, and it gave out before she could make it out. She faded back into the shadow realm, fated to try again. 

-=+=-

Lena gained conscious blearily, disoriented. She knew this feeling, the amulet restoring her after she had dissolved and become another mindless part of the shadow realm. It was like being born for the first time all over again, no less painful, no matter how many times she experienced it. Her simulated senses picked up everything perfectly, but she forgot how to handle it, how to manage even the diluted sounds, shapes, and smells in the shadow realm. 

“What the hell was that?” Magica asked, easily able to tell when the shadow ‘awoke’, her low and threatening tone making Lena cringe. Magica stood above the forming shadow, crossed arms outlined by painfully saturated red, an image Lena was unfortunately getting used to. 

“I ran out of magic.” Lena looked away, guilt pooling in her core. Swirls of yellow joined the normal pink of her magic core, showing through Lena’s shaky and translucent shape, her form not yet fully recovered. 

“I ran out of magic,” Magica mocked, her voice turning high and nasally. “We both know that's impossible. You’re not trying, that's where the problem is.” Her tone was harsh, cold and cutting. 

“I’m trying as hard as I can, I promise I am.” Lena whispered. Magica ignored her completely, ranting over her. 

“You cannot do this Lena! It took us ages to gather that much magic, who knows what century it will even be by the time we make it out of here! Do you even want to leave?” 

“Of course I do!” Lena cried out. 

“Do not talk over me.” Magica hissed, leaning in closer. “I have done everything for you, and this is how you repay me? I created you from nothing. I generate the magic that keeps you alive, reform you each time you disappear, I’ve taught you everything you know, and you can’t even pull yourself together enough to at least try to escape the shadow realm?” 

“I am trying.” Lena’s voice cracked.

“You say that every time, and yet here we are.” Magica glared at her while Lena floundered, beak opening and closing with no words coming out, not knowing what to say. 

She finally forced herself to speak. “I promise, I’ll try harder, I-” Magica held a finger up, and Lena immediately fell silent, her voice caught in her chest. 

“I don’t want excuses. If you just want to stay here, then fine. I don’t need you.” Lena’s eyes widened, her core burning in her chest, like a flaming hand was grasping at it. 

“I-I don’t want to stay! I want to leave with you, a-and be a family.” Lena replied desperately, terrified of Magica abandoning her. Not just because she would lose all her protection from the other shadows of the realm, but because Magica was the only thing she ever had. 

Lena loved her aunt like a mother, why did Magica think she wanted to stay here? Didn’t she understand how Lena felt about her? 

Didn’t Magica feel the same for her? 

“Okay.” Magica said, her voice neutral. 

Lena nodded shakily, curling up and pulling her knees to her chest, not looking at her aunt. Instead she studied her wispy fingers watching as the shadow knitted itself back into place. Magica studied her from where she stood, the two existing in a silence that dragged on for minutes. 

“You know I only push you because I care.” Magica said, breaking the silence. She didn’t phrase it as a question. 

“Yeah. I’m sorry.” Lena whispered. Magica nodded, moving away to study one of the books she’d stolen from a shade. (Shades were different from other shadows in the realm, impression of animals in the overworld that had passed. Often times they were too nice, and were easily taken advantage of. They often brought items with them from the overworld, some of the few physical things in the shadow realm.) 

Lena curled tighter in on herself. She knew Magica cared, it just… didn’t feel like that sometimes. Especially after a fight. Especially when she didn’t apologize. She never apologizes, a bitter voice reminded her, but she pushed it away. 

She wiped liquid magic off her face, not wanting Magica to see it leaking through her eyes. 

Aunt Magica loved her. They were going to get out together, and everything would be okay. They’d be a family. 

~

-=+=-

~

Almost there. So close-

Let go of me-

It burns it burns make it stop- 

A booming snap sounded, and then light overcame her world.

-=+=-

Lena heaved breaths of air, air holy shit. 

She made it, she was alive. She had a real body. 

She grinned, laughing and falling onto her back. She was in the middle of a field, the light of the overworld for once not burning her away. 

“I can’t believe it…” She mumbled, staring at the night sky. It almost reminded her of the shadow realm, unending darkness contrasted by miniscule points of light. But it was different. The darkness wasn’t all one pure black, it was broken by swirling clouds in different silvers. And the feeling of the grass on her back helped keep her grounded in the real world, not the muted darkness of the shadow realm. 

She threw an arm over her face. Even the dim light of the stars and moon was harsh on her eyes, and she was exhausted. There was a reason it had taken so many tries to escape the shadow realm. 

She didn’t want to sleep, scared she’d awaken back in the little den she and Magica had claimed. It would be just her luck that as soon as she got to the overworld her consciousness would be whisked back, too weak to stay in its unprotected state. But, she had not had a physical form long, and wasn’t yet used to it. She drifted off to the sound of crickets chirping in the distance, and soft grass touching her face. 

Lena laid there for three days, caught in a dreamless sleep. Well, magic-over-exertion-coma was probably a more accurate way to put it, but the prospect of being able to sleep made her giddy. 

When she finally awoke the sun was rising, painting the sky soft pinks and oranges. She grinned at it, smiling so hard she felt her face would split open. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. 

All the colors in the shadow realm were harsh, true black offset by bright colors so saturated they seemed to glow. It was the only color to be found in the whole dimension, used to define the shape of structures and bodies of creatures. 

But the soft pastels of the sunset were so different from the little color she was used too. It was warm and inviting, and when she pushed herself up to look at the other colors around her, mint green grass and pale blue flowers, she felt the same warmth bubbling in her chest. 

Lena shuffled her knees under her, still weak and wobbly in her new, unfamiliar, mortal body. She crawled over to a cluster of wild flowers, picking a few and rubbing the petals between her fingers. It was almost difficult to tell how they felt, the feathers not letting her have direct contact, but it was like she could still touch them, their velvety softness still registering to her. 

“Weird.” She breathed a giddy laugh. She started picking more flowers, piling  them in the simple dress Magica had instructed her to form for herself. 

“I see you’re finally awake.” A bitter voice called out, making her jump. 

“Aunt Magica…?” She looked around her, unable to see her aunt.

“Behind you.” Magica hissed. Lena looked over her shoulder, seeing the stretched out form of her aunt. She realized she had been facing directly into the sun, making her aunt appear behind her. She twisted herself around smiling nervously. Shame coiled in her stomach, guilty for upsetting the aunt who had done so much for her. 

“Isn’t it great? We’re finally on the surface.” 

Magica rolled her eyes, arms crossed. “No it isn’t great. Nothing is going to be great until we’ve stolen the dime from Scrooge, taken our revenge, and have my body back. And yet you’re sitting here, playing with flowers like a simpleton.” 

