#Sorry to anyone who just followed for Alex rider

[secretinvisiblealiens]

Crazy Fun Park

episode 1 "I Don't Want to Grow Up"

[experiment-000]

My Top 10 Ships of 2020

It's been a weird year but I've seen other people doing this. Plus this year I've been way more into gen fics (love a bit of found family especially in clone wars and marvel) than anything shippy. So I genuinely don't know what imma put on here aside from two ships for sure. Sorry this post is super long idk how to do the below the cut thing and I've had this app for 5 years...

10) Viktor Nikiforov and Yuuri Katsuki - Yuri!!! On Ice

It was a real toss up between this, supercorp, kanera and wolfstar cos they're all very integral ships to my fan heart but this son because of the Yuri on Ice fandom's rebirth this year. I've never stopped shipping this, never stopped reading fanfic of them for any extended period of time, they're still my most bookmarked ship on ao3 (although I think now star wars - all media types may have overtaken them for fandom). They were one of the first things I watched where the queer ship I loved became canon and I can't wait for the film (and hopefully someday a season 2). Heck I even made my mum watch Yuri on Ice with me so I think that says it all.

9) Edelgard Von Hresvelg and female Byleth - Fire Emblem: Three Houses

My first fire emblem game was fates when I was like 14 (and finally gay awake lol). I was so disappointed that I had to be with a guy character because the only female option was kinda creepy and also I wouldn't get the character of kana. So when three houses came out I was so happy because finally there were beautiful incredible female characters my female byleth could romance (I'm so sorry mlm you deserved so much more than you got). I got the game as soon as it came out (had to search a lot of shops let me tell you) and started on black eagles. I was actually kinda disappointed back in 2019. I didn't like the explore the monastery bit (still find it kinda tedious) and the battle mechanics weren't quite the same as fates (no pairing up?! Aka my main battle technique for protecting the weaker units). So I got like 20 hours in and put it down. Came back to it in lockdown and finally finished it! I'm so proud of myself I virtually never finish games. And I fully fell in love with the useless lesbian edelgard in the process. When I started back playing in 2020 I was like eh I wish I'd picked a different character to romance (like shes an emperor that's morally very shady) but then the romance stuff started with edelgard and I fell the heck in love.

8) Cory Matthews and Shawn Hunter (and Topanga Lawrence) - Boy Meets World

Disney+ was released in the UK this year and I finally got the opportunity to watch boy meets world in its best quality (aka not on YouTube). I watched it back when I was like 12 or 13 and it's such a nostalgic show for me. Watching it again I still absolutely adore it (and my bi ass was low-key crushing on Shawn especially in chick like me - I'm 18 btw and I got so scared for a sec but rider strong was 18 when chick like me came out so it's fine woah). And of course now I see the possibilities of the beautiful Cory and Shawn relationship like they were so bromance it was basically romance and throw in topanga it's the perfect ot3 (but I'm also fine with just Cory and Shawn or just Cory and Topanga). Read some good fanfic for them this year. My favourite was one about Shawn stealing makeup and stuff and exploring gender (need more fics like this I'm biiii).

7) Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes - Marvel Cinematic Universe

I rewatched all the MCU films this year too. And got really into Peter parker whump and irondad. Plus my eternal obsession with identity and relationship reveals of course led me from Spiderman identity reveals (and found family cuteness) to stucky coming out. Especially when it involves the internet and social media. Not my favourite ship but it's been significant to my year due to the sheer amount of marvel stuff I've read.

6) Satine Kryze and Obi Wan Kenobi - Star Wars

I rewatched clone wars in prep for season 7 and wow Satine's death was sad and sudden. She first appeared in S2 E13 I think and just the sheer sexual tension of their bickering. "The sarcasm of a soldier. The delusion of a dreamer." Just ugnnhhh my bi ass can't take much more of this. And Anakin just sipping his wine in the background grinning. And I fully believe korkie is a Kenobi.

5) Commander Cody and Obi Wan Kenobi - Star Wars

I am very much an Obi wan multishipper. I don't really have a favourite but I fully believe he was with satine and Quinlan in his life. I don't think be would've actually done anything with Cody because of the whole superior officer thing. And this probably isn't even my favourite Obi wan ship - that honour probably goes to quinobi or obitine. However the most popular ships in the fandom are codywan, quiobi and obikin. No offence to anyone who ships these they're just personally not to my taste, but I can't stand quiobi, and obikin I find only slightly more tolerable and I think that's just because there's so much obikin content so if I like the concept of a fic that happens to be obikin I'll read it. I'm just not a fan of the mentor/student relationships. So I generally favoured the codywan fics when there was shipping involved meaning I read a lot of them this year. Needed that nice fix it content post season 7.

4) Zuko and Katara - Avatar: the Last Airbender

Again I am a multishipper I have nothing against zukka it's cute. But I'm a zutara shipper first and foremost because when I first watched avatar I was like 13 and denying my gayness and gayness in general so I shipped the straight things and the straight things only. Most of these ships I stopped shipping - dramione, spuffy, some my little pony ones which we don't talk about. Zutara stayed. (I have nothing against any of the things I used to ship I just stopped shipping them so much/shipped new things more). I've continuously shipped zutara since I first watched avatar even if I didn't necessarily spend that much time on it it has always been here as one of my favourite ships. It has such good fanfic I swear including my favourite ever fanfic from any fandom - love thy enemy. Plus like the black games (reread this for the millionth time this year), a delicate subterfuge (which I read for the first time this year and damn it's so good) and so many more. With the avatar resurgence this year I haven't actually rewatched avatar aside from my normal random episode every now and then when I feel like it. But there's been a lot of avatar on my dash from people I follow getting into it and people I followed for avatar returning so naturally I returned to the fandom and read quite a lot of fanfic. I also read just a lot of avatar gen fics which were great at the whole found family thing I've been so obsessed with this year.

3) Catra and Adora - She Ra and the Princesses of Power

Catradora is canon! They kissed! What more is there to say. Arguably they should've been top but I never shipped them that much since I was always very much a multishipper when it came to she ra so yes I was very happy it became canon because we actually won for once but also I've never read much fanfic for them etc. But they are very much a dynamic I love and watching she ra all again in prep for season 5 I really enjoyed the build up of their relationship. The other two only go above because Buffy is my favourite show ever and damn there's some good fuffy fanfic and Aphra and Tolvan is both fresh in my mind and star wars owns me. Would love some catradora fic recs btw if anyone has them tho.

2) Buffy Summers and Faith Lehane - Buffy the Vampire Slayer

I didn't realise it was last year that I got super into them but according to my ao3 bookmarks it was lol. 2020 I swear it's lasted an eternity. I got into them about a month before lockdown (which feels like another lifetime). I've loved Buffy since I first watched it when I was 13. It's arguably still my favourite TV show. I've been through a lot of ships for Buffy - bangel to spuffy and now fuffy. I still think angel and her were a beautiful ship back in season 2 and especially in the angel episode I will remember you. But faith and Buffy had so much chemistry in season 3 - she would've been a fresh start for Buffy and the amount of fix it fics I read I swear. My favourite has to be one where they met in LA during Anne and how that changed everything feat Buffy's internal homophobia.

1) Cheili Lona Aphra and Magna Tolvan - Star Wars

I read Darth Vader (2015) and Doctor Aphra (2016) for the first time at the end of 2020 (got a comic subscription which has served me very well already I've nearly finished the star wars canon comics). Just to see canon queer ladies in star wars was so magical for me as a queer lady. I didn't think star wars would be so overt yet as to have a queer kiss in canon (even if it's in the comics) and especially not with the main character of arguably their main comic series. Now we just gotta hope that we'll get it in live action someday soon. They weren't the ship I consumed the most content of in 2020 but they were the highlight of my 2020 because star wars did that and I finally found out about it

Honourable mentions: Vivian and Elle - Legally Blonde, Candace and Vanessa - Phineas and Ferb, Stevie and Alex - Wizards of Waverly Place, Xander and Spike - Buffy the Vampire Slayer (I actually don't ship this but damn some authors are good - this was the ship that made me realise I don't need to like a ship if the author is good enough to write it well), Eli Vanto and Mitth'raw'nuruodo - Star Wars (started reading the books last year but finished this year and only started with fanfic this year), Villanelle and Eve - Killing Eve, Kanan and Hera - Star Wars, Barriss and Ahsoka - Star Wars, Remus and Sirius - Harry Potter, Kara and Lena - Supergirl (let's hope this becomes canon next year!) (Those last four are ones I've shipped forever some of my og ships but nothing particularly big has happened for me this year with them so)

I got Disney+ this year so rewatched a fair few things from my youth and though hey my obsession with that character may have been a little gay.

[clarawatson]

A deep dive into Quiet Birds titles!

Complete with links and things no one asked for, but I'm back on the Quiet Birds AU train and this is where it's going to take us today.

Part One: Of Quiet Birds in Circled Flight

While this title would have been PERFECT for a Jason Gideon reader insert, it was always destined for this fic. As a line from the grief poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye ‘do not stand at my grave and weep’ I was obsessed when I first read it when I was like 14. While it’s pretty clear that the poem is for grieving, the idea of someone faking their death and having it read at their funeral stuck with me. Granted, I was probably obsessed with Sherlock at the time, but it stuck with me. When I was watching Criminal Minds and saw the gap in which I could shove my own agenda into the show, following that little brain fart I had half a decade ago seemed like the smartest way to go.

Also, to be completely honest, I dedicate three years of my visual arts classes to depicting that poem in various visual ways so I probably knew the poem a bit more inside out than others, so like… yes, I was surprised when people were surprised my plot twist lol.

Part Two: Making Secrets We Can’t Keep

Originally when I planned this long haul of part two Aaron and the reader don’t tell anyone about their relationship until after Haley’s funeral (didn’t that change lol). It’s based on the song King Size Bed by Caylee Hammack because the first time I heard it on her album I knew immediately that it would be an interesting plot. Alas, I went down a weird unplotted CIA road and it is not my favourite part of my series. But the sentiment from the song still stands–they’re waiting for things to blow up because of how much they’re hiding from people.

Part Three: Burn the Shoes & Boil the Rice.

I’m going to hell, I’m about to literally give you a Glee song. Okay, okay, so at the time of writing I was watching Glee for the first time and this song was one of the ones I didn’t skip. But Getting Married Today (specifically the Glee version, sorry) made me think about how I’d put off writing the wedding so much and how Mom would be so hesitant to get married, especially after Haley’s death. So there’s that, and I’m sorry.

Part Four: The Gentle Autumn Rain

Returning to my roots of Mary Elizabeth Frye’s poem, I took a different approach and thought I’d do a story about the little girl who Aarona and Mom are determined is dead being alive and living the town over, but who she is now is vastly different from the memory of the 3 / 4 year old they knew. Alas, it was too much for my mental health which then lands us with–

Part Five: Those Little Doves Had Sent My Mind and Heart A-Beatin’

This line is from the absolute bop–Seen It All by Jake Bugg. And while I will not go into detail about ~why~ because ~spoilers~ but lets just say it works very well for this parts plot, specifically for the Valhalla Arc. But, I won’t lie to you, I only know this song because I watched the Alex Rider TV series and [before you open this link: LOUD NOISES, torture, and spoilers for ep 1 or 2 of Alex Rider] this scene gave me big brain moments for Valhalla and Mom’s little secret life between Felix’s “death” and her joining the BAU.

[jackstarbrightisaqueen]

Thoughts on the Alex Rider TV show...

Some background: I’ve been reading the books since Point Blanc came out, so we are going back a few years (actually quite a few more years than I care to credit). I thought the Stormbreaker movie was a pretty awful adaptation all round. Definitely lacked the grit of the book series. Imagine my fear of what they were going to do to Point Blanc, one of my favourite books of the series...

So, thoughts (in no particular order):

1. Otto Farrant is brilliantly cast. OK, one can nitpick. He’s been aged up, but I think that works - the TV series has tried to go grittier than the movie, and if we’re honest, a 14 year old being treated the way Alex is would just be extremely uncomfortable viewing. The books are written for children - they put up with a lot more than adults. And Farrant manages to strike an excellent balance between being old enough to make the whole thing believable, and young enough to provoke the right amount of outrage. His portrayal of Alex is really very good - the unwillingness to let something drop when he’s curious about it, the coldness, the desire to just be a schoolboy, the fundamental streak of doing what’s right. Sorry, Alex Pettyfer, but no matter how good looking you were, you weren’t Alex Rider for me. Otto Farrant has nailed it.

2. Alex generally. The writing is pretty faithful to his character. There are a few tweaks - he’s a bit more of a rebel than he is in the books. The foam party - one can see Alex doing that in the book because it’s part of the bad-boy act he’s supposed to be putting on, but I’m not sure that was the motivation for the foam party; I think he did it because it was fun and he’s someone who likes to rock the boat a bit. But I liked this Alex. It made his snarkiness and impulsiveness that much more believable. And, let’s be honest, what kid is taught to withstand interrogation techniques without becoming a bit of a loose cannon? One thing that was changed that I’m still not sure about was his determination to go back to Point Blanc. Book Alex didn’t want to go back; TV Alex says he’s going with or without MI6′s help because he’s got friends there. This was admirable, and I think probably the right move (I don’t think “leaving it to the professionals” would have come off well on screen when he’d made such good friends), but I did miss the scene from the book where Jones more or less manipulates him into going back in.

3. Jack. I love Jack as a character. It’s a bit more of recent phenomenon - I think since I became about the age that Jack is and suddenly woke up to what she must have felt - but the book Jack puts up with so much without complaint. The thing is, she’s a very tricky character to portray, because it’s a fine balance between making her powerless and useless. I think they did a good job here. They’ve changed things - Jack gets her degree at the start, and hints to Ian that it might be time for her to think about leaving. It’s not faithful to the book, but it’s a brilliant move, because as soon as Ian dies and she sticks around, you think - wow. She’s just given up her plans for this kid. She really cares. And that’s what the book series hints at throughout but has only addressed explicitly in recent books. I also like that they showed her having a bit more agency, which is realistic. I mean, she’s got a law degree. She’s not helpless. Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo does a good job here. OK, she’s not the red haired Jack we know of the series. But so what? Representation matters (on a side point of which, good job in making Alex’s crush at school black too). And didn’t that thing about Immigration strike just a bit harder because Jack was black? Didn’t it make it that much more realistic and scary? This shit happens, people.

4.Ian. I didn’t have strong views about this. I’ve seen that others didn’t like how his death was changed. I’d argue they wanted to get away from what had already been done in the Stormbreaker movie, and, anyway, it set up the mystery of Scorpia’s involvement and the MI6 leak quite effectively. I don’t care about the speeding/seatbelt change. They probably did it because these days any decent car (like Ian’s was) screams at the driver if they’ve not got their seatbelt on.

5. K Unit generally. We didn’t get too much of Fox, Eagle and Snake, but we got a bit, and what I saw, I really liked. I liked that two of them were women (one of them an excellent sniper!). This show generally handles women much better than the book series - far more balance. I liked the introduction of K Unit - the whole interrogation scene was really well done, from K Unit following orders but being quite uncomfortable with the whole thing, to Alex’s reaction to it, to his escape. I think the lack of SAS training camp was again an attempt to shift away from the Stormbreaker movie and, although it has spawned a lot of fanfiction, it doesn’t actually serve any purpose that couldn’t be addressed elsewhere. For K Unit lovers, I think this move was a good thing. It is pretty difficult to justify K Unit’s attitude towards Alex at Brecon Beacons, and translating that situation to one of trust between Alex and Wolf would be very difficult. This approach worked because, although K Unit was introduced in circumstances where you think they’re acting badly (following orders to interrogate Alex), you’re immediately introduced to the idea they’re not comfortable about it - so they might be good guys after all.

6. Wolf. So this gave us ALL the feels (the apology, the blanket wrap at the end...), but I (possibly controversially) think they could have done more here. I would have liked to have seen a bit more of what we saw in the book - Wolf not liking Alex, and then them turning that around. Don’t get me wrong - obviously, the more Alex/Wolf trust, the better. But I thought they made Wolf into a bit more of a softie than they really needed to. They had 8 episodes - they had time to build more of a character arc for him. 

7. Jones. Mixed feelings. Vicky McClure is really good, and I think the way they’ve set it up, there’s room for a good character arc here; at the moment, the Department is portrayed as basically being under Alan Blunt’s rule, with others disagreeing with his approach but getting overruled. If they make it far enough, Mrs Jones is going to need to have adopted some of his ruthlessness by the time Blunt gets the sack at the end of Scorpia Rising. A bit like Wolf, I thought Mrs Jones could have been a bit more complex than she was. But I’m happy to wait and see what they do in (hopefully) future seasons.

8. Setting. Generally pretty well done. Thank GOD they were wearing proper school uniform (what were the directors of the Stormbreaker movie thinking...this is Britain, y’all). The Point Blanc academy was suitably creepy and isolated. My only criticism re setting was that the “Department” was in a basement. I can see why they did it (dark and mysterious setting, OK), but it didn’t strike me as a particularly realistic place to run a Government department from. Even MI6 has a decent building in Vauxhall.

9. Kyra. I didn’t want to like this deviation in principle - I was really suspicious they were just setting up a love interest (the same way as in the Stormbreaker movie, where they elevated Sabina’s character in a way that just wasn’t appropriate). But Kyra was a brilliant addition. Complex but good-hearted. And nothing cringey happened - even that nearly kiss before Alex leaves Point Blanc was actually pretty believable and went just far enough. Be interesting to see if she comes back - that hanging ending, man. Poor Kyra. On a side point, I think for the purposes of the TV series it was quite important to give Alex a good friend at the academy. Solitary spying works well on the page, but not so much on screen - viewers need dialogue. I thought the way they did it worked well.

10. Plot. Yes, there were tweaks. But I thought the way it was put together was well done. There was no dramatic baddie revealing all at the end. I liked the way it gradually unfolded, and that although MI6 had managed to piece some of it together, it was ultimately Alex who solved it through the spying he’d done. Interesting that they have decided to introduce Scorpia so early on, but it’s given us something to drive the series forward rather than it just being one mission after another, so probably a good move.

11. Tom. The relationship between Tom and Alex was well done (when Alex comes to Tom’s rescue at the end!). O’Connor is good (though, please, PLEASE can we ditch what my husband and I have dubbed the gnome hat?). I thought he got slightly too much air time at this stage, personally - and turning up at the Friends’ house was a bridge too far for me. But I can forgive this. I liked the way they targeted Tom because he and Alex are such best friends. This bromance was something missing from the series and it was a welcome introduction.

I could go on, but I think this is long enough. If anyone has anything they’d like to chat about or to hear my opinion on, do PM me or comment on this post. Meanwhile, I’m off to rewatch the series.

[winchest09]

The Bunker Party - Debrief

Hey everyone!

Our bunker party was an absolute blast. It was one filled with laughter, smiles and support and it warms my heart to see so many of your faces each time we do this. This party went in many different ways from fanfiction to urban dictionary - to seeing some of the SPN family’s best dance moves. It was a TREAT. 

6 and a half hours we were talking…SIX AND A HALF and again, I loved every single second. It was so nice to see so many gorgeous faces, and I’m so happy that so many of you joined us! The support from you guys for each other, the love in this fandom; I can’t express how much I adore it.

Me and @katehuntington​​​​ love holding these events and we are already planning the next live stream (date to be announced) but it will be in July. 

This is the lowdown for the The Bunker Party! Sorry it’s a little late, I’ve been ill! 

Below you will find:

Everyone who joined - their tags, what’s coming up fic wise and their masterlist.

A Challenge to join 

Blogs who want to help with your writing

Alpha? Beta? Omega?

Want a link breaker?

Fic & blog recs

Announcements

So without further ado… *cracks fingers*

To everyone that joined…

You are the guys that make it the live stream what it is.  So below is a list of everyone who was on the chat last night accompanied by their masterlist and what they have coming up soon! In no particular order…

@katehuntington​​​: Kate is currently working on the next instalment of Ride With Me and All I Want. She’s been teasing us with little ideas that keep popping into her head too...

Her masterlist can be found HERE

@flamencodiva​​​: This babe is currently working on a multitude of things and we are super excited to see them come out. We have her brand new fiction ‘What could have been’ as well as Call of the Ocean and many others! 

Check out her masterlist HERE

@whatareyousearchingfordean​​​: Alex is currently writing the epilogue to her Jensen fiction Et Cetera AND she has decided her next fiction!

Firefighter Dean x OFC Marina. From what we’ve already heard…it sounds amazing! I won’t give away any plot points that we were told just yet but it’s one to be put on your watch list! 

Her masterlist can be found HERE

@superfanficnatural​​​:  This babe is currently working on the next chapters of The Bringer of balance as well as the next chapters of The Choice! Also still thinking about his knight of hell x demon dean fic which just sounds so good.

We’re living for it!

Go and give him some love, his masterlist can be found HERE

@emoryhemsworth​​​: This beaut has broken her lil hiatus and posted the sequel to Because of You. Piece by Piece is amazing and if you haven’t read it yet, i suggest you check it out. She’s also writing her first chapter of her series idea. 

Check our her masterlist HERE:

@malfoysqueen14​​​: This lovely lady is new to the Supernatural fandom and is trying her hand at writing fanfiction! Her first fic “White Flag” is Dean x OFC and it’s going in a very interesting direction! Worth a read!

She hasn’t yet got a masterlist but you can check out White Flag HERE

@waywardbeanie​​: This absolute gem of a woman has JUST posted her very first fanfiction and it’s an absolute DIAMOND. Dean. Letters. Fluff. Smut. It’s gonna tick all them boxes and it’s a must read!

You can find her masterlist HERE

@janicho88​​: This lovely lady has written some lovely stories already and has a few things on her list that are definitely worth a read! 

You can find her masterlist HERE

@soaringeag1e​​: This lovely lady has a lovely full masterlist of things for you to dig your teeth into! There are series, oneshots for Jensen, Dean, Jared, Sam, Misha, Castiel...

You can find her masterlist HERE

@smol-and-grumpy​​: Nat has such a juicy masterlist. We were thrilled she joined us on the chat. From Dear Dean to Light My Fire, you will find series that will make you smile, make you cry and will make you want to cool yourself down because they are that smuttastic. 

You can find her masterlist HERE

@manawhaat​​: This babe joined us for the first time this time and we loved having her! Below you can find her humongous masterlist of goodies for your reading pleasure. Her most recent works being an A/B/O oneshot called “Howl”

You can find her masterlist HERE

@crashdevlin​​: Another lovely new face this time to our chat and we are all enjoyed having you there! This babe is another writer with a very large expanding fic list. If you haven’t read any of her work yet, hop on to it! 

You can find her masterlist HERE

@jensengirl83​​: She is new to the chat this week and new to the spn world of writing. Yet she’s already got a few fics under her belt! Fancy checking them out?

You can find her masterlist HERE 

Me: I’m currently working on two series, Life for Rent and Man’s Best Friend! I also have a couple of Dean series being worked on in the background as well as a couple of oneshots…I have already posted two. One being called Pay Attention and the other called Wet Enough. 

My masterlist can be found HERE:

To the new writers/readers…

Remember guys - we’re all here to love and support you! My inbox is always open if you want to talk fics, want me to look over one etc.

@peaches007​​ @cherry3point14​​ and the few nonnies we had!

We love you, we thank you for reading and we thank you for all the support and love you give us constantly. Thank you for joining the chat and we hope you had an amazing time <3

Go and follow and give them some love!

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Ohhhh yes! 

We have two of them for you too! 

Firstly, the darling @flamencodiva​​​​ is holding a celebration in regards to reaching 1700 followers!

Not only is she hosting a character take over on her blog she’s also posted a writing challenge for all us writers out there! This challenge is still ongoing!

Check it out HERE

Secondly, the wonderful @deanwanddamons​​ & @impala-dreamer​​ are holding a joint challenge. The “I Do Understand That Reference” Challenge. 

Fancy guiding Sam, Dean or Cas through another French Mistake type event? Take a look at the movie list and get yourself signed up!

Check it out HERE

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Need Help with your fic?

We’ve got you covered!

Need to has out a plot with someone?

The lovely @malfoysqueen14​​​ has offered herself up to be a plot buddy to anyone that needs it. Stuck on a plot point, want to talk through a story line with someone? Give her a message! She’s here to help <3

Need help with research for a fiction?

The most wonderful @waywardbeanie​​​​ has offered herself up to be a researcher for anyone who wants help with their fiction. She has been a die hard SPN fan forever and she’s like the Ellen of our live stream.

