#Cause Killer Queen is the cutest stand!

[whump-town]

Happy Birthday, Hotch!

Waking up surrounded by nothing but white walls, Aaron Hotchner… feels sick. Miserably, his throat burns as he coughs up stomach acid choking on what little bile does come up. He must have passed out some time earlier but his cheek is resting on the toilet’s lowered rim so that has to be some sort of win. Better than the nothing in his stomach-- nothing in his body except pain killers that wore off hours ago and the Gatorade he’d sipped to make the charge-nurse at the hospital happy.

But at least he’s home.

Speaking of---

There’s a harsh knocking on the front door. He recognizes that as the sound that had woken him up from his toilet nap. Whoever it is-- Dave, he recognizes a moment too late-- is not happy.

Picking himself up off of the ground, knees and back and every joint in his body heaving complaint, he makes a shaky attempt to move from the bathroom.

“Hotch!”

That’s… that’s not Dave.

“Emily?” All the way from London? “What’re you--”

He’s taken aback when she throws her arms around his neck. It takes him by storm, a stumbling storm of honeysuckles and lavender and all so very distinctly Emily. He hadn’t realized how much he missed her until this moment. He entertains himself by thinking the swell of emotions in his chest is caused by the medicine in his system and not the genuine pain of missing her so desperately.

“Happy birthday,” she whispers, still rocked up onto her toes so that she’s tall enough to hug him properly. “I’ve missed you, you old bastard.” She pulls away from their hug first which in itself is a dead giveaway that something isn’t right.

He’s warm to the touch. Too warm. That’s excusable but added with the mess his apartments in and the mess he looks…

“You’re sick.”

Hotch is a very organized and predictable man. He sleeps in old t-shirts and sweatpants. The man wouldn’t be caught dead in his underwear. The closest thing to a design his apartment has is in the books he leaves propped open, print side down on various surfaces. Asides, of course, the toys left mid-play by Jack. It’s tidy and unique and very him.

The man standing before them now is not that same man.

He’s standing in plaid green boxers, absent of the shirt he thinks he might have gone to bed in. There are tissues on the coffee table, a blanket of sorts over the sociology book he’d been reading earlier this week. He’s only got one sock on and with Emily no longer holding his shoulders square he sways slightly. As if rocking with a breeze only he’s aware of.

His sleep-deprived mind having a hard time processing all of this. His birthday? Is it November? It can’t be November… Surely he’d know if it were his own birthday… wouldn’t he?

There’s a wordless exchange shared as Emily steps back and allows Dave to step close. Hotch stands still-- which speaks volumes-- as Dave presses his wrist to his forehead. With a solemn nod Dave condemns his fate, “oh he’s sick alright.”

Hotch rubs at his nose with the back of his hand, “I already went to the doctor.” Actually, he’d gone to the ER. Jessica had dragged him there kicking and screaming--- or rather, grumbling and too weak to stand (she’d said it was the same thing). He can’t remember how long ago that was.

Dave huffs at that and Hotch jumps when Morgan’s voice adds, “he’s got a prescription from yesterday.” Morgan flips the bottle around to read the label. He blows out a breath and passes it to Reid. “I have not idea what this is for, though.”

Reid scans over the whole bottle and hums, “for the flu.” He hands it back to Morgan, “you don’t recognize the name because it’s not the typical prescription doctor’s are asked to prescribe.” Reid passes the medicine to Dave, who holds his hand out expectantly. “This medication, while proven not to be as effective, won’t counteract with the blood thinners Hotch has, also, been prescribed to take daily.”

Biting his lip, Reid acknowledges his boss won’t like him further adding it could counteract with the other medications he takes for his OCD, thyroid, or the anxiety that he tells his therapist only has a tendency “flare up”. Still, those medications could cause additional side-effects.

“Here,” JJ gets tired of seeing Hotch just standing there shivering. His glossy eyes seem vacant and far off and she assumes this is why he hasn’t moved to cover himself up despite how badly his body is shaking. So, she pulls the blanket off of the back of the couch and pulls it around his bare shoulders.

Hotch blinks owlishly at her… how many people are in his apartment right now? There’s Emily who’s now taking him by the hand guiding him to the couch. He can see Reid and Morgan tossing discarded tissues into the trash can from where they’ve been left to sit on the coffee table. There’s JJ who, as he caves into the couch, pulls his blanket a little tighter around him. Dave leaves the room without comments leaving…

“I can’t believe you’re sick on your birthday.”

Garcia.

It’s sweet that she’s so concerned but…

“Is it really my birthday,” he asks, turning to Emily. Surely, this is all a part of one of her games or maybe he’s dying on the bathroom floor and this is all some hallucination. If it’s a hallucination he’d really like to imagine some pants and a shirt, please.

Emily looks so sad when she turns to him that he almost regrets having asked. “Your birthday is November 2nd, isn’t it?”

JJ takes his hand and adjusts the blankets again as he keeps sinking back into the couch. Her hands are freezing.

He nods, throat sore and head too cloudy to really want to reply.

“It’s your birthday then.”

Dave comes into the room with a handful of pills. There’s green and blue and white and at least five different pills sitting in his palm right now. It’s startling within itself to the others but Hotch takes them without question because five pills really isn't that much to him.

“Drink some more of that,” Dave says, putting his hand under the glass of water Hotch only sips before trying to put down. He guides it back to Hotch’s mouth, ignoring Hotch’s weak grunt of protest. Hotch pulls away sooner than Dave would like but he’s already looking queasy and Dave backs off, not wanting to push it.

Hotch looks around, dazed and confused, when JJ and Emily both stand from where they’d been sitting beside him on the couch. “Get some sleep,” JJ says, guiding him by the shoulders to the side so that he’s laying down.

He doesn’t want to sleep. Not with them here. Not when his guard needs to be up and he has to be the boss, the guy they can rely on.

“We’ll be here when you wake up,” JJ promises, kisses his temple.

But… it’s so hard to fight…

“Please get better,” Garcia whispers, bending down to hug him. He grunts a little, smiling despite himself when she squeezes him. It’s worth the small smile she gives back.

Emily lingers for a moment. She doesn’t hug him or kiss his head. She just runs her hand through his tangled hair, shaking her head at this whole mess. For someone so guarded, so stuck on being perfect he seems to constantly be getting himself into these messes. A drama queen, really.

And that’s the final straw. He can’t fight how soothed he is by her fingers slowly ghosting through his hair. He’s just vaguely aware of when she pulls away. Her hand moving from his hair and the blanket around his shoulder being tugged up over his shoulders. “Get some sleep, Aaron.”

And he does.

Garcia thinks it’s the cutest thing she’s ever seen in her entire life. Aaron Hotchner snores?? Why hadn’t they told her that?

“Because,” Emily comments, popping a grape into her mouth. “It’s cute now, to you, but go on a case and get stuck with that--” she throws an accusing thumb in the direction of the softly snoring couch. “Not so cute anymore.”

JJ rolls her eyes. Dave had assigned her to cutting carrots as she’d proven to be the only competent person he could trust (his words not hers). So, the farthest side of the island in the kitchen had been taken over by the girls. Leaving Reid and Morgan to fend for themselves (they’d found Jack’s connect four game and have been playing that for the last hour).

“Dave is the worst,” JJ says with a strange amount of conviction. “It goes Dave, Derek, Spence, then Hotch.”

Emily scoffs, “uh, no. Dave, definitely the worst, but Reid is way worse than Derek.” She pulls a few more grapes off the vine. She’d found the bag in Hotch’s fridge, which was startling empty. Given that she won’t go stealing Jack’s gummies, that left the grapes.

“How have things been,” she asks. She doesn’t typically feel too guilty about leaving them but seeing how things are right now… “Other than,” she tilts her head back towards the couch. To Hotch.

