#the secrecy | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

softquietsteadylove · 8 months

Note

The president au was so cut :), could you do a part 2 pretty please 🩷

"Next we have to focus on the approaching summit."

"No, we should be focusing on public appearances before the turnover of awards season."

"I'm pretty sure we should be focusing on her relationship with the senate."

Thena rubbed her temples, the entirety of her personal cabinet squawking at each other over her upcoming schedule. She knew how much she had to do--she knew better than anyone.

Well, almost better than anyone.

She looked over to Gil; at least the dust cover of everyone arguing was good for something. Gil met her eyes, instinctively sensing her look. He smiled at her in sympathy, patting the schedule of hers in his hand. He was doing what he could to assure her that he had it in hand.

No one would prioritise her well being amidst all the chaos like Gil would.

"Enough!"

Sersi, Kingo and Phastos all startled as Thena spoke up from behind the desk. Sersi cleared her throat, folding in on herself already, "Th-Thena?"

"I can't do this right now," Thena sighed, looking down at the paperwork on her desk. Every letter was starting to meld together in her vision. She pressed her palms to the desk. "I need at least fifteen minutes with no one speaking to me."

Sersi pinched her lips closed, looking at her colleagues. Kingo zipped his lips closed. Phastos sighed, adjusting his glasses, "I'm sorry T, but today is packed."

"Phastos," she glared.

"You can have ten."

"I'll take it," she snapped it up eagerly, already pointing to the door. "Everyone, all of you, security."

The guards within the office traded looks, "ma'am."

"Ten minutes," she repeated with a certain bite to her tone. Secret service nodded, obeying their order no matter how reluctantly.

"We'll be right outside the door, ma'am."

"Right," she sighed, dropping her head as soon as the door was closed.

No one even noticed that Gil hadn't fallen into the crowd and followed them. "Even me?"

"Not a chance," Thena lifted her head as he snuck over to her. She looked up at him, making him make sure the blinds were closed. "Clear?"

"Clear," he smiled before leaning over, pulling her chin up to kiss her. He touched his forehead to hers, "you doin' okay?"

"This week has been," she paused, letting her sigh suffice. He nodded, kissing her again.

"It's a heavy week," he agreed quietly, mindful that they were only ever so alone, even when they were. "You're doing great."

Thena laughed faintly as he gently pushed her down into her chair again, massaging her shoulders. "You're always coaching me these days."

He kissed the back of her head. "I think I coached you a little before, anyway."

True, even when he was her personal security detail as the Vice President, he still was encouraging her between endless press appearances and meetings with Ikaris and any other requirement of the job.

"At least you could be within five feet of me," she lamented, sighing as he worked her knotted shoulders.

"I could always say my training kicked in," he suggested with a grin, leaning down over her shoulder. "It was instinctive that I dove to cover Madam President with my body."

"Gil," Thena laughed again, which was of course his goal. She turned her head to kiss him again, savouring this little window of bliss when she could just be a woman with her boyfriend instead of the pillar of the country.

"We'll get through this, Thena," he promised, tucking a stray hair or two out of her eyes.

"Hm," she neither argued nor agreed readily. It was as close to pouting as she could get these days.

"Hey," he whispered, nudging the side of her head. "Tonight? You call it a night early and call me on the secure line? I can bring a late night snack to your room."

Thena closed her eyes, already able to imagine the bliss that would be eating leftovers on the floor with her partner. "That sounds perfect."

Gil kissed the shell of her ear, "it's a date, then."

This was what qualified as a date for them, but they were lucky to have even these, they knew.

Thena sighed, looking down at her watch, "time's almost up."

"I know," Gil commiserated, resting his chin on the top of her head. "Don't worry, I'll schedule everything. You'll have time to breathe, if nothing else."

She looked up at him, winding their fingers together, "you're all the air I need."

Gil kissed her forehead, "I love you too, Thena."

She gave up his hand reluctantly.

He gave her a grin, "very poetic, ma'am. Are you sure you need someone to write your speeches for you?"

"Shush," she rolled her eyes, but at least smiled again before he pulled away from her. "Fine, let them in."

He gave her a look from the door. "Twelve more hours."

Twelve more hours until she could actually be with the man she loved.

