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wrapmeinatortilla · 2 years ago

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Chapter 10 - Overprotective Friends Come in Handy

There are three things Y/n knows for certain:

1.) Danielle is her best friend

2.) Her favorite color is pink

3.) And the seven guys showing up in her dreams are hot as hell

When y/n starts college at her dream university, Decelis Academy, her dreams start to fade into reality. Things that are hidden come to light and she starts wishing some would have stayed in the shadows.

Alternatively, you’re thrown into a world of supernatural beings. Are they friends, foes, or lovers? The choice is yours.

Reblogs are appreciated <3

To put it simply, Y/n was not at all excited to be working on this project. In fact, as soon as she entered the library her body was overcome with dread. As soon as she saw the table that Beomgyu was sitting at, his laptop already pulled out in preparation, she could feel herself break out into a cold sweat.

Y/n felt awful about feeling this way. Beomgyu had been nothing but kind to her and probably even made time in his busy schedule to make sure she wouldn't be working on this alone. So Y/n bit her tongue, shook her head of the silly negative thoughts, and pushed on through towards the table.

Beomgyu looked up at Y/n with a charming smile as she sat down across him.

"I'm sorry that I'm a little late, my friend Mark had a little emergency and he needed some help." Y/n spoke. This was a blatant lie on her part. She couldn't just outwardly say that she was late in reality because she was dragging her feet to get here. Besides it was quite easy to throw Mark under the bus with his tummy issues and all.

"It's no problem," Beomgyu replied "you ready to get started?" he said. Y/n nodded, pulling her laptop and psych book out of her bag.

"So the premise of this project is to analyze psychopathy using a famous serial killer as a model. For our presentation we have to have both a powerpoint and a ten minute speech prepared." Y/n recited, scrolling through the projects guideline.

Beomgyu merely hummed in response. "Do you have ideas on who we should do?" Y/n asked, looking up from her laptop at the boy in front of her.

"I think we should stay away from the popular ones like Dahmer and Bundy because they're pretty overdone and everyone in our class is going to choose them." the boy stated. Y/n nodded, he wasn't wrong but that also ruled out easy sources.

"As for who I think we should do," he began, sending a powerpoint to Y/n for her to open, "I think this is our guy."

Y/n opened the powerpoint that Beomgyu had made. Vlad the Impaler stared back at her in big, bolded text. Y/n gulped, her eyes focused entirely on the subject. Beomgyu smirked before breaking her out of her stupor.

"Unless you have any ideas?" he asked innocently, his smirk changing quickly into an inquisitive smile once the girl looked back up at him.

Y/n gave him a strained smile. "No it's fine with me. I'll get a doc ready for our speech." she responded. Dracula. She was going to research dracula. How ironic considering all the dreams she was having recently.

The two worked silently on finding information to use for their project. Y/n tried to pay attention to all the words she was reading, but every time she read the word 'vampire' or 'blood', she could feel herself grow slightly squeamish. Flashes of her dreams played like movies in her head with every word she read about warlord. The thought of Jungwon with his face so close to hers, his smiling face then turning to one with fangs couldn't be shaken from her head. The girl also tried to ignore the stares that the boy would give her every time she breathed a little to short.

"So do you think he really was a vampire?" Beomgyu asked, his question making Y/n stutter in her typing.

"Do I what?" she replied back. Beomgyu shrugged, "Do you really think he was a vampire."

Y/n could feel her breath hitch, "I don't think so no. Vampires don't exist. Now did you find any sources about-"

"What makes you say that?" Beomgyu spoke almost menacingly. Y/n refused to answer, goading more of a response from the boy.

"I mean one could literally be sitting in front of you and you would be none the wiser." Beomgyu continued, his head tilting like a confused puppy. Before Y/n could do anything, her phone rang.

She pulled her phone from her pocket to see Yunjin was calling her.

"Hey"

"Is everything alright? You haven't responded to the groupchat in like an hour."

"Yeah sorry I'm at the library working on a project with Beomgyu"

"You sound a little off...do I need to arrange an emergency extraction?"

"....yeah."

Sobs quickly filled Y/n's speaker causing Y/n to hold her phone away from her ear.

"I can't believe that he blew me off n/n....I thought we were going to be together forever!!!" Yunjin practically screamed.

Y/n would have laughed if it wasn't for the fact that she needed to pretend to be as concerned as possible to get out of here.

"It's okay yunnie! How about I leave a bit early and grab some ice cream on the way home?"

"Please do," Yunjin wailed. Y/n made eye contact with Beomgyu. Giving a sympathetic smile, she packed up her things and left the library, Yunjin's fake sobs still reverberating through her ear. Once Y/n was out of the library she laughed.

"Stood up by a he?" Y/n chuckled.

"Shut up! I am never acting straight for you again." Yunjin pouted.

"I'll still bring you ice cream, meet me at mine?" Y/n asked her footsteps quickening towards the store.

"Yup and you gotta tell me what happened."

Beomgyu sat at the table, starring at the place that Y/n once inhabited, his face devoid of any emotion. His eyes flashed red as he continued to listen to your giggles.

"Oh Y/n...you are such a liar," he spoke softly to himself, "How fun." Beomgyu pulled out his phone to send a quick text before grabbing his things and disappearing entirely.

Chapter 9 ~ Chapter 11

#enhypen #enhypen smau #jungwon smau #jungwon #jungwon x reader #jungwon x reader smau

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wearywinchester · 3 years ago

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These Moments

Dean Winchester x Reader

Summary: At first Dean thinks kisses on the nose are worth an eye roll, but it doesn’t take long to change his mind.

Requested by @halietigges : “It’s me again! I wish to request another Dean Winchester based on this prompt please: Kisses on the nose. ❤️”

Word Count: 3.9k

Warnings: angst, mentions of injury, blood, swearing, comfort, fluff, kissing

One

You bid Sam a goodnight as you stood outside the door to your motel room, him at his before you twisted open the door knob. A sigh was immediate at the sight before you, one you can’t say you didn’t expect to find but one you hoped would be the opposite. There Dean sat, hunched over in his seat at the tiny motel room table with his head resting against his fist.

He’d been like that when you left, only this time he’d been a little more frustrated. That crease between his brow is just a little deeper, and those dimples by the corners of his mouth a little more pronounced. He’d been glued to his laptop ever since you got there, newspaper clippings scattered along the scratched up and tattered hardwood table. He was researching this case for hours, and to be fair it was trickier than most. Each time he read over an article it brought with it something new, something that took him down a different avenue of just what kind of monster you’re dealing with.

Normally, he wasn’t one to dwell on research too much, jumping on the first lead he gets and hoping for the best and usually that’s all there is to it. Normally, Sam is the one nose deep in a book or scrolling through articles because that’s what he liked to do. But every once in a while Dean will get like this, will stress himself out to the max on a case.

You locked the door behind you and tossed the keys on the table, his eyes still on the screen as you stood with a brow raised.

“De,” you say after a few moments, another sigh in your words especially after his only response is a half-hearted hum. “Dean.”

Green eyes flicker to you at the extra insistence on your tone, taking in your expression with his brows still furrowed. His shoulders relax a fraction, maybe even half that as he squints up at you. “Hi sweetheart.”

You simply hold up the grease stained paper bag in your hand, two burgers and two orders of fries inside from the diner right down the street from the motel. You saw a brief moment of excitement in his eyes at the thought, at the smell, of the food in there just waiting to be eaten, but it wasn’t so easily swaying to him as he hummed once more.

“Thanks,” he says, the single word coming out distracted as something in whatever article he’s got his hands on pulls his attention.

You huff this time, a little bit of frustration simmering in your stomach. You reach over and close the laptop, eying his narrowed stare and the clench of his jaw as you tilt your head and smile at him.

“Y/n, I was reading that,” he said, less than amused.

“And now you’re not.”

“I’m not gonna get anywhere with this douchey vampire if I don’t read up on the articles in this town. We can’t have Count Dracula getting his freakin’ fangs hooked in someone else,” he says, voice a little louder than before as he rubs his hands down his face.

Your shoulders slump a little bit at the stress he’s got written all over him, biting the inside of your cheek as he stands to his feet. You can see it in the tension in his shoulders and the way his hair stuck in every direction as he runs his hands through it for what has to be the millionth time in the last hour. Dean Winchester knew exactly how to stress himself out with the absolute worst ways of handling that stress. You weren’t blind to the fact that there were three empty beer bottles on the table.

“You’ve been at it ever since we got here, Dean. I’m telling you to take a break,” you say.

He was quiet and you watched as he rifled through his duffel bag in search of his dad’s journal, the one that quite possibly was in Sam’s. You watched him dig and dig and dump everything out on the bed before inevitably stuffing everything back inside with hasty movements and huffs and puffs, throwing the bag to the ground and nudging it less than nicely with his boot.

“Great, now I can’t find dad’s freakin’ monster diary,” he grumbles.

You grab his wrist before he can pace around any more, his huff puffing warm against your face as he stared down at you in discontent.

“Would you relax?”

“I am relaxed.”

“You’ve had three beers since I left, Dean. And you haven’t even started eating the burger I got you,” you counter with raised brows. “And you got that look on your face when you’re stressed too.”

“Look? What look? I don’t have a look, sweetheart.”

“Yeah, you do. It’s that broody, pouty look you’ve got going on right now, actually,” you say, smiling up at him as he rolls his eyes.

He looks back to you at the feel of your hand on his cheek, the tension in his jaw relaxing as he exhales a sigh. A soft smile tugs at the corner of your mouth when he hooks his arm around your waist, pulling you closer. It’s then that you drop your hand to press to his chest as you lean on your toes, pressing a kiss to the very tip of his freckled nose in that moment.

You watch the flurry of emotions flicker across his expression when you stand back on your heels then, his brow raising slightly. He swears kisses on the nose are the cheesiest thing possible, swears by it, but you don’t fail to notice the way he relaxes at the action, and you definitely see the softness of a smile pulling at his lips as he looks down at you, his gaze following you as you pull away from him and grab the paper bag from the table while he takes a seat on the bed.

You open it up and give him his food, nearly losing your balance when he tugs on your hand and pulls you down with him. He’s still plenty tired and you can see that clearly, but you can tell he’s relaxed a little more now.

“Thank you, sweetheart,” he murmurs, the words brushing against your lips before kissing you, lingering and sweet as his hand settles on your cheek briefly.

He kisses you once, twice, three more times before he’s got his hands on his foot, humming at the mere sight of his bacon cheeseburger.

“You’re welcome, De.”

Two

It was quiet when you woke up, quiet save for the soft patter of the rain coming down against the Impala. It couldn’t have been late, not with the way it’d still been fairly dark outside. The cloudy, rainy weather certainly didn’t help you want to get up and keep driving, absolutely not, even if you’d been laying on top of the older Winchester for the better part of a few hours stretched across the front bench seat that wasn’t quite so accommodating. Sam was in the back seat, likely even less comfortable with the amount of room he’s got back there.

But you were comfortable, you were plenty comfortable as you laid on Dean’s chest, his jacket sprawled out over top of you at some point in the night. You didn’t fall asleep with it on, didn’t remember it, but he must have covered you when he noticed you were cold. It was toasty and warm now, the fleece lining having worked wonders to combat the chilly fall temperatures seeping into the car.

He’d been snoring softly, a given, the sound vibrating against your cheek, rising and falling slightly as he breathed. Your legs were a tangled mess, his back curved and pressed against the door as his head rested against the window. It wasn’t entirely ideal sleeping crammed up in the Impala in the middle of who-knows-where, but there wasn’t a motel with a vacant room available so it would just have to do.

You stretched a little against Dean before you looked up at him with a yawn, head resting on his chest as you looked at him with tired eyes. He’s got that crease between his brows still, even when he’s sleeping, a telling sign he’s stressed and you know why. This demon’s got you driving all across the state with no chance of letting up on the chase soon.

You sigh softly as you hug him a little tighter, as tight as you can with the fatigue you’ve got weighing heavy on you. It’s enough to have him stirring, the corner of his mouth quirking upwards in a half smile.

“Ease up with all the wigglin’, would you, sweetheart?” He asks, humor in his tone as he murmurs the words.

You look up at him with a narrowed gaze and a frown, something that draws a soft chuckle from him the second he sees it. He runs his hand over your head and down to your shoulder, tugging up on his jacket that rested over you when he felt the cold of your hands seep through his shirt.

“Just for that, ‘m not gonna,” you mumble, moving around a little more for the sake of getting comfortable and not at all to prove your words true.

“Yeah, I know you won’t,” he sighs, a certain contentment in his exhale and you hum.

“Anything happen with that demon?” You say softly, his gaze focused outside the windshield for a moment before it drops down to you.

“Not a damn thing.” His lips purse, those dimples appearing by the corners of his mouth.

You hum again as you give him a gentle squeeze, leaning up to press a kiss on his cheek, and another for good measure before laying your head back down. You didn’t fail to see the smile he’s got on his lips, or the way it lingers as his eyes fall closed for a moment. And you definitely didn’t fail to notice the way his arm wrapped a little more snug around you, legs tangling up all the more.

“Don’t worry, Dean. We’ll kick some demon butt soon,” you mumble.

You feel that chuckle again, rumbling quietly within his chest. “Oh yeah?”

“Oh yeah.”

He smiles down at you then, soft and telling of those very three words without the need to say them out loud. It’s a look that’s always been reserved for you and no one else, because there isn’t anyone quite like you and there never will be. You’ve just got a way about you, a special hold on his heart that he’s not ready to admit you’ve got but you have your guesses. But you won’t tease him about it quite yet.

He smiles and he dips his head down, pressing a kiss to the very tip of your nose. Those kisses he swore were too cheesy. You knew he loved them and this was proof enough.

He kissed your nose and ripped his head back against the window, letting his eyes fall closed once more.

Three

The hunt hadn’t gone entirely as the three of you anticipated, as the three of you hoped. In fact, it was one more thing away from being an absolute train wreck and that much was clear. You nearly wound up dead that day and Sam was coming up on being halfway there, and as a result, Dean was trying his best to refrain from bursting in frustration.

You could see the way his worry ate him up inside, you can’t say you blame him. His biggest fears nearly came true all in one day over some rogue spirit after you told him it’d be fine. You told him it’d be fine and it couldn’t have been any more the opposite of that. He was so in his head about everything else that happened, so in his head about you that he nearly forgot about the cut dragging across his forehead and the jagged scratches adorning his jaw.

He was so fixated on the potential nightmare of losing you and Sam, the nightmare that replayed in a taunting loop, that the pain he so clearly felt was indistinguishable amongst his anger. He was like that all the way back to Bobby’s, wordless as he white knuckled the steering wheel and didn’t spare a glance to anything but the road ahead.

When you got there, he headed straight for the room the two of you had been staying in, the one he always stayed in at Bobby’s. You were hot on his heels, quiet as you followed behind him until he spoke up.

“You don’t have to coddle me, Y/n. I’m a big boy,” he snaps, anger in his tone.

“Someone’s gotta patch you up and we both know it’s not going to be you.”

“I’m fine, Y/n. I’ve had worse.”

He was being short with you, that much was clear.

“Wasn’t asking.”

You watched as he huffed, nostrils flaring as he did so and you heard the door slam shut behind you once you walked into the room. He tugged off his jacket and slung it over the back of the chair hastily, sitting down on the bed. You could feel his eyes on you, his stare full of a hundred and one different emotions you were sure, you were certain of it when you snuck a glance his way.

You bite the inside of your cheek as you dig through your duffel bag, snagging the first aid kit. He’s got that broody look again when you move to stand between his thighs, his palms pressed to the mattress as he leaned back on them a bit.

“Stop doing that,” you say, brushing the pad of your thumb along his bottom lip, the indents of his teeth present amongst the pink of his lip from having been biting it from a nervous habit.

He simply rolls his eyes and looks away, an action that’s only brief as your hand presses to his cheek and redirects his gaze back to you.

“You know, I’m relieved you’re so carefree about this,” he says, sarcasm dripping from every word as he looks up at you. “Honestly, it’s really nice to know.”

“Dean—”

“No seriously, that’s just great,” he says, his tone the opposite of serious and every bit representative of the anger and frustration and fear simmering within him. That very fear was pooling in his eyes as he sat there and let it twist his stomach in knots.

You say nothing more other than your huff through your nose, wasting no time in cleaning up his jaw. You saw the way his eyes lingered on your shirt, lingered over the wrinkles in the fabric where that spirit reached right through you and quite literally almost stopped your heart. She would have had Bobby not gotten to her grave in time. You would have been just as gone as she was.

His anger was inevitable, and it wasn’t directed at you, not really. Ideally, he wished you’d never hunt again. Ideally, he wished you weren’t as brave as you are, so eager to dive into every hunt as a hunter should. But he knows he can’t ask that of you, knows he won’t ever have it his way and it kills him. Hunts like this kill him. Every time there’s a close call, every single time, it tears him up. The mere thought of losing you makes his stomach churn, makes him get in his car and drive till that very thought leaves him alone.

But to see it, to actually see it almost happen, it nearly sent him over the edge.

You were gentle as you cleaned him up regardless of your own frustration with the older Winchester’s mood, regardless of his attitude. You were light handed with your actions and you were trying your best to be quick but it was becoming distracting when he’s got that look on his face.

You were nearly finished with that cut on his forehead when you couldn’t bear the look in his eyes any longer or the way they continued to bounce over that part of your shirt.

You settle your hand on his cheek, gentle as you tip his head back slightly to look at you. You can feel the tense of his jaw in your palm as he does, but despite that you can see every ounce of vulnerability in his eyes, eyes that are seconds from glossing over. It was something subtle, something you wouldn’t be able to see if you didn’t know Dean Winchester like the back of your hand. Something you wouldn’t be able to tell if you hadn’t seen the slight quiver in his bottom lip.

Your gaze was soft and patient as you looked at him, thumb brushing back and forth over his freckled and pink tinged cheek. It was quiet as he looked at you, quiet as his brows furrowed a little bit more.

In a matter of moments, you brought your other hand to settle on his other cheek, cautious of those scratches he’s got there. After a passing moment or two you dip down, pressing a tender kiss to the tip of his nose. He’s not so eager to stray very far, his forehead resting against yours.

A kiss to the nose. It was something awfully simple but something that worked wonders to soothe the heavy weight of his worries. To soothe the fear that sat heavy in the pit of his stomach. It wasn’t going anywhere, it was still very much there, but that small act of affection lessened that weight for the time being until the next hunt. Until the next time you’re in danger.

His anger, his frustration, it dissipates a little more at that, and in a matter of moments his lips are one yours in a kiss that’s just as gentle. It’s a matter of seconds before he’s pulling back to look at you, gaze careful as it bounces across your face and back to your eyes.

It’s the softness of your smile that does it, that smile that always makes everything better. He might still be all kinds of torn up about the events of that day and he’s damn sure he’s not going to get over it in a while, but for now, for now in that moment he’s okay.

You’re okay.

Four

The diner was quiet as you sat at a booth, but you can’t say it comes as a surprise because it is two o’clock in the morning. Romantic dates weren’t exactly Dean Winchester’s area of expertise, and you were more than okay with that.

But traditions were.

He liked the idea of traditions, something steady to hold onto and something that was constant. A whole lot of things he didn’t have growing up. And one of those traditions is late night diner trips with his sweetheart. It was always burgers and fries and a slice of pie. It was always that without fail on just about every hunt you go on. He tried to take Sam along once or twice, but he said one too many things about cholesterol and called it quits with the eye roll of a century and a scoff around a mouth full of cheeseburger.

