#//that reminds me that i should add to the pinned but this storyline takes place a couple days after the events of ep8!

[prideringradio]

I apologize for my absence within the last couple days, by the way! I didn't intend to keep anybody waiting on me. I've been trying to investigate that video I was told about... I haven't found anything yet.

[liopleurodean]

The Road So Far: Season Four

Well that was a ride.

Friendly reminder to check my tag #ashla chick flick moments to see my live commentary on every episode of Supernatural up through season 4 (so far), as well as the other 3 season recaps.

With that out of the way, let's talk about season 4.

Can I start with the poetry? If you gave me enough time, I could write a whole essay about the symmetry in this season. I mean, start with the obvious -- the titles of 4x01 Lazarus Rising and 4x22 Lucifer Rising (and don't get me started on comparing Dean to Lazarus, one of Jesus' closest friends. If you haven't read that story, please do. It adds so much). And I mean, all of the episode titles are on point this season. At least one Zeppelin song, a Peanuts reference, a Sesame Street reference (which I mentioned in my post about the episode, 4x18 The Monster at the End of This Book).

This season really highlighted how Sam and Dean have evolved in just four short years. Obviously there were extenuating circumstances to make them that way, but I feel like both characters were really stripped to their cores to see what makes them tick, and it's so fascinating to watch them react to what's happening around them. Dean is finally coming to see that his life actually has meaning, while Sam is falling apart from the life he never wanted. It's plain to see that neither of them wants to keep hunting, but season 4 has also provided plenty of evidence that hunting is undeniably in their blood.

It's also interesting to see how Azazel's plan fits into the greater storyline. I think I mentioned back in season 2 that his whole plot didn't make much sense on its own, and it's gratifying to see everything fall into place.

Once again, it feels like the writers are forcing Sam to be the main character, even though this season definitely has more Dean-centric episodes and Dean gets a lot more development and limelight. It's almost funny to think about.

Before I forget, I suppose I should pick my favorite episode. I do have to say, while this was my favorite season as a whole, none of the episodes really stand out to me as amazing. 4x06 Yellow Fever is a fan favorite, and I'm no exception, 4x17 It's A Terrible Life was incredibly light-hearted, which was much needed after On The Head of a Pin. 4x13 After School Special gets an honorable mention, but it's not on the same level as the other two. My all-time favorite episode remains to be 1x12 Faith, which surprises even me because I'm generally not a fan of overly emotional and heavy media. I tend to prefer more lighthearted stories, but Faith really hits. I've already said that 4 is my favorite season, even if the individual episodes were a bit lacking. I think I preferred the overarching plotline of this season over others; it had much higher stakes and I was much more invested in what was happening. I really felt more emotional about certain plot beats and the characters felt a lot more real. I sped through this season pretty quickly, at least in terms of how many watch-days it took (as opposed to total elapsed time since the last season). It helps that I was on a road trip, so I got a lot of time in the car, but I think I would have finished quickly anyways because the story was so riveting.

This season we got to meet Cas! I have to admit, he wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Then again, neither were Sam and Dean. I feel like I simultaneously know so much and so little about Cas compared to the two brothers, but that'll change as I get deeper into the show.

While I'm not a Destiel shipper (I know. But Dean is Ben's dad and I will fight you) I can definitely see where they're coming from. I'll probably keep making comments on it as I see it, because it really is an interesting take that could add to the show. As it is, it's exciting to see Cas evolve into a member of Team Free Will (and I'm honestly a little surprised that it's happening so quickly). Even though most angels are pieces of crap, it's still fun to see a new player on the field.

Speaking of, let's talk about Chuck. I've already had a lot of the show spoiled for me being on Tumblr, so a lot of the plot twists won't be as twisty to me. One of said plot twists is the fact that Chuck is God. Now, obviously I already know this, but what I don't know is why he's acting the way he is. Is he lying? Was his memory actually wiped? If so, by whom? Lots of fun questions, and I can't wait to see them answered.

And with that, I think it's time I wrap this up. I'll start season 5 hopefully sometime this week. Carry On!

[darkeninganon]

(So, this storyline now has a name; it is the Ender Family AU! Dream’s design was based off @winifreyd and their White Enderman Dream! They are awesome and do amazing artwork, and this story would probably not exist if they did not  share their art! Warning for gore, blood, very heavy torture, passing out (as a fear/pain response), forced drugging/drinking (Potions are canonically drugs/alcohol), unwanted contact (Dream doesn’t like people touching his fur), and (there is no nice way of saying this) flaying. If you spot something else, message me and I will add it and apologize profusely. The beginning is deceptively sweet btw, just as another small warning.)

Ranboo looked between Tommy and Tubbo. His face was burning, but only one side showed a tinge of color.

"You mean you really don't remember staring down Quackity?" Tommy found it hard to believe, and was currently the main person opposing such an excuse.

"Really, I don't! You know how much I hate eye contact."

"He's got a point..."

Michael oinked in agreement. The trio were currently in the zombie piglin's room, Ranboo holding the child as the little monster drew something. Tubbo was kneeling next to the table, head partially resting on said table. Tommy was the only one standing, arms crossed, glaring at Ranboo.

Ranboo sighed, shaking his head. "Even if you don't believe me, it is the truth."

"Oh, I believe you, I just want to know why this is the first time we are hearing about it!" Tommy hissed, throwing his hands up. "I mean, if you hide that, what else are you hiding?!"

"Oh come on Tommy! Ranboo wouldn't-"

"Quite a bit because I would rather NOT be the reason someone kills Tubbo or Michael." Tubbo snapped his head towards Ranboo, horror plastered on his face.

"WHAT?!"

Michael snorted, holding up his picture. It depicted Ranboo holding a red square, and speaking in scribbles. Ranboo groaned as Michael proudly displayed his picture. The baby zombie piglin still had yet to learn to speak, but his writing skills were far beyond where most thought he should be at.

Tubbo stared at the picture, clearly concerned. "Michael, sweetie, have you seen daddy act weird?" Michael nodded, borderline enthusiastically. The little zombie pigling then grabbed a sheet of paper, scribbling most of it in red crayon before writing three large letters on it, and handing it to Ranboo.

Tommy and Tubbo stared.

"So, I guess I blew something up." Ranboo stated, staring at the crudely drawn TNT. He looked back to Tubbo and Tommy; "I think it's about time to tear down the walls of your old house."

"Damnit Ranboo!"

"I'm sorry?!"

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Dream stared, listening to the murmur of Quackity and Sam talking outside the wall of lava. It is a new day, Quackity is back. Dream could only wonder what Quackity was going to do today. Maybe he'll take my teeth, that would make sense. Or perhaps my other eye. Yeah, that sounds like something they could justify doing. Dream sat up as the lava fell away, Sam and Quackity standing at attention. Quackity was decked out in netherite armor. Enchanted netherite armor. Dream's ears fell back as a low growl fell from his chest.

Quackity made his way across the pit of lava, standing across from Dream with nothing in his hands but a potion and a pair of shears. Once the lava covered the opening again, Sam came through, glaring at Dream.

"Huh, what's the special occasion?" Dream smirked, tilting his head. Of course Sam; dear, dear Warden Sam; would want to help Quackity. "Don't tell me I actually scared you two." The prisoner chuckled, glancing between the two.

Quackity held out the potion; it looked like mud mixed with glitter. "Drink this."

"Excuse me?"

"Dream, do as Quackity says. I really don't want to have to force you." Sam stated, monotone. Dream stared at the warden, incredulous.

"No! I'm not drinking anything that crazy moron brings in here!" Sam sighed, striding over to Dream. "Get the hell away from me!" Sam went behind Dream, locking the prisoner's arms in an uncomfortable hold. Dream began yelling, kicking his legs out as Quackity approached. Quackity took Dream's jaw into a tight hold, digging his nails right into the joint and forcing Dream's mouth open. Once that was done, Quackity tore the cork from the bottle, shoving it into Dream's mouth.

Dream gagged, coughing and thrashing in an effort to get the bottle out of his mouth and not swallow the bitter liquid. Eventually, the potion's effects won out over Dream's own desires, his body going limp and his struggles ceasing.

Dream's eye darted around the cell. He wanted to move, wanted to cry out, wanted to not be sitting still. No matter how much he tried though, his body just sat there, even as Quackity removed the bottle and let go of his jaw.

"Hell yeah!" Quackity cheered, throwing the now empty bottle into the lava. "I told you it would work!"

Sam let go, gently resting Dream's head on his lap. "Yeah. You're sure he can't feel anything?" The warden sounded worried as he placed Dream's tongue back in his mouth and closed his jaw.

Quackity chuckled, "Yeah, I'm sure." He dragged his hand through Dream's fur, drawing lines at seemingly random points.

He's lying. Dream wanted to scream, Quackity's hands were cold and he hated as the "visitor" ran against the grain, causing the fur to stand up on end. Sam, he's lying! Please! But he couldn't say anything.

Sam, for his part, was staring at Dream sadly, carefully petting the prisoner as if he didn't co-sign this. He jumped as a hand snatched his wrist, holding it still. Sam looked to Quackity, who was still smiling.

"Seeing as how Dream isn't going to feel it, why don't you feel how soft he is!"

Sam looked at the prisoner, resting helplessly in his lap. Even though Dream's body couldn't move, his eyes were glaring at Sam. Still....

Curiosity won over the Warden as he took off his glove. Even with Dream unable to move, Sam was hesitant to touch the fur. When Quackity had entered the prison, that was all he talked about. It was just fur, what made it so special? What it because it was from Dream, and the prisoner never let anyone touch it?

Quackity groaned, snapping Sam from his thoughts. Without warning, the visitor grabbed Sam's hand and buried it in the mane around Dream's head. Sam could only stare. It was... So freakishly soft.

"Right!?" Sam glanced at Quackity, who was smiling like the cat that got the canary. "Seriously though, seeing as how he's going to be trapped in here for eternity, he really doesn't need this fur. He'll just overheat!"

No, I won't! Sam, please stop this! Tears fell from Dream's eyes, his mind racing. Taking his fur was the one thing he never expected.

Sam nodded, resuming petting Dream. "Just... be as quick as possible."

Quackity nodded as Dream's eyes darted to the man with the shears. "Let's see... Let's start here then!" Quackity stated, opening the shears and pulling Dream's skin right at his hip. Dream watched in horror as Quackity carefully cut a thin layer of skin and fur from his body, pulling and cutting just enough to make a starting point for him to continue. "Man, this is going to take a long while. Sam, would you mind grabbing a few more potions, just to be sure?"

Sam nodded, carefully setting Dream's head down on the obsidian floor, giving the prisoner one last pet before drinking a potion and diving into the lava.

As soon as Sam was gone, Quackity looked at Dream, and slid his hand between the skin he had just cut free, and the lower levels of skin and muscle. Dream tensed, the salt from Quackity's hand burning the fresh wound. "Man, this must really suck for you." The visitor laughed, a cruel smirk coming across his face as he wiggled his fingers in the wound. Dream gave a weak whimper, tear pouring from his eyes as the wound became wider and burned more. "Do you have any idea how hard is was to get the potion just right? Make sure you can't move, can't talk, but also heal you and make sure you can feel it? It was hard, man." Quackity finally removed his hand from the wound, marveling at the lack of blood. "This is probably what Tommy felt like. I have no idea what the afterlife is like, but maybe one day, I'll ask him."

Quackity straightened up as Sam came back, carrying a bag filled to the brim with the potions Quackity had made. The visitor smiled, turning back to Dream and resuming his work. Dream watched, heart racing as he finally saw what his fur and skin hid. Thin muscle hung from bones that showed painfully through in some places. It only took about two minutes for it to look like Dream was wearing a furry shirt or hoodie; a quiet whimper bubbling up from his chest as the first “hem” was finally completed.

Sam snatched a potion from the bag, opening Dream’s mouth and doing his best to make sure the prisoner didn’t drown on the vile liquid. Quackity gave Sam a weird look, getting ready to cut open Dream’s front.

“Really? He has another hour or so on the first potion.” Quackity muttered, pulling the skin up with his fingers, smirking as the muscles underneath twitched in pain.

Sam cast an unseen glance at Quackity, removing the empty bottle and throwing it into the lava. “He must have some form of tolerance, even after all this time. The numbing factor wore off I think.” Sam sounded distant, did Sam even believe his own words? Surely he knew.

“Well then let him deal with it. It’s not our fault he’s weird.” Quackity retaliated, making one final cut right at Dream’s collarbone, stopping as he noticed Sam flinch. “Hey, I’m sure Tommy felt way more pain than whatever little pin pricks this monster is feeling. Need I remind you-”

“No!” Sam winced, “No, I don’t need to be reminded.” He repeated, softer. Through the thick lenses of the mask, Dream could see Sam’s eyes darting between the prisoner and Quackity. Sam went back to petting Dream, unaware he had stopped for so long.

Quackity shrugged, cutting a gracefully curved line around Dream’s collarbones, stopping about halfway on either side. He grabbed Dream’s arms, inspecting both before dropping one to the ground, and making a quick slash around the whole wrist.

Blood poured from the fresh wound, diminishing to a trickle as Sam’s hand wrapped tightly around the small wrist. “Quackity! What the hell?!”

“Wow, language Sam.”

“Screw the language! What the heck were you thinking?! Get the bandages out of the bag now!” Sam glared at the visitor. Removing Dream’s fur was one thing, but getting so close to such areas… Sam would not stand for it.

“Will you relax? Look, it’s already closed!” Quackity pried Sam’s hand away, revealing a thin, bare scar circling Dream’s wrist. “Nothing to get pissy about.” He huffed, grabbing the prisoner’s other hand and doing the same. Sam was quick to cover the wound again, glaring hatefully at Quackity. “Alright. I need you to turn him onto his stomach so I can finish up the neck. I was not going to risk cutting your legs.”

“Quackity…”

“What? Don’t tell me you actually feel bad for this piece of trash.”

Sam looked between the visitor and prisoner. Dream looked terrified. Sam held out his hand. “I’ll take care of it.” Quackity stared at Sam, hesitantly handing him the shears. Quackity watched as the Warden made a shallow cut along the back of the prisoner’s neck, breathing heavily and muttering. Sam practically threw the shears back to Quackity, petting Dream as soon as they left his hands. “There, done.”

Quackity nodded, looking down at the paralyzed prisoner. He struggled to pry Dream’s skin open, humming and inspecting where it connected. Quackity took out a netherite knife, sliding it under the skin and between the muscle.

Dream watched, muscles burning and twitching. A ringing filled his ears, his heart racing, his lungs tight. He couldn’t breathe, and he felt way too hot… no, he was cold… Well, his body was cold, his arms freezing, but his face felt like it was right next to the lava. Sam… Sam something’s wrong… SAM! Sam please! SAM! Dream was suddenly in a void, screaming and wailing filling his head. He blinked, back in the cell. Quackity was further along in removing his skin. He could see his ribs laying right underneath the smooth muscle, his vision flitting to Sam, distress hidden by dark lenses. Sam’s head snapped to look at Quackity, muffled words demanding something. Dream’s mouth was pried open, another bottle shoved down his throat.

Black consumed him again. Back to the cell. Something hard and soft was in his mouth. Sam was holding his head, forcing him to look at the warden. Sam kept calling his name. Black again. Back to Sam. Black again. Sam. Black. Sam. Black. Sam. Black. Cloth?

Dream could feel his mouth was open; he could feel something wrapped around his body, arms, even his legs. Everything hurt. His eyes were wet, not from the cloth.

“S….Sam…?” His voice sounded too quiet. A hands was suddenly placed on his head; a gloveless, unarmored, calloused hand.

“It’s…”

“Sam… I’m sorry… I’m really, really sorry…”

Sam sat there, staring at Dream. Dream’s whole body was covered in tightly bound gauze. He looked almost like a mummy rather than… whatever he was. The only parts of him that still had fur were his head, hands, and knees. Sam had to fight with Quackity over leaving the fur on his knees. Sam sighed, closing his eyes as he took a breath, one hand resting on Dream’s chest while the other continued to pet him. “I know you are. I know.” Sam opened his eyes, staring at the creature laying on the floor before him, “It’s not me you have to apologize to though.”

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quackity held up the pure white pelt. He had just finished cleaning it.

“Damn.” Quackity turned, smiling wildly at Schlatt. “Where the fuck did you get a coat like that?” The goat-man ghost lit up a cigarette, reaching out and touching the fur. “Again I say this: Damn.”

Quackity laughed, “I got it from my dear friend in prison.” Schlatt paused in his appraisal of the fur, staring at Quackity as if the still living man had grown another head. “Not like he needed it with how hot that place is. Besides,” Quackity pulled the fur away, brushing the soft hairs against his face. He froze, jolting to look at Schlatt, “Did you know his fur was this soft?”

The ghost stared, Quackity had a look to him that made Schlatt happy he was already dead. “No…” He spoke softly, lowering the cigarette he had. “I had no clue.” Schlatt watched as Quackity skipped way, the beautiful white pelt held close. Schlatt shook his head. Not for the first time in his life was he thankful that Quackity was on his side.