Need a researching buddy? Give her a message! She’s a doll <3

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Alpha? Beta? Omega? 

On this livestream, the topic of A/B/O was brought up and we did discuss it in length and detail about what was involved. Now this may not be a genre for everyone and that is absolutely fine.

However for those that are interested in exploring this genre of fanfiction, we highly recommend you check out @kittenofdoomage​​‘s A/B/O universe HERE.

She’s broke it down and has gone into detail to explain it for those that wish to read and/or write it. 

We hope it helps! 

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Fancy yourself a Supernatural Line Breaker? 

We got you! 

Our fabulously talented @talesmaniac89​​ has drawn up so MANY supernatural themed line breakers for your free usage! 

She has two posts full already!

Check them out HERE and HERE

Give them a like, a reblog and please THANK HER if you use her work. She’s a good egg <3 

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Fic & blog Recs!

In our live stream, we want to highlight what we’ve been reading and the amazing authors behind the words. So below is a list of all the fics that we recommend for some good ol fic binging!

Fic Recs

That Day Again by @jensengirl83​​

Summary: Dean tries to comfort the reader. 

Happily Ever Eventually by @crashdevlin​​ Summary:  Reader begins working on Supernatural. She makes fast friends with J2 and after months of flirting becomes something more to Jensen, whose wife is not usually the jealous type. When she gets a small part in a MCU anthology, she meets Tom Hiddleston and things get more complicated.

Fool For Love by @crashdevlin​​

Summary:  Y/n is an omega whose world was flipped upside down when she presented late. She was practically a hermit for years, only going out to socialize once a week. When the Winchester brothers walked into her life, it flipped her world again…but not really right-side up.

Stay by @evansrogerskitten​​

Summary:  Dean is the future Alpha of the Winchester pack, a wolf/human hybrid race that has roamed their land since the first howl under the moon. Dean is the ideal Alpha; strong, smart, and brave. There’s just one thing missing in his life - his future Second, the Omega he’s yet to find. Life for Rent by @winchest09​​

Summary:  Y/N can be anyone for a price. Her life is ruled by contracts, men and money. It’s all she knows; countless identities, seedy clients, and strict regulations. She has to obey the rules, but her past is full of secrets and her future is resting in the wrong hands. But will her next client be the same as the rest?

Et Cetera by @whatareyousearchingfordean​​

Summary: Jared’s younger sister agreed to help out for a few months when one of Supernatural’s makeup artists takes her maternity leave. Trying to juggle her new job and her burgeoning brand, she turns to Jensen for comfort. Can their relationships survive Jared finding out that his best friend slept with his baby sister? Ride With Me by @katehuntington​​

Summary:  Alternate Universe (AU) in which the reader is a horse rider who goes to a ranch in Arizona, owned by Bobby and Ellen Singer. She’s there to gain work experience, but then she meets wrangler Dean Winchester. A heartwarming series about a cowboy who falls for the girl, letting go of the past and the importance of family.

PHEW! I definitely think we have enough fics on here to last us for a few days if not weeks!…don’t you? ;) Please guys don’t forget to give these writers some love when reading their fics, comments, reblogs, asks. It means the world.

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I think that’s it!

Thank you so much once again to everyone who joined the chat, we had 6 hours of laughs and i cannot wait to do it again. I’d appreciate it if you could share this to spread the love of the fics and authors on here!

Keep an eye out for the next date for our next livestream! It will be in a couple of weeks, date to be announced. If you guys have any idea’s or want something included, let us know. If you want to be tagged when we announce, let us know!

See you next time!

xox

[brooke0297]

Little Songbird Part 2: All I’ve Ever Known

Part 1 | Masterlist

Chapter song is "All I've Ever Known" from Hadestown the Musical. I encourage you to listen to it if you haven't before because it fits perfectly for Luke and Julie. Enjoy my loves!

Julie couldn’t sleep.

It wasn’t all that surprising to her, given the events of the day. It wasn’t every day she took down an evil ghost intent on stealing her soul and destroying her band and best friends. But she definitely thought she would be exhausted from discovering she possessed a supernatural ability to love and break curses put on her by said evil ghost.

When her and the boys had exited the Hollywood Ghost Club, the euphoria they had felt overcame them. Reggie and Luke had whooped loudly and grabbed each other in a huge hug. Alex had bent over and braced his hands on his knees, breathing in and out slowly. Julie wanted to comfort him, but she was in the middle of a busy street in downtown LA and her legs were shaking so badly she was worried they would give out on her. She pulled out her airpods and placed them in her ears as Luke and Reggie turned to her.

“How did you do that?” Reggie demanded gleefully. “I mean, did you see how terrified Caleb was? And how cool was your whole ‘you’re gonna leave my family alone or else’ speech? You’re like a hero from an action movie!”

Before Julie could answer any of his questions, Alex stood up and blew out a huge breath.

“As big of a fan of Badass Julie I am, promise me you will never go after an evil ghost by yourself again huh? I didn’t think ghosts could have heart attacks until I heard ‘Julie’s with Caleb and needs help’.”

“Oh, you should probably call Flynn before she sends out a search party.” Reggie added, “She was pretty worried.”

As if summoned, Juile’s phone rang shrilly and she winced at the volume in her ears. Sure enough ‘ Flynn the Great’ flashed on her phone, along with the selfie they had taken before Julie’s garage party. She swiped the answer button on her phone.

“Hey Flynn-”

“HEY? That’s all you give me is HEY?! You send me a 911 text that you are with some psycho evil ghost who tried to steal your bandmates who I then had to hope were in the studio so I could tell them to rescue you and all I get is HEY?!”

Julie winced. Partly because Flynn was right and partly at the sheer volume of the call. The boys winced and Reggie gave her a sympathetic look.

“I’m sorry Flynn, I didn’t have time to call you or explain more.”

“Are you okay? You still have your soul right? Are the guys okay? You have a gig in three days and it would really suck if we have to reschedule so we can rescue the himbos again…”

Julie giggled.

“We’re all fine. I’ll um…” Julie glanced at the boys and saw them looking at her intently, waiting for her response.

She was suddenly hit by a wave of exhaustion. She wanted nothing more than to go home, curl up under her blankets, and sleep for the next three days.

“Flynn, is it okay if I call you later? I’m waiting for the bus and it’s...not a great time…”

Flynn paused and Julie prepared to explain everything. It wasn’t fair to leave Flynn hanging like she was. But she also didn’t want to have to go into details about evil ghosts and sudden superpowers over the phone and around other bus riders.

Flynn sighed gently in her ear.

“I’m glad you’re okay, Jules. Call me when you can or I’ll hunt you down…”

A rush of love filled Julie and she quietly said goodbye to her best friend as the bus pulled up. She jumped on, seeing the boys follow her to the empty back seats.

By the time they had arrived home, the weariness had settled in Julie’s bones and Alex had to basically carry her in the house. Her dad was out at one of Carlos’ games, so they were easily able to get her up to her room.

“Are you okay?�� Luke asked quietly. It was the first he’d spoken since they had left the club and he perched himself on the edge of her bed, eyes scanning her intently. Julie smiled sleepily up at him.

“I am, I promise. I guess discovering and using supernatural powers will really take a lot out of you.” she mumbled.

“So...how did you discover these supernatural powers?” Alex asked, sitting gently on her other side. Reggie placed himself at her feet and rested a hand on her leg.

“It was something my mom used to say to me. She told me that love was the most powerful feeling in the world and that sharing love would be my greatest power. And I remembered the night of the Orpheum, how all I could think about was how much I loved you guys and how much I wish I could save you and then…” Julie yawned lightly.

“And then the magical group hug to end all band circles.” Reggie finished proudly. Luke rolled his eyes fondly and Julie giggled.

“Yup. You know the rest.”

“So that explains how you saved us. But how were you able to fend Caleb off? He was going to stamp you and then it was like he was burned. I don’t understand.” Alex was thoroughly confused.

“I do.” Reggie said, his eyes watery. He rubbed Julie’s ankle comfortingly.

“It was our love for Julie that protected her. Like hers did the night of the Orpheum. It made her glow.”

The silence between the four of them stretched long. It wasn’t a new revelation that the band loved each other, but more of a realization of how deeply that love ran. Tears prickled in Julie’s eyes as she realized how grateful she was for these three ghosts that had dropped into her life and changed it irrevocably.

“I love you guys,” she whispered, the lump in her throat making it hard to talk any louder.

“We love you too, Julie.” Reggie murmured. The three boys simultaneously crawled into the circle of Julie’s embrace and cuddled close on her bed. Reggie rested his head on her knees and hugged her legs tightly while Alex pulled her into his chest and pressed her face into the junction of his shoulder. Luke curled into her back and tentatively rested his arm along hers. When she pulled him decisively closer, she felt him smile into her hair and decided to ignore the fluttering in her stomach for the time being.

She knew they would have to talk about what Caleb had revealed at some point. But the feeling of contentment that spread through her body at the feeling of being surrounded by three of the most important people in her life kept her from disrupting the moment.

They laid like that for hours, not speaking. Julie thought she would drift off eventually as the events of the day caught up to her, but her eyes refused to close. She felt Luke combing gently through her curls, twisting them though his fingers. Reggie would squeeze her legs gently every once in a while and Alex gently tapped a beat against her arm with his fingers. It was soothing, these little quirks from the boys. It wasn’t until her dad knocked gently on the door and informed her that dinner was ready that she extracted herself from the band and made her way downstairs. Carlos filled the usual dinner chatter and Julie excused herself as soon as the dishes were done to go upstairs and call Flynn back.

Her best friend was understandably astounded when she finished telling her what had happened. Julie had omitted the part where she had almost given into Caleb’s promises on her own volition. She hadn’t fully come to terms with that idea herself and she knew Flynn would absolutely freak out on her.

“Well damn girl. Are we completely sure you aren’t living in a supernatural movie? First three ghosts literally drop into your life, then you’re basically kidnapped by another evil ghost who wants to steal your soul, now you’re telling me you discovered some sort of super power that saved you from the crazy ghost man?”

“You’re telling me.” Julie had groaned.

Now, after telling Flynn goodbye almost two hours ago, Julie still couldn’t fall asleep. She knew she couldn’t just forget about Caleb’s promises and the reasons she had almost given in.

“I can’t lose anyone else that I love!”

“You won’t!”

“Yes I will! You’ll all cross over and I’ll just keep losing people I love.”

“No you won’t Julie. I know you. Even if one day we do cross over, we will always be with you. I will always be with you, right here. Right beside you. I couldn’t leave you even if I tried!”

Julie shook herself out of the memory and was out of bed before she knew what she was doing. Her monster slippers were on her feet and she blindly reached for a sweater before creeping out of her room. It was late enough that her dad’s light was off and the house was silent, so she avoided any creaky stairs and only opened the back door wide enough to slip through it.

Her steps became more determined. She knew what she needed to say. She’d been dancing around this for too long and Caleb had taken advantage of it.

She reached the studio doors and threw them open, preparing to shoo Reggie and Alex away when the scene in front of her stopped her in her tracks.

There were four ghosts in her studio.

Reggie and Luke were loosely grouped around Alex and the other dark haired boy. He had his hands braced on Alex’s shoulders and Alex had his on his waist. The boy’s long tresses were wild around his head, his dark eyes snapping to meet hers as she entered the studio.

“Julie?” he asked. Alex turned and Julie could tell by the look on his face exactly who he was.

“Hey Willie.” she smiled.

“You can see him?” Alex demanded. Julie nodded and Alex looked on the verge of a breakdown before Willie grabbed his hand.

“I had a feeling this might happen.” Willie said. Julie would have been more concerned if she didn’t catch the hint of a smile on his face.

“What do you mean? What happened?” she asked.

“You, Julie Molina, are the most powerful lifer I have ever met.” he laughed. He gestured for Julie to sit on the couch, where Reggie and Luke followed almost immediately. They sat beside her as Willie took the chair and pulled Alex to sit on the arm beside him.

“I wasn’t there when Caleb tried to trick you. But I definitely felt it when you broke my stamp,”

“Wait, WHAT?” Alex squawked. Willie chuckled, ever the picture of ease.

“I felt some kind of sting on my wrist that I haven’t felt since Caleb stamped me. Then I looked at it and it was like it floated off my arm and disappeared. And I felt...stronger. Like my soul had just been reconnected. When I went back to the club, I realized that I couldn’t get back in. You can only be allowed inside if you’re a part of the club or you're invited. And that’s when I knew I was free.”

“Wait, so you mean to say that Julie was able to save you just like she saved us?” Luke asked.

“It’s the only explanation I can think of since my stamp came off.” Willie shrugged.

“You did tell Caleb to leave Willie alone. Y’know, when you were being a badass and all…” Reggie interjected.

“You did?” Willie asked, suddenly soft. Julie nodded.

“You’re family, Willie. I wasn’t about to tick the evil scheming ghost off with my super cool powers and leave you to clean up the mess.”

He turned and met Julie’s gaze. The laid back attitude she somehow knew was his default setting suddenly melted into somber remorse.

“Julie, I want to apologize to you.”

Julie was taken aback.

“For what?” she asked incredulously.

“For getting the boys into that mess at the club. I honestly...I thought it was a great place. It was the first place I knew where I felt like I belonged. Caleb...I swear I never thought he could be capable of what he did. I knew he was difficult sometimes but he always offered me the freedom to do what I wanted. And when I met these really cool ghosts who could be seen by a lifer, I thought they would be happy at the club and could really learn to love it there, like I did. So I invited them to Caleb’s party

“And then Caleb stamped them--I swear to you I didn’t know he would!--and then I kept checking on them to see if I could maybe find a time to tell them what happened. I told them they would be able to cross over if they figured out what their unfinished business was. I know it wouldn’t make up for what I did, but then at least they wouldn’t be trapped somewhere they never wanted to stay. They never wanted to stay at Caleb’s club, they only wanted to be in a band with you. And I almost took that away from them. I will never forgive myself from almost taking them from you.”

Julie, after all the emotion and turmoil of the day, felt the tears brimming and Willie looked like he wanted to poof away. Julie stood and reached out for him, hoping with everything in her that what she was thinking would work. She was only mildly surprised when her hand went right through his and she sighed.

“Alex, can you please hug him for me?” she whined jokingly. Willie and Alex’s faces lit up before the blonde pulled him up and into his arms. Julie and the other two boys watched with excited expressions as Willie pulled Alex as close as he could.

Julie hadn’t been lying when she’d called Willie family. Despite what he had done initially under Caleb’s control, he had risked everything to help save her boys. He had sacrificed his own happiness with Alex in order to keep them from being trapped like he was. The least she could do was try and save him too.

She suddenly felt pressure on her hand and she turned to see Luke linking his pinkie finger with hers. When she met his gaze, he nodded to the couple still embracing and mouthed ‘thank you’. Julie nodded, smiling.

No question.

When Alex and Willie finally pulled away, Willie looked around and whistled.

“This place is dope! Can’t wait to hear what you guys are working on next.”

“We have a gig coming up in a few days! You should hear the new stuff Luke and Julie have been working on!” Reggie squealed eagerly. He suddenly gasped.

“Does this mean we have our own roadie now?” he asked, wide eyed. Luke snorted and Julie laughed. Alex just shook his head and muttered an “okay Reg”.

“Hey Willie! Let's go to the beach and moon the lifers down there!” Reggie suggested, jumping up from his spot on the couch. Alex rolled his eyes until Willie cackled and slung an arm around the bassist’s shoulder.

“I’ve always wanted to go for a midnight swim…” he crowed. He turned to Alex and raised an eyebrow.

“Y’comin, hot dog?” he asked mischievously. Alex couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face as he glanced over at Luke and Julie.

“I’ll pass on this one, guys. Just stay out of trouble please? I’ve already dealt with enough supernatural today.” she warned.

“Same here.” Luke said simply. The boys nodded before poofing out and Julie and Luke were alone.

Julie felt her heart stumble in her chest. What she had been banking on less than an hour ago was suddenly in her grasp. The determination she had felt earlier, before finding Willie, had evaporated.

Her and Luke had never been awkward around each other. From the moment he had stood in front of her and told her “we’re all a little crazy”, they had been two kindred souls. She’d found out he’d been the one who had written her favorite songs that had informed her love of music. They had both lost their mothers in different ways and found comfort in music. Even her mom, an enigma she never imagined, had somehow been connected to her boys as evidenced by the love and care that went into the bedazzled Sunset Curve t-shirt Julie had folded in the bottom of her drawer.

Everything in her life had somehow pointed her towards Luke. She couldn’t ignore the signs. They had always been there.

“Julie…”

Julie’s head snapped up to see Luke standing at the piano. He was leaning against the side of it, fiddling nervously with his rings.

“What happened today? Why were you at that club?” he asked quietly. Julie knew he wasn’t angry with her. She had felt his fear and later relief when he had pulled her from her trance.

“Nick called me. He said that he was in trouble and no one was picking up. He said he needed me and told me to go to the club. Caleb used him to trick me into coming.” Julie felt her ire burn when she remembered the lie. Poor Nick. She would have to call him in the morning and check on him.

“Oh.” Luke said simply.

Julie mentally quirked an eyebrow. Luke was many things, but he was not frugal with his words. When he was really fired up, he could go for hours until someone--usually Alex--shut him up by blasting Julie’s Spotify on the loudest volume. And even then he could sometimes talk over it and critique the music, much to his bandmate’s chagrin.

“Are you okay?” she asked, standing up and moving towards him. As she reached a hand out to place it on his arm, he abruptly jumped away from her. Julie watched, her arm still raised, as Luke began to pace the studio.

“How could I be okay, Julie? Do you understand how terrified I was? Caleb was this close to stealing your soul! What could have happened if we hadn’t gotten there in time? He would have taken you and we would have lost you. I would have lost you!”

“I’m sorry, Luke. I never would have gone if I knew what he was planning. He was putting some kind of spell on me and I tried to fight it as hard as I could.”

“But what about after?” Luke demanded. “You said it was the only way you could keep from losing us. You were well aware of what he could do and you let him try again. How could you even think that was an option?”

“Luke,” Julie murmured, moving closer to him. “I have never been more sorry in my life. I know it was wrong of me to even think about taking his deal. I never would have considered it before tonight.”

“So why did you?” he asked. There it was. The hurt and dread that had been just under the surface all night. Julie sighed.

“Because I don’t know if I’m strong enough to lose someone again.” she replied. Luke looked ready to interrupt but Julie held her hand up to stop him.

“I know you are about to say something wonderful and sweet about how brave I am and how you would never leave me. But the reality is, Luke, someday there will be a day that you three will cross over. Maybe it’s next week, maybe three months, or maybe it’ll be in ten years. And I will still be here. I won’t be able to follow you, no matter how much I want to. I will still have to live my life.

“So yeah, when Caleb offered me the opportunity to keep you three forever I thought about it. I’m not proud of it, but I wanted to be selfish. I wanted to not only save myself the pain of losing three of my best friends, but I wanted to hold onto the magic we make as a band.”

“You are not selfish.” Luke protested vehemently, darting over to stand in front of Julie. Julie smiled.

“All that and that’s what you take from it?” she teased. Luke grinned.

“Reggie called me the ‘number one Julie Molina stan’ or ‘fan’ or whatever he said. Just trying to live up to the title.” Julie giggled and Luke’s face melted into an expression of such softness that it made her heart flutter. She continued, aware of the electricity between them.

“And then you sang ‘Finally Free’ and I knew you were right. You will always be a part of me, no matter what happens. And I knew there was no deal that Caleb could come up with that would change that.”

Luke smiled softly at her, reaching out to push a wayward curl out of her face.

“What I said was true, y’know,” he murmured. “I will always find a way back to you, Julie.”

It was as powerful as if he had said the words he really meant. Julie could feel her heart expanding and bursting at the seams.

She knew. She knew that her feelings for Luke Patterson had grown and shifted and bloomed. It was undeniable. She found herself, like many times before, wishing she could run up to her mother and ask her the question that had burned itself into her mind day after day since that night on the porch.

Is this what love feels like? Is this what all the songs are about?

She felt the whisper of an answer.

Yes.

Julie smiled and grabbed Luke’s hand.

“C’mere. I want to play you something…” she said. He let himself be pulled over to the piano, where Julie sat down and shifted so there was room beside her. He gently took his spot, gazing at her.

“Whatcha got for me, boss?” he teased. Julie grinned and shook her head, before placing her hands on the keys and beginning to play a gentle melody.

“I was alone so long

I didn't even know that I was lonely.

Out in the cold so long

I didn't even know that I was cold.

Turned my collar to the wind

This is how it's always been.

All I've ever known is how to hold my own.

All I've ever known is how to hold my own.

But now I wanna hold you, too.”

Julie glanced over to take in Luke’s expression of awe and adoration that made the butterflies in her stomach flutter. He wordlessly turned in his seat so his legs hung off the back of the bench and his guitar landed in his lap. Tenderly, letting her lead, he began to strum the melody with her as her voice swelled with the music.

“You take me in your arms

And suddenly there's sunlight all around me.

Everything bright and warm

And shining like it never did before.

And for a moment I forget

Just how dark and cold it gets.

All I've ever known is how to hold my own.

All I've ever known is how to hold my own.

But now I wanna hold you,

Now I wanna hold you

Hold you close.

I don't ever wanna have to let you go.

Now I wanna hold you, hold you tight

I don't wanna go back to the lonely life.”

Julie let her falsetto carry the last note, closing her eyes. She had never felt this vulnerable, even when she had stood in front of the entire Orpheum audience and prepared to sing without the boys. But if the last year had taught her anything, she needed to open her heart. She couldn’t hide it away anymore.

Luke’s gentle, tenor rasp took over and she opened her eyes to see him gazing at her with a multitude of emotions in his eyes. She continued to play, never moving her gaze from his.

“I don't know how or why

Or who am I that I should get to hold you?

But when I saw you all alone against

The skies, it’s like I'd known you all along

I knew you before we met

And I don't even know you yet.

All I know is you’re someone I have always known.”

Julie felt the truth of his words wash over her. It was exactly what she had been thinking before she’d gone to the studio. Their connection was undeniable, even before they were even aware of it. Fate had pushed them together, two halves of a whole waiting for the other.

Julie joined him, her falsetto floating above his melody.

“All I know is you're someone I have always known.

And I don't even know you

Now I wanna hold you,

Hold you close.

I don't ever wanna have to let you go.”

“Suddenly the sunlight: bright and warm…” Julie began, inching closer to him.

“Suddenly I'm holding the world in my arms.” Luke finished. His guitar vanished from his hands at the same time Julie’s fingers left the keys and then their lips finally met.

Julie had always wondered what the big deal about first kisses was. When her and Carrie and Flynn would have their sleepovers back in elementary school, they would spend hours upon hours talking about what their first kisses would be like and how important it was to find the right guy. Julie had always balked at the idea that there would be a first kiss that could be that perfect.

Elementary school Julie had obviously never kissed Luke Patterson.

His lips were soft and gentle against hers, all of his burning passion he felt on a daily basis smouldering into a golden flame intent on her. One of his hands came up to cradle her face and Julie shivered at the feeling of his calluses caressing her cheeks while the other threaded through her hair. Julie let her own mould to his face and stroke the soft wisps of hair at his temples.

It felt as if her heart would beat out of her chest. This felt like the beginning of something incredible and of coming home all at the same time. When she had reached for his hand on her porch all those weeks ago, she had never imagined she would ever gain the opportunity to kiss him.

All too soon, Luke gently pulled away and rested his head against her forehead. He had his eyes closed and a beaming smile split across his face.

“I’m crazy about you, Julie Molina,” he whispered. Julie leaned forward and pecked his lips briefly, causing him to open his eyes.

“Te adoro Luke Patterson.” she murmured. He gently tugged her into his arms and she leaned against his chest, pulling his arms closer around her.

“I know you’re scared of what’s going to happen, Jules.” Luke said softly. “I would be lying if I said I wasn’t too. But I don’t want to waste a moment of my second chance. You brought us back here and I believe I was always meant to know you. I will not let that slip through my fingers.” He pressed a light kiss to her forehead and it stole Julie’s breath away.

“I’ve always known we were connected somehow. I thought it might have been my mom. Maybe…” Julie trailed off.

“Maybe…” Luke prodded.

“...maybe it was something bigger than all of us.”

Luke hugged her closer.

“You mean like fate?” he asked. Julie shrugged.

“I don’t know, and frankly, I’m too content to care.” Luke chuckled and Julie reached up to kiss him again. It was slowly becoming her favorite pastime.

