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marengogo · 3 months

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one of the things that social media training aims is -

Cultivating proper social media etiquette :- social media can make or break celebraties, especially today. With the help of media training, celebraties can learn how to properly engage with people on social media.

that's what a internet says. and if you're sharing content from fans that smh implies that you're endorsing content from said fan accounts. you might not think this way but many do and the Thousands of comments on that @/taekookupdate accounts do feel the same.

about the comment on @/chikoritajjk yes it was necessary and needed cause i have ignored their comment last time to my ask i sent to someone but everytime it can't be the solution right? and if you think my tone was wrong let me tell you chikoritajjk ain't a saint where they talk with "let's have discussion" kinda thing cause i do remember when i sent an ask to someone to which they replied their tone was "what the hell people think they're? do think they have right to do this that, why do they think so Highly of themselves blah blah" and in my whole ask i never once used any curse language or accusatory tone in my that ask but chikoritajjk decided to reply with that tone so i know better. i ignored them last time and even this time i didn't say anything bad to them. i also have all the rights to comment on people who replies to my ask as chikoritajjk did so yes it was needed. they would be surprised to know how many times they have agreed to my other asks i have sent to other people where they have commented with "agreee 💯" like many times and that was the reason i ignored their comment on one of my ask i sent to other blog thinking that everyone is not gonna agree with you every single time.

idt there's further discussion needed on this topic cause atleast I'm done with this. i believe what i believe and nothing is going to change that so I'm putting this at rest from my side. this will be my last reply that's it.

⚠️WARNING⚠️ : Heavy cynicism up ahead, proceed with caution!

Hello Anon & Everyone,

As promised, the following are my points to your ask, replied under your self-declared last post for this topic. So let’s go out with a bang shall we?

"why are you here if you think you're right" because i saw you saying that "Imagine if i have to check every acct i post from......" Thing where you directly indirectly said some people who think like this ain't gonna survive if jkk turned out to be not dating so i replied cause I'm a jkkr and no i don't think they're dating and i also do think tae should have double checked the acct before reposting.

I will admit, this part had me a little confused. How did I indirectly say anything? I clearly said, and I repeat, some people will not survive if jikook turns out to not be real. Some people, such as myself, won’t if JK & JM turn out to just be friends, because we love them regardless. Some people, such as whoever person in the world to whom this may apply, will have existential crisis if JK & JM turn out to not be lovers. How am I responsible for the fact that you decided to associate yourself with the second group? If you don’t relate, don’t retaliate … I’ll keep repeating this until it sinks. If you are part of the first group of some people and being disappointed in Tae, then be part of that, or any other combination. That’s why I said some, because obviously I didn’t mean all … not sure how else to explain this but I hope it makes sense.

So i thought blogs are where you have discussions even when you're not agreeing to things so i did that but just got to know that you're supposed to block and scroll down.

… We’ve already discussed this part in my previous answer. If you want to discuss, let’s discuss. If you come out gun blazing, let’s have a shoot out yadda yadda yadda.

"the problem is is that the account is shipper account and no one's ready to have that conversation" for some people it might be like that but since you replied to my ask saying this let me clear this that i don't care if he's posting from shipper acct or any kind of acct my problem is that is anti and now unintentionally it got 42k around followers space where people belive he posted it after checking the acct so now they have all the rights to continue their hate.

You see … damn … you almost had a point, but you fumbled the ball. So it is not about the fact that they are a shipper, which is the only thing that Tae could have assumed scrolling “really quickly” on a picture app, because i mean if the page is called taekook and in the first couple of pictures is only JK and Tae, not in NSFW, one could also, at the very least, think that this is a Tae and JK biased account, cus, what type of picture screams ANTI!? The pinned post, the english one. You will agree with me that it would take more than 3 seconds for a non english speaker to figure that one out, right? So if he by chance just so happened to keep opening posts with english written letters, and he has only so much time in a day in the military and all he is just not going to interact with ARMY because SOME ARMY have made it so that this fandom at the moment is a trap after trap after trap? … OH BTW, IF I EVER GET THE APPROPRIATE TIME AGAIN, I’M COMING FOR SOME OF Y’ALL IN TWITTER ARMY! 😎… Because YES, once again, it could have been the page of someone very dangerous, all the likes we listed previously, BUT as you just admitted is not even/really/primarily that, it’s more the fact that this is a JM anti hence the perpetuation of JM’s hatred for lack of Media training, which should have thought each member how to avoid situations where they cause endorsed hatred (I’m assuming you mean that for every member by the way) those are not the words you chose, but I think I summaries it quite well, which brings us to our next point:

Yes he's not responsible for what people think but he's responsible for what he posts. Media training is there for a reason if he had time to check his name tag I'm sure more 10 sec wouldn't have caused much problem. You said one scroll always don't tell you about the acct which i agree and i would have been fine again if those anti posts were down the page i would have assumed he didn't scroll that down and it's fine but ths posts are up there so in this case 10 sec would have been enough.

You know who has the most effective and I’d dare say perfect Media Training? According to your internet search: Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. Don’t interact with anyone. Don’t go for interviews. Don’t stop for nobody. Just post pictures and keep it moving. But BTS is not like that is it? BTS loves interacting with ARMY, and ARMY loves interacting with BTS. It’s just how our fandom is right? As the fandom got bigger and deranged, some things had to change them leaving Twitter, for example … but no matter the threat, the hate, the dragging, they keep coming to us because it is not all of ARMY, it is SOME ARMY which can y’all even be called ARMY at this point?

Furthermore, not tryna throw JM under the bus but, wouldn’t you agree with me that every time that JM mentjons JK, he causes so much dragging, we’d get ot the core of planet Earth? Is JM endorsing himself being dragged? Or dragging JK at that, are we getting a 2 for 1 coupon? I mean, that letter he sent, according to your definition of media training was waaaay off the mark if you ask me. I’m I implying that JM doesn’t have the right to talk about whatever the fuck he wants, whenever the fuck he wants when it is something related to himself, even if it will MOST CERTAINLY cause dragging? Many of you out there don’t realise that VMIN are actually different sides of the same coin, or ying-yang, etc. You’d think by now some of y’all would have noticed, but …

AND DON’T EVEN GET ME STARTED WITH IU’S!! HOW COULD SHE!!! In her new song, the one that is going to come out on the 24th you know? Love Wins All, is presently the craze of some tkk shippers because IU is wearing a lip ring, a black hoodie and seems to be very comfy with a camera; I mean ... JK much so then ... is Tae JM? (His outfit thus far seems to match with something JM would wear, so hey! YOU NEVER KNOW 🤡🤡🤡)? That’s what they are obviously adding dots to, because you know JK is the only to have ever wore a lip ring, with a hoodie while being interested in filming 🤡🤡🤡… Media Training classes had the lowest attendance in the history of SK if you ASK ME! … Students nowadays! Honestly, no respect! We should bring back hand smacking I tell you!

I hate it when people thinks that just because we're pointing out something it's gotta have something to do with "shipping" when we don't care about it that's why i replied. That's all i wanted to clear although i do have things to say but it's waste of time so it's agree to disagree situation.

If that’s how you feel, you are free to feel however you want to feel. If I could suggest something though, you could really benefit with substituting ALL/WE with SOME/I cause who is we? Some of Twitter “ARMY” we? I’ll have you know that some of the people who were disappointed in Tae did not feel how you did and there was definitely no projection on their part, so just putting that out there. Also, start caring less about what people think, I believe BTS has had to embrace this particular thought process in order to be able to carry on. It can be difficult at times, and you’ll need lots of practice, but it can be done TRUST ME, or don’t! up to you.

I don’t know what you wrote, but cursing isn’t the only grammatical structure which makes a sentence offensive, people have different triggers, unfortunately you can’t know what triggers people so that hard, but for example some people might find my post highly triggering with my use of cynicism, but at least I had a disclaimer 🤡. But anyways, what is this? Are you trying to have a ah-ha! moment with them because they happened to agree with something you said, while they disagreed with something else you said? Are two people meant to agree/disagree with the same thing all the time in order to get along/ not to be considered whatever it is you think they are...? I know you can’t be implying this, so I will not do you the dishonour and keep it moving.

Aaand it seems we’ve reached the end. Glad we’ve now finally put this topic behind us as per your decision. Keep supporting, and fighting for JM. I mean it. If what you, and some of y’all, have been doing thus far hasn’t been working, I’d maybe sit down and figure out other ways to get to the root of the issue reporting accounts and a less blaming/projecting type of approach in spreading awareness do the job they are meant to, it may not seem so, but they do as long as it is done. Fighting!

Always respectfully yours,

Best regards,

Marengo.

#people who are lost

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blackthorn-legion-irl · 5 months

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welcome to Team Mall Santas Save The World i guess.

//picrew source link

yeah if angy's gonna make me dress up i'm at LEAST taking a photo of him being a mall santa too. and pixie's just vibing. (i swear if people just try and flirt with him. simon started as a joke and it's. actually kinda funny but---)

anyway. tl;dr i've gotta be on this job for a while. it's a long story, but i won't be online as much for... about a month if i'm guessing? i'll probably be on for least a bit every day, so i can get to messages and pings and stuff in okay time, but can't guarantee much else... probably will just queue some cute stuff when i see it.

so uh. yeah. stay safe out there, if you need anything that's not time-sensitive (or is something i can just run in the background) let me know, all that sorta thing.

//ooc under the cut

so this is an ic explanation for me not being around much for the next month. ooc i'm going on holiday and visiting my partner but blackthorn's aroace so get wrecked she has to dress as a reindeer B) i can post a more detailed ic explanation if asked, but since this is an overall explanatory post i want to make it also be viable for people who ignore multiversal stuff (pixie can easily just be her name and the wings dress-up so)

i'll probably be /technically/ online a lot more than she is, but not necessarily responsive. i don't know if tumblr says you're online if you have the tab open but haven't touched it in a bit, so if you need an answer to something more urgently feel free to drop me a dm on the main @demifiendcruithne since i'll be more likely to be checking in on there, or on discord if you got me

some preemptive approval for 'hey i talked to blackthorn and got this going' interactions, only request is that you do ping me in the post so i see it

basic talking to a friend about issues to try and work through it if there's no one around to or you'd rather not RP it with someone

basic hacking requests so long as they fit her ethics (for example, tracking down people causing Actual Trouble / who are lost, or getting dirt to blackmail the cops)

any hacking requests from the following people as we've interacted enough that they'd know if it fits, this includes 'hey could you help out my friend' even if i don't know said friend:

· · anyone involved in taskforce distortion (including pyrite and topaz even though they're not members just hang out in the chat)

· · any member of the pokemart household (ESPECIALLY if it involves rescuing nya)

· · sprite, indigo, kittsu (since we hung out. void and andrea OK too)

· · i am probably forgetting people and i am sorry about that. if you ask something and i'm like 'oh yeah i thought you were on the list' consider yourself on it

legion interactions: requesting things such as: homemade bread and soup, cooling pads, baby poochy pictures; dimensional travellers stopping by if they need somewhere to rest (this explicitly includes nya. yes you can mention hecking with simon)

probably more i'm overlooking, but - if it's not 'i need this immediately' then i should get to it within the day with an answer, and if it is urgent and within both ethics and capabilities then i'll be okay with it. magic anons are off for the duration; pelipper mail is still on though (sorry whoever sent the switcheroo one. i will get to it eventually...)

stay safe, happy whichever holidays you may celebrate, if you have to deal with heckers for relatives may someone blow an airhorn every time they say something stupid.

#//long ooc under cut #//but tl;dr i won't be around much for the next month because i'm going to visit my partner (so blackthorn needs another reason)#//i'll likely be online every day just not for too long. some basic interactions OK without asking me - see under cut for that

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yandere-daze · 2 years

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The anon who sent the cult ask is back but this time, I'm not taking this ask seriously

Imagine player being transported to enstars, the idols are ecstatic that you're w/ them, only to find out that you simp for a side character

I'm gonna use Gatekeeper as an example (I do not know anything more abt this man other than what the fuck is up w/ those SS orders/penalties) but like. It must really suck that the person they're obsessed w/ has their eyes on someone so dangerous and the one behind the unhinged chaotic mess of an event that is SS

-😟 (signing myself as 😟 anon to represent myself reading whatever stories Akira comes up w/ for enstars *cough* Meteor Impact *cough*. God this game. Why are they like this.)

Welcome back, glad to have you here! I´m taking this as an invitation to add you to the anon list as 😟 anon? Please do tell me if I got it wrong or if you would like another emoji ^^ Honestly, I feel the same way, I could have never predicted any of this when my friend told me about the game and showed me the honeycomb summer mv ksnfsklnf What a mess I got into

I decided to combine these two asks because they were both about Gatekeeper, hope you´re both okay with that! I feel like I have to mention that I haven´t actually read any of the SS stories yet so I only know about some vague things I´ve heard about the orders and stuff like that. Maybe I´ll be able to elaborate on this a bit once I´ve read the stories?

gn reader

tw yandere, obsession, kidnapping, manipulation, violence, mention and implication of murder

A player that simps for Gatekeeper, who tries to use them to keep the idols in line

As you said, the characters would be so happy and excited once they find out that you´ve been transported to their world. They can finally talk to you without the constraints of the game and its coding, which greatly limited what they were able to say to you. Most of the programmed home screen lines were so painfully platonic when the characters wanted nothing more than to profess their profound love for you. And though listening to you speak and watching you through your camera if you gave permission was nice, it could never compare to actually having you right in front of them in physical form. They couldn´t wait to spend time with you and hopefully win your heart!

And while yes, you were friendly and always treated everyone with respect, it was as if your mind was always somewhere else. They could often see your gaze wander over crowds as if you were looking for someone specific, only to let out a disappointed sigh as if to signal that you didn´t find who you were looking for. It was quite irritating to see you so distracted when they were talking to you. Whoever you´re looking for can´t be that important, they´ll show you that they love you way more than that person ever could! So please pay some attention to them, will you?

Imagine their shock and despair when they find out that the one you were looking for all this time wasn´t one of them, but Gatekeeper of all people. They were at a loss for words, why were you looking for such a dangerous man? Did you not know of all the schemes he was involved in, that he was prepared to pull the trigger on anyone that was inconvenient to him? What do you mean, you think he´s handsome??? What? How???