#Thenamesh President AU #it's so sweet that people liked this one!#these two are so cute though #the secrecy #the tension #the temptation of danger #and I mean Gil is used to taking care of her #he was by her side 24/7 when he was on security detail #he's actually with her less now #much to both of their chagrines #he schedules her days for her #and he's clear that she needs 15 minutes at least between each obligation #if not a full half hour #even if it's just the ride there and they have to circle the block a few times #his Thena needs to breathe!#and he will be her air

11 notes · View notes

flaresanimedump · 9 months

Text

What if Fukuran but it's illegal for non gifted to have relations with gifted

#Do not think hard about this #Just imagine the angst #The intrigue #The secrecy #The forbidden love #Fukuran against the world #and the lie #Ranpo would cling to it with his entire being #fukuran #ranfuku #tantei soujin #edogawa ranpo #fukuzawa yukichi #yukichi fukuzawa #ranpo edogawa #headcanons and aus #reposted from (my) twitter

3 notes · View notes

cowboypossume · 26 days

Text

whilem is exactly how i imagine fitz in my brain

#esp with keefe #like its just #the complicated dymanic with whats 'right' and what he wants #the secrecy

1 note · View note

rubydubydoo122 · 3 months

Text

I just realized that Jason wasn't alive during Dick's mullet phase. I thought he was because most fics have Jason making fun of Dick for his mullet, but only Tim got to see Dick's mullet in all of it's glory. I mean maybe Jason saw the beginings of it, when the mullet was just past the nape of his neck, but he definitely didn't see Dick's mane

#jason todd #dick grayson #tim drake #dc comics #batman #batfam #dick grayson's mullet #Dick swore Tim into secrecy #but Tim probably left out a picture on purpose for Everyone Else to find #Steph: GUYS GUYS GUYS! Dick had a mullet #Duke Damian and Cass: Dick had a mullet?#Jason: DICK HAD A MULLET???!!!#Duke: How do you not know this #Jason: I'm sorry i was slightly dead at the time #duke thomas #damian wayne #stephanie brown #cassandra cain

2K notes · View notes

ghostreblogging · 6 months

Text

Just some random ass au.

Like what if Danny's main language becomes ghost speak. So ghost speak is like a magic language. Meaning when using this language and putting intent into it you can do magic.

But still he can work around it since all he has to do is be super casual about every word he says. So it wasn't a problem

Until it comes to light that anything Danny writes becomes a magic spell, because he's in all of his half dead glory and is now a native to the language . Since Danny is writing and has an intent. Like pass this as a good essay for his class.

So like every school assignment becomes a mini magic scroll. Which every one of them is either luck magic or whatever things he had to write. Like he had to write about marine biology. And ended up with a paper that spews out water.

Even computers don't help. Since technically unknowingly he's still writing it in ghost speak just romanized. So it's a little bit better but still.

Anyway. This becomes a huge problem when a new nobody rogue tries to use his school assignments bunched together with staples as a magic tome.

In other news , when the bats finally get the powerful magic tome the new unknown was using they are faced with subfar school assignments. Like graded. The mini tsunami spell is a paper on ocean currents.

Well at least it's super easy to find the maker of the tome.

#danny phantom #dp x dc #danny fenton #danny phantom au #is this done yet?#dc x dp #dp x dc prompt #dpxdc #dc x dp prompt #okay so ghost speak is a magoic language #like its rhe native language of the realms #how can it be not magical #that's why realm ghosts are so powerful #because they're native #and can use it in their daily afterlives very easily #they like to keep their secrecy cuz realms magic is very potent #like there is a huge infinite supply of it to use #i mean others can learn it #but it tqkes many years to perfect #and at first its like when you are just starting to learn #for the written spells #all the person needs to do is like place their hands on it and will it #cuz its not like 2 sentences in most spells that make it iut of the infinite realms #its a whole paper #like 2000 words at least #so its more powerful #or precise #anyway im going to sleep

2K notes · View notes

mostlysignssomeportents · 7 months

Text

How Google’s trial secrecy lets it control the coverage

I'm coming to Minneapolis! Oct 15: Presenting The Internet Con at Moon Palace Books. Oct 16: Keynoting the 26th ACM Conference On Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing.