But he was more than happy with some quality time with you.

It was a small diner, one that smelled like a whole lot of bacon and a hint of maple syrup for the truckers passing through getting an earlier than early breakfast. He took the side facing the door, he always did that. You knew exactly why even if he never says it, it’s for your own safety.

“You know, I think pie is so much better when it’s the last slice,” he says, talking around a mouth full of apple pie and vanilla ice cream.

“I’ll bet it is, De,” you chuckle, sipping on the last of your milkshake. “It’s always you that gets the very last one.”

“And I like it that way,” he says, humming against a heaping forkful he stuffs into his mouth.

You rolled your eyes, a smile playing on your lips as you looked at your beau. He’s got ice cream in the corner of his mouth and tired eyes, but he insisted he wanted to go grab a bite to eat and you’d never turn down a moment like this, not in a million years. Even if they’ve got their radio set to the cheesiest hits from the nineteen-eighties they can find. Dean ran out of quarters for the jukebox on the table, playing out all the classic rock hits he can get his money’s worth of.

His slice of pie lasted all of a minute before he set his fork down on an empty plate, rubbing his hands together with a satisfied hum and a lick of his lips.

“We’re coming here next time we’re in this state. Hell, maybe we’ll even stay a couple more days ‘cause that—” he says, pointing at his newly emptied plate. “Was freakin’ delicious.”

You can’t stifle your smile or your laugh for that matter, shaking your head at his antics as he slaps some cash on the table and gets up from his seat.

Your hand slips in his in a matter of moments, instinct at this point as he holds the door open for you on the way out, and again before you get in the car to head back to the motel. It wasn’t that long a drive, not even long enough for him to finish singing that AC/DC song they’ve got playing on the radio but you don’t mind it, you were tired anyway.

You’re seconds from opening the door to your shared motel room when he stops you in your tracks, your brow raised in amused curiosity.

“Dean, are you walking me to the door?” You ask with laughter in your voice.

“What, can’t I be a gentleman?” He asks in faux offense.

“I don’t think you’ve ever walked me to my door, De. Not even that cliche first kiss on my doorstep.”

He pretended to mull it over in his mind, that familiar smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth and you knew he was up to no good.

“Well, to be fair, sweetheart, I’m pretty sure Bobby would kill me if we were kissin’ on his doorstep,” he said, that smirk widening. “Besides, we did a whole lot more than ki—”

There it is.

You shut him up with a kiss that he very much was more than happy about, his hum pressing against your mouth and his kiss tasted every bit like his ice cream and apple pie. A kiss that was much shorter than he would have liked but the smile he’s got on his face is something else. It’s softer than soft and he’s trying not to get weak in the knees with the way you’re looking at him, and you’re trying your hardest to stifle your laugh.

But in a matter of moments he dips down and kisses your nose, soft and tender as his forehead rests against yours.

“Us and these damn nose kisses,” he mumbles, kissing you once more with a quiet laugh, shaking his head against yours.

You and those nose kisses.

—

Tags: @flamencodiva @stixnstripesworld @elegantbutedgy @humanmistakes @agalliasi @campingmonkey @deandaydreaming @lanea-1 @akshi8278 @kidd3ath @taikawho

#dean winchester #dean winchester angst #dean winchester fluff #dean winchester x reader #dean winchester oneshot #dean winchester imagine #dean winchester x you #dean winchester fic #dean winchester fanfiction

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sp00kworm · 4 years ago

Note

I would love a Bram Strokers Dracula, where the reader is 21st century going on a college trip to the castle. She gets to stay in his room and he watches her, slowly falling for her and her love of literature. Then there’s a ball? where he re-emerges and woos her.

Pairing: Dracula x Female Reader, Vampire x Female Reader

Part 2

---

Codex

---

A restoration trip to a dilapidated castle from the time of the Persian empire. Before that – your teacher had gloated in the class. You tugged your suitcase along and shouldered the weight of your backpack with a grunt before you looked up through the gate at the tall, crumbling structures.

“Part of it is in working order, with electricity and water. It gets cold but its completely safe. The other half is partly beyond saving. We want extra hands helping out with the library. There are scrolls which need a delicate touch, or they will turn to dust. That’s where you come in.” You nodded at the lead with a small smile, “Don’t look so glum!” he cheered, “Its saving history, after all.”

You tuned out his talking as your small group entered the ramparts, stepping through the iron bars and in through a heavy, new door. It smelt of freshly dried wood still. The inside was lit with new electric wall lamps, but a few candelabras were still in use, dripping wax into small holders. Everything was made of dark, grey stone, and the walkways lined with rich red fibre rugs. The portraits were restored and bright with colour. You tried not to gawk as the man lead you all to the rooms for your stay.

“Your room is the last one, but probably the grandest.” he announced as he opened another large door, revealing a grand room with a large four poster bed, covered in sheer fabric and lit with candles and electricity. The walls were covered in maps and old paintings of the surrounding countryside, but the new glass in the windows kept out the cold mountain air, “You’ll need to get the fire going but there’s kindling and wood for you. It was said that this was where Vladimir himself slept, but it seems to be just a myth from what documents were left.” The door closed behind you and you didn’t remember saying goodbye or registering the man leaving. You turned from the door and stood your suitcase up, looking around at the circular room. You were in the corner tower.

“Amazing…” You whispered as you felt the new cotton sheets and let free the silk curtains, “Its all a bit much for a stay as an overrated librarian.” You laughed as you opened your bags and headed to the wardrobe, unaware of the eyes watching you from the rafters.

The vampire watched as you left for dinner and observed as you came back to clean and go to sleep. You dragged a book with you wherever you went. The titles were unknown to him. He was tired. Dracula curled into the rafters, hiding his face behind his leathery wings as the light burned his pupils. It was too bright. He listened as you blew the candles out before turning himself out of the stone and hanging from a wooden beam. Asleep. He slipped over the silk and watched again, his eyes drooping. The door opened and he slipped back up the rock.

“Master is she not enough?”

He looked and saw his latest follower. He opened his mouth and snarled.

“She is?” The lead architect hummed before jumping back to the door as a claw slammed near his face, “Is she, not right?”

“Get out of my sight.” He hissed before he slammed the door closed and rushed back into the rafters to watch you jump and squirm with the cold.

The next day, you entered the room with an old fable scroll. A woman had written it for a child. A horse who lived in the stream wooed women before dragging them under the water and eating them. A young boy took the creature’s shined pebble necklace and had the beast for his own, until his daughter took the necklace and ended up in the creature’s grasp. She wasn’t seen again until the full moon came, and she rode the creature, bare, through the stream and into the ponds and lakes beyond. He knew it well. He remembered not understanding if the daughter was happy. It was a strange tale, but you smiled as you wrote it from the scroll and into a large book. The date and catalogue number were somewhere, but you seemed to take no notice as you started cleaning the parchment. He pulled his wing back over his face and settled in to sleep, listening to you singing softly.

Days. For days he crawled through the roofs, watching you clean, hum, read and catalogue. You had a talent he was in awe of, and he was quick to ask about you. His follower obliged. A student. He could not believe you were a student at this age. Times have changed, or so he was informed. Women were not beholden to men. He laughed, a shrill noise which echoed in the bowels of the castle, shaking spiders and rats from their hiding places.

“Women are a challenge, master. They do not fall at a man’s knee anymore.”

“Did they ever, my child?” he asked with a hiss, “Women are a treasure to be found and looked after, lest they become scorn and curse your soul.”

The vampire laughed again as his disciple rushed away to excuse the noise and to lick his wounded pride. Dracula slipped into a coffin and buried into the soil before the follower returned. He leaned over the coffin with a bag, and Dracula grinned before sinking his teeth into him.

“Ah, it appears he had family business to attend to.” Your teacher hummed at the letter, “But we can continue the work. A replacement is making their way here.”

“That’s odd.” You whispered as you returned to the library, “He seemed so keen to translate those books.” You rushed back to your workstation and looked down at the table. The ink was spilled and with a cry you grabbed for the papers, holding them up. The ink flowed off them like oil on the surface of water, and you gasped at the face that was revealed on the plain piece of parchment. It was a dragon, curled around itself. A family crest. You looked at it in wonder before laying the paper down and looking at the book it had come from. A cold hand laid on your shoulder as you turned, and you jumped as a man stood behind you.

“Dracul.” he whispered, “The dragon.” His hand laid over your eyes before you could utter a sound and blackness took over.

“My love?” A man asked as your eyes opened, “You are going to be late.” The same man uttered again.

“Late for what?” You roused slowly and looked up. A silk canopy hung above you. You were back in your room, “What happened?”

A man sat at the bedside, his face sharp, angular and pale, with eyes that shone like a cat. The dark brown eyes softened. Dark hair fell over his shoulders in waves as he sat on the bed. Sharp nails curled over your shoulder.

“I have waited a long time.” He whispered, “But now, we can dance. Like the stories.”

“What is…” He leaned over and placed a kiss on your lips. The scent of iron clung to him and you pushed at his shoulders before fangs grazed your lips.

“You were brought here for me, but I will show you wonders of which you have never seen.” he reached for the bedside and pulled out the book you had been writing fables in, “A story like no other.”

You looked at the fangs in his mouth and realised who he was, “Dracula…”

The vampire smiled and leaned over you, pressing your hands back to the cushions before his fangs punctured your skin.

#dracula x reader #vampire x reader #dracula x female reader #vampire x female reader #request #fanfic #dracula 1992 #bram stoker's dracula

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toomanyf4ndoms7 · 3 years ago

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Costume Party

Summary: It’s Halloween at the Cage House and Johnny’s ready for a party.

Halloween Night was a special time for many. Trick or Treating, decorating, staying up late watching horror movies with friends, all the fun stuff.

For Johnny Cage, there was only one thing he was looking forward to. A party.

With all the things they’d have to deal with, Sorcerer’s, Tyrants, Fallen Gods, Johnny figured that the good guys deserved a break. He made invitations and sent them out to his fellow warriors. He specified for some form of costuming with a quick guide to Halloween party costumes.

So, here he was dressed in a Teen Wolf costume. Red Jacket and all. On the couch nearby was his daughter Cassie Cage dressed like Harley Quinn.

“Hey, Punkin. You’re looking good.”

Blowing a pink gum bubble, Cassie shared the sentiment.

“Going retro? Never figured you for a Teen Wolf fan.”

“Hey, I’m a fan of the classics.”

“I’ll say.”

The new voice turned out to be Johnny’s partner and Cassie’s mother, Sonya Blade. Sonya seemed to share Johnny’s fondness for the classics as she dressed like Sarah Conner.

“Phew, not that I’m complaining, but isn’t the Terminator franchise a bit outdated?”

“Cage, you are in no position to judge with your Teen Wolf cosplay.”

Cassie chimed in the discussion.

“She’s got a point, dad.”

Johnny feigned betrayal.

“Ouch, way to pay me back for the help.”

Cassie gave a fond roll of her eyes as she returned to scrolling through her phone. Sonya turned back to her husband with a question.

“So, do we know who’s coming?”

Johnny gave a shrug as he counted off on his fingers.

“Most of us good guys so Kitana, Jade, Liu, Lao, Jax, Jacqui, maybe Kabal. I sent out an invite to Rai-dude but he’s probably busy.”

The doorbell ringed out, Cassie’s voice not far behind.

“I’ll get it!”

Johnny made his way downstairs to see the visitors. It could be the party guests, or it could be trick or treaters.

Cassie’s greeting dispelled such doubts, same with the responses.

“Hey guys! Glad you could make it.”

Taking a look at the guests, Johnny saw that Liu Kang and Kung Lao had body paint as skeletons, Kitana was Catwoman, Jade was a witch with green painted skin, Jax was Cyborg, Jacqui was Vixen, and Kabal was some mix of Jason Voorhees in an orange prison outfit.

He gave an impressed whistle at the group.

“Gotta say guys, love the costumes.”

Cassie jumped in with feigned disappointment at Jacqui’s costume choice.

“I was kinda hoping you’d go for Poison Ivy, Jacqui.”

“Sorry Cass, I’m more of a Vixen type girl.”

Slowly, everyone began funnelling into the house, taking in the surroundings. Jax noticed Sonya at the top of the stairs and called out.

“You gonna join us? It’d be a shame if you missed out.”

Sonya got down the stairs and noticed Jax’s costume.

“Cyborg? A tad on the nose, don’t you think?”

“You’re one to talk, Sarah Conner.”

Liu Kang interrupted the friendly argument with a question.

“So, what do we do now?”

Johnny was about to respond before he heard another ring from the doorbell. He made his way over and opened it, eyes widened in shock at who was behind it.

On the opposite side of the door was Raiden dressed in a black and purple Dracula outfit. In his hand was a bag with unknown contents. He noticed Johnny’s confused expression.

“Is there something wrong, Johnny Cage?”

“Uh, no, no. Of course not I just… wasn’t expecting you to come.”

Johnny allowed the Thunder God to enter the house, everyone listening intently as he explained his arrival.

“I often observe these holidays from afar, but when you offered me the invitation to join you in celebration I could not refuse.”

A rare smirk crossed his features as he began emptying the bag.

“And besides, what else would I do with all this?”

Inside the bag were various bags of Halloween themed sweets. Raiden had apparently gotten them in preparation.

“I was not sure of any preferences, so I just bought multiple. I hope you understand.”

Everyone stared wordlessly at the contents of the now empty bag, trying to string together an appreciative response. Liu Kang was the first to break their eyes from the table.

“Well, I think I speak for all of us when I say, Thank you, Lord Raiden.”

The others agreed with that sentiment, Raiden smiling as Johnny addressed the company.

“Alright, now that everyone’s here and we’ve got the snacks, let’s talk about the plan. We’ve got movies, games, all the fun stuff. What’s first?”

“What’re the movies?”

“Glad you asked, Speedy! We’ve got the classic Slashers, we’ve got the so bad it’s good horror films, we’ve even got the Ninja Mime Halloween Special!”

At the mention of the Ninja Mime film, groans spread throughout the room.

“How about we don’t do that?”

“Alright fine, what about Scream?”

Sounds of agreement.

“Alright. I’ll get some popcorn and pour those candy bags into a bowl-

Johnny was cut off as a pair of bowl was slammed on the table. Cassie made her way over and grabbed a piece, popping it into her mouth.

“Already done.”

Johnny gave a look at Kabal, who gave a nonchalant shrug as he made his way to the couch. Everyone began taking positions as Johnny began to start the movie.

Raiden watched his mortals from the stairs, smiling at their comfort. He prepared to walk out the door before he heard Johnny call out to him.

“Hey, Rai-Dude! You joining us or what?”

The other partygoers shared the sentiment, asking him to join them. Raiden closed the door and stood behind the couch. As the film began to play, Cassie offered him a bar of chocolate.

“Happy Halloween, Raiden.”

He took the bar, thanking Cassie as he unwrapped.

“Happy Halloween to you as well, Cassandra.”

#mortal kombat #mortal kombat 11 #raiden #sonya blade #kitana #johnny cage #cassie cage #jade #liu kang #things i create #jacqui briggs #jax briggs

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hambone-kablooey · 4 years ago

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Okay so my Sabrina stream of consciousness was mildly popular, and season 5 of Van Helsing just came out. Let's have a go.

Preamble:

This show really went from apocalypse story with vampirism instead of zombies to full on Dracula magic times didn't it? Not sure how I feel about that.

Tricia Helfer as Dracula can step on me though. Hope we see more of her this season.

I have no memory of what happened last season. Vanessa has teenage daughters, who's still alive, where'd Christopher Heyerdahl go? All forgotten.

With that out of the way, let's get it.

Episode 1:

New intro kinda slaps.

Why is this girl coming through a portal? Wasn't she stuck in vampire hell?

That's Castle Dracula, right? Looks a lot like the one from the Netflix series.

Okay so time travel now?

Wow you can tell Kelly Overton couldn't be there to film. Bad voiceover and no face. I hope we see her soon.

Um, excuse you, weird mask lady?

Yeah, get her ass!

*disgusted* Peasants.

Listen, I've seen this girl in lots of stuff, and I like her, but "vampires, and I'm the cure" was not a good line.

Tricia!

This man! I know this man!

Midwife is sus.

Oh, isn't she one of Dracula's wives?

Toxic masculinity, who's she? Don't know her.

I sense a love interest? Or was this the lesbian. Truly all memory of this show is gone.

Wouldn't it not be called Transylvania? Wasn't it Wallachia at this point? World history is not my thing.

Also did she get magic language powers? There's no way medieval Wallachians would speak English.

Who's this? He looks like a Chad

THIS BITCH!

I see you creeping Chad!

Oh. I thought this guy would be decent. Maybe not.

Who's this MAN?

Tell him, girl!

Tricia no!

Oh sweet Florian. So pure.

Are we getting a tragic Dracula? Because I'm a little bitch for a tragic villain.

Jesus, Michaela.

So is Michaela in on the vampire thing? Or just a little obsessed?

Time travel is so dangerous. There are so many potential pitfalls.

I'm so torn about the Count. He acts like a smarmy asshole, and yet he loves his wife so damn much.

Damn she old.

Damn he sneaky.

Also Michaela is definitely in on the vampire thing, which makes her older than Dracula? Interesting.

Listen to the servants they know EVERYTHING!

CHAD!

This woman is so flaky I love her.

Listen to the fortune tellers they know EVERYTHING!!!

AHA! Tricia is just a vessel for the original Dracula. I see.

Jesus, Jack!

Also TRICIA NO!

I love this aspect of time travel. The hero just dunking on a villain who doesn't even know them yet.

Please tell me this isn't the last of Tricia. Damn I love her.

Episode 2:

Is Bathory evil here?

Oh jeez I don't think she is! Are we getting good Bathory?

Oh, Florian no.

This obviously isn't going to kill her. She's a Van Helsing!

But even so, being hanged when you can't die? That's rough.

I forgot how much big villain energy Michaela has. She's great.

Ooh that evil laugh.

I feel so bad for this man. By medieval standards he's not that awful.

Yes Jack!

Yes Bathory!

No Jack she's not evil yet!

Oof poor Bathory. She has no idea.

Fuck this guy.

Florian you chicken shit bastard!

This is so messed up. I HATED this woman last season. She's so great now.

Tell her Jack!

Chad!

Is Chad a Van Helsing?

IS BATHORY A VAN HELSING!?

Is that not what the amulet means? I forget.

Aw, servant girl no.

That's so much wasted blood. Come on, Michaela!

Okay is this nice Tricia or evil Tricia?

Don't make any sudden moves my guy

Will you love your corpse wife, my guy?

Not a witch, my guy. A vampire. Get with the program.

I love a lady villain who can snap every man like a twig.

Who's that meant to be?

Oh it's her. That's her coffin.

Not a good likeness.

Poor Jack just sleeping in the dirt.

Is this going to be one of those "time is a closed circle" type deals? Jack killed Olivia, which let her be turned and corrupted. Jack convinces Bathory to fight, and she's turned. We'll see.

Why isn't the sunlight hurting her?

Yes Alexandra! Florian, quit being a chicken shit!

I'm getting a bad feeling about all this.

Yes Jack!

IS TIME A CLOSED CIRCLE!?

Poor Tricia...

Oh no this is bad...

SHIT WHAT!?

