#this is meant to be a silly post but genuinely with his crime list and now jailbreak added to it where tf else is he gonna go

[vivid-vices]

i really think ranpo and fukuzawa heard about dazai's crimes being publicized then within like a few hours fukuzawa agreed to transfer a member to the mafia and they were both just like "well i guess that guy's gone fr now rip dazai" and that's why he was ignored in ranpo's "the whole agency's together again" comment in anne's room and in fukuzawa's thoughts of the ada

[originalwinnercheesecake]

King Andrias Leviathan and the Brilliance of his Character

Amphibia is season three is out now and the fandom is awake, so more posts! I am going to start with an Analysis on The King. Yes “The Night” will obviuosly be the most dangerous Villian the trio face, but it will also probably be reserved as a final boss in the finale; So ANdrias is meant to be the main villian.

Lets list off his crimes shall we: Invaded multiple worlds once with the plans to conquer. Has kidnapped multiple residents of at least 2 other worldly species and keeps them prisoner in the castle crypt, Most likely sworn allegiance to a dark entity, deceived/manipulated/used Three young girls and their friends/family. decived and Betrayed those in his inner circle (Yunnan and Olivia), Sold Marcy out Metaphrically just because he could. Smashed Frobo. Tried to murder four near helpless children because he in his words “Friendship/caring about others leads in pain”, Actually Killed/critically injured Marcy, Sold her out Literally (Possesed by the night Marcy), and sent killer robots to Earth. I am going over all of this to make it clear Andrias is not just some Antagonist who differences from our hero’s but in his heart is truly a good person (That’s Sasha and Grime), or some tragic figure just waiting on a redemption arc, he is 110% a pure bonified evil Villain. As Matt has said he does not think Every character needs to be redeemed and he will not be doing that; so no good guy Andrias.... With all of that out of the way is it possoible for a character like Anrias to have any depth

Yes, he actually does. When we first meet Andrias he is shown to be very friendly, telling joke, acting goofy and affectionate, He supposedly loves puzzles and board games, shows a lot of interest in his “new firends” likes and hobbys... These are things that some dangerous people will pretend to do for their victims, but we see in 3x01 ‘The New Normal” Thet even when he is by himself Andris still acts goofy. HE tells a kill boat to go to earth to get him the next book in a franchise Marcy showed him, because *chuckling to himself* he is now genuinely a fan and just has to know what happens next... So his whole act isn’t fake. He is bad not good, But genuinely is silly and has interests in fantasy and play...

Now lets look at his past. Sasha, Marcy, and Anne are the three “prophetic Chosen ones” who wield connections and powers of Calmaity during Amphibia’s three seasons... yeah yeah yeah we have all seen that before. Unlike with most “prophetic chosen ones” stories the three girls are not the only chose ones. The box really just needs a trio of companions where one is kindhearted, one brave and strong, and one very smart and clever; and it has given its powers to different trios throughout time and dimensions. 1000 years ago Adrias and his two best friends, a frog and a toad, where the box’s special “chosen ones”. Based on their colors and what little we know about the (Please give these three their own episode at some point in 3b) Mystery Frog was strength, Toad (probably Barrel) was Wit, and Andrias was Heart. We can also notice that when the three ae shown together in pictures and flashbacks Andrais sits in the middle with Barrel by his side and Froggy girl on his shoulder. This all implys that Andrias was once like Anne, a careless but bighearted individual who was at the center of his friend group. Then something went wrong... We don’t know what yet, but we know it involved the box, the night, and losing his two friends.

According to the Prophecy the three girls have enough power to face and beat the night, but only if they are together.. IF they are seperated/beak apart the night gets the upperhand and can win.... I believe that is the Nights plan. It lets them gather their power, takes one of the three as a pawn, subtly creates fractions in the group until they split... then lives off the power for until a new tio comes along and it repeats. 1000 years ago Andrias and his friends were promised gifted Money, power, and Status due to Clamaity, and probably wanted to use it to protect and take care of the citizens of Amphibia. But the night Corrupted their orals and viewpoint, at some point Frog women and Barrel realized things were going to far and wanted to stop, but the night was able to convince Andrias to keep going, they had the power to take care of these worlds... so long as everyone did what they say, so taking over was right. This caused a rift between the three that split them apart. Once separated from Wit and Strength Andrias was fully under the nights control and he lost his heart in the process...

This happened before, and the Night will try to make it happen again. Andrias is a villian. He once had good in him, but it is all gone now, likely never to come back. He is a chess master and a pawn, and ultimately he is a warning sign to the girls of what even people with the best intention can become.

[buzzdixonwriter]

I've Told You A Million Times To Avoid Cliches Like The Plague

Recently a year old re-print of a 1959 Writer’s Digest article by Donald Westlake started circulating on social media.

First off, if you don’t know who Donald Westlake is, go find out.  You like rough edge crime stories, try his Parker books published under his Richard Stark pseudonym; you like funny crime, dig up the Dortmunder series under his own name; you like odd ball history, check out Under An English Heaven “being a true recital of the events leading up to and down from the British invasion of Anguilla on March 19th, 1969 in which no one was killed but many people were embarrassed.”

Second, Westlake was a serious writer in that he took the craft of writing Very Seriously indeed, no matter how light hearted and funny some of his books could be.  He wrote a blistering letter (later turned into an essay) in the fanzine Xero (starts on page 97) where he excoriated  the sci-fi field of the era as being neither artistically nor commercially viable.*

So who am I to challenge this master’s assertions?

Well, I take the craft of writing Very Seriously indeed myself, and to quote a late, lamented friend:  “Fools rush in, and there we are…”

The Writer’s Digest article is a mixed bag, partially a quick off-the-cuff job for a few bucks, partially a valid observation on pitfalls in writing popular fiction in September of 1959.

Bear the date in mind, it’s crucial to this discussion.

This was an era when Americans read a lot.  Millions of people subscribed to The Saturday Evening Post or dozens of other slick magazines (not to mention the digests, which are what the form the old genre pulps mutated into), and this meant each week dozens of new short stories or serialized novels were available to them (and that’s not counting non-fiction).

Westlake in 1959 was commenting on an over saturated market, one where too many writers and editors simply replayed old tropes over again and again because they knew a significant portion of their audience felt comfortable with them (this is particularly true in the slicks, more so than the digests).

Westlake divides his 36 plots into three groups:  Mysteries, science fiction, and slicks.

My first quibble lays in what Westlake means when he says “plot”.

From the original article:

“A plot is a planned series of connected events, building through conflict to a crisis and ending in a satisfactory conclusion. A formula is a particular plot which has become stale through over-use.

“My own working definition of plot is what I call “5C.” First, a character. Anybody at all, from Hemingway’s old man to Salinger’s teenager. Second, conflict. Something for that character to get upset about, and for the reader to get upset about through the character. Third, complications. If the story runs too smoothly, without any trouble for the character, the reader isn’t going to get awfully interested in what’s going on. Fourth, climax. The opposing forces in conflict are brought together. Like the fissionable material in an H-bomb and there’s an explosion. Fifth, conclusion. The result of the explosion is known, the conflict is over, the character has either won or lost, and there are no questions left unanswered.

“5C: Character. Conflict. Complications. Climax. Conclusion.”

All well and good, but in his article Westlake provides almost no examples of same.

To me, a plot is a quick summary of a story that lays out beginning, middle, and end:   G.I. Joe captures a Cobra secret weapon but doesn’t realize what it is.  Cobra needs to get the weapon back without alerting the Joes to its potential, and the Joes must figure out what Cobra is after before they can get their hands on it.

(There’s a lot you can do with that plot.  It can be a slam-bang action oriented story, a techno thriller, or a slapstick farce depending on your angle of attack.)

What Westlake presents are more along the lines of story springboards:  ”What would happen if…”

A lot of the situations Westlake presents are rife with potential: “John Smith is sitting in the park, feeding the other squirrels, when a beautiful girl runs up, kisses him, and whispers, ‘Pretend you know me.’”

Okay, let’s list the possibilities, shall we?

She’s being stalked by a creepy guy and needs protection…

She’s been hired to set Smith up for some reason…

She’s mentally disturbed from trauma in her past…

She’s a flipping psycho intending to kill Smith…

She’s a secret agent slipping a secret code in Smith’s pocket…

She’s a silly college girl doing this on a dare, unaware Smith is a serial killer…

Six stories right off the top of my head, and each one could be played in several different ways, from deadly serious to over the top farce.

That’s a lot of potential in a single trope.

Here’s another: “John Smith, private eye, is sitting at his desk, when Marshall Bigelow, thimble tycoon, trundles in waving thousand-dollar bills and shouting, ‘My daughter has disappeared!’”

Well, d’uh, isn’t that what private eyes do?  Find missing people?  Or uncover who committed a crime when people don’t want the police involved?  Or find out if a spouse is cheating?

Name a private eye story that doesn’t play off some variant of this.  From Murder, My Sweet to Harper to Shaft, hiring a private eye to find a missing person is a perfect way to get a story started.  “You find my Velma.”

Of the dozen story springboards he offers in his mystery section, none are unworkable, though two remain overly familiar to this day and probably are best avoided unless the writer can provide some incredible new spin.  

The science fiction section is more problematic, and here’s where I suspect Westlake was slumming (there ought to be an article on the type of articles one shouldn’t write for Writer’s Digest that includes articles like the one Westlake wrote).

Seven of the eleven clearly reference classics of the genre, and if this wasn’t a deliberate dig at those authors on Westlake’s part, one can only argue that while they may be shopworn now due to retreads by the untalented, these ideas remain strong enough to support a good story.

The other four remain headscratchers.  Two -- Adam & Eve and “atoms are tiny solar systems” -- are indeed hoary old ideas, burned off by EC comics earlier in the decade. 

I can’t say there weren’t thirteen year old aspiring sci-fi writers who submitted these to publishers and editors back in the day, but they seem more likely to have been found on the pages of fanzines (i.e., what sci-fi geeks had before the Internet) than a professional slush pile.

We know Westlake was active to some degree in sci-fi fandom of that era; could those two tropes have come from seeing those stories in the pages of amateur magazines?

The remaining two ideas represent a ribald attitude I don’t recall seeing in sci-fi digests of that era.

Oh, sex was starting to rear its beautiful head in science fiction, and there were a few cutting edge stories, but these two seem more like set ups for smutty fanfic, not genuine submissions of the time.

Again, something I’d expect to see in a fanzine, not a professional market.

Like I said, I think this tips off that Westlake is having us on, that this whole article came off the top of his head in a matter of minutes instead of being carefully thought out.

On the other hand, his critique of slick magazine fiction seems pretty spot on and devastating.

While he covers several sub-genres, his primary focus seems to be on stories written for a female audience, the type found in McCall’s and Ladies Home Journal.  He doesn’t come close to a dozen examples, however, as several (even those labeled as sub-examples) are just the same story springboard in different settings.

Two of his bad examples, however, stand out quite clearly as a dislike (whether personal / professional / aesthetic, I can’t tell) aimed at a specific series of stories found in The Saturday Evening Post, i.e., the Alexander Botts, tractor salesman stories of William Hazlett Upson.

One of Westlake’s verboten plots isn’t even a plot but a literary device: “Any story told in an exchange of letters”.  The other one that ties into Upson’s oeuvre is “Joe Doakes, a traveling salesman for a paper clip company, gets involved in some pretty unbelievable adventures in a small town in the Midwest. The other participants are a local belle and a salesman for a rival paper clip company.”

The two combined describe Upson’s Botts stories to a T.  The second one is richly ironic since Westlake eventually used the same basic premise for his Dortmunder series (the only change being Dortmunder is a thief, not a salesman; po-tay-to, po-tah-to).

Finally, Westlake left himself a huge out with “If you can take one of the 36 clichés listed above, and give it a brand new twist, so it doesn’t look like the same story any more, you may have a sale on your hands. If you search hard enough in the magazines on the stands today, you’ll find one or more of these variations currently in print.”

Look, I get it.  I’ve faced deadline doom before myself, and more than once have fired off a short piece that contained all the depth of a dixie cup.

This isn’t the worst writing advice I’ve seen, but it’s far from the best, and Westlake coulda and shoulda done better.

  © Buzz Dixon

   *  He wasn’t alone in his opinion, though ironically the 1960s proved to be one of the most fertile eras for the genre.  Yet Westlake and other writers such as John D. MacDonald, Frederic Brown, and John Jakes left sci-fi for other genres because it couldn’t support them either as artists or professionals.

