#a Josh rose in our possession

[joshym]

Guys. GUYS. IT HAPPENED AH

@jakeyt & I are still shooketh to the absolute core.

[katuschka]

Touch Starved Pups – Two

Jake Kiszka x f!reader x Josh Kiszka 6.269 words

Welcome to Part Two of the story about what happens to two well-behaved, bored and horny romantics when a new feisty, worldly and hot social media manager enters the building...

Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, intended for adult readers. Any resemblance to real persons is purely coincidental. Also, if you're under 18, go find some other entertainment elsewhere.

Warnings (are spoilers): sex, sex, sex, and sex; unprotected vaginal sex, oral sex, rough oral sex, fingering, squirting, choking, overstimulation, multiple orgasms, old unresolved traumas, bullying, online bullying, expressive language, domJake/sweet Jake, domJosh/sweet Josh, alcohol consumption, smoking

Also, if you like the story and want to get notifications for future updates, you can join the Taglist or see the Masterlist

See also Touch Starved Pups Masterpost

I'm in like I'm infatuated It's all too much, the pressure She's all that I can take She's a sad tomato She's three miles of bad road She's her own invention That gets me in the throat

When I was a kid, my mom kept telling me that my flippant and optimistic nature would make me miserable one day. It would be my downfall, she said. Well, I’m still waiting.

Nah, that’s badly worded. I never waited for anything. She kept waiting for miracles my whole childhood and it only made our life hellish sometimes. So, I either do shit, or I prevent shit from happening. Easy. Well, mostly. Sometimes, it's a bit harder but I still keep trying. While I acknowledge the fact that the world can often be a miserable place, I just decided that I’m not gonna contribute to that. If anything ever makes me feel under the weather, it’s not my life loving nature, but the people who dislike it, because hating is all they know. So fuck them. I just live my life the way I want and so far it’s made me feel good. There were even a few times when I felt like a real fucking queen! Falling asleep in the middle of a twin(k) sandwich definitely qualifies as one of those moments. 

Just imagine: It’s three am, penthouse wall windows reveal the sea of city lights below. It illuminates the room just right. It’s a magnificent, festive glow. The air is still thick with the smell of sex, probably because of all those stains on the sheets, previously drenched with pheromone infused sweat and other bodily fluids. A nice contrast to three freshly-showered, rose-scented, warm and dry bodies lying intertwined and pleasantly fatigued on those dirty, dirty sheets. Dirtied with looooove. Muahaha. One of the bodies belongs to you, the other two are none other than the sweet and spicy Kiszka twins. What a nice thing to imagine, right? Well, you can. I don’t have to. I’m right here. 

We did it! Not my first threesome, but definitely the most memorable one. Who would have thought  that those two mini labradoodles would make me feel so good! I mean, they did in the past, but this is a whole new level. And they continue to do so. Even now, when both of them are fast asleep. Their bodies emanate so much heat that I don’t need a blanket. They are my blanket, keeping me warm and cozy and…safe. That’s new.

I probably shouldn’t get used to that, but it surely is extremely pleasant right now: spooned by Josh, with his face buried in my hair. I can feel his hot breath on the nape of my neck, while Jake’s left hand rests possessively on my right thigh. I was stroking his belly, but it kept waking him up, so he stopped me by taking my hand in his and now they both just rest on top of his chest, with our fingers still intertwined. He looks stunning like this, lying on his back like a king resting after doing the king’s work. With his lips slightly parted, he’s snoring lightly, reminding me he’s still just a guy, not an elf. 

It’s intoxicating, the whole thing, the whole situation. I can’t get enough of this. I just wanna grab all their remaining limbs and wrap them all around me until I melt into them…once again. I think I will, but for now, I savor the moment in this luxurious and airy room, and the city lights keep twinkling. I bet we must look great, too, with all that night glow illuminating our resting bodies. Fit for Vogue cover no doubt…if we weren’t completely naked, that is. We wouldn’t want to offend anyone, oh no no no. So maybe just a Tom Ford ad.

You’re right, this doesn’t sound like my room. My life may be good, but I couldn’t afford a penthouse room with wall windows. This is not the night when I first made that naughty suggestion. Nothing happened in that hotel room AND there’s more to the story. So let’s go back. 

It took them a little while to fully comprehend what I was really suggesting. Poor things. Jake was the first one to turn pale. Then he started shaking his head and pointing his finger at me. “No way! No, no no,” trying to laugh it off. Who does he think I am? A stand-up comedian? I just flashed them, for fuck’s sake. That’s no laughing matter, you fucker. I’m dead serious. 

I just raised my right eyebrow at him, as I was getting impatient and becoming very, VERY annoyed. He looked at Josh for confirmation and – to my delight – found none. That up-to-no-good pixie might have looked equally frightened, but he was definitely NOT opposed to the idea. I could tell, because I could see… Jake noticed too. “Oh for fuck’s sake! Are you fucking serious?”

Josh didn’t respond. Rubbing the nape of his neck, he looked me in the eye and I could tell he was searching for more clues as to what I was really up to. I thought I had made myself clear. Trying to make myself even clearer, I returned the stare with my chin up and licked my upper lip lasciviously, making Josh’s dick twitch again. 

“It’s just sex, Jake…” Josh mumbled sheepishly. 

“You’re sick! Both of you.” Jake spat and pointed a finger animatedly first at Josh, then at me, then at Josh again. 

“Fine! Bugger off, then!” Josh hissed in response, repeating Jake’s previous words. 

“Fuck you!” To my dismay, he zipped up, adjusted his shirt a bit (like anyone would be able to tell the difference) and stormed out, closing the door with a loud bang. 

“Well…” Josh sighed and rubbed his hands together with an idioting grin on his face.  I usually enjoyed his playful nature, but it annoyed me magnificently at that moment. 

“What?” 

“Hey lady, you got the love I need,” not discouraged by the acidic tone of my voice, he crooned, approaching me slowly.

… and that wouldn’t do. I could see my plan crumbling and the only way to keep things going was to keep them BOTH sexually frustrated, even if it meant denying myself some generously offered cock. I finally decided to play the “offended” card. My room, my rules. They just couldn’t get a grip!

And that’s how Josh too ended up in the hallway outside my room, holding his crumpled clothes in front of him in an attempt to hide at least his front yard valuables. One angry kick at my door before he went running to his room. I kept my ear glued to the door so as not to miss any additional drama, but apart from a surprised “whoa” coming from Robert, the security guy, followed by “run, Forrest, run”, he seemed to have scared no one. 

So, that was it. God bless my purple little friend that’s never let me down. Visualizing it in Josh’s ass with his face contorted with bliss certainly helped, too. Thank you Jake for the idea. It was great. 

We were supposed to leave early in the morning, and because the fucking schedule is sacred, it was just past seven am when we all indeed found ourselves dragging our sorry and hungover asses towards the busses. The weather was shit that day, just like our collective mood. Grey and gloomy (And wet…yeah, well, I kept having thoughts. So what!). I was already standing outside the hotel, trying to enjoy my morning cigarette – shivering just a little bit, because I had thought a light cardigan and leggings would be enough – when Josh just stormed by with his hideous cap and sunglasses on, looking like a huge white fly. 

That was unusual (even more so in this overcast weather), which could only mean that he was sulking. My theory was further supported by him lighting up a cigarette in front of the bus, meaning he was sulking rather vigorously, wanting everyone (me) to see. I half expected him to pull out a chocolate bar out of his pocket and ram it down his throat. The idea made me chuckle. 

“What did you do to him?” It was Robert, appearing next to me out of nowhere and handing  me a much needed cup of coffee. Rob knew… 

“Sucked his twin’s dick. Thank you.” 

Richard nodded in understanding, even though he didn’t understand shit about this particular scenario. I like Robert. He’s our teddy grizzly bear. A good buddy, too. I took a sip and savored it for a while because Jake just passed us by – also without saying a word – and I wanted to pretend I didn’t notice. Robert did, though, and frowned: “Wait…you gave Jake head, but he doesn’t seem too happy about it now… and Josh was running down the hall in his birthday suit in the middle of the night… Girl! Why do I feel like there’s more to the story?” Now Robert was slowly starting to understand. Bless him. 

“Do you really wanna know?”

 “Are you kidding me? You know I live for juicy tea.” I laughed while we watched Jake having a heated conversation with Josh, who ended the argument abruptly by just flipping Jake violently right in front of his almost new nose before stepping onto the bus without another word. Jake noticed us staring, flipped us too, and followed suit. We were too far to hear the words, but it was obvious they exchanged a few words that would make their mama wash their mouths with soap.

Robert pursed his lips and puffed through his nose. “OK, maybe I don’t wanna know.”  

I just shrugged. At first glance, this looked like a rather precarious situation, but I was hopeful it wouldn’t last long. After all, it wasn’t really my fault, and if the two of them had a problem with each other because of me, I had generously offered a solution. It was just a matter of time. 

“Ah, well, this is going to be a truly pleasant ride. Care to join us?” Robert asked, throwing me a devilish smile. 

“Nah, I’m good,” I grinned back. 

While Rob was a part of the closest crew, my own bunk bed was on the other bus, so that was the one I usually took, unless my work required a different momentary arrangement. To be honest, I felt like there would be a lot of work waiting for me that day (And I was right.), but I also wanted to deal with that alone. Those fuckers were in no mood to be able to handle even more bullshit. And it was a real shitstorm, lemme tell you. 

I usually start my daily routine by checking all the relevant platforms, because I wanna keep abreast of things. Sometimes it requires drinking before noon, because of all the crazy shit that one can find online. I keep doing it so that no one else has to. It’s an honorable task. Like a food taster or something. 

Some finds are more or less pleasant and make my days easier. For example almost all the twinning content. It was basically the same that day, in spite of the fact that the show the previous night wasn’t exactly a success. 

One video in particular caught my attention, though, because it looked like the feud between the two of them started well before they ended up in my room. It was not the usual twin banter. Not this time. This looked serious. I completely missed it, but clearly, you didn’t, because there were several variations from different angles, two of them featuring my lovely self. It must have happened very shortly after I took my own footage that I was about to edit next. 

None of that was new. I’m often on the fan videos, just like the rest of the crew, but I’m never the center of anyone’s attention, so in spite of some of you hating me, it doesn’t really matter…well, it didn’t, until now. The said feud was obviously about me, even though I had not been aware of any of that happening at that moment. And apparently, it made them behave unprofessionally too. 

Well, strike one.

Our night activities were quite obviously no secret, but no one batted an eye. A pleasurable distraction, that’s what it was. However, if it became too much of a distraction…if I became too much of a distraction and it should start affecting their ability to perform, I might be asked to pack my bags. That’s when I felt the first lump in my stomach. Do no harm, that’s the key. We’ve all wanted this, right?

I took a deep breath and counted to ten. It was just a brief moment. Iit couldn’t possibly be all my fault. Not all shows can be stellar; there are nights when things just go wrong. And nobody said anything to me afterwards. 

Stop overreacting, you bitch, and do your job, which you can’t afford to lose. It’s not a big deal. 

And it wasn’t. I checked more videos and it really wasn’t as bad as the general mood made it seem like at the time. As that particular leg of the tour was coming to an end, we were all just tired, irritated and homesick (Not me, but some others were, including the guys). 

I delved into the comments next. 

No, it was not a big deal, but it still made so many of you so fucking angry, because for a split second, they weren’t paying attention to you, but it was all on me. And you saw how both of them wanted me. 

Strike two!

I got used to derogatory comments, slurs or even edited pictures. I scanned past that, more or less unfazed, until my eyes landed on something that almost made me choke on my soda (with rum). 

This job taught one important thing. My own online presence is irrelevant, problematic, and potentially harmful. I have no personal accounts. That doesn’t mean I’m untraceable and as it turned out, someone dug up dirt on my father and used it to psychoanalyze me. Yes, that excuse for a man is a piece of shit. I know. He’s dead to me. But this…this was like a punch in the guts. And I just sat there, unable to take a deep breath all of the sudden.

I refuse to let people get under my skin, but that asshole is my kryptonite. I battled my demons, kicked them in the balls, but his disgusting face is the only personified evil that I never managed to overcome. The scars run deep. I hate the fact, but that’s how it is. At least I had managed to stop it from haunting me. Until now. 

The second lump in my stomach wasn’t a lump. It was a huge ball of acid goo. I barely managed to get to the bathroom in time before my body betrayed me and I said goodbye to my breakfast. 

“Are you ok?” It was Daniel, approaching me at my spot in section B right after the soundcheck ended. 

“Never been better. Why?” 

He cast me a sympathetic look. “Stella, I saw some of that shit.” 

Well, shit.

After we arrived at the hotel the previous day, I beelined to my hotel room and continued to work from there. Well I tried to do some work, but after my hands started shaking uncontrollably, I spent at least two hours crouched down on the floor in the shower before I called it a night. 

It got worse overnight. What started as just a few comments that affected me personally, snowballed out of proportion and I felt like my job was really hanging by a thread. 

I didn’t meet the twins again until soundcheck and even then we kept our distance. They probably thought that I was avoiding them and it was in fact true. I needed to function and that took all my remaining energy. I didn’t have enough brainpower to try to explain what was wrong with me. Daniel’s comment together with their sideways glances that I suddenly noticed told me that they probably already knew. I sighed, feeling defeated. 

“It just comes with the job. Working with people is not for the faint of heart. I’m used to that. I’m prepared for that. So, I’m fine, Daniel.” 

“Uh huh, fearless in words, as always. And yet I’m seeing that you’re not. I know you’re tough, but you’re also only human. You can’t always hide behind your words. Not only because you’re failing this time, but also because it’s not healthy.”

“So what am I supposed to do, Danny?” 

“Well, let’s start with you joining us for a drink after the show,” he smiled at me encouragingly. 

…an offer, which I didn’t take. I craved their closeness more than ever, but it was not right. I barely survived the photopit that evening and went straight to bed as soon as possible.   

The next morning passed in a haze. Once again, I spent it trying and failing to do my daily routine – just my laptop’n’me – before we all gathered for lunch. I didn’t want to go, but I had witnessed what lack of self care can do to you when I was a child, and I had promised myself to never fall down that pit. 

I managed to smile weakly at everyone before I found my seat in the corner. That’s where Jake finally approached me.

“Bebe, honey, come and join us,” he smiled and motioned towards the table where Josh was already waving at me to come. 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea, Jake.” 

He sat on the chair next to me and placed his hands on the table with a dull thud. “What’s going on? This is not you, and – believe it or not – it’s really making us worry. Is it about your dad? Because that’s just…”

“He’s not my “DAD”. And no…well, yes, kind of, but that’s my personal problem. It’s about the two of you. I’m here to do my job, and I can’t be the reason why two of you argue and consequently fail to do yours.” 

“Bebe, we’re fine…”...but I just shook my head dismissively. He took a deep breath. 

“So, if we convinced you that we’re fine and not arguing, would it be OK?”

“Yeah, perhaps…” I replied with uncertainty, to which he stood up, bent down to kiss my hair while mumbling “ok”, and went back to his table, leaving me confused on top of everything else. I quickly finished my lunch and stormed out. 

The rest of the day went more or less smoothly. Another soundcheck, just in case, even though it was the same venue, a few hours of “idling” backstage (doesn’t apply to the crew), followed by yet another hellish evening in front of the people who wanted to tar and feather me.

When I got back to my room, I just showered quickly and was in my nightgown and ready to go to bed when I heard a knock on my door. 

“Hi sparrow.” He smiled sweetly and swung on his feet. 

“Josh? What are you doing here? I’m a bit tired and…”

“I…well, WE got a little surprise for you. Come on. Let me show you.” He was already reaching for my hand but I backed away. 

“All right, all right…just let me put some clothes on, you crank. I’m almost naked, with just my nightgo…”

“Which is just perfect! Come on!” He was relentless, jumping around like a kid around a christmas tree. I have to admit, his exuberant behavior was once again contagious, and I couldn’t help but laugh. What else could I do, he was already pushing me out of the door and towards the elevator. “I hope we’re not going to go swimming…naked?!?” I asked warily, but he just laughed and kissed me softly. “Josh, we really shouldn’t…”

“Shhh.” 

To my utter bewilderment, he led me right to the door of a presidential suite. Opening it, he motioned for me to enter. I gasped. It was a beautiful one. Elegantly furnished and airy. The bedroom was separated from the large lounge only by a glass wall so that it looked more like a huge loft. Standing by a large minibar, dressed also just in a bathrobe, was Jake. He raised his glass to me with a soft smile and took a sip. I heard the door click behind me and turned around to see Josh leaning against, his expression completely altered now.   

I was impressed, not gonna lie. My babies all grown up and taking initiative. It felt as if they filtered all the blood in my veins. The bitch is back, bitches! I wondered what was in store for me there. Judging by the looks on their faces, probably nothing good. Good…

“Want a drink?” Jake asked and I nodded. 

He came closer, took a sip of his whisky. He tapped at my lower lip with his finger, urging me to open my mouth, and kissed me, spitting the drink on my tongue. It was so lewd and hedonistic! Got me all excited. I swallowed the burning liquid and kissed him back.  

“Any special requests, Bebe?” he asked when our lips parted. 

Oh, I sooo wanted to be just a ragdoll in their hands. After three days spent trying to be in control of the situation – and failing – I now realized how desperately I needed NOT to be in control for a while. To let go. Would they really do that for me? Treating me like their whore in this suite that must have been a bit expensive even to their standards? “Use me!” My tone was cold and daring, I showed no fear, but I was so ready to be tossed around the room.

Jake looked a bit surprised at first, but then he took another sip and his face hardened, eyes darkening with lust. I felt Josh’s hands running down my shoulders until they reached my elbows and grabbed them firmly. Oh god, they were hoping for this! Oh this is going to be so good. 

“Allright, on your knees, then.” 

I quickly obliged. He stripped off his gown and motioned to me to do the same. Before I could even blink, Joah was naked too. Eager bastard. They towered over me like two hounds, but I had absolutely no intention to be sheepish. They looked at each other and I swear I could feel their silent communication going on. It was like a different kind of waves, vibrating in the air and elusive to all the senses other than touch. 

“Open,” Jake ordered. I stuck my tongue out daringly and he filled my mouth without any further ado. While still holding the glass of whisky, he grabbed my hair with his left hand and fucked my mouth until I jerked back, gasping for air. He released me. “Are you ok?” he asked and his face softened. 

“Yes,” I answered breathlessly. 

“Good. So, as you probably already gathered, we’re here to convince you. It’s going to be just as you requested, but at first we’re going to make you feel good. Ok?” I nodded. Of course it was fucking ok! I was already so wet that I might get dehydrated if I didn’t get a drink soon. Glancing around, I noticed that Josh already made himself comfortable on the bed beyond the glass divider. I looked up at Jake again and he nodded. 

