#survey says: i forgot how to draw

[emieclat]

what is she?

[cherrrydragon]

➤ find something worth saving (it's all for the taking)

CHAPTER FOUR: WAY DOWN WE GO

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SUMMARY ↳ You make some major moves, risky major moves. “Yeah, I know. You’re not that easy.” You remove your hands from his shoulders and grasp his, lifting them off your hips. “Just like I know you’re trying to put a tracker on me.” You wretch the little device from his hands and crush it. “I’m not that easy either.”You pat his cheek. His expression doesn’t give anything away, but you know he’s annoyed his plans have been thwarted. “It was a good try though. You did your best.” You send a web to a nearby building, knowing that his eyes are scanning you to drink up every piece of information he can. You turn to him one last time before swinging away. “I’m just better.” pairing: jon kent x gn!reader x damian wayne warnings: (attempted) bullying, you get a sword held at your neck (wonder whose fault that is), cursing wc: 6.5k

The next school day goes by in a blur of lectures you don’t pay attention to. The only thing on your mind is patrol and the looming task of getting back home.

Lunch is a brief respite from the busyness of the day. You sit alone to better hear your thoughts. You’ve long gotten used to your super hearing, but it’s still as loud as ever. The lunch is pretty good today, yet no match for your increased metabolism. You’re just grateful that your suit protects you from a lot. Super healing isn’t that useful when you’ve got no energy to heal with.

Your pencil moves in repeated strokes, steady. You’ve been putting your sketchbook to good use.

You hear footsteps approaching, and raise your head casually. You can’t help but widen your eyes when you see Damian walking to you.

He puts his tray down and sits, perfect posture and all. His eyes scan your drawings. “What is it?”

You blink, looking down at your drawings too. “It’s a… personal project.” You give your best winning smile. “I like to make things.”

You subtly turn the page so the one with all the formulas and equations is hidden away, only allowing Damian to see the sketches of what your new and improved nanite chamber would look like. “You’re hurting my feelings. What can I do to gain your trust?” It’s no subtle attempt to direct his attention from your drawings.

“Unnecessary. Forget about yesterday, it is in the past,” Damian says. Yeah, right. It’s obvious he’s playing nice in an attempt to lower your guard, but whatever. You can play along.

You pat his shoulder, smiling at his grimace. “You’re really bad at making friends. Don’t worry about it, first impressions aren’t everything.”

You lean back, crossing your arms. “So, now that we’re friends, tell me about yourself.”

“We are not friends.”

���We’re not enemies either.”

“That does not equate to us being friends,” he growls.

“But don’t you wanna know about me?” You lean in close. “Y’know, ‘cause you’re–” Your voice drops into a whisper. “Robin?”

He shoves you away, somehow in a gentlemanly manner. “Do not joke about that.”

You cackle. “I will tell you something about me in exchange for something about you.” At his glare you say, “it’s the fair thing to do.”

“I’ll go first.” You sit up straight. “I work part-time at Carrie’s Cafe, I live in East End and I occasionally dabble in photography.” Where you work and live is something he no doubt knows already, and photography is a useless fact. Still, he can’t admit that.

You gesture at him. “Your turn.”

You’re pleasantly surprised when he speaks. “I enjoy spending time with animals. I have various pets.”

“What kind of pets?”

“The rules of our deal do not require me to elaborate further.”

You roll your eyes. “The rules of conversation do.”

“I hardly want to converse with you.” God, you forgot how much of a brat Damian is. It’s easier to find it funny when you’re not the subject of his brat-ness. He can tell you’re getting a bit irked, if the quirk of his lips is anything to go by.

You survey your surroundings. People are looking at the two of you. You figure you must be a sight. The elusive heir of Bruce Wayne and the new kid. There’s a group of girls staring at you spitefully.

“Aren’t we a pair,” you speak to Damian, not taking your eyes off the girls. “Me, awesome mysterious super hot new kid, and you.” You don’t gas up Damian, but you figure he’s better off without a bigger ego.

Damian looks to where you're staring, his lips turning in thinly veiled disgust. “We are not a pair.” The girls giggle behind their hands and flutter their eyelashes at him. He looks away. You gasp as you are hit with an idea.

“I just had the best idea ever.” Pointedly ignoring his hum of doubt, you continue, “we are in the perfect set-up for a fake-dating situation. You, the popular bad boy who wants nothing to do with girls, and me, the one person who will never fall in love with you. We agree to fake-date to get the girls off your back, but we end up falling in love and we kiss in the rain–” you pause, staring at his face. It’s full of disgust, and you burst out laughing. “I’m afraid you’re too easy, my friend.”

Your hearing picks up on stomping from across the cafeteria. The leader of the girl's little posse is making her way over to you. She’s real pretty, you’ll give her that. She’s forgone the vest of her uniform to show off her slightly unbuttoned top. You’re not ashamed to admit you are looking hard .

“Damian!” She squeals, rounding up to your table. She ignores the seats and sits on the table itself. “Are they bothering you? I can see that you’re uncomfortable.”

You lean back and cross your arms, waiting to see what Damian will do. You would’ve thought he would be more of a recluse, liked by nobody. Perhaps this older Damian has more charm than the ones you’ve read about. Or maybe only the girls of the school like him.

Damian sends you a look that says do not leave me to the vultures.

You raise your eyebrows as if to say not friends, remember? This has nothing to do with me.

“Victoria,” Damian greets. Victoria’s face lights up in satisfaction at the fact he knows her name. Oof, girl, have some standards. “I am fine. You need not concern yourself.”

“Oh, but I can see it on your face, Damian. You don’t have to save face for someone like them ,” Victoria looks you up and down. There’s no doubt she means to isolate you because you’re not a rich heir like the rest of them.

Damian’s about to speak up (in your defense? You doubt it) when you lean forward, discreetly pulling down your own collar. “Victoria, was it? Can I call you Vicky? Where’d you get your nails done?”

Victoria brings her hands to her chest, rubbing her fingers over her nails. “Oh– um. My… cousin. My cousin does nails as a hobby.” Her eyes are flickering from your face to your chest. You reach forward and grab her hand delicately, humming as you look at her nails. “These look really good. How much were they?”

Your eyes are boring into hers as you await her answer. Her mouth is slightly agape. Her hand twitches in your grasp as you let a breath fall onto it. She opens and closes her mouth a few times before she finds herself. “It-It surely costs more than you can afford.” She yanks her hand back and it falls to her side. She looks at Damian before looking back at you, and turns around and walks off without another word.

A grin graces your face, satisfied with your results. Looking at Damian, you raise your brow in question. “Well? How’d I do?”

Damian is staring at you, like he is truly seeing you for the first time. He blinks and shakes himself out of whatever revelry he’s in (you hope you haven’t given too much away…) and answers you. “It’s no easy feat repelling Victoria. I commend you.”

“Is that a compliment? Oh my God, have I thawed your frozen heart, Elsa?” The bell rings and he walks away before you can say more.

You find out Victoria's in your ballet class. You feel her eyes on you the whole period.

You practice figure drawing in art. You ignore Damian’s stare on you the whole period.

It’s a cool night in Gotham. You’ve defended some homeless people being harassed, helped someone's cat out of a tree (you didn’t know that could actually happen) and helped an old lady home safely. It’s a pretty quiet night for Gotham, all things considered. The city moves on in spite of you, a maze of crime and corruption, but also of people worth saving.

You can’t help yourself and snap a couple of photos, for your eyes only. Anything that’ll make you feel like back home is good in your books.

watching behind you

You stand, straightening your shoulders. You’re sure the Bats know about your existence. Whoever it is, you’ll give them a scare first.

You lift your foot, letting it dangle off the ledge of the building. Their footsteps hasten to get to you. Gravity pulls you down. They’re running to you now. You spread your arms and fall.

A figure clad in black and red grasps the ledge, looking over, grappling hook in hand. They’re met with you, casually standing on the side of the building, defying gravity. “Looking for me?”

Robin makes room for you as you climb back up, crouching on the ledge once more. You stick out your hand. “It’s so nice to finally meet one of you guys. Big fan.”

Robin takes out his sword and holds it to your neck in one swift movement. “Tough crowd,” you mutter, clicking your tongue.

“Who are you and what business do you have in Gotham.” Straight to the point as always, Damian.

“My name is Spinnerette, nice to meet you!” You grab his hand before he can tug it out of your reach, shaking it. “And I thought it was pretty obvious, no? I’m in the saving people business, like you guys! That’s my business.”

“Children should not run around pretending to fight crime because they think it’s cool.”\

You huff. “Okay, one , the first robin was like, five. Two , how old do you think I am? Three , dude, I’ve been doing this for years.”

He tuts. “Is that right? How come I’ve never heard of you?”

You shrug. “I’m not from around here.” You’re not lying, that’s for sure.

The sword doesn’t move from your neck, and you sigh. Grabbing the sword makes an audible clink as it meets the metal of your suit. You slowly move it away from your neck, taking note of how Robin tries to meet your strength head-on, and failing to do so. Languidly moving, you invade his personal space. You throw your arms over his shoulders, making him sway side to side with you.

“You’re hurting my feelings, Rob,” you hum. You see his eyes squint through his mask. Dragging a claw down his cheek, you’re aware that you are completely indulging yourself right now. You should’ve swung away as soon as your senses alerted you to his presence.

Pretender, your brain whispers to you.

You will the thought away. “You know, some species of spiders eat birds,” you flirt.

“You have abhorrent ideas of flirting.”

“Cut me some slack, I’m rusty.”

“Some species also eat their mates,” he flirts back. Oh?

You grin, feral and hidden. “Ohoh, considering yourself my mate already, birdie?” His hands grasp your hips, pulling you closer. Chest to chest with him, you lean in, whispering “you like the idea of me eating you? Perv.”

“You jump to conclusions.” His cheek is against yours.

“Yeah, I know. You’re not that easy.” You remove your hands from his shoulders and grasp his, lifting them off your hips. “Just like I know you’re trying to put a tracker on me.” You wretch the little device from his hands and crush it. “I’m not that easy either.”

You pat his cheek. His expression doesn’t give anything away, but you know he’s annoyed his plans have been thwarted. “It was a good try though. You did your best.”

You send a web to a nearby building, knowing that his eyes are scanning you to drink up every piece of information he can. You turn to him one last time before swinging away.

“I’m just better.”

“They call themselves Spinnerette,” is what Damian says as he enters the Batcave.

Bruce only sighs. He really shouldn’t be so surprised Damian went after the new meta. He turns around in his chair, facing Damian. He makes a ‘go on’ gesture.

“Their suit is made of some kind of metal. It is high-grade, something I’m not familiar with. The eyes of their suit react, like they mimic their expression. They can stick to walls and webs come out from a device on their wrist. They are intelligent and were able to divert my intentions to put a tracker on them,” Damian huffs.

He moves to stand next to his father. “They say they have been acting as a vigilante for years. They are also not native to Gotham.”

Bruce nods, “that narrows it down a little.”

“They were insulted by my insinuation that they were a child, so I assume they are at least in high school.”

Bruce types all the information in the Batcomputer, fingers flying across the keyboard. The results narrow down. Several databases appear on screen.

“If they are your age they could very well attend the Academy,” Bruce hums, hand over his mouth in thought.

“I have someone in mind already, but I will be sure to evaluate all my peers.”

Bruce smiles. “I’m surprised to hear you call them your peers.”

Damian’s lips twitch, walking out of the cave without further word.

You’ve decided to put plans for the nanite chamber on hold for now in exchange for a far, more efficient use of your time. The battery will last you, you’re just being paranoid.

You’re going to pull a Tony Stark and create a new element.

Technically you’re just going to use the blueprints Tony put in your suit (thank you tony, we all say in unison) and follow them, but in this universe badassium isn’t a thing. 

A clean and powerful energy source, to power your way back home and for the world to use. You know what they say about leaving things better than when you found it.

You’ve changed your plans for one main reason; when Tony Stark made his new element, he also made a particle accelerator. 

It starts in your engineering class. You swipe as much material as you can, stuffing it into your backpack. Tony’s makeshift build took up his whole lab, and the one you found that landed you here was huge, so you’ll grab as much as you can.

Next is finding a place to work. Your apartment is a no-go, so you spend time off patrol to look for places. An abandoned warehouse could work in theory, but how many times has a villain used one for their operations? You’ll go without bumping into the Joker, thank you.

The problem is that you don’t know this city, so you make an impulsive decision. During classes, you spend time building a mini robot that will infiltrate and access the Batcomputer. You know Wayne Manor is equipped with state-of-the-art security, from reinforced structures to advanced alarm systems. It is very likely your little buddy will not make it out, but Karen only needs enough time to upload to the computer.

You spend your programming class calibrating Karen into W.E.B.B.E.R. (Karen comes up with the acronym, it stands for Wireless Enabled Bionic Bot for Exploration and Reconnaissance) instead of doing the assignment. You can easily do it later. If Damian notices how in your mind you’ve been lately, he doesn’t say anything. WEBBER is finished in three days. Now it’s up to you to get it past Wayne Manor's defenses and into the batcave.

You sit pondering on a rooftop during patrol. Damian is a hesitant option. You’re are certain he’ll notice if you stick a little spider robot on him. Red Hood probably doesn’t visit very often, for obvious reasons. You might be able to sneak it past Nightwing, but there aren't many places on that skin-tight suit for WEB to hide. Orphan is a hard no, nothing gets past Cassandra Cain. You groan into your hands. WEB’s little feet pat your mask.

“Perhaps it would be easier to infiltrate myself,��� Karen suggests.

“There’s no way to get into the cave without authorized access, and that's if  WEB isn’t somehow destroyed as soon as it hits the property’s soil,” you sigh. “You could override its systems to get inside, but that’ll just put everyone on high alert.”

“Then perhaps we approach their civilian identities.” Karen pulls up security footage of a cafe that none other than Tim Drake likes to frequent. It’ll be risky, since Drake’s got a damn good keen eye. However, you’ll bank on the fact that that guy does not get as much sleep as he should, thus making him less aware.

“Thanks, K.” You hardly sleep that night.

You spend the weekend lingering at the mentioned cafe. After some hard thought, you’ve forgone a disguise. He’ll notice if you’re trying to hide your features, so you just have to hope and pray that you become another blurred face he sees.

“He’s walking your way, [Name].”

You take a deep breath as WEBBER crawls onto your shoulder. He’s wearing layers, so WEB will have an easier time staying hidden. The robot is light, you made sure. You walk towards him, keeping your gaze forward. If this doesn’t work, you’ll figure something out. You just… really hope it doesn’t come down to that.

As you get closer, you side-step out of his way and allow your shoulder to pass his, not touching, but almost. WEBBER hops onto him and scuttles into his breast pocket.

“I will make sure I am not seen.”

“I trust you, Karen.”

Tim Drake does not notice the little spider hidden in his clothes. He returns to Wayne Manor none the wiser. WEBBER clings to his back as he makes his way down to the Batcave. You watch through the little camera from your laptop. Your jaw drops.

Literally every Bat and Bird, former or current, is down there. Even Oracle herself is there. They’re all in civvies, so you suspect they’re just hanging out and chose the goddamn Batcave to do so.

“Just…” you sigh, already done with your spidey luck, “...keep going, K.”

WEBBER hops down from Tim’s back, scrambling across the floor. The mic you impulsively added picks up on conversation.

“I think you’re looking a little too hard into things, man.” It’s Duke Thomas.

“They just seem like the main character trying to find their way into the world. Rich dad sends his kid into adulthood all alone. They struggle to fit in under the guise that they have less money than their peers. ‘Woe is me’ type of stuff, y’know?” Stephanie Brown.