“Sorry.” Lena mumbled, ducking her head and fisting the flowers in her lap. She willed away the burning in her eyes. This is my fault. I shouldn't have gotten so sidetracked. 

“Well, what are you waiting for? Get up and start walking.” 

Lena nodded jerkely, taking a deep breath. She shoved the flowers in the pockets of her dress, not yet wanting to let them go. 

Ignoring Magica’s eyeroll and muttered comments, Lena slowly stood, struggling to balance herself. She clutched the sides of her dress, taking a few small steps. 

“Excellent.” Magica cooed. Lena brightened for a split second, then wilted, realizing Magica was mocking her. She ignored Magica’s smirk at her mistake, pulling a flower from her pocket to wrap around her finger. 

“Which way do I go?” She asked, voice small. 

Magica tutted at her. “I was getting to that. Show me the amulet first, I need to be sure you didn’t ruin the one thing vital to both of our existences.” 

Lena fumbled to pull the transmuted amulet out from under the front of her dress. The chain was thick, but the jewel itself was miniscule. Her heart sank. It wasn't supposed to be that small. 

“I, uh… it-” She stuttered, face flaming. 

“Don’t look at me like that, it’ll grow back to its correct size.” Magica waved her off, annoyed. “You’re body is made entirely of magic, once you eat something you can start generating more to replenish the amulet.” Lena’s breath hitched, her chest filling with ice. 

Magica started extending herself off towards the nearest city, expecting Lena to follow. When she was halted, not able to move any farther from the motionless girl, she narrowed her eyes, yelling back at the shadow child. 

“What in Hades name are you doing just standing around?” Lena mumbled something in response, too quiet for Magica to hear. The sorceress huffed, constricting back so the core of her body was once again near her “niece”.

“What?” 

“Am I not real?” The girl asked, hugging herself. She felt real, and she had always thought as soon as they escaped the shadow realm she’d be a whole person. The idea that she still wasn’t real, even after ages of pain and exhaustion spent trying to escape, was crushing. 

Magica dragged a hand down her face in obvious annoyance. Lena felt like she’d been punched in the gut. She should have just shut up, asked at a better time or something. 

“Functionally you have a mortal, physical body, which works almost the same as anyone else’s, except its made of magic energy, not matter. The only real difference is that you can’t age, and you can use your body to generate more magic energy. That work for you?” 

Lena took a shaky breath, then nodded, wiping at her face. 

“Is… is t-there a way to get me a fully mortal body?” She looked at the ground, as far from Magica’s face as she could. 

Magica responded after a moment, her voice easily mistaken as kind and gentle. “Of course dear, we just need to get my body back.”

Lena nodded, and began walking. 

-=+=-

It took Lena a few hours to reach the city. Magica had pointed her in the direction of the nearest road, and then disappeared back to the shadow realm, trying to ration their limited magic.

But Lena was glad for the solitude. Her and Magica where almost always together in the shadow realm, cramped in their small domain. At least she had a chance to be alone for a bit. 

She marveled at the things around her, collecting random rocks and leaves, sticking them in her pockets, and then examining them one at a time as she walked. Magica had educated her about the overworld as much as possible when they were generating magic between escape attempts, but hearing about it and seeing it for real were incredibly different. 

But even as she experienced all these great new things, something weighed her down. Her thoughts turned back to her aunt, and what was going to happen next. 

She’d always thought the second they got to the surface everything would become perfect. Magica was more aggressive recently, losing her temper easier and having less of a filter. Lena knew it was just the stress of lost time, but she’d thought once they got to the surface Magica would be relieved, instead her aunt had yelled at her for passing out.

She felt sick. Its my fault she’s so stressed out all the time anyway. What right do I have to be upset? Aunt Magica’s right, I should have tried harder… 

~

-=+=-

~

Having a mortal body was odd. The first time Lena felt hungry she thought she was dying, which Magica had laughed at so hard she accidentally sent herself back to the shadow realm. 

When she came back, Magica showed Lena where to get herself something to eat. Lena had bought a sandwich with the small amount of money she had taken from Magica’s safe. When they first arrived in the overworld they were at the place where the final battle had taken place, unfortunately a few hours walk from Magica’s money depository, and a several day bus ride from Duckburg. 

The sandwich was literally the best thing Lena had ever experienced. She’d never eaten food before, but goddamn, mortals sure took it for granted. 

She spent the next few days on the bus, a trip barely covered by the small amount of money her aunt had stashed. Magica assured Lena that when they got to Duckburg they could just take the money out of her bank account, which, uhh, didn’t end well. 

Apparently showing up looking like you’ve never showered in your life and claiming you were the relative of someone who had been missing for four and a half years didn’t incline the bank to give you money. Go figure. 

So. Lena was left in a big city with the physical body and mind of a thirteen year old, with no way to get food. Great. 

“What are we gonna do now?” Lena asked her aunt, curled outside the Duckburg bank. 

“Nothing.” Lena’s eyebrows scrunched. 

“Don’t I need food though? This is kinda a problem, isn't it?” 

“Obviously, but since someone couldn't convince the bank teller, there’s nothing we can do.” Magica said, uncaring.

Repressed anger flared in Lena’s chest.

“How is this my fault?” For once, there was literally nothing she could have done to make a different outcome. Trying harder wouldn't change anything when you were forcibly removed by someone three feet taller and four times wider than you. 

“Do not talk back to me.” Magica hissed, eyes flashing dangerously. 

Lena turned away, eyes stinging with angry tears. She tried to ignore the anger and resentment simmering in her stomach. The pool of negative emotion seemed to be growing with each day, breeding guilt that only brought more anger towards herself rather than her aunt. 

It just wasn't fair. Nothing is fair. Magica’s voice rang from her mind. That doesn't mean it's not frustrating as shit. 

The woman hadn't even apologized, just instructed Lena to eat tree bark. (Which technically sounds a lot worse than it is. She could ingest non digestible biomatter and turn it into magic energy that could keep her alive. Painfully hungry 24/7, but alive.) 

She cares about you. She’s tough because she cares. 

The words sounded hollow, ringing in Lena’s mind like a choir of too loud bells. 

[keishid]

17. the one where your soulmate’s name is on one wrist and your enemy’s name is on the other and you have no clue which is which. (Yasukat, because I am a BASTARD and I wanna see Kat have a minor crisis about there being even the vaguest possibility that her soulmate is Jericho fucking Swain)

(AO3 mirror)

extensive headcanons used sry

feel free to interrogate about them XD

Katarina can’t read the markings on her left wrist. They’re sharp and angular, squared off in places, so much more complicated than the simple Common script on her off-hand; she used to think, when she was still figuring letters out in the first place, that it was just particularly complex or maybe a specialized alphabet and she’d get it later but—

But it’s just not in Common in the first place.