“Yeah, go,” Jake motioned towards the king size bed with his hand clutching a glass of whisky. His tone was mild, but it wasn’t a request. 

I climbed onto the bed and looked at Josh for further instructions. It was just so surreal, I still couldn’t really believe what was happening. He spread his legs and patted the mattress between them. “Come here sparrow, make yourself comfy.” I positioned myself in front of him and leaned my back against his chest. 

“Sparrow, we know the last few days have been rough, so if there’s anything you don’t like, tell us immediately, understand?” He whispered in my ear while he stroked my upper thighs.

“Ok,” I whispered back. He grabbed my knees and forced my legs open, making room for Jake to position himself between them. I gasped when he started kissing the soft skin of my inner thigh, making his way up, while Josh’s lips brushed against my neck, while his palms traveled up and down my upper arms. Jake’s gradual teasing was almost debilitating and I squealed when the tip of his tongue finally darted between my folds and he lapped at my juices thirstily, moaning in appreciation before he wrapped his lips around my clit and started sucking gently. The muscles of my underbelly tightened almost immediately and my whole body shook with a sudden wave of intense arousal. 

“Any further request, sparrow?” Josh bit my earlobe teasingly. 

“Choke me,” I breathed out. He wrapped his fingers around my throat and squeezed gently. “More,” I urged him. “Fuck!” he hissed, almost angrily, and his grip tightened. I rolled my eyes and let out a loud, strangled moan. Pressed with my lower back against him, I could feel how much he liked that too. “You’re something else, sparrow.”

I looked down at Jake, whose eyes met mine and I watched how they widened. I imagined what it must have looked like: my heaving chest, my parted lips and raised brows, Josh’s other hand still toying with my left tit. 

Jake closed his eyes and moaned around my clit. The fucker liked that, too. See? I knew you would. 

It took them only a few more minutes to make me cum…for the first time. Before I could react, Jake grabbed my ankles and pulled me down a bit so that my head now rested in Josh’s groin. He pressed his right palm against my core and slowly pushed two fingers inside. The intensity of the new stimulation right after my orgasm took me by surprise. 

“Jake…oh…god…what are you doing?”

“Shut up.” 

OK!

The way he started pumping his fingers inside me made me see stars. It was something new, and it made me squeak again. Sure, he had done this before, but never right after eating me out. I grabbed Josh’s arms in search of something to hold on to, leaving angry indented marks in the flesh of his triceps as Jake continued assaulting my g spot. I knew what was going to happen, and let out a strangled cry when it indeed did. I tensed, arched my back and squirted all over Jake’s forearm. 

“Good girl,” he crooned when I collapsed back onto the mattress, completely exhausted. A rag doll, indeed. They offered me no rest, though, and I was on my hands and knees before my heart could even stop racing. “Please, just a minute,” I whimpered and looked at Josh, whom I was facing now. He smiled sweetly and pecked my lips gently before he mumbled “you asked for this, honey” in his raspy, low voice. Fuck! Oh yes, I did. 

I could feel Jake positioning behind me. He ran his palms up my thighs and smacked my ass disapprovingly when they trembled. He bent down and rubbed the hot skin of his stomach against my back before he whispered in my ear: “It’s our turn, baby.” I was SO ready! My pussy was not, though, and I gasped in surprise when the tip of his cock entered me.

“Oh god, you’re so tight.” 

I could feel him stretching me and took a few deep breaths, trying to relax a bit. “Well, that’s your fault, so stop complaining.”

“I’m not…complaining…” He bottomed out, making me gasp in surprise. The stretch was so pleasantly intense, making me feel so full. “...just…stating facts!” He pulled out almost entirely and then thrusted into me again with such force that I almost collided with Josh. He grabbed my shoulders first to support me, and then started stroking my hair, massaging the nape of my neck as Jake set a steady pace. Slow and sensual at first. He knows that’s how I like it. 

“Are you feeling better?”Josh asked softly. I mumbled an incoherent “mmmhmm” and nodded. He squeezed my left boob gently and pinched the nipple slightly between his fingers as Jake’s hand traveled up my spine. I tilted my head back in a wordless plea for him to grab my hair and he did, with the other hand still kneading the soft flesh of my hip.  

“How does it feel?” It was Josh again. I closed my eyes and smiled in between my moans. It felt absolutely exhilarating. My mind practically left the room. The combination of Jake’s dick hitting my cervix and Josh’s fingertips tracing the curves of my upper body made me almost oblivious to the surroundings and I was floating on a marshmallow cloud of pure physical bliss. “Tell me baby…” I can’t speak right now. Here’s another smile, so shut up already.

“Josh?” Jake’s sultry voice brought me back to planet Earth.

“Yeah?” The response was a bit edgy. Oh dear god…

“Shut up,” Jake breathed out shakily. He tried to sound menacingly, but his voice betrayed him and faltered. I laughed softly and nuzzled my cheek in Josh's palm that was still ready to caress and support me if necessary. It was so intimate. Or it would be, if it weren’t for their childish brattiness. Even now, for fucks sake! But Jake wasn’t wrong.

“Make me.” The situation was getting a little out of hand and I grabbed Josh’s hard cock just to prevent further escalations. He yelped in surprise and I could tell Jake was getting more and more annoyed by the way he slammed into me. 

“Bebe, make him shut up.” he hissed through his teeth. I bit my lip in an attempt not to laugh because while Josh is a versatile (and kinky) lover when it comes to various roles, he would never, EVER shut up under any circumstance! But I knew what Jake meant. I wanted this, so I should be fair. I looked at Josh again and rubbed my thumb against his lower lip. “Want my mouth?” I whispered. He enveloped his lips around the tip of my thumb and started sucking at it, moaning a “yes” around it without breaking eye contact. I pulled it out and ran my trembling fingers down his chest and belly until I cupped his balls. He tilted his head back immediately and reached behind his head to grab onto the headboard, putting his lean musculature on full display. Show-off.  

I could watch him just breathing like that all day, but something else required my attention, as Jake reminded me by smacking my ass. I slowly licked around the head of that something, making Josh’s back arch. He literally wailed when I swallowed him whole once again. See? Can’t keep quiet even even if his life depended on it. 

I tried my best to do a good job, bobbing my head up and down like a good girl, but it was getting increasingly hard as Jake quickened his pace. I had to stop and I looked at Josh pleadingly. “I’m gonna need your help, baby.” He only nodded and the three of us shifted a bit, so that Josh too was on his knees now, his cock right in front of my face. He placed his hands on both sides of my head and slid his cock inside my mouth until he hit my throat and I gagged loudly. He quickly withdrew and hesitated. 

Josh once told me that he loved to gag on cock, but not everyone did, and after a few accidents, he stopped doing that to others. I assured him that I personally liked messy blowjobs, and I showed him, too…but I was always in control. He never fucked my face before. “Don’t worry,” I whispered in between my audible exhales. “You love it… I love it.... This is good…” 

And he did. And he wasn’t gentle about it, finally understanding how much I craved this. More than one hole, indeed, and I could easily accommodate them both. We made quite a mess together. I could feel droplets of Jake’s sweat landing on my back as saliva ran down my chin and tears down my cheeks. The noises they were making, the smell of their skin..I was getting high on just that. Fuck the whole world, I wanna stay here. 

Jake was getting close. I could hear it in the tone of his own moans. It’s just different: louder and more natural, no longer restrained. It wasn’t because Josh was there, that’s just how he is…unless he’s relaxed or tipsy, or both. And that’s also how I can tell he’s about to unload.  He just no longer cares, losing himself in the moment. I wish he knew just how sexy that is!

He grabbed me by my biceps and pulled me up to him, making me abandon Josh’s leaking dick momentarily. I had no time to feel sorry about that, because with the change of position, he could now hit that perfect spot inside me so well that I got goosebumps. I snaked my hands behind me to hold on to his hips as he continued pounding into me. I could feel his hot breath on the side of my neck, his parted lips barely touching my skin. The sensation was so similar to what Josh was doing just a moment earlier that my breath hitched. All these subtle reminders that they were in fact identical twins always made my pussy spasm, especially when the sensory quality of those little reminders was this superior. The two of them definitely don’t need to look up the definition of “sensual” in the dictionary. 

My train of thoughts turned my attention back to Josh, and I opened my eyes to see him watching us with his mouth open and his hand wrapped firmly around his cock. The son of a bitch obviously enjoyed the sight, and I couldn’t blame him, because he was quite a sight, too. He wasn’t in a hurry, stroking himself slowly in order to save his love juice for me. Just then Jake darted his tongue out and licked a long stripe up my jugular while he hit that spot again. “Come on Bebe, give it to me,” he pleaded in my ear, meaning he was already reaching that edge. That pushed me past mine. My mouth opened in a silent scream and I came hard on his cock. 

He wrapped his arms around me and after four more jerky thrusts, he spilled inside me, each shot accompanied by a loud, howling moan. 

After he released me, I fell back on my arms right in front of Josh. I darted my tongue out and he met me halfway in a messy kiss. “How do you want me?” I whispered when we parted. 

“On your back,” he commanded. 

And I obliged. “Hold her,” Josh uttered in a low, raspy tone, and Jake’s hands wrapped around my wrists, pulling my arms over my head. Josh grabbed my knees, forcing my legs apart, threw one leg over his shoulder, positioned himself and slowly sank his dick inside me, making me hiss. 

“Are you sore?” he asked softly, while his fingers caressed my belly. I was a bit, but not enough for it to be unpleasant. “No,” I shook my head slowly, blinking lazily. I felt him pulsate inside me, his rock hard dick begging to be cherished. I squeezed around him, begging him to go on. He made the slightest move and exhaled heavily, dropping his head down. Josh was sensitive. Not in a way that he couldn’t last long, quite on the contrary sometimes, but the way he expressed himself during sex always made you think that he was going to jump out of his skin any moment. 

He looked at me again, stroked my cheek and I closed my eyes momentarily. “Tired?” he whispered. Oh for fuck’s sake, Joshua! Stop acting like a nurse and fuck me senseless. But I decided to reward the sweetheart in him by being kind. He meant well. “No, I think there might be one more,” I smiled quasi-sweetly at him and he repaid me with a vicious grin. Grabbing my hips firmly, he started pumping into me. 

It was intense. Maybe a bit too intense. I wasn’t by any means raw, but I surely felt a bit overstimulated already, and my legs started shaking. 

I could feel another orgasm building, but this one would be almost painful. I could already tell. I didn’t care. I wanted this. I needed this. Josh kept stroking my thighs in a vain attempt to soothe me, but I did not want to be soothed. I needed fireworks, and he was already striking sparks deep in my core with each stroke. Pleasure and pain. 

Jake leaned down and kissed my lips tenderly. A sudden wave of electricity shot through my whole body. This whole experience was far better than I expected. No matter how fucked out I already was, they managed to shot new waves of fresh arousal through my system. I felt completely lightheaded, floating an inch above the mattress again. Then it hit me, and my whole body convulsed. I screamed and thrashed about in between them. Jake released me and at the same time, Josh leaned down and wrapped his arms around me to prevent himself from slipping out. I did the same, squeezing him tight. Two more powerful thrusts and then he suddenly stopped, inhaled sharply and squealed in my ear as he came inside me. 

It was just the beginning…

@its-interesting-van-kleep @takenbythemadness @edgingthedarkness @writingcold @ignite-my-fire @jakekiszkasbuttsweat @fleet-of-fiction @lvnterninthenight @myownparadise96 @josh-iamyour-mama @jazzyfigz @sanguinebats @thewritingbeforesunrise @wetkleenex-gvf @lyndz2names @emojakekiszka @hollyco @lizzys-sunflower @fleetingjake @cheersdannyx2 @gvfstuddedmajesty @gvfmarge @dayumclarizzel @musicislove3389 @lipstickitty @seenoversundown @gretnavannfleet @gretasfallingsky @peaceloveunitygvf @clownstarr @watchingover-hypegirl

[stars-are-just-ghosts]

It's Harrisco Prompt Time! (Jan. 2025)

Calling all Harrisco readers / shippers /writers!

It's time for prompts!!! -does the little jig she does every time- Every now and then I get the itch to write some Harrisco goodness, and I come to y'all because you're amazing at encouragement and chaos! (Both very addictive qualities, by the way.) This is one of those ships I can't seem to get away from, not that I would want to. The fandom might be small, the ship even smaller, but damn if it isn't still wonderful. Now I know some of y'all might be wondering, 'What the heck is Harrisco?!' It's Earth-2's Harrison 'Harry' Wells and Francisco 'Cisco' Ramon from the CW's 'The Flash.' And my-oh-my, are they fun to write about. If you don't know me, I'm QuietDarkness on Ao3 and stars-are-just-ghosts here on tumblr. I have one shots, novel-length stories, and series on Ao3, all dedicated to our favorite ship to end all ships. (I have many other ships. But this one will always have a special place in my heart.) Thank you for reading, and thank you for sharing. (Seriously, the shares and comments are monumentally important to me. Y'all are my favorite.) Doing something a little different this time, inspired by an anon prompt earlier this week that I really enjoyed doing: writing one-shots based off songs. Pick a song from the first list, and any combination of prompts from the second list, and send it my way! If you have any other prompt ideas, pleasepleaseplease send them my way! (They don't have to be based off anything from this prompt list if you don't want them to be!) (Just a reminder, I don't personally rewrite episodes. It's not really my schtick. But I stay as close to the source material as possible, I promise.) So, with no further ado... here's the list! Music Prompts: 1. More to This by Marc Scibilia 2. The Fire by Vincent Lima 3. Apple Pie by Lizzy McAlpine 4. Who Do I Call Now by Sophia Camara 5. Death Wish Love by Benson Boone 6. Distance by Christina Perri 7. Possession by Sarah McLachlan 8. Saint Honesty by Sara Bareilles 9. Self Sabotage by Ruelle 10. Never Be Mine by Rosa Linn 11. Kiss Me by Dermot Kennedy 12. Hell or High Water by Billy Raffoul 13. Salvation by Gabrielle Aplin 14. Reassure Me by Charlotte Jane 15. Not Walkin' Away by Emily Hearn 16. Last Man Standing by Livingston 17. War Zone by Neena Rose 18. Wake Me Up by Josh Ronen 19. It's Different Now by Pentatonix 20. Turn Out the Lights by Julien Baker 21. How Villains Are Made by Madalen Duke 22. Feel Me by Mecca Kalani 23. Lost My Mind by Alice Kristiansen 24. Bring You Back by Gold Brother and Liiv 25. 1000 Times by Sara Bareilles 26. Certain Things by James Arthur Regular Prompts: 1. Whump (physical and/or emotional) 2. Angst 3. Established Relationship 4. Fluff / Domestic Fluff 5. Pining / Mutual Pining 6. Action 7. First Time 8. Death (eek gad!) 9. Enemies to Friends to Lovers 10. Hurt / Comfort Reminder: At any time, a prompt can turn Explicit or MA unless you request otherwise! Just a head's up!

(Gif credit goes to its creator)

[joshfuckingkiszka]

『two: uncovered』

so sorry about the delay tbh I thought I posted this my bad yall mwah - ALSO I've made a playlist on Spotify (APPLE MUSIC SUPREMACY) for this series as well as sthh and end up here and will be making more (ignore the order of the songs from 7 and up because I'm still putting them in order)

THIS SERIES IS 18+ MINORS DNI

chapter warnings: ANGST, idiots in love, alcohol

from the playlist: gold rush - taylor swift / i hate myself for loving you - joan jett and the blackhearts

series masterlist

✮

It was hard to sleep, now that you knew what Josh’s mouth felt like. He still tasted like the numerous Salty Dogs he’d consumed at the bar, the recent hit of a fruity vape still on his lips. You tossed and turned in your bed, panicking about the next morning. He wouldn’t remember, he was too drunk. 

When the sun rose, you were already awake. Well, with barely two hours under your belt - and that’s being generous. The coffee you made burnt your tongue, but the frugality you’d possessed since high school made it hard to justify paying for caffeine. 

Josh didn’t wake for another three hours, which was a lot of time to think. Overthink. When he did, he made a quip about the cold coffee and the sweatshirt you wore. It was his, just like the shirt underneath it, stolen during a camping trip from sophomore year of college. 

This was supposed to have been a girls’ trip. You, Ronnie, and the two other girls who completed the four person dorm suite: Kehlani and Olive. 

Kehlani was confident and damn persistent, and it had scared you a little at first, but nothing in your suite ever went unfixed by maintenance. Her olive skin tone only got darker and glowier the longer she spent outside, and she did that quite a bit. The balcony was accustomed with the prettiest flowers you had ever seen, thanks to her and her green thumb. Fittingly, she was a Botany Major, who spent long hours at the library and ever longer ones at local greenhouses.

Olive was quiet, but even an idiot could see the crush she had on Jake. You learned - in bits and pieces - that she was an incredible artist, who had mastered realism, in your opinion. She was a psychology major, with hopes to go to medical school and become a psychologist. When the semester first started, she never spent more than five minutes outside of her room. Two months in, and it was like the four of you had always known each other. 

Back to the facts. Girls trip. Supposed to be. 

“Where exactly can we get alcohol where they won’t I.D. us?” Ronnie asked, her head on the armrest of the couch, feet in your lap.

“Well,” Kehlani started, “I would say that place on Fifth, but they got busted last week. Lost their license. Truly sad.”

“College town, Ron, we’re not getting anything without a fake,” you told her. She rolled her eyes, she knew you were right.

Olive piped up, “Ronnie, what about your brother? One of the twins? They’re 21.” Everyone knew she meant Jake. 

“Jake wouldn’t get us anything without a hefty price.” The Kiszka girl huffed. 

You contemplated. “Josh would do it for free.”

“Yeah for you.” She poked your ribs, and you giggled. “But the second he finds out it’s for me too, he’ll back out.”

“What if we invited them?” Kehlani suggested, and Olive’s eyes lit up. You’re not sure yours didn’t do the same. 

Ronnie groaned and protested for three days. 

“What if this is an alcohol free trip?” She attempted to pawn this idea. 

“The beginning of summer. At a lake house. Without alcohol. Do you hear how insane you sound right now, Veronica?” Kehlani’s hands were firmly gripping the brunette’s shoulders and her eyes bore deep and seriously into Ronnie’s. 

She rolled her eyes. “Inviting them will ruin the sanctity of a girl’s trip!” No one bought it. 

“Ronnie’s inviting you on our girl’s trip.” Josh’s hands stilled in your hair for only a second, his attention finally deviating from the Kubrick film. 