[birdhaslostit]

I saw this heritage post this morning, and realized that it really genuinely bothered me in a way that I couldn’t fully describe. I don’t know why this particular post irked me so much, but it really just got on my nerves and I couldn’t verbalize why. I thought about it for a while later because it so genuinely angered me, and I needed to find out why for my own sanity. I finally figured out what bugged me so much about calling Donald Trump “Diaper Tramp” or whatever else people came up with.

Let me preface this first by saying: I cannot fucking stand Donald Trump, and I do not support anybody who does. In regards to this particular name-calling phenomenon, it has lessened slightly over the years, but to an extent, there is still a fairly large group of people who do this kind of thing. They refuse to call Donald Trump by his real name. Let me tell you why this infuriates me:

This phenomenon lessens the power of Trump’s name, which is both a good and a bad thing. Good, because the man deserves no position of power, and this gag undermines it in a way. But mostly, this is a bad thing, because it removes the associations between Trump’s name and his actions. In doing this, people are (usually unintentionally) making light of/patronizing people who have had to deal with the consequences of the heinous actions that Trump has taken to obliterate this country.

Now, let me be clear, if you’ve done this in the past, I do not have any hate against you. You likely meant no harm and were just playing along with the game. Totally understandable. I’m pretty sure I did it too a while back, during the start of his presidency. But long-term, this “joke” can become a serious issue. I don’t think people truly realize how bad of a thing it is to remove Trump’s name from what he has done.

He is a liar, a bigot, a sexist, a racist, an idiot, a rapist... the list goes on and on. Would you want someone who had done something to you associated with these things to be known by some cutesy nickname? No. You would want everyone to know their name and exactly what they’d done to you, so they could be penalized. That’s why this irks me so much. America wants people to know who did this to us. Nobody will take Trump’s crimes against this country seriously, neither in the present nor the future, if you call Trump some stupid nickname like “cheeto man.”

Do you want your kids and grandkids to make light of the shit that you had to go through during Trump’s presidency, all because you didn’t take it seriously while it happened? I don’t think so. His actions are atrocious, and you wouldn’t want them to joke about it because it’s not appropriate to joke about. The US has been divided to a level that no one could have ever predicted. Thousands of people are dying every day due to a pandemic that easily could have been stopped in its tracks, had our leader taken it even a little bit seriously when it first arrived on our shores. Policemen who are supposed to protect us are murdering people on the streets simply due to their skin color. And that doesn’t even include the fact that the system as a whole is already corrupt and rigged against said people. I could go on and on.

Who do you want held accountable for their crimes? Who do you want all of this madness to be blamed on at the end of the day? The US as a whole, including people who had nothing to do with it and/or actively fought against it, or the man who directly fueled the flames? When you call Trump some silly little nickname, you’re diverting the blame from the man whose fault it is onto innocent citizens. I didn’t have anything to do with this shit. I never voted for Trump. I’ve done my part to work against his insane agenda. I’ve done all I can possibly feasibly do, believe me. Don’t lump me in with Trump’s problems. Blame it on the person whose fault it is.

When we are taught in history class about Nazis and World War II, we don’t give Hitler funny nicknames like “Mr. mustache man” in history classes. We call him by his name. We want to know what was done, and exactly who did it. The same should go for Donald J Trump.

Likewise, instead of sitting behind a keyboard and coming up with names to call Donald Trump, you could be using that time to make valuable contributions, like actually taking a stand against him instead of sitting behind a keyboard and whining about it. That time has passed, the time for action is now. The nation is quickly descending into fascism, the signs are all here. White supremacists are primed and ready to fill the streets regardless of whether Trump wins or loses. Don’t just sit there complaining behind the safety of your screen. FUCKING DO SOMETHING. You don’t have to actually go out on the streets, and I suggest you don’t right now, unless you want to get jumped or caught up in a riot. But do SOMETHING besides sitting there complaining on social media.

And that is why I am against calling Trump stupid nicknames. The American people want Trump to be held accountable for his actions. We want his name to be associated in society with the awful deeds he has done. Regardless of whether or not Donald Trump is reelected this year, and I hope to god he isn’t, we want to make sure that in the annals of history, Donald Trump is known as the man who threw America under the bus. Not “orange man,” not “Diaper McTinyHands,” not “Mr. comb-over,” but Donald J Trump. Don’t patronize Americans by calling him these names. We are the ones who have to deal with the mess he leaves wherever he goes. We are the ones most directly affected by him.

Call a spade a spade. Call him Donald J Trump. Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it, so make sure Trump’s legacy is known as what it deserves to be– a cautionary tale for future generations, and a textbook example of what not to do with a country.

Please, for the love of god, if you haven’t already voted, vote on November 3. Help stop this madness.

Stay indoors if you are in an area where you suspect there might be riots/protests that could put you in danger. If you plan on counter-protesting, please take safety precautions. Above all, hope for the best, but expect the worst, because it’s the best one can do at a time like this.

[talinexa]

Picture - One-Shot

Prompt from Here! (There are actually two prompts from that list in this piece ;-P Happy hunting.) I need some softness right now. Also I have an actual design for Stardrop if anyone ever wants to see

I sat in the bay window of one of the several playhouses on the play island, one leg dangling toward the floor, the other up so I could rest my elbow on my knee. The sun was setting, casting its beautiful colors and subdued light over the Destiny Islands. I’d cast off my elbow-length jacket and left it in a heap on the floor, but kept my fingerless gloves on. It had been a while since I’d been back home.

The wood creaked somewhere behind me.

I turned.

“Thought I’d find you up here,” Riku said. “This was always your favorite spot.”

I smiled. “Well, people don’t change much. The sunset is beautiful tonight.”

“Mm. Yeah,” Riku remarked, not looking away from me to see the sunset.

“Here. Let me move so you can sit and watch with me.” I moved to adjust my seat, but Riku raised a hand to stop me.

“Wait, let me get a picture of you there.”

“What?”

He pulled out his Gummiphone. “Look back out the window and sit how you were.”

I put my elbow back on my knee and gazed out the window. I heard Riku’s camera shutter snap. Then the creaking of the floorboard again and another shutter. I turned. “Happy now?” I asked.

“Of course. The lighting was really nice and you looked so photogenic in that position.” He crossed the room and sat next to me in the bay window, giving me a moment to make room for him. “Been a while since we watched a sunset together from here,” he commented casually.

A while translated to a couple years, at this point. “Yeah,” I agreed. “I’ve missed it. Remember when we used to hide from Sora and Kairi in here, waiting for them to finally admit they liked each other?”

Riku started laughing. “Oh yeah,” he said.

We went quiet for a moment. “I miss those days,” I muttered. “Before all the crazy and the Keyblades happened.”

“Me too. Life seemed so simple then. We just wanted to explore the worlds.”

“Yeah... but with that raft... we would have been dead within a week.”

“I never said we were smart kids.”

I started laughing. “Fair enough.”

The sun made its last dip to the horizon and vanished. Beams of scarlet shot through the deep blue sky that was slowly turning black.

“C’mon,” Riku said, getting up and offering me a hand. “Let’s get down to the boats before it gets too much darker. If you want, I’ll tie yours to mine and row you back.”

I chuckled and let him help me up. “Always the gentleman,” I teased.

He scooped up my jacket and threw it at me.

We strolled down the hill of the play island to the docks. Riku helped me into my boat before hopping into his. He ran a hand through his short, spiked hair and took up his oars. I grabbed mine too and we worked our way away from the dock toward the main island. Once we made it past the strongest waves of low tide, Riku threw a little rope to my boat. “I can row myself back,” I protested.

“Just tie it to the spike on your bow,” Riku said with a smile. I rolled my eyes and tied the rope.

“Let me---” I began.

“No, no. Let me. I like doing this. It’s honestly not much harder. Water is really good for reducing overall weight of something and momentum makes it so I can barely feel that I’m rowing with more.”

“Nerd,” I teased.

“Just take some time to relax, okay?”

“Okay. For now.”

I let Riku row me across the water between the play island and the main island, sitting so I was facing him. He smiled at me.

“Y’know,” I said after several moments of conversational silence, “I like your hair short.”

He grinned. “Thanks,” he replied. “Takes some, uh... takes some getting used to. I had it longer for so... well, long, that the short feels bizarre. Like, light, I mean. There’s not as much weight on my neck.”

I shook my hair---longer than his ever got---off my shoulder. “I know exactly what you mean,” I said. “Back when we were ten and I cut my hair short, I felt so weird until it started getting longer and heavier again. Like my head would detach from my neck and float away.”

“Yes! That’s exactly how it felt.” Riku beamed at me.

When we were younger, before everything adventurous, Riku’s smiles had always been full of mischief. Genuine ones were rare. It was like seeing a meteor shower---beautiful but uncommon.

I glanced up at the sky. The last rays of sunlight had faded. The moon was rising, reflecting off the surface of the waves in a huge patch of glistening white. The stars were out, glittering on the blanket of blackness that was the night sky. I smiled. “The stars are beautiful tonight. Really bright.”

“The stars wish they were as bright as you.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Sorry. Talking to myself,” Riku said.

We were quiet for most of the rest of the way to the main island. When we got near enough to ride the waves to the beach, Riku pulled in his oars. Once his boat slid into the sand, he jumped out and pulled it out of the way to help me. As the waves pushed my boat up the sand, he grabbed it---ignoring the fact that I was still in it---and pulled it out of reach of the tides. Once it was safe, he helped me out of it.

“Let me walk you home. It’s dark,” he said.

“Thanks,” I replied. “While we’re walking, show me that picture you took of me back at the playhouse.”

Riku just smiled. It was the smile full of mischief from our younger days. “Later, I promise,” he said. “Don’t wanna get distracted when it’s dark. Darkness is dangerous.”

I scoffed. “There’s, like, no crime on the islands and we could handle any stray Heartless that happen to manifest,” I remarked.

“Still. Better not to get taken by surprise.”

“Fine. That’s a good point.”

We moved to head up the hill toward the town. The hill wasn’t terribly steep, but it was always an irritating hike. I wondered if it was old habit or chivalry that had Riku putting his hand on the small of my back and pushing me up the hill. He’d done it many times before when we were younger and Sora and I would complain about the hike.

Back then he wasn’t as gentle though. It used to be a more playful shove up the hill.

When we got to my house, the porch light was off. I glanced up at the moon and back to Riku. “Thanks for walking me back,” I said. “And thanks for the push up the hill.” I giggled.

Riku smiled. “Well, it’s my job as the strong one of the group to push you guys when you feel like you can’t keep going.”

“Oh come on---we all know the strong one is Kairi.”

That made Riku snort. “True,” he conceded playfully. “Goodnight. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

He waved. I waved back as he headed off. “Night!” I called quietly.

***

I barely stepped out of the shower, hair bound up in a towel, when I got a notification on my phone that Riku had tagged me in a post.

Upon opening it, I saw that it was the picture he’d taken of me in the playhouse. Looking out over the island and the ocean, dark orange rays of sunset bathing my face and bringing out the tiniest sheen of orange in my hair. The subdued light washed out most of the harsh lines shadow left on my face, giving me a soft look. It was, in fact, an incredibly photogenic picture.

Destiny Islands’ sunsets are beautiful, but even those pale in comparison to her. #LifelongFriend #Aesthetic #Beautiful #DestinyIslands #Sunset #MyBestGirl

I felt my ears grow warm and texted him.

Me: Charmer.

Riku: ???

Me: The post?

Riku: Oh. Well. I meant every word. G’night.

Me: Night. Sleep well. Talk tomorrow.

Riku: Definitely.

Smiling, I put my Gummiphone on my bedside table and snuggled down for the night.

If I dreamt, I don’t remember anything from it. Sometimes, after all the adventures, I woke up in a cold sweat after nightmares in the middle of the night. Usually I was okay, but occasionally I saw Riku getting possessed by Ansem in the Hollow Bastion Keyhole room. Other times I saw Kairi getting slashed across the back by Xehanort. And yet other times, I saw Sora getting killed hundreds of times over by all the enemies we faced on a day-to-day basis.

But that night, my sleep was dreamless. Hours upon hours of empty void.

I woke up the next morning to a text from Kairi.

Kairi: SINCE WHEN ARE YOU AND RIKU A THING?

Me: ??? We’re not???

Kairi: I SAW HIS POST!

Me: Kairi, he’s just being silly. A bit dramatic for the sake of entertaining.

Kairi: -_- That’s not true. I bet he likes you.

Me: 50 munny says you’re wrong.

Kairi: I’m training with him later today on the beach of the play island. I’ll ask him then. You’re so on. I’m going to be 50 munny richer by sunset.

Me: Haha. We’ll see.

