#and 15 when he meet brainy

[primeofprimes115]

Kryptonian's Valentine

Supergirl x Male Reader

Warnings: none, just fluff

Woo! First Post on Tumblr! I've already made this fanfic imagine on my Supergirl x male reader Imagines book on Wattpad and though it could go here as well, my name is the same on Wattpad as well, but without further to do...

Let the imagine kick off!

(based off of the Tomorrowverse)

* *

*yawn* the sun shined through the curtains of an apartment as Y/N's eyes began to flick open, he notices he was alone in the bed, his girlfriend wasn't in the bed.

He shot up and looked around on his bed - "Babe?" he called out, checking a note on his bed side.

*

"on patrol sleepy head, I'll be back soon!

Kara xx"

*

He smiled at the little note before checking his phone.

Today was the 14th of February which only meant one thing...

It was Valentine's Day and in fact... This was his girlfriend's first ever Valentine's Day for she is a Kryptonian and only arrived months after Valentine's Day happened last year.

His girlfriend was Supergirl aka Kara Zor-El, people may think the way they met was through one of those love stories where the damsel in distress falls in love with the hero, but it was completely different than that.

Standing in the very same apartment, it was once destroyed after he had moved into it due to Supergirl fighting recklessly against Solomon Grundy.

His eyes widened, he remembered he had gotten her two things for Valentine's Day and he woke up late, it was 11am in the morning and he slept in, it appeared his alarm in his phone didn't go off to wake him up for the big day.

He bought her a necklace that she once saw an interest in at a jewellery store at The Mall in Metropolis the second time she went but with him by her side, guiding her through the entire place as she learned Earth through the guidance of a Human after her cousin thought it would be a good idea going by that route for her, having someone around her age show her around, make her feel accepted on Earth.

He also got her a custom made bracelet he made himself, designed with her signature "S" shield she proudly wore on her super suit, it also had very special features she sure would love.

*

Y/N was in fact a good craftsman, some say he had special abilities which he in fact does but he has always lived as a normal Human being before getting his special powers he kept hidden for a little while.

Kara knows he has abilities, being able to summon weapons made of energy out of thin air, having in-humane reflexes, enhanced strength, durability, being able to stick to walls and run along them, Kara always enjoyed carrying him wherever she flew off with him, quite say he also enjoyed it too, being flown up into the sky with her where they'd kiss everytime.

He trained her to harness her abilities with the help of her cousin Superman though Batman wasn't too trusting about the idea but let it slide, at this time Y/N revealed who he really was to Kara, showing the hero he was and revealing it was him who saved Kara from an explosion by using an energy shield to cover her a few weeks prior to meeting her face to face for the first time as a random citizen of Metropolis.

Y/N originally came from a different universe altogether with different superheroes with almost the same abilities as this world's heroes have, 21st and 31st century.

The issue with his world? Superheroes were Heroes just for the fame and cameras, they wanted to be so popular that everyone loved them and they all did.

When Y/N got his powers at the age of 15, he wanted to use his powers

he took Kara there to train her and meet the Legion who Y/N was an ally of, though she had some issues with a descendent of Brainiac named Brainiac "Brainy" 5 which would then form a friendship between the two as the days went by.

Y/N originally went to this universe to document the history, he was so interested about Earth's heroes but meeting Supergirl had given him thoughts to stay in this universe, she thought of staying in the 31st century to be a Legionnaire but her heart belonged to Y/N so she went back with him to the 21st century, to learn Earth and their primitive technology.

He was also fascinated with history, he documented any type of history, including Kryptonian history he learned from Kara, while she learned more about Earth form him, he learned more about Krypton from her.

*

He got out of bed and proceeded to get ready, he remembered hiding the two gifts so she couldn't see them with her x-ray vision, using lead to cover it up.

As he walked through to the living room, he saw his girlfriend flew in with a box of chocolates.

"morning handsome ~" she smiled - "got you something" she handed over the box of chocolates, he smiled at her and he took the gift.

"aww for me? You shouldn't have" he looked at her in awe, smiling like a goofball as the two got closer and connected lips together, he set the chocolates to the side to enjoy his kiss with his girlfriend

"it's Valentine's Day isn't it? ~" she asked pulling back - "where loved ones give each other gifts to show their true love for one another? And ask to be their Valentine?" she added as he chuckled.

"yeah, that sums up Valentine's Day, it's a holiday for love and affection, not just for boyfriends, girlfriends, wives and husbands, but also for best friends and family as well, but yes... It is Valentine's Day after all ~" he answered her as the two embraced in another kiss again.

"I'll be back, need to get out of this" she gestured to her super suit, walking off into the bedroom and reappeared a second later into a yellow sweater, skinny jeans and white socks.

"Mrs Jones and her husband were the ones who gifted me the box of chocolates, said I should share them with S/H/N since the both of us are a power couple, they also said thank you to both of us for helping them within the last few months" Kara explained, approaching Y/N with a huge smile.

"that's nice of them" he replied as he brought Kara closer to him, her arms outstretched around his shoulders, Kara gave him a long smooch, moaning in his mouth a little.

"Oh! That reminds me ~" he pulled back - "wait here" he rushed off to the bedroom as Kara looked on suspiciously, why did he go off in a rush? Did he forget something?

"I got you 2 things for today!" he shouted from the bedroom as Kara sat down on the couch.

"Oh you did?" she asked.

"Yep" he popped back out with two things wrapped in lead, she scoffed and smiled at the two lead wrapped gifts.

"so that's what you were hiding from me? You wrapped them in lead" she raised an eyebrow, her eyes crossed as she smirked.

"Happy Valentine's Day babe" he approached and handed her the lead wrapped gifts as the two embraced in a loving hug.

"Go on, open em up" he suggested, Kara wasted no time and began unwrapping the first one, she was like a kid on Christmas day when it came to presents, especially since she was like this on Christmas day.

She unwrapped the first one, revealing a delicate box as she immediately knew what it was no thanks to x-ray vision.

"Thank you so much" she hugged his arm and chuckled happily, he chuckled at her cuteness and hugged back.

"now for the second one, you'll love it" he winked, making Kara more curious about the second gift.

She wasted no time unwrapping it and it revealed a special bracelet, she turned it round and looked upon the House of El symbol on the bracelet like she wore on her super suit, her eyes widened as she looked at it, running a finger across it as she was reminded of Krypton.

"aww... This reminds me of the one my dad gave me once when I was little" her voice croaked a little, her smile brightened as she remembered her father.

"Originally, I was planning to give you this on Christmas day, but... The bracelet was unfinished since I was also making something else at the same time. I... Finished it just a month ago while you were on patrol, the bracelet has a special feature" he stood up and offered his hand.

Kara looked at his hand and grabbed it, allowing him to pull her up as she held the bracelet in her hand, he brought her to the middle of the room.

"Put it on, press the symbol and watch the magic happen" he smirked, letting go of her hand as Kara put on the bracelet.

She pressed the House of El symbol as it lit up blue before she started to see a transformation happen on her arms, a blue material went up her arm as it went all over her body.

A red cape extended out as her red skirt appeared with a gold belt with the red and yellow "S" symbol in the middle, red high knee boots appeared on her feet with the signature gold lace around the top.

She looked down at herself as it did its work, her eyes widened as she gasped in happiness, she was now wearing a new super suit, designed by Y/N himself, she looked at the House of El symbol on her chest and couldn't stop smiling, the material of her suit was warm, comfortable and fuzzy like her last one but this one felt more... Flexible and durable.

Her cape had the S symbol as well, all coloured yellow, she examined herself as she had a grin on her face, flaunting her cape around.

"So, you like it?" he asked as she turned to look at him after examining herself, speeding over to him in a flash and kissing him on the mouth.

He melted into her kiss and took it as a hint as she loves it.

"I Looove it Y/N/N! Thank you so much!" she pulled back, very happy with the gift, faces close to each other as their foreheads connected, closing their eyes as they embraced

"You're welcome babe... It Took me months to make ~" he cooed as they looked into each others eyes - "also... The suit is made with tech that I designed using a rare element I found during our time in the 31st century, it's the most strongest and durable material I've ever worked on. The bracelet doesn't just one feature at has a few ~" he explained in detail - "it can detect Kryptonite within a large radius, has its own comms device and you can also use it as a device, including, calling people, messaging, facetime calling and so on, it's like an advanced phone but... Made specifically for you" he added on to his explanation as Kara smiled at the "S" on her chest.

"I love it Y/N, again, thank you so much" she smiled.

"Oh, I forgot to add. It doesn't just have a variation of your new suit... It has a few for different variations of suits for different situations like fighting off someone with Kryptonite, which is bulletproof to Kryptonite bullets, lasers and no more Kryptonite stab wounds, though it might still hurt when it's lasers but you won't feel the effects of the Kryptonite as it protects you, and... If you're ever in the presence of a red sun, the bracelet has a suit that empowers you with yellow sun energy, allowing you to use your powers even when you're on a planet with a red sun" he added more points to the bracelet as Kara kept her smile on him.

"I love it even more ~" she smiled ear to ear, pulling him into a short kiss - "you'll be making one for my cousin right?" she asked with an eyebrow raised.

"Oh yes, I will be, don't worry about that" he replied immediately as the two giggled.

"I can still wear my old suit right?" She asked as he chucked.

"Yeah, you can imprint the suit into the bracelet by touching it, if you want to wear it again~" he answered her question - "and if you hold down the House of El button, you'll be back in civilian clothes again, back to being a disguised, totally normal Human being" he joked.

"Awesome ~" she giggled, she held down the symbol as it did its work, she was back into what clothes she wore before - "but... I love the new suit, I think I'm gonna be wearing it from now on when I'm out as Supergirl" she smiled, kissing him on the cheek after.

Silence fell between them as they looked at each other lovingly.

"remember... How we met for the first time, when I was still a few months new to Earth?" she broke the silence.

"Oh yeah ~" he chuckled - "I remember that day like it was yesterday" he smirked.

* *

*Flashback*

"Hey!" Y/N walked out toward the Girl of Steel, his hands on his head as he was distraught about the damage caused around the area.

"No need to worry, citizen of Metropolis ~" Supergirl had her fists on her hips, performing a superhero pose - "Solomon Grundy has been..."

"My apartment building! ~" Y/N cried out - "Did you do this!? He gestured at his ruined apartment building, which was starting to annoy the short tempered Supergirl.

"Uh, I saved it. You're welcome" she pouted, her arms crossing afterwards.

"Ugh! Where the hell am I supposed to go now? I only moved here a few days ago! Maybe a hotel or something?!" he complained to himself, distraught about the entire situation and he sighed - "maybe it was a bad idea to come here" he thought to himself before sighing.

"Just have your robot servants build you a better place ~" she gestured to the apartment, Y/N cocked an eyebrow, completely confused at what she said - "Or government-issued robots... Construction robots? Regular robots. Any robots?" she added, thinking Earth had this type of advanced technology.

There was a few seconds of silence before Y/N burst out of laughter, the look on her face was priceless.

"haha, no, no ~" he finished laughing, chuckling a little but afterwards as he cleared his throat - "we don't have that type of technology, though I'm sure there is a possibility it could happen in the future, this is the 21st century, we're way beyond that type of robotics at this point in time" he smiled as Supergirl frowned - "what was your planet called again?" he asked her.

"Krypton... It is... Was great, not like this backwards planet" she sighed, looking away.

Y/N's eyebrows sprang up before he frowned - "Hey, I know I shouldn't get mad at you... Since you're... Still new to Earth and us mere Humans" he spoke up, grabbing her attention.

The two looked at each other, eyes upon one another, for a moment, it seemed the two were feeling something strange stir up in them.

"wait a second? Didn't we just meet at the Mall?" he broke the silence between them.

"what? I don't have any idea what you're -" she suddenly stopped speaking as she looked closer, indeed she had already met this boy, he saw her without her glasses after they accidentally bumped into each other.

"u-um" she could only spur out a word as she looked red, feeling awkward about the whole situation.

She thought of flying away but... For some reason, she felt herself glued to the ground upon looking at him.

"haha, don't worry, you're secret is safe with me ~" he smirked - "But... I... Can be your guide about Earth? Y'know? Since its... All backwards for you apparently ~" he suggested - "though I should ask Big Boy Scout over there first before anything" he stepped to the side as Superman was in the middle of a conversation with Batman.

"you would... Be my guide? For me? Why?" she asked, her face frowned.

"Because... I can't imagine what you're going through" he answered.

"And how do you possibly know how I feel!?" she pouted with her voice raised, her arms crossed as she started to get a little frustrated.

"Because I know how it feels to lose a home, to lose people you care about ~" he sympathised with her as her eyes widened a little, she felt a little bad raising her voice at him - "Hey, I understand how frustrating this entire situation is for you, coming to Earth with new powers, learning about a planet that sounds strange, but... Us mere Human's are only a few thousand years into our existence, Earth does have good things, maybe not as good as Krypton but... I promise I'll be your guide and I'll stick by your side, if you want me to" he smiled as Kara was a little flustered and surprised at the offer.

This handsome Human? Wanting to be her guide through Earth? That was something she never thought would ever happen.

-we can trust her, she's -"

-"gentlemen" a voice spoke up.

The two of the World's Finest looked at the boy as he introduced himself.

"Though it is an honour to meet you both, my name is Y/N and I have a question for you Big Blue" he gestured to Superman he raised an eyebrow.

"What's your.. Question sir?" he asked as Y/N smiled.

"I was wondering if... I could teach Supergirl the values of Earth? Show her around through the eyes of a Human, in other words, a guide" he asked the question as the two World's Finest looked at each other.

"can he?" Supergirl approached, standing beside Y/N as she looked at her cousin, hoping he'd agree.

"Well... I can't say no to that look ~" Superman smiled at his cousin - "but I am sure it would be a good idea for her, a change of pace for her to settle in a bit better"

Supergirl grinned happily and hugged Y/N for a brief moment, she recoils back as her cheeks lit up in embarrassment.

*

"and since that day... We started to bond" Kara spoke up.

"Yep, we did" he smiled.

The two kept their bodies close to one another, as they gazed into each others eyes still, completely in love.

"Kara... Ever since the day I met you at l the Mall, and then meeting you again the same day when you were as Supergirl. I've never been so happy in my life, meeting you has been a wildride ~" he started to monologue, his arms outstretched around her hips - "you are the most beautiful, gorgeous, and sweetest but short tempered girl I've ever met in my life ~" Kara giggled at his little remark for her being 'short tempered' - "and I am so happy to be with you and to be your boyfriend ~" he smiled as Kara grinned ear to ear - "coming to this universe, was a nice change of pace for me and after through all the hell I've been through, meeting you was something I never thought possible, I'm so lucky to have you, and to be your guide" he finished.

"aww, that's so sweet of you, and to be honest... Never did I ever think you'd be one of the good points about Earth, I never thought I'd fall in love with you, I was scared about screwing up our friendship we had, and when you admitted your feelings for me, I felt so relieved and now? Spending this day with you? I've never felt so happy" Kara croaked in happiness, the two smashed their lips together, a big long kiss is what they needed.

"I love you, even after the stars die out in the universe" he pulled back to breathe, Kara giggled back before continuing their kiss, with her one and only Valentine...

[ashesandhackles]

Beyond the Veil (masterpost)

Co-written with @thedreamermusing

Sirius Black/Severus Snape. 97k.

A canon-divergent rewrite of Half Blood Prince and Deathly Hallows that follows the relationship between Sirius Black and Severus Snape. Think of it as mine and Dreamer's character study with romance.

Our list of chapters (and tiny previews where you can see we have experimented with multiple POVs) under the cut! Also a Snape and Lily prequel written by @thedreamermusing here: January 30th, 1975 (Happy Birthday Lily)

Chapter 1 - Prologue

Time was a standstill in these long hallways and empty rooms, full of memories that ticked under his skin like a pulse under a livid bruise.

Chapter 2 - changing perceptions

He was tempted to laugh, laugh like a maniac, at the absurdity, the injustice, out of grief--let out all his curled up emotions in a big hearty laugh. But then again, that hadn't worked out so well for him 15 years ago.

Chapter 3 - 12 Grimmauld Place meets Spinner's End

What Pettigrew lacked in skill; he made up for in malice.  This seemingly pusillanimous creature hid within him a rusty sword whose efficiency lay not in the sharpness of the blade, but in the unnoticed poison of the rust.

Chapter 4- Enemy of my Enemy

"I brought him here because I finally see the advantages of being brawny rather than brainy," Snape smirked.

Chapter 5 - The Prince and Padfoot

"You disgust me.” rang over and over in his head like a church bell, a judgement in a confessional, a whisper that haunted his ears when he dreamed and lay awake, sometimes unable to tell the difference.

Chapter 6 - Monsters and Old School Friends

His wildness hung over him like an aura of a predator. Long-limbed, lax, but there was danger bubbling within him, an inexplicable ferocity that filled the air around him. How could anyone else not see that monster?

Chapter 7 - Circular Path

When Severus saw it for the first time, he was amazed. It was an answer to a question he had all his life, a representation of what could be built if he just reached out for the future and grabbed it with greedy hands. Now, as Narcissa opened the door with a stone face belied by the terror in her eyes, he was able to see the Manor for what it really was--a mouldering dump of pureblood affectations that concealed its decay as well as Grimmauld Place accentuated it.

Chapter 8 - Tale of Two Black Stars

Severus had known all along how to see who held the room. It was ingrained in him since he was a child. In Spinner's End, it was his father. A looming presence of overbearing violence that his mother, his magical mother, cowered against. He noticed it again in the playground - where Lily flew in air, in a burst of extraordinarily controlled magic. 

Chapter 9 - The Wounds of Men

He did not know where their sudden leap of faith for the ferret came from ( “C’mon mate, I know Malfoy is a git but Death Eater is serious business!” ), but it made him feel stupid and ridiculous--it was almost as if he was back at Aunt Petunia’s, listening to her sweet talk the neighbours about Harry’s delinquency. ( “He told you he sleeps under a cupboard? A nasty, nasty lie! But the poor dear has got no one else; his parents didn’t leave us any money as well. It’s been such a strain on our finances…” 

Chapter 10 - By The Light of The Full Moon

The first week at Azkaban was truly horrendous. Peter valued his mind - it was his best weapon and it helped him fade into the background. Losing the ability to think clearly, unable to tell dreams and memories apart; it was a sensation that terrified him. It felt like getting sucked into the quicksand of his resentment and anger and guilt that he kept at bay. He didn’t want to feel it. What use were those emotions, if they failed to help him survive?

Chapter 11 - Face Death in Hope

Death, Pain - all unavoidable things. Things he had to play with - in hope that one day, he would be able to expiate what he was carrying.  He would not live to see it, he was sure. But he could hope. The only relief he had is that he would not die by his - Gellert’s- hand. “I am the only one who should be allowed to kill you,” he had said, a declaration, a threat - he wasn’t sure. “It is me that keeps you alive.”

Chapter 12 - Who Are You?

He was a son of the House of Malfoy, a noble house, one of the sacred 28, whose line went back generations. Their legacy was set in stone, the purity of their blood unquestioned. It infuriated him that nobody recognised that--that Potter, with his filthy mixed blood and mudblood mother--didn’t recognise that. And now, it had become so much worse. His father was a laughingstock. His mother looked pale and frightened all the time. It was up to him to bring things back to normal.

Chapter 13 - The Last Enemy (Part 1)

There were so many things that he thought were forgotten, so many memories whose life and colour had been drained away by grief and Azkaban. But standing here in the square, it was clear that they had always been there. He had felt something similar after walking into the doors of Grimmauld Place for the first time, but the only memories rising to surface there were of misery long-replaced. Here, every bit of youthful joy and love rose and flickered through his mind like stained-glass colours through snow, and every unremarkable step they had ever made on the square seemed precious in a fragile kind of way. 

Chapter 14 - Shedding the Maker's Skin

“Lyall Lupin,” Fenrir said, smiling at the infinitesimal jerk Remus’ body gave. “I knew you came from money, boy. You’re his son, aren’t you?”

Remus went cold. 

“Soulless, evil and deserving of nothing but death,” Fenrir quoted. “That is what he believes.”

A rage Remus had never felt before was travelling up his spine, fossilising hatred into the marrow of his bones.

Chapter 15 - Ozymandias

Once upon a time, Voldemort had looked at Snape and seen a mirror, a broken mirror of course, because Severus did not have even a shadow of his charisma, charm, looks, or skill. But even so, when Severus had come to him, an angry, profoundly gifted young half-blood brewing with hatred over his Muggle heritage, he had been so hopeful at his promise. They had both seemed to view the world in the same way; they both understood that magic was where power lay. Magic had made Voldemort immortal and then mortal again. They both respected it in a way nobody else did, and Voldemort had thought he found someone who could equal Bellatrix’s esteem. 

But Severus’s weakness had been disgustingly banal. To think that it was lust of all things to claim him, and lust for a plain Mudblood at that. And now, it was the same, only for Lucius’s dullard of a wife.

Chapter 16 - In Noctem (Carry My Soul)

The idea of it makes me feel ill. He is no longer whole; his soul is distorted. He is no better than those vile creatures that guard Azkaban. He intended to murder Kreacher, who has been serving our family for generations. Our family, whose blood is pure and unbroken, has been used to destroy the soul of a magical being. It has become clear to me now. This monster will ruin us all more than any mudblood ever will. 

Chapter 17 - Wings to the Kingdom

Until the time Death claims me, let the moth sing to your bones: I loved you since I saw you. I loved you when I hated you. I loved you when you betrayed us. I loved you when you destroyed me. 

Yours, Gellert.

Chapter 18 - The Last Enemy (Part 2)

The window brought in a draft of salt as Remus cut up chicken for the Order lunch.  Tonks was just beside him, mashing the potatoes with zeal, her arm brushing up against his own on occasion. He felt embarrassed, it was ridiculous the degree to which any proximity to her affected him. It was the isolation of the cottage, he thought, that seemed to keep them away from the dark cloud hovering above them.  It was the rhythm of the sea, a comforting lullaby of a different world, a different life.

Chapter 19 - A Lament in the Ashes

Where is my golden palace? Where is my ivory bed? Where is the joy of my morning hour? Where the Sons of Eternity are singing, Draco thumbed through the book from the shelves in the bedroom. Years ago, he would have scoffed at the idea of perusing a book of poetry written by a Muggle.

Chapter 20 - Epilogue

“It must be nice,” he said. “To start again every time you die. You can make as many mistakes as you want and be reborn from them.” 

Fawkes trilled. The corner of Serverus’s mouth lifted. 

[schtroumpfcurieux]

behold!! A depressed teenager who lost all sense of wonder, and is unaware that he soon will meet tiny blue people that he was named after

Anyway I have this concept for a third live action movie where the Smurfs are all bothered by a call for help, some magical "sometimes, in bad situations, smurfs can hear the distress call of one of their family". They figure out it was coming from the modern world, and travel to Patrick and Grace's home. There they meet Daisy, a 9 years old who loves to watch the smurfs cartoon (ntob) and is Blue's sister, and meet again Blue, now a 14-15 years old who is disillusioned with life, bullied, and has a strain relationship with his parents. Also, he does not believe that the Smurfs exist, will always change channel when the cartoon is on (even if Daisy is watching, which is source of more than one conflict), and honestly overall dislike the fictional creatures that his parents would tell him the stories of how they met them when he was a kid.

The group of Smurfs I decided on is Papa, Smurfette, Vanity, Grouchy, Brainy, and Dopey. Brainey and Dopey are comic relief, because a part of the movie would be at school and I can see them have fun there, plus a minor arc for Brainy where he learns to appreciate and not make fun of Dopey for being not so smart. Meanwhile Vanity and Grouchy are linked to Blue's character development. Papa will also be linked to Blue's cd, though more in the background, and Smurfette will get some minor involvement that shows her starting skills to become future leader, as well as involvement in comic relief.