When they broke apart once again, Julie grinned.

“I have more…” she whispered. Luke beamed and gently pulled her up so she was tucked under his arm with all the range to play.

“Say that you'll hold me forever.

Say that the wind won't change on us.

Say that we'll stay with each other.

And it will always be like this.”

Luke squeezed her tenderly.

“I'm gonna hold you forever

The wind will never change on us

Long as we stay with each other…”

Their voices melded together perfectly, as if the universe itself had decided it. And maybe it had. But for the time being, they were just Luke and Julie.

“Then it will always be like this…”

******

Thanks for reading everyone!

[ellana-ravenwood]

The Single Rider Line - Bruce Wayne x Reader

Have you ever been to an amusement park with friends or family, and you guys were an odd number ? Yeah ? Then you know how much it sucks. If you never did that, then here : most rides only have a number of seats that is even. So if you’re an odd number, there’s always one person alone...well a dream gave me an idea about this said single rider line, and a meeting with a certain Bruce Wayne. Hope you’ll like it : 

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                                                   ******

“Hey, are you following me ?”

He says with a charming smile, making your heart jump wildly in your chest. 

Ugh. 

This was SO ridiculous ! You always prided yourself in not being “that kind of girl” who was swooned by a handsome face and a flirty smile. And yet here you were, heart pounding like crazy, and feeling all flustered. 

Ugh. 

With an awkward smile, you answer : 

“I’m not. If anything you’re the one following me, since it seems you’re always behind me in the queue...” 

You could have slapped yourself for that stupidly coquettish tone you employed to say that. You meant to be a bit dry, so as to not encourage him to keep going...How the hell did things end up going out of your mouth in such a playful way ?! Godfuckingdammit. 

His smooth and deep voice snapped you out of your mental flagellation : 

“Aaah, good point. So...What if I am following you ?” 

Normally, you would have snapped back a “Creepy” with a raised eyebrow, ignoring him afterward. This kind of flirting never worked on you. You always thought this sort of pick-up lines were the worst. Your mind was telling you to tell him just that and put an end to all this...but your heart answered : 

“Well then I’d ask : why are you following me ?” 

UGH ! 

In just a few encounters, that man managed to turn you into a complete moron who couldn’t think straight ! You kept going along with his flirting while you perfectly knew this wasn’t going anywhere ! Because he was known to flirt with...well with any women really ! 

You can’t believe you just asked him this, by the way...You’re not sure you want an answer. The fact you’re at the end of the line saves you, and before he could say something else, you quickly jump in the last empty seat of the ride’s wagon and you’re just so relieved when the rides starts...

At the end of it, you don’t wait and rush to the exit, not daring to face him after having asked him that, afraid of what he might answer. You were pretty sure your heart wasn’t ready for it. 

************

The first time you saw him in the line, you recognized him instantly. Anyone from Gotham would, really. You actually saw quite a few people sneakily taking pictures of him, but it seemed no one dared to actually go and talk to him. 

You don’t really blame them. Bruce Wayne was actually kind of an intimidating man. If you put aside the fact he was freakishly tall, his charisma was just enough for most people to not have the courage to approach him. 

You were definitely one of those people. 

You saw him a few times around the amusement park, while with your friends. All of you knew who he was and you all definitely stared a bit too much. 

But none of you went up to him. Even more so since every single person you witnessed having the guts to actually talk to him were turned away politely, as he explained he was just having a nice day off with his family, pointing at the army of young teens that were with him. He wasn’t Bruce Wayne today, just a regular dad hanging out with his...like, dozen of kids. 

Yep, there were absolutely no way any of you would go and casually start a conversation with him. 

Strangely enough, he’s the one that started one with you ! And that kept coming back for more...

************

Today was the first day off you got in ages, and you and your friends planned an entire day at “Six Flags : Heroes’ Kingdom”. It was the biggest Six Flags in the USA, and just short of an hour from Gotham City, which meant that well over half the people going there were Gothamites. 

You were one of them. And so was Bruce Wayne and his kids apparently. 

You and two of your friends, Gabe and Alex, arrived early in the morning, excited like children. Your excitement wasn’t dampen by the fact you were an uneven number, which meant that on almost every ride, one of you would be on his or her own...Because you took that spot willingly ! 

You didn’t mind waiting in line alone. Actually, going in the “single rider line” allowed you to do rides way more times than your friends, which you kinda totally loved !  

It was completely fine, because each time the rides were over, you’d join your friends again and spend a while walking around the park, enjoying each others company. 

Plus you knew all your friends disliked being on their own, while you were ok with it. In fact, being in the single rider line allowed you to get some rest from your talkative friends. You loved them, but sometimes, you could get a bit tired of talking non-stop. The fact you were an uneven number kinda saved you a few times, in the end...Gave you some calming moments of just you and your thoughts. You were actually lost in a daydream when he talked to you first : 

“Um excuse me miss ? The line moved forward quite a bit...” 

You snapped out of your reverie, and were faced with THE Bruce Wayne ! Oh man, he was even handsomer in real than he was on TV and in magazines ! How was it possible ? Weren’t those pictures suppose to be touched up ? And wasn’t he suppose to wear make-up on TV to look better ? 

You stared at him for a few seconds, until what he just said registered in your head. You turned around and, sure enough, the lined had moved of a few meters and was almost at the rides’ seat. You were holding everyone up. 

“Oh, sorry. I was thinking about something haha. How weird is it that we have rides for existing superheroes right ? Like in Disney we have rides about Mickey and all but they’re fictional, while here ? The Batman ? The Green Lantern ? Superman vs Lex Luthor ? It’s so weird. I mean, we don’t have an “Obama” ride, or a ride for any of the ex-presidents, but we have one for Lex Luthor... ” 

Ugh. Could’ve just said “sorry” and move on, he was clearly not waiting for you to explain why you didn’t follow the people in front of you ! And you were still holding up the queue ! 

The people behind him looked at you as if you were crazy and let out an exasperated sigh making you understand you really should get a move on. But him ? Oh he was actually smiling at you, as if you were the most captivating thing he ever saw. 

You turned your back to him unable to withhold this strange look of his, and tried to ignore the feelings of his eyes fixed on you as you finally moved. A few minutes passed, and you were almost at the end of the line when he bend forwards a bit and said : 

“I agree with you, by the way. It’s really weird that rides exist about actual people, no matter how odd those people are. Though I think I’d be very much interested in a Queen’s related ride.” 

Uh ? “Queen” ? Like the band ? Why was he...oh. Oh right. He was pointing at the shirt you were wearing. Queen. One of your favorite band. Of course. You smiled awkwardly at him and said : 

“I’m sure that’d be a fabulous ride. A roller coaster kinda like the “Rock’N’Roller coaster” of Disney, but instead of Aerosmith, Queen would be blasting. I’m all for a ride with images of them wearing women clothes flashing all around ! Oh...Which made me realize, I guess the rides here aren’t the only one themed on real people, since the one in Disney has Aerosmith...”

He chuckles a bit and your heart skip a beat. Was he mocking you, or thinking you were funny ? Were there actually a difference between the two ? 

“Well I guess it’s more like “starring Aerosmith”, rather than about them right ? I believe only Six Flags, has this...hero theme. Based on real people. To be honest I’m surprised Luthor hasn’t sued the parks yet.” 

“Doesn’t he own them ? I feel like he does. And it wouldn’t be that surprising that a megalomaniac like him has a ride design after himself. As if he’s proud that he fought against Superman once or twice...I’m not even sure he’s aware that makes him a villain in many people’s book !”

“Oh I think he knows, but he doesn’t really give a damn.” 

“Kinda...admirable ? Daring to be himself ? Or totally creepy, given who he seems to be, pick one really.” 

Once again, he chuckles and he’s about to say something..but it’s your turn to go fill an empty seat and, not wanting to hold up the queue again, you rush towards the place the park’s employee shows you and sit down. 

You notice Bruce Wayne looking at you, as he passes next to you to go take an empty seat too a few row behind you, and amongst the excited chattering of people, you’re pretty sure you heard him say “Admirably creepy ?” or something like that as he passed you...Which made you smile stupidly. 

You don’t dare turning around to look at him, that would also be “admirably creepy” right ? ...A shame really, maybe if you had, you would have seen him desperately trying to catch your eyes again, and staring at your (beautiful) back. 

************

After this first encounter, you saw him a few more times. After the third “Single Rider Line”, he told you to call him “Bruce”, and you gave him your name too. He smiled and said it was a beautiful name...Such a typical flirty line. And yet it made you happy. 

Each time you saw him, he magically ended up behind you (no seriously, a few times you were pretty sure he wasn’t there at first and then he just started to talk to you...it was almost disturbing ! Almost, because man was he actually a funny guy, and so. Damn. Handsome !). 

You ended up talking about how coming to an amusement parks with an odd number of people sucked, because one always ended up alone...But also how neither of you actually minded that much being on your own. 

Funny enough, you both appreciated the break it gave you from the people you came with. You from your talkative friends, and him from his energetic kids. 

You discovered as well, that beyond your shared love of “Queen”, you had a lot in common. Starting with how you seemed to both overly enjoyed this shameless flirting you did in that infamous “Single rider line”...

You knew it was a bad idea, because he had quite a reputation of being the biggest womanizer of them all, but you just couldn’t stop yourself from answering his flirting. Because even if he saw you just as another woman to flirt with...well it was still kinda flattering. 

Because you saw the woman he paraded at his arm. They were all absolutely gorgeous and talented people too ! So the fact he took an interest in you, amongst all the other people at the park that day...Flattering. 

Even more so since there were definitely more than one woman and man trying to catch his attention, or trying to spark a conversation with him. He turned them all down, while he kept talking with you about wether “Brad Pitt” deserved his own ride or not...Your conversation often turned silly, and yet it was just so fun and natural ! 

It’s been a very long time, since you enjoyed talking with a “stranger” that much. 

And for Bruce ? Well, he hadn’t had that much fun in a long time too. Hadn’t had a “normal” conversation with anyone in forever. It was nice, to not talk business, money or superheroes stuffs for once, and just converse about anything and everything ! 

************

Midday came too soon. By that time, you and Bruce “accidentally” ran into each other in that single rider line about a dozen times. And by then, you even started to kinda nod at each others when your group would encounter his randomly around the park ! 

You were sitting at a table, enjoying a burger and fries with your friends, when Alex exclaimed, a bit too excited : 

“Ok (Y/N), don’t turn around and don’t freak out, but I think Bruce Wayne is totally staring at you !”

“Uh ? What ?!” 

“I said don’t turn ar...oh here we go, now you’re going to...Oh wait, he’s smiling at you, why is he...Hey, do you have something to tell us, (Y/N) ?” 

It was a stupid reflex, that made you turn around. How is it that when someone said “don’t turn around”, it was too tempting for you not to ? Unfortunately this time your eyes encountered Bruce Wayne’s, and his devastating smile made your heart beat wildly ! 

And of course, your friends picked up on it right away. Oh man. You would never hear the end of it ! 

“Why is Bruce Wayne smiling at you like an attention starved puppy ?” 

Gabe asks, genuinely interested but with a slight snicker in his voice. And you’re suddenly even more embarrassed. You know them, they’re definitely going to tease you a bit about this. You try to deflect his question by answering with some wits and acting as if you didn’t understand, but the gaze Bruce gave you kinda fried your brain and you can only think of saying a weak : 

“Puppies don’t smile. Even more so if they’re starved. I’d think they’d actually get quite desperate and not smile, if they were starving...”

“Well kinda exactly what I meant (Y/N).Plus I said “attention starved” not “starved starved”, you know exactly what I meant ! He looks really desperate to catch your attention !” 

“Stop it Gabe ! He isn’t !” 

You’re blushing now, and they start to feel a bit bad that they’re pressing you to say something you clearly don’t want to talk about. Out of the three of you, you were always the shyest. You were a good listener and problem solver, but didn’t particularly like talking about yourself that much...Alex says : 

“Ok you don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to.”

You’re relieved...Only for a second though. Of course, they wouldn’t let it go that easily. Alex continues : 

“But if you do want to talk about it...I’m really  curious, and I’m sure Gabe is too. So if you decide, hypothetically, to explain to us how you two know each others, we’re all ears. Remember we’re your best friends, we tell you everything about us. We trust you.” 

You roll your eyes at them. Ugh. How were you suppose to not tell them now ? Nasty “guilt-trippers”. You glare at them a bit, even if their fake innocent look want to make you smile, before saying : 

“We met in the single rider line. You know, that line you guys don’t want to go to because you can’t bear to wait on your own...Truly, who are the attention starved puppies ?” 

Silence. Totally ignoring your little tease, they both look at you, pressing you with their body langage to say more, but you don’t seem to want to and Alex, exasperated exclaims : 

“Um, elaborate please ?! Doesn’t explain why he’s literally eating you up with his eyes right now !” 

You roll your eyes once more at your friend’s typical exaggeration (though for once, he wasn’t actually exaggerating...) and say : 

“There’s nothing much to say more ! We met a few times and talked a bit and that’s it ! Really guys, that’s it ! I don’t know why he’s looking at me now ok ? He’s probably not even looking anymore and talking with his kids so shush about it already.”

“Actually, he’s still looking at you and his kids are fighting over fries...He doesn’t even seem to notice them while I’m pretty sure that boy is choking that other boy for real ! And he’s now looking at you like a sad starving puppy.” 

“Ok you have got to STOP with this puppy thing ! “Sad starving puppy”, what ? At least the “attention starved puppy” made sense ! And stop talking about Bruce Wayne ok ? Moving on !” 

“But he’s really...”

“Eat your salad Gabe ! And you too Alex ! And shush !” 

And oh when you’re like this, annoyed at them for trying to get you to talk about yourself, it’s impossible to keep talking to you. They missed their beats. There was a way to make you talk, and they took the wrong one that day. They were too excited and in a hurry to know, they should’ve taken their time...Now, you wouldn’t say anything more, they knew it. 

And so they stuff their mouth  aggressively with salad (to show you they’re not happy) and skulk for a bit, wishing that they could talk about you and Bruce Wayne some more, and about how he seemed to totally dig you !

Of course, both Gabe and Alex knew you very well. They knew you’d never believe them about that, you were too stubborn. They knew that in your head, a guy like Bruce Wayne couldn’t be interested in you. But they also both knew that look in Bruce Wayne’s eyes. 

Definitely “starved puppy desperate for you to give him some food”. 

************

Lunch was now over, and you all decided to take a little break from the roller coasters, pretty sure you might throw up if you went on a ride right away. You sat down on a patch of grass to relax a bit. 

You were listening to Gabe and Alex blabbering about something when...Wait ? Why are they silent ? Gabe and Alex are usually never silent ? You look at them, worried. 

“Guys ?” 

Gabe starts first : 

“I think there was something not very fresh in that salad.” 

Alex continues :

“Agreed. My stomach is not happy right now...(Y/N), could you get us some water from the fountain over there ? Our bottles are empty...” 

“Of course of course. Just stay there, lie down a bit if need be. I’ll get you some water.” 

You rise to your feet and walk straight to the water fountain and...Oh those motherfuckers ! Stomach ache my ass !! How...How could they ? HOW DARED THEY ?! 

You turned around, fury in your eyes, and stare daggers at them. They smile smugly at you and wave their hands at you in an infuriating way and...

“Ok, now I’m sure you’re the one following me !” 

A silky voice tells you. You turn to it and...Yup. Sure enough it’s Bruce Wayne, drying his mouth with his sleeve as he just drunk from the water fountain. He managed to make that unrefined gesture look elegant... 

Oh man. How did you even fall for such an easy trick ? Your “friends” must have seen Bruce and throw you directly into his arms...hrrrm, this trap ! 

“Ah no I’m uh...just...filling up water...I mean, filling up some bottles with water.” 

He smiles at you and say :  

“I can see.”

There’s a small silence, and none of you move. You don’t go to the fountain, and he doesn’t walk away. He seems to hesitate about something, and you’re just...Frozen in place, thinking about all the ways you’ll torture your friends when you’ll get your hands on them ! Finally, he speaks :

“So um, you didn’t leave me time to answer your question, last single rider’s line.” 

Your heart skips multiple beats. “Your question”. Why was he following you, right ? You were still not ready to hear the answer, but there was nowhere to escape ! Fortunately, before he could continue, a kid that couldn’t be more than ten years old rushed toward him and said : 

“Come on father, quick quick ! The line for the big drop thing is really small ! Let’s go ride it four times in a row !!” 

The kid now pulls on his sleeve, and Bruce gives you an apologetic look. It seems he really wanted to tell you why he was “following” you...You’re almost disappointed. 

Almost, because you totally forgot about your two sneaky friends ! Alex and Gabe arrives, holding their stomach as if they were about to die. Goddamn drama queens ! 

“Oh (Y/N), where is that water we neeeeeeeed ?” 

“I actually think I’ll throw the water up...I think we should go home...”

“But, but it’s (Y/N)’s first day off in ages ! We can’t go home right after lunch like that, so early ! She was so happy about coming here...If only there was a way she could stay longer ! ” 

Goddamn. Sneaky. BASTARDS !! You were glaring at them now, threatening them with your eyes, telling them they had to stop. And oh god you could see them looking at Bruce insistingly. Oh no, no no no no no, you knew they were trying to get him to jump in and...But it was too late.

“Um, excuse me but um...I couldn’t help but overhear your friends and um...If you really want to stay, you’re welcome to join us.” 

You turn around to Bruce, and...Is he blushing ? Yes, yes he totally is ! 

The young boy who was dragging him away by the sleeve is looking at you curiously (albeit with a bit of hostility), and...Another one of his sons (?), the oldest one it seems, joined him and it looks like he’s kinda pushing him towards you, poking and nudging him in the back. 

Your friends and the young man exchange a knowing look, smiling. And...You can’t fucking believe it. What is happening ? 

They’re trying to force you and Bruce to talk, that’s what is happening. With a nervous laugh you say : 

“Oh no I probably should like...Drive them back to Gotham. With those strong stomach aches they probably can’t d...” 

“We’ll take a cab home ! You can take the car back. So really, you can stay with um...your new friends there, and then you can drive yourself home. You know, so it’s not too weird.”

You know exactly what Alex just implied there. Yes. Ok. Bruce giving you a ride home would be a bit too extra. But they just fixed this issue by leaving you the car and saying they’d take a cab. They give the final blow as Gabe says : 

“We really feel too bad, we can’t ruin your only day off like that...Please, stay and enjoy yourself ! You were so happy to come, and you were going on all the ride on your own anyway so worst case scenario...”

Mother. Fuckers. You turn again to them and glare at them, mouthing the words “I’ll kill you” as they try to hide their smug smiles and act as if they’re in too much pain to speak any further. 

And there it is, with a weak kiss on your cheek they leave you there, with godammn Bruce Wayne and his kids. 

Why are you friend with those people again ? Sneaky bastards. 

************

You changed your mind very quickly, and made a mental note that you need to thank Gabe and Alex when you’ll get home. 

Sure, you highly disliked to be put on the spot so on the moment, you really hated them and their guts for forcing you to hang out with Bruce...But now ? Now you don’t regret it one bit. 

You’re actually pretty thankful they just sacrificed their day out just so you could get to know Bruce a bit more. They obviously saw you had a crush on him...Damn, they knew you too well. 

“Hi, I’m Dick ! This is my little brother Damian. And over there are Jason, Tim and Cassandra, my other siblings. Stephanie, long time family friend and Timmy’s girl. Barbara, my girl, also long time family friend. And finally, Duke. Who’s living with us at the moment because of...complicated matters. He’s kind of like a brother too, to be honest. Nice to meet you !”

Oddly enough, that young man, “Dick”, made you comfortable right away. It was probably because of his bright and friendly smile, and that spark in his eyes that made you want to instantly adopt him. You shook his hand and said : 

“I’m (Y/N), sorry to um...impose myself.” 

Dick laughs and says, the most welcoming smile on his face ever : 

“Oh dad invited you ! You’re not imposing don’t worry ! The more the merrier right ?! Plus now, we’re an even number, so we can ride all together ! Also I’m pretty sure he talked about you so...”

“He...He talked about me ?” 

Bruce seems to come back to life now, and his blush disappears in a matter of seconds. He smiles widely at you, and says : 

“Well, of course I did. It’s not every day I meet an outstanding woman in the line of an amusement park ! I talked about you to reassure them that I didn’t mind that much to be a single rider haha” 

You don’t even know what to say, as you didn’t expect him to react that way. You’re wariness about him being a womanizer comes surging back, but...his smile looks so genuine. You saw him on TV, you thought a few time it looked like he was forcing a smile or a laugh...or was this just wishful thinking ? 

Dick looks at his father and seems a bit annoyed..Why ? He’s about to say something else but Bruce cuts him off saying : 

“Well Damian really wants to do that...Drop thing, so let’s go while the line is still small !”

************

The reason Dick was glaring at his father was because he knows you really are an “outstanding woman”, given how big of a stupid smile his dad had when he came back from that single rider line the first time. 

He didn’t talk about you though before the fifth time he volunteered to go on as a “single rider”, as they were an odd number. None of the kids argued, they could see him whenever they got out of a ride and they had too much fun fighting over who would ride with who between them without adding their dad !

Dick seemed to be the only one that noticed Bruce’s dreamy gaze (probably because he was the one that knew him for the longest, and because he was the only one who had him all to himself for quite a few years), and after annoying him with questions he finally got an answer...He had met an “outstanding woman”.  

As far as he could remember, this was the first time his father seemed infatuated with someone he barely met. It was odd...And he definitely knew it. 

Bruce kept saying how it was ridiculous and meant nothing, he was probably just tired and all. He would eventually get over it ! But he kept talking nonsense about Leonardo DiCaprio deserving his own ride more than Brad Pitt or something ? 

As soon as Dick saw you, and the way his father smiled at you...He knew you weren’t “just a weird phase because he was tired”. He knew he wasn’t going to be able to forget about you come down the night. 

His dad had crush before, of course. He wasn’t a total machine. He never once invited someone with him at a charity ball that he didn’t kind of like. Wether physically or mentally (or on rare occasions, both). But it was always very short lived. And he never looked at them the way he looked at you, a mere stranger ! 

The reason Dick was annoyed at his father right now, is because he knew he was going to try to make you think you were “just another woman” by giving you big compliments and charming smiles. He was annoyed because he saw the look he gave you, and was sad that he was trying to self-sabotage himself yet again... 

************

Bruce’s kids and friends instantly make you feel comfortable and welcome. Well, maybe not his youngest, who keeps acting as if you’re not there. But for the most part, you’re having fun, and his kids are really sweet ! 

You and Bruce often end up riding together, but a few times you ended up with his other kids ! In fact, you’re pretty sure you rode with all of them but Damian. Pity, from the interaction that kid had with his siblings, he seemed way too cute and all, albeit a bit authoritative. 

Oh well. You understood him. After all, he didn’t know you, and you kinda invited yourself so...

As if destiny heard your thoughts, Damian said, while you were going out of the same roller coaster after riding it four times : 

"Oh come on let’s ride it one more time !” 

“Damian, buddy, I don’t think any of our hearts can handle it...”

“Nonsense Todd ! We’re...um...-he looks awkwardly at you, as if suddenly unsure of what to say- we’re...tougher than this ?” 

That was odd. How he suddenly caught himself from saying something...Oh well. Kids. 

“I kinda agree with Jason man, I can’t take this anymore. I feel kinda sick...”

“Come on Thomas ! You’re not that weak ! Let’s go agaiiiin !! Father ?” 

“Sorry chum, I’m...Done too.” 

They all looked rather sick indeed. Well, you understand. You just went through the toughest roller coaster of the entire park four times in a row. Any normal people would get sick...Well it seemed you weren’t quite normal, because you were pretty sure you could go for another round. 

“I...I can go with you if you want.” 

You shyly say, and the boy turns to you, surprised. It’s the first time he actually takes notice of you. He seems to ponder your offer for a bit...

“Just go. We’ll wait there, I think we all need some rest...” 

Dick says, and Damian turns suspicious eyes to you. 

“REally ? You want to go again ? Can you go again ?” 

You give him a smug smile and say : 

“Oh kid, I could go several times more ! I bet you’ll crack before me !” 

“Bold assumption...Alright, let’s go again ! And see who will stop first !” 

You went to ride it once more. Then twice. Thrice. The fourth time, you told him you guys should make a face when it was time for the picture. 

Strangely, he agreed right away, and Bruce loved that said picture so much, of his son being a “normal” boy, that he bought it. 

