#I think letting them loose and adjust would be a better storyline.

[nonnui]

Merge Dragons

Genre: Merge

Intrusiveness: 2/5.  Lots of easy-to-mistap advertisements for things to buy with real dollars, lots of exclamation points and wiggling icons for things that can only be achieved with real dollars (or gem currency).  There are extremely frequent parades of items that can only be unlocked or acquired with gem currency (which you mostly have to acquire with real dollars).  Some of those you can get rid of by selling them for game coins, but only after you thus prompt their advertising popup.  You can disable purchases as a preference toggle, but it doesn’t cover everything.  My daughter has to play this in a special child mode so she doesn’t spend hundreds of dollars on gem currency, which she attempts to use at every opportunity.

Generosity: 3/5.  The scarcity of gems is conspicuous by design, and that design is honed to a fine art, but if you resolutely ignore that, you can turn playtime into game resources pretty straightforwardly.  Almost nothing is free and not everything offered is a good deal but it’s certainly feasible to make a lot of progress without being fully blocked in all directions.  If you’re here for the levels specifically, though, it is often impossible to play more than one or two in a day - the “chalices” recharge slowly and most levels cost more than one.

Aesthetic: 4/5.  Should these sprites be in the Smithsonian, no, absolutely not.  Are they cute and colorful?  Yeah, most of them.  If I’d been arranging my camp for aesthetics as opposed to ruthless efficiency it could have looked pretty nice.  They put dedicated work into the art and only some of the dragons look like weird horses.

Writing: 5/5.  I’m grading on a curve, of course, but there’s not too much writing that you have to look at and what’s there basically serves its purpose with a little light dusting of comedy on top.  It’s not trying too hard to sell an epic storyline and that’s about all you can expect from one of these.

Interface: 3/5.  There are some toggleable features you can use to adjust to suit, and it’s pretty easy to learn.  It is much too easy to do things by mistake, and I stopped playing the game this time around when it let me accidentally sell a rare dragon without double-checking; the intrusiveness choices are dinging it here too; but most of the time things go pretty smoothly.  Would be a 4/5 with an undo button.

Coherence: 3/5.  I think last time I played this game it was better, but they’ve added a bunch more minigames that are only loosely connected since then.  Instead of just camp and levels and events, there’s now camp, levels, events, more events, games of chance, a remarkably impoverished interior decorating minigame, missions, star ranks, dens, and something else I didn’t unlock but my kiddo has.  These things all have some contact with the core mechanics/aesthetics, sure, but not in a way that supports suspension of disbelief.

Gestalt Experience: 3/5.  I played this for imaginary money back in my Design Home addiction phase, and put it down when I was done.  I picked it up again the other week to be able to hold a conversation with my daughter about it, and have now reached the limits of my ennui tolerance.

It’s basically a flagship example of the merge game genre (along with its reskinned but otherwise identical twin, Merge Magic): you have isometric square-gridded land, more to be exposed as you achieve milestones; and stuff on it; and three things of the same kind can be merged into one thing of the next kind in its merge chain (or five for two, if you have enough space and stuff and patience).  Some of these raw materials for merging are acquired through dragon labor; the dragons are only available for a few labor-actions once per realtime nap.  Other stuff can be acquired through human labor, which is of course far preferable, since if your time were valuable you would presumably not be spending it dragging flower icons onto one another in order to create fancier flowers.

There is a little of the pleasure of discovery (as you merge ever higher tiers of stuff that called for 3 or 9 or 27 or 81 or 243 or 729 or 2,187 individual low-level procurement actions) and a moderate amount of the pleasure of organizational efficiency as you array all your things in a queue to be merged so as to take advantage of the 20% bonus for merging five, and line up combos for bonuses, and not accidentally merge extra things, and have enough space to put more things on, and so on and so forth.

But mostly it’s the pleasure of having achievable tasks.  If you want some tasks, and prefer them colorful, inconsequential, and dragon themed, this game is for you.  I admit that I am sometimes in the need of such tasks myself.  Accomplishing things of genuine value requires a lot of activation energy!  There are stakes!  Expectations!  Decisions!  Results!  Self-directed project management of unlimited potential scope!  Messy, non-isometric physical reality, neither designed nor written by professional entertainers, lacking a win/loss ratio expertly tweaked to the precise rate that maximizes engagement!  Sometimes you gotta play a stupid phone game.  But I’m done with this one.

[kaleis-kingdom]

Okay so I haven’t seen Encanto yet since I wanna watch it with my family. While I don’t care about being spoiled, if you do and plan to watch it then skip this post.

I kinda wish Mirabel just… gave up on Abuela. Gave up on making her proud and just did what made her happy, not somebody else. Yeah I know the whole movie is about family, but honestly? Sometimes toxic is just toxic and you need to cut that person out of your life. From what I’ve seen, Abuela seemed to care more about the gifts then her family. I know family is important, but mental health is too, ya know? That doesn’t mean the desire to make Abeula proud isn’t there either, but she’s just accepted it.

And it turned out that Mirabel had a gift all along, correct? That… seems counterproductive. Mirabel has done just fine her entire life without a gift and has passed through every single struggle thrown to her. She got to a point where she was happy, finally having the chance to create a bond with her sisters, then it turned out what she knew was a lie and she did have a gift.

If I’m right, the other family members would loose their gifts if Maribel never had a gift, right? I’m not certain, but that sounds more interesting to me then Maribel having a gift and everybody getting their gifts back. You could do a lot with that!

Maribel and the husbands could help their family adjust to life without gifts, the village and family learning skills now they can’t rely on the miracle, perhaps finding out there are other people out there that was similar to how they were? And the Madrigals could help them from their experience, plus some reflection! Or an enemy with a gift shows up and the family and village find ways to defeat them without any gifts!

That’s just my thoughts based off of what I’ve seen though. I might make this an AU once me and my family watch it and I know more. And yes, I know it’s meant for kids. However I don’t think realized they could teach kids to deal with toxic family members despite their emotions or that you have to be the same as others to be accepted. Because those are the vibes I’m getting.

[from-the-clouds]

Kiss Me More - Zemo/Reader

Masterlist | Part Two 

Summary: Reader works with Sam & Bucky and has a moment alone with Zemo upon their arrival in Riga. Loosely inspired by this song. 

Words: 2.5k

Warnings: Kissing, heavy petting, minor TFATWS spoilers.

A/N: As if you couldn’t tell already when it comes to what characters I love to write for, I love a bad boy. This was meant to be a short, sweet fic and then I had to get all existential and invent an entire storyline around these two. I think there’s definitely room here for a multiple parts, if you’re interested. Let me know what you think!

----

“I’m going for a walk.”

Y/N didn’t argue with Bucky as he walked away stiffly. With anyone else, she would’ve been suspicious, but she knew Bucky well enough to know it was in her best interest to ignore any of his cryptic behavior. At the end of the day, she knew she could trust him. 

Zemo’s flat was spacious and beautiful, and she wasn’t surprised by the ostentatious but minimalist decorating. Zemo excused himself into the bathroom to shower and freshen up. Sam eyed him wearily, but didn’t seem too concerned. Y/N sat down on a couch she guessed cost thrice as much as she paid monthly in rent.

“I’m going to grab some grub, want anything?” Sam asked after only a few moments of pacing around the apartment, seemingly checking to see if they were being set up. 

Y/N shook her head no, the constant traveling over the past few days hadn’t been great for her appetite. 

“Will you keep an eye on him?” Sam said, flicking his eyes in the direction of the bathroom, where she heard the patter of the shower running steadily.

“Of course,” she answered. Zemo had a reputation, she’d seen it herself. But she didn’t know him to the same extent that Bucky and Sam did. So far, he’d only been polite to her so she wasn’t exactly scared or intimidated about any sort of confrontation.

Plus, she was only here as a favor to her friends. She was hardly talented or important enough to be an Avenger. Bucky and Sam knew they could call her if they were in a pinch. And right now, they were definitely in a pinch. 

Picking up a book of photography from the coffee table in front of her, she flipped through it absentmindedly, admiring the photos of ornate architecture and crowded city streets before the click of a doorknob caught her attention. Zemo emerged from the bathroom with damp hair in a bathrobe, slinging a towel over his shoulder and immediately making his way towards the kitchen.

Y/N heard the clink of glasses and ice, and she returned her attention to the book. All the traveling was catching up to her, as her eyelids began to feel heavy, and the quiet in the room allowed her body to finally settle.

“Have a drink with me,” she was startled when she realized Zemo was standing over her, a cocktail extended in her direction. Not a question, a command. 

“I’m alright, thank you,” she said flatly. 

“I have to celebrate.”

Sighing, and abandoning the book altogether she closed it, sitting it on the table and crossing her arms, looking up at him.

“Come on, It’s one drink,” he winked, and pressed the cocktail into her hands. Up close, she felt like she was seeing him for the first time, rather than just another means to an end for one of Bucky’s missions. Zemo was good-looking, there was no doubt there. Tall, Dark hair, handsome enough to turn heads, but not so chiseled to be unapproachable. She guessed he was maybe ten years her senior, and while she thought being locked up for so long might’ve taken a toll on anyone, there was no trace of it in his features.

Taking it reluctantly, but still not entirely sold, she raised an eyebrow as he slowly sat down next to her. “All right, what’s the occasion?” she asked.

He lifted his drink, and she sighed, shifting her weight so she was facing him, meeting his eyes and lifting her cocktail so it was level with his. “To being a free man.”

They clinked glasses and she took a sip, the bite of the liquor concealed by a sweet and smooth aftertaste. Whatever he’d made her, it was good. 

“Temporarily,” she added after a moment, watching him take another sip of his drink.

“What?” he asked, turning to face her. 

“You’re only a free man temporarily,” she said. 

“Touche,” he answered, one arm stretching over the back of the couch, his hand nearly touching her shoulder. He gave her a devilish grin. 

A surprising warmth fluttered in her stomach, and she turned away from him to sip her cocktail. She wasn’t ignorant. After all, she was the only woman in the group, she hadn’t missed his lingering glances and once-overs while they were partying in Madripoor. It would’ve been flattering, but she was probably the first woman he’d seen in years. 

They sat in silence for a moment as Zemo leaned back to survey the room. She supposed she hadn’t done a good enough job of appreciating it the first time around, high ceilings, natural light, but just enough privacy to feel cozy and inviting. Another steely sip of liquor passed her lips. She hadn’t had a drink in god only knew how long. 

“Tell me, doesn’t this work get exhausting?” his smooth, accented voice cut through the quiet. “Traveling all the time, getting beat up, the lack of sleep, or a routine, following orders…”

She shrugged, pondering a moment. “It’s not so bad. Plus, it’s not like I know anything else.” When she glanced over at him, his eyes were fixated intently on her, but he was unreadable. “I know you think I’m a monster, but I’m just doing what’s right.”

“What you think is right,” he corrected, and before she could bite back, finished his thought. “My people, my family. All gone because of what someone with too much power thought was right.” A sadness flickered across his visage, but disappeared as soon as she could register it. 

“I’m sorry,” she rasped, earnest. 

“And I don’t think you’re a monster,” Zemo said, shifting his weight so he was facing her dead on, tilting his head to the side and studying her. Something about his gaze felt sharp, like he could see through her. “You aren’t entirely sold on all this, I can see it in your eyes.”

His words cut deep, deeper than she was willing to admit to anyone, even herself. But what was normal? And could she ever be? “What makes you think that?”

“How often do you get to be selfish?” he asked. His robe gaped open a little at the top, revealing a dainty silver chain necklace clasped around his neck with a small charm dangling from it, pale skin and a smattering of chest hair. “When was the last time you got to sit down, relax, enjoy yourself?”

Glancing down at the drink in her hand, feeling slightly vulnerable, she felt a smiling playing at the edges of her lips. “I could ask you the same question.”

“I’m enjoying myself right now,” he said, and she raised her eyebrows. “What, can you blame me? Good whiskey, a beautiful woman by my side.”

Her jaw dropped slightly, holding back a smile. Warmth crept like vines up her neck, pooling in her cheeks. “You should be careful,” she warned. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were flirting with me.”

He leaned closer and she could smell the scent of his aftershave, smoke and musk, heat from the shower still radiating off his body. Maybe the whiskey was getting to her. The corners of his mouth turned up ever so slightly as he lifted the drink to meet his lips, pitching his head back to finish off the liquor before discarding the empty glass on the table in front of them. 

“Would it be so bad if I was?”

Outside, the sun passed behind a cloud, and the room dimmed ever so slightly, casting shadows that caught along Zemo’s cheekbones, his jawline. The waning light made her all the more aware of how the energy in the room had shifted. 

“It’d be unprofessional,” she said, voice low, and he seemed much closer than he’d been before. But he wasn’t the only one closing the gap, she realized she was definitely, inadvertently, meeting him halfway. 

“Oh well,” he said, softly. “We wouldn’t want that, would we?” Her eyes adjusted to the light, and up close, he was mesmerizing, deep brown eyes filled with longing. His gaze made her stomach turn, and she knew she should be disgusted but she just couldn’t bring herself to feel anything other than intrigue.

Shaking her head no, she couldn’t find the words to speak. Maybe because she wouldn’t believe any last attempts at protest. Better to save her breath.

The Baron’s hand, cool from the icy glass, rose to cup her cheek, so gentle and tender, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip. Frozen, all she could do was breathe slowly as her heart raced. “Zemo-” she began weakly.

“Helmut,” he corrected. “Call me Helmut.”

Y/N gave no answer, unable to remember what she had been protesting when he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers. 

Goosebumps rose along her arms, ears ringing, as he kissed her. The arm he’d been resting on the couch behind her pulled her closer, and her own free hand rose to his neck, letting him take control. 

Her lips parted and his tongue traced her bottom lip, deepening the kiss. He groaned into her mouth, the vibration raising every hair on her body. Oh, she knew it was bad, but she hadn’t felt so desired, so wanted in years. Wandering hands lazily slid down his neck, to his shoulders where her fingers pushed underneath the loose neckline of his robe, palms exploring the broad expanse of his chest. 

Her skin tingled, every exposed surface aching to be touched, explored by him, and maybe he could tell as his hand left her jaw to coast down her torso, all the way to hook behind her knee and pull her leg across his lap, an invitation to straddle him that didn’t go unnoticed, but she’d need time to decide whether or not she was willing to go that far. 

As for exploring, he wasted no time bringing his hand back up her stomach, to hover lightly over the curve of her breast, squeezing gently as to gauge her reaction, a request to continue, and her breath caught in her mouth, her body instinctively pressing against him. His thumb found the peak of her nipple even through the padding of her bra and thin t-shirt. 

Her lips parted from his to let out a breathless moan, and his mouth trailed down her neck as her fingers tangled in his hair. His tongue and teeth passed over a particularly sensitive spot, which he discovered when she let out a strangled gasp, and doubled down, sucking and grazing over and over until she finally couldn’t bare it any longer and she pulled away. 

Zemo’s face hovered inches from hers, and she wanted to give him some sort of excuse. That this was wrong, they shouldn’t be doing this, but she took in his equally unfastidious appearance and decided not to waste her words on something so cliche. He looked utterly breathtaking.

He didn’t move away, just smiled gently. “How does it feel...to do the bad thing?” he teased.

Y/N couldn’t help the giggle that passed her lips, feeling lightheaded and giddy. “Not so bad at all,” She should’ve been enraged, she should’ve wretched herself out of his arms, but she was engulfed in his scent and his comforting presence, unwilling to leave. It wasn’t so terrible to be selfish. It was her who closed the gap between them again.

He smiled against her lips, hand returning to hook behind her knee once more, and this time she obliged, shifting her weight so she could straddle his lap and his hands met both sides of her hips as she cupped his face, fingers in his hair on his shoulders, kissing him with unbridled passion. 

She could feel his excitement through the fabric of the robe, and knew she was getting carried away, but every nerve in her body smarted for contact. He was impossibly warm and she couldn’t get enough of it. Rolling her hips forward to tease him, he let out a groan and arched upward. “Oh, liebling, I wish we had more time.”

As if on cue, she heard the scratching of the key in the front doorway, and was immediately jolted from her reverie. Before she knew it she was off the couch and halfway across the room, just as Bucky entered, looking perturbed as always. 

“Hey,” she said, turning her back to him and pretending to look out the window, voice unsteady. She heard Helmut clear his throat and shift his weight on the couch. 

Busying herself in the kitchen, she let the curtain of her hair fall over the side of her face, hiding her clearly flustered appearance, her face was still impossibly warm, her skin sensitive, lips swollen. “How was your walk?” 

“Fine,” Bucky said, and she heard him walking towards her as she absentmindedly pretended to wipe down the countertops. When he brushed past her to use the sink she jumped, finally looking him in the eyes. Bucky frowned. “Are you all right?” he asked. 

Staring back at him for a moment she nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine, why?”

“You just seem a little jumpy.”

“There was a spider,” the lie came out so easily, so quickly, that she was actually ashamed of it. “It was big and I….I don’t know where it went.”

Bucky snorted, and whether he believed her or not, didn’t respond. “Where’s Sam?” he asked. 

“Out getting dinner,” she said, feeling her heart rate begin to turn back to normal. Bucky washed his hands and shook the excess water off in the basin.

“If you don’t mind, I think I’m going to lie down,” she said after a moment. “The jetlag is catching up to me.”

She turned around and left Bucky in the kitchen, returning to the lounge area where Zemo turned to look over his shoulder. “Allow me to show you to the guest bedroom,” he said, an ornery sparkle in his eyes. 

“Fine,” she said flatly, wondering what exactly he was planning and just intrigued enough to resist an argument.

The bedroom was just out of Bucky’s earshot, down a short hallway. As she stepped over the threshold to the awaiting large, inviting bed, a hand on her waist halted her in her tracks. 

“I’m not finished with you,” she could feel his breath on the back of her neck, the scent of his cologne overwhelming her senses once more. It took a great deal of control to pull herself away from him, as she turned around and grabbed the doorknob, dragging it towards her. “We’ll see about that,” she said quietly, shutting the door in his face and letting out an exhausted breath. She’d awakened a monster, and now she had no idea what to do about it.

---

PART II out now!

If you’d like to be tagged in future parts, please let me know!

[buckys-black-dress]

✄ chapter two: keep it cool like iced tea

a/n: here's chapter two! obvi this is just building the plot and storyline, but we're seeing the beginnings of the magic! anyways, let me shut up so u can read. ok bye!

wc: 2k

[fratboy!bucky barnes x fem!reader]

series masterlist

-

To say you sucked at pong was a vast understatement.

And although you really didn't want to make a fool of yourself in front of this very nice, very tall, very attractive guy, you can't help but feel like an idiot when you sink your first shot into a cup halfway through the game.

You're definitely on your way drunk with the amount of shots Natasha and Sam have scored on you, plus all the ones you've missed.

When Natasha told you to let loose tonight, you're not so sure this is what she meant, though. You see her laughing and giving you eyes from across the table, while your face is bright red. You brush off her looks with a roll of your eyes, darting them back to Bucky.

Bucky.

Bucky with the incredibly nice hands and arms, who seems to be making the shots for the both of you. Bucky who's been occasionally slinging an arm over your shoulders, paying close attention to you. Bucky who's been asking you questions about yourself, that you've returned back, and received witty responses to.

"So, where 're ya from, Y/N?" He asks in a slurred voice, but you can tell he's not exactly drunk yet.

"I'm from New York. You?" You ask, throwing back another drink from a shot that Nat made into your cup.

"No shit! I'm from Brooklyn!" He smiles, a big, bright smile that tugs at your heartstrings for some reason.

"I'm Manhattan born and raised, mister." You return his blinding smile.

"Small world, huh?" He laughs, once again wrapping his arm around you. "Can't believe we've never ran into each other before."

"Well, New York City's quite large, Bucky." You giggle, and he laughs back. As you feel your face warm up, he looks down at you with something akin to adoration in his eyes. Bucky towers over you, deciding that the pong game was over between the four of you.

He walks back to the kitchen, assuming that you'd follow him.

But he turns around to ask you in you'd like something to drink, and you're not there.

You're still chatting with Natasha and Sam, and it takes him a second to realized you wouldn't just follow after him. You didn't really give him the impression of being that type of girl.

Which is what intrigued him more about you. You weren't worshipping the ground he walked on, you didn't initiate conversation too much, and you didn't drool over him like every other girl he's met.

He suddenly feels a surge of awkwardness. He sees you talking animatedly with Sam and Natasha, and now Steve has joined in the conversation. You were talking completely comfortably with them, much more comfortably than you were with him.

It makes him wonder what he'll have to do to get you to get like that with him.

What he'll have to do to make you trust him.

"Hey, Y/N, I was gonna head to the kitchen and grab a drink. Wanna join?" He questions, seeing his friends giving him cocked eyebrows in confusion.

Bucky could usually get any girl he wanted. Especially at a party like this one. Why was he so hell-bent on spending time with you?

"O-Oh! Sure, I'll join you." You excuse yourself from the group, and Bucky slings his arm through your waist to guide you through the crowd. You feel you stomach flip in a way you've never felt before, and feel your cheeks redden.

"So, what can I get you?" Bucky practically yells over the music, trying to meet your eyes. You avert them quickly, and simply tell him a vodka lemonade.