There’s a scoff. “They hold too much intelligence to have that kind of persona. They are able to direct less than welcome attention with careful words and persuasion. They do not pay attention in class, yet their grades are pristine. I’ve seen their drawings in their sketchbook when they are not looking, it’s filled with equations and ideas for ‘personal projects’.”

Is he talking about… you? That sneaky bastard, when did he peek at your notes!? Have you been that distracted at school?

“It says that their dad’s an inventor,” comes Barbara’s voice. She’s on the Batcomputer, WEBBER has been waiting for when she turns around or gets off to make its move. “They obviously get it from him, then. What, you think they’re building a world-ending weapon or something?”

“I think,” he grits out, “that they are a suspicious person, appearing at the same time our new spider friend did.”

Bruce hums. “It’s plausible.”

Goddammit.

Barbara turns around, and WEB scuttles around the back of the Batcomputer. “If they are Spinnerette, It’s not like they’re performing any unwelcome actions. They’re just doing what the rest of us do.”

“Yeah,” comes Dick Grayson, “Bruce is only irked ‘cause he hasn’t gotten the chance to adopt them yet.” A round of chuckles is heard.

WEBBER plugs into the Batcomputer, and an alert pops onto the screen immediately. Barbara whips around, fingers flying onto the keyboard.

“Someone’s hacking into the Batcomputer.” Her words put everyone in the room at attention.

“Trace it,” growls Bruce. It’s a remarkable thing to be able to switch into his Batman mode like that.

Barbara throws up countless defenses, but Karen is an AI made by Tony freakin’ Stark , and you are his protégé.

“They’re bypassing all my shields, they’re getting in!” Barbara growls.

Tim and Bruce race to begin helping her, but your superspeed allows you to type faster than all three geniuses.

They watch as files are opened and downloaded into Karen’s system as she uploads herself. Info about the city, criminals and heroes alike are getting into ‘enemy’ hands before they’re very eyes.

“I can’t track them,” grits Barbara.

The room is silent as Karen finishes her job. Gotham’s protectors are greeted with a single pop-up.

“THANK YOU.”

It taunts them. Bruce slams a hand onto the table. “They have everything .”

“Time to get the hell out of dodge, K.”

WEBBER unplugs from the Batcomputer and scuttles to a hiding spot.

“How is this possible? They were able to dodge and counter all of my firewalls like it was nothing. B, what do we do?” Barbara runs a hand through her hair, stressed. It seems like whenever she visits she can never catch a break.

“Keep trying to find their trace, we’ll find them eventually.” Bruce turns around to see his kiddos standing straight, ready for orders. He looks at Damian.

“Do you think they have the capacity to do this?” He’s talking about you.

“They have a computer programming class. I will observe them to see if it’s possible,” vows Damian. You’ll have to be more careful from now on.

“I’ll ask Selina to keep an eye on them. I owe her a favor.” A few faces twist in disgust at what exactly Selina could have done for him to owe her.

“Suit up, be extra vigilant today. They may try to enact whatever plans they have.”

Nodding, they scurry to change into their suits. WEBBER hitches a ride on Tim again as he exits the cave. The robot hops off as soon as he leaves the manor's grounds. That’s your cue to suit up.

You quickly hop across rooftops and swing to WEBBERs location. Arriving at its location, you cradle the bot gently in your hands, running a finger across its back. “Good job, Karen.”

“There are many old tunnels from previous subways, they may lead to your new lab. I’ve also left a backdoor should we ever need to access their database again.”

You nod, webbing a nearby building to swing away. The city passes under you, bright lights from cars blurring together. You perform flips and twirls, you’re in a pretty good mood, all things considered. People point at you in recognition as you rush by. The people of Gotham are becoming familiar with their new friendly neighborhood spider.

You hop down into the old tunnel. It’s covered in cobwebs and dust. Looking around, you see that the station has not seen life in ages. Footsteps echo as you start down the tracks. The station you’re in right now is accessible through a hole, so hopefully you can find one that is completely caved in.

You hope the team doesn't miss you too terribly. You wonder if you’re even being looked for, and then immediately shake the thought away. You are being looked for. You’re certain that Tony and Miguel are butting heads right now about how to best find you.

The tracks end with a bunch of rocks collapsed onto them. It takes minimal effort to move them out of the way, you just hope you don’t accidentally cause a mini rockslide, or something. You side step the pile, entering the large area of the abandoned station. The walls are littered with aged graffiti. The stairs that normally would lead out are collapsed in. There’s vegetation growing about, so you’ll probably get them something to drink in order to not invoke Poison Ivy’s wrath.

“I believe this will make quite the suitable hideout,” chimes Karen.

She’s right. With some decorating this could be a real cozy place. “A little Spider Den,” you whisper. Your new lab.

When you got home after finding the Den, you got rid of the monstrosity of cables from your gritty suit charger. If Selina Kyle is going to be poking around your apartment (because she’ll definitely do it while you’re gone) you want to appear as a normal person. You leave sketches of throwaway inventions, notes for class and random homework around the place.

May pipes up when she sees you leaving for work, “you look happy.”

You pause, thinking of your answer. “I… found what I was looking for.” It’s vague, but true.

“Since you’ve come here, you’ve always looked troubled,” hums May. “But lately you seem to be finding stable ground.”

You smile and nod, saying nothing as you walk out.

Sam greets you as you walk in. “How was your first week, scholar?”

You groan dramatically, “it’s terrible, save me oh great Sam,” you exaggerate. Sam opens their arms and you fall into them. “There, there,” they coo. “Was it that bad for real?”

“No.” Your voice is muffled in their arms. “I’m just really… bored.”

Sam bursts out laughing. “The little genius baby is stuck with their less than genius peers!” Sam’s voice has drawn out Carrie and Gar.

“Look who’s back! Thank God, kid. This place was falling apart without you,” Carrie says, grinning.

Gar crosses his arms. “Find your ‘rich future spouse’ yet?”

You chuckle, “not yet.”

The pair go off to get the cafe ready for opening, and you're still in Sam’s arms.

“I ever tell you about my own Sam back home?” You’re not sure why you’ve spoken up.

Sam raises a brow. “Don’t think so. You trying to share with the class now?”

Inside the dimly lit workshop at the Tower, you tinker away at Redwing as Sam stands over your shoulder.

“You’re hurting him.”

“He is fine, you big baby. I know what I’m doing.”

It amuses you how much Sam sees Redwing as a living thing. You’re told not to encourage it, but what’s the harm?

“The chip is just a little fried,” you say, angling so that Sam can see. “It’s an easy fix.”

Sam lays a hand on his chest, sighing in relief. “Thought we were gonna have to put him down.” You snort at his dramatics.

The workshop falls into silence as you tinker away. “What made you come up with Redwing?” you say, never one for quiet.

Sam’s face lights up. “I needed something that could give me an edge in the field without being too bulky. A mix of coolness and necessity, you know?” He pokes Redwings’ ‘nose’. “Plus, there’s that winning personality.”

“Personality, huh?” You think of Karen.

“Yeah, Redwings not a tool, he’s a partner.” There’s fondness in Sam’s voice. “He scouts, gathers intel, and watches my back.”

You hum in thought, realizing how similar Redwing and Karen are. “Sounds like the two of you are really close.”

“I like to think so.” The workshop is filled with chatter as the two of you work away the hours.

“Maybe another time,” you mutter, face squished into Sam’s chest. Sam drops the subject.

It’s another slow day at the cafe. You get that inkling that someone is watching you, but you see nobody. You wouldn’t be surprised if Damian is spying on you from the next building over. At least the cafe plays good music over the speakers. You hum the lyrics as you clean the countertops.

The door chimes as someone walks in “Welcome to Carrie’s, how can I help you?”

“Hey, you.”

You look up, meeting the very blue eyes of one Jonathan Kent. You can’t bring yourself to be annoyed. “Hey, you!” you echo, smiling.

Jon brightens up at your smile. “How have you been?”

“Good,” you hum. “I’m really good.” You are. Once night time hits, you’ll go to the Den and finally start on your plans to recreate Tony’s badassium.

“In fact, I feel so good that I’m gonna ask you this; wanna go hang out at my place after I get off?” One might say you’re indulging yourself. You say you’re trying to seems as un-suspicious to Jon as possible. When Damian finds out you have ties to him, he’ll ask Jon everything he knows about you, and possibly even ask him to survey you. Hopefully your front as a regular ole highschooler keeps him from figuring you out.

Jon blinks in surprise, stuttering, “w-well, sure. Yeah. Totally, why not? Just…” he pauses, “...I still don’t know your name.”

You smile. “Shoot, yeah. Sorry about that.” You straighten your posture, sticking out a hand. “I’m [Name]. [Name] Stark.”

You see the little twitch of his brow. Ah, so Damian has already told him about you.

“Nice to meet you, [Name]. I’m Jonathan Kent. Keep calling me Jon, though,” Jon says, shaking your hand.

You pull away. “So, a small vanilla latte for you, not-stranger?”

“You remember,” he chuckles. You nod. You feel his eyes on you as you make his drink.

“So,” you say as you hand him the cup. “I get off at five, see you then?” you feign shyness.

He nods rapidly. “See you at five.”

You count down the minutes until you get off from work. You swear you see some blue blurs rush by in the sky and wonder if it’s Superboy. Wonder if this Batman is more lenient to others operating in Gotham.

The sun has only just begun its descent into the Earth when you step outside. Your bag is thrown over your shoulder. You look around, Jon isn’t there. You doubt he’s the type to bail, so you lean against the front of the building. You busy yourself with some more Crossy Road to pass the time. Five minutes pass, when you sigh. Maybe you were too hasty.

“[Name]!”

You turn, seeing Jon running to you. His appearance is ruffled, his shirt is inside out and his hair is all over the place. He was definitely Superboying around.

“Did you run all the way here?” you offer as an explanation for his appearance.

He claims it. “Yeah, sorry. I got caught up in some stuff.”

You can’t help yourself, and reach up to tame some of his hair. “Looks like you ran through a high powered fan, or something.”

He mindlessly tilts his head to let you do as you please, looking at you. You don’t dare meet his gaze. “Ok,” you say when you’re satisfied with his hair. “Let’s go.”

He offers his arm and you take it. “I wouldn’t think a Gothamite would tell me where they live on our second meeting,” he says.

“They probably wouldn’t,” you hum. “I’m not originally from Gotham, though.”

He blinks. “You’re not? I thought you were.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” It means you’ve done a good job at fitting it. “But no, I’m actually from Queens. New York.”

He hums. “I thought the accent was a little different.”

May greets you as you walk in, widening her eyes when she sees Jon. You ignore her wiggling brows as the two of you make your way up. Entering your apartment, nothing looks out of place, but your trained eye can see the way your papers have shifted from their original position. So Selina Kyle did end up snooping while you were gone.

“This is me,” you say, arms gesturing to the apartment. Nari rounds the corner, meowing for your attention. “And this,” you lift Nari into your arms, “is Nari.”

Jon pets Nari between his ears. “Hi, Nari.”

You put Nari in his arms, ignoring his small protests. Nari looks very content in Jon’s big arms. You snap a picture for yourself.

“My friend is actually a big fan of animals,” hums Jon, looking down at Nari.

“Yeah?” He’s talking about Damian. “The one that goes to GA?”

He nods. “His name is Damian. Damian Wayne. Have you met him?” His eyes bear into yours, switching into that hero interrogation mode. You wonder just how much Damian has told him.

“Yeah, I got a couple of classes with him.” You sit down on your couch, leaning back. “He’s got a real unique persona.” Jon chuckles in agreement, sitting down next to you. “How’d you become friends with a guy like that?”

“Our dads know each other.” Right.

“Well, he’s pretty cute. That’s all I got to say about him,” you say, looking over and snorting at Jon’s expression. His eyes are widened, no doubt wondering if he should leave out the fact that you just said that when he relays the info to Damian later.

“Well, I got some popcorn and some movies on my laptop. You down?” Jon nods.

You spend a couple hours sitting and chatting as you watch a couple of horror movies. Jon acted brave, but you could tell he was just a tiny bit freaked out.

Now, you swing to your new hideout, now equipped with cute fairy lights and cobweb hammocks. It wasn’t hard to get power working in the place, just tedious. Seriously, the amount of rubble you had to clear was atrocious.

You pull up the blueprints on a digital interface via your suit. “Alright, Karen. Let’s get to work."

When Miguel got an alert that you had been requesting assistance, he straightened up immediately. He had been running regular people errands, so he had to quickly stop by the HQ to suit up and get ready. From there he found out you had also contacted Peni, he started rushing. The other Spiderlings had caught wind of this, and demanded to tag along. Miguel and the kids entered a portal to your universe, and were immediately met with the large, inactive particle accelerator.

He hears Miles take a deep breath. It’s just like the one from his universe. You’re nowhere to be seen.

Lyla pops up next to him. “There’s been recent activity here. It was activated two times.”

“Two?” Miguel mutters.

He doesn’t get to dwell on it much, when some of the goddamn Avengers come barreling in. Iron Man, The Hulk (it’s just Bruce Banner right now, though) and Black Widow stand at the ready, looking at Miguel and the gang in apprehension.

“Oh, you’re my kids' little spider friends, right?” Tony’s voice is dry, feigning friendliness as if he isn’t pointing at them, ready to blast.

“We got an alert signal from [Name]’s suit,” Bruce explains, ignoring Tony’s betrayed stare.

“So did we,” says Hobie, analyzing the three.

Lyla tuts. “I’m not picking up their watch's signal.”

“[Name]’s tracker went offline, too.”

Miguel’s eyes scan his surroundings, settling on a pile of broken pieces on the floor. Broken watch pieces. He hears Pav and Gwen gasp as he kneels by it. “It’s their watch,” he explains to the Avengers, “the thing that allows them to multiversal travel.”

“Why is it broken.” Black Widow doesn’t phrase it as a question.

“Because someone must have broken it,” concludes Miguel. He straightens. “The watches are strong, it wasn’t an accident. Someone was here, with [Name].”

“Well now there’s nobody here, and [Name] is off the radar so where are they? ” growls Tony.

“The only plausible answer is that they’re in another universe.” Miguel looks at the particle accelerator. “Without a watch.”

The kids look sick to their stomachs. “Can’t we trace the signal from the accelerator?” questions Peni.

“Normally, I could,” chimes Lyla. “But… I can’t.”

“ Why not?” Miles questions.

“Okay, so you know that there are literally infinite universes out there. If each universe is a satellite and the watches, or the accelerator in this case, is a signal, then there’s only a certain ‘distance’ I can trace [Name]’s whereabouts.”

Gwen thinks she’s getting a headache. “So, what? She’s in a universe that’s ‘too far away’?”

Lyla nods. “In that sense, yes.”

“This is pointless,” huffs Tony, walking up to Miguel. “We are wasting time talking about technicalities, we should be looking for my kid.”

“Is there anyone you know who could’ve built this?” Miguel asks Tony.

“Nobody smart enough has it out that bad for [Name]. Unless it was another me or another [Name] there’s no one capable of doing this without someone noticing,” Tony pauses, looking at the spider variants before him.

Tony’s voice drops into a whisper, “could someone from another universe have done this?”

“If someone from another universe ended up in this one, why throw [Name] into a random one?” Bruce stresses. “They wouldn’t have any strife with Spinnerette.”

“Unless it’s a spidey villain.”

“What spidey villain is smart enough to do this? Doc Ock?”

“Maybe–”

Miguel interrupts, “it was activated twice, so one time was for [Name] entering it, and the other was for whoever broke their watch. They built this–” Miguel gestures to the giant machine, “–so they were obviously here for a while.”

