#<- new tag for stuff about how the headless stuff works

[headless-stans]

question: how do the headless bodies see. you've mentioned them interacting with stuff and doing things like chores, but i've never seen you depict them with like... a cane. do they get used to the layout over time? did the bodies run around like headless chickens the first time their heads got yoinked off

Great question anon! Like how they are magically still alive and functional without a brain, they can magically see/hear/smell without eyes/ears/a nose. Imagine a pair of ghost eyes, if you will.

That's the vantage point they can see from. An advantage of not having physical eyes is they can look around 360 degrees. Just because headless!Ford doesn't have eyes doesn't mean you can sneak up on him from behind.

(Don't forget all his reflexes he's built up over those 30 years in the portal. Especially without a head, he's going to instantly tackle you without thought if you try anything (and that tackle will turn into playful rough housing and cuddling when he realizes you aren't a threat <3))

As for when their heads are detached but they're still in control of their bodies, then yeah they just see from their heads and basically remote control their bodies. That being said, this is fantasy magic and I can do what I want forever, so I do also like to imagine sometimes that even when in control of their bodies, they can magically see from their bodies too. Not sure the best way to describe this, but I think I illustrated it pretty well in my mind control stancest ficlet when Ford controls Stan for the first time (7th paragraph) if you wanna check that out. Imagine Stan, just sitting in the living room watching TV. He decides to go check on Ford, but he doesn't want to stop watching his show. Simple! Pop off his head, leave it on the chair, and go find Ford with his body. He can see where he's going and then interact with and listen to Ford from his body, all while not missing a second of his show that he's watching with his head :)

Anyway, point is, the headless bodies can already see. But I love your ideas of them using a cane or running around like headless chickens, and I cant get the pictures out of my brain, so I had to doodle them too <3

[theinsanecrayonbox]

Sabretooth/Exiles #5

Alright time for the big event! Been waiting for the finale of this two part series, and after the teasing on the cover and the tag spoilers, there is hype!

Spoilers: this is not the finale, AoA Sabretooth does not show up, and to be honest…nothing much really happened.

We start off where #4 left off; Graydon beating down Victor because totally not a surprise, he was the GC working with Orchis

This though was a surprise! They actually acknowledge the second half/ending of the Weapon X-Force book. Like I’ve said before, everyone else seems to try to ignore it, but this one just confirmed that yes it did still happen. Granted the art isn’t 1:1 accurate but hey, that’s forgivable. It’s also wonderful that Graydon remembers this; oh I’m not frowny that he stayed evil, that’s just how Graydon is. No he remembers this, and still refuses to accept Victor. That’s great.

However, father-son beat down time us interrupted by the appearance of these three

Points to note; Earth-12 is the world that Mimic from the original Exiles was from, while the other two worlds are brand new creations. I’d also like to note the parallel to the feral council; a tactician, a carefree wild child, and an animal. Neat! Also why the heck do they all have the stupid eyes??? I could I’ve with “the island changed him in the pit” explanation for why main Vic got the new eyes, but these alternate versions should not; this has NEVER been his default eye coloring. Nitpick I know, but it bugs me.

They explain they were in holding pens, so I guess they can koolaid man their way it, sure. Graydon runs off, the three newbies talk to Victor…

I…hm. I was really hoping that we’d get some Victor who was “good”, because this insistent urge megalomania evil they’re pushing is crap. I suppose that’s why (a) AoA Sabretooth was not part of this, since he did do the good and it didn’t backfire, and he was able to make up with his Graydon. (Unless the first dead one was supposed to be him since it’s make sense Graydon could multiverse snag Sabretooths if he had that one with a Tallus attuned to him. But that would be dumb and terrible). But I’ll give it some leeway since Graydon was a bad seed before this, so his staying evil shouldn’t have been unexpected, but still.

Heh cute reference. Also interesting how he refers to his collection of dead bodies; Graydon refused to call Victor his father before, so maybe being saved from hell did soften him slightly…however the dead are all copies of your dad or technically your mom, not aunts and uncles…

Oh yeah he kept the bodies for a zombie army, thus the Reanimator reference. And hey I recognize Heroes Reborn and the post-Axis costumes…so two version I actually liked are headless zombies…great…

The trio fight the hoard of zombies, main Victor comes back in fighting shape. They throw Graydon into a portal as he swears revenge. Very anti-climactic.

Oh the Pit gang was also spliced in around all of this. Their subplot about underwater babies trying to kill them; Nanny hypnotizes everyone to being kids so the babies relax then dies stuff no one knows about and they all escape swearing vengeance on Victor. Barrington and her gal pal decide to run away to Antarctica I guess, so that’s another plot thread for later.

This memo…is from the future?? It talks about runaway slaves hiding in swamps, so history lesson like the others…but then it shifts to future stuff?? Are we dropping the “Exiles” name and being called “Maroons” now? Or are the Pit gang going to be in a separate book now? And again, why do writers think Victor wants to take over the world these days? Sure he had a plan to do something reality shifting when he ran the Hand (he had magic so sure) but in War of the Realms his goal was his own country? And I’d still argue that Chuck and Beast are doing far more damage to everything but I’ll admit to bias there.

Anyways we leave off with Vic and friends on a space ship and this happy sentiment

I was going to gripe about that, buuuuuuuuuuuut Logan’s birthday is late May, so since the Hellfire Gala 3 hadn’t happened yet, you are technically on the right spot in the timeline. It’s annoying your first thought was “let’s go bother Wolverine” but there we go.

And yes, it promises that there will be more. And this ending was much more…less of an ending than the first half. That end, it st least closed off the story it had going; Victor got out of the pit and went through self introspection in the process. This one though? His son kidnapped him for 5 seconds before being thrown away and leaving him in a pile of alternate hims. The first half felt like it fit the “and the Exiles” title more than this half did. This half wax all just…setup I guess? And I wonder if the ending was shifted to include the alternates or not cause Graydon does feel out of place with the start of this. The gang is in the run, and Barrington nabs them, shenanigans ensue; that makes sense. I just don’t know.

The team did their homework though for this series, and I do indeed applaud that. From the Death Hunt stuff in the first half, to Weapon X-Force finally getting lip service in the second, that’s nice. But everything else…meh?

I’ll be reading a third part if that comes to fruition. I will admit, watching Victor (and his clone army) burn the island would be enjoyable.

[listentothelittlebird]

I was looking through some drafts and I found this - I think it’s my first attempt at writing Burning Iceberg. Here, Damian tagged along with Jason when he went off for training!

Word Count: 2942 words 

enjoy!

It’s Talia who sends him away.

“Training,” she says, but there is something in the way that she moves, the way that the base is silent and waiting with bated breath right up until they leave. 

Jason leaves alone. Talia watches him go, her posture too unnaturally relaxed for anything not to be amiss. 

He gets one day away from the base before he realises he has a tail.

“Damian?” 

The young boy scuffles out of the shadows with a haughty sniff. “Took you long enough to notice me, Todd,” he huffs. Given the boy’s night clothing - the one’s he wore to sleep - Jason guessed that he had just arrived.

“Why’re you here?” Jason asks, curious. Sure, he had talked to the kid, had trained with the kid, but why was he here?

Damian glanced at Jason, then glanced away. “You were going alone,” he declared stiffly, “I would think that you would prefer company.”

“Mother agreed, and sent me after you,” Damian added, not at all convincing. Talia would never allow Damian out of her sights, especially with the tension in the air back at the base. Something was definitely up, but Jason let it slide and gestured for Damian to come closer. “You hungry, kid? I’ve got enough food for both of us until the next village.”

He knows that Talia might come after him. There’s no way he would let Damian disappear, just like that. For the moment, however, Jason could care less.

He had never asked for a big brother, and he had never asked for a little brother, but he was definitely willing to risk his life for the eight-year-old beside him. 

-

“Where are we going?” Damian asks, quietly. They’re stowed away on a cargo ship headed for the South Pole.

“I want to find a bender,” Jason replies, “The North pole is more connected to the world, and there’s more people to worry about. I’d think that a bender would hide in the South, where there’s less people.”

Damian scrunched up his nose. “Your skills are not adequate to face a bender, Todd.”

Jason pauses, then snorts, “I’m not gonna fight the bender, D. I just want to… talk to them.”

Damian eyes him with a skeptical look, but otherwise says nothing.

-

They’re riding through a brutal storm when Damian loses his grip and tumbles towards the railing.

Jason follows, one hand gripping tightly onto the metal rail and the other holding onto Damian as he flailed. For once, the kid looked genuinely terrified.

A wave crashes into them, and pulls them over. 

-

Jason is surprised to wake up. He tried to gauge his surroundings, but nothing really added up. He was under a fur blanket, a fire crackling near him. Someone was shifting beside him.

“You’re awake,” the voice murmurs, “I thought you’d sleep longer, but it seems not.”

Jason, carefully pulled himself up, narrowing his eyes as he gazed around the igloo. It was sparse, but large enough to fit him, the new man, and-

“Dami,” Jason breathed, headless of the man’s presence as he jerked out of the furs and toward

 his brother’s still form. He pressed two fingers to the boy’s neck, and his heart only calmed when he could feel the steady thrumming for a full minute.

“You’re welcome,” came the dry remark. Right. Jason turned back to the man, assessing him silently. He wore a blue parka, and was currently wearing the hood low over his face. 

“The two of you washed ashore last night,” the man explained, without prompting, “Your friend was barely breathing, but he made it through. You were surprisingly fine once the threat of frostbite was removed.”

Jason glanced again at Damian. 

“Thank you,” Jason stated, before his voice hardened, “But can we trust you?”

The man sighed. “Figures that two kids running around in the Antarctic wouldn’t trust a stranger,” he mused to himself. His amused smile was the only thing that Jason could see, the fire and the shadows obscuring the rest. 

“We are a long distance from the nearest village, but I can take you there. I can send the two of you on your way the moment that your friend feels better.”

-

“You know that you’re safe here, right?” Jason stated quietly. Anuk had left them in the igloo and went hunting by himself. He claimed that he worked better alone.

Damian looked up from where he was curled up in a corner of the igloo, his back pressed tightly against the icy wall. He wrinkled his nose, but there was still apprehension in his eyes. Jason sighed.

“Look, if this guy meant bad, he’d have done something already,” Jason reasoned, spreading his hands along the icy ground. He was glad that his resistance to low temperatures had survived the pit, even if his bending had not.

“Your trust will get you killed,” Damian murmured. Jason winced, “Yeah, well, it kinda already did. But that’s besides the point,” Jason rushed to add, “Just- trust is dangerous, sure, but can you really live your life without trusting anyone?”

Damian was silent. Jason, taking a dive, spoke up, “Do you trust me?”

Damian jerked his head up, staring at him with wide eyes. Then, quietly, “Yes.”

Jason nodded, and pressed, “Talia? Ra’s?”

Damian hesitated. Jason moved on.

“Listen. I know you just wanted to tag along for my training, but we’ve been under the radar for at least a month.” They had arrived on a full moon, and that night was a full moon, again. 

“Even Talia would have to admit to Ra’s that she thought we were dead somewhere in the Antarctic. Firebenders hate the two poles - they won’t be sending a search party for us, much less coming to find us themselves. You don’t have to go back to them.”

This time, Damian glared. “Where else would I go, Todd?” he spat, and Jason realised that the kid had already thought of this, had already considered this, “Where else am I supposed to go, if I do not return to my home?”

Jason pursed his lips, and despite the green raging inside him…

“Bruce would take you in,” Jason admitted, shoving the green away, “I can’t say the same for myself, not when I’m done with him, but… you. You’re his kid. He’d definitely take you in.”

Jason grinned, “He’d love you. Hell, he already took in the Replacement, what’s one more?”

Damian shifted. “Why won’t he take you in?” he questioned.

Jason stilled. “It’s not-” Jason started and stopped, and shook his head. The Joker was still alive. He had adopted a new kid. He wasn’t needed, hell, he wasn’t wanted. He really had just been a charity case. He breathed, trying to push the green down.

“It’s complicated. I don’t know if I can forgive Bruce, and I don’t know if I can stare at him without wanting to put a knife to his neck.”

That was what scared him the most. That he would lose control. He hated Bruce right now, hated him for what he had done, what he had not done, but his nightmare was his vision going green and fading to a Batman bleeding out from a knife in his grip.

Damian looked confused, so Jason tried to explain. “Bruce is… not a perfect man,” Jason sighed, “But he’s all Gotham has. And the Robins - what he does for them, that’s good. Even if-” Even if it gave him false hope for a rescue that never came. He swallowed that down.

“For all of his faults, he did give me some of the best memories.” Not that he remembered many of them. The pit took that away, too. “I hate him, but I loved him, too.”

-

“You’re ready.”

Jason raised an eyebrow at Anuk. “Ready for?”

“The full moon,” Anuk explained, not really explaining at all. He pointed towards the sky. “Tonight should be a full moon. We’ll set out onto the ocean at midnight, and you can perform the traditional water-bending stances for Tui and La. If nothing else, it is a tradition that I practice, and as my student, I want you to practice it as well.”

Jason sighed, but went along with it. He still had no bending - sometimes he thought that the water would move just so, but most of the time, there was nothing. He diligently learnt all of the water-bending moves, but Anuk was probably lying when he said that he was “ready”. How do you tell if someone knows their stuff if they don’t even bend?

-

The night was quiet. Serene, silent in the way that Gotham never was. The League had been silent, too, but not in this way. There was tension in the air, in League bases, sounds controlled and quenched before they could travel. Here, there were only expanses of snow and ice to echo back each scrunch of their boots.

Anuk bended a gondola made of ice, and Jason hopped on, not willing to show his own hesitation. Anuk waved his arms and the gondola moved out onto the calm Antarctic sea.

“According to my Gramps, we used to have big ceremonies on full moons,” Anuk started conversationally, filling the cold silence with soft murmurs. Jason realised belatedly that they should have brought a lamp, or at least a torchlight, but it seemed like Anuk knew where he was going, even in the dim moonlight.

“I live in the South pole, but my Gramps hailed from the North. He says that the late princess Yue gave her life to keep the moon spirit, Tui, alive. The Northern water-benders would present their bending on full moons to pay homage to Yue and her sacrifice.”

The gondola slowed to a stop, and they were left bobbing softly on near-silent waves. Anuk stretched his arms out and pulled, and a square platform of ice froze before them. Anuk stepped back and looked towards Jason expectantly.

Jason had grown used to the icy tundra, enough so that he did not immediately slip off the icy block when he hopped out of the gondola. He took his place at the centre of the ice block, glanced up at the moon, and started to run through his bending forms.

Nothing happened at first. Jason felt kind of stupid, actually, bending without bending at all. He nearly slipped a few times, but he managed to keep his balance, and powered through the basic forms into the more advanced attacks.

Then, something shifted.

“Jason,” the wind whispered, and Jason stumbled. His foot slipped, and he ended up on all four as the ice block rocked, waves pushing over the sides and washing over his hands and knees. The voice sounded like Bruce.

“I’m so sorry, Jason,” came again, and it really did sound like Bruce. Jason blinked into the moonlit ice and nearly gasped. 

It was a bird’s-eye view of the Batcave. He would know that cavern anywhere. Batman was stooped down beside a glass casing, positioned at the centre of the cave.

The vision zoomed in. The casing had a blood-stained Robin uniform, burned and tattered, way too destroyed to be repairable. Jason realised it was his suit. The one he had died in. 

“I’m sorry I couldn’t save you,” Bruce was saying, and Jason could only watch as Bruce absolutely bawled his eyes out in front of the casing, still wearing his batsuit, only having pulled the cowl down.

Just when the sobs died down, Jason heard, “I left Joker in the helicopter. I knew it was going to crash, but I- I thought he didn’t deserve to live,” Bruce admitted quietly. Jason’s breath hitched.

“He survived. Of course he did. If I keep going after him, he’ll just keep surviving, and… I have to stop, before I can’t. Before I lose myself in a world that took you. I’m sorry,” he choked out, and the tears continued to flow.

The scene changed.

“Why?” Dick’s voice screamed, raw and so full of emotion that it jarred Jason to the bones. “Why did you let him live?”

“We can’t be the dictators of who lives and who dies,” Bruce started, but Dick cut him off. “This is the Joker we’re talking about, B!” Dick yelled, somehow louder than the previous shout, “Joker doesn’t care who lives and who dies! He definitely didn’t care when he-” Dick cut himself off with a sharp exhale.

Bruce waited as Dick took measured breaths. “I just don’t get it,” Dick whispered, “A man like him? B, why did you save him?”

Silence. 

“We fight for justice,” Bruce rumbled, steadfast and sure compared to the crying mess in the last vision. Confident, like he had worked through his thoughts and come to a conclusion. “We can’t just kill people as we see fit. Not even if we hold a personal grudge. Not even if we want revenge for our own.” 

They both glanced towards the casing.

“I still want to kill him,” Dick stated bluntly. Jason thought Bruce would reaffirm his rules, that he would cook up a convincing argument and strike down Dick’s motives.

Instead, Bruce only answered with, “Sit on it for a few days. Don’t make an impulsive decision you’ll regret.”

Dick sighed harshly, and left the viewing range of the vision. Bruce turned back to the casing.

“I never got to apologise to you,” Bruce murmured, “For accusing you of pushing Garzonasa.”

“I was worried for you. Nobody should have to live with the guilt of taking someone’s life. I’m sorry if I came off as distrustful. I should have done more. Been better.”

One last scene. A young kid, black hair and blue eyes, looking up at the casing, fiddling with a new Robin suit that Jason had only seen through grainy newspaper prints.

“You were my hero,” the boy said, and checked his empty surroundings before he continued, “You were… awesome. You had so much energy and spunk, and-” he huffed, a small smile on his face, “-much more fire than me. Which is ironic, to say the least.”

Jason watched as the kid produced a photo from his gauntlet. It was a photo of Jason and Nightwing, on the rooftops, laughing and joking around. 

“I always wanted to be your friend,” he admitted, “I never wanted to replace you. I just knew that Batman needed a partner, and I guess nobody else was gonna do it, so. Here I am.”

The photo slipped back under his cape. “I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to be like you, but I’m trying. I… I know I shouldn’t miss you, because technically I never knew you, but. I do.”

Timothy Drake looked up at the suit for a long minute, before turning and pressing his domino mask across his eyes. “I’ll do my best to make you proud,” he whispered to the air.

The vision disappeared with the pull of the tide. Jason was suddenly aware of the ice block he was still on, as it tipped against the slightly-larger wave. A combination of water and ice made him slide right off the block’s edge. 

Anuk’s yell was drowned out by the freezing water rushing to meet him. It was the very opposite of being dipped into the Lazarus pit. The water was a dark blue, and he could still see the moonlight piercing through the water’s surface. The light bent above him, and he blinked, because it almost looked like a face. A young woman, with long white hair flowing around her serene smile.

The light pulsed, and suddenly he could feel the water around him, moving and flowing, pulsating with its own energy. He could feel the water turning and churning around Anuk’s gondola as he steered towards him. He spread out his arms and pushed-

-and shot out of the water, landing with a slight stumble back on Anuk’s gondola. The boat rocked slightly, but Jason smoothed his palms downwards and the rippling waves ceased.

 “Tui and La,” Anuk cursed to himself, “You were under there for quite a- oh.”

Jason tilted his head. “Oh?” he prompted, still reeling from how alive he felt. He was surrounded by his element, and he almost wanted to dive back under just to soak in his renewed bending.

Anuk produced an ice mirror, angling it to catch the moonlight. It was hard to make out, but there was definitely a patch of hair that was no longer black, dangling right in front of his eyes.

His eyes were blue, like the colour he was born with.

“Yue’s blessing,” Anuk breathed. “What?” Jason questioned, looking up from where he was scrutinising his new hairstyle. Anuk had his head tilted reverently towards the moon.

“Princess Yue lived because Tui gave her life,” Anuk recounted, “Her hair was a stark white because of this. When Tui’s mortal form was killed, Yue gave back her lifeforce to revive Tui.” Anuk chuckled, “It’s why most people from the poles don’t bother dyeing their hair.”

Jason himself eyed the moon contemplatively. He closed his eyes, and realised with a start that the green was gone. The pit’s effects - the murderous rage, the unnaturally-green eyes, the blockage of his bending - they were gone.

Anuk had taught him a traditional bow used to start and end water-bending fights, a sign of respect for the opponent. Jason bowed towards the moon, and hoped he was doing it right.

“Thank you,” he breathed quietly, “Yue, Tui, whatever you prefer to be called. Thank you.”

The moon shone on the ocean, and he swore he could see Yue’s face once more, smiling.

[kimnamjoonsrightthigh]

1.1/Friday afternoon/KNJ

Series Protector, protected

Part 2/?

Summary On your way home, you encounter someone in need of your help. Giving it earns you six new friends and one new enemy.

Genre(s) Drama, fluff, bit of angst, bit of antagonists to lovers, eventual smut, hurt/comfort.

Pairing Namjoon x Reader.

Warning(s) Alcohol consumption.

Tags Tourist!AU, reader is a clumsy brave idiot, Jungkook is everyone’s baby, possessive!Namjoon, this will be a long one.

Wordcount 1.5K.

A/N I’m new to the social media AU sphere and also not from the US, if anyone could recommend me an app or a program for good fake texting/insta/twitter, that’d be amazing and I would love you forever.