It’s easy to assume which is which, then. There’s a name in Common—not noticeably Noxian or Demacian or anything in particular, but there’s no reason it shouldn’t be Noxian. It seems a little short for a Noxian name—an actual family name, not the Nox indicative of a guttersnipe, but only one middle name attached. There’s no reason for her not to have her share of enemies in her homeland as well as outside it, but when she knows for a fact that one of the souls linked to hers is from somewhere else… the odds feel pretty decent that the foreigner is probably her enemy.

死蓮.

Apart from that single section, Hiroto can’t read either one of his linked names. They aren’t any alphabet that he learns, isn’t from any one of the isles; he’s never personally met a mainlander before, so he can’t exactly ask them what his wrists say. (They probably wouldn’t even bother learning Ionian, even if it is the island closest to the mainland.)

Yone says he’s heard that most of the mainland speaks one language most of the time, which frankly feels like bullshit considering the size of the place, but it’s not like Yone can read it either. He can speak some Common—they both can, just in case, especially since it looks like the isles can’t just avoid contact with the mainland for much longer—but reading it isn’t a priority. And just running around showing everybody the names in the hope that someday, someone will be able to tell him what they say—

It would be pretty weird. It’s private, anyway.

He’d at least like to know why this person, whoever they are, has a single Ionian name in amongst this… frankly ridiculous mix of other ones. Or why it’s so godsdamned… pretentiously grim. It sounds like one of the Kindred’s priests, but they only have the one name in the first place. Not six , assuming he’s understanding the spacing right. And it can’t be that all mainlanders have names that unwieldy; his other wrist only has four sets of characters, and all of them are much shorter.

(What the hell kind of mainlander names their child death lotus? Or, worse still, what the hell kind of mainlander gets weirdly obsessed enough with Ionia to name themselves like that?)

Half the reason Katarina leaps into her Ionian studies as hard as she does, when her father finally tells her about the overseas part of her curriculum, is in the hopes that she’ll finally at least have a name to put to the lines on her skin. She has a person to put to the other name now, at least: a soldier who shouldn’t reasonably be alive, put in a minor command just by dint of outliving everyone else who could have qualified. A cripple (although Katarina knows better than to assume that means much of anything, or he would have died before making it into the army at all), a strategist, with a six-eyed raven as a familiar. Some sort of witch, and almost as old as her father.

(No one ever said that a soulmate had to be romantic. Many of them aren’t. It’s childish of Katarina to be disappointed, but she is.)

Reading the language is far more difficult than speaking it, and even if keeping one’s full name a secret is a habit that only Noxians needed to cultivate, it feels wrong to unwrap her wrist and show her teacher the marks. Or even to copy them down somewhere else and ask that way. (Her handwriting is terrible, anyway, even with the simplest characters.) She learns it in bits and pieces, months apart; and she doesn’t get the full context until she’s already on Ionian soil, living with the Kinkou.

Yasuo. No middle name, she’s expecting at this point (Ionia, as it turns out, does have its own problems with local spirits and elementals; they just don’t seem overly bothered with using a name for power—not so much less malicious as just following a different set of rules). No surname… is odd, but enough of the Kinkou forego them that it’s not out of place here. It gets under her skin, rubs her the wrong way. It can’t be safe, your entire identity stripped down to three syllables that anyone can know. Katarina— Shiren, she still has to remind herself; she’s Shiren as long as she’s here—still doesn’t like the idea that her full name is seared into a birthmark on someone else’s body. (Possibly even more than one, depending on how many enemies she makes in her life, how much reason she gives them to hate her.) She can’t imagine…

She can’t imagine having no such protection at all.

He goes to the sword school at ten; he gets renamed at twelve, the moment that his skills start to surpass where the masters think his ego ought to be. (He can deal with their censure; the fact that Yone agrees, the fact that his very identity gets rewritten, that he has to relearn how to respond to something that isn’t even his real name—)

It’s fine. It will be fine, eventually.

He meets her at seventeen.

If Shiren comes with a warning, it’s not one that he hears. The masters don’t seem surprised to see her, but Yasuo isn’t convinced they’d even show it if they were, so for all he knows she just… shows up to be taught. More, because can’t be that much younger than him, and he’s never seen a brand new student show up that old.

They don’t actually meet for the first couple of days; the masters are keeping them both busy, and if she shares the same curiosity about him that he has about her (she’s a mainlander and she’s here, so maybe—), she doesn’t seem interested in going out of her way to pursue it. She does show up for dinner, but getting near her without being obvious about it is… a challenge.

She doesn’t look like much when he finally manages to get close enough to look. She’s smaller than him both in height and in build—a swimmer’s build, or a dancer’s (or a ninja’s, but he hopes not). Her accent is off, but she’s still understandable, and she’s at least doing a hell of a lot better than he was expecting from a mainlander. She has an angular face, like a fox given human form. Her eyes are shockingly green; her hair is black, but her eyebrows are a deep red, her eyelashes amber. It’s not a color that feels like it should exist on a human being, but…

“If you dyed your hair to trick people into thinking you’re Ionian,” Yasuo says, food halfway to his mouth, “I have some bad news for you.”

Shiren looks up at him, startled. For a (tense) second, she doesn’t react; but whatever she was waiting on or looking for, she must find it, because then she just looks back down and snickers. “I don’t want to stand out from a distance,” she says. “That’s all.” She pauses. It’s not clear whether she almost says more and then thinks better of it, or whether she’s just having difficulty figuring out what else to say in the first place. “I’m Shiren,” she offers finally.

He knows. He knows, but his heart still twitches in something that might be terror when she says it. His skin itches under the hem of his sleeve. “Yasuo,” he says.

She looks up again, sharper this time. Her eyes—her eyes are so green, but also narrowed just slightly, as if…

As if she’s asking herself the same questions he is. Gods, he wishes he could see the insides of her wrists, but they’re wrapped in interlaced fabric from the heels of her hands to somewhere inside her sleeves. (Maybe it’s a mainland thing. Yasuo’s never met anyone who particularly put the names on display, but maybe they’re stricter about it where she’s from.)

“Yeah?” she says, in a voice that’s trying just a little too hard to sound neutral. His heart strongly reconsiders having a predictable beat. “Just Yasuo?”

He swallows. “Just Yasuo,” he says.

Her eyes flicker to his hands. “I might have to ask you about that,” she says, so quietly he barely hears her over the general conversation. “Later.”

Later. Right.

Later is harder to figure out than she expects. The swordsmen push her… well, about as much as the Kinkou did when she first came to them. This school is smaller than the Temple, but she somehow still manages not to be alone with Yasuo for a couple of solid days, despite her best efforts.