“Only a fool would attempt a multiversal jump without certainty that they could get back home, so that means–”

“–they accidentally got stuck here,” finishes Tony, looking graver by the minute. 

“For who knows how long,” hums Hobie, now in thought.

“Trying to get back home, they build a particle accelerator–”

“–clearly their work is cut out for them, otherwise they would have come up with a much smaller design–”

“–they meet [Name], who would see this and automatically assume they’re a threat.”

“[Name] would try to shut it down, and our mystery guy gets desperate, because [Name]’s the one thing standing between them and their way back home.”

“The particle accelerator is already activated. They see the watch, recognize it as a multiversal travel tool and smash it–”

“–so that [Name] can’t find them–”

“–because they throw [Name] into another universe.”

“They go back home to their universe scott-free.” It doesn’t take a genius to figure how Black Widow’s unhappy with the development.

“In other news, I’ve got the trace of the other person who used the accelerator!” Lyla sings.

Miguel’s face scrunches. “If we don’t know which universe [Name] is in, I really doubt they do.”

“I’d still like a word with them,” Black Widow crosses her arms.

“Maybe later, right now–” Miguel turns to the Spiderlings. “–we should head back to HQ. We’ll send out an alert, every spider will look for [Name] when they can. We’ll search every universe if we have to.”

“Great, what do we do?” Tony asks, gesturing to his comrades.

“Miguel turns back to them. “You said [Name]’s got a tracker in the suit, right?” Tony nods. “We’ll need something that can latch onto its signal as soon as a Spider enters an Earth, no matter how far away they are. Can you build something like that? You can use tech from other universes if you need to.”

Tony nods, resolute. “You better get my kid back.”

Miguel nods. “We will.” A portal opens, swallowing Miguel and the Spiderlings.

“FRI, get the workshop ready and notify the others of the situation,” says Tony, turning around and making his way out of the warehouse. Nat and Bruce follow. “I want Strange and Wanda on this immediately.”

“Certainly, sir.”

Tony mutters under his breath, “I’ll get my damn kid back, alright.”

notes: if you're female-identifying ur def vicky's gay awakening LOL

i'm not entirely sure is "badassium" is the canon name for tony's new element, i actually think i saw somewhere that it was the name fans gave it. either way "badassium" is what we rockin' with.

i hope my explanation as to why reader hasn't been found isn't too confusing. i didn't plan on having it kind of explained so soon but a group up spideys (who are all basically genius cuz they're SPIDERMAN) are bound to figure it out. also like that whole 'the spiders and the avenger' meeting scene was supposed to be in the last chapter but i forgot to add it LOL

also chatgpt came up with webbers acronym guys i am NOT smart enough for that.

damian: good job getting into their base of operations (apartment) now we can gather more info on them

jon, who just wanted to spend time w/ reader: oh yeah lol light work

[simp2537]

Project SS

a/n: I kinda forgot about out this for a little bit. 😮 my bad chat. But here yall go. Also ignore that Bucky is a man in the gif below. It’s just for aesthetics. Hope yall enjoy this.

Word Count: 1.3k

Series Trigger Warnings: Mentioned S/A on another character, depression, self-harm, anxiety, experimentation on children, abusing relationships, murder, blood, gore, unwilling amputations?

Chapter Two

It was strange, the grass, fresh air, the way my rest felt against the floor. The mask that would normally cover my face rested in the ground next to me. Along with the red lens goggles that would normally cover me.

I see clearly for the first time in my life. No bloody tint to the world. A perfectly clear and blue sky. Quiet steps made their way to me and without hesitation I pull my mask on. 

As the trees moved Clarke popped out. A serious look on her face and she motioned for me to follow. Like the fucking dog I am, I follow. I walk behind her silently as we move back to our broken drop ship. I watch her draw on whatever map she found 

I survey the area around us as I click goggle lens. They shift to a black shade, allowing me to see some color. The others around us run rampant. Wells comes over to talk to Clarke, I all but ignore him. 

“We got problems. The communications system is dead’. I went to the roof, a dozen panels are missing. Heat fried wires.” He informs.  I watch as Clarke sighs softly. 

“Well, all that matters right now is getting to Mount Weather.” She directs him to her map. As another kid walks behind them making a joke Wells pushes him back. I roll my eyes at Wells. Honestly I don’t understand his issue.

As a bigger group of boys comes to his aid Wells backs up. Trying to explain himself I roll my eyes.  Nice going Wells. Clarke looks up at me from where I sit in the broken down door. My sigh is exuded a bit loudly from my mask. 

“We’re on the ground. That not good enough for you?” The boy from before asks. He stands with Octavia and his eyes drift to me. I slowly drop down from where I sat and end up next to Clarke. 

“We need to find Mount Weather.” Wells says as he walks towards Bellamy. I groan and follow after Clarke who moves after Wells. For a girl who hated his guts, she sure does follow after him.

“You heard my father’s message. That has to be our priority.” Wells continues. I scoff softly at his words as I cross my arms. The fucking Chancellor might as well of been dead now. 

“Screw your father. What, you think you’re in charge here, You, your little princess and your guard dog?” I laugh quietly. There eyes turn to me. 

“Quite the mouth on you sunshine, remember who opened the door for you.” I answer with a smirk none of them could see.  I could all but feel Clarke’s scolding glare. 

“Do you think we care who’s in charge?” She paused. “We need to get to Mount Weather. Not because the Chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we’ll get and the harder this’ll be.”

I roll my shoulder, feeling the metals vibrate against one another. I stand behind her as she continues to speak.

“How long do you think we’ll last without those supplies? We’re looking at a twenty mile trek, okay. So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave now.” 

“I got a better idea. You two go, find it for us. Let the privilege do the hard work for a change.” Bellamy voiced. Two? If I could still count right there were at least three of us on this Mount Weather side. 

All the others around quickly agreed and I honestly don’t blame them. Made perfect sense why they would think I that. But then again we were all in the ground now.

“You’re not listening. We all need to go.” Well’s attempted to explain. The moment I blinked the boy behind me pushed Wells. 

“Look at this, everybody the Chancellor of earth.” Everyone laughs to most of Wells announce. They grab onto Clarke and I quickly push them off her. I walk over to the pair about to brawl and grab onto the back of the angered boys shirt. 

Just as I grab him Finn jumps down from the pod’s roof. I watched him go between the two boys. 

“Kid’s got one leg. How about you wait until it’s a fair fight?” Finn asks with a charming smile. I let go of my grip on the angered boys shirt. He jolts against the ground. 

“Hey, spacewalker.” I turn to Octavia as she walks over to us. “Rescue me next.” She asks. A murmur of giggles and laughs echos the angered boy takes his friends away. Now that I get a good look at his face I know him.

John Murphy was his name. Clarke, Finn and I all end up at Wells side. I watch out of the corner of my eyes as Bellamy approaches his little sister. I watch him pull her away as I help Wells stands properly. 

…………………………..

I lean against a tree as Finn approaches us. Clarke is on the ground with Wells, attempting to fix his leg. 

“So Mount Weather. When do we leave?” He asks. His eyes drift over to me for a moment then go back to Clarke. 

“Right now. We’ll be back tomorrow with food.” Clarke turns and tells Wells. Wells’s eyes are sharp, angry even. 

“How are you two gonna carry enough food for a hundred.” I clear my throat and push of the tree.

“I could carry enough food for a hundred of us alone.” Finn nods his head and gives me a smirk. He turns around pulling two boys. The pair are the boys from before.

“Five of us. Can we go now?” Finn asks. 

“Sounds like a party. Make it six.” Octavia comes behind us. As Bellamy goes to interfere I walk into the drop ship. I comb my hands up the walls. Looking for any grove or dip that feels right. 

“What are you doing?” To my surprise it’s Bellamy’s voice I hear first. I find a grove with the litters W.S. engraved into it. Pushing in the grove a door opens and there it is. Black and just for me is my operations suit. I pull it out and drop it on a chair.

Before anyone can question me again I begin to pull off my clothes. I can hear a collective gasp when I pull my jacket. The jagged and ugly scaring on my arm on full display. I went to take off my shirt when I heard her.

“Turn around!” I heard the shuffling of feet and I pull my boots and pants off. I dressed quickly in the armored suit they left me. Once completely dressed in my operation uniform I push myself up the wall. I find a handle and begins to pull myself up.

“What the hell are you doing?” I hear Finn yell from bellow me. I look down for a moment as I drop down a large box. The whole groups is here. I jump down landing with a thud. I quickly open the box and assemble ass the weapons left to me.

I’m not surprised this place is load up for me. I ignore the screen with the Chancellor playing as I work. Finished putting away my weapon and clinking the finally lock on my assault gun I strap it to my back.

“What are we standing here for? Are we not going to go?” I ask. After a few quickly seconds Octavia leaves first. The rest of the ground soon follows after. 

I catch Bellamy’s eyes as I move past him. His arm shoot’s up and grab my forearm. I pause, slowly turning my head to his.

“Who the hell are you.” He doesn’t seem angry. More confused if anything.

“A nightmare.” I with I pull away and walk after the group.

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #233

When was the last time you did clay work/pottery? Not since high school.

Do you like art, hate it or just not mind it? I love art.

If you had to choose would you prefer dull pain for 12 hours or sharp for 2? Dull, I think. This does kinda depend on where the pain is, though.

Do you know the words to the national anthem of your country? It's kinda nailed into you when you had to recite it every day in school, so...

Would you rather be a model, famous scientist, singer, or chef? The scientist.

Would you rather be a pilot, crime scene investigator, or estate agent? ugh

Does making others happy really make you feel happy? Yes.

Have you ever pricked your finger on holly or another "sharp" plant? Probably at some point.

What do you have a lot of faith in [note: can be anything]? What love is capable of.

Do you subconsciously hang out with those with the same star sign as you or as each other, perhaps due to certain personality traits? I don't believe in this shit.

Name five objects that you don’t have but would like right now? A desktop computer, a new camera with more megapixels, a final PVC cage build for Venus that is the appropriate adult length (4x2x2), a backlog of books in my possession so I wouldn't have to keep going to the library when I finish one in the series I'm reading, and working PS4 controllers so I can actually play the console that's in my house lol.

When you have children, would you like twins? I'm not having kids, but even in the situation where I'd want kids, I would very likely abort one. I cannot imagine a world for me where I can handle two kids of the same age at once.

If you were given the choice to choose your child’s gender, would you? Yes, again if I wanted kids, I'd very much favor a girl over a boy. Literally for no reason other than I strongly prefer the girl names I like over the boy names. That's literally it lmfao, such a dumb reason. Well actually no, I forgot, I'm uncomfortable with the circumcision situation. I don't know what I'd do as a parent to a cis boy. I've heard this and that about both ways, and ultimately I think I'd let Girt decide because I have never had a penis and don't think I have a lot of rightful say in what to do in a situation I absolutely cannot relate to, but. I would just very much rather have a cis girl (at birth I should probably add, I couldn't care less if my child came out as trans, other than worrying for their safety of course) and not even have to think about it.

What’s the scariest story/urban legend/creepypasta etc you heard? Ummmmm... I always found the Rake scary. Just waking up and some demon motherfucker staring at you from the foot of your bed. No thanks. Sleep paralysis-sounding stuff REALLY freaks me out, I'm thankful I've never experienced it and hope to high heaven I never do.

Do you miss someone currently? I do, I want to see Girt but I'm sick.

What personality trait does nearly everyone in your family seem to have? I don't know, I don't feel like going through a massive list of ideas to find one everyone matches.

How many tabs do you have open and what are they? At the time I'm answering this specific question, four YouTube tabs and one for Tumblr.

What browser do you prefer to use? I use Chrome, but I wouldn't call it a preference. I know Chrome has traits that are often critiqued. It's just what I'm used to.

What’re five random things on your desk besides any computer-related items? Two plushies, a planner, a sketchbook, and a small basket for things like my flash drive, iPod plug, etc.

What’re the items closest to you that’re red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, pink, white, gray, brown, black, silver and gold? Red: featured on a blanket draped over the exercise bike seat. Orange: bag of chips I had. Yellow: featured in a plushie Girt got me on his vacation. Green: a plant in here. Blue: a pen. Purple: a pencil I use when I draw. Pink: a basket that's on a small shelf in here, I actually don't know what's in it. White: Girt's work schedule is printed on white paper. Gray: the outline of one of Cookie's beds. Brown: the cover of my sketchbook. Black: my pencil sharpener. Silver: the metal on the legs of my desk chair. Gold: there's gold flecks in the flower frame I use for a super cute picture of Roman.

Out of all the things you listed above, which is your favorite? The plush Girt got me while he was in Minnesota, I appreciated that he thought of me.

Are you excited for anything this month? Ryder's birthday party. The kids' bday parties stress me out to some degree, but it's always a nice change of pace in my days, too.

Is there anything special about today? No.

How’re you physically feeling right now? I have very symptomatic Covid. Guess lmfao.

How’re you emotionally feeling right now? I'm tired, haven't been able to sleep well. Feeling bleh.

Have you ever traveled outside of your home country? No, I wish.

Can you speak, read and/or write in another language besides English? I can read German rather easily (I hesitate on larger words sometimes, German words can get SO long), but I'm not fluent in understanding it all. I just understand how their spelling and pronunciation and stuff works.

What language course did you take in school, if any? I took Latin one semester and hated it. Following that, I took all four available German courses and did super well.

What language would you most like to learn? I want to be truly fluent in German.

What would you like to get a degree in? I don't think I want a degree. I want to pursue art (photography to be exact), and I've, in more recent times, become aware of just how flawed and unnecessary art school CAN be. Some people learn and grow in it, but it's a very overhyped and overly expensive thing for something unessential for success, from what I've heard from artist sources I trust.

What was you dream job when you were a little kid? Paleontologist was my first aspiration. I was OBSESSED with dinosaurs, and I still love them and find them so incredibly awe-inspiring. I desperately want to see a full fossil display one day, I might cry.

What happened to that dream? I don't want a career that requires frequent travel and also toiling in taxing conditions (like extreme heat).

Do you wake up a lot in the middle of the night? Once or twice.

What genre of books do you like to read? My all-time favorite is animal fantasy. Most books in this genre are for juveniles, but I don't care. I DO wish there were more adult-relevent series of this type, though... It's one of the things that encourages me to make a book out of the RP I take part it, but I just know I would not be dedicated enough to write a series, especially when I've already WRITTEN the scenes once, you know? Sure, I could just not rewrite a lot, but I'd be a shitty author to not reread and improve where I can, and that just doesn't interest me.

Do you prefer physical books or a Kindle, Nook or other e-reader? PHYSICAL BOOKS. I refuse to get a Kindle or anything similar, I NEED that escape from technology, my life is already consumed by it.

What types of magazines do you read? I don't read magazines.

Do you like video games based off of movies? I did as a kid.

Ever suffer from amnesia? Only when I woke up from a concussion. Initially I had almost no idea of anything and it REALLY distressed me, but still today I don't actually remember the moment I hit the floor.

What instrument do you prefer to play when playing Rock Band/Guitar Hero? I only ever play guitar.

Have you ever picked out a song to listen to on a jukebox? Possibly? Idr.

Have you ever eaten 3 meals from 3 different fast food places in one day? God no.

Favorite way to eat a potato? (i.e. french fries, mashed potatoes…) French fries.

Have you ever wished you could experience being the other gender? No, not really.

Have you ever cried in a movie theater? Yes. I specifically remember crying to Marley & Me, but I'm certain there's more, I cry easily.

When’s the last time you went out of state? It's been years.

Are the files in your computer well organized or all over the place? Well-organized.

Is there wallpaper on your bedroom walls? No.