JJ shrugs and Garcia shares the same not displeased but nothing to comment look. After a moment Garcia softly says, “it’s not always like this but… we miss you.”

JJ nods, pausing in her carrot cutting. She stares, for a moment, at those chopped carrots. They really do miss her and how could they not? Resuming her job she tries to shake that thought away. She’s here now, that’s all that matters.

Hotch stirs on the couch, a distressed groan coming from either the mound of pillows Garcia’s stacked around him or the blankets she’s stacked on him. Either way, before anyone else can move, Derek is standing and waving for them to remain where they are.

Emily watches as Derek disappears behind the couch. His deep voice rumbles as he talks to Hotch. “Easy, easy,” Derek says, a hint of trepidation. “Come on--” Derek stands, stumbling back and Hotch’s head becomes visible for just a moment before he falls forward.

Derek stands, “Dave!”

Hotch grumbles something and the two argue for a moment before Dave can get there.

Emily stands, starting a whole wave of movement.

Dave holds up his hand to hold them off, “he’s fine.” And they see that for themselves a second later when, heavily supported by Derek’s shoulder, Hotch stands. The blanket falls off his shoulders, giving them a good view of his back. The muscles taunt with the effort he’s putting into moving.

And, as they are told, the other’s stay right where they are. They watch every step he takes, waiting on bated breath as Morgan and Hotch argue all the way back to the bathroom and even then, they can still hear the two of them going at it. Which is annoying but if Hotch is well enough to argue then he’s well enough to eat the soup Dave’s been pouring his heart into for the better part of the last hour.

“Now listen,” Dave says, hands on hips and talking to everyone sans Hotch and Morgan. “Jack is on his way with a birthday card and a chipper attitude. I won’t have you all ruining that, understood? That boy is going to be better than any medicine we could have Aaron choke down right now.”

Jack’s not stupid but it’s unlikely he’ll react well to them freaking out.

So, they’re going to be the perfectly happy little family that they are.

“If you don’t eat that soup--” Dave is standing, hovering over Aaron’s side.

Hotch raises an eyebrow in question. While his birthday might not matter to him in the grand scheme of his favorite days and things worth celebrating, it matters to them. Enough so, Dave won’t do shit if he doesn’t eat this soup. Plus he doesn’t really want to eat it. It’s not that it doesn’t smell good or even look good. He just doesn’t want to throw up.

“You’ll what,” Hotch inquires hoarsely. “Break into my house again?”

Emily glances up at that, “it’s not really breaking in if we have a key.”

There’s a hum of agreeance, the other’s happily eating Dave’s soup.

Hotch rolls his eyes but picks up the spoon.

Dave pats his back, giving Hotch a proud smile. “Happy Birthday, son.”

Hotch blushes under the attention, ducking his head as the other’s chime in alongside Dave. He shyly thanks them with a nod of his head, “thanks, guys.”

[reading-hub]

BATMAN VILLIANS - Calling them Daddy/Mommy in a non-sexual situation:

Ft. Bane, Poison Ivy, Mad Hatter, Two Face, & Killer Croc

BANE

It was during your private self defense classes with Bane. You thought it’d be piece of cake. There’s plenty of women taking classes in order to defend themselves walking alone during such dark nights. Banes’ idea of self defense classes was that, cranked up to 100.10%.

You were sweating bullets, body feeling numb, and all you wanted was the sweet release of death.

Bane, seeing you face planted on training mat, he lifted you to sit up with those big hands of his like you barely weigh anything.

Your face got droopy from exhaustion, your shoulders could barely hold you to sit up straight, making your upper body rock back in forth.

“Can you stand?” His deep accent brought you back from semi day dreaming. Your head lolled back dramatically and responded in the most childish-pouty way, “No...!” His eyes scanned your state of body at that moment. Was he judging you??

Before you could figure out what he was doing eyeing you like that, he stood tall and was about to walk off. Until you pushed your body back on the mat, both hands barely grasped his ankles but he stopped moving. Good.

“Wait—! Daddy help me up!” Pause. What just slipped from your mouth just now?

You froze, making it easier for Bane to lift his foot up, then again, he could’ve done anytime he wanted. His knees bent down to your ground level, his finger pushes away a strand of hair from your face. You could barely register what was going on. You suddenly yelped in surprise as Bane lifted your whole body close to him, walking out the training room with him.

POISON IVY

You felt embarrassed afterwards. It was like that one time when you accidentally called your teacher ‘Mom’; everyone had a good laugh, it was overall embarrassing for one whole day, and it rests in the back of your mind for the rest of your adult life.

You and Ivy were very good friends. You honestly don’t know how this weird friendship came to be. You told her about some of the small plants you have at in apartment, shyly admitting that you’ve even given said plants cute nicknames.

The next thing you know, you’re visiting her tropical lair once a week, heck, sometimes you just spend the night there during weekends.

You felt like you can talk about anything with her. There was something about the way she spoke to you, like you mattered. It flattered you really. Insecurities that you’re afraid to tell to your own parents, you’ve told her. Deep repressed thoughts and feelings you have that you would never say openly, she’s listened to.

It was getting late, you rambled on to her once again and you didn’t even notice how dark it was outside. You shifted awkwardly, wanting to say something. Before Ivy could notice, you blurted out,

“Mommy, is it okay if sleep here tonight?” Ivy looked at you at that moment with a fluttering gaze. The best thing you could do to make this less awkward was laugh nervously, in the hopes of her laughing too. But she didn’t, she just stared at you. She gave the most faint smile she could make to you, “It is late, if you’re lucky, you might end up sleeping next to me tonight.”

Heart just sank. Exe.has stopped working.

MAD HATTER

It was quiet, too quiet. Even being in the back of Mad Hatter’s hat shop, it was getting too boring. Jervis was preparing another tea party for tomorrow night. Said it will be a night to remember, especially with you by his side.

You offered to help in anyway you could. Perhaps you could score some extra scones for going to such lengths, and besides, Jervis just looked the cutest when he was concentrated on a certain task.

While people like Gothem citizens always poked fun on how short he was, you found him to be unique and partnership material all the more. Even if he gets small tantrums when things aren’t going his way, or that one time when he bitch slapped you after refusing to put on that itchy blonde wig and small blue dress for him. Looking back you’ve should’ve known better.

You helped him organize any tea cups and utensils that would be needed during the tea party. Then, something caught your eye, “Should I wash these tea cups for the guests, Daddy?” you coughed with embarrassment and cringe. “They...look pretty dirty..”

Jervis came to your side immediately after, his hand placed onto your own gently. “No, no, my dear, use the cloth I gave you instead.” He suggested. Did he not hear what you just addressed him as???

Before you could sigh in relief from that embarrassing stunt you pulled, he spoke soon after. “While I am not your father, the thought of you addressing me in such a manner has got me all fluttering.” While his back was turned from you, you felt as though he was smiling gleefully as you continued cleaning the tea cups.

TWO FACE

Harvey wasn’t exactly ‘husband material’. His mood swings were as unpredictable as they came. He’d hold onto you tenderly, rubbing your back late at night, the next morning you’d wake up to harsh yelling and a slap in the face.

A relationship like that came with a lot of things, angry sex, tender loving, fear. And yet, you chose to stick around all the more.

It was midnight, he was lashing out once again. You couldn’t even sleep though that noise, no one could. You got up from your queen bed, go up to Harvey to see what got him so angry this time. You scoffed at yourself, what could you do if you went to his study? Calm him down?You really didn’t think this plan through.

His study was open, a small crack was left to peek inside without disturbance. Without thinking, you opened the door, the sound of creaking could be heard. You cringed at the sound, hoping to not have Harv hear, he heard.

In response, he threw a book at the door, to get you to leave him alone. The book was close to hitting you in the face, only to miss by a few inches, but the surprise caused you to yelp in fear.