He scoffed. “What’s the catch?” Josh always was much smarter than he let on. 

“Alcohol. Purchasing. For the group.”

His eyes met yours. “Let me guess, she told you to butter me up tonight.” His tone was playful, but you knew he was being serious.

“No,” you rolled your eyes, grinning, “I’m not even supposed to be telling you. It’s supposed to be a ‘random act of kindness by your sweet little sister’.”

The two of you laughed. 

“Well, I’m not going without my other half.” 

“Oh, don’t worry I’ll be there.” He laughed and tickled your sides. 

“Jake won’t be happy I’m being invited.”

“Who do you think she’s asking on the trip right now?” 

Finally, his fingers were back in your hair and both sets of eyes on the screen. The movie didn’t have your attention anymore, though. 

“I take it the bar was fun last night,” you quipped. 

His brows raised in agreement, “I would say I’m never drinking again, but we both know that’s a lie.” 

Josh was quiet for a moment, “I didn’t…say anything weird did I?” 

You thought back to his lips on yours. 

“No more than usual.” 

“Good.” 

He was holding something back. Was he worried he spilled something he shouldn’t have? A band announcement? A girl? Your breath caught in your throat for a second and you passed it off as a cough. 

“What would you have said?”

He shrugged, but he knew. 

“I’ve got a surprise for you tonight,” he mentioned casually. 

On a call a few weeks ago, Josh had practically begged you to come out with him and the guys tonight. You agreed, because you missed them, and because going out just wasn’t the same without them. 

“Should I be concerned?” You elbowed him gently. Asking was stupid, because you already were. 

“I’m not sure,” he said earnestly, “I don’t think so. But the guys - nevermind.” 

Now you were really concerned. You left, making up some excuse about getting ready (even though it was about five hours until the guys would be over). 

Whatever he was telling you tonight, gave you a bad gut feeling. You sincerely hoped you were wrong. Regardless, you trudged through getting ready. You took a long “everything” shower - as you’d heard it regarded on Tiktok (Josh made fun of you for watching them, but you would always catch him quoting ones he thought were funny). You were on autopilot as you did your makeup, it was what you had seen as the “rockstar girlfriend” look - ironic, huh? 

A black mini skirt was layered with tights donning little hearts and a lacy black bra could be seen under a mesh long-sleeved crop top. Black leather boots that came up to your knees was your shoe of choice for the evening, and you knew that anyone else would mistake you for a groupie. Not Josh. Never Josh. To him you would always be his Little Red. 

Once your hair was done - even if that one piece kept falling in your face - you gave yourself a once over in the mirror. You looked hot. It had never mattered to you what a man thought so why, all of a sudden, did you care so much about what Josh had to say about your outfit? 

You thought back to Tara, had she been right? Were you falling in love with Josh? Or had those feelings always been there. 

“I swear to god, one more Shakespeare play and I’m-” 

“If you do it, I do it. I’m serious, too.” 

Ronnie had needed an extra elective because of an error her advisor had made, and you needed a class to fill a time slot you didn’t want empty. Romeo and Juliet had been so good your freshman year, so what harm would a Shakespearean Literature class be? Incredibly harmful. Analyses piled on top of the other and you could barely keep up with what you were supposed to be reading. Ronnie wasn’t having any better luck, so cheating wasn’t even an option. 

Homework should have been the last thing on your mind during Thanksgiving Break, but with the amount of practice Josh was having to do, the distraction seemed inviting. It wasn’t just practice, either, he and the guys had become serious about the band, performing gigs all around Michigan. You had banned them from ever coming back to the college, though, because of the attention Josh - and all of the boys - had received from the female audience. It was fine if you didn’t have to hear about it, right? Right, so no more University of Michigan gigs. Josh laughed, but he never even joked about coming back. 

They had gained quite a bit of popularity, and the last you had heard from Josh, a few labels wanted to talk to them. You refused to hear updates from anyone but the oldest Kiszka, if for nothing more so that you could talk to him. His original love of the theater had been put on the backburner, replaced by Rock n’ Roll, leather pants, and a rat tail you weren’t sure if you loved or hated. Josh loved the music, though, he loved making Jake happy and he bathed in the attention he got from the audience. 

“They’re not that different,” he explained, “The stage is different, but the crowd is all the same: they’re all there for a show.” 

“And you give it to them?” You mused. 

“Absolutely, mama.” There was also that. You assumed he had picked it up from Elvis or The Black Crowes or some other musical inspiration. He used it and your nickname interchangeably, at whim. His language, his looks, even his desires had changed. He was still your Josh though. 

Your reading of Hamlet, or maybe Macbeth, was interrupted by screaming in the lower level of the Kiszka house. You and Ronnie gave confused looks to each other before dashing downstairs. 

As soon as you were off the bottom step, Josh’s arms were around you and his face was buried in your neck as he spun you around. When he set you down, his eyes bore into yours. They were deep mahogany, and they reminded you of smooth satin with the golden flecks as ornate detailing. 

“We have a record deal!” It felt like time stopped. You had hoped for this moment, but you also knew what it meant. 

“That’s incredible, I’m so proud of you - all of you.” Nice save, by the way. You hugged him again, and you savored the smell of his cologne mixed with the faintest smell of the weed he’d smoked the night before. You could feel the tears, and Josh could too as they hit his shirt. 

He grabbed your hand and walked you to the back porch. Everyone still celebrating in the living room barely noticed. 

“What’s wrong, Little Red? Aren’t you happy?” He could read you like a book. His frown broke you a bit

“Yeah, I’m so happy for you.” You hated that you had made him feel like his accomplishment was a negative thing. 

“But?” He pressed. 

“You won’t forget me, right? Promise me you won’t forget me, Joshy.” Tears fell freely now and his arms wrapped tightly around you again. 

“How could I ever forget you? I,” he hesitated, “I love you.” 

In the moment, it made sense. He was comforting his best friend. Josh had always been so open with his feelings and affection that you had never really questioned that night. Now, as you sat on the floor in your bedroom, reeling from the very idea that you might be in love with him, you wondered. Could he have always been in love with you, too? Was this a two way street or were you about to crash and burn? 

You felt dizzy, but you got up and walked to the living room where Josh sat on the couch, his hands clasped together and an uncharacteristically serious look on his face. 

“Josh, I-”

“I have a girlfriend.”

〚taglist〛

gvf: @doodle417 @brokenbellz @gretavanfleas @pyrojoshy @greta-van-chaos @xserenax-13 @hayley1623 @kdarling1 @autumns30 @keighoe @chalametpwk @sammysvanfeet @shawnsthighs @gretavanbitches @sammiejane22 @gretavanbestie @jordierama @alexxavicry @spark-my-nature @rainy-darling @I-am-kaitlyn @musicspeaks

joshy: @prophetofthedune @loofypoofy @gretavangracee

this series: @arnoldperlsteinishot​, @maedesculpaeusoubi​

[jake-kiszkas-smirk]

Here Comes the Sun (part 16)

Danny Wagner X Fem OC X Josh Kiszka

18+ only, minors DNI

warnings: angst, alcohol consumption,

Danny's POV

"What fucking deal?" Rose asked harshly, her voice already taking a tone I'd never heard from her before. My heart was racing, I knew there was no way this conversation was going to go well. Fucking Josh, getting drunk and saying shit he shouldn't. I didn't even mean to kiss her in front of him, it just happened.

"Someone better say something now." She commanded, crossing her arms. Everyone in the cabin had stopped their movements and had their eyes on us. I took a deep breath before speaking,

"Before you agreed to date both of us, Josh and I both knew we wanted to...pursue you...so we decided to set some ground rules." I said in the most calming voice I could, it already sounded bad. Josh was just looking between the two of us with bloodshot eyes.

"So you both just decided to keep throwing yourselves at me after I specifically told you I didn't want that?" she asked incredulously

"Well it worked didn't it," Josh slurred,

"Shut up Josh!" She yelled at him, causing me and him to get wide eyes. Our shy, Rose had never once raised her voice. I looked over at Sam and motioned for him to shoo everyone else outside, he obliged. "Ok, so tell me then, What were these rules?" At this point she was only looking to me. Her face was red and she was already glaring at me, with her arms crossed,

I knew I needed to choose my words carefully,

"No showing you affection around the other, and no sabotaging dates." I said looking at the ground, feeling embarrassed I had even taken a part in these stupid rules. Mortified that she was finding out about them and that we had basically lied.

"And, no telling you that we both were going to pursue you or about the rules," Josh said as he fell back on the couch, totally unaware of how shitty this whole situation was because he was drunk.

"Josh, please just shut up" I said glaring over at him, I wasn't sure what had possessed him to spill the deal.

"Was this all some sort of game to the two of you? As if I'm some prize..object..to be won?!"

"Rose..this isn't how-" I started

"No! You've both been lying to me!" She paused, tears welling in her eyes, and I felt my heart break, I had told her I'd never hurt her, and here she was...hurting because of me. "And now I feel guilty even being mad because I love both of you, despite how you basically manipulated me this whole time."

"Angel-" I reached for her hand again, my voice almost a whisper

"No," She jerked her hand away, "I-I need some space." She said before taking off down the hall to her room. I ran my hand down the front of my face in frustration, turning to Josh.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I hissed at Josh, "And don't say it's because you're drunk, because I know even then you know how to keep your mouth shut."

"It doesn't matter if shes mad at me, She's going to choose you anyways." he said plainly,

"What are you talking about?" I asked, trying to figure out what he was going on about,

"I heard her say she loves you today," He said in a harsh tone, but his eyes were sad.

"You absolute idiot." I said as I got closer to him, "She just told me today she loves you too. If you were paying any attention at all, she literally just said it again 5 seconds ago." I said angrily motioning to where she had been standing,

"Wh-what?" He asked, like he genuinely had no idea. "But you know so much more, and Thorne likes you more and-"

"It doesn't matter," I interrupted him, so annoyed at his ignorance, "I don't know why it's my place to reassure you when you're competing for the girl I love, but you still have just as much of a chance as me, well until tonight. Now you've just fucked things up for both of us."

"Don't patronize me Danny, if she loved me why would she tell you and not me." He asked as he stood up, storming off towards his room.

"Because I actually listen to her!" I yelled after him, "Whens the last time you tried to talk to her without fucking her!"

Josh didn’t answer before he slammed the door to his room shut. I looked around, grateful that everyone had remained outside. I walked over to the front door, "You can come in now, sorry" I apologized as everyone came in.

"You ok?" Jake, asked softly,

"Not really, your brother is a dick." I paused, placing my hands on the counter and leaning against it as I tried to calm down. "You've officially been promoted to my favorite twin"

"Hey!" He shoved me, "Have I not always been your favorite?"

"No comment" I said as I walked towards the desk next to the door. Jake just scoffed and laughed it off as he went back to the couch to restart the uno game as everyone settled down to eat. I walked over to the couch and tried to block out everyone's noise as I started to write,

Rose,

There's not anything I can say to deserve your forgiveness, but I'm honestly embarrassed by my participation in the deal and I should have told you sooner. There should never have been a 'deal' to begin with. I'm so sorry I kept it from you and it made you feel like we viewed you as an object. In all honesty, we both knew we really liked you, and we didn't want to step on each others toes when it came to you. I'm not trying to make excuses, what we did wasn't respectful of you at all. I sincerely apologize and I really, really am so sorry Angel. If you'll give me the chance, I'll do anything and everything I can to make it up to you.

Love, Danny

I folded it in half and walked over to the bowl of chili on the stove. I got a bowl and a spoon, walking back to the living area. I got Sam's attention and waved him over.

"Can you take this to Rose, she didn't get a chance to get dinner before she got upset," I handed him the bowl, "And can you make sure she gets this?" I added handing him the note as well.

"Sure," He said with a soft smile, I followed him down the hall but stopped before the doorway so Rose wouldn't be able to see me. Sam knocked once and then started to open the door,

"Hey Ro-"

"GET OUT" I heard her say and saw a pillow fly through the doorway, "Oh, Sorry Sam" She then said quietly,

"You are lucky I have quick reflexes!" Sam said back playfully, I heard her laugh for a split second and it made me smile. "Danny wanted me to bring you this, and this."

"Oh..Thanks." She said, and then Sam was back out of the door, closing it behind him.

"She's definitely been crying," He whispered as he walked back towards the living area. I started to follow behind him, but I heard the doorknob move quietly. I looked back to see the door barely cracked open, her arm sticking through it, blindly reaching for the pillow that was way out of her reach. I snuck over and used my foot to slide it closer, her hand finally grabbing it as she pulled it into the room and closed the door. I felt my lips curl into a small smile. I wanted nothing more than to burst through the door and hold her, apologizing over and over, but I knew she needed space. I walked back into the living room and sat next to Sam.

"Damn, I feel so bad. I really fucked up." I said as I sunk into the couch, putting my head in my hands,

"I've seen the way she looks at you, she'll forgive you." Sam said patting my back before turning his attention back to the game. I was irritated that I really didn't have anywhere to go besides outside because I had given up my room to Rose. It was late when everyone finally went to bed and I still hadn't heard from her. I changed into my cozy pajama pants and got a blanket from the closet and settled on the couch.

****

I woke up and it was still dark. I looked over at my phone and it was 5:30am, which meant I had hardly gotten any sleep. It wasn't because the couch was uncomfortable, it was because I couldn't stop thinking about Rose. I groaned as I got up off the couch and walked into the kitchen. I walked over to the counter and started to quietly make a pot of coffee. I knew it would probably be cold by the time everyone else got up, but I didn't care. I went to grab a mug from the cabinet. Once the coffee was done I poured it into my cup, all the way to the top. I turned to lean against the counter and jumped when i turned to see Rose standing there, the coffee spilling down my bare chest,

"Ow fuck!" I hissed as I quickly placed the cup down on the counter.

"Oh my gosh!" She said as she quickly ran over, wetting a dishcloth and holding it against my chest where the coffee had burned me, "I'm so sorry I was just coming to talk to you"

"It's ok, I just didn't hear you." I said, not able to take my eyes off her. She was in flannel pants, one of my shirts and had a messy bun on the top of her head. I put my hand gently under her chin, tilting it up to me, "Rose, I'm so sorry." She held the cool cloth against my chest still, her other hand going to my hip,

"I know, I got your note." She paused, "I just-you have no idea how much I hate being lied to, and how many times I felt like I had done something when you or Josh wouldn't touch me, like at the Halloween party or at shows."

"That was never my intention, I swear." I said, feeling like absolute shit for making her feel that way, "I'm so-" she cut me off, pulling me into a kiss.

"I forgive you." She said, "But please don't ever lie to me again, please." her bottom lip had started to quiver, telling me she was trying not to cry. "I just, lying is the one thing that really really hurts me."

"I won't, I promise I won't" I caressed her face, "I shouldn't have in the first place and I will regret it forever. I promise everything else has been honest, I love you so much I didn't mean to hurt you, I-"

"Danny, babe....it's okay" She stopped and took my hands, which were now lightly shaking, I didn't want to lose her. She gently ran her thumbs over the backs of my hands, "I already said I forgive you, and I believe that you didn't mean to hurt me, I just wanted to communicate to you what I expect from here on out"

"I promise I'll do better" I said leaning my forehead against hers, she nodded softly,

"I believe you." She said as she brushed her nose against mine, before softly kissing me again. I pulled her into a hug as she pulled away from the kiss.

"Can I show you something?" I smiled down at her, she nodded. I walked back to the living room, slipping on a sweater and tossing one of my other ones to her. "You should probably put that on," She gave me a curious look as I went to the closet, grabbing a comforter and another cozy blanket. "Follow me, beautiful" I said as I walked out onto the back deck of the cabin. I tossed the blankets onto the roof,

"Danny, what are we doing?" She asked and I saw a huge grin on her face,

"Here, come on" I said, and I pushed the picnic table closer to the cabin wall, stepping up onto it. She stepped up beside me, and I grabbed her hips, lifting her to help her get onto the roof. Luckily it hadn't snowed yet this year. After she was up I ran back into the cabin and got my cup of half empty coffee and poured her a cup. I hurried back outside and handed them to her before climbing up. This particular section of the roof was flat, so I spread out the comforter as she watched confused, "Hurry so we can get comfy before it starts!"

"Before what starts?" She giggled, sitting down beside me.

"You'll see." I said as I wrapped both of us in the blanket, pulling her close to me. After a few minutes of her looking around, it started. The sun slowly started peeking out over the lake in the distance, silhouetting the trees. Yellows, pinks and oranges filled the sky.

"Danny, this is so beautiful" She said with a mesmerized look. She leaned her head on my shoulder and placed her arm on my thigh, getting as close to me as possible. She had her eyes locked on the sunrise, but mine were only on her,

"It sure is"

[adamwatchesmovies]

Insidious: The Red Door (2023)

If you’ve lost count, Insidious: The Red Door is the fifth entry in the Insidious series. It's a direct sequel to Insidious: Chapter 2, with both Insidious: Chapter 3 and Insidious: The Last Key serving as prequels to 2010’s Insidious. Confused yet? I don’t blame you. The franchise’s tight continuity involves its own mythology on top of some head-warping time-travel elements. It’s been ten years since we last saw the Lamberts. Thankfully, writer Scott Teems reminds you of all the important details but nothing in this entry is groundbreaking, which can easily make it feel like “just another one”.

In 2010, Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) and his son Dalton’s memories of The Further are repressed via hypnosis after Josh becomes possessed (see the events of “Insidious: Chapter 2”). Nine years later, Josh is divorced from his wife Renai (Rose Byrne), his mother has passed away and his relationship with Dalton (Ty Simpkins) has become strained. When Dalton rediscovers his astral projection abilities, he risks unleashing a forgotten evil. Meanwhile, his father begins seeing a ghost as well.

I’ve seen all of the Insidious films but have to confess that I don’t remember them all very clearly. I remember some of the monsters we saw along the way, how The Further works and the characters but I get what happened in which film mixed up - probably a symptom of their criss-crossy stories. It’s a good thing the film finds ways to explain it all to you. As Dalton begins college, he makes friends with Chris (Sinclair Daniel, very charming). As his abilities re-emerge, both have to rediscover the rules associated with this series. This may be frustrating for superfans who just want to get right into the terror. They may also be find this new chapter’s lack of innovation disappointing. It’s nice that we find out what happened after the end credits of Chapter 2 but did we REALLY need to? Wasn’t it scarier not knowing? The two movies that followed were more interested in going back rather than going forward - probably because the series killed off Lin Shaye’s Elise Rainier - and with the previous movie being called “The Last Key”, you’d think that meant the whole thing was done, but it isn’t. We get another one and if the post-credit shot (I won’t even call it a stinger) means anything, we’ll probably get a sixth one. It sort of makes you wonder how long it will take before the franchise goes into space.