What do you put on your hamburger? American cheese, ketchup, mustard, and pickles if available. I enjoy mayo, too, but I don't really seek it out.

Have you ever been described as shy? Is it true? Yes, I am excruciatingly shy.

When was the last time you saw rain? A few days back, we got some of Hurricane Debby.

What is one way someone could completely put you off on a first date? Say something racist or anti-LGBTQ+, act arrogantly, if we're out to dinner I'm fucking outie if you're rude to the waiters and stuff, be aggressive with me.

What about a way someone could make you like them more on a first date? Listen to me/just be attentive of me, be polite to those around you, make me laugh, don't be judgmental of my mental health stuff.

What was your first thought this morning? I was annoyed, Mom accidentally pointed her phone flashlight in my eyes at like 6AM and I couldn't fall back asleep after that.

Do or did you like school? School stressed me out, more than anything. It was too much pressure for me, especially college.

Have you ever sang in public? Yes, I was in the elementary school chorus and my childhood church choir. I also remember one church event where I was basically forced to sing a song I had to write with another girl. I was upset, I didn't want to sing with just ONE person doing it with me.

What do you like to listen to before you go to bed? I don't listen to things before bed specifically.

The videos that always make me laugh are… Vine-type videos. The quick, unexpected, stupid shit lmao

A trend I really love is… I've seen these videos going around of black men frolicking in fields and it is SO PURE and healthy masculinity as they laugh and have fun???????????????

My feelings about coconut flavor are… I hate coconut.

I think a good source of therapy is… Journaling.

Something helpful to lose weight is… Don't drink soda. If only I'd take that advice. Sure, I cut down IMMENSELY, but if I stopped entirely...

[am-i-the-asshole-2]

AITA for not drawing for a fandom fest because I felt jealous?

There are many different fandom festivals that require art and drawings in general. I participated several times, drawing for free because it's fun and all that stuff.

The story:

Recently, one of the participants of an upcoming fest messaged me, asking if I could draw something for them. For free, of course, because it's all for the fest. I agreed, the challenge was supposed to be fun.

But soon after I noticed that the person in question commissions a lot of other artists in our fandom.

I'm not a novice in drawing, I take commissions as well, yet I felt somewhat jealous. Am I not worthy to be paid by them? As if they just wanted to use me for free because I'm active in fandom.

I decided to ignore this feeling for some time and focus on something else. But I couldn't gather myself to draw for them anymore, especially after seeing how much they support all the other artists. I felt really jealous. After some time, I got busy with other stuff and forgot about the situation for a while. Until it was too late and I got some angry messages from them about me being incompetent and untrustworthy and all that stuff.

I am frustrated. Because of my jealousy I feel like I betrayed them, yet I can't help myself to do this anymore: I feel betrayed too for being just "some average artist who draws for free sometimes and you can use my skills" in someone's eyes.

[thunderousavery]

Make You Mine (Ghost x Soap) Pt. 2

CW: Blood, Slight (Is it even slight? Haha) Gore, Curse words

A/N: I forgot to mention that this is not canon-compliant (Because I reject everything that happened after MWII). Description: Johnny and Simon try to trudge carefully as the sniper from outside the building waits for their heads to pop out. Main Pairing: Simon "Ghost" Riley x John "Soap" MacTavish Word Count: 1.9k

Chapter 2 - ‘Cause I know that I am yours and you are mine. Doesn’t matter anyway.

To say he was fond of Simon sounded crazy in Johnny’s mind. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever think of it, let alone when they met on their first mission together to apprehend the leader of Al-Qatala in Al Mazrah. The man was stoic, strict, and definitely showed no signs of nonsense in his actions and orders.

Johnny was different from him. He was a breed full of life who liked to see things from every perspective, a man built with confidence and compassion for his comrades. And when he knows something is wrong, he’s headstrong about it and follows his just principles to pursue the truth.

Maybe that’s why he faced disciplinary action years ago because he punched a military police officer and knocked him out. That man was an arse, and he believed he did the right thing even when he almost got a strike on his career for that.

Now, working in Task Force 141 alongside a Lieutenant named Simon “Ghost” Riley seemed like a nice change of pace. He’s dealt with strict men like him before, and he knew he could handle him as well.

But there’s this… vibe on him that he can’t put his finger on. Something that draws to him like no other.

“Ya good, Ghost? Keep up; we’re almost on the first floor.” Johnny spoke after they settled to another cover spot, particularly another pillar wall. He would be lying if he wasn’t concerned with the Brit, but he knew better than to make him feel like a liability after being shot like that. He knew how it felt to feel helpless in this aggravating situation.

“Don’t mind me,” Simon grumbled, his voice laced with irritation clearly at him and his shoulder wound.

Aye, he guessed he would just shut up now. There’s no need to make more noise aside from the car alarms from outside.

… Hold the fuck up.

The explosion. The loud noises from outside.

Fucking retard. Johnny thought as he looked for the laser tag again, sighing in annoyance as the sniper took a shot and barely missed his head when he popped out. Masking the sounds with car alarms was brilliant, but Johnny was disappointed when the sniper used their laser sight for accuracy. It’s just a straight line for a target on one end and the gun on the other.

He can track them down later and fuck them up.

When he surveyed the surroundings again and spotted the laser tag on the far right, Johnny knew they had to move. So, he led the Brit and sneaked towards another cover, then ran as fast as they could towards the staircase room down the first floor. Boots clicked on each step with haste as he tried to dodge any shot that would be fired.

They’re so close to getting out of here alive. So close to making that sniper’s life a living hell.

… Or not.

“… L.T.!”

Simon didn’t follow his Sergeant’s lead. He slumped back behind the latest cover they went through, clutching his shoulder in pain. His eyes were shut tight as he groaned in agony.

Johnny was on the verge of panicking. He can’t leave him behind. He definitely remembered Simon always said that no man should be left behind. That they’re a team, and they stick together. “Ghost, just… Fuck, hold on fer me. I’ll—”

“No!” A roar tore from Simon’s throat as he tried to stand back up. Red dripped from his arm and onto the floor. Brown eyes pierced against blue ones again.

Those eyes screamed, “Help me, Sergeant…” Johnny’s heart clenched in his chest.

But Simon’s gruff voice sounded otherwise as he leaned against the wall for a while, clutching his rifle with his uninjured arm. “I’m… Fuck, I’ll be right there with you.”

They were running out of time. Simon was running out of time. The laser tag was just right behind the edge of the wall where his head would pop out. One move, and he’s dead. Take too long, and he’ll bleed out.

And the Scot knew that. He could see that clearly, and he knows the sniper bastard knows it all too.

So, with a clear resolve and tactical training lessons remembered, Johnny took a step back and ran just to suddenly crouch down to slide back to Simon, his body smoothed against the floor. As expected, the sniper took a shot, missing instantaneously as the bullet seared against the floor.

There was a second before the sniper could shoot again. Johnny calculated it all too well.

“Johnny, what—”

“We don’t have time!” Johnny pulled him by his uninjured arm and ran as quickly as possible with his Lieutenant behind him. The sniper retook their shot, but it missed just right past Simon’s head after they got into the staircase room.

That was fucking close…

They tried to catch their breaths for a while and sat in the corner before Johnny looked at his Lieutenant with a soft smile. From here, they couldn’t hear the sounds of the car alarms anymore. He instantly got worried when he saw the Brit’s eyes drooping slightly behind the mask, so he moved closer and inspected his shoulder.

Then, a soft gasp failed to be unuttered from his throat. “… We have to shut yer wound close, L.T. Cannae have ye bleeding like that.”

Simon looked at him with half-lidded eyes behind his mask. “You mean…?” If he’s thinking what he’s thinking, then he knew it would hurt. And would leave an ugly scar. Again.

“Yeah.” Johnny sighed as he pulled out a throwing knife from his side pocket. “Got a light?”

“Fucking improvising shit…” Simon groaned as he weakly pulled a lighter from his pocket and handed it to him.

“Ya taught me that, remember?” Johnny chuckled as he untied the cloth around the Brit’s shoulder, only to frown as he finally slid it off him. “Yep. Just as I thought. It’s fucked, and needs to shut it close.”

“That bad, huh…” Simon sighed as he unbuckled his vest and struggled to take it off. “Are you just gonna stare, Sergeant? Goddammit…”

“A’ight, hang on.” Johnny helped him slide the vest off him carefully. Simon winced at the feeling of moving his injured shoulder through the process, revealing the bloodied combat shirt underneath due to the bleeding wound. “I’ll cut yer sleeve short. Hope it’s not yer favorite shirt.”

“Less shirt for me, I guess.” Both of them laughed softly at Simon’s attempt at humor. “Can you make a clean cut on it?”

“So it becomes yer fancy sleeveless shirt? I shoot guns and blow up bombs, L.T.”

“And you clean rooms, Soap.”

Johnny hummed in amusement; Simon remembered how he got the name ‘Soap.’

“Aye, but technically, I’m best with room clearance regarding combat.”

Johnny held the knife and carefully tore through the sleeve of the Brit’s shirt. Simon winced again whenever the blade touched near his wound, and Johnny tried his best to avoid it. It took a while, but his shoulder was finally bare, his biceps twitching slightly at the pain in his shoulder.

“This’ll hurt, L.T.,” Johnny warned as he prepared his hands for an amateur surgery badly needed for Simon to survive. “I’ll take the bullet out first. Then, I’ll heat up the knife and press it on yer wound.”

“You’re gonna… fucking dip your fingers inside me... How sweet…” Slightly slurred words and ragged breathing. Johnny needs to do this quick.

“I aim to please. Bite down on yer mask, L.T.” With that final warning, the Sergeant dug his fingers carefully into the bloody gunshot hole of Simon’s flesh.

“Nnnnggghhh!” Simon bit down hard on the fabric of his mask as calloused fingers dipped and nudged between his bleeding wound. The pain was a fucking agony, and he just simply wished to pass out from it. His heart thumped wildly, his mind was getting hazy, and he just kept bleeding out.

“‘m sorry, L.T.! Fuck, I’m trying to… Ah! There it is!” It took a while, but Johnny finally managed to get the base of the bullet between his fingers. It was slick with blood, but he knew how to get it out without letting it slip. “Taking it out now.”

True to his words, he quickly pulled the bullet out efficiently. And it was fucking indeed a .50 caliber. Simon was still biting down on his mask; screams were muffled, and tears of pain falling from his eyes. And Johnny wanted to throw up from making his Lieutenant suffer like this.

“Fuck, fuck… Ghost, we’re almost done. Just need to—”

“FUCKING HURRY UP!”

“A-Alright, alright!” Johnny almost panicked and dropped the knife to his lap but quickly picked it up. He heated the blade with the lighter until it was scorching and tinted with scarlet. Then, without further ado, he chunked the heated edge against the open flesh.

“GAAAHHH!” Simon finally screamed this time; the guttural sound from his throat was all throughout the room.

“Fuck, ‘m sorry, Ghost!” Truly, he was. He can’t bear to hear him scream in pain like this.

“G-Get over it! FUCK!” His left hand gripped his thigh tightly, almost even digging his fingers beneath the fabric of his trousers.

Johnny tried working quickly, but heating the blade and sticking it against the flesh was a repeated process. There’s no other safe way to seal the wound, and he’s not risking putting gunpowder on the flesh, either. He thought of that for a while but couldn’t risk the wound getting infected.

“Almost sealing it up, hold on.” Blood was beginning to stop pouring out of the flesh as it was sizzled and cauterized by the heated blade. Soon enough, the whole wound was sealed up, covered in scarlet and black altogether, like some black pudding.

Simon let out one final groan as he leaned against the wall after the end of the agony, panting and sweating beneath his mask before lifting it just up to his nose so he could breathe. “I-It’s… Is it… over…?”

“… Affirmative, L.T.. You’re gonna be okay.” Johnny slumped back beside him, dropping the bloodied and scorched knife on the floor. He looked at the Brit’s gloved hand, almost wanting to reach with his own and hold it to offer comfort. But he didn’t. Simon might push him away, so he didn’t act on his thoughts.

For now, Johnny sighed in relief after knowing his Lieutenant was gonna survive the night from bleeding out.

But the real danger was still present. The fucking sniper outside the building was just waiting for them to come out.

Johnny pulled his radio out and tried to contact Price, tuning and turning to find the correct frequency. They needed reinforcements, medevac, exfil, anything that could secure their safety and Simon’s recovery. “Bravo 6, this is 7-1. We need—”

“No one’s coming to save you, amerikanisch,” said a male voice behind the line before Johnny could finish his sentence.

… German. Price was not German. They don’t have a German in the task force.

“Surrender the intel, and we might let you live to see the daylight.” A dark chuckle was heard. “‘Course, if we assumed right that your partner’s dead, Soldat.”

“Who the fuck is this?!” The Scot growled as he clutched the radio tightly and moved to the nearest window. It’s good that his Lieutenant was behind a good cover for now.

“J-Johnny…?” Simon’s voice was laced with tiredness and confusion as his half-lidded eyes beneath the mask watched his Sergeant move to the nearest window. “What… What’s going on?”

“We got company, L.T.,” was all Johnny could say before he reached for his weapon with his other hand. “And I don’t think they’re friendly.”

A/N: I WUV U, MY SCOTTISH BOI

You're in Part 2

Part 1 / Part 3 / Part 4

[magnoliabloomfield]

It Happened in the Kitchen

Slivko x Maybelle from my fanfic Under Normal Circumstances.

Summary: it’s their anniversary and Slivko tries to make a cake. Emphasis on “tries”.

Requested by @whourfeyrac

Warnings: SFW but implied love making, fade to black. No cursing. Just domestic fluff.

🍰🎂🍰🎂

“What… happened?” Maybelle asked in a controlled tone as she stood at the threshold of the kitchen and surveyed the state it was in.

Slivko stood there with as much flour on him as was on the counters, much more than was in the mixing bowl at this point.

He sighed and ran a hand down his face, feeling dry and gritty.

“Happy anniversary?” He said as his hand fell to his side and sent up a little white cloud.

Maybelle’s face took on that look, the one where he could hear the “awe!” she was holding in. She left foot prints across the kitchen tile when she came up to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. She tried to give him a kiss but quickly pulled back, wiping flour off her lips with the back of her hand before she wiped his mouth off too and tried again.

“So… what were you going for?” She asked after she broke the kiss, still holding onto him.

“Chocolate cake- devil’s food because I know it’s your favorite,” he answered and watched her bite her bottom lip adorably. “But apparently I’m an idiot who-“

“You are not an idiot,” she said firmly, squeezing him a little tighter. “You, sir, learned how to fly a helicopter. There is no way you can be an idiot.”

All his frustration melted away at that and he wondered if she could see how pink he was blushing under the layers of flour. He couldn’t deny how happy being with Maybelle made him, she was always on his side and never allowed him to be too hard on himself. Even when she was correcting him she was on his side because her goal was always to draw them closer together and keep them together, rather than her ever just wanting to be “right”.

He grinned down at her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her flush against him. She gave him a smile before tucking her head under his chin and hugging him back. She took a deep breath, like she usually did during hugs like these, and was thrown into a sneezing fit by all the flour she inhaled.

“What seems to be giving you trouble?” She asked when she was finished sneezing.

He showed her the instructions, a little recipe card he’d gotten from Penny, and explained what he’d done. Maybelle didn’t tell him anything outright, but rather she asked him some leading questions. He liked that she just leaned on the counter, chin resting cutely on her hands as she watched him. He wanted to do this for her on his own, but it was still much more fun having her around.

After he put the cake in the oven they cleaned up the kitchen together. With a few minutes left on the timer, she turned on the radio and tuned it till she found something to dance to. Slivko smiled as her hand found his and pulled him closer in the middle of the kitchen. She loved to dance with him in the kitchen and he loved that about her.