The fifth time you started to feel a bit sick, but Damian was warming up to you and strangely, you really liked that fact. 

“Come on miss (Y/L/N), let’s go agaiiiiiiiin !!” 

The sixth time, you got out of the ride quite unsteady on your feet, but you still went that seventh time...11. 

You went on that ride 11 times in a row.

You were about to tell the kid you couldn’t go one more time or you were pretty sure you’d died, when he turned to you and say : 

“I...I don’t think I can go again...” 

Thanks GOD ! But he seemed disappointed he had lost, and you suddenly felt the urge to hug that little boy with a sad face...You didn’t though. Something told you you’d ruin this little bond the intensive roller coaster riding created, if you went too fast and hugged him now. 

So you smiled and said : 

“I’ll tell you what, I’ll go join the other right now, and say you went one more time ok ? So they think you won...I actually don’t think I can go further either, and ending in a tie is no fun right ?” 

He turns to you, and looks at you curiously...before smiling widely at you and nodding vigorously (which makes him almost fall on his ass, as the rollercoaster riding kinda mess a bit with his internal ear). There was a sort of very cute innocence, in the boy’s smile. You had the weird feeling that it was an emotion that he rarely showed, and felt oddly happy you managed to get it out of him. 

************

After that, Damian started to want to go on ride with you, which surprised everyone. Even Bruce, who kept looking at you more and more intensely. You were definitely...Something else. 

You impressed the hell out of Jason when you shot all the targets at the laser game ride (you didn’t dare to tell him it was definitely beginner’s luck).

Cassandra gave you a soda and said the words “Cola. For you.” which made her entire family stare at the two of you...She so rarely spoke ! 

Stephanie and Tim loved your nerdy talk, and were impressed with your knowledge of video games ! Somehow, you ended up promising to add them as friend on your PS4 and...you looked at Bruce a bit worried he might think you were a goddamn child though you weren’t much younger than him, but he only smiled fondly at you. 

Duke and you bonded over your weird love for crosswords...You’re pretty sure you heard Tim said “nerd”, as you guys tried to make each other guess what you were saying by only using words’ definition crosswords style ! None of the rest of the family understood, as you and Duke laughed at jokes you made with those definitions of words that would form sentences once cracked...

Dick liked you instantly. He thought you had a kind smile and the way you seemed to fit in with the rest of his family felt natural. He barely knew you, but he really liked you. Barbara agreed, she had known Bruce for a long time too and never saw him act like that with anyone. She liked you too, almost as instantly as Dick did. 

Another one that really liked you...As the day went on, Bruce realized he was completely screwed. 

************

The end of the day drew near, and Bruce was faced with a dilemma. What was he suppose to do ? He couldn’t forget you, and the wonderful day he just had. 

First the entire morning “accidentally” running into you in the single rider line (he actually always managed to stir his kids towards the rides he saw you going to...). Talking to you as if you two were old friends while you barely actually knew each others. 

Conversation just ran so smoothly between you two. So smoothly in fact, that many times your conversation were abruptly stopped by the fact you had to get on the rides, and yet started again as if nothing the next line. 

And then during lunch, how he couldn’t stop looking at you... 

Finally, how you spend the afternoon with him and his family, and it seemed like you were a long time family friend. Seemed like you knew all of them since years. The feeling wasn’t just between you and him, but between you and his entire family. 

And he had this odd hunch that if he just let you leave like that...He’d regret it forever. 

He never felt that way. He never willingly wanted to invite someone into his crazy life. And the fact that it might be unfair to you, to drag you in said life, didn’t even occur to him, as he was completely blinded by how much he actually...Liked you. 

He felt like you were his friend. He wanted to talk more to you. 

And here rose the dilemma. Dilemma that was taken away by his youngest son, oddly enough : 

“We should come back !” 

He exclaimed enthusiastically. And then he turned to you, and in the most natural way ever he said : 

“Would you want to come back with us ? We have a record to break on that rollercoaster ! More than eleven...I mean, twelve for me, twelve times in a row !” 

You smiled, and said you’d love to break that record with him, and that’s what decided Bruce. You had to stay in their life. It was a deep gut wrenching feeling, that he couldn’t let you go...But what should he do then ? 

“Cool ! Then you should like...Maybe give us your number or something ? So we can settle a date ?” 

He couldn’t believe he didn’t think about it before. Yes of course. As simple as that. Ask for her number. Uh. You were really messing with his brain.

“Oh, of course Damian. Um...Here, one of my card.”

“Oh nice card ! ...You’re a writer ?!” 

“Yeah, kinda I guess..Um. Well, it’s getting late and I have...many deadlines haha, I should um, get back. Don’t hesitate to call next time you’ll go to Six Flags !” 

And with that, you wave at them. They wave at you. You all exchange a “nice to meet you”, and leave. Wearing the same stupid smile on your faces. 

Damian stuffs the card with your number in his father’s pocket, and says : 

“I LIKE her !” 

Before merrily walking towards their own car...And Bruce cannot remember a time Damian looked that careless and happy ? All of that because you gave him attention and went on that ride with him, until you physically couldn’t anymore ? 

“Yeah...Yeah me too...” 

Bruce whispers, as he get in front of the wheel, listening to his kids talking about how awesome that day was. How glad they were that they went on that little family outing, and how cool you were...

************

You can’t stop thinking about Bruce. And his family. He has such cute kids ! They’re all so smart and sweet and funny ! 

You sigh. You hope they’ll call you so...an unknown number appears on your phone’s screen. Could it be ? No. Not so early. It’s probably some unknown solicitors ! You answer and...

“Um, hello, (Y/N) ?” 

It’s definitely his voice. Definetely. 

“Bruce ?”

“Ah, yes, yes it’s me. Um...So I’m calling because I um...”

“Yes ?”

“I realized I never told you.” 

“Told me what ?”

“Why I was following you.” 

“Oh right. Yes. That haha. Um...Why ?” 

“Well um...I kinda liked to talk to you.” 

“...Ye-yeah ?” 

Your heart is pounding. You can’t stop smiling. His next words make you feel like you’re about to die of happiness : 

“Yeah. And um...My son, Dick. He said um...Well he said that when you really like someone, you shouldn’t wait before calling them.” 

************

It took years for you to become an official member of the “Batfamily”, but you eventually got there, after many hardships and...Day at Six flags. 

It took years, but you eventually became the center piece of this family...And years later, the Six Flags near Gotham was still a prime location for the Wayne family’s vacation. 

Every year, you would all go there for at least a day and forget about all your worry. Even if sometimes, a few fights would occur...You still remember that time they opened a new ride called “Robin”, and your sons fighting to know which one of them inspired it ! 

Yes. Every year, you’d go back, remembering that fateful day that changed all of your lives. 

But this year was special...This year, was the first time your youngest son, Thomas, would go too. He was finally tall enough to go on all the rides, and overly excited about it ! 

And oh when he asked to get a “Green Lantern” cape, you knew it was going to be a great day, if only for your husbands disgruntled face as he paid for the cape, while the rest of the kids were laughing their asses off. 

__________________________________________________

Um. Just a sucky story written very quickly during my lunch break. This ended up being much longer than the mini-fic I originally wanted to write, and ate most of my lunch (HAHA !) ^^'. I hope you still liked it...Um :/ ok. Yes. Voilà. I’ll spare you my usual speech about how insecure I am about this story, you know the drill. Bam. VOILA. 

As usual, feedbacks and reblogs are more than welcomed. It always motivates me to write more, and also helps sharing my stories more broadly. 

[ginnyzero]

Completely Harmless Ch. 30

Completely Harmless An SSO SilverGlade Re-imagining Story (Or Fix it Fan Salt fic) By Ginny O.

When Lily and her friends wanted to buy horses and were directed to the Silverglade Manor and its myriad of problems, they didn’t expect to start a revolution. They were just a bunch a stable girls. Completely harmless. Right?

A/N: Things are only canon if I say they’re canon. Pre-Saving the Moorland Stables compliant for the most part. Posted in its entirety on my website. Posted in 2000 to 4000 word bits here. Rated T for Swearing Word Count 177,577

Chapter Thirty A Very Bad First Meeting... Twice

Alex Cloudmill, beanie cap and all, strolled into the temporary pavilion with a look of complete and utter awe on her face. Like, she couldn’t believe everything she was seeing.

Now, Lily didn’t have the best impression of Alex. She’d heard through Pia about the way Alex treated James once she found out about Token after the big meeting. While, Lily didn’t like James, Alex wasn’t helping matters with her attitude. James wasn’t the only Cloudmill with social and behavioral issues. So what if James had a plushie he cared for, a lot of teenagers had plushies they cared for, and he wanted to do something positive with it for Jorvik.

But no, she had to pick on him about it.

Alex had her fingers in her pockets. “So, you must be Lily,” she said as she sidled over towards her.

“I’ve seen you around Moorland, Alex Cloudmill, right?” Lily tried to keep her voice polite. She didn’t know what Alex wanted and she shouldn’t be Loretta.

Alex rubbed the back of her neck and chuckled. “There are so many campers, I can’t keep track of all of you.”

“We’re coming and going all the time,” Lily said, sarcasm rolling off of her in waves. Not that she expected Alex to remember her at all. It wasn’t like Alex even bothered to try. Maya had more of an excuse than Alex did. Or maybe it was less of one since she worked with the campers. Lily pushed it away for later. Alex wasn’t a camp counselor.

Alex missed the sarcasm. “Exactly.”

“What brings you out here, other than Linda,” Lily decided to cut to the chase.

“Well,” Alex scuffed her shoe on the ground. “I want you to come meet Elizabeth Sunbeam. I mean, you’ve been doing all this great stuff, and,” she trailed off.

“Being a good leader with a mild side of delegation and organizational skills doesn’t make me a candidate to be a, what is it again?” Lily said.

“Soul Rider,” Alex supplied. “I think Elizabeth could help clear up any misconceptions you have about it.”

“If she’s not going to work with Melissa, who, by the way, is the Club leader at her stables, then why is she going to work with me?” Lily crossed her arms. “I’m, for all intents and purposes, the Baroness’ lady.”

Alex shrugged. “I think you should meet her. She’s a power.”

Lily glanced around. The other girls had edged closer and were blatantly listening in. “What do you girls think?” She asked.

“Go,” Pauline said.

“Get it over with,” Regina nodded. “We’ve got our stable and we don’t want any problems with Melissa though.”

“Nope,” one of the other girls said popping the p.

“All right, I’ll go,” Lily said.

Alex grinned. “I’m sure this is all some miscommunication and a good chat will clear things up.”

Lily strode past her to get to her horse. There was another horse next to hers, golden in color with a blonde mane. “Yours?”

“You should see him out in the wild.”

“Yeah, we haven’t been out far enough for that yet, I guess,” Lily said.

“You do know about it,” Alex blinked.

“It was brought to our attention that the Jorvik Warmblood Sports aren’t like other horses.”

“Well, this Tin Can.”

The horse whinnied.

“Nice to meet you too, Tin Can,” Lily said as she mounted her horse. “Transports okay with you, or would you like to get your hooves dirty?”

“Uh, he’s fine with a transport,” Alex said slowly, brow furrowed.

Lily nodded and urged her horse over to the transport. They rode in silence to Valedale. The transport slowed to a stop.

“I want to thank you for um, looking after my brother, and Justin,” Alex said abruptly. “I know he’s a pain in the ass.”

“James or Justin?” Lily asked.

“James,” Alex said quickly. “Look, I, I appreciate it. I mean, he told me how it was your plan to buy some of the Baroness’ horses for his stable and everything. We want him to succeed.”

“No one really wants anyone to fail. I mean, unless they’re a murderer or a fascist or something,” Lily blinked rapidly. “He’s got good ideas. He has really bad ways about executing said ideas.” She nudged her horse down the ramp.

Alex followed her. “Right.”

“Good people help other people,” Lily said. “So, you’re welcome.”

“And expect the same treatment?”

“Verily,” Lily nodded.

“I don’t know what that means,” Alex said.

Lily looked around. But what grabbed her attention first was the waterfall. It was neon green. It tumbled down the mountain and into the pool below with a great deal of mist and spray. If it was this bad at the head of the river, Lily couldn’t imagine what it was like over the mountain with the Lake that was placid in comparison. (She pondered if the Lake drained down into the river as well through underwater channels. The water had to go somewhere if it was constantly being filled.)

She tore her gaze away from the green water. She didn’t see any of the girls in their celtic uniforms.

Melissa and the others must be at the ruined summer house still. All for the best, she guessed. She stopped by a girl that had to be related to Jenna and Judy. “Morning, I’m Lily with the Silver Drakes Riding Club.”

“I’m Claire, Valedale Stable Master. Melissa’s told me a bit about you.” Claire grinned at her.

“All good I hope?” Lily’s lips twitched.

“Absolutely. Looking forward to Rainbow Week, it sounds like what you girls are putting together is going to be awesome. Going to have to take some days off to enjoy it all.” Claire nodded. “You might set an entirely new standard for holidays.”

“We hope so,” Lily said. “You have a lovely stable.”

“It’s quiet. We like it.”

“Nice meeting you, Claire,” Lily said.

Alex nodded at Claire. “Claire.”

“Alex.”

“She’s this way, cottage right next to the inn,” Alex said.

Lily noted a blonde woman sweeping her stoop wearing a dress with Celtic patterns on it.

“Elizabeth!” Alex called out as they got closer. “I brought someone to meet you.”

Elizabeth Sunbeam set her broom next to the door and brushed down her skirts. “How kind of you, Alex.”

Alex grinned. “Elizabeth, this is Lily. She’s the President of the Silver Drake’s Riding Club at the Manor.”

“Charmed,” Lily said.

Elizabeth peered at her. “Are you, are you really?”

“If I wasn’t, I wouldn’t say so,” Lily said blandly.

“I suppose like Young Melissa you think you know everything.” Elizabeth pushed her hair back over one shoulder.

“I know nothing about the druids or your religion or much about Jorvik. I lead a group of girls that like horses and want to see our stable thrive. Hopefully, if we get to train, we can make it to the Claymore Challenge. However, as my friends and I go about our business in Jorvik, we keep running up against the G.E.D. and a group called Dark Core. These groups we understand are rivals to you. While in most circumstances this would make us allies for the enemy of the enemy is my friend,” Lily trailed off.

Alex stared at her with parted lips.

“The battle between light and darkness,” Elizabeth started.

“Your methods of fighting the darkness leave me questioning how light you actually are. The ends don’t justify the means, Ms. Sunbeam.” Lily shifted in her horse’s saddle. “Dark Core is trying to steal horses from South Hoof Peninsula. The Hightower family won’t listen. G.E.D. has drilled deep into the Greydew Mountains and has completely blocked off Old Hillcrest, yet, no one does anything. Dark Core is situated just up there,” Lily nodded at the mountain side above Valedale. “You can see their camp through a telescope or with a zoom lens. You’re happy to help sick horses. Are you going to help a sick land?”

Elizabeth frowned at her. “I must advise patience.”

“Patience? Lisa Peterson. Anne Von Blissen are missing without a trace. These are your people.” Lily squared her shoulders. “I came here willing to listen and thus far you have neither been welcoming nor said anything I care to hear. I judge you on your inaction. You allow the Silversong River to be tainted on your watch. First the fish near here will die. The plants on the banks will dry up and rot. The dirt will start falling into the stream choking the waters. Then it will spread to the ocean. It’s a ripple and it starts here in your sleepy mountain village.”

Elizabeth straightened. “You play with forces beyond your understanding.”

“And you seriously underestimate how much I don’t care,” Lily said in a tight voice. “Ms. Sunbeam, I don’t know who you work for or who you worship, but here’s my message. Lead. Follow. Or get the hell out of my way. Change is coming on swift wings to South New Jorvik County. So far, none of you have been part of it.”

“You overestimate what I can do.” Elizabeth’s voice turned harsh. “And what you can do, a teenager, and a stranger to Jorvik, her magic, and her ways.”

Lily leaned down. “You were all strangers to Jorvik once.”

Alex shivered.

Lily straightened up and gathered the reins in her hands. “I’m sorry that this didn’t go as you hoped, Alex. With great power comes great responsibility. Do keep an eye on Justin for us.” She nudged her horse with her heel and he turned and flicked his hoofs daintily as he went down the hill.

Lily rode off to the Summer House.

Melissa looked confused to see her coming North from Valedale instead of West from the Manor.

Lily opened up without any preamble. “The Druids have gotten complacent.”

“Wow,” Melissa said. “You met Elizabeth. What did you say?”

“I threw down the gauntlet, quoted Spider-Man, and departed before she could get over her shock at my audacity.” Lily let her gaze rove over the Summer House.

“You should have seen it before,” Melissa joked.

Lily grinned. She sobered. “I wanted to warn you because I’m sure Claire will tell you I showed up.”

“Yes, the famous Lily,” Melissa leaned against her shovel and peered at the fire they had going on what remained of the hearth.

“Infamous more like,” Lily said drolly. “I really don’t know what came over me. Maybe it was seeing the waterfall and the camp right there. How can she live with that every day and claim to be a druid?”

“I don’t think she’s a druid in the way that we think of druids,” one of Melissa’s girls said. “She worships this Aideen woman, rather than nature.”

“The problems with language being imprecise and terrible for nailing down ideas,” Lily shook her head.

“Well, I’m properly terrified,” one of the other girls said.

“Oh you,” Melissa snickered.

“See that you are,” Lily teased. This was going much better than meeting Elizabeth.

“Now that you’ve seen it, any ideas?” Melissa asked.

“Everything we’ve done before has been through proper channels making sure they had permits and all.” Lily shook her head.

“You know, those are probably supposed to be posted,” one of the girls said.

“There’s a Ranger station in Firgrove. Ingrid told me about it,” Melissa examined her nails. “It’s small.”

“Rangers take their duty of care to the pristine land of Jorvik seriously,” Lily said and almost managed a straight face. She sobered. “Just be careful.”

“We should have reconned better the first time,” Melissa fretted. “This could be over already.”

“You don’t have my club’s flair for skullduggery,” Lily wiggled her eyebrows.

“Next meeting, tips for skullduggery,” Melissa said solemnly.

They all burst into giggles.

Lily’s phone buzzed. She frowned. “It’s Sonja. What in the world?” She picked it up and put it in her ear. “Lily, champion of horses, at your service.”

“You’re in a mood already,” Sonja said. “I need your help. Luciana is having a run in with someone who I’m sure has lovely intentions and, I think she’s one of those druids.”

“I’m on my way,” Lily said and hung up. “Code red at Dundull,” she explained. Sensing her urgency, her horse spun on a dime and galloped back towards Valedale. She slowed him down long enough to enter the transport without running into anything, shouting “Dundull, ASAP,” at the driver.

The driver gave her a thumbs up and they were off.

Lily wondered what was going on the entire way. Last she had heard, G.E.D. had tried to bottle and sell the water of the spring at Dundull and in order to save the town or at least the lake water, Rania’s mother had become Mayor.

The trailer parked and Lily shouted her thanks as she got out. She texted Sonja about where they were.

“Stable,” the text read. “Turn right.”

So, Lily went right and found herself in a large stable yard. Rania and Luciana were squared off against a woman in a green vest over a green shirt and actual brown leather breaches.

Emma looked close to tears.

Horses stood in a circle around them. A big palomino draft horse with a strange blaze in the shape of a lightning bolt. Lily wasn’t sure of the breed.

“Harry Potter, much,” Lily muttered. Then she grinned. Her name was the name of the main character’s mother after all. “No relation,” she added under her breath.

Then there was Dellinger, Rania’s Commenara who was trained to help her with her blindness. Sirio, the black Lusitano that was Luciana’s main ride. Sonja’s white on white Jorvik Warmblood Sport. And lastly, a muddy colored palimino horse that looked to also have the lines of a Jorvik Starter Pony.

“Muddy is Emma’s horse,” Luciana said. “You can’t just take him away when she’s bought him fair and square from Kirsty.”

“They even had the proper bonding ceremony,” Rania added. “It was very beautiful. I cried.”

“I’m sorry girls,” Rhiannon said. “Muddy is a Starbreed.”

“You can’t take Starbreeds from people they’ve bonded to,” Rania argued. “I’ve lived here all my life and I know that much!

Sonja trotted over. “They’ve been going around in circles like this for close to twenty minutes.”

Lily rode over. “Excuse me,” she said.

“Lily,” Emma said and ran over. “You have to make this woman listen. I love Muddy. I bought him fair and square with my earnings. We’ve bonded. Muddy is my horse.”

“You have papers?”

Emma nodded.

“I’m not asking you to give me, Muddy. I’m asking you to sell him to the druids.” The woman said. “He’s a special horse.”

“I don’t want to sell,” Emma said. “I just got him.” She flung her arms around the horse’s neck. “I’m not going to give you up, Muddy.”

“Not gonna let you down,” Sonja sang. “Not gonna run around and desert you.”

Lily glared at her.

“Sorry,” Sonja muttered.

“I didn’t come out here to be rick-rolled,” Lily hissed. “Look, Ms.,” she paused.

“Rhiannon,” the woman said.

“Rhiannon,” Lily repeated to put the name firmly in her mind. “If Emma has papers, the law is clear. The horse is hers. If she doesn’t want to sell Muddy, she doesn’t have to sell Muddy. Repeatedly asking when the answer doesn’t change is not only the definition of insanity. It’s harassment.”

“I’m afraid that Emma won’t be able to take care of Muddy properly. Muddy’s a Starbreed.”

“He’s a Jorvik Starter Pony,” Emma defended with her face in Muddy’s neck. “And his name is Mudskipper.”

“By what authority are you saying that he’s a Starbreed?”

“I’m a druid,” Rhiannon said.

Lily wanted to scream. Oh, she was not getting on a good start with these druids. “I’m sure druids understand property laws. I know the G.E.D. and Dark Core don’t seem to but surely an upstanding, are you even an organization, like the druids would,” Lily sighed. “What am I saying? I sound crazy. Fine. What is a Starbreed?”

“I can’t tell you that,” Rhiannon said. “You aren’t a druid. They’re special.”

Lily’s temper broke and sarcasm filled her voice. “And you used your mystic powers to determine this and now you want Emma to sell her special friend.”

“Essentially,” Rhiannon tried for a smile.

“Mudskipper,” Lily addressed the horse directly. “Are you happy with Emma? Is she your special rider?”

The horse nodded.

“There, it’s settled. The horse wants to stay with Emma.”

Rhiannon’s brow furrowed. “Can you talk to horses?”

“We can all talk to horses.”

“I mean, can you understand them when they talk back? Are you a druid?” Rhiannon asked.

“You couldn’t pay me at the moment to be a druid,” Lily’s voice turned icy. “I’m dedicated to getting things done in a prompt, efficient, and timely manner.”

Sonja ducked her head and smirked.

“Motivation that the druids seem to be lacking,” Lily finished.

Rhiannon’s eyes unfocussed. “Your horse is also a Starbreed.”

“And you’ll get my horse over my cold dead body,” Lily snapped. “You can’t just look at horses, wave your hands, and expect people to turn them over.”

Rhiannon shook her head and her eyes focused. “You aren’t from around here.”

“What gave it away? My accent or my attitude.”

“The druids,” Rhiannon began.

“Sorry. I already got into this with Elizabeth Sunbeam not thirty minutes ago.” Lily held up a hand. “People have more to fear from G.E.D. and Dark Core than they have to fear from you, and G.E.D. is barely competent at what they do.”

Rhiannon sucked her cheeks in. She nodded at them. “I’ll leave you to think it over.”

“There’s nothing to think over,” Emma wailed.

Rhiannon mounted her horse and took off.

They all watched her go, the other stable girls drifting from where they’d been watching.

“She’s off to chat with Elizabeth over how rude and disrespectful I am, I’m sure.” Lily said. “So, anyone have any idea what a Starbreed is?”

“The druids claim all the horses they ride are Starbreeds,” Sonja said. “They sweep in at foaling time, check out all the foals and come back for the ones they claim are Starbreeds when they’re weaned. No one is quite sure where they take them or what they do with them.”

“Are there enough druids to justify taking all these horses?” Lily asked. “I mean, that’s rather suspicious. And how did my horse get missed then?”

“The Baroness banned them from her paddocks. They might have missed Muddy by accident,” Sonja shrugged a shoulder.

“Good on the Baroness,” Lily murmured. She picked out her phone and texted all the other presidents that there were special horses called Starbreeds that could be found among the horses and if anyone knew anything about them, they should share.

Kelsey texted back that it sounded suspicious. What if Dark Core wanted a Starbreed horse?