He hands it to you with a strange look in his eyes, and you give him a kind smile while taking your first sip.

"God, you trying to get me wasted here?" You gag with a laugh, looking into your cup and back to Bucky.

"Sorry, doll, might'a gone a bit heavy on the vodka. You still good to drink it?" He queries with genuine concern in his eyes.

And although you already well on your way to drunk, past tipsy, you give fervent nod, and give it another sip.

It was good.

-

As the night had progressed further, you had two more of Bucky's vodka lemonades.

And now, you were drunk.

You also didn't know where Natasha was, but she was probably off somewhere with Sam, so you weren't worried for her safety.

Bucky was still by your side throughout the whole night, offering to dance, and even just sit and talk.

Which is what you were doing right now. In the middle of the crowd, you were practically on top of Bucky while you two talked about anything from academics to your daily lives.

"So, in your major, what would you say was the dumbest thing someone's asked?" He laughs, and he's clearly also past the line of tipsy and has fallen into drunk, right with you.

"Uhhh... oh! One time, this guy-"

"Doll, I can't really hear ya." Bucky laughs

"Oh, sorry," You blush, trying to speak louder, but it still wasn't working.

"Do you- would you be okay with just goin' up to my room? Don't think we'll get much of anythin' done down here." He gives you a look that says 'I'm not gonna hurt you, unless you want me to.'

It sends a shiver down your spine, and you stand up, waiting for him to guide you up the stairs.

You knew you weren't going to have sex with him. You had only met him four hours ago, and no matter how many girls he could pull in that time, you were not interested in being one of them.

"Just so you know now, I'm not planning on sleeping with you." You burst out while you're halfway up the stairs, your eyes going wide at your own words.

"Huh," Bucky chuckles, "I know I have a reputation that precedes me, but I didn't think this is where that was going. Just wanted to continue to conversation." He smiles down at you, finally opening his door.

Of course, Bucky was lying right through his teeth. Of course he wanted to sleep with you. You were nice, smart, had a hell of a body, and had kept his attention the longest out of any girl he's ever met. But when it comes down to it, he was a boy.

And boys usually only thought with one organ; their dicks.

As the lamp flicks on, a small glow filters over the room, giving it a cozy feel. You, on the other hand, felt nothing but cozy.

"You can sit anywhere. Wanna watch somethin'?" He asks, tossing you the remote while you stood, frozen at the doorway.

"I- uh, sure?" You ask, more than you tell him, but sit down on his bed. You were careful to not flash him while you adjusted yourself, not sure of what to do.

The last thing you needed tonight was the most notorious playboy on campus seeing your black lace thong right now.

"Do you wanna change into somethin' more comfortable, angel?" Again, your stomach has butterflies trying to escape at his sweet words. But you knew better than to think too much into it. he probably said these names to every girl who's come into this very bed.

Ew, you think to yourself, this bed must have STDs sewn in the sheets by now.

"I- sure? If you have anything that fits, I guess." You grumble.

"Sure, I've got a t-shirt and boxers, if you want? Don't have much else, honestly." He laughs lightly, handing you the items and points to the bathroom in the corner of his room.

As you're standing in the middle of Bucky Barnes' jack and jill bathroom, you take a moment and think to yourself.

How did I get here?

Will he ask me to sleep here?

Does he still expect anything from me?

I hope not.

I'm really tired.

Ugh. Whatever. I'm too tired to think this much right now.

You pull of your dress that you couldn't stand to be in anymore, and put on the clothes Bucky had provided you with.

They were quite large on you, considering the guy was about the size of bigfoot. But you couldn't find it in yourself to complain about it right now.

You exit the bathroom, setting the dress down on the floor where you had kicked off your heels, and sit back down next to Bucky on his bed.

You feel your skin slide under the blanket that was thrown over him, and focus on the TV screen.

"So, what're we watching?" You query, trying to figure out what was playing.

Little did you know, Bucky was still thinking about the way you had looked when you walked out of the bathroom. It did something to him, seeing you in his clothes like that, for some reason.

The way you were practically swimming in them, and the way you knuckled at your eyes tiredly that made him want to hold you to his chest while you both fell asleep.

He was trying to shake the thoughts from his head, wondering what the hell had gotten into him with these thoughts.

Since when did he, Bucky Barnes, think about a girl like this? It was usually much dirtier and nastier in his head, but you were doing something to him.

"Bucky? Everything alright up there?" You giggle, knocking on his skull lightly.

"I- yeah, all good, doll." He shakes his thoughts away, focusing back on you. "I put on whatever was playing, didn't switch it because I didn't know what you liked." Bucky explains.

"Hm, well this seems good. We can just keep this on?" You suggest, realizing that Home Alone 2 was playing on his TV. "I love this movie. This kid's got some real class." You chuckle, now fully watching the movie.

"He's a genius, I'll give 'im that much." Bucky laughs, also fixing his gaze on the movie.

In the hour that passed, you two have made small talk about the movie here and there, and every time, Bucky's gaze became transfixed on you. With the glow of the TV illuminating your face, with the way you smiled and threw your head back when you laughed, he couldn't help it.

Finally, the movie had come to a close, and Bucky could tell you were fighting sleep. You were practically asleep sitting up against his headboard.

"You wanna spend the night here, doll?" He wonders out loud, looking over to you.

You shoot him a look, a playful glare with a hint of a smile.

"I mean, it's a bit late for me to head back to my dorm. But no funny business, mister." You point a finger at him, and Bucky holds his hands up in the air.

"No funny business, I promise." He holds out his pinky to you, to which you curl yours around, and latch on.

Once the lamp next to his side of the bed is turned off, you slide further down in his bed, trying to find a comfortable position. After a few minutes of adjusting, you snuggle your head into the pillows that smell like laundry detergent and his cologne.

"Goodnight, Bucky," you say out loud into the darkness while you both face each other.

"G'night doll. See ya in the morning." Bucky's voice is a low baritone, clearly about to succumb to the sleep he was fighting.

"See ya in the morning." You reply, finally letting your eyes fall shut.

That night, you dream of Bucky Barnes and his cologne.

And across from you, Bucky Barnes dreams of a world where this is normal. A world where you sleep next to him every night, and you wake him up every morning with a kiss.

Man, I'm totally fucked, is the last thought he has before falling into a sleep surrounded by you.

[uncrownedmox]

Dirty Secret

The Rigmarole: Mention of sexual contact / descriptive- dirty language. Swearing. Mox being a dominant cocky asshole. Sexual shenanigans (oral, male/female giving, toy play, alpha status) 18+ only.

Pairing. Dean Ambrose/Jon Moxley x OC

Rating. MC

Summary: When she looked at him she knew she was complete. She was HOME. They laughed and spent all their free time together. She wasn't surprised by the rumors, hurt yes but surprised no.

But he said not to worry, in the wrestling world, everything becomes a storyline sooner or later. That was fine with her. Sooner or later everyone will know who she is- the only thing she didn't plan on was the Shield. Or how looking at HIM made her into someone new, someone larger than life. She thought she was complete before? That she was home? Now..she knows better.

But now Evolution is back.. and that sledgehammer feels so heavy in her small hands.

(Actually, matches and timelines WON'T match up to this story. )

January 2013

Looking around she wasn’t sure where to go or who to speak to. The busy buzz of backstage was intimidating at best and people seemed only to be concerned in their own little bubble. Moving to the side as a fast-moving cart of clothing came flying by Catherine Jane Parks sighed and continued down the hallway.

Her long platinum hair was tied back into a loose braid and she had loose strands framing her face. Her light honey-colored eyes darting left and right until she came across a blonde woman standing around the round looking over a sheet of paper.

“Excuse me, Miss.” Keeping her voice light and hoping her confusion wasn’t too evident.

Watching as dark brown shot up to her and saw the surprise as the other woman took in her jeans and Nike hoodie. Smiling in what she hoped was a friendly matter CJ pushed forward.

“I was wondering if you could tell me where to find.” Pausing for a moment she had to remember what exactly to him.

Their relationship was so new and fragile that they had dared put a label on it. Digging out her phone from her back pocket she scrolled through some text messages and nodded silently when she came upon it. Looking back up at the blonde she smiles big.

“Hunter?”

She saw the blonde’s eyes go wide and dart from left to right then swallow hard. Then after a stale moment, she nods and chokes out softly as she points down the hallway. Licking her lips as she starts to speak and rolls the paper she had been looking at up in her hands.

“Down that hallway, take a left, third door on your right. Knock right- always knock first.”

Then she taps the rolled-up paper against her head as if she was reminding herself to do so. Nodding as she turned down the hallway CJ thanked her and made her way with the directions she was given. Coming up on the door she leaned her head against it for a moment. This would be only the second time they have met, and it took her breath away.

Knocking as she got herself back under control, hearing his rough voice call out in a biting command.

“Come.”

Smiling as she pushed the door open and slipped inside. He was sitting at a desk, in a dress shirt that was rolled up to his elbows. His eyes were focused on a piece of paper, but twitching to look at a laptop screen that was set up to his right. CJ simply leaned against the door and watched him for a few seconds.

Then his eyes flicker to her, a ghost of a smile graces his lips and gentles ask. “How was your flight?”

Kicking herself off the door and moving closer she settles into the plush chair that is across from his desk. Their eyes haven’t strayed from one another, they are both smiling like idiots now. There is so much to say and to do now that she is here, here with him.

“Good, I have never flown before so it was something else.”

She sees the surprise in his dark eyes, the hurt as well but she dismissed it. She doesn’t want regret or hurt between them. Reaching to lay a hand on top of his she squeezes lightly, hoping he understands. Smiling a little when a light shines in his dark eyes. Suddenly there is another knock on the door. Withdrawing her hand she sits back in the chair, almost ashamed. Smiling a little when he whispers out an apology and then bellows out.

“Come.”

Turning cause she is curious about his life and his business because she wants to be a part of everything that is him. She blinks in surprise as three rather large men come walking in, Hunter sighs and picks up the paper he had been looking at when she had came in.

“Joe, Colby, Jon, good good.” His eyes dart to her and she realizes that maybe she has overstayed her welcome?

Hitching her thumb towards the door in silent question and wanting to squeal in delight when Hunter shakes his head. She simply nods and tries to melt more into the chair. Hunter sighs and shakes the piece of paper at the three men.

“Care to tell me what this was about?”

Glancing back when she heard a deep sigh followed by a grunt. She saw the man in the middle close his eyes and rub at his temples, the man to his right just stared ahead, but the man on the left looked right at Hunter and muttered softly.

“Poor timing or self-defense?”

He said it so innocently CJ was almost convinced until she saw the glint of his hard blue eyes. The small kick of a smile on his lips, then a lock of his hair fell into those devilish eyes and CJ knew what he was. He was pure trouble. Moving without thinking about she made her way to stand by Hunter’s side. Not trusting Mr. Blue Eyes for a minute.

She was aware her movement had all four men looking at her in question. Shifting uncomfortably, she glanced down to see the paper Hunter was waving around at the three men in front of him.

A police report

Snorting softly, it would seem as Mr. Blue Eyes was a little troublemaker. Feeling his hard blue eyes on her she moved closer to Hunter, and keep on reading the report only stopping when Hunter spoke again.

“How do you claim self-defense, Good? She was an undercover cop.”

Mr. Blue Eyes, aka Good which she found hilarious because she only see him being good at being bad.

“Fine Entrapment then, fuck boss-man the things she said she could do with her pus.”

Eyes wide, mouth going dry. Watching as the guy in the middle slapped Mr. Blue Eyes in the chest and the other man grunted. Hunter raising out of his chair, a snarl on his lips.

“You watch your fucking mouth, Good. There is a Lady present.”

Mr. Blue Eyes blinks at Hunter then at her, all the while rubbing his chest. When goes to open his mouth Hunter snaps out.

“You all three are fined ten thousand dollars each, consider it a welcome to the big leagues.”

When Mr. Blue Eyes flares in either anger or disgust Hunter adds.

“The next time it will be fifty thousand and a suspension. I don’t give a fuck hot the Shield is right now. You will learn to play by my rules and understand that this is not the fucking indies- you understand me, Mox?”

Putting a hand on Hunter’s foreman she wasn’t sure if this was a normal business day for him or not but he seemed so invested in what was happening. That it got her blood pumping, when he cast her a look. She smiled big for him. When he shoots the three men another glance she can tell he is calmer.

“I know you’re still adjusting, especially you Jon. I told you once, listen to Joe okay. He may have the least amount of experience in the ring as you and Colby but damn it man you all can learn shit from one another.”

Nodding in satisfaction she beamed at him, letting go of his foreman she knew from her own background that wasn’t always peaches and cream.

“It’s all about being a team. Learning each other's weaknesses and strengths. It’s not always easy to let someone in or let pick at the scabs you have.”

All four men were looking at her again, blushing. She shrugged and picked up a pen from Hunter’s desk, and clicked a few times.

“Colton words, not mine.”

Mr. Blue Eyes asks and she can hear the amusement in his voice. Making air quotes with her fingers she murmured.

“My dad, ex-bad boy player extraordinaire.”

Mr. Blue Eyes actually laughs at her then sticks his hands into his jean pockets.

“Darlin you don’t know bad boy until you know me.”

Now she is laughing, so much so that she has to hang onto Hunter’s chair so she doesn’t fall.

“You a bad boy? Please!”

She totally misses the hardness that enters his blue eyes as he takes a step forward, the middle man jerks him back and grunts out.

“Leave her alone man, she is just a little girl.”

Snorting as Hunter opens his mouth but she adds.

“I and a group of my friends met Colton at Peru’s. He had just bent my mother over in the bathroom for fifteen minutes after a fight, didn’t know who in the hell I was so after some angry sex and seeing my mom talk to me he thought it would be cool to try to get with me in the same bathroom.”

Hunter is snarling and has her in his arms in a flash. She is laughing cause she thinks it’s so damn funny now. Mr. Blue Eyes is smirking saucy.

“He didn’t piece it together for a while and for a while I let him play the charmer. You, can’t outdo Colton Messer, my friend. No matter what you say or do.”

The third man finally speaks up in a low smooth voice.

“The Colton Messer?”

Nodding she laughs as he flinches and glances at his friend then sighs. He mumbles a second later.

“Yeah, Uce give over. If half that shit is true- not even Mox is as bad as he is.”

Nodding as she shyly snuggles deeper into Hunter’s embrace she watches blue eyes blink then narrow. He licks his lips then after a moment he shrugs, turns to face Hunter again.

“Okay fine, you tightened the leash on your new puppy. Can we go?”

Hunter only grunts, his hand is in her hair, his lips on her forehead and she finally knows what it’s like to be home.

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

Watching him across the room she can help the smile that graces her lips. Seeing him in this element is breathtaking, his wife Stephine stands beside him but she could care less about that. The woman doesn’t seem to care for CJ, and that’s just fine. Hunter keeps them separated most of the time, except when they are at shows.

WWE shows

At twenty-four CJ never thought she would be working for such a company. Currently, she is working with Mr. Maddox who is a pure gentleman and a delight. She has caught on quickly that the wrestling world isn’t like the outside world, or even the racing world. Colton was always trying to sucker into working for him after graduating from college this spring. Hunter had put his foot down and told her absolutely not.

Glancing at him again she couldn’t help but be proud. She was aware of the rumors backstage, Hunter and she hadn’t gone public with their relationship. Hunter was trying to give his wife as much as needed to adjust to having CJ around and in her face. But the rumors were there already.

They simply chose not to acknowledge them because in Hunter’s words.

I am sorry CJ, like it or not. I know Steph- you’ll be a storyline before long.

Then the nature of their relationship will come to light, some would doubt it she was sure of that. But Hunter promised to take care of things. And so far he had upheld all his promises to her.

Like never having to see Chase Beckett again.

Frowning at the thought of the man that almost ruined her life she blushed when Hunter suddenly met her gaze. His dark eyes weren’t soft and playful like they normally were but hard and cold. She had gotten used to seeing that look for the cameras for TV. Watching as he brought his cell phone up to his face she watched in slight concern as after a moment he hung up and looked away from her. His attention back on whatever his wife was talking about.

“That was strange.”

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them, jumping slightly when a warm hand comes to rest on her right shoulder. Turning she comes face to face with one Dean Ambrose, whom she first met in Hunter’s office three weeks ago as Mr. Blue Eyes. Of course, she knows Dean is just his character’s name and his real name is Jon. But she still gets confused sometimes on what to call these guys.

“Mr.”

He doesn’t let her finish instead he gently takes her elbow in hand and starts to lead her out. They were at some charity event and blinked as his two friends flanked him as they near the door.

“No fuss and no noise sweetheart. Hunters command.”

The phone call

“But why?”

The question is out of her mouth before she realizes it, the man gliding her only grunts but when a reporter at the entrance calls out.

“Chase, can we get a word?”

Stiffing she tries to melt into three larger men, she hides the best she can. Once they make it out, pass the entrance and into a SUV she reaches in her purse and digs out her phone and hits a speed dial number.

“Yes?”

His voice is gruff and hard, but she can hear the concern under it. It makes her want to weep.

“Thank you.”

There is a pause then in a year of their relationship she finally whispers.

“Thank you so much and I love you.”

He sucks in a breath, and she starts to openly cry. His words are light and his voice is gentle.

“I love you too, CJ. Since the day I met you.”

She hears him hang up and she can’t stop crying because even with the hurdle of telling Hunter she loves him she feels so very much alone. A strong arm comes around her shoulders and she doesn’t even blink; she just turns into him and balls her eyes out.

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

May 2013

To say he has gotten used to being a WWE superstar is understatement. But he has watched and listened. After the fiasco in January, Joe had put the hammer down to their partying and he had cleaned up his act. Not that he was super bad to begin with.

Jonathan Good was a good man, or that’s what Colby and Joe says. Joe’s old lady swears by it too.

If you wasn’t I wouldn’t trust you with my daughter, you asinine.

Chuckling at the memory as he warmed up, they were coming off Mania season and anything could happen. He had no clue if the Shield’s thing with Sheamus, Big Show, and Randy Orton was completely done or not. Then inside of his brain snarls and pokes at him. He wouldn’t tell a soul about this- about how bad he is hurting because being handed a scripted for every promo kills him.

The snarling and poking inside of him, he knows is from his creative side. It’s a side that has mashed into his old Mox character and the fucker is still breathing and living deep in his soul.

But he is trying to cut it out, slowly and carefully. And, it feels like, with a dull ass spoon. Certain things don't help, either. Namely the little young number that is currently his boss' side piece.

Since that back in January he has kept a loose eye on her. CJ Parks even landed herself a job as a personal assistant to Greg Maddox. That he mused, was an injustice, all by itself. But who was he to say otherwise, one of the perks of fucking the boss man he supposed.

Looking over at Joe he put it out there.

“A what-if for you.”

It’s a game they play, Joe was quick to catch on it helped with his mental state at times. So six month into their run, having become closer, the bigger man only grunts as he sits down and slips on his boots.

“If you were the princess. Wouldn’t it piss you the high off that your hubby was keeping his younger side piece in your face all the damn time.”

After all he mused Hunter had called him and his boys from their charity interview a while back to pull his babygirl out of the whole event for some odd reason. Colby butts in with.

“Maybe it’s an open arrangement?”

Looking at Joe specifically he asked more heatedly.

“But I mean, the age- wouldn’t it be like robbing the cradle or something?”

Joe chokes on thin air and shakes his head, Jon can see the smile he is sporting though. The is a knock on the door and when whoever doesn’t wait for an all clear it speaks volumes. Watching as Hunter himself slips into the locker room, Jon plops down and reaches for the tape out of his bag. It doesn’t take Hunter long to get to the point.

“Tonight you boys will seek out Maddox for a new challenge. However he will get wind of it, and high tail it out of here. That leaves you dealing with his assistant.”

Sighing softly so this was why the personal face to face. Hunter wanted to make sure they treated his side piece with kid gloves. Fair enough, he supposed, they could-

“Ambrose I want you to go full throttle on her.”

Blinking in total surprise and a little shock, he nodded.

“Sure I can- WAIT. What?”

Joe snickers at him and Colby clunks down beside him in a hurry. Hunter only grunts then raises a hand and rubs it over his domed head.

“If you can get her to shed some tears even better. Dip into Mox if you have too but keep it PG. Cause this where things are going to get interesting boys, seems like Dave is coming back. And well since Randy is still wanting some of you boys.”

Colby is leaning forward like a kid on Christman morning. His eyes are lit up and sparkling up but Jon can’t seem to care because he can’t seem to wrap his mind around Hunter wanting him to cut a promo on his side piece. And not just any promo. Suddenly Hunter's words break through his thoughts.

“That’s right Evolution will be reborn next week.”

Shaking his head he drops his tape and snaps out.

“Hunter are you sure, you want me to cut a promo on your girl? I mean..?”

Hunter gives him a hard look then stands, looks at his watch and nods. Moves towards the door, all without looking back at him.

“You have one hour Jon. And three takes to get it done. Don’t disappoint me Jon.”

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

The Shield finds Maddox's assistant in their joint office, her pretty long platinum hair is twisted into a messy bun that has chopstick sticking out of it. Her eyes look so fucking delicious behind a pair of reading glasses. She is on her cell phone, her eyes go wide and big when she sees them.