Some more art and infos under cut

At first, Blue can't really stand any of the Smurfs, besides Grouchy, because they both have a cynical, pessimistic approach to life. Only, one is because he's just like that, while the other is just depressed. Here Blue made some comment making fun if the other smurfs, and he and Grouchy are friends (they won't say they are though. "Begrudgingly Partners in Misery" is the official title)

The high tension point in Blue's arc is when he gets fed up with the Smurfs, and a huge argument ensues. Papa Smurf tries to calm Blue down, but he blows up at Papa instead, telling him to stop trying to act like his dad. Turns out Patrick took sone pages from Papa's 'Raising Kids' book, and Blue, having parental issues, doesn't like the reminder of his dad.

Finally, we can see here a scene after the argument. Blue left in his room, and was followed by Vanity, who, once the teen is calmer, will try to cheer him up and gives him advices... only to turn it into a reality check when Blue gets upset at him. Essentially, Vanity wants to help Blue gains self confidence and self love, but his general attitude and ways to say things (also Blue's lack of acceptation of being loved) lead to Blue thinking Vanity is exactly like a popular mean girl who gives "advices" that are actually insults. They get a very cool scene where I can throw in my insecure kid Vanity headcanon in a heart to heart moment. It's the turning point in Blue's life, to make him realise he needs to do something for himself.

The most observants will have noticed Blue's outfit changes: he starts off wearing baggy, closed, red-pink clothes, but as the story goes on, sees Blue opening up and starting to walk a path towards healing, his clothes will fit him more, open up, and gets bluer and bluer. In the end he'd have a blue t-shirt.

[ithinkthingsaboutstuff]

Little Boy Blue (4)

midvale AU part 4

Karadox- AU of the 3x06 e.p of supergirl, in which Brainy (teen Brainy) arrives in Midvale around the e.p timeline. this is part 4 where Brainy has stayed the night with the Danvers sisters, and Superman is coming visit.

Kara was unable to sleep that night and not because there was a strange boy from the future she dragged into the house. No, she was nervous because she was going to see Kal that morning. she can’t explain why, he was her family after all but she had not talked to Kal in a long time. He was kind, understanding and of course a hero, her hero. 

But Kara could not shake this feeling like she was just being a burden to him, Alex was right she didn’t think this through. She was the one that brought Querl here and he was Kal’s friend so maybe he was looking for Kal? How did Kal know about Querl? but the worst of all these thoughts in Kara’s mind is that she had made a mess for her cousin to come and clean up for her.

When the sun started to rise Kara got ready and went down stairs to wait. When she reached the bottom of the steps to find Querl sitting there reading one of Eliza’s books.

‘he’s not here yet.’

‘I know but... I wanted to be down here when he did.’

‘then you will be pleased to know that your cousin has impeccable timing’ 

‘I know’

Querl assuming the conversation had ended then returned to his book and Kara looked at the door, then the clock it was 5:52 am so not long to go. Kara swayed in place and leaned into the lounge room, she held her shoulders with her hands and sat on the arm of the couch Querl was sitting on. she looked at the clock then at Querl. 

‘oh what the hell’ she thought

‘when did you and Kal meet?’

Querl looked up from his book.

‘We meet about 2 years ago for me, and about 13 years for him.’

‘Wow, so you know him as someone completely different.’

This confused Querl 

‘Is he or is he not Clark Kent of earth, Kal el of Krypton, Superman? or are you referring to some physiological event Kryptonan’s undergo that I am unaware of.’

Kara raised her eyebrows.

“no I mean that’s along time ago for Kal and people act really differently form when they were kids.’

‘I suppose your correct, but I guess will see in about 3 minutes or so.’

‘yeah i guess... What was he like, as a kid i mean.’

‘Well he was - is - one of a kind.’

Kara can’t help be see herself in Querl in that moment. As she was about to ask another question that had been bothering her and then it happened... a knock at the door. 

He’s here. 

Querl stood up as Kara went over to the door, she was walking to the door but she was moving so slow in her minds eye that it felt me like she was pacing on the surface of the moon. when she finally opened the door she was faced with a man in glasses, for a moment Kara’s brain did register this man as her cousin. Then again what was she expecting, him to show up to her neighbourhood in his red cape and boots. She looked up at him and he gave her a big farm boy smile. 

‘Hi, Kara.’

‘Hey Kal,’

his smile remained but his eyebrows lifted. 

‘oh umm, Clark remember.’

‘right, Clark, come in Eliza will be down soon.’    

Kara lead him in to the house as she followed behind him she noticed he was carrying a book bag that was then shortly abandoned to the floor as he head over to Querl with his arms out wide.  

‘Brainy!’

The man then wrapped, the now very small looking boy in his arms.

‘Clark, it has been some time it seems’

‘Speck for yourself you don’t look like you’ve aged a day.’

‘I will have you know i have aged, 247 days since are last meeting.’

‘well then you still haven’t hit the well needed growth spurt.’

‘or it seem’s you had one to many.’

Kara didn’t know was to make of them, she had never see Ka...Clark this way with anyone before it was strange. But Querl then seemed to have shrugged Clark off of him and placed is tips of his figures together.  

‘Clark, I need to speak with you...privately.’

Clark then looked over to Kara who was standing in the doorway.

‘Would that be ok,Kara?’

‘Yeah, I’ll go get Alex and Eliza up stairs.’

as Kara walked you the steps, she heard words like  Super hearing, Legion, Luornu and anti-matter force. when she reached the top of the stairs she saw Alex brushing her hair in the bathroom. 

‘Hey, my cousins here.’

‘Neat.’

She didn’t look away from the mirror.

‘Is Eliza up yet.’ 

‘Yeah, she be out in a sec.’

‘Ok,’

‘What.’

‘Nothing, Great Ruo’

Kara then walked over to Eliza’s room and went to knock on the door but it opened before she did.

‘Oh, Kara good morning,’

‘Morning Eliza, Clark's down stairs,’

‘right, let’s all go down, that means you to Alex’

‘Why,’

‘Because this concern everyone, including you.’

‘It won’t concern me if i stay out of it.’

‘Alex.’

‘Fine.’

They all went down stairs and made there way into the living room, as Kara heard.

‘Brainy, I’m not a kid anymore...Eliza good to see you again.’

‘You to Clark.’

‘Have you meet my friend properly yet.’

‘Yes I did when I got home last night.’

Kara grit her teeth. Clark then looked to Alex

‘Hi Alex.’

‘Hi.’

‘Ok, we have a lot to cover here so I’m just going to lay it out for everyone, ok, do you all want to sit down.’

everyone sat down as Clark remained standing. Kara noticed that Querl’s demeanor had changed to frustrated and uneasy.  

‘First off, I’d like to thank Kara for Helping Querl get somewhere safe, Secondly the ship Querl came in has been taken... by the government already, though that’s bad, the good new is they won’t know that it’s from the future, Bad new is we can’t get to it. Now luckily Querl is more then smart enough to build his own ship but he can’t just yet as the government will be looking for an alien around this area so moving him would be a mistake right now.’

‘Oh Hell no,’

‘Alex’

‘No Mom can’t you see what he’s doing, he’s dumping another one off for us to deal with because he can’t.’      

‘Alex that is enough, no one was dumped here the first time, and I would like to think that God forbid, anything like this happened to you that someone would be willing to do what i have done for your sister. Do you understand’

‘Yes Mom, Sorry Mom.’

‘Thank you, go on Clark.’

‘Ok finally and for reasons I can’t explain, I won’t be able to asset Querl after today,’

Querl put his head down in defeat. 

‘What? what do you mean you can’t help,’

‘Kara, believe me I want nothing more, but there are thing happening that I can’t interfere with no matter how much i want to.’ 

‘I thought he was your friend. Your just going to leave him like this.’

‘Yes and now i can in good conscience, knowing that I am leaving him with the people who would fight for him as hard as I would.’

Kara fell silent after that, Clark was leaving Querl here for her to help when he knew he couldn’t. He trusted her with his friend’s life. 

‘Eliza I’m sorry for doing this.’

‘Don’t be, i’m happy to help.’

Alex seemed to have reached her limit and left the room running up the stairs.

‘I wish could make things easier for Alex, but i.’

‘These things take time Clark and she a Danvers so she’s as strong as they come. On earth anyway.’

With that Clark gathered his things and went to the door Kara, Eliza and Querl followed.

‘Thank again Eliza, Kara it was good seeing you.’

Clark than looked at Querl

‘Brainy, I umm, It will be ok even if it dosen’t seem like it now. Eliza will look after you and Kara will look out for you. I know she will.’

Kara nodded. Querl lifted his head up

‘Until we meet again.’

he then put his hands behind his back and turned away and left into the house.

‘He took that about as well as I thought. l’ll be seeing you.’

and Clark went on his way.

‘Eliza, I’m sorry I brought Querl here without telling you.’

‘It’s alright Kara and this time I’m kind of glad. Who knows what would of happened to that boy if anyone else found him luckily it was just you.’

Eliza then walked into the kitchen and Kara stopped dead in her tracks, she then suddenly realised.  

OH SHIT, KENNY

.

to be continued 

[forestlingincorporated]

Joker and Robin

Alright, I promised this post.

So, the other day I was reading Robin: Year One, and I got to this panel with Joker in jail.

And it startled me a bit because I got this very vivid flashback (flash forward?) to Robin II, Joker’s Wild. 

This is almost identical concepts for panels except one is Dick and one is Tim. And well, it got me thinking... Joker really IS obsessed with Robin as much as he is obsessed with Batman. And - I mean, fuck, he doesn’t even hate Batman - he fucking HATES Robin.

[Gotham Knights 73] 

I - woah. Okay. Really FUCKING hates them. 

I can’t help thinking of Joker’s first interaction with Jason ever (though this is ginger Jason) in Batman 366. He’s... super not amused to see Batman with a new kid. 

And then... you know...

The Murder Thing. 

Actually, Under the Hood is interesting. 

Joker... kinda likes Jason, after he comes back from the dead. He's amused. He’s got this... weird fucked up family angle he’s needling Jay with. It’s almost like he thinks Jason connects him and Batman. 

Until Jason calls him on his bullshit, of course. 

[Batman and Robin 14] 

The exception to this utter hatred seems to be Damian? Whom Joker seems to view as being more like Bruce than the others... or maybe it’s like the thing with Jason post-resurrection, Damian’s not exactly a moral compass for Bruce like Dick, Tim, or (pre-death, sometimes) Jason. 

And, of course, Earth Prime has had their own take on this, delving pretty deep into the concept. 

[Nightwing 16]

Joker establishes that he hates Dick the most. Death of the Family establishes that Joker thinks Dick makes “his” Batman weak with all his love and friendship and stuff. 

[Redhood and the Outlaws 15]

Welp, there’s that “family” angle again. 

I don’t really know if it’s even worth it getting into Joker’s take in the New52 version of Tim, it’s really no where near comparable to his New Earth version, and I’m not sure what take away there is for Joker calling Tim “boring” in this universe other than it’s the writers calling Tim boring. Skip! 

Joker informs Damian that he and the rest of Bruce’s kids are a burden on Batman, that they “block out the light” he and Batman shine on each other. It’s an interesting take on Joker’s obsession with Batman. 

And, finally, in the White Knight universe, they go out an say that Joker was jealous of Jason for being “closer to Batman” than he was. 

....Yeah, that’s, that’s all I have to say on the matter. That’s just, like, a thing, I guess. 

EDIT: 

So, I didn’t really talk about Joker’s relationship to Tim very much when I wrote this. I knew he really, really hated Tim, but I didn’t have a comic handy that demonstrated that beyond their first meeting. In the interim, I found Robin 85.

Joker is critical of Dick’s initial presence, and confirms he’s always wanted Dick dead. 

He’s established, again, to LIKE Jason. Not just in personality, but as a second opportunity to kill Robin like he’s always wanted, but never got the chance to with Dick.

However, Joker also indicates that he missed having Robin around. 

But he still wasn’t happy to have Tim show up.

What Joker seems to hate most about Tim, is that Tim tends to work alone more often than the other Robins. This means when Joker starts a scheme to get Batman’s attention, sometimes Robin showed up, and only Robin. You can also see than Joker views Tim as the brainy Robin (though logically, all the Robins are smart in different ways - Tim himself just seems to recognize patterns the quickest, and is perhaps the most persistent in following small leads). 

We later see in Joker’s Last Laugh that he is so very pissed off when he is NOT the one to “kill” Tim (it’s a misunderstanding, don’t worry about it). 

At this stage, Joker seems to view the Robins as further methods to hurt Bruce. When he can’t be the one to kill Tim, he at least wants his body to show off. Then, when Nightwing shows up before Bruce, pissed and ready to kill a bitch, Joker decides that’s a better torture for Bruce than pushing Bruce himself past his code. 

[kannra21]

Heya! just for fun, whats the wildest/funniest headcanon that you have for dabi or any of your fave bhna characters? 😁

Heyy ❤️ I'm not rly good at this stuff so I decided to write some theories and hcs that I actually liked so here you go-

- Monoma and Toga are related in some way. They're not that similar so I assume that they're further relatives. However, this doesn't make Monoma a traitor. I also think that Toga should be adopted by Vlad King so he could help her with her Quirk and her obsession with blood.

- Hawks has bird traits and he shows them on accident. There are certain traits he's embarrassed of but there's also stuff that makes him feel better about himself. He's never been in a relationship bc of HPSC but he's a helpless romantic.

- Dabi drives a motorcycle. Everyone assumes that he listens to trash metal when rly he only listens to sad rock bc he's a sad man. He cries when ppl are soft with him, he rarely experiences kindness. He avoids lov bc he's afraid of getting attached; they're all meant to die at some point so he doesn't want to suffer more than what he already does.

- Kaminari is not book smart but damn if he isn't smart in other ways. He knows the labour standards act, he pulls brainy jokes, he reads books, he expresses himself nicely, he draws pretty and plays an instrument. And he's a people pleaser above everything else.

- Since Dark Shadow is technically it’s own being, we can assume that Monoma would go through various scenarios when copying Tokoyami's Quirk; 1) Dark Shadow is attracted to humble souls and therefore shall obey em. If he comes across Monoma he'd refuse him. 2) Dark Shadow accepts him but Monoma would turn emo. 3) Monoma manages to copy Dark Shadow but then they fight each other. 4) Monoma gives him apples and Dark Shadow accepts him. 5) Monoma manages to copy Dark Shadow but Dark Shadow doesn't know how to respond to him because he doesn't trust him. He knows Tokoyami since he was a kid. 6) Dark Shadow doesn't like Monoma because he can't afford him all the darkness he's so found of. 7) Monoma manages to copy Dark Shadow but then Dark Shadow goes wild and drags Monoma everywhere because he doesn't know how to control him. 8) Dark Shadow obeys Monoma but shows clear signs of discomfort. 9) Monoma can't copy Dark Shadow. 10) Dark Shadow defies Monoma's commands and gradually takes over his body like with Tokoyami in ch79. 11) Monoma copies Dark Shadow and Dark Shadow obeys him. 12) Dark Shadow controls Monoma and not the other way around. 13) Monoma falls into a shock because he copied something alive. 14) Dark Shadow consumes negative emotions from Monoma and becomes larger and stronger. 15) Can Dark Shadow drain emotions? Monoma could easily end up in a hospital or a mental institution.

- Monoma and Aoyama are good friends ever since Monoma complimented him in the light novels (BNHA Light Novel vol3, ch3).

- Bakugou has hearing problems but he's not deaf. He never let anyone enter his dorm room bc he has just as much AM merch as Deku and it's embarrassing.

- Ms. Joke is not as happy irl. She's just wearing a facade to make others happy even when she's not. + There's no way Aizawa isn't aware of it bc they share some history and we never got the exact details from Horikoshi.

- Geten would be so much cooler if he was a girl and the fandom would simp for him just like they did for Lady Nagant but no one is ready for that debate.

- Dad for one is true. He wants to possess Shigaraki and for Yoichi to possess Deku so he and his bro could continue their war with healthy and strong bodies.

- Hagakure loves body paint, especially the glowing one. Since outfits stand out on her the most, she was thinking ab pursuing her career in modeling.

- Natsuo's mouse girlfriend is secretly a badass. Look, I just want to see more girl characters in this series.

- Shigaraki would be the best boyfriend bc he never loved anything, so loving someone for the first time would make you a special person. He's v insecure ab his looks and doubts himself in whether he actually deserves you. He's the type of guy to turn from cold blooded to the most loving person. But if you ever cheat on him he won't hesitate to disintegrate you.

- Villain Deku and Toga would have Joker and Harley Quinn vibes but healthy.

- Dabi eats at Cracker Barrel. He's a common guest there and he always takes Giran's money so they wouldn't throw him out. The waitress can't believe how much bacon this mysterious man can eat.

- Hawks loves when you massage him at the base of his wings. He loves you so much for it.

- Miruko is a gamer and her and Shigaraki play together without having the slightest idea that it's actually them. One day they decided to meet each other bc they became good friends and when they stood there in Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall it was rly awkward.

- Tokoyami and Aoyama get along rly well and Aoyama paints their nails in their dorm rooms.

- Dabi is jealous bc Re-Destro supports Geten all the time and it's the same mentality except Endeavor never supported Dabi. Geten likes to tease him ab it.

- Todoroki is no.1 Yaoyorozu simp. He's not aware that it became obvious.

- Aizawa realized his dream despite Midnight not being alive anymore. He got a cat tower for his hero agency that he always wished for (Vigilantes ch65). Sushi is alive but still very old. Midnight boys (Vigilantes ch6.5) are still visiting her grave despite having different lives now.

- Fuyumi hasn't dated anyone bc Endeavor would kill them. He has the audacity to play a strict parent (BNHA Light Novel vol2, ch4) when he never looked towards Fuyumi's and Natsuo's general direction for years. He actually doesn't have anything against Hawks but if he ever called him "dad" it would give him shivers.

- We all know that Shigaraki lives from Mountain Dew, Doritos and pure spite. However, he treats Toga nicely bc he wishes he had similar relationship with Hana.

- When it's rly hot outside Hawks fluffs up his wings so he could let go of some heat. Everyone wants to pet his fluffy wings and the heat returns. Poor guy.

- Dabi called Compress "dad" at some point and he's regretting it bc Compress is now unironically calling him "son".

- Shigaraki and Spinner used to play games on the same TV which afo used to contact them and whenever he wanted to talk, the screen turned black and the guys would complain.

- Compress misses the time when Kurogiri used to be around.

- Giran is a cool uncle that has a sweet niece and he loves her v much but bc he's a bad guy working with the bad guys, he's not visiting anymore but sends her nice gifts.

- Yaoyorozu family owns a weapon company bc this is the only explanation why she knows how to create a canon.

- Jirou and her dad play guitars and sing in their music studio whenever Jirou feels off. Her dad is a dork and he always makes her smile. Jirou has the best dad.

- Kaminari's mom is a hero (Heroes Rising movie).

[i-writes-things]

Ok about Supergirl finale I have to rant about season 6

SUPERGIRL SEASON 6 SPOILERS below

I CANT I CANT THEY SHOVED SO MUCH INTO THAT LAST EPISODE

AND MON-EL WAS LIKE HI OK BYE but they were friends and not lovers LIKE WHAT 😃and that makes me mad

but also if Brainy LITERALLY SAID NO to being with the big brain why does mon-el need to go back??? WHY DID THEY MAKE UP THAT EXCUSE FOR HIM

Kara and Mon-el literally are soulmates but they said no.

I was glad we got to see Cat Grant and I am happy for Kara and the fact that she got some peace with finally being able to not have to lie about who she is

OK OK OK wait ANDREA DOES NOT KNOW KARA IS SUPERGIRL right? RIGHT???

WHEN DID THEY TELL HER?? Because I don't remember that happening lol

AND THEY WORKED THE WHOLE SEASON for Lex to just defeat his own ass. It was a horrible fight like everyone was ready and then Nope Nope but if they fought them in that episode then they could have another The last one with domestic supergirl But its ok its ok

And the whoke season was just a step down, I mean THEY BROUGHT Lex back and he has been the villian for at least 2 seasons before

i know i know I am really dissing on Supergirl season 6

I mean They wrapped up everyone's stories great, really but there was just something about it

AND OMG OMG season 6 for William went from Him and Kara slow burn(heard that before the show was cancelled) to LITERALLY DYING

ok but ESME IS SO CUTE, and I am very very happy that Alex finally gets to be a mom!!

Back to Nxyly(idk how to spell it) SHE IS A HORRIBLE VILLIAN(she is just annoying) AND HER HANGING AROUND IN NIA'S DREAM WERE SO WEIRD

Also what was Lena's hair do's Like Every episode I would look to see what Lena's hair would look like never and I think we have a confirmation that she is goth.

I also feel like they rushed them adopting? Esme and getting married all into one season but they did a good job

Everything was just rushed which is what was always happening but WHEN THEY BROUGHT CAT GRANT BACKKKK

Bro I did not see her snorkeling to save the turtles but its Ms. Grant you never know

I AM SO HAPPY SHE BOUGHT CATCO BACK AND KARA I CANT BELIEVE SHE REALLY TOOK HER GLASSES OFF

omg omg

I just realized we are never, ever gonna see something new, not a new episode, no more new seasons

I mean since I was like 11 I would wait each year til it came out on Netflix to watch it, kinda that annual thing that forgot about until it was time to watch the next season

I remember I would watched Supergirl on repeat a few years back

Supergirl was my first favorite female hero

I am gonna miss her so much

I really wanna meet Melissa Benoist

Ok so I don't care you are able to get to see my top 5 I think maybe 6 female actress I wanna meet and why

1. Melissa Benoist-(Supergirl) Because she made me first wanna be an actress and two because she was there when not many people were(well just the show but I look put to her)

2. Emma Watson-(Hermione) We have the same name and Hermione showed me that even if you are born regular(muggle), extraordinary things can still happen to you, and the Harry Potter Books got me through my rough Middle School years

3. Daisy Ridley-(Rey Skywalker) She made me love Starwars and its weird because I can't remember what it was like before I watched it Also side note I went and saw The Rise of Skywalker first. That was my first Starwars movie. I know I know and then I went and watched 4 times total in the theater I loved it, and I remember before the first time seeing it I watched the last 15 minutes of the movie before to get a jist of what was happening and yeah

4. Elizabeth Olsen/Scarlett Johansson- (Wanda and Natasha) Funny enough I didn't really get into Marvel til the beginning of 2021, stupidly the first movie I watched was in 2019 Endgame, again, I know I know but I remember I was crying. I cried. I did, it happened and I only remember seeing it back then bc Oh well its the last one(i didn't know it totally wasn't) I might as well go see it. But then my friend beggged me to watch WandaVision and I got hooked, watched all the movies in a week sitting in my bed and then BOOM here we are. I was obsessed with Wanda at First and don't really remember when but Natasha just was my favorite I mean love them both but yeah.



[xerxia31]

the Big Bang - an Everlark ficlet

Inspired by a story I read on CNN, that I couldn’t get out of my head. A warning - there are shades of dub-con here that may be disturbing to some readers. Rated M.

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

Peeta Mellark was fit to be tied.

“I don’t know what you want me to say here, boy,” Haymitch drawled. “You knew where these characters were heading when you signed on.”

“Come on, Haymitch,” Peeta growled. He was standing in Haymitch Abernathy’s office, holding the week’s script while Haymitch, head writer and executive producer of the hit series The Arena, in which Peeta starred, stared at him from under a mop of greasy, overlong hair. Until now, Peeta had loved working on the show, loved the ensemble cast, loved the interesting storylines and well-written scripts.

But not today.

“They’ve been growing together slowly for three damned seasons and now, this week, bam!” Peeta clapped his hands for emphasis, “out of nowhere you have three fucking sex scenes in the script.” For three seasons the show had been teasing a relationship between the character Peeta played, macho FBI agent Barley St James, and his shy, brainy colleague, Allium Winterland. It was a fantastic story, well paced, the dialogue between them always fun. Nearly three years they’d been teasing the audience with it.

And now this week’s script turned everything on it’s head. “You’re just screwing with us.” There was no way the timing was coincidental. Because the actress who played Allium, the actress he’d be stripping down to his skivvies and dry-humping with on national television? She was none other than his now-ex-girlfriend.

Haymitch glanced away. Peeta thought it was in shame until Haymitch spoke.

“You might as well come in, Sweetheart,” Haymitch said, and Peeta spun to look behind him. “We were talking about you.”