Kairi: See you later to pick up my winnings.

Me: Bye Kairi.

I put my Gummiphone down on my bedside table again and got out of bed. Quickly, I changed out of my pajamas and into some normal clothes. I was still a bit tired but there was stuff that I needed to do. After several years of adventuring, business at home was crazy. Sora, Riku, and I all had nearly two years of school to catch up on. Kairi had missed less than one and had caught up fairly quickly.

Once I was ready, with my hair brushed and clothes on, I had a quick breakfast, brushed my teeth, and went running out the door, slinging my backpack on. “Bye Mom! Love you!” I shouted as I yanked the front door open.

“Bye sweetheart!” Mom called. “Have fun at school!”

“I will!” I shut the door behind me and whirled to go jogging down my street.

And ran right into someone. “Oof! Morning.”

“Riku! Morning!” I exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

“Just thought we could walk to school together.”

“Oh. That’s a great idea,” I said with a smile. Riku offered me his arm. I looped my arm through his and we headed off for school. I fidgeted with my tie with my free hand. I’d never been particularly good at tying them, even after years of practice, and my two-year break to go save the worlds hadn’t helped my fingers’ inability to tie a tie.

We were quiet as we walked down my street. Riku’s family didn’t live far, and neither did Sora’s. We were all pretty close.

“It’s weird to be back at school,” Riku said. “It feels so...”

“Boring? Unimportant?” I suggested.

“I guess. Kinda. We’ve had the safety of the worlds riding on us for so long now that sitting in a classroom just feels almost too easy. Too relaxing. Like, I’m constantly on-edge just waiting for a massive Heartless to tear the door down and attack the classroom.”

“I feel the same. I’ve already broken two pencils from clenching them as hard as I do my Keyblade’s hilt. I keep waiting for my pencil to transform into my Keyblade because there’s a threat in the hallway.”

Riku nodded in agreement. “That’s why you and I sit so close to the door, huh? To protect everyone else,” he said.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Because if something happened, we’d be the only ones who could in our class.”

Riku nodded. We rounded the corner closer to the school building. I half-expected Riku to let me go. We weren’t an item and being seen walking together arm-in-arm would start rumors that we were.

But he didn’t. We just kept walking. Other kids---there weren’t that many on the island---were making their way to the school too.

Riku didn’t let me go until we sat down---next to the door---in our first class of the day. We sat next to each other and didn’t really talk to anyone. These were kids, in the class with us, who’d been two grades below us growing up. But since we’d missed so much, we were catching up with them. We didn’t know the others particularly well and so we kept to ourselves in the back of the room.

Riku and I shared a look of understanding and settled in for class.

I twirled my pencil between my fingers. Riku bounced his leg. We were both nervous and restless. Had been for a few months while we waited. Neither of us were even sure what we were waiting for. The next crisis, I supposed.

When I caught a glare from a classmate, I set my pencil down and started drumming my fingers on my leg to keep it quieter. I’d spent two years or so wired and ready to jump into battle at any moment that sitting in a classroom was getting monotonous and, frankly, somewhat terrifying.

Because the longer nothing happened, the bigger the something that would eventually happen.

Riku reached under our desks and grabbed my hand to stop my drumming. “It’s okay,” he whispered, so quietly he was basically mouthing it.

“I know,” I replied. “Just waiting for it all to go wrong.”

“Me too.” He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and a nod. I nodded back, taut and terse.

***

Riku peeked at her out of the corner of his eye. She had gone back to paying attention to the teacher’s lesson. Since she’d been glared at for twirling her pencil and he’d taken her hand to calm her drumming, he could see her toe tapping in her shoe.

Part of him didn’t want to look away. She looked the same now as she had bathed in the light of the sunset. Absolutely stunning, even if her expression was tense and worried.

She glanced over. Before she could turn to face him, he went back to looking at the teacher.

She let go of his hand under the desk in order to take up her pencil and take notes. She bumped her knee to his to reassure him she was still there and scratched away in her notebook.

***

I sunk my Keyblade into the sand, leaned on it, and looked out to the horizon where the water met the sky. A few stray hairs were stuck to my face from sweat, but that was what happened when I ran drills in the late afternoon on a tropical island. I’d grown up on the islands and, let me just say, visiting Arendelle was torture for me if I didn’t have at least two coats on.

“Well, we survived another day of school,” Riku remarked. I jumped and whirled to see him approaching. Braveheart, his new Keyblade, was nowhere to be seen. He wasn’t planning to spar with me just yet, then.

“Yeah,” I grunted, looking back to the sea and leaning even more heavily on my Keyblade. It sunk further into the soft, dry sand.

I heard Riku’s camera shutter go off again. I peeked at him to see his Gummiphone turned toward me. When he realized I caught him, he gave me a somewhat smug smile and put the Gummiphone back in his pocket. He shrugged. “Can’t help it. You look so nice today.”

I snorted. “Sweaty and nervous. Got it. My best look.”

“C’mon,” he enticed, mildly irritated. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

I met his eyes. “Maybe not; but you certainly have odd timing for taking pictures.”

He shrugged, a small smirk playing on his face. “Candid pictures always look the best. It’s just... natural, I guess,” he said. He patted the Gummiphone in his jacket pocket and slid it off. With a flick of his elbow, the jacket got thrown to the side, draping itself over a ramshackle fence that kids long before us had built at the back of the beach. Leaving Riku in just the white, sleeveless V-neck shirt he usually wore after school. Revealing exactly how muscular he was.

With a bright flare of light, Braveheart appeared in Riku’s hand and he bent into his fighting stance.

I twitched, remembering Vanitas dropping into an extremely similar pose.

Shaking my head to clear it, I pulled my Keyblade from the sand and struck my stance.

Riku smirked. “Gonna fight me?” he teased.

“Gonna beat you,” I retorted with a grin.

That made both of us laugh. We both knew Riku was stronger than I was---and a much more skilled Keyblade wielder. I wasn’t going to beat him. Not in this lifetime anyway. No matter how hard I worked, he always beat me.

But... there was a reason he was a Keyblade Master and I wasn’t yet.

“Show me what you got,” Riku prodded. I smiled.

Feinting right, I attacked left. Managing to give Riku a good whack in the back.

The visceral reaction that caused made me desummon my weapon. He cried out and fell to his knees in the sand, Braveheart disappearing in a flash of light.

I desummoned my Keyblade and dropped to my knees next to him. “Riku? Are you okay? What was that about?” I demanded, grabbing his upper arm gently to keep him from faceplanting. The hot sand burned at the exposed skin on my legs, but I ignored it.

He shook his head, pushing his hand through his hair. “It’s fine. It’s just---” He cut himself off and reached back.

With a few tugs, he untucked the white shirt from his blue trousers, revealing a long scar over his lower back---almost exactly where I hit him, but angled slightly off.

I gasped. “Riku... I’m sorry---I didn’t know---”

“It’s fine,” he said through gritted teeth.

“Is that...?”

“Xemnas hit me with one of his ethereal blades. In the nothingness. It was just me and Sora. Sora was down and I---well. You know me. I would gladly give my life for Sora’s a hundred times over if it meant he could save everyone and everything.”

I reached out but stopped short of touching Riku’s skin. “I’m so sorry, Riku. I wouldn’t have---”

“I know. You didn’t mean to. It just gave me a... a flashback I guess,” Riku said.

“Let’s not spar today,” I said. “Let’s just go sit on the paopu tree and watch the tides and not think on what’s happened to us for the last two years. How about that?”

Riku clenched his jaw. Braveheart reappeared. He drove it into the sand and used it to stand up. “No. If I can’t work through it in training, there’s no way I’ll be able to work through it in actual combat. Just try not to hit me there again, okay?”

“I’ll try, really hard,” I said.

Riku nodded. “’Kay.”

I stepped back a few steps and summoned my Keyblade. Stardrop was a beautiful weapon. A star-shaped hilt and blue-fire as the “teeth” of the key. The keychain was a shooting star. I loved my Keyblade. It fit me perfectly.

Riku nodded. “Let’s do this,” he said.

We sparred, laughing at each other and ourselves as we did so. We liked to tease and goad each other. It was mutually consensual.

After a few minutes, Riku knocked me to the sand, landing on top of me and leveling Braveheart at my throat. “Noble effort, but not quite there yet,” he said. Panting, I nodded and shoved him off.

“I know. I’m working on it,” I said.

Riku laughed and offered me his hand. I took it and let him help me stand up. “You are doing better.”

“Thanks.” I shook my head. “Gonna be washing sand out of my hair for the next week,” I muttered.

Riku grimaced. “Sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it. Occupational hazard.”

We made our way to the paopu tree and climbed up to sit on it. Riku generally tended to lean against the bend in the trunk, but this time he climbed up next to me.

We watched the waves for a while. The sea breeze was pleasant and the afternoon cooled off to evening.

Riku set his hand on my knee. “Thank you for understanding.”

“Well... we all have bad feelings relating to what’s happened in the past.”

“Yeah... I appreciate it though,” Riku said. “I... it means a lot to me that you’re always here for me.”

“Thanks, Riku,” I said. I set my hand on top of his on my knee. “I appreciate you always keeping an eye on me and making sure I’m safe.” I glanced over at him. His eyes were turquoise in the deepening light.

I pulled out my Gummiphone and took a picture of him looking out to the sunset.

He glanced over at me, raising his eyebrows.

“What? I had to take a picture of you there,” I said playfully.

Riku just chuckled and shook his head. “Fair enough. Just don’t post it.”

Biting my lip, I slid my Gummiphone into my pocket. I leaned over to him, kissed his cheek, said, “No promises,” jumped off the tree, and ran for the docks.

I heard Riku shouting my name, but I surprised him and had a head-start.

[littlemisssquiggles]

So I'm currently head-over-heels for The Dragon Prince and I don't think anything will pull me out of this obsession for a long time. While I'm crying over this show, what did you personally enjoy about the quality of the plot and the characters in general? I'd love to hear your opinion from your amazing writing while I (im)patiently wait for season 3.

Hey there Snowflake. Sorry for the late response. That’sactually a really good question. Admittedly, what first drew me into The Dragon Prince series was the fact that it was created by the one of the originalHead Writers for Avatar:The Last Airbender.

A:TLA will always remain a gem inmy all time favourite animated series list so knowing that one of the men responsiblefor shaping its story branched out and made his own thing immediately peaked myintrigue. It was basically the same sentiment Ihad when I first heard about RWBY being a fan of Monty since his fan made animations like Dead Fantasy.

It’s kind of hard for me to describeexactly what it is that appeals to me the most about the writing for The Dragon Prince. I guess if I’m being completely honest here, what I love mostabout this series are itscharacters. More importantly I love how theseries writes its characters and treats them.

This might be an odd question to ask but have you ever been invested in a series where you got the sense that atsome point the show-runners just forgot how to write for their own establishedcharacters? So instead we get moments where characters behave out of characterbased on what the series has established as their personality and you get thesense that they are only acting this way for the sake of pushing the plot regardless of whether or not the characters’ actions makes sensein the context of who they are as…well…a character?

I’ll give you an example soallow me to deviate here for a sec. Are you familiar with a series calledMiraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Chat Noir? In case you don’t know, it is aFrench 3D animated series following the heroic conquests of Ladybug and ChatNoir---two teenage heroes tasked with protecting the city of Paris from thenefarious masked villain known as Hawkmoth who uses butterfly-type monstersknown as Akuma to infest unsuspecting citizens; feeding into their negativeemotions to transform them into supervillains who Hawkmoth then task to stealLadybug and Chat Noir’s miraculouses which are the source of their power.

There’s also the titbit where Ladybugand Chat Noir are each other’s love interests, both in and out of costume. Ladybug isactually a young girl named MarinetteDupain-Cheng, who in her civilian form is in love witha boy in her class named Adrien Agreste. However unbeknownst to Marinette, hercrush Adrien is actually Chat Noir---her partner in crime-fighting and as Chat Noir, Adrien is inlove with Marinette as Ladybug.

The whole point of the series is that thesetwo knucklehead teen superheroes are in love with each other but as each other’s counterparts while being completely oblivious to the truth abouttheir respective identities. It’s a brilliant concept and if all of that sounds like something very interestingto you then it is.

Despite what I’m about to say, keep inmind that Miraculous is a really goodshow . In spite of my current misgivingsabout it as someone who has been with its since its first season, I would still recommend it to anyone curious about giving it a watch.

It’s a delightful cute show. I justhave some things to say about it but this is only myopinion . Even if you might appreciate mythoughts and views on certain things, my opinionis NOT law.  My opinion is only a representation of mythoughts and feelings toward a piece of medium I indulge in. It’s not a reflection of the overall quality of the medium. Those views are up to you. 