I mean even if you don´t take his general personality into account, why did you fall in love with a side character like him in the first place? He doesn´t even have any cards you could pull for and he certainly doesn´t sing. You can´t set him on your home screen and you can´t let him visit you in your office. All the idols have way more to offer and yet you´ve grown fond of a man like him? They aren´t sure what to do at this point but one thing is certain: They can´t let Gatekeeper get close to you. They have to protect you at all costs. They couldn´t even begin to imagine what might happen were he to get his hands on you.

They all know from firsthand experience just how dangerous and cruel of a person Gatekeeper is. Do you not know of all the threats he had made, all just to make them comply with his schemes? Though the idols are usually at war with each other because they all want you for themselves, they at least can agree on this one point. They can´t let the Gatekeeper get to you, both for your safety and to prevent you from possibly being stolen away from them.

Gatekeeper isn´t aware of your presence yet, as a side character that only appears in certain stories, he isn´t self-aware within the game. He wouldn´t know that you are the player ( or that a person like that even exists) but he´s certainly smart enough to figure out that all of the idols and Anzu care a great deal about you and might try to use that to his advantage. We know that he´s willing to do morally reprehensible things so it´s not a reach to assume that he´s willing to harm you if makes the idols move and act in a way he wants. Your apparent fixation on him is something that only makes things easier for him and it´s something he´s certainly going to use against you. He might try to seek you out and act all charming to lure you in, only to kidnap you and make the others listen to him.

Don´t be fooled though, there are no romantic feelings involved in this kidnapping, he barely even acknowledges you as a human being, this is all just very convenient to him. Every single important person at ES seems to be so crazily obsessed with you, this is a golden opportunity for Gatekeeper to take advantage of. It´s almost too easy, being able to control everyone at once with only a single bargaining chip. Just threatening to harm you is enough to make everyone act accordingly to his will.

The idols definitely aren´t pleased about any of this. They were willing to only try and hide you at first to at least make the main story play out as normal so as not to cause any potential errors in the game but now things have gone too far. Gatekeeper has dared to take you as a hostage to keep them in check and that is a line he shouldn´t have crossed. Maybe he underestimated just how obsessed they all are with you because now they´re even willing to all work together to save you from your current predicament. They can continue to fight for your attention afterward, your safety is their first priority.

I also agree that Double Face would be the first ones to try and strike at Gatekeeper, they´re both willing to do dirty work if it means getting you to safety. They´ll at least injure him enough to send him to the hospital but the more they look at him, the harder it gets to resist the urge of just ending his life on the spot. They´re so angry over the way he had treated you and their hate for him reflects in the way they so brutally beat him down. Maybe the only thing preventing them from outright killing Gatekeeper right now is the fact that you´re close by and need their care and attention more than ever before. You must be so scared, having been taken hostage by a terrible person like him but don´t be scared, they´re here to save you!

Maybe Gatekeeper will just be silently moved to the hospital Eichi´s family owns and one of the doctors will coincidentally make a fatal mistake when tending to him

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ejzah · 2 years

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because I just finished rewatching 3x10, I was wondering if you could maybe write a post-ep story or know a good one? Because somehow I think I'm more mad at the team than Kensi (except maybe Deeks since he's the only one who seems remorseful) and I would love to read a good sort of follow up 😉 and thank you for your almost daily stories, it's always a pleasure!

A/N: Thanks for the support, Anon! I’m glad you enjoy my stories. Sorry once again that this took a while to get to.

***

Tell Me No Lies

“Hey, Sam and Callen were talking about going out if we get done at a decent hour today. You going to come with?” Deeks asked, turning to Kensi as they walked back to the SUV.

“Mm, probably not,” she answered. “I wouldn’t want to interrupt your next planning session.” Her tone turned flippant and she gave Deeks a very pointed glance.

“Kens…”

“Maybe this time you can pretend your dying cause I’m sure that would be hilarious.”

“Kensi, you know that if there was any way I could have told you, I would have,” he told her. They’d touched on this topic briefly, but not actually delved beyond the surface.

“Oh right, because there’s no way on earth you could have possibly figured out how to related that you were on a undercover op to me, your partner,” Kensi scoffed, picking up her pace a bit. “You’re a self-proclaimed master at concealing the truth. If you wanted to, you could have given me a encrypted message.”

He’d expected this. He just hadn’t thought it would be this uncomfortable. Ruffling his hair, Deeks drew in a long breath, settling his hands on his hips.

“This case hinged on everyone believing that I’d been fired as liaison and desperate. It’s the only way to root out the mole.”

Mouth dropping open slightly, Kensi rounded on him, anger growing in her eyes.

“Oh yes. Everyone except Callen, Sam, Hetty, Eric, Nell, and whoever else in the office was deemed worthy. Accept for me, because apparently I can’t keep a secret,” she raged.

“Kensi, that’s not fair,” Deeks murmured.

“No, what’s not fair is believing that I would ruin the operation with my lack of acting ability and playing on my emotions to further the case.” Shaking her head in apparent disgust, she stalked off.

The guilt Deeks had kept at bay-or at least tried to-since Hetty first presented the case late one Friday, came back full force. It had taken so long to earn Kensi’s trust, and now it felt like they were almost back to square one in some ways.

“Kensi. Kens, can you just stop for a second?” She ignored him, so he jogged a few yards until he caught up and grasped her wrist. Kensi tried to shake him off, but he gently tugged her to a stop. Underneath the anger, he saw hurt in her eyes and damn if that wasn’t even worse.

“I’m sorry,” he started. Kensi huffed out a sarcastic laugh. “Maybe you won’t believe me, but I wanted to read you in from the beginning”

“Then why the hell didn’t you?” she demanded again, throwing her hands in the air.

“Because I was ordered not to, and as much as I love to flout the rules, everyone made it clear that there would be serious repercussions if I broke the confidentiality of the case.” Deeks sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “C’mon, don’t act like you haven’t been asked to lie for a case before. We all have.”

“Deeks, do you have any idea how it felt when I thought you’d been let go?” Kensi said. She jabbed her finger at his chest. “I thought you’d just killed a guy, possibly without just cause, and suddenly you were being sent away. And you wouldn’t even talk to me.” Her voice trembled and she looked away. “Do you have any idea how much that hurts?”

He’d expected continued anger, to beg and plead for Kensi’s forgiveness. Probably even agree to do something mildly embarrassing as punishment. It never occurred to him that Kensi would let him see anything more. His own chest ached in response.

“It killed me too,” Deeks told her quietly. “There were so many times that I wanted to say something and so many times I hated that I was lying to you. And the reason I wouldn’t talk to you when we had the chance was because I didn’t want you to say—” He stopped before he breached the invisible line in their partnership they refused to ever discuss.

Blowing out a loaded breath, Deeks tucked his thumbs into his front pockets, and faced Kensi seriously.

“I hated lying to you and I will do whatever it takes to gain your trust back again.”

“Then promise me you won’t lie to me it won’t happen again,” she said, surprising him when she grasped his hand suddenly.

“You know I can’t do that,” Deeks told her. Hand falling away, Kensi nodded heavily.

“I know.” She came him a grim smile. “C’mon, we have to get back.”

***

A/N: I felt like leaving things a little bit unresolved worked well with there off and on issues through the next couple seasons. Thanks for the prompt!

#ncis la fanfiction #marty deeks #kensi blye #pre densi #post the debt #angst #anonymous prompt #ejzah fanfiction

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throwaway-yandere · 1 year

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(Nutjob anon!)

Ansy, I just got flashed by this idea:

You know the character in 3h that is in charge of listening to the main cast "confessions"? Then you give them the answer they want (completely dumb... honestly) to raise points with them?

Well... imagine If you are that person. I like to think they actually have a system in which they rotate who is going to hear the confessions that week so they can keep a sense of privacy for the person confessing and the one hearing... I mean, that place is supposed to be a neutral zone, where no one will judge you if you open up! The amount of nobles who probably info dump about family stuff they definitely shouldn't be sharing so openly... at least with the system, it will be a bit harder to keep track of said matters.

Another think would be that all listeners have they keep their face hidden just in case of some extra student that decides to hunt down the person before they can perform their duty, and get a glimpse of their face for... friendly reasons.

The idea is, a reader who isn't aware of some Looney characters that are very yandere for them but know they can't pursue you, so they retort to spilling all of the things they want (and will do) when they finally are out of the monastery. Likewise, the students don't know that you are even assigned to work that job, so cue reader being like this listening to all of that horrid shit, trying to recall the point of their life that lead to this moment.

The worst part is that you can't inform any other colleague of this, else you'll be breaching the privacy of the speaker (the main cast is very recognizable lmao. You have to be stupid to not recognize the Prince of Faerghus' voice or the extremely suspicious way that Hubert talks). You can ask to be reassigned to another duty, yes, but truly, your only saving grace is to keep listening to them, so you can know what to expect, even if at times they get way too descriptive and you know you won't be sleeping that night.

("It's just... they are so dreamy and kind... I don't want anyone to hurt them. I keep hearing the voices, mocking me and haunting. But their presence is enough to shut them away. They are my beloved, I'll deal with whoever they point at without reservations... The silence will be proof of my love."

You: ... have you ever thought on taking actually therapy?)

HDJSJSK HELP. I HAVE LIKE A HEADCANON DRAFT LIST OF "WHAT IF THERE'S A YANDERE DIMITRI AND DAIN CROSS OVER" AND I'M NOT SURE IF YOU WERE THE ONCE THAT SUBMITTED THAT ASK BECAUSE IT WASN'T SIGNED AND THIS NEW BRAINROT IS 😩👌 ALSO I LOWKEY HATE YOU WHY DID I READ ALL THAT IN DIMITRI'S VOICE I PRIMARILY WRITE GENSHIN YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME 😩😩😩–

Genshin x FE:TH crossover. I have like, a list of details, which includes Lumine being sent on an orphanage with Dainsleif because she doesn't have a crest while her twin brother's in the empire. Dainsleif being Dimitri's cousin. I hate this. No one would read this except the two of us 😭

#ansytea-talks #nutjob anon #NUTJOB ANON DON'T DO THIS TO MEUDIAISIS

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levi-supreme · 1 year

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May I ask, do you have any unpopular aot opinions?

Hi anon!!! Aww thank you for sending me this ask haha I am very surprised but touched!! People don't usually send me asks like this so I am very happy to answer hehe.

Also, no hate, but all these are my own personal opinions and thoughts, so don't flame me!! Everyone interprets the characters, manga, and anime differently so please don't be offended by what I say.

Answering below the cut in case anyone wants to avoid seeing this and any potential manga spoilers!! Also tagging this with my ranting tags just in case because knowing me, I talk too much XD

Eren's decision on The Rumbling

I've talked about this before (somewhere in a reply to an ask) and I know we all don't agree with Eren's choice of committing massacre with The Rumbling, but honestly, this was what Eren decided, and it was what he deemed was the 'best choice'.

If this was how Isayama wanted Eren to act and this was what he thought was the decision Eren would decide on, then we should all just respect Isayama's choice. There's no way he can satisfy every single reader out there. Sending him hate because of this isn't acceptable.

Thoughts on Gabi and the Marleyans

Ah, yes, everyone's favourite discourse. I believe everyone has something to say about this, so I don't want to talk too much about it. Yes, I don't like Gabi, and yes, I don't think I'll like her ever. But do I hate her as a character and for killing Sasha? No.

Gabi was raised as a child soldier and with what was widely accepted as 'correct' in Marley was that everyone across the ocean is a 'devil'. What she did was out of survival instinct and it was just unfortunate that Sasha was at the receiving end of the blow. Marley was under attack by what she knew were the 'devils'. As a soldier, there's no 'home' without your country, and of course she would go all out to defend her homeland. It could have been anyone that was dead; Connie, Jean, literally anyone else up on the airship.

I love Sasha and I'm obviously pissed about Sasha dying, but as what I mentioned above, if Isayama wanted the plot to go this way, then who are we to say otherwise 🤷🏽‍♀️she got her character arc and development, and I'm satisfied with how things turned out.

Idk if I'm going to get flamed for this lol, but I really can't relate to the Marleyans too, and I don't like them, maybe except Pieck, Colt, and Niccolo (and maybe Porco). I don't agree with their ideology and I don't agree with many of the things they do. So yeah, I'm with the Eldians, and don't try to convince me otherwise haha.

Thoughts on character ships

Okay LOL I know I AM probably going to get hate mail or flamed or whatever for saying this, but I dislike almost every character ship out there except for Eremika and Niccolo x Sasha. Yes, character x Levi ships included. I have two popular Levi x character ships blocked because I dislike it so much lmao (have fun guessing which two).

Yes, I do ship Levi with someone, but I'm not saying who (those who know will know. Those who don't... please stay that way) because I don't want to start a discourse here. It's up to your own interpretation on who you want to ship whichever character together, but bear in mind that nothing is actually canon and confirmed by Isayama.

You can ship whoever you want, but don't force your ship on others and shoot them down saying that your ship is the 'best'.

Thoughts on the manga

People have sent hate mail and death threats to Isayama over the manga, and seriously people, DON'T DO THAT WHAT THE HELL????????????? It's all work of fiction, and honestly this is such a disrespectful and low move. If you don't like what you read, then don't read it?? Does sending hate mail to the mangaka make you feel better, or you think something you dislike about the manga will change?

I love the manga and all its spin-offs (No Regrets, Lost Girls, Before the Fall included) and yes there are certain things I dislike and things I don't agree with, but this is a work of fiction and people should just chill and enjoy the manga as it is.

This also applies to people sending hate to fanfic writers for writing certain topics that they don't feel comfortable with. If you don't like what you see, then don't read it??? Writers tag their work with the appropriate tags, so filter those tags away?? Don't send hate to people for things like this.

Thoughts on the anime

I know there's this whole WIT Studios vs MAPPA whatever and I love both animation studios, and both have their pros and cons. In my humble opinion, both animated the action sequences and fight scenes really good, but WIT Studios did a fantastic job with colouring and animation of the character's irises (which I love) and I like the way they animated the titans a little more. I like how MAPPA beefed Levi up (*slurps*), but I prefer the way WIT Studios animated Levi (Season 3 hello??????)

The only thing about the anime that I'm unhappy about was how little we got to see of No Regrets. The manga had soooooo much backstory of Levi, Isabel and Farlan, and there's so much more story about the Veterans as well. It's sad that they reduced eight amazing chapters in the manga to two OVA episodes and they cut out so much story telling as well. And this is why,,, I am always a manga over anime person.

One last thing that I may get flamed for (which I don't really care lol), is that I literally don't care about the English dub. Yes we all have preferences, some prefer Japanese, some prefer English. But similar to what I mentioned previously, don't go telling people how much you like one version and shoot down the other.