[kinkymagnus]

hey speaking of convoluted roleplay, personally i like playing with truth serum. and look, i’ve got three modes with truth serum (maximum angst, tender fluff, and KINKY SHIT) and we’re just gonna stick with the third one for now so this isn’t ten years long.

so like you know classic fun fake power dynamics scenario like (damn now i’ve got the whole “mob boss” alec on the mind fuck) boss/secretary or maid or some shit, or the hero/villain shit i’ve had brewing for like a year, or the dragon/prince stuff i’ve had for longer, or whatever, the point is magnus is tied up and helpless and being “”made”” to take it, trying not to “break” as alec drags orgasm after orgasm from him, except at some point in all his cute “struggling” and weak “denials” of how he shouldn’t do this, alec casts a truth spell or gives him something and when he rubs the head of his cock at magnus’s wet pussy and teases him, asks him what he wants, magnus chokes out a please, please fill me with your cock, i want it so bad, and whines and begs for him all flushed cheeks and humiliation at being such a slut ;) 

like this works in so many scenarios like magnus trying to get himself under control, or even to just make what he’s saying seem less desperate (”i need this” comes out as “i want this so badly”) and his face burning as alec whispers dirty things in his ear about what he could do to him and magnus can’t help the yeses and pleases that are torn from his lips, can’t help how he sobs out thank you, thank you, oh, fuck, when alec slides into him (and sure they slip up and magnus can’t help but whine i love you or fuck i’m so glad we did this but honestly it’s just another sweet reminder you know?) 

and like even just in different specific roleplay scenes like. mob boss alec and lawyer magnus or even just you know in some way magnus getting bent over a big scary mobster’s desk and getting teased and examined and licked until he’s sobbing, told how pretty he is, pinning him down firmly so he can’t struggle or squirm away (there are many potential roleplay scenarios just specifically with mobster alec actually like. “paying off a debt” or “teaching him a lesson” lol) and then alec slaps his ass and asks him to say exactly what he wants and magnus tries to say whatever his “lines” are (you know like just let me go or i’ll pay you i swear or whatever you want to go with i don’t know) but instead all he can do is whine fuck me, please, make me cum on your cock and alec laughs at him and he’s embarrassed but so so wet??? amazing. or like alec “”threatening”” him you know but magnus is just like oh fuck i want you so bad i want you to pin me down and fuck me hard and alec’s like well i guess we could work out....an alternate arrangement ;)) (i picture these dorks not being incredibly good at those scenes bc they keep making cheesy puns or winking or slipping up with an i love you or a gentle kiss lmao but honestly it’s sweet and who cares about immersion when you’re having fun) 

boss alec pinning his secretary or his maid against a wall and teasing him, rubbing his clit through the thin fabric of his skirt or slipping a hand under his shirt and magnus melting into it and wanting to kiss him so badly, like, alec bending him over the desk or taking him against the wall and when it kicks in magnus is just babbling about how much he loves alec’s cock and alec’s hands and alec and alec asks him if he’s a little whore and magnus Very Eagerly is like yes yes i’m a whore i’m your little slut sir and i mean alec just has to reward honesty, doesn’t he? 

also idk why but i just imagined a sorta bad boy alec/nerdy magnus vibe? like. twi malec perhaps, and who knew “””shy””” nerdy lil magnus was such a kinky slut when you got to him open up a little? for some reason i’m imagining seelie magic in this one. lmao like this feels more au than roleplay (although it could just be REALLY lore heavy or some shit) but like they’re college students. alec’s a sexy Bad Boy with a cool leather jacket and magnus is like a quiet nerd but they go to some seelie party and truth shenanigans (magical truth or dare gone horribly wrong? just seelie pranks making the place of partying a no-lies zone, and then either magnus blurts something out or alec blurts something out or they hook up normally (magnus feeling Weirdly Bold, bonus if one of them did blurt something out because of the truth thing but didn’t realize) and then when they start hooking up they’re like “hm mayhaps something is up” lmao fuck idk 

ANYWAY dragon alec pinning “”””””””innocent””””””””” prince(ess for some fun feminization kink perhaps?) magnus to his bed, exploring his body and stripping off his layers of clothes one by one, magnus helpless and loving it underneath him, all oh we shouldn’t, i shouldn’t, and half-protesting even as he sighs and melts into every touch and whines and shivers with pleasure, and like, hey, CONVOULTED ROLEPLAY WITH A STORYLINE, he’s supposed to be an ~innocent virgin~ or you know ~wait for his prince charming~ or whatever and here he is getting fucked and ruined by the dragon guarding his tower instead, letting a dragon kiss his tits and spread his legs and lick his clit and fill his cunt with that Big Dragon Dick which just adds to the whole humiliation, pretty “”innocent”” little princess lifting his skirts and begging a dragon to raw him hard) and then, you know, bing bang boom truth spell and suddenly all those little half-protests and bitten back whines of pleasure (what if someone sees? and i should call the guards and alec laughs all low like wouldn’t you like that, if your guards came in and saw you like this, saw me about to stuff your pretty cunt full--go ahead, sweetling, call the guards, we’ll give them a show--) morph into very loud slutty moans of pleasure and begging breathlessly for alec to do all sorts of filthy things and even magnus looks shocked at some of the things he’s saying 

actually that was supposed to be mostly in character but there’s another fun part--obviously magnus consented to the truth whatever beforehand but this could also lead to him blurting out something even he didn’t expect (like, especially kinky/filthy and/or Soft(TM)) so it’s just like. magnus tied up, legs spread, face burning, pussy wet, having just let out a very long string of pleas for something incredibly explicit and dirty--i can’t think of a good example but like bonus if it’s twi magnus (bc u kno ;) ) and alec’s just like.....damn and magnus is like was that too much and alec is like no hold on i’m just taking notes babe 

but really tho like even if he’s at that point a little too fucked out to notice or care, sometimes alec gets just the incredible pleasure to see magnus totally fucked out and shamelessly begging for alec to fuck him and call him a whore and spank him and edge him or whatever else and he’s just like 🥰 i love my husband 🥰

ALSO this one is a little more dicey but pandemonium/public sex? i imagine it’d have to be a controlled crowd bc, you know, truth serum, but like, magnus getting fucked nice and hard and babbling all these sexy whiny desperate things????? in front of everyone??? (bonus actually if it’s more of like. an area thing, or if alec had some too--this wouldn’t work for all of the scenarios probably but also magnus losing his mind and getting the living daylights fucked out of him all while alec is whispering just like. the softest validation in his ear and he literally Knows it’s true? good.)

speaking of the whole knowing it’s true part that in particular makes it very hot for alec like magnus is babbling and whining so much about wanting alec so bad, wanting alec to do all these filthy things to him, and like, a) validation, magnus wants him This Bad, b) consent sexy and knowing just how much magnus likes it when he bends him over and spanks him and pins him down and makes him cry with pleasure? good. c) again just Hot like all these things he’s saying he a hundred percent means and it’s not that he doesn’t other times but there’s something really good about knowing magnus literally can’t lie and is one hundred percent not holding back and he’s just begging for alec’s cock :) 

i have so many thoughts on truth serum, even just this like, one third of the categories i have for truth serum ideas lmao 

[xsecretblastsx]

2x01 Summer Kind of Wonderful

SEASON TWO HERE WE GO.

I was dying to get here, this is one of my favorite episodes in the whole show. It’s also the episode were I really turned into a Chair shipper, so there’s that too, also The Hamptons!! Honestly was not to love about this episode.

I think this is the longest recap I’ve done in a while. As usaul recap under the cut.

Thoughts I had while watching:

I’ve watched this before and yet I’m still surprised our first taste of S2 is Nate going at it

After the super promising tease on Nate and Serena on the S1 turns out... she’s covering for him while he sleeps around... 😒

Chuck being Chuck, still a womanizer, still obsessed with Blair and as always ignoring Serena’s disgusted face. Also hilarious his enormous basket with cuttlery and such.

Look Joe Goldberg!!! Or is it Dan Humphrey? This bookstore setting is making it even more confusing.

Hi Jenny! And her never ending disatisfaction with her place at whatever she’s trying.

This scene between Chuck and Serena is so underrated. Her mocking face is hilarious. Pimp all you want Chuck it’s useless. Good luck in your suicide mission indeed.

What’s a Jitney? 😆How about where Blair returns to the Hamptons with a new beau. On your face Chuck Bass! On the words of GG: ain’t karma a bitch? We know Blair Waldorf is.

“A hot lifeguard is like Kleenex: use once and then throw away, you couldn’t ask for a better rebound” so says Blair 🤔

“The only thing lamer than dating Dan Humphrey is mourning Dan Humphrey” speaking words of wisdom Blair Waldorf

Of course all the wisdom goes out the window when Chuck appears. With the most extra polo ever and the shortest shorts in the history of menswear

Not that Blair wasn’t transparent with all her talk about James but oh my god Serena’s is so bad a going along with it.

“You’re lying. Your eyes are doing that thing were they don’t match your mouth” Chuck Bass: a walking manual on Blairisms

“I bet you’ll like him as much as I do” “If by that you mean I won’t like him at all then you’re right” meanwhile Serena is trying to pretend she’s anywhere else and not there silent witness to that verball pin pong

I always wonder how Jenny and Dan end up being like that with a Dad like Rufus

So this is “Jenny admitting she was a bitch and that Eric didn’t deserve it” first season.

“A honk instead of a knock? Did someone order a townie?" Blair’sn lines this episode are hilarious

I feel bad thinking that Nate’s main contribution so far is looking really good without a shirt.

Chuck Bass: a walking encyclopedia on everything Blair Waldorf.

If only the show had given us more Chuck and Cece interactions.

I feel I should have kept a score for all the Chuck and Blair jibes to each. That pin play on Blair’s part was check mate though. Auch. I almost feel bad for Chuck. Almost

In terms of cinematography that scene were they talk about the pin is gorgeous probably my fave in the show only behind that scene in Paris in S4. The matching outfits, the colors and the scenery are sooo good. Also the acting.

Knowing her like he does it’s interesting Chuck doesn’t realize Blair only gave that pin to James to hurt him. But the fact that it works is very telling on Chuck’s insecurities and feelings.

Nate being kicked out so the husband won’t catch him wouldn’t be half as hilarious if it wasn’t for Serena’s “no effing way face”

“Damn that Motherchucker” a novel by Blair Waldorf

I love Blair’s summer dress by the way

“All I could see was that Chuck Basstard” the sequel novel, also by Blair Waldorf

What a difference a summer makes: Nate and Chuck talking about Blair. I do feel Nate’s like “thank god it ain’t me anymore”

“And unlike you I don’t lose something if I let it out of my sight” Blair strikes again, this girl is on fire.

This episode is kind of proving that I barely care for any other storyline that doesn’t have the original four. After those two side by side arguments, getting back to Dan is really annoying

I kind of love it when Rufus points out to Dan how he never stops talking and doesn’t let anyone else said anything. Is kind of boring already how he only seems to write about Serena and the UES.

Chuck’s cricket outfit reminds me of how I should enjoy the crazy outfits while they last.

Ofc Chuck’s has a PI on speed dial Eric, duh. Gotta love him though: “i know that face, that face is not your friend” sorry Nate

I’m still trying to come up with the reason why the show let the fake dating storyline between Nate and Serena be such a waste. Whyyyy????

Just in case I forget: this white party was sponsored by Vitamin Water. For real there’s product placement and then there’s this.

The constrast between Serena looking like a greek goddess next to Nate’s I didn’t bother of an outfit is making me dizzy.

Chuck’s outfit for the white party kind of deserves a post of his own. Then again is probably my fave outfit of his on the whole show.

James calling out Blair for using him, while mentioning charade feels kind of overplayed now. Anyway he’s already pointing out how Blair and Chuck are the same and that’s why they deserve each other.

“Don’t you see? We’re the same? Stop trying to fight it” “I will fight it to my last dying breath because any resemblance to you is something I would hate about myself” this whole dialogue feels like a premonition.

Serena and Nate kissing and being totally into it while paparazzi plays is the background is just one of those moments. This is the kind of content I’m here for. Only to be ruined by Dan Humphrey.

And here we are again Dan getting mad when he doesn’t have a right to, thankfully karma is a thing in the form of drinks poured all over him

And somehow is Serena the one busy cleaning that suit, useless Dan is useless

Chuck’s “I’m so screwed” face when his PI tells him Blair’s guy is actually a british Lord is priceless.

THREE WORDS EIGHT LETTERS SAY IT AND IM YOURS.

Epic scene aside they both look so good here. This episode is gift in matching outfits.

Dan, Serena and fireworks. 😪 here we go again

I loved this episod the first time I watched it and I think I love it even more so now. It’s really good, full of funny lines, great outfits and epic moments. Season two is as of now my fave season (i think this is also true for many people) and it starts with a bang. Quite literally actually with the opening scene being Nate going at it with an “older” woman, which I guess was meant to be shocking in part because we ended last season wondering if something was going to happen between Nate and Serena.

Sadly it didn’t and that’s my biggest complain for this episode because how on earth did they thought it was ok to waste all that set up, and to add insult to the injury they are like so Serena and Nate are secretly dating... but it is just like a throway line because except for that amazing kiss at the white party we never see them fakee dating and I honestly want to pull my hair out of frustration. Just imagine the possibilities that weren’t, granted fake dating is one of my favorite tropes but it could have been quite the storyline imagine: Serenate fake dates and that sparks the feelings that were pushed aside on S1 but that were always there, and now there’s nothing that can stop them to act on it, except Serena has feelings for Dan too, and she struggles because of it all the first half of S1 until eventually she picks Dan and breaks Nate’s heart, combined with all the other pressures in his life, he wants something easy and this happens to coincide with Blair’s downright spiral and that’s how Nair happens again in the second half of S2.

My point being you could add so many more moments in the Serenate saga, also give more force to the idea the show always tried to do: that Serena can’t really let go of Dan, because Nate and her are quite something and yet... and still have almost the same story on the second half which was important because it gave closure to Nair and also had both Chuck and Blair realizing a couple of things. Alas one can only dream and be happy that at least we got that kiss at the white party

So back to the episode, we learn that Nate is having and affair with a married woman, Serena misses Dan a lot and basically mourned him the whole summer meanwhile he was being an asshole in the City fooling girls he met at his intership and Jenny is working and trying to stand out in her own internship at Waldorf desings. Which reminds me Eric is such a gem of a character, he’s always have good one liners but whe’s also a nice counter balance to all the manipulation and bitchery going around him. Anyway all of these storylines are barely a tease of what’s coming, and they really take off in the next episode, so I’ll get into them then, so at the end of the episode Nate manages to keep the affair goin into the city, Jenny earns a bit of respect from her boss and Serena and Dan see each other again (thanks to Cece which is another character I wish we had see a bit more) they meet at the beach ready to see if there’s something to salvage between them. We’ll see.

The real star of this episode are Chuck and Blair. This episode belongs to them. I’ve seen comments that claim this is the season that made them epic and really take off and I quite agree, and this episode in particular sets up the stage for it, touching on a lot of the aspects that are going to be their arc for this season and even beyond. So at the end of S1 Chuck stands up Blair and she goes alone to Tuscany and he doesn’t goes after her the whole summer. Instead he spends the summer in The Hamptons being Chuck Bass, she ends up in France. We soon learn that while Chuck  enjoyed himself during the summer Blair wasn’t far off in his mind:, the minute she’s back he goes aftet her, roses in hand only to find out she came back with a new guy, and she does everything in her power to rub that fact in his face which Chuck should have expected, it obviously bothers him but truth is they both know this is just Blair trying to get back at him for abandoning her, he hurt her, she obviously doesn’t tell him but he ruined his summer and she couldn’t stop thinking about the motherchucker

Shenanigans ensue but there are bits that really stand out: first of them the heart pinn. That's a telling bit about Chuck’s feelings, when that pin make its first appearance on S1 it was the beginning of the end for Chuck, the meaning of it was what got her to accept going to Cotillion with Nate  and now she has gave it to James and Chuck buys it because I guess part of him couldn’t believe she would go as far as to use that to hurt him, that’s a low blow and she also didn’t gave it to him that week they were going out after the wedding, even though it went really well but most importantly he believes she can’t really feel that way about him because he’s just not the kind of guy someone can feel something for, but specially someone  like Blair Waldorf, who dreams of finding her prince charming and such, and to his utter horror it’s revealed that Blair’s new guy is actually a british lord. Just his luck.

He’s anything but that, therefore not for Blair. He tells her as a much later in the episode when he let’s her know that he basically stood her up because he was afraid of her getting to really know him and see he was not good enough nor someone she could be with. And this is something that’s going to be quite the struggle for him for a long time, more than once during the show he’s going to remove himself from the picture because he believes she deserves someone better who can actually make her happy, and this season this happens quite a few times.

Thing is nothing is ever that simple, and this is the other bit that really stands out for me: when James calls her out on how she just use him to make Chuck jealous she justifies herself by pointing out Chuck’s an awful person, who lies and deceives so he kinds of deserve it, and James points out the fact that well she’s sort of the same, and they deserve each other. She lashes out at Chuck because of this and blames him for her argument with James, it’s his fault she played with James, and Chuck’s point out that no one force her to do anything she did it because they’re the same, meaning they scheme and manipulate to get what they want, so she should just stop fighting this thing between them, she rejects him claiming she would hate any resamblance to him. This whole argument is honestly quite interesting, because variations of it are going to keep popping up the rest of the show, and depending on who you ship you either take literally as if  Chuck is the root of Blair worst tendencies or rather see this argument as representation of Blair struggles not with Chuck, but with herself.

Blair struggles in accepting herself, at her core she’s an insecure person, and the fact that she has a dark side that she can’t exactly change because it’s so deep roothed in her bothers her even before she and Chuck were anything, to me it bothers her not because she really wishes she was nice & good person, but rather because Serena is  nice person, who’s regarded as literal ray of sunshine at times, and Serena got two things she wanted for the longest time: positive atention from Eleanor and Nate’s interest.So that fight within herself was always there, it didn’t appear the day she started dating Chuck, is just that in the same way they brought out the best in each other, when things go bad between them the opposite sometimes happened, and even then when they blame each other for something half the time it was to share some of the hurt and to avoid dealing with their own shortcomings and mistakes. Truthfully Chuck and Blair did something for each other no one had really done for them they accept each other fully, Blair’s able to accept and love his darkness, and for Chuck there’s no darkness in Blair she’s the way she is and that’s what makes her wonderful. It was easier for them to love each other than to love themselves. 

Finally the biggest stand out of the episode is that iconic scene, the one that really puts into place the dynamic they will have for the rest of the season: Three words, eight letters are brought to the table, and they won’t move forward until the words have been said. It makes sense, because they tried this twice before, the first one came out of nowhere and it ended with Chuck getting dumped in favor of Nate, and that burned him badly, the second one Blair was the one who got hurt, and both times this pretty much happened because they aren’t able of telling each other how they feel, particularly Chuck. The first time he didn’t let her know he actually cared and wanted to be with her, the second one he didn’t tell her he was afraid, and all of this was too much too soon. So Blair wants, needs some kind of reassurance, and it makes me wonder how that week after the wedding really went, what happened? how wonderful it must have been that even though he abandoned her a that helipad she still had hope in the fact that he may love her. He doesn’t say it, and yet I still love this moment so much for  because jus by asking him to say it is in some way an admittance on her own feellings, and he fails to saythe words  but he did try, and the fact that he did try is also a form of admittance and as such  from here on no matter what happens, how much they fight and toy with each other there’s always an undercurrent of love behind their actions,and this is (borrowing a phrase from a certain popstar) the most amazing unspoken dialogue ever. 

Random bits I’ve noticed

Chuck has a bouquet of yellow roses for his intent on getting Blair back. If my memory serves right, those were his mom favorites

I’m such a sucker for the little backdrop details like the Van der Bass house having all these background pictures of the wedding

Thanks to Chuck for giving us the rank on Blair’s favorite films: Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Roman Holiday & Funny Face (even if he said Charades to prove a point)

I’ve read somewhere I think it was on twitter that Blair’s crying in the garden scene was unscripted, Leighton did because she got really caught up in the scene particularly by Ed’s acting. I’ve looked it up but so far I haven’t found anything on this.

There’s a bunch of miniature cyclists under the mirror where Cece’s doing the final touches to her hair, looks sort of weird.

that vitamin water is even on the invitation, agust 30, 2008.

[honekitteh]

FIC: Countdown - Chapter 1

Fandom: SWTOR Pairing: Theron Shan/f!Jedi Knight Rating: T (this chapter) Genre:  Angst, H/C, Romance, Canon-Typical Violence, Humor Synopsis: A distress call leads the Jedi Battlemaster to Ziost, but time is running out.  Follows the storyline of The Rise of the Emperor and inserts missing scenes.   Author's Notes: First installment of an actual chaptered fic in this fandom. Hopefully there will be more in the future.   Warnings: Future chapters will raise the rating to M/E.

Crossposted to AO3

How did I get to this point?  That is an excellent question.  One would expect the so-called Hero of Tython to have a far more heroic introduction.  Jump in to save the day.  Say something suave or clever.  Jyana Kai, the “famous” Jedi Battlemaster who was reported to have killed the Sith Emperor would be able to jump into the fray and defeat anything.

Sure, you would think that.

Instead I was standing underneath a domed barrier with SIS Agent Theron Shan, just waiting.  My bruises had bruises; my mental defenses were on high guard.  He didn’t look too much better but calling down Archiban Frodrick “Doc” Kimble, the most humble doctor I’ve ever known, from the orbital station was out of the question.  