On Friday afternoon, you were frowning into your gin tonic. Ani slumped into her seat across the table from you. A sigh left her lips, which went unnoticed by you as you watched the ice cubes in your drink. She narrowed her eyes at you and your expression.

“Earth to Y/N,” she said slowly, “are you here with me?”

“Hmm.”

“I take that as a no.”

“Yeah.” You considered the glass in front of you critically, with a look so scathing that it was usually reserved for incompetent colleagues, or annoying plaintiffs. Diluting liquor, you mused, seemed like a waste of everybody’s time, and yet you couldn’t stand shots without a chaser. You wanted to cling to that train of thought, somewhere between cocktail recipes and youthful memories, but you couldn’t. Mentally, you were still stuck on the group you encountered last night, replaying the encounter in your head over and over again. Your regrets had launched you into a full-on anxiety spiral that morning. You should have insisted on going with them. You should have insisted they take Jungkook to the hospital. Hell, you should have at least given them your damn name so the cops would have a witness. Bottom line, you should have done anything that didn’t include you awkwardly shuffling your way out of there. You felt like an idiot even thinking about it, but you couldn’t not think about it, either, because you were simply too old to behave like a headless chicken.

“I’m hungry,” Ani said, picking up the menu again, “let’s split some nachos.”

You hummed a response. Nachos seemed like a good way to take the edge off before you ordered another gin tonic. And then another. With ice. Which was cold. Like nights usually were. Unlike last night, when you had left a group of helpless tourists standing in an alley on their own… damn it. You had almost managed to pull yourself out of it. Almost. You forced yourself to look at Ani, whose eyes were focused on something behind you. She shook her head before saying: “That dude is wearing two fanny packs. No, three. Tourist much?”

Your head whipped around so fast you almost snapped your own neck. Sure enough, there was Seokjin, digging into one of his many pockets while Namjoon was fiddling with his phone and Hoseok studied the menu board of a restaurant further down the street. You nearly fell out of your chair in disbelief. They were all there, all seven of them. Either you got heatstroke at lunch and were now hallucinating, or the universe was sending you a sign to make things right.

“Order the nachos, Ani,” you mumbled. Without acknowledging her answer, or considering your choices further, you pushed to your feet and started walking towards the men. You were a few feet away, heart hammering in your chest, when you called out Namjoon’s name. More than one head shot up. You scanned their faces quickly, and they all seemed okay. Jungkook’s bruises looked better in the daylight, too. A smile blossomed on your face as the relief crashed right through you. Hoseok and Jungkook smiled back at you.

“Hey, guys,” you said.

Namjoon’s expression was unreadable when he looked at you, the hint of a strained smile playing about his lips. “Hello, Y/N.”

“You all look alive. And kicking. That’s good.” You felt a familiar nervousness claw its way up your spine, settling at the back of your neck like an oversized memory. Your hand came up to brush your hair from your face, and you found it trembling a little. “How’re you, Jungkook?”

“I’m good, thanks.” There was that grin again, slightly mischievous, but mostly sweet. You had no idea how any self-respecting mugger could have picked him of all people as a victim.

“Good. Great, actually. I, uh, wanted to apologize for running out on you like that yesterday. I should have stayed. Did you end up going to the police?”

“We did,” Namjoon said, “They wanted to put out a call for witnesses when we couldn’t give them your name.”

You blushed at that, because of course they did, and you didn’t think of it. “Yeah. Again, I’m sorry. I’ll get down to the station next week.”

“Seven strangers late at night,” he replied, shrugging in lieu of mentioning what seven strangers late at night might be capable of, “I would have wanted to leave, too.”

“Oh no,” you were quick to assure him, “No, not that at all. Just… that was my first mugging, too. In a way. I’m just glad Jungkook is fine.”

He crossed his arms against his chest and you wondered if that was his defense or offense. “Jungkook is fine, alright. We’ve been his friends for years, we took care of him.” You raised an eyebrow at him, very inclined to meet his tone at least halfway. The underlying challenge was not lost on you.

“Except for the time you lost him, of course. His English is good, though, I’m sure he would have found his way back – eventually.” You noticed that the other six had taken a few steps back, Hoseok and Yoongi grinning at each other, the others looking away.

Namjoon’s jaw was working hard to contain whatever unfriendly things he was undoubtedly thinking. You watched a range of emotions cross his face before he managed to settle on a smile.

“Again, thank you for your help,” he said, clearly intending to end the conversation there. You were ready to accept that, knowing now that they were safe and well, when Jungkook put his hands on Namjoon’s shoulders from behind and mumbled something into his ear. You were close enough to hear that something was being said, but not what.

“Would you be open to us buying you dinner as a thank you?” Namjoon sighed. You perked up immediately.

“It would be my pleasure,” you practically purred. You never said no to free stuff, categorically. It was free stuff, after all. Also, during your day of self-inflicted mental torture about the fate of the seven strangers, you had found yourself curious about them, their dynamic, whether they had enjoyed their vacation so far. There were things you wanted, no, needed to know. You didn’t believe much in fate, but two chance encounters were one too many for even you to ignore. So before Namjoon could change his mind or grab Jungkook and make a run for it, you pulled your phone out and motioned for him to do the same. Seokjin seemed to put as much trust in Namjoon as you did, because you saw him typing while you recited your phone number out loud.

“Tomorrow?” you asked, “I can come pick you up if you want.”

When Namjoon smiled this time, it seemed almost genuine. “Our treat, so we’re picking you up.”

After a few more waves and bows and goodbyes that were slightly less awkward than before, you returned to your table from where Ani had been watching the situation unfold, always ready to intervene if you showed any kind of discomfort or alarm.

“Don’t tell me that was them,” she scoffed into her beer.

“Yep.”

“And when did your life become a romantic comedy?”

“There’s nothing romantic about it,” you protested immediately. “It’s called civic courage. My duty as a citizen.”

“You’re full of it, Y/N,” Ani said, “but they’re hot. Whoever Jungkook is, you should have carried him to the hospital bridal style and locked that shit down.”

“Shut up and mind your boyfriend instead of ogling tourists.”

“Getting possessive already, are we?”

 After running some much needed errands on Saturday morning and getting some even more urgent cleaning out of the way, you were contemplating your closet when your phone vibrated with a new notification.

“I have no time for more of your boyfriend drama, Ani…” you mumbled to yourself as you picked it up. It wasn’t Ani, however, it was Namjoon, confirming the dinner time.

“Ever the gentleman,” you told your empty bedroom, but texted back something affirmative anyways. The big question remained, what in the fuck am I going to wear? So far, “dinner” was all the information you had. That could mean anything from a pizza slice to an actual reservation. You didn’t know where, what, for how long, would there be dessert? Should you wear a dress, or a dress? Sneakers or boots, in case you had to walk? The uncertainty was stressing you out more than any meeting you’d had this week. You decided it was high time to call the cavalry, but then Ani didn’t pick up and you were left to your own devices once more. Frustrated, you flopped down onto your bed to scroll through some apps. Your messenger was still opened to the last message, and you figured even Namjoon wouldn’t find a reason to get annoyed at you over a simple question.

You groaned, burying your head in your comforter. He really had to make this harder than absolutely necessary – not that you had expected him to be actually helpful. But even without his expertise, you were dressed and ready when 7 came around and your doorbell rang.

[maemi324]

Black Coffee

Hey there friends! It’s been a while hasn’t it? Today i come at you with a new piece for a new My Hero character! Well new to me writing him.  Here we have....Villain Deku! Inspired by this tiktok! https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMJUywn9t/ it just screamed Villain Deku to me. This is my first time writing him, so if he seems a little OOC, that’s probably it.  Here are some songs I listened to while writing this 1. headless waltz- Voltaire 2. Don’t go by the river- Voltaire 3.House of Myth, Such horrible things, Gorey Demise, Grave Robber, Greatest Show Unearthed, Aim for the head, Buried Alive- Creature Feature 4. Spooky Halloween Mashup, Syndicate: Underground- Cover by Peter Hollens. Warnings: Robbery, Guns, violence, let me know if theres more I need to tag please! Only edited by me, so I’ve probably missed some stuff! With that! Let’s get into it!

Dawning light streamed in through the windows, the scent of coffee heavy in the air, steam from the hot drink you made rising softly. Soft music flowed through the room, other employees taking the chairs off the tables and whipping them down. 

You sipped your drink, your eyes barely staying open as you leaned against the counter.  It was far too early to be awake. Pain flashed through your mouth as you reluctantly swallow, your tongue protesting not only being burned but the now cool air that touched it. 

It was too early for your own nonsense. 

As the sun rose in the sky customers began their daily migration to the bean and leaf juice they all craved. Thankfully it was still rather early, only a handful showing up, and even fewer deciding to take a seat and enjoy their purchases. 

“I can help whoever’s next?” you call out, closing the cash register and looking up to the new customer with a bright smile. 

Bright viridian eyes stared back into your (e/c) colored ones, ones that you hadn’t seen in a very long time, since middle school in fact, his green hair cementing just who he was. Recognition dawned in his eyes. 

“Y/N?” “Midoriya?” 

A surprised laugh bubbled up, catching you by surprise, “I haven’t seen you in months- years even!” a short glare from your manager got you ready to enter in his order. Taking a peek behind him you saw that the line had lengthened considerably. “Y-yeah, it has been quite a while hasn’t it?” He stated his order, as you typed it in and gave him the total amount. He must have been pretty tired still as he stared into your eyes. You waved a hand in front of him, snapping him out of his daze as his face flushed a deep red, frantically digging his hand into his pockets to fish out his wallet- where had the damn thing gone- oh it was in his hand already. 

Even after all these years, Midoriya was still just as much of a spaz as he’d always been. He moves to the drink pick up location, leaning against the counter as you made his drink. “I wish I had more time to talk, but with the line growing…” 

“Well What if I came back later today? Or tomorrow?”  You prepped the cup, adding a drizzle of caramel to the sides, offering him a kind smile

“Yeah, I’d like that,” 

You handed him his drink and sent him off with a wave. A disgruntled Karen decided to ring the service bell as you hadn’t jumped back to take her order. 

Why did it have to be a Karen?

Unfortunately you were unable to see him later on that day.

However, just as you turned the sign from closed to open that next morning, you were surprised to see those same bright eyes aimed at you. 

“Well, you’re here quite early” you teased, opening the door for him as you walked in. It would be a while yet before people came into the little shop. He rubbed the back of his neck, eyes looking tired with circles under his eyes, “It’s been a long night,” He laughed off your look of concern, “Just work, nothing too terrible! I just thought I’d swing by earlier before I had to get back to it” 

Your coworkers paid no mind as the two of you walked to the counter as you made him and yourself a drink, taking a seat at one of the tables. No one was here and wouldn’t be here for a good half an hour. 

“So tell me, how have things been? Is your mom alright?” 

“Huh? Oh! Yeah she’s doing fine, still at the same place! She’s retired now actually” “Oh, good for her! I hope she’s enjoying it” you sipped at your coffee, thanking just about everything that you didn’t burn your tongue in front of him. 

“But what about you Midoriya? Last I checked you were wanting to become a hero?” While it would have been hard to be a quirkless hero, It wasn’t impossible. It probably wouldn’t get you ranked in the top five or even the top twenty, but so long as you were a good hero, what did rank matter? 

His eyes shifted from contentment to something a bit more sad, a deep sadness that surprised you. Just as quickly as it appeared, it was gone, a hesitant laugh served as a cover. “Well, I did try, but eventually I just gave up. It just hit me that no matter how much I worked, I’d just be in the way of the pros. I could do some things sure, but...it’s not...it wasn’t enough. So I took a step back and found myself getting into computers, fixing them up, making sure they’re running properly. It’s...It’s nice” 

You place a hand over his, an overwhelming urge to comfort him raced down your bloodstream. His hand jolts at the sudden touch, but he doesn’t bat your hand away. “I always believed you’d make an incredible hero” it made you feel guilty that you hadn’t been there for him when he clearly needed someone, anyone even just to listen to as his one and only dream crashed around him. 

“I know you did, I appreciate it (Y/N),” he offers you a more content smile, “But I’m happy where I am now, really! Plus if I was a hero, I might not have met up with you again” 

You let go of his hand, though not before he gives it a gentle squeeze, picking up your drink and taking another sip. 

“I’m glad to see you're happy though, you said you were fixing computers?”

“Yeah! It’s not a big thing really, just a little repair shop. Clients bring me their various electronics, I clean them and fix them up! It can be really challenging sometimes, especially when it’s an older model! I swear I’ve seen some that I could have sworn were from the early nineties!” 

You listened as he rattled on about his clients, his eyes lit up, a subtle blush on his cheeks as he talked with his hands. More than once you had to back away from getting a straw to the eye, but you hardly minded. 

It became a regular thing, He’d come to the shop at various hours of the day, typically right at opening, on your break, or right as the last customer shifted out the door. You always had his favorite drink ready for him, though you had to fight him to keep him from paying. You didn’t mind after all, paying for his drink. He somehow always managed to sneak in the exact amount into your pockets or purse before he left, leaving you to discover it when he was far and unable to take it back.

The ass.

The more you met up the more open he became, you both talked about work and your grievances there. Now you were talking about anything and everything, TV shows you’d recently watched, movies you were excited to see, stupid stories about Karen's getting owned was a personal favorite. 

However His favorite happened to be the news. He was still hero obsessed as he’d always been. However, there was a more...critical insight into it. 

“Ugh” he huffed out, turning his attention from the TV, though muted, the subtitles were still on. It was currently showcasing Endeavor, how he rescued some civilians from a collapsing apartment building, from a disgruntled worker who had turned to villainy when kicked out of their apartment. They decided to take revenge on the landlord, though it quickly turned to chaos as the entire complex crumbled.

“What is it?” You paused from chewing on the straw to take a sip, “ is it Endeavor?” You knew damn well it was, but it was better to let him process through his words. “Yes! Look at him, smug as can be. He doesn’t even care about those people he rescued, He’s shown no comfort towards them, not even a glance to the children he’d saved. He acts as if he’s too good for them. A real hero would be reassuring, give a sense of calm to everyone involved in a rather tragic turn of events”  he sipped at his drink angrily, nearly choking on it as you patted his back.

“ You mean a hero like All Might?” you offered, knowing that the hero had a special place in his heart. 

Instead of the perky response you would have expected, his lips turned to a thin line, staring into a far off place beyond the TV.

“Yes....just like All Might” 

Figuring he was still going through the appalled emotions from Endeavor, you didn’t press the matter, turning to focus on something else, his latest client, or even a Karen you had encountered earlier that morning. He took your bait readily, eager to listen.

It took you awhile to notice, but during your lunch breaks, on the days he didn’t come in early, he would always be watching the news. He’d rip them to pieces with a barely concealed snarl. He’d rant and rave, while keeping in mind the other customers. He talked about the villains even, and how they were people as well, forced into unfortunate situations, where were the heroes then?

As much as you would have liked to stay in the hero worshiping normalcy, the more he went on the more you began to realize, heroes were actually rather corrupt. You could feel yourself becoming angry alongside him. Why did they do that? What about the people they were rescuing? What about these so-called villains?

You shook your head from your thoughts, looking down to see your next customer that afternoon, a young girl no more than ten years old just out of school and looking to buy a snack and a small drink. 

You sent her off on her merry way, happily sitting down at a table and munching on her snack. Checking your watch, you realized it was time to take your lunch. You sat down at your usual booth and waited for Izuku, sipping at your own drink.

The bell by the door went off, your eyes instinctively looking to see who had entered. Time slowed down as three men came in, guns at the ready and masks pulled over their faces. The first had a black mask, the second having a red one, and the third having a white one.

“Alright! Nobody moves, and no one gets hurt!” the first one shouted, as horrified shrieks went off in the small shop. “Put your hands up and go over there!” he motioned with his gun to collectively gather in a corner. You obeyed along with everyone else in the shop.

The second one aimed his gun steadily at the barista at the register, “No! Not you, you’re going to fill this with all the money you have!” He threw a bag over at the barista who shakily picked up the bag where it had landed, tears running down her cheeks. 

The third held out a bag to the gathered group, “ Put anything valuable in here! Watches, Jewelry, Money, Phones, all of it!” He shouted, an elderly woman shakily began taking off her earrings, another gentleman taking his wallet out. 

The young girl stared with wide eyes, tears falling rapidly down her cheeks, face red as she tried to be quiet, but her hiccups would not allow her. When red looked over at the little girl, her wails increased tenfold.

“Hey! Shut up before I give you a real reason to cry about. You don’t want that do you?!” he shouted, taking a step forward the girl took an extra step back as she put her arms out in front of her to protect herself.

“I said QUIET!” he raised his hand.

Your body moved on it’s own. 

You took the hit for the young girl, your cheek stinging from the impact. That didn’t matter, not over the safety of the little girl, the roar of your heartbeat thumping against your cheek.

“What the hell?!” “Just leave her alone! She’s a little girl, she’s just scared!” You held your arms out, effectively blocking her from view. The elderly woman took the girl to her side, watching for the slightest movement from the robbers.

“ So you want to take her punishment? Is that it brat? Fine,” He shoved you down to the ground easily, glancing over to the young girl, “Take this as an example of what happens when you disobey me!” 

You couldn’t hear anything, your sight blinded as well as his foot collided with your stomach, sending you rolling across the ground. He pinned you down as he punched you, over and over again, arms, stomach and your face, seeing stars as your head hit the ground.

Izuku...Izuku please....

You didn’t know what you wanted from him, whether it was to save you from the pain somehow, or to not show up at all in fear he’d try something heroic like you did. 

The shop doors burst open, a cloth or tape like substance shooting out from someone you couldn’t see, wrapping quickly around the robbers, dragging them to ram into one another, the shock of it making them let go of the guns they held so tightly onto. You faded in and out of consciousness, even though the sounds of battle continued on.

It was all a blur as you slowly came back into reality, sitting in an ambulance being checked over by a nurse. The other heroes who had arrived stood before you, scolding you for your actions.

“What were you thinking?! You put yourself and the girl at risk! They could have made you watch as they hurt her!” 

What was I supposed to do, let her be beaten?

“There were so many other things you could have done! Next time think through your actions before you do anything!”

What could I have done? You fail to mention what else I could exactly do. I didn’t even know what I was doing.

But you didn’t say that. You took the abuse as the nurse began to shoo them off, proclaiming that they’d made their point, nothing more could be said. It wasn’t long before the nurse gave you your results. You were a bit battered but otherwise alright, you’d bruise like hell but you amazingly didn’t have a concussion. Once you were home you were to Ice the bruising spots. With that they sent you with your things back home.

Upon entering your home you changed out of your clothes, something bubbling under your skin. It felt so up close and in your face you couldn’t decipher it. You changed into some incredibly soft shorts and tank top, wincing as you moved to change. 

The silence was too much in your apartment, with shaking fingers you called the only person you could.

“(Y/N)?” “Izuku..” something in you snapped as you heard his voice, a sharp gasp turning into a sob. “(Y/N)? What is it, what’s wrong?”  “I...Can...can you come over? Please? I...I don’t think I can over the phone”  “What? Yeah, Yeah of course, I’ll be right there!”  You gave him your address and hung up after that, flopping onto your couch and hugging a pillow.

It only took him twenty minutes to arrive, but it felt like forever and a second simultaneously. The swift knock at your door startled you out of your blank and racing thoughts. He was dressed in casual clothing, some jeans and some random white button up, a thin green vest over top. Your vision blurred as he stepped in at your allowance, going head first into his chest as you sobbed. He grunted from the impact, but wrapped his strong arms around you regardless. “ Shhh, shhh, it’s alright, I’m here. I’m here” he cooed softly into your ear, “ Here, let’s go to the couch alright?” You nodded but didn’t let go. You shuffled your way to sit on the couch with him, only parting to readjust his hold.

“There was an attempted robbery at the shop today,” you sniffed, resting your head on his shoulder, “ There was a little girl there...she was so scared, she was crying. The...one of the robbers got angry at her, which made her more scared. So I...I took the hit for her”

He lifted your face gently, examining the forming bruise. His frown showed his worry, but he didn’t comment on why you ran to this girls side, “ I was wondering about this black eye I see” You nodded, continuing your story, “Yeah...He didn’t like that I’d taken the hit for the girl...so as an example he beat me up. I don’t remember too much after the ‘heroes’ arrived.” you spat.

“But the heroes arrived and saved everyone, that’s good right?” he prodded. If you had been more aware, you would have heard the underlying tone in his voice. He didn’t really believe the heroes had done well, not with how you spat their name as if it was venom. 

“They told me i was stupid for putting myself in front of the girl, that I should have done something else! What else was I supposed to do? My body moved on it’s own! They could have tortured the girl to get a rise out of me, or hurt the both of us…” As you said those words, another sob tore from your core. “Maybe they were right, maybe I should have just...I don’t know. I’m so sorry I didn’t think of anything faster.”

Izuku cut you off gently cupping your face in his hands, thumbs softly brushing away stray tears. Your eyes refused to meet his.

“Oh darling, look at me,” hesitantly you looked into his eyes, filled with concern, determination and...something else you couldn’t quite place, but it was so soft...so powerful. “You’ve done nothing wrong, you are perfect darling. Without you, that girl could have ended up beaten, or worse!” 

The endearment was new, but not unwelcome, his words wrapping you in a soft blanket of safety.

“You did nothing wrong, you are perfect, everything about you, you’ve done nothing wrong. So please, don’t apologize” You leaned forward to hide in his chest as his words brought a fresh wave of tears. He gently rubbed your back, taking care if you so much as winced to move his comforting circles. 