Dean gives her credit for standing when they file into the office room. He barks out.

“Where is Maddox?”

She physically flinches and replies to whoever is on the phone.

“Mr. Hemsley one moment if you please.”

An errant “Jon” thought crosses his mind.

Do you call him that behind closed doors baby?

Dean quickly pushes it away, there is no time or space for Jonathan Good or Jon Moxley in the here or now. This, THIS right now belongs to him- belonged to Dean Ambrose. He won’t screw it up again. Never again.

“Gentlemen how may I assist you tonight?”

The Mox in him howls and begs at his control, they had rehearsed the promo earlier. It had taken all three tries to get, he not happy with the first- she the second. And now here was another damn character in his head wanting to detail the whole damn thing. With something that clearly wasn’t PG. That clearly would get him fired.

“Little girl, you can’t assist me with what I want.”

And there it was. Jesus Fucking Christ. Not only did he see the surprise in her honey colored eyes but he FELT the surprise in his teammates. Shifting the US Championship belt on his shoulder he grinded his teeth together, how in the fuck to save this?

“What you can give me, and my boys, what we want!”

Okay that was a little better, at least it was getting them back on track. Then to his horror he saw something flash in those shiny golden eyes, saw her lips form in o pout and the tilt of her head as she looked him dead in the eye and leaned forward.

“Nope!”

His mind blanked.

Time stilled.

When it picked back up and he reacted it wasn’t Dean Ambrose that snarled back, almost happily.

“I was hoping you would say that, doll.”

As quick as lightning his hand shot out, tangled itself, her messy bun hair do and brought her smashing up against his body and her lips up against his.

Jonathan Good knew as the cameraman called out that they were all clear that he was good as fucked. The question was, did he care?

[desertofsnowflakes]

Incorrect Order Chapter 6 (Nessian AU)

A/N: I'm sooo sorry I haven't been updated in more than two weeks. I had exams :/ Also, do inform me if you wanna be added/removed from the taglist! If you happen to find my storyline similar to another fic or one of yours, I'm extremely sorry, I might've just not known. All characters belong to the author Sarah J. Mass. Enjoy!

Summary: Don't first impressions always affect the way you see someone? Well, what more with the Nesta Archeron? Nesta meets Cassian at few unexpected places and to say it didn't go well was a major understatement. Certain circumstances make them become enemies to tolerable company to friends to lovers.

Trigger Warnings: Language

1572 words | Incorrect Order Masterlist | Read on AO3 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The smile Cassian plastered on his face didn’t reach his eyes. His brothers saw that. Feyre and Elain saw that. Mor and Amren knew that. He himself did. But they didn’t say anything. If it weren’t Feyre’s anniversary, he would’ve even gone home. He couldn’t though. He wouldn’t do anything that would hurt his family. So he stayed. Smiled. Joked. Laughed. Did everything he could to keep his mind from straying to a grey-eyed masterpiece.

Az and Rhys saw, he knew. They always seemed to realise everything about each other. Even if one of them had a minor headache, the other two would know. Tonight, however, none of them pushed him. They probably thought he wanted to be alone. But did he? Truly?

He wasn’t sure. He didn’t want to be alone. That would make memories of their lunch rise. Of her shirt splattered with coffee on one day and blood on another. Of her pale form laying on his bed. Of her, enjoying his food. Of their shared jokes. He didn’t think he could take that.

He wasn’t sure he wanted to be around people either. He didn’t know if he could stay around people who laughed and teased. He didn’t know if he could laugh with them and actually mean it. He didn’t know if he could anytime soon.

Cass glanced at the clock. 3.00 a.m. He smiled. Whenever they gathered around in the living room, retiring early was totally off the table. The earliest they dispersed was four in the morning.

To his right, Rhys sighed. “It’s late,” he said, tucking Feyre close to his side. “Gotta go to bed.”

He smirked, but held back the joke on the tip of his tongue. After a chorus of goodnights, Rhys and Feyre told them they could stay here tonight if they wanted to and rose to go upstairs. Feyre laughed at something Rhys said and Cass felt a pang of sadness hit him.

Sadness… and something else. He knew he shouldn’t, but he envied the both of them. How easily they bantered and teased. How smooth their relationship was. He remembered how Feyre locked herself in the cabin after Rhys proposed. He remembered how she asked Mor not to let anyone in, especially Rhys. He sighed. He felt an amount of the jealousy dissipate. Probably Nesta would get together with him after their slight misunderstanding passed. If it did.

He got up to leave when Az stopped him. “You sure you’re going back?” Cass didn’t remember telling Az that he was going back. Then again he didn't need to. Az always saw everything. “You're not that… somber.”

Ah. Cass smiled. “I'll be fine, ” he reassured. Az still didn't let him go. “I'll send you a text once I'm home,” he tried. Az sighed.

“I'll be waiting for it.”

Cass looked at Mor, drunk and blabbering before stepping out of the house. He kept replaying that memory till he reached home, keeping his mind occupied. He was scared of what would happen if he kept his thoughts idle.

He informed Az that he reached home. He didn't know why going back home felt like preparing for a battle. It probably was a battle. Between her and his self-restraint. What was at stake here was his sanity. Cass sighed. He stepped in through the threshold and welcomed the darkness that enveloped him.

***

Stop crying like a baby, Nesta repeatedly reminded herself. Why should she cry? Nothing here was her fault. Nothing.

Not the fact that she let his charmed smiles bring her guards down. Not the fact that she felt alive when he said something stupidly funny. Certainly not the fact that she was slowly falling for him.

None of it was her fault. So why should she cry? Why should she stop herself from attending her own sister's anniversary? When it was all his fault.

She shouldn't be crying. She should be thinking about ways of exploiting his weaknesses. She should think about how she would portray him as the weak one. She should think about how she was going to make him regret everything.

But how could she make him regret it when she never regretted a second of it? She hated that this was where her thoughts went first. To scheming and plotting. She thought she changed. Did she regret her wish to be good? No. She reveled in it. No, she vowed herself, I would not scheme to make him beg. I'm not that Nesta anymore. I'll never be.

She was proud of herself. She never realised her self restraint was this good.

But apparently not good enough. Her thoughts drifted back to him. No, not him. Cassian. Cauldron, it'll take some time to get used to calling him Cassian. Or maybe Cass. Feyre and Rhysand called him that. Probably she would too. She thought about what he called her. Nes. She flushed. That stupid name did stupid things to her. She pretended she didn't like it. In fact, she loved it. Somehow, she wasn't ready to tell him that yet.

***

Nesta blinked open her eyes against the morning light. Her eyes were closed? It was morning already? Huh.

It took her some time for her eyes to adjust. She screamed at what she saw. Nesta scrambled back from the looming figure of Tomas, leering at her face.

“Nesta, Nesta, ” he said in his eerie voice. It became scarier with his sing-song tone. “My Nesta.” He paused. “Though I suppose you aren't mine anymore. You were still mine last time, you know. When you handed me over to the police. ”

She bared her teeth, opened her mouth to say something when his hand closed around her throat.

“But now, I suppose I can't call you mine anymore, can I? That reminds me. Where is your bodyguard? Or is that brute your boyfriend?” He spat the last word. His hand tightened around her neck.

“Do you know what he did to me? Your bastard. Did you know how he threatened me? Did you know that he smashed my bones, that it took me this long to heal?”

Some sort of savage satisfaction filled her. The fact that Cassian did all this… she smirked. It didn't go unnoticed by Tomas. He growled, the sound sending icy fingers ghosting down her spine. She hoped she didn't have to hear it again.

His hand around her throat pushed her farther back on the bed. He drew back, she let loose a relieved breath. A mistake.

His hand cracked on her cheek. He came infinitely closer to her, his hot, rancid breath glancing off her cheeks. His hand kept tightening around her throat and she wondered how she wasn’t dead yet. It was certainly bruised now.

“Look at you. So vulnerable. So killable. I’ve imagined how I would slit your throat. So many ideas. If only I could kill you in all the ways I imagined. But do you know what is the best way I could kill you?”

Nesta let him talk. He loved to hear himself talk. She subtly looked around her room, searching for anything she could use as a weapon. She looked back at Tomas. He wasn’t talking. Did he ask her a question?

“Tell me, Nesta. Do you know what is the best way to kill you?” Nesta shook her head, his hand pressed around her throat. Tomas smiled. She cringed mentally.

“I think the best way to kill you and make it hurt is to kill you slowly. You know what makes it better? Having that bastard watch you die. Let him watch the life seep out of you. And then I’ll kill him too.” he said and she felt the room closing in. Panic was slowly rising in her.

“Now, now,” he said. She supposed he meant to be cajoling but the effect his voice gave was the exact opposite. “There’s no need to panic. I told you I’ll kill you only when your bodyguard is there.”

He pulled out a knife. She gasped and pain erupted around her throat. Her lungs were burning.

“But darling,” he said. She whimpered. She hated this. She hated that she was vulnerable here. She hated that she couldn’t do anything when her death was slowly nearing. “I didn’t say I wouldn’t hurt you.”

Then his knife struck. Nothing hurt at first. Then, fiery pain whipped through her, beginning at her arm. She screamed. Pain. There was so much pain. She screamed so loud she pondered how the whole neighborhood didn’t hear anything.

***

Nesta gasped. Her eyes darted through her room. Nothing. No one. She looked at her arm. No pain. No scars. No blood. She touched her throat. It wasn’t sore. It wasn’t swollen. She got out of bed and looked at her mirror. No bruises. She let out a frustrated sound. It was a dream. A fucking dream. Or she supposed it was a nightmare. Still. It wasn’t real.

It was still five in the morning. Still quite early. She released a breath. She wouldn’t find a cab now but she could walk. It wasn’t that far. She fixed her hair and changed her clothes. She wasn’t going because she missed him. She just didn’t want to be vulnerable again. That’s all. She just wanted to know how to defend herself. Nothing else. So Nesta went to Cassian’s house, hoping that she’s making the right choice.

taglist: @shadowsinger07 @im-someone-i-guess @saltyfortunes @cressjacquine @champanheandluxxury @zemiraa @nehemikkele @angelic-voice-1997 @heartless--aromantic @sv0430 @irenethaleia @deedz-thrillerkilller16 @sjm-things @dontgetsalmonella @ganseys-jane

[arcticfox007]

The Stars Within You

Destiel December Challenge 2020

Day 15: Lights

The conclusion of the main storyline! I do intend on posting an epilogue in a few days to tie up some smaller plot points, but this is the last official prompt. If you haven’t read the rest of the story you can check out my masterlist here or head over to AO3!

Thanks again to everyone who has reblogged, left me comments/likes, given me kudos, and continued to follow this story. I have been blown away by the positive feedback and it has really made my holiday season <3

***

               Castiel lets himself feel all of the emotions that had been let loose from his time as a human. It’s a risk, even with everything that’s happened between him and Dean this past week, Castiel is well aware he could be setting himself up for disappointment. He just doesn’t have it in him anymore to resist the feelings pounding at his grace enforced walls. He wants to feel the joy at Dean making a room for him here in the bunker, for telling Castiel that he belongs here. He wants to feel the bubbly happiness at the absurd bee pillow on his bed, the swooping feeling of loving Dean more than he has loved anything for the entirety of his existence. Maybe he’s diving off a ledge with no ability to fly, but he refuses to stop every glorious feeling permeating his being as he drags Dean back to the Christmas tree. He gazes up at the doll version of himself propped up on top of the tree, takes in the Scooby-doo ornaments he’d brought home to make Dean and Sam smile, wrinkles his nose at the truly awful taste earlier Men of Letters had in décor, and indulges in a goofy grin at the lights he and Dean put up together. He dives towards the handful of presents underneath the tree and picks up two small ones carefully wrapped and garnished with curly ribbon. He pockets the smallest of the two, and turns around to press the larger of them into Dean’s hands.

               Dean fumbles with it for a moment. He staring at Cas the way they often stare at each other. A moment later and Cas sees the corner of Dean’s lip tick upwards, just enough movement for them to come back to themselves. Cas pulls at the sleeves of his pajamas nervously, urging Dean with a motion to open the present. Cas watches Dean’s nose scrunch up in concentration as he tries to pull apart the curly ribbon. Giddy with the rush of uncontained emotions, Cas rolls impatiently on the balls of his feet. Dean looks up in surprise.

               “Dude, are you actually bouncing?” Castiel responds with his trademark stoicism.

               “Of course not, Dean. Hurry up.” Dean rolls his eyes fondly at Cas and skips the ribbon to just tear off the paper. He lets the paper fall to the floor and stares at the small potion bottle as his brow furrows in confusion.

               “You want to tell me what this is, Cas?” Cas smiles, feeling almost giddy, and then looks boldly into Dean’s green eyes as they reflect the Christmas lights.

               “I would like to show you part of my true self. A part you can safely see with the aid of that potion.” Dean’s eyes sparkle, he’s clearly intrigued and Cas’ smile grows more confident. “It will give you partial access to otherworldly sight, similar to what many human psychics can see. With the dosage Sam and I measured out it should last for about a day. It’s somewhat variable dependent on your metabolism. If you decide to take it, I will meet you halfway and manifest a small representation of my true self.”

               “Um, okay. Will I have control over this sight, or am I going to be seeing trippy stuff all day?” Castiel snorts.

               “Yes, you will have control to an extent. If something else were to work at manifesting you may see it, but most of this depends on me meeting you halfway. Born psychics tend to take years to see anything substantial, much less be exposed to visions.” Dean nods seriously.

               “Any other side effects I should worry about?”

               “Unlikely, unless you were to go on a hunt. It would make you slightly more aware of ghosts.”

               “Alright, good enough. When do you want to do this?” Cas is nervous again for a moment, but silently redoubles his commitment to finding out where this will go.

               “Now, but we should go outside to the rooftop. I will require space for this. You may want to get a coat and your boots. I believe it is still snowing.” Dean passes the potion bottle to Cas with an eager grin, and rejoins the angel with his coat and shoes in record time. Cas feels his excitement build as he leads the man he loves to the rooftop where Sam had helped him work on this gift only days before.

               “Hey, look, there are lights up here too!” Dean gestures to the string lights propped up on tall stands around the edges of the rooftop. Castiel knows Sam must have put them up and wonders how Sam knew he’d end up doing this at night. Cas silently thanks his friend for the forethought. Dean follows one of the strands back to its source to find the on switch and suddenly the rooftop is softly lit with tiny imitations of the stars in the sky. Cas silently hands the potion back to Dean. It feels as if words aren’t needed in this moment, and Dean must feel it as well. He acts rather than speaking and throws back the potion as if it were a shot.

               “Close your eyes, it only takes a moment to go into effect.” As Dean shuts his eyes Castiel pulls of his pajama shirt, draping it on one of the light stands. He inhales the sharp, cold, snow filled air and pulls on his grace. He breaths out as he shifts his much healthier wings further into the mortal realm, adjusting them to best fit his vessel’s frame. He turns away from Dean, too anxious to see his reaction right away. He keeps his wings close to his body, wanting to give his very human companion time to adjust slowly. Despite the shrouds and adjustments between him, the wings are still very much part of his true form and may be a bit overwhelming for a human.

               “Can I look? Is it okay? I don’t feel any different.” Dean sounds almost disappointed, perhaps worried that the potion did not work on him.

               “You shouldn’t feel different. You can look now.” Castiel hears a soft gasp behind him. “Tell me what you can see, Dean.”

               “I – wow Cas… I see you. Your wings. They’re fucking beautiful.” Castiel hesitates for a moment, but allows the wondering lilt to Dean’s voice to sooth his doubts. He turns slowly to see Dean looking at him as if he’d never seen anything better in his life. This look, more than anything, undoes the knots of worry in the angel’s chest and he smiles broadly and unfurls his wings a bit, stretching them towards the stars. A rush of joy runs through his body as he takes in the awe on Dean’s face and the way he reaches out for Castiel without trepidation. Cas takes his outstretched hand and gently pulls him closer.

               “I can only make them partially corporeal here. Without the potion they have an impression here, the snow falls on them, I can use them as a shield, but you can’t see them except for a shadow. So, please Dean, tell me what you see. I want to know how much of me you can see.” Cas’ can hear his voice grow smaller with need as he speaks, but he can’t deny how much it means to share this small part of himself with the man he loves.

               “They aren’t just shadows anymore Cas. I can see individual feathers; I can see their color – I think. It changes. It’s uh, it’s hard to describe but they look like every color I’ve ever seen shimmering through the blackness of space,” Dean says breathlessly. He seems startled at his own description and laughs softly. “Damn, Cas, they’re so spectacular they’re making me sound fucking poetic. They’re amazing. You’re amazing.”

               Cas inhales sharply as Dean looks right into his eyes, something intense and warm in the way he seems to see more of the angel’s true self in his blue eyes than in the wings themselves. Before Castiel can define what he’s seeing, Dean’s eyes dart to his wings again. Cas notices his wings curling in towards Dean and halts them with a thought. Dean looks almost disappointed, making Cas grin.

               “You can touch them. If you’d like.” It’s not a question, Cas can tell how much Dean wants to pet his wings. Cas is sure it must seem like an odd impulse to a human, to want to pet what appears to be bird-like wings growing out of an adult man’s back, but Cas wants Dean to touch him. He’s never had a human touch his wings before and he’s curious as to what it will feel like to have Dean’s fingers in his feathers.

               “Um, I won’t hurt you, right? I know that, er, birds winds can be fragile, I guess. I know you’re not a bird but they kinda look like -”, Cas cuts Dean off before he starts comparing him to a parakeet.

               “You won’t hurt me. Angels are warriors of God, and our wings were built to aid us in battle.” To illustrate this, Castiel raises his wings above his body, snapping them out all at once with a sharp ringing sound.

               “Oh. Right. Yeah.” Dean’s eyes have widened at the intimidating display of the angel’s wings as they tower over him, but Castiel takes pity on him and softens his stance, bringing them back down. He curls them loosely at Dean’s side to give him easier access. Not one to hesitate when invited, Dean reaches out and gently brushes his hands through the feathers closest to him.

               “Cas… they’re so soft, and warm.” Dean begins to dig his fingers in with more confidence and chases the rainbow of lights reflecting off the obsidian black of Castiel’s wings. At Dean’s continued attention, Cas finds himself relaxing as he lets his head fall on top of Dean’s shoulder. Dean laughs happily.

               “I’m glad I could share this with you.” Cas feels strange but happy. He can’t quite describe what the newer emotions are pouring through him, but it is similar to the relief of coming home when you have been away for a very long time. He does manage to catch himself before he literally begins to purr, but he must have made some sort of sound because Dean ceases his exploration of Castiel’s feathers.

               “Does it feel okay?” Cas manages to pull himself away from Dean just enough to see his face.

               “Yes, I’d imagine it’s like grooming.” Dean chuckles.

               “Grooming? That wasn’t what I was expecting you to say.” Cas tilts his head to the side, trying to interpret Dean’s response.

               “Yes, tactile communication for comfort and bonding. The PBS special on primates said it’s called grooming.” At this point Dean is laughing hard enough that he bends over to try and catch his breath.

               “Yeah, hah, grooming. I think most people talk about it like that for the non-human primates though, Cas. But I don’t mind ‘grooming’ with you.” Dean smirks and Castiel is still not sure what is so humorous. Regardless, this is his gift to Dean and he is not done yet.

               “Dean. Can I touch you with my wings?” Dean’s eyes widen just a bit but he nods his head in agreement. Castiel pulls his wings in and up until he is cradling Dean and they are in a shelter created by his plumage. Dean directs his gaze around the impromptu cocoon and runs his hand lightly over more feathers as they minutely shift in color against a background of darkness.

               “Cas, you’re practically a planetarium. It’s like there are whole galaxies in here. I could look forever and never see all there is to see.” As this is one of the better human descriptions of angel true forms, Castiel feels content that he has shown the man he loves much more of what he really is. That Dean shows such quiet wonder at this glimpse of the heart of Castiel makes him feel safe to take another risk, one that means even more. He presses his wings in to bring Dean even closer, until their chests are almost touching. Cas pulls the smaller gift out of his pocket and lays it in Dean’s hand. Dean’s eyes are alight with curiosity as he peels off the paper. He shoves the crumpled paper in his coat pocket and lets the pendant that had been within drop, carefully holding the chain in his fingers. He squints at the pendant, a feather preserved on top of bronze, and then gasps.

               “Cas. Is this – is it yours?” Castiel nervously raises his fingertips to Dean’s jaw and slowly raises his gaze to meet Dean’s eyes.

               “Yes. It does not retain all of its properties once shed, and it’s once of the smaller ones as it wouldn’t have been possible to make any of the larger feathers as conveniently wearable. It is still a part of me though, a part of my grace, of my true self.” Castiel pauses to make sure Dean understands. Dean’s heart is racing but besides that he seems to grasp the depth of this gift, so Castiel continues. “If you accept this, I can find you if it is with you. If you wear it, I can feel your life, hear your heartbeat. And the feather preserved inside the pendant will exists as long as I exist, no matter where I may be. If there is ever a real need it can even be used to locate me, although it will destroy the feather in the process. If you accept this, it will be part of you and no one else will be able to use it. Do you understand?”