It made sense to Lily. If the Starbreed horses were the horses of the druids and these dark riders were the druid’s opposites, then of course, they’d want a Starbreed horse for whatever they were doing. She didn’t and couldn’t text all of that to Kelsey. Linda hadn’t texted her druid business for a reason. Maybe Dark Core or G.E.D. was more tech savvy than they appeared. So, she texted back a confirmation. Though if only the druids like Rhiannon knew how to figure out which was which, she didn’t know how that would help Kelsey.

Or Dark Core.

If Dark Core couldn’t tell. They’d get a lot of horses before getting the one they wanted. Not that Lily wanted them to get their hands on any horses. She sighed. “I think I’ve done enough damage for today.”

“No. No. No. Don’t say that. Watching you stand up to that woman was empowering,” Sonja said.

Lily smiled tightly at her. “Last straw, I guess. I’ll see you guys before Rainbow Week I hope.”

--

She used the transport to get to the Manor. Tracking down Linda, she interrupted Alex rhapsodizing about her stand against Elizabeth.

Linda cleared her throat. “Lily.”

“Oh, I was going to tell you all about it,” Lily flushed. “I don’t want you feel forced to choose sides or anything.”

“No. No forcing here,” Linda reassured her.

“Yeah. It was excellent.” Alex said. “Like, I’ve been pushing for action ever since Lisa and Anne went missing!”

“Well, Rhiannon, another druid, I guess,” Lily explained the situation with Emma and Mudskipper. “Do you two know what a Starbreed is, and can you tell me?”

“Only in the way it related to Starshine,” Linda said. “His mane turns electric blue out in the wild. Herman thought it made him special, a Starbreed. I suppose by being our horses, they have to be Starbreeds. Though, Herman always said that Starshine, Meteor, Tin-Can, and Concorde were reincarnated versions of the original Starbreeds. Not that they remember their lives before, but that our souls have been together a long time.”

“You’re reincarnated too.”

“I guess?” Linda shrugged.

Alex sighed. “They really don’t like to explain unless you’re high up in the inner circles. We’ve only been at this a year.”

Linda gave Alex a chiding look.

“Not that we’re supposed to talk about it.” Alex waved her hands.

“All right, if you can’t, you can’t.” Lily said. “Be warned though. We can’t guard against people we don’t know about.” She left them there to get back to work. She’d been gone long enough.

She hoped those words wouldn’t come back to haunt her.

FOR THE ACCOMPANYING IMAGES PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE MY WATERMARK AND CONTACT INFORMATION. THANK YOU. I get it. Some of you might get excited and want to see this stuff in the game, especially the clothes, tack, and pets. However, the only way I want to see this in the game is if I get paid for it. If I see it in the game and I’m not paid for it, there will be hell to pay. You think I’m salty. I’d be angry. Personally, I’m not going to send this info to SSO. If you do, leave my contact information there! Don’t give them any excuses to steal.

Now, I’ll know you haven’t read this note if you leave me comments about how ‘salty’ I am about the game and if I hate it so much I should do something else. I am doing something else. It’s called Mystic Riders MMORPG Project. Mystic Riders however is a very baby phase game. You can check out our plans on the game dev blog. (Skills, Factions, Professions, Crafting, Mini-Games, 25+ horse breeds!) If you know anyone who would be interested and has money or contacts about game making, direct them to the blog.

[chiefnooniensingh]

I Won’t Hesitate (for you)

Chapter 2: Oh, take me back (to the night we met)

In this chapter: We got back to the day Alex met Michael. In the present day, Alex meets a certain doctor, a kind young woman named Beth and her father, and the lovely DeLuca duo. Alex tries to talk to Michael. 

A/N: A special thanks to Aileen (@acomebackstory), Callie (@callieramics), @hm-arn, @royalshadowhunter and @ladymajavader over on Tumblr for their continued support and cheerleading. I don't know if I would've finished it without you guys!

Who can guess the song that inspired this chapter?

Also on: ao3

other chapters: 1

September, 1923

Alex was barely 15, hiding so deep in the closet it was a wonder anyone could see him at all and as miserable as he could possibly imagine being, when Michael Guerin walked into his life. He was living in a narrow-minded small town under the tyranny of his father and absolutely horrendous three older brothers. His mother had left years ago, having finally had enough of Jesse Manes’ behaviour, and had not taken Alex with her. Even now, years later, when he was hiding everything about himself in all-black clothes and music, her decision not to save him too still hurt worse than anything his father did to him.

The small town was still talking about the gruesome murder of eleven-year-old Rosa Ortecho, which, even three years later, had not been solved. The remaining members of the Ortecho family had recently moved out of state, no longer able to stand the memories that dwelt there. Michael Guerin arrived not long after, an orphan having run away from his latest foster home after his two siblings were adopted and he wasn’t. He lived on the ranch just outside the town, helping Mr Foster raise and care for the horses in exchange for a bed and food. The town gossip was buzzing for two weeks after Michael arrived, as the boy in the skin-tight trousers and wild curls, on top of which perpetually rested a black cowboy hat, stood out, and outsiders were generally mistrusted. Add to that the anger problem Michael seemed to have, and soon enough everyone knew his name, background and how many times Sheriff Green had kept him in jail overnight.

“You are not to associate with this boy, Alex,” Master Sergeant Manes said one night at dinner. “He’s bad news and will bring shame to our family.”

Alex, exhausted from yet another day of pretending to be someone he wasn’t, hadn’t been able to stop the words spilling from his mouth, “And God forbid anyone speaks ill of our picture-perfect family.”

The next day he’d had difficulty sitting and had therefore stayed on his feet during lunch at school. He was always an outsider. ‘The freak who eats standing upright’ was hardly the worst thing people said about him. He stood underneath a tree, wincing every time he shifted his weight and bit into his apple when a figure appeared in front of him. “Hey.” It was Michael, looking at him with a frown on his face. Alex remembered the words his father had spoken, and the lesson he’d tried to teach Alex afterwards, and he smiled.

“Hey.”

“You’re standing on my spot.” Alex’s smile vanished, and his heart sank. He’d hoped this other outsider would be at least civil, but apparently the town gossip had the right of it, for once. “This is usually where I come to smoke during break.”

“Sorry,” Alex muttered, tossing his apple into his bag and moving to leave. “Wouldn’t want to cut into your extremely busy schedule.” He started to move, wincing with every step he took.

“Hey, you alright?” Michael called after him, and when Alex turned, he saw a look of worry on his face.

Alex nodded, the lie coming from his mouth with practiced ease. “Yeah, I fell from my horse yesterday. I’m not that skilled a rider.”

Michael narrowed his eyes for a moment, and Alex had the weird sensation that he could see right through him. Then he started pushing up the sleeve on his right arm. Alex stepped closer as Michael held out his forearm. “Last foster family thought I was possessed. Apparently, having trust and anger issues is ‘the devil’s influence’.” Alex gasped as he saw the very clear outline of a cross burned into Michael’s skin. Horrified, he looked up to see Michael wearing a painful grimace, which Alex was sure was supposed to be a confident smile. “And people ask why I ran away.”

“Jesus, I’m so sorry,” Alex said, his eyes drawn once again to the cross. He shivered as he tried in vain not to imagine the pain Michael had been through. Michael pulled his sleeve back over it.

“It’s alright,” he said, then paused and scoffed. “It’s not,” he continued, “but I’ll survive.”

Alex looked up at the other boy and saw for the first time a genuine smile on his face. Alex felt himself relax slightly. “My father thinks violence teaches the best lessons,” he admitted softly, before he could stop himself. He realized immediately this was the first time he’d ever said it out loud. “I talked back to him last night. You don’t want to see my backside.”

Michael clicked his tongue and shook his head. “I’m sorry.”

Alex nodded, the held out his hand. “I’m Alex. Alex Manes.”

Michael looked at Alex’s hand for a moment, as if surprised anyone wanted to touch him. Then he took it, and a shock went through Alex’s system as if Michael was filled with electricity. “Michael Guerin. Nice to meet you, Alex.”

Present day, 19th of October, 1935

A lot can be said against travelling by train, but the food wasn’t one of them. Alex felt like he was travelling on a cruiseship, he had never lived in such luxury. Airmen didn’t really earn much, and while his income had seen a definite uptick since becoming a PI, he had never thought of treating himself like this.

He’d absolutely gorged himself on as much as he could at the lunch buffet two hours into the journey, and now had loaded his plate with pastas, salads and a very nice rare steak for his dinner. He sat down at the far end of the dining carriage and sat back, slowly working his way through his food as he watched the other travellers. Isobel and Noah Bracken were sitting at the other end, with Noah immersed in a newspaper looking vaguely angry and Isobel gazing out the window, sipping a fancy cocktail and looking supremely bored. The other patrons he recognized from the station. At the table next to him, the mother and daughter were sitting. The mother looked better than she had on the platform. Alex had more time to take them in now, automatically committing their faces to memory. They were identical in several ways; both had dark skin tones, black hair that curled heavily and an identical smile. They differed in other ways, the daughter was a little softer in her cheekbones, whilst her mother was a foot taller than her. The older woman said something, and her daughter giggled. They seemed to really enjoy their trip. The young doctor Alex had almost tripped over on the station in Istanbul walked past him holding a glass of red wine, nodding politely. Alex inclined his head in response.

A table further back seated an older Latino gentleman with a younger woman, probably (and hopefully) his daughter. The man was talking loudly. “This pasta is de madre! It is too dry, too little sauce! I would like to see the chef sometime during this trip!” His daughter nodded her head indulgently, taking a bite from her own pasta and seeming to enjoy it, despite what her father said.

“Excuse me.” Alex looked up to see the doctor in front of him. He was a handsome man, tall, with black hair and dark eyes. He had shed the white coat. “You’re the man whom I almost tripped, right? The detective?” He was holding two glasses of wine, one of which he set down on the table.

His reputation was spreading. That’s…great. Alex smiled despite it. “I am. Alex Manes, at your service.”

“Kyle. At yours.” They shook hands. “May I sit? Can I offer you a glass of wine?” At Alex’s nod, Kyle took the seat across from him and pushed the glass towards him. Alex sipped it carefully; it was nice and fruity. “Where are you travelling to?”

“I’m going back to America; I have a new case waiting for me there.”

Kyle’s eyes began to glimmer. “I keep up with all your cases in the newspaper. The 1933 Montreal murder? Amazing solve.” Alex smiled indulgently. “I read that when I was procrastinating studying for my final exams. It was a great distraction.”

“You’re…welcome?” Kyle chuckled and took a sip of his own wine. “What is your final destination?”

A smile stretched on Kyle’s face. “There’s a job waiting for me in Paris. I helped out an old friend from medical school in Istanbul, and now I’m packing up my life and moving across the pond indefinitely.”

“Your first job?”

“Yeah, my first real appointment as a doctor.” Kyle looked extremely proud of himself. “I’ve been mostly helping out friends and family, but my work in Istanbul caught the attention of a top surgeon in Paris. He recommended me for the job.”

Alex inclined his head. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you.”

They continued to talk over dinner and wine, discussing new developments in medicine and Alex walked him through one of his minor cases, Kyle listening in awe. When Alex finished the last of his food, Kyle took a final sip of wine and rose. “It’s been a pleasure talking to you, Mr Manes. I hope to see you around?”

“Of that I have no doubt.”

Kyle walked away, exiting the dining carriage. Alex finished his wine in silence after that, watching the other guests finish their food and return to their respective cabins. Alex was the last to remain behind, finishing his wine at his own leisure.

The door opened just as Alex took the last sip. He looked up and nearly snorted the wine up through his nose. Michael had walked in, looking absolutely gorgeous in his conductor’s uniform.

Alex had been unable to focus on anything much throughout the day, his mind filled with memories of his first meeting with Michael and the year that followed. He’d mostly stayed in his cabin, trying to figure out what to do about this situation. The memory of Michael in that uniform did not help. Seeing him in it again made the situation worse.

Gathering his wits, he rose as Michael started clearing out the dishes. “Michael,” he said, and a glass smashed to the floor. It ringed in the silence that followed, as Michael kept his back to Alex and Alex stared at him with pain in his heart.

“Can I help you, sir?” Michael said, the icy tone sending shivers down Alex’s back.

“Please, talk to me, Guerin. It’s been so long.”

Michael spun around, his hands clutching a wineglass with lipstick on the edge. “Talk about what, exactly, Alex? About how I said I loved you and you left without saying goodbye? About how you nearly died in Nicaragua and I had to hear about it from your brother? About how you never wrote to me once? What do you want to talk about?”

Alex’s mouth opened, but no words came out. His heart was aching, because he knew Michael was right and there was nothing Alex could do to fix it. “Michael, I – ”

Michael scoffed. “Yeah, I thought so. Have a good day, Mr Manes.” He jerked back around and continued to clean up, making it clear that this conversation was over.

Alex ached to reach out and touch him, but Michael had made his feelings very clear. It was no use.

He’d lost Michael forever.

He quickly left the dining carriage, before the emotions completely overcame in. As he was still wiping his eyes, he ran into the daughter of the man complaining about the food. “Oh, my apologies, miss, I’m not watching where I’m going.”

The woman looked up at him, and her brow furrowed in concern. “Are you alright, sir?”

Alex swallowed the lump in his throat and put on a smile. No lady should ever have to see him cry. It was bad enough that Michael probably heard him sniffle as he left the carriage. “I’m perfectly alright, miss. Are you enjoying your trip?”

Her face lit up. “Oh yes! I’ve never been on such a luxurious journey, but my father has recently opened a restaurant in Paris and it’s doing so well we had money to go on holiday.” She held out her hand. “I’m Beth.”

“Alex Manes,” he said, bending down to brush his lips to her hand. “It’s nice to meet you. So your father is a chef?” Beth nodded. “That explains the criticism.”

She laughed out loud, brushing her long black hair away from her face. “Yeah, any food he hasn’t cooked he thinks is terrible. I told the staff not to pay attention.”

“Beth! Mija, where have you gone off to?” Beth rolled her eyes as her father appeared from the second closest cabin.

“This is why I took a separate cabin,” she confided in him in a low voice. Alex smiled at them both. “Papi, this is Alex Manes.”

Her father approached him, looking him up and down. Alex couldn’t shake the feeling he was being checked out for suitability as a son-in-law. He was unsure how he was going to explain to this man that Beth, while beautiful, was not his type. But the man just held out his hand. “My name is Arthur Otto. Manes? Are you that detective? The Montreal Murder?”

Did everyone on this train know who he was? He had never been recognized this much before. “I am he,” Alex confirmed.

“It’s good that there are good men like you doing the work the police can’t do. Thank you, Mr Manes.” Arthur slapped Alex’s shoulder as he shook his hand firmly. Alex felt his face grow hot. He was unused to this kind of attention. “Are you coming, Beth? I want to play one more game of cards before we go to bed.”

“Yes, papi.” She smiled up at Alex, her kind eyes sparkling. “Good to meet you, Mr Manes.”

“Likewise.” Father and daughter disappeared inside one of the cabins, and Alex continued to his own. He was exhausted and just wanted to sleep so this journey would be over quicker. Whatever enjoyment he’d gotten out of this fancy train had gone with Michael’s less than cold demeaner. The sooner they were in Paris the better.

“Mr Manes!” Son of a bitch. Dr Kyle was waving at him from the other side of the carriage. “Mr Manes, come meet the loveliest passengers on this train. The beautiful Mimi DeLuca, and her equally charming daughter Maria.” Sighing, but resigning himself to even more social interaction, Alex made his way to the cabin at the end. Maria and Mrs DeLuca were indeed charming, introducing themselves to him with warm smiles and offering him a glass of bourbon, which he gladly accepted. The ladies and Kyle were excellent company, and for a while, Alex forgot his exhaustion and his romantic troubles as the four of them played cards, talked and drank a little too much bourbon.

It was past midnight when Kyle and Alex left the ladies’ cabin and went into their separate cabins after wishing each other a good night.

Alex felt quite buzzed. That and his damned knee combined to a very clumsy way to his bed, but when he finally lay back, he sighed deeply. He was glad to have spent the evening in such excellent company. Even though it had mentally exhausted him, he felt infinitely better as well. Michael was still there, in the back of his mind, but the alcohol had drowned him out as much as possible.

Michael.

Alex turned onto his side and felt himself drifting off to a place where the last ten years never happened. Where he could freely wrap his arms around Michael’s strong frame, inhale his scent and kiss him without an ache in his heart. He dreamt of a better place.

He woke up to a scream.

“NOOOO!! HE’S DEAD! SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!! HE’S BEEN KILLED, MY HUSBAND IS DEAD!!”

[daisyquakes]

Gives You Hell || Discord

summary: Robbie takes it upon himself to break Daisy out of the Raft. But they see something unexpected on their way out that neither of them can let sit. trigger warnings: death mention, murder mention, suicidal ideations, mentions of torture, and general mentions of grief, depression, anxiety -- it’s dark and everyone is sad featuring: @vengeancedemons​

DAISY: There was a part of Daisy that wondered if the Ice Box would have been a kinder place to be hidden away inside. But there... there they had experimented on people like Daisy. Inhumans. Made them stronger - tried to weaponize them - but Dasiy was at the point of her isolation where she would have been happy to see anyone. Even a doctor with a blade in their hand and a devilish look in their eyes, just someone who would speak to her. But in the Raft, there were two guards that were posted at the end of the hall, watching the others like her that were in isolation. Ready to jump into action if anything ever happened.

Not that it did.

The only thing that ever happened was when they whispered to each other, and their incoherent words bounced around the otherwise empty space.

She had a moment with Matt and one with Alex... but since then? She had been on her own. Restrained in a straightjacket and left to sit in a room with nothing. No chair, no toilet, no sink. Three walls and the fourth made out of bars. And her only constant companion. Silence. (She wished she could hear the water currents running against the exterior, but Daisy was sure that she was in the center of the facility. There was no chance for Daisy to lose herself to white noise.)

Alex had told her that she’d get her out of here - that Daisy would be back on the outside but that it would take time, and Daisy didn’t know how much of that she had. Or how much of it had passed. (It felt like time passed differently inside the Raft... or maybe not at all.) Patience was hard when you were turned so far around that you weren’t sure what side of the planet you were on anymore.

tucked into the corner of her cell, Daisy stretched out her legs and tipped her head back, gazing off towards the other corner of her cell. A blank wall. Wondering if now was the time to start praying to the God she had turned her back on years ago - wondering if she could ask for anything after all this time.

ROBBIE: It would surprise no one to know that Hell brought with it no shortage of nightmares. Some nights, Robbie didn’t sleep at all. He lay in his bed for hours with screams still echoing in his ears, roamed the streets with the heat of phantom flames still biting the air behind him. What some people didn’t expect, however, was that Hell wasn’t the only thing that haunted him. Hell wasn’t the only thing marring his sleep, and his memories of fire and brimstone weren’t the only ones keeping him up at night. There was more to it than that.

Mostly, there was Eli.

A lot of moments with his uncle followed him around but, more often than not, it was the end that made his breaths come in short gasps, the last part that made his heart pound. Robbie’s mind went back to that last conversation, to the carbon spike through his chest and the madness in Eli’s eyes. Why’d you do it? He’d asked, wanting desperately to understand. Become a killer? And Eli, god, Eli hadn’t missed a beat. Well, I guess it runs in the family.

Eli Morrow tore Robbie’s life to shreds. His mistakes left one of his nephews in a wheelchair, the other dead on the concrete and damned to Hell. He’d ripped apart every piece of Robbie’s life that mattered, left him in shambles.

And it was, at the end of the day, a habit that ran in the family.

He’d been sloppy. That was all there was to it. He’d showed up at Daisy’s place drunk and stupid, begged her to take him to his Charger so he could steal it back. He’d been so desperate to regain that last piece of his uncle that he hadn’t wondered whether he might turn himself into Eli in the process. One mistake, and that was it. That was all it took. Robbie tore Daisy’s life to shreds with one mistake. And now, it was on him to fix it.

The moment he heard about her imprisonment, the moment he showed up to her apartment after those unanswered texts to hear her neighbor chattering about how they arrested the freak, took her to where she belongs, no doubt, Robbie began planning. He refused to be the man who raised him, refused to let this be just another of the awful things coursing through his veins. When Robbie tore someone’s life apart, when his actions resulted in someone innocent losing everything, he was going to make an effort to fix it. Even if he had to walk through Hell to do it.

God, he wished that was a fucking metaphor.

It was something he’d learned in his travels, something he’d discovered in researching how to get back to Earth. Time wasn’t the only thing that moved differently between dimensions --- space did, too. One step in Hell might mean a thousand on Earth. You could pop in in one place and pop out in another.

You could enter a portal in your shitty apartment and exit it in the Raft.

It wasn’t a perfect plan by any stretch of the imagination, and it took time to get it right. Robbie spent hours in his apartment figuring out exactly where he’d need to go, looking at coordinates and scouring shady internet messaging boards. He used his insomnia to his advantage, didn’t sleep for his own reasons. A tendency towards murder, as it turned out, wasn’t the only quality Robbie had inherited from his uncle. When he put his mind to it, when he really focused, he could tap into Eli’s smarts, too. He could plot the world’s most dangerous goddamn prison heist in a few days.

(And he knew a few days might still be too long. He knew that stories of the Raft painted it as the sort of place where minds were lost in hours. He knew that. He was just trying not to think of it.)

Getting the Rider to agree was difficult… but not as hard as it would have been if it were anyone but Daisy on the line. The Devil had always had something of a soft spot for her, and with the two of them working together, Robbie found himself stepping out of his portal just inside the door to her cell. He stepped into the cramped space on shaky legs, swallowing as he tried to put on the mask of a man who hadn’t walked through Hell to get there. Glancing down at her, he clenched his jaw and tried not to explode at the sight. She hadn’t been treated well, that much was clear. Robbie wanted nothing more than to walk out of this cell and kill every goddamn guard in this place, and he didn’t think the Rider would stop him. But… They had to go. If they wanted to make it out without him landing in a cell identical to this one, they had to go.

“You look like shit,” he greeted. “Wanna head out?”

DAISY: There was that crackling in the air again. That familiar sound that came with a smell of burning in the air - one that she had only smelt twice before. When Robbie was dragging his uncle to hell, and that day when he finally came back. It had the same smell in the air and Daisy could feel her heartbeat pick up with hope.

But it was short-lived.

Because as soon as Daisy’s brain started to process the expression on Robbie’s face, the familiar clench of his jaw - the way he looked as if he was about to tear apart a person with his bare hands. It was a look she had seen in his eyes before, and Daisy was over the ledge of delirium. So, she laughed. Of all the people she could hallucinate. Robbie.

“You know,” Daisy started, as the laughter finally subsided. “I expected to see Coulson, you know?” But saying his name caused her heart to ache immediately. (And what Daisy would give to hear some parting words of advice from Coulson?) Her eyes had locked into her hallucinations and she could feel her eyes burning. She wanted to ask him why he was there, why, out of everyone, he was the person she was losing her mind about.

Had she really gone so long without food and water? Would they leave her like this? Imagining people she cared about, stumbling into her cell, with some misguided hope to save her? Robbie told her she looked like shit and Daisy couldn’t help but smirk. “Sorry, Reyes, they confiscated my makeup -- if I knew I had a hot date coming, I would have at least brushed my hair. Now... get lost.” Daisy moved her leg and kicked Robbie.

Only... her leg made contact.

Her leg made contact.

Daisy leaned forward, her head tipping so she could look up at him. “You’re really here.” She tried to catch her breath, wanting to latch onto some sort of humor and pretend that she wasn’t completely fucked up - but she couldn't. She looked at Robbie, her mouth was slightly open while she processed the fact he was actually there. “Get me the fuck out of here.”

ROBBIE: For a moment, a fraction of a heartbeat, there was almost a smile on her face. Robbie wasn’t used to people looking happy to see him, particularly not when he showed up like this, with the smell of burning air and smoke following in his wake, but Daisy wasn’t most people. And, shit, Robbie wasn’t exactly his usual self around her. Typically, Ghost Rider reared his ugly head to send people into Hell. He was the last thing they saw before fire and brimstone took them over completely, the last face they saw on the right side of the grave. But Daisy was different. Daisy was always different.

At least, Robbie thought she was. But then that smile was slipping from her face and, suddenly, he wasn’t so sure.

Did she hate him for landing her in here? He wasn’t sure he’d be able to blame her if she did. It was his fault, after all, his selfish demands that launched her from the government’s nice list to the world’s most secure super prison in a matter of hours. Robbie’d been in Hell for years now, and in that time, Daisy seemed to have made out all right. She’d been alive when he came back. She’d been free. A few days of him back in her life, and she was here. It wasn’t hard to put two and two together.