She eventually at least gets the opportunity to spar with him—which is frankly terrifying, since she still doesn’t know what he is to her. The sun is high, the wind smells slightly of flowers (she’s still not used to those; the wild plants that can survive in Noxian soil don’t tend to produce flowers worth looking at, let alone safe to put to one’s face), and Yasuo—

He’s beautiful. That’s safe to admit, no matter how this ends up going, what he ends up being. There’s a tension that leaves his shoulders the moment he steps outside, as if there’s something inside him that unfurls and blooms only when he can see the sky. He turns to her, mouth pulling into a challenging smile even as he bows from the other side of the makeshift arena. If she’d spent any less time here than she had, she might have forgotten to return the gesture.

He draws his practice blade and strikes in a single movement, dashing forward faster than seems possible for a normal human—but there’s no magic in the air, only excitement, the leap in her chest as she just barely ducks out of the way. He deflects her return blow, twists back out of reach; faces her again, now that they’ve tested each other a little.

“You’re quick,” he says. His voice feels like a caress, settling between her lungs and warming her blood.

Focus. “I hope so,” she answers, circling, mirroring him. “I’ve been staying with the Kinkou for the last few years.”

Yasuo pulls a face. “Should have known,” he says, but he’s smiling before he finishes speaking. “I’m surprised you haven’t started throwing things yet.”

Throwing things, shunpo-ing behind him, is almost impossible to resist—it’s what she’s been doing, it’s what the ninjas taught her. But that’s also exactly why she’s ended up here.

“I have to learn how to fight fair eventually,” Shiren says. She grins, lashing out at his sword arm. “Besides, I’ll probably be disqualified if I try, right?”

She expects him to leap back or just block her strike, but he dashes forward instead, closing the distance before she can react. His hand closes around the wrist of her off-hand, pulls her in too close for their weapons to be of any use.

“I have a few things I’m not allowed to do either,” Yasuo says. He’s not so close that she can feel his breath on her neck, but her skin prickles anyway. “I might show you later so we can have a real fight.”

Shiren stays tensed, fully prepared for them to get right back to sparring, but she does lean ever so slightly into him. Her eyes flick down to his wrist, the curves of letters she can’t quite see at this angle. Yasuo’s fingers dip underneath her sleeve, catching on the cover over her wrist.

Oh. Right.

“If you’re looking for your name, you’re holding the wrong one,” Shiren says quietly.

She can just barely hear Yasuo take a breath. Behind them, a teacher clears his throat, and they jerk back apart as if burned.

Her footsteps on the tatami don’t make a sound. Yasuo doesn’t even realize someone else has come into the room until she wakes him up with a hand on his shoulder.

He blinks up at her, bleary and confused, but she puts a finger to his mouth before he can say anything. She points to the cracked-open door leading outside, gets up to her feet, and offers him a hand up.

He’s at least half certain he’s dreaming, or that she’s an apparition, but her hand feels solid when he takes it. She’s still silent as a cat as she makes her way to the door and through it, but she takes a slow and audible breath when they’re safely out in the open air. She looks real enough, stretching briefly in the pre-dawn light.

“So,” Yasuo says, biting back a yawn. Either Shiren’s been up for a while or she just wakes up more quickly than any reasonable human would. He’s trying not to resent her for it.

(Maybe she is his nemesis after all.)

Shiren shakes herself, glancing back at him. “So,” she agrees. For a moment, she looks like she’s going to actually say something, but then she closes her mouth and starts fidgeting with her sleeve.

Or not her sleeve. She undoes some sort of knot he can’t see and starts unwinding her not-quite-glove from her wrist.

Yasuo takes a step closer, remembering to breathe. “You keep those on when you sleep?” he asks.

Shiren glances up at him, twisting the strip of fabric around her fingers. “It's—” She scrunches her nose in thought. “It’s for safety,” she settles on, finally. “We have—I don’t know your word for it. They’re not human.”

“Vastaya?” Yasuo guesses.

“No,” Shiren says, shaking her head. “Some vastaya don’t want to kill you. These are just…” She shrugs helplessly. “And even outside of the fae—” and that’s definitely not an Ionian word but he’s not sure how to ask— “names have power where I’m from, more than they do here. We can’t risk people knowing the whole thing like this.”

Yasuo thinks, abruptly, of how much space her name takes up on his skin. “That why yours is so long?”

Shiren bites back a smile. “No one knows the whole thing but my father and I,” she says. “And you.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” he says, looking out towards the woods just to diffuse the inevitable awkwardness of the next few seconds. “I can’t read most of it.” Yasuo clears his throat. “But I can’t read any of the other one, so if you wouldn’t mind helping me with it…”

She snorts a laugh. “Maybe,” she says, balling up the last of the wrist-wrap in her hand. “Come here.”

It’s… maybe it’s akin to anxiety, the tension buzzing underneath her skin. Maybe Yasuo can understand some of it, because he’s meeting her in the same way she’s meeting him, but there’s no way he can grasp exactly how—how intimate this is for her. For any Noxian.

(He can’t read her name. She doesn’t have to tell it to him.

But she wants to.)

Yasuo takes a few steps closer, just brushing the edge of her personal space. She doesn’t know what to do with her hands at first, whether she should look at her name or show him his, but he finally just reaches out himself. She can feel every callus on his fingers catching on the skin of her forearm as he raises it.

They both know what he’ll see when she turns her uncovered wrist over. She can hear his breath catch anyway, just slightly. Shiren can tell just from the length of the script that her name isn’t on his left wrist, but when she pulls his right closer—

She’s never actually seen her name written down, not in its entirety. It feels wrong, inherently alien; she almost wants to hide it since he doesn’t seem to have any interest in it, but—

“Katarina,” she says, brushing her fingertip over the first segment; and then she continues, each name in turn, while he watches her trace the letters on his skin.

“I’m never going to remember all of that,” he says. She doesn’t have to look up to tell that he’s smiling.

Shiren—Katarina—laughs under her breath. “I’m not leaving for a while,” she says, meeting his eyes. “We have time.”

Yasuo’s mouth twitches up a little. “Katarina,” he says, like even her given name is a secret. His fingers trail down to hers. It’s impossible to tell if he tangles them or if she does. “I don’t… think we’re enemies.”

She doesn’t want to be. He’s—he’s too godsdamned nice to look at for him to be her nemesis. “I don’t think so either,” she says.

She can feel her heartbeat in her throat when he kisses her.