               Dean drops Castiel’s gaze to cradle the pendant in his hand, a bit of a dazed look on his face. Cas waits patiently, wanting to make sure this is Dean’s choice.

               “Cas. I need to know something, because I don’t want there to be any miscommunication here.” Castiel waits for several minutes as Dean works to find the words he needs. “You say you’re giving me a part of yourself, that it will become a part of me. That sounds like, well, more than a friendship to me. And I’d like to know if I’m getting that right.”

               While it’s not exactly a question, Cas understands that he needs to put this in more human terms. “Yes, Dean. You would be accepting that what we have is more than just friendship. I love you Dean. I am content with just being by your side, and if you do not love me the same way nothing has to change. However, these past days have allowed me to hope for more. So, I am offering you more. I am offering you me, if you choose to accept me.” Castiel’s hand has moved up to cradle Dean’s face, but he needs Dean to choose what he wants and does not move further.

“Please don’t cry, Cas.” Castiel is surprised to feel tears drip from his face, he hadn’t realized just how much his emotions were spilling over. Dean wipes the tears away with his thumbs and then he leans in and kisses Castiel.

Cas feels a rush of bliss and his grace warms his wings as he feels more feathers push into existence. He leans into the kiss and wraps his free arm around Dean’s neck as the hand cupping Dean’s faces slides up into his hair. Dean opens his mouth and Cas dives in, the sensation of their tongues touching better than anything Cas could have imagined, although Dean’s hands on his bare waist place at a close second. Too quickly, Dean pulls back to breathe and takes a small step back before Cas can drag him back for more.

“Wait. Just a sec, Cas. Here, I want you to put this on me.” Cas’ eyes widen with surprise and joy, and he thinks that the kissing can wait for just a moment. He takes the chain and pulls the pendant over Dean’s head. Dean pulls his layers away from his neck just enough for Cas to drop the pendant below his undershirt to rest close to Dean’s heart.

“I accept you Castiel.” Dean smiles, glorious in his choice, and his voice is saturated with love as a small flare of grace glows where the pendant hangs. Cas sighs as he can feel Dean’s heartbeat through the new connection, and he watches as Dean takes in the small change in feeling as well.

“You can feel me? I wasn’t sure if you’d be able to.” Dean nods slowly as he presses his hand over his chest.

“Yeah, wow. It’s nothing noticeable I guess, just this feeling of warmth. If I focus on it, it seems to get a little bigger, and I can tell it’s you.” Cas decides it’s time to get back to the kissing part as he feels he may actually be on fire with the amazing feelings coursing through him. Dean participates enthusiastically. Eventually though, Castiel notices that Dean is shivering, even with angel wings around him.

“Let’s go back inside. You should sleep for a while, so we can exchange gifts with Sam in the morning.” Dean frowns in response to this suggestion.

“You said the potion would only work for a day. I want to see your wings for as long as I can.” Cas laughs at the pouting expression on Dean’s face as he grabs his pajama top and switches off the lights.

“Well, I didn’t say anything because I wanted an honest choice from you without bribery, but when you wear my feather you should be able to see them anyway, especially since you said you can feel me through it. You may even be able to see them at times when they aren’t manifested in this realm.” Dean’s face is almost giddy at this news and Cas laughs again. Cas grasps Dean’s hand and this time he doesn’t protest as he’d led back into the warmth of the bunker. Cas takes a moment to push his wings away from the physical realm before going back inside. Dean continues to look behind Cas.

“I can still see them, more like shadows the way I’ve seen them before, or outlines of shadows, but maybe that’s just the potion.”

“Only time will tell, but I believe you will retain the connection. I can manifest them inside later, so you can determine the pendants impact; I just have to be careful and keep them pulled inward.” Dean pulls Cas towards him and kisses him again, this time is softer, and almost hesitant.

“Come to my room? I, uh, I’m not asking for anything else tonight, but I was wondering if you’d be willing to just stay with me until I sleep? If that’s okay, I mean.” Dean stumbles over the words but Castiel is already tugging him in the direction of the bunker rooms.

“I will watch over you when you fall asleep Dean, and I would enjoy doing that while sharing your bed. I would also like to try doing this in my new bed at some point. With my bee pillow.” Dean snorts and Cas smiles happily, wondering what he was so afraid of in the first place. When they reach the room, Dean closes the door behind him and strips down to his boxers, looking at Cas questioningly. Cas mirrors Dean’s actions and then joins him under the covers.

“Cas?” Dean mumbles into Castiel’s chest sleepily.

“Yes Dean?”

“I love you too.” Castiel feels as if he’s flying again, damaged wings or not.

***

@galaxycastiel, @jellydeans, @my-favourite-hellatus, @nguyenxtrang

[stephkaylor]

FAVES & FAILS: #1 (Teen Wolf)

I’ve decided to do this questionnaire when a show/book series/movies where I answer these questions with fun gifs too (its Tumblr, what did you expect?), if you want more info, the original idea post with links to each of my completed lists is here ⚡️. A bunch of my faves have already ended so getting all of these out will take a minute, but I’m aiming to post a new one twice per week. 🤞🏻Anyway, enjoy!! OH!! ALSO, I’ll be discussing plot elements in this list so...SPOILER ALERT!!

TV Show FAVES and FAILS: TEEN WOLF

FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER: STILES STILINSKI

HANDS DOWN, no question about it! He was the soul of the show, and funny, and so incredibly human on a show full of the inhuman, and that was what made him so integral.  Anyway, I could go on forever about how much I love Stiles, but here’s a gif:

LEAST FAVORITE MALE CHARACTER: GERARD ARGENT

There isn’t really a male that makes me want to punch something, so good for the writers, I guess?

FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER: LYDIA MARTIN

I really want to say Allison but it HAS to be Lydia, hands down! Her character development from a girl pretending to be vapid and shallow and who hid her genius so she could “fit in”, to a strong, powerful, confident woman secure in who she really is and the power inside of her (figuratively AND literally, lol), this girl is the real MVP.

LEAST FAVORITE FEMALE CHARACTER: MONROE

This was hard because there are several female characters that made me want to throw my laptop out of the window.  The short list is Kate Argent, Allison’s mom... I could go on... but Monroe’s systematic attempt to wipe all supernaturals out of Beacon Hills and then maybe the rest of the world gave me fucking high blood pressure and a rage issue. I don't care how “scared” you are, killing a kid who hasn't done anything wrong just because they are different than you is some fucked up, borderline genocidal bullshit. And she survived the finale!!? Like I had to deal with her self-righteous smirky attitude and you didn't even have the decency to punch her in the face and let me watch?!? Rude.

THE CHARACTER THAT DESERVED BETTER: Aiden (and kind of Ethan)

I badly want to say Allison again here because I love and miss her tons. But she died protecting her family and friends and I believe that she is happy wherever she went afterward.  Watching Aiden die in his twin brother’s arms I don’t know who I felt the worst for.  The boy dying, or his brother who now has to live without him... I’m gonna go cry now, brb.

THE DEADWEIGHT CHARACTER WE SHOULD’VE DUMPED IN 2009: Kate Argent

Luckily she was not a regularly appearing character, but when she showed up it was always “for revenge” and I'm like...can we just...not this season? I was having a lovely time and then you showed up with your petty anger for whatever fucking shit that happened in, like season one.  Like, honey... if it’s been so long since you’ve been relevant that I have to google what you’re upset about because I have honestly forgotten...maybe it’s time to let that shit go.  Kindly fuck off now, please...

OVERHYPED CHARACTER: Derek Hale

Like, don’t get me wrong, he’s great and I loved when he was on the show, but I feel like some people think he carried the show and it wouldn't survive without him.  Well, surprise! because he went away after season 4 and I still think some of their best shit came in season 5 and the beginning of season 6.  

UNDERHYPED CHARACTER: Deaton

Um, he was basically Scott’s druid emissary and he got no recognition for it.  He saved all of the main pack members’ lives at least once.  Also he didn't make Stiles pay for the windows, so he’s apparently not an asshole. 

OVERHYPED SHIP: Scott and Malia

I feel like they had to adjust the final season A TON because of Dylan’s injury and Kira not coming back and I think the writers panicked when they didn't know who to put Scott with (because our leading man could never not have a girlfriend, *gasp* THE HORROR!) because Lydia needed to be with Stiles and I think they picked Malia because she was basically the only one left...I was never into it.  In fact, when my friend texted me after we watched the episode where they get together, my response back to her was literally “meh 🤷🏻‍♀️”.

UNDERHYPED SHIP: Allison and Isaac

It would’ve been so nice to see where that relationship went.  Don’t get me wrong, had she lived, I would’ve wanted Allison to end up with Scott.  But I loved that the show was willing to say that it is okay to fall in love more than once in your life.  Sometimes the shows aimed at a younger audience have a tendency to act like your first love has to be the one you’re with until you die and that’s just not realistic. It was nice that the writers didn't box these characters into that mold because it gave them more depth as characters. 

FAVORITE SHIP: Stiles and Lydia

I don’t know how to explain how much I love this pairing.  Like, from the beginning he saw her for how amazing she was and he supported her as she came into her powers and then she was always there making sure that someone was taking care of him when he was taking care of, literally, everyone else, and then when he disappeared SHE KNEW something was wrong nearly instantly, and ‘remeMBER I LOVE YOU’ I need to stop before this run-on sentence goes on forever.  ALSO they’re canon official, which never fucking happens for my ships so I’m fucking excited, sue me.

FAVORITE VILLAIN: Deucalion

His backstory was well-developed and deep, he was clear with his goals, he actually executed said goals in a logical and timely manner, he was a fucking ALPHA OF ALPHAS, nuf said. 

MOST HEARTBREAKING MOMENT: Allison’s Death

Hands down, the most heartbreaking moment on the show, and I will fight anyone who comes at me with a different opinion. Because like--she was smiling when she was stabbed because she had figured out a way to help her friends and then she died in Scott’s arms and told him she loved him even though they weren’t together she still loved him and he still loved her, and I truly believe that she had zero regrets when she died, and how bittersweet is that???!  But Scott couldn't take her pain because it didn’t hurt anymore, and Lydia had to feel her best friend die and she screamed Allison’s name and if you are not hurting right now are you a monster???!?!

FAVORITE STORYLINE: Eichen House Escape/Dread Doctors in Season 5

It was hard to pick between the Dark Druid storyline in season 3A, but the Eichen rescue/Lydia learning how to be a BAMF Banshee from Meredith while she was catatonic (ALSO ‘Stiles saved me’ I AM DEAD!!!), and the whole la bête du gévaudan thing was great, and reuniting the pack after Theo had royally fucked it up earlier that season, it was all just superb! *chef’s kiss*

STORYLINE WE COULD’VE DONE WITHOUT: Like, the whole second half of the last season, TBH

It was a petty, counterintuitive, and just garbage. The monster was dumb, Monroe is a royal twat (as I stated above), and it didn't have a conclusion.  Like, the fuck? This isn't Game of Fucking Thrones you guys do not need to leave every season finale with so many loose ends it make people want to throw their laptops off of a cliff into a vat of hydrochloric acid.  And it was the LAST SEASON so there’s no hope of fixing this bullshit storyline. ugh, kill me now. 

BIGGEST PLOTHOLE: Scott’s pretty selective “True Alpha” powers

They, like, kind of tried to pass it off as it taking a ton of energy so he can’t always do it all the time.  But he got through a mountain ash barrier to save Deaton and activated his True Alpha but then couldn't get into Eichen to get Lydia out because of the mountain ash...? oh and also where the fuck did Cora and Isaac go? (I, sincerely, hope he’s not still just chinning in fucking France wondering were Argent fucked off to)

OVERALL MARKS OUT OF TEN (10 being that watching this show has probably increased your life’s worth by at least five percent; 1 being the only thing this show has given me is a stomach ulcer and trust issues): 

8.75 out of 10.  This show was a blessing and I would definitely recommend it to other people. (mostly because I love to get people hooked on my favorite shows and then they're stuck and we can be tortured together). 

THE END! Thanks for reading my overly-long and overly-obsessive list.  Do come again soon.  I’ll probably have another of these up next week.  🤍🤍🤍

[well-shit-im-a-morosexual-now]

“Shag or Die” or “Amnesia”

Amnesia

- I don't read it often... It's too much angst for me usually but the ones I read were good so!

- Technically I've kinda already written it? Cause at the end of Chasing Stars MC loses their memory of their week and a half with Mammon and the rest of the story would progress with the game's canon storyline (if you were focussing on romancing Mammon) but now with a bit more backstory to why Mammon is a tsundere & ends up falling for MC so fast all while MC is absolutely clueless

Shag or Die

- not really my cuppa? I've read some but when they focus on the 'Shag' part entirely, specially if the pairing isn't already established, it makes me kind of uncomfortable?

-I would write it though! But I'd probably focus more on the hurt/comfort part;

So i did an outline/summary thing for the Shag or Die one. It's not a proper fic & that's why the punctuation is wack

NSFW-ish. Nothing graphic just you know dicks are implied to be in existence

Mammon gets cursed by the witches (because of course he does) and even he knows what that sharp pain is. The one that makes his face flush and his body too hot and makes him want to rip his clothes off. He sees the satisfied glint in their eyes and it has him running, tripping over himself to get home and rid himself of the itch.

At first he locks himself in his room with no real problem. Sure his body is burning up and his breath is coming out in pants and he is aching and he's stumbling to his bed. Tearing off his clothes and whining loudly when he gets a hand around himself. It's just an itch that's all.

Except hours later he's still withering on the bed, his skin fever hot and his eyes clouded over and it hurts now. That sharp sudden pain is now a constant tight thing that's knotted at the centre of his chest and that makes each breath an effort and a part of him is panicking, cursing his pride for not letting him go to Lucifer in the beginning and ask if he could lift it. He hadn't wanted this to be seen as another disappointment, hadn't wanted to give his brothers another reason to make fun of him, hadn't wanted them to feel disgusted. But now. Now he slides under his damp covers and reaches for his D.D.D. dialing Lucifer's number. He hears the familiar snap of Lucifer's voice asking him what he did this time. "Please," he whispers, voice rough. And then he hears the dial tone.

Lucifer's storming into his room in seconds, demon form out and teeth bared, eyes scanning the room before they land on Mammon. His nose immediately scrunches up at the smell but that doesn't stop him from marching up to Mammon's bed and asking him "What exactly did you do this time." His tone is harsh but his hand is gentle and pleasantly cool when he places it on Mammon's burning forehead.

"Witches. Hurts," Mammon mumbles and Lucifer is swearing under his breath and then muttering rapid fire words for a counter curse, the warmth of his magic pulsing through Mammon but when it finally disperses Lucifer is left frowning and Mammon feels no different. If anything the pain in his chest has coiled around his heart, squeezing tightly. He curls up into a ball, tearless sobs leaving him

"I'm getting Satan. One of his books might have something."

"D-don't tell the others... They'll-"

"I won't."

And Mammon's eyes are squeezing shut trying to fight against the urge, the itch, the pain.

Gentle fingers run through his sweat soaked hair and then the door closes.

Satan doesn't find anything and is desperately fighting against his inner urge to tag along, when Lucifer suggests hunting down the witches and making them reverse it, to instead try to be the rational one. "It'll take too long and we don't even know if it can be reversed. We should tell Asmo. He'd be able to find someone who'd be willing to - if he doesn't he'll d-"

"I know."

They knock on the door loudly before entering, Mammon's trembling, eyes out of focus and clutching at his chest with clawed hands.

Lucifer rearranges the sheets from where they have slipped down to his waist while Satan holds a bottle of water to his mouth. They tell him the plan. And then a sudden flash of clarity is snapping into his eyes and he's struggling up and absolutely refusing. When Satan asks why, stressing the importance of it he's flushing some more and averting their eyes, playing with a loose thread from his blankets.

Satan huffs, "Unbelievable."

Lucifer looks like he's about to pop out another wrath baby.

His shoulders are hunching under their combined look and he's saying to his lap, "I can't - they - I couldn't do that to them - I don't wanna - "

"Are you even together. Do they even know how you feel. Is it reciprocated." Lucifer's snapping, face drawn in anger

"Maybe we could ask them..." Satan says quietly

"NO!"

"Why not."

He looks away, he can't bring himself to look Satan in the eye

"They'll do it you know."

" 'Course they will. H-have ya met them? They'd do it coz they'd have no choice. I can't - I can't do that to them"

Then Satan's losing his cool, yelling at Mammon & trying to make him see reason. When Mammon eventually gets dragged under another wave Lucifer sends Satan away to try and find anymore information and then he leaves to meet their resident human

He knocks and the door is flung open almost immediately. The human looks like a mess. Their hair is sticking up like they've spent hours running their hands through it, their eyes are wide and their face looks ashen

"Something's wrong, I've been trying to get to Mammon but he's not replying and his pact mark has been acting up for hours," they show him the glowing mark, "it's burning and flickering,,,,he went to see the witches and I didn't want to tell you at first but I think something's wrong we need to go check maybe something h-"

He cuts them off when it looks like they're gonna work themself up again, he makes them sit down and relays the whole situation to them. Their face is blank and stony during the whole of it.

"Right. I'll do it." They nod already rising from the bed

He shakes his head and tells them the rest of it .

And they're snorting. "Idiot" they say but it sounds fond. "Of course I'd try to help no matter who it was but - that's - I don't think - I mean I wouldn't sleep with - Mammon's the only on-"

He cuts off their flustered fumbling "understood"

They are nodding again "Guess I should get some stuff" and Lucifer's practically vaulting off the bed he had been sitting on, "Very well, I'll be in my study then. Drinking. I need to forget this whole conversation ever happened"

When they do go to Mammon's room he's tangled up in the sheets, shivering and panting, cheeks tear stained. Every once in a while he'll wince and curl into a tighter ball while clutching his chest. They damm near sprint to him, collapsing on their knees by his head and cupping his face in their hands and moving his head so he'd look at them. When he does see them he's growling, cursing Lucifer, telling them they don't have to do this and apologising. And they're calling him an idiot and pressing their forehead to his and telling him how much they love him, how they'd do anything to make sure he isn't hurting, to make sure he's safe, how they'd go out immediately and find someone, anyone who he wanted to sleep with, how they'd find and drag the witches back here themself so that they can reverse this, just so that he wouldn't be hurting.

His claws are digging into the skin at their wrists, "love?" There's something desperate in his tone

"Love. I've been in love with you for so long now Mammon, I don't, I don't know when it started but in the game. In Levi's dating sim when I told you the answer to that question and when you smiled, I just - I've never wanted to suck a dick so badly before."

They feel his soft embarrassed laughter against their neck as he tucks his face into them. He feels the pact mark on their right palm brush along his bare back. The warmth of it spreads along him, pushing back some of the haze surrounding him

"I saw you smile and I wanted to spend the rest of time making you smile like that."

He presses closer to them, "At Diavolo's castle. When - ah - w-when we were runnin' from the mutt,,, Ya took my hand. Trusted m-me. I wanted to keep protecting ya. Keep ya safe."

"You do. You do keep me safe, now let me return the favour. I'll go, get someone - "

"You. 's you. Always has been."

They're pulling back from him, looking him in the eyes, that shine a bit clearer since they got here. "Can I kiss y-"

His hand is curling around a fistful of their hoodie and dragging them towards him. Their mouths smash together and their teeth click painfully but they're shifting adjusting their angle and kissing him back just as urgently. He throws a leg over them and grinds up into them, a low whine building up in his throat. They nip and lick down his body while their hand reaches between his legs. They'll be gentle and fast, they'll work him through this and whisper words of love and praise while they do. They'll take away the pain and when they're done, when there's nothing eating away at him anymore they'll hold him and run their fingers through his hair the way he likes. They'll give him his favourite snacks and the chilled water they brought with them, they'll use the oil they brought to diligently massage the aches out of his muscles, they'll tell him they love him and kiss him sweetly, they'll bundle him up and sleep curled up with him, they'll rinse and repeat all those steps until he no longer feels like his body is tearing itself apart. And when he's better, when he's back to being the loud, energetic asshole they are in love with. Then. Then they'll make him scream.

[potatowitch]

finding out that the star wars sequel series was written on the fly rather than actually planned out makes so much fucking sense but also pisses me off EVEN MORE because i watched the force awakens in 2016 and within a day of leaving the cinema had a fully fleshed out idea in my head of the direction the next two films would take and the plot points they would cover, all brainstormed in the shower. 16 year old me was more capable of writing a cohesive storyline than disney was. so here you are - i rewrote the sequels to be ten times better than what disney actually gave us. enjoy.

- after rey finds luke they train for a bit then he's like "gotta tell u something. u ever heard of mara jade? she's ur mum" "wait weren't u two dating for a bit" "yeah" "does that mean ur...." "...yeah"

- "why did u leave me on jakku?" "i didnt. she did. i only just learned u existed i wouldve come for u" "oh."

- "...can i call u dad or" "i would be honored if u did"

- meanwhile at the resistance base leia realises finn is force sensitive, gives him her old lightsaber she had in the comics

- because come on. rewatch the force awakens and tell me that man aint fuckin feeling the "shitloads of voices cried out in terror and were suddenly silenced" when starkiller goes off

- and he picks up a lightsaber and instinctively knows how to use it?