He straightened up after ensuring the shield was properly set and looked to me.  “Okay.  We should wait until they’re good and close.”   

I closed my eyes briefly, allowing my senses to reach out to get a good feel for how much time we had.  It wasn’t much.  I moved slightly closer to Theron and said softly, “I wasn’t sure when I’d run into you again.  Not the greatest circumstances, but still.”  I very nearly reached to him but halted myself with a small glance behind me.  It wasn’t my fellow Jedi and closest friend Kira Carsen though that I sensed when I could feel we weren’t alone.

He offered a weak but knowing smile.  “Maybe next time the lives of an entire world won’t be in danger – but, yeah, feeling’s mutual.”  

I felt my heart flip flop a bit at his smile and met his with my own.  Soon though, I could feel them.  His amber eyes shifted from mine to behind me.  Closing my eyes for a brief moment, I took a deep breath, then reopened them to follow his gaze.  Kira had already drawn her dual-saber, its green light reflecting against the metallic floor.

Theron pulled out his data pad and started tapping. “Okay, here comes the puppet brigade.  Fingers crossed…”

It was a fairly sizeable group, Imperials, Republic troops, and even some Jedi.  I silently cursed the Chancellor and added it to the growing list of matters I will add to a report, should I bother to file one.  At this particular moment, the choice words I had planning were significantly less Jedi than they had been the beginning of this entire fiasco.  The horde moved closer and Theron triggered the device.

That Theron even had to modify it to be non-lethal was not lost on me.  As I saw the soldiers all be stunned and fall to the ground, I could not help but wonder what the result would have been had that modification not been made.  The Empire, putting a weapon in one of its capital cities with the capability to kill a vast amount of their own citizens?  If they had one of these in New Adasta, they could have it on Kass City, or in a number of other cities.  But why?  Because of riots?  Gee, I wonder why anyone would riot against a ruling body that had no regard for their lives.

My eyes glanced over to a Republic soldier that had collapsed.  Were we even better?  The Republic should be better than this.  Theron followed my eyes and let the shield dome collapse.  He approached the soldier and knelt.  “This one was closet, took the biggest hit.”  He reached for his neck, checking his pulse as I walked up beside him.  I looked out towards the door and across the landscape of unconscious bodies.  “Still alive,” Theron confirmed, relief in his voice, “We did it!  Let’s just hope we got all of them.”

“Let’s hope,” I murmured, still scanning the surroundings.  Something still felt off.  This moment was far from over, I could feel it.

“We should call Lana now, see if she has a plan for what’s next.”

The bodies began to float in the air.  “I have a better idea,” a booming male imperial voice spoke through a woman sauntering onto the platform.  With a small flick of a hand motion, the bodies crashed back away from her, clearing a path.  Her eyes yellow and wild, she smirked as she drew her lightsaber.

“Master Surro.”  Theron’s entire stance sunk and he moved to stand between me and the unconscious puppet army and the approaching Jedi Master.  “No...”  I lightly reached an arm to his shoulder, trying to pull him back and shift him behind me, but he stood his ground.

“Watching you believe you had a chance; it’s amused me.”   Master Surro raised her hand sluggishly as if it were pulled by string, the Force lifting a dazed Imperial lieutenant into a sitting position. “Now this whole charade is pathetic.”

I shifted my own position, trying to assess the situation and moved in front of Theron.  Not soon enough, as Master Surro summarily executed the dazed man she’d just set up.  The range of emotions in the man beside me went from shock, to horror, to anger.  It took a great deal of my own willpower and Force meditation to not absorb Theron’s pain and have it fuel me and complement the dread that I felt; the very dread I’ve been feeling rising since the moment I’d received his distress holo.

Master Surro’s lips turned in a cruel sneer.  “Now, how do you wish to die?  In combat or on your knees?”

Lana Beniko, Sith Lord and Director of Sith Intelligence, raced from within the building, lightsaber drawn and poised to attack.

“Go away, little Sith.”  Master Surro easily shoved the approaching Sith Lord with a shove.  Theron moved in front of me again and drew his weapon but was immediately lifted in the air.  He gave me a wincing glance before he was unceremoniously thrown against the wall and crashed the ground.  I looked between Lana and Theron and took the last reserves of my energy to take a deep breath. 

Emotion, yet peace. Ignorance, yet knowledge. Passion, yet serenity. Chaos, yet harmony. Death, yet the Force.

Glancing back to Master Surro, I furrowed my brow and drew both my shoto.  The Emperor controlled puppet smirked.  “This has nothing to do with your friends.  This is you and I.”

Igniting my sabers, I leaped into the air.

So how did I get to this point?  I guess I could start from the beginning…

At some point in my early life, I was brought to Hasshimut to take up training to be a Jedi.  I have no recollection of much before this point, no memory of a mother or a father.  The Jedi didn’t see a need to enlighten me and eventually I never truly thought to ask.  Perhaps that was a mistake looking back.

But I digress.  While that may be the beginning of my story, it is not the beginning of this particular story.

Approximately a year or so ago I became more than what was called the Hero of Tython.  I was now the Battlemaster, a reward for helping bring together both Empire and Republic to defeat Revan and to attempt to stop Vitiate from regaining power.  The latter failed however, and a team had been put together to continue trying to find out where he’d gone. 

 “I’ll get the shuttle started,” Kira stated and walked towards the shuttles at the edge of the camp.

Not a second later, I felt another hand brush mine, startling me out of my thoughts and I turned around.  “Theron?”

Theron Shan smiled a bit awkwardly and scratched the back of his neck. “Jedi Battlemaster, huh?”

I shuffled my feet and looked down.  “Yeah, that surprised me too.”

“I suppose we’re both going to be pretty busy.”

“Guess so…” I looked back over the ridge across the lush green jungle moonscape of Yavin IV.  I took a deep breath as the wind blew through my hair.

“So Jy… I guess this is...”

I spun quickly and grabbed his neck and pulled him down into a kiss.  He startled, but then opened his mouth and met my tongue with his own. He wrapped his arms around me, one of his hands lowering to my waist, palm spread out slightly as one of his fingers slightly hooked underneath my belt.  A flash of memory of this morning where a very similar kiss led into a shuttle caused my cheeks to heat up slightly.  Slowly easing myself out of the thought, on how much I wanted to get lost in his arms again, I lowered my hands to rest on his chest and pulled out of the kiss, both of us breathless.  I attempted to play it cool as I said, “Don’t be a stranger, Agent Shan.”

He smiled softly and his eyes seemed to twinkle as he leaned his head against mine.  He traced his fingers against my cheek and whispered softly, “I won’t.”

I slowly opened my eyes and wondered when I’d drifted off.  The pilot chair wasn’t the most comfortable place to nap, but I supposed I was tired.  Pinching the bridge of my nose I leaned back in the seat and sorted through my thoughts.  The Defender was quiet as it usually was when I opted to take the night shift.  No bickering over space or Doc being a bit confused why he was suddenly thinking of all his old ex-girlfriends.  I usually used this time to meditate.

Or accidentally fall asleep and dream about...

It’d been months without a holo.  Just a small message about actually having caf with his mother.  That’s progress though, so I don’t begrudge him that.  It’s not like I’d entirely made a lot of time to reach out either, so I couldn’t pin it all on him.  Flying from planet to planet, seeing where I can lend my hand with the war effort or even some of the little things like Master Orgus reminded me, didn’t always lend me a lot of time to go to Carrick Station or Coruscant just to see what a good-looking SIS Agent was up to.

The planet I was in orbit of wasn’t extremely remarkable, though that was from the eyes of someone who had been staring at it for the last five days.  It was an unnamed Jovian type gas giant, swirling with green and teal colors of gas.  It had two ringed belts, one full of asteroids and the other vibrant and as colorful as the world surrounding it.  The two rings intersected in an X shape. 

There has been a mine there within the asteroid belt, though it had been long abandoned many years ago.  There were some fairly rare minerals that had been mined from within the asteroids and within the gas giant itself.  There were numerous reports of a space whale like creature called Purrgils that frequented this system as well.  Those creatures were apparently fairly notorious for knocking spacers out of hyperspace so I had to fly carefully in this region.  I vaguely recalled images of them, which reminded me of something I used to dream of as a child.  The dreams didn’t make them out to be a menace, but no one ever said spacers told accurate tales.

The Council wanted me to send a few probes within the system to assess its strategic worth.  An odd task for the Jedi Battlemaster I thought.  I’m a Jedi, not a Scientist.  I solved problems easier with a lightsaber.  But I could sense there was definitely more within this system than just a simple mineral assessment.  Though this seemed it would have been better to just send an actual expert in this field.  Everything I found I just forwarded to Barsen’thor Sheridan to show to her scientist companion, Tharan Cedrix.

I thought I caught a blip of a lifesign flying into the gas giant when suddenly, a holo comm started breaking through.  Staticky at first, I fiddled with the settings.

“--repeat: Repubic call sign Aurek Nen—hey! Finally!”

It felt like time stopped.  I was walking through a desolated world: buildings, ground, even the sun all washed out in shades of brown and grey.  My own bright white clothing, faded with the terrain.  As soon as the vision hit, it was over, and I heard Theron’s voice trying to get my attention.

Snapping out of it, I took a quick breath and quickly responded, “Theron. Are you all right?”

His voice came across frantic.  “That would be a negative, Master Jedi! I’m in Imperial space, over Ziost.  Tried to slip in, help out my ground team, but I used the wrong set of clearance codes and shields are low!”

I furrowed my brow slightly but tried to keep mostly calm. “Focus on getting yourself to safety, then we’ll talk. “

“No, you really need to hear what I have to say. I was getting reports: demented soldiers; slave and civilian populations under fire. Had suspicions of what it meant, but I wasn’t sure.”  My heart sunk even lower as he continued speaking.  “I sent a team in dark to investigate, maybe handle it, but it’s all gone out of control now. I think it’s him. The Emperor.”

“I’m supposed to be the first one you contact when it comes to him, not your last resort,” I snapped.

“I should have said something—I know.”

I closed my eyes briefly to try to settle my own racing heartbeat.

He continued, “Sending through the right set of clearance codes along with the coordinates to meet my-- “ There was a loud explosion and he lost balance as his ship rattled.  “I’m hit! Going to try to land this thing! Don’t come looking for me, I’ll—”

“Theron? Theron, come in!”  I frantically tried to get the signal back.  When that didn’t work, I just mashed the buttons on console and the Defender quickly jumped into hyperspace.

[lizzybeth1986]

Quick Thoughts on TRR Book 2 Chapter 16

• IT’S HAPPENING FAM!

• Since there’s a chance that Homecoming Ball is going to be an absolute disaster, might as well put my crown on now

•

WHAT URGENT MATTER WHICH URGENT MATTER. LIAM YOU SHOULD TELL ME THESE THINGS.

• Maxwell since when was Bertrand a ‘calm presence’ 😂

• “No plots, schemes or blonde-haired barriers in the way!” Bertrand tells me. You sure about that boi? Coz everytime someone says something won’t happen in this book, it fucking happens 😑

• MAXWELL SINCE WHEN WAS ME ACCEPTING A PROPOSAL IN MY WAITRESS UNIFORM A GOOD IDEA

• When in doubt (and in NY getting engaged) dress like a New York skyscraper

• I had thought the Bertrand Savannah story would be over by now, but it isn’t. Far from it. But from what I gather - he seems to a. think that restoring Beaumont House’s glory comes first, b. feel that his love for Savannah (he does mention that he “treasures” her messages) is a distraction, c. deems himself a failure. There are some pieces to this puzzle missing and methinks we’ll find them all only in Book 3.

•

Legit. This right here is how my MC ended up head over heels for him.

• Liam: You radiated…possibility.

I believe at some point in the chapter, Liam highlights this as true not only in his own case, but applies it to how she changed Drake’s, Hana’s and Maxwell’s lives as well. I love that even in this, he doesn’t want to think only of himself. He sees how the MC has influenced his friends as well.

• I love how all our choices in Book 1 have been incorporated in this chapter.

• My favourite sequence in the chapter thus far is when Liam tells us about how he met the rest of the gang. It really does give us an idea of their background and history, and why they all really worked as a team, a unit, a group.

•

The first thing that came to my mind was how Maxwell was the first person to recognize the effect the MC had on Liam, way before even Drake did. He was the first to realise that Liam had found in the MC something he’d never had before, and thought to himself “I don’t want Liam to lose that”. It makes his first invitation to Cordonia that much more poignant, IMO.

• Lol I love how both Liam and Drake’s friendship is comprised entirely of them repeatedly rescuing each other 😂 They’re each other’s Knights in Shining Armour lol.

• OMG I FEEL SO VALIDATED BY WHAT LIAM SAID ABT HIS FRIENDSHIP WITH HANA?? I’D BEEN SAYING THIS SINCE BEFORE BOOK 2 CAME OUT OMG THANK YOU FOR CONFIRMING LIAM xD

• “Even back then…I knew [Hana and I] would be kindred spirits” - PREACH BRUH THATS WHAT I SAID

•

I SAID THAT TOO.

• “[Hana] is brilliant at a great many things…but hiding her feelings isn’t one of them”. AND THAT.

• In one fell swoop, Pixelberry made “With a Little Help From My Friends” parts one and two canon 😂😂

• Pixelberry also made @toglidethroughlife fic “This Love” partly canon with a way way happier ending if you’re a Liam stan xD

• This reminds me of that time when they made the abdication suggestion (and the MC’s response) that we saw in @violetflipflops “I Will Wait” canon too.

• “I didn’t realise that being a good ruler meant taking the reins for myself. Not until you.” Yes yes YES.

• MC you’re a shitty dog owner. You didn’t even notice your dog has been missing for the last few days? Whaaaaaa?

• He called me queen of his heart 😭😭😭😭

.• YES LIAM YES YES YES I’VE BEEN WAITING TO SAY YES SINCE CHAPTER 16 OF BOOK 1

• GUYS DID YOU NOTICE WE GET A ROMANCE MEGAPOINT ONCE WE GET ENGAGED???

• Back when I played the chapter I assumed the megapoint meant this LI would be exclusive for you from that point on…but alas. Looks like that isn’t the case. I do think we’ll see this megapoint next chapter with the others too. Maybe.

•

What he means is “sorry, Joy, I don’t think your little eyes can handle the smut”.

• Soooo this time’s diamond option is purely sexytimes, with a side order of Lady Liberty trivia. (the lightning one sounds ominous and symbolic of Liam in some ways). I’m okay with that because I really liked the non-diamond journey that preceded it, I thought that was a beautiful way to retrace their steps to the very beginning of their journey together.

• Also. As I have said before. Cordonian men have a thing for pinning their women to walls 😂

• This comes up if the MC speaks about Lady Liberty being struck by lightning 600 times.

Liam says the MC represents possibility. The MC says this. The Bad is gonna happen fam. In the Finale 😭😭😭

• Yknow there are several ways this could go down:

1. An assassination

2. A coup

3. Possible leaking of Constantine’s involvement in the conspiracy, leading to people losing their faith completely in Liam. It would take a great amount of effort for Liam to win his people’s trust, all through no fault of his own 😭

I hate option 1 but at least I hate it the least 😭😭😭 I’d much rather Liam get heroically injured than emotionally and publically torn apart like that 😭😭😭😭

• MADELEINE KNOWS SOMETHING.

• MAYBE REGINA KNOWS SOMETHING TOO IDK. MAYBE EVEN ADELEIDE KNOW SOMETHING. OR NOT. IM SO CONFUSED.

• If you reject Liam’s proposal, the resulting behaviours from the MC’s side are highly problematic:

1. She does it NOW when this man is on his one knee with a ring. Imagine how much more poignant and beautiful this admission would have been if they let you say it way back at the balcony. Imagine having the opportunity to tell Liam you love someone else at that point, seeing him conflicted, sad, confused - BUT AT LEAST he knows the stakes and knows it involves you finally going to the love interest of your choice in the end. Imagine him saying “I’m hurt, and sad, but that’s not what matters. What matters is that we clear your name.” How much more poignant that scene would have been. How much richer would it have made Liam’s story with you even if you weren’t pursuing him. It would allow him to maybe explore other options with other people. And it would be completely in character for him to let go that way. The MC, Liam and all the LIs would have wound up all looking good. Having it stretch out this far and crushing him like this is great drama but it makes the MC look like a complete tool. ESP when Liam offers her a duchy and her response is to be happy. HAPPY. “Sure I trampled your heart on my high heels but LAND. TITLES. MY OWN COAT OF ARMS. YAY. Who cares about you boo?”

2. Having the option of kissing him, and having sex with him, even though you have rejected him. Sure, Liam tries to make us feel better about initiating by bringing up the way Cordonia secretly does relationships, but in this case they don’t have consent from the LIs. She’s telling him she wants to have sex with him, at a time when he is vulnerable, desperately in love, still not over her, shocked and confused. That’s manipulative on levels I can’t even begin to describe. There should have allowed Liam to pull a Zig here, not continue placing her on a pedestal. Zig wants the TF MC, and he makes his feelings very clear to her while playing pool, but if she chooses to cheat on her LI with him he makes it very clear how absolutely callous that is on both him and the other LI. It makes it clear that this choice - taken with no one’s consent, and obviously focussed just on her own needs without caring whether other people will get hurt in the process - is wrong. He lets her know her behavior was terrible. Liam would have been well within his rights to tell the MC that too.

At the very least they could have had Liam bring the polyamorous option up and THEN state “but hey, you shitty person, we don’t have Drake/Hana/Maxwell’s say on this yet”.

This isn’t in any way comparable to the Liam/Madeleine/MC situation. Liam was in a forced arrangement, one that he had been clearly manipulated into. Liam had Madeleine’s explicit consent, and got the MC’s as well, before moving forward. Plus he never intended to keep the arrangement with Madeleine, hoping to break it when the MC’s name was cleared (a promise he acted upon and fulfilled immediately, might I add). Here, the MC and Liam are free, as are the other LIs, and they have nothing holding them back. And as I mentioned earlier there is no explicit consent from the LIs, the way there was with Madeleine. Liam is a guy who stayed ridiculously faithful to the MC from the moment she entered the competition, didn’t even look in the direction of the rest of the competition when he was well within his rights to. Ignored Madeleine to a large extent the whole duration of their engagement. Basically ONLY lavished attention, love and devotion to the MC. What about this guy screams “yeah let’s bang without consent from the ppl you’re actually in love with” to you?

• Liam is not the one with the problem here. Nor is the player. The problem is the writing and the game.

• This is an obvious attempt at cashgrab. Now that we will begin to go official with our LIs, how are we going to buy ALL the exclusive LI scenes the way we’ve been doing so far? They can’t completely diverge the stories the way they did with RoE (RoE could afford to do this because there were other characters and storylines we could find ourselves invested in, so restricting it to just one LI in Book 3 was okay), nor can they do what they’re currently doing in TS or ES or LH because the relationship dynamics in this book are vastly different. So they bring up this piss poor excuse so that they can still manage to make sex scenes with the LIs possible even if you’re supposed to be going official with them by the end of the book. Ick. All it does is leave a bad taste in my mouth.

• Other stans I hope you get your sexytimes soon!