Also, I don't care about Matt Mercer and how sexy he sounds as Levi. Kamiya Hiroshi is my one and only Levi and his voice is the one I hear in my head every time I write Levi's dialogues and voice in my fics. Therefore, my choice of words when writing Levi's dialogues, his speech patterns, and my description of Levi's 'voice' is very much based on Kamiya Hiroshi's interpretation of Levi and the Japanese language. Which brings to my last general thought and point:

Thoughts on Levi

WELL I am a Levi blog after all, so obviously I have to talk about my husband and save the best for the last hehe. Also, another reminder that these are just my thoughts and feelings, so please don't tell me how much you disagree with me and how I'm wrong ;~;

I know many people say Levi is a cat person, but I beg to differ. In my head, he loves dogs. And I don't want to elaborate more because I know people are going to debate and tell me how I'm wrong lol.

Also. If Levi had descendants, he would NEVER name them after Kuchel, Isabel, and Farlan. I don't think this is how he would honour them and his memory of them, especially with Isabel and Farlan. I feel that Levi's biggest regret was detouring from Farlan and Isabel and going on his own, which indirectly caused Levi to not be there when the abnormal titan attacked them during No Regrets.

I don't want to talk too much about No Regrets since some of you may not have read it, but in gist, Levi was supposed to do *something* alone, but Farlan told Levi to trust him and Isabel to let them help him. On their expedition outside of the walls, once more Levi told Farlan and Isabel that he was going to do *something* alone and the two of them should stay with the group, but Farlan wanted to follow Levi. Levi told Farlan to trust him and stay, and he will do *something* alone. But when he didn't do *something*, he came back and saw Farlan and Isabel already dead. It was raining heavily on that day, and I also feel that Levi hates rainy days because of this. I feel that he blamed himself for causing Farlan and Isabel's deaths, and he would be guilty about this forever, no matter how many years passed.

By naming his descendants after the closest two friends he ever had seems to be rubbing salt on his wounds, and it would be an insult to his memory of them.

I also don't think Levi has a huge dick please, like my man isn't that long and thick everyone thinks he is. Levi's probably four to five inches max and his dick is slender and pretty. Who cares about how huge his dick is anyway, right? It's the sperm that fertilises the egg so you know, I care more about his balls and sperm count than how huge his dick is because his dick can't give me a baby but his sperm can XD also. His dick can do wonders okay he knows how to make you feel good in other ways so, who needs a huge dick anyway?????

Levi faced severe malnutrition and starvation since he was a kid, and in the environment he grew up in, Levi's physical health wouldn't be at the best. Of course through military training and living above the Underground did him good, but I feel that Levi's immune system wouldn't be the best. He probably would also have a pretty sensitive digestive system and can't take things like dairy, spicy food, or too much meat.

Levi probably sleeps with a candle lit, his bed is near to the window, and he never sleeps with his back facing the door. I feel that he's hypervigilant even when asleep, and he probably has a small knife or blade (the one he used in No Regrets maybe hehe) hiding underneath his pillow in the event that he feels threatened or under attack. His bed is near the window so that he can escape fast if he was under attack. He also probably sleeps with a candle lit because total darkness brings back bad memories of his time in the Underground, and the warm candlelight helps him feel safe.

Okay I think I've talked too much that this is becoming too long XD I hope you like my answers, anon! And once more, these are all my own thoughts and interpretation, so please don't start a discussion/discourse over here even if anyone disagrees with what I said okay ;AAA;

Feel free to send me any other thoughts and asks if you want as well! My ask is always open for Levi and SNK thoughts hehe. If you've read all the way here, thank you for reading through my rambling <3

#anon.asks #rei.answers #cw: ranting #cw: venting #cw: long post #i'm sorry i talk too much HAHA

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ethereal-maia · 9 months

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are you a reader and if so, what is your favourite book genres and what’s are your book recs? just curious i dunno :)

”am I a reader” Yes. So much so that I read War and Peace in Two Weeks (do not attempt this. You will not understand anything. I had to painstakingly read it again in order to understand) because I felt like it.

Some of my favorite types of books are ones that switch perspectives, ones that cover a family line (like you see the descendants of the first guy you meet as you keep reading), historical fiction, classics, books with found family, and fantasy that isn’t too weird to make sense of.

I’d be happy to give book recs!! Here’s just a few of my favorites:

Little Thieves by Margaret Owen: A retelling of The Goose Girl from the goose girl’s perspective. You don’t need to know the story of The Goose Girl to read it (I didn’t) but maybe if you do you might pick up on Easter eggs? Anyway the book is about a ‘terrible’ maid named Vanja who stole the life of a princess. She uses this position of power to steal from rich people. But oh no! Fleeing the crime scene one night, she upsets a Low God who curses her to slowly turn into jewels until she is nothing but a statue unless she rights her wrongs (unfortunately, the god will not elaborate on what exactly this means) before the full moon. And to make matters worse, her betrothed has sent for government officials to find whoever has been stealing from the rich (that’s her). This book is full of plot twists, magic, humor, lots of character growth, and a silly shapeshifter girl named Ragne. It’s got a unique voice with a lot to say, a main character who will steal your heart, and I bought the book almost immediately after reading it. Five stars and a lot of compliments to this book from me.

The Inquisitor’s Tale by Adam Gidwitz: It’s more of a middle grade book, but I LOVE it. In any case, the king of France has declared war on three children. Why? Because to him, they’re ‘heretics’, wannabe saints who only trick you. In reality, they’re just three kids: Jeanne, a peasant girl who has visions of the future; Jacob, a Jewish boy who can heal any wound; and William, a young monk with supernatural strength. Each cast out of their respective homes for being magical, they find each other on the road and their powers of both supernatural ability and cunning are tested many a time. The story is set in 1242, and is told by people gossiping about them at a table at an inn. People at the table question what is good and what is bad, question religion, question life itself. The book is illuminated like an old manuscript and it’s one of the prettiest books I own. Really spectacular, thought-provoking, and told with care.

thanks for the ask anon!! If you or anyone else wants more book recommendations/different type of book recommendations, my inbox is always open!!

#maia’s inbox #asks #book recs

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malaky-nightm4r3 · 1 year

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You know, you should really talk more about this partner you keep putting in the tags.

Ah yes, because my love life is necessary to put on the internet for all to see every single detail of. I'd really rather not, especially considering how condescending and threatening almost you sound in this ask. Let alone how creepy it comes off. If you were someone I knew and trusted, I'd ask you what you meant to come across with this ask, with how rude you sound.

If you are someone I have long blocked, and are looking to stir up trouble and conflict for no other reason but your own entertainment, by all means, please continue to send these my way, I will no longer interact with you if you keep this up, nor anything you try publicly, as I choose not to jump into anything that will do nothing but harm myself and someone else because of your boredom. I am happy and mentally more healthy where I have ended up today with the people I surround myself with, and I hope those from the past are better off today as well. Please leave me alone. I'm well aware of what you've said about me behind the scenes, just trying to rile others up for no reason. Or to rile yourself up. Either way, horrible behaviour that will get you nowhere but being miserable and unhappy for the rest of your life.

If you are not who I think you are, my apologies. I just don't want to deal with any more harassment, indirectly or directly. Im tired of being needlessly villainized or harassed when I've not done any true wrong and just wish to have a peaceful fucking place to post my stupid humour or art or character admiration. It tests my mental state and Im sure others' as well, doing this all just leads to all parties being harmed in some way.

So let me show my partner some shitty memes or posts I think they'd enjoy in peace.

If whoever you are meant no harm, I apologise again, I'm on edge with everything going on in life currently. Homelessness (we found some shelter, by the way), worsening health, ect. So I'll put my foot down firmly, because I don't have the energy to deal with idiotic behaviours.

I still do not appreciate being sent such a threatening sounding ask, behind an anonymous mask. Please reconsider your tone next time, if this was a harmless ask. If you would like to talk this out with me yourself, I see no harm in discussing this misunderstanding, and Im fully willing to apologise to you myself rather than the anon title.

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parvulous-writings · 3 years

Text

Home // Mother!Dimitrescu x Child!F!Reader

Request: Hi! may i request this scenario: what if lady dimitrescu had a fourth daughter? like child reader stumbles into the castle and lady dimitrescu decides to raise her as her own. thanks love!

Requested by: Anon

Summary: Lady Dimitrescu adopts a new daughter.

Warnings: mentions of death

Words: 1.7K

Notes: My requests are currently open! My pinned post (found here) contains both a list of characters I write for, and a masterlist!

Not my gif

Cold. That was the only thing you could feel. The only thing you had felt for the past several hours, at least. Well, feel in a loose sense of the term. Your limbs were numb, stiff and unable to move. You had been shuffling forward with no real sense of direction for who knows how long now, with no end in sight, no shelter from the elements you were forced to endure. Your home had been attacked by massive monsters- not quite man, not quite human. You parents had ushered you and your siblings out of your home, but now you were the last of your family line. One by one, your family had been picked off by your attackers, but each time you had managed to wriggle your way out of the situation. At one point you had even ducked into the woods to escape the beasts, but now that you had returned to the village you didn’t know what landmarks were what; almost everything you could recognise had been destroyed. You did, however, manage to find the Maiden of War, a statue that was in the centre of a roundabout like pathway that tractors and wagons often used. In normal life at least. Nearby to that, up some stone steps, was a stone door with a carving that frightened most of the children of the village, even with the two reliefs missing. However, this time, the reliefs were there, and the gateway had opened ever so slightly. Void of hope, and with every other option exhausted, you shuffle towards it, slipping through the crack, and starting up the snow-covered pathway to who knows where. Though, by looking up, you assumed that it lead to the massive castle which loomed over the village and it’s surroundings.

The trek up there was probably much shorter than it seemed to be. There was a drawbridge that lay over a small, shallow body of water, and your footsteps echo off of it as you cross into a dark and rocky tunnel. It’s very dimly lit- nothing more than wall mounted torches and the fading remaining light to guide your way. You felt your way along to stone wall, the surface cold to the touch, not that you could tell all that much. Eventually, you came to a door. It was tall, much taller than you, although it was only about average height in reality. You pressed all your weight against it, and slowly- oh so slowly- did it creak open. You scurried inside, pushing the door shut once more behind you. After catching your breath you take a moment to observe your surroundings- you were in a rather lavish room, just large enough to be classed as a hall, with hard, marble floors and a tiny staircase onto a more raised floor. You clamber up them, and notice a rather detailed portrait in front of you, of three beautiful young women, with tied up brown hair, sitting together in what appeared to be a forest or woodland clearing; it was a little bit hard to tell since the women took up most of the picture. You tilted your head slightly as you got lost in the colours and brushstrokes, wondering who these women were and what they did to warrant such a wonderful portrait. Of course, there was a plaque beneath it- most likely holding some of the information you wanted- you couldn’t read it, and it was a little too high for you anyway.

The sound of an opening door somewhere down the hall to your left catches your attention. Without knowing what else to do, you start to walk towards it, staying close to the walls and running your hand slowly along it. You push through a few more doors, before coming to a large hall- occupied with a chair, small table, assorted plants and even a chest of drawers in a corner. Your eyes roam upwards, and this room alone could house the entirety of the village, perhaps two or three times over. You knew the castle was big- it often occupied conversation among the children of the village- but this took your breath away. Not only was it huge, but it was ornate, more ornate than anything you had seen before in your life. One mere trinket from this room alone could have fed your family for at least two months, had they been alive still to see this. You hear another door close behind you, and you spin round to see if who is there. You can only hope that the residents of this castle take pity on you. But, you see nothing. No one. You’re incredibly confused by this, and you have to glance this way and that to make sure that there’s no one around you. All you can find is a few flies. Wait. There’s more than a few. There’s three whole clouds. You give a small shriek and duck to the floor, covering your head and face to try and hide away from the bugs, making sure they didn’t get near your face. If they didn’t get near your face, you could pretend they weren’t there at all.

The only problem was, you could still hear the buzzing of their wings. You felt a few beat against your back, as the sounds began to warp and change. From buzzing and droning to... Laughter? Yes, it was laughter, three different laughs to be exact. Fearfully, you look up from your arms, to see three, rather fearsome looking young women in front of you. In surprise you bury your face into your arms again- if you couldn’t see them, they couldn’t see you, right? The three girls look between one another, slightly confused. Not at your behaviour, but more at how you- a mere child- had managed to get yourself up into the castle. The one standing in the middle, one with red, oddly shaved hair, crouched down in front of you, tilting her head curiously. She glanced over her shoulder at the other two fly women, who shrugged at her; they didn’t know who you were or how you got into the castle either. “Child?” The one in front of you spoke, her voice like silk to your ears, especially after their piercing laughs and the roars of the Lycans. You shakily lift your head up again, looking up at her with tears of fear starting to prick at the corners of your eyes. She holds her hand out to you, trying to give you a smile of reassurance. It works to some extent, though you don’t have too much of a choice other than to take the woman’s hand, so you carefully do so. She helps you to your feet, and you see the other two women staring at you. The blonde women looks to the last one, a brunette wearing a yellow variation of the pendant worn by all three. “Go tell mother.” The blonde said to her, to which the brunette burst into a cloud of flies in reply, swooping off down a hall. You give a yelp of surprise, hiding behind the legs of the woman who’s hand you still clutch to. She looks at you, confused for a second.

She sighs, and starts to tug you along. “Come on.” She urges, rather impatiently, dragging you off down a side hall, where you can hear a couple of voices as you approach another door. The blonde woman pushes the door open, “Mother.” She greets, speaking to someone sitting in a plush, velvety chair. Whoever is sitting down places a crimson glass on a small table in front of her, before getting to her feet. “Well, let’s take a look at the child.” She speaks, and your jaw practically drops at her height. You hardly even reach her knees. You’re not sure whether to remain in awe, or to let the fright and fear set in. She looks down at you, regarding you briefly before starting to smile. “Why... I don’t see why you were so panicked, Cassandra...” She spoke to the brunette stood beside her chair, sent ahead of the other two with you. “Look at her- she poses no threat. It was chance she happened upon us, was it not?” She looked to the woman, who has lowered her head respectfully. “Yes, mother.” She replied, before moving her gaze over to you again. “What are we to do with her? She is human, what if-” “Ah-ah.” The tall woman interrupts. “No what-ifs.” She says sternly, before turning her attention fully to you. “What happened to your family, little one?” She asks, not bothering to get down on your level. You take a moment to answer, which the Lady of the castle allows, considering you are merely a child, and in a strange new environment. She could understand any fear you may have, she has been there herself in the past. “The.. The monsters.” You squeak, and the woman hums softly, looking at her three daughters briefly.