“Get out, bitch! We don’t need you.” His harsh and blood curdling tone almost made you cry whenever he directed it towards you, it was hard to get use to for the most part. “This is the only way I can lash out without harming you, leave us.” His soft tone also made you cry because of how rare he spoke to you in such a way. It showed he was still sane in your eyes. No matter how many doctors in Arkham say to you otherwise...

Before you could respond back. He threw another book as a warning. “What part of leaving don’t you understand?!” His burnt hand clenched in anger. And all you could do was sit there, frozen in fear. He stormed towards you, you had a bad feeling where this was going.

Before you could process the situation you put yourself in, you flinched before him, arms covering your face so he couldn’t hit there. “Please don’t hurt me, Daddy!!” You cried out. Not even realizing what you said to him, you still braced yourself for any pain that came to a part of your body.

It was silent. You open your eyes, cautiously. “What the hell did you just say?” He was confused, trying to wrap around his head of what made you say that. You looked shocked too. Why wasn’t he hitting you? Oh no..

You opened your mouth to try to explain yourself, but Harvey beat you to it. “Don’t answer...” His still harsh tone was still present but deemed down for some reason..

“I need a drink...” His soft voice came afterwards, grabbing whatever available alcohol was lying around in his study right now. You just sat there, eyes wide like a deer in front of headlights. You should probably sleep now.

KILLER CROC

You honestly thought that Arkham was basically sending you to your death whenever they decided to send you to bring his meals.

If only they knew that sending a decently attractive human to his lair, would cause some disturbances. Especially a giant crocodile man who hasn’t experience intimacy in quite a long time.

“Waylon! I’ve come to bring your meal for tonight!” You shouted. “Don’t try and eat the hand that feeds you.” You said under your breath.

“Bring it here and I won’t!” The sudden jumpscare from him, shook you to your very core. Shook was an understatement, though. “Waylon, that isn’t funny. It really scared me.” You held onto your chest, trying to compose yourself.

You gave him his scraps food through a small hole that was similar to a dog door, making easier for anyone to transfer Croc’s food without the fear your hand getting chewed up.

Croc smelled and inspected the food for a while, similar to a wild animal, making sure there wasn’t any sedatives mixed in his food this time. Before he could make the decision of eating, “Don’t worry, no medicine was put in it.” You just had to open your mouth, now he’s really not gonna eat it!! Damn it.

“I don’t want it anyway. Take it back!” He commanded you. No, you weren’t gonna take this. “No Waylon, I can’t do that.” You rejected him. Maybe you were too harsh sounding...No! He needs to learn that using fear to bully someone into submission is not gonna work this time!

“Gett’n too confident with me being behind this cell.” Cheeky. He’s trying to break you when your trying to stand up for yourself.

“Don’t get me wrong, Waylon, you terrify me to my very core. But I’m not gonna stand here and be walked all over.” Wow, you’re really proud of yourself right now.

He was silent, time to hook him in! “Come on, Daddy, eat your scraps, pleeease...” Except for that. You were not proud of yourself anymore. Oh shi—

He chuckled loudly, you swore his whole cell and where you were standing, was vibrating from his loud excessive laughing. It was embarrassing.

“Shut up!” Your voice was too meek compared to his loud chuckles escaping him. “Now that was funny, lunch lady.”

You stormed off, not taking the food with you. Oh well, hopefully all that laughing got him to eat his food. Spoiler: it did :)

[olicitytropes]

Olicity Tropetastic Awards: Season Three

The season of angst, assassins, and al sah-hottie is one we’ll always hold close to our Olicity-loving hearts. From their first date, to their first kiss, to their first time together, season 3 really gave us everything...including(arguably) the best hiatus fanfiction we’ve ever had.

Don’t ask Oliver to say he doesn’t love Felicity. And don’t ask us to say we didn’t love these fics. 

@tangled23works’s recs:

Memory Lane - @lupin72

Oliver and Felicity spend a night at a karaoke bar with Oliver telling Felicity how he knows for a fact that she can sing. Felicity realizes that she really doesn't remember Thea's birthday 

**Award: Best Karaoke+Fluff I’ve Ever Read**

Devil’s Backbone - @anthfan

What happens if Oliver and Felicity begin a physical relationship brought on by the catalyst of Sara's death, but acted like nothing had changed between them. One chapter per episode.

**Award: Best Canon Divergence/Fic You Need To Read ASAP**

The End of the Beginning - MachaSWicket

Tomorrow – and her stomach jumps a little every time she lets herself think about it – tomorrow, she and Oliver are leaving on some grand tour of the U.S. (And each other.) But first: sleep. Lots and lots of sleep. At least that’s the plan. To say she wasn’t expecting a knock at her door is putting it mildly. Because Oliver left her outside Palmer Tech with a sweet, lingering kiss, and he’d looked at least as tired as she felt.

**Award: Cutest, Most Realistic Olicity The Night Before They Ride Off Into The Sunset**

Only you can set my heart on my fire -  inlovewithimpossibility

He can’t help but smirk at her tone of voice. His main focus over the past two months has been memorizing every element of the woman underneath him. He’s tuned himself into her frequency, storing the cause and meaning of every type of hitched breath, moan and tone of voice. This soft, distracted murmur is rare but one of Oliver’s favorites.

(A small NSFW fic set in Bali during Olicity's post-s3 roadtrip)

**Award: Most Gratifying Olicity-In-Bali Fic**

@blondeeoneexox’s recs:

Caught in the Rapture - @bindy417

AU. Being the daughter of a ruthless and notorious crime lord, Felicity Smoak didn't think her life could get any worse. When her father unexpectedly sells her in marriage as a peace offering to his enemy, she quickly learns it'll take more than just her sharp intellect to survive. But what starts out as a sentence worse than death may actually be her only shot at freedom.

**Award: Most Beautiful Olicity Growth**

The Firebird - @supersillyanddorky06

Felicity Smoak stumbles upon a man dressed in black about to kill someone. The man takes an interest in her and she does not realize who he is. He is Al Sah-Him, the best assassin in The League, the crown jewel of the brotherhood, who is known for his lethal focus and killer instincts, brought up in the League itself.

What happens when he is taken completely with the blonde?

Assassin AU. Basically a what if Felicity met Al Sah-Him and not Oliver Queen story. Stuff will happen. Enjoy!

**Award: Most Amazing Felicity and Al-Sah-Him Non-Canon That I Really Wish Was Canon Because It Would Have Been SO REWARDING Fic**

P.S. Hong Kong: Was it Real?!? - @cruzrogue 

(This is off season 3 Flashbacks. When Tommy goes to Hong Kong he doesn’t go alone he takes his friend Felicity as the best information system being to help him locate Oliver Queen. Tommy may leave empty handed but Felicity gets to be a bride…)

Trope-tastic Awards: Week One

Fake Marriage!

(Olicity fake marriage stories! Pretending to be married, accidentally married, drunkenly married in Vegas and they don’t remember any of it)

**Award: Cutest Fake Marriage S3 Fic**

@allimariexf’s recs:

Once More (From the Top) - @writewithurheart

In the aftermath of his fight with Ras Al Ghul, Oliver finds himself somewhere unexpected: his hospital room when he first came back from the Island.

With a second chance to right the mistakes he’s made since coming back to Starling City, what will Oliver do to save the people he’s loved and lost?

Will he be able to change his past or will be he forced to watch history repeat itself?

**Award: Most Intriguingly Brilliant, Heartwarmingly Beautiful, Why-Can’t-This-Be-Canon Time Travel Trope**

We Should Just Kiss (Like Real People Do) - @dust2dust34

Prompt-inspired ficlets covering Oliver and Felicity's road trip after 3x23 "My Name is Oliver Queen."

Covers everything from the fluffiest fluff to silliness to gratuitous smut to ridiculous happiness to some angst.