OH NO!!!

A VISION!

Yikes Tricia, that's not okay.

Michaela is just fucking batshit. I love her.

This feels more like a final act than an episode 2, so I'm thinking we're going back to the present soon.

Ooooh she's here!

Episode 3:

She is going to wreck Michaela's shit so hard

Yes girl...er, evil shadow spirit!

Tricia plays unfathomable evil so well.

Oh god please don't cut off Jack's arm.

Oh god it's so much worse!!!

No don't leave the evil flesh strip just LYING THERE!!!!!

Yep. She just made it night. God I love evil Tricia.

Jump cut to carnage. My favorite kind of jump cut.

You chicken shit piece of old man peasant garbage!!!!

I forget the rules, do Jack's cured cure other people?

She is so damn scary.

What is this damn scroll?

Is this how Bathory becomes evil?

Please tell me he's lying...

Yay... feminism?

YES KILL THAT BITCH!!!

I'm so worried about Bathory...

Never thought I'd utter those words.

DON'T TRUST HER!!!

YES! But also he's so dead...

Don't eat the baby please...

It's a trap!

I still think time is a closed circle here. They'll stop the Dark One now, but everything will turn out the same in the end.

I'm still living for badass Bathory though.

Obligatory battle scene.

Yay Florian! Chicken shit no more!

Motherly live?

Drink from the vampire teat!

Is this going to be a vampire baby?

Oh no did he axe Bathory!!!

Yes bite him!

We love a self aware noble.

Yeah why isn't he healing?

SHE'S SO FREAKING CREEPY! I LOVE HER!

Oh there's the scary Bathory voice...

Oh shit!

FUCK FUCK FUCK!!!

Michaela's back. That blows.

This is such a downer and it's only episode 3.

THIS FEELS LIKE SUCH AN ENDING!!!

Back to the present!

Ooooooh!

Okay, that's it for now. Back tomorrow with more.

#van helsing #van helsing netflix #kelly overton #tricia helfer #dracula

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deafgaynerd · 4 years ago

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what happens after dinner

Malcolm and Edrisa attend family dinner for the first time as an official couple.

(written for @brighttanaka)

check it out on ao3

Malcolm Bright walked into the Major Crimes meeting room to clean up their most recent case board. He had caught their killer by doing what he does best, going just far enough into danger that he succeeds (while also making everyone else worry) but not far enough to die. He organized everything into case files to put into storage. The Major Crimes team filed into the room for a debrief.

Gil Arroyo, Dani Powell, and JT Tarmel joined Malcolm in the room. They didn’t sit down, instead electing to stand around the table as all attention turned to Gil. He went over assignments for paperwork, gave out praise for closing the case and thanked Malcolm for joining them. He did this after every case, thanking Malcolm for his work as if he was unaware that Malcolm was always, constantly itching to work on a new case, to solve a new murder. Gil made sure each case ended in a way that if Malcolm ever had to stop consulting, heaven forbid, his last case ended well and he was in good standing with each person on the team. That, and he knew that someone needed to praise Malcolm for being as smart as he was. Many people just expected him to be smart, they didn’t feel the need to congratulate him or tell him that whatever he did for the case was helpful and productive. Malcolm needed this occasionally though, and since Gil knew this, he made it a part of their case-ending routine.

Gil ended the meeting with a promise to see them all at family dinner and sent them all to their respective partners. Bright is the last to walk towards the door before he’s summoned back to talk with his surrogate dad.

“I know this is Edrisa’s first family dinner as your girlfriend, but make sure she knows that she doesn’t have to act any different than she is. We all know her, and we love her for who she is, she doesn’t have to impress us by being someone else,” Gil told Malcolm as he picked up the file box and walked towards the door.

“You do know that I can’t make Edrisa do anything, right?” Malcolm reminds the lieutenant. “I will remind her, though. If only to help reassure her. Dinner’s at 7:30 right?”

“Yeah, but you know your mother, you better-” Gil began.

“-Get there by 6:30, I know. Thanks, Gil. I’m going to go see if Edrisa is ready now. See you later.” Malcolm left Gil to put up the case file in the records room.

Malcolm made his way to his girlfriend’s office a few levels down. His new romantic partner was the medical examiner for this NYPD precinct, Edrisa Tanaka. Edrisa had an eccentric personality that Malcolm had been drawn to ever since he started consulting for Gil. They had so much in common and were constantly in awe of each other’s intellect. They understood each other very well and were nearly perfectly in sync, saving each other from dangerous things at crime scenes, and just being able to brainstorm about cases together.

Of course, Malcolm and Edrisa had things in common other than work. They were both interested in the same type of things, between human anatomy, ancient weaponry, and classic stories, among other things, they curated a wonderful friendship that blossomed to a romantic one. Malcolm was always worried that with everything that he deals with, he would overwhelm Edrisa, but she reassures him this isn’t the case, whenever he needs to hear it.

Edrisa and Malcolm fit each other well, so well, in fact, that Edrisa says “Hi Bright!” before Malcolm has pulled his second foot across the threshold of the morgue. He smiled and walked the rest of the way to his girlfriend. “I figured you would be done soon,” she revealed. “I knew you finished the case, and Gil’s speeches tend to be around the same length each time.”

Malcolm smiled at her, nodding. “Are you ready to head home to get dressed for dinner at the Whitly House, Ris?” He asked, moving directly in front of her to capture her attention.

“I just have to finish filling out today’s paperwork on this autopsy, it should only take a few minutes.” Edrisa told him, smiling. She then proceeded to explain what she had found out in this autopsy, a case Bright was not assigned to, and Malcolm listened intently, fascinated by not only her findings, but the passion with which she talked about her cases. Once Edrisa had finished, Malcolm helped her gather her things and they headed to the car.

When they got home, Edrisa held up two outfits. “Which one do you think would go over the best with your family?” She asked. “Ainsley helped me pick out some clothes that would look appropriate for your mother, which one do you think I should wear? I don’t want to wear something that would upset Jessica Whitly, ”

Malcolm studied the two outfits. One was a knee-length, emerald dress. The other was a navy blue suit with a lighter blue patterned shirt underneath. “I think you should go with the suit, it feels more “Edrisa.” Besides, my mother loves you already, Everyone who will be there loves you already. This will go fine, I promise.”

She nodded and left to change. “I know that I already know everyone, Malcolm, but this time it’s different. This time we’re going as a couple.”

“Edrisa, it’s just our friends and my family. You got this. We’ve got this. I’ll be right by your side the whole time.” Malcolm reassured her. She walked out and he couldn’t help but stare. She looked gorgeous. “Wow, Ris, you look amazing.” He got up and walked over to her, grabbing her hands and looking into her eyes. “We got this.” He said again.

“We got this,” Edrisa repeated.

The pair arrived at the Whitly House at 6:30 on the dot. Gil was already there, of course. So were Ainsley and Dani, since Ainsley had decided to live at home again to help out their mom and Dani coming over to visit her girlfriend before dinner. The only couple missing were the Tarmels. They started joining family dinners when Dani and Ainsley got together, because it didn’t feel right to have 3/4 of the team at dinner. They also invited Edrisa, before she and Bright had gotten together, and she had been participating. It had been a few weeks since Malcolm and Edrisa became a couple, but Edrisa had been busy for the past few family dinners. This was their very first one as an official couple.

At 6:45, JT and Tally came in, sheepishly. “We’re sorry, Jessica, the babysitter was late.” JT informed the night’s hostess. “We made dessert though. We brought brownies.”

“Who is this “we” you speak of, JT Tarmel.” Tally scolded, making Jessica laugh. Gil took the tray of brownies from JT and put them in the kitchen.

“Now that we’re all here, let’s have a drink and prepare for dinner,” Jessica announced.

At 7:30, the group sat down at the dinner table as the waiter brought out their dishes. They ate peacefully for a while, making small talk with the people around them. It was nice, getting to catch up with all their friends outside of work. They made sure to have family dinner at least once a week, because Jessica wanted to know what was happening with her children. All of them, which now included JT and Tally.

“Edrisa, I hope Malcolm is treating you well,” Jessica said loud enough that everyone can hear. “I taught him better than to treat you poorly.”

“Oh! Ma’am, Malcolm is wonderful. He’s so attentive, he’s kind, he’s sweet, he doesn’t leave a girl hanging, if you know what I mean,” Edrisa says, smiling at Malcolm who, all of a sudden, has a look of panic on his face. Most people can’t tell, but Edrisa has noticed. “He’s very thoughtful,” Edrisa continued, “and he loves me, too, even if he doesn’t know it yet.” She looked at Jessica with that statement and Jessica couldn’t help but laugh.

“I’m sure he does,” she responded before going back to talking with Gil. No doubt, they’re discussing how all of their kids ended up dating each other. Or, something about how they ended up here. They’re sentimental like that during family dinners.

After dinner and dessert, the couples broke off, heading to their own places. Edrisa and Malcolm went back to Malcolm’s place, where Edrisa always stayed over the weekend. They crawled into bed, Edrisa reading Dracula, sitting up against the headboard, and Malcolm scrolling on his phone, reading over a new psychological research paper. Edrisa has a favorite out of Malcolm’s clothes to wear, his old Harvard sweatshirt. No matter how many times it gets washed, it always smelled like Bright, and it was the warmest and coziest out of all of his tops, and he knew to leave it ready for her when they came home for the weekend.

After finishing his article, Malcolm rolled over to lean against Edrisa. “Are you done yet, Ris?” He asked her. She looked down and smiled, before lifting her arms up to let him lay on her more.

“I am not done reading yet, no. I’ll tell you when I am.” She responds to him. Malcolm takes the invitation and lays his head on her shoulder while she reads. He wraps his arms around her torso while she brings her hands back down, using his back as a resting place for the book and running the other hand through his hair. She knew that the best way for him to not have nightmares was for him to be holding onto her, and she knew that dealing with his family always exhausted him and he could use the rest.

Malcolm eventually fell asleep cuddling her while Edrisa finished rereading her book. She turned off the light and moved just enough so that she's laying down with him. She fell asleep in his arms and it’s the best sleep either of them has had in a while.

#malcolm bright #maldrisa #edrisa tanaka #malcolm x edrisa #prodigal son #gilica #gil x jessica #dani x ainsley #dainsley #dansley #jessica whitly #gil arroyo #dani powell #ainsley whitly #jt tarmel #tally tarmel

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possiblyimbiassed · 5 years ago

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“E” as in Eurus, Enola and Estate

In June this year the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd filed a lawsuit against an impending Holmes adaptation movie on Netflix (article from RadioTimes here: X).

Sherlock, Mycroft and Enola, starring Henry Cavill, Sam Claflin and Millie Bobby Brown.

This post about it by @tendergingergirl (X) seems to have gone largely unnoticed, but I think it deserves far more attention. In fact, it got me thinking “What’s all this actually about?” and looking a few things up.

My curiosity about the doings of this Estate began in December last year, before the release of BBC Dracula in January, when an interesting discussion initiated after an excellent meta by @yeah-oh-shit (X), who had made some investigations into previous copyright and public domain issues and lawsuits, which I had never known about before.

And now it turns out that the Conan Doyle Estate Ltd (from here on I’ll call them ‘ACD Estate’) is suing the film makers, along with Nancy Springer, author of a book series based on characters from the Holmes universe called The Enola Holmes Mysteries (2006-2010), for copyright infringement.

But I thought most of ACD’s Sherlock Holmes stories are now in public domain, including the Illustrious Client, the Sussex Vampire and the Three Garridebs, whose copyright under US law expired last year (2019)? Well, yes, but that’s still not all of them, and according to ACD Estate “for those of the stories whose copyright terms have ended, this action is brought within the three-year limitations period for infringement.”

More under the cut.

So, the ACD Estate’s copyright, they claim, still includes the following ten stories collected in The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes:

The Creeping Man (1923)

The Illustrious Client (1924)

The Three Garridebs (1924)

The Sussex Vampire (1924)

The Retired Colourman (1926)

The Lion’s Mane (1926)

The Three Gables (1926)

The Blanched Soldier (1926)

Shoscombe Old Place (1927)

The Veiled Lodger (1927)

The whole lawsuit can be downloaded as a PDF file from this news article (X), and it’s quite an interesting read.

Claims about Sherlock Holmes’ emotions

So, since this is not the first lawsuit from the ACD Estate about adaptations, what’s their beef with the film makers this time? As far as I can see from their claims, this is about Sherlock Holmes’ emotions.

This is how the ACD Estate reads Holmes’ character development in the lawsuit: “Conan Doyle made the surprising artistic decision to have his most famous character—known around the world as a brain without a heart—develop into a character with a heart. Holmes became warmer. He became capable of friendship. He could express emotion. He began to respect women. His relationship to Watson changed from that of a master and assistant to one of genuine friendship. Watson became more than just a tool for Holmes to use. He became a partner.”

They even quote the famous passage in The Three Garridebs (3GAR, 1924) where Watson says: “It was worth a wound—it was worth many wounds—to know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind that cold mask.”

But all this progress, they claim, specifically happened within these ten still (allegedly) copyrighted stories, which Conan Doyle wrote after World War One, where he had the traumatic experience of losing both his son and his brother.

They claim that Holmes’ emotional development is still under their copyright (which I believe in practise means their power to decide whether to allow a film adaptation or not) and apart from the emotions issue, they also provide the following other examples of developments that are (supposedly) unique to these ten still copyrighted stories:

Holmes employs a knowledge of medicine in Watson’s absence

Holmes and Watson use modern technologies in detective work for the first time

Watson marries a second time during his association with Holmes (BLAN)

Holmes changes into someone who has great interest in dogs

Sherlock’s “secret sister”

The Enola Holmes Mysteries got me interested, and now I’ve read the two first of six instalments in total. The series is about Sherlock’s and Mycroft’s younger sister Enola, a clever teenager whom the brothers – in particular Mycroft - want to send away to a boarding school after their mother has disappeared and abandoned her. But Enola hates the idea of being confined to a place where she will be forced to wear a corset and restricted to a certain (‘female’) behaviour at all times. She escapes to London, where she starts a secret private detective career specialising in investigations of missing persons. Enola must keep ahead of her brothers who are determined to capture and force her to conform to Victorian society’s expectations for young women. She skilfully uses different disguises, just like Sherlock, and she meets John Watson pretending to be someone else. With her cleverness she manages to outwit even Sherlock. She is good at drawing and uses her sketches in her work. She manages to communicate with her mother (and eventually also with Sherlock) by using ciphers.

All of this does seem to have certain similarities with how Eurus Holmes is described in S4, doesn’t it?

Eurus is, like Enola, the secret Holmes sister whom we never have heard of before.

In TFP Mycroft claims Eurus’ intellect was superior to both Sherlock’s and his own; she was “incandescent”.

We see little Eurus draw sketches of her family members (not very pleasant sketches when it comes to Sherlock, though).

Mycroft made sure Eurus was sent away to an isolated prison/institution (Sherrinford) at an early age.

Their parents seemed absent and not particularly interested in the whereabouts of their own daughter (they didn’t even know she was alive); they let Mycroft and ‘Uncle Rudy’ take care of things, so one could easily suspect she was abandoned.

Eurus seems to have escaped to London at her own leisure, while Mycroft thought she was incarcerated.

Eurus appears in London under three different disguises: “E” (flirting and texting with John),

“Faith” (walking the streets of London with Sherlock)

and John’s new therapist.

Eurus makes riddles with codes for Sherlock to decipher (“The cipher was the song”).

So, one might wonder if the Eurus plot is – at least to some degree – inspired by Enola Holmes? On the other hand, while Eurus appears cold and calculating, Enola is compassionate and sensitive and makes mistakes because of emotional bias. Enola seems more similar to Eurus’ disguised personas than to the supposedly ‘real’ Eurus - the one who burned the family estate down and killed Victor Trevor.

I still believe that Eurus only exists inside Sherlock’s head in BBC Sherlock, being a part of himself, but that’s for another discussion.

As for the Holmes siblings, it’s also interesting that on the ACD Estate’s website, where they have a collection of ’facts’ about ACD’s characters, they seem to have included BBC Sherlock’s Eurus as a valid sibling of Sherlock and Mycroft (scroll down to “Holmes facts” on this page: X), even though this character is nowhere to be found in canon. Please correct me if I’m wrong about this, but the only reference I can find to ”the East Wind” in ACD’s stories is in His Last Bow (LAST, 1917), where Holmes says that ”There’s an east wind coming, Watson”, and goes on to talk about a cold, bitter wind that is threatening England; most probably a reference to WWI, which was raging at the time of publication. No one with the name Eurus is ever mentioned, though. If Eurus had already been part of canon, why would Mofftiss have claimed her to be the big ”rug-pull” in TFP?

I haven’t read the final part in the Enola Holmes series (X) yet, where allegedly Enola reconciles with her brothers (Sherlock in particular) and they end up respecting her independence and skills. But according to several reviews Sherlock softens up a bit in the end. In the parts I have read, the two adult brothers appear rather conservative, patronising and sexist towards their younger sister – indeed more condescending than I think Holmes view of women actually is described in ACD’s original stories (allegedly – we never see him treat women badly in practice, do we?). At any rate, I haven’t this far been able to find a single specific plot element from the ten (supposedly) still copyrighted stories in Springer’s work.

In their lawsuit, the ACD Estate claims that “The Springer novels make extensive infringing use of Conan Doyle’s transformation of Holmes from cold and critical to warm, respectful, and kind in his relationships. Springer places Enola Holmes at the center of the novels and has Holmes initially treat her coolly, then change to respond to her with warmth and kindness.”

So what they’re doing here is the same thing they’ve done before (and lost): they’re claiming they still own some intrinsic characteristics of Sherlock Holmes, even though most of the stories are already in public domain.

Other lawsuits

A similar lawsuit towards Miramax (X) was made in 2015 for the film Mr Holmes, which had Ian McKellen as protagonist. But it ended in settlement before the defendants had responded to the accusations, which were similar to those regarding Enola Holmes about Holmes’ emotional life, but also had to do with the details of Holmes’ life as a retired man.

So, this is not the first time the copyright owners are interfering with content in Holmes adaptations. To complicate things further there seems to be two different estates claiming copyright for Doyle’s work. In 2010 there was some reporting that another estate had threatened Guy Richie’s Sherlock Holmes movies with disapproval after Robert Downey Junior had discussed Holmes possibly being gay on a TV show (X). According to Digital Spy, Andrea Plunket, who then represented the ‘Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate’, said: "I hope this is just an example of Mr Downey's black sense of humour. It would be drastic, but I would withdraw permission for more films to be made if they feel that is a theme they wish to bring out in the future. I am not hostile to homosexuals, but I am to anyone who is not true to the spirit of the books."

It’s very unclear which legal rights Andrea Plunket’s family (Andrea apparently died in 2016) actually has to represent ACD’s work, though. Andrea had been married to one of the copyright owners, and her family’s money had paid for the purchase of those rights, but after her divorce Andrea seems to have lost her part in the copyright, according to @mallamun on tumblr: (X). There’s also a lot of interesting things to read about these copyright issues in an article by Mattias Bodström from 2015: (X). However, there’s still a website from ‘Arthur Conan Doyle Literary Estate’ claiming ownership of the stories: X, and they have published a detailed account of their version of the matter (X).