"Corporate crime" is practically an oxymoron in America. While it's true that the single most consequential and profligate theft in America is wage theft, its mechanisms are so obscure and, well, dull that it's easy to sell us on the false impression that the real problem is shoplifting:

https://newrepublic.com/post/175343/wage-theft-versus-shoplifting-crime

Corporate crime is often hidden behind Dana Clare's Shield Of Boringness, cloaked in euphemisms like "risk and compliance" or that old favorite, "white collar crime":

https://pluralistic.net/2021/12/07/solar-panel-for-a-sex-machine/#a-single-proposition

And corporate crime has a kind of performative complexity. The crimes come to us wreathed in specialized jargon and technical terminology that make them hard to discern. Which is wild, because corporate crimes occur on a scale that other crimes – even those committed by organized crime – can't hope to match:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/12/no-criminals-no-crimes/#get-out-of-jail-free-card

But anything that can't go on forever eventually stops. After decades of official tolerance (and even encouragement), corporate criminals are finally in the crosshairs of federal enforcers. Take National Labor Relations Board general counsel Jennifer Abruzzo's ruling in Cemex: when a company takes an illegal action to affect the outcome of a union election, the consequence is now automatic recognition of the union:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/06/goons-ginks-and-company-finks/#if-blood-be-the-price-of-your-cursed-wealth

That's a huge deal. Before, a boss could fire union organizers and intimidate workers, scuttle the union election, and then, months or years later, pay a fine and some back-wages…and the union would be smashed.

The scale of corporate crime is directly proportional to the scale of corporations themselves. Big companies aren't (necessarily) led by worse people, but even small sins committed by the very largest companies can affect millions of lives.

That's why antitrust is so key to fighting corporate crime. To make corporate crimes less harmful, we must keep companies from attaining harmful scale. Big companies aren't just too big to fail and too big to jail – they're also too big for peaceful coexistence with a society of laws.

The revival of antitrust enforcement is such a breath of fresh air, but it's also fighting headwinds. For one thing, there's 40 years of bad precedent from the nightmare years of pro-monopoly Reaganomics to overturn:

https://pluralistic.net/ApexPredator

It's not just precedents in the outcomes of trials, either. Trial procedure has also been remade to favor corporations, with judges helping companies stack the deck in their own favor. The biggest factor here is secrecy: blocking recording devices from courts, refusing to livestream the proceedings, allowing accused corporate criminals to clear the courtroom when their executives take the stand, and redacting or suppressing the exhibits:

https://prospect.org/power/2023-09-27-redacted-case-against-amazon/

When a corporation can hide evidence and testimony from the public and the press, it gains broad latitude to dispute critics, including government enforcers, based on evidence that no one is allowed to see, or, in many cases, even describe. Take Project Nessie, the program that the FTC claims Amazon used to compel third-party sellers to hike prices across many categories of goods:

https://www.wsj.com/business/retail/amazon-used-secret-project-nessie-algorithm-to-raise-prices-6c593706

Amazon told the press that the FTC has "grossly mischaracterize[d]" Project Nessie. The DoJ disagrees, but it can't say why, because the Project Nessie files it based its accusations on have been redacted, at Amazon's insistence. Rather than rebutting Amazon's claim, FTC spokesman Douglas Farrar could only say "We once again call on Amazon to move swiftly to remove the redactions and allow the American public to see the full scope of what we allege are their illegal monopolistic practices."

It's quite a devastating gambit: when critics and prosecutors make specific allegations about corporate crimes, the corporation gets to tell journalists, "No, that's wrong, but you're not allowed to see the reason we say it's wrong."

It's a way to work the refs, to get journalists – or their editors – to wreathe bold claims in endless hedging language, or to avoid reporting on the most shocking allegations altogether. This, in turn, keeps corporate trials out of the public eye, which reassures judges that they can defer to further corporate demands for opacity without facing an outcry.

That's a tactic that serves Google well. When the company was dragged into court by the DoJ Antitrust Division, it demanded – and received – a veil of secrecy that is especially ironic given the company's promise "to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful":

https://usvgoogle.org/trial-update-9-22

While this veil has parted somewhat, it is still intact enough to allow the company to work the refs and kill disfavorable reporting from the trial. Last week, Megan Gray – ex-FTC, ex-DuckDuckGo – published an editorial in Wired reporting on her impression of an explosive moment in the Google trial:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/03/not-feeling-lucky/#fundamental-laws-of-economics

According to Gray, Google had run a program to mess with the "semantic matching" on queries, silently appending terms to users' searches that caused them to return more ads – and worse results. This generated more revenue for Google, at the expense of advertisers who got billed to serve ads that didn't even match user queries.

Google forcefully disputed this claim:

https://twitter.com/searchliaison/status/1709726778170786297

They contacted Gray's editors at Wired, but declined to release all the exhibits and testimony that Gray used to form her conclusions about Google's conduct; instead, they provided a subset of the relevant materials, which cast doubt on Gray's accusations.

