#while still wanting the image of robin to remain pure and loved

[felikatze]

Grima: One Guy In Two Trenchcoats

Let‘s establish: Is Robin possessed or not? Well, I argue…. no.

There‘s a huge difference between one character being controlled by another with no agency in their actions, and someone struggling against their own conflicting nature. Personally, the latter allows for much more depth on Grima‘s part, instead of „ohhh poor Robin :(„

On that question, Robin certainly believes they‘re the same being. Future Past Robin, that is.

Welcome, to Grima apologism hours, in which i do not repent, and overanalyze how my favorite maggot is Complex, actually.

Fire Emblem Awakening‘s Future Past DLC allows a glimpse into an alternate future destroyed by Grima, one extremely similar but ever so slightly different than the one Lucina hails from.

In the „bad end“ of the DLC, achieved if any of the future children (excluding Lucina) die before defeating Grima in Future Past 3, Grima and Lucina hold an extended conversation that gives us a lot of perspective on Grima.

Wherein before Grima shrouded his vessel in shadow, those shadows have lifted and Lucina comes to slowly recognize Robin. She asks if Robin can be saved somehow if Grima is defeated, and very much believes them to be distinct beings. At this moment of Grima‘s weakness, Robin can „shine through“ and speak their own desires without Grima‘s influence, or so it seems.

Robin disagrees.

Lucina: You‘re human, aren‘t you- a person, like us? Grima is using you to-

Grima: ...I am Grima! There is nothing human about me!

Lucina: …..

Grima: ...I have always been the fell dragon… since the day I was born…

There we have it, right from the horse‘s mouth.

Lucina is convinced she is talking to Robin, and I‘d agree. Compared to Grima‘s usual behaviour, Robin is much calmer, and speaks more rationally. In addition, their text is formatted different. Grima‘s speech is peppered with bold and bright red text to highlight his wrath, whereas Robin‘s speech features many ellipses, likely to punctuate their fading strength.

And yet, the speech associated with Robin „taking back control“ has them directly admit to being the fell dragon. Previously in this scene, Robin also blames themself for the harm brought to the world.

Grima: „… I snuffed out the very Voice of the divine dragon… and I just finished killing the friends you sent for the Gemstones…“

[...]

„Don‘t you hate me? I‘m the cause for all of this.“

Robin takes responsibility in the first person. If they were truly possessed in this instance, they‘d shift the blame to Grima, but they do not.

Even Naga acknowledges that it was the fell dragon that teleported Chrom and Robin from the main game to safety, an action we‘d associate with Robin thwarting Grima‘s control to keep their friends safe.

Go King get that Dissonance!

Naga: „Hm? The fell dragon returned you here… Is everything all right?“

What do I mean by „dissonance“? Well, I‘ve said that Robin admits they and Grima are one being. There are many points where Grima doesn‘t, however. And that‘s like, weird, right. I mean, Future Past Grima does this too, when I‘ve been using Future Past Robin as proof.

I think we all remember the famous “the man who owned this body” line.

But let‘s point out when Grima does this. To taunt others. In Future Past, Grima brings up Robin‘s love for Chrom to enrage Lucina, and in the maingame, it precedes the final battle, too, though more indirectly, as Grima asks Robin to “join them.” It solidifies Grima‘s appearance as the big bad who must be killed, all typical FE antagonist trash talk, really. Gets you rearing to kill this guy!

Which might be the point.

It‘s an oddity that Grima wants Robin to be remembered fondly. And it‘s a recurring one. Remember how Grima will differentiate between themself and Robin, but Robin won‘t?

On the final map, Grima offers Robin the chance to give themself up in exchange for the Shepherd‘s lives. No matter what you choose, battle commences regardless.

But��.

If Robin refuses Grima:

Robin: Do you think me a fool? You'll kill them anyway!

Grima: ...Well, of COURSE I would. I only thought you might want to leave your comrades with a heroic, selfless image. ...But so be it. Leave them with the final memory that you were their undoing!

And if Robin accepts Grima:

Robin: First, let my friends go... You promised to spare them.

Grima: Oh come now, we both knew that was never going to happen... But I am not altogether cruel... I did spare you the pain of damning them openly.

Robin: You…

Grima: In truth, I simply don't understand why you care so deeply for the creatures... No matter. Your soul is mine now; you cannot escape. Your mind will descend into the shadow of my own!

„I only thought you might want to leave your comrades with a heroic, selfless image.“ Grima is offering for Robin to martyr themself, and for Grima to be the undisputed villain of this story. It‘s the same thing that happened with Morgan. Morgan doesn‘t remember Grima, only the kind and caring Robin.

This leads me to believe that Grima‘s theatrics, the whole „I am the breath of ruin and the wings of despair“-spiel, is a mask.

In Future Past, Grima knows they need to die. Future Past Grima basically admits to being suicidal. Just look at the bad ending!

Grima: ...Don't you hate me? ...I'm the cause of all of this... ...If it weren't for me, you would never have had to take up the sword... ...You and your loved ones would be living in peace... ...I am to blame for everything... ...You must destroy me, Lucina…

And furthermore… in the Future Past 3 good ending, before Lucina strikes the final blow, Grima turns into a green unit.

For just a second. And then they‘re dead.

Grima: ...At last...I can rest... ...No one else...will suffer... ...because of me... ...Thank...you... ...I hope your lives are...filled... ...with...joy... ...... ...... ...Morgan...please forgive me... ...I put you through...so...much... ...... ......

Grima, Robin, desperately wishes they weren‘t Grima. That Robin is all there was. They wish so badly that they could just stay with the Shepherds, with the people they love. And they love so much. They still love Chrom, they still love Morgan, but Grima needs to die for the world to be saved.

But if Grima makes themself into a big bad villain with no redeeming qualities, if Grima taunts and riles up, then maybe everyone will forget that they‘re Robin, too. And everyone can remember Robin fondly. Robin is the human part of Grima, and who they wish to be.

What does it mean for Grima to follow Lucina back in time? It's as Naga said; only Grima's own power can end him for good. If Robin never awakened, Grima's power would remain in the world, sealed inside the Dragon's Table for eternity, or perhaps, until another reincarnation of Grima came along. Instead, Grima takes that power onto himself (so Robin does not, cannot),with just enough left to end it all. Grima knows that he must die.

There are some very notable moments when Grima does call himself and Robin one. However, these moments have something in common; Grima is talking to Robin.

In Invisble Ties, this is most evident. 

???: I told you. I'm Robin. The Robin that murdered you and became the fell dragon, Grima. When this "Marth" of yours decided to come back in time...I came with her.

Grima is Robin, burdened by fate, weighed down by grief and madness and a lifetime of horrible choices.

Robin has become his own murderer. To be dead is better than to be Grima.

[sashi-ya]

SFW ~ Soft! Trafalgar D. Water Law x F! Reader ~ A Calm Spell

Hi!! I know this isn’t requested and I still have a lot of requests to write, buuuut I had this idea going on in my head for like a whole week now and I just needed to write it down haha. It’s pure soft, lovely, a little angsty Law moments with reader. I hope you enjoy ♥

A/N: It’s based on the first hc I have ever had when I saw Law’s past. I always thought Law’s soulmate would be the user of Cora-san’s DF, the Nagi Nagi no mi. It is actually similar to my first fic of Law “Law x Best Friend F! Reader where reader has eaten the same fruit).

TW: Angst, crying Law (as always). Comforting Law, cuddles and kisses, confessing love.

AU: In universe. After the events of Wano Kuni.

WC: 1.5K

After defeating Kaido a big banquet was thrown to celebrate the freedom of Wano. A country oppressed and devastated by the purest evil will start to recover little by little. Luckily the fight is all over now, and it’s time to rest… or at least that’s what you wanted to do...

“Girls, I’m so exhausted. I’m gonna go get some rest in the tent” you tell Nami, Robin and Carrot. "Sleep well, darling" the sweet Mink tells you and kisses you on the cheek.

You have set a few tents for all of the crew members to sleep in once the party is over, but you surely can’t resist anymore. You do not have the same energy as Luffy, so you are off to bed. You choose the tent that’s near the coast, so you are a little far from the sounds of the party.

“Why the hell is it so cold tonight?” You grunt and grab a bunch of blankets to snuggle inside. At first you wanted to use your silent spell, but then something tells you not to. What if new enemies come? You should be ready to fight in no time. So, you cover your ears with a pillow and you are off to sleep.

Some minutes later, when you are drifting into the oneiric world you feel someone stepping on your right foot. “GOD DAMN!” You shout emerging from underneath your blanket fort.

“FUCK!” Law screams, scared. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know you were here. The other tents were full of people...” he says, looking at the other side, scratching the back of his neck. Your expression suddenly changes when you know the one who has entered is no other than the man you had a crush on, for two years. You were completely in love with him since you saw him at the Sabaody Archipelago…

"Don't worry, you can stay here if you want. There is plenty of room" you tell him. "Are you sure?" He asks, a little embarrassed. "Yeah, come on!".

Law then proceeds to lay on the ground over a little mat, he takes off his shoes and puts his big ass katana under his head as if it was a pillow. You look at him, confused, "Are you going to sleep like that?".

He opens one eye and looks at you. "Uhm, yeah. Why?" He asks. "I mean, aren’t you uncomfortable? Cold?" You ask him. "A little… but I'm used to sleeping like this so it's ok… plus, Mugiwara-ya won't stop singing so I'm sure I won't be able to sleep at all".

"Well you see, I have a solution…" you tell him, crawling closer to him. He gasps when notices you are approaching him but remains still.

"You know I'm a devil fruit user, right?" You ask him, now covering him with your blankets. "Uhm, yes. But I didn't really ever see you using your powers…" he says, realizing he has no idea what your skills are.

"Well, that's because I never wanted to tell you that I… I have eaten the… Nagi Nagi no mi" you confess. Law looks at you surprised and his eyes get watery. "You… have Cora-san’s devil fruit?"

"Yes, I didn't want to tell you because I thought you were going to feel bad. Three years ago while I was wandering through the North Blue islands, I found it and ate it… I was starving and it saved me" you tell him.

His eyes got completely blurred by his tears. You feel devastated, your heart breaks to the image of the man you love crying.

"Oi, I didn’t mean to make you feel bad…" you tell him, touching his face for the very first time; wiping the tears from those caramel cheeks.

"No… it's not that. I'm so relieved… you are a good person, I'm so happy someone like you has that fruit" he says, sniffling. And then, his inked, wounded arms surround your body pulling you closer to him. He hugs you so tightly, so lovingly. You can even feel his heartbeat on your chest, and he probably does feel yours too, as it beats so fast like it was trying to jump off from your chest.

You are spellbound by the scent of his skin, the feeling of his black hair rubbing against your face. How many nights have you dreamt of this? …

Law keeps crying, so much he wets your shirt. But you don't ask him to stop crying, you know this is what he needs, he is truly relieved.

"Can you do me a favour, Y/n-ya?" He asks, in between sobbing. "Yes, of course…" you tell him, while you brush his back with your hand.

Both of you separate a little, noses almost touching, a proximity you will always remember…

"Do you use the Calm spell?" He asks, shyly. "Of course, did Cora-san use it too? Same name?" You ask amazed. "Yes… I'm sure you already know this but, did you know that the calm spell not only mutes the person you use it on but also…". "It also calms them… for real. That’s why it’s actually called “calm” " you interrupt him. "That's right… can you, perhaps, use it on me now?"

You smile, kindly. You always knew that behind that serious mask he uses there is a man so sweet, so human, so needy of love… "Of course" you whisper and put your hand over his head.

"Calm"...

Law closes his eyes, and a sudden expression of happiness and tranquillity draws on his face. The purest countenance of a little child in front of you.

He remains like that for a few minutes, his breathing calms down, his tears slowly dry. But his hand keeps squeezing your wrist, as if he doesn’t want you to leave. And of course you don't go, who would leave this man alone?

The surgeon suddenly opens his eyes, his grey irises reflecting yours. Somehow you also feel so comfortable there, so weightless… Law smiles at you, a sweet smile you haven’t seen ever, the most precious curve your eyes have the luck to see. He tells you to stop the calm spell with just a subtle gesture. And you do so.

"Thanks…" he tells you, never taking his gaze off yours. "You look so happy" you whisper. "Cora used this spell on me on those nights when my body ached due to the amber lead… it was so relaxing" he admits. "Sweet boy… you are still so little" you think, and then kiss his forehead, instinctively. His lips separate a little, but he is not mad, he is pleased, he Is happy.

"I can cast this spell whenever you need to" you say. "Thanks, y/n-ya" he says and unexpectedly his lips are over yours.

He backs up instantly, he has kissed you by pure impulse… this isn't him. You keep looking at him, completely dumbfounded for what has just happened.

"I'm really sorry… I didn't mean to…" he excuses himself, and yet, he is unable to stop his mouth from falling once again over yours. And you don't want to stop, and he doesn't want it either. And his arms pull you closer, and yours are over his cheeks.

Both of you merge into each other… everything disappears around you; the sounds of the party, the whole country, the inhibitions, everything. Your souls dance as if they were trying to find each other for so, so long… Silence, silence filled by your heart beats, gasps, and little moans. His lips tracing wet paths from your mouth to your neck. Your fingers buried on his back.

Law and you feel so secure on each other's arms, in that little paradise under a blanket fort. But lust can wait, at least for some minutes. Law presses his forehead over yours. Both of you smile so happily, eyes shut but completely drunk on each other's. "I have a crush on you, Y/n-ya" he tells you. "I have a crush on you too, Torao" you confess. Both of you giggle like teenagers in love… and after all that's what you two are.

Your lips reunite once again, his hands travel under your shirt, while yours do the same. Dishevelled hair, panting, suffocated moans… the mood is set and the exhaustion and wounds from the battle with Kaido seems to stop hurting.

"Y/N are you in here…? Wait… IS THAT TORAO?!" you hear the majority of your respective nakamas laughing. Both of you stop when someone pulls your blankets off. "Oh Lord, finally… everybody let's go, let them have their private party, come on!" Nami says, and after all of them are out, she closes the zipper of the tent leaving you two alone.

Wanna know what happened next? Well, you can probably imagine…

Wait… you thought about sex? nah, Law and you end up sleeping until the next morning. Cuddles and all, but, hey after such a fight against two yonkous your bodies couldn’t resist a good night of rest.

[missallsundayyy]

"You're just saying that"

ANOTHER LAWBIN DUMP BECAUSE I SHIP THEM LIKE A MAD WOMAN ITS INSANE! here is just Law being a simp for our fave straw hat archeologist, Nico Robin <3

“You’re beautiful”

“You’re just saying that”

“No Im not”

Law crawled towards Robin who was fully naked and tangled in between the sheets and smiled at her. He had a goddess on his bed and today was the last day she was going to be on his ship before she had to return to the strawhats. His head bowed and his lips connected to her long slender soft legs, he peppered kisses in a straight line and went towards her thick thighs. “You’re going back to your ship tomorrow Robin-ya” he muttered in between kisses. Robin had her head thrown back against the soft pillows with a contented sigh “Yes i do”

When it comes to pleasure build-up, there was no one better than Trafalgar Law, he made her horny beyond words and he could go for hours and hours just making sure that she was satisfied and pleasured magically. Since he was a doctor, on god he knew where all the good spots were and fuck did he rub, kiss, touch and reach all these area well. All her weak spots were mentally printed in his brain and he touched her so well because he knew her body like the back of his hand.

Law didn’t just wanted to please the historian but he worshipped the fuck out of Robin’s body. She was the definition of beauty and his ideal woman. Her hourglass figure, her large bust, her porcelain skin, her long luscious raven hair, her waist that was meant for his hands, her scent when she was turned on...oh how fucking addictive she was. He could go down on her for hours craving for more and more even when the historian was sore but no he could never get enough of her. “You make me so hard Robin-ya, you look so fucking absolutely mouth watering.” he grunt out licking her soft thick thighs in long strokes. His hands were already parting her legs wide, giving the sight he’s been craving to see. She was already dripping wet for him.

“La..law-kun...please…” Robin moaned softly, her hands reached out for his head and gripping his hair ushering his face forward to her wet core. He smirked and licked her pussy with one long and teasingly slow stroke. Her head dived deeper onto the pillow at the contact even though it was minimal. “You’re already looking so fucked out my love, did i keep you waiting that long?” He teased her by bringing one digit and plunging it into her hole without warning and going at a rough pace.

“A..ahh!” she moaned and fisted his hair roughly. Law was unrelenting; he added the second...third...and fourth digits into her wet hole that was gladly accepting his intrusion. He fucked her with his fingers hard and fast never stopping to let her adjust or catch her breath. He pulled out JUST for a second much to her dismay, her blue orbs adjusted its vision to see what her lover was doing, and his actions made her whine in lust, this man was so sexy. The feral demeanor he had and the way he was enjoying pleasuring her turned her on to the point she could feel more juices dripping out from her cunt. “Fuck.., you’re dripping onto my bedsheet and soaking it baby” he groaned and admired how wet she was for him. Law gathered his saliva in his mouth and spit it directly onto her soaking cunt “Let me make it even wetter Robin-ya” he said. He shifted his position so fast that even she didn’t see this coming, he plunged his hard cock into her with no warning again. “Ohhh my god!” Robin screamed, he filled her up so good and there was no way in hell she was going to feel this type of way with anyone else. Law was not only long but his cock was so very very big and the first time they ever did this, she was taken aback like taken aback would have been an understatement.

“Gomen I cant control my...oh fuckkk you’re so tight R-robin-ya.” Law grunted aloud, he didn’t go slow nor did he held back this time, he was going to fuck her hard and long and make sure she felt him for weeks and months until they had the opportunity to meet again. He was going to wear her out and that's exactly what he was now doing.

“La...law..please..more! I-its so so so so gooood! Ahhh ah ah” whatever words she could muster out was no incoherent, she couldn't even form any proper sentence with how good he was fucking her. His length was impressive, it hit deep and reached everything that she couldn't satisfy herself and the width...mmm she worships this man’s cock. How good his dick was and how amazing the person was as well. “C’mon use your words my love, i’m going to miss you so much and i- ergh fuck!” his hands had a tight hold on her legs, spreading as wide as he could while he fuck her into oblivion. Her large breast was now being kneaded by her hands trying to maximize her pleasure even more.

“You’re so..ahhh fucking hell….sexy. Look at you right now, i could fuck you for hours and prolong this as long as I could my love” he looked down at their connection, what an erotic sight and sound. She was squelching around him and her pussy wasn’t even trying to milk him with everything he got, their juices were mixed and was dripping out of her wet hole and cum was splashed everywhere on his sheets. Oh how he would love nothing more than to capture this image and frame it in his cabin room.

His cock went in and out of hole at a vicious pace, never giving Robin a chance at catching her breath. Everything that came out from her mouth was vulgar and sinful and only her moans and his grunts echoed throughout the bedroom. “Fuck fuck fuck you feel so good around me, gripping my cock like that...so tight like- ahhh…” he brought himself down to her chest and buried his head into her giant globes and grunt out in pleasure of her soft skin and the way her pussy was sucking his cock in.

Robin had one hand gripping his sheets and one hand clawing his back trying to hold onto him to be in sync in his monstrous pace all while he was comfortably sandwiched in between the valley of her breasts. He brought his face back up and tongued her nipples that were basically calling out for his mouth, his large hands palmed the right side of her breast while he was basically making out with the other side.

“La..law….kun...ahhh its too much...im g-gonna… ah ah ahhhh..” she screamed and clawed his back drawing blood, the pleasure he was bestowing upon her has become overwhelming. Law ceased all his actions and brought one hand and took both her arms, pinning them above her head and his other hand found her throat and gripped at it hard; now this was how he could get Robin to cum so hard because this has always been her kink, almost cutting off her oxygen intake brought her euphoric pleasure. “You cum only when I say you can love, are you forgetting that?” Law whispered in her ears, giving her a long teasing lick at her lobes.

Robin whined at the loss of his movements, his cock was still yet buried so deep in her hole and she was rocking back and forth trying to get some friction but his body weight kept her in check and she knew better in strength that she could never outmatch his strength especially in bed. “La..w….please please please please...ne-need to cu..cum!” she begged him desperately, her eyes were half lidded and both corners of her eyes were filled with tears of pleasure and desperation.  He brought his face down to hers and their forehead rested against each other and he locked eyes with hers, souls intertwined and orbs connected and both of them read each other like an open book.

“You look so beautiful baby, you look so good like this…” he whispered to her, face evident with pure lust and adoration. He loved this woman and he fucking knew it, there was nobody he wanted to share such passion and connection with. He wanted to pleasure her to the point of no return, making her the happiest woman alive and he relishes in her existence. “You're gonna cum so good I promise you baby” he grunt out. With that he resumed his thrust but it was even more powerful, dominant and oh so impressive. He pounded her hard and fast fucking her stupid and passionately, he gave his 1000 percent when he do her and right now he was treating her hole unforgivingly and no mercy and she was definitely going to feel him inside her everyday. He printed and branded his cock in her pussy and there will be no other man that could be compared. She whined and moaned hotly, tongue sticking out with a string of drool at the corner of her mouth, the bed shook with the rhythm of their fuck pace. The atmosphere was hot, the air was bathed in redolence of sex and passion. Sounds of his dick going in and out of her wet hole immited sloppy wet sounds that was the focus of their hearing and the unison of their sinful moans. His grip on her throat tightened and he moaned out loud at the sight and took her mouth in his and gave her an open kiss, it was sloppy and hot, their tongues fought each other and both of them were moaning in each other’s mouth.

“Cmon, cum now baby, i can feel you squeezing me so hard, you’re so good for me”

“Law...law! Law! I ahh...ahh im go..gonn! gonna cum”

“Cum for me my love” he’s raspy voice commanded her and if she was grenade, his voice was the trigger. She was sent over the edge and everything in her felt awakened and she exploded with a scream. With his hands on her neck her voice was semi blocked but this kind of orgasm remains unmatched. Robin heard Law muttering strings of curses and swears at her orgasm, she tightened and her insides was trying to milk the fuck out of his cock.

She was sent over the edge and everything in her was awakened and she exploded with a scream. With his hands on her neck her voice was semi blocked but this kinky action always had her fucked out. She saw stars and her body was instantly taken into another universe. Her legs tightened around him and were now trembling, her body still rocking with his  rampaging thrusts both rocking to the rhythm of her high.

“F-ff--fucking hell.” He grunt against her collar bones.

“La--law…” Robin whimpered softly, “Do it in me...please...i want you to cum in me and fill me up please please ple-- AHHH!” He didn’t need to be told twice, her filthy words spurred him on more and she swore he felt him getting harder.

“Fuck i- gonn...a fill you in so good..” he groaned and she captured his mouth with her open ones and their moans and grunts were drowned in the messy and sloppy wet kiss.

“Mmhmm!” Strings and strings of his load was pumping into her hole as he came the moment Robin kissed him with so much need and to simplify it….she was so fucking sexy and was the hottest woman in this god damn planet; he thought.

“Sss--so full!” she whimpered in his mouth.