“It isn’t right that they lectured you. You had just gone through a traumatic event, you needed reassurance, kindness. You aren’t trained to be a hero, you acted on instinct. An instinct that hardly anyone else in that room had. They acted so wrong to you” he whispered, “Those ‘heroes’ are what's wrong with the hero society as a whole. Things need to change”

“But I don’t know how to do that, or where to even start” you whined, your hiccups slowly dispersing. 

“Join me” 

Wait...what?

“Join you...I don’t...I don’t understand…” You look up at him, searching for any hint that it was a badly timed joke. You found none. 

“When I told you I worked with computers....I wasn’t lying, but only technically. You see, I work with this group, as a hacker. We’re going to show the world what these heroes really are, and the need to fix them. The roaches will have nowhere to hide, not from the public, and certainly not by the hero commission”

That was...quite a bit to process. He was a Villain?! All this time?! 

You were shocked, your heart sinking to your stomach. “Why...why didn’t you tell me?” You knew why the second you said the words...but you needed to hear if those were the same words he’d say back. 

“If I’m being honest darling...I was scared. You were always so kind, so soft hearted, to learn you were talking with a villain? Plus, it wasn’t like I could just...tell you in the shop right?” the corner of his mouth lifted up into a slight smirk, though it quickly vanished.

You thought back to today, how angry the heroes had made you. How many others did they tell the same thing when they were just trying to help? How many children paid the price? How many people? 

But the feeling of fists landing on you echoed back in your rapidly increasing heartbeat. You couldn’t do that again, not against a villain, not against heroes, not against anyone!

“I...I’m not cut out for villain work Izuku, you see what happened to me! I...I couldn’t go through that again...I don’t want to go through that again”

He pressed a soft kiss to your forehead, warmth blossoming from the spot. “You don’t have to, just...supporting me is enough, more than enough” he took your hands in his, gentle circles rubbed into them. “You wouldn’t have to quit your job, or move, or anything, just knowing you support me? It fires me up, I have to do this, for you, for everyone, to right the wrongs that have been done. What do you say?” his green eyes were lit up in hope.

Your hands squeezed his, “I do.”

[commonalex]

future ready

future ready by common alex

Listen/download: future ready by common alex

It was around three months after I've been fired. I didn't dare to talk about it much, but it wouldn't that much of a mystery for someone to figure out why the short chick with the plaited hair isn't on the cash register giving wrong change to the old ladies anymore. To be perfectly honest, I was pretty devastated that I managed to fail even at working at the supermarket, where all you needed to get a grip was knowing how to count, wearing an "Olga" tag like a war medal, and acting like everything's okay at all times. Maybe that's why I ended up sneaking into it like a thief that day, out of stubbornness. It was the last sense of routine I had while everything was going under outside the window.

I could barely get out the bed before four in the afternoon. And when I did, all I had planned was dragging my body before the tv to catch some telemarketing and dumb commercials until the sun was out again and I successfully forgot who I am and what I'm going through. Because what other choices did I have really? For the last two years I was jumping from one dead end job to the next, either until I get fired or until I quit. I was leaving on benefits and a sad amount of savings, and I was starting to accept the fact that this would be my life from now on. Like, what else did I really have to rely on? Studies? Big deal, the world wouldn't end with just one english teacher less. Friends? Don't get me started. Family? All I was left with was a mother with a mission to make me feel horrible every time we spoke on the phone because I wasn't bothering to go see her. But even if I did, what would I have to say to her? I was mentally collapsing. So I said "leave it for now" and kept the thought pushed back for later. That's the reason why on that particular day I didn't pick up whenever my mom was ringing this cherry ericsson I had at the time. It wasn't like I really needed to answer, I already knew everything by heart.

"Have you seen how this girl you used to hang out at school does lately, Olga?".

No, mom, I haven't. It's been like ten years since I finished school.

"She's studying this thing you used to like, she got settled, she even has her own house".

Well done for her I guess, and?

"And you?".

I don't know what the hell I'm doing with my life anymore, mom.

"But don't you ever think about your future?".

My long awaited future, huh? What a glorious future that was. It was so good, half of the people I used to know didn't make it halfway through.

Outside things were a bit more casual that the deep existential turmoil that was described by the news at the time, yet I was indeed shocked by that eerie amount of silence that was stretching through the cold winds that was piercing my purple coat. I could hear a tv screaming from two blocks away and the screeching roars of the phone lines echoing around the city, but there was barely any human voice left. I was only catching some mumbles and grunts here and there as I was jumping out of fear every time I had to turn around a corner. So it was just like everyday Athens, only with a little more of snow and fear of getting mugged. My social atrophy made me feel like I was being chased as the surrounding landscape was rapidly being stripped from anything that was reminiscing of a typical day. Like, that was the first time I ever saw people looting kiosks and butcher shops. I only managed to see like three to five people with their backs hunched, covering their faces while carrying those huge gray tv screens with the vhs player still attached or fifteen bags of chips, with their eyes moving around uncontrollably. All I had in my mind seeing these scenes was the word "brutalization". Maybe because all this time I wasn't fully aware of what was going on, or maybe because the news told the truth for once.

I snuck from the side door where the staff entrance was, because all the glass on the front of the supermarket was smashed to pieces and I didn't like the thought of my hands sliced open. It was a mess on the inside and the aisles stood empty like sad metal canyons. People must have broke in trying to get all the toiler paper and canned foods left in the previous weeks. From the expired milk bottles at the back to the unstoppable static noise of the refrigerators in front of me, there were all those special little touches to make me feel like I was working in this hole of a job again. And no, I did not bother searching for supplies. Instead, I walked around like I was out shopping with my mom, opening the boxes of the diabetes flavored cereal that no one bother to take, just to steal their toys. I also found a bunch of unopened boxes of the supermarket's very own faux chocolate milk (yes, the one with the dark industrial waste left on the bottom) that was probably expired as well. But, I was a lady, right? So I took some of them to the cash register, because Olga ain't no petty thief. I got around my place of work and scanned the bottles to find out that they cost something less than three hundred and seventy-five million. "Luckily, I don't have to calculate any change now", I thought. Never before have I ever experienced such relief while being there. I was sitting in the same place I was rotting for hours before the world turned to shit, and I was patiently waiting for a huge line of old ladies to pop out of nowhere just to ruin my vibe with their pension money bills. I almost started to miss all of those stuff. This must meant that things have really turned to shit.

The new millennium have begun just like any other year, against the disappointment and secret eagerness of some people. All that screaming about the revelation, the second coming of Satan, the aliens, and the revolution of the machines faded miserably as the days went by and absolute destruction was not to be seen. Yet, at least. Because the first planes that crashed mid-flight in South Africa and Indonesia didn't appear before the end of January, but all were like "okay, technical problems". And when missiles were accidentally landing on Iraqi cities, people were like "well, what to do, technical problems yet again". Only when the bank deposits got erased people started to cry and run like headless chickens. Young people now would call me cynical, but you had to be there to see it. It was crystal clear that people had all of their hopes and dreams for tomorrow stored into a single digit of a computer. A kind of tomorrow which was now failing to promise anything anymore in front of millions of simultaneous personal bankruptcies. Then the reactors in Italy exploded due to a system failure and tomorrow officially died. This tomorrow that we were told would bring everything to us, from cancer treatments to all of Britney's music stored in a tiny mini-disc. From flying cars to underground metros. From huge tv screens for each living room to the giant digital information highway better know as the INTERNET. Nowadays all of these sound so silly, but the pain in the faces of people from the betrayal of their dream did not seem to go away. Until mid-February, everyone lost their minds. Those who saw all of this coming ran away in fear of the new Chernobyl to leave the rest of us behind to die. Shops, services, offices, all ceased to have any actual reason to exist in from of the impending disaster. All you could see around anymore were padlocks, deflated bodies on the street from people that couldn't take it anymore, and some shadows of people left to wander like animals while pretending to be alive. Maybe that's why the tv was constantly playing commercials and other irrelevant bullshit during all of this, it was the last useful thing they could show to the people that were preparing for the grand finale.

But that grand finale wasn't so tangible for me. Everyone had this type of end predetermined, but this panic of theirs seemed more like a slightly less shallow version of the preexisting self-preservation to me. I wasn't convinced by those who screamed that the world was over simply because it already happened to their world. Like, just as Rome wasn't built in one day, their illusions weren't shattered overnight. I mean, at that time the supermarket was filled with those obnoxious promotional banners featuring the new slogan that was everywhere lately, before things change for the worse. They had the "FUTURE READY" catchphrase in large white letters that spread noisy and ridiculous lacking any particular meaning as everything was collapsing. What future exactly was that slogan referring to? The future in general, as a concept of time and space? They wouldn't have thought that out that much. Was it the future of humanity from now on? I wouldn't be so concerned for this with all those rich fucks that had already kissed as goodbye from their shelters, we were far from being extinct and in maybe less that ten years we could wake up with someone like Will Smith ruling the world. No, the catchphrase probably meant that future with the flying cars and the internet. The future only fools would believe it would come (and yes, people actually believe that). That future we lost just as fast as we were promised for it.

So in short, we were crabs in a bucket, pulling each other down in excruciating depths. This wasn't living nor surviving; we more or less kept on functioning like bio-robots with depression. But for me, things weren't looking so grim. "Look at me", I would say, "I reached twenty-nine and haven't done crap to be proud of, I drink expired chocolate milk and I'm secretly glad the world is ending because every day was borderline unbearable for me anyway, so how good would the future be for someone like me?". Nowadays the denial of any form of reality in this reasoning stands out, but at that moment I was reaching redemption. I was now reassured by the thought of the end, acting like a barrier that could block this endless loop that was running relentlessly against me. "So finally", I said to myself, "let's calm down once and for all". I was spinning around in the cashier's chair like a silly kid and was finishing up the bottles of milk like there's no tomorrow, while convincing myself that once everything goes to hell, my torment is over.

My phone’s vibrating through my coat cut me off the carefree twirling around my craziness. "Mom" was flashing on the screen again, but by that point I couldn't be bothered for explanations. Still, the dialogue kept running automatically like a script inside my head.

"I just can't get you. Do you keep on acting unbothered by the world? Even now? Who are you trying to convince anymore, Olga? Me? Because I know you have roughened up out of fear".

Well, truth is I was actually fearing you would start with that kind of shit again.

"You are getting more and more difficult to talk to. You are basically denying something we both clearly see at this point".

We seem to say the same exact thing, ain't that something? I guess I was kinda doomed from the start to be and look just like you.

"You really do me dirty with all these conclusions you're drawing out of anger".

Okay, so what? Did you get upset?

"Why are you angry at me, Olga? Can I hear you say it, just for once?"

I don't have the time for this thing again, mother, I need to enjoy my remaining days over here.

"How much do you think this will last for you? When will you stop stalling and start looking after you and your future again, Olga?"

What future do I have, really, are you kidding me?

-Are you talking to yourself, ma'am?

I almost slipped out of the chair. I had never experienced such horror before. I was barely held off the bench to help me  get up again slowly with my heart sinking to my stomach, only to see a little girl with plaited pigtails looking at me half-frightened. She wasn't over nine years old, judging by the face and the childish dress she wore under this puffy purple coat.

-Why are you here? Where are your parents?

-Over here, come and take a look! But mom told me not to talk to strangers!

That of course made zero sense to me. Just like it made zero sense for a child to be left alone in a destroyed supermarket with the sun setting outside. I asked for the girl's name, nothing. I asked again, she hid her puzzled frown behind her pigtails trying to playfully imitate my posture with her hands on my waist.

-I'm Olga, I work here. And you?

She started to say something and suddenly changed her mind, running like hell to the back. I was confused thinking how would I look like to someone who saw me chasing a little girl in there, but then I reminded myself that probably nobody would be left to live to the end of this month, so I wouldn't be considered crazy for too long. I began running under the flickering ceiling lights and with each step I had to swallow my vomit. This little girl felt sorry for me in the end and stopped to wait for me at the end of the far right aisle, leaving one sleeve of her huge coat to stick out on purpose. I approached with an awkward smile and glanced at the strange grace she had on her face, with those weird baby hair that can't be caught for nothing in plaits pointing upwards. Despite my awkwardness, the girl stood unworried and expressionless as if I put her on timeout. I asked her name again. She slips away from a second time and runs like the wind, squealing something at lime while zigzagging the aisles.

-You should probably pick it up!

My phone was stabbing my pocket. It was "Mom" yet again, but I really wasn't in the mood for "Mama". I had to pick up my lungs from the floor at the top of my priorities, because this little devil wasn't running but galloping like a damn horse. I finally caught up with her in the aisle with the products of the day and tightly grabbed her by the shoulders. The little devil screamed and was banging her feet in pain. My hands had been too coarse for people after all this time.

-Hey, ma'am, did you get angry? I was just playing with you.

-I'm don't have time to play right now, please go to your mom.

-But I told you, My mom's right here.

"Where is "here"?

With just one finger sticking out of the sleeve, she pointed to the right middle shelf at the end of the aisle. She put her finger before her mouth to stop me from talking and I followed her on tiptoes. When we approached the end of the aisle and my eyes got used to the darkness I saw a woman laid inside the empty shelf. She was in her sixties and wearing an old black nightgown with holes on it. From her short hair down to her nails, there were ice flakes stuck everywhere as if she was just found buried in the snow. Her face with her eyes closed was carrying such an expression of pain and torment. I was so weirded out that something made me want to follow those ice streams that filled her skin's scratches with my fingers, however her body felt so stiff I jumped back. She looked more like a porcelain doll than an actual person.

-Ma'am Olga? Are you alright?

I threw up all the chocolate milk I drank. My body got the chills and my teeth were trembling so much that my breath was coming out in sharp puffs in front of the flickering lights of the refrigerators. I must have look like shit, because I scared the little girl for good and made her get five steps back from me while I was going crazy and trying to clear my eyes from the shock.

-Why is she here?

-Nobody wanted her. Nobody called to take her.

I didn't pay much attention. I pulled out my cherry ericsson to call for help, but the chaotic hum of the phone lines echoed in the aisle before I even put the phone to my ear.

-Who put her here?

She was just staring at me. I asked again and again. She let her lower lip half open. I grabbed her by the shoulders like before and she pulled out a choked scream due to my clumsiness. She started crying and feeling loose in my hands. It was then that I felt like something broke inside me and I crawled away from her because she would pass out in any second just by looking at the state that I was. I sat on the floor watching her wipe her tears from a distance, all while fixing her plaits and stressfully straightening the dress inside her coat. Every now and then she would throw these incoherent excerpts from conversations that seemed weirdly familiar, waiting for me to remember the answers I had given to each of the discussions. I felt sick, like my insides would explode at any moment. My mind was working overtime and I started seeing red. I understood, but I did not want to accept it.

"But how?" I was saying again and again. I can't just live through this stuff. I was thinking that maybe that's it, we are officially past this tomorrow. Maybe that was the end of the world and the time I had at my disposal. Only instead of cloud islands or pits with flames I was stuck inside this supermarket with a little girl and a dead woman. Was this fitting? Not really. It might be considered symbolic, but still not at all subtle. That's why I was stuffed with anger and distress. I couldn't digest what to feel after all that I saw. And what was the meaning of all of this? To make me feel remorse? To help me maybe? But how? So many questions hanging above my head I began to feel like I was melting from the uncertainty. Luckily, the little girl found some courage to pick me up from the floor.

-You still don't recognize her, do you?

-I recognized her just fine the first time.

-Are you sure, ma'am Olga?

-I don't know, what do you say?

-You tell me.

-We have to get out of here, kiddo. We can't get through it like this. Even now, with everything else going to hell with us.

-Do you really want me to come with you?

-I don't know. Maybe I want to, maybe I should.

The phone started screaming again. It was dimming "Mama" with small flakes of ice filling its broken tiny screen. The girl bent down and put this in my palm with no emotion on her face. I answered it. I waited for an eternity so thin you could fit it inside a moment like this. "Hello? Mom?". Eventually the same confusing static noise creaked from the other side of the call, and I stuck there waiting through the buzzing to find her smoker's coughing that she used to do before starting to complain about how I constantly forget about her. Waiting just to tell her that I was here, I was fine, and the world might not end there. Maybe, somewhere, somehow, there's even some future we can fit in it.

-So are we ready now, ma'am Olga?

-Ready for what?

She pointed at the banner hanging from the ceiling.

-Future ready.

I didn't catch my mother's voice at the other end of the line, of course. I hung up and weakly threw the phone on the shelf where the woman was laying, just to hear its dying snout. This felt way more fitting.

-Nah, not really. But it probably does not matter right now.

-But. I'm scared.

-I'm scared too, being in here and all.

-So when will we be back? When everything was normal again?

-"Normal" may no longer exist. We'll just have to see. For now, get up.

-You know better, ma'am.

-Ma'am my ass.

The little girl glanced just once at the self with the phone on and continue to walk with me, with her palm lost and warmed up somewhere inside my own palm. An analog clock on the wall pointed somewhere after nine o clock and the sky was bruised from the clouds that were pouring snow on everything around us. I put my hand with hers in the pocket of the miserable purple coat and lifted our hoods to escape the cold on the way home. I don't really remember how long we walked with our backs hunched over somewhere between the white and the gray. I only recall that we took the long way home, like a punishment of some sorts.

Thinking that I would never hear again the saltiness in my mom's voice was my most bitter torment. I never thought of such a possibility. I always had in the back of my mind that she would find a way to defy any rule of the universe, just so she could care for me. That's science fiction, after all. It seems I was holding on to my illusions for so long, so waking up hurts like hell even today. And if my mom died, I believe she must've left with that pain and concern during her last moments. "Look at me now", I catch myself saying here and there "I avoided her only until I had to mourn her". Until then, the only thing I had on my mind was working on what I should say when I would get asked about her, only to answer that we "fell off" with no emotion. What exactly happened to fall off with her would be like unnecessary little details. Still, to this day, that's exactly what I tell people when it's being brought up. I can't talk about it without sinking in remorse. I can't get the right words to come out anymore, not even by force.

Of course I tried to find her. Especially with the years that were to come upon me, I needed this to have my mind calibrated just to not go crazy over the batshit hysteria that was building up inside of me. Deep down, though, I knew I didn't have the courage to look at past trauma anymore, and I was secretly hoping I would never fine here. Maybe because the end of the world not coming anymore, at least as I thought it would, and now I have to live with it forever. Maybe because the worst that could have happened to me in the end was the postponement of the apocalypse. And this falls heavily on my shoulders to this day. Every day I have to justify why it was worth it to stay behind, either as punishment or by luck, trying to convince myself that there is something left to do with the leftovers of my future.

[katahnisharma]

meeting the family | t.h.

Can we get a head connon with meeting Toms family? Please love and I love your writings - requested by @tomholland64

oh my gosh, i love this! and thank you so much ♡ i had to repost bc my tags didn’t work the first time, sorry!

When Tom first brought up meeting his family, you were taking a walk in the park with Tessa

You were like afgjndf okay??

Because you were freaking out, who wouldn’t be?

You loved Tom, and meeting the family was a big deal because Tom was super close to them

Somehow you managed to go “yeah that’d be nice” and then afterward proceeded to go into panic mode

Tom found it cute, that you were so nervous because it meant that you really wanted them to like you

You kept asking him about everyone so you could make conversation and not sound like an idiot

“So Harry likes photography? Okay, I need to research famous photographers and camera types.”

“Sam likes cooking right? Lol then how come you suck at it, Tommy?”

*Tom stares off into the distance like he’s on the Office*

“Does Paddy like legos or is he too old for that? I bet he likes Star Wars though”

You took notes on everything Tom told you, and then did your own research because Tom was pretty useless

“Love, even I don’t know this much about my family, how did you find this stuff out?”

“Wouldn’t you like to know, weather boy?”

Tom couldn’t stop laughing when you made him take you golfing so you wouldn’t look bad in front of Dom (you know, just in case), and you kept missing the ball completely

But he took you for ice cream after so it was all good

Then D-day came and you were running around like a headless chicken, trying to appear calm and composed

Tom had been ready ages ago, and now he was just watching you race around with a stupid smirk on his face

“Oh my god, I can’t wear this! What was I thinking?”

Your shared bedroom was a mess, clothes everywhere and jewelry strewn on the bed

Tom made a joke about an atomic bomb so you threw him out, you didn’t need that type of negativity right now

“But I live here too!”

“Try me, and you won’t for much longer bug boy”

Eventually you picked something that you felt good about and did your makeup

When you heard a little bark, you realized Tessa had been buried under a pile of clothes and had chewed up one of your dresses

But you just couldn’t stay mad at her so you ended up smothering her in kisses instead

“Can we go now?” Tom whined because he’s a literal five year old you and can’t argue this point with me

You finally emerged in a blush pink floral tea dress and the least annoying pair of heels you owned, giving him a tiny spin

“Does this look like I didn’t try too hard but also that I tried really hard?”

“What does that even mean?”

“Like I put thought into it but I’m also super chill, because that’s the vibe I’m going for here”

“You look hot, maybe I can cancel and we can just stay here and…you know…”

At this point you throw your clutch at him and he peppers your face with kisses because you guys are adorable™

So now you’re driving to Tom’s house, your heart beating so loudly you can hear it

Tom is playing some CD he bought while the two of you went record shopping and he keeps one hand on your thigh protectively

What, you looked really gorgeous? He could never keep his hands off you.