In her mind, you were a child without a family, a child with need of a home and a family. She gave a curt nod to herself, folding her arms over her chest. “Well, then we shall be your new family.” She tells you, and the shock is clear on your face. “What..?” You whisper, your voice hardly audible to any of the other women in the room. “We shall be your new family.” She declares proudly again, “These are your new sisters. Bela.” She gestures to the woman still holding loosely onto your hand, with the shaved red hair. “Daniela.” She gestured to the blonde woman on the other side of you, “And Cassandra.” She placed a hand on the shoulder of the girl closest to her. “And you can call me mother.” She smiled brightly at you, stepping forward slightly, and bending down, opening her arms to you. “Come here, child.” She coos to you, as Bela drops your hand. You shuffle towards her, and as soon as you’re close enough, she scoops you up into her arms, resting you against her shoulder, cradling you with a warm smile. “Come now, let us find you a room...” She whispers, and as she starts walking through the seemingly endless maze of hallways you feel yourself drifting off to sleep in the arms of.. Well, your mother. Despite only just meeting her, you feel safe with her and her daughters, your sisters. You knew you’d be happy here, happier than you would be anywhere else, especially in the ruins of the village you once called home.

------

Part two

#tall vampire lady #lady d #lady dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu x reader #lady dimitrescu x female reader #alcina x reader #lady alcina #alcina dimitrescu

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just-here-for-the-moment · 3 years

Text

The Innkeeper's Daughter

Thank you sooooo much to @fandom-blackhole who let me take inspiration from This Ask for the original Anon and This follow-up Ask from me, and let me run wild with the premise of Pero Tovar falling in love with an innkeeper.

This one is for @silverwolf319 who sent me a request for "Ummmm...how about soft, sweet filthiness lol like, filthy dirty talk, but with feelings? Does that make sense?"

Saaaammmmm, I hope this delivers on that! 💜💜💜

Update: Part 2 is here!

Word count: 3200+

Rating: mature, 18+ only

Outline: Pero Tovar x “You” (OC cis/het female reader, “blank canvas”/no physical description/no use of “Y/N”)

Warnings: mature language; euphemisms; one use of “whorehouse” and “whore”; slow-burn; yearning; one incident of bar violence; Pero Tovar unleashing his desires verbally; lots of dirty talk; kissing; one breast grope; one erection; everyone’s clothes stay on

The first time you saw the grumpy Spaniard smile was a busy Saturday evening. Your father’s inn was full, the barroom filled with groups of raucous and rowdy men singing traveling songs and reminiscing loudly about battles won and women lost. The contrast between the exuberant hordes and the quiet, scowling man was evident to everyone, but they left him alone to brood.

“The Spaniard” had arrived in the early hours of Thursday morning and disappeared into his room immediately, sleeping the day away until supper. He kept to himself in the barroom, taking over a small table in the corner, keeping his back to the wall and his eyes on the other guests. He graced you with eye contact exactly once during Thursday’s supper, nodding at you to indicate his thanks for the ale before tucking his head back down to eat.

You knew from your two decades behind the bar that the quiet ones could sometimes be dangerous. But your father was much more concerned with the inn’s revenue and suppliers, and brushed off your questions with a wave.

“The Spaniard is quiet and doesn’t seem interested in starting trouble. He’s paid for his room in advance for the week. If he wants to be left alone, leave off.”

The Spaniard did not appear on Friday for the midday meal, but he did come back for late supper, repeating Thursday’s pattern exactly; a seat at the small table with his back to the wall, scanning the room from under his brow, a flash of eye contact to you as wordless thanks when you set down his plate and and the ewer of ale. The rest of the customers were settled for the moment, and something made you bolder than you would normally be, choosing to linger and try to break into the hard shell he wore like a cloak.

“Care for anything else? I have honey cakes set aside from the baker if you would like one.”

He grunted, a noise that was neither a yes nor a no. You weren’t sure if you should take offense or be happy that he made noise at all.

“What’s your name?”

He stopped chewing at that, and raised his eyes to yours, holding your gaze with his own deep brown orbs. The scar that ran over one eye was almost delicate, tracing a line from eyebrow to cheek that told a story of pain and must have resulted in him nearly losing the organ. You had seen many men disfigured and maimed by war and by accidents; but his scar was almost beautiful, highlighting his features in a way that made him more handsome, not less.

He swallowed roughly and grunted again. “Tovar.”

“Tovar… is that all?” You smiled wryly, hoping to pull more secrets out of him.

“Pero.” He grunted again, but this time it nearly resembled full speech. “Pero Tovar.”

He tucked his head back down and shoved more food into his mouth. You took that as your cue to go back to the bar. If he was staying all week you could wait until Sunday when things quieted down, spend a few days slowly probing. You got the sense he wasn’t dangerous, at least not to whoever brought him food and ale. You let yourself be distracted serving everyone else, and when you looked for him at the end of the night he was gone. You tried to ignore the little pang of disappointment that bloomed in your chest.

Saturday dawned clear and sunny, and you rose early to do the marketing for the inn and for your little household of two. Your mother had passed many years before, and your father prided himself on running an honorable establishment. You may have spent your formative years behind the bar of the inn, but nobody in the village mistook you for anything save an honest innkeeper’s daughter. The whorehouse was at the other end of town.

You finished your marketing and returned home, planning how to combine fresh eggs with leftover bread and meat for the midday meal. Most guests of the inn came for the late supper, but a few showed up for the midday meal and some companionship. You hoped Tovar would be one of them, but given that he had skipped the midday dinner on both Thursday and Friday, you didn’t dare hope too much.

To your great surprise, Tovar was already in the barroom when you arrived. He was dressed casually in tunic and pants and was standing on a table under the main beam, helping your father reattach the lantern. The chain had been broken for a few weeks, leaving this part of the room dark. Neither you nor your father had made time to obtain a ladder and fix it yet, but apparently for Tovar no ladder was needed. His tall frame was stretched up, arms raised to reach for the chain dangling from the ceiling, and his tunic lifted just enough to show a band of bare skin over his hips. The sight of him nearly made you drop your baskets.

You recovered your senses and looked away, greeting your father as naturally as you could. When you lifted your eyes to greet Tovar, you swore you saw the ghost of a smirk cross his lips. You hurried to the kitchen to prepare the midday meal.

When you dared to return to the bar, your father had gone, and Tovar was seated at his usual table. He lifted his eyes quickly to your face and you found that you could barely speak. Your words emerged in a breathy rush. “Are you hungry? Would you like to eat now?” You cursed your nerves and tried to settle them. Where were the other guests? Why was nobody else coming down to the bar?

Tovar looked at you sternly from under his brows and you suddenly felt like a child, caught for doing something naughty. But his next words made something in your middle turn over, fluttering like a moth.

“No. Sit with me a while.”

You sat. You were not accustomed to taking orders from strange men in your father’s establishment, but you rationalized it by telling yourself that attending to guests was good for the inn’s reputation, and that you would spring up and take care of any other guests as soon as they entered. You ignored the little whisper of lust that was suddenly at the base of your spine, tickling up like a trail of smoke from an extinguished candle.

“Tell me your name, woman.”

His question shocked you, until you realized that you hadn’t yet given it to him, and apparently neither had your father during their repair work. You opened your lips and spoke your own name, and under Tovar’s intense gaze it felt strange and foreign. He repeated it back to you in his sonorous tone, turning the fluttering moths in your center into lightning bolts.

“Are you enjoying your stay with us? Is there anything you need for your room?”

That half-smirk graced his lips for another moment, then passed away so quickly you were almost sure you imagined it. He shook his head, “No.”

You let the silence hang. Why had he asked you to sit with him if he wasn’t going to converse? Your stubborn streak won out over your curiosity and you decided to hold his eyes with your own and wait him out. Seconds stretched into minutes, and the air between you became heated, suffused with something like the vapors that distorted the air above a fire. Your hands grew moist, and you rubbed them across your lap, hoping the apron would absorb both the sweat and your discomfort. Tovar continued to look at you with interest, and the longer he stared the more you felt your face burn.

You broke first, bending your head and taking in a great shuddering gulp of air. Just then a footstep fell on the threshold and you leapt out of your chair and swept into the kitchen. When you calmed yourself and finally emerged, Tovar was gone. You let yourself get entwined in the gossip and the rhythm of your normal serving of guests, listening to the friendly chatter. By the time the bar was clear again, you decided to take yourself up to your room and rest, to conserve your energy for the busy Saturday night crowd. Saturday late supper consisted of cold leftovers and mug after mug of ale. The crowds were usually boisterous but good-natured, and you were looking forward to seeing Tovar again.

When you woke from your nap the sun was kissing the horizon, and you freshened your dress, changing into one of your nicer ones and a fresh bodice, tying a clean apron around your middle. You scrubbed your face with a wet cloth and rearranged your hair. You felt like a maiden heading to the altar, but you weren’t sure why. Nothing that Tovar had said or done so far gave you any indication that he favored you that way. There really was no need to change into clean clothing or present yourself in any special garments. Still… there was that hope, that whisper of lust that had sprung up under his gaze this afternoon. Maybe he would notice your efforts and begin to take an interest.

You entered the bar and began getting ready to serve the Saturday night crowd, handing around ewers of ale and plates of cold buns and cheese. The inn not only had a dedicated stream of locals every Saturday, but it also tended to draw groups of visitors from some of the smaller towns, as well as travelers on the road who needed a room for the night. You tried to keep your eyes on your work, but they kept flitting to the doorway without your permission, seeking any trace of the grumpy Spaniard and flickering the hope in your gut when they didn’t see him. As the barroom filled, you wondered whether he would appear at all. You pushed all hope of seeing him down, stomping on it and trying to keep yourself focused.

You hurried to the kitchen for another round of buns, and when you emerged into the bar he was there, sitting at “his” table and scowling his usual scowl. You let out a breath you hadn’t realized you were holding, and you felt your face heat with desire. When Tovar saw you his face opened, and the first genuine smile you had ever seen painted his lips. The rest of the raucous room fell away, and you zipped straight to his table, depositing the plate of buns that had been intended for someone else.

“Hello Pero.” You bit your lip, never having addressed him with his name before. Was it too forward?

“Hello, mi-” he stopped himself, then said your name, almost reluctantly. Had he forgotten it in the few hours since you had seen each other last?

You smiled tightly, a little less warmly than before. Icy flakes swept over your girlish crush and your ardor cooled. If he had already forgotten your name, he must not be interested. “Ale?”

He nodded. “Yes… if you please.”

Your thin layer of ice melted. A “please” from this man was like high praise from anyone else. You nodded and went to the bar, filling an ewer and a mug, and delivering both to his table. You wanted to linger, but calls from the other side of the room interrupted any notion of getting to spend more time with Tovar.

You nodded once at him and departed, taking care of the other guests and helping your father lug another barrel of ale from the back. Every time you dared glance at Tovar he was watching you, gentle interest and curiosity issuing from his eyes, instead of the menacing scowl he had sported when he first arrived. You tried to focus on your usual tasks, letting the rowdy laughter of the bar patrons wash over you, but you could feel Pero’s eyes on you, and you couldn’t stop yourself from glancing at him again and again, far too often. Your distraction was probably the reason that disaster struck.

Your eyes were again on Pero as you made your way across the room, and your toe caught the edge of someone’s foot, causing you to stumble and spill a mug of ale all over a large man. He bellowed in anger. You saw that he was a stranger, and as he unfolded himself from his chair and stood up, you could see that he was twice as broad as you and nearly two heads taller. The ale soaked his tunic and dripped onto the floor.

Before you could open your mouth to apologize, the man raised his hand to strike you. Suddenly his furious face crumpled into pain. He fell to his knees in front of you, the raised arm now twisted behind his back. As his knees hit the floor, Pero’s face materialized behind the man’s shoulder. Pero’s trademark scowl was directed at the back of the man’s head as he hissed instructions to the stranger.

“Apologize to the woman.”

The man spit out a curse and then refused. “She’s a whore!” Another wail of pain issued from his open mouth as Pero twisted his arm up and back.

He leaned down and spoke into the man’s ear, so low that you almost couldn’t hear it. “Apologize.”

The man dropped his head to his chest and whined out a stream of words that included several “sorrys” and “my mistakes”. You looked at him, eyes still wide with shock, mouth frozen into a grimace. Pero looked at you and then gave the man’s arm one final shove. A sickening crack met your ears and the man groaned as he fell forward onto his face.

“Now leave! And do not come back.” The man and his companions scrambled to the exit, and the rest of the customers murmured to themselves as they returned to their own drinks and gossip.

“Mi alma, are you alright?” Pero reached his hand out to you and you shook your head, tears springing to your eyes.

You spun on your heel and ran out of the bar, turning to flee to the back hallway, hands shaking. You pressed your back to the wall and then bent over at the waist, trying to catch your breath. You had seen bar fights before, and broken up a handful when they happened here and there, but you had never seen violence like that up close. You had never seen such hatred on a man’s face as the anger that had colored Pero’s features. You had the sense that Pero would have gladly killed the man and not had a second of remorse.

You heard a foot scrape the floor and you shot upright. Pero was at the end of the hall, eyes flickering in the light from the lone candle on the table. He put both hands out to you, palms facing you in a gesture of openness, approaching one slow step at a time.

“I am sorry. I am sorry.” His voice was low and calm. “Please forgive me.”

“No,” your own voice sounded high and panicked to your ears. “Stop. Don’t hurt me.”

Pero’s face crumpled and he halted his approach. “Hurt you? No, never. I would never hurt you. Please believe me.” He took another step toward you.

“But that man- You, you broke-”

Pero interrupted your awful cry. “Ssshhh, no. No, mi alma. That was not a man. He was a beast. I made him apologize and leave.”

Pero took another step, closing the distance between you to one stride. You were surprised to see tears in the corners of his eyes as well.

“I thought I was saving you, mi alma. Protecting you.”

“You did, you protected me, but- How were you so fast? And why do you keep calling me ‘mi alma’?”

Pero closed the final distance between you and reached his hands out to hold both of yours. He stepped close, and you had to tilt your head back to look into his eyes.

“I love you. You have enchanted me. ‘Mi alma’ means my soul. It means you have my love and my heart.” He looked deep into your eyes. “... and my body, if you so desire.”

