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cryptidclaw · 11 months

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Love the idea of healer Fire. What if Tigerclaw suggesting Fire prove it by taking one of his lives? And Fire comes back and stares down Tigerclaw

ok!! here are my ideas for healer/ex-healer Fireheart (which i am very tempted to add to the au)

this is long (and rambling) so im putting it under the cut v

Just as a note: Fire's reasoning for joining the Orders is slightly different than in canon, Fire wishes to join because he wants to be free from human influence "cats aren't pets anymore! I don't get why /humans/ get to be in charge!". He is exited and fascinated by the idea of a community of cats built by cats, and run by cats. He wants to be a part of something like that! His idea of the Orders are a bit idealistic though, he dreams of them being some lovely cat utopia where cats can thrive and be at peace, he doesn't focus on the tales of their battles or the cat blood spilt in the forest beyond the human village...

When Fire joins the Order he is still made Bluefrost's apprentice (that orrr I could make him Redtail's apprentice instead....), and things go as normal for a bit.

But Fire often questions why the Orders need to fight, and why he needs to fight other cats for seemingly petty reasons (this is canon to roc either way). Fire is also a friendly guy (he is such an orange cat), he likes to make friends with other cats in other Orders (at least the ones who don't mind his kittypet origins)... he hates the idea of having to fight them one day...

During this time Fire also continues to have dreams from the Stars... he is often visited by a wispy blindingly white cat who speaks of great power and great futures... This all confuses him and he seeks comfort and answers in Spottedleaf who serves as a sort of older sister role

he likes spending time in the Healer's den and learning about herbs and the Stars. He doesn't tell Spotted about his dreams at first, he instead asks Spotted a LOT of questions about her dreams, prophecies and how communication with the Stars works. He has a feeling that his dreams are something more, but he doesn't want to say anything incase he is thought to be crazy for claiming he is regularly speaking to Order ancestors (especially since he is an ex-kittypet).

Eventually though Spotted catches on and gets him to tell he about his dreams... She realizes that he is not only talking to an ancestor, he is talking to an extremally ancient and powerful one. This along with Fire's interest in Spotted's other Healer duties makes her ask him if he wishes to be her apprentice.

I think Fire thinks on it for a while, but he decides to do it, maybe he is pushed towards it by Blinding Moon (Moth Flight)? I like the idea of him enjoying being a healer and actually taking an interest in it though! If he was Bluefrost's apprentice, I think she would be slightly unhappy about this at first as she saw a heir/future leader in him, but I think Spotted would tell her that she fully believes that Fire's destiny as a prophecy cat involves him being a healer. which would make her agree. If I made him Redtail's apprentice I would have it to Red dies around the time he is asked if he wants to be a healer, maybe he dies very soon after and the trauma of this is what finally pushed Fire to switching to being a Healer.

After this I think that the plot would stay close to the same, but Fire trains as a Healer apprentice. Spotted dies, Fire is left Thunder's only Healer, and is then given his Healer title by Spotted's spirit at the Moonstone, she tells him that Yellowfang can continue to teach him the rest of what he needs to know, but he is now a full Healer.

Cinder still trains as a Healer apprentice and becomes a healer, if this was an actual book this just means more Fire and Cinder being Yellow's children content!!! and also more Fire and Cinder bonding!! (i love the idea of them being like siblings)

Since I am making Fire have the Scottish fold cartilage disorder, he would also probably spend a lot of time learning about different remedies and Healer techniques for making his chronic pain more manageable. I like the idea of him sharing some of his fave mixes of pain relief herbs with Cinder and Bright after they experience their injuries that leave them with their own chronic pain.

Fire stays close to Bluefrost and sees her decent, he can tell she is having a mental break and is most likely experienceing the beginigns of a deterioration of the mind due to old age as well... He spends a lot of time trying to help her as her Healer and friend, but there isnt much he can do, and she wont take much aid. However because of Fire caring for her so much and staying empathetic towards her Blue decides Fire is the only cat she can trust.

I love the idea of Blue just finally starting the "im making a new cat Second" speech, and Fire feeling relived... only for her to say that HE is going to be Second. The outcry and horror that would result in this!! OH the DRAMA

Blue would refuse anyone's input. she would just hide in her den after this and would leave Fire to the chaos she had started.

Fire would end up trying to do a lot of the Second (and leader) duties (which i think he was already kind of doing, bec Blue was out of commission) but most cats refused to accept him as the actual second. His life would be absolute hell for a while, Sand and Shrike (after Swift's death and Fire and him bonding) would back the poor guy up though...

He would only really prove himself when Blue died and he went to the Moonstone to ask the Stars to tell him what to do next. I dont think he even thought he counted as a true Second, so he went to ask who should lead, only for the Stars to grant him his 9 lives...

I love the idea of him proving he's an actual leader by losing a life, though maybe his leader mark (diamond/star on chest) would be enough??? Either way the other Orders would contest his position so much, it probably would take Fire loosing a life to get them to shut up. Star Talltail would probably believe it though.

...

Anywayssss they're is a lot of potential in this, a lot of drama and rule breaking would happen... the Stars would really just show how hypocritical they are bec they would break their own rules to make him a leader.

I think as leader Fire would probably do more of a combination of Caretaker and Healer duties rather than Warrior ones as well. Caretakers can become leaders and they arent expected to stop doing their Caretaker jobs so, I like the does of Fire kinda becoming a Healer helper/Caretaker!

#cryptid answers #cryptidclaw's warriors au #rise of change #firestar #fireheart #warriors au #med cat fireheart au

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quietbreeze97 · 1 year

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So I finished DN: Another Note!

... and honestly, wow. I had a rough idea of how it was going to end, but I was still completely shocked when the plan was revealed, and how absolutely GENIUS it was.

And might I also add how much of a badass and fucking incredible female character Naomi is, and I'm grateful to the author for giving her much more depth here than the anime did.

Beyond Birthday is so interesting. And his fate is honestly so sad, with him knowing he would always be second best to L, and his determination to prove that fact wrong ultimately led, not to his death, but his survival, and his plan being foiled by someone he underestimated. Am I right that there is a scene somewhere of L visiting BB in the hospital or did I make that up? It certainly wasn't in the book...

Last thing: that final scene outside the train station with Naomi and L. So wholesome. So heartwarming. Also bone-chilling when L refers to himself as "Ryuzaki". Was BB the reason he started using that alias in the first place? :O

I just adored how L was genuinely warm and thankful to Naomi, in his own unusual way. He was trying to hug you, Naomi! Why you no let him!! My poor baby.

Anyway, those are my ramble-y incoherent thoughts on the novel, and overall it's been a joy to read. It's inspiring a lot of my own writing where I'm using similar detective/murder-mystery tropes, and I've realised how difficult it is. But also so fun!

So... L: Change the World next?

#death note: another note #death note #books #reading #book rec #beyond birthday #l lawliet #naomi misora #anime #novels #ramble #analysis #review #writing #quiet breeze talks

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redrobin-detective · 3 years

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Ben 10 lore that exists in my heart regardless of canon

- Ben’s personality in his mid-late teens is a mix of his Alien Force and Omniverse self. On the surface, he’s very cheerful and kind even if he is a bit of arrogant showoff. He makes jokes and plays around and acts as if he isn’t bothered by the things in his life. Those who know him best understand a good portion of his outward confidence and cockiness is just a facade to cover up his insecurities and to project the ideal, effortless hero. While sometimes seen as immature, most beings know Ben 10 means business as he takes his unofficial job and people’s safety very seriously. He’s clever, adaptable, charismatic and empathetic which makes him a formidable opponent and a loyal friend. Doesn’t open up easily but if you get to him, he become so dearly attached.

- Drinks smoothies so much for several reasons. Comfort food go brrr, reminds him of the good easy times with him Gwen and Kev. It’s also a light but generally nutritous food to give him energy for heroing. Anything too heavy and he’ll be puking (both from physical and emotional stress). Though he jokes about his mom’s health foods, his are a crazy concoction of add in proteins and vitamins/minerals bc he knows he’ll out and out collapse without it. (Still has on occasion bc boy still doesn’t eat right/enough)

- While Fame is exciting for him at first he soon begins to detest it. Not the fans, no, he can’t bring himself to hate the people who look up to him. But he hates the constant attention, that he can’t walk outside without being mobbed. the only place he feels safe is his hometown where most people are so used to him and his weirdness that they don’t react much anymore. Takes to wearing a cape and face shield when going out anywhere so he can actually get things done without being recognized and mobbed.

- Part of the reason Bellwood isn’t concerned with Ben is partially because ben’s been weird and alien for as long as they can remember but also many don’t realize how famous/powerful he is. Yeah that’s just Ben Tennyson over there, sometimes he turns into funny creatures- wait what do you MEAN he’s the savior of the universe?? He cried over a spilled smoothie the other day.

- Does mostly online schooling by the time he’s 15. At first he tries to do half day things to maintain something of a normal life but it quickly becomes overwhelming and dangerous him/the school. Finishes his GED early but the Plumbers and Azmuth make him take additional college level and alien courses to prepare him for his future role. Ben gripes but really does love learning all these things, especially on his terms (ADHD and stress + the public school system do not always go hand in hand). He’s a quick learner when he deems the information important and is made accessible to his learning needs.

- Ben definitely has ADHD speaking of which, it was nearly uncontrollable as a child bc his free-spirited parents didn’t believe in medicating. Ben convinced them he needed it and after some trial and error, found meds that worked. As he became more involved in heroics/growing up he had to change his medicine regimen (resulting in him being a bit more off the rails in OV) and needed antidepressants and therapy to manage it better. As an adult he has a whole litany of coping mechanisms (good and bad yes) and regularly checks in with his therapist and doctors to keep things under control.

- Has a complicated relationship with his necrofriggian children. Considers himself their mother and worries after them. They too feel a connection to their parent despite this being unusual for their species. A few visit (some more than others) while they grow while others maintain distance. Ben never breathes a word of them to the media for fear of them being targeted. Still he keeps an eye on them and ensures all 14 mature to adulthood (another rarity for the species). Checks in every now and again with the ones who don’t want to see him and those that do. Two join the Plumbers and Ben is both proud and worried. His youngest becomes partners with Rook Ben.

- Just in general loves kids, they’re his favorite fans and while he’ll grumble at pushy adult fans he always smiles and kneels down for the little ones. Not so secretly wanted to have children of his own but knew it was a risk overall and used a lot of that energy with mentoring and teaching. Eventually had Kenny later in life (late 30s-40s) and was over the moon, becoming such a loving and doing parent or as much as he could be with his hectic schedule.

- Omnitrix can’t come off, never has at any point since it first latched onto Ben’s arm. Azmuth tried and failed to get the device off, doesn’t let Ben know for many years as he feared the consequences. The watch loves and protects Ben even beyond it’s programming making him much more durable to damage and releasing energy charges when he’s threatened. Not even removing Ben’s arm would separate them. They’re stuck for life.

- Ben does have Anodite heritage but the Omnitrix actively suppresses it and uses the built up energy to power the transformations which is why ben is mostly unaffected by what should cause a massive energy drain on him. Theoretically if Ben learned to harness and safely use his Mana at an early age like Gwen he would have been fine but letting it build up without safe outlet meant activation would have killed him. Omnitrix Ben, however, went his whole life not knowing of his latent abilities and how the watch saved his life.

- Ben’s eyes get more green and glowy as time passes from the Omnitrix. At first they think its a trick of the light but by the time he’s an adult his eyes are pretty much glow in the dark. His veins light up too after long stretches of using the Omnitrix. Its vaguely unsettling to people who aren’t used to Ben.

- Max and the Earth Plumbers work so, so hard to keep teen Ben on Earth when half the universe is blowing up their comm lines asking for The Ben 10 to help with whatever problem of the day. Ben himself doesn’t quite understand when he’s younger the prestige and expectations on his shoulders. Max throws up a million and one roadblocks so Ben can live as normal a life as possible while he still can. Still, while doing that he Still overloads Ben with expectations and responsibilities on earth and beyond. He becomes a soldier again with Ben as their greatest weapon. He never forgave himself of losing sight of his grandson underneath the hero esp after Ben’s breakdown.

- Rook partnership with Ben ends not long after Omniverse with his promotion to Magister. Ben tries to play it cool but the thought of another loved one/teammate leaving his tears him apart. Max revealing that Ben most likely wouldn’t get a new Plumber assigned partner since he’s almost an adult and won’t need it and Rook accidentally missing their last smoothie run due to a scheduling mishap causes Ben to snap and have the nervous breakdown that had been building for almost a decade. He completely loses it for a little while and needs to take an extended leave of absence from school and heroics that lasts about a year. Spends time recovering both on Earth and Galvan Prime, does some diplomatic training, learns about aliens, actually confronts the stress and loneliness of his life. He comes out the other side stronger but still fragile and exhausted.

- Ben’s above mentioned breakdown brings him closer to all his friends who didn’t quite realize the extent of Ben’s burden. Rook had been under the impression Ben didn’t like him all that much so the knowledge that his departure was the final straw for friend/hero’s collapse was shocking. Ben and Azmuth also become closer, the Galvan becoming fiercely protective of the boy seeing as his Earth family didn’t do well to keep him safe. It takes years for him to get over his anger at Max for putting so much on his grandchild. Ben makes more friends, in and out of the hero business, finally gets a therapist and gets some of his burdens eased a bit. It’s not a sure fire fix and Ben has several smaller breakdowns the rest of his life but its something.

- Azmuth was straight up suicidal before he met Ben for the first time. Ben gave him back hope for the universe and his ability to create items for peace not weapons. The boy infuriates him, frightens him, frustrates him but Azmuth cannot deny in his heart of hearts that he loves Ben dearly. He’s very upset at Ben’s breakdown and doesn’t know how to handle the worst of the initail outbursts. Azmuth talks Ben down from a suicide attempt. He reaches out to Ben that he Too felt overwhelmed by pressure, thought himself only good for war. Ben’s arrival in his life saved him and now he will do the same for Ben. It’s the first positive step forward in Ben’s recovery.

- For no other reason than I like it, Azmuth primarily refers to Ben as Benjamin (mostly to annoy the kid but he likes the way it sounds too) and Ben in softer, more serious moments.

- Professor Paradox continues to flit in and out of Ben’s life. He says its because Ben is the most equipped to handle universal peril (true) but he’s also just very fond of the boy. Ben, existing in so many forms and having such importance also exists a beat outside of normal reality which Paradox identifies with. Ben is naturally attuned to time related problems because of this (instantly IDing Spanner as from the future before being told later deducing him to be his unborn son). Plus Ben named him, way back when. He’s just drawn to Ben.

- Adult Ben, while being seen as an impressively skilled fighter and champion, really has his strength as a universal diplomat of sorts. Based out of Earth, he helps mediate and defuse conflicts, advocate against tyranny and overall preserve peace and balance. He’s not perfect, he makes mistakes and sometimes is forced to become violent (and yes kill) but overall is regarded as a peacekeeper, something younger ben simply couldn’t understand.

- Gwen gets her degree and primarily does work with advocacy and teaching about magic/alien culture. While she and Ben are still close, there’s a bit of a frustrated divide in that she isn’t helping him share the burden of the universe. Gwen never wanted to be a hero and has enough worth to not shackle herself to a job that’ll burn her out. Ben loves heroing but gives too much of himself away trying to fix everything. They get into screaming arguments that it wouldn’t be so bad out there if she just helped him but she refuses to budge and says he shouldn’t make himself do so much. They always make up and thy still are each other’s closest relationships.

- Ben marries Kai in a political move, Kai is Asexual and Ben Aromantic. They didn’t love each other but they got on well enough and Ben was really feeling the stress of carrying the hero burden so Kai also being involved made him feel like he wasn’t alone. Both were also so tired of the universe constantly asking about their love life and said ‘fuck it we’re married leave us alone’. Gwen was always mad about it feeling Ben deserved better but the two of them were happy with it. They had separate rooms, mostly separate lives but they became strong friends and supports with their strictly platonic marriage. They had Ken via Invitro in an incubator and were loving if extremely busy parents.

- Also from the moment he appeared, Ben knew that Spanner was his future son, Kenny. He played ignorant and then was kind of deliberately teasing him in future encounters. He knew the rules of time and didn’t want to disrupt things further even if he was angry and worried as heck about why Ken felt the need to time travel. When future Ben catches up in the timeline, Kenny gets SUCH a lecture.

- Ben isn’t quite immortal but he’s also not entirely human anymore either. The Omnitrix not only keeps him safe from most harm but it lightens the effect of aging. Ben 10 is active many, many years when most humans would have been forced to retire. He’s not sure how long the watch will keep him alive and it terrifies him. Gwen too is functionally immortal however she ages like a normal human, then when her natural death came, shed her skin and became a fulltime Anodite. So in the end, it was her and Ben together wondering which of them will die first. Gwen has trouble retaining her humanity as pure energy and swears she’ll let herself fizzle out when Ben goes. When that’ll be however...

#Ben 10 #this took sooo long whoops #i wanna write about ben's breakdown so mad you have no idea

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prof-peach · 3 years

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if fans wanted to include peach in stuff they write, would that be okay? and how would they write peach's personality? aside from "FIGHT ME" anyway, i think that much is a given lol. i only really write the anime characters 'cause that's what i know, but it sounds like it'd be kinda fun to try making a version of ash that fits into this blog's universe! nerf'd Obviously, but i think she'd probably appreciate how hands-on he gets when training his pokemon!

Ok, I get a lot of these messages, and I often hear folks wanting to throw peach into their stories and comics and writings, and I will always simply ask that if it’s published online publicly, to be linked to it so I can snoop and enjoy the content too. If someone asks about her in your work, let them know about the blog I guess? But literally I love that people take this stuff, these characters and stories, and make new stuff with it. No ones making money off my work here? So where’s the issue? Go for it buddy, knock yourself out, I’m all for it.