He kept telling you that you looked beautiful and had nothing to worry about, but did he expect you to believe him?

Meeting your boyfriend’s family is nerve-wracking, according to like every romcom ever

The drive was way too short in your opinion, and you literally refused to get out of the car for a few minutes

“Darling, you have to actually get out to meet them. I don’t think they’ll fit in here.”

“Tom, I can’t do this. They’re going to hate me and break us up like in Monster-In-Law!”

????????? Tom.exe has stopped working

“Okay, if you’re talking about the movie with JLo, don’t they end up together? And would you stop worrying, they’re going to love you. I talk about you all the time, I promise it’ll be fine”

Tom basically drags you out of the car, you clutching the bottle of wine and flowers you bought and trying not to trip

When he rings the doorbell, he holds your hand to calm you down

And also to stop you from running because let’s be honest, you were considering it

“Have I told you recently that you’re too pretty for me and I’m so lucky?”

“I mean…..maybe…..”

The door opens and your heart almost stops because the entire Holland family is standing in the doorway and smiling at you

You now realize where Tom gets his looks from because the entire family is GORGEOUS???

“Um, can we come inside first before you ambush her?”

Nikki gives you a hug immediately, thanking you for the flowers which just so happened to be her favorite

Heh, what a coincidence you totally did not pester Tom about it

Dom loves the wine, and is impressed when you tell him where it comes from

Tom is trying not to laugh because he’s the actually the one that bought the wine, but he won’t tell them that because you’re finally at ease

The twins love you already, because they can tell you make Tom really happy and you’re so sweet

Like you actually try talking about photography with Harry, who can tell you know nothing about it but he’s touched

And when you tell Sam that you wished you could cook, he actually offered to teach you just to spend more time with you

Paddy has officially made a new friend and big sister, and he begs Tom to bring you over more often so you can watch movies together because in his words

“She’s way cooler than you”

“Gee, thanks.”

Nikki thinks you’re wonderful, she’s very happy Tom found you and she can’t stop smiling at the two of you. She’s seen her fair share of girls and you’re already her favorite, especially when you offered to help her set the table and clean up after

Dom got to talk to you when Tom went outside with the boys to kick a soccer ball around, and he was really surprised to find you so intelligent too. You could hold your own and you had a strong mind and he appreciated that

He listened to you talk about world events and college and Nikki came to listen too and she loves that you know so much

“Dom, she’s so smart!”

When the boys come back in they try to understand what you’re talking about but it’s a big ?????

Tom is both low-key jealous and also really happy that his family has basically adopted you and likes you more than him

“Hey, it’s your eldest son remember me?”

“Tom, Y/N was just telling us about her classes! Did you know she’s majoring in Chemical Engineering?”

“Well, yeah I’m her boyfriend.”

Sam and Harry basically talk your ear off during Lunch, until Nikki tells them to knock it off because Tom is being pouty

“Mates, she’s my girlfriend and I wanna sit next to her.”

“You snooze you lose Tom”

He was an upset boi until you kissed him and told him that you would sit next to him after Lunch

Paddy tells you about his school and wants to know how you decided what you wanted to do but you tell him that he’s got plenty of time to figure that out and he should enjoy school in the meantime

After Lunch everyone sits outside in the garden and drinks while the sun sets because the aesthetic, ya feel?

“You better marry her, Tom.” Nikki whispers when you go play with Paddy

“Don’t worry, I’ve already got the ring”

Eventually it’s time for you and Tom to leave and everyone is sad about it because they love you

“Don’t forget to call us and you’re welcome any time.” Nikki sends a ton of food with you and Dom apologizes because you’re actually about to fall over and the boys can’t stop laughing

“Bye, everyone!” You finally finished hugging everyone and promising you’ll be back when Tom literally picks you up and takes you back to the car

“Hey, I wasn’t done saying goodbye!”

“You can call them later, we’d literally be 85 by the time you finish”

The entire car ride back you can’t stop gushing about Tom’s family and how great they are and Tom just can’t stop smiling

Because he’s so happy you like them and that they like you, it’s everything to him and he can’t wait to bring you around all the time

Tom will never admit it, but he was super nervous too and the fact that it all went perfectly means you must be “the one”

And with the ring in his jacket pocket, he can’t wait to solidify it and finally make you Mrs. Holland too

requests open!

[dusk-realm]

Chrysanthemum [Chapter 14: The Dueling Club]

Tagging: @featurelengthfics @thedungeonsbat @severussnapesupporter @southsiderepresent@pan-lokistan @gbatesx @a-slytherin-sin @wangmangagavroche @theblackdeath87 @zeroscarletcross @xxaamzxx @soft-slytherin-sweetie

Check out my masterlist here!

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The news of a just formed Dueling Club spread like fire in the common rooms of all Houses. Someone had pinned a piece of parchment announcing it on the notice boards, but it didn’t say who would be in charge of it. (Y/N) felt a little bit giddy, and a little bit nervous too.

Duels! That would certainly be a challenge; she was curious to see how a wizard duel worked, and if it resembled in any way a muggle sword duel, like the ones she saw in movies. She was also a little bit afraid of the outcome, as she was still getting used to her wand. She was confident it would produce some stable spells (at least), but what if she ended up hurting someone? Her biggest fear was hurting one of her friends, truth be told.

(Y/N) also reflected about why a dueling club. Perhaps, the attacker terrorising Hogwarts was a living person, after all? No monster, and no paranormal stuff. Just a person you could fight off.

But if that was the case, no attacker would challenge anyone to a duel, right? That wasn’t a smart idea if you want to be sneaky and roam around the castle. A duel could mean being uncovered, or being defeated and caught. (Y/N) concluded that an assaulter (an intelligent one) would choose a surprise attack over a combat, and that the idea of a dueling club as such would turn out rather useless for anyone lacking reflexes or simply sheer intuition.

Whose idea was this?!

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That same night, (Y/N) walked into the Great Hall at 8 pm sharp together with a handful of other Slytherins, although the place was already quite packed with students with their wands in hand. The long dining tables had vanished and a golden stage had appeared along one wall, lit by thousands of candles floating overhead, and the ceiling was velvety black.

‘Mione!’ (Y/N) greeted, making her way to her friend. The group also greeted the Slytherin, who asked:

‘Any idea of who’ll be teaching us?’

‘Someone told me Flitwick was a dueling champion when he was young — maybe it’ll be him.’ The witch answered.

‘As long as it’s not —’ Harry began, but he ended on a groan: Gilderoy Lockhart was walking onto the stage, resplendent in robes of deep plum and accompanied by none other than Snape, wearing his usual black. Lockhart waved an arm for silence and called:

‘Gather round, gather round! Can everyone see me? Can you all hear me? Excellent!’

‘Now, Professor Dumbledore has granted me permission to start this little dueling club, to train you all in case you ever need to defend yourselves as I myself have done on countless occasions — for full details, see my published works.’ He took a little pause to look pridefully at the crowd beneath him, and then continued:

‘Let me introduce my assistant, Professor Snape,’ said Lockhart, flashing a wide smile. ‘He tells me he knows a tiny little bit about dueling himself and has sportingly agreed to help me with a short demonstration before we begin. Now, I don’t want any of you youngsters to worry — you’ll still have your Potions master when I’m through with him, never fear!’ ‘Wouldn’t it be good if they finished each other off?’ Ron muttered in Harry’s ear. (Y/N) heard it too and clenched her fist until her nails dug into her palm, but she said nothing.

How dare he?!

Snape’s upper lip was curling. (Y/N) had never seen Severus letting his thoughts slip so easily. He was looking as though he was planning on killing Lockhart before feeding him to the giant squid.

Lockhart and Snape turned to face each other and bowed; at least, Lockhart did, with much twirling of his hands, whereas Snape jerked his head irritably. Then they raised their wands like swords in front of them.

‘As you see, we are holding our wands in the accepted combative position,’ Lockhart told the silent crowd. ‘On the count of three, we will cast our first spells. Neither of us will be aiming to kill, of course.’

‘I wouldn’t bet on that,’ Harry murmured, watching Snape baring his teeth. (Y/N) giggled softly as she watched her mentor as well.

‘One — two — three —’ Both of them swung their wands above their heads and pointed them at their opponent; Snape cried:

‘Expelliarmus!’ There was a dazzling flash of scarlet light and Lockhart was blasted off his feet: He flew backward off the stage, smashed into the wall, and slid down it to sprawl on the floor.

Draco Malfoy and some of the other Slytherins cheered. (Y/N) didn’t, as she was staring too in awe to articulate a sound. She was aware of Severus’ wide knowledge about the Dark Arts, but she had never seen him really do anything with it, let alone cast such a powerful spell.

Hermione was dancing on tiptoes. 

‘Do you think he’s all right?’ she squealed through her fingers.

‘Who cares?’ said Harry, (Y/N) and Ron together. Lockhart was getting unsteadily to his feet. His hat had fallen off and his wavy hair was standing on end.

‘Well, there you have it!’ he said, tottering back onto the platform. ‘That was a Disarming Charm — as you see, I’ve lost my wand — ah, thank you, Miss Brown — yes, an excellent idea to show them that, Professor Snape, but if you don’t mind my saying  so, it was very obvious what you were about to do. If I had wanted to stop you it would have been only too easy — however, I felt it would be instructive to let them see…’

(Y/N) could hardly bear with how ridicously unbalanced both teachers were, and she had to do a titanic effort to avoid laughing loudly.

Severus Snape was looking murderous. Possibly Lockhart had noticed, because he said, ‘Enough demonstrating! I’m going to come amongst you now and put you all into pairs. Professor Snape, if you’d like to help me —’

They moved through the crowd, matching up partners. Lockhart teamed Neville with Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Snape reached Harry and Ron first.

‘Time to split up the dream team, I think,’ he sneered. ‘Weasley, you can partner Finnigan. Potter —’ Harry moved automatically toward Hermione. ‘I don’t think so,’ said Snape, smiling coldly. ‘Mr. Malfoy, come over here. Let’s see what you make of the famous Potter. And you, Miss Granger — you can partner Miss Bulstrode. Miss (Y/L/N)...’ he paused for a second, studying her features. ‘You go with Miss Parkinson.’

(Y/N) (Y/L/N)’s stomach dropped to her feet, watching her tormentor come closer sporting a cruel smile.

‘Face your partners!’ called Lockhart, back on the platform. ‘And bow!’

(Y/N) barely inclined her head, and so did Pansy, too full of herself to bow in front of (Y/L/N).

‘Wands at the ready!’ shouted Lockhart. ‘When I count to three, cast your charms to disarm your opponents — only to disarm them — we don’t want any accidents — one . . . two . . . three —’

(Y/N) tried to keep a steady pose, but she saw how the point of her wand shaked, unable to aim properly. Her feet couldn’t keep their balance, and her heart thumped hard against her ribcage, trying to escape from the danger. She was sure that Pansy wouldn’t just try to disarm her, that she would try to hurt her. It was difficult to draw air into her lungs, and her tongue felt leathery against her dried out palate.

Pansy attacked first, not waiting for the three. (Y/N) couldn’t quite make out which spell she pronounced through the buzzing inside her ears, but it sent her straight to the floor, landing painfully on her back.

Lockhart was running around and screaming like a headless chicken, trying to restore order in the middle of the havoc he himself had allowed to unleash.

‘I said disarm only!’ Lockhart shouted in alarm over the heads of the battling crowd, ‘Stop! Stop!’ He screamed, but nobody listened, or feared him enough to obey, until Severus’ voice raised:

‘Finite Incantatem!’ he shouted, and (Y/N) looked around.

A haze of greenish smoke was hovering over the scene. Both Neville and his partner were lying on the floor, panting; Hermione and Millicent Bulstrode were still moving; Millicent had Hermione in a headlock and Hermione was whimpering in pain; both their wands lay forgotten on the floor. (Y/N) tried to get up and aid her friend, but luckily, Harry, who was closer, leapt forward and pulled Millicent off with great effort. She then glanced up to look at Severus, who was watching from afar, looking utterly displeased.

‘Dear, dear,’ said Lockhart, skittering through the crowd, looking at the aftermath of the duels. ‘Up you go, Macmillan. . . . Careful there, Miss Fawcett. . . . Pinch it hard, it’ll stop bleeding in a second, Boot —’

‘I think I’d better teach you how to block unfriendly spells,’ said Lockhart, standing flustered in the midst of the hall. He glanced at Snape too, whose black eyes glinted, and looked quickly away. (Y/N), on the contrary, glared at the D.A.D.A professor with hatred as she got back up to her feet. Could there be a worse instructor? She didn’t think so.

Then, with Professor Snape’s intervention, Draco Malfoy and Harry were chosen to do a demonstration on whatever Lockhart wanted to teach next. The scene was just pathetic to watch from outside. Lockhart attempted a complicated sort of wiggling action while explaining Harry what he had to do, and dropped it. Snape smirked as Lockhart quickly picked it up.

‘Whoops — my wand is a little overexcited —’

(Y/N) thought it was rather polite of her Head to avoid laughing loudly at the lame exemplification of Lockhart.

Snape moved closer to Malfoy, bent down, and whispered something in his ear. Malfoy smirked, too.

Everyone gathered around the stage, watching the performance that was about to happen. (Y/N) was sure that Malfoy would win, for the sole reason that he had a competent teacher on his side.

‘Three — two — one — go!’ he shouted.

Malfoy raised his wand quickly.

‘Serpensortia!’ He bellowed.The end of his wand exploded. Harry watched, aghast, as a long black snake shot out of it, fell heavily onto the floor between them, and raised itself, ready to strike. There were screams as the crowd backed swiftly away, clearing the floor.

‘Don’t move, Potter,’ said Snape lazily, clearly enjoying the sight of Harry standing motionless, eye to eye with the angry snake. 

‘I’ll get rid of it. . . .Allow me!’ shouted Lockhart. He brandished his wand at the snake and there was a loud bang; the snake, instead of vanishing, flew ten feet into the air and fell back to the floor with a loud smack. Enraged, hissing furiously, it slithered straight toward Justin Finch-Fletchley and raised itself again, fangs exposed, poised to strike.

Harry walked forward and his tongue flicked against his front teeth, producing soft hisses. The crowd watched in horror, and Harry grinned at Justin.

‘What do you think you’re playing at?!’ he shouted, and then turned and stormed out of the hall.

Snape stepped forward, waved his wand, and the snake vanished in a small puff of black smoke. Snape, too, was looking at Harry in an unexpected way: It was a shrewd and calculating look.

Murmurs began rising in the room, and then Ron steered Harry out of the Hall, and Hermione hurriedly accompanied them.

Severus managed to calm down the students, and the session went on for a while.

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As soon as (Y/N)’s eyes fluttered open the next morning, a smile crept to the corner of her lips, remembering the previous day. She turned around to look at her wand, which rested on the nightstand. In the end, she had been able to cast a potent Expelliarmus that nearly made Pansy backflip, right when Severus was looking.

She stirred her body and reached for it, holding it delicately between her fingers.

The dim light was barely enough to let her see the carvings of her wand, and she finally decided to get up.

First, she grabbed her clothes from the trunk and closed the curtains surrounding her bed for privacy, and then, she took off her pyjamas.

(Y/N) examined her naked skin; new bruises were starting to emerge in places they usually didn’t, probably due to the previous day’s duels.

Fantastic, she thought, observing the mixture of the yellowish older ones, the new blue ones and some of a burgundy tone that were still forming. Those were usually the most painful ones, so she avoided touching them. Once she had her robes on, (Y/N) flung open the curtains with both hands and sat on the bed, with her feet hanging. She had her stockings on already, and she only needed to put on her shoes now.

(Y/N) slid down just enough for her feet to touch the floor, but…

Eh?

Her shoes weren’t where she remembered leaving them last night.

Maybe I left them under the bed....

And she kneeled down, and checked under. There was a small bag with a stock of biscuits she had been hoarding, but no shoes at sight.

Strange… Maybe I put them in the trunk and forgot?

(Y/N) hurriedly crawled to the trunk and opened it… 

Nope.

Just the few scattered clothes she still had from Severus and school stuff.

(Y/N) had been trying hard to suppress her uneasiness, but now it was really getting to her.

Under the bed, I need to check under the bed again.

But the biscuits bag laid in the same place, by itself. Still no shoes.

Perhaps I haven’t looked right.

And she turned around to look at where they should have been.

Maybe someone kicked them? 

She proceeded to look under the neighbouring beds, feeling bad about snooping around, but nothing of hers was to be found there.

(Y/N) stood in the middle of the empty room for almost a minute with a blank stare, inmobile.

That is, until a burning rage switched something inside her brain, and she kicked her mattress with anger once, twice, three times, until it was displaced and her foot hurted.

Then, (Y/N) plopped down on the dismantled bed and felt her eyes swell quickly with tears.

Now what? She couldn’t just run around barefoot! People would notice!

She thought hard of something to obtain a new pair of shoes without anybody knowing.

Maybe… she could transfigure something else into a new pair of shoes?

That might work.

(Y/N) got up again, and searched the dorm for a pair of objects that resembled shoes.

Socks, perhaps? No… as silly as it may look, (Y/N) couldn’t visualise socks as anything else other than socks, which was quite necessary in order to transform something into something else. It was all about focusing, and creating the most detailed model in your mind you could achieve.

She was pacing around, groaning in frustration as she squeezed out her brain for a solution, when a face came to her mind.

It was a face framed by a frizzy mane, and it had a bossy air to it…

Hermione!

If there was anyone in the castle that could help her discreetly, that was Hermione Granger.

(Y/N) put on an extra pair of stockings to protect her feet from the cold stone floors and left the dormitories with renewed hopes.

The Slytherin first checked the Great Hall from outside; the long tables were back in their correspondent place, but Hermione was not there.

Then, (Y/N) proceeded to search through the hallways, but.. nothing.

Last night, a blizzard had started falling, so all classes taking place outdoors were cancelled. (Y/N) assumed that Hermione would be in the Library, catching up in her free time, but she was wrong. At least, Madam Pince seemed satisfied with (Y/N)’s extra muffled steps, because she gave her the tiniest of the smiles. (Y/N) somehow felt privileged, doubting anyone alive or dead in the castle had ever seen the librarian smile.

The girl walked back to the dorm in disappointment. The one time she really needed Hermione, and she was probably in the common room! She sped up her pace, wanting to arrive to arrive to her own common room before the students began emptying the classrooms.

She reflected on the situation; why had her shoes vanished?

She was sure to have left them by the bed’s side, and one does not just go and lose their shoes, right?

Could someone from the dorm have borrowed them? What kind of person borrows your shoes without leaving at least a note?! 

Was this a prank for hanging out too much with the Gryffindors?

(Y/N) bumped right into her answer; turning around a corner in the dungeons, she ran into something big and bulky, but also soft.

When she looked up, she saw Millicent Bulstrode smiling with malice, and Pansy’s ugly pug face popped up from behind her.

‘Looking for something, (Y/L/N)?’

Then, it clicked in her brain.

Of course, who else would be willing to steal anyone’s shoes almost in winter?

Who would feel the imperative need to harass someone that never really wanted to have anything to do with her to begin with? 

Who could be sore with (Y/N)?

Pansy Parkinson.

The answer to all of those questions was Pansy Parkinson.

(Y/N) glared with narrowed eyes at the girl,

‘You! It was you!’ She yelled, and Pansy and Bulstrode cackled in unison.

‘This isn’t funny Pansy!’ (Y/N) moved to the side in order to face Pansy. Bulstrode tried to grab her by the arm, but only grasped air. ‘Give them back! NOW!’

[jcmorrigan]

Right, since you asked me questions about my f/o, I'll fire some at you now! 1. Favourite place to go with them 2. How do you care for them when they are ill and vice versa 3. Had any playful arguments that you look at and go 'what were we doing??' I'll slide these over here and be on my way ;3

All right! So, as a reminder, I have three (3) romantic f/o’s - XR from Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, Tony Dracon from Gargoyles, and Giovanni Potage from Epithet Erased. And for this exercise, I am going to answer all three questions FOR ALL THREE OF THEM! (If you’re following me for something other than selfship and you don’t wanna see me ramble for three pages, please block the tag “selfship” now)

1. FAVORITE PLACE TO GO!

I hadn’t realized until I thought about it, but it always seems to come back to a rooftop in the city. You think I like city lights or something? I do. I love city lights. I love cities.

Anyway, with XR, I decided right away that our favorite planet is Trade World, seedy underbelly and all. We can kill time there forever (and probably waste all our money on stuff that isn’t important). I haven’t written it yet, but one of the ideas I had for writing us was that after the big love confession, we’d have our first date on a rooftop restaurant there and watch the lights come on as the sun set, at which point I very sappily draw a connection between my love of city lights and XR’s eyes.

As for Giovanni, I have this whole oneshot about our first kiss that revolves around us trying to find the most perfect and fittingly dramatic place for it, and I ended up putting us on a rooftop at the edge of town where the Sweet Jazz skyline would be our background in all its luminescent glory. I imagine we’d go back up to that building again and again to talk about things if we’re not chilling at home or a base of operations. Just watching the night.

Then for Tony? I admittedly hadn’t given it too much thought, but I immediately got an image of us on, guess what, a rooftop, but of a skyscraper in downtown NYC. Now, Gio and I had to break onto ours by scaling the fire escape ladders; Tony would bust locks and we’d just take the stairs up from the inside. And that’s where we slow-dance when we want to be alone. Bring up a whole portable stereo and a mix of the schmaltziest love rock-ballads (think, like, REO Speedwagon or Journey). Come to think of it, I actually don’t know whether he’s made the connection that the Gargoyles operate out of the Eyrie, so we would definitely look at the freaking castle above the clouds and go “Next target” without knowing the law and order of the town that plagues our existence roosts there.