Katniss Everdeen was standing just outside Haymitch’s open door. It was the first time Peeta had laid eyes on her in the flesh in two weeks. Two fucking weeks! He hadn’t seen her since the night she walked out of their house.

He knew where she’d gone though, the whole fucking world did. All of the gossip rags, and even the more reputable news sites, were reporting how her on again off again affair with one Gale Hawthorne, star of multiple movie franchises and People magazine’s sexiest man alive 2018, was definitely on again. 

“Story of my life,” Katniss muttered as she walked the rest of the way through the door, schooling her expression into a dispassionate scowl as she did. Peeta had no idea why she went into acting, he could read her every emotion through the impassive mask. He always could. Today was no exception, her mask might be in place, but her eyes were flashing with fury, and something that looked suspiciously like hurt.

She didn’t acknowledge Peeta at all, striding into the room on silent feet and stopping a solid six feet away. Her arms were crossed protectively over her chest, but her copy of the script was clenched in one fist. No doubt she’d been planning on storming in here to blast Haymitch. But Peeta beat her to it.

“Save your breath, Sweetheart,” Haymitch said. “Like I told the boy, you knew this was coming.”

“It’s fine,” she said, shooting a cool look in Peeta’s direction. “I’m a professional.” Then she turned, and strutted back out the door, back straight, long, black braid swinging. He could only watch, jaw clenched.

“Brrr,” Haymitch said. “You two have got a lot of warming up to do before showtime.” He was right, of course, and Peeta knew it. The audience would be expecting a pair of lovebirds. Not two people who could barely look each other in the eye.

“Whatever,” Peeta grunted. She wanted to play it that way? He could be cold too.

o-o-o

The table read went smooth as silk. Katniss sat on one side of the room, chatting lightly with their costar Delly Cartwright between scenes, Peeta sat on the other, joking with Cressida Faulkner, who was directing that week’s episode. Most of the cast had no clue Peeta and Katniss had broken up, because most of them never knew they’d been an item at all. Haymitch had figured it out somehow, clearly, but none of the other cast noticed anything was amiss. 

The following day’s rehearsal, not so much. Rehearsals were always in costume and filmed, so that the production team could splice in any good bits that came out of them. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence in TV, especially in a weekly series where time was tight. Peeta was used to it.

His first few scenes were fine, his lines came easily, he hit every mark. Then came the first scene he and Katniss shared that week, the one that led up to the first of the three fucking sex scenes. 

She walked onto the set, and Peeta’s heart did a slow tumble in his chest. She was utterly beautiful, her hair loose and flowing, and wearing a dress patterned with autumn leaves. Soft orange, his favourite colour.

The colour of heartbreak.

They both stumbled through their lines, avoiding each other's eyes, interacting stiffing and unnaturally. Cressida halted the scene over and over again. It was a huge drag on the rest of the cast, slowing down everything.

Peeta’s only solace was that Katniss looked as miserable as he felt.

Peeta left as soon as rehearsal ended and headed for the gym. The call sheet had them both in an evening meeting at the studio, and he was going to need to work off some steam before he faced her again.

He should have asked, though, what the meeting was about. Because when he got back to the studio he found Katniss, dressed in leggings and a tiny little tank top, her face bare and so pretty, sitting cross-legged on a gym mat and chatting with a willowy brunette who gave off crunchy granola vibes. “Did I miss the memo about mandatory yoga?” he drawled. 

Katniss scowled, but the brunette smiled beatifically. “Hello Mr. Mellark,” she said softly, her voice like windchimes, musical and irritating. “I’m Annie Cresta, your intimacy coordinator.”

Peeta was too confused to make a joke. “My what now?”

Annie laughed. “Intimacy coordinator,” she repeated. “It’s my job to choreograph simulated sex scenes for actors.”

“I think we know how sex works,” Peeta grumbled, and Katniss flushed, obvious without the stage makeup caked on her skin, then looked down at her lap. But Annie was undeterred.

“Of course,” she said gently. “But it’s about more than just choreography. It’s about helping you both to be comfortable, about navigating respect and consent and keeping the set safe.”

Peeta had heard about this, once before maybe, in the wake of the #metoo movement. But he’d never worked with one before. Katniss must have requested it. Figured she couldn’t even trust him to be a professional on the set. “With all due respect, Ms. Cresta,” Peeta said. “I don’t think we need this. We’ve both filmed scenes like this before.” Not with each other, but that was a minor point.

Katniss, to his surprise, looked inclined to agree. Annie just smiled.

“Not negotiable, I’m afraid,” she said. “All of Panem Entertainment’s productions must have an intimacy coordinator on set.” Peeta frowned, they were in the third season of filming, he’d never seen Annie before. As if reading his mind, she nodded. “I worked with Thresh Watts and Rue Lamonte last year.” That scene had been filmed on a closed set, Peeta had seen the finished product, but not any of the lead-up, and it hadn’t occurred to him at the time to ask about it.

Peeta sighed, and resigned himself to having a stranger teach him how to have fake sex with his real ex-girlfriend.

“Have a seat,” Annie said, indicating the mat beside Katniss. Peeta gritted his teeth, but he sat, his knee brushing hers.

She didn’t react.

“Now,” Annie said. “Communication is key.” Peeta snorted, and Katniss scowled at him. Communication. With the woman who had spoken a single word to him in the past 15 days. Sure. "The most important thing is that the people involved feel safe.”

“Why would we feel unsafe?” Peeta interrupted. There was a Cubs game on TV tonight, he’d rather be watching that.

Annie was unperturbed. “You're revealing a lot in a scene, you're going to places where you're vulnerable, and that requires an awful lot of trust," she said, looking pointedly between Peeta and Katniss. He wondered with some annoyance just how much Katniss had revealed to Annie about their situation before he’d walked in. “I have the script, and an outline of how your director wants it to look. But you two will need to talk with each other and with me and say, 'What are you comfortable with? What are you not comfortable with?'”

“I don’t want kissing,” Katniss blurted, then flushed again. “I mean,” she amended, “I’m not sure I can concentrate on both that and lines and choreography.” Peeta knew that was bullshit, in three seasons he could count on one hand the number of times Katniss had forgotten a line or missed a mark. 

She just didn’t want to kiss him. And it stung. 

Annie nodded. “We can work around that,” she said. “There will need to be some close up shots of you kissing, but they can be filmed separately from the simulated sex.”

Great, Peeta thought. Their characters had kissed a lot over the past three seasons, but that had been easy. They were both professionals, and kissing Katniss for the camera had been no big deal. Fun, even, in a comfortable, familiar way. Never sexual, there was always too much lipstick and stage makeup to worry about for there ever to be more than a peck. But steady, and comforting.

He doubted it’d be like that now. Or ever again.

“Let’s start with directorial expectations,” Annie began. “I’ve been given a timeline for the scenes and an outline of the specific angles that are expected. The most challenging part, from an intimacy perspective, is likely to be the third, which will be shot side angle with you, Peeta, on top of Katniss and no sheets to shield anything. We’ll have to block arms and leg placements carefully, and it’s likely you’ll both feel very vulnerable.”

Peeta didn’t see how that would be difficult, yet when Annie positioned him kneeling between Katniss’s thighs, a ridiculous little brocade cushion between their bodies, it was incredibly awkward. Katniss couldn’t hide in this position, with their faces only inches apart, and he couldn’t ignore, looking into her silver eyes, just how much he’d lost.

Two hours of rolling around on the floor, blocking arm and hand and leg movements sucked any sexy out of the scene. It felt robotic and contrived and awkward as hell. Katniss, for her part, looked fucking miserable. “Well,” Annie said finally. “I’m sensing some discomfort, so I think we should close for the evening.”

Peeta rolled onto his back on the mat and stared at the ceiling. Why was this so fucking hard? He was an actor, for god’s sake. He’d filmed sex scenes before, and none of them felt this shitty.

“I think we could do with a couple more rehearsals,” Annie said. “I’ll ask Cressida to schedule some.” Just fucking great, Peeta thought.

Annie floated away like an ethereal being. Katniss hung back, maybe to talk with him, maybe just to avoid Annie. But he wasn’t in the mood. He’d been subjected to her stony silences for two days, his heart hurt and his pride was dented and he just needed to get out and lick his wounds.

“Peeta,” Katniss said softly. Peeta held up his hand.

“Not now,” was all he said.

She scowled. “You don’t even know what I was going to say.”

Peeta almost leapt to his feet, his exhaustion morphing into rage. “Look, you haven’t said a damned word to me in weeks, you haven’t even come home for your things, and now you want to talk?” Peeta spat, cringing internally at his use of the word home to describe the house where they’d been living together until two weeks ago.

Katniss looked puzzled, under all of that anger. “Jo said you threw everything away.” Johanna Mason was a mutual… well... not quite friend. Peeta had often accompanied her to awards shows, in the early days of her career when she was concerned that if it got out that she preferred women, it would stop her from getting leading lady roles. She didn’t need to worry about that anymore, she was a bonafide A-lister these days, and her relationship with an adorably bubbly talk show host was in every magazine. But Jo generally had her own unknowable agenda and sometimes she liked to stir up shit just for fun. 

“You think I’d do that?” he asked, voice deceptively soft. He might have thought about it, fantasized about it really, when he found out who she was staying with. But he had more dignity than that, and she damned well should know it.

In fact, everything was exactly as she’d left it when she stomped out of their home, out of his life, 15 days ago. Her toothbrush was beside the bathroom sink, her favourite sweater on her favourite chair. A shabby silver-framed picture of her parents nestled between their awards. All of the homey pieces of her life, all of her simple treasures, abandoned. 

Katniss shrugged, like she didn’t care, like his worth, his honour, the life they’d built together, was inconsequential, and it just pissed Peeta off more. He hated her ice princess routine, hated how fucking above it all she was. She’d always been good at freezing him out, at making him chase her, but no more. He didn’t have to put up with her stone cold shit.

“Get you crap or I will toss it,” he seethed, walking away. She didn’t call after him, but then she never did.

o-o-o

Haymitch dropped two of the three sex scenes from the script. Peeta should have been relieved, he was relieved. But he also felt sick about it. Like he was destroying his career.

The tension on set was obvious and palpable now, and he knew it looked like he was the cause. Katniss, always quiet, remained quiet. But Peeta couldn’t fake it, once the cameras stopped. Cold didn’t come naturally to him, and too often he veered into mean and snappish. 

He had to figure out a way to get past this, to get past his anger, his hurt, and work with Katniss again. But he had no idea how.

Peeta leaned back in his favourite club chair, in the cozy den at the back of his house, and allowed himself to relive that day, the day it had all come crashing down. Until then, he’d thought he had it all, had the world in the palm of his hand. A great job, a comfortable home and the most radiant woman in the world in his bed every night. 

Katniss Everdeen had been a child star on a hugely popular sitcom. He knew her only by name when she showed up to screen test with him. He’d been expecting a cute little moppet. Instead, she was a silver-eyed stunner. And right off the bat, he was a goner.

They clicked, in almost every way. Working together was a joy, chatting together between takes a delight. He loved her intelligence and wry sense of humour. They moved from friends to more at breakneck speed, but it never felt too fast.

She was insistent that they keep a lid on their relationship, even when they eventually moved in together. He understood it, her previous relationship, also with a costar, had been documented to death, she’d been hounded and harassed by the paparazzi constantly, even now they followed her everywhere. He didn’t love keeping them a secret, but he loved Katniss, so he acquiesced. 

And that day, the day it all fell apart? It was supposed to be a good day, a great day. The first day of their two-week mid-season filming break. They had grand plans to do nothing but each other. Peeta had run a few errands, then stopped by his agent’s office to sign a couple of endorsement contracts.

That’s when the shit started.

“I figured you’d want to hear it from me first,” Finnick Odair, the best agent in the business, said with a grimace. He handed Peeta a tablet. Loaded up was the National Enquirer, his mother’s smirking face beside a promotional shot of Peeta and Katniss, and the headline, ‘It’s Real’. His fucking mother had struck again. It wasn’t the first time she’d sold Peeta out to the tabloids.

“Shit,” Peeta murmured. Not because the headline wasn’t true, it was. But Katniss guarded her privacy with clenched fists, and for two years, they’d barely let anyone in on their secret. Finn knew, but he was very discreet and like he’d said when Peeta had first hired him, he couldn’t protect Peeta unless he knew all of his secrets.

“She’s going to be pissed, huh?” Finn said sympathetically.

He didn’t know the half of it.

Peeta was in a foul temper and all he wanted was his quiet house and a couple of fingers of scotch before he had to deal with Katniss, who was sure to be furious. But no, he wouldn’t even get that. Because Rye was standing at his front door when he arrived home. Peeta groaned, and parked in front of the house, instead of pulling into the garage, where the door he generally entered by was. They’d chosen this place because the gated community was supposed to offer them more privacy and security. He was going to have to talk with the guard at the gate again. Just because Rye looked like his brother didn’t mean Peeta wanted him here. 

“Peet,” Rye said genially as Peeta unlocked the seldom-used front door. 

“What do you want, Rye?” Peeta really had no time for his brother’s bullshit, not that day of all days, and he hadn’t bothered hiding his annoyance.

“I can’t just pop by to see my little brother?” Rye never came by unless he wanted something. Often it was money. Rye seldom worked, preferring to live off his association with Peeta There were a lot of people in LA who would wine and dine the families of celebrities, looking for an in. Rye had brought him a few abominable scripts over the years from people who’d promised him a big finders fee if he could get Peeta to sign on.

“Cut to the chase, Rye,” Peeta said impatiently. There was a small liquor cabinet in the living room closest to the front door. Not that they ever lived in this room. It was only for show, the place where outsiders were held, away from the parts of the house where they actually did their living.

“Fine,” Rye laughed. “Tell me it isn’t true, little brother,” he said. There was no point pretending Peeta didn’t know what he was talking about. Rye was a terrible gossip hound. Peeta shook his head. “Thank god,” Rye said. “You can do so much better than that. She’s not very big, and definitely not hot.” 

Peeta sighed. Rye’s taste in women only included girls who fawned all over him. Katniss would never make that list. 

“Where did Mom come up with that idea anyway?” Rye asked, eyeing the single glass Peeta poured with interest. Peeta was not going to offer him a drink. He wasn’t going to do anything that suggested Rye was welcome to stay. “It’s pretty fucking crazy, even for her.”

“I don’t know,” Peeta grumbled. He knew exactly where. She must have listened in on one of Peeta’s calls with his father. His dad was his best friend, Peeta just couldn’t keep secrets from him. But the old man wasn’t always careful when he talked to Peeta.

“Katniss Everdeen. As fucking if. You have much better taste than that,” Rye laughed. “Remember that chick you were with a couple of years ago? The one who was in Playboy?”

“Cashmere Solomon,” Peeta muttered half under his breath. He’s gone out with her twice, and she’d been a nightmare, only interested in what he could do for her celebrity.

“She was hot,” Rye nodded. “I hooked up with her, after.” That was more than Peeta needed to know.

“Look,” Peeta started, an attempt to get rid of Rye, to get back to his plans for a few quiet minutes before Katniss got home and he’d have to have another, very different conversation on this topic.

“Mom’s a mental case,” Rye interrupted. “Like you’d ever stoop low enough to fuck that Everdeen chick. Stuck up little bitch like that? You’ve got more pride.”

“Are we done?” Peeta was bone weary, and not at all in the mood to listen to one of his brother’s diatribes. “I’ve got a lot of stuff to do tonight.”

“Right, right,” Rye said. Peeta didn’t give a damn whether his brother believed him or not. He started to guide Rye back to the entryway. “I don’t know how Hawthorne puts up with her, “ Rye said. “Rumour has it she’s completely frigid.”

Peeta laughed, he couldn’t help it. Katniss was the furthest thing in the world from frigid, she was a live wire in bed, far and away the best sex of his life. And she had broken up with Gale Hawthorne some four years earlier, but the media still wrote about them as if they were just taking a break.

“Listen,” Rye said, though Peeta was already shepherding him towards the door. “I know this girl, Glimmer her name is. Tits for miles! She’s working on a pilot.” Working on a pilot was LA code for unemployed. “She’s so hot,” Rye continued, oblivious to Peeta’s irritation, “spend a little time with her, I’ll get my pap friend to follow you. That’ll make the Enquirer story go away. Kill any hint of association with that little piece of work.”

“Bye, Rye, Peeta said, pushing his brother through the door.

“Call me,” Rye said, and Peeta slammed the door in his face, flipping the bolt. Idiot. He exhaled slowly, then turned.

Katniss was standing behind him. Shit. How much of Rye’s crap had she heard?

“How could you let him talk about me that way,” she asked, her voice low and dangerous.

Peeta cringed. Evidently most of it. “What was I supposed to say? You don’t want him to know we’re together.”

“We have to be together for you to defend me?” Katniss asked, incredulous. “Women are only worth defending if you’re fucking them?”

Peeta rolled his eyes. “Don’t give me that bullshit,” he said. “You know I’m not like that.”

“Do I?” Katniss was pacing, little mincing steps that would fit on a pie plate. “Sure as hell didn’t sound like it.”

“What was I supposed to say?” Peeta was yelling. He flung his arms wide, expensive scotch sloshed over the edge of his glass, splashed his watch. Just great.

“How about ‘Katniss isn’t a stuck up little bitch’ for starters?”

“Jesus, Katniss, why do you even care? You know he’s an asshole.”

“He said awful things about me, in my own home, and you just stood there and nodded, like you agreed,” Katniss snapped. “That was a total dick move.”

“Well excuse-fucking-me,” Peeta said, “but it’s not even your house.” She lived there, but the lease was in his name. Her official address was an empty condo in Van Nuys, so that people wouldn’t figure out they were shacked up together. He hated the cloak and dagger bullshit, but she’d insisted.

Katniss froze, face twisted in disgust. “You’re right,” she said quietly. “It’s not.”

Before Peeta even had a chance to respond, the door was slamming behind her.

Peeta knew, even before she’d gotten to her car, that he was wrong. But he was angry, angry with his mother, angry with his brother, and pissed as hell that Katniss insisted on hiding, like he was some dirty secret instead of the man she’d been dating for two years.

She didn’t come home that evening. Peeta wasn’t completely surprised. It wasn’t the first time she’d frozen him out. He’d give her the night, then apologize in the morning.

But when morning came, his phone had blown up with texts. TMZ was running a spread of pictures, grainy and obviously through a long lens. Katniss, standing on a balcony, and not alone. With her was Gale-fucking-Hawthorne, her ex. She was locked in his embrace wearing only a robe, while he was in boxers. The gossip sites were having a field day, former lovers reunited.

Peeta, still in bed, dialed his phone. She answered on the second ring, voice hoarse. “Are you with Gale?” Peeta asked with no preamble.

There was the slightest of pauses. “Yes,” Katniss said.

“You couldn’t fucking wait to go rushing back to his bed?” Peeta yelled. “Or maybe you never really left?”

The line died in his hand. It was the last time they’d spoken, until now.

o-o-o

Katniss made no further attempt to talk to Peeta, outside of what they said on the soundstage. She’d doubled down on the ice princess routine, speaking to him in cold, overly formal tones when the cameras weren’t rolling.

 Working with Annie Cresta hadn’t gotten any better either, but at least they’d managed to memorise a routine—hand here, thigh there, twist this way, arch like that. Annie insisted it would look a lot more natural than it felt. Peeta wasn’t convinced, but he didn’t care. He just wanted the thing done.

The scene was set for late afternoon, after the rest of principal photography was done for the episode and the lion’s share of cast and crew had left. “Saving the best for last,” Cressida chirped, but no one really believed that.

Katniss had a rider in her contract specifying no nudity, Peeta knew that. He hadn’t bothered with one himself, he didn’t care who saw him, but Katniss had always been uncomfortable baring everything. In other scenes, the production sometimes used a body double for Katniss. But this scene, the scene, would be her and him, on a bed, doing choreographed dry humping. It had to be her, there wasn’t any other choice.

Haymitch wasn’t on set, something Peeta suspected was Katniss’s doing, but he appreciated it. The crew was at a bare minimum, to make it easier for the actors, but it was still a lot of people. Cressida was directing, busily setting up the scene. Two female grips he’d never met before were behind the stationary cameras, two of his favourite camera guys—Castor and Pollox—had the handhelds. Two more grips had the boom mics, a gaffer adjusted the lights, and a set designer, Octavia, was fussing over the bedding, rumpling it in an artistic way that Peeta knew from rehearsal would last about twelve seconds before they destroyed it. Annie, strangely, was nowhere to be seen. He’d thought that, as their intimacy coordinator, she’d be there to coach when they actually filmed. Apparently not.

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Cressida called out, affecting a carefree tone. Peeta knew it was an act, an attempt to get all of them to relax. The antagonism and animosity between the two leads wasn’t exactly a secret, not anymore, and the mood on the small soundstage was tense. No one was looking forward to this.

Katniss had seen him naked a thousand times, had touched and stroked and tasted every inch of his body. Still, it was strange, even on a closed set, to be standing in front of her wearing nothing but a sock tied to his dick. She was clutching the edges of her pink silk robe so tightly her knuckles were white, and looking everywhere but at him.

Cinna approached and helped Katniss out of her robe, careful not to disrupt the cascade of windblown curls Peeta knew had likely taken an hour and several cans of product to achieve. Katniss’s hair was naturally pin straight, yet they were always curling it in the show, and she hated it. So focussed was Peeta on her hair that he didn’t notice what she was wearing until Cinna stepped away, leaving Katniss standing beside the bed in a pair of pasties and an adhesive pad that covered her pubic hair and not much else. Peeta couldn’t help but stare. It was far less than he was expecting, Annie had told him Katniss would be wearing a pair of flesh coloured panties and a little tube top over her boobs. “The sides of her underwear showed in the test shots,” Castor muttered in his ear. “Haymitch insisted on that instead.”

For half a minute, Peeta felt really bad for Katniss, knowing her discomfort, knowing what it was costing her to stand under the lights and in front of so many people wearing little more than three bandaids. But then she sighed, and barked, “can we just get this over with?” and any sympathy Peeta felt for her evaporated like spring snow.

The scene opened with them both on the bed. They’d practiced the routine, both on floor mats and on a set bed. But in rehearsal, they’d been clothed, pillows between them to minimise contact.

No longer.

Now, they were essentially naked, skin pressed to skin, staring wide-eyed at each other. She was so soft under him, fit him so perfectly. Her breath—sharp, nervous little pants—caressed his jaw, his throat. Her hands, small but so much stronger than they looked, clutched at this back.

His dick twitched and hardened, he couldn’t fucking help it. They’d fucked a thousand times over the previous two years, he’d always been insanely attracted to her. His dick didn’t know that this time it wasn’t real. He clenched his teeth and kept going. There was no way, positioned as they were, to prevent her from feeling it. 

Katniss smirked at him, just a fleeting little hint of amusement, but coupled with his embarrassment at getting turned on when the ice fucking queen clearly felt nothing it was too much. Rage flooded his veins like venom. He sneered down at Katniss, uncaring if the handycam caught his expression. Then he deliberately rocked against her, rubbing his hard cock against her core, only a little strip of fabric and a glorified sock between them. 

Her breath caught, a choked little sound. 

“Like that, princess?” he spat, lowering his mouth to her ear. “You like knowing that you can still get me hot?”

She moaned softly. It just made him angrier. Was she acting, or actually responding? Was she thinking about Gale while he was grinding against her? Had she always been thinking about him?

The few lines he was supposed to say flew out of his head. “Does your boyfriend get you hot like this?” he groaned instead, anger and lust combining. “Do you moan for him like you did for me?” Her hands, which had been moving through the choreography much more fluidly than in rehearsal suddenly froze. “Does he fill you up as good as I did?”

“Peeta,” Katniss whispered, a hint of warning in her tone. But he was too mad. Mad and heartsick and wildly turned on, it was a potent brew. He couldn’t stop. He ground harder against her, his chest rasping against her breasts, bare but for a pair of stickers. He nipped at her earlobe with sharp teeth, and her gasp was loud over his harsh breaths.

“Do you melt for him, ice princess?” She said nothing, but he didn’t care. He angled his hips and thrust hard, the way he knew she liked. He rocked over and over again, forgetting about the others in the room, lost in Katniss, however fake it might be.