**Award: Hottest Exploration of the Sweet, Smutty, Quiet, Happy! Domestic! Olicity Moments From the Summer of Olicity that we Deserved But Never Got**  

Long Time Coming - MachaSWicket

Felicity’s pretty proud of them both, that they follow up their frantic, almost-had-(probably-amazing)-sex-in-the-lair lapse in control with an actual, grown up, adult conversation in which they agree to keep their hands to themselves until they go on a couple of real, official dates. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. They agree that kissing is okay. And some, you know, associated behaviors. Because kissing involves touching and hugging and maybe occasionally some delightful friction. So that kind of… grinding is also acceptable. But they’re not going to have sex before their first date. Probably. Or how Oliver and Felicity turned all that blistering UST to RST. Finally. Spoilers through S3, including “The Climb.”

**Award: Sweetest, Most Emotionally-Fulfilling Use of Delayed Gratification (not to mention hottest)** 

@smoaking-greenarrow’s recs:

Confidence - itwasred

Olicity on their road trip after the season 3 finale, discovering each other. Felicity has some confidence issues that Oliver is quick to get her over.

**Award: Best Oliver Making Sure Felicity Knows How He Has Always Felt About Her**

Pacific Crest Trials - @imusuallyobsessed

After they drive off into the sunset and leave Starling City behind, Felicity and Oliver decide to go hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail. Felicity soon realizes that her vision and the reality don't match up, and Oliver does his best to convince her that backpacking isn't all that bad. Part of the Olicity Hiatus Fic-A-Thon, prompt: summer vacation.

**Award: Cutest Protective Oliver**

This One Time in College -  Vixx2pointOh

After we saw them drive off into the sunset, we know the travelled around the world....

In Thailand Felicity got drunk and started talking.....drunk Felicity shouldn't be in charge of talking....

**Award: Most Hilariously Drunk Felicity**

Daughter of the Demon - @laxit21,  mewmew666

What if in 1988 while traveling through Las Vegas Ra's al Ghul bumps into a nice waitress named Donna Smoak and they have one-night stand together? A little bundle of joy named Felicity Smoak is the result. In 2014, the Demon Head becomes aware of his youngest daughter's existence.

**Award: Most Unique Twist in Canon**

@memcjo’s recs:

Bury me in your Sins - @theirinrutherfords

Don’t involve yourself in the league of assassins and don’t fuck with the league of assassins. It’s a pretty easy concept, right? Well, it would have been if Felicity had known what she was meddling with. Now she has one of the league’s best assassins knocking down her door.

**Award: Best Use of Felicity Being in Over Her Head But Coming Out on Top**

Come Back When You Can - @smoaking-greenarrow

Felicity Smoak had accepted that her husband is dead. She's done everything she could to hold her family, her team, her city, and herself together. But five years after losing her husband, Felicity learns that things didn't happen the way she thought they did. And when Oliver realizes that he was lied to, he's willing to do whatever it takes to get revenge on the people who took his life away.

**Award: Best Use of Angst/Sorrow/Revenge Leading to a Happy Olicity**

Into Thin Air - @realityisoverrated-fic

Tommy disappears on his morning run. Two weeks later, Felicity is taken from the Foundry. Oliver is willing to sacrifice everything to get them back.

**Award: Best Use of Stubborn SmoakingBillionaries Facing Extreme Danger to Save Each Other in a HOLY SHIT~WOW! fic**

Try Harder Next Time - @hope-for-olicity

Set in Season 3 (I heart Season 3), Diggle confronts Oliver about letting Felicity go - yes, I can write the same story a different way over and over and over ;) This was Hope-for-Olicity’s 100th story as well!

**Award: Best Use of Diggle Sees ALL and is Tired of Oliver’s Shit**

A Nice Day for a Light Wedding -  sarcasticmama

A one shot based on leaked finale spoilers for Season 3 of the Arrow. Olicity! Written in between feedings with no beta. All mistakes are mine.

**Award: Best Happily Ever After Olicity Fluff**

Unasked Questions - @laurabelle2930

Olicity Smut ;) This one takes place during 3x20. It’s my take on what happened before we see Oliver staring out over the moon lit sands of Nanda Parbat. 

**Award: Best Use of Sexy, Bittersweet Olicity**

@msbeccieboo’s recs:

His Felicity, His Happiness - @oliversmuse

She just wanted to have a night off. A night where she could forget the trauma she had been through three months ago. But that night, everything changed. He saved her then kidnapped her. He was a mystery to her and she hated mysteries. They needed to be solved. She was determined to find out who was Al-Sah-Him.

**Award: Best disposal of Evil!Ray**

Adventures in Ivy Town - @it-was-a-red-heeler

Oliver and Felicity learn that there can be danger in the burbs, too.

**Award: Cutest Ivy Town fluffiness!!**

[holyfourthofjulyweenieroast]

Notes on Season 14- Part 1 (contains spoilers, are mostly complaints about Torres and Quinn, and are my personal opinions, don’t @ me)

Since Season 14 started rerunning in Australia on 9 October, I’ve decided to write down things I forgot or would like to emphasise upon:

Rogue

Torres being as cocky, smarmy, and insufferable as ever from the very first scene

Fornell staying at Gibbs’ house was the best part of the episode- his scenes are always awesome

Quinn being an asshole for many reasons, including the fact that she pretended like she didn’t remember Bishop from FLETC just to mess with her, and saying that there were good kinds of sociopaths

Torres willingly going off the grid and voluntarily entering into a fake, emotionally-manipulative relationship with a girl when it wasn’t the only option

Torres being incredibly rude to Vance and Gibbs, and complaining about consequences of being a federal agent when he knew full well what they would be

Quinn being a pushy dickhead, talking over people and interrupting them because she wanted to be the best

Quinn taking advantage of Fornell’s state and using poker to take all his money

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

Being Bad

Torres’ picture of himself was the most self-obsessed thing ever, and refusing to put on his team jacket to accompany the team on a Friday case, when he wasn’t even meant to start until Monday so he had no reason to complain about doing something he didn’t want to do was annoying as

Jimmy’s reaction to meeting Torres and Quinn was adorable

Abby’s skull-and-rose-adorned bullhorn was the most Abby thing ever

Quinn being nosy about McGee’s private life and making him uncomfortable with her questions about him proposing to Delilah just made me hate her more

Torres automatically sitting down in a chair without even bothering to offer it to Gibbs, and Gibbs having to give him a look before he caught on was such a dick move

Jimmy accidentally saying he spent a night in jail in high school and awkwardly changing the subject was Peak Palmer

Bishop talking about being voted prom queen as a joke was so sad, and so was Gibbs talking about how he loved to paint but life got in the way

Quinn coming up with an idea for more work to figure out the killer, then complaining about having to do the work was so hypocritical and lazy

McGee directly addressing that Quinn disrupted their work environment, and her being proud instead of saying sorry or having the decency to look ashamed

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

Privileged Information

Torres being misogynistic right off the bat, objectifying ‘yoga ladies’ and leering at them

Quinn rudely interrupting conversations as per usual

I really love the little gap between Dr. Grace’s front teeth; she just wouldn’t look right without it

Quinn pointing out the blatantly obvious like she was the first one to think of it

Torres being insensitive about Bishop’s divorce and rudely dodging her questions when she was just trying to be nice

Torres leaving Bishop to do all the work after persisting the maintenance guy in the building to let him look at an apartment for himself, instead of doing it in his own time

Fornell making dinner for Gibbs was great

Abby birdsitting Kyle’s rescued parrot Juan was such an Abby thing to do, and Jimmy talking to him was so cute

Dr. Grace calling Fornell ‘J. Edgar’ was awesome

Quinn being chipper, happy and upbeat when insensitively talking about a vic that died just a few hours before

Juan the parrot talking when he wasn’t supposed to be with Abby anymore and Gibbs saying he sounded like Palmer was classic