I’m also working on an AU that is compliant with my “Taking Back the Crown” crossover universe, and in that one, I’m thinking I’d be polyamorous with all three. While I haven’t picked a favorite spot, I do know that particular s/i would live in Twilight Town, and since Final Fantasy is piecemeal AU’d into KH logic (whereas none of those three are from canon KH worlds but it’s an easy crossover gateway so their worlds would just be intact), I actually have this design that Rabanastre from FFXII would be the capital of the nation Twilight Town is in and a few hours’ train ride away, and the four of us just LOVE heading over there and probably scaling some rooftops.

2. CARING FOR THE SICK!

Let’s start with me, in general. I’m a huge hypochondriac. I fear germs. I’m not really that good at taking care of sick friends/family, but for a romantic partner, I’d try to step up my game. I’d be on call. Now, if they were just ordinary sick, I might see if they’d be okay staying home while I got work done, with the caveat that I have my phone on me and can answer whenever. They’re stricken with debilitating nausea and can’t leave the bed? I’ll play hooky. But I’ll try to keep a reasonable distance whenever possible (chatting with them from across the room, where I am planted in a chair that is far away from the bed) and use a surgical mask and gloves whenever approaching. Yes, that may sound heartless, but I still wanna be available to bring them whatever they need, just with my armor on. And I’m not me unless I’m a raging hypochondriac who thinks she’s coming down with what her boyfriend’s got every five seconds. The exception, of course, is XR, who I envision would get sick as a visual gag of having a “computer virus” and exhibit all the symptoms of a head cold without actually being contagious.

Tony is low-maintenance and insists he doesn’t need to be babied, so he’s not gonna even ask me for that much except company. Giovanni and XR are both absolutely complainers and going to whine at me every five minutes, which will inevitably make my heart melt.

As for when I’m sick…

XR loves playing “nurse” (kinda like I had him in this oneshot where I sprain my shoulder) and will get me everything I want. This is for somewhat selfish reasons so I will talk up how great of a boyfriend he is when I’m sick. Also, there’s a good chance that any medical supplies he brings me might be “borrowed without permission” from Star Command’s med bay. He WILL bring me illegal narcotics, and I WILL turn them down. He’ll also call in sick to work himself to take care of me - and also because it gives him an excuse to not turn in to work. We’ll likely end up binging shows cuddled up together if I’m not sleepy or too nauseous.

Tony isn’t all that attentive; he knows I’m a grown-up and can mostly handle myself. If I’m seriously incapacitated, he’ll watch over me, but in most cases, he’ll take off to get his own work done, same philosophy as me: call me if you need anything. He’s not gonna rush to bring me things, but he will do smaller gestures - brushing my hair back if I’m asleep before he leaves, etc. After business is taken care of, if I seem stable and not contagious, he’ll assist me in setting up on the couch with blankets aplenty on one end while he sits on the other, and really, all my f/o’s know that when I’m sick, I just wanna binge TV shows, so that’s what we do.

Giovanni freaks out. He also wants to get me everything I need, but he’s kinda not used to taking care of sick people, so he’ll be running around like a headless chicken asking me if I need various medical supplies that don’t at all apply to the kind of illness I have (such as a splint or a tourniquet). And soup. He will bring me so much soup. Hey, he’s good at making it, so I’m not gonna complain. He also does unfortunately think cuddling will make things better, and want to sit in bed next to me or kiss me for reassurance. I tell him over and over and over that that’s just gonna get him sick. Less than 24 hours later, he’s caught what I have, and I’m just “GEE, I WONDER HOW THAT HAPPENED.”

3. PETTY ARGUMENTS!

XR and I are built on petty arguments. He fulfills my fantasies of a relationship based on tsundere rivalry. We will find things to argue about for fun. This is how we get our kicks. I call him a dumbass, he calls me a narcissist, we don’t mean it (…mostly). He once caught me singing and dancing, thinking I was alone, and taped it and circulated it as a meme. He thinks it’s hilarious if I trip and fall. Conversely, I think it’s hilarious if he runs into things when he’s not looking where he’s going. I keep a running record of stupidest spelling mistakes he’s made and will trot them out whenever appropriate. At the end of the day, though, we set it all aside. Don’t let anyone know we’re actually nice to each other behind closed doors!

Tony and I basically argue about one petty thing: the fact that he CANNOT DRIVE. Is there canon precedent to this? Not really, except for the fact that his henchmen always seem to be driving the getaway car. But I have it in my head that the people in our operation who should be driving are me, Pal Joey, and Glasses. The person in our operation who should not be driving is Tony. Guess which one of the four asks most often to drive? Yeah. And sometimes he wears us down and we have to deal with him nearly killing us by driving 20 mph above the speed limit. IN DOWNTOWN NEW YORK. THE POLICE CHASE HASN’T EVEN STARTED. If there is one thing that is the subject of our married-couple spats, it is THIS.

Arguing with Giovanni is more of a minefield because we both have a habit of pretending we’re not sensitive about certain things until one of us rags on that certain thing and then it explodes. I have a oneshot idea, may or may not write it, in which he insults my “nerd glasses” like he always does with Sylvie, and I’m legitimately hurt but trying not to show it, so I engage in a rivalry argument with him that lasts all day, up until he jokingly says that I have delusions of grandeur and I just say “Well, at least I don’t think I’m qualified to be captain when I’m not” about myself when I realize that my lack of filter made it sound like I insinuated he wasn’t qualified to be captain, at which point he will actually start crying and insist to me that words hurt. Everything’s made better when we sit down and have an honest talk about what we said that hurt each other and then hug it out.

[chokememrstark]

The Soulmate Sam Never Asked For // Part 12

Ship: Samifer (Sam Winchester / Lucifer)

Words: 2941 (Chapter 12 / 12)

Fic Summary: Two months have passed and Sam, Lucifer and Raphael have settled down in their new home together. There's only one thing left to worry about: Gabriel. Lucifer is nervous and excited all the same when he finally gets to see his youngest brother again, but there are still a few obstacles in the way of happiness. Sam is glad that he can be by Lucifer's side through this, even if he never expected things to turn out this way.

college!AU, human!AU, soulmates!AU, dysfunctional families, abusive parents, dramatic romance, or romantic drama, your choice, big brother!Lucifer, soulmates hating each other, referenced alcoholism, death and abuse, some violence, and lots of feels, fluff and cuteness, some drama but not too much, lots of bickering, and two damn stubborn soulmates (!!)

Note: I’m so, so, so sorry that I’m posting the last chapter so late. I completely forgot Dx

Tagging: @shebahda   @sassysupernaturalsweetheart    @spnyoucantkeepmedown  @brieflymaximumprincess @multifandomhcsforinsanity @etysky @justasmalltownsuperwholock @humongouscandycoffee @daddycasstiel @nnegann @blakechaos08

If you want off the tag list or want to be added, just drop me an ask or IM!

Read on AO3!

 “Lucifer, are you coming?” Sam shouted out of the kitchen window. Lucifer was chasing Raphael through the garden for almost an hour now and it was getting dark already.

 When the two brothers came back through the terrace door, laughing and dirty as pigs, Sam couldn't help but chuckle. He ruffled Raphael's hair and told him to go take a bath before bed, while Lucifer got himself a coffee and sat down at the kitchen table. Sam followed suit, smiling at the huge grin on the blond’s face.

 “He recovered pretty fast, didn't he?” Sam asked and Lucifer nodded.

 “He did, yeah. He couldn't wait to get out of the hospital,” Lucifer smiled. “I can't blame him, he's been there for far too long.”

 “And you? Ready for the big day tomorrow?”

 “Ready?” Lucifer laughed and took a big sip from his mug. “Nervous as hell doesn't even scratch it.”

 “It's gonna be okay, I know it,” Sam assured him. “You’ve gone through all the formalities, they've talked to you, everything else will come easy. It’s a good place for kids, they’ll see that too.”

 Lucifer smiled weakly, but Sam knew his nervousness wouldn't be gone that easily. Over the last two months they had spent every day working on the house with Bobby, Lucifer whenever he could during the week, as he still visited Raphael at the hospital, and Sam helping him out on the weekends and in the evening.. They had fixed the windows and staircase, cleaned the whole place thoroughly and painted every wall inside and out. Bobby even surprised them one day by revealing something he had built when they took a weekend off: a small playground in the yard, including a set of swings, a slide and a tower with various climbing opportunities. Sam and Lucifer had no idea he was working on something like that and were equally stunned and surprised.

 With Bobby's help they had turned the slowly decaying house into a nicely looking and comfortable place to live at. Each of them had their own bedroom, the other two were reserved for Lucifer's brothers. Bobby even helped them clean out the attic and install a new ladder, so they were able to use it for storage in the future. They didn't even have to pay any rent, Bobby's only condition was that they took good care of the house and that was something they gladly agreed on.

 And now, after countless of appointments with the CPS and the family Gabriel had lived with for the last months, Lucifer would finally be reunited with his youngest brother. Raphael was already living with them for two weeks now and enjoyed it greatly, but both brothers were equally excited to have the little one back soon. And, if he was honest, Sam was too. He had never seen Lucifer like this before, he could only imagine how it would be having both of his brothers with them. Of course things wouldn't be easy, but they would manage somehow.

 After Raphael's bath, Lucifer went upstairs to put his brother to bed and Sam decided to go sit on the terrace for a bit to enjoy the cool night air. He had to admit that he really liked this place. It was much bigger and more comfortable than his dorm room and Lucifer turned out to be quite a pleasant housemate. Even with Raphael around it was all very peaceful. Things would be more lively with Gabriel, of course, but Sam was sure he'd like the house too, especially the playground. The most important thing, however, was that the brothers were far, far away from their father and Lucifer was already taking the necessary steps to become his brothers legal guardian in a few months, when he’d turn twenty-one. Once this was done their old man wouldn't have any rights over them anymore, which Sam was very glad about.

 The door behind Sam opened and a moment later Lucifer joined him on the terrace by plopping into a chair next to him.

 “Already asleep?” Sam asked curious and handed Lucifer a Coke from the table.

 “He was out before I even tucked him in fully,” Lucifer chuckled and leaned back into his chair. “No wonder, he ran around like a headless chicken today.”

 “He has to catch up on a lot,” Sam sighed quietly. “But he can do that now. He can be a kid again.”

 “All thanks to you.”

 “Bullshit,” Sam huffed and waved his hand. “I'm not his brother who did so much for him, that's your accomplishment.”

 “But you saved his life and gave him.a new home…” Lucifer cleared his throat and looked up at Sam. “You gave      us     a new home.”

 “It’s the least I could do,” Sam smiled warmly. “You kinda grew on me, I can't help it, and so did Raphael. I'm glad you're away from this tyran now at least.”

 “I like it here,” Lucifer smiled and looked around into the night. “I know this isn't really what you wanted, or what I wanted for that matter, but it's not as bad as I thought.”

 “It’s not what I wanted, no, but it's not the worst thing either.”

 “What do you mean?” Lucifer gave Sam a confused look that made the brunet smile.

 “You know I hate this soulmate crap, I don't think that will ever change. But now that I know you as a person and not just my soulmate it's different, you know?”

 “Yeah, I feel the same way,” Lucifer nodded. “I like you, but for you and not because I have to. Of course I'm thankful for all you did for me and my brothers, but that's not why I like you either. It's kinda nice being your friend, I can't always show that, but it's true.”

 “Lucifer, you've got your head full, you can't always show things like that, I get it. And you're not a bad friend either, I enjoy being around you. Even if it's not the way it was for my parents, I like this. And, well, maybe it's better the way it is.”

 “You mean without the love and devotion and relationship hassle?” Lucifer smirked and Sam chuckled.

 “Yeah, without all that stuff,” he agreed. “I mean, if it would happen I wouldn't say 'hell no’ anymore, but for now it's good the way it is, don't you think?”

 “I wouldn't say that either, but you're right.” Lucifer emptied his Coke and stood up. “It's good like this now, if anything else happens or things change we’ll find a way to deal with it. But it’s getting late. What do you think, time for bed?”

 “Yeah, it's a big day tomorrow, we need sleep.” Sam followed Lucifer inside, smiling slightly. The blond was right. If things changed between them they'd find a way to deal with it. By now he had accepted that they were soulmates, maybe this was the first step, he didn't know. What he did know was that he had found a great friend and that was enough for the time being.

 ----------

 Lucifer was even more nervous the next morning than the day before. He had changed his usual bad boy attire to something more casual and friendly and, like every time he dressed like that, it made him look like a completely different person. While they waited for the doorbell to ring, Lucifer kept fiddling with his hands to the point where Sam longed for them across the table so he'd hold still for a moment. He gave the other a knowing smile when he looked up.

 “Relax, it's gonna be okay,” Sam assured Lucifer again, brushing a thumb over the back if his hand. “You'll see, there's no need to be worried.”

 “Do you think he'll like it here?” Lucifer asked nervously. “What if he wants to stay with this other family because he likes it better there?”

 “Lucifer, you're his brother! He won't pick strangers over you, don't think that.”

 “I hope so,” Lucifer sighed and weakly returned Sam's hand squeeze. “And I hope he can forgive me for putting him through this in the first place…”

 “You didn't put him through anything, that was your so called dad, okay? You fought for your brothers and to get him back, I'm sure he knows that.”

 “As long as he's not scared of me or wants to leave again…” Lucifer grabbed Sam's hand tighter. “I don't think I could handle that.”

 “He won't, I don’t think so. Now cheer up a bit, they're coming any minute now and you don't wanna greet your little brother with a frowny face, right?”

 “Of course not,” Lucifer said and smiled weakly at Sam.

 A few minutes later the doorbell finally rang and Lucifer jumped off his chair, nearly knocking it over in the process. Sam followed him to the door quickly and laid a hand on his shoulder as Lucifer opened it.

 “Luci!” A high pitched voice echoed through the air as soon as the door was opened and not even a moment later the little boy Sam had seen sleeping in the hospital before jumped into Lucifer's arms with the biggest smile on his face. Sam glanced over at the woman still standing in the door and noticed the smile on her face. A good sign, he hoped.

 “Miss Barker?” Sam asked politely and held out a hand for her to take, which she did and nodded.

 “You must be Mister Winchester, I suppose?”

 “Sam is fine,” Sam smiled. “Please, come inside.”

 Miss Barker followed the invitation while Lucifer stood up, still hugging his little brother. Sam closed the door behind them and they all walked into the living room, where Sam had prepared coffee already.

 “Please, have a seat,” Sam gestured miss Barker to sit, then turned to the blond. “Lucifer? Are you coming?”

 Lucifer gave Sam a nod and looked back at his brother.

 “Hey Gabe, how about you go upstairs and look for Raphie? He told me he had a surprise waiting for you.”

 “Raphie is here? Yippie!” Gabriel threw his arms up and squealed in excitement.

 “You just go up the stairs, slowly, and knock on the first door you see, can you do that? But be careful, Raphie just came home from the hospital, so no fighting, okay?”

 “Okay, Luci!” Gabriel laughed and off he went to find his brother. Lucifer smiled after him for a moment before joining Sam and the CPS woman in the living room.

 “Gabriel was very excited to see you again,” Miss Barker said with a warm smile into Lucifer's direction. “He missed you a lot.”

 “I missed him too,” Lucifer replied quietly, listening to the voices coming from upstairs.

 “As you can see,” Sam continued to speak as no one else seemed to do it. “The house is rather big and Raphael is already living here with us. We also prepared a room for Gabriel upstairs and the garden has a playground that I'm sure he'll like.”

 “You have put a lot of effort into this house, but I'm sure you know it will take some time before Gabriel can live here permanently.”

 “How much time?” Lucifer asked and turned towards her. “We did everything we could, I even began going through the process to become their legal guardian once I turn twenty-one. What else do I have to do to get my brother back?”

 “Lucifer, I never said you wouldn't get him back,” Miss Barker said and gave the boy a stern look. “Your living situation is more than suitable, Gabriel wants to come back and from my point of view there is nothing speaking against it. But this is a legal process that takes time, I can't change that.”

 “How long will it take approximately?” Sam asked again, taking the words from Lucifer, who was visibly upset and on edge already.

 “Since everything speaks for Gabriel living here, it's going to take around five weeks until everything is settled.”

 “Five weeks?” Lucifer was shocked.

 “Don't worry, during those weeks Gabriel will visit you regularly to see how things go when you live together. The first two weeks he may stay for a few hours, under my supervision, the following two weeks it will be during the weekend without me and the last week he may stay here completely. If everything goes well he won't have to leave anymore after that.”

 Sam grabbed Lucifer's hand, who looked like he wanted to argue, and held him back this way. Much to his surprise, the blond stayed silent.

 “Thank you,” Sam said as calm as possible. “I'm very glad you're giving Lucifer this chance. After Raphael's health has improved and he worked so hard to make a new home for them, away from their father, we just hope that Gabriel can settle down here with his brothers and have his family back.”

 “Yeah…” Lucifer mumbled and looked at Sam for a long moment. “I really want nothing more than to have both of my brothers back and see them grow up happy.”

 “I don't think there's anything standing in the way of that,” Miss Barker smiled and Sam noticed the shimmer in her eyes. She was emotional, a big plus for Lucifer. “I'm sure your brothers will be very happy here, it's a wonderful home.”

 “Yes, yes it is,” Sam nodded and smiled back at her.

 ---------

 In the evening, after Gabriel and Miss Barker were long gone and Raphael went to bed - not without a heartfelt goodbye that actually made the CPS woman tear up - Sam and Lucifer sat in the living room to let the day run out. They had talked for a long time before and Lucifer had come to terms with having to wait a few more weeks until everything would be over, something Sam was very glad about.

 Now that tiredness began creeping in and he yawned behind his hand, Sam asked himself if this feeling of comfort he suddenly felt around Lucifer was due to the stressful day or just something he hadn't noticed before. It wasn't unpleasant at all, quite the opposite in fact. He actually liked it.

 “Thank you for your help today, Sam,” Lucifer suddenly said, ripping the other out of his thoughts. “I'm sure I would've screwed things up without you.”

 “I’m glad I could help, you know that,” Sam smiled. “Everything went well and I'm sure it'll stay this way. He'll be back with you soon, I know that.”

 “I hope so too,” Lucifer sighed. “I guess it's time to call it a day, I can barely keep my eyes open anymore.”

 “Me neither,” Sam agreed and suppressed another yawn as he got up. “It's late and it was a stressful day. Let's catch some sleep.”

 The two walked upstairs after turning off the lights. Lucifer checked on Raphael quickly, finding his brother asleep as he had expected, and closed the door with a smile. Sam watched him quietly, not even noticing the warm feeling in his chest.

 “Hey, Lucifer?”

 “Hm?”

 “You were great today,” Sam said. “I've never seen you so happy before. It was really nice.”

 “It's silly, but my brothers just make me happy.”

 “It's not silly,” Sam smiled and shook his head. “It's really cute actually.”

 Despite the dim light in the upstairs corridor, Sam saw the slight hint of red on Lucifer's face. It made the warmth spread to his stomach.

 “Thank you, Sam,” Lucifer eventually smiled back and, much to Sam's surprise, closed the distance between them instead of going into his own room.

 “Is something wrong?” Sam asked, slightly confused, and looked at the blond.

 “I don't think so,” Lucifer frowned, meeting Sam's gaze. “I just… would you mind if I… you know... ”

 “Not at all,” Sam smiled, using too now that he realized what the other was trying to ask for.

 When Lucifer leaned down and brushed his lips against Sam's, the warmth in the brunet’s stomach flared up immensely, as if a million flaming butterflies were flapping their wings. Sam closed his eyes slowly, just focusing on this new and utterly overwhelming sensation that seemed to spread into every cell of his body. He barely noticed that Lucifer laid a hand on his hip, all he could feel right now was this kiss and how dizzy and weak it made him feel.

 Despite all of Sam’s efforts to fight against being Lucifer’s soulmate from the moment they met, he had felt his walls crumble more and more with each passing day. He would have never expected things to take such a turn so soon, not even in his wildest dreams. When Lucifer pulled back after a very long and very nice minute, Sam couldn’t help but smile at him.

 “Changed your mind on not letting it get to you?” Sam asked sheepishly, to which Lucifer grinned.

 “Maybe a little,” he said. “If you don’t mind of course. I mean, we live together already, we’re friends… maybe it won’t be that bad.”

 “Yeah, maybe,” Sam sighed contently. “I think I can take a risk for once.”

 “I promise I won’t make you regret it,” Lucifer assured Sam and kissed him again - this one much deeper and not less thrilling as the first time.

 For the first time, Sam actually believed that being Lucifer’s soulmate might turn out to be a good thing. He was happy now, even if things were difficult sometimes, and he didn’t want to miss the other in his life anymore. And who knew, maybe they’d be able to make it work. Sam really hoped so at least.

[optimisticcritique]

Gotham 4x17 - Review

The season is getting close to the end, things are about to get crazy(er). Let’s see what crazy stuff happens this week. Tagging characters that I mainly focus on in the review. Sorry if it is kind of long.

Getting right into the action! Go get him Bruce!