- also: two main heroes in a star wars film being a queer coded woman and a queer coded black man.

- and the whole "used to be a stormtrooper and defected, becomes a jedi" is a TOTALLY NEW storyline? not some tired old "white boy villain is a dick for three movies then suddenly turns Good TM right at the end" trope

- make rey explicitly asexual. she's beautiful and smart and got abs that make everyone who sees them MELT but she is NOT INTERESTED in anything but JUSTICE and PLATONIC HUGS

- finn and poe are also making out because come on, disney, if u wanted to show you're becoming more progressive having a loving interracial gay romance is the fucking easiest way to do it. BB8 has two dads and they share The Jacket

- turns out finn is a kenobi because u cannot tell me obi wan didnt Fuck. jedi code says "dont form attachments" but watch the clone wars - obi wan plays fast and loose w the jedi code at the best of times. now we got a skywalker and a kenobi working together being best buds again, THE WAY IT SHOULD BE.

- the destruction of starkiller has crippled the first order. don't fucking look at me like "the resistance just won a major, VERY VISIBLE victory but OOO no somehow they're still very low on numbers and infrastructure" NO. the public destruction of starkiller has earned the resistance an influx of allies. the republic has started publicly supporting them. the first order spent years building that thing and now not only is all that time, effort and MONEY gone, they lost a shitload of staff and military personnel when it blew up

- "the first order is rich" is a plot point I DO NOT UNDERSTAND because it directly contradicts what's going on in the expanded universe books. the first order was built from remnants of the empire that had been banished to the outer reaches of the galaxy to live out of broken down, shitty old star destroyers.

- it's the reason hux, who was raised in a decrepit old academy in the ass end of the universe by an abusive father, is SO anti republic. in his head, it's the reason he starved as a child. it's the reason his mother is dead. it's the reason he had to be raised by a father that beat him. his hatred for the republic is PERSONAL

- disney learn how to write a good villain challenge? hux EASILY could have been terrifying AND sympathetic

- hux and kylo now have to deal with how absolutely PISSED snoke is that both of them failed with starkiller. hux gets force choked and threatened. kylo gets snoke very painfully rooting around in his head. it is emphasised that snoke's relationship with these two is downright abusive.

- somewhere in there, they realise that the whole five years they've known each other snoke has been deliberately pitting them against each other and sneakily forcing them to undermine each other's authority

- they realise it was snoke's shitty leadership that lead to the destruction of starkiller. they realise that maybe they'd be better off on their own

- the two of them plot to murder snoke themselves. while this is happening, the resistance is happily building an army, gathering resources, and forming alliances. luke and rey have reunited with the resistance and now rey and finn are both happily training with luke.

- snoke dies. hux decides to take the mantle of emperor. kylo LETS HIM because he realises he doesn't know shit about fuck when it comes to leading anything more than his knights. has a crisis of confidence about how useful he actually is, then hux decides he wants to keep the knights of ren around as his personal "fuck up the resistance" squad.

- the two of them working together turn out to be fucking terrifying, competent villains. the films have short, five to ten minute sections where they explore their VERY SIMILAR traumas to make them sympathetic WITHOUT making them seem like "uwu they're not actually bad people" because THEY'RE STILL AWFUL GENOCIDAL MASS MURDERERS

- on the kylo trauma side: it's made obvious in the books that from about age 6 snoke has been in his head deliberately grooming him away from his family. make that obvious in the films. make its impact on kylo obvious in how unsure of himself he actually is. don't make his "redemption arc" one where he suddenly goes light side. give him a bastardisation arc where he realises his whole life he has never made a choice - and then make THE FIRST ORDER his choice. (it is the wrong choice! emphasise that! but make him MAKE THAT CHOICE)

- the resistance thinks they're doing well. they have two new jedi. they've seen very little of the first order outside of small operations that they've been squashing. they think "hm. starkiller's loss must have crippled them. we're doing well!"

- until they learn actually. they've got an emperor now. and the commander of the knights of ren is INCREDIBLY loyal to him. the first order is PISSED OFF and VENGEFUL. they're back with a force. they've started invading and subjugating planets even with their forces cut as thin as they are because hux is a military mastermind and kylo and the knights of ren are a fucking TERRIFYING unit in combat.

- also why did disney decide to present hux in the films as a weak pissbaby when he probably topped his class in all combat situations and fights dirty in close quarters. man can SNIPE. man will bite your fucking finger off if you manage to disarm him. he is a 6 foot beanpole and he will kick your ass

- kylo has a crisis about actually having to kill his mother, uncle and cousin. he still feels a bit bad about han - despite everything, he still loves them and is struggling. he actually confides in his knights about this. we get to see that the knights of ren have a found family dynamic with their commander and they comfort him.

- kylo realises it will be painful to murder the last of his bio family but it must be done, because he's come around to hux's view that the resistance and the republic are standing in the way of true peace in the galaxy. he actually believes that reinstating an empire is the best thing for the galaxy. this makes him a more effective villain because he actually believes what he's doing is right.

- more stormtroopers defect to the resistance. finn is there to welcome them and help them adjust. there's a couple of lowkey force sensitive troopers in there too. we learn more about how horrible, soul crushing and traumatic stormtrooper training is. this is a good way to keep painting the first order as an organisation that violates human rights and the geneva convention at every turn.

- the first order makes up for this loss of troops in picking up recruits from the planets they've taken over in the outer rim because they've been providing stability. again - it is SO EASY to write the first order as sympathetic villains WHO ARE STILL FASCIST ASSHOLES. this would've been such a good opportunity to show the moral argument between stability vs freedom. show the flaws in the republic because they do exist!! we see that throughout the ENTIRE expanded universe! every iteration of the republic fails in some way!

- the fight against the first order becomes increasingly more difficult, but they're actually on pretty even ground. it doesn't make sense to me that disney decided to go for the route of "the resistance should've been squished easily by the might of the first order but uwu kylo can't make up his mind and thats what saves them!" that is not a compelling storyline! they are relatively evenly matched and the resistance only JUST comes out on top!

- kylo kills luke in actual combat, not just "luke randomly dissolves for ... no good reason?". this hits the resistance HARD. rey and finn have to struggle with their desire for revenge. leia realises her son is beyond help. it nearly breaks her. she has a moment where she feels like she has lost everything. poe has to step in to remind her she still has him. it is revealed that he joined the resistance after the first order killed his family HORRIBLY when he was a teenager and he and leia sort of have a mother/son relationship.

- this is also a good way to juxtapose hux and kylo. they took their trauma and it made them awful. poe takes his trauma and it makes him kind. it makes him want to protect people from what he went through. also gets rid of the "haha we made the latino man have a drug dealer background" bullshit that disney did

- poe also has to comfort his boyfriend and best friend and remind them that they are fighting to make the galaxy a better place, NOT for revenge. then they have a discussion about "yeah, don't make revenge your main priority, but the jedi were a bit wrong in saying that you shouldn't enjoy it anyway. it's going to feel good to fucking murder kylo and that's okay". acknowledgement that the old jedi code was garbage and too restrictive for actual PEOPLE to follow it.

- kylo still can't kill leia or chewie. we get flashbacks of her singing to him, braiding his hair, comforting him after nightmares. we see baby ben riding on chewie's shoulders. seeing the conflict between kylo recognising his family loved him and still choosing to be a villain would have RUINED ME. he tells hux this, expecting hux to shoot him for it. hux understands - he had a mother, once. the republic killed her.

- (they actually didn't. she was an imperial slave and was probably left behind when an imperial settlement was being razed. the only reason hux actually survived was because he was his father's only heir. there's a whole spiel in the books about brendol going "this kid is a piece of shit bastard i dont want him" and imperial officials being like "the empire needs kids. go pick him up")

- hux decides to kill leia instead. he nearly dies doing so because woman is STILL a force to be reckoned with even at this age. remember she is actually trained to use a lightsaber AND guns. the only reason hux doesn't die? kylo steps in at the last minute and kills his own mother. he's made his choice. he mourns, and then he steels. there is nothing left to pull him to the light side anymore.

- anakin has given up trying to bring his grandson to the light from beyond the grave. him and obi wan are focusing their force ghost attention on rey and finn. now luke and leia are both there too. we get the same "all my jedi ancestors are rooting for me" moment that disney gave us, except now it's shared between rey and finn.

- the two of them plus chewie cut through the knights of ren until they get to kylo. he kicks the living shit out of them, but they manage to kill him. rey earns some gnarly, sexy scars. chewie needs a hug and goddamn does he get one.

- poe is the one to kill hux. he's not just doing it for the galaxy, he's doing it for leia. the first order already stole his first family from him. he won't lose his second family to them. bonus points if BB8 joins the fight and like ... tases hux in the leg a few times.

- we get some gratuitous "c3p0 and r2 are sneaking through an imperial base and fucking shit up but like, badly because 3p0 never stops talking" scenes

- you want to bring rose tico into it? she's head of the resistance's infiltration team. she's with the droids taking down shields, stabbing people in the back, freeing prisoners, stealing plans, sowing chaos. she's the one who finally takes down phasma.

- without their emperor and the knights of ren, the new empire crumbles pretty quickly. the resistance has taken HEAVY losses but they have won. we get a very beautiful funeral scene for luke and leia. there's a gorgeous group hug between finn, rey, poe, chewie and bb8. poe and finn smooch against the sunset.

- we see finn and rey going into crystal caves to get kyber crystals. poe, chewie, bb8, r2 and 3P0 wait outside the cave in the falcon for them to be done picking up their crystals, then we see finn and rey inside the falcon building their new lightsabers with guidance from a bunch of force ghosts. we get to see that rey has chosen to decorate the inside of the falcon with a bunch of potted plants so she can be surrounded by greenery at all time. the found family aesthetic is STRONG

- rey builds a saber pike. it comes out golden. finn builds a standard single blade saber that comes out white, like ahsoka's. gold to emphasise protection of the weak and the perfect blend of combat and scholarly pursuits. white to emphasise free will from both the jedi and the sith. it is emphasised that these two will NOT be your traditional jedi.

- we see an epilogue where poe is working to help shift the republic's focus from political squabbling to actually protecting its citizens. he leads reconstruction efforts, helps establish more of a presence in the outer rim, constantly fights for moving resources from protecting the republic's assests to providing food, shelter and safety to its citizens.

- finn is constantly by his side. we see him protecting his new husband, on the front lines destroying remnants of the empire and the first order, and using his combat prowess to absolutely murder slave owners.

- rey has taken to training new force sensitives with chewie by her side, however she recognises the jedi code has been failing force sensistives for millennia, and instead her teachings are more aligned with the grey jedi philosophy. she recognises that people feel anger, hate, grief - and that they are all valid emotions. it's what you choose to do with them that is important.

- she actively encourages personal connection, believing that loving your friends and family is righteous and the true path to the light side. her apprentices all adore her, and she is always there for them - she'll listen to their worries, from something as small as "i am 13 years old and my first crush just rejected me" to "i am a former slave coming to you after the first order murdered my family and tortured me. i am having nightmares and am afraid of the anger i feel".

- she encourages apprentices to stay in contact with their family, and she becomes that family for the ones who have lost theirs.

- you get the feeling that this time, peace in the galaxy is actually going to last. anakin, obi wan, luke and leia look on from the Force in pride at their children and grandchildren. they did good. they can finally rest.

- the sequels have made personal choice a major theme. finn chooses to defect. poe and rey choose to be kind, when they have every reason not to be. hux and kylo make the wrong choices. there's no flip flopping like a dead fish between good and evil until the very last second. the lines between kindness and freedom and hatred and subjugation are clearly drawn again and again.

- i sit in the cinema after the screen goes black and i weep. i am satisfied. this was a fitting end for a franchise i have loved for most of my life.

[fangirlinsweden]

Noticing ~ Part 4

Part 4 ~ Sleepyhead and Fluffy Bunny Ears (April)

Pairing: Steve Rogers x reader

Warnings: Swearing, frustrating Steve, kind of angsty sometimes.

Wordcount:

Summary:  Y/N is in love with Steve, but she is afraid to tell him. So she tries to show him by using Cheesy Pickup lines. Will he ever notice her?

A/N: This is written for @buckysmischief​  Gab’ s 1k writing challenge.

This takes place after Endgame, But Steve did not leave the future. Nat and Tony are still alive.

Almost all pickup-lines are lines I have found on the internet. Some I have adjusted a bit to fit the storyline more.

And a special thank you to @allaboutthebooz for helping me choose the pick-up line for the end of this part.

It was April and you had continued to flirt with Steve every day. Or at least every day that you met him, the only place you did not flirt with him was on missions. You needed to keep your head in the game then. Nat and you had just come back to the compound after a two weeks mission in Spain. It had been both a tiring and an informative mission. All you wanted to do was to sleep in your own bed for the next 24 hours. Nat and you parted ways in the hallway. It was late night and you thought the rest of the team would be asleep by now. When you came to your door you saw Steve walking against you in the hallway. His eyes lit up when he saw you and you gave him a small smile. “Hey,” Steve says and you drop your bag on the floor and give him a hug. He laughs and hugs you back. “You must be dead on your feet.” You just nod into his chest. He laughs again and opens the door to your room.  “Come on, Sweetheart,” Steve turns you around, picks up your bag from the floor and leads you into your room. “Let's get you to bed.” “Are you going to join me?” You yawned and Steve chuckled.  “I don’t think so sleepyhead,” he said and put down your bag by the end of your bed. You turned around to him. “If you are not going to undress me or tuck me in,” you winked at him. “Then I think it’s time for you to leave.” You said and got your shoes off. Then you started to pull down the zipper on your jacket. Steve who finally understood what you were doing blushed, mumbled good night and left your room.  “If only I had the energy,” you mumbled and got undressed. Then you lay down in bed and fell asleep before you had any other thoughts. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next morning, way too early, you are awakened by the pounding on your door.  “Auntie Y/N,” Morgan was knocking on your door. You looked at your clock on your bedside table and groan. It was not even eight o’clock in the morning. You had gotten home about four in the morning. You loved Morgan, but right now you wanted her to go away. The door opened, but you did not have the energy to even lift your head. Footsteps were heard coming closer to the bed. “Auntie Y/N,” you heard Morgans’s voice whisper.  “Morgan,” Steve was in the doorway. “Auntie Y/N, got home really late last night. She needs to sleep a couple of hours more. Come with me.” “But it’s Easter,” Morgan whined. “She promised to paint eggs with me.”  “She can do that when she has gotten some more sleep,” Steve says and you hear Steve walking into the room. Morgan giggles and you hear the door close. Steve had lifted Morgan out of your room.  “No disruptions, please FRIDAY, until at least noon,” you get out and FRIDAY agrees. And you immediately fall asleep.

At eleven you wake up and are hungry. You are still tired, but food seemed to be a better idea than to continue sleeping. After getting a shower and dressing you leave your room to go to the kitchen to get some food. “Oh, look, she is alive,” Sam smirks when you walk into the kitchen. You ignore him and walk to the fridge to see if there is any food. In there is a container with an avocado salad with your name on it, clearly written by Steve. You smile and take it along with a bottle of water.  “Aw, did he make you lunch?” Nat smirks when she comes into the kitchen. You nod to the fridge. “He did one for you too,” You start eating and almost moan it was so good. Nat nodded and walked over to the fridge. A moan escaped your mouth when you continued to eat. “Do you want to be left alone with that salad?” Sam grin at you. “Oh, shut up,” you glare at him. “Nat and I have been living on kind of spars food on our mission. So I think I have the right to enjoy good food.” Sam laughs at you and you huff at him. “Maybe I should tell Steve that his cooking made you moan,” Nat winks at you. It made your face turn red and Sam laugh even more. You continue to eat under silence and kept how good the food was to yourself. 

When you had finished eating you took care of the dishes. Steve walks into the kitchen. “Thank you for the salad,” you stand on your toes and press a kiss to Steve's cheek. “Yeah, man, she really enjoyed it,” Sam is wearing a shit-eating grin. Nat tries to hide her laugh in her hand, but you heard her. You blush and leave the kitchen. “What was that about?” you hear Steve ask and hurries on your steps. Hoping that Sam and Nat keep their mouths shut. 

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

The next day in the afternoon everyone was outside looking for eggs. Tony had forgotten to hide the eggs during the night so you, Wanda and Pepper had spent a couple of hours hiding eggs, while the men had kept Morgan occupied inside. Now you stood looking around on Morgan, Clint, Tony, Sam and Bucky looking for eggs. It was kind of amusing. You saw Steve standing to the side so you walked over to him.  He was wearing a pair of blue fluffy bunny-ears on a headband. It was clear that Steve couldn’t say no to Morgan any more than you could.  “Are you the Easter Bunny?” You smiled at him and he chuckled. “Because of the ears, right?” Steve pointed on the ears. “No, 'Cause you've been hoppin' around my mind all day,” You say and Steve just blinks at you. It makes you laugh. “Auntie Y/N,” Morgan yells at you. She holds up a pink egg and makes a little dance. “Auntie Y/N, come help me.” You walk over to her. Leaving Steve alone with his thoughts. Bucky falls into step with you. “So what pick-up line did you use?” he asks and you look at him.  “What?” you say and blush a bit. “Oh, did you use: ‘Hey. You know the phrase ‘screwing like rabbits'? I think you and I can do better, want to try?’” Bucky winks at you and your face gets red. “What?! No!” you almost yell out. Bucky just chuckles and you hurry up your pace so you are with Morgan, and safe from Bucky’s ideas of a pick-up line. You would never be able to say something like that to Steve. Never. “What did Uncle Bucky say?” Morgan tilted her head to the side.  “Nothing important, Sweetie,” you answer. “Now let's find some more eggs.” Morgan dances a bit on the spot and off you go. 

Later that evening you are wearing a pair of fluffy hot pink bunny ears. Morgan had insisted that everyone had a pair of ears, and nobody had the heart to say no to her. Tony had a red pair, Pepper a dark blue pair, Nat had white pair, Sam had a pair of neon green once, Wanda had light pink, Clint had a pair of purple once, Bucky had a pair of dark red once, Peter had grey once and Bruce had a pair that was green. All you could think was that if the press saw this, they would have a field day. The headlines would write themself. Morgan was wearing a pair of hot pink bunny ears as well and painted on a pink nose and whiskers. Steve, Pepper and Wanda also had a pink nose and whiskers. It looked kind of funny on Steve with his beard, but you knew he had a soft spot for Morgan. Tony and Morgan had decided that you all should have an Easter movie night. First movie out was Hop and then Rise of the Guardians. You sat down on the couch and Morgan sat down next to you and clapped on the other side of you.  “Steve, sit here with Y/N,” Morgan demanded. Steve did as she said and sat down next to you. You smiled at him and felt kind of awkward. Did Morgan know about your feelings for Steve? Tony started the movie and you had a problem with relaxing. Morgan cuddled into your side, but you did almost not dare to touch Steve. He pushed loosely on your arm and you looked at him. He gave you a big smile and put his arm around your shoulder. It made you relax and you started paying attention to the movie. Morgan talked in the movie and asked questions, but that was nothing new. You had watched movies with her before. 

When the movies where over Morgan was tired and Tony came to lift her to bed. She turned to Steve and giggled. “Uncle Steven, you look like a bunny with a beard,” She said and smiled brightly at him. Tony said goodnight to everyone and carried Morgan to bed. Pepper followed him. Steve turned to you. “Some bunny I am, right?” Steve pointed at his beard.  “You're not just somebunny,” you gave Steve a hug.  “You're my bunny.” You stood up and said goodnight to everybody and went to your room to sleep.

Steve looked after Y/N and shook his head. Nat and Bucky were watching Steve closely, but his head was somewhere else so he did not notice. Bucky nodded to the kitchen and Nat followed him. “Y/N has feelings for Steve. That is why she is flirting with him, isn't it?” Bucky fixed his eyes on Nat and she just shrugged.  “Come on, Nat, I know you know,” Bucky was not letting up. “What is it to you?” Nat crossed her arms.  “Let’s make a bet,” Bucky smirked, Nat tilted her head. “How long it takes for Steve to understand what Y/N is up to.” Nat looked smug. “Fine, but just so you know,” Nat lowered her voice. “Y/N has given herself a deadline. Until next year, then she will give up.”  “Steve might be a Punk, but he is not that slow,” Bucky sounded confident. “I say that Steve will figure it out in July.” Nat nodded. “I think he will figure it out in October. What should we bet?” She looked around the kitchen for ideas. “How about if losers have to do the winners laundry for a month,” Bucky smirks at Nat. “Fine,” She says and holds her hand out to Bucky. They hear a thud from above them and Clint comes into the room from the vents. “I want in on that bet,” He says. “I think Steve will figure it out in September.” They all agree and go their separate ways. All of them sure that they have the right month.  

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Noticing Taglist: @jessyballet​

Taglist is open!

[darkestwolfx]

Fight or Flight - Re-Review #38

The perfect scenery for an episode which is taking it’s title from an old saying relating to the natural instincts of animals and humans - the fight or fight instinct; whether you stay and hold your ground (a little like Kayo), or whether you try and run in fear of your life (I can imagine Gordon having to do this quite often when he is caught pranking his brothers). Oh, but did we mention, it’s actually in the air? Yeah, it took two minutes to get to that point!