Her facial expression drove him crazy, she was in a state of bliss and she was on cloud 9, only he could do her like this.

Both of them rode each other, absorbed in their high and lived for each others’ touch.

TIMESKIP

Law tossed the towel that he had used to clean Robin up into the laundry basket in his bathroom and came out to the sight of his goddess laying down peacefully. She was now looking at Law who only had a towel hugging his lower regions and she smiled, admiring his body. He was so handsome, his body was lean with the right muscles everywhere.

“You’re so handsome”

“You’re just saying that”

“No I’m not” he laughed, they were having the same conversation before their love making. He loves her. Trafalgar Law loves Nico Robin so damned much.

THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AND READING MY FIC. DO LIKE AND REBLOG, ask me if there is anything you guys want me to write! I'm currently working on more LAWBIN. I know I've been writing them like crazy but that's because the internet doesn't have enough Lawbin and idc I will write till i'm satiated.

[captain-emmajones]

They were at least sleeping together in Camelot. It's never outright stated, but they shared a bedroom and we know the best way to ignore the darkness in you is to get your back broke by your sexy pirate boyfriend

I seriously like how you think anon. And as usual, no one asked for it, but I wrote a smutty OS set just after 5x02. After healing Robin, Emma goes back to the room she shares with Killian. He finds her there, comforts her and things get spicy eh eh. Enjoy <3 

2000 words - Hurt/Comfort to start with and then Smut - Ao3 

Come on, Killian, one, two, three… He was standing outside of the room he shared with Emma in King Arthur’s castle, and he probably looked bloody ridiculous – feet buried in the floor of this damn corridor, forehead pressed to the door and hand fisted.  

 After the incident and Robin almost dying, Emma had fled to their room – to his greatest dismay.

 To say he was worried for her sake was a bloody understatement. He was consumed by fear, a very childish fear that gripped at his heart and weakened his knees. The fear to lose someone he loved.

 (Oh, he was very well aware of the fact that he couldn’t lose her. That it would simply be impossible for him to outlive her. Emma Swan was his happy ending and his one true love, and no one could survive that kind of love.)

 “Come on, Killian,” an angry whisper, at himself, against his petrified muscles. He couldn’t bear to see her hurt, couldn’t bear not to be able to comfort her.

 He cursed once, gathered all of the courage he had left in his heart, and gently pushed the door.

 His eyes took some time to adjust to the darkness in the room. A dim light was nonetheless diffused by a lonely candle lit by her bedside.

 Very reluctantly, his eyes shifted to discover her laying on her side on the bed, arms wrapped around her knees. He swallowed. He almost expected her to look up because of the deafening noise of his heart breaking on the floor.

 “Oh, Swan, my love,” the whisper escaped his mouth without his consent and he rushed towards her side.

 She remained still, appeared almost as a lifeless body on the mattress, and did not give any sign she had heard him. She had taken the time to undress herself and hide behind the covers, and he find comfort in that simple act of self-care.

 Very gently, he brushed a string of hair from her forehead.

 And swallowed, overcome with sadness. Shook his head. “My love, you are so cold,” but before he could search for an extra blanket, her voice echoed in their room: “I’m not cold, Killian.” A breath as she lifted her gaze towards him, “I’m just the Dark One.”

 Bitter tear came to burn his eyes. “Would you like me to hold you, love?”

 There was a shake of her shoulders and he could tell she was trying to swallow down her sadness. “Come on, captain,” she teased him, her voice hoarse, a sob hidden just behind her smile, “You don’t have to ask for permission.” 

 He quickly resumed to undress himself and put on the linen nightclothes the servant had left for them. Meanwhile, she shifted on the bed, giving him space to lay down beside her. Which he did, after having neatly folded his clothes on a chair.

 When he turned back, she was staring at him with an amused smile.

 “What?” he mumbled, raised an eyebrow.

 “Nothing,” she smiled back, and he could tell she loved this new domesticity between them.

 They hadn’t got a lot of time to themselves in Storybook, and being able to share a room was perhaps the only good side of being in Camelot.

 Something to look forward to, he thought to himself, not knowing Fate had others plans for them.

 He was very careful when he slipped into bed with her, on top of the covers – I am always hot, love – and even more gentle when he embraced her, his lips finding her forehead while his arms pulled her towards him. He heard her exhale loudly as she relaxed between his arms, her mouth coming to meet his neck just where his pulse could be felt.

 Perhaps was there some light in the darkness.

 .

 How good it felt to be against him, even after all this time. In spite of the darkness. It was easier, against him, to muffle Rumpelstiltskin’s voice in her head.  

 She was waiting for him to fall asleep, tucked safely between his arms, waiting for his breath to get deeper and his grip gentler.

 She had a smile to herself. It all brought her back to their first nights together, in Storybook.

 Her fingers found his chest, playing with his hair.

 She remembered her frustration after their first date, when it had all ended with a passionate kiss and her fingers in the silence of her room to dissipate this tension in her belly.

 She had, of course, always wanted him, from the very first moment she had laid eyes on him. Wouldn't have been caught uttering the words, though. 

 Following her thoughts, her fingers became more adventurous on his torso, and she soon heard him grunt.

 “Now, that is not very fair, Swan” he mumbled, and his voice was already full of sleep.

 She chuckled, looking up to find a grumpy, tired face staring back at her. She licked her lips, bit them.

 “Well, I am most sorry, captain,” and her words were followed by her fingers sliding dangerously down his stomach.

 She knew he would have never dared to touch her - not like this at least. He had always been very careful with her, to make sure she wanted this just as much as he did.

 To be fair, it had annoyed her a bit when she had come knocking on his door twenty-four hours after their date, unable to control herself anymore.

 She had almost hit the poor Will just out of pure sexual frustration, and if it was keeping her from doing a good job, then it was her responsibility to come knock at Captain Hook’s door and ask him to fuck her brains out.

 “Are you sure this isn’t too soon, Emma?” he had asked her once she had shut the door of his room at Granny’s behind her.

 She had furiously bitten her lower lips, eyeing him with lust. “Too soon? Are you kidding me? I’ve been holding back for far too long.”

 And with those last words, she had jumped on his lips, crashing her body against his, so desperate to feel him all over her.

 Lost in her memories, she found herself leaving chaste kisses over his neck. Chaste kisses that soon became little flames over his burning skin.

 “Emma, are you sure you want –” he exhaled, his breath already short but not daring to initiate anything she did not want.

 She paused, heart at the edge of her mouth, and lifted her face to stare at him. She saw the concern echoing in the soft waves of his eyes.

 “Yes.” A pause, her fingers finding his jaw, “I want you to touch me, Killian.” And with those last words, she kissed him passionately, her arms wrapping around his neck. He exhaled a “As you bloody wish” against her lips and furthered a kiss that left them both aching to feel the other in the closet way possible.

 And then, it seemed like he changed persona. Killian Jones and his gentle hands were replaced by the passion of Captain Hook who pined her against the bed, a moan escaping her lips.

 Oh, how she loved Captain Hook between the sheets. A little rough but with a lot of love. It reminded her of their beginnings, and how much she had wanted him when he was still her opponent and she was desperately trying to convince herself that she really wanted nothing to do with him. Denial was a nasty bitch.

 His hand found hers, tangled their fingers and pined them above her head. His kisses became quicker against her lips, her jaw, the gentle skin of her neck, in between her breasts…

 “Oh, you are wearing far too many clothes, milady,” he mumbled, seemingly disappointed, and rapidly pulled on her nightdress to reveal her breasts.

 Her breath came out in short puffs as he looked up, diving into her eyes once again. Her heart was about to burst out of her chest, she was sure of it. And when he crashed his lips against her, she could have sworn she was nearing heart failure.

 This time, his tongue came in to play with hers, and she shivered imaging it lower on her body.

 He was quick to kiss her down her chest once again, leaving wet trails behind him. He found her nipples and sucked them gently. Her toes were curling as her hands gripped on the blankets.

 He was good. Really good. Or perhaps was she completely in love. Whatever.

 He tried pulling further down her dress, but he got a little frustrated with it and before she could react he had pulled on it too hard…

 “Bloody hell, I hope Arthur wasn’t fond of these…” he mumbled, “Although, I’ll have him know I did it for the greater good,” and it was enough to make her burst into laughter.

 The amused sparkles in his eyes found hers, “You won’t be laughing for too long” he whispered the delicious threat, and kissed her stomach.

 She bit her lips in anticipation and hold her breath. She waited for him to go lower, but he was taking his sweet time, kissing the spot just above her navel. He gently bit the side of her hips, and she moaned loudly this time, unable to stop herself.

 “Fuck,” she whispered, her eyes shut in pleasure.

 She felt him chuckle against her lower stomach, and suddenly he was spreading her legs. She waited for his touch, but he took the time to hold back. His missing fingers would be the death of hers. Frustrated, she gave a small movement of her hips that begged him to touch her again.

 He laughed, again, tempting her.

 “Impatient, are we, Swan?”

And then, very slow and lazy fingers discovered the skin of her thighs, caressing them gently. Those very same fingers traced the shape of her ass, climbed back up to trace the line where her lips met. But did not stay there, instead found the softness of her blonde curls and played gently with them.

 She groaned, “Come on, Hook,” and she knew just how wet she already was under his touch.

 But then he was kissing her, there, and she was about to combust into flames.

 She arched her back, moaning in pleasure when his tongue parted her lips to conquer her inside treasure. His movements became more assertive against her skin, and before she could prepare for it, his tongue had penetrated her in the most intimate way.

 Her heart beat loudly in her ears, her breath uneasy.

 His tongue adventured itself on hidden territories, traced all types of geometrical figures there, and then… he pulled away. She complained about it immediately. “Why are you stopping?” She sounded genuinely angry.

 How dare he…

 She opened her eyes to discover him smiling at her, and she found him so tragically handsome it shattered her.

 And then he was diving back into her. Lord, give her the strength… His tongue met her clit and very gently played with it. Up and down, up and down…Her fingers tangled in his hair as she muffled a moan against the pillow beneath her.

 Three hundred years of practice left her knees shaking when his expert tongue sent her over the edge. But then he stopped. Once again.

 “Killian!” this time she was really angry, and her shaky tone gave it all away. She pulled herself just enough together to mumble “Undress yourself and take me right now.”

 The linen clothes on his body was let down on the floor as he stripped from his modern black boxers. She was happy to discover his cock was full of blood and ready to penetrate her.

 She lifted herself to press a kiss against his lips as her hand found his length and stroke it gently. He let out a moan against her lips.

 “Come on, lay down, Swan,” and she obeyed, giving him space for him to settle between her legs.

 With one hand, he guided his cock to her wet center. She swallowed in anticipation as he gently pushed himself inside of her. She held her breath, waves of pleasure overwhelming her. After all this time, they were an easy match and her walls almost immediately adjusted to him.

 Her hands grabbed his ass as to incite him to go further into her, and he did in one lengthy movement. Feeling him completely inside of her was such a relief.

 “Come on, Hook, quicker…”

 “Your wish is my command,” he exhaled, overwhelmed by his own pleasure, and thrusted deeply into her.

 His movement became more erratic, quicker, harsher, and she loved every second of it. Her hands found his jaw as she dived into his eyes, and she loved the red hue she found on his cheeks.

 With his disheveled black hair and his rosy cheeks, her captain was irresistible under the candle light.

 .

 When they both had come, and they settled to try and sleep the few hours they had left until morning, she found a very small voice whispering in her heart that everything would be okay, so long as she had him.

 (As it were, fate cared little that there was no future for her if not with him.)

[hot-mess-choices]

Fixing The Nanny Affair

I’ve had it with this book. I’m not against “naughty” romance novels, but please do them right. I beg you. 

This stuff has been in my brain for a while now so this will be long and messy. 

First up: this isn’t a single LI book anymore. That’s a train wreck of a concept for an app that’s basically an overpriced choose-your-own-adventure book. 

 Who would the LIs be?

Starting with the obvious: Sam, who will remain gender customisable as the “main LI” 

Next is Robin (duh) I’m on the fence regarding their gender but I’d stick with the “whatever gender Sam is” thing. 

Then I’d suggest two entirely new characters:

First addition: An intern at Dalton Enterprise (how this is relevant will follow later on), I’d prefer this character to be female (definitely not to make an all wlw book possible *cough*) but a male intern would also be okay I guess. (Alternatively whichever gender is opposite of the MC)

And 2. *drumroll please* Sam’s wife who’s not dead at all in this new and improved version. ‘Cause that’s how you write about an actual affair Pixleberry, you cowards! I’m so sick of authors using the dead spouse trope without doing anything with it. She deserves to be in this story. However she’d be a “surprise” late entry as it’s important to the story to build tensions. 

Who’s the MC

The MC, gender customisable of course, is still a recent graduate with a degree in chemistry and a passion for science. They do not, however, go to Dalton Enterprise to get a Job as a Nanny, no, they are on their way to interview for an illustrious internship! 

The Story

The story starts of the same. MC has a sexy dream about their (hopefully) new boss, however you get dialogue options to feel very weirded out by that. Not only is that your future boss, they are also happily married as the gossip magazine you browsed the night before suggests. Sam and their wife are a business power couple (think the Beckhams or BrAngelina rip) and get an insane amount of media coverage. 

It comes to MCs attention that they’ve overslept and rush to Dalton Enterprise. A receptionist tell them that they are too late and the position is already taken. Enter Sam and Intern LI who worships the ground Sam walks on and thanks them profoundly for this once in a lifetime opportunity. Sam notices MC and asks if they are the no show, Intern LI takes a light jab at their tardiness; you get the option to flirt with them. (Intern LI is basically something like Jaylen from Platinum or Aurora from OH, but done right and a LI. Rivals to lovers? We love to see it!) Sam asks if MC is still interested in an interview because they might have a position in mind for them. 

The interview is beyond weird with Sam asking for the MC’s thoughts on children, about their living situation etc. Eventually you get to call them out on that and they confess that they only have company funds for one intern and even though the MCs application was a standout and their personal favourite, they can’t hire them. That’s where they propose a compromise: MC becomes their Nanny, as they are in need of one due to recent changes in their personal life, and they get to pay them out of their own pocket. The MC gets the opportunity to work at Dalton Enterprise on the days she doesn’t have to watch the kids.

As you accept you wonder why that is, but don’t dare to question them further as you don’t want to seem ungrateful. That night you come by the apartment to meet the boys, who in this version are a bit more weary of you, but you bond over a chemistry experiment. After they are put to bed you get to the office scene with Sam. You ask when you’ll meet their wife and that’s where you find out what’s really going on here. Sam and their wife are having troubles, severe enough that she packed up and moved out a few months ago. They are trying to work things out but it looks bad. Not only is their personal life affected by this, their relationship is a huge part of their respective public image and even just saying the word divorce out loud makes them see Dalton’s numbers drop into the red. They still keep up appearances, stayed on good terms for the twins but this is just a partnership of convenience by this point and secretly they’re both sick of it. They got married straight out of college, had the twins by their mid-twenties and are approaching their tenth wedding anniversary, the spark’s gone and they crave something new and exciting but are too scared to move on from the known. 

Character Arcs

1. Sam: They are a huge science nerd at heart, they never held big business ambitions and are mostly in it to help improve people’s quality of life. If it were up to them they’d slave away in a lab, happily isolated from the stress of public relations. Years of training went into their suave persona, but deep down they are still an insecure dork. Sam is struggling to adapt to the changes in their life and can’t bring themselves to take that leap of faith and start a new chapter. Their arc would include cutting back at work and focusing on the things they’re passionate about like lab work and spending more time with the twins. With a romanced MC their story would be loaded with tensions of Sam clinging to the past. MC feels like the unfavourable side-piece as long as Sam keeps the facade of their marriage up and the constant threat of their relationship becoming public lingers over everything. In addition there’s the question of Sam’s true motives. Is this just a convenient rebound or more? 

2. The Twins: Mason and Mickey have a hard time dealing with their parents’ separation. Their pranks are more channelled into “parent trapping” them into getting back together. They don’t really understand their parents separation of public and private life and are mostly confused by how hot and cold they are with each other. After their initial scepticism towards MC they see them as a confidant with their problems. MC gets to champion for the twins needs and force Sam and their wife to see how much their behaviour is hurting their kids.

3. Robin: Robin’s been living in Sam’s shadow for all their life and they are so sick of it. Everything they have feels like a constant fight, every snippet of appreciation or recognition is earned through blood, sweat and tears and still not good enough to measure up to their older sibling. They built this careful ‘I don’t care’ façade and have kept it up for all their life. That is until they meet MC. They bond pretty quickly over their struggles to reach unreachable expectations and find a close confidante in one another. Depending on the players choices this will be a friendship or a romance. As Sam’s arc comes to a close with them cutting back at work Robin finally gets to step up and do what they always wanted. They are quick-witted, extroverted, business savvy and well connected. Unrecognised by their father they’ve been the better candidate for the position Sam was in all along.

4. Intern LI: From the get go they aren’t a big fan of the MC. In their eyes, they’ve worked for all the life to get where they are now and feel like the MC was just handed their position. MC and Intern are aware that they are basically two people working a one-person job and are both trying to be the best at it. You get the option to play into this rivalry or make it a team effort. Getting closer you find out that your background isn’t so different after all and that it’s silly to try and hold the other one back. Their love language is still very teasing and snippy but never without an affectionate smile and rare but genuine compliments will come later in the friendship/relationship. A big setback is when they find out that you are living with Sam and they far that that’s an inevitable unfair advantage for you, which it is, but they learn to trust their abilities more than others connections.

5. Sam’s Wife: You’ll first meet her maybe five or six chapters in. Up until then she’s build up to be this perfect, idealised, flawless being. She’s supposedly fearless, fought to be in the position she’s in now, a self-made woman who turns everything she touches into pure gold. As you meet her you are more than intimidated but she’s just pleasant to be around! A ray of sunshine, positive to the bone. You get the option to ask about her and Sam and she sadly has to admit that sometimes people just fall out of love. She tells MC that she needs Sam to move on, so she can move on and nudges them into their direction. Her romance heavily focuses on her fear of leaving Sam behind in her progress but she can’t help her feeling. Her arc in general focuses on recognising Sam and herself as individuals and not two parts of a whole.

This is crazy long already, but just some major events the story would cover:

A company picnic

The ten-year wedding anniversary

A Dalton Enterprise charity gala

Telling Sam’s parents about their future

Insides on the work at Dalton

Time with the twins

 Sorry for the long post, thanks for reading this far!

[your-turn-to-role]

ayyyyy happy 4/13 have my second list of classpects, vox machina edition! (@lostsometime to add to the homestuck au)

(m9 here)

vex - thief of mind

vax - rogue of blood

percy - witch of light

keyleth - page of breath

scanlan - thief of life

grog - prince of rage

pike - heir of space

tary - witch of mind

first off, there are a couple copies here, and they don’t have a time player, so vox machina on their own could not win the game. but hey, weird plot shit exists, and the alpha kids managed it by combining their session with the beta kids, so who knows how this would go

(explanations under the cut)

1) vex - thief of mind

vex has a lot of ideas about her sense of self. but when you get right down to it, none of them are actually about her sense of self, and rather about how people see her. image is important to mind players, but it’s not really linked with identity. in fact, the canon description of mind players states they have very fluid, shifting concepts of identity, it’s far more important to them that they remain rational and have a logical line of reasoning than sticking to things just because they feel right or wrong. and i think this is very true for vex, she doesn’t often doubt herself, but she doesn’t really know who she is, beyond just what she’s trying to emulate or avoid.

thief bc she’s still one of the stealth twins, it is very her thing, but she’s definitely the louder of the two, the thief demands to be known, the rogue quietly assists. she’s headstrong, stubborn, and the world owes her everything it’s taken from her, which she definitely plans to steal back. and honestly that’s her right and i love her.

2) vax - rogue of blood

god i really love the fact that the twins are a thief/rogue pair, it not only fits who they are as people but vex being the active version of vax’s passive class and vice versa fits so well

(also fun fact, i have something of a personality test/checklist i grade characters on when i’m struggling to figure out their class or feel like i’m being biased towards one particular classpect. there’s 15 possible points per class, most characters will get a highest score of maybe 9 or 10, homestuck characters get something like 12-13. vax, however, does what no one else has ever done, and scored all 15 points in rogue. he is more rogue per rogue than any rogue in homestuck. 100% pure distilled rogue boy.)

personality quizzes aside though, he really is so obviously a rogue. he’s got everything of the thief archetype built into his entire character, but while a homestuck thief steals by their own will and for their own benefit, all of the rogue’s same actions go towards supporting their friends. also, as a passive class, their decisions tend to be less personal drive based and more guided by their aspect, as if the universe was working through them, which is definitely the case for our champion of the raven queen. they’ve been described in canon as the robin hood class, rebellious, but in an altruistic way. true punk. fuck the system, love recklessly

blood players need a family. they draw their strength from the bonds they have with those around them, they’re stubborn as all hell, especially when it seems like there’s no way out of a situation, but it’s in determination to protect their chosen family and keep everyone safe and happy. if they’re leaders, they’re inspirational ones rather than commanding ones. and this is “dramatic speeches about teamwork and morality” vax, “what the fuck do we have in this world except for moments with each other” vax, “how lucky i have been to have had all of you” vax. what else could he be?