Wired removed Gray's piece, with an unsigned notice that "WIRED editorial leadership has determined that the story does not meet our editorial standards. It has been removed":

https://www.wired.com/story/google-antitrust-lawsuit-search-results/

But Gray stands by her piece. She admits that she might have gotten some of the fine details wrong, but that these were not material to the overall point of her story, that Google manipulated search queries to serve more ads at the expense of the quality of the results:

https://twitter.com/megangrA/status/1711035354134794529

She says that the piece could and should have been amended to reflect these fine-grained corrections, but that in the absence of a full record of the testimony and exhibits, it was impossible for her to prove to her editors that her piece was substantively correct.

I reviewed the limited evidence that Google permitted to be released and I find her defense compelling. Perhaps you don't. But the only way we can factually resolve this dispute is for Google to release the materials that they claim will exonerate them. And they won't, though this is fully within their power.

I've seen this playbook before. During the early months of the pandemic, a billionaire who owned a notorious cyberwarfare company used UK libel threats to erase this fact from the internet – including my own reporting – on the grounds that the underlying research made small, non-material errors in characterizing a hellishly complex financial Rube Goldberg machine that was, in my opinion, deliberately designed to confuse investigators.

Like the corporate crimes revealed in the Panama Papers and Paradise Papers, the gambit is complicated, but it's not sophisticated:

Make everything as complicated as possible;

Make everything as secret as possible;

Dismiss any accusations by claiming errors in the account of the deliberately complex arrangements, which can't be rectified because the relevant materials are a secret.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/10/09/working-the-refs/#but-id-have-to-kill-you

My next novel is The Lost Cause, a hopeful novel of the climate emergency. Amazon won't sell the audiobook, so I made my own and I'm pre-selling it on Kickstarter!

Image: Jason Rosenberg (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/underpants/12069086054/

CC BY https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Japanexperterna.se (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/japanexperterna/15251188384/

CC BY-SA 2.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/

#pluralistic #secrecy #opacity #google #antitrust #trustbusting #wired #working the refs #megan grey #semantic matching

2K notes · View notes

lucabyte · 6 days

Text

i feel like people are sleeping on the occam's razor situation of how buckwild it is to outright accuse a guy of being a clone of your friend even if you DO have a lot of circumstantial evidence. there's other options is what im saying. they could just be like. a guy. that's a sensible deduction. you should explore that deduction. ignore my shirt that reads I <3 RED HERRINGS.

i still think odile has the correct theory on lock but she's smart enough to know it needs like... a real smoking gun to be able to bring it up without sounding insane.

anyway. (mirabelle voice) i know its rude to speculate but has anyone else noticed the grieving? they seem to be grieving. does anyone have any thoughts on the grieving? i have some thoughts on the grieving.

#[isabeau voice] am i insane or does sometimes loop talk like they might have killed their whole family. is that just me? just checking.#nille design highly inspired by @kiwibrain's since its the one that imprinted in my mind. liberties taken since i didnt look @ reference #anyway i have a lot more thoughts on this? i guess ill hide them in the tags...? scroll down i suppose.#isat #in stars and time #isat spoilers #in stars and time spoilers #isat act 6 spoilers #isat loop #isat siffrin #isat bonnie #isat nille #isat fanart #in stars and time fanart #doodlebyte #----------------------------------------------------------------------#anyway the extra thoughts. are literally just my general thoughts on postcanon. (and thus are the context for all of my postcanon doodles!)#which is i think nille joins the party before loop reappears for a start (either from a period of nonexistence or just wandering around)#and that like. i think the party should be able to integrate loop as a completely new person. because they are! the secrecy isn't great but #They and Siffrin shuffle into different ecological niches in the party (eg. i think sif is more squeamish after it all but loop isnt)#and while it's not *exactly* what Loop wanted they get that beggars can't be choosers. and its pretty good #(i am glossing over how i think loop's reappearence drags both them and siffrin into a massive behavioural backslide and is likely a bit #distressing to watch go down. cycle of argument -> lovebombing -> normalcy -> repeat. etc etc. but since they are no longer literally #stewing in the worst pressure cooker of all time they do resolve it via productive conversation on their own time. its fine)#the party well-meaningly tries to deduce things from loop's vagueries and are able to pin down the DEAD FAMILY vibe pretty quickly.#but eventually the question of their prior identity falls by the wayside because well! they're just their friend loop! (also change belief)#as for how The Truth Come Out... this is what i mean by The Isabeau Torment Nexus(tm). which is that i think... isiloop should almost occur #BEFORE isabeau knows who loop is. he's just genuinely charmed by them eventually and tries to close the open end of the polycule #which FREAKS LOOP THE FUCK OUT because thats just too genuinely sick and wrong. and obviously w emotions high its not a great confrontation #ANYWAY told u i had more thoughts. if i were normal itd be a text post but.