“Do you want to give them a show,” he growled against her throat. “Take off the guard? One last fuck, for old times sake?”

“Stop,” she said, so faintly it was barely a breath. “Please.” Peeta pulled back. Beneath him, Katniss’s eyes were screwed tightly shut, tears leaking from the corners. The anger rushed away, leaving him horrified and utterly ashamed. 

He rolled away and climbed off the bed. “Need a break,” he grunted. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Katniss had curled onto her side, facing away, naked and vulnerable. The need to comfort her battled with the sick feeling in his gut over how cruel he’d been. How completely unlike himself.

Cressida called out to him, but he didn’t want to hear whatever she was going to say. Couldn’t stay another minute on that set.

He pushed past Castor who was staring open-mouthed, the camera on his shoulder still blinking as it ran, and stomped to his dressing room. There, he sank into a chair, the leather sticking to his bare ass. He pulled the modesty bag off his now-deflated cock and dropped his head into his hands.

How had it gotten to this?

How had he gotten to the point where he was tormenting the woman he loved more than life with fake sex on their job site? Bullying her to tears in front of their crew. 

He was disgusted with himself. That wasn’t who he was.

He needed to go to Katniss and apologise, for more than just the scene. 

Fifteen minutes later, he’d calmed down and thrown on sweats. Katniss’s dressing room door was closed, but he knew she wasn’t in there. He walked past the small set and the little office Annie had used, but he knew she wouldn’t be there either.

Down the hall, past craft services stood the door to the electrical room. It was never locked. Peeta pushed inside. Past all of the clutter and detritus of broken light stands and boxes of cables was another door, narrow and unmarked. A steep set of metal stairs lay beyond it, and at the top a door he had to duck to walk through.

Then he was standing on the roof, a soft Burbank breeze ruffling his hair.

It wasn’t anything special, this part of the roof, gravel-topped and housing the building’s HVAC system. But it was their spot, a place no one else ever went. A place they could find some measure of solitude in the midst of a busy studio. No one ever disturbed them up here.

Katniss was sitting on the low ledge that bisected the roof, wrapped in a robe, her pink silk clad back to him. He knew she must have heard his approach, the gravel beneath him crunched with every step. But she didn’t move, didn’t react as he straddled the cement to lower himself beside her.

She didn’t turn towards him, but she didn’t need to. Her profile said everything: smudged makeup, red nose, puffy eyes. The breeze caught loose tendrils of her hair, blowing them around her face but she was still and silent save for her uneven breaths. An island in a tempest. Her eyes remained fixed on the horizon, past the endless parking lots and low studio buildings to where the sun was sinking low, bathing the sky in soft orange. Her silence wasn’t icy tonight. Pain radiated from every line, every curve.

“I’m sorry,” Peeta started. Katniss nodded, her posture otherwise unchanged. “I was a complete dick in there, and you didn’t deserve any of that. It was inexcusable.” He took a deep breath, steeling himself. “I don’t want to go on like this. Making out for the cameras, then ignoring each other when they’re off. I was hoping that if I stopped being so, you know, wounded, we could take a shot at being friends?” It would certainly make their jobs a lot easier.

“I’ve never slept with Gale,” she said softly, and Peeta startled. That wasn’t even possible. She’d run right back to him, was living with him again.

As if reading his mind, Katniss continued. “He’s been a good friend to me, a brother in some ways. But we’ve never had a physical relationship.”

“Bullshit,” Peeta sputtered, conciliatory tone gone. “You were with him for years.”

Katniss glanced at him then, a half smirk twisting her lips. “You were with Johanna for years too,” she said.

“You know that wasn’t real. And Gale isn’t gay.”

Katniss shrugged, and turned back to the horizon. 

Peeta continued to watch her. He knew all of her expressions, her every tell. She wasn’t lying.

“Why,” he started, then stopped. That wasn’t the question he really needed an answer to. “You let me think you were together.”

“Maybe I wanted to hurt you,” she whispered. “Like you hurt me.”

Mission accomplished, he thought. He’d been in fucking agony since he saw the TMZ pictures, and the ones that followed; Katniss and Gale riding in his convertible, Katniss and Gale leaving a trendy LA cafe, Katniss and Gale sipping wine on the balcony of his oceanfront estate. It had been a form of masochism, adding her name to his news alerts and reading the day's gossip about her blossoming relationship with Gale Hawthorne.

Could it really have all been fake?

Katniss and Gale had been on the same sitcom as children, had played cousins. So when, years later, they moved in together, of course everyone assumed they were together. They’d certainly never done anything to contradict it.

“You never mentioned that before,” Peeta said quietly. Not that Gale’s name had come up often in their time together, but they’d talked about past relationships, and she’d never said that Gale had been nothing more than a friend. She’d really never said anything about her years with Gale, and that had always made Peeta insecure, wondering if she’d still harboured feelings for him. If she kept their relationship a secret not from the world, but from Gale Hawthorne. Katniss shrugged.

“I didn’t think it would matter. You’re in the business, you know how often dating is just for show.”

He did. But he’d been upfront with Katniss about Jo, he’d never let her think there was anything there. That she hadn’t given him the same respect, hadn’t trusted him, was gutting.

“He kissed me, once,” Katniss said, and Peeta’s stomach clenched in inappropriate jealousy. “I was seventeen. It was the summer after we’d both finished filming Seam Street, but before he got his big break on that superhero movie. Back when we thought we might still be normal.” She was smiling sadly, lost in the moment. “We both gagged,” she continued, and Peeta’s eyes nearly popped out of his head. Katniss laughed softly, but it wasn’t at Peeta. It was at whatever she was remembering. “All of those childhood friends to lovers tropes, it definitely wasn’t like that for me and Gale. Kissing him was…” Katniss trailed off, shuddering. “I love Gale, he’s mine, I’m his. But not like that.

“But it didn’t matter. Once the media decided we were together, they invented stories. Every time we went anywhere together, they took pictures and manipulated them to fit whatever story they’d decided to write about us that week.” Katniss sighed, and rubbed her eyes. “We couldn’t have a life, outside of each other. Anytime either of us was seen with another person, the tabloids went crazy. I got my own place, tried to put some distance there. But it didn’t stop.

“And after he started dating Claudia, it all got worse,” she said. “The media, and fans who decided that he and I belonged together, they couldn’t let it go. They hounded her incessantly, called her a homewrecker and things far worse. Trolled her on social media, harassed her family, and anything either of us tried to get them to back off only made things worse. When she finally broke things off with him, he blamed me, at least a bit.” She paused, and sniffled. “It’s why we’ve barely talked over the past few years. First because it bothered Claudia, and then because Gale was so pissed off. It came close to destroying our friendship.”

Peeta sat in stunned silence as realisation washed over him. “That’s why you wanted to keep us a secret,” he said. “You were protecting me.” 

“Private,” she said. “Not secret. And that’s what you and I do, protect each other. Or did,” she added softly. 

But he hadn’t protected her. Not on the set, and not from his brother’s vitriol.

“I’m sorry,” Peeta said. “I shouldn’t have let Rye talk shit about you. And I shouldn’t have been all defensive when you rightly called me on it.”

She nodded again, but didn’t turn towards him. And he didn’t know how to bridge the gulf. He’d been wrong, on so many levels. But she hadn’t trusted him, and still didn’t. She could have eased so many of his insecurities just by being honest. But she hadn’t.

He wanted to fix things. He wanted to be with her again, this time with more openness and honesty. To build a better relationship, one they both deserved. He wasn’t sure if it was possible with so much hurt between them. But he wanted to try. He just needed to get Katniss on the same page, and he knew from experience that wasn’t likely to be easy. 

“We should go back,” Peeta said what felt like an hour later. The sun was almost gone, and though the air still held the perpetual California heat, Katniss was shivering in the breeze. “I’m done being a wounded prick, I promise.”

Katniss turned to him, finally. She still looked so sad, with her red eyes and ruined makeup. His heart clenched. “Cressida called shooting for the day,” she said. “Didn’t think either of us was in a good place to continue.” Haymitch would doubtless be pissed, any disruption in the schedule was tens of thousands of dollars wasted. Peeta sighed, but he knew it was the right call. 

“Probably for the best,” Peeta said. “We’re a mess.”

Katniss laughed, just slightly, and Peeta grinned at her. When he extended his hand to help her up, she took it, and it felt so good to feel her fingers entwined with his again, not for show but in actual friendship.

They walked back to the dressing rooms together. “Do you maybe want to get dinner together?” Peeta asked, and he knew he sounded small and uncertain. But to his surprise, Katniss nodded.

“I’d like that,” she said.

They walked out to the lot thirty minutes later, and Peeta led her to his car. She was wearing jeans and a little tank top, her hair pulled back in a no-fuss braid and a pair of sunglasses shielding eyes that still bore traces of the evening’s emotions. She was in every way Katniss, the woman he loved. But he could feel her holding back, feel the stiffness and uncertainty in the way she looked at him, spoke to him. Not intentional, simply reflexive, like she was trying to keep her heart safe. From him. The wall between them loomed large. It was going to take a Herculean effort to break it down.

There was a restaurant, Sae’s, not too far from the house they’d shared. It catered to people like them. The front was nothing so much as a shabby little diner, but in the back were private, windowless rooms where they could have a meal without prying eyes.

Peeta ordered pasta and Katniss got her favourite goat cheese and apple panini. But the way she pushed the food around on her plate spoke to how distressed she still was. Katniss typically ate with gusto, like she was afraid she’d never see food again. 

He left her be, keeping conversation light, trying to ease her back into being comfortable with him. Joking with her, the way he always had. She smiled, but it felt hollow. If anything, she seemed to get more sad as the meal wore on. Peeta’s spirits flagged.

He paid the bill, and they headed out the back door. There, he stopped, and pulled Katniss to stand in front of him. 

“Talk to me,” Peeta said, voice gruff with guilt.

“About what?” She wasn’t being flippant, if anything, she sounded defeated.

“Katniss,” he sighed. She looked up at him, eyes unfathomable, dark pools in the lamplight. He could tell she was trying to psych herself up to talk. So he leaned against the restaurant wall and waited.

“I’m sorry, okay,” she said finally, and it wasn’t what he was expecting. “I’m sorry that keeping us a secret hurt you. It was never my intention to hurt you.”

Peeta opened his mouth, to say he understood better now, but she pushed on.

“And it didn’t mean I loved you any less.”

“Loved?” Her use of past tense gutted him. “Not anymore?”

In the deep shadows of the single street light, he could see her face crumple. She wrapped her arms around her body, as if shielding herself from another blow. “Does it matter?” Her words were choked, he could hear she was fighting tears again. “I know what you think of me.”

“Katniss,” he said, the word regret-soaked. 

“Frigid little ice princess,” she parroted, but there was no anger. Only pain. 

“I didn’t mean it,” Peeta said. “I know that’s not you.” She played at being cold sometimes. But underneath, she was a flame, burning bright.

“Everyone thinks that about me. They always have.”

“I don’t,” Peeta said, and he let the pleading come through in his voice, let her hear his own pain. “I know you’re not cold. You’re the girl on fire.” Katniss’s lips twitched at the old nickname, one she’d gotten as a teenager in an action movie. But her heartbroken expression didn’t change. “I was angry, and wounded, and I lashed out. I’m sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” she said, then she was wrapping her arms tightly around his neck. Peeta pulled her in close and buried his face in her hair. It was the first time he’d felt whole in more than two weeks, like the broken piece of his soul had returned. 

Her little body shook against him, he knew she was crying. “Shhh,” he said, stroking her back. “Shhh. It’s going to be okay.” It was. He’d make sure of it.

“Just missed you so much,” she muttered. His heart soared.

“I love you,” he whispered. “Please come home.” 

She didn’t say anything. But he felt her nod against his chest. And it was enough.

He took her back to his place, to their place. They were both exhausted, emotions raw, and had an early morning call, to redo the evening’s ruined scene. But she climbed into bed beside him, and he held her all night.

They were quiet the next morning, tentative and uncertain around each other, but they were together, and Peeta was committed to making things better, for both of them. He’d be patient. He’d communicate better. He’d lost the love of his life once, he wouldn’t let it happen again. 

They climbed back into his car, since hers was at the studio, but as soon as the garage door opened Peeta saw Rye there, waving his phone. Beside him, Katniss tensed, and shrank down into her seat. He could almost smell her pain. Just fucking great. The moron had to show up now, when they had barely started patching things together. 

“I’ve been calling you all morning,” Rye said as soon as Peeta stepped out of the car. It was just past eight, Rye didn’t typically get up before noon. Peeta suspected he hadn’t yet been to bed.

“Go home, Rye,” Peeta said. “This isn’t the time.”

“They’re saying this is you and that Everdeen chick,” Rye insisted, shaking his phone in Peeta’s face. Sure enough, on the screen was a dark and blurry shot of him, holding Katniss in his arms. Her face wasn’t visible, but her long black braid and sweet little ass were perfectly recognisable. Fuck. He thought they’d be safe at Sae’s. But he’d been wrong. Again. “I already told the Hollywood Reporter it was fake, that you wouldn’t slum with the likes of that—”

“Shut up!” Peeta roared, and for once, Rye stopped talking. “Katniss is the woman I love, and I won’t listen to you disparage her anymore,” Peeta said. “Now get the fuck out of here and stop fucking talking to the media about me.” Peeta was seething. He was going to make sure that security guard was fired. Maybe his boss too. And his boss’s boss.

Rye backed away, hands held up in supplication. “Sure, yeah,” he said quickly. “I’ll just get out of your hair. We’ll talk more later, yeah?”

Peeta didn’t dignify that with an answer. He spun on his heel, to head back to the car. But Katniss was there already, standing just behind him. She must have heard everything they’d said, and worse, Rye would have seen her there. He flinched, but she just smiled at him, then walked straight into his arms.

“Thank you,” she said. 

Fuck. She didn’t need to thank him for defending her, it’s what any decent person would do. “I should have said that last time,” he admitted, tightening his hold on her.

“You said it this time,” she said. Then she stretched up onto her toes, and kissed him.

Relief and disbelief and so much love flooded Peeta. He cupped her ass in his hands and hoisted her into his arms, his lips never leaving hers.

He knew Rye was watching. Knew that some of their neighbours could see them too. “We should go back to the garage,” he whispered between kisses that were growing too hot for the street. “People are watching.”

“Let them,” she gasped. “I don't want to hide how I feel about you. Not anymore.”

He laughed against her lips, and kissed her more.

o-o-o

She was sitting in her favourite chair, a mug of camomile tea forgotten beside her, when Peeta got home. He glanced at the television glowing on the wall and groaned. “Access Hollywood? Really?” Katniss, his Katniss, was watching the creme de la creme of shitty tabloid TV. 

Their relationship had been dissected endlessly by the gossip shows in the four months since they’d been outed, first by his attention-seeking mother, then by a slightly risqué public display of affection in front of their house that had been captured on cellphone video by multiple sources. Peeta understood so much better now why Katniss had tried so hard to avoid unwanted exposure. He was sick to death of the coverage.

But they were handling it together. 

“Shhh,” she said, grinning. “They’re discussing whether we really did the deed while shooting Allium and Barley’s big scene.” Peeta glanced back at the television. The banner read 15 Times 'Love' Scenes On Screen Were Real.

“Oh my god,” Peeta groaned, and sank into the chair beside Katniss’s, covering his face with his hands.

The day after their disastrous first attempt at filming, they’d gone back to the set and found Haymitch waiting for them. The crusty old bastard had actually apologised for putting them in such a shitty position, and told them he’d take the scene out, make it a fade to black.

“No,” Katniss had said, silver eyes brighter than they’d been all week. “The script needs the scene. Our fans need it. And we’re ready this time.”

The second attempt had been so much better. It was still awkward, the choreography still felt strange. One of her pasties came unstuck and ended up caught in his chest hair. Twice they had to cut filming when Katniss started giggling. 

Peeta had been loath to watch it, once it’d been edited. Afraid to reopen the barely healing wounds. But the end result, just as Annie promised, looked real. The cameras caught their very real joy at being reunited, their very real love for one another. And those things made the very fake sex look like something more.

They’d filmed several more sex scenes over the course of finishing the season, each easier than the last. Communication, it turned out, did make the scenes less awkward. And it helped with their real relationship too.

But the first scene, the one that Peeta still cringed thinking about, that episode had aired just days ago.

The television sound cut off abruptly and Katniss burst into laughter. Peeta peeked out from between his fingers. Frozen on the big screen was a shot of Peeta’s ass in all of its hi-def glory, and Mario Lopez was pointing to a spot just between his thighs where apparently a hint of nutsack had been caught by the camera. 

Well that brought unwanted exposure to a whole new level. 

Peeta groaned. “I’m putting a nudity rider in my next contract,” he mumbled.

[mostlysignssomeportents]

One of the very last events I attended before the lockdown was a thing in Silicon Valley attended by many old friends, but the best moment of all was the chance to hang out with Kim Stanley Robinson, a friend and inspiration.

That's when Stan told me he had just finished a book that might be his last-ever novel, The Ministry For the Future, and that his future work would be nonfiction, starting with his long-planned book about the Sierras.

I was stricken. Robinson's novels are a lifeline for me.

The first Robinson novel I read may just be my favorite: Pacific Edge, a green utopian novel about a successful transition to a post-climate-emergency, just and stable world. Re-reading it is a vacation from all my anxieties, still.

https://memex.craphound.com/2015/01/15/pacific-edge-the-most-uplifting-novel-in-my-library/

My first novel, DOWN AND OUT IN THE MAGIC KINGDOM, wouldn't exist without Pacific Edge. That was the book that taught me that small disputes over beloved local treasures could be as dramatic as (and microcosms for) global conflicts.

I have been both dreading and anticipating MINISTRY FOR THE FUTURE, not wanting to read my last KSR novel but also wanting so badly to read this one, because it's the book in which he imagines the end of capitalism.

You've heard the phrase, "It is easier to imagine the end of the world than the end of capitalism," variously attributed to Frederic Jameson and Slavoj Žižek. As the author of a couple of postcapitalist novels, I have a real appreciation for the details of that truism.

It's actually not all that hard to imagine a postcapitalist society - but imagining the actual END of capitalism, the euthanasia of the rentier, the reversal of the doctrine of virtuous selfishness, the abandonment of the idea that some are born to rule, that is damned hard.

And while PACIFIC EDGE is my favorite KSR novel, my favorite KSR series is the string of books that starts with 2012's 2312 - a string of books that really leans hard into imagining the actual end of capitalism.

xhttps://memex.craphound.com/2015/01/15/pacific-edge-the-most-uplifting-novel-in-my-library/

2312 is set 300 years into postcapitalism. It's a novel of solar-system-scale civilization, riven by its own problems and contradictions, filled with tech marvels, a tale of natural wonders that showcase Robinson's incredible, John-Muir-grade genius for pastoral writing.

2312 was followed up by Aurora, one of the best space-exploration novels ever written, about the arrival of the first-ever generation ship at its destination world, and the hasty retreat it is required to stage.

https://memex.craphound.com/2015/11/02/kim-stanley-robinsons-aurora-space-is-bigger-than-you-think/

The book provoked a vitriolic reaction from science fiction's great reactionaries! I love a book that enrages the right people, and I was delighted to publish Robinson's rebuttal to their peevish complaints.

https://boingboing.net/2015/11/16/our-generation-ships-will-sink.html

From there, we move on to New York 2140, a novel of a pivotal moment in the transformation of capitalism and its relationship to the climate emergency.

https://memex.craphound.com/2017/03/18/new-york-2140-kim-stanley-robinson-dreams-vivid-about-weathering-climate-crisis/

These are like an artilleryman rangfinding a mortar, first overshooting his target and then walking his fire back, drawing closer to his bullseye. For Robinson, bullseye is the moment at which our society is transformed into one that can survive the coming emergencies.

It's telling that the 2312 books never got there. It is so fucking hard to imagine the end of capitalism.

But that is what The Ministry For the Future Does.

Sort of.

It's a novel about a specialized UN agency, chartered through the Paris Climate Agreement to represent unborn generations and the natural world in legal proceedings related to climate devastation.

Talking about this book, Robinson has described it as a kind of futuristic documentary, told in many voices, as a way of describing a phenomenon as vast as this global transformation.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/14/final_ver2/#ksr

Like many docs, it follows a couple of main characters, but weaves in dozens of other voices, some of whom we hear from only once or twice, recounting pivotal moments in which a moment calves away from our reality as we know it - moments of shear, giddy and terrifying.

Robinson is so good at this stuff. This is the book that he has been practicing for all his life. The vignettes are superb little jewels, mostly illuminating flashbulb moments in the lives of strangers met fleetingly.

But some of the most powerful moments don't even have characters: there's a transcript of the openng a fictional congress of global climate remediation groups after the crisis that is just an alphabetical list of countries and their associated projects.

This literally made me burst into tears of joy, bursting with hope at the thought that we could, as a species, spawn so many evocative and hopeful projects to save our world, our species, and our nonhuman cohabitants.

Robinson's versatility is on glorious display here: from long lists of hypothetical ecological projects, he veers into closely told moments of human endeavor in the natural world, showcasing his pastoralism with scenes so vivid you could reach out and touch them.

But all that said, the most interesting thing about this book is the stuff that Robinson couldn't or wouldn't put on the page. Robinson's hypothetical scenario for the end of capitalism is a baroque scheme of global cryptocurrency money-creation tied to carbon drawdown.

His technocrats trick capitalism into spending itself out of existence in a plan that is by turns brainy and daffy (as all blockchainism tends to be), with some pretty epic handwaving (especially when it comes to the breakup of tech monopolies).

But all of that would fail were it not for acts of absolutely brutal, ruthless terrorism. Robinson's transformation isn't merely about the carrots of double-bluff get-rich-quick schemes, it's heavily dependent on the stick of terror.

The aviation industry isn't (just) replaced by airships and rail because it's better and cleaner - but also because parties unknown use drones to bring down every private jet in the sky, and then commercial liners, until the aviation industry seizes up and dies.

And the world doesn't abandon beef because vegans win the moral argument or because greenies win the practical one - the decisive factor is drones that dart an unknowable plurality of the world's cattle with bovine spongiform encephalopathy.

There's more - pitiless, remorseless, anonymous. And while Robinson gets up close and personal with one traumatized individual who engages in an ecologically motivated, short-lived (and nonlethal) kidnapping, we never meet any of the terrorists or their victims.

The terror that begets the transition is recounted in the dry language of an encyclopedia entry, not dramatized like the pivotal moments of so many other characters.

It's a very telling omission.

My 2019 novella "Radicalized" is about an online community of men who, after watching their most treasured family members die slow, painful, preventable deaths because of insurance company fuckery, become suicide bombers who murder health execs.

https://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2019/05/who-says-violence-doesnt-solve-anything-a-review-of-radicalized-four-tales-of-our-present-moment-by-cory-doctorow.html

Writing that story was an intensely uncomfortable experience (and, judging from reader comments, it can be uncomfortable to read, too).

It's one thing to recognize that a systemic problem might not be solved without grotesque, mass violence, and another to put yourself in the shoes of either the perpetrators or the victims.

Robinson's end of capitalism is, superficially, a story of a transition, not a spasm, not a capital-T Terror. The lives we inhabit in this novel are people who are engaged in struggle, but not mass-murder.

But right there on the page is Robinson's uncomfortable and only partially elided conviction that we're not in for a transition, but rather a bloodletting, a reckoning commensurate with the ecocidal crimes that led up to this moment.

MINISTRY is a book that, on first consideration, feels like a utopia - not merely for the beautiful descriptions of people, animals and environments finding a way through the emergencies, but for the emergencies resolution.

But on closer examination, MINISTRY represents the dark fears of one of our brightest, most hopeful writers, that the world can only be saved by means that are literally too terrible to contemplate up close.

It's an uncomfortable read. It's a brilliant book. If it indeed turns out to be Stan's last novel (oh please don't let it be Stan's last novel), it will be a fitting capstone. But the subtext of this book is that we are past the point of no return.