It seemed like more than the oven was getting heated in there. Slivko almost forgot the cake entirely in favor of something else sweet as his hands strayed farther from normal dance positions. She watched him with a knowing look in her eye but didn’t stop him or say anything. He knew how to get an answer from her.

He spun her out and pulled her back in, her back to his chest with her arms wrapped around herself. Trapped in this gentle prison he leaned down and buried his face in her neck. It was her most ticklish spot and he found that if she allowed kisses there it meant she was up for more, but if she just giggled and turned into a turtle it wasn’t the time.

She leaned her head back against his shoulder so he went for it. He made little pink marks on her skin from her ear to her collar bone before he was interrupted by the timer.

She tried to step away but he held her fast.

“Slivie,” she giggled. “Let’s take the cake out and turn the oven off so we don’t burn the house down.”

He let her hands go but clung to her waist as she moved to get the oven mitts and then over to the stove to take out the cake. His body followed her motions even as she bent over to get the cake and he kissed her back through her shirt.

The cake was left in the pan, oven hastily turned off before she turned in his arms and started kissing him now. The first kiss she ever gave him, the first kiss she’d ever given anyone, had been simple and innocent. She’d learned a lot since then.

He pulled back from her eager lips to look into her eyes. Her pupils were large and he could swear he saw little hearts in them as she peered up at him.

“That’s one year down, Mrs. Slivko. Do you want to sign on for another?” He asked her, feeling her hands find the hem of his t-shirt.

“Aye aye captain,” she breathed as she tiptoed to reach his lips again.

He laughed. “That’s the navy,” he corrected.

“Would you complain if I told you you had permission to come aboard?” She asked.

“Aye aye captain,” he repeated as he scooped her up and carried her off for their personal anniversary celebration.

And afterwards there would be cake. Slivko didn’t think it could get any better than that.

“Remember your dream car?” She asked out of the blue when they were halfway to the bedroom.

“Uh huh,” he said though he could barely remember anything that wasn’t what he wanted to be doing right then.

“When we’re done,” she kissed him once more. “Look in the driveway.” She whisper the last bit in his ear before kissing his neck.

Yes, the fact that she had bought him a car, his dream car, and it was sitting in the driveway that very moment was exciting. But he didn’t need to see it just then. There could be a fleet of cars waiting out there for him, but all he wanted and all he cared about was already there in his arms and all he wanted to do was prove that to her.

[agumonger]

Digimon 02 survey results!!

The people have spoken!! A few days ago, I started a survey on Tumblr in order to figure out what people would want from a hypothetical sequel to 02 beyond the upcoming movie, and the results are pretty interesting. Let's go through them!

I will also link the previous Twitter results from a year ago, although Twitter has a limit of four options per poll, which slightly skews the results.

And thank you so much to @digimonpolls for the amazing support!

1. Which elements of Digimon 02 would you want to see return?

The Dark Ocean was the clear winner in this poll, with 51% of the votes! The second place, with a respectable 30%, was for the Digimentals/Armor digivolution. Oddly enough, only a 6% voted for Dark Seeds to return.

Twitter winner: Dark Ocean, 50%; Armor, 30%

I voted: Dark Ocean

2. Which supporting characters would you like to see in a potential 02 sequel?

With a 34%, Wallace and his twin Digimon, Gummymon and Chocomon were chosen for a return! Every other option on the poll had relatively similar percentages, from 8% to 16%. The "World Tour Chosen", "Ryo" and "new Chosen" were the three most popular options after Wallace, with 16%, 15% and 15% respectively, in a near triple draw. This poll also had the highest amount of votes, since it was shared with Shiha and Ni. (Thank you!)

Twitter winner: Near perfect 26% draw between Ryo, Wallace and other kids

I voted: Wallace

3. Which antagonist would you want to see in the plot of a potential sequel?

Demon was the winner this time, with a decent 29% among nine options in total! Dagomon got the second place (21%), although it started out leading the poll, and was in a draw with Demon until the last day. Zeed/Moon/Millenniumon (16%) and Diaboromon (10%) were the next options. No one voted for "No antagonist". Villains! Who doesn't love em.

Twitter winner: Demon, 39,5%

I voted: haha guess what. psst it's Demon

4. In case we have new digivolutions for the 02 cast, which ones would you prefer?

Solo evolution lines (no Jogress) was the leading option with a staggering 62%!! It seems like many of us want to see the 02 cast thrive individually as well as they do in pairs. Swapped Jogress and further evolutions for Jogress, both common options for speculation and custom art videos, were tied with 14% each. New Armors got no votes, although someone voted "Other". Leaving no comment. User rawrbox suggested the idea of combines Digimental, another popular option that I, sadly, forgot to include. My apologies.

Twitter winner: Solo evolution lines, 53,7%

I voted: Solo evolution lines

5. How would you like the story to be handled, in terms of genre or overall tone? In which aspects do you want more focus?

Extremely interestingly, this might be the most revealing poll of the survey. It's a near-perfect TRIPLE DRAW between psychological exploration, lore and worldbuilding, and daily life, with 29%, 29% and 31% respectively. They were tied exactly in 30% for a while as well. Action adventure, often the presumed "main interest" of Digimon, got 11%. The "Other" option, as well as romance, also commonly cited as one of the main interests of 02 fans (shipping Takari, Daiken or Kenyako for example) got an astounding, astonishing... 0%. I am speechless.

Twitter winner: Action adventure, 46,3%; psychological exploration, 41,1% (no lore option)

I voted: Lore and worldbuilding. I guess that undoes the draw if you don't count my own vote :0

6. Which contexts or narrative environments should the hypothetical sequel address?

Although only 02-specific things was the winning option with 25% of the votes, it should be noted that pretty much every other option got a certain amount of votes. "Only 02" started out as the clear winner from the beginning, with tri. as the second place, but eventually tri. was surpassed by Adventure and the Wonderswan games, with 21% and 18%. So, it should be safe to say that the answer is a bit of everything but keeping a strong focus on 02 itself, to some extent, although every person will have different opinions on which things should and should not go on the "palette".

Twitter winner: Only 02, 34,5% with close percentages of all other options

I voted: V-Tamer! Please read V-Tamer. It's great

7. Which format/medium would you prefer for this hypothetical 02 sequel?

A decisive 67% prefers the classic anime season, with episodes. I included this question because I've seen many people who are tired of the Adventure or 02 related content, and I figured many would prefer to have one or two movies instead of a full season, but it seems I was wrong, at least in this audience. OVAs or movies got 25%. And once again, CD Drama got 0%.

Twitter winner: Anime season, 58,9%; OVAs or movies, 34,7%

I voted: Anime season

Despite being one year apart and held in two different social media and two different languages, it's very interesting that both surveys have received similar results. While it is true that a bunch of people probably participated in both (I was only able to vote this time, not on Twitter, although my votes don't change the results significantly), it seems like there is a certain amount of consistency between such different voting groups, which leads me to believe this study might have some validity in regards to what the Western side of the fandom (at least, the part of it that is active on social media) would want from a new 02 sequel after The Beginning.

Another thing of note is that the Twitter poll was conducted before we barely knew anything about 02 The Beginning, and the results are still more or less the same, with slight variations.

Thank you for your input, this was a lot of fun! 🦖

[late-to-the-fandom]

Seven Snippets Tag

Thank you @lonsdalewrite for the tag from a couple of days ago. I still can't gain any real traction in my current WIP, so I've been self-indulgently re-reading my fics from this time last year. I miss when writing was easy. 😔

Tagging: @sam-glade @druidx @mysticstarlightduck @pancakewithamace @macabremoons @words-after-midnight @undertheestes

From Taking the Tremaculum

The Maw Walker was tired. People forgot she could be anything so mortal as tired as they piled task after task upon her, knowing she would never say no, certain she would succeed at whatever was asked. Renathal himself included. He winced at the thought. He lowered himself to the ashen ground beside her, close enough for his armored shoulder to brush hers. The Maw Walker's eyes flicked open, found his, and she smiled - of course, she always did - though this was not her customary, supercilious smile. It was a warm, living thing that grew as she drank in the sight of him. The idea that the Maw Walker could draw as much strength from his presence as he did from hers was a point of pride in Renathal from which he could never repent. "Well," he said casually, surveying the unending dark landscape in front of them, "in spite of the danger, I believe this has been a good bit of fun."

2. From An Ember Court to Remember

The Maw Walker gave him a chaste kiss on his sharp cheek by way of goodbye, but Renathal snaked an arm around her waist to stop her. With the promise of more to come, he could feel his good mood and dark humour returning. "Consider this part of your regular duties, then," he said with an arch smile, adopting her business-like tone of address. "After all, we are both very important, very put-upon leaders." He punctuated his words with a final kiss of his own, not quite so chaste, drawing out the time before he had to release her lips. "I believe our mutual satisfaction will prove quite important to the war effort."

3. From Keys for All Occasions: The Maw

"Is this real?" Renathal asked conversationally, watching their argument with distant interest. His head was still swimming, struggling to accept their existence. The creature blinked those glowing white-blue eyes once, then - “Here,” it said, and pressed two fingers to his forehead. It was like a light had been turned on inside Renathal's brain. Instantly, the world around him took on sharper focus. There were more varied shades to the greys and blacks of the Maw, and the being, too, looked more distinct, less a hazy purple glow and more a person. Renathal stood up straighter, inspecting it - her, he confirmed - more closely. Her skin was a light lavender, hair dark blue, almost black. But she had no wings, so she was not Kyrian. She was not any denizen of the Shadowlands he knew. Which could only mean - "You must be the Maw Walker," he said slowly. She gave him a small smile. "That’s what they're calling me."

4. From Lost Souls Renathal had no experience with pleasure that comforted, that soothed aches of the mind as well as the body. The Maw Walker could do it, of course. She always knew how to touch him in a way that drew out stress and despair like a harvester of his darkest emotions. But he was not as soft as she was. He was Venthyr, made of sharp points, hard angles, ragged edges. So Renathal had no idea what he was doing as he pressed kiss after fervent kiss against the inside of her wrist, the crook of her arm, the space just above her collarbone; anywhere he could feel a fluttering heartbeat beneath her dewy skin. But if the Maw Walker's response was any indication, he managed well enough.

5. From Keys for All Occasions: Rebellion "It was a doomed venture from the start." Renathal winced. The room in which he had chosen to tend his wounds was deep within the belly of Sinall, away from what was rapidly becoming the main thoroughfare above. It afforded a necessary privacy, but the echoes of Draven's voice reverberating off the dank stone did nothing for Renathal's massive headache. And the General's words did nothing for his still smarting ego. "That perspective," answered Renathal drily, attempting to fasten his shirt over his bandages without moving his left side, “would have been more useful yesterday."

6. From A Spilled Tea

The Duke whipped around at the ominous sound and lunged to save the contents from meeting a rocky demise. In the same moment, Renathal plucked the Maw Walker's cup from her hand, drained its contents in two long gulps, and replaced it smoothly. He met her stunned gaze with the smallest of winks, as Theotar straightened and rejoined them, patting his hair decorously. The dregs of annoyance left in his face cleared as he noticed the Maw Walker's empty cup. "Ah ha, I knew it!" He punctuated his exclamation with a little clap. "An exquisitely soothing flavour, I was sure you would enjoy. It is the clear choice, is it not?" "Oh, this is certainly my favourite so far." The glow from the Maw Walker's smile was almost blinding, but it was not the Duke at whom she aimed it. "Wouldn't you agree, Renathal?" "Absolutely," Renathal said, and he meant every syllable. The Ember Court would be infinitely more enjoyable for the way the taste of the tea reminded him of the Maw Walker's lips lingering over his name.

7. From Eternity

"Would you do me one other favour, Renathal?" Warmth pooled in Renathal's stomach at the way she said his name. As though there was a pleasure in pronouncing each syllable. "Anything," he said, and meant it. "Make the Kirin Tor leave for me." Renathal's smile grew fangs. "With pleasure."

[lesmislettersdaily]

Madame Victurnien Expends Thirty Francs On Mortality

Volume 1: Fantine; Book 5: The Descent; Chapter 8: Madame Victurnien Expends Thirty Francs On Mortality

When Fantine saw that she was making her living, she felt joyful for a moment. To live honestly by her own labor, what mercy from heaven! The taste for work had really returned to her. She bought a looking-glass, took pleasure in surveying in it her youth, her beautiful hair, her fine teeth; she forgot many things; she thought only of Cosette and of the possible future, and was almost happy. She hired a little room and furnished on credit on the strength of her future work—a lingering trace of her improvident ways. As she was not able to say that she was married she took good care, as we have seen, not to mention her little girl.

At first, as the reader has seen, she paid the Thénardiers promptly. As she only knew how to sign her name, she was obliged to write through a public letter-writer.

She wrote often, and this was noticed. It began to be said in an undertone, in the women’s workroom, that Fantine “wrote letters” and that “she had ways about her.”

There is no one for spying on people’s actions like those who are not concerned in them. Why does that gentleman never come except at nightfall? Why does Mr. So-and-So never hang his key on its nail on Tuesday? Why does he always take the narrow streets? Why does Madame always descend from her hackney-coach before reaching her house? Why does she send out to purchase six sheets of note paper, when she has a “whole stationer’s shop full of it?” etc. There exist beings who, for the sake of obtaining the key to these enigmas, which are, moreover, of no consequence whatever to them, spend more money, waste more time, take more trouble, than would be required for ten good actions, and that gratuitously, for their own pleasure, without receiving any other payment for their curiosity than curiosity. They will follow up such and such a man or woman for whole days; they will do sentry duty for hours at a time on the corners of the streets, under alley-way doors at night, in cold and rain; they will bribe errand-porters, they will make the drivers of hackney-coaches and lackeys tipsy, buy a waiting-maid, suborn a porter.

Why? For no reason. A pure passion for seeing, knowing, and penetrating into things. A pure itch for talking. And often these secrets once known, these mysteries made public, these enigmas illuminated by the light of day, bring on catastrophies, duels, failures, the ruin of families, and broken lives, to the great joy of those who have “found out everything,” without any interest in the matter, and by pure instinct. A sad thing.

Certain persons are malicious solely through a necessity for talking. Their conversation, the chat of the drawing-room, gossip of the anteroom, is like those chimneys which consume wood rapidly; they need a great amount of combustibles; and their combustibles are furnished by their neighbors.

So Fantine was watched.

In addition, many a one was jealous of her golden hair and of her white teeth.

It was remarked that in the workroom she often turned aside, in the midst of the rest, to wipe away a tear. These were the moments when she was thinking of her child; perhaps, also, of the man whom she had loved.

Breaking the gloomy bonds of the past is a mournful task.

It was observed that she wrote twice a month at least, and that she paid the carriage on the letter. They managed to obtain the address: Monsieur, Monsieur Thénardier, inn-keeper at Montfermeil. The public writer, a good old man who could not fill his stomach with red wine without emptying his pocket of secrets, was made to talk in the wine-shop. In short, it was discovered that Fantine had a child. “She must be a pretty sort of a woman.” An old gossip was found, who made the trip to Montfermeil, talked to the Thénardiers, and said on her return: “For my five and thirty francs I have freed my mind. I have seen the child.”