936 notes · View notes

amber-laughs · 6 months

Text

He loves him. He raised him. That’s his son.

"Come, let us see what mischief my sons have rooted out now."

He hates him. A constant reminder of the worst days his of his life. The weight of House Stark on his shoulders with no warning.

“He dreamt an old dream, of three knights in white cloaks, and a tower long fallen, and Lyanna in her bed of blood.”

He doesn’t miss him.

“The thought of Winterfell brought a wan smile to his face. He wanted to hear Bran's laughter once more, to go hawking with Robb, to watch Rickon at play.”

He begs, in his dying hour, for one last moment with him.

“The thought of Jon filled Ned with a sense of shame, and a sorrow too deep for words. If only he could see the boy again, sit and talk with him…”

He’s his greatest shame.

“I've never lain with any woman but Cersei. In my own way, I have been truer than your Ned ever was. Poor old dead Ned. So who has shit for honor now, I ask you? What was the name of that bastard he fathered?"

He’s his highest honor.

“The Starks were not like other men. Ned brought his bastard home with him, and called him "son" for all the north to see.”

He’s his darkest lie.

“Catelyn had asked her husband the truth of it, asked him to his face. That was the only time in all their years that Ned had ever frightened her. “Never ask me about Jon,” he said, cold as ice.”

He’s his kept promise.

“Promise me, she had cried, in a room that smelled of blood and roses. Promise me, Ned. The fever had taken her strength and her voice had been faint as a whisper, but when he gave her his word, the fear had gone out of his sister's eyes.”

#oh to love your son so devoutly but resent your nephew so desperately #i need grrm to forgo secrecy and just openly talk about ned/jon/lyanna/rhaegar i HAVE to know everything #their relationship is so intriguing to me coming only second to jon and catelyn’s i think #jon snow #ned stark #lyanna stark #R+L=J #asoiaf #valyrianscrolls #game of thrones

888 notes · View notes

plush-rabbit · 3 months

Text

Adam Dating Headcanons

I love him sm and I hate that it's him!! Why couldn't be like Lucifer or something!!

Angel:

With his status as the “First Man”, Adam can get away with most things. In doing so, he has you with him at all times. Takes you everywhere like a pampered pet. If someone comments about you, he’s hyping you up. He’s telling everyone how you’re just so hot, and you give the best kisses, and how you tempt him constantly. You’re all that he can talk about. It’s him bragging about how great you are, and of course, you're great. He deserves all the finer things that angelhood has to offer. You’re an added bonus. Someone so cute and hot.

He’s crass with everyone, and you are no exception to this. He’ll throw our swears, and phrases that are demeaning. He’ll use awful pet names that have your ears burning, and s scowl twisting at your lips. A part of you believes that he only continues to call you such things to see your reaction. His crude nature is public for all to see and bear witness to. He has no issue telling others the filthiest things that you two have done, and where you’ve done them. He only slows down when you swat at him, your face burning and hidden into his arm, pulling at the cloth for him to stop. His grin is sharp, and for the few times in his life, he takes pity, and he gives you mercy, letting the words come to a sudden halt, about how only he should be privy to just how perverse you can be.

There are times where he’s just a jerk. Flat out mean, and cruel towards others and towards you.. It never lasts long, it’s more like it’s just second nature to him to know that he’s above everyone else, so he doesn’t have to play nice with others. He’ll snarl and when an angel clings to his robes with stars in their eyes about meeting him, all he can think about is how he has to be somewhere that isn’t there and they’re dirtying his robes. You’ve been on the receiving end a few times, and everytime you give him a certain look. He isn’t one to say sorry without being nudged into it, but he’ll lift his shoulders as if to hide himself, and he’ll mumble something close to an apology, and when you look away from him, he’ll hold your hand. He didn’t mean to snap at you- he thought you were someone else, and you know how it is. When you do take it personal, he still won’t tell you a proper apology, but he will wrap his arms around you and his mask will nudge itself along the crook of your neck, soft words spoken that won’t be heard for a long while.