He inclined his head and his lips met yours. You felt your head spin, heart pulsing through every vein, pounding in your ears as you let yourself be kissed, over and over again. You had kissed boys before, and even one young man in the village, but this was like being kissed for the first time anew. Pero kissed you with passion, with intent.

His hands gripped your waist and held you to him as your fingers entwined themselves up into his neck and the hair at the back of his neck. Pero broke the kiss and leaned toward your ear. His voice was low and gravelly, striking something in your core and sending sparks to your throat.

“I fell in love with you today. When I caught you looking at me as I changed the lantern. When you sat with me and met my eyes with your own and you didn’t shy away. When I saw that you had changed into a new dress, had made yourself pretty just for me.”

Your breath left your lungs in a huff, and the only sound you could make was a low hum.

Pero continued whispering words and warm breath across your ear, sending shivers down your neck, making your nipples harden with desire.

“I will take care of you, mi alma. Let me take you to bed and show you everything that you need to know. Let me show you how to make love to a man, to please him. How to take a husband and take your own pleasure, too.”

“Ohh…” You hardly recognized your voice as your own, and before you could say more, Pero kissed you again, opening your mouth and slipping his tongue inside. He pressed his hips against you, pinning you to the wall. You could feel his hardness against your hip; but instead of scaring you or making you feel ashamed, it stoked the fire in you from a flame to an explosion.

You kissed Pero back, as hard and as eager as he had kissed you. And then you did something you never would have imagined: you reached behind your waist and grabbed his wrist, bringing his hand up to cup around your breast. He squeezed and thrust his tongue into your mouth, swallowing your moans and squeaks.

He broke the kiss again to suck and nip at your cheek, your jaw, your neck. Every kiss inflamed you further, and you pressed your hips against his, rubbing from side to side to feel his hardness through the layers of your skirts.

“Let me take you to bed, mi alma. Let me make love with you.” Pero’s voice dropped to a low rumble. You could barely hear him above the thrum of your own heartbeat, but the words sent a new rush of something hot and wet to your private area.

“Let me kiss you between your legs, to taste you. Let me show you everything I know. Let me have you, and you may have me… all of me. Let me love you, mi alma.”

Your mouth opened and you spoke the only true answer to his request.

“Yes, Pero. Please.” --- Just-here-for-the-moment’s masterlist

My “all fics” tag list:

@anaaaispunk @justanotherblonde23 @gracie7209 @nicolethered @honestly-shite @driedgreentomatoes @dihra-vesa @1800-fight-me @the-queen-of-fools @juletheghoul

@kesskirata @honeymandos @silverwolf319 @mourningbirds1 @greeneyedblondie44 @spacedilf @maxwell–lord @anxiousandboujee @cevvie @quica-quica-quica @sherala007 @writeforfandoms @libellule2001

#Pero Tovar x reader #Pero Tovar x you #pero tovar x fem!reader #The great wall fic #the great wall fanfiction #Pero Tovar fic #Pero Tovar fanfiction #pedro pascal fic #Pedro pascal fanfiction #pedro pascal characters

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loveelle · 3 years

Text

Winners and Losers

Luke Patterson x Reader

Request by Anon: Luke x reader?? Two rival singers make a bet “who can get the other to fall in love first” by acting like a couple... too bad they realize there both in too deep.

A/N: Thank you for your request! I hope I did alright with it? I kind of strayed a little at some parts, but then I remembered that I had a request to write and brought it back, so I hope you enjoy. Please send me more requests and some feedback?

WC: 4K

---

“Y/N!”

You jolted in your seat, spilling your cereal all down the front of your shirt as you sat up alert. “What?!” you groaned, pulling your now soaked shirt away from your body. Alex walked closer to you as he laughed, clutching his stomach. You glared at him. “You’re not funny Alex.” Grumbling, you picked up your now empty cereal bowl, frowning at the mess of your favorite cereal now spilled on the floor. “We live here together. You’re cleaning that up.”

Alex scoffed. “No, I’m not.” He smirked, falling on the couch and hugging your pillow. With a sigh you retreated to the kitchen, putting away your dishes and grabbing the cleaning supplies. You ignored Alex as you cleaned up.

“What do you want?”

“Why aren’t you ready?” he asked and your expressions turned quizzical.

“Ready for what?” you asked him, moving towards your room as he followed, keeping on your heels and arriving at your closet before you could.

Alex groaned, grabbing your favorite top off a hanger and tossing it at you. It hit your face as you pulled it away, trying to throw him a glare but he was already turning around, leaning his head against the wall for you to change in peace. “You promised you’d come to see me perform tonight, remember?”

“Crap.” You whispered out, pulling your wet shirt off and putting on the new one. “I mean, I totally remembered.” You told Alex, tapping his shoulder. He rolled his eyes at you and turned around to lean back on the wall. “Give me 5 minutes and I’ll be out.”

“You got it.” He said, leaving you to grab all the things for tonight. Alex had invited you almost a week ago to watch him perform at the Hollywood Ghost Club, a new gig he got thanks to his boyfriend. You were excited for him, knowing how much this opportunity meant to your best friend. As soon as you were done getting your things you walked back out to the living room, seeing Alex flipping through the channels on the TV. “Finally!” he huffed out, pretending to be more upset than he actually was. You faked a smile at him, locking your arms as you left your house.

“Hotdog!” Willie yelled as Alex and you walked into the club. He was talking to the club owner as Alex waved at him, a small blush on his cheeks and you elbowed him playfully in the side. Willie jogged your way, giving Alex a hug and you let them have their moment, glancing around the club. “Hey Y/N.” Willie said, giving you a much shorter hug than he gave Alex.

“This place is awesome, Willie.”

“I forgot this is your first time here, I’m glad you could come.”

“I couldn’t pass up on the chance to see this guy perform.” You offered Alex a smile but he was busy looking at Willie and Willie at him. You took that as your moment to leave. “Well, I’ll leave you in capable hands.” You patted Alex’s back, pushing him towards Willie as you ducked out of there, looking about the tables.

There were quite a few that were already full, couples and friends sharing conversations as you walked past. You were about to take an empty table before your eyes landed on a particular one in the front where a pair of boys sat and you smirked to yourself, walking slowly their way.

“Is this where the talent sits?” you broke the already made conversation as you slid into the empty chair. Luke and Reggie’s head snapped your way, Reggie with a grin and Luke whose face fell when he saw you.

“What are you doing here, Y/N?” He asked, crossing his arms in front of him.

You smiled at him and gestured to his sleeves. “I see we’re still going with the sleeveless look?” you joked, earning a small laugh out of Reggie who quieted after the look Luke sent him. “Come on Patterson, you know I wouldn’t miss Alex performing.”

“I meant here, at our table.”

“Oh!” you clapped your hands together, picking up a menu that was laying in front of you. “Well, that’s just for fun.” You smirked, avoiding looking at him.

Luke and you had an interesting relationship. You both have known each other for years, not nearly as long as you knew Alex but still a long time. You two considered yourselves rivals, two different artists signed with two different labels. Most people wouldn’t have such a competitive relationship, but you couldn’t help admit it was quite fun knowing you could get under Luke’s skin like no one else. You prided yourself on it.

Luke and Reggie continued their conversation, talking about the club as Reggie let you joined in. The conversation started normal, but it soon turned to Luke and you smart mouthing each other as Reggie watched on amused.

“You two are crazy.” Reggie murmured under his breath and laughed. You and Luke stopped your argument, looking at Reggie who was busying eating.

“We’re not crazy.” You countered.

Reggie met your gaze, quirking a brow at you. “Oh yeah, sure you’re not.” He agreed. Your jaw fell and you shared a look at Luke, seeing him in the same state. “I don’t know how you two do it, but you’re only ever crazy with each other.”

You didn’t have a counter for him this time, neither did Luke because the truth was Reggie’s right. You were only like that with Luke, you couldn’t explain it.

Luckily you didn’t have to because Caleb Covington, the club owner, walked on stage with his showgirls. You sighed, crossing your arms and falling back into your chair as you listened to Caleb talk. Alex, as well as the rest of the musicians, took the stage. He shot you a look, seeing you with Luke and Reggie but you just smiled at him and watched as the show began.

Alex was killing it, just like he always did as you cheered him on nodding your head along and singing under breath to Caleb’s song. You turned your head, prepared to see Reggie and Luke enjoying the music as well but when you looked at Luke you quickly noticed he was rather distracted by one of the dancers who made their way into the audience.

You laughed, pulling his attention off the girl and onto you as he clenched his jaw and let his brows furrow. “What’s up with you?” he asked as you shrugged.

“Nothing.” You turned back to Alex with a smile on your face. Luke scoffed, obviously not believing you as he scooted closer to hear you.

“No, tell me.”

You bit your lip, looking back at him in amusement. “Your friend is on stage playing the drums and you’re looking at the girls?” you quipped. Luke stuttered as he took in what you were saying, getting defensive as you laughed again. “It’s okay Luke, I get it.”

“Get what?” You looked at him for a minute, watching him squirm under your gaze as you slowly smiled. “I don’t like that look.” He groaned out, narrowing his eyes as you leaned forwards on the table, coming close to him and putting your hand under your chin.

“You gonna talk to her afterward? Work that,” you gestured your hand towards his face, “Luke charm of yours?”

He pushed your hand out of his face, holding it against the table as he sat forward as well. “What Luke charm would that be?”

Letting out a chuckle you looked around the room, seeing several people looking at the two of you with starstruck expressions. “Come on Patterson, you’re not oblivious. You’re famous, girls swoon at the sight of you.” Luke glanced down to the table, at your hands still technically touching as he hid a smile. “If you asked that girl on a date, she’d say yes.”

He met your eyes again, a small glint in his as you pulled your hand away slowly. “What makes you think I want to ask her out?”

“Why wouldn’t you?”

“She’s not my type.”

“You have a type?” your cocky remark was met with an eye roll as Luke couldn’t stop smiling.

“Do you?” He countered and you shook your head.

“Since when we’re we talking about me?”

Luke shrugged, taking a sip of the drink in front of him and avoiding looking at you. “We weren’t, but at least the girl would fall in love with me.” He knew he was most likely wrong, but the satisfaction the sentence brought him made up for it.

However, the laugh you let out and the way you threw your head back made him narrow his eyes. “Oh please.”

“You don’t think I could?”

“I wouldn’t subject that poor girl to that torture.”

“Fine, but I bet I could make you fall in love with me.” The air left your lungs at his words. You didn’t have a response to that, no comeback or remark.

If you had to guess, you probably looked like the physical embodiment of a loading screen. “W-what?”

“I bet I could make you fall in love with me.” He repeated as if it was the simplest idea ever.

You looked to Reggie, seeing him no longer paying attention to the show but of you and Luke. Your eyes widened slightly at him, asking him silently for any idea what to do but he put his hands up, not letting himself get involved.

You cleared your throat. “And why would I subject myself to that torture?” you took a sip of your drink quickly, hoping it can calm the sudden bout of nerves hitting you.

It was Luke’s turn to laugh. “Well, how about an actual bet? Whoever can get the other to fall in love first wins.”

Reggie who was still fascinated by the event unfolding in front of him choked on his drink. You both looked at him, Luke patting his back as you tried to focus on helping him but you could get Luke’s deal out of your head. You didn’t know why he offered the bet, but you weren’t the type of person to turn one down.

The music in the club ended as the three of you were brought back to the real reason you were here tonight, Alex. He stood up, holding his drumsticks in the air as he smiled brightly. You cheered for him, clapping and hooting as Luke and Reggie did the same. As Alex began leaving the stage, you turned to Luke and stuck out your hand.

“You’re on.”

---

“You did what?” Alex’s voice boomed from your living room as you grabbed two bottles of water from the kitchen, heading back to him.

“It’s just a bet, Alex. Nothing to get worried about.” You tossed him the bottle. Alex shook his head at you, shocked you’d even take Luke up on something like this.

“What do you get out of it?” You took a sip of your water, trying to think.

“I don’t know, the knowledge that I win?” He glared at you, unimpressed with your answer. “I don’t know, Alex!” your laugh was defensive and you knew it.

“What if,” Alex began and turned his body to face you, “What if you agreed to this because you possibly might have feelings for Luke?” You blinked several times and stared at him, trying to piece how he managed to get there. Leaning forward you pressed the back of your hand against his forehead. “What are you doing?”

“I’m trying to see if you have a fever because I think you might be delusional.” He rolled his eyes, pushing his hand out of his face, and stood up.

“I’m serious.”

“Yeah, so am I. Are you feeling okay?” Alex threw his arms in the air and started pacing, something you’ve learned in the years living with him that he wasn’t going to stop any time soon. You settled into the couch, pulling out your phone and starting to scroll through Instagram before you saw a notification pop up.

@LukePatterson tagged you in a photo

“What the?” you muttered and clicked on the notification. Alex moved behind you to look as you saw a photo of you tonight smiling and in the caption was a heart. “What is he doing?” you whispered and Alex was behind you laughing, having to leave the room from laughing so hard.

You pulled up Luke’s contact immediately and pressed call. It rang twice before he picked up. “Hello there.”

“What was that post?”

You could hear him laugh through the call. “Part one of making you fall in love with me. Figured it would probably be a good idea to be a couple, don’t you think?”

“Why didn’t you talk to me about that first? I mean Luke, I have a career to think about. You have a career to think about! You can’t just drop relationship announcements like that, especially if they’re not real!” You ran a hand through your hair letting out a little sigh at the end. Luke was silent and your stomach sank, you knew he was just trying to win the bet, not trying to put a dent in your careers. You both might be rivals in the public’s eyes, but Luke wouldn’t do that. “Besides,” you said to break the silence, “Posting a picture when I look like that is only going to make me fall in love with myself, Patterson.”

Luke laughed again and you felt calmer knowing he wasn’t cursing himself out in his head. “Touché Y/L/N.” he muttered and you barely heard it over the phone. “Hey, tomorrow be ready at noon.”

“What for?”

“Our date.” You expected more from him, an explanation or what this date entailed but all you heard was the call ending as you pulled the phone from your ear.

You had to admit, the smile that tugged your lips was hard to ignore but you did. Heading back to Instagram, you found yourself on Luke’s post again, leaving a like and a heart emoji in the comments before seeing lots of Luke’s fans had left comments.

Most of them were surprised by the pairing as they should be, a few of them thought it was a joke, and a couple comments sprinkled in believed it to be a career move and fake- a way to combine two of the hottest new singer-songwriters. You groaned at them but had to admit, they were kind of right. It wasn’t a career move, but it was 100% fake.