The current case

I have no idea what the court will think about these new accusations against Netflix et al, but to me, if this isn’t farfetched, I don’t know what is. I think a good case could be made for most of these ‘unique’ elements listed above being expressed already before the Case Book. For example, in His Last Bow (LAST, 1917) they use a car, in The Dying Detective (DYIN, 1913) Holmes manages to fool Dr Watson that he’s very sick. When Watson declares his intent to marry for the first time already in The Sign of Four (SIGN, 1890), Holmes resorts to drugs. The dogs are all over the place since day one, and Holmes seems to appreciate them very much, not least Toby in SIGN.

And don’t get me started on the contradictions in Watson’s various discussions of whether Holmes has a heart. Holmes’ actions of helping people often contradicts the image of a cold, emotionless person. The Yellow Face (YELL, 1893) ends with Holmes being deeply repentant for being over-confident in his suspicion of a woman for adultery or maybe worse offences, when she was actually only trying to protect her little daughter from society’s racism.

In the Devil’s Foot (DEVI, 1910) there’s the following conversation (my bolding): “Upon my word, Watson!” said Holmes at last with an unsteady voice, “I owe you both my thanks and an apology. It was an unjustifiable experiment even for one’s self, and doubly so for a friend. I am really very sorry.” “You know,” I answered with some emotion, for I had never seen so much of Holmes’s heart before, “that it is my greatest joy and privilege to help you.”

Why on earth would it be a “surprising artistic decision” from ACD to develop Holmes into a little more caring and openly compassionate person as he grew older? Isn’t that the very classical character development of any literary hero’s journey and also a logical personal development for many people in the real world? It’s called ‘learning’ and ‘maturing’, as far as I know. To claim this is infringement of some unique idea is frankly ridiculous.

In short: They make a very literal, textual interpretation of the Holmes character, cherry-picking the parts that suit their interests, they claim there’s a clear story arc with very separate characteristics before and after WWI, and that they own the end of it. Thus, no adaptation with a progressive story arc regarding Holmes’ character would be permitted without their consent. Since apparently BBC Sherlock have ACD’s Estate’s license for their own franchise, this just makes me wonder how much trouble Mofftiss et al had with including things like Sherlock’s and John’s hug in TLD, or his emotional breakdown with the coffin after Eurus’ experiments on him in TFP.

Possible satirical meaning and small hints

Allow me to speculate a bit about the possible implications of BBC Sherlock in relation to the Estate. In a recent excellent meta by @raggedyblue, the ACD Estate as ‘Doyle’s bank’ is discussed, regarding the significance of the banker Sebastian Wilkes in The Blind Banker (X). Many interesting ideas are presented in this meta, I really recommend a read. This topic also initiated an interesting discussion about Doyle himself mirroring John in this post by @devoursjohnlock (X).

In an addition to that meta @shylockgnomes brings up John’s blog post about Tilly Briggs as another possible reference to the Estate (X). I totally agree with this; some time around the release of BBC Dracula this year, and our discussions about legal issues connected to both shows, I stumbled upon this particular ‘aborted’ blog post and came to realise its possible significance. It gave me the idea to change the title of my own blog to “Tilly Briggs Ship with Johnlock on it”, since I suspect that the blog post might be a clue about legal obstacles to a certain relationship. And that title is staying, at least until we know the true story (if ever).

Canon contains some info about Matilda Briggs is in The Sussex Vampire, one of the late ACD stories that should be in public domain by now, since the copyright supposedly expired in December 2019. But, as shown above, the Estate now claims there’s a three-year lapse when they can still sue for infringement. Here’s the quote from SUSS (my bolding): “Matilda Briggs was not the name of a young woman, Watson,” said Holmes in a reminiscent voice. “It was a ship which is associated with the giant rat of Sumatra, a story for which the world is not yet prepared.” Sumatra, by the way, was Sherlock’s preferred destination in the TST tale of the merchant who met Death in Samarra. In Sherlock’s version, according to Mycroft, the merchant survived and became a pirate... ;-)

John’s aborted blog post (X) is titled “Tilly Briggs Cruise of Terror”, which just might be yet another little jibe at the Estate. John says that “I had to take this post down for a while as the ship's owners are launching an appeal”. According to Jacob Sowersby (a Sherlock fan on the blog) and Mike Stamford, this was “mind-blowing stuff”:

So I can’t help thinking this sounds like a hint to us about the Estate and a certain ‘ship’ which is still partly in their (legal) power and control. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if the whole show - on the meta level - is partly meant as a satirical commentary on how Holmes’ and Watson’s characters, and therefore also their relationship, have been treated the last 100+ years by their ‘owners’. A treatment where I believe the hetero norm has always ruled, and where Andrea Plunket’s quote above indicates that homophobia regarding Holmes and Watson is still tied to legal obstacles.

Charles Augustus Magnussen also talks about ownership at the beginning of HLV (thanks for the quotes, Ariane DeVere): “Of course it isn’t blackmail. This is... ownership”. And later in the episode: “It’s all about knowledge. Everything is. Knowing is owning”. In fact, quite a bit of emphasis in HLV is put on Magnussen’s ‘ownership’ of characters people: “I’m a businessman, acquiring assets. You happen to be one of them!” Apparently - as this new lawsuit shows - it’s even possible to make money out of Holmes’ emotions.

@catwillowtree also pointed out, in another additional thread to @raggedyblue’s meta, that Eurus’ burning down Musgrave Hall – the family estate - in TFP also seems like a reference to the ACD Estate. I would add to this, saying that the bomb that didn’t go off in TEH and the “patience grenade” that did go off in TFP might have to do with the same issue. What would happen if the ‘bomb’ of Johnlock would go off before the relevant stories are legally in public domain? Most probably another lawsuit from the Estate, which might become very expensive.

Come to think of it, in TGG Greg Lestrade mentions an estate agent, when Sherlock receives a text message and a phone call on the pink phone from Moriarty: “What the hell are we supposed to make of that? An estate agent’s photo and the bloody Greenwich pips!” Well, if the Estate agent is somehow connected to the five pips, that fandom theory of the pips representing five series in the show comes to mind... For every pip in TGG there’s a victim covered in explosives; a huge bomb threatening to go off. (The third bomb did go off in TGG, but in S3 Sherlock found the ‘off-switch’ in time). If the fifth bomb is to explode in S5, I bet it won’t be until the relevant stories are safely in public domain. 2023?

More wild speculation while I’m at it: Maybe Sherlock and Ajay’s smashing of Thatcher busts in TST also ties in metaphorically to the same topic? The Thatcher era was not easy for LGBTQ people. There are several owners in TST whose Thatcher busts need to be smashed in order for Ajay’s lost memory stick to be recovered. AGRA is referred to as Ajay’s and Mary’s “family”. The memory stick contains personal information, ‘who you really are’. Could be read as if the info of who Sherlock Holmes really is can only be released once certain obstacles are overcome...

In another interesting meta from last year by @yeah-oh-shit (X), they mention the secret underground station at Sumatra road in TEH, where Howard Shilcott tells Sherlock and John that “They built the platforms, even the staircases, but it all got tied up in legal disputes, so they never built the station on the surface.” So maybe S5 is basically already written? It would make sense to me if the long hiatus we’re facing right now has a far more logical reason than the excuses Mofftiss have presented in interviews - the risk of legal disputes with the copyright owners.

Tagging some more people who might be interested: @gosherlocked @ebaeschnbliah @sarahthecoat @sagestreet @thepersianslipper

ETA: I have corrected some details about the copyright owners in this post; thanks @devoursjohnlock for pointing them out!

#The Conan Doyle Estate

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flutteringphalanges · 4 years ago

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Caught in a Riptide

Summary: After the infamous Count Dracula is discovered and taken into custody by the Jonathan Harker Foundation, former nun and now guardian to her young niece, Zoe, Agatha Van Helsing is tasked with keeping tabs on the vampire after a mishap leads to his release into modern day society. Can Agatha remain levelheaded, or will fate turn her onto a new path?

Pairing: Dracula/Agatha Van Helsing

Rated: M

Read on FFN and AO3

A/N: Hooray! Two story updates in one week! I guess this Spring Break is proving to be writing productive! Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter! Feedback is greatly appreciated and fuels the writing mind! Thank you guys so much and I hope you enjoy this chapter! -Jen

Chapter Eleven

Agatha wasn’t quite sure how long she stood in the doorway with her mouth ajar. A second perhaps? A few minutes? Hell, possibly a millennium? But the only comparison to this moment she could make was waking up from a dream and going straight into a nightmare. Her eyes wander around the room as she noted how every window in sight was plastered over with discarded newspapers and pieces of cardboard--some with scribbled drawings she could only attribute to being Zoe’s. The rat bastard had blocked the sunlight getting in.

“Living room now!” She hissed, Dracula’s cheeky grin only causing the flames of fury to burn hotter within her. “Now!”

Part of her felt as if she needed to grab him by the ear and drag him in there himself as the vampire purposely took his time to follow her out of Zoe’s earshot. Once they were alone, the former nun whipped around to face him.

“Why the hell are you still here?!” She growled, jabbing a finger into his chest. “Not only are you not welcome, but you have overstayed at that!” Agatha motioned around her. “And you’ve desecrated my house!”

“First, I would like to say that I am rather disappointed in you.” Dracula smirked. “I had originally thought your intentions to be alone with me were for more...intimate reasons.” He didn’t even blink when Agatha slapped him hard across the face. “Clearly you should’ve had your breakfast before we had this talk. You’re simply...well, what’s the term the adolescence use nowadays?” The Count’s devilish grin only widened. “Hangery?”

Agatha sucked in a sharp breath. “I...you…” Her fists clenched so tightly the circulation to her fingers was on the verge of being cut off. “If Zoe wasn’t in the other room, I would rip your stupid sun protection off my windows and watch you die a long, painful death. But I don’t feel like scarring a little girl!”

Dracula chuckled, his smile lopsided as he watched the woman fuming before his very eyes. He’d expected her to be upset, sure, but this...this was true gold. Agatha ground her teeth together, arms now folded over her chest as she continued to scowl darkly at him.

“You do know if you kill me…” He paused. “And I know you very, very much want to. It would certainly be a breach of contract.” Dracula feigned a long exhale, looking towards the direction of the door. “Perhaps I’ll stay until nightfall. It isn’t as if I have much of a choice.” The Count shrugged, his false sense of apology quite evident to Agatha. “A true pity really. But it can’t be helped, now can it?”

Over a hundred ways to slaughter Count Dracula began to manifest in Agatha’s mind. Yet he was right. Until nightfall, he couldn’t exactly leave without consequences no matter how much she’d like him to burn. Literally. Nostrils flared, her brows knitted together as she tried her best to ignore his obnoxious grin.

“You may be forced to stay here.” She spat, not hiding the disgust in her tone. “But Zoe and I certainly don’t have to.” Agatha looked over her shoulder and called out towards the kitchen. “Zoe, go get dressed and put on your shoes, we’re leaving.”

“Is Mr. Dracula coming too?” Zoe replied loudly, sounding hopeful.

“No.” Her aunt answered flatly, glaring at the Count. “Mr. Dracula is staying behind.” Still looking at Dracula incredulous, Agatha’s eyes narrowed. “I’m going to go change now. Follow me, and you’ll regret it.”

The vampire held up his hands. “Relax, Agatha. I assure you I can manage holding back my temptations to repeat last night’s...experience for another time. Feel free to go get dressed, I can bask in the memories…” He paused, his ever present smirk broadening. “For now.”

Agatha said nothing as she shoved past the vampire, trying to block out his laughing as she stormed into her room. While her body craved a nice, hot shower, her mind convinced her the best option was just to throw on some clothes and leave with Zoe before she went completely berserk. Wearing an old, long sleeved shirt and some worn pants, she stepped out into the hallway to find her niece waiting there patiently.

“You do realize you are wearing two different colored socks.” She noted, eyeing the little girl with a sigh. “And that shirt has a stain on it.”

“So?” Zoe shrugged. “I like it that way.”

Agatha exhaled, shaking her head. “Nevermind. Let’s just go.” Taking Zoe by her hand, she walked briskly towards the front door. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Dracula standing back in the shadows. When he waved, she did not return the favor. “You better be gone when we return.” She growled, tugging on her niece’s hand. “C’mon, Zoe. We’re leaving.”

“Where are we going?” The child asked, craning her neck to catch a glimpse of the vampire. “Not somewhere boring, right?”

“To the park.” Agatha said, grabbing their windbreakers from the rack. “And then...maybe some ice cream, I don’t know. We’re just going.”

“Hooray!” Zoe squealed, sounding far more excited about their sudden departure. “Goodbye, Mr. Dracula! See you soon!”

“Oh, I very much count on that, dear Zoe.” The vampire smiled. “Your aunt and I have some unfinished business.”

When the little girl’s attention was preoccupied, Agatha flipped the Count off before opening the front door and slamming it behind them. Once they were outside, the former nun’s grip loosened around her niece’s hand. Zoe hummed to herself as Agatha fished around in her purse to retrieve her phone. Unlocking it, she scrolled down through her contacts before clicking on the one she desired.

“Hello, Jack?” Agatha spoke, letting out a long breath when she heard the other end connect. “Can you meet me at Pannett Park?” She looked over her shoulder, holding the cell close to her ear. “It’s important.”

XXX

Despite it being early in the morning, the park was decently packed by the time Agatha pulled up into the parking lot. She scanned the lot, looking for an empty parking space. Zoe had already unfastened her belt, against her aunt’s orders, and had taken to leaning over the side of the driver’s seat with the intention of helping out.

“Zoe, sit back down.” Agatha instructed, trying to focus on the road and not her loose niece. “The car hasn’t stopped yet.”

“I’m trying to help you.” The girl replied, frowning softly as she peered around. “What if we can never find a space?” She let out an exaggerated sigh and collapsed against her seat. “We’ve been driving for forever!”

“Patience is a virtue.” But even Agatha’s tone was strained. “We’ll find one.”

Zoe let out a huff and crossed her arms in annoyance. After circling the parking lot twice, Agatha finally managed to find a spot. It was right in the sun, of course, but it would work. Turning the car off, she barely had a moment to step out before her niece leaped from the back seat and out onto the grass.

“Zoe, stay where I can see you!” The former nun called out as the girl bounded towards the playground. “Don’t go too far!”

But she was already out of earshot, her laughter becoming more distant the further she went. Shaking her head, Agatha walked over to an empty bench and sat down. Pulling out her phone once more, she unlocked the screen and located Jack’s number.

“We made it. Good luck finding parking, the place is packed.” -Agatha

A few minutes passed by before her cell began to vibrate.

“Sorry, couldn’t text and drive. But you’re right, you’d think there was some event going on. I ended up parking across the street. Where are you?” -Jack

“On a bench by…” Agatha paused her typing, glancing around for a landmark. Not too far off from where she sat was a large sign dictating the rules that all park pedestrians were instructed to follow. “...by a big brown sign closest to the swing set. Can’t miss it.” -Agatha

“Great, I’ll be right over then.” -Jack

Leaning back against the bench, Agatha stared out towards the playground. Zoe seemed to have found a group of children to play with. Her eyes followed them as they ran back and forth in what she assumed was a game of tag. She tried to suppress the thoughts of what occurred last night in her head. His face. His body. The way he made her feel. How she and Dracula had done deeds that would send Mother Superior to an early grave. A shiver ran down her spine at each thought. Memories that she felt conflicted about. The former nun was so focused on trying not to think that she failed to notice Jack taking a seat beside her.

“Hey, you feeling okay?”

Agatha jumped in surprise, turning her head so quickly to face him that she pulled a muscle in her neck. Wincing, she rubbed at the spot and let out a grunt. Just another thing to add on to the ever growing stack of problems she was facing.

“Yeah, I’m okay.” It was a lie and even she couldn’t hide it from her tone. “Thanks for coming on such short notice.”

“Of course.” Jack smiled, his expression soft. “Gave me an excuse to get out of the house.” He inhaled, relaxing a little. “So what is so important that we needed to meet across town in a park to talk about?”

Agatha averted her eyes, unable to meet his. “Something happened and I needed to talk to someone who I could trust.” She paused, her mouth suddenly becoming dry. “A secret rather...big.”

“Oh?” Jack inquired, beginning to sound concern. “What kind of secret?”

Agatha picked at one of her cuticles absentmindedly, a nervous habit she’d had since childhood. Her eyes focused on Zoe as the young girl when zipping down the long, curling slide on the playground. She knew Jack was staring at her intently, waiting to hear why exactly she had summoned him here of all place. And though, try as she might, she couldn’t yet muster up the courage to meet his gaze. Especially when it came to what was about to come next.

“Dracula paid me an unexpected visit last night.” She said in a low, almost inaudible voice. “Or rather, showed up inside my house uninvited…by me at least.”

“What?!” The alarm in the man’s tone was almost humorous. Certainly his next emotions would far surpass those when he learned more. “Are you okay? Is Zoe? Does Dr. Bloxham…”

“We’re fine, and no…” Agatha answered, a small twinge of pain coming from the corner of her nail bed. “And that isn’t exactly why I called you here to meet me. Something else happened…” Drawing in a breath, she finally found it in her to turn and meet the young doctor’s eyes. “I had sex with Count Dracula.”

There was a long pause before Jack’s face contorted into an alarmed expression. “You’re joking.” But when Agatha failed to reply, his eyes grew wide. “You’re not joking?! Agatha, what...what were you thinking?!”

“Shh!” She hissed softly, glancing around her as if half expecting to see Bloxham pop out from between the bushes. “Keep your voice down. I said it was a secret for a reason!”

“I can’t believe you would...did he force himself upon...what the hell were you thinking, Agatha?!” Jack stumbled, unable to form a coherent sentence. “Why…”

“It was consensual.” It was no use trying to hide the embarrassment in her voice. “And I don’t know what I was thinking. One minute we were fighting and the next...and the next…” She shook her head, frowning deeply. “It was a mistake, okay? A dreadful, horrible mistake that I can’t take back.”

The young doctor shook his head. “...Did he bite you or anything?” A look of horror crossed his features. “You aren’t going to become a vampire now, are you?”

The former nun rolled her eyes. “Last time I checked, having sexual intercourse with a vampire doesn’t lead to one, well, becoming a vampire.” Sighing heavily, Agatha slumped against the seat. “What am I going to do, Jack?”

“You want my honest answer?” Her fellow colleague asked.

Agatha nodded. “Yes!”

“Well, I have none.” Jack replied sheepishly. “I’m not sure what to tell you other than Bloxham can’t ever hear about this. If she knew...it wouldn’t be good.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You have no choice but to continue to work with him. Think you can act like it never happened?”

“I'm quite certain he’ll likely make sure that I’ll never forget that it actually happened.” Agatha grumbled. “But maybe I can figure out a way to keep his hideous, fanged mouth shut.” She turned her attention to the playground, making sure that Zoe was still in sight. “She likes him, you know.”

“Who?” Jack asked. “Bloxham?!”

“No.” Agatha scoffed. “Zoe. She’s the reason he keeps getting into my bloody house! She’s befriended him. Or he’s using her...manipulating her...what difference does it make?” A small smile crept across her features. “She’s a Van Helsing. Being fearless in the face of the undead runs in her blood. Which, I suppose, has its advantages and disadvantages.”

“Like inviting a vampire into your house.” Jack answered.

“Exactly.” Agatha exhaled. “Like inviting a bloody vampire into my damn house.”

“She means well.” Jack added, his attention now on Zoe as she proceeded to swing across the monkey bars. “She’s a good kid, even to those who don’t deserve her kindness. Despite everything she’s been through. I couldn’t do it.”