It’s rumored around Heaven about the past wives of Adam- how they both fell for Lucifer, how they were Adam’s but they left him. He complains about it, grumbling under his breath about the fallen angel, about Lilith and Eve, and there’s this underlining of hurt in his voice. Everytime that you see him without his robe, he almost always has his side turned away from you, a hand curving just under his chest. And maybe because of the betrayal, he’s so attached to you. He wants you around him. He needs you around him. Far more than he would ever like to admit, he can’t- and he hates to even give it thought- he doesn't think he could stand another betrayal like that. So he’s attached to the hip with you. He’ll call you constantly, he’ll want to go everywhere with you. He just wants to be near you.

While he may have his moments where he’ll whisper honeyed words to you, or give you bouquets of flowers, Adam expresses himself through touch. When the two of you go out, he’ll hold your hand, and if he can get away with it, he’ll tuck his hand over your bum. He’ll put his arm over your shoulders, letting his fingers graze over your chest, and keep you tucked underneath him. His wings are massive, soft to the touch and blinding in the sun, shimmering with gold and snowy white feathers, and while they can be heavy to hold them against his back, he’ll curve them around you, pulling you close to him when others cannot see. You’re protected underneath the gold, and he adores how you always reach out to touch them, to smooth at any stray feathers that bristle when he surrounds you. He needs to be touching you- he has to. In private, he’ll hold your hand and trace over yours with his claws. He’s never been so gentle with someone, he’s pulled apart sinners and covered himself in blood and gore, he’s vile and cruel, but he holds your hand so tenderly, and for a moment, he’s forgotten he’s Adam, First Man, and at that moment, he’s a man, holding an angel’s hand in his calloused claws.

Sinner:

Adam likes to joke that Extermination Day is the best thing to ever happen to you since it’s what allowed you to meet him. Plus, the added bonus is that now you’re protected and you won’t die. Probably. If you listen to what he says. But even then, he always makes sure to keep an eye out for you- hunting near your hiding spot, shooing away any of the other exterminators. It’s a win all around, really. At first, he’d have the two of you meet at the Heaven Embassy in Hell. However, it proved to be suspicious when other angels would question and even his own lies were starting to fall apart. He could always tell them he needed a break from all the singing and pure-hearted delight in Heaven, but he knows that he would have others follow him, peeking into something personal. So, he’s commissioned a new mask, and he’ll ditch his holy robes for something more Hell-esque to visit you.

You’re aware of his feelings towards demon folk, and walking hand-in-hand with him in the very place where he creates destruction, makes you feel like a traitor. You can tell that he's disgusted by everything- the gore and deaths, the rotten stench of meat coming from the Cannibal District. The rottenness of Hell has acid burning his tongue, but when you pull him towards a vendor on the street, he can hold his tongue. He gets to see you, and that’s enough for him. He holds no power in Hell. He could, and while he’s sure he could handle a few of the Hellborn and Sinners, you would be at risk. So any amount of disrespect has him biting his tongue and keeping you close to him. It’s infuriating to know he has to spend his time locked in your apartment, eating takeout- or on the lucky occasion your home cooked meals- and hiding away with you. He wants to show you off. He wants to be showed off. But, you sit beside him, and tap against his horns with an impish smile as you hold a forkful of food near his lips.

He may never admit it, but he likes staying indoors with you. For those few hours, where you cook and you nap together, and you kiss him earnestly and with want, he can slip into the illusion that this is his norm. It’s vanilla- so much so that if it were any other time or place, he’d be sick. But, with you by his side, complimenting his mask, the tips of your claws curving over the horns and tracing the outline of his mask, he’ll take it. He’ll tease and snap at you, asking you to beg for him to remove his mask, telling you to ask nicely, and when you coo and press yourself against him, he’s grateful that the mask is still on. Not much can make the First Man flush, but when you act so sweetly, lips pulled into a smile with fangs on display, he thinks it’s one of the better sights that he’s seen in a long while. If he’s in a pleasing mood, he’ll rid himself of the oversized robe, and let his wings expand. He watches your expression- the awe and wonder that they hold, the gasps when you touch his feathers. He’ll stare and memorize the shape of your eyes, and the curve of your lips, as you familiarize yourself with his wings. In those few hours when he’s with you, it’s domestic, and it’s nice.