However, you couldn’t pull your eyes away from the support you and Luke got, something you never thought you’d receive. It was overwhelming, to say the least. You turned your phone off, sitting in the silence of the living room before a text came through from Luke.

Goodnight ♥

You laughed to yourself as you realized goodnight and possibly good morning texts were going to be his move. Smart move Patterson.

You sent one back.

---

The constant sound of your alarm pulled you awake, much to your detest as you turned it off and yawned. It had been a week since you and Luke made that bet. 7 days of good morning and goodnight texts, some of which you had managed to send first, surprising Luke. You went on a couple of dates if you could call them that, to cafes, the beach, even a double date with Alex and Willie. Luke had been pulling out all the stops and you had to admit, you were impressed.

The only hard part about this week was you were in the middle of recording some songs and it had been non-stop in the recording studio all day, the last couple of days being the longest. Luke noticed, of course, seeing how you were extra tired texting and would just facetime him instead when you were making dinner. Neither of you knew what to talk about at the beginning of the week, but as time went on it became easier and more second nature.

You opened your door to a dark apartment as you got back from the studio today, much later than you were planning, but home nonetheless. “Alex?” you called out for your housemate only to see a note taped to the wall telling you he was spending the night with Willie. You sighed and dropped your bag on the floor when your phone rang.

You let out a whine, not wanting to deal with talking to anyone as you pulled it out. Luke’s name and picture lit up your phone as you hesitated a moment before answering the facetime call. “Wow, you look beat.” Luke said as soon as you answered.

You glared at him through the screen. “Thanks. That’s just what every girl wants to hear after a long day.”

He snickered at you but offered a sad smile as he laid back on his bed, resting his head on his bent arm. “You just get home?” he asked and you nodded, shrugging your coat off. “How’d it go?”

“Same as every other day, but we’re closer to finishing recording.”

Luke smiled again, watching you through the phone screen as you put away all your things. “What are your plans tonight?” he asked and you shrugged.

“Eh, probably watch a movie and fall asleep while watching said movie.”

“Alex going to join you?”

You shook your head and propped your phone up in the kitchen. “He’s at Willie’s for the night.” Luke went silent as you moved to grab a cup and fill it up with water. You glanced back to him, seeing him thinking and looking off-camera. “Luke?”

“Give me 15 minutes.” He said before ending the call. You stood there confused, staring at the black screen of your phone.

“Okay then.” You muttered to yourself, pocketing your phone and getting ready for your solo movie night. You changed into your pajamas and curled up in your blanket on the couch, flipping through your movie choices as someone knocked on your door.

You furrowed your brows, trying to figure out who would come over this late and the only person you could think of was Alex. Your feet padded against the ground softly as you approached the door. “Did you forget your key again? I’d thought you’d be gone the rest of the night.” You called through the door as you unlocked it, pulling it open to be met with a smiling Luke.

“Not Alex.” He said and pushed past you.

“Come in, I guess.” you joked as you turned around, seeing him jumping over your couch to lay on it. “What are you doing here, Luke?”

He grinned up at you. “It’s date night.” You put your hands on your hips, pursing your lips at him. “So, what are we watching?” You relented, falling back on your spot as Luke controlled the remote, flipping through the movies until he found one that interested both of you.

It started playing as you cuddled into your blanket, throwing a glance to look at Luke whose arm was draped over the side of the couch. You kept staring at him as an idea popped into your head. Scooting closer to him, you settled into his side and covered both of you with the blanket. Luke glanced down at you, freezing at your contact before relaxing and pulling you closer. He tried to focus on the movie again, but he couldn’t stop looking at you. The side of your face was illuminated with TV light and every few seconds he saw the hint of a smile on your face as something funny happens on screen. Realizing he was smiling himself at the sight of you, he put his eyes on the screen and refused to look away, not even when he felt you fall asleep on him.

You woke up hours later to warmth underneath you, an arm around your waist pulling you close as your eyes widened. Carefully, you turned your head to see Luke asleep with his head resting on the couch. He looked comfy and he felt soft and you couldn’t help but admit that the sight caused your heart to flutter. You hated yourself for it, but you shifted and buried yourself in Luke’s side, falling asleep again in his comfort.

---

Things seemed to escalate from that night Luke accidentally spent at yours. You began to rely on him more, spending most of your nights now watching movies and cuddling on the couch. The next morning however you’d always curse yourself out, remembering that this all started as a bet of who could fall in love and you would rather give up your music career than admit you were losing this bet. It had been a month. A month of Luke and you trying to make each other fall in love as well as convincing the public you were dating.

The public however seemed to love it. Reggie took it upon himself to post on your or Luke’s Instagram any time he caught you both being overly couple-y. You wouldn’t tell anyone, but any time he did you’d watch the videos he’d post over and over again, thinking what if it was real.

You didn’t know Luke was going through the same dilemma. After the night you fell asleep on him, he couldn’t stop thinking about you and he didn’t want to admit it either, but he was starting to think he might actually lose this bet.

The two of you were supposed to have what you considered your millionth date today at the Hollywood Ghost Club, right where it all started. Alex was playing again, as well as Julie, who you hadn’t seen in forever.

Luke and you showed up together, seeing a lot of fans taking your photos as you smiled at each other, never quite used to the attention. Sitting at the same table as the first day you were here, you sat closer to Luke, giving room for Reggie, Flynn, and Nick to join you. You all chatted like old friends, hating the fact that it had been so long since you spoke with everyone’s busy schedule. Not even noticing Luke’s arm draped over your shoulder, you were mid-conversation with Flynn as Caleb begun.

Cheers went through the crowd as the music started and you watched your friends perform. You were enjoying the show before your eyes caught sight of blue feathers moving in the audience, making you turn your head to see none other than the same girl Luke had been looking at before the bet was made. Your stomach dropped as your stare snapped back to the stage, trying not to let yourself overthink. Luke’s arm felt heavy on your shoulders as you slowly looked over to him. His eyes, however, were already on you.

The music in the club seemed to fade in your ears as Luke held your gaze. It was at that moment that Luke realized something he should’ve long ago. “I lost.” His eyes flickered down to your lips as you gasped, not expecting Luke’s declaration. Luke grew worried as you stayed silent. You licked your lips, trying to figure out what to say. He let out a shaky breath, pulling his arm off your shoulders. “I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have said-“

“I lost too.” You cut him off before cupping his check and pressing your lips to his. Luke kissed back immediately, his eyes closing and his hands pulling you closer. You melted against him and your heart was beating fast as your free hand tangled in his hair before you pulled back.

With your eyes looking into each other’s, your cheeks heated up as the crowd started clapping at the performances end. You laughed at yourself, avoiding the smirking looks of your friends when you cheered for Alex and Julie who despite being on stage, didn’t miss your kiss.

The cheering died down as you leaned into Luke’s side, seeing Reggie look pleased with the both of you. “So I take it you both lost.” He asked, tugging on his leather jacket out of amusement.

You and Luke shared a look before he addressed Reggie. “I’m dating her.” He said and your smile returned. “I think I win.”

#Luke Patterson x Reader #Luke Patterson imagine #Luke Patterson #Julie and the Phantoms #Julie and the Phantoms imagine #Julie and the Phantoms fanfiction #Jatp x reader #Jatp imagine #Jatp #Julie and the Phantoms x reader

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stxleslyds · 3 years

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Who do you think should be a love interest for Red Hood/Jason Todd?

Oh, Anon, you sent me a very difficult question. I have been wanting to talk about my thoughts on love interests or ships when it comes to Jason but I always end up getting scared and don’t do it. But because you sent me this ask and I want to give you an answer, I will actually speak (write) my mind.

I like ships, I enjoy romances within stories, the name of my blog is based on one of my favourite ships from a tv show that I liked. I have also reblogged content that is about another ship that I like from an animated show but when it comes to the DC comics characters that I like (Dick Grayson and Jason Todd) I actually dislike romances and the idea of love interests, a lot. In Jason’s case, I actually hate the idea of him having love interests.

And that’s because of several reasons, but I believe they can all be enclosed into one thing, Jason doesn’t seem to be into romantic relationships or established romantic relationships. Every time they put him in one of those things start to make less sense, I will explain it more in detail because I will be going through every single relationship that was, hinted at, teased or official for Jason in the last eleven years. (Yup, I have found every single relationship that Jason has had forced and/or out of place).

This is, of course, what I think, you are allowed to think otherwise.

JASON TODD AND LOVE INTERESTS.

New 52.

Essence, Jason’s first kiss and some other things.

Essence was, as per New 52 onwards, the first person that Jason had a relationship with. (RHatO vol.1 #7). They met back in the All-Castle and with her, he said that he felt, for the first time after being resurrected “alive”. Yeah, it is a little bit weird, let’s suppose that Jason was 17 when he first met her, and when I say “other things” I do mean it, the panels are never explicit but there is enough information given and shown that tells us that Jason shared a lot of firsts with her.

But here is my first complaint, Lobdell didn’t need to tell us all that, in fact, he could just have told us that they were friends back in the All-Castle because when Essence is introduced in the story, Jason already thinks that she betrayed him and the All-Castle and he repeats several times that he either: wants to kill her or should have killed her in the past already. (RHatO vol.1 #7)

So, the first person that Jason had a love and/or sexual relationship with is now an enemy through betrayal, or so he thinks. After some back and forth and some other truths getting revealed, everything gets solved, Jason and Essence suddenly don’t interact much with each other.

We get another peek at their current relationship when she shows up in Roy’s hospital bed to help him recover from his injuries. There Jason says that she was his first kiss and that even though they have chosen different paths and they have tried to kill each other a few times they are still there for each other.

Wow, what a lovely message Lobdell, two people who have tried to kill each other and have an overall nasty/manipulative relationship, are still there for each other, which is what truly matters. Give me a break Lobdell, what is this? I understand this book is old by now but this narrative is not cute or special. They barely trust each other and they have been more than willing to kill each other but they are still on good terms, yay! Shut up.

Isabel, the flight attendant that may be a little too pushy at times.

Us and Jason met Isabel, the flight attendant when Jason is travelling along with Roy (RHatO vol.1 #2). Her introduction is very sexualised and Jason and her flirt a lot, he “checks her out” but he is also thinking that Isabel is better off not crossing paths with him anymore, but apparently that isn’t what she thinks because she leaves her number along with Jason’s drink. He is very surprised about that fact.

Jason had been struggling with the idea of calling Isabel because he didn’t want to mix his vigilante life with his normal life, that’s why when he calls her, he hangs up as soon as she answers the call. (RHatO vol.1 #7).

But that insecurity is thrown out of the window (apparently) because he does go on a date with Isabel even though he is doing everything possible to hide his double life (RHatO vol.1 #10). Isabel seems to be having an amazing time and as they reach Jason’s hotel, he offers to call her a cab, which means “date is over I want to go home”, but Isabel has other ideas she starts pushing him and saying maybe I don’t want to leave just yet and Jason is a little uncomfortable but Isabel just kisses him. Yeah, non-consensual kissing happens and this is the first (but not last) time it happens. The kiss is interrupted by someone else and the whole thing ends up with that someone (Orc), Kory, Roy and Jason talking.

Jason was so ready to make Isabel go at the end of their date earlier that he barely notices her when Kory and the others show up. She is literally on the floor asking what is going on and Jason doesn’t notice her until after they are teleported to a spaceship. Jason was so out of it that he didn’t notice her up until Roy pointed her out. How insane is that? What are you trying to say, Lobdell, Jason is an asshole? Or was Jason so uncomfortable on that date that he forgot that the date was still going on?

After they all realise that they are all stuck in space in the middle of an intergalactic war Isabel and Jason talk. Isabel lets Jason know that she thought that their date was boring and bad because Jason was trying to hide his real life, she also asks Jason why a vigilante asked a flight attendant on a date and he deflects that question like a pro. (RHatO vol.1 #11-12). You see, I think that Jason decided to go on a date with her because he thought that’s what he wanted or to prove himself that he could have something “normal”.

When they finally go back to earth Jason kinda acts like a jerk towards Isabel at the beginning but at the end of the issue, we see that Isabel invited Jason to stay the night at her apartment in Gotham, happy times happen and while Jason is in the shower Isabel gets attacked by Joker. The Joker made it seem like Isabel overdosed while Jason was in the other room which destabilised Jason a lot. He calls the cops and she is taken to the hospital after Jason leaves the apartment. (RHatO vol.1 #14-15) The last time we see her she is in the hospital recovering.

A long time passes by and we only see Isabel again when RHatO changes writers for a few issues, the author of Isabel’s comeback is Tynion. We see Isabel entering her home after a date, when she goes inside, she notices some weird robots and those things were put there by Jason who wanted to invite her to a private resort as a date. (RHatO vol.1 #28). Isabel decides to go and when Jason gets too wound up and is ready to kiss her, she tells him that he needs to slow down because a long time has passed since they last saw each other and she is quite mad that because they went on one date and she ended up on space for days and then got attacked in her own home. Jason is a bit taken aback by what she says but he doesn’t get to say much because a fight breaks out. Talk about signs… maybe they shouldn’t get together at all, you know what I mean?

After the fight was over, Isabel told Jason that she can’t do this (their “relationship”) any more, but that if the fight ever ended that he could go back looking for her. So, she “breaks up” with him but still kisses him before leaving. If you are leaving someone because you don’t feel like things are going right why on earth will you kiss them goodbye? It’s not like they were on a five-year-long relationship, they only went on two dates! Maybe this is not that big of a deal but come on…

Kory, this one wasn’t a “real” relationship but the idea of it was forced.

Although Kory appears in the first issue of RHatO we didn’t know then how Jason and Kory had met. That story is told later on and it begins with Jason appearing on the shores of an island where Kory’s ship was stuck. He is in and out of consciousness but we do see Kory taking care of him as he recovers, we also see that Kory has a little bit of heart eyes for the mysterious man, but that was because Jason looks like Dick Grayson (someone who she had dated and actually remembered even though she said she didn’t).

After Jason finally wakes up, he goes to her and she gives him clothing that used to belong to Dick, Jason knows those clothes are Dick’s but when he asks Kory who they are from she says that she doesn’t know (she was lying). After Jason gets dressed, he decides to tell Kory who he is and his story, so he tells Kory “Hey, there is something you need to know about me” and Kory kisses him. Ah yes, more non-consensual kissing, how wonderful! Jason is taken aback and Kory tells him that her people assimilate the knowledge that way, Jason doesn’t make a big deal out of it but I will. Lobdell, you knew that Kory didn’t have amnesia, and you know that Kory has been on earth for quite a long time, there was no need for that kiss. As the reader, I know that that’s how Tamareans learn stuff but I also think that Kory shouldn’t kiss people just to know new stuff! It baffles me that they are still doing this, it was silly then and it's silly now, stop the non-consensual kissing and then excusing it because of fictional alien traditions or whatever, just stop.