“I know.” The former nun agreed. “That’s why I worry…”

Before Jack had a chance to reply, Agatha’s phone began to ring. Frowning softly, she pulled it out and looked at the caller ID. Dr. Bloxham. Meeting Jack’s eyes, she unlocked the screen and answered.

“Hello? Agatha Van Helsing speaking.”

“Yes, good morning, Agatha.” Bloxham replied in a flat voice. “I hope I’m not pulling you away from anything important, but I need you to come to the Foundation at your earliest convenience. There is something that needs to be discussed and it cannot wait.”

“What does she want?” Jack whispered softly.

“I don’t know.” Agatha muttered, covering the speaker. “But it doesn’t sound good.”

“Jack! Jack!”

Agatha and Jack both turned their heads to see Zoe hurrying over with a wide grin spread across her face. She immediately flung her arms around the young man, peering up at him with bright eyes.

“Come push me on the swing?” She begged. “Please?!”

“Let me watch her.” Jack offered, patting the young girl on the back. “I’ll take her back to my place and you can pick her up when you are done. Really, it’s no trouble.”

“Agatha? Agatha, are you still there?”

The former nun held her phone towards her ear. “Yes,” she replied. “I’m still here.” She glanced over at Jack who gave her an encouraging thumbs up. “And I’ll be there shortly.” Agatha ended the call and exhaled. “Thank you, Jack. You are truly a saint.”

“Quite a compliment coming from a nun.” The young doctor chuckled.

“Former nun.” She corrected, smiling as she turned her attention to Zoe. “Monkey, I have to go into work for a little bit. You're going to hang out with Jack at his house. I want you to be on your best behavior, okay? Hopefully I won’t be gone for very long.”

“I promise, Aunt Aggie!” Zoe saluted before tugging on Jack’s arm. “Can we go swing now?” “I owe you big time.” Agatha chuckled, standing up from the bench. “I’ll keep you posted.”

“We’ll be fine,” Jack assured her. “Just worry about yourself...or don’t stress...you get the idea.”

She tried to force a smile as she leaned down and kissed the top of Zoe’s head. Giving one final wave, she turned on her heels and began making her way to the parking lot. Worrying. That was better said than done. A whirlwind of endless possibilities, mostly bad ones, of why Bloxham needed her now began to swirl in her mind. Swallowing hard, Agatha unlocked her car and got into the front seat. It was only the morning and today was already proving to be very, very long.

XXX

Unlike the park, the parking lot at the Foundation was nearly empty. Agatha tried to focus on her breathing as she fished around to find her badge. Bloxham couldn’t possibly know about what happened between her and Dracula last night. Could she? Inhaling deeply, she made her way into the building that seemed far larger than usual.

“Ah, Zoe, so glad you could make it on such short notice.”

Bloxham sounded surprisingly friendly as Agatha approached her boss, something that felt very unsettling. Feigning a smile, she nodded in agreement as the woman motioned for her to follow. Their heels clacked against the tiled floor as they made their way into Bloxham’s office.

“I apologize for pulling you away from whatever it is that you were doing. But I wanted you to meet someone important.” The corners of Bloxham’s lips twitched into a grin that would curdle milk. “Someone I think who just might help us with dealing with Count Dracula.”

As she opened her office door, Agatha’s eyes fell upon a tall man. His blond hair, though thick, was greying at the sides and the look in his brown eyes was cold. When he became face to face with the former nun, he gave a small nod in greeting.

“Ms. Agatha Van Helsing.” He greeted, extending his hand. “It’s a true pleasure to finally meet you.” Bloxham joined his side and suddenly Agatha began to feel claustrophobic. “You might not know me by name, but my ancestors were responsible for founding this over a century ago.” A small smile crept across his features. “My name is Howard Murray, the true descendant of Mina Murray herself. And I would like to lend my hand in personally assisting you and the others with Count Dracula.”

#Dracula #Dracula 2020 #Dragatha #Agatha Van Helsing #Dracula x Agatha #BBC Dracula #Caught in a Riptide

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wonderfulworldofmichaelford · 4 years ago

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The OTHER Members of Eve’s Coven

Me and @lilmissrantsypants couldn’t fit all the coven in as cameos in chapter 3, so here’s a rundown on the members who didn’t make an appearance. I added some of the stuff that inspired us into making the characters, My wife just went crazy with descriptions for her characters.

Aleister & Tantomile Deering: A pair of twins who were orphaned during WWII. They had to scrape by to survive, with Tantomile whoring herself out for drug money. They were turned when Aleister begged for help as his sister was overdosing. They were plagued by psychic visions as mortals, their powers awakening fully when they were turned. They are practically inseperable nowadays.

Power: Aleister and Tantomile have innate psychic abilities, activated by touching someone. Tantomile can see into a person’s past, while Aleister can see multiple outcomes the future could hold and then latch on to the most likely scenario. Their vampiric power is a twin link that allows them to experience the emotions the other one does, as well as keep them connected.

Inspiration: The psychic cat twins Tantomile and Coripocat from Cats

My wife came up with the basic concept and we workshopped them together from there; it’s a joint effort. She does Tantomile, I do Aleister.

Bartholomew Comstock: An overly aggressive puritan who was despised by his fellow townsfolk, he was banished from his New England home and forced to start a farm on his own. He nearly perished in the winter before Eve turned him. His hatred at being a disgusting, demonic creature such as a vampire is only ameliorated by his knowledge that Eve, having once been the angel Samael, ‘confirms’ his beliefs and allows him to eternally punish those he views as sinners.

Power: He believes his power gives him great strength against sinners, allowing him to inflict pain upon those who have done foul deeds. In truth, it is actually his own sins that give him strength, though his power does weaken as he exerts himself or runs low on blood (he cannot become unstoppably powerful).

Inspiration: The dad from The VVitch

Beatrix Cullen: Beatrix Cullen was a happy woman once, a skilled seamstress in the 1950s who simply loved the act of creation. She had an adoring boyfriend, and the two were set to be married, with Beatrix making a gorgeous wedding dress for her special day. But on that day, her groom never arrived, as he had been killed in a car accident on the way. Stricken by grief, Beatrix was easily convinced by Eve to join her coven, with the promise that perhaps her power could help her bring her husband back some day...

Power: Beatrix can imbue any object such as a sculpture or statue with life, essentially making golems without a magic scroll. Her most trusted golem is her mannequin, Manny, who often tries to steal her wedding dress. Her ultimate goal is to use her natural skills and her power to bring her husband back to life, stitching a Frankenstein monster of him and pieces of sleazy men who hit on her into a perfect flesh golem.

Inspirations: The bride from the Haunted Mansion, Kill Bill, Frankenstein, that one Tumblr post about 50s housewives fighting zombies with chainsaws, La Pascualita, Pegasus from Yu-Gi-Oh

Blanche Atterton: Daughter of Lady Drusilla Atterton, she grew up wanting nothing more than her mother’s love, though her mother was often far too preoccupied with “other things” (which she later learned was all of her plotting and planning to ensure her riches).When given the choice for vampirism, she excitedly vowed her loyalty to her mother and Eve. As she was only 15 at the time and children would not survive the turning, her mother waited until she turned 21 before turning her.Blanche does everything for her mother’s attention and love. She doesn’t hesitate to do her bidding in hopes of her mother praising her for it. She’s misguided, not evil, though her mother’s praise has given her a superiority complex and she’s a bit of a narcissist.

Power: Blanche’s power gives her a powerful, painful scream. Those within 5 feet of her screaming will suffer from temporary deafness for 5 minutes. Whether they fall deaf or not, bleeding from the ears is very common, especially among mortals.

Inspiration: Drizella from Cinerella

Dee Comporre: Giorgio Nero’s faithful, somewhat obsessed bodyguard. She quite obviously has a crush on him due to her hatred of any woman who so much as interacts with Giorgio, though Giorgio just sees her as being a bit overprotective. She has a shaved head, and paints her face to look like a skull.

Power: She can secrete and spit a powerful corrosive acid that can melt through even metal.

Inspirations: D’Compose from InHumanoids

Dorian Ferris: A serial killer known as “The Ferryman,” who always leaves coins over his victim’s eyes. As a mortal, he had far too many close calls, and was nearly caught several times, particularly during a bout in a town back in 1999. He tends to target wicked people such as domestic abusers, rapists, crooked cops, and so on, sending them down the River Styx ahead of time to make the world a better place. He willingly joined the coven to escape punishment. More than anything, he just wishes to live a quiet, peaceful life.

Power: Has luck manipulation, which can allow him to do everything from dodge attacks by near misses or turn his surroundings into a Final Destination movie for opponents. He tends to activate a particular mode based on the whims of a coin toss.

Inspirations: Jinx from Teen Titans, Final Destinatiin, Two-Face, Yoshikage Kira

Elizabeth Bathory: The Blood Countess herself. After evading death in the 1600s thanks to Eve, she became a loyal follower of the demon, and was recruited into the Order of the 1800s. Dracula and Rasputin managed to defeat her and supposedly kill her, but Bathory is notoriously hard to slay. True to her infamous reputation, she tends to “Feed” by bathing in the blood of her victims.

Power:Bathing in blood gives her an insane power boost; the longer she soaks, the stronger she gets. She can also absorb blood through her skin, though she can’t absorb the blood of supernatural beings this way.

Elvis Rey: Growing up near the border, Elvis always wanted to be like his hero, Elvis PResley. He obsessively watched the man’s performances and learned his every move. When the man died, he vowed he was going to become the greatest Elvis impersonator that ever lived. The 80s weren’t too kind to him, and drinking, gambling, and overeating left him looking like chubby later-years Elvis. With debt collectors crawling down his neck, he turned to Eve, and became a powerful vampire.

Power: He is capable of replicating any non-supernatural ability he sees. For example, if he watched a martial arts movie, he would be able to pull off those moves. Think the comic book character Taskmaster.

Inspirations: Elvis (Presley), Elvis (God Hand)

Giorgio Nero: Giorgio Nero was a member of Cosa Nostra who attempted to retire from this life due to his wife and child. However, his past would eventually catch up with him, and his child was nearly killed, which lead to Giorgio accepting an offer he had once rejected, but now couldn’t refuse: vampirism and joining with Eve’s coven. Despite everything, he is an honorable man who dearly loved his wife and adores and accepts his child.

Power: You know Magneto? Like from X-Men? Imagine that but instead of a Holocaust survivor it’s an Italian guy. Boom.

Inspirations: Magneto, Risotto Nero from Vento Aureo, Metlar from InHumanoids

James Wilson: James was born in 1812 as a slave. When he was 8, he was gifted to the man one of his master’s daughters married, along with 13 other slaves. As his former master’s name was Wilson, he took that as his surname. He worked as a stablehand until he became a farmer at age 12. After a rather brutal beating when he accidentally dropped a bag of freshly picked potatoes at age 25, James encountered Eve. She promised to help free him. She turned him into a vampire (1837). He lived on the run until the Emancipation Proclamation was issued and went into full effect in 1863. James used to speak in thick, Gullah speech, but over time, it has lessened as he acquired modern language.

Power: James’s power gives him the ability to summon and play with water. He can use it however he wishes: to drown someone, to create a small unnatural pool to swim in, or to cool someone off with a quick sprinkle. This comes from his silent love for water, though he wasn’t ever allowed to swim or play in it.

Inspiration: Splash Mountain

Juno Nero: The child of Giorgio Nero. They tend to wear long black coats, masks, and facial bandages to hide their face and body due to extreme anxiety. They are mute as well, and communicate via sign language. They are nonbinary.

Power: They can stretch their body like rubber (think Elastigirl, Rubber Band Man, Plastic Man, you get the idea).

Inspiration: Tendril from InHumanoids

Lady Drusilla Atterton: Born in 1852 in England as Drusilla Graham to a middle-class family. She grew up idolizing the wealthy and decided she would do whatever it took to become wealthy herself.Met Josiah Kipling, a 28 year old man, when she was 22. He fell madly in love with her. She was overjoyed as he was quite wealthy. They married in 1874 and had two daughters together (Katharine [1875] and Blanche [1877]). However, after 8 years of marriage (1882), Drusilla (now age 30) fell out of love with him and secretly laced his food with rat poison, ultimately killing him. As they had personal chefs, it was deemed to be the fault of the chef, who was arrested and charged with the crime. As his widow, she inherited a share of his wealth.Over the next 10 years (1882-1892), Drusilla married 8 other wealthy men from all over the country, all who mysteriously died less than a year later in what were deemed to be unfortunate accidents.

Donald Thompson, married in 1883, died in a carriage accident.

Maurice Parker, married in 1884, died of a laudanum overdose.

Timothy Edwards, married in 1886, died by drowning

Christopher Watson, married in 1887, died by falling out of a second story window

Nathaniel Harris, married in 1888, died of apparent suicide

Bernard Carter, married in 1890, died of a hunting accident

Percy Clarke, married in 1891, died after being attacked by a burglar

Timothy Atterton, married in 1892, died in bed (cause unknown)

She met Eve in 1892 shortly after marrying Timothy Atterton. Eve had heard of her reputation as the Cursed Widow (but knew full well her husbands’ deaths were her doing). As Eve was extremely weakened, Amon turned her. With Eve’s assistance, she killed her final husband by scaring him to death by introducing him to Eve. Drusilla vowed her loyalty.With the knowledge of how to turn another from Eve (as Amon refused to tell her how), Drusilla offered the gift of vampirism to each of her daughters. Katharine ( refused and cut herself off from her mother, instead choosing to live a full and honest life. Blanche, on the other hand, being so keen to be accepted and loved by her mother vowed her own loyalty to both her mother and Eve. When she turned 21, Drusilla turned her as well (as she was informed that youth would not survive the turning).

Power: Her power allows her to paralyze her target with a simple cold stare for a full 5 minutes.

Inspiration: Lady Tremaine from Cinderella

Lord Gordon Ruthven: A rich, aristocratic vampire who enjoyed luring in and preying on young women. He was part of the Order of the 19th century. He is currently a severed head, as his body was destroyed by the Silverwings.

Power: Can exude a charm aura that makes women more susceptible to his commands and desires, though it only works on women capable of being attracted to him (it would not work on lesbains, for instance).

Mabel Lockhart: A sickly young girl whose father made a deal with Eve to keep her from dying. Her dad is currently missing, and she is unsure if he’s even alive.

Power: She has the ability to absorb energy, such as steam energy, electrical energy, etc and gain boosts and power depending on what type she absorbs. For example, absorbing electrical energy would allow her to to shoot lightning. She can also absorb a person’s energy, but at most she can make them very lethargic and gets little else from absorbing that sort of energy.

Inspiration: Loosely based on the Pokemon Magearna

Maddox Hinton: Maddox was born in 1863 in a small town in England. He doesn’t talk much about his past, but he does boast about how he and his father were valued hypnotists in their small town. He was his father’s apprentice, learning how the art of hypnotism worked, though he wasn’t quite as successful as his father. This was what Eve used to convince him to turn to vampirism. It occurred when he was 25 and preparing to take over the family business.His power helped him convince his customers that they were actually under the effects of hypnotism. His father simply believed that taking over the business helped him tap into his true potential.

He continued this way until Eve demanded his help. He lied to his dad, telling him he was going to travel abroad and spread their business, causing his father to take over the business once again.Maddox served Eve for a few years before she told him she didn’t need his help anymore. It was likely this that irritated him so much that he eventually became loyal to Amon while under the very convincing facade he’s loyal to Eve.

The rest of his past is unknown. All he will often tell people is he traveled all over the world, performing great feats under fake names as “world-renown hypnotists”. Maddox is a wild card. He does things for the fun of it or for his own pleasure, often without any sympathy towards others.

Power: Maddox’s power allows him to take control of another (similarly to Gabby’s). However, he can take control of up to two people at once. Instead of physically puppeteering them, he simply suggests they do something and they do it.

Inspiration: Vex from Lost Girl

Margaret Derwin: Margaret was born in New York City in 1902. She grew up with a love for music, particularly singing. She had dreams of becoming a famous singer.When she was 18, she pursued these dreams. She got a job as a dancer at a speakeasy with hopes of, eventually, being able to become one of their singers in time. It was there that she met Elizabeth, one of the other dancers. They secretly fell in love (which answered Margaret’s confusion about why she wasn’t interested in men). Eventually, they decided to run away to California together. They made plans and prepared for this, but on the day it was to happen, Elizabeth never showed up. Margaret later discovered she had changed her mind and, instead, was going to marry a man she’d met at the speakeasy.Eve found Margaret heartbroken and wandering the streets looking for a new job after quitting at the speakeasy (as it was too difficult to continue working there when Elizabeth was still there). Eve easily wooed her to her side. Though, as Margaret had good intentions, Amon had eventually been able to convince her to assist him instead as he wanted to ensure Eve would stop preying on innocent people like herself.

Power: Margaret’s power involves her voice. Through singing, she can influence one’s emotions depending on her intentions (anger them, seduce them, calm them down, soothe them to sleep).

Nora: Nora’s memories are very faded. She knows she was born to a very poor family in Ireland. She knows she was sold as an indentured servant at age 13 in exchange for her tickets to America, board, and food. She knows she worked for that American family for 7 years. She knows she caught influenza and was promptly fired by the family for fear she’d infect them all. She knows she was near death, wandering the streets alone, when a massive black snake promised to save her. At the time, Nora believed it was just an illusion. She found out the next day, however, that it was not. She’d been saved by the gift of vampirism.Nora lived a long, long time as a homeless woman. She watched as America grew into a country of its own. She preyed on any she could find in order to survive. Eventually, she took residence in an abandoned house on a street. Over time, rumors spread that a ghost lived in the house on Blackwell Street. Her appearance and her power did much to add to this as well, as did the occasional mysterious deaths of those who wandered into the house hoping to catch a glimpse of the ghost.

Power: Nora’s power allows her to become visible or invisible on command. She can only switch from one to the other every 10 minutes. She often uses this to frighten mortals and uphold her identity as the Ghost of Blackwell Street.

Tony Sugar: Tony Sugar is the owner, spokesman, and iconic figure of the Lost Paradise Candy Company. With the help of Amon, he became one of the first successful Black candy makers in America. He’s very flamboyant, campy, and charismatic—essentially a black Willy Wonka. He is pansexual because, in his own words, “everyone deserves a little Sugar.” He is also an avid beekeeper.

Power: He has the power to “mellify” corpses, filling them with a honey-like substance and turning them into zombies.

Inspirations: Tony Todd’s Candyman, Ruby Rhod, the song “Sweet Bod,” the myth of the mellified man

Walter Sherman: Formerly a college professor and devoted family man from the dawn of the 20th century, Walter was a good man known for always thinking forward and being able to accept new changes in the world. However, when a freak accident claimed the life of his wife and child, he couldn’t handle it and attempted suicide before being saved by Amon. He’s mostly in the coven out of loyalty to Amon.

Power: He has the power of adaptability, allowing him to easily adapt to any situation. For example, using lightning against him would make him adapt lightning resistance.

Inspirations: The Carousel of Progress

Wayne Nicol: A formerly friendly clown who was forced to witness unspeakable horrors during WWII. He survived the horrors, but was left fundamentally disturbed by the nightmare he had lived through. He joined the coven hoping to find some sort of safety, but as it turned out, Eve had other plans.