The team should know by now that witnesses/suspects etc. that’re too eager to help with the case usually did it

Juan flying into the bullpen was great, and Bishop telling Dr. Grace about Rule #17 was too, especially when McGee broke it

Gibbs and Dr. Grace going to the basement and leaving Fornell upstairs was so funny

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

Love Boat

McGee talking about proposing to Delilah was the most adorable thing ever

Quinn showing off her experience and then complaining about it was so obnoxious and ungrateful

“Eleanor Bishop, can you please be my Frodo?” was the best

Jimmy calling Quinn a ‘very handsome woman’ was a definitely something I hadn’t heard before

McGee being super-awkward around Delilah was adorkable

Quinn making an insensitive joke about medication when there are people with actual mental health problems was really problematic

Torres complaining about being told to do a simple job that a kid could do was pathetic

Quinn angrily pointing out a problem that she was the cause of was peak hypocrisy

Arresting someone in front of their kid is a delicate situation, and Gibbs handled it really well

The elevator proposal was just as perfect as the original plan

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

Philly

McGee roasting Bishop so effortlessly was amazing

Quinn was such a dick to Francis, the poor guy

Torres was so misogynistic in saying that all women want to settle down, and wanting McGee to bail him out (and McGee shutting him down was great)

I love Reeves, his accent, and the way he talks (I just love everything about him, rip)

Quinn talking back to Gibbs and being insubordinate was just so rude

Bishop and Reeves’ greeting and hug was the cutest thing ever

Gibbs shutting down Torres’ complaining was great

Quinn using work time for personal time was so rude, and so was her dodging Bishop’s concerned questions

Bishop sitting especially close to Reeves and getting him a cheesesteak was super sweet, and the way they smiled at each other was so adorable

Reeves has a double-shoulder gun-holster like Tony’s

McGee pulling a Ziva and holding a gun in each hand was such a power move

Abby further shutting down Torres’ misogynistic attitude was even better

Bishop and Reeves were standing so close together, this was only the fourth time they spent time together and they were already so comfortable with each other

Torres not listening to McGee and Abby about the printers was plain rude

Quinn drinking on the job was so unprofessional and neglectful

Quinn is just so rude and unpleasant to everyone, I don’t know how the team was able to stand her for as long as they did

I loved how Bishop instantly backed Reeves up without hesitation or question

Quinn’s story about her old partner was sad, but it really was her fault due to her indulging in something personal until waiting until the job was over

Reeves is such a gentleman, and he and Bishop always worked so well together

The ‘you’re not my mate, she is’ was so sad and sweet at the same time

Torres giving Abby McGee’s printer instead of a new one was such a dick move, especially after she was so nice to him

Even from a purely objective standpoint, I still can’t believe the writers didn’t try to make Rishop a thing after this episode

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

Shell Game

Torres was being such a dick not wearing his vest Abby made for him, even just briefly

Quinn should’ve cut Francis loose the very first time they parted ways, instead of still stringing him along

That TSA agent is way too peppy

Torres is just so gross and over-sharing

Frank the dog kinda looks like Tony the dog from S2- I loved that episode

I love how Abby always goes all out for Halloween

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

Home Of The Brave

Abby, Bishop and McGee all trying to get Tony’s apartment was great

Bishop and McGee’s dreams about Gibbs were funny, but Quinn’s dream about Gibbs was the grossest, creepiest thing ever

Ducky quoting Hamlet was a very Ducky thing to do, and so was his rules about using his hat for nonsense

Bishop getting Medina to join her in terrible singing was awesome

McGee talking about Delilah was adorable

The veteran-deportation subplot was so important

Torres was such an asshole putting himself in the draw to get Tony’s apartment- he didn’t even know him

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

Pay to Play (technically Ep. 9, but the two episodes originally aired in the wrong order with continuity errors for some reason)

Reeves getting Bishop her favourite chips was the sweetest thing ever- how could the writers consistently put things like that in the script and not make Rishop a thing- I don’t get why they added Qasim into the mix, then have him die, then have Bishop and Torres become a thing

The congresswoman’s gun-control opinion was actually really interesting

The Torres/driving instructor “You okay, sir?” “I stare death in the face every day.” exchange was great

Quinn was being so nosy, invading Reeves’ privacy and spying on a classified file of his

The highlighting of how important a base is to a small town was really good

Torres’ attempts throughout the episode to one-up Reeves were stupid and juvenile, and just stemmed from his own jealousy and insecurity

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

Enemy Combatant (technically Ep. 8, but the two episodes originally aired in the wrong order with continuity errors for some reason)

Bishop’s brothers are the absolute best, ‘we just want to make sure he’s not a deranged serial killer or a vegan’ was hilarious and so was them taking over her desk and interacting with the team

Jimmy attempting to deep-fry a turkey and getting in an accident was Very Jimmy

Of course Torres was insensitive about faiths and religions

Even Torres thought Bishop and Reeves were together (and complimented his jawline in the process), and so did Quinn (and of course she was an asshole about it)

The way Reeves looked at Bishop, COME ON, and ‘that brain of yours is brilliant’ COME ON!!

Torres being surprised Bishop could speak another language, seriously?

Ugh, Qasim’s so cute, poor thing didn’t deserve to die (and especially the way he did), rip

‘Big, big fan of your sister’ AWWW

John shutting down the elevator (how’d he know how to do that?) and Rob translating British slang for the others was great

The ‘fake terrorist’ plotline is so important, and it really isn’t exaggerated at all- things like that happen every day

Bishop and Qasim were such a power couple at Gitmo, and him retelling his story was so touching and powerful

Reeves flipping the gun out of the yogi guy’s hands and pointing it at him was seriously cool

‘I broke rule 12’ and Gibbs supporting it was awesome

‘Thank God, we thought it was Gibbs’ was amazing

To reiterate one of my original points- I still don’t get why the writers made Qasim Bishop’s boyfriend, only to kill him off a few episodes later, especially because they’d already written multiple instances of her and Reeves being more than friends and could’ve just continued to explore that instead? Don’t get me wrong- Bishop and Qasim (Qishop? Basim?) were an adorable couple, but their relationship was a weird, unnecessary addition to the plot

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

The Tie That Binds

Emily continues to be one of the best characters ever, and Fornell continues to have some of the best reactions ever

Of course Quinn was being annoying about Gibbs’ rules

One thing NCIS always does well is casting, especially with actors playing younger versions of their older counterparts

Reeves talking smack is one of the best things ever

The word ‘twonk’ is rife with joke potential in the late 2010s

POW!-Nog sounds disgusting, no offence to Abby

Will Torres ever not be insensitive about dead people

The conversation between old and young Ducky was hilarious

Ducky and Mr. Rin were so cute

Emily’s termite plan was pretty ingenious and worked perfectly, and the scene between her and Fornell was adorable

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

Willoughby

Qishop/Basim were so cute ‘just wanted to walk Ellie to her desk’ AWW

The ‘exploding plane’ gag was a little cliche, but it did work pretty well

‘the one that looks like a sculpture’ was a pretty great description of Reeves, and Qasim saying he put Bishop as his emergency contact was SO CUTE

Bishop being worried about Reeves was so sweet

Quinn and Torres on a stakeout is a terrible idea, and so are the two of them

Torres taking extra donuts was such a dick move, and so was Quinn complaining about the window when it was her idea in the first place

‘thanks for the non-marinated steak’ was a great casual, Vance-esque burn

Reeves talking about his past and Bishop was so sad- I was nearly crying

I remember watching this scene and being so frustrated that Bishop didn’t pull Qasim to the ground with her, but the grip on each other’s hands was pretty light, plus the fact that he had bullets pushing him in the opposite direction meant that there wasn’t really any other outcome

Poor Bishop- just when she thought she’d found happiness

The scene with Bishop and Reeves was so sad

Again, I still don’t get why the writers made Bishop and Qasim a thing if they were just going to kill him off and have more-than-friends moments with Bishop and Reeves

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

Off the Grid

Torres trying to mooch off Quinn’s gift was such a dick move, but what else would you expect from him

Poor Bishop, her past year-and-a-bit has been terrible in terms of relationships

Quinn trying to talk to Bishop when she clearly wanted to be left in peace and quiet, seriously?