She spoke, and Robbie’s brow furrowed, confusion clear on his face. “I expected to see Coulson, you know?” It took a moment for the realization to strike, took a beat for his mind to catch up to the situation.

Hallucinations were fairly common in Hell. Robbie had seen them often, either in the form of people he wanted to see, like Gabe or Daisy, or in the form of people he wanted to avoid, like Eli or Santino Noguera. He’d never stopped to think that the conditions here were dangerously close to the ones some people faced in Hell, never paused to consider just how thoroughly isolation could torture someone. Guilt washed over him in droves, and he pushed it away quickly. There’d be time to hate himself later. There always was.

Her foot made contact with his leg, and it was her turn to get that burst of realization. He noted the way her eyes widened, the way that flicker of hope was back and, selfishly, he was relieved for it. She didn’t hate him. For the moment, at least, she didn’t hate him. Maybe it was only because he was her ride, maybe she’d find time to be pissed at him the moment they landed back in New York, but it still felt good.

“I’m really here,” he confirmed with a curt nod. “And I’m really hoping you haven’t lost it completely, ‘cause the next part of this field trip’s really gonna suck if you check out on me.” He offered her a hand, ready to pull her to her feet. “We’re gonna get you out of that fucking jacket, Johnson, and then we’re gone. Won’t be much sightseeing on the way out. My shortcut doesn’t exactly come with a scenic route.” He nodded back to the portal still open behind him, Hell staring back at them both from within the circle. He doubted she’d like the ride, but the destination was definitely better than this shithole. And it was temporary. It was a few minutes at the most, and they’d be free. They’d be out. Robbie reminded himself of that over and over, desperate to calm his racing heart.

DAISY: The diet they had her on, Daisy knew that they were trying to control her more than just with the collar. The proportions, the choices, it was all to keep her body and her mind weak, so that just in case the collar failed, she’d still be docile. But how long had she been in here? Daisy didn’t know - and without knowing how many days had passed, she didn’t know how weak her muscles would be.

She wasn’t entirely sure what to tell him. Sorry that she thought he wasn’t really there? Or confess that it wouldn’t have been her first hallucination inside the Raft? It was one of those things that no matter how flippant Daisy wanted to be about it, it twisted her insides. She bit down on her tongue and tipped her head downward, hoping he wouldn’t notice the look in her eyes or call her out on how casually she talked to him like she had spoken to hallucinations before.

Maybe he was waiting until they were out of here - maybe he’d confront her about what she had been seeing on the other side of that portal... but she was thankful for the time to settle her mind. “I didn’t think---” Daisy cleared her throat and shook her head. “Alex said it’d take time. I would have told her not to worry about it if I knew that you were planning a jailbreak.” Not that Robbie had any way of letting her know he was on his way - it wasn’t like she could track him on her phone like Uber.

Robbie stretched out his hand and Daisy glanced up, shifting so that he could grab her arm easily. Her hands weren’t exactly an option considering the way the jacket was wrapped up. “I mean, I’m trusting you to navigate me through a hellscape and take me back to the real world - and -- really? We can’t do a direct flight?” Daisy quipped before turning so that he could undo the buckles on the back of the jacket. “Have to lose it a little to think a route through hell is the best way to travel.”

Joking was all she could do to try and tame the pounding in her chest. Her eyes darting towards the guards who were already on the radio, watching them - but thankfully, they had only seen Robbie from behind, and with any luck, the camera wouldn’t have caught his face either. (She’d double-check once she was on the outside. Brush off her hacking skills to protect Robbie from the consequences of his stupid choice to try and save her.)

“Hurry.” She urged. Daisy took a deep breath and glanced over her shoulder at Robbie, “And please tell me... we’re not going to spend two years in there.”

ROBBIE: She wasn’t all there, though Robbie wasn’t sure if it was drugs, malnourishment, or the collar around her neck making her feel off. It could have had less to do with her and more to do with their surroundings, too, of course. Hell raged to his side, the portal wild and chaotic and, above all else, impatient. Hell didn’t like to be kept waiting. Behind him, too, there was Hell. Robbie didn’t know what went on within the walls of the Raft, didn’t know what sort of punishments they designed for those deemed dangerous enough to be imprisoned within it, but he knew it was bad. The Rider was stirring within him at that sense of desperation in the air. This is Hell, he was saying. This is Hell, too. Hell is mine, Reyes, you know it is. Robbie clenched his jaw, pushed the Devil down, and turned his attention back to Daisy. It wouldn’t be so easy once they stepped foot inside that portal but for now, they were still in Robbie’s world. Barely, but still.

She looked a little better than she had a moment ago, a little more settled. Maybe it was the knowledge that she was getting out, the fact that she’d soon be as free as a person could be with the United States government on their ass. Still… She didn’t look great. She’d still thought he wasn’t real, still looked prepared to fall over at any moment. Part of him wanted to squat down beside her, wanted to kneel at her side and take her face in his hands and look her in the eyes, to make sure she knew she was safe. Another part wanted to tear his way through the wall of bars behind him, to tear apart the guards outside, the ones on the other end of the radios they were speaking into, the ones in the cushy offices with the big paychecks coming in every month, every goddamn person in this hellhole. In the end, he did neither because neither would help her in the moment. Neither would get her out of that goddamn jacket faster.

He swallowed, throat dry and aching as he shook his head slightly. “Fuck time,” he said quickly, because he knew time wasn’t feasible. If you left someone in a place like this, took time to get them out through the legal channels, they wouldn’t come back the same. Robbie knew firsthand what it felt like to take your time clawing your way out of Hell. He knew from personal experience just how broken it left you. “I don’t know who Alex is, what she’s got planned, but fuck time. We’re leaving now. Okay?” He hoped she didn’t say no, hoped she didn’t ask him to leave her there. It would be a painfully Daisy thing to do, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to stomach it. If she told him to leave him, he’d try to convince her until those bars came down, until those guards came in, until they tested their strength out on him. He’d already walked through Hell to get to her. It wouldn’t be much harder to stick around in it, if he had to. At least then she wouldn’t be here alone.

She shifted, and Robbie pulled her to his feet as quickly as he could, making short work of the straps on the straight jacket. He eyed the collar for a moment, but he could hear the crackling of the radio behind them and he knew they didn’t have time to deal with it here. “Yeah, well, if you don’t like the transportation I can always look for another flight. Just, you know, might take time. And I don’t think either of us want to spend a layover here.” He kept his voice light, but there was a tightness to it, too, a discomfort he couldn’t hide. They were both good at this, both skilled in telling stupid jokes while the goddamn world fell apart, but fuck, it wasn’t easy now. Nothing was easy now, not with most of his energy split between keeping the portal open and keeping the Rider at bay. “Plenty of people’d kill for a first class trip through the Underworld, you know.”

Behind him, he heard boots on the ground, and he knew they were out of time. It was now or never, this Hell or that one. Daisy told him to hurry, and Robbie nodded. “We’ll take care of the dog tags when we get settled,” he told her, taking her arm and leading her quickly into the portal. He caught sight of a guard entering the cell behind him, positioned himself between the portal and Daisy as the bullets flew in after them. The gate closed before anyone could follow, and Robbie sighed, letting out a groan as his lungs reinflated. “Stings like a bitch every goddamn time,” he muttered, rolling his shoulders with a grimace. Two shots landed. Not the worst show of resistance he’d ever faced. He could feel the Rider thrashing against the proverbial walls, desperate to get out of his cell now that Daisy was free of hers. “Uh, yeah,” he said, turning his attention back to Daisy. “I’ll do my best there, Johnson.” He grimaced again, shaking his head. “Look, I --- I’m not sure how long I can keep the other guy down. He gets out and I might not get out of here, but you will. Me and him have an understanding there.” Robbie shook his head again, taking a step forward. “Come on. New York’s this way.”

DAISY: Robbie knew the risk of coming here to break her out. He knew that if he wasn’t careful that there would be a cost - he had to know. Because Daisy’s faith in him in this moment hinged on her assuming that he understood what he was doing was dangerous and stupid and could harm everyone around them. If they got a good picture of his face, it wasn’t just Daisy and Robbie that would be in trouble, it would be every person they had wrapped their arms around. Every person that they looked at with even a hint of fondness in their eyes.

Neither of them had many people. Their families were limited - Robbie had Gabe and Gabe still thought Robbie was dead and Daisy... she had Matt (another person who had returned from the dead only for Daisy to find a way of fucking things up). But that bonded them, that burning feeling to protect the ones they did care about - and both of them were willing to walk through hell or take a bullet for the people they cared about. Robbie might not have been the hero type, but he was enough like Daisy for her to recognize it. The recklessness, the running headfirst into the fire, the Rider might not have given two shits about what happened to her.

But Robbie Reyes did.

And after all the shit she had dragged him through... he could have left her there. He could have shrugged off her being in the Raft and settled on it being someone else’s problem - he could have left Daisy to suffer the consequences on her own. But he didn’t. Not that Daisy would have blamed him for leaving her to the wolves - he had people to take care of himself, after all. (Him being there… it meant something. Even if it was unsaid, even if neither of them looked at each other and said that it, it was something.) “Fuck time,” Daisy repeated in a murmur. “Yeah... we’re going now.” Repeating his words, letting them echo in the space around them a second time - made them feel more real for her. Alex might have been able to clear Daisy’s name if given time, but as disoriented as Daisy was now, she wasn’t sure who she’d be once Alex sorted everything out. Daisy wanted to think that she could resist it, that she’d be the same at the end of it… but she knew better. Every mission she had gone on had left a deep scar across her psyche, why would the Raft be any different?

Space had taken so much from her. The Framework. Every other mission she had followed Coulson and her team on – it all took something. It was a miracle that there was any Daisy left to salvage. There was a very real possibility that it was Daisy that gave up on herself long before anyone else did... but in this case? How many could say they survived the Raft? This was the end of the line for most people like Daisy. Giving up was logical. Giving up was what sane people did. Coming to terms with their reality - another thing that sane people did. (Was Daisy sane? Or would she have driven herself crazy with some misguided idea that she’d be freed from this prison?)

But fuck time. Robbie was there - and there was no need to worry about what might have been. Robbie was there and Daisy hadn’t lost her mind. That’s all that mattered. The now. Daisy just had to focus on it. "That a joke about murder, Reyes?” Daisy huffed a laugh, letting herself find some odd comfort in his humor. (Focusing on anything but their surroundings - and even if it was Robbie’s gallow humor, she’d embrace it.) On the other side of the portal, Daisy turned around to watch as Robbie’s body threw out the bullets it had taken. She tried not to think about it as she started undoing the rest of the jacket. It wasn’t even about the heat of hell, it was the feeling of being restricted. (She would have torn off the collar too, but Daisy wasn’t sure what could force the damn thing off.)

“Fuck that, Reyes,” Daisy shot back immediately. The Rider wasn’t something that Robbie could control - not always - and this... this was his domain. She could only imagine how loud the Rider got here. “Don’t you fucking dare,” she warned. He had just gotten back - and he was already jumping back into hell? (No that wasn’t what was freaking Daisy out - it was another person willing to give up their life for her without asking what she wanted. Another person that would be destroyed because of her. How many names until it would end? Or would it end with her name?)

And what fucked up universe brought Robbie back to Earth and then stole him away immediately after? (The one they lived in, clearly.) She was ready to start yelling at him, Daisy stepped closer to him, reaching for his collar, ready to threaten to fight the Rider herself if the other guy thought for two seconds that Daisy was going to let that happen - not that she was much of a threat with the collar locked around her neck... but before she could start, she heard screaming. The anger quickly faded and Daisy couldn’t tell if it was because of the screaming - or the place they were in - but she was on edge. “Robbie...”

He said something about New York being a certain way - but all Daisy could focus on was the cheering and screaming, the sounds of a mass of people grouped in one area. On the horizon, it came into focus, it looked like a coliseum, an arena, a battleground. There was a woman being dragged towards it. A blonde - not just any blonde, Daisy recognized her. Trish Walker. “Do you see that?” Daisy asked, rubbing her forehead as she blinked, and when she opened her eyes... it wasn’t Trish she saw anymore. It was Coulson.

(It couldn’t be. It wasn’t the real him - it was a specter. It had to be.)

Daisy grabbed Robbie roughly by the arm, fueled entirely by panic. “Where is it? The portal - we need to go now.”

ROBBIE: There were a thousand different ways this could go wrong. Robbie knew each and every one of them, had a lengthy list of worst case scenarios lined up in his head. He could get caught here. They could put him in a cell in the Raft and he could rot until the Rider finally allowed his body to give out on him, until the Devil let him go from one Hell to another. He could get stuck between here in New York. The Rider could take him over at the last moment, could shakel him in his own mind all over again, send him back to that world where all he had was a freeway that lead to nowhere and his own thoughts reminding him whose fault it was he was there.

And those, those were some of the better options. There were things he wouldn’t let himself consider, thoughts he was afraid to give name to. They could realize who he was. They could go back to that shitty house in L.A., they could find Gabe and use him to draw Robbie out in the open. Or… he could fail. He could go through all this, he could walk through Hell to find her, could stand in a new version of the nightmare that still plagued him and plead with her to come along and she could tell him no. It was something Robbie learned the hard way, something that Eli and his parents and Coulson all taught him in different ways. You could fight for someone with everything you had, could walk through Hell for them, and sometimes it still wasn’t enough to save them. Sometimes, people were just lost.

He wasn’t going to let that be Daisy. That wasn’t how this story ended. Daisy didn’t get to disappear into the world’s worst prison for the crime of helping him. She didn’t get to spend the rest of her life in a cell because Robbie fucked up. He knew a thing or two about one person paying for another’s mistakes, had seen Gabe in a wheelchair because Eli fucked up. It was the Bauers, Eli had insisted, Joe and Lucy, they started this. They lied. And god, Robbie had felt like laughing. Gabe was in a wheelchair, Robbie had died, and Eli was still going on endlessly about his reason for it all. As if it mattered, as if any of that shit made a goddamn difference at the end of the day. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions, that was how the saying went. Robbie could vouch for that personally, had seen just how Hellish good intentions could make someone. He’d never meant for this to happen to Daisy, just as his uncle never meant for Robbie and Gabe to be caught up in his shit.

Well, I guess it runs in the family.

Daisy spoke, repeated his words back to him, and the relief was nearly enough to take Robbie off his feet. Sometimes, you didn’t get to save people. Sometimes, you did everything you could, you went to Hell and back, you fought with every part of you, and it wasn’t enough. Sometimes. Not today. Today, he at least got her out of the fucking cell. He didn’t know what would happen next, didn’t know how this story ended, but it wouldn’t be with her spending the rest of her life in a manmade Hell because of his mistakes. And maybe the next story ended differently, maybe Robbie couldn’t get away from the things that ran in his family, but for the moment, they were all right. He could recognize a win when he saw one, even if it was a single battle in a war that would go on for years to come.

He huffed a quiet laugh, half genuine humor half leftover relief from the realization that she was coming with him. Shrugging, he offered her a brief nod. “Hey, joke about what you know, right? Murder’s kinda my thing. Seem to remember somebody labeling me a serial killer once.” If you’d told him back then, when Daisy Johnson was just a girl who showed up at his shop talking shit and pissing him off more than anyone else had in a long time that he’d one day walk through literal Hell for just a chance at making sure she was all right, Robbie would have laughed. He would have called you a goddamn idiot, would have done anything but believe you. Back then, the idea of saving her would have seemed insane. Now, the idea of leaving her felt far crazier.

She was taking off the rest of that jacket, and Robbie took a moment to close his eyes. It was an action with two purposes --- assessing the soon-to-be-healed damage to his back and attempting to push the Rider a little further down. The back would be fine. Already he felt the wounds stitching themselves shut, a stark reminder that the Devil wasn’t finished with him yet. His eyes snapped open when Daisy spoke again, noting that familiar anger in her voice. Robbie’d had a talent for pissing her off since the day he met her. Going to Hell hadn’t robbed him of that.

“You really think I get a goddamn say? What, I ask nicely and the Devil’s gonna see my side of things? I say please and he’s gonna give up his gig here and let me go back to drinking him into a fucking corner? I’m not giving up here, Daisy, I’m not telling you to leave my ass behind. I’m giving you a warning. Letting you know what might happen. If it’s up to me, you’re buying me a drink when this shit’s over.” But it wasn’t up to him. Not entirely, not with the Rider pushing and scraping at the edges of his mind. One second, that was all it would take. One second of Robbie letting his guard down, one moment of losing control. He remembered the church his mother used to drag him to in the days before she’d decided parenthood wasn’t for her, remembered the sermons the preacher spat out from the pulpit. Damnation takes just a single slip. He wondered if the man had known just how literal that statement could be.

But, of course, Daisy wouldn’t accept that. She was stubborn and, right now, she was angry. Robbie saw it reflected in her eyes, recognized the storm brewing behind her expression. He knew he was in for an earful… and he was kind of touched. Who else would take time to scream at him in the pits of Hell? Who else cared about him that much?

Her expression shifted suddenly, and Robbie tilted his head to the side, curious as to what might have caused the change. It took him a moment to recognize the screaming. He’d gotten so used to the sound over the last few years, heard it so often that it blended into the background as easily as the sound of his own heartbeat. It had been a constant soundtrack for so long that he forgot not everyone was accustomed to the noise. Turning back, he caught sight of a woman being pulled into the arena, shrugging at Daisy’s question. “That’s where they fight,” he said simply, as if it was obvious. “She looks new. Won’t be fun for her, but that’s not our problem.” He was about to turn back to Daisy, about to tell her they ought to get a move on when he caught sight of another face at the edge of the arena.

Coulson.

Their eyes locked for a moment, Robbie sucking in a breath as the older man held his gaze. His throat was dry, his heart pounding. After a moment, Daisy’s hand on his arm pulled him from the trance and Robbie whirled back around to face her. “This way,” he said quickly, taking her arm and tugging her towards it. “We need to go now. If we can get out of here fast, I can keep the other guy down.” He hoped.

The portal was visible up ahead and Robbie dragged Daisy towards it quickly, wanting to get out before Coulson or the terrified blonde woman or any of the thousand ghosts Hell had to offer could step into their path and slow them down.

DAISY: It was the extreme of the situation that was making the laughter bubble up from Daisy. The fact that of all the people to break her out of the Raft, it was Robbie, and his path back to the city was through hell. Why was she surprised that this was the turn her life would take? But maybe it was a good thing that she could still be surprised. That there was still some crazy left in the world that could sneak up on her. And maybe there was that small blip of hope that reminded Daisy that no one in the future ever mentioned her being imprisoned in the Raft or escaping it – which meant… it meant she had done something differently. And maybe the future she had seen – the one that she had created – it could be avoided.

“I was wrong,” Daisy said. It felt strange to smile after everything that had happened, and to be smiling in hell? Another thing entirely. “And no, I won’t ever say that again, Reyes. So, enjoy it. It’s never happening again.” For a moment, everything felt light, despite the oppressive atmosphere of hell. Maybe that was delirium or hysteria some part of Daisy desperately trying not to think about what they were actually doing here... but she was laughing. For the first time since she was arrested, she was laughing. Catching her breath, she wanted it to stay like this. To stay in this small moment of peace they had found in hell... but this was only the start of the journey. They had to get through hell, literally, and then she’d be faced with a new mountain of problems.

The collar. Being a fugitive. Find a place to stay - Daisy wasn’t going to be able to step back into her life as though nothing had happened. Once again, Daisy had made a series of choices that would turn her life upside down. (And those around her were sucked into this storm as well. Alex, Robbie... Matt.) And to highlight that, Robbie was trying to tell her that he had made a deal with the other guy to make sure she got out. Maybe it was their location that was fueling her anger or that she was reminded once again, she had no control over anything. None. Not who lives, not who dies, and not for what fucking reason. Robbie was willing to trade his life for hers, to make sure she got out (he didn’t get a choice, he claimed, but he had made one when he stepped through hell to reach her, he had a choice, even if he didn’t feel like he did).

Hell seemed to have the same impact on Robbie, he snapped back at her - and Daisy didn’t have the capacity to call him out on any of it. The drinking, the way he was making decisions for her (even unconsciously) - but the last part, she could do that much. But she never had a chance to shove him away and tell him a drink wouldn���t do him any good if he got stuck. Would her admitting to giving a shit about him help - or just give the Rider more leverage over Robbie’s soul? A new way to manipulate the body he borrowed.

(Daisy needed to start keeping a list of things she wished she had said. Moments she let slide right past her. Because she knew she was going to regret not saying anything... but the moment flew past them so fast, Daisy didn’t have time to form words.)

“Do they make everyone fight?”

A question she didn’t want the answer to. Whatever the answer was, it wasn’t like Daisy could do shit about it. Her stomach turned as Trish was pulled away towards the arena - it wasn’t their problem - but watching someone be pulled away to a place where Daisy knew they’d be suffering? Trish was right there but Daisy couldn't do anything to help her. A feeling of uselessness pooling in her stomach as Daisy tried to come to terms with that reality. (She was no hero and Trish wasn’t her problem. If Daisy believed that, this would have been easier.)

“Robbie,” Daisy said his name in a panic, barely nodding her head at his words. As much as she wanted to focus on him, her eyes and her attention had gone back to the figure on the horizon. Coulson. Coulson was in hell. Her mind was already tipping into a downward spiral, but as Robbie pulled her arm, she snapped out of it. (Mostly.) But thankfully, Robbie was aware enough to know what to do. Stable enough to guide her to the exit. With the urgency in his tone, Daisy let her adrenaline and panic move her - and she ran. As fast as she could. Her grip on him changed, her hand finding his - a reminder for herself that he was still there, and her grip tight enough to tell him she wasn’t about to let go.

When they reached the portal, Daisy practically threw herself through it, gasping for breath as she hit the ground. “Robbie - I -” Daisy looked at him, shaking her head. Did you see him too? That was what she wanted to ask, but the words died on her lips. Too scared to know if she was hallucinating or if it had been reality.

Daisy squeezed her eyes shut while she continued to struggle to breathe. Her mind running through all the wisdom she had received over the years. But nothing seemed to fit. So, she focused on the one thing she could control. Forcing everything else down. “Can you get this damn collar off me?”

ROBBIE: It was telling, Robbie often thought, that the Rider had never presented saving people as an option when he was convincing Robbie to make his deal. The Devil didn’t ask him if he wanted to be a superhero. He wasn’t given a choice that involved making the world a better place, wasn’t offered a chance to save people from those like the ones who’d killed Robbie. ”Do you want to punish those who hurt your brother? Do you want to avenge your own death?” There was nothing noble in the offer, nothing heroic. And yet, Robbie’s answer had been the same.

”Yes. More than anything, yes.”

For a long time, Robbie put a curtain up between himself and the demon inside his head. That wasn’t him, he’d swear. He wasn’t the one killing all those people. It was something else, something inside him, something that he couldn’t control. He told himself that over and over again, muttered it every time he left a trail of bodies behind, insisted on it any time someone attempted to hold him responsible for the dead in his wake. It wasn’t Robbie who craved vengeance, wasn’t Robbie who tore people apart. It wasn’t him, it was the Devil. It was Ghost Rider. It was someone else.

But it wasn’t.

It wasn’t the Rider who killed Santino Noguera in his cell, wasn’t the Rider who was so enraged at the sight of a former gang leader lying on a cot and reading a paperback that he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking. It wasn’t the Rider who saw Eli standing across from him and lost all control, wasn’t the Rider who was willing to spend eternity in Hell himself if it meant he could personally deliver the man who’d raised him to the same fate. The Rider craved vengeance, but he hadn’t made Robbie take that deal. He hadn’t made Robbie answer with such desperate want in his tone. The Rider craved vengeance, but he wasn’t the only one.

Gabe had known it. Robbie didn’t think he’d ever forget the disgust on his younger brother’s face when he’d shoved Robbie’s touch away, the way his lips curled up when Robbie insisted that those gangsters got what they deserved for what they’d done to Gabe. Don’t you put their blood on me.