Not only will rescuing our planet entail sacrifices of species, habitats, and coastlines - it will also entail sacrifices of the moral convictions that make vast spectacles of bloodletting unthinkable.

[loveofshows]

I posted 414 times in 2021

51 posts created (12%)

363 posts reblogged (88%)

For every post I created, I reblogged 7.1 posts.

I added 144 tags in 2021

#supergirl - 20 posts

#mary answers - 19 posts

#queue of some sort - 17 posts

#ask - 15 posts

#cyclone rachel - 15 posts

#querl dox - 14 posts

#my writing - 13 posts

#kara danvers - 11 posts

#brainiac 5 - 10 posts

#supergirl fic - 10 posts

Longest Tag: 95 characters

#like that scene in pirates of the caribbean when elizabeth asked will to marry her and all that

My Top Posts in 2021

#5

oooh, fairy Kara and elf prince Brainy

YES

They both don’t trust each other because they grew up with stories that paint a bad picture of their people.

When they’re kids, they meet by chance in the forest, near the elves part of the woods. Kara’s hurt and can’t fly and she’s scared so she just sits there hiding. But then she hears footsteps coming towards her and it’s Brainy peering over the bush she’s hiding behind.

Kara’s afraid of what he’ll do, and Brainy’s just curious about her (he never really believe the stories his mom told him) and once Kara isn’t as scared of Brainy, he helps her back home.

19 notes • Posted 2021-11-07 15:36:35 GMT

#4

Inspired by @padawanton redesign of Brainy's suit. It's short but it's all I've been thinking about since I saw the post.

--------

“Kara,” Alex called out for the fourth time, and sighed when her sister didn’t answer. She poked Kara’s cheek, and watched as she blinked. “Kara, you're staring.”

“I am not,” Kara answered, turning to look at Alex. Alex could only give her a doubtful look. Kara puffed out her cheeks and her eyes found Winn. She chuckled and pointed towards him. “If I’m staring, what do you call that?”

Alex rolled her eyes over to Winn and shook her head. “I call that drooling.” Kara only laughed as she watched Winn wipe his mouth and turned to glare at the two.

“I was not,” Winn tried to defend, but they all knew.

“You both make it so obvious,” Alex stated, “it’s like you’re trying to let him know you’re ogling him openly.”

Both Winn and Kara flushed in embarrassment but didn’t bother trying to correct her. “It’s hard not to,” Kara mumbled, looking down at her hands. But even quickly, she threw them up and waved them towards Querl. “But have you seen him?” Winn eagerly nodded in agreement.

Alex made a show of turning to him and took a minute to think about it. “Of course, I’ve seen him, I work with him.” The statement caused the two to groan, making Alex smirk. “But I don’t see what you two are seeing.”

“He changed, Alex,” Kara stated like it’s the obvious thing in the world. It was, but Alex knew Kara meant more than the change.

“He cut his hair and redesigned his suit,” Winn clarified, “he has no business looking that good.”

“Oh my god,” Alex muttered, rubbing her temples. “I don’t need to hear this.” But they chose to ignore her in favour of turning to look at Querl. Who was walking around the D.E.O cortex ordering agents around. “You guys are disasters, I swear.”

Alex’s statement was further proven when Querl called for their help, and she could only watch, as Kara and Winn snapped out of attention and clumsily made their way over to him. And Alex could have sworn she saw Querl looking smug for a second.

26 notes • Posted 2021-05-25 03:58:23 GMT

#3

I have Kara/Brainy/Winn rot brain right now, so I went on the incorrect quotes generator and these are some of my favourites.

Honestly, most of these fit in my collage/soulmate au

28 notes • Posted 2021-03-25 15:52:15 GMT

#2

Winn: I told Brainy that his ears turn red when he lies. Kara: Do they? Winn: *laughs* No. Kara: Then why did you tell him that? Winn: Because I can do this. Winn: Hey Brainy! Do you love us? Brainy, with his hands over his ears: No

32 notes • Posted 2021-11-25 17:01:42 GMT

#1

Flowers and a Prince

My gift to @concha (but for some reason tumblr is not letting me tag you) Its for the Ichihime Fandom Exchange! Thank you @ichihimeisfuckingcanon for hosting!

----

Orihime wasn't sure when it had happened. Maybe it started after she caught him comforting one of his sisters, voice soft and determined, unwilling to leave until she stopped crying.

Perhaps it was how despite his scowl, he managed to befriend all the servants around the castle, and though he would slip up and go red with embarrassment when he forgot a person's name, he still considered everyone a friend.

It could've been from how Orihime observed him interacting with children, inside the castle or out. He seemed to have a weakness to them, going as far as to let them use him as a jungle gym, even when he would rather be anywhere else.

(A child named Nel especially seemed to appreciate that, Orihime would giggle seeing the two interact.)

Or maybe it was the way he would sit in the castle garden, those rare moments Orihime caught him alone. The kingdom on his shoulders, and his mom weighing heavy on his heart.

He would never let his guard down enough to cry, but his scowl would disappear, and he'd stare off into the distance, carrying a burden he would never pass to anyone else, even if he could. Those moments, Orihime wished to help with the burden.

Either way, Orihime has completely and utterly fallen in love with the crown prince, Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Tatsuki, what do I dooooooooooooo?" Orihime whined, complaining to her friend.

Tatsuki laughed as she smoothed the bedsheets. “Well for starters, you can help me instead of staring out the window.” Orihime made a face but turned around from the window. “You could always tell him,” Tatsuki said after a moment of silence.

Orihime turned beet red and shook her head frantically. “I couldn’t possibly!” she said, clutching the pillow. “It would be improper.”

Tatsuki hummed as she picked up the basket and made her way to the door, Orihime followed. “Well, I guess you’re stuck pinning after him then,” she teased.

Orihime sighed wistfully, not really hearing what her friend was saying. “Could you imagine though? The prince returning my feelings. Oh, it makes me giddy just thinking about it!”

“It’s not unheard of for that to happen, but it’s frowned upon in other places.” Orihime frowned but nodded. Silence fell between the friends as they made their way through the castle. “Did you hear? The prince is looking for the servant who’s taking care of the gardens,” Tatsuki said after a moment.

“Really?” Orihime replied, trying not to blush. “How come?”

“Apparently he wants to thank them, but every time he enters the garden hoping to find them, they’re not there,” Tatsuki said, side glancing at her friend. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about it, hm?”

“Nope,” Orihime squealed, “but whoever they are just doesn’t want to be found out. So maybe they’re there before anyone is awake.”

“Right.” And the subject was dropped and the two continued their day like normal.

Okay, so maybe Orihime was the one taking care of the gardens. She loved to spend her time there, the stars fading away to bask the flowers in a beautiful orange light. In the moment, surrounded by the morning dew, Orihime felt magical, like anything could happen.

And it may also be where Orihime saw the object of her affections the most, even if Ichigo was not aware she was there.

But at this moment, as Orihime trimmed the flowers, humming a lullaby she used to hear long ago, she found herself a little distracted. Afterall, apparently Ichigo was looking for her, wanting to thank her for the work she was doing. She was just doing her job, surely there was no reason to thank her personally.

Yep, it was definitely that, and not the embarrassment of talking to her crush.

“Ah, so it is you,” a familiar voice suddenly spoke from behind.

An undignifying yelp left Orihime’s mouth. Though she was still facing forward, she could tell the prince was laughing. Although it was quiet.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly released it as she turned and bowed. “Your Majesty,” she greeted. Before Ichigo could say anything, Orihime gasped and quickly turned around.

She gently scooped up the flower she had accidentally snipped off. “Oh you poor thing,” she cooed, ignoring the prince. She just hoped she wouldn’t get in trouble for dismissing him so quickly. She started to gently smooth out it’s petals. “You had such a long life ahead of you. I'm sorry I cut it so short.”

The prince cleared his throat and Orihime blushed as if she had forgotten he was there. She did.

“Why do you apologize to something as small as a flower?” Ichigo asked as he watched Orihime shift around so she was facing him.

“My brother taught me to value life,” she answered, “no matter how small or insignificant or important people think it is. Every life is important and it should be valued.”

Ichigo fell silent as he listened and Orihime was okay with that. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do if he had interrupted her.

“That’s a good lesson to learn,” Ichigo spoke quietly, “my mother used to say the same thing.”

Orihime stayed quiet, unsure of how to answer. The topic of the Empress felt taboo within the castle; her death had hit the royal family hard.

Not just the royal family, Orihime thought. Everyone within the castle and outside had been affected. The mood following the Empress’s passing was dark. And Orihime knew from experience of losing someone close like that hurts.

“Your mother was very wise,” Orihime said softly. She had turned around and started tending to the flowers.

“So was your brother,” he replied and silence fell between them. She worked in the gardens in silence as Ichigo found a place to sit. As she worked, she felt eyes following her every move. She had half a mind to say something but she didn’t. She would let Ichigo start the conversation if he wanted to.

And to her delight, he did.

“Why do you work in the gardens so early?” Ichigo asked, and she was glad at the topic change.

Because it’s your place and I don’t want to intrude, she wanted to say. “I don’t want to bother anyone. And since I’m working alone, I get to spend more time here. I think the garden is my favourite place in the castle.”

Orihime turned to look at Ichigo, who was kneeling, a flower cupped in his hand. He looked like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind. Instead, he said, “will you show me how to take care of the flowers?”

Orihime looked at him in surprise, though she was trying to fight off a smile.

“What?” he grumbled when he noticed the smile, and she knew she failed.

“You never struck me as someone who would want to,” she giggled. Nonetheless, she gestured for Ichigo to come closer.

Orihime felt tense as she began, but as she continued, she found herself relaxing. Ichigo kept his full attention on her, only interrupting when he was confused or had a question.

They worked together until late morning, only to be interrupted when another servant entered the garden.

“Ah, apologies for interrupting, You Highness, but your father is looking for you.”

Ichigo looked up as if just realizing the time. “Shit, I forgot,” he cursed quietly. “I’ll be there soon.”

The servant nodded, leaving with a promise he’ll let the Emperor know.

As soon as the servant left, Ichigo turned to Orihime, sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I have to go. I hope we can do this again sometime?”

Orhime beamed at him, already excited for next time. “Anytime you want!”

~

And they continued the gardening lessons at least once a week, sometimes it was more during the week. It all depended on whether or not Ichigo needed to relax after a stressful day.

Orihime couldn’t have been happier that they’re friendship was growing. Even though her crush on the prince hadn’t disappeared, she couldn’t bring herself to care. They were friends and she wouldn’t have changed that for the world. No matter what Tatsuki said.

On their next meeting, Orihime had decided to tend the gardens after she had finished her work around the castle.

“You weren’t here this morning,” a familiar voice stated. Orihime turned and shot him a grin. She turned back and ignored the way her heart thumped at knowing he came here to see her.

She shrugged and continued to work. “Well, I thought it would be better to work in the gardens after I finished my work,” she answered. Once finished pulling a weed out, she turned and bowed in greeting.

“Are you sure you didn’t want to see me?” Ichigo teased. Orihime hoped she wasn’t blushing too hard.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ichigo chuckled as he approached, settling next to her. “I hope you’re not working yourself too hard. Sometimes I worry about what you do.”

“No need to worry!” Orihime rushed out, “Tatsuki makes sure I’m taking care of myself. I’d think she’d be mad if I wasn’t.” Ichigo hummed in agreement.

The conversation flowed easily as they worked, and Orihime found talking to him a little easier. Which she was thankful for. She found herself opening up more, and laughing at the stories told about his friends. She felt bad when he told her about what his father loved to do when they were alone. But couldn’t bring herself to feel too bad when the Emperor asked for it. Jumping on his son to make sure he stayed aware of his surroundings seemed a little extreme.

“You’re finished after this right?” Ichigo asked after they had finished and started cleaning. “Are you doing anything after this?”

“I’m not, is something wrong?” Orihime glanced over at Ichigo, surprised to see his ears had gone red. Was he feeling unwell?

“No, nothing bad. I was just wondering if you’d like to go out for dinner? We’ve been working all evening, plus I wanted to thank you for the work you’ve done in the gardens.”

“Oh! I…” she trailed off; face flushed as she quickly busied herself with picking up her tools. “There’s no need for that!” she started, and without looking at him, she stood. “It’s my job and all! Plus, I love working in the gardens! It’s my favourite place to be and well. I made a promise,” she squeaked out.

She was ranting, she knew, and she should have stopped before she said something she might regret. But she was nervous and couldn’t. She didn’t realize what she had said until Ichigo spoke.

“A promise,” he repeated and Orihime’s face turned red. She thought of not answering and just leaving. But that wasn’t how she was raised, and Ichigo’s question stopped her. “You made a promise to work in the gardens? Why would you do that?”

Orihime was silent for a moment, thinking. She never promised she wouldn’t tell Ichigo, and she never was going to tell either. But the way Ichigo was staring at her, it felt like she didn’t have a choice.

With a sigh, she looked down at the ground. “I made a promise to the Empress,” she said quietly, wondering if he heard her. “I had tended the gardens before her passing and she caught me once. She asked why I didn’t work here during the day. I answered, saying that I didn’t want to disturb her time in the gardens. Especially when she was with you and your sisters.”

She paused briefly, and glanced up to see Ichigo’s reaction. There was a flash of surprise but it shifted to nothingness. A little disappointed, she glanced down again and continued.

“She asked if I was going to continue even after she had passed. I promised her I was. The garden is the place where peace had settled and I didn’t want that to go away for you or for your family.”

After finishing, she gathered enough courage to look at him. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting but it wasn’t the softness in his eyes. Or the little bit of sadness that slipped through.

Worn out, she bowed her goodbye and left, leaving the prince standing alone among the flowers.

~

After the confession in the garden, Orihime didn’t see Ichigo for nearly a month. Well, she saw him in passing, and they’d greet each other as they saw the other.

But Orihime hadn't seen Ichigo in the garden at that time, and she was starting to feel a little guilty for ruining his favourite place.

And she missed him terribly.

So, after a lot of debating with herself and hyping herself up, Orihime went in search of the prince.

She decided to start with his private quarters. She had been in this part of the castle before, but only to clean, never to visit her friend.

Could she consider them friends? Orihime wondered. She supposed she could, they were friendly and though they were only around each other in the gardens, she counted that as friendship.

Too soon, she found herself in front of his door and froze. She wasn’t sure what her plan was. Apologize for ruining the gardens for him? Yeah, that was a good start.

Before she could knock, voices drifted through the door. Against her better judgement, she opened the door slightly.

“I don’t know,” she heard a female voice say, “that sounds like a confession to me.”

“Yeah, that she knew my mother,” Ichigo grumbled. Orihime frowned, unsure if she should interrupt or not. She knew she should leave, but her curiosity didn’t let her.

“Everyone knew your mother, Ichigo,” she scoffed, “she was the type of person who made sure she personally knew everyone who worked in the castle.” Silence fell and Orihime knew Ichigo couldn’t argue that.

After a moment their conversation started again. “I can’t believe you fell in love with a servant.”

Orihime’s heart broke. Was it so wrong for a prince to fall in love with someone who has a lower social standing than him? And who were they talking about anyways?

“You fell in love with Renji!” Ichigo was quick to shout out. Ah, so he was talking to Princess Rukia.

“That’s different, he’s a knight!” Rukia yelled but Orihime heard enough. As quietly as she could, she closed the door and made her way to her room. She all but ran as she left, just barely holding back tears. She supposed it wasn’t too much of a surprise that Ichigo had fallen for someone else. Especially after she ruined the garden for him.

At least she was dealing with the rejection now, instead of later.

~

She made it a point of avoiding Ichigo since, and it hurt. But she'd rather hurt now, then face him while he was rejecting her in person.

Though with her avoidance, the mood had shifted around Orihime and Ichigo and no one could understand why. And as much as Tatsuki tried to pry it out of Orihime, she wouldn’t budge. This was something she didn’t want Tatsuki to know, afraid what her friend would do if she knew.

So, she kept to herself and went the other way when she noticed Ichigo was nearby. She even avoided the garden for a while. But the guilt from that started to chew at her, and so she started going to the gardens again.

Orihime tried to keep her visits short, and she was familiar enough with Ichigo's schedule that she could go when he was busy. But with each visit, she knew it was only a matter of time before her luck ran out.

“You’re here,” she heard him whisper. She tensed slightly, but bowed in greeting before turning her attention back to the flowers.

Though her hands shook as she was trying not to cry. She wasn’t sure why he was here and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Though a part of her did.

They were quiet as she worked. It wasn’t until she started to stand that the silence broke.

“I’m sorry,” he said before Orihime could take a step. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Why was he sorry?

She looked up at him and voiced her thoughts. “You have nothing to be sorry about. If anyone needs to apologize, it’s me.”

Orihime glanced away when he went to talk. But before he could, Orihime continued.

“About the confession,” she explained, “I didn’t want to tell you that in fear of you never wanting to come back, but I did. And I know the confession sounds like a proclamation of love, I didn’t mean too. And I’m sure whoever has your heart, is lucky and I hope the two of you are happy.”

She was ranting again, and she wasn’t sure if she could stop. Taking a deep breath, she turned to leave. Before she could step again, a gentle hand stopped her.

Gently tugging Orihime towards him, Ichigo cupped her face and wiped the tears away.

When did she start crying?

“Orihime,” he whispered softly, and something tugged at her heart. “You don’t have to apologize for that. It meant the world to me when you told me about it.”

“You’ll still come to the garden?” she whispered, eyes not quite looking at Ichigo.

“Everyday,” he answered, just as softly, “and the woman who has my heart is you.”

She blinked, letting the sentence sink in. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

He gently lifted her face so she was looking at him, and she was hit with so much love that she wasn't sure if it was coming from her or him. And she couldn’t deny his feelings, not when she openly stated hers.

“I’m going to kiss you now, is that okay?” She nodded slowly and Ichigo leaned down.

The kiss was everything she dreamed of and more.

78 notes • Posted 2021-10-15 05:21:43 GMT

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[afaimsarrowverse]

The 35 Craziest Arrowverse Episodes

„Crazy“ is an ever changing measure, especially in the Arrowverse. When Time Travel and Parallel Universes were introduced it was a heavy leap from the norm. A couple of seasons later it was pretty much normal. So this list reflects changes in the norm, episodes that pushed the crazy and unusual. What is crazy for on show is not crazy for another one. So if you mix it you might not find it as crazy as something below it, but it is as crazy … for the show it’s featured in.

 So, let’s get into it:

  35. Haunted (Arrow Episode 4.5/74, Written by: Brian Ford Sullivan, Oscar Balderrama, Directed by: John Badham)

 John Constantine crosses over in the Arroverse in this episode which reveals Olivers dealings with him in the past and shows him restoring Saras soul. With this episodes the show started to embrace it supernatural arc, here „Arrow“ got mystically weird.

34.  Hey, World (Legends 4.16/67, Written by: Phil Klemmer, Keto Simizu, Directed by: Kevin Mock)

 In the Season 4 Finale of “Legends” Nate is brought back to life by the power of love and song, Vandal Savage returns in an unusal way and we meet a dancing dragon. Good stuff indeed.

  33.  Mr. And Mrs. Mxyptlk (Supergirl Episode 2.13/33, Written by: Jessica Queller, Sterling Gates, Directed by: Stefan Pleszczynski)

 Do not listen to the haters. This is basically the “Supergirl”-Version of the 90s Trek-Episodes with Q in it. This one is probably the most comic book-y episode “Supergirl” ever did and it’s great.

32.  Welcome to Earth2/Escape from Earth2 (Flash Episodes 2.13-14/36-37, 36: Written By: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Katherine Walczak, Directed By: Millicent Shelton, 37: Written By: Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing, David Kob, Directed By: J. J. Makaro)

 Like I said, we got used to multiple earths. However this two parter is the first time we ever visited one. We visit Earth-2 in this, where pretty much everything and everyone is different. We are in for a lot of surprises.

 31.  License to Elongate (Flash Episode 6.6/120, Written By: Thomas Pound, Jeff Hersh, Directed By: Danielle Panabaker)

This one is the „Flash“-Version of a James Bond Movie, with Barry and Ralph encountering a Bond loving villain who steals ideas and lines from movies, which is exactly as much fun as it sounds.

 30.  The Book of Resistance Chapter 4: Earth Crisis (Black Lightning 3.9/38, Written by: Lamont Magee, Directed by: Tasha Smith)

 In this one „Black Lightning“ discovers the multiverse and Jennifer meets different versions of herself, which lead to the shows best episode in quite a surprising way.

29.  Cause and XS (Flash Episode 5.14/106, Written By: Todd Helbing, Jeff Hersh, Directed By: Rachel Talalay)

It’s the “Flash”s time-loop episode. More dark than funny, but with a lot of deaths and an happy ending, so in the end really worth it.

 28.  An Un-Birthday Present (Batwoman 1.11/11, Written by: Chad Fiveash, James Stoteraux, Directed by: Mairzee Almas)

„Batwoman“ goes into the whole doppelganger business with this unusual episode, where Beth is back, which is a surprise for Kate, even more given that Alice is still running around as well.

27.  Invasion! (2) (Arrow (5.8/100, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Wendy Mericle, Directed by: James Bamford)

While the writers cleary had fun with Barry and Kara in this one, the heart lies in the dream reality, where weg et a look at a world where the Gambit never sunk.

 26.  Doomworld (Legends Episode 2.16/32, Written by: Ray Utarnachitt, Sarah Hernandez, Directed by: Mairzee Almas)

 Alternate timelines are kind of an Arrowverse thing, but this one did not came to be through time travel but through the Legion of Doom rewriting history to their own liking. Therefore there is no cause and effect to the changes, which allowed the writers to have a lot of fun.

 25. Camelot/3000 (Legends Episode 2.12/28, Written by: Anderson Mackenzie, Directed by: Antonio Negret)

 From the far future to Camelot and King Arthur – this episodes travelled far and mixed those two areas up quite nice.

24. Witch Hunt (Legends Episode 4.2/53, Written by: Keto Shimizu und Matthew Maalaa, Directed by: Kevin Mock)

 Here „Legends“ inserted the a singing Fairy Godmother into the era of the Salem Witch Trials. The Fairy Godmother was really not the fairytale kind, but rather an evil one, but boy, she could sing.

 23.  Back from the Future Part 1 (Supergirl (Episode 5.11/98, Written by: Dana Horgan, Katie Rose Rogers, Directed by: David Harewood)

 An evil Winn from another earth turns up, which brings back our Winn and we get a Winn-Off, so to speak, and Winn with Clark Kent glasses so he wouldn’t be recognized.

 22. Elongated Journey into the Night (Flash Episode 4.4/73, Written By: Sterling Gates und Thomas Pound, Directed By: Tom Cavanagh)

 This episode introduces the main one, which was Ralph of course, who discovers his new powers in this and is not as amused about them as we are.

21. What’s Past is Prologue (The Flash Episode 5.8/100, Written By: Todd Helbing und Lauren Certo, Directed By: Tom Cavanagh)

 In the 100th episode Barry and Nora time travel through the history of the show, face down the Flash greatest villains of the past while trying not to change the time line, which of course does not work out.

 20.  Reset (Arrow (Episode 8.6/166, Written by: Onalee Hunter Hughes und Maya Houston, Directed by: David Ramsey)

Yes it’s a time loop episode in „Arrow“! It’s probably the moment the show embraced it’s funny pages origin the most wholehearted.

19. The Virgin Gary (Legends Episode 4.1/52, Written by: Phil Klemmer und Grainee Godfree, Directed by: Gregory Smith)

 John Constantine joins the Legends in the time for a murderous unicorn at Woodstock that roofies most of the team and gets Ray to snog a tree, Mick and Nate to exchange loving vows, and Zari to chase lights.

18. Helen Hunt (Legends Episode 3.6/39, Written by: Keto Shimizu und Ubah Mohamed, Directed by: David Geddes)

 Helen of Troy single handedly destroys the Golden Era of Hollywood, simply by being there and driving men nuts. Studio exes try to kill each other in order to get her, while Damien Darhk becomes her agent to wreck even more havoc.

17. The Fellowship of the Spear (Legends Episode 2.15/31, Written by: Keto Shimizu, Matthew Maala, Directed by: Ben Bray)

 This episode is “Legends”-Homage to Tolkien and his works. However the most quotes and nods go to the Peter Jackson Movies, which is no problem, because we love them too.