So, because this episode darts around all over the place, I’m doing this review (again) in sections according to character and storyline, because I like everything to be all neat and tidy, okay? I’m thinking of all of you here by giving you ease of access to a complicated and jam packed episode - you should be thanking me.

Also, I will apologise in advance now for the fact that this review is mostly picture based - literally I think this section here is the wordiest of all.

So, moving away from the ominous cargo hold, which is no doubt bound to be full of idiots - because let’s face it, that is just the way that things work in TAG - let’s start with the fact that we are opening in space again! Yay, John’s domain. And the scenery is pretty damn right on this one. I love how if you look really carefully you can make out the different shapes of the continents below.

And here we have a space spider - someone call Gordon and Alan, it’s an alien! Oh wait, no, hang up, it’s only Brains. A rather nervous Brains - obviously the ‘flight’ part behind the title of this episode. It’s nice to see him up in (or on) Thunderbird Five again. It happened in TOS in ‘The Cham-Cham’.

“I’m just having a little trouble adjusting to being weightless.”

“It was the same for me when I started. You get used to it.”

But of course, they can’t even manage to do repairs and maintenance without something coming there way!

“Your databases are offline because I started a systems check. It’s ok, I backed everything up onto MAX.”

“Atta boy, MAX.”

Thank goodness for MAX, ey?

And here’s the situation;

“A cargo carrier experienced a missives systems failure. The ship is on a crash course for Anderbad City.”

Anderbad City first appeared in the TOS episode ‘Perils of Penelope’, with Anderbad being a play on Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s surname. It was given notable features such as the Anderbad Tunnel and the Anderbad Express, but it was never shown in full. TAG have added a Flight Control Tower, so we can assume that Anderbad is a big city with travel at the centre.

So, here we go, I thought I’d go back to the cargo hold first which is a little backwards I know, but I’m doing it because... just because okay? Reviewers choice.

Run for your lives! The machinery is striking back!

Scott nearly getting hit and then running back for the flight deck is absolutely hilarious. 

“We have a new problem.”

And I won’t deal with that part, I’ll choose to fly the zeppelin, is probably what Scott was thinking. Because, yes, that option seems so much better!

“Looks like we’ll need that back up, Kayo.”

It was probably a good thing that she was ready and waiting in this instance, because Scott couldn’t have done that much multitasking, great though he is.

“How are you guys doing in there?”

“Oh you know, just playing hide and seek with a giant bone crushing claw. You know, no big deal.”

Yeah, you’re right, the bigger deal is that you might die anyway, so playing hide and seek is probably the least of your worries right about now. In fact, that might be preferable depending on your viewpoint. At least that might be marginally more entertaining than sitting and waiting for death to come.

“How does a giant, mechanical loading claw take it’s tea?”

“I don’t know.”

“With a pinch of sugar.”

“That’s the worst joke I’ve ever heard.”

I have to admit, I’m with her on that one. Who even thought that joke up! And who heard that joke and then thought ‘hey, that’s a good one to go in the script!’ I didn’t even laugh, I will be perfectly honest.

“Don’t worry. I’ll get them out.”

“Why would I worry?”

Hmm, maybe because it’s a life threatening situation? Just hazarding a guess here.

Kayo should be happy anyway - she got to show off her bad-guy chasing gymnastic skills, even if it was only against machinery.

“International Rescue. Time to go. Follow me!”

“You’re kidding right?”

“No, I’m pretty serious.”

“We can’t jump and flip around like you just did!”

No, I don’t imagine you can.

“I’ll distract the claw so you can make a run for it.”

Literally the point of this episode,  isn’t it? Running for it?

I have a theme song for it - look up ‘Run for It’ by (you won’t regret it).

“Where does that lead?”

“Emergency exit.”

“This definitely qualifies as an emergency.”

Hell yes, I would think it does!

“Kayo, you need to get out.”

“Great idea, Scott, thanks for the suggestion!”

No need to be sarcastic - he’s just looking out for you, remember?

As a side note, look at the robot! I want one... I bet its more environmentally friendly than my car.

“The ship’s loosing altitude faster than my projections. But why?”

“It looks like the liquid hydrogen fuel cells have cracked open.”

“And I’m guessing that’s bad?”

Yes, Scott, that’s bad.

“The tanks keep the fuel isolated. but if an electrical fire starts on impact, you’ll get what we scientists call a big ka-boom. Which is also what my insides feel like.”

“What’s the time frame?”

“John says I’ll feel better once I get used to zero gravity.”

“I think he means before the zeppelin crashes.”

“Oh right. Factoring in altitude, wind speed, ship weight, adjusting for cargo, and letting x equal the rate of fuel loss, we get... oh my!”

“Scott, you’re gonna’ need to move. Fast.”

“FAB. And Brains, that means feel better soon.”

Yeah... that conversation gets me every time. They never said how fast Scott needed to move, but hey, it’s okay, because he listened. Considering the zeppelin appeared seconds later.

“Thunderbird two could nudge the ship and change course that way.”

Of course that is the first suggestion that Scott comes up with. Just shove it out the way and be done with it. Good plan.

“I would strongly caution against that. Those leaking fuel cells could easily rupture.”

Or not.

“Ka-boom, got it. Ok, I’m gonna’ need to get on board. Maybe I can regain some control of this thing.”

Yay, we get to see Scott pilot a zeppelin! That’s a change.

“Hey, Virgil, just taking a little air!”

“I’ve got Thunderbird One slaved to my controls.”

Yeah... because a line like that always means good things are coming. I love how Virgil at least knew what it meant - take Thunderbird One.

“All systems critical. We’re on auxiliary power with almost no altitude control or steering. I can’t risk landing with that fuel leak. I’m gonna’ point her down and bail out. She’ll crash safely into the lake before reaching the city.”

You can’t say something like that without expecting trouble.

“Crash course set, ready to bail out.”

“Hello? Anyone there? We’re stuck! We can’t get out! Trapped!”

“Hello? Can you hear me? John, did you get that? I thought everyone was off this ship?”

“Me too. Hang on. The numbers don’t match. They messed up their count.”

Great! And so we revert to the cargo hold, which I’ve already covered.

“Do we have time to get the crew out before we reach the city?”

“Negative. You’re gonna’ have to fly over the city, and bring it down in the open countryside on the other side.”

“We’ll never make it. We’re still losing height.”

“If you offload 90% of the fuel, there’s a chance you’ll be light enough to make it over the city.”

A chance? I suppose we have to take it because there’s no other option really.

“Ok, I’ll keep flying. Virgil, you start pumping out that fuel.”

Yeah, because that will buy us lots of non-existent time! At least it’s better than nothing.

“Oh, it’s going to be tight.”

“Tight, but we should make it tight? Or John’s space suit tight?”

“I don’t know if I know how to answer that question in a way that’s reassuring.”

“Space suit tight.”

Scott’s doing a really good job of flying under pressure here, I would just like to say.

“I think it should be enough.”

“You think or you know?”

“I think I know.”

Very reassuring Brains. I feel very non-reassured.

“That should do it, Scott.”

“Got to be sure.”

“Now, Scott, get out!”

Listen to John, for goodness sake, Scott.

Fly for your lives! There’s an explosion!

You know, Wolfie definitely understands the reason for this episode title now. They were being really clever - well done Dan Berlinka.

In my opinion, this is one of the closest calls that they’ve showed us, and I really appreciated that. TOS did it a few times in ‘City of Fire’ and ‘Danger at Ocean Deep’ (I’m talking proper close calls here, because I know there are many near misses), and TAG have done it quite often with Gordon, but this one was a really nice show of skill and panic, and absolute expertise at the end of it all.

“Yes! He made it!”

Hooray! We’ve succeeded! Let’s all go home!

After a hug... but maybe remember to not hug John... he looks like he’s feeling a little awkward there, Brains.

“Nice work everyone. We limited the damage at Anderbad city to one billboard.”

That poor billboard. But yes, successful.

And look what’s waiting at home!

I was wondering where Gordon and Alan had got to... “on a supply run”... yeah right, who’s great idea was that. They only have themselves to blame for what the boys bring back. Interestingly, they never said where Scott and Alan were at the end of the last episode (and I was waiting for that), so it was nice to actually see the pair pop up right at the end.

“Hey guys!”

“How was the supply run?”

“Routine. But wait till you see what me and Alan picked up at an antiques store on the way back.”

“It’s the same game John used to play all the time.”

A nice little reference back to ‘Skyhook’ here. Continuity at it’s best.

“You grab prizes with the claw!”

Yes, we do have eyes, thank you, Alan.

“Who wants to go first?”

Cue mass exodus of the lounge... And a tumbleweed to roll through in the wake of it all. (Actually, could some one get me a tumbleweed please? I feel like my cat would appreciate it. Shes called Munchies, by the way.)

“What did I say?”

“We should have brought some prizes.”

This is funny, because Alan probably said that, and Gordon probably ‘ignored’ him.

“Oh, claw machine needs prizes!”

“No wonder they didn’t want to play!”

I don’t think that was quite it, but hey, let’s not disappoint them anymore. Look at Gordon’s face.

P.S. This ended up more wordy and longer than I had expected! I’ve outdone myself for midnight pieces of work (and a very dodgy internet connection).

[commander-rahrah]

RESIDENCY (AN OPEN HEART FIC): PART SEVEN

Pairing: MC (Jordynne Holland) X Ethan Ramsey X Bryce Lahela; MC X Bryce; MC X Ethan

Masterlist: Click Here

Chapter Rating: M (Swearing, Kissing, Smut, NSFW)

Word Count: 4800+

Description: Jordynne gets a glimpse into Ethan’s brain and gets Bryce into her bed. Ethan’s jealousy gets the best of him. 

Disclaimer: Characters, storyline, and parts of the dialogue are taken from Pixelberry’s Choices. They fully own the characters, dialogue, backgrounds, etc. MC Jordynne’s background is my own creation, based loosely off of MC in-game’s personality and provided with more details.

Author’s Note: The fMRI diamond scene in Ethan’s point of view! Jordynne hooks up with Bryce at her house warming party and Ethan finds out the next day. 

Taglist: @drakewalkerfantasy @owleyes374@professorortegasstudent@mindlessdreaminxo @mayar-mahdy @paisleylovergirl @nicquix @emilymay100 @octobereighth

Previous Updates: Part One Part Two Part Three Part Four Part Five Part Six

PART SEVEN  

Why did he always seem to get himself in these situations with her?

He was standing in the middle of a newly constructed room— his back turned to Jordynne as he loosened his tie. Gulping, he placed it down before shrugging off his lab coat and unbuttoning his shirt. “I’m ready,” He said, turning around to face her.

It really didn’t matter — it was just for the test. For an experiment, science. His eyes darted to her pink lips, noticing her bite it slightly as she looked at his naked torso.

Quickly looking away, he laid down on the cold metal table, adjusting himself before holding out his arm to her. She grabbed his arm gently, pressing her fingers against his wrist palpating the veins — he swallowed at her touch. His blue eyes watched her work, “You do know how to perform an intravenous injection, don’t you?”

She rolled her green eyes at him, before grabbing onto the syringe. “You’re about to find out.” A mischievous grin spreading across her face. Ethan took a deep breath as she inserted the needle, focusing on the feeling of her warm hand on his forearm and the spreading cold sensation of the Gadolinium being injected into him.

He let out the breath as she took the needle away, watching as she disposed of it and peeled off her rubber gloves. “Well done. Barely felt a thing.”

Jordynne fixed her ponytail, smirking at him again, “I did go to medical school, you know.” Striding back to the machine, she loomed over him for a moment, “See you on the other side,” She pressed a button on the fMRI and Ethan felt the metal table start to slide into the donut of the enclosure.

He heard the click of her steps as she headed up into the control room. Taking a deep breath, Ethan tried to relax his mind. Why would she invite him to her housewarming party? Did she want him there? Or was it a general invitation? Did she actually think he would go? Or could go?

Even if he could, he needed to spend all of his downtime on Naveen. That was his priority.

“Can you hear me alright?” Jordynne’s honeyed voice spoke through the speaker within the enclosure.

“Loud and clear,” Ethan closed his eyes, preparing himself. “Very loud, in fact.”

“Ha ha.” He could hear the smile in her voice, even through the speaker. “Beginning the first scan,”

The machine started to whir around him, humming as the cycling began. He laid perfectly still for a moment, before curiosity got the best of him, “How is it looking?”

There was a pause, “Your brain looks… like a brain.”

He let out a chuckle, “I suppose I should be grateful for that.” Opening his eyes, he looked back inside the contraption — noticing all the moving parts, “So far, so good. Now let’s test the detection of the contrast media. Ask me some questions. Different parts of my brain should illuminate with increased hemodynamic flow.” This is why he had asked Holland — he trusted her so far, they had always played their questions game before. Now there just was a machine showing her his brain while he answered — it was only a little intimate.

“What kind of questions?” She asked softly.

He let out a breath, “Perhaps you could start with “‘Why am I making Dr. Ramsey think of everything?'”

“Fine, uh,” She hesitated, “Who do you love most in the world?”

Ethan blinked — that had gotten serious fast. “That’s…. quite a first question.”

Jordynne’s soft laugh made it through the speakers, “Just trying to provoke an emotional response in the scan.”

He stayed silent — thinking. He thought to his empty apartment, his naked ring finger. No one there. Did he love Harper anymore? Not really — not like before. His parents? It had been months, almost a year since he had spoken to them. Even when he did, it was a simple conversation around the holidays and work. Nothing more. Naveen? He couldn’t go down that route — not now.

His nostrils flared as he finally spoke, “I was once close with my family, though that time has passed. I suppose I feel a strong affection for my dog, Jenner.” He thought of his pet — it had been a couple days since he had been home. He really should go see him.

“You named your dog after Kylie?”

His thick brows furrowed, “I absolutely did not! Edward Jenner was the —“

But Jordynne cut him off, her voice filled with humor, “The father of immunology. I know. I was just messing with you.”

A laugh escaped his lips. Of course, she knew that.

“And it worked. Your amygdala lit it up like a Christmas tree when I got you riled up.”

Ethan felt his face get hot — riled up. “Let’s move along. Next question.”

“What’s your proudest accomplishment?”

“Hmm…” He paused again, thinking. She was good at this.

“Was it when you won the Adeyemi Prize? Or when you were selected to be the keynote at the AADM conference?”

Her knowledge of his accomplishments made him flush. She knows way too much about it, but almost nothing at all at the same time. He thought. “No, no, nothing like that. I think it was when I applied for med school.”

“When you… applied?” Her voice was confused.

“Yes.” He said with certainty, “All those other things were other people’s decisions. What I’m most proud of is my decision. To leave behind what had been planned for me and embark on my own path.” He remembered the day he had received his acceptance letter, the look on his father’s face.

“Do you want kids?” The question caused him to blink back to reality.

Ethan clamped his mouth down, not saying anything for so long, that Jordynne reached out again, “Dr. Ramsey?”

“I heard you. I’m thinking.” It was a difficult question. He longed for something he didn’t have now, that he wasn’t sure he could ever have. He had day-dreamed of it before — a big, stretched out belly of a faceless woman, baby-proofing his apartment, a sense of excitement and nervousness of being a father. But who would dare settle down with him, the emotionally unavailable, workaholic diagnostician? Who would commit to raising a family with a semi-present partner — someone who would take care of his patients over his own child?

“I’m not sure if that’s in the cards for me.”

“No?” Her voice was gentle.

Ethan swallowed, “I don’t think I’d be able to be there for them, at least not the way they would need. Besides, I’ve seen too many horror stories firsthand.” He thought to Dolores, to the ward full of children with cancer a few floors up from them, the busy NICU.

Letting out a sigh, he continued, “Okay, one more. Ask something complex.”

“Alright…,” She hesitated, he could hear her breath through the speakers.

“Out with it Jordynne.”

“What do you think of attending-resident relationships?” She blurted out.

Ethan’s blue eyes snapped open, staring into the inside of the fMRI. “I’m sorry?”

She didn’t miss a beat, “You heard me.”

He furrowed his brows, “Attendings are responsible for the management and training of the residents. That has to take priority. Romantic entanglements… interfere with that. We’re doctors.” Why would she ask this? He wished he could see her face, study it to try and figure out what was going on her head right now. ‘Cause his mind was reeling. Licking his lips, he continued, “Besides, any intimate feelings are just neurochemical responses to heightened stress and frequent exposure to each other.” His heart hammered in his chest, waiting for her response.

“Riiiight.” She drawled, before letting out a laugh.

Letting out a huff, Ethan closed his eyes. “I think we’re done here.”

The humming of the machine suddenly stopped, and the metal table slid out of the contraption. He got up quickly, grabbing onto his discarded clothes. Ethan had just finished buttoning up his shirt as Jordynne appeared from the control room.

He coughed before speaking, “I take it the machine is working normally?”

“Like a charm.” Her green eyes followed his fingers as he re-tied the knot in his tie.

“Excellent. Thank you… for the assistance.” He gulped — trying to get a read on her.

“Anytime.” Her pink lips spread into a smile, “Next time, you can ask the questions.”

Ethan nodded awkwardly at her, before turning on his heel. He thought that doing this fMRI would take his mind off of things — but it had only made things worst. Opening his mouth to speak, he thought about questioning her but he thought better of it. “Rookie,” He nodded again, before leaving the room without another word, leaving Dr. Holland alone in the room.

_______________________________________________________________________

Bracing the heavy beer keg on her hip, Jordynne fumbled in front of their apartment building — trying to get the door open. Her arms were exhausted — not only did she have to lug this thing on the subway, but she couldn’t get the smell of vomit off of her, even after her shower. It had been a long day, to say the least.

And Dr. Ramsey had been even harder to read than usual. She thought she was making ground with him — after Dolores, at the baseball game. But he had refused to come tonight, even though other Attendings were coming. And he seemed so awkward after the fMRI questioning — maybe she had gone too far. But she was so curious — she had Ethan’s brain in front of her, she couldn’t help herself.

Her eyebrows furrowed as left the elevator, hopping out onto their floor to find a packed hallway. “Sorry, excuse me,” She twisted her body around the large group of people before finding her apartment door already open. It was packed with people — most of them hospital staff.

“Holy crap,” She muttered to herself, too quiet to be heard over the loud music and laughter as people played drinking games.

“Jordynne!” A blur of brown caused her to jump, as Ines wrapped her arms around her in a half-hug. Some of her drink sloshed around in her cup, drenching the back of Jordynne’s shirt. “Thanks so much for inviting us!” Her voice sounded slightly slurred.

Jordynne smiled politely as Dr. Mirani approached, “Oh! Dr. Miarani! I’m, uh… really glad you could join us.”

Ines let out a laugh, hitting her arm gently, “We’re outside the hospital, you can call him Zaid!”

Jordynne shuffled her feet, trying to balance the weight of the heavy key but not wanting to be rude.

Zaid gave her a sheepish smile, “This is really great, Holland. I’m loving this party.”

“I can’t tell if he’s being sarcastic,” Jordynne said to herself, shaking her head before she started to waddle towards the kitchen, weaving through the crowd, “Excuse me, sorry… Coming through!”

Suddenly the weight in her arms was alleviated, and she turned around and was face to face with Bryce. “Lemme help with that. I was wondering where you were.”

She smiled, following him into the kitchen as he placed the keg on the counter. “At the hospital, getting puked on. Again.”

His brown eyes flashed, a grin growing on his face. “I love when you talk dirty.”

Barking out of a laugh, she grabbed onto his bicep easily, “At least one of us does. Give me a minute to get showered and changed.”

“I’ll be here,” He winked at her before turning back to the keg to finish setting it up.

Rushing into the bathroom closest to her room, Jordynne flung her clothes into the basket, threw up her hair and jumped into the shower. She started scrubbing at her skin, trying to get the smell of vomit and booze off of her. A smile spread across her face as she thought of Bryce waiting for her out there. They had been spending more time together — catching each other in the cafeteria, drinks after work at Donahue’s and the occasional supply room make out. It was easy with him. No questions, no uncertainty.

Closing her eyes, she let the water fall over her face for a moment while she remained thinking. It wasn’t like how it was Ethan. Not that her and Ethan made out in supply closets. But he was so exasperating — one moment he was confiding in her, trusting her and the next she was back to being called “Rookie”. And why did he not want to come tonight?

Why did it bother her so much that he didn’t want to?

Sighing, she turned off the shower, grabbing a nearby towel and wrapping herself in it. She didn’t need to get riled up about Ethan. Bryce was here, and he wanted to be here. That’s what mattered.

Standing in front of the mirror, Jordynne quickly put on some fresh makeup — her long lashes curled and pink lips shiny with gloss. Letting her hair down again, she fussed with it until it framed her face.

Sneaking into her room, she stood in front of her wardrobe rummaging through her clothes. A shiny, red top caught her eye and she pulled it on with ease, leaving her bra behind. Jumping into a pair of tight black jeans, she paused in front of the mirror. As she headed to open her bedroom door, she paused to squirt some perfume onto her pulse points before heading back into the loud living room.