The gossip who did this thing was a gorgon named Madame Victurnien, the guardian and door-keeper of every one’s virtue. Madame Victurnien was fifty-six, and re-enforced the mask of ugliness with the mask of age. A quavering voice, a whimsical mind. This old dame had once been young—astonishing fact! In her youth, in ’93, she had married a monk who had fled from his cloister in a red cap, and passed from the Bernardines to the Jacobins. She was dry, rough, peevish, sharp, captious, almost venomous; all this in memory of her monk, whose widow she was, and who had ruled over her masterfully and bent her to his will. She was a nettle in which the rustle of the cassock was visible. At the Restoration she had turned bigot, and that with so much energy that the priests had forgiven her her monk. She had a small property, which she bequeathed with much ostentation to a religious community. She was in high favor at the episcopal palace of Arras. So this Madame Victurnien went to Montfermeil, and returned with the remark, “I have seen the child.”

All this took time. Fantine had been at the factory for more than a year, when, one morning, the superintendent of the workroom handed her fifty francs from the mayor, told her that she was no longer employed in the shop, and requested her, in the mayor’s name, to leave the neighborhood.

This was the very month when the Thénardiers, after having demanded twelve francs instead of six, had just exacted fifteen francs instead of twelve.

Fantine was overwhelmed. She could not leave the neighborhood; she was in debt for her rent and furniture. Fifty francs was not sufficient to cancel this debt. She stammered a few supplicating words. The superintendent ordered her to leave the shop on the instant. Besides, Fantine was only a moderately good workwoman. Overcome with shame, even more than with despair, she quitted the shop, and returned to her room. So her fault was now known to every one.

She no longer felt strong enough to say a word. She was advised to see the mayor; she did not dare. The mayor had given her fifty francs because he was good, and had dismissed her because he was just. She bowed before the decision.

[skykashi]

1st (and this is purely personal) for everything's sake, when you call customer service and you get a survey after the call, that survey is only to evaluate the advisor you just spoke to, not your entire experience of 20 years or whatever with whatever service or company that is, even if the survey asks you to give a number to the company, that number would only count on that one call, don't freggin' give a low score and then leave a comment saying "the advisor was fantastic and resolved an issue I've been having for months, kudos to the advisor but the company sucks" or "the advisor was so helpful and did a great job but I hate the company"... Dude I swear I hate the company more than you do, but I have to work because I need food!! That low score you left isn't hurting the company, it isn't going to let your voice be heard, no one will notice it or care except the poor bastard who just spent all that time on the call trying to help you, you're only hurting the one person who actually cared and resolved the issue you've been suffering with for that long, and I'm not even getting extra money or anything out of the good score either but the mangers find those low score surveys enough reason to harasse us, like "your performance is not good lately... You like to work early huh? So as a punishment until you get your performance back on track again you're going to work in the late shifts" no one reads your comment or care that you said the advisor was amazing and did a great job but I'm leaving a low score for the company because of my past experiences!! Just ducking evaluate the call only, all 3 questions are about this one call only, even if it's deceiving enough to ask you how much you're satisfied with the company itself, I swear, they are lying, leaving a low score on such a question will only hurt the person who helped you, not the company!!

Second (and I know I said that a million times before) I promise Kakashi and Obito are both 5.11 ft why do ppl insist on drawing them like this?

They are both 5.11, They are both 5.11, They are both 5.11, They are both 5.11, They are both 5.11, They are both 5.11, They are both 5.11, why why why why do you guys not like Kakashi the way he is?!! This is so unfair, it would have been absolutely fine if they were canonically like this but when ppl insist on doing this even tho they are canonically the same height it makes me feel that they don't like Kakashi, they only like an imaginary version in their heads that isn't actually him and it's annoying me because it effects the entire fandom, especially because this is an old show that ended years ago so ppl don't remember how canon was anymore, they only see that fanwort and they genuinely believe that this is how they actually are and I find myself surrounded by this oc character who is impersonating Kakashi but isn't really him and it makes me miss Kakashi because I can't find him anymore, remember that filler episode that had fake Gai and Lee who were pretending to be them?

Imagine if these 2 imposters managed to actually take Gai and Lee's place forever and the real Gai and Lee can't be found anymore and most ppl forgot about the real Gai and Lee and believe that these are actually them, and you're the only one screaming to the world that no, this is not them, you guys, please don't forget the real Guy and Lee that we all love but no one is listening to you or can hear you... This is exactly how I feel about this and this is why it's annoying me so much because that fake OC fanon Kakashi took the real Kakashi's place and hardly anyone remembers him anymore and it hurts and I miss him and I'm trying not to care like everyone seems to be doing but unfortunately I can't stop myself from caring because we're not getting any more canon Kakashi content since the og story ended and all, and the fandom is all I have left now but the fandom is slowly replacing him with someone else that isn't him, and this is not just about his height or body, there are way too many misconceptions and claims about him that never happened too, like ppl denying good things he did or claiming that he did something that he didn't actually do and all of this hurts.

It's only 8 am and I'm so annoyed that I want to scream, and part of my annoyance is at myself because I'm not sure that I should be annoyed at stuff like that in the first place because most ppl seem fine with it but why can't I bw like most ppl?!! I'm so annoyed that I'm barely holding back the tears, too much annoyance to the point of feeling like I will explode... That's not a good start to my day, I hope it won't continue like this 😕

[korranguyen]

Random script findings that won’t get their own post, but are interesting enough to share

The Waterbending Master: The Sun Warriors aren't the only culture in ATLA drawing inspiration from the Mayans—the grandiose icy architecture of the NWT does too, described in the script as a blend between the Venice Canals and an ancient Mayan city.

Out of the mist, the NORTHERN WATER TRIBE is revealed. It is a giant ice city, several miles wide. Its architecture looks like a cross between an ancient Mayan city and the watery canals of Venice. Looming over the city are giant ICE CLIFFS from which the city was originally built. (STORYBOARD NOTE: The following sequence should visually pay off what the kids have been waiting to see all season.)

Tales of Ba Sing Se (A): Zuko telling Jin she has “quite the appetite for a girl” was . . . his attempt at cheering her up with a compliment. Very smooth.

Zuko instantly turns angry.

ZUKO (yelling): She is not my girlfriend!

The whole restaurant goes quiet. Everyone stares at Jin and Zuko's table. The waiter looks at Jin and rolls his eyes, then walks away. Zuko sees that Jin looks a little hurt so he tries to find something nice to say to make up for it.

ZUKO (cont'd): You have quite an appetite for a girl.

Tales of Ba Sing Se (B): The stage directions lend even more ambiguity on whether or not Jin truly knows how Zuko set off those fountain lights. She covers her eyes, “playfully peeks through her fingers”, then covers her eyes again? Does she peek again? Mysterious.

Jin leads Zuko towards a magnificent fountain, which sits on top of a hill overlooking the city. Zuko seems a bit more comfortable now that they are outside and alone.

JIN (cont'd): I can't believe it! They aren't lit.

Jin touches Zuko's arm. He can tell how disappointed she is, and for the first time all night he knows what he needs to do.

[some parts of the interaction I forgot to write down]

Jin covers her eyes but playfully peeks through her fingers.

She covers her eyes. Zuko quickly surveys the area to make sure that no one is around. Then he does a simple Firebending move and makes a sweeping motion. The lamps ignite sequentially like dominoes, creating the magical image Jin expected.

(Oh! Also, one more bonus; Zuko is more comfortable later on during his date with Jun specifically because they are outside and alone. The script also repeatedly describes Zuko as overwhelmed by his surroundings and the dating situation he is in. Autistic!Zuko headcanoners, make with that what you will.)

The Awakening: The script itself says Katara is triggered when Hakoda defends Aang's decision to leave.

HAKODA: Maybe that's his way of being brave.

This triggers something in Katara, and she BLOWS UP at her dad.

KATARA: It's not brave, it's selfish and stupid! We could be helping him. And I know the world needs him, but doesn't he know how much we need him too? How could he just leave us behind?!

A long beat as the meaning of this sinks in for Hakoda. He looks down… feeling a great burden of guilt.

The Boiling Rock, Part 1 (A):Suki canonically panics when Sokka attempts to kiss her donning the garb of a Fire Nation guard. Does this say she didn't expect this type of interaction with a CO, or did Sokka set off her pre-existing trigger? Either way—that poor girl.

SUKI: What is it? Did I do something wrong?

SOKKA: (coy) You mean, you don't recognize me?

SUKI: (shrugs) You people all look the same to me.

SOKKA: Oh? Then maybe you'll recognize this…

Reminiscent of 2.12, Sokka leans in for a kiss, but Suki panics and punches him in the gut. Sokka rolls to the ground and his helmet falls off.

The Boiling Rock, Part 1 (B): The touch of Avatar physics hilarity where Chit Sang is too dumb to understand heat conduction was only added during production. Here's how he gets caught red-handed in the original script:

Chit Sang picks up the window and dips it into the water with a loud “PLOP”.

We go dramatically close to a cobra-bat resting on a guard tower. We hear the “plop” echo as the cobra-bat's huge ears FLAP open. It opens its eyes and CAWS loudly. Various tower guards now turn and see the fugitives in the water.

The Fortuneteller: In the moment where Katara makes the connection between Madame Wu's prophecy and Aang being “a powerful bender”, her thought process is purposefully ambiguous—it's unclear what she makes of this.

SOKKA: Nothing. Just that Aang is one powerful bender.

KATARA: I suppose he is.

She looks at Aang, possibly from a different perspective, for the first time. (Though it's unclear what she makes of this.)

[servin-up-surveys]

survey #091

(taken december 18th last year; uploading surveys taken while gone)

Have you ever shared a house with a significant other? Not legally, but I stayed in that apartment way, way too regularly to be considered a "guest" by that point.

How are you feeling today? Happy, sad, or anything else? I am super fucking at peace, Girt stayed last night and the one before that and it was great. Roman and Cookie both slept with us, and it was just a sound, cozy night. I woke up when he did with his alarms to go to work and we were both super cuddly and it was just cute. After work he comes straight back here to stay again, and I am ACTUALLY considering trying to make dinner out of something for us so I can feel like a proper adult and helpful partner. Idc, I wanna do something nice and adult-y.

Who was the last person that made you upset? What did they do? I am FULL prefacing this with the fact this was dumb as shit and I was absolutely being a brat, but I got frustrated I wanna say three nights ago when I was venting the tiniest bit to Girt and he took 'til like, midnight, when I was asleep, to reply. It's embarrassing to even share, like holy shit he has a life and responsibilities and also free time and such. He proves a million times over he cares and is absolutely always there for me, that night just sucked so pretty much everything was hurting me.

Do you have a crush on anyone? Tell me about them. "Crush" doesn't even begin to cover it. Been there for me consistently more than any friend I have ever, and I do mean ever, had. He's never lost faith that I can do great things and conquer what I'm afraid of. He makes me cry from laughing when I don't even want to smile. I feel like I can tell him pretty damn much anything. He's genuinely the most doting boyfriend ever and besides probably my mom of course, my biggest fan there is; he will hype me the fuck up over anything and supports me endlessly. He really appreciates and values my advice and opinions. He SOMEHOW acts entirely unashamed of me. I need to stop, I am too fucking emotional lately and am crying/fighting not to sob lmao jesus, he's just great.

Have you ever had something signed by someone famous? What and who? No but bitch I wish, there are some signatures I would frame lmao

Have you made out with anyone in the last 2 weeks? Yeah.

Have you shaved your legs in the past three days? No. I want laser hair removal on my legs so fucking bad, my legs humiliate me but for multiple reasons regularly shaving them just is not reasonable, or maybe even not possible right now.

Does anyone hate you? Probably. Quite sure there are people who do.

What bugs you about the last person you dated? She is, honestly, one of the biggest liars I have ever met, and has been SINCE we met. Among other things.

Have you ever felt replaced? Oh yes.

Have you ever played a drinking game? Which ones? No.

Did you ever play Neopets when you were younger? Oh yes, I was obsessed. Honestly, it started my computer addiction, I'm pretty sure. Omg I actually recently saw this tattoo featuring a sick tiger Neopet with the quote "we are all God's Neopets, and he forgot the password" and BOY I fucking CONSIDERED lmfao

Do you regularly check anyone’s profile online? Nope.

Have your parents ever worked in medicine? My mom was a pharmacy tech for quite a while.

Do you have any silly nicknames or pet names? I guess "Twinkie," which is the nickname my mom has used for me since I was a baby; she gave all her kids sweets nicknames, lol.

Are you any good at drawing? I guess, wish I was better though.

Is there anything unusual about your house? Uh I don't believe so.

Do you find it hard to talk to strangers, even people who work in stores? Yes, to such a debilitating degree that it has majorly affected my ability to work/find work I can function through.

How many wigs do you own? Zero.

Are your maternal/parental instincts strong? No, but more than they once were; I've helped my mom babysit my nieces and nephew so much that I guess they just naturally started to grow. Like I DO know I get way more upset when a baby cries than in the past, especially if they ARE my niece/nephew, like I get this desperate urge to fix whatever's wrong and I really feel like my heart hurts. It's weird, historically I've had stronger maternal-ish (major emphasis on "ish," don't make this weird) protection instincts over s/os, I've found especially if they're sick.

Do you feel confident in your body image? My self-confidence is in the fucking negatives and it's been getting to me even more than usual (which is already severely) the past few days.

Do you like country music? I hate it. In very rare instances, I'll hear a song I enjoy, but in general? I cannot stand it.

What was the last essay you remember writing about? Toxic masculinity. I wish I still had access to it, it was probably one of my favorite academic things I have ever written. My teacher loved it and used it as the example piece the following semester.

In your dream kitchen, would the worktops be marble or steel? Marble.

Who is considered the “black sheep” of your family? Why? Me. I am pretty starkly different from the general vibe and interests of my family.

What’s something you’re so good at that you take pride in your skill? I'm genuinely proud of my writing.

What’s the worst/best thing you’ve done without your parents knowing? My mom would probably kill me if she knew certain places I "did things" as a teen lmfao. Best, uhhhh... that's hard dude, my mom knows so, so, so much. I'm stumped enough to give in and also say the same things that qualified for "worst" kms 🥴

What’s a random funny scene from a movie that has stuck with you? Honestly a lot from White Chicks, that movie is so fucking memeable and I love it.

Would you date someone who still lived with their parents? I do that now, so yes. Although in Girt's situation, it's for his mom versus she housing him; she has mental health problems and couldn't work for many years, so she came back to Girt all the way from like Indiana or something and stayed with him because he's a fucking saint. He's basically run the place for he and Shelia for many years on his own, but she's now had a stable job for maybe like a year now and he's very READY to move out, the housing market is just so wordlessly insane right now that doing so is very unreasonable, so for right now they stay together.

Would you have to sleep with someone before marrying them? No.

Do you think there is life on other planets? In some form, absolutely. It's like, impossible for us to be the ONLY life-sustaining planet in an infinite space.

Would you enjoy a night of playing video games? Hell yeah, those with Girt are the absolute best.

Would you watch a porno with your partner? No, porn grosses me out personally. I don't want to see two totally random people going at each other. I would get absolutely nothing but a disgust reaction from that. It's totally fine if others are into it (just not to an addiction level obviously, that's problematic), I'm just not.

Do you like gummy candy? Yeah, it's a texture I like more than most others.

Do you know what the person you have feelings for is doing at this moment? He's at work.

How many brothers does your father have? I'm quite sure he has none, or he just hasn't talked about him like, at all.

Are any of your relatives vets? Not that I know of.

Who cleans the most in your house? My mom.

Do you have any current or past teachers on your facebook friends? Quite a lot, and I doubt they're happy with me. 🥴

Have you ever seen the last person you kissed cry? No.

Do your parents vote? I know Mom does, idk about Dad.

Who's the most romantic person you ever went out with? Jason.

How would you react if your best friend was pregnant/got someone pregnant? That would be Girt so that would be a VERY quick breakup if it wasn't me. If it was me, I'd be fucking devastated, terrified, and get an abortion as absolutely soon as possible.