For you, and all the others out there who want to add peach, and other characters to your world building, I will give you a detailed rundown of the main lot, and how they behave, what they do, how they function. You can use that, use bits, or use none of it, I do not mind at all. If you’re creating something, you’re in control, not me.

So, peach doesn’t actually fight people as much as you’d think. She’s very aware most cannot and do not want to do that, and so she likes to keep to herself with regards to that aspect of her life, she doesn’t ask to spar with people, or even bring it up at all, but people ask her all the time, even if they clearly would lose or become hurt should she miscalculate during the fight. She looks at people like they usually create problems, and often has a somewhat reserved nature to other humans. You have to work quite hard to get anything more than formalities out of her. She will dead-pan handle people with blunt and very to-the-point statements, aid whenever possible, but very quickly get back to handling the Pokemon she so carefully tends. Her focus is clear, she’s all about hard work, her very small select family, and the Pokemon.

Her brutal, loud and brash personality only comes out with friends, family, difficult humans, OR any Pokemon. She will joke and laugh and play with Pokemon, but clam up around humans, maintaining tight body language and generally will be a little cold by regular standards. She does however have some weaknesses in this emotionless shield she puts up. When peach was young she was always angry, which swung so fast to sadness, back and forth. Her teenage years it just got worse and worse, it was crippling at points. She is to this day, full of fire and rage, even sadness, but now she has learnt to control it, to use it. When she sees that in others, it’s familiar, and she is pushed to drop the front, and be very real with the person. Underdogs I suppose, people who get bad reps, but deserve the same as everyone else. She can’t ignore it.

Once you start to pry open her personality, you’ll find she’s a lot more laid back and fun than originally appeared, you just have to work hard to find that side of her. She will meme reference, can’t dance to save her life, loves her coffee, and can be caught in quiet contemplation while gardening. This hobby is her calmest, and often is why she can stay so level headed when her quiet rage boils up again. Without time outside she will become grouchy, a little snippy, and lethargic. Will not go in the ocean for any reason other than life or death, is fine with ponds and rivers, or water at wading height. Likes the rain.

With regards to her training others, they usually have to tolerate her somewhat strict nature. She is a little....unforgiving, holds a grudge if you make a lot of mistakes, and has no tolerance for ignorance in the age of information that we all live in. In previous posts I’ve mentioned she’s only recently selected two students, after many years of testing kids who want to learn from her. Hundred tried out, only two have ever been approved. How she teaches is very fast paced, be prepared to get some scrapes and bruises, she will test your physical and emotional tolerances with intense tasks, carefully watching students like a hawk. Bad posture in your stance? She’ll be the first to tell you to sort it out. Not hearing your Pokemon partner? Right, now you spend the day without using words trying to communicate, let’s see how you like not being listened to.

This is a woman who has spent her life saying very little, and watching everything, she watches Pokemon and can see an issue from a mile off, and in battles, her observations are why she can react fast, and chose effective strategy to avoid damage and achieve results. Don’t let her body fool you, her strongest asset is analysing, watching, planning. Those skills have over the years transferred to people too. As a student, mistakes don’t go unnoticed with this professor.

Her methods are harsh but fair, and should you prove yourself, she will protect you with her life.

Because of her disinterest in kids and lots of noise, she does pass the training of students on to the other staff members whenever possible. Grey takes on the lions share of battle lessons, he is far calmer, more open and friendly, with patience for people, and an empathy that peach sometimes struggles to have. When you go through a lot of harsh training, and difficult events, it’s hard to change how you feel or think, with peach, well, she’s been through it. Most do not come out the other end in one piece, but she did, and it made her strong. You may think I mean strong like buff and big, and yeah sure she is, but I mean it mentally more than anything. Peach will not quit. She has learnt to destroy the boundaries that stop people getting hurt, gone is the fear that freezes you in your tracks, that feeling that you’ll pass out if you go one more step. She’s learnt to ignore it.

This means she’s a little forgetful at how it is to be normal, to be vulnerable and soft and squishy like students so usually are.

She has her issues, but for the most part, visitors get a laugh, a smile, a calm assertive confidence, and facts. She will indulge those who have genuine interest, or show a connection with nature, an understanding of the balance that needs to be struck for everyone to live well together.

Despite her many flaws, she’s fiercely protective, and will go above and beyond to defend the island, it’s staff, the Pokemon and the visitors. Injustice is her biggest gripe, along with littering, and she doesn’t stand by quietly if something happens that seems unfair.

You will not see her without Valka, her vulpix, close by. That Pokemon doesn’t like to be touched by strangers, at all, and will run the second someone comes at her with that intent. Peach will scold you for pushing yourself onto her, should you persistently try to get close to pet Val. They are in sync, if peach is sad, Val is sad, if Val is stressed, peach is stressed, and so on. They are inherently connected, it’s just been that long, the psychic bridge between them has been built, and reinforced over the years.

The only other Pokemon who follows her so endlessly is Booker, a teddiursa who’s pretty rough looking. He quietly trots behind, grouchy and stoic, they fight closely together a lot. He lost his mom a long time ago to poachers, and peach took him in, and changed her whole life for him. Not many people know, but Booker was the reason she left the rangers, changed career, and got so strong. Will tolerate people petting him but isn’t keen at all, grumbles a lot and tries to move away.

You may also need to know about the others, for the sake of writing, she here a few more bits that may be important to you, or others wanting to do this.

Grey is very tall, very burly, composed, tells bad dad jokes, is a bit of a goof if allowed to be. If he sees a pun, he’ll say it. Can’t help himself. Very nice guy to work with, good at keeping people calm and grounded. Pokemon are drawn to him like a moth to a flame, he gives off warm energy, and has inhuman amounts of patience. If you wrong his family however, he will snap back.

He grew up in the city, loves to swim and hike and cycle, can snowboard, is really sporty. A total brain box with held items, and boosting stats. He will explore many paths, to make sure visitors and students get the information they need, in a way that can be remembered and retained for later. Is a huge guy, but will get on the floor to play with a tiny Pokemon. Treats big “meaner” looking species like babies, very good with all pokemon.

His free time is spent either tinkering, swimming, or trimming his bonsai trees. This guy stares at screens a lot, so appreciates time away from them. Peach built him his own little greenhouse for his trees and tools, which he keeps clean and loves dearly.

His methods as a teacher are built around fun and games, he makes hard work easier to do by distracting trainers from the difficult bits, and focusing in on something more interesting or compelling.

His most commonly seen Pokemon would be a houndoom, Saxon, old battle veteran, retired now to herding and being a good boy. Very gentle, loves a pet.

Pari, now a fully fledged nurse, often oversees the labs front desk and pokecentre features, such as healing pokemon, and informing trainers who come to visit. Her skills with eggs and hatchlings is high, she’s great with younger Pokemon, and hands out good advice to trainers a lot. She’s not a fighter, never was, but can find any file, any study, any book, and any refrence you may need. A true bookworm, loves her romance novels, chat shows and upbeat celebrity gossip mags. Will cry at a lot of stuff, be it sad or happy.

She’s got a seriously upbeat personality, but if caught off guard or shocked, she gets a little flustered. Too much chaos will overwhelm her, but usually she’s on top of things. The years spent on the island have made her better at maintaining composure in emergencies. With lots of siblings, she’s very competent with others, and has a good ability to disarm cagey people with her jolly nature. Because of this, she can sometimes gain information from trainers that some of the more harsh professors may not have access to. Charming is a word for it.

Her partners are an eevee, and a happiny. They are quite sweet and well adjusted, the eevee gets a bit bouncy if you get it too excited.

#if you dont want to use the refs #im really cool with it #just enjoy yourself buddy #pokemon #prof.peach #peach talks #prof.grey #pari #dotaku island #dotaku staff #PLEASE #just ask me if you dont know something #or feel i missed something in what i wrote

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landothemuppet · 3 years

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Being Harry’s girlfriend but she’s very spoiled by him and she loves it please😩😭😭💗😍

Spoiled || (H.H)

Word count: 757 pairing: harry holland x reader N/A: okay, i hope you'll like it. The concept was cute to write and this is the first thing I imagined when i read your ask. It's short but i think it's cute. Oh and don't forget, english is not my native langage, so i hope i don't make so much mistake :( taglist: @angeliquekalampoka @harryhollandsgirlfriend @cedricdiggorysimpp @hogwartsmarvelmommy , @delightfulmuffinclamauthor @allthisfortommy - if you want to be notified of all my future writings you can add yourself in my taglist : here

❀ ❀ ❀

Your boyfriend had money; you knew that. But you didn't like him too much when he spent his money on you. The reason? It was simple: you didn't want him to think you liked him for his money.

For his part, Harry liked to give you things, that made him happy. This time, too, you couldn't blame him for spending on you: he owed you one. Harry's parents hadn't taken a vacation in ages, Tom was on the move, which left you the option of keeping Tessa. Tessa, Tom's blue staffie, the cutest, best-trained dog you've ever seen ... but who did his fair share of silly things every now and then. And since there weren't Dom's slippers to walk around .... she turned to what she had found closest around her: your easel and a few paintbrushes. As well as a visit to the vet, which took some somewhat annoyed remarks from Tom, you couldn't spend your time painting until you bought some new material. Yes, Harry owed you one.

"Babe, can you come here please?" he screamed as you were in the living room reading the script he was working on.

"Where are you?"

"Harrison's old room".

You raised an intrigued eyebrow. Harrison had come to collect his things to settle permanently in the house he had bought with his girlfriend. You walked up the stairs to the bedroom to join your boyfriend. As soon as you opened the door, your eyes widened. In front of you was all your canvases but many blank canvases, an easel that did not look like yours in fact, a real artist's studio. The material looked beyond your usual prices. You had no doubt that Harry really bothered to buy the best quality from you. Harry's smile wanted all the gold in the world, you were moved by your boyfriend's attention.

"What is that?"

"An art studio" he laughed at your question

"I see it Harry but ..."

He cut you to kiss you on the lips and then the temple, his absolutely adorable technique to silence you and bribe you.

"It's just what you deserve."

You opened your mouth and the curly kissed you again, pecking your entire face as you laughed at that mark of affection, his lips tickling your skin. He then looked at you lovingly.

"Look, I'm so sorry Tess damaged your stuff. And ... you can't blame me for buying everything ... because Tom paid half of it. He wanted to apologize for being a little obnoxious to you. Tess is her baby, you know? "

You wrinkled your nose amused, letting out a little laugh. Yes, your boyfriend's brother was a little over the top when it came to his dog. Harry gave you a warm smile, that smile that you loved so much and that made you fall in the first place.

"I talked to Tom, he likes being in London but his job is in LA, he has more options there and he's really thinking about buying a house in Los Angeles. Harrison just moved in with Gracie ... and Sam told me that he would prefer to have his… of his own. So, I thought… What if we live here, you and I? That's the reason for this studio. "

You sniffled, even more moved than before. This man spoiled you too much but you loved him. You pursed your lips so as not to cry but the tears were already at the corners of your eyes, your heart throbbing with joy. You nodded frantically before reproducing the affection he gave you seconds before. You kissed him all over his face, his neck, your hands running through his curls while between each kiss you kept repeating: "yes, yes I want to live with you, I love you". After this surge of emotion, you got back to your feet, regaining your composure and fixing a serious fake look on your face.

"I actually have a condition."

"Which??"

"Tessa is no longer allowed to come into the studio until Tom comes and picks her up."

Harry was bursting out before nodding and kissing you

"Deal. But don't forget to thank her for chewing on your easel ... It's a little thanks to her that you have this studio"

It was your turn to laugh, wrapping your arms around your boyfriend's neck. You radiated happiness and for good reason: thanks to Tessa and her mania for chewing on everything she found, you were going to settle permanently alone in this house with your boyfriend.

#harry holland #harry holland fic #harry holland imagine #harry holland x reader #harry holland blurb #harry holland x you

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catxsnow · 3 years

Text

FREE FALLING K.K.

Request: Okay some anons were simping over kon now I wanna simp~ y/n is an archer on the teen Titans , and she tends to be shy and on the reserved side, so when kon flirts she just dismisses him every time, until another guy ( superhero or civilian, you choose ) gets flirty and he gets made protective/jealous.

Warning: fluff

A/N: I’m slowly running out of already written fics and my motivation has not come back yet. This hiatus may be lasting longer than I thought.

Word Count: 2.3k

There was nothing wrong with a little bit of flirting within the team. It kept the bond of teammates close and always kept everyone on their toes. The dynamic on the Teen Titans was always one of ups and downs. There was such an entanglement of potential relationships that everyone got confused as to what was going on.

Most of that confusion stemmed from Conner Kent, Superboy as the team knew him as. His temporary relationship with Cassie had surprised everyone. He flirted with nearly everyone on the team, Tim, Kori, you. Kon's endless flirting began the day Oliver dropped you off at the Titans Tower and left you there for good.

Kon was frustrating in the sense that his flirtation with you was nonstop. From the moment you woke up to the moment you went back to sleep, it seemed that his only mission was to get you flustered. It didn't seem that he knew that you were bothered by his comments.

Tim always scolded Kon for his behaviour. After Cassie, it was clear that relationships among teammates was dangerous. Not to mention that it was pretty obvious of your blatant ignorance of his attempts. He continued to try nonetheless - one day you would crack for him, one day.

"Good morning, sweetheart." Kon was never an early riser. At the farm, he always got up early for chores, so at the tower he took every chance to sleep in. When he started to learn that you got up early, so did he. There was always the tired look in her eyes that he admired.

Kon found you down at the range. Though your skills were nowhere near Oliver, or even Roy, you put up a good fight just as much as everyone else on this team. The early hours were always dedicated to practice, and unfortunately, Kon figured that out pretty quickly.

You were so concentrated on the shot, you hadn't heard Kon's heavy footsteps join you. The shot went askew, completely missing the target. Your body tensed with frustration at him.

"Whoops, sorry babe. Didn't realize my good looks distracted you so much," Kon grinned. You refused to show him his words got you flustered. Instead, you grabbed another arrow. Babe. It slipped so smoothly off his tongue that it forced a chill down your spine.

"It's fine, Superboy," you assured him - though you were still angered at him for screwing around with your training once again. Kon leaned against the rack that held your bows. His arms rested on the top, head on his hands. His curls were still a mess from his sleep last night.

You felt your arm shake for a split second. His eyes watching your every move, waiting for you to make the perfect shot just as you always did. There was a lot of pressure on you with his gaze. You took a breath before releasing the arrow, watching as it hit dead center of the target. It was easy, hitting a non-moving target like this. Kon was the one making it difficult.

"Superboy?" He cocked an eyebrow. "We aren't on a mission babe, you can call me Kon you know. I'd prefer it." Of course he would, he loved the sound of his name passing your lips. It was almost angelic. "You know-"

"(Y/N), Conner," Tim's head popped into the training room before Kon could tell you what he wanted. His chest fell with a disappointed sigh. "Nightwing and Flash are here."

"Is there something wrong?" You asked. They rarely showed up out of the blue without there being a reason. Usually, that reason meant that people were in trouble and lives were at stake. Tim relieved your stress with a simple shake of his head. He gestured for the both of you to follow him. Kon stuck his hand out for you to hand over the bow so he could hang it up on the rack he leaned on.

A small smile cracked as your hand brushed against his. It was cheesy, ridiculously so, but his touch was so warm and inviting even if it was just for a brief second. Kon placed the bow down and followed you and Tim out of the room. Just as Robin said, his older brother and his friend were with the others in the meeting room.

Wally's presence always lightened the room. There was something about the smile that resided on him that managed to put everyone in a good mood. It always amplified whenever Dick was at his side. The two were a dynamic pair, and when they did stop by the tower without underlying business, it was always a good time.

There were a few times that you had been alone in the tower. Tim back to Gotham, Kon and Cassie to their own homes as well. It left you and Bart with no one but yourselves to keep each other company. In those times, Wally would sometimes make an appearance. The speedsters would train but by the end of the night you would all be piling high with snacks.

As you entered the room, Wally waved at you and that smile that everyone looked forward to was released. Before you could wave back, a heavy arm was thrown across your shoulder. Kon was at your side. It wasn't the first time he had completely invaded your bubble and it surely wouldn't be the last.

"Flash, Nightwing," he greeted. You could feel the heat crawling up your neck with Kon's side pressed against yours. Hopefully, he, nor any of your other teammates, noticed your state. It was beyond annoying that he could get you like this. "What's the visit for this time? Scolding us for saving the day again?"

He dropped his arm from your shoulders but remained close to you. Kryptonians must have ran warm because you could still feel the lingering heat of his body against you.

"JL wanted an update, figured we could stop in," Wally answered. He sped over to your side and placed a hand over your ear so no one else could hear. "And Boy Wonder over there is in trouble with the Bats." Clearly, Kon heard what the speedster had to say and let out a laugh. What could Tim have done to get himself in trouble?

"Doesn't explain why you came," you joked. Wally had mimicked Kon's arm-over-the-shoulder.

"Wanted to come see you, of course," Wally grinned. His arm suddenly locked around your neck and his knuckles rubbed into your head. You struggled to pull him off you. Finally, you had managed to hook his ankle and make him fall flat on his back. "Look at that, you're making me lose my breath."

The laughter among teammates emitted from everyone besides Kon. He had an annoyed look on his face from the interaction between you and Wally, though he said nothing about it. Wally sped back up, a slight tinge of pink to his cheeks after the interaction.