Forgive me if I sound like I’m ramblingnow but I genuinely feel it important to give that small disclaimer since wekind of live in an era of free speech where others use their opinions to lambastothers on why their opinions are right or wrong; based on their opinion.

I am not one of those people. You areallowed to like or dislike something regardless of whether or not you agreewith my opinion of it and vice versa. All I ask is for respect of my views and I shall give that of yours in return.

That being said, let’s talk Miraculous. Andin regards to how on earth this ties into TheDragon Prince, we’ll get to that surely.

At the start, Miraculous was one of my favourite animated series especially as a fan of 3D art and animation.I also couldn’t get enough of the whole Ladybug and Chat Noir love story especiallywith all the multiple pairings that branched out from this one couple---Ladynoir, Adrinette, Marichat and Ladrien. It was silly but adorable all the same and I ate up the fluff like the hopeless romantic I am. 

However; as the seasons went by, itultimately became rather difficult for me to remain truly invested in seeing these two characters achieve their goals since I couldn’t relate to them anymore. 

It’s glaringlybothersome to me now how everything is just always handed to Marinette/Ladybug, our so-calledbeloved protagonist; even when her actions of the day might prove that she doesn’t deserve it. And it certainly doesn’t help when this is done at time at the expense of Chat Noir/Adrien who is often kept in the dark when he’s supposed to be the deuteragonist who shares relevance to the plot as our main heroine.  

It’s hard for me to care aboutthe relationship between Adrien and Marinette/ Ladybug and Chat Noir anymorewhen the show constantly contradicts itself on wanting to show their relationshipmoving forward while also backpedaling in other episodes (for example: episodes such as Animaestro and Oblivio from the current third season).

This makes any progression the plotattempts to pull for their development feel pointless in the end and after three seasons of this tango, as a Miraculer, I’vesadly lost interest in wanting to see our two heroes get together.  This is sad because that’s technically the backbone ofthe show. Fans know that Ladybug and Chat Noir are going to get together because theplot has established that from the get-go and constantly reminds the audiencethat this is going to be a sure endgame. But where it ultimately fell short for me iskeeping me invested in the pairing. While I’ll admit that I was fully on board forthis ride when it first started, now after three seasons, I’m tired. The whole ‘Oooh! Will Ladybug and Chat Noir fall in love both as superheroes and civilians? Will they learn each other’s true identities’ song and dance has become stale for me and even the introduction of imposter love interests doesn’t help.

It only serves to kind of sour the pot for me. Why bother developing these fake relationships when you’ve done the equivalent of nothing to help progress Marinette and Adrien’s relationship both as themselves and as heroes. Season 2 started us off with something that could’ve been potentially great if furthered in its current season but so far, Season 3 hasn’t done much to service the development left behind from that last season.

All things considered, I still like Miraculous andI’m still going to keep tuning in for future episodes since thereare other aspects and characters within the show that I liked enough to keep medevoted.

I still like Adrien very much as one ofthe supposed main two characters (even when the show might make you thinkotherwise). But in regards to LB and CN’s whole song and dance with their so-calledlove story, it’s hard to cheer for a relationship between two characters whenthe show constantly flip flops on what their relationship is supposed to be.

One minute they are destined partners; made for each other because they are meant to be important to eachother. Therefore, their strong dynamic is meant to be proof of what makesthem work as both a team and potential lovers. Next minute Ladybug is a ‘strong, independent heroine who doesn’t needChat Noir’ and he’s painted as more of a liabilityto her than an asset---the loveable yet fumbling bumbling idiot sidekick whosesole purpose is to be a dude inthe distress for the sake of pumping up Ladybug’salready plot-inflated ego all the while gullibly kissing her ass even duringmoments when she treats him terribly.

I humbly apologize in advance if thereare any fellow miraculers reading this response post who might feel veryoffended by my comments toward Miraculous. I’ll admit. My words are indeed harsh. Sorry. But... I still wishto stand by them because they are a blunt representation of my current stancetoward the current state of writing within the show.

I used to reallylike how Miraculous portrayed itscharacters. Loved it even. For three years, Miraculous was my top favourite show and fandom. But following the end of itssecond season, I don’t know how to feel about it anymore. I still like it but its characters man---my interest in their growth is dwindling. 

I guess the biggest gripe for me with Miraculous atthe moment is that I don’t feel as if the characters have really grown at allsince the show first started. Even after two full seasons going into its thirdrun; despite the plot thrusting them into scenarios that one would assume would help them to change (for better or worse), these characters---at least our main ones feel thesame. I know the show has done things to show progression for its charactersespecially in terms of relationships. However it all feels meaningless in the end.

And the flip flopping doesn’t help thiscase. At times, I felt as if Miraculous was being written by two different typesof writers. One who wants to show these characters growing from the people theyused to be because they are meant to while another just wants to keep thesecharacters in the same tropes they started off with. I’m not sure if any other Miraculershares the same opinion but that’s how I feel.

That being said and getting back ontrack, it’s the complete opposite with TheDragon Prince. In this show, I can tell that theplot actually does affect the characters and they react to them in ways you might expecttheir character to react to it given their established personalities. I also lovehow the Dragon Prince has this nice balance to it.  It knows how to juggle its more and heart-wrenching serious moments with its comedy in a way that rarely feels jarring. At least to me.

In TDP, I get the stronger sense that thesecharacters shapes the story in the world around with their adventures and individual experiences being veyr important to the narrative as opposed to the contrary where the story is this and these characters are molded to fit whatever story the writers feel to thrust them into; if that makes sense. And this all boils back to just how much I lovethe characters of this show. I don’t think there is a single character in theTDP cast that I don’t like.

I even have a soft spot in my heart forthe supporting side characters who our Dragonic Trio occasionally interact with during their travels. This is why I was so relieved to see Grenfinally be freed in Book 2. It’s about time my beautiful strawberry man gotfreed.

The DragonPrince is so great that I even care about itsvillain characters as much as the heroes. Even though Lord Viren and hischildren: Claudia and Soren are painted as the antagonists to our Dragonic Trio, I like that there is so much more to them than just that. On the contrary, there are aspects ofthese three that makes me think they’re not villains. Particularly Lord Viren. The guy isn’t just the classic mustache twirling bad guy. He has layers. Depth. 

I understand that Lord Viren is supposedto the bad guy however; he’s not entirely bad. There is a good side to him and its evidence in his relationship with the royal family. You cantell that Viren genuinely cared for King Harrow and had great respect for Queen Sarai since she saved his life. 

I guess what I’m trying to say is thatthe characters of TDP feel real to me. They don’t feel like just characters in a story. They feel like peoplewith experiences that their audience can relate to. Connect with. The Dragon Writers know and understand their characters as people and know how to write for their characters and because of howwell they’ve portrayed them, it makes me as the viewer more interested in theirstories as the main plot carries on.

I pray that the Dragon Writers keepthis up going forward with the remaining books. Sometimes show-runners start to suffer from writer’s fatigue and/or forget how to write for the verycharacters they created the longer the plot is stretched to the point that the series comes to feel like it lost direction at some point (coughsVoltroncoughs). 

I hope this won’t be the case for the Dragon Writers.Two seasons in and these guys continue to keep me loving their world and Icannot wait to see these characters be fleshed out further in the upcoming book. The Dragon Prince Book 3 cannot come any quicker.

I can’t wait to see what Rayla and Callum’s adventures with Zym across Xadia will be like. I still can’t believe they separated the Dragonic Trio. Usually you have to wait like…what…three-four seasons to get the squad ripped apart but nah…The Dragon Prince did that in season two.

Still in shock over that. But as much as I’m going tomiss Ezran in the party, I’d by totally lying if my Rayllum shipping heart isn’t beyondecstatic to see what these two duo adventures together will belike. Particularly following Rayla’s near confession.

I’m curious to see how that will affectthe way Rayla interacts with Callum from now on. I’m mostly just excited to see blushingRayla awkward about her crush on Callum. As of Book2, I think it’s safe to say that Callummight be over his crush on Claudia. Or perhaps his resentment over hers and Soren’s betrayal currently outweighsany former romantic feelings he might still have for her. Feels bad m’dude. I don’t ship Callum with Claudia at all but that doesn’t mean I want Callum to hate her.I really like Claudia as a character and I want the best for her and Soren too.My children are going down a dark path and I don’t like it. Especially Claudia. I still stand with my theory where I don’t think Book 2 will be the last timeClaudia will use the extreme form of dark magic to aid with Soren’s paralysis.I still think Soren is still permanently paralyzed and that Claudia’s spell isonly a temporary fix meaning that Claudia may have to keep performing Viren levels ofdraining magic from other magical beings to keep her brother stable…which is going taint herso much. I just hope that in the end, Soren will be the one to save his sisterfrom her own damnation.

At the end of the day, Soren and Claudia love each other and will do anythingfor each other. If there is anyone I trust to save Claudia should she ever loseherself to dark magic (which let’s just face it, will tragically happen down the line); it’s Soren--- thevery person she’s doing this for. Damn! The Writing for these two is so good! Megaprops to the Dragon Writers for writing such an engaging, strong brother andsister dynamic and sibling love and loyalty to one another without making it borderline…well…incestuous.  

I don’t want to see Claudia fallto the dark side, guys. Despite being a firm user ofdark magic like her father, Claudia is actually the opposite of her chosen element. I feel as if Claudia was willing to theput in the effort to awakening her arcana as Callum did, she could possibilitybe another Sky Mage like Callum or perhaps an Ocean Mage. Or maybe an Earth Mage? Who knows. It’s all just theories and speculation of mine for now.

Speaking of which; next up is Ezran. I’m excited to see what his travels will be like. Ezran is so young yet he’s sodown to earth and possesses a level headed maturity and outlook on the world around him that one can appreciate.Ezran will make a great king some day and if Book3 is the kick-starter to that part ofhis arc towards that goal then bring it.

I am ready to follow Prince Ezran on his own separate journey back home with Smexy Dreadlock Man (I’m sorry his name escapes me at the moment but his handsomeness doesn’t).

This also makes me curious if Ezranwill ever get to meet the young queen---the daughter of the Two Queens who gavetheir lives along with Ezran’s mom. I’m actually really, really interested inseeing Prince Ezran meeting QueenAanya.

I kind of low-key ship Aanya and Ezran. Yes, I know they haven’t met at all and we have zero idea of howthese two would get along should they encounter each other. Nonetheless, theidea of Ezran and Aanya coming together intrigues me because of how perfect itwould be should it happen.

I love the idea of Ezran someday possibly marrying Aanya with thetwo joining their kingdoms. After all, theQueens of Duran sought out King Harrow during their crisis in the winter andKing Harrow was willing to open his kingdom to the People of Duran.

Sure Viren tried to fight against it atfirst but Harrow stuck to his guns. Both Ezran and Aanya are currently the very young heirs to their respective thrones expected to lead their people. Aanyahas already begun her ruling and now Ezran is on his way to reclaim his throne. Bothlost their mothers who sacrificed their lives for their people. If Ezran andAanya meet, I think they can hit it off and make great friends. While I doubt romance willbe a thing for them since they are still children, I still want these two tomeet and form a close long-lastingfriendship that could one day potentially lead toa union that unites two kingdoms like their parents did long ago. But that’sjust me with my theories.

I’m hoping that Ezran’s adventures withSmexy Dreadlock Man will lead to him possibly passing through Duran while alsoencountering BirdHarrow along the way. That’s a reunion I’malso looking forward to.

And yeah, that’s pretty much all I haveto say for now on The Dragon Prince and its upcoming season. 

Fair notSnowflake, you’re not the only one excited for Book 3. Maybe you should follow Tim Kamiski on Twitter. I believe he’s an Art Director at Wonderstorm working on TheDragon Prince Game. He released a poster art for Book 3 that looks hype.

It’s a shame we’ll possibly have towait till early next year for Book 3. But until such a time, I hope my response toyour question was a good enough one to help you ride the Wonderstorm till the next season, fam.