Power: Has the power to control and manipulate a person’s fears to weaponize against them.

Inspirations: Scarecrow (Batman), Pennywise, Freddy Krueger, The Day the Clown Cried

#The vampirino story

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oliviastan17 · 5 years ago

Text

Stuck (1/?)

Warnings: Language, floofy fluff

Length: 4.6k

A/n: There was so much in this dream that was so specific to me so I made it x ofc. My job, my best friend, my tattoo, my first kiss, etc. It starts off slow but keep reading because it does pick up. I’m a little nervous about this one, not gonna lie! Please reblog and leave comments because that makes me smile! DO NOT POST TO ANY OTHER WEBSITE! Gifs are not mine.Smut will come in later chapters (most likely next chapter)!

Remember this dancing for later in the story!

The elevator doors opened on the second floor to reveal a woman wearing navy blue scrubs with long dark brown hair and the greenest eyes Sebastian had ever seen. She gave him a quick smile as she stepped inside. After she saw the ground floor button was already pressed she leaned against the wall and opened the book she was carrying. She doesn’t have her eyes glued on her phone like most people do and he is immediately intrigued. His curiosity intensifies when he sees that he has also read the book in her hands.

The elevator is working fine until it jerks and suddenly comes to a stop. She stumbled back and he reached to place his hand on her back so she wouldn’t fall. She dropped her book to reach out and grab on to his arm out of instinct.

“Are you okay?” he asked her.

“Um…yeah, thanks. We’re not moving anymore, are we?” she said still holding on to his arm.

“I don’t think so,” he said as he pushed a couple of buttons. None of them lit up and the doors stayed closed.

“Shit,” she whispered as she looked at her watch.

“Should I call for help?” he asked pointing to the phone in the elevator.

“Yeah, I think so.”

Sebastian pushed the elevator call button and someone from the hospital’s maintenance staff answered. They informed the two occupants that it could take anywhere from 1-3 hours to be rescued.

“I need to call my charge nurse,” Liv said more to herself than to Sebastian as she took her phone out of her pocket and dialed. “Hey Sam, it’s Liv. I’m stuck in the elevator and they said it could take 1-3 hours for me to get out…No, I’m not kidding…Yeah, I’ll keep you updated…Okay, bye.”

Liv took a deep breath and then sat down.

“Three hours? I really wish I would have brought my lunch today,” Liv said as she smiled and rubbed her stomach. “I’m gonna need you to distract me from my hunger."

"I can do that. I’m Sebastian," he said as he sat down against the opposite wall.

“Liv,” she said as he glanced at her ID badge with her name and RN proudly displayed.

“So did you always want to be a nurse?”

“Well, when I was a kid I wanted to be a marine biologist but that was going to be hard to do in Arizona you know, so I let go of that dream. Then in college I was just taking like normal pre req’s for pretty much anything and I saw a group of nursing students all hanging out in their scrubs and I thought, ‘Those look so comfortable. I could wear scrubs every day.’ And it turns out I love it so,” she said shrugging her shoulders.

“Wearing scrubs or being a nurse?”

“Both actually,” she said with a smile.

“They do look comfortable. What’s on your socks?”

She lifted her pant leg so he could read the whole quote which was ‘Carpe the fuck out of this diem.’

“Plain socks are just so boring,” she said eyeing his plain black ankle cut socks peaking out of his shoes.

“Yeah, well all my fun ones are in the laundry so…”

“Sure they are,” she said with a laugh and a smile.

"So you lived in Arizona? When did you move here?"

"I was 16. Are you from New York?"

"No, I was born in Romania, moved to Vienna for a little bit and then came here when I was 12."

“That’s so much more classy than Arizona,” she said with a laugh. “Do you still know Romanian or German?”

“Romanian yes, thanks to my mom.”

“Teach me something in Romanian.”

He thought for a moment and then said, “Zambetul tau este frumos.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means your smile is beautiful.”

“Well, thank you but I was thinking more along the lines of something I could say daily,” she replied with a laugh.

“Just thought I’d put that out there,” he said smiling. “What do you want to know?”

“How do you say fuck?”

“La dracu.”

“La dracu?”

He nodded his head yes.

“La dracu, la dracu, la dracu. I’m a strong believer you should know how to curse in more than one language. That way most people won’t know what you said.”

“They probably won’t. It’s not the most common language over here.”

"Do you miss Romania?”

“I don’t really remember what it was like to be honest. I was so young when we left, you know. I went back a few years ago for work and nothing looked familiar. ”

“I've never even been out of the US."

"If you could travel anywhere, where would you want to go?"

"Oh, I don’t know…Australia seems fun. Have you been there?"

"No, I have not. If we ever get out of here we should go," he suggested with a charming smile.

"Just let me know when you're free and I'll request time off.”

He jokingly pulled out his phone and started scrolling, then asked, “How is 2 weeks from today?”

“I need little bit more warning than 2 weeks,” she laughed. “What work sent you back to Romania?"

"I’m an actor and I was there for film festival," he said after taking a deep breath.

"Oh, wow! Been in anything I would have seen?"

"I don’t know. I really haven’t done that much. A few movies, a couple plays."

“Come on. If I looked you up, what would it say was your most successful role?”

“Probably Bucky from the Captain America movies,” he said while he rubbed the stubble on his chin.

“Why are you being so modest? That’s a big deal! Those movies are huge.”

“Yeah, well…..I don’t know,” he said as he shrugged his shoulders and brought his hand up to rub his right eyebrow.

"You know, I took my nephew to see Endgame but I had no idea what was going on. Like people were clapping and cheering and crying. I mean, it was like being at a football game with my family,” she laughed. “Were you in that one?"

He shook his head yes.

"Really?"

"And apparently my performance was memorable," he said as he dramatically wiped away an imaginary tear.

"Oh my god, I'm sorry!” she said bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. “There was so much going on. I barely retained anything!"

"I'm just teasing you. I had a pretty small part. And a wig.”

"Oh, I feel bad now! I’m sure you were great!"

"No, really I'm just kidding. Don't feel bad," he said placing his hand on her outstretched leg for just a second.

"Did you always want to be an actor? Like when you were a kid and stuff?"

"No, I went through an astronaut phase for a while."

“Just a phase?”

“Well, I mean I still think it would be incredible. I think it would be so cool to be up there floating in space and looking down at the earth, you know? Explore places nobody has been before.”

“Serious question,” Liv said and then paused for dramatic effect. “Do you believe in aliens?”

“Absolutely. Do you?”

“100%.”

“There’s no way we are the only living beings in the whole universe, you know?”

“Oh I completely agree,” she said sitting up straighter. “Do you think we are the smartest ones out there or the dumbest ones?”

“Maybe somewhere in the middle. I mean, we’re definitely not the smartest because well, look at the president,” Sebastian said rolling his eyes. “Sorry, didn’t mean to get political. That just came out.”

“You shouldn’t apologize for speaking the truth,” she said giving him a smile that stopped his breathing.

Liv’s phone started buzzing on the floor between them and he noticed the caller ID said Hubby.

“You are not going to believe where I am,” she said into the phone.

“You’re stuck in an elevator. They floated me over to cover for you. You okay?”

“Oh, yeah I’m just sitting here with my new friend Sebastian. Talking about aliens.”

“Is he cute?”

“Actually, yeah,” Liv said darting her eyes to Sebastian. “And I think he can hear you because he is blushing now,” she said with a laugh.

“Take a picture and send it to me.”

“No, Alex I’m not going to take a picture.”

“Bitch, I said take a picture!”

“Goodbye Alex,” she said and then hung up the phone.

“Does your husband always call you a bitch?” Sebastian asked confused. “Sorry, I saw the caller ID.”

“He’s my gay/work husband and yes he does. Bitch is a term of endearment to him,” she explained while rolling her eyes.

“He’s a nurse too?”

“Yeah, we went to school together. You know what, he is actually a huge Marvel fan. Shit, I’m sorry but I am going to need a picture after all. I may not know who you are but I can guarantee you he does. Do you mind?”

“Not at all,” he said scooting over from the other side of the elevator so their backs were against the same wall. He would take any excuse to get closer to her.

“Okay, ready?” Liv asked shuffling closer and holding her phone up to take a selfie. They took 3 pictures total. One normal, one with funny faces, and one he snapped mid laugh after he picked up her phone when she dropped it. She had accidentally said, “Shit! I mean la dracula! No, wait that doesn’t sound right!”

The last one was his favorite. She had her eyes closed, head tilted slightly down and away from Sebastian with a huge smile while he looked at her with an adoring smile that crinkled his eyes. If someone saw that picture they would assume these two were a couple and hadn’t just met less than 30 minutes ago.

“Here you go,” he asked as he handed the phone back to her.

“Thank you. I’ll send one to him when you are safely away. If I do it now my patients might get abandoned for the second time today.”

“Do you-“

He was cut off by the elevator making a very strange screeching noise followed by a loud bang.

“That’s not super comforting,” Sebastian said looking up at the now blinking lights.

“No, it’s not.”

“Let’s keep the distractions coming,” he suggested.

“Why are you at the hospital? Oh shit, that’s probably too personal. Skip that one. Um…”

“No, it’s okay. I’m just here visiting a friend. He’s going to be fine.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

“Hey, I’ve always wondered this. How do you take a blood pressure?”

“Well, you put the cuff on and push the button on the machine,” she answered smiling.

He closed his eyes, tilted his head to the side and smiled. “I meant what are you listening for with the thing?” he said referring to her stethoscope.

“I know, I’m just being a smartass,” she laughed. “You pump the cuff up and watch the gauge while you slowly deflate it. You listen for when you hear the heartbeat and that’s the top number and then the bottom number is when the heartbeat disappears.”

While Liv was talking, she made a few hand gestures and he noticed a tattoo on her right wrist.

“What’s that?”

She pulled up the sleeve of her sweatshirt to reveal an angel made up entirely of delicate swirly lines.

“You have any?” she asked him.

“No. I think I would have a hard time deciding what to get, you know. And didn’t it hurt?”

“It’s not that bad after a night of partying in Las Vegas. Barely felt a thing.”

“That’s another place I have never been to.”

“You’ve never been to Las Vegas? Okay, first we go to Australia, then next is Vegas.”

“Can we go to Japan after? Always wanted to go there too.”

“Oh, yeah! Of course!”

Sebastian wondered why his dates never were as much fun as being stuck in an elevator with her. He could listen to Liv talk endlessly no matter the subject. He wasn’t exactly looking forward to getting out of the elevator and was wondering if he was a bad person for secretly hoping it would take longer than 3 hours for help to arrive. He barely knew her but he was already hooked.

---------

“Okay, I have a question. I’ve seen all these interviews of actors like talking about how weird it is to film kissing or sex scenes. Is it really that weird or do you secretly enjoy it?”

He tilts his head back and laughed.

“No, I wouldn’t say I enjoy them but some are less awkward than others. I kind of compare it to a first kiss. I mean, it can be extremely awkward and uncomfortable and you never know if you are doing it right like the director wants.”

“What was your first kiss like?”

“I’m pretty sure it was bad on my part,” he said with a laugh. “I was maybe 10 or 11. It happened with my neighbor on the way to school and she was a lot older than me.”

“You had game all the way back then? What happened?” Liv asked jokingly.

“I ask myself that all the time,” he said laughing. “What about your first?”

“I was 11 or 12 I think. My crush found a balled up piece of paper my friends and I were playing MASH on and he saw his name in the list of potential spouses. He walked right up to me and asked if I liked him and I said yes and then he kissed me.”

“What’s MASH?”

“You have never played MASH? Mansion, apartment, shack, house?”

“I’ve never even heard of that. What is it?”

“Oh my god, how have you gotten this far in life and never played MASH?” Liv asked as she reached in her pockets and pulled out some paper and her pen. “It’s totally stupid but we’re doing it.”

“It’s not like we don’t have time to kill.”

“Okay, so we need some categories. We need a spouse, occupation, number of kids, pet, where to live,” she said writing the categories down. “And we need 4 for each of these categories. We’ll do mine first so you can see how it’s done. You get to pick two for me for each category but I don’t get to see what you pick so you get to write. That’s how my friends and I did it anyways.”

“Okay,” he said taking the pen from her and ever so lightly brushing his fingers on her skin. “Spouse?”

“I like that guy from The Office. John Krasinski. He seems nice,” she said and then thought for a bit on her second choice while Sebastian wrote in his two picks. “Oh! My girl crush, Kristen Bell.”

“Okay, what about occupation?”

“Professional puppy namer.”

“I think if that were a real job, it would really suit you,” he said smiling.

“And koala wrangler.”

“Practice for when we are in Australia. Good thinking. Number of kids?”

“Eleven and 9.68.”

Sebastian finished writing in his picks and her answers to all the categories. The answers Liv gave him only made her more interesting to him. They were unique and fun, just like her.

“Okay so start drawing a spiral and I’ll tell you when to stop.”

He started to draw and then stopped and counted the amount of lines from the top to the bottom. He went through the all the categories marking out the answer he landed on each time he counted to that number until there was only one left for each category.

“Are you ready?”

“Yaaasss! I’m so ready!”

“Liv, you are a model married to me living in a shack on the moon with our 18 children and our pet alligator.”

“Oh, I love that! I’m a little bummed I’m not a professional puppy namer to be completely honest but I trust the MASH gods.”

“You are too beautiful to not be a model.”

“Look at you,” Liv said as she took the paper and pen he was handing her. “Maybe you didn’t use up all your game on your first kiss after all.”

“Maybe not. Is it working?” he said flashing his charming smile.

“Maybe a little bit. But we need to see who the MASH gods put you with.”

Liv wrote out the same categories for Sebastian and they went through filling each one out.

“Sebastian, are you ready to know your future?”

“I think so.”

“Sebastian you are stripper married to me. We live at the North Pole in a mansion with our 84 children and our pet three-headed lobster.”

“You put down stripper and 84 children?” he asked laughing.

“Yeah, I’m kind of regretting the 84 children. That part really sucks for me. But you must be a really good stripper to provide me and your children a mansion to live in. So thank you.”

“Well, I do what I can, you know?” he said with a little laugh. “It seems like the MASH gods think we should get together.”

“Yeah well they have also thought I should be with Lance Bass and that is obviously not going to happen.”

“You're not going to make this easy for me are you?”

“Where's the fun in making it easy?” she said with a mischievous smile.

He just smiled back at her, licked his lips and nodded his head. He liked a challenge.

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

The next 2 hours consisted of games and Sebastian’s shameless flirting. Conversation came easy and there were no awkward silences. She thought he was funny, extremely charming and handsome. He loved how confident she was and thought she was witty and sexy, even in scrubs. Well especially in scrubs. Liv had stood up at one point to stretch her legs and as she did his eyes went straight to her lower back where he noticed the top of her black lacy underwear peaking out of her low riding scrub bottoms. He only spent 30 minutes thinking about what kind of cut they were. Thirty minutes isn’t a lot of time right?

“Hobbies? What do you like to do?” Liv asked as she drew her line in connect the dots.

“Uh I read a lot, sometimes I write. Uh…go to the gym? Is that a hobby?” he looked up at Liv after his turn.

“Yeah, I think so.”

“Um…you know, hang out with friends, make little short movies sometimes. You?”

“I do yoga or I go for a run almost every day. I go to Target at least once a week and just walk around. I don’t care what you say. That is a legitimate hobby.”

“You just walk around?”

“Yeah, and I buy shit I don’t need and will never use.”

“Oh, I do that all the time so add that one on to my list. What else?”

“Uh, I used to dance.”

“Really? Show me some moves.”

“No, not gonna happen,” she said with a small laugh. “I didn’t say I was good! Besides there’s barely enough room to slow dance in here.”

“Well then let’s slow dance,” he said standing up and offering his hand to Liv.

“I’m perfectly content playing connect the dots.”

“Please? Tell you what, we’ll play rock paper scissors. If I win, we are dancing. Two out of three,” he said kneeling down and putting his hands in position to play.

Liv took a deep breath and she placed her fist on the palm of her other hand. First round, rock beats scissors. Sebastian won. Second round, paper beats rock. Liv won. Third round, paper beats rock. Sebastian won.

He stood up, threw both of his arms up in victory and then offered his hand to Liv. She playfully rolled her eyes, then placed her hand in his and let him help her up.

“We need music,” he said pulling his phone out of his pocket.

“I can’t believe you’re making me do this.”

“Here we go,” he said as “Baby Got Back” started playing on his phone.

He started doing a dance move that showed just how much of a dork he was and Liv couldn’t stop herself from laughing.

“I’m kidding,” he said as the song turned off and “All My Life” started playing.

“That’s just on your everyday playlist?”

“No, I don’t think I’ve heard it since my prom actually,” he said wrapping an arm around Liv’s waist and the other out to hold her hand.

“Don’t move,” Liv said as she took his face in her hands and starred the stubble on his chin. “Oh, it’s just the new gray hairs you grew because this song is old as fuck.”

Sebastian tried to hold back a laugh but couldn’t. “You know, if I didn’t find you so incredibly fascinating, I would really be hurt by that comment,” he said faking being offended while he wrapped his arm back around her waist and then started leading the dance.

“I’m kidding!” she promised him while still laughing. “I actually like your gray patch. The whole salt and pepper hair look is sexy.”

He smiled and licked his lips. It was a habit he had that Liv found unbelievably attractive.

“So you think I’m sexy?”

“Not you. Just this little gray area,” she joked pointing to his chin.

“You like me and you know it.”

“So, your prom. Good memory?” she asked changing the subject.

He laughed at her changing the subject then said, “No, not really. I’ll be replacing it with this one,” he said as he spun her.

“What happened?”

“My date ditched me so I was standing there all alone watching everyone else dance.”

“What a bitch!”

“Like I said, I’ll be replacing that memory with this one,” he said looking down at Liv with a smile. “When is the last time you danced with someone?”

“That bad?”

“No, I’m just curious.”

“I think it was probably at my sister’s wedding 2 years ago.”

“Who’d you dance with?”

“One of the groomsmen. I’ll be replacing that memory with this one,” she said looking up at him.

Sebastian smiled and nodded his head. “See? It’s a good thing I’m making you dance then, huh?”

“There may be an upside.”

Sebastian spun Liv again and instead of continuing the dance he decided to dip her. She wasn’t expecting it and the movement made her grip onto him tighter. Their eyes were locked on each other as he brought her back up. He was leading the dance much slower now to the point where they were barely moving. He darted his eyes to her slightly parted lips and back up to her emerald eyes. Sebastian leaned in slowly and very lightly pressed his lips against hers.

The very moment their lips touched was mind-blowing. A blanket of warmth spread over both of them as they melted together. Her hand was gently grazing the back of his neck giving him chills. The rough feeling of his stubble against her face was surprisingly appealing. He was hopelessly addicted now and wasn’t sure how he was going to be able to stop.

Their lips were moving together like they were made for each other. What started off as a soft kiss eventually turned into a hungry kiss. Liv stood up on her tip toes (she was quite a bit shorter than him) desperately wanting to devour all of him. He bent his knees to dip down and tightened his embrace around her waist before lifting her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist immediately, almost as if they had done this exact move before. He took 2 steps forward and that put Liv’s back against the wall.

If it weren’t for the elevator suddenly coming back to life they would probably still be wrapped in each other’s arms. Instead, the kiss came to an end as their lips left each other. With Sebastian still holding Liv up so that she matched his height, they looked at one another and laughed at how their day had taken such a turn when they both stepped into that elevator.