How did Jerome have time to get dressed, meet back up with Scarecrow, release Tetch, and send Tetch to hypnotize the guy before Bruce got there? He wasn’t that far behind Jerome. No GPS? Was he stuck in traffic? Maybe Tetch hypnotized his way through the traffic to get there first. I mean, that’s what I would do if I could hypnotize people.

Xander…yeah, seeing spoilers, I predict this is Jerome’s twin brother, right? This is the one time I wish I hadn’t seen spoilers, no big reveal.  

Oh boy, he has a bomb. Duck and cover!

See, now Jim and Harvey aren’t that far behind Bruce. Did they take the short cut?

Bruce trying to help the guy. I love it but I don’t know if it’ll work.

Question: Why did Tetch hypnotize the guy to trigger the bomb by a clock? Wouldn’t it make more sense to have him press it on like a key phrase (like “if someone asks you about Jerome/Xander, press it”) so that Bruce couldn’t have time to jump away? Or was killing Bruce (or anyone else) not the intention?

Shooting the clock! Quick thinking. Learning tricks from being a Tetch survivor.

Aaand he has a watch. Of course he does. Well, at least you tried.

Wait, it’s the dinner already? That happened fast. How did Jerome get them all together? How did he contact Oswald and Oswald just agreed? Did it take some time or was he reluctant at first? Were they all agreeable at first? Did he threaten them? Bribe them with free food?

This is the villain dinner I always wished for…if you had told me we would have all these villains together in one place seasons ago, I would have been floored. I probably would have freaked out, running down the street while yelling “Yessss! Bring me all the villains! A few years can’t come fast enough!!!!” as all the neighborhoods stare at me.

I love villains interacting. I also love seeing characters that have been previously introduced, having scenes with one another that they have never shared scenes with before. It’s the individual character build up and mixture of personalities.  

The only thing missing from this wonderful dinner is Ed :( I guess The Riddler isn’t considered “freak” enough for them…

“Put all questions on ice until the end” Awe the ice puns. Well great, now I want to know what Victor’s question was going to be. I do love how he just raises his hand, like he’s in school and trying not to interrupt the teacher.

“Mr. Oswald” lol well, that’s an interesting choice. I would have thought he would call Oswald by his Penguin name. Really gives me Ed flashbacks to “Mr. Penguin”, which is fun.

Oh Oswald looks just…I have no words. What a fashion icon. I love his fur coat and hair. Real perfection. Fish would be so proud!  One of these days, I really want to see him doing his hair in an actual scene, instead of being off screen. I’m curious how long he spends on it.  

This is Sofia’s old place that Oswald took over XD Wait, Oswald hosted? Option A: Jerome barged into the house and just told Oswald that they are having it there or Option B: Oswald wants to seem supportive, just so he can be involved and know what is coming for his city. Me: Probably both.  

“Anything for a friend” pfft uh huh. I bet. He is probably planning a back stab or just waiting for Jerome to fail.

Got to say, I wasn’t sure about the new scarecrow actor but he’s pretty good. His facial expressions are dead on.

Yeah, Oz doesn’t seem very keen on these plans. His facial reactions say it all.

He’s probably thinking either “What I have I gotten myself into” or “I should have made more food”  

Alfred!!! Where have you been? Been partying? Taking a spa day for a couple of episodes?

Jim, no! Let Bruce do his thing! Sure, he could potentially die horribly but be reasonable here…

Yeah, Bruce will not take no for an answer. Will Jim change his mind or will Bruce take on a mask again?  

“Maybe he wants him to build him something” You can’t fool us! We all know what he is really after!

Yeah, that woman is probably regretting not calling in sick to work today.

Jerome trying to whistle… it wouldn’t surprise me if that is the only thing he hates about his new stitched up face. Who cares that his face is different…he can’t whistle anymore!!!

“Don’t bother going to security! They are all…headless” Wait, you have a gun. You could shoot them in the heads but not cut off their heads. How are they headless?  

“Drop the gun!” “Oh you are such a stick in mud” Would you have preferred a western style shoot out or for him to just be like “Oh hey Jerome. Go on ahead and do what you do with the gun. Have fun” as he casually walks past you?

Xander knowing Bruce’s father…hmm…

“What time is it?!” Tool-no-Mail-no-Extra time!!! “Riddle time!!!” …that was my next guess.

Wow, everyone is so loving this. I guess this has been going on for quite awhile.

Speaking of which, what did happen between that pier scene and now? Did Oswald and Ed become friends again? Make a deal? Just go their own ways? I feel like there is something missing here.  

Oh, you know Ed is just loving this. This reminds me of that episode back in season one (1x09?), where he is listening to a game show on the radio and answering the questions as he is working. You know that was one of his inspirations for this!

Bet you that brief case has no money even in it. The Riddler is just that cocky.

“The street demons!” Lol the way that he says that! I just love it when he does voices or accents. Pulling out all the stops to make things extra.  

The Riddler totally doesn’t even seem like he cares about what is going on in this guy’s life.

How happy he gets when he hears “Riddler”. Not many people have called him that in the show yet, have they?

“I’ve fallen on hard times but happy to be here with you Riddler” I relate to this on a spiritual level. Ed making my week better <3

Ooh this Lila has the best get up. Please tell me Ed made it himself.

Lars, you are over thinking! Don’t ever over think it!

I would half expect the crowd to give out answers but you just know they want to see people getting tortured.

“Rabid sack of rats” Awe man, I was hoping for the barracuda stapled to the forehead….you know, for curiosity purposes…

“Enough!” Nooooo! Never! Don’t ruin this Lee!

I actually saw an interview right before this episode, with Cory saying the episode will end “hot” and “romantic”. It won’t surprise me if Lee/Ed kiss by the end of this.

Wow Lee, you look stunning. Love the new hair.  Also love Ed’s too.

What’s up with the new hair styles lately though? First we mourn see Jervis and Harvey getting their longer hair cut. Now we see Ed and Lee both have hair cuts, with Oswald serving up a new hairstyle. Did we miss a national “change your hair day” in Gotham or something? Or did one person do it and the rest got jealous so they changed their hair too? Or did the actors all decide to get new hair styles at the same time?

“We put Oswald on ice” you make it sound like you both attempted to kill him or something. The vagueness.

So I guess Ed knows about Sofia. Is he impressed with her doing that or not so because she didn’t finish the job?

“Whatever the hell this is, it’s over” “I don’t think so” I’m just waiting for this to be turned into a reaction gif. Like, people upset about something to Gotham writers and Gotham writers going “I don’t think so” or vice versa.

“And my name…is The Riddler” Awe so we are on this again. So, he still isn’t whole. Funny how he is still saying this to people a season later. Also, Oswald called him Ed…but maybe it is because he called him The Riddler first? Or “because we have history” thing? …Even though he and Lee technically have history too, with working together at the GCPD.

*challenges Ed* First: Lee that is bold and I am impressed with you. Second: Noooo! I knew this was going to happen but I didn’t want it to happen so quickly. We only got to see him have one contestant, who we didn’t even see get tortured. Let Ed/Cory have more fun! Let us have our showman Riddler!

Who is this woman? Just a random character that’ll die this episode or the next?

Umm are you implying Jerome is a dog? ;) Also, isn’t that cage a little bit small to fit Jerome in? I just picture her trying to push and squeeze him into that cage, just barely closing it.

Oswald and Butch reunited again! I kind of missed their…complicated relationship to be honest. They also have a long history, probably knowing each other as long as Oswald knew Fish so I can only imagine what Oswald will think of this new Butch.

Oswald’s eyes when he sees Butch. Yeah, totally unprepared for that.

“I will be honest, I like it…” It’s like when a friend pretends to like your bad hair cut, even when they know it looks bad.

“Just came from brunch with Jerome Valeska…” Oh yeah, that’s a great way to start this. He says it so casually, like it was just an everyday civil affair with food and great conversation. Bet he thought he would never utter those words though XD  

“Seemed to involve a great deal of paint” lol that was totally not the point of that, you forgot to mention the mass crazy Ozzie.

Oswald wearing green gloves with that outfit.

“You must be all out of allies” “Don’t be modest” Yeah, he still has Ed as an ally so he isn’t COMPLETELY out of allies. He has…one….

Again, what happened with Ed and why Butch? Option A: He asked Ed, Ed refused, saying he wanted to do his own thing. Option B: He started to ask Ed, Ed talked about a Riddle factory and he immediately went “yeah, nope. Never mind” Option C: He knows Jerome will want someone who is a “freak” to add to the group. Oswald also wants someone strong (let’s face it, Ed is not) and not easily killed. Butch fits that mark, not Ed. He doesn’t want Ed to get involved with this mess either. Which I think is the most likely. Option Q: Forgetting own writing.

Oh, you just totally made him angry. You won’t like him when he’s angry! …Wait, totally wrong universe and different comics.

Okay, I know you look bad now Butch. But look at the bright side, you’re strong, you’re practically immortal, and-with a good hair dye and spray tan-you could look fairly the same. Think positively!

*pushes Oswald on the floor* Nooo! Don’t ruin the majestic hair and coat! They must be protected at all costs!

I don’t know why but, even though I already love Oswald, this episode has made me love him a million times more… *stares at his hair and coat* Not sure why…

“like a flower” well, that choice of words is threatening but also not.

Oh sure, you only want them involved when you want something. It’s a two way street, Jim. Now you have to let him risk his life and you can’t say a thing.

“I love you” In your own twisted way, I bet.

*does a heart with his hands* Jerome fans: Awe that’s what we do when we see you on screen… :’D

He’s freely letting Harvey and Jim in? No booby traps? It kind of looks like a place that would have traps like that.

Ecco! In the same episode as the riddle factory…Some say this woman would be Harley Quinn because she is devoted to this guy…I kind of doubt it. There is also an Echo who worked with the Riddler (although I think Query was the blonde, not like it matters) The name is spelled wrong so she is most likely a throw away character but…why Ecco? Why use a similar name to tease fans?! Why?!    

“Oh my god, there’s two of them!” Oh Harvey…seriously, this is a Cameron/Jerome fan’s dream right there. Not one but two? Alittle over a season ago one didn’t exist and the other was “dead”.

“Please don’t touch that! That is very sensitive equipment” Yeah, sure looks sensitive to me. Especially the couple of buttons that turns it on.

Jerome doing yoga because why not?

Him waving right when Jim sees… o_o It’s like he knew…  

How much you want to bet that someone followed Jerome? If Firefly followed to the office, you can bet he didn’t go see Ecco on his own. It’s the only way I can see him getting out of there.

“She thinks stapling a live barracuda to someone’s head isn’t damn good entertainment” The nerve! Wait…did he just say “damn good”? Has he ever said that word before? :O But your fake swearing was so pure, what has the world done to you?!

I think it is interesting that he only puts his hat on when he speaks a riddle.

I’m not going to even attempt these riddles. I suck at logic.

Scenes like this make me wonder if we will ever get a “whole” Ed or just get this Riddler from now on.

Wow. Who knew the Riddler was so upset about all this?

Lee’s face…yup, she got what she wanted. Smart cookie right there.

The Riddler totally played himself.

Haha! Called it! Knew he would be followed. Don’t underestimate him.

“If I knew this thing was a 100 acres, I would have stopped and had a sandwich before we came” Harvey, you are so relatable. I don’t blame you. My ship of Harvey + food continues to sail. The ship I can always count on <3

“The End” Wait, is the episode over? Is this where the story ends?

Wow, the acting right here is so good. I keep forgetting both Jerome and Jeremiah are both Cameron.

“His bearded sidekick” Hey! He has a name and thy name is Harvey!

“Born bad” that’s lousy reasoning.

Ooh so he lied? Well, this intrigues me. I am so skeptical of this guy. I just know there is more to him than meets the eye. I don’t believe this facade!

“You killed our mother” “She did deserve it though” Lol no care whatsoever. Again with the lousy reasoning.

“Listen to what I have to say” “Oh hell no! You are not hypnotizing me again!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHH!” *Jervis and Jonathan run for their dear lives as Harvey charges towards them* ….LOL Oh my god. Harvey, you are a blessing to this world. Most iconic moment. He is so done with Jervis. The way he just let out a war cry, causing the duo to flee is just…it’s beautiful. I’m dying. I will never be over this. Favorite part of the episode. Batman should take notes.

Jim being like “Welp, okay then” as he follows Harvey.

Just imagine Harvey chasing them all around the maze, with the video sped up and silly music playing. Or slowed down with suspenseful music playing. 

“Must go! Must go! They’re after me and the Scarecrow!” Oh my god I love this so much. I am going to put this on a loop forever.

I love how Jonathan doesn’t even try spraying or anything. He just follows Jervis wherever he goes. I am loving this duo.  

Jerome watching them run off like “whatever”.

*can still hear Harvey screaming* Me: *is dead*

*kisses Jeremiah’s head as he flees* Awe brother love…nothing like wanting your sibling dead and in misery one minute and kissing him in the next.

Whoa. That disappearance happened fast. Did he find a prototype invisible jet or something? Or did Jervis just have the car right outside the door, Jerome leapt in, and they drove away as fast as possible? Scratch that, they are totally hiding on the side of that building, shushing and tip toeing away.

The Riddler being all cocky and smug. Yeah, you probably won’t be feeling this way in a few minutes…

Hey, even I know this riddle! Oh, I see what you are doing there Lee.

It’s simple Ed. Just look at the audience as you say “I love you”. There you go!

Wow, he is pushing Ed back so much that he risks losing in front of an entire crowd.

Lee outsmarting him, good on Lee but sucks for the riddle factory :( I feel robbed.

A little bit late but I’d like to imagine Ed making all of these props himself. Cutting out a giant wheel, painting it, sticking two giant beakers together…

Wait, Oswald knows how to reverse it? Will it actually work though? I kind of feel like it would be a bummer to get rid of Grundy after all this…

Hugo Strange! Of course it’s Hugo. If it is monster related, it’s always Hugo lol

Yay! Oswald and Butch team up once more!

Poor Ed losing his riddle factory. A loss for us all :’(

“they didn’t come here because they love you, Ed” Wow, that’s harsh.  

“Because I know what you really want…” Validation? Wait, no… Lee:  *pulls out the glitter suit from thin air* The Riddler: :’D You found it! I thought I lost it!

Knife to the neck! Always going for the neck.

Oh, they are totally going to go on a robbing spree. Does Lee really need the money? Or is this also a way to appeal to The Riddler to get him back on her side?

….

I am reserving any specific opinion/judgement on this situation until I see more of it. But I definitely see some manipulation at play here. The question is, is it just one or both manipulating? I am actually a bit surprised Lee would play this card.

Oh, I can just imagine reactions from others. Jim, Harvey, Oswald, Butch, Barbara…they all have a decent history with both of them.

The music is the same music that played when Ed killed Kristen. Hmm…This does not bode well. It never does for Ed and anyone he is involved with.

“I don’t know. I thought it already was” Oh, you have no idea how mad this city can get Harvey…you don’t even technically have the Joker yet.

No! Not Carl! We hardly knew thee. Justice for Carl!!! 

*Jerome punches Grundy’s shoulder, shakes hand* Parallel to when Ed high fived him and did the same thing. Probably like hitting a brick wall.

Joker toxin!!!

The Jervis reaction XD Like, he knew the plan right? He looks so shocked.

Everyone’s reactions emoticon style: Jervis: 😮Jonathan: 😬  Jerome: 😆  Bridgit: 🙂 Victor: 😏 Butch: 😕Oswald: 🐧  

Oh god that looks painful. Looks like the “fun” is about to begin.

Man, if Jerome does end up dying, I won’t know how to feel. Jeremiah intrigues me and I think he will eventually grow on me but...he doesn’t have the same history that Jerome has with the characters. Why even have the twin twist? ...I guess I’ll just have to wait to see how it all plays out before deciding what I think. I will say, at least Cameron will still be playing him so it isn’t gypping him from the role.

Over all: Good episode. I felt like some of it was a bit fast paced. I was a bit surprised by how quickly the dinner began, Jerome got his info, the riddle factory ended…that being said, some good villain interaction and Harvey being amazing. The legion of horribles succeed in finding Jerome’s twin brother Jeremiah, the GCPD to put Jeremiah in protective custody, the Joker toxin has been created, Ed/Lee kiss while deciding to go rob banks, and Oswald recruits Butch in promising he could reverse his condition by finding Hugo Strange.

Previous Review: 4x16  Next: 4x18

[queen-of-deans-booty]

Bloodlust- Part 1

Pairing: Dean x Reader

Word Count: 1,856

Warnings: Typical Supernatural violence, angst, language, minor character death, blood, you know the usual,

Author’s Note: I do not own anything from Supernatural. All credit goes to their respective owners. Please, if you want to be tagged for this series, let me know and I’ll add you! If you want to be tagged for my other fics, I’ll add you! I want to hear what you guys think about this. If you want something requested, send it in!

Feedback is the glue that holds my writing together.

Tags at the bottom

The one thing that kept Dean from breaking down would have to be the thought that he would soon get his precious car up and running again. With your help, always working on it every day for the past 4 weeks, made that happen.

You saw him smile for the first time since his dad died and you were happy for him. You were glad you were able to help him achieve this goal.

“Damn, sweetheart, we did good.” Dean laughed, happy he was driving his beauty again. AC/DC was playing and you were happy that Dean was happy.

“It was mostly you.” You blushed, smiling at him.

“Whoo! Listen to her purr! Have you ever heard anything so sweet?” Dean laughed, looking at his brother.

“You know, if you two wanna get a room, just let me know, Dean.” Sam joked.

“Oh, don't listen to him, baby. He doesn't understand us.” Dean said to his car.

“Dean, are you sure you don’t want that room?” You said.

“The only room I’ll be getting is one with you.” He looked at you through the rear view mirror and winked at you.

“I’ll hold you to that.” You winked back and him and Sam playfully gagged.

“Sam, if you would have gotten with Sarah, we might not have this problem.” Dean said, teasing his brother.

“Shut up. All things aside, you’re in a good mood.” Sam smiled, looking at his brother.

“Well, yeah, I got my car, got a case, and got my girl. Things are looking up.” Dean grinned. You were really happy he was happy. You loved seeing that beautiful smile and those crinkles by his eyes. His green eyes always sparkled whenever he was happy.

“So, how far to Red Lodge?” You asked Sam. You didn’t know too much about this case you were going on but you would know a lot more when you arrived.

“Another 300 miles.”

“Good.” He floored his car, speeding down the deserted road.

It didn’t take you long to get there, now that Baby was all fixed up and Dean was driving her again. All you knew was that you had to talk to the Sheriff. There have been a couple of murders and a lot of cattle mutilation going on around this part of town and the Sheriff would know more about that than anyone.

You and the Winchesters were pretending to be reporters. Even though you suggested to go as actual police officers, the brothers were persistent on the reporter things.

You met the Sheriff and he was sporting a really nice mustache and you couldn’t help but wonder what Sam or Dean would look like with mustaches. If Dean grew one, you would have him shave it off. Beards and scruff, you found attractive but mustaches, you found eerily creepy. But this officer was rocking the fuck out of it. So, good for him.

“The murder investigation is ongoing, and that's all I can share with the press at this time.” The sheriff said, crossing his arms.

“Sure, sure, we understand that, but just for the record, you found the first, uh, head last week, correct?” Sam asked. The sheriff nodded and you looked at him from across the room.

“Okay, and the other, an uh, Christina Flanigan…” Dean started to say.

“That was two days ago,” There was a knock on the door and you looked to see a woman who was pointing to her watch. “Oh, sorry but time is up. So, we’re done here.”

“One last question, what about the cattle?” Dean asked.

“Excuse me?” The sheriff said.

“You know, the cows found dead, split open, and drained... over a dozen cases. Do you think there is a connection?” You asked, watching the Sheriff carefully.

“Connection with…?”

“First cattle mutilations, now two murders? Kind of sounds like ritual stuff, you know, satanic cult ritual stuff.” Dean explained. You were trying to get information on the cattle and the murders but the sheriff wasn’t going to give anything away to a couple of reporters.

“You’re not kidding?” The sheriff asked, not believing what Dean said.

“I’m afraid we aren’t.” You chuckled nervously.

“Those cows aren't being mutilated. You wanna know how I know? Because there's no such thing as cattle mutilation. Cow drops, leave it in the sun, within forty-eight hours the bloat will split it open so clean it's just about surgical. The bodily fluids fall into the ground and get soaked up because that's what gravity does. But, hey, it could be Satan. What newspaper did you say you work for?” The sheriff said, narrowing his eyes at the three of you.

“Weekly World News,” You said before the brothers had a chance to say anything. “Sorry for bothering you and thank you for the information.” You smiled politely and left with the men.

“I think we should go to the morgue and see the bodies. I think he was hiding something or we can find something out that he doesn’t know.” You suggested to the Winchesters.

“Good thinking, sweetheart.” Dean smiled and walked to the brand new, shiny Impala. You three got in the car and Dean drove to the hospital quickly. Before you knew it, you were standing in front of a new intern who was guarding the morgue. He had a name tag but you only knew his last name. His first name was only his initial which started with a J.

“John.” Dean tried to guess his name.

“Jeff.” The young man corrected.

“Right, Jeff, I knew that. Dr. Dworkin needs to see you in his office right away.” Dean said, acting like the boss of the place.

“But Dr. Dworkin's on vacation.” Jeff said suspiciously.

“Well, he's back and he's pissed, and he's screaming for you, man, so if I were you I would…” Dean whistled and Jeff widened his eyes. He rushed off, leaving the morgue unattended.