~LittleMissSquiggles(2019)

[redrobinho0d]

The BatBois with a Petty S/O~

Jason Todd

Listen, he didn’t mean to stand you up, he really was excited about your date

But a mission came up really last minute and he honestly meant to text you, he typed out the message and everything he just.....forgot to hit send

You were at the restaurant for about two hours, all prettied up for once and in your nicest dress, before you realized he wasn’t coming

On your way out of the restaurant, you notice a guy: his arm is around another girl, but he’s giving you an appreciative once-over

And as an idea for revenge begins to unfurl in your head, you approach with a wicked grin. Once you’d explained what you wanted, they were both on board

And less than ten minutes later Jason’s phone was spammed by selfies of you, unmistakably with a muscular arm around you in the (rather flattering, surprisingly) light of the restaurant

“Y/N what the fuck” “Whose arm is that” “Why the hell aren’t you answering me” “Y/N I swear to god”

You ignore his texts and calls as you return back to your apartment, curling up with a book

He doesn’t get home for a few days - by the second day, he’d stopped texting you, and you’d returned the favor, so now it was a standoff

When your bedroom window slammed open you stayed right where you were, curled up on your side of the bed with your eyes trained on your boo, even though you could practically feel his glare, until he wrenches the book out of your hand and yeets it across the room

Crossing your arms, you pout up at him silently, arching a single eyebrow

And then he’s kissing you - rough and angry, shoving you down the bed, and your nails claw at his shoulders as you match his fire with your own

After you’ve both calmed down from the awesome angry sex, you have to assure him about a hundred times that no, you are not breaking up with him

And in the future, he remembers to let you know if something comes up that will interrupt your plans together

Tim Drake

This kid is on his laptop all the time, he follows a lot of people on Tumblr and Instagram and Twitter

And we all know he’s constantly sleep-deprived and probably loopy 

So when he liked that girl’s selfie, it really was completely harmless

But of cooooooourse you saw, and noticed that he hadn’t yet liked your newest status

You weren’t sulking - really you weren’t!

And later when he asked, “Hey Y/N what do you wanna do for dinner?”, the “Why don’t you ask that bitch on Instagram since you like her so much” just....kind of slipped out

His expression was genuinely bewildered, he had no idea who you were referring to or why you were so mad

You instantly regretted it and clammed up, scowling

But he knew something was bothering you, so he poked and prodded all the spots he knew would make you squirm “C’mooooon, tell me!”

But you’re just annoyed and embarrassed and stay stubbornly closed-mouthed

But he’s the smartest kid like, ever, so eventually he figures it out on his own

And then he spends hours going through every single one of your social media profiles, liking every single thing you’d ever posted or commented

It was silly, but....the gesture still made you feel appreciated, so you sat by him and kissed him lightly, and he knew he was forgiven

After that he kept notifications on so he always knew the instant you posted and could dutifully like it, and was there to reassure you that jealousy over his liking someone else’s status or selfie was completlely unnecessary

Dick Grayson

It’s no secret he’s a hottie, Gotham’s finest ass and the charming smile to make all the ladies and most of the guys swoon

It’s also no secret that this boy has absolutely zero sense of when he’s accidentally hitting on people

He was just there to investigate the crime scene, good ol’ Officer Grayson doing his thing, when the reporter came up to ask him a few questions

He barely even noticed her trailing her fingers along his arm, batting her lashes as she leaned forward, but ooooooh man did you notice

And it certainly didn’t escape your notice that he smiled back, laughed with her and spent a while chatting her up

He probably didn’t intentionally flirt back at her, or even realize her interest, but it still set your blood boiling

When he finally was able to detach himself to come over and take you home, he was absolutely baffled by the cold shoulder you gave him

Still he opened the car door for you, occasionally shooting you puzzled, slightly hurt glances as he drove back to the apartment the two of you share

You breeze past him to go straight to the living room and fold yourself in the chair, rather than on the couch where he could pull you to cuddle against his side

Slowly he follows you in, sitting on the edge of the couch cushion nearest your seat

You can feel him staring at you, but you stubbornly stare down at your phone scrolling through your social media

“Y/N….?” / “Hm?” / “If I’ve done something wrong….something to upset you, please tell me”

Finally, you break and glance up - and the instant you meet his earnest gaze, all your defenses melt and you find yourself ranting about that skank throwing herself at him

You only pause when you notice his shoulders shaking with silent laughter. Scowling, you go silent and glare at him again

And now he’s fully laughing at you, but leaning forward to clasp your hands tightly in his

“Oh Y/N, there’s no need for you to be jealous….I have eyes only for you” and now he looks fond as he leans in to silence your grumbles with a kiss

And in the future, he’s quicker to pick up on when you glare at women (or men - he was a catch, it happened) showing interested in him, and he sends you a teasing wink so you know that you’re the only one on his mind

Damian Wayne

Oh man. Oh boy. It has been a cold war of frosty silence for days now

Neither of you can even remember who started it or what you were even mad about, but both of you are refusing to be the first to break

There’s been a lot of stealing glances at each other when each of you is sure the other won’t notice - but if your eyes do meet, it’s a quick glare and then swiftly back to ignoring each other

Quite frankly the levels of tension between you two were getting so high they were palpable even to those around you two

Until it got to the point that they decided the best thing to do was to lock you two in a room together with all exits guarded until you two talked it out

There was about two more hours of frosty silence while sitting as far from each other as possible

Finally, Damian speaks, glaring at the wall over your head

“Y/N.....I don’t even know why you’re mad at me” / “.....Honsetly? Neither do I?” / “Then.....what are we doing, beloved?”

A long silence, and you finally crack and meet his eyes with a little sigh and a smile “Being stubborn, I guess?” / “Well....can we stop?”

You’re not sure who moves first, but then you’re both reaching for each other, falling into each others arms and kissing and murmuring breathless apologies that mostly come out as nonsense

You both know something like this might happen again - you’re both very stubborn and prideful

But for now, things are good, and that’s enough

@mqj-but-its-actually-batman

My inbox is open if you want to request a headcanon prompt, or if you’d like to be added to my tag list! :)

[ellana-ravenwood]

Fate is a bitch - Bruce Wayne x Reader

Warning : I was drunk when I wrote this, just coming back from a friend place...I drunk two beers, and that’s enough for me to get drunk, how weak am I right ? It’s because I never drink...Anyway, that’s why this fic is shittier than usually blahblahblah it’s all fun and game until blahblahblah I thought about not writing this and posting it, but then I promised two stories for tonight so still did it and I’m an idiot yes thank you very much. Look how great Bruce looks down there. Damn hottie. DAAAAAAMN HOTTIE. 

Decided to group two requests, because the two together inspired me. So here for a shy reader, newly a Justice League member, intimidated by the Bat. As usual, feedbacks are very welcome, hope you’ll like it :

PART TWO  

My master list blog : @ella-ravenwood-archives

________________________________________________ 

Destiny. 

You strongly believed in Destiny. 

No matter what people could say, how many arguments against it they had, and how much they were sceptic about it...it wouldn’t change your mind. You strongly believed in Destiny.

Because it was impossible only coincidences brought you were you were now...in the Justice League’s headquarters ! 

It wasn’t a coincidence that your path crossed Billy Batson’s, aka Shazam, one of the most powerful superhero in the World (though he was barely ten years old), and that you ended up adopting him.

It wasn’t a coincidence that you so happen to be a meta-human too, being able to manipulate the four elements. 

It wasn’t a coincidence that your son got noticed by the Justice League, nor was it a coincidence either that soon, the leaguers discovered he was only a ten year old boy in the body of a grown ass man (when he used his powers) and therefor, discovered that he had a mom...you. Who almost grilled Superman because you thought he wanted to hurt your boy. 

You believe strongly in Destiny, because hell, if all those chain of events were just coincidental, then wow...It just didn’t make sense. It was just too good to be true you know ? From your first meeting with four years old Billy to now, sitting in the League’s headquarter, in fucking Space ! 

The first one you met was Batman, and damn that guy was intimidating...But when he spoke to you, and when he congratulated you to have raised such a good boy as Billy, something weird happened in your heart. 

At first, you pegged it for a stupid teenage like crush. Like the slight infatuation you’d have on the most popular boy in school, or on a teacher, knowing damn well you’d never have a chance with them. But then...Then it was more than that. The more you saw and talked to him, the more you had...feelings stirring in your belly and such. 

Destiny. You strongly believed in it. 

So, when you started to fall for the Bat, you decided it was also Destiny...Only, sometimes fate could be a bitch, and would destin you to be a sad miserable human being. Because there was absolutely NO chance that you’d ever get with a guy like Batman, he was way out of your league. 

****************

The first thing that made you like him, was the way he defended your son against the other Leaguers. They wanted him out of the league because he was but a ten year old child but...He already proved he was capable of handling himself, and even more importantly, of saving a lot of lives ! So what was the big deal ? 

Batman was the only one defending your son, and he was also the only one that needed to, as he convinced everyone. When you thanked him, he just told you it was normal, there wasn’t anything to thank him for. 

The second thing that made you slowly fall in love with him, was the way he seemed genuinely worried about everyone’s well being. Some of the Leaguers thought he was an emotionless man, but they couldn’t be more wrong. Whenever someone was hurt, he took it as a personal mistake. He threw himself in front of people to save them more times than you could count. He always made sure everyone was alright, even if it meant him not being ok...He was the most compassionate man you ever met. And he was really only a man. No powers. How impressive was that ? 

The third thing that drove you crazy, and you felt a bit vain for that but, oh well, whatever...was his body. His body was ridiculous. The dude worked out a lot. And his voice, oh god his voice (when he didn’t have the modulator on), it was amazing. Deep and soft at the same time. 

The fourth thing that made you want to crash your lips on his was...as oddly as it sounded, his conversation. He was the first one to talk to you when you arrived in the League, and he made sure you felt comfortable. He made sure the look other leaguers gave you (after all, you were letting your ten year old child roamed Earth and Space freely...but Hell, that kid was one of the most powerful being in the universe, if he could save life, shouldn’t he do it ?!) didn’t make you feel bad...Besides, he too let his children, quite young, out int he street to fight crime. He understood. The conversation always flooded so well between the two of you, it was almost crazy. You knew it was in your head, but you felt like a special connection was being webbed between the two of you...After all, it seemed you were the only one he really talked to like that. But no. That was probably in your head.

The fifth...Oh forget it. There was so many reasons you slowly started to fall for the Batman, that listing them all would take ages. He was everything you liked in a guy. Even his broody and aloof side was appealing to you. Because just like him, you were highly introverted, and sometimes, you just needed to be alone...so far, everyone you ever dated did not understand that, and whenever you asked for some “alone time”, they took it the wrong way and ended up resenting you, and therefor, breaking up with you...

Besides, it wasn’t easy to find someone as a single mother...But; didn’t Batman had like, ten children or something ? Maybe he’d understand...You shook your head. You needed to STOP thinking about him. You had absolutely no chance. It was quite clear that he did not want a relationship. 

Still, sometimes, you found yourself just staring at him when you knew he wasn’t looking, and thinking about how it could be, to date him...Billy was getting along pretty well with Damian...

But there was no way in hell that you'd ever be brave enough to make a move, the man was too damn intimidating. Even sometimes when you two spoke, even if the subject was light or silly, he would still keep his composure and his stoic tone and...Well. Yes. Intimidating was a great word to describe his overall behavior. 

*******************

-Say, mom. You have a thing for older guys, right ?

-I totally have a thing for older guys. And it’s not an appropriate subject to talk with my ten year old son. 

-No but, hear me out ok ? Besides, I’m in my adult form right now, which makes it ok right ? 

You had to give it to your boy, his logic was flawless. Well, almost flawless, because even if he looked like he was in his thirties, you knew he was way younger...But you’d hear him out, because it was always interesting to hear him talk about what he was thinking and all. He always had rather...interesting and special inputs on life. So you turned to him, and, going on your tip-toes to ruffle his hair (seriously, you hated his adult form), you nodded for him to continue. 

-Well, Damian...you know Damian, Robin. Batman’s son. Yeah you know right ? Ok cool. Well Damian and I were talking about how you and his dad were getting along so well ok ?

You blushed. What ? If ten year old boys picked up on it then...You shook your head. No. Batman wouldn’t waste his time on this kind of thoughts. 

-Where are you going with this Billy ? 

-Well, Batman is quite older than you. From what Damian said, he’s about twelve years older so...You dig him right ? 

-...This isn’t how it works my boy. 

-But, you like older guys ? 

-I do. 

-So you like Batman ! 

-I don’t like every men that are older than me !

-Oh ? 

-No Billy. What the Hell ? 

-So...You don’t like Batman. 

-No, I do like him. 

-Really ! That’s great because...

-...As a friend ! I like him as a Friend ! Hell, I don’t even know who he is in real life. 

-Yes you do, I bet you figured it out. 

-Maybe. 

-You know it’s Bruce Wayne don’t you ? 

-What if I do ?

-Mom, you can fool a lot of people but not me. I know you’re smarter than you let people think, because you love when people underestimate you and all of a sudden they’re impressed because you’re way better than they thought you were. 