Have you ever seen the last person you kissed dressed up fancy? Possibly in high school on his senior picture day, but I don't remember it.

Did you have a dream last night? No, last night's sleep was totally peaceful.

What’s something you’ve always wanted to say to your ex? I haven't *always* wanted to say it, but for years now I've just wanted to tell him I'm so sorry.

What would you do if you saw a guy hit a girl? My VERY strong instinct says that I would absolutely storm over to them and deck him dead in the face. I very literally think I would. And then call the cops.

What is the last state you were in besides your own? Virginia.

What two breeds of dog do you think would make a really great puppy? Maybe like... an akita and chow-chow. I looked it up and apparently they're legit and I'm in love.

Who is the best person you’ve ever “met” online? That's too hard. I have met THE greatest people through the Internet.

Describe your elementary school in 10 words or less. Very invested in their students, extremely friendly, bright, fun.

What is the greatest kids’ show ever and why? Okay don't judge but when I'm watching my niece with Mom, she LOVES the show Bluey, and honestly it is absolutely adorable and shows you such an ideal but also realistic picture of a good, honest, just picturesque family.

The best album ever made is ______ because _________: Ozzy's Black Rain because you skip NO song. EVERY single one fucking slaps.

Did you ever see a scorpion in the wild? No, they're not native here.

What is the newest thing you’ve learned? Two nights back at Girt's, we were talking about their old dog Charlotte and how much she fucking adored Donald; both Ashley and Shelia said that she did not just love him, that dog was in love with him. Apparently Charlotte's ashes were buried next to Donald because that's what both would have wanted. ;___;

Name a state you have never been to, but would like to go to. Arizona, probably surprisingly. There is a number of native animals there I would REALLY like to see.

Name a word that people use locally that outsiders probably can’t pronounce. Conetoe. You said it wrong.

Describe your world in 5 words. CONFUSING, stressful, poetic (not in all ways, but I'd say definitely in many), melancholy, but mine and one of a goddamn kind so I'll take it.

What time did you go to bed last night? Uh it was before 12. We played Jackbox Party Pack games for a few hours with some of his online buds, but he also tried excruciatingly spicy ramen, more than he should've because the psycho didn't wanna waste it but also to "build up [his] heat tolerance" and I was like BUT WHY?????? is that necessary????? Thankfully he knew I was right so didn't finish it and then he just wanted to go to bed lmao, he felt like shit.

Who did you last ride in a car with? Girt. Bless him, it's a 30 minute drive to his place and he was BELTIN shit which I usually don't mind at all, but between driving to his place and back, I got such a bad headache lol.

Are you currently heart broken? No, my heart is fuller than it normally is.

Do you know how to change a diaper? I mean, to be completely realistic I could probably figure it out, but immediately? No. I have changed ONE diaper in my entire life and never will again (and that one wasn't even very dirty).

Would you be tazed for a million bucks? Yes.

What is the most annoying thing that your parents do? My mom is always 100% certain she's right. Disagreeing is disrespect. My dad can be weird and sometimes rude to people, and he has no concept of "there are people who can hear you other than me" in public.

Do you completely trust the person you’re dating? Yes.

When was the last time you received a hug? Who was this hug from? This morning, Girt.

Are you one of those people who like The Nightmare Before Christmas? I do, but nowhere near obsessively or even as much as people seem to think I do. The movie is fine, but it's nothing amazing, honestly. Coincidentally, both my phone's lock and home screen are scenes from the movie, lol. Just for the holiday.

What is your favourite type of nut? Idk, I really don't like nuts very much. I guess cashews, I can handle them fine in like, nut/grain/etc. bars.

Where did you eat the best pizza you’ve ever eaten in your life? Guys I am not fucking kidding, it was literally at an indoor trampoline park sort of place that hosts parties, lmao. We went there for Girt's nephew's party, and that pizza, everything about it, was BOMB.

Did you ever watch The Rugrats when you were a kid? Oh yes, loved it.

Do you know anyone who smokes in their car? Dad and Kim.

[lady-lunaaa]

It's taken me an age to get around to this, but here I am. This is gonna be long, so under the cut it goes:

The introduction to this had me gasping, you know I love my detailed descriptions! And the way you describe Paradis after the war and Levi's tea shop is just so inviting and peaceful. My favourite line in particular is:

The smell of freshly brewed tea leaves tickled the air, and dark chestnut walls framed the single room inviting a cozy atmosphere. 

I want to be there so badly! It sounds like the perfect place to unwind.

Another favourite line of mine, because I just adore the way you describe Levi throughout this (again you know I love my heavily scarred men!), is this:

Two heavy lines of scars covered the right side of his face, like a perfectly placed imperfection. But something about those two scars only draws you to him more. A perfectly placed imperfection.

That line sticks with me always. I think we've spoken about it before but that is exactly how I see scars. They tell a story, they show the strength and stubborn will of the human mind and body. This will always be my favourite line <3

Also you just capture him and his essence so perfectly. Every time I read this I can see him and hear him. A perfect example:

He was leaning on one of the dark wooden counters, arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed you. "Tea, as suggested in the name," he replied blandly as he brought a slender hand to his left temple and massaged the area.

IT'S JUST SO LEVI.

The way you describe him, how his body has naturally filled out with age and a sedentary lifestyle. He has that dad bod and I am obsessed! And the little detail you throw in about his reflexes - left over from his time as a military man. It just HITS. Every tiny detail in this blows me away.

Levi clocked us as a simp so fast and it makes me smile every single time. Like DUH we were looking at you, you're fucking perfect. Please. AND THE, AND THE- gosh okay I need one minute. This part ALWAYS makes me cry. Always.

"People want to eat with their tea, Levi. It's boring to just sit there and sip tea," Gabi complained one day as Levi tried to tune out her words. He fought every moment after the war, learning to walk again and live in this new body. So listening to some snot-nosed teenager trying to have a say in his life is not how he wanted to spend his day. 

I fucking adore you for including Gabi and Falco. OUR BABIES, OUR CHILDREN. Gabi is so sassy but also so correct 🤣 and Levi complains but he loves them so damn much 🥺 the detail about him learning to walk again and see again and basically survive in his new body just makes me sob. Gosh, does he deserve love more than anyone I know.

THE MENTION OF ERWIN. Ahhh. It's those tiny details again, the little nuances that make this piece so incredibly bittersweet and painful. But that good kind of painful. I can feel Levi's emotions in this. And his insecurities that we are disappointed with the man he is now compared to what he was once makes me literally curl up on the floor clawing my eyes out. BABY YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL AND BETTER THAN MOST MEN COULD EVER BE.

You ended up being a comfort to Levi in a world where he never expected to have one.

Another favourite line of mine. It makes me ACHE in places I didn't know I have.

No wait because I'm hyperventilating and choking on snot. Fuck. I forgot how much this part always tears me apart. I left my Levi days behind me a long time ago but this fic always brings them rushing back. He used to be the only anime man I loved, my #1. And this part in particular just destroys me:

"I'm not him anymore, but I would like to–fuck. I know I'm broken now and that I don't look like I did in the past, but if you'll give me a chance–"

"And I love every part of you, especially now that I've gotten to truly know you." You moved to kiss his cheek, a bit rounder than it was from the days in Paradis but it’s still Levi. Levi who smells of black tea. Levi who didn’t let the world in. Levi who could finally chase his dreams.

This is literally everything I dreamed of in a Levi fic. I pretty much exclusively don't read them because I'm very fussy when it comes to him, he's very special to me, even now. But I could read this over and over. It's my safe space.

This fic resonates with me in a way that very little do. It basically sums up my feelings and dedication to this series as a whole. And it's the perfect happy ending for our one-eyed prince 💙

Could you write Chubby!Levi Ackerman x Fem!reader ? I mean imagine him with curves like his face is filled out , his cheeks are chubbier , his waist is getting plumped without forgetting his cute rounded tummy <3 ( fluff ) ?

Hello!!! So sorry this took forever and a day! Life has been crazy! So i've never written chubby! anything but I hope you like this! Thank you for sending in a request!

Thank you FOREVER AND ALWAYS to my wife @lady-lunaaa for brainstorming with me, helping me with ideas, telling me I could do this, supporting me and beta'ing this!

Paring: Chubby!Levi Ackerman x Fem!Reader

Rating: T (I am still an 18+ blog, MDNI)

WC: 1.8K

Warnings: AOT Manga spoilers, Chubby!Levi, first time writing chubby! Anything, pining, some thoughts/discussion of body issues, please let me know if I missed anything!

It's been years since the final war for Paradis. Life has become miraculously calmer since those last days. The towns have been rebuilt, and people have started to live an everyday life. 

Little shops began appearing on the cobblestone streets of Marley, and one that caught your eye was a tea shop nestled right in the middle of a long row of shops. It was named simply Black Currant Tea. Even though it sold all types of tea imported from all over the world, the most famous brew was black tea. The favorite flavor of the once well-known "Humanity's Strongest." 

At first, you were intimidated when you found out the man you had watched from the sidelines of the town was the owner of this humble tea shop. But the inside of it drew you in and held you. It was quaint inside. The smell of freshly brewed tea leaves tickled the air, and dark chestnut walls framed the single room inviting a cozy atmosphere. 

No one else was there just yet, no one besides the owner. Two heavy lines of scars covered the right side of his face, like a perfectly placed imperfection. But something about those two scars only draws you to him more. Levi has always been beautiful to you. Memories of watching him ride through the town's streets before missions flew through your mind.     

You're so caught in your memories that you didn’t realize you'd been staring at the man directly and the infamous Levi Ackerman until he cleared his throat. 

"Ah! Sorry! I just wanted to see what you had here!" You stumbled over your words as you took him in. He was leaning on one of the dark wooden counters, arms crossed over his chest as he surveyed you. 

"Tea, as suggested in the name," he replied blandly as he brought a slender hand to his left temple and massaged the area.  

You felt embarrassed, unsure what to say next, and decided instead to look over the little boxes set neatly on the counter filled with all different types of tea. Levi ignored you as you pondered, instead he focused his attention on the cash register, flipping idly through the bills. 

You let your eyes move back to him; he's filled out since the war ended. His face is a bit rounder with age and the lack of extensive training. He was still incredibly handsome, though, so much that it's hard not to stare at him. Like a stoic deity that has come to Earth, he was beautiful with all his imperfections.

His eye snapped up to meet yours, those reflexes from years on the battlefield still wired deep within him. "Did you need help picking something?" His tone was a little softer than before, not nearly as harsh. But before you could answer, he cocked his head to the side, taking you in more deeply than before. "Do I know you?" 

Shock and panic ran through you. You hoped with your entire being he didn’t remember you being at almost every going away crowd for the Survey Corps. That would be embarrassing. Thoughts scrambled in your head as you tried to come up with some reason other than being a complete stalker for why he would know you.

"Well, I-"

"You used to sell pastries, right? That little cobblestone shop in Trost?" His words were pointed, and you're not sure how he knew that you did sell pastries before your shop was destroyed by the Colossal. 

But you do know that he never visited your shop, you were sure you would've remembered him coming. You were the only one who ran it, so there's no way you would've missed him. 

"Um, yes?" you responded hesitantly. This is not where you thought this visit would go. Levi's gray eye scanned your face, irritated that you responded to him with a question.

He'd recognize you anywhere. He saw you every time they would leave on a mission, standing in the crowd staring at him like an excited child. At that time, he chalked it up to lost dreams of being an adventurer but now, as he watched you fumble over yourself, it clicked together. You truly had been looking directly at him, and it wasn't a dream of being with them that made your eyes shine; it was him. 

He was unsure what to do with this information, especially now that life has changed. Before the walls fell, you wouldn't have even been an option, but now he could create a life. This is what he's been trying to do with this tea shop, explore love and pass time that he couldn't in a world filled with terror. And although he recognized you and remembered your beauty from long ago, he was asking about your past profession for a good reason. Gabi and Falco, older and wiser than before, were still annoying and persistent that he should add some sort of food item to his shop.

"People want to eat with their tea, Levi. It's boring to just sit there and sip tea," Gabi complained one day as Levi tried to tune out her words. He fought every moment after the war, learning to walk again and live in this new body. So listening to some snot-nosed teenager trying to have a say in his life is not how he wanted to spend his day. 

But after multiple customers asked about scones or pastries, he decided to take this chance even though his well-laid-out menu was within plain sight. 

The two of you chatted a bit longer, Levi conveniently forgot to bring up how he truly knew you and instead discussed how Erwin had brought him food from your shop before. Omitting the fact that it's one of the best things he ever tasted. Years of starvation changed his eating habits for life, but he could still remember the first time he tasted one of your freshly made croissants. It had melted in his mouth, and Erwin had made ridiculous comments about the bliss that flashed across Levi's face. 

Levi needed money to go to your shop, though. Money he didn’t have, so he could only partake in your pastries when Erwin would stop by. But he did pass by your shop every now and then. He would catch small glimpses of you behind the counter with a dazzling smile as you talked to customers. But Levi left that out, too, as he asked if you would make some pastries for his shop. 

He let you know he'd install anything you needed and pay you well. And how could you resist that?

That's how you spent six days out of the week with the man you've watched for years on the sideline. A small oven and counter space area were dedicated just for you, and you spent time researching the best things that would match Levi's vast collection of teas. At first, everything was awkward. You fumbled over your words anytime Levi talked to you and could feel heat rush to your face. But the worst was when Levi caught you staring at him.

You marveled at his beauty, even now. Somehow he seemed even more handsome after the war. His body was more filled out, his waist a bit more pronounced, but still stunning. And it was hard to tear your eyes away from him.

But Levi was sure you were comparing him to his past self. Lithe, fast, and strong. Everything he wasn't now. Who was he kidding? He's not the man he used to be. In his mind, you were only idolizing a past Levi. 

But those thoughts didn’t stop your growing relationship with him. The two of you clicked, sharing an identical sense of dry humor. As well as being able to remember home and the good times before the world went to shit. You ended up being a comfort to Levi in a world where he never expected to have one.

And after six months of working side by side, he can't hold himself back any longer. The two of you sat at one of the little tables at the end of a busy day. The sun was setting through the glass window at the front of the shop. 

"You used to come every time we would leave." He said calmly, evenly, to not scare you away.  Would you hate him because he knew all along?

You slide your gaze over to him, anxious now. Even though the two of you had built a good working relationship and your schoolgirl crush had cooled a bit, you thought you had gotten away with watching him every trip out of the walls. But you should've known that he saw you. You were there every single time. Of course, he wouldn't have missed you. He's Levi fucking Ackerman, for god's sake.  

"Um? Yes?" Again you answered him with a question like you did when he first spoke to you. A statement that had irritated him back then he finds endearing now, cute even.

"Why?" His question was soft as he took his left hand and placed it on top of yours. You're warm. It felt nice with the cooler weather setting in.                                       

You let out a rush of air from your lungs, not sure how to reply to him. His hand weighed heavy on yours but was still comforting like he's known your secret all along. You didn’t want to sound crazy, but you knew very well you were there for him, and you knew Levi well enough now that he can see through any lie you tried to spin to save your dignity. 

"It was for you, Levi. I wanted to see you. Just in case it was the last time," your voice was quiet as you looked towards the chestnut table, tracing the patterns with your eyes. Looking anywhere but at Levi. What if he laughs at me? What if he thinks I'm pathetic for pining after him? The questions flowed through you like a waterfall as you waited for the rejection.

"I'm not him anymore, but I would like to–fuck. I know I'm broken now and that I don't look like I did in the past, but if you'll give me a chance–"

You cut him off, thrown by his pain of losing his past self in the war, "Levi, I don't care how you've changed. You're just as handsome as you were with each mission. I've liked you for a long time and–" You moved around the table to sit in the chair closest to him. 