3) percy - witch of light

so percy’s an interesting one, because i kinda wanna give him two classpects? like, if you classpect percy before or during the briarwood arc, he’s a prince of light. after that, he becomes way more of a witch. (though, to be fair, light players and witches are both incredibly prone to getting possessed, so, maybe he was a witch all along and just acted really prince-y)

he’s definitely an active class, no doubt about it. percy will fight gods to achieve his own ends. prince, being the most active class, and one designed to cause destruction, definitely suits orthax percy. but then things change, and you realise what he actually is

witches are manipulator classes, like knights, but active manipulator classes. they can’t create things out of nothing like some classes do, but instead bend and twist and transform their aspect (and the world around them, using their aspect) to achieve their goals. percy’s human, and not magic. he doesn’t have any particular special abilities in order to do things, he gets by on ingenuity and reckless bravery. that post that was going around a while ago about how all of vox machina are basically gods and percy’s just a guy with a gun does well to prove the point here, because he keeps up anyway. he’s made mistakes and there are things in the world now that he can’t change, but he does his best to work within those constraints and make as good of a world as he can with what he has

and what he has, usually, is knowledge. which is the main dominion of the light aspect, along with luck (and, you know, taliesin and dice rolling). light players are scholars first and foremost, but very rarely bookish scholars, instead the kind of scholars that think they can make a demon deal and get away with it because they’re clever enough for that, and also they’re extra enough that they’d do it anyway for the aesthetic

4) keyleth - page of breath

this was the easiest of all of these for me to do, it just slots so neatly into place. pages are a slow moving class that have to work their way around all the side quests before they get a lot of their power, but after that they’re powerhouses. they’re easily underestimated, by others and by themselves. keyleth takes a while to come to terms with herself and her power and her effect on the world, most of the plot takes place within her slowly completing her aramente, she often worries she won’t be good enough for anything that’s expected of her, but once she hits level 20 she is a master of the elements, a true leader of her people, and literally unkillable.

breath fits for two reasons. the first is being the aspect of freedom, of acting without being controlled by anyone else’s thoughts or decisions. and keyleth, for all her anxiety and all her bad luck, has never made a choice she didn’t agree with. along with vax she’s the first to speak up when she feels like the group’s moral choices aren’t holding up to her standards, when they’re moving in a direction that isn’t right. the second is that it’s the aspect of air, and the wind, and she’s literally the leader of the air ashari. she can and does in fact do the windy thing

5) scanlan - thief of life

we’ve covered life already in my nott/veth explanation, but it really is so scanlan. look at this excerpt and tell me it’s not written for scanlan shorthalt

[If you're poisoned, chances are the Life-bound have something for what ails ya. This applies to both physical and mental suffering, though it might not be a cure you'll like. They also have the tendency to put other's needs before their own, which never ends well for anyone, because the Life-bound can grow bitter if they feel their own self-care has had to be shunted aside.]

figuring out class was harder? a lot of vox machina classes are pretty difficult to figure out. prince would work to an extent because of scanlan’s self destructive tendencies, bard would work to an extent because he often feels like things are out of his hands, but i think i’m going with thief. scanlan’s more of an active class, despite playing support in dnd, he’s very self motivated and not one to listen much to the guidance of the universe. thief i feel fits with the headstrong attitude, the creative out of the box thinking, and the need for attention in a very specific way (less so having people celebrate you, scanlan enjoys that but can easily shrug it off if it doesn’t happen, it’s more causing things for the sake of knowing and having other people know that you caused them)

6) grog - prince of rage

honestly this is the one i’d be most willing to bend on? it, took me forever to come up with any kind of classpect for grog, he seems to resist being classpected. i know a lot about him as a person, but translating that into either class or aspect was just hard. but i’ve gone with prince because grog’s never stopped for anyone (except maybe pike), because it’s a destruction based class, because it’s the most active on the scale, and grog is definitely one to go do things purely because he wants to do things and wants to do them now.

rage because rage players are about truth at all costs, even if that cost is often destabilizing entire systems and leaving the rubble to pick itself back up. and it makes me think about how grog has never really wanted to disguise himself, and especially about just before the kevdak fight - he knew he would probably get killed if he went back there as himself, but he refused to go in under false pretenses, because that wouldn’t be right

7) pike - heir of space

ashley’s just always drawn to those heirs. i think though with pike it definitely is a consequence of her being in and out a lot, because she’s not just an heir, she’s an heir of space.

heirs tend to stumble into their role rather than creating it or seeking it out. on a meta level, ashley only created pike because the team needed a cleric and she worked it out from there, but as far as pike herself is concerned, she doesn’t really know what she’s supposed to be doing or what her purpose is, but she’s been trying to do her best to follow sarenrae’s teachings, trying to do her best to guide her friends, and hoping that nothing goes wrong along the way.

space, too, is an aspect of patience. it’s about valuing the journey more than the destination, it’s about seeing what the universe has in store for you and trusting that it’s just as likely to turn out good as it is bad - you’ll know when the time comes to step in, at which point space players are pretty fierce fighters. but for now, for pike, it’s trying to help her friends one step at a time

8) tary - witch of mind

tary is like percy but cheating. he has a lot more resources to work with bc he just goes out and buys shit. but the witch reasoning still stands, they are very similar people in that respect, good at working within a set of restraints so well you don’t even notice the restraints are there

mind rather than light because, tary doesn’t quite hunger after knowledge in the same way. instead he’s much more concerned with the application of it, of how to get from point a to point b as efficiently as possible, and how that benefits him. (also because he’s not nearly as extra as light players. have you met light players? like i love them but jesus christ. who let them be Like That)

[iwritethat]

Tim Drake: All Hallows’ Night

A/N: I’ve been waiting all year for this and love the Halloween story ideas and I hope you all do too.

🎃: Tim encounters a ghostly presence in the manner but it turns out you’re more than the folktales let on.

>>>>—————————>

Once upon a time, there was a mysterious ancient house. It was in the rumours, the city speculations and old wives tales that ghosts thrived in Wayne Manor. Of course, all that once lived there or continued to do so were no stranger to these mysteries although the current residents thought nothing of such folk lores as they had no proof to suggest otherwise and thus paid no attention to unusual tendencies.

That was at least until Timothy Drake had one eventful Halloween, one he would not soon forget. At first the odd occurrences weren't given a second thought, objects falling from shelves and peculiar echoes in the hallways were all a normal day to Tim, the single soul in the Manor at the time. That is until he returned to the Bat Computer, scrolling through the research he'd compiled linking to the newest case of underground dealings.

"Definitely a mobster, I'm thinking Penguin to be honest."

"Yes, it certainly matches his usual pattern." The vigilante replied without hesitation to whomever had commented on his case file despite being alone in the Manor that night.

"..."

"..."

It was an eery silence, one like no other, despite his focused state, Red Robin had realised the impossibility of having an unfamiliar voice answer the silence.

"Who the flip?!”

With his delayed startling, the stranger laughed, Tim scrambling to his feet only to find an unusual presence perched on the desk of the computer next to where he once sat.

"You're Tim Drake right?" Of course, the male was too bewildered to answer the unwelcome intruder, simply nodding whilst pointing his bo staff.

"I'm (Y/n) (L/n) by the way, thanks for asking."

"How did you get in here? The security systems are top of the range, they would've informed me of your access." He was astounded, tilting his head out of curiosity yet retained the offensive stance.

"Guess they're on the brink huh? No need to worry though mate, I mean you no harm~" The (h/c) beauty grinned with a wicked smile, offering out a hand for Tim to shake. The hero smiled in response, though still wary, met theirs in greeting - however instantly backed away upon doing so, their hands never met, instead his passed straight through (Y/n)'s own.

"Well then, I suppose you have your answer about security now." The entity smiled, hopping off of the counter and strolling towards him.

"What on earth are you?"

"Hmm, technically at this point in time I'm a ghost, wandering spirit? Although phantom has more finesse to it, wouldn't you agree?" The intruder brought a hand to their chin in thought before directing a smile toward him.

"I um, what?" Tim stared in confusion, closing his eyes as a break from the newest shreds of weird information.

"Oh no, you know what? Spectre has a nice ring to it too."

"No, I mean... wait, does that mean the stories are true? Wayne Manor is haunted? By you?" Tim was full of questions, just as expected by this latest phenomenon.

"For tonight it is, and for the unforeseeable future I'm afraid. Don't get me wrong, I had the full intention of keeping to myself but it's incredibly boring and this case seemed like a viable distraction." Was carefully explained, gesturing to the computer with a mischievous glint to their eyes much to Tim's fascination.

"Okay. Alright. Sure. For the sake of my sanity I'm not going to argue with a ghost... (Y/n)." Tim shook his head, once again sitting at his computer.

"Ah you're my favourite Robin already." Came the hearty response, the entity leaning on the back of Tim's chair as he scrolled through. They bounced ideas off of each other, methodology, motive, the next areas to strike and soon enough Tim was clad in his uniform readying to disappear into the night. The unlikely pair walked together towards the exit, planning a strategy on dealing with the Penguin and had the intent to carry it out - until Tim walked through the exit and the spirit clashed with an invincible force, curses spewing from their lips.

Red Robin was once again beside them, opting to offer physical comfort before he phased past them and had to settle for verbal inquiries.

"What happened? Is it some sort of barrier?"

"Damnit Constantine, tethering me to Wayne Manor of all places. Dumbass sorcerer..." It was only faint frustrated mutterings but explained your situation rather adequately.

"I'll take that as a yes."

"I haven't been completely honest with you, but in my defence you didn't ask. I'm verging between the spirit and living world and I'm relying on John bloody Constantine to pull me back from this purgatory. And since it's Halloween I'm guessing my spirit can manifest." The entity gave an exasperated sigh, rolling their eyes at the mention of their comrade.

"That's a lot to take in (Y/n), wheres Constantine now? I can go and lend my assistance, maybe I can -"

"No Tim, you have to help Gotham. You've known me no more than a couple of hours, you have more important matters to deal with." Despite their previous remarks it was obvious they had trust in Hellblazer and didn’t wish for their circumstance to interfere with Robins’ duties.

"Maybe so, but I'd like to think a couple of hours is enough to say you’re not so bad. I can't help but wonder what it'd be like meeting you in person." Tim wittily replied, raising a brow in their direction.

"Maybe one day, until then I'll stick to haunting."

"Hey RR, who are you talking to?" Dick Graysons voice rebounded off of the walls to the cave, Tim directing his gesture to his latest accomplice only to catch a glimpse of static where they'd once stood.

"Uh- no one..."

"Hah, for a second there I thought you were going to say a ghost. Anyway, I got an update on that case of yours."

-

(Y/n)'s presence lingered for a while after Halloween although it was not as strong as then, but there were the little quirks that Tim noticed around the Manor.

'Nice job solving the case detective~'

Was written on the dusty surface of the attic during one of his ventures, foggy windows also held innocent scrawling of which Tim happily replied to whether out loud or with his own scribbles.

Then there was the peculiar static on his TV if he ever watched it between 00:00-1:00am, one he'd grown to value.

"Hey Timbers.”

"Ah you're back, and still haunting the place I see." The male looked up from his laptop, crossing his legs and smiled at the TV.

"Yeah well Constantine is apparently taking his sweet time." The image of the spectre was slightly blurred and flicked every so often but remained viewable.

"He told me what you did to end up here y'know." He’d referred to the call he’d made a few days ago inquiring about the odd circumstance and if he could assist.

"He's lying." It was a confident and quick reply, (Y/n) unwilling to discuss such matters.

"About sacrificing yourself to bring them all back from Hell? Despite not being in the vigilante game?" Red Robin elaborated further, knowing a majority of the details beforehand.

"Yup, so hard to believe it must be a lie."

"Why did you-"

"Because they're my friends, they helped me out and I took on some damn demon curse to save them. Anyway, who are we looking into tonight partner?" With a brief smile, Tim flipped the computer screen in their direction as a visual response.

Tim also took to using the radio frequently whenever he was alone, making it easier for the  invisible resident to communicate with him.

"I miss food so much, it's rude of you to constantly eat in front of me you know."

"True but take out is just so amazing, I wanted to share the experience." He was being incredibly dramatic purely to get on his friends nerves though his playful side was rather endearing.

"I hate you right now." The guest replied, the radio crackling as a physical display of their words.

"Alright, alright, when you're back to normal I'm taking you out to dinner on me." Boy wonder instantly caved, but was truly sincere about his statement.

"Are you sure you can spare enough time to do that detective? Won't Gotham crumble without you?" The spectres sarcasm was heard even through the radio, and if he could see their expression Tim would bet they wore a smirk.

"I'll always take time out for you like I do now, but you have a point - I guess we'll have to take down some crime rings before dessert." It was accompanied by a shrug yet (Y/n) was grateful for his words none the less.

"Dinner and a show, I like it."

-

However it wasn't long before these daily instances Tim looked so forward to seemed nonexistent, the TV displayed the news without any interference, windows remained untouched of meaningful notes and the radio soon lost its appeal. Constantine was unreachable leaving Tim with no inclination as to what happened to the illusive guest and it seemed his family members noticed the sudden deterioration of his mood but chose not to pry quite yet.

It had been a week or two by his count, and he was currently packing for Titans Tower, shifting through his belongings and paperwork.

"Hey stranger, whatcha doing?" The voice held addictive familiarity, clearer to what it had been before, and due to this Tim answered like nothing had changed.

"I'm moving to Titans Tower, the Team thought it’d help our teamwork and I honestly can't wait."

"Hmm, when do you leave?" Their lovely tone held a hint of disappointment but was masked well for anyone but a detective.

"I'm aiming for this weekend, but don't worry I'll come back as often as I can to see you." He took a brief glance to the standing figure, lifting a box and walking straight through like he usually did purely to mess with them.

However, he hit a solid surface, the giggle following his actions causing him to almost drop his belongings but fortunaly the previously thought-to-be ghost stabled it with ease.

"Cool, I'll be able to visit you as well. But do you think you've got time for that dinner first? I'm starving after actually bypassing Manor security and climbing through your window." His realisation bringing a smug grin to (Y/n)’s lips as they finished.

“I- you- you’re back?”

“Yep, in the flesh although there’s some nice side effects... Nothing major though.”

“C’mon you’re telling me everything, the Manor is free tonight so how about take out and a movie?”

“Lead the way detective.”

Tim did so, however as the pair passed a hallway the former ghost halted before a beautiful oil painting and gently straightened the frame then turning to the questioning expression of Drake.

“Oh, it’s a half a centimetre off balance and it’s been winding up the ghost of the Manor for years. I promised to fix it once I returned.” (Y/n) nonchalantly explained, smirking as she passed an awestruck vigilante.

“...Ghost?”

“Who do you think told me about all your identities? Also, according to my recent conversation with the ghost, apparently you missed me Timbers~”

“Of course I did but how do you know that?!”

“Side effects, but don’t worry I missed you too.”