[maxattack-powell]

The Freshman 1-17

Book 1 - 17 Chapter 17: The Hartfeld Formal

Masterlist - go here for other chapters and related original fics

Disclaimer: The following are fics (adaptations from actual game chapters AND original works) to Choices: The Freshman and The Sophomore stories. It is a fictional adaptation. I do not work for Pixelberry Studios, the game developer or own the rights to the characters Chris Powell, Nicole or any other IN GAME character. All of the ORIGINAL characters, storylines and events were developed for my adaptation of The Freshman story.

Comments: I enjoyed playing Choices The Freshman… and then I found this awesome group of people and their works - I’ve loved it all, very much so. Deciding that I wanted more interaction than the options allowed, I’ve gone through the first book, chapter by chapter (omg painfully slow) to follow the story (95-99% I’d say) and add to it as I felt would benefit.

Basically, I wanted to include certain things that weren’t really full fic size worthy, adding to the story. However, I did add some full size fic moments also… some are included in cannon chapters, some are their own full chapters in between. I wanted to see MC and Chris through their freshman year… with more angst, fluff, sweetness, real life and overall detail. So, if you like that pairing then you’ll be satisfied, otherwise sorry James & Kaitlyn fans lol. I even added some parts from Chris’s POV, so that we have a chance to see what he’s thinking, knowing what she experienced.

There will be ADULT and/or NSFW moments in certain chapters - this is a warning lol. I will try my best to make it obvious as it occurs…

Paring: MC x Chris

POV: ~MC~ or ~Chris~

 ~MC~

The first rays of sun wake MC the next morning, slanting through the window and falling across her face. She hisses at the window, slapping at the curtain she apparently forgot to close. She instantly blamed her frustrating thoughts from last night. "Ow, my eyes." She reaches to her nightstand, grabbing her phone and checking the time. She bolts upright as she remembers what day it is. "Oh crap! The dance." She groans and flops back into her pillows. "Ugh, I still have to figure out what I'm going to do..." As MC grumbles, she gets out of bed and changes for the day. She paws through her closet and picks out a cute sun dress, with cardigan, as she knew the morning was going to be cool. She fixes her hair and makeup in her vanity mirror before heading out into the hall and checking the bathroom to see if it was available. After brushing her teeth and accomplishing other typical morning bathroom tasks, she trudges out towards the kitchen. There she finds a fresh pot of coffee on the counter, along with a note from Zack, Tyler, and Abbie. MC grabs it and reads out loud. "'Breakfast on the roof, come up and join us!' Well, wonder when they got up... am I the last one?" She glances down the hall, wondering if Chris was still in his room or up on the roof as well.

"Sounds fun..." She mumbles to herself, pouring some coffee before she heads upstairs to find Zack, Tyler and Abbie. The three of them were circled around the table, eating cereal and looking out at the town of Hartfeld. ‘No Chris. He must still be asleep.' Zack notices her first, his smile blinding. "Good morning, little miss heartbreaker. How's the big decision going? Made any progress?" Tyler, apparently unaware the entire time, turns to her at Zack's words, his mouth full of cereal. "What big decision?" Abbie rolls her eyes playfully. "Seriously, Tyler? You know I like you, but sometimes you're shockingly out of the loop." Zack takes pity on his oblivious friend. "MC has to choose someone to take to the Hartfeld Formal tonight... and she's got three hotties vying for her affections." MC glares at him. "Don't remind me. I just want to have my coffee and cereal like a normal person and not have to worry about any of this. It's exhausting." Abbie frowns at her sympathetically. "Sounds like you haven't made a lot of progress." Tyler throws up his hand, a single finger pointing up. "Maybe we could make a pros and cons list?" Zack gives him a curious look. "As much as I'd love to break down MC's suitors into abstract bits of data..." Tyler shrugs at him. "I don't think that approach is necessary." MC's face turns thoughtful. "Actually, it sounds pretty helpful right about now..." Zack rolls his eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. You know deep down who you want to ask to formal. You just have to let yourself realize it." MC raises an eyebrow. "Huh?" Zack smirks at her. "Just Relax and close your eyes. Who's the first person you see?" MC takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, thinking back on her memories of fall quarter. All kinds of visions fly through her head, but the first thing to come into focus was the moment she met Chris. She could still remember exactly what he said, the smirk on his face, the feel of his warm body under his henley, his smell... everything about that moment. She remembers falling on top of him, seemingly pinning him down. She later realized that what really happened was that he had grabbed her when they collided, flipping them to make sure he took the brunt of the impact. Even before he knew who she was, he was being chivalrous, caring, to a complete stranger. 'If the other guys on the football team saw me get tackled by a pretty girl, they'd never let me forget it.' His smirk turned into a full blown smile. 'I'm Chris, by the way. Nice to meet you.' She smiles at the memory, remembering how warm he felt when she was sprawled across his chest. Other memories tried to pop up, but none of them seemed to stick like that first one, or the one of their first night on the roof. The game, the flirting, his eyes, the kiss. Her face grew warm as she opened her eyes, grinning at Zack. Knowing she had her answer, he asks, "Well... have you figured it out yet?" She scrunches up her nose and nods. "I have." MC smiles. "I finally know who I want to go to the dance with. It's Chris. It's always been Chris." Zack beams at her, happy for his friend. "Go get him, lass. Go get your man." He lightly slaps her on the butt as she stands. She startles at the contact. "Zack!" Then laughs before collecting herself, "Is he even up? It's pretty early." Tyler looks up again from his bowl of cereal. "He said he was going out to run some drills or something." He shoves another spoonful into his mouth. Zack raises his eyebrow at MC. "Which is weird, considering football season just ended." MC knows he left to escape, probably for the same reason he looked the way he did when she saw him late last night. She hopes she’s not too late. "Well, at least I know where he is. Thanks guys." She gives them all a friendly smile. "Our pleasure." Zack moves to sit back down by Tyler. MC's face turns somber. "There's someone I should probably talk to first though." She says mostly to herself, waving at her friends as she heads back down to the suite. She gathers her things and heads out the door. A while later, MC arrives at Professor Vasquez's office, looking for James. She finds him inside, on his laptop, working. "Knock knock." She mimics as she pushes the door open slowly. James looks up with a distracted expression. "MC, what are you doing here?" She gives him a small smile. "I could ask you the same question. Vasquez didn't need us in today." "I needed a quiet place to write." He states with no emotion. MC looks around the place cautiously. "Vasquez isn't around, is he?" "No. He has an important errand to run today. Why?" James looks up from his keyboard briefly, meeting her eyes. She rubs her hands together nervously. "I just don't think he'll want to see me. Anyway, how's the play?" She gestures towards his laptop. "I'm nearly done with the second act. Just give me a minute to wrap this up..." He begins, apparently ready to give her his undivided attention. MC interrupts him quickly, not wanting to drag it out any further, possibly hurting him more than she knows she already has. "Actually, James, I have to tell you something." She squeezes her hands together, a small frown crossing her face. James pauses and studies her expression before looking down at his laptop again. "You've chosen someone else, I assume?" He lets out a small, almost inaudible sigh, his face going blank. MC opens her mouth to speak but little comes out. "I..." She looks down, unable to meet his eyes. "...yes." "I see." He still doesn't look up. "James... I'm sorry." She waits for him to look at her, hating that she’s hurt her friend. He looks up at her once more, a look of determination crossing his face. "Don't be. It's just one dance, after all." He grins. "We're still engaged, right?" She finally smiles, relief rushing over her entire body. "Of course, my dear." His grin fades and he clears his throat. "I think I'm going to buckle down and try to get some writing done... can you close the door on your way out?" His gaze has already moved back to his laptop, fingers typing away. Her shoulders fall slightly, aware that she still hurt him somewhat. "Sure thing, James. I'll see you around." He briefly raises his hand to wave at her as she quietly slips from the room. MC makes her way out of the building and turns towards the football stadium. As she walks down the path, hoping to find Chris there, she begins to become nervous. She wonders if she will actually find him, and if she does, what she will say. ‘Is he even interested after the events of last night?’ She sighs. She knows that with the season being over, he won't actually be doing drills, but likely sitting alone somewhere around the practice field or stadium. She walks through the student entrance and looks around the bleachers, not finding him at first, her anxiety starting to creep in. Finally, as she's about to leave and search the practice field, she sees him sitting in a seat near the Hartfeld player bench, pensively looking out over the field. She studies his face as she approaches him, still unaware of her arrival. His expression is brooding and quiet, his body unmoving as he gazes into the distance. As she reaches the row he is in, she slowly approaches him. "Hey Chris..." He turns casually, becoming aware of her presence just before she spoke. "Hey, MC... what's up?" His expression remains neutral, yet guarded. She nervously smiles, unsure of her next move from his lack of expression. "I've been looking for you..." She sits in the seat next to him, turning slightly to face him. His eyes finally shift, widening with concern. "Yeah? Why's that?" She pulls in a deep breath. "You really can't guess?" She forces the nervous smile away with a genuinely warm one. Chris remains restrained though, his piercing blue eyes staring into hers. "Well... I'd like to think you're here to ask me to the dance." He turns his eyes down to his hands, now tightly wrapped together in his lap.

"But after what I've put you through this quarter... I'm not sure I have any right to expect that." His eyes remain trained to his hands. "Chris, you hurt me." She sees him wince slightly. "But it's okay. It's in the past." She shifts in her seat, trying to get closer to him. He closes his eyes as his shoulder slump slightly. "I know. And if you can't ever forgive me for that... I understand." Hating that he's uncomfortable, she reaches over and gently grabs his hand, pulling its warm weight into her lap. His gaze follows her actions, focusing on their hands, now together in her lap.

MC continues, "I know we've had our ups and downs... but I don't want that to define us." For the first time since she arrived, a spark of life appears in his eyes as he quickly looks up to hers. "It won't. I just want you to know that I'm going to be better about this." MC squeezes his hand between hers. "Chris... I just want you to be you. Honest with yourself, and also with me." He nods, a small smile actually appearing. "You got it. That will be easy." He raises his hand with hers in his grasp, kissing the back of her knuckles. "If by any chance you're ready for it, I'd love to take you to formal tonight." She grins as her body tingles at his touch. "You still want to go with me?" She bites her lip, waiting for his reply. He lets out a soft, sweet laugh as happiness washes over his face. "Of course." She blushes slightly and shifts in her seat, looking out over the field, as his warm calloused hand rubs hers. "So, come here often?" He shrugs. "Sometimes... well, often during the season of course. It helps me relax after an intense game or practice. During the off season it's a nice quiet place to think... alone." He tilts his head down, hiding his eyes from her. "Oh I'm sorry, I shouldn't have interrupted you then--" She begins, raising her free hand to her cheek. He quickly stops her, placing his open hand on top of the hand he was still holding, leaning towards her. "No, please. Please don't say that. If anyone is ever allowed to disrupt my self inflicted solitude, it's you." His eyes crinkle at the corners as he gives her a reassuring smile. Her face warms up again, and she gives him a small smile back. "Oh, okay. Well, I'll still try to give you your space if you need to come here. I completely understand the desire for personal quiet time occasionally." She laughs, recalling a few recent nights where she actually ran away from him when things had become too much. He picks up on her reaction, probably remembering the same nights, rubbing her hand as he shakes his head slightly, smiling. "What do you say I walk you home. We've got a big night to get ready for." He stands up, holding her hand to assist her. As she stands he gently spins her and follows her out, keeping her hand in his. They walk in silence through the quad, still holding hands. As the arrive at their door he finally lets go, only so he can hold the door for her. They don't see anyone else in the suite as they enter, assuming everyone was out doing whatever last minute preparations they need for the formal. As they reach their bedroom doors, they turn towards each other in the hall. "So, pick you up in the living room, at 6?" Chris stifles a laugh. MC grins and snickers at his request, also finding the concept humorous. "I'll be there." He winks at her as he backs into his room, keeping his eyes on hers until the door closes between them. MC spins around quickly and closes her own door, leaning back on it for a moment to take a few calming breaths. She can't believe her first quarter of freshman year is actually over. Tonight was the formal, and Chris wants her to go with him. After everything that had happened, he asked her to give him another chance, and while she had her reservations, something told her it was going to be fine. She had always felt that she knew Chris, almost like they had been friends for years. She could trust him. She could feel it, deep inside. MC decides she needs a nap before the dance as she has become worn down from everything over the last few days, weeks, or possibly the entire semester. Setting her alarm on her phone she lays down on her bed, pulling a light blanket up around her shoulders. A smile creeps onto her face as she drifts to sleep, fully at ease for the first time in months. An hour or so later, she wakes up with a long stretch, deciding it is time to start planning her outfit for the night. She jumps up and begins flipping through the items in her closet, suddenly remembering that she had an excellent dress for the formal. "It can't just be any dress... it has to be perfect." The dress she pulls out was something she had when she was rushing Kappa Phi Sigma, but it didn't seem appropriate for the sorority ball at the time. "Tonight has to be perfect." She holds the dress against her body, looking in the mirror. It has a white corset type bodice stacked over a ball gown style skirt. The dress has hand stitched crystal accents and sheer fabric covering her arms and back, giving the illusion of floating crystals. She becomes giddy at the thought of wearing it, and even more so when she imagines how Chris might react when he sees her in it for the first time. Still having some time to burn since she has settled on her dress, she picks up a book from her nightstand and reads for another hour. Once her alarm goes off letting her know the dance is soon, she begins the process of dance preparation. She changes into her dress and selects a few different pieces of jewelry she thinks might look perfect with it, trying them all on until she finds the best match. She decides to wear the diamond earrings her parents got her for her Sweet Sixteen Birthday, and an elegant crystal necklace that looks like it was built specifically for the dress. She was amazed how it all worked out so well. She takes one last look at her appearance in the mirror, straightening her loose curls around her face, and checking her eye makeup. She leans back, pulling down the waist of her dress and smoothing the fabric. She freezes for a moment, before letting out a long held breath. "Perfect." She smiles and turns, letting out another puff of air before she opens her door, stepping out into the dark hall. She quietly enters the living room, noticing Chris already there waiting, his back currently facing her. He has his guitar in hand, his jacket unbuttoned as he absentmindedly plays a few notes. MC smiles, happy to see him with his guitar again, as he hadn't really touched it much as the quarter progressed. While he probably wasn't going to make a career out of it, he had fun playing around when he had some time, so seeing him with it now made her heart warm. She clears her throat softly. "Chris?" He immediately freezes, putting the guitar down and buttoning his suit jacket before turning to face her. As he turns to see her for the first time his jaw drops. "MC..." He gasps. She stops her advance, immediately self conscious. Her eyes go wide as she reaches up, placing one hand on her cheek, the other on her dress. "What is it? Do I have something on my face? Is it my dress?" Chris stutters and about chokes on his words. "No, it's just... you look... you're..." She looks at him concerned. "I'm what?" He focuses and swallows before speaking again. "You're the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He looks up and down her figure, slowly, appreciatively. "Like... wow." He gasps, stunned. She finally relaxes and laughs. "Thanks." She continues her advance towards him. "You don't look so bad yourself." He straightens his bow tie and clears his throat, shooting her a lopsided grin. "I try." She notices him staring again and snickers. "Are you going to stand there gawking, or are we going to get out there?" "Right, sorry." Chris blushes and offers her his arm. She laces her arm in his, allowing herself to get close to his side. "What a gentleman." He flashes her a bright smile as they leave the suite. They decide to walk to the formal as it wasn't too far from their dorm building. After a few minutes, they arrive at Hartfeld University's magnificent ballroom on the eastern end of campus. As they enter the venue, Zack runs over to them, champagne flutes in each hand. Chris gives their enthusiastic friend a grin, knowing the real answer before he receives it. "Those for us?" Zack gives him a playful look. "No way, baby. These are all mine. Go get your own." Chris laughs with fake shock. "Yes, sir! I'll be right back with our drinks, okay, MC?" He turns his head to look at her. She releases his arm and pokes him gently in the side. "Don't keep me waiting too long..." Chris grins and quickly kisses the back of her hand, winking at her as he sets off for the refreshment table. Zack watches him disappear into the crowd. "You know, I hate to see him go, but I sure don't mind--" MC quickly cuts him off. "Don't finish that sentence. This my date your ogling." She swats at him playfully. "Speaking of, though... any chance that Brandon will make an appearance tonight?" Zack grins. "Why don't you ask him yourself?" She follows Zack's gaze to see Brandon striding across the dance floor towards the two of them. "Hey, MC. Mind if I cut in?" Zack hands him one of the drinks. She smiles at Zack's exuberant expression. "Not at all..." Zack quickly leans towards her, whispering. "By the way, MC... thanks. I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be here with Brandon if it weren't for you." She grabs his free hand, giving a light squeeze. "It was my pleasure." She straightens back up, addressing them both. "Have fun, you two." As Brandon pulls Zack onto the dance floor, she looks around, searching for more familiar faces. Suddenly Tyler appears, Abbie on his arm. "Hey, MC!" They dance over to her, holding each other tight. "Hey, you two!" MC clasps her hands together, ecstatic at the sight. Abbie gives her a rare, huge smile, looking around their immediate area. "Where's Chris?" MC gestures towards the refreshment table. "Getting us drinks." Tyler's face suddenly goes blank. "Should I be doing that? Is that, you know, the gentlemanly thing to do?" He quickly looks between both MC and Abbie, concerned he's failing a test. Abbie tightens her grip on his arm, seriously but with a smile. "If you think I'm letting you out of my sight again you have another thing coming." Tyler laughs and shrugs. "Works for me!" MC sighs. "Aw, you two are so adorable... I'm so happy you finally got together." Her smile fades somewhat. "Kaitlyn, Zack and I were rooting for you all the way." Tyler's smile fades as well, a downcast expression taking its place. "Have you talked to her today?" MC shakes her head, sadly. "No, I... I haven't seen her. Is she here?" She begins searching for her friend’s face in the crowd. Abbie begins her search also. "Yeah, she's around here somewhere... but I don't think she'll want to talk, you know?" MC frowns. "I feel like I should say something... I don't want her to be mad at me." Abbie takes in a long breath of air. "Well, I guess you gotta do what you think is right." Tyler places his hand on MC's shoulder. "If you need to talk, you know where to find us." "Thanks guys, really." Tyler pats MC once on the shoulder as they turn to re-enter the dance floor. Abbie smiles at MC. "No problem, MC." As they disappear, MC continues her search for Kaitlyn in the crowd, finding her dancing with Darren, a big smile on her face. She makes her way over to them, Darren clearing his throat as she approaches. Kaitlyn turns around, her eyes going wide when she sees MC. MC gives a small wave, her smile uncertain. "Hey, Kaitlyn..." Kaitlyn looks at her, shocked at the sudden interaction. "Oh... hey, MC!" Darren, sensing the awkwardness of the moment, interrupts. "Should I give you two some space?" Kaitlyn's face relaxes as she places her hand on Darren's arm, asking him to stay. "No, that's okay. I'm not, like... mad or anything." MC chews on her bottom lip, concern in her eyes. "Really?" Kaitlyn shrugs lightly as a small blush creeps up her cheeks. "Well... obviously I would've liked to be here with you. And I did have something pretty special planned for tonight..." Her voice becomes wistful for a moment. "But I'm not mad. Friends?" She smiles at MC, offering her hand. MC gladly takes it, giving it a soft shake. "Friends." Kaitlyn flashes her a mischievous grin. "Besides... maybe I'll get you next time." MC relaxes completely, glad to have their friendship back to normal. "Well, maybe you will..." She jokes playfully. "I guess we'll find out." They both share a laugh as Chris finds them in the crowd. He walks over with two champagne glasses, handing one to MC as she waves to Kaitlyn. She and Darren head back out for more dancing. Chris leans close to her so she can hear him over the music. "Everything okay?" She turns her gaze from the dance floor to Chris. "Better than okay." She takes a sip of her drink. "Awesome. So... will you dance with me?" He offers her his hand, his smile already in place. MC places her hand in his. "I suppose I can fit that in my schedule." They take a few more sips of their drinks before putting them down on their table. As they step out onto the dance floor, Chris places his hands on her waist, giving her a light squeeze. Her body warms where he makes contact, causing her heart beat to speed up a little. "I hope your football skills translate to dancing." She kids. He smirks as he moves them around the floor. "They're basically the same, right?" "I guess we'll find out..." She drapes her arms over Chris's broad shoulders and interlaces her fingers behind his neck, lightly playing with the hair at the nape of his neck. He shivers slightly in response. They don't notice Darren until he speaks, both staring too deeply into each other's eyes. "Nice to see you guys together! I know it'd work out." He pats Chris on the back as he passes. Logan holds his fist out for Chris to bump as he walks by next. "Yeah, bro! Props for landing a major hottie!" Chris and MC awkwardly laugh at Logan's comment. MC turns to Chris. "I don't know whether to be flattered or offended." Chris rubs his thumb on her hip, giving a reassuring smile. "Let's just go with flattered. Logan means well, he just needs to learn..." He stops and laughs hard. "...well, he's got a lot to learn." MC hums and shakes her head playfully. "I see." Just then, Madison and Becca walk over, their heels clicking on the polished floor. Madison gushes when they get closer. "Aww, you two are just the cutest thing!" Becca turns to her quickly, glaring. "Maddie, what the hell?!" Madison's face goes pale. "Sorry! What I meant to say is..." She gives MC a very quick apologetic look before twisting her face into a disappointing glare. "Ugh! You two are so gross and... and lame!" Becca sighs at her. "That was lame..." She turns to Chris, her typical glare back on her face. "I don't get it, Chris. What could you possibly see in her? She certainly didn't live up to Kappa standards." Becca frowns. "Well, maybe we just have different priorities, Becca." Chris’s eyes narrow as he protectively pulls MC closer to himself. "Well... your loss." She pivots her glare to MC. "I'm not exactly thrilled to see you here with my man, MC…” Chris lets out an audible sigh. “...but I have to admit... I misjudged you. I'm..." She let's out a huff and looks away briefly. "...sorry I spilled coffee on you that one time." Chris takes a step back from Becca, pulling MC with him. "Wait, Becca, you did that on purpose?" MC shakes her head angrily. "I knew it!" Becca looks at them both with indifference now. "Yes, well, water under the bridge and all that." She waves her hand as she turns and begins walking away. "See you around, MC." MC just blinks a few times, unable to understand Becca's actions. "Yeah... see you." "Let's go, Madison." Becca orders. "Sure, okay!" Madison, typically oblivious. "Sorry about her, guys." "Madison!" Becca shrieks. As Becca and Madison walk off toward the refreshment table, Chris chuckles to himself. "Can I tell you something?" She gives him a nervous smile. "Yes..." He moves a little closer, removing the space between them entirely, his beautiful blue eyes searching deep within hers. "This is the happiest I've been since I started college." He reaches one hand up to brush some of her hair out of her face so he can clearly see her eyes. "And that's all you, MC. You…” He takes in a long deep breath. “...everything just makes sense when I'm with you." She bites her lower lip. "Now, can I tell you something?" He places the same hand on her cheek, his thumb rubbing her lip slightly, smiling when she stops biting it. "Please." "It makes me really happy to hear that." She blushes slightly as his grin grows. She tilts her chin up slightly, pressing her lips against Chris's. He wraps his arms tighter around her, tightly pressing their bodies together. She can feel his warmth through his jacket and just wants to melt into it. She gasps lightly as they pull apart, slightly out of breath. "I don't want this moment to end." He clears his throat and looks around before turning his gaze back to her, a small smile on his lips. "Maybe it doesn't have to." She raises an eyebrow at him. "What do you mean?" He clenches his jaw. "After the dance, I would like you to go with me to the roof of our dorm, okay? I've got something special planned." He beams. "Oh really? Show me what you have planned, then." She challenges. "Believe me, I'm half-tempted to rush you there right now." He runs his hand down the small of her back, resting there. "Don't worry... you'll have me all to yourself soon enough." She leans into him as they continue to dance the night away. Later that night they sneak out a little early to walk back to their dorm. When they arrive and enter the suite, he shuts the door behind them, both knowing they are first back to the room, as the others are still at the formal.