"And I love every part of you, especially now that I've gotten to truly know you." You moved to kiss his cheek, a bit rounder than it was from the days in Paradis but it’s still Levi. Levi who smells of black tea. Levi who didn’t let the world in. Levi who could finally chase his dreams.

"I'm not the same anymore," Levi said solemnly as he gestures towards his waist and stomach, no longer toned after years of rigorous training. 

"Levi, I love you, just as you are," You placed a peck on his lips and helped him stand while leading him to the hall back to his room. "Let me show you."

[lostcauses-noregrets]

Hey, Lost! Do you know if an Isayama quote I vaguely remember is true? Something about not drawing how Levi mourned Erwin's death/buried him because he couldn't portray the veterans' relationships as more special between each other than others. I've always had a suspicion he was censored on queer characters, like Hange's gender in the anime, and if that quote is real, that's one reason why I suspect it. If you're not comfortable answering, that's fine. Thanks!

Hi Anon, I think a few things may have got a bit mixed up here. I'm not aware of any quote from Isayama along these lines, unless I'm missing something, however he did talk about Erwin and Mike's death during the Oita autograph event Q&A in 2018.

Isayama on Erwin’s remains

Q: What happened to Erwin’s remains?

A: Although at that time he couldn’t go immediately, at a later date, Levi brought back Erwin’s skeletal remains and buried them. Although a lot of people died, it seems that only Erwin received special burial.

Source

Full Direction Quote

Q: Did the captain have a burial for Erwin’s body?

A: Yeah, it was special only for the commander…That day, Levi went back once, but it was impossible to do it, because so many people died. When he managed to, Erwin was pretty much skeletonized. I think he was pretty much skeletonized when he was buried.

Source

[Translation by @yusenki]

Surrounding people’s reaction toward Mike’s death:

Q: How did Erwin and Levi react toward Mike’s death (any portrayal/description about), it was necessary, right?

Bakku-san smiled bitterly.

Isayama: We must have been in a hurry and didn’t manage to draw it properly.

Bakku-san: We lost good people pretty early

Source

Isayama on Mike’s last moment:

Quote from Isayama: I aimed for grimness and as the result, either he was cornered until his dignity was trampled or he was forcefully exposed to the side of him that he didn’t want to show. I thought whether that was the cruelest thing and somehow I did it to him.

Source

[Translation by @yusenki]

(Thanks to @momtaku for reminding me about the quote about Mike, I'd forgotten about that one.)

I'm not going to lie, I was extremely salty when we didn't get to see any kind of burial or memorial service for Erwin, particularly when it was confirmed in the manga that there would be a burial for the fallen Survey Corps soldiers "at a later date". I know I wasn't the only one who was really annoyed when the time skip happened and that later date never came. However it was some comfort when Isayama confirmed that Levi went back to Shiganshina to retrieve Erwin's remains and bring him home, and that he was treated with the dignity he deserved, and his sacrifice honoured and commemorated.

That being said, I don't think the reason that Isayama didn't draw these scenes is due to censorship, I think it's more down to plot and pacing, which have always been problematic in the manga. Some scenes that you would expect to carry weight are glossed over or missing altogether, while others are done to death. Historia's whole arc is a case in point.

I'm also not sure I agree that Levi isn't shown to mourn Erwin in the manga. I think it's quite clear that Levi is grieving after his return from Shiganshina, even if he does so in his own quiet, stoic way. And the fact that he never forgot his vow to Erwin is further proof of the lasting impact that Erwn's death had on him.

Regarding censorship in the anime, I know this is something that some fans have been very vocal about. I'm not really familiar enough with the anime industry to know what authors, producers and studios can and can't get away with in different genres of anime. However I do know that SnK is a massive multi million dollar media franchise so I suspect every decision taken is a compromise between the author, the producer, the studio, and all the other stakeholders involved. I'm sure that different forms of "censorship" are rife in the anime industry, but I couldn't say how much of an impact that has had on a franchise like SnK. Isayama has always struck me as quite a canny operator, and I suspect he's done a pretty good job of telling the story that he wants with treading the fine line of what's acceptable to portray on screen.

I'm not going to go into the subject of Hanji's gender here, but if you want chapter and verse on the subject, I can highly recommend this post by @tsuki-no-ura.

[cedricslover]

can you write a oneshot with wolfstars daughter dating george

Here you go bestie<33 thank u for requesting!!

As a wolfstar shipper and a George girl myself���, I hope you like this bestie<33

Pairings: Sirius x Remus, George x Fem! Reader

Warnings: some homophobia at the beginning, teasing Sirius Black lmaooo

Word Count: 2.4k

“You want a future with me?”

“Hello dear” you turned around and saw one of your fathers, “Dad!” you jumped and hugged him, you just got off the Hogwarts express, this would be your last summer break since you’re going to be seventh year the next time you step at Hogwarts. 

“How’s my baby girl?” He looked at you as you broke the hug, you smiled at the sight of him “Doing great, where’s dad?” you looked around while he picked up your trunk, “Here!” you heard the voice of your other father and your heart jumped out of joy when you saw him, you ran to him and hugged him too. 

“Here’s a chocolate for our princess” he handed you a bar of chocolate, “Remus! You ruined my moment with her, you should show up at the exit, not here, you’re ruining my quality time with our daughter!” suddenly Sirius was having a tantrum, not likely a tantrum actually, he was just whining. 

“No” Remus answered and looked away while he bit into his own chocolate bar. You laughed at them, “Stop acting like kids” you said and linked your arms to theirs. 

“Excuse us?” They both said in unison and looked at you, their forehead creasing that made you laugh even more. 

“You may” you nodded while closing your eyes and your parents just looked at each other, and it seemed like they were blaming the other one as to why you are so sarcastic.

“Let’s just go home” you dragged them by the arms since theirs are still linked to yours. You giggled as you saw Sirius not even struggling while carrying your trunk and at the same time being dragged by his daughter, and giggled even more when you saw your other dad who was just eating his chocolate quietly while observing the surroundings. 

You three were just like a happy family, parents picking up their child that came from a boarding school, if it weren’t just the ugly looks the people gave you.

It seems like Sirius was also bothered by how people looked at the three of you, seriously? Can’t they just manage their own business. 

Remus on the other hand was like used to it, he didn’t show any bothered expression, he didn't want to feed their satisfaction. That is something you got from him, that’s why you just let the people be, but of course, Sirius being Sirius.

He removed his arms from your link and grabbed Remus' face and took a bite from the chocolate that was centimeters away from his lips-being that he was eating it, your eyes widened registering how did that happen so fast, your jaw dropped, and a smile slowly formed in your lips as you saw Remus turning scarlet. 

 “Gross” you removed your arm that was around Remus’ and walked past them, your smile didn’t left your lips as you see mixed reactions from the crowd at the station, some were smiling, some were confused, some were probably uncomfortable, and of course, the people who were obvious to be insulted or disgusted. 

Needless to say, Sirius is your father, so you flicked those people who looked openly disgusted by them, they were sneering, frowning, and rolling their eyes.

“Fuck off git” you mouthed as you walk, turning to them while your middle fingers were greeting them. 

“Good job princess” Sirius laughed and high fived you as you three arrived at the front of number 12 Grimmauld Place, you weren’t sure what was the good job for, is it for flicking those people off or for successfully apparating, you decided to shrug it off and just viewed the house, it was your father’s ancestral home, it was filled by terrible memories of his childhood but with you three living there, it was all buried deep down. 

You unconsciously stared at the beautiful house that was concealed in the muggles eyes. You felt nostalgic seeing your dads walking towards the door, memories from your childhood appeared in front of you.

A girl in a yellow flowy dress, around the age of four, was running towards two men with their arms open wide, expecting that the little girl would run to them instead of the other, but what they didn’t expect was the little girl would run straight to the space between them and both hug them from the necks. 

The little girl was giggling while her dads were teary eyed, that’s when they realized, she never had favorites, if she had the choice to not choose, she wouldn’t. 

“Y/N?” Remus called you from the doorstep, his head was cocking from the door. “Oh!” you ran to the door “call me before dinner yeah?” you told Remus as you removed your shoes. You raised your gaze to him with flashing eyes and maintained eye contact, waiting for his answer. 

“Alright” he replied to you, you felt sudden joy not even sure why but it did make you kiss him on the cheek. “Thanks!, Love you dad!” you shouted as you ran towards the stairs, 

“HOW ABOUT ME?!” you heard Sirius who was probably at the kitchen doing Merlin knows what, “I LOVE YOU TOO!” you yelled while you ran the stairway. 

“YOU BETTER BE NOT PREGNANT WITH THAT WEASLEY BOY’S CHILD Y/N!” Remus’ voice echoed and you laughed and stopped from entering your room and peeked down while holding at the stair rails.

“DON’T WORRY, I’M NOT PREGNANT!” you shouted back and you heard his sigh of relief, “YET!” you added and sprinted to your room and closed the door. 

You heard both of their voices shouting your name. You cackle while heading to your study table, your room was cozy, it was filled with different drawings you made when you were a child, there was your very first black leather jacket that Sirius gave you before he bought you a bicycle, it was hanging from a corner, properly displayed, he was expecting you to like motorbikes like he did, and you did, you like riding motorbikes. 

There was also your very first hair accessories that Remus bought for you, hair pins, hair clips, headbands, and many more. He was the one who likes to tidy you up, even before you make yourself dirty by running and riding the bike. Of course Remus struggled but thankfully, Lily did teach him a few hairstyles when they were teenagers, and the rest of his knowledge came from going to different hair salons just to ask how to style his daughter’s hair. 

An owl bumped on your window that made your brows raise and shift your head to that direction. 

“Errol?” you said the name of the owl and he dropped a letter to your hand before he headed to your table and lay down, acting very exhausted, of course to your utter panic you immediately got water and placed it in front of him. You sighed as he drank through the container, enough for him to drink. 

While he relaxed you opened the letter. 

Hello beautiful, 

                   I’ll arrive there at six, see you. 

Your husband, 

George

You bit your lower lip and smiled, then you forgot, you haven’t told your dads yet. Without wasting any time, you apparated to the kitchen. 

“Hey” you voice lingered behind their backs and they jumped, they turned their heads to you with wide eyes, “You don’t do that here” Sirius said while holding his chest, “I almost had a heart attack” he glared at you while you just tried to not laugh,

“You’re just getting old dad” you stated that made him glare at you more, Remus smiled very very sweetly at you, trying to bribe you to not say it “and you too” you smiled back, looking at their sour faces. 

“Enough” Remus raised both of his hands and shaked it, trying to shoo you. “I was about to say that George’s arriving at si-” you didn’t have the chance to finish your sentence when someone knocked at the door. 

“I’ll get it” you announced, you three were quite tensed as to who might be at the door, you weren’t expecting visitors this early, it wasn't 6 o'clock yet. 

You opened the door, ready to run back to the kitchen if something goes wrong, but what greeted who was something-or someone, who had a mischievous smile, his red hair shining because of the sun, and his brown eyes gleaming at you. 

“Hello dove” his smile became wider as he caught the perfect view of his girlfriend, her Y/H/C hair complimenting her skin, the eyes that were obviously shocked to see him, and the smile that slowly formed on her soft lips. 

“George!” you mentioned his name when you processed who was standing in front of you, he gave you a peck on the lips before he grabbed your waist and pushed you carefully to the side so he can walk, “hello Sirs” he cleared his throat and rubbed both of his hand on his pants before giving your fathers a hand shake. 

This would probably be their very first ‘formal’ meeting, they already met each other at Hogwarts, during the Triwizard tournament, but that wasn’t formal enough, unlike now. 

George was scratching the back of his neck and was being really nervous, you just surveyed them, and when you noticed something it was too late because your mouth opened before you can even think twice

“Dad, you’re the smallest” you told Sirius that made the three of them look at you, firstly George was shaking his head slightly, trying to tell you that it was not the right time, then Remus was also looking at you, he was trying his best to cross his brows but you can see the ghost of smile that was in his face, on the other hand, Sirius was there shooting daggers at you with his eyes like you’re not his child, then he slowly looked at Remus and George. 

George was obviously the tallest, but only an inch taller than Remus, while Sirius, he’s just not a six footer. 

“I-uh come George let’s prepare the table” even though it was still early, you reached for George’s hand, still feeling the stares of your father, you wanted to laugh, so hard, but he might not buy you your favorite cereal, so you chose to suck it up.

“Why’d you do that?” George started talking as you fetched his wand and used it to prepare the table using magic, “it was my mouth’s fault, anyway, you told me you're arriving at six, it's not six yet” you answered and watched the floating plates and utensils. 

“I was trying my best not to laugh dove, please don’t do that again in front of your parents, I might lose goodie points, and I meant six minutes not six o'clock” he chuckled as he hugged you from the back, wrapping his arms around your waist and laying his chin on the top of your head. 

“Even if you lose goodie points, I’ll still love you don’t worry” you faced him and cupped his face, his face that was always as perfect, those freckles that can make a constellation, his eyes that you would prefer to look at rather than the stars, and his hair that would always stand out. 

It was like a magnetic pull, your faces was slowly getting nearer and nearer, almost there, the finish line, his lips onto yours, inches turned to an inch, heartbeats getting fast, and you can feel his breath, then his soft lips was supposed to be next 

Not until someone cleared their throat that made you push George out of reflex. 

“No snogging in this house, you understand that angel?” Sirius crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows, “Yes dad” you replied, slightly embarrassed so you chose to continue to prepare the table while George can’t maintain eye contact with you or anyone in the room. 

“Sorry dad” you walked to Sirius who was still in the entrance of the kitchen, surprisingly he smiled at you, “Yeah that’s for bullying me” he wrapped his arms over your shoulder “But about that almost kiss? I’m not mad don’t worry, we all kiss someone at some time” he added like it was just common sense for him to not get mad.

“I love you” you said out of the blue while you two watched Remus and George laughing at the dinner table, you rested your head on his chest, “I love you more princess” you felt him kiss the top of your head. 

“Just walk with the boy outside while we clean here alright?” Remus looked at you and George, he tapped George’s shoulder before he turned his back to the both of you and be with Sirius who was still drinking wine at the table. 

“Come on” George called you and touched your back to guide you, your eyes were still looking at your parents, mesmerized by their strong bond. 

“Georgie?” you tried to get his attention while you two walked the dim lighted streets, only the flickering lamp posts and the moon were the sources of light. 

“Hmm?” he was busy playing your hand, touching every bit of it, and even comparing it to his. “You think we would be like them?” you stopped on your tracks, feeling the night summer breeze brushing your skin, "Like who love?" He stared at you, now holding your hand firmly, "Sirius and Remus" you answered and tucked the few strands of hair that was bothering your face because of the wind,  you looked at his eyes and saw amusement and adoration all over it.

“You’re asking me that?” a lopsided smile appeared on his face, you nodded slightly as an answer, “You’re thinking of marrying me?” he asked you again, now giving a full smile, you nodded again, “You," he pointed to you "want a future with me?” he pointed to himself, his eyes smiling the same as his lips, you nodded again, oblivious of how that made George’s inner monologues that was doubting what would happen with the both of you disappear, because who wouldn’t, you’re Y/N, raised by two amazing people, you’re beautiful, intelligent, bold, and many more that he would even consider you as perfect. 

And you’re here, saying that you wanted a future with him. 

Now, with the moon smiling at the both of you, the stars being your cheerleaders, your lips met, you hooked your arms around his neck while he cups your face with one hand and the other holding your waist. 

At this night, two teenagers shared a kiss under a lamp post, during the summer of 1995.