Somehow it seemed even busier in the apartment than it had when she left, but Jordynne found Bryce easily. He matched her smile as they met eyes, but it faltered as his eyes trailed up and down her body.

He walked up to her, his eyebrows raised. “Oh, damn.”

She pursed her lips, “Problem?”

Taking a sip from his red cup, Bryce shook his head, “Just admiring the transformation.”

Jordynne let a sly smile spread across her face, “Are you saying I looked terrible before?”

He stepped closer to her, she could smell his warm and fresh scent. “I’m saying you look killer now.” He whispered in her ear.

She eyed the drink in his hand, before looking up to meet his eyes, “I need to see a doctor about some shots.”

A mischievous grin grew on his lips, “I think I’m due for some of those myself. Lead the way!”

Jordynne grabbed onto his forearm, pulling him with her towards the drinks.

Several shots, drinks and beer pong games later, Jordynne’s tan skin was flushed red from the booze. The night had turned quiet about an hour before, many of the guests had started to leave once they had finished up their games. She finished hugging Ines, before turning on her heel back into the living room. Looking around at the mess and few people left behind, she muttered to herself, “Wow. What a party…”

She noticed Bryce in the dining room, collecting cans into a recycling bag. A small smile spread over her face as she padded over to him. He noticed her, “Just about done cleaning up over here, Jordynne…”

Grabbing onto some nearby cans, Jordynne closed the distance between them — adding them into the blue bag.

“Thank you,” He said, starting to tie up the full bag.

“Thank me? You’re the one staying late to clean up our party.”

He shrugged, “Eh. Force of habit, I guess. Messes seem to follow me around for some reason. I’m pretty used to cleaning them up at this point.”

She looked around at the cleaning room, “I can see that.” Grabbing the bag out of his hands, she placed it next to the couch. “You know…,” She bit her lip, eyeing Bryce’s mouth. “You don’t have to go home.”

“Oh yeah?” He lowered his voice, edging closer to her, “And where would I sleep?”

Jordynne licked her lips, grabbing onto his bicep, “With me.”

Bryce let out a breath, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

Lowering her hand, she wrapped her fingers around his before pulling him down the hallway. As soon as they were out of the sight of the others, their lips crashed together passionately — both of their mouths tasting of booze. Jordynne fumbled for her doorknob behind her until they both staggered backward into the room — not breaking their kiss.

Grabbing onto Jordynne’s chin, Bryce took control of the kiss — pressing her up against the wooden door, slowing the kiss down and deepening it.

Breaking their kiss, she opened her eyes, “Do you think anyone saw us?”

“Do you care?” He smirked.

“Not really.”

“Good,” He slid his hands under Jordynne’s sequinned shirt, his fingers trailing up her spine. He chuckled as she let out a happy sigh, before stopping his hand. “No bra?” He questioned, feeling her bareback.

The pair looked down at her cleavage before he looked up smirking. “You are gorgeous and I need to see a whole lot more of you.” Tugging at her top, Jordynne lifted her arms over her head so he could pull it off. The cold air caused her nipples to harden slightly. Bryce eyed her hungrily, before pushing his lips back onto hers. His kisses trailed down to her chin, then her neck and down her bare shoulders.

“Mmm…,” Jordynne let out as she leaned into the gesture.

Bryce grabbed onto her hips, his strong hands spinning her around to press her ass into him. He continued kissing her neck, biting gently every so often as he played with the top of her jeans. His fingers effortlessly slid into her pants, feeling Jordynne’s smooth skin. She shuttered at the feeling as he groaned in her ear, “You went commando? God, you’re hot.”

With a quick zip, her pants were at her ankles and she was stepping out of them, stark naked compared to Bryce, who was still fully dressed. “You are… very good at this.” She was a little breathless.

“I’m good at a lot of things,” He smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. He grabbed the back of her head, capturing her mouth again — his hands roaming to her back, to her breasts to her hips to her inner thigh.

Jordynne’s knees buckled slightly, but she continued to whisper to him, “You did tell me you had the best hands…”

“And?” His voice muffled through kissing her neck and chest.

“And I need more convincing,” See smirked, moving her neck away from his greedy lips.

Bryce let out a laugh, putting his hands on her hips and guiding her towards the bed. The backs of Jordynne’s knees hit her mattress, and she squinted at him. “How am I completely naked while you’re still dressed?”

He bit his lip, staring down at her, “Feel free to fix that.”

Grabbing onto the hem of his sweater, Jordynne pulled it over his head — pushing his messy hair back. Taking charge, her long fingers started unbuttoning his shirt — revealing his tan chest. Her pink lips met his warm skin, as she kissed his collarbone. Her fingers pushed his shirt aside, feeling his hard abs. His shirt hit the floor, as she playfully pushed him onto the bed — his body bouncing up and down on the mattress. A devilish smile crossed her lips, as she unbuttoned his jeans and started tugging them down.

Bryce watched her looming over him, and he swallowed. “Better?”

She crawled on top of him, putting her knees on either side of him, “So much.” Leaning down, Jordynne kissed him. His strong arms came around her middle, pushing her into him tightly. As their kisses turned more passionate, their hips began to move against each other. Jordynne could feel him twitching between the thin fabric of his underwear. His fingertips dug into her hips at the feeling.

Bryce broke the kiss, his eyes studying hers for a moment — both of them breathless. “Are you sure you want this?”

Bending over, she nipped at his earlobe, “Keep going, Lahela.”

His brown eyes darkened with desire, “Whatever you want, Jordynne.” His fingers slid down her hips into her inner thigh.

She closed her eyes, relishing in the touch, “Whatever I want?”

Suddenly, his strong hands flipped her over — her blonde hair wildly splayed out on the bed as he pressed her onto her back. Her tan legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him into her. He pressed his lips to hers again, the kisses long and soft.

“Tell me.” His perfect fingers untangled from her hair, trailing down her jawline, her neck, the curve of her breasts before settling just under her belly button. “Jordynne? What do you want?”

She gulped, looking at him through her thick lashes, “I want you to touch me.”

Biting his lip, his fingers slid down her leg before cupping her. She squirmed under his touch, causing him to smile, “You’re stunning.” He whispered, his lips teasing hers as his fingers plunged into her.

Jordynne let out a moan at the feeling, before crashing her mouth back onto his — muffling her sounds. She lifted her hips off of the bed, pushing his fingers deeper inside her. She broke their kiss, trying to catch her breath, “You really do have the best hands.”

He grinned, before placing his mouth on her breast — enveloping her nipple. She let out a sound as he let go of it, another smile breaking across his face at her reaction. “You should see what the rest of me can do,” His lips started trailing down her stomach, then her hips, her thigh until his mouth met his fingers.

Jordynne threw her head back, her fingers grabbing onto Bryce’s soft hair, pulling on it gently as he licked at her. Her thighs started trembling as a familiar warmth started building in her belly, “Oh, Bryce…” She let out a loud moan, her thighs tightening around his strong shoulders as she found her release. Biting her lip, she whimpered — trying to keep quiet in the apartment filled with people.

Finally, her legs relaxed, falling to his side. Bryce knelt between her legs, his eyes smoldering as he stared at Jordynne — her long, blonde hair sprawled out behind her, her chest rising and falling as she tried to catch her breath. “And?”

She let out a happy sigh, “You are good at a lot of things.”

He let out a breathy laugh, before pushing his hips back into hers. She could feel his hard member, twitching in the thin fabric of his underwear. The pair groaned at the feeling, and Jordynne pushed her fingers into the waistband of his briefs.

Bryce closed his dark eyes, his mouth opening as she grabbed onto him. Gulping, he opened his mouth to speak but Jordynne cut him off, “Top drawer.”

He grinned at her, before reaching over to the nightstand and grabbing a condom. It tore open easily, and he quickly slipped off his underwear before kneeling back down between Jordynne. She took it from him, pumping his shaft in her hand before rolling the condom on for him. Bryce closed his eyes, arching his back at her touch.

Bending over, their lips caught in a kiss again — and Jordynne felt herself melt into Bryce. She opened her legs for him, his hips burying into hers. The pair let out a gasp as he entered her, her walls stretching to let him in. Grabbing onto her leg, he hooked it around his waist, his shaft shoving into her more deeply.

“Bryce!” Jordynne let out, squirming beneath him as he withdrew from her before thrusting back in. He silenced her with an open-mouthed kiss, swallowing her moans. The kiss was urgent and raw — she grabbed onto his shoulder, bracing herself as their hips rocked faster and harder together.

The feeling of coming undone came closer and closer, and she tipped her head back, “I’m gonna, I’m gonna —“

“Fuck, Jordynne," Bryce groaned, his hands bracing himself on her hips, his fingers squeezing her. His hips started pumping erratically, Jordynne biting down on her lip to keep quiet as the insides of her eyes went white. He grunted soon after, spilling into her.

The pair stared into each other’s eyes for a moment, both of their chests heaving as they tried to catch their breath. Bryce stayed hovering over her, before pressing his lips softly to hers. Pulling back, he smiled at her, “We’re gonna do that again, right?”

Jordynne let out a laugh, kissing his tan cheek, “Hell yeah.”

_______________________________________________________________________

Golden light trickled in through the cafeteria window, casting a glow on the crowd of people inside. Ethan was sitting in the corner at a table all by himself — a closed textbook and tray of food in front of him. He didn’t frequent the cafeteria very often, but he had needed to take a break from his office. He was spending every spare moment in there — before work, coffee breaks, lunch, after work. Any spare moment he had to be used to research Naveen’s condition. But he still hadn’t come up with anything. So instead of blankly staring at his computer upstairs, Ethan was blankly staring out of the window, chewing quietly.

Ethan let out a sigh as a pair of particularly chatty nurses sat down at the table near him. There goes his peaceful lunch hour. He started to grab his things, ready to leave but he overheard something that made him stop.

“Last night was so much fun.”

“Same, Varma and Holland sure know how to throw a party.” The two nurses gossiped, both of them scrolling through their phones.

Ethan sat back down, opening up the textbook in front of him and pretending to read. Even though he had refused to go, he was still interested.

“Their roommates are cool too. Elijah’s taste in music was great.”

The other nurse rolled her eyes, “Honestly, Vera just talk to him. Besides, who was looking at anyone but Lahela. God, I could eat him with a spoon.” She flashed her friend her phone, before turning it back to herself with a smile.

“I think Jordynne, beat you to that.”

Ethan’s eyebrows furrowed, “What?” He thought.

“What?!” The other nurse echoed Ethan’s thoughts, her mouth hanging open in disbelief.

“You saw them last night, they were all over each other. Besides, Tanya’s friends with his roommate and apparently Bryce never came home last night.”

Ethan gulped, confused at the twisting feeling he felt in his stomach.  

“Damn, good job Holland.”

Ethan’s chairs scrapped loudly as he suddenly pushed it back — standing up. The two nurses looked up to him, taken aback by his sudden movement. Gulping, he grabbed onto the textbook before racing out of the cafeteria.

He could feel a heat spreading on his neck, and his fingers were curling into a fist. He should have just gone to the stupid party — taken a break from Naveen’s case, then maybe nothing would have happened between them. Why did he care that something had happened between them? She wasn’t his. She was his intern, a rookie. Nothing else.

Still, as he thought that he couldn’t help but feel the knot in his stomach. He wasn’t jealous. He wasn’t.

He stopped dead in his tracks as he turned out of the elevator, swallowing hard. Of course, Jordynne’s face was the first that he saw. She was leaning against the nurses' station, a huge smile plastered on her face. She was twirling her pen around nervously, speaking with someone he couldn’t see.

Moving down the hallway, his steps faltered once more. It was Lahela, leaning up next to her casually — his elbow propping up his head as he watched her. Ethan gripped the textbook in his hand harder as he watched him lean into her, whispering into her ear. Jordynne let out a laugh, swatting at the surgeon’s muscular arm.

Setting his jaw, Ethan started to stride past them, catching a piece of their conversation. “Come on… you know you want to.” The surgeon growled at her, his voice low and suggestive.

Jordynne’s green eyes went wide, her face flushing as she noticed Ethan walking past, “And I will see you later.”

She tried to fall into step with him, but Ethan picked up his pace. He did not want to see her right now. His mind was still reeling, and he felt like throwing the textbook in his hand at a wall.

“Morning Dr. Ramsey,” She greeted him softly, but he ignored it. She didn’t give up, “I just wanted to give you an update—“

He turned on his heel, finally facing her, “Not now, Rookie. Find someone else to bother.” His nostrils flared.

Her pink mouth opened in surprise, taken aback by his reaction.

Ethan didn’t wait for her to reply, before spinning around and heading in the opposite direction. Distance yourself. Distance yourself. He repeated the thought in his head, marching away from her as fast as possible.

Part Eight

[idkwhoiamanymorebutwtf]

Highkey tired of people saying "where's the Jasper redemption arc? Peridot and Lapis got reedeemed. Why not Jasper?!? Why didn't she join the crystal gems and fight the diamonds?!?!?"

Y'all wanna know what's different between these three characters? Cause I can tell you what's different between these three characters.

Let's analyze all three of their actions early on in the series first. Pre Cluster arc.

What did Lapis do wrong? Stealing the ocean and attacking the gems is the big one. So why'd she do it? She'd just been imprisoned in solitude for thousands of years, which is by all definitions, torture. The gems wanted to put her back in the prison and let her rot there. She was terrified and desperate to get home and get away from the gems. She immediately agreed to let the ocean go when Steven healed her gem, and she later covered for the Crystal Gems and Steven when they were coming back in the hand ship. After that Lapis and Jasper both disappeared into the ocean.

So what did Peridot do? She tried to reactivate the kindergarten first off. But the thing about that is she didn't understand what she was doing. She thought in her own words, that it was "formless, lifeless energy being channeled into new, useful gems." Peridot had never been to earth. She'd never seen the life it held. She didn't understand what the Crystal Gems were protecting. And she tried to squish Steven, but it's debatable weather she was actually trying to kill him or just poof him to get him out of her way. She hardly ever initiated the conflicts she had with the gems. After jailbreak she was a rather passive villain, with the crystal gems trying to stop her from getting home rather than her making any moves to hurt them. She only resorted to outright facing the gems of her own accord and kidnapping Steven when she was sure the cluster would emerge at any time and terrified for her own life.

Then there's Jasper. In her very first appearance she ordered for the gems to be killed, she tried to take them to homeworld (reminder that the gems were never threatened so clearly before that. Lapis and Peridot didn't want anything to do with the Crystal gems, and only got tangled up with the gems because they had conflicting motivations that weren't meant to involve the gems at all. Jasper's motivation WAS to hurt the crystal gems.). Jasper even showed threatening and violent behaviors towards both Peridot and Lapis during this time while neither of them had been cruel to their ally's by any stretch of the imagination. Jasper then grabbed Lapis out of the rubble while she was trying to fly away. I won't say Lapis didn't do anything wrong in their fusion. But it says something that Lapis was the one who tried to run and Jasper was the one who grabbed her (remember, Jasper wasn't nice about it. She grabbed Lapis. She demanded they fuse. Maybe she didn't actually force Lapis to do anything, but it's clear she was the aggressor.)

Now, here's the thing. Before the cluster arc, who had the most demand for a redemption arc? Lapis, though many didn't even see the need to redeem her. Aftee that was Peridot (and Peri was second by a large margin), and then Jasper. So now let's look into why Jasper was so far behind the other two in popularity.

It all comes down to how the characters were set up. Lapis was always trying to flee. She was victimized from the start. Her trauma was always very clear and all she wanted was to go home. She helped the Crystal gems by sending them warnings and she covered for Steven in Jailbreak. Not to mention that she was put in a damn cell by Jasper. All of these leave her appearing very vulnerable and put her in what appeared to be the best position to turn to the side of good.

Peridot was much more of a villain, but look at how she was as an antagonist. She never initiated conflict, it was always the crystal gems who went after her. Peridot always gave off the sense that she didn't know any more than Steven or any of the viewers did when it came to the lore of the show (questioning who the crystal gems are, not knowing what a human is, not understanding why the gems wanted go bresk her stuff), and she never showed any desire to hurt or fight the gems. She just wanted them out of her way so she could do her job. After Jailbreak she was especially unthreatening. While her being loose on earth gave potential for her to be a bigger antagonist, I felt almost bad for her. She only tried to get home. She never launched an attack on the gems. The only time she even came close is when she set a trap for them in Friend Ship, and that was only after countless incidents of them preventing her from getting home. By all means, that was kinda Peridot's only option. They were determined to keep her from going home. Probably to poof and bubble her. Peridot was an antagonist in the sense that she opposed the Crystal Gems, but she was never antagonistic. And that's why her redemption was so believable.

Then there's Jasper. She was alwaus fighting, her main goals were to hurt the gems, she knew about the war and the planet and everything Garnet and Pearl did that the audience didn't. Jasper couldn't be excused as ignorant or unhostile. She wasn't either of those things. She was a threat and the only big one at the time. She hated the gems. Even when in Malachite she was fighting to hurt Steven. She constantly insulted and belittled the gems. Long into Peridot and Lapis being protagonists, she still fought the gems. The fact that she was motivated by hatred for Rose and the gems, combined by the fact that she launched attack after attack without prompting? She was an antagonist in a way Peri and Lapis just weren't.

Finally, why does redeeming Peridot and Lapis work while reedeeming Jasper just..wouldn't?

What was Lapis's motivation throughout everything? Freedom. Control over her life. That's what she wanted throughout the entire series. Her villain motivation was her desperation to get home and away from the place she'd been imprisoned. Her redemption focused around showing her that Earth really is the place she can be most free. As a protagonist, she fights for that. As she said, "if they're going to treat me like a crystal gem, I may as well be one." Lapis was fighting the Diamonds because she was fighting her own persecution. She was fighting for her ability to be free and escape the constant prisons she was put in, weather by others or by her own fears. She finally made up her mind. She stopped running. She took a stand for something and set herself free. It's the natural way for her story to go. Have a character whose been imprisoned most of her life? Set her free and see what she does with it. Have a character whose spent most of her episodes afraid and indecisive? Her character arc obviously leads to a decision, one way or the other. Have a character who always runs? Whose been fleeing since day one? Whose always thought it better to sit submissively than to fight back? Have her finally decide to stand and fight. That's her natural storyline. That's where Lapis has been going since day one. That's why it works. She still has her issues and her flaws. But her storyline puts her firmly on the side of good.

Peridot was an antagonist too. Why? She saw the world in black and white. She didn't understand the use of orgsnic life. She didn't understand love or emotion. It was very black and white thinking. And what did they do with her? They showed her the gray of the spectrum. They gave her friendship and showed her the beauty of earth. And her rule driven brain had to adjust. She struggled a lot with replacing her worldview, but when you have such an ignorant character, especially one with such a will to learn new things..educating them is the way you go about it. She relies on logic and reasoning. Destroying a planet with such a vibrant ecosystem isn't logical. Yellow Diamond's black and white thinking wasn't logical. Peridot is a sciency nerd. Science people always look for new data and adapt acordingly. Peridot adapting to the new information she was given as she learned...of course she turned to the side of good.

But Jasper. What was she motivated by? A need to avenge Pink Diamond? A dictator who the leader of the Crystal Gems supposedly shattered? Her loyalty to a system our protagonists were actively fighting against? Her place in a war that she fought on the opposition to all of our hero's?!? Her bigotry, not stemming from ignorance, but from her own full beleif that she was right?!? Her hatred for our protagonists? Tell me, which of these aspects should we play off for our redemption arc? When her motivation is her deeply ingrained loyalty to everything our hero's stand against, what is there to redeem? The only path for her arc was eventual self destruction. Maybe now that the truth came out she can have an arc of improvement. But before Diamond Days there wasn't any option for her.

So yeah, it kinda annoys me that people overlook character motivations and such for the sake of "Jasper's hot thooo" or "imagine protective cheetoh mom ❤🌈⭐🌼" and then try to paint it as an actual criticism of the shiw that they didn't put her on the Crystal Gem's side. Guess what, if you're that into the idea of Jasper switching sides somehow and throwing all her motivations, her violence, her hatred for the gems, her bigotry, her loyalty to the diamonds, and her pride in fighting a war against the Crystal Gems out the window, then you don't actually like Jasper, you just want a hot buff character with whatever personality you wish Jasper had instead of the one she actually does. And that's on you.

[theserpentlife]

Chapter 1: The Fall

hey loves, so here’s the first chapter of my riverdale rewrite based on this storyline and character synopsis i did awhile back. this is my first time writing fiction like ever and it was really fun and i hope you guys enjoy it and let me know what you guys. send me nice messages pls.

Recommended Song to accompany read; Always forever - The Cults

As the raging summer takes its last humid breath, trees morph from tones of lush greens into assorted hues of red and gold. Brightly tinted maple leaves fall from the trees like confetti, a triumphant declaration of the beginning of the crisp and cool autumn. The season of fall had come to Riverdale, a small town nestled inconspicuously on the northern border. The season of autumn held great significance for the townspeople. It marked the beginning of the new school year for the town’s youth. A change of hands between the elder of the teens who would be leaving town for their college lives and the younger bright-eyed ones on the cusps of their new lives as high school students.