Quinn breaking Kelly’s plate, then roping in Abby to try and cover it up and thinking Gibbs wouldn’t notice was so naive and insensitive

McGee and Torres’ little setup was pretty slick, ngl

It’s amazing what facial hair can do to someone’s appearance

Gibbs believes in Abby with all his heart, aww

WHY COULDN’T REEVES HAVE BEEN THE THIRD AGENT SO TORRES AND QUINN WOULD HAVE NEVER EXISTED AND CBS WOULD’VE SAVED HEAPS OF MONEY HIRING ONE MAIN CHARACTER THAT AUDIENCES ALREADY KNEW AND LOVED INSTEAD OF TWO NEW ANNOYING ONES

[i-got-no-rhythm]

The Devil and The Angel (part 2) Chapter 2

Warnings: Alcohol, cigarettes, language.

A/N: So this chapter is still a bit of a transition halter but I believe after this we’ll get into the main plot of this story. There isn’t much Clem and Roger time in this one but it will come I promise (I got big plans for these two, you guys just wait and see). As always, constructive criticism and feedback is always welcome and appreciated! Let me know if you want to be added to the tag list and enjoy!

All the other chapters

Chapter 2

“Wait so you want us to do what?” You stared at the blonde drummer, slight confusion and excitement in your tone. You looked out into the crowded bar to search for your boys, needing the validation that this was reality. Yep there was Alexander trying to impress a non-interested girl, so this can’t be a dream.

“We want your band to be the opening act on our upcoming tour.” Roger said amused, “it starts in a week in Liverpool. I know it’s short notice but our manager just told us we needed an opener” he continued babbling. How in the hell were you guys suppose to even get to England? You spent every penny you had on these stupid tracks, trying to get signed by record companies that didn’t even bat an eye in your direction.

“What do you say?” He smiled at you and placed a hand on your arm, jolting you from your thoughts. You looked from him then back out in the crowd where you met eyes with Mikey. He had a slightly concerned look on his face, ‘You alright?’ He mouthed, you nodded. “Well have to get back to you on that” you replied to Rogers previous comment with a smug look on your face, trying to hide your doubt.

******

You arrived in Liverpool, England around noon the day before the first show. The air was crispy and cool as you stepped outside the airport to wait for your driver to pick up you and your boys. “Can you guys believe this?” Mikey said jumping up and down, “not only are we in a different country but we get the honor of touring with Queen!”

Ever since he saw their first set a year ago at the soundcheck he had been obsessed. He even went out and bought all the records he could find of theirs. It actually got quite annoying at times, seeing as you lived together and he would blast the records at all hours of the day. Constantly reminding you of the night you spent with the drummer, which you had told no one about because it’s non of their damn business.

“Mikey, please calm the fuck down before you get us kicked out of this country” you said coldly. People were already staring, either at the way you were dressed or at Mikey you did not know and did not care. You took a cigarette from your pack and lit up just as the car pulled around. “Alright, lets do this shit!” Ray spoke, hurling his luggage into the trunk of the car.

******

“Nervous, doll face?” Roger said coming up behind you and grabbing your waist playfully. You jumped at his touch, “Don’t touch me” you replied sharply as you removed his hands from your body, “and don’t call me doll face.” You were well aware of how cold you sounded, but you couldn’t let him think that he could get away with that just because you had a one night stand a year ago.

“Your on in 5!” The show director shouted as he moved around backstage quickly, looking slightly stressed as he did so. You took a deep breathe in and let it out, “ready boys?” You said to your band, as you walked over to the small table where Ray was pouring shots to do your pre-show ritual. He handed each member of the band a tiny glass, everyone exchanged glances. “Flectere si nequeo superos, Acheronta movebo” you all said in unison then proceeded to down the liquid.

******

Your set was fantastic, you’d never seen so many people at one of your shows before. No one in this foreign land knew your music, but they were still jamming out as if they did. You watched in awe as the crowd danced and flailed to the hard rock beats.

You currently stood in the crowd, whiskey and coke in hand, watching Queen preform. They were spectacular, Freddie had the entire audience on the tips of their toes. You were gonna have to ask him his secret for that.

You examined every member of the band. John was jamming out to his funky bass beats and jumping around the stage excitedly, ‘that’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen’ you thought. Brian was fucking shredding on his guitar, The Red Special he had called it.

Then your eyes landed on Roger, the angel boy himself. He was getting into it for sure, making strange faces and smiling at Freddie throughout the set. You didn’t take your eyes off him for the rest of the show. He was quite talented, anyone could see that.

You were suddenly pulled out of your trance by a man being shoved into you, causing you to spill your drink. “Awe what the hell man!” You shouted over the music, turning around to give him a piece of your mind. He was quite tall, fairly good looking, dressed in mostly black and leather, and smelled like stale cigarettes and bad decisions, just your type.

“Oi sorry miss, let me buy you another drink?” He shouted back over the noise, you nodded and followed him back to the bar. A free drink never hurt anyone, right?

Tag list: @killer-killer-queen @rogersfalsettos @parasiempretumelancolia @rogerlad @the-killer-queenie @onceuponadetectivedemigod @onevisionliz

[cabaretdesespoir-blog]

It Won’t Cost Much... | Ch5 Trial Event

"Huhuhu..." Was that a desperate cry? No... It was... a chuckle. Noriko Morishige chuckles again. "Do you think you have won? Do you think you have defeated me? You may think that you people ought to prevail and be tucked some place all safe and sound. Sorry to tell, peeps, but there's no happy endings, not here and not now: this tale is all sorrows and woes. You dream that love and friendship win the day, but, guess what?"

"That's not how the story goes! Do you want to vote for me as the killer of the annoying Sous Chef? Well, well! Go ahead then! I don't mind at all! But wouldn't be funnier to consider something else? I mean, an extra variable being put on table that will certainly make you think more carefully about this whole story? Here we have it..."

Chuckling, the pink-haired girl reaches the inner pocket of her black coat, taking a pen off. This pen seemed to be... quite different from the rest. It was black, seeming to be made out of a strong material. This one was topped by a skull-shapped cap, which the girl removed after unlocking something on the side of it. Carefully, Morishige put the skull back inside her inner pocket and looked back at everyone.

"You might be thinking... What is this, Noriko-chan?" She asked in her cutest, most high-pitched tone. "Well, my braindead kids, this is my Special Pen. You might be wondering now why is it so special... Well, the answer is quite simple and I'm sure sure you'll love to listen to it."

"I'm a pretty curious person, you know? So curious that every information I get from people I get to put into something very special back at home: My Database. Basically, every single person in the world that purchased one of the luxurious Morishige Luxury Pens are under my monitoration! Huhuhuhu! Every single conversation, every single chat, every single dirty secret revealed... I have them all! More than that, darlings, I made a deal with Monopheasant and now every single secret and personal information of yours is in my possession! Now... How can it get better? Well, by pulling this very pen in my hand I will be able to upload all this to world wide web and send them to the press! Just imagine how very fun it will be when some stuff is brought to light... just like the espionage of a certain chocolate factory or a lovely pageant queen not truly being a woman for the public to ogle... Hmmmm! Am I right, Yuuma and Anami?" Noriko says, looking at the with her topaz-like eyes shinning brightly. Her thumb is slowly playing with the part on the top of the pen, the one which, if she pulls, all the information stored in the database would be released. “Not that Yuuma is here to respond to that anymore...” 