-...What are you, my shrink or something ? 

-My point is. You know who he is, he’s older, you think he’s hot...

-Wow wow wow, I never said I thought he was hot ! 

-Mom, I heard you whispering it to yourself that time he came back wounded and had to take his chest armor off. 

-Oh...You sneaky bastard.

-I’m pretty sure that’s not how you’re suppose to speak to your own son...

-It’s how I’m suppose to speak to my snake of a son who always get up in my business ! Curiosity killed he cat Billy ! 

-Well I’m not a cat so it doesn’t matter ! 

-I don’t even understand where you wanna go with all this ! 

-I was just wondering if you liked Batman ! 

-I do ! As a friend. And...? 

-You do ? 

-I do ! 

-Great, because him and Damian invited us over for dinner tomorrow night !

-WHAT ?! 

-I already said yes. Now we have to go. We’re totally going to try to set you two up with Dams by the way, so be ready. Don’t blush too much alright ? 

-....You little...

-I’m recording you right now mom, if you insult me I’ll call social services. 

-You think you’re funny don’t you ? 

-DAMN HILARIOUS ! 

Ignoring your heart racing like crazy just at the thought of going to have dinner at Bruce Wayne’s house, you grab your son (still in his grown ass man form) and tackle him down, tickling him mercilessly...Of course, because he’s so much bigger than you, it ends with a bloody nose for you, and a very sorry kiddo that order take out from your favorite restaurant, and puts on your favorite film. 

Oh that kid knew you too well. 

******************

Destiny. 

You strongly believed in Destiny. 

But sometimes, fate could be a bitch, and right now, your son’s hand (a child once again) in yours, you could have punch it if it was a person. 

Oh god, you’d punch fate in the face so much. 

Fuck you fate, why did you have to be such a bitch ? Why did you have to drag (Y/N) all the way in front of the house of the guy she had a massive crush on but knew she’d never have a chance with ? WHY ?

You were pondering all of that yourself, when an older man open the door of the massive Wayne Manor (you felt so ridiculous, coming here with your old shitty cars that was such a wreck that most of it was held by duck tape). 

-Good evening, I am Alfred Pennyworth, Mr. Wayne’s butler. I suppose you are Lady (Y/L/N), young mister Billy’s mother ? 

-Yes. Hum...Nice to...meet you...Sorry I don’t know the protocol to...

-Oh do not worry Lady (Y/L/N), no protocol between us. You can call me Alfred, they all do. Now if you would please follow me. Oh by the way young mister Billy, thank you for the birthday card, Master Damian gave it to me, it was very...inventive. 

-Thanks ! I knew you’d like the dragons ! 

You took a look at your son, and how excited he was (lately, he spent A LOT of times in the Wayne Manor, with Damian and Jon, Superman’s son), and at Alfred, who smiled warmly to himself...You were so proud to have a kid as nice as your Billy. Wherever he went, you always had compliment about his behavior...You had absolutely no idea how he became such a respectable young boy, when you spent most of your time swearing like a sailor and all...But it was great. 

***********************

You rarely saw the bat without his cowl, but hot damn. You recognized his square jaw and lips that looked so damn kissable and...his eyes were wonderful. So blue. And he had amazing jet black hair, combed thoroughly. 

He was waiting with his sons in the dining room, and jumped up his chair (while his sons were snickering at him) when you and Billy came in. 

-(Y/N) ! Hi. I...I...What are you doing here ? 

Oh God. That was awkward. 

-Hum...My son he...Said...your son and you invited us for dinner ? 

-Oh...yeah...We did...I just thought...I just thought only Billy would come, for some reasons. 

-I’m sorry. If I’m intruding I can go, I...

-Oh no no no. Sorry to be so rude, it’s just ...A surprised. A pleasant one. 

He smiles at you, and it seems like a genuine smile, not the fake one he sometimes give his fellow leaguers, or the half-smirk he has often. It troubles you...because damn why do you like that guy so much ? 

He smiles at you but...Oh the entire dinner is awkward. Fortunately, Bruce’s older sons ask you a lot of questions, and talk to you, because Bruce do not utter another word  after he said it was pleasant for you to be here. What the hell right ? But what did you expect ? He was always like that. He rarely made connection, and wasn’t even expecting you to be here. It’s not because he talks to you when you’re on a job that he’d want to see you in his every day life...

He just doesn’t speak. Sometimes, he stares at you for a while, or peaks up from his plate when he thinks you’re not looking. He keeps glaring at his youngest son, and the way Dick, Jason and Tim look at him curiously is...Weird. Damian keeps making innuendos about how you and Bruce are very much like each other and...

He leaves before dessert, and the sorry look your son gives you is enough for you to elect yourself as the “biggest looser of the year”. If even a ten year old boy pitted you, well hell, that was something...

You knew it anyway. You didn’t expect much of the dinner (that was a lie, you had an entire scenario ready in your life, ending up with you and Bruce sneaking out in the garden to make out...). Batman was...a colleague. That was nice enough to let you into his own personal home. Granted, it was because your son was a very good friend of his but...Yeah. You don’t know what you were expecting really. 

Bruce Wayne was way out of your league.

********************

You don’t go up in the Justice League headquarters for the next two months. You don’t want to see Batman, not before you’re over him. Not before you stop crushing on him...And you realize that it’s not just a crush. You’re in love. Fuck. 

********************

Your son tells you Batman is asking after you, but you can’t trust the boy. Him and Damian are getting so well along, that they both decided to set you up together...but so far, their attempt was a big failure. It ended up with either Bruce just leaving without a word, off to go things that were actually important, or you making a fool out of yourself. 

*********************

As you’re saving the World with the League for the hundredth time, Clark corners you to ask you what was going on, why you weren’t coming up anymore...and if it was Bruce’s fault. 

You tell him you’re fine, you’re just not a fan of space. And it’s not Bruce’s fault, why would it be ? You don’t like the look Superman is giving you, and you remind yourself of talking to Billy when getting home, because you’re pretty sure your son is spreading some rumors about you and the Bat. 

*******************

You don’t make it home that day. Distracted by thoughts of Bruce and your unexplainable strong attraction to him, even though you know you have no chance, you don’t notice the enemy...You hear your son’s manly voice (powered up, adult form) as you feel an unbearable pain in your chest. What is that thing sticking out of between your boobs ? Did...Did something just pierced your body ? You feel someone’s strong arms catching you before you fall to the floor, and everything goes dark. 

*******************

When you wake up, your boy is sleeping in your bed, next to you, curled up against your side...and it looks kinda weird because he’s in his adult form.

But he’s not alone in the room. In a chair at the foot of your bed, Damian is sleeping tightly too, a blanket with batman symbols on it over him. 

And...Next to you, on a hospital chair, is Bruce. 

What...What was he doing here ? 

You stir in your bed, trying to sit up. It doesn’t even wake Billy up, damn your boy must be exhausted. Damian doesn’t budge either...It wakes Bruce up however, and when his eyes meet yours, his harsh features soften, his creased eye brows rise in relief, and a small smile tug at his lips. 

-You’re awake. 

He says weakly, clearly lacking sleep too. 

-I am. 

Your voice is hoarse, and dry, and it hurts when you speak. 

-What...What happened ? 

-You got stabbed. By a sword. A very big sword. You’re lucky to be alive. 

-...When ?

-You don’t remember ? 

-I’m not sure...

-Almost three months ago. 

-I’ve been out for three months ?!

You try not to raise your voice, as to not wake the kids but...three months ? 

-Yes. You scared your boy. 

You look at Billy tenderly, and push away some strand of his hair out of his face.

-Poor kid...He already went through a lot...I take it, if you’re here, it’s because you took care of him ? 

-Yes. He’s...him and Jon are Damian’s best friends. I couldn’t leave him alone. 

-Thank you. Really Bru...Batman, thank you. 

-We might be in the hospital wing of the League’s headquarter, but as you can see, i’m not wearing my costume. So please, call me Bruce. 

-Thanks Bruce. 

-You’re very welcome. You’d do the same for me. 

-Of course. 

An awkward silence ensue...It’s nice that he took care of your son, but you kinda want him to leave, because it’s...it’s just too painful. Seeing him here makes you hope he’s not there just because of your son, and hoping is bad. You learned that the hard way. 

None of your relationship ever ended well. You were unlucky in love. Fate was a bitch on the matter, you learned to accept it...but if Bruce was there...You just wished he’d leave. 

He was looking at you intensely, and it made you shiver. He probably didn’t mean it, but right now, you found him more intimidating than ever. 

-Well...You...You can go now. I’m ok. A bit groggy but, ok. I can take care of him. 

-I’m sure you can but...If you don’t mind, I’ll stay. 

-I do mind actually. 

You speak before you can think, and immediately regret it. Especially since Bruce, for a fraction of second, looked hurt by your reaction. 

-I mean...I’m ok. You can just...Go on with your activities. 

-It’s the middle of the day. I often work just at nights. 

-I bet you have plenty of things to do though. 

-But this is more important. 

-Stop it please. Just stop it. 

-What ? What did I do ? 

-You...you...Just go. 

-Why ?

-Leave.

-I won’t go until you tell me why. 

It was weird, having an argument with someone while you could only whisper (again, not wanting to wake up the boys). And...What was he doing ? Why wouldn’t he just leave ? 

-I don’t have to tell you why. 

-Then I won’t go.

-You’re infuriating Bruce. 

-Does it have something to do with you not coming up the space station those last six months ?

-What ?

-I couldn’t help but notice your absence. Usually, like me, you’d be up there almost every day. 

-Well, sorry to have a life...Wait, no, that sounded rude...Please just leave. 

-Again, not until you tell me why. 

-Stubborn bastard. 

-You couldn’t be more correct my dear. 

The way he calls you “dear” makes your heart flutter...but you know it doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a way of speaking. You make one last attempt at driving him away, because you’re not sure you can handle much more of this : 

-Bruce. I beg you. Just leave me alone. 

-I will, promise. I’d even never cross your pass ever again if you wish, and apparently, you wish to...Like, I can't help but think I’m the reason you don’t come up here anymore. So please, tell me what I did wrong. 

-You didn’t do anything wrong. 

-Then why do you want me to leave ?

-Alright ! Fine. You wanna know why ? Here’s why : For some reason, I’m attracted to you. I don’t know why I instantly felt drawn to you, but I did. I’m attracted to you in so many ways. And yes, I didn’t come up in the space station for a while because I was avoiding you, because I know you’re not interested, it’s not your thing, and especially not with me. So please, leave, because...because I’m...I’m in love with you. And seeing you here gives me false hope. Please. Just go. Because I know there’s no way you love me, or even like me...Right ?

You hate the fact that there’s hints of hope in your voice...You feel pathetic.

Especially since Bruce looks at you, his face emotionless...Or almost. Because, aren’t the corner of his mouth trying not to twitch up right now ? 

-I’m sorry to tell you that but...

Your heart stop. Of course. Of course you’d have no chance. He was about to break your heart, right there, right now. 

-You are extremely dense.

You’re stunned. Dense ? That’s...That’s not what you were expecting.

“Dense”. How rude.

-What a...shitty way of rejecting someone.

-Who says I’m rejecting you ?

-..You’re not ? 

-I’m not. 

-...Why ?

-Because for some reason, I’m attracted to you too. Except that I know why. It’s because you’re passionate, compassionate, the way you raise your son is amazing and impressive, he’s really a nice young man. You’re beautiful too, hope it doesn’t sound too vain of me to say so. When you’re around, my..uh..I’m not good with words, but basically, my heart races, and I can’t stop it. I tried. But I can’t. And it’s not that relationship do not interest me, it’s just...I don’t always have time for them, and I never met anyone who understood that. But you do. We often talked about that. The truth is, I’m tired of being alone. Of having no one to understand me, confort me...To listen to my cheesy declaration of love. Sorry for the cheesiness by the way. And besides, Damian...Damian actually convinced me to confront you about all of this, he’s the reason I’ve been pushing you right now to tell me why you wanted me to leave. He thinks...He thinks we’d be a good match.

-Smart boy. 

-I thought so too.

Natural. That’s how it feels between the two of you. Just...natural. As if you were handmade for each others. It’s very weird and confusing. But sometimes, weird and confusing is good.

-After, I’ll tell you why I fell in love with you. But right now, I’m just gonna kiss you alright ? 

-I’m good with that. Just...I love you too (Y/N). 