16. Starling City (Arrow (Episode 8.1/ 161, Written by: Beth Schwartz und Marx Guggenheim, Directed by: James Bamford)

We are essentially reliving the pilot with a few signifcant changes. Turns out we are actually on Earth-2 and Oliver pretends to be his doppelganger in order to do a thing for The Monitor.

15. Séance and Sensibility (Legends Episode 4.11/62, Written by: Grainne Godfree, Jackie Canino, Directed by: Alexandra La Roche)

 What have Jane Austen and Bollywood in common? Both a represented in this episode that features a Bollywood number and the death of Jane Austens writing career.

14.  Luck is a Lady (Flash Episode 4.3/72, Written By: Sam Chalsen und Judalina Neira, Directed By: Armen V. Kervokian)

This episode introduces Hazard, a Meta who generates Bad Luck in order to have Luck herself which creates a lot more chaos than you would think.

13.  Emerald Archer (Arrow Episode7.12/ 150, Written by: Marc Guggenheim und Emilio Ortega Aldrich, Directed by: Glen Winter)

„Cops“ meets „Arrow“. This is a documentary about Team Arrow, or rather the making of the documentary about Team Arrow or rather a very special very unsusal episode.

12. The Bottle Episode (Supergirl Episode 5.10/97, Written by: Derek Simon, Directed by: Tawnia McKiernan)

 We get a lot of doppelgangers, most of them Brainys, and a lot of chaos, I mean more chaos then most other shows usually have, except for „Legends“.

11. Aruba (Legends Episode 2.17/33, Written by: Phil Klemmer und Marc Guggenheim, Directed by: Rob Seidenglanz)

 The Finale of Season 2 features two sets of Legends, while the team goes back and while Malcolm, Damien, and Snart are mostly confused Eobard strikes back by recruiting a lot of his former selfes.

10. The Good, the Bad and the Cuddley (Legends Episode 3.18/51, Written by: Marc Guggenheim und Phil Klemmer, Directed by: Dermott Downs)

 In the Season 3 Finale we got a massive Beebo who fights a gigantic demon. The Beebo was created by a Legends Orgy and symbolizes … well love I guess.

9. Raiders of the Lost Art (Legends Episode 2.9/25, Written by: Keto Shimizu, Chris Fedak, Directed by: Dermott Downs)

 This is officially the episode where „Legends“ went nuts. Oh and it’s a delicous one. George Lucas never became a filmmaker after being scared of by Malcolms and Damiens attempts to kill amnesiac Rip Hunter who thinks he is an American filmstudent, whose script is basically the plot of the shows first season of „Legends of Tomorrow.“

8.      It’s a Super Life (Supergirl Episode 5.13/100, Written by: Robert Rovner, Jessica Queller, Derek Simon, Nicki Holcomb, Directed by: Jesse Warn)

The 100the episode watches videos of the show and comments on them, then inserts Kara into the past and let her change things and create alternate timelines, what ifs, so of how things would have turned out if she had made different choices.

7. Beebo the God of War (Legends Episode 3.9/42, Written by: Grainne Goodfree und James Eagan, Directed by: Kevin Mock)

 Mostly it’s the episode about Beebo Day. You know, the blue god, who hungers for war and conquest? Whose birthday we celebrate once a year in december and … wait? What was I talking about?

6. Crisis on Infinite Earths Part 1-5 (Supergirl, Batwoman, Flash, Arrow, Legends, Part 1: Supergirl Episode 5.9/96, Written by: Robert Rovner, Marc Guggenheim, Derek Simon, Jay Faerber, Directed by: Jesse Warn, Part 2: Batwoman Episode 1.9/9, Written by: Din Whitehead, Holly Henderson, Directed by: Laura Belsey, Part 3: The Flash Episode 6.9/123, Written By: Lauren Certo, Sterling Gates, Eric Wallace, Directed By: David McWhirter, Part 4: Arrow: Episode 8.8/168, Written by: Marv Wolfman, Marc Guggenheim; Directed by: Glen Winter, Part 5: Legends of Tomorrow Episode 5.0/68, Written by: Keto Shimizu, Ubah Mohamed, Directed by: Gregory Smith)

 In the biggest and craziest Crossover in the history of television the multiverse is destroyed and rebuilt, Oliver Queen dies, we meet an evil Batman and we get a Supermen Team Up, among many other things.

5. Legends of To-Meow-Meow (Legends Episode 4.8/59, Written by: James Eagan und Ray Utarnachitt, Directed by: Ben Bray)

 Sulky about missing out on the Crossover the Legends crossovered with themselves in Season 4. John and Charlie destroyed the timeline for selfish reasons, and now everything is wrong and everything they do makes things worse instead of better.

 4.     Meet the Legends (Legends Episode 5.1/69, Written by: Grainne Godfree, James Eagan, Directed by: Kevin Mock)

This episode is the documentary and the making oft he documentary. Think Arrows „Emerald Archer“ only way carzier and funnier.

 3. Duet (Flash Episode 3.17/63, Written By: Aaron Helbing, Todd Helbing, Greg Berlani, Andrew Kreisberg, Directed By: Dermott Daniels Downs)

 It’s the Musical Episode! The „Supergirl“-Crossover has all the jazz – singing, dancing, kissing, opening up about feelings – and also a mini „Glee“-Reunion.

2.      Elseworlds Part 1-3 (Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Part 1: The Flash Episode 5.9/101, Written By: Eric Wallace und Sam Chalsen, Directed By: Kevin Tancharoen und Tom Cavanagh, Part 2: Arrow Episode 7.9/147, Written by: Marc Guggenheim und Caroline Dries, Directed by: James Bamford, Part 3: Supergirl Episode 4.9/74, Written by: Mac Guggenheim, Derek Simon und Rob Rovner, Directed by: Jesse Warn)

In this Crossover Oliver und Barry switch identities which no one on Earth-1 believes, but Kara’s help leads to an evil not-quite Superman and a brand new reality.

1.      The One Where we‘re Trapped on TV (Legends Episode 5.13/81, Written by: Grainne Godfree, James Eagan, Directed by: Marc Guggenheim)

And the award for the Craziest TV Episode of all time goes to this one, where the Legends are trapped on TV. We get very familiar but strange versions of „Friends“, „Downtown Abbey,“ and „Star Trek“ with the Legends as the main characters instead.

[angelisverba]

so precious, if only you knew

in which y/n thinks her brother’s best friend sees her as a little sister, and Jason, her brother’s best friend, thinks she’s too cute for her own good.

word count: 9k give or take some :D

pairing: y/n, and her brothers best friend, Jason (from the snl skit)

notes: inspired by project x. that’s all.

When Jason and his friends were in their freshman year of high school, they made a pact.

To have a party.

A party so big, everyone got laid. A party so big, celebrities came. A party so big, the police feared it.

One where they would loose their virginity. Get drunk so they couldn’t remember how they lost it (although, now it’s too late ‘cause none of them are virgins). And maybe, just maybe, participate in the illegal consumption of illegal substances such as drugs and or alcohol.

At the time of their promise, it was unknown if this party would be any sort of celebration, or just for the hell of it. The four, gangly, skinny, face-full-of-acne, boys had been so fueled by the simple idea that they just had to make their party so legendary future alumni could only imagine imitating an ordeal as great as the one they created. As time passed, they argued over who’s birthday, or what holiday would be the cause of, as it had come to be named, G.C.B.B. Get Crunk and Bone Babes. Pronounced gee-sea-babe, because somehow the two b’s had morphed into ‘babe’. GCBabe, in the end, was endowed to Jason when he made a bet that he would score the winning touchdown and win the league for his high school during his junior year. Andrew and Kent, slightly peeved but more relieved that they had a reason to celebrate (they’d settled on Jason’s birthday), and had shifted their focus to the hows, when, wheres, and whats of the situation.

This was the only thing they ever talked about the closer it got to the date, Feburary 1st, and everything they did revolved around spreading the word, obtaining booze, weed, and whatever else they planned on having. Andrew, who’s uncle so conveniently ran a radio station, not only announced a message himself on said radio station, but also convinced his uncle’s dj coworkers to email any celebrities they knew.

Kent, more on the brainy side of things, was working on the booze and drugs. He snuck into the school and used that machine they had to make student id’s and created a fake state id for himself. He would buy booze in a store where workers didn’t know him. Maybe drive 30 minutes to the next town for beer and the lot. His cousin had told him not to worry about weed and the sorts, as long as he received payment.

Jason, ever the spoiled brat, would pay for everything. Even if it was his birthday.

No, no, because it was his birthday.

The thing is, his parents were going out of town to celebrate their anniversary, which just so happened to fall on Jason’s birthday (what a wonderful gift to Jason’s dad), and had given him a generous sum of money to make up for the fact that they wouldn’t be there to celebrate his 18th birthday party. So, he had the house, the money, and the birthday to celebrate.

“YOU’VE HEARD IT ONCE BEFORE, AND YOU’LL HEAR IT AGAIN TILL THE END OF THIS SCHOOL’S TIME,” yelled Andrew, who stood on the back of a golf cart, megaphone in hand while Jason and Kent drove him up and down the lunch tables, “PARTY AT FUCKING JASON’S HOUSE, THIS SATURDAY. MISS IT, AND YOU’LL DIE.”

“Andrew!”

The cart came to a stop in front of a very disgruntled-looking y/n, Andrew’s sister. She stood comically, with her hands bunched up into tiny fists at her hips, lips in a frown at her brothers actions. “Are you trying to cause a riot? Miss it or die,” she mocked, pulling a funny face and cocking her hip to the side as she does so, “Yeah, think I’d rather die, thanks. Now shut up and put that cart back before they take away your senior privileges.”

Kent laughs, and Jason, leaning with his forearms crossed on top of the steering wheel, snickered into his wrists.

“Well, I’ve got news for you sissy,” said Andrew, his tongue poking out at her playfully, “Coach Barnwell let us borrow his cart, and all the snitch staff is in a meeting, so I’m not gonna get into trouble,” He makes and L with his forefinger and thumb, pressing it on his forehead, “Loser. Now, scram. Go study for chem or... something.”

Y/n laughed at her brother, knowing that he was only joking with her, and flipped him off. She walked away with, as Andrew said, her chem book tucked underneath her arm, and shut herself in a little nook at the library for the remainder of the lunch period. Away from the ‘get crunk and bone babes’ nonsense, god knows she heard enough of it at home. Jason this, and GCBabe that. Sheesh, it was terrible. All she ever wanted to do was study and do her homework in peace... and maybe steal a few glances and Jason here and there.

But we don’t have to talk about that. What y/n really needed to do, was study for the chem test she had on Friday. Tomorrow. She was the best in her class, always raising her hand to answer a question, but for whatever reason, she just couldn’t get the hand of stoichiometry if she didn’t have a sample problem in front of her. She didn’t want to have to, but grades mattered, so all day she had been thinking of way to cheat. How to write what she needed. Which letters to shorten. Where to hide the slip of paper.

She’d done it before.

Cheat on a test, that is. The pressure there was to ensure good grades, well it was an insurmountable force. Her entire life, her parents told her academic success led to success in life, and you don’t want to end up homeless under the bridge do you, y/n?

She didn’t. It was her biggest fear. Studying hard for a nice home and car, and enough money to support herself and her kids was a constant thought in the back of her mind.

It’s because of this that the tip of her nose was always stuck in a book, her fingers always wrapped around a pencil that transcribed notes in her neat writing. It was all she knew.

Because it was all she knew. It was no surprise to her parents when she pulled all-nighters to study for tests. Or when she declined offers to eat dinner out because ‘mom, I have a test to study for’ or ‘dad, i really need to finish this essay’. That night, was no different. Y/n stayed up to study, her thumb pink because of all the pages she was flipping through. Her wrist her from forcing her writing to be as small as it could, so she could fit all she could on an index card she cut in half. 

In the morning, Andrew cheered a loud, “WHOOP! WHOOP! MY SISTER ISN’T SUCH A GOODY TWO SHOES AFTER ALL!” when he saw her place the card up her shirtsleeve after she put her seat belt on. Y/n, had she had the energy, would’ve pushed his shoulder, but instead chose to take a nap during the measly 15 minutes it took to get to school. Her head jostled against the headrest with the cars movements, and she almost cried because she couldn’t doze off. Somewhere along the way, she felt fingers against the side of her face, cradling her head. She jumped, startled, but she heard Andrew say,

“Relax, its Jason. Picked him up cause he needed a ride to school.” and she was out like a light.

Andrew got out of the car once he parked, and Jason circled around the passenger seat so he leaned over the console, with his palm still on the other side of her face. He rubbed up and down her forearm to wake her, murmuring, “We’re here, y/n. S’time to wake up.”

Y/n woke up disoriented, starting with a deep breath and her eyes blinking open slowly, looking around and landing on Jason, who was smiling at her tenderly. She smiles back at him, tilting her head to the side as she does so. She hopes he can’t hear how fast her heart is beating.

“Good morning,” she said to him. The warning bell rings not long after that, and she turns away from him to reach for her backpack. Jason grabs his own backpack, too, swinging it over his should and stepping out of Andrew’s car. Andrew stands at the front of the car, texting someone on his phone while he waits for Jason and his little sister to step out.

“C’mon guys. Big day today!” yelled Andrew. It seemed as if he was always yelling. His voice, ebullient and clear, held an electrifying energy today, amplifying itself to the max. He whooped and hollered, locking his car carelessly and comically skipping away, but not before turning back and blowing a kiss in Jason’s general direction, yelling, “This is for you, big boy!”

Y/n snickered at her brother, and at Jason’s shocked face. “That was for you, big boy,” she repeated after he brother.

“You forgot the kiss,” he said, pouting and pointing his chin down at the floor. Her heart doubled over in her chest, and she struggled to contain her swoon.The little 13 year old in her, having been the first time she ever felt anything for Jason, squealed like a banshee, and the rational 17 year old in her, shushed her by taping her mouth closed. Having seen Jason’s blonde, skinny, cheerleader girlfriends, she knew it would never happen. Jason was only nice to her because she was his best friend’s little sister.

That was all she’d ever be.

“Oh I have no doubt you’ll get plenty of those tomorrow,” she said, waving her hand dismissively. When she noticed the groups of students getting smaller and smaller, she started walking away, eager to get to class and not be late. She’s only taken three steps when Jason calls out her name.

“I know you’ll do great on your test today,” and he has the goofiest smile on his stupidly handsome name and y/n just wants to go over there and slap him for making her heart to pirouettes.

“Thank you,” she said, and turned to walk to her class.

Jason felt as if he was in one of those indie movies. But, the ones from the 80′s. Ironically, he’s leaned up against the car, one foot propped up, hand clenching the singular strap he wore on his left shoulder. Entranced, he stared after y/n as she walked away, brows dipped over his eyes and his leg bouncing jitterishly.

When he was 16, a sophomore, and she a freshman, he’d stumbled upon her on a rainy spring day. He’d been on his way home from his (now ex) girlfriend’s house, and she was huddled underneath a large birch tree, the canopy thick enough so she wasn’t getting wet, but the winds strong enough that she was chilled to the bone. Her knees were banged up, and her ankle was twisted. Jason remembers asking her what happened, and she said nothing, instead jumping into his arms when he knelt down beneath her. He remember hissing because she was so cold, her clothes soaked through. She’d whispered to him a weak don’t tell my parents, please take me to your house, and he did. He took her to his house, carrying her because the poor thing had to hop on one foot. This was around the time he was bulking for wrestling, so he didn’t have a hard time lifting her and carrying her the rest of the way.

She fell asleep on his bed wearing a pair of his sweatpants and his hoodie after she took a warm shower. They never talked about. Not even once. But Jason swears that every once in a while, the skin of his neck still burns where she pressed a kiss to it after he got in bed next to her because she was ‘still cold’.

Since then, Jason harbored feelings for her. His yearning of her dainty hands to press against his chest while she cuddled into him was squashed every time he heard Andrew yell at another guy in the locker room for sexualizing his sister.

It was a dangerous game he played. Sneaking looks at her in car rides to and from school. Wanting to kiss her like he did then. And when she wore plaid school girl skirts, he wanted to press her up against the wall and hold her by the throat while his tongue snaked into her mouth. All while he sat next to Andrew.

He knew that one day, he’d say fuck it all and do it. He wasn’t an idiot. His back burned when she stared a him from her kitchen isle while he played video games with Kent and Andrew in the living room of her house. He knew every little thing she tried to pass as discreet, because he did the same thing too.

One day, and one day soon, he’d say fuck. it. all.

.

.

.

Y/n was very nervous.

Well, she always get nervous when she’s getting ready to take a test but, today was different. She was on edge, leg bouncing and head pounding. She was stressed. Her english teacher had assigned a paper that was due at midnight, and her math teacher had given her a surprise quiz she knows she failed. And this test was her chance to bring her B+ to an A-. Not to mention, if she got caught, she’d be sent up to the office with a referral.

“You have until the end of class to complete this exam. If you fail to complete before the class period, you will be granted five minutes after the bell. You may begin,” the teacher, Mrs. Prowe, sat down after the little announcement, and turned her full attention to an adult coloring book she had set up on her desk.

Y/n stared at the first question for a solid 2 minutes before any of the information actually sunk in. To which does He belong? a. metals b. metalloids c. non-met....

The first few questions are always easy. Review from past chapters, all of which y/n understood. The first page, front and back, were a breeze. She bubbled in circled on her answer sheet without hesitation. The back side, however, was a different story.

Her palms began to sweat at the sight of brackets and subscripts on letters. Her pencil started slipping. Y/n’s heart started to race, the edges of her eyes blurring. Don’t cry, don’t cry. Fuck. The note card. She took it out with no second thoughts. Within seconds, she had finished the first problem. It was almost exactly like the example exercise she had copied down, only the letters had been changed; different elements. Halfway through the period, the teacher announced how much time was left, and y/n was nearly done.

On the last page, however, was one problem she knew she wouldn’t get. It was one of what the teacher called ‘irregulars’, because you needed to follow certain rules that pertained to the elements or whatever the heck it was. She stared at the paper with her eyebrows raised, and all the dreadful feelings she had felt before tumbled back. Her pencil began to slip, her eyes began to blur. Shit, shit.

The bell rang. She didn’t want to doddle any longer, cut she needed to answer this last problem, and she didn’t fucking know how. Her leg was near violently shaking, the table quivering with her movements. Her breathing grew tight, and she figured, she could lose one point. Knowing Mrs. Prowe it wouldn’t matter because that last one is most likely worth half the test. Y/n felt herself go rigid, body nearly frozen as she walked against student traffic to place her test on the teachers desk.

She was the last to exit the classroom. She did so with her head hung low, her feet dragging slowly on the tiles. Lips trembling, fighting to hold back tears.

That was how she bumped into Jason. Shoulders drooping and eyes shining wet. She bumped into his chest so hard, she would’ve fallen back if he didn’t catch her.

“Y/n?” He asked after he stumbled back a bit. He’d seen her coming, and he was looking at her, ready to smile when she looked up, but she hadn’t. “What’s wrong?” He followed her gaze to try and make eye contact with her, but she shifted her eyes to the floor, and let the tears slip.

“Y/n? Y/n? Hey, look at me,” Jason’s voice was desperate and panicked because he wasn’t really sure what was wrong. Y/n started to curl in on herself, her hands coming to clutch opposite shoulders. When she didn’t look up at him, Jason gingerly lifted her chin up with his curled forefinger. “What is it?”

“It’s too much. I-I,” was all she managed to whisper before she started crying, she body swaying with sobs. Y/n knew, she knew she was crossing the same lines she had that rainy spring day, but she needed to feel her arms around him. She needed to feel secure.

So,

she took one step forward, and wrapped her arms around his neck awkwardly, Not a full millisecond passed, when she felt his arms encompass her, a secure bind around her waist. His chin propped on her head, on his hands rubbing up and down her back, and she had her face tucked into his neck.

“S’okay, y/n. You’re okay,” He cooed into her ear, making ssh-ssh noises every now and then.

Slowly but surely, y/n felt herself come down from the self-destructive place she put herself in; the knot in her throat untangled. She began to retract her arms from Jason’s neck, when his arms tightened around her. She stilled, unsure of what to do.

For a second, Jason had forgotten his situation. Why he couldn’t get close to her. He was so close to saying fuck-it-all. He wasn’t sure what held him back. Maybe it was her teary eyes. Or the fact that a teacher had come out of their classroom. But, he cleared his throat and pulled away from her, stuffing his hands in his letterman jacket to avoid reaching out to wipe the tears from her cheeks.

“Sorry about that,” she said, sniffing and attempting to laugh to brush off the back that she had a mini-breakdown in his arms. “I-”

“It’s okay, y/n. Don’t apologize. I just want to to know what had you so upset,” Jason said, his words coming out slowly to make sure that she truly understood how much he meant them.

“It’s just,” she sighed, “school. It’s a lot.”

He scoffed, “I bet. You do so much. More than you give yourself credit for, I think. Deserve a break.”

“This weekend; s’gonna be my break. Yours too, no? Are you excited?” She confessed, turning the other way and beginning to walk. She was sure that Andrew was waiting for them at the car. Jason walked alongside her, as soon as she started moving.

“Yeah. It’s been all me, Kent, and Andrew have wanted since freshman year.” Jason stops talking for a minute, and scrunches one side of his face.

“But?” Y/n prods. Looking at him out of the corner of her eye. He scratched the back of his neck, and his jacket inflates where his bicep flexes. Jason notices her looking, and smiles at her while giving her a side-eye look. Blushing, she turns her face straight forwards, like that didn’t just happen.

“But, some of the novelty has worn off if I’m being honest.” When she hums, almost knowingly, he adds quickly, “Don’t tell Andrew or Kent I said that.”

She giggled, and murmured, “You’ve kept my secrets, I’ll keep yours.”

Jason, surprised at her subtle acknowledgement of what happened nearly 2 years ago, turns to look at her, shocked. He wants to say something. Anything to get her to say more, but he sees Andrew and shuts his gaping mouth.

“There you are- hey, y/n, are you okay?” Andrew’s chesire cat grin drops from his face when he sees that his little sister’s face is splotchy and swollen red from past tears- a look he recognizes all to well from the times she’d come into his room in the middle of the night asking to be held.

“I’m good,” she smiled at her brother, a sad smile that revealed she wasn’t okay, but didn’t wanna talk about it. “Let’s go home.”

Their ride was full of quick gibber and banter over tomorrow. How thing would go down, who they hoped to see and, in Andrew’s words, fuck. What music they would play, etc. etc. Y/n laughed at their enthusiasm under her breath. As much as she loved her brother, he could be such an idiot sometimes

They dropped Jason off at his house, which was being prepped by Kent by the looks of it. His car- a red corolla- was parked in Jason’s strip of a driveway. Andrew promised he’d be joining them later that night, and pulled out. 

He pulled the windows up, and turned the music off. Then, he said,

“Y/n, what happened?” Andrew, as much as he was a fuckboy an party animal, cared about his sister if he cared about anything at all. Maybe a little too much.

Pushing air past her lips, “I’m fine now, Andy. I promise. That stupid chem test really had me going, that’s all.”

“Are you sure, y/n? No one was bothering you?” Andrew looked at her quickly, hesitantly turning away from her to look at the road.

“Andy, I’m okay.” She reassured her brother.

Jason wasn’t a bother.

.

.

.

Saturday morning, y/n woke up to an eerily quiet house.

A difference to the pasts months. She’d gotten used to Andrew yelling ‘GET CRUNK BONE BABES!” all over the house. Hell, their parents knew of the entire party ordeal, and were quite skeptical about it. Knowing their son, they didn’t try to stop him, they just told him time and time again to ‘be safe, Andrew.’ So many nights he had come home excited and drunk, and shown them videos on his phone of what had occurred at whoever’s house he’d been at before

Their dad, in fact, had watched the videos with amazement, and never bashed on anything other than the fact that he shouldn’t be drinking when he wasn’t the appropriate age for it yet.  Y/n and Andrew were lucky to have such laid-back and relaxed parents that focused much more on safety and well-being rather than the semantics of it.