Those sentiments aside, this is an effective ghost story. The monsters we encounter in “The Further” are frightening and you care about the characters. You’ve known them for so long. You feel bad for Josh. It’s good that he overcame the demonic possession from 2010, but that’s not a happy ending. You want something more, something better. Similarly, you want Dalton to reforge the bond between him and his dad and you’re worried that this ability he’s rediscovered will land him in an even more dangerous situation than before. He’s grown up… but alone. Some great, effective scenes build up the tension as spooky figures slowly get closer and closer to our protagonists. Other threats approach in a less literal way, as Dalton keeps exploring The Further without knowing what that place is actually about. There’s a recurring motif of a painting he’s working on and of a sinister red door. His teacher pushes him to explore the recesses of his soul to create - not knowing this is exactly what the wraiths are hoping for. His memories are slowly returning and as they do, he’s putting the finishing touches on the painting. When you see the whole thing finished, it’s a great reveal and that idea of remembering important details through paint and a brush comes together splendidly at the end in a scene that I found unexpectedly emotional.

As a directorial debut, Patrick Wilson could've done much worse than Insidious: The Red Door, particularly considering his character plays a major role in the film. The movie has some good scares, creepy monsters and the characters - both new and recurring - are likable. I won't call this chapter essential, even for those who've followed this universe since the beginning but if you're interested, I'd say check it out. (September 22, 2023)

[hillbillyhippiemusicreview]

TAYLOR HUNNICUTT MAY BE ALL OR NOTHIN’ BUT LET ME TELL Y’ALL, SHE SURE IS SOMETHIN’

Reviewed by: Lyssa Culbertson

Taylor Hunnicutt Band at the Fennec in Birmingham, AL, Sept. 2022; photo by HHMR

The infallible southern wordsmith Brent Cobb once wrote a song he called “King of Alabama,” rightfully titled about the late, great Wayne Mills. Mills was undeniably the King of Honky Tonk, songwriting, and so much more in the Heart of Dixie in his heyday of playing his brand of country music, and his legacy lingers on still to this day. But if there is a king, there must be a queen, right?! Well, I would bet my bottom dollar that his protégé Taylor Hunnicutt will forever reign as the queen of Alabama, especially when it comes to honky tonkin’ and musically kickin’ a-double-s. She honed her talent on stages across the Southeast with the likes of Mills and other notable artists and in recent years has begun to break out into other markets where they just can’t get enough. Appalachia, Texas, and beyond—they’re all digging her vibe, and for good reason! I mean, how could they not with explosive vocals and a commanding stage presence like that?! I’ve often referred to her when trying to capture her essence in a few words to those unfamiliar as the musical spawn of Bonnie Raitt, Stevie Nicks, Janis Joplin, Alannah Myles, and Ronnie Van Zant but the honest to God truth is Taylor Hunnicutt is something magical all her own. A force to be reckoned with, no doubt. She can cook you up an exquisite Sunday dinner and fanagle home design better than Better Homes & Gardens, but she can also kick your tail and drink you under the table while crankin’ out a well-written song to boot as she brings a packed house down. With a smoky yet angelic vocal possessing a power summoned from the great beyond, she’s a multifaceted woman and artist who is everything you thought you’d get but nothing like you’d ever expect. Sweet like honey and full of grace with a healthy dose of sass, she is simply Taylor, a rare wildflower of a talent in a filed full of musical roses—and she and her band are about to take off like a bottle rocket that’s out of control…heck, they already are! Mark my words and either hop on and hold on for dear life or get out of the way, there’s no stopping the Taylor Train! Bottoms up!

Several years ago, Taylor released her debut EP, Flower in a Drought, and it was a solid peace of work that showed off her penchant for coy, tongue-in-cheek, yet deeply heartfelt songwriting alongside her impressive vocal range. It was a stellar introduction to the wholesome artist and musician she is, and undoubtedly one of our favorite pieces of work we’ve ever heard. Fast forward to present day, though, and it’s apparent over the past few years as they’ve traveled around, show after show, mile upon mile, that Taylor Hunnicutt and her band members (husband Josh McKenzie on lead guitar, Andrew Mohney on drums, Tyler Treadwell on rhythm guitar, and Young Ethan Perkins holding it down on bass) have undergone a musical renaissance of sorts—the music they’re putting out these days feels like, at least to the devoted listener (aka me), HOME. A Taylor Hunnicutt Band nirvana, so to speak. Purebred, authentic, genre-bending tunes that truly display who they are and where they’ve come from are what they’re all about! Two such offerings as of late are “All Or Nothin’” and “Trail of a Broken Heart,” which were released in August 2022 and March 2023, respectively. “All Or Nothin’” is a swampy, twangy, honky-tonkin’, rockin’ boot stompin’ barn burner that will be a permanent earworm inside your ear holes once you listen to it. “Trail of a Broken Heart” displays a bit of Taylor’s softer side well, as it bridges the gap between barroom ballad and a honky-tonk fueled soulful rocker quite well. Featuring her signature growl and impressive guitar riffs, it’s definitely one that will grip your heart and soul. Typically, I would go into more detail with vivid descriptions of the lyrical content of these songs; however, I believe their musicality and lyrical goodness are something you’ve just got to experience and feel for yourself. One listen and you’re hooked—proceed with caution, I tell ya! Not to mention, live shows are positively electric: Taylor uses her rowdy stage presence and undeniably emotive songs backed by the punches of her impressive vocal range and the sizzling talent of her backing band to get the crowd boot scooting till they’ve forgotten what ails ‘em. She’ll eat ya alive! Just joshin’ my friends—but seriously, run, don’t walk, to the nearest Taylor Hunnicutt show you can find because she won’t be mainly playing small, intimate stages for much longer. Case in point: she and the band are fixin’ to take the West Coast like a crimson tidal wave on their first major tour supporting Mike and the Moonpies this fall and Hillbilly Hippie Music Review is plum stoked for them—it couldn’t happen to a more deserving group of folks. Don’t say I didn’t warn ya….get out there and fall in love with their quirky personalities and eclectic sound like the rest of the country is more and more by the minute. I’m telling y’all—you won’t have a chance to get up close and personal and share a shot or ten and swap stories with her before too long! It’s well worth the experience from beginning to end, Hippie’s Honor ✌🏻😎🤞🏻.

(Tour poster from Taylor Hunnicutt Facebook)

Watch the music video for “All or Nothin’” below:

Here’s an acoustic take of “Trail of a Broken Heart”

[simplylove101]

2023 Horror Challenge: [39/?]

↳“I know what happened. I went in that place to get our son back and something evil followed me, who killed Elise.“ Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013) dir. James Wan

Plot: The Lamberts believe that they have defeated the spirits that have haunted their family, but they soon discover that evil is not beaten so easily.

Starring: Patrick Wilson, Rose Byrne, Lin Shaye, Ty Simpkins & Barbara Hershey

After all these years I finally watched this. lol The fact that I had to rewatch the original recently to remember it had ended on a cliffhanger is amusing to me. To be fair, that was over a decade ago and my appreciation for horror movies has grown way stronger since then so that helps. Anyway, I know the most recent sequel brings the Lamberts back into the fold so I knew whatever conclusion we got in this one doesn't hold in canon but I wanted to see how Josh's possession was solved within this one. And do I think this sequel was needed? Ultimately, probably not. Beyond resolving the cliffhanger, some of it does feel like we were going through the motions again but then we do get an explanation for that later so that's fine. I think it was still quite good considering as I do agree there's some improvements from the first one in certain areas but imo it didn't have quite the same punch as the first one in others. There weren't as many memorable moments for me personally but it was nice seeing everyone back. And ofc the biggest highlight is seeing Patrick Wilson going full-on Jack Torrance because he truly delivered the terror like I hoped he would. Such a good job. If nothing else, I was expecting that. Overall, it was a decent sequel I think. I'm curious how I'll feel about The Last Key and The Red Door since I've decided I'm gonna finish the series before the challenge is over. We'll see I guess.

(Also, for any Jenna Ortega fans, there's a scene of her at the end of the movie. Too bad they didn't explore that storyline cuz that would have been cool)

[ghostcultmagazine]

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[doctorstethoscope]

The Right Chapter 22 || Aaron Hotchner x Fem Reader

helloooooo besties and happy Saturday! 

Read previous chapters of this fic here! 

contains: canon-typical descriptions of violence and death

wordcount: 1.9k 

You're passing the diamond on your chain between your fingers anxiously a few days later as you and Spencer pour over a map on the jet. You’re headed to Colorado after a family annihilator had struck twice in the same small Denver suburb. The whole town was on alert, and you needed to solve this one fast before the whole state devolved into hysteria. Hotch decided on the jet to send you, Reid and JJ to the precinct-- you and Reid will keep working on the geographic profile, and JJ will coordinate local law enforcement. He, Morgan and Emily are headed to the neighborhood to see if any of the locals had noticed anything off. 

“There has to be a connection to this specific suburb. Why come ten miles outside of Denver when the city, or even a closer suburb, would be a more target-rich environment?” You floated an idea past Spencer, who nodded in agreement. 

“You think he sought out these families in particular?” He asked, turning his attention to the pictures on the whiteboard. 

“Not necessarily. Garcia’s still looking for a connection between the families, but so far she hasn’t found one. I think these two families were practice for something worse, or for a family that matters more to him.” You conclude, hoping more than ever that you had profiled wrong. 

“If that’s the case, our presence here might trigger the unsub to escalate,” he points out with a grimace. 

“Or, hopefully, it will send him into hiding.” 

“We’ll never find him if he does that.” 

“We’re gonna have to.” You sigh, pulling your attention back towards the map. You pour over it, certain that if you look just a little closer, the answer will jump out at you, but it doesn’t. 

Geographic profiles are always helpful, and you and Spencer were great at them, but they rarely solved cases on their own. The reality of the situation is that without any info on the unsub or the connection between the victims, you were essentially trying to create something out of nothing. You push your chair out from the table, deciding to give your mind and your eyes a break, when your phone starts to ring. It’s Garcia.

“Oh, you’re just my favorite person.” You said into the phone by way of greeting, hoping that she’s going to present you with the missing piece that will make all of these seemingly unrelated pieces of information make sense together.

“Careful, peach! There’s someone else on the line who might object to that,” Garcia warns you. 

“What do you have for us, Penelope?” Aaron asks.

“So, the Sutton and Mack families have more in common than we thought-- not so much socioeconomically, but their kids were both enrolled at the local high school, although different ages, and the moms were on the PTA together.” 

“Were they friends? The kids, or the moms for that matter?” You ask immediately. 

“It doesn’t really look like it, but I’m going to keep digging,” she tells you. 

“And no connection between the fathers?” Hotch asks.

“Nope, Mr. Sutton was an attorney and Mr. Mack was a cab driver. Doesn’t seem like they ever would have met.” She tells you both. 

“Garcia, do me a favor and make sure Mr. Sutton wasn’t in Mr. Mack’s cab within the last month or so. Let us know when you have more.”

“Oh, sir, before you both go, there’s one more thing.” She blurts out before Aaron can hang up the phone.  “It’s about Josh.” 

You take a sharp breath in, and Spencer’s in tune to you immediately, his head jerking up from the maps, looking you over to make sure you’re okay. 

“What is it?” Hotch asks, sounding every bit as tense as you feel. 

“Josh was arrested this morning. Busted for possession during a traffic stop,” She tells you and you let out a sigh of relief. 

“That’s… that’s great news.” You say.

“I thought you’d both like to know.” Garcia tells you.

“Anything else?” Hotch asks, and you're perplexed by his lack of response to such a good update. 

“No, that’s all for now. I’ll call you back as soon as I have more on the case.” She says, and the line clicks.

“What was that about?” Spencer asks, bringing you back to reality, and you share the info from Garcia about the victims. You can tell that he knows that there’s more, but he doesn’t press and you don’t offer. 

“If both the kids and the moms knew each other, we could be looking at a bullied kid or a woman scorned.” You theorize. 

“A woman wouldn’t kill the kids, at least not a mother. And if the woman wasn’t from the PTA, why target these moms in particular?” Spencer argues, and you agree. 

“Could be a man, too. Maybe he’s jealous that he doesn’t have the picture-perfect family he’s destroying.”

‘That’s more likely. Although with nothing connecting two husbands, we’ll have a hard time profiling a man if that’s the case.”

“Okay, so for now we focus on the kids until we find something that pulls us another way. You want to take the Macks and I’ll work on the Suttons?” 

“Will do.”    

You work in silence for a couple more hours until Hotch, Morgan and Emily return. 

“Anything helpful?” JJ asks, coming into the room behind them. 

“The moms were friendly, but not necessarily friends. The kids mostly hung out in separate social circles, it seems.” Morgan informs you all. 

“Any obvious power imbalances between the kids groups, or bullying?” You asked. 

“None that any of the kids we interviewed brought up.” Emily tells you. 

“None of the moms mentioned it either-- and they’d be more likely to bring it up than the kids would.” Aaron tells you. 

“So we’ve got a whole lot of nothing.” JJ concludes, and you sigh. 

You all continue to work for a few more hours-- putting together profiles of each of the members of the families that ultimately bring you no closer to finding the unsub. 

“We’ll be back here first thing tomorrow morning-- there’s nothing else we can do tonight.” Hotch concludes as he pins the last index card to the cork board. “Let’s head to the hotel and get some rest.” 

Despite the exhaustion that has soaked its way deep into your bones, you and the rest of the team pull yourselves out of your chairs and towards the SUVs. You nearly sink into the leather, and if he wasn’t such a stark professional, you might have asked him to carry you up to your hotel room.  He did, however, offer you a very gentlemanly hand to help you out of the car, and wrap his arm around your waist as the two of you trudged your way into the elevator and down the hall towards your room. You collapse onto the mattress as soon as you make it through the door, and Aaron chuckles at you, taking a moment to brush his teeth and change. When he settles on top of the covers next to you, you speak up, although hadn’t really intended to do so.

“Aaron, can I ask you something?” 

“You can ask me anything, my love,” Aaron mumbles like it’s the easiest thing in the world as he leans over to set the hotel alarm clock that sits on the bedside table. 

“When Garcia told us that Josh was arrested… you didn’t seem happy.” You said, decidedly not a question. He answers you anyway, shifting towards you to look you in the eye before he speaks up. 

“I’m sorry honey. I’m relieved, of course I am. I was just focused on the case this morning. Maybe I haven’t fully processed it yet,” he confesses. “But of course I’m happy for you. I would have been happier to arrest him myself, but this is just as well.” He tells you with a rueful smirk. 

He’s lying, and you can see it in his face. Maybe lying is a strong word, but there is definitely more to it than he’s telling you. “You’re sure? There’s nothing else that’s bothering you?” You pushed, but he shook his head, looking down at his lap.

“I’m sure, doll. I really am happy. We’ll take Jack out when we get home to celebrate.” He tells you, leaning over to kiss your temple. 

“Maybe a bike ride and some ice cream? I haven’t been out on the bike with him since he got his training wheels off.” You suggested. 

“Sounds perfect,” he tells you, reaching to kiss you again and moving to wrap his arms around you, which you dodged. 

“Get the bed nice and toasty for me while I change,” you smirked, rolling off the mattress and heading towards your suitcase for some pajamas.

You were back at the police station before the sun rose the next morning, pouring over the transcripts of what had come in from the tip line the night before in the hopes that you might find something useful. Your desk looked the same way it used to when you were studying for exams in the academy-- papers and highlighters scattered everywhere, color coordinated page flags littering all of your documents. 

“Cupcake, if I didn’t know any better, I might think you were the serial killer,” Morgan comments with a smirk, setting a hot cup of coffee in a relatively-unoccupied patch of desk. 

“Very funny, Derek.” you rolled your eyes. “I’m only letting you live because you brought me coffee. And because I’m too tired to kick you,” you told him.

“Do you want any help?” He offers, and you smile, but shake your head at him. 

“No, thanks. I’ve got a pretty strict organizational system going on over here, if you hadn’t noticed,” you chuckle. “But you can come to the medical examiner’s office with me in an hour or so?” 

“It’s a date, mama.” He confirms, rapping his knuckles against your desk before going back to his own workspace. You flip through a few more pages, leaving scribbled notes and wayward highlighter in the margins, before you notice something and call Garcia. 

“Good morning, peach! What can I do you for?” Garcia asks in her usual cheery tone, clearly far ahead of you in terms of cups of coffee consumed. 

“Morning,” you say to her. “Listen, something came in through the tip line last night, and it’s probably nothing, but I just have this feeling…” 

“Lay it on me,” she tells you encouragingly. 

“So, Mark Vexper is a long-term sub at the high school where all of the kids went. He didn’t go to work the day after both of the murders. He had a scheduled personal day the first day, and he called in sick the second. Like I said, probably just a coincidence--” 

“No stone left unturned, kitten! I’m on it. Buzz you when I have more.” She says, hanging up unceremoniously.

“Good catch,” Hotch says from behind you, and you startle. 

“It’s probably just a coincidence,” you brush the compliment off. 

“Maybe, but we won’t know until we look into it,” he tells you. “You feeling okay?” He asks. 

“I just really want to catch this guy and get home to our boy.” You tell him, and his heart warms. Looking around surreptitiously, he drops a quick kiss to the crown of your head. 

“Me, too, angel. We’ll get him.” He tells you. 

An unexplainable chill runs up your spine, and you have a strange feeling that Aaron’s not talking about this unsub.

tagging:  @romanogersendgame @wanniiieeee      @zheezs14      @greeneyedblondie44 @angelic-kisses13  @baumarvel @ssamorganhotchner  @ijustwannaread2k19    @rexit-mo @shmaptainhotchnersmain @qtip-blog @averyhotchner  @the-modernmary @itsmytimetoodream @choppa-style @hotforhotchner11 @infinite-tides @isthatme-thatsme @g-l-pierce @bakugouswh0r3 @ssahotchie @sleepyreaderreads

[pwilzfan73]

In Praise of Patrick Wilson, Scream King

The classically trained actor has been acclaimed for his work onstage. But in ghost stories like “Insidious” and “The Conjuring,” he’s proven to be a master of horror.

Patrick Wilson in “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It.” The actor brings both an intensity and a reassurance to the franchise. Credit...Warner Bros.

By Calum Marsh, The New York Times.

June 6, 2021

Ed Warren is sitting in a musty living room in North London, trying to establish contact with a demon. Behind him sits a little girl, said to be possessed. The demon won’t talk, she insists, unless he faces away and gives him some privacy. With his back to the girl, Ed gets down to business. “Now come on out and talk to us,” he says brightly.