As she walks into the living room, heading for the stairs up to the roof he holds up his hand. "Please wait here. Give me like, five... ten minutes, tops, and then come up?" He looks at her pleadingly. She nods. "Sure. Do I need to grab anything?" He shakes his head. "No I've got it all covered. Just... give me a few minutes." He squeezes her hand and spins, taking off up the stairs.

MC gets some water from the kitchen and paces around the living room for a few minutes, feeling like an eternity. She is trying to force the butterflies out of her stomach but they just keep multiplying. After pacing at least five minutes, she feels that she can't wait any longer, starting up the stairs to the rooftop. As she steps onto the roof she sees Chris standing there, waiting for her. He steps aside and gestures across the roof. "Like what I've done with the place?" Softly glowing candles flicker all around them. Two long-stemmed wine glasses sit beside an iced bottle on the table. A blue-tooth speaker is playing music as well. MC realizes after a moment that its Stay With Me by Sam Smith. She knows this song, she loves this song. He knows she loves this song.

MC takes it all in, feeling warm even in the crisp night air. "Very nice. What's the occasion?" He smirks. "Do we need an occasion?" She lets out a small laugh. "I guess not." Chris walks over to her, taking her hand in his. She stares into his deep blue eyes, the lights of the city glittering in the background. "Hey." She presses her lips together tightly, trying not to let out a goofy smile or overreact as he moves closer. "Hey." Chris leans down, taking her lips in his, kissing her softly at first as he waits for approval. When she increases the intensity he deepens the kiss. His hands go to her waist and then sneak up her back. She gasps into his mouth at the contact. "Hey... don't you think you're moving a little fast?" He lets out a deep husky laugh, his eyes remaining serious as they lock on hers. "Sorry... you do that to me." She swats at him playfully. "I've noticed. Come on, let's have some of this wine. There's still plenty of time left in the evening." Chris leans down to grab the bottle and opener from the table as she picks up the glasses. He uncorks the bottle and upends it, pouring a generous measure of red wine into each glass before setting it back down. She hands him his and they click both glasses together before taking a sip. "Mmm... that's good." She licks her lips somewhat discreetly, but not enough for him to miss. "Can you believe the quarters ending already?" He rubs his forehead as he looks at her in disbelief. "Yes and no. It feels like a lot of time has passed... but it also doesn't." She wrinkles her nose. "Does that make any sense?" He flashes her a warm smile and lets out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I think I get what you mean." "But I guess reminiscing isn't really what you had in mind when you asked me to join you here, huh?" She looks around the rooftop again. "Not exactly." He clears his throat. "I don't want to give you the wrong impression." He suddenly looks nervous. MC takes a small step back, feeling unsure about his next words. This pattern was so similar to the way he has behaved in the past. First showing serious interest in her, then doing a complete one eighty, cutting her off. Rinse. Repeat. He notices her slight withdrawal and quickly sets down his glass so he can softly grab her upper arms, stopping her retreat. "Oh no, that really came out wrong." He flashes her an anxious smile, breathing out as he feels her relax in his arms. "Very, very wrong." He shifts his grip, one hand lowering to hold hers, the other nervously running through his hair. She smiles at that, confusing him. "What?" He studies her face, searching for the cause in her sudden change of behavior. She tries to hide her smile. "Nothing. I... it's just adorable when you do that." He looks at her confused, still fidgeting with the hair at the base of his neck. "Do what?" She shakes her head and smiles. "It's nothing. What were you saying?" He narrows his eyes slightly, still trying to determine what she was talking about. As she keeps her innocent expression in place, he finally gives up. He then clenches his fist, tapping it on his side, trying to recall what he was in the middle of.

"Oh, right." He takes a deep breath. "What I was trying to say, was more like... while I would be... ecstatic... to do certain things up here, in this ridiculously romantic setting," He grins at the shameless plug, "...now, with you..." He pauses to read her reaction. Her face blushes, causing him to blush back as well before he continues.

"...I don't really deserve that type of, uh... affection, yet..." He grimaces at the word choice. "Not really sure the best way to say this..." He mumbles, looking down quickly, trying to hide the deep red that's now spreading up his neck. He clears his throat again, regaining his composure.

"Okay, what I'm trying to say is that while my body would be more than happy to do anything you would let it…” MC watches as he sees her swallow hard at the words. “...the rest of me has decided to show you how serious I am. To make it up to you. To prove what I've been saying." He raises his eyes up to hers again, this time assertively holding her gaze. This causes a new, strange, but exhilarating feeling to rush through her body. She sucks in a deep breath and holds it, forcing herself to focus on his words, not everything else. He also apparently feels the same thing, shifting on his feet as if his clothes have become very constrictive.

"MC, I can honestly tell you right now, I know I'm always going to want more of you..." He tilts his head and takes a breath to let out an impish smile.

"But I'm not going to ask, I'm not going to push, and I'll never assume anything will happen." He picks up both of her hands and holds them in his.

"Not until you've let me know that I've earned your time, your affection, your... whatever it is you're willing to share with me. I'll be here…” He squeezes her hands lightly. “...ready and waiting." He licks his dry lips, trying not to focus on hers, but failing. True to his word he stands there calmly, just holding her hands. She can feel his desire to be near her, to touch her more than he already is. And she wants him to also, so she takes her hands out of his and reaches up to cup his face. His eyes shift back and forth, searching hers for any input they can gather before she slowly pulls his face to hers, their lips making soft contact. MC feels a surge of energy cut through her, starting with his lips. It almost reminded her of what it felt like when she licked a small 9volt battery as a kid on a dare. But so much more. The warmth and exhilaration that went along with it was intoxicating.

Chris pulls back after a moment, breathing like he had been under water. "It's even better than before..." She nods and licks her lips, tasting him still. "Yeah, I think you're right." She doesn't have the chance to say any more before he wraps his arms around her, pulling her in close, crushing his hot lips against hers. She gasps, causing her lips to part enough for him to take advantage of the opportunity, flicking his tongue against hers, teasing. She moans and returns the favor, moving her hands up to run through his hair. He groans back, picking her up and moving towards the couch as she instinctively wraps her legs around his waist. He sits down on the couch, her legs still straddling his own. He moves his kissing assault from her lips to her jaw, then her neck near her ear, holding there as he whispers to her. "Surprisingly, even better than the first kiss." She giggles and pulls back so she can stare into his eyes. His hair is disheveled, his lips pink and slightly swollen, his clothes a little askew, but he's smiling at her. She reaches up and runs her hand through his hair, attempting to fix it. He sighs as he closes his eyes, leaning into her touch. As she runs her hand through his hair over and over, she watches him as he peacefully breathes in and out, almost like he's falling into a deep sleep. She leans forward and kisses his forehead, causing him to grin, his eyes remaining closed. ~Chris~

She shifts her position with his assistance, now sitting on his lap instead of straddling it, her legs down the length of the couch. He pulls her to him, letting her rest against his chest, his free hand running through her hair as the other wraps around her back. She buries her face into the crook of his neck, breathing in his scent and absorbing his warmth. Her breath tickles his neck in such a way that his body tingles with the sensation. He sighs and tilts his head towards hers, burrowing his nose into her hair, taking slow deep breaths. They remain just like that, quiet for a period. After a while, Chris breaks the silence, speaking low into her ear. "What I said earlier, MC, about this being the happiest I've been since starting college... I meant it." He rubs his thumb in a circular pattern on her upper arm. "I know I lost sight of what was important for a while... but I'm glad I found my way back to you." "Me too Chris. Me too." She places her hand on his chest, feeling his heartbeat as she leans against him.

~MC~

They stay like that for a while longer, looking out into the dark night at the city lights and twinkling stars. Eventually she realizes his breathing has changed, sounding more shallow and calm. She sits up as gently as she can, finding him asleep. She smiles and cups his cheek with one hand, speaking softly. "Chris?" He doesn't budge at first, apparently content with her contact as he leans into her touch. After some additional prompting he finally stirs, blinking a few times to focus on his surroundings. He smiles at her when he realizes where he is, and who he is with. "Oh, hey... sorry I guess I fell asleep. I didn't get much last night." She gives him an apologetic smile and rubs his cheek. "I'm sorry, that's probably my fault." He starts to shake his head but she stops him, before gracefully sliding out of his lap and standing up, reaching her hand out to him.

~Chris~

Chris happily takes her hand and stands next to her, adjusting his shirt collar. Most of the candles had burned out already, as only a few were still lit. They make their rounds, hand in hand, to blow them out before heading to the stairs. He pauses at the top of the stairs, moving down one and crouching. "Hop on. I'll be your Uber for the night." He grins at her as she laughs, climbing onto his back. He feels his body vibrate at the contact, internally scolding himself as it reacts naturally to her touch, his pants become more restrictive by the second. He quietly enters the suite, noticing objects on the table that would indicate at least some of their roommates had returned while they were on the roof. He silently thanked them for not interrupting his rooftop plans. Chris creeps down the hall and gradually lowers her to the ground outside her bedroom door Trying not to look disappointed at the loss, he turns to face her, "Goodnight, MC." He whispers, careful not to wake anyone. She wraps her arms around his neck, pulling him closer as she whispers back, against his lips. "Goodnight Chris." Her lips brush his lightly, causing him to shiver. True to his word, Chris doesn't advance, but his body tries to change his mind, urging him to touch her, ravish her. She must sense something, deciding to give him what he clearly desires, planting her lips fully against his, causing him to melt into the kiss once she initiates it. The both suck in air as they pull apart, their bodies already eager for more. He lets out a low whistle. "That's one way to say goodnight." He licks his lips, trying to memorize her taste once more.

~MC~

MC slowly pulls away from him, backing into her room, her eyes never leaving his. This time she shuts her door first, their eyes linked until the barrier severs the connection. She stands there for a moment, her hand reaching up to touch her tingling lips. A smile forms as she thinks about the night. Finally feeling relaxed, her excitement transfers into exhaustion. She quickly strips out of her dress, hanging it back in the closet, before donning her typical tank top and climbing under the covers. It takes only seconds for her to succumb to sleep, her entire person relaxing and willing to let go. The next morning, MC leaves her room to find the suite in a flurry of activity as everyone packs for the winter holidays.

Zack notices her arrival and quickly moves to her side, his voice low. “Morning, MC! How’d last night go?”

“It was nice. Listen, I have to go give Vasquez my latest essay… don't leave without saying goodbye, okay?” She gives him a very serious look.

“You got it!” He winks at her.

MC hurries across campus so she can get this over with quickly, hoping to get back in time to say goodbye to all of her friends. Especially Chris. She’s felt euphoric ever since he turned around to see her in her dress for the first time. The entire experience was wonderful, and she couldn't wait to get back to the person who made it so.

She steps into Vasquez’s office and finds him at his desk, a large leather-bound book open in front of him. “Ah, MC. Come in. What do you have for me today?”

Wordlessly, she hands him the essay she typed up this morning before leaving her room. He reads through it, the harsh lines of his face softening as he nears the end. “This was… quite moving, MC. Very nicely written. With your permission, I’d like to use the last line in my book.”

He clears his throat and reads aloud from her essay. “‘Love isn't always there when you want it. It's not always going to be convenient, or easy, or practical. But when you find it… you have to fight for it.’” His face falls a little, a small frown crossing his lips. “‘Cause if you don't… you risk losing everything.’”

Just then, a knock sounds on the door, and a young nurse walks backwards into the room, wheeling in an IV stand. Vasquez gets up from his desk, clearly agitated. “Not now, damn it!”

“What’s all this?” MC looks around, shocked.

His once calm and thoughtful demeanor is gone, now replaced with anger and irritation. “Nothing, just forget you saw anything… and get out!”

“Are you sick? What’s wrong with you?” Her brow pinches sharply as she looks at him sadly.

Professor Vasquez fixes her with a steely glare… and then his shoulders slump. He waves for the nurse to leave before answering her. “Cancer. I have cancer, MC.”

“Oh my god… how long have you known? Does Gabriela know?” She covers her mouth with both hands.

“No, of course not.” He looks down, dejected.

“Does James?” She continues to inquire.

“No… and you won't tell him.” He narrows his gaze as he delivers his command.

“But… but he has a right to know! They both have a right to know!” Her shocked expression turns sad once again. “James absolutely idolizes you! You can't just not tell him something this huge.”

“I wouldn't have told anyone if you hadn't witnessed this. Why do you insist on interfering with my life? Why can't you just let me live out my last days in peace!” He sighs in a huff.

“Because… despite everything, I actually care about your life. So listen up.” Her somewhat angry attitude turns soft. “You may have cancer… but there's a big difference between dying and being dead. You've still got a daughter out there… and soon a grandchild.”

Professor Vasquez’s mouth falls open. “Did you say…” He smiles, “...grandchild?”

MC smirks at him. “Nice to know I can still surprise you.”

“I wonder if it’ll be a boy or a girl…” Slowly, Vasquez gets up from his chair and looks out the window. “Look at that… the first snow of the season.”

“Come on!” She grabs the professor’s hand and pulls him outside.

Flakes flutter down from the sky, dusting the campus in white.

MC looks around, her eyes to the sky. “Its beautiful.”

He nods his head slightly. “It is.” He reaches out and catches a snowflake in his hand, where it melts against the warmth of his palm. “It looks like you're right. I'm not dead yet.”

“I think it's going to be an interesting winter quarter… for both of us.” MC gives him a warm smile.

“For once, you may be right.” He returns the smile as they part ways.

As snowflakes fill the cloudy sky, MC walks back across the quad to the dorms and finds all of her suitemates playing in the snow.

Zack screeches across her path. “Snowball fight!!!”

Abbie stops in her tracks, a look of determination on her face. “Oh, you are on!”

Kaitlyn runs past them both, making a beeline for Chris. “I call Chris! Chris and I are officially on a team!”

Tyler snorts. “No fair! Chris literally got a scholarship for throwing stuff!”

“Hey, less talk, more dodging, Tyler!” Chris grins and whips a snowball at Tyler like a boomerang. It explodes against the front of his shirt when it makes contact.

Tyler’s eyes go huge as he laughs. “You're gonna regret that!”

As MC watches her friends running and laughing through the snow, she smiles to herself, wondering what the future holds.

[charmedtheselfproclaimedking]

Charmed Again: Season 2 (Charmed Fanfic)

Episode 8 - Restless Spirits (Season Finale)

Warnings: I don’t own the rights to any of the characters from the hit TV show “Charmed” or the storylines related to the show those rights belong to original creator Constance M Burge.

15+ Moderate/Graphic Displays of Violence, Sexual Innuendos, Witchcraft and Potentially Triggering Scenes.