Robbie wasn’t a hero. He’d never once been that. Not before the Rider, and certainly not after. This, breaking into the Raft to save the one person in his life who was still willing to speak to him, this wasn’t heroism. It was selfish. Everything Robbie did, at its core, was selfish. He glanced over to her now, smiling faintly and huffing a laugh that wasn’t entirely genuine. “Yeah, I’ll put it in my memory banks. Take a mental snapshot. I’ll remind you you said it later.” It wasn’t what he meant to say. What he meant to say was, ’You probably weren’t far off.’ She hadn’t been. That initial assessment, the one that labeled him a serial killer, it was harsh but it wasn’t unfair. It wasn’t uncalled for. There was a difference, Robbie knew, between justice and vengeance. He’d never once pretended to fall on the right side of that line.

Daisy was laughing then, and Robbie wasn’t sure if he ought to be relieved or concerned. He’d seen people crack under far less pressure than this, seen Hell break strong willed people into shards of glass too small to hold between your fingers in less time than they’d been standing here now. He wondered if, after all this, she’d be lost anyways. If he’d come all the way here just for her to lose herself on the route home. You could walk through Hell for someone, but sometimes it still wasn’t enough. Some people, you didn’t get to save. Robbie was one of them, he knew. That was part of what had made this decision an easy one. It didn’t matter, in the end, whether or not he got out of Hell today. It didn’t matter if that portal closed before his feet were on the other side, because this was the deal he’d made. This was what was waiting for him when all was said and done. No matter how it ended, no matter how he got there, Robbie Reyes’s story only ever ended in one place. Sometimes, Eli would have said with that crooked grin and those eyes that never stopped laughing, the light at the end of the tunnel is fire and brimstone.

(Had he known back then that that was how his story ended? Had he known Robbie would be the one ending it?)

There was a fire burning all around them, warm and familiar and terrifying, and there was a fire burning inside him just as furiously. He was angry at Daisy for caring enough about him to risk her skin for him again and again, angry at her for being caught, angry at her for wanting a way out for him when all he wanted was for her to be okay. He was angry at her for daring to believe that he deserved more than this. He was angry at her for making him hope, even for a second, that she might be right. .

The anger drained out of him all at once when she spoke, eyes flickering back over to the familiar sight of the arena, the familiar chorus of cheers raising up from within it. Do they make everyone fight? For a heartbeat, that fire was back. It was burning in his eyes, in his chest, in whatever was left of his soul, and he remembered being here without her, remembered the rush of adrenaline, the way he didn’t know which feelings were his and which were the Devil’s, the way he almost didn’t care because as long as he felt something, if didn’t matter where it came from. “No,” he answered at last, jaw tight. “Some people, they don’t have to make.”

Robbie had never been like the blonde woman, fighting and clawing and trying with everything she had to escape her fate. Vengeance or peace? That’s what the deal he’d made boiled down to, in the end. Did he want to die on that dirty street with the world on fire around him, or did he want to live to set those flames himself? Did he want to go to his grave with only his own blood on his hands, or did he want to soak the earth with so much blood that the soil was damp with it? Vengeance or peace? Robbie had made his choice. He still wasn’t sure he regretted it.

(It was the choice Eli made, too. Robbie remembered Lucy Bauer, smiling at him with teeth that had rotted out of her head because Eli killed her, remembered the way she looked at him. ”You’re his nephew. Gabriel. Like the angel.” She’d sneered at him with those rotting teeth, smiled like she knew him, like she knew he wouldn’t hurt her. And Robbie --- Robbie had felt like laughing. ”No,” he’d said, shaking his head. ”I’m the other one.” Not an angel. Never that.)

(Well, I guess it runs in the family.)

She threw herself through the portal like a drowned swimmer desperate for shore, and Robbie stepped out after her with a relief so heavy it nearly knocked him off his feet. The Rider pounded on the wall that separated his consciousness from Robbie’s as his feet touched the earth, but Robbie knew it was too late. The portal closed behind him, and he was on the side that came with his mind in the driver’s seat, the side that meant he’d go to work in the morning and pay his rent on time and buy groceries before the milk in the fridge went bad. (Robbie didn’t know if it was the right side. It was the side he wanted to be on, but it certainly wasn’t the side he deserved.)

His name on her lips again, and he knew what she was thinking. He knew what she wanted to ask. Selfishly, he hoped she wouldn’t. Gabe hated him now. Robbie had known it the moment his brother pulled away from him in that containment module, the moment he said Ghost Rider in a breathless tone that was disappointed and terrified all at once. His brother hated him, his parents walked out on him, and he dragged the only father he’d ever known to Hell and left him to burn. Daisy was all he had, the only person who knew who he was and liked him anyways. And if she asked that question on the tip of her tongue, Robbie would tell her the answer.

And she would hate him for it.

There was a moment, a stuttering, heart-wrenching moment where she stared at him and he stared at her and the end was right there in sight. She would ask the question and he would answer it and she would hate him. He would get every goddamn thing he’d ever deserved, carve out the fate he’d earned for himself.

She shut her eyes and he steeled himself, ready for the world to implode around him, and then it didn’t. She asked another question instead, and Robbie hated himself for the surge of relief that came with it. One day, he knew, that other question would come. One day, she’d ask it and he’d answer her and it would be the end of everything. The world would burn away around him, just as it had on that dingy street where his blood still stained the pavement.

But not today.

“Yeah,” he said, the word coming out in a single quiet breath. “Hold still. We’ll see what we can do.”

[thejoeywright-blog]

YEAR IN REVIEW : Film 2018

Good evening/afternoon/morning,

A few notes on the breakdown on my year at the movies. I saw a grand total of 134 films released in 2018. A fair amount thanks in great part to MoviePass and various streaming services. If you are a fan of comic book movies, I would like to extend to you a personal thank you as you kept the movies theaters afloat this year. However, with the exception of Black Panther, I was located in the auditorium just down the hall. Full disclosure: I did actually try and see Avengers : Infinity War, but two four year-old’s were not being parented correctly and I ended up walking out. I hope they enjoyed seeing their favorite heroes turn to dust. I also most notably missed Mary Poppins Returns, Aquaman, Ant-Man and the Wasp, Spider-Man:Into the Spiderverse, Oceans 8, and Fifty Shades Freed. One film I did have the privilege of seeing and would surely be in my top ten, Under the Silverlake, is technically not scheduled for release until the Spring of 2019. So look forward to hearing about it next year. All that being said, here is how I saw the movies this year. Enjoy.

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Black Panther, Bodied, Boy Erased, First Reformed, Hearts Beat Loud, Hot Summer Nights, If Beale Street Could Talk, Isle of Dogs, Minding the Gap, Mission Impossible:Fallout, A Quiet Place, The Rider, Thunder Road, Tully, Won’t You Be My Neighbor

THE TOP TEN

10. The Miseducation of Cameron Post

This is the “other gay conversion camp” movie that sadly was overlooked in place of Boy Erased. I saw both, and while the latter packs some excellent performances, judging by my exposure to Christian camps, this was the one that rang most authentic.

9.  Suspiria

Coming on the heels of Luca Guadagnino’s masterpiece Call Me By Your Name, there was no other film I was looking forward to more in 2018 than Suspiria. I also wouldn’t believe they had the same director. This heavy on style remake of the 1977 horror classic of the same name is truly made in Guadagnino’s image. It was vile, erotic, funny, beautiful, and captivating often in the same breaths. The buzzed about “contortionist dance sequence” from CinemaCon lived up to its vomit inducing hype reminding me while I liked the film a great deal, it’s not for the squeamish.

8.  Vice

Some are saying it lionizes former Vice President Dick Cheney. Others are saying it runs his name through the dirt.Part biopic, more parts political satire. It is definitely more Dr. Stangelove than Lincoln in terms of story and tone.  In a somewhat packed theater, those looking for a straight biopic, who I imagine missed director Adam McKay’s previous works Anchorman and The Big Short were seen heading for the exits due to the amounts of silliness. Amy Adams gives a downright diabolical performance as Lynn Cheney often overshadowing that of her on screen husband. 

7.  Annihilation 

Alex Garland’s follow-up to Ex Machina is much bigger film which in his hands is not a bad thing. Natalie Portman plays a biologist looking for answers after her presumed dead husband suddenly returns from secret military assignment.Your typical “journey into the unknown” story is enhanced with amazing visuals, intriguing scientific concept, and chilling horror. I’m still haunted by the sounds coming out of that, uhh, lets just call it a bear.

6.  Burning

An American remake of Burning would clock in at 92 minutes and be forgotten immediately upon leaving the theater. This is why I’m glad this was in the hands  Chang-dong Lee, a director who focuses greatly on the human condition. Large amounts of the run time of Burning is dedicated to the emotions, reactions, and exploration of our characters. The Walking Dead’s Steven Yeun gives the supporting performance of the year as the mysterious Ben. A love-triangle, a missing girl, and burning greenhouses amount to the most rewarding cinematic experience I had in 2018. 

5.  Roma

Roma is a film that asks of its viewer to almost meditate within it. Those familiar with director Alfonso Cuaron’s other films, Children of Men and Gravity, will find a more reserved and personal picture. The story of a maid and the middle class family she cares for in the Colonia Roma neighborhood of Mexico City is the most relatable and touching film of the year. First time actor Yalitza Aparicio gives one of the most award-worthy debut performances in recent memory as Cleo. Scenes have lingered in my mind since my viewing almost a month ago now, particularly a single-shot sequence of a family swimming into the ocean with no realization of how powerful the surf can be. 

4.  The Favourite

This cheeky period COMEDY, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, had me laughing harder than any other film in 2018. The story of Queen Anne’s two most trusted advisers battle for her commendation is delicious and diabolical at every turn. The film relies strongly on the equally grand performances it’s three ladies Olivia Coleman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone, but DO NOT, I repeat do not sleep on the duck races.

3. A Star is Born

A Star is Born has been a social and commercial juggernaut with hefty box office sales, record sales, music award nominations, and memes beyond galore. However, it’s also an excellent example of Hollywood at its nostalgic best. There are easy avenues director, star, screenwriter, songwriter, catering manager Bradley Cooper could have taken with the thrice revamped story, but he plays it very close to the chest. It’s well known within my circle of friends and family how much I truly adored Cooper as the burning out rock star Jackson Maine.. Or Jack as you told me at the bar you wanted to be called... Every line of dialogue. Every smirk. Every caring gesture to Allie, Lady Gaga in frankly the best thing she’s ever breathed life into. Everything works here. See it the biggest and loudest way possible. 

2.  BlacKkKlansman

Here is my pick for Best Picture at the Academy Awards. It checks all the boxes. Great performances, screenplay, and direction with a great message tied in. I used to hold issue with Spike Lee’s political and social statements book-ending his films, but here it really works. Ron Stallworth, the excellent John David Washington, is Colorado Springs first African-American police officer, who on whim manages to infiltrate the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. He works as the voice on the phone while his partner is the nice upstanding wh-ite man they are seeing. What follows is a wild, funny, thrilling, and cautionary tale that rings truer in 2018 than its setting of the 1970s.

1. Sorry To Bother You

I saw Sorry To Bother You on July 16, 2018. It has held my number one spot for almost seven full months. Leaving the theater I had a feeling I have not had in a movie since 2003, “Well I’ve never seen anything like that before!” That alone holds a lot of weight after watching 133 other films this year that I could compare to something previous. The feature film directorial debut from The Coup musician Boots Riley ten years from now, much in the same way Pulp Fiction and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind are viewed, will be seen as “the norm” and a turning point in the way movies in its genre are made. I realize that is high praise, but risks are taken here where lesser films have flown off the rails. Somehow Riley takes what many would deem “absolutely insane” and makes it work. The performance of Lakeith Stanfield has been grossly unmerited all award season and is one of the best of the year. No other performance this year is asked to navigate the varying levels of despair, satire, and rage than Stanfield. Sorry To Bother You arrives without training wheels or a brake, possibly even handle bars. Enjoy the ride because you’ve never been on one like it before. 

YEAR END AWARDS

BEST FILM: BlacKkKlansman

BEST DIRECTOR: Alfonso Cuaron for ‘Roma’

BEST ACTRESS: Olivia Coleman for ‘The Favourite’

BEST ACTOR: Bradley Cooper for ‘A Star is Born’

SUPPORTING ACTRESS: Amy Adams for ‘Vice’

SUPPORTING ACTOR: Steven Yeun for ‘Burning’

ADAPTED SCREENPLAY: ‘Burning’

ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY: ‘Sorry to Bother You’

CINEMATOGRAPHY: ‘Roma’

BEST SCORE : IF BEALE STREET COULD TALK’

BEST ANIMATED FILM: Isle of Dogs

BEST DOCUMENTARY: Minding the Gap

BEST FIRST FILM: Boots Riley for ‘Sorry To Bother You’

BREAKTHROUGH PERFORMANCE: Jim Cummings in ‘Thunder Road’

SCENES OF THE YEAR:

“Shallow” from ‘A Star is Born’

“Breaking the Waves” from ‘Roma’

“What’s On the Menu” from ‘Vice’

“Eulogy” from ‘Thunder Road’

Final scene from ‘If Beale Street Could Talk’

“The Contortionist” from ‘Suspiria’

[orbemnews]

Mardi Gras parades got canceled by Covid-19. So New Orleanians turned their houses into floats Like so many, the mom and insurance manager had known in her gut that the weekslong fête would take 2021 off. Revelers of all ages packed at least three deep along routes that wind for miles seemed the textbook antithesis of social distancing. “So, I kinda made a comment: ‘Well, that’s fine, I’m just going to decorate my house,'” said Boudreaux, who invited her neighbors to turn their homes, too, into stationary versions of the ornately designed floats that populate the four dozen or so parades that roll in the city each year. This way, she figured, partiers could stay 6 feet apart while visiting outdoors and enjoying the artistry of the annual countdown to Lent. The idea, like a splay of bead strands hurled skyward toward an endless carousing crowd, has spread. There’s a home with a sign that beckons, “Welcome to Wakanda.” Another features a Night Tripper theme in homage to funkman Dr. John. One house honors a health care worker alongside giant ivory beads. On a balcony, a cutout of the late chef Leah Chase stands, spoon in hand, at an enormous pot. Just off the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line, a giant model dinosaur in a top hat grazes. Elsewhere, a set-up pays tribute to Alex Trebek with a “Jeopardy!” board, playable using a posted QR code. Human-size Lego figures approximate a float rolling by parade-goers on a front porch. A wooden pelican the width of two men perches at another. All across town, papier-mache or cardboard and foil flowers of every hue, plus bunting of purple, green and gold and strands of beads the size of beach balls, adorn the homes where so many have been in retreat from the coronavirus since just after last Mardi Gras. That’s when 1.5 million people — including international visitors — converged on the city, almost certainly fueling viral spread that made the region an early hot spot. Indeed, the purple-and-white house icons that dot a map on the Krewe of Float Houses website cover the city’s entire main footprint like a sidewalk littered with doubloons, those collectible metallic coins tossed by riders from traditional floats. “In its essence, it’s not much different than when people drive around with the kids in the car and look at the Christmas decorations, holiday lights,” said Doug MacCash, who’s chronicled the house float movement for the local newspaper, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate. “Except this year, in 2021, it has such a spirit of triumph, such a spirit of defiance. It’s like, ‘Sorry, ‘rona. We’re not just giving up.'” “Mardi Gras by no means is dead; it’s just different,” said City Councilman Jay Banks, who’s cast his own house — already painted yellow and black — with other trademark representations of the Zulu Social Aid & Pleasure Club, the city’s preeminent Black Carnival organization, over which he once reigned as king. “And what we’re forced to do this Mardi Gras, with Covid as the No. 1 consideration, … is how this whole house float thing got started,” he said. “And let me tell you, I am just giggly about it.” How to turn your house into a float Do-it-yourselfers — many already armed with hot-glue guns and glitter by the gallon for crafting annual Mardi Gras costumes — have embraced the home-design effort in earnest. Two private Facebook groups with more than 14,000 participants spew inquiries at all hours, most swiftly answered by a hive mind eager to collaborate after months of stay-at-home orders. “Any recommendations on securing this? It’s top heavy,” one poster asked, referring to a photo of a homemade Lysol can prop standing several feet tall. From another: “Has anyone had luck with using cardboard to make house float decorations? I already used some and painted and sealed with mod podge acrylic sealer but am wondering how it will hold up in the elements on a French Quarter balcony! Is there a better way of waterproofing, etc.?” The exchange is not unlike in the bleak months after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when neighbors connected to trade recipes for bleach or baking soda concoctions to remove mold from items soiled by the flood. Others looking now to gild their homes have turned to a regional cottage industry built over decades for precisely this sort of venture. “Part of the consternation about canceling Carnival had to do with, well, there are people (for) who(m) Carnival is their livelihood — a lot of people: float builders, bead- and costume-makers,” MacCash said. “Some of the Carnival artists who find themselves out of work at what would have been a real scrambling sort of time, what they’ve done is they’ve found employment decorating houses.” In a normal year, René Pierre right about now would be finalizing the books on some 75 floats that his company, Crescent City Artists LLC, decorates using lightweight utility canvas, bright house paints, hard coating, wood and Styrofoam, he said. This year, Boudreaux’s house float vision, which Pierre caught on a local news report, proved to be his “ticket out” of a toned-down Carnival — and one that follows his and his young daughter’s recovery from Covid-19. “Oh, man, in about three weeks, we were booked all the way up until today,” Pierre said last week of his house-decorating customers. “My wife and I were trying to sleep one night, and we kept hearing notifications coming from the website. It was like, “Ping ping ping ping ping.’ It was like, ‘Oh, my God.’ It was like instant success. It was incredible.” The couple inked 53 house float contracts ranging from $1,500 to $3,000 apiece, a sum many riders in the city’s biggest parading groups typically would spend on bead strands and other “throws” to toss in a given year. “It has really pumped my business into full steam,” Pierre said, noting he hired his cousin, a recording artist, to help manage the crush. “We have made more money in six weeks … and talk about Mardi Gras spirit.” Of the commissions, Pierre’s favorites are a trio of painted pups fashioned after the homeowner’s own pack, a Buddha-themed display and one highlighting the Grateful Dead dancing bears. Boudreaux, known as “Admiral B” of the house float fleet, aptly did her house in a maritime motif. “I don’t know if I want to know how much I spent,” she said: “definitely more than I meant to, less than a lot of people.” How to lead (or join) a house float krewe Beyond her own decor, helming this nascent krewe (local vernacular for a festival group) has become a second full-time job for Boudreaux. There are exchanges with lawyers over decorating rules in historic districts and weekly logistics meetings with the mayor to game out how to handle homeowners who want to, say, hire a band. There are now 50 captains, 39 subkrewes, a communications team and an effort to gather and edit together dozens of dancers’ at-home videos into a performance masterpiece for the website. Yet another to-do list item got added shortly after the krewe named a New Orleans bounce star as its grand marshal, Boudreaux said. “Now Big Freedia’s house is a traffic jam. The house is so popular that even guerilla photograph-style, it still drew a crowd,” the one thing the Krewe of House Floats wants urgently to prevent. The krewe also has launched a campaign to donate $100,000 toward those facing unemployment and food and housing insecurity largely because of this year’s Carnival limits: artisans, service industry workers, musicians, Mardi Gras Indians and other culture-bearers. And, perhaps unsurprisingly, “this year plants the seed” for what’s already becoming an annual event, to endure long after the coronavirus is vanquished, MacCash said. (At last count, Pierre already had 28 house-decorating contracts set for 2022, and preregistration is open for next year’s Krewe of House Floats.) For now, Chris Volion is looking forward to safely welcoming on Fat Tuesday, February 16, revelers who pass by his New Orleans home, adorned with enormous black birds inspired by local crows and Edgar Allen Poe in his personal Krewe of Nevermore. Volion, an institutional research analyst, and his wife, Janet, are making some themed throws to hand out and plan to join neighbors for king cake-flavored Jell-O shots. “While it feels different, there’s still that excitement going on,” he said. This year, instead of swapping parade plans, “the conversation has shifted to: Have you been to such and such a block, or have you see this house? It’s so beautiful to see that the energy is still there.” For Banks, the city councilman, the house floats offer a glimmer in an especially bleak season. In his own circle, Covid-19 has taken 23 lives and killed 17 members of the Zulu organization, he said, not to mention relatives and friends of the club. It’s stripped New Orleans — and the world — of the chance to socialize in person and to observe customs in the typical way. But as is so often the case, he said, the city’s response in this dark moment offers a message far beyond its borders. “We’re showing the rest of you that there is light at the end of the tunnel,” Banks said. “As screwed-up as Covid is, we will not let it defeat us. … The lesson of New Orleans for the world is: You play the cards that you’re dealt.” Source link Orbem News #Canceled #Covid19 #floats #Gras #houses #Mardi #MardiGrasparadesgotcanceledbyCovid-19.So #NewOrleaniansturnedtheirhousesintofloats-CNN #Orleanians #parades #turned #us

[iwritestuffsometimes]

A Modern Twist On A Knight In Shining Armor

* This is pure fluff but if you have anxiety issues and you can’t compartmentalize - this might be a bad idea. Its sweet though. No angst or h/c or anything. I promise. * I only give a warning because this affects me and I’d want a warning if I were reading it. But I promise its not even remotely dark. 

      I knew they had it. I checked online multiple times before I came. I wouldn’t have risked coming to the store if I weren’t positive it was here. The site specifically said ‘in stock at this location.’ I didn’t want to wait another three days to get it shipped to my house. Signing for it from UPS would’ve been a whole other world of trouble.

     I wasn’t about to ask for help. That just wasn’t going to happen. I was going to find it on my own, use the excitement of finally having a copy in my hands to coast by the conversation with the cashier, and then I would rush home to sit in my back garden and read it. I sighed and circled the book stacks one more time, going back to the start. I was beginning to worry that I looked lost so I started picking up books I wasn’t interested in, pretending to be, so anyone who noticed my third lap around the Young Adult fiction section wouldn’t think I was strange.

     I picked up a random book again, flipping it to the back and scanning the summary: it was some sort of new take on a knight in shining armor, a literal one with a horse and everything, but apparently this was set in modern day. I shrugged and tucked it under my arm. This actually looks good. I’ll read this one after I find mine. I told myself. But that’s the only one. No more. I reminded myself. You’re only here for Alex Rider. You’re not leaving this store with more than two books. … Maybe three. “Three books. At most.”

     “What?”

     I blinked and felt my heart tighten up a little. I’d said it out loud. I glanced to the left of me. The man was talking on his phone, not to me. The air I was holding in my lungs escaped quietly. That was close. You gotta stop being so weird. I shook my head and continued scanning the shelves. I made it all the way through the H’s again. Still no Alex Rider book. I clenched my jaw and finally raised my head to look at the category markers over each shelf. Maybe someone put it in the wrong category? I put my head down and started walking toward the Teen Fiction section. I spent the 12 steps wondering if ‘Teen Fiction’ was aimed at younger or older readers than the ‘Young Adult’ category.

     I slowly read every single title on the shelves. I didn’t want to risk missing it and going back through the stacks multiple times again. I would certainly draw attention that way, having already searched the other side three times. I made it all the way through the H authors and frowned. This was not going how I planned. I clenched my jaw and decided to try the section marked as just plain ‘fiction.’ I was almost positive it wouldn’t be there but I’d had my heart set on that book this week. If its not there, I’ll just leave. I watched my feet on the unpleasantly floral carpet as I crossed the bookstore. I could always pirate it. I reasoned. But I really didn’t want to.

     I turned the corner into the last section. I bumped into the shelf. I rolled my eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” I said under my breath. The book I had picked up and tucked under my arm earlier fell to the floor with a small thud. I was grateful for the ugly carpeting. It muffled most of the sound. I didn’t cause a scene. I bent to pick up the novel and accidentally bumped the shelf again. “Really though?” I looked up at the shelf that I kept knocking into, half expecting it to topple over and begin a domino effect with the other shelves in the store. It wobbled but stayed upright. A single cookbook fell from the corner and slid into the aisle. I sighed and leant to pick it up while still on one knee. A pair of boots stepped in front of me, between my hand and the cookbook.  I reared back quickly. “Woah. Sorry.” A male voice said.

      “’S’okay.” I said immediately even though it really wasn’t.

      “No, I almost stepped on you.” He bent to pick up the book. I straightened. He handed the book to me. “Here. Sorry again.”

      “Thanks.” I chewed my lip and looked at the cover of the cookbook. Now I have to pretend I was going to buy this thing. Great. I hate cooking. I tucked the book under my arm and raised my face to the stranger. I didn’t look at him, rather the air beside his head, and smiled in what I hope came off as a polite smile before I turned on my heel and walked in the other direction.