Out comes the demon, cackling and taunting in a fiendish, guttural voice, like a cockney Tom Waits. He wants to rattle Ed, but as played by Patrick Wilson, Ed’s not easily rattled. Alongside his wife, Lorraine, he works as a paranormal investigator, and this is hardly his first tête-à-tête with a malignant spirit. “Your father called you Edward,” the demon snarls, trying to get under his skin. But Ed just rolls his eyes and shakes his head impatiently. “You’re not a psychiatrist, and I’m not here to talk about my father,” he says. “Let’s get down to business. What do you say?”

This scene in “The Conjuring 2” (2016), the sequel to the sumptuous, vigorously terrifying “The Conjuring,” encapsulates what these hit movies do so well. The director James Wan shoots the entire conversation in one long, unbroken take, zooming in so slowly that the movement of the camera is virtually undetectable. The demon, in the background, is a sinister blur. Instead, our attention fixes on Ed, staring ahead.

In “The Conjuring 2,” a scene with a demon in the background depends entirely on the range of emotion in Wilson’s face.Credit...Warner Bros.

Wan is demanding a lot of his lead here — the effect of the scene hinges entirely on Wilson, and without a cut, in extreme close-up, he has nowhere to hide. But he proves more than capable. The five-minute scene is an acting tour de force, and one you might not expect in the middle of a haunted house picture.

The range of emotions in Ed’s face is mesmerizing. Wilson, a classically trained actor with a background in stage dramas and Broadway musicals, is able to do so much with subtle changes in the cast of his eyes and his manner that you can tell from moment to moment exactly how he is feeling — apprehensive, irritated, disturbed, chagrined. For a split second, his composure waivers. Then he steels himself, blinks and gains it back. This is a frightening confrontation, to be sure. But it’s compelling mainly for the intensity that Wilson exudes.

Of course, Wilson, who plays Ed again in the new sequel, “The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It,” has been a known talent for more than 20 years. In the early 2000s, he earned Tony Award nominations for his starring roles in the musicals “The Full Monty” and “Oklahoma!,” and in 2003 he was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for “Angels in America,” the television adaptation of Tony Kushner’s play in which he played a gay Mormon attorney struggling with his sexuality during the AIDS crisis.

“Angels in America” is a more straightforward acting showcase, and Wilson’s performance, full of stifled passion and moral compromise, is sensitive and powerful. He shares scenes with Al Pacino and Meryl Streep, but his is the most affecting turn.

Like many celebrated stage actors before him, Wilson soon tried to parlay his growing prestige into movie stardom. The results have been mixed. Over the next few years, he appeared in a number of high-profile Hollywood movies, but many of them were poorly received, like the limp remake “The Alamo,” the over-the-top domestic thriller “Lakeview Terrace” and the big-screen version of “The A-Team.” When he starred as the reluctant superhero Nite Owl II in Zack Snyder’s ambitious adaptation of the graphic novel “Watchmen,” critics complained that he was miscast.

It was in 2010 that Wilson found an unexpected niche: the horror movie. That year, he starred in “Insidious,” an early experiment in the producer Jason Blum’s low-budget horror revolution and a creepy, atmospheric ghost story with a playful touch of David Lynch.

Wilson played Josh Lambert, who, for the first two acts, seems like the typical horror movie patriarch: stalwart, steadying and, as the haunting begins to escalate, staunchly disbelieving. He spends a lot of time reassuring his wife that she must be imagining the scary things she’s been seeing around the house and that ghosts aren’t real. Until it turns out that ghosts are real, and that in fact Josh has a history with them.

Patrick Wilson opposite Rose Byrne in “Insidious.” He does so much with a stock character.  Credit...FilmDistrict

In “Insidious: Chapter 2,” he’s an evil spirit pretending to be human to his family, which includes Barbara Hershey, left, Ty Simpkins and Byrne.Credit...Matt Kennedy/FilmDistrict

At the end of the second act, it’s revealed that Josh had an encounter with a demon as a child, but that his memories had been repressed. And Wilson, as he accepts this information, manages to subtly disclose a lifetime of trauma. With a faint shifting of the eyes and delicate tensing of the muscles, he conveys flashes of bone-deep dread lingering at the back of his subconscious. Suddenly, a familiar and somewhat flat character gains a new dimension, as Wilson transforms a stock type into someone dynamic and real.

Wilson reprises the part in “Insidious: Chapter 2,” with Josh’s body inhabited by a malevolent demon and Josh’s soul trapped in the spirit world. As the demon-Josh, Wilson has the difficult task of playing an evil spirit pretending to be human, convincing his loved ones that he’s the same old Josh as he secretly conspires to kill them. Occasionally, the mask of the happy husband slips, and Wilson reveals a glimpse of frenzied menace. It’s a terrifying performance reminiscent of Jack Nicholson in “The Shining.”

Ed Warren is Josh Lambert’s opposite. Ed’s role in “The Conjuring” movies is a stabilizing presence.

He and Lorraine (played by the wonderful Vera Farmiga) are called on to investigate happenings that seem to defy scientific explanation, and their arrival on the scene, usually after ghosts and demons have done some preliminary haunting, is accompanied by a sense of reassurance that is rare in horror movies. Wilson gives the calming impression of unflappable expertise, an almost fatherly stolidity, not unlike what Tom Hanks brings to many roles. However frightened we may be, we’re heartened that Ed knows what he’s doing.

Patrick Wilson with Vera Farmiga in “The Conjuring.” Their chemistry helps ground the movie.Credit...Michael Tackett/Warner Bros.

Ed is a man of God, investigating the demonic possession on behalf of the church, and one of the most striking things about Wilson’s performance is the intensity of his religious conviction. When he thrusts a cross at a spirit to dispel its power or reads Scripture in Latin to save the day, he doesn’t seem to be simply holding props or quoting dialogue but to regard these objects and rituals with palpable awe. He makes you feel Ed’s faith, as well as his belief in evil and the supernatural. It makes the scary stuff scarier and feel more real.

Wilson and Farmiga’s screen chemistry has been widely praised, but it’s difficult to overstate just how potent they are together. Their warmth and tenderness are a crucial reprieve from the pulse-quickening horror around them, and the affection they show one another is appealing precisely because it contrasts so sharply with the rest of the action. They are so magnetic that their minor roles at the beginning of the “Conjuring” spinoff “Annabelle Comes Home” practically spoils the rest of the movie: Having had the pleasure of watching them at the start, you’re disappointed to see them leave.

Shortly after Ed’s confrontation with the demon in “The Conjuring 2,” he notices an acoustic guitar in the corner of the same room. The family of the possessed little girl hands it over to him, and he proceeds to imitate Elvis Presley and sing “Can’t Help Falling in Love” in its entirety. The scene does not advance the plot. It’s not a misdirect; it doesn’t culminate in some twist or revelation or jump scare. The openness and gentle humor Wilson embodies is worth a dozen heart-stopping scares: Indeed, that openness and humor are what makes the scares worth anything in the first place. “The Conjuring 2” is already 136 minutes — a more prudent editor might have advised cutting the extraneous scene. But this moment, so earnest in its sentiment, is the heart of the movie. Like Wilson’s performance, it’s perfect.

[blueboxesandtrafficcones]

The Christmas Tree Surprise

Day 12 of 2020′s 31 Days of Ficmas.  Thanks to @doctorroseprompts for the list!

Prompt: Tree

Rating: G

Pairing: 12xRose AU; part of the Queen of Hearts universe

Summary: Ian surprises Rose with a Christmas tree for them to decorate that’s just for their eyes - but it’s the decorations he has ready that makes her melt.

2020 31 Days of Ficmas masterlist  |  Queen of Hearts masterlist

AO3

---

“Goodbye!”  With a final wave to the schoolchildren gathered on the steps, Rose stepped into the town car, smiling and blowing kisses out the window as they pulled away from Arcadia Grammar School, waiting until they were out of sight to sink back into the leather.  “I loved that.”

“I’m glad, ma’am,” her private secretary, Jo, said warmly.  “And they loved you, of course.  I suspect I know what they’ll go home telling their parents about at supper tonight.”

Rose smiled at the idea.  “I hope so- that they enjoyed it, I mean.  I’m just glad I was able to read the book without any mistakes.  That’s my definition of a successful engagement, at least!”  It was only in the last few weeks she’d graduated to doing solo events, and though terribly stressful, she was proud of how they’d gone – no incidents yet, though a few near misses.  Most importantly to her, though, she hadn’t walked out of any yet, nor burst into tears. High standards you’ve got for yourself, Rose Tyler.  “So, what’s next?”

Jo consulted her iPad, scrolling for only a moment.  “The King has blocked off the next two hours of your schedule.  No description was given, only to go directly to your suite – he’ll meet you there.”

“That’s odd.”  Rose frowned, biting her lip as she thought.  “Gosh, I’m not in trouble for anything, am I?”

“I doubt it,” Jo dismissed out of hand.  “It’s the first of December – if I know him, you’ll be drowning in tinsel the moment you walk through the door.  Decorating the Palace may be your responsibility, but he’ll handle your suite.  Just you wait and see.  I’m sure it’s fine.”

Rose chewed on that the rest of the drive back, hoping the other woman was right – not that she really doubted her, as she hadn’t been steered wrong yet, but a not-so-small part of her heart was convinced any moment they’d decide she wasn’t learning quickly enough, or performing well enough as Queen, and send her home with only the things she’d arrived with.

The Palace was bustling as they pulled up, the grounds crew decorating for the holiday season and transforming the normally-magical (to Rose) Palace into a winter wonderland.  Fresh garland was being hung over every doorway and window frame on every level, complete with red, gold, and silver ornaments nestled amongst the sprigs.

“It’s beautiful,” Rose breathed as they entered, making Jo laugh. The page stationed just inside the door took her coat, and she headed up the stairs towards their suite of rooms making mental notes on the needed decorations; work hadn’t started indoors quite yet, as she was still pouring over pictures of previous years to get an idea of how it should look.

At the top of the stairs Jo peeled off towards her own office, and Rose traversed the last few meters to her door alone.  Smiling at the guard who let her through, she was nearly overpowered by the scent of fir.  Coughing slightly, she followed her nose to the end of the hall where their bedroom door was cracked open; pushing inside, she found her husband watching with his arms crossed as two teenaged pages wrapped lights around a tree.

Not just a tree- a gigantic tree.  A good three or four meters high it stretched towards the ceiling, so straight she was certain supports were in use.  It was terribly wide, though their bedroom was so large in and of itself that it felt perfectly at size.  Blimey.  Row after row of unlit lights wound from the top down, the sweaty pages finishing the last of it with relieved sighs.

“Right, let’s light her up, see how it looks,” Ian said.

One page went around the back towards the outlet while the other turned to face Ian; catching sight of Rose, his eyes widened, and he bowed to her. “Your Majesty.”

“Hi, Sam,” Rose said faintly, stepping up to Ian’s side. “Hey, you.  What on Earth is this?”

“It’s our Christmas tree,” her husband grinned, kissing her hello. “Don’t worry, we’ll be decorating it together, but I’ve learned that there can be certain perks to this job, and getting someone else to do the bits I can’t stand is part of that.  In this case, stringing lights on a tree.”

“Happy to do so, Sir,” Sam assured him as the lights flicked on, Josh stepping out from behind the tree and bowing to her as well.  “What do you think?”

Arm in arm Rose and Ian stared at the tree; knowing he was probably examining it from a practical viewpoint, she just took in the beauty and the wonder – she’d never had a Christmas tree in her bedroom before, and certainly not with half a dozen others expected to be sprinkled throughout the house.  Not that the 170-room palace she now called home counted as a house.  Is this really my life?

“Rose?  What do you think?”

“It’s perfect,” she said firmly.  “Just as it is.  Thank you, Sam, and Josh.  Lovely job.”

Recognizing the dismissal for what it was both young men bowed, murmured, “Your Majesty”, and backed out of the room, shutting the door behind them and leaving Rose and Ian alone.

“Hello again,” he greeted her, turning to face her and wrapping his arms around her waist, drawing her close.  “How’d it go at the school?”

She reached up to kiss him, just because she could, before leading him over to their sofa and curling up next to each other as she gushed. “Oh, it was wonderful!  They were all so bright, and kind.  I read the story, answered a few questions and asked some of my own, and they sang a Christmas carol – “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”, if you must know.  It couldn’t have gone better.”

“I’m so glad to hear that.”  His eyes crinkled, as he kissed her knuckles.  “I was hoping it would.  I know how important it is to you.”

Rose just smiled, glancing back over her shoulder towards the tree now dominating their living space.  “Thanks. What’s the plan here, then?”

“When you’re ready, I thought we’d decorate it together.  More of a homemade style, if you’re interested. Everything out there,” he gestured towards the doors, “will be prim and polished and befitting a royal Palace, but in here, I want it to be just a normal married couple celebrating their first Christmas together.”

“Normal, right,” she teased, elbowing him.  “In our one hundred-plus square meter bedroom, with five-meter high ceilings and an army of staff.  Not to mention real, actual, literal crown jewels.  Not just a euphemism!”

Ian rolled his eyes in a good-natured way.  “Decorations are over there, if you want to start.”

“Mhmm, not quite yet.  Tell me about the tree – where did you find it?”

“Find it?”  His tone was somewhat bewildered.  “Didn’t anyone tell you- clearly not.  No, I own some acreage in Germany, all of which is forest.  Clearly we’ve had it zoned for cutting down Christmas trees, and it supplies the Palace and Arcadia’s Town Square with trees every year – sustainably, of course.”

Jaw dropping slightly, Rose wondered if it would ever cease to amaze her at how casually he could mention property and possessions – the land in France, where the family vineyard and winery stood, financing some of their royal lifestyle; a ski chalet in the Swiss Alps just over the border from Gallifrey; a “cottage” on Lake Como; and now this.  “How international of you,” she managed, making him laugh.

“It’s a royalty thing,” Ian grinned.  “Pretty much everything’s been in the family for centuries, at this point – especially land.  Most of it’s dowries from various queens marrying in, back when Europe was littered with royal families.  I think the most recent addition was the purchase of a flat in Paris in the Twenties. My great-grandmother was from Lyon, and met my great-grandfather by happenstance at the vineyard.  As a wedding present he got her the flat, and they’d go up for weeks at a time.”  He coughed. “It wasn’t the best investment in hindsight, but it’s still there and ours, though I don’t think anyone’s been since my parents honeymooned there.  But we can visit at some point, if you like.”

“Not if it’s a problem, but yeah, I’d love that.”  A glance at the tree refocused her.  “Tell me more about the trees, though.”

“The parcel of land came into the family as part of a dowry, as I said, of a Württemberg princess, back when the area was a Duchy in the Holy Roman Empire.  Over time, parts were sold off until just a dozen or so acres remained.  The team that manages the site has been doing so for, oh, two hundred years, so they have it down to a science.  Any excess trees that would be too big after another year of growth are sold – mostly to local governments or other high-ceilinged buildings.  It’s not necessarily a moneymaker, but the sales bring in enough to keep everything operating, which is honestly all I care about.”

“It sounds wonderful,” Rose said truthfully.  “Have you ever been up to see it?”

His brows furrowed in thought.  “As a child, but not recently.  I think Donna took the twins up two years ago to pick one out for Lungbarrow House.  If you like, we can go up next year.”

“I’d like that.”

They fell silent then, admiring the lights strung on the tree. It was nearly hypnotizing, Ian’s steady heartbeat beneath her ear, his warm arms around her, the twinkling lights blinking in and out, all of it working together to lull her to sleep.

And when she slept, she dreamed of wandering through a forest, Ian’s hand in hers, a small child running ahead shrieking with joy.

-

It wasn’t until after dinner they had the opportunity to actually decorate.  While Ian started an instrumental Christmas playlist, Rose opened the first storage container full of decorations – and froze.

“Surprise.”  Her husband’s chuckle behind her made Rose spin, eyes wide.

“You- My- How?”  Speechless, she gestured to the tub, full of her childhood ornaments.

Looking inordinately pleased with himself, he reached in and pulled out the top ornament- clearly school-made, it featured a four-year-old Rose and a toothy grin.  “I called your mum a few weeks ago, and asked her if she had any ornaments you might want put on our tree.  She shipped them out, and they arrived yesterday.  Plus, we brought everything you had in your flat- it’s all combined in this container.”  His smile faltered.  “I hope that’s all right- that I didn’t overstep.  I was very clear I was only asking for things she didn’t mind parting with.”

Overwhelmed, Rose threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tight. “Thank you.”

“Of course.”  His arms went easily around her waist.  “This is your home now, and I want it to feel that way.  Over time we’ll build up our own supply of sentimental ornaments, but our individual childhood ones seemed a good start.”

“It is.  I also want to set our own traditions, though.  But you better have similar ones – I don’t want my baby pictures to be the only ones on there!”

Ian laughed.  “They won’t be,” he reassured her.  “I have plenty handmade, awkward picture ornaments as well, and they’re sitting in that box there,” he pointed to the one beneath her own.  “Now, shall we start?”  He handed over the one he’d originally picked up.  “I confess to having rifled through them somewhat, and this was one of my favorites.  I think it should be first on the tree- would you like the honors?”

“Together.”

Hand in hand they stepped up the tree, and by mutual, silent agreement, slid it onto a branch front and center.

“Perfect.”

And it was.

[aion-rsa]

Insidious: Is The Further Real?

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“The Further is a world far beyond our own, yet it’s all around us, a place without time as we know it,” Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) explains in the 2011 occult horror film Insidious. “It’s a dark realm filled with the tortured souls of the dead, a place not meant for the living.” Director James Wan saw the astral world through the eyes of fear. It was how he was able to evoke the most terror from the nether regions of soul and thought.

Horror films have made a spiritual ghetto out of the universe which lies between dream, sleep and death. They focus on the malevolent realm of incubi, succubae and the Red-Lipstick-Face Demon. The map to the Further is not limited to shadowy studies. Many mystical practices are divided into black and white magic out of fear and superstition, but there can be room for both.

Insidious starts off like a fairly typical haunted house movie. It opens shortly after Renai (Rose Byrne) and Josh Lambert (Patrick Wilson) move into a spooky new house with their three children. When the property progresses from ominous to hazardous, the family move into an even spookier house, fire their real estate broker, and contact an astral travel agent. The psychically gifted supernatural expert, Shaye’s Elise, explains the hauntings are not a feature of the multiple houses, but the results of a family member embarking on nocturnal astral projection missions which he believes are dreams.

The concept that the soul can leave the body during dream states is ancient. But for all the purported cosmic intelligence culled from out-of-body incidents, practitioners have found no way to scientifically measure if a spirit leaves or enters a body. It is a concept rejected by scientists but beloved by filmmakers and other artists.