Kon watched in frustration as Wally dragged you into the kitchen, likely to find himself a snack or two. Your laughs always put a bit of joy in him, but now? Hearing you laugh because of Wally? Each sound was like a knife to the heart. Pure jealously ran through him - why was it that he could never make you laugh like that?

"Calm down, Kon," Tim stood by his side. It was clear to anyone, even when they weren't raised by the great Batman, that Kon was incredibly jealous of Wally. It was only Tim that decided to speak up. "There's nothing between them. No need to be jealous."

"I'm not," Kon snapped. His reaction was enough to prove that he was in fact jealous. He let out a huff of air before walking away from his best friend. Unfortunately, the further he got from Tim, the closer he got to you and Wally just to hear the sound of your laughter once more. His chest tightened with anger.

It wasn't at Wally, nor you. It was at himself for not being able to get you out of your comfort zone as the speedster could. Since joining this team it seemed he was the only one that you remained shy and nervous around. What was wrong with him to make you feel that way?

What was wrong with him that made you not want to spend time with him?

"There you are."

Kon disappeared shortly after you left with Wally (and eventually Bart who couldn't stay away at the smell of food). Tim was with Dick all afternoon and Cassie spent her time training with Kori. Kon was nowhere to be found, and you couldn't figure out why he felt the need to leave his friends.

You searched the whole building for him, starting down at the training grounds and working your way all the way up to the roof of the buildings. He was sitting on the edge, legs dangling as the last rays of the sun fell from the sky.

Kon folded into himself: shoulders hunched, head hung low. He perked up at the sound of your voice - even more so when he saw that you were alone. You sat next to him and matched his sitting position.

"Were you up here all day?" You asked. Kon nodded, though he remained silent. It wasn't like him to skip out on a pickup line or make some sort of comment. In fact, it wasn't like him to just disappear the whole day either. He looked upset about something. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Kon was a horrible liar. You raised your eyebrows at him, indicating that you knew he was lying through his teeth. He sighed, leaning back so his palms pressed into the rough roofing. The golden rays illuminated him, creating an aura around him that made him seem godly. You wanted to reach out to him, but contained yourself.

The sunset was beautiful enough as it was, but to add Kon's beauty on top of that? Your heart was beating so fast you were sure that Kon's super hearing had him concerned.

"You don't have to lie around me, you know," You nudged his side. Kon sighed once more. He didn't want to tell you the truth, but he felt terrible for lying and making you worry. You were quick to notice a pink tinge on his cheeks. It was a turn of events, usually you were the one flustered around him. The hue looked pleasant on him.

"I'm sorry," he suddenly apologized, "I... Well, I guess..." Kon fumbled over his words. The pink on his cheeks grew brighter, even as he tried to hide it from you. There was never a day you thought you would get to see the great Superboy flushed like this. He was always the confident one. "Fuck."

Kon's hand grasped your cheeks. His split moment of hesitance made you realize exactly what he was about to do. Whether it be frozen in fear or excitement, you didn't try to move. The closer he got the harder your heartbeat until the point as if it felt like you were going to burst. The moment Kon's lips were on yours it felt as if it stopped altogether.

His kiss was soft, hesitant - nothing like the facade he always had up. Kon was delicate with you, as if he was worried he was going to break you with just a touch. Your lips moved against his with far more confidence than you had ever shown him before. You didn't realize how badly you craved for his taste until the moment you had it.

He pulled away only for a second, waiting to see if you were wanting him to quit completely. With no sign of regret, Kon pulled you in for a rushed kiss. His lips needy against yours, making up for the lost time that he wasted months on. It was only when his lungs felt like they were going to combust did he give you space.

"I-" His palm remained against the curve of your neck and jaw, thumb swiping against your cheekbone. "I was jealous today, of Wally. I've never heard you laugh so hard when you're with him and I wanted that. I'm sorry."

"You have no reason to be sorry, Superboy," you assured him. He couldn't stop his feelings, just as you couldn't deny them anymore. "I-I'm sorry I was always so distant with you. I... I guess I was too scared to admit my feelings for you."

Kon was ready to spill his heart out to you. He knew that once he started gushing about how much he adored you, he wouldn't be able to stop. Instead, he leaned into you again, smiling into your kiss with pure excitement.

His legs that dangled off the edge pushed against the siding of the building and pulling you along with him. A strangled scream ripped from your throat as the two of you free fell in the darkening sky. Kon's arm wrapped around your waist and he held you flush against his body.

Your head was buried into the crook of his neck until realizing that you were no longer falling but floating. The grip on his shirt loosened and you looked up to appreciate the new view he gave you.

Kon brushed his lips against yours once more, just to grab your attention. "Don't worry babe, I've got you. There's no need to worry whenever you're with me."

Taglist: @pricetagofficial @mora-miserium @babymango-writes @redrobin-yumm @simp-is-what-i-am @catsofsmoke @subtleappreciation @officiallydarkgeek @spiitfiires @pinkdiamond1016 @childish-kiwi @givetimdrakeacoffee @gunnedrobin @local-fandom-trashcan @bikoncon @foenixphire

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silvercrane14 · 3 years

Text

Why you should watch Ookiku Furikabutte aka Oofuri

A little history!

• Ookiku Furikabutte- popularly shortened to Oofuri and translated as Big Windup- is a manga created by Higuchi Asa, a female mangaka from Urawa, Saitama. She first published Oofuri in Afternoon, in 2004. The manga is still ongoing.

• She graduated from university with a major in sports psychology, which shows in her work!

• She has won both the 10th Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for best creative work and the 31st Kodansha Manga Award for general manga for Oofuri

The plot!

Oofuri follows main character and pitcher Mihashi as he enters a new high school. Scarred by his traumatic experience at his middle school, where his team despised him and refused to cooperate with him, he swears off playing baseball ever again. However, he can’t resist taking a peek at the fields of his new school, where he’s dragged into the team by the coach, Momoe Maria. This baseball club is only just starting out, with ten players, and Mihashi realizes that there he can still be a pitcher.

The characters

The main character, Mihashi, is bit much at the beginning. He has no self-confidence and speaks haltingly, so it’s hard to understand him at times. As someone with social anxiety, I see Mihashi as very similar (although a bit more extreme) to me. I’ve also seen him headcanoned as autistic, although as a non-autistic person I can’t say how accurate that is.

Abe, the catcher to Mihashi’s pitcher, and his partner in most things. Despite them being partners, Abe has a hard time understanding Mihashi. He has a short temper and a mysterious disdain towards pitchers, due to a bad past experience in middle school, which left an impact on him that shows, even later in the series.

The coach, Momoe Maria! That’s right- the coach is a woman! And she’s a really good character on top of that! She restarts the club as a hardball club and rebuilds it from the ground up. When she was a student, she was the manager of the team, with one other member. But who was this mystery member, and why haven’t they come back to visit?

Shino’oka, the manager! Another female character that contributes a lot to the team. She does most of the data collecting, food prep, etc. the team would truly be lost without her.

Other notable players on the team-

• Tajima, the team’s genius cleanup. Despite being great at everything, he lacks the height and strength needed to be a cleanup. He’s a very fun character, and someone who can understand Mihashi. I’ve seen him headcanoned as having ADHD, but again I don’t have ADHD so I can’t verify that.

• Hanai, who has the height and strength that Tajima lacks. He has a rocky start at the beginning of the show, but he’s a character that I genuinely like. You can see his growth as a character and a player throughout the series.

Here I’d gush about the other members of the team, but honestly that’s too much information for a post trying to get people to watch the show, so I’ll just tell you that the rest of the characters are amazing. Outside of the baseball team, there’s a cheering squad, led by Mihashi’s childhood friend, that supports the team later on in the series.

Other reasons why you should watch!

The characters all care for each other a lot

They are all so close that you could ship anyone on the team and I wouldn’t even bat an eyelash. They are all friends and have very close relationships.

The art style is really cute! Although it’s an older show, the animation isn’t that bad and I really enjoy watching it. (four times)

Sports psychology plays a large part in the show! They talk about training specifics, caloric intake and meals, meditation, how stress can impact plays, etc

Tired of sports anime parents being dead or missing? Look no further! Oofuri has /plenty/ of parents, which all have names, different personalities, and interests. The mothers (and some of the fathers!) show up to the games to cheer. They also become friends with each other, and seeing their interactions is always fun and interesting.

Mihashi makes a bunch of really fun facial expressions, and he’s not the only one! Nearly every character has a moment where they get chibi-fied or have an otherwise funny face.

The humor (in my opinion) is really funny! The characters all interact very well with each other and bounce off each other in funny ways.

There are a lot of great fan artists! @arunneronthird , @jeremy-pakhitou, @watmels , and @queenoftheantz are all really good artists who have drawn for Oofuri, although they aren’t the only ones!

Genuine boys being boys!

The female characters aren’t overly sexualized! The coach has large boobs, but the camera never focuses on them unless the other characters themselves do (this only happens once or twice because. They’re teenage boys. It’s also a character on another team, and he’s not ogling them) they’re also never put in revealing outfits, and there’s no fan service!

The other teams are actual people! They all get names and focus, which is something similar to Haikyuu. The players all joke around with each other and have nicknames for each other, and you can tell there’s a story beyond the one Higuchi-sensei is telling.

Characters are reoccurring. It’s almost guaranteed that you’ll see another character or at least their team again.

The openings and endings are really, really good

It deals with things like injuries in sports, bullying, anxiety, etc

Hand holding is a major plot point

Reviews

@liberolover24- I'd say honestly an 8/10 since it really is underrated in regards to popularity and other big sports anime. It's also very wholesome and digs into the feelings of the main character who goes through a lot of self deprecation but despite all that hes still wants to try his best and train himself to get better throughout the series. It's also comedic and family friendly

@stylinbreeze60- Oofuri belongs in the category of coming-of-age stories. A good swath of the manga’s drama and appeal rests in futile attempts to communicate as individuals, letting Higuchi display her understanding of communication and inner conflict. Higuchi’s skill as a writer emerges in her handling of exposition- the two talents Asa Higuchi most excels in are complex characters and an intricate understanding of human behavior. A 7/10 if I’m being harsh like an ice skating judge. 9/10 if I’m being biased.

@certified-catboy- 10/10. The character development is immaculate. I don't know what else to add but if you're into character development then consider putting Oofuri on your watchlist.

My mom- 8/10. Didn’t like it at first but would definitely watch a third season if it came out. Enjoys the characters.

Me: 10/10. I’ve watched the anime four times and reread the manga twice, and if that doesn’t convince you that it’s a good show, I don’t know what else will. Also Momoe (the coach) crushes an entire orange in her hands in the first episode.

Similar shows:

Nine Dragons’ Ball Parade

Given

Haikyuu

Daiya no Ace

Tsurune

Natsume Yuujinchou

In conclusion- go watch Oofuri!

#ookiku furikabutte #big windup!#Oofuri #crane screams #abe takaya #mihashi ren #momoe maria #hanai azusa #tajima yuuichirou #Shino’oka Chiyo #long post

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stonefreeak · 3 years

Text

My goodness people, I’m so sorry for the delay! I’ve been working on the structuring of my files to get a better overview of what remains of the project, to hopefully be able to speed writing up (even as work really means that my free-time is much more limited than it was once upon a time, lmao. Sometimes I miss December of 2016 when this whole thing started, 33k in a month of updates, amirite?)

it’s taken me so long I’m wondering if anyone even remember this plot point at this point, lmao

Also: belated happy midsummers to all my fellow Swedes!

Bail taps his finger against this desk and stairs unseeingly at the datapad in front of him.

He hadn't been sure if the information Aleena Yashi gave him, though she's worked as an assistant to multiple senators over the years, was true. But everything checks out. He briefly wondered why she would come to him about it, rather than Senator Lobos who she's currently working for... But perhaps it's because he's known to have a favourable view of the Jedi that she's done so. Perhaps it's because all of this information mostly pertains to the Jedi and the laws surrounding them, and she wanted a prominent Senator who she could trust not to hide the information away because they don't care for the Jedi.

Bail, a Core World Senator well known for his good relationship with the Jedi and friendship with the current Supreme Chancellor, must have seemed like the best option for her. He wonders who else would have been on her list, before she settled on him, but he chose not to ask when she visited him. Perhaps it's better if he doesn't know; it hardly matters now anyway.

He looks down at the datapad again and considers his options.

He should probably discuss her findings with her, and see what exactly her goal is. If he's to do something about this, then he wants her involved even as he gathers support from other senators.

He has no doubt that Padmé will agree to add her support to Bail to help sort this mess out, but considering that they've both been involved with the investigation they're conducting into Jedi missions being altered... Well, Bail wants more Senators involved this time. Just to ensure that it cannot be taken as some form of conspiracy in favour of the Jedi. As ridiculous as that notion seems, Bail is not blind to the way many Senators look at the Jedi, nor to the fact that many of them don't seem to believe that they're really capable of what they say they are.

Few people besides the Jedi truly believe in the Force, after all.

Few people could believe in something they cannot know for themselves when others supposedly have a direct connection to it. Bail is one of the few who does believe them, he's seen what the Jedi can do first-hand. There's nothing else that can account for that kind of power besides this Force they talk of. They and other groups out there, it’s not only the Jedi, after all.

Besides, he knows many of them personally, and while Bail may not understand or follow all of their beliefs or traditions, he also knows that they're not a bunch of charlatans faking it for power of money—though he knows some of his fellow senators believe that to be the case. Even senators on Coruscant, who've seen Jedi in real life, seem to believe them little more than myth.

Bail has been kept up to date on the investigation into the Jedi missions, though he’s not taking an active role in it right now, and he’s certain that he has been kept in the loop to give legitimacy to the investigation. Give it a proper paper trail, even if it’s done with the Senate’s highest level of security. A strictly need-to-know basis, and until it’s finished, no one else needs to know.

Of course, Bail asked Obi-Wan in private if he would be allowed to tell Breha. As his Queen and the leader of Bail’s planet, he found it important to clue her in on it. Besides, it’s another step of legitimacy. After all, if Breha takes an active stance on it, then so does Alderaan.

If anyone wants to accuse the investigation at a later date for being a sham… Well, they will need to accuse Alderaan of engaging in it in the first place. Bail isn’t stupid enough to think that it’s not one of the primary reasons Obi-Wan agreed with Bail’s request.

They’re friends, and Obi-Wan likes Breha, but this is not about being friends. This is about political allyship and keeping sensitive information on as tight a lock-down as they can until the time to reveal it comes.

Besides, as worried as Bail has become with Miss Yashi’s information, it’s even worse when considered together with the altered Jedi missions and not in the least… Well, the war time propaganda. There's no point in shying away from what it is, and the ramifications it has.

Considering how most of the war time propaganda—Bail can acknowledge it for what it is, there truly is no point in trying to deny the facts—focuses almost exclusively on the clones and their efforts in the war, it's hardly strange that the general population neither know nor understand them.

Further considering the information that Bail has now confirmed to be real and accurate... He understands that the omission of the Jedi is entirely deliberate. If you want to discredit and undermine the Jedi, why would you ever speak of their accomplishments and sacrifices? You wouldn't, as that would bring public support to them.

Bail sighs and rolls his shoulders.

He needs to build a following, he cannot properly push this alone. But he also understands why Miss Yashi brought it to him alone, first. A Core World Senator is far harder to make "disappear" than a Twi'lek Senatorial aide, no matter how awful that is to say. Bail can't go missing, and any attempt on his life would have a bit more trouble hitting its mark.

That's not to say that it would be impossible for someone to assassinate him, which is of course why he'll make sure that Breha is entirely up to speed on everything.

All of it together... There is some form of conspiracy to discredit or perhaps even get rid of the Jedi; Bail is sure of it. But he cannot see to what end. What are they trying to achieve?

For what reason would anyone work to discredit the Jedi? What is the end goal to strive for? There’s no way for the politicians to dissolve the Jedi Order, they are not in that way under Senate control. They could, of course, remove all of their backing, forcing the Jedi to become free agents, certainly…

But for what purpose? It would leave the Republic without the Jedi as peacekeepers, for the Jedi would hardly remain to do diplomacy work for the Senate without its backing. After all, what would the point be? Without the Senate’s backing, the Jedi would have far less ability to do anything.

How could they negotiate treaties if the Senate won’t honour them?

They could, perhaps, be a neutral third party within discussions. But there’s no reason for anyone to listen to their input in such a case. It’s hard enough to get disagreeing parties to listen to external input when you come with powerful backing that could make you listen even if you refuse.

How could they function with no funding? They would need to work on commission, at which point only those who can afford their help can get it. That would be the opposite of an improvement.

To not even begin to talk about how few of them there are, how few of them there were even before the war. Their population is not even a hundredth of a percent of Alderaan’s population, and Alderaan is only a single planet within the tens of thousands of star systems that make up the Republic—nevermind the entire galaxy. There’s just not enough of them, and hasn’t that always been a problem even while they’re working under the Republic? Too few, spread too thin.

No, if the Jedi became free agents, their ability to affect change would be greatly diminished. Bail is quite certain they’d work on much smaller scales, still trying to do what they can for the galaxy, bit by bit. Working with smaller communities on planets and moons… If they even had the ability to find out about disputes that may need their help in the first place.

Losing the Jedi as peacekeepers isn’t a win for the Republic either, as the budget for the Jedi was already miniscule even before it started being diminished—as Miss Yashi’s discovery shows. It cannot be an attempt at cost saving, or an idea of improvement for the Republic. Needing to train their own diplomats and ensure that they have skilled enough guards… That would be more expensive and it would not be able to guarantee that these diplomats are neutral in conflicts.

The Jedi have no specific allegiances the way diplomats and even Senators have. Even the least corrupt Senator will still place their own planet and star system first. It is part of their role, after all.