     I felt my heart sink in disappointment when I realized I didn’t get a chance to look for my book. But the Stranger Who’d Nearly Stepped On Me was still milling about in front of the H’s. I couldn’t possibly go back now. He thinks I came for the cookbook I don’t want. I rolled my eyes and tried to look busy with the magazines in front of me as I tried to figure out what to do. I was painfully aware when a stranger stepped beside me, probably actually looking for a magazine. And here I am, standing in the way. I blushed and tried to back up but still look like I was trying to find something. I picked up a random magazine, flicked through it for a few seconds and put it back. The stranger still stood their ground. I was beginning to feel overheated. It’s probably not worth all this. I chewed my lip as I looked at the magazine rack blankly. I should just go.

      “Do you want me to go look for you?” A voice whispered. The stranger stepped closer to me. I frowned and looked over at them. He was staring at me.

     “Hmm?” I didn’t open my mouth for fear he wasn’t actually talking to me. I didn’t want to risk saying something stupid and embarrassing myself more than I already was.

      “What book is it?” He tilted his head. “I can go look if you want.” I frowned. “And I can put that one back for you.” He smiled and pointed at the cookbook.

     “I’m sorry, what?” I licked my lips. They were very dry.

     He spoke softly. “I don’t mean to be weird,” he shoved his hands in his front pockets, his shoulders coming up. “I just noticed you going through all the shelves earlier and figured you were looking for a specific book.” He shrugged.

     I looked at his chest, not willing to meet his eyes yet. He had no nametag. “You don’t work here.” I frowned.

     “No. I don’t.” He chuckled. “Just wanna help.”

     I chewed my lip. “The new Alex Rider book.” I muttered. “The website said it was here…. Somewhere.” I looked at my shoes again. He was close enough that I could see his jeans.

      “It would be in the fiction?” His body half turned and his left hand pulled itself from his pocket. He motioned for me to follow him with a shrug.

      “I thought so.” I tentatively stepped behind him, trailing to the spot I had been before.

     “Who’s it by?” He stopped walking and turned to face me again. I still couldn’t manage to look up past his legs.  He shifted and put himself between me and the Stranger Who’d Nearly Stepped On Me, effectively hiding me from him. The action wasn’t lost on me and I felt a fraction less uncomfortable than I had. He slowly took the cookbook out of my hands and put it back on the shelf.

      “Anthony Horowitz.” My eyes made it up to his chest. Makin’ progress. I taunted myself. Don’t screw this up.  

      “Horowitz.” He repeated and faced the shelves. He folded his arms across his chest, one arm resting on his chin as he searched. I refused to stare at his prominent biceps, no matter how badly I wanted to. I blushed and angled toward the shelves myself. But I can’t find it now. If he’s helping me look, he’s got to be the one to find it. I felt my chest tighten. Because otherwise, it will be awkward if he offered to help and then I didn’t need him after all. I prayed that it wouldn’t be here. Horron. Horrow. Horrowist. Horrowitz. Crap. I found it. What do I do?

     My eyes snapped to the shelf above. I couldn’t let him know that I’d found it. He shifted on his feet. I looked intently at the row that I knew didn’t have the book. He tilted towards me. My chest was pounding now. “Alex Rider, you said?”

     “Yeah.” I nodded and kept my eyes on the wrong row. My hand came up to my heart, unconsciously trying to press the muscle back into a steady rhythm; something I did often. My fingers rubbed at my collarbone.

      “I think I found it.” He reached across me and I felt the tightness in my chest ease a little. Thank God. “Is this it?” He pulled the book from the shelf and held it out towards me.

      I looked down at it. It wasn’t it. I was looking for the 9th book. This was the 3rd. I had this one. Multiple copies of it. “Yes!” I smiled. “Thank you!” I took it from him.

     “You’re welcome.” His hand fell back towards his pocket. I was looking at his legs again. So much for progress. He was silent for a beat and I was already worrying about how to end this interaction. Is it my turn to say something? Do I just walk away now? Does he walk away? I’m not getting my book. It’s right there though. My heart ached. I glanced at the book I’d come in for, still sitting on the shelf. I should say something again. No I should leave. Man, now I’ve gotta pay another 10 bucks for the same book. Again? Oh well. Another copy can’t hurt. “Do you want me to buy it for you?”

      My head snapped up. I saw his face for the first time. He was handsome. I blushed. “What?”

      “Do you want me to buy it?” He smiled. My God, his teeth are perfect.

      I didn’t know what to say. “I….” My voice fell away. I let it.

      He nodded and took the book from my hands. “Let me get it for you.” He reached towards me again. “That one too.” He gently pulled the book I’d tucked under my arm free. The sound of his fingers tapping against the hardback cover echoed in my ears. I looked at the books he’d taken from me, cradled in his large hands. No. Those are his hands. You were doing so well. Look back to his face! I watched as he shifted the books into one hand while the other reached back towards the shelves. “This one too, right?” He tapped the spine of the book I came in for.

     My mouth fell open. I caught myself looking back and forth between the book he was pointing to and his face. I nodded silently. I wouldn’t know what to say even if I had the guts to speak. I realized.

     “Any more?” He smiled.

     “No. You don’t have to do this.” I blinked. “That’s like 30 bucks.” I nodded to the three books he’d taken from me. He was holding them in front of his chest. I watched as he dropped them to rest against one hip.

      “35 if you include the coffee I want to buy you.” He took one step closer to me and bent so that I was looking into his eyes. Is that progress? Or is this cheating? I mean. I am looking at his eyes. But that was mostly his fault. Wow. Those are blue. I felt red all over. “I mean, if that’s okay?” I didn’t trust my voice yet. So I nodded silently. “So,” He started walking toward the cash register. “Tell me about this book.” He looked over his shoulder at me.

     I felt the knot in my stomach loosen just a little. “It’s about a spy.” I breathed.

     “Like James Bond?” He asked.

     “Sort of.” I shrugged. “Except he’s a kid. And has no interest in being a spy.”

       “That sounds cool.” He sat the books on the counter and pulled out his wallet. “So who’s the bad guy? There’s always a bad guy right?” He turned to face me.

      “It changes for each book in the series.” I shrugged. “My favorite one so far is this, like, mega-famous singer who got away with a lot because he was so popular. Everyone thought he was this big philanthropist and he was secretly killing people and filming it.”

     His eyebrows shot up, causing his eyes to open wider, giving me a better view of just how blue they were. I almost swayed on my feet. Did I just scare the handsomest man in the world? I blinked.  Am I swooning? Wow. Yikes. He laughed. “That sounds intense.”

      “Well, yeah. But it’s funny, too.” I looked at the book that the cashier was scanning. “I swear. It’s a really good series.” I nodded. “I’ve been reading them since I was little. It’s been 10 years since the last one came out.” I felt my heart flutter as I looked back to him. “I’m really excited about it.” Why am I talking so much? I clenched my jaw shut. I haven’t said this much at one time in public. Ever. Let alone to a handsome stranger who offered to buy me Alex Rider books.

     “I can tell.” He chuckled. “What about the other book?” He asked.

      “Oh. I don’t know yet.” I shrugged. “This is the first I’ve saw of it. It’s supposed to be some sort of twist on a fairytale.” I put my hand over my heart. “It sounded good.”

      He held the bag with the books in my direction. I took it from him. My fingers brushed his. I blushed again. “You do that a lot.” He started walking toward the coffee shop connected to the back of the bookstore.  

     “What?” I frowned.

      “You blush a lot.” He smirked. I blushed deeper. He laughed.

      “I’m sorry. I can’t help it.” I put my head down and watched my feet on the carpet again.

      “I think its sweet.” He said.  I smiled at the floor. “I’m Hunter, by the way.” He introduced himself.

      “Hi.” I said quietly. Wow. You’re smooth. “I-I’m Beth.”

      “Well, Beth,” he started. “Do you want to order on your own or do you want to tell me what you want and I’ll get it for you?” I looked up at him, my mouth open. I made eye contact. How does he know what to say? Is he reading my mind or what? How am I looking in his eyes and not dying? He smiled. “I just figured you would rather go start on your book.”

      I grinned. “Yeah, I think I’ll start with the fairytale.”

a/n Shout out to me for writing the longest fic I’ve written in years. I mean I could have ended it about two pages earlier but I thought the fact that it went on just a little longer than it needed to added to the awkward yet still kinda sweet vibe? I don’t know. Thats what I was going for anyway. I also tried to trick everyone with two extra male characters that I didn’t introduce. It amuses me to add nondescript men into fics before I put Hunt in, just to make people think its him at first. Is that bad? Does that bug y’all? Do you notice at all? I don’t know. I basically write to entertain myself at this point lets be honest. Clearly this is unrealistic as all get out (because this wouldn’t happen with anyone. But it most definitely wouldn’t happen with Hunter. That hunny would probably burst into flames if he ever went into a barnes and noble) but it also made me feel slightly better to write it after a really rough couple days. No matter how stupid and far fetched it is. I hope you got a little happy from this. I posted it because I wanted to make something at least a little positive happen today. So if you didn’t get happier for a second and it just made it hard to breathe because you have an anxiety disorder too or you just get too worked up on secondhand -embarrassment- I’m really really sorry. I hope you forgive me.  Feedback? Please? Kaythanksmateloveyoutoobye. 

[amira-darkhall]

~ amira + relationships with the inhabitants of jorvik ~

stuck it under a read more so i don’t make everyone scroll through it but anyways, here it is! (sorry it’s SO LONG but i got into it hope you don’t mind detail)

@rsenak

all the other tumblr people/characters - amira gets along pretty well with almost everyone! she’s kind of shy, so even though she might be interested in getting to know people better, she doesn’t really have a best friend. elizabeth sunbeam - amira looks up to elizabeth like she would an aunt. she respects her a lot. even so, sometimes amira goes against her a bit, because she feels that the druids aren’t moving forward/making decisions as urgently as amira thinks they should be. avalon - amira’s a little bit unnerved by avalon, since she’s never seen his face and he’s very cryptic. fripp - similar to elizabeth, amira looks up to him but can get annoyed when the druids refuse to take immediate action. lisa peterson - amira doesn’t always know how to act around lisa, because while on one hand she’s famous and kind of a celebrity, on the other hand amira pulled her out of pandoria when she was weak and vulnerable. it’s hard to reconcile that in amira’s mind, so she can be a bit awkward around her, but the two get along fairly well. linda chandler - amira and linda bond over mutual interests and their similar personalities. the two are pretty close (they both love to read). alex cloudmill - amira wishes she was more like alex (confident, brave, etc.). they’re good friends, and amira has known alex the longest out of all the soul riders, so she feels comfortable around her. anne von blyssen - (is anne rescued yet?) amira doesn’t know much about anne. she doesn’t seem like the type of person amira would gravitate to, but she’s still a soul rider, so amira is curious about her. keepers of aideen - although frustrating at times, amira is proud to be in their inner circles. she takes their trust in her seriously, and hates to disappoint them. druids in general - amira wishes she knew a bit more about them. to be safe, she’s extra respectful when she has to interact with them, because she’s always unsure of what they’ll say or do next. pi - amira holds grudges for a long time, and she hasn’t really forgiven pi for turning her (however briefly) into a frog. she tries to avoid her. mrs. holdsworth - none of amira’s grandparents are still alive, and she misses them. mrs. holdsworth fills the role of grandmother, and amira often confides in her, or comes to visit. witches in general - amira is fascinated by witches. they’re quite secretive, so she’s really curious about them. ydris - amira regards him with a certain level of distrust. he’s unlike anyone else she’s met on the island, and his magic seems unpredictable. magicians in general - they’re alright. amira can’t always tell if they are capable of real, powerful magic or just really good at sleight of hand/stage magic, so she’s a little cautious around them. justin moorland - (after he’s been rescued) amira is worried about justin’s mental state, and doesn’t believe he’s anywhere near what he used to be. she’s suspicious of what they did to him on dark core. before he was taken away, the two were friendly. thomas moorland - amira will always owe him a debt for giving her storm. she stops by often to check on the stables and offer to help out. she feels tied to moorland since it was her first home on the island, and she loves the people there. conrad marsdeen - sometimes amira will hang around the forge just to chat/be annoying. she likes conrad. the bobcats - it’s been a long time since amira was a newbie at moorland, and she’s pretty friendly with most of the bobcats. she still doesn’t like julie, but she’s friends with all the rest, and she and loretta have even come to a grudging peace (loretta is not nice in my headcanon, she’ll always be her grumpy old self) josh - amira thinks he’s cool, and doesn’t understand how someone so calm can stand to be around the bobcats all day. jasper holbrook - amira actually likes jasper, and will stop by to visit/bring news from time to time when she’s in golden hills valley. james - amira kind of treats him like the little brother she never had. and even though he can be annoying and greedy, she respects the way he manages to keep fort pinta running (who put a kid in charge again??). herman - herman is amira’s trainer, since she works at jorvik stables. she has a huge deal of respect for him (is he still stuck with g.e.d.?). raptor - honestly, amira isn’t a huge fan. she likes weird obscure music and doesn’t think raptor has any talent. she doesn’t understand his cult following, and she doesn’t have a high opinion of his intelligence. the baroness - amira doesn’t know her very well, but the two are polite to each other. amira’s done her a few favors in the past, and she is always welcome at the winery. mr. sands - amira both hates him and is kind of scared of him. she’s frustrated that she can’t really do much about him, and dark core is often on her mind because of this. the dark riders - not their biggest fan. amira thinks katja is a creep and quite powerful, sees nihili as the biggest threat, and views sabine as more... human? they’re kind of antagonistic towards each other, since sabine is easily riled up, and they would probably get into petty fights. amira doesn’t know jessica very well. darko - for all the hype, amira doesn’t see him as the worst threat in the world. she thinks she could probably take him in a fight, and she’s scornful of his posturing as mr edgelord. garnok - amira’s worried about garnok, but she doesn’t really think about him directly. she’s more concerned with mr. sands and the dark riders, since they’re the people that need to be stopped in order to stop garnok. dark core - too many goons. amira knows the only reason they have any structure is the result of mr. sands’ influence. without him, they’d be useless. g.e.d. - at least they’re normal people. amira still hates them due to her love for the island, and she can’t wait until they’re gone for good. gary goldtooth - amira likes him, and wants to know more about where he came from. he seems to take good care of his horses, and that earns him another point in her books. the sunfields - if those hens get out another time, amira might physically fight filip. she thinks martina is a bit uptight sometimes, but she likes freja (and her cats). the hermit - amira likes him a lot. they have a lot in common (shy, love horses, etc.), and she spends time with him now that she’s won his trust. they mostly talk about horses. the hightowers - the adults and amira all get along pretty well, but she mostly spends time with madison. amira loves her, and understands what it’s like to be a kid with a lot of imagination, so the two are great friends and amira would probably kill for that kid (she’s never had any siblings and she’s very protective).

(extra) stein - stein and amira both work at jorvik stables, and they’re really good friends. he’s probably the closest amira has to a best friend. they often go riding together and hang out when they’re done with work.

[jugheadeaton-blog]

Love Is Such A Strong Word...

Summary: Outcast. Different. Weird. Bullied. That's what Alex Rider and Ashlynn Rainer are. But why? Maybe it's the fact that Alex has been training to become the "king" of the most deadly gang in Alper Town? It can’t be. Nobody knows that Or perhaps the real reason is Ashlynn's secret job as sex slave. That can't be it either. Only Ashlynn and her father know that. So what is it? Find out what the real reason for Alex and Ashlynn's banishment is as the pair experience the ups and downs of being in love in high school.

A/N: This is my first story so bear with me xD This story is also posted on my Wattpad account, AlexTheTrashyWriter. Anyways, enjoy!

Chapter 1: The Outcasts   

"Dad, we have to get him back!" I screamed as my twin brother sprinted away and into the forest. My dad gave me a disappointed shake of his head.

"No, Alex. He chose what he wanted to do," My dad spat through gritted teeth. "First your mom is taken from us and now your brother decides to leave us."

I stay on my knees, shaking. The tears roll down my face the second my dad utters those words. "But we..."

"No Alex! Not we! Only you! You're the one that wants that bastard of a kid back. But I won't let you go after that piece of shit!" My dad yelled and yanked the collar of my shirt.

"But why?!" I screamed, the tears rolling faster.

My dad gave me a look I've never seen before. His eyes were full of a deep, deep anger. "Because now that your brother is out of the picture, I don't have to choose. I'm training you to become the next Viper leader," he hissed.

I gave him such a horrified look it kind of  scared my dad to a point where he might've pitied me. Might've. But he just shook his head and gripped my shirt collar tighter. Then he dragged me away, half choking me. And during this who fiasco, I held the grey ash covered beanie my brother had given me before he set off. And that was that. My whole life was set up for me in minutes. And it was beyond my control. But I had to change it. Somehow. Sigh. What was a five year old to do?

I snapped awake as I tumbled onto the rough, blackened wood of my room. I winced and groaned as I propped myself up with my bandaged elbow. I hoped he wouldn't enter the scene but of course, he did.

"Rise and shine, Alex!" My father, Will Rider, hollered into a dented megaphone. "It's 4:01 AM! Get the hell up and take your lap!"

"Yes Dad," I murmured as I pushed myself off the slight dent I recently made with my body.

"Did you call me Dad?" My father yelled into the megaphone once more.

I clapped my hand over my reddened ear, which was now ringing. "No sir."

My father scowled and marched out the chipped door. I slowly got up and fixed my mess of a bed, which was soaked with the blood from last night's injuries. I then changed into the clothes my father gave me months ago and hurried out the door, into the early morning. To my dismay, he was already in his beat up navy blue pickup and started driving next to me, all the while screaming "Faster, faster!" into that damn megaphone. I wanted to cuss him out and tell him I started my last year of high school (aka hell) in about an hour but I knew to hold my tongue. My father was not a man to talk back to. I learned that the hard way. I coughed my thoughts away and silently ran my regular ten miles while my father continued scolding my ass off. But he must've been in a good mood since he only made me run ten miles in all. Weird.

An hour later, I was ready. I wore a blood red t-shirt, black jeans, simple black and white converse, the bandage-like eye patch I've been wearing for the past few years and the ash covered dark grey beanie I always wore, no matter how hot it was outside. With one glance at the shattered mirror on my floor, I examined the cuts and crap that were visible and raked some fingers through my messy oak colored hair. I sighed then slipped on my dirty denim jacket hanging by a loose piece of wood from my wall, slung my bag over my sort of broken shoulder and trudged out of the room, my stomach growling uncomfortably. My father had not said I could eat, so I guess breakfast wasn't an option. Oh well, I'll just eat the crappy school lunches. Again. I muttered a goodbye to my father and swiftly stepped out the door and towards Archer High. To my delight, a girl with dirty blonde hair stepped out of a house a block away. I smiled.

"Ashlynn," I called and waved at her.

Ashlynn looked up from her phone, making eye contact with me. She excitedly shoved her phone in her pocket and sprinted towards me, engulfing me in one of her classic bear hugs. "Hi Al!" she peeped. Her classic bear hug always hurt at first but since I've gotten used to the pain over the years, it didn't feel as bad as compared to the past. Ashlynn planted a kiss on my surprisingly-not-bruised cheek then (attempted to) ruffle my milk chocolate hair.

I hugged her back and pecked her on the lips. "Nice to see you again. Where the hell were you for summer?"

Ashlynn let go of me then gave me an annoyed look. "You dumbo. I told you I was at my aunt's place in Florida." She started walking.

I followed right after her. "You did? Oh. I'm sorry I guess I forgot."

"You always do, dumbo."

I probably forgot because of my multiple head injuries during summer training. But Ashlynn didn't need to know that. And neither did anyone else. "Yup," I agreed.

Ashlynn looked up at me, a glimmer of worry in her jade eyes. "Al. Why are you wearing pants and a jacket? It's 99 fucking degrees." She's always so protective.

But I won't lie, I was sweating like a pig. Then again, I had so many cuts, bruises and bandages scattered on my tall legs, it was kind of scary. "Well I get cold easily."

Ashlynn narrowed her eyes at me then began to nod slowly. "Okay."

I sighed of relief when she wasn't looking. Dodged another bullet. Thank God. She still can't ever tell when I'm making something up.

We became friends in second grade. She said hi, I said hi, you know that's pretty casual. Then she blurted out "Your hat's dirty. Are you poor?" It took her a second to realize what she said then she slapped her hand over her mouth and apologized a billion times. I stared at her for a couple of seconds then laughed. I liked her. I told her it was okay and from then on, we became inseparable.

As I got swallowed by my buzzing thoughts, Ashlynn tugged on my arm, which snapped me out of my daze.

"We're...here," She squeaked uneasily.

I took her hand in mine then squeezed. "We'll be fine, Ash." But I knew we weren't going to be, even if we were seniors. At the last second, I bent down and whispered, "Just stick with me, alright?"

Ashlynn looked up at me, her jade eyes staring into my dark browns. "I wasn't planning on it."

And with that, we plodded into the madness. Let's just say Archer High School wasn't exactly the safest place to be taught a bunch of useless crap. Jocks were sitting on the banged up, rusty lockers and smoking. Queen bees were glued to their phones and standing near their smoldering jock boyfriends. Nerds gripped calculators and held binders like babies. Rebels stormed the halls, drinks in one hand, cigarettes in the other. The "emo" kids hid in corners with their ear buds shoved in their ears. I know, I know. This all sounds so cliché but it was all true. Thankfully, not many people noticed Ash and I trudging through the halls. Although, the ones that did notice only just realized that I got held back. And those people included Martha Summers and Johnny Dixon. Great. They're what I like to call "Dick and a Bitch" since Johnny is a dick and Martha is a bitch. I squeezed Ash's hand and picked up my pace, dragging her with me.

"Hey where ya going Writer McGee?" Johnny called out.

I just bit the inside of my cheek and kept walking away. But of course, that wouldn't save me or Ashlynn. As Johnny trotted towards me, Martha held his beefed up arm and followed him. Perfect.

"Leaving so soon, Queen Slut?" Martha hissed in her annoying little voice.

I'm known to have a temper, but when it comes to school I'm fairly good at hiding my anger. But sometimes I just want to punch the blush off that girl's make up infested face. I continued to walk off but to my surprise, Ashlynn tugged on my arm and stopped. Just dead on stopped. In the middle of the hallway. Uh oh.

Ashlynn turned around ever so slowly on her heel and faced the queen of bitches herself. "Listen you Barbie look alike. I'm not in the fucking mood to deal with your crap. Especially not on the first day of school."

Everyone in the hallway oohed and ahhed as Ashlynn turned back to me. She giggled when she saw the shocked look on my face. She barely talked back to Queen Bitch. Like seriously. But since she talked back, I'm bound to get into some trouble with Queen Bitch's boyfriend.

"Ooh Queen Slut's scared," Johnny taunted. Some people in the hallway agreed and soon started chanting "Queen Slut's scared."

A bewildered look spread across Ashlynn's face as her cheeks became bright red with embarrassment. Oh boy, was I mad. No wait I wasn't just mad. I was way beyond mad. And I let my anger get the best of me.

[random-jot]

Tagged by @valinorbound 

Thank you :D

Rules: Answer the questions then tag 10 followers/mutual that you’d like to get to know better.

First name: Tom

Nicknames: I’ve never really had any nicknames that stuck... for a while I was called ‘Young Master Jordan’ by some of the people in a Saturday acting class I did, that’s the closest to a nickname I think I’ve gotten

Zodiac: Cancer

Sexual orientation: Straight

Favourite fruit: That’s a tough one, but I’m gonna go with strawberries. 

Favourite season: I really love the summer time, probably because I associate it with holidays and sunny weather and friends. Plus my birthday is in the summer, which is nice

Favourite books: LOTR and The Silmarillion, A Song Of Ice And Fire, the Alex Rider series.

Favourite flower: I really have no idea, uh, do Venus Flytraps count? They’re pretty cool

Favourite animal: Oh, this is hard. I love cats and dogs, red pandas, raccoons, baby penguins are great, and birds of prey. I think I’m gonna go with red pandas 

Coffee/tea/cocoa: Tea reigns supreme, but all three are good

Cat or dog person: I am a cat person =^.^= But I do also love dogs.

Favourite tumblr: If i had to pick just one, I think facts-i-just-made-up is very funny, but I think all the tumblrs I follow are great! :D

Dream trip: I really wanna visit Tokyo

Number of followers: 303 atm. 

And I tag: @b-listbadboy , @raynbow-shimmer , @bwickes , @the-littlest-birdd ,  @theseptemberlights , @yourethelightfromthemoon , @marionisamuffin

AND ALSO anyone else who wants too ^_^

(Sorry if you’ve already been tagged)