In the film, the first person to put the notes together is Renai, the mother of young Dalton (Ty Simpkins), who falls into a mysterious coma early in the first act. Renai, who is a songwriter, experiences two initial contacts. The first comes in a box of missing sheet music. Musicians have always been pioneers when it comes to gray areas of society and spirituality, and rockers chose to embrace the Further. George Harrison melodically rhapsodizes about the extracorporeal aspects of certain Hindu practices in the Beatles’ song “The Inner Light.” The Moody Blues harmonize on the idea that “Thinking is the best way to travel” on their 1968 album In Search of the Lost Chord, itself a musical blueprint for transcendental journeying. Through sonics, these artists ventured happily into the transformative aspects of the Further. Among true believers, “the Further” is also called Liṅga Śarīra, Akasha, and prana. But it’s probably best known as the astral plane, a shallow tag in itself.

“The term ‘astral plane’ is a poetic description, at best, or more accurately a misnomer,” says Zeena, a Tibetan tantric Buddhist yogini, and iconic occult authority and artist. “When our consciousness pierces the veil of our ordinary, everyday scope of perception, there are infinite other realities one might experience, not just one ‘astral plane.’”

In Insidious, the paranormal hunting psychic Elise explains that Dalton is a “traveler,” who was born with the ability to pierce that veil.

“Everybody possesses the potential for astral projection,” Zeena says. “It’s a natural part of being human, just as many other metaphysical or paranormal experiences can naturally occur. But the ability to actualize it is relatively rare, and the effects from the occurrences vary greatly depending on many factors.”

Rebecca Halladay, an occult writer, scholar, and lifelong practitioner and witch, describes astral projection as “working on the Inner Planes of consciousness. In terms of ‘dimensions,’ this would be considered [fifth-dimensional] or above. Journeying is work within the physical, Earthly realm, which is [three-dimensional].”

Certain practices are believed to bridge these dimensions.

“Astral projection during deep states of unconsciousness like sleeping, fainting, or coma, could be achieved by a master of such techniques,” Zeena says. “For one who’s trained most of their life in the esoteric method of willed astral projection, and has become highly skilled in the ability to focus the mind under all circumstances, then deep states of unconsciousness wouldn’t impede their ability.”

The cinematic spiritualist doesn’t believe Dalton fell into a coma because he slipped off a ladder in a creepy attic. Elise believes the boy, being only a child, couldn’t tell the astral projection from a dream and had no fear about going too far.

“The Further looks like your surroundings, but a different lighting shade of it,” says Emi Rose, a psychotherapist and founder of Paragon Solstice. “You can see yourself.”

Rose finds that “Insidious depicts the astral plane in similar levels. It is similar in respect to the idea of a ‘physical’ mirror image of your waking life. Your surroundings around you as you sleep are remarkably similar. The difference is the state of consciousness you are now in can shape and change that experience that exists out of time and space.”

Because of the familiarity and relative comfort of these projected surroundings, Dalton gets lost in his adventures, leaving only a lifeless body behind. Elise, a veteran soul-traveler herself in the movie, is ever mindful of the dangers.

It all amounts to a very literal translation of eastern philosophical contemplations. The Buddhist meditation practice Maraṇasati is constant remembering that death can strike at any time. Thukdam is a Buddhist phenomenon in which a realized master’s consciousness remains in the body despite physical death. While this isn’t what is happening with the young Dalton, he is plugged into medical sensors which, during at least one frightening pop-up, flatline.

Practitioners and researchers are divided on whether it is possible to slip away and die during astral travel.

“There is a risk that could happen if done incorrectly,” Zeena tells us. Kristna Saikia, who is a metaphysics and meditation teacher and filmmaker, as well as a fellow astral travel facilitator, disagrees.

“No one dies in Astral travel,” Saikia says “There is a silver cord which is always connected with our etheric body. When you astral travel, you are always aware of what is happening in the earthly dimension with your body. It’s an intentional out-of-body experience. You can come back to your physical body whenever you decide.”

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In Wan’s film, tormented souls vie against demonic forces for the chance to possess Dalton. Possession is a horror film mainstay, and Insidious offers an interesting alternative arc to the usual spectral evictions enforced by Hollywood. But is it possible for an entity to take over a body during an astral trip?

“If done incorrectly, yes,” Zeena tells us. It is also something which can be done with intent. “In ceremonial magic, this is the entire purpose of entering the Inner Planes,” says Halladay. “During the Rite of Isis, the Priestess goes into the Inner Planes to invoke the Goddess Isis to bring her into the Earthly realm. Now can an entity ‘possess’ a physical being while on the planes? I would have to say it is absolutely possible.”

It turns out Dalton isn’t the only traveler in the Insidious family. He gets it from his father, who was terrorized by the spirit of an old woman during his childhood. Josh suppressed the memory, but Elise opens old wounds and new ones for the patriarch. She hypnotizes Josh, triggering his long-resting phantasmal dislocation, and sends him into the Further to find his son and bring him back.

Zeena confirms people can be guided through the experience, but insists “it’s a very delicate process requiring a qualified teacher from reputable metaphysical lineages that specialize in that. And even then, astral projection, or directing one’s consciousness, is not the main goal, but rather a way to gauge preparedness for more advanced training on the path toward spiritual enlightenment. When done improperly, the results of attempting astral projection simply for experimentation, entertainment, or curiosity can be disastrous.”

The film presents a cinematically dark alternative to the physical plane, a netherworld of unlocked doors and an overarching feeling of dread. Insidious doesn’t imply the Further is Hell, but it does look like one of the many highways AC/DC bypassed.

“They gave the darker energies too much power in the movie,” says Emi Rose. “In the astral plane, we always have a balanced choice to engage on a subconscious or conscious level. On a conscious level you can power your will, create scenarios.”

Josh’s first encounter in the Further is with the Crying Woman, not the most inviting of hosts. Citizens in Insidious’ cinematic spectral realm include the spirits of a family doomed to relive their violent deaths on a spectral loop; a long-haired, leather jacketed ghoul with a sex-fiend tongue; and a mischievous little boy. At its center is the Lipstick-Face Demon. It is tall with horns, pointed ears, snake-eyes, spidery fingers, and hooves for feet. Its skin is black as the night sky, its eyes are blacker holes.

“When one has a mind-expanding experience through any number of means, whether astral projection, meditation, or psychedelics, one encounters infinite types of beings,” Zeena says. “Recently deceased beings; beings we knew in a former incarnation but recognize in their new reincarnated state; celestial beings; demons and hell beings; mythological or magical beings; Buddhas and Bodhisattvas; Gods and demigods.” They’re all among the usual suspects.

But what you encounter is also contingent on who you call. “It all depends on the law of polarity,” Saikia says. “If you project fear, you will encounter energy vampires and evil entities.”

Halladay agrees that there are other entities in the astral planes, but says “I have never personally met other travelers, only those I have astralled with.”

The Red-Faced Demon never speaks in the film. It has, however, spoken with Josh’s mother, Lorraine (Barbara Hershey), in her dreams, which also appear to be of a special class: lucid dreaming.

“Astral traveling is a combination of Insidious and Inception,” quips Emi Rose. Inception is technically about lucid dreaming, Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Dom is technically-aided to enter dreams to steal information or implant ideas. It is often mistaken for astral travel, but not usually weaponized in the way that film presents it. Reddit’s rogue “Astral Army” community claims they combine astral travel and remote viewing to post out-of-body surveillance reports on popular conspiracy theory obsessions like Area 51.

The different practices are often mistakenly considered interchangeable, but are quite different. 

“With astral projection, one is sending one’s consciousness–either in part or fully–away from their body to a designated place or realm, in this world or others, for a particular purpose,” Zeena explains. “Remote viewing is when consciousness remains in the body but one can view anywhere else from afar. These two phenomena are also different from the involuntary experience colloquially known as OBE (out of body experiences), which usually spontaneously occurs in conjunction with trauma, near death experiences, or extreme stressors or ecstasy.”

In the overall arc of the Insidious franchise, the Further is much vaster than originally imagined, and the source and tool of mystical workings.

“There is a difference between Occultist practices and some, though not all, Esoteric Traditions,” says Halladay. “Occultists, past and present, generally accept astral projection as a regular part of their practice. Eurocentric pagan traditions do not make it a part of their regular practice.”

Though a fan of the film, Rose thought “Insidious focused too much on the shadow side of the astral plane. The movie portrayed the astral world as a scary dark place with only negative entities waiting to take over your body. So many more things occur in our dream world that we can conceive beyond bad scenarios. It is where we can conduct unfinished business, live out fantasies, replay or create scenarios, and travel to places we cannot do in our waking life.”

Late 18th century occult orders Golden Dawn and the Theosophists believed they could journey to other worlds, heavens and hells, and astrological spheres through etheric travel. In the 1999 book, Astral Dynamics, Robert Bruce calls it the “Real Time Zone,” and says it is the non-physical dimension-level closest to the physical. The New Age movement actively promotes the brighter, more enlightening aspects of the Further, to the point where the practice is on the precipice of mainstream thought.

Insidious isn’t the first film to venture beyond physical realms, but its ongoing franchise is proof the inner universe is expanding.

Insidious is streaming on Netflix now.

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[goliath-de-senfina-sango]

They say no plan survives contact with the enemy.  Danny wishes they were wrong.

Dash Baxter was a conflicted person right now. He’d been feeling off practically all school year, and Valerie, Star, and Paulina were about ready to tell him to fuck off while they went and did their own awesome friend stuff. If he was pressed to think about it hard, he would say that it started when Manson had gotten the school to change the menu for a whole ass week. Now, Dash typically cooked or baked his own food anyway, so it was hardly something that sucked for him but plenty of his teammates bought lunch at school and they weren’t weird vegans like Manson! He’d gone up to her to give her a piece of his mind about all of that shit since he couldn’t exactly go yell at a teacher, and maybe he shouldn’t have yelled but he was angry and his voice got louder when he was mad.

Then Fenton got between them like Dash was gonna throw hands with Manson or something. Don’t get him wrong, he knows how dangerous a girl can be – Valerie would never have been friends with him if he didn’t respect how dangerous a girl like her could be – but his father had raised him to never lay hands on a woman. And besides, Dash wasn’t feeling violent! Or, at least, he didn’t think he had been.

Except that when Fenton got between them, Dash had been pissed. He’d gone from mad to unseeing rage and stuffed one of the dumb mudpies in Fenton’s face, and then Fenton started throwin the garbage, and then a food fight happened. Now, some people might think that his year was off because of the fire that happened after this food fight, but it was actually the start of it. Dash Baxter only threw hands when someone was threatening his friends, not for getting between him and someone else. Not for nothing. It was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever done in his life and he felt horrible about it afterward but he couldn’t think of what had gotten into him.

Worse still was when it kept happening. Mikey and Lester were rambling kinda loudly about some stupid card game and Dash got annoyed, went over to ask them to quiet down. Then there was this weird this rush of some sorta warm slimy something down his spine that was there and gone in a flash, and he was barking at the two of them, “Shut the hell up or else I’ll make you.” He almost didn’t realize he’d said that but then Kwan elbowed him hard in the ribs and Dash winced, running a hand through his hair. “God, did I say that? Shit, sorry dudes I didn’t mean that!”

Except… he did. Dash was the one who said it, right? And he said it practically automatically, without even thinking it. Was that who he was becoming? Was he turning into his grandfather? Kwan promised him he wasn’t, Vincent said he wouldn’t let Dash turn into his gramps, but then Dash was shoving scrawnier kids into the lockers out of his way, and he’d been about to mouth off to Fenton for no freakin reason other than he was there and his freaky mad scientist parents had to be the ones to put that green fire and stuff. Then a god damn monster popped out of Fenton’s locker, attacked Foley, and Dash was out of there.

Right after the fire the school had everyone set up meetings with the counselor, Dr. Spectra, and Dash went too, just like everyone. She even gave him a journal to write his feelings down in so he could work out what he was feeling and put it in words at his own pace. He didn’t like how she was implying that he couldn’t put his feelings into words at the same speed as everyone else, but if she was then hey, she wasn’t… she wasn’t wrong . And after writing it all down in that black journal, Dash came to a bit of a conclusion: Fenton was at the center of all of this.

Danny Fenton was a bit of a freak already, his eyes glowed when he was pissy even back in 6th grade and Dash knew it had to be because his parents were mad fucking scientists and either they experimented on their kids or the radiation in their house had gotten to em. And now that freakiness was popping up and destroying the whole damn school! Hell, Dash was pretty sure one of the Fentons’ damn ghosts had stuffed a buncha frogs down his pants the other day, cause he heard laughter when he ran away. But that had nothing on how furious Dash had been when Fenton called him stupid .

Dash wasn’t fucking dumb he was a little slow but so were plenty kids! Nerds and geeks like Fenton and Mikey and Josh all thought they were so fucking smart that they could get away with calling anyone else stupid ? Dash had been planning on educating Fenton on just how smart an idea that was. Then Falluka yelled at him and Kwan… God, Kwan looked so fucking disappointed in him.

So Dash was feeling a little conflicted and a lot shitty when Danny Motherfucking Fenton walked up to him in his star trek hoodie and said, “Dash I need your help.”

“Oh yeah?” Dash snorted and sneered at the smaller boy. “Why should I help?”

“You remember the monster thing that nearly tore off Tucker’s leg?” Dash paled a bit and nodded. “Something worse is lurking in the school. Something smart. We need your help to expose it before we can get rid of it.”

“So you want me to put my ass on the line and risk getting mauled because your freaky monster is out here lookin to eat someone?” Dash scoffed and turned away. “I ain’t stupid, Fentina, no matter what you think.”

There was a growl behind him and the hairs on Dash’s neck rose up. He tensed and damn near sprinted when he remembered that Fenton was packing heat. Maybe he was stupid. But then Fenton sighed and the lights flickered. “Dash, did you notice that you’ve become more and more of a jerk lately? You used to be the awesome jock who could run faster than everyone but Valerie and you made cookies for the whole class.

“Now you insult everyone at every turn and you tried to beat me up for telling you off. Doesn’t that feel wrong to you? I know nobody wants to believe my parents about the ghosts but you saw the monster, you saw Tucker bleeding and this is real Dash. And what do ghosts do in movies?”

“You sayin I’m possessed, Fenton?” His voice was shakier than he wanted it but it made… well sense was the wrong word but it lined up. “Wouldn’t I blackout or somethin?”

“Not necessarily. Some ghosts are smart n subtle and they can make you do things, feel things enough times while you’re awake that it’s habit-forming. My friend Sydney Poindexter can show you.”

Dread hit Dash like a tidal wave and he turned to bolt. Then he was cold and he relaxed all over, went deathly calm. He was submerged in the utmost chill vibes. Then he was utterly terrified, so much so he almost needed a change of pants. But then he was over the moon happy, frothing at the mouth pissed and then calm again.

The heat slowly returned to Dash’s bones as the back of something- someone filled his vision. Then he was looking at the bucktoothed, weak chinned weird movie hologram ghost of - if Fenton was to be believed - Sydney fucking Poindexter . “You see, Dash,” Fenton said while Dash stared at Poindexter with a very real sense of dread and awareness that someone who could fly could catch him faster than he could run, “if Sydney here were to possess you from time to time and adjust your mood and behavior just a little bit each time, especially over the few months we’ve been in school, you’d start doing everything he made you do on your own. You wouldn’t notice it either, it’d feel like your own feelings.” Dash finally looked at Fenton. “Got the picture, Dash?”

“... I thought your family hunted ghosts down?” Dash’s voice was as small as he felt. Because of that, he nodded quickly when he realized he’d been asked a question. “Y-yeah, I get the picture. I’ve been. I’ve been fucking possessed. ” Icy hot fury and horror filled him up to the brim and Dash shook, fists clenching and unclenching. “I’m being haunted by someone and they’re fuckin with what kinda person I am. But who the hell would do that?”

“Dash, Sydney is going to hide so that Ishiyama doesn’t turn on the security system and shoot holes through him - and he’s a good person, Dash, trust me.” Yeah, sure he is. “And we’re gonna go to the principal and have her call a very specific person to the front office. I need you and I to be hiding right next to the door to the hall, because when he sees you, he’ll know what’s happening.” Fenton reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out- ok, he really did have bottomless pockets because no way he kept a gun and a belt in there. He handed it to Dash who held it in his hands, feeling a bit numb. “Put that on. It’ll give a nasty shock to any hostile ghost that touches you.”

“So that he can’t possess me again, right?” Fenton nodded and Dash was putting the belt on before he even knew it. It clicked into place and he felt a warm buzz rush through him. “Fuck, thanks Fenton. Danny. Do we uh. Do we go now?”

“Dash you’re heading to practice,” Fe-Danny said, and Dash sighed and slumped against a locker. “Don’t worry though, we have a plan.”

“Right. A plan.” Dash took a deep breath and nodded. He wanted to get whatever ghost asshole had been messing him up, making him into a total asshole, right the fuck then. But Fenton was the nerd with the sci-fi gun and a ghost friend here, not Dash. And he wasn’t all that keen on being near Poindexter of all dead people, so he nodded again and half turned. “...This… after this ghost dude is dealt with, I’ll… I’ll go back to normal, right?”

“That’ll take some effort on your part, Dash. Do you want to go back to normal?” Dash whirled around to tell Fenton of course he did but he was just gone.

Dash scoffed and shook his head, walking to practice. “Got his boyfriend’s dramatics.”

It was legitimately the simplest of plans. Danny had come up with it so it was very simple and easy to understand. Danny and Dash headed into Ishiyama’s office at lunch, Sydney waited just outside of Danny’s own sensing range for him - which had gotten alarmingly smaller since his resurrection - and when Dash identified Bertrand as his late grandfather, Danny, Sam and Tucker would turn him into a pile of green sludge, then go after Spectra after making the case that she was also something inhuman disguising herself to feed off of the students. Simple.

Easy to understand didn’t mean easy to execute. When Danny Fenton of all people approached Ishiyama and said something was up, with Dash Baxter backing him up, she called up Bertrand Baxter to her office. Dash looked absolutely floored by that revelation though and turned on Danny immediately. “Are you saying my fucking grandpa is the one who’s been haunting me?”

“I really hope you’re not like, attached to him or anything.”