So no, it cannot be something like that. Not unless the people slowly enacting this are horribly misguided and foolish. Not to mention, Bail knows most Senators would simply call for making away with the Jedi entirely, rather than this slow plan to undercut them.

No… There must be something else going on here, some other primary goal whoever is pulling these strings is looking out to do.

He’ll need to figure it out, no doubt, Bail concludes.

But beyond that, he also needs to build a base to help him bring this information he’s been given to the Senate’s attention. He is quite sure already who he should be looking towards first: Senator Ach’ki Mandai of Haa’ndu.

Who better to help him bring this to Senate attention than the Senator who ensured a Jedi now sits as the Supreme Chancellor of the Galactic Republic?

—

(Supreme Chancellor Obi-Wan Kenobi masterpost)

#Supreme Chancellor Obi Wan Kenobi #star wars #bail organa #update #my writing

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twonderland · 4 years

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☆*:.｡ NRC HAS A MAID CAFE ?!? .｡.:*☆

Note: sooo this is my first writing ! Omg I’m so nervous I have never written for any fandom before but I wish this goes well 🙏🏻😂 anyway, hope y’all like it and if you have any thoughts about it pls comment I would really appreciate it ☺️💖💖

Summary: NRC was organizing a school festival to attract new students and also to let the guys have a day of fun and chill. However the dorm leaders were out of ideas while deciding what activities they were gonna have, until you decided to talk about some options of what your school used to do in this kind of events (before coming to twisted wonderland), most of those activities were really alike to what NRC already had, except one thing ...

- when you mentioned that in your “dimension” there was different options that could be introduced in NRC at the festival he was actually pretty interested. Obviously he would have to make some changes so that “activities” could fit in Heartslabyul rules but, he never thought that he could have the opportunity to see you in such an ... outfit.

- Who does he think he can fool ? He’s a blushing mess and can’t even look at you in the face. How can he ? The moment you got out of your room with that white coping, that really short skirt, and oh god the stockings

- You look so cute and obedient and hfkogkebdiej

- The plan was simple, you were a “maid” and the boys attending the clients at your side were butlers, easy ! Except from the part of talking to you

- He’s angry because he can’t believe that such an outfit has this power over him and he thinks “god Riddle get yourself together and just talk to her about the menu” but somehow you think he’s angry for some strange reason since he tends to get all red face when he is angry (poor bean he’s trying his best to not collapse)

- HE’S A GENTLEMAN ! HE DIDNT HAVE SUCH A HARD UPBRINGING FOR NOTHING !! he goes with a straight face to your direction and then .... “(y/n) ! Have you learn your lines ?! Customers need the best of attention from this establishment !!” (Riddle this is just a classroom turned into a maid cafe, chill)

- “Ah sure Riddle-senpai, just look *you clear your throat* Welcome home master !!”

- Riddle.exe has stopped responding

- what ? A maid cafe ? Isn’t it just like the rest of the maids at his palace in Afterglow Savana ? He’s used to being attended by this kind of servitude at his homeland but he had never seen Classic or French (I leave that to your imagination ☺️) maid style

- He thinks “ohoho this can be quit interesting” and has that smug smirk in his face, OF COURSE he’s gonna take this opportunity to tease you

- However after he sees you in that cute and tempting outfit, for a little moment (just a little moment) he doesn’t want to admit it he goes shy, stops just a moment to admire you from head to toe in your outfit, you go like “what? “ and then he just shrugs it out just in time before you notice “hmph are you some kind of panda ?”

- Seems like he doesn’t care but actually you never get out of his view, he drinks his woman respect juice every morning but not the rest of the students

- If he sees that some idiot gets a little too close to you he may roar from across the cafe and shoot some killing glares to those idiots and problem solved

- Don’t get it wrong, he’s still Leona and may slide the tip of his tail under your skirt a little ... just a little 😏

- He listens to all your descriptions of the activity of the maid cafe, takes notes and adds some good ideas so everything’s on point

- He’s pretty chill the majority of the time while preparing everything, he even helped you to practice your lines so you could attend customers with the best training !

- Until ... he saw you in character. It was kind of a self goal since he told you to not get out of character when you wear your uniform, how fool and unfortunate (lucky) soul he was

- “Ashengrotto- sama ? I had some doubts about the menu ...” “yes ? (Y/...n)”

- his glasses break

- Azul.exe has stopped responding x2

- His mind can’t process all the things that are going on, you , on a cute really really short skirt, calling him “sama” with your innocent voice, and OH LOOK AT THAT

- THIGHTS

- he didn’t know he had a thing for thights until this day

- Tries to solve all your doubts without stuttering but fails miserably

- Thinks really seriously in a way to make you sign a contract where you accept to wear that outfit whenever you visit octavinelle (azul that’s practically impossible but ok try 😂)

- OMG A MAID CAFE ?! It’s foreign and interesting !! This guy is all in after you finish to talk about your idea

- Kalim is also used to being all pampered and having hundreds of people attending him at all times so he’s really curious about what is the difference between what he knows and what you know

- You tell him that is nothing too awesome, but is more to have fun in getting into character of “master and servant” BUT NOTHING IS BORING IF YOU ARE IN IT he tells you that you don’t need to worry and he just wants to participate in the experience

- He doesn’t assist as a butler but like a customer, and the night before the event he can’t sleep from the excitement, “Jamil, how do you think is a maid ?” “Idk Kalim sleep now” “ne~ ne~ Jamil do you think that (y/n) will call me master? tehehe” “OMG KALIM ENOUGH” poor Jamil he also couldn’t get enough sleep that night

- He’s one of the first clients to arrive and oh god ... when he finds you. He doesn’t know what is it with that uniform that it makes you look ADORABLE AND BEYOND also ... kind of .... ?? (Sexy kalim the word you look for is sexy) he just doesn’t know how to react the very first seconds but doesn’t last long until

- “Kalim-sama ! Welcome back, we are so enlightened to see you again”

- What is this ? Why is he feeling funny things in his stomach, every time he’s called like that in his palace it doesn’t happen anything, is something of everyday but now...

- “.... kalim-sama ?” “AH ! Sorry sorry ! Haha I zoned out , say ... could you say that again ? It was so fun !” “Uh.. hu, of course, if that’s my master’s wish !! ☺️” (HAPPY BOY HAPPY BOY HAPPY BOY)

- He probably is inside the maid cafe for very long time just to hear you every time you come around

- “Is everything alright master ? Would you like something else ?” “YES ! One more parfait please !! “ meanwhile Jamil is like “KALIM STOP, YOU HAVE ALREADY ORDERED 30 PARFAITS !!!, what are we going to do with all of this ?!”

- “the potato ? As a servant ? That’s hilarious” Vil is aware of all the maid thing since where he comes from wealthy families tend to have this kind of employees in their mansions

- NEVERTHELESS he can’t have a girl/boy in NRC dressed as a maid and you NOT 👏🏻 BEING 👏🏻 ON 👏🏻 POINT

- DRESS ! Check HIGH HEELS ! check STOCKINGS ! Check .... he goes on and on

- “Vil-senpai, I’m really grateful that you have taken your time to help me but don’t you think that your dorm also needs help-?” “SHUT UP GRACELESS POTATO we are not getting out this classroom until you learn how to move graciously in those high heels between tables while holding the tray , NOW LETS START AGAIN”

- At the end of the day somehow you have managed to make him happy, the next day you will show all your effort to Vil !

- He comes with Rook, it seems that he’s looking for you with his eyes but when you look back at him you never expect to receive such a gentle and proud look

- “Vil/senpa- ! I mean ... “Vil-sama !! Welcome ☺️” you say nervous yet excited to see him there. “Good enough, it looks like even dirty potatoes can turn into princess” (you are like “wait I’m the maid here, not a princess 😅”)

- Vil leans forward and puts a string of hair behind you ear and says in a low voice so only you can hear “a really pretty potato indeed”

- He enters the maid cafe and leaves you blushing in the entrance

- “Are we gonna treat ourselves or what potato ?! “ “ ah ! I’m so sorry master !!”

- Vil has a satisfied smile

- He is so grateful that every time he attends councils is via LIVE ‘cause the moment you said “maid cafe” he spilled the beverage he was drinking

- “m-m-m-mAID CAFÉ ?!” He can’t believe this is happening, for some seconds he can feel a creepy smile appearing in his face until ...

- “But how am I going to go to the cafe ?, I can have Ortho going there but knowing him he will focus the camera on desserts and not in (y/n) costume ... NOT THAT IM A CREEP OR SOMETHING Ijustwanttoseearealmaidinaction well is not that she’s/he’s “real” per say but-“

- Ortho is listening to all his mumbling from back his seat

- “Onii-chan 😊”

- “Ah... what is it Ortho ?”

- “Just go 😠”

- It took A LOT from his little brother to convince him to go and look for you

- The day of the festival it was CROWDED as hell and he was sooo grateful that the classroom where you were having the cafe had a window that had a view to one of the gardens

- He was peeking all the movement from the window looking for you, but some minutes passed and he started thinking (what am I thinking ? Obviously she’s not gonna see me from here ... but entering is NOT an option either ... maybe I just should go-) “Iidia-San?”

- You scared the crap out of him, he was lost in thought but thanks to that he didn’t go

- “Ah! Sorry sorry, Um ... (you remember your character) “iidia-sama, is something the matter ? Why are you out there ?”

- Perhaps Zeus had pity on his soul. You look SO CUTE SO ADORABLE SO SEXY-

- “Uh.... no, it’s just ... there’s a lot of noise inside” you know about his anxiety and you tell him “well, doesn’t my master want something ? I can bring him anything he desires to this window if Iidia-sama wishes”

- He just had a nosebleed

- “I-Iidia- sama ?!” “Ah ! Sorry .... Um yeah o-one crepe... p-please”

- He goes back to Ignihyde with a delicious crepe and a memory of you calling him master... but wait a sec...

- “WHY DIDNT I BROUGHT A CAMERA?!?!?!?!” “I ALSO COULD HAVE RECORDED HER/HIS VOICE DAMN IT!!!!”

- maid ... cafe ? This is interesting

- He was processing everything, from the concept and your explanation to all of the reactions that caused in the guys

- (Why were they so shocked ? Well I guess I will have to find out)

- He’s royalty and everyone calls him “sama” all the time, well except from Lilia, so he thinks that a bunch of butlers calling him that again isn’t any different ... but you 🤔

- How intriguing, you always call him “senpai” or “san” ... now this have caught his attention

- His dorm was organizing everything quite well and as usual Diasomnia had really disciplined members so his presence wasn’t really that necessary so he went to Lilia and asked him about this “maid cafes”

- Lilia knew about the maids but also didn’t understand the concept of mixing maids and cafes, but Lilia being the little devil he was he said some ... funny information that could intrigue Malleus

- “They are humans, but just like pixies they charm every man when they see them” “charm them ? But (y/n) is human ... how can she/he charm anyone ?” “Hehehe you will understand when you see her/him”

- The day arrived, and oh yeah, Lilia was right, he was expecting you to be little and with wings, leaving pixie dust behind but no ... it was just you with a strange yet cute little skirt and fluffy sleeves... your eyes looked at him and your little cheeks tainted a light shade of pink ... (what is this ? I can’t stop looking at her/him) he was in daze

- “Umm .... Malleus-sama ?”

- “Uh .... I’m sorry, so this is a maid ... you are quite powerful”

- “ uh.. hu” you just said your lines when you saw him but he didn’t seem to have listened to you so you decide to repeat them

- “Welcome back Malleus- sama ! We are so enlightened to receive you !!”

- Again .... he’s dazed , but this time he did hear you, so acting a little weird he enters the cafe, you handle him the menu and explain the recommendations

- You are so nervous trying to remember all your lines that you don’t notice it but Malleus is admiring everything about you with loving eyes

- You take his order and go to the kitchen (he honestly doesn’t know what the hell he just ordered since he isn’t familiar with the dishes but anyway)

- Maybe he doesn’t notice himself but he’s looking at you everywhere you go with a little smile on his face

- “Maybe (y/n) has magic after all”

#twisted wonderland #twst #fanart #twst headcanons #twst riddle #riddle roseheart #twst leona #leona kingscholar #twst malleus #malleus draconia #twst kalim #kalim al asim #twst idia #idia shroud #twst ortho #twst azul #azul ashengrotto #twst vil #vil schoenheit

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drwcn · 3 years

Text

《 Without Envy 》 storyboard 9 - concubine/sleeper agent!wwx & prince!lwj [Master List], you should also have read [6] [6.2]

Lan Qiren coming to visit Hanguang-fu effectively put an end to Wei Wuxian's time as Lan Wangji's servant. He wanted to send Wei Wuxian back to Jiang-fu, but luckily, Jiang Yanli interfered.

Jiang Yanli has been slowly recovering since her drug-induced miscarriage, and while Wei Wuxian had slowed her progress with sedatives, he's been careful to keep an eye on her intake to make sure Jin Ziyan hasn't been messing with her again. As well, with Wei Wuxian occupying Lan Wangji's time and keeping the Jiang family in his good graces, Jiang Yanli had the time she needed to recover fully without needing to push herself to entertain Lan Wangji for favour.

“妾身见过太师，给太师请安。” “阿离啊，听说你小产后一直身体不好，这下着雨，你怎么来了。起身吧, 孩子。” “承蒙太师与陛下惦记，殿下垂怜，阿离的身子已经大好了。阿羡本是妾身院里的，是妾身的陪嫁，一直都安分守己，对王府对殿下忠心不二。是妾身无用，身子一直不见好才让阿羡到王爷身边侍奉。刚见阿羡被太师训斥，相比是阿离平日里管教无方，无心顶撞了太师。有什么过错，都是妾身的错，还请太师责罚。” ~translate~ Jiang Yanli dipped into a proper curtsey, kneeling before Lan Qiren, "This humble concubine greets Taishi. I pray that you've been well." "A-Li, I've heard that you've not been well since your miscarriage. It's raining today, what troubled you to come? Rise, child." Lan Qiren's stance softened upon seeing Jiang Yanli. His late sister-in-law had no daughters, and so often summoned the daughters of nobles into court to dote on and mentor as her own. Jiang Yanli, gentle and proper, has long been known to be a favorite of the late empress. She may not be the greatest beauty in her generation, but was second to none when it came to etiquette and grace. "Thanks be to His Majesty and taishi for remembering, and thanks to dianxia's for his care, my health is much improved now. A-Xian was once a member of my court, my peijia. I've always known him to be obedient and conscious of his place, and loyal to wangye and this princely manor. It is only on account of my poor health that he's been summoned to serve at wangye's side. Earlier, I heard Taishi chastising him; surely it must be A-Li's fault for failing to teaching him propriety and thus causing his unintended offence. The fault is with A-Li, and so I humbly submit myself to your discipline, taishi." Lan Qiren sighed. He did not wish to stir up trouble over a servant. If Jiang Yanli was willing to stand up for this Wei Wuxian, then he must have his uses. At the very least, he'll be a confidant for Jiang Yanli against Jin Ziyan. Lan Qiren so hoped that one day Wangji would choose the Jiang girl as his legal spouse and secure his marriage once and for all. If sparing one lowly servant was the price then so be it. "Very well, A-Li. Since the servant is yours, then his training and discipline shall be your responsible. He is unsuited to serve at the prince's side. It is good that you have recovered; Wangji should not be without a caring partner."

And so, Wei Wuxian returned to Jiang Yanli's side as a servant. Lan Wangji had to watch him go and could not interfere. The next several days was depressing for both of them on multiple fronts.

Xue Yang was very unimpressed:

"So you're tell me that you got to spend quality time with Lan Wangji for months and then... didn't get anywhere?" "I was getting there okay? How was I supposed to know his stupid uncle was gonna barge in like some nosey busybody and ruin everything!? I haven't seen Lan Zhan in days..." I miss him. How horrifyingly embarrassing. He probably forgot me already. "Don't tell me you actually miss him??? That you - barf - fell for him? Whatever happened to standards??!" "You watch your mouth, Xue Chengmei! I'm still your shixiong! And I have standards; Lan Zhan is...very good." Xue Yang: ( ˘︹˘ ) whatever.

Lan Wangji, the sulky boy that he is, brooded for days until Lan Xichen finally sought him out for some good ol' brotherly heart to heart.

"I hear Uncle took away your shiny new toy." "Wei Ying is not a toy." "Wei Ying is it?" Lan Xichen wiggled his eyebrows. "Ah, didi, you have to think a little more creatively. So your Wei Ying has gone back to his mistress, but is his mistress not your concubine? Jiang-furen is still unpregnant, I might add. Visit her. Then surely you'll get to see him." Lan Wangji grimaced. The thought has occurred to him, but the idea of bedding anyone not Wei Ying is intolerable. "Yes, Yanli is lovely, but I'd rather not...you know..." His brother was too polite to roll his eyes. "You've done it before, Wangji." "I would not have had to, if xiongzhang simply did his duty." Lan Wangji bit back icily, and instantly regretted it. Lan Xichen's eyes widened, his cheerful-teasing expression stuttering and crumbling in seconds. "Yes...yes that's true." "My sincerest apologies, huangxiong - no - bixia." Lan Wangji rose to his feet and then bowed down deeply. "I forgot my place. I accept any punishment." Lan Xichen sighed and extended a forgiving hand to pardon him. "Not necessary, Wangji. You're right. I haven't done my duty for Gusu." He pulled the younger man to sit beside him again. "You are doing this in my stead, stepping up where I have let the country down. I should not make light of your sacrifice. The matter of a harem is inevitably complicated, which is why I never cared for one. Neither did Father. His harem had always been sparse, and his first empress was not one of his choosing. When she died in childbirth and our unborn sibling along with her, he elevated our mother's rank to Empress and visited no one else henceforth." "Mother was never popular with the ministers for that reason." "Yes. They suspected that she had something to do with...well, in any case I imagine they were quite relieved when she passed." Lan Xichen shook his head. "The harem is not a happy place, Wangji. You were born after Mother was already Empress, you would not have remembered a time when she was consort. But I do. Like you, your concubines did not get to choose their fate. The fault, ultimately, lies with me." "Huangxiong -" "It's true, Wangji. The fault is mine." Lan Xichen patted him on the arm placatingly. "You cannot love them, and clever as they are, I don't think your concubines would expect you to. However, you can ensure their happiness in other ways. Jiang-furen seems the kind to very much want a child of her own. It will make the rest of her life in your harem more bearable."