“Alright boys, let’s get down to business.” You sang. You giggled as the boys groaned playfully. You walked inside and grabbed three pairs of latex gloves, handing one to Sam and Dean. Sam opened up a compartment, pulling out a headless corpse with a box between their legs.

“Alright, open it.” Dean said to his brother.

“You open it.” Sam said, backing up.

“I’ll open it, ladies.” You smirked and grabbed the box, putting it on one of the tables. You flipped off the lid and nodded, impressed by what you saw. The woman’s head was inside the box and she looked pretty dead. You didn’t get grossed out easily but apparently, the brothers were. Dean grimaced at what he saw and Sam cringed.

“You two girls going to be okay?” You teased, looking at the head.

“I can’t believe you don’t think this is nasty.” Sam said.

“I can’t believe after all you’ve seen, this is what grosses you out.” You smirked.

“Maybe we should, uh, you know, look in her mouth, see if those wackos stuffed anything down her throat. You know, kind of like the moth in Silence of the Lambs.” Dean suggested.

“Yeah, here, go ahead.” Sam said, turning the box to face Dean.

“No, you go ahead.” Dean faced the box to his brother.

“I’ll go ahead.” You said, exasperated. You pulled the box closer to you and reached in the girl’s mouth, trying to see if you could feel anything out of the ordinary. You frowned, taking a closer look at her gums. You saw some type of hole and you frowned, lifting her top lip.

“Guys, look at this.” Sam and Dean leaned forward looking at what you were looking at. You pressed on the gum and a sharp tooth descends. You stared at the head with an open mouth, not believing what you were seeing.

“It’s a tooth.” Sam said, pointing out the obvious.

“No, this is a vampire tooth. Shit, this girl was a vampire. Her head was cut off. Someone here is hunting them.” You said, pulling your hands away from her.

“Shit, this changes everything.” Sam said.

“You think?” You looked at him and he shrugged. There was another hunter in town and you didn’t know who it was.

“We should get out of here before Jeff comes back after he finds out that he’s not in trouble.” You said, putting the lid back on the box. You think that you got what you came here for. Sam nodded and slid the body back in the compartment, taking his gloves off. You took yours off and threw them away.

There was nothing else left to do besides wait until you can see who the hunter was. So, you knew what Dean wanted.

Alcohol.

Dean suggested going to the bar but at night. You weren’t complaining; you liked having alcohol only at night. You would have to be pretty fucked up to drink at night. You walked into the bar and went to the counter, taking a seat. Immediately, the cute ass bartender walked to you and gave you a flirty smile.

“What can I get for you, sweetheart?” He smiled flirtatiously.

“Just three beers, please.” You batted your eyelashes. You were a natural flirt so if someone flirted with you, you would flirt back. You didn’t mean to do it in front of Dean but it just natural came out. He nodded and walked away to get your beers.

“You know, your boyfriend is right here.” Dean said in your ear.

“Don’t worry, Dean. I’m still going home with you.” You assured him, putting a hand on his jean clad thigh.

“Damn straight.” Dean muttered as the bartender walked back over. He handed you the beers and you slid one to Sam and Dean. The bartender seemed to have eyes only for you. He didn’t even acknowledge Sam or Dean.

“So, I’m looking for some people. You see a lot of people. Think you can help me?” You asked, staring at him.

“Sure, sweetheart, but I’m right here.” He smirked, sending you a wink. You laughed and looked at Dean to see him narrowing his eyes at you. You stopped laughing and cleared your throat, giving him an apologetic look before turning your attention back to the bartender.

“Right. So, these people, they would have moved here about six months ago, probably pretty rowdy, like to drink, more likely night owls. You know, sleep all day and party all night?” You asked him.

“Barker farm got leased out a couple months ago. Real winners. They've been in here a lot - drinkers. Noisy. I've had to 86 them once or twice.” You nodded and sent him a smile, pushing your beer away.

“Thanks.” You said. Sam and Dean were already out of their seats but the bartender wasn’t done talking with you.

“You busy later? I’m off soon.” He smirked.

“Sorry, pal, she’s with me.” Dean intervened, taking your hand. You shrugged and walked away from the bar, not noticing the scowling look on the bartender’s face. You and the brothers walked out of the bar and down the road where the Impala was parked.

Forever and ever:

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Series Rewrite Junkies:

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Dean Beans:

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[merinathropp]

Tanz der Vampire - Hamburg 2017: Detailed Breakdown

It’s official, folks: I have finally, finally seen Tanz der Vampire live. After 17 months of hoping, dreaming and saving - my little dream came true, and I flew to Germany to see the show. So! In loving memorial, I’ve written up a stupidly long review of my experience below. I saw the show twice, but have combined the entire experience into this one post. If anyone has a particular question about a scene or song, please just shout at me :) I’m up for any excuse to talk more about this show, being the obsessed fan that I am...

First night - from stalls left Second night - from stalls front row, right in the middle Graf von Krolock - Mathias Edenborn Alfred - Tom van der Ven Sarah - Maureen Mac Gillavry Sarah - Anja Wendzel (alternate)  Professor Abronsius - Victor Petersen Herbert - Kiryll Zolygin (alternate)  Magda - Sara Jane Checchi Chagal - Jerzy Jeszke

GENERAL

- This trip was worth every dang penny. Hands down one of the greatest musical theatre experiences of my life I encourage everyone to save up, spend the money and fly to Germany to see this musical live, at least once your lifetime. You will not regret it. 

- What blew me away the most about my entire experience was coming to the realisation that Tanz der Vampire is a legitimately spectacular musical at its core, more so than I had ever given it credit for. Everything comes together to create an entirely immersive experience that sweeps you off your feet for 3 hours, and a shaky camcorder bootleg can never, never match its true glory.

- Orchestra was full and luscious, to my ears. No idea what all the complaints are about, Hamburg has definitely pulled out all the stops in this regard. There was a killer pianist banging out some stuff I’ve never even noticed on the CD! - The lighting was pure magic. My word, this show does not get enough credit having some of the most awe-inspiring lighting I think I’ve ever seen onstage. Highlights for me were the gleaming moonlight that floods the back of the stage during Tanzaal and the eerie golden glow of sunrise in Carpe Noctem.

- The sets are unearthly and gothic and stunning; the rotating cottage blanketed in snow, the graveyard swimming in mist with its wrought-iron gates in silhouette, the cavernous ballroom with its winding staircase, the maze of bookcases draped in cobwebs and dust...gosh, there are too many to name. I’ve always leaned more towards the Kentaur Revival sets, but having seen these ones live, I’m starting to seriously reconsider my opinion.

ENSEMBLE

- Is it just me, or are the German casts always uncannily brilliant when it comes to their mirror doubles? I swear this is one thing the Russian casts never managed to pull off. Even from the front row, it still looked like Alfred’s reflection was dancing with an invisible Herbert. And the trio at the end were perfectly synced, right down to drawing breath in unison. Absolutely ingenious.

- Roten Stiefel was sublime, especially the first time I saw it. The ensemble seemed to be dancing on air, every movement just flowed and Sarah literally flew around the stage like she was on cloud nine. I don’t think I breathed for the entire sequence.

- The coordination of the choreography in Ewigkeit blew me away. You just don’t know where to look during that number, it’s such a visual spectacle! Like a literal load of rotting corpses, each trying to keep themselves in one piece long enough to feed. One guy clearly had a case of Nearly-Headless Nick, one guy kept ‘popping’ his arms back into their sockets, one lady was totally spastic - they’re all so individual and creative!

- Nightmare!Alfred and nightmare!Sarah were haunting and lovely. Every movement between them was so gentle and full of longing. The way nightmare!Alfred looked at her, guh - tender and sweet, yet oddly aloof and mysterious, he was so interesting to watch! And his snarling at the end was vicious, like a mad dog or something, really chilling stuff. 

- Nightmare Solo 1 was replaced by HERBERT HIMSELF! Yes, it was HERBERT who appeared on top of the bed and introduced Carpe Noctem, cementing his ‘puppet master’ role 100%. He was so graceful and controlling throughout the entire number, moving his hands like he was ‘guiding’ each dancer into place. And I loved that the replacement meant that Herbert was the first and last character to leave the nightmare, he remained on the bedpost gazing down at sleeping Alfred until the very end of the singing, before drifting off upstage. Ugh, so many new Carpe Noctem headcanons...

- I was disappointed with our Black Vampire. He never threw himself into his movements, there was no power or danger in anything he did, just...perfectly okay dancing, and one really odd lacklustre jump. Bit of a let down :(

KROLOCK (Mathias Edenborn)

- You know how everyone in the fandom says you never forget your first Graf? Well...shoot, turns out they’re absolutely right. Mathias was magnificent and blew all my expectations away; I’ve never thought much of him, in the videos I’ve seen, but watching him live was an incredible experience. He was electrifying from the moment he glided onstage, and commanded the attention of the whole theatre. His Krolock was refined yet animalistic, powerful yet broken, charming yet icy cold, passionate yet subtle. He could also be raw and human when he needed to be, and for the first time, actually made me FEEL for the character. And he has this massive booming powerhouse voice to boot.

- During Vor Dem Schloss, he was very intent on Alfred, standing right up close to him and wrapping his cloak around his shoulders. He also did a lovely elegant gesture where he traced the outline of Alfred’s face with his fingertips. Tom was reacting so well to him, the two just played off each other beautifully throughout the whole scene, just this constant push and pull, like there was a magnetic force between them - brilliant stuff. That chemistry, I Am Here For It. 

- When he was talking about Die Fledermaus, he went: “Genial! (deadpan sarcasm, staring straight out into the audience) ...Ich war gefangen.” Ouch :)

- During Einladung, he examined the planks of Sarah’s door and ran his fingers over them in a mocking sort of way when he sang the word ‘sicherheit’ - like he was sneering at Chagal’s efforts and how feeble/useless they were.

- During Totale Finsternis, he did something very interesting; every time he turned away from Sarah, he seemed to be secretly struggling with himself, not from thirst, but almost as though he was overwhelmed by the sin he was committing, and feeling some measure of conflict over it? He’d reach towards her, and then shake his head and pull back at the last minute, and turn away from her with this broken expression and put a hand to his heart. Finally, at the very end of the song, when he turned to face her and saw she’d bared her throat - his face went entirely blank, cold and decisive, like he’d made up his mind in that moment. Such an interesting take on the number, turning it into a moral dilemma for Krolock even as he’s drawing Sarah into his web!

- During Tanzaal, at the very beginning when he first appeared at the top of the stairs, he greeted the retinue of vampires with a German word I couldn’t catch, and then held out a hand in Herbert’s direction, and announced “Sohn!” with great solemnity and I absolutely loved it :’) all the family Krolock feels.

- He had so much adorable interaction with Herbert throughout the rest of the number, it warmed my heart. They would laugh together and Herbert tapped his shoulder when Sarah entered the room, then leant over to say something to him and they grinned together like two gothic super-villains, it was AMAZING. When Sarah came down the stairs and revealed her full dress, Krolock glanced back at Herbert and raised his eyebrows, like he was saying “See? Told you she was something.” and it was the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen a Krolock do.

- When Alfred almost collided with him at the end of the minuet, he reached out a hand and sort of flicked/stroked Alfred’s open fingertips with one of his nails. It was so creepy and menacing, like Alfred was a mouse on a cat’s claw.

ALFRED (Tom van der Ven)

- Mixed feelings on Tom’s Alfred. I found his first performance dull as dishwater, he had this odd vacant expression for about 50% of the show and it was maddening how bland he made Alfred, even though his chemistry with Sarah and Krolock was fantastic. But! Low and behold! His second performance was much better: more reactive, more expressive, more everything. He brought the character to life, at least in most scenes, and won me over against all the odds. 

- I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but oh my word, he is the absolute cutest of cute Alfreds. If him and Sergey ever starred in Tanz together, the theatre would implode from sheer cuteness overload. He’s so small and slender with these big wide innocent eyes, you just want to hug him every time he walks onstage. He also puts on an oddly plaintive high-pitched voice for Alfred, which I found ??? initially, but I do think it works with his performance. Also: my relatives said his accent was distracting, but I didn’t notice. 

- I love, love, love how truly sincere and ardent he plays Alfred, during any interaction with Sarah. Wirklich Sehr Nett was a real love-at-first-sight moment for him: he spoke so softly to Sarah, he was tentative and gentle, but so genuine. He clearly meant every single word he said, and he gazed at her like she was the sun and moon and stars. My heart, it hath feelings.

- Another Sarah-related thing that he kept up through the entire show: whenever he was singing about Sarah, thinking about Sarah, even remembering Sarah in Ein Guter Tag (“Heut oder nie finde ich zu ihr!”) or Der Gruft (“Denk an Chagal’s Tocher!”) - he got this dorky, dreamy, crooked half-smile and gazed off into the distance like he’d been momentarily transported to Heaven itself and oh my gosh that smile could melt the coldest heart I swear...

- During Tanzaal, he didn’t recognise the Professor at first and just stood awkwardly beside him for a bit...before doing a double take, like “Oh Professor, it’s only you!” which was ever so cute. Then during his little step-toe dance across the stage, he picked his feet up SUPER HIGH like he was trying extra hard to be a Fancy Vampire and it made me giggle so much.

- Any Krolock/Alfred shippers in the house must have been having a field day, because he was so FOCUSSED on Krolock during Vor Dem Schloss, I don’t think he took his eyes off him for a moment. He’d take little stumbling steps towards him like he couldn’t help being drawn in, but then he’d shrink away and sort of ‘hunch’ in on himself in defence when Krolock came close. But when Krolock came right up behind him and shadowed him with his cloak (“Ich lehr dich was es heißt zu leben”), Tom actually turned his head over his shoulder and tilted his face up to gaze at Krolock, VERY reminiscent of Totale Finsternis (paralells!!!!! my favourite thing!!!!!) which was just awesome. 

- Der Gruft was a highlight of both shows, Tom was legitimately hilarious with perfect comic timing, but still so sincere that it broke my heart. When he dropped the hammer, he gazed out at the audience in total horror for a few seconds, before squeaking “Ich kann das nicht” in this tiny high-pitched voice that made the audience laugh so much. Then he delivered “...Aber ich kan dass troztdem nicht!” even higher and squeakier and the audience laughed again and a lady near me went awwww, because it was just so pitiful and sweet.

- I also liked that he went to stake Herbert’s coffin first, out of complete instinct, before the Professor called him back. Interesting that he would consider Herbert most dangerous on a purely subconscious level, even before the events of Wenn Liebe. 

- During Draussen Ist Freiheit, when Sarah booped his nose with her finger, he blinked and raised his own hand to touch his nose in wonder, like “Oh, she nose-booped me :3” and it was just. so. freaking. adorable. 

- HE TRIED TO KISS SARAH AT THE END OF DRAUSSEN, A PROPER KISS ON THE LIPS, MY BRAVE SON...and he mirrored the gesture in the Draussen Reprise as well, right at the climax of the song, he went for a big sweeping kiss right before Sarah bit him. My heart, it hurts. #GiveAlfredHisFirstKiss2k17.

- He also had a fantastic reaction to the bite. He was choking and lolling his head, jerking from side to side and crying out but not quite screaming; he made it believable that the Professor would never hear :(

- His voice has improved, he belted out the latter half of Fuer Sarah with all the warmth and passion in the world. He had a huge grin on his face, and after the end of the song, he let out his breath and collapsed back against the bed, like The Emotion had just overwhelmed him completely <3 

- During Wenn Liebe, his delivery of “Ich zittere niiiiieeeeeee!” was hilarious, his voice was so squeaky and he drew out the last vowel like pleeease noooo.

- He spent the whole dance with Herbert going ‘oof!’ and ‘ah!’ and brought out the protective mother bear in me, because he’s such a delicate guy and needs to be Handled With Care but alas, this is not a concept Herbert understands...

- One acting choice I will never understand from Tom: his very mild, bland facial expressions during certain scenes where the focus isn’t placed chiefly on Alfred, e.g. the whole Chagal-vampire-staking sequence and Wenn Liebe. It’s almost like he doesn’t think anyone will be watching him, during these scenes? But I find it very distracting. For example, when he and the Professor discovered Chagal was missing, he looked...vaguely surprised, rather than shocked/terrified. And during Wenn Liebe, most of the time he’d just stare blankly out into the audience, even when when Kiryll mock-kissed him or declared his love. I think Alfred’s reactions are a HUGE part of what makes these scenes work, and it feels like something is missing without them.

HERBERT (Kiryll Zolygin)

- Kiryll was fine, but he wasn’t my kind of Herbert. He was cold, vain and predatory. He strutted around the stage like a peacock, smoothing his hair back and sticking his chin up and posing just like his father. Very refined, very confident, very intimidating; definitely the Graf’s son through and through. There was nothing amusing about his Herbert, he was cool and prowling and Wenn Liebe played like a sinister game of cat-and-mouse. 

- He was also hard to read at times; his expressions were oddly closed-off and there were times when I honestly didn’t know what Herbert was supposed to be thinking/feeling. When he saw Alfred for the first time, he simply looked steadily at him, his face smooth and expressionless. Even throughout Wenn Liebe, he didn’t seem very besotted with Alfred, just amused - which made his groping extra-creepy and his declaration of love seem more ironic than sincere.

- Speaking of ironic, can someone tell this guy it’s okay to cosy the heck up to Tom when they’re dancing because I swear he was keeping about 3 feet of space between their chests and idk why Herbert von Krolock would ever keep Alfred at such a chaste, safe, heterosexual distance from himself...

- He had the sweetest, most delicate, most Herberty-y giggle I have ever heard in my life, it was perfect and made me smile every time I heard it.

- During Vor Dem Schloss, he did this amazing piece of catwalk nonsense in front of Alfred, striding back and forth like “yes admire me human, behold my glory” whilst Tom stared in bewilderment. My poor son, so confused :)

- He cracked appallingly in Carpe Noctem, both nights. I physically winced. The second time I saw him, he also broke off one of his notes way too early, which was obvious to everyone because Magda held hers perfectly. Poor guy.

- During Wenn Liebe, he mocked-kissed Alfred in the middle of the dance, but Tom didn’t react at all, and I felt bad for him because that’s actually quite a daring thing to attempt, but Tom’s lack of reaction made the moment fall flat. 

- This is a bit yikes but I have to mention it: he very slowly and obviously licked his lips whilst watching Alfred run away into the audience, which definitely takes the jackpot for Creepiest Herbert Gesture Ever.

- During Tanzaal, he came down to the front of the stage and looked RIGHT DOWN AT ME THE AUDIENCE and sneered down at us like we were all Mere Peasants who were unworthy of his presence. I actually shrank back in my seat a bit, it was incredibly intimidating! 

- One VERY interesting addition: he deliberately turned around and watched Alfred dragging his Ewigkeit vampire off-stage to steal his costume. He didn’t react much, just gazed after Alfred like "Hmmm..." - but it was interesting nonetheless, I’ve never seen a Herbert do that before. 

SARAH (Anja Wendzel)

- Both my Sarahs were fantastic, but Anja truly did steal my heart. Bursting with energy and emotion, radiating chemistry with anyone she shared the stage with, and her belt was to die for (plus the sweetest, prettiest head voice too).

- She was such a SULTRY Sarah! I couldn’t believe how flirtatious and sensual she was with Alfred during Wirklich, it was almost too much to watch, and Tom’s Alfred was a complete wreck by the end of it :’) she was also very teasing during the bathtub scene in Act 2, waggling her finger and leaning in towards him when she talked about having one dance free. Poor Alfred.

- During Draussen, she also did this hilarious thing at the beginning of the song: she’s tiptoeing around outside, and suddenly Alfred starts belting “UNTER DIESEM DAAAACH” and she panics and gestures frantically like “nonono shhhhh SSSHHHH!!!!!” and it was so fresh and absolutely hilarious :)

- During Red Boots Ballet, she’d gaze off into space and move in perfect unison with her dance double, lifting her arms a bit or swaying backwards and forwards, basically play-acting the entire dance sequence going on behind her.

- During Gebet, she did something so beautiful, it moved me almost to tears. When Rebecca started singing, she froze in place and her face lit up with recognition, and she whispered “Mama!” so softly. Then she unfolded her shawl, knelt down to pray, but as she prayed, she was shaking her head and trembling and fighting back tears, and finally she couldn’t stop them any longer, and she stopped praying and started sobbing - actually, properly sobbing. It was almost like she was grieving the life/family she was leaving behind. And then as the song built and built, she stopped crying and got this new expression of strength and determination, like she’d finished her mourning, and now she was ready to make her move and start her new life, and finally by the end of the number, she was belting out the final notes with so much passion, her voice was exploding off the stage in front of us, and it was breathtaking. 

SARAH (Maureen Mac Gillavry)

- This woman had a belt that could rival any Elphaba, and her Sarah was so vivacious and likeable, I think she made the entire audience fall in love with her alongside Alfred, which is my very favourite kind of Sarah tbh. 

- She ADORED Alfred, she seemed so giggly and awww over him during their interactions together. Even during Draussen, she clearly still thought he was sweet, she bopped him on the nose and it was simultaneously super cute and a bit patronising all at once - such an effective little gesture! 

- She also made me tear up when Chagal was beating her, she full-on sobbed and cried out at the top of her voice, and then begged him with clasped hands. It was very upsetting, the most harrowing rendition of the scene that I’ve ever watched, she was so raw and desperate in that moment, you just knew you’d do anything to escape if you were in her shoes. 