“I can’t believe that you’ve actually found a way to stalk my afterlife.” Drake moaned at Ash Anderson as the two of them stood within desert like land that seemed never-ending. “Are you determined to plague me for the rest of eternity?”

“It just so happens your grandfather killed me not long after he killed your mother, I guess the joke’s on him though because he’s not only dead, but he’s been swallowed whole.” Ash revealed to Drake.

“What do you mean by swallowed whole?” Drake asked him before noticing a giant snake like demon approaching the two of them slowly opening it’s mouth preparing to swallow them both so in an act of survival Drake pushed Ash into the snake’s giant mouth causing the snake to swallow the demon in one gulp as Drake began running for his life.

Drake didn’t get far before he tripped up over a loose rock and fell into the sand but before the giant snake could get near him Cole shimmered in front of the Halliwell hybrid and began summoning and throwing fireball after fireball until the gigantic snake eventually caught on fire and exploded before their eyes.

“Let me guess you killed that thing because you want the prize of taking me down.” Drake said to Cole as he rose to his feet. “Well I got news for you just because my powers don’t work here doesn’t mean I’m not going to be able to kick your ass.”

“You sure didn’t look so kick ass when you were running from that giant snake.” Cole replied, mocking Drake who responded by high kicking Cole in the face forcing Cole to fall to the ground.

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you!” Drake told him just before Cole grab a hold of Drake’s leg forcing him to fall onto the ground as well as the two half demons found themselves tumbling around in the sand trying to claim dominance over the other before Drake eventually climbed on top of Cole. “Give me one good reason I shouldn’t kill you right here.”

“Because I’m already dead even more so than you!” Cole laughed before flipping Drake over, so he was now on top of the Halliwell hybrid. “I was sent here by the Halliwell’s to help you get out of this place.”

“Forgive me if I’m not a big believer on that one.” Drake scoffed.

“I was married to your great-aunt Phoebe Halliwell.” Cole revealed to him while continuing to pin Drake down in the sand with his own body.

“You’re Cole Turner,” Drake laughed as Cole climbed off Drake and stood up before holding out his hand and helping Drake onto his feet. “I’ve heard stories about the demon Balthazar who stole the charmed one’s heart both in the Halliwell Manor and in the Underworld.”

“So, does this mean you’re going to trust me and stop trying to fight me?” Cole asked Drake.

“Yeah trust is something I’m not particularly big on, but I’ll promise to at least stop fighting you until we’re out of this place.” Drake replied.

One Year Later

Pan stood behind the bar in an empty P3 working the books for the club as she wrote away into her journals and typed away on the calculator until she was soon interrupted by Lacey orbing into the club.

“Hey honey,” Pan said as she learned over the bar and kissed Lacey on the lips. “I told you to start using the door.”

“Doors are seriously overrated besides it took me long enough to get used to the orbing I kind of like being able to use it as often as possible.” Lacey replied.

“So, go on and tell me what’s the reason behind this shock visit if it’s a demon attack, I’m not doing any hunting today.” Pan told her newly restated white lighter and newly rekindled lover.

“I’m not here about anything demon related it’s been rather quiet on that front lately I actually popped by to see when we were going to his grave?” Lacey wondered. “I’ve got a bunch of flowers back at the Manor.”

“We could go right now if you’d like?” Pan suggested to her girlfriend before taking a moment. “I can’t believe he’s already been gone a year.”

“I was hoping we could convince Paul to visit Drake’s grave he hasn’t been there since the funeral and I really think getting him to visit again will help his grief.” Lacey told Pan.

“I don’t think anything is going to help Paul with his grief except summoning Drake himself and it’s still too soon for that.” Pan replied with a sad sigh. “I just wish there was some way of bending the rules just so we could say a proper goodbye to him, but I guess we should count ourselves lucky that we’ll get to see him again one day.”

“You’d think with Quinn getting his dream job as an elder following the vanquish of both the source of all evil and the triad that those would be one of the new perks.” Lacey said, revealing Quinn’s new promotion.

“We haven’t exactly seen Quinn since Drake’s funeral I think it’s too hard for him to be around us after everything and I don’t blame him.” Pan replied. “I hope Quinn at least gets to see Drake.”

“Come in!” Paul shouted while sitting behind his desk in his office at Stevens and Summers law firm typing away only to be left stunned by who walked into his office.

“It’s been far too long since I last heard your voice Paul.” Luke Adams said as he closed his son’s office door behind him upon entering Paul’s office.

“Dad.” Paul said in shock as he rose to his feet.

Drake and Cole managed to escape the wasteland rather quickly but found themselves trapped within the ancestral plane as Cole’s teleportation went wrong leaving them with no clue on how to get out of the ancestral plane which was filled with demons, creatures and monsters that saw the half demon/half witch hybrid and the half/demon/half human hybrid as their number one targets.

“You really must start wising up and learning when we’re being lured into traps.” Drake told Cole as he held out his hand and pulled Cole up from the bins in an alleyway in the ancestral plane’s version of San Francisco.

“Their always sucker attacking me you never seem to be hit with any energy balls to the back.” Cole complained. “Clearly they prefer attacking me.”

“I guess racking up a demonic kill count almost as large as the original charmed ones makes you a prime target around here.” Drake explained while picking of a banana skin from Cole’s top while laughing at the demon/human hybrid.

“Okay you are finding this way too funny!” Cole replied to the witch/demon hybrid.

“I must admit being trapped in the ancestral plane is a lot more fun when you’re not doing it solo.” Drake said with a sincere smile. “Thanks for trying to rescue me even though you totally suck at it.”

“Remind me after this to never do another favour for your family.” Cole told him.

Drake stood in the ancestral plane’s version of the Halliwell Manor’s attic scanning through the book of shadows while Cole stood beside him looking bored and unamused by Drake’s frantic search for answers.

“You have searched that book a hundred times looking for a way out of this place and we never find anything.” Cole moaned at Drake.

“Is optimism just not a demonic thing because I’ve got to admit I was never really optimistic for half of my life but now I’m dead optimism is all I’ve got.” Drake replied as he continued flipping through the pages of the book of shadows. “I was hoping the ancestors would do their thing and add a new entry by now or at the very least my dad and aunt Pan would’ve written some way out of here by now…if any of them even know where we are.”

“Listen I get this place isn’t the best place to be but it’s still better than the wasteland so if you wanted a pep talk there you go that’s me being as optimistic as one demon can be.” Cole told Drake. “Maybe we should stop trying to find a way to escape this place and start trying to find out who or what trapped us here in the first place?”

“Hmm that’s not entirely a terrible plan,” Drake responded with a sarcastic smirk. “Did you really come up with it all by yourself?”

“I can’t work out whether your most like Piper, Paige or Prue.” Cole scoffed.

“Mum said you were killed by a demon.” Paul told his father as he and Luke now sat on the couch in Paul’s office at Stevens and Summers law firm.

“Yes, well your mother always had a tendency for bending the truth to fit her narrative.” Luke admitted to his son. “The truth is our marriage fell apart after Patience went missing and we never really recovered from losing her.”

“I don’t get it if that’s true then where have you been this entire time?” Paul asked his estranged father. “The last time we saw you was when we were just kids how could you just leave your children like that?”

“Because I was a coward, I’ve always been a coward and I knew there was no way I could protect you or your sister from being a Halliwell.” Luke explained to him. “If I could’ve taken you and Pan with me when I left and spared you from this life then I would’ve but sadly I could only protect one child.”

“What do you mean when you say you could only protect one child?” Paul asked as he stood up from his chair and began speculating. “Please don’t tell me you kidnapped your own daughter.”

“I had no choice especially when it turned out she had the power of telekinesis the only thing worse than being a Halliwell is being a charmed one.” Luke revealed as he stood up from the couch. “I was too late with you and Pan, but Patience still had a chance at a normal life a chance at being normal. You of all people should understand what I did I mean you did the same for your son.”

“What I did was completely different.” Paul snapped at his father. “I didn’t make the child’s mother believe her daughter was dead, I never took a child from his siblings and I never tore apart an entire family.”

“I’m sorry I really am,” Luke apologised to his son. “But you’ve got to understand this was at a time people were dying right left and center in your family I never slept a day constantly worrying about the two of you and then Patience came along and I seen an opportunity to spare her from all this and I’m sorry but I took it.”

“We thought we lost our little sister do you have any idea how that messes with kid’s minds?” Paul asked his father. “Where is she now?”

“I gave her to a real nice family who knew about magic and how to protect themselves from it.” Luke revealed. “She’s grown up to be an amazing, normal and safe woman hidden from the entire magical community.”

“Including us dad.” Paul snapped at him. “Including her real family.”

“Tell me son if it was Drake, if you could protect him like I protected Patience would you have done anything differently to me?” Luke asked his son.

“That’s not fair…” Paul replied before sitting back down on the couch and sighing. “But you’re right if I could’ve spared Drake from dying like he did like everyone in our family does I would’ve destroyed everything in my path just to make sure he was safe.”

“Sometimes being a parent means putting your child above all else even your entire family.” Luke admitted as he sat back down next to his son.

“Why are you here after all this time?” Paul asked his father. “Today of all days.”

“Because I never made my grandson’s funeral because I found out too late and I couldn’t be there for you or Pan all these years, but I want to try and make things right now…if I can.” Luke told his son.

“I think it’s a little late for all that now.” Paul replied.

“Don’t you remember the whole talk we had about knocking before walking into my room?” Drake asked Cole as Cole walked into the ancestral plane’s version of his bedroom in the Halliwell Manor where Drake was sat on a chair.

“I’m sorry but considering I have some good news I figured you’d forgive me for not knocking.” Cole replied to Drake as Drake stood up to face him. “I found the demon responsible for trapping us here which means once we get to vanquishing, we can get you back to the land of the living.”

“Wow you’re right that is good news,” Drake said while in shock. “Where do you go once you drop me off back home?”

“We’re I’ve been for a long time now everywhere and yet nowhere at the same time.” Cole revealed to him.

Pan opened the front door of the Halliwell Manor to be left stunned to find a baby girl placed within a basket in the foyer of her home fast asleep.

“Lacey!” Pan shouted as she closed the front door behind her, instantly waking up the baby and causing her to cry forcing Pan to quickly pick up the baby and begin rocking her back in forth to try and calm the baby.

“Where did you get the baby from?” Lacey asked as she orbed into the foyer before smiling away at the baby. “She’s so adorable!”

“I’m used to all kinds of demons and creatures just randomly showing up around here but babies this is a whole other level.” Pan replied to Lacey. “What the hell is going on?”

“Don’t look at me I’m as confused as you are although I must admit babies are way more adorable than demons.” Lacey said as she walked over to Pan and the baby and began cooing away at the little girl.

“Okay can you stop being so bloody broody right now and go see the elders or the police go see whoever.” Pan ordered Lacey. “Whoever we’re meant to inform when a baby randomly shows up in your home.”

“I’m thinking I should see the elders just in case this little bundle of joy is part of the magical community.” Lacey responded to Pan while continuing to play with the baby girl before giving a reluctant sigh. “I suppose I’ll see you soon little one oh yes I will.”

“Yeah just say goodbye to the baby and not me.” Pan moaned after Lacey orbed away only to be met by the baby crying, clearly preferring Lacey’s company to Pan’s much to Pan’s own horror.

Drake and Cole blinked their way on top of the ancestral plane’s version of the Golden Gate Bridge to find the demon Morgana stood waiting for them with a sinister smile on her face.

“I had a feeling the two of you would work things out sooner or later although admittedly it’s been a lot longer than expected.” Morgana told them both.

“Hey, we’ve only been here a few days!” Drake said in defense of him and Cole.

“Time works a little differently on the astral plane, but I guess you have to be here a little longer before you realize that.” Morgan replied.

“Shall we get to vanquishing her already?” Cole asked Drake.

“Vanquishing me would only trap you both in the ancestral plane forever.” Morgana told them both before Drake could answer Cole. “The only way either of you are ever going to get out of here is if you take me with you.”

“Well that depends on whether we’re helping a good demon, or a bad demon go free.” Drake wondered.

“Really?” Cole said to Drake with disapproval in his eyes.

“I refuse to just assume a demon is evil just because their a demon.” Drake argued with Cole.

“I’m not a demon I’m a witch I believe you’ve heard of my immortal enemy Merlin before?” Morgana asked them both.

“Shut up!” Drake said in both shock and excitement. “I used to watch a television show about you guys and spoiler alert you were my favorite even though you did kill a bunch of people they totally had it coming. Wait is all that historically accurate? Oh god I have so many questions.”

“Are you always this much of a nerd?” Cole asked Drake. “Let’s try and not lose our heads over historically evil figures.

“Just because it says in a book somewhere that I’m evil doesn’t necessarily make it so you of all people should know that Balthazar after all there’s a lot more to you than just your demonic nature.” Morgana told Cole.

“Look I’m sick of this place,” Drake admitted to Cole. “If she turns out to be evil, we’ll just kill her after we get back to the land of the living.”

“I don’t know Drake,” Cole replied while looking Morgana up and down. “She’s already trapped us here god knows what she’ll try to do next.”

“Well I think your being very reasonable if I do say so myself Mr Black.” Morgana agreed with Drake.

“You know you’re not so cranky once you’ve been fed kind of like me to be.” Pan said to the baby girl she had placed in an old highchair while feeding her some baby food in the kitchen of the Halliwell Manor. “Thank god there’s been like a hundred babies in this house over the years and my family are real hoarders and thankfully for you I’m good at conjuring up literally anything with a few rhymes.”

“Pan you will not believe who just walked into my…” Paul began to say as he walked into the kitchen only to be left shocked to see his younger sister feeding a baby girl much to his own shock. “Okay maybe you should reveal your news first.”

“Well first of all I’d like to reveal that this is not my baby.” Pan told her brother as she began cleaning up the baby girl after feeding her. “I’m not sure whose baby she is exactly I’m still waiting on Lacey to find out.

“You mean some heartless person just abandoned this little beauty.” Paul replied as he walked over, picked up the baby and began fussing over her making the little girl laugh at him. “That’s just not acceptable maybe we should vanquish your parents?”

“So, who walked into your office today?” Pan asked her brother having to wave to get his attention off the baby.

“Our dad walked into my office turns out he’s not dead and neither is our sister Patience apparently he kidnapped her and did a runner years back while just allowing us to believe she’s dead.” Paul replied to his sister before sniffing the air and turning his attention back to the baby. “I think someone’s did a dirty.”

“Hold up not only is our father alive but so is our little sister?” Pan asked in shock by Paul’s revelations. “Where is she? Where is he? God why have our parents got to be literally the worst parents in history?”

“Yeah all those questions came to mind when he randomly showed up at my office too.” Paul admitted to Pan while he began rocking the six-month-old baby back and forth. “Strange thing is once I got passed the rage, the loss and the confusion I kind of found myself understand why he did what he did.”

“Okay this is officially far too much for me to take in including your coolness with it all.” Pan admitted to her brother. “Where is our father now?”

“At some hotel in the city I’ll give you the address once I’ve changed this one’s diaper.” Paul told his sister before Lacey orbed into the kitchen.

Drake, Morgana and Cole shimmered into an alleyway within the streets of San Francisco having returned from the land of the living no longer trapped in the astral plane.

“Well would you look at what we just achieved?” Morgana said to them both with a smug smile on her face. “I look forward to seeing you both again very soon.”

“Okay I’m beginning to think you may have been right about her.” Drake said to Cole after Morgana disappeared within a gust of wind.

“I did warn you working alongside her is going to bite us both in the ass probably sooner rather than later.” Cole replied. “But for now, I better be off and leave you to your family reunion.”

“Are you sure you don’t want to stick around for a while I mean I kind of like bickering with you and I know it will piss off my family which is always a bonus.” Drake suggested with a smile on his face.

“Are you trying to say you like me and want to be my friend?” Cole asked with a sarcastic tone in his voice.

“Well you seem like a lot of work and I know I’m a lot of work maybe we should form a friendship out of all this work?” Drake asked the half demon/half human hybrid.

“I’ll think about it.” Cole replied before shimmering away, leaving Drake alone in the alleyway.

“Why didn’t you tell us before you left San Francisco that you were carrying Drake’s child?” Paul asked Cindy as he walked into the rundown Devilish Delights that had clearly been closed for some time as he noticed Cindy stood behind the bar nursing a glass of champagne.

“Learning I was pregnant from your grandmother was quite the shock for me I’ve never had a maternal bone in my body and then suddenly I was sharing my body with this little creature in my demonic wound.” Cindy admitted as she took a drink of her champagne. “Then everything got crazy around here with Drake becoming the source and then dying I just had to get away and work things out for myself.”

“Okay I get not telling us but why choose to suddenly drop the baby off with us after keeping her a secret for so long?” Paul asked as he walked over to Cindy and sat down at the bar.

“Well once I got my head around it all and after giving birth to Lilah, I realized I could never be the kind of parent she’d need in her life or at least that’s not who I can be for now.” Cindy explained to her baby’s grandfather.

“You called her Lilah?” Paul asked with a sincere smiled.

“Yeah Lilah Eve Black.” Cindy revealed her daughter’s name. “Lilah and Eve after his mothers and Black after him. I figured it was a great way of honoring all three of them.”

“Are you sure you want us to take her in? I mean she’s my granddaughter and of course I will do whatever’s best for her, but I don’t believe you’re not what’s best for her.” Paul told her.

“I do love the little kid I do but I’m still learning this humanity thing out and I shouldn’t be anyone’s parent until I do.” Cindy admitted to the eldest Halliwell sibling. “She needs a stable home with lots of love and support I can’t have her winding up as messed up as my own family.”

“I’ll let you in on a little secret Cindy nobody whether demon or human believes their going to be a good parent the first time around when I gave up Drake I convinced myself it was for his best interest but clearly I was wrong.” Paul told Cindy honestly. “I’ll take her for now but know this I will never ever stop you from seeing your daughter because there is nothing worse than a parent not having their child.”

“Thank you,” Cindy said to Paul as she put her glass on the counter and reached out to hold his hand. “I’m not who she needs me to be right now but I’m going to work on that I promise.”

Paul placed a sleeping Lilah laid down into the cot placed in the nursery within the Halliwell Manor, the same nursery his uncles, his mother, himself and his sisters once used to sleep in when they were all babies although a few changes had been made to the room over the years.

He looked down at a sleeping Lilah with pure adoration in his eyes before turning around to be left completely shell shocked to see his son Drake stood in front of him.

“Yeah I worked out I’ve been dead like a year but it’s all good I’ll get the cleaners and the elders onto the job as quickly as possible.” Drake said to his father who quickly rushed over and hugged his son.

“I thought you were dead,” Paul cried. “I kept trying to summon you, but they wouldn’t let me. I’ve missed you so much!”

“Turns out Aunt Paige intervened during my death and place me in the demonic wastelands which I escaped thanks to a family friend let’s just say but then we wound up stuck in the astral plane for a while.” Drake explained to his father as he broke of their hug, his father remained speeches before hugging his son once again before he noticed Lilah sleeping in her cot. “Hold up did you wind up having another kid?”

“No, she’s not my daughter she’s my granddaughter.” Paul revealed to a stunned Drake as he hugged his son tight. “She’s your daughter.”

“How did it go seeing your father again after all these years?” Lacey asked her girlfriend as Pan walked into the living room and sat down next to her. “It couldn’t have been easy especially considering you thought he was dead all this time.”