It was all so casual. All so normal. As if you two told each other a million times before that you loved each other, as if you were already an old couple. As if...As if it was Destiny for the two of you to end up together. As if from the moment you found a four year old Billy down the metro station, it was all written somewhere that you’d end up here. In Bruce Wayne’s arms. With his tongue in your mouth and your arms around his neck. 

You always strongly believed in destiny...There was just no way all the things that happened in your life to lead you here were just coincidences, you...A very manly and excited voice suddenly yelled, from the corner of the room : 

-YES ! NOW I’M REALLY A BAT-SON ! Haha, get it, cause my last name is Batson ? 

-It’s not funny if you explain it Billy...

You and Bruce turned around to be faced by both your young sons (one of whom was in his adult form, and was...dancing a happiness dance ?) The fit of laughter that took over you two was legendary. 

PS : Next time I write something drunk, please, tell me to fuck off. BECAUSE THIS IS TERRIBLE ! Tomorrow, I’m gonna read it and be like : “Wow what, why did I write that ?” and erase everything. Maybe rewriting it someday. OH MY GOD SHIT.

[warriorgays]

I’m about to share something really personal about why I’m in this fandom and why I write what I do. I’m going to ask that people not reblog it, just on the off chance it spreads too far, because it has to do with my professional life. Under a cut because it got long.

I’m a history grad student. I don’t do academic history; I focus on how history reaches the average person, through museums, archives, historic sites, new media, and the internet. This summer I had an internship with a fairly prestigious institution in my field, which I won’t name, and had the opportunity to research in their collections and to write a post for their blog. I was delighted to find that in their collection were several items related to gay men, in particular, who served in WWII; a collection of letters written to a civilian, which included at least one love letter and another that was pretty clearly about a friend’s struggle with his queerness, as well as a collection of photos of different men, including one where the subject had used the word “gay” to describe himself, albeit in that kind of vague sense the word still had in the mid-20th century.

I wrote a blog post including these documents, and one other, a picture of a military drag show that didn’t single anyone out. The first time I sent the post out for review, the social media team told me I had to cut the first two documents because we couldn’t risk the men’s families identifying them and being insulted that we had stated/implied they were gay. At this point I was ready to give up, because I couldn’t do the post without those documents; however, two queer full-time employees basically took me under their wing and told me they would help get it passed. They gave me the language I needed to argue my case, and had other high-ranking employees weigh in.

My post went through four more rounds of edits. All told, I believe nine or ten people weighed in. I added several clauses clarifying my language to make it less strong, basically saying “but that doesn’t make these guys GAY” in a dozen different places, until the post was more than twice as long as they originally told us to shoot for. I made almost all of the edits that were recommended, except two - I refused to change “gay neighborhood” to “gay-friendly neighborhood,” which was accepted, and I refused to cut a quote from the letter, although I added in a few more no-homos surrounding it. (I’ll also say that all of the documents in my post are currently publicly available via the institution’s website, although they require a little bit of digging to find.)

All of this happened over two weeks; the longest it ever took for me to get a reply was four days. Friday July 28th was my last day at my internship; I had submitted my final final draft (hopefully) the day before and received no response. I emailed the social media team the following Tuesday and was assured things were moving along and I would get an email ASAP with any updates. I emailed again today to see what was going on, and got a response from the director of the department I worked in, telling me that my blog post wouldn’t go up, because the institution is altering their policy about personally identifiable information and making it more strict, so my post has been rejected. The decision has nothing to do with my writing or my research.

I don’t know what this means. I don’t know if it means the photos and the letters will be taken off the public sites, or if researchers will have to sign a release to view them - or if it just means that they’ll keep LGBT content in the collection, but we’re not allowed to talk about it.

The first time I thought the blog post wasn’t going to happen, I messaged a friend on here about how upset I was. I full-on sobbed for almost half an hour, and it caught me off guard. It was never just about the work I had put into the post, although that’s not insignificant. This was going to be my first real public project, and one that meant so much to me. When I realized I was gay at the age of 15, I freaked out. What saved me was finding a list of LGBTQ people throughout history, realizing that I had a history and a community and that I wasn’t alone. I had never learned that any of the people on that list were queer in my classes, although I had studied several of them, and I had never seen anything about LGBTQ people in museums or history books I had access to.

But I was caught off guard by how attached I was to these men, and how responsible I felt for them. One of the men in the collection died in 1964; it’s very possible he was never out to anyone beyond his lovers and his friends. Another died in 1997, but he was old, poor, black (although he apparently was able to pass in public), and lonely, and his few friends couldn’t afford a funeral; he was buried in a potter’s field. The other two were never identified beyond their first names.

And maybe they would have disliked their letters and their photos being paraded around in public, that’s fair. But I felt... I felt good, taking their happiness, their love and friendship for each other, and making that a part of history, knowing that it had to be kept secret at the time. And I feel kind of sick knowing that these documents aren’t being suppressed because they’re damaging - they don’t contain SSNs, they aren’t evidence of a crime, they don’t contain any lurid details - but because their families might be ashamed or affronted at them being perceived as gay. It feels like they’re being shoved in the closet all over again, because being called gay is still that much of an insult. In 2017, a public history institution can’t insinuate that someone is gay without undeniable proof. Which means, to some extent, that 90% of pre-Stonewall LGBTQ is off-limits.

Sometimes, I admit, I feel silly about writing fanfiction. I feel like I’m pouring too much history into something that, in the end, is just a harmless diversion. I feel awkward at putting so much detail into the lives of “real people” instead of finding the stories of real LGBTQ people and writing those instead. Maybe that would be a better use of my time. Maybe, in the end, it would do more good.

But... it’s so hard. I don’t want to write academic texts for only academics to pass around. I want to do history for the people, because that’s what matters to me, and that means I can’t load myself down with queer theory that people don’t understand, and that I have to couch every word so it’s not Too Much, and already, already, I am tired and angry. Because this is what happened when I had allies, and when even my “opponents” were nice allies who aren’t homophobic, who genuinely think my writing is good but just think we have to be careful. This is what happened even having LGBTQ mentors who have been putting up with this shit for years!

It broke my heart going through these documents. There’s a line in a letter where one man, writing to his friend, talks about how he’s going to get married to a woman because he prayed hard enough that he’s not interested in men anymore - and how he went out with his boyfriend (though he doesn’t use the term) one last time, and how the boyfriend promised to wait for him in case he changed his mind. Another time I was talking to one of the gay employees about how I wished we had the other side of the exchange, especially the one involving the man who died in the 60s, and he said “It’s a shame, but you can bet his family burned the letters as soon as they saw them.” Even with no evidence, there’s one man in the photos who’s just... his sense of humor leapt out at me from the page, and on the back of one he had written “26 and loving it! Gay as hell still”, and I want so badly to know his story, to the point where not knowing, never being able to find him, feels like an unhappy ending itself.

I found out barely an hour ago that the post isn’t happening, so undoubtedly I’ll feel less dramatic in a day or a week or whenever. But at the moment... I’m grateful that I have fanfiction. I’m grateful I have characters I relate to and identify with, and whom I can turn into the people I need them to be, and I’m grateful that I can give them happy endings. I’m even grateful that they’re based on real people (even though I don’t write them as the real people) because that makes them real enough that they can stand in for the people I’m not allowed to talk about.

I’m sure people are going to ask to read my blog post and/or see the documents themselves, because I mentioned they were on a public site. I’m sorry that I don’t have an answer just yet. I very strongly do not want this to result in any attention from the institution and I don’t want my full name to be attached in any way, so I’m still mulling over how best to deal with the situation. I think the most likely result is that I will end up sharing the links to the documents, with certain conditions. I’ll think it over and let you all know by the end of the day tomorrow. If you got this far, thank you.

[1dicta]

dicta do you have any larry fic recs? nothing specific but just any fic that you loved a lot? thank you, your opinion on fics means a lot to me, and i feel like you'd probably know the really good ones!

Oh my gosh anon I love the wording of this ask so much. I’ve been meaning to make a larry rec list for going on a year but it just feels so official/overwhelming? But this, fic I loved a lot??? I can absolutely do that!!! and aaaaah there are SO MANY!!! I am not as organized about larry fic as drarry fic so this is, basically, like, a list of fics that stuck in my brain and/or heart and that are all so so good. SO GOOD! (and tbh there’s a whole other list of stuff that i’d rec but would want to reread before attempting commentary, and I have so many things marked for later and like….yeah….there’s a lot of good fic out there) And really, what better rec is there than “this is a fic that stuck in my brain and/or heart”?? Everyone should read them all!!

an act of faith against the night by @elianefics​ - M, 65k - It’s a clear path, drawing itself in Harry’s mind – where they began, how they ended up here. It’s not hard to convey all the events that led them to this very moment, with all of their twists and turns, not when Harry has been going through them again and again every night, albeit searching for something else.  “Did you know?” When Harry replies, it’s a question, not an answer. “Did you know, that it would end like this?”[Harry and Louis had never imagined that, when they would finally go back to New York, it would be as spies.] (part two of the landscapes of war series)

The war from ‘a prayer for which no words exist’ (recced below!) is over, or at least as over as war can be for the people who were there, which is to say….not all that over, just taking different shape. I have endless love for the way this fic treats that aftermath, the way it shows how deeply and irreversibly harry and Louis were shaped by being fighters, and it is a stunning mix of beautiful prose and important ethical questions. It also does some really fascinating meta work with Simon Cowell, the Azoffs, and the Cordens taking on central roles in the post-war nation-building project. It’s a lot for one fic to do, and this one manages it beautifully, and throws in some more beautiful NYC cityscapes, heartaching and conflicted nostalgia, and taut but unwavering H/L love, you know, just for good measure.

another hazy may by deLILAh - M, 41k - louis is a terrible poet and harry lives in the now and they have six weeks to fall in love but, really, it only takes six seconds. bookshop meets military meets summer romance au ft. marlboros, the backstreet boys, and underrated literary devices.

It’s been over a year since I’ve properly read this all the way and I can still see parts of it as vividly as if it had been last night. Harry’s hair, cigarette smoke curling upwards, hardwood floors, the rhythm of Harry’s feet as he runs to stay in shape for the job that will take him away from Louis, the feeling of seconds slipping away, and each of them more precious for being so few in number. This is one of those fics that made me nostalgic for somewhere I’d never been - except who hasn’t felt as though time was moving simultaneously quickly and too slowly, as though there is something precious that could fall apart at any second? And that’s one of many things this fic does beautifully: gives us the universality of their story, and reminding us of our own.

Auf Wiedersehen, Sweetheart by @conscious–ramblings​ - M, 19k - Louis and Harry had been childhood best friends, but had been separated by evacuation as the city they grew up in was destroyed around them. Now, twelve years later, they are both back in London, and through chance they meet again. In a time when you can’t admit to being gay, for fear of arrest, admitting to your best friend that you love them seems like an insurmountable obstacle.Featuring boxer Harry and mechanic Louis, much pining, and a lot of post war Britain

There’s often a moment in fic where they’re trying to figure out if the other one is gay and/or available, that’s full of a certain kind of tentative hope because there’s some kind of attraction there and what if, what if it was everything they think it might be? This fic takes that to 11 in the most meaningful way, because it’s the 40s, and being gay is a crime, and it’s not a question of whether they’re reading the right signals - neither of them can afford to send any - but of trying to accept that it could never, can never be. Set against absolutely simmering chemistry (the moment Louis first sees Harry in the ring is a thing I’m still not over) and wonderful research and settings (loved the feel of it, the way it all came to life, how present the remnants of the war were as they went about their lives) and fab secondary characters (Niall is a gem, and Liam is so how I think of him, and really everyone was just perfect) and this incredible click where you can feel the ease and understanding between them, feel the sense that they are destined and absolutely belong together…it takes that tension and longing, already at an 11, to a 12, and the ending is cathartic and beautiful and means so much more for knowing how rare and lucky and precious that moment is, and how much they’re willing to risk, and how it’s kinds of risk that are sometimes very specific to being queer in a moment when it’s illegal and how many of them are universal, and how incredible and enormous and moving a thing it is when both kinds of risk pay off.

Don’t Look Down by zarah5 - M, 92k - AU. In which Louis is a solicitor at one of London’s most prestigious law firms and Harry happens to apply for the position as his trainee. And everyone else is around, too.