[frcnciscos-blog]

hi i’m jen ( pst + she/her ) n that’s all i have to say abt myself sdfkljsdf, i’m excited to write with everyone though, o i watched like 2 seasons of the 100 or like 3 up until the robot hologram lady but idr anything :( o and i never watched the show matt’s in either sry yalls :( 

❝ ——･✧ ( matthew daddario ) may the ark provide you a good life ( francisco nolan ) !  you are now at the age of ( twenty-six ), and identify as a ( cismale ). around the ark you are known as the ( noceur ), and you’re a ( jocular ) citizen even if you’re sometimes ( reticent ) !  with your contribution to the ( agro ) station as ( a cultivator ) we’re going to make this place a better home for us, and our future generations. ( jen, she/her, pst )

noceur – one who sleeps late or not at all

honestly the most simple definition right but i cbf to look for a masterlist

cultivator / curator – maybe i should’ve called him a botanist or a farmer idk but he’s an expert on plants and growing them in space! makes sure all the species are thriving and all that. spends a lot of time talking to the crops bc not many are awake in the dead of night! 

jocular – fond of or characterized by joking; humorous or playful.

reticent – not revealing one's thoughts or feelings readily.

so francis/frankie/chico/whatever the fuck are nicknames for francisco idk ;(

anyway he’s basically this v lighthearted guy, kind of makes you feel like you know him and all because he’ll joke w/ you a lot n be nice, long-winded talks about things, sounds like he’s sharing but it’s never rly anything... about himself... he just doesn’t lemme figure out why bc i’m jst um. doing this as i go : )

okay his other half <3 got floated for doing the thing raven and finn did with the oxygen n lost some oxygen except she was older so floated.... maybe 5 yrs ago? 21 is a good age. he never talks about it. ever. although he does think about her every single day.

this is a dedicated self help book: i think that maybe, he’s just trying to build as nice of a life as he can for himself and has been for the past 5 yrs. he’s nice, people r nice, life is okay, but it just. will never be the same. also i imagine the ark is a pretty desolate place to be! planet earth nuked, all of humanity on this one spaceship ( as far as they know ), limited oxygen supply, rationing, etc. etc. so he puts on his happy face and sometimes it works, sometimes he’s sad and talks to the plants in private :’(

o ya isn’t it so funny that his mobile theme rly looks like the author’s about on a book cover 

o his parents got saved 2 the ark or something idk how this works but ig they were scientists n normal upbringing i guess they brought him 2 the plant nursery a lot

he doesn’t really think of himself as exceptionally smart or anything special, funnier/more handsome/etc than anyone else like obv he’s aware oh yes these are good traits that i possess but not ... over anyone yknow, like he just does what he’s supposed to do/what’s right.

o his birthday was.... YESTERDAY! whenever that was. 8/8 and he thinks it’s weird tht he was born on earth! but all he remembers is the spaceship :( anyway he’s freshly 26

o a hc: he rly good at drawing plants and flowers bc his <3 was like . how tf are u gonna be a botanist but not even be able 2 draw. so he practiced n practiced n it was part of how they even got 2gether aw. like hs sweeties. but if u ask him 2 draw a person it’s gonna look fugly as hell

idek if they’re allowed 2 draw or if that takes up resources :( o well that makes the whole notion more romantic 

o since i see some nationality things... n idk wtf matt d is he some types of different whites... imma just make him a canadian LDFSSDF

idk what else 2 say basically summary: he is nice n humble n maybe funny idk no emo broodiness no sign of sad :( he’s jus Chill

possible connections (crossed off = taken):

someone that was maybe his other half <3 ‘s best friend (yes ‘<3′ is apart of their name) n so they sometimes jst talk about their feelings n stuff together n maybe they weren’t close or maybe even disliked each other before everything OR maybe they still don’t like each other, but rly they’re the only other one that knows how the other feels/who they’re missing yknow ok let’s make them NOT like each other thanks!!!!

o okay ‘it isn’t the same but it isn’t love’ ok maybe they dating and it’s pleasant and all but rly it’s a charade n maybe they keep hanging on bc IT WORKS but it’s just. not passionate, it’s not love, so maybe they gotta break up. ‘it’s a waste of time’ OPPOSITE OF WILL THEY WON’T THEY as in will they won’t they BREAK UP

o wouldn’t it be so cool for francisco 2 be like. this happy mentor buddy thing 2 someone cuz i noticed some of yalls characters r emo as shit right, but then one night they discover he’s a FAKE... sort of ? n that disrupts. stuff yeah ha

o maybe someone who gets themselves into shit n he always goes n gets them before they get into trouble n he’s just Tired. of doing that right but he keeps doing it bc he’s been doing this for forever n idk big blow up xD? responsible old man matt d activate!

on the other hand, someone he trusts n knows is also responsible enough so that he can chill out too? weeds n alcohols lmao, maybe theyre best friends forever and i mean like, forever, maybe they were neighbors growing up on the ark 

lemme put some simple ones in here 2 bc im down n we can develop ya? o wow there aren’t many i’m sorry . but yall got wc too so we’re good ! !! 

friends

new

childhood - cut off or just long lasting

neighbors

coworkers

crushes/romantique interests but he dating someone so that’s risqué :O – maybe we do this on chemistry pls thanks idk <3 

[danisnotofire]

hey im rly sorry to bother u again but ive been rly weirdly nervous abt like? having time to be alone in college and being able to hang out in my room without talking to ppl like ik thats kinda weird but i keep thinking that college is just gonna be me having to talk to ppl all the time and partying (and im...rly not into partying) and i like,rly love my time alone just hanging out ((im rly sry i keep asking you questions you give rly rly good advice and i dont rly know who else to ask))

you’re not a bother!!!

you will definitely have time to be alone in college. like, you’re going to be busier than you’ve probably ever been, but you’re still going to have time to wrap yourself under blankets and just. ignore the world. i feel you so hard on the whole ‘loving time alone just hanging out’ things, that was p much all i did this summer. you can find that in college too. it’s harder, but you can. 

i’m gonna put the rest of this under a readmore bc it ended up being longer than i expected haha 

the hard part for me was actually internalizing that it’s okay to take a nap or do nothing every once in a while. just because everybody always seems to be doing something all the time holy shit doesn’t this person sleep doesn’t mean you have to do that too (i guarantee, they’re probably taking naps and thinking the same thing about you). 

yes, you’re going to be spending MORE time around people than you probably do at home (esp if you have a roommate. having roommates is hard, just constantly having to be in the presence of another person is hard) but it’s doable. and you’re not talking to each other 1000% of the time you will learn the art of the comfortable silence. you will also mostly get used to it (i say mostly, because at the end of the day you’re still gonna miss showering without shoes and having your own bathroom that you can lock, no matter how great you’re feeling)

orientation will probably be hard, but if you’ve had it already then ur probs okay on that end (idk what school you’re going to, but orientation for bucknell was 5 straight days from 7am to 10pm/midnight. it was kind of hell).