“My dad’s not dead my sister’s not dead it turns out the only one who is actually dead is Drake.” Pan said with a sigh of sadness. “I miss that little brat so much!”

“Well in that case you should probably go upstairs.” Lacey suggested with a large smile on her face.

“You mean this little baby is mine and Cindy’s daughter?” Drake asked Paul as the two of them stood over Lilah’s cot watching Drake’s daughter sleep away. “I’m a father.”

“Yeah and I’m a grandfather.” Paul replied as he wrapped his arm around his son’s shoulders. “Today started out as the worst but now I have my son back and I’m a grandfather. I can’t begin to tell you how happy I am in this moment.”

“Oh, I have a feeling I could.” Pan said with a smile on her face as she walked into the nursery causing Paul and Drake to turn around to face her.

“Hey apparently I’m a dad now so that makes you a great-aunt right.” Drake replied before Pan rushed over and hugged her nephew.

“I’m so glad you’re back I’m not even going to question it.” Pan cried as she hugged her nephew even tighter. “However, about this whole great-aunt thing aunt Pan will do just fine thanks,”

“It’s nice to have you back Drake.” Lacey greeted her best friend as she walked into the nursery and shared a smile with him. “I hoped you’d find some way of coming back to us.”

“Looks like the old team is all back together now with the new addition of my beautiful granddaughter.” Paul said with pride as he placed his hand back on Drake’s shoulder.

“Wait a minute…where’s Quinn?” Drake asked the room noticing how quiet they all quickly became.

“When I learned what Paige did I was so thrilled to know you weren’t gone forever and then a whole year went by and I was beginning to lose hope…” Quinn said as Drake blinked his way on top of the Golden Gate Bridge to meet the new elder. “I’m so happy you’re back!”

“Yeah I’ve heard that a lot today…I’m glad to see you again too.” Drake replied as he walked towards Quinn. “I’m happy you got to be an elder I know that was one of your dreams.”

“I should’ve never accepted this position I should’ve waited for you!” Quinn told Drake as he reached out and held Drake’s hands while tears formed in the elder’s eyes. “I was so lost when you went away, I thought I’d never survive the pain.”

“It’s okay you’re not the only one going through changes.” Drake cried. “I’m a dad now which I’m still getting my head around.”

“I know I heard you’re going to be an amazing father.” Quinn said with a sincere smile, tears still falling from his eyes. “We could still make things work between us it would just be like a really long distant relationship.”

“No, it won’t be the same,” Drake replied as he let go of the elder’s hands before beginning to dry his tears. “We’ll just wind up falling further and further away from each other until there’s nothing left of who we were.”

“What if I gave up being an elder if I fell from grace?” Quinn asked him.

“I can’t deny the world of having you as an elder it’s clearly always been a part of your destiny.” Drake told his former white lighter. “Just like being a charmed one is my destiny.”

“I’m going to miss you!” Quinn cried before Drake pulled him in towards him and kissed him passionately.

“I’m going to miss you too!” Drake replied after the couple shared their last kiss.

[archivesdiveronarpg]

Congratulations, RONI! You’ve been accepted for the role of PUCK. Roni, I can’t count how many times I broke out into a silly grin while I was reading your application - you captured his mischievousness perfectly from your interview answers to his writing sample. Which was, by the way, wonderful how you managed to encapsulate all his main points and connections while still maintaining his humor perfectly. From his autobiography to your very last headcanon - I was smitten from start to finish. I can't WAIT to see what havoc he wreaks on Verona!  Please read over the checklist and send in your blog within 24 hours. 

                                                                         WELCOME TO THE MOB.

OUT OF CHARACTER

Alias | Roni

Age | 21

Preferred Pronouns | she/her

Activity Level | I’m attending uni this year, and it’s not too difficult at the moment. I have a lighter course due to dropping a class, yet the ones remaining are still rigorous. So while I am on Tumblr during my free time, it’s hard to gauge when my free time will be. However, I would probably rate myself a seven out of ten on weekdays and a eight out of ten on most weekends, depending on how many replies I have/the length of my replies.

Timezone | EST

Permission | yes, you have my permission to publish this application!

IN CHARACTER

Character | Puck // Pavel Lam

What drew you to this character? | honestly, i always adore playing neutral characters, as i find them to be a wonderful balance between the groups at war. their own motivations and their paths of interactions are always wonderful to explore. with pavel, he of course has that same potential — and it’s constructed in an incredibly exciting way. the way that pavel lives his life, with every action echoed by a dastardly smile on his face, is enticing. the way he has created his own darkness as he built his reputation around his services and pranks, and they way he thrives on his own is such a contrast to everyone else. i enjoy reading his standards and how he sticks to them, i adore the how connected the threads of his story are, and i love that he is still untouchable because he doesn’t place stakes in anything, really. he is a jester with so many possibilities, and i would love to explore them if accepted.

What is a future plot idea you have in mind for the character?

( plan i ) his pranks are to sate his boredom more often than not; there are a lifeline, in a way, for these pranks allow not only social interaction, but insight to the people he will either work for or assassinate in the future. and it helps these pranks provide some of the greatest entertainment for himself. but i want to explore the possibility of pavel miscalculating the consequences of a prank; perhaps he underestimated the number of people pissed off, maybe there’s another target on his back and it’s from a legitimate threat. he has ties to no side, and while i am sure the capulets and the montagues have hired him before (whether directly or not, whether recently or once long, long ago), if one of his pranks injures someone from either side, what will happen? how much danger would he accidentally place himself in? i imagine this occurring with either one of his most elaborate plans, where he maybe should have expected something to go awry but was too confident in, or his simple pranks that caused a chain reaction of something even worse occurring, where the blame is directed at him for being the start of it all, if that makes sense.

( plan ii ) the connection between alva and pavel is one i definitely want to explore. i feel like, while puck’s badgering of alva is far from anything akin to obsession, alva is definitely someone puck attempts to rattle more than he would others? pavel doesn’t have anyone close to him; while it’s more because he doesn’t need people to be his friends, the lack of closeness with people does affect how he socializes with others. some interactions will be light-hearted, but there are certainly ones where he antagonizes, and he tends to take those interactions to the extreme. and i feel like that occurs with alva, if only because alva doesn’t react the way pavel expects. pavel keeps pushing the extremes because he craves a desired reaction and alva rarely gives it to him. add that to the skill alva possesses, one pavel is irritated of hearing over and over again, and you have pavel beginning to approach their interactions like a game. and this is one he doesn’t win, really, which is ridiculous considering its his game. yet alva is so different, pavel can’t help but keep attempting to win instead of flitting away. besides, he’s seen a crack in alva’s demeanor once, seen that flicker in the other’s eyes that alludes to more, and pavel is determined to pull that mask from alva’s face and witness the true wickedness he believes alva fosters. i’m not sure if this all completely makes sense, but this connection is just —- it’s one that won’t release pavel anytime soon, and i want it explored at every possible angle while its grip is tight!

( plan iii ) how does a man who is untouchable in the reality he has shaped for himself transform into someone who can finally be touched? i have no specific plans for this path, for it may never happen — yet i want to see if it does. what will it take for pavel’s life to change; what will happen when he falls from the pedestal he has built for himself? or will he never trip, because he is someone who plays all the right cards when he should? pavel can either fuck up horribly at some point, or he avoids such loss for and of himself. he either will fall or he won’t, and i want to see what path his story takes at diverona!

IN DEPTH

What is your favorite place in Verona?

“Oooooo, that’s a hard one since there are so many spectacular places here at this shithole! I have to say, the thrum of The Tempest is intoxicating. The way the music seeps into your veins, how your heartbeat matches the beats pounding in your ears — it’s a high in of itself, really.” A smile stretches across his features, wide and dazzling. “And when people sneak to the lower levels, the way the darkness can envelope you as you follow — well, they’re all easy targets, I’ll leave it at that.”

Easy targets for what, he’ll leave for assumption. He has done many things others wouldn’t risk in such neutral spaces, and while he is sure he has drawn the ire of the Three Witches, he has never been caught, so why ever stop?

“I suppose I could also say the bridge, since it works in the same manner. Easy targets, depending on the time of day and the circumstances. Plus, you have the added bonus of pushing people over the edge and guessing whether they will survive the fall. That game is always fun to play.”

                      ( yes, he is beginning to paint a morbid picture with these casual mentions,                          but imagine him sipping at a cup of espresso, eyes bright as he observes                                  the morning crowd where a phoenix and turtle play.

             or maybe you should imagine him outside the entrance where people try to tame soup,           upper lip curled in disgust at what is truly occurring in the building, and yet                  still notices the boy with the thinnest of clothes, the one unsure of entering,                     and quickly, silently, pockets a few coins the boy will find later.

     if pavel lam was to be honest in this moment,        maybe he would mention those places instead. )

What does your typical day look like?

“I wake up, eat, do my usual shit, and then fall asleep. ‘And what’s your usual shit?’ I’m sure you’re wondering. Well, well, well, all I can say is that it varies.”

Even if someone pinned a daily routine for him — one day it’s an assassination, the other prank galore — they wouldn’t ever be able to say how the assassination would play out or what the prank would be for the day.

Everything was unpredictable, and that’s how his life would remain.

“Would you like me to go into length? Because that would be involved describing quite a nasty situation as an example, and I’m positive you do not have the stomach for it.”

What are your thoughts on the war between the Capulets and the Montagues?

And his smile falters, the face of disgust transforming his demeanor. Crossing his arms, he rolls his eyes and smacks his lips, a reminder to keep his opinions coherent.

“The two sides deserve each other, they really do. Illusive kidnappings, dedicated torture, ‘we’ll send them a message!’ bravado — it’s like they’re trying to out-dramatize one another in their proposals.”

He leans forward then, eyes narrowed. “It’s a fucking nasty cycle they’ve got. An unnecessary one. But that’s how power corrupts — and that’s what happens when you have too many on your side that can be used against you or betray whatever the fuck you’re fighting for.

“Organized crime delivers everything with a smile and sharp words, but never forget it’s still crime. They’re as dirty as the rest of us, no matter how people may worship them, no matter how many people fear them, and I surely cannot wait for the day they all realize that we die the same here in Verona.”

In-Character Para Sample: triggers: blood, drub mention, death mention, violence. additional note: this is a little all over the place since it’s more snippets than a chronological storyline, so i apologize in advance if there’s any confusion! )

The sun beats on his face, and he shifts uncomfortably; the heat of Verona reaches an odd extreme at even odder times during the season, causing everything to sway unnaturally. Today, the binoculars are too heavy, and his clammy hands do not help in keeping it still. Tomorrow, maybe the heat will sap too much energy, and he’ll not only fall asleep, but fall from the roof.

Would that be a tragic end, or perhaps the funniest punchline of them all?

A long, dramatic sigh falls from Pavel’s lips, and he smacks his lips, returning. his attention to the target. He adjusts the binoculars, the man’s frame sharpening to near perfection, and Pavel writes sloppy notes for him to read later ( if he is able to interpret his own notes — funny, how a top assassin can’t even make sense of what he writes! he’s a fucking mess! gotta remember that for the autobiography! ).

The man staggers — the two shots of vodka from earlier already making his ears flush, the poor lightweight — and Pavel sees his father.

He blinks. Still there. Pulls away from the binoculars, rubs his eyes, returns. Sees the proper target once more, all in his blonde glory.

Pavel shifts again, his body whining at the ache slowly settling in his shoulders. He won’t be falling to sleep today, no, and he will complete the job with no debate over what his ending may mean for the story of his life.

       ( a reminder though, for the autobiography: there is little insanity in finding similarities between a white, blonde man, and a chinese, raven-haired father, if they have the same drunken stumble )

There is little he remembers of his childhood.

Correction: there is little he wants to remember of his childhood.

The few times he stares at the ceiling of his studio and dares to falter back, the rest of the night is him seeing tattered wood, of sleeping on the floor with a single blanket that did a piss-poor job, of keeping an eye on the door so he could move away from his father’s stumbling steps when the man returned home.

Whenever he falters back, he remembers his mother’s muffled cry as she is told about the death of his father, mistress in his arms and tear-stains on his cheeks, remembers feeling a small drop of pity as her face contorts into grief. How quickly that drop had evaporated, though, when not an hour later he hears her gasps of ecstasy and smells the burn of her escape.

The memories are like pages of a book he is trying to skim, flashes of imagery screaming for attention before he continues forth. There, one page near the beginning, the closest to a feast the three of them ever ate: a whole pie, stolen from some window. And there, the opening chapter to Pavel’s first attempt at pick-pocketing, all with the failure and the would-be-victim’s bruising grip on his arm. Oh, and look, him starving and crying and forever reminding the household there existed a child — and no one cared enough.

Finally, the page that matters: his father dying, his mother wasting her life, and Pavel washing his hands of them with a laugh.

( well, it was more like running off toward the sunset  with middle fingers in the air and a chipper laugh.  yeah, he will write it exactly like that. )

He runs into Orpheus — literally, he barrels into Orpheus’s chest or something, and there is a crack somewhere as he falls on his ass. He blinks past the daze, notices with distaste that of course the older man didn’t budge.

                                         fucking mountain.

“Puck.” Orpheus, the man who can deliver his message with one word and a concoction of tones that do the job, sounds annoyed and irritated and a trite amused.

It’s a wonder what ten years can do; the stretch of time is too long and too short all at once. Pavel remembers the moment he stepped into Orpheus’ path and witnessed the man’s power, the growl of victory as blood drenched his stubble ( because remember, they were all practically babies back then, Pavel a cute teen and Orpheus only just beginning to grow a beard at good ol’ twenty-seven ).

Pavel cannot forget the worship that blanketed him whenever he thought of Orpheus. He was young, naive, trying too hard to adapt to his new world of Verona. The chaos Orpheus conducted was what Pavel aspired to — the way Orpheus worked that music for the right people was fucking amazing. Pavel couldn’t imagine himself going to that length, but Orpheus, whether he cared or not, still did. He was a force against the elite; he threatened them, succeeded more often than not, and for Pavel’s teenage mind, that was wonderful.

And then Orpheus fell, exposed as a fool even if the man didn’t believe it. Pavel leered in what could possibly be written as heartbreak.

Here’s the lesson, kiddos: never put your faith in anyone, for they will always disappoint you.

“Oberon,” he coos, a cattish smile on his lips. He jumps back to his feet, standing on his tip-toes as he sways toward Orpheus, throwing that smile directly in the man’s face. “I do hope you’re looking over your shoulder for any Capulet ready to throw you over the bridge!”

“They know better than to try,” is the man’s response, and Pavel wants to punch his fucking face because how stupid can this man be? He has no faith Orpheus has a master plan to overthrow the Capulets — he would have done so already, really — and the man’s choices are maddening. Absolutely maddening!

“You’re a true sell-out, Orphy, fake crown and all.” With a tut and a stomp on the man’s foot ( he had to do something, okay, and breaking his hand by punching oberon’s face wasn’t a good idea ), he skitters away from Orpheus’ reach.

Ten years is a long time; it’s long enough to uphold the lesson of only caring and having faith in oneself. Makes you a better person in the long run.

His hands never shake, which is always a good thing. His heartbeat can skyrocket, whether out of adrenaline or fear ( when was the last time he feared someone, though? ), but his hands will always remain still.

Of course, that didn’t happen with his first assassination. His hands shook like a flopping fish on land, and damn, it took so long to grab hold of the asshole and dig that knife across his throat. He didn’t even drag it all the way across, for the knife was too deep for a clean cut and his hands would not stop moving in ways he didn’t want them to.

There was blood on his face, he’s sure, from rubbing it after the kill. He must have a been a sight, a quivering boy with a strained voice reporting success to the client.

And yet, this is one for the autobiography: his hands stopped shaking as soon as the words left his mouth. I killed him —- and that was it! It was like he waved a wand with words, and that was the spell to halt the nuisance of a natural reaction.

It’s a wonderful tale, isn’t it? Killing is so much easier now, and he’s able to enjoy the thrill of it, just a little, along with the improved offers as he becomes better. He’s grateful for a body that doesn’t react unnecessarily anymore.

Pavel definitely recommends his line of work if your hands shake too much!

This is how he ends his day: he cleans everything. And by everything, it’s his weapons, it’s his apartment, it’s the damn refrigerator that never holds that much food in it to begin with.

Pavel begins with his knives. First, it’s wiping the blood from the ones he used for the job that day, and then sharpening. It’s slow, a process that has him drift just enough that he can plan whatever prank he decides upon, but not so far that he will cut himself. If he does, there are bandaids right beside the mattress on the floor.

After he sheathes all knives, he goes for his revolver. Usually, there are no other guns for him to clean, though sometimes he will withdraw the .45 pistol to ensure it’s in good condition. The revolver is an even slower process; it requires depositing the bullets he didn’t fire, removing powder and grime, holding it to the darkened sky outside his window to comfort himself that, yes, he knows how to sight and shoot. He hasn’t forgotten that in the last hour since he used it.

He tucks the revolver beside the bandaids, underneath whatever book he is reading for the month. And then — it’s everything else. Dusting the few pieces of furniture, wiping down the island and countertops, discarding the rotting food in the refrigerator and writing on a reminder on a sticky note of what he needs to replace. And then he cleans the fridge, calling an expensive service to send him some expensive food as he does so.

He’ll eat when the food arrives, slowly chewing as he retrieves the book from the floor, and slowly chewing still as he reads, savoring what little taste he actually registers as he tries to make sense of foreign words.

And then when he finishes, he’ll wash the dishes, wipe until they’re spotless, and then return them to their place. He’ll stretch the book over the revolver once more, and then try to sleep on the mattress that is a little too lumpy, but does its job anyways.

His apartment appears entirely different from the hovel he was raised in, and he’ll fall asleep knowing that.

And yet, whenever he closes his eyes, he sees a roof with too many cracks, smells his mother’s perfume despite the stench of whatever it was she was trying that night, and feels that sharp pang of hunger never leaving him alone.

     ( he doesn’t ever remember his dreams, if he ever did dream the night prior.               he only remembers that fucking image in those few moments he was still awake. )

EXTRAS

~ color palette

~ quotes

“May fortune favor the fuckups”

“it’s winter and you feel reckless you step into the ocean and you laugh as the cold seeps feeling from your feet he calls you wild and you bare your teeth”

“there was a war in your childhood home, and you can still remember the fires, how the blood was pretty and sick on the bathroom’s pristine tiles, your mother’s still warm body limp in the tub. breathe in through the mouth: in, out, in. you are not guilty. her life is not on your hands.”

“He danced on the knife’s edge between awareness and sleep. When he dreamt like this, he was a king. The world was his to bend. His to burn.”

“longing paces circles in your heart.                                                                      the want for more thrums just under your skin,                                                 and in your blood there are a thousand wolves howling,                                  necks craned back in prayer to the moon. (you are not a monster for wanting more than what has been offered to you.)”