After some deliberation, Lan Wangji went back to his routine of visiting different concubines regularly, but never more than just sharing a bed-space. With the exception of Jiang Yanli. Lan Wangji could see it in her eyes; she knew who he really wanted, but those words never needed to be said aloud. Jiang Yanli was kind to him, and he was kind to her in return. All things considered, it wasn't awful being with someone who wasn't your preferred, but who knew you for yourself and shared your struggles.

"Dianxia, you must've heard, that before I married into your wangfu, I was betrothed to Jin Zixuan." She mentioned one evening over a game of weiqi. Of all his concubines (which he has 4) and friends (which he has few), Jiang Yanli's skill on the weiqi board was unparalleled. Lan Wangji half wondered how the Marquis and Marchioness of Yunmeng could have buried this talented daughter of theirs under the shadow of their son for so many years. "Yes I am aware." "I loved him." "...." For a minute Lan Wangji did not know how to reply. He stared at the chessboard. Jiang Yanli's black pieces had surrounded his white ones and forced them into a corner. "Why are you telling me this?" "Your court, my clan: we are their creatures." Jiang Yanli 's smile was knowing. "I am not A-Xian; I can see what he cannot." "Which is?" "You've fallen for each other. Completely. He denies it, heaven knows why." Jiang Yanli took a delicate sip of tea. Fleetingly, Lan Wangji imagined that if he could not have Wei Ying, if he were forced to take a legal wife to make empress, that she would make a magnificent one. "Father loved Mother. Loved her as a wife even when she was only a consort -" "And his love spurred the hate of the royal court." "They blamed her for his loving a woman more than his country, as though she should have persuaded him to love her less. I do not want the same to happen to Wei Ying." "Nor I." "Huangshu says I would need a legal spouse one day, someone virtuous and from a strong pureblood family." "Is that what dianxia wants?" "I want it to be Wei Ying, though I know it to be impossible. Barring that, I'd want to keep him safe in the harem, the size of which will only grow after I succeed the throne." "For that, dianxia will need a spouse who will reign over the harem as you rule over the country." Lan Wangji contemplated his choices and the options available to him. After some time, he placed the white piece he fiddled between his fingers back into the bamboo bowl, conceding that he'd lost this round. Jiang Yanli waited patiently for him to come to terms with the offer she already knew he would make. He wondered how long ago she had foreseen this moment, whilst simultaneously realizing that if his uncle had any idea just how intelligent she truly was, he would not be so quick to suggest her as a candidate for princess consort. A weak emperor and a strong empress never boded well for the stability of the realm. This was dangerous waters Lan Wangji was wading into, but he knew beyond doubt that the only way to survive was to keep straight ahead. He had no other path to take, none which maximally balanced what he wanted with what he needed. Jiang Yanli was his only solution, his only ally. "Huangxiong suggested that we have a child together." He finally said, staring her squarely in the eyes. "You and I can agree that the son of Gusu Lan and Yunmeng Jiang would certainly be a strong contender amongst his brothers." "She could be a daughter." "Then I'd cherish her more. A child and a crown - would they make you happy, Yanli?" "If I said yes?" "Then they're yours." Jiang Yanli smiled.

Two months after Wei Wuxian was dismissed from Lan Wangji's service and the prince began visiting Jiang Yanli, good new was delivered to Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan. The message was this: Hanguang-wang's Jiang-furen was with child yet again.

#cql #the untamed #wangxian #cql ficlet #corie fics #without envy #i said i'd do this for yall #and so i did

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thr-333 · 3 years

Text

Drastic Measures- Part 9

@daminette-december2019-2020

~Book~

Damian gets a book recommendation, it’s only going to get worse for Bruce from here.

Ao3

First < Previous > Next

---------

“So I’ve drafted up the new policies, the lawyer we hired is looking over it,” Damian explains from his desk, “Do we want to handle branch manager interviews ourselves or delegate,”

“Delegate,” Marinette hums, trying to narrow down her first fashion line, “We still need to visit the manufacturer for the line,”

“Can’t you do that yourself?”

“I suppose,” Marinette circles the one she likes best, tabling the others for later, “What are you going to do?”

“Wait,” Damian sighs, “Everything needs to be looked over before we can proceed,”

“Well don’t bore yourself out of your mind,” Marinette close her sketchbook gathering her stuff for her trip, she makes a detour to the bookshelf in search of something, “Here,”

“I’m perfectly capable of entertaining myself,” Damian huffs, as she places the book on his desk.

“I’m sure you are,” Marinette says teasingly, getting a withered glare, “How about you entertain yourself with this book, don’t worry you're still doing all the heavy lifting, besides it’s really good,”

“I’m sure it is,” Damian rolls his eyes placing the book to the side.

---

Well, he had said he was sure it was; if sarcastically. Damian sits in the cave as the others dawdle in their preparations for patrol, reading the book recommended. It was fine not his usual preference. Besides he could put it down whenever he wanted… it’s just the sooner he finished the sooner he could put it down and Marinette wouldn't bother him about it anymore. Plus he has a stakeout tonight, there's nothing else to do. That's the only reason why he brought it on patrol. The only reason.

“Ohhh~ that's a good one,” Damian leaps up to attack, brandishing his sword right to Ladybug's neck… he immediately implodes, “What? didn’t hear me coming?”

“Tt, of course, I did,” He did not.

Ladybug steps away from his blade, Damian hastens to put it down.

“Is there another Akuma?” He asks, having only seen her at battles, he looks around warily.

“Not right now, just patrolling trying to get a lay of the city,” Ladybug looks out over the skyline.

“Don’t let Batman catch you,” Robin warns taking back up his vigilant stakeout position.

“You gonna tell on me?” Ladybug teases, fixing him with her dazzling smile.

“No,” It’s not blushing, just shadows cast in the dark.

“So stakeout?” Robin nods as she comes to sit next to him, “A good book is a great way to pass the time,”

Damian is about to deny his enjoyment, as he would to Marinette when she inevitably asked. But… this is Ladybug and they actually have something to talk about, and neither of them has any place to be.

“It is,”

“That's great! I keep trying to recommend it but everyone turns their nose up at it, saying it's for kids,” Ladybug rants, “Even today! I’m glad at least someone enjoys it,”

“I’d hardly say it fair to relegate it just to children,” Robin frowns, “There are complex themes of freedom seamlessly interwoven into the narrative,”

“Right? A relative of mine gave it to me when I was little, it really helped me break out of my shell,” Ladybug smiles, Robin listens keenly at sharing part of her life. It was hard to imagine the confident amazing woman ever being shy.

“It’s hard to imagine you being shy,” Robin startles as she breaks down laughing.

“You have no idea! When I first started out as Ladybug she was so confident it felt like I became a different person, a hero of Paris, a savior of the people!” Ladybug strikes a pose before shrinking in on herself, “But outside the mask, I was timid and shy, not even able to stand up to a liar or a bully,”

“Bully?” Robin's hand itches towards his sword.

“Yeah back in Paris,” When’s the soonest flight to Paris? “But since being in Gotham I don’t have to be who I was, I feel like the gap between me and Ladybug is getting smaller and smaller, so it’s great being here, even if the weathers terrible,”

“That’s good,” Damian sighs, “Not the weather bit,”

“It’s just so cold!”

“I feel that's an opinion shared among many Parisians,” … I feel like I’m missing something.

“Well it will be nice to go back to Paris,” Damian's heart sinks, “When this is all over,”

“Why,” He bites out, “It doesn't sound like you were happy there,”

“Oh, I was,” Ladybug assures with a smile, “Even if I was bullied I had the love of my parents, my friends were still supportive even if they fell for a liar,”

“But you weren’t yourself,”

“Pfft, I was just as much myself as I am here, just more confident,” Ladybug shrugs, looking at something beyond the horizon, “Freedom gives you the confidence to explore parts of yourself you didn’t know, it doesn't change who you were,”

“It doesn't?”

“No- hey what's wrong,” Ladybug leans over, closer to him.

“Nothing,” Robin shifts away, only slightly, “I just thought we were more similar but I guess not,”

“Did I say something to upset you?”

“No,”

“Correction,” Ladybug says firmly, “What did I say to upset you?”

Do not compromise your identity, do not compromise your identity.

“... I wasn't raised in Gotham, I was raised… elsewhere, not to be a hero,”

“Well that's dumb,” Robin rears back at her bluntness, “Was batman raised to be a hero?”

“No?”

“Oh good, I took a shot in the dark at that one,”

“He wasn't, but I was raised to be the opposite,” Do not compromise your identity, “By assassins,”

Great job Damian

---

Wow lots of kids in Gotham were raised as assassins

This would be the point Marinette feels she is missing something.

Or maybe the league of assassins was planning something with it, not like it’s unusual for them to train kids. “So you must be pretty strong huh?” The league's training is brutal, Marinette knows her Maman did everything in her power to protect her from it for a reason.

“What?”

“Well you have an assassin's training, bet your sneaky, good at taking criminals down swiftly,” Robin was now opening and closing his mouth trying to find something to say.

Worst than the training, she had been told is the lack of freedom. You don’t get to choose who lives who dies, your own fight. Those orders come from the top, the people with the power to take you down. Or not so much in her Mamans place.

“Unfortunately the swiftest way is murder, and here that’s frowned upon,” Ladybug cracks a smile, lightening the mood.

“True, I’m sure there can be more creative uses though,” She had been trained first and foremost by her Maman, Tikki had told her no other holder fought like her. The only new ingredient was a small helping of assassination, minus the murder… well we’ll see when she takes down hawkmoth.

“Unfortunately Batman would rather I forget that particular training than apply it,”

“That doesn't sound good you shouldn-,” She's about to add more when the comms crack to life and Robin motions her to be to stay quiet.

“Robin,” She picks up on Batman's voice over the comm, “Move to the west side,”

“I’m on a stakeout,”

“I’ll send Red Robin,”

“This is my target,”

“The west side Robin,”

“Fine,” Robin stands, a sour expression on his face, “I have to go,”

“Do you?” She for one never listened to Batman.

“... it’s orders,” With that Robin leaves.

Still, following orders huh?

Of course, Batman would be nothing like the league, no matter how much he annoyed her. But still was similar in ways. Lack of choice. Following orders. He didn’t even create his own identity as a hero just following the mantel of Robin. Marinette had formed her identity as Ladybug long before she knew there was a mantel to uphold, and if she had known? There's no way she could have handled it.

How was he expected to grow this the same base structure? Her Maman was the most amazing person she knew, but though cryptid stories missing crucial details Marinette had pieced together that wasn't always the case. No, she had become the person she was by striking out on her own, by being brave enough to step out. By getting the chance to fall in love. Marinette could only wonder what kind of person Robin could be if he allowed himself to do the same.

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No taglist I cant keep track of them :P

#miraculous #miraculous ladybug fic #miraculous ladybug #miraculous fanfic #miraculous fandom #Marinette #miraculous marinette #badass marinette #maribat #daminette

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sweater-daddiesdumbdork · 4 years

Text

Home Sweet Home: Jody Says...

Summary- 3.6k Andy Barber x You. You and Andy almost have it all, married and with a jointed family consisting of Andy’s teenage son Jacob, as well as your two younger children John and Cassidy. Looking to add another member, your family is in need of a bigger house, a forever home. You find just the place, 112 Ocean Avenue in Amityville Long Island. Home Sweet Home

Written for @optimistic-dinosaur-nacho Spooky Scary Stories challenge. Divider by @firefly-graphics

Warnings- A teenager mentions sex, uses drugs. Scene involving a finger getting stuck in a wound.

A/N- I chose Amityville Horror for the challenge because its one of my favorite Spook Stories growing up. When reading you will find a lot of similarities to the 2005 Movie, some of the scenarios and dialogue are specifically from that film. Other parts of it are from the book itself. The family name was changed for my own personal reasons. Happy Haunting! 🎃

Chapter 3 / Masterlist

Weeks past, holidays started and it was just after thanksgiving when things started to settle down from the move. Nothing major happened, you and Andy seemed to be on the right track. Andy was getting busier with his clients. The house on Ocean Avenue now felt like home. The only thing that wasn't changing was Andy always being cold and his cough that you could hear booming from the basement. He was constantly bundled up, shivering, hiding cold hands against your back. “Andy Barber, god damn, go put some gloves on or something. Also it's been well over a month, you need to go see someone about that cough.”

He would groan against your shoulder and move to wrap his hands around his mug of coffee. “This house is always cold. But I will... Mother.” He teased with an arched brow, sipping from his mug. “It's nothing, I just can't get the tickle from my throat. But I will make an appointment today.”

“It's just you.” You respond while going back to your computer, and moving to sit while you go back to your project. “None of us are cold at all. And I am a mother, and I'm worried about it now.”

“I know you are, I admit I never had something like this happen to me.” Andy shook his head as he sipped from his coffee, glancing outside to see it snowing out. “And it is cold, It’s snowing.”

You're quick to get up and cuddle up to him, looking outside. “It's beautiful, maybe we will have a white Christmas. Which… speaking of Christmas. Come look at this.” You tugged Andy around to your laptop and had a local shelter page pulled up. “Look at this dog Andy. The kids have been asking for one since before we even got married. He's older, all trained, and he needs a home. What do you think?” You looked up at him and bit your lips excitedly, Andy leaned over your shoulder, scrolling through the page to read the description they gave.

“Baby, you know we're going to have to take care of it. Walks, feeding, vet visits.” He pointed out and you shrugged.

“That's fine, I always had one growing up so I know what to prepare for. It will be a good chore for John, give him some responsibilities.” you pointed out and Andy straightened.

“You really want him, then you have to agree to one thing.” Andy straightened from behind you and looked down at you, once more letting a chilly hand rest on the back of your neck, but this time in a loving manner, not a teasing play.

You twisted in your seat to arch a brow in question, looking at him.

“You have to go to dinner with me tonight, let Jacob watch the little's.” He smiled and you got up, wrapping your arms around his waist and winked.

“I think that can be arranged Andy.” Leaning up to kiss him, the rest of the afternoon was going to visit the dog named Buster in the shelter and filled out the paperwork to bring him home. Andy of course was won right over as soon as the dog sat before him and wagged the tip of his tail, tongue lolling out. “Okay… I gotta admit you're pretty cute Buster.” Andy chuckled while kneeling in front of the dog, petting him and ruffling his ears. After leaving the shelter with the promise to be in contact soon, you and Andy went to pick up the kids, letting them know your evening plans.

The evening was you trying to get dressed and into some makeup for the first time that felt like forever, Andy was in the closet picking through his suits. Cassidy kept coming in the bathroom to help you with your makeup, which you finally set her on the counter. While you were doing your lipstick, you gave her some chapstick. Then onto your eyes, she tugged on your sleeve. “My eyes to?” she asked, and you grasped her chin, tilting it up and sweeping the brush once on each eyelid. You then took a bit of blush and brushed it along her upper cheeks. Cassidy turned to look in the mirror, her eyes glancing up to the corner once in a while and giggling. “Mommy, Jody says I look pretty.”

Your eyes lifted to where she was looking and you gave a smile to her while moving behind her to brush her hair and give it a braid for the night. “Baby, can you tell me about Jody? Does Jody live here?”

“Yea, Jody has lived here a long time. Jody is happy we're living here now. Said that it was lonely here and wants us to stay forever. Sometimes they look so sad Mommy whenever they think we might leave.”

You nod as you split her braid in sections. Your fingers nimble as you work your lip a bit in thought. “Well we are staying for a long time because this is home baby. What does Jody look like? A pretty little girl like you, or maybe someone more like John or Jacob?”

Cassidy pursed her lips like she was blowing herself a kiss. “No mommy, like forever forever. Never ever leave. We can just play all day. Jody said “You, Andy, Jacob and John can stay too.”

That made you pause a bit, before continuing. “And what does Jody look like Baby? ”

Cassidy shook her head and started. “Jody doesn’t want-” Andy stepped in, straightening his tie with his blue suit, looking at you in your little black dress and sleek high heels, Cassidy in her unicorn pajamas with the little bit of makeup on.

“Well don’t my girls look so nice.” He complimented as you finished tying off Cassidy's braid. She turned quickly to face him, batting her eyelashes with a grin to show off her eyeshadow. “Ahh, very nice Princess.” He lifted Cassidy off the counter and whispered in her ear. “How about you go show Jacob how nice you look?”

“Okay!” she said excitedly and sprinted away while you picked up a diamond stud off the counter and fitted it to your earlobe.

“She’s going to be over the moon you called her Princess.” you chuckled as you twisted the earring and took the other one to put on.

“Well she looked like one.” He smiled and slid a hand down your back and you turned once you were finished, smoothing your hands over his suit with an appreciative sigh. “I always loved you in this one.”

“I hope you love me without it too.” his hands slipped along your hips, looking you up and down. “You look beautiful Y/N. The diamonds fit nicely.” He complimented, and you couldn't help the shy smile on your face.