(Y/n) remained cursed for the rest of her mortal life, to become a spectre as the clock strikes, marking the Witching Hour for every Hallows' Eve to come until the festival was up.

~~~

"The End." You dramatically finished, accompanied by a spooky hand gesture for emphasis as you enjoyed the warm glow of the campfire.

The fellow hero's seated on surrounding logs remained silent for a few moments before cheering, thoroughly enthralled in the tale you bestowed upon them as per tradition of Halloween night.

"That's one hell of a story (Y/n), and basing the characters off of yourself and Tim was genius!" Cassie complimented, standing up with sheer delight as you smiled.

"Way to put a twist on a classic horror story telling, never would've thought of something like that." Conner nodded in approval, proudly smirking at the exchange of smiles between yourself and your boyfriend.

Tim sat beside you, nudging your shoulder out of the playful knowing you both shared and of course what came with the success of your tale. The chime of the cities bell tower echoed in the distance and with it you stood before your fellow hero's who had no intention of sleeping quite yet and wished them a good night. Tim followed your lead, gently brushing his fingers with yours as you strolled back to your room for the evening as the Team watched you both disappear into the eery night exchanging playful remarks.

But... if they had just looked a little closer....

Taken more notice...

Maybe they would have caught how Tim's digits effortlessly phased through your own as the witching hour had begun...

[thecomicsnexus]

NEW TEEN TITANS #1-6 AUGUST 1984 - MARCH 1985 BY MARV WOLFMAN, GEORGE PEREZ, ROMEO TANGHAL, DAN JURGENS AND ADRIENNE ROY

SYNOPSIS (FROM DC DATABASE)

The Titans enjoy a training exercise on Titans Island. The game is tag and their objective is to capture their newest member, Jericho. Jericho keeps the Titans on their toes by alternately taking possession of each of their bodies and using their unique talents against each other. In the middle of the exercise, Raven appears on the scene. In the spirit of fun, Jericho tries to enter Raven's body. Raven, suffering from her own secret inner turmoil, panics and teleports away, forcing Jericho out of her body. Jericho's eyes are wide with terror and he signals to the others about a great darkness that he senses inside of Raven.

Everyone returns to the Tower to discuss the matter. They want to help Raven, but unless she elects to confide in them, they don't know what to do. Raven enters the meeting room and tells them that she is leaving the team. She is dealing with matters of the soul that the others could not hope to understand. The Titans plead with her to let them help, but Raven is adamant. She announces that she will depart the following morning.

Meanwhile, the citizens of Tamaran celebrate the end of the Citadel War. The Royal family sends a special envoy towards Earth to recover Starfire and return her home.

That evening, Jericho visits Raven's room. Raven thanks him for her concern, but tells him that there is nothing anyone can do for her. The journey that she must take is one that she must take alone. After Raven falls asleep, Joey decides to enter her mind in the hopes of learning the exact nature of her problem. He finds his spirit displaced to a nightmarish dreamscape made up of bones and tortured souls. At the center of Raven's soul is the essence of that which has been corrupting her – her demonic father Trigon. The essence of Trigon unleashes a psionic attack that forcibly expels Joey from Raven's body. When he comes to his senses, Raven is gone. The Titans go to Raven's room and Joey tries his best to describe what he experienced (using sign language). The sky outside Titans Tower grows immensely dark and peals of thunder accompanied by an omnipresent sinister laughter echoes all around them.

An impenetrable darkness blankets the Earth, and an unnatural thunderstorm assails New York and Titans Tower, all of which are manifestations of the imminent return of Trigon.

Lilith rejoins the Titans to help them search for the vanished Raven, but first insists they also recruit Wally West, the former Kid Flash, because of his former close relationship with the empath. She then leads the young heroes in a seance, using Raven's rings as a focus. Raven's image appears, but rejects their help, after which the Titans are mystically transported to an Azarath in the throes of destruction. Despite their efforts, Azarath and all its inhabitants are apparently destroyed. 

Back in New York, Raven returns to Earth in a terrifyingly transformed state, with red skin and four eyes like her demonic father, and announces his coming. 

Then Titans Tower is transformed into a solid mass of rock and a gigantic Trigon appears atop it.

Lilith taps the power of Raven's rings to return herself, the Teen Titans, and Arella to Earth, which has been totally taken over by Trigon. The demon himself appears to be asleep atop Titans Tower, while the Titans encounter the transformed Raven in the streets of a hellish version of New York. They attempt to reason with her, then fight her, to no avail.

Jericho is thrown into shock by his attempt to possess her, and Wally West and the other Titans are banished into the realm of their own nightmares. There, each confronts an evil version of him/herself: Nightwing's double shows him a murdered Batman whose death the new Robin, Jason Todd, was unable to prevent, and demands that he return to the role of a twelve-year-old sidekick: Cyborg finds himself regarded as a monster by Sarah Simms and her students, who look to a normal Victor Stone for protection; Wonder Girl watches as her counterpart uses her Amazon strength to kill her husband, Terry Long; Changeling sees himself as a scavenger feeding on the bodies of his deceased loved ones and terrorizing his living friends; Starfire's duplicate taunts her with an image of her homeworld enslaved by the Gordanians, and claims that she can only save the planet by returning to slavery herself; and Wally is witness to his own doppelganger and the transformed Raven making love, after which the evil Kid Flash invites Wally to take his place. On Earth, Raven, Lilith, and Arella see the Titans as a stone column of lost souls.

Raven attacks Lilith and Arella, but finds herself unable to destroy them. Each of the Titans trapped in nightmares of their own worst fears is taunted by his or her evil double until, one by one, they turn on their tormenting duplicates and kill them.

The column they made up on Earth is shaken apart, and the Titans reappear as their own dark sides. Raven believes they are now Trigon's slaves, but Lilith tells her that by forcing the heroes to kill, she has instead sealed her own doom. Raven orders the transformed Titans to destroy Lilith, but instead they unite against Raven herself and slay her. With her death, the Titans return to normal and to their right minds, just as Trigon awakens to take vengeance for the death of his daughter.

Trigon awakens at full strength, possessing the souls of everyone on Earth except the Titans and Arella, and grown to an even more gigantic stature, many times the size of the former Titans Tower.

Maddened beyond endurance, Wally West launches a hopeless attack on the demon with his super-speed, and the other Titans follow him into battle. With minimal effort, Trigon levitates the stone mass that was once their headquarters and sends it hurtling down on all the Titans except Nightwing, whom he then disposes of with a single blow of his staff.

Only Lilith and Arella remain, but Lilith senses the Titans are still alive. Starfire had used her starbolt powers to protect them from the falling tower and now uses them to free them from the rubble. She then locates and revives Nightwing.

In despair, Wally is ready to give up, but the other Titans decide to fight on, even in a seemingly hopeless cause. As they rush to confront their foe, Lilith tries to rouse Arella to action, but fails until Raven's mother suddenly hears the clairvoyant Titan speaking in the voice of the deceased Azar, former spiritual leader of Temple Azarath.

As the Titans approach, Trigon begins to open a gateway to his ravaged home universe, intending to recreate it by allowing it to absorb the dimension containing Earth. While the Titans fight a delaying action, Arella and Lilith, who is being controlled by Azar, replace Raven's rings on her body. Raven's soul-self, now an angelic pure-white entity serving as a conduit for the power of Azar, rises from her still form and grows to envelop Trigon, ultimately destroying him. The form of Raven rises from the battle site and is lost to view, the darkness which had covered the world vanishes, and the Earth returns to normal.

Although the memories of most ordinary people are hazy in the aftermath of Trigon's destruction, the people of New York recognize that the Teen Titans have saved the Earth from the demon, and give them a heroes' reception and a huge parade. Depressed over what has happened to Raven, most of the Titans are in no mood for the festivities, and some are wary of the sudden wave of publicity. Wally West, meanwhile, has returned home to Blue Valley, not telling his parents of his involvement in the battle. Following the parade, the Titans make plans to rebuild their demolished headquarters, Arella leaves to search for her vanished daughter, and Cyborg visits Jericho in the hospital. 

All of the young heroes are haunted by the nightmares induced by Trigon, and finally, at Terry Long's suggestion, they take a second camping trip to the Grand Canyon together to talk things over. Each tells the others about his or her nightmare experience, and Terry offers his advice to the group, as well.

REVIEW

I am not gonna lie to you. This is the Titans’ finest adventure, and they have been struggling since then to repeat their greatest hit. Proof of this is how this story plays into the “Titans Hunt” story. And of course, how often this plot resurfaces around Raven.

Artistically, the story also has a lot of creative spins. Issue #2 was delayed so the penciled pages could look good. The result is pretty good, and the Baxter format helped a lot. In fact, they would have probably not taken that risk with newsprint format.

I don’t like Wolfman and Perez handling Wally West. They struggled a lot with him during their run, and here he looks very weak as a character (beyond his health issue). He has his heroic moments, but in the climax, he stays behind, defeated. It made sense at the time, but a year from this issue he was going to become The Flash (they didn’t know this at the time), so it feels like a very low point for Wally. Sure, not as bad as Heroes in Crisis.

This was also one of my first Titans comics. Not a bad start!

The Jurgens issue is a relaxing issue where the characters can cope with everything that happened during the Terror of Trigon arc.

I give this story a score of 10

[redhoodieone]

Don’t Tell Me Part 5

A/N: Okay, so here is part 5. Sorry this chapter is kind of short, but I felt like I needed to show how Bruce really feels about the whole situation with Jason, Y/N, and Tim. Now the question is: can Jason ever redeem himself? How you enjoy some angst and a lot of feelings! Lol! 

Warnings: Well, language and confessions, really. But the next chapter will not be this clean though.

Jason knew his world was over when he saw the video clip of Y/N, lying on the hospital bed passed out, injured horribly because of him. He was still feeling uneasy about watching the Joker eating those robin’s eggs just to prove his sick point, as well. Of all the ways Joker could have gotten to him, he just had to choose the way where Jason wants nothing more than to finally put the Joker down underground with his spine ripped out and his head full of lead.

The image in his mind made Jason feel almost helpful that he could find Y/N, and save her and their child. But he knew he had to remain focused. Oracle, Nightwing, and Robin were busy attempting to find Y/N, Tim, and the Joker on the Bat-computer, while Red Hood and Batman were on top of Ace Chemicals, just waiting for anything, any sign. The silence between them is worse than Bruce screaming at him, Jason believes. Jason couldn’t remember a time where Bruce was never disappointed in him. He couldn’t figure out which was worse: Bruce’s disappointment in him, or Bruce being at a loss for words. Jason suddenly wishes Bruce wasn’t there with him so he could rip apart every building and warehouse to find them himself. But no...Bruce believes in strategies, and to always be a hundred steps ahead of everyone and everything. Just like Tim Drake. “You’re disappointed in me.” Jason’s words slightly surprise Bruce, even if he doesn’t move a muscle or change his usual serious expression. Batman sighs and relaxes his tensed body. “Why would you think that?”

“Let’s see…you’ve been disappointed in me since the day you met me. Remember how you and Alfred would have ‘little’ meetings in the cave, when you both thought I was already asleep in my bed? Come on Bruce, I was a little shithead back then and I’m still one now. I’m not fucking stupid, and I know for a fact you both thought I was too angry and too stubborn to see when I was crossing the line when you and I would fight alongside as partners. Fuck Bruce…” Jason says, shaking his head at his past mistakes. If only Bruce could see how Jason feels. “I’m the biggest asshole in the world, and you know what? After everything I have done so far, I honestly think when I die again, well permanently die I should say, I’ll definitely go back to hell and stay there for…eternity, I guess. I’ll be assigned to work with the devil, or until I take over his job because let’s face it…I’ll never be able to redeem myself ever again.”

Bruce smirks beside him. Jason glances over with a questioning look. “Don’t you think you’re punishing yourself a little harsh right now?” he asks, seriously.

“You don’t get it, Bruce. I slept with Tim’s girlfriend. I fucked Y/N, and I got her pregnant. And to top it off…I…fucking love her. I’m in love with her, and-and I feel like it’s all my fault.”

“How would this entire problem be your fault?”

“Because I knew Tim loved her, and I still did what I did because I couldn’t help but give into my feelings,” Jason admits softly, before kicking an empty soda can off the edge. “Fuck feelings and fuck everything! If I didn’t feel anything, none of this would have happened!”

“Even if you didn’t have feelings, something bad would always happen. You can’t blame yourself for things happening, when they’re not in your control,” Bruce replies, as calmly as he can.

“Y/N changed me…and I wish she didn’t…” Jason confesses quietly. “I wish I was the same, selfish, asshole who only cared about himself and did things his way. Life seemed better and easier back then. Couldn’t life stay that way and-”

“But something tells me you don’t mean any of that,” Bruce interrupts. He faces his son, and he gives him the look that he’s done hearing guilt, pity, and complaints. “It’s okay to have feelings. Even if I…have my own set of issues with feelings, I’ve come to see feelings are what keeps people going. And I know Y/N changed you, I knew since the first time she became a part in our family. I saw the way you would light up by just seeing her or being close to her. It’s okay to feel that way because sometimes, life likes to give back to those who deserve to feel love and to be loved. Even when we do or don’t get to choose who we’re attached to, it’s always a pleasant feeling to know that you matter to them and they matter to you. And as for mistakes, you’re not the only one who has made terrible mistakes, Jason.”

Jason scoffs sarcastically. “As if you, the almighty Batman has fucked up once or twice in his life. You have practically lived your life as a good boy and a kind gentleman raised by Alfred.”

“No, no I never had a guilt-free or pure life, Jason. I…was an awful child after my parents died. I rebelled against Alfred many times. I partied at just fourteen-years-old, drank as much as I could, fucked many easy women who just wanted to fuck me because I was rich, and I wasted so much money on shit I never needed,” Bruce reveals, with a small smile. He must think back and laugh at his wild antics, because everyone who knows Bruce now wouldn’t believe any word he’s saying. “I actually lived up to the playboy reputation, which is something I still have to continue to protect my secrets and my family. I…have done some dirty, fucked up shit, Jason. I even tried to sleep with Lois Lane, just to get back at Superman for fucks sake. Hell, even I cheated on women, and I can’t believe I’m telling you this, but I have actually fucked half or…more women in the league, and do you know why? Because I can, and that power has stuck with me ever since. But let me tell you this, and please…please believe me when I say it. I know for a fact that you’re not the bad guy you make yourself out to be. I know you have never done anything awful or hurtful to women, and I respect you for that. I respect how you still care about Y/N, even when its clear sex wasn’t the only reason you stuck around. I know for a fact that Y/N means the world to you, and I admire that. While I can disagree and be angry with how she cheated on Tim, I have to confess that you loving someone other than yourself just shows how at the end of the day, you don’t disappoint me like you think you do.”

Jason exhales deeply and lowers his head down. He focuses on the passing cars, lit up signs and buildings, and the cloudy sky that shows it’s going to rain soon.

“But can’t you just agree with me when I say I can’t be a father? How can me, a fucking, angry zombie, be a father to a child who could or couldn’t be like me?” Jason breaks down. His voice breaks, and the tears fall. “If I can’t get my shit together, what makes you think I can raise someone better than me?”

Bruce, realizing Jason needs him more than ever, embraces him. Jason knew Bruce despised hugs while in his Batman costume, but the hug is what keeps Jason from breaking down anymore. “If anything, you’ll be the best father you can be, Jason. After everything that’s built you, destroyed you, and remade you to who you are, you’re destined to raise, protect, and love a child, and to love someone who loves you back. You’re going to be the best father you can be, because deep down, I believe all my sons, even Damian, want to be happy and have families. Believe me, Jason. After everything that’s happened to you, you deserve a happy ending more than anything,” Bruce discloses.

“Tim will never forgive me,” Jason whispers, the pain in his voice is clear to his father. He puts his helmet back on. “Now how am I supposed to live with myself knowing that?”

Bruce pats Jason’s shoulder. Jason tries to keep more tears in his eyes, so he won’t cry again. “You give yourself time. Tim gives you time. Time will heal you both and will make you better men.”

A gush of wind above them alerts them. Batman and Red Hood get into their fighting stances, until strong, heavy feet land before them. Red Hood looks up after he regains his focus, and sees Superman standing in front of them, with an angry scowl on his face.

“Martian Manhunter was found just outside of Gotham. He’s severely injured, and he has informed me that Joker and Scarecrow are working with Tim. They plan to keep Y/N there until she gives birth,” Superman notifies Batman.

“No…” Red Hood whispers. The fear, the rage, and determination to stop this is stronger than ever.

“Did he say where they’re located now?” Batman asks.

Superman nods his head. “You won’t believe me if I tell you, but they’re at Joker’s Playground,” he hesitates to admit.

“And why wouldn’t I believe that?” Batman asks.

“Because…they’re recreating the same mental and physical torture that Tim went through as Robin, and this time, it’s Y/N.”

“Tim was tortured for three weeks, so whatever damage that has happened Y/N can be cured, right?!” Red Hood demands at Batman.

Batman growls under his breath. While Superman and Red Hood wait for Batman to gather his thoughts together, he looks at them with dread in his eyes. “If Scarecrow’s involved with the Joker, then this situation has just worsened. If we don’t stop them now, we’ll lose Tim and Y/N…forever.”

[hollandroos]

The Price We Pay | Chapter 2

Summary: A one night stand was all it took for your entire life to change. You're shoved into unknown territory, agreeing to fake date the prince long enough for his parents and the media to get off of his back only there are a few issues... one of them being that you really can’t stand each other.

Series Masterlist | Wattpad | Playlist

Words: 2.8k - Future chapters will be a lot longer, I just struggled a lot with this one.

Warnings: None really for this chapter

A/N: This chapter isn’t as jam packed but it was needed for the storyline– good/interesting things are coming for these two!! enjoy the rather timid storyline while it lasts. Chapter three is going to be FULL! Also I did decide to keep the Royal AU in this just because changing it proved more stressful then I originally thought and this just... works better in the long run!!

Agreeing to that deal had to be the best and worst thing you had done in your life because within minutes, Tom had left with no more than a thank you and an ‘I promise I’ll get back to you later.’ That was enough to leave you wide-eyed and overthinking. Everything that had happened in the span of the last ten minutes sounded nearly insane.

You then had to think about the fact that ‘dating’ Tom came with meeting his parents, the king and queen as well as having to keep up an act in the public eye. Sure you dealt with him the other night but both of you were drunk and needy, now you were fully sober and despising the idea of having to be a full-time girlfriend to someone you’d known for a few days. You felt a pang of what could only be a distaste for the prince and maybe you were just being a grump. Anyone else would have been overjoyed to be in this situation but not you.

In your eyes he wasn’t a royal– though you never gave them a second thought— he was just Tom, someone you met in a bar and happened to go home with.

He hadn’t fully informed you about what you’d gotten yourself into, not yet warning you of the extent of the media and his responsibilities but he didn’t have time. He left with his hood thrown over his head once more, looking like robin hood or that arrow character you’d seen in comic books. His promise to get back to you was also a promise to sort out plans, dates to please the public and fittings for expensive clothes that would make you look good enough to be seen with him.

Now, maybe Tom should have informed you of the extent of the situation because then you wouldn’t be heavily debating between further destroying his reputation and becoming the worst thing for his image, or actually doing what he wanted and becoming the picture perfect girlfriend. But rules were made to be broken, right? Even when it came to the royals?

What the fuck was he doing?

It did mean one good thing, however, that you didn’t have to go to work that day, or the day after and not have to worry about losing your job. You close the door with a slam once you could no longer see his coat dragging across the ground and slide the lock as you chuck your bag down and trudge back into the kitchen. You were going for a second bowl of cereal.

Poor Mallery was still staring in shock, her rake now hard against the pavement and you only hoped that she wouldn’t pull her back out picking it up.

“Who was at the door?”

You look over, seeing your roommate wobble into the room. Milly’s hair was all over the place like a birds nest, a robe thrown around her plaid pyjamas messily and she yawned unattractively, heading straight to the pot of not so freshly brewed coffee. The girl loved anything to do with drama and gossip, insisting that nothing good ever happened around here and she would have eaten your story up with wide eyes and a gaping mouth.

You shrug your shoulders, groaning when you see that you were out of milk. “Just those kids from down the road trying to sell us cookies again.”

“Again? Maybe it’s because we bought three packs last time.” She snorts and sips her coffee, burning her tongue within the first sip and curses. Though you hoped it was because she’d tasted the scolding bitterness of the coffee instead of spotting the paper sitting on the dining table.

“Hey, you know the prince?” You question, staring at the closed door.

“Tom? Of course, I do, he’s a damn snack.”

You resist the urge to roll your eyes that was somehow tied with the desire to tell her all about your night out– she’d find out eventually.

“What else do you think of him? Like, seriously.”

Milly shrugs her shoulders. “He seems cocky but definitely has a certain charm, you know? I think he’ll make a good king one day, but he actually has to settle down first.”

Sober you felt that Tom was a complete and utter asshole for getting you into this mess.

Maybe you were just too blind and full of unnecessary hatred to see that you got into it the second you dragged him out of that bar.

-

Tom had raced back to a house at a speed like no other, dodging the townsfolks and had gotten oddly close to knocking over a stall of fresh fruits and vegetables– why they were up at only near seven? He didn’t know. However, Tom was spoiled and had his fruits brought to him fresh every morning served on a silver platter with matching forks and knives. The only work the boy had done in his life was preparing to take the throne one day, which wasn’t much work at all, he was born for this.

He raced up to his room but it was hard with the number of stairs and irreplaceable sets of furniture that scattered around the house. The last thing he wanted to do was break something and upset his mother. Everything was either gold, white or silver despite Toms advice that was to add a little dark blue or red, he really had an eye for those two colours– obviously. He mutters good mornings to the maids as he went with one destination in mind: his room.

Tom already knew Harrison would be there waiting nervously. The boy was always more on-edge than Tom was, even growing up.

He tears the door open and as he expected, Harrison was there and practically jumped up off of the bed the second he walks in, eyes wide and unexpecting.

“Your dad's up and he’s not happy.” Harrison hisses, helping Tom slid the coat off of his shoulders and hung it up for the boy who fumbled around the room to find an outfit that his parents would appreciate. Anything was better than the dirty riding gear. “I told him that you went out for an early ride before breakfast.”

“When is he ever happy?” Tom scoffs. “Look, I sort of fixed things. They won’t be able to stay mad at me.”

In the hour or so that he’d been gone his bed had been made, clothes that were scattered across the floor had been picked up and his desk had clearly been organised. Tom didn’t ask if the maids had come in or if Harrison had been the one to clean but he had a hunch it was the boy that had been nervously sitting on his bed in desperate need of a distraction.

“What did you do?” Harrison wasn’t actually sure he wanted to find out, knowing Toms track record with impromptu plans.

“Come have breakfast with us and find out.”

“You know I’m not supposed–”

“This is a formal invitation from a royal, you can’t say no. My mum loves you, she won’t care.” Tom tells him, checking himself out in the mirror. Tom runs a hand through his curls, fluffing them up a little. “Besides, don’t you want to hear my little less-than-fantastic plan to steal the public's gaze from those stupid photos?”

“I can say no and besides, your dad scares me,” Harrison utters, speaking honestly and rightfully so, the king would scare anyone.

“You’re a fool.” Tom stops, grabbing Harrison's arm and tugs him towards the door. The maids stop and nod their heads respectfully as they see the prince. “C’mon, we’re having pancakes.”

Maybe Tom should have stopped and taken another moment to regain his breathing or think things through more thoroughly because he was acting on a whim, pulling things out of a hat as he went.

Maybe deep down he was scared– at least anxious.

-

Tom and Harrison stepped into the room carefully, each taking care as they discussed Tom’s stupidity in harsh whispers that only made the boys feel more unsettled.

He had been growing bored lately and asked the lords for something but not this– god, not this.

Tom could lie to his father but not his mother, possibly the most pure-hearted woman he’d ever come to know.

He felt terrible but knew this was the best option, the only way he could still look his mother in the eye after hearing what occurred.

The table was thick with tension and it was obvious before they even sat down but the second he did, he wished he hadn’t. Harrison obviously felt the same, choosing the seat closest to the Queen whom he could never not feel safe around.

It was right there in front of him, an obviously thrown around paper as well as his father who was as red-faced and angry as ever. The last thing the King wanted right after being woken up was to find out that his son had been causing more trouble.

His beard was greying, but still trimmed as neatly as ever and the crown that sat upon his head even as unnecessary as it was at this time of the morning remained on a slight angle, bits of dark hair sticking out from underneath.

Tom was probably going to look like him one day. He just hoped he wouldn’t be as miserable a king.

He knew it was coming before it happened– like a volcano that spewed spurts of ash before it erupted.

“Do you know how bad this is? What it could do to you?” There it was. “You’re a prince, Thomas. You can’t just go around doing this. We finally fixed things after– after her and now this?”

The king sighs, rubbing his wrinkly temples.