Fall was also the prime harvesting season for the town’s number one export - it’s rich tapestry of sickly sweet maple syrup. An abundance of sticky gold bled bountifully out of the trunks of the tall maple trees that surrounded the town. Steeped in decades of tradition and history, the Blossom Maple Farms, founded by the descendants of the Blossom Family, was truly the bedrock of the town’s economy.

In the winter of 1998, under the celestial glow of the full moon, the next in line to the empire would be born. An heiress. Cheryl Blossom had skin as pale as snow and hair as red as flames. As soon as she had left the confines of her mother's womb she had already committed a grave sin - being born a daughter to parents who had prayed ceaselessly for a son. Imagine the wrath that rained on her after Penelope was told she could no longer bear any other children. Cheryl Blossom’s very existence marked the end of the Blossom bloodline.

__________

Archie Andrews threw his freshly pressed light blue shirt over his broad shoulders and slowly worked his way up the buttons. As soon as he reached the very last one on the top, a bizarre scene unfolded in the reflection of his bathroom mirror. He saw that his hands were replaced with much paler ones, nails long and exquisitely polished in a deep red color. The air around him had suddenly gone cold. He was paralyzed by the sight before him and yet he could not look away. It was as if the cool wind had frozen him in place too. A sickeningly sweet aroma swarmed around him and his eyes darted anxiously as if trying to trace its source before fixating on his reflection once more. The mysterious hand was now gone and so was the smell. Archie swallowed hard at the lump that had gathered in his throat. It was probably just his imagination playing tricks on him, he reasoned. After all, he spent most of the night before tossing and turning in bed.

He takes a handful of his watered-down hair wax and slathers it generously onto his saffron hued locks. As expected the wax doesn’t take well to his hair. "Damn it." He grunts in annoyance before slathering another dollop, this time running his hands through his hair with increasingly aggressive strokes. His rage interrupted by a sudden weight pressing down on his right shoulder. His fear-ridden body jumps in response to the unwelcomed stimuli. “Woah Arch, I didn’t mean to scare you. I thought you heard me come in.” It was Betty Cooper. “You okay?” Betty's brows were furrowed softly in concern. Archie's usual warm and rosy complexion was drained of all its color. She ran her hands across the length of his back in soft and soothing strokes. Her touch did wonders in soothing him. “Y-yeah I’m good.” "You sure?" "Yeah, Bets." this time Archie manages to conjure up a soft smile. Betty mirrors her childhood sweetheart melting into a soft smile herself. Her eyes trail the entire length of Archie’s body before fixating on his hazel brown eyes. “You look handsome.” she cooed. Archie couldn’t help but break into a light chuckle before averting his gaze away from her crystal blue eyes. Archie always had a habit of looking away or biting his lips whenever he felt sheepish and Betty loved that about him.

She brushed back the loose strands of hair that had fallen on his forehead and adjusted his navy blue varsity jacket, making sure to dust off any loose traces of lint. He instinctively stepped forward, eliminating the distance between them wanting nothing more but to take in the familiar aroma of her rose-scented perfume and the slight traces of her magnolia shampoo. He lifted his hands to embrace her face, thumbs softly stroking the pink of her cheeks. “I don’t know what I would do without you, Betty Cooper.”

______________

It’s twenty minutes before the start of the first period and the schoolyard is teeming with cliques of excited teens all engrossed in exchanging stories about how they had spent their summer. Right across the street, a sleek black BMW pulls into the street. Its tinted windows rolled down to reveal a raven-haired teen peering discreetly at the scene before her.  

“Andre, my dear, you can stop the car here.”

“But Miss-”

“It’s okay Andre, I prefer to walk.”.

Veronica Lodge had a plan. After her family's not-so-graceful fall from high society in New York, Veronica wanted nothing more than to detach herself from the shame of her past life. Opting instead to forge a new one for herself. She looked down to inspect her outfit one last time. A simple black dress, sinched fashionably at the waist with a thin violet belt. Her hands found its way to her collarbone and lingered on her bare skin where her prized pearl necklace used to lay.

"No need to pick me up later. I'll see you at the Pembrooke." Andre nodded, pausing thoughtfully for a second before flashing a warm smile at Veronica's reflection in the front view mirror. "Have a nice day at school, miss." she heard Andre say before closing the car door behind her. Nice day. I sure hope so she thought. Veronica wasn't expecting much from her new life in Riverdale, after all, she wasn't planning on staying for long. She figured it was best if she kept a low profile and made a graceful exit when it came time for her family to return to their lives in New York. No attachments, no drama. The lesser her classmates knew about her the better.

Inscribed in gold on the school’s brick facade read “Riverdale High”. Here goes nothing. As soon as she pushed open the rust-tinted front doors, she found herself right in the middle of it all. Students gathered in front of their lockers, chatting with friends and getting their books in order. All eyes were drawn to her immediately. You see in a small town like Riverdale, everybody knew everybody. They all shared the same street, grew up in the same schools. It was an understatement to say that she stood out like a sore thumb. She eased into a slight smile hoping it would soften her image, but her attempts were received with snickers and ridicule instead. There was no time for pleasantries anyway, the first period was coming up and she hadn't found her locker yet. “431.431.431” she repeated as her eyes scanned the row of deep blue lockers on either side of the hallway. “Veronica Lodge?” She froze in her tracks as if struck by a freeze gun. No way. Was it someone she knew? Perhaps someone from New York? This couldn't be happening. Her cover already blown and all before the first period?

She turned slowly on her heels to meet her fate and to her surprise and great relief it was a new face, someone she hadn't met before. Standing before her was an all-too-enthusiastic, blonde ponytail donning Betty Cooper. “I’m Betty Cooper, I’m on the welcoming committee. I’m supposed to give you a tour of the school? You know get you oriented on our programs and clubs and where the restrooms are...”. Her cheerful demeanor and upbeat voice threw Veronica off. I guess she wasn't used to the warm hospitality. An ambiguously awkward period of silence passed between the two before Betty let out a nervous laugh, embarrassment coloring her cheeks a bright pink. “Right Betty, nice to meet you". Veronica extended her hand for a handshake and Betty gladly returned the gesture.  

“So, have you found your locker yet?”.

“No, actually, I’ve been walking in circles for the past five minutes. Do you know where 431 is?" Betty nodded and mouthed an Ah-hah before leading Veronica further down the hall. “431, here we are.”. Veronica entered the code for the lock and viola her life at Riverdale High had officially begun.

________

“So here we have the girls’ locker room, that's the gym hall over there, and the cafeteria is just down the hall to the left.”. The all-inclusive Riverdale High campus tour was in full swing, led by Riverdale's golden girl no less. Veronica nodded nonchalantly, a polite gesture in acknowledgment of Betty's forthcoming reception. Veronica, however, took little effort to remember the details of the tour seeing as her time at Riverdale High would be brief.  

“Oh, and this is the Blue & Gold-" Veronica's ear perked at the noticeable boost in enthusiasm in Betty's tone. You'd think the blonde couldn't get any peppier than this. "You’ll find me here most of the time, I’m the Chief Editor here.”. The pair stepped into the dimly-lit space, a small classroom haphazardly converted into a publishing center for the school's paper. Tall dusty shelves lined the corners of the room with volumes of worn and aged books displayed sparsely on its bones. Their workstations buried in tall stacks of paper, several empty coffee mugs, and typewriters. Talk about old-fashioned. Who knew moving to a small town meant going back in time. “You know we’re always looking for writers so if-” “No thanks, I’m not much of a writer myself,” Veronica interjects, ‘But...I love what you’ve done with the place,” she rejoined, feeling her initial rejection of Betty's offer was rather crass for the good-hearted blonde.

Seated at the very corner of the space was Jughead Jones. A pair of gold-rimmed glasses perched precariously on the edge of his sharp nose. He sips his black coffee with one hand while the other dances frantically over the keyboard of his MacBook. Paying absolutely no heed to the presence of the two. “Jughead, this is Veronica Lodge she’s-” “New girl I know.” he interrupts, not even bothering to pry his gaze from his laptop to meet theirs. “This is Jughead, he’s one of the best writers in this school. His pieces are phenomenal.”.

“Well, I guess I should start reading the school paper then.” Veronica thought she should offer a light compliment, perhaps as a way to break the ice. She reached out her freshly manicured hand to shake his but was met with an unfazed Jughead still blissfully engrossed in his writing. She retrieved her hand, ego sorely bruised by the boy's crude demeanor. It took everything in her not to roll her eyes and return his hostility with a snarky remark. But she was new Veronica and new Veronica was not going to make an enemy out of her classmate on the very first day of Sophmore year.

Just as Betty was about to usher Veronica out, they hear Jughead read the summary of his latest piece aloud. A seemingly innocent behavior laced with malice of course. A deliberate attempt to rattle the cage. You see Jughead Jones was a bit of a sadist, getting a kick out of ticking people off every once in a while. He reclined into his seat, fingers interlocked behind his head as he began the narration of his latest piece. “Dark and mysterious family moves into town on the very same night Riverdale's scarlet heiress Cheryl Blossom goes missing - an awful coincidence perhaps?” “Jug!” a wide-eyed Betty scolds.

“Excuse me?” Veronica glared in disbelief. “Oh, it’s just a piece I’m working on about the disappearance of Cheryl Blossom.” Jughead gets up from his seat to come face to face with a fuming Veronica. His cold blue eyes peering straight through her dark ones. She couldn't help but scoff at Jughead's ridiculous attempt at yellow journalism.

“So let me get this straight, you think I body-snatched some girl I don’t even know, just so I could take her place in some local high school in the middle of nowhere?” Jug shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s just a working theory.”. Unbelievable! The guy practically knew her for all of five minutes and already he’s pegging her for a kidnapper. “Come on Veronica, let's go.” Betty ushered Veronica out of the room before looking back once more to shoot Jug a disapproving look.

“Betty, I have a question.”

"Yup?" the blonde hummed, eyes glued to the pages of her baby blue leather notebook. She ran her index finger down the rows of her handwritten agenda making sure she had covered all the bases of Veronica's orientation tour. "Who the hell is Cheryl Blossom?”. Betty blinked up at Veronica, her organized thoughts completely disarrayed. She wasn't prepared for this. Cheryl Blossom's disappearing act of the summer was not on the agenda for today and frankly, she didn't know how to describe Cheryl, well not with decent adjectives at least. "Well, she umm... she's-". Betty fumbled over her words before giving up completely seeing as Veronica herself was absorbed in the sight before them. A locker plastered with personal messages and flowers with a row of lit candles lined up neatly at its foot. A bright red banner hung from the ceiling just above it reading "Come home, Cheryl.".

_____________________________________

ok so should i continue with a chapter 2 or lets can this mess - what do ya’ll think? sound off in the comments.

[holylulusworld]

Dean vs. Magic – Part 7

Summary: Dean doesn’t like Sam’s best friend as she’s using white magic. Can he accept her help to save Sam?

Pairing: Dean x Reader, Castiel, Sam

Warnings: language, arguments, angry reader, tension, use of handcuffs, smut, unprotected sex (don’t do this), sad reader, overstimulation?, Dean being a horny/ persistent bastard, forced orgasm (kinda), fun, voyeurism (unintended)

Dean vs Magic Masterlist

 I swear all the smut is important for the storyline in the next chapter…well and for fun… ;)

  One week later

  “Why didn’t you stay at the bunker? I could’ve totally handled one witch!” Dean yells.

Hopping toward him due to your hurt foot you poke a finger into his chest.

“By letting her draining the life out of your body?” You snap back.

“That’s not the point! I gave you an order, the order to stay here!”

“I’m not your slave or your employee! You yell now.

“You do as I say, when I say it. If I say jump you only ask how high!” Dean insists.

“You really are an ass!”

“No just the leader!”

“Why did you bring me here in the first place if you won’t let me help you?”

“I told you why months ago.” Dean grunts.

“To keep an eye on me? You’re so annoying!”

���No I’ve got more experience in hunting. So you do as I say!”

“That’s bull and you know it! You would be dead without my help.”

“Why do you even care?” He yells now.

“As I like you asshole!”

“And I shall believe you?”

“No, I’m the evil witch – remember?”

“You like me? – Very funny.”

“No matter what I say it will always be wrong…you don’t like me…I should just go then.” You whisper.

Trying to hop out of the library Dean grabs your arm to stop you. Pushing against his chest you try to free you from his grip.

“Let go of me Winchester!”

“Nope, you’ll stay here! If you don’t stop arguing I’ll handcuff you again!” Dean warns.

“Sure!” You snicker.

In a split second he takes the handcuffs out his back pocket and handcuffs your hands.

“Are you insane?”

“I warned you little witch bitch!” Dean yells now.

“How did you just call me?”

“Witch?”

“No the other word!” You yell angry.

“Come on, you’re a little bitch, admit it!” Dean says smirking.

“No I’m not, asshole!”

“I really should slap your ass to punish you!”

“You touch me, you loose your cock!” You warn.

“Wait what?”

“Going to let it fall off!” You state. Giggling at his face you push against his chest.

“Now I really need to punish you. Maybe the dungeon is the right place to keep you safe.”

“You can’t hold me hostage!”

“Oh I can and I will!”

“Asshole!”

Smirking he throws you over his brought shoulder. But he doesn’t carry you to the dungeon he walks toward his room.

Confused you slap his ass while you try to wiggle out of his grip.

“I really hate you Winchester! Let go of me or I scream for Sam’s help!”

“Sammy ain’t here! He’s busy hunting a demon down with Castiel.” Dean says.

“Let go of me!”

“No, going to teach you a lesson my little witch bitch! Going to bring you to my bedroom and fuck the magic out of your body.” Dean states opening his door.

“Wait what?” You ask.

Slamming the door shut he throws you onto the bed. Opening your pants he slides them down your legs. Gasping you watch him undressing himself.

“Fuck, handcuffs.” He grunts.

“No, leave them on.” You moan.

“Shit, kinky girl.” He chuckles.

Humming you bite your lip while he walks toward the bed. Picking you up he places you closer to the headboard opening the handcuffs he strips off your shirt and bra before handcuffing you to the board.

Moaning you let him hover over you. Kissing down your neck he groans at your taste.

“Dean, fuck…more.”

“Shhh…my little witch bitch going to fuck you real good.”

Chuckling he starts nipping and sucking at your hardening nipples. Circling his tongue around your nipples he rips your panties apart.

Moving further down he kisses every inch of exposed skin he can reach before spreading your legs open for him.

“Pretty wet pussy.” He mutters.

Sliding his tongue through your wet folds he groans against your cunt. Drawing circles around your swollen bud he drives you crazy.

Whining you stare down at him. “More, please, I’m going to be a good girl for you.”

Humming he pushes two fingers into your slick channel. Thrusting in and out he starts rubbing your clit.

“Oh, you’re going to be my good girl. Going to handcuff you to my bed and make you scream every night.” He states.

Adding my pressure to your swollen bud he let you fall over the edge.

Moving your legs around his waist he gently pushes home. Not waiting for you to adjust he starts pounding into your slick channel.

“Fuck, Dean, just like that.” Screaming you urge him on to fuck you harder.

Gripping your handcuffed hands he snaps his hips against yours. With punishing thrusts he makes you squirm under his assault. Pistoning his huge cock into your wet pussy he fucks you into the mattress while you scream and moan.

Starring into his darkened eyes you try to meet his hard thrusts. Groaning he nuzzles his nose into your neck while he gets even faster.

Burying himself one last time as deep as possible he comes screaming your name. Following suit you scream and whimper while he moves again to help your through your high.

Still buried inside of you Dean kisses you roughly until the door to his room bursts open. Turning around Dean sees Sam and Cas standing in the doorframe.

“You better didn’t hurt her! She screamed so loud that...oh...god...” Sam says.

“Nope. Only gave her what she deserved.” Dean says chuckling. Covering your naked bodies with a blanket he smirks down at you.

“What do you mean?” Sam wants to know.

“A treat for being such a good witch.”

“Pervert!” Sam yells. “Did he hurt you?”

“Just in a good way. Sammy I love you, but Dean and I aren’t finished so…OUT!” You state.

Leaving the room Sam looks at Castiel blowing his nose he shakes his head.

“So we aren’t finished?” Dean asks curious.

“No, round two is waiting, this time I’ll handcuff you and ride you hard…”

Opening the handcuffs Dean chuckles. “Bring it my little witch bitch!”

  2 hours later…

Buried deep inside of you Dean groans while your ride him hard. Just like promised you handcuffed him to the headboard.

Moving your hips faster you can feel Dean’s cock twitching inside of you. Digging your nails into his shoulders you moan at the feeling of being so full.

“God I love your huge cock.”

“I can see and feel that.” Dean says smirking.

Slowing your movement you arch your back to give Dean a perfect show.

“Please, faster my little witch.”

Giggling you pick up the pace again, bouncing up and down his rock hard cock you make obscene noises. Rocking your hips harder and faster you can feel the burning in your lower abdomen getting stronger.

Crushing your lips onto Deans you get even faster until you scream in pleasure into his mouth. Following suit Dean yells your name before spilling his hot seed into your cunt.

“Fuck should’ve done this years ago.” Dean states.

Smiling you move your hand through his hair to kiss him roughly.

Opening the handcuffs you gently stroke the red skin.

“Wait I put some cream on it.” You suggest.

“Nope. Round three is waiting.” Dean rasps flipping you over.

“God you’re insatiable.” You whimper.

Humming he bites your pulse point roaming your body with his hands.

“So fucking hot. Going to keep you in my room.” Dean states.

“I don’t have a saying in this or what?”

“No, you’re my personal witch now.” He rasps slowly pulling out of you.

“Didn’t agree.”

“Oh, you will. Going to seduce you to stay. After round three you won’t be able to resist me.”

“So full of yourself Winchester?”

“I know you’re already addicted.”

“God I won’t be able to walk straight for a week Dean.” You whimper.

“Hmmm…let’s see, going to give it real good to you.”

“Dean I swear I’m beat. Give me a rest. I don’t have another orgasm in me.”

“You have and you’ll give it to me.” Chuckling at your shocked expression he starts kissing your roughly. Moaning you snake your tongue with his.

“Fine, but at least give me a small break.”

“What? Do I have too much stamina for you my little witch?”

“Yes, you’re a sex monster!”

Grinning full of proud he kisses down your neck, enjoying the noises you make for him he realizes he starts liking you a bit too much.

“God love your smell.” Dean groans sniffing at your neck.

“Hmmm…lilac body cream. All natural. Self-made.”

“Could eat you alive.”

“You really are a monster!” You scold.

“Hey, who uses magic? You or me?” He grunts.

Hurt you turn around. How can he say you’re a monster only as you use white magic?

“It’s better when I go back to my room now.” You whisper.

What? No!” Dean says surprised.

“A monster shouldn’t have sex with a hunter.” You say bitter.

“Wait! I didn’t mean it that way!”

“But you said it! I’m not a monster…”

Kissing down you shoulder Dean holds you tight. “I know, I’m sorry. My choice of words was beyond bad. Please stay at my room.” He rasps.

“What for?”

“I could think of two or three things.” Chuckling he handcuffs you to his wrist.

“What the fuck, Winchester?”

“Round three is waiting and this time I’ll make sure you won’t be able to walk straight ever again.”

“No.”

“Oh, yes. You’re my personal witch now.”

“I’m not yours!” You scold.

Ignoring your words he pins your handcuffed hand above your head. Kissing down your neck he groans. Muttering and grunting you try to resist him and fail epic.

“I really hate you Winchester!”

“I know, I hate you too. But fuck going to give it real good to you right now.”

“No, you’re an ass.”

“Fuck yeah, your ass…hmm…maybe next time.” Dean growls while entering you in one swift motion.

“God Dean you’re going to kill me.”

“No, no. Just give it to you real good.” Slowly starting to move he opens the handcuffs.

Starring down at you he chuckles at the noises you make when he picks up the pace.

“Fuck Dean, I can’t it’s…shit…too much.” You whimper feeling you fall over the edge soon.

“You’ve got one more in you! Four are the minimum!” He states moving one of your legs over his brought shoulder. Changing angles he starts pounding into you.

“Fuck, fuck. Dean! Holy shit!” Screaming you dig your nails into his biceps when another climax hits you.

“Knew you had one more in you!” Feeling your cunt squeezing his cock he comes too. Spilling his cum into you he grins full of proud.

“I swear I can’t…please stop. I’m beat.” You whine.

“Fine. But later I’ll bend you over every surface in the bunker!” He states.

“NO! I need a break! God you’re going to kill me Winchester.”

Humming he smirks down at you. Eyes widen you stare back at him.

“Is that your plan? Fucking me to death?”

“Maybe, but what a way to go my little witch bitch.”

“No, you really will kill me with your cock.” You scold.

“Well I’ll use my fingers and tongue too, next time...”

Part VIII

Forever Tags

@donnaintx​, @screechingartisancashbailiff, @fallen-wolf22 , @curly-haired-disaster, @sister-winchesters99​, @mogaruke, @the-is13, @helloitsmeamie203, @strayrosesbloom , @thewinchesterco , @hobby27, @kittycatlover18,  @hawaiianohana15, @gh0stgurl​ , @marvelfansworld​

Dean/Jensen Forever Tags

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