“Oh no, he was awful but dude, you knew? ” Danny sighed and nodded. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“He could’ve possessed you in the shower when you took off the belt and figured out how much we know.” Danny looked to Ishiyama, who had gone pale and was typing furiously at her laptop. Danny, however, headed to the door to the hallway and crouched down, reaching into his jacket. Dash was still standing in the doorway to the principal’s office, however, and so when Bertrand came in and Danny got to see his disguise for the first time - short, grey slacks with dress shoes and a red dress shirt with a suit jacket and bowtie. His hair was grey and his eyes were green and he looked like a stereotypical rich white guy, reminding Danny how wealthy Dash actually was - Bertrand stopped and stared at Dash for three seconds.

“Oh. you. Wonderful to see you again you sissy ass brute, have you been sewing anymore wittle teddybears for yourself or are your sausage fingers too big for that?” Oh, Danny hated that tone. So, he pulled out his rifle, aimed it at Bertrand’s face, and smirked.

“Wow, you looked slimy in life too, huh?” Danny got to see wide green eyes filled with shock and terror before he squeezed the trigger on his gun and Bertrand became a green splat on the wall that Danny would have to clean up later.

“You didn’t even leave a little bit of ass for me to kick?” Sam groaned as she stood up from behind the wait desk, patting the shaking attendant’s back while she got closer. In her hands was a thin metal tube with the Fenton Logo on it and a button, looking to any trained eye like a typical collapsible bo staff. “I got this whole new weapon from your mom and everything.”

“Please don’t say that in front of the principal - and hey, we’ve got more ass to kick.” Danny grinned, maybe a bit wider than humanly reasonable, and turned to Ishiyama. “I’d like to make a complaint about Bertrand’s boss.”

“You can make that complaint to her right here in person, darling. ” Danny spun to look at the source of the predatory purr that was damn near right in his ear. Red suit, red hair done up in ridiculous horns, and eyes that were slowly shifting from green to yellow to orange. “I don’t believe we’ve met yet, Mr. Fenton, but it’ll be my pleasure to give yourself and your friends a session. Free of charge.”

“Hm, I hear you, Penny, I do. Counterpoint.” Danny grinned as Sam hit the button and swung her now humming staff - the Fenton Anti Creep Stick™ - at Spectra’s face and watched as it sailed through the air where Spectra had been. The creature named Penelope had twisted back and around fluid as water to avoid the strike and spun around, kicking Sam in the gut and knocking her into the reception desk. Danny snarled and raised his rifle, managing to shoot Spectra in the shoulder.

Spectra flicked the ashes from her shoulder where her suit and ‘skin’ had been burned - though her skin looked more like it’d suffered a fading sunburn than it did a glob of ionized ectoplasmic plasma - and backhanded a shocked Danny. He raised his arms in time to block the nails that were now claws with his jacket, but these sleeves were cotton and simply tore open while he was flung back as well. “Oh Danny, honey, you should really do your research more. I’m not a ghost .” Darkness flooded the room and they - Danny, Sam, Tucker, Dash - were in what Danny assumed to be her office. He hissed and pulled out the Peeler, but that was smacked out of his hands and clattered loudly to the floor.

The others disappeared in a cloud of smoke, which the room was steadily becoming. “Come now, Danny, none of that. We’re here to talk, after all. About you, before you ask. After all, you have quite a few pressing anxieties to address, don’t you?” A clipboard appeared in her hands from the smoke all around them and she read over it while Danny reached for the bonds to his friends. The threads were… slack, dim, quieter than they should be.

“Daniel James Fenton, your sister had an appointment set up with me for you, worried unlike every other child here you weren’t getting enough attention. But of course, someone like you can never get enough attention.”

“When I get my hands on you I-”

“Ah, that testosterone you keep shooting up with really is making you more aggressive, isn’t it?” Danny snarled at her and she tutted at him, walking slowly around her desk. “Or is that the ectoplasm running through your veins causing you to act out violently on mere speculations and possibilities from what’s more than likely just a bad dream from your little friend. That’s what it does, after all. Corrupt the mind and soul. Oh, but of course you know that, don’t you?

“Your parents have all the science on ghosts at their fingertips and surely you’re smart enough to read up on it. Oh,” she covered her mouth and sucked on her teeth, looking all the world like she’d just noticed something inconsiderate coming out of her vile mouth before vanishing into the darkness. “Oh, well I suppose you could read it but it wouldn’t stick, would it? The dead can’t learn anything new, after all, you’re just an echo of who you were before.”

“Bias and prejudice aren’t science!” Danny raised his rifle again, energy racing to his eyes as he searched the shadows desperately. The light rose to his call, filled him untethered him from the Earth, but what he Saw felt wrong . Even the lies the eyes tell him are truer than what was around him and he knew that but he couldn’t see through the smoke. “Sam and Tucker have hammered that into me plenty well enough by now to cut through bullshit like that! And really, I liked your office better after that flubber wannabe and I trashed it.”

A flash of red suit came into view and Danny pulled the trigger, but Spectra was faster than the green hot plasma, and claws swatted his weapon away while slashing at his chest. Thank Tucker for leather jackets and all the protection they offered but now Danny was on his back, the ground and somehow the kind of uncomfortable chair that all schools used to punish the students for the simple crime of being there.

“Ah yes, Sam the rich goth girl who befriended you as soon as she heard that you were the son of the town crazies. The one who warned you away from coming out to your parents so they could help you become normal again - or as close as someone like You can get.” She laughed, the sound of ice spilling down a glacier into the cold dark waters below, and it echoed around him like the chill of a winter night. “Don’t you know she’s only friends with you because you’re ‘unique’? Because you’re a freak ? Don’t you know, oh so darling Danny, that as soon if you were able to get rid of all this craziness and live a peaceful life, she’d grow bored with you and leave?”

“You don’t know a damn thing about Sam, she’s not like that!” Danny rolled out of the chair and got to his feet, every movement like he was covered in sandbags and the smokey shadows every two feet away seemed to swallow up his voice, growing darker and pressing closer like a rolling tide. Light curled into a ball in his palm, and he hurled it where Spectra was, but the shadows ate his light and left barely a foot in any direction to move.

“Oh and the year you’ve known her has revealed everything to you, hm? Well, I suppose when someone murders you with peer pressure and you stick around them it’s clear how pathetically desperate for another friend you are. After all, the only other one you have is your oh so precious Tucker . Precious, pragmatic Tucker who cheered you on to go to your parents about all this, more than ok with you getting dissected for it. After all, he’s a smart boy and you can’t have fooled him as well as you fooled yourself into thinking you’re the same Danny Fenton he knew before you died.”

Spectra laughed again, claws digging into his shoulders, and anger, resentment, and fury rang through his soul, the chime of a burning bell. Light struck Spectra in the face, the Fomorian’s cackles finally cut off with a shriek of pain as she stumbled back and the choking darkness ebbed a foot away again. Danny snarled at her, spying the empty hollowness where his light had sheared off the false skin on her face, another ball of orange-silver light crackling at his fingertips.

“You keep Tucker’s name out of your filthy lying mouth! He would never hurt me!”

“He sure did take his time making you any sort of protection though, and once he got your parents to give him something that made his very touch a taser’s spark to your skin he wasn’t in any rush to modify it for your safety. Almost like he didn’t want you able to touch him, or he didn’t feel like making you something genuinely substantial as protection - after all, he finally got another one working and where did that end up? On Dash.” Danny stepped back when the shadows closed around Spectra once again, glaring into the dark of her office and kicking the desk to the wall for room. It didn’t even clatter against the wall when it vanished from his sight and he couldn’t tell if that was because there was no wall or if he was simply losing his stars forsaken mind.

“Modifying the Spector Deflector took time, you slippery little oil stain, now come out where I can punch you.”

“It hardly took time for your parents to make it, did it? And oh your parents.” She purred, voice taking on a cloyingly sweet tone and Danny shuddered at the cold against his skin, the smoke curling against his jacket and following him as he flew up to the ceiling to make some room. Now, though, it looked like he was trapped in the abyss with no floor, no ceiling, no way anywhere and if he ever stopped flying he would fall and fall and fall and there was no end to this darkness, no stars to sing to him and comfort him and it was like the times before his very first self .

“We can’t forget the source of all this anguish can we? Those darn parents of yours that put ghost hunting and science and your better sibling before you the whole of our life and even your afterlife! Oh, even you know now that normal old human authorities would clutch their pearls and steal you away to a safer place to live than with them. How many times have you had artificial ectoplasm in your food, either poisoning you or bringing it to life for you all to fend off? How many times have they barged into your room with no concern for your privacy and dragged you away to do work for them like an intern? How many times have you nearly died because dear old Dr. and Dr. Fenton couldn’t be bothered to make their home a safe place for a child?”

Danny curled up into a ball then, clutching at his head and closing his eyes. The star song that rang through his body and warmed his bones when he was a ghost grew dimmer and darker and colder with each word out of the dark and past the echoes it took a moment to realize that whining sound was coming from him. “Shut up! Shut up shut up, you don’t- so they’re a little clumsy! No one can be the best parents ever, and they love us! They love me!”

“Is that why they killed you?” That laughter felt like a slap to the face and Danny slipped into intangibility, only to fall from the air as his power left him, and he landed on the cold hard ground, alone and shaking. “Your father so careless with the most outrageously dangerous things that he left a doorway to the land of the dead plugged in even with the door to the lab still open. Your mother, so stubborn, so sure of herself, would never listen to your advice on how to simply not mutate the food that her family eats let alone listen about how ghosts actually work from you . Daddy dearest doesn’t truly care what you want to be, he knows that you’re not smart enough to become an astronaut, skilled enough to live off your art alone, and that all you really have to fall back on is the family business of ghost hunting, so why shouldn’t he talk over you about it all? Your own precious Mommy didn’t have an answer for you as to what she’d do if she knew you were a ghost.

“Oh, your parents are just so awful that they went and let you die, and you don’t want to face the truth of it? Is it because you’re afraid that you’re just like them, keeping Agatha locked up in that soup can for a whole weekend before you let her out, turning Hunter into a splatter on the ground, shooting my dearest little assistant because he’s a ghost? Or is it because you know, deep down, that what they would do as soon as they knew you’re not human is strap you down and cut you up to see what you actually are. You don’t even know, after all!”

His light was a pinprick in the distance, practically gone and with it the gossamer strings that bound him to his friends and let him know he wasn’t alone. They were gone because he was alone, wasn’t he? How could he not be, with whatever the hell he was? There wasn’t a thing out there like him, and if the dark pressing in on him like oil choked sea water swallowed him up then no one would truly understand what was lost. Would they even feel they lost something at all?

“Are you a ghost pretending to be human again? Or are you a creepy little boy with creepy little powers? A changeling left behind by a faerie through that portal, or some kind of curse? Oh, who cares what you are? Not a boy, not a ghost, not a fae or jinni or beast of this earth! Who could possibly care for a thing - a mistake like little Danny Fenton? Or should I say, C-”

Orange, fury, protect, love, wrath, HOW DARE SHE blazed down the bond between Danny and Jazz and filled him with a warmth he’d near forgotten existed. Green light cut through the darkness and engulfed Spectra, peeling away her suit and her skin and the darkness that made her up like one might an onion or potato. “ How dare you, you worthless parasite? How dare you lay a single clawed hand on my baby brother while you sit here, curled up in your precious darkness to hide from the truth that would burn away your empty, worthless lies?” Danny had never heard Jazz so angry, had never seen such fire in her aura and it kindled that spark inside of him that was growing oh so distant. “Sydney?”

Danny had never loved the color green so much before he saw peridot flames leap from Sydney’s hands and engulf the room, before sweeping in to swallow Spectra up in a pile of burning rot . They were back in Ishiyama’s office and the waiting room before it, Tucker and Sam and Dash all pale and shaking like they were freezing, but the heat of Sydney’s flames and the rage in his screams were like a camp fire in the cold woods. When Danny turned to see Jazz she was practically a chrome and green knight, wearing armor he’d never seen before and brandishing the Peeler at Spectra like a shotgun at a mugger. “I can’t believe I thought someone so pathetic they had to pick at the insecurities of literal children for a misery meal would do anything to help my brother.” She squeezed the trigger and held it until even Spectra’s shrieks of agony were nothing more than echoes in the room.

Jazz turned to Danny and before she was even fully out of the armor he had his arms wrapped around her, clinging tight to the only person that felt well and truly real at the moment. She hugged him back just as fast and relief slammed into the horror and misery and blended with the vindication until he couldn’t tell what feeling it was that blurred his vision and made his face wet with tears, but when Jazz ran a hand down his back he shook with the force of his sobs. Tucker and Sam put hands on his shoulders and the threads between them were a sickly puce and bloody red that had him dragging them both into the hug with him. They stood there, leaning on each other in the office and crying, and some part of Danny knew that they were going to be alright.

They had each other, and nothing could get to them when they were with each other, right?

[puckinganderson]

Finding You - Part Two

Feat. Josh Anderson

Part One

Word Count: 4,202

Warnings: drinking, language, smut

A/N: here is a link for the the red dress :) I hope you enjoy, please send feedback!

•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

“Thank you,” you told Alex with a soft smile as he helped you out of his car and placed a hand at the small of your back.

Alex and you met in a class freshman year and bonded immediately, staying close ever since. He was one of the few men in your life that you felt completely comfortable with, never trying to make more out of your friendship. You valued his honesty, especially since he never made you feel judged.

Although he was a year older, he decided to stay in Columbus after graduating and you still tried to see him regularly. When he asked you to be his date last minute to a fundraising event for his job, you couldn’t say no.

That’s how you ended up downtown on a Friday evening in your favorite cocktail dress. The red silk had an asymmetrical top, with two straps running over your left shoulder and falling just below your knees.

Once again, Kate came to your rescue and helped do your hair and makeup. Your hair was naturally straight, so she added some texture and pinned it into a stylish low-bun. She kept your makeup natural, which you preferred, and topped the look off with a nude lip.

“You look beautiful, in case I haven’t told you,” Alex whispered in your ear as he escorted you inside the doors and handed the hostess your invites for the event.

“Well, I had to keep up with my hot date,” you teased, but meant it. Alex was a handsome guy and looked great in a black suit. Part of you always wished you could feel something more for him, but it just wasn’t there. You both knew it, which made things much easier, and spent many nights out being each other’s wing man.

“Ok, I just need to go find my boss and check in with him first,” he said while directing you towards a group of men.

The venue was an old church, converted into a space for concerts and other events like tonight. Finger foods were being passed around and drinks were poured heavy so donors would open their pockets. Finding Alex’s boss, you stood by his side while he introduced you to three men from his company.

“It’s nice to meet you all, this place looks beautiful,” you told them.

You were listening as Alex started to tell a story animatedly. Suddenly, you felt the need to look over your left should, like you could feel eyes burning holes into your bare skin. Who you certainly didn’t expect to see, however, was Josh.

He was standing across the room, close to the bar, with a drink in his hand. Next to him was Seth, who you remembered meeting at the bar and another guy you didn’t recognize. Checking him out in his charcoal grey suit, a blush rose to your cheeks remembering what was underneath the fitted material.

“Y/N, are you ok?” Alex snapped you back into reality, leading you a few feet away and looking around to see what stole your attention.

“Oh uh, yeah I’m fine. What’s this fundraiser even for?” You questioned, wondering what would’ve brought Josh here.

Last time you saw one another two weeks ago, you’d barely even got past learning his name before you were jumping one another. You certainly hadn’t taken the time to learn what he did for a living. Alex had never mentioned him from work before though, so you assumed he worked somewhere else in the city.

“Oh, we’re partnering with the Blue Jackets Foundation as a new program for the schools we work in,” Alex explained, sounding genuinely excited about his work. “Our company is here, along with the team and some important other potential donors from the city.”

Nodding your head, you tried like hell to not turn back to look at Josh.

“Can we get a drink?” You asked Alex, desperately needing one at this point.

“Yeah, I could use one to get through tonight,” he said and you chuckled, not able to agree more.

Alex knew your drink order by this point in your friendship, so you stood a few feet back while he got you a Crown and Coke, and his own gin and tonic.

After about an hour, drinks were flowing more and the crowd had noticeably relaxed. You had forced yourself not to seek out Josh, but at times you could feel his eyes on your skin. Alex didn’t ask, but he knew something was off with you.

The band had started to play music and as the night went on more people joined the dance floor. Talking to Alex’s coworkers and potential donors was easy, and he made you feel comfortable by his side. A few drinks in and you knew a bathroom break couldn’t be put off any longer.

“Alex, I’m running to the restroom,” you whispered in his ear. “I’ll find you soon.”

Heading towards the back of the venue, you saw there was a long line. Deciding to get a drink while you waited, you stopped by the bar on the way.

“Well, well, well... look what the cat dragged in,” you heard Josh tease from behind.

Not sure what to do or say, you turned and gave him a shy smile.

“I really wasn’t expecting to see you here Josh,” you told him honestly.

He stepped forward to give you a hug, which really caught you off guard. His thick arms engulfed your frame and made you feel so small in comparison. Taking a second to breath him in, you realized how much you had missed that smell since your night together.

“You look stunning, (Y/N),” Josh whispered in your ear, causing you to take in a deep, shaky breath. Goosebumps broke out over your skin and you tried to shake it off before he noticed.

Smirking at the visible response he had on you, Josh changed the subject. “So who’s the date?” he questioned, not even beating around the topic, while he stirred his drink.

“Oh, Alex? He’s just a good friend,” you told him vaguely, seeing the muscle in his jaw tick at your answer.

“Alex, huh? Why do I already not like the guy?”

“I’m not sure, but that doesn’t really sound like my problem,” you chirped back. He didn’t get to act possessive after spending one night together, even if it was an amazing night.

Josh chuckled to himself and took a moment to eye you from head to toe. His eyes turned darker, a familiar look you had seen before. Seeing his tongue peek out and lick his lips, you knew you had to shut any of his ideas down.

“Ah, ah, ah,” you scolded. “Don’t get any ideas Josh, I’m here with my friend.”

Luckily, the line had gotten short enough that you brushed Josh off and walked into the bathroom. Taking your time, you finished up and made sure to apply a fresh coat of nude lipstick.

Walking back out, you avoided looking around so you hopefully didn’t see Josh. Heading back towards where Alex was earlier, you saw him turn to give you a smile.

“Want another drink?” he asked, leading you away from the group so it was just the two of you.

Never saying no to a free drink, you took him up on his offer and watched him disappear into the crowd. While he was gone, one of the men Alex had introduced you to before got on stage with a microphone. It was really amazing to hear him talk about the project in the same passionate way that Alex did.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to the men that brought us together tonight,” he continued on.

As he spoke, you saw Josh, Seth and about twenty other men walk on stage. This time, however, they were all wearing jersey’s over their suits. “Columbus, our very own Blue Jackets!”