“Someone very special gave them to me after we were married.” You leaned up to peck a kiss on his lips. “Later I will give you a proper one. I don't want to smudge my makeup yet.”

He glanced at the watch on his wrist. “Plus we're gonna be late with our reservations, we gotta go.” he urged, and you collected your bag and draped a shawl over your shoulders.

Escorting you down the stairs, Andy paused going over the rules with the kids right quick with Jacob. “Dad, I got it. It's a few hours and I have watched them before.” Ushering out the door, Jacob waved goodbye from the porch and waited to see the car pull out the drive and was sure it was not turning back. He pulled out his phone and sent a text message to a friend. Smirking as he pocketed it, he turned to see Cassidy and John staring up at him.

“What do you want rugrats? Food?” He asked with his hands falling to his hips looking at the two of them. They both nodded and he laughed. “Alright let's go see what your mom left for us tonight.” When they went in and opened the fridge, there was a pan of mac and cheese, labeled for the cooking directions. Within a few minutes, Jacob had the kids settle in front of the tv to Disney Plus, their food was cooking, and he got a text ~I’m here.

~Come in through the back so the kids don't know you're here. Jacob sent back. “I'm gonna go get your mac and cheese, be back in a moment.” which they barely acknowledged him and he went to see someone standing at the door. Opening it, he ushered her in. She giggled, wrapping an arm around Jacob and pressed up against him with a playful kiss.

“I can't believe you live here. Which room is yours upstairs?” she wiggled brows and Jacob covered her mouth, looking over his shoulder.

“Sammy, you gotta be quiet. My dad will kill me if he knows I snuck a girl in here.” he dropped his hand and nipped her lips, whispering. “Third door on the left, as soon as I get these two in bed I will be in.”

Samantha nodded and winked. “I know the room, I used to come here to play with the Deffor kids all the time.” Jacob shrugged and motioned for her to be quiet once more. He snuck her through, ushering her upstairs when Cassidy looked over her shoulder, her eyes narrowing at the wall beyond the banister.

“Jody says she shouldn't be here Jacob.”

The teenage boy scoffed and ruffled Cassidy's hair. “There ain't nobody here but us.” Whistling as he went back into the kitchen, Cassidy watched the shadow glide up the stairs, and she shrugged, going back to the movie.

Finally Jacob wrangled them into their beds, checking his phone to see the time. His dad and you should still be out about an hour, maybe two. You typically messaged him a couple times during the night, and always when they were headed home. It would be easy to sneak Samantha back out. Knocking on his door, he went in his room to find her sprawled on his bed, a joint pressed against her lips and taking a deep inhale, giggling while watching the smoke spiral above her head. “I didn't think you were ever gonna quit playing babysitter downstairs.”

Jacob collapsed on the bed next to her, and took the offered joint. “Finally was able to get them to bed. Sorry about the wait.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to hers, and she pushed her fingers through his longer locks, hissing against his lips.

“Mmhh, I cant believe I’m going to have sex in the Amityville Horror House.” she giggled and Jacob pulled away, leaning on his elbow to take another drag of the joint before handing it over to her.

“Amityville Horror House? Is that what it's actually called?” He questioned and Samantha nodded while sitting up and moving cross legged.

“Come on, you don't know about what happened here?” Her jaw dropped and she laughed, Jacob shook his head.

“No idea, come on… Tell me Sammy.” He nudged at her and she dropped some ashes in a nearby soda can.

“Okay, let me tell you all about it.” she handed the joint back over and rubbed her hands gleefully. “So there was a family here called the Deffor's. Mom, dad, older son Ronnie and like a few other kids. Happy picture perfect family right?” Jacob nodded, and she snorted. “So one night Ronnie takes a rifle, bang bang bang. Shoots his parents in their bed. Goes to his brothers room and shoots them both too. His little sister, she runs to hide in the bathroom. He finds her and bangs, shoots her too. Someone finally called the cops, like a while later complaining about gunshots. Police get here, and find Ronnie down in the basement, crying about how they made him do it. Someone named Judy, Jody? I can't remember the name. Arrested him on the spot, threw him in prison for life.”

“Holy shit… that's crazy.” Jacob’s eyes widened and Samantha nodded. “I mean this house is always weird as fuck, but damn.”

“You should google it. Later.” Samantha smirked as she got up. “I'm going to freshen up, and will see you back here in a few minutes.” Winking, she slipped from the room and headed towards the bathroom.

Jacob made himself comfy, lowered the light at his bed stand and pulled out a couple condoms from his nightstand, moving to lay down on the bed to wait.

Samantha gave the bathroom a quick look around before she looked in the mirror, checking her makeup when the lights in the bathroom flickered. Lifting her eyes up to look at the bulbs, she backed up a bit worried. “What the-”

“Hey Sammy, remember me?” a little voice spoke and she twisted around, to see a girl tilting her head with a playful smile. She recognized her, Ruby the sister Ronnie shot that night. Samantha shook her head with a whimper.

“No… no, you're dead Ruby.” she told the little girl.

“I know, Sammy, look what Ronnie did to me! Isn't it pretty!?” She moved her bangs aside and Samantha reared back in horror at the gaping hole in her forehead. Samantha backed up towards the sink, the small of her back hitting against it as the little girl kept coming. She looked towards the door about to bolt when hands curled into claws dug into her face from behind, holding her in place like she was in a vice while the girl reached for her hand, giggling. Samantha broke out screaming while the clawed fingers dug into her cheeks, and Ruby’s hand that was closed around her wrist were cold and clammy, wrenching her finger till she had the one she wanted. “Catch ‘em…” whatever was behind her whispered hoarsely in her ear, a slick feeling like a snakes tongue against Sam’s ear made her try to wrench out of its hold, and the girl started to push her finger into the wound on her forehead. “Kill ‘em, right Jody?”

Samantha screamed again, putting all her strength into rearing back and she happened to slip, bashing her head off the sink and falling into a heap on the ground.

Jacob heard the scream and rushed into the bathroom to find Samantha bleeding on the floor. “Oh shit!” He dropped to his knees to help her, and she scrambled to cling against him, sobbing in terror.

“She was here, she was here.” she cried as Jacob touched the back of her head and came back sticky with blood.

“Shit, Sammy I gotta call the ambulance.” He dug for his phone, shakily dialing 9-1-1 while holding her close.

John and Cassidy who also heard the commotion ran to the bathroom, and Jacob told them to stay back. Cassidy just shook her head slowly. “Jody said she shouldn't be here.” When Samantha heard the name Jody, she started to panic again and Jacob screamed at them to go back to their rooms.

Andy pulled up the driveway to see flashing lights of an ambulance in their driveway, and you gasped. “Oh my god Andy, the kids.” You ripped out of the car and ran towards the house, Andy not far behind to see a teenage girl being wheeled out on a stretcher and they bypassed her into the house to see Jacob talking to an EMT, as well as John and Cassidy sitting on the stairs, hugging there stuffed animals and looking shocked. You let your hand rest on Jacobs back a moment to make sure he was okay, then past him to the two younger children. Andy watched as you checked them, and paused by Jacob.

“What is going on here?” Andy demanded to know, and Jacob turned shakily to Andy.

“I had a friend come over, something happened in our bathroom and she bashed her head against the sink, splitting her head open.” Andy could see how shaken up his son was and pulled Jacob into his arms in a hug, patting his back.

“Okay, good. I'm glad you got emergency services.”

The EMT nodded, looking at Jacob when father and son split apart. “Always call us right away. When we took her out, she said something like “She’s dead.” Do you know what that is about?”

Jacob hesitated and shook his head, Andy shrugged. “Sorry Sir, my wife and I were to dinner, so I'm just hearing about all this.”

The EMT nodded and excused himself. Within a few minutes the rest of the house cleared up, and Jacob watched the ambulance leave. He whipped around and folded his arms. “So what, were you never going to tell me what this place was?”

Andy rubbed at his temple a moment, feeling the beginning of a headache. “Jake not tonight, we will talk in the morning.”

“The Amityville Horror House, Fucking seriously?” Jacob ignored his father while you started to usher the protesting kids up the stairs. “Some guy went through and just shot his whole family!”

“Jake, shut up!” Andy snapped while the two kids peeked around you, and John wailed.

“Someone got shot here! Mommy I don't want to sleep here.” The boy looked up, panicked and you shushed him.

“Come on, upstairs.” You tried to urge him up but now they were all worked up again, and Andy could feel his barely there control snapping, turning towards the three of you on the stairs. “Cut the shit and get upstairs, now!”

You pause and the two children race up the stairs, making Andy grate his teeth at the way they thumped up. Now you're pissed and he could see it on your face.

“Andy Barber, don't you ever talk to them like that again.” You hissed and then turned your back to go up. Andy snapped his attention back to his son.

“And what the fuck were you doing with a girl here up in your room?”

“Doesn't matter Dad, what matters is we are living here. This place is messed up. No wonder why our lives have been going to shit since we moved here! Sammy didn't just fucking hit her head, something scared her shitless. You, you fucking changed, Cass has that weird imaginary friend shes always talking to, plus you cant deny just the weird crap that happens in this house. Am I not the only one who sees all this going on?”

“Jacob, will you listen to yourself? There is nothing wrong with this fucking house. Something bad here happened years ago and it's over. Bad shit happens sometimes.” Andy snapped and Jacob rolled his eyes at his father.

“Whatever Dad, you should have still told me so I could have had the option to move in with mom.”

“You want to move in with your Mom?” Andy paused a moment, his own arms mimicking his sons and crossing his chest.

“Maybe, would have been nice to consider instead of living in this fucking place.” Jacob hissed in anger, moving past his father to start up the stairs.

“Fine.” Andy threw up his hands in defeat. “Move in with her, I'm not stopping you, nor have I ever. But you listen to me Jake, no more bringing fucking girls up to your room. None of this sneaking them the fuck around. This is my house, and I expect you to follow these rules.”

Jacob turned his back on Andy and continued up the stairs, slamming his door. Andy's head was pounding now, and all he wanted was a drink. In particular the bourbon he had in his desk down in the basement. Without waiting to see how you were dealing, he made his way down the stairs. Not even bothering to flip on the lights till he got to his desk and sat down, reaching to turn on the lamp on the desk. Finding his bottle and glass, he started to drink.

You came down later, and started turning off lights around the house, and when you went in the kitchen, you could see a little bit of light coming from the stairs. Making your way down, you knew you would find Andy brooding, which was accurate. Sure enough he sat slouched in his seat, twirling the tumbler slightly while staring at it.

“Hey, everyone is down. Do you wanna come up to bed Andy?” You stop in front of his desk, and it just looks eerie around him. The light on the desk seemed to be so weak compared to the dark shadows behind him, and they seemed to be yawning around him, ready to suck him from you forever.

“No.” he simply said and set his glass down to pour in more. “I have work to do.”

You huffed a bit, scowling. “What? Before we even got home, we were talking about what we were going to do tonight in bed.”

He gave a roll of a shoulder then, glaring at you. “Not in the fucking mood anymore, m’kay Y/N.”

“You were just fine till you came down here Andy.” You took a deep breath and started again. “Come on Baby, we can still salvage the night. Everyone is okay, and maybe next time we will get a babysitter.” you smiled and Andy scowled at you.

“How many god damn times do I have to tell you not to treat me like one of your kids? Baby? That fucking sweet talk is annoying as hell.”

Hearing him, your gut dropped and your anger flared. “Fuck you Andy.” You turned back to go up the stairs, and he chuckled while saying to you’re retreating back.

“Not tonight sweetheart.” Andy said darkly with a sneer to his tone.

“Don’t bother coming to bed.” you snapped back at him while slamming the basement door shut, and leaving the kitchen. “Fucking asshole of a husband.”

Downstairs Andy leaned back, shivering but at this point he was used to it. Shooting back the last of his bourbon, he threw the glass to the side and took the bottle. Behind him red eyes glowered and the audible hiss filled the room. Catch ‘em, Kill ‘em. He glanced at the picture on his desk and rage filled him seeing those faces, his family. He reached over and slammed it down hard, hard enough he heard the glass shatter. Going back to his liquor, a shadow separated, gliding across the floor and up the back of his chair till it settled on his shoulders, steadily feeding that anger and rage till Andy started to think of all the way’s to murder someone.

The shadow started to continue growing solid, whispering into Andy’s ear.

Catch ‘em Kill ‘em

#DinoScaryStories2020 #home sweet home #andy barber x reader #andy barber x you #andy barber #amber writes #sweater writes #amityville horror #halloween #halloween 2020

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letsdiscoverkitty · 3 years

Text

Home/Family Update - May 2021

I will take this right back to when I was discharged from the Priory in December. From there I moved back home with my parents; it was a bit of a difficult transition as I didn't have any home leave in the lead up to being discharged due to COVID and my consultant wanting me to make the most of my time on the ward. Add to that my EDP going completely awol, meaning that our whole 4 week pre-discharge meetings and relapse prevention plan went out the window. So yes it was a bit of a rocky start, and that is without you factoring in COVID lockdown/Christmas.

Being discharged from an IP setting is never easy no matter who you are; changes in environment and routine can throw you off track without you even realising it and I did find myself struggling with this. I also had the difficult navigation of adapting to coming home in terms of my dad and his recovery. For those who might not know, last March my dad fell down the stairs in the middle of the night the day that my parents arrived home after a month in NZ. He suffered 3 brain bleeds (a subdural, an extradural and a subarachnoid), multiple facial fractures and a break in his spine. That night was one of, if not THE, worst of my life. We were told that it was very likely that he would not survive and that if he did he would be in a vegetated state or not able to take care of himself...we were told to prepare for the worst. By some MIRACLE he defied all the odds and at the age of 74 after spending 11 or so days on the ICU, a further 2 weeks on a trauma ward and then another 3 months in a neuro rehab, he was discharged home and is now, a year on from the accident, completely independent, no sign of further brain bleeds and is actually much fitter than he has been for, well, 50 years! Honestly, we never expected anything like this sort of recovery and from an outside perspective he is doing perfectly. However, there are things that will never be the same again and I don't think it is until you are with someone 24/7 that you are able to tell. He has changed quite a bit as a person; in some ways this is a good thing but in other ways it is not so. He cannot deal with changes in environment or routine; even things like having the bread on the side instead of in the bread bin completely throws him off and he doesn't even register that the bread is there. He gets very easily agitated, can be extremely rude and a little aggressive. Now some of this was already there (a lot of it was) but it has become more acutely obvious since the head injury. I have SO much respect and love for my mum - I really dont know how she has held herself up over the past 2 years, as well as helping dad when he was initially transitioning home (I was still in hospital but it sounded like he needed a lot of help for the first few months - which I only saw an inch of when they were able to visit me in hospital (he used to wander off and didn't know where he was etc. which is thankfully no longer and issue!)).

This is hard for me to say but I will admit that I have struggled more than I thought I would with being around him; in short I pretty much went through the whole mourning process whilst I was in hospital as the last time i saw him on the trauma ward before they stopped all visits and before I was admitted, he didn't know who I was...He thought he lived in another country and was telling me all sorts of stories that were fabricated, before telling me that he needed to go and pick up the mercedes and drive to sainsburys to get the Gin and petrol (we don't have a mercedes and he doesn't even like gin!) Anyway, I digress. So yes, I basically mourned for someone who was still alive physically but mentally had changed as at the time I didn't know whether he would be in a vegetated state or make a good recovery. Thankfully we are on the good side and he is doing so incredibly well but the bottom line is that he is different and living with him, at the age of 26, is HARD. We have good days and bad days (as any young adult who lives with their parents does) and there are many many days that I wish I wasn't living at home but I do my best to hold myself together during those times, especially for my mum because she, I tell you, is absolutely incredible. How she has put up with him for so long I honestly do not know!

Talking of mum, I would say that since the whole accident with dad, we have become a LOT closer. We really had to lean on each other over that month; we were driving down to Brighton every single day to see dad on the ICU and on the Trauma ward until we were stopped from visiting - it was mentally and physically exhausting for the both of us, especially as we were still barely processing the trauma and struggling with flashbacks in the night. We were the first ones on the scene of the accident (if it weren't for mum's medical training, dad would not be alive today). Of course we still have our moments but I feel like our relationship almost "levelled up and matured over the past year. We have bonded over being in nature and walking (because what else can you do when the country is in lockdown!?! but also because we have always been an "outdoors" family (well my mum, Andi and me have))- we also talk about dad and the accident quite a bit too, which has helped me beyond belief (and her too). We give each other space, and yes there are days when we dont get on but who doesn't have days when they dont?

On balance I would say that home is "okay". It is manageable. No the environment is not perfect and I do find it affects my mental health quite a bit and holds me back in some ways (I cannot wait to be able to move out one day) but I am incredibly grateful to have parents that are willing to and can afford to take me under their roof and help me out during this time.

Gosh, this has already ended up so much longer than I thought it would, I am sorry! In short: home life is okay. We are here and that is the most important thing. We saw Andi a two-ish weeks ago as we were in Cornwall for our usual time-share (we were so lucky that Boris allowed self catering two weeks before our usual time share week) - I think it was good for them to get out of their flat as I don't think they had left the small area where they live since last September when we went down to Cornwall (I was given leave for a week as it was sold to my consultant to help my dad's recovery, which is definitely did but yes we did pull the right strings to get that one!)