When he visits Hell, he never stays for long. It’s visits that last for a few hours, but they never stretch into the night, and when it’s time for Sinners and alike to rise, he’s gone, not a single trace of him left behind. The dishes are put away, his part of the bed tucked in and flatten, it’s as if you dreamed a perverse dream where an angel took interest in a demon. You’ve asked him what excuses he gives to the others, never telling him that you wish he would stay for longer. He tells you that he’s told others he’s doing paperwork, or that he’s going to some orgy party and no one should bother him. When you laugh at that, he stares at you, eyes wide and heart- or whatever it is that he has- skipping a beat. You sleep in your bed, and he pulls you close to him, his eyes on the wall, as you make yourself comfortable on top of the Exterminator. He tells himself that he could miss a day- skip work and spend the day with you here, where the two of you could entangle yourselves with one another, but when brushes over your skin, and he hears the demons talk between the thinned walls of your apartment, he pulls away, and rests his lips over your temple. Leaving you behind in Hell never gets easier, and the more he erases that he existed in your home, the more he hopes that you’ll cry and miss him, and want him.

Unsurprisingly, he’s mean. Perhaps it’s his own personal feelings that he’s had with demon folk for the past number of millenniums, and how in comparison to that, he’s only just met you, that he still has animosity towards demons. Unfortunately, it doesn’t stop with you. He can be cruel, referring to you as a Sinner, and sneering at you, and when you flinch, hurt evident in the way that you back away from him and pull your limbs close to yourself, that he groans. He hadn’t meant it. Not like that- at least not towards you. You have to understand, some demons, some of those sinners, well- and his explanations are always cut short when you scowl at him. He hadn’t meant to be mean to you, he promises. He’ll envelop you in his arms, and pout, asking you to not take it so personally. He’s tense, and he waits with bated breath, and he visibly relaxes when you wrap your arms around him. Adam had never thought himself to care about what a demon may think of him, but in those moments where you sit still and he’s unsure if you’d forgive him or not, his mind is racing. He can’t- It can’t even comprehend what it would feel like to be rejected by you.

521 notes · View notes

softquietsteadylove · 1 year

Note

Hi! Would you do another one with lumberjack Gil and princess Thena? It was very wholesome and I would love to read another one with this AU!❤️❤️

"Surprise!"

Gil blinked as he closed the door to the cabin behind him. He set down his log pack by the door, scraping his boots on the mat Thena had woven specifically to keep him from tracking dirt everywhere. "What's all this?"

Thena fidgeted with the edges of her apron a little as he walked towards the table. "I still can't cook anything. You already know that."

Gil just smiled. He did know that. She had a borderline magical ability to under-heat tea and over-heat pans. But he didn't mind cooking for them, and he still ate any attempts she ever made. They tasted awful, but they were good for warming the soul, he claimed.

"But," Thena drew in a nervous breath as he sat down in front of the fruity, crumbly, messy dish waiting for him. "I was looking through some of the books you brought back from town, and one of them said this dessert only needed three things!"

Gil seated himself at the table, staring at the bubbling dish of blueberry with some kind of crust on top of it. He grinned at her, "is this what you were so excited about this morning?"

Thena offered only a sheepish smile as she sat adjacent to him. She had indeed been eager to get him out of bed and out of the house this morning for his work. "I've been testing the elements little by little. But today I finally managed to put them all together."

He took a deep inhale of the dessert, smelling the blueberries and the tartness that she had brought out by boiling them. She had remembered to add sugar instead of salt, it seemed. Looking at it closer, it appeared to be a butter-sugar-flour crumble baked on top of it. He peeked at her beside/across from him.

Thena held her breath as he picked up his spoon and took a bite. She always eagerly awaited his feedback on whatever she made for him. It was so trivial seeming, sometimes--such a small thing she could do for him in exchange for taking her in those months ago. But he seemed so openly appreciative of them, and he always encouraged her to keep trying and learn more with every failure.

"It's good."

Thena tilted her head at him as he chewed, "for the soul, you mean?"

"No," he shook his head, shovelling in another bite. "I mean yes, but--no, I mean, it's good. It's really good!"

Thena dragged in a breath as he shovelled in half the molten hot dessert in two bites, sighing as he chewed. She had never seen him eat anything she made with such gusto. Tears sprang to her eyes.

Gil licked his lips, beaming at her with little traces of purple in his teeth. "Sweetheart, it's delicious!"