But I didn’t put Kory on this list for the kissing, I put her here because even though it was never explicitly shown that Jason and Kory had any type of interaction, there were some hints about it, like that time that Roy asked Jason if he was mad because he had slept with “his girl” to chich Jason answered something along the lines of “she is not my girl and she can sleep with whoever she wants”. (RHatO vol.1 #2)

But that’s not all because Lobdell gave us yet another moment in which Kory kisses Jason without his consent and Jason is written once again alarmed, this time even Roy is present and he is a little bit mad because his girlfriend is kissing someone else in front of him. At that point, Jason and Roy both knew that Kory wasn’t new to this planet and that she had been in a relationship with Dick Grayson previously. Because of all that, Lobdell passing yet another non-consensual kiss as Kory trying to tell Jason that he wasn’t alone in his fight doesn’t sit right with me, it’s even worse when you reach the end of the issue and Kory leaves both Jason and Roy on their own. (RHatO vol.1 #32) Yikes, Lobdell, yikes. (This is no hate to Kory or the other women on this run, this is pure hate towards Lobdell, please don’t get me wrong, he is the one being nasty).

Rose just appeared so Lobdell could tell us that she and Jason slept together.

Poor Rose, so many female characters being dragged into this mess by Lobdell, she really didn’t deserve this. She appeared in the last two issues of this run, two! Only for Lobdell to set up the idea that she and Jason had some fun nights in the past, honestly, who let this man write women?

Their interaction went like this: “Hey Rose, love that mask” “Yeah, I’d considered a heart tattoo that said ‘Jason’ with an axe hacking it in two” “I’m flattered, but I think you made the right choice” after Jason said that last part, he continued with this, “You want to explain what you’re doing here trying to kill us? I remember the last time I saw you; you had a big, satisfied smile on your face”. (RHatO vol.1 #39)

Really, Lobdell? She appears in the last two issues; you have them have that conversation and then in the last issue they are the only ones left (after the outlaws disband, RHatO vol.1 #40) but we never see her again, Rose isn’t mentioned in Red Hood/Arsenal or RHatO Rebirth, she isn’t mentioned any other time. Lobdell just thought that Jason didn’t look like he had fucked enough in the past so he decided to let the reader know that he had had some action. I hate him.

Barbara, this pains me, poor Babs, she didn’t deserve that.

No, Lobdell wasn’t the one who wrote this mess, it was everyone who wrote Batman Eternal. I mean, what was this group of men thinking? Where they playing darts and they had all the batboys’ pictures up on the wall and in whichever the dart got stuck, Barbara will get stuck too? Is that what happened? How often do they play this game, can they stop?

I don’t remember having read Batman Eternal and quite honestly, I didn’t want to put myself through that after I made myself read New 52 RHatO twice because I had forgotten to take notes of what had happened in each issue (I hate myself). So, I will only talk about the absurdity that was Batman Eternal #19 and #28.

All of the “relationships” that Lobdell came up with, were forced or out of place or both but this one takes the cake. It’s so simple and short, but oh, so annoying!

The phrase “You will never be Dick Grayson” coming out from Barbara’s mouth and it being directed at Jason should tell you just how many levels of wrong we are working herewith. Their whole interaction in this book seems to come from that phrase, how on earth do you build up a romance from that? Am I going crazy? Am I missing something? Come on, be honest with me.

Jason being the one who makes Barbara shake off mind control because he told her that he “only remembers what’s important, like the day he met Batgirl”, I am sorry but what? I really don’t have the words, he had even said before that he thought Babs liked him because she looked nervous, what is this writing? Since when does Jason care about Barbara? They met once when Jason was Robin and she was significantly older, what are these writers on, crack? (Batman Eternal #19)

But that’s not the worst thing, later in the book, they switch roles and Jason is apparently no longer interested in Barbara but she is all like “maybe you should stay this time, Jason. Help the family. Save Gotham” and Jason says “Gotham’s never been enough for me Barb” and I am not kidding, she tells him “What if there was more…?” That was hilarious, my gods, they must have been high when they wrote that because that is just too wild for me.

And Jason, the absolute beast that he is, says, “No. Because Barb, it’s like you said… I’ll never be Dick Grayson” (Batman Eternal #28). Jason, you dramatic little shit, what is going on? Why did the writers put us through all that just to end up being like “Babs is thirsty for Jason but he has already moved on”, what was the point of these interactions?

Yeah, that’s all I can say about that, let’s just move on to the mess that was Rebirth.

Rebirth.

Artemis, a new player enters the game.

While we did meet her in the first issue Jason isn’t seen being flirty with her up until they are in a bar and Jason is really drunk, he tells her that she has beautiful green eyes and Artemis is like, “if you are hitting on me, I will punch you in the head” (RHatO vol.2 #8), Lobdell back at it again with that mix between flirting and violence that I hate so much, lovely. But I guess this meant that Artemis was setting boundaries.

Boundaries and kinda thrown out of the window when later in the book we have something like looked like the start of a kiss that didn’t really happen because they were interrupted (RHatO vol.2 #11). Jason also acts a little too cheeky in two instances in another issue, one of them was a bit funny the other one no so much because Artemis was talking about how she had let only three people into her heart and one of them was now dead and she might have been losing another one, at that moment all Jason has to offer is “about that third person… does his name rhyme with Rason Rodd?”, which was a bit out of tune of him. (RHatO vol.2 #13).

The big surprise though is that out of the blue we have an issue called ‘Date Night’ where Jason and Artemis seem to go out on a date! What? We are moving on so fast! (Spoiler Alert: Jason thought it was a date, Artemis only wanted to talk about how weird Bizarro was acting at the time). One of the things that really caught my attention was how differently she was characterized in the issue and that within the story Jason hadn’t realised that Artemis wasn’t really acting like herself either. It could have been a cute date if not for the fact that Artemis wasn’t acting like herself because she wasn’t “really” on a date with Jason. Also, Lobdell does love to hint at Jason’s sex life, before they went on the date Bizarro said “use it (the teleporting door) all night if you need” and Jason responded, “I don’t think we will be needing it all night. I mean, if we do that’s okay, but I’m not, like, expecting anything”, it was kinda funny but yeah, come on! (RHatO vol.2 #19).

From that issue, we jump to the great finale (or not) of this “epic” “love” “story”, the so awaited kiss between Jason and Artemis, oh yeah baby! A couple of issues with flirting, a date that wasn’t a date but maybe if Bizarro wasn’t going insane at the time (who knows?). This kiss obviously comes with the separation of this team of outlaws, Jason is left alone on earth while Artemis and Bizarro are swallowed by a portal of sorts. Jason finally gets the kiss that he so desired, but at what cost? (RHatO vol.2 #25). Brutal issue for Jason, it was also like a special edition because it was bigger and that makes me laugh because all Jason did in that issue was suffer, how unlucky can this guy get?

We don’t see Artemis for a while but when she does come back, she is being controlled by something and it’s making her want to kill Jason, so to shake whatever was controlling her, Jason kissed her and hoped for the best (it worked). See, Lobdell can change! Before it was women forcing Jason into a kiss, now it’s the other way around! Yay! (RHatO vol.2 #41).

After all that we see Jason and Artemis spending some time together, it looks very friendly, they even have a very nice moment when Artemis hugs Jason as he lets himself grieve the loss of Roy. Jason also seems aware (this time) that Artemis is acting a little off and he gets her to talk about how much she missed her axe. It feels like they are taking it slow, they are figuring themselves out after so long, they probably won't kiss and make things complicated, right? Yeah, no, they do kiss, but they each pretend that it was like kissing a sibling. In the end, Jason does say that he lied and that he knows that she lied to him and that was okay with him, my only critique with this is: Why did they have to kiss? They could have waited instead of kissing and then lying about their feelings, what is this, Wattpad? (RHatO vol.2 #42)

Their relationship comes to a halt and we end up seeing them together (in a messy bed, twice) at the end of Lobdell’s run. But even though those two had their fun and Jason almost told Artemis that he loved her, things weren’t really meant to end with them as a couple because at the very end of the issue Artemis says her final goodbye to Jason. She says, “This is it. The end of us. I’m not being mean. I’m genuinely happy for you Jason. You have grown so much since you started the outlaws. But you don’t need us anymore. You don’t need me. Tell me I’m wrong” to which Jason responds, “I can’t. But if I ever needed anyone, it would have been you, Princess”. (RHatO vol.2 #50).

All in all, this was the best-developed relationship that Jason had, but so much about this, one could have easily been transformed into a friendship between the two. You will see better what I mean after I talk about Isabel’s presence in this run. Maybe it is just me, but a solid friendship between these two could have been spectacular, mostly because of what had happened in that one annual that had Dick as a guest.

In that issue Jason was very jealous of Artemis having the most obvious heart eyes for Dick, she was very flirty with him and he was a real gentleman with her. When she offered to take him back to his trailer at the circus he said yes and there, as they were walking towards his trailer, Lobdell wrote the best piece of dialogue in his ten years writing Jason. Dick asked, “So, are you and Jason… together?” to which Artemis responded, “Me? And Jason? Anyone and Jason?”. How is Lobdell so blind to his actual interesting takes on Jason Todd. Aromantic Jason was right there Lobdell, but you had to push your shitty version of “romance” every step of the way! (I am fine with Jason having a fantastic sexual life but listen, Jason being aromantic was still possible).

Essence, first Jason accused her of betraying him but now *Uno reverse card*

Do you guys remember that Essence and Jason’s last interaction in New 52? Jason said that even though they were always fighting or willing to kill each other they also will always be there for one another? Well, when Essence comes back in Rebirth she plans on killing Jason because apparently this time around he was going to betray her. Their very first interaction in this run (RHatO vol.2 #35), consists of Essence saying, “I don’t know if I should kiss you or kill you” to which Jason responds, “why do you have to choose?”. Lovely, Lobdell is back at it again with his shitty version of quirky “romance”, if he is trying to write them as sarcastic, he needs to do a better job at it because it’s not a good look, and not everyone has read his New 52 run so introducing these two in this book this way is kinda not good. But then again, maybe that’s just me.

As a fight ensues after they said those things, we are shown panels of Jason and Essence when they were together in the All-Castle, they would be cute panels if not for the fact that they are currently fighting to the death. It is an insane contrast, and Lobdell also has Jason think “I was the first human trained by the All-Castle. She was the only heir to a throne she never wanted. It was never going to work out between us.” But the thing is that it did work out between each other until Jason left the All-Castle, when they met each other again they had both been fed lies about the other and neither of them seems to want to look for clues to make sure that those rumours of betrayal were true. One will think that now, one of you might not feel so confident when they think the other will betray them again, you went through this already losers! But I don’t blame Jason or Essence for their stupidity, I blame Lobdell.

The fight lasts a few pages but it will end with Essence stabbing Jason with her ‘Blood Blade’ (not to be confused with the All-Blades, those are Jason’s), but here is the thing the Blood Blade comes with a curse if you draw blood from someone innocent your soul will be trapped inside the blade. This is what happened to Essence because Jason was innocent of what she was accusing him, just like she was innocent in New 52 when Jason accused her of betraying him and the All-Castle. Boring.

Now here is the thing, Essence might be dumb or she didn’t know how the Blood Blade worked because later on in the book, the blood blade is teleported by Essence (she was still inside of the blade) to the front door of Isabel’s home. The very next time that we see Isabel she is unconsciously sharing a body with Essence after touching the blade. She possessed her because at that time she still believed that Jason wanted to “destroy the world” (RHatO vol.2 #45). It wasn’t long until she realised that she was wrong and then teamed up with Jason once again. (RHatO vol.2 #46).

Lobdell, why must you recycle stories all the time and make women look stupid? Why would she still believe that Jason was up to no good after she got trapped in the blade? But my point here is that this is supposed to be Jason’s first love and their relationship consists of, flirting, remembering the good times, and almost killing each other every time they see each other because *betrayal*, it’s so tiring and annoying. Do better.

Isabel, aw, shit, here we go again!

Lobdell really had ladies ready to appear in Jason’s life when another had just left. This is one of my major problems with the way Lobdell writes all of Jason’s relationships. It would be lovely if DC and Lobdell just outright said that Jason is only interested in having sexual relationships that aren’t meant to last a long time. Because the way they had him involving himself with women seemed a little sketchy, in #25 Artemis finally kissed him and he seemed pretty happy about it, but then she was gone and now that Isabel appears in Jason’s life again, he acts as if Artemis didn’t exist.

Isabel shows up at the Iceberg Lounge after Jason made public his comeback and his management of the place. One would think that given how things ended up in New 52, Isabel would like to take things slow, after all, she had told him that he could go back to her if he stopped living his double life, but no, she talked to him for a few seconds and then proceeded to kiss him out of the blue. Lobdell’s favourite type of kissing makes a comeback, how nice, I didn’t miss it at all!

I want to be honest with you, maybe I am being too harsh, maybe these are all “surprise” kisses but in a way, it still doesn’t feel right, this is not the first time that someone kisses Jason when he doesn’t expect it (Isabel has done it multiple times already), but he is written as if he didn’t care, and that is not good. Men can feel pressured into kissing someone or can feel like they are being harassed. Lobdell and everyone on this creative team seem to think that being kissed by someone you haven’t seen in very long out of the blue is romantic or cute or sexy or whatever but it has repeated itself so much that I only find it uncomfortable and annoying to read and see. (RHatO vol.2 #33). Maybe it was just me because in that issue where Isabel goes to the Lounge they get attacked and she is not at all bothered by it, this time around, Jason even tells her that her safety is his first priority which is quite funny because the first time they were in a date Jason forgot she was present and only realised that she had been teleported alongside the outlaws to a space ship when Roy pointed it out, but I guess Jason is a different man now. I guess he wants to cultivate a relationship with her now.

And he might because your boy asked Isabel on a date in Paris. They just happened to both be around Paris at that time but here is where Jason says something that makes me speculate as to why he is actually dating, he thinks this, “Isabel Ardila. A flight attendant. Maybe the only normal person I’ve ever allowed in my life. Don’t ask me why.”