“why must you crush all that you’ve held within your grasp? ribs break so easy”

~ headcanons

his speech is rough, and lacks the effortless skill so many possess, and, oh, he has long stopped caring. his speech informs everyone where he was born, of how he was raised, and he would rather everyone remember that for the rest of their lives. they need to remember he wasn’t born with riches, and that he has never transformed himself to fit that notion either. everyone should remember that the person they hire — and perhaps the last person they hear – is someone they would spit upon on better days.

listen, he will always prefer his revolver and his collection of knives, but don’t let that fool you into thinking he has never used any other weapon in his life. he is keen to keep his skills sharp, and goes to the range biweekly to practice with all types of guns. but though sniper rifles — and sometimes, any other gun than a revolver — will usually make a job easier, pavel will take the route he wants for a job. so what if it makes the assassination near impossible? it’s a challenge he doesn’t mind at all, and when he succeeds, it’s all that more impressive.

he won’t be able to inform you the number of languages he knows because he’s not fluent in many; he knows enough to get by, though, and that’s what matter. he is fluent in russian and italian — they have been the languages of survival, after all. everything else is broken: english, some french, mandarin. whatever else you can think of, pavel might know a bit, even if it’s only a string of curses.

pavel remains in shape due to parkour; believe it or not, but once he began accepting jobs for exposing affairs, that was the solution for quick and elusive escapes. he has his own regime that he does outside of his jobs, and it’s not unusual to see him flying from roof to roof on a sunny day.

he possesses a scattering of scars; the most notable one ( because it belongs to his most shared story ) is the bullet hole one on his ass after he was shot by the woman caught in her affair. it’s a hilarious story of jealousy and trickery, remind him to share that with you when he haves the time! there are scars belonging to knife fights – the one that peeks to sight is the one along the side of his neck. it travels to his collarbone, and it’s a clean cut, which he appreciates. there are some cuts on both hands, a mark on his left in the divot between his thumb and index finger from a wrong hand position with a gun. and then there are long, horizontal marks on his thighs, hidden from everyone’s sight ( few people have asked about them, if they ever discovered them during frivolous nights. he always smiles and never answers ).

the only thing of excess ( outside of weaponry ) pavel will indulge in is food. he spent too many months — too many years, really — starving. that specific pain is something he never wishes to remember, never dreams to return to, and so he will feast as he likes. he will not waste any food, no, he will eat all that is on his plate even if he doesn’t enjoy the taste. it is the compromise he has made with himself, and he will keep it no matter how ridiculous it is to others.

he wants to throw a cherry pie in alva’s face. not the whipped cream one you see in comics or those funny videos. a cherry pie. that is all.

[placetobenation]

August 7, 2017 From the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada Your hosts are Michael Cole, Corey Graves, and Booker T

Miz TV kicks off the show. Miz tells the crowd that he is not in the mood and that the show will not begin until he gets what he wants, which is for Jason Jordan to come out right now. Miz says he is tired of being cheap-shotted on his own show and wants to finish what Jordan started last week. However, Kurt Angle comes out and says that Jordan will not be a guest on his show tonight because he’ll be facing Curtis Axel. Angle then says he has a guest for Miz that will exceed expectations as Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman come out to the ring as the crowd goes nuts. Miz tells Heyman when his hand goes up his mouth goes shut as Heyman smiles and tosses the microhpone before Miz goes on about Lesnar being guaranteed to lose at SummerSlam. Miz then questions who will walk out of SummerSlam as the Universal Champion as Lesnar does not have to be pinned in order to lose the title. Miz also brings up how Heyman said they will leave the WWE if Lesnar does not walk out of SummerSlam as the champion and will put his money on anyone but Lesnar because the others will walk out as the champion and calls out Lesnar for taking his ball and going home if he loses. Heyman then tells introduces himself and does some role playing with Miz and the Miztourage. He has Miz play Roman Reigns, Bo Dallas as Samoa Joe, then Curtis Axel as Braun Strowman. Heyman then tells Lesnar to give us a preview of SummerSlam as Lesnar clotheslines the Miztourage and hits Miz with a German suplex before destroying all three men.

The end of this was awesome with Lesnar kicking all sorts of ass, including one of the best F5’s I’ve ever seen on Bo Dallas. And I like how they are playing up the story that Lesnar can lose without even getting pinned and how they are stacking the odds against him. However, I was not a fan of the beginning with Miz calling out Jordan, only for Angle to come out and basically fight his son’s battle for him. I have no idea what they are trying to go for with those two but its been three weeks now and its not compelling in the slightest. 

Seth Rollins vs. Sheamus w/ Cesaro

This is a rematch from last week, where Rollins won with a sunset flip. Rollins takes control early. Sheamus catches Rollins dive to the outside but Rollins fights out and knocks Sheamus down. Rollins snaps Sheamus’ neck then gets two with a springboard clothesline. Sheamus crotches Rollins on the top rope then knocks him outside before heading out. Rollins tries to fight back but Sheamus slams him on the apron as we head to break. We return with Sheamus in control. He cuts off a comeback then hits Rollins with the Beats of the Bodhram before hitting a rolling senton. Rollins ducks the Brogue Kick and lands a few kicks of his own as both men are down. Rollins runs into a double boot in the corner but Rollins cuts off Sheamus up top. Sheamus fights him off a few times but Rollins takes him down with a hurricarana. Rollins gets two with a super kick then uses rapid fire kicks to the face. Rollins hits a sling blade and knocks Cesaro off of the apron. Rollins heads up top but Cesaro distracts him then Sheamus uses a reverse rollup for the win (8:39) **1/4. After the match, Rollins hits both men with a tope but ends up getting outnumbered. The Champs beat on Rollins then look towards the ramp in anticipation of Ambrose’s arrival but he never shows up so they take Rollins inside and hit an assisted Samoan Drop as the crowd boos.

Thoughts: Their match last week was better but they are continuing the story of Rollins and Ambrose, who does not trust his former Shield partner and wants nothing to do with him while Rollins is trying to do whatever it takes to regain his trust.

After the break, we see Rollins limp around backstage. He sees Ambrose, who told him not to do that again as it makes him look like a jerk. Rollins tells Ambrose he is a jerk and asks what he has to do to prove he’s not the guy who screwed him over. Ambrose tells Rollins that he has Cesaro tonight and has to go alone as he still does not trust Rollins. Both guys, Ambrose in particular, are starting to seek their teeth into this storyline and its resulting in some of the better segments on the show.

Jason Jordan comes out for his scheduled match against Curtis Axel. However, Axel is not medically cleared as Angle then finds some guy warming up and sends him to the ring instead as we learn his name is Jean-Pierre Goulet. He is actually Canadian Independent wrestler Tomer Sidi Shalom.

Jason Jordan vs. Jean-Pierre Goulet

Jordan comes out to crickets here. We get a “let’s go, Tomer” chant for Goulet as Jordan tosses him around. Jordan finally puts this guy out of his misery with a pop-up neckbreaker (1:21).

Thoughts: Jordan is not over at all in this role. The problem with this storyline is that no one believes Jordan is Angle’s son and they need a hook to make you want to suspend disbelief enough or to even entertain but they are failing at both. Plus, at this point I believe the crowd is just waiting for Jordan to turn but in the process are losing patience and that could turn into restlessness. They need to do something with this angle before it turns into a complete failure.

Bayley heads out to the ring with her arm in a sling. Charly Caruso asks her about suffering a separated shoulder last week in here match against Nia Jax. We see the replay of the injury with Bayley getting shoved down to the mat before Charly asks her about not even looking up at the footage. Bayley says that it “sucks” and watching the footage makes her mad and angry. She talks about knowing she was hurt during the match but if she did not finish it no one would take her seriously as a challenger at SummerSlam. Bayley ignores the boos and says she is thanking those sending their wishes. She is getting booed quite a bit here. Bayley is asked about her replacement at SummerSlam as Bayley thinks it should be her friend, Sasha Banks. We then have Sasha come out and give Bayley a hug as she will face Alicia Fox and Emma in a Triple Threat qualifier after the break. Poor Bayley got booed by the crowd here and seemed thrown off a bit by that but was able to turn it around. When you get positioned to fail as a babyface, as we’ve seen happen to Bayley since she became champion, this is the result even if you are injured.

Sasha Banks vs. Alicia Fox vs. Emma

Alexa Bliss comes out to join on commentary. Sasha tosses Emma outside but gets booted down by Fox. Sasha ducks a kick in the corner and gets two with a rollup as Alexa talks about not having any sympathy for weak people like Bayley. Emma wheelbarrow suplexes Sasha into the ring apron then heads inside and takes down Fox. The crowd chants for Emma as she is in control of the match. Cole brings up the rumors of Alexa being afraid to face Sasha as Alexa says that they are just rumors. Fox fights back and gets a nearfall with a Northern Lights Suplex but Sasha runs in with a Shining Wizard on Emma then runs wild on both women. Emma yanks Sasha off of Fox and almost gets the pin. Emma gets one with a rollup then tosses Fox down before hitting a running tackle in the corner that Sasha breaks up. Fox puts Sasha in a small package for two but misses a scissors kick then Sasha puts her on the Banks Statement. Emma rolls up Sasha for two but Sasha counters with the Banks Statement for the win (4:45) *1/2.

Thoughts: Despite tapping out, Emma got some shine here and reminded us that she is more than capable in the ring. Fox had a bad night as Sasha won, and that was the expected result.

Renee Young is backstage with Braun Strowman. She asks him about the importance of tonight’s Last Man Standing match. Strowman talks about how much he enjoys beating on Reigns and promises to turn the “Big Dog” into a “puppy.” The lines were not the best but Strowman’s delivery can make this stuff work.

Enzo Amore comes out. He does his shtick before introducing the Big Show. Enzo tells Show they are like a “dream team” then Show talks about Cass needing to learn respect but they get interrupted by Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, who put them down and say if they want a challenge, they are standing right here. Gallows says if they accept, they can brag about beating another pair of “nerds.” Enzo says he was too distracted to hear what they were saying then calls them “Dr. Evil and Mini Me” before accepting the match.

Enzo Amore & Big Show vs. Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson

Show takes down Gallows, who retreats halfway up the ramp with his partner right before the break. The action returns with Gallows & Anderson beating on Enzo. They cut off the ring as Cole talks about Scott Dawson’s biceps injury and how he will be likely need surgery. Enzo dodges a diving attack in the corner from Anderson but is unable to tag out. Gallows is in and cuts off a comeback before landing a super kick. Big Cass comes down the ramp now as Show is distracted. Gallows then boots Show off of the apron then Anderson comes in or the Magic Killer but Enzo fights that off. Enzo rolls up Gallows for two but Anderson breaks that up with a running kick for the win (6:36) *1/2. After the match, Cass beats on Show until Enzo flies out with a tope. Enzo hammers away until Cass tosses him into the barricade then back inside. Enzo rolls out and has Cass chase him until Show pops up and knocks him out.

Thoughts: What we saw was fine but most of this took place during the break. And the finish was done to add more fuel to the Show/Cass feud.

We get a replay from last week where Finn Balor played mind games with Bray Wyatt and got some revenge. After that we are shown Balor heading to the ring as we go to commercial.

Finn Balor heads to the ring after we return from commercial. He tells Toronto that they are Balor Club and the crowd starts a mild “too sweet” chant. Balor talks about kicking Bray’s teeth down his throat. He also talks about Bray and says when fear stands up to you, kick it in the face before he tells Bray he will finish whatever Bray wants to start. The lights go off and Bray appears in the ring with Balor perched on the top turnbuckle. Balor eludes Bray and kicks him in the face then takes him down with a sling blade. The lights go off and again then return with Balor alone in the ring. We hear Bray laughing and see him on the screen. Bray tells Balor after he rips him down from the heavens and the fans will fall with him before telling Balor to “run.” This feud is not clicking, even with the fans into Balor. Its getting to the point where you roll your eyes whenever a Bray promo happens on TV. Its one of the least interesting characters in wrestling at this point.

Cesaro w/ Sheamus vs. Dean Ambrose

These two end in a stalemate after some mat work. Cesaro takes Ambrose down with a test-of-strength but Ambrose escapes. Cesaro then beats on Ambrose in the corner but Ambrose comes back with a clothesline before landing mounted punches in the corner. Cesaro takes Ambrose down and his face whacks the turnbuckle as he regains control of the match. Cesaro works a chinlock but Ambrose gets out and clotheslines Cesaro outside. Ambrose takes out Cesaro with a pescado then becomes distracted by Sheamus until Cesaro attacks from behind as we head to break. The match returns with Ambrose fighting out of an abdominal stretch. They end up on top where Ambrose gets crotched then Cesaro stands on the post and tries for a superplex to the floor but Ambrose counters as both men are out on the mat. Cesaro is up first and targets the back. He puts on a backbreaker submission but Ambrose escapes then starts to fire up. Cesaro cuts him off with an uppercut that gets two. Cesaro follows with rolling gutwrench suplexes for a nearfall but eats boot on a charge then the two work a reversal sequence ending with Cesaro fighting out of a sharpshooter attempt. Ambrose low-bridges Cesaro then sets him up for a tope but gets cut off with an uppercut as Cesaro runs in and makes the cover but only gets two. Cesaro then sets up for a superplex but that gets blocked as Ambrose dumps Cesaro then almost puts him away with a La Magistral. They slug it out until Ambrose hits his rebound clothesline as both men are down. Sheamus then provides a distraction as Cesaro takes Ambrose down and applies the sharpshooter. Ambrose is fighting with everything he has then reaches the ropes. Cesaro starts pie-facing Ambrose then charges and ends up getting backdropped to the floor. Ambrose heads up top after that and flies out with an elbow smash as both men are down. Back inside, Sheamus tries to distract Ambrose but fails as Ambrose is able to roll up Cesaro for the win (19:18) ***1/4. After the match, Sheamus & Cesaro beat on Ambrose until Rollins runs out to clear them from the ring. Rollins yells at the champs while Ambrose struggles to get to his knees. Ambrose sees Rollins as the fans cheer then start going nuts with the “yes” chant. Ambrose gets to his feet and looks at Rollins as the two stare each other down. Ambrose looks conflicted then sticks out his fist as Rollins looks at him as the crowd is going crazy. However, Rollins shakes his head and leaves.

Thoughts: A long but good match. Cesaro in particular had a strong night as the fans went out of their minds at the prospect of a Rollins/Ambrose reunion. Having Rollins walk out was odd to me because having Ambrose trust him again was what he wanted but instead he left him hanging, like Ambrose did two weeks prior.

Replay from earlier tonight where Lesnar destroyed Miz & The Miztourage.

Clips of Akira Tozawa defeating Ariya Daivari last week on “205 Live” for the right to face Neville at SummerSlam for the Cruiserweight Championship. After that, Tozawa is with Titus O’Neill & Apollo Crews as they celebrate the fact Tozawa will be the new champion. Neville interrupts to rain on their parade but Titus calls Neville out for needing help to retain over Tozawa. Neville then tells Tozawa he will be scouting him in his match tonight.

Ariya Daivari vs. Akira Tozawa 

Titus O’Neill is on commentary and gives Booker T a Titus Worldwide shirt. Daivari takes control early and gets a few nearfalls before working over the injured shoulder of Tozawa. Titus talks about Tozawa vs. Neville at SummerSlam as Tozawa fights back. Tozawa takes Daivari off of the apron then leads the crowd in his chant before flying out with a tope that gets him a two count. Tozawa fights off Daivari again and hits a Saito suplex before putting him away with the senton (3:50) *1/2. After the match, Titus heads to the ring to celebrate with his client.

Thoughts: The action was fine but I’ve seen enough of these two over the past few weeks. At least they’ve built up Tozawa well enough to be a credible challenger to Neville and the chant is over a bit with the crowds.

Renee is now backstage with Roman Reigns, who is not afraid of anyone.

Mickie James vs. Dana Brooke vs. Nia Jax

The winner of this faces off against Sasha Banks next week for the right to face Alexa Bliss at SummerSlam with the RAW Women’s Title on the line. Alexa is back on commentary and talks about being best friends with Nia and would love to give her a title shot. Nia overpowers both women to start. She spills outside after hitting the post then Mickie and Dana slug it out. Mickie catches her with a neckbreaker that gets two but Nia comes in and runs her over. Dana fights off Nia briefly until getting flattened with a clothesline. Mickie takes Nia down with a seated senton and covers Dana for two but gets shoved outside then Nia puts Dana away with a leg drop (3:02) 1/2*. After the match, Nia motions for the belt while looking at Alexa.

Thoughts: This was not good at all but it could have been worse. There was also zero doubt as to who would win this match, either. Nia looked okay at least as the inevitable Sasha vs. Nia #1 contender match will happen next week. Not the most inspired way to crown Alexa’s SummerSlam opponent.

Rich Swann vs. TJP will take place tomorrow night on “205 Live.”

We get another Goldust promo. He tells us that absence makes the heart grow founder and will soon share his next great masterpiece with us as he is looking out potential heroes, villains, or even a leading lady.

Big Cass interrupts Angle and wants a match against Big Show at SummerSlam. Angle says he was thinking the same thing but Cass wants Enzo Amore locked away. Angle suggests have him hang above the ring in a shark cage as Cass is pleased with the decision. He leaves as Angle wonders if Enzo is afraid of heights. Odd seeing the heel suggest a cage match with a babyface hanging above the ring in a cage to say the least.

We learn that Finn Balor vs. Bray Wyatt will take place at SummerSlam.

Last Man Standing Match: Braun Strowman vs. Roman Reigns

Reigns attacks Strowman in the aisle but Strowman fights back and takes him inside the ring. He knocks Reigns outside as we head to break. The action returns as Reigns starts to fight back. He hammers on Strowman in the corner then uses the steps that Strowman tossed into the ring as a weapon. He drops the steps on Strowman’s chest before tossing them outside. Strowman is able to knock Reigns down then rests in the corner. Reigns is able to catch Strowman with a pop-up Superman Punch as both men are down but are able to beat the ten count. Strowman dropkicks Reigns outside to the floor but able to avoid an attack. Reigns sends Strowman down on the steps after hitting the Drive By then pulls a table from underneath the ring. He puts the table inside then tries another Drive By but gets clotheslined instead. Strowman heads inside and sets up the table then yells “welcome to my playground” but Reigns fights back then puts him through the table with a Samoan Drop as both men are down. Strowman rolls outside where Reigns charges but gets a rolling chair launched at him in a crazy spot. Reigns just beats the ten count then the two head into the crowd. They make it to the announcers area as Reigns is down but just able to beat the ten count yet again. Strowman drives Reigns into the screen then tries to put him through the table but Reigns slips out. Reigns staggers Strowman down the ramp with a pair of Superman Punches before setting up for a spear but runs into a knee smash. Strowman heads down to the ring but Reigns runs down the ramp for the spear. Strowman is down at the right count but Samoa Joe reaches from the crowd and puts Reigns in the Coquina Clutch. Joe puts Reigns out as both men are out on the floor. Joe stands over both men then Strowman gets up at eight and wins the match (22:00) ***3/4.

Thoughts: It was a given that Joe would interfere here since he had not been on the show up until that point and is part of the main event at SummerSlam. With that being said, the match was really good as both guys continue to have great chemistry together. The spot with Strowman chucking the office chair at Reigns was great as the challengers to Lesnar’s Title keep beating each other up en route to the PPV.

Final Thoughts: The build for the Universal Title match has been strong and the intrigue over the Ambrose/Rollins stuff is getting over with the fans and giving us inspired performances from both men, who were in desperate need of character direction. However, the Jordan angle is going nowhere and the other RAW matches announced for SummerSlam are with little fanfare. There was some good stuff here on the show but as a whole it was just okay.