PROFESSOR (Victor Peterson)

- This guy was was...argh. Not my cup of tea. A very unsympathetic Professor, he came off as plain selfish and annoying. His self-obsession was unbearable in Wahrheit, there was nothing endearing about it at all, he was so shrill and simply came across as obnoxious and over-the-top, like he wanted the whole world to worship him. And half of his jokes didn't land, I swear the audience laughed more at Tom during Der Gruft than they ever did at him.

- His relationship with Alfred was downright cruel in places. He pushed him around and hissed at him really aggressively and pinched his cheek and gosh it was just Not A Good Time. No wonder Tom struggled to show any kind of real devotion to this guy; I usually live for the Professor/Alfred dynamic because it’s so heartwarming, but this was...gosh. This made me almost (almost!) want Alfred to leave him and serve Krolock & Son instead.

- His voice was brilliant. I cannot deny this, it was brilliant. He handled the falsetto sections with absolute confidence and every note was perfect.

MAGDA (Sara Jane Checchi)

- Magda belted stunningly twice...and belted badly twice. I think perhaps she had a bit of a cold, as she seemed to be straining on some of the high notes. 

- That being said, her portrayal was wonderful in every other regard; she was so sweet, so cautious and observant, and seemed to really like Alfred. She spent the whole of Knoblauch trying to get his attention, and seemed to find his ogling very endearing and sweet. Strange, because the patrons of the inn also ogle her like crazy, and grab her skirts etc. which she clearly hated. Maybe she saw Alfred’s ogling as more involuntary and therefore more innocent? (though tbh Tom could make robbing a bank look innocent, so maybe that’s moot point)

- She also gave Chagal a few little smiles during Nie Gesehen which was very unexpected, almost like she was disapproving of his behaviour on principle, but deep down thought he was quite amusing. Interesting take on that relationship.

- During Wahrheit, she and Rebecca were signalling back and forth, across the yard; Rebecca wanted her to eaves-drop on Alfred and the Professor whispering together, but Magda couldn’t make out the words as she was too far away. I love the idea of these two characters being in ‘cahoots’ so to speak.

CHAGAL (Jerzy Jeszke)

- I want to mention that Chagal was not only hilarious, but also slightly less lecherous than other performances I’ve seen. His voice was also fantastic, a very strong full sound, which made his more honourable moments (e.g. “Ich bringt sie wieder!”) surprisingly impactful. Good job, my dude, good job. 

[suzanneshannon]

The Rising Complexity of JAMstack Sites and How to Manage Them

When you add anything with user-generated content or dynamic data to a static site, the complexity of the build process can become comparable to launching a monolithic CMS. How can we add rich content to static sites without stitching together multiple third-party services?

For people in the development community static site generators are a popular choice over traditional content management systems (CMS) like WordPress. By comparison static sites are usually lightweight, highly configurable, fast, easy to use and can be deployed almost anywhere.

With static websites, no code is generated on the server; we've replaced databases and server-side code with APIs and build processes.

This has become known as a JAMstack, which stands for JavaScript, APIs and Markup. I have a strong persuasion towards JAMstack sites because I feel more in control of the output than I do when working with the often large and monolithic CMSs I’ve sometimes had to use on client projects.

Despite my enthusiasm, I'm often disheartened by the steep complexity curve I typically encounter about halfway through a JAMstack project. Normally the first few weeks are incredibly liberating. It's easy to get started, there is good visible progress, everything feels lean and fast. Over time, as more features are added, the build steps become more complex, multiple APIs are added, and suddenly everything feels slow. In other words, the development experience begins to suffer.

It usually looks something like this:

One of the reasons for this steep rise in complexity is there are limits to the type of data that markdown can easily represent. Relationships are one example where static sites struggle. Relationships between pages or collections of assets (such as an image gallery) can only be represented by markdown in inefficient ways. It requires significant preprocessing to resolve anything more complicated than a simple set of tags or categories. If you’ve ever had to do it, you will also know the authoring experience of managing relationships in markdown isn’t ideal.

User-generated content is another area that can cause a steep rise in the complexity of static sites. Adding features like comments, ratings, likes or any other kind of dynamic content will require third-party services — each has its own account that needs to be managed, not to mention that adding third-party scripts can have a negative impact of page performance.

If a service doesn't match your specific requirements, sometimes it’s possible to cobble solutions together using generic platforms like Google Forms or AirTable.

The end result is we've outsourced the database, fragmented the content management experience and stitched together a bundle of compromises. That’s a stark contrast from the initial ease of setting up and deploying a JAMstack site.

Although this complexity curve is not unique to JAMstack projects, adding rich features to markdown-driven sites is far more difficult than we care to admit. What happened!? A lack of complexity was one of the reasons we favored JAMstack in the first place.

We did that thing that web developers do. We moved the complexity from one space into another and congratulated ourselves 😂. Not having complexity on the server-side is good for front-end performance, but there is little incentive to optimize any further once we do this. Ridiculous build times and complicated tool-chains have become an acceptable reality for modern front-end web development.

JAMstack Plus

Before I come across as sounding too critical, I should make it clear that I absolutely love static site generators. I think they are a perfect solution for many simple sites and you should still use them. However, I feel like a simple content management layer that I own and can configure is preferable to:

poor content management experiences,

complicated integration of third-party services, and

inefficient build processes.

I want to combine the benefits of a CMS with static site generators.

And it seems I'm not the only one who has reached this conclusion:

WordPress (et al) is often pitted _against_ static site generators.

I get it. They feel like different worlds.

But SSG’s just take input and make static output. You may still want/need a CMS, and WordPress can be that. It has APIs that a SSG can injest.

— Chris Coyier (@chriscoyier) June 11, 2019

My encounters with static site generators lead me to the opinion that they are incredibly compelling as a way to work, but be sure you really do want a static site. Too often what I see is a messy compromise to deal with stuff a DB would make easy.

— Rachel Andrew (@rachelandrew) September 20, 2019

WordPress is a fantastic and familiar content editing experience, but what if you could deploy your site statically for ultimate speed, stability, and security? ⚡️You can, and here’s a great rundown of plugins for doing headless WordPress on Netlify: https://t.co/lz6fscbX3q

— Netlify (@Netlify) July 30, 2019

The solution doesn’t need to be another third-party service or require abandoning static sites entirely. You can use a personalized content management layer and unified API to enrich a static site. It might not be as hard as you think.

The first step is to create an API for your site. You can use any headless CMS, but the challenge I’ve had with many options is they make a lot of assumptions about the type of content you want. You might not want the CMS to manage pages and posts, but rather use it to store comments or images. I find this particularly difficult with WordPress. I often feel like I’m forcing a blogging platform to be just the service I need.

The new version of KeystoneJS (Keystone 5) is an excellent alternative to more opinionated content management systems. It's made up of tiny independent components, so you only add the parts you need. This means it doesn’t feel like modifying a blogging platform. Instead it's like creating a personalized mini-CMS and API to work specifically with your site.

I call this approach JAMstack Plus.

To help you get started with this idea I've created two projects:

Supermaya, a starter kit for the static site generator Eleventy.

Keystone JAMstack Plus, a blog enrichment platform.

Introducing Supermaya

The first project I want to share with you is Supermaya, an Eleventy starter kit designed to help add rich features to a blog or website without a complicated build process.

It comes with the all "blog standard" features including:

Posts and Pages

Pagination

Tags

RSS feed

Service worker

Lazy loading images

Critical CSS (if enabled)

It also has considerate and accessible markup. If deployed correctly, it should get full scores on a lighthouse audit out-of-the-box:

Supermaya scores 100% on Lighthouse tests.

I didn’t build Supermaya specifically as a platform to add user-generated content to static sites. Instead, I started it because I was not satisfied with the way existing static site generators integrate with other build tools. That’s why all the pre-processing steps in Supermaya are built into Eleveny itself. This includes the compilation of SCSS and JavaScript. Unifying the compilation steps eliminates the need for build tools like Grunt, Gulp or Webpack running in parallel.

After this, I realized the other reason for increasing complexity on JAMstack sites was integration with third-party services, usually for user-generated content. To solve this, Supermaya has optional tie-ins with a Keystone JAMstack Plus starter-kit, which makes it easier to add user-generated content and other rich features.

You can deploy both Keystone and Supermaya together and connect them at the same time by following the instructions during installation. This will deploy Keystone to Herouku and Supermaya to Netlify, as well as configure your admin user and API URL.

Rich features are added with progressive enhancement, so if the API cannot be reached or there is a server error, the site will continue to function without noticeable degradation or delays for users.

JAMstack Plus starter kit

The Keystone JAMstack Plus starter kit allows you to add rich features to a blog including:

Comments

Claps

Reading list, and

Logins

Just like Supermaya, it can be used on its own. After it’s deployed, you’ll get access to an admin interface that allows you to create and manage content. You’ll also get a GraphQL endpoint that can be connected to Supermaya.

It’s configured with the intention of being a headless CMS for user-generated content. It expects pages and posts to be managed by a static site generator. However, with a little work — and following the examples in Supermaya — you can connect any front-end to the GraphQL API.

I’d encourage you to modify the starter-kit: Add additional features or provide content for pages directly from Keystone. If you add features that could be used by the rest of the community contribute back to the starter-kit and we can make it easier for everyone to add rich features to their sites without the need for third-party services.

Note: The automatic deploy will deploy to a free instance of Heroku. This will sleep periodically if not used which can result in slow API response times after periods of inactivity. You can upgrade to a hobby instance to avoid this.

Consider owning your own data

JAMstack and servers are not incompatible. There’s always a server (usually multiple) — it’s just a question of who owns it. If you are using any kind of third-party service, the chances are they own your account information, your content and collect user data.

Sometimes this might be an acceptable compromise compared with the overhead of deploying and managing a back-end service, but when the complexity of stitching together several APIs becomes comparable to a CMS, I believe managing a tiny configurable service that you own, can provide a better experience for users, developers and content managers. It also provides a solid platform for websites to grow beyond purely static content into more complicated and varying types of applications.

I don’t think JAMstack should defined by pushing all the complexity into the front-end build process or by compromising on developer and user experience. Instead, I think JAMstack should focus on providing lean, configurable static front-ends. These can be connected to APIs to provide user-generated data and content management services. There is no reason not to own and manage these services, if it provides the best outcome.

The Rising Complexity of JAMstack Sites and How to Manage Them published first on https://deskbysnafu.tumblr.com/

[phynxrizng]

A WITCHES CONFESSION ABOUT HALLOWEEN

PAGAN A Witch’s Confession About Halloween OCTOBER 25, 2017 BY LAURA TEMPEST ZAKROFF Photo by the author of a festive display in an Atlanta neighborhood When I was a young Witchlet, the words Halloween and Samhain were largely interchangeable in the larger community. Typically the phrasing would be something like, “yeah, Samhain – aka Halloween…” – this thing, also known as that thing, same thing – especially when dealing with the general public. My understanding was that it was a way to say, “this thing is based on our beliefs, another connection to be aware of.” As the years have gone by, more and more distinction, sometimes with the aid of a crowbar, has been made. Generally that Halloween is a secular, manufactured or other-faith origin day, while Samhain is sacred, witchy, and ancient. Which is totally fine, and something I find interesting to observe. Human behavior, especially in regards to trends and changes, fascinates me. For me personally, what has changed over the years is my relation to Sabbats (in the Wheel of the Year sense). I’m not inclined to mark a specific day with a rite or celebration unless I feel called to do so. Instead of focusing on a specific day, I am marking and observing a larger seasonal shift. As I mentioned in my working with the dead post, some things aren’t seasonal to me either – they’re a year-round kind of thing. So if I’m remembering and working with the deceased on a regular basis (especially on their birth and death days), that tends to take the oomph out of a specific day or time that others may devote to it. I acknowledge Samhain, but I’m not likely to perform a specific rite on my own for it. So what about Halloween then? Here’s my confession: I freaking LOVE Halloween. To me, Halloween isn’t about remembering the dead, as much as it’s about celebrating life and its cycles. It’s about playfulness, creativity, confronting fears, spooky stuff, and finding beauty and life in death and decay. It’s a celebration of the wyrd, weird, and wild. It’s a time where sometimes you can really be yourself inside and out. It’s not about dressing up or buying costumes, though I enjoy watching other folks do it. As someone who must outfit for the stage regularly, I don’t get much of a thrill getting into costume. In fact, I have been known to snarkily refer to it as “amateur night” – but I still get a kick out of it. (I’m a Gemini, I can be an asshole at the same time I love and enjoy something.) As someone who makes a living out of being an artist and thinking creatively, I love to see other people shift their consciousness to play. I think it’s healthy and fun for folks to use those muscles more, to see how costume can transform the spirit – even just for one night. “Communing” – new painting by the author Halloween represents creativity to me. In my family, we never bought costumes from the store or rented them – we made them from scratch and spare parts. The first Halloween I can remember, my grandmother sewed for me an E.T. costume, and my brothers were Reeses’ Pieces (made from hoops and fabric). Grandmom was a seamstress and could make anything with a pattern (and then some.) My dad has always been crafty with his hands, so there was the year someone was a Coke can, a Sony walkman, a can of Campbell’s soup, and other fun things. The Catholic school we went to had a Halloween parade for many years, until it was phased out by the time I graduated. Scares about razor blades and drugs in candy in the late 80’s and the infamous “you’re too old” (despite my brothers having done it through high school, so it was more about girls being out on their own at night fears) curbed trick-or-treating. Mom still decorated the house though and pumpkins were procured and carved.  But as fears fueled by Satanic panic and stranger danger cut back on Halloween festivities, as I grew up, I found myself tied more deeply to the season itself. I became more aware and appreciative of the shedding of orange, yellow, and red leaves against brilliant blue skies. The smell in the air and the temperature shift makes me feel even more alive every year – like waking up after slumbering under the heat of summer. The telling of spooky stories and ghosts, of transforming of front yards into graveyards, bedecked in bones and cobwebs. Meanwhile the changing habits of the squirrels, rabbits, and birds talk of upcoming changes, and preparing home and self for the winter ahead. Speaking of home preparation, it’s my favorite time of year to shop. I try not to accumulate STUFF, but I love acquiring useful, well-made things that are decorated with some of my favorite witchy and spooky motifs. Leading up to Halloween (and on serious sale afterwards), I refresh my stock of kitchen towels and linens – covered in ravens, owls, bones, and witches. I replace out broken mugs and dishware with new ones. I definitely needed that bin shaped like a giant black cat for a storage basket. So yes, it looks like Halloween at my house all year around. And that makes me stupid happy. It’s also why I love going to New Orleans this time of year. (And when I lived in New England, it was a trip to Salem, MA.) New Orleans is such a mix of old and new, grit and glitz, dead and living spirits – and it dresses up with no reserves this time of year. But it’s not too crazy for someone who gets anxious around large crowds. We spend time with folks who are another kind of family, perform our art to add to the festivities at various balls and other events, and enjoy being alive in the middle of it all. When you think about it, days and seasons can come and go without us doing anything about it. We don’t acknowledge them because we HAVE to – the world isn’t going to stop because you didn’t do a certain ritual for a Sabbat. It will continue on. But when we can find pure joy in revelry, in feeling more alive, in celebrating what makes us wyrd – that’s truly living and acknowledging the sacredness in life.  I hope you all have a very happy and playful Halloween! TAGGED WITH:HALLOWEENPAGAN NEWSLETTERSAMHAIN...MORE Sponsored Links You May Like This app will get you speaking a new language in 3 weeks Babbel Diabetes Treatments Yahoo Search What Does Your German Last Name Say About You? Ancestry by Taboola October 18, 2017 Samhain Season: 4 Ways I Work With the Dead October 26, 2017 Navigating the Witch's Maze in Dark Times  RECENT COMMENTS 0 COMMENTS "Thank you, to Laura Tempest Zakroff, for your article "4 Ways I Work With The ..." CHARLENE MCCLARNEN FLINT SAMHAIN SEASON: 4 WAYS I WORK ..." "Thanks, Laura. Shared on FB." MACHA NIGHTMARE SAMHAIN SEASON: 4 WAYS I WORK ..." 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[moreawesomethantheaveragepossum]

thanks babe @headless-horsepossum for tagging me!!!!

THE LAST:
 1. Drink: does a slushie count. 
 2. Phone call: my mam
 3. Text message: mam again
 4. Song you listened to: uh my ringtone but the one in my head was something by the killers. 
 5. Time you cried: the last Right Thursday bc of taz el oh el

HAVE YOU:
 6. Dated someone twice: nope
 7. Kissed someone and regretted it: ..ye ha
 8. Been cheated on: noo 
 9. Lost someone special: I mean probably. 
 10. Been depressed: haha.
 11. Gotten drunk and thrown up: ONLY ONCE AND NOW NEVER AGAIN HAHA

LIST 3 FAVORITE COLORS:
 12-14: green blue yellow

IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE YOU:
 15. Made new friends: deffo yeah
 16. Fallen out of love: no good lord
 17. Laughed until you cried: yeah lmao
 18. Found out someone was talking about you: what no haha not bad things anyway
 19. Met someone who changed you: yes
 20. Found out who your friends are: uhhh I’m picky in the first place but maybe
 21. Kissed someone on your Facebook list: …well yes but idk if we kissed or were fun friends first uh.

GENERAL:
 22. How many of your Facebook friends do you know in real life: very close to all 
 23. Do you have any pets: Yeeee
 24. Do you want to change your name: yeah but what else am I
 25. What did you do for your last Birthday: uh I don’t remember 
 26. What time did you wake up: like 7:30 which is time enough to move my car
 27. What were you doing at midnight last night: sleep
 28. Name something you can’t wait for: tbh going back to school going back to work going back to Pennsylvania… like. The rest of my life I guess 
 29. When was the last time you saw your mom: Sunday. 
 30. What is one thing you wish you could change in your life: maybe the distance between me n bae on the reg. 
 31. What are you listening right now: the wind and my upstairs neighbours goin thomp 
 32. Have you ever talked to a person named Tom: ye I lov tom 
 33. Something that is getting on your nerves: uh the Thomp but also just like. Me. because of some Stuff. 
 34. Most visited Website: uh the onetab homepage lol.

LOST QUESTIONS. I JUST PUT IN RANDOM INFO ABOUT ME
 35. Mole/s: nah but I do got a real big freckle on the back of my leg
 36. Mark/s: on the back of my other leg is a real faint scar from a cat that scratched me. Also I got a tattoo this week does that count. 
 37. Childhood dream: AS TRO NAUT 
 38. Haircolor: dark brown
 39. Long or short hair: short or die
 40. Do you have a crush on someone: 😏
 41. What do you like about yourself: lotsa stuff but it took a while. 
 42. Piercings: earlobes but they’ve filled in bc I was dysphoric during high school but I didn’t know it haha
 43. Bloodtype: a- I’m p sure 44. Nickname: possum, shay, shady, shay-z, etc
 45. Relationship status: *insert pic of me with Bae*
 46. Zodiac: pisces 
 47. Pronouns: they/them/their
 48. Favorite TV Show: uh well all time: avatar the last airbender probs. rn? It’s maybe Star Trek: Enterprise 49. Tattoos: a possum that bae drew under my left collarbone 
 50. Right or left hand: right
 51. Surgery: uh. The benign cyst on my eyelid when I was like seven. 
 52. Hair dyed in different color: yeah a bunch but not right now. 
 53. Sport: no but,,,, frisbee is fun,,,,
 54. Vacation: to Pennsylvania 
 55. Pair of trainers: lov my Keds

MORE GENERAL:
 56. Eating: lov food
 57. Drinking: alcohol is nice in moderation lol
 58. I’m about to: MAKE TOASTER DOGS
 59. Waiting for: Tomorrow so I can drive bae to the airport lame
 60. Want: to watch clone wars…. w/ bae (I just kept this)
 61. Get married: yes
 62. Career: plant person idfk

WHICH IS BETTER
 63. Hugs or kisses: fuck I love both. 
 64. Lips or eyes: both again please
 65. Shorter or taller: taller
 66. Older or younger: older
 67. Nice arms or nice stomach: …..both I love both
 68. Sensitive or loud: cries both?
 69. Hook up or relationship: relationship 
 70. Troublemaker or hesitant: uh depends.

HAVE YOU EVER:
 71. Kissed a stranger: yeah..
 72. Drank hard liquor: it’s the only thing I drink 
 73. Lost glasses/contact lenses: uh. No! Not that I can think of. 
 74. Turned someone down: uh. Yeah
 75. Sex in the first date: lol
 76. Broken someone’s heart: I HOPE NOT BUT MAYBE I CRUSHED ONE A LIL
 77. Had your heart broken: uh no
 78. Been arrested: Lol no
 79. Cried when someone died: yea h
 80. Fallen for a friend: EYYYYYY

DO YOU BELIEVE IN:
 81. Yourself: Yeah who else is gonna
 82. Miracles: nnno
 83. Love at first sight: not like. Good love. 
 84. Santa Claus: Haha no
 85. Kiss in the first date: yes if they r not creepy? And u wanna
 86. Angels: only the ones from night vale 
 87. Current best friends name: jo n becca n emma n jess n ally
 88. Eyecolor: grey blue 
 89. Favorite movie: The Martian for Sure (followed closely by Pacific Rim)

i’m tagging: uhhhhh @reallifepotato, @bite-sized-bitch, @keikigoodbetter if u wanna! lov u