the thing about college is that what happens is mostly up to you. if you want to seal yourself away, you can go to ur room and take a nap. or find a classroom or study room to go hang out/do work in by yourself. i know a lot of people who will just go to the music building and get a practice room to do music to calm themselves down or when they need to be alone for awhile. you can go to the silent areas of your library. you can sit alone in a cafe booth with your earbuds in. you’ll figure out your roommate’s schedule and you’ll know exactly when you can be in the room while they’re out. it takes time to figure all these things out, but it happens.

but i wanna really really warn u: don’t spend so much time alone in the beginning!! it’s so much better to push yourself in the first few weeks and establish some friends when nobody has friends, as opposed to hiding away immediately and then realizing halfway through the semester that you don’t have anybody to talk to. pushing myself that much in the beginning of the year was probably the hardest thing i’ve ever had to do, but it pays off so much more in the end. 

it can be emotionally draining, but hopefully you’ll find yourself surrounded by people who you love enough that it’s okay that you’re with them so often (aka, me with the people in my house, and why i haven’t written anything in so long and been kinda m.i.a. lol). i know everybody says this, but really really push yourself to sign up for things and commit to them!! go to events!! attend club meetings even if you dont have any friends to go with you (you will find friends there!! i was so afraid of all the upperclassman when i was a freshman to the point where i couldn’t talk to any of them, but now that i’m an upperclassman, we really just want to make you feel as welcome and loved and at home as we possibly can). try new things (ik u said ur not a party person, but i would suggest going to one or two if you can, just to try them out! they’re definitely not for everyone, but if you go with the right people they can be really fun. i wasn’t a party person in high school either, but i enjoy going out in college). even if you don’t like going out, you can grab food with people or go to concerts on campus or play games in your room. remember (not sure if this makes sense, but it was something that took me awhile to learn): you have just as much ability to ask people to hang with you as they do to ask you to hang with them. you are to them what they are to you. (does that make any sense?? i hope it does c:) 

but yeah i hope this helped!! please please lmk if there’s anything else u wanna talk about

[ourlittlebitofnothinguniverse]

Revenge time, you gotta do all of them too.

lmao ayyy ur finally off anon for smth!

jokes on u i love answering things like this it’s not revenge it’s a treat

hERE WE GO

1: What is your name and does it mean anything? my name is Rachel and it means ewe in hebrew and was the favored wife of jacob

2: How long have you known your best friend? like? two and a half years idk when did we meet

3: What position do you normally sleep in? any that i find comfortable altho probably most common is on my stomach surrounded by a nest of pillows ayy

4: Were you a part of any “clique” in high school? um my school is kinda too small for that but ig u could say i was (and am until the third) part of the “weird kids”

5: Who was your favorite teacher in high school and why? aaaa mr scott bc he was just So Rad holy fuck he took us to portland for a weekend and let me lay on the floor in class and overall was hella

6: Do you wish to travel a lot? ehh??? like i have no money to even go to the store now gotta be realistic abt this shit. i suppose ideally tho ig i’d love to explore if i knew i had a home to come back to i need me roots i am a tree

7: Did you participate in any sports while in school? hELL NO

8: Show a sample of your handwriting: 

9: Have you ever given blood? yeah and it made me sick for three whole days, never again sry ppl

10: Do you like the way that you grew up? hPFHDSAFKL; nope

11: Do you like your siblings? Why or why not? hadhsf;lks;dfa again nopE they were all abusive

12: How did you meet your best friend and why did you become friends? u sat @ my table and told me damien was scary and we became friends bc u liked to read and same

13: Name one movie that made you cry. fuCKING WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS. GETS ME EVERY TIME

14: Do you prefer to read poetry, write poetry, or neither? both! lov me some poetry mm good shit lov that word crompch

15: Things about someone that you find attractive? when somebody has a passion and they talk abt it or try to share it w/ u like i might not be interested but it’s 100% guaranteed that i will still lov that u have smth u care abt a lot *unless it’s murder tbh

16: What song are you currently listening to? the silence of my soul idk i was watching mark play prey

17: Have you ever broken a bone? If so, how? nope i am made of solid wood no bones to break

18: A random memory from you childhood: when it would rain i would go play in the concrete ditch beside our apartment complex

19: Where did you grow up? Arkansas. mostly camden but when i was a bby child we lived in stephens for a couple years (until i was like? abt to be in second grade)

20: What was the last thing you watched on tv? i don’t watch television like a normal Human i binge netflix and the last thing i watched was a show called Father Brown which had the guy who played arthur weasley and he was a priest who solved murders it was p good i liked it

21: Do you think you’d make a good parent? i’d b that vodka aunt tbh (but like replace vodka w/ choc milk or apple juice or smth no alcohol will touch these pURE lips)

22: Would you like to meet any of your Tumblr friends in person? i mean sure if i trusted them but i don’t know any tumblr ppl all that well so

22: What was the last dream you remember having? we went to a vacation house and when i checked tumblr a guy i hated and had blocked had found me again and sent me dick pics and other nudes thru the message system and got mad when i didn’t respond bc i lost my phone but my only response was to be like wTF DUDE STOP??? and then we left and i woke up but he was so pissed and i was just like how did u find me wtf

23: When is your birthday? oct 23

24: How many pillows do you sleep with? So Many

25: Do you wear glasses? If so, how long have you been wearing glasses? I WEAR THE DREADED FACE LENSES and i have since like sixth grade (altho i probably needed them for longer i just kept somehow passing the school eye exams bc by the time they caught it i was having such bad migraines i had to hide under the desks @ school bc the light was too much and i couldn’t see SHIT)

26: What color is your hair? shit colored

27: Name 5 facts about your appearance: round, friend shaped, DREADED FACE LENS, about a 1, Squishy

28: What is your favorite soda? cherry cream or cherry sprite

29: What is a strange talent that you have? i can completely forget conversations i just had lmao jk that’s not a talent that’s mental illness! hm i can somehow telepathically sense certain songs when somebody else is thinking abt them

30: How’s the weather right now? LOVELY but still kinda cold

31: Why did one of your friendships end? nobody likes me and i’m gonna die aloneidk man ppl just stop being my friend they get bored of me or smth

32: Who do you miss right now? a lot of ppl

33: Why did your last relationship end? i am a single pringle who has never been in a relationship other than platonic friendship unless u count our broship bc we are totally still getting married in holy matribrony

34: Are you still figuring out who you are? isn’t everyone?

35: Have you ever been admitted to a hospital? Why? no but i came close when they thought i had like? gallstones (i think it was gallstones anyways it was smth like that) when i was eleven bc they were gonna do surgery but it was rly just stress presenting in a weird physically painful way

36: What is your favorite restaurant? what are restaurants? i have never heard of such a thing do u think i, a poor people, have seen such a sight? a myth, no more

37: What is word that you always seem to spell wrong? All of them i cannot read

38: Would ever adopt kids? i mean i adopted my cat does that count?