"Now, listen carefully... It so happens that you all are going to be revealed to the world, your true faces as the heroes that so desperately try to play destroyed. Yuuma, a good person? Leong? Souju? Cecelia? Ha! Don't make me laugh! You all know what you did and so do I! But wouldn't it be a hundred times funnier if everyone knew it? All you gotta do is kill me! Yes, yes! Vote for me! This will make this lifetime dream come true! Having your true faces shown to the world! But..." She slowly turned to the other's putting the  pen in her mouth for a second, but not pressing it, the eyes still shinning before a wide grin appeared, all of her sharp teeth being shown. "Perhaps we could arrange some sort of trade off? To give another soul in the place of my own? I think this is highly reasonable. Let's see... Maybe if you choose to vote for... hmmm... ANAMI, INSTEAD!"

Noriko's free hand pointed to Anami, a smaller laugh following the cackle.

-

"My dear sweet children, that's what I do... That's what I live for... Now, let's talk business: vote for Anami and you all will be perfectly fine, safe and sound with no bigger issues... but vote for me and not only you'll be condemning yourselves to life of pain and suffering, but also the ones you call friends... Actually much more than that, actually. Let's remember: we are all Super High School Level students, who are part of a school that choose us because we are the best of the best, the hopes of the world... Imagine what kind of impact it will cause to the world when they hear that the student of Hope's Peak Academy managed to get their titles on other people's misfortune, on faking and betraying... And more! That we are having a killing game right now! They must be so worried... Imagine how it will be when they find out we are here KILLING EACH OTHER! So very quaint... The scandal... The horror... I can already see the reserve course students rioting in the doors of the school, the security trying to fight them and everything ending in Tragedy! A Tragedy that started because you choose to be selfish and pick a friend's life over the well-being of the whole world!"

-

"Come on, you poor unfortunate souls! Go ahead! Make your choice! I'm a very busy woman and I haven't got all day, it won't cost much... Just Anami's soul!" Noriko pronounced with pompe and circumstance, standing on her podium as she held the Special Pen just by the side of her head. "Kill me and you'll kill everything you loved with it! Your lives, your carreer, your successful lives, even the world you knew... It all will be lost because of you! So... What is your decision? Anami, or me?"

[Writing by Henry, art by Flux!] 

[lair-of-books]

Pardon me while I bust out in a little dance cause I read 8 books in October!!!! I broke a record seeing as 2019 has been a bit of a slumpish year for me I’ll count this as a major break through *whoop whoop* I’ll admit I was a bit all over the place in my books this month because I simply was picking up whatever I was in the mood for at the time. I can also see this being the case for the rest of the year. Once January comes around I will be buckling down just a smidge because I have acquired some new arcs I’m really excited to get around to in the New Year. I may have a post in the works with those highly anticipated arcs I managed to get a hold of 😉

We can all use a lil Rosie Perez in our lives! *Queen* ❤

The Beautiful by Renée Ahdieh ✨4 STARS✨ (my review) polarizing in the bookish community, this book isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea but it def was mine! ❤ more than anything, I’m STOKED at the hints of what’s to come.

Dear Girls by Ali Wong ✨5 STARS✨ (my review)

I listened to the audiobook & laughed my a** off at all hours of the day/night. Ali Wong won me over when I first saw her in Always be my Maybe but listening to Dear Girls led me down a rabbit hole. I watched Baby Cobra on Netflix as well and Hard Knock Wife which really rounded out the audiobook experience. These stand-up series are mentioned in Dear Girls and it was nice to go back & see those after. This book also got me wanting to start my own letters to my two tiny humans.

The Never Tilting World by Ron Chupeco ✨4 STARS✨ (my review)

A WILD RIDE!!!! I was not sure what I was expecting going in after reading & loving The Bone Witch series but this was unique and chaotic in the best way. I tried to gather my thoughts as best as possible in my review haha!

The Poet X by Elizabeth Acevedo ✨5 STARS✨ (RTC)

I have ZERO excuses for not having a review up just yet but I promise it’s coming & it will be a RAVE review 🙂

Can’t Escape Love (Reluctant Royals #2.6) by Alyssa Cole ✨4 STARS✨ (RTC)

This novella is absolutely my MOST favorite addition to the Reluctant Royals series! Nerd love at it’s finest & most cutest! GAHHHH! I need more! I will save my thoughts for the mash-up review I have coming for this & the other novella in this series Once Ghosted, Twice Shy #2.5

American predator by Maureen Callahan ✨5 STARS✨

I did consider writing a review for this SUPER creepy read but opted not to. I rated this one a 5 stars simply because the amount & quality of research really jumps off the page here. This is a real life story told from the perspective of the killer who has been captured. He is absolutely remorseless & only confessing certain kills in order to ascertain the death penalty for himself cause he just can’t live with himself anymore.

Kingdom of Souls by Rena Baron ✨4 STARS✨ (my review)

I’m so happy there will be more books in this series/trilogy & even more excited to one day see it hit the big screen. This West African inspired Fantasy reads more like an Adult Fantasy as far as world building & complex character development. I’d love to see more YA Fantasy fleshed out in this way where the author fully trusts the reader to take in the world they’ve imagined on the page.

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The Grace Year | The Bone Houses | The Water Dancer | Imaginary Friend

My October haul was a bit on the humble side seeing as I unhauled give or take 60 books. I wasn’t trying to spend much on books but I was focused on reading from my shelves. Two of these were my monthly Book Of The Month picks (my referral link) & the other two were highly recommended. November however is already turning out to be shelf luvin’ & I’m not complaining 🙂

Joker ✨5 STARS✨

This movie will forever be seared into my memory for its depiction of mental health & the real need for discussion and resources for those that are struggling. I wasn’t expecting for it to be as hard hitting as it was but it only deepened my appreciation for this portrayal. I feel Joaquin phoenix performed exceptionally & frankly left me in awe.

  LEGACIES ✨4 STARS✨

The Originals spin-off is highly addictive & full of bad a** characters you can’t help but get invested in. Hope Mikaelson truly feels like a piece of Klaus was gifted to us & I cannot wait to see her growth in this series. We follow Hope in this school for supernatural beings that has a very X-Men vibe I love. It was almost a full 5 stars if it hadn’t been for the meh last episode haha! still though, as a whole this is one show worth checking out if you followed its predecessors & are looking for your paranormal fix 😉

October was such a great quality reading month that i’m hoping it continues into november. with all of the major new releases i think that’s a safe bet. i’m enjoying the cooler weather, bookstore dates, & coffee breaks with good company and books.I hope you’re all having a great start to this Autumn season <3’s!

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[bentaylorrogerhardy]

As The World Crumbles (Chapter Two)

Collaboration with @hystericalrogertaylor

Pairing: Ben Hardy x Reader

Word count: 1612

Summary: Ben and (Y/n) have been dating since Bohemian Rhapsody’s release. Everything seemed perfect for the young couple, until the night of the Golden Globes. Russia has bombed the United States, destroying everything and implementing a ruthless dictatorship. With the country in tatters, Ben, (Y/n), Rami, Lucy, Joe, and Gwilym form the Killer Queens, a vigilante group aimed on destroying the new government, and the cold-blooded dictator, Cornelius Vanzant. 

Warnings: slight cussing, implied sex, mentions of pregnancy

A/N: WOO, chapter two! @hystericalrogertaylor and I are so very excited about this story, and thank you to everyone who has enjoyed it so far!! We have a lot of things planned for this story, so stick around! Check out chapter one on her blog!

The year was 2021, almost two years since the bombs were dropped on the contiguous United States. Cornelius Vanzant, a ruthless Russian leader, put himself in charge of the newly conquered territory. He established himself as a dictator; anyone who dared to disagree with him or his way of ruling was quickly jailed or, in the worst cases, executed publicly. These served as reminders of the lengths the new government was willing to go to in order to remain powerful.