As y/n crept down the stairs in her silky pj’s (a christmas gift from her 26-year old aunt who liked to shop at Victoria’s Secret), the murmurs of her parents in the kitchen became louder and louder.

“Heard it on the radio, for godsakes,” said her mother, laughing as she stirred whatever liquid she had in her mug.

“I wonder if Jason’s parents know, about the whole thing,” said her dad, his back was to her, facing his wife.

“They must, I mean, it’s the only thing these boy’s have wanted since they started high school, Jason proba- oh hey, y/n!” Her mom smiled wide when she saw her step off the last stair.  At the mention of his daughter’s name, her dad turns around, and y/n can see that he has a mug in his hand too.

“Good morning,” y/n croaked, her voice froggy early in the morning.

“Big day today, no?” Her dad teased.

“I guess so,” she murmured, taking a seat on the kitchen counter and drumming her knuckles on it. Her mother makes her a small plate of what was left over from their breakfast, eggs, bacon, and a slice of toast with jelly. Picking up the slice of toast, she takes a small bite out of it and pulls out her phone from her back pocket, and starts scrolling through her social medias. It consists of people’s dogs, food, photos of Brad Pitt, and....

Her brother had posted a snap from the night before. A short video, not even 3 seconds long. Jason heading into one of the rooms in his large house, with a girl trailing behind him. She wore shorts that barely covered the swell of her butt, and a bikini top. It was captioned crudely: pre-birthday head for the birthday boy.

“Y/n?”  Her dad, or maybe her mom, she didn’t know. Her stomach started twisting, a sour taste settled in the back of her mouth. A weird underwater filter covered her ears, making it seem as if her head was underneath the water, and her parents were speaking to her from above the surface.

Forcing a smile onto her face, she hummed a response, not taking her eyes off her phone screen. It was weird, the feeling that overcame her when she spotted Jason with another girl. Every time, the same thing. Nausea on her tongue, a heat covering the back of her neck and ears, and a dreadful feeling settleling in the pit of her stomach.

“So, you’re going tonight then?” One of her parents asked.

Taking a few seconds to think, taking into consideration what she could be doing instead of watching Jason....”No, I don’t think so.” Her voice is sure, and strong, loaded with finality. 

A load clink of ceramic against marble echoes in the kitchen. She looks up from her phone then, placing it on the counter face down. Her mother was staring at her with her lips pressed together in a hard line. “And why not?”

“Because a party isn’t my scene, mom.” Y/n responds tentatively, alarmed at her mothers hard and inquisitive tone. Her dad stood quietly watching the interaction, stepping to the side to that there was nothing on between y/n’s line of vision.

“And how would you know that if you’ve never been to the one. You’re brother loves them! And I think that you need this break. Andrew told me what happened yesterday. You need to let loose, y/n.” Her mother argued, her words going from agitated to coaxing. “Go to this party.”

“No.” y/n said, looking at her mother straight inn the eyes. She didn’t want to go. She wanted to spend a calm night at home,, all cozy in her blankets with a book, and not having to look at Jason with a pain in her chest.

“Fine,” said her mother, taking her phone out of her pocket.

“Thank you,” responded y/n, relieved. Her dad nodded, and opened his mouth to speak, when her mom said,

“If you don’t go, Andrew can’t either.”

Both y/n and her dad gasp. Her mom was lifting her phone up to her ear, the dial tone ringing in the room.

“N-no, you can’t do that! Andrew’s gonna be so upse-”

“Hello? Andrew? I’m doing good sweetie, uh, listen. Your sister doesn’t want to go to the party, so you can’t go either. However, if YOU MANAGE TO CONVINCE THEN YOU CAN GO,” Y/n’s mom’s voice raises to cover her brother’s protests, “THAT’S FINAL. GOODBYE.”  Yn’s mom hangs up the phone and places it next to the kitchen sink.

Not even a full second later, while y/n stares mortifies at her mom and dad, her phone starts to blare the theme song to The Simpsons, the ringtone for her brother.

She picks it up with her jaw still dropped. She answered the phone.

“Y/n! Y/n, PLEASE. WHAT’S GOING ON? PLEASE COME TO THIS PARTY, Y/N, DON’T DO THIS TO ME, Y/N...” her brother’s voice fills the room even when she doesn’t have him on speaker. he’s begging her, his voice truly distraught.

She knows she has no other option that to agree. She couldn’t do that to her brother, not when it’s the only thing he’s talked about for the past month. She wasn’t mean enough to do that to him.

“... FOR TWO WEEKS. I’LL DO ANYTHING, PLE-”

“OKAY! I’ll go, fuck,” Y/n yelled back, exasperated and defeated. She pinched the bridge of her nose, and stares down at her plate, not bearing to look at her mom and dad.

“Thank you! Oh my god, thank you. I’ll pick you up at 5, so-”

Y/n hung up on him. Glared at her mom, and the went to mope until 5 in her bedroom.

.

.

.

Somewhere along the line, moping turned into pre-party prep. She turned her speaker up all the way, and sang at the top of her lungs. Y/n was going in with the mentality of drinking and keeping to herself.  Observing, or locking herself in on of the rooms and fall asleep. She was dreading it, but wouldn’t deprive her brother of this because it meant so much to him. 

Her parents tried coming in several times, and every time she refused to open her door. 

Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad, she thought to herself, I’ve got this. 

Once it got closer to 5, she put in some jeans and her favorite t-shirt. A faded purple short-sleeve with a smokey image of Prince on it. She totally didn’t wear it because every time she wore it, Jason complimented her on it. 

It was 4:57 when Andrew knocked on her door. 

“Y/n, y/n, y/n, my sister whom I love so much, can you please-“ he’s knocking rapidly on her door, and y/n throws on a green knit sweater at last minute before opening the door, and her brother knocks right on her eye. 

“Ow!” She helps, the hand that wasn’t holding her shoulder bag reaching up to cover her eye. Andrew gasped, and started to repeatedly apologize. 

“I’m so-“

Y/n, irritated and upset, held up her palm and shook her head. “Just shut it. Please.” Andrew tried saying something, and y/n just pushed past him, staring ahead coldly, “lets go.”

Her previous attitude about this party had returned. She was mad and couldn’t be more bothered to attend. A tiny part, deep in her heart, ached and pulsed wildly. She wasn’t really sure how the night would end, and she didn’t like that. She wanted to know that by 10, she’d be falling asleep after a bubble bath, or reading a book safely in her bed. 

Not drinking and partying with nobody she knew (none of her friends-the little she had- were going). And she was damn sure that Andrew wouldn’t stick around the entire night. No, he’d be eager to be at all places at once, included in all the action. All. The. Action. 

They walked to Andrew’s car in silence, she strutting and fuming with attitude, and he, with his head bowed and cowering like a shunned puppy. Sure, he was older, bigger, taller, buffer than y/n, but when she was mad, he became a scurrying mouse who bent at her command. Not because she was mean or anything like that, but because Andrew loved her and he wanted to see her with a smile, and he figured listening to her was the first step. 

So, he shut the fuck up, and followed behind her, listening closely in case she ordered something else.  To clarify, y/n didn’t order. She said things. But Andrew (again) loved her and took those sayings very seriously. It wasn’t like she was the Wicked Witch of the West with a whip in her hand. It was more like she was a disappointed mother, and he her kid who loved his mom and didn’t want her to be upset at him anymore. Their dynamic was like that. 

Not even a full 10 minutes later, Andrew was pulling into Jason’s driveway, and pulling into his six-car garage, next to Kent’s car. Pulling the key out of the ignition, he sat for a moment, not turning to look at his sister. 

He didn’t have to. 

Without glancing at him, she said, “I want a margarita... please.” Then, she turn to look at him with a tiny smile; a piece offering. She’s forgiven him. And she has. Well, she wasn’t angry at him to begin with, but her irritation is gone.

Andrew laughed, his head thrown back and his ha, ha, ha’s bellowing. “Yes, ma’am. Strawberry or Mango?”

“Both.” Y/n opens the door to the car, and walks through the garage door that leads to the house. The doorway opens into the kitchen, where Kent and Jason are seated on the kitchen isle, a blunt mid-pass from Jason to Kent.

She stops in her tracks, eyes wide at the smell, and the smoke exiting in grey ropes out of Jason’s lips. Andrew pushes past her like nothing, and opens the steel fridge to look for fruit. Jason grins, a slow and lazy spread of his spit-slicked lips. Kent coughs after he inhales.

“Hellooo y/n,” Jason sing-song’s, drawing out her name and laughing. Kent snickered.

“Long time to,” Kent makes a c-shape with his hand, “see,” and bursts out laughing.

“Gimme some of that, dickheads.” Andrew makes a ‘come here’ motion with his fingers.

Y/n fakes a gasp, and hoists herself up onto the counter. She’s been surprised, and a tiny part of her itches because marijuana is a drug, but she can’t really do anything to stop them. They’re half gone and if she said something, she was a party pooper. Tucking her legs underneath herself, she takes a long look at Jason’s kitchen. She’s been in it plenty of times before, when his mom invites her and her brother other for dinner, or breakfast. She’s even helped prepare meals.

But it never gets old.

It always look bright, the lights on the ceiling shine in a way that fills the space, and the reflection off the cream marble glint against the steely surfaces of all the appliances. Toaster, fridge, sink, stove, all a grey color. There was an oven built into the wall, and another right next to it to cook pizza or bread. The kitchen isle in the middle was 7 steps long (she counted once) and 4 steps wide. There was a stove on the counter, and a sink next to it. Jason sat next to the stove, and Kent in the alcove that stretched and transformed into the sink up against the wall.

“... bringing booze and 6, and says he’s got Snopp Dog as DJ. Ben is on back up DJ, or alternate if Snopp wants to.” Kent says, coughing and waving a hand in front of his hand as he does so. Y/n’s ears perk up at his revelation, and her head turns in a peculiar motion.

“Wait, wait, did you say Snoop Dog?” She says, the top half of her body leaning forward. Andrew looks up from his task at the blender, dunking in cut strawberries with ice.

“You heard right, sissy. Snoop Dog!” whooped Andrew, pumping his arm in the air.

“Jesus Christ,” Y/n murmured underneath her breath, shaking her head.

“Raise your hand if you’re staying to fix this place up tomorrow,” said Jason, lifting both of his arms up in the air.

Kent crosses his arms as if he were in a straight jacket, and Andrew laughs and says, “Jason the party keeps going tomorrow.” He presses a button, and the machine starts blending, the loud noise blocking out whatever Jason said next. Whatever it is, Andrew and Kent catch it and bend over laughing, while y/n just watched in confusion.

Once the machine stops, Andrew pours the thick, pink substance into a sugar-rimmed glass, and gives it to his sister. Y/n takes it from him, and looks over at all the ingredients next to the machine because she hadn’t seen what kind of alcohol he put in it. She sees a squat bottle with a green sticker and a cork top; Ciroq.

It’s when she’s puckering her face after her first sip, that the first group of people come in. Andrew and Kent spring forward to answer the door, and Jason just watched them push each other to see who would get there first. Her and Jason are alone in the kitchen, and even though she sees perfectly clear where Kent and Andrew are, she seizes this as her chance to ask Jason what may be her only chance for a stress free night.

Climbing down, she walks over to where Jason sits,and poked his jean clad thigh. “Jason?” She tries not to let her eyes linger on the spots where his plain white shirt pulls tight across his chest, his pectoral muscles rippling. His blonde hair is unruly today, parting down the middle so strands of hair glittered in front of his green eyes.

“Mmm-oh! Yes?” He said, his eyes blinking owlishly at her, slow reflexes when you’re high and all that.

“Is it okay if I lock myself in your room? Or a guest room? Please, I just d-” she started to explain herself when he interrupted her.

“Yes.” Jason placed his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner, his eyelids drooping a little further than they already were.

“Yes?” She asked, surprised.

“Yes. Si. Oui. Andrew told me what your mom did. And I’m sorry. You can lock yourself in my room. I’m the only one with the key.” He said. Jason stretched, yawning and raising his hands over his head, the bottom of his shirt raising up and revealing the hard lines of his abdomen, the two lines that form a ‘v’; a make shift runway to what lies underneath the waistband of his pants. Y/n, having seen only one other penis, a leaked celebrity’s nudes, is surprised to see that Jason’s doesn’t have a ‘happy trail’.

Clearing her throat, she said, “Thank you. I’m going up there now, okay?” Y/n backed out of the kitchen, Jason’s nodding at her and turning his attention, and what a surprise this is, the blondes that had just walked in with a few dudes who carried packs of beers in their arms. The girls, five of them, all looked like barbie dolls in bikinis.

Rolling her eyes, y/n trudged up the stairs and walked down the hall to Jason’s all-to familiar room. She entered again, into the place she had mulled over many nights in a row.

Jason’s room would be her sanctuary, like it had been that one rainy spring day.

It was just like she remembered it.

For a teenage boy, Jason was very neat. He had a bamboo four poster bed, with Japanese art covering the space above his puffed-up white pillows. His comforter was the same eggshell color of his walls. In front of his bed he had a record player, and a wooden box with records in it. He had a mahogany bookshelf as well, every crevice stacked with books, straight across, and sideways in the spaces between books and the self above it. His room faced the backyard, and y/n had a clear view of the pool and the people that gathered around it. Jason had a window ledge large enough that he could sleep in it comfortably, and judging by the looks of it, he had. There was a tartan quilt and quilt laid out messily on the expanse of it, a book titled Norwegian Wood open with the pages-side down next to the pillow.

His room smelled like him too. No clothes lay scattered in any place, but his scent permeated the room. Sandalwood and vanilla; his musky and sweet scent of boy.

Y/n kicked off her shoes at the foot of Jason’s bed, and set her barely-even-touched margarita on his bedside table, next to a pair of clear lens glasses. That’s funny, she thought, I didn’t know Jason wore glasses.

She tucked herself into his bed, lifting the comforter out of its tucked position, and nestled tightly into the warm cocoon. Taking a deep breath or Jason, her eyes shut themselves, and snapped back open seconds later. Did I lock the door?

Fuck. No, she didn’t. She had to get back up and lock it. Jiggled the knob for extra measure, just to make sure it was locked.  Once she was satisfied,she returned to the bed, and tucked herself in. Her eyes were closing once again, when the thrum of the bass in whatever rap song it was blaring the house, shook through Jason’s room.

No matter. She was out like a light not even 5 minutes later, Lulled to sleep by the smell of Jason.

.

.

.

Jason, Kent, and Andrew were having the time of their fucking lives.

Andrew had forgotten all about y/n after Jason told him she was in his room, and had downed a total of 6 body shots, all on different people. He lost track of how many people took shots on him. Cloud nine, this is what cloud nine is. He was everywhere and nowhere. Try looking for him and you’ll only catch his shirt-tail because he was already moving on to the next scene. If you saw a flipped red solo cup, then he had been there. He was absolutely reveling in the mass of sweating bodies. His yelling inn the cafeteria had paid off.

Everyone and their fucking mom came. He’d seen everyone he knew from school, and twice the amount of people he knew from school that he didn’t recognize. True to his word, his friend had brought Snoop fucking Dog, and he was up by the pool, dj-ing with five towering giants surrounding him. This only brought more attention. The party had spread out to the streets.

Kent was out of his mind, with how high he was. Don’t tell his mom, but he didn’t know what drug it was making it look like the guy passing the blunt had an elephant head. The lights made him feel like he was in a galaxy, sitting on the rings of Saturn with two topless babes under his arms. He sat with a ring of boys in the den, where you couldn’t see past your nose with how much smoke there was in the air.

And Jason? Shit, Jason was having a really hard time getting his dick up. He was in the pool with more than TWENTY topless babes he was supposed to be boning. It was his birthday after all. Andrew had posted a sign on the shallow end of the pool that said ‘only naked babes allowed’, and would appear every five seconds to remind said ‘babes’ to “TAKE YOUR TOP OFF!!!”

No matter how hard he tried, Jason just couldn’t get hard. The girl who pressed her tits in his face- a real 10 really, with bee stung lips and all- was starting to get confused, and Jason was starting to feel like a real tool.

There he was, his party was crazy, police having been chased off, a racoon being passed around on a leash, Snoop Dog having a literal concert inn his backyard, and far off in the distance there was the shinning light of a news helicopter. And he wasn’t having it.

He did for the first hour. Did some shots, smoked more weed, grinded on some people, got grinded on. Someone had inflated a whole-ass bouncy castle next to his garage, and it was filled with nothing but naked girls (which also did nothing for him). And it was fun seeing it build up. It gave him a bit of a heady adrenaline rush, knowing that ll these people where there because-

“So are you gonna let me give the birthday boy, his birthday present?” said the girl who was topless on his lap, her voice sultry and velvety smooth. She was licking a stripe up Jason’s throat, her hips swiveling against his groin.

Jason, still wearing his clothes, jeans and white shirt and all, looked up at his bedroom window, and what he saw made his heart crack in two. Y/n, his precious y/n, was looking at him with horror, tears painting her cheeks not unlike the way they had yesterday in the hallway, and a hand cupped over her mouth. The other hand was lifted up to her ear, and Jason saw that her mouth was moving.

She was on the phone.

He started to feel dirty, like slime. Guilty, was more like it. He realized then that the reason why he couldn’t get hard is because the girl in his lap wasn’t y/n. And seeing her, in his room all alone and in pain, made him feel like scum.

Pushing the girl off without remorse, he said, “No, I don’t think so.” He ignored the girl’s protests, and also whatever the hell Andrew yelled after him. Jason looked straight ahead, striding with intention to his room. It was difficult, with all the bodies and high-fives and bro-slaps he had to give on his way up the stairs, but he made it. He was dripping all over his floor, but he made it.

He hesitated, placing a hand on the door. As the bass of This is How We Do It vibrated through the wall and against his hand, he wondered what would happen when he opened the door. He wanted to console her. Ask her what was wrong, even though he had a large inkling he knew why she was upset- that it might’ve been his fault.

Jason dug his hand into his pocket, using his fingers to peel apart the cloth because it stuck together, and felt for the key to his room. Once he found it, he fed it through the lock, and turned it, the door giving away a sliver to which he was able to peek inside.

Y/n was on the phone. She was sitting at his window ledge, on her knees, still looking out. She hadn’t heard him coming in. Shutting the door closed behind him, Jason held his breath and listened.

“Am I an idiot?” she squeaked, sniffling to the other person on the line. “Why? Well, isn’t it clear. Donna, he’s constantly surrounded by all these skinny, tall blondes, and I’m not like that.”

Jason’s eyes widened. His heart felt as if an arrow had been shot through it.

“I’m so stupid, really. How could I ever think-”

Yes, yes?

“-that Jason could like me?”

He was appalled. Frozen in his tracks, because god did she really think like that? How could she not realize it. She was so precious; all Jason ever though about. If only she knew. If only she knew-

Well, the thing is- and it might be the weed talking, but- she could know. Jason didn’t have to keep it from her anymore. He could tell her. Fuck it. Fuck it all.

“Y/n?” He said. Clearly, not loud enough because she didn’t turn around. He walked to her, close enough that his knees pressed against the ledge of the window seat, and close enough so that he could grab her wrist.

She yelped, surprised, and whipped her head around. When she saw it was Jason, even though he was smiling a dopey, sweet smile that made her want to fall into a puddle, her face fell into one of mortification. He took the phone from her hand and hung up, tossing it on the pillow.

 “Oh, y/n.”

“Jason, I-” Her cheeks flushed. Her words died in her throat, her tears frozen on her lips.

“I like you, y/n. More than you know.” And his clothes were wet sure, but it didn’t matter because fuck. Fuck it all. Jason pulled her up, wrapped a hand around her waist, and kissed her.

A soft, gentle, press of his lips against hers, their noses bumping. She squeaked and tensed, her fingers squeezing his biceps. His thumb rubbed circled to the sliver of skin that peeked from the place where her shirt rode up.

He pulled away from her, and she leaned forward with her own lips puckered, whining because he pulled away.

“I’ve been wanting to do that, for so long, you know?” He told her, placing her back down on the ledge, while she stared back up at him dreamily.

“Why didn’t you?” she asked him.

“Because Andrew would beat me to a pulp,” he said, laughing. “But it doesn’t matter anymore.” Jason reached for the bottom of his shirt, and pulled it over his head, y/n watching with cheeks flaming at the way his skin rippled and tightened with every movement. After a beat she says,

“Why’s that?”

“Because I’d rather get beaten to a pulp, than be away from you any longer.”

super proud of this. THERE WILL BE A PART 2!!

much love, -abigail

[nostalgicnocturnal]

Glitter on Pavements

"Okay, class. The presentation of your radio play will be next meeting, so prepare everything and do your best. Class dismissed."

With a sharp knock of heels on the cement floor, their English teacher with paper-white skin left the room. The students now began to huddle with their group mates. Everyone was either excited or anxious about the radio play "Sorry, Wrong Number" set during the 1940s. The story circled around a lady who calls the operator countless times to talk about overhearing a conversation of two men plotting to kill someone, only to find out she was the one to be killed. It was a unique genre and challenging to perform by a bunch of 14 to 15-year-olds. 

Among all these small groups of angsty teenagers, there is one group consisting of all boys with one girl taking the lead; like a mother bird with her bouncing boys. 

"I had prepared the sound effects we could use for our final rehearsal today. Do you guys have a speaker we can borrow?", she asked.

"Yeah, I already thought of that, you told me last time. So I brought my speaker with me," said the boy with thick nerdy glasses.

"By the way, no one's gonna be home today so if you guys want to, we can practice the script once more in our house. It's quiet there so we can test the sound effects to fit the story," the boy with the eyes that resemble an owl suggested.

There is some worry on the back of the girl's mind; to be left alone in a house with these boys, thinking if she'll be a hundred percent safe. But she has at least seventy percent of trust, for they are young and intelligent well-mannered lads. They belong to what others see as an "elite class", some call a "special class", "cream of the crop"; but it's just a plain science section with all other difficult subjects included.

"Alright, let's go! I've been wanting to come to your house anyway," blurted the boy with spiky hair.

And so they set forth, walked from school to their classmate's house. It was not big, but had enough space for them. All these boys were now excited to talk to each other about things unrelated to their agenda. Since men can be comfortable anywhere, they began unbuttoning their white polos while complaining of the heat, showing their sloppy shoulders; she only managed to take off her shoes. As she began to be left out of this men's conversation, she started to look around. There were family portraits hung on the wall, medals, certificates, recognition day photos, and a graduation photo of a young girl in her toga. 

"Who is she?" she asked as her voice darted the sound of chatting and laughter behind her.

"She's my older sister," the boy with owl-like eyes responded.

"But... how come you don't... look alike?" she said slowly to avoid unnecessary judgment in her tone. It is undeniable that they don't resemble those round eyes most of their family members have.

"Well... she is adopted." he answered back with a low tone.

"But... she is older than you, right? How come?" she asked again as curiosity hit her innocent mind.

"It's a long story," he uttered with a sigh.

She thought "I don't mind listening to a long story" but remembered it must have been a personal family thing to share and it would be rude to insist on asking. 

"We should begin practicing now, I don't want to come home late. My father will scold me for good!" another boy with pale complexion and looking rather skinny insisted.

And so they begin the rehearsal. They all read their lines, accompanied it with some sound effects, practiced proper timing, and made improvements of projecting their voice as if on a radio show. Time flew and the golden ray of sunset hit their faces from the open windows, but they were so immersed in practicing that they don't mind if the place is getting a little darker. After serious discussions to ace their performance, it was 8PM, and they were satisfied with themselves.

"Oh no, I better go home, my father's going to kill me!" the skinny guy shrieked.

"It's dark out. I should walk you home," offered the spiky haired guy to the leader of the group and the only girl in the room.

"I think I'm okay. It's not that far from here anyway," she asserted.

"No, you should take her home. And take me with you, my house is along the way. My father has to see someone so that he believes I am doing school work and not messing around," said the pale skinny guy again. His parents must have been strict and worried because he is either sickly or has been up to no good lately.

"Alright, I'll talk to your father and I'll take her home too. That way I know you both are safe," assured the spiky haired guy.