His dad held the paper with a clenched fist, practically ripping the pages that had been handed to him by one of his men first thing. Tom had to swallow harshly, not wanting to stare at the pictures again– it had already been a long morning because of them and he was tired at only seven thirty. Plus, they were reasonably explicit photos and his parents had seen them.

Oh fuck.

Somehow his night of fun and games had turned into one he dreaded thinking back to. What really did make him feel an ounce of satisfaction was seeing that you still wore little pieces of it, like the marks scattered along your neck and he suddenly felt uncomfortable in his seat remembering the scratches down his back.

“Look, it’s really not that bad–”

A plate of pancakes is placed in front of the prince and he nearly forgot about the argument upon seeing large chocolate chips and a side of blueberries. Harrison’s was similar, but instead of blueberries, it had strawberries. He was allergic to blueberries, they made his throat swell up and if they didn’t get to him on time, well, one can imagine what would happen.

A fist knocks the table and the Queen jumps back in response, cutlery clatters. “Not that bad? You have a mind of your own, boy, I tell you.”

“I know it looks really bad and you’re right, it is but there’s another side to the story, I promise.” He rushes.

“I don’t know what you can do to get yourself out of this mess, boy.” Words slithered through gritted teeth like venom. Harsh.

A sullen silence sat around the dining room, everyone including Tom too afraid to speak up and even his mother sat still, clutching her cutlery set for dear life as the older man's voice hit each of the four walls.

“It’s just– it’s not what it looks like.” He hurries out, knowing that the older man's temper was only limited at this point. Tom swallows thickly, trying to ignore his clammy hands. Tom glances at Harrison who felt that with every second, he was being dragged more and more into this mess that he hadn’t wanted to know about in the first place.

“Your Highness–”

“She’s my girlfriend.” Tom spills the words quickly, muttering them so quick he swore they were barely audible.

He watches his mother's eyes widen dramatically, her face shifting from stern to confused to slightly excited. Tom wanted to smirk knowing that he had at least one of his two parents in the bag. Of course it wasn’t too hard for his mum to believe it considering she’d been pestering him to find someone for months now.

“Your– your what?” His dad stumbles.

“You and Mother were right. I finally sat down and thought about everything you were saying and I realised that I need to stop wallowing in self-pity. I met her a couple months ago at an event and we started dating about two weeks ago.”

Tom grit his teeth together, knowing that the completely made up story sounded just that… made up. Would his father really listen to him?

His mother leans forward in her seat, sparing her husband a glance and Tom plays with a fork. “Why didn’t you tell us?” She speaks, soft voice resonating with his.

“I wanted to make sure things were right before I told you, but now you know.” Tom shrugs his shoulders, the clothing he’d thrown on just moments after he’d gotten back from yours hanging off of his body. To his family, it would’ve been classed as untidy but they were all too distracted at this point. “The media ruined the surprise I guess– she’s really lovely.”

“Harrison, did you know about this?” Derek directs his gaze to Harrison who nearly chokes on his pancakes. The poor boy had been trying to ignore the conversation, not wanting any part of whatever mess his mate was getting himself in but had no failed drastically.

He coughs repeatedly, dabbing his face with a napkin. “Huh– no, no of course not. It’s just as a big of a surprise to me as it is to you, your highness.”

His cheeks ran red, searching for a quick escape that wouldn’t come.

“When do we get to meet this… Y/N?” Anne's gentle eyes remained on her son, heart fluttering at the thought of her son finally finding someone that made him happy.

“I can invite her over if that would make you guys happy but I’ll warn you, she’s nervous about meeting you.” Tom offers, he also offers a warm smile, picking around at his breakfast with the fork.

He was nervous about bringing an absolute stranger to the castle, not knowing how you’d act and if you’d make this mess worse than it already was. He made a mental note to get you to come over a few hours earlier to get a suitable dress fitted and to learn only the simplest manners and rules because god knows the ones in the castle were much stricter than most out in the town. Plus, he couldn’t ignore the mental image of you in a fancy– near princess— dress.

The look of uncertainty his mother sent him didn’t go unnoticed by Tom. She was ever so observant and rightfully so bringing up a son that enjoyed to cause trouble and sneak around when he thought no one was watching.

“Two days from now we want to meet this girl that you’ve been hiding from us.” Derek reaches over and pats Tom on the shoulder forcefully making the boy jolt forward slightly. “I’m proud of you, Thomas. Not only for listening to us and admitting that we were right but also for finding a girl and keeping her around.”

“Thank you, I really think you’ll like her.” He wore a fake smile, lips pressed together firmly. It was a concoction of lies that would one day get Tom into a world of trouble if this plan were to go south.

It was one thing to lie to your parents, but it was another to lie to the King and Queen– where the stakes were high and reputations were cherished.

Tom knew that this would also come with a selection of public appearances with physical affection such as hand-holding and acting happy with a girl he’d known for a little over two days. The boy could do that because if he wasn’t a prince he’d want to act in those shows downtown but you, however, that was a different story. How did he know that you wouldn’t let him down?

“Harrison? Can you please pass the syrup?”

Harrisons' cheeks were still flaming red, his eyes wide an alert as he painfully passed over the saucer to the king. He was already balls deep in this mess too and Tom sends him a look that says ‘We’ll talk about this later.’

Good fucking lord.

Leave comments or asks, reblog if you wish!! let’s talk about this chapter!

Part three!!

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[sashi-ya]

{+18} – Cherry Blossom & Tangerines – Trafalgar Law x Y/n – Part 3

Modern AU. Living in Seoul, SK. Everybody is alive. No spoilers.

Female reader. No physical descriptions. Everybody is +18, canon ages. Chopper is human.

Tw: Mostly SFW. ZoSan. Fluff. A/N: I haven’t had the chance to visit South Korea due to Covid, so everything included is pure research. Excuse me in advance if there is something that’s not 100% accurate! Keep in mind is purely inspired ♥

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/31059467

» List of parts: {P1} {P2} {P3} {P4} {P5} {P6}«

Word Count: 4.9K

Law’s slender, soft, skilled fingers played over the silky material of my pyjama shorts. I wrapped my arms around his neck, softly brushing my fingers through his black hair. Our lips still pressed, our senses getting lost on the burning sexual tension that was finally being released.

The soon to be surgeon, slid a hand inside my satin blouse, and grabbed one of my breasts. Caressing it softly at first, but then searching for my nipple to press it firmly in between two fingers.  I moaned his name, almost whispering, after all we were in the kitchen of a house living with ten more people.

Law began to trace a path from my mouth to my neck with sweet wet smooches, mixed with little bites, and I was slowly being taken to heaven, until I heard “Saaaaanjiii, foood!”. I whipped my head to the side and saw Luffy entering the kitchen.

Law and I remained still for a moment, until we realized that this was one of Luffy’s sleepwalks for food. He was technically asleep so he wasn’t aware of us, but the minimum sound could wake him up. So, we gently detached our bodies in silence, until Law had to shout to Luffy to stop. My somnambulist friend was about to hit his face with the fridge door, and Law had to catch him in order to avoid him getting hurt.

I was arranging my clothes quickly when I saw Sanji coming downstairs running and screaming, “Damn Luffy, I heard you shouting my name, what happened?”. The blond cook was covered in sweat and had a little red spot on his neck. I giggled a little looking how annoyed he seemed, but hey, at least Law and I weren’t the only ones who were interrupted.

Luffy finally returned to reality after a few slaps from Sanji and apologized laughing. I couldn’t get mad at him; he is just too sweet. Sanji agreed on cooking something fast for him and began with his work.

“So, guys, what were you doing here?”, asked Luffy pointing at Law and I with his mouth full. I widened my eyes, while thinking for an excuse, but Law spoke first, “I couldn’t sleep, so I came to the kitchen to have some water. Y/n-ya was here having tea, and she offered to prepare some for me, that’s it”.  “Uhum, I couldn’t sleep either”, I said.

Luffy looked at us for a moment, but he quickly believed in our words.

Suddenly, we heard from the stairs Zoro’s sleepy voice, “Oi, nosebleed-kun I’m waiting…”. Law, Luffy and I turned our faces to Sanji, who instantly turned red. I bit my lips trying to stop myself from laughing, but when my eyes met Law’s face, we began to laugh out loud. This was the first time I saw Law laughing, my heart skipped a beat on how gorgeous he looked.

Luffy didn’t catch it at first, but after Zoro entered the kitchen with nothing more than his boxers on, the bell rang on his brain, “oh… hahahaha”.

“Marimo…”, said Sanji mumbling, “Go back to sleep…”. The one-eyed man was now standing still in front of us, probably unable to move, and blushed in his entirety. He simply said “We… we were playing with the Nintendo… uhm it was this idiot cook turn, so…. Uhm, whatever, I’m going back to sleep”. He turned around and almost ran upstairs.

We remained silent and the only sound we could hear was the sizzling sound of the eggs Sanji was cooking.

He turned his back at us and focused on the pan, he was clearly embarrassed, maybe a little sad because of us laughing.

Law stood up, told Luffy to go back to sleep and placed his hand over my shoulder, “Thanks for the tea, Y/n. We can continue our conversation tomorrow”. He said and smirked.

Those words made my body react instantly, a strike of pleasure stung my insides, and the idea of continuing what we’ve started that night installed on me, almost as a necessity.

“Sanji, go back to sleep, I’m sleeping with Luffy and the guys tonight, don’t worry”, said Law and left the room. Luffy followed him.

I waited for them to be upstairs and approached Sanji. “Oi, babe, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to laugh. I’m happy for you two, go back to him. Don’t worry, I’m not saying anything, nor Law, or even Luffy. I’m sure Law is now addressing Luffy at this point. If Zoro or you want to tell us, we will let you do it. Ok?”. I said to my favourite chef, placing my head over his shoulder.

Sanji caressed my hair and finally smiled back at me. “Thanks, Y/n-chan…”. He went upstairs and I put the dirty dishes on the dishwasher. Eventually I went back to bed, and the exhaustion won the fight between my insomnia.

The smell of breakfast made my stomach growl as I was waking up. “Mmm Sanji’s french toasts…”, I mumbled while opening my eyes and stretching my arms. “Good morning, Robin-chan”, I told my friend who had already woken up and was reading a book on her bed. “Good morning, sweetie, did you sleep well?”, she asked, and I nodded back.

Some sun rays were filtering through the big window of our room, we could see the beach and some sailboats on the distance. The sky showed no clouds, it was warm, some sakura petals danced with the breeze and fell to the ground. It was the perfect spring day.

We quickly got dressed and I didn’t even care much about my face. After breakfast I was taking a shower so, I didn’t put too much effort on my image. Robin and I went downstairs and met with the other ones in the kitchen.

Luffy was fighting with Usopp and Chopper for the food, as always. Law was drinking coffee and smiled at me when he saw me enter. Zoro was almost falling asleep over his plate, I guess he had a sleepless night after all… fufufu. Franky and Brook were outside having cola and milk, respectively.

Nami and Vivi come downstairs a few minutes after. Vivi hugged me from behind and scared me, and as she did, my hair uncovered my neck. “Oi, Y/n… what is that on your neck?”, she asked. “What? what do I have?” I started touching my neck in order to feel maybe something. “Is that a hickey?” inquired Nami, almost whispering. Luckily, no one else heard due to the guys fighting. “Nami, shut the hell up…” I sentenced my friend, with my index over my mouth.

“Damn Law, he must have bit me so hard yesterday that now I have a mark…” I thought while covering back my neck with my hair. Suddenly I received a message on my phone. @DrHeartStealer > I’m sorry ;). I looked up to Law and he was looking at me with puppy eyes, that by the way, were fake as hell. He was enjoying this… And I… well… I was kind of too.

“I think last night was a little bit turbulent, right Sanji? Law? Zoro?” Nami, who didn’t want to stop, and that obviously knew everything that happened the night before without even being told, mocked the guys.

“Shut up, baka”, Zoro told her, grabbing his forehead with no energy at all and perhaps affected by the lack of sleep and the hangover. Sanji was more blushed than last night, and Law didn’t show a single emotion, he seemed as if he didn’t give a single fuck about it.

Usopp who had now stopped fighting with Luffy, said “Oi… wait a minute, Sanji, what’s that on your neck?”. I realized Zoro was about to throw a plate at the big nose nosy guy, so I told Usopp to stop only using my expressions.

We finished eating breakfast and decided that today was the perfect day to visit Shinhwa Theme Park. I loved roller coasters and theme parks, so I was super excited to visit the place.

We went to our rooms to get ready when suddenly Nami and Vivi entered mine like a hurricane pouncing on me and demanding me to tell them why I had a hickey on my neck. I couldn’t refuse, so I accepted my destiny and told them of my encounter with Law last night.

Even Robin seemed excited, the girls were jumping and giggling. They were really happy for me, not only because Law seemed like a good catch, but also because it’d been so long since I dated someone.

My girlfriends decided to help me get ready for the park, so they brushed my hair, chose my outfit and even my makeup. I knew I didn’t need all of that, but frankly I enjoyed it, so I didn’t complain at all.

When we arrived at the park, the employees gave us little plastic bracelets and we headed to the first attractions.

I ran to the biggest roller coaster and insisted everyone to come with me, but almost all of my friends refused my invitation right away. “Are you kidding me, Y/n? there is no way I’m riding that huge thing, forget it”, said Usopp.

Luckily, Luffy, who loves new experiences and doesn’t know about fear, agreed on coming with me, as well as Franky. We headed to the short queue and waited for our turn. A few minutes after, Law, who was buying some water bottles when I asked the guys to join the ride with me, approached us saying, “Oi, can I join?”. “Of course, Torao!!” said Luffy, jumping with excitement.

When it was finally our turn, Franky sat with Luffy smirking at Law. “May I sit with you, Y/n-ya?", asked the sexy doctor. "Of course, if you are afraid, you can hug me …", I said, with a defiance expression. "Tsk.. we'll see who gets frightened first…".

“Welcome to the Dancing Oscar! Are you ready to experience extreme fun?! But first, let’s watch the safety rules!”, the safety video began to play on the little screens in front of us. Law and I were sitting behind Luffy and Franky, and as the video finished, he turned to me. “Well, let’s keep you safe…”, he said, coming even closer to my face. Law grabbed the safety restraints that were in between my legs first, caressing the inside of my thighs -that the girls insisted on me showing by using a cute short-, then the ones that were over my hips. He ably fastened them together in the buckle and pulled the belts in order to tighten them real hard. Finally, he tightened the ones over my breasts. I gasped, the pressure, the soft touch of his hands over my skin, the feeling of being taken care of, maybe… even being dominated by him… He was teasing me, and my body was reacting to it. “There, now you are safe”, he said patting my left thigh and smirking.

I closed my legs, pressing my core against the tight straps, mumbling something similar to a thank you.  I was desperate to feel some type of release, and the pressure over my pleasure point was the fastest way. Even though it wasn’t enough.

He secured himself and soon after the ride started.

When the cart slowly approached the highest point took about a minute to finally be released gaining speed faster that I was expecting. Not only me, but also Law, got so scared that we grabbed each other's arms and started shouting. Something flashed my eyes, but I was so scared that I didn’t even think of what it was.

After experiencing the adrenaline of the loops and the ups and downs of the track, it finally came to an end. When the cart finally stopped on the starting point, my heart was pumping harder than ever, my blood pressure was a mess, and my head was spinning. I began to laugh really hard, grabbing my stomach. “Oh, dear Lord, it was amazing!!!” I screamed, Luffy and Franky followed me, while Law looked at me regretting the moment he decided on hopping on. He was pale and seemed as if he were about to throw up.

“Law, are you ok?” I said chuckling. “I am…”. He answered and began to untie the belts.

When we were getting off the ride our friends came to us laughing. “Oi, Y/n, Torao, what is it with your faces? “said Usopp, showing us a photo with the theme park frame of Law and I looking at each other in fear, almost hugging, seconds after the cart began the falling action. “Oh… so that was the flash I saw”, I said while my cheeks turned to fire. Law snickered, grabbing the photo, and said “I’m keeping this one, your face is just too funny”. I looked at him frowning, but I couldn’t deny he was right, after all. Plus, him wanting to keep a photo of us made me feel all bubbly inside.

The day went by with us having fun, riding attractions, buying souvenirs, taking photos. Our cheeks were really sunkissed, as well as our shoulders. The night came, and we were ready to enjoy the firework show the park offered every night.

Everybody gathered in the centre of the park and the brilliant lights drew pretty images over the sky, the soft sea breeze refreshed my cheeks. My friends were smiling, having fun. I could see Zoro and Sanji looking at each other with a love expression on their eyes, Vivi and Nami holding hands, Robin placing her head over Franky’s shoulder. Love was in the air, and it felt wonderful.

I kept enjoying the light show, when suddenly Law approached me from in between the crowd and subtly grabbed my pinkie finger with his. Softly, without taking our sight from the fireworks, I grabbed his whole hand. And we remained like this, holding hands, with a smile on our faces. My heart beating quickly, and soon the feeling of butterflies in my stomach followed. “Is this… more than sexual attraction?” I thought, but quickly decided to stop thinking and simply indulge on the moment. 

The show ended and we let go of our hands. Our friends and we walked to the parking lot and headed back home.

We were so exhausted that we went right to our bedrooms and threw our bodies into our beds. Soon I had the idea of texting Law, and so I did. I grabbed my phone and sent him, “@SunflowerDr > have a good night, sleep well. Remember we got a “conversation” pending…xoxo.” A few minutes after he answered, “@DrHeartStealer > have a good night, doll. I got an idea for tomorrow, we could continue our conversation there…, sleep well”.

“Did he just call me “doll”?” I bit my lower lip wondering about his idea and my body burned in anticipation for the next day.

I passed out soon after until next morning.

The day seemed a little cloudier than the day before, and Nami, who was about to get her degree in meteorologic science, told us that probably a storm was coming to the island at night. So, we thought about a good plan for the day, and Robin suggested visiting “Manjanggul Lava Cave”. Jeju is a volcanic island and the lava flow from the volcanoes had created caves or “lava tubes” on certain places of the island that now are solidified. Who else could suggest visiting a cave more than our archaeologist friend?. We agreed on visiting the place and after breakfast, we quickly drove there.

We all submerged on the underground cold dark caverns. A little train inside the cave took us to the deepest point. Blue, purple, pink lights illuminated the stone pillars and stalactites that were widely spread through the tunnels.

“God, I’m kinda cold, aren’t you?” I said to Chopper who was walking next to me. “Yeah, that’s why I told you to bring a jacket, dummy”, he said to me and was about to give me his jacket when Law appeared from behind saying “Don’t worry Tony-ya, I’m a little hot. Here, take my jacket Y/n-ya”. He took off his black coat and put it on over my shoulders.

Chopper giggled a little and told us that he would be going ahead to take some pictures of a specific rock called the “Stone Turtle”.

We were left alone once again. The ambrosial scent of his coat invaded my senses, a sweet perfume with notes of tangerine, ginger and perhaps a little amber mixed with some marine breeze was the perfume Law probably used every day. I revelled on the smell and kept walking in silence next to him.

Suddenly a few bats appeared flying from a dark spot and I got scared as hell, so I jumped over Law. He held me tight to avoid us falling.  “Don’t worry, they won't hurt you, I read at the entrance that some rare animals live in the tunnel, such as these bats”, he said to me with a calming voice while grabbing me tight in between his arms.

I looked up to him with a pouty face and he smiled at me with cuteness. I wished we could have stayed like that a long, long time, but sadly Usopp, Brook and Chopper came running, escaping from more bats chasing them. “Ahhh get away!!!”, “Ruuuuuun for your liiiiveeees”, “Robin where the hell did you bring us?, yohohoho”. (The bats were obviously being chased by Luffy…).

We separated as my terrorized friends passed in between us. And began to laugh as they kept running to where Nami was. That only meant one thing… a few bumps on their head.

A few minutes after, Sanji started asking us if we had seen Zoro. Of course, we haven’t, he was lost once again. On a big cave, full of tunnels that were almost a kilometre long each.

We spent almost half an hour searching for Zoro, until Robin found him. “Marimo, you have no sense of direction!! I told you not to separate from us!!”, shouted Sanji to the green hair boy, trying to cover how worried he was for him. “Oi, idiot cook, I didn’t get lost, you did!”.

We finally left the cave and returned to the surface. Outside it was warmer enough for us to head to our next destiny, the Sanbangsan mountain hot springs. We only had to drive a few kilometres to get there.

The girls and I were pretty much excited because we could show off our new bikinis, so we got changed into them and headed to the natural pools of thermal water. The boys were already inside, enjoying the warm bubbly water.

“Look at these sexy ladies!, wanna be our friends?” said Franky joking around while helping Robin to enter the pool.

A few beads of sweat ran through my back, but I didn’t know if I was feeling hot due to the steamy water or because of the image of Law half naked, exposing his whole tattooed chest, with his head thrown back, eyes closed and his hair wet.

I fixed my eyes on his anatomy, the well-defined abs, the tattoos on his arms, how his fingers played with the water around him.  I dreamt with open eyes of how I wanted to travel with my tongue all over his tanned skin, every little mark he had, any spot.

Law opened his eyes, and still with his head thrown back, gave me the sexiest look accompanied with a little laugh, “heh”.

If we were alone I might have jumped over his lap and fucked him right there.  “Oi, Y/n!!”. A voice pulled me out of my dreaminess. “What is it Nami?” I asked my friend who was flailing me by my arm. “You two should go and fuck right now, we are getting a little bit uncomfortable with all of that sexual tension you both have”, reprimanded me my redhaired friend. “Shut up…”.

We stayed there chatting and relaxing more than two hours, the sun was setting, and the cloudy sky showed precious colours.

I decided that I should go take a shower to rinse the sodium out of my skin on the community showers of the complex. I had planned the way I was going to stand up, trying to show my “sexy ass” to Law, for the last half hour.  So, I executed my plan almost perfectly… and said almost because when I decided to walk looking at Law over my shoulder I slipped with some sort of slippery substance on the rocks. I almost felt but while trying to keep balance I got a sprained ankle.

Law and Chopper ran to save me, as the good future doctors they were, but I wished I had killed myself. The embarrassment invaded my body… damn.

“You only have a sprained ankle, Y/n-ya, don’t worry with some ice and ibuprofen you’ll be good in no time”, said Law softly examining my ankle.  My eyes were teary, my cheeks red and everyone was trying to hold their laughter. Vivi approached us and told Torao to bring me home first, so I could put some ice there, and as she said so she winked an eye at me. Damn Vivi, she knew me more than anyone there. I realized that   I have created unintentionally the perfect excuse to be alone at last with Law, and she was helping me.

Robin brought me a towel and I tried to stand up, but my foot hurt more than I thought, “Auch, auch, auch…”. Law didn’t hesitate and carried me in his arms bridal style to his car.

“Be careful, don’t hit your head”, Law said while helping me sit on the front seat of the yellow car. I wasn’t speaking, I was too embarrassed to even say thank you.

He started the car and began to drive down the mountains through the winding road. Ahead, a breath-taking landscape was shown. The sun slowly disappeared in between the mountains, and the lights of the city defined the coast. The sky was now fully covered in stormy clouds, and a few lightings began to show in between the menacing cumulonimbus above us.

“Finally, alone”, said Law breaking the silence. I looked how focused on the road he was, worshiping his profile, the piercings on her ear, the muscles on his neck. I plucked up courage and asked, “do you still have the idea you told me yesterday over text?”. “I do, plans might have changed a little, but I think we could still make it, do you trust me?”, he said.

I wanted to know about what was going to happen, but the thrill of it being a surprise, letting him lead the way made me accept right away, “I do, lead the way doctor”.

We finally arrived at the city and the surgeon parked the car without turning the engine off. He grabbed his phone and searched something. The GPS immediately began to give directions to a specific address, so he got back to driving. “Wait a second, do you want something special?, I’m buying you some anti-inflammatories for your ankle”. “Oh thanks, uhm nothing else” I told him while he unfastened his seat belt and got out of the car.

Some minutes later, he handed me the analgesics and a bottle of water. While drinking from the bottle I could see from the corner of my eye how he quickly put away something on the glove box.

I was still using my bikini and a towel to cover me, so I asked Law if he could help me reach my bag from the back seat to put on a dress. He agreed and passed me the backpack, and then helped me put the dress. He also put on a clean shirt over his swim shorts.

“Are you hungry? What about a spontaneous dinner date?”, he said rubbing his thumb over my cheek. I smiled, satisfied, because after all his plans weren’t simply fucking. “Do you prefer something fancy or something more private?, I’m not trying to be cheap, it’s just that if we decide to go somewhere fancy we should come back home to get dressed properly”. Even if I were dressed like a princess I wouldn’t have chosen the “fancy” restaurant.  Truth was that I didn’t want to waste any time, I didn’t want more interruptions, I wanted to be alone with him.

“I prefer something more private. We can go to this place on the beach, it isn’t luxurious, but I saw some photos on my phone”, I said to him while searching for the place web page on my phone. He smiled while looking at the screen of my cell phone. He seemed happy with my choice, and I could see why. He was a quiet and reserved man, so this place was perfect for our “first date”.

We drove to the location and left the car on the parking lot next to the pretty little restó. The intensity of the pain in my ankle was now pretty low so I was able to walk normally. Law, though, told me he would help me and grabbed my arm, so we walked together at the entrance.  I don’t know if it was because of my sprained ankle or simply just an excuse for physical contact. In any case I was happy about it.

A maître that reminded me of Sanji welcomed us inside and took us to a little table next to the sand over a wooden deck with warm yellow lights strips, garnishing the also wooden roof.  In the distance, over the horizon, the moon was vaguely peeping through the stormy clouds. Nami’s predictions for tonight seemed to be a few hours away to come true.