For the most part, everyone stayed in line. Following government orders, watching the regularly scheduled propaganda, tolerating the lies fed to them daily from people in charge. Except the Killer Queens.

You, Ben, Rami, Gwilym, Joe, and Lucy found a nearly destroyed hospital in the days following the initial attack; a few wings and the parking garage were still intact. That’s where your group, including Ben’s dog Frankie, decided to hide out. For the first few weeks, everyone was too stunned to do anything but forage for food, sleep, and cry. Then, you all decided to do something about the problems facing the country.

Rami had enough tech knowledge to be able to hack the television airways to send out messages. Your group filmed videos with messages of hope and resistance. Joe was able to operate the camera, Gwilym penned the messages, and you, Ben, and Lucy were the well-known faces of the vigilante group most hated by the government.

They only hated you because they couldn’t catch you. Rami was able to hide where the broadcasts were coming from; they had no clue where in the country you were. The backgrounds of the messages were inconspicuous, you never mentioned any locations. Normal vigilante groups could quickly be ended by firing squad, but the Killer Queens were illusive and frustrating. Which made them a priority in Vanzant’s eyes.

The bounties on your heads were enormous. With that money, anyone could potentially buy their way out of the country. But none of the normal civilians dared to kill any member of the group. You were the one shining light in the terrible darkness that was now their lives.

You slowly pried open your eyes, the sun pouring through the windows, unobstructed by clouds. You slowly sat up, holding the blanket over your bare chest. You looked down at your boyfriend, who was still peacefully asleep beside you. You brushed a few strands of loose hair away from his face, wishing your life could actually be as serene as this moment was. You leaned down, pressing a kiss onto his forehead, causing his eyes to flutter open. He gave you one of his smiles that you loved so much. “Good morning,” you murmured.

“A very good morning indeed,” he rasped, his voice low and sleepy. He slowly wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you back down onto the makeshift mattress. He nuzzled his head into your neck, placing a lazy kiss on it.

You giggled, wrapping an arm around his head, holding him there. “Are we gonna do this again?” you asked, relishing in the moment.

“I don’t see a reason why not,” he said slowly. He moved so he was on top of you, continuing to kiss your neck.

You grabbed onto his upper arm right as the door of your room slammed open. Ben shoved himself to the side, staring at his best friend in the doorway. “What the hell man?” he shouted.

“We have a video to film,” Joe explained, stepping into the room and leaning his back against the wall.

“We’re busy!” your boyfriend responded.

“Yeah, well, you can have sex anytime. The next few hours are ideal for propaganda broadcast override. So, get up.” Joe, trying not to laugh, exited the room, leaving the door open.

Ben sighed, clearly annoyed. He rolled over so his face was next to yours. “How quickly do you think we can do it?” he asked.

You laughed, swatting him in the chest. “Sorry love, but I think we’ll just have to wait.” You stood up, keeping a blanket wrapped around you.

Ben pouted, standing up himself. “You could’ve at least left the blanket there…” You rolled your eyes, walking into the room’s small bathroom. “Shower together? Save water?”

“No!”

---

“Cornelius Vanzant is evil,” Lucy said, standing next to Ben. You stood off to the side, opting out of this broadcast due to the obvious hickeys on your neck. “He displayed his malice earlier this week, when he executed four New Yorkers for not saluting him as he walked down the street.”

“But these blatant human rights violations cannot be tolerated,” Ben said. “Vanzant will be in Chicago a week from today for meetings with the local authorities. And we say that it’s time to fight.”

“Gather your friends. Gather your family. Gather anyone you can. In numbers, we are sure that he can be stopped. He is but a human. He cannot stay in power forever.” Lucy stared at the camera, appearing angry, despite the fear she always felt filming things like this.

“As the people of America, we are responsible for taking down this ruthless man and bringing back the peace this country once knew.” Ben attempted to make his shoulders look broader. “Stay strong, stay brave, and stay alert. Killer Queens, signing off.”

Joe cut the camera. “Awesome! Thank you for keeping it in your pants long enough to film that, Ben.”

Rami and Gwilym facepalmed simultaneously. “Yeah, okay, thanks guys,” Rami said. “And thank you, Joe, for that unnecessary comment.” Joe shrugged, walking away with the rest of the group.

Ben, blushing slightly at Joe’s comment, walked over to you, wrapping an arm around your waist. He gently ran his fingers over one of the angry-looking hickeys on your neck, sending a shiver down your spine. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” you answered, “just tired. I was up late.”

“Wonder why.” He grabbed your face, smashing his lips into yours. The force of it caused you to stumble backwards, your back hitting the wall. You grabbed onto his shirt, pulling him as close as you could.

“Forgot the camera...oh for crying out loud!” You shoved Ben backwards as Joe walked back into the room. “I guess you could only keep it in your pants long enough to film a two minute video before--”

“Can you leave?!” Ben demanded. Joe grabbed his camera, whistling awkwardly as he left the room again.

Ben turned back to you, looking kind of disappointed. “That ruined the moment, didn’t it?”

“Yeah, a little,” you responded, patting him on the shoulder as you followed Joe. “Meet me at breakfast.”

Ben stood there for a few minutes, wishing you were still in the room to kiss him.

---

Ben walked into the cafeteria, where everyone had already gathered for dinner later that day. You stored whatever food you could find in the kitchen areas of the cafeteria for safe keeping. Meals were whatever you could find at that particular moment.

Everyone sat at one table while Frankie sat under it, begging for scraps. When she saw Ben, she sprinted out from her spot at your feet, greeting him and jumping up at him.

“Hey girl!” he exclaimed, picking her up. “Who’s the cutest puppy ever? You are! Yes you are!”

You watched him interact with his dog, smiling like an idiot. Joe coughed. “Ben, we don’t want to see that dog licking your face while we eat.”

“Ah, you’ll live,” he replied, kissing Frankie’s nose. “Is Joe being a big bad meanie? Yeah, I know he is. He’s just jealous because you’re cuter than he is.”

Joe held his hand up. “Uh, I’m right here!”

“Imagine what it’ll be like when he has a kid,” Rami commented, eating some type of sandwich.

“Oh no,” you said, setting your fork down. “That’s not happening anytime soon. Everything’s too unstable. We’ve talked about this, we want a nicer environment for our children.”

“Correct,” Ben said, putting Frankie down. “We want to know our kids can be confident that their parents will be alive tomorrow.”

“Exactly.” You looked down at your food when you noticed Lucy, who was next to you, fidgeting with her fingers. You looked up and saw the nervous look in her eyes. “Hey, Lucy, are you okay?”

“Yeah,” she said quickly, pushing away from the table and walking away.

You frowned, turning to Rami. “Is she okay?” you asked.

Rami looked just as confused. “I’m not sure.” He got up, following his girlfriend.

Ben sat down next to you, where you had set a plate of plain pasta out for him. He squeezed your hand as thanks before beginning to eat.

---

You stood at the sink in the bathroom, brushing your hair before bed. “Do you think we’ll ever be able to have kids?” you asked. The topic had been weighing on you since dinner.

“I’m sure everything will work out eventually,” Ben assured, taking his shirt off before climbing under the blankets.

You set your brush down on the shelf, coming out of the bathroom and joining him on your mattress. “I want to be a mom,” you admitted. “And I know it’s not the right time for children, but…” You sighed. “I don’t know.”

“I get it,” he said, wrapping his arms around your waist. “We’ll just have to be patient. It’ll happen someday.”

Your reply was stopped by Frankie crawling onto the mattress, lying down at your feet. You and Ben smiled, watching her curl up and fall asleep. “She’s our child,” you said lightheartedly.

Ben chuckled. “I love my girls.” He pulled you into his chest, sighing before falling asleep.

Chapter One 

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