Thena blinked, wiping away her tears of joy. It made every nicked finger and burned wrist worth it.

"Hey," he chuckled, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. He pushed the dish towards her, "try some."

She did so, taking a small, cautious bite of it. She had taste tested the elements individually as she went, but she hadn't had any of the finished product, wanting Gil to be the first to try it. Her eyes lit, "you're right."

"It's great!" Gil continued to grin like a madman, even laughing in his excitement. Thena laughed at his exuberance, but he leapt from his chair and scooped her up out of hers.

Thena laughed as he spun her around in his arms. Holding her was no challenge at all to the lumberjack used to hauling actual timber. Her hands found his shoulders as she looked down at him, "finally."

Gil set her down gently, letting her bare feet touch the polished wood of the cabin floor delicately. He kept telling her he'd go and buy her some slippers for wearing at home, but she insisted she liked the feeling of the wood under her feet.

He was pretty sure she just liked her nice warm foot baths every evening.

Thena's breath hitched as he bent his head down, pressing a soft kiss to her cheek. She felt the sharp peaks of his upper lip, with some hair tickling her skin.

"Thank you, Thena," he whispered, his head still hovering close to hers and his arms around her. "This was...amazing."

"Hm," Thena uttered softly, hovering between laying her head on his chest and tucking it under his chin. She worried that if she laid herself against him he would feel how heart her heart was pounding. "Th-There's more, if-"

"Great!" Gil chirped, kissing her temple again before pulling himself to the kitchen counter. He happily dug out more for himself, and a portion for her as well.

Thena pulled her apron off and bunched it up in her hands. "Well?--how was work?"

Gil let her use the question as a diversion from her efforts. He set down the plates for them as she sat more delicately - more regally - in her chair. He didn't comment on her blushing, happy instead to just take in the immaculate beauty there, and the wonderful dessert she had made for him.

#Thenamesh Runaway Bride AU #listen #we're here for the wholesome vibe #and I love a blueberry dessert #whether you call it cobbler or crumble or grunt #at least here it depends on which part of Canada your parents are from #but anyway I did love this AU #I think the runaway royalty trope slaps #the secrecy #the building feelings alongside the mounting turmoil?#the inner conflict #also I love it when they quietly become domestic together and barely realise it #like they're JUST starting to figure out their feelings #and they literally sleep together and eat together and wash the dishes together #like it's so beautiful???

15 notes · View notes

iguessthisisanewobsession · 1 year

Text

Tim was four days into a sleep deficit so he felt that to say that this predicament was his fault was a bit of a reach.

For it to be his fault he would have had to cognizant of the last 16 hours.

All he wanted to do was take a power nap in the nearest closest durring the Waynetech gala but nooo Bruce had to be taken hostage by the Joker.

So he did what he thought would work best and shoved uncle Clark into the nearest emergency bat storage and told him to suit up.

Maybe he looked a bit more confused than normal but they didn’t need a reporter they needed Batman!

That being said wasn’t uncle Clark supposed to be off-world?

Oh no.

———————

Jack honestly had no clue what was happening for the last six months so when he was told to be Batman he merely just shrugged as the frankly exhausted teen left him to his own.

With his son turning out to be part ghost to the government hunting down his said son and having to move shop halfway across the continent.

This might as well happen.

Grinning like a kid on Christmas, Jack plopped on the finishing touch.

“Oh Danno is not going to believe this!”

Raising a cloaked arm with a flourish Jack struck a pose.

“Alrighty Jack enough messing around! Time to save the party, Fenton style!

Shifting his feet, Jack took a deep breath before smoothing his face the best he could. After all, couldn’t have a smiling Batman! Before walking out the room and taking running leap through the wall to the streets of Gotham before grappling to the nearest building.

#this is the one time the media suspects that Superman had taken Batman’s place #that night has quite an interesting story #with several highlights like #Jack taking out half a block of electricity with a batarang #jack messing up his grapple twice #several walls suddenly gaining a Fenton sized hole #and Jack unleashing a whole pack of eco-weenies on several thugs #all while the batfam is desperately trying to find Jack and save their dad at the same time #jack actually does save Bruce and bridal carries him throughout Gotham before leaving him on roof of the gala #writing prompt #dp x dc #I kept most of the Fenton family as vague as I could so you guys could make your own conclusions #why was Jack at the gala? Why it was to honor him of course #he has just changed the game for clean energy #and blew the entire secrecy around GIW while he was at it #writing prompts

3K notes · View notes