A tall, slim waitress came to us and asked if we had already chosen our food, without taking her eyes off Law. She was clearly trying to flirt with him, and I was burning inside… I got jealous, really jealous. Yet I couldn’t say anything, after all this was our first date. Law calmly gazed at me and told the maiden “My beautiful girlfriend and I will have two bowls of bulgogi”. Wait, what?... beautiful girlfriend?...

The waitress gave me a dirty look and walked away. “Ha, suck it, he is mine!”. I thought and giggled. I preferred not to ask about him calling me “his girlfriend”, but instead I changed the topic. We chatted a little bit about our careers, specialities and about surgery. Despite the unfriendly appearance he radiates, talking to him was easy, I felt as if I have known him for years.

We finished our plates and decided to leave the place. He opened the car door for me and helped me to get inside. To be honest I had forgotten about my injured ankle at that point, but he was still taking care of me in a chivalrous way. Mr. Donquixote raised him well…

“Let’s go to the beach”, he said in an adventurous tone. The storm was then over us and at any moment the rain could start, so I told him, a little confused, “It’s about to rain, are you sure?”. “I am, trust me. You won’t get wet… at least not for the rain”, he said smirking. I squirmed a little with those words, he sounded so sexy…

He drove along the boulevard next to the beach. Suddenly, he parked the car. “We are here, let’s go”, he said. He held my hand and softly pulled me leading the way through a little path over the sand made out of wood.

The path led to the entrance of an old lighthouse. A few raindrops began to wet my cheeks when we got to the entrance of the beacon. “What is this place, Law?” I asked him, curious. “My grandfather was in charge of this lighthouse some years ago, then the government built a more modern beacon on the port of Jeju, so my grandfather retired. Yet the commune decided to maintain it as part of the city, and also because I guess my grandad was appreciated by the people of Jeju.” I saw a copper commemorative plaque with the name “In loving memory of Mr. Trafalgar Law”. “You have the same name, how cute…” I told him as he opened the door, and we entered the place to take shelter from the cold rain that started pouring over us.

He asked me to wait at the entrance and headed to the back part of the place. He turned on the lights and I could see how the place had been decorated with string lights, pillows on the floor, some blankets, and a few candles that he began to light one by one. He did this just for me?...

“I… I hope you like it. I don’t know if you are really into romantic stuff. The guys helped me yesterday, while you went to sleep”.  My eyes got somehow a little bit watery, no one has ever made anything remotely similar to this for me, it was just perfect.  “I love it, Law. This is so perfect…”, I said and ran to him -my ankle did hurt a little, but I didn’t really care -. “Careful…” he said, receiving me with open arms.

I softly planted a kiss on his lips, and slowly we sat over the pillows. He grabbed my face with his hands and stopped kissing me just to look into my eyes. My back slowly approached the pillows and now I was laying there with Law settled over me...

Part 4

[oosteven-universe]

Space Bandits #4

Space Bandits #4 Image Comics 2019 Written by Mark Millar Illustrated by Matteo Scalera Coloured by Marcelo Maiolo Lettered by Clem Robins     The bandits pick off Cody’s enemies one by one, working their way through her old crew. But before they can wipe out the whole set, a familiar face from Thena’s past crackles over the telecast, and the girls turn their vengeful attention to her ex, Viggo.      Well now as the women find themselves in front an overly confident Bowser Weex and it looks like things are going to get rather interesting. While i am somewhat disappointed that everyone is so humanoid I am not in the least disappointed in the fact that Bowser (Sha Na Na anyone) is in chaps and a thong. If I am going to be a bit honest the girls have had a rather easy time of it so far with all this haven't they? It was bound to become a tad bit more complicated right before the last issue in this arc. They couldn't have utilised a better man to open this issue up with either.      I like the fact that this is just a straight up revenge scenario because we don't see many things like this that don't end up turning into something else. We've no idea if these two will remain friends when all this is said and done or become partners and run off into the stars to have further adventures and that is part of the appeal here. Also with the series of events as we see them unfold here's hoping that somehow the wires uncrossed and the tables were turned and he never he had such a lesson to learn.     The story development here is Mark's usual strong stuff as the information we get is on a need to know basis. Meaning we don't need to know until the girls do, the endings cliffhanger aside, so it has this immense appeal behind what we see. The character development is really marvellous and I love seeing how these two interact with one another as well as those around them. I love that we get more information about them through the dialogue and how the act and react to situations than anything else. Then when the pacing gets mixed up in all this moving it all forward we start to see the revelations, twists and turns come at us. The way the whole thing is being told is just fantastic.     Aside from the chaps and thong the interiors here are really rather interesting. The linework is nice to see and the attention to detail is fun! No seriously it's fun, from the way we see the white lizards as this gorgeous and serene to the harshness of death this book has it all in spades. There is some grandiose moments as well with some extremely nice wow moments as well as some that make you cringe, her highness for one. The utilisation of the page layouts and how we see the angles and perspective in the panels show a superb eye for storytelling. Oy vey the colour work is magnificent and I am a sucker for the gradation process and seeing what looks like magma from white to orange to red with that ombré effect is sensational. ​     Sometimes we don't want to have to think to hard and instead we want to just fun pure and simple. Mark is one of the best storytellers around these days and the man knows how to craft some of the best reads we'll ever have and here he uses to entertain us while still keeping his trademark skills on full display. This is a rip roaring Thelma and Louise style jaunt through space and I am just along for the ride and I cannot wait to see how this ends next issue!

[dailybestiary]

Patch Has Issues: Dungeon #2

Issue: Dungeon #2

Date: November/December 1986 (Pretty sure my Christmas haul that year was full of dope toys from The Transformers movie/show.)

The Cover:

(Use of cover for review purposes only and should not be taken as a challenge to status. Credit and copyright remain with their respective holders.)

Ah, Clyde Caldwell. He, Larry Elmore, Jeff Easley, and last issue’s Keith Parkinson were the mainstays of TSR’s amazing stable of artists. I have a soft spot for Caldwell. He did the covers for the D&D Gazetteer series, which means his work emblazoned some of my absolute favorite books from my middle school years. (At the time I had the whole series except the two island books, GAZ 4 & GAZ 9 (which I’ve since collected), plus the Dawn of the Emperors box set. My favorites, for the record, were GAZ 3, 5, 10, and 13. I...may like elves...a little too much.) And even as I sit here, other covers demand to be named. The very first Dragonlance adventure, the iconic Dragons of Despair? The Finder’s Stone trilogy? The first Ravenloft box? Dragon #147? Yep, he did those covers too. He was amazing.

But hoo-boy, we also have to talk about the not-amazing parts. Once Caldwell settled on a way of doing things, that’s how he did them. Points for consistency, but man, he had tropes. Even his tropes had tropes. He had a way of painting dragon’s wings. He had a way of painting swords and boots. He had a way of painting jewelry, and belts and coins—ovals upon ovals upon ovals.

And his way of painting women was with as few clothes as possible. Everything I said about Parkinson last entry? Yeah, that goes double for Caldwell. He never paints pants when a thong will do. His take on the reserved and regal Goldmoon—thighs as long as a dwarf and bronzed buttcheeks exposed—reportedly left Margaret Weis in tears. Magic-users (God, I hate that term) famously couldn’t use armor in D&D and AD&D, but Caldwell’s sorceresses pretty much stick to gauze just to be safe. And the Finder’s Stone trilogy I mentioned above? Yeah, the authors of Azure Bonds took one look at Caldwell’s cover art and literally had to come up with in-text reasons why the heroine Alias—one of the most surly woman sellswords in existence—would wear armor with a Caldwell boob hole.

Don’t get me wrong, I love cheesecake as much as the next dude. (Actually that’s not true; I came up in the grunge ’90s—our version of cheesecake was an Olympia brunette in three layers of thrift store sweaters reading Sandman while eating a cheesecake. Hell, that’s still my jam.) But context matters. The sorceress from “White Magic,” Dragon #147’s cover, may barely be wearing a negligee, but she’s also in the seat of her power and probably magically warded to the hilt—she can wear whatever she damn wants; it’s her tower. So no complaints there. But this cover’s pirate queen Porky Piggin’ it seems like an unwise choice. (The friction burns alone from clambering around the rigging…)

It’s clear from reading The Art of the Dragonlance Saga that TSR was trying to turn the ship around when it came to portrayals of women in fantasy, however slowly. And in Caldwell’s defense and to his credit, he definitely delivered women with agency—in nearly every image, they are nearly always doing something active and essential. They just tend to be doing it half-dressed.

Which is all a way of saying I dig this cover—the explosion, the churning sea (even if it does more look like snow drifts than waves), the sailors all running to the rail to look—but yeah, that pirate captain needs to put on some damn pants.

The Adventures: Before we get started, I have to note that though we’re only an issue in, already the magazine feels more noticeably like the work of editor Roger Moore. This is 100% a guess, but it really feels to me like Dungeon #1 was made of adventures that the Dragon office already had laying around, whereas Dungeon #2 was composed of adventures that Roger Moore and the new Dungeon team had more of a hand in sifting through. (He also has an assistant editor this time in Robin Jenkins, which had to have helped.) Even the cartography looks better. Again, I have zero confirmation of this, but the feeling is strong.

“The Titan’s Dream” by W. Todo Todorsky, AD&D, Levels 5–9

PCs visiting an oracle accidentally walk right into a titan’s dream and must solve some conundrums to escape. What an awesome concept this is! (Spoilers for “Best Concept” section below.) It’s a shame I don’t like this more.

First of all, dreamworld adventures are really hard to do well. And for them to work, there usually need to be real stakes—and not just “If you die in the dream, you die in real life!”—and/or a real connection to the PCs in your campaign. The latter, especially, is really hard to pull off in a published adventure; typically it’s only achieved through tactics that critics deride as railroading. (For instance, @wesschneider’s excellent In Search of Sanity does a great job of connecting the characters to their dream adventures...but it does that by a) forging the connection at 1st level, and b) pretty strongly dictating how the adventure begins and how the characters are affiliated. It works, but that’s high-wire-act adventure writing.)

Being a magazine adventure, “The Titan’s Dream” doesn’t have that luxury—it’s got to be for a general audience and work for most campaigns. That unfortunately means the default “Why” of the adventure—a lord with a child, a wedding, and an alliance at stake hires the PCs to chat with a wise titan—is little more than that: a default.

On top of that...I cannot get excited about anything Greek mythology-related. To me, just the fact I’m seeing it is a red flag.

Look, Greek mythology is why I got into this hobby. Hell, it’s why I got into fiction, period. (For some reason I somehow decided I had no use for fiction books targeted to my age, with the exception of Beverly Cleary. Then in 4th(?) grade, I got a copy of Alice Low’s Greek Gods and Heroes, and the rest is history.) But Greek mythology is often the only mythology anyone knows. When people think polytheism, that’s where most people’s minds go. Which is why, if you ever played D&D in the ’80s, I pretty much guarantee your first deity was from that pantheon. (In my first game, my first-level cleric pretty much met Ares and got bitch-slapped by him, because that’s what 4th-grade DMs do.)

So to me, putting Greek deities or titans in your adventure is the equivalent of putting dudes riding sandworms into your desert adventures—you can do it, but you better blow me away, because that is ground so well trod it’s mud. And this one doesn’t do the job.

The format is three dreams, each with five scenes. Parties will move randomly—a mechanic meant to represent dream logic (or lack thereof)—through these scenes, until all the scenes from one dream have been resolved. This is actually kind of fascinating, and I wonder how it would play at the table—I have a feeling observant players will dig it, but others may find the mechanism’s charm wears off quickly, especially if they have difficulty solving the scenes or get frustrated with the achronicity of events. I also like that every scene has a number of possible resolutions, so the PCs aren’t locked into achieving a single specific objective like they were stuck in a computer game.

But...I can’t shake the feeling of weak planning and execution (or even laziness?) that stayed with me throughout the adventure. Like, okay, the first adventure is a cyclops encounter out of the Odyssey. Cool! But then...why does the Titan follow it up with pseudo-Norse/Arthurian encounter? Did the Odyssey not hold the author’s attention? (Nor the Iliad, the Aeneid, or Metamorphosis? Really?) And then why is the third dream “drawn from the realm of pure fairy tale”? Like, were you out of pantheons? Horus didn’t return your calls? Or be more specific—why not German fairy tales, or Danish, or French Court, or Elizabethan? It feels like a class project where one group was on point, one group got the assignment a little wrong, and one didn’t even try.

Again, it’s not even that this adventure is bad—I honestly can’t tell if it is or not; I’m sure a lot of its success is determined at the table. And I could totally see throwing this at a party if I was out of inspiration that week or we needed a low-stakes breather before our next big arc. But the instant I think about it for more than a second, it all falls apart for me.

Have any of you tried this one? Let me know what you thought. And for a similar exploration into dream logic/fairy tale scenarios, I recommend Crystal Frasier’s The Harrowing for Pathfinder.

“In The Dwarven King’s Court” by Willie Walsh, AD&D, Levels 3–5

Willie Walsh is a name we’re going to see a lot more in issues to come—he’s a legendarily prolific Dungeon contributor, delivering quality, typically low-level, and often light-hearted or humorous adventurers issue after issue after issue. His first entry is a mystery with a time limit: A dwarf king is supposed to make a gift of a ceremonial sword to seal a treaty, but the sword has vanished. Brought to the king’s court courtesy of a dream, adventurers must find the sword and the surprising identity of the culprit before the rival power’s delegation arrives.

At first I was going to ding this adventure for its “What, even more dreams this issue?” hook...but here’s the thing with Walsh—never judge his modules until you reach the final page. Nearly every time I’m tempted to dismiss one of his sillier or more random adventure elements, it turns out that it makes sense and works just fine. In this case, the cause of the dream is haunt connected to the mystery, and I feel dumb for being all judgy.

So anyway, the PCs are given leave to search for the stolen object and the thief, but of course it turns out there is a whole lot of light-fingeredness going around. As Bryce (see below) puts it, “It’s like a Poirot mystery: everyone has something to hide.” This castle has as much upstairs-downstairs drama as any British farce, with nearly every NPC having either a fun personality and/or a fun secret (and with the major players illustrated by some equally fun portraits) that should make them memorable friends and foils for PCs to interact with. Not to mention the actual culprit is definitely a twist that will be hard explaining to the king...

GMs should be ready to adjust on the fly, though—a) it’s a lot of characters to juggle, and b) since the PCs are 3rd–5th level, the right spells or some lucky secret door searches could prematurely end the adventure as written. You may want to have some last-minute showdowns, betrayals, or other political intrigue outlined and in your back pocket if what’s on the page resolves too quickly.

Overall though, I’m a big fan of this adventure, and look forward to the rest of Walsh’s output. Also, given the dwarven focus and the geography of the land, this adventure could be a very nice sequel to last issue’s “Assault on Eddistone Point.”

“Caermor” by Nigel D. Findley, AD&D, Levels 2–4

Look at this author’s list of writing credits! Findley was amazingly prolific, and his work was pretty high-quality across the board, as far as I know. I particularly loved the original Draconomicon, one of the first and only 2e AD&D books I ever bought as a kid. I also loved his “Ecology of the Gibbering Mouther” from the excellent Dragon #160, and some of his Spelljammer supplements are currently sitting upstairs in my to-read pile, recently purchased but as yet shamefully untouched.

Now look at his age at the time of his death. Life is not always fair or kind.

(Speaking of unkind, man is the bio in this issue unfortunate in retrospect: “[H]e write for DRAGON® Magazine, enjoys windsurfing, plays in a jazz band, and manages a computer software company in the little time he has left.” As Archer would say, “Phrasing!”)

Anyway, this adventure is simple: An otherworldly force has been murdering the locals. The locals have pinned the blame on a handsome bard from out of town, and their own prejudices and general obstinacy are sure to get in the way of the investigation—that is, if the true culprits, some devil-worshipping culprits and and an abishai devil, don’t get in the way first.

All in all, this is a tight, well-written adventure, so I don’t have much to say about it, other than that if you like the idea of sending your party to help out some young lovers and save some faux-Scots/Yorkshiremen too stubborn to save themselves (and maybe slip in a valuable lesson about prejudice and xenophobia as well), this is the adventure for you.

One thing that does jump out to a contemporary reader, though, is the comically overpowered nature of the baddie pulling the strings in this adventure: Baalphegor, Princess of Hell (emphasis mine). Overpowered, you-won’t-really-fight-this-NPC happens with a lot of low-level adventures, when the writers want a story more epic than characters at the table can handle or are trying to plot the seeds for future evils. But still, any princess of Hell would already be a bit much...but an 18-Hit Dice, “supra-genius”, the Princess of Hell? Like, what the f—er, I mean, Hell?

If you use the adventure as written, the only way to have Baalphegor’s presence make sense is to eventually reveal that the area is an epicenter of some major badness. (Maybe that explains the lost nation of evil dwarves in the adventure background.) For a good model on how to seed early adventures in this matter, Dungeon’s Age of Worms Adventure Path and Pathfinder Adventure Path’s Rise of the Runelords AP, both from Paizo, are exemplars of small-town disturbances that eventually have world-shaking implications.

It’s also fascinating in retrospect to note Ed Greenwood’s massive impact in the hobby. Any article that appears in Dragon has the sheen of being at least semi-official, but it’s clear that Greenwood’s content was a cut above even that. In this case, an NPC from a three-year-old article of his is not just treated as canon, but also supplies the mastermind behind the adventure! It’s no surprise that in the following year his home campaign, the Forgotten Realms, would soon become AD&D’s newest and then its default setting.

Two final thoughts: 1) There’s some fascinating anti-dwarf prejudice in this article. Nearly every mention of dwarves paints them as exceptionally greedy and/or villains. And 2) how did one even begin to balance adventures in those days? This adventure is for “4–8 characters of 2nd–4th level.” There are a lot of difference at the extreme ends of those power scales…

“The Keep at Koralgesh,” by Robert Giacomozzi & Jonathan Simmons, D&D, Levels 1–3

One of the problems of BECMI D&D being known as “basic D&D” is that writers often assumed the players to be basic (that is, younger/new) as well. Which probably accounts for some of the early suggestions to the DM we get at the beginning of this adventure—like some pretty patronizing advice along the lines of not immediately announcing to PCs what the pluses are on their magical swords.

Fortunately, after that the article settles down and gives us Dungeon’s first real D&D adventure. In fact, not just real, but massive: 20 full pages of content—nearly half the issue! It’s a fully fledged dungeon crawl that has the PCs taking advantage of the summer solstice to open a shrine door that will lead them inside a long-ruined keep said to hold great treasure.

Now, I imagine in the coming installments it’s going to seem to many of you like I’m grading D&D adventures on a curve, because of my love for the system and the Known World/Mystara. That’s a fair accusation, but a better way to consider it is that I’m reviewing D&D adventures for what they are—adventures from a separate system, with a more limited rules system and palette of options than AD&D. You don’t go to a performance of Balinese shadow puppetry and compare it against Andrew Lloyd Webber; you look at it for what it achieves in its own medium. Since they appear side-by-side in the same magazine, comparison is going to be inevitable, but that’s with the understanding that AD&D was the kid coloring with the 64-crayon box of Crayola, while D&D was getting by with just eight.

On its own terms then, “The Keep of Korgalesh” is a decent, if not superlative, success. I love that it’s practically module-length and that we get three complete levels—a far cry from the previous issue’s side-trek-at-best, “The Elven Home.” We also get two new monsters, which absolutely fills my inner BECMI D&D player with glee. And I like that what starts as a dungeon crawl/fetch quest evolves into a “kill the big bad thing” and “find out what really happened to this city.”

There are issues, though. If the whole city was destroyed, getting to see some of it besides the keep would have been nice. Some of the ecology for the dungeon inhabitants is questionable. There pretty much wasn’t a single pool or fountain in this era of D&D adventure design that wasn’t magical, and this adventure was no exception. One of the new monster’s names makes no sense except that “tyranna” and “abyss” are cool words (I mean, I guess you could read that as “tyrant of the depths,” but still…) And there are painfully obvious borrowings from other works, especially Tolkien—a door that only opens at solstice, a lake monster, an orc with a split personality that is clearly a Gollum homage, etc.

What this adventure really needs is stakes—just something to give it a bit more oomph beyond the dungeon crawl. (Finding a blacksmith’s lost hammer is the hook offered in the adventure but it’s pretty flimsy.) Perhaps the PCs are some of Kor’s last worshippers, and clearing out the dangers here and resanctifying his temple is one of their first steps toward returning him to prominence. Maybe the PCs’ grandparents were involved in the city’s demise and restoring Koralgesh will restore the families’ honor. Or you could keep it simple and have a band of pirates or a rival adventuring group also trying to clean out the keep, turning it into a race (with the tyrannabyss causing the scales of fate to wobble at appropriately cinematic moments).

So the final analysis is this is a decent dungeon crawl upon which you can build a good adventure. The real reward of this module isn’t treasure; it’s finding out just what happened to Koralgesh. But for that to matter, it needs to tie into the PCs’ pasts, futures, or both.

BONUS CONTENT FOR KNOWN WORLD/MYSTARA NERDS: Kor is almost certainly a local name for the sun god Ixion. The chaotic deity Tram is probably a local version of Alphaks, though Atzanteotl is another strong candidate, especially since deceit was key to the pirates’ success. Koralgesh could be located somewhere on the Isle of Dawn, the northern coast of Davania, or an Ierendi/Minrothad Isle that those nations haven’t made it a priority to rebuild.

Best Read: “Caermor.” Nigel D. Findley was a pro.

Best Adventure I Could Actually Run with Minimal Prep: “The Keep at Koralgesh,” as a well-written, straight-ahead dungeon crawl. Every other adventure here relies on a pretty strong handle of very mobile NPCs and their motivations, or a Titan’s dream mechanics.

Best Concept: “The Titan’s Dream,” as noted above. It’s a great idea very worth exploring, even if I wasn’t about the execution we got in this case.

Best Monster: This was actually a monster-light issue. Despite some awesome art for the tyrannabyss, I have to go with the epadrazzil, a scaly ape from a two-dimensional plane of existence that has to be summoned via a painting. All of those details are just so wonderfully and weirdly specific it has to win. (Extra points for anyone who noticed the thoul—a classic D&D monster (though it did make its way into AD&D’s Mystara setting) born from a typo.)

Best NPC: Since this is a role-playing-heavy issue, there are a bunch of contenders, and the final verdict will go to whoever your party sparks to at the table. Obviously King Baradon the Wise should get the nod for [spoiler-y reasons], but I also really like the opportunity the executioner Tarfa offers, thanks to his incriminating goblet and how it might bring the PCs to the attention of a far-off assassin’s guild at just the right level.

Best Map: All together the maps from “The Keep at Koralgesh” form an extremely appealing whole. But for best single map I have to go for the palace of Mount Diadem—that is a bangin’ dwarven demesne.

Best Thing Worth Stealing: Jim Holloway’s illustrations of dwarves. Good dwarf, gnome, and halfling art is hard to find, and even the good stuff often leans stereotypical. While Holloway’s art is often humorous—I have a feeling he and Roger Moore jibed really well, though that’s totally a guess based purely on what assignments he got handed—his dwarves, especially in this issue, are fresh, specific, and unique. You could identify them by their silhouettes alone—always the sign of good character art. If you need an image of a dwarf NPC to show the players, “In the Dwarven King’s Court” is a great first stop.

Worst Aged: Female thong pirates on magazine covers. Also using the actual names of actual mental illnesses in game materials.

What Bryce Thinks: “This seems to be a stronger issue than #1, although half of the adventures are … unusual.”

Bryce actually almost likes “The Titan’s Dream,” confirming my loathing of it. He in turn loathes “In the Court of the Dwarven King.” Like me, though, he is pro-”Caermor” and sees potential in “The Keep at Koralgesh.” (Also credit where it’s due: I might have missed the condescension at the start if he hadn’t called it out.)

So, Is It Worth It?: If you’re a Clyde Caldwell fan, this issue might be worth searching out in print. So much of Caldwell’s work from this era was dictated by product needs, cropped and boxed up in ads, or shrunk down to fit on a paperback cover. So to get this cover in full magazine size, with only the masthead tucked up top to get in the way—that could be well worth a few bucks to you.

Also, if you’re BECMI/Rules Cyclopedia-era D&D fan (or know someone who is), again, this one might be worth having in print. “The Keep at Koralgesh” is a legit, proper BECMI D&D adventure, spanning 20 whole pages and with two new monsters to boot. I would have practically have cried if someone had given 7th-grade me this.

Beyond that you can probably just rely on the PDF. But both “Caermor” and “In the Dwarven King’s Court” have strong bones worth putting some modern muscle and skin on.

Random Thoughts:

The Caldwell cover painting was also used for the Blackmoor module DA4 The Duchy of Ten. PS: I’m not trying to tell you what to do or anything, but if you do happen to run across a physical copy of The Duchy of Ten or and of the DA modules, holla at ya boy over here.

Since this is our second issue, we now have a “Letters” column. Turns out Dungeon had been announced in Dragon #111 with a really detailed set of writer’s guidelines; most of the correspondence is questions re: those. In the process of answering, we get some surprisingly frank talk about payment. The $900 for a cover seemed low until I converted it to 2018 dollars, and ~$2,000 does seem right to my ignorant eye. I then made the mistake of converting my current salary to 1986 dollars and felt a lot worse about myself and what I’ve achieved.