39: What is your favorite kind of pizza? DISCOURSE FLAVORED jk pineapple ham pizza is bomb but i also just like str8 up pepperoni

40: What was your first thought when you woke up this morning? “god i dont wanna do this” this referring to school but then my second thought was “aa my son is so cute” bc he snuffled my face when he saw i was awake

41: When was the last time you got really really happy and why? whenever i look @ archie bc he is my son my lov nd one of the only things keeping me from going insane in this hellhole called home

42: What’s the strangest thing you’ve ever eaten? germ-x

43: How do you start a conversation? i dont

44: What’s a band you’ve been obsessed with lately? idk? i don’t rly pay attention to that but ig i rly like mother mother lately

45: Do you come from a family “of money?” lMAO I WISH

46: Do you have a bucket list? sort of but not really? like my kinda bucket list involves: adopting and keeping three cats, two dogs, a ferret and a bunny, having my own library room in a house i own, and having enough money that i can actually own a house of a reasonable size like u kno all things that i will never be able to accomplish exactly like a bucket list is for but Not

47: What is your favorite series of books? so many

48: When was the last time you laughed so hard your stomach hurt? when i saw that lord of the rings thing i just reblogged

49: Where do you go when you’re sad? my brain?

50: 5 random facts about yourself: I lov the aesthetic of traditional art but i suck @ it i played clarinet for 5 years and i was rly disappointed when the band director made it so that i no longer felt comfortable in the band and quiti have a need to say hello to every crow i see

i love what’s in the ocean but i hate looking at the ocean and beaches

i chew my nails when i’m stressed and i hate it but i Can’t Stop

[undeadpsycho13]

a cup of coffee to warm my icy heart

AHHHHHH GUYS LOOK IM SO SO SO SORRRRRRYYYYYY I SWEAR I HAD THIS FINISHED LAST FRIDAY I JUST FORGOT IM SORRRRYYYYY

i know this chapter is one week overdue, and i hope u guys can forgive me.  i swear i had it done ages ago, just forgot to post it. also, its more than twice the length of the first chapter, if that makes up for anything.

thank you to @puzzle-of-life-reason-for-death​ for the reminder, this chapter is for you!! :D

btw, some chinese swear words are involved, and the translations are at the bottom. if u dont like them, rlly sorry, i just thought it might be fun, cause you know, both baits and an speak chinese canon, and so do i, so why not?

tell me if u dont like it, i wont include them in the next chapter

otherwise, enjoy~~ ^_~

CHAPTER 2: JUST A TINY PART OF ME (FELL IN LOVE WITH YOU)

The second time was not so much of an accident, but oh well, not-accidents happen all the time, don’t they?

The annoying door ringing speaker thing once again announced Baitsakhan’s appearance at Endgame.  A very pissed Baitsakhan.  A very pissed Baitsakhan who had not had coffee in the last three days and was currently dying of lack of caffeine in his bloodstream.  Red Bull was a poor substitute; he needed freaking coffee.  The darker, the better.  The scene from last week flashed back in his face, and Baitsakhan cringed a little on the inside.  He was not willing to make a fool of himself again.

He had surprised both his sister and An by staying away from coffee for four days, and then couldn’t help but get some coffee from The Starbucks.  At least he had figured out the barista’s name.  Hilal Ibn Isa Al-Salt.  He was awful proud of his memory; who on earth had long-ass names like that?  For once, he was appreciative of his unique, surname-less name.

But the Al-Salt guy’s infuriating niceness had gotten the better of him, and he had once again scared Baitsakhan away with a honey-bee-pesticide-banning petition.  Who cares whether bees died?  Screw them.

The absence of a sufficient amount of caffeine, however, was not his only problem.  The Phone Guy (as baitsakhan had deemed him) had texted him back, albeit the dire-sounding warning, with a outrageous reply of, omg so sry got the wrong # D: rlly rlly sry :(.  And then, of all the emojis he could have typed, he chose the freaking <3.

Needless to say, Baitsakhan was pissed.  No one, no one the whole damn world, was allowed to send him a heart emoji (save Sarangerel and An’s incredibly sweet girlfriend Chiyoko, but that as different), and yet this complete stranger had taken it upon himself (or herself, he added as an afterthought) to send him one.  This was an outrage.  He would not dignify this text with an answer, he thought to himself.

So, naturally, he just had to go to that nice coffee shop to calm himself down.  Just had to.  And it had nothing to do with wanting to the hot barista.  Absolutely nothing.

Seating himself at the table closest to the window, he took out his phone, absent-mindedly scrolling through his playlist.  

An indefinite amount of time passes.  

And then, out of the blue, a hand suddenly tapped him shoulder, and, startled, he whipped around, teeth bared, hands out in front of him in an offensive position, ready to gouge the offenders eyeballs out ––

The cute barista (Maccabee, his mind supplied) is, apparently, said offender.

Great, there’s another person who thinks he’s a psychopathic weirdo (not that he isn’t, but still).

But instead of freaking out at his overreaction, the guy laughs.  Who even does that after a near-death experience? (Okay, maybe he’s exaggerating, but there’s no denying this guy was weird.)

“Chill dude, just here to take your order.”

Met with Baitsakhan’s blank look, the guy raises a perfectly arched eyebrow.

“Look, I love having you here, but if you don’t order something, like, right now, I’m going to have to kick you out, ’cause I just got this job and I really don’t want to lose it.  You know, you’ve been sitting here for like half an hour doing nothing.”

Holy hell, he’s been wasting thirty minutes doing nothing?!  Scrambling up (in a very dignified way, of course), he says, in a voice he hopes is impassive,

“Sure, I’ll have an espresso or something, like that thing you made last time.  If you don’t remember, I’ll just have the thing with the most caffeine.”

Maccabee (again, this is all his brain’s doing, there is no way Baitsakhan would consciously remember people’s names, even super hot guys) laughs at that, shaking his head.

“Of course I remember, who would be able to forget the order of the cutest guy we’ve had here since I started working?”

The blond is nice to enough not show any visible reaction to the way Baitsakhan’s face burns a deep red color at his comment, and instead smiles a bit lopsidedly and turns to go.  Suddenly he pauses, turns back to face the noirette, and before Baitsakhan can do anything the older teen quickly winks, so fast it was almost missed, and continues on towards the counter.

For the next five minutes, until Maccabee comes back with his drink, Baitsakhan just sits there, eyes wide, mouth gaping like a fish, shell-shocked.  Even then all he can do is close his mouth and nod his head politely.