And so the three of them walked the dark streets, with only the distant street lights and flashes of headlights from vehicles helped them see the way clearer. They chatted, laughed, and plotted what excuses they might say to his father so that they won't be scolded for staying out late. 

Finally, they came to his house. They were about to knock when his father just opened the door. The three of them were shocked and stood like totem poles.

"G-good evening, Mr.-"

"Ah, here you are. Are these your classmates?"

"Yes, Pa. We had to finish our final rehearsal for the radio play and it ended late,"

"That's okay. Come in, you two. Have some dinner with us!" 

"We're fine, sir. There is no need to-"

"Aye, come in. Let me offer you a drink at least."

"O-okay. T-thank you."

And so they went in. The skinny guy's father bought cola for them and offered them some food. He was all smiley and accommodating, he does not look scary or strict at all. She wondered if once they left the house, he might just quit his showing off and spank his son. 

"It's getting late, we better go home, sir.”

“Oh, wow look at the time! Go ahead now, your parents must be worried.”

“Thank you for the food.”

The moment they were out of the door, their extremely forced smiles wear out and let out a sigh of relief.

“Woah, I didn’t know his father would be like that,” remarked the guy with glossy, spiky hair.

“I know, right? I thought he would scold us or something. But I think I’d rather receive some scolding than that sort of treatment,” she added.

Their quiet giggles echoed in the empty streets. Every step they took blended with the sound of pebbles brushing the concrete and simultaneous barks as there were more dogs than people out on this chilly night. The glitter on pavements shone even more as their soles made contact with the ground. Finally, the silence broke as they approached a busy sari-sari store.

“You know, I’ve been wanting to treat you. I don’t have much but just tell me what snack you want, I’ll pay for it,” he bragged a bit.

“Really? Is that okay with you?” she shyly asked.

“Sure! Just pick anything, I gotcha,” he said with a slight grin.

Since she was young and feeling tired as of the moment, she agreed. She picked the biggest bag of chips she could see from the screen windows of the store. She gave a smirk at him, waiting what kind of response he would give, if he would take back what he said. Instead, he smiled back warmly. 

"Let's eat this while walking, shall we?"

"Sure," she agreed.

Their way home seemed too long, it would have been awkward if it weren't for the crunching sound of chips in between their silences. Yet every munch seems inappropriate to the current situation.

"What is your type of guy?" he asked out of the blue.

"A gentleman, that's all," she answered back.

He nodded a couple of times and smiled to himself. He thought he must be doing a great job at being a gentleman; treating a girl with food they like, being by her side, walking her home, all seemed like a gentleman's moves.

"Ah, also, I like guys who are smarter than me. I am tired of being the smart one, you know. I want someone who would make smart decisions for the both of us," she added.  

His smile faded a bit. He knows he is not that brainy, nor smarter than her. He thought he took a step closer to her, but she is still a distant star that is impossible for him to reach. His steps were washed out by the wave of reality before he could even take another. 

"There it is! That's where I live, by that red gate," she exclaimed.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow at class then. I know we'll nail that performance, all thanks to you. You are a great team leader indeed," he said.

"Nah, that's nothing. I wouldn't be able to make the team move if you guys weren't initiating and cooperating." 

"Thanks for walking me home. See you tomorrow," she added.

She entered the gate showered with crimson paint, then locked it up. Just like her heart that looks so enticing yet all walled up and locked tightly. He turned back and walked away.

At the back of the door, she smiled. No one had ever seen her the way his eyes looked, no one ever dared to protect her the way he did. She suddenly felt like a girl. Although a thought crossed her mind; is she the only one he would walk home with, or was he just kind enough to do this to other girls too?

[cyclone-rachel]

Winn going to the future and meeting all of Brainy’s friends is the equivalent of meeting the parents for the first time and getting all the embarrassing stories/pictures. And Winn happily telling Kara about them when he comes back

oh my gosh yes, I love this so much

like he had formed his opinions on Brainy already (smartass outside of his element, surprisingly nice sometimes, didn’t seem able to leave him alone when they met in season 3) and even though we didn’t see anything with Brainy for several episodes in that season (which is sad. I don’t know why Jesse wasn’t in episodes 12 through 15, even if Brainy was mentioned in all of them) I’d imagine that Winn would convince him to stop working for a little bit and play Trivial Pursuit with him and the rest of the super-friends. (maybe with a reference to Brainy needing to learn his history, while Brainy answers by telling him he’s already learning that, but he wouldn’t object to such a game anyway)

But that’s off-topic. Winn knows who Brainy is, he comes to learn a little more about him, and by the time Winn goes to the future, he already has an image of him in his mind. Living with the Legion, in Brainy’s room, however, starts to give him a new perspective, and he learns what the Legionnaires think of Brainy and what Brainy’s own perspective on things is. And at some point, of course, he learns about Brainy’s simulations, specifically the ones Brainy thought up about Kara, and as you mentioned he would get the embarrassing stories along with them.

When Winn comes back, he has to restrain himself around Brainy, or else he’ll tease him about everything he’s learned (even though he also has tremendous respect for him that he won’t admit). But he does absolutely tell Kara everything, or at least as much as he can.

[ithinkthingsaboutstuff]

Well I am bored and can’t get back to sleep. So it’s time for a supergirl s5 rant no one asked for.

Now every season has its issues and there were some outside “issues” this season (COVID-19 and Melissa being pregnant) so I will keep that in mind.

That being said.

This season had problems from the word jump. This was for a few reasons.

1- The plot was all over the place

And I don’t mean, ‘oh there was not enough of [blank character] so it was bad.’ No, I mean it was literally jumping between to many elements. Like what was this season about really?

Was it about a new tech environment taking over people’s lives? Was it about an ancient occult power coming out of the shadows to “take” the earth? Was it about adjusting to a post crisis world? Was it about the Luther siblings joining forces to achieve common goal and brainy is a secret inside man?

Now I understand that most tv shows have multiple plot points to follow that’s normal and expected. However, you need to have them meet up in away that is rewarding to the viewer and makes sense for the story that you are trying to tell. And there is an old writing trick called “one step at a time” Basically it boils down to, The audience will only believe one thing at a time.

Eg. You tell the audience this character can only do something in a certain way, (like the sups and the yellow sun,) but then you say that actually never mind this is another way to do it,(like Kara can keep her speed and only her speed under a red sun). This is bad writing as there is no set up or pay off and you cheated your audience by just changing the rules you made for no reason. (Think that kid on the playground that does that “unbeatable force field” thing in a game of tag.)

This can also apply to story concepts this is called a “conflicting narrative” in season 5 this apples to leviathan.

At the start of the season (ep 1 -8) we are told that they are ancient and magical based villains, all good. 

and their big plan is to therefor, of course  *checks notes* to use advice sci fi tech to achieve their goals and do something? with the people inside, yeah that makes sense what else would they use? Magic? that thing the super family is vulnerable to? Nah.....sarcastic’s aside, if you establish one thing you can’t turn in round with no explanation. 

They actually have a good example of this concept working in this season, in ep 10 with Brainy and his changing physical appearance. 

It was set up in the ep early on that our brainy was ‘off’ compared to the other Brainy’s, we get an explanation in the bar scene with the Rath siblings and then it is built upon with a Kara and Brainy scene, then after a build up and a reason (a character based one I might add) it is then and only then that it gets revealed and guess what.... that is hands down the best ep of the season. 

I literally have re-watched that ep so many times cause it’s that good. It is great self contained episodes and builds on per established character moments and plot points (brainy’s character inconsistency and the crisis plot aftermath) it’s the gold standard of what I’m talking about.

it sets up and pays off what it is trying to do and give character base reason for the story. 

But the season as a whole don’t do this effectively because 

2- They focus on making the plot the compliment characters, and not the characters complimenting the plot.   

the blanket term for this is, this is called “build up and release” this is used to drag out tension effectively. there are 2 ways to do this but basically 

1- answer one thing, then that answer leads to another question     

2- give partial answers through out a space of time, to keep attention but not make it the only focus of any given moment.

but anyway,

season 5 has this issue where they bring up a point then either don’t carry it through or don’t ‘step it out’ in a way that leads well to the story.

remember what i said about accepting one thing at a time? now let me ask.

If Leviathan is secret why did they reveal themselves now?

I don’t know and guess what, I don’t care, because the show didn’t care either. they never set up why they came out of the shadows or why that even mattered? so why would anyone care outside of “season’s bad guys”. 

you know what this season did care about the Luther siblings. there is nothing wrong with that per say, I just don’t see why they needed Leviathan if they didn’t actually want to develop them in anyway. If the post crisis season was just about taking down the Luther’s then fine nothing wrong with that.

but here is why they NEEDED the Leviathan ‘plot’ (and i use that loosely) is that they needed it to justify Lena working with Lex and not have her come off as “too evil” that way she can say

“i’m only working with you because I want to get rid of Leviathan” 

instead of 

“i’m working with you because i have the same motives as you”

which would not play well in her “redemption” (and i use that term even looser) they kept an aspect to the story purely to complaint a character they wanted a particular outcome, so they kept a plot element around regardless of how well it actually worked with the story.    

and then there’s the bitch himself LEX (John did a great job tho tbh)

he is the biggest example of ‘plot fitting character’, Lex didn’t fail ONCE the whole season, no problems or surprises and it was “oh so easy for him” like that is just frustrating for everyone, i’m not saying “the hero’s should win all the time” No, but the villains need to earn their wins to. here is why that is an issue if you make it to easy.  

1- the audience wants to see every character have their problems with achieving their goals and how they go about solving the problems as it is and hear me out...entertaining   

2-  when a character always has things “go to plan” it feels super forced, the Human error, is built into us (the audience) as people, so to see it not come into play at all, at any point, feels fake as we all know life don’t work that way for anyone. especially if there are people actively trying to stop you. 

overall you shouldn’t force a plot to fit a character, you should write a character to fit the plot their in (or in other words have them adapted to new situations they don’t even have to do it well) 

Ironically a good example of this in s5 was William

they built up that he was a journalist and that he was hiding something, fast froward and it turned out that he was trying to uncover Leviathan (unknowingly to him) and not apart of them. 

this is a good way for a character to compliment the plot. 

they said here is a new journalist and he doesn’t even know the depths of what he is looking into and that’s a smart move.      

i’m just going to leave this clip here...

this tied in character and plot really well it exampled character and now after this scene they can shift his behaviour and have a reason for it. not just ‘oh actually he was never a jerk and he is nice now’. no it was “he is trying to achieve a goal using this method and now he has been exposed”. This gives a plot based obstacle and character reaction (that failed to work) and it works actually quiet well for a network conspiracy plot.

character completing plot.

and finally 

3- Rushed endings  

now this one is actually treaty to talk about, cause of well the COVID- 19 problems so i can’t be to judgemental about it cause that is a dick move. And on top of that the lead actress (of an action show) was pageant so they had to use he a little less (in fight scenes anyway) so again I’m not going to be a dick about it, and you know i don’t want anyone being forced to work during a pandemic if its not at all necessary. So, i will keep this brief.      

There are still things that fell flat due to being to rushed.

1- the tech/ VR take down.

It was built up for at least 10 eps and they took it down in 5 mins with a pep talk from Kara, like um ok that was easy i guess, don’t know why y’all were worried if you could fix it in an afternoon. this is not a bad plot line in theory, but it was given to much attention for the solution it was given. 

2- Leviathan lady (don’t know and don’t care what her name is) being a robot alien thing.

this one is not too bad? but it was shown way to late in the game and again they didn’t focus enough on Leviathan for this to be of any real audience value outside of a surprise/ shock value. So why should i care now? they barely did anything interesting this season but then you give me something cool 2 mins after it doesn’t matter anymore (with the others bottled). why was this not done earlier in the season? but anyway.   

3- Lena’s “redemption”  

I could write a whole separate rant about this, but for time and my sanity i won’t. but basically, my main issue is that the whole season Lena was spiralling downward and doing worse and worse things to people, and that’s fine from a story pov, but after at least 15 to 17 eps of this and countless bad decisions and judgements she dose ONE good thing and, well that’s all your needed to do, all is forgiven.

now i am all for redemption arcs but one of the main words there is ARC!!!

there needs to be a reflection, apologies, rejections and making mistakes and then truly changing for the better, and still making mistakes!!

it was disgustingly quick and it honestly made me a little uncomfortable. I want to see people grow and learn but people have to earn their own way there. and another thing redemption is not something another person should be reasonable for giving you. (*cough* Kara *cough*)  redemption is something you give yourself through hard choices, personal loses and hard work. and guess what you can do all that and still NEVER get back what you messed up, that was real change and growth is as, 

redemption, real redemption         

comes in the moments when you don’t benefit from it, Lena loses nothing in helping Kara in the end and gains everything she throw away in a minute flat. So, yeah i think it was rushed in a way that made my jaw drop in disbelief because of how badly rushed it was. 

But getting out of that head space.

I like trying to end on a positive note the only part of the ending that was not rushed was Brainy’s bottling of Leviathan, 

it was set up as a thing that be could do (ep 10),it was a hard choice to make (as it was going to kill him) and was given time to feel the full weight of the choice, the Rath sibling hand hold, then Lex taunting him and taking the bottle, and then Brainy being left there alone, Then a bit of hope with Nia’s vision. it was the best part of the ending this season and i want to see more.  that is how you don’t rush an ending let the audience feel the consequences for the character choices with the character.   

anyway season 5 rant over.

[stranger-who-writes-fiction]

Alright 5x19 let’s DO THIS.

(Warning: This will probably be long.)

WE BEGIN...by visiting Leviathan’s underground speakeasy.

The shot of Lex in the glow of the Kryptonite is great, 15/10 iconic Kryptonian Killer.

But SPEAKING of things that are green and bad...Gemma’s outfit is stage magician meets Mera from Aquaman and WAIT, WAIT, I’m just now remembering that the character in the comics was linked to Atlantis. Is that why they’ve gone with a green motif for her all season?

Probably not. Either way, still gives me knockoff Mera vibes. (*whispers quietly* I don’t like Mera’s outfit either.)

(I’m reading the Wikipedia entry for Gamemnae and did you know: she was exiled from Atlantis for being blonde?)

Anyways!

That’s just a very long-winded way of saying that the costume is kind of a weird choice.

Then we’re back in Kara’s loft and finally, FINALLY...someone tells Lena that there are BIGGER FISH, STOP REMINISCING.

And then the Superfriends arrive on the scene and they are ready to throw down.

Honestly same bro, same.

Also M’GANN IS ON THE TEAM I love it please, SG, please, hire Sharon Leal full-time. 

What is the current door-kicking tally--how many front entrances have the Danvers girls destroyed?

“Well the joke’s on Rama Khan and his big dumb gladiator outfit because I already defeated him once.” THIS. IS. WHAT. I. HAVE. BEEN. SAYING.

THE COSTUME IS SILLY AND NOT IN A FUN WAY.

Leviathan just has terrible fashion sense, is basically the theme of this season.

Oh my gosh M’gann being the one to suggest the multiple Karas and the WINK I love her, I love her so much.

PLEASE NOTE: That J’onn was like ‘the skirt is surprisingly comfortable’ but his response to the pants is, ‘they’re gonna chafe.’ 

J’onn J’onzz, Skirt Supporter. 

Then the Alex suit reveal and ooof, ooooof, probably the wonkiest of the scenes, unfortunately. (Can’t decide if I appreciate the effort of the CGI Alex or if it’s simply too uncanny valley.)

Also, put a pin in the Alex suit reveal. We’ll circle back to it.

(Oh wait and also: Kara’s scream and J’onn’s reaction all A+.)

Breaking chronological order here to just touch on the highlights and maybe discuss particular chunks in detail SO...let’s get right toooooooo....

Rooftop scene with Alex and M’Gann! Nice! But also I was like, ‘Alex just...has a bazooka? ...Yeah that tracks.’ And then I remembered that she has the martian weapon...honestly kinda prefer my accidental headcanon that she just owns one. 

Then back to Lena and Kara and we’ve come full circle because folks...they figuratively flew to Luthor-Corp...on a bus.

Oh if only that was the actual goal of this entire plot. I would applaud it.

SG writers, always: REAL threats come in groups of THREE.

I actually don’t mind it. They aren’t given a big introduction and amount of screen time, so it’s pretty unobtrusive. 

Then we get a Luthor-Corp lab scene AND a good look at Alex’s suit so LET’S CHAT.

Okay first and foremost: not opposed to vigilante Alex! Especially if it means she can work with Kara a bit more directly.

Love the color scheme! Love the hood! Love that the boots are no longer the stealth wedge heel but are just...heels. Good, yes, good! Also love that you can see it’s basically built on top of her DEO suit which totally makes sense, as...I guess Alex is building the suit mentally, not physically, technically, but she’d still be using stuff she’s familiar with to put it together in...her...mind?

I also think the top portion sits better than the DEO suit, which had that awkward...square-ish portion that covered the front of the torso.

But hmmmmmm the eye makeup is...a statement. 

Confused as to why they didn’t go with a domino mask...maybe it was an actor comfort thing but HMMMMM not my personal favorite, admittedly. (Also don’t love the lace up look on the front portion but that’s because it’s reminding me of some of the terrible costumes from Arrow.)

And then the hair clip, which. Okay. As someone who has been struggling to find a way to pull back short hair during this time of no haircuts...can’t be mad about it.

In fact, catch me over here, taking notes.

Alright, costume rambling OVER sorry for the tangent but, you know. New super suit, it’s always exciting. 

I like that Kara had to deal with not being able to be out fighting the threat! That’s a good bit of character stuff there.

“William went after Eve ALONE?!?!?” “No super hearing!” 

“Please, be careful.” “You know me.” “Yeah, exactly, that’s what I’m worried about.” And then a HUG and they’re just the best.

 Dunno if I’ve mentioned it yet but I love the effects they use for Gemma’s ‘true form.’ Very cool and creepy.

Does Andrea just...not question Gemma’s evil villain outfit...or...?

Much like Alex’s super suit we’re puttin’ a PIN in the Brainy plot we’ll get there but FIRST...

THE KARA AND LENA CONVERSATION.

Do I think it should’ve come earlier in the season? Yes! Do I care at this point? ...Okay, still yes! But that’s another pinned point I’ll get back to, right now let us just bask in the beauty that is specifically, verbally laying out all the CRAP Lena put Kara through, and Kara making sure Lena understands THAT is what hurt her, not ‘working with Lex.’

“You never understood.” BINGO. “I know I hurt you by waiting so long to tell you my truth but what about all the ways you hurt me?” EXACTLY. 

“I made one mistake, one mistake that was only ever meant to protect you and in return, all you did was hurt me in every way imaginable.”

Then Lena finally apologizes. For, you know, the stuff that was actually upsetting Kara. So. We got there. ...Eventually.

Then it’s off to save William and he’s talking down Eve! We love a noble journalist.

Kara cauterizing the bullet wound and William being like ‘DO IT no wait DON’T DO IT’ and Kara’s just like, ‘TOO LATE, IT’S DONE.’

RETURN OF THE POWER RANGERS SUIT NICE.

And theeeeen a lot of scenes that are fine but it’s mostly just legwork to get us to the bigger parts of the episode sooooo we’re jumping to...

Andrea! Pleasantly surprised with her part in the action of this episode. Had that nice moral conflict we saw in the front half of the season. It’s a little crammed in here, at the last minute, but. Still enjoyed seeing it.

A personal quibble on the visuals: I prefer the simple elegance of the season one hope speech, (Just a lone camera, in a rundown radio station XD) but I understand they had to convey ‘scale.’ Still think it’s a little much.

Oh man, totally forgot to mention, loved Nicole’s line read for, “Maybe you should’ve been meaner.” It was GREAT.

So there’s the fight against Rama Khan and his buddies, and Kara’s trying to talk people out of a MMORPG, AND Andrea shows up ready to kill somebody. 

The drama! The suspense!

THE SCORE.

I have another quibble with the cutting back and forth on the hope speech and it’s largely to do with perhaps inadvertent implications regarding who has to grow from pain and what pain in particular, but that might just be a ‘me’ thing, reading the scene a particular way, so I’m just gonna move on and say LOVE TO SEE A HOPE SPEECH.

Also:

Supergirl: “I believe in you.”

The VR peeps and us, the audience:

Alright time to talk about BRAINY.

Admittedly haven’t loved double agent Brainy, which felt more like a, ‘let’s add some drama’ move than anything else.

I do still stand by my assessment that Brainy being a few steps behind Lex made sense given his distress re: Nia and the Superfriends.

But also...was a little wild, IMO, that he didn’t have...some way to at least circumnavigate the radiation shield? Or at the very least limit it.

But again. DRAMA.

All that said...wow. Loved the two Brainys at the end, there. Genuinely touching.

“Will you stay with me?” “Till the very end.” 

BRAAAAAAAIIIINNNNNNNNY.

How do you make another Luthor reveal work when you ALREADY pulled the, ‘It was Lex all along!’ like, twice before?

You MAKE IT LILLIAN.

Like, dang it, I enjoyed it. How dare you, SG.

But THAT’S IT. NO MORE SECRET LUTHOR REVEALS. 

The terminator look and death shriek for Gemma was fittingly creepy very nice.

But also WOW, she never interacted with Kara. I am DISAPPOINTED. 

So anyways, that second Lena and Kara conversation! 

It was fine. It’s fine. This is fine. It’s...it’s fine.

(Except that it highlights a problem with the way this whole thing was set up and it’s not something unique to SG! It’s a problem I’ve noticed with a lot of redemption arcs--which seem to be all the rage, as of late--and that is a disproportionate amount of bad things done by the one character, and putting off the turn until like, the last possible minute to increase the drama factor and thaaaaat...is not a super satisfying conclusion because it’s a HUGE amount of build up for a relatively small pay off. Like, as Kara is listing the stuff that Lena’s done, it’s kind of a stark reminder that Lena physically and emotionally hurt Kara on purpose which. Is a glaring red flag. That’s the kind of thing that needs to be unpacked, maybe! Given some space!

Which isn’t to say that characters should never be forgiven, or that they need to be excessively punished. It just needs time. So saving the ‘redemption’ part for the very end where the characters NEED TO BE HEROES RIGHT NOW IN ORDER TO HELP OUT it’s...hmmmmmm. Too rushed.)

AND SO, SOME FINAL THOUGHTS ON THIS, THE SEASON FINALE, AND THE SEASON AS A WHOLE:

Wow but I did not like the focus on Lena. Not fun. No thanks.

Which is only made worse by the trashfire that is the SG fandom. 

Loved the moments of growth and agency for Kara, though. 

Loved the big crossover! It kinda made for a wonky set up of Earth-38 plot vs. Earth Prime plot but honestly anything the writers set up in the front portion of the season was going to be at the very least interrupted, if not completely derailed simply given the nature of what they intended to do with the merging of the earths.

Like give me SG’s approach to handling the front half of the season over Flash’s any day. 

Still too many characters! Still too much plot! Still weird pacing issues! XD

Forget it, Jake, it’s Supergirl.

Oh, honorable mention: The handling of Kelly! She was integrated so well into a nice intersection of plot points and characters that when she’s there to hack into the Obsidian stuff in the finale it’s like, ‘well naturally she’d be here.’ EXCELLENT WORK. 

William and Andrea win ‘most improved over their intensely unlikable introductions.’

To be clear: I liked this season finale! And the fact that it all came together as well as it did is a testament to the skill of all the folks involved, considering the awful extenuating circumstances.

Though, upon further introspection, I think I really do dislike the CGI Alex. Too far into the uncanny valley, sorry. 

IN CONCLUSION: Very, very sad that it’s gonna be a whole year, or possibly longer, before we get new SG content but, glad that the actors will have a little more time off than they usually might, and I’m all for holding off the production as long as possible, in order to keep folks safe.

WHAT are Lex and Lillian up to, like, specifically, and WHAT is Alex’s superhero name??? WILL the folks in charge of the new Superman show remember that it’s a Supergirl spinoff?!??! Find out NEXT YEAR only on SUPERGIRL! (And Superman & Lois!)

EDIT: I used the word ‘quibble’ twice which feels like one time too many, but also it IS a fun word to say. ‘Quibble.’ Ha. XD