The crowd cheered loudly and you were confused. Josh was a Blue Jacket? What? You loved sports, but stuck to baseball and football. Before college, you’d never even seen a hockey game. So it made sense that you weren’t completely in touch with the Blue Jackets fandom, but you didn’t think you were that oblivious.

Completely shocked and lost in thought, it took you a second to realize one of the players on stage was passed the mic.

“As captain of the Blue Jackets, I’m extremely proud to be a part of a team that gets to give back to the amazing Columbus community. I speak on behalf of all of the boys on stage that we couldn’t be more excited for the new program to start. Every kid deserves the opportunity to play a sport we love so much. Please consider helping out the Foundation tonight, thank you!”

As the player spoke, you looked at Josh and saw he was already watching you with a smirk. Clearly he could see the shock on your face and knew you just realized who he was. Did you care he was a professional athlete? No. But did you feel like a dumb ass for not realizing? Absolutely.

“Thank you Nick! Everyone please enjoy the rest of our evening together,” Alex’s boss finished up talking and everyone was shuffled off stage. Soon, the music started back up and the lights were dimmed down.

Alex was standing back at your side and handed you a drink. “Thanks,” you told him.

“C’mon Y/N, you’ve gotta dance with me,” Alex didn’t even give you a chance to argue before he was taking your free hand and pulling you towards the dance floor. Luckily you’d had a few drinks to loosen up first, or you would not be agreeing to this.

At this point in the night the music had shifted from slow songs to music you would hear at a bar, making it easy to dance with Alex. He was so much smoother on his feet than you and had to do most of the work.

Before you knew it, Alex was pulling out all of his moves and making you laugh hysterically. You weren’t even sure how much time had passed when Alex’s boss approached the two of you, making Alex’s goofy dancing and your giggles stop.

“Y/N, do you mind if I steal Alex from you? I’ve got an important connection from the foundation I’d like for him to meet,” his boss asked, but you both knew it wasn’t really a question.

“Of course not, I’ll be here when you’re done,” you told the two of them, wishing the best for your friend and his career.

“You’re the best, (Y/N),” Alex told you, walking away.

Turning back towards the dance floor, you took in the crowd having fun. From the corner near the stage, you saw Josh talking to Seth and nodding in your direction. Seth patted him on the should and he started walking towards you. Oh no, you thought, seeing him saunter over towards you.

“Wanna dance?” Josh asked with a grin.

“Now where have I heard that proposition before?” you referenced back to the first night you’d met.

Grabbing your hand, he led you to the dance floor as the music slowed to a classic. The band started to sing What a Wonderful World, and Josh brought you into his embrace. One of his hands warmed the small of your back, while the other held onto your hand.

“Josh, why didn’t you tell me who you were?” not wasting time ignoring the elephant int the room.

“What do you mean?” he chuckled, looking into your eyes.

“Ha-ha, very funny,” you blushed at his teasing.

“I liked that you didn’t know. Most girls are just attracted to me because I play, and once I realized you had no clue who I was, it felt nice to know you just wanted me for me.”

Taking a deep breath, you broke eye contact because his stare was just too vulnerable. How did you feel this connection to someone that was basically a stranger still? All you knew was that when you were with him, he made you feel alive. No one had been able to do that for a long, and you didn’t want to question it anymore.

Everything about being in his presence made you want to risk your sanity and say fuck it. You knew he was dangerous. After three months of being single, you were finally starting to feel like yourself. Josh wasn’t safe, and he certainly wasn’t smart. But, why couldn’t you just be irresponsible and have some fun?

Almost as if he could read your thoughts, he took your hand and started pulling you towards the exit. Pulling out your phone, you text Alex to say you weren’t feeling well.

You: Hey, sorry I think the drinks upset my stomach so I caught an Uber home. Sorry, I’ll see you soon!

Alex: No worries, I hope you feel better! Let me know when you make it home, see you soon.

Standing by Josh while you waited for an Uber, you saw him looking over your shoulder as you read Alex’s response.

“So, Alex is really just a friend?” Josh questioned, bringing up your conversation from the bathroom line earlier.

“Oh yeah, we met my freshman year and have been friends every since,” you told him honestly, deciding it was a waste to play games. “It’s never been more, we just don’t have that chemistry.”

Taking a second to read your eyes, Josh decided to trust you. “Well, I can’t say I feel bad for the guy.”

Rolling your eyes at his comment, the Uber pulled up a moment later and Josh escorted you into the back seat. The ride back to his place was an easy silence, with his hand on your knee. It continually surprised you at how comfortable it felt to be around him.

When Josh unlocked his door, he wasted no time making small talk or offering drinks like last time. Your back was immediately pushed up against the wall and his lips latched onto your neck, nibbling and sucking. Letting your head fall back against the wall with a moan, you lifted your legs up to wrap around his waist. You were sure your neck would be raw by the time he got done with his assault.

Walking you both backwards towards his room, you felt him reach out blindly to flip the lights on. Josh brought you over to his bed and set you down on the edge of it, stepping into your legs. You reached your hands up and started to unbutton his shirt while he watched you.

When you finally had all of the buttons undone, Josh pushed the shirt off his shoulders. Taking your hand, he pulled you off of the bed and turned you around so your back was to his front. You could feel his breath on your neck while his hands started to unzip your silk dress. Josh’s hands reached into your hair and pulled out the pins, letting your curls tumble free.

“Fuck Y/N, your skin is so soft,” Josh groaned out while bending to leave kisses all over your shoulders. Letting your head fall back to his chest, you closed your eyes and enjoyed the sensation of his soft lips and stubble.

When your dress finally fell off your hips, you were left standing in a black lace strapless bra with matching panties. Josh’s hands immediately wrapped around your front to pull down the bra cups and pinch your nips.

“Josh, please,” you mewled, trying to keep strength in your legs from giving out. Your hands reached between you, feeling his hard cock, and you started to pull at his belt trying to get his pants down.

Josh turned you to face him and lifted you to only throw you back down onto the bed. His hands went to start unzipping his pants and he had them off within seconds, left only in his boxer briefs. Leaning down over you, he took your nipple in his mouth and started to suck on the tight bud.

“Such a little fucking tease out there dancing with another guy. I should spank your ass raw to teach you a lesson,” he whispered in your ear while bringing your hands above your head and trapping them there in his grip.

“Please Josh,” you begged, aching for anything he’d give you.

Josh smirked and quickly flipped you onto your stomach before you could think. Putting a heavy hand on your back, his other hand reached to the edge of your panties. He pulled them down quickly and you felt his hand slap across your ass, surely leaving a mark.

His hand immediately rubbed your ass cheek, soothing the pain, before lifting up and smacking you again.

“Fuck, Josh I need your cock now please,” you moaned out, not evening wanting foreplay.

“I want to fuck you from behind.” You felt Josh pull your hips up so your ass was in the air, propping yourself onto your elbows. He reached over to his bedside table to grab a condom and you heard the package rip as he rolled it onto his hard cock.

Josh settled his hands onto your hips and pushed into you with a deep thrust. Your head shot back and he wrapped his fist through your hair, tugging on the strands with a groan. You couldn’t help but tighten your pussy in response.

“Baby, squeeze my cock like that again and I’m going to come right now,” Josh breathed out, pausing to taking a deep breath before starting to thrust hard.

Your hands gripped the sheets as Josh fucked you, gripping your hips so hard you knew there would be marks in the morning. This position was even deeper than when you’d been on top of him last time, his cock hitting your cervix each time he thrust hard. The pain was perfectly mixed with pleasure and you could barely even keep your eyes open.

“That’s all you got?” you taunted him, knowing it would piss him off. You’d barely even finished the words and his hand slapped hard across your ass again, causing your pussy to pulse.

“Fuck Y/N, you like when I slap your ass, huh?” but he already knew the answer and slapped you again.

“Josh, I’m close,” moaning, you reached between your legs and started to rub your clit.

“Get there, baby.”

Rubbing hard, you were so close as he continued his punishing pace. Josh slapped your ass one more time and it was all it took to push you over the edge. Coming hard, your arms gave out from underneath you and you fell forward, screaming into his sheets.

You felt Josh pick up his pace, thrusting a few more times before filling the condom with his cum. He slowed his pace and collapsed on top of you, nearly suffocating you with his huge frame.

“Josh, I can’t breathe,” you could barely whisper, with your lungs being constricted so much. He chuckled and sat up to pull out, rolling over next to you on the bed.

After a few minutes to catch your breath, you looked up to see him watching you. He reached his hand out and started to trace up and down your spine with his fingertips. Laying your head back down on the bed, you let out a soft moan at the feeling.

“Y/N, will you stay over this time?” he asked quietly, feeling your back tense under his fingers.

“I can’t,” you lied, hoping he wouldn’t push you.

“Bullshit, I know you don’t have class tomorrow because it’s a Saturday. What’s your excuse this time?”

Turning your head so he couldn’t see your face, you tried to think of any good excuse you had to leave. It wasn’t that you didn’t want to stay, you just knew that it wasn’t a good idea. You had finally got comfortable with being alone after your breakup, and you didn’t want to dive into things with Josh. Losing this new found independence scared you.

“C’mon, Y/N, what are you so scared of? It’s just staying the night,” Josh pushed, and you were so close to caving. “We can take a shower.”

That was all it took for you to finally give in, you were a sucker for a hot shower at the end of the night. Turning your head back to him, you gave a shy smile and Josh knew that he had won.

“There she is,” he chuckled with a grin. Sitting up, he reached over and grabbed you before you had a chance.

“Josh, put me down right now!” you tried wiggling out of his grip, knowing you were too heavy to be carried.

You felt a quick slap to your ass, shutting you up from whining anymore. “Y/N, stop being such a girl.”

Setting you down on the edge of his jacuzzi tub, he walked to the shower and started messing with the handles to get the right temperature. You took a moment to really appreciate his naked body. It really was beautiful, with thick muscles that were defined just the right amount. He wasn’t too bulky or disproportionate, especially since he was at least 6’3”.

You had completely zoned out and you heard a cough that snapped you back into reality. “Done checking me out?” Josh said with a smirk on his face.

Normally you would have been embarrassed getting caught checking out a guy, but Josh didn’t make you feel that way. Instead, you licked your lips and stood, walking over to him. Leading him into the shower, you reached up onto your toes and kissed him deeply.

“Not quite,” you whispered, out of breath from the kiss. Sinking down onto your knees, you gripped his hardening cock in your hand.

Looking up at Josh, you saw his eyes close as your licked the tip of him. He let out a soft moan, encouraging you to take him in your mouth. One hand gripped the base of his cock and you reached the other down to massage his balls softly.

Feeling his balls tighten, you released them and reached your hand down between your legs to find yourself wet. Knowing you wanted to come with him, you started to rub your clit while taking his cock deeper in your mouth. “Josh, I’m gonna come,” his eyes snapped down to you as he realized that you were pleasuring yourself.

“Fuckkk Y/N, that’s so hot,” he groaned, not able to take his eyes off of you. Hearing his praise pushed you over the edge and you came, moaning around his cock.

“Baby,” the vibrations from your mouth were just enough and you felt Josh come down your throat in hot spurts.

Taking a second to come down off your high, you sat back on your heels and took deep breaths. After a few seconds, you stood back up and Josh pulled you in for a searing kiss. His hand threaded through your hair and you had no choice but to wrap your arms around his neck.

“How do you continue to surprise me?” Josh whispered in your ear.

Turning you, he grabbed a pump of shampoo and massaged it into your hair. Closing your eyes, you moaned at the pleasure from his hands. Once he thought your hair was clean, Josh tipped your head back and delicately rinsed your strands.

Once your hair was rinsed, you turned to give him a kiss. “Thank you for that,” you murmured shyly.

“Uh, sorry I don’t have any conditioner. I hope that’s ok,” Josh looked at his shelf of shower products nervously.

“No worries, shampoo is fine. Your turn,” You told him, wanting to run your hands through his thick hair.

Josh turned, but really had to tip his head back so you could reach with your height difference. Squirting a little bit of shampoo on your hand, you lathered it for a second and then starting running it through his strands. His hair was so soft and you took your time making sure it was clean.

“Thanks baby,” Josh murmured as he rinsed his head.

After the shower, you stepped out into the brisk air, wishing you could go back under the warm water. Josh brought over a big towel and wrapped you in it, twisting his own around his waist.

“You can dry off and brush your hair. I’m gonna grab you some clothes,” he told you with a kiss to your forehead.

“No, don’t,” grabbing his wrist before he could leave, you knew that this needed to stay casual and about the sex. Not having sleepovers and sharing clothes.

Josh had a smirk on his face, looking down at you hungry for more. “You’re insatiable, you know that right?”

“Only for you,” you giggle, dragging a finger down his hard chest.

Before you knew what was even happening, Josh hauled you off your feet and threw you over his shoulder.

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” he groaned out with a smack to your ass.

You were lost in the moment, the pleasure and mostly, him.

[starcityhq]

PLOT DROP—

After the audience members were ushered (violently) back to their seats, Joker gave a mocking bow and a dramatic flourish before he disappeared behind the set of the small Puppet Theatre. The curtains were drawn back at the same time his eerily disembodied voice filled the room. It was loud enough for everyone to hear. “Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to a one night only extravaganza! A tale of kidnapping, daring rescue, and true love awaits you! A reunion of soulmates - you can only imagine the spectacle we have for you tonight!”  

No sooner than the words were out of Joker’s that each and every powered person - whether they be an inhuman, an alien, a “God” or “Goddess”, metahuman, and mutant, lost total access to their powers without warning. Serums deactivated and any enhanced person was forced to their previous state.

The inhibitors. They were stronger and they were no longer only targeting mutants. Wherever they were hidden (if there were more than one), they were strategically placed out of sight.

Ten finger puppets, carefully crafted to have uncanny resemblances to their respective counterparts, made their debut with little fanfare. Joker continued, his voice rising in delight. “Starring, in no particular order: Bruce Wayne as Batman and his five little duckies all in a row. We have Dick Grayson as the indomitable Nightwing, Jason Todd as Red Hood - a man after my own heart - Timothy Drake as Red Robin, a boy not yet sullied, for the time being, Stephanie Brown as the Batgirl, the girl blunder herself, and - last, but not least, Damian Wayne as the first ever boy wonder who could double as a killing machine! Oh, but don’t fret: we couldn’t forget our guest stars. Where would we be without the commissioner’s own daughter, the one in everyone’s ear? I give you Barbara Gordon as Oracle - and last, but not least, the would be assassin Cassandra Cain as Black Bat. Let’s give them all a round of applause!

On cue, the masked men manning the door brandished their weapons at the audience until they conceded to clap on cue. As it died away, the last two puppets made an appearance. They were meant to be Harley Quinn and the Joker himself, wiggling enthusiastically as they made their way center stage. “And now we begin the tragic tale of a damsel... ripped from her Prince...”

THEATER (SEE ABOVE FOR DETAILS OF EVENTS):

M’gann M'orzz, Billy Kaplan, Lucifer Morningstar, MJ Watson, Quentin Quire, Stephanie Brown, Jason Todd (originally was at the docks), Dick Grayson (DETECTIVE & ACTING COMMISSIONER, SCPD), Barbara Gordon, Damian Wayne, Tim Drake, Cassandra Cain-Wayne, Chuck Brown, Linda Martin, Venus/Felix, Zatanna Zatara, Michael Jon Carter, Susan Storm, Peyton Riley, & Peter Parker.

STAR CITY MUNICIPAL BANK: The group of hostages were ushered to the vault by the barrel of an AK-47. The robbers couldn’t be seen behind their disguises, a colorful and grotesque mix of doll and clown masks. They didn’t say a word. Anyone with traits resembling anything superhuman, or anyone possessing unnatural enhancements, would immediately realize they no longer had access to their abilities. The robbers spoke few words and only in the form of commands. Get down. Stay down. We won’t shoot you. If you move, we’ll shoot everyone else and make you watch. One of the robbers set to work on disarming the vaults while the other three watched, their assault rifts trained with alarming accuracy.

Outside, those who hadn’t been taken hostage worked feverishly to get inside and bypass the iron vault.

Flox (hostage), Adrian Veidt (hostage), Luna Maximoff (hostage), Steve Trevor (hostage), Anton Satan (hostage), Rachel Van Helsing (hostage), Cassie Lang (hostage), Bucky Barnes, Clint Barton, Conner Kent, Evan McCulloch, Jihl Nabel (NOVA AGENT), Thor, Peter Quill (COP, SCPD), Diana Prince, & Natasha Romanoff.

THE DOCKS: Just as Kate Bishop and her measly back up arrived on scene, all hell broke loose. Thugs appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the group, as if they were waiting for something. The group’s sudden lack of power made it clear just what that something was.

Kate Bishop (COP, SCPD), Kara Zor-El, Arthur Curry, Barry Allen, Bobby Drake, Dinah Lance, Lorna Dane, Slade Wilson, Ororo Munroe, Remy LeBeau, Rose Wilson, Shuri, Zachary Zatara, Sarah (Marrow), & Eddie Bloomberg.

CASCADES PARK: First responders are blocked from the scene, unable to offer any assistance, and Gates is on his own. With sparse back up, he is left to rely on his marksmanship. The power inhibitors have effectively prevented additional assistance, as well as his own abilities - and ten shooters against one aren’t good odds. There are two civilians down so far and no doubt more would follow. Gates must move quickly to take down the threat so the victims can receive the help they need. Just as he reaches one of the perps, sudden explosions rattle the teeth in his head and almost send him off balance. There were four booms and each one in a different location.

Josh Foley, Clark Kent, Lois Lane, Loki Laufeyson, Scott Summers, Foggy Nelson, Roy Harper, Emma Frost, Gar Logan, Jamie Madrox, Kurt Wagner, Pepper Potts, Wally West, Wanda Maximoff, Jono Starsmore, Pamela Isley, Bryn Delacroix, Chris Gates (COP, SCPD), & Jon Kent.

NOTE: This is the last chance for your character to be a hostage if you are located at the bank, or otherwise have not posted yet in your assigned area! About the power inhibitors: They are present at every location and characters will not have the ability to shut down. The new inhibitors (as previously discussed in the AVENGING LEAGUE MEETING) do not only target mutants. Any and all characters who are not fully human will be affected by the inhibitors. In short, they are all humans now.

If you have any questions or need clarification, please contact the main!

As a reminder, the will run from 04/22 6pm EST to 04/29 6pm EST. Please make sure you are tracking and using the “STARCCURTAINS” and “STARCEVENT” tags for event posts and are answering open starters in addition to posting your own! Please do not start non-event threads during this time without permission from the admins, but you may continue existing threads! 

As always, admins reserve the right to accept character applications at any time during the event rather than following the typical schedule. Happy role-playing!