A buzz from his phone catches his attention, finally rousing him from his stupor.  For a moment, he thinks that it’s the Phone Guy again, but when he see’s "Asian Hacker Lovebird”, he smiles to himself and swipes the screen sideways to reply.  Though he would never admit it, An crashing into his life nine years ago really made his life better a thousand-fold.  He remembered first arriving in North America, a bitter, parent-less seven year-old, small for his age but savage and aggressive, despite the language barrier.  Oh, he learned English in his due time, but back then, really all he could say were a few basic swear words that immediately earned him half a dozen enemies.  The one person he gravitated towards was a kid in the year above him, a Chinese boy who was all glares and rule-breaking and rebellious behaviour.  Looking at his slim frame and lanky form, people would be led to falsely believe that An was all bark and no bite.  

They couldn’t be more wrong.  

Professional in at least ten different types of martial arts and an expert at (illegal) poisons and (illegal) hacking, An was definitely a formidable opponent.  Baitsakhan’s type of guy.  They were the perfect pair, both cold and haughty at school and in public.  No one needed to know they played video games together well into the night and had weird movie marathons on a regular basis and smiled until their face’s hurt and laughed until they couldn’t breathe.

He was a good friend, cynical, with a dry sense of humor.

Right now, however, not so much.

asian hacker lovebird: where r u????

asian hacker lovebird: baits

asian hacker lovebird: answer me child

asian hacker lovebird: ANSWER ME CHILD

im-not-smol: Piss off.

asian hacker lovebird: THE CHILD IS HERE

im-not-smol: Don’t call me a child.

asian hacker lovebird: i repeat where r u

im-not-smol: A cafe.

asian hacker lovebird: specify

im-not-smol: Endgame Cafe.

asian hacker lovebird: U MEAN!!!

asian hacker lovebird: LIKE DA 1 W/ DA HOT BARISTA U RANT ABT 24/7??!!!!

asian hacker lovebird: OMG STAY RIGHT THERE DONT MOVE IMMA JOIN U

im-not-smol: Don’t you dare.

im-not-smol: 傻逼

asian hacker lovebird: oh no u did NOT just call me that

asian hacker lovebird: now i need 2 come 2 beat u up

asian hacker lovebird: it is a MUST

asian hacker lovebird: see ya in 2 min

im-not-smol: 王八蛋

asian hacker lovebird: SHUT UP JUST SHUT UP IMMA COME OVER RN 2 BEAT UP UR STUPID ASS

im-not-smol: You can try. ;)

asian hacker lovebird: challenge accepted ur goin DOWN boi

im-not-smol: We’ll see about that.

asian hacker lovebird: ur “impecable grammar” rlly pisses me off

asian hacker lovebird: *imppecable

asian hacker lovebird: ugh

asian hacker lovebird: smthn watevr i kant spel

im-not-smol: It’s not my fault you turned autocorrect off.

asian hacker lovebird: when will u eva learn 2 txt like a normal person???

asian hacker lovebird: 好落后

asian hacker lovebird: just sayin

im-not-smol: Shut up.

asian hacker lovebird: look up

Baitsakhan raised his head, only to be met with the sight of a very distorted face right next to his head.  And of course he didn’t scream Jesus Christ and shriek like a little girl, what are you talking about?

The weird twisted face outside morphed into a wicked grin and the doorbell rang once again as another customer entered, tears of mirth still apparent in his eyes.  This new comer looked quite out of the ordinary, tall and dressed in nothing but black and silver, a face that was all harsh angles and sharp corners and pale skin.  A contrasting red teardrop tattoo stood out, leaking out of his right eye, and his strange hair style earned him quite a few looks from the other customers.

“You’re so stupid.”

“Shut up, you will speak of this to no one, understand?”

Most people would quake with fear at the aggressive tone, but An just rolls his eyes,

“Normal people don’t speak like ancient three-hundred year-old vampires, Baits.”

He drops down on the chair opposing Baitsakhan’s, leaning back and crossing his legs, stretching them out in front of him, a picture of complete ease.

“So, where’s the hot shot?” An says in a mock-whisper tone.  Baitsakhan glares at him before subtly motioning towards the counter, where Maccabee is leaning against it, his phone one hand and a cup of coffee in the other.  For a moment, An just stares, a small smirk on his face (not that the smirk ever disappears), whistling appreciatively.  And then, out of the blue, he shouts, so loud that he attracts probably the attention of everyone else in the mile radius,

“Hey there, aren’t employees not supposed to serve themselves?”

Startled, Maccabee looks up.  He sees An’s triumphant expression and Baitsakhan’s kill-me-now-please-just-shoot-me-and-save-me-from-the-torture one, and kind of gathers what happened.  A lazy smile slips onto his face.  He walks over, leisurely, still holding the half-finished drink.

“You’re right.  But… ”  He pauses for effect, and in that short amount of time An actually gets around to rolling his eyes again.  The boy really gets a lot of practice.

“I’m off duty.  Ais over there took over for me.”

He gestures at a red-headed girl who has somehow managed to escape their notice until then.  For a moment, a strange look flits across Baitsakhan’s face, but as quickly as it got materialises, it disappears.

An shrugs.

“Oh.  Good for you.”  He says awkwardly.

There’s an uncomfortable silence, like the type when someone ought to say something but nobody does, before Baitsakhan finally interjects,

“Thanks for the coffee, but I think my friend and I should get going.” Here he pointedly glares at An, who stares innocently at the ceiling.  

“How much is it again?”

Maccabee shrugs,

“Don’t worry about it, as long as you come again, it’s on the house.”

He winks suggestively.

Baitsakhan, of course, agrees.  After all, who could say no to a free cup of coffee, right?  And obviously, obviously it had no correlation to the fact that he actually wanted to come back to ogle the baristas.  Duh, no.

When he first visited the coffee shop, Baitsakhan never imagined he would meet someone like this who flirted blatantly and paid for his drinks.  When he first exited the coffee shop, he never thought he would come back again.  When he came back the second time, he never thought that this place would impact his previously non-existent love life.

Only when they are outside the door, Baitsakhan for the second time, An the first, and An is laughing at his lovestruck (Baitsakhan would deny this) expression that Baitsakhan realises that maybe, maybe a tiny part of him has fallen in love with Maccabee.

(Just a tiny part.)

CHAPTER INDEX (for your convenience)

1 | 2

so. how’d you guys like it?

here are the translations:

傻逼 = dumbass/idiot

王八蛋 = its like f    er (sry, i rlly dont like swearing in english in writing, i feel like ppl will track me down and yell at me)

好落后 = so behind (as in trends, like in the context of not caught up on the latest trends)

hope that cleared things up a bit, if not feel free to send me a quick message, and i’ll explain to you in detail.

anyways, any suggestions for the next chapter?? (i really need to change the texting usernames, any suggestions for the individual characters?? eventually all of the players are gonna get involved one way or another in the texting conversations)