Apologies this took so long to post. I had the issue read by early October and most of this review written with the next week or two after...but then I got involved in dealing with a 4.5 week hospitalization and aftermath...and then a second still-ongoing hospitalization...and even though I only had about four paragraphs left I just couldn’t find time to put a bow on it.

Notable Ads: The gold Immortals Rules box for D&D. (I also still don’t have that one yet, and Christmas is coming. Just saying, guys, if you happen to find one in your attic.) ;-) Also an ad for subscribing to Dungeon itself, starring “my war dinosaur, Boo-Boo.” No, really.

Over in Dragon: Beneath a glorious cover, Roger Moore is the new editor of Dragon #115, three authors (including Vince Garcia, who I like a lot) share credit on a massive six articles about fantasy thieves, a famous article proposing that clerics get the weapons of their deity (people were still talking about it in the “Forum” column when I was buying my first issues two years later), and a look at harps from the Forgotten Realms (notable because behind the scenes Ed Greenwood’s home setting was being developed for the AD&D game for launch in 1987.) A photographic cover and a 3-D sailing ship are served up in Dragon #116, along with maritime adventures, more Ed Greenwood (rogue stones), and articles for ELFQUEST, Marvel Super Heroes (Crossfire’s gang), and FASA’s Dr. Who game (looking at all six(!) doctors). (Incidentally, I had an Irish babysitter around this time who first mentioned Dr. Who to me—I wish I’d explored more but I was too young to understand what I’d been offered.)

PS: Yes, I’ve heard about the upcoming Tumblr ban. It is a terrible idea that will affect way too many of my readers. It shouldn’t affect me much (and I have all my monster entries backed up at the original site), but I will keep you posted as I learn more, particularly if I find you, my readers, packing up and going elsewhere.

[starspatter]

Heroes and Thieves, Ch. 6

Title: Heroes and Thieves Fandom/Universe: BTAS, pre/post-RotJ flashback

Summary: A story about second chances, healing, and having hope.

Rating: PG-13, for references to character death, child psychological torture and trauma.

Genre: Romance/Family/Friendship/Hurt/Comfort

Word Count: 3,791 Previous Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Also on ff.net and AO3. In which Dick is surprisingly racist towards clones.

Two birds on a wire One says "come on" and the other says "I'm tired" The sky is overcast and I'm sorry One more or one less Nobody's worried

-Regina Spektor, "Two Birds"

Then.

Once their guest had left, Tim turned to Dick with a wounded air.

“How about giving me some warning next time before someone shows up, huh?  A little heads-up would’ve been nice.”

Dick’s smile didn’t falter.

“What, did she catch you doing something embarrassing?”

Tim skewered him a look of disgust.

“Do you have to make everything sound dirty?”

“Sorry, sorry.  …I’m surprised you’re still doing ‘that’ after all these years though.”

Tim shrugged with a heavy sigh.  “Was just testing to see if I still could, I guess.  I messed up on the landing anyway.”

“You probably just need to work on your form some more.  It has been a while since I last saw you brush up on any techniques, they’re bound to get a bit rusty.  If you want, I can still coach you…”

Tim’s lips tightened.

“Forget it.  It’s not worth it.”

“Are you sure?  That girl seemed pretty impressed by it. She’s the one you were talking about earlier, right?”  Dick nodded in sage observation.  “She’s cute; nice face, decent rack- ow!”  He rubbed his arm as it was abruptly met with an annoyed punch.  “Hey, it was a compliment.”

“…Didn’t sound like one.”

“Would you prefer I said she has a mighty fine ass?”  He waggled his brows and grinned provocatively, despite wincing from the pain.  Kid could still hit pretty hard when he wanted to. “Not as fine as mine though.”

“Shut up before I shove a dumbbell up there.”

Dick clutched his behind in mock dread at the threat.

“Seriously though, she’s obviously into you.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “The way I see it, from where I’m standing, she’s more into you.”

“Oh ho, do I detect a note of jealousy?”

“No,” Tim denied hotly, though his cheeks told a different story.  “It’s just that you’re being super-gross about it.  You know you’re acting like Bruce by coming onto every giddy schoolgirl and her mom who walks in through the door.”

Dick’s smirk jerked slightly.

“Wow, okay dude, we’re really going there.”  It was his turn to be hurt by insensitivity.  “You didn’t need to go that far.  I’ll have you know this and that are completely different.”

“How so?”

“I approach these things from a sole marketing perspective.  Purely professional.  It’s called ‘show business’, bro.”

“Uh-huh.  This coming from the guy who just lied about his scars to make himself look good.  I suppose ‘that’s’ also part of your advertising strategy?”

“Hey, it’s not like it was a total lie.  That really did happen, you know – minus the ‘falling debris’ part.  …Besides, what else would you have me say?”

Tim shook his head, keeping his voice low.  “…I don’t know.”

Dick seized on the telling silence.  “You are attracted to her, aren’t you?”

“I am not.”

“It’s okay, I can see why. It’s all right to admit these things, you know.  You don’t have to hide it.”

“I’m not hiding anything.”

The firm, yet flustered defiance only further confirmed Dick’s suspicion.

“Heh heh, little Timmy’s got a crush~”

He tousled Tim’s hair teasingly, to which the boy scowled.

“I do not.”  He pushed the invading hand away in indignation.  “Will you cut that out already?  I’m not a kid anymore.”

Dick lowered his limb in disappointment.

“Okay, okay.  Sorry.”  Despite insistence otherwise, it delighted Dick that Tim was finally exhibiting some of the youthful desire – if not exuberance – he’d missed out on through his teenage years.  “Trust me though, I have no interest in someone her age.  She’s all yours.”

“Look, will you just drop it?” Tim snapped bluntly.  “It’s none of your freakin’ business.”

Dick exhaled, clicking his tongue.  If only Tim could be more honest with his feelings, true to himself – though he was painfully aware of how excruciatingly difficult that must be, what with everything the boy had been through.  To be fair, he had his own troubles genuinely opening his heart to others, after all the times it had been broken and betrayed before.  …He could only imagine how terrifying it must be for Tim, to allow someone else – a complete and total stranger – to get close by entering into his currently (semi-)stable and secure – if supremely secluded life, experience that kind of risky emotion again. Breach the many walls and defensive barriers he had set up around himself, upset the plainly precarious balance that was still a struggle to barely maintain.  So as much as he wanted to continue coaxing and clowning – kidding around, he agreed to leave it alone for now, raising both palms in admitted defeat.

“Okay, I get it.  I won’t bother you about it anymore.”

The subject successfully dismissed, Tim attuned towards the boxes in the back.

“So did you want me to help with moving this stuff or what?”

“Yeah, I needed to clear out some old things to make space for new equipment.  Trying to tidy up the place more, getting rid of useless junk and whatnot.  …Although most of it’s probably going up to the storeroom in the attic anyway.  Sorry to bother you for this; I’d do all the lifting myself, but with my back…”

“Don’t mention it, it’s the least I can do to repay you.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

Tim knelt by one of the cartons as Dick set to work sifting and sorting, organizing according to some arbitrary system that ostensibly only made sense to him.

“Christ, how much crap do you have here?  Seriously, what even is half this junk?  I knew you had all kinds of odd ends lying around, but I didn’t realize it amounted to this much.  Do you ever throw anything away?”

Dick shrugged.

“What can I say, I’m a hoarder by nature.  Keeping keepsakes is my hobby.   …Well, more like a habit, I guess.  Why do you think we had a trophy room in the basement?  It wasn’t originally Bruce’s idea, I can tell you that.”

Tim remained quiet as he poked through a large collection of CDs, containing a few recognizable but mostly random titles by various indie bands and artists he’d never heard of.

“Man, you’ve got weird taste in music.”

“Hey, don’t knock the classics.  Those are precious goods, be careful with those.”

In spite of his scoffing, Tim picked up one of the discs that appealed to him, and was almost about to subconsciously slip the item under his oversized hoodie – an old, old habit of his own – before remembering he didn’t have to resort to sneaking or stealing when he could just ask.

“Can I borrow this?”

Dick didn’t even twist to look, implicitly trusting in his little brother’s judgment.  “Yeah sure, go ahead.”

Tim breathed out in relief as he pocketed the prize with permission.  That was a close call.  Borderline kleptomaniac compulsions hadn’t surfaced like that in a long time, but then, it was only another minor checkbox on the extensive, exhaustive list of psychotic symptoms he was suffering from today.

There was another entry that caught his eye, different from the others.  It had no hard case or album cover; just a plain, simple jacket labeled with marker:

For Babs.

Tim wondered if it was a mix tape – surely Dick wouldn’t have tried to record something himself? He couldn’t tell whether it was a gift Dick planned to give but never worked up the courage to – or something Barbara sent back after (one of numerous) breakup(s).

…Maybe Joker was right. Being in love with someone seemed like way more hassle than it was worth.  Hell, just watching those two go back and forth between affection and anger even back then was tiring.  Aggravating.

At any rate, he left burning curiosity alone, not wanting to intrude too much on Dick’s privacy (years ago he would’ve taunted his brother with the juicy bit of exposing bait himself, but that was then, when he was less mature and still found amusement in such things), and moved on to another container.  As soon as he saw the contents inside, he balked a bit, heartbeat spiking.  Aching.  It was a family photo album, full of fond memories from the Flying Graysons’ circus days. His hands trembled as he flipped tentatively through the pages, unable to tear away even though it made him uncomfortable for a number of reasons.  Paranoid of polaroids.  Anything involving camerawork tended to make him queasy, though he could typically tolerate homages to others at least.  These were different from the blown-up, polished posters on the wall though; the images portrayed within were more intimate, unscripted.  Candid, captured moments of a close-knit clan, happy as a clam – treasured remnants of childhood innocence and bliss combined with parental pampering.

“This must have been such a cool place to grow up.”

“…It was.”

Glancing back at the receptacle, buried at the bottom was another set of snapshots: a framed photograph of Dick and Barbara together (him smiling smugly straight at her in puppy-like adoration while she beamed brightly at the viewer instead), and a worn print of the former in graduation garb next to Bruce, who had his paw wrapped proudly on the other’s shoulder.  Scrawled on the top left-hand corner in Bruce’s surprisingly haphazard handwriting was a short congratulatory message:

Good luck at college, Dick.

Tim recalled how Dick told him the story of Bruce missing his graduation from Gotham State University, shortly before the two split up as Batman and Robin.  (…The old man never even bothered to come to his own high school ceremony – not that Tim was expecting him to – although Dick and Barbara both did attend at least, albeit sitting at opposite ends of the auditorium.)

“It was building for a long time.  I realize that now.  …It was never really right.  I mean, this isn’t exactly a normal childhood.”

He hadn’t really comprehended the notion then, but Tim understood now what those words meant – unfortunately all too well.

Tim sensed a shadow behind him, and for a brief instant, he half-envisioned it being Bruce from the way it loomed – but of course when he revolved around it was only Dick instead.

“Yo, you all right? You look like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“Yeah, I’m fine.”  Tim looked down at the scrapbook in his lap, a wistful mist in his eyes.  “I was just… thinking I don’t really have any pictures of my folks.  At least none where we’re all together.”  Or that isn’t a mugshot, he thought sullenly to himself.  “I never saw my dad keep any mementos of Mom after she died.  To be honest, I’m not sure I even still remember what she looks like.”

Dick plopped down on the ground next to him, resting a hand on the boy’s sagged shoulder.

“Listen, I hope you know: No matter what, you can always think of the two of us as family at least. I know I haven’t exactly been that much of a great guardian myself, that I could never replace what you lost either… But you are still a brother to me. Hell, I consider you the closest thing to a real relative I’ve had since then.”

Tim simply nodded, swallowing a lump in his gorge.  Dick patted his back with a thump.

“Us guys, we gotta stick together, right?  Through thick and thin.”

“Yeah.”  Tim ducked his neck towards his collar, surreptitiously drying ducts on his sweatshirt.  “…Thanks, you know, for letting me stay here so long.  Roy and Conner too.”

“Hey, what are friends for?” A pause.  “…How’s Conner doing by the way?”

Tim snorted, the caution in the other’s tone not escaping his notice.  “What do you care?  You never liked him anyway.”

“That’s not true. It’s just… The whole idea of cloning someone kinda wigs me out, okay?  I dunno, imagining there being a duplicate copy of you running around is freaky enough, but one of Superman?  It still doesn’t sit well with me to leave him loose like that, after all the underhanded crap Cadmus has pulled.  Something about it just doesn’t seem right.  Who’s to say he doesn’t have some secret kill switch that’ll make him go rogue like Supergirl’s doppelganger?  Gotham may be full of crazies and creeps, but at least we never really had to deal with stuff of metahuman caliber aside from Ivy and Clayface, or Kirk when he took the serum.”  Dick intentionally didn’t include Killer Croc on the atypical rogues roster; guy was too dumb a criminal to count.  “We’re on the high end of the ‘weird’ scale, sure, but not even Batman’s equipped to take down a serious superpowered menace alone.”

Tim glared at him in disbelief.

“Is that you talking, or the old man?”

“…Maybe a bit of both,” Dick willingly conceded.  “Look, I’m just worried, that’s all.”

“Yeah well, don’t be. I’ve got Mr. Kent on speed-dial, and Kon gave me his full consent to use the Kryptonite at my discretion as part of our ‘roommate agreement’.  If anything happens, he told me himself he wants me to hit him with it as hard as I can.” …Even if it meant killing him – although Tim knew he could never go through with that. Not again. “Besides, it’s not him you’re actually worried about, is it?”

“Tim…”

“No, you know what this is?” Tim clenched his fist, drawing away from contact again.  “You look at him with the same way you do me – like some ticking time bomb about to explode. I’m getting real sick and tired of it.”

“It’s not like that.”

“Sure it isn’t.  Look, for your information, Conner’s doing fine. Hell, he pretty much behaves just like you; he’s probably getting wasted and chasing after chicks at some mixer right now.  …That’s what you call a ‘normal college life’, isn’t it?”

Dick cleared his throat, aversely acknowledging hypocrisy.

“…What about you?  How is school going?  Do you like it there?”

Tim shrugged.

“It’s okay.”

“You know you didn’t have to just stick locally around here.  If you wanted to go someplace else I would’ve sponsored you.  I mean, I chose to stay close to Gotham because of that… ‘part-time job’ stuff, but you’re smart, you could’ve gone anywhere better.”

“I told you, I’m fine with this.”

“What about taking that girl’s suggestion at least?  Life doesn’t just have to be about books and studying for tests all the time either, you know.  Look at it this way: You’ve got the time and opportunity now to be a part of after-class club activities that I never had.  Why not take advantage of it, get out there and socialize.  Enjoy the excitement of your youth and all that.”

Tim stared, trying unsuccessfully to read the other’s expression.  He couldn’t deduce whether the dude was just being humorously sarcastic, or genuinely envious and attempting to live vicariously through him.  Either way, he wasn’t falling for it.

“I said forget it.”                                                          

Dick kept pressing despite disengagement, earnest in his endeavor to tempt Tim to pursue what used to fill the boy with fervent passion, desperately hoping to rekindle some kind of joyful spark.

“Come on, I’m sure it’ll be fun.  I bet I could even still teach you to do a quadruple somersault if you’re interested.”

“Why?  I suck at it.”

“You just need more practice.  …Besides, it’d be kind of a shame to let a legacy die out without passing it on to at least one person.”

Tim wavered at the sincere, if somewhat scheming statement.

“I don’t know…”

“Trust me, it’s easy once you get the hang of it.”

“Maybe for you.”  He bitterly bit his tongue under his breath.  “I’d like to see you try to concentrate on keeping your balance with the Joker as a peanut gallery.”

“What was that?”

“…Nothing.”

Dick held his gaze for a second.

“Tim, I didn’t want to bring this up, but… Conner called me the other day.  He told me, about the lab incident.  He says you haven’t been sleeping or eating much either.”

Tim grit his jaw, feeling like a dagger had just been thrust in his gut.  He couldn’t believe his best (perhaps only) bud in the world would betray him like that.

“Damnit, Kon.”

“Don’t blame him, he’s just worried about you too.  I told you: You don’t need to keep hiding things from us.  We’re here to help if you need anything.  Babs too.  If something’s troubling you, you can talk to us.”

“It’s fine, I’m handling it.”

Dick wouldn’t desist, determined to get the truth out of him.

“Tim, I heard you yelling earlier.  …He’s back again, isn’t he?”

The boy sighed in surrender, eyes slanting stage right.  “…To your left, making faces.”

His partner fixed him with stern concern.

“Are you off your meds again?”

“They don’t work.  Not as well as they used to.”

“That doesn’t mean you should just stop taking them.”

“For what?  So I can only experience the side effects?”

“So talk to Leslie.  Ask her to adjust the dosage.”

Tim made a hollow noise.  “I’m already on the highest strength that’s considered ‘safe’ for human consumption.”

Dick pulled out his phone anyway and began dialing her number.

“I’m contacting her.  There must be at least something else we can try.”

“Not Dr. Thompkins,” Tim whined, as if a toddler throwing a tantrum.

“Look, either you call to make an appointment, or I will.”

Tim seethed, grinding his teeth.  “All right, fine.  Jeeze. God, you and Barbara still both treat me like a fucking child.”

“Yeah well, maybe if you stop acting like one.”

“Whatever.  Just hand me the phone.  I’ll talk to her.”

Dick extended the cell towards Tim, who took it with all the enthusiasm of accepting a dirty sock.

“It’s ringing.”

He listened closely in on the conversation to confirm a meeting time was set up, before Tim returned the receiver.

“Here.  She wants to talk to you.”

Dick lifted the mobile to his ear.

“Hey, doc.”

“Hello, Richard.  It’s good to hear from you boys.  How’s the back treating you?”

“Fine.”  He didn’t want to dwell too much on his own health status, so he moved on to the matter at hand.  “Is there anything we can do to help Tim?”

“In such a rare and unusual case as this, it’s hard to say.  It’d be beneficial to start by identifying the root of his relapse.  Once we pinpoint that, it’ll be easier to formulate a treatment plan.   It’s possible it could just be due to the stress of moving to a new environment.  It’s good that you’ve been able to help support him through high school, but now that he’s becoming independent it may be triggering a stronger separation anxiety response in him.  Even if consciously he rejects it, the Joker ingrained himself as a parental figure in Tim’s mind.  Essentially, he equates that kind of attention with the nurturing love and protection he never properly received growing up.  It’s common for child victims of abuse to form a disorganized attachment to the caregiver, especially when the caregiver behaves in an inconsistent manner.  The conflict of the caregiver being both a source of comfort and distress can cause the child to display contradictory patterns when faced with a stressful situation; instinct tells him to simultaneously avoid and approach the one who is mistreating him.   In the absence of a familiar atmosphere he’s accustomed to, he’s likely seeking alternate methods of coping as a survival mechanism.  Has he been under any kind of particular pressure lately?”

Dick relayed the events leading up to the fainting spell, with little input from Tim beyond affirmative nods.

“I see.  It’s certainly a sign of progress that he’s trying to face his fears, but a heads-on approach might not be the best tactic.”

“I tried to tell him that.  He won’t listen.”

“I’ll have a chat with him about it when I see him, hopefully we can find a way for him to succeed in his studies without compromising his sense of safety.  One more question, this is important: Has he tried to harm himself?”

“I… don’t think so.  I’ll check, and let you know.”

“Please do.”

As Dick temporarily terminated the exchange, he rotated to see Tim had stood up and was headed towards the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“Out for a smoke – walk – whatever.  Just text me when you need me.”

“Hold it.”  The harsh bark arrested the boy before he was halfway to the exit.  “Wrists.”

Tim swiveled with a sour countenance.

“Seriously?  Do we really have to do this?”

“Show me.”

He hissed, but obediently rolled up his sleeves, revealing bare but apparently unmarked skin.

“Satisfied?”

Dick advanced and examined him all over anyway, before nodding.

“All right.  Now empty your pockets.”

Tim tsked, feeling as violated as when the staff at the detention center frisked him on admittance for any concealed contraband.  He dug through his possessions, retrieving objects one by one: phone, wallet, CD player, lighter, cigarettes, and finally – under Dick’s demanding eye – the hidden pocketblade.

“Give me the knife.”

He hesitated.

“Don’t make me wrestle it from you.”

Relinquishing, he slapped the weapon into Dick’s grip without a word.

“Thank you.  You can go, but try to keep near.”

“Sure thing, Mom.”

Dick deliberately chose to ignore the sardonic retort, used to receiving attitude by now.  (For a fleeting moment, he mused if he ever gave Bruce this much frustration, although no doubt Alfred would certainly attest to it.)

After Tim left, Dick hit redial to reassuringly inform Leslie on the observed lack of self-inflicted damage to the patient’s physical condition at least – and preemptive confiscation of means just to be safe – before bidding goodbye with a final beep.  He sighed as he rubbed his neck, hoping his “tough love” hadn’t come off as too deterring. He really wasn’t good with this whole “parenting” thing, considering the primary role model he had for nearly half of his life after early adolescence.

As he picked up the memoir from the floor, he caressed his fingers feather-light over the cover, brushing off collected dust and disenchantment before delicately placing it on a shelf for easy viewing access.  The rest he unceremoniously dumped in the “to toss” pile, purposefully cramming as much trash as he could on top.  …After a few minutes though he fished them out again, rescuing from the base of the rubbish heap with ambivalent reluctance, restoring to the original package and sealing tightly with tape.  They could remain upstairs for now at least – like his ruined Nightwing costume – evidence of old wounds and shattered bonds shuttered behind closed panel; tucked away in the dark recesses of his conscience, lurking and lingering deep in the shadows off-screen.

Out of sight, out of mind.

Two birds of a feather Say that they're always gonna stay together But one's never going to let go of that wire He says that he will But he's just a liar

[many-books-little-time]

BBC One’s Cormoran Strike - The Cuckoo’s Calling

This is a compilation of my personal thoughts on the Cormoran Strike show on BBC One. I’m gonna divide my thoughts in different sections because there’s a lot to talk about!

The Case

For those of you who haven’t read the books, I recommend you go read them right now and then you watch the show and come back here.

Done? Great. Then I’m sure you have already fallen in love with it. This is no CSI, no Bones, no Criminal Minds. Nothing against those, they are just different. Cormoran Strike relies on the testimonies of people who might not want to talk to him, on witnesses lying, on the little details, on the blink-and-you-miss-it kind of evidence. Cormoran is a private investigator so he has no access to sophisticated technology or complex science. That is part of the charm of this detective drama.

The show has a noir vibe to it that is supported by the cinematography, the music, and the city of London itself. [Note: the opening scene with Lula Landry was absolutely beautiful. The delicate music, the lack of words, and the snow conveyed a sense of vulnerability that I found stunning. Also, considered the violent nature of the scene, I think it was very tastefully done, without showing the gore. Great job right there].

Supporting Characters

I love how J K Rowling creates these worlds were all characters are so well defined that the universe feels real and colourful. Even when a character only shows up for five minutes, you can get a feeling of what they are like, how they live their life, and what are their principles.

The Cuckoo’s Calling deals with the theme of fame. How it creates a breach between people and the toll it takes on them. Lula was a famous model, known by everyone, and yet, no one had the full version of her. No one really knew her completely. Who was the real Lula? The one her family knew or the one her friends got to know? Or maybe the driver? Maybe all at once, or none at all. This adds to the vulnerability of the character. She was alone after all.

Because she is dead, we get to know of her by the people who knew her, but these people are their own character and they have their own issues to think about. The writers don’t forget that and give us little moments that show this.

Relationships

In the end, the case is closed but we remain with our main characters. How they interact with each other is what will take us from one case to the other and maintain our interest

Cormoran x Charlotte

I love how they did this! Charlotte has become a ghost in the story. We cannot see her but she is forever present, in Cormoran’s mind and in ours. What happened? Why did she run away at the beginning? (book readers still know just one side of the story) Cormoran looks like a very straight forward, no bulls**t kind of guy. He doesn’t look like the kind of guy who has patience for the level of drama we saw with Charlotte, and yet this woman gets under his skin. I have no doubt that this is a puzzle that will take more books (and series) to solve.

Robin x Matthew

Oh God. Here we go. We saw Matthew very briefly in The Cuckoo’s Calling, but it was almost intense. If you don’t give it a second thought, he looks like a nice bloke. But alas! I don’t like the man so I watched that scene with my I-hate-you googles.

When Matt gets home from work, Robin is watching old videos on the death of Lula Landry. She is looking at a picture of her and thinking about the sad ending she had.

Matt: Isn’t that the model who jumped out the window?

Robin: Gosh. She was so young and beautiful.

Matt: Girls always get other girls wrong. You are miles fitter. She’s way too skinny.

That sounds like a compliment. Except... that’s not what Robin was talking about. She was talking about the tragic loss of a young, beautiful girl with a promising future and he responded by comparing her body to Robin’s and bringing down one of them to uplift the other. Something is not quite right here but is no big deal so Robin lets it pass.

Then they have a pretty tender moment that makes up for the previous one and that I will not gif (please, don’t ask me to gif it)

Their relationship starts to show real problems the moment she does something he doesn’t like, like refusing a job she doesn’t like in favor of a job that doesn’t pay so well but she’s passionate about. Jobs are a very personal thing, it where you’re going to spend most of your day, and while it’s true it’s a big decision, it is one you have to take on your own in the end.

Cormoran x Robin

We’re getting to the meat! Ok ok, shipper googles off! The truth is that their relationship in this part was purely professional with the first traces of a friendship / partnership.

At first he is not very comfortable with her there.

Robin has just arrived to the office and they are getting to know each other. She’s supposed to stay for just one week, but she likes it there. From the beginning she impresses him with her efficiency and dedication. She finds coffee in an empty office, cleans everything, makes him look more professional...

But the moment he realises that this one is a keeper is this

I could almost that light bulb in his head going on and telling him “hey, she really did that!”. And so, he takes her to Lula’s place.