Liv rested her forehead on Sebastian’s shoulder for just a moment before unwrapping her legs around his waist. Moments later the elevator doors opened to a sea of firefighters and maintenance workers.

“Sorry that took so long. You guys okay?”

“Yes, no worries. We’re fine,” Liv said with a smile as she walked past the group.

“All good,” Sebastian offered while following her.

Liv took a few more steps toward the cafeteria and then turned around.

“We should do that again,” he said with a handsome smile. “Well, maybe not the stuck in the elevator part. Can I call you?”

“Sure,” she said returning the smile and taking his phone to put her number in it. When she looked up to hand his phone back to him she saw Alex walking towards her. “I’m so sorry for what is about to happen.”

“Huh?” he asked.

“Liv! You’re out! That fucking took forever!” Alex said as he finished walking towards her. “Is this the cute guy?” he asked as he turned around to face Sebastian.

“You must be Alex,” Sebastian said.

“OH MY GOOOOOOOOOOD! Do you know who you are?” he asked Sebastian. “Liv, do you know who this is? This is the best day ever! Can I just tell you how amazing you are? Fuck you are so beautiful! You broke the elevator with your hotness didn’t you? Can I get a picture? I need a picture. Let’s take a picture.”

Liv was used to the way Alex spoke so fast when he was excited but she was surprised Sebastian was able to catch any of it.

“Yeah, sure.”

Liv took the phone out of Alex’s hands and took a picture for him.

“Oh my god, I’m touching the Winter Soldier,” Alex said while placing his hand on Sebastian’s chest. “It’s like touching a rock. Jesus Christ!”

“Okay, Alex. Let’s leave the poor guy alone,” Liv said as she removed Alex’s hand. “Thanks for distracting me. Is it weird to say I had fun?”

“No, I had a great time. And not just the last part. I liked the whole 3 hours. I’ll call you,” Sebastian said and then offered a handshake to Alex. “Nice to meet you.”

“You can call me too. I’m way more fun than Liv! Any day, anytime! Or we can text!” Alex offered.

“Bye,” Liv said as she pulled Alex away.

“What the fuck just happened? He’s going to call you? What ‘last part’ was he talking about? Did you have sex in the elevator?” he asked way too loudly in a public place.

“Oh my god! Shhhh! No!” she said walking into the cafeteria to quickly get something to eat.

Alex followed her around asking question after question as she walked around the cafeteria. He finally left her to be alone when she was going to take the stairs up to her floor.

Liv was relieved to have a moment alone. She sat down on the stairs and couldn’t stop herself from smiling. She felt giddy, like she was in high school again and her crush just asked her out.

He’s so cute. I can’t even, she thought to herself as she stood up and began climbing the stairs to her floor. I hope he doesn't turn out to be an asshole. Oh god, what am I worrying about? He’s probably not even going to call. Movie stars date movie stars, not nurses.

Just before she reached her floor she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. It was a text message.

Are you free tomorrow night? –Seb

She responded with a simple yes and a kiss emoji.

Can’t wait.

Part 2

Permanent tags (send an ask if you want to be added)

@sideeffectsofyou @thejemersoninferno @vania-marie @sophiesvalkyrie

@swanlakemikey @hm-fck @beaubucky @allsortsofinterests

#Sebastian stan #sebastian stan fanfiction #sebastian stan fluff #sebastian stan x ofc #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x you #sebastian stan fandom #sebastian stan fan fiction

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inevitably-johnlocked · 5 years ago

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Hi Steph, I hope you have a lovely day :) did you see the news that apparently S5 has been announced?? do you know if it's true?? should I freak out? :D

Hi Nonny!

Okay so this is going to give me an opportunity to finally get this off my chest, just know that I am NOT upset or angry at you, I’m upset and angry at the “journalists” who keep doing this shit every few months. So, as I keep saying and will always say:

It’s all clickbait. All of it.

I checked to make sure, and this was my first result. Look at the headline:

Notice the wording in this one… None of it is “BBC Confirmed” or “Moffat confirmed”. They’re using speculative words like “teasing”.

Scroll down the article:

There is no official release date for a new series of Sherlock but we can expect the show to arrive in either 2022 or 2023.

This “journalist”, among many others, is literally just fucking trawling tumblr blogs and pulling information from people like our little corner here who have already done all the fucking work for them.

The second link I got brought me here, posted just before Dracula, and is LITERALLY just rehashing the shit they recycle every 6 months. Summary is: We don’t know, but please click and subscribe to our website for updates.

I’ve worked in the media, at 4 newspapers, for almost a decade. This shit is normal when it’s a slow news month and they need fluff pieces (which Jan and Feb usually are dead news wise when you want to ignore what’s going on in the world), they go through what gave them clicks this time last year, and assign some intern to just drudge up some “news” clickbait article that they can get some advertising dollars on. Sherlock still gets clicks, ergo, let’s BS an article.

And because they’re using words in the article that doesn’t confirm nor deny anything, and use words that are synonyms with “allegedly”, it’s all completely legal and not fake news. It’s ALL in the language of the article. Carefully read any article about S5 and NONE of them use words that are synonyms with “confirm” other than “so and so confirmed they want to do an S5″ and that’s where the sneaky bit comes in… notice “WANT TO DO” not “ARE DOING”. It’s all about grammar.

Literally this and other articles are just clickbait garbage that is all speculations of stuff we as a fandom have all made on all of our recent S5 posts. It’s only coming up BECAUSE we have been talking about it here on Tumblr and then that brings up the topic in Google search algorithms.

I find it rather interesting that, since I’ve been answering asks recently on my blog about S5, and after I and others replying to my posts are doing all the bloody leg work, that all of a sudden these “writers” are SUDDENLY just talking about Sherlock again. Gee what a coincidence :| Do your own research, “writers”, stop beating a dead horse with this clickbait crap and stop taking all our work.

Don’t give them the clicks. I’ll save you the trouble; everything discussed in all the google results are everything already talked about in all my S5 posts since Dec. 31/19:

Do you think we’ll ever get an S5 (Dec. 31/19)

Additional Sources to Gattiss’ Homoerotic Quote

An Ask Linked to It

Do I Think S5 is still a possibility?

If S5 Continued in the same vein as S4, should TJLC shippers continue to support the show?

Why are S5 Sherlock BBC discussions popping up again right now?

What do you think of the theory about Ben’s Hair growing out? (with links to projects of the actors)

Here’s Why The Hair is Growing Out (not my post)

Do you think it’s time to totally give up on S5?

Any chance they did a super secret episode? … I just want their confirmation, whether S5 is coming or not

If we’re not going to get a fifth season, then why is the show not cancelled yet?

Isn’t It Rude of Mofftiss to just not confirm?

Since Gatiss said he made the show homoerotic just to attract people, I can’t see the characters as I saw them before… How do you cope with that?

Am I the only one who doesn’t want an S5?

What are the chances that they did film a super secret episode?

Do you believe that Mofftiss are purposely confusing us to surprise us later?

“S5 and Beyond” blog tag

“S5 Speculations” blog tag

“Secret Episode” blog tag

There ya go, saved you from giving them views, LOL. I suffer their stupidity so you don’t have to, LOL.

So the TL;DR answer to your question is: No. Don’t freak out. It’s not happening anytime soon.

They’re literally just taking advantage of Sherlock being still semi-relevant to make money in a slow news month. Until you hear it from Moffat, Gatiss, possibly BBC, Sue Vertue, Hartswood Studios, AND (not OR, AND) the actors themselves, don’t believe a damn thing. It’s not happening anytime soon, either, I feel. I’ve done a tonne of legwork already: Ben, Martin, Gatiss AND Moffat are ALL busy for the foreseeable future: Moffat and Gatiss are writing stage plays, and Ben and Martin both have busy IMDb schedules for the next 2 to 4 years. And they’re the only ones who matter (because let’s be real, without Ben, there’s no Sherlock), so… I’m sorry to be blunt and harsh, but sometimes we have to step back out of the bubble of Tumblr and look at reality for our own sanity.

*hugs* Sorry Nonny

#steph replies #s5 speculations #s5 shitposting #s5 and beyond #clickbaiting #sherlock s5 #my thoughts #Anonymous

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superman86to99 · 5 years ago

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Superman #83 (November 1993)

Funeral for a Friend: uh, that one Green Lantern supporting character who died when Coast City got blown up (Joe? Gary?). In this issue DC’s superheroes pay tribute to the tragedy of Coast City while also deciding what the hell to do with the giant engine that’s now in its place. Weird early ‘90s Hawkman! Dr. Fate with boobs! Already-slightly-psychotic Hal Jordan! EVERYONE IS HERE.

(Nice one, Guy.)

Meanwhile, Lex Luthor Jr. is also sneaking around Engine City, supposedly to prevent it from falling into the ocean and killing some of Aquaman’s friends, but in reality he just wants to look into the Cyborg Superman’s computer to see if he can find a recipe for making kryptonite. As the heroes argue about what to do with Engine City (Hal says drop it into the water, screw the fish), some leftover Warworld aliens start attacking them, like the holdout Japanese soldiers who never found out WWII was over.

The attack precipitates the city’s fall into the water and the heroes have to think fast to prevent a fish holocaust. Their solution is for all the Green Lantern-related characters (Hal Jordan, Guy Gardner, Alan Scott, Alan’s daughter Jade) to “detoxify” the debris with their powers before it falls into the ocean. And it works! These guys should totally open a carpet cleaning business.

As for Lex Jr., he does find the recipe for kryptonite inside the crumbling city, but just as he’s about to write it down (he wasn’t carrying any floppy disks, apparently), Supergirl yanks him out of there to prevent him from burning alive. What an unsupportive girlfriend. Anyway, Superman then takes some of the debris and builds a giant memorial for Coast City’s 6,999,999 anonymous lost souls, and Gary. Sweet Gary. You will be missed.

Creator-Watch:

If the art looks different that’s because this is the first issue inked by Joe Rubinstein, ending Brett Breeding’s classic two and a half year run as Dan Jurgens’ main inker (so classic that it feels a lot longer than that). Breeding will be back for Superman/Doomsday: Hunter/Prey and other stuff, though. As for Rubinstein, Don says: “At the time, I had trouble with the transition, being soused to Brett Breeding’s finishes over Jurgens’ pencils, but looking at it now, the art looks great. It doesn’t look as smooth or blocky as Breeding’s finishes, but Rubinstein’s hatchier style serves Jurgens pretty well, even if it takes some getting used to.”

Plotline-Watch:

At the start of the issue, Superman goes to pick up Batman to take him to Coast City, only to find him wearing a different costume, acting differently, and sounding like a different guy. That’s because that’s not really Bruce Wayne in the suit anymore, but the replacement he got after Bane broke his back. That’s right: freakin’ Psi-Phon and Dreadnaught.

Superman gives a speech about how superheroes must work together to prevent another tragedy like Coast City from happening, but when Guy asks him if that means he’s going back to the Justice League, he’s like “uh, not yet.” Wisely, he’s gonna wait for Grant Morrison to get there first.

Hal Jordan’s characterization in this issue is interesting. In Green Lantern #47 (which came out the same month), he’s bummed about Coast City but still hopeful and serene, while here he’s already going Parallax on us. Wonder if Dan Jurgens knew more about what DC was planning for Hal than the other comic’s writer.

There’s a cute scene where Superman is flying by Kansas on his way to Coast City and quickly drops some flowers for Ma Kent. (That, or Flash picked this moment to hit on a random older woman.)

Former TV exec/crime boss Morgan Edge has released an autobiography where he trashes the Daily Planet’s Cat Grant for using her sexiness (and, you know, sex) to get dirt on him and send him to jail. He also accuses Cat of being a crappy mother to her son Adam. He kind of has a point there, because what kind of mom would let her kid play with an Atari in the early ‘90s?! The SNES and the Genesis were already out!

Believe it or not, Morgan Edge’s pervy dad in that screenshot above isn’t the creepiest thing in that scene. Don: “Very spooky how the guy dangling outside of Cat’s apartment goes without mention. An ominous foreshadow of one of the very few missteps of Jurgens’ run.”

But the most ominous part of the issue is at the end, when Clark Kent accepts Jimmy Olsen’s offer to become roomies, since Clark lost his apartment on account of being dead and all. Don wants you to know that “Jimmy is still in that towel by the way” in the scene below. I hope.

Patreon-Watch:

Shout out to our patrons Aaron, Murray Qualie, Chris “Ace” Hendrix, britneyspearsatemyshorts, Patrick D. Ryall, and a warm welcome to Samuel Doran! Last month our patrons got to read an article about Superman’s bizarre first Elseworlds appearance ever, the Kamandi: At Earth’s End miniseries, and got a veeeeeery early look at this post you’re reading right now (since Don finished his part way before I did mine). Right now I’m preparing this month’s Patreon-only article, which involves Superman wearing pointy ears and Luthor wearing make up. Find out more at https://www.patreon.com/superman86to99

Oh, and in case you missed it, we’ve been posting Don’s new commentary for older issues on the Patreon as free posts (click above and scroll down to see them). EVEN MORE from Don after the jump!

Art-Watch (by @donsparrow):

Another classic issue, and such a nice wrap-up to the "Death and Return" storyline (as well as being a much-needed check-In on the DC Universe at large). We start with the cover, and it’s a very good one, letting the reader know right away that it’s a big team-up issue. (It also is a real showcase for 90s costume design, and how weird the JLA lineup was at this point).

The opening splash is a neat image of a rarely seen pairing, Superman and Commissioner Gordon. Jurgens draws James Gordon a little heavier and more Pa-Kent like than I’m used to seeing him, but it’s still neat to see him interacting with Superman. A page later, we get another rare pairing—the returned Superman with the imposter Batman, Jean-Paul Valley. The tension in the interaction between “AzBats” and Superman comes across well in their exchange, as does Superman’s doubts about who he was really speaking to.

It’s a dreamy looking Superman crossing the country from Metropolis to Coast City, and I daresay that they’re trying to channel Dean Cain a little as he approaches Kansas.

The best panel of the issue though is the two page spread of all the heroes gathering at the wreckage of Coast City, and there’s so much to love here. The body language, and facial expressions speak volumes about each of the characters: Superman looking swashbuckling and upbeat, Green Lantern brooding like a man barely holding on, Green Arrow all attitude and shadow. Just a great spread.

Another cool image is Aquaman showing up late, and emerging very royally in protection of his ocean (undercut masterfully by a legitimately funny couple of lines from Guy Gardner). Page 14’s Hal Jordan is a great drawing, and this whole storyline seems like a table setter for the "Emerald Twilight" story coming up.

The sequence of a firelit Luthor at the computer is a good look at his madness, but it does beg the question of just how little Supergirl seems to take in. He was JUST talking aloud about Kryptonite, and she emerges seeming not to hear. The image of Supergirl flying Lex away as he struggles against her psychic grab is a good one, even if her uniform is depicted as a little clingier than I imagine it to really be.

Superman floating above his obelisk with his arm in front of his face like Dracula is a cool look, even if it is a little dramatic.

Lastly, the image of Clark turning up the stereo is a good one, even if his hair length is wildly shorter here than in Coast City (and I usually dislike it when they mention real world bands, as it comes off trying too hard to be hip).

STRAY OBSERVATIONS:

I have to love how meta it is to have Superman outright saying that Batman is dressing more “threatening” these days, on page 2. I guess he couldn’t come right out and say “you have an extreme new look, and it’s totally badass! Batman the next generation!”

Last we saw of Supergirl she was storming out of the party on Lex’s Zeppelin after Lex II was getting all horned up at the sight of Lois Lane, but it appears here they’ve mostly patched things up as they fly to Coast City.

More meta-stuff: Jimmy clunkily complimenting Lois on her new hair by saying she “oughta be on TV or something!”. This whole exchange is very expository, really, “Clark must be pretty mad… though he’s busy worrying about where he’s going to bunk…” Anything else to get in there, Jimmy?

The harshness some of the heroes have for Lex Junior seems a little out of place, especially since he’s still known to most of the heroes as an ally from "Panic in the Sky", and the "Doomsday" storyline. Superman’s comment was borderline, but where is all this anger Flash is showing coming from?

Being as familiar as we are with these writers, there are certain phrases or ideas that a certain writer will go to way, way too often. Byrne had a number of stories where Superman would “ionize” something with his heat vision, and it occurred to me that maybe he just liked that word. I would submit that Dan Jurgens likes the word “atomize”. It was used by the Cyborg Superman when talking about Doomsday, and is used a bunch just in this issue.

I find it hilarious that Hawkman appears so prominently in this issue, but doesn’t get any lines. This issue is an interesting time capsule—I had almost forgotten about the de-aged Starheart powered Alan Scott era.

Speaking of lines, they don’t give Captain Marvel much to do in this issue, but I always like seeing him, even if his only contribution is the odd “Holy Moley!”

Colouring error on page 12, where Hal’s ring has a red centre (maybe the colourist had Alan Scott’s red and green look on the brain?)

A raging Hal standing by Green Arrow is a sad foreshadowing of their confrontation to come in Zero Hour.

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gigi-sinclair · 5 years ago

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Like and Subscribe (rated T)

This is entirely for @draculas-gay-daughter, because of this.

Also, the research for this has awakened in me an actual desire to learn to make candles, so thanks for that new quarantine hobby!

It's like, what do they call it, ASMR.

That's what Edward tells himself. Some people find it relaxing to watch strangers pop plastic wrap or flick dry paint brushes or whatever. He happens to find it relaxing to watch Tom Jopson talk about the intricacies of making candles.

He doesn't know how he first landed on “Brighten Your Day With Candles.” Some winding path of Youtube “recommended videos” he wouldn't be able to retrace if he tried, but the moment he found it, Edward was entranced. He watched every one of Tom's ten-to-twenty minute long videos immediately.

Nine months and thirty-four new videos later—Tom took off the weeks of Christmas and New Year's, leaving Edward bereft over the holidays—Edward understands no more about candle making than he did before. Tom, however, is endlessly fascinating.

Edward can't say exactly what it is he finds so alluring. Tom is handsome, with his flopping dark hair and his five o'clock shadow, but Edward sees handsome men all the time. He's clearly very intelligent, but Edward works with some of the biggest minds, not to mention egos, in the country.

There is something else, something which leaves Edward unable to look away. When Tom says, “Adding too much fragrance can, unfortunately, lead to curdling in soy candles” with a look of heart-wrenching empathy in his big eyes, Edward wants to gather him in his arms and give the man a good, solid hug. When he says, “I had news from viewer Jamie in Nova Scotia that they've solved their ongoing issue with wet spots!” Edward wants to kiss him in celebration. And when Tom leans forward, the V-neck of his shirt revealing a patch of dark chest hair, to confide, “Today, we're going to talk about the length of your wick,” Edward offers up a mental apology and reaches for his fly.

Edward thinks his obsession is secret, until one evening his flatmate George says, “Thanks for staying out when I had Emily over the other night.”

“It's fine.” It is in Edward's best interests not to be about when George and his girlfriend get together. There is only so much saccharine sweetness and over-the-top pet names he can handle.

“I really appreciate it. So does she. We wanted to get you a gift.” It's only then Edward notices the bag, printed with pink flowers and the words “It's a Girl!”, in George's hand. “Sorry about the bag,” he adds. “It was the only one I could find.”

Where? Is the question Edward doesn't ask. “That's not necessary, George. Really.”