Harry is unbelievably charming here, and it makes total sense that Louis falls for him, and as the story unfolds the clarity and meaningfulness of their connection gets more and more apparent even as Louis is fighting it tooth and nail. But it’s not miscommunication and it’s not self-loathing, it’s that Louis’ reasons are genuinely thoughtful and important (professional ethics!!!!!! With real implications!!!!) and that they’re genuinely in a difficult position and can’t be together without betraying things that mean a lot to both of them, which made me love this version of him even more and root for them that much harder. And I was already rooting for them pretty damn hard. They fit together beautifully from the first, understand each other on so many levels, are drawn together just magically…and then there are these beautiful moments (Venice omg) and heart-wrenching moments (after that dinner and that one morning and then that other one omg) and hold-your-breath moments (what is Louis gonna dooooo) and heart-pounding momebts, and I could not put it down.

Fake you’re full and feel tomorrow by theglitterbee - NC-17, 21k - Louis is a high class prostitute and the best at what he does. Harry is a hard to please 17 year old who wants to give himself completely to another man. [It contains prostitution, d/s, daddy kink, silly banter and two idiots in love.](The one with the text messages.)

listen this is gonna sound like a weird rec but bear with me. this fic was one of the first 1d fics I read, and on face is almost entirely made of things i don’t like, and yet, here it is. It did that alchemical thing where it just worked and it did all these things really well - like daddy kink was 100% squick for me before this and it’s still like 80% squick but this fic explained it in such a way that i got it and could understand it and see why it worked for them and what it meant for them and that psychology made it work (and made me get why it was hot? which is pretty massive for something in the squick category). and i was hesitant about their ages but it wound up being (i think not unrealistically) part of a fundamental kind of self-discovery that was part of why things between them felt so critical and important. and i was v skeptical about social media stuff in fic but this one did it so well that i got it and felt like it really enriched the story and showed a particular kind of progress and dynamic in their interactions that needed to be done that way (and wound up being really cool and impressive). and i was nervous about the potential for the dynamics to not work but they are both full people who needed each other in this very specific way and fit together beautifully and it did some of the best stuff kink fics do imo, where the kink reveals something about who they are and what they need and why they work and who they are individually and together, and so here we are, a fic with tags i wouldn’t usually touch, reccing away and considering a reread. this kind of rec can be kind of ~, i know, but the tl;dr is that this fic is so good it overcame every hesitation and left me totally engaged and impressed and invested.

Hold Me Closer by balanceds - NC-17, 36.5k - Louis Tomlinson is one of the most promising dancers of the English National Ballet, on track to become the youngest principal dancer in the company’s history. That is, until forces conspire to significantly complicate his life, including: a surprise ballet, an unfairly attractive guest choreographer, and being pushed into a rivalry with his best mate. Featuring lots of wine, dancing, pining, and a happy ending.

I was so surprised when I looked up the word count for this bc I would have sworn it was at least twice as longc there is so much story, and so much development, and so many moments that stick that. Watching Louis come to terms with who he was as a dancer and and person was this beautiful process that was so rewarding to read, and it was unusual and fresh in this way I really want to talk about but really don’t want to spoil. Along the way there is spectacular chemistry, zayn and Louis taking on gay swan lake, so much yearning and despair and happiness and reckoning and growth, an amazing and deeply satisfying Simon moment, and one of those h/l relationships where they make each other strong.

like a boomerang by @youwilll​ - M, 52k - AU in which Harry gets trapped in a lift, Louis gets stuck in a Wednesday, and it’s always February 2nd. Until it isn’t.

This fic is so so utterly charming in like nine different ways. Harry and Louis slot together so beautifully you can practically hear the click, and then they do it again and again and somehow every time feels fresh and important, and through it all the stakes get bigger as Louis contemplates the meaning of their repeated day and all of these deep questions sneak in, and a bit of a mystery, and a bunch of self-discovery, and a bunch of personal growth as Louis learns and thinks, really thinks, about what he needs to do, and realizes how willing he is to do it. It was so perfectly balanced between being gentle and exciting, between destiny and action, between grand gestures and quiet moments, and it settled like a warm blanket and I looked forward to every chapter so much.  And then, at the end…it was one of those stories that made me want to add and place to my travel list because the relevant moments are so well located and satisfying that you just want to be there, and it captured this particular instant - the way it wound sound and smell and how the air would feel and the electricity of it - so vividly. Lovely through and through.

Love Is A Human Right by @conscious–ramblings​ - M, 41k - The one where Louis has spent years getting over his ex, Harry Styles, and was almost successful. That is until Harry is elected as an MP, and Louis is given the task of getting him to support an Act of Parliament. Through tears and arguments and a heavy dose of LGBTQ+ politics, their lives finally line up. Will Louis be able to forgive? Will they still want the same thing? It’s difficult to let go of five years of hurt, but even more difficult to be close to the love of your life and let them walk away again.

This fic is basically everything I want in a fic, but together so amazingly well that I would never be able to put into a prompt because it’s the *how* that makes it so perfect. I mean, politics, check, LGBTQ politics, check, larry, check, vivid settings, check, emotional stakes, check, pining, check, everything, check. But the kicker is the beautiful complexity to all of it, that the story really truly understands the complexity of coming out and why people  do and why they don’t and what it mean and how it works and the ways it plays out in queer communities, and these gay leads aren’t incidentally gay, but engaged in identity and politics in a way that feels true and resonant, and that manages to both say really important things about queer communities and tell a beautiful love story about coming to terms with who you are and what you stand for and how love shapes (but doesn’t always determine, and I love that about this fic too) your priorities. Then add some simmering UST and simmering RST (hot damn i mean really) and viscerally, deliciously painful pining and hilarious side plots (SGIL!! Ziam!! Nick’s guessing games!!) and a background story that had my heart twisting for them from the first and settings that felt so real they were popping back into my head for weeks and just…superb. Superb.

a prayer for which no words exist by @elianefics​ - M, 65k - “Louis is a few seconds away from blowing up a rather important section of the New York subway when he sees Harry for the first time.” (part one of the landscapes of war series)

War!AU in NYC! Another one that I will admit fit my interests beautifully but it’s the execution that makes it work so beautifully. From the second they meet, there’s an urgency and fragility to Harry and Louis’ relationship that is a perfect fit for the politics and the newness of it all. At the same time, their connection is so certain and solid, and whether they’re waking up in the Brooklyn penthouse loft that I am still not over or getting ready to run into battle, their love casts everything else into relief and brings out some of he human consequences to why people fight and what they have to gain or lose, and shows what all they’re risking. Left me breathless in the best ways, and so glad to have gone on this journey.

Pull Me Under by zarah5 - NC-17, 140k - AU. As the first British footballer to come out at the prime of his career,  it helps that Louis Tomlinson is in a long-term, committed  relationship. Even if that relationship is fake. (Featuring Niall as Louis’ favourite teammate, Liam as Louis’ agent, and Zayn as Liam’s boyfriend, who just happens to be good friends with one Harry Styles.)

This was the fic that tipped me right over the precipice and properly into the fandom; how could I not rec it? Even if I wasn’t personally attached, how could I not rec it? It’s so bloody beautiful, watching Louis come to terms with the idea of being out, and to take steps towards it, and to see how his interactions with Harry change that and what develops between them. The pacing is amazing, the depiction of internalized homophobia is chest-tightening in the good illustrative moving way, the world is so immersive (like I went to get the link and 20 minutes later I was still reading and totally entranced), and their relationship 100% made my heart sing, in both the big triumphant moments and the little ones.

things have gotten closer to the sun by starseas - M, 49k - it’s strange, making the choice to face his past—it almost feels like he’s heading for the sun straight on, like he’s screaming come on and burn me, i deserve it.-when a solar flare is announced to end the world in twelve days, harry reunites with the people that he used to know better than the back of his own hand.

I’m not even entirely sure what to say about this fic that won’t give it away or send people running because here’s the thing: it is heartbreaking. It is worth it. It is sad, yes. It is also exhilarating and beautiful and about why love, platonic and romantic, makes the risks worthwhile, and how we know, viscerally know what is important to us. Real talk pt. 1: read it because I had terrible pms and really needed to cry. Real talk pt. 2: it worked, in that very particular way thar also made me sit and think about who and what is really important and had me sobbing in the best, most cathartic way. That lasting, deep way that’s making my chest a little tight just thinking about it, but that also means that I can smell the snow and feel the frost and see the brilliance of the sun and feel the boys’ love as - more - constant than the sun, and what the heck else could you ask for?

These Inconvenient Fireworks by mdasch and everydayslike - NC-17, 190k - Future AU in which nobody tries out for X Factor but the boys end up finding one other eventually anyway. Louis is a jaded bastard who owns a cat named Duchess and teaches drama to teenagers, Harry is an idealistic aspiring photographer/part-time footy coach, Zayn teaches English lit and wears leather jackets, Liam saves people from burning buildings, and Niall is Niall.

this is one of the top ten most affecting things i have ever read in my life. i don’t know how. i don’t know why. i do know that i couldn’t put it down for days and wound up finishing it in a blanket fort on a friend’s couch at 4am, literally doing that feet-kicking thing where you’re so full of feelings you can’t actually physically contain it but have to be quiet and still because the rest of the world is asleep during your emotional revelation. it restored my faith in love and hope. i am still not recovered from the thing on the soccer field at night before the train or the star tattoo or harry taking picture after picture or basically anything about it. clear your calendar if you have to but read this fic and then pls come talk to me about it because like i said i am deeply affected and possibly forever changed.

walk my days on a wire by sunshiner - M, 38.5k - Harry hums, staring at his hands in his lap, and Louis can still feel their smoothness, how solid they were in between his own. “Do you think it’s the same for us? Are we here only because of the likeliness of our jobs? Of our lives?”“We’re here because we have inventive managers,” Louis says, giving Harry’s leg a little nudge with his knee, but all that’s going around in his head is, I think I’d be in the same spot in every possible universe.  or, when actor Louis Tomlinson used to daydream about dating Harry Styles, this is not what he had in mind.

There’s this one moment in Cannes when they kiss and I both really want to talk about it bc it is amazing and really would not dream of talking about bc you have to go read it yourself. So like the summary suggests, they’re in a fake relationship, and they know that that’s what it’s supposed to be, but of course - of course - there’s more to it than that. Like instantly more in this way that you can feel rolling off the screen, that is about sexual chemistry but also a certain kind of very precious fitting together. Watching them see themselves through each others eyes is beautiful, as is seeing how much it means to them to have someone else who understands the pressured of this rarefied, panopticonic world of celebrity, and who loves and validates the ott celeb performer and the human underneath the facade. It’s interesting to read in the context of this fandom, and entirely universal at the same time - who doesn’t want a partner who can love them at their most extreme and most mundane, most accomplished and most afraid, right in the middle of a stadium or right in the middle of taking up the whole damn bed?

whispering of fields half-sown by @elianefics​ - PG-13, 7k - “And how ironic is it that even now, at the end of all things, Louis’ mere presence makes Harry want to believe that anything is possible again. That the earth isn’t close to collapsing on itself, that the tomorrows are bright and shining and full of promises. Harry hates Louis for giving him something to look forward to when the sky only keeps getting darker. Harry loves Louis for it. ”[All of his boys come back to him in the end, but it’s Louis, Harry has been waiting for all this time.]

heartbreaking, lush, moving apocalypse!fic wherein it is absolutely the case that through fire and water and earthquakes and ice, there is one person Harry needs by his side. There’s Liam and Niall and Zayn, too, and what it would mean for all of them to say goodbye, really goodbye, who they all are and what those friendships mean. And Louis. Oh, Louis. My eyes got mysteriously damp in the really good way, and it made me want to sit down and write just to make words like this. The conversation at the end of this stayed with me like whoa, and my chest is getting a little tight thinking about it again. That may make some people want to X it off the list; think twice before you do. This is worth it.

Young & Beautiful by velvetoscar - M, 227.5k - Louis, to his horror, attends an elitist university in which the name Zayn Malik means something, Niall Horan doesn’t stop talking, there are pianos everywhere, and Harry Styles, only son of a drug-addled, clinically insane ex-rocker, has a perfect smile and empty eyes.

absolutely beautiful. so vivid i dreamt about it and then went and got a whole bunch of flowers and spent a while wandering around in fancy clothes just because it felt as though i was already living in the story so why not? And how could you not want to be part of this world that is complex and nuanced and subtle and gorgeous (which is not a way i expected to feel about a fic about rich kids btw but this fic makes them so full and the story so engaging that it happened and not only a little). Dimensional characters, wonderful tension, simmering slow burn, complexity, believable and complex psychological motivations,  theme parties, a falcon named cleopatrick, long nights, loaded touches, meaningful subplots, love, resilience. The only possible complaint is it made me want a champagne fountain, and that is not any sort of complaint at all. (lmk if you have a champagne fountain though, it’s been a few weeks and i am really still about wanting to live inside this fic, and also champagne)