Anyway, I shall leave this update here and start the mammoth task of the next one. I am sorry that this is taking me so long, it's quite hard to write and think back and reflect (although actually quite helpful for me to do) so I do find that I have to come back to it a few times. Please stick with me x

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I forgot to add that dad had an assessment before we went away to Cornwall to see whether he can have his driving license back and (as mum and I predicted) he failed. To say that he did not take it well would be putting it lightly!!! I am actually ashamed of the way that he behaved and the things that he said/the reasons he fabricated as to why he had failed (let's just say he got sexist and rude - which I have ZERO time for and was appalled by him - I am so glad I was not with him/mum after the assessment as I would have blown my fuse at hime). He could not even entertain the idea that he had failed. He blamed everything/anything else that he could - even saying that it was the system and one of the first things he said to me was "I understand now, I've worked it out, it's the system, they aren't allowed to pass many people first time so that's it", which I just *speechless*. Mum and I have talked about it a lot and we don't think that he has ever "failed" at anything in his life. He also believes that he is 10000%. fixed and has no issues or problems and doesn't need any support or guidance. He refuses to listen to mum and I when we try to tell him about how unwell he was, he refuses to believe it and won't take it. One thing that mum and I are very glad of is that all of this driving stuff is OUTSIDE of the family. He can't put it on us. It is coming from an external place and we can support him if he lets us but that is his decision as to whether he lets us or not. He has never been a good patient; and he also won't take any advice (in anything) from mum or let her be right about something either, which is just sad, really sad. This is not a new thing, it has always been this way. And the more I reflect on our family/have reflected over the past year with dad in hospital, the more I see that I don't like. The way dad has behaved and treated mum, how he was always missing in my childhood, how alcohol always came above family, how old fashioned and unwilling to learn he is, how distant and uninterested he was, how he never says please or thank you, never asks how anyone is and refuses to talk about mental health (yep, despite so much going on in our family with mental illnesses, he refuses to talk about it and won't even ask "how are you?" or offer support etc)...I don't mean to be so negative about him, I really don't. I love him, he is my dad, but there is a lot of healing that needs to be done, and it is going to take time.

#personal #update

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robininthelabyrinth · 4 years

Text

Three Gates - on ao3 (for content warnings check Ao3) - on tumblr: pt 1, pt 2, pt 3, pt 4

- Chapter 5 -

Lao Nie did not, in the end, cast them out, but there was dissatisfaction in his eyes, a certain coldness in his dealings with Meng Shi in particular – he was never intentionally cruel, as Meng Yao might have feared, but his visits to her courtyard stopped, and their dealings returned to those early days when she had been a stranger he had agreed to host rather than a member of the family.

It wasn’t as noticeable with Meng Yao, shifting from being treated as a ward of the family to a sect disciple like all the others, but it was – still noticeable.

Meng Yao tried not to complain, especially after the first time he overheard Nie Mingjue arguing with his father in his study about it. The study was built with thick stone and lined with tapestries to boot, but two explosive Nie tempers raging against each other was not an easy thing to muffle, especially to someone as good as eavesdropping as Meng Yao. The gist of it was that Nie Mingjue didn’t care about the politics of it, about the loss of face, and the only thing his father said that had even a slight impact on him was that it meant that they didn’t trust them.

There had been a brief moment of silence, the words hitting their mark and leaving a wound, and then Nie Mingjue started arguing again.

It wasn’t true that Meng Yao didn’t trust him, but Meng Yao didn’t know how to make that clear. If he told Nie Mingjue that he trusted him, Nie Mingjue would believe him, because they were brothers and good brothers believed each other, but it would be something he would do purposefully, intentionally, something he would make himself belief when what Meng Yao wanted was for him to know the truth of it deep down in his heart, in his core, in those steely principles of his that did not know how to bend.

So he didn’t tell him, and turned his attention to sect matters instead, determined to make himself useful.

(He could have gone to Nie Mingjue with his grievances, whispered them in his ear again and again until Nie Mingjue was willing to do anything for him – but love like that was a gamble that could be lost in a single throw of the dice, the way his mother had, and he didn’t want that. So he had to be useful, instead.)

Meng Yao threw himself into learning how the Unclean Realm operated, knowing that sect leaders were often too busy to handle the minutiae themselves; he studied the kitchens, the forges, the stables, and more with the same enthusiasm as his actual classes.

He tried to make himself useful, tried to make himself irreplaceable – and he was.

Being useful helped reduce the sting of the letters that appeared on his bedside table as if by magic, the letters that reminded him of his long-term plan to work his way into Wen Ruohan’s confidence by pretending that he could be coaxed into being his spy – the only thing that made it remotely tolerable was that Discussion Conferences happened only once a year, and Wen Ruohan was never invited to Qinghe beyond that.

The same could not be said of their other allies.

The small sects were easily disposed of, but not the Great Sects; of them, only the Lan sect came in force to pay a visit to the Unclean Realm – and so Meng Yao was properly introduced to Lan Xichen for the first time.

Lan Xichen was everything Meng Yao ever imagined a cultivator to be: kind and gentle, graceful and polite, a proper well-born gentleman that would never let a harsh word pass through his lips, while also being talented in every art, powerful in his cultivation, and handsome to the point of beauty – basically perfect, without any of Nie Mingjue’s flaws: his temper, rigidity, obvious naivete, and carelessness.

Naturally, Meng Yao couldn’t stand him.

Maybe it would have been different if he’d met him a few years earlier, or even a few years later. Maybe he would have felt seen, seen and appreciated, because Lan Xichen truly did seem to appreciate him, his talents, his intelligence, everything. Maybe Lan Xichen would have become the white moonlight in his heart, forever out of reach, or maybe Meng Yao would have let his worst tendencies overtake him until he sought to conquer him, to lie to him until he stood by his side even to the point of forsaking his own principles, to keep him all for himself and no one else, because Lan Xichen’s one flaw was that he was too much a gentleman, that he gave out trust as if it were nothing and always thought the best of people, that he sympathized with whoever seemed to spill their heart to him first –

Meng Yao could have had him wrapped around his little finger in no time.

You say you’re his friend, Meng Yao thought, glaring, but you were at that awful Discussion Conference last year, too, and where were you when he needed you? Asleep, that’s where!

Possibly he was a little jealous.

Jealous of the way Nie Mingjue seemed flattered by Lan Xichen’s attention, almost riveted by it, as if Lan Xichen were better than he was and his views more important; jealous of the way Nie Huaisang’s eyes were always trained on the “pretty gege” that came to visit them every morning; jealous of how Lan Xichen seemed to have everything Meng Yao had ever wanted in the world served up to him on a platter.

No, he couldn’t stand him, perfect creature that he was. Meng Yao would make nice with him and wait for him to leave, and that would be that.

Naturally, about a week after he made that decision, Lan Xichen found Meng Yao alone in the garden one afternoon and confessed his affections.

“I…what?” Meng Yao gaped at him. “You like me?”

Lan Xichen’s cheeks were beautiful when they flushed red. “I admire you.”

He’d said more than that – he’d said that Meng Yao was brilliant and graceful, thoughtful and level-headed, talented and hard-working, a tragic figure that had overcome his circumstances through his own efforts – but Meng Yao was still having trouble believing he’d managed to pull the wool over this beautiful boy’s eyes without even trying.

(Meng Yao was all of those things, yes, except that he was also a spiteful son of a bitch and after enough years with the Nie sect, which valued straightforwardness and honesty, he was self-aware enough to know it.)

If he still listened to his mother’s advice above his own instincts, perhaps Meng Yao would have smiled shyly, averted his eyes and accepted the compliment, perhaps offered to hold his hand while he was there – per Nie sect rules, they weren’t old enough for more than butterfly kisses, so even if he was repulsed, which he secretly wasn’t at all, he could have managed it – and maybe suggested keeping up a correspondence, planning for the future. It was never a bad idea to have another patron in your back pocket, after all.

Perhaps it was the corruption of the sect’s principles, some of Nie Mingjue’s righteousness rubbing off on him, or just the fact that Meng Yao and his mother were having a bit of a cold period between them as she tried to get back into Lao Nie’s good graces (or worse, Jin Guangshan’s, even after everything) in what Meng Yao thought were all the wrong ways and for all the wrong reasons, but he decided not to do that.

He decided to be a little more honest, instead.

“Your view of me is idealized,” he said, more delicately than Nie Mingjue’s bluntness would have been. “There’s nothing ennobling about hardship, and being piteous can eventually become as tiring as being pitied. You would be better off waiting to learn more about me to see if you actually like me, or else you might as well just paint a picture and live with your dreams of me instead.”

Lan Xichen’s eyes filled with tears, even though Meng Yao had been trying to be nice, and he made some excuses before running away. When Nie Mingjue found him later, Meng Yao told him about it, and Nie Mingjue hummed thoughtfully.

“His mother is very sickly,” he said. “I heard that she can’t leave her house; per Lan sect rules, as boys, Xichen and his brother are only able to visit her once a month – otherwise, they only have pictures.”

Meng Yao put his head in his hands. “So you’re saying I accidentally poked at his most vulnerable point. While trying to be nice.”

He needed to get his hands on better information than he had. Maybe his mother had the right idea after all about figuring out what people wanted…

“I think it’s a good thing,” Nie Mingjue said. “The Lan sect only allow themselves to love once, which is a stupid rule, but imagine if he committed to someone and then realized he’d made a mistake?” He paused. “Not that you’d be a mistake, of course.”

“Of course not, I’m perfect and everything about me is more important than other people,” Meng Yao said, only somewhat joking.

Nie Mingjue cuffed him upside the head, but nodded agreeably – still a fool, after all these years.

“Still, I suppose that’s one useful connection I’ve ruined,” Meng Yao added with a sigh. “He won’t want to see me again.”

Nie Mingjue snorted. “You’re joking, right? The only thing you’ve done is add ‘insightful’ to the list of qualities he likes about you. He’ll still want to write to you, I promise – only maybe he won’t be quite so quick to pity you.”

For once, Nie Mingjue’s guess about people turned out to be the right one, and Lan Xichen turned out to be a lot more tolerable when you could tease him out of his Lan-sect otherworldliness.

Meng Yao supposed he could stand him after all.

(He was so very pretty. Even in the brothels, with all the paint and tricks in the world, Meng Yao had never met anyone who looked better than he did.)

It helped that Lan Xichen had the good taste to appreciate all the good aspects of Nie Huaisang, who at four was starting to turn into an actual person – a lazy spoiled brat of a person, sure, but Meng Yao couldn’t really blame him for it, not when Nie Mingjue was the sort of person to yell ‘no’ at an outrageous request and then give in immediately thereafter because the person he’d yelled at looked sad.

The doctors confirmed that Nie Huaisang would be weak all his life, his body underdeveloped in the womb, but the only thing that meant was that Meng Yao and Nie Mingjue had to work even harder to make sure the third young master of Qinghe would have a good life, untroubled and carefree.

And they could do it, too: Nie Mingjue had a general’s mind and the strength to back it up, with a frankly outrageous talent for cultivating that Meng Yao had incorrectly assumed was the result of starting early but eventually realized from the expressions of their teachers was in fact idiosyncratic, and Meng Yao had the cunning and paranoia he inherited from his mother. His own cultivation was progressing very nicely, his outstanding memory helping him pick up techniques as soon as he saw them and helping him figure out how to best utilize his speed and flexibility – aspects that would have made him a good swordsman, though Meng Yao found that all those years of seemingly pointless training had strengthened his arms and shoulders enough that his only slightly subpar saber skills tended to catch others by surprise.

He thought he wasn’t far away from receiving his own saber, his Chiwen, right within the usual age range for it, and when that happened he would at last be safe, only one final confirmatory mission away from being a full-fledged Nie sect disciple who knelt before his sect leader to swear loyalty. The conditions for expelling a disciple from the sect were very strict, codified in sect law – barring any premeditated murder, rape, or arson or suchlike, once in, it would be very hard to force him to leave except if he wanted to.

He could stay forever.

He would stay forever.

#mdzs #meng yao #jin guangyao #nie mingjue #lan xichen #xiyao #nieyao #my fic #my fics #three gates

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lov3nerdstuff · 3 years

Text

Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 7.13}

*Severus Snape x OC*

Summary: It is the year 1983 when the ordinary life of Robin Mitchell takes a drastic turn: she is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the struggles of being a muggle-born in Slytherin, she soon discovers her passion for Potions, and even manages the impossible: gaining the favor of Severus Snape. Throughout the years, Robin finds that the not quite so ordinary Potions Professor goes from being a brooding stranger to being more than she had ever deemed possible. An ally, a mentor, a friend... and eventually, the person she loves the most. Through adventure, prophecies and the little struggles of daily life in a castle full of mysteries, Robin chooses a path for herself, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, and two people abandoned by the world can finally find a home.

General warnings: professor x student, blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 5.4k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

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"Miss Mitchell, perhaps you could lower your wand first of all, so that we can discuss this issue without further violence." McGonagall finally stated, and Robin reluctantly did as she was told for the mere sake of a peaceful solution, but she took another step backwards and kept her wand at the ready nonetheless.

"This girl, this… student, she attacked me out of nowhere!" Morgan began stating his story, unasked, but McGonagall still turned to listen with a neutral expression and so did Robin. "We just so happened to stumble upon each other right here in this spot, after curfew may I add, and when I asked about her destination, she simply attacked me! I might have died if you hadn't found us!"

Robin let out the tiniest huff that luckily went unnoticed by either professor, and otherwise kept her neutral facade in place quite successfully for once this evening. She could prove Morgan's story wrong if she wanted to… because as much as he had been trying to get her to react, he had missed the fact that she would have multiple pieces of evidence against him in return. But for once Robin simply kept her mouth shut; if the issue was brought before the headmaster, which it surely would, she could spare herself the effort now and tell her story only once when the time had come.

"You should pay Poppy a visit if you are so gravely injured, Damion. The hospital wing certainly will be a better place for you right now than the headmaster's office." McGonagall stated, and Robin almost would've snorted at her dismissive tone. "But I suggest you return Miss Mitchell's property to her before you go."

Robin's train of thought halted for a moment, but she didn't allow herself to frown. How did McGonagall know about that? She would have to have witnessed their encounter to some length at least to be aware of the situation, which meant that she must have seen that Robin had merely defended herself. Perhaps it didn't look so bleak for her after all! But why would she let Morgan go without addressing his assault on Robin? Gods, things were getting complicated beyond her control again.

Grumbling something about mere evidence, Morgan grabbed the necklace from his pocket and tossed it at Robin with a sneer. She had a hard time catching it, but he probably hadn't intended her to in the first place. While she slipped it into her pocket, her eyes stayed on the two teachers in front of her.

"Don't believe a word she says, she's a brilliant liar." Morgan said to McGonagall, as he started limping down the hallway towards the infirmary like he'd been told to. "And remember that I would have kept the necklace as evidence of her crimes, if my broken bones aren't enough of that already."

"Don't worry, Damion, I will take care of the situation appropriately." McGonagall replied in an odd mixture of reassurance and accusation, and for a moment Robin wondered if she was wrong about the necklace issue. Morgan didn't seem to think that it was a tell of his lies, nor did McGonagall make any attempt to hold him accountable for what he had done. Perhaps Robin was missing something? Perhaps there was another way for her to know?

"Come, dear…" The transfiguration professor finally said in a quiet tone, once Morgan was definitely out of earshot. Then she led Robin down the hallway she had come from, and finally motioned for her to sit down on a windowsill. It briefly crossed Robin's mind that Snape must be waiting for her by now, but she could hardly leave the situation at a time like this.

"I apologise for the inconvenience, Professor." Robin finally said after a few seconds of silence, when she didn't know what else to say. "I'm aware that you had something else to do tonight, and I certainly didn't mean to keep you from it."

"And how would you know about that?" McGonagall frowned down at her for a moment, but then sighed as she answered her own question. "Severus. Of course."

"I was keeping him company on his patrol tonight. To catch up after the holidays."

"I can hardly imagine you having a lot to catch up on, after spending the entire summer together."

"You-..."

"I know all about the two of you, yes. The headmaster told me himself, and I also happen to have two very good eyes I occasionally make use of." McGonagall was quick to reply, however without any judgement to her tone, merely factuality. "But that is entirely besides the point right now."

"Right…" Robin said, taking a deep breath. "The point is that I attacked a teacher, or rather that Morgan accuses me of it. Either way, I will spare you the story; you probably wouldn't believe it anyway."

"Your lack of faith in me is disappointing. But I must admit it seems rather reasonable, in the light of past occurrences where –unfortunately– I was led to put more faith into Damion's word than in yours. I apologise for this grave mistake. Not only did I come to see the error in it a while ago, but this time I happen to have witnessed the entire incident myself." McGonagall sighed, then gave Robin a sympathetic look. "I am sorry that he hurt you, dear. Truly."

"But if you saw what happened… You heard what he said, saw what he did… Why did you just let him leave like that? Why didn't you stop him?!"

"I have my orders, whether I agree with them or not. I am merely to observe, and report back to the headmaster. But don't you think for a second that I didn't want to intervene when Damion laid hands on you! I might very well have, if you hadn't started defending yourself at last."

"I appreciate that, Professor." Robin gave her a small smile, and subconsciously started massaging the ache in her shoulder in an attempt to lessen it somehow. "Both, the apology and your help. Will you tell the headmaster what really happened? And what about Morgan?"

"He will be taken care of, no doubt. It is for Professor Dumbledore to decide over his fate, but you should try to stay out of his way nonetheless."

"That's what I've been trying to do for the last six years." Robin couldn't help snorting in irony. "But as it seems, no act to deal with him proved effective in the long run."

"Act? What do you-..." McGonagall was cut off by hurried footsteps approaching them, and when Robin saw a cloud of black rounding the corner, her entire being sighed in relief. Not that McGonagall was bad company, on the contrary really, but nothing could beat the comfort and safety she felt with Snape.