“Open it!”

Edward tries not to sigh as he opens the gift bag. George's gift-giving history, while admirable in its efforts, is remarkably poor in its execution. The last thing Edward needs is another “Purrrrrfect Friend” mug with a cat’s tail as a handle, or a T-shirt with a Sasquatch on it. It's the thought that counts, he reminds himself, even if that thought is, when it comes to George, quite often incomprehensible.

This gift is just as strange. Edward stares at what appear to be squares of white wax, a roll of string, and several tiny bottles, until George, still smiling, explains, “It was Emily's idea. I told her how you're always watching that candle making channel on Youtube, and she said you're probably dying to give it a go yourself.” He looks at Edward, his expression expectant. “It's great, right?”

“Right.” Edward smiles. “It is. Great. Thanks, mate.”

The next day, Edward buys a pair of headphones.

***

One Wednesday nearly a year after Edward first found him, Tom finishes a talk about gel wax, then leans back on his stool. All of his videos are filmed in the same kitchen, with several little cactus pots on the windowsill and a gleaming sink, spotlessly clean, in the background. Edward wonders if it's Tom's own kitchen. If the rest of the room, or the house or flat, is as tidy as what he shows. If he lives with anybody. No one else is ever on the videos, although that doesn't mean Tom doesn't have a friend or a flatmate or a partner behind the camera.

“I'm really going to miss you,” Tom says, putting the gel candles aside. Edward's heart seizes. “But I won't be making any new videos for the next little while, because I'm going on a book tour!” He holds up the book, also entitled “Brighten Your Day With Candles”, he's been showing for the last few weeks. Edward ordered it the first time he saw it. He feels like he owes Tom at least that much. “I am so excited,” Tom says. He looks it, but Edward has never seen him be anything but sincere. “Unfortunately, it's just in south east England at the moment—sorry Jen in San Luis Obispo, I can't make it out to California this time, although I would love to someday—but I would really like to meet as many of you as possible. My complete schedule is below. See you soon!” He waves. Edward is about to scroll down to the comments, then hesitates.

What would he say if he met Tom in person? That he thinks Tom is the most incredible man he's ever seen? That he's watched every one of Tom's videos multiple times, and still knows nothing about making candles? That he often pictures Tom talking authoritatively about long burn times and multiple layers while Edward blows him? It's disgusting, inappropriate, probably illegal.

With a shake of his head, Edward puts the thought of meeting Tom Jopson entirely out of his mind.

***

At one time, Edward loved his career. That was before the company president died suddenly and his role was taken over by two co-presidents, promoted from within, who have a long history of conflict and have used Edward as a go-between, the miserable child of an unfriendly divorce, for months now.

It saps Edward's energy to the point that he doesn't have the will to look for another job. He just goes to work every day, suffers, and comes home to brighten his day with candles. Until one night, when George meets him at the door.

“Don't take your coat off,” he tells Edward. “We're going out.”

“I really don't feel like...”

“You will. Trust me.” Edward doesn't. They're great friends, but Edward doesn't trust him a bit. The feeling is vindicated when they arrive at the local Waterstone's, and George pushes him inside.

Tom is even more beautiful in person. His stubble looks like it's deliberate rather than the result of a long day, although Edward has always found that very charming in itself. He's wearing a smart white button-up shirt, and the smile he directs at the woman in front of him is so brilliant, Edward feels weak.

“No.” Edward turns to go.

George stops him. “Why not? It's the guy you like, isn't it?”

“It's...I don't...What am I going to say?”

“That you're a big fan? Even though you still haven't used that candle stuff Emily and I got you?” George looks at him pointedly. “Get him to sign your book.”

“I don't have it with...”

George reaches into his satchel and presses “Brighten Your Day With Candles” on him. “Get in the queue,” he says, in that imperious tone he sometimes has. “I'll wait in the café.”

Edward's stomach churns, but he follows George's direction, joining the queue behind a middle-aged woman and her teenage daughter. There are two other people ahead of them. It’s long enough for Edward to regret his entire life up to this point, not long enough to gather the wherewithal to walk away.

When Edward reaches the table, Tom's smile becomes even more brilliant. “You're Edward, right?”

Edward's carefully thought out opening words—“Good work”—disappear. “How did you...”

“Your friend George sent me a message.” Of course he fucking did. Edward is going to kill him. Is actually going to put his hands around his throat and...“He told me you'd be here.”

“Hm.” Edward has no idea what to say. His mind is entirely blank. He searches desperately, a quest which eventually arrives at, “Yes.”

“You like my videos?” Tom holds out his hand. Edward shakes it, then, face burning, realizes Tom was reaching for the book. Edward drops it onto the table. It thunks loudly.

“Yes,” Edward repeats.

“Do you have a favourite type of candle?” Tom opens the book and turns to the title page.

“Wax ,” Edward replies, because his brain has apparently given up on this situation as entirely unsalvageable.

Tom laughs, as if that was a joke. He scrawls something in the book, then closes it and hands it back to Edward. “Thanks for watching, Edward. I really appreciate a loyal viewer like you.” He holds Edward's gaze as he says it.

Edward swallows around the lump in his throat. Edward has never done well in front of others. If he and Tom were alone, Edward might be able to come up something halfway coherent. Maybe. They're not.

“Thanks,” he says. He could swear Tom throws him a wink as he walks away.

It's that, along with the general humiliation, that leads Edward to duck out of view between Interior Design and Gardening. He opens the book to see what Tom wrote.

The words “For Edward” and a scribble that could be Tom's signature lie across the title page. Beneath that is a series of numbers. It takes Edward a moment longer than he wants to admit to realize it’s a phone number. He's not that lucky, usually. But he's also not this stupid.

His heart still hammering, Edward takes out his phone. I'm not really an idiot, Edward types, then sends the text before he can think twice. He glances at Tom, deep in conversation with a young woman in denim overalls, and goes to murder George.

Two hours later, Edward is sitting on the sofa at home when his phone trills. You don't seem like one. It's too kind. Just like he expected Tom would be. Can I buy you a coffee? Or better yet a drink?

“Who's that?” George asks, without looking up from his laptop. He doesn't need to. His entire body exudes smugness.

“Mind your own business,” Edward says. But, he adds silently, thank God you never do.

***

The rest of Tom's flat is as tidy as the kitchen he shows on his videos. It's also, amazingly, less than half an hour's drive from Edward's place. In addition to that, Tom has a day job at a shop Edward has passed hundreds of times, which he's always derogatorily classified as “candles, crystals and shit” and avoided.

“So if you hadn't been such a snob, darling,” Tom tells him, with a smile and a kiss, “we might have met a long time ago.”

Edward can't deny that. He can, however, deny that it's a good idea for him to join Tom on screen.

“Don't worry.” Tom sets up his phone on its tripod and comes back around the counter. “Just pretend it's not even there.” He kisses Edward again, on the cheek, then turns to the camera. “Welcome back, everyone! We have a very special guest today. This is my gorgeous boyfriend Edward, and we're going to help him make his very first candle!”

Tom posts the video later that evening. Not long afterwards, the comments start appearing. Normally, Edward would avoid them—he knows what Youtube commenters are like, and he never wants to see any criticism of Tom—but this time, he looks. To his surprise, there are several remarks about him. “Edward's so cute!” “OMG ur bf is the sweetest!” And, “That Edward guy really is great. I think you should have him on every episode.” The username beside that one is “PianoMan86” and the picture is the same one George uses on Instagram.

Bloody George. Fortunately, Edward thinks, looking at the slightly lumpy candle he produced with his own two hands, he has the perfect gift for him.

“Edward!” Tom calls, from his room down the hall. “Are you coming?”

Before they met, Edward assumed Tom would be the kind of guy who lights a million candles in the bedroom. In fact, he only ever lights one, but it never fails to have the perfect luminosity and fragrance for the mood.

“Yes.” Edward puts down his phone and hurries to join him. As amazing as he is on Youtube, Tom is unspeakably better offline.

#draculas-gay-daughter #niche youtube au

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dragon-kazansky · 5 years ago

Text

One year special

Chapter one - The pickup and arrival

In any spare moment I get, I like to write. There are so many movies and shows I loved immersing myself with, and nothing makes me happier than sharing my stories with other people. Through my writing I have made many friends who share the same interests, so you could say I'm grateful all these shows exist.

I just never expected the characters to be grateful back.

On this day I had every intention to carry on writing and finish those requests I've slowly been working on, but I suddenly have other plans. An envelope, one that stood out among all the other mail, caught my eye. I toss everything else to the side as I open it. My name is written neatly on the front. Inside is an invitation, written in the same neat handwriting.

Rachael

You are invited to the one year anniversary of your fanfiction on tumblr party!

As a thank you from us to you.

Be ready by 6PM, your pick up will be there on the dot.

See you soon!

Your extremely grateful muses.

I smile, despite being very confused. After all, there is no way the characters I write for are real. I'm happy to know someone out there put in the effort to thank me with a pretend party invitation. Some people are super creative like that!

Putting the invitation to the side I go up to my room and turn my computer on. I change into some comfortable clothes, not wanting to wear my work clothes any longer, and go put on the kettle for a well needed cup of tea.

I pull out my phone to scroll through tumblr. Of course there is plenty of Doctor Who and Dracula on my dashboard. I scroll, like and reblog some of the posts I see, while also wondering which requests to finish and post tonight.

I pay no mind to the time.

I make my cup of tea and head back upstairs to start writing. I manage to get one request done and decide to post it right away.

It's 6PM.

I post the request and prepare to carry on with another while I wait for dinner. Just as I type the next sentence, I hear a noise.

It's a noise I'm very familiar with, but I'm sure I'm going mad. I had long since changed my ringtone from that noise, and I know my sister doesn't watch the show unless I'm watching it downstairs.

Actually, that noise sounds really loud. It's as if it's right outside. Luckily my desk is right by the window. I pull back the curtain and peer outside. Across the road, opposite my neighbours house, is a gate that leads to a private residential area. There is space there for cars to turn around, but it's currently occupied by a big blue box.

I blink slowly. That's not possible.

I grab my coat and hurry downstairs and out the house. It's as if no one else has noticed the big blue box across the road. No one in my house has acknowledged it being there.

I hurry across the road and look up at it.

I'm confused, but I'm also excited. I've been watching Doctor Who since Matt Smith took over the role, so any sign of a TARDIS would make me smile, no matter if it's a prop or a design on a bag.

I have the urge to reach out and place my hand on the door. Being a fan I know that in the show the TARDIS is alive, the Doctor does this often. I wasn't expecting anything, just me being my nerdy self and pretending for just a moment that I'm the Doctor. A chuckle to myself. I'm glad no one is around to see me.

Though I could feel a faint vibration. Either I'm going mad or this is a really accurate prop.

I step back to look it over again. Even if it is a prop, what is it doing on my street? My street is surrounded by more streets and the fair doesn't come to town until May.

Before I can think too much about this, the door flies open and I have no idea what's going on any more. A familiar blonde pokes her head out and smiles when she sees me. She steps out and comes a little closer to me.

"There you are! Though I would have come to your door. Hmm, I'm sure they said to get ready on the invitation, do you need more time? Good thing I have a time machine." She smiles. "You can get dressed on board if you like. We'll arrive right on time."

I blink slowly.

"I'm sorry…. What?"

She furrows her brow at me.

"You are Rachael, right?"

"Yes…" I look her up and down. This is very obviously Jodie Whittaker. She's in costume and she just stepped out of the TARDIS. There are no cameras and the last season only just finished, so no way they have started series 13 yet.

"I'm here to pick you up, you're very important to the party, so I need you to come with me." She smiles softly.

"I'm confused. Can you start from the beginning?"

The Doctor looks a little amused.

"You're Rachael. I'm the Doctor. This is the TARDIS. There's a party in your honour to thank you for all you do. Lots of people will be there to thank you. You did get the invitation didn't you?"

"That was real?"

"Yes."

I did wonder how it got delivered to my house. None of my followers knew my address and none of the people I knew had any idea about my blog.

"That makes sense…. I guess? Wait… so you're real?" I look her up and down again. "You're actually the Doctor?"

She stands there and nods.

I smile.

"Can I do something?" I ask her.

"Uh, sure, I guess. What are you going to do?" She sounds concerned.

I smile and step closer. I wrap my arms around her gently and slowly. I smile when she tenses in my embrace.

"Thank you." I whisper.

Slowly I feel her return the hug. I tighten my embrace a little and give her that well deserved hug. I can't see it, but I know she's smiling. I just know.

We part and smile at each other.

"So, that's actually the TARDIS?" I look over her shoulder.

She nods.

"Can I?"

She nods with an excited grin.

I walk past her and push the door open. This is a moment I had always wanted to experience. I smile as I take in the actual fact that it is bigger on the inside. I walk in and take in the console room.

"Wow."

The door closes behind the Doctor as she comes to stand beside me. She smiles at me.

"Like it?"

"I love it." I smile and walk over to the console. "It's so much better in person. I can't believe I'm standing in the TARDIS."

The Doctor comes up to me.

"It's an honour to have you on board. I'll have to make sure to take you on an adventure in the future." She smiles brightly at me.

This is totally like something I write about.

"I'd love that."

"Now, the wardrobe is down the hall to the left. Dress nicely, there will be a lot of people there." She gestures to the door behind me.

Right, the party. I nod and follow her directions, I'll fangirl over the TARDIS some more later. I hurry into the wardrobe and find myself at a standstill. There was so much to look at in here. I take some time to go through the outfits, passing some familiar clothes. I see a long brown coat, a fez, a long colourful scarf and a red velvet coat. I smile at each of them.

Further along are some nice outfits perfect for a party. I don't go out often, but I always try to look my best when I do. I pick something not formal, but smart enough to make a good impression. I had no idea who was going to be there, though I hoped to see some certain faces… hoping the Doctor wouldn't mind, but I wanted to put in some effort since they were throwing me a party.

When I'm done I go back to the console room. The Doctor inputs something into her console, which is a little overwhelming to see her do in person. I go up to stand beside her and she looks up.

She looks me up and down.

"You look good."

I smile.

"Thank you."

The Doctor looks at me for a moment longer and then turns away, putting the TARDIS in motion.

"I'll have us there right on time." She says, bot looking at me.

I continue to smile as I stand beside her.

I'm not sure where she's taking me, but it doesn't take us long to get there. The TARDIS lands and I watch as the engine comes to a stop.

The Doctor looks at me and I smile at her. She seems to be thinking about something. I want to ask her what's on her mind, but she just holds out her hand. I smile softly as I take it. She gently squeezes my hand and takes me to the door. She steps out first and I follow her.

We're standing in a hall. The TARDIS has fit herself perfectly in an alcove in the hall, standing out of the way should any require walking past.

I can hear voices coming from behind the double doors up ahead. The Doctor takes me over to the door before letting go of my hand and pushing them open. The voices grow louder and we enter, I'm shocked with the turn out. The room is full of people. People I write about because of how much I adore them and their adventures.

The Doctor smiles as she sees the expression on my face.

"Welcome to your party!"

The voices begin to quiet down when they notice I've arrived.

"Our guest of honour is here!" I hear someone say. Everyone claps and cheers.

This is surreal.

The Doctor stands a little closer to me and places her hand on my back as I look around the room.

"They've all come to celebrate."

"To celebrate me?"

"Yeah. You've done so much for us, so it's our turn to do something for you."

I can't express how happy this makes me.

To the left of the room I see a group of wizards I definitely recognise. Newt is standing with Tina and Queenie. Jacob is there too! He's waves, I wave back.

Grindelwald is standing not too far away from them, but it's obvious they're trying to avoid him. He's smirking over in my direction.

I turn away and my eyes land on Lee Scoresby. Lyra and Roger are with him, their daemons obviously with them. They all wave and smile.

To my right, taking up a lot of the room, I see a lot of superheroes and villains. These range from Captain America to the Joker. It's strange to see them all in one room. Most of them are just smiling, others are pretending not to notice me. I chuckle.

Up ahead I see Crowley and Aziraphale. I know I'm going to have to go over and talk to them at some point. I have a couple of apologies to make.

Distracted by so many faces I recognise, I somehow miss a certain person coming up to my left. I went to look at the Doctor, but she had disappeared, I can see her walking further into the room, clearly trying to approach someone. As I turn around I'm startled by the giant beside me. I let out a little scream as I looked up at the handsome man.

Dracula was looking down at me smugly.

"I didn't hear you coming." I told him, feeling extremely small next to him. I'm only 5'3.

"I know." He's smirking at me. "It's called the element of surprise. I succeeded."

"Ha ha ha, well done." I roll my eyes, but I smile at him. "I'm glad you're here."

"It's my honour to attend." He grins, his teeth on show. "I have been looking forward to meeting you."

I blush softly and turn my gaze away from his sharp eyes. I can feel his gaze on me as I look elsewhere. I hear his deep chuckle and suddenly his arm is around my shoulders and he's leading me away from the door. I let him guide me further into the room.

"I hope you'll save me a dance later. I hear there's going to be karaoke too."

"That sounds fun! Though, maybe we shouldn't dance." I chuckle awkwardly.

"Why not?" He looks a little concerned.

"Oh no, it's nothing against you. It's just… you're so tall." I blush and look away again.

Dracula chuckles. It's a deep rumble through his chest which sends shivers down my spine.

"We can figure something out. I intend to dance with you at least once tonight." He lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles.

I blush once again.

Dracula lets go of my wrist and stands upright once again. I miss the glance over my shoulder that he sends to someone.

He looks back at me.

"I shall see you later, looks like someone else wants to speak with you."

I turn around and see someone I hoped would be here. I smile. I wondered if he would come and here he is.

The Master walks over to me as soon as Dracula walks away. I can't read his expression, but he at least doesn't look unhappy to be here.

"Hello." I say, smiling at him.

"Hello." He looks almost surprised by casual greeting. He knows I know who he is. I know they all know I know them.

"I was hoping you would be here."

"I really wasn't expecting that, but I'm glad you said it." He smiles. "I've been looking forward to meeting you."

I smile.

"You have?"

"Yes. You've been writing about me." He grins.

"Yes, I have." I grin back. "You're fun to write about."

"I hope so." He steps a little closer.

"I'm going to keep writing for you. As will others. You deserve all the happiness I can give you." My smile softens as I look at him.

His smile softens too.

"Thank you."

"You don't need to thank me." I tell him. "Just keep being you. Sure, you're insane and a danger to others, but that's part of why I like you so much."

"Just part?"

"Well, your wild personality is only part of you. Your handsome good looks might be another part." I chuckle. "Don't tell Dracula, he might get jealous."

"Will he?" He steps a little closer.

"Maybe." I whisper.

The Master smirks as he takes in my features. The silence that falls between us isn't awkward. It's so strange, yet so exciting to be standing in front of him.

"I should probably go say hello to some of the others." I say, shuffling on the spot.

"Alright. I'm not going anywhere, don't go forgetting about me." He smirks.

"Impossible. I couldn't even if I tried." I grinned.

The Master seems happy with my reply and leaves me to go greet the others.

I take a deep breath as I look around the room.

This is surreal. Super surreal.

I still can't believe this is happening, but at the same time, if it's a dream, I don't want to wake up.

I look around and decide to go greet some more people before the party actually gets going. There's so many people I can go talk to. People who I wrote about and adored.

This was going to be the best party ever.

#doctor who #gotham #dracula #marvel #avengers #fantastic beasts

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