And starts teaching her how to do the job. The partnership has begun!

Cormoran: She’s lying.

Robin: Why?

Cormoran: When you start an investigation, Robin, is like looking at an aquarium for the first time...

And she keeps impressing him with her awesomeness.

The lessons keep coming even when he is drunk. Because he sees how good she could be.

Cormoran: You have skills, Robin. A skill set.

Robin: Thanks.

Cormoran: I think you’ve got to know when to ask a question and when to not ask a question. Give people time

Robin: Yeah.

This conversation also takes place when he is very much drunk ‘cause he just found out about Charlotte getting married to another man. This is not just Cormoran teaching Robin about the job, it’s salso him thanking her for not pressuring with questions he doesn’t want to answer just yet. A friendship based on respect is blooming.

Aaaaand... Robin is a quick study and soon starts doing things on her own, gathering information at Vashti and running errands alone!

Of course she stays at the end! She is gorgeous and Cormoran needs her!

Leda Strike

Leda gets her own section in this review / meta / whatever you wanna call it because they are practically yelling at us that it’s going to be a huge plot point in the future.

The first clue is how personal it is for Cormoran

Then, in Ciara’s place, he just can’t resist looking at the picture of her in the fashion book. We get our first look at this mysterious woman who means so much to him, to the point that the relationship scarred him for life.

Leda is always present in his life.

And then this huge red light if there ever was one. Like, come on!!

Random Stuff

   > Even though I like the images of the opening scene, I don’t fell the music fits the rest of the show.    > I love love love the coat!

   > I also like these little moments when we see how the characters (and the writers) think about issues that have nothing to do with the case.

   > The dress!!!!!!!!!

Need I say more?

So, these were my thoughts on the first Cormoran Strike case on BBC One. Overall, I have to say that I loved it very much.

I hope you enjoyed my ramblings and messy thoughts. Now we wait till next week for The Silkworm.

[faithandfairies]

Engagement/Mariage CS et new RB+Regina cette année bye bye SQ lol lol lol

You know, this has been sitting in my inbox for a while and originally I wasn’t going to reply, but I realize I do have something to say.

When it comes right down to all these different ships, personally I don’t care. As in I wouldn’t date any of these characters myself.

Fair warning, I’m about to tell it like it is, so if you don’t want to read it, don’t.

Let’s be honest here.

Robin

Robin is a thief who was still in love with his wife 30 years after her death. It’s never a good idea to start something with someone who is (still) in love with someone else. It just never works out right. Not to mention that he had no qualms cheating on whom he thought was his wife, because he was “in wove” with someone else. Not enough to leave his wife before he chose to sleep with this person though. 

He also had no trouble pushing, talking this other woman he was trying to cheat with into helping him cheat. After she had already said no. All while spewing crap about what an honorable man with an honorable code he was, as if it was her fault that he’d decided he wanted to sleep with her. And it visibly pained him. Ugh. I hate cheating. I just do. It’s evidence of a complete lack of respect for both the woman you’re cheating on and the woman you’re cheating with. And mutual respect is fundamentally important for a relationship, any relationship, to work. I also hate being made to feel guilty for things that aren’t my fault. Two of my four main pet peeves when it comes to relationships. Checked by Robin.

He also didn’t trust Regina’s judgment much at all, wanting to go against her time and again in matters she was the literal trained expert in and he knew next to nothing about. Like say, magic. Wanting to join her during the Curse of Shattered Sight, even though she told him he shouldn’t be anywhere near her. Calling her crazy and jealous when she talked about how he was tricked into believing his wife was back through a magical glamour. This checks the third pet peeve of mine when it comes to relationships. Not feeling heard or listened to.

Rumple

Rumple is a coward who sought out dark magic to make him feel strong and in control of everything and everyone. He then proceeded to use his Dark One status as an excuse to commit the worst atrocities known to man. Also killing for sport, taking from the poor and downtrodden and the rich alike to serve his own purpose. Essentially becoming addicted to the power and not wanting it any other way. 

His only saving grace is that at least his original reason for taking on the darkness was noble. Protecting his son and all the children like him from having to fight in the war. A son he of course ended up abandoning in favor of the dark power originally meant to save him. Breaking the one deal that really mattered. And then proceeding to punish everyone else for his own cowardice, that the power didn’t lessen, just covered up. He was the catalyst for a decades long punishment placed on an entire population, starting with Regina.

On top of that, Rumple also happens to be a master manipulator. He could talk you into suicide if he so pleased. And make you think it was your idea while you were at it. Going so far as to create circumstances in which you’d want to kill yourself, even if your life before his appearance in it was sunshine and roses. That’s how good he is. He’s also physically abusive and possessive. Throwing things when angry with Belle, scaring her. Limiting her in her movements in more than one way in more than one realm. From literally locking her in his dungeon in the Enchanted Forest, to trapping her on Hook’s boat and wearing a bracelet for her, both in Storybrooke, that allowed him to track her at all times. The last of which he also did to the Evil Queen, mind you. So he could find her whenever killing her suited him. 

I mean, is this show even real?! How is a man like this even considered a true love for anyone, let alone the cinnamon roll too good for this world, too pure, that Belle is? 

[Okay, Kim, breathe, so you can make it through this post without your blood pressure rising.]  

If Belle is anything but a kind soul now it’s due to the influence Rumple has had on her. Funny, I could say the same thing about Regina and Zelena in regards to Rumple’s influence on them. Literally everything this man touches turns dark or unhappy, or both, I kid you not.

Regina

Regina is a Queen who punished an entire kingdom and beyond for trauma forced upon her by her mother, perpetuated by her husband and her mentor. She tortured and murdered countless individuals-men, women, children-or had them murdered, razed villages all to prove she was strong and in control. 

Punishing her people for helping a young, naive girl. Killing hopeful grooms and the light in the eyes of hopeful brides. She took away children’s childhoods, burned them to the ground, just to inflict pain and spread chaos. She had an entire kingdom, that she was meant to protect and take care of, live in fear of her. People who actually seemed to refuse to believe the rumors of the Evil Queen. Who seemed to believe she was a fair and honest ruler. Who believed in her. She tried to snuff out the light of everything and everyone she came into contact with. All because it had been done to her by a select few people. She controlled and crushed hearts and with it the people they belonged to. Essentially the most drawn out temper tantrum this world or any other has ever seen. 

She thought she could own people by offering them deals, trying to buy their love and loyalty. Then coming back on those deals when they didn’t work out the way she’d wanted them to. Either forcefully trying to get her way anyway or granting them a faith worse then death, if not death itself, for their insubordination. I have never seen anyone go back on their word as much as this woman. 

Rumple might have sought loopholes for his deals but at least he was honorable enough to keep most of the deals he couldn’t find loopholes for. Not Regina. Her standard response to people expecting her to keep her deals/word usually came down to a version of “LOL, bitch, you thought. Joke’s on you for trusting me.” Like Rumple, Regina was a master manipulator, making people believe whatever they needed to for her to get her way. Using whatever she had in her repertoire, riches, seduction, very real threats, you name it, to make her will be everyone’s way.

Hook

Hook is a pirate which, by definition, means that he stole riches and killed people for sport. Then he wore the jewelry of the people he killed as trophies. Not to mention that he drunk himself into a stupor regularly and did the same with women so he could bed them without them objecting. This is also known as rape. 

But at least he didn’t fancy himself a hero when it came to his thieving ways. Nor did he consider himself to have a noble code.

He also objectified women, which included his supposedly “beloved” Milah. The one woman we were told repeatedly that he truly loved, he ended up pretty much calling a slut that served all his shipmates. There’s no way of knowing whether he was serious about this since I think this was a thing that existed at one point in time. And he literally did this to her husband’s, Rumple’s, face. You could argue that he was trying to make Rumple think he didn’t care for her. But it was not necessary. It just came naturally to him.

He also sold the son of that same woman we were told he loved into a kind of slavery, to a man known to have his “adopted” boys fight to permanent injury, if not death. All because the son didn’t like him.

A woman we were told he loved immensely and the son she supposedly loved and that was the only thing left of her after her death and this is how he treated them. 

At least all Regina’s atrocities were committed in a period where she was very clear that she was unable to or at least refused to love anything or anyone and treat them with love, because love was weakness. During her reign as the Evil Queen she tried to snuff out any and all versions of love and almost everything and everyone that tried to or believed they did love her. Or that she thought she loved or could love.

Hook also has violent, physically and emotionally abusive, murderous tendencies that come out to play whenever he has something other than himself to blame it on. Like getting back his hand that was “cursed” because it belonged to a worse, past version of himself that gave him an excuse to beat up a man on his first date with Emma. He didn’t even make it to their second date without getting violent. Or planning and almost following through with murdering his girlfriend’s entire family because she hurt his feelings and saved his life when he didn’t want her to. Not to mention choking his girlfriend’s best friend for trying to stop him.

Not to mention that he remains a gigantic liar to this day. And ever since he’s started trying to win Emma’s heart, he’s gone about it by lying time and time again to Emma to further this image of a redeemed hero she has of him, without putting in the actual work to change for the better. Just declaring himself a hero for correcting mistakes he made and taking credit for work he didn’t do. Just this last episode he lied. Again. Something that should have been a genuine moment, words that were true, but because of the context were twisted into a lie. Used as a cover. How can Emma love Hook if he doesn’t even allow her to know him? If she doesn’t allow him to know her? If everything that is shared between them in words comes down to a pretty little lie? Beautiful, tidy, but to what end? 

And see this is where it gets interesting for me. Because what it comes down to for me is that this is a TV Show. If it was real life, I’d never consider any of these characters as relationship material. But this is a show that, because of its very fairy tale nature, pairs up its characters. And what I love about these characters is that they are all trying to change and grow for the better. 

And what it comes down to is not who everyone used to be, but who has changed the most compared to where they started out. And who has helped bring that significant positive change out in them and continues to do so.

In a lot of ways Regina started out worse than Hook. She was a way worse liar than he was. A murderer, for sport, not even to gain riches. She also killed women and children. She killed people randomly in order to exert dominance, so her power would not be questioned.

But what I know about Regina is that while doing all these things she never claimed to be able to love anyone. And if she did, it was for show. The only person she loved at that time was her father. And that was complicated because he stood by as she was abused, which tells me she would have harbored a lot of deep-seated anger toward him as well, wanted or not. Everything she did at that time was out of fear and hate and anger. So much anger.

The people Regina truly loves now, she treats differently. When that love is not clouded by anger or fear, when it’s pure, she’s honest and loyal. And who she used to be makes her non-judgmental, but also no-nonsense, when those she loves go through similar ordeals as she has. And she would move heaven and earth for the people she loves. That is how she has changed for the better. And that is why I love her and consider her relationship material in terms of the show. 

And I want her to be with Emma, because that relationship is one of the healthiest she has cultivated on the show. Regina is a lot to handle, even though she has changed. She still has her baggage and she isn’t perfect. She can still be manipulative and has a fiery temper. The thing is that Emma is the one person that can handle her. That is not afraid of her, any incarnation of her. That knows how to calm her down when she gets scared and angry or frustrated as a result of the fear. 

Emma is the one person who no longer judges her for her past and is learning not to judge her for the remnants of that past that remain. And the most important thing, Emma wants to handle her. Emma wants to be there for her. She wants to know Regina, to understand her, her pain, her fears, her struggles. She takes the time to listen to her and help her work through her issues. Because guess what, she cares about Regina. She loves her and considers her family and that is what you do when you truly love someone. And Regina wants Emma to know and understand her. So she’s honest with her. She opens up to her because that is the only way to make it happen. When Regina lies to Emma, Emma can tell and she calls her on it, every time. She doesn’t just smile and sweep it under the rug.

I mean, it doesn’t happen often, I think Regina lied last twice in season 4, once in 4x05 when Regina lied to Emma because she didn’t think Emma would believe her if she’d told the truth and once in late season 4 because Emma’s parents asked her to. She kept that lie because it wasn’t her truth to reveal and she was trying to preserve Emma’s relationship with her parents. in order to protect Emma. That lie wasn’t a selfish one. And Emma completely understood that. Even so I don’t think Regina has lied to her since. And this is a woman who used to lie even more than Hook does, simply because it allowed her to get her way. But she grew and changed.

The thing that scares me about Hook is how he has treated and treats people he claims to love. How he treated Milah, objectifying her. Bae, the one thing he had left of Milah after her death, traded to Pan. Lying to Emma on a regular basis to this day.

And with the Cursed Hand, the violence toward a guy whom I think could reveal one of his secrets and the wandering hands on Emma in a moment that it wasn’t completely welcome. Making jokes with Emma in the past about how he got women drunk in order to sleep with them. Lying to Emma on a dangerous scale not telling her about his deal with Rumple/not telling her about the curse Zelena put on his lips, to the point that it could have had horrible, lasting or at least far reaching consequences. This was late season 3/early season 4. Hook was supposedly already well on his way on the path of redemption.

Then there is Dark Hook, Hook’s current darkest incarnation, which I think is only fair to compare to the Split Queen, Regina’s current darkest incarnation.

For me, if I had to choose between Dark Hook or the Split Queen to terrorize my town I’m not sure whom I’d choose. Both cause collateral damage. Which as an innocent bystander could very well be me if I lived in Storybrooke. But if I were Emma, well, I’d choose the Queen over Dark Hook any day.

I don’t even feel like I should have to explain this, but alas. Here’s why.

What do they have in common?

They both talk trash, insulting Emma, just because they can.

They both wanted to hurt Emma or said so

The difference?

Dark Hook shamed Emma for being the Dark One, literally withholding his love, or actually, no, he told her he no longer loved her because of the state she was in that she may have gotten herself into, but she couldn’t do anything about in the moment

He also shamed her for being an orphan and called her unlovable because of it. Prophesying that she’d always remain alone because of it.  

Basically Hook shamed Emma for a bunch of stuff she had no control over whatsoever and/or that she couldn’t change herself anymore

The Queen, on the other hand,

called the savior pointless. She basically told Emma that her saving people was unnecessary. That once she started she’d have to keep doing it. The thing with Emma’s savior status is that she may hold the title, but whether she actually acts on it and saves people is up to her. Whether she chooses to die saving people is entirely up to her. Unless of course people are actually out to kill her, personally

told Emma she wasn’t around for Henry

The thing with the hurtful things the Queen told Emma is that they were things Emma could/would be able to or did change. She didn’t throw a cheap shot about Emma having been in prison, like she’d done in the past. She didn’t shame Emma for giving Henry up, like she had in the past. 

Hook also promised to kill Emma’s family and the only thing that kept him from following through was Regina talking him out of it at the last minute. That’s it.

When it comes to the rest of Dark Hook’s actions vs. the Split Queen’s actions, to me, the reason I believe is behind their actions, makes all the difference.

To me, Dark Hook simply wanted to hurt Emma for hurting him. Which I don’t really blame him for. But it doesn’t make him someone I’d want Emma to date. What I thought was horrible was that Hook knew exactly the worst way to hurt Emma. And he planned to. One of Emma’s sorest spots is that she is an orphan, a lost girl. Her newfound happiness is rooted in the family she gained. Hook knew that the worst way to hurt Emma was to take away everything that made her happy, her family. Turning her back into a lost girl, with only him to depend on. 

Not only is that using someone’s vulnerability, stuff they’ve probably shared with you personally, because they trusted you, against them, it’s textbook abusive behavior. Both the using of someone’s vulnerability against them and isolating the partner by making them estranged from their family. So they depend on you. Only Hook went a step further. He was going to forcibly send Emma’s family to the realm of the dead. Everyone, including the son Hook fans swear up and down he considers to be his own. A boy even younger than Bae when he betrayed him, the cautionary tale of another boy, whose mother Hook claimed to love. 

Have Emma and Regina die and have him be the only one left to take Henry in. Have Henry rebel, even a little bit and lets see how he treats him. (Don’t actually do this, writers, because it would suck). As Dark Hook he had the upper hand above Henry’s mothers. As Hook-Hook, he couldn’t take Henry’s mothers, even if he tried. If something were to happen to Henry and it was his fault they’d both filet him, no question. He knows this. And he is a survivor. He’s said so himself.

Which brings me to another thing. Any version of Regina might be and do a lot of things, but the one thing Emma can always count on is that every version of Regina will always love and protect their son. Even if to her that doesn’t necessarily mean protecting others, including herself, from him. Or protecting him from himself. Her mind’s a bit twisted like that. But at least I’d say Emma can count on Henry being with Regina and alive. 

When it comes to the Queen, I believe her reason for doing what she’s doing has everything to do with getting her family to understand fully where she’s coming from, by having them experience different parts of her life and emotions.

It’s twisted, but to me it’s still better than what Dark Hook did.

For Snow and Charming, the Queen wanted them to feel her pain of being alone. They’ve had each other, their love, to lean on for a long time and it made whatever situation they had to face easier. More hopeful and less painful.

But a separated from his wife for an extended period of time-David, was entirely ready to kill a man for taking away someone he’d lost decades ago. Sound like someone else we know? Push a man (or woman) far enough under circumstances similar to your own and you may get a similar result. In that moment David was Regina. The Queen could have killed Snowing, instead she chose this.

For Emma it was about the Queen showing Emma, I think, what her own life as a princess had been like. But without the emotional and physical abuse she was put through. It was about making Emma understand her, but also making her understand that the royal life isn’t always what it’s cracked up to be, even when you do have a loving family. She also sent Emma to a realm where she knew Emma would be safe, where she’d be loved and adored.

For Henry, it was about showing him how the desperation to save someone you love can make you grab for magic as the solution to do so. And how that can lead to evil deeds. Henry held Regina’s past as the Evil Queen against her for a long time without considering what made her that way. That she could ever have been any different than the Evil Queen. It was about showing him how the Evil Queen came to be. 

All of it is twisted. But this is the reason I see behind the Queen’s actions. And damn it, while it’s still twisted, it makes me understand her. And just the fact that she hasn’t killed or tried to kill Emma or any of her family members, that alone puts her above Dark Hook in my book.

Because to me, if she really wanted to hurt Emma, just to hurt her, no one would be able to do it better than the Queen. Because no one knows Emma better. But the Queen hasn’t done that. And she won’t, even though she has been shown to be capable of great cruelty and creativity in her cruelty in the past. You know why? She loves Emma too much to actually hurt her like that. 

[If you really think that what the Split Queen has done so far in the copious amounts of time she’s had in Storybrooke is the worst she’s capable of than you haven’t been watching the same show I have. I think it’s the worst she’s willing to do now and here’s why.]

We have seen that when a person is split in two in one of the incarnations that person’s dark side comes out to play. But it doesn’t keep them from loving whom they loved as a whole. It is canon that Regina loves Emma. You don’t cross realms multiple times to get to someone unless you love whom you expect to find on the other side of the portal. And there are certain lines that I believe she’s no longer willing to cross because of her family, or at least when it comes to her family. Not only because she’d lose Emma and the rest of their new family, but because there are just some things you don’t do to people you love no matter how angry you get. Something I think she’s leaning. That you can’t force your way or your will on others without hurting them.

In my opinion Regina has grown the most. Even at her worst she’s still a lot better than she used to be. And in my opinion a better choice than Hook for Emma. Simply because, among other things, when it comes to relationships I’m Henry.

(x)

I choose pizza, or relationships that are like pizza. Because lying would have to be my fourth pet peeve when it comes to relationships. And here it definitely comes down to choosing the best out of the worst. Where the only thing that makes the difference is the amount of growth that has taken place.

But more importantly, from Emma’s side of things, her relationship with Regina is the one she truly invests in. Not the one she has with Hook. Which has allowed not just Regina to grow a lot separately, but also Emma and has allowed Emma’s relationship with Regina to grow the most, since Regina also invests equally.

Emma is more responsible than she used to be, a better mother than she could have ever been to Henry without Regina and Henry there, being who they are. It has made Emma a more open and loving person. And it’s because Emma and Regina expect the best from each other, Henry expects the best from them and they expect the best from him and it has made them all better people in the process. 

On top of that, Regina is the one Emma can truly be herself around. Regina has been to hell and back and so has Emma. A lot of which happened in Emma’s past before Storybrooke and her parents don’t know about. It means that Emma and Regina are a lot alike. They understand each other and don’t judge each other. It’s interesting because Regina has been known to be judgmental in the past. But when it comes to the ones she loves, she’s different. 

You’d also think with Hook’s past he’d also be able to do this for Emma. Understand her, instead of judging her. But as we saw with the Dark Swan ARC, he didn’t. He rejected her the moment she didn’t fit in the little “I caught a hero girlfriend” box he’d put her in, he withdrew his love and support from her when she needed it the most (we didn’t know the rest of the story at the time and he didn’t remember either), whereas Regina never gave up on Emma. 

And you can say all you want that Emma and Regina having a dark past/unhappy childhood in common is Regina’s fault. But it doesn’t change the fact that Emma’s parents are the ones who made that choice. The choice to give her up, not because it was her best chance, but because it was theirs. They made a choice that they knew would benefit them and their kingdom, not Emma. Emma would have been better off with them, even under a curse. But making that choice they never once questioned where Emma would end up if she wasn’t with them. And given the childhood Snow had with her own stepmother you’d think she would have done that. But no, all Snow cared about was Emma coming back one day to save them. And no, Regina wouldn’t have left Emma with her parents had they kept her, but she wouldn’t have hurt her either. She would have kept her. You know how I know that? Because when the Curse of Shattered Sight hit, turning love into hate, Regina went after baby Neal. Not to hurt him, no, but to take him away from his parents and keep him. She also never hurt Henry, even knowing he was a descendant of her hated Snow and the son of a person prophesied to destroy her. Still, she raised him as her own, with all the love and affection she had to give. And he grew up to be a good, kind, wonderful kid because of that. Because of her.

And Regina’s decision to cast the curse wasn’t intended to hurt Emma. It did, no doubt, in a big way, but that was not why it was cast. And that matters to me. 

As for Robin, there has been no growth. He remained the same until he died. And now he’s back and in some ways worse than he ever was. 

I want to stress that in real life, most of these people would be serving one or more life terms in prison for crimes like murder, domestic assault, rape, theft and/ or be on the registered sex offender list so true love and whether they had it with Pete or Sally would be the least of their worries.

But since these are fairy tales, we get growth instead, from the worst starting points you can imagine, which turns the darkest villains into heroes. Or the heroes into better heroes. Or…a stalemate is reached. Which I think is where we are with Hook and Emma as a couple now. But since, again, it’s fairy tales, alongside growth with people starting out in hell, we also get true love pairings. It’s like the ultimate reward for growth. So if I have to choose from this limited group of options, I choose Swan Queen. 

And you may try to goad me, try and “rub it in” that Captain Swan and Outlaw Queen are endgame. And therefore Swan Queen isn’t. But

1. I’ve known even before this ask graced my inbox that the second couple, Outlaw Queen, isn’t endgame. I never expected them to be even when it first came out that Robin would return.

2. As for the first couple, Captain Swan, I don’t believe they’re endgame either, there’s too much that tells me otherwise. But even if they were, it wouldn’t change who Hook is with Emma and that he and Emma bring out the worst in each other. And that that makes him a bad choice for both Emma and Henry to make part of their family permanently as a husband/ father figure. And makes them a bad choice for him. It wouldn’t change the fact that what this show would be perpetuating would go against everything true love has always stood for in fairy tales, that this show has told us true love stands for. That makes a relationship not just work, but last. Hell, it would be going against what life tells us makes a good relationship. And a relationship has never been able to thrive on a foundation of lies. It’s just that simple.