"What on earth is going on here?" He snapped at McGonagall in the very moment he was close enough, sending a menacing glare at his colleague while Robin rose to her feet even though she wasn't being addressed. "I certainly hope you have a good explanation for this, Minerva. What is it this time that you accuse Robin of?"

"Professor McGonagall was kind enough to help me, actually." Robin said before the professor could give an answer herself, trying to shortcut the discussion she saw coming between the two, and Snape turned around to her in an instant only for his scowling facade to drop immediately when his eyes fell upon her. Robin saw his impulse to react, followed by a sudden halt when he seemed to remember that they weren't alone. She might as well take that concern off his mind right now. "She knows. Dumbledore told her."

That seemed to suffice for him to know what she meant, and in conclusion to ignore the other professor entirely as he stepped closer to Robin and brought his hand to the curve of her neck, inspecting what Robin believed to be her by now bruised shoulder with a deeply concerned expression. "What happened?"

"Morgan." Robin replied under her breath, as she focused on the very much welcome touch for once, even though he dropped his hand mere seconds later. "He was… worse. So much worse than the last times."

"If the bruise and the bleeding scratch on your neck are anything to go by, I would have to agree." He grumbled with a returning scowl, but Robin knew that it wasn't meant for her. "If I had been there, I would have-..."

"I know." Robin interrupted him with a more or less reassuring half smile. "I know. But it happened like it did, and it's over for now. When you found us, Professor McGonagall was just saying that the issue will be taken care of by the headmaster himself."

"Yes, and we all have seen just how successful that has been the last few times." Snape drawled in sarcasm as he looked over to McGonagall in obvious disdain for the idea. "What do you think how often I have reported these occurrences to the headmaster, only for my words to be entirely disregarded? Do you seriously believe that he will take the necessary actions this time?"

"That isn't for me to judge." McGonagall replied evasively, and even Robin could tell that the professor didn't seem content with her answer herself. What was going on behind the scenes here that Robin was missing? Obviously there had to be something more to it all, if Dumbledore had tasked McGonagall with spying on Morgan in the first place.

"You can tell Albus that should I ever find myself a witness of Damion purposely harming anyone at all, I will see to it that he no longer can." Snape said in a threatening calm, keeping his bone chilling gaze on McGonagall who however seemed absolutely unbothered by it.

"In that case you might be pleased to know that Miss Mitchell sent him straight to the hospital wing tonight. There was no necessity for me to get involved, seeing as she is very much capable of taking care of herself." McGonagall replied easily now while giving Snape a look, for perhaps she too knew that his anger wasn't even directed at her in that moment. "What I very much intend to do now however is to ensure that she shouldn't have the necessity to do so again."

Snape in return quirked an eyebrow at his colleague first, while the scowl faded slowly, then he took a glimpse down at Robin and the corners of his lips quirked up for the briefest moment. "I wish I had seen that."

"I wish I hadn't." Robin said with a sad half smile up at him. "I could have done well without the entire counter."

"I will leave you two to it, then." McGonagall stated before the conversation that started to exclude her more and more could continue. "There is still plenty of work for me to do, and I believe both of you are well taken care of now."

"Yes. Thank you again, Professor. I hope you have a good night, despite this incident." Robin answered her before Snape could say anything overly defensive, which he surely would have done upon his colleague's choice of words.

With a small smile, the transfiguration professor gave them an almost approving nod, then made her quick way down the hallway, and disappeared around the nearest corner a few seconds later. When she was out of sight, Robin couldn't help releasing a drawn out breath and dropping her forehead against Snape's upper arm, which was the only point of him she could currently reach.

"This night really turned into a thorough clusterfuck." She groaned under her breath. "I'm just glad McGonagall showed up when she did."

"Did she actually help you?" He asked quietly, and held perfectly still to keep her head in place. "Or was that merely a twisted truth?"

"It's more complicated than that." Robin sighed under her breath and lifted her head to look up at him with tired eyes. "Perhaps we should just continue patrol and forget about it."

"Absolutely not. But say, were you able to drop off Miss Parlow with Pomona before this… incident?"

"Yes. Sprout sends you her thanks and she hopes we have a good night. I was just on my way back from her office to meet you when Morgan found me."

"In that case, I believe we have done enough patrolling for tonight."

"It's not even midnight…" Robin frowned up at him, but the mere prospect of going to one of her safe places sooner than expected sufficed to make it more of a loose statement than a protest. "Aren't we supposed to be out here until two?"

"Unlike what I believed up to the most recent past, I now couldn't care less about what is supposed to be. If assault on students is simply disregarded by the headmaster, he certainly won't mind half a night without patrol either."

"I wish I could bring myself to disagree with that reasoning, but I'm just beyond done with tonight, and even more so with Dumbledore's bloody secrets. That man clearly knows more than he tells us, and I will find out what that's about. Just not now." She sighed. "If I have to see one more professor tonight, I swear I'll scream."

Snape merely quirked an eyebrow at her in amusement while a not-smirk played on his lips, and it took Robin a few seconds to get it, but then she rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and had to smile as well before they started towards the dungeons.

"I didn't mean YOU, obviously!" She groaned as they crossed through the hallways. "I would keep you around me all day if I could."

"Would you really?"

"We literally spent all day every day together for eight bloody weeks, do you seriously even have to ask at this point?"

"I suppose I don't." He mused, while they made their way down the spiral staircase and towards the office. "Actually, I have never before thought it such a shame that the summer is over."

"There's always next summer." Robin shrugged, but immediately regretted it when both her shoulder and her neck hurt with new intensity, and she let out a pained hiss in return. "Bloody Morgan… Now that one bruise is finally fading, I already have got the next to deal with. And this one's gonna be a pain to cover up."

"To think that he did this to you on purpose… that he did it at all… You would do well to give me a good reason not to find Morgan and end him in this very instant."

"Who would patch me up if you left now, huh?" She tried with a half smile up at him, one that was meant to be encouraging but probably looked a bit too sad for that. "And what would you say to him? You have no idea what really happened…"

"He hurt you. Again. What could possibly be worse to know than that?"

"You'll see." She answered under her breath, not even sure if he had heard her or not, and they finally entered the office a moment later. Gods, it was good to be back… Robin had missed the place.

"I have a dittany balm that will heal the scratch, but the bruise will simply take time as always. Would you like a draught against the pain?" Snape asked after he had locked the door behind them, obviously sharing Robin's wish for some much needed solitude.

"No, it's alright. Compared to getting stabbed, it hardly even hurts at all." She huffed to herself with a twisted smile at the absurdity of the sentence that was now perfectly normal for her to say. "But I'll gladly take that balm. I can't deal with open wounds, I tend to scratch them open until they get worse and worse."

"Let me guess, you forget about it and pick at them while lost in thought?"

"Unfortunately."

"Very recognizable." He sighed, then pulled a jar with an almost unreadable label out of the shelves. "Apply this in a thin layer on your neck."

"Will you do it for me? Please?" Robin asked with an almost too desperate, too hopeful expression, and a much too quiet tone. "I can't... see the scratch, and I can hardly lift my arm without hurting my shoulder even more. Would you…?"

"Of course." He replied in the same manner, then reluctantly came close enough to see to the task himself.

It took exactly one brush of Snape's hand against her skin, while he carefully moved her hair out of the way, to erase any discomfort within Robin's mind that the previous encounters, or rather the overall day had left. She couldn't help but marvel at her mind and body's response to his touch, to all of him in general, and she stood perfectly still while she allowed herself to focus on the pleasant feeling of his chilled fingers on the burning skin of her neck. Ripping a necklace off was way more painful than movies made it out to be, especially when the chain was quite that tough and bit into the skin like a saw. But having his gentle touch on her neck now really was as soothing for her mind as the balm was for her skin, and she found herself melting into a pleasant mess of electric tingles right beneath his fingertips. If only she didn't have to keep getting injured first for such fleeting moments of physical closeness… but then again, she really wasn't doing it on purpose. The scratches on her neck were healed and fading all too soon, and when he carefully brushed her hair from her unhurt shoulder to her back again, Robin couldn't suppress the pleasant shiver that ran all through her.

"Are you cold?" He asked in return to seeing the goosebumps on her skin, but luckily he moved to put the jar back into its space on the shelf and didn't focus on the colour rising to Robin's cheeks in an instant.

"Mostly tired, actually. I think coffee should solve either problem." She replied with a small sigh, then dropped down in her usual seat. Honestly, she had missed the office. But she had missed Snape even more, even during that one stupid week alone. Pathetic… but what could she do. "Does our agreement still stand, even with only half a night of patrol?"

"I would make you coffee for the rest of my life if that could undo what Morgan did to you yet again." He mumbled as he moved to prepare their mugs that by now were as much a staple in the office as all the potions and books.

"It's not your fault that this happened, you know that, right?"

"If I hadn't asked you to come with me, or even worse, asked you to do my own bloody work for me, you would never have run into him."

"I didn't just run into him, I'm fairly sure of that. He sought me out on purpose. And he could've done that at any given point at all, if not tonight, perhaps tomorrow or the day after. Unless you were planning on escorting me every single day to every single place I go, I doubt that there's anything you could've done to prevent this from happening."

"What exactly is 'this', then? You said that it is worse than before, you said it is complicated. But you have avoided speaking of it as anything other than a tragic accident, which it clearly was not." He asked as he placed their coffees on the small table and sat down in his chair across from her, while his eyes however never left hers. "Tell me about it."

"No. You will have to look into my mind if you want to know." She returned quietly, reluctant and yet desperate for him to finally see, to understand. "I can't bring myself to repeat what he said, what he did… You and I have done this before in moments like this, where I-…" For a second she paused, swallowed the lump in her throat, and only then went on. "You know it will tell you more than my words ever could. Please."

"Are you certain you are comfortable with that?"

"Without a doubt. I'm honestly more concerned about you right now."

"Why?"

"Because I know what you will see, and I would gladly spare you from the consequences of that. But you have to know, even if you won't like it."

"I don't understand."

"You will." She sighed under her breath, then focused on locking everything up that he wasn't supposed to see. Hiding a love like that was getting nigh impossible at this point, but she knew she had to, so she did. Then her focus was back on his eyes. "Ready when you are."

He mirrored her posture, mirrored her focus, then Robin felt the prickle in the back of her mind that by now didn't even hurt at all. It was merely a matter of access and resistance; if she didn't fight, there was no pain. If she let him into her mind willingly, it was almost… pleasant. In a way. She shook off the thought immediately, only too glad that he hadn't seen it. They had more pressing matters to deal with now.

It didn't take long to go through her recent memory, starting from the point where Robin had left Sprout's door behind. Then her encounter with Morgan, how he had pressed her into the wall, how he had taken her locket, how he had made abundantly clear that he thought of her as his in whatever sick game he was playing. Finally the situation with McGonagall, which Robin still saw in a positive light after all, even if the professor had let matters proceed as far as they had. It left Robin feeling betrayed by the teacher who would have been supposed to help her, but at the same time understanding of the employee who had been forbidden to, and sympathetic for the woman stuck in the middle. Any anger she felt was solely directed at Morgan now, and perhaps Dumbledore as well. That's where her memories ran out, and Robin was left alone in her mind once more, almost suffering an actual feeling of loss for a few seconds, before her focus was drawn out of her head and to the man in front of her instead.

The expression on Snape's face almost broke her heart. Shock, repulsion, anger, incredulity… just to name a few. She wanted to make it better, to comfort him from the horrors of her own pain, to make that it never happened. But all she could do was look back at him and try not to cry while her heart was racing once again.

"I'm so sorry…" She managed to say in a whisper, not trusting her voice enough to speak any louder without cracking. She didn't know what exactly she was apologising for, all of it perhaps, but she felt guilty enough to do so nonetheless. "Please don't be angry."

"I am not angry." He finally replied, in perfect grave neutrality. Gods… that wasn't a good sign. "Anger doesn't make you want to do unspeakable things to someone. Anger doesn't make you want to kill them with such a burning urge for it to hurt."

"Don't…"

"And whyever not?!" He snapped and Robin jumped in her seat, which at least got his scrutinising expression to soften ever so slightly in obvious regret. "I have done worse before, Robin, you will surely know that. I have killed people and I have spent years hating myself for it beyond any measure. But for you I would do it again, anytime, without a second thought."

"And that is exactly why I could never let you do it indeed." Her voice was surprisingly steady, considering the rousing waves of overwhelming electricity surging through her upon his words. He meant every bit of what he was saying, she knew that all too well, and she swore to herself that she would never let it come that far. She loved him far too much to let him do that to himself. "I know you would, and it means more to me than you can imagine. But I won't be the reason for your misery."

"What is misery to this… Are you so unaware that I am devastated every single time you get hurt?! How can I let him get away with all that he has done to you, how can I let him live when I know he will do it again? Can you tell me that?"

"How could I let you kill someone only to then spend the rest of my life without my best friend after they send you to bloody Azkaban?! How could I live with myself knowing that I'm the reason for your death, because that's just what that hellhole of a prison is and you know it!" Robin snapped right back, and Snape turned to look away with a huff in frustration. He didn't move away, didn't even lean back in the slightest as he scowled at the wall across the room, and Robin knew that her arguments were getting through to him. If he wanted it or not. She was right, and there was no denying it, not even for the master of deceit. She would make him understand her truth. "If getting to live without Morgan for the next year means living without you forever, then I will gladly let him torture me as much as he fancies. A mere bloody year of pathetic quarrels with a delusional man in exchange for your life, a bloody year to keep you by my side for the rest of mine… I will gladly do that, for both of us. Without a second thought even."

"What if you don't make it to the end of that year in the first place? What if Morgan finally loses it entirely and chooses to kill you tomorrow, or next week, or next month?!"

"You forget that Morgan is an absolute idiot who surrendered to me more times in the past than he can even count up to. He's just a bully with a title, an asshole we can't get rid of for some reason that we will find out about eventually. We will be fine, just like we were before. You and I, together." Robin said calmly now, with a softness she just couldn't help. But he still wouldn't look at her, even if his expression had turned from a scowl to frustration and despair now, and Robin did the only thing she knew to work when he was stuck in the darkest corners of his own mind like this. She took his hand, and held onto it tightly. "Please, Severus… Be better with me."

Finally his eyes snapped back to hers, wide with surprise and something deeply vulnerable, and Robin immediately knew why. She never used his first name, never used any name for him at all… and now that she had, it seemed to have such an impact on him that the despair from before was washed away with a start. For a moment he simply held her gaze, without any readable expression at all, then he shifted his hand beneath hers to intertwine their fingers ever so gently, but in utmost certainty no less. Robin's heart skipped a beat, and another and another and then it settled into a steady drumming that might very well be heard in the entire castle. Gods, he did inexplicable things to her without even being aware.

"I will do anything to keep you safe, you know that." He said at last, in a quiet calm for the first time in hours. "But I have to agree, I cannot protect you when I am sentenced to a lifetime in Azkaban."

"I'm glad we are on the same page now." Robin returned with a small smile. "With killing Morgan out of the question and my act blown, we need a new strategy to deal with him though. Most of our more successful plans were a product of both our minds, and I doubt it will be different this time."

"Indeed. What do you suggest?"

"We might as well properly protect ourselves and each other when he tries to harm either of us from here on. But we can't be the ones to attack him first." She stated, and another shiver ran down her back when his hold on her hand tightened for a moment, still laced together with hers quite so perfectly. "Just because I want us to stick to defense doesn't mean we can't hurt him when he tries to hurt us."

Now that brought a small smirk to his lips at last, and he actually seemed to somewhat relax for the first time all night. "I can live with that."

"Good." She couldn't help smiling in return. "I think he got a good glimpse of that strategy tonight already. Fighting back I certainly did."

"I cannot believe that of all his vile words, it was his threat against me that finally made you react in the end."

"What's so hard to believe about that? You say you would kill for me, what makes you doubt that I would do the same for you?"

"I know better than to doubt you, Robin. But it is… an unfamiliar situation for me to find myself on the receiving end of such loyalty." He said in mild discomfort about whatever thought had accompanied his words, then however the expression passed and he was back to the usual calm. "It is easy being loyal to the ones in power, but staying loyal to someone who isn't perched in the heavens is an entirely different thing."

"I agree. But when you choose to stay with that someone through heavens or hell or anything in between, it's not about loyalty anymore, but about sincere and unconditional attachment. Or devotion."

"I have never been on the receiving end of that either. Not before… you."

"Well, then you better get used to it now." Robin kept her gaze fixed on his, giving him an encouraging smile along with her words, while however she tried her best to suppress the hollowing sadness that crept through the cracks of her mind upon his words. She knew the feeling all too well… having to run after people's affection if she wanted to receive any at all. Never being a first choice, never being the one others were devoted to. But all that had changed, he had brought that change into her life. And she was beyond glad to hear that she was doing the same for him. "Because I have no intention to stop. No matter what you do, what anyone does, I won't stop bothering you."

"Good." The smirk was back, as was a hint of a tease. "Who would keep me from drinking my coffee until it goes cold if not my favourite nuisance?"

"Hey!" Robin laughed at last, glad that the tension in the room was finally resolved entirely. "Without that nuisance, you wouldn't be here drinking coffee in the first place."

"Indeed, I would long be dead by now."

"Why on earth is that?"

"Isn't it obvious?" He quirked an eyebrow at her in that lovely feigned indifference. "If I had been alone with all those dunderheads over the years, I would long have perished from all the unsolicited nonsense and sheer idiocy of the common student. Or… the common professor."

Robin let out a way too loud snort, then an almost helpless giggle, and finally just had to grin down at her almost cold coffee. When her face finally wasn't a telltale of sheer adoration anymore, she looked up once again only to find Snape stifling a smile as well. Yeah, they probably would be alright from here on. If only Robin would stop wanting yet more.

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