Well, Chonky, I won’t be asking you anything, I will actually give you the answers as to why you are letting Isabel into your life. You do it because you equate dating to normalcy, but I am here to tell you that it's fine if you don’t want to date and form romantic bonds, it's not something normal, it's just something some people do. If you like going out with her because of the sex or whatever then that’s fine too, but if you have to question why you are doing something, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it at all.

Jason looks a bit uncomfortable, and we also see that he is feeling sad and lonely because he misses Roy. He even thinks, “sometimes, she even makes me feel normal”. All of this normal talk really speaks to me about Jason trying to have friends outside the job but he doesn’t know how to approach that so he dates women because it makes him feel normal. I can relate to that feeling in a way, and I just think that Jason is confusing friendly love with romantic love, I don’t even know if he knows of the existence of platonic love. A reader that understands those feelings can see that maybe Jason is struggling to feel normal when he realises that he doesn’t love the same way as others. The thing is, I don’t really think that is what Lobdell intended to do, he just wanted to push two of his agendas, Jason has an active sexual/love life and Roy Harper was Jason Todd’s best friend and the only one who is allowed to suffer his death is Jason. In fact, back at the time, Jason was actually one of the few people (or maybe the only person) allowed to mourn Roy.

When the date is over and Jason’s walking Isabel to her hotel, they have a chat where it’s revealed that Isabel thinks that Jason isn’t still living that double life, she actually thinks that Jason is only working as the owner of the Casino, Jason doesn’t correct her. And then there is this very weird line that Isabel says, “The airline picks up my tab. This way you know I don’t love you for your money”, Jason is very taken aback when he heats Isabel say that she loves him so he manages to say “did you just…?” but Isabel stops him with a kiss and a simple “nope”. Jason moves on and goes to work because he is still doing the vigilante gig, the double life, that Isabel thinks doesn’t exist anymore. (RHatO vol.2 #34).

Isabel and Jason’s relationship has always looked forced to me, in rebirth, it was even weirder because Jason had just kissed Artemis and when she was gone, Jason kind of acted as if it didn’t matter that much to him and moved on easily with Isabel, but now Jason is acting kind of sketchy too because he is hiding his double life and the last time he did that Isabel ended up in a lot of trouble. I really don’t know if Lobdell remembers his own shitty writing but he should remember this stuff.

We move on too, and now Isabel has come to visit Jason at one of the events that the Iceberg Lounge has got going on, once again Jason is acting a bit strange because he was having trouble at the time with the idea of his biological father actually trying to contact him before he was killed and he was also having trouble because he was in Gotham after his adoptive father beat the living shit out of him and “banned” him from stepping foot in Gotham again. Jason seems to open up a little to Isabel but just as he starts doing so, she tells him she has to leave. Jason looks hurt for just one panel and then he moves on with his (double) life. (RHatO vol.2 #35). This is the issue where Jason also comes across Essence and traps her in her own blade.

Because everything falls apart in what was one of the best arcs written by Lobdell, Jason sends Dog (Jason’s dog) to Isabel, so Dog can be safe. (RHatO vol.2 #36).

We see Isabel after some very long time, and she is described as “The on-again/off-again girlfriend of Jason Todd. Currently off-again”, at this point in time Artemis was back to being herself and Jason had kissed her and all that. I am just saying, Jason obviously isn’t comfortable in a established romantic relationship. Lobdell dances around that idea a lot, every time with all these women.

This is the issue where Isabel finds the Blood Blade outside her home. (RHatO vol.2 #43).

As you can see, I have problems with Lobdell not handling the relationships very well, there is no concrete information being told to the reader or the characters within the story about how Jason wants to date, we never know if the women in the story know that Jason has been dating/flirting with other women. I am not saying that is bad but it would have been nice if Lobdell just used his words to tell us what he is doing.

I feel like saying that Jason is the kind of man that looks for sexual relationships without commitment isn’t something that will break the world in two. All the “romance” is incredibly forced, just say that he isn’t into romantic relationships my dude… unless Lobdell really thinks that the “romances” that he came up with are actually well written.

Anyway, Jason didn’t know that Essence who he has been fighting against and then alongside was actually Isabel, so, when Isabel and Essence get separated for a moment Jason is surprised. After Isabel tells him that they are in the middle of a battle so she is going to let Essence control her body again, Jason tells her that he “loves her”. (RHatO vol.2 #49). Does he love her for doing that or does he love her because he likes her? Hmm, that’s a good question, it is never actually answered in comics because we don’t really get to see Isabel or Essence after that happens and in the following issue (Lobdell’s last) Jason and Artemis seem to have been having a very fun night and they also kiss, Jason had even kissed with Artemis before he told Isabel that he loved her.

As you can see, its all very messy, Lobdell really said “Jason can’t be directly or indirectly single but I won’t really explain what is going on to the readers or to the characters within the story”, and that speaks volumes about how bad Lobdell’s writing is. This man simply cannot remember the things that he writes, he literally had Artemis say that she didn’t think she could see Jason dating anyone and then she wants to date him and Jason had already been dating people before that statement was made! It was all so messy! It makes all these side-romantic plots pointless; Jason was lonely because he constantly lost his friends, then give him friends! Friends are nice DC, stop making it about romances when you can just give your characters solid friendships.

Barbara, this time the pain is brought to us by Geoff Johns

I put Three Jokers as part of rebirth because I still don’t know if that garbage of a book is supposed to function within actual canon or not but it came out while Rebirth was going on so that’s why it’s here.

Now, the whole book was bad, we can all agree on that but Johns’ handling of Jason and Barbra’s “relationship” made me sick. This is another thing that writers love to do to Jason, write him as the kind of man that cannot take rejection and continues to be pushy about his feelings. Please, DC, don’t ever let Johns write another comic for you, it’s embarrassing at this point.

But in this book Jason wasn’t the only one acting weird, Barbara also did some weird stuff. In this run, Barbara thought of Jason as an unhinged criminal that needs to be locked up but Jason had heart eyes for Barbara every time they saw each other, their whole dynamic was wonky and weird. They even fought before and after Jason killed one of the Jokers.

But that’s not the real problem, the problem was that Johns decided to make Jason get tortured by the remaining Jokers while naked, this man was found naked, injured and mentally unwell by Batman and Batgirl after Jason and Batman had a fight, Barbara decided to take Jason to her home so he could recover.

Jason has just come out of the shower, he was clearly mentally and physically exhausted, and also very vulnerable. When Barbara came into the room Johns had them have a conversation while Barbara was fully clothed and Jason was just in a towel, and he was talking about how lonely and not cared for he felt, he was opening himself up to Barbara and apparently, Barbara (Johns) thought that the best she could do was kiss him, you know, to offer support.

Honestly, what the hell do male comic writers smoke when they write? You don’t show support to someone that has clear feelings for you with a kiss, to then pull away and say that “we committed a mistake”, we? Girl, come on, you made a mistake and a huge one! But one will think that Jason realised that Barbara did make a mistake when she kissed him and he also accepted the fact that she didn’t feel the same way as he did… well, not really, Jason is actually written as the kinda guy that doesn’t take well rejection and the kind of guy that keeps pushing for something between him and the other person to happen.

This man asked Barbara three times if she could give him an opportunity after the first rejection and he kept getting rejected! But that is not all because we all know that at the end of the book Jason left a letter (that thankfully Barbara will never see) in Barbara’s door when he asked again to give him a chance and that he would change who he was for her, he would actually stop being the Red Hood for her! Was Johns on crack? He had to be! The levels of wrong that are being messed around with here are out of the charts! Jason Todd, who has different values and morals than Barbara Gordon would stop being Red Hood just to get a date? Boy, don’t be dumb! Do male writers think that we are going to swoon over this kind of writing, do they expect me to applaud? I won’t!

This “relationship” was forced and incredibly out of place and out of character for everyone and it pissed me off even if it doesn’t affect canon because the writing is bad and the narrative is worse! If you love someone you shouldn’t change everything about yourself to be with them AND if someone says no or rejects your advances then the only thing you should do is back down!

This shouldn’t have to be said!

Future State

Rose, if you know me then you know that this is just a big no for me.

In the Future State: Red Hood story we are shown in the first panel of the first page that Jason is sharing a bed with someone else. We get to know pretty early that someone is Rose. The setting for their relationship is awful, both of them are working for the magistrate, they hunt “masks” otherwise known as heroes or vigilantes.

Jason hates his job and is known for bringing his “masks” alive, Rose on the other hand seems to have adapted easily while working with the magistrate and she is known for bringing the “masks” dead.

First red flag, why are two people who have such different ideals in a relationship together? Let me remind you that the Magistrate is not a good corporation or idea for Gotham, they are basically domestic terrorists and Jason is bringing them people that are like him (he is there undercover). Jason is going against everything that he is in order to infiltrate the Magistrate, Rose seems to be having fun. She brings the subject between them without care and seems to not really understand that Jason doesn’t like the work that they are both doing and that he doesn’t want to talk about it as if it were a normal thing that every couple does.

The second red flag in just a couple of pages is Williamson having Rose say “This is why we make sense. Daddy issues”, wow, are we really doing that, Williamson sat there and said Rose and Jason can make a good couple because both of them have unresolved problems with their parental figures, how wonderful. To me shared trauma isn’t a deal-breaker but sure, if you want to make one of your characters revolve her relationship with her partner around trauma, then that’s on you.

Jason also had a big problem with Rose attacking people who are hiding from the Magistrate because they are actually giving food to the “masks” and to people who don’t have to eat. Rose doesn’t seem to care and that makes the relationship a bit tense. So far, there are not many positives for this couple.

Things only get tenser, people are going around wearing those red pill looking helmets that Jason used to wear in Batman and Robin (2009), the funny looking ones, and those people are just normal people that are stealing food so they can eat or take them somewhere else. Jason is following one of those people and telling them that he doesn’t want to hurt them, just talk but Rose shows up and kills them. Jason is angry and Rose goes on a rant about how being a “mask” is against the law so she had a right to kill him.

Together they figure out that those people were being controlled so they go looking for whoever was behind those helmets.

They are tense and Jason is very cold with her even when she tries to lighten up the mood, but shit gets worse when they both receive an alert to go hunt another mask: Jason Todd.

Rose wants the money. Aw, nothing says healthy relationship more than murder.

The apparent reason why the Magistrate put a target on Jason was that he had the helmet that he took from that boy, when he realises this he puts it on and hopes that Rose finds him through that, so she can help him if he gets in trouble.

Jason gets mind-controlled through the helmet and is forced to fight rose, they fight for a while and then Rose breaks the helmet. Jason says “knew you would find me” and Rose responds “you are lucky I have a crush on you”, ok, is Jason okay with Rose wanting to kill him a few minutes ago when the alert on him came out? That’s not a big deal for them? Ok.

Jason seems to be in love with Rose even though they think differently and they are written with as much chemistry as a history book, he cares for her and does everything to save her when they get attacked by the Magistrate.

When they escape the initial attack, Rose grabs Jason and tells the Magistrate’s drones that he will take the bounty for Jason but that she will deliver him alive. Jason is surprised and angry but then the drones just leave. And we are left with Jason and Rose on a rooftop alone after Rose seemingly tried to betray Jason.

Do you know what Jason does next? He tells Rose that they should go on a holiday. He cares and keeps wanting to protect her from the Magistrate. Are you kidding me? This is so messed up; I want to remind you that these were the only two issues for this story. This is all the information we had for a long while and it is disgusting. DC really let this thing be published!

Rose betrays him twice; he is willing to harm him on some level and he still wants to be with her? Am I understanding that correctly? Later on, he keeps wanting to protect her from the Magistrate after he has evidence that they are hyper corrupt.

The point I want to make is that Jason and Rose shouldn’t have been introduced to us in this book as a couple or as people who have been sleeping with each other for a long time. I don’t know why this needs to be said but having a couple where one of them can think of killing their partner is absolutely awful. And then they make it worse by having the “victim” act like it doesn’t matter and that they should work on protecting the person that wanted to betray them.

I understand that there is a Future State: Gotham run going on with a Jason story in it written by Williamson but I don’t want to go near it. Future State: Red Hood made me uncomfortable and it made me cry out of frustration. How did this story get a pass by the editor? It’s disgusting, and it’s that because of this absolutely forced “relationship” that Williamson wanted to put in.

My point with all of these “couples/love interests reviews” is that writers need to be more conscious about what they write and about how some readers might perceive some messages.

Non-consensual kissing, harassment and all those things shouldn’t be part of the dynamic of two people that you are trying to put together. If there is some non-consensual kissing you can simply put a panel where the person apologises for their actions, but not even that is shown in these cases.

Comic writers need to be more aware of the way they write relationships. Yes, these are fictional worlds, people and situations but you are still playing with real-life interactions. Making some things appear in comics as normal things that you do to your crush/partner or whatever has an impact on people and writers need to become aware of this.

Lobdell was dying to let us know that Jason had a very active love/sexual life, great, but you need to show healthy relationships or make things clear about the relationships that Jason had. So many interactions that Jason had with women were overlapped with each other and the reader doesn’t know how to take it, is Jason a player or is he into open relationships, to me, it didn’t look like that but hey, maybe the writer would let us know? No, he won’t, because all he wanted to do was make Jason “date” more women.

Here is the thing, I have always felt like Jason was Aromantic, he likes having sex and having fun, but established romantic relationships aren’t his thing. It is what feels right (to me) with this character. And that’s (in part) because of all these messed up relationships that he was forced into. The two times that Jason seems to “be in love” are in Three Jokers and Future State: Red Hood, those two books are horrendous when it comes to Jason and love interests, in one of them Jason acts like the kind of man that cannot and will not take well a rejection and in in the other Jason acts as if he were blind to the abusive actions his partner does to him.

None of those two concepts are healthy or nice. Writers need to do better about that, they just have to.

So, to answer your question, I don’t think Jason Todd needs a love interest. Not as the main plot or subplot, maybe as a vague mention but nothing else, because comic writers suck at writing healthy and well-developed relationships. And because I really see Jason as the kind of person that wouldn’t involve himself in a romantic relationship with anyone.

I know this answer is more a rant than an answer but this subject is one that I have thought about a lot and it really made me nervous to bring it up. To everyone who thinks differently about these relationships, I understand and keep doing you, these are all just my thoughts and they are not worth more than yours.

Anon, thank you for the ask, sorry for making you wait so long and I hope that you have a wonderful rest of the week!

#jason todd #red hood #rhato #red hood and the outlaws #three jokers #batman eternal #